On June 11th, 1997, Philippe Kahn created the first camera phone solution to share pictures instantly on public networks. The impetus for this invention was the birth of Kahn's daughter, when he jerry-rigged a mobile phone with a digital camera and sent photos in real time. In 2016 Time Magazine included Kahn's first camera phone photo in their list of the 100 most influential photos of all time.
[Conscious Minds]
As I was mocking the ridiculousness of the ProTruly "Darling" phones on the counter, HT Optical's Vice President Shu Junfeng pulled me to a side and gave me a sneak peek at what's coming next: a much smaller 360 camera module that can fit into a 7.6mm-thick smartphone, yet it'll take 16-megapixel stills -- a massive jump from, say, the Insta360 Air dongle's 4.5-megapixel resolution, and also a tad more than the latest Samsung Gear 360's 15-megapixel offering.
Future "VR smartphones" will look much less ridiculous than this ProTruly Darling.
I wasn't sure whether it was excitement or skepticism that my face expressed upon hearing this claim, but it prompted Shu to show me some photos -- which he wasn't able to share for this article -- of an upcoming smartphone that will feature this new module. Indeed, the device looked more like a conventional smartphone, as opposed to the 8.9mm-thick and 181.4mm-tall ProTruly Darling pictured above (and just for reference, the iPhone 7 Plus is 7.3mm thick and 158.2mm tall).
Also, the lenses on this mysterious phone's module apparently add just an extra 1mm to the overall thickness, which means the camera will be less of an annoyance during phone calls or when placed in our pockets. This still doesn't stop either lens from touching whatever surface you place the phone on, but Shu assured me that these lenses will feature a tough scratch-resistant coating.
Shu then showed me what he claimed to be a 16-megapixel 360 still taken with that new camera module, and the image was surprisingly sharp for such a tiny module. Needless to say, I was able to zoom into that image much further than I would with the photos from my Insta360 Air. While there was no sample video to show me, the exec said this little module can shoot 4K videos which is also impressive. I guess we'll see more when this phone launches in China on July 30th.
As a firm that used to deal with camera makers like Sony and Olympus, HT Optical has dabbled with other kinds of product categories following the decline of the compact digital camera market. On top of the smartphone VR camera, I was also intrigued by the company's phone cases with integrated optical zoom camera. The one highlighted above comes with 5x optical zoom, for instance, and it has its own microSD slot. It's a similar idea to the Hasselblad MotoMod for Moto Z series, except you can plug any iPhone or Android phone -- depending on the plug type -- into this one. As a bonus, thanks to their built-in battery, the cases can capture images by themselves when needed, so long as you're comfortable with the lack of a viewfinder.
It's hard to tell whether this type of phone case will ever take off, but for the smartphone VR camera module, Shu reckoned it'll take at least a year or two before it becomes a mainstream feature. For now, he's happy to focus on working with the smaller mobile brands that tend to be more daring.
There are some speculation online that RED could announce a new modular camera system with cellphone functionality on July 6th. This is what RED's CEO James Jannard said:
"July 6th. 9am PST. Right here. You need to be online. You need to tell everyone you know to be online. Have your credit card ready. This is a new product category. It does not impact your RED camera."
There is an interesting new patent for a "multi-layer handheld electronic device":
Another patent application describes a modular digital camera system with cellphone functionality:
Via Newsshooter
PLEASANT HILL, Iowa -- "I was probably 60-70 yards away total," said Tom Hudson, general manager of CrossRoads Shooting Sports in Johnston. "But, I was close enough. I could audibly hear most of the conversation."
Hudson was on his way home on Friday night when he saw some action unfolding in Pleasant Hill. He pulled over to record the standoff between police and an armed man.
"Just due to my line of work and what we do and we're always talking about being vigilant and observant, being aware of what's going on, we're trying to always train and speak to our customers that way," said Hudson, explaining why he decided to record the interaction. "I saw it as an opportunity to capture some footage for potential training purposes."
At 6:02 p.m. on June 23rd, police received a 911 call to 1250 NE 56th Street for a domestic incident. This is where Shining Stars Daycare is located, and Performance Plus Automotive is nearby.
"I was cleaning and I heard a lot of shouting," said Jason Parker, who works at the auto shop. "I heard someone shouting to somebody, 'put it down, put it down, put the gun down, don't make me shoot you.'"
Hudson's cell phone video captures police showing tremendous restraint. The incident could have ended differently, and in the moment Hudson thought the standoff was going to end tragically.
"There was multiple times when at commands to drop the gun, the suspect would move his hand up, they could've very easily thought that he was wanting to go for a weapon or bring his firearm up to brandish it and present it, if you will, which would have caused them to potentially react and want to shoot him," said Hudson.
Ultimately, the deployment of a taser is what brought the standoff to a peaceful resolution.
Juan Carlos Martinez, 27, of Marshalltown is facing five charges: assault while displaying a weapon, trafficking in stolen weapons, intrastate warrants, stalking in the first degree, and felon in possession of a firearm. He is currently behind bars at the Polk County Jail.
Many photographers would probably agree that the image quality of smartphone cameras has improved rapidly over the past few years and in many cases now rivals the output from some conventional digital compact cameras. However, even if the image quality of the smartphone camera in your pocket is all you need, there is still one area in which conventional cameras offer undeniable advantages over smartphones: ergonomics.
Multi-touch smartphone displays are great for general use and navigation of mobile devices, but many photographers prefer physical buttons and dials for setting camera shooting parameters over virtual controls on a screen.
Enter the Miggö Pictar camera grip. It attaches to your iPhone and provides a number of customizable physical controls, plus a tripod mount and a cold shoe connector. The Pictar is available in two versions. One is compatible with the iPhones models 4s, 5, 5s, 6, 6s, SE and 7 and will set you back $99. The other fits the larger iPhone Plus models, including the latest iPhone 7 Plus flagship, and is $10 more expensive.
I've been using the Pictar grip with an iPhone 7 Plus for a few days. Here are my impressions.
Features, ergonomics and build qualityAttaching the Pictar to your phone is straightforward process. You 'click' the phone in place where it is safely held thanks to a spring-loaded mechanism. Once attached to the phone and connected to the Pictar app the grip offers most essential controls that you would expect on a conventional camera.
The shutter button supports half-press for focusing and locking exposure and two dials at the back of the grip are by default configured for dialing in exposure and changing the shooting mode. A front dial acts as a zoom ring, pressing it switches to the front camera. This configuration makes sense but if you don't like how things are set up by default, the Pictar app allows for an impressive amount of customization. You can have a different setup for each shooting mode and even create custom profiles.
