Japan hands top arts prize to filmmaker Coppola, sculptor Gormley

Director Francis Ford Coppola arrives on the red carpet for ''Twixt'' during the 36th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in Toronto September 11, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/Mark Blinch

By Paul Casciato

LONDON | Tue Sep 17, 2013 4:06pm EDT

LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, Spanish opera singer Placido Domingo and British sculptor Antony Gormley won three of Japan's top arts prizes, the Japan Art Association said on Tuesday.

Domingo, Gormley and Coppola were joined by British architect David Chipperfield and Italian painter Michelangelo Pistoletto as 2013 laureates of the Praemium Imperiale, a 15 million yen ($150,000) prize which will be handed out on Oct 16. by Japanese Emperor Akihito's younger brother Prince Hitachi.

"The 2013 Praemium Imperiale laureates enrich our lives and touch a common chord of humanity despite geographic and linguistic barriers," Japan Art Association chairman Hisashi Hieda said in a statement.

The prizes, for film, music, sculpture, painting and architecture, were created in 1988 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Japan Art Association and to honor Japan's late Prince Takamatsu.

The 2013 laureates join a roster of past winners who include U.S. playwright Arthur Miller, British artist David Hockney, Canadian architect Frank Gehry and a host of other household names in the arts over the 25 years they have been awarded.

Announced in Tokyo, London, Rome and other cities, the laureates were selected from lists submitted by a panel of international advisers who include former prime ministers, diplomats, politicians and global cultural figures.

In London, BBC Trust Chairman, Oxford University Chancellor and Praemium Imperiale international adviser Chris Patten was on hand at Gormley's Chipperfield-designed studio in north London to announce the prize.

"It's a great way of celebrating the lifetime achievements of two very, very considerable artists," he said.

Gormley and Patten both said the awards, which honor Japan's late 19th century period of cultural renaissance under Emperor Meiji, also demonstrated the cultural and artistic links between Japan and Britain.

Gormley, in camel-colored trousers flecked with paint, said he has had a long association with Japan stretching back to 1984, and praised Japan's influence on art around the world and its appreciation of global creativity.

"We all know about the early influence of Japanese art on impressionism and post-impressionism, but I think that the traffic the other way has been equally extraordinary," he said.

Gormley - whose giant, rusting, steel "Angel of the North" statue looming over the main traffic artery into northern England has made his art as recognizable as Henry Moore's - said he had a number of projects on the boil in Asia and remained passionate about making public sculpture.

"Sculpture by nature occupies collective space, it's quintessentially the art of participation and collective identification."

($1 = 98.7900 Japanese yen)

(Editing by Mike Collett-White)

View the original article here

Hands on with Microsoft's audio-mixing Remix cover for Surface 2

As part of its launch of the next-generation Surface 2 and Surface 2 Pro at an event in New York City on Monday, Microsoft has debuted a new Remix Cover chock full of touch controls designed to help budding DJs and audio engineers mix their musical tracks, rather than the usual QWERTY setup.

When you connect the backlit Remix Cover to your Surface device, a Remix Project app automatically installs and lets you create tracks using "building blocks" such drum, bass, keyboard, vocals and more.

Loops, mutes, sliders: it's all on the Remix Cover. Unfortunately, the only way to obtain one seems to be by entering the Surface #RemixProject contest – there was no word of availability in the shops. Still, the Remix Cover seems like an interesting way to promote the idea that Touch Covers could be used for more than just typing.

For more on the pressure-sensitive cover, watch the video above.

For most users though, the basic message is that Microsoft has enhanced the Surface with additional performance, while extending battery life and slimming down the tablet's overall profile with skinnier covers.

On the first count, Microsoft certainly appears to have succeeded; the addition of an upgraded Core processor to the Surface Pro 2 undeniably improves the tablet. A quick hands-on with both the new Touch and Type Covers leaves me thinking that Microsoft has taken a step back with its portable keyboards, however.

