Moment
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Moment's $100 MagSafe cage makes your iPhone filmmaking a tiny bit more pro
The video cage is compatible with the iPhone 12 and 13.
Moment unveils a line of MagSafe camera accessories for the iPhone 12
Moment, the company that manufactures external lenses, apps and accessories for smartphones, is taking full advantage of the iPhone 12’s MagSafe technology. It just unveiled a line of MagSafe accessories that will let you attach your iPhone 12 to tripods or walls, and accessories like cold shoe mounts to your iPhone 12.
High-tech hearing aids for gadget lovers
These days, hearing aids are becoming more like consumer technology. We take a look at two of the latest and greatest to see which one should appeal to gadget lovers the most.
Moment stops work on its Android camera app due to complexity
You may have to be pickier about your choice of phone if you're a mobile photography enthusiast. Moment has stopped working on its Pro Camera app for Android due to a lack of "engineering bandwidth" (read: enough available staff) to develop the software properly. Simply put, it comes down to the complexity of the Android ecosystem. Phone makers frequently create custom Android versions with different levels of access to "select camera features," Moment said, leading to wildly varying feature compatibility lists -- and that's before accounting for OS updates that break these manufacturer changes.
Moment's big Pro Camera update brings its Android app up to speed
Moment has announced its biggest ever update for Pro Camera, which adds a bunch of cool new features to the app, and brings the Android version up to parity. And to celebrate, if you download the app for the first time you'll get 15 percent off in the Moment Shop, which carries more than 20 photography and travel brands.
Moment's 58mm lens is a portrait machine
When it comes to smartphone lenses, all I ever hear about are wide-angle lenses. More friends in the shot, more of the environment in the scene, yada yada yada. You're popular and you travel, I get it. But sometimes you want a picture of one thing. In that case, what you need is a telephoto lens. They're the go-to tool for portraits and landscapes. Back in 2014, Moment released its first 60mm telephoto lens for the iPhone 5 and 5S. Things have changed since then: Smartphone image sensors are bigger and their lenses are sharper, so using Moment's older 60mm lens on a modern device doesn't yield very good results. There's a lot of distortion around the edges, and it looks pretty soft.
Moment's latest telephoto lens is designed for newer phones
Moment released a telephoto lens for phones back in 2014, but it was designed for small phones like the iPhone 5S and quickly developed distortion on phones with larger camera sensors. You had to investigate alternatives like OlloClip's upcoming Pro Telephoto to get a lens designed for newer handsets. No more -- Moment has unveiled a 58mm telephoto lens that's designed for the latest smartphones, including those with dual cameras. Pair it with a device like the iPhone XS or Galaxy Note 9 and you can achieve up to 4X optical zoom. It's also one of the "sharpest" lenses of its kind with a six-element glass design, according to Moment, and promises to spruce up portrait photos on single-lens phones like the iPhone XR and Pixel 3 series.
Moment's Anamorphic lens provides epic looks
When Moment announced an anamorphic lens, it really caught my attention. After all, the film Tangerine was shot on an iPhone 5S using an anamorphic lens from Moondog Labs, so I was excited to try my hand at a more cinematic look. But what is an anamorphic lens? And why does it look so weird? The first thing you'll notice about the Moment Lens Anamorphic is that it's rectangular instead of round, like most lenses. That's because the elements inside are rectangular, and if you look closely, you can see the glass inside bend around horizontally. This curve effectively squeezes 33 percent more of the scene onto the sensor. In fact, the technique was popularly used to squeeze widescreen video onto 35mm film, which has an aspect ratio of 3:2 instead of the now-ubiquitous 16:9.
Moment Pro camera app now supports the Pixel 2's custom HDR chip
One of the biggest selling points of Google's Pixel 2 is undoubtedly its camera, thanks largely to the Pixel Visual Core -- the custom chip that makes Pixel photos really pop. Some third-party apps such as Snapchat and Instagram have built in support for this, and now the Moment Pro Camera app is joining the fold. It's not a huge surprise -- Moment announced it would be launching a Pro Camera app for Android about a month ago, and said it would roll out support for Pixel Visual Core in a future update. And here it is.
The best smartphone camera accessories
The two best ways to improve your smartphone photography are "talent" and "practice," but if you'd rather buy your way to better shots, that works too. Nowadays, there's a great selection of accessories like clip-on lenses, stabilizers, stands and other gear you can get without blowing a hole in your budget. If you've been thinking about taking that next step, here are a few questions to ask yourself and some of the best products on the market.
The best lenses for iPhone photography
By Erin Lodi This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer's guide to the best technology. When readers choose to buy The Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read the full article here. After more than 16 hours of research during which we considered 70 lens attachments and tested 15 models (with hands-on shooting that included a hiking trip through the Cascade Mountains and sightseeing on a Grand Canyon road trip), we found that Moment's Tele and Wide mobile-photography lenses are the best for avid smartphone photographers. They offer image quality as good as that of anything we tested, along with a straightforward attachment system that doesn't lock you into using a case you don't like (unlike most of the competition).
