Tag Archives: phones

Shiftcam Workflow Sling finally gives smartphone photographers their own bag

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You might chuckle or even roll your eyes at the so-called social media “influencers,” but it’s actually a lucrative (not to mention addictive) industry. That’s not even considering the new breed of photographers that rely only on their smartphones, plus some specialized lenses, to jump immediately into the middle of an action and not miss a beat by having to take out a bulky DSLR. But despite the popularity of smartphone photography, this market also feels a little underserved judging by the lack of basic accessories like something as simple yet as important as a camera bag. Now the wait is finally over and mobile shutterbugs can now enjoy the freedom and versatility that a dedicated smartphone camera bag offers thanks to Shiftcam’s new Workflow Sling, the first hyperfocused camera bag designed just for smartphone photography.

Designer: Shiftcam

The reason why some people prefer to capture photos and record videos using a smartphone is the near-instant action and versatility. You almost always have your smartphone with you, whether in your hand or in your pocket, and you can immediately edit and share those photos on social media. In fact, you can livestream directly from your phone, something that’s not easily done with a digital camera. But as your smartphone photography skills get better, you start to need and use more advanced accessories that you can’t easily fit in your pocket. That’s what a camera bag is for, and the Workflow Sling brings that same convenience to smartphones at long last.

It’s more than just a regular sling bag, mind you, because every corner and every feature was designed for people who use their smartphones as cameras. There’s a dedicated “Action Pocket” in the central compartment that makes sure your smartphone is in your hand in a split second. There are also dedicated pockets to keep your smartphone lenses safe and within reach, like the ones you might be purchasing from Shiftcam itself. There’s also plenty of room for all sorts of smartphone photography tools, from a tripod to a drone to even a water bottle to keep you hydrated during your adventures.

The Workflow Sling, however, does more than just hold your phone and its accessories. There’s an innovative MagSafe clip that lets you attach your phone to the strap and on your chest for a dramatic first-person view or in front of the bag, turning it into a makeshift stand. These features clearly mark this accessory as a product that was designed from the ground up to cater to smartphone shutterbugs, delivering the functionality and features that finally put them on the same playing field as the pros with their bulkier, heavier, and more expensive equipment.

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Moft Invisible Phone Tripod hands-on at CES 2024: A phone tripod as thin as two credit cards

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If there’s anything we’ve come to expect from Moft, it’s the ability to combine design and origami together to make some of the slimmest-yet-most-enduring stands for phones, tablets, and even laptops. Moft’s stands are so thin that they’re practically invisible… but fold them open and you’ve got something that’s so robust and functional it’s honestly surprising.

We came down to Moft’s stand at CES to check out their latest product – the Invisible Phone Stand. As ardent fans of the Moft Z (the world’s thinnest laptop stand) and the Moft X (a shape-shifting slim phone stand with a built-in wallet), we wanted to check out what else they were building, only to set eyes on the ‘Invisible Phone Tripod’ – a highly versatile and adjustable tripod that sits at a mere 0.27 inches thick when folded back into your phone.

Designer: Moft

Designed to be no thicker than two credit cards sandwiched together, the stand sits flat against the back of your phone. Open it up, however, and you’ve got yourself a perfectly stable tripod that can be angle-adjusted and even switched between landscape or portrait modes thanks to the inclusion of MagSafe. The secret lies entirely in a blend of origami-inspired design and some clever material choices and engineering to create a stand so seamless and so slim, it’s there when you need it, and invisible when you don’t.

One of the standout features of the MOFT tripod stand is its versatility, offering three distinct modes with adjustable angles. These include Floating Mode, which raises your phone to a height of 8 inches and offers various angles such as Video Call Angle, Showcase Angle, Theatre Angle, Browsing Angle, and Macro Photography Angle. Then there’s Stand Mode and Vlogging Mode, catering to different content creation and viewing needs.

The folding procedure takes just a few seconds

Despite its multifunctionality, the tripod stand boasts a compact design, measuring 3.82.50.27 inches and weighing just 2.9 oz. It’s crafted from MOVAS™ Vegan Leather, magnets, metal sheets, fiberglass, and PC, ensuring both durability and a premium feel​. The MOVAS™-E vegan leather used in the stand is designed to resist yellowing, boasting impressive UV and dirt resistance compared to regular leather. The material retains its vibrant color over time through a unique dyeing process, although it’s advised to avoid strong chemicals and to clean any stains immediately for optimal maintenance.

Its origami-inspired structure provides a stable triangular base, and it has been tested to support a weight of up to 17.6 oz, which is more than twice the weight of an iPhone 14 Pro Max. The hinge is made from manganese steel, which remains solid even after 5,000 open-close cycles, ensuring longevity. Paired with the MOVAS leather, the entire product is durable inside and out, and won’t show signs of ageing even with constant everyday use.

