TCL 598 quad camera phone leaked via TENAA

After some quiet time, TCL have begun to launch more phones over the past few months, but their latest is set to be the best by far.

TCL were once one of the brands we eagerly watched, but this year they spent the first 6 months being quite, with a sudden burst in the number of phones leaked and launched. The most recent TCL launches have happened in India, but a new phone headed for the Chinese market has today been leaked.

TENAA have the device listed as the TCL 598 with hardware including a 5.5-inch 1920 x 1080 display, 2.3Ghz Mediatek Helio X20 chipset, 4GB RAM, 64GB memory and 3030mAh battery.

What really helps the metal bodied TCL 598 standout from the crowd is the fact the device boast not 2, not 3 but a total of 4 cameras, making this one of a very few quad camera phones.

Camera specs include 2 x front facing (one a 5 mega-pixel and the other an 8 mega-pixel) plus 2 x 13 mega-pixel cameras. We're not sure how TCL have set the cameras up but it seems likely they might have opted for the Huawei P9 route (one camera dealing with colour and the other monochrome).

Dimensions of the TCL 598 are 152.6 x 75.4 x 8.7mm with a weight of 157g. All that is left for us to learn is the final launch date and the pricing of the TCL 598. How much do you think it will sell for?

Source: TCL 598 quad camera phone leaked via TENAA

Coolpad Mega 2.5D: A cool phone for Rs 7k

Loaded with interesting features, the phone packs a pocket-friendly punch

Coolpad, the Shenzhen-headquartered smartphone maker, has always been known for bundling exciting features in a smartphone at an affordable price. And to carry this forward, it has come up with its latest launch -- the Coolpad Mega 2.5D.

Launched at Rs 6,999, the Mega 2.5D is another budget smartphone which very well caters to your 'selfies'. It comes loaded with an 8-megapixel (MP) rear and an 8MP front camera.

The plus point to this phone is its rear camera -- a specification that is not easily available at this price. And, this might just be the USP of this phone.

Over the last couple of months, one has seen a plethora of launches that bring the 'selfie' option on the table, such as the Oppo F1s, which comes with a 16MP front camera, and the Gionee S6s, which has an 8MP front camera with flash.

However, both these smartphones are priced around Rs 18,000, which is a little difficult to shell out keeping in mind the youth.

The Mega 2.5D uses the edge-to-edge screen feature to woo its customers. The front is covered by a 2.5D curved glass to boost the style quotient, giving the phone a premium look.

The phone has a decent-sized screen with the power button on the right side, similar to conventional handsets.

The volume buttons are placed on the left side coupled with the 3.5-mm audio jack on the top and a microUSB port at bottom. The hybrid SIM tray is near the power button.

It is powered by 2,500 mAh non-removable battery and supported with 3GB of RAM. It has 16GB of expandable internal memory, runs on a 1Ghz quad-core MediaTek MT6735P processor and runs the 6.0.1 Marshmallow version of Android.

The 5.5-inch screen has a clear resolution with good colour quality and viewing angles.

A major let-down is the absence of a fingerprint scanner. Coolpad included a fingerprint scanner on the Note 3 Lite available at the same price, so the users were expecting one with the Mega 2.5D too.

However, the 3GB RAM is a well-strategised addition to the phone. The phone runs smoothly without any major glitch, even while playing FIFA or streaming high-definition videos.

Another attractive feature is the battery life -- despite having a 2,500mAh battery, the phone lasted 12 hours with ease.

The phone is an interesting launch in the budget segment at an affordable price considering among its competitors is the much-hyped Xiaomi Redmi 3S Prime.

Photographs: Courtesy, CoolPad India

Source: Coolpad Mega 2.5D: A cool phone for Rs 7k

Apple Invites Everyone to ‘iPhone 7’ Premiere, Camera Muscle And Bokeh Likely Focus

Apple Invites Everyone to 'iPhone 7' Premiere, Camera Muscle And Bokeh Likely Focus

Tuesday, August 30, 2016 3:48 AM UTC

Apple has finally released the details regarding the "iPhone 7" launch, which is actually not even a secret anymore. September launches for the smartphone line have become so regular that fans can practically track them to the minute. More interesting are the details that came with the announcement, which analysts are already putting through the grinder.

The biggest challenge for Apple CEO Tim Cook during the launch is to present the "iPhone 7" and the "iPhone 7 Plus" as revolutionary products without actually touching on the features that make it yet another underwhelming addition that some of the previous iPhones have been known for. As Forbes points out, no amazingly innovative features for the device is expected until at least the 10th-anniversary version, which will come out on 2017.

In its early days, the iPhone used to be first in a lot of aspects. Now, many of its features, even the ones rumored will be on the 7th addition are already found in other phones. As such, Apple is going to have a lot of trouble marketing the "iPhone 7" as anything other than a slightly upgraded version of the "6."

While the phone is expected to meet the needs of its customers, it will likely lack the flair that made past models the sensation that they were. Apple could be looking at yet another lukewarm sales report for the year as a result.

As for the features regarding the phone, The Verge did yet another over-analysis of Apple's invitation, leading them to speculate that the camera will be a huge focus for the event. Supposedly, the presentation will lean heavily on the bokeh feature of the camera as well as its ability to capture photos in the dark.

Conspicuously absent are any hints on the waterproof aspect and the improved audio features. This could hint major failures in those areas, which reporters and angry fans are going to have a field day over.

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Source: Apple Invites Everyone to 'iPhone 7' Premiere, Camera Muscle And Bokeh Likely Focus

Sony's High-End Bridge Cameras Are Also A Threat To Canon And Nikon

I discussed last week that Sony Corp. (NYSE:SNE) has a bright future in cameras. I argued Sony is better off selling its smartphone business - and use the sales proceeds to increase its lead in mirrorless cameras and image sensors. This piece is again to reinforce my thesis why Sony needs to focus more on cameras, not on phones.

Realigning resources to increase its presence in digital cameras ought to be a priority for Sony. Unlike in the smartphone business where Sony competes with hundreds of Chinese firms, the digital camera industry is only dominated by less than a dozen companies.

It makes good business sense to go where Sony has less competition. Aside from Canon (NYSE:CAJ), Olympus (OTCPK:OCPNY), Fujifilm (FUJI), Pentax, and Nikon (OTCPK:NINOY), Sony has no other serious rivals in the DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera business.

Furthermore, Sony has an industry-leading image sensor technology. It also has the global brand power to seriously challenge Canon and Nikon. The digital camera business was also predicted to grow to a $19.77 billion/year industry by 2020.

Sony's Imaging Products & Solutions business segment can do better than its current $6.29 billion/year run rate if it could get a bigger slice of the coming $19.77 billion/year digital camera industry.

Click to enlarge

(Source: Statista)

Sony has remained a tiny player in the smartphone business. On the other hand, Sony remained as the no.1 brand in mirrorless cameras for four straight years. Sony was a pioneer when it released a full-frame mirrorless DSLR camera in 2013. Sony is also spearheading the rise of high-end bridge or fixed-lens SLR-style superzoom cameras.

The weather-sealed, 4K video recording-capable, 25x optical zoom-capable $1,500 Sony RX10 III bridge camera is the future of prosumer photography and videography. The superzoom/bridge category is Sony's fastest-growing camera segment last year. Sony expects high-zoom cameras to take 45% of the digital camera industry.

