smartphone

At the Apple event, Will “X” mark the spot for the new iPhone

By Paul B. Kaiser on September 13, 2017

Update:: New iPhone 8 Gold has arrived. Some early pics.

Today, the highly anticipated announcements from Apple took place at the Steve Jobs theatre, as they do every year. But this year was inherently different because Apple was in the new magnificent location (see drone footage), and the iPhone, really the first smartphone, was introduced 10 years ago. I’m going to give a few facts and specs below, but Ill let the pictures tell the story. Bottom line is that Apple is great, the iPhone is better than last year’s, and technology is held together by companies like Apple. The iPhone X is here and it looks awesome. “All you need is love” was the message that Apple and Tim Cook opened the conference with, and I believe that is what all their employees put into their products.

If you want to watch the full Apple keynote go here.

On a side note, as it relates to love, Apple literally just donated 5 million dollars to the HandinHand2017 Hurricane relief as I was writing this.

So the quick summary from the event is that there were 3 major announcements.

A New Apple Watch – Series 3 (See more here)
An updated Apple TV 4K (see more info)
And of course the new iPhones – 3 models iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and the iPhone X

iPhone 8 and 8 Plus specs:

Still has a physical Home button
4.7-inch display for iPhone 8; 5.5-inch display for iPhone 8 Plus
Glass surface on front and back
Wireless charging using Qi standard (can be charged using third party wireless chargers that also use Qi)
LTE Advance for faster network connections
Water and dust resistant
Powered by an A11 Bionic chip, two performance cores
12 mega-pixel camera with two new sensors and optical image stabilizers
“Portrait Lighting” feature uses the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus’ dual cameras to sense depth and rework the lighting while you compose the shot
Highest quality video ever in a smartphone
Shoots video in 4K
New gyroscopes and accelerometers for augmented reality
Both models available in 64 GB and 256 GB
iPhone 8 starts at $699, iPhone 8 Plus starts at $799
Comes in silver, space gray, gold finishes
Pre-order opens Sept. 15, available Sept. 22

iPhone X

Basically the same as the iPhone 8 with these features.

Edge-to-edge display
Glass on front and back (same as iPhone 8)
Water and dust resistant
Comes in space gray and silver finishes
Super retina display (5.8-inch screen, 458 pixels per inch)
OLED display

No more home button on the “X”

Raise the phone or tap on any part of the screen to “wake up” the device, swipe up from bottom to go to home screen
Rather than pressing the home button, the phone unlocks by recognizing your face using the TrueDepth Camera System (infrared camera, floor illuminator, dot projector and front camera).
It works night and day, and learns your face over time so it cannot be duped by a photo or mask. Every time you glance at iPhone X it detects your face, takes an image, and checks it against a photo you took earlier.
When you take the initial ID photo, you move your head around so Face ID recognizes you from different angles. All processing is done on iPhone X and not sent to server to protect face data.
Face ID works with apps that use Touch ID, and can be used to verify payments.

The camera

Dual optical image stabilization
Larger and faster sensor
Quad-LED true tone flash

Size and price

iPhone X available in 64 GB and 256 GB models
Starts at $999
Preorders available Oct. 27, ships Nov. 3

Full photo gallery here.

Video Gallery

Cool Features on Android 8.0 Oreo

By Paul B. Kaiser on August 30, 2017

Android 8 has officially launched with the name OREO. Not a huge surprise, but everyone loves the cookie. Now will we love the Android operating system? I think so. I was a beta tester for the “O” system and I can tell you that the notifications, speed and battery life were greatly improved. I think Google has made some nice refinements to a good operating system.

My first impression is that there are not huge changes but some very nice tweaks to the system. It’s faster, extends the battery life, improves your notifications, WiFi is improved, and it’s already on Verizon for Pixel and XL – that’s the best news. There are a a few features I’d like to highlight but you can check out most of the features in the video below.

