While RCA's MIT700 tablet never made it to market after a CES 2012 debut, RCA is trying out a new Android tablet that allows users to watch live television.
Announced within a press release earlier today, RCA is planning to launch an Android-powered, 8-inch tablet that can be used to watch live over-the-air television broadcast from nearby stations. The tablet houses a standard over-the-air DTV tuner in addition to the Dyle mobile TV tuner. Rather than using up data on a mobile plan, the Dyle mobile TV tuner allows users to watch live, local television assuming nearby networks are participating. For instance, people living in the Los Angeles area can watch their local FOX, NBC, Univision and Telmundo stations. The Dyle mobile TV tuner can also be found within the Samsung Galaxy S Lightray 4G sold by MetroPCS and Apple fans can add the Elegato EyeTV Mobile TV tuner to their mobile devices in order to access Dyle mobile TV.
Regarding the hardware, the RCA tablet sports a 1024 by 768 screen resolution similar to the original iPad. Internally, the tablet is powered by a Cortex A5 1GHz processor as well as 1GB of RAM.
The device also includes 8GB of internal flash storage, but the tablet doesn’t come with any DVR capabilities to record and store live television programs on the tablet. The tablet offers Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n connectivity, GPS capability, two speakers, front and rear cameras as well as ports for HDMI, MicroSD, MicroUSB and USB inputs. The device works with the Google Play store and includes other Google related applications like Gmail and YouTube.
According to RCA representatives, the tablet’s battery life is supposed to last up to ten hours under normal use. However, when the TV tuners are in use, battery life falls to around four hours. Weighing in at 1.4 pounds, the tablet is also heavier than other 8-inch tablets. According to the release, RCA representatives plan to show off the tablet at the Consumer Electronics Show next week. The tablet is currently slated for a Spring 2013 release at a $299 retail price point.
The Consumer Electronics Show, or CES, is one of the largest showcases of new technology in the world.
Hosted by the Consumer Electronics Association in Las Vegas, CES 2013 will open to press and exhibitors from every facet of the electronics industry, and TechRadar will be there.
We'll descend upon the gambling capital of the world for four days of basking in the glow of the latest computers, televisions, cameras, phones and more.
First, the show floor opened on January 9, a week later than usual. LG and Sony unveiled 55in Ultra High-Definition TVs, then the largest in the world. Intel gave us a glimpse of the touch enabled Ultrabooks we've been seeing everywhere lately.
Last and most notably, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer gave the company's last CES keynote, introducing the world to Windows 8's Metro interface, and announcing Xbox 360 apps for Fox, IGN and more.
To follow that, CES 2013 will be a mix of keynote razzle dazzle, sneak peeks at the latest tech, and introductions to products that will go from patently unaffordable to a given in every living room, a lot faster than you'd believe.
Before TechRadar hits the CES 2013 show floor from January 8-11, we thought we'd put together a preview of the gadget glory you can expect from our on the ground coverage.
It's a TV! It's a tablet! It's both!
TV tablets
Unfortunately this development is only U.S.-bound for now, but RCA's just-announced DMT580D tablet combines the cool of an Android slate with the boob tube fun of a TV.
The slate comes with a dual TV tuner that picks up DTV signals and is compatible with mobile TV provider Dyle.
Though it sounds like you have to stay in one spot while watching episodes of Dr. Who, RCA has come up with a neat way to give users all the functionality of a tablet while giving them the option to tune into their favorite shows when they're not at home.
Thought Google TV was going to lie low in 2013? Think again.
Mountain View announced that Asus, Hisense and TCL will all reveal Google TV devices during the Vegas show while existing partners like Vizio and Sony are set to demo the recently revamped service on each companies respective devices.
What "Google TV devices" mean exactly we don't yet know, but we're thinking anything from integrated screens to set-top boxes to IPTV boxes.
Asus appears ready to rev up its tablet game with leaks coming nearly every week pointing to new slate ambitions.
One of particular interest points to an Android tablet called (for now) the ME301T Memo Pad 10. The device is said to have a 10.1-inch display, Jelly Bean 4.1 and a Tegra 3 processor.
While there's no for sure until we get the official word at the show, this slate looks promising, especially for the business crowd.
Corning is going bananas with ultra durable glass, announcing ahead of the Vegas show we'll see the third generation of its Gorilla Glass system at CES.
Promising three times more scratch resistance than previous versions, Gorilla Glass 3 is built to last with nary a knick.
We'll also see some Corning fiber optic cables for Thunderbolt hit the Vegas floor, too. Needless to say, we think Corning's offerings will have us jumping for device-saving joy.
LG is clearly excited for CES 2013 if a YouTube video posted just days before the event is any indication.
Not only do we get techno music and quick cuts, we also get a glimmer at what very much appears to be a smartphone.
It's not the most revealing video, but it offers the very real possibility of a thin bezeled handset, one that could very well be the Optimus G2. The device should be a 5-in follow up to the Optimus G, packing a 1920 x 1080 resolution with 440 ppi.
