Wednesday, 7 September 2016

iPhone 7: The Top 11 Possible New Features


iPhone
Apple is organizing the release of the iPhone 7 in September and the next generation of its flagship handset is anticipated to have a multitude of latest features comprising of an enhanced camera, faster processor with no headphone jack. As the Silicon Valley giant seems to prepare to unveil the devices in September. Some of the top features which the iPhone 7 would have and probably would be introduced are:

1. Improved Camera

As per rumours regarding the iPhone 7 the handset is said to be provided with a bigger camera. Some images have implied that the iPhone 7 Plus would have a dual-lens camera together with a smaller 4.7-inch handset, a much larger with extended camera lens. The upgraded camera is said to be one of the biggest draws of the new phone

2. Eradicating the home button

It has been recommended that Apple would be eliminating the home button entirely on the iPhone 7 and would replace it with a fingerprint scanner beneath the screen. Recently the company had filed a patent for technology which would enable this modification signifying that it is in the works though is not likely to be ready in time for the release of the iPhone 7. The iPhone 7 on the contrary would have pressure sensitive home button which seems to work just as the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus `3D Touch’ display. It had been confirmed by Bloomberg that the change that would be in the physical switch home button replaced with haptic feedback technology, is in the process. The recommendation also seemed to support as raft of changes to the home screen of the iPhone in iOS 10, which is the latest version of the mobile software of Apple, due to be shipped together with the phone.

3. Abandoning the headphone jack 

Another rumour regarding the iPhone 7is that Apple would be abandoning the 3.5mm headphone jack. The possible controversial decision would render millions of users’ headphones out-dated since the company compels a shift to wireless headphone or those which tend to connect to the Lightning port of the phone. Doing away with the 50-year-old jack would enable Apple to make the iPhone 7, 1mm slimmer than the iPhone 6s. Considering the history of Apple in reducing out-dated technology from its devices, inclusive of the laptop DVD drive, Adobe Flash and removable phone batteries, it is expected that the Silicon Valley giant would drop this one too.

4. Water-resistant iPhone 

Apple has left evidence in the iOS 10 beta which indicates that the iPhone 7 would be water-resistant. A new feature in the software informs the user not to plug the iPhone’s Lightning charging cable in, whenever liquid has been identified. It has been pointed out that the feature resembles the waterproof phones that had been launched by the manufacturers.

5. Fast charging 

According to Twitter user the Malignant, it states that technology which enables smartphones to gain hours of use in just minutes of charging could be added to the iPhone 7. The enhanced charging would present `five volt two ampscharge’, basically magnifying the electrical currents in the iPhone 6s.

6. Bigger battery

Rumours have indicated that the iPhone 7 would have a 1735 mAH battery capacity while the iPhone 7 Plus, a 2810 mAH, up from 1715 mAH and 2750 mAH individually. Battery life is said to be the main issue against the iPhone and to address the same, Apple has introduced the `Low Power Mode’ in iOS 9. An upgrade in hardware may be probable as the company tends to move towards a longer battery life in its iPhone devices.

7. Faster processor 

The next instalment of iPhone series that would be even more powerful than the high speed iPad Pro is said to run on a new A10 chip which could be faster by 50% than the prevailing A9X having a 3GB of RAM and a 2.37GHZ processor. Various sources have recommended that the phone would be having 3GB of RAM while the present model tends to have 2GB.

8. Third `Pro’ model

The first two versions of iPhone had been released at the same time by Apple in 2013 when it had revealed the iPhone 5s together with the more affordable iPhone 5c. Thereafter it had released two new handset a year later in 2014 with the launch of the 4.7-inch iPhone 6s with the 5.5-inch 6s Plus. This year, the company would be going a step further with the release of three versions of the handset.

9. Different colours 

Last year the release of the `Rose Gold version of the iPhone seemed to be very popular since the gold did when it had been first introduced with the 5s in 2013. Considering the forthcoming schedule of handset would be fairly identical to the last two generations, Apple would release a new set of colours to attract its customers for an upgrade.

10. Retina scanner

Apple could activate the biometric security features on the iPhone 7with the introduction of a retina scanner or face recognition software. The company has not made any major modifications to its biometric technology since the launch of `Touch ID’ with the iPhone 5s in 2013. The competitors of Apple have begun experimenting with more biometric features like the retina scanner on the Galaxy Note 7 of Samsung and the selfie login in Windows 10 anniversary update of Microsoft.