Priced at $39.99, this tripod stand is not only compatible with MagSafe for iPhone 12 and newer models but also offers universal compatibility for various phone models, including Android, through the inclusion of a MOFT Metal Ring. This ring is suitable for non-silicone cases made from PC, TPU, or aluminum, ensuring a wide range of devices can benefit from this accessory.

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Shiftcam Probe Lens hands-on at CES 2024: the WILDEST iPhone camera accessory ever, just $299

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Remember the $1,599 probe lens Laowa made for DSLRs? Well, Shiftcam built one for 1/5th the price… and it mounts onto your iPhone for the most surreal macro videos ever.

A probe lens for smartphones was definitely not on my 2024 bingo card, but it seems like Shiftcam had other plans. When Laowa launched the first probe lens in 2019, it instantly became the talk of the photography community. The lens had a distinct design, shaped less like a cylinder and more like a projectile. Its design was the perfect example of form following function, because the probe lens could shoot macro unlike any other lens on the market. The only problem, it cost an eye-watering $1,599.

At CES, Shiftcam’s broadly achieved two incredible feats. Not only has it debuted its own probe lens for an ultra-affordable $299, it’s also redesigned it to work with iPhones, bringing the incredible experience to pretty much any smartphone photography enthusiast.

Designer: Shiftcam

Shiftcam’s Probe Lens has that same unmistakable design, with its long, tubular form factor. This pretty much lets you sneak your way into places where most smartphone camera lenses wouldn’t, allowing you to get what’s called a ‘bug’s perspective’ on things. Aside from being able to prod your way into tree trunks, aquariums, and other tight nooks, the distinct benefit of a Probe Lens is the fact that it doesn’t have an extreme DoF. This keeps things in your frame relatively clear, unlike most macro lens that aggressively blur foregrounds and backgrounds out to focus on a singular subject.

The Probe Lens boasts a wide-angle 25mm focal length, quite similar to Laowa’s 24mm lens. The results are incredibly similar too, but it’s a constant endeavor to remind yourself that while Laowa’s $1500 lens fits on expensive high-end cameras, Shiftcam achieves the exact same thing with a $299 price tag and the ability to mount onto any iPhone.

The lens builds on your smartphone’s camera specs, basically leveraging the iPhone’s wild 4K@60fps shooting ability. It relies on Shiftcam’s existing mounting cover cases, which means the lens can attach onto older versions of the iPhone too.

Shiftcam’s announced two versions of the Probe Lens at CES 2024. The regular variant sports a $299 price tag, while the $399 Pro variant boasts extra features like a built-in LED ring, variable DoF adjustment, and a waterproof front tube that lets you point the tip of your lens into water.

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ROG Phone 8 at CES 2024 arrives with a simpler, more premium design

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What is a gaming phone? Since most smartphones can actually handle mobile games, especially the more expensive models, this breed of smartphones differentiates itself from the rest of the crowd with over-the-top performance and, more often than not, over-the-top aesthetics as well. Whether it’s in the form of flashy RGB lighting or an abundance of geometric shapes, the stereotypical gaming phone leaves no room for doubt that these gadgets are miniature versions of gaming desktops and laptops that grab people’s attention one way or another. Great for hardcore gamers who have embraced that aesthetic, not so much for others who want a gaming-worthy phone they can use everywhere as well. That’s the kind of redesign that the new ROG Phone 8 is now carrying, bringing its unparalleled performance for a wider audience to enjoy.

Designer: ASUS Republic of Gamers

There isn’t going to be any debate on the merits of the ROG Phone 8’s gaming prowess. Powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor and paired with the fastest memory and storage technologies in the market, it can handle any mobile game currently in existence and then some. The large 6.78-inch AMOLED display promises bright images even under sunlight, and an equally large 5,500mAh battery guarantees hours of enjoyment of games and streaming videos. Those specs are on par with most gaming phones of this caliber, but, for the first time, ROG is adjusting its specs and design to match what not just gamers but also the masses want.

For example, it has a more powerful camera system now, with a 50MP main Sony sensor joined by a surprising 32MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. This is a huge step up from the macro shooter that the brand usually puts on its gaming phones, though the 13MP ultra-wide camera is still minimally decent. ROG has also ensured the durability of the ROG Phone 8 by giving it IP68 dust and water resistance, the first gaming phone to receive this certification. That’s thanks to a cooling system and thermal design that doesn’t require a tiny fan inside, though ASUS ROG will try to convince owners to buy and use the AeroActive Cooler X attachment as well.