Inside the Surface 2 Pro is a self-reported Intel Core i5-4200 'Haswell' CPU running at 1.6 GHz, versus the Core i5-3317u 'Ivy Bridge' chip at 1.7 GHz that powered the original Surface.

The original Surface Pro conked out under heavy load in just 2.5 hours or so, though lighter Web browsing and battery management could push it out a couple more. One Microsoft employee we talked to felt that the new Surface Pro 2 could pull five hours under heavy gaming. (With the new Power Cover, battery life will be extended to ten-plus hours.) A more formal review will settle the difference.

What is clear, however, is that the Surface Pro 2 is definitely a gaming machine of some sort. Microsoft showed off World of Warcraft and Portal 2 running smoothly--yes, these games are several years old, but they do run, and well.

Still, numbers generally don't lie. I slipped in a USB key with FutureMark's PCMark 7 suite (the Surface won't run a test or two in or more recent WorldBench 8 and 8.1 tests). We re-benchmarked the original Surface Pro (128 GB/4 GB RAM) and generated a score of 4,447. The new Surface Pro 2 (256 GB/8 GB RAM) returned a score of 4,888 using the identical benchmark--just 9 percent better. That's not earth-shattering, but we are talking about generational improvements from one set of integrated GPUs to the next.

Since our tests are confined to x86 processors, we didn't benchmark the ARM processor-based Surface 2. It felt speedy enough, but that's a very basic impression.

Let's be clear: Typing is a personal activity, and most users have their own set of subjective preferences regarding their own keyboards, mice, and monitors. I've never liked using the Touch Cover, for example, if only because the relative lack of tactile feedback slows me down and forces me to hunt and peck more than usual. But I've always felt that the Type Cover nearly provided a full keyboard experience, with satisfactory tactile feedback and a travel distance that made me feel like I was using a desktop keyboard.

Subjectively, I tend to prefer big and clunky – and that's not the direction Microsoft is moving in. Both the new Type and Touch Covers (above and below with the docking staton respectively) are slimmer than before, shaving off a millimeter or so of thickness on each. But Microsoft also took a real step forward, adding dynamic backlights that sense the presence of your hands and turn off when not in use. Backlights don't seem like a big deal, but that misunderstanding disappears the first time you take your tablet or laptop into a crowded conference rom or lecture hall and the lights dim.

I brought my old Surface Pro along, both for the plane ride to New York as well as to the event itself for a direct comparison. Personally, the Type Cover feels like a small step back--not huge, but noticeable.

And while I still don't like the Touch Cover, well, it felt slightly more usable than I remember it.  (And no, I don't know if the older Touch Covers can be used with the new model.)

Microsoft didn't have the Docking Station (above) or the Power Cover set up to use, leaving me with the impression that the company is still finalizing the design.

I suspect – well, hope – that Microsoft's on to something here, though. If Microsoft plays its cards right, the Docking Station could transform the Surface into the engine powering something like a desktop, while the Power Cover could add the stability to make the Surface a true convertible tablet or two-in-one. (In a nice touch, Microsoft employees told me that the Power Cover charges the Surface's internal battery, so that you can grab it and go if need be.)

Quite frankly, Panos Panay, the Microsoft executive in charge of the Surface launch, oversold it a bit. Seriously: "lapability"? What does that mean, exactly? If it means the ability to work with the Surface in a lap -- maaaayybee.  Neither the Touch nor Type Cover nor the dual kickstand gives me the feeling of working with a notebook in my lap. I'm hoping a more rigid Battery Cover changes that impression.

The bottom line: the additional performance and battery life are unquestionably significant strides forward for the Surface tablet. The new covers? Not so much. Microsoft's message appears to be that the Surface is an engine of productivity; at this point, I'd go so far as to say that my fingers will want the old Type Covers back, backlit keyboard or no backlit keyboard.

Microsoft didn't supply Surface tablets for review, so our analysis was based on limited time with demo units at the company's launch event.

