When Lytro first unveiled its light-field photography concept — whose most useful feature is the ability to refocus photographs around any object within them — there was a lot of excitement. But once the startup released its first camera in spring 2012, the criticism began. The product got mixed reviews, with some saying the expensive, low-res camera didn't quite live up to the vision.

Now Lytro is ready for its second act. It unveils Tuesday a camera aimed at "creative pioneers," which takes light-field photography to a new level. Called the Illum (i-LOOM), the camera overcomes many of the limitations of the first model: It's higher-resolution, doesn't just shoot square photos, and it gives the photographer much more flexibility in customizing exactly how the camera captures the "light field."

It's also enormous. I got a little hands-on time with a prototype Illum, and as cameras go, it's a chunky monkey. (It weighs 2.07 pounds.) At first glance it looks simply like a hefty DSLR camera, but there are a couple of important differences, aside from sheer size.

First is the lens, which is fixed to the camera body. As with the first Lytro model, a big chunk of the magic is in the optics, and the Illum's lens contributes greatly to the weight. Just like the smaller Lytro, the lens in the larger Illum has a fixed f/2.0 aperture, which is needed to let in enough light to capture the whole "light field."

Another odd part of the design: The back LCD is angled downward. Lytro designed it that way because the camera doesn't have a viewfinder. The company found that when people take photos using just an LCD screen, they tend to hold the camera below their eye level, so slanting the back came naturally. Helpfully, the display is also on an articulating arm.

"The Lytro Illum is the first hardware and software platform built from the ground up for creative pioneers," Lytro CEO Jason Rosenthal told Mashable. "The first time around, it was like, 'Lytro is exciting and super promising... we just want more power.' We've come back and given people a lot more power."

Light field 2.0

Quick refresher on light-field photography: Lytro's camera technology captures not just the color and intensity of light, but also its direction. That allows for all sorts of tricks once you snap the picture, including the ability to refocus the image as well as create a parallax effect, where you can shift the perspective slightly — similar to how a 3D camera works.

One of the ways the Illum takes that experience further is by displaying the focus range in a histogram to the right of the image on the LCD. Although the software on the models that I used was an early version, it did the trick: I could choose point in the image that would serve as the "center of focus," the point around which the picture will refocus best. There doesn't even have to be an object at the depth of field you're choosing — something the smaller Lytro can't do. The histogram is yellow in this focusing range, fading to brown at the edges of it.

To help you even further, you can turn on a assistive feature that will overlay green outlines on all the objects that are within this focusing range; if objects lack the lines, they'll be permanently out of focus. I found the outlining to be even more useful than the historgram, although it made everything look funny on the LCD.

"One of the things that can be challenging about light-field photography is... composing in 3D," says Rosenthal. "The histogram shows you in the image itself the different points of depth."

The physical controls are very simple. You can twist the lens to zoom, and there's a button to call up those outlines. From there, you can twist the smaller ring on the lens to choose your center of focus, or just tap the screen on the object you want to focus around. A pair of dials, one in front and one in back, let you adjust shutter speed (down to 1/4,000 second), ISO and other manual controls. Once you're ready, hit the shutter.

Image upgrade

The camera captures images with 40 "megarays" — a near-meaningless term that's only relevant in the context of Lytro (the smaller camera captures 11-megaray images). The spec translates to images of about 4 megapixels, once they're flattened out.

That should address most of the criticism directed at Lytro over its first product's low-res images, but in any case the Lytro images are interesting because of their nature, not their resolution. A software upgrade that will launch in conjunction with the camera will help on that 

Whether you see it as a weakness or a strength, Lytro images are dependent on the viewer to do something — either tap to refocus or shift the perspective. But the new Lytro software will unlock their magic to passive viewers by letting users export the images as videos. Instead of a static image the viewer needs to touch, it'll instead refocus or move before their eyes.

The Illum seems poised to move Lytro and its light-field tech forward... until you look at its price. The camera goes on sale in July for $1,599. Buyers can begin pre-ordering the Illum today, and if you pre-order before July 15, the price goes down to $1,499.

That's still a large chunk of change to lay down on a camera that probably still won't serve as your primary imaging device. The Lytro Illum will likely find an even smaller niche than the original Lytro carved out for itself, but the company is aware of this, and promises its strategy will address all types of photographers, at all skill and income levels.

"This thing is totally state-of-the-art," says Ren Ng, Lytro's chairman and founder. "It's unprecedented — you'll never see a lens like this out there. I think the real value is the quality of the pictures and how differentiated a visual experience these creative pioneers will be able to share with their audiences."