Samsung is playing a mean wait-and-see game when it comes to its CES announcements, teasing Dec. 31 that the "true innovation" in TV is coming to Las Vegas sometime between January 8 and January 11.
Promising an unprecedented TV shape and "timeless gallery design," this particular Samsung television offering looks to have a translucent screen, at least according to an eerie promo pic. We could also see a bezel-less, edge-to-edge display if totally translucent isn't in the cards.
Whatever it has planned, we're mystified by Samsung's hints and hope we can wrap our heads around it come CES.
LG and Samsung are in a bit of a battle when it comes to pre-CES announcements as the former announced it will bring out a Hecto 100-inch Laser TV complete with projection unit at the Vegas show.
We're talking 1080p full HD images projected from a mere 22in away. We're talking the ultimate movie watching experience, including 3 HDMI ports, Smart TV and Digital TV functionality and a projection unit with bulbs that can last up to 25,000 hours before replacement.
Hopefully we'll get word on pricing and availability on the Hecto unit come show time, but it'll be fun to watch a flick or two nonetheless.
Samsung has let it be known far and wide that it has some monitors and new laptops in store for CES 2013, including a first of its kind.
First it revealed it will show two new Series 7 monitors come early January, the SC770 Touch Monitor and the no-touch SC750. The SC770 is the South Korean firm's first multi-touch monitor built around Windows 8.
We'll also see an enhanced Series 7 Chronos at the show plus the first Ultra in the Series 7 family. Both feature Full HD screens though only one (hint: it's not the Chronos) will have more than one processor option.
Android-packing Polaroid with interchangeable lens
Polaroid's president and CEO couldn't have made it any clearer: "There will be an Android powered, interchangeable lens camera introduced by Polaroid at CES 2013."
We saw a "smart" snapper at CES 2012, and can't wait to shoot around with this interchangeable lens version. From a leaked marketing photo, the snapper - possibly called the IM1836 - resembles Nikon's J1/J2 and features a whole host of goodies.
One of the more playful products we expect to see at the show are flexible screens from Samsung Display.
Company reps confirmed to CNET that there will be a 5.5in bendy display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 HD and a pixel count of 267 ppi. Samsung's LCD-producing spin-off company is also throwing in a 55in TV version for our viewing (and manipulating?) pleasure.
Things are going to get twisted down in Vegas, that's for sure.
Huawei has not one but two phones confirmed for the Vegas show: the Ascend W1 and Ascend D2.
The W1, as the "W" suggests, will be Huawei's first Windows Phone foray, while the D2 is getting an Android OS.
While both should be fun to put under the microscope, Huawei's CEO has expressed trepidation that the 5in D2 will be too powerful and thus too expensive for the average consumer.
It's 1080p display, quad-core 1.5GHz processor and 13MP camera are certainly specs to admire.
Samsung isn't slacking in its CES plans, as rumors surfaced December 17 that the firm was planning to unveil a 110-inch Ultra HD TV come show time.
A Korean tech site's source said the company also has OLED TV designs for Vegas, creating the perfect storm for a "my TVs are totally the best, yours' belong in a heap" showdown between Samsung, LG, Sony and even Westinghouse.
All we want to know is: can we get a 110in set for the office?
This phone was a bit of a mystery for a good 24 hours, before the CES press page gave us a helping hint at what the Chinese manufacturer's 5in handset would be called.
The ZTE Grand S is set to debut January 8 at 1:30 p.m., bringing the company's first FHD smartphone and, according to the press blurb, "the world's thinnest for 5in FHD smartphones."
It will be made of ceramic and feature "traditional Chinese style," whatever that means for a phone.
Hold onto your oversized souvenir drink - Samsung has an earth shattering announcement planned for CES.
At least that's what the South Korean company would have us believe in a teaser video it recently posted.
While short on details, the video implores the world to "get ready" for something we've all been waiting for. We've touched on the rebranding rumors, the Galaxy S4 and even a QWERTY tablet.
While Samsung could announce one, none or all three of these products, it could have a product up its sleeve that leaves up entirely blindsided. We kind of hope for that...
A recent filing at the U.S. Federal Communications Commission revealed an intriguing device illustrated with a label that read "Red Ridge."
Red Ridge is Intel's Medfield-based tablet platform, and while that news is certainly noteworthy, what makes us think a tablet could show at CES is that the device tested was reportedly a "production unit."
That means we could see a commercial model in a month's time - or just about when CES' doors open.
Westinghouse isn't being shy about it's ambitions to present the "world's largest" 4K LED TV at CES. The company said as much in a press note.
While it won't be the biggest TV out there (Panasonic's 152 incher takes that crown) it will be interesting to see how the company prices this puppy.
Though it beats out Samsung's 85in behemoth in size, because it's a lesser manufacturer, we could actually see a price tag that the non-Jay Z's of the world can afford. Either way, it'll make watching football really engrossing.
