Sonos launches PlayBase to boost your TV sound

Sonos has added to its home theatre portfolio with the launch of the PlayBase, a new super-slim speaker designed to slide underneath your TV rather than wall-mount like the PlayBar.

The PlayBase measures 720 x 380mm, with a height of just 58mm, making it the company’s slimmest speaker to date. The glass-filled polycarbonate shell, said to minimise vibrations and withstand the weight of TVs up to 34kgs, surrounds a ten-driver speaker system and ten class-D digital amplifiers, while an acoustically-transparent grille sits at the front.

• Sonos PlayBase preview: Super-slim sound

Each of the drivers is custom-designed for the PlayBase and the system is comprised of six mid-range, three tweeters and one woofer. Capacitive touch controls like the Play:5 are positioned on the top of the speaker, allowing for pause, play, volume and track skipping control, while a pairing button is positioned on the left-hand side.

The seamless design features an inset moulded section at the rear that has an optical audio input, power supply and an Ethernet port, but no HDMI, meaning a TV with optical audio output is required, along with a broadband connection.

Sonos

Like the PlayBar, the PlayBase can be connected to the Sonos SUB and two Play:1s, Play:3s or Play:5s in order to create a 5:1 surround setup. It also features the Dialogue Enhancement feature that enhances vocal clarity and the Night Mode feature which tones down bass during loud action scenes, both accessed via the Sonos app. 

The PlayBase connects to the Sonos platform, as you would expect, offering access to 80 music services and the ability to control and group the new device with existing Sonos speakers. It also means users will be able to hear their TV sound on their other Sonos speakers when they are grouped with the PlayBase.

Additionally, the PlayBase speaker is compatible with Trueplay, meaning it can be custom- tuned to the room it is in using an iOS device, and later this year, users will also be able to control it using their voice and an Amazon Alexa-enabled device.

The Sonos PlayBase will be available in April in black or white colour options for £699 or $699.

Sonos PlayBase vs PlayBar: What’s the difference?

Sonos has announced a new speaker to its home theatre portfolio in the form of the PlayBase. The new speaker is designed for TVs that aren’t wall-mounted, sliding beneath them, while the PlayBar is primarily for wall-mounted TVs.

What are the other differences between the two TV sound enhancing Sonos speakers though? Here is how the PlayBase compares to the PlayBar to help you work out which is the most suitable for your home and setup.

Sonos PlayBase vs PlayBar: Design and connections

• PlayBase has slimmer and more refined design
• PlayBase designed for under TV, PlayBar for wall
• Both require broadband, power supply and TV with optical audio output

The Sonos PlayBase is a super-slim speaker that measures 720m wide, 380mm deep and offers a height of just 58mm. It weighs 8.6kg and it features a lovely smooth finish with no visible joins, delivering a beautiful design. At the front is the acoustically transparent grille with the Sonos tag in the centre, while the left side has the pairing button.

On the flat top, which can withstand a TV up to 34kgs, there are capacitive touch buttons for play, pause, volume and track skipping control, while the rear has the power supply port, Ethernet port and the optical audio input. The PlayBase is available in white and black colour options.

The Sonos PlayBar on the other hand has a different shape. It measures 900mm wide, 85mm deep and 140mm high, but it is a little lighter than the PlayBase at 5.4kg.

Its design is a little less refined, which is to be expected given it is four years older. It is available in a combination of black and dark silver only, and it features physical controls on the side for play, pause and volume, like the Play:1, rather than capacitive like the Play:5. On the rear of the PlayBar in the centre there are two Ethernet ports, an optical audio input and a power supply port.

Neither the PlayBase or the PlayBar have HDMI meaning both require an TV with optical audio output. They also both require a broadband connection.

• Sonos PlayBase preview

Sonos PlayBase vs PlayBar: Sound

• PlayBase has 10-driver speaker system
• PlayBar has nine-driver speaker system
• Both have Class-D digital amplifiers to match speaker drivers

The Sonos PlayBase has a ten-driver speaker system comprising six mid-range, three tweeters and one woofer. Each of which has been custom-designed to the PlayBase’s acoustic architecture. There are also ten Class-D digital amplifiers on board.

The Sonos PlayBar has a nine-driver speaker system made up of six mid-woofers and three tweeters. There are also nine Class-D digital amplifiers, which like the PlayBase’s are tuned to match the speaker drivers.

• Sonos PlayBar review

Sonos PlayBase vs PlayBar: Features

• Both can stream music and offer cinema sound for TV
• Both have same features, including Dialogue Enhancement 
• Both will get voice control later in year

The PlayBase and PlayBar both offer the same features. They both run on the Sonos platform, meaning access to over 80 music streaming services, and they can both be grouped with existing Sonos speakers. This means they can either act as another multi-room speaker streaming music, or they can deliver the sound from your TV to other Sonos speakers around the house.

