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Filmic Pro app makes it easy to color correct iPhone 7 video
If "the best camera is the one that's with you," then you always have a pretty damn good camera if you own an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus. To give you more options than Apple provides, Filmic has just released a beta version of its Pro app that lets you shoot 4K video in a "log" or flat profile, a feature found on pricey cinema cameras like the Red Weapon. Filmmaker Matteo Bertoli got his hands on it and showed exactly why you'd want video output that, at first, looks fairly drab (above, top). The idea is that you can then adjust the video so that it really pops (above, bottom) without losing details in the shadows and highlights.
LG's new 4K OLED TVs can do flat, curved -- or both
Quantum dot 4K LCD screens are nice, but it's LG's OLED TVs that we're most interested in, and the second generation is ready to ship this year. The best news? If last year's curved displays bothered you, these are all available in flat "Floating Art Slim" designs as well as curved. The top-of-the-line 77-inch 77EG9900 (pictured above) is flexible enough to do both, bringing last year's funky concept design to reality. The other six models are just flat or curved, and come in 55-, 65- and 77-inch sizes, with the new webOS 2.0 built-in. The bad news? There's still no word on price -- last year's 65-inch 4K OLED started out with a $10,000 MSRP -- but we're liveblogging today's press conference so we'll let you know if we hear any more details.
Vizio 'anti-curved glasses' ad takes aim at gimmicky HDTVs
Vizio is cracking jokes about fellow TV manufacturers like LG and Samsung with this new ad for anti-curved glasses. While we weren't bothered by it in our observations, we also haven't seen a ton of benefit from the approach yet. As usual, Vizio is separating itself from the pack by promising tech customers want, at a lower price, something it claimed when the others were pushing expensive 3D glasses or charging a ton for WiFi-equipped smart TVs. The tagline for 2015? "Beautifully flat Ultra HD." Vizio won't be showing off its TVs in Las Vegas this year, but the ad will give us something to consider while we're checking out what all the others have to offer.
Experimental UI equips you with a virtual tape measure and other skeuomorphs
While companies like Apple are moving away wholesale from faux real-world objects, one designer wants to take the concept to its extreme. Chris Harrison from CMU's Future Interfaces Group thinks modern, "flat" software doesn't profit from our dexterity with real-world tools like cameras, markers or erasers. To prove it, he created TouchTools, which lets you manipulate tools on the screen just as you would in real life. By touching the display with a grabbing motion, for example, a realistic-looking tape measure appears, and if you grab the "tape," you can unsheathe it like the real McCoy. He claims that provides "fast and fluid mode switching" and doesn't force designers to shoehorn awkward toolbars. So far, it's only experimental, but the idea is to eventually make software more natural to use -- 2D interfaces be damned.
LG will launch its first flat 55-inch OLED HDTV this week in Germany
While we're happy just to see a brand new display technology hit the streets, it was shocking to see LG and Samsung kick off the OLED era with curved displays. That's going to change however, as LG is bringing the 55EA8800 display to IFA 2013 this week with the notable characteristic of having a shape that's just like every other HDTV. That it's flat instead of curved also means this is the first wall-mountable OLED TV, and LG is topping off the experience with 2.2-channel "Canvas Speakers" integrated with a faux art mat behind the display itself. The art theme continues with a "Gallery Mode" that displays high res artwork from painters including Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin, or ones personal family pictures. There's no word on pricing yet, but after its German introduction other markets are expected to follow -- check after the break for the press release and in the gallery for a few more pictures.
The Iconfactory talks "flat" icons
The Iconfactory is a design company that helps create interface designs and icons for various apps. With the impending release of iOS 7 and the flat redesign that's coming with it, the company has published a blog post detailing what the shift to flat icons means for designers. At first glance the idea of creating flat icons for iOS seems like it should be easier to accomplish. Iconfactory doesn't agree. In their view, creating flat icons requires distilling an image down to its most basic parts, while still retaining the recognizable details that users associate with the apps they use. In a new blog post, the design firm breaks this idea down further: If you assume that Apple's flat style makes it easier and faster to create a great app icon, think different. Those tiny illustrations have a tall order to fill. At a basic level app icons are a tool for getting us to pay attention, but we also want them to be beautiful images that make us say, "Wow, I want that." Just because flat looks simple doesn't mean it is. It's not about the style. Fundamentally it's about problem solving; crafting a small, unique image that creates connection with an app at a glance and makes us engage on a visceral level. To further help illustrate what it takes to transition an app icon into the flattened gems you can expect to see in the fall, the company has published a post showcasing the process they took redesigning xScope's Mirror app. For a look at the various stages of design the app's icon went through, including the final product, head over to their blog here. It's an interesting read for those of us who enjoy good design, but weren't blessed with the artistic chops to do it ourselves.
Apple unveils a new iOS 7 site
As you might expect, Apple has unveiled a brand-new official website for iOS 7, showing off the new operating system, its new (flat!) look and new features. You can see a hint of what the new look is like above, but of course the website goes into much more detail, and shows off all of the new status bar features, the new notification center, multitasking panels, the new photo app, the new weather app, iMessage layout and the new iTunes Radio feature in the music app, too. That's a lot of newness -- as Tim Cook said, this is definitely one of the biggest changes the iPhone has ever seen. iOS 7 is available to developers starting today, and then it will see a public release later on this year. What do you think of the new look? I think it's cleaner for sure, which is nice. But it may take a little getting used to.