Superzoom bridge cameras belong to the fixed-lens category that still dominates sales of digital cameras. Yes, Sony's point-&-shoot compact digital camera is also dying from the rise of smartphones. However, the more expensive bridge camera category will still thrive for many years to come. A smartphone cannot replicate the 25x optical zoom feature and the image quality produced by a Sony RX10 III bridge camera.

Click to enlarge

(Source: Sony)

No photographer is ever going to use an iPhone 7 or Galaxy S7 as his main camera to do a wedding or fashion photo shoot job.

Why Sony Leads In Bridge Camera Design

A bridge camera has a DSLR-like size and user interface. It cannot use interchangeable lenses but instead uses a fixed lens with 20x or higher zoom feature. The selling point of a bridge camera is that it is an all-in-one tool that could be used for any purposes. Bridge cameras are good for macro, product photography, wide-angle landscape shoots, portraits, and weddings.

Prior to Sony's entry, the traditional practice was to build sub-$800 bridge superzoom cameras with small image sensors. They produce pictures with image quality that are not as good as those taken with interchangeable-lens DSLR cameras. Sony destroyed this old notion that bridge cameras should only serve as cheaper alternatives that would not match the image quality of interchangeable-lens DSLR cameras.

The 2013 debut (same year Sony released its mirrorless DSLR camera) of Sony's first high-end bridge camera, the mirror-based CyberShot DSC-RX10 was another trendsetter. The high-end image sensor, Bionz processor, Zeiss lens, weather-proof build quality of the RX10 III meant it was a true mid-range prosumer DSLR, but without the hassle of interchangeable lens.

Instead of using a small 1/2.3" image sensor and cheap superzoom lens, Sony decided to use its flagship 1-inch Exmor R BSI image sensor inside the RX10. It's the same sensor used in Sony's flagship mirrorless A7 DSLR. Sony also hired Carl Zeiss to build the superzoom lenses for its bridge cameras from the RX10-series. Sony's idea was to build a fixed-lens DSLR camera that entirely defeats the purpose of the interchangeable-lens DSLR and its required dozen of lenses.

The chart below illustrates why Sony changed the way bridge cameras should be built. The RX10 bridge camera has a 4x bigger image sensor than other bridge cameras. The larger the image sensor is, the better the picture quality is captured.

(Source: cameradecision.com)

The use of a much larger sensor and better zoom lens is why Sony can get away with a $1,500 price tag for its bridge cameras. Other bridge cameras made by Canon, Nikon, Olympus, and Fujifilm are all in the $400-$900 price range. Those cameras have smaller sensors that cannot match the image quality of those pictures taken from a Sony-made bridge camera.

Five years from now, the notion of photographers buying a $1,500 prosumer DSLR camera and spending another $2,000-$3,000 for lenses will become obsolete. It will be more healthy and cost-effective for photographers to just buy Sony's revolutionary RX10 III superzoom (25x optical zoom) bridge camera. The f/2.4-4.0 aperture and 24-600mm versatility of the RX10 lll make it perfect for wedding, debut, event, sports photographers and photo-journalists.

I hope you understand the health risks that we photographers incur when carrying two or three DSLR cameras equipped with heavy (and pricey telephoto zoom Canon) lenses. A 600mm telephoto USM lens from Canon costs $11,499 and it weighs almost 4 kilograms.

Sony wants its high-end bridge camera as a healthy, cheaper, all-in-one solution for photographers.

Bridge Cameras Will Not Cannibalize Sales of Sony's Mirrorless DSLR Cameras

Yes, it is true that Sony sells $3k full-frame, interchangeable-lens mirrorless cameras. Sony also sells its own brand of lenses for them. On the other hand, I do not think that the $1,500 bridge camera RX10 III will cannibalize sales of Sony's flagship A7-series of mirrorless DSLR cameras.

A bridge camera is a crop-frame camera and is therefore not a threat to mirrorless full-frame cameras. To learn more about the differences of crop and full-frame cameras, please go to this link.

The target customers for $1,500 bridge cameras are often not in the league of photographers who buy $3,000+++ full-frame cameras.

Sony is marketing its bridge cameras to a different crowd. People like me who struggle to make money (less than $20k/year gross revenue) on photography are the ideal customers for Sony-made bridge cameras.

I bought a Fujifilm f/2.8 10x zoom bridge camera in 2008 because it was useful for church-related photography services where flash guns are not allowed and changing lenses is often inconvenient. A bridge camera with a large image sensor for low-light photography and 10x/25x zoom is a must for small-time events photographers.

The mirrorless A7-series DSLR from Sony competes with Canon's Mark 5D-7D full-frame mirror-based DSLR products. The RX10-series bridge cameras compete with Canon and Nikon's sub-$2000 crop sensor cameras. Sony saw the opportunity in selling a high-end 24-600mm 25x zoom bridge camera that is far more useful than Canon's 80D or Nikon's D7200. Unlike Canon and Nikon's mid-range cameras, the Sony RX10 III is also a true 4K (3840 X 2160) video recording machine.

Sony's high-end bridge camera therefore also has long-term potential in the emerging market for home-based/small-budget 4K video production. There is a market for gadgets that could simultaneously serve the needs of photographers and 4K-only video producers. Sony's RX10-series of bridge cameras are ideal for people/small firms who create content for the growing population of 4K TV set owners.

The declining price tags of 4K TV sets mean there is a bigger need for content creators to produce more 4K videos/movies. Sony launched a YouTube channel for 4K video content creators last year. It has strong interest in jumpstarting home-based 4K video productions.

Cameras are integral to the overall 4K technology market that's predicted to grow to a $102.1 billion industry by Year 2020.

My Takeaway

I rate Sony as a Buy. Sony already benefits from Canon and Nikon's refusal to release true mirrorless DSLR cameras. Canon and Nikon are also both engaged in selling outdated bridge cameras with sub-par image sensors. Making high-end bridge cameras is simply Sony exploiting the other weakness of its chief rivals.

Canon and Nikon are certainly capable of producing a bridge camera to rival the RX10 III bridge camera. They only refuse to do so for fear of cannibalizing the sales of their own mid-range cameras (and the DSLR lenses for them).

There are few photographers who can afford $3k+++ cameras. I predict that Sony will sell more superzoom bridge cameras than its high-end mirrorless DSLR cameras. The future of mirror-based DSLR cameras is likely going towards Sony's vision in the RX10 III. The interchangeable-lens DSLR market that Canon and Nikon have made so much money from for decades, will gradually become smaller due to high-end bridge cameras from Sony.

Selling 300,000-600,000 bridge cameras (with an average selling price of $1,000) could add $300-$600 million to Sony's Imaging Products & Solutions division.

Disclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours.

I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Editor's Note: This article covers one or more stocks trading at less than $1 per share and/or with less than a $100 million market cap. Please be aware of the risks associated with these stocks.

Source: Sony's High-End Bridge Cameras Are Also A Threat To Canon And Nikon

Honor 8 Camera Tip and Tricks

With the dual lens setup on the Honor 8 phone, you can get some pretty amazing shots that remind us a lot of the capabilities of the Huawei P9. There are so many different things to experiment with when messing around with the camera on this device. I'll be going over some of the best features and how to use them to get the best result. In the mean time, make sure you check out our full review of the Honor 8, and also read about the partnership with have with Honor.