View the original article here

Hands on with Microsoft's audio mixing Remix cover for Surface 2

As part of its launch of the next-generation Surface 2 and Surface 2 Pro at an event in New York City on Monday, Microsoft has debuted a new Remix Cover chock full of touch controls designed to help budding DJs and audio engineers mix their musical tracks, rather than the usual QWERTY setup.

When you connect the backlit Remix Cover to your Surface device, a Remix Project app automatically installs and lets you create tracks using "building blocks" such drum, bass, keyboard, vocals and more.

Loops, mutes, sliders: it's all on the Remix Cover. Unfortunately, the only way to obtain one seems to be by entering the Surface #RemixProject contest – there was no word of availability in the shops. Still, the Remix Cover seems like an interesting way to promote the idea that Touch Covers could be used for more than just typing.

For more on the pressure-sensitive cover, watch the video above.

For most users though, the basic message is that Microsoft has enhanced the Surface with additional performance, while extending battery life and slimming down the tablet's overall profile with skinnier covers.

On the first count, Microsoft certainly appears to have succeeded; the addition of an upgraded Core processor to the Surface Pro 2 undeniably improves the tablet. A quick hands-on with both the new Touch and Type Covers leaves me thinking that Microsoft has taken a step back with its portable keyboards, however.

Inside the Surface 2 Pro is a self-reported Intel Core i5-4200 'Haswell' CPU running at 1.6 GHz, versus the Core i5-3317u 'Ivy Bridge' chip at 1.7 GHz that powered the original Surface.

The original Surface Pro conked out under heavy load in just 2.5 hours or so, though lighter Web browsing and battery management could push it out a couple more. One Microsoft employee we talked to felt that the new Surface Pro 2 could pull five hours under heavy gaming. (With the new Power Cover, battery life will be extended to ten-plus hours.) A more formal review will settle the difference.

What is clear, however, is that the Surface Pro 2 is definitely a gaming machine of some sort. Microsoft showed off World of Warcraft and Portal 2 running smoothly--yes, these games are several years old, but they do run, and well.

Still, numbers generally don't lie. I slipped in a USB key with FutureMark's PCMark 7 suite (the Surface won't run a test or two in or more recent WorldBench 8 and 8.1 tests). We re-benchmarked the original Surface Pro (128 GB/4 GB RAM) and generated a score of 4,447. The new Surface Pro 2 (256 GB/8 GB RAM) returned a score of 4,888 using the identical benchmark--just 9 percent better. That's not earth-shattering, but we are talking about generational improvements from one set of integrated GPUs to the next.

Since our tests are confined to x86 processors, we didn't benchmark the ARM processor-based Surface 2. It felt speedy enough, but that's a very basic impression.

Let's be clear: Typing is a personal activity, and most users have their own set of subjective preferences regarding their own keyboards, mice, and monitors. I've never liked using the Touch Cover, for example, if only because the relative lack of tactile feedback slows me down and forces me to hunt and peck more than usual. But I've always felt that the Type Cover nearly provided a full keyboard experience, with satisfactory tactile feedback and a travel distance that made me feel like I was using a desktop keyboard.

Subjectively, I tend to prefer big and clunky – and that's not the direction Microsoft is moving in. Both the new Type and Touch Covers (above and below with the docking staton respectively) are slimmer than before, shaving off a millimeter or so of thickness on each. But Microsoft also took a real step forward, adding dynamic backlights that sense the presence of your hands and turn off when not in use. Backlights don't seem like a big deal, but that misunderstanding disappears the first time you take your tablet or laptop into a crowded conference rom or lecture hall and the lights dim.

I brought my old Surface Pro along, both for the plane ride to New York as well as to the event itself for a direct comparison. Personally, the Type Cover feels like a small step back--not huge, but noticeable.

And while I still don't like the Touch Cover, well, it felt slightly more usable than I remember it.  (And no, I don't know if the older Touch Covers can be used with the new model.)

Microsoft didn't have the Docking Station (above) or the Power Cover set up to use, leaving me with the impression that the company is still finalizing the design.

