The best camera is the one thats in your hands. This axiom is especially true for enthusiasts of any sort of documentary photography, such as photojournalism or street. Given that my (and probably your) mobile phone is either on me or more accessible to me than my proper camera more often than not, it is actually an important component of my greater camera kit. As I did with my prior mobile (read my HTC Desire HD camera review), I put my new Samsung Galaxy Note 2 camera through its paces and thought Id pass along my thoughts to you. With the exception of a few software differences (most involving S-Pen use), the Note 2 has the same camera package as its smaller brother so you can consider this a Samsung Galaxy S3 camera review, too.
The Barbie Cafe in Taipei, Taiwan is not the first Barbie-themed restaurant in the world but it is the first Barbie-themed restaurant in the world officially licensed by Mattel H.Q. In El Segundo, California. The obvious question is Why Taipei?. Themed restaurants are very popular in Asia in general and seem to be especially popular in countries like Japan, China, and Taiwan. In China, enforcement of intellectual properties and trademarks is ridiculously lax making it a poor environment in which to open a business that relies on its branding as a selling tool. In Japan, the market has matured (and might even be called glutted). While theme restaurants are popular in Taipei, there is still room for new players here. It also helps that one of the most popular restaurants in the city is the Sanrio-approved Hello Kitty Sweets, which has remained popular for some time. In demographic terms, they appeal to the same pie. And guess where the Barbie Cafe is located? Its less than a block from Hello Kitty Sweets, so Mattel is well aware of the demographics.
A couple of months ago I reviewed what I believed (and still believe) to be the best stylus for the iPad (and one stylus that was complete crap). Since settling on a stylus that I was comfortable with I decided to move on and experiment with some of the more popular drawing apps available for the iPad. To be honest, I really dont have a favorite. They are all good in some respects and lacking in others. Therefore, Im going to structure this article as a series of mini reviews, spelling out where each app shines and where each falls short for me.
I like to take photos. If you weren’t aware of that, take a look at any other article in this blog. Or the domain name. I also like to sketch. It’s something that I’ve been doing ever since i used to sit in the furthest back corner of algebra class drawing rather sick and perverse, yet comical pictures of Mr. Ward. I’m not actually good at sketching, but if we only expressed our inner artist in the ways we knew we would do well, there would be no need for karaoke bars. In fact, it can be said that I am as good at drawing as every single person who I’ve ever heard doing karaoke is at singing.
I’ve been hearing a lot of buzz recently for Adobe’s Photoshop Touch for the iPad. I’ve taken a look at the features and really can’t understand where the buzz is coming from. It’s an okay app and the UI is solid but it doesn’t bring anything new or different to the table. It’s not the first with layers and, due to physical limitations defined by iOS, using layers severely compromises image resolution. Is it just because photographers like to name-drop recognized brand names?
I’m here to introduce an app with tools that are actually useful to the mobile professional and has been evolving over the past couple of years to meet their needs: Photogene. Specifically, I will be referring to the “Pro features” version of the app, available via in-app purchase for eight bucks.
I’m going to start with a preemptive “No, not because the iPad 2 has a camera.” because, let’s face it, the camera in the iPad is crap. You’re better off using the camera in your phone in a pinch if just for awkward hold-ability reasons. And I guess I should also clearly state that it’s not because the screen is better. The iPad 2 retains the same 720p resolution display with ‘magical’ oliophobic coating that ‘magically’ exaggerates finger marks. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s begin at the beginning.
Featured Articles
-
Awards