Thanks to its rubberized grip the Pictar is comfortable to hold, even with only one hand, and most of the controls can be easily reached. Only the front dial is in a slightly inconvenient place which means you have to loosen your grip slightly when using it. That's not much of a problem when you hold the phone and grip with both hands but makes for slightly unstable shooting in one-handed use. On my test unit the front dial is also a little stiff, making it difficult to dial in the desired zoom factor with precision.
The grip's open design allows for attachment of most add-on lenses that don't need a phone case but you cannot charge your iPhone while the grip is in place. A cold-shoe mount lets you use lights or microphones with your phone and at the bottom of the grip you'll find a standard tripod mount.
Two major drawbacks of the Pictar are build quality and power supply. It's made of quite cheap-looking plastic which stands in stark contrast to the iPhone's premium materials. The buttons feel quite flimsy as well and the spring mechanism makes creaking noises when the iPhone is being attached. I have had no particular quality issues during my relatively short test but it remains to be seen how the Pictar will stand up to longer travels or intense daily use over time.
Power is supplied by a 1/2AA battery which Miggö says should last between 4 and 6 months. I had no issues with battery life during my testing but those batteries aren't cheap and, depending on where you are, not always easily available. In this day and age even the cheapest devices seem to be USB-rechargable, and it's a shame that the Pictar doesn't offer this feature.
Pictar AppTo use the grip you have to download and install the dedicated Pictar app first. Instead of Bluetooth it communicates with the phone via 'ultrasonic OS'. Essentially, the grip sends out ultrasonic frequencies that are picked up by the iPhone's microphones with a unique frequency for each function. According to the Pictar makers, this drains less battery on both devices. Everything worked well during our test and all of the grip's physical controls were responsive and reliable at all times.
The app's user interface is simple and well-designed. It shows all important camera settings and gives you the option to display a grid, histogram and virtual horizon. You can set focus and exposure points on the display and in some modes one shooting parameter is adjusted on a virtual slider but otherwise most settings are modified via the grip's physical dials and buttons.
The mode dial lets you switch between Auto, Manual and Shutter Speed and ISO priority modes. There's also a Macro mode and a Sports modes, which biases toward using higher ISOs for faster shutter speeds, and a filter mode which allows for some live image manipulation. A video mode is included as well, but manual control is limited to exposure compensation.
Unfortunately the Pictar app does not offer the option to shoot images in Raw format, and there is no button to switch between the iPhone 7 Plus dual-camera lenses but you can assign that function to the front button if you want to. Unlike on a conventional camera a press of the shutter doesn't take you back to the capture screen from review mode or when using another app.
ConclusionIn my experience there are two types of mobile photographers: purists who like mobile photography for its inconspicuousness and want to keep their device as compact and portable as possible, and those who like to use any gadget they can get their hands on to enhance their smartphone's camera capabilities or feature set.
If you belong to the latter group and also like to have manual control over your shooting parameters the Pictar grip could definitely be for you. The dials and buttons offer quicker adjustment than most on-screen controls and the tripod and cold-shoe mounts will be appreciated by most more serious photographers.
On the downside, the Pictar does feel a little cheap for a $100 device. We'd also prefer USB-recharging to relatively obscure 1/2AA batteries. Raw support in the camera app would have been nice, too, especially when considering the photographically minded target users. That said, quite a few buyers will probably get the Pictar for its attractive retro-look alone.
What we like:It's tough to hype up a phone while also keeping things realistic.
With the launch of the OnePlus 5 this week, we got to see a perfect example of what a delicate balance companies navigate in setting expectations and delivering on promises. OnePlus has always talked a (strategically) big game about many aspects of its phones — this year, it was all about the camera. Even during the launch event, at which point reviewers had been using the phone for over a week, the presenters espoused the wonderment of the new dual camera setup.
The only 'issue' here is the camera not reaching the great heights OnePlus claimed.
Reviews of the OnePlus 5's camera were slightly mixed, but in general came to the consensus that it's merely good, not great — and not challenging phones like the Galaxy S8, LG G6 and HTC U11. That's a problem, but not necessarily one with the camera itself — it mostly stems from the marketing of the OnePlus 5 that centered around the cameras and set unreasonably high expectations. It's a fine line: as a company, do you play it cool and then over-deliver? Or do you talk a big game to boost sales and run the risk of coming up short?
I think this time OnePlus overextended itself a bit too much in terms of claims about camera performance. Cameras are really hard to get right, and just about impossible to perfect, even for companies that have been at this for a whole lot longer than OnePlus. That's what made this strategy so risky — despite the OnePlus 5's camera actually being pretty good, the deck was stacked against OnePlus launching a game-changing camera experience.
Despite the hyper-analyzing of the camera performance this week, I still stand by the conclusion in my review:
Measuring the OnePlus 5 on its main camera alone, it's a capable shooter that improves from last year but also doesn't perfectly match up to the top-end flagships out there today that can offer better, more consistent performance in a variety of shooting conditions. The secondary camera gives a small bump to the OnePlus 5's overall camera experience, enabling new shooting options and a fun-to-play-with Portrait Mode, but it really doesn't seem like adding this second camera was worth losing OIS (and perhaps larger pixels) and the potential for better photos out of the main camera.
For a $479 phone, that's definitely good enough. Seeing improvement from last year and generally good camera performance is what you expect for that price. The only "issue" here is the camera not reaching the great heights that OnePlus claimed it would.
Now, on to a few more points from the week that was:
That's it for now. Have a great week, everyone.
-Andrew
Images of a dummy model of the upcoming iPhone 8, posted by Onleaks on Twitter Friday (via 9to5Mac), backs up previous rumors regarding the device's bezel-less screen display and vertical dual-camera.
The dummy unit shows the iPhone 8 with a glass back, which had been previously rumored, and a bezel-less screen. Apple reportedly signed a $9 billion two-year deal with Samsung for its iPhone 8 OLED screen displays in April. Another report this month said Samsung was set to deliver 80 million OLED panels to Apple before the end of the year.
Read: iPhone 8 Release Date Delay: Apple Still Deciding On Embedded Touch ID
The dummy model images show a cutout at the top of the screen for front-facing camera, speaker and sensors. The photos show the iPhone 8 without a home button on the back or front of the device.