Both speakers can also be combined with a Sonos Sub and two of the same Sonos speakers, such as two Play:1s, for a 5:1 surround sound setup. They also both offer Dialogue Enhancement, which enhances vocal clarity, and Night Mode, which tones down bass during loud action scenes, and they can both be controlled with a TV remote control rather than just the Sonos app.

The PlayBase and PlayBar are compatible with the Sonos Trueplay feature too, which enables users to tune the speakers to the specifics of the room environment they are in. They will also both get voice control via an Amazon-Alexa enabled device when the feature launches on all existing Sonos speakers later in 2017.

• What is Sonos Trueplay and how does it work?

Sonos PlayBase vs PlayBar: Price

• Both same price
• PlayBar wall-mounting kit costs extra 

The Sonos PlayBase and PlayBar both cost £699 or $699. If you want to wall-mount your PlayBar, the kit is an extra £39.

The PlayBase will be available from April, while the PlayBar is available now.

• Which Sonos speaker is best for you?

Sonos PlayBase vs PlayBar: Conclusion

The Sonos PlayBase and PlayBar are both two-in-one speakers, streaming music while also offering cinema sound to your TV. They also both offer the same features and functions, they both have a two-cable setup, with one for power and the other for connecting to your TV and they are both the same price.

Ultimately, the PlayBase is designed for TVs that are not wall-mounted, with the idea being that the TV sits on top of the speaker. It has a more refined design and an extra driver for enhanced sound output.

The PlayBar on the other hand, can sit flat below the TV too, but it can also be wall-mounted to sit underneath a wall-hung TV. It doesn’t have quite as striking a design as the PlayBase, but it still looks great up on the wall.

• Sonos PlayBase preview
• Sonos PlayBar review

The Switch is the fastest-selling console in Nintendo history

If you’ve had a hard time finding a Nintendo Switch at the store, there may be good reason for that. The Friday through Saturday sales for Nintendo’s latest console surpassed the first two-day sales for any system “in Nintendo history,” according to tweets from the New York Times’ Nick Wingfield. The info comes from an interview with Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime.

What’s more, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was the best-selling launch title in company history, beating out Super Mario 64 for the cartridge-based Nintendo 64. That’s not counting pack-in games like the Wii U’s Nintendo Land mini-game collection, of course.

It’s far too early to tell how the Switch will do overall, or to compare it to Nintendo’s last runaway success — the Wii — but, at this point, the future looks good for the portable home console. Especially when you consider that game consoles typically launch in November. It’s just more proof that people will buy games and consoles whenever, so long as they’re actually worth buying.

4. Zelda for Nintendo Switch the best selling standalone launch title (i.e. not a bundled game a la Wii Sports) in Nintendo history…

— Nick Wingfield (@nickwingfield) March 6, 2017

Source: Nick Wingfield (Twitter)

VW’s ‘Sedric’ self-driving car could chauffer you or strangers

Volkswagen is planning for the future. Today the automaker laid out its plans for Sedric — short for “self-driving car” — a sort of hybrid between car ownership and ride-sharing. The boxy, Level 5 autonomous vehicle (no need for a human driver) is summoned by a remote dubbed “The Button” and from there “a single touch of the button guarantees mobility for everyone, at any time and at any location,” according to a press release.

Not into sharing your car with anyone else with The Button? It sounds like you won’t have to. The Sedric concept is also being pitched as a private autonomous taxi that can handle everything from dropping the kids off at school to picking up pre-ordered groceries.

More than just a car, VW is pitching Sedric as a sort of rolling digital assistant as well. You’ll apparently be able to tell the car where to drive you, how to get there. The windshield isn’t really a windshield either, it’s an OLED display that feeds passengers data about their surroundings.

Oh and if you want an idea of how the vehicle looks on the inside, here’s how VW describes it:

“Sedric is a comfortable lounge on wheels, equipped with carefully selected materials. One example of this is the birch leather used to upholster large surfaces. It is a haptic, natural material pleasant to the touch.

“Sedric does not have a driver. The steering wheel, pedals and cockpit are therefore superflouous. This permits a completely new sense of wellbeing in the vehicle — a welcome home feeling.”

Sure!

No details were given for how much Sedric will cost, or when it will arrive, but VW says that Sedric is the “father” of concepts within the company and that it won’t be long before it has “children and “grandchildren” from within VW’s brands. If all this sounds up your alley, peep the video below and photos above for a closer look at tomorrow.

Source: Automotive World

How Sonos made the new Playbase sound a lot better than it should

Amazon upended the home speaker space with the Echo, causing other companies to start figuring out voice control systems of their own. Sonos, which has made WiFi-enabled speakers for years, has repeatedly reassured customers that it, too, would eventually offer voice connectivity. And yet, somewhat surprisingly, Sonos’ newest product has nothing to do with voice control. Instead, the company’s first device since 2015’s Play:5 speaker is its second attempt at simple, excellent home theater audio.