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At Gizmag, we often review brand spankin' new devices that sit on the cutting edge of technology. Other products we review are little more than incremental updates over their predecessors. And then there's the 2014 MacBook Air, a device that gives new meaning to the word "incremental." Read on, as we share our quick impressions of the ever-so-slightly updated 11-in MacBook Air.

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Last August, Gizmag reviewed the mid-2013 version of the 11-in MacBook Air, and I'd recommend that you hit that up after we're done here. Why? Well, because the only differences with this new model are a slightly faster processor (1.4 GHz to last year's 1.3 GHz) and a very welcome price drop.

The MacBook Air's design hasn't changed a lick from last year's model – or, for that matter, from any MBA since late 2010. So if you've used any recent 11-in Air, then you know exactly what this new version is going to look like. No surprises here.

But that isn't necessarily a bad thing. The MacBook Air's design isn't as unique as it was three years ago (an army of curiously familiar-looking Ultrabooks made quick work of that), but this is still one damn sexy laptop. It's wafer thin: 17 mm at its thickest point, and tapering off quickly to a razor-like edge. It's also extremely light, at just 1,080 g (the equivalent of 2.3 iPad Airs). This is now an old form factor, but it's also one that has aged very well.

The MacBook Air's screen hasn't aged quite as well. Apple's MacBook Pros, along with quite a few Windows laptops and 2-in-1s, have moved to higher-resolution displays in the last couple of years. But the 11-in MacBook Air still has a fairly mid-ranged (at least by today's standards) 1,366 x 768 resolution.

The Air's 135 pixels per inch looks better than it would on something like a tablet (laptop screens sit farther away, and need fewer pixels per inch to look sharp). But, to my eyes, the Air's screen still looks just a little fuzzy. And, as we said last year, you definitely don't want to look at a MacBook Air screen right after checking out a MacBook Pro with Retina Display. You'll be in for a huge letdown: not because the Air's screen really looks terrible, but because the Retina MacBook Pro's display looks simply amazing.

If you haven't already settled on a favorite laptop screen size, then you might want to head to an Apple Store (or somewhere else with Macs on display) and sample the goods. This model has an 11.6-in display with a 16:9 aspect ratio. There's also a 13.3" Air with a 16:10 aspect ratio. The 11-in Air's more oblong screen has it coming out at 89 percent as wide as the 13-in Air's display, but only 81 percent as tall.

I used to insist on using nothing smaller than a 13-in laptop, but a funny thing happened. I spent the last few months using a Surface Pro 2 as my main laptop, along with the occasional iPad with keyboard cover – all of which have 10-in or smaller screens. After adjusting to their displays, the 11-in MacBook Air now looks just about right to me. Go figure. Again, though, you'll probably want to experiment to find your own sweet spot.

If you're expecting the new MacBook Air's 100MHz CPU boost to dramatically speed things up, then you're in for some disappointment. Fortunately, though, the 2013 MBA was already pretty damn fast. For casual consumer use – and even lighter professional use, such as Photoshop, Garage Band, and so on – this baby should provide plenty of zip. I spent much of 2013 using a 13-in Retina MacBook Pro as my main device, and the new MacBook Air doesn't feel like it's slower in any of those key areas.

Turning to benchmarks, Geekbench shows the new MacBook Air scoring about 4 percent higher than the 2013 MacBook Air. In the multicore 64-bit benchmark, our new model tallied 5354, next to the 2013 MBA's 5172. Forsingle core 64-bit, the new MBA scored 2753, a little above the 2013 Air's 2659.

As always, you'll want to take benchmark geekery with a few grains of salt. The new model may have 4 percent higher scores than last year's Air, but I'd say the odds are slim that you'll notice a 4 percent – or any percent – difference. Both are very zippy for ultra-portable laptops.

The 2013 MacBook Air's big upgrade came in the battery department. Not the actual battery hardware, mind you, but the power-sipping Haswell processor that lives under its hood. And as you'd expect, the 2014 Air still gives you the same long battery life that we saw from that model.

In my time with the new Air, I've been impressed with how gradually it drains power. Even while switching back and forth between Photoshop, Safari, and a writing app (with a few other low-resource apps running in the background), with brightness set at 80-90 percent, the battery only dropped between 8 and 15 percent per hour. For many people, the Haswell MacBook Air will be an all-day machine. If you've spent years suffering through pre-Haswell laptops, and the three-hour battery life that they typically brought to the table, then this is a thing of beauty.

