Probable Reason behind Windows Phone development
A bulk of credit to the popularity of this mobile development domain goes to the extension of the Windows Phone 8 OS to multiple devices, such as HTC, Nokia Lumia and Huawei, which has also worked actively in motivating the professionals to develop exclusive Windows Phone apps. Yet another prominent factor in this regard is Voice command, which is the latest feature addition in the Windows Phone family. This feature helps users to operate the phone and apps using voice commands. They can call, make Bing search queries, send messages and much more by merely speaking instead of typing. As obvious, it acts as a significant booster in glorifying the Windows Phone app development industry
Prominent Windows Phone app Categories
Entertainment: The Windows App store is home to a number of entertainment apps related to movies, ringtones, HD Wallpapers, painting, etc. Flixster is a widely popular application in this context, which is perhaps the best one to enjoy movie trailers, get information about show times and read out films reviews by critics. The newly introduced features of the free App also let users set movie posters as lock screens. The voice command facility is a further plus that lets the users to search information about their movies by merely speaking to the phone while the app is up and running.
Lifestyle: This is the section everyone looks forward to. Sophisticated mobile applications that could help you maintain an exquisite lifestyle are always greeted by open arms, Magic Mirror is one such noteworthy app. As the name suggests, it lets you experiment your looks with a host of fresh and fascinating color variations, hairstyles and more. You may often use it for fun or for checking out various options to choose an enticing one finally for a party. It is available at a nominal cost, engages less space, works on Windows 7.5 and 8. and leaves the users with maximum exhilaration.
Travel: The travel industry is wide and rich, and so are its apps. You can have robust tools that provide detailed info on tourism, on the other hand, some may also fetch valuable details regarding flight, metro train or bus ticket availability, stations, stops, etc. Delhi Metro App from Finoit labs is a decent Windows Phone to fit the bill. It provides all the tidbits that one can gain about first of its kind modern public transportation system in India. Users can seek its help to know about tourist places, restaurants, hotels, metro train timings, fare, smart card info and so on. It works