Sonos already sells the Playbar, a wireless three-channel speaker meant to be mounted to the wall below your HDTV, but today it launched another product that does the same job in a completely different form factor. The $699 Playbase is a massive wide and narrow speaker that looks like a Play:5 after it’s been run over by a steamroller.

Of course, that design choice was a very deliberate one. The Playbase, which will be available worldwide on April 4th, is meant to live on a media stand with your TV placed on top of it (hence the name). The wide profile means it can accommodate most TVs with screens up to 60 inches, and its thin, unembellished design keeps the Playbase from drawing attention to itself when you sit down to watch a movie.

Speaking of the sort, Sonos’ own research shows that 70 percent of TV owners don’t mount their sets to the wall. That simple fact means that lots of Playbar owners have set their systems up in a way that isn’t aesthetically pleasing or even very functional.

“We have a lot of really energetic fans and supporters out there who are very eager to give us feedback,” Sonos creative director for industrial design Dana Krieger told Engadget at a media event in the company’s Boston headquarters last month. “If we ask people to show us pictures of their products at home, they’re very happy to do it.”

Those pictures revealed a fatal flaw in the Playbar: lots of awkward setups with the large speaker perched in front of TV sets on shelves and media stands not designed for it. “That’s really what drove us to do this,” Krieger said. “We saw the sound experience is really performing for people, but the product aspect ratio and architecture could be a better fit to certain environments.”

Tackling the design challenge

Right from the start, the Sonos team imagined the solution as a large, flat speaker that a TV could stand on — but it took three years to achieve something that met the company’s exacting audio standards. “The balance we’re always working with is the acoustic experience, the WiFi performance and then the exterior product execution,” Krieger said, “and they tend to have different north stars.”

From a physical design standpoint, the challenge was to make the Playbase as thin as possible while still enabling the audio quality Sonos wanted to achieve. “Really early on, we identified the thinness of this product as being critical to its success,” Krieger said. “So in any of those [prototype] form factors, you’ll see that being a consistent element. But what do we do with the rest of the product?” The good news is that while the Playbase is slim, it’s also very wide and deep, offering a lot of overall space to work with.

So Sonos went ahead and put a full-on subwoofer in the Playbase, mounting it horizontally instead of vertically. That’s an unusual decision, but one that was necessary in order to fit a subwoofer into such a thin space. It also gives the Playbase an advantage over most other soundbars, including even the Sonos Playbar.

But the internal subwoofer led to other problems — specifically, how to move the air and sound a subwoofer creates out of the speaker without diminishing overall sound quality. To increase the amount of surface area inside the Playbase, Sonos used a curved, S-shaped port that pushed air and sound from the subwoofer out the left side of the speaker. This has the added benefit of moving air over the CPU for cooling purposes.

That idea led to another tricky design challenge. The meticulously patterned holes in the front of the Playbase were interfering with bass and air output. The pattern, which Sonos also used on the Play:5’s grille, worked great on the front, but as it wrapped around the sides, it just wasn’t right for the air displacement. “When we tried to apply that treatment around the sides, where the subwoofer is pushing all its air, there was a really undesirable impact on the sound,” Krieger said.

So the engineers gradually increased the hole size as the grille wraps around from the front to the sides, a subtle change that’s important in several ways. The bigger holes are necessary for audio performance, but they’d be a visual distraction on the front of the speaker. The gradual size change allowed Sonos to keep the look of the front face as minimal as possible without compromising audio quality.

“It’s all centered around the user experience of becoming invisible,” Krieger said. “The kinds of details we spend a lot of time talking about we expect will either never be noticed by owners, or maybe it’s in the third or fourth year of ownership. You see something [on the speaker] from a different angle, and we really want those moments to make you love the brand more.”

Getting the right sound

Industrial design challenges weren’t the only tricky part about building the Playbase. Sonos wanted the speaker to work equally well for both movies and music, a rather unusual goal. Giles Martin, a Grammy-winning producer who works as the “sound experience leader” at Sonos, simply said that experience was “really, really hard.” The challenge was getting everything to sound natural and balanced and keep from compromising that natural sound, regardless of whether it was from an album or from a film.

“The reason why I liked Sonos speakers to begin with, before I was even involved, is there was a directness to the speakers,” Martin said. “They just sounded fully natural. The irony is, the more unnatural the shape, it’s harder to [sound] natural. You need that wide spaciousness, because that’s what gives us immersiveness, but a voice has to sound like a voice.”

