Apple today shared a new video in its ongoing "Shot on iPhone" series, this time highlighting a short film that was captured by director Damien Chazelle, known for films like "La La Land" and "Whiplash."
The nine minute short film was shot with an iPhone 11 Pro and all of the footage was captured in a vertical aspect ratio. Apple also included a behind the scenes look at how the film was shot.
When shooting the video, Chazelle used iPhone features like extended dynamic range, video stabilization, the ultra wide-angle lens, and more.
Apple has shared several prior videos and photographs in the "Shot on iPhone" series, but this marks one of the first vertical videos that Apple has uploaded in the "Shot on iPhone" saga.
Lady Gaga is the latest artist to launch an Apple Music weekly show, and with "Gaga Radio" she'll chat with dance and music stars and debut exclusive DJ mixes.
The inspiration for Lady Gaga's hyperactive 2020 album Chromatica came from one magical place: the dance floor. A joyride of glittery synths and let-your-hair-down hooks, it captures the singular, soul-cleansing euphoria found from sweating under a disco ball.
Every Friday on GAGA RADIO, she honors dance music by speaking with the DJs, divas, and producers who inspired her and helped bring Chromatica to life. Each episode will also include an exclusive DJ mix from one of Gaga's guests. It's a celebration of dance music when we need it most.
The interviews will focus on the team who helped Gaga bring her 2020 album "Chromatica" to life. The show will be available on Apple Music every Friday at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, starting this Friday.
Samsung today held a virtual Galaxy Unpacked event where it unveiled its next-generation smartphones that will compete with Apple's 2020 iPhone lineup, set to come out in the fall.
Samsung announced the launch of the Galaxy Note 20 and the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, the two newest devices in the Note lineup, and, more notably, the Galaxy Z Fold 2, Samsung's latest foldable smartphone.
The Galaxy Z Fold 2 features a 7.6-inch screen that uses thin glass instead of plastic to protect the display. When folded, the front display measures in at 6.2 inches. It's equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ processor, 12GB RAM, and 512GB storage, plus there's a new camera that uses a hole punch design instead of a notch.
Samsung aimed to make the Z Fold 2 a significant improvement over the original Galaxy Fold in terms of durability and functionality. Samsung says the hinge has been improved and the overall structure has been reinforced so it's not as delicate as it was before. Pricing hasn't been announced yet, but it's expected to come out in September, which is also when we'll learn more about it.
The Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra are Samsung's new flagship Note smartphones. The $1,000 Note 20 features a 6.7-inch 60Hz AMOLED display with a hole punch camera, a Snapdragon 865+ processor, 8GB RAM, 128GB storage, a 4,300mAh battery, and a three camera setup with a 12-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and a 64-megapixel telephoto camera.
Samsung's higher-end Galaxy Ultra also comes with a 6.9-inch AMOLED display, but the high end model supports up to 120Hz refresh rates. There's a Snapdragon 865+ processor, 12GB RAM, 128GB or 512GB storage, microSD slot, and a 4,500mAh battery.
The Ultra version of the Note has an impressive camera setup with a 12-megapixel telephoto lens that supports 5x optical zoom and 50x hybrid zoom, along with a 108-megapixel wide-angle camera and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera, plus an autofocus system that works with a laser.
Both Galaxy 20 Note phones are compatible with 5G networks, come with S Pens, and have fingerprint sensors and facial recognition for biometric protection. They support wireless charging and feature IP68 water and dust resistance.
Samsung also unveiled the $170 Galaxy Buds Live with Active Noise Cancellation, which are more affordable than Apple's AirPods Pro with the same noise canceling features. Galaxy Buds come in black, white, and bronze.
There's also a new tablet, the Galaxy Tab S7, and a new Galaxy Watch 3 with sleep tracking, ECG support, and blood pressure readings.
Samsung's event can still be watched on YouTube for those who are interested in a full rundown on all the features in the new devices.
The Galaxy Buds Live, Samsung's new Note devices, and the other Samsung devices with the exception of the Fold 2 will go on sale on August 6. Pre-ordering the Note 20 or the Note 20 Ultra will provide Samsung users with a credit that can be used on the Samsung website or the Shop Samsung app.
Samsung's new devices will directly compete with the iPhone 12 lineup, which Apple is expected to unveil in September and release starting in October.
