Google Camera port now supports RAW images and full HDR+ control

The latest update for the Google Camera app port brings RAW image capture, full HDR customization, and numerous performance tweaks.

Last month, a developer in the Ukraine created a forked version of the Google Camera app that allowed it to be installed on a lot of other Android phones not made by Google. The port’s been riddled with quite a few bugs and missing features since its initial release, but the latest update takes this from being an experiment to something that’s daily driver material. This port of the Google Camera app already supported Zero Shutter Lag and HDR+ functionality, but you now have the ability to customize exactly how HDR works. Note that when we say customize here, we mean really deep tweaks.

By hopping into the settings page for the Camera app, you can choose the HDR+ burst frame count, calculation HDR+ imagereader image count, buffer size, and more. This essentially lets you tweak the algorithm for HDR photos that you take, and it’s recommended that you reboot your phone after making any changes here to prevent any crashes from happening.

Along with the new HDR customization, the Google Camera port now also supports RAW image capture. Having RAW image files is great for those that like to really tweak and adjust their photographs after the fact, but what’s nice here is that the app will simultaneously capture both a RAW image and JPG one with HDR+ effects.

RAW + JPG capture helps to get the best of both worlds in one shot.

Add all of this together with serious performance improvements and a lot of bug fixes, and you’re looking at something that could very well replace the stock camera app that’s currently on your phone.

If you want to give the Google Camera port a shot, you can download the file from Android File Host. The app currently works on devices like the LG G6, OnePlus 5, Galaxy S8, and most phones with a Snapdragon 820/821 processor, but as with any app that’s been created or modified by a third party, be aware that you may still run into some issues even with all of the improvements that have been made.

Fly away with Parrot’s Rolling Spider Quadcopter for $18

Parrot’s MiniDrones are a great entry point for first-time flyers.

Getting into the drone craze doesn’t have to be as expensive as you think. You can pick up a refurbished Rolling Spider Quadcopter MiniDrone by Parrot for just $18 at Daily Steals when you enter promo code THRFTRQUAD at checkout. That’s $7 less than the next lowest price we found at TechRabbit. This product is available in red, white and blue.

This acrobatic drone can jump across gaps, roll up walls and fly high. There are detachable wheels so you can fly with even greater agility. Twist and turn 90 or 180 degrees instantly, or use the pre-programmed acrobatic moves to impress your friends.

The Rolling Spider can be controlled with your smartphone or tablet using the free application, FreeFlight Pro. It also has a vertical camera which takes pictures every 16 milliseconds to determine your speed.

Daily Steals has another Parrot MiniDrone on sale currently too – the Jumping Sumo for $19.99. It can’t fly, however it does live stream video directly to the FreeFlight app which the Rolling Spider can’t accomplish. These drones are at the perfect price to be a toy for your kid, or for your first attempt at being a pilot before you take on something like the DJI Mavic Pro.

See at Daily Steals

More from Thrifter

• Celebrate National Coffee Day with these great deals!
• How to find the best deal on your next flight

For more great deals be sure to check out our friends at Thrifter now!

Samsung Galaxy S8 Active might be heading to T-Mobile

According to a new report, the AT&T exclusive Samsung Galaxy S8 Active will soon be making its way to T-Mobile customers.

For the past few years, Samsung’s release schedule for its major flagships has been pretty consistent. We get new entries in the Galaxy S lineup at the beginning of the year, an Active version of the new S phone on AT&T in the summer, and then the latest Note device. However, according to a new report, this year’s Galaxy S8 Active will be escaping AT&T’s grip and heading to T-Mobile.

Samsung has been releasing Active handsets exclusively on AT&T ever since the S4 Active all the way back in 2013, and while there was an S5 Sport that debuted on Sprint in 2014, the S8 Active would be the first Samsung phone to launch on another carrier with the proper “Active” branding.

T-Mobile’s version of the Galaxy S8 Active is expected to carry the model number of SM-G892T (slightly different from SM-G892A on AT&T) and be available in both Mereor Gray and Titanium Gold color options. The phone should cost the same with a retail price of $849 USD, but at this time, we don’t know when the S8 Active will be debuting on the Un-Carrier. We’d expect it to launch sooner rather than later, but it’s possible that we’re still a few months out from its release.

The Galaxy S8 Active offers the same general experience you’d find on the regular S8, with the addition of increased battery life and a more rugged/durable design. Although the design does take away from the allure that the S8/S8+ bring to the table, Andrew did say in his full review of the S8 Active that he would –

Absolutely recommend this phone to someone who must have a “rugged” phone to survive the daily demands of their life or job, and doesn’t want to compromise in terms of the software, features, camera or experience of the phone in the process.

Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+

• Galaxy S8 and S8+ review!
• Galaxy S8 and S8+ specs
• Everything you need to know about the Galaxy S8’s cameras
• Get to know Samsung Bixby
• Join our Galaxy S8 forums

Verizon
AT&T
T-Mobile
Sprint
Unlocked

Google may be working on its own version of Amazon’s Echo Show

Amazon clearly believes in its Echo devices, as it just unveiled an entire new lineup this week. Now, it appears Google believes in them as well. TechCrunch has heard from multiple sources that Google is building a competitor for the Amazon Echo Show.

The Echo Show is a smart screen device that Amazon unveiled back in May. While we didn’t have many great things to say about its boxy design and low-resolution screen, using Alexa with the 7-inch touchscreen was a great experience. It’s understandable why Google would want to replicate its success.

Two separate sources told TechCrunch that the Google project’s internal name is “Manhattan” and will feature a screen that is similarly sized to the Echo Show. It will also have video calling, Google Photos, Google Assistant and YouTube (which the Echo Show lost access to earlier this week). The device can connect with and control smart home devices as well, such as the Nest thermostat.

Google originally had planned on launching this device in 2018, but they are trying to fast track the smart home device for release this year. They are currently negotiating with partners for the smart hub — sources told TechCrunch they’re also interested in a Netflix app for the device. Because it will likely run on Android, third-party apps may be a possibility. There’s no pricing information yet, but you can expect it will be priced competitively with the Echo Show’s $230.

Source: TechCrunch

The Engadget Podcast Ep 44: Amazon announces all the things

At last, an episode of The Engadget Podcast where we have no reason to talk about Apple! This week, we turn our attention to a small underdog of a company with a narrow, well-thought-out product line. Just kidding, we’re talking about Amazon, which has enough money to roll out a wide range of products and see what sticks. We ranked the company’s confusing new lineup from “sensible” to “weird,” and also carved out a few minutes to rant about Twitter’s new 280-character experiment.

With that, we’re going dark again for a little while, but hope to bring you new episodes soon enough, possibly in a new format. Suggestions? Feedback? Feel free to email us or leave your thoughts in the comments.

Relevant links:

• Amazon is hosting a surprise Alexa-focused event today at 1:30PM ET
• Amazon’s redesigned Echo features improved sound
• Amazon’s Echo Connect gives you a smart speakerphone for your landline
• Echo Button is Amazon’s tiny accessory for party games
• Amazon’s Echo Plus packs in a smart hub
• Amazon’s new Fire TV is a 4K-capable, Chromecast-style dongle
• Amazon launches Echo Spot, an Alexa-powered alarm clock
• Hands-on with Amazon’s new Echo and Echo Plus
• Amazon Echo Spot hands-on
• Every new Echo announced today — and a Fire TV
• Amazon’s confusing new Echo lineup: There’s a method to the madness
• Twitter experiments with doubling its character limit
• Twitter proved its priorities are screwed up with just 280 characters

Subscribe on Google Play Music

Subscribe on iTunes

Subscribe on Stitcher

Subscribe on Pocket Casts

Nokia remakes its remade 3310 with… 3G

As companies continue to pull open our wallets through the nefarious magic known as nostalgia, Nokia is back with another attempt to syphon some more disposable income from millennials and… whichever generation came before them. The re-reheated Nokia 3310 3G has, yes, 3G, which upgrades the 2.5G of the relaunched dumbphone, but still trails the LTE (4G) speeds we’re used to. (Not that technical specs matter if you’re interested in buying one.) It’ll arrive with new Azure and Charcoal color options — and silver buttons — but that’s pretty much the only other things that have notably changed.

If you want to experience touchkey input and 3G’s achingly-slow mobile web from two decades earlier, you’ll have to wait until October. Nokia hasn’t announced prices yet, but due nostalgia fatigue, we’re… we’re cool. We’ll stick to our phones that need recharging every day, thanks.

YouTube is cracking down on external links in videos

YouTube has sent some creators into a panic when it blocked their ability to link out to external sites in their end cards. A lot of people use those cards to link to merchandise they sell and to Patreon pages where fans can pledge a set amount per month to support their projects. The video streaming platform didn’t intend to block Patreon or any other URL in particular, though: turns out it simply made the feature exclusively available to members of the YouTube Partner Program.

Confirmed. This is bullshit. pic.twitter.com/Kh428fWiWO

— Ian Danskin (@InnuendoStudios) September 28, 2017

Problem is, YouTubers need 10,000 public views to be eligible for the program, and that could be an insurmountable number for smaller creators. Not to mention, their application is still subject to approval. Putting links in the video description just isn’t the same as placing them in the middle of the screen where viewers can’t ignore them.

According to YouTube, though, it decided on the change to prevent opportunists from ripping off other people’s video and other copyrighted content, posting it as their own and earning money from it. Creators don’t need to monetize their channel to be able to use end cards, but they need to garner enough attention and prove they’re not making money from someone else’s hard work.

