camera posts

According to DigiTimes, Apple has been ordering VGA lens kits (for use with the new front-facing camera on the iPhone 4) from supplier Asia Optical (AO) since May, to the tune 3 million (on average) per month. This is great news for AO, of course. If the current rate continues, they expect to get out of the red and reach profitability by the second quarter of this year.

It's also good news for customers, as it suggests that Apple is stockpiling a whole lot of units. Pre-orders begin in the US and elsewhere on June 15, and sales of iPhone 4 will begin in the US on June 24th. At the current rates, Apple could likely produce 9 million iPhone 4s by its fourth fiscal quarter of the year ending September.

Earlier this year, higher-than-expected demand caused shortages and delays for iPad customers. In fact, the international launch was pushed back about a month due to supply and demand trouble. That's definitely something Apple wants to avoid with iPhone 4.

[Via AppleInsider]

Not satisfied that the magical and revolutionary Apple tablet is helping marine mammals communicate their displeasure with the despoilage of the majestic oceans? Fortunately, the iPad is no unitasker; it's being put to good use in both inner and outer space.

First up, CrunchGear points to this video of Japanese surgeons using the iPad as a display for reference during an operation. The iPad appears to show CT images and possibly a video loop as well; it's covered with a sterile plastic drape. Any translation efforts welcome -- and if other physicians are using the iPad in similar fashion, do let us know.

Second, photographer Scott Audette sent a note to let us know he was able to use the iPad, in combination with some wireless camera control tech from Canon, to manage a remotely positioned camera and capture images of the final scheduled launch of space shuttle Atlantis. The full rundown on gear and configuration is on Scott's blog, and it's quite a read.

Well, this is interesting. Our twitter follower @chenks points out that, hidden in the metadata of a picture taken with his OS 4.0-enabled iPhone, there is a title stating that the picture came from the phone's "Back Camera." Of course, if the phone currently has a back camera, there's a possibility that it could, in the future, have a "Side Camera," or more appropriately, a "Front Camera."

We're being facetious, of course. This certainly seems like yet another hint that the next version of the iPhone (expected sometime next month) will have a front facing camera; that's not only a long-awaited feature for the iPhone faithful, but it was also seen on that lost iPhone prototype not long ago.

So, at this point, it's more or less a terribly-kept secret that the next iPhone will finally have a front facing camera. The question is: will you use it? I'd rather not have my ugly mug going out across the wires every time someone calls me, but I suppose there are a few applications (possibly including an official iChat Mobile application) where it might come in handy.

I've been a fan of the Darkroom app for the iPhone almost since the beginning, only because it contained a bit of functionality I think that should have been included in the device from the start: a steady mode. The original Darkroom offered up a steady-shot mode that let you press a shutter button at any time, but then waited to actually take a picture until the iPhone's accelerometer told it that the phone was steady in place. The iPhone's camera has gotten better over the years, but especially in low-light situations, making sure the camera is steady is reason enough to use this app.

And newer versions (after a short buggy delay right around iPhone OS 3.0) have added even more functionality, including a fullscreen shutter mode (no toolbar, just press anywhere on the screen to shoot a picture) and a timer mode as well. They've also added an online photo album into the app using StepCase's official service (which I've never used), but you can also just funnel pictures into your normal camera album if you'd rather upload them somewhere else. The latest update, released just this week, lets you tag your photos by place, so you can browse them later according to the location they were taken at.

Darkroom Pro is definitely worth the 99 cent price if you do any regular photography with your iPhone at all. There's also a free version available, and while the functionality on that one is limited, it still does have a steady mode included, so you can at least jump in and give that a try.

On Tuesday, Eye-Fi announced a new Apple-exclusive product as well as expansion of its hotspot service plan.

Their new device, the Eye-Fi Geo X2, will only be sold at Apple Stores starting in May. It brings faster uploads of photos and video (via a new 802.11n transmitter) directly to iPhoto and MobileMe (Picasa, Facebook, and 20+ others). Its capacity is 4GB.