New Look for Settings Menu

The most obvious visual change is a revamped Settings menu, which features subtle dark gray text on an all-white background. Strangely, the side navigation menu introduced in Android Nougat is gone, but all of the various menus have been reorganized to make the Settings area as simple and straightforward as possible.

Notifications

Android Oreo will group notifications into channels, giving users greater control over their app notification categories. Google says:

“Users can block or change the behavior of each channel individually, rather than managing all of the apps’ notifications together.”

Another new feature will be notification dots, which are visual indicators on app icons that’ll show if you have any waiting notifications. This is a feature that iPhone users will be familiar with, as it’s been part of Apple’s iOS software for years. This could be the best feature. Being able to see whether you got email or a text or a message, this is a time saver. See the dot on my Gmail below.

Of course you can disable the notification badges with a long-press on the home screen, followed by a tap on Settings. Next, slide the switch next to All notification dots to the Off position.

Snooze that Notification

Google is also making it possible to snooze individual notifications, which is seriously useful given the persistence of some Android system notifications. You’ll be able to snooze notifications for 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or one whole hour. It hides away from view, but will pop up again at a later time to remind us that we have unfinished business.

Picture-in-Picture mode (PiP)

One of Android 8.0’s flagship features, this was previously available on Android TV and has made its way to the smartphone. PiP lets you keep watching what you’re doing in a small floating window while you venture into other apps. It’s a pretty cool feature.

You can drag it around the screen and tap it to access playback controls or make it full screen. Of course, you can also disable this feature on an app by app basis if you don’t like it. Just o to the App Info page for the app in question, or visit the Special app access section in Apps and Notifications to see all apps with support for PiP.

Emojis around the house

Yes the emoji has been elevated. The stock Android blob emoji are now officially gone. The good news is that Google also released the new EmojiCompat library, which helps Android phones to “translate” new emoji and read them, instead of displaying an empty box with an X.

Wi-Fi improvements

Are you always in the habit of disabling Wi-Fi to save battery when you’re away from home? Android Oreo allows your device to automatically turn Wi-Fi back on when it detects you’re home and reconnect to your home network to save on mobile data.

Camera app improvements

Google is spending some time reworking the camera app, offering a new double-tap feature that lets you quickly get to 50% zoom. There’s also a new dedicated button that lets you switch between photo and video modes; previously, users were forced to swipe, which some may have found unintuitive.

The Android Oreo Promo Video

“Hello” iPhone – The evolution over 10 years

By Paul B. Kaiser on June 29, 2017

The TV commercial for the iPhone only had one word in the ad – “Hello.” It would be the pinnacle of accomplishment that Steve Jobs had worked his whole life towards. He drove this innovation smart and tough. The association with AT&T was bold, but a neccisity to make the iPhone an exclusive toy. The iPhone became so popular and it put Blackberry out of business, changed the way we listen to music and ultimately built the house of Apple – the new Apple campus.

TV commercial for the first iPhone – “Hello”

10 years ago today, the tech, phone, and consumer industry changed forever. The iPhone was shipped and in the hands of the consumer. I had the Palm Treo which seemed so magical, but then the iPhone came out and I felt like I had the oldest tech around. It had a full touch screen! No need for buttons – yikes.

As we near the debut of the new iPhone in September of 2017, the 10 year mark which is today, June 29th, 2017, we are is reminded just how much we love our phones. We have spent billions of dollars and created an empire. Ironically, I have never owned an iPhone, but I love Apple, and I love everything they do for technology and consumerism. I feel compelled to write about the iPhone because it was an invention, not just a phone. I thought I’d let the pictures, videos and charts tell the story.

Steve Jobs made the announcement just 6 months previous to the launch, and the promise of a tech revolution looked real. He stated that…

“Every once in a while a revolutionary product comes along that changes everything … One is very fortunate if you get to work on just one of these in your career. Apple’s been very fortunate. It’s been able to introduce a few of these into the world.”