11. Return to the all-glass iPhone 

Doing away with the aluminium case back to the all-glass one would be a very severe redesign for Apple and the chances of it taking place someday seems to be very high. One of the manufacturing companies which Apple seems to work closely with has been developing an all-glass case for its smartphones. However it is very doubtful that the device would be the handset which Apple opts to revert with. On the contrary it would possibly save this type of a change for the 10 year anniversary edition of the iPhone which is said to be released in 2017.

Mozilla Wants You to Help Redesign Its Logo

Mozilla

Mozilla’s New Logo – New Visual Identity


Mozilla will be given a new logo this fall and would be getting a completely new visual identity. The open-source software firm is not aware of what it could look like though it would probably take after one of the seven identities that had been developed by London firm Johnson Banks.

These could be viewed online and could also be evaluated. Mozilla’s creative direction and the lead on the project, Tim Murray had stated that instead of conducting a brand refresh behind closed door, they thought of a better or different way to do it. That `way’ meant publishing each repetition of the design process to Mozilla’s blog and request people to weigh in.

Murray does not seem to have a concrete indication of how that input could shape the ultimate look though he states that commenter would in some way inform the final design in making this a most unusual rebranding. Murray comments that in the present world, over 50% of the people tend to say they hate new logos and he thought of giving people an opportunity of participating earlier and getting that feedback early.

Net Neutrality/Open Source Internet


Characteristically this approach seems to make some sense for Mozilla and the non-profit trusts in net neutrality and an open source internet. Hence a transparent rebranding seems ideologically appropriate. Overall, the process is already getting enough attention in helping Mozilla to achieve its goal which is to stand apart from Firefox, the marquee product of the company.

It is difficult to say if the comments would be helpful though a lot of people would certainly say yes. This comprises of the designers behind the Mozilla project. Michael Johnson, the Johnson Banks creative direction in charge of the Mozilla project comments that certain people take the view that brand identity designers like themselves should be like architects and lawyers. An architect of lawyer does not provide you with multiple solutions. With most of their clients they seem to be like that.

Approach of Mozilla Helpful


Jim Bull, the co-founder of Moving Brands studio who had spoken regarding how popular opinion shapes design, commented that `it is definitely a feature of most branding conversations and how are we going to launch it and talk about what it is? He believes that clients started caring about the public’s opinion around ten years back. He further added that he has never been one of these designers to say that, as designers, they know best, or that they know some secret language.

If something is not loved, there could probably be something which is done to make it not loved and that is the guiding philosophy at Mozilla. Its rebranding is among the most inclusive to date apart from crowd-sourced or open-invite design competitions, such as the one held recently by the 2020 Olympic Tokyo Organizing Committee.

The approach of Mozilla could be helpful in taming commenters in the near future. Johnsons states that by offering a window into how complicated it would be to create not just a logo but a complete organized visual program. Meanwhile, the Johnson Banks team together with Mozilla seem to inspect the comments rolling in. Johnson comments that it is a roller coaster ride and occasionally punishing.

Tuesday, 6 September 2016

Self Driving Two Person 'Cyclotron' Bike

Cyclotron

Cyclotron Maintains Stability Utilising Gyroscope


Focus on automated vehicles has been directed towards cars and trucks. The ultramodern concept vehicle dubbed the Cyclotron tends to transport two passengers at a time and does nothave to worry about the road ahead.

The designs for the two wheeler looks like a cross between the vehicles from Sci-Fi movies Tron and Minority Report, which demonstrates a face to face ride where the passengers can get familiar while touring the city.Charles Bombardier, a mechanical engineer had explained in an article for a website that the concept vehicle would maintain stability utilising a gyroscope, which would keep it upright in spite of it coming to a halt.He commented that two passenger could sit facing each other with a rare opportunity to relax, converse or get to know one another.

The purpose of the electric vehicle design is to minimize the human footprint and would be capable of running in every season with the electric motor driving both wheels for enhanced traction during winter. Bombardier had developed the concept with industrial designer Ashish Thulkar and had explained that the design had been inspired by the Tron light cycle and the C1 prototype vehicle from Lit Motors.