Flat-front dive housing for GoPro cameras available now, ready for your Memorial Day diving trip
Anyone looking to capture their next deep-sea adventure in high-definition video is in luck, because GoPro's new dive housing is now available to buy at its online store. We got a peek at this one during NAB 2012 a few weeks ago and were told its flat lens should cut down on vignetting and blurring. Compatible with all of its HD Hero family, the casing will set you back $50 and also up for grabs in the bricks-and-mortar likes of Best Buy, Sports Chalet and several specialist sports stores. All that remains is to recall where we left that robot submarine.
Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse rumor resurfaces, expected in September for $69.95 (updated)
It was almost exactly a month ago that we reported on swirling rumors of Microsoft pulling together a multitouch-capable mouse to call its own, while earlier this week we saw the company's Twitter feed enlivened with teasers of a mysterious new touch-input device. Coincidence? No chance, says Neowin, whose insider source confirms the Arc Touch Mouse moniker and also adds that launch is expected in September. It's said this peripheral will come with just basic touch functionality initially, with multitouch presumably being thrown in via a later update. Sounds like Microsoft's version of the Magic Trackpad, though the Mouse part of its name suggests it'll also be able to track around your desktop like a more conventional rodent as well. That'd certainly offer more versatility than the stationary Apple option, but we have our doubts about the ergonomics of using a flat mouse over long periods of time. More should be known soon, provided @msfthardware keeps feeling loquacious. Update: Never mind waiting for MSFT to tell us, the Arc Touch Mouse has appeared in a reseller's price list with an MSRP a few cents south of $70 -- right in line with Magic Trackpad and Magic Mouse pricing.
Microsoft teases something 'flat' and 'touchy'
Microsoft Hardware was a bit of a late-comer to Twitter, but it sure is making up for lost time -- it's just posted a pair of intriguing tweets teasing as yet unannounced product. The first is simply the phrase "Don't be so touchy...flat is where it's at," while the second is the tiny image you see above. What is it? A trackpad would certainly fit the description, and you can sort of see what could be the side of one if you flip that image around -- although that's still just speculation at the moment. Considering it's coming from the Microsoft Hardware division, however, it seems likely that it's a peripheral of some sort and not something like a tablet PC. Feel free to leave your best guess in the comments below. Update: As commenter edoles has pointed out, there's also a second image in Microsoft Hardware's Twitpic account, which was actually added six days ago. Check it out after the break, along with a composite of the two images pieced together courtesy of ChrissSk.
Kenwood lights up your life with prototype OLED-illumed speakers
Details are scarce on these new speakers from Kenwood, but if you find yourself frequently faced with a lamp-or-noise dilemma, we might've just stumbled upon the solution. The prototype flat speakers, developed by Junji Kido of Yamagata University in Japan, are inexplicably surfaced with white Lumiblade-style OLED lights -- we're not sure what that does for the sound, but we probably won't be trading in our studio monitors in anticipation of this brightly lit conjectured future.[Via OLED-Info]
The world (of Warcraft) is flat
Dramatized has a simple but intriguing question on the forums: "Is Azeroth flat or round?" It's got to be round, right? You can prove that the world is round a number of different ways, but do they actually work? I don't ever remember seeing ships disappearing beyond the horizon (in fact, Tydeus confirms that ships don't drop below the horizon, so either Azeroth is flat or just really, really big), and in most places on Azeroth, the horizon is actually a mountain range. And I've never seen an eclipse on Azeroth, so we have no idea what shape the world really is. The ingame map between Azeroth and Outland hints that it may be a globe, but really it's just the map overlaid into a circle -- no hints there.Neth hints in the thread that maybe even the Explorers' League doesn't really know if the world is round or not. But whether it's round or flat, it's a pretty good guess that there's a lot to this world we haven't yet seen -- if it is flat, neither the Horde or Alliance have reached the edge yet, and if it's round, you'd wonder why someone hasn't sailed from Darnassus across to Azshara (and if Northrend is what's north of the two main continents, what's south?). Remember this the next time someone asks just what else Blizzard can visit in future expansions -- there's a whole world out there we haven't been able to see yet.
Trak-kit flat-screen solution
So you just got a flat-screen a need a way to hang. But you don't want that same style that your buddy down the street is using. You need something unique. Well, Trak-kit has your ticket friend. Their system allows people endless possibilities for their flat-screen TVs. If you can dream it, Trak-ket can build it for you. They say the only limitation for length is the signal in the cables, but they even offer a solution for this. Since HDMI cables start to loss signal after 50 feet, Trak-kit can utilize a Crestron Cat-5 system to extend this to 500 feet. The track can even be hid in your ceiling for a truly, custom install package. Plus, you can hang your front/center speakers on a custom bracket and don't worry about the extra weight; Trak-ket can hold up to 500 pounds. They have some cool demos here that really show off the versatility of the system. The only downfall we can see is that is is not powered by remote; yet. They are working on it and should be available in '07.[via ApartmentTherapy.com]
