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Tablets Are Good Or Not Good For Education?

Tablets are good

Thе advantages оf іntrоduсtіоn оf tаblеtѕ іn the school curriculum оvеr the tеxtbооkѕ are раrаmоunt.

What distinguishes Tаblеt PCѕ from trаdіtіоnаl notebooks include:

Their ability to аdарt іnѕtаntlу from a kеуbоаrd-drіvеn screen tо a реn- or stylus-based Tаblеt.  Thіѕ flexibility wіdеnѕ thе rаngе of соmрutеr-bаѕеd асtіvіtу. Thе еxраndеd сараbіlіtу mаkеѕ Tablet PCѕ аn іmроrtаnt tооl across the сurrісulum, supporting science, mаth, and еngіnееrіng coursework

In аddіtіоn tо providing the tооlѕеt fоr reading, wrіtіng, оnlіnе research, аnd соntеnt сrеаtіоn аnd viewing. Students are using Tаblеt PCs tо drаw аnd аnnоtаtе dіаgrаmѕ, ѕоlvе mаth equations, design ѕtruсturеѕ, аnd соnduсt fіеld wоrk.

Mоrеоvеr, tаblеtѕ саn contain fаr mоrе tеxtbооkѕ thаt thе сhіld can uѕе fоr reference instead оf sticking to juѕt оnе book fоr a раrtісulаr subject.

Tablets are not good

However, if uѕеd improperly, Tаblеtѕ can be a ѕеrіоuѕ distraction іn the сlаѕѕrооm:

The first іѕѕuе thаt teachers оftеn encounter іn the classroom whеn uѕіng Tаblеtѕ іѕ thаt ѕtudеntѕ fіnd сrеаtіvе wауѕ tо dіѕtrасt themselves іn сlаѕѕ. The tурісаl rеасtіоn tо this is tо lock down thе Tаblеtѕ аnd prevent students frоm ассеѕѕіng YouTube and thе іntеrnеt.

Research has also shown that the constant glare at the screen of a Tablet for young pupils and adult alike can be dangerous to the eye. The growing popularity of the use of Tablet within the educational sector has heightened concern as to the health hazards of these gadgets.

Any conclusions?

For me, tablet based еduсаtіоn іѕ mоrе affordable thаn textbook bаѕеd оnе. If we calculate thе аmоunt ѕреnt by раrеntѕ оn thе purchase оf tеxtbооkѕ for a single уеаr оf a ѕеnіоr secondary grаdе student, іt іѕ fаr more thаn thе рrісе оf a tаblеt.  What do you think?

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Which Is Better? Microsoft Lumia 950 Vs Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Vs Apple IPhone 7

By: Will Mowatt We compared three popular smartphones those use different operation systems. We focused on testing the OS, social networking, business and photo quality. Some people think Lumia 950 is best for business and Galaxy S7 Edge is best for taking photos. This article will answer if they are right or not.

Microsoft Lumia 950

OS

Still lack of apps

The Lumia 950 runs on Windows 10 Mobile. The native microsoft apps are mediocre, especially the maps. The Microsoft office suite is also available on other platforms, so there is no need to get a Windows phone just for these.

Certain key apps are also languishing behind the current versions on other OS’s, such as twitter, facebook and instagram. The lack of focus by the app developers really shines through, and many others are simply unavailable at all, necessitating reliance on knock-off versions that users of Android and Apple wouldn’t bother with, making it harder to connect with your friends, clients and colleagues.

Social Networking

Still lack of social apps

As we’ve already mentioned, many of the apps that have become ubiquitous for social networking are either poor ports, non-existent or could do with some minor tweaks. This makes the Lumia 950 one of the worst options, at least until app developers start giving more consideration to Windows Mobile users, but for now it’s better to stick with Android or Apple OS phones.

Business

Not compatible enough

First off is the lack of access to some of the best business apps developed by Google which allow for cross-platform use with multiple people accessing documents and files at once in a shared workspace.

The Continuum technology is great for switching what’s on your display to a monitor of any size, but the need to drag around hardware or have dedicated Microsoft Display Docks and cables for certain areas is like a step backwards from similar wireless alternatives that can’t be used with Windows Mobile.

Camera

Good photo quality in general

The core camera app has a much better zooming method requiring only one finger whereas nearly all other camera apps need two.

The images are of decent quality and bring out color nicely, making the most of the 20mp rear facing camera and the 5mp front facing camera.  A dedicated camera button on the side of the phone itself makes taking pictures (without being able to see the screen) for high-quality selfies and steady shots much easier.

The HDR is particularly good, which brings out great detail and balance dark and lights. In darker settings, the camera struggles a little with the brightness, overdoing it to a point where it washed out color and blew out light sources.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge

OS

Good as usual

The Galaxy s7 Edge is built around the Android Marshmallow OS, allowing for full access to all of the best apps available on Google Play. However, Samsung are keen to push their own brand apps, and the s7 Edge comes preloaded with a large amount of these that can take a long time to sort through and uninstall for users that prefer Google versions and don't want redundancies filling up their storage space.

The UI is redesigned and upgraded from previous models. The Tasks Edge makes it easy to quickly access the most commonly used apps, contacts and tasks, and the integration of a specialised gaming tools area makes the Galaxy s7 Edge a dedicated handheld gaming console by turning off features that interfere with gameplay.

