GeekwithEnvy

Electronics

New Video and Cinema Features on Instagram

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June 20, 2013, Instagram announced that video will now be added to the app, along with something they call Cinema. So many of us love taking pictures and sharing it on Instagram, and now we are able to record short video to share as well.

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Cinema is a video stabilizing feature that was made with the help of leading Video Scientists to avoid the shakiness we all know. They demonstrated with a few clips on how running can ruin a video, but with Cinema, you can stabilize it as if it was professionally made.

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Instagram is free on the App Store, Google Play, and Instagram.com.

 

 

 

Tested, A Whole Lot of Geekery

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TestedLogo As a geek, I spend a lot of time not only creating and compiling content for our site but also enjoying content from others as well and today I thought I would take a moment to share with you one of my favorite places to visit on the web.

Tested.com is a website that covers technology, science, art and basically just awesome and geeky stuff in general. Tested was created by Will Smith and Norman Chan and now features Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage from MythBusters. I am big fan of MythBusters and basically anything Adam and Jamie do in general. So you could only imagine that I would be extremely excited to see their involvement in the content of Tested.

The website isn’t the only content you can get from Tested, they also have a great YouTube page that is filled with great videos which range from getting a hands on look at the latest electronics, to going Inside Adam Savage’s Cave where you can witness the creative genius in action as he creates something amazing from nothing. Want to see the Hyneman in his natural habitat? Now you can by watching Inside Jaime’s Shop.

So, if you can’t seem to get enough geekery in your life ( and honestly, who couldn’t use a little more?) check out Tested.

 

 

Apple’s WWDC is Nearing

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Image credit: 9to5 Mac

Apple’s upcoming World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) is creating a lot of buzz in the tech community and rumors are at critical mass. What’s next for iOS, OSX and will there be any hardware announcements?

It’s highly likely that Apple will announce iOS 7 at this years event especially considering that banners, like the one above, are being placed at Moscone West in San Francisco, California where the event is being held.

iRadio could be a Spotify or Pandora replacement and with the recent announcement of Apple closing deals with all three major music labels, WWDC could be the perfect place to introduce the new service. OSX 10.9 is also very likely, especially considering we didn’t get any news about an OSX refresh earlier this year and the fact that there’s also a big banner with an “X” on it at Moscone, much like the iOS one. I’m thinking that we will see more integration of iOS features into OSX along with Jony Ive’s UI changes in look and feel, which is rumored to be much “flatter”.

What about hardware? Apple could be refreshing the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro with new 4th generation Intel hardware, which we mentioned earlier this week. It’s hard to believe that the MacBook line up could get much thinner but they may do just that as well. If you have never picked up a MacBook Air, it almost feels fake and making it thinner would actually be pretty impressive. We have also been waiting quite a while for a big update for the Mac Pro and anything at all about this would be nice. There are also hopes to hear things like an Apple TV announcement or an iWatch release but like with any of this, we won’t know till the conference begins.

The conference is June 10-14 and you can get complete details including a schedule on Apple’s developer page.

Intel Introduces 4th Generation Processors

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Intel has just introduced it’s 4th generation Core processor line and they are pushing right along with some serious gains over previous generations.

One of the most notable improvements with the Intel’s 4th generation processors has got to be power consumption. Intel has claimed that they have achieved a 50% improvement in battery life over the last generation while watching video or browsing and that could be over 9 hours . As far as standby goes, Intel says it has gained two or three times as much battery life then the last generation and in some cases they have had 10-13 days of standby on a single charge.

Let’s not forget about graphics, Intel is pushing ahead with Intel® Iris™ graphics which will double 3D performance in gaming. It looks like there will be a few different options to choose from including the the Intel HD 4600 and the faster Iris Pro 5200.

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Intel’s Graphics Naming (Source: Intel)

Intel’s 4th genration is focusing on 2-in-1 devices and their goal was to harness the kind of power you would normally expect on a PC but in a mobile form factor. This is exactly what’s needed in today’s mobile market and it looks like Intel has delivered on their promises. If you are patiently awaiting next weeks World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) you can probably expect Apple to include these new processors in their announcements.

You can read Intel’s official announcement for complete details.

 

 

Will Mac Pro Get a Much Needed Refresh?

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The Mac Pro hasn’t seen an update in quite a while and it’s really starting to show it’s age. Pro users are getting quite impatient with Apple by now and some have even sent emails directly to Tim Cook complaining about how they feel that Apple has essentially forgotten about it’s pro users and has decided to focus purely on the iPhone and iPad business.

It makes sense that Apple would focus most of their attention to these products since they are by far their most popular but it’s time for the Mac Pro to get some love and Tim Cook actually responded to the email by saying that there are some updates in store for 2013.

USB 3.0, Thunderbolt and CPU upgrades are just a few of the much needed updates to the Mac Pro line. Hopefully, we will get an announcement next week at the World Wide Developers Conference which begins June 10th and continues through to the 14th. Macrumors has mentioned that supplies of the Mac Pro have decreased significantly among various suppliers which does seem to hint toward a refresh.