Point your phone at an equation and Mathpix will solve it

The interface looks like any standard camera app: simply drag the on-screen reticle over the equation and the app solves it and provides graph answers where appropriate. More useful is a step-by-step guide offering multiple methods to reach a solution, making this a bona fide educational tool. It uses image recognition to process problems and pings its servers to do the mathematical heavy lifting, so it likely requires an internet connection to work.

Mathpix was envisioned by Stanford PhD student Nico Jimenez, who was advised by Stanford grad Paul Ferrell. The app's other developers are high schoolers Michael Lee and August Trollback, which is impressive for an app that claims to be the first to visually recognize and solve handwritten math problems.

Source: Point your phone at an equation and Mathpix will solve it

Open your smartphone’s camera to new horizons with this multifunctional 3-in-1 lens kit that’s just $10

Want to take professional pictures, but don't have hundreds of dollars to spend on a top-of-the-line camera? Well, with the Acesori 5 Piece Smartphone Camera and Lens Kit you can get DSLR quality photos without breaking the bank.

The 3-in-1 Lens kit simply connects to the magnetic ring around your phone's camera and allows you to take photos through fish eye, wide angle, and macro lenses.

The Lenskit has several advantages:

Lenses are easily detachable and interchangeable. The design includes magnetic rings to attach to your phone.

Comes with high-quality, anti-scratch glass with reduced glare and reflection that will make your photos look crisp and clean

Keeps your lenses protected with lens covers

Easily portable design comes with lanyards for transportation

Aluminum construction for optimum durability

Fish eye lens allows for a complete 180 degree picture.

Wide angle lens can showcase entire landscapes

Macro lens hones in on even the most minor details of a subject.

You can get this $50 kit for only $9.99 for the next four days. That's an 80% discount. But, only if you hurry.

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Source: Open your smartphone's camera to new horizons with this multifunctional 3-in-1 lens kit that's just $10

How to Use Your Headphones as an iPhone Camera Remote

The iPhone's camera app shutter button isn't always in the most convenient place—particularly if you're trying to operate it one-handed. You can use the volume button as an alternative, but there's another way to take a picture you might not be aware of.

This is a trick that's been around for years, but you might not have stumbled across yet (file alongside this one and this one). The two volume buttons on your iPhone headphones can also act as shutter buttons, which means you can snap pictures with one hand while holding your phone aloft with another, and it works with video too.

You can also prop your iPhone up somewhere and use the headphones as a wired remote. There are all kinds of situations when it might come in handy and save you from having to awkwardly juggle your phone around to reach the software shutter button.

Might be a idea to take advantage of this while you can...

Source: How to Use Your Headphones as an iPhone Camera Remote

Version Mania: Phone Buying in the Future

"Good evening, sir. Can I help you?'

"Yes I am looking for a Lay Lee Z 2 phone"

"Ah yes, the Lay Lee Z2. Very popular. Just step this way, sir. But tell me do you want the standard model, the game model, the shoot model, the selfie model, the pro model, or the amateur model?"

"Er…what is the difference between them?"

"Oh simple enough, sir. The standard model has the base specifications – you know, a 5.0-inch HBLED display, 1 GB CRAM, 8 GB SoftAndHardDisk storage 8.0-Mahapixel processor, and the 6996 ClickJargon processor. The game model has 2 GB CRAM and a slightly faster version of the same processor as well as a larger display, with the same resolution…"

"The Shoot model?"

"Ah yes, sir, I was coming to that. Please do not touch that droid, sir, it is the BreakWinder from the Five Arena Rangers Transcorp. The Shoot edition has more mahapixels in the rear camera but fewer in the front camera…"

"Oh wait and the Selfie model has it the other way around?"

"Oh absolutely, sir. More Mahapixels in the front one for that one. The Pro model has a hair and fingernail scanner, and also allows you to lock the phone using a urine sample – we call it "P for Protection!"

"And there was one more…"

"Oh yes, the amateur version. That is basically for geeks. We give them all the parts and ask them to put the phone together themselves. If they shoot a selfie of themselves with the phone., we give them free clout storage – they can keep whoever they want to clout with us for a week. No questions asked!"

