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New iPhone commercial focuses on Photos Every Day
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Apple has aired a new iPhone commercial, Photos Every Day, which unlike previous, recent commercials, eschews cheery music, chanting, and a rapid fire parade of apps to focus on the camera and camera apps, and on capturing those special moments, at a variety of times, in a variety of places, under a variety of conditions.
It’s an interesting change. At first glance, it might seem like a reaction to something like the Nokia Lumia 920 or the HTC One, both of which boast optical image stabilization (OIS), among other technologies, that help improve photos under low-light when subjects are relatively stationary.
However, neither of those phones will likely sell in any meaningful numbers compared to the iPhone. The just-launched Samsung Galaxy S4, on the other hands, is just as mass-market, and aimed just as much at “everyday” photography as the iPhone.
I spent much of the last week shooting photos with Alex Dobie as he prepared for his Galaxy S4 review, and while he called it the best all-around Android camera to date, to my eyes the iPhone 5 still out-shot it under a wider range of conditions, including and especially in low-light. Like the phone itself, it came off as spec-heavy but ultimately scattered and soul-less.
Opinions on that can and will vary, however, which is likely why we’re getting this commercial now, and in this way. Apple’s taking the competition seriously, and they’re putting out a serious ad to address it.
And once again, they’re doing it very, very well.
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RSS Copyright © Hottest Mobile Phone News & Reviews | PhoneInferno [New iPhone commercial focuses on Photos Every Day], All Right Reserved. 2013. Powered by Readers From RSS 2 Blog Hottest Mobile Phone News & Reviews | PhoneInferno Recommended ReadingNew imaging chip from MIT promises natural-looking photos even with flash083 days
by J
Flash photography is never simple. But a new imaging chip being developed at MIT might soon make flash images look more natural (Image source: Shutterstock). As much as smartphone users hate the unbalanced look of images taken with flash, it’s an unfortunate fact that nighttime images taken without flash usually look worse, unless you’re in a studio lighting environment. A new chip being developed at MIT might help fix flash lighting issues, and promises to output natural-looking images even when flash is used. The low-power image processing chip, being developed at MIT Microsystems Technology Laboratory, applies high dynamic range (HDR) to photos and videos using near-immediate exposure bracketing. This means that the image processor will combine the flash-lit photo with the image immediately preceding that photo to come up with an output that approximates the natural colors in the scene. The aim is for the photo to be as realistic as possible, and without destroying the scene’s ambiance. The exposure bracketing is done within a fraction of a second, says the developers. There are existing technologies that apply HDR to smartphone photos. However, these are mostly software-based, which consume a lot of power and resources. “We wanted to build a single chip that could perform multiple operations, consume significantly less power compared to doing the same job in software, and do it all in real time,” said Raul Rithe, a graduate student at the MIT’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science who is the lead author of the study. The imaging chip basically takes three low-dynamic range images: a normally exposed image, an under-exposed image capturing bright areas, and an over-exposed image taking details from the darker areas. These are then combined to capture the entire range of brightness in the scene. See also: Best HDR camera apps for Android The chip can then do this for two operations: one with flash and another without flash. The resulting images are then combined to produce a natural-looking image, which preserves the natural ambience from the base no-flash image, while highlighting details from the image taken with flash. Software could theoretically do this, but will take several seconds to process. The new chip being developed will only take a few hundred milliseconds with a 10-megapixel camera. This means lower power usage, and this also means the technology can be used for video applications. The work was funded by Taiwanese company Foxconn, which produces smartphones and other components for other firms, such as Apple, Nintendo, Amazon and Sony. Do check the source link for a more technical explanation of the chip in development. Suffice to say that we can probably expect better flash photography in the near future, and we won’t have to deal with washed-out images or unevenly-lit night-time photos. Recommended ReadingThe HTC UltraPixel photos are here!088 days
by J
One of the coolest features on the new HTC One is the camera. No, it’s not about megapixels and gigantic photos this time… this time it’s about UltraPixels. Don’t feel bad if you’ve never heard of it, HTC just invented it.
Curious how it works? Check out our rundown of the fun new technology. We also posted a video earlier for all you smartphotogs (yeah, just made that up. No big deal…) who are itching to get your hands on the new darling of the mobile photo world. Those are educational and fun, but you’re interested in results!
Again, Android Authority has you covered! Check out the pics above, taken with a HTC One and provided by the company in its UltraPixel whitepaper. Tell me you’re not impressed! They look great, so maybe this new UltraPixel thing has some legs. I was skeptical at first, but the proof is undeniable… UltraPixels are awesome! Recommended ReadingAnother Samsung Galaxy S4 benchmark emerges, plus a couple of Picasa photos092 days
by J
What, did you really think that, just because it was the weekend, Samsung’s Galaxy S4 was going to take a break from its rumor bonanza? Well, guess again, because “the next big thing” (you know, the one that isn’t actually here yet) is today capturing the headlines with not one, but two new leaks. We have 1. a new AnTuTu benchmark test starring the presumed LTE-enabled version of the GS4 and 2. a couple of sample photos we think were snapped with the phone based on their EXIF data. This is actually the second time an S4 is taken through the AnTuTu hoops, but, unlike back January, the new benchmark seems to show there’s a 1.9 GHz CPU inside the beast and not a 1.8. It’s not that big of a deal, but apparently the superior clocking speed does add quite a bit of oomph.
The first AnTuTu scores were of around 20,000 points, while the new one goes over the 24,000 mark quite easily, so I think we can all agree this is a welcomed performance boost. Especially when comparing the new score with some of the existent competition. According to antutu.com, the only devices around capable of (barely) going over 20,000 points are the Asus Padfone 2 and HTC’s J Butterfly. Meanwhile, the GNote 2, which you can’t really call a pushover, is listed at 17,500. Unfortunately, the new AnTuTu leak can’t fully solve the mystery of S4’s CPU. The 1.9 GHz clock speed has been thrown around a lot lately, so it’s almost a certainty, but is the chip an Exynos Quad, a Snapdragon S4 Pro or a Snapdragon 600? No way to know, but our money is still on door number three.
Meanwhile, we’re quite sure the GT-I9505 model number is legit for the LTE flavor of the S4 and Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean will be buttering up the device’s software. As for the Picasa snapshots, they’re there, they’re square and that’s pretty much all there is to it. The EXIF data clearly shows they belong to Samsung’s GT-I9505, but you know how easy it can be to fake the whole thing.
The device’s firmware is listed as I9505XXEAMB8, while the resolution is in both cases at 2,322 x 4,128 pixels. There are a few other technical details about ISO, exposure and so on, but nothing that can clear up the number of megapixels crammed in the phone’s cam or anything else of real importance. Rumor has it the S4 will come with a 13 MP rear-facing shooter. Okay, guys, that’s it for today, but we wouldn’t be surprised if the Galaxy S4 saga were to get a new chapter by Monday. Oh, well, it’s not like we have anything else to do than eat Android for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Recommended Reading
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