Keeping dialogue front and center ended up being one of the most important and difficult parts of getting the Playbase to work. That process of getting the speaker finely tuned for movies was new territory for Martin, who joined the company after the Playbar had been released, making this his first real foray into creating a home theater product.

“The world of film is much more complex [than music], because it’s a multi-channel system,” Martin explained. “You have surrounds — what do you do with those in a three-channel system? You have dialogue, effects and music, and the balance and interplay between those elements … a home theater speaker can really damage or enhance.”

As with the Play:5, though, Martin said that the guiding principle was making everything sound the way the creators intended. In the case of movies, that meant bringing the Playbase around to people responsible for the final movie mixes. “For me, the key person is the person who had the last say, and that’s usually the mixer,” he said.

The Playbase’s odd form factor, of course, presented a challenge for getting the right audio clarity throughout the design process. “You don’t want that speaker to sound like it looks,” Martin said, owning up to the fact that flat, wide speakers are at odds with good audio performance. “But you do want it to look like it looks.”

In use

Setting up the Playbase is a simple affair: There’s only one connection cable, an optical audio input. Once it’s hooked up to a TV, you can complete setup using the iOS or Android app. There are a few different ways to set up the speaker, depending on the equipment you have. You can run it as a single speaker, with 5.1 surround sound mixed down to work on the three-channel device. You can also wirelessly connect it to a pair of Sonos’ smaller Play:1 speakers and use them for rear surround output. Naturally, it works with the existing wireless Sonos Sub as well, letting you build a full wireless 5.1 setup.

I got to hear the Playbase in all of these different configurations, and it impressed across the board. But what was most surprising was that it worked equally well as a music speaker as it did when playing movies and TV. That’s hardly a scientific impression, but when playing music, the Playbase sounded nearly as good as the flagship Play:5. Stereo separation was impressive, considering the limitations that come with using a single enclosure, while vocals were up front, clear and present. The level of detail the speaker pulled out of music made listening a delightful experience. As I wrote when trying the Play:5 for the first time, I heard aspects of familiar songs that I had never noticed before.

As for movies, the Playbase is a clear upgrade over built-in TV speakers, making the scenes I watched from films like Wall-E, The Jungle Book and The Revenant feel more impactful. Oddly, stereo separation when watching films wasn’t quite as strong as it was when listening to music, but I’m splitting hairs here. You’ll get better audio with dedicated, individual speakers, though that enhanced quality will take a lot more work and money than many (myself included) are willing to put into their home theater. The notion of a single-speaker solution that works well for both movies and music is quite appealing, even though its $699 price gave me pause. Again, as with the Play:5, you get a lot for your money — but it’s also simply a lot of cash for those who are used to playing audio through a TV.

We’ll need to put the Playbase through a full review before passing judgement, but at first listen, it seems like the quintessential Sonos product: a good mix of features, sound quality and industrial design in a somewhat unexpected package that’s just too expensive to appeal to a mass audience. It’s not so much that it’s expensive for what it is; it’s just that most people aren’t spending $699 on any home audio product.

But despite working in a rather niche space, Sonos appears to be hanging in there, after layoffs and some management shuffles made it feel as if the company was on some uneven footing. It’s no surprise that the company is putting on a positive face as it launches its first new product in 18 months, but Sonos does have a powerful “gateway drug” product in the $199 Play:1 speaker, something that gets lots of customers hooked and interested in buying more speakers.

While the Playbase has a high price, the limited time I spent with it convinced me that Sonos is solving a real problem with this hardware. For one reason or another, I’ve never mounted my TV, and so the Playbase would fit right into my current setup. Adding only one power cord and one optical audio cord to my media stand, which is already overrun with far too many cables, is doable. And it would be a huge upgrade over what I’m using now. I gave up on having true 5.1 audio years ago, sacrificing quality for convenience. But now I’m dreaming about having a wireless surround sound system, with the Playbase at the center. It will just take me a while to save up the cash to make that dream a reality.

How to stop the Nintendo Switch’s Joy-Con from losing sync

It seems as if your left Nintendo Switch Joy-Con hasn’t lost sync with the console yet, it’s only a matter of time before that could happen. As we saw in iFixit’s teardown of the console, the pair are almost identical save for a few things like antenna placement. And that’s where the problem resides according to YouTube user Spawn Wave.

After pulling apart the problematic paddle, he soldered a small length of wire onto the board to help the Bluetooth signal out. Turns out that the makeshift antenna was all that was needed to fix what was wrong. The YouTube user even got some extra range out of the device, putting around 40 feet between him and the console and not having any real issues.

So, if your controller keeps losing sync during marathon Breath of the Wild sessions and you wat to get adventurous in real life, you too can fix what appears to be a design flaw with Nintendo’s fastest selling console to date.

