François-Xavier Schaeffer's blog

Juha Alakarhu, Director of cameras for phones at Microsoft, has written a blog post about the camera in the new Lumia 950 and 950XL devices.

François-Xavier Schaeffer's insight:

WOW! Very impressive 100% crop detail!

Lexar recently introduced a 128GB version of its Professional 2000x SDXC UHS-II memory card. Once it launches, this new version will be the fastest 128GB memory card to utilize the Ultra High Speed II, UHS Speed Class 3 standard. The card is built to support capturing 4K video and other demanding content.

François-Xavier Schaeffer's insight:

Blazing fast: Reads at speeds up to 300MB/second, and writes at speeds up to 260MB/second!

SIRI MAY BE your personal assistant. But your voice is not the only one she listens to. A clever attack by French researchers turns your headphone cable into an antenna to send surreptitious voice commands.

François-Xavier Schaeffer's insight:

Protecting yourself is fairly basic. For one thing: Don't leave headphones with a microphone plugged into your phone, and disable voice control enabled when the phone is locked. Google Now voice control is not available from the lock screen by default, but Siri is. To disable it, find the Passcode or Touch ID & Passcode section in settings and deactivate Siri under the heading "Allow Access When Locked." Custom wake words for Siri would be very welcome regardless!

Study blames OEMs for a lack of updates; ranks Nexus devices as the most secure.

François-Xavier Schaeffer's insight:

With 87 percent of devices flagged as insecure on any given day, the study really shows how far the Android ecosystem has to go to protect its users. Until Google re-architects Android to support centralized, device-agnostic updates, we just don't see a solution to Android's security problems.

US-based startup Light has officially introduced its L16, a portable device packed with 16 individual cameras, ten of which capture an image at the same time at different fixed focal lengths. The resulting photograph is a composite of all the individual images combined, with a final resolution of up to 52 megapixels. An earlier prototype of this camera was shown off this past April.

François-Xavier Schaeffer's insight:

The L16 is the first multi-aperture computational camera that packs DSLR quality and capability into a device that fits in your pocket.  With a price tag of $1,699, the L16 is smaller, lighter, less expensive, and promisses better image quality than any camera in its price class.

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Introducing the new Microsoft Surface Pro 4. The tablet that can replace your laptop. Learn more at surface.com

François-Xavier Schaeffer's insight:

Today Microsoft not only launched two new smartphones with PureView camera but also the latest incarnation of its high-end Surface Pro tablet that is capable of running full desktop-applications, such as Adobe Photoshop CC or Lightroom. General concept, design and dimensions of the Surface have remained pretty much unchanged but, as you would expect, there are a range of improvements in the new model.

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What's the next big thing in Docker? It just might be desktop apps. Did you know Docker can be used for everyday apps, not just web apps and database containers anymore?

François-Xavier Schaeffer's insight:

Will Docker become a new distribution model for mainstream Desktop application developers? It is certainly possible.

However the tools for setting up and using Docker will need to become easier to use for everyday users if this future will ever arrive.

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The lens main flair it's nice “soap” effect.

François-Xavier Schaeffer's insight:

At that price... I wish them good luck selling it!

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Apple CEO Tim Cook recently confirmed that developers will indeed be granted access to a universal search API set to debut with the fourth-generation Apple TV, meaning third-party apps have the opportunity to get screen time alongside big name services like HBO and Hulu.

François-Xavier Schaeffer's insight:

Apple is yet to confirm a release date for the new Apple TV, but has promised it will arrive before the end of the month.

The Fire TV rival will feature the new tvOS with a heavy emphasis on Siri functionality, but will also see the arrival of games through the App Store.

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We've all been there: It's nearly 2 in the morning and you're cruising around the Internet looking for new domain names to purchase. I mean, talk about a cliched night, right?

François-Xavier Schaeffer's insight:

So close to glory!

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So here's an unfair comparison to make. Take the brand new iPhone 6S Plus, costing $749, and compare its camera performance to that of a $599 iPhone accessory that's basically a dedicated point-and-shoot camera in its own right.

François-Xavier Schaeffer's insight:

The iPhone's output is neither as bright nor as sharp as what the DxO One produces. Apple's iSight camera also generates more image noise, but all of those things are to be expected. There remains a meaningful gap between (one of) the best smartphone cameras and a dedicated imaging device with a larger sensor.

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Earlier today, Roku accidentally published an updated spec sheet in their developer guide which included information about the upcoming Roku 4 specs.

François-Xavier Schaeffer's insight:

Nice hardware upgrade. Let's see how it will fare agains it' most fierce competitors: the Apple TV and the Amazon fire TV.

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Sony has certainly got the traditional camera market talking with their innovative range of cameras breaking new ground for image quality. Can this success trickle down to the cameras on their Smartphones, too?

François-Xavier Schaeffer's insight:

With a ton of experience in cameras, Sony scored the best camera in a smartphone : blazing fast and accurate AF system, good detail retention and finally grained noise.

Let's wait to see how the new iPhone 6 Plus will compare to this beast.

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A video posted to the Web on Monday shows a Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator running on Apple's tvOS, allowing developer Kevin Smith to play a number of old-school arcade titles with a paired Bluetooth gaming controller.

François-Xavier Schaeffer's insight:

It is highly unlikely that Smith's MAME version will appear as a legitimate purchase option on the upcoming tvOS App Store. Apple's stance on emulator software has been quite strict and while a few have snuck onto the iOS App Store, either through rare App Store review team mistakes or hidden within apps, they were quickly pulled.

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As it turns out, Chipworks has found chips fabbed by both TSMC and Samsung, which means that A9 is in fact a dual sourced part.

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ZAP est fier d’annoncer le lancement du nouveau label « Hosted in Luxembourg » sous forme de marque privée. L’objectif du label est de permettre aux entreprises d’afficher et de promouvoir l’hébergement de leurs services Internet et applications web sur le territoire du Grand-Duché comme gage de qualité et de sécurité, localement ainsi qu’à l’étranger. Le Luxembourg a misé sur un environnement sécurisé, hautement régulé et respectant la protection des données personnelles. En témoigne, le statut de professionnel du secteur financier (PSF), qui s’applique aux entreprises travaillant en sous-traitance pour les institutions financières et ayant accès à des données confidentielles.

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For some time now, iOS users have cited the quality and quantity of third-party software available for the platform as an important factor in their choice of mobile devices. Over the years Android has amassed its own collection of apps and users have continued butting heads over which system had the better selection.

Six Columbia University students have bridged the gap between the two platforms with something called Cider.

François-Xavier Schaeffer's insight:

It’s useless unless you steal the applications from iOS which is kind of illegal. These guys will probably tell you that it’s just a project for them and they don’t advocate the stealing part, but in reality, these guys have just enabled theft on a large scale!