| Cult of Mac

New ‘4D’ TV screen mirror kit jacks up entertainment

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It may be described as
It may be described as "4D," but don't expect stuff to actually burst out of your screen.
Photo: Nanoleaf

Nanoleaf says its new 4D Screen Mirror Camera and Lightstrip Kit will “take your entertainment experience beyond the screen.” And now you can finally preorder the hardware, which the company unveiled at CES in January.

Once it ships, you get a big light strip to set up behind your TV. The camera lights it up with colors reflecting what’s on the screen. And you can mix in other Nanoleaf smart lights, too.

Up your vlogging game with new Sony full-frame camera

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The new Sony ZV-E1 is designed for vloggers and other content creators.
The new Sony ZV-E1 is designed for vloggers and other content creators.
Photo: Sony Electronics

Sony Electronics unveiled its new full-frame 12MP ZV-E1 camera Wednesday. It takes its place at or near the top of the company’s growing ZV lineup of cameras for vloggers and other content creators.

At $2,200 it’s not cheap — a big step up from the company’s roughly $750 cameras for content creators — for but it could a key to making amateur content look professional.

Samsung Galaxy cameras fake their moon shots

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Samsung Galaxy cameras fake their moon shots
Moon pictures taken with a Samsung Galaxy Ultra are supposedly too good to be true.
Image: ibreakphotos/Reddit/CultofMac

The beautiful images of the moon taken with a recent high-end Samsung Galaxy are apparently faked. A Reddit user took a picture of a low-resolution moon picture and got a high-res picture.

In other words, Galaxy Ultra cameras aren’t as powerful as people claim.

iPhone 15 Pro periscope camera looks increasingly likely

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iPhone 12 Pro series include cameras tat support ProRAW
A radical change on the camera could allow the iPhone 15 Pro to take significantly better telephoto pictures than its predecessors.
Photo: Apple

The telephoto lens in the iPhone 15 Pro will get a noticeable jump in image quality if a series of leaks about a periscope lens turn out to be accurate.

The change should also shink the thickness of the camera hump.

Grab these 8 great stocking stuffers for techies before it’s too late

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What's small, not-too-pricey and perfect for geeks? The ideal stocking stuffer.
What's small, not-too-pricey and perfect for geeks over the holidays? The ideal stocking stuffer.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

The holiday season is fast-unfolding, and Christmas will be here before Hermey the elf from the classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer can say “Well, sir, someday I’d like to be a dentist.”

So it’s time to act fast if you want to get a gadget-y gift for the techie or geek in your life in time for deliveries by December 25. Check out some cool ideas below.

They’re all small enough to fit in a stocking; prices range from a cheap $20 to a few hundred bucks (for those very special stockings). And there’s plenty more good stuff in the Cult of Mac Store.

This spy pen would be right at home in James Bond’s tux

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This spy pen is the write way to do covert recording.
This spy pen is primed for some covert action.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Feel like going full 007? The iSpyPen Pro is a covert camera with 128GB of storage and a long-lasting battery — and yet it still looks and works like a regular pen.

Grab this stealth camera in silver or black for up to 19% off, and prep yourself for your next big undercover adventure.

This camera solves a major problem with drone photography

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The Insta360 Sphere camera works with two DJI Mavic drones, keeping them out of the shot.
The Insta360 Sphere camera works with two DJI Mavic drones, keeping them out of the shot.
Photo: Insta360

An issue amateur drone pilots face taking photos or shooting footage is that the drone itself often shows up in the shot. Then, if they want to make that aerial photography perfect, they — or someone they pay — has to edit the drone out afterwards.

Insta360 said Tuesday it solved that problem with it’s new Sphere, a 360-degree camera specially designed to keep the drone “invisible.”

New taillight camera with radar watches your back while you bike

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Apparently that light can be seen from a mile away in daylight.
Apparently that light can be seen from a mile away in daylight.
Photo: Garmin

The road can be a dangerous place for cyclists, so it’s a good thing Garmin launched a new taillight Wednesday that has a high-def camera and radar. It will record everything going on behind you while you’re on your bicycle. And its radar can alert you to approaching vehicles.

Using the new Garmin Varia RCT715 Radar Camera Tail Light, you can download all footage to your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch via the Varia app. That could come in mighty handy if you’re in a crash and need to prove what happened.

iPhone 14 might be Apple’s first with an autofocus selfie camera

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iPhone 14 might be Apple's first with an auto-focus selfie camera
The front-facing camera in the iPhone 14 might get a significant upgrade.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The iPhone 14 will have an autofocus front-facing camera, if a reliable source is correct. Previous iOS handsets used a fixed-focus selfie cam instead.

In addition, the front camera will allegedly have a lower f-stop. Both changes will help make the iPhone 14 a better option for narcissists.

If Apple made a pro camera, here’s what it might look like

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If Apple made a pro camera, here's what it might look like
The proposed Apple ProCam harks back to a product launched in the 1990s.
Photo: Antonio De Rosa/ADR Studio

A concept designer explored the possibility of an Apple stand-alone camera for professionals. The Apple ProCam is loaded with features, like 8K support and a built-in picture printer.

All this raises the question, is this a product that makes sense for Apple to make?