Linked List: September 27, 2012

Thursday, 27 September 2012

iLounge’s iPhone 5 Camera Comparison ★

Really makes you wonder what Consumer Reports was looking at.

Consumer Reports on the iPhone 5 Camera’s Low-Light Capabilities ★

Consumer Reports:

The claimed improvements of the iPhone 5 in handling low-light shots were not apparent in our tests. In overall quality, both still and video images shot in low light on the iPhone 5 were of comparable quality to those shot on the iPhone 4S, though they did appear a little “ccoler” [sic], with a bluish hue. The shutter delay for both iPhones seemed all but instantaneous.

I’m baffled how they arrived at this conclusion, given that I’ve found the iPhone 5 camera to be not just a little better than the 4S in low light, but remarkably better. The only explanation I can think of is that whoever conducted these tests wasn’t using the built-in Camera app on the iPhone 5, and instead used a third-party camera app. In my experience, the iPhone 5’s new low-light capabilities are at least partially software-driven — low-light shots taken with third-party apps don’t seem any better than on the iPhone 4S.

I just now took a few sample shots of a toy gun on the floor in the hallway outside my office, and put them on Flickr. The only light source is the fading evening daylight from a south-facing window. I posted three photos taken with an iPhone 5: one using the built-in Camera app, and two taken with third party apps (Camera Plus Pro and VSCO Cam). I included one taken with the built-in Camera app on an iPhone 4S.

Looking at the EXIF data, the big difference is that the photo shot with the built-in Camera app on the iPhone 5 had an ISO speed of 2500; the other three all maxed out at 800. It appears the iPhone 5 can go up to ISO 3200. That’s the two-stop difference Apple is promoting.

RIM Lost Less Than Expected in Second Quarter ★

Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica:

Research in Motion, the company behind the struggling BlackBerry line of smartphones, beat Wall Street’s expectations in its second fiscal quarter, with a net loss of $235 million dollars, or 45 cents per share. That’s slightly better than analysts’ predictions of 46 cents per share, and it’s also significantly better than last quarter, when the Waterloo, Ontario-based company lost $518 million.

A penny saved is a penny earned.

Apple Maps vs. Google Maps ★

Here come the jokes.

Pogue on iOS 6 Maps ★

David Pogue:

In short, Maps is an appalling first release. It may be the most embarrassing, least usable piece of software Apple has ever unleashed.

Typical fanboy.

Scrollbars Through History ★

Just what it says on the tin. Via Coudal.