If you already own the mid-2013 MacBook Air, then there's really no reason to consider this new model. The speed differences are far too subtle for you to even consider upgrading. And if you can find last year's model on the cheap, then I'd also recommend going that route. Save the money, and enjoy your shiny new 99 percent as good as this year's model MacBook Air.

But if you're looking to buy your first MacBook Air, or if you're upgrading from a pre-2013 model, then you'll probably be very happy with this 2014 MBA. Not only does it give you great performance, long battery life, and that oh-so light and thin build, but you'll also pay $100 less than you would have just a few weeks ago. Starting at $900 (or $1,000 for the 13-in version), this is the cheapest price we've ever seen on a MacBook Air. If you're willing to throw down that much for a laptop, then know that you're getting a pretty powerful – and extremely portable – machine in return. Aged, yes. But aging extremely well.

Just remember that we kept this review short and sweet since, again, this new model is almost identical to last year's MBA.

Microsoft is branding the Surface Pro 3 as "a tablet that can replace your laptop." But, with an enormous 12-in screen, maybe the real question is whether this pseudo-laptop can replace your tablet? Let's pit its features and specs against those of the iPad Air, and see what happens.

Size

With more customers shifting to smaller slates like the iPad mini, the iPad Air is now sitting on the larger end of the tablet spectrum. So what does that make the Surface Pro 3? Well, this sucker is likely to be the biggest tablet you've ever used. It's roughly the same size as Samsung's Galaxy Note Pro and Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2 – which felt way too big to me.

Holding both the iPad Air and Surface Pro 3 in landscape mode (like you see above), the Surface is 18 percent taller, 22 percent wider and 21 percent thicker. And in case you're curious, the Surface is 49 percent taller, 46 percent wider and 21 percent thicker than the Retina iPad mini.

Weight

The Surface Pro 3 is very light ... for its size. But it's still as heavy as 1.7 iPad Airs.

Build

No cheap plastic in either of these slates, as Microsoft is sticking with a magnesium build for its Surface line. And yes, iPads are still made of aluminum.

Colors

There's only one silver (with black front) color option for the Surface Pro 3. Apple sells the iPad Air in both silver (white front) and space gray (black front) hues.

Display (size)

The Surface gives you a 47 percent bigger screen, which is going to be a great bonus in laptop mode. But, again, that might not necessarily be a good thing in tablet mode. I find the iPad mini's 7.9-in screen to be just about ideal, and the Surface Pro 3's display is the equivalent of 2.2 iPad mini screens.

Display (resolution)

The Surface Pro 3's display packs in the pixels a little tighter than in previous Surfaces, but probably not by a noticeable margin. The Surface also gives you 18 percent fewer pixels per inch than the iPad Air's sharp Retina Display does.

Stylus

Microsoft's "Surface Pen" stylus is a big part of the company's flagship 2-in-1. It comes in handy when navigating those Windows desktop apps that were never designed for fat fingers. The Surface Pro 3's pen also has a clicker on its end (much like you'd find on an ink pen) that automatically opens Microsoft's OneNote app.

Processor

Of course we're looking at a desktop PC processor and a mobile processor, so there's only so much comparing you can do here. The Surface's 4th-gen. Intel Core processors are more powerful, but, then again, they're also driving a full desktop operating system.

You'll also want to keep in mind that the clock speed listed for the Surface is for the Intel Core i5 model, which isn't the entry-level version (it starts at US$1,000 without a keyboard).

RAM

We're also looking at desktop-like amounts of RAM in the Surface, and more typical mobile amounts of RAM in the iPad. RAM is actually one area where Apple could afford to upgrade the next iPad. A bit too often, it runs out of memory when multitasking between apps and browser tabs, annoyingly requiring those apps or web pages to refresh.

Storage

Continuing with this "two different animals" theme, the Surface has more PC-like storage options, while the iPad has mobile-like storage options.

MicroSD card slot

You can also augment the Surface's internal storage by popping in a microSD card.

USB 3.0

Apple has never (and almost certainly will never) put a USB port in an iPad. Microsoft was more than happy to put one in the Surface Pro 3.

Cellular data

You can buy the iPad Air in either Wi-Fi only or Wi-Fi + LTE models. This Surface is strictly sold in a Wi-Fi only configuration.

Battery

Until we put the Surface Pro 3 through the paces, we can't say much definitively about its battery life. Microsoft is, however, estimating that it will last 9 hours if you're only surfing the web.

Cameras

Megapixels never tell the whole story, but they can give you a ballpark estimate of what kind of camera you're getting. The resolutions on the two devices' rear cameras are tied up in that department.

