photo
Latest
Welcome to The Dark Side
Is there anyone who didn't love the black MacBook? [Photo Credit: Felixtriller]
Tabby is not impressed with the Mac mini
Ok, so it's not the most powerful Mac of all time -- and this 2009 model is definitely a bit out of date -- but there's no reason to look at it with such disdain. [Photo Credit: Michael Gorzka]
A Macintosh Plus repurposed for the iPad
I'm strangely OK with this, as long as it's slightly more well-aligned. [Photo Credit: Hassan Hodges]
iPod vs. Lawn Mower
A sad sight. Personally, the 3rd gen iPod nano is one of my favorite Apple devices of all time. The color screen was fantastic for playing games (Peggle was my favorite) and it was almost impossibly thin for its time. And this is what it looks like after it's been demolished by a lawn mower. [Photo Credit: Matt Rasmussen]
These 3D displays are looking better every day
The depth. The realism. The cuddles. I've never seen anything like it. [Photo Credit: Karin Dalziel]
The payphones of the future
I can't think of a good reason not to do this to every payphone in existence. [Image Credit: Lorna Watt]
So you want a larger iPhone?
All I'm saying is be careful what you wish for. [Image Credit: Windell Oskay]
Excuse me, sir, that is not an iPhone
On second thought, it's pretty close. Just go with it. [Image credit: ed_hidalgo]
Cupertino has always been a hive of Rebel scum
Aren't you a little short for a Stormtrooper? [Image credit: bfishadow]
Baby like!
Proving once again that it's never too early to start falling in love with Apple gadgets. [Image credit: Marc Levin]
How it feels to set down your iPad and pick up your iPhone
[Image credit: Colin Dunn]
Research shows eye-reflections in photos could be used to identify criminals
Did you ever watch CSI's tech boffins zoom into a photo, grab the reflection in someone's eye, and through processing magic generate a full facial image of the wanted criminal? If, like us, you rolled your eyes at the program's "Hollywood" technology, then maybe you did so too soon (again). Researchers at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, have effectively done just that. Okay, so the team was using near perfect conditions: a 39-megapixel Hasselblad H2D camera, shooting a subject from one meter away, in perfect lighting, but the results proved the idea is well within the realms of science fact. When looking at a close up of a subject's eye, the team was able to grab an image between 27 to 36 pixels wide by 42 to 56 pixels high showing the face of one of the "bystanders" they had organised to be in the subject's view. The reflected images proved good enough that when volunteers were asked to match the small image with that of the actual bystander, or someone of similar appearance, results came in well above chance averaging between 70- and 84 percent. As well as assisting in criminal investigations, the researchers claim the technique could also yield 3D environments, when images can be taken from both eyes. Of course, real-world application would require similarly optimal conditions, but as technology advances, the researches claim this could be an ever increasing scenario.
Instagram debuts Direct, letting users share photos and videos with select friends
Invite blocks in hand, we've braved the cold New York weather to pop by Instagram's big event. Naturally, the photo sharing service kicked off with some bullish numbers, noting that it has grown from 80 million to 150 million users this year. But the company's CEO, Kevin Systrom, noted that today was all about looking forward to 2014. The big news was the announcement of Instagram Direct, a way of limiting specific photos and videos to select groups of up to 15 friends (a number the CEO noted serendipitously, is the same as the number of seconds you can shoot in Instgram video) . The feature exists as a module in the Share To section of the app, showing a drop down of your friends. From there you can select who you want to receive a specific image or video, so if you want to, say, take a picture of your brunch, not every single follower has to look at your scrambled eggs. All of the "moments" shared through the feature live in an inbox, so you can check out all of those photos in a private feed. Only people you follow can send you images and photos through direct and vice versa. If someone you don't follow attempts to send you something, you'll see a request from them. If you know the person but aren't interested in following them (too many scrambled eggs photos, no doubt), you can chose to receive direct moments from them without following them -- and you can always take them off that list at any time. When the user is still in pending mode, you wont be able to see the image they're sending, making it easier to ignore them.
Ask Engadget: best online photo album with public contributions?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, then here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is from Jeff, who wants to crowdsource his wedding photography without any mess. If you're looking to ask one of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com. "As part of my wedding plans, we're expecting plenty of our friends to take pictures of the big day on their smartphones and cameras. I'd like to create a public online photo album to let everyone upload the pictures to one place, and then I can download them later. I'd really rather not have anyone set up an account anywhere (so Flickr won't work) and, ideally, I'd like those who shoot in .RAW to be able to upload the full sized files. Any ideas and suggestions of places would be great, thanks!" Well, actually, your humble narrator has this same problem early last year. My solution, which won't work for you, was to sign up with a Flickr Pro account and set up a new group. As you can email in images to a specific group email address, we sent this address out on our invitations. That way, anyone who took pictures could just email them straight to the site. As you've said, that's not going to work with .RAW images, so let's turn this question over to the community and see what they can come up with.
