Focus2
Latest
Review: Focus 2 for Mac is a worthwhile app for non-Photoshop users
Focus 2 (US$ 11.99) is a useful Mac photography app that probably does the opposite of what you might think from its name. The app isn't designed to focus your images, but rather de-focus them so you can direct the eye to the portions of the photo that are really important. The app simulates what special lenses can do on your camera, but with Focus 2, it's possible to endlessly adjust and refine focus effects rather than just get one chance with a single photograph or two. You start by dragging a photo into the app, and then selecting from macro, tilt-shift, portrait, nature or architecture tools. You can move and rotate the focus point around to get the effect you want, straighten and crop images, add vignettes and adjust aspect ratio. There is also a one-click enhancement feature that changes contrast and saturation to improve some photos. The app works just fine. I actually found more photos in my collection were enhanced by using Focus 2 than I expected. Photos can be sent directly from Focus 2 to Photoshop, Aperture, Lightroom and iPhoto. Focus 2 supports RAW files, and has been updated for Mavericks. Changes of focus are fast, and tapping the space bar on your keyboard reverts to the original image. In portrait mode, face recognition helps the placement of the focus points. All in all, this is an impressive app. The well-skilled Photoshop user has other ways to achieve these effects, but applying them is a lot easier in Focus 2 than going through the multi-step methods required with Photoshop. Another app with a similar, but not as extensive, feature set is Focus Pro at $4.99. I think Focus 2 wins a comparison simply by having more editing tools and flexibility. The tested version is scheduled for release this week. It's a performance update from the original release, and also adds monochrome filtering and some additional realism to the blur effects. Focus 2 requires OS X 10.7 or later and a 64-bit processor.
Refresh Roundup: week of May 13th, 2013
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
Samsung Focus 2 review
Ready for Samsung's latest entrant to the Windows Phone game? Hopefully you answered "yes," because we're about to take you through an in-depth look at such a device: the Focus 2. Around the time that we United States-based Engadgeteers were lusting over Nokia's Lumia 800 and getting to know the HTC Titan, Samsung introduced its Focus S and lower-tiered Focus Flash WP7.5 handsets. Redmond's hardware restrictions haven't exactly changed much since then, begging the question as to how the Focus 2 fits in as a late follow-up to the original Focus from back in 2010. The bulk of the answer, of course, is LTE. This handset is the only other Windows Phone aside from the Lumia 900 and HTC Titan II to feature such connectivity on Ma Bell's network. That, and it's priced at just $50 dollars on a two-year commitment. Is it a veritable steal like the Focus Flash proved to be, though? Join us past the break where we'll lay it all out.
Samsung's Focus 2 arrives at AT&T today, a slice of LTE-equipped Mango for $50
Not long after Samsung's SGH-i667 "Mandel" looked like it would never see the light of day, the Windows Phone 7.5 device made its official debut at CTIA, dubbed as the Focus 2. As expected, the phone is officially on sale today at AT&T retailers across the US, giving folks another option aside from the HTC Titan II or flagship Lumia 900 for a fix of LTE and Mango on the network. To refresh your memory, you'll find a 4-inch Super AMOLED display and VGA camera up front, and a 5MP shooter on back that capture 720p video. Internally, there's a 1.4GHz single-core CPU (exceedingly par for the course for Windows Phone at this point) and a 1,750mAh battery to hopefully ensure you'll have enough juice to get through the day. Despite the speedy connectivity, we'd be remiss not to mention that the Focus 2 packs a paltry 8GB of non-expandable storage and only comes in Glossy Pure White -- but for fifty bucks under a new two-year agreement, we won't kvetch too much. Our full review is coming soon, so hit the source link for more details in the meantime.
CTIA 2012: a look back at our favorite devices
CTIA 2012 is wrapping up and we thought we'd spend a few minutes reminiscing about some of the more interesting devices we had a chance to see for the first time or that were launched here. Unfortunately for us -- and thereby for you, too -- the show lacked the bite we've seen at previous events, in fact it barely registered a nibble. We did catch up with five products we'd like to highlight so follow on after the break for our recap.
Samsung's SGH-i667 'Mandel' Windows Phone: surprise, it's the Focus 2
Mystery, solved. That SGH-i667 'Mandel' Windows Phone that cropped up earlier in the month (and is shown above on the left)? Word on the street at that point was that it had been nixed from AT&T's lineup, but somehow, that same device actually made the trip to New Orleans. Sure enough, it debuted at CTIA as the Focus 2, a mid-range followup phone that's destined to tempt smartphone buyers to the WP7 side with a rock-bottom $50-on-contract price point. Hard to say if Samsung and AT&T mutually decided to carry through with launch plans after initially spiking 'em (or if that intel was just wrong to begin with), but we can think of it least one recently-canned phone that's hoping it's the former.
Samsung Focus 2 for AT&T hands-on at CTIA 2012 (update: video)
It's the first night of action at CTIA Wireless 2012, and we're not wasting any time finding the best of what New Orleans has to offer. To start things off properly, we got some time with the Samsung Focus 2, announced by AT&T earlier this morning as the latest addition to the network's healthy Windows Phone lineup. Of course, the phone's no stranger to being in front of the cameras -- this is just the first time it's occurred without any shroud of secrecy surrounding it. So what kind of specs come with the Focus 2? The $50 handset, due out on May 20th, offers a 4-inch Super AMOLED WVGA display, a 1.4GHz CPU with unspecified RAM, 5MP rear-facing camera capable of recording 720p HD video, a VGA cam on the front and LTE connectivity. The Focus 2, without a doubt, feels completely tiny in our hands when compared to Nokia and HTC's latest Windows Phone entries. And at 4.3 ounces, it's incredibly light as well -- sadly, the device's 11.98mm thickness was a slight disappointment for us. Aside from the inclusion of LTE and a 1,750mAh user-removable battery, we're not quite sure the reasoning behind it. With that said, anything with a display smaller than 4.3 inches these days seems immensely easy to grip, regardless. When handling the phone, we couldn't help but think of the similarly designed Galaxy Blaze 4G, as the two devices appear to have come from the same mold. Overall, this isn't a device meant for power users, and it faces some heavy competition against the Nokia Lumia 900 in price point (though the Focus 2 is slightly less expensive than the Lumia's normal subsidized cost). But for anyone who enjoys a Windows Phone with a smaller display and was disappointed in the lack of LTE connectivity on the Focus Flash, this will be the ideal handset for you. If your curiosity is getting the best of you, go below to see the full gallery. Update: Hit the break for our hands-on video.
Samsung and AT&T announce Focus 2: LTE Windows Phone on May 20th for $50
The Nokia Lumia 900 may be the current leader when it comes to a quality Windows Phone handset on a budget, but Samsung is under-cutting the competition with the newly announced Focus 2. Succeeding the Focus and Focus S, this new handset offers LTE and comes in any color you like (so long as it's white) for the low-low price of $49.99 on-contract. It has a 4-inch Super AMOLED (non-Plus) display up front and a five megapixel sensor in the back, capable of recording 720p video, paired with a VGA camera facing forward. No details on processor memory at this point, but for that price we wouldn't expect to be too overwhelmed. Intrigued? You can sate that curiosity when it hits AT&T stores on May 20th. Update: AT&T's site now specifies that the Focus 2 will use a 1.4GHz CPU.
