Chinese
French
German
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Russian
Spanish
Showing posts with label Apple. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Apple. Show all posts
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Vol. 2 No. 7
It has been a very busy couple of weeks. I am preparing for an adventure in southern Utah this coming week. I plan on venturing into Bryce Canyon, Kodachrome Basin, Zion National Park, and if time permits, a visit to Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. So make sure to check back later in the week as I begin uploading images from this trip.
In the meantime, I thought I would share with you the photography applications found on my iPhone. In addition to the almost 400 images currently in my Photo Library, I have a small collection of apps that I have found to be useful.
Best Camera $2.99
Seattle-based commercial photographer Chase Jarvis, teamed up with the Übermind iPhone development firm to produce this application. It is a companion to Chase's book of iPhone photography titled "The Best Camera Is The One That's With You." The application features 14 filters and effects. You can stack or apply these effects upon each other to create a new work of art, then upload and share the image with others. Sharing can take the form of an email, or send it out to your Facebook, Flickr or Twitter accounts. Best Camera is a very simple application to use and makes it real easy to share you iPhone photography with others. ●●●◌◌
Focalc $1.99
While easy to use, unless you understand hyperfocal distance and how to apply it in your dSLR photography, steer clear. Hyperfocal distance is a distance beyond which all objects can be brought into acceptable focus, for a lens focused at infinity. This is a really useful application for landscape photography. It supports 35mm, 4x5, 5x7, 6x4.5, 6x6, 6x7, 6x9, 8x10 and APS-C camera formats. ●●●●◌
PhotoAssist $1.99
Here's an app that helps me keep track of the gear I need for a particular shoot. I hate winding up on location only to discover I forgot a certain lens, cable or accessory. When I'm ready to pack for a shoot, this application allows me to bring up the inventory list specific to a photo session. My only gripe is typing in the initial equipment into iPhone can be tedious. This application would be best served with some sort of online account setup to allow you to utilize a full size keyboard for item entries and updates. ●●●◌◌
Gorillacam Free
I love this app and the price cannot be beat. The application features a grid overlay to help you compose and create more interesting photography. Gorillacam has a bubble level that sits along the upper edge to assist in levelling your shots. A time-lapse option allows you to specify the number of shots and then the interval in which they're captured. The app has a self-timer you can set from 3 to 90 seconds, and a 3-shot burst mode takes three quick photos with a single tap. And one of my favorite features is the "press anywhere" feature that allows you to trigger the shutter by touching anywhere on the screen. This is a definite download. ●●●●●
ReelDirector $7.99
This one is a bit pricey as iPhone apps go. Owning a 3Gs iPhone with decent video capture presented a need for this application. While it is not iMovie, it does provide some nice video editing features. Version 2.4 adds the ability to import music and improves the processing speed. Keep in mind this is not a video capture application, it's a video editor. So you need to capture your video and stills beforehand. You can easily bring your clips and photos in from the iPhone's Camera Roll folder. Render time for 30 seconds of video with an audio track took about 1:45 minutes. Importing music, trimming and splitting video clips, and the ability to pan and zoom still photographs are great features. But do they justify the price tag? ●●●◌◌
PS Mobile Free
Photoshop.com Mobile for the iPhone arrived in Q4 of 2009, with an update this past january. This photo editor allows you to crop, straighten, rotate and flip images taken from within the application using your iPhone camera, or manipulate an image in your Photo library. PS mobile doesn't stop there, you can alter the exposure, saturation, tint and contrast, convert the image from color to black and white, add filters such as soft focus and sketch, sharpen your image, and add several effects and borders. All these editing tools are easily accessed via drop down menus. And to assist in your photo editing adventure, this application supports multiple level undos. So you can try any effect on for size first without commitment. This application is a companion to the online Photoshop.com account site (free) allowing you to leverage the iPhone app to capture and conduct mobile editing and then upload it to your account online to share in your gallery. For a free app, it's worth the download. I did expect Adobe's premier iPhone application to have more power and flexibility as a photo editing tool. ●●◌◌◌
In part two of My iPhone Photo Apps, I'll review five more photography-related applications I keep handy on my phone.
-30-
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Vol. 2 No. 6
There are already thousands of reviews since Apple's founder Steve Jobs, debuted the product this past Wednesday. I'll try not to rehash too much that has already been said about the product and stick to my impressions of the Apple iPad.
In case you've been living under a rock for the last week, here is the official Apple iPad video. You will need QuickTime to view this video.
To start with, it is a great looking piece of design. Using the product will come natural to over 22 million iPhone users. Honestly, it looks like a very, very big iPhone. The user interface, from just viewing the Apple video and reading countless reviews, looks to be extremely fast and responsive.
To start with, it is a great looking piece of design. Using the product will come natural to over 22 million iPhone users. Honestly, it looks like a very, very big iPhone. The user interface, from just viewing the Apple video and reading countless reviews, looks to be extremely fast and responsive.