Camera Specs:

Primary Dual 12 MP, f/2.2, laser autofocus, dual-LED (dual tone) flash Features 1.25 µm pixel size, geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, HDR, panorama Video 1080p@120fps, HDR Secondary 8 MP, f/2.4, 1.4 µm pixel size, LED flash

Honor 8's hybrid auto-focus aligns using laser focus for short range, precise depth focus for longer range and contrast focus to create the best picture possible. The built-in ISP is aligned with the depth measurement ISP to improve focus and processing speed. The phone has two 12 MP cameras featuring one RGB and one monochrome sensor and 1.25 μm pixel size.

Time-lapse

The time-lapse feature is very simple. You don't specify what FPS to shoot at or any other settings. You just start filming. If I had to guess I'd say your footage is sped up around 4x the original speed. I used some third party software to speed it up even further for the video below.

Since the phone's image stabilization isn't perfect because it lacks OIS, a time-lapse is best shot from a stationary position. Find a shot with lots of movement like the clouds in the sky, the sun rise, or traffic in a city.

http://www.xda-developers.com/files/2016/08/time.webm Phone is being used with the Joby MPod Mini Stand HDR Mode

HDR mode improves the lightest and darkest parts of a photo. In the two images below, you'll notice the shadowed area looking much better in the HDR photo. You'll also notice the clouds in the background look more life-like with the HDR effect.

Without HDR With HDR

So when should you use HDR? Well this mode is best used when taking photos outdoors when you have a big contrast between shadows, landscape and sky. With HDR, you'll always get more detail in the darkest and lightest areas of your photos. You'll also want to consider using HDR in low light situations.

Light Painting

The light painting effects are the most fun to play around with. Tail lights will create streams of lights following the traffic at night time. This is how photographers get the look where cars appear to be speeding through an image.

Light graffiti will take a short video as you stand in front of your camera and paint whatever image you want with a flashlight or something similar. After you step out of the frame, all that is left is the light and you are not in the image. Neat!

Silky water will take the flow of a waterfall and give it a silky smooth effect. This will look best when your phone is stabilized with a tripod and you've got a fairly close shot of the flowing water.

Star track will track the movement of the stars in the sky and drag the light trails as the Earth rotates. I tried to test this out but no stars were visible to the phone's camera. In fact, I'm never seen a phone that would be able to see the stars in the sky at night. So this feature seems impossible to use.

I got some great shots of a local stream. The shot only takes a few seconds before it's able to smooth the water out into this effect. Perfect for a nice Instagram photo.

Shallow DOF

Wide aperture mode enables you to blur background from F0.95 to F16, and even allows you to refine focus after the picture is taken.

With the option to create an image with a shallow depth of field, you can take awesome images that mimic the look of a DSLR. This mode will let you apply a blur to the background of the image which can be adjusted accordingly.

To take the best image using this effect, make sure your phone is held as still as possible. Touch to focus on the object that you want to stand out then take your photo. After taking your photo, you can adjust the point of focus by selecting another part of the photo.

When adjusting your background blur, blur it only to the point where it doesn't overlap the edges of the object in focus. This will result in the most realistic look.

http://www.xda-developers.com/files/2016/08/time_1.webm Gallery App

Taking the photo is only half of the fun. The album app on the Honor 8 comes with a bunch of great editing tools. You can fine-tune your images and apply many different effects until you have the look you want.

There are plenty of amazing modes to check out on the Honor 8. You also have pro modes for photo and video which give you full manual control of your focus, W/B, ISO and shutter speed.

Sample Photos

Here are some photos that we took with the Honor 8, to give you an idea of the quality you can expect.

Overall, this camera was so much fun to play with and kind of gives me a new reason to take pictures when I'm out. For people who love apps like Instagram, I can see them having a great time with this phone.

Source: Honor 8 Camera Tip and Tricks

Huawei P9 with Dual Leica camera takes the competition against Samsung Galaxy S7 to another level

Huawei recently launched its flagship smartphone, the P9 for Rs 39,999 in India. The Huawei P9 smartphone is an amalgamation of premium looks and powerful specifications. However, what gives it an edge is its camera prowess.

The Huawei P9 is powered by Leica, which is a well known company in the camera segment. What makes the Huawei P9 exceptional in its price range is its dual-camera set up.

SEE ALSO: Huawei P9: A power-packed camera phone that oozes premiumness

Here is a comparison of the specifications of the Huawei P9 with the Samsung Galaxy S7, which is also a specs heavy smartphone, however is priced on the higher side. Samsung launched the flagship Galaxy S7 smartphone at a price of Rs 48,900.

Display goodness:

Huawei's newly arrived P9 smartphone features a 5.2-inch FHD display with a 1920×1080 pixel resolution, making way to a pixel density of 423PPI. The display size is perfect for a comfortable use of the phone. Samsung's Galaxy S7, on the other hand, has a 5.1-inch display, which is marginally smaller than the Huawei P9.

Processing power:

The Huawei P9 is powered by the in-house Kirin 955 SoC with octa-core clocked at 2.5GHz with 64-bit ARM-based processor, which promises smooth performance and better battery efficiency. On the other hand, the Galaxy S7 runs the Exynos 8890 chipset.

Storage capacity:

Both smartphones come with 4GB of RAM. The Huawei P9 also brings 32GB of internal storage with expandable memory support using a microSD card. Both phones offer good storage capacity to let users save their memories right on their phones.

Camera prowess:

Camera is the department which changes the comparison game between the Huawei P9 and the Samsung Galaxy S7. The P9 features a dual-camera Leica lens. It boasts a 12MP dual camera set-up, which employs Leica SUMMARIT H 1:2.2/27 aspherical lens and 1.25-micron pixels promising the users with amazing image quality in low light conditions.

SEE ALSO: Huawei P9 Smartphone Launched at Rs 39,999 on Flipkart: 10 Things to Know

The camera set up promises pictures that offer DSLR quality. Moreover, it comes with in-built capability to take note of depth of field, and let user use selective focus technology for changing focus point in the image. It can also offer bokeh effect, just like professional DSLR camera. In comparison, the S7 features a 12MP camera, but it is a single lens camera.

Also, the Huawei P9 features an 8MP front facing snapper, whereas the Galaxy S7 has a 5MP front facing camera.

Battery runtime:

Both smartphones are powered by 3000mAh battery. According to Huawei, the Kirin 955 chipset is more battery efficient, resulting in longer power back up. Moreover, the phone features battery saving mode and quick charge technology. The Galaxy S7 also comes with quick charge and battery saving mode.

Approve the same so that we can take it live before 6 PM today.

Source: Huawei P9 with Dual Leica camera takes the competition against Samsung Galaxy S7 to another level

The Huawei P9 – A Phone With A Camera Or Vice Versa?

We finally managed to get our hands on Huawei's latest flagship smartphone and boy, were we excited. Yes, we managed to snag ourselves a Huawei P9. We covered the launch of the smartphone here but we never actually managed to spend some time with it and get to know it. This was our chance.

Priced at Rs. 76,000, the Huawei P9 is available at all Singer outlets and Huawei stores across the island.

As I got the box into my hands, my first impression was to tear it open and simply get to the phone. But my inner voice called out to us and urged me to make peace with myself so I resolved to open the packaging as calm, peaceful individuals. Speaking of packaging, Huawei keeps stepping up their game for their flagship devices. The Huawei P9 ships in a square box with the words "HUAWEI P9" inscribed in gold lettering along with Leica's logo coupled with the words "Dual Camera". In terms of minimalism with packaging, Huawei seems to have it to a T with the P9. The box can be opened by sliding the inner compartment out to unveil the P9. There is was, in all its dual camera, IPS-Neo LCD goodness. The innards of the packaging include a USB-A to USB Type-C cable for charging and data transfer, a charging dock, earphones and also a clear rubber/plastic cover to snap onto your phone to prevent unwanted scratches.

