After an event like this, where hundreds of cloud backed up photos of celebrities have leaked online, what lessons can we take away in regards to our data security and privacy?
What lessons can we learn from the iCloud celebrity nude photo leaks?
Pro Tip: How I would Fix the Camera on the LG G3 (Exposure and Metering Tutorial)
The LG G3 is a monster phone on paper, with bleeding edge specs for a flagship. While we’ve really liked the improvements to the camera, there’s always room for improvement.
How would we fix LG’s camera? Let’s have a quick conversation about Metering and Exposure controls…
Mid-Range “Mini” Smartphones are a Tough Sell
I’ve droned on about this before, but we’re getting more sales data which would indicate the mid-range handset is under-performing.
Often called a “mini”, like the Galaxy S4 Mini, HTC One Mini, or the Xperia Z1 Compact, these middle child devices face intense competition from premier handsets and a new batch of less-painful-to-use entry level fare.
These phones often make compromises to arrive at more competitive pricing, reducing the amount of RAM and storage, swapping to a lower powered processor. The pricing however only typically saves consumers around $100 to $150 off the cost of a brand new flagship phone. These mid-rangers are often bested in the specs department by year-old flagship phones. A Galaxy S3 can tangle with a Galaxy S4 Mini. The HTC One Mini 2 struggles against the HTC One M7, and so on. Consumers also get the benefit of sporting a “Flagship” instead of a “cheaper” phone. An extreme example of this tech “fashion” trend being the severely negative reaction Apple fans had towards the iPhone 5C when it was launched.
The savvy consumer on a budget also has options at the low end which work much better than in years past. Thanks to Moto G’s and Lumia 5XX and 6XX phones, it’s entirely possible to get the smartphone basics covered at less than $200.
Companies like HTC are also flirting with other ways to reduce handset costs. The HTC One Mini 2 faces even more internal competition from the newly announced HTC One E8. It’s very similar to the flagship M8, but made out of plastic instead of metal.
It would seem that a four device strategy these days would make the most sense. Smaller screen entry-level handset, last years flagship for the mid-range, this year’s flagship, and a phablet to utilize bleeding-edge tech. If you’re shopping a new phone, are you considering a “mini” or other mid-ranger? Drop us a comment below!
Don’t Tease Me Google – Will Android FINALLY Get Proper USB Audio Support?
A long time ago (about two and a half years), and on a completely different blog, I bemoaned the lack of USB Audio support on Android. There were little hints of it buried in Ice Cream Sandwich, some proprietary solutions surfaced, and a few developers on XDA managed to get some forms of it working on certain devices running certain kernels with certain apps.
It wasn’t looking good.
USB Audio has long been one of the few features iOS could handily beat Android at. Plug a USB mic into an iPad. It worked. Plug a Headphone amp into an iPhone. It worked. Plug an iOS device into a car with USB support. It worked. I happen to be a recording professional, and drooled over mixing consoles which supported the iPad, but the benefits for general consumers were pretty clear too. You can even plug USB mics into Windows Tablets, USB Headphone Amps too.
During the Google I/O 2014 Keynote, we got yet another tease at a feature that many have been looking forward to since the platform’s inception. Buried in the list of updates projected on the wall were mentions of low latency audio recording and USB Audio. Be still my beating heart. Continue reading “Don’t Tease Me Google – Will Android FINALLY Get Proper USB Audio Support?”
The Problem With Android Wear Watch Screens
Wearable tech will be hot. The smartphone market is maturing and starting to plateau, so manufacturers are pushing into new territories to expand on our relationships with data and services. Google’s Android Wear platform is an excellent step in the right direction to legitimize this new market segment.
It does suffer from one fatal flaw however: Battery life.
Playing with several different solutions for wrist computing, my favorite so far are the watches that can best replicate the experience found on traditional time pieces. Namely a screen that can always be referenced for small pieces of information no matter what orientation it’s worn, not depending on any gestures to activate it. I mentioned as much in my last FFC VLOG.
Of course in technology land, compromises have to be made. If you want crazy new features, you have to accept some new limitations. Continue reading “The Problem With Android Wear Watch Screens”
Friday Fun: How to Properly Make a Right Hand Turn in Los Angeles
For this VLOG we’re backtracking to test the front facing camera on the Galaxy S4, and helping you folks out with a diving tutorial.
If you’re thinking about visiting or moving to Los Angeles, here’s a handy driving tip for you to better blend in with the natives!
Sign Me Up. I’m Ready For Driverless Cars In California.
The open road. The freedom. The romance of wide open throttle on a long stretch of asphalt.
None of that exists in Los Angeles anymore.
Sure, on a holiday weekend at three in the morning you can let loose a little, but the normal condition for Los Angelinos is a bumper to bumper, stop and go, passive-aggressively, road ragey experience. You can’t live in the state for any length of time without witnessing the most common stories we all share. The jerks who skip the line of cars to merge at the last possible second. The jerks who cut you off while driving ten miles an hour slower than you were going. The INSANE number of people doing anything else instead of focusing on driving, even watching videos on tablets (actual pic from one of my commutes)… Continue reading “Sign Me Up. I’m Ready For Driverless Cars In California.”
Samsung, Apple, Lawsuits, and Consumer Fatigue
By now you’ve probably seen that a Californian Jury has handed down their decision in the most recent legal saga between Samsung and Apple. Who was the big winner?
Nobody.
Neither side really came out ahead. Sure Apple was awarded more money, but both sides walk away with a mere fraction of what they wanted. Apple claimed Samsung infringed on five patents covering covering functions such as slide-to-lock, universal searching, quick linking, automatic word correction and background syncing. They were asking for $2.2 Billion, and the jury awarded them $120 Million. Samsung claimed Apple had infringed two of its camera patents, one related to video compression and transmission, and asked for $6 Million. It was awarded $150,000. Continue reading “Samsung, Apple, Lawsuits, and Consumer Fatigue”