The biggest change, however, is also the most obvious. Gone are the sci-fi-like design of the previous ROG phones, replaced by an aesthetic that still looks sleek and stylish but also cleaner. The pentagon-shaped camera island is off to the side, similar to many camera designs these days, and the back sports a dual-tone tone color theme, depending on the colorway. That’s not to say that the ROG Phone 8 completely ditches the hallmarks of gamer aesthetics, as the base model still has a customizable Aura RGB Lighting on the ROG logo. The ROG Phone 8 Pro, on the other hand, gets an “AniMe Vision” Mini LED display composed of 341 lighting elements that can display preset or custom animations.

It remains to be seen whether the ROG Phone 8’s sudden change of direction will help it appeal to more customers beyond the gamer crowd, or if it will actually turn gamers away toward competing brands. Suffice it to say, it’s a bold new design for a gaming phone, one that still packs the power that gamers require, now wrapped in a stylish design that could appeal to everyone as well. The ASUS ROG Phone 8 will be available in Q1 2024 with an SRP of $1,099 for the base model, $1,199 for the ROG Phone 8 Pro, and $1,499.99 for the ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition that includes the AeroActive Cooler X in the box.

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OPPO Find X7 Ultra with four main cameras challenges the status quo

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Smartphones have long been regarded to be ringing the death knell of digital cameras, but that has mostly been hyperbole. Sure, the old point-and-click cameras may have finally met their match, but professional-grade shooters like DSLRs will hardly feel threatened. While smartphones have quite a number of desirable features like advanced computational photography and filters, dedicated cameras win in the sheer raw power of their optics. That’s especially true since they can easily switch out lenses as they need to while keeping the same powerful sensor. Since that’s nearly impossible with smartphones, the OPPO Find X7 Ultra has made the bold decision to carry the world’s first Quad Main Camera system that’s poised to blow the competition out of the water and deliver stunning photos at every click.

Designer: OPPO

Smartphones have started using more than one camera to make up for the inability to switch lenses. Each camera used a different lens with a different focal point, but because of limitations in past technologies and design, phone manufacturers were forced to make do with different sizes of sensors to fit inside a smartphone’s cramped space. This meant that ultra-wide or telephoto cameras would have significantly different output qualities from the main camera, sometimes better, more often worse. Parity between these cameras is exactly what OPPO has been trying to deliver in the past generations, culminating in what is probably the most advanced smartphone camera system in the market to date.

The OPPO Find X7 Ultra boasts not only a quad camera system but a Quad Main camera system. Although they differ slightly in terms of specific specs, all four use a 50MP sensor, lead by the new Sony LYT-900, the latest generation of that coveted 1-inch sensor. What this practically means is that there is no loss of quality and no disconcerting jitter when switching between wide, ultra-wide, 3x zoom, and 6x zoom cameras. And yes, the phone has two optical zoom telephoto cameras, both of them with periscope-style lenses. With this unprecedented combination, OPPO is able to seamlessly cover a wide range of focal points, from 14mm to 135mm to even 270mm as if it were changing DSLR lenses on the fly.

Combined with this impressive hardware is OPPO’s new HyperTone Image Engine, designed to combat the unnatural colors, exposure, and sharpening that most computation photography software produces on smartphones today. Along with the famed Hasselblad Portrait Mode that accurately emulates four iconic Hasselblad cameras, you are promised to get breath-taking and natural-looking images, as if they were taken with a professional DSLR or mirrorless camera. And if you’re the type to really get into the nitty-gritty of camera settings, the Hasselblad Master Mode upgrades the typical Pro Mode to add even more fine-grained control over image quality.

Despite all the camera hardware packed inside, not to mention the latest and greatest components available in the smartphone industry to date, the OPPO Find X7 Ultra remains slim, sleek, and stylish, belying its powerful capabilities. The two-tone design of the previous Find X6 generation returns with a bit more character this time, wrapping around the distinctive camera circle more loosely. Available in Ocean Blue, Sepia Brown, and Tailored Black, the OPPO Find X7 Ultra marries head-turning elegance and groundbreaking performance in a package that’s sure to give shutterbugs something to talk about.

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OnePlus 12R design will come with a familiar face, budget-friendly price

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Although 2023 is practically over, that doesn’t mean brands have to stop teasing what’s to come. In fact, it’s the perfect time to dangle tempting treats, especially those that will be coming out early next year. OnePlus, for example, already revealed the OnePlus 12 earlier this December, but that’s only for the Chinese market. The rest of the world is still waiting for its turn, which will take place at the end of January 2024. Fans of the brand will also have something else to look forward to, it seems, with the OnePlus 12R also spotted over the horizon, bringing the same iconic design to what is expected to be a more affordable handset.