Via: Polygon

Source: Spawn Wave (YouTube)

‘iPhone 8’ Optimism is Driving Apple’s Stock Higher and Analysts Think It’s Not Done Rising Yet

While a 5.8-inch iPhone with an OLED display is likely around six months away from being announced, the stock market is always looking ahead, and several analysts think the smartphone will be a hit among customers.

Accordingly, over the past month, several financial analysts have raised their price targets for Apple’s stock to between $150 and $185, per research notes obtained by MacRumors.

Citi analyst Jim Suva, for instance, raised his Apple stock price target to $160 today. Likewise, BMO Capital Markets analyst Tim Long rose his target to $160 in late February.

Apple’s stock has already been on an impressive run this year so far, closing at $139.34 on Monday, just cents off its record-breaking high of $139.79 set last week for comparison.

Long in particular said he expects Apple’s trio of new iPhone models, presumably arriving this September, to drive the “biggest refresh cycle” since the iPhone 6 in 2014.

For the 2017 iPhone refresh, we expect some cannibalization by the premium model. While we expect like-for-like units to be 23 million lower, we model 34 million of unit volume from the new model. On balance, we estimate 11 million of incremental volume, the best launch since iPhone 6, though still less impactful. We believe this reflects conservatism in our estimates.

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus were runaway hits as Apple’s first smartphones with screen sizes as large as Samsung’s competing Galaxy smartphones, but the iPhone’s overall look and feel has gone largely unchanged since those models were introduced three years ago, and iPhone sales declined for the first time ever last year.

The so-called “iPhone 8,” or whatever Apple names its tenth-anniversary iPhone, will likely be something fresh and new, however, which Long expects could drive existing iPhone users to upgrade.

Long estimated that the number of iPhones in use was around 715 million, including 228 million second-hand devices, as of December 2016. Of the new models, he estimated 31% of the new phone installed base will be 2 years or older at the time of Apple’s presumed September launch event.

This larger than usual base of customers with older iPhone models has led analysts such as Morgan Stanley’s Katy Huberty and UBS’s Steven Milunovich to expect a “supercycle” of iPhone upgrades through next year.

Huberty recently raised her price target to $154, up from $150, but with an “overweight” rating. She expects the 5.8-inch iPhone’s significant form factor change, and rumored features such as wireless charging, longer battery life, 3D sensors, and more advanced AI software capabilities, to drive the accelerated upgrade cycle.

Milunovich raised his price target to $151 in late February, up from $138, and he maintained a “buy” rating.

Huberty and Milunovich are far more conservative than Drexel Hamilton analyst Brian White, who has maintained a $185 price target since last year. “We continue to believe that Apple remains one of the most underappreciated stocks in the world,” he said in a research note shared with investors in early February.

Guggenheim Securities analyst Robert Cihra reportedly raised his price target to $180, up from $150, last week.

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway went on an Apple stock buying spree over the past few months, increasing his position in the iPhone maker to around 133 million shares prior to the company’s record-breaking earnings results at the end of January. His holding has likely netted him several billions.

Related Roundup: iPhone 8 (2017)
Tag: AAPL
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Upgrade your photo game from amateur to pro with our 16 top photography tips

The Rule of Thirds, Sunny 16, and always shooting in RAW. The books are full of photography tips — some essential, others downright constrictive. But the photography tricks that border on life-changing often aren’t the ones picked up in books and blogs, but from years of shooting and trial and error.

To get the most effective pointers, we went directly to the folks who use them day-in and day-out: professional working photographers. Most pros like to assemble a field kit that includes some basic supplies and accessories that they always bring with them on location. And most remember where they came from, along with the little tricks that took them up the skill ladder.

More: Photo editing apps you can get for free

We spoke with three pros — Caio Guatelli, Adrian Henson, and Scott Mead — to share their tried-and-true tips and a quick breakdown of the inexpensive gear they’ve used the most over the years. In addition, we added some of our own tried-and-true tips into the mix.

The takeaway: A pricey camera with more megapixels doesn’t make you a better photographer — just one who dabbles in higher resolution. But there’s more to photography gear than a good camera and a lens. In fact, some of the best pieces of photography gear aren’t specific to photography at all — and aren’t very expensive, either.

Gaffer’s tape is the photographer’s duct tape, but better

Gaffer’s tape offers infinite uses in the photography world. It can be used to hold backdrops in place, modify lights, hold flash gels, and attach lights to small props, just to name a few. And unlike duct tape, it doesn’t leave a sticky residue, meaning you can actually stick it on your pricey camera.

To get some effective pointers, we went straight to professional working photographers.

“One of my most consistent uses [for Gaffer’s tape] is to cover the switches on my lenses,” says Adrian Henson, who photographs everything from senior portraits to commercial work. “Camera manufacturers have gotten much better about making switches on lenses with a low profile, but there are still plenty of lenses that have raised switches. I cover these with a small piece of gaffer’s tape so that they can’t inadvertently be switched away from your desired setting. Shooting a session with the lens set to manual focus when you thought it was in auto can be disastrous.”

