iPhone 6 Plus – camera video samples

Apple, Reviews, Tech News,

Yesterday I took my dogs for a walk on Dartmoor. I only filmed a few minutes footage, but with the help of iMovie, which Apple include free of charge, I quickly joined a few video clips to make 2 different types of movie memories. All this was produced on the iPhone in a relatively short time.

It has been a while since I used iMovie, but it seems to have a few more effects and even looked simpler to use. iMovie has many different themes, effects, filters, animations and other options but after 10 minutes or so it’s really simple to create a lovely video.

First up I decided to create a film trailer, which is shown below. This is not meant to demonstrate my artistic skills, as it clearly doesn’t, but to highlight what the trailer option does to the video footage. This was produced in 15 minutes. The trailer is just over a minute long. Make sure you see the film credits at the end which all are editable in iMovie. What’s rather clever is that when creating this movie, iMovie tells you the sort of video clip you need to insert into the different slots. It is so customisable and simple to use. And such great fun. It also allows you to select whether you want to use slow motion effects on a portion or not.

Once again video embedded below.

So the next movie is just all the short video clips merged together. This footage has not been edited in any way. I was filming in slow motion at 240fps to see what could be achieved. And I was holding the iPhone, so not using any tripod.

Again be sure to watch the video right to the bitter end to see the last effect. It’s only 2 mins 48 seconds. Certainly a fun way to create a memory of a day out.

Photos app on iOS 8 – it’s brilliant but this is what I really like about it

Apple, Tech News

Apple really has added some neat tricks with iOS 8. The Photos app has had a big overhaul and offers really advanced editing. But it also allows you to edit the photo with another app without ever leaving the Photos app.

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So first select your photo. Next tap edit. Then select the circle icon at the bottom with 3 dots in the middle. Depending on what apps you have installed and selected to show you could be presented with the following –

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So let’s have a look at these apps. Tapping Diptic creates a two framed photo with the GPS data map. You can select to have the map above or below and a few other options. The end result is this.

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Let’s look at another app Camera 360. Here you get access to all its features. Ideal for selecting an effect.

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Another app Afterlight will give you access to the following options.

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Above is the options for Camera+. The beauty is you can edit the photo and when finished you are still in the Photos app. Let’s hope all photo apps add compatibility with this iOS 8 feature. It makes for a great way to add a filter from a particular app without ever having to leave the main Photos app.

Flickr for iOS just got one whopping update for iPhone and finally for iPad too

Apple, Tech News,

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Flickr just got a substantial update that now includes native support for the iPad. Screen shot above from my iPad Air. What’s interesting is the app doesn’t show when searching on the iPad. If you select the filter just for iPhone it does appear. But it most certainly has been designed now for the iPad.

New features in version include –

– integration with iOS 8 share extension
– iPad support, iPhone 6 and 6 Plus support
– ability to access and edit photo details
– unified search across your photos, albums, groups and Flickr photos
– performance and bug fixes

And Flickr provides 1,000gb of free storage for your photos too.

Samsung Note 4 – incoming review

Android, Reviews, Tech News,

I got a chance to spend a bit more time with the Note 4 yesterday and still am left in two minds over this phablet. It is definitely a step up from the Note 3 which I adored, but I feel Samsung’s phablet space is well and truly invaded by Apple with its iPhone 6 Plus.

However, to give the Note 4 a fair crack at the whip, I have one en route which should arrive at some point next week.

So if you have any questions please let me know and I will try and answer them in my review of the Note 4.

Apple’s new Mac Mini and iMac with retina display – tidbits of info

Apple, Tech News,

First a little warning. The new Mac Mini ram is soldered to the board and consequently not user replaceable. So if you order one, you may want to specify the top amount possible of 16gb at time of order.

The new 27 inch iMac with retina display according to ifixit is nearly identical to the non retina model, literally except for the screen which is made by LG.

Samsung Note 4 – officially launches in the UK – first quick impressions

Android, Tech News

So Samsung has officially launched the Note 4 and I was lucky enough to spend 15 mins with the phone.

First impressions. It feels small. Seriously it felt small in my hand. Just shows you how using the larger iPhone 6 Plus changes your perception on size. The phone was comfortable to hold and felt grippy enough unlike my 6 Plus which needs a case.

Finish. Whilst is has a nicer metal edge and generally better designed all over, I was not bowled over with thoughts of ooooooh and aaaaaah. Definitely the best finish I have seen on any Samsung phone. But what really stood out was the screen. Really vivid. In terms of operation everything seemed to flow rather well. Showing recent apps seemed to have a slight lag.

Overall my brief time with the Note 4 was positive but I am not sure its strong enough to sway me away from iOS this month.

The Apple Keynote from yesterday – new products, software and my views

Apple, Tech News, , , ,

So yesterday Apple streamed its keynote speech live to the world. It was a rather dull affair but a fair amount was announced or confirmed.

First of all the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have been off the charts successful. OS X Yosemite will be free as well as iWork for the Mac. iCloud Photo library beta goes live. iOS 8.1 launches on Monday as brings back the camera roll, fixes loads of stuff, and for US citizens incorporates Apple Pay. Other improvements are occurring for iOS 8.1 too.

Hello to the iPad Air 2. Thinner at 6.1mm. Faster processor A8X. Better camera with more shooting modes from burst, time lapse, panoramic. The screen is laminated on this time, producing the same great visuals as that found on the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Touch ID was added. The screen also had a anti reflective coating. Faster wifi too and more LTE bands on the cellular version.

The iPad Mini 3 hardly got changed. Faster wifi and Touch ID.

Both the iPad Air 2 and Mini 3 will be available now in a 3rd colour, gold.

Apple mentioned a WatchKit would be available next month for developers.

Apple announced a 5K iMac Retina and a new Mac Mini.

Apple SIM – Each cellular iPad will now come with its own Apple SIM card. This SIM card will work with multiple US carriers—AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile—and allow users to not only enable or disable a cellular plan as they see fit, but also switch back and forth between carriers to find the plan that works best for them at the moment. It will also work with EE in the UK. Verizon isn’t supported on the Apple SIM at present.

Apple is now selling 5 iPads. The original iPad Mini. iPad Mini 2. iPad Mini 3. iPad Air. iPad Air 2. Confused? Apple has dropped the 32gb memory option. Just 16, 64 and 128gb. If you want the full specs head over to Apple http://www.apple.com/uk/ipad/

So what are my thoughts?

First up Apple seems to have been trying to focus more on the software, the 2 new iPhones (6 and 6 Plus) and only the larger iPad. This makes me wonder if it thinks that the iPhone 6 Plus will kill off the iPad Mini. All the other changes were really small changes, but if you were looking for a new tablet, Apple reduced the price of everything by $100. So clearly it is a competitive world. My worry is can the tablet arena really get any better where people actually care about buying the better specs. I for one will not be considering any of the new hardware Apple announced. What I already have works just fine and I am sure that will apply to many of you. However, I am sure the new iPad Air 2 is far more exciting in person than on paper.

So what do you think? Has Apple done enough?