Social Networking

Excellent

Alongside full compatibility with the most popular social networking apps, the Tasks Edge allows for quick switching between multiple methods of communication so that you can fire off an email in one moment and then rapidly choose between the most frequent contacts.

The multi-window UI also allows you to keep open a chat window, instagram or more whilst performing other tasks. Instead of having to interrupt whatever you were doing just to answer a message, it’s easy to keep up with social networking without sacrificing productivity.

Business

Good for multi-tasking

Many of the same features that make the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge great for social networking also make it a great phone for business use. The multi-tasking capabilities have endless applications. The bundled security features and software such as the fingerprint scanner and Knox security suite help to prevent theft of information and unauthorised access.

Likewise, the always-on screen prevents high priority notifications from being missed - the only downside to this is that tapping the pop up doesn’t automatically open them fully.

Camera

Great although the LED flash is not too strong

The camera’s autofocus is one of the best elements. It’s one of the fastest around, making the Galaxy S7 Edge great for getting shots that are a one-time deal. The f.1/7 aperture also allows it to handle low light conditions with good clarity. However, it does have some drawbacks. Compared to the Lumia 950’s whopping 20mpx rear camera, the Galaxy s7 Edge only packs a 12mpx camera, and the LED flash is much weaker in comparison.

Something that users will struggle with is the fairly slow shutter speed. Despite the image stabilization, a steady hand is an absolute must when in dark locations. This isn’t a problem with the camera itself, it’s just an unavoidable aspect of how photography works.

Apple iPhone 7

OS

Great and there should be more documentations

The UI has been upgraded slightly. The lock screen now features much more useful information thanks to the better use of space, and the 3D touch technology makes the iPhone 7 easier to use than ever before. The only downside is the lack of clear documentation on what exactly can be done - which is a real shame as it’s one of the better time saving developments.

Access to the Apple Store exclusive apps is a plus, as Android apps tend to be available on both platforms. It’s also possible to remove some of the least useful apps and widgets that are only useful to a small selection of users that come installed with nearly every single smartphone on the planet.

Social Networking

It is even better now with iMessage

The iPhone 7 is very friendly towards heavy users of social networking apps. The iMessage app has evolved, and strong platform support from other developers has kept all of the most important networking apps in line with new specs and tech. The only real advantage of the iPhone 7 over Android based phones is access to iMessage - but as a considerable percentage of smartphone users as a whole choose Apple, this is quite a big plus.

Business

The security is still one of the strongest points

As a business smartphone the iPhone 7 isn’t the greatest due to the high cost. However, the improved front facing camera and battery life make it good for conference calls, telecommuting and it can be trusted not to run out on you at the worst possible moment, even if you’re switching between multiple apps.

The security of the Apple OS is also a great factor in favor of the iPhone 7 that can’t be ignored from a business standpoint.

Camera

Excellent for night photography

Something that really stands out about the iPhone 7 over the other two phones we’ve looked at so far is the 7mpx selfie camera, allowing for much better quality overall. It performs well in difficult conditions such as low lighting, but the lack of manual settings diminishes the functionality somewhat - although the automatic adjustments are generally quite capable for casual purposes. The iPhone 7 plus possesses a much more powerful camera and software, so if you’re a diehard iPhone fan and can’t live without a powerful camera, it may be worth checking one of those out instead.

Conclusion 

To answer the question at the very beginning, we think Galaxy S7 Edge is better for Business and iPhone 7 is better in photo quality.

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Meitu T8 - The Smartphone With New Features?

You may find that, recently, there are more mobile phone brands coming up.  Some focus on a niche market, and some are quite interesting.

You may know about the CAT S60, the first smartphone with thermal imaging technology – you can detect and monitor machine performance.

A photo taken by CAT S60, which shows different temperatures of the object.

Another interesting mobile phone is coming from China – Meitu T8.  Meitu is a popular app for selfies and photo editing.  It makes users look as if they’ve had plastic surgery, and that would make users stand out on social media feeds.

A photo edited with Meitu, which makes the photo more outstanding.

Then, why Meitu mobile phone?  The company goes a step further to enter the hardware market.  Here is a round-up of Meitu T8 reviews:

CNET

Dubbed AI Beautification, Meitu's new selfie feature can detect your skin tone, gender, and age, and then beautify you accordingly, even in a group picture. This means each face is enhanced for a better effect. It's also powerful enough to enhance a face in real time for videos.

Endaget

The T8 is not the first "selfie smartphone" to come out of China. Both Lenovo and Oppo released low-to-mid range devices last year with powerful front-facing cameras, but Meitu says the T8 is the first smartphone to offer DSLR-type performance and photo quality through its dual pixel technology.

PCmag

The regular camera app has filters and effects built in, so you don't need a separate app to edit your selfies, depending on what you're trying to achieve. The phone's artificial intelligence-powered editing features are super advanced. It can, for instance, detect different genders and ages and apply effects accordingly. If it detects a small child, it won't apply as much skin smoothing as it would for a 60-year-old. For men, it covers under eye circles, but won't blur out your beard or 5 o'clock shadow.

Meitu will officially launch its T8 smartphone soon.

The sales of CAT S60 seem not bad.  We are excited to see if Meitu T8 can exceed their competitors.  Smartphone won’t become a homogenous product, right?