Velcro the remote shutter release

A remote shutter release is a must when shooting from a tripod, says Scott Mead, a landscape and nature photographer based in Maui, Hawaii. But fumbling for a dangling cable or wireless remote can mean the difference between getting or losing a shot when the light is changing fast. “By attaching a piece of industrial strength Velcro to the top of a tripod leg and the back of the remote, you’ll always know where your remote is, and it’ll be close at hand.”

Invest in gels and a good organizer

Henson often uses colored gels on his flashes. He will buy a few of the Rosco Cinegel Swatchbooks, for about $8 apiece, so that he has every color imaginable.

“The problem is that once you disassemble the swatchbook, the gels are impossible to keep up with. So to manage my gels, I write the color code on the gels with a fine point Sharpie and then use a business card organizer to store, protect, and organize them. I also pre-cut bits of gaffer’s tape to the size I use when attaching the gels to my speedlight [flashes] and stick it all over the outside of the organizer. This system ensures that I always have the gel color I want and the tape I need to attach it.”

Less is more

Photographers who shoot in dangerous or active situations have to sometimes move quickly, meaning their equipment must be light and easy to carry. Caio Guatelli recommends trying to figure out what you’re going to use during your shoot in advance, and to make a concise choice of lenses and other equipment. The Brazilian-born photographer specializes in shooting high-speed sports, namely Formula One racing and track and field. “I usually choose two lenses, a 35-mm and a telephoto zoom of 70-200mm. If the frame doesn’t fit the subject, I move backward or use a naturally-cropped frame. If the subject is too far for my lenses, I try to accept it at the size it appears, or simply wait for something better to shoot.”

Sao Paulo, Brazil, June 18 of 2013: 50 thousand demonstrators occupied the most important places of Sao Paulo city. (photo: Caio Guatelli)

Keeping things at level ground

“When shooting on uneven terrain, it’s sometimes difficult to optically set a level horizon,” Mead says. “Acratech makes a neat Double Axis Spirit Level that slides into the hot shoe of your camera, making leveling your camera an easy task.”

It’s all about the apps

Sometimes, the best photography accessory is already in your pocket — a smartphone. However, this isn’t because of the built-in camera, but rather the apps.

Most pros like to assemble a field kit.

“There’s a plethora of photography apps available for Apple and Android devices, but there’s one that’s a must for every nature photographer: The Photographer’s Ephemeris,” Mead says. “With its sun and moon calendar working with Google Maps, it gives photographers satellite views of their location, with overlays of the sun and moon’s path anywhere in the world. It’s a must for setting up a shoot, when getting to the site a day early to scout the location isn’t possible.”

Take a load off

Early in his career, Henson realized how terrible wearing a camera around his neck made him feel, even after a short period of time. “When I began shooting weddings my gear got larger, heavier, and more abundant. One day after a wedding, my back was killing me and I felt horrible. That night I took my camera straps off and never put them back. It took some adjusting to and I have to think ahead and manage my gear better, but it was the best move I ever made.”

As a solution, he acquired a Spider camera holster belt. “It is a fantastic alternative to traditional camera straps. Mine holds two cameras, and I can wear it all day with both cameras on it and still feel great when we wrap up at the end of the session. Most days I just hand hold my camera, but when I need to carry two or need a place to put one when I am not shooting, a camera belt is definitely the way to go. Whatever you do, though, get that load off of your shoulders. Your back will thank you.”

Check out our hands-on review of Spider’s latest product, the SpiderLight.

Keeping the elements out

Mead says shooting from a boat poses a few challenges, especially when it comes to keeping your camera dry. “There are a lot of waterproof camera sleeves available, but they’re pricy, and many nylon versions cover vital controls. Luckily, a couple affordable options are available. Op/Tech USA makes a clear, 18-inch rain sleeve with a drawstring lens opening that easily accommodates pro DSLRs with a 100-400mm lens. Considering you get two per pack for about six bucks, it’s a great deal.”

“In a pinch, you can also use clear wastebasket bags. Just poke a hole in the bottom with your finger, and gently stretch the plastic to accommodate the end of the lens for a 15-cent solution,” Mead adds.

Learn to embrace the histogram

Histograms put every pixel in the image on a graph, and looking at that chart is one of the best ways to determine if your exposure is off. The idea is to watch the peaks and avoid cutting off any of the rises and falls on the edges. If those pixels clip off on the left edge, the image is too dark. On the right? Too light. Of course, the histogram is for a proper exposure, so it doesn’t work for trying to intentionally over or underexpose an image to create a certain mood. That said, the histogram will tell you if you’re exposure is so far off that you can’t recover details in post. Check out our quick guide.