I suspect – well, hope – that Microsoft's on to something here, though. If Microsoft plays its cards right, the Docking Station could transform the Surface into the engine powering something like a desktop, while the Power Cover could add the stability to make the Surface a true convertible tablet or two-in-one. (In a nice touch, Microsoft employees told me that the Power Cover charges the Surface's internal battery, so that you can grab it and go if need be.)

Quite frankly, Panos Panay, the Microsoft executive in charge of the Surface launch, oversold it a bit. Seriously: "lapability"? What does that mean, exactly? If it means the ability to work with the Surface in a lap -- maaaayybee.  Neither the Touch nor Type Cover nor the dual kickstand gives me the feeling of working with a notebook in my lap. I'm hoping a more rigid Battery Cover changes that impression.

The bottom line: the additional performance and battery life are unquestionably significant strides forward for the Surface tablet. The new covers? Not so much. Microsoft's message appears to be that the Surface is an engine of productivity; at this point, I'd go so far as to say that my fingers will want the old Type Covers back, backlit keyboard or no backlit keyboard.

Microsoft didn't supply Surface tablets for review, so our analysis was based on limited time with demo units at the company's launch event.

View the original article here

Hands on: Adobe's Mighty and Napoleon drawing hardware for iPad, coming 2014

Adobe has announced that it is planning to ship Mighty and Napoleon, its cloud-based digital pen and ruler for iOS devices, in the first half of 2014.

Adobe says that it is moving projects Mighty and Napoleon, which were previewed at Adobe MAX in May and are Adobe's first foray into hardware, from "technology exploration" to a "planned product." The company has also revealed that it has teamed up with creative tech maker Adonit to manufacture and ship Mighty and Napoleon, so we can expect to be able to buy the two new devices early next year.

As well as announcing that Mighty and Napoleon will arrive in 2014, Adobe has also revealed that it is working on a new Project Parallel iPad app that's designed to work with the Napoleon ruler hardware, and Project Contour, which it says is "essentially Kuler for shapes". Project Contour will allow users to take a photo of an object or shape and access it with Napoleon on the iPad to enable enhanced architectural line sketching and drawing on the tablet.

Back in May, during the Adobe MAX conference in Los Angeles, we got our hands on working prototypes of the devices to try them out and take some photos of them in action.

Project Mighty is a cloud-connected iPad stylus pen

Project Mighty is a cloud-connected stylus pen that will work with Adobe apps that have been designed specifically for the hardware.

Adobe has chosen a twisted, three sided design for Mighty, which we found was brilliantly comfortable to hold and gave us precise control over the movement of the pen while we were drawing. The prototype we tested had a soft, rubberised tip, but Adobe XD senior experience design lead Geoff Dowd told us that the company has been experimenting with different tip-types, such as a narrower precision tip for more intricate drawings.

When using the Mighty and its accompanying app to draw on an iPad, you can erase lines by using a finger, because the technology has been designed to recognise the difference between a finger and the pen. This way of drawing and erasing became second nature to us within minutes of using Mighty. 

Other gestures that you can use to speed up the drawing process include undo with a tap of one finger and redo with a two-finger tap. 

The button on the side of the pen brings up a little tools menu on the iPad, to let you quickly change between a pencil and a paintbrush, for example, or choose from a variety of Kuler colour themes that are stored within the cloud, and are accessible wherever the pen goes. 

Another of Mighty's cloud-connected features is the clipboard, also accessible via the tools menu. The clipboard lets you place previously drawn elements that you've created onto your current canvas. What's cool is that the pen is connected to your personal data, so you can use it to paste elements stored in the clipboard onto any device.

We particularly liked Mighty's copy feature, which lets you draw an element and then use the button on the pen to copy that element and paste it wherever you choose, including on another device. You can see the copy tool in action in the photographs below.

Another nice touch is the Mighty's LED, which covers the top of the pen and indicates when you're connected. When docked, the LED gradually changes colour too.