"Ah, I see. Um, can I get the regular edition?"

"Of course, you can, sir. Which one do you want?"

"I just told you – the regular edition…"

"Yes, sir, but there are variants of that too. Do you want the standard one, water resistant one, the rugged one, or the one whose SIM card floats around on its own dedicated droid?"

"Oh all right, the standard one. Now can I…"

"Do wait, sir. You want the one that takes a Flush Card or has no expandable memory?"

"Make it expandable. I am in a hurry…"

"All for your own convenience, sir. At Lay Lee, we ensure that our customers have enough to choose from.."

"I will say you do. Can I get my phone now?"

"Just tell me, sir, if you want it with the KingKong Glass protection or the Chimpanzee Coating?"

"Whichever you recommend. Quick!"

"Patience, sir. This is all for your convenience…"

"Yes, but I am in a hurry!!"

"Just a few seconds more, sir…"

"Well, what now? Are you going to ask what sort of box you want it in?"

"No, sir. Though, come to think of it, that is a good suggestion. We could give it to you in a simple ZipIt sachet, in a cardboard box, in a steel box, in a safe with or without a combination, or just give you the charger and the phone in a "bare handed naked" delivery. We could also…"

"STOP! Look just hand me my phone please!"

"Ah yes, sir, indeed. Your idea did take me off track. Rest assured, we will incorporate it on our website and give you credit and also send 175 Bonkers points for driving yourself cra…"

"MY PHONE!"

"Indeed, sir. Indeed. I assume you will be paying by card?"

"No, I am going to stick you up with a gun!!"

"That option is for counter number 3, sir…"

"Oh for God's sake. Of course I will pay by card!"

"Right, sir. Then I will process your payment. What colour do you want your device in? We have Racist White, Dark Side Black, Communist Red, Posy Pink. Ghastly Gold, Slimy Silver, Ghatiya Green, and Owl Orange!"

"Owl orange?"

"The designer came up with it. It looks a bit like an inflamed pestrangel…"

"What is a pestra…Oh look, all right make it white!"

"Right you are, sir. Oh!"

"What happened now?"

"White is available only for the pro edition if you opt for the waterproof version with a retractable camera and a…you really should not take off your belt here, sir. There is an unbelting zone on the left, next to the untrousering and reshirting zone and….HELP, SECURITY!"

Also Read: Buying Phones in the Future

Source: Version Mania: Phone Buying in the Future

Moto G4 Plus First Impressions: Better camera, display, but the competition is tough

Written by Karthekayan Iyer | Updated: May 18, 2016 8:42 am Lenovo has launched Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus smartphones in India, will be Amazon India exclusive

Lenovo has finally launched the Moto G4 and G4 Plus in India. And in sync with the company's stated plan to be known as 'Moto by Lenovo', there is almost no mention of the Motorola brand.

Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus are still pitched as budget benchmark devices offering a pure Android experience. Moto India says, G4 is for those looking at a balanced smartphone while G4 Plus is for those looking at a little advanced and secure smartphone.

Watch: Moto G4 First Look Video

We got to spend some time with Moto G4 Plus and here is our first impression.

Design and Display

Moto G4 Plus looks and feels exactly like its predecessor, but is now thinner than the previous generation devices. Moto G4 Plus is 7.9 mm thick and is no longer water-resistant, which was one of the USPs of Moto G3. Moto G4 Plus fits nicely in the hand. However, it won't appeal to those looking to use the phone with one hand.

Moto G4 has that trademark Moto dimple below the camera module

The Moto G4 Plus boasts of a better camera than any of the previous generation Moto G series smartphones, and for the first time offers a fingerprint scanner. Motorola says this is the best fingerprint recognition technology from their side. We will need to spend some more time with the device before judging how efficient it is.

The device has that trademark Moto dimple below the camera module. The volume rocker and power button have been placed at the right side of the device, while microUSB charging port is at the bottom. Moto hasn't joined the USB Type-C bandwagon yet.