As I held the P9 in my hands, the first thing that came into my mind was how much Huawei has stepped up its game to offer flagship devices that won't leave a crater in your wallet. There is no doubt about it, the P9 is a gorgeous device. Sporting an aluminum unibody, the P9 comes in a variety of colors such as Ceramic White, Haze Gold, Rose Gold, Titanium Grey, Mystic Silver and Prestige Gold, which is the model that I received for the review. Measuring 5.71 x 2.79 x 0.28 inches, the device weighs around 144g.

Image Credits: Mahesh de Andrado

The device certainly does have an elegant appeal to it which you can see the moment you hold it. Located at the bottom of the device, you will find the USB Type-C port for charging and data transfer, the microphone, 3.5mm audio connector and also a speaker. Located on the right side are the power/lock buttons and the volume rocker whilst the SIM tray (which also acts as a MicroSD card tray) is located on the left. Located towards the lower part of the display are the hardware keys consisting of Back, Home, and Recents.

Image Credits: Mahesh de Andrado

The back of the Huawei P9 is more or less completely flat with nothing sticking out and also hold the center mounted fingerprint scanner and the dual 12MP camera lenses that the phone is all about, but more on the camera later.

Coming from a bloodline of flagships, we wouldn't expect Huawei to skimp out on all the bells and whistles. To that extent, the P9 packs a Full HD 1920*1080 IPS-NEO LCD display with a 72.9 screen-to-body ratio and a pixel density of 423 ppi. The result? A surprisingly clear, vibrant and colorful display that doesn't look like a solar flare went off in your face. Need to stream some heavy YouTube videos or chill with a bit of Netflix? With dual NanoSIM support and full LTE (4G) support, the P9 has you covered. As for storage, you're looking at 32GB of internal storage and 3GB of RAM for this model whilst its variant comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Need more space but only using one SIM? Then just pop a microSD card into the second SIM tray and you're good to go.

The SIM tray also acts as a bay for a MicroSD card.

Want to know what's under the hood? Well, does an Octa-core (4×2.5 GHz Cortex-A72 & 4×1.8 GHz Cortex-A53) CPU coupled with a Mali-T880 MP4 tickle your fancy? If you're confused about the octa-core part, it simply means that the device will switch between one set of cores for all the heavy duty work and then switch to the lower clocked cored when at idle or sleep mode. The result of which is better battery efficiency and a cooler environment for the device.

The NEO-IPS screen certainly does a good job of keeping things clear even at low brightness. 16.7million colors realistically means that you would be able to see almost every color known to man even though you might not be able to differentiate the colors at times.

By now I'm pretty familiar with Huawei's EMUI or EmotionUI interface. Think of it as a heavily skinned interface for Android and you pretty much have a general idea of what it is. The device ships with a plethora of Huawei's proprietary apps and also the standard Google apps such as Gmail, YouTube and Google Play Store. In addition, you also get WPS Office (which has replaced Kingsoft Office in terms of the name), a weather, flashlight, and a mirror app that allows you to exhale onto the screen and then wipe away the dew like a real mirror. You also get a compass that uses the device's accelerometer and gyroscope to give pinpoint your direction.

As for entertainment, you can take your pick from an FM Radio or a media player capable of handling almost all audio formats. We also see Dolby DTS, which seems to be the norm for most Huawei devices adding a certain level of clarity to the music if you have your favorite pair of headphones plugged in. speaker is not stereo but nonetheless is rather loud. Don't expect to get much bass out of it. But it's fine for casual music playback and calls and the loudness is just right.

The fingerprint scanner is located just below the camera towards the middle of the phone. The placement offers an easy to access location and the scanner does a quick job of scanning my fingerprint to unlock the phone. In case you're like me and you have sweaty palms, you may have to wipe your fingers before using the scanner. If all else fails, you can simply enter the pin code to unlock the device. Muscle memory makes me tend to just unlock the phone with the PIN rather than the fingerprint but hey, that's me.

As stated above, the Huawei P9 comes with Android Marshmallow 6.0 with Huawei's proprietary EmotionUI 4.1 running on top of that. The result being a seemingly flawless user experience. Homescreen switching is butter smooth and animations are fluid.

Navigating within the app drawer is equally fast. I did tend to notice a bit of a lag within the Operating system itself. EMUI, despite being a good looking skin for Android, is also rather a large resource monger.

So there are times that even the 3GB of RAM is tested. But never fear; a simple long press of the Recents button will give you a list of all running apps which you can then clear to free up available memory and make your device feel all snappy again. The P9 does this via the "Phone Manager", an all-in-one app that scans and intelligently optimizes your device so that it's always at peak performance. This may seem like a rather long drawn approach as opposed to the clearing -all0running-apps-method but the results are pretty much the same and Phone Manager also has a few other tricks such as a Call Harassment filter, data traffic manager and a trash file cleaner. All in all, a decent approach seen in many Huawei devices both flagship and budget and also one that gets the job done.

Thus far we've painted quite a pretty picture with the Huawei P9. Speaking of pictures, we almost forgot to mention the key feature of this device (just kidding, of course we didn't forget it).

From a purely technical point of view, you're looking at dual f/2.2 lenses on the back that are connected to 12-megapixel sensors with 1.76-micron-equivalent pixels. Simple translation: A pretty advanced camera with lots of features baked into it. Simply launch the camera app and you're ready to take pictures like a normal person. But I am no mere normal person. I swipe left. Lo and behold, 14 camera modes which include HDR, beauty, panoramas, light painting, time lapse, slow motion, watermarks, and a whole lot more.

Swiping left gives you all the setting you would ever need.

If you're brave enough to swipe right, then you are thrown into a world of settings and tweaks that would help you get the perfect image. If you want to know what a professional photographer feels like then just pull up from the bottom and you'll get access to full manual controls, including the option to shoot in RAW. From an interface level, everything looks nice and laid out. Large, easy to see buttons and very informative text tell you what exactly you're doing and how you're doing it.

From here you can tweak various image settings

Images are quite clear and detailed and the camera also has cool features such as object tracking and a live ISO meter so that you can see the amount of noise in an image and adjust lighting accordingly. Given below are a few photos i took using the P9's Camera.

Sample shot taken by the Huawei P9 Image Credits: Mahesh de Andrado

Sample shot taken by the Huawei P9 Image Credits: Mahesh de Andrado

There's no point denying it, there is a whole lot of stuff that the P9's camera has to offer, if you're willing to go through each and every setting and tweak it to perfection.

The Main interface of the Huawei P9's Camera

With regard to video, as we stated earlier, you can record Full HD 1080p video at 60fps with stereo sound. Video playback is quite clear but is dependent on the lighting condition so you may want to adjust the lighting of the scene before you shoot any videos. Worst case scenario; you can use the inbuilt flash.

A small point to note is the association that the Huawei P9 has with Leica and the dual lens technology. First off, the dual lenses simply mean that the P9 has two individual lenses, one that captures in color and the other in monochrome. This, according to Huawei and Leica brings out a wider color gamut in photos and also offers more depth in color. Regarding the connection with Leica, it's simply that the company has certified the P9's camera and related technology and as such has endorsed it. So basically, if one were to make a Camera lens that meets the requirements of a company such as Leica, then, if all requirements are met, that camera lens and technology would bear Leica's seal of approval. The same holds true for the Huawei P9 as well.