Numerous reports have said the 10th anniversary iPhone will come with an embedded Touch ID. However, Cowen and Co. analyst Timothy Arcuri said in a memo this week Apple was undecided about integrating the technology into the screen of its upcoming device, saying it's "still being worked out."
Arcuri had previously said back in April Apple was having trouble with the embedded Touch ID feature. He said the company could choose to move the Touch ID to the back of the device, like Samsung did for the Galaxy S8. There have been alleged leaks and schematics of the iPhone 8 showing the Touch ID on the back of the gadget, and others that show no sign of the feature on the rear of the phone. This week, case manufacturer revealed its line of iPhone 8 cases, which were created based the design for the cases on information and schematics acquired through its factories and contacts. The cases do not show a section for a Touch ID on the back of the iPhone 8.
Read: iPhone 8 Cases Pre-Order: Images Show Bezel-Less Screen, Embedded Touch ID, More Features
The dummy images show the device with a vertical-dual camera on the back of the device, which had been previously rumored. The vertical system differs from the current iPhone 7 Plus that sports a horizontal dual-camera. The Olixar cases also come with a spot for a vertical dual-camera system on the back of the iPhone 8. The vertical alignment is supposed to improve photos captured by the phone.
iPhone 8 Features, Price, Rumors
The iPhone 8 is rumored to come with wireless charging technology and True Tone, which adjusts the display's color and intensity based on the environment. The 10th-anniversary device could come with a 3D-sensing camera. The feature would support augmented reality capabilities and facial recognition technology, which could replace the Touch ID.
The 10th-anniversary iPhone is expected to be revealed alongside the iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus in September, and is rumored to cost more than $1,000.
I fashion myself as somewhat of an amateur photographer. I've been fascinated with photography ever since I took Mr. Bunton's "Intro to Photography" class way back in the ninth grade. And like a lot of people I love taking photos with my iPhone. Apple forever changed the way we take photographs when they introduced the first iPhone 10 years ago. With each iteration, the iPhones camera gets better and better. It takes amazing photos, but taking them has always presented different issues. The fact is the iPhone isn't a camera, it's a phone, and holding it with one hand to take a photo can be tricky. And if you want to use a tripod you have to buy special cases and or mounts made specifically for the iPhone. Miggo has changed all of that with the Pictar and Pictar Plus. Pictar is a camera grip that claims to turn your iPhone into a DSLR camera. Since I love taking pictures with my iPhone both recreationally and for my product reviews for the-gadgeteer, I jumped at the ch ance to review the Pictar Plus. Does it really turn the iPhone into a DSLR camera? Let's take some photos and find out.
I don't usually start off a review by talking about the product's packaging, but when I received the Pictar Plus from Miggo I was really impressed. I thought to myself "Wow if they put this much thought and innovation into the packaging I can't wait to try out the actual product". The box opens like a book (the front flap is held closed by a magnet) and the Pictar Plus is displayed behind a plastic window. The box itself is covered with lots of information about the Pictar Plus. A real nice presentation that I thought was worthy of a mention.
Inside the box, you get the Pictar Plus, wrist strap, neck strap, neoprene padded carrying case and Users Manual.
The Pictar comes with a CR1/2AA battery already installed. To activate the battery, first, open the battery compartment by pushing in the release catch and removing the battery cover. Then pull out and discard the pull tab at the bottom of the battery. This will then allow the battery to connect fully with Pictar. Then click the battery cover back in place. According to Miggo, the battery should last up to 6 months with normal use.
Installing my iPhone into Pictar was easy. After taking it out of its case (you can use Pictar with some very slim-fitting silicone bumper cases) I slid it into the spring loaded bottom of the Pictar, with the back of the phone facing in. Then pressed down until the top of the iPhone clicked into place. Removing it was just as easy.
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Before you can use Pictar you have to download their free app from the app store. The app is really the brains of the whole operation. Pictar's Camera app unlocks key features that are inaccessible on iPhone's native camera app. It connects with the iPhone using a high-frequency dual tone that is inaudible to the human ear. When used, each dial and button emit a unique tone that is detected by the app generating a corresponding action. This also significantly increases the battery life when compared to Bluetooth connectivity. The app itself is easy to use. The first time you launch it there is a short tutorial that prompts you to use each different dial and button, showing in real time what function each performs. The app has nine different built-in modes, Auto, Sports, Macro, Shutter priority, ISO priority, Manual, Selfie, Movie, and Filter. A note about the Filter mode. There are 38 different filters that can be applied before taking a picture which is really cool. However, only 2 of them are free to use. If you want to use any of the other 36 you have to purchase them. Separately each is a $1, or you can buy the bundle for $10. All things considered, that's not bad, but it would have been nice to include more than 2 free filters. Clicking on the gear icon in the upper-right corner of the Home screen allows you to change and customize lots of settings. There are five main icons at the top right of the settings screen. The question mark icon takes you to the Tutorial / User Guide menu, the Pictar icon to the customization of buttons menu, the Gear icon to Sound, Geotagging, Purchase Restore and Reset menu, the Camera icon to the camera settings menu and the X returns you to normal camera operation.
Much like a DSLR camera, Pictar Plus offers five external control buttons. This allows you to easily change settings and take pictures with one hand. No more tapping your iPhone's screen to set focus, exposure, etc.
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The Smart wheel allows you to choose between Pictar Plus's 9 different modes. The Exposure compensation wheel allows you to control brightness levels even before shooting. And just like with an advanced camera, the exposure compensation wheel changes the exposure in steps of 1/3 aperture, and the clear display appears at the bottom of the iPhone screen. The Shutter release has two functions. A half-press locks focus and exposure for easy tracking of a moving object and a full-press for immediate shutter release. The shutter button also allows you to take pictures while wearing gloves during the cold weather. The Zoom Ring allows you to zoom in on a subject without having to touch the screen to pinch-and-zoom. It also doubles as a Selfie button. Clicking the Zoom ring will switch between the iPhone's front and back camera for easy "selfie" shots. The Virtual Wheel is located on the right side of the Camera app screen and allows you to control different modes such as Flash m odes, Shutter speed, ISO and more – simply by using your thumb.
The dials can all be reprogrammed to do different things. For example, you can have the Zoom Ring control the flash, white balance, etc. In that case, zoom in and out would be done by "pinching" the iPhone's screen, like before. All of this can be done in the settings menu I mentioned earlier.
The Pictar Plus also comes with wrist and neck straps. This is nice because if you're like me you've dropped your iPhone more than once trying to get that perfect shot. Once you attach the connector to the Pictar Plus you can easily change between the two straps with just a snap.