Mere months ago HTC released two killer devices into the marketplace, the Droid DNA and the HTC One X+. Apparently that wasn't enough for the Taiwanese manufacturer. If a couple of recent rumors are true, HTC has a couple more smartphones up its sleeve.
The first rumbling came back in June when a possible line-up of HTC Windows Phone 8 devices was leaked, the headliner being the 4.7in HTC Zenith. Then another WP8 device, the HTC Titan III registered on our radar thanks to a survey on Xbox Live. Now just a few days ago we caught wind of the HTC M7, which the rumors peg as a possible 5in flagship device.
If these leaks have any merit, big handsets would seem to be a running theme for HTC. After the iPhone went over 4in, everyone seems to be upsizing. Maybe this is HTC's new angle after it bowed out of the US tablet market?
LG gives CPU making a try
The rumor mill is turning even faster as the days wind down to CES 2013. One thread we keep seeing pop up is processors, and LG is the latest to jump in the mix.
A report out of Korea has the tech firm producing in-house made CPUs next year, starting with chips for its web-capable Smart TVs.
One chip could be the H13, with the H standing for home entertainment and the 13 for the year, and we could see it and others come early January.
There's a good chance we'll see a good number of tablets at the show, but there's two we've heard about recently that could really turn some heads.
Asus is reportedly working on a tablet with the model name ME172V, a slate that could reach no more than 7in, come with a microSD slot for expandable memory and flash a price that puts the Google Nexus 7 on notice.
And while Samsung's Galaxy S4 is stealing most of the South Korean company's 2013 thunder, we've heard the firm might be planning a 13.3in tablet to take on Asus' Transformer series.
The 13 incher would even feature a QWERTY keyboard dock.
Intel is supposedly prepping the introduction of a next gen processor at CES 2013: the Bay Trail-T.
The Bay Trail-T is rumored as a quad-core scheduled for a 2014 launch, though CES will see the series' debut plus info on what manufactures are building slates based off the Trail-T.
A SoC sibling is also expected at the Vegas show. Dubbed the Valleyview-T, the chip could take on Nvidia's Tegra 3 and Qualcomm's S4.
Look for long battery lives plus 22nm prowess, superior audio, boosted memory capacity and amped up graphics when used in conjunction with the Gen7 Intel GPU. There's even talk 3D video recording could be in the cards.
As the major hardware manufacturer taking up CES real estate, it's no surprise Samsung should (so far) dominate the rumor mill.
This one has a Full HD Super AMOLED display arriving at the show, but that's not all: chances are we'll see such a screen housed inside the Galaxy S4.
A Samsung source reported that the display's resolution will reach 1920 x 1080 and a staggering 441 ppi, but the real point of interest is in the ultra-thin and energy efficient AMOLED technology.
Fingers crossed Samsung decides to bring a SIV with such a screen as its CES carry on.
With Windows Phone 8 reveals by Nokia, HTC and Samsung already in the books, it was easy to forget that a fourth manufacturer received a Microsoft nod to use the new OS.
China's Huawei confirmed just a few weeks before the show that it will bring its WP8 dish to the party in the form of the Ascend W1.
Though the Ascend W1 will be the last guest to arrive, it may turn out to be the phone everyone flocks to if a cheap asking price is tacked on.
The firm may also introduce the higher-end Ascend W3, a phone with a 4.5in display that recently leaked online.
Can you say "whoa?" Samsung is about to set mouths agape with an 85in Ultra HD LED TV, "the world's largest commercialized UHD LED TV."
The company made the over eight million pixel tube official November 12, and we're looking forward to standing wide-eyed before the mondo television that probably makes the lights on the Strip look like dying flashlights.
While we don't necessarily anticipate a radical image reimagining, we do expect Samsung will take advantage of the stage (and a keynote speech) to introduce a new facet to its business identity – a refresh, as it were.
One of CES's exhibit categories is "Digital Health and Fitness," so Samsung will likely tack onto that theme with the introduction of products (or the retooling of current devices) that fit into the health and wellness category.
Samsung has reportedly hired a design team that's worked with Nike on some of that company's branding initiatives, so we'll likely see some dynamic stuff from South Korea in Vegas.
As Samsung continues to grow from an Asian powerhouse to a global one, how it sells itself to a broad international audience will be key to its future.
We expect Stephen Woo, president of Samsung Electronics' device solutions division, to set the tone of the company's refreshed self during his keynote address January 9.
The debut of Ultra High-Definition television
It took a while but CRT televisions have finally become the stuff of garage sales and trips to grandma's house, and 3D screens have just started to crack the home market. Now everyone's lovely flatscreen is about to become a little bit obsolete, thanks Ultra High-Definition.
After a brief flirtation with 4K high-definition, the CEA settled on the name Ultra HD. However, Sony, always one to buck a naming trend (remember Blu-Ray vs. HD-DVD?) has said it will stick with numbered moniker, calling its pixel-dense displays 4K Ultra High-Definition (4K UHD).