One cool new feature is what they're calling Endless Memory, which allows users to have Eye-Fi automatically make space available on the card after photos and videos have been safely uploaded. Neat! It also does automatic geotagging so your shots will show up in iPhoto's "Places" feature with no problem.

Eye-Fi also announced the expansion of its hotspot service plan through a partnership with Devicescape, allowing X2 users to upload photos internationally and on thousands more networks.

If the US$49.99 Connect X2 doesn't float your boat and the $99.99 Explore X2 is a bit too pricey, consider the $69.99 Geo X2. A few TUAW bloggers have used Eye-Fi cards with rave reviews. Look for one next month.

I still haven't picked up an iPad yet, though I'm pretty convinced I will soon -- even if I don't need one myself, there's obviously a lot of great apps out there to try. But already there's rumbling that the camera train is due for a stop at iPad station. Apple is hiring a new member of the iPad team, and they're asking for a strong ability to "test still, video and audio capture and playback frameworks." We've already seen that there's room in the device for a camera, so it's a pretty good guess that whenever the next version of the iPad rolls around (hopefully later rather than sooner for you early adopters), there will be a camera included.

And in other iPad news, there are also rumors going around that the iPad's camera connection kit might support USB Audio as well. That's a bit of a surprise -- you wouldn't expect a kit for connecting a camera to also have USB Audio drivers included, but it is basically just a USB connector for the iPad's docking port, so maybe some crafty engineer at Apple has included support for another standard just for the heck of it. I'm sure plenty of audio pros will be grateful if it's true.

[via Engadget]

We have received exclusive access (via an envelope slipped under the door of TUAW headquarters somewhere west of Socorro, NM) to a set of documents outlining last-minute changes to Apple's iPad, which is due to arrive in stores, homes, and offices throughout America on Saturday, April 3rd. These documents are part of a required Apple filing with the FCC*, released today -- April 1 -- and they show hardware features that have not previously been seen in public demos or videos of Apple's new tablet device. A gallery of photos accompanies this post and shows these changes for the first time.

First, and most important to the estimated quarter-million people who will have iPads in their hands on Saturday, is that there will be a front-facing digital camera on the device. As you can see in the gallery, the camera is a 6.0 megapixel unit with a zoom lens. It's apparent that Apple partnered with Canon on the camera -- the first time the Cupertino-based computer manufacturer has gone "out of the house" on a digital camera since the original Apple QuickTake was designed and manufactured by Kodak.

The second feature makes a lot of sense, considering the power of the Canon-designed camera on the device. It's an SD card slot, which means that photos and videos captured with the camera can now be easily transferred to other devices via inexpensive and commonly-available SD cards.

In the documents, there are also details of other members of the iPad "Most Wanted List" that appear to have made it to the shipping. In particular, Flash has been added as well. That's right -- Flash can be seen in one of the photos. Be sure to click the Source link below for a better look at the documents.

I pre-ordered an Eye-Fi Pro X2 from Amazon a few weeks ago. (Don't be too jealous, I did it when I decided that I was going to have to wait for an iPad for financial reasons.) This is not my first Eye-Fi card, as I bought a 2GB version a few years ago -- and quite frankly, I hated it and thought it was overpriced.

We have talked about the Eye-Fi before, but if you are not familiar with it, here's a basic summary: the Eye-Fi cards are Wi-Fi enabled, meaning that you can upload your pictures from your camera without a USB cable or card reader. You can set it to automatically upload to iPhoto, or just to a specific folder on your computer. You also have the option to have your pictures uploaded to MobileMe, Flickr, Evernote, Picasa, Facebook, and many other places (see chart in new window). Videos can be uploaded to Flickr (only 90 seconds maximum, though), Picasa, YouTube, Facebook, Phanfare, and Photobucket. You can even set it up to send notifications via email, Facebook, Twitter, or SMS when transfers start, finish, or are interrupted.