There's also a nice neoprene padded carrying case for the Pictar Plus. It comes with the added feature of a small metal carabiner that can be attached to a bag or belt loop.
Just like a real camera, Pictar has a standard 1/4" thread tripod socket on the bottom. This is ideal to attach a tripod or other stabilization device and is great for selfies or night time shots, that require long exposure times where the camera needs to be steady.
The top of the Pictar has a standard-size cold shoe mount to allow you to attach many full-size camera accessories, such as LED lights or microphones. I also like that the iPhone's lens is open when attached to Pictar, giving you the ability to attach most 'clip on lenses'.
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I really loved using the Pictar Plus. It turned taking pictures with my iPhone into a more camera-like experience. It's really light weight coming in at .17 lbs. so it doesn't add any extra weight to the iPhone. I like how it's designed to be held and operated with one hand. And the non-slip grip and wrist strap gave me a real sense of security. I took Pictar Plus along with me while walking my dog and took some photographs using some of the different functions and modes. I was very impressed with how much easier the Pictar Plus made taking photographs. I took a selfie with my dog Zoey and liked being able to switch cameras from back to front simply by pressing the Zoom Ring.
Using the Action Mode I took pictures of the flags that were flying above the local High School football field. It was really windy, but with the Action Mode I was able to capture the flags with no blur, and the images came out sharp and clear. With the Zoom Ring, I was even able to get a close up of Old Glory.
Miggo even provides a link to a Mobile Photography Workshop that has videos on how to use Pictar to capture better pictures in different scenarios. Definitely worth checking out before using Pictar. I look forward to using these tips on my next photography adventure with the Pictar Plus.
Does the Pictar Plus turn your iPhone into a DSLR camera? I might not go that far, but it's pretty darn close. All and all I think it's a great product. It makes taking photographs with your iPhone fun and easy, whether you're an amateur like me or a seasoned photographer. And with all of the Pictar Camera apps built-in features, the photo possibilities are endless. I know it got me excited about taking pictures with my iPhone and I'm sure it will do the same for you.
Pictar comes in 2 models, Pictar, for iPhone sizes, 4s / 5 / 5s / 6 / 6s / SE and 7 and, Pictar Plus, for iPhone, 6 Plus / 6s Plus and 7 Plus. They're priced at $99.99 and $109.99 respectively.
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Miggo. Please visit their website for more info, or Amazon to purchase.
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Product Information Price: $109.99 Manufacturer: Miggo Retailer: Amazon Pros:
A new Asus ZenFone 4-series press image appeared online, alongside a purported spec sheet and price tag. Mind you, we wouldn't say that we are 100% confident in what we are seeing here. In particular, the dual camera module on the back of the handset looks poorly edited. However, the rest of the images hold up and appear convincing, even though the smartphone's design isn't at all exciting or innovative.
For all the unconventional phones we saw this year, such as the Galaxy S8, the LG G6, and the Essential Phone, manufacturers from China and Taiwan seem to be compelled to retaliate with …
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The iPhone 8 has an all new design to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Apple smartphone
COULD it be?
After heaps of leaks, mock-ups, rumours and hints – is this what the new iPhone 8 will really look like?
The cases can be found on gadget site MobileFun, which is typically spot on when it comes to predictions – but it's always best to proceed with caution.
If true, this could confirm the iPhone's biggest screen ever is coming to the new gadgets.
It's turned to Samsung, market leader when it comes to infinity screens for its new technology.
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There's no home button – which would confirm rumours that the button had been moved to the back.
But the back of the cases seem to be devoid of a button too.
The back DOES have a large vertical camera, typically used for dual cameras which create more depth in pictures.
Lots of keen Apple watchers believe that a version of the home button will be hidden beneath the glass of its main screen – sensitive to your touch.
Apple users outraged as new iPhone 8 has relocated home button to the BACKBGR suggested that previously leaked pics indicate that the phone will have an "infinity display" with a tiny bezel, the name for the bit of plastic that frames the screen.
The protector also appears to have small holes indicating that a number of cameras which would be used for selfies and potentially even facial recognition.
That means you could unlock your phone using your face.
But it might reign that one in, as Samsung's facial recognition technology was recently fooled by a photo.
That spells trouble for Apple Pay - which would likely be unlocked using the feature it is to go ahead.
MobileFun said: "This time in the form of their new case lineup for the iPhone 8, which are available to pre-order now! Showcasing the front and back of the phone, we now get a further look at Apple's latest handset, thanks to these official Olixar renders."
Keep coming back to The Sun Online for all the latest Apple rumours.
iPhone 8 'will have wireless charging using WattUp technology'We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368
The phone is not only its thinnest flagship yet, but also the most expensive.
Two days before its much-awaited launch in India on Thursday, Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus was on Tuesday set to unveil its most powerful device 'OnePlus 5' in the US.
The OnePlus 5 will come in two variants -- 6GB RAM/64GB memory and 8GB RAM/128GB memory -- and will be available in India for Rs 32,999 and Rs 37,999, respectively.
The phone is not only its thinnest flagship yet, but also the most expensive.
According to the company, OnePlus 5 is coming to India on June 22.
As for the OnePlus 5 specifications, the company has confirmed that the device will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor.
The device will house 20MP rear dual-camera and 16MP front shooter built in partnership with DxO. The main 16-megapixel sensor has f/1.7 aperture and the 20-megapixel telephoto sensor has f/1.6 aperture.
According to a reviewer, the camera doesn't quite match up to expectations. All the options are there, but it falls just short of the quality needed at the price point OnePlus has decided on.
The smartphone is said to have a 5.5-inch optic AMOLED display. The phone is 7.25 mm phone comes with a fingerprint sensor in the front, which doubles up as the home button as well.
The reports regarding the battery size are not clear yet. While some claim that OnePlus 5 has been tipped to house a 3,300mAh battery, others said it will come with a 4,000mAh battery.
The phone comes with the latest Android 7.1.1 OS.
The phones in two colours – midnight black and slate gray.
Famous for its "Dash Charge" technology, the smartphone might have more capabilities this time around
The launch is scheduled to be hosted by the global leadership team of OnePlus, along with Pete Lau, OnePlus Founder and CEO, at the NSCI Dome in Mumbai.
While it has officially been confirmed to be an Amazon India exclusive, the device will go on sale at 4.30 pm on June 22.