Don't get me wrong though. I'm not saying that the P9 has a mediocre camera. Rather, it's quite the opposite. It's one of the best camera's I've seen on mobile. Rather, the hype created by saying that Huawei and Leica "co-engineered" the device is not really living upto its expectations.

Time and time again, we've yet to find a benchmark as taxing as Antutu. With its latest version of 6.2.0, the app has undergone more improvements in the areas of OpenGL and OpenESL standards testing which also means that the benchmarking tool has undergone some radical changes to make it more challenging. A typical test takes around 5-10 minutes depending on the hardware capabilities of your device. Running the full test also means that your device tends to get heated up quite a bit and since the Huawei P9 sports an aluminum unibody, this means a rather warm leg or thigh if you run the test and absentmindedly put the phone in your pocket (which I may or may not have done). Hitting up a score of 87531 puts the Huawei P9 against the likes of Apple's iPhone 6 and Samsung's Galaxy Note 5, with the P9 comfortably beating both.

Quite an impressive score indeed.

My next target was my OnePlus One. The OnePlus though scored 64749 which, to be fair, is still a decent contender at present.

The OnePlus One still has a pretty decent score

As far as battery life goes, it's pretty much same with pretty much all flagships currently released. A 3,000 mAh capacity is pretty standard and holds up for pretty much a full day of use. If you spend most of your time online and on LTE, then you will experience a bit of a battery drain. For best use, switch to WiFi when possible and you're good to go.

One thing I noticed that the Huawei P9 lacked was the support for quick charging. Mind you, the supplied charger is a 5V 2A one and charging is rather fast but not as fast as a fast charger. With around 2-3 hours of screen on time, and a multitude of apps running in the background including Facebook, Messenger and Instagram, I still had around 18% battery at the end of a 11-hour work day with just enough juice to hold up from my office in Bambalapitiya to Dehiwala. Again, actual usage though depends on factors such as screen on time, network signal quality and how much you actually use the phone and its apps.

The Huawei P9 is undoubtedly a very powerful contender in the flagship smartphone arena packing a hefty punch of specs along with a killer price as well. The Leica certified lenses only strengthen its hold in said arena. At this price range, it competes with numerous other devices such as the OnePlus Three, Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus and Samsung Galaxy S7 and even trades blows with the Samsung Galaxy Note 5. It does have a 64-bit octa-core CPU going for it, which is something to brag about. If you're on the lookout for the latest flagship must-have smartphone that also packs a killer camera and specs to boot, then have a look at the Huawei P9.

Source: The Huawei P9 – A Phone With A Camera Or Vice Versa?

Meizu M96 phone spotted on AnTuTu with Exynos chip, QHD resolution

#Meizu #AnTuTu – Meizu M96 phone spotted on AnTuTu with Exynos chip, QHD resolution : Meizu is anticipated to roll out a new flagship smartphone. It may not be an expensive model but it's expected to be another bestseller. We noted last week it could be the Meizu Pro 7 based on renders but now we're learning that the device could also be called the M96.

We were earlier teased of a September 3 announcement but it seems it will happen later on September 13 instead. So far, we've been hearing that this Pro 6 successor will be equipped with an Exynos 8890 chipset, dual camera system, and a curved screen which could make it a S7 edge or Note 7 rival-but still with an affordable price.

The Meizu phone recently appeared on an AnTuTu benchmark document with some information. Listed are the features we know already: Samsung Exynos 8890, Mali T880, 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution, 5MP selfie shooter plus 12MP rear camera, 32GB built-in storage, and 4GB RAM.

The device is powered by Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow but we're crossing out fingers it will be eligible for Android Nougat. Known this early as the Meizu M96, this device was once taught to be the Meizu M3E which turned out to be a different model. It's interesting that the Meziu phone will be powered by a Samsung Exynos chip

because the Chinese phone maker usually uses Mediatek Helio processor. The use of Exynos only means this is a high-end model. No doubt about that now because display boasts of 2560 × 1440 resolution as well. Let's wait for September 3 or 13 to find out if all these information are true. Source: androidcommunity

Source: Meizu M96 phone spotted on AnTuTu with Exynos chip, QHD resolution

IPHONE Looks Like iPhone 7 WILL Feature OIS Camera Tech After All

#OIS #iPhone7 – Looks Like iPhone 7 WILL Feature OIS Camera Tech After All : These days the rumour mill isn't so much the rumour mill as it is the spoiler mill; if you were thinking 2016 would finish with an iPhone launch where there'd be plenty of surprises you'd be dead wrong.

After months of leaks and tip-offs there's now a virtually encyclopedic knowledge-base of information and details on the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus out there in the ether, much of it coming from very reliable sources. The network of tipsters and informants is now so widespread and entrenched that every little feature is exposed prematurely.

It's like this with every major launch so far whether Apple or Android. We also know Apple is saving ALL the big changes for 2017's release; something which has been restated time after time by in-the-know leaksters.

The biggest update on both iPhone 7 models is likely to be the camera, and today new information has revealed something rather tantalising about the standard iPhone 7 model – its camera WILL feature optical image stabilisation (OIS).

This is a pretty big deal because usually this feature has been reserved for Apple's larger Plus models. The Plus model iPhone historically have had better displays, larger batteries and better camera technology inside them, which is why they have always cost more.

But this year's iPhone 7 model will feature a traditional USP of its larger sibling, OIS, and this is a big deal because it will dramatically improve the already-impressive imaging capabilities of Apple's standard model iPhone – even more so when you factor in Apple's other imaging updates.

Source: IPHONE Looks Like iPhone 7 WILL Feature OIS Camera Tech After All

Emergency uses for camera phone

In addition to taking pictures, your phone's camera can help you respond to or even forestall emergencies. You can take accident photos, photos that can identify a missing person or document events.

Documentation

You can use the camera on your phone to document the conditions in which you find yourself. In an auto accident, you need photos of the damage to both your car and the other motorist's car. You can also take pictures of the area and the people who witnessed the accident. After a flood or fire disaster, you may need to document the condition in which you find your house and the belongings left in it, especially if the authorities give you only temporary access to the premises.

Emergency beacon

If a flat tyre, overheated radiator or other vehicular malfunction leaves you stuck by the roadside after dark, along with using a smartphone screen as a trouble light, you can turn your camera flash into an emergency beacon with an app that makes it strobe repeatedly to attract rescuers' attention.

While you look under the hood for the cause of car trouble, take pictures of anything that looks unusual-steam from the radiator, disconnected hoses or wires-to send to someone who can help you either fix or at least diagnose the problem.

Human safety

To assist police in looking for a missing member of your family, a photo that is saved in your phone provides a better guide than a verbal description. If your relative is of an age in which his appearance changes quickly, replace the portrait frequently to keep it up to date. Also, if you serve as a caregiver to an elderly relative, you can store equivalent photos of him to share in the event that he becomes disoriented and wanders away from home.

Suspicious activity

If you witness damage to a neighbour's property or people you don't recognise entering a vacant house, you can capture everything on your phone camera to share with your neighbour or the realtor listing the property. Your phone can also provide vital documentation and evidence for later use by the police.