Moto G4 Plus comes with 5.5-inch Full HD display, which looked vibrant even in the dimly lit launch area. The viewing angles were good, but the display was prone to reflection. We will test the display thoroughly during our full review.

Hardware

Moto G4 Plus is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 processor, and comes with 2GB or 3GB RAM options. The 2GB RAM variant gets 16GB internal storage, while 3GB RAM variant comes with 32GB of storage. Both the models will come with expandable storage option with 128GB as the limit.

Moto G4 doesn't come with a hardware that will shame Xiaomi's Redmi Note 3 or LeEco Le 1s, but the company claims it offers the most balanced experience. In our review, we called Moto G3, the budget benchmark smartphone and that stays true with Moto G4 Plus too.

Moto G4 Plus is not water-resistant anymore, instead comes with a nano-coating on top of it.

Camera

Moto G4 Plus comes with a new 16MP rear camera with phase detection autofocus

Moto G4 fixes the long-standing flaw of Moto G series – cameras. Lenovo is claiming big improvements to its G4 series lineup. At the launch, Motorola's Director of Product Management, Allison Yi claimed Moto G4 Plus' camera is better than iPhone 6s Plus. That is one really bold claim to make.

Moto G4 Plus comes with a new 16MP rear camera with phase detection autofocus (PDAF). Moto claims it has not only raised the megapixel count, but also improved the signal processor for better images. During our initial time testing the device, the photos clicked did look sharp, and the camera was quick to focus.

Moto G4 also has a professional mode which gives user control over aperture and shutter settings, which is an interesting feature to add, but its usage will depend on different users and their needs.

Motorola has also added a new 5MP front camera with 84 degree wide angle lens. The new front camera will appeal to all selfie fans out there.

Software

Moto G4 runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow with near stock UI. Android Marshmallow gives it access to features like Google Now on Tap, Doze battery saving technology and renewed permissions to apps.

Moto has also added its own features like Moto Display and Moto Voice to the stock Android UI. With Moto Display, users can not only see incoming notifications from the lock screen, it can also be accessed with the help of a swipe. Moto G4 supports Moto Voice, but the feature is not as enriched as the one on Moto X series.

Moto G4 Plus's most useful feature is the Moto Camera options, which opens camera app with the flick of your wrist.

Battery

Moto G series never had a huge battery, but rather came with great battery optimisation to keep the device running all day long. Moto G4 Plus comes with a 3000mAh battery, and also supports Turbo charging.

Moto G4 Plus' home button also doubles up as fingerprint scanner. Motorola claims its device unlocks in less than 750 milliseconds

Moto claims six hours of battery life with just 15 minutes of charging. Moto G4 Plus should last a full day of use, but more on this once we have the review unit.

Wrap Up

Moto has again produced a great budget smartphone, but it proves there isn't much to improve on Moto G3. Motorola has added a new image sensor and made it slimmer by dropping IPX7 support.

Moto G4 could be a great option for those looking at buying a smartphone under Rs 15,000, but the competition is tighter than ever before.

Follow Express Techie on Facebook for the latest stories on technology, reviews and more. Or you can tweet out to us at @expresstechie for tips, latest tech news.

© The Indian Express Online Media Pvt Ltd

Source: Moto G4 Plus First Impressions: Better camera, display, but the competition is tough

VR gesture controls from your phone's camera? EyeSight is on it

Follow the bouncing ball! EyeSight's VR tech lets you play along.

EyeSight/YouTube

Smartphone-based VR headsets like Google Cardboard and Samsung Gear VR are some of the most affordable ways to experience virtual reality, but they lack the advanced motion-tracking controls of high-end headsets like the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive. However, if a YouTube video from Israeli gesture control company EyeSight Mobile Technologies is to be believed, that might not always be the case.

The video offers a demo of EyeSight-developed gesture controls for phone-based VR headsets. In it, a subject plays a game that's floating in front of him in augmented reality. The rear-facing camera in the phone that's strapped to his face tracks his finger as he points and "clicks" to control the game.

It'd be a similar trick to EyeSight's existing tech, which brings camera-based gesture controls to TV sets, smart glasses and computers. There's no word from EyeSight on when you should start expecting those sorts of gesture controls to arrive for your VR-ready phone, but with the right development, it could be here sooner than you might think.