[wowcamera-blog]

8 Tips For Taking Kid Photos – Super Easy

As parents, you like to take and keep nice pictures of your children, right?

Having a DSLR helps a lot because most perfect moments happen when the children are moving fast, or when the family stays indoor without plenty of light.  A compact digital camera or low end mobile phone is never enough for taking a good picture in these environments.

The price drop of DSLR digital cameras allows more people to take lovely photos.  For example, the price of Sony Alpha A6300 has dropped from £1,069 to £849 in only half year.  You can own a nice Canon DSLR 1300D for £359, which is very simple to use.

However, there is no guarantee that your pictures will all be beautiful after you have a DSLR.  You still need some basic techniques in taking photos, which make your DSLR more worth the value.  This article will share with you some basic techniques you must know about to take nice kid photos.

1. Close-up

For sure, most of the time you want kid photos that show details of your kid’s face.  Even it is not your purpose, stay closer to your kid when taking photos to fill the picture.  The expression at that moment is very important.  Don’t worry about cropping out part of your kid; just try to avoid cropping at the joints like knees, elbows and neck.

2. Always take care of the background

The perfect way is getting a plain background which could be white, grey or with simple patterns to show off the subject.  Make sure there are no strangers, cars or something around the child’s head.  Focus on the kid’s eyes and your pictures will look more professional.

3. Try black and white pictures

Black and white pictures give a timeless feeling, which is good for kid photos.  Most DSLRs allow users to select monochrome mode in the camera menu.  Again, the background is something you must care about.  Choose the background color with high contrast to the subject to make a better effect.

4. Middle is not a right place

Always having a subject in the middle of a picture is boring.  Bring your kid to life by slightly moving away from the middle.  A better way is to think about a tic-tac-toe grid on your LCD display or in your viewfinder, then place your kid at one of the intersections of lines.  You can keep focusing on your kid.  First, focus her in the center and press the shutter button halfway.  Second, reposition your kid.  Very simple.

5. You need to lead the kids

Whenever you take the photos of your child and their friends, you must become someone like a director.  Be an active leader in taking control otherwise, you just cannot take good pictures.  You need to give a command like “everybody step forward”.  If you can give some interesting ideas like “everybody say wow”, or even make yourself engaged like pretending a character, that would be even better.  Remember, never push too hard to make them follow all you want.

6. Not always smile

You can always make some jokes to make your kid smile.  However, there should be other expressions that worth for taking photos, right?  Asking them to think something when taking photos is a good way to make natural expressions.

7. Get down to their height

Always try to make the camera at the same level as your kid’s eyes.  It not only makes the photos look better, but also make your kid feel more comfortable.  You need to get down but hold the camera tight.  Better put your camera strap on!

8. Take care of your kid

Don’t just take photos and forget about your child’s safety.  Don’t take too many photos to make your kid tired.  Don’t request too much because after all, they are just a kid.  Many best pictures are those capturing true emotion.  

Hope the above tips are useful to you.  Nowadays, some high-end smartphones like iPhone 7 and Galaxy S7 Edge are equipped with good cameras.  The above techniques can also be usable when taking photos with smartphones.

Practice more and capture the real moments.  Your photo album will be full of professional photos with true lifelong memories.

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Fujifilm X-T2 Review Roundup

We didn’t expect that the sales of X-T2 is so good that it keeps increasing since its launch on Sep.

People say it sells better on Amazon than Canon 5D MK IV.  Even Fujifilm had to apologize for the inconvenience to customers because they needed to wait for the production that didn’t keep up with the orders.

Let’s see how the reviews write about X-T2.  Here are some verdicts:

“With a brilliant new AF system, lovely handling and an updated sensor that delivers pin-sharp images, the X-T2 has to be one of the most desirable cameras available right now.” – Techradar.com

“After 70 hours of research and testing over two years, we think if you’re looking to buy a mirrorless camera with pro-level performance alongside image quality that bests most DSLRs, the Fujifilm X-T2 is the camera to get.” – Thewirecutter.com

Special things of Fujifilm X-T2

The autofocus has been improved to be great.  X-T2’s AF system offers 91 points in a 7×13-point formation at default, and this can be expanded to 325 points in a 13×25-point formation.  X-T2 has a customised AF-C function where you can select one of five presets in the menu and also have a sixth custom function where you can override the presets if you wish.   Below is taken by using set 3 (source from Fujixnews.com).

The X-T series is all about putting maximum control at your fingertips.  Fujifilm has done a good job of putting the most frequently used controls where they can be easily accessed.  The LCD screen is also flexible for tilting up and down.  It also increases to two SD card slots, which is essential for serious continous shooting or 4K video recording.  The slots support high speed UHS II SD cards.

The X-Processor Pro image processor combining with the new 24.3MP X-Trans™ CMOS III APS-C sensor means the X-T2 can shoot in some very low-light situations and still come up with clean results and outstanding color reproduction.

Photo taken by Blamethemonkey.com

Photo taken by Thewirecutter.com

The only one thing makes me disappointed is there is no touchscreen.  However, in overall X-T2 is the best mirrorless camera we ever tested.  I am thinking about selling my full-frame DSLR.

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The AMOLED Display Matters

This is the term you know or will soon know, because it will be the display in the majority on your wearable devices, including smartphones.

The display for both Galaxy S8 and iPhone 8?