LG's 55-incher, we've its since topped
Still, everyone seems to be in agreement over the spec requirements set by the CEA, defining what it takes to be called Ultra HD. According to the group, Ultra means at least 8 million pixels, with a minimum resolution of 3840 x 2160, and an aspect ratio of at least 16 x 9.
Now the question is how big will the screens at CES 2013 be? There's debate between engineers as to whether anyone can even tell the difference between UHD and regular HD on a display that's less than 100-inches. And when will these TVs become affordable? Right now they're around $20,000 (UK£12,515, AUD $19,210), keeping them firmly in Donald Trump and Richard Branson territory.
Intel introduces a new mobile processor, stakes its claim
Intel is probably one of the most recognizable names coming to CES 2013, though it's not the only chipmaker making a stand on the Vegas exhibit floor.
We expect Intel to show up big at the event, schooling the competition on how it's done, and very likely announcing a new mobile processor or two as well as some destined for PCs.
Intel is in an interesting position in terms of its mobile future: although it claims to have 20 Windows 8 tablets sporting its new Z2760 processor coming to market soon, the firm's chips are currently only found in six smartphones.
ARM and its licensees (Nvidia and Qualcomm) are making a killing in the mobile space and all are heading down to Nevada for the show, creating a perfect storm for one-up-man ship on the Strip.
ARM-based chips, while found in major money makers like the iPad and various Android tablets, aren't terribly up to snuff when it comes to processing prowess.
Yet Intel hasn't even breached the realm of relevancy smartphone space, making CES the time where it needs to stake that claim.
There's been talk that Apple may chuck Intel as its CPU provider in the coming years. Cupertino recently developed a poppy processor for its iPad 4 – the A6X – a chip that's reportedly twice as fast as those found in older iPads.
For that reason alone, Intel has got to show why it's relevant in mobile and why it deserves to be considered the top chipmaker in the world now and for years to come.
We'd love to see Intel not only announce a new mobile processor, but unveil a new partnership. It's got to prove it can work well with others (and capture consumer imagination) if it hopes to move deeper into smartphones and tablets.
Nvidia trumps out Tegra 4
Nvidia's Tegra 3 has done quite for itself this year, jumping into phones like HTC's One X+ and tablets such as Google's Nexus 7 and Microsoft's Surface.
That doesn't mean Nvidia doesn't have its eyes to the horizon, and we believe the company will introduce its Tegra 4 processor come CES.
We might see the Tegra 3's successor at CES 2013
Word of the T40 (the new Tegra's model number) got going in April, with a report pointing to early 2013 as the time the Tegra 3's successor would ascend the throne.
At the time, it sounded like the Tegra 4 would fit four new Cortex A15 ARM chips, taking it way past the A9 Cortex chip summit.
Speeds of 1.8GHz are probably going to be average for the new processor, while by the middle/end of the year, 2.0 should be its cruising GHz.
If we're lucky, we might even see an Android or Windows 8 tablet poke about with the Tegra 4 inside.
Microsoft's show no more
The Consumer Electronics Show has long been Microsoft's chance to shine. The software giant has always given flashy presentations, usually involving celebrities. Shaq, Conan O'Brien, Ryan Seacrest, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and more have all appeared to help co-founder Bill Gates and current CEO Steve Ballmer show of the company's latest tech.
Sadly, CES 2013 will be the first year where Microsoft won't be giving one of its signature keynote presentations. It gave the world plenty of notice, saying in December 2011 that CES 2012 would be its last. Steve Ballmer's last presentation at the Las Vegas trade show focused on Metro, the new Live Tile-based interface for Windows 8.
Ballmer and Seacrest present at CES 2012
Companies have moved quickly to fill the space left by Microsoft's exodus. Qualcomm has nabbed the open keynote slot. The telecommunications mogul will be giving its Born Mobile keynote on Monday, January 7. Meanwhile, satellite provider Dish and appliance manufacturer Hisense snapped up Microsoft's booth space in under an hour.
However, Venturebeat has quoted CEA president Gary Shapiro as saying, "Microsoft will have something" at CES 2013. While it's unknown what that something will be, there are plenty of possibilities. More Windows Phone 8 devices? A Microsoft Surface Pro running Windows 8? Its all in the realm of possibility.
LG unveils Smart TV platform underpinned by HP's webOS
While we expect LG to march out a bevvy of phones and TVs, including some we haven't seen before, what's really piquing our interest heading into the new year is word that it may launch a Smart TV service based on webOS.
webOS, the open source system developed by HP, could take the reigns from LG's antiquated NetCast Smart TV interface during the show, a move that wouldn't leave our jaws dropped.
HP delivered on its promise to walk out webOS to the public by September, a vow it made in January, and now it needs a big product and solid partner to get its face out there.
The marriage between the two should be equal – reports have HP providing the OS while LG will plug in its dual-core L9-powered motherboards.