Designer: OnePlus (via Ishan Agarwal)

Smartphone names can be very confusing, especially over on the Android side where brands, model numbers, and variants create a sordid mess of hard-to-remember monikers. For example, it wasn’t too long ago that OnePlus started the tradition of having an “R” series alongside its main flagship, to offer a slightly watered-down smartphone with a price tag to match. That is the story with the OnePlus 12 and OnePlus 12R, but the gap between the two seems to be getting closer each year.

Based on the leaked announcement, the OnePlus 12R will have the exact same design as the OnePlus 12 that was announced this month. That means the exact same “monocle” design that the brand has used for the OnePlus 11, complete with the four black circles that are actually just three cameras. That, fortunately, also means that the OnePlus 12R has the same alert slider that has become a crowd favorite, even though it was “inspired” by the iPhone’s mute switch.

There are differences, of course, though not easy to spot. The color options, for example, are more limited and different, comprising only of Cool Blue and Iron Gray. The gray colorway is particularly interesting in that it might have a matte texture, maybe even a fabric-like cover. The latter is highly unlikely, though, given the target SRP of this product. It’s probably closer to a sandstone finish, a trick OnePlus is only too familiar with.

The biggest difference between the OnePlus 12 and OnePlus 12R will be the parts that you can’t see, like the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 which will be one generation older by early 2024. The camera array is also less impressive, with only a 50MP camera accompanied by an 8MP ultra-wide shooter and a measly 2MP macro camera. That could mean reduced prices for the OnePlus 12R, though that might not make much of a difference if it won’t be available as widely as the OnePlus 12.

The post OnePlus 12R design will come with a familiar face, budget-friendly price first appeared on Yanko Design.

These iPod Wallpapers for your iPhone give it a wonderfully retro-style Lock Screen!

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22 years ago, Steve Jobs held in his hand what would quite literally be the turning point of his company. The iPod made its first debut in October 2001, and it’s difficult to picture what Apple would look like without it. Such has its cultural effect been on society that if you’re a millennial with an iPhone, chances are you probably owned (or tried desperately to convince your parents for) an iPod. However, if you missed that boat (or even if you just miss having an iPod right now), Oliur and Shane Levine’s wallpapers have you absolutely sorted. The iPod Wallpapers Pack turns your iPhone lock screen into a makeshift iPod with the popular music player’s display conveniently showcasing the date and time as well as your iPhone lock screen widgets. No, it won’t control music playback. Yes, we wish it did!

Designers: Oliur & Shane Levine

Click Here to Buy Now: $14

Turn your iPhone lock screen into a 6th Gen iPod Classic!

The $14 wallpaper pack comes with 12 different iPod Classic variants to choose from, including color varieties as well as themed and grungy iPods that kids bedazzled with stickers and other paraphernalia. All the images are high-definition, which works exceptionally well on your iPhone’s AMOLED retina screens…

Click Here to Buy Now: $14

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Galaxy Z Fold 5, Z Flip 5 joins Samsung self-repair program with a catch

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Foldable phones are generally considered to be less durable than their single-form counterparts because of the fragile flexible screen as well as the hinges that give them their titular feature. Considering the complications of this design, repairing foldable phones is relatively more expensive and more difficult to pull off by trained technicians, let alone even the most advanced phone user. It’s, therefore, a bit surprising but nevertheless welcome move that Samsung has announced that you can now legally and officially repair its latest foldable phones on your own. That said, there are still details that are left unknown, making it questionable how meaningful this announcement really is.

Designer: Samsung

It wasn’t too long ago when phone manufacturers vehemently denounced any repair done by anyone other than authorized service providers. Officially, this is meant to protect their intellectual property and product quality, but some see it as a cunning ploy to monopolize the repair service industry and squeeze out more money from customers. Brands such as Apple, Google, and Samsung have reached a sort of compromise where they provide official parts and replacement guides via a third party like iFixit, practically allowing anyone or any shop to repair some phones on their own.

Unsurprisingly, the list of supported devices under these Self-Repair programs is rather short, but Samsung just made a big splash in how it’s expanding that to more devices and more countries. 30 European countries, including Denmark, Greece, Hungary, and Portugal, have been added to the list, bringing the total to over 40 countries across the world. It’s still a small number, admittedly, but a lot better than the total sum of zero from two years ago.

Samsung is also expanding the list of supported devices to include its latest products, not just the Galaxy S23 series but also tablets such as the Galaxy Tab S9 and even the Galaxy Tab A9. More surprising, however, is that the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 are included in the announcement. In fact, given their reputation, you could almost say that they’re the highlight of that announcement. After all, wouldn’t it be interesting to have a foldable phone that could be repaired by yourself or some third-party service?