Resist the temptation to check the LCD screen every time

Checking a resulting shot on your camera’s LCD screen is an impulsive reaction, but this behavior can betray you, says Guatelli. Besides potentially missing a peak moment by glancing at the screen too often, the habit can also be misleading.

More: So you got a new camera, here’s what to do next

“Most outdoor photography is shot in lighting conditions where the camera’s screen doesn’t faithfully represent the tonal details, especially in the image’s shadows. Reflections on the camera’s screen or the surrounding lights or darkness can create the sensation of incorrect exposure. The photographer is betrayed by the misrepresentation of the shot and instantly adjusts the controls to make the scene lighter, exposing the image more than necessary.”

Ametista do Sul, RS, Brazil, 28/02/2008, 09h08: Searching for amethyst, a semiprecious stone, miners dig tunnels through the mountains in southern Brazil. (photo: Caio Guatelli)

He recommends using a photometer while in spot-metering mode. “Choose the lighter side of the scene to set the metering. If you don’t have spot-metering mode, try underexposing by 2/3 and don’t follow your camera’s screen results. Wait to check it at your computer, inside a low-light room. The correct exposure gives the photograph more saturated color, better contrast, and has much more room to be processed, although an image like this almost doesn’t need any manipulation.”

Enable flashing highlights

The histogram can be tricky to learn, but most cameras have a highlight feature that will let you know if you’ve overexposed the image by flashing any areas that are overexposed. Photographers sometimes affectionally call this “the blinkies,” and the setting is usually located in the playback menu, though the exact location may vary with different camera models.

“I always want as much detail as possible in my images, and this requires that the exposure be as bright as possible without blowing the highlights,” Henson says. “While the histogram is useful information, I find that the flashing highlight feature in almost all cameras is more useful for attaining maximum detail in my shots.”

“I will generally push my exposures right to the point where the highlights start to flash, then back off my exposure 1/3 of a stop for my final shot,” Henson adds. “This creates a file with the most information possible for the scene at hand.”

Change your color settings

Getting good color is about more than achieving good white balance. Digital cameras will actually let you set a color profile, which adjusts the tones in an image to your personal taste and saves you a considerable amount of time in post processing. Most cameras will have a number of presets, too, such as standard and vivid, as well as several customization options.

“Before you start shooting, you can change the factory configurations of your camera,” Guatelli says. “Set your camera’s contrast, sharpness, saturation, and tonal adjustments. It’s almost the same thing that old-school photographers used to do when choosing a specific kind of film. Some used to have richer reds, others had more contrast, and others were grainy. Each situation requires a different set of contrast, saturation, etc. Getting used to it can push your creative possibilities.”

Flash has a manual mode, too

Most new photographers learn manual modes on their way to becoming more seasoned enthusiasts. But often too many call themselves “natural light photographers,” not because of the nature of natural light, but because they don’t actually know how to use flash. Flash doesn’t always result in harsh shadows and that obvious flash look. When shooting with flash in manual mode, you can match the light in the scene to make subjects pop, and the untrained eye won’t be able to tell you even used a flash. A manually-set flash is essential for mastering tricky lighting –like sunny days and backlit subjects — and represents the next step after mastering exposure basics.

Flash doesn’t always result in harsh shadows and that obvious flash look.

Unlike learning manual exposure, there’s no meter to guide you, but with some experimentation, manual flash can be an incredible tool. Even the pop-up flash on more advanced cameras has a manual mode, which means you don’t need to invest in a hot shoe. If you happen to have a hot shoe, however, adding a flash diffuser will also help.

Vary your composition

Guatelli says that varying the composition is key, even when shooting action like sports. Using a different focal length, adding a foreground element, adjusting your position, and changing your height by kneeling or finding a higher vantage point help leads to a more interesting album — and a wider selection of single shots to choose from. “Perhaps try to change the distance to include the detail that can balance the composition,” he says. “If the field depth is shallow, try to shoot with unfocused elements that are close to the camera and not just with those that are in the background.”

Think about the entire frame

Selecting the subject is an important (and obvious) step when taking photos, but checking the rest of the frame before you shoot is just as important. By considering the entire image before you shoot, you can eliminate distractions, often just by moving your feet. At the same time, thinking about more than just your subject can also help you to fill your frame with useful information that can enhance the overall image, or provide useful details. “Don’t fix your eyes on the subject or at the center of the image. Think before shooting, move your eyes through the edges of the rectangle and move the camera,” Guatelli suggests.

