Ultrakam lets your iPhone capture higher resolution film-like video clips
While Sony and Samsung are busy making phones with 4K recording capabilities, one developer has worked its pixel magic to get more from iPhone cameras. Ultrakam is the first iOS app capable of recording “2K” resolution with a film-like 24p frame rate, letting iPhone 5s owners shoot 2240 x 1672 pixel video (around 75 percent more pixels than regular HD) to output higher-quality footage than the default camera app. There’s support for the iPhone 5 and 5c, as well as the the iPad mini, iPad Air and iPad with Retina display, but the app is limited to high-definition and “2K” at 20fps on “older” devices.
Including an array of settings and various shooting modes that allow you to record higher bit-rate video and audio, with a minute of footage consuming up to 3GB of storage on max settings (expect that 64GB iPhone 5s to fill up fast), Ultrakam is primarily aimed at filmmakers. However, there’s plenty of neat features for regular users to show off their talent. It offers slow motion video, but again the iPhone 5s has all the fun, as it supports slow motion capture at 120fps over the iPhone 5′s 60fps. You can slow down your recordings by up to 10x if you choose the lowest preset. The app also supports timelapse shooting, offering custom configurations that will snap high resolution photos at set intervals, combining them to output a high-quality landscape. Once you’ve shot your footage, Ultrakam’s built-in player and editing tools let you play video, generate stills, color correct and share them with ease. Ultrakam is available on the App Store for $6.99 — a little more costly than your regular camera app, but the extra quality and advanced features may justify the price.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile
Via: The Next Web
Source: Ultrakam, (App Store)
Round 2 of the Samsung vs Apple patent trial: Samsung’s objection gets denied before trial even Starts
Round 2 of the Samsung vs Apple patent trial will begin tomorrow with Apple claiming that the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 both infringe on 5 of Apple’s patents each. While Samsung was forced to pay Apple $929.8 million the last time the two smartphone giants met in court, Apple is once again hoping to achieve an injunction on these devices to stop their sale in America.
The trial is to be presided over again by Judge Lucy Koh and is likely to run several months with Samsung expected to call on Google executives to help plead their case. It hasn’t exactly gone smoothly for Samsung, despite the trial having not even started yet: Samsung has objected to the use of a video designed to inform the jury about patent law because it features Apple products in it and says it would be “highly prejudicial”. Judge Koh has already overruled Samsung’s objection and the jury (which hasn’t yet been selected) will be shown the 17 minute video during the trial. Hopefully this isn’t an omen for Samsung’s fortunes…
What do you think about this ongoing feud between Samsung and Apple? Do you think it’s healthy for these two giants to go head to head when they appear to hardly do any damage to each other? Let us know your opinion in the comments.
Source: San Jose Mercury News, Apple Insider via Phone Arena (1), (2)
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Weekends with Engadget: the future of Oculus Rift, new HTC One review and more!
Welcome to Weekends with Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines from the past seven days — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. For even more news, subscribe to our Flipboard magazine!
Can Oculus survive the Facebook effect?
Earlier this week, the internet responded to Facebook’s $2 billion acquisition of Oculus VR with a swift fury. But it’s not all bad news. Our own Marc Perton points out, the deal doesn’t change the essence of the Oculus Rift, or its potential for non-gaming applications.
HTC One review (2014): a great phone, but no longer a game-changer
HTC’s new One is official, and it’s quite the looker. With a sleek unibody chassis reminiscent of last year’s model, the new One packs a larger 5-inch screen, and a brand new version of its Sense UI. What’s more, the handset is one sale in the US today, starting at $199 for the 16GB version.
iTunes Radio now streams the news, thanks to NPR
Last week, NPR announced that it joined iTunes Radio as the music streaming service’s first news channel. It may be the exclusive station for iDevice users at the moment, but we expect that won’t last for long.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon review (2014): new, but not necessarily improved
The new ThinkPad X1 Carbon brings everything Lenovo fans loved about the original X1 Carbon, just in a lighter, slimmer package. Some users, however, may not enjoy its new “adaptive panel,” which replaces the traditional Fn keys. You can pick one up for $1,259, but be warned: the X1 Carbon has the shortest battery life in its class.
Turkish government bans YouTube following attempt to remove corruption videos
The Turkish government has struck again, this time banning YouTube in what appears to be an attempt to remove videos that contain evidence of political corruption. At this point, the restriction is active on several ISPs and continues to roll out.