If our expectations pan out, we'll likely see the death of LG's small screen partnership with the struggling Google TV service, a relationship LG championed at CES 2012 yet has since cooled.
Automotive electronics
The CEA estimates that factory-installed automotive technology will generate $8.7 billion dollars in 2013, so it's no wonder seven major car companies will be on the show floor.
Audi, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Hyundai, Kia and Subaru will be joined more than 100 auto tech companies displaying the latest in-car tech. This is a record setting presence for the automotive industry at CES.
Displays and presentations will include electric drive technology. GoElectricDrive TechZone will demonstrate electric vehicles paired with their respective charging stations, ones that can be used at homes and in public facilities. The Safe Driver presentation will show more than the typical hands-free devices, highlighting technologies that can help drivers park, watch their speed and avoid collisions.
However, not everything between automakers and car tech designers is completely sunny. With so much hardware being put into cars before they even leave the factory, will the aftermarket industry be facing an all-time low? A presentation titled "Are Automakers Running the Aftermarket Off the Road?" will address the issue.
HTC is determined to go from "quietly brilliant" to "loudly brilliant" in 2013.
HTC settled its patent dispute with Apple last year, but the Taiwanese smartphone and tablet manufacturer still has to overcome marketing hurdles in 2013, according to its CEO.
"Our competitors were too strong and very resourceful, pouring in lots of money into marketing," HTC CEO Peter Chou told the Wall Street Journal.
The increase in iPhone and Galaxy S3 sales has been to the detriment of HTC's Android and Windows Phone-based devices.
The company's year-over-year marketshare slipped from 2.7 percent to 2.2 percent for the third quarter, according to market research firm Gartner.
Stuck in the middle is Chou
While Apple and Samsung are selling high-end devices in conjunction with hefty marketing, Chinese manufacturers Huawei and ZTE are having success with budget smartphones.
Many analysts believe that this leaves HTC stuck in the middle.
Chou, who co-founded HTC in 1997, doesn't agree. Instead, he sees a better 2013 for his company, chiefly because of innovation.
"Although we don't have as much money to counter [Samsung and Apple], the most important thing is to have unique products that appeal to consumers."
A luck this year?
Chou's company is on the record as having said that its patent settlement with Apple will bring about better phones from the company.
HTC is determined to go from "quietly brilliant" to "loudly brilliant" in 2013.
HTC settled its patent dispute with Apple last year, but the Taiwanese smartphone and tablet manufacturer still has to overcome marketing hurdles in 2013, according to its CEO.
"Our competitors were too strong and very resourceful, pouring in lots of money into marketing,” said HTC CEO Peter Chou to the Wall Street Journal.
The increase in iPhone and Galaxy S3 sales has been to the detriment of HTC’s Android and Windows Phone-based devices.
The company’s year-over-year marketshare slipped from 2.7 percent to 2.2 percent for the third quarter, according to market research firm Gartner.
Stuck in the middle is Chou
While Apple and Samsung are selling high-end devices in conjunction with hefty marketing, Chinese manufacturers Huawei and ZTE are having success with budget smartphones.
Many analysts believe that this leaves HTC stuck in the middle.
Chou, who co-founded HTC in 1997, doesn’t agree. Instead, he sees a better 2013 for his company, chiefly because of innovation.
"Although we don't have as much money to counter [Samsung and Apple], the most important thing is to have unique products that appeal to consumers."
A better year ahead for HTC?
Chou’s company is on the record having said that HTC’s patent settlement with Apple will bring about better phones from the company.
Street photographer Travis Jensen talks to us about how he uses his iPhone and Hipstamatic to document life on the streets of San Francisco.
Travis Jensen’s calling in photography started not in the darkroom but out of necessity. The 33-year-old began his career documenting extreme sports as a writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. After growing frustrated with the artwork that accompanied his columns, he was compelled to teach himself the how-tos of photography. Eventually, his work would move from taking photos to accompany his newspaper copy, to writing concise captions to accompany his art.
Travis Jensen
These days, Jensen’s work is primarily shot through the lens of his iPhone. But it wasn’t until he discovered the photo app Hipstamatic did he truly embrace photography on a smartphone. In fact, when the iPhone came out, Jensen was resistant to the idea of shooting on a phone. “That’s not real photography,” he recalls thinking. “All you have to do is point and shoot. There’s no difficulty in that.” But one day, he downloaded Hipstamatic, a digital app that harks back to analog photography. Like the old-school Diana cameras, users exercise their artistic flair by swapping out different camera components, such as lens, film and flash; with Hipstamatic, these are all virtual.
His distinctive combination – the John S lens and BlacKeys Supergrain film – has been widely adopted by the Hipstamatic community for street photography. “Coupled with his keen sense of timing and astute understanding of his subject matter, it’s pretty easy to identify a Travis Jensen Hipstamatic photograph,” said Molli Sullivan, Hipstamatic’s director of communications.