The Pro X2, at US$150, is still expensive and it is SD-only (sorry, CF users), but the new card comes with a host of new features which make it worthwhile. The first is the the card is a Class 6 device, meaning that it is fast. The older Eye-Fi card always felt like it was really slow to me, which meant that I didn't always want to use it. This new card is as fast as any card I own, and the limiting factor now seems to be my camera, not the card.

There's a whole lot more.

An interesting patent application came to light via PatentlyApple yesterday. The patent, titled "Camera as Input Interface," was filed by Apple in August 2008 and details a means of controlling an iPhone by swiping a finger across the device's camera lens. The patent proposes using the iPhone's camera, which is typically idle when the user is on a call, to control voicemail options such as rewind, fast forward, and pause while the iPhone is at the user's ear:

"In one embodiment, to access his voice mailbox, a user may tap the phone to cause playback of a message to pause, tap the phone again to resume playback, swipe his finger over the camera lens in one direction to fast forward playback, and swipe his finger over the camera lens in another direction to rewind playback. These actions allow the user to control functions of voicemail review without removing the device from over his ear."

The patent also describes using the iPhone's accelerometer to detect tapping input to supplement the finger swipes:

"In another embodiment, functions for controlling call features utilize similar user actions or motions. Features such as merging multiple calls, putting a call on hold, and switching between or among multiple simultaneous calls may be controlled by single or double (or any number of) taps of the device, as detected by an accelerometer of the device. These taps may be preprogrammed by a manufacturer, or selected and programmed by a user."

The patent application goes on to describe how the camera swipe could be used when the phone is away from the ear. It details how the camera swipe feature could be used to navigate web pages or applications while the user is looking at the iPhone's screen. Using the camera swipe method in this way would allow the user to view the full screen of the iPhone without his fingers obstructing the view.

This latest patent application shares similarities to a mid-January rumor by Bloomberg that Apple was working on an iPhone with a touch-sensitive backside casing similar to the Mighty Mouse. While it's not clear how much adding a touch-sensitive casing to the iPhone would cost, it might be cost-prohibitive if Apple wants to keep the iPhone margins high and purchase price low. This latest application could present a nice middle ground using the iPhone's existing hardware to mimic the functionality of a touch-sensitive backing.

Interestingly enough, this kind of functionality was one of the top ten hardware "wants" TUAW readers hoped to see in the next iPhone, albeit through a touch-sensitive casing instead of the camera.

[via AppleInsider]

iResQ, the iPhone/iPod repair site, has posted pics of what they claim is the front faceplate of the next-gen iPhone. Two things about this piece of hardware are particularly interesting. First, the part is approximately 1/4 of an inch taller than the iPhone 3GS, indicative of a slightly taller form factor for the next-gen iPhone. Second, there's a small, reflective strip directly above the hole for the phone speaker. iResQ believes this is likely to be the new location for the iPhone's proximity sensor rather than an indication of any new hardware; however, moving the proximity sensor to a new location and increasing the overall length of the device could still point to a front-facing camera or other new hardware on the next-gen iPhone.

It's worth mentioning the possibility that these "iPhone" parts aren't legitimate. iResQ hasn't revealed its source for the part, and purported iPhone bezels leaked in 2009 turned out to be parts for a completely different device. The backside of the supposed next-gen iPhone's face is missing quite a few parts present on the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS, which either means the part iResQ received was incomplete, the next-gen iPhone has had its internal hardware shifted around, or the part is fake.

So case manufacturers, don't throw out your old blueprints just yet. Unfortunately, it's likely we won't find out whether these are legit or not until June/July of this year; despite rumors of an iPhone update in April, the most likely date for the next-gen iPhone's release is early summer.