San Francisco Giants (and most of MLB) adopt Apple’s iBeacon for an enhanced ballpark experience
The iBeacon is a small Apple device that boosts iPhone location services through Bluetooth — and the San Francisco Giants are outfitting their entire stadium with the tech. For the Giants, as well as 19 other MLB teams following suit, the iBeacon is yet another way to bring mobile interaction with fans to the next level.
Facebook: A visual history
Mark Zuckerberg’s social network turned 10 this year, so we took a look back at its design changes over the course of the decade. From profile redesigns to quarterly News Feed tweaks and open betas, constantly adapting aesthetics to catering to user habits has been a driving force for Facebook for quite some time.
Office for iPad review: three beautiful apps, each with strong competition
After quite a few leaks, Microsoft officially outed its Office for iPad offering. Those curious to try it out will need an Office 365 subscription in order to opt in and OneDrive for cloud accessibility, making it an optimal choice for those already invested in Redmond’s wares. Click through for all of the details in our full review.
This is what Facebook could look like on Oculus Rift (video)
As you’re probably aware, Facebook dropped $2 billion on Oculus VR with the intent to bring “completely new kinds of experiences” to us all. And while that leaves much to the imagination, Chaotic Moon studios has an idea of what that could look like.
NSA spied on Huawei founder’s emails to implicate him as a Communist Party insider
The New York Times managed to get a glimpse of documents suggesting that the NSA was hacking into the email account of Huawei founder, Ren Zhengfei. Apparently the government has been creating “back doors” in the company’s systems since 2009.
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Filed under: Misc
Former Android Chief Andy Rubin May Testify in Second Apple vs. Samsung Case [iOS Blog]
Google engineers, including former Android Chief Andy Rubin, may testify at some point during the second patent lawsuit trial between Apple and Samsung, reports The Wall Street Journal.
Samsung will reportedly use the testimonials to prove that it licensed four out of the five software features it is accused of infringing upon, as it contends that Google had already been working on the technologies before Apple filed for patents.
To help defend Samsung, Google engineers are expected to take the stand to refute Apple’s arguments that it forged new ground with the iPhone. Andy Rubin, the former head of Google’s mobile business who oversaw the development of Android, is listed as a potential witness. Mr. Rubin worked for Apple from 1989 to 1992.
“Google will be a lot more front and center than in previous cases,” said Michael Carrier, a patent expert and law professor at Rutgers University in New Jersey. “Google vs. Apple makes it more of a clash of the titans on the same turf.”
Apple’s list of asserted patents include those for hyperlinking, background syncing of data, Siri’s universal search capabilities, auto-complete, and slide-to-unlock. Samsung states that all of these features found on its Galaxy devices are Android features, except for slide-to-unlock functionality. The second trial covers more recent devices such as the Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note II, Galaxy Tab 10.1, the iPhone 4/4s/5, the iPad 2/3/4, the iPad mini, and fourth and fifth generation iPod touch.
Following the conclusion of the original patent lawsuit that covered older devices, and the subsequent damages retrial to redetermine a segment of the reward, Samsung was ordered to pay Apple $890 million.
A report last week also noted that Samsung plans to call Google’s VP of engineering Hiroshi Lockheimer, and Todd Pendleton, Samsung’s marketing chief for its U.S. telecoms division to the stand. Meanwhile, Apple expects to call marketing chief Phil Schiller and possibly former SVP of iOS Software Scott Forstall among many others.
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Daily Roundup: virtual Facebook concept, ThinkPad X1 Carbon review and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
This is what Facebook could look like on Oculus Rift (video)
As you’re probably aware, Facebook dropped $2 billion on Oculus VR with the intent to bring “completely new kinds of experiences” to us all. And while that leaves much to the imagination, Chaotic Moon studios has an idea of what that could look like.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon review (2014): new, but not necessarily improved
The new ThinkPad X1 Carbon brings everything Lenovo fans loved about the original X1 Carbon, just in a lighter, slimmer package. Some users, however, may not enjoy its new “adaptive panel,” which replaces the traditional Fn keys. You can pick one up for $1,259, but be warned: the X1 Carbon has the shortest battery life in its class.
