Posts tagged with "camera"

Camera+ hits 2 million sales / Revealing details about upgrade numbers and in-app purchase sales→

Camera+ hits 2 million sales / Revealing details about upgrade numbers and in-app purchase sales

If we were to stay on the same weekly pace that we’re currently on (~160k sales per week), we’ll get to 3 million in only 1.5 months from now. But with the volatility of the App Store, our fortune could change in a heartbeat. The one thing you learn to count on as an iPhone app developer is not to count on future sales based on past performance.

John Casasanta has been on a roll lately with his latest set of iPhone tips & tricks, and now he’s released the sales figures for Camera+. By far Camera+ is one of the most successful photography apps on the App Store, and according to the charts it’s one of a few apps that customers are consistently using on their iOS devices. The sales figures for in app purchases are telling, and Casasanta notes that while customers are buying for and requesting new effects packs, that’s not where you want to make the bulk of your cash.

There are companies with free photography apps that are trying to have their business models revolve around selling effects via in-app purchases, but it’s very unlikely that this can be an effective business model.

Camera+ is a success because tap tap tap doesn’t need in-app purchases to unlock features or drive their business model. All of the functionality you need is provided in the app, and additional effects don’t fundamentally alter your experience - they only supplement the tools already available if you find yourself using the app a lot. You’re sold the entire experience upfront, and in-app purchases are like adding an extra flower to the already delicious icing on the cake.

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iPhone 5 To Feature 8-Megapixel Camera from Sony?

9to5mac reports Sony CEO Howard Stringer, in an interview with Walt Mossberg at Carnegie Hall in New York City, said shipments of camera sensors to Apple will be delayed due to Sony’s facility in Sendai that was affected by last month’s earthquake and tsunami. Stringer’s statements come as a surprise considering Sony has never been a supplier for Apple’s camera-enabled mobile devices (iPhone, iPad 2, iPod touch 4th gen) as the company chose to implement Omnivision’s image sensors in the past years. Omnivision’s lens modules are used in the iPhone 4 (5 megapixel sensor), iPod touch and iPad 2.

Stringer just said that their camera image sensor facility in Sendai was affected by the tsunami. Getting image sensors to Apple will be delayed.

MacRumors also points to a transcript of the interview by the Wall Street Journal itself, which seems to confirm Stringer’s hints at image sensors set to be shipped to Apple in the near future:

Early on, he raised the irony of Sony supplying camera components for Apple devices. It “always puzzles me,” he said. “Why would I make Apple the best camera?”

It is unclear what devices he was talking about as Sony isn’t known to supply key camera components, known as image sensors, to Apple; A Sony spokeswoman declined to comment and an Apple spokesperson couldn’t be reached for comment.

Following Stringer’s interview, speculation is running wild on the Internet about whether he was referring to a brand new Apple product still in early production stages, or a new version of the iPhone or iPad. A report from April of last year, however, provides more insight into Stringer’s mention of image sensor for Apple: analyst Ashok Kumar claimed that Apple had signed on with Sony for an 8-megapixel camera lens to be used in the “2011 iPhone” – which would be the iPhone 5 set to be announced sometime between summer and fall. The report from Kumar also correctly indicated that Omnivision would be the supplier of a 5-megapixel sensor for the iPhone that Jobs would announce at WWDC 2010 – indeed, the iPhone 4 with a 5 MP camera module from Omnivision. In the past months, several bloggers also speculated Apple could implement Omnivision’s new 16:9 CMOS image sensor in the iPhone 5, although the reports didn’t provide any additional details. The iPhone 5 is also rumored to feature a bigger screen, the same Apple A5 processor seen in the iPad 2, NFC capabilities and a new aluminum design with internal antenna.

Apple Investigates Possibility Of Dual Camera System For 3D Photos

Patent applications from Apple made public this week show that they have considered adding an additional camera to a device such as the iPhone to enable users to shoot 3D photographs. AppleInsider discovered the patent, called “Systems and Methods for an Imaging System Using Multiple Image Sensors” which details how they would implement the dual-camera system for the capture of 3D images.