(With IANS Inputs)
Never one to "settle" for boring marketing, conventional pre-release buzz-building campaigns and controlled leaks you can spot from a mile away, OnePlus straight-up uncovered its next flagship phone piece by piece these past few weeks.
Somehow, there's still plenty of excitement surrounding tomorrow's online-only formal OnePlus 5 announcement, followed by physical pop-up launch events worldwide through Thursday.
Believe it or not, we already know not just how the final device looks, but why and the many slightly different shapes and dual camera setups the Chinese company took into consideration while developing the iPhone 7 Plus copycat.
In addressing the elephant in the room, OnePlus Imaging Director Simon Liu argued "it's a little difficult to make two cameras, two holes in the back not look ugly." So, yeah, all those prospective designs inspired by the OEM's previous products, as well as various Huawe is and HTCs, were scrapped, bumps, bulges, pronounced antenna bands and all.
What's interesting and in a way commendable is that CEO Pete Lau himself appears to be embracing rather than denying the competition's impact on this highly anticipated phone, its camera focus and key selling points.
Lau admits in today's extensive The Verge editorial "we have to thank Apple for educating the market for us" as far as dual shooters are concerned. Speaking of, if it wasn't clear before, it's etched in stone now – the OnePlus 5 will borrow the "standard" 16MP f/1.7 lens and telephoto 20MP f/2.6 sensor from its OPPO R11 cousin and doppelgänger, with a lot of in-house work dedicated to software optimizations.
Aside from a make-or-break camera whose "largest consumer value is in the portrait mode", we also find out today from the proverbial horse's mouth about a price "closer to $500", in line with most rumors, and "more RAM than you might find in a laptop", i.e. 6 and 8GB RAM options, presumably.
Because the cat is completely out of the bag now, Evan Blass of Venture Beat and @evleaks Twitter fame has no reason to hold on to a full front-and-back unobstructed OnePlus 5 view any longer. Yup, it still looks an awful lot like an iPhone:
We spend the bulk of the show talking to the man that transferred the first photo through a phone into the internet… back in 1997. He then went on with his business partner and wife to make the first commercially viable Camera-Phone in Japan before later doing the same in the United States.
Our conversation is with Philippe Kahn and that's right after the top news stories of the week, so make sure you're charged and ready for the Pocketnow Weekly!
Watch the video recorded from 8:50pm Eastern on June 16th (coming soon), or check out the high-quality audio version right here. You can shoot your listener emails to [email protected] for a shot at getting your question read aloud on the air the following week!
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June 16, 2017
Juan Carlos Bagnell
Jules Wang
Philippe Kahn
HelloFresh is on a mission to save home cooking (because it's too good to go away). It not only takes groceries farm-to-box, but gets you from couch-to-kitchen with recipes you can easily follow, handle and tackle no matter if you're a kitchen novice or a seasoned expert — most of them in under 30 minutes.
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The photographic capabilities of smartphones have, actually, become a massive selling point and how well the camera performs is a question most people ask before purchasing a new smartphone.
You probably already have a smartphone but in case you're soon due for an upgrade or just fancy a change, here's what you should look for if taking photos is at the top of your 'to-do' list.
Features To Look For On Good Camera PhonesBright Aperture
High-end smartphones from giants such as Samsung and Apple feature wider lens apertures than less expensive smartphones and as a result, image quality is much better. The Samsung Galaxy S8, for example, has a bright f/1.7 aperture so it's capable of taking a photo that shows a blurred background, particularly when the subject is close to the lens. It actually houses one of the best cameras currently available in a smartphone (at the time of writing) and that's why it's currently sat at the top of our '10 Best Camera Phones For Photography' list.
Decent Amount Of Megapixels
All of the smartphones in our top list feature between 12-21 megapixels which is good but you should also pay attention to the um pixel figure as this can also mean image quality is improved. Take the Samsung Galaxy S8, it has a 12-megapixel dual pixel sensor which is nearly half the size of the smartphone that's in second place but as the camera has 1.4um pixels, which are quite large for a smartphone, it allows the sensor to gather more light and as a result, you'll be able to capture better photos.
Large Screen
You don't have a viewfinder so you're going to be holding your smartphone in 2 hands and using the screen as your viewfinder and shutter release. As a result, the bigger the screen, the more you will see. Also, If you see that a smartphone's screen is constructed from Gorilla Glass, this is a good thing as it's more resistant to scratches. The higher the resolution of the screen, the clearer the picture will be so you might want to check the phone's spec for this and if it has a retina design, even better as images will appear crisp and sharp.
Optical Image Stabilisation
Image Stabilisation is something that's built into smartphone cameras to minimise the effect shake has on your photos. Without it, any movement you make can be picked up by the camera and spoil your shot.
RAW
RAW is the name given to a particular file type and the main advantage of shooting in RAW is that you get to treat each shot as you want it to look and not as the camera decides it should look. RAW files also give you more control over how your end image will look. You can easily adjust the exposure and tweak the white balance once back in front of your computer, something which is harder to do with JPEG files. A downside to RAW files is that the file sizes are much larger so they'll take up more room on your smartphone. For more detailed information on what RAW files are, take a look at this: The Basics Of Understanding RAW Files
Lenses & Zoom
The lenses now found in smartphones are really excellent and can sometimes offer a better aperture than that found on small digital cameras. Plus, as designers want to make them as compact as possible, there's not much room for an optical zoom so they tend to feature wide-angle prime lenses instead and we all know the benefits of using primes over zooms.
The downside to this is that they tend to feature optical zoom which doesn't really need to be paid close attention to as they tend to be a bit rubbish. You'll get a much better photo if you use your feet rather than using the pinch zoom feature on the smartphone. Clip-on lenses are also an option and a wide variety of manufacturers now create these, including well-known lens manufacturer ZEISS.
It's worth noting that some smartphones feature two lenses with different focal lengths, such as the iPhone 7 Plus, which means you effectively have a 2x optical zoom, compared with the single fixed lens of the standard iPhone 7 and other smartphones.
HDR
HDR, or High Dynamic Range, is something that's existed in photography for a long time and now, cameraphone manufacturers are featuring it in their devices. It's designed to help you capture photos that have a better dynamic range (shadows to highlights) and on phones such at the latest iPhone, it does improve picture quality. There are times when using this feature will be more beneficial than others such as when capturing landscapes, outdoor portraits in sunlight and in heavily backlit scenes. Try to avoid using this mode when you're in a place where people are moving through the shot, though, as your phone is actually capturing three images and combining them so any movement will show in the final photo.
