LedFlash
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iblazr wants to bring more professional lighting to your iOS photos
Someone at Apple is probably going to put my name on yet another blacklist, but it has to be said -- the iPhone camera flash sucks. In general, it doesn't have enough power to light up subjects that are more than just a few feet away, there's no way to adjust the temperature of the light, and ... well, the list goes on and on. Fortunately Kiev-based iblazr lab has a Kickstarter that's nearing its goal of US$58,000 to start production of iblazr, a tiny, yet sophisticated flash and light for iOS and Android devices that comes with an accompanying app to deftly synchronize shutter and flash. The images here show how well the iblazr and its app work together for fill-in flash, and just how powerful the iblazr is compared to the standard iPhone flash (iPhone flash on top, iblazr below): The team, headed by Vlad Tislenko, produced a very good promo video that you can view below. At this time, you can back the project and get an iblazr when they ship sometime in December starting at just $39.
Flashy notifications from Flashr Kickstarter project
LED notifications -- the flashing reminders of incoming calls, waiting voicemail or text messages -- are often cited by Android users as an essential advantage over the iPhone. A dedicated LED on the front bezel of many Android devices lets you know when you have something to attend to without even picking up your phone. Soon iPhone owners may be able to share in this convenience if the FLASHr, a Kickstarter project from Phaze5, gets funded and made. The FLASHr design shows an iPhone case with a light-up border that will flash when you get an incoming call, text message or other push notifications. And it's not just a little round circle -- two sides of the case and the back logo will glow. Based on the images provided on the Kickstarter page, the LED alert would be difficult to miss. In case you're wondering, FLASHr takes advantage of the accessibility options in iOS, one of which lets hearing-impaired users turn on LED Flash alerts. When the LED flash of the camera lights up, a reflective component directs this light into the translucent glow frame part of the case. There are several different color combinations that'll let you customize the case color and glow frame part of the case. Pledges start at $30 for the Early Bird special which will get you one FLASHr case with your choice of case and glow frame color. You can watch a demo of the case in the video below. Post updated to clarify that the FLASHr uses passive reflection of the iPhone flash and does not have its own LEDs. [via TechCrunch] #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; } #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
New LED flash controller promises to give floodlight brightness at cell phone size
Still looking forward to a world where cell phone cameras don't suck? So is STMicroelectronics, and it hopes to hurry along a photogenic future with the help of a new supercapacitor-powered integrated camera flash. STCF04, the outfit's new integrated camera flash and torch controller, gives its LED flash module over 40 Watts of power, reportedly allowing it to give off the same level of brightness as an outdoor security floodlight -- handily blinding your friends and family with each merry burst of the bulb. STMicroelectronics says this luminescent overkill helps high-megapixel camera sensors absorb more light, cutting down on the need for longer exposure time and hopefully resulting in less image blur when shooting indoors. The sensor packs in eight user-selectable flash levels, and features up to 12 levels of brightness for torch (you know, flashlight) use. Phone or camera manufactures who want in on the action will be able to order the chip for $2 a pop later this year -- if they're willing to risk giving Mr. Blurrycam a break, that is. Hit the break for a flash of the chip's official press release.
Samsung Galaxy S II LTE phone surfaces in Korea, codenamed Celox?
There's a new Samsung Galaxy S II rumor circulating the web today -- this time, it's emanating from South Korea, where specs and images of an LTE smartphone, reportedly codenamed "Celox," have just surfaced. According to its listing, the phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon APQ8060 processor, sports a 4.5-inch WVGA Super AMOLED Plus display, and boasts 16GB of internal memory, with a microSD slot offering an extra 32GB. The phone also runs on Gingerbread, rocks a 1750mAh battery (compared to the smaller Galaxy S II's 1650mAH cell), offers 800MHz LTE support (at up to 50Mbps upstream, 100Mbps downstream) and features an 8MP rear-facing camera, along with a 2MP sensor up front. It all seems pretty similar to that Hercules handset we recently spotted, except for its noticeably different home button, protruding back, and LED flash. No word yet on if or when the handset will hit the market, but considering that both Verizon and AT&T support 700MHz LTE, this particular model may be destined for Europe's 800MHz networks, rather than the US. We'll be sure to bring you all the details as soon as they pour in. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
LG G-Slate makes guest appearance on MysteryGuitarMan's YouTube channel (video)
LG's promotional strategy for the G-Slate seems to be to keep officially mum about the device, while letting random pseudo-celebrities tease it out in brief glimpses. A week ago, K-Pop artist Seungri gave us our first sighting of the dual-camera array on the back of the G-Slate, which has today made its triumphant return to YouTube, courtesy of one MysteryGuitarMan. The rear of the device here doesn't look identical to the one in Seungri's video, however the metallic strip separating the cams and its "with Google" branding look nearly identical to what LG has on the back of its Optimus 2X Android smartphone. We're also seeing a single LED flash for the first time, there are a couple of unidentified connectors at the bottom, at least one of them likely to assist docking in landscape mode, and we do get to see the tablet in profile for an idea of how thin it is. Video after the break.
Yellowing issues with the iPhone 4's camera
There's more trouble for the iPhone 4. Some users are reporting that poor white balance is affecting some of their photos; specifically, indoor shots taken, both, with and without the LED flash have a predominately yellow hue. This typically happens when a digital camera has trouble reading the type of light in a given environment. As Macworld explains, all types of light -- fluorescent light, sunlight, tungsten bulbs, etc. -- create different hues in photographs. The digital camera's job is to notice which hues are present and calibrate accordingly (that's a rough overview, but you get the idea). You can see the yellowing in the photo above, which shows the same photograph taken with an iPhone 3G, an iPhone 3GS, an iPhone 4, and a Canon 5D. Apple has not yet responded to Macworld's inquiries about the issue, but we'll let you know if and when they do. In the meantime, have you seen this issue?
iPhone OS 4.0 beta 4 hints at LED flash, camera for iPad, iPod, iPhone
We've yet to see concrete proof that Apple's portable media players will ship with a camera, but the new iPhone OS 4.0 beta shows Cupertino's at least considering the notion for the iPod touch and even the iPad. It seems AT&T tethering wasn't the only thing hidden in iPhone OS 4.0 beta 4 -- 9to5Mac found a variety of telltale references to an a flash when pouring through the update's source code. Does that mean that the iDevices will actually get cameras, let alone supporting light fixtures? It's too early to tell... but we did spot an LED flash on that early iPhone HD, and a recent Vietnamese leak proves that Apple at least prototyped an iPod touch with a camera -- though no flash, sadly -- as well. Is Apple simply updating their error messages, or is there something to this? You make the call.