While that’s technically true, the major caveat is that the official self-repair program only supports replacing a phone’s battery, rear glass cover, and USB-C charging port. With the design of Samsung’s foldable phones, even those might be more difficult compared to regular phones. Unfortunately, iFixit hasn’t updated its list yet, so we don’t have the full picture of what you can do with this new information, but you can definitely be sure you won’t be replacing that foldable screen on your own any time soon.

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nubia RedMagic 9 Pro gaming phone arrives with a new design, same tiny fan

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The year is almost over, but there’s plenty of time left to unveil new products, including new smartphones that could become gift ideas for people in some markets. We’ve seen quite a few make their way to the market a few days ago, but most of them revolve around “normal” phones for everyday use. Gaming phones, however, still make up a slice of that large pie, and one of the top brands in this market is taking out its big guns early. Former ZTE sub-brand nubia is reaching out to gamers with the latest RedMagic model, bearing a slightly new design that manages to keep key features that fans of the brand have grown fond of, whether they make sense or not.

Designer: nubia

What sets a gaming smartphone apart from regular smartphones, including those expensive ones, isn’t just their over-the-top performance. Most gaming-centric phones carry a certain aesthetic that really marks them for a certain crowd, one that appreciates a lot of RGB lighting, lines and geometric shapes, and other details that make the design look futuristic if not highly technical. The nubia RedMagic 9 Pro continues that tradition this year but makes a few tweaks that streamline the gamer design a little bit better.

Most notable is the relocation of the cameras from the middle of the phone to the side, something that’s almost a standard across all smartphone designs. The camera bump is also gone, with the lenses sitting flush against the entire back. That does mean that the phone is a little bit thicker than most of its kind, but a hefty and beefy handset is already expected for a device that’s designed to be a heavy-duty gaming machine. The rather odd design change is that only two of the three big circles are actually cameras, with the third deceptively hiding the cooling fan. The third camera is off to the side, though having a 2MP depth sensor makes it almost negligible.

The rest of the RedMagic 9 Pro has a similar vibe to its predecessor, with lines and shapes on the back that give the semblance of panels that cover futuristic machines like ships, robots, and similar. For those who prefer a more subtle appearance, the Sleek model has an aesthetic closer to the typical black smartphones, masking its identity for more discreet uses. The front still has an under-display camera, which means there’s nothing visually breaking the large screen.

There’s also still that miniature cooling fan, one of the brand’s gimmicks to help keep things cool and prevent the phone from throttling its performance. It may be effective to some degree, but the price that is paid is having no dust or water resistance guarantee. With a more efficient Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor and a newer “ICE 13 Multi-Dimensional” cooling system, such a fan might no longer be needed and is becoming more of a liability than a selling point in the long run.

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Motorola brigns Pantone Color of the Year 2024 Peach Fuzz to its smartphones

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The moment Pantone announced their Color of the Year for 2024, we expected a lot of brands to officially and unofficially carry the Peach Fuzz tones for their respective products. If that is a color that you prefer or if you like that shade, then good for you as all year round you’ll see different brands and products carry the hue. If you’re not a fan, well, you’ll have to endure it and just look for other colors that match your preferences. If you’re the former and you’re looking for a new Android phone, then Motorola is a very good option.

Designer: Motorola

Motorola has come up with a tie-in with Pantone to bring Peach Fuzz versions of two of their newest smartphones, the motorola razr 40 ultra and the motorola edge 40 neo. The only difference between these versions of the smartphones and the original iteration is that they’re carrying the warm and cozy hues of the color of 2024, “highlighting the importance of shared moments” through the combination of Pantone’s “mastery of color” and Motorola’s “legendary design”

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For those who prefer a more hip and modern device, the flippable design of the motorola razr 40 ultra / razr+ with the Peach Fuzz color with the vegan leather finish might appeal more as they’re branding it for the extroverts. It boasts of several camera modules like its 12MP dual cam, the 13MP ultrawide lens, and the 32MP wide selfie camera. Those looking for a more “sophisticated” smartphone can go with the motorola edge 40 neo with its 6.55-inch P-OLED display, 5,000 mAh battery, and camera setup (50MP main, 13MP ultrawide lens, 32MP selfie cam).

Both Motorola and Pantone believe that color deepens our interaction with our devices as they express our individuality and preferences. The Peach Fuzz color in particular was chosen to harness “connection, community, and personal wellbeing”, which is what Motorola also wants to encapsulate in their smartphones.

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