Adjustable Seats – Adequate Space for Leg/Head


Cyclotron tends to recharge wirelessly and could probably buy as well as sell electricity in real time based on price fluctuations with the other vehicles. The interior of the vehicle seems to be a bit cosy with its two passengers seated face to face.

The adding of adjustable seats can ensure adequate space for leg and head with the passenger getting in and out through the butterfly doors, which makes the concept bike, appear like a high-tech insect. Bombardier, in his blog sets a number of concept vehicles intended at inspiring the future generations of designers. Over 200 concept cars together with bikes, planes, trains and space vehicles had been considered with industrial engineers from across the world.

Even after Tron hit cinemas for three decades, its effect on the advanced design indicates no signs of slackening down. The Cyclotron bicycle tends to borrow the look as well as the name from the science-fiction film with a design which has been unmistakably centred on the Light Cycle especially its two illuminated spokeless wheels.

Wheels Hubless – Utility Slot Modules


Moreover, the visually striking wheels `radiances’ tend to turn by themselves on in low-light conditions, helping as an additional safety measure by increasing the visibility. This seems to last for eight hours only on battery alone. The red laser lines can project rearward to mark a bike lane for precaution. The wheels seem to be hubless enabling what according to the designers is known as USMs or Utility Slot Modules, which are said to be storing vessels intended to fit within the wheel where the spokes could be in the traditional wheel.

Though it seems to be a great concept, it is left to be seen how the additional mass in the wheel would affect the gyroscopic effect. The base of the Cyclotron is said to be a manual 12-speed though the top-of-the line model tends to provide more secrecy along with an electronic gearbox which seems to move under a fifth of a second even when it seems to halt. Those who prefer to enjoy the ride could enable an automatic mode wherein the gearbox tends to do all the shifting for you.

Saturday, 3 September 2016

This MS Paint-like tool lets you search for images by drawing them

paint tool

Latest Search Feature - MS Paint-Style Sketch


Microsoft Paint is the basic computer graphics program which is found on several personal computers having Windows operating system. The images that are developed within MS Paint seem to be typically saved as GIF, Windows bitmap, PNG, TIFF or JPEG files. Initially MS Paint simply permitted the users to create black and white images though users can now paint a full array of colours by using simple user friendly tools.

Painting tool is a function in graphic editing or painting program which is utilised to alter the area of the canvas or an image by adding paint strokes or filling in the area with colour. The most shared painting tools are the pencil and the brush that are present in any kind of drawing or painting program from simple ones such as MS Paint right up to professional graphics software like Photoshop.

An unconventional latest search feature which enables the user to contribute a Microsoft Paint-style sketch of what one would be considering, provides various suggestions for landscapes, portraits, animals together with travel photography, has been unveiled by photo-editing and storage app 500px. The feature is known as Splash and seems to be great one since Jake Gyllenhaal seems to be everywhere.

Colour Splash Effect


Splash was tested by sketching Jake Gyllenhaal explaining the word `separate’ on Sesame Street in 2009 with the support of a puppet octopus. Jake Gyllenhaal speaking to a puppet octopus did have some similarities to an image of a child who is given a free balloon and appealing facial expressions before a green screen is said to be the specialty of Jake.

Since Splash could perform well in generating the first Jake Gyllenhall mood board something more complicated was attempted - Jake Gyllenhaal in the 2001 Donnie Darko film, carrying an axe. Though the mood of the film Donnie Darko was not picked up by Splash, it did a good job of considering just how happy any photo of Jake Gyllenhaal at any stage of his life makes one feel.

The smallest brush that is available in Splash is somewhat large and can capture the essence of the moment. The Colour Splash Effect enables the user to play with colour in their image. Painting tools can be utilised in painting a single pixel or colour a complete canvas, where each kind of painting tool tends to have its own set of functions and options which could be used in creating unique art styles.You could learn to use this feature by the following guidance and then share your image edits with hashtag #ColorSplash!

1. Open Effects Menu

Image can be opened in the Editor by tapping on Effect and then opting for Colours Section

2. Select Effect & Colour 

On tapping Colour Splash, select the Effect and then drag the cursor over the colours you would prefer to appear in the image.