Project Napoleon is Adobe's ruler for iPad, allowing users to draw accurate shapes and lines.

Project Napoleon (a little ruler) can be used with Mighty as a line and shape-drawing aide. You place it on top of the iPad just like you would with an ordinary ruler onto paper, and then choose which line or shape type you want to draw by touching one of the buttons on its surface.

This then projects a guide onto the iPad which you can use to accurately draw straight lines, angles and more. The Napoleon works with the Mighty, but can also be used by drawing with a finger.

Napoleon is a simple little device that does its job well, and could benefit many digital artists that use their iPad to draw. 

View the original article here

Hands on: Adobe's Mighty and Napoleon drawing hardware for iPad, coming 2014

Adobe has announced that it is planning to ship Mighty and Napoleon, its cloud-based digital pen and ruler for iOS devices, in the first half of 2014.

Adobe says that it is moving projects Mighty and Napoleon, which were previewed at Adobe MAX in May and are Adobe's first foray into hardware, from "technology exploration" to a "planned product." The company has also revealed that it has teamed up with creative tech maker Adonit to manufacture and ship Mighty and Napoleon, so we can expect to be able to buy the two new devices early next year.

As well as announcing that Mighty and Napoleon will arrive in 2014, Adobe has also revealed that it is working on a new Project Parallel iPad app that's designed to work with the Napoleon ruler hardware, and Project Contour, which it says is "essentially Kuler for shapes". Project Contour will allow users to take a photo of an object or shape and access it with Napoleon on the iPad to enable enhanced architectural line sketching and drawing on the tablet.

Back in May, during the Adobe MAX conference in Los Angeles, we got our hands on working prototypes of the devices to try them out and take some photos of them in action.

Project Mighty is a cloud-connected iPad stylus pen

Project Mighty is a cloud-connected stylus pen that will work with Adobe apps that have been designed specifically for the hardware.

Adobe has chosen a twisted, three sided design for Mighty, which we found was brilliantly comfortable to hold and gave us precise control over the movement of the pen while we were drawing. The prototype we tested had a soft, rubberised tip, but Adobe XD senior experience design lead Geoff Dowd told us that the company has been experimenting with different tip-types, such as a narrower precision tip for more intricate drawings.

When using the Mighty and its accompanying app to draw on an iPad, you can erase lines by using a finger, because the technology has been designed to recognise the difference between a finger and the pen. This way of drawing and erasing became second nature to us within minutes of using Mighty. 

Other gestures that you can use to speed up the drawing process include undo with a tap of one finger and redo with a two-finger tap. 

The button on the side of the pen brings up a little tools menu on the iPad, to let you quickly change between a pencil and a paintbrush, for example, or choose from a variety of Kuler colour themes that are stored within the cloud, and are accessible wherever the pen goes. 

Another of Mighty's cloud-connected features is the clipboard, also accessible via the tools menu. The clipboard lets you place previously drawn elements that you've created onto your current canvas. What's cool is that the pen is connected to your personal data, so you can use it to paste elements stored in the clipboard onto any device.

We particularly liked Mighty's copy feature, which lets you draw an element and then use the button on the pen to copy that element and paste it wherever you choose, including on another device. You can see the copy tool in action in the photographs below.

Another nice touch is the Mighty's LED, which covers the top of the pen and indicates when you're connected. When docked, the LED gradually changes colour too.

Project Napoleon is Adobe's ruler for iPad, allowing users to draw accurate shapes and lines.

Project Napoleon (a little ruler) can be used with Mighty as a line and shape-drawing aide. You place it on top of the iPad just like you would with an ordinary ruler onto paper, and then choose which line or shape type you want to draw by touching one of the buttons on its surface.

This then projects a guide onto the iPad which you can use to accurately draw straight lines, angles and more. The Napoleon works with the Mighty, but can also be used by drawing with a finger.

Napoleon is a simple little device that does its job well, and could benefit many digital artists that use their iPad to draw. 

View the original article here