Hasta La Gadget!

Amazon releases web-based Kindle Cloud Reader app, optimized for iPads originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 05:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple’s iPhone 4 can serve as a great little camcorder when you’re in a bind, but it’s never been our go-to cam for video shoots. Not only is its small sensor not best suited for high-quality HD shooting, but the smartphone form factor can be awkward to hold, resulting in shakier than normal footage. A new app called DollyCam, which also supports iPad 2, helps soften the blow of the latter, letting you successfully stabilize videos — with a few drawbacks.

We took our iPhone 4 out to test a watermarked free version of the app in New York City, shooting a scene first with the phone’s native app, and then with DollyCam. It won’t replace a hardware solution like the Steadicam Smoothee, but it’s significantly cheaper and more convenient. The only major issues we noticed were related to softened sound capture of all things (pay close attention in the video past the break), and the fact that the app can’t process in real-time, so a minute-long video clip will need about five minutes to process. The app does crop your footage slightly, as can be expected. You’ll also need to remain in the app as it’s processing, though you can also stabilize videos later, after completing your shoot. Overall, it’s an acceptable solution, especially considering the $2.99 price tag. Jump past the break to see original and stabilized clips, and browse through the gallery below for a quick look at the interface.

[Thanks, Jon]

Continue reading DollyCam app lets you stabilize iPhone 4 videos, we go hands-on (video)

DollyCam app lets you stabilize iPhone 4 videos, we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Aug 2011 16:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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For better or worse, Instagram’s taken the iOS-capturing world by storm. And if you’re wondering what our qualification for “by storm” is, well… let’s just say The Biebs blasted out his first image on the service last month. As the story goes, four young lads with a fistful of dollars and boundless imaginations started up the famed app on October 6th, 2010. Today, there’s still only four employees, but the user base has expanded just a wee bit. The outfit just saw its 150 millionth photo uploaded (shown after the break!), with the current rate clocking in at around 15 images per second. Naturally, we took the opportunity to ask one of those four what this meant for a future Android release, and while he confirmed that he had nothing to announce right away, he did mention that the (still free) iOS build is just “the beginning of what’s to come.” So, how’s about dropping a link to your favorite Instagram down in comments below? Best one wins!

Continue reading Instagram hits 150 million uploads in nine months, still won’t talk about Android plans

Instagram hits 150 million uploads in nine months, still won’t talk about Android plans originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Heat waves aside, this last weekend has proven to be a fairly rough one for e-book sellers. In spite of backing off a bit from its initial demands, there have apparently been some major changes afoot in the iOS App Store, with a number of apps scaling back access to their online e-book markets or being pulled from the store altogether. Kobo, one of the former, told The Wall Street Journal (which also reported on its own iOS woes) it was informed on Saturday that it needs to stop selling books through its app. The Google Books app, meanwhile, has been removed altogether, though Google has yet to comment on the matter, possibly revamping the app to comply with the stricter rules. While the adjustments will certainly be a nuisance for the companies involved, selling books through Apple devices will not be an impossibility, so long as customers can still access the markets through Safari.

Update: You can now add Amazon to the list as well. The latest version of the Kindle app removes the Kindle Store button that previously allowed you to purchase e-books on your iOS device.

Google Books, Kobo, more get iOS App Store shakedown (update: Kindle too) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jul 2011 10:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember Adobe’s InMarket? You know, that marketplace where devs can publish once, distribute anywhere — like on Intel’s AppUp. If you’re still drawing a blank, fret not, as the software giant plans to shutter the service come August 31st, leaving developers with a little over a month to download analytics and revenue reports. Also on the chopping block is the company’s AIR Marketplace, which the firm now views as redundant given that AIR apps can be published on Cupertino’s App Store, the Android Market and BlackBerry’s App World. Got any burning questions? A letter and FAQ await you at the source.

[Thanks, Koiyu]

Adobe’s InMarket to fade into the sunset, AIR marketplace faces similar fate originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jul 2011 01:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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