ISO Control
There simply isn't enough light in places such as interiors on overcast days, in caves, at gigs in darkened rooms etc. for your smartphone to capture a good photograph so, in situations like this, the camera will bump up the ISO levels so it's more sensitive to light. This is great but by doing so, the chances of noise (read more about what noise is here) spoiling your shot also increases. Most smartphones have a noise reduction feature but this can be quite strong and turn parts of the image into mush which can ruin the photo just as much as noise does.
So what's the solution? Well, you can avoid all low light scenarios but this is just impractical or you could use a support and select a longer shutter speed from the more advanced camera settings but again, it's impractical (who wants to carry a tripod to use with their smartphone?) so you're better off looking in your smartphone's advanced camera settings to see if you can control the ISO levels.
On the Samsung Galaxy S8, for example, there's an ISO range that starts at 50 and reaches 1600 (when used with third-party apps) but detail starts to suffer when ISO800 or above are used.
Another point to take into consideration is that with a bright lens and built-in optical image stabilisation, you might not need to use higher ISO speeds anyway.
Camera Control Options
For most, the features the camera has will be really important and every time a new phone is released, it seems to have even more options built in.
As well as the automatic 'point and click' option, most mid- to high-end smartphones offer a pro / manual mode of some sorts. What you can control tends to differ from phone-to-phone but generally speaking, you'll be able to edit the ISO, shoot in RAW, adjust the white balance of the shot and use exposure compensation. The high-end, newer iPhone and Samsung also have a portrait / selective focus mode that will blur the background of your image, giving the impression of bokeh you capture on digital cameras when using wider apertures.
Various filters will be available in both modes and you'll also find options for capturing panoramas, slo-mo, timelapse, square cropped images and video.
Video
4K video is something appearing on newer smartphones and, of course, it means video you capture is of better quality. Check to see if stabilisation is used when capturing video footage as this will improve the quality quite considerably and the option to use continuous AF while recording will mean you can capture better videos, too.
Less expensive smartphones tend to max video quality out at 1080p or even 720p. It's also worth remembering that 4K video will take up lots of room so if you don't have a phone with a large storage capacity, or one where you can use memory cards in, you may want to stick to shooting HD video.
Focus & Shutter Response
Knowing how quickly the phone's camera can focus and the shutter response is useful but you'll probably have to read reviews to find this out. Knowing how many frames per second (fps) the camera can capture images at is also useful to know as a quick fps can increase your chances of capturing a good photo in situations where your subject is moving. The iPhone 7 Plus, for example, captures stills at 12fps and focusing is very quick in good light, as is the shutter response.
When it comes to autofocus, on most cameraphones you press the screen where you want the camera to focus and this is pretty much across all models but some do offer modes such as smile detection and face priority AF for those who are more social shooters.
Flash
The majority of smartphones have a built-in LED flash but as they tend to be a bit harsh when used up close and don't reach very far when photographing subjects that are further away, it's not something that needs to be paid much attention to. In fact, most of the time you'll want to turn the flash off as the camera tends to be set to 'auto flash' which can fire when you don't want it to.
Battery Life
You might think this should be in the list above but as the battery life on all smartphones tend to be a bit rubbish, it's gone on the 'useful but not essential' list. Of course, a really good battery life is useful but when using the camera, texting, looking at maps, browsing social media etc., getting a day's use out of the battery is positive. Although, you may want to consider a portable battery charger if you want to ensure the phone lasts all day and you won't have access to a wall charger.
Water Resistant
Having a phone that's resistant to you accidentally dropping it in the washing-up bowl is a bonus but from a photography perspective, it means you can take photos in the rain or even underwater (to certain depths and for specific lengths of time). As of yet, smartphones can't go as deep as tough cameras and they do have a limit on how long they can withstand water (if used without waterproof housing) but it probably won't be long until you can capture images of coral reefs with them.
How Many Photography Apps Are There?
For both iOS and Android devices, there are literally thousands of apps, although the Play store probably has a few more than the Apple App Store just because it's easier to create and make apps available on the Android platform.
You can do everything from editing photos to turning someone into a funny gif complete with weird cartoon eyes with apps but Snapseed and the photo editing apps from Adobe, such as Adobe Photoshop Fix, are particularly good and there are some decent ones for turning images into collages, too. Popular social media channels such as Facebook and Instagram also have photo filters built in which you can use to ensure your photo gets plenty of 'likes'.
Expandable Memory
The internal memory of smartphones can actually be huge so having the ability to expand a device's memory with a memory card isn't something you might need to worry about but having the option to use one might be something you like the sound of. Most Android phones have a MicroSD slot but iPhones don't have them.
You might also want to see if any free cloud backup storage is offered as it can come in very handy if you lose your smartphone or it breaks. It also means you can store photos in it, rather than on your device, freeing up space to capture even more images. The three big players: Apple, Google and Microsoft all offer various levels of free and paid for cloud storage.
Shutter Release Button
This is a rare feature but they can be found on some smartphones such as the Sony Xperia and the Kodak Ektra. As a photographer, you might prefer to have a physical button rather than the virtual on-screen buttons found on most devices. The volume buttons tend to work as a shutter button, as well, but it's still not quite the same as a shutter button.
How Many Accessories Are Available?
iPhones are the most supported when it comes to camera cases, lenses, flashes etc. that are available but we can't really say there's a shortage of Android accessories, though. It's worth noting that there are some really cheap accessories out there that aren't very good so do read the description and reviews of products before parting with your money. On the other hand, there's also, what some would consider being, expensive accessories as well so at least the mobile phone accessory market is balanced!
More On SmartphonesTo help you make a more informed decision on your smartphone purchase, take a look at our review section and we also have a couple of buyer's guides in our 'Best Gear' section that you may want to take a look at.
The Meizu Pro 7 is sure to be a solid high-end device when it launches. And as with all smartphones, when it gets closer it gets clearer.
We are now seeing a new photo which has popped up showing a relatively new feature which isn't on many smartphones. In fact, last we saw it in the LG V series phones and in an HTC U Ultra phone as well. We are talking about the secondary always-on display.
The Meizu Pro 7 will also have one on the back. Only, it will be an e-ink display. The small display will show the basic time, weather and have some shortcuts as well. The Meizu Pro 7 is also expected to rock a dual camera which is visible in images here too. The alleged Meizu Pro 7 in the photo is black which is making the display hard to see.