The evolution of the iPhone (minus the iphone 7)

iPhone 1 – 2007

iPhone 2 – 2008

iPhone 3- 2009

iPhone 4 – 2011

iPhone 5 – 2013

iPhone 6 – 2014

iPhone 7 – 2016

iPhone Fun Facts

Here are some Interesting Facts about this iPhone:

iPhone started as a Tablet Project, but when the Apple employees came up with an iPad design with a virtual keyboard, Steve Jobs thought that they can apply this technology to a phone and this is how, iPhone came into existence.
Exclusive rights for selling the first iPhone were Turned Down by Verizon – (LOL)
Apple, when looking for a carrier partner to sell the first iPhone insisted that the device will only carry the Apple’s Logo and not that of the carrier.
The App Store by Apple was the first online space that offered downloading an app legally.
All the iPhones in the iPhone advertisements show the time 9:41. This is the time when Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPhone in 2007.
While Samsung and Apple are the biggest rivals, but not everyone knows that Samsung makes the processors for iPhones.
In 2007, iPhone was awarded as the “Invention of the Year” by Times Magazine.
In 2012, Apple sold 340,000 iPhones per day. A whopping 125 Million iPhones for the year.
Apple’s iPhone has higher sales as compared to everything being sold under the label “Microsoft”.
Apple’s iPhone in Brazil is Twice More Expensive than in the USA.

Shoot great video with your phone

By Paul B. Kaiser on June 21, 2017

Learn how to shoot great video with your smartphone.

The average consumer takes pictures and shoots video on their smartphone, not an expensive camera. Whether it’s a iPhone or Android, this is what people have with them and “a good picture is the one you take.” Most people know the basics when it comes to still photography, but when it comes to shooting video, it seems all rules go out the window. Here are some basic tips to start with when shooting with your phone.

1. Use a tripod (if possible)

The newest iPhones have built-in optical image stabilization, which makes shooting decent handheld footage fairly easy. But no matter how steady your hands are, nothing beats using a good old-fashioned tripod.

2. Shoot horizontal, not upright

In order to watch your video at full size on a monitor or TV screen, keep your smartphone horizontal when you are recording. Shooting a video clip with your phone upright doesn’t seem like an issue at the time because you’re watching it on a device with a vertical screen, but as soon as you want to play the video anywhere else, your clip will be fighting for space with two black bars on either side of the screen.

3. Concentrate on keeping it smooth and steady

Your smartphone is small and light, so it can float while your walking or talking. The key thing is to use both hands, and lock your elbows into your body for extra stability.

4. Think about composition (a little bit)

This is a tip for any type of photography. Good shots have one thing in common. Your eye is drawn to a subject matter in the picture. Place objects one-third in from the sides, with people’s eyes one-third down from the top.

5. Don’t shoot into the light

The bad news is you wont see faces and you’ll get a silhouetted image. The good news is you might get a nice, but unexpected silhouette.

Light can make your whole shot wonderful and it can make the worst video to look at. Working with available light is the trick. No FLASH, unless your in a cave – and even then I would try. If you want to shoot better video, you need to know how to work with the available light and use it to your advantage. If some parts of the shot are looking too bright or too dark, get into the habit of changing your position and finding another angle which allows you to still achieve the shot you wanted, but you’ve got the light working for you not against you.

6. Record 3 seconds beforehand after the action and shots should be 5 seconds minimum

If you’re going to edit your videos then this is a hard fastened rule. You need extra time on both sides to to edits and transitions. If you’re just shooting and showing the video to friends then don’t worry so much.

7. Manually set exposure and focus (more advanced, but a good tip)

Not all smartphone apps do this, but try pressing and holding on an area of the screen to activate the AE/AF Lock function. With a smartphone, the most important is the AE (Auto Exposure) Lock because you don’t want the smartphone to keep changing the exposure while you’re filming. Manually setting the focus is great when you want to get close to an object, and you need to tell the camera to focus on a particular area.