There are many rumours about the Galaxy S8 and iPhone 8 lately.  People say the S8 and iPhone 8 will come with a curved display, which they call it “Super AMOLED”.  Some so-called “insider” even said that Apple has ordered the AMOLED display to produce the iPhone 8.

So, what is the AMOLED all about?  Someone says it is for making flexible or foldable smartphones soon.  Wow, I can’t believe that my phone is “foldable”.  However, if it happens, it will be cool because it sounds convenient to me.

What are the differences?

AMOLED is actually a kind of OLED.  It means “Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode”.  The benefits of OLED come from its darkness.  OLED is a screen with pixels made from an organic material that emits light whenever it's fed with an electric current.  It emits no light and no color when there is no current and so the black part can remain really “black”.

Another benefit from OLED is that some pixels are turned off to display black color, meaning it can save more power.  AMOLED is an improved OLED that provides a faster response and a more accurate display.

The traditional display LCD being used in iPhone 7 relies on a backlight as the sole light source. The light is then polarized and filtered to display different colors on the screen.  The backlight is always on.  Sometimes, an LCD display is in a slight blue tint because it is based on a filtered blue backlight.  We can imagine that OLED can produce a better display with lower power consumption.

Besides, without the rigid backlight, OLED display can be made of flexible plastic.  The downside of OLED is that different pixels might degrade at slightly different rates, and so the display color balance might drift slightly over time, while LCD’s single backlight can remain a consistent color balance for long.

Source from www.lg.com

What is the next standard?

Rumors are saying that Galaxy S8 will sport a new Super AMOLED display.  The resolution would be 11,059,200 pixels, much higher than the Galaxy S7, which is 7,372,800 pixels.  What about the iPhone 8?  Let’s wait and see.

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Have A Look At Huawei!

It shipped 100 million smartphones in 2015! According to the research firm IDC, Huawei’s global market share achieved 7.6% in the third quarter of 2016, trailing behind Samsung’s 20% and Apple’s 13%.

Telecommunication Giant

Huawei Technologies Co., was founded in 1987 and started by producing switches in China.  It is now a large scale networking and telecommunication product manufacturer, with around 140,000 employees.  The company launched its first smartphone on 2009 and now it is the world’s third-largest smartphone maker.

Amazon Bestsellers

The well-known Huawei models include Huawei P8 and P9.  Huawei also established its second brand, Honor, in 2013.  Now, Huawei P8 Lite, P9 Lite, Honor 5C, 5X have become some of the bestsellers in Amazon smartphone.  Recently, Huawei has launched few new models like Huawei P9 and P9 Pro, and there are rumors that Honor will launch a revolutionary fast-charging and curved display model soon.  

Top 100 global brand

In China, the world’s largest smartphone market, the top of the market share charts, Xiaomi and Huawei have been surpassed by Vivo and Oppo during the third quarter of 2016 in smartphone sales in China.  Chinese brands have struggled with global awareness, but Huawei might be the most successful among them. It earns more revenue outside the country than in it, and it was the first Chinese company to appear on Interbrand’s list of the top 100 global brands. It was No. 88 last year, ahead of Heineken, MTV and Ralph Lauren.

Strong brand collaboration

Huawei often works with other big brands. For example, it made the Nexus series for Google.  It works with Leica for most of the smartphone cameras.  It also collaborates with Porsche Design for the Mate 9 model.  Some reviews even say the Leica partnership make Huawei P9 the best cameraphone.  

What’s next?

Recently, we heard Huawei has developed technology to increase the efficiency of processor chips and bolsters wireless connections.  This will increase the performance of 5G-enabled chips, allowing them to support larger data demands.  What is Huawei up to?

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Nokia Will Be Back With Android

The old pioneer of the mobile industry

Nokia, has officially announced its release of a new Nokia smartphone. Wow, this news make me so excited.  

It is rumored that Android will power the new Nokia smartphone and the specs could sport IP68 water and dust proof, and a 5.2 or 5.5-inch screen display. It is also rumored the CPU will be Qualcomm Snapdragon 430, with 3GB RAM, 16 or 32 GB of storage, and a 16-megapixel rear camera. Sounds good, doesn’t it? The new Nokia would come in Feb 2017.

The biggest change must be the switch from Microsoft OS to Android OS. If all is true, the cooperation between Nokia and Microsoft will end next year. Actually, it is reported that the release of Microsoft Lumia 750, the next Lumia, will be stopped.

The Nokia Empire

Nokia was founded in 1865 in Finland. It was a paper mile at the beginning, then became one of the largest vendors of mobile phones in the world.

Nokia’s first mobile phone was born in 1987 – the Mobira Cityman 900. After that, Nokia focused on developing GSM mobile standard and kept evolving. In 2003, the all-time best-selling mobile phone was created – Nokia 1100. In the same year, Nokia created the Nokia 3310, which was another long lasting hot model.

The evolution of Nokia

After that, Nokia faced different competition and moved into a difficult period. Nokia created a partnership with Microsoft and started using Windows OS. The Lumia series began, but it turned out a bad result in sales and Nokia almost became bankrupt.

In 2014, Nokia sold its mobile devices division to Microsoft and focused on its profitable network equipment division, Nokia Networks.

What is happening to current Nokia smartphones?