In particular it differentiates itself from current offerings, claiming that it is a “paradigm shift from the known software-based approaches” that “guess” at how to combine the two images into a single 3D photograph. Apple says that their approach would avoid creating images with artefacts by implementing a hardware-based approach for more accurate processing. Such a system would involve multiple sensors that determine the luma, chroma and depth of the two images to unify them into one.

Furthermore the patent describes how the system could also record video in 3D and only require a simple, one-time, calibration by the user. The Nintendo 3DS which has just recently been released resembles the aims of this patent with its feature of dual rear cameras to let users to take 3D photographs and play augmented reality games that render in 3D on the fly.

[Via AppleInsider]

Camera+ 2.2 Released: Adds “Clarity” Photo Enhancement Feature

MacStories-favorite alternative image processing / photo taking app Camera+ by tap tap tap was updated a few minutes ago to version 2.2 – and this update, among a series of fixes that improve the stability and performance of the app, introduces a big new photo enhancement feature called “Clarity”.

Clarity is a big step forward from the HDR technique implemented by Apple in the default Camera application for iOS: it’s a 1-tap image enhancement that will make your photos look better in most scenarios (direct sunlight, low-light) and it doesn’t have the issues that usually come with multi-exposure HDR such alignement problems. Once you take your photos in Camera+ and jump to the lightbox (which, by the way, feels faster and more responsive in 2.2), all you need to do is edit, tap “scenes” then Clarity to improve your photo’s quality. Clarity will make more details come out, balance light and dark spots when necessary and, overall, give your photo a more “realistic” feel by re-adding the details and colors that might go missing with a standard digital shot. If you’re a Camera+ owner, just try it and you’ll see.

Version 2.2 also gives a whole new meaning the “+” in the apps’ icon as, finally, there’s a new way to activate focus and exposure controls in the camera view: the two-finger gesture is still there, but you can now tap on the “+” button to split between focus and exposure controls. It’s really handy and I like it.

Camera+ 2.2 is a great update, and the app is still available at $0.99 in the App Store. Camera+ is a powerful, yet intuitive, alternative to Camera.app, and it looks like tap tap tap are really serious about adding features that outperform Apple’s own implementation in reliability and speed. Recommended.

Some examples of Clarity compared to Apple’s HDR below. Read more

FaceTime App May “Freeze” On Your iPad 2

AppleInsider points to an issue with the FaceTime app on the iPad 2 that happened to me last night: after a video call with a friend, I came back to the app and found that the image on screen was completely frozen. FaceTime was displaying a static image of the front-facing camera when I hung up the call, and starting a new one wasn’t fixing the problem. I tried to quit and re-open the FaceTime app, but the frozen image was still there. So I restarted my device, and FaceTime correctly captured video from the front-facing camera again.

It happens quite frequently,” user “leov36” wrote of the issue. “Restarting the ipad fixes the problem, BUT, it happens again with in the next two to three times i go to use it.

When I opened up FaceTime the first time, the camera was working fine, but now whenever I open it up, it just shows a still image from when I left,” user “CRK The Man” wrote. “How can I fix it?

It appears that this issue is very common among early iPad 2 adopters, and a user on Apple Discussions also claims a Verizon Store manager told him several demo units displayed the freezing FaceTime image inside the store. It seems that for now the only solution is rebooting the iPad 2, but I don’t think (unlike several users have reported on Apple Discussions) that restoring the device is necessary.

The issue will likely be fixed in the upcoming iOS 4.3.1 upgrade, but if you’re experiencing it right now all you can do is shut down the iPad and restart it.

iPad 2 and iMovie Enable “Citizen Journalism” For Breaking News

Geek Squad founder Robert Stephens was driving to work yesterday when he witnessed a large gas explosion a couple of blocks away. To see if someone had called 911 yet, he drove with his car near to the explosion site and started recording a video with his iPhone 4. A couple of minutes later, the video was edited and uploaded to the Internet to become the first semi-professional footage used by media organizations to break the news of the Minneapolis explosion.