Software platform

The Surface Pro 3 runs Windows 8.1 Pro, so you can not only run Start Screen (Windows Store) apps, but also any old Windows desktop apps. The iPad Air runs Apple's iOS 7.

Microsoft Office

If you're tied to Microsoft's industry-standard Office, then you can run a version of the suite on either device. The Surface runs full-blown desktop Office, while the iPad runs the surprisingly comparable iOS version. You'll have to pay for access to Office on either platform.

If you want some free office suite action, then the iPad includes Apple's iWork suite for free with your purchase. The Surface, meanwhile, can run free alternatives like OpenOffice, LibreOffice and Google's web-based Docs.

Side-by-side multitasking

Rumors are pointing to Apple adding side-by-side multitasking in iOS 8, but the iPad doesn't do that yet. Microsoft's ad agency is more than happy to remind you that Windows 8.X devices like the Surface can do that right now.

Release

Before you get too excited about the Surface Pro 3, you might want to take a close look at this category. Pre-orders for the Core i5 versions ($1,000 and up) are scheduled to ship by June 20. If you want either the cheapest Core i3 Surface or the high-end Core i7, then your estimate is "by August 31." By that time we should be creeping closer to the next iPad release.

Starting price

You can almost buy two iPad Airs for the price of one Surface. And no, I didn't fail grade school math – I'm including the Surface's Type Cover in that assessment. Because there's really no point in buying a Surface unless you're also going to throw down for Microsoft's $130 keyboard cover. Otherwise you're just left with an oversized tablet that can't replace your laptop.

Microsoft may be pitching its Surface Pro 3 as "a tablet that can replace your laptop," but is it really an upgrade from the setup you already have? Let's take a look, as Gizmag compares the features and specs of the Surface Pro 3 and 11-in MacBook Air.

Size

The Surface Pro 3's bigger size should have it working better as a laptop than any previous Surface. It's 5 percent taller and 3 percent narrower than the MacBook Air.

You'll want to take the depth measurements with a few grains of salt. Yes, the Surface Pro 3 is much thinner than its two predecessors – and that's definitely a good thing. But just remember that the MacBook Air's tapered design has it sloping into a razor-like edge. This visual only accounts for its thickest point.

Also remember that when you have the Surface's keyboard cover attached, it becomes 53 percent thicker – for a grand total of 13.9 mm (0.55 in).

Keyboard and trackpad

In case you aren't already clear on what you're getting from these two devices, the Surface only transforms into a laptop when you attach its (sold separately) Type Cover. The MacBook Air is a classic laptop, with integrated keyboard and trackpad (both of which are quite excellent).

Weight

Without its keyboard cover, the Surface Pro 3 is 26 percent lighter than the MacBook Air. But that's hardly a fair fight: to truly serve as a laptop replacement, the Surface will need its keyboard cover attached. Once you snap on the Surface Pro's Type Cover, Microsoft's PC actually becomes a smidge heavier than the MacBook.

Build

With the new Surface, Microsoft is sticking with the magnesium build that it used for all the previous Surfaces. Nothing is changed on the Apple side either, as MacBook Airs have always had aluminum unibody frames.

Colors

They might look a little different next to each other, but both machines have silver-colored backs. Neither is sold in different color options.

Display (size)

That big 12-in screen is going to have the Surface Pro 3 looking much more like a traditional laptop than the older (10.6-in) Surfaces did. And it actually gives you 16 percent more display real estate than this 11-in MacBook Air.

While there's no denying the Surface Pro 3 gives you a huge canvas, does that big of a screen even make sense in tablet mode? With more customers buying 8-in and smaller tablets like the iPad mini and Kindle Fire, I'm wondering who – besides maybe a graphic designer – would need a tablet with a gargantuan 12-in screen?

Display (resolution)

If there's one area where the MacBook Air could use an update, it's in its screen's resolution. I don't think the Air's screen looks bad at all, but if you prop it up next to a Retina MacBook Pro, it's going to look a little pixelated. The Surface Pro 3 should also look sharper, as it packs in 60 percent more pixels per inch than the MacBook Air.

Touch screen

Since it doubles as a tablet, the Surface would be in trouble if it didn't have touch capabilities. Apple has yet to make a touchscreen MacBook.

Stylus

The Surface Pro 3's stylus ("Surface Pen") is improved over the one you'd find in older Surfaces. Its big draw is the synced clicker on its end: a click of the cap instantly opens Microsoft's OneNote app.