Apple has four smartphones in the works, including 5.4 and 6.1-inch affordable devices and higher-end 6.1 and 6.7-inch devices that will rival the Galaxy Note 20 smartphones, but Apple has no foldable iPhone technology at this time to match the Galaxy Z Fold 2, and it's not clear if or when the Cupertino company will release a foldable iPhone.
It's been 10 years since the launch of the Apple Store app, and to celebrate, Apple has a little hidden easter egg that you can find if you search for "10 years" in the Apple Store app.
As noted by Michael Steeber, who found the hidden feature, typing in "10 years" sends two blue balloons soaring up from the bottom of the screen.
The balloons will bounce around for a few moments, and if you tap them, you can pop them. Otherwise, if you leave them alone, they'll simply float away.
You can re-summon the balloons by typing in the phrase again. Make sure to use the Apple Store app, where you make Apple device purchases and view orders, to try the trick.
The new listings are available on the "See All Games" list at the bottom of the Apple Arcade tab in the App Store on iOS 14, but are not currently visible on iOS 13 devices. The four upcoming games include:
Next Stop Nowhere (August 14): A "road trip adventure story set in a colorful, cutthroat vision of outer space," the title will be an Apple Arcade exclusive.
Couldn't we all use a galactic road trip right about now?
Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time (August 21): A single-player action platformer based on the Adult Swim series, the title is also coming to consoles and PCs. It takes place during the show's season finale and involves an alternate timeline where Jack travels through multiple levels on a new quest to eventually defeat his nemesis Aku.
The Last Campfire (August 27): An adventure story about a lost ember trapped in a puzzling place, the new title from Hello Games, creators of No Man's Sky, is also coming to PC, PS4, Switch and Xbox One.
World's End Club (September 4): A 2D side-scroller about a dozen 12-year-old oddball kids headed on a 1,200-kilometer journey after they are involved in a bus accident on a class trip and find that "extraordinary powers begin to awaken within them."
All of the new games will be available to Apple Arcade subscribers on the App Store for iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, as well as in the Mac App Store. Apple Arcade provides iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac users with access to over 100 games with no in-app purchases or ads for $4.99 per month after a free one-month trial.
Instagram has today officially launched "Reels," a new short-form video service set to rival TikTok, in over 50 countries, including the U.S., India, France, Germany, Japan, Australia, and the U.K.
Instagram says that Reels are "a new way to create and discover short, entertaining videos." The service features the ability to record and edit 15-second multi-clip videos with music from the Instagram library, AR effects, and various new creative editing tools. Reels can be shared with followers on "Feed", or for public accounts, made available to all users worldwide via a new space in "Explore." Reels' most significant difference from TikTok is supposedly its tie-ins to the overarching Instagram ecosystem.
Last month, it was reported that Instagram was offering significant cash incentives to TikTok creators to persuade them to move to Reels. Incentive payments for some were claimed to be in the "hundreds of thousands of dollars," with the highest payouts for creators who commit to posting their videos exclusively to Reels. The move was a clear indication that Instagram views Reels as a direct competitor to TikTok. In April, YouTube announced "Shorts," a new service that will also replicate the short video format to compete with TikTok.
"I think TikTok deserves a ton of credit for popularizing formats in this space, and it's just great work,” Instagram's product director, Robby Stein, told The Verge. "But at the end of the day, no two products are exactly alike, and ours are not either."
The company's line on similarity with TikTok is similar to the approach taken with "Stories," launched in 2016 as a competitor to Snapchat. Instagram Stories soon had more active daily users than Snapchat itself.
The launch of Reels comes as TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, faces immense scrutiny in the United States, and Microsoft negotiates a purchase of the service.
Apple today quietly released a new version of its 30W USB-C power adapter with the model number MY1W2AM/A. The outward design of the adapter has not changed, so if any tweaks have been made, they are likely internal. The previous model MR2A2LL/A is no longer available for purchase from Apple.
The power adapter remains compatible with any USB‑C–enabled device, with Apple continuing to recommend that it be paired with the 13-inch MacBook Air with a Retina display. The adapter can also be used to fast charge compatible iPhone and iPad Pro models. The new version remains priced at $49 on Apple's online store and ships within a few days.