Jensen’s intimately familiar with the street scenes he shoots. Inspired to join the skateboarding movement in the ’90s, Jensen, then an 18-year-old fresh out of high school, moved to San Francisco with a duffle and $800. He lived in San Francisco’s notorious Tenderloin on friends’ couches, in seedy single-room occupancy hotels, and eventually in a closet he rented for a few years.
His latest book, “Wish You Were Here,” features a collection of Hipstamatic snapshots taken on the iPhone 4 (he upgraded to the iPhone 5 shortly after publication). Proceeds of the short-run book published by Whole Foods benefits the Larkin Street Youth Services in the Tenderloin.
We caught up with Jensen before the holidays about his new book, the pros and cons of shooting on a phone, and tips for budding iPhone photographers.
Why did you gravitate toward street photography?
I think growing up as a skateboarder, it was only natural I would fall into street photography. Part of the thing I like about skateboarding is being out in the city.
Though I appreciate and admire photography of all kinds, whether landscape or long exposure, I’m really drawn to what’s going on in the street. My images, they’re not the postcard Hallmark photos you see in San Francisco. It kind of captures the city from a local perspective. Though my images tend to be a little on the dark side, I try not to shoot people who are in really helpless situations. I always try to portray people with a lot of dignity and respect. When I take these, I ask myself, what if that were me in the photo? How would I react to that?
Are people on the street open to you taking portraits of them?
Yes and no. Now, it’s getting a bit harder. When I started shooting, there were no iPhones. There weren’t as many people out photographing the streets.
It’s up and down. Some days, I’ll have a lot of good luck. I don’t always ask – shoot first, ask later, or shoot while asking. People are generally OK with it. I think deep down, people, unless they’re participating in illegal activities, they’re pretty cool with it. I’ve only had a few handful of situations that have gone really bad.
What do you prefer to shoot with?
I’m left handed, so I shoot with a phone in my left hand and film camera in my right hand because it’s very comfortable for me to have a camera in each hand. I think a lot of people get caught up on gear. A solid image is a solid image regardless of the device or app used to create it.
I never use the iPhone’s native camera app. I shoot with Hipstamatic and I use the exact same settings with every photo. This particular combination I use [John S lens and BlacKeys Supergrain film] captures what I’m seeing perfectly. The cool thing with Hipstamatic is it automatically applies a vignette and border, so you can’t crop them. That’s where I justify the level of difficulty. Sure the camera sets exposure and the app does all the settings, but you can’t crop these images, so using the phone has actually helped me work on framing and composition.
That’s kind of how we feel about prime-lens photography, that it forces you to compose instead of relying on crop.
I think good street photography is photography that’s close. Like Robert Capa said, “If your photographs aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.”
You really get to feel the street in the images, and part of that is getting close. I’ll see guys walking around with huge lenses dangling to their knees and taking pictures of people across the street. To me, that’s silly and more like voyeurism. I think that if you want to shoot on the street, you should at least be clear what you’re doing.
I like to work close. I like to engage, learn more about people, what they do. If I come home with no photos and I’ve been out for seven or eight hours, I’m cool with that because chances are I learned something, discovered something.
Do you prefer the lightweight nature of a phone versus a hulking SLR?
Here are the advantages of using a phone: It’s lightweight. It’s small. It’s, for what I shoot, very unobtrusive. People feel a little more relaxed when you’re taking a picture on the phone as opposed to shooting with a big DSLR in their face. I’ve seen my own images from the phone printed at 36 x 36, which just blows me away because they look incredible. I can’t believe this little device is capable of producing images at that size. I also take notes of engagements on my phone – name, contact info, so I can send people digital copies or prints. The phone is great also because I’m using it as a pedometer since I walk so much.
Disadvantages: The phone doesn’t handle motion well, especially Hipstamatic. Shooting fast can be challenging. With a DSLR or Micro Four-Thirds camera, you can adjust your aperture or camera speed. Shooting in low light is a challenge since there isn’t control over aperture, shutter speed, or ISO. I no longer shoot much at night anymore. Though I like the square crop, I feel at times I do get bored with it. A traditional rectangle crop shows a little more context.
How do you pitch a book based on your iPhone photos?
With this book, “Wish You Were Here,” that was sort of a spin-off of a small book called “[Insert Title Here].” A friend of mine got a hold of it and passed it around at Whole Foods. Whole Foods is all about supporting local artists in the community – candles, honey, what have you – and they said, ‘Let’s do a book. We’ll pay for it. We’ll sell it here.’ Given the nature of my work and what I shoot, it would be awkward to profit off other people’s images. I’m always taking, taking someone’s picture, taking their time. So I said, let’s do it, and give the money back to the community. I’ve worked with Larkin Street Youth Services extensively in the past and seen first-hand the wonderful things it does for the youth in our community. The whole project came together very quickly.
