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ICYMI: A super selfie, 'GTA' wildlife doc and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-437566{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-437566, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-437566{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-437566").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Australia's tourism board is winning the selfie game by offering a selfie that merges tourist's own selfies with the same scene, expanded, taken with a second camera. Land Rover is demoing a trailer concept system that allows drivers to see what's behind a trailer with a video feed. And Grand Theft Auto V fans cobbled together an amusing wildlife documentary from the game that is worth a watch.
Australia gives tourists a reason to put the selfie stick away
If a virtual reality gaming center, trees with email addresses and the opportunity to cuddle a koala weren't enough to tempt you into taking a trip down under, perhaps an opportunity to participate in a massive-scale selfie project will do the trick. At least, that's the aim of a new service launched by Tourism Australia called GIGA Selfie.
The Big Picture: Curiosity takes a 'belly selfie' on Mars
You really shouldn't take selfies from a low angle -- it could lead to unflattering images that emphasize double chins, chubby cheeks and big nostrils. That is, unless you're the Curiosity rover, because it still looks good despite showing its belly in the photo above. This is definitely not the rover's first self-portrait, but it's the first one wherein the camera was positioned lower than its body. The image is a composite of 92 photos taken by the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) on August 5th as the rover was facing northeast, with Mt. Sharp and the Gale crater visible in the background.
Huawei's Honor 7i has just one flipping camera
Even though Huawei is just two weeks away from its IFA launch event, it couldn't help but push out another eccentric device beforehand. In Beijing today, the company unveiled the Honor 7i which, like the Oppo N series, has a camera that can flip around for some quality selfies. The imager in question has a 13-megapixel resolution, an f/2.0 aperture, a 28mm wide-angle lens and dual-tone LED flash, so not bad on paper. Better yet, the Honor 7i can utilize the screen to brighten your selfies in the dark. There's also a fingerprint reader located on the left side of the mid-frame, and it doubles as a camera button for some easy left-handed selfies.
Sony's new mid-range phones take 13-megapixel selfies
These are dark days for Sony's smartphone business. The division saw sales drop 16.3 percent over the past year, and is losing money faster than PlayStation is making it. The answer to this problem, according to Sony, is to release two new mid range smartphones to this month, the Xperia C5 Ultra and the Xperia M5. Both focus heavily on imaging, with the C5 Ultra offering two 13-megapixel Exmor RS cameras (one on the front, one on the back) that will hopefully capture some impressive shots. The front-facing camera has a 22m wide-angle lens for all your #welfie needs, and even a front-facing flash. Cameras aside, the C5 Ultra (pictured above) has a 1.7GHz octa-core processor, a 6-inch 1080p display, and a 2,930mAh battery that Sony claims is good for two days use.
Frontback's selfie app is back thanks to an anonymous rescuer
Tech startups rarely get a second chance if they fail, since they can't usually draw on the help of either a huge following or a pile of cash. However, the recently defunct Frontback is getting that rare reprieve. The selfie-oriented social service has reached a deal with an as yet unnamed "partner" that will keep it running for the foreseeable future. This mysterious helper believes there's "something incredible" behind the concept of posting both front and back photos, Frontback says, and it's offering "fresh ideas" for what to do next. There's no certainty that Frontback will live happily ever after, but it's at least not going to fade out any time soon.
Frontback shutdown shows that selfies don't equal success
The selfie craze might not be slowing down any time soon, but that doesn't mean that self-portraiture products are a license to print money. Need proof? Just look at Frontback. After two years of investment and hype from the likes of Reddit's Alexis Ohanian and Twitter's Jack Dorsey, the selfie-plus-rear-photo service is shutting down. The social network will wind down as of August 15th, and you'll have until September 15th to download all of your pictures. Frontback's iOS client will be reduced to a camera app during the transition, while the Android version is disappearing altogether.
This ring light wants to make poorly-lit selfies a thing of the past
Selfie technology has come a long way in recent years, but for all our sticks, sombreros, hair-brushes and Doom mods, we still haven't overcome the selfie's biggest enemy: low light. What do you do if you're in a dark nightclub and you just need to share your night out with your pals on Instagram? Don't worry--Japanese photographer Julie Watai is on the case: she's building a light ring designed specifically for front-facing smartphone cameras.
ICYMI: Tortilla tunes, Russian selfie safety and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-281613{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-281613, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-281613{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-281613").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Some genius decided to engrave a record into an uncooked flour tortilla and the thing actually plays. Russians keep doing such risky things for selfies that the government just launched a selfie safety campaign. And Google's Street View is being taken to a whole new level with an algorithm that stitches together frames to create seamless tours.
Russia starts a 'safe selfie' campaign to curb fatal photography
If you've spent any time on YouTube browsing for Russian dash cam or parkour videos, you know that the country's people can take life to the (often ill-advised) limit. That devil-may-care attitude also extends to how they take selfies. Since there were "at least" 10 deaths and 100 injuries resulting from folks aching to get the perfect shot last year, the Russian government has issued a set of rules for safe self-photography. A leaflet's going around advising people to not take photos with weapons, big animals, hanging from antennas on rooftops or in front of rail transport, among other situations.