How did the video end up on TV if it was simply shot with an iPhone? People shoot videos with their smartphones every day, but they’re not chosen to be broadcasted. It turns out, Stephens quickly transferred the video file over to his iPad 2 through the Apple Camera Connection Kit, and started editing it. He added a map, subtitles, and cleaner voice over. All of this using iMovie for iPad in a parking lot while he could still feel the heat of the explosion on his face. Once done editing, he sent the video to Youtube and CNN iReport over 3G and was one of the first eye-witnesses to tweet about the explosion and post footage. He also tweeted permission to use the video, which ended up on MSNBC and CNN coverage in a matter of minutes.

The story here is a great example of “citizen journalism”, with an Apple twist. Everyday devices like an iPhone and an iPad become indispensable tools when it comes to quickly capturing a particular scene, and uploading the results on to the Internet so everyone can see it. Furthermore, semi-professional videos edited in software like iMovie can be used by major news organizations without looking like “yet another amateur Youtube video”.

Something is also very clear: Apple needs a better way to transfer files between iOS devices without the need of hardware. Perhaps AirDrop for iOS. Check out the video below. [TwinCities via TUAW] Read more

iPad 2 Gets “Real” Photo Booth with IncrediBooth Update

Apple’s Photo Booth software that comes pre-installed in the iPad 2 is great and offers lots of fun, but if you’ve been looking for an actual photo booth app with the vintage look of photo strips to virtually print with your friends and loved ones (who hasn’t done that at least once), then you should consider re-downloading IncrediBooth for iOS, which has been updated to natively support the iPad 2.

I was one of those that bought IncrediBooth last year but never really used it because the iPhone’s screen was too small to have fun with my friends in front of the camera. But on the iPad? Should be much better. As usual, you can take photos with 4 different effects, share to Facebook or email, save to the camera roll. In this update, a new photo setting has been introduced: Betsy X.

Combined with Apple’s Photo Booth, IncrediBooth is one of those apps that will grant you hours of fun and picture taking. Go get it in the App Store at $0.99.

Pano for iPhone Adds Tap-to-Focus

Pano, the popular application to take panoramic shots with your iPhone, has been updated to include support for tap-to-focus and exposure points. Even though the developers of Pano are promising a huge update is coming soon (perhaps with iPad 2 support and a revamped user interface?), this new version is worth mentioning as it adds a functionality requested by several Pano users in the past. As you take your pano shots, you can tap on screen to set the squares for exposure and focus. It works like in Camera+ or the default Camera app, and it’s a great addition to Pano.

Many users still prefer Pano to most recent alternatives like Occipital’s 360 to take panoramic photographs with their iPhones. While Occipital’s app lets you create your pano shot by just waving the iPhone around, Pano works by snapping a series of pictures and then blending them together in the processing section.

Pano is available at $1.99 in the App Store.

Labelbox Prettifies Your Photos, For Free

Labelbox, a free iPhone app by Stepcase, has been quickly climbing up the App Store charts lately thanks to a neat functionality that enables you to apply colored tapes to your photos to make them prettier, and share them online with your friends.

Labelbox is free, but doesn’t have any sort of ads and comes with a polished interface to edit your photos. Once you’ve loaded a photo from the camera roll, or shot a new one directly within the app, you’ll be able to swipe on it to apply a “tape” that can also contains a written description with a custom font. So, say you want to add some style to your photos or a few words to better describe the subject, Labelbox has got you covered. You can choose from a variety of colored tapes (some are really cute), and even mix them to create a “frame” to place around your photo. To remove a tape you simply have to tap & hold, but you can shake your iPhone to clear the whole screen.

You can share your photo creations to Twitter, Facebook and tumblr through the Step.ly network. The best results are achieved when you combine the filters offered by an app like Instagram with the colored tapes of Labelbox.

The app is a free download in the App Store.