Category Archives: Video

Consumer Reports says they “can’t recommend the iPhone 4” due to the antenna problem

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Today Consumer Reports updated their original review of the iPhone 4 after properly testing the device’s antenna.  In their original review, CR recommended the iPhone 4: “The iPhone scored high, in part because it sports the sharpest display and best video camera we’ve seen on any phone…”  They go on to praise the improved battery life, front-facing camera, and built-in gyroscope.  During their time with the initial review test unit, they were “unable to replicate the [antenna] problems” that so many other iPhone owners seemed to be complaining about.  For some reason or another, CR decided to bring the iPhone 4 into their labs to test the antenna problem head-on.  (Why they didn’t do this in the first place is beyond me.)  Their findings:

When your finger or hand touches a spot on the phone’s lower left side—an easy thing, especially for lefties—the signal can significantly degrade enough to cause you to lose your connection altogether if you’re in an area with a weak signal. Due to this problem, we can’t recommend the iPhone 4.

The tests were conducted inside a radio frequency isolation chamber, a room “which is impervious to outside radio signals.”  After connecting “the phones to our base-station emulator, a device that simulates carrier cell towers” they concluded that all of their iPhone models were affected with the antenna problem.  They also tested other AT&T smartphones (namely the iPhone 3G and Palm Pre) and “none of those phones had the signal-loss problems of the iPhone 4.”  Boom.

CR goes on to say that these tests call into question Apple’s forthcoming software quick update which promises to fix the way the signal bars are displayed on the phone.  After coming to this conclusion, they hint that the antenna problem is almost certainly a hardware issue, and a software update and blaming AT&T’s less than stellar network will not pave a way out of this sticky situation.  Speaking of sticky, CR recommends that those affected with the antenna problem can remedy it by applying a small piece of duct tape over the antenna gap.  Not only does this make the phone look downright ugly, it’s going to leave sticky residue and you just don’t want that on your hands (and mind).  Go out and get a bumper case if you can’t manage to hold your phone differently.  CR parts with these glum words: “Apple needs to come up with a permanent—and free—fix for the antenna problem before we can recommend the iPhone 4.”  If the antenna problem is truly hardware-based (and it’s really starting to seem like it is), Apple needs to come out of hiding, admit their design flaw, fix it interally, and offer those affected with a free swap-out of updated models.  Like stat.

[Via Consumer Reports]

Ridley Scott invites you to become part of history in ‘Life in a Day’ film project

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Every day, 6.7 billion people view the world through their own unique lens. Imagine if there was a way to collect all of these perspectives, to aggregate and mold them into the cohesive story of a single day on earth.

Life in a Day, a YouTube compilation video to be largely edited by Oscar-winning director Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland) and executive produced by director Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Blade Runner), will attempt to tell such a story.  It’s being hailed as a “historic cinematic experiment” that relies on you (yes, you) to contribute to the short film.  If you want to participate in the effort, all you have to is capture events that happen in your own life on July 24 and upload your video to the Life in a Day channel by July 31.  Here are some suggestions from Google: “You can film the ordinary — a sunrise, the commute to work, a neighborhood soccer match, or the extraordinary — a baby’s first steps, your reaction to the passing of a loved one, or even a marriage.”  Head over to the channel for other ideas that may inspire you.  So here’s the deal: If your footage is selected to be put into the film, you’ll be credited as co-director and if you’re lucky you’ll get to attend the premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival with 19 others.  If you don’t make the final cut, Google reminds you that your submitted footage will live forever on the channel “as a time capsule that will tell future generations what it was like to be alive on July 24, 2010.”  Sappy, but it’s true!  It’s so easy to do these days, you might as well give it a shot.  On the 24th, whip out your Flip cam and take your dog for a walk.  Who knows, maybe you and Scrappy will make it big.  Need some words of encouragement?  Look after the break for a pep talk from Ridley Scott; the Nike shout-out aside, it should get some creative juices flowing.

[Via YouTubeBlog] Continue reading Ridley Scott invites you to become part of history in ‘Life in a Day’ film project →

YouTube intros Leanback; supports 4K video; updates mobile site

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Over the course of the last few days Google made a number of exciting announcements concerning its popular video site YouTube.  Read on for all the juicy details.  And make sure to peek after the break where you’ll find two brief videos that outline Leanback and YouTube Mobile with the help of visuals.

YouTube Leanback: Leanback is a new way to watch videos on YouTube.  It makes the whole experience of watching Internet video feel more like you’re watching television.  Here’s how.  When you head over to  www.youtube.com/leanback, you are asked to login to your YouTube account.  Once that’s done, you enter the Leanback portal which instantly promotes minimalism.  A video instantly begins to play from a folder called “Your Feed.”  The videos found in this group are all based on your YouTube account settings, preferences, subscriptions, and previously watched videos.  And if you happen to have your YouTube account connected to your Facebook account, videos your friends are watching and sharing will find a home there too.  In addition to “Your Feed”, you can also browse all of the popular YouTube categories that include Comedy, Education, Entertainment, Music, News & Politics, and more.  If you have any uploaded videos in your account, they will show up at the end of this list.  Videos will automatically stream at their highest quality (HD if available).  Everything in Leanback is controlled with the four arrow keys, the space bar, and the enter button on your keyboard.  For now, mouse control is not supported.  The lowest level of the UI is the content categories I just described.  If you click the up arrow, the usual playback controls pop up (play/pause, rewind/fast-forward, previous/next).  If you click the up arrow once more, a search bar appears.  When you search a term, all related content will show up in its own folder next to “Your Feed” down below.  And that’s it, really.  Leanback is all about video playback first, control second.  The concept is neat; login to your account and presto–video (that should be) tailored for you begins to play and you can quickly and easily scrub through it.  Google calls it “effortless viewing.”  So watcha waiting for?  Have at it!