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Source: Emergency uses for camera phone

Camera Zoom

Now with Camera Zoom Join millions of people who use it. Zoom in or Out, use the special buttons and easily take a great photo of the zoomed picture. you can use your phone as magnifier or a telescopeThis is a Free camera app to zoom in and take zoomed photos. Works fully on every Android device camera: Use it as zoom camera Universal app, Works perfectly on phone or tablet Android. Stable Shot if you need a powerful photocamera with enhanced zoom. All controls are on screen. High quality pictures are saved in. You will be able to set maximum hardware zoom value while taking photos. Zoom Camera is a special tool which can help you to clearly see objects from a long distance. This app uses phone's max power to zoom the camera preview. you can take pictures with optical zoom. Useful applications that can take enlarged by more than the functionality of the ZOOM camera. Enjoy.

License Free Version zoom_camera Operating System Android
Source: Camera Zoom

Samsung Galaxy Note7: The phone to beat in 2016

THESE days, it is hard for any tech company to keep to an annual product launch cycle, without being called out for releasing what is effectively a slight upgrade over the last model.

Recognising innovation gets harder when some companies, such as Samsung, actually release two key smartphones in a year. The roughly six-month window between launches of the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note series means consumers see a new Samsung phone with greater frequency, so what big improvements can there possibly be?

With the latest Galaxy Note7, though, the sum of the parts is greater than anything Samsung has ever delivered. The combination of new features, from the iris scanner, improved S Pen and High Dynamic Range (HDR) mobile display, combined with existing premium ones, such as the Dual Pixel 12MP camera, wireless charging, water and dust resistance and larger battery, makes this the phone to beat in 2016.

The Note7 is IP68 dust and water resistant. Photo: AFP

Samsung has also reset the baseline for what a flagship device should ship with - a 64-bit octa-core processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal memory, a dual SIM try that allows for the second SIM card slot to be used as an expandable memory slot, and a USB Type-C connector. With all these in mind, it is fitting that the Korean tech giant opted to skip the use of the Note 6 monicker for this release, to have both its leading 2016 phones adopt the use of the number 7.

The biggest addition here is the iris scanner, which also supports contactless payment, and the water-resistant feature. Instead of facial recognition, the front camera uses an infrared scanner to read a user's iris shape and markings, to allow access.

Samsung Galaxy Note7's iris recognition technology. Photo: ST

Yes, this takes about one second lon ger than thumbing the Home button with your finger, but the fingerprint scanner will not work when the phone and your hands are wet, which makes unlocking the phone while taking photos in the pool quite impossible. The same goes for making contactless payments with your fingerprints, with the uneven placements of cashless receivers. Now, you can simply activate Samsung Pay while looking at the screen, and place the phone on the receiver, without worrying about where your thumb sits.

Alas, Samsung Pay for the Note7 will only be activated on Aug 20, so there was no way to test out this feature.

The other feature that cannot be tested is the HDR display, as there is no available HDR mobile content at the moment. The Super Amoled screen itself is still a beauty though, and Samsung maintains the high-quality colours and details here, as it has with previous devices.

The infrared scanner works in the dark, and even for users wearing glasses. For the best results, scan yo ur iris without wearing your glasses. Iris scanning works even if you do it while wearing glasses, but performing the initial scan with your glasses on messes up subsequent readings. Talking about it actually removes the magic of its implementation, but suffice to say, there is something incredible about simply staring at your phone, no matter the conditions, to turn it on.

Samsung has also added a new Secure Folder within the phone that houses your private data. Access to this folder requires a separate set of iris and fingerprint scans, to protect the data within, and it acts like a independent ecosystem within the device. Documents created within cannot be found from the normal directory listings, and apps operating within this folder, such as the Camera, will only save data within the confines of this folder.

The redesigned S Pen is also more precise than ever, allowing users to write more accurately, such as on PDF documents on the 5.7-inch display. For those who lo ve note-taking, you can now scribble on the screen, and continue writing by extending the length of the digital screen, instead of being locked to a one-size display.

One new feature that no one thought they would ever need, but which has been put to good use during this review period, is the GIF creation feature. With the S Pen, a screen recording can be made and shared, of just about anything on display, from gameplay footage, to snippet of a YouTube video.

Everything else notable about the Note7 has been carried over from the Galaxy S7 earlier this year, but this does not invalidate their presence. The Dual Pixel camera that Samsung has crafted is the best smartphone camera in the market right now, offering photo-taking accuracy, speed and great low light modes not found in other smartphone cameras.

When it comes to design, Samsung has also outdone itself. The front and rear curved panels, joined together by the metal frame, gives the Note7 a symmetrical look, a nd the thin bezel makes the phone much smaller than it looks. The use of USB Type-C is a change for Samsung, but the company has provided an adaptor for those who still want to rely on regular USB for data transfer.

With this one device that comes in four colours, Samsung has also done away with unnecessary variants of different capacities. Truth be told, the only key difference between the S7 and Note7 is the S Pen. One wonders when Samsung will make the S Pen the new standard, and merge both its flagship phones into one truly magnificent device that consumers can look forward to each year.

Photo sources:  AFP, The Straits Times

SPECS

Samsung Galaxy Note 7

Price: S$1,168

Processor: Samsung Exynos Octa-core (4 x 2.3GHz and 4 x 1.6GHz)

Display: 5.7-inch Super Amoled, 1,440 x 2,560 pixels (518 Pixel Per Inch)

Camera: (Rear) 12MP, f/1.7, 26mm, phase detection autofocus, OIS, (Front) 5 MP, f/1.7, 22mm, Auto HDR

Operating System: Android 6.0.1 (Marshmallow)

Memory: 64GB (expandable MicroSD up to 256GB), 4GB RAM

Battery: Non-removable Li-Po 3500 mAh

This article was first published on Aug 20, 2016. Get The Business Times for more stories.

Source: Samsung Galaxy Note7: The phone to beat in 2016

Huawei - Honor 8 Dual Camera Unlocked Smartphone 32GB Pearl White

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Source: Huawei - Honor 8 Dual Camera Unlocked Smartphone 32GB Pearl White

iPhone 7 camera may have optical image stabilization, just like the Plus

One of the advantages to owning the larger 'Plus' series iPhone is optical image stabilization (OIS) for the camera. A new leak suggests that feature will be made available on the 4.7-inch iPhone 7.

Via nowherelese.fr, an alleged camera module for the iPhone 7 shows off four areas around the lens itself where OIS may be found. Those cutouts house the hardware (like springs) that let the actual camera module travel, providing stabilization.

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This makes a good bit of sense, too. It's widely believed Apple will have a dual-camera arrangement in the iPhone 7 Plus, so upgrading the camera on the iPhone 7 is iterative.

Apple was once believed to have a third 'Pro' device in the works, but most rumors suggest that plan has been dropped in favor of concentrating efforts on the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus.

The iPhone 7 camera is shaping up to be the star of Apple's release-date show, which could happen as early as September 6 or 7. We're still dubious of any rumors, but OIS in the smaller iPhone 7 seems like the right move.

Read next: Apple's stores are no longer called 'Apple Store'

TNW's West Coast writer in the PNW (Portland, Oregon). Nate loves amplifying developers, and codes in Swift when he's not writing. If you need to get in touch, Twitter or email are your best bets.

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Source: iPhone 7 camera may have optical image stabilization, just like the Plus

LeEco, Coolpad Announced Cool1 Smartphone: 10 Things to know about the new Dual Camera Phone

Cool1 uses Dual Camera 2.0 tech

Better than the Redmi Pro dual camera

Cool1 to render improved image clarity and brightness

Unlock the Cool1 in just 0.15 seconds

It gets an in-cell display as in the LeEco phones

There are three variants of Cool1 phone

Incorporates the Snapdragon 652 SoC

There's a reversible USB Type-C port

Supports fast charging feature

Source: LeEco, Coolpad Announced Cool1 Smartphone: 10 Things to know about the new Dual Camera Phone

Huawei releases the Honor 8 premium phone

First announced in July 2016, the Honor 8 is Huawei's first flagship phone for the U.S. market. It's finally available today, and brings great features to the Android arena.