Secondary displays didn't catch up much with people and very shortly after they appeared, they were sent back to anonymity. Although they can be very useful at times. Only time will tell if and when the Meizu Pro 7 comes with an e-ink display, how good it will be.The device is expected to pack the latest MediaTek Helio X30 with 6GB of RAM. It will also feature a 3D display much like the 3D touch on iPhone 7.
Source
The internet is buzzing with chatter about a new Facebook "feature" that allegedly peers into smartphone users' eyes to detect their emotional states. The social media giant has reportedly filed a patent for the new technology which, should it be officially launched, would allow for more customized advertising tailored to people's feelings.
It's a downright creepy concept – that Facebook has the capacity to hijack smartphone cameras and literally watch users scroll through their news feeds – but one that people need to be aware of if they're at all concerned about their personal privacy. Facebook's facial analysis technology has been in secret development for years, and now that the cat is out of the bag many users are reconsidering their use of the platform altogether.
Imagery of what Facebook submitted to obtain a patent for the technology depicts users peering into their smartphones as the devices detect and analyze certain features like mouth shape and eye movement. From this, Facebook is able to gather data on how its users respond to videos, photos, news, and advertising.
Software company CBI Insights discovered the renderings back in 2015 and linked them to Mark Zuckerberg's efforts to develop "emotion technology" for Facebook. The plan all along seems to have been to pick up on "emotion characteristics" via smartphone cameras and use this data to further hone Facebook's monetization.
"Patent documents contain illustrations showing a person holding a smartphone with a camera taking a picture from which 'emotion characteristics' like smiling or frowning are detected," writes Margi Murphy for The Sun (U.K.).
"If the person appears to like what they're seeing, Facebook could place more of the same type of content in front of them."
The secret development of this technology is only just now making headlines, which is why many people still don't know it exists. But according to experts, they're about it find out, and it could put off a great many of them from ever using the service again.
"On the one hand, they want to identify which content is most engaging and respond to audience's reactions," the company wrote in a blog post. "[O]n the other, emotion-detection is technically difficult, not to mention a PR and ethical minefield."
And it's just a patent, after all. Facebook may choose to never bring it to fruition, should it decide that doing so would damage the company's user base. At the same time, based on the amount of effort being put into its development, it's a safe bet that Facebook fully intends to make it a reality – the only question is when.
Another project that Facebook's been working on involves tracking the way users touch their smartphone keypads to detect their emotional states. A patent granted on May 25 reveals that Facebook has the ability to sense how its users are feeling while writing text messages. Using this data, Facebook plans to automatically start inserting emojis and other indicators to provide proper context during a chat conversation.
"The system picks up data from the keyboard, mouse, touchpad, touchscreen to detect typing speed and how hard the keys are pressed," explains Murphy. "Facebook will accordingly change the text font and size, before shaping to make it more emotive and relevant to your mood."
If you recall, this is not the first time Facebook has been caught using some questionable technology. A few years back, Facebook was accused of breaking the law by tracking its users' behaviors while browsing the internet. The Belgium-based Privacy Protection Commission (PPC) says Facebook routinely "tramples" on the law with its privacy invasion practices, which only continue to get worse with each passing year.
Sources:
TheSun.co.uk
NaturalNews.com
The HTC U11 is a big, bold and bright smartphone with a unusual, squeezable feature that's more than a gimmick. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs for the Guardian
Once the darling of the smartphone world, HTC has been struggling to gain traction in a market dominated by Samsung and Apple with its solid but bland devices. Now the U11 is here and it's squeezable (no really), can the former smartphone leader turn it around?
The U11 is the new top of the line for HTC, replacing last year's all-metal HTC 10 with the company's new shiny metallic glass design.
Subtle the U11 is not. It's back is a highly polished metal sitting behind a fingerprint-magnet slab of glass. It's certainly eye-catching and will appeal to those looking for a little bit of bling.
The back is a highly polished piece of metal behind glass. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs for the GuardianThe front of the device is rather bland, just a black slate of glass with a small indentation for a fingerprint scanner at the bottom. Compared to the svelte new bezel-free design of smartphones from the likes of Samsung, LG and Essential, the U11 looks decidedly old and chunky.
The screen is super crisp, with good colours, blacks and brightness, but it's an LCD and not quite up to the rich, vibrancy and colour depth of the top of the range AMOLED screens seen in other high-end rivals such as the Galaxy S8.
HTC's build quality is legendary and the U11 does not disappoint. It is rock solid with no give or flex in the body. It is covered in glass, though, which doesn't bode quite as well for drops or falls. The phone is water resistant to IP67 standards, so it will survive a trip down the toilet but swimming or dips below a metre of water are out.
The rounded back of U11 makes the phone 9.1mm thick at its peak, which is relatively chunky for a smartphone in 2017 – most, including the Galaxy S8, are around 7-8mm thick. It feels nice in the hand but the large bezels on the sides and top and bottom make the U11 pretty bulky.
The sides don't look unusual, but the bottom half of each hides a secret pressure sensitive strip that you can squeeze to do certain things. More on that particular whizz-bang feature, later.
The fingerprint scanner on the front is fast and effective, but difficult to reach when holding the phone in an orientation where you can reach the top of the screen. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs for the GuardianThe fingerprint sensor is a thin oval shape on the front which works well, reliably unlocking the device almost instantaneously. You might be disappointed there's no headphone socket, but active noise cancelling headphones are included in the box, as is a USB-C to headphone socket adapter. It'll be annoying if you don't use the bundled headphones or wireless ones.
SpecificationsThe U11 is one of the first smartphones available with Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 835 processor, which claims to be both faster and more efficient for longer battery life.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 also uses the 835 in the US, but not in Europe.
HTC's recent smartphones have run very well optimised software and the U11 is no exception. It consistently flies along at a pace only Google's Pixel devices have in recent memory. App launches, jumping between apps, camera launches, game loads, searches and phone unlocks using the fingerprint scanner are instant and do not get bogged down as you use the device.
Battery life was solid if not spectacular. The U11 lasted around 24 hours between charges without activating any power saving modes. That was while using it as my primary device, browsing and using apps for four hours with hundreds of push emails, 60 minutes of gaming, and listening to around five hours of music via Bluetooth headphones. Standby time was slightly disappointing, however, dropping just over 1% an hour while sitting dormant overnight with do not disturb activated.
The U11 is also fast to charge using Quick Charge 3.0 and a compatible charger, hitting 100% in just over an hour.
