Photos purport to show new iPhone's autofocus camera, compass
A chinese blog has blurry photos that appear to show an iPhone -- possibly the next-generation model -- using autofocusing with its camera, movie recording and the digital compass.
The series of images from UMPCFever make side-by-side comparisons between an older iPhone and the device running the new firmware, which is claimed to be a new iPhone brought over from the US and deliberately shot with blurry detail to avoid confirming details of the physical design. The claim is suspected of being at least partly true as many of the shown features would simply refuse to run on an iPhone 3G, even with iPhone 3.0 firmware installed.
Autofocusing is the most obvious difference and works simply: as with many touchscreen cameras and camera-equipped phones, it's only necessary to tap a particular point of the screen to focus the camera on whatever object is in that point; an aiming rectangle helps confirm where the focus rests. The mode appears to work in both photo and video capture and has a very visible effect on certain shots, bringing text into focus that would otherwise have been blurry with today's fixed-focused model.
Such a feature is expected not only to prove useful for better photos but to enable barcode scanners and other image recognition apps. These usually wouldn't work with current iPhones as fine details are often unreadable.
Bottom photos taken with old iPhone (left), new iPhone (right).
Additionally, the Hong Kong-based leak shows a previously unseen compass-only app that would use the built-in magnetometer for the new model; it's not sure if this would be a default app or is simply a test app to show the feature, as its only role is to indicate the current heading. Other images taken are for features that were already known to exist in the firmware, such as MMS, voice recording and an enhanced stock tracker, though a new CPU Activity app seems designed for engineers looking to check the behavior of the phone and monitor running processes.
While all of the features have been frequently rumored, their appearance in the photos tentatively confirms that some of the 2009 iPhone's biggest improvements will be those that bring it up to par with some of its tougher competitors in sheer features.
The series of images from UMPCFever make side-by-side comparisons between an older iPhone and the device running the new firmware, which is claimed to be a new iPhone brought over from the US and deliberately shot with blurry detail to avoid confirming details of the physical design. The claim is suspected of being at least partly true as many of the shown features would simply refuse to run on an iPhone 3G, even with iPhone 3.0 firmware installed.
Autofocusing is the most obvious difference and works simply: as with many touchscreen cameras and camera-equipped phones, it's only necessary to tap a particular point of the screen to focus the camera on whatever object is in that point; an aiming rectangle helps confirm where the focus rests. The mode appears to work in both photo and video capture and has a very visible effect on certain shots, bringing text into focus that would otherwise have been blurry with today's fixed-focused model.
Such a feature is expected not only to prove useful for better photos but to enable barcode scanners and other image recognition apps. These usually wouldn't work with current iPhones as fine details are often unreadable.
Bottom photos taken with old iPhone (left), new iPhone (right).
Additionally, the Hong Kong-based leak shows a previously unseen compass-only app that would use the built-in magnetometer for the new model; it's not sure if this would be a default app or is simply a test app to show the feature, as its only role is to indicate the current heading. Other images taken are for features that were already known to exist in the firmware, such as MMS, voice recording and an enhanced stock tracker, though a new CPU Activity app seems designed for engineers looking to check the behavior of the phone and monitor running processes.
While all of the features have been frequently rumored, their appearance in the photos tentatively confirms that some of the 2009 iPhone's biggest improvements will be those that bring it up to par with some of its tougher competitors in sheer features.
Comments
Interesting. Also you can see a chrome bezel in some of the pictures that contradict recent rumors of a black bezel on the next iPhone.
I read on MacRumors forum that the internal hardware is new, but placed in the old iPhone 3G casing. sketchy, if i must say.
"Get to China and take pictures of everyone's dashboard!"
"No not the software one, their cars!!"
"And take down their mileage too!"
"I'm back just a few days and the ship is leaking secrets like a sieve!"
Meanwhile, back in Cupertino town, a loud voice could heard shouting across the highway...
"Get to China and take pictures of everyone's dashboard!"
"No not the software one, their cars!!"
"And take down their mileage too!"
"I'm back just a few days and the ship is leaking secrets like a sieve!"