Here’s YouTube’s statement about the change:

“In order to use externally-linking end cards in videos, creators are being asked to join the YouTube Partner program, so that we can evaluate the validity of the channel, as well as determine whether the channel is following our community guidelines and advertiser policies. This update is meant to curb abuse and does not affect current YouTube partners or existing end cards. Additionally channels do not have to actually monetize any videos as part of this requirement.”

Source: The Verge, The Next Web

Moscow is adding facial recognition to CCTVs to ID criminals

Moscow’s local authorities are giving the city’s 170,000 security cameras a power-up. According to Bloomberg, they’re adding facial recognition tech to the CCTV network with the intention of IDing criminals on the streets. Moscow’s extensive network of security cams have been keeping an eye on the city and recording millions of hours of video since 2012. Processing all that footage proved to be a daunting task, however: police officers quickly realized that it was impossible to look through them all to find culprits to arrest. Authorities believe facial recognition is the answer to that problem.

The city will use a facial-recognition technology developed by Russian startup Ntechlab. Bloomberg says both the US Department of Commerce and the University of Washington found its technology quite accurate. Ntechlab’s FindFace app, which was released last year, can look up faces users upload with photos posted on Russia’s biggest social network VKontakte. For this particular initiative, though, authorities say it will take faces it finds from surveillance footage and compare them only against photos already in police databases. During a two-month test run of the system, cops were reportedly able to nab 6 suspects based on its results.

Moscow’s plans obviously raise some privacy concerns. “If the system is hacked by third parties, they could potentially get access to information on where you live, where you go and what routes you take,” Russian IT expert Mikhail Zyuzin said. It could also be used for other purposes besides finding wrongdoers and lawbreakers. That said, it’s worth noting that the city can’t afford loading all 170,000 cameras with facial recognition. The boost in capability would’ve tripled the network’s maintenance costs, so Moscow is only deploying the technology where it’s needed the most.

Source: Bloomberg

Timex’s new watch collection includes contactless payment straps

Barclaycard’s various bPay accessories give previously inert objects the ability to make contactless payments, regardless of where you bank. Last year saw the introduction of the bPay Loop, a contactless card alternative that clings to watch straps. Understandably, though, you might not want to ruin the aesthetics of your neat dress watch with a brash rubber sidekick, but Barclaycard and Timex have now teamed up for a more elegant solution.

It’s called the Fairfield Contactless, and quite simply, it’s the watchmaker’s minimalist Fairfield Chronograph with a bPay chip tucked away inside the watch strap. It’s just the first in a bPay collection too, with more to follow. There are already a million ways to spend money without a note or coin to hand, but it’s definitely one of the more style-conscious bPay products thus far. And when the Fairfield Contactless goes on sale in early November for £159, owners of other compatible Timex watches can upgrade theirs on the cheap by buying one of the black or brown bPay straps on its lonesome.

Lockheed Martin unveils Mars space station and surface lander

Elon Musk wasn’t the only one dishing new details on a mission to Mars at the International Astronautical Congress in Adelaide, Australia. Lockheed Martin, which too plans to send humans to the Red Planet in the next decade, also dropped a bunch of new info about its ambitious project. The defense and aerospace company is currently building the command module for NASA’s Orion spacecraft. The vessel will eventually make the trip to Mars carrying four astronauts, but it won’t be alone. The shuttle will be attached to Lockheed Martin’s Mars Base Camp (MBC) orbiting mission. And, on Thursday, the company laid out the design of the larger spacecraft, designated to carry crew, supplies, and scientific equipment. Along with a sleek Mars lander concept capable of carrying astronauts to the planet’s surface from orbit.

MBC will consist of four main sections and (according to Lockheed Martin) will come with “two of everything for back up.” It will boast four large solar rays that will generate electricity to power the spacecraft. Propelling the vehicle will be two cryogenic propulsion stages, with two tanks to store the fuel (liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen).

What about the six souls stuck aboard the spaceship for 1,000 days? They’ll be spending their time exercising, studying, eating, and sleeping in its two habitats and central living space. And, if you’re looking for Orion, it will form the command deck (complete with the avionics for navigation and comms). “Orion makes the whole spacecraft more reliable, and gives the astronauts a safe ride home,” explained Lockheed Martin in its video presentation.

The company claims the initial crewed expeditions to the planet’s surface will be “relatively short-duration, science-focused missions.” In order to make the trip from MBC down to Mars, up to four astronauts will be able to hop into the company’s reusable Mars Base Cape lander. The shuttle will use supersonic retropropulsion (the same approach used by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket boosters) in order to make the journey. Lockheed Martin claims that each surface mission could last up to two weeks without the need to return to the orbiting spacecraft for refueling.

MBC will be dependant on NASA’s recently-announced Deep Space Gateway at the moon. The orbiting space station will serve as a pitstop for astronauts on longer journeys. Whilst there, they’ll be able to tinker with (and get accustomed to) the MBC spacecraft before deploying to Mars. Lockheed Martin was one of six companies chosen by NASA to create a Mars habitat design as part of its NextSTEP program.

Source: Lockheed Martin