If you want to get a nice camera app for free get this one for iOS and this one for Android.

8. Get your microphone close to your subject (which means the phone

A general rule for clear audio is to get your microphone as close to your subject as possible. But that means you ned to get the phone close which may or may not be an option. Microphones on cameras pretty much suck so don’t expect a miracle.

If your’e really into getting the audio you can buy some inexpensive microphones that will do a better job. Check them out on Amazon.

9. Share your videos

Show people what your’e doing with video. See their reactions. Have fun!

Some examples of good video and a comparison of iPhone and Android – Believe me each phone shoots good video.

Tips to Get Started with your Google Pixel

By Paul B. Kaiser on February 7, 2017

Pixel devices accounted for 12.3 per cent of phone activations with Verizon, the device’s initial wireless carrier in the US, according to Wave7 research. Verizon has not been able to keep up with the demand and has been sending VR headsets out to customers waiting for their Pixel phones.

Wave7 data estimated that Google shipped 552,000 Pixel phones in the fourth quarter. “The demand for the Pixel phones has exceeded our expectations, which is exciting to see,” Google spokeswoman Iska Saric said. As more and more folks are purchasing the Google Pixel, it is quickly becoming one of the most popular Android phones. It looks as though they will sell about 1 million units by the end of this first quarter. So I thought a few tips and tricks would be in order for those new owners coming on board. These are not brain surgeon tips but Android Nougat 7.1 is a bit different, and these videos may help you through the love and anguish of a new Pixel.

You can watch these videos on your tablet or computer, but they are fit perfectly for your smartphone.

Tip # 1: Getting started with your Google Pixel

Here’s just about everything you need to know about your new Pixel in a few short minutes.

Tip 2: Creating a Wifi Hotspot with your Pixel

Share Wi-Fi with your other devices. Your Pixel can handle that. Learn how to quickly turn your Pixel into a Wi-Fi hotspot.

Tip 3: Using the fingerprint sensor to unlock your phone

Not only does Pixel Imprint let you quickly unlock your Pixel using just your fingerprint, it also authorizes purchases, and signs you into apps, as well.

Tip 4: Using the battery saver

Sometimes a phone charger is not in our immediate vicinity, so when you need to squeeze a little more juice out of your Pixel, a simple settings adjustment comes in handy. Also check out the data saver in settings too.

Choose your inner Pixel.

Google has new gadgets. And they’re affordable.

By Paul B. Kaiser on October 4, 2016

See the 2 hour event in 10 minutes. Video below

Google made new gadgets – check them out. See today’s announcements.

Pixel Phones

Google’s new smartphones, the Pixel and Pixel XL, are the first handsets to be designed and engineered in-house by the company.

The Pixel devices are available in three colors and are available for preorder immediately. Google is flaunting the phones’ improved camera and embedded intelligent assistant.

Daydream View

They announced its smartphone virtual reality platform, Daydream. Google has revealed its Daydream View headset, a head-mounted viewer designed to work with compatible smartphones. The Daydream View is made of soft fabric that the company claims makes it more comfortable to wear. DayDream View launches in November for $79 – wow!

Chromecast Ultra

Google is releasing a new version of its Chromecast streaming dongle that can stream 4K video. The upcoming Chromecast Ultra will cost $69 when it launches in November. Google says it’s nearly twice as fast as Google’s older Chromecast.

Google Home

Google Home, the smart speaker Google announced in May, will cost $129 and ships on Nov. 4, the company announced Tuesday. Google shared details about how Home will work and which types of apps and gadgets it will be compatible with. It supports streaming services like Spotify and Pandora, and can function as a hub for intelligent home gadgets.

Google Assistant

They also shared its vision for the Google Assistant, which CEO Sundar Pichai described as being everybody’s “personal Google.”

Google Assistant ties together various Google services like Search, Maps, and Translate, among others. It’s available in new Google products like the Pixel phones, Home, and the Allo messaging app which launched last month.

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