San Francisco Giants (and most of MLB) adopt Apple’s iBeacon for an enhanced ballpark experience
The iBeacon is a small Apple device that boosts iPhone location services through Bluetooth — and the San Francisco Giants are outfitting their entire stadium with the tech. For the Giants, as well as 19 other MLB teams following suit, the iBeacon is yet another way to bring mobile interaction with fans to the next level.
Facebook Messenger on iOS expands to include groups and forwarding
Facebook’s latest update to Messenger on iOS lets users send messages to a specific group of contacts in one fell swoop (with plenty of animal stickers, of course). You can also forward messages and photos to anyone outside of the conversation.
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Filmmakers in ‘Noah’ Used an iPad to Control a Huge Overhead Lighting and Rain System [iOS Blog]
The special effects crew behind the new Biblical epic Noah used a custom iPad app to control a huge overhead artificial rain and lighting rig that was capable of pouring 5,000 gallons per minute of water and turning night into day.
WIRED went behind the scenes to see how the FX team put it all together.
And on the eighth day, we got apps. Director Darren Aronofsky’s new film Noah is, of course, about the Biblical flood so massive it required one man to build an ark. Bringing such an apocalyptic deluge to the big screen was no easy task, and it required the special effects team behind the movie to, well, make it rain.
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Study shows which Android and iOS versions are most likely to crash apps
If you’ve ever argued that your new smartphone is more reliable than what you’re replacing, you now have some evidence to back up your claims. Crittercism has posted a study showing that apps running in newer versions of Android and iOS (such as KitKat and iOS 7.1) are considerably less likely to crash; you’re practically inviting headaches if you stick with a phone running Gingerbread or iOS 6. The research also suggests that the Galaxy S 4 and iPhone 5 are the most trustworthy devices, while tablets of all kinds are relatively crash-happy. The findings aren’t shocking when both Apple and Google have both spent years fixing bugs, and it’s notable that the study only covers crashes with third-party apps — they don’t address first-party software glitches. Still, this data is as good an excuse as any to upgrade an aging handset stuck on an old platform.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, Apple, Google
Via: GigaOM
Source: Crittercism (DocumentCloud)
Federal Judge Grants Class Action Status to E-Book Pricing Lawsuit [Mac Blog]
A federal judge has granted class action status to a group of plaintiffs suing Apple over its antitrust collusion with publishers to increase the price of e-books, reports Reuters. The judge, Denise Cote, is the same judge who oversaw the antitrust case against Apple by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Judge Cote has been accused by Apple of overstepping her judicial authority by giving a court-appointed monitor wide authority at Apple to interview and make changes at the company. Apple requested that the lawyer chosen to serve as the monitor be disqualified, saying he had over-stepped his bounds by asking for lawyer-less meetings with key Apple executives and board members. That request was denied at appeal.
U.S. District Judge Denise Cote said the plaintiffs had “more than met their burden” to allow them to sue as a group. She rejected Apple’s contentions that the claims were too different from each other, or that some plaintiffs were not harmed because some e-book prices fell.
Some have estimated that Apple could owe as much as $500 million after being found guilty in the Federal antitrust case, with more judgements possible in this class-action suit if the plaintiffs are successful.
This class action suit applies only to consumer plaintiffs in the states where the governments have not already sued Apple. Previously, 33 states and territories sued Apple on behalf of their consumers, seeking more than $800 million in damages.
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Microsoft Office Apps Top App Store Charts One Day After Release
Just a day after being released into the App Store, Microsoft’s new iPad Apps, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, appear to be quite popular with consumers, ranking as the top three free iPad apps in the App Store, with the redesigned Microsoft OneNote in the number four spot.
Microsoft Word for iPad is ranked as the number five top grossing app, while Excel is ranked twelfth, indicating Microsoft’s downloads are raking in some cash in the form of Office 365 subscriptions, which are available within the apps as a $9.99/month or $99/year purchase. Users can also purchase Office 365 subscriptions outside of the app, however, which would not influence App Store charts.
While Microsoft’s apps can be downloaded at no charge and allow documents to be viewed or presented, creating and editing documents requires an Office 365 subscription that also earns Apple a 30 percent cut of each in-app purchase, making the current success of the apps beneficial to both companies.
Microsoft Office apps for the iPad have been a long time coming, with Microsoft first indicating its intention to work on mobile Office apps in 2010. In early 2012, a prototype design of Office for iPad surfaced, but it wasn’t until Satya Nadella took over as CEO that the apps actually saw a release.