Runtastic takes on Withings with 'Moment' analog fitness watch
Runtastic may have started as a training log app, but it soon progressed to putting its badge on running watches and accessories. The Orbit was possibly the company's most confident step into the world of wearables, and today it's making another with the "proper watch" Moment activity tracker. The Moment logs all the basics you'd expect from a fitness tracker: steps, distance, time active, calories burned and sleep patterns, along with a dial on the watch face showing progress towards your goal. Like Withings' Activité and Pop devices, the Moment's analog styling extends to running on a regular watch battery, so it won't need daily/weekly charging. This means no annoying ports, too, which helps keep things nice and sealed -- waterproof to 300 feet by Runtastic's reckoning.
Moment's camera case gives your iPhone a two-stage shutter key
If there's one thing (and there is) I miss about carrying around my Lumia 1020, it's that phone's dedicated, two-stage camera button. Designed to mimic "real" camera shutter releases, it's a feature I've missed dearly on my current daily driver, Apple's iPhone 6. Seattle-based Moment seems to think I'm not alone in wanting a more camera-like experience when snapping pics with my phone. Starting today, the small company is taking to Kickstarter to launch the Moment Case -- a camera case it hopes will bring DSLR-like control to iPhone shutterbugs.
Moment announces 18mm wide-angle and 60mm 2X telephoto lens for iPhone 6
The iPhone 6 already has an incredibly powerful camera but, as we learned with previous generations, that doesn't mean it can't be made better with a little help. Moment has announced two brand new add-on lenses for the iPhone 6 to enhance your shooting experience; a 18mm wide-angle lens and a 60mm 2X telephoto lens. Each retails for $99.99 and comes with a phone mount for easy installation. The phone mount is designed to work with or without a case. If you're worried about the mount adding extra thickness to your iPhone, rest easy knowing it only adds an extra millimeter to the top of the device. You can find both lenses for sale right now in Moment's online store.
Crowdfunded Project News: The best of Kickstarter, Indiegogo and the rest
Every week, TUAW provides readers with an update on what new or significant crowdfunded Apple-related projects are in the news. While our policy is to not go into detail on items that haven't reached at least 80 percent of their funding goal, this update is designed to give readers a heads-up on projects they might find interesting enough to back. Note that we're not covering those "projects" on Indiegogo where people are trying to get someone else to cough up money for a new computer or tablet... From Kickstarter Bringrr, yet another one of the "find your lost stuff" Bluetooth tags, but this one actually makes sense. You can change the batteries in the tags (unlike those that you simply throw out after a year or two); they're small enough to be pet-friendly; and it comes with a car charger/alert so that you can actually make sure you've got your tagged stuff before you drive off -- 68 percent funded with 19 days to go. Everydisk from Avatron is about halfway funded, but only has 10 days to go to meet its goal. If you'd like a nice, encrypted personal cloud storage solution from a trusted name in the app world, get behind this project. EyeShield has to be one of the goofiest-looking iPhone cases around. The idea is that you have a sunshade that can fold over the top of the iPhone 5/5s screen so you can see it in sunlight. Or you could just turn your body and provide your own shadow to make the screen visible... 7 percent funded with 17 days to go. Smartlet. Why just look nerdy with an oversized smartwatch on your wrist when you can strap your iPhone to your wrist? 28 percent funded with eight days to go. Moment is a high-quality wide-angle and telephoto lenses for the iPhone camera from people with experience in the lens business. The lenses can be used on a variety of smartphones using a thin metal adapter. This one is in the bag -- 166 percent funded with 29 days to go. (Hat tip to Hal Sherman for telling us about this one) TEO, a keyless padlock that is unlocked with an app. No keys to lose, no combinations to forget; 35 percent funded with 51 days to go. We covered this last week; it seems to have gained some traction and looks like it might keep gaining momentum. I guess there were a lot of us who forgot our locker combinations in high school... meMINI, the wearable camera from last week, is funded -- 101 percent, with 21 days to go. From Indiegogo Airtame is billed as "wireless HDMI for everyone," and this project is a winner -- 511 percent funded with six days left; think of it as an AirPlay/Chromecast that works anywhere you have an HDMI port. Athene is an interesting idea -- a designer bracelet that works as a Lightning charging cable, USB flash drive and fashion accessory -- 58 percent funded with 31 days left. Now if they could just make a utility belt... FitCute is a smart body analyzer (i.e., Bluetooth-enabled scale) that works with an iPhone app to provide info on eight different body stats. Too bad that it's 22 percent funded with less than three days to go. Oh, and that logo looks way too much like the Withings app icon... Birdi. Are you upset that Nest was purchased by Google? Here's a solution: Birdi is a smart air monitor/smoke alarm that works with an app and provides details on inside air quality. It's at 72 percent funding with 10 days left in the project campaign. Now if we can just get them to make a thermostat, too... Eyebloc -- paranoid much? Worried that the NSA is looking at your face through your webcam? Don't have a piece of electrical tape that you can put over the camera to stop THEM from watching you 24/7? Then back Eyebloc, which is a little piece of plastic that goes over your camera. Yeah, I thought it was pretty dumb, too -- 12 percent funded with 25 days left. Woodster is a goofy idea that actually has some merit -- it's an iMac stand with two USB 3.0 ports built into it, made out of wood. Perfect for those situations where you need to prop your iMac up a bit higher (low desk or tall person). It's 40 percent funded with 33 days left. If you're aware of any other crowdfunded Apple-related projects, be sure to let us know about them through the Tip Us button at the upper right of the TUAW home page for future listing on the site.
