New Face Detection Auto Focus Technology Achieves World’s Fastest Auto Focus for Faces
SAN JOSE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE) — FotoNation Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tessera Technologies, Inc. (TSRA) and the leading provider of computational imaging solutions for mobile phones and digital still cameras, and ALCATEL ONETOUCH, one of the fastest growing smartphone brands in the world and part of TCL Communication, the sixth largest† mobile phone vendor in the world, have joined forces to take mobile handset auto-focus (AF) systems to a whole new level of speed and quality. Today, the companies announced that LifeFocus™, FotoNation’s revolutionary auto-focus solution for mobile phones, has been implemented in ALCATEL ONETOUCH’s latest premium smartphone, the IDOL 3, which is expected to start selling in Europe in the second quarter of 2015.
“The premium features of the IDOL 3 go head to head with the best in class performance standard,” said Dan Dery, Chief Marketing Officer of ALCATEL ONETOUCH. “LifeFocus excels in achieving a flawless experience when taking pictures or videos. FotoNation has successfully leveraged over a decade of experience in computational imaging, and we take great pride in working with the best in the digital photography ecosystem.”
“Our partnership with ALCATEL ONETOUCH has allowed us to put game changing AF technology, which exponentially enhances the photography experience, in the grasp of the smartphone end user,” said Sumat Mehra, SVP of Marketing and Business Development at FotoNation. “ALCATEL ONETOUCH is driven by innovation and the desire to provide the best user photography experience with its smartphones. This makes them a perfect partner to bring our novel face-based AF technology to market. ALCATEL ONETOUCH’s IDOL 3 is the first smartphone in the world augmented by LifeFocus to achieve performance that is unmatched by any other smartphone today.”
The vast majority of pictures taken on mobile devices contain people. LifeFocus was built with the human face at its core. FotoNation’s face detection and tracking technologies, already found in 60% of tier-one smartphones, enable face detection auto focus (FDAF). As the foundation of LifeFocus, FDAF works in conjunction with existing state-of-the-art AF solutions based on contrast-, laser- or phase-detection, offering unmatched face focus time and quality, even in low light conditions.
† Market Share Analysis: Devices, Worldwide, 3Q14, Gartner, December 2014
About FotoNation
FotoNation is giving life to computational imaging by merging technology with emotion. With technology in more than 60 percent of global tier-1 smartphones, FotoNation develops technologies that serve the computational imaging space for handsets and cameras, as well as the automotive, surveillance, security, and augmented reality markets. We create, innovate and deliver the next generation of computational imaging algorithms. We engineer new ways to reach the highest possible performance while keeping system requirements to a minimum. We have a long history of innovating and advancing the state of the art in image processing. More than a decade ago, we were the first to integrate a computational imaging solution in an embedded mobile device. Today, FotoNation remains the leader in computational photography and computer vision. Nearly two billion digital cameras and smart devices are powered by the imaging technologies designed by the sharp minds and passionate hearts of FotoNation engineers. For more information visit www.fotonation.com.
About ALCATEL ONETOUCH
ALCATEL ONETOUCH is simple, unexpected, down to earth, irreverent and colourful. We believe that what makes technology smart is what you can do with it rather than what it can do.
ALCATEL ONETOUCH is a brand within TCL Communication, an international multicultural company which designs, develops, and markets globally a growing range of mobile and Internet devices. TCL Communication is a public company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (2618.HK) and part of TCL Corporation one of the largest consumer electronics companies in the world.
For more information, please visit www.alcatelonetouch.com
About Tessera Technologies, Inc.
Tessera Technologies, Inc., including its Invensas and FotoNation subsidiaries, generates revenue from licensing our technologies and intellectual property to customers and others who implement it for use in areas such as mobile computing and communications, memory and data storage, and 3DIC technologies, among others. Our technologies include semiconductor packaging and interconnect solutions, and products and solutions for mobile and computational imaging, including our LifeFocusTM, FaceToolsTM, FacePowerTM, FotoSavvyTM, DigitalApertureTM, face beautification, red-eye removal, High Dynamic Range, autofocus, panorama, and image stabilization intellectual property.
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