There were 250 copies for the first run. They retail for $25, and every book is hand-made and hand-bound in San Francisco by Photoworks. There’s no machine doing the work. $10 from each sale goes to Larkin Street Youth Services, since the books cost $15 each to make at a small press. The idea is to start with this store here, the Whole Foods Franklin location, and push it in all stores in the city and then Bay Area-wide.
What tips do you have for shooting on a phone?
Don’t worry about what people are doing. Do whatever interests you.
When it comes to street photography, I would say get close, get bold, and don’t be afraid of rejection. Also, have a good pair of walking shoes.
Don’t always expect. The nature of street photography is a lot like playing a slot machine, in the sense you never know what’s going to unfold in front of your face.
Always have your camera at your ready. I walk around with the Hipstamatic app open and ready to fire. Whenever I put the phone away, even for a second, that’s when I miss a shot.
Kids are great [photography subjects]. I’m a father of two boys who keep me very busy.
Embrace Wabi-sabi, a Japanese aesthetic for finding beauty in imperfection. It’s your friend. Don’t get caught up in perfection. The best images are those that are a little off.
Google has updated its Android Developer Dashboard site with data about the percentage of active devices running a given version of its mobile operating system. Unsurprisingly, the holiday season marked a few shifts in the version distribution of the platform, with Android 4.2 and 4.1 -- both named Jelly Bean -- breaking the 10 percent milestone for the first time in six months.
According to data collected by Google from its Google Play store for a two-week period ending January 3, version 4.1 is on 9 percent of Android devices, while Android 4.2 (only available to Nexus devices right now) has 1.2 percent. The two versions combined accounted for 6.7 percent of devices last month.
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich's presence also climbed from 27.5 percent in December to 29.1 percent this month, while Android 2.3 "Gingerbread" dropped below 50 percent for the first time to 47.6 percent. The latter is still by far the most popular version of Android and hasn't seen an update since September 2011.
Rounding out the list, Android 2.2 Froyo runs 9 percent of all Android devices, Android 2.1 Eclair powers 2.4 percent, and Android 1.6 Donut and 1.5 Cupcake together account for just 0.2 percent.
Google has been working to improve roll out times but that's no easy task having to deal with multiple carriers and phone manufacturers. By comparisson, roughly 61 percent of iOS devices were running the latest 6.0 version one month after its release and by mid-December it had surpassed the 70 percent mark.
The slow adoption rate of new Android versions remains one of the main drawbacks of Google's smartphone platform. For developers, it means dedicating resources to support multiple versions of Android, while the average user who won't manually root and update their device is left out on new features and security updates.
In advance of Tuesday’s security updates, Microsoft has announced it will patch Windows OS weaknesses but not provide a fix for a vulnerability in IE6, IE7, and IE8.
Following normal routine, Microsoft gave advance notice on Thursday of the seven security updates being released this coming Patch Tuesday, including one rated critical for protecting Windows 8 and Windows RT. All in all, the bundle will address 12 different vulnerabilities. Yet conspicuously missing – as security experts were quick to point out – was a fix for an Internet Explorer zero-day exploit that has recently been plaguing users of IE6, IE7, and IE8.
Although the IE vulnerability alarmed Microsoft enough to issue a security advisory about it last Saturday, the company has since downplayed its seriousness, claiming it affected only a limited number of customers. However, it compromised several websites, including those of Capstone Turbine, a gas turbine manufacturer, and the Council on Foreign Relations, a foreign-policy think tank. When hacked, these websites became unsafe for visitors using IE6, IE7, and IE8, installing unwanted malware on users’ computers and attempting to steal personal data.
Fortunately, there remains a number of solutions for the IE zero-day vulnerability. Newer versions of Internet Explorer do not share this security weakness, so Microsoft is encouraging users to upgrade to IE9 or IE10 if possible. Unfortunately, those running Windows XP or earlier Windows operating systems are unable to upgrade to IE9 and IE10.
For these customers, Microsoft has provided a single-click “Fix it” workaround that will take care of the security vulnerability. Finally, if users see a major increase in the number of attacks exploiting this vulnerability, Microsoft may release a special “out-of-band,” or off-schedule, security update prior to its next Patch Tuesday, which isn’t set to take place until February 12. Of course, you can always try out the latest version of Chrome in the meantime.
Finding out what makes the Z10 tick (credit: EtradeSupply)
A small handful of parts for one of the upcoming BlackBerry 10 devices have appeared online that confirm some suspicions about the smartphone's specs.
The parts, which were obtained by ETrade Supply, include the LCD screen, touchscreen digitizer, and both the rear and front housing assembly for the BlackBerry Z10 model.
The LCD screen is a 4.3-inch display, of which ETrade Supply has obtained two different versions. The two displays have slightly different sensor and camera hole placement, while one also has a larger metal rim around the screen and the BlackBerry name branded on the front.
The screen without any BlackBerry branding could belong to an earlier prototype, or possibly a separate model entirely.
