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Apple Now Accepting iPad Apps, Planning “Grand Opening” of iPad App Store

Apple is now accepting iPad apps for a “grand opening” of the iPad App Store, according to an email just sent to registered developers.
“iPad will begin shipping soon and your opportunity to be part of the grand opening of the iPad App Store starts today,” the email says.
There’s no details about when the store’s grand [...]

Security Expert: “Mac OS X Is Safer, But Less Secure”

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Tech site H-Online has an interesting story today, quoting security expert Charlie Miller about his forthcoming talk at the CanSecWest conference next week.
He says OS X is full of security holes. There are lots more than in Windows, he claims.
And yet: OS X is a safer system to use. Why? Because, in the words [...]

Apple Devotes Entire Home Page To Jerome York Obituary

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If ever you needed a sign that Apple was a different kind of technology company, this is it.
What other computer manufacturer would remove its top-selling, hype-inducing, industry-altering new product from the prime spot on its website home page, and replace it with an obituary to an investor?
This is one of those “Here’s to the [...]

Coming Soon: Steve Jobs, the Sitcom

Fake Steve creator Dan Lyons just signed a deal to bring Steve Jobs to another small screen near you.
The half-hour series called “iCon” is billed by the presser as “a savage satire centering on a fictional Silicon Valley CEO whose ego is a study in power and greed.”
Making sure the barbs prick will be the [...]

Opinion: Software Makes iPhone Photography Fun

gilest-20080924.jpgI cooked up many reasons to justify buying an iPhone, and the fact that it had a camera (no matter how poor quality) was one of them. I liked the idea of having a camera that was so well integrated with the rest of the software on the machine.

As it turns out, third-party software that makes use of the camera is the stuff I’m getting most excited about, and playing with most often.

The most recent addition to my iPhone home screen is CameraBag, purchased for just 1.79 of our fine English pounds (which is about 3 of your fine American dollars).

CameraBag, created by 3D modeling specialists Nevercenter in what looks like quite a radical departure for them, lets you take a photo (or import one from your on-phone library) and add preset effects that mimic classic film styles from the days when cameras used to use film:

  • Helga: a square format, washed out feel with vignetting
  • 1974: gives photos the look of a 35-year-old print that’s been sitting in an album ever since
  • Lolo: another square format, with strong saturated colors
  • Cinema: wide-screen format
  • 1962: high contrast black and white effect

I’ve been playing with these different effects over the last few days, and got the best results from the Helga effect. Both Lolo and 1974 seem to do well, but I’ve been disappointed by everything I’ve tried in Cinema and 1962.

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Two of my efforts with CameraBag.

Needless to say, there’s now a Flickr group devoted to CameraBag, and a quick browse through it shows just how imaginative people can get when they get an ounce of inspiration. Flickr user designforces a great set of CameraBag pics.

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That’s what apps like CameraBag are, in my view: inspiration. You start walking around with your eyes peeled for things that might make a good Helga, or a good Lolo. The app takes a pretty basic camera and gives it new life. It fosters creativity. For a few bucks, I think it’s a bargain, and I’m looking forward to updates that improve the built-in effects and hopefully add new ones.

And of course CameraBag is just a start. There’s dozens of apps to try in the photography category on the App Store. I’m tempted to try Juxtaposer, 3D Fuser, Gritpix, and HiCon, even though some of these are similar to CameraBag, but just apply one effect to an image.

Another idea that could be inspiring is Scavenge, a photography scavenger hunt that gives you topics to photograph, then lets you share what you find with other users. That’s a project for a rainy day. Actually, maybe a sunny day.

And another: Collage . You can guess what it does. The video demo is impressive:

The lesson to learn is this: just because your camera is low-fi or low quality, it doesn’t mean you can’t get interesting images out of it. Look what some people managed with the original Game Boy camera and a roll of paper to print on.

I’m really pleased to see all this innovative iPhone photography software coming out, and can’t wait to see what comes next. I have a feeling that, assuming its battery lasts that long, my iPhone will live on as a fun camera long after my contract with O2 expires and it gets replaced by something else. Perhaps a future iPhone. With a better camera inside it.

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About the author

gilest

Giles Turnbull is a freelance writer in England. He is a columnist for PA, and has written for the BBC, Guardian, Daily Telegraph, MacUser, Macworld, and The Morning News. He has a blog you can ignore and a Twitter account you needn't follow.

Email the author | Read more posts by Giles Turnbull.

3 comments

    I’m getting this app right now!

    Just a clarification about the camera models: it seems the real names have been changed to prevent (I suppose) copyright infringement claims. The models are of course the beloved Holga (a plastic medium format camara) and the much-hyped Lomo. I own both cameras, and I’m looking forward to “fake” them inside the iPhone!

    Looks fine what more a app can do when you dont have sufficient hardware in place in iPhone. Its never will be a camera friendly mobile until something is done by Apple.

    The camera on my iPhone seems slow to respond.

    It takes a few seconds to open, then the shutter takes a good 5-10 seconds to open ready for me to start shooting.

    I’m hoping once I’ve finished my sync and get this app up and running, it will be a bit quicker.

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