3. Adjust Hues 

Utilising the sliders, adjust the maximum and minimum hues and when done, you could tap on the gear icon to exit the setting menu

4. Confirm

Tap on Apply to relate the Effect and tap on the check mark in order to confirm. Thereafter save your task performed and share it with the hashtag #ColorSplash!

Sony, DJI and Lenovo Show off New Smartphone Camera Tech

Lenovo

It was at the IFA tech show held at Berlin that a new kit had been announced, the kit enhances camera products. The gadget helps in making videos shot on smartphones seem as if they have been recorded using a Steadicam and at the same time, a plug in that reduces the cost of 360 photography. However the flagship phone of Sony also has come up with some new photography features of its own.

Carolina Milanesi’s take 

One of the consumer tech analyst, Carolina Milanesi ofCreative Strategies mentioned that since people nowadays are always with their phone in hand, vendors are aiming at adding on things to sell to them. The camera is one of the most used features however the price also matters because when a vendor is considering charging a price of $300 [£226] for a mere add on could lead to customers opting to by a separate device in itself.

Snap-on zoom

Lenovo's Moto Z phone with its snap on accessory will be a true judge to check customer’s willingness to up their budgets. A 10x optical zoom is provided by the Hasselblad True Zoom which has superior results in comparison normal smartphone cameras that make use of digital cropping. Users would be able to take Raw photos which enables users to alter the pictures better thus making them more detailed tan Jpegs by using editing software’s. The accessory cost is half of that of the Moto Z which is £199 however it is still cheaper than the camera accessory DxO One of the iPhone which is £399 and launched last year. Reviews claim that DxO One provides better quality in comparison to Hasselblad.

Steadier shots

Sony is emerging a camera add-on of its own - the life-logging Xperia Eye. However its major focus is on new smartphone, the Xperia XZ. The firm gloats it is the main handset camera to highlight five-pivot picture adjustment, which means it can make up for the gadget being up and down and left and right off its imprint notwithstanding pitch, yaw and roll.

Sony

This component was beforehand constrained to top of the line cameras, including Sony's Alpha extent. Be that as it may, in the phone, the adjustment is accomplished by adding a product impact to the recording as opposed to moving the sensor about, as the cameras do. Subsequently, it is less powerful.

Additionally, the phone can utilize the capacity just when recording video in 1080p superior quality, and not the 4K resolution it is prepared to do. Different developments incorporate the presentation of a laser-based self-adjust framework - a component spearheaded by LG's before G3 telephone - and new shading detecting tech incorporated with the sensor that helps it make white-parity judgements. "I trust it's a bit excessively specialized, making it impossible to resound with most purchasers," said Mr.Jijiashvili. What's more, when I saw the adjustment illustrated, it wasn't an awe-inspiring change. That is an issue for Sony.

Cinematic shots'

Drone-maker DJI is aiming phone owners with disposable income for its new stabilization system. A handheld support Osmo Mobile known as gimbal, makes use of motors controlled by computers which help in stabilizing the attached smartphone across three axes.

This device may be used on phones from Apple, Huawei and Samsung and ensures to capture cinematic shots. Costing £289, it is a lot more expensive than other rivals in the market such as Feiyu and Zhiyun. At the same time, Steadicam produces stabilizers of a lower cost which do not require batteries or motors. The original DJI Osmo which is approximately 60% more in price and comes with its own camera has been highly appreciated by those who wish to make more professional videos.

360-degree views

Though not the most advanced in the market, the camera add ons of Alcatel’s are low in terms of cost when it comes to virtual reality or 360-degree interactive photos. French firm Alcatel’s 360 camera has two versions, one is rectangular in shape, while the other is ball –shaped.

Both are used in the same manner by plugging it into the phone and they both comprise of the same features. It costs a mere 99 euros which is cheaper by more than fifty percent of rivals such as Samsung, LG and Theta. However customers would have to wait for at least another year until the add on is compatible with other handsets.

Alcatel makes used of the processor, memory and battery in the phone itself since it is connected to the phone via the MicroUSB port mentions George Jijiashvili of CCS Insight. Since both Facebook as well as YouTube are promoting 360-degree content there is a distribution to almost 1. 6 billion people.