Software HTC's Boost app tries to help keep the U11 running smoothly by clearing out memory and storage – just be careful what you delete with it. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs for the GuardianHTC fits its smartphones with a customised version of Android called Sense. The U11 comes with the latest version based on Android 7.1.1. Overall, Sense is a light touch on Android, with only a few small refinements and tweaks.
Most of these come in the form of optimisations, which make the U11 one of the snappiest smartphones around. The biggest addition is HTC's new smart assistant called Sense Companion. Part of it is a duplication of Google Assistant, which is also available on the U11, with points of interest, restaurant and travel information when out and about.
The other part is the phone's ability to learn from your habits and optimise its performance accordingly. It will remind you when it needs recharging and when junk and memory needs to be cleared out using Boost+, among other bits and pieces.
It takes a while to learn, and in the limited time I've had the U11, it failed to do anything particularly interesting. It, like many of the other manufacturer-developed smart assistants, seems to just do a poor job of duplicating Google Assistant and its feed. Given more time Sense Companion may prove more valuable as it learns.
It can be turned off or ignored, and some may find it more useful, particularly if you do not give Google access to your entire digital life.
Camera The HTC camera app's 'Pro' mode is packed with options. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs for the GuardianThe U11's 12-megapixel camera is cracking. It is capable of taking some really stunning photos with rich detail, deep colour and has very good low-light performance, which means it's very difficult to take a bad photo with the U11. It's right up there with Google Pixel as the best camera phone on the market.
There are also plenty of manual controls within the pro shooting mode, which can get as complicated or as simple as you'd like with sliders and custom presets plus optional RAW output. HTC's camera app is one of the best on the market, missing only a golden-ratio grid.
The 16-megapixel selfie camera is also very good, producing great shots even in difficult lighting conditions. There are three modes: selfie video, selfie panorama and selfie photo. All of them are pretty self explanatory and work well. You can smooth skin with a makeup mode, but I found the photos were already of softer focus than my personal preference, without any skin-smoothing modes active.
Squeeze-me Squeeze the sides to trigger Edge Sense and fire up your choice of action or app. The pressure required to trigger the feature can be increased or decreased based on the power of your grip. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs for the GuardianMost of the HTC U11 isn't exactly unique. One thing that HTC has all to its own is Edge Sense - you simply squeeze the sides on the bottom half of the phone to activate features. The pressure sensitivity can be tuned to your liking in case you have a monster grip, and you can change what happens when you squeeze the phone.
By default a squeeze will launch the camera and, once up and running, trigger the shutter. Launching the camera with a squeeze is great, but squeezing to shoot ends up shaking the camera at the moment of capture.
If you go "advanced" you can set a short squeeze and a long squeeze to do different things. It sounds a little daft, but is a better way to launch the camera than a double tap of the power button, with far less accidental activation. Bravo for trying something new that isn't just a gimmick.
Observations The shiny metal and glass back is certainly bold, but it's also a fingerprint-magnet.The HTC U11 costs £649 and is available in silver, black or blue, which makes it one of the cheaper top-end smartphones available, if not by much.
For comparison, the Samsung Galaxy S8 costs £689 with 64GB of storage, the Galaxy S8+ costs £779 with 64GB of storage, the Google Pixel XL costs £719 with 32GB of storage, Apple's iPhone 7 Plus costs £719 with 32GB of storage, the LG G6 costs £649 with 32GB of storage, and the Huawei P10 Plus costs £649 with 128GB of storage.
VerdictThe HTC U11 is a great smartphone hidden in an old, bulky design. While rivals have moved on with tiny bezels and big screens squeezed into small phone bodies, HTC has stagnated.
It's bright and bold on the back, but bland on the front. The large bezels make the phone pretty big for a device with a 5.5in screen and harder to use and fit in a pocket compared to rivals.
The high-shine and colour certainly stand out, which will appeal to some, and the U11 has a great camera and useful edge sense pressure-sensitive sides. It's just a shame that the U11 feels like a smartphone designed for 2015 not 2017.
Pros: squeezable sides, brilliant camera, microSD card slot, water resistant, bold colours, good screen, 24-hour battery, noise-cancelling earphones in the box
Cons: bulky, large bezels, dated design, no headphone socket
The HTC U11 is all about the super-shiny back. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs for the Guardian Other reviewsThe first photograph, like so many since, was taken by a proud father of his new-born baby daughter. Sophie Kahn was born on June 11, 1997. During her mother's labour, her father Philippe had been banished from the birthing suite for a period of time.
Like many expectant fathers, he had a small digital camera with him to record his new baby's arrival. Sitting in the waiting room, he wondered how he was going to show off his new baby when he had an idea. He rigged a makeshift connection from his camera to his mobile phone, wrote a couple of lines of simple code, and a short while later, a photograph of his beautiful baby daughter became the first image to be transmitted by a mobile phone.
The camera phone is probably the most important development in photography since the medium was developed in the 1830s.
The number of people with mobile phones is staggering. According to Comreg, the Commission for Communications Regulation, there are almost six million mobile subscriptions in Ireland, impressive for a country with a population of about 4.8 million.
Worldwide, it is estimated that there are about 4.6 billion mobile phones, almost half of which are smartphones. The numbers of photographs being taken are staggering also, some projections estimate that well over a trillion photographs will be taken in 2017, and that over 75pc of these will be taken with a camera phone. Image is the only truly global language.
The camera phone has changed the photography profession also. Citizen journalism now means that the immediate aftermath of an atrocity or a disaster is more likely to be recorded on a mobile phone by a bystander rather than by a photojournalist. Much of the imagery published following the recent horrific attacks in Manchester and London was taken on mobile phones.
This small project is to celebrate the camera phone's 20th birthday and it is pure street photography. Street photography is the most accessible and real form of photography there is. It relies totally on the photographer's eye for an image, and being there and being ready. These photographs were taken at events or tourist locations in Dublin and Limerick and are of people out and about. Most of the images taken were probably posted online, a visual record for loved ones and friends to see (but probably not printed).
The camera phone is now an important part of most family and social events. And because it is much easier to share photographs taken on a phone, perhaps the digital camera itself is ultimately heading for obsolescence.
Not only is image the global language, the camera phone has made the world a smaller place. Images taken now can be seen online within seconds. The camera phone is here to stay and it is hard to remember a time without camera phones. Twenty years ago, Philippe Kahn could scarcely have imagined the changes his new invention would bring.
David O'Flynn is a Dublin-based photographer and he is the author of three books. His work can be viewed on www.clix.ie