This is E3 2015 in motion
A picture paints a thousand words. A video does even more again. A gif... well, somewhere in the middle. So let's join the cosplayers, tour some of the elaborate booths and dodge around the people-in-suits-that-didn't-want-to-be there. E3 2015 is all about The Business, but it also has to be fun.
iOS 9 code hints at an iPhone with a front camera flash
Like it or not, selfies remain A Thing -- and there are signs that Apple is about to embrace those narcissistic photos through a hardware upgrade. Programmer Hamza Sood has discovered code in iOS 9 which suggests that the next iPhone's front camera will get a flash (increasingly common on camera-centric phones), so nighttime won't prevent you from putting yourself in the frame. You could also see some big improvements to video and software-only features, including 1080p recording, 240 frames per second slow-motion capture and panoramas for those extra-wide group shots. There's no guarantee that any of these features will make the cut in future devices, but they hint that Apple is eager to move past the creaky 720p front cam it offers today. Photo by Will Lipman.
ASUS ZenFone Selfie is all about its 13MP cameras
Selfie. What a word. It became a thing as front-facing cameras on phones improved dramatically in recent years. Until now, the HTC Desire Eye has been one of the first that comes to mind in this category, but it's about to face a direct competitor that''s also from Taiwan. ASUS has just announced the ZenFone Selfie, which, as you can tell, is all about taking selfies. Both its front and rear cameras feature a 13-megapixel resolution and dual-tone flash, although only the main f/2.0 camera has fast and low-light-friendly laser autofocus (something that even the flagship ZenFone 2 lacks). That said, the front f/2.2 camera makes up for the loss with a wide 88-degree field of view, thus making it easier for group selfies ("wefies?").
Wimbledon bans 'nuisance' selfie sticks
If you're heading to the All England Lawn Tennis Club in June to enjoy some strawberries and cream and perhaps snap the odd selfie while watching the world's best tennis players, we have some bad news: Wimbledon has banned the selfie stick. Laid out in the official ticketholders' guide, the event's organizers write: "In common with many other major sports and entertainment events and cultural attractions, the championships will not allow selfie sticks into the grounds." No wide-angled photo action for you.
Nikon legitimizes the selfie stick once and for all
Like 'em or loathe 'em, selfie sticks have probably done enough to ensure that they won't be a passing fad. "Proper" camera makers have pretended that they don't exist, but Nikon has broken ranks to announce the N-MP001. This particular wand of narcissus has been designed to work with the company's latest Coolpix point-and-shoots, comfortably carrying cameras weighting up to 14 ounces. Unfortunately, top level engineering and Nikon branding comes at a price, specifically $59.95, a far cry from the $7 selfie sticks you can grab on Amazon. Just remember that, no matter how luxurious the stick, the number of locations where you can safely use them gets shorter by the hour.
Selfie sticks are banned at Coachella and Lollapalooza
If you're heading to either music festival this year, you can leave that selfie stick behind. Both April's Coachella and Lollapalooza in July have added the rods to their prohibited item lists. At Lollapalooza, the rules stipulate no "GoPro attachments like sticks, selfie sticks & monopods." Coachella said that "Selfie sticks / narsisstics" won't be allowed in, showing a healthy lack of self(ie)-awareness... and spelling skill.
LG's new midrange smartphones are made for selfie sticks
LG's already said it's bringing a new wearable to MWC, but it's also got a shoebox full of phones to showcase too. Like previous MWCs, the phone company has transplanted features from its flagship smartphone to models with smaller screens... and price tags. The biggest of the four new midrange phones, called the Magna, has a 5-inch display and 5-megapixel front-facing camera, alongside an 8-megapixel on the back. LG's even bought those back-of-phone buttons to these new models, barring the smallest 4-inch LG Joy. We've summarized the rest of the family after the break, but in an arguably depressing sign of the times, LG's also tweaked the sensitivity of its gesture recognition to incorporate selfie stick users. You can't stop the selfie. Unless you ban them.
'Doom' selfie mod lets you indulge your ego while slaying demons
Like it or not, selfies in games are officially a "thing" -- and they're now invading classic titles like Doom. Linguica's new InstaDoom mod lets you spin the virtual camera around to take a shot of your Doom (or Doom II) marine, complete with Instagram-like filters and the seemingly inescapable selfie stick. Yes, you can now show your friends that you've killed a Spiderdemon by striking an obnoxious pose over its body. Is this a novelty? You bet. Still, it's fun to see a decades-old shooter make a commentary on the modern obsession with narcissistic photos.
Teen charged with murder after posting gruesome Snapchat selfie
In what's probably the most extreme look at selfie culture yet, a Pittsburgh teen has been charged with murder after allegedly shooting a classmate and then taking a selfie with the corpse. According to the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, 16-year-old Maxwell Marion Morton sent the incriminating photo to a friend via Snapchat, who ended up taking a screenshot before it was automatically deleted. Morton also reportedly sent several texts that incriminated him further. He's now being charged as an adult after confessing to the police following a search of his home. "I've never seen it before," district attorney John Peck told the Review, "but it was a key piece of evidence that led investigators to the defendant." This isn't the first time we've seen tech involved with major crimes -- texts often end up working against criminals -- but this case is particularly disturbing since it centers on a selfie, which is something we associate more with innocent fun than a brutal murder.
Selfies may have led to a deadly airplane crash
Taking selfies while you're driving any moving vehicle is a bad idea, especially in an aircraft -- and unfortunately, those snapshots may have cost two air travelers their lives. The National Transportation Safety Board has determined that a double-fatality Cessna 150 crash in Colorado "likely" occurred because the pilot distracted himself with cellphone self-portraits shortly after takeoff. Action camera footage from a flight just minutes earlier showed the man taking selfies -- investigators believe it's no big stretch to suggest that he repeated this mistake on his final voyage.
