Tag Archives: OS

Motorola Moto Z2 Force Edition Serious SlowMo!

Motorola Moto Z2 Force

Motorola Mobility now an arm of the Lenovo Corporation has just announced the Moto Z2 Force Edition which is the next iteration of their Z Force original from 2016 which was a Verizon only product. The phone while somewhat popular never really gained enough market share to become important in the high-end smartphone space. The Z2 Force retains the unbreakable screen design which uses a protective plastic top layer before the glass.

The Z2 Force retains the unbreakable screen design which uses a protective plastic top layer before the glass. However, that layer is not scratch proof.  The Phone also retains the Moto Mods capability like the Hasselblad Mod which transforms the phone into a real zoom compact camera. The good news is that this time the Slow Motion has been beefed up to compete with the iPhone and Google Pixel handsets. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Google Phone SDK 3.0 Hints at 240fps!

GoogleCamera3

The website Android Police has done a pretty robust tear down of the new android Camera SDK v3.0 giving a sneak peak of what is to come for many android phones that support the camera module application.  The SDK v3.0 comes bundled with the Android 6 release which means all compatible devices upgraded to the new OS will have a chance to try some or all of the new features planned for the camera release.  Your mileage depending on your phone manufacturer may vary but it could mean support for many new features like 240fps slow motion video which will compete favorably with the iPhone 6 and 6s in these high frame rate modes.

Top features in the SDK 3.0:
  • Smart Burst- Fast burst of images if supported by hardware!
  • Creations: Includes animated images and Auto Awesomes.
  • Slow Motion:  120fps or 240fps User selectable!
  • Auto HDR+ Plus: HDR images from a rapid burst.
  • Dirty Lens detection: Tells user if lens is smudged!
  • Improvements to the interface.
Code regarding slow motion settings in SDK 3.0!
<string name="hfr_mode_120fps">Slow motion is set to 120 fps</string>
<string name="hfr_mode_240fps">Slow motion is set to 240 fps</string>
<string name="hfr_mode_off">Slow motion is off</string>

Note:  Regarding  “Google Phone SDK 3.0 ” be aware that if your sensor and portable device combination do to limitations is not able to do higher frame rates these new features will not be accessible.  It will be interesting to see which phones are upgraded with the capability as the Android 6 marshmallow updates roll out!  → Continue Reading Full Post ←