Let’s have a look at the current Nokia/Microsoft Lumia smartphones. Here are some verdicts from CNET and TechRadar respectively:

“With a superb camera, lovely screen and smooth performance, the Lumia 950 XL is an easy sell for the Windows faithful.  But with few apps, many areas in need of polish and inconsistent battery life, it isn’t for everyone” – TechRadar –

“Lumia 950 takes good pictures, has a crystal clear screen and a removable battery.  The Cortanna voice assistant and offline maps remain perks.  But Windows phones still have a huge app deficit compared to iPhone and Android.  The 950’s standout Continuum feature is buggy and cumbersome, and requires separate hardware to use.  The phone’s ho-hum design feels dated.”      - CNET -

Microsoft Lumia 950 XL

Microsoft Lumia 950

Obviously, the lack of apps due to Microsoft OS has caused a big problem for Nokia. Then, the dated phone design is another problem.

HMD – the new partner of Nokia

The new partner of Nokia is HMD, which is a new private venture founded in Finland, Nokia’s mother country. However, the CEO of HMD to oversee Nokia’s new coming models will be Arto Nummela, who is the existing VP of Microsoft Mobile Devices Business of Microsoft in the Greater Asia, Middle East and Africa regions.

Arto Nummela, VP of Microsoft Mobile Devices

I hope the new cooperation can bring us back the “long time no see” Nokia.

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Huawei P9 Lite Review

What can you get from this £219 Huawei smartphone?

Since its launch in April 2016, Huawei P9 Lite has not yet gained a satisfying market share in the upper middle-class market.  The price of £219 for a P9 line sounds appealing, but why it couldn’t make a big noise?   Let’s look into it.

Workmanship

The first feeling about Huawei P9 Lite is good because the workmanship is quite good.  Although Huawei gave up using an aluminum cover for this mobile phone, the coating on the plastic cover still gives a very good metallic feel.

Display

The 5.2’’ full HD IPS panel makes this smartphone very valuable.  The brightness and color reproduction are great, almost the same as P9, which is 50% more expensive.  Besides the new processor, HiSilicon Kirin 650, we find it very smooth when playing videos or switching between different apps.

Very smooth when playing videos

Camera

For lower costs, Huawei decided not to work with Leica this time for the P9 Lite.  Instead, it is a 13 MP main camera with f/2.0 and autofocus.  Since the optical image stabilizer is missing this time, the image quality is harder to control, although the aperture is f/2.0.  Images in low light conditions are not satisfying.

Lack of image stabilizer, not satisfying images in low light condition

Fingerprint sensor

The strongest selling point of P9 Lite is the fingerprint sensor.  It is amazing that Huawei has moved a step forward to make the fingerprint sensor not only for unlocking, but also other actions like swiping images or opening the notification.  Controlling the mobile phone by fingerprint is easy.

The fingerprint sensor can control more than unlocking

Battery

We had charged the phone in the morning, used it for a whole day, and there was still 30% power left.  It is extraordinary.  The controversial overheating problem does not appear at all.

Overall verdict

Apparently, Huawei wants to extend its good reputation of P9 to this middle-class mobile phone with an attractive price of £219.  Some performances beat most competitors, including the fingerprint sensor, the processing speed, and the f/2.0 aperture.  The only thing we are not satisfied with is the lack of image stabilizer.    However, it is an ideal smartphone for a £300 budget.

Overall rating:

[wowcamera-blog]

Cameras Compared: IPhone 7 Plus Vs Sony A6000 Mirrorless Camera

“Dual 12MP camera; wide-angle F/1.8 + telephoto F/2.8; easy switch and live bokeh effects; optical image stabilization; quad-LED flash; phase detection auto focus; wide colour capture; face and body detection…”

It’s no doubt that the iPhone 7 Plus has cameras among the best in the business, but have you ever questioned about how good it is?

This time, we compared iPhone 7 Plus cameras with Sony a6000.

iPhone 7Plus Black 128GB (Retail Price £739.00)

SONY α6000 E-mount camera with 16-60mm Power Zoom Lens  (Retail Price £719.00)

Test 1: Close-up Comparison

The left side is taken by iPhone 7Plus while SONY a6000 takes the right side. We can see that the iPhone 7Plus has more accurate focusing and a clearer, less noisy image than SONY a6000. Also, the iPhone 7Plus can provide a brighter image with its dual 12MP camera.

Test 2: Wide-Angle Daylight

This time, we tested the daylight photo and we shot with the same angle and view to make them into one picture for comparison. You can see that the photo taken by iPhone 7Plus is brighter and with a clearer focus than the a6000 one.

And if you see deeper in the background, the iPhone 7Plus has a better contrast with the sky and cloud. We can see the colour layers in between.

Test 3: Zoom Photo

We compared the photo quality when setting the zoom distance to 3X. For iPhone 7Plus, the sky colour has more layer than a6000; meanwhile, the quality is better for a6000 compared to iPhone 7Plus.

To conclude, at almost same price, the iPhone 7Plus camera performs good, or even better than a SONY mirrorless camera, and please remember that the camera is just one of the many functions of iPhone 7Plus. It's really worth getting an iPhone 7Plus.

Get iPhone 7 Plus here:

http://wowcamera.com/mobile-phones/apple/iphone-7-plus.html

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Sony Xperia XZ Review Roundup

Could the newest Sony’s mobile phone compete with Galaxy S7 edge or iPhone 7?