In the past, Microsoft has used the lack of Office productivity apps on the iPad as a main advertising point for its Surface Tablet, attempting to lure customers to the product on the strength of its popular productivity software. That strategy was largely unsuccessful, however, as the original Surface failed to catch on with consumers.
All three of Microsoft’s productivity apps can be downloaded from the App Store for free, with full functionality unlocked through an Office 365 subscription. While Office for iPad requires Office 365, Microsoft yesterday updated Microsoft Office Mobile for iPhone to both allow viewing and editing for free, no subscription required.
– Microsoft Word for iPad [Direct Link]
– Microsoft Excel for iPad [Direct Link]
– Microsoft PowerPoint for iPad [Direct Link]
– Microsoft Office Mobile for iPhone [Direct Link]
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San Francisco Giants (and most of MLB) adopt Apple’s iBeacon for an enhanced ballpark experience
“It’s kind of a no-brainer.” That’s what the San Francisco Giants’ Chief Information Officer, Bill Schlough, said when asked why the team is implementing Apple’s iBeacon technology this season.
For the uninitiated, iBeacon is a small Apple device that communicates with iPhones through Bluetooth to expand the location services in iOS. In practice, it’s a marketing tool that lets apps know when you approach or leave the presence of an iBeacon. This is the first season that pro baseball is implementing the technology with 20 of the 30 Major League Baseball teams participating, though retailers have been using it since last year.
For the Giants, the technology is another way to better engage with fans. “Mobile and digital experiences are paramount to our fan experience,” according to Schlough, “and they have played a role in the fact that we’ve had 246 straight sellouts.” (Winning two World Series in the past five years probably doesn’t hurt ticket sales, either.)
The Giants have long been one of the most technologically progressive organizations in baseball. Fans first enjoyed in-stadium cell coverage in the early 2000s, and in 2004 the club became the first in professional sports to turn its stadium into a WiFi hotspot. Currently, there are 1,289 WiFi antennas blanketing AT&T Park with connectivity good enough to stream video to thousands of fans. Plus, during the offseason, when the Giants installed the iBeacons (it only took a day to do it), Schlough’s team put in an entirely new LTE backhaul system to deliver more mobile bandwidth to ticket holders.
All told, 19 iBeacons are located at all of the fan entry and exit points of the ballpark, per MLB policy. That number will vary at other stadiums — the Dodgers, for example, are reported to have 65 installed, presumably due to the presence of more ways to get inside Dodger Stadium. They’ll be used to check fans in (think Foursquare) upon entry, assuming they have an iOS 7 device running the MLB At the Ballpark app and have Bluetooth turned on when they walk through the gate. The app’s available to both iOS and Android devices — and provides maps, concession info, video clips and the ability to upgrade your seat — but only folks with Apple devices benefit from the bespoke iBeacon experience.
Once checked in, teams can push tailor-made notifications and relevant offers through the app. Fans need not fear that they’ll be bombarded with junk, though, as MLB is soft-launching the technology as a pilot on Opening Day, and there are restrictions on its use… at first, at least. “We don’t want to turn this into some sort of SPAM engine,” says Schlough. So, the club’mms exploring new and creative ways to use the devices to improve, not take away from the gameday experience. Of course, users can always opt-out of the program altogether, too.
Generally speaking, iBeacon strategy is controlled by MLB: the league tells teams where to place the hardware and what sorts of stuff can be sent to folks who check in using the technology. For now, that means fans get a welcome message when they check in, and maybe an offer to upgrade their seat or get a discount on concessions. Schlough wouldn’t tell us exactly what kind of offers the Giants will be making, but he did say that he’s particularly excited about geo-targeting. “It opens up a world of possibilities,” he says, indicating that iBeacons could enable the club to send notifications about activities happening nearby (not everyone sits and watches the game from their seat) or target offers for specific parts of the park.
The expectation is that MLB will let clubs “get more creative” once iBeacon has proven stable and useful for fans. Naturally, the Giants don’t know when that’ll be, but the team will have things ready to go whenever the league office gives the go-ahead. Until then, Schlough’s biding his time and figuring out how to best use iBeacon to service one of the most tech-savvy fan bases in the bigs.
[Lead image credit: Jeff Chiu,AP]
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Apple