[Via MacRumors]

A while back, we had a product announcement about the OWLE bubo (US$129.95). That bizarre name is actually a play on words: OWLE stands for "Optical Widget for Life Enhancement" (the company's name) and bubo is the genus for American horned owls and old world eagle owls. The device, if you have an imagination, even looks like a cartoonist's idea of a horned owl.

So, now that we've got the name all figured out, what the heck is an OWLE bubo? You could call it the ultimate iPhone case for photographers, and you'd be pretty darned close. The current bubo is a sleek, machined piece of aluminum that is designed to be held with both hands for better stability when shooting photos or video with the iPhone. The bubo does a great job of making it easier to shoot video, but that's just scraping the surface of the feature set.

bubo also has a 37mm .45x wide-angle/macro combo lens that is awesome for doing close-ups of objects, taking crowd or landscape photos, or doing interviews. In fact, it's this last use case that finally convinced me to purchase a bubo. Since TUAW is going to be doing a lot of video and other photography at Macworld Expo during the this week, I want to see if I can make my iPhone 3GS my primary tool for capturing imagery since I'd prefer to pack light. The lens accommodates screw-in filters at a standard 49mm size, so UV haze or polarizing filters can be added to further improve image quality.

The folks at Mission:Repair have received iPad replacement parts from Apple. While checking them out, they noticed a slot that seems like it could accommodate an iSight. So they pulled an iSight camera from a MacBook pro and guess what happened. It fit perfectly inside the slot in the iPad's frame. In the picture at right, you see the iPad's frame (above and below) and the MacBook Pro's iSight (center).

And to add a little more fuel to the fire, some eagle-eyed event watchers claim that the iPad Jobs held on stage at last Wednesday's event actually did have what looks like a camera along the top bezel.

What does this mean? Will future iPads sport an iSight? Probably. But that doesn't explain why the 1st generation's case has the slot. It must have been pulled at the last minute for reasons of cost, function ... who knows.

If you're not going to buy one until it's got a camera, it looks like your prayers will eventually be answered.

[Via MacNN]

Yesterday we pooled our predictions together to try and predict what would happen at the iPad presentation today. How did we all do?

Sang Tang:

Sang was the closest in terms of the iPad's screen size -- 9.6" prediction vs. 9.7" actual size. However, the iPad has neither wireless HDMI nor a front-facing camera (or, indeed, a camera of any kind). Score: 1/3.

Erica Sadun:

Erica was off on screen size, but was correct in predicting that the iPad would look and function much like an iPod touch. However, by all appearances the iPad doesn't add any new revolutionary gestures, and without a camera of any kind, any augmented reality applications are going to be very limited in scope. She was correct in saying there'd be no "mind-blowing new tech onboard" and optional nationwide wireless with a monthly fee. Score: 3/5.

David Winograd:

David was also off on screen size (though just barely), cameras, and new gestures. He was correct in predicting a keyboard dock and an optional data plan, but wrong about iPhone tethering and iPhone OS 4.0. Score: 2/7.

More scores and the TUAW total after the break!

Bloomberg is the latest outlet to come up with some rumors about the possible new iPhone model coming this year (the iPhone, not the tablet, although doesn't it seem like the flood of tablet rumors has encouraged all kinds of Apple speculation lately?). They say that the new handset will include a 5 megapixel camera to match Google's Nexus One, and will also include a touch-sensitive casing, working similarly to the Magic Mouse. That one just seems strange -- what would you gesture on the back of the iPhone while you're using it?

They also say, quoting Goldman Sachs analyst Robert Chen, that there'll be plenty of new innovations in the software as well. We certainly hope so. According to this round of rumors, the new phone would go into production in April, and be released to stores in June or July, a timeline that actually matches up with what we've heard before.

Rumors are a dime a dozen, and even if a new phone does come out in July, that's too long to wait if you need to buy a phone right now. But we'll keep our ears open -- there certainly is a lot of increased speculation about Apple hardware lately, and there ought to be something in the pipeline driving it all.