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Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Actually, Android Phones Have The Same Camera Problem Everyone Says The iPhone 5 Has (AAPL, GOOG)

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/consumer-reports-tests-iphone-5-camera-2012-10

iphone unbox

Several iPhone 5 owners have been complaining of an eerie purple haze effect that shows up when photos are taken in certain lighting conditions.

A lot of people freaked out, prompting Apple to publish instructions on how to avoid the purple haze in your photos.

But as we said when the purple haze was first discovered in iPhone 5 photos, this is a common problem with many digital cameras, especially those found in smartphones. Consumer Reports backs up the assertion by testing the iPhone 5 camera against two top-tier Android phones, Samsung's Galaxy S III and Motorola's Droid Razr Maxx.

In the tests, all three phones showed the purple haze effect when photos were taken in the same lighting conditions. Consumer Reports also found the iPhone 4S camera's photos displayed a purple haze.

In short, the only way to get rid of a purple haze on your smartphone's photos is to adjust the lighting conditions.

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HTTPS Everywhere 3.0 Keeps Your Data Safe on 1,500 More Web Sites [Security]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5950311/https-everywhere-30-keeps-your-data-safe-on-1500-more-web-sites

HTTPS Everywhere 3.0 Keeps Your Data Safe on 1,500 More Web Sites Chrome/Firefox: HTTPS Everywhere, the browser extension that keeps your data from falling into the wrong hands, has updated to double the number of web sites it supports. If you aren't using it, you should be.

We've talked about HTTPS a lot before: it's absolutely essential if you use public Wi-Fi networks, want to protect yourself from identity theft, and generally just want to keep your online privacy intact. The newest version adds 1,500 more sites, bringing the total number of supported sites up to nearly 3,000. Need we say more? If you're using it, hit the link below to update, and if you aren't using it, give it a try now.

HTTPS Everywhere is a free download for Firefox and Chrome.

Note: It looks like this version supports Gawker sites, but only partially and it seems to break the comment section. For now, if you want to access the comments on Lifehacker, you'll need to disable the Gawker entry in HTTPS Everywhere for now.

HTTPS Everywhere 3.0 protects 1,500 more sites | Electronic Frontier Foundation via Ars Technica

iPhone Production Slows as Apple Improves Aluminum Quality [Apple]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5950452/iphone-production-slows-as-apple-improves-aluminum-quality

iPhone Production Slows as Apple Improves Aluminum Quality Bloomberg is reporting that Apple's iPhone 5 production is slowing, as it attempts to cut the number of devices shipped with nicks and scratches by improving aluminum quality control at Foxconn.

Sources have told Bloomberg that Senior Apple managers insisted at the end of September that Foxconn picked up its game to tighten production standards. The metal cases are now being more closely scrutinized before they make it on to a phone. The knock-on effect: fewer scratches, but fewer iPhones, too.

It's only natural for aluminum to scuff and scratch, and putting a phone together offers plenty of opportunities for it to happen—but in reality, phones shouldn't be shipped in a state where they're already damaged. Clearly Apple realizes that.

Currently the quality clampdown means fewer of the phone's metal housings are being approved for use—to the extent that Foxconn even had to halt production for a day at one factory Shenzhen. Apple will no doubt want to find a middle ground as soon as possible, where damage is minimized but production doesn't suffer. [Bloomberg]

Sony Cyber-shot RX1 sample images and video

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/09/sony-cyber-shot-rx1-sample-images-video/

When we first got our hands on Sony's full-frame compact camera, the Cyber-shot RX1, we were allowed to touch it, but we couldn't use it for its stated purpose. Today, however, we got to put its 35mm image sensor and Zeiss Sonnar T* 35mm f/2.0 fixed prime lens to the test at a Sony event in San Francisco. Join us after the break to see a bit more of the City by the Bay and learn how the RX1 performed shooting stills and video.

Gallery: Sony Cyber-shot RX1 sample photos

Continue reading Sony Cyber-shot RX1 sample images and video

Filed under: Cameras, Sony

Sony Cyber-shot RX1 sample images and video originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Oct 2012 21:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Galaxy Note II for T-Mobile hands-on

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/09/samsung-galaxy-note-ii-for-t-mobile-hands-on/

Yep, it's a Samsung Galaxy Note II. With T-Mobile branding. At MobileCon 2012. Indeed, there's not much that will surprise you when gazing upon the latest version of the quad-core Exynos-clad phone / tablet -- it's almost completely the same as the unit we reviewed earlier this week, not to mention the Sprint and AT&T models we've played with so far. Cosmetically, the only difference you'll notice is the Magenta branding on the back of the device. As you'd expect, this particular Note -- the T889 -- won't be getting T-Mobile LTE yet, but it does at least have LTE bands 4 and 17 (700MHz and AWS) under the hood, and it offers support for 42Mbps HSPA+ on bands friendly to T-Mobile's network. Otherwise, the only thing that may catch your eye is the usual smattering of bloatware dedicated to Magenta's cause. We were a little disappointed to see that the Multi Window feature hasn't been added to the unit we played with tonight; we won't rule out the possibility of seeing it added into the final production firmware or shortly after in an OTA update. We still haven't been given pricing or availability (aside from being told it will be released in the coming weeks), though owners of the original T-! Mobile N ote will still be annoyed at how fast its sequel came out. Take a look at our images of the marble white and titanium gray version of the T-Mo Galaxy Note II below!

Gallery: Samsung Galaxy Note II for T-Mobile hands-on