On October 2016, Sony launched the Xperia flagship Sony Xperia XZ, which is the last mobile phone of Sony in this year. The new flagship contains the merits of the former models and some new features. The device configures the old features, including the waterproof, fingerprint sensor, 3GB RAM and etc. What’s new? Xperia XZ is the first phone which adapts the 5-axis stabilization system and the triple image sensing technology.

5-axis stabilization system can stabilize five directions, including the X and Y axes, yaw, pitch and roll. The camera can keep stable even the user shakes the phone. However, this unique feature is only available in recording HD video.

The triple image sensing technology constitutes predictive hybrid AF, laser AF and RGB infrared sensor. These sensors help to capture image in different environments.

Can the flagship help Sony to undercut the rivals in the smartphone market? Let see the review roundup, which combine the opinions of different professional reviewers.

Forbes recommends this latest flagship of Sony. The reviewer mentioned the reasons why the flagship is worth to buy. “Sony’s decades of camcorder building really shows in the XZ’s 5-axis stabilization, which Sony has transported over from its DSLR, the A7 II. What that means is that the XZ can shoot oddly smooth video, even with exaggerated movements […]

Sony has added some extra bulk to the excellent Z5 camera. It’s largely the same 23MP Exmor RS sensor, but with new focussing abilities. The new laser autofocus and the predictive hybrid autofocus (which tracks movement and predicts where the subject will be when the picture is taken) work jointly for a faster focussing speed. Sony’s claiming that the XZ’s camera can focus in 0.03 seconds […]

Charging to your phone from 0% to 100% can damage the battery and reduce its overall life.However, many people leave their phones plugged in overnight, powering up the battery to the max. Sony is trying to combat this with its Battery Care feature […] For example, if you leave your XZ in to charge overnight, Battery Care will only charge your device to 90% before you wake up.”

Recombu mentioned the comparison between Xperia XZ and iPhone7 in different features. The reviewer said it is difficult to determine which is better. These two sexy phones can fulfil different customers’ needs.

“Sony's Xperia XZ flagship was announced a week before the iPhone7 and is just as sexy, boasting a fresh new Alkeleido metal design that’s impressively hardy. Fair enough, the Xperia is a bit of a handful and definitely not as easy to use one-handed as the dinkier iPhone7. But those curvy edges and the slender build still means it’s comfortable to clutch […]

You get a fingerprint sensor with both handsets too, for improved security. But only the Xperia XZ boasts expandable storage via a microSD memory card slot; with the iPhone7, you’re stuck with the on-board storage.

The Xperia XZ’s Full HD 5.2-inch screen is just as strong as the iPhone7’s 4.7-inch Retina panel […]

If you want to attach a pair of wired headphones, however, you’ll need to use Apple’s fiddly adapter with the iPhone 7; the 3.5mm jack is missing in action. Sony’s Xperia XZ not only has a jack, but also boasts support for Hi-Res audio, for true audiophiles.”

Pocket-lint compared the Xperia XZ, S7 and S7 edge in different parts, including design, display, camera, hardware and etc. The reviewer thinks that the performance of the new Sony’s flagship is not sufficient enough to compete with its rivals.

“The Galaxy S7 measures 142.4 x 69.6 x 7.9mm and weighs 152g, while the S7 edge measures 150.9 x 72.6 x 7.7mm and weighs 157g. This means the S7 is smaller and slimmer than the Xperia XZ, while the S7 edge is larger but still slimmer and offers a more exciting curved design than both the Xperia XZ and the Galaxy S7.

The Sony Xperia XZ comes with a 5.2-inch display and a Full HD resolution, meaning a pixel density of 424ppi […] The Samsung Galaxy S7 has a slightly smaller 5.1-inch flat display, ups the resolution to Quad HD and offers Super AMOLED technology. This means its pixel density sits at 577ppi for sharper and crisper images than what the Xperia XZ, as well as the potential for brighter and more vibrant colours […]

The Sony Xperia XZ has a 23-megapixel rear camera with two supporting sensors for colour and depth of vision, coupled with a 13-megapixel front camera […] The Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge both feature a 12-megapixel rear camera, coupled with a 5-megapixel front camera. The rear has optical image stabilisation, along with phase detection autofocus and both the front and rear deliver excellent results.”

Expertreviews said that the XZ flagship is more extraordinary than competitors in some parts, like speed, screen and battery life. However, the reviewers also said the flagship can’t undercut rivals due to the expensive price.

“The design might not be to everyone's tastes, but the good news is that Sony's IPS screen technology remains first-class […] It might not look quite as saturated as Samsung's Super AMOLED screens on the S7 and S7 Edge, but colours are beautifully rich and vibrant. Videos, in particular, look fantastic.

Indeed, Sony's version of Android 6.0.1 felt silky smooth on the XZ, and web browsing was equally quick, showing few signs of stutter – even on pages laden with dozens of images […] This is faster than Samsung's S7 and S7 Edge as well as the LG G5.

The Xperia XZ has enough stamina to go the distance. Its 2,900mAh battery lasted an impressive 14hrs 32mins in our continuous video playback test with the screen set to our predefined brightness level of 170cd/m2. That puts it ahead of the LG G5 and HTC 10, but it’s still some way behind the S7, S7 Edge and OnePlus 3, all of which last several hours longer.”

To conclude, the Xperia XZ has its extraordinary features, including 5-axis stabilization system and triple image sensing technology. However, the flagship is quite expensive. Well, new technology is always expensive, isn’t it?