Google will soon display your Google+ photo when you call an Android phone
Google's desire to integrate social features into its mobile OS will soon see it use Google+ profile photos to identify Android callers. The new feature comes as an update to the new caller ID service in Android 4.4 KitKat, allowing the company to automatically match phone numbers from incoming and outgoing calls with names and profile photos associated with a registered account. Google staffer Attila Bodis notes that the feature will be enabled in "early 2014" but can only display names and profile photos if the user has verified their phone number and has discovery switched on. While the idea is to bring a sense of familiarity to phone calls, not everyone will see the merit of sending a headshot to people they call -- so Google is offering a way to opt out. Simply head on over to this link, untick the checkbox and all of your Android-toting friends will no longer be able to see your beautiful face (unless, of course, they add it themselves).
Google to unveil Auto Awesome feature that creates stories from your videos
Putting aside the small matter of launching a new Nexus smartphone and Android OS, Google also plans to unveil new Google+ features and improvements. Sources aware of Google's plans tell us that today's media-focused event will include the introduction of Auto Awesome for videos, an expansion of its impressive photo improvement service, which allows users to record video and have Google+ integrate transitions, music and effects with little or no input. We're told that the new video feature is similar to HTC's Video Highlights in that it uses smart editing, cutting and sequencing techniques to splice a professional-like highlight reel using different types of media. While we don't know exactly how these new features operate, Google SVP Vic Gundotra teased today's announcement with the tagline "#momentsthatmatter," suggesting we won't have long to wait to see the new Auto Awesome feature in the flesh.
Daily iPhone App: Magisto takes your best camera roll picks and turns them into an eye-catching video
If you want to quickly fire off a montage of your favorite photos and videos, then you should check out Magisto, the magical video editor. Magisto lets you choose photos and videos that you want to compile into a shareable clip. Instead of having to splice the video and add all the snazzy effects yourself, Magisto does it on your behalf. You mark off your photos and videos, select some background music, pick a theme and the app does the rest. It'll chop up your video, mix in some photos and glue them all together with a handful of fancy effects and filters. Each clip takes less than five minutes to process. While you wait, you can check your email or browse the web, and Magisto will alert when your clip is completed. The end result is a compilation that you can share publicly with the Magisto community or privately with family and friends. Quality-wise, the final clip is creative enough to be entertaining, but it won't win an Academy Award for its effects. I tested the app with a handful of my iPhone 5s photos and videos and overall was pleased with the output (view my sample clip), with a one caveat. I liked how the app chose to mix the video and photos with the just right balance of media types. Some of the transitions, though, are a bit too choppy for my taste and don't smoothly flow a video into a photo or vice versa. The beauty of Magisto, though, is that you can start over, choose a new theme and have another clip in just a few minutes. Magisto is available for free in the iOS App Store. The app allows you to create a clip with five photos and 10-minute/10 video clips for free. If you want additional photos or longer videos, then you must upgrade to the paid version. Subscription plans include a one-month subscription for US$4.99 or a year subscription for $17.99. The service also requires you to sign up for an account if you want to share your clip. If you just want to play around with the app, you can do so as a guest.
Instagram for Android update adds photo straightening, enhanced video control
iPhone users with Instagram version 4.1 have had the ability to straighten photos for a couple of months now, but Android smartphone owners are a bit behind the curve when it comes to sorting out crooked pics. Well, no more. The latest Android app update, which should hit Google Play sometime today, brings that much-needed functionality to previously overlooked shooters. Additionally, the refresh enables sound and data usage controls, for folks using the tool to capture video clips as well. The new version hasn't popped up on our devices just yet, but stay tuned to Play to get your hands on the latest variant later today.
US Instagram users will soon see ads in their feeds
Instagram is gearing up to monetize all of your colorful border-enhanced photos, and you may not like what that means for your feed. Beginning "in the next couple months," Instagram users in the United States will see "an occasional ad" sandwiched between their friends' photos and videos. The company is insisting that the advertisements will flow with regular content -- and if you don't like a particular ad, you can hide it from view and let the team know what you didn't like. As a final note, the firm clarified that the introduction of ads won't affect ownership rights of the pics and vids you upload -- so if a family member pops up in a sponsored post with a Coke in hand, you'll probably want to send some feedback.
Twitter focuses on photos in embedded tweets
Some say that a picture is worth 1,000 words, but regardless of how you do the math, it's fair to say that a good photo can say a lot more than 140 characters. With that in mind, Twitter is giving greater emphasis to photos within tweets by placing them front and center in the post, with the actual tweet serving as a simple caption below. Looking at it now, the decision seems an obvious one, but all photos were previously smaller and subservient to the short text. The visual redesign applies to both landscape and portrait photos, so regardless of how you frame your image, you can now let your shooting skills do the talking for you.