Moment begins Kickstarter campaign for clip-on smartphone camera lenses
If you're fed up with the camera on your phone, there's no shortage of clip-on lenses to enhance the experience: Just take a look at Sony, Olloclip and Photojojo for great examples of this. This doesn't mean there isn't room for a new contender, however. Moment, a startup founded by the creator of Contour, has just launched a Kickstarter project for a pair of lenses that clip on to your iPhone, iPad or Samsung Galaxy S 2, 3 or 4. The new products, which consist of your choice of wide-angle or telephoto, can be mounted onto the phones with a thin piece of metal. Each one features a four- or five-element lens, almost no geometric distortion or chromatic aberration, the same professional-quality cinema glass that Moment claims is used for HD film and slightly larger diameters designed to keep image quality the same around the edges as it is in the center. If you choose to back the project, you'll be able to buy one lens for $50 or two for $100, though there are a couple more expensive options should you be interested in getting something a little more exclusive.
Moment: Making it easier to post to Facebook
Facebook may be one of the world's most popular social sharing services, but that doesn't mean that it's easy to figure out how to upload text and images, especially when you're in the web app on your Mac browser. Tapmates is on the verge of releasing a new OS X app, Moment (US$7.99, $3.99 introductory pricing), which should arrive on the Mac App Store later this week and make posting to Facebook quick and simple. I've had a chance to try a pre-release version of Moment and my only wish is that it was available on iOS as well. Once installed, the app hides in your menu bar until you need it. You'll receive both a visual and audible notification when someone you follow on Facebook posts, and with a click you can see what has been posted at a glance. Want to see the full Facebook post? Just click on the shortcut and you're there. But the real power of Moment is in how simple it makes posting to Facebook. Let's say that I've just spent a day being chased by polar bears on Spitsbergen and want to let my Facebook friends see photos. After saving my digital photos onto my MacBook Pro, I simply select the photos I want to share on Facebook, and drag them to the Moment icon. By typing in a short note and selecting the Facebook album that the photos are going to, I can then just click Post and it's all done. If my friends make comments about the photo, they show up in the app. What Moment is so successful with is taking all the work out of Facebook posting... and browsing. Hopefully the app will be available Thursday so you can enjoy it as well.
Samsung Moment gets Froyo upgrade -- without Samsung's or Sprint's help
Though the Moment got an official upgrade to Android 2.1, it seems that Samsung's hospitality dried up there -- Froyo hasn't showed up, and considering the difficulty they've had getting the newer Epic 4G on 2.2, we wouldn't be holding our breath. Of course, that doesn't mean the hacking community isn't doing what it can to keep the Moment up to date, and to that end, the so-called SDX Froyo M900 project recently hit Release Candidate 1. It looks like virtually all of the major issues have been cleaned up, save for GPS (doesn't that always seem to be the weak spot on Sammy hardware?) -- so if you're dying for SD-based app installs, you're going to either want to take the plunge or keep a close eye on the effort. [Thanks, Numus]
Samsung Intercept ambushed in the wild, features higher res screen (video)
When we first got word of a Samsung Moment successor, we were concerned it would be too little, too late... but this week a man headed off Sammy's new Intercept at a Best Buy (for $100, reportedly), and there's slightly more to this device than it originally seemed. While the form factor and features are familiar enough -- a QWERTY slider with a 3.2 megapixel camera and 3.2-inch screen -- that display apparently sports a 800 x 480 resolution now, the keyboard seems much improved, ports and buttons have been thoroughly revamped, and the whole unit's been given a lovely sheen. No word on internal specs quite yet -- and no Froyo, either -- but you can judge how responsive it is for yourself in a video after the break. [Thanks, Brad B.]
Sprint: EVO 4G users getting Android 2.2 'in the near future' (Update: No upgrade for Moment, Hero)
It looks like EVO 4G users will soon have one more thing to smile about, as Sprint has just announced that an Android 2.2 (aka Froyo) upgrade will indeed be coming to the "superphone." With the Android 2.2 upgrade, customers can expect improvements to include the following benefits: updates to user interface, improved EAS Support, improved browser performance, including Flash 10x Support, voice dialing over Bluetooth and application storage on external memory. No word on a timeframe yet, but you'll know as soon as we do -- promise. Update: According to this tweet from the carrier: "HTC EVO will be updated to Android 2.2; Samsung Moment & HTC Hero will not. Future devices launching w/ 2.1 will be also be updated to 2.2."