Is it perfect? Absolutely...not. Don't get me wrong, there are a great deal of positives that I can see in this device. And, I'll try and be a balanced as possible in my review. So let's start with what is wrong with this device.
The Cons:
No Flash Player support
This web browser video plug-in extremely pervasive reaching almost 99% of Internet-enabled desktops and laptops. This definitely limits the "ultimate browsing experience."
This web browser video plug-in extremely pervasive reaching almost 99% of Internet-enabled desktops and laptops. This definitely limits the "ultimate browsing experience."
No Multi-tasking
Can't run other apps in the background. I can do it with a hardware-handicapped netbook. What gives? Only way "it fills the gap between an iPhone and a laptop" is what Steve Jobs told the crowd of reporters at January 27th's announcement.
No Camera
I don't think a 5 megapixel camera is required on a device of this size, but web camera is a must. This would definitely step up the device interaction capability.
No Phone
While it would be pretty comical to see someone with the iPad affixed to the side of their head, I'm talking Skype. But since there is no camera support, video telephony is not an option. Sorry grandma.
No SD Card Reader
Speaking of camera support, the absence of a card reader to allow us photogs to capture images shot with our dSLR camera, and then quickly display them on the stunning back-lit LED, is a huge oversight. Come on Apple, SD slots have been on laptops for a couple of years now.
Dongle Access Only
No card reader, no built-in USB and no HDMI. VGA is okay, but HDMI would have been a better option. Other than the headphone jack the 30-pin Apple connector is the only road in our out.
HD Support
While video on the iPad seems like a dream come true, there is no HDMI-out for sharing on a large flat screen.
No Cell Carrier SubsidyAT&T is not offering any subsidy on the data plans required for 3G service.
The Pros:
WOW factor
What can you say? Apple does have a knack for design coupled with functionality. The form factor is awesome weighing in at just 1.5 pounds and just a half-inch thick. It has sex appeal.
What can you say? Apple does have a knack for design coupled with functionality. The form factor is awesome weighing in at just 1.5 pounds and just a half-inch thick. It has sex appeal.
InterfaceMulti-touch is natural to use and the learning curve is pretty shallow. Touch, swipe and gesture. That's pretty much all you need to learn.
Apps
The ones you already own will work as well as the other 140,000 in iTunes. Apple already released the Software Developer's Kit (SDK) so expect some crafty programmers to leverage the platform.
Expanded Content
Not only will iTunes and the App Store keep you in music movies, TV shows, and games to business apps, the new iBookstore will and provide access to classics, textbooks and bestselling books.
Battery Life
The lithium-polymer battery offers a 10-hour life between feedings. Charging is accomplished via the power adapter or USB to a computer.
LED-Backlit IPS Display
The display is the centerpiece. Sporting a 9.7" 1024 by 768 pixel screen at 132 pixels per inch (ppi), the In Plane Switching technology makes it remarkably crisp and vivid when sharing with others.
Bluetooth 2.1
A cordless Bluetooth-enabled keyboard can be paired making text entry easier when the virtual keyboard isn't enough.
No Contract Data Plan
Still dependent on AT&T's 3G service (for now), they offer unlimited data at $30/month or 250Mb at $15/month, both without a contract.
Will I be buying the iPad?
Eventually, but not until multi-tasking is added. Apple says they left it out to limit occasional crashes that lock up the device. I own a PC, I can deal with a few reboots every now and then.
Eventually, but not until multi-tasking is added. Apple says they left it out to limit occasional crashes that lock up the device. I own a PC, I can deal with a few reboots every now and then.
Apple did announce a dongle which addresses camera support for the iPad. A Camera Connection Kit allows direct USB camera hook-up or photo import using the SD Card Reader. A Keyboard Dock and iPad Case round out the optional accessories available when the unit hits the retail market in March.
As a photographer, I can see myself justifying an iPad purchase in the not-too-distant future. What better way to display my portfolio to a potential client?
The price is pretty reasonable starting at $499 for the 16Gb Wi-Fi only model and going to $829 for the 64Gb Wi-Fi + 3G unit.
I also think the iPad will put a serious hurting on the Kindle and other readers. While not the biggest book reader, I do ingest a serious number of magazines every month. Color-driven magazines don't work well on the monochrome liquid ink readers.
The price is pretty reasonable starting at $499 for the 16Gb Wi-Fi only model and going to $829 for the 64Gb Wi-Fi + 3G unit.
I also think the iPad will put a serious hurting on the Kindle and other readers. While not the biggest book reader, I do ingest a serious number of magazines every month. Color-driven magazines don't work well on the monochrome liquid ink readers.
Once the multi-tasking and Flash support issues are addressed, I'll probably be dropping some cash on the next-generation version. Until then, it will be plenty of visits to the Apple Store to hold and gaze upon the iPad.
You know you want to touch it.
-30-
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