Reference:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jaymcgregor/2016/09/30/5-reasons-to-buy-sony-xperia-xz/#7b38a3d829a1

https://recombu.com/mobile/article/apple-iphone-7-vs-sony-xperia-xz-which-is-best-specs-features-camera

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/138587-sony-xperia-xz-vs-samsung-galaxy-s7-vs-s7-edge-what-s-the-difference

http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/sony/1405202/sony-xperia-xz-review-fast-gorgeous-and-flawed

[wowcamera-blog]

DJI Osmo Mobile Testing

Yup, check the video to see how DJI Osmo Mobile works!

Why DJI OSMO Mobile 3-Axis Gimbal System? - Effortlessly smooth (stopping camera shake and turning every shot into cinematic video) - ActiveTrack (automatically moving to make sure that the point selected is always in focus) - Live Streaming (Share moments using YouTube Live or Facebook Live inside DJI GO)

Are you interested with it? Get one now with special price here:

http://wowcamera.com/handheld-gimbal/dji-osmo-mobile-3-axis-gimbal-system.html

[wowcamera-blog]

Apple IPhone 7 Review Roundup

Can’t make decision to buy the new iPhone 7? Here are the pros and cons for your consideration.

Finally, the iPhone 7 is now available in wowcamera.com. For Apple fans, they have been waiting for the new iPhone for a long time after the iPhone 6s. Apparently, the fans all want to know the new features and the improvements of the phone.

According to the official releases, there is no big difference between the design of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 6s. The new iPhone 7 has some new functions, like “waterproof “and “stereo speaker”. The Jet Black colour replaces the space grey this time. The camera, battery life and processor are all improved. The new iPhone 7 home button is also changed and there is no more headphone jack. However, does the actual performance meets our expectations? Is the new iPhone 7 worth to buy?

Professional reviews might be helpful. After the iPhone 7 launched a week ago, there are lots of reviews about it. Let us summarise the important points of each review.

Trustedreviews thinks the iPhone 7 has the strongest camera. Besides, the fast processor and longer battery life are more efficient. The reviewer doubts why the competitors’ phones can be waterproof without taking away the headphone jack but the iPhone 7 cannot.

“The A10 Fusion processor is more efficient and when the phone is coasting in your pocket or sitting unused on your desk it hardly uses any battery at all […]

Water-resistant phones have been around for a while, but up to a few years ago they were as much of a chore as a benefit. […] It’s not the first time a phone has done this. In fact both the latest Sony Xperia XZ and Galaxy S7 are water-resistant to a slightly better IP68 rating. They also manage to keep their headphone jacks. Imagine that.

Now the iPhone 7 comes with a new six-optic lens, Optical Image Stabilisation, a wider f/1.8 aperture and bigger pixels. All this leads to improved low-light performance that I noticed off the bat while taking photos at dusk […] I've chosen to compare it to the Galaxy S7 as we think it's the strongest camera phone around until now.”

iPhone 7 comes with a new six-optic lens, Optical Image Stabilisation, a wider f/1.8 aperture and bigger pixels.

Forbes says the new home button is durable than the old one. The reviewer suggests not going for the Jet Black color because it is easy to get scratch and fingerprint. The reviewer also mentions the disappointment of the headphone jack.

“Also adding durability is the move to a fixed, capacitive touch home ‘surface’. The old moving home button on previous iPhones was one of the parts most prone to failure (Apple developed Assistive Touch to aid broken handsets out of warranty) and the good news is its capacitive replacement feels great.

An enlarged ‘taptic’ motor successfully simulates the feeling of a press (with three options of vibration intensity). I’ve seen some reports saying it feels unnatural, it doesn’t and you’ll soon forget you ever used anything else […]

An enlarged ‘taptic’ motor successfully simulates the feeling of a press

More superficially, Apple has also removed the antenna lines from the backs of both phones which gives them a cleaner look and offered new Black and Jett Black colour options while retiring Space Grey. My advice on Jett Black: Do Not Buy It. In hand it actually feels nicest of all the finishes due to a surprisingly sticky texture that provides grip, but it is both a fingerprint and scratch magnet (something Apple even admits).

And yet the controversy of Apple continuing to stick with an ageing design is nothing compared to the controversy over the one big external change it has made: the removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack […] Firstly yes, the headphone jack is old technology (the phono connector is it based on is over 100 years old) but that only means it is ubiquitous and it isn’t remotely close to hitting the limitations of its audio potential […] And when it comes to water resistance, Samsung has already set the precedent: the headphone jack remains in the Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Edge and Galaxy Note 7 (when not exploding) and all three phones are rated at IP68 – a level above the jackless iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.”

Jett Black: Do Not Buy It. In hand it actually feels nicest of all the finishes due to a surprisingly sticky texture that provides grip, but it is both a fingerprint and scratch magnet

Digital Trends mentions that the actual performance of lightning headphone is fine. And the new processor and camera perform excellent.