Disassembled
The Z10 front casing shows slots for an HDMI-out port, micro USB port, and a diagram suggesting it will take a SIM card under the battery. The rear casing shows an SD card slot and covers most of the Z10's back, with a large gap where the battery and battery cover will be.
The front and rear casing obtained by ETrade Supply appear to be for different models based on how their screw placement aligns. Like the two screens, this could be due to parts from an earlier prototype or a second Z10 model.
The entire casing is 5.2-inches tall by 2.9-inches wide, while the casing and screen assembled are about 0.37-inches thick.
Not long now
The BlackBerry Z10 will be the touchscreen version of Research in Motion's new line of smartphones that will launch alongside the QWERTY-equipped Blackberry 10 N-Series.
Two additional BlackBerry 10 devices were recently approved by the Federal Communications Commission. Details are scarce on the two unnamed BB10 handsets, though one of them could be tied to the mismatched screen and rear casing from the newly leaked parts.
RIM is on schedule for its Jan. 30 BB10 launch, the only question is how many models will be available. At least two are currently rumored for release day in both QWERTY and touchscreen options, though that number could easily jump to four to offer a wider range of hardware.
As LTE networks spread across the globe a new report has found that subscribers download more data, use Wi-Fi less, and are more likely to be on metered plans than 3G subscribers.
The growth of 4G really kicked into gear in 2012 with over 100 LTE networks going live in over 50 countries across the world. It seems like mobile consumers are hungry for data and that trend is set to continue into 2013.
Mobidia has been analyzing data from over 100,000 Android LTE users in the U.S., Korea, and Japan, to try and establish whether they act differently from people still using 3G networks. The results are interesting, if a little unsurprising.
For a start, LTE users are gobbling down more data than their 3G counterparts. A whopping 132 percent more in South Korea and 67 percent more in Japan. Mobidia also found a correlation between the rising demands for data on LTE networks with a drop in demand for Wi-Fi – there was a relative decrease across all markets and an absolute decrease in Korea.
The good news for carriers is that the pricing strategy reset, which has sounded the death knell for unlimited data plans in favor of metered data usage, appears to be working. Mobidia pointed to SKT LTE subscribers, revealing that only 7 percent have unlimited data plans compared to 24 percent of SKT 3G subscribers.
In a nutshell, people download more data on LTE networks, so they don’t bother using Wi-Fi as much, and they’re prepared to pay for the privilege by the GB. You can find more insights in the full white paper.
These results are somewhat puzzling, as data restrictions have gone up significantly in the last year. Though data connections are faster, its much easier to hit your limits, making Wi-Fi access all the more attractive. At least, one would assume. The numbers seem to indicate the opposite. At least, for now.
The world's favorite bird-flinging casual game made a mint over the recent holiday season: Christmas Day alone accounted for 8 million downloads of Angry Birds titles.
When your local cinemaplex begins rolling out advertisements for the upcoming Angry Birds CGI film you may be forced to wonder how a casual game about throwing birds into walls has become such a media juggernaut. To put it simply: Sales. Even though almost everyone has played some iteration of Angry Birds, the games continue to sell at a tremendous rate.
Earlier today Angry Birds creator Rovio revealed its sales figures for the recent holiday period (December 22 through 29). In that time prospective bird-flingers downloaded 30 million Angry Birds titles on their console, computer or web browser of choice. Christmas Day alone accounted for a full eight million downloads.
There are obviously many reasons for the franchise’s intense success, but most crucially we should remember that one or more Angry Birds titles are available on almost every computing platform in existence. Combine that with the games’ low (to free) price point, the series’ incredibly simple gameplay and the timeless appeal of smashing pigs with explosive fowl, and it’s easy to see why Angry Birds would be so popular. Piling the Star Wars license on top of all of that with the recently-released Angry Birds Star Wars only served to amplify the series’ appeal, and as a result Rovio made a ton of money during the holiday season.
While we applaud the simple elegance of Rovio’s business model (create hit game, repeat with slight variations ad nauseam) and are quite impressed at the sales figures Angry Birds has generated to date, we’re starting to wonder when this phenomenon might die down. People will eventually tire of the Angry Birds formula and to date we’ve seen no evidence that Rovio is capable of creating a game outside of that single universe. We doubt the company will ever completely vanish (it’s made too much money for that), but we’re very curious to see Rovio’s first attempt to completely branch away from Angry Birds.
Although holiday promotions are petering out (particularly at GOG, GameFly and GameStop), a handful of digital distributors are keeping the festivities alive this weekend. Steam's year-end event continues with discounts across hundreds of titles and new special deals every day, with today's offers including Sleeping Dogs for $17, Rage for $5 and Max Payne 3 for $15. Meanwhile, Amazon still has several attractive bundles such as both BioShock titles plus Spec Ops: The Line for $10, GamersGate has Fallout: New Vegas for $5 and Get Games offers Red Orchestra 2 GotY for $5.49.
With this book, “Wish You Were Here,” that was sort of a spin-off of a small book called “