Source: VR gesture controls from your phone's camera? EyeSight is on it

Sony launches Xperia XA Ultra with 16MP front camera, 6-inch display

Sony is building on the launch of three mid-range Xperia X series phones at MWC with a new model, the Xperia XA Ultra. As the name would lead you to believe, this is a big phone, with a 6-inch display that is dramatically larger than the 5-inch display of the standard XA though it retains the same looks as its smaller sibling.

That 6-inch display is still just 1920x1080 resolution, which will still be respectable but won't touch the QHD offerings out there on other big displays. Despite the big screen Sony is still claiming its usual "two days" of battery from the 2700 mAh battery. It's powered by a MediaTek MT6755 processor and 3GB of RAM, running Android 6.0 Marshmallow. There's 16GB of storage, with a microSD card slot offering 200GB of expansion.

More: Sony Xperia XA Ultra specs

Though it's easy to focus on the huge display, Sony is positioning the XA Ultra has a selfie-focused device, with some huge upgrades to the front-facing camera. The front-facer received a boost to 16MP, up from 8MP on the standard XA, and it also incorporates OIS (optical image stabilization) and a selfie flash. Thankfully, it also keeps the rear camera intact at a full 21.5MP for the majority of your photos.

The Xperia XA Ultra is set to hit "select markets" starting in July, coming in black, white and "lime gold" color variants. We'll have a better idea of specific launch plans as we get closer to that time frame, but right now it's a safe bet to look at where the current Xperia X and XA are available for a glimpse of where the XA Ultra will be available.

See at Sony

Press release:

Create the Perfect Night-time Selfie with the New Sony Xperia XA Ultra

Become the master of selfies with the 16MP front camera with super low-light capabilities for any situation

See more clearly with a super narrow smartphone thanks to a stunning borderless 6inch display

Stay powered for longer with up to two days battery life*

London, 17th May 2016, Sony Mobile Communications today announced a new addition to the revamped Xperia X series with the stylish selfie-cam masterpiece, Xperia XA Ultra.

With its large 6" screen, 16MP front camera, low-light sensor, up to two days battery life* and stylish thin design with borderless screen it is a fantastic mid-range smartphone for your every need.

Boasting an advanced selfie cam, you can create the perfect pose day or night, made possible by its 16MP front camera and Sony's renowned low-light sensors. Sony camera technology used in the Xperia XA Ultra helps you achieve sharp, bright, blur-free shots every time, it features a smart selfie flash to naturally illuminate your face for night scene selfies plus Optical Image Stabilisation to counter hand shake for both photos and videos. Taking your selfie is made even easier with the Hand Shutter feature, just raise a hand and the shutter timer will start to count down, leaving you time to make the perfect pout and strike a pose. Capturing the perfect spontaneous shot is also possible with the super-fast main camera featuring 21.5 megapixels, Hybrid Autofocus and quick launch and capture so you can go from standby to capture in a fraction of a second.

Fitting beautifully in your hand, the infinity-feel borderless 6-inch Full HD display with curved glass is encased by a metal surround that creates a seamless feel in your hand.

Despite the large screen its razor thin design and One-handed Operation Mode means you can still use it comfortably in one hand.

Xperia XA Ultra might have a big, bright display, but that doesn't compromise the Sony battery standard. You still get up to 2-days of battery life* from a single charge, leaving you more time to chat, snap and watch. Need a quick battery top-up? Use XA Ultra together with Quick Charger UCH12 ** and get 5.5 hours of battery life in just 10 minutes. Additionally, with integrated Qnovo adaptive charging technology the lifetime of your battery is extended so over time you get much more use out of your device.

Xperia XA Ultra is available in Graphite Black, White, or stunning Lime Gold from July in selected markets (please check with you local operators and retailers). A choice of stylish covers are available to complement and protect Xperia XA Ultra, including Style Cover Flip which offers an auto on/off for the screen when opening and closing the case in corresponding colours.

Source: Sony launches Xperia XA Ultra with 16MP front camera, 6-inch display