Huawei Honor 8 Camera

The Honor 8 has several features that stand out. First, let's talk about the camera. It's a dual-lens system with one RGB and one monochrome sensor. The RGB sensor gives your photos bright, crisp colors while the monochrome sensor gives you sharp details and clarity.

Camera sensors work by capturing light into a grid of photosites, which are tiny cavities on the sensor. Color sensors work by capturing only one of three primary colors (red, green, blue) at each photosite in an alternating pattern called a color filter array (CFA).

A side effect of the CFA is that each pixel can only capture 1/3 of the incoming light, since any color that doesn't match the pattern is filtered out. For example, any red or blue light that hits a green pixel won't be recorded.

Additionally, at any given photosite location, one color is directly measure while the other two are inferred. This process of combining photosites to produce full color pixels is called demosaicing.

Unlike a color sensor, a monochrome sensor is able to capture all of the incoming light at each pixel regardless of color. Each pixel gets three times more light since all colors are absorbed. Monochrome sensors therefore don't need demosaicing. This lets them record an image with a slightly higher resolution.

Body

The Honor 8 has a sleek, double-sided glass body. Beneath the surface, a special 15-layer process is applied to give the phone an "aurora effect" that reflects light. On the back of the Honor 8 is a fingerprint sensor around a button that promises instant access to the phone.

The button offers additional functionality, like clicking to capture a screenshot, double-clicking for the flashlight, and long pressing to launch favored apps. Your fingerprint data is encrypted and stored in the phone, but it's unclear if it's software- or hardware-based.

The phone also has a dual-SIM card slot. You can use two SIM cards with it, or one SIM card and one microSD card with support for up to 256GB of external storage.

Power

The phone has an octa-core CPU (4x 2.3 GHz Cortex-A72 & 4x 1.8 GHz Cortex A53). It also has a non-removable 3000mAh battery with Huawei's proprietary power saving features. The battery includes fast-charge tech to recharge your battery up to 50% in 30 minutes. The phone has 4GB of RAM for high-speed access.

Price & Availability

Pre-ordering begins August 17-September 3 at Amazon, Best Buy, B&H Photo Video and Newegg. You can also pre-order at Honor's website. The Honor 8 is $399 for the 32GB model and $449 for the 64GB model. It comes in Sapphire Blue, Pearl White and Midnight black.

Best Buy will exclusively offer the Sapphire Blue model for the first 60 days. Customers who pre-order the phone will also get a $50 gift card from participating retailers. Visit Honor's website for more information.

Finally, those who buy the Honor 8 can register the phone on Honor's website to qualify for a one-time repair of any accidental screen or back-cover glass damage during the three-month cover period. This coverage period is in addition to the standard 12 month warranty.

Source: Huawei releases the Honor 8 premium phone

We have a black iPhone 7 Plus/iPhone 7 Pro on camera

Take a look at these iPhone 7 live images that are stirring up brand new rumors about the upcoming Apple smartphone. What we have here is an iPhone 7 Plus/Pro in black, complete with the dual camera setup and POGO pins at its rear. True to what we had heard before, it seems like Apple has done away with the 3.5mm jack altogether. While the phone does look quite stunning in black, it has raised new questions.

Things have become quite confusing as this is a 5.5-inch device with the dual camera setup, which is what we were expecting the iPhone 7 Plus or Pro to sport. According to previous reports, there will be only two versions of the iPhone this year and only the higher end Plus/Pro will have the dual camera setup, but not the POGO pins as we see here on this device. The smartphone seen in these images is clearly sporting both the rear POGO pins and the dual camera setup, which is countering the previously established rumors and reports. We will found out more on September 7, when the next iPhones will be reportedly unveiled.

Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

Source: We have a black iPhone 7 Plus/iPhone 7 Pro on camera

New tool recovers phone's information to aid investigators

A new tool to recover information stored in smartphone's volatile memory could give investigators important clues to solve a criminal case, say researchers.

With the new device, the researchers from Purdue University move the focus from a smart phone's hard drive, which holds information after the phone is shut down, to the device's RAM, which is volatile memory.

SEE ALSO: Kyocera DuraForce Pro Announced: 6 Things to Know about World's First Rugged Action Camera Phone

"We argue this is the frontier in cyber crime investigation in the sense that the volatile memory has the freshest information from the execution of all the apps," said lead researcher Dongyan Xu.

"Investigators are able to obtain more timely forensic information toward solving a crime or an attack," Xu noted.

Although the contents of volatile memory are gone as soon as the phone is shut down, it can reveal surprising amounts of forensic data if the device is up and running.

The team's early research resulted in work that could recover the last screen displayed by an Android application.

Building on that, Xu said, it was discovered that apps left a lot of data in the volatile memory long after that data was displayed.

RetroScope makes use of the common rendering framework used by Android to issue a redraw command and obtain as many previous screens as available in the volatile memory for any Android app.

SEE ALSO: 6 Myths Related to Smartphone Usage AT NIGHT Debunked

The device requires no previous information about an app's internal data.

The screens recovered, beginning with the last screen the app displayed, are presented in the order they were seen previously.

"Anything that was shown on the screen at the time of use is indicated by the recovered screens, offering investigators a litany of information," Xu said.

In testing, RetroScope recovered anywhere from three to 11 previous screens in 15 different apps, an average of five pages per app.

The findings were presented during the USENIX Security Symposium in Austin, Texas.

SEE ALSO: Xiaomi Mi Note 2 Dual Curved Edge Screen Leaks: This is How the Phone Might Look Like [PICS]

"We feel without exaggeration that this technology really represents a new paradigm in smart phone forensics," he said.

"It is very different from all the existing methodologies for analysing both hard drives and volatile memories," Xu noted.

Source IANS

Source: New tool recovers phone's information to aid investigators

Photos Not Saving to the Camera Roll on Your iPhone? Here’s How to Fix the Issue

Photos Not Saving to the Camera Roll on Your iPhone? Here's How to Fix the Issue | Mindless Magazine

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Source: Photos Not Saving to the Camera Roll on Your iPhone? Here's How to Fix the Issue

Samsung Gear 360 review: A VR camera you won’t love — or hate

We're in peak 360-degree media territory with a marketplace teeming with enabling devices. From the Ricoh Theta to the 360fly, I-mmersive's Veye, Kodak's SP360, and others, there's no shortage of options. Samsung has tossed its proverbial hat in the ring with its Gear 360 camera, which launched in April. But how does it really stack up?

Although it's relatively easy to use and performs as promised, the Samsung Gear 360 doesn't stand out as much as it should, especially considering all the resources the company has at its disposal. And since it's a first-generation product, there are some quirks that stuck out to us when reviewing the device, including issues around portability, software, and its proprietary nature.

Priced at $350, the Samsung Gear 360 is on par with many of its competitors. Weighing in at 5.39 ounces (153 grams), it's equipped with two F/2.0 fisheye lenses that capture 195-degree photos and videos. Although it comes with a miniature tripod attachment, the device has a universal mount, so you can use it on a professional-grade tripod, a monopod, gorillapod, or even with a selfie stick — perhaps the preferred use case for many people.