4K video support: Chew on this: “At 4096 x 2304 pixels, 4K is over four times the size of 1080p.”  So if you thought HD was good, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.  Anyway, now YouTube supports “original video resolution from 360p all the way up to 4K.”  When a 4K video is played, you will have the option to select “original video” to view it at its highest quality.  But don’t get too excited just yet.  You need the proper monitor to view such high grade video; even Google claims that the ideal screen size to view 4K content is 25 feet.  Watching 4K footage also requires extremely fast bandwidth.  Since 4K camcorders and projectors are very expensive they have yet to make it into the mainstream.  But you know what?  I think it’s a great move on Google’s part to start supporting it today in preparation for tomorrow.  Feel free to check out some of the first 4K videos to hit the site.  Just beware of the bandwidth limitations and the fact that you most likely cannot view these videos at their proper resolution just yet.

YouTube Mobile: The mobile version of YouTube (http://m.youtube.com) was launched back in 2007.  Since then, we have become more reliant on cell phones and other portable devices, and users are demanding a more broader YouTube experience when they’re on the go.  That was Google’s cue to revamp the mobile site with updates too appease their most loyal fans.  Let’s run down the most important updates, shall we?  It’s speedier; the user interface incorporates more touch-friendly elements; many features from the .com site have transferred over including search query suggestions, the options to create playlists, and the ability to designate “favorite,” “like” or “unlike” videos; and unlike YouTube apps (ie. iPhone’s YouTube portal), the mobile site will see improvements on a more constant, regular basis.  Click here from your device to check out all the new features and options now available at your fingertips.

[Via YouTubeBlog, here, here & here]   Continue reading YouTube intros Leanback; supports 4K video; updates mobile site →

Stop-motion teardown of iPhone 4 proves it’s beautiful on the inside, too

photography, Technology, Video, , , , , ,

The fellas at TechRestore are back with a new teardown.  Yup, it’s the iPhone 4.

1784 hi-res photos combine to make a stop-motion expose of the iPhone 4, revealing every detail of construction, from packaging, down to the chips on the logic-board. Set to a custom electronic/glitch soundtrack, with fast paced action, this is no ordinary unboxing and take-apart video!

Well said.  Now watch.

[Via Gizmodo]

Short film: Something Left, Something Taken

Art, EXPERIENCE, Video, , , ,

Something Left, Something Taken.  By Max Porter & Ru Kuwahata.

This beautifully designed animated short is a “dark comedy” that follows “a vacationing couple’s encounter with a man they believe to be the Zodiac Killer.”  It’s funny, engaging, suspenseful, and smart.  What’s the phrase again?  Oh right–sit back, relax, and enjoy.

[Via @kpereira]

Wall-painted animation captures the Big Bang, our eventual demise, and everything in between

Art, EXPERIENCE, photography, Video, , , , ,

BIG BANG BIG BOOM: an unscientific point of view on the beginning and evolution of life … and how it could probably end.

Produced by Blu.

This ten minute spectacle captures the birth of life on Earth, the slow but eventual rise to human species, and ends with an interesting twist on how everything might unravel.  How is something so intricate as wall-painted animation made, you ask?  The magic of stop-motion does the trick.  Street artist Blu would paint a sequence of images on a surface, take a picture of said images with a digital camera, paint new images onto the same (or new) surface, take pictures of those, and repeat.  After all the painting and photography was complete, he took the entire collection of images, laid them out side-by-side, and transformed it into a film.  Yes, this is an extremely tedious process; Blu admits this video took “months of work and hundreds [of] buckets of paint”.  The end result is nothing short of exquisite.

[Via NewScientist]

“DOUBLE RAINBOW ALL THE WAY”

Hilarity, Video, , , ,

It is so simple, yet so uncontrollably hilarious.  So this random dude managed to capture a double rainbow on his camcorder in his backyard.  The man, who was likely trippin’ on some powerful hallucinogens, was awe-struck by what he saw and thank heavens his immediate reaction was caught on tape.  You never get to see the man behind the curtain, but that really doesn’t matter.  It’s the reactions–“what does this mean”, and at one point he literally sobs over the beauty of it all–that makes the three minute and thirty second eyewitness footage so epic.  FYI, the video gets funnier with immediate repeat viewings.

Make sure to jump after the break to watch “The Double Rainbow Song”.  That’s right, the guys (and lady) behind Auto-tune the News put together a wonderful video based this man’s transcendental experience.

[Via Nerdist] Continue reading “DOUBLE RAINBOW ALL THE WAY” →

Star Trek + Tik Tok = pure amazingness (somehow, someway)

Hilarity, Music, Video, , , ,

I really can’t stand Ke$ha anymore, with her whiney songs that always get stuck in my head.  As much as I’ve been trying to keep a safe distance from her catchy tracks I stumbled upon this masterpiece.  Somehow, someway, YouTube user MissSheenie was able to perfectly match classic scenes from Star Trek: The Original Series with Ke$ha’s first single “Tik Tok”.  Now enjoy.

Pokémon theme song gets one-man a cappella multitrack treatment

Music, Video, , , , , ,

And that one man is Danny Fong.  Fong used only his voice to record the Pokémon theme song you know and love.  With a total of 58 different audio tracks & 16 video tracks Fong used his voice alone to bring together the drums (hi-hat, toms, kick drum, snare, cymbals), rhythm guitar, bass, piano, and vocals.  My only objection?  This kid owns a frightening amount of V-neck shirts.

[Thanks, @andrewseely]