Processor

You'll want to take this visual with a few grains of salt. First, Microsoft is splitting up the SP3's pricing tiers among Intel Core i3, i5 and i7 processors. But then the company's press materials only list the clock speeds for the Core i5 model. So this visual shows the speeds for the entry-level (US$900) MacBook Air and the second-cheapest ($1,000) Surface Pro 3.

RAM

Depending on which configuration you choose, both PCs are sold in both 4 GB and 8 GB RAM options.

Storage

That entry-level Surface Pro 3 not only skimps on the processor, but it also only gives you 64 GB of storage. The base MBA doubles that.

Micro SD card slot

On the other hand, you can easily expand the Surface's internal storage with a microSD card. The 11-in Air doesn't have any SD slots (micro or otherwise).

USB 3.0

The MacBook Air does have two USB 3.0 ports, while the Surface just has one. If you don't mind a clunky setup, though, you can attach a USB splitter adapter to connect multiple USB devices to the Surface.

Thunderbolt

You'll be hard-pressed to find many Windows laptops with built-in Thunderbolt ports. Thunderbolt is fast, and it can open the door to setups like MacBook Air-powered workstations, "daisy-chained" together via Thunderbolt. But Thunderbolt-ready accessories are also expensive enough that they probably won't be practical for most customers.

Battery

At this point we can only base the Surface's battery life off of Microsoft's estimates. It's tossing around the same "9 hours of web use" that Apple estimates for the MacBook Air (which, after reviewing the newest MBA, sounds about right to me). Both PCs have Intel's power-sipping Haswell processors inside, so you shouldn't have much to worry about in this department.

Cellular data

While you're on the go, you'll still need to find a Wi-Fi hotspot (or create your own through your smartphone), as neither machine is sold with built-in mobile data radios.

Cameras

As a part-time tablet, the Surface Pro 3 has cameras on both sides – and they shoot in a higher resolution than the cameras you'd find in older Surfaces. As a full-time laptop, the MacBook Air only has a front-facing webcam.

Software platform

The Surface Pro 3 ships with Windows 8.1 Pro, while the MacBook Air runs OS X 10.9 Mavericks. We should hear about the next version of OS X a few weeks from now, during Apple's WWDC keynote.

Side-by-side multitasking

I'm only throwing this one in because Microsoft's marketing team is pushing Windows' side-by-side multitasking pretty hard. I agree that it's a nice feature – and one that most dedicated tablets don't have. But running two side-by-side apps on OS X isn't a problem either: just plop their windows next to each other on your desktop.

What makes Windows' approach unique is that you can automatically "snap" two full-screen "Modern" (Start Screen) apps next to each other. OS X doesn't support side-by-side apps in full-screen mode.

Bundled office suite

I imagine many a Surface Pro 3 owner will use Microsoft Office, but they're going to have to pay for it. Apple now gives away free copies of its rival iWork suite with every new Mac purchase.

There are several free office alternatives on both platforms, including OpenOffice, LibreOffice and the web-based Google Docs.

Release

The Surface Pro 3 is already up for pre-order, but it looks like you might have to wait a while for your delivery. Microsoft estimates that the Core i5 models ($1,000 and up) will ship by June 20. If you want a Core i3 or i7 model, then the company is saying "ships by August 31."

Apple just launched an extremely incremental MacBook Air update in April.

Starting prices

At first glance, the Surface Pro 3's pricing is looking pretty good. Starting at $800, it's technically the cheaper device. But don't forget that the Surface can't replace a laptop unless you also throw in a Surface Pro Type Cover. That tags an extra $130 to your purchase. And if you want it before late August, it looks like you'll have to throw down at least $1,130.

Really an upgrade?

Circling around to our original question – whether the Surface Pro 3 is really an upgrade over a classic laptop – well, it's probably too early to say. I suppose there is something to be said for replacing two devices with just one. If you shift between work and play at the drop of a hat, then a 2-in-1 might be just what the doctor ordered.

But you also can't deny that a multiple-device setup has its own advantages. It's all about specializing. A laptop is better at work than a tablet or smartphone. A tablet can be better at reading or browsing than a laptop or phone. And a smartphone has the advantage of being highly portable and pocketable.

Along those same lines, 2-in-1s seem to always have compromises. The Surface Pro 3 plugs one of the Surface Pro 2's holes (it made for a very beefy tablet) but then it adds another potential hole: an enormous screen that's going to be too big for many tablet shoppers. I'm not sure if you can, at this point, create a 2-in-1 that doesn't have some significant level of compromise.