Baseball-sized camera looks cool, but is it?

When Samsung first unveiled the baseball-shaped device earlier this year, I was excited about giving it a go, especially with the ecosystem that the company is building around its smartphones and virtual reality. But while the Gear 360 seemed cool at first, I started to feel self-conscious about using it out in public, imagining how odd it must look to see someone holding a round camera in the air perched atop a selfie stick.

And the camera's unusual shape may be its biggest flaw: It's not exactly pocket-friendly. This might dissuade some from buying it over slimmer cameras, such as the Ricoh Theta and LG 360.

Above: Comparing the size of the Samsung Gear 360 with a baseball.

Image Credit: Ken Yeung/VentureBeat

Whether walking through downtown San Francisco, attending a Golden State Warriors game, or even recording the annual Bay to Breakers race, the Gear 360 performed as expected. But it failed to fill me with any feeling of excitement around rushing around creating 360-degree content.

Even though the Gear 360 looks durable, it feels fragile — like if it's dropped, there's going to be a big dent in the body, or one of the lenses will shatter. And while it's relatively light, it still falls like any ball — there was an instance where it slipped out of my hand while on a selfie stick and plummeted onto a concrete curb. The top of the Gear 360 was scratched; fortunately it didn't break, but if there was an accessory or perhaps additional case Samsung could provide, that might provide some peace of mind.

Getting acquainted with the Gear 360

Setting up the device was easy: Download the Gear 360 app on your Samsung Android smartphone (currently there's no iOS version) and pair it using Bluetooth. The Gear 360 can store videos either locally on your phone or on a microSD card. What makes things more interesting is that you can connect your phone to more than one device — if you are doing heavy-duty recording for a movie, for example.

Above: The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge smartphone with the Gear 360 camera.

Image Credit: Ken Yeung/VentureBeat

You can review your footage right in the app, which will stitch everything together to make it appear seamless. During playback, there's a motion view option that you can toggle — if it's locked, you'll have to manually move the file with your finger to scroll around. But if it's unlocked, physically rotating the phone makes it seem like you're actually there — perfect if you're using the Gear VR headset.

The app functions as more than a remote control for the Gear 360. While you can switch between the photo, video, time lapse, and video looping modes right on the device, Samsung's app also offers more granular controls, such as the ability to capture photos or videos through a particular lens. Other editing options include white balance, enabling high-dynamic range (HDR), and adjusting exposure, image size, timer, duration, and recording time.

Above: The Samsung Gear 360 has a universal mount so it can be attached to a tripod, monopod, or anything else.

Image Credit: Ken Yeung/VentureBeat

You can also enable auto-corrected angles, adjust the ISO sensitivity limit, turn on "windcut" to remove wind noise from recorded videos, resize pictures in the app, add a logo to the media, and more.

Of course there are limitations. Motion control only works in modes that rely on both of the Gear 360 lenses. If you're taking a time lapse video, the app disables live preview. The device doesn't have any way to take nighttime photos or videos — you'll need lighting equipment to capture the night effects. And the lenses cannot zoom in or out.

Photos and videos can be saved directly onto your phone or shared to Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, Dropbox, Instagram, or YouTube. Samsung will ask if you want to uploaded videos to be the original or the compressed version. Of course, it's best to upload these files only when you have Wi-Fi, as the potentially huge files will likely cause you to exceed your data usage.

Gallery: Close up with the Samsung Gear 360

If you want to access files without an internet connection, you can save them to your phone, but you'll quickly run out of storage capacity. Another option is to download all of the files off of the Gear 360 memory card to your computer.

Samsung promises that with a fully charged 1,350 mAh battery, you'll get approximately two hours of power. With my usage, that seemed pretty accurate. The Gear 360 can be charged with a microUSB connector.

Motion and presentation issues

While testing the Gear 360, I encountered some motion issues relating to how the device is held. If you record video while holding it so the mount is parallel to the ground, when you try to pan around afterwards using your finger, the process is not smooth.

Here's an example:

This issue doesn't appear to occur with photos — just videos. Maybe it has something to do with the gyroscope sensor in the device, but it would be helpful if the Gear 360 always knew which way is up, regardless of how the device is angled.

When the Gear 360 was introduced in February, Samsung touted software that would automatically blur the edges of all photos and videos so that the assembled final version would be seamless. This sounds great, but in my usage, edge lines were still plenty visible.

Be that as it may, for a device that's fairly inexpensive, it's tough to get really upset about a few edge lines. If you're looking for an absolutely perfect creation, it's probably worth spending money on the Lytro Immerge, Nokia's Ozo, or GoPro's spherical camera rig. Hopefully, Samsung will improve its software and firmware on the device over time.

Advanced editing tools for a few

The Samsung Gear 360 app provides you with standard editing controls, but if you fancy yourself an advanced production editor, there is a desktop solution for you: Samsung Gear 360 Action Director.

Above: Screenshot of Samsung Gear 360 Action Director, an application you can use to make advanced edits to your photos and videos.

Image Credit: Screenshot

This desktop app is only available for Windows PCs and requires a Gear 360 serial number to activate it. Powered by CyberLink, the tool lets you add music, transitions, titles, and more advanced editing features to your 360 video. How many people will actually use this app is unclear; it's likely most people will just capture photos and videos with the Gear 360 and share them right away through the mobile app, skipping the post-production work.

Proprietary usage

Samsung wants to create a connected ecosystem with all of its products and, as a result, only select smartphone models are currently compatible with the Gear 360. If you have the Samsung Galaxy Note7, S7, S7 edge, S6, S6 edge, S6 edge+, or the Note5, you'll be able to install the associated mobile app. If not, you can still use the device, but it may require a bit more maneuvering to make certain adjustments.

The limited smartphone compatibility may be a turnoff for some people, including those who prefer iOS. Other similar products have platform-agnostic smartphone apps, which may give them a leg up on the Gear 360.

Appealing to creators

Nowadays, anyone can create within this new media format, and services are clamoring for creators. Just as YouTube has its video stars, companies are seeing what can be done with 360-degree content, especially since it's tied in with virtual reality.

Samsung is working overtime to remain competitive against Google, Facebook's Oculus, and many others. Combined with the success of Samsung's smartphone business, the Gear 360 acts as a gateway to help realize that potential and advance company's mission. Beyond simply having mobile and desktop apps, Samsung recently launched an official program aimed at filmmakers, encouraging them to leverage its technology to produce VR movies. It has also rebranded Samsung Milk VR into a one-stop portal and marketplace for all VR films and shows.

The company is waiting intently to see not only how the Gear 360 is adopted, but what people do with it.

Verdict

Above: Comparing specifications for some of the 360-degree cameras on the market.

Image Credit: Ken Yeung/VentureBeat

So here's the real question: Should you get the Gear 360? At $350, it's not the most expensive camera of the bunch, and it offers decent-quality photos and videos. If you don't care that you can't easily pocket the camera and are fine with the Samsung ecosystem, then yes, you should buy this device.

I was disappointed that a "wow" moment never materialized, even though it's still a first-generation device. But since we're talking about Samsung, there are plenty of resources that can be thrown at improving the Gear 360 in the future.

You can purchase the Gear 360 starting August 19 through select online retailers, although Samsung hasn't disclosed specific details at this time. Previously, limited quantities were sold during VidCon and Lollapalooza.

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Source: Samsung Gear 360 review: A VR camera you won't love — or hate