Port-au-Prince, HAITI, 20/03/2011: Street basketball game beside ruins of a church. (photo: Caio Guatelli)

Learn patience, but don’t shy away from creating your own moment

While genres like photojournalism and street photography require you to wait for the right moment, sometimes, it’s also the photographer’s job to create the moment. Imagine working as a wedding photographer and the bride is a bundle of nerves — waiting isn’t going to do anything but intensify those nerves. Portrait photographers sometimes have to help create the right moments by telling a joke or a personal story to get the right reaction. This often settles the nerves that may come with being in front of the camera.

There’s a time to follow advice and a time to experiment on your own

Learning from seasoned pros helps budding photographers jump start their work. Talking with a veteran sports photographer before shooting your first game, for example, often makes the difference between getting the shots and spending too much time on trial and error. However, there’s also a time for experimentation. Take the time to find your own style — and even your own tricks.

This article was originally published March 17, 2014. It has been updated on March 6, 2017 with additional tips.

IDC: Detachable tablets are leading the way to stronger PC sales

Why it matters to you

The PC market’s continued recovery means that vendors will be likely to keep making really cool machines.

The PC market has seen a few years of declining sales, leading some pundits to predict that Apple’s “post-PC” world was underway. The iPad’s initially strong sales seemed to confirm the idea that consumption tablets would eventually dominate the industry at the PC’s expense.

More recent data, however, suggests that PCs are recovering, and that tablets like the iPad are falling by the wayside. The most recent IDC data supports both of those positions, with detachable tablets leading the way to stronger than expected PC sales through 2021.

More: iPad sales may be slowing but Microsoft’s Surface business is booming

The weakest PC segment, according to IDC’s forecast, will be the desktop, data center, and workstation market, which will see sales decline by 2.8 percent between 2016 and 2021. That’s less of a decline than in past years, however, based in part on a stronger market than expected in 2016.

IDC Worldwide

Meanwhile, traditional notebook sales were stronger in 2016, based at least in part on continued Windows 10 adoption and growth in the ultraportable and premium markets. IDC expects notebook sales to grow by 0.7 percent between 2016 and 2021, which would be a much rosier picture than past forecasts.

Slate tablets like the iPad will continue their decline, however, falling 6.5 percent through 2021. The primary competitive device is the detachable tablet, which provides a more robust productivity experience. According to IDC, detachable tablets will grow a whopping 21.2 percent between 2016 and 2021, which bodes well for the growing number of Windows 10 2-in-1 machines hitting the market.

As IDC senior research analyst Jitesh Ubrani puts it, “Consumers are just starting to graduate from old, consumption-based, slate tablets to a more productive detachable tablet. At the same time, the benefit of having a thin, touch-sensitive, productivity-based machine is shining light on the traditional PC category, causing vendors and consumers to focus on more premium devices in the Convertible and Ultraslim space.”

These latest numbers help dispel the notion that PCs are becoming irrelevant in the face of mobile devices like consumption tablets and smartphones. It seems that productivity remains important, and that an increasing number of users recognize that PCs are the real productivity devices.

94-year-old inventor of lithium-ion batteries develops safer, more efficient glass battery

Why it matters to you

New battery technology may make it possible for electric cars to rival their gas-guzzling cousins in cost and convenience.

John B. Goodenough, an emeritus professor at the Cockrell School of Engineering at the University of Texas, Austin, pioneered the lithium-ion battery technology that is now the industry standard, and now the 94-year-old is ready to push the envelope on battery innovation again. Goodenough along with senior research fellow Maria Helena Braga, lead a team of researchers who have developed a  low-cost all-solid-state battery that is safer and more efficient than existing lithium-ion technology.

The new battery uses a sodium- or lithium-coated glass electrolyte that has three times the storage capacity of a lithium ion battery. It also charges in minutes instead of hours and operates in both frigid and hot weather (from -20 to 60 degrees centigrade). Early tests suggest the battery is capable of at least 1,200 charge-discharge cycles, significantly more charging cycles than a comparable lithium-ion battery. And best of all, the glass-based electrolyte will not form the dendrites that plague lithium-ion battery technology. The dendrites accumulate as part of the standard charging and recharging cycle and eventually cause a short circuit that often results in a smoldering or burning battery.

More: With 4,000mAh battery, Energizer Energy E550LTE should keep going and going

Goodenough believes this battery technology could be the breakthrough that brings the electric car into the mainstream. “Cost, safety, energy density, rates of charge and discharge and cycle life are critical for battery-driven cars to be more widely adopted. We believe our discovery solves many of the problems that are inherent in today’s batteries,” Goodenough said in a statement published by the University of Texas as Austin. This same battery technology could also be used to store energy in both solar and wind-power systems.

Goodenough and his team have succeeded in developing the glass-based anode, and are now working on the cathode portion of the battery technology. Currently, the team is troubleshooting the cathode issue with encouraging results in small-scale tests using jelly-roll cells. The goal is to produce large-scale cells eventually and then move the technology over to manufacturers who will develop it commercially.

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