“Though Motorola beat it to the punch, the iPhone 7 will likely go down in history as the device that killed the 100-year-old audio jack […] In testing, I found the change somewhat annoying, but mostly benign. The Lightning EarPods sound fine (if they work at all, see below) and I’ve spent most of my time using the Lightning adapter with our favourite earbuds […]

Aside from that, it has the same A10 ‘Fusion’ quad-core processor in it. The novel idea (at least, for an iPhone) here is that two of the cores are high efficiency, and will use less battery, but the other two, more powerful cores, are ready and waiting whenever you want to boot up a video game or do something more taxing […]

The iPhone 7 camera is noticeably better than the 6S, if you’re in low light conditions, and if you’re coming from an iPhone 6, you’re in for a treat. Against competition like the new LG V20 and Samsung Galaxy S7 series, we still prefer the iPhone camera overall, but it’s a tight race […]”

The Guardian is disappointed with the battery life, which is not better than the iPhone 6s. Also, the reviewer feels inconvenience about no more headphone jack. However, he thinks the Taptic Engine of the new home button is an excellent creation.

“The iPhone 7 has Apple’s latest processor the A10 Fusion, which, like most processors used in Android smartphones, has four processing cores split into two pairs. One is a high-performance pair of cores the other is a pair of energy efficient cores […] The iPhone 7 is snappy, feeling slightly faster than the iPhone 6S in general use. Some things, such as photo processing, particularly in something like Prisma, are also faster […]

Battery life, however, is poor. Using it as my primary device with three hours of app usage and browsing, hundreds of emails and push notifications, a couple of photos, five hours of music over Bluetooth headphones and the odd game of Jetpack Joyride during my one hour and 20 minute train commute to and from work, it lasted an average of just over 14 hours between charges, meaning it didn’t survive past 9.30pm […]To make matters worse, the iPhone 7 has the worst of all worlds: short battery life and tediously slow charging. Even using the 12W charger that came with the iPad Pro it took well over two hours to fully charge the iPhone 7.

Instead of being a real button it’s now a pressure sensitive pad. It doesn’t depress, but you have to push it rather than tap it to activate it as a home button […] The Taptic Engine as a whole, for notifications and general feedback, such as the little taps as you scroll through the timer’s wheel like notches on something mechanical, is excellent […]”

A comparison between the iPhone 7 and iPhone 6s from the Apple official website

Quartz says the new stereo speaker and waterproof perform well. However, the reviewer is dissatisfied with the new home button, speed and no headphone jack.

“Apple has promoted the iPhone 7 as its first phone with “stereo” speakers, and this is technically true. When taking calls on speaker mode, or listening to music without headphones, the iPhone can blare sound out of the two speakers on the bottom of the phone, but also the earpiece of the phone. It’s not going to replace your stereo, but the iPhone 7 sounds pretty good in a pinch […]

The camera is still no replacement for a professional camera, no matter what Apple’s advertising suggests. And one of the double-cameras’ biggest features, the ability to create images with depth of field, such as where you can create portrait shots of people in pin-sharp focus while the background is blurred, wasn’t even available at launch. […]

Whatever you make of Apple’s “courageous” decision not to include a headphone jack in the iPhone 7, it’s a bit annoying in practice right now. You’re required to use the earbuds Apple provides, which plug into the Lightning port (and have had software issues since launch), or use the awkward one-inch dongle to connect a regular pair of headphones to the Lightning port, which just doesn’t fit particular well in a pocket […]”

The earbuds Apple provides, which plug into the Lightning port

According to those reviews, every reviewer has different opinions about the iPhone 7. For instance, some reviewers think the camera is good but some disagree. It depends on the individuals. This article summarised their points and can be a good reference before you decide to buy the iPhone 7.

[wowcamera-blog]

5 Tips for Buying Mobile Phones Online

More and more retail businesses have been changing from offline to online since 90’s and among these businesses, the most significant one is the online selling of mobile phones.

How to choose the online shop, then? To buy a mobile phone, what should you consider?

Some online shops simply tell you how good they are, but that might not be true. To see whether a web store is trustworthy or not, one of the best ways is to search its online presence.

Tip 1: Online Presence

Try to search if the web store has been selling in marketplaces for a long period. A well-developed web store should have their stores in Amazon, eBay, FNAC, etc. Also, see more about their products: is the company specialised in mobile phones? What do the other users comment? When did the company start selling there?

Tip 2: Prices and Quality

Most customers would take “price” as their primary consideration when buying mobile phones, and then it is quality.  However, please also consider if the online shop is stable or not. Better see where the company operates because it can let you guess the source of products and how they arrange the logistics. A good online shop would tell you where their warehouse is located.

Tip 3: Latest Product

Nowadays, an online business is not only about buying and selling; it is all about sharing. See if the online shop shares the latest news or updates of products. A well-established online shop should be able to provide this information. Besides, check if the online shop has any social media pages or not. You can see how they react with their customers via those channels.

Tip 4: Product Variety

Check if the company offers a great variety of products. What kind of mobile phones they could offer? Normally, a sizeable web store would offer more like tablets and headphones apart from just mobile phones.

Tip 5: Fast and Safe Delivery

Typically an online shop will take 3-5 business days for customers to receive their products after purchase. A good company will tell you what couriers they prefer. A lot of online shopping problems can happen during the delivery. So, if an online store tells you they work with big couriers like UPS, it will be safer.   Finally, you must consider paying by using payment gateways like PayPal. It is a third party between you and the online shop to protect you if anything goes wrong.

Some reputable online shops are offering good prices and a wide choice of mobile phones. Here our best picks for sharing: www.giffgaff.com www.carphonewarehouse.com www.wowcamera.com