Information apparatus and application software supporting printing over air or network are herein disclosed and enabled. The information apparatus may include one or more software components that include (1) a discovery component to discover a supported printer in a local area network (LAN) and to receive device information related to the printer (e.g., capability, language or format supported, identification) from the printer, and (2) a printing component to generate or obtain print data based on the device information received and to transmit the print data to the discovered printer. After establishing the connection to the LAN, application software (e.g., Internet browser, email, photos, documents) in the information apparatus may print digital content by using the discovery component to discover the printer in the LAN, and may use the printing component to obtain and transmit print data in a form that is acceptable to the printer for printing the digital content.

Software applications and information apparatus supporting output of digital content over a network (e.g., Internet) to an output device (e.g., printer) are herein disclosed and enabled. To output digital content, an application for accessing a service provided over the network is installed at the information apparatus, the information apparatus discovers the output device that is in the same local area network (e.g., via IEEE 802.11) as the information apparatus, output device information is received from the discovered output device, and the output device information is transmitted to the service for registering the output device. Subsequent to registration, an application (e.g., Internet browser, email, document) at the information apparatus, having appropriate security or authentication information, may transmit digital content to the service to output the digital content at the registered output device. The output of digital content does not require a device specific driver to be installed in the information apparatus.

A method and apparatus for generating image information. A specific embodiment of the method includes: acquiring a rotation angle and a scaling of a target image relative to a reference image, and acquiring an intrinsic parameter of a video camera collecting the reference image; generating a projective transformation matrix based on the rotation angle, the scaling and the intrinsic parameter; generating a coordinate offset of the each neighborhood pixel of the feature point in the reference image; generating, based on a coordinate of the feature point in the reference image, the coordinate offset of the each neighborhood pixel of the feature point in the reference image and the projective transformation matrix, coordinates of the each neighborhood pixel of the feature point in the reference image; and generating a feature point descriptor of the feature point.

A method for establishing a wireless connection between a mobile information apparatus (e.g., smart phone) and an output system (e.g., audio output device) are herein disclosed and enabled. The method comprises using an interface of the output system to receive an indication from a user, and initiating wireless discovery based, at least in part, on physical proximity between the mobile information apparatus and the output system, subsequent to receiving the user indication. The method additionally comprises using the mobile information apparatus to wirelessly (1) discover the output system, (2) establish a wireless communication link between the mobile information apparatus and the output system, and (3) transmit audio output data from the mobile information apparatus to the output system over the established wireless communication link. Subsequently, the output system outputs or plays at least part of the wireles sly received audio output data from the mobile information apparatus.

An information apparatus that wirelessly discovers an available output device, within a physical vicinity, for outputting content is herein disclosed and enabled. The information apparatus includes a wireless communication unit for establishing short range wireless communication directly between the information apparatus and one or more available output devices; wirelessly receiving information from an available output device; determining, from the information received from the available output device, whether the available output device matches a requirement for outputting the content; and, when the requirement is matched, selecting the available output device, conforming at least part of the content into output data, and transmitting at least part of the output data over the short range wireless communication directly from the information apparatus to the selected output device. The information apparatus may include one or more of a smart phone, information pad, a digital camera, or an Internet appliance.

An electronic device includes an amplifier, a signal conversion unit configured to include at least one photodiode, in response to an optical signal being received from an external device, convert the received optical signal into an electric signal by using the at least one photodiode and output the electric signal, and a processor configured to control to supply power to the amplifier in response to the electric signal being received from the signal conversion unit, wherein the amplifier, in response to the power being supplied, receives the electric signal from the signal conversion unit, amplifies the received electric signal and outputs the amplified electric signal to the processor.

A printing apparatus of the present invention makes wireless LAN connection in at least either one of a first connection mode for making wireless LAN connection to an image processing apparatus in which inherent authentication information is stored and a second connection mode for making wireless LAN connection to the image processing apparatus via a second access point provided by an apparatus other than the printing device and the image processing apparatus. The printing apparatus controls, in a case of connection in the first connection mode, a first function provided by the printing apparatus to be enabled and a second function which is enabled in the second connection mode to be disabled.

Printers or printer controllers supporting wireless printing, or printing over air, are herein disclosed and enabled. The printer or printer controller may include wireless communication circuitry to facilitate a client to discover the printer. Subsequent to being discovered by the client, the printer may wirelessly transmit at least part of an output device profile to the client that has discovered the printer or the printer controller, the output device profile includes information related to the printer. After the printer is selected or identified for service, the printer may receive, from the client, print data that is based, at least partly, on the output device profile. A device specific driver may or may not be necessary for printing. The device discovery may be a short range wireless communication or local area network communication. The wireless communication circuitry may support at least part of IEEE 802.11 standards or Bluetooth specifications.

An output system, such as a wireless speaker or an Internet appliance, that supports voice activated commands is herein disclosed and enabled. The output system is wirelessly connectable to a service operated over a network (e.g., Internet) for receiving output data (e.g., music) from the service for outputting at the output system. The setup of the output system includes: (1) wirelessly discovering the output system using a smart phone, (2) establishing a wireless communication link between the smart phone and the output system (e.g., via Bluetooth or IEEE 802.11), and (3) providing information, such as security and/or authentication information, from the smart phone to the output system over the wireless communication link. Thereafter, the output system accesses the service operated over the network, and the outpt system is operabke to receive voice activated commands from a user while the output system is connected to the service.

Wireless devices that establish a wireless connection with a mobile device (e.g., smart phone) by wirelessly detecting the mobile device within a physical proximity, are herein disclosed and enabled. To set up a wireless device (e.g., Bluetooth devices, audio output devices, television controllers, Internet appliances, digital cameras, etc.) for connecting with a smart phone, the wireless device and the smart phone are simply placed within physical proximity of each other for short range wireless detection. During the wireless detection, the smart phone and the wireless device may exchange, transmit, or receive device or security information to facilitate future wireless connections. Subsequent to the short range wireless detection, the wireless device and the smart phone are connected or locked for future wireless communications (e.g., Bluetooth or IEEE802.11), and future wireless connections between the wireless device and the smart phone can be established without having to repeat the short range wireless detection.