It looks like the speedo of the latest Toyota Corolla, so there's a place we can start.
It looks like the speedo of the latest Toyota Corolla, so there's a place we can start.
Oh good, I think they only made a limited run of a couple hundred thousand of those
I read on MacRumors forum that the internal hardware is new, but placed in the old iPhone 3G casing. sketchy, if i must say.
Sketchy? Hardly. My best friend works for RIM and has told me that they often put new internals in old casing to maintain secrecy. It's not a stretch of the imagination to think that Apple would do the same.
Weird. No one can ever manage to take an in-focus picture. These spies aren't very good at their spy biz.
Perhaps it's because they were scared s**tless while performing the spying.
From the storyline, they ARE in China, you know. I can't imagine the government treating such individuals too kindly if it caused any loss in any factory orders or a reallocation of orders to other manufacturers.
You do remember the certain video card company that got cut off at the knees by Steve because they bragged about being in the new Macs a few years back.... BEFORE the release date?
Just saying.
Perhaps it's because they were scared s**tless while performing the spying.
Sure didn't have a lot of time, or else he would have uploaded the photos to a computer to see the pictures he took looked like &^#$*!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_declination should be taken into account, especially for Turn-by-Turn services??? How do the Garmin thingys do it? Do they have compasses in them? For conversations' sake. (Don't tell me "Google it")
Now if using Google Maps the Magnetometer will automatically correct for Magnetic North and Geographic North, right?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_declination should be taken into account, especially for Turn-by-Turn services??? How do the Garmin thingys do it? Do they have compasses in them? For conversations' sake. (Don't tell me "Google it")
I'd imagine they would correct for it - it seems like a not-that-hard thing to do. I don't think Garmins have compasses in them, they use GPS tracking to figure out your heading. If that's the case then they wouldn't be affected by magnetic declination. Then again, I may be completely wrong I'm just guessing
Weird. No one can ever manage to take an in-focus picture. These spies aren't very good at their spy biz.
He was using an iPhone to take the photos - duh!
They edited the photos to show more clearly some really weird hardware in one of the photos. I kind of noticed that shiny circle at the top of one of the iphone photos and then forgot about it until I saw this link.
Now if using Google Maps the Magnetometer will automatically correct for Magnetic North and Geographic North, right?
The geographical location of the phone could be derived from the GPS. From that, the software just has to use a formula or table to enable a final display of true North.
Then talked about and over the silly things.
A chinese blog has blurry photos that appear to show an iPhone -- possibly the next-generation model -- using autofocusing with its camera, movie recording and the digital compass.
The series of images from UMPCFever make side-by-side comparisons between an older iPhone and the device running the new firmware, which is claimed to be a new iPhone brought over from the US and deliberately shot with blurry detail to avoid confirming details of the physical design. The claim is suspected of being at least partly true as many of the shown features would simply refuse to run on an iPhone 3G, even with iPhone 3.0 firmware installed.
Autofocusing is the most obvious difference and works simply: as with many touchscreen cameras and camera-equipped phones, it's only necessary to tap a particular point of the screen to focus the camera on whatever object is in that point; an aiming rectangle helps confirm where the focus rests. The mode appears to work in both photo and video capture and has a very visible effect on certain shots, bringing text into focus that would otherwise have been blurry with today's fixed-focused model.
Such a feature is expected not only to prove useful for better photos but to enable barcode scanners and other image recognition apps. These usually wouldn't work with current iPhones as fine details are often unreadable.
Bottom photos taken with old iPhone (left), new iPhone (right).
Additionally, the Hong Kong-based leak shows a previously unseen compass-only app that would use the built-in magnetometer for the new model; it's not sure if this would be a default app or is simply a test app to show the feature, as its only role is to indicate the current heading. Other images taken are for features that were already known to exist in the firmware, such as MMS, voice recording and an enhanced stock tracker, though a new CPU Activity app seems designed for engineers looking to check the behavior of the phone and monitor running processes.
While all of the features have been frequently rumored, their appearance in the photos tentatively confirms that some of the 2009 iPhone's biggest improvements will be those that bring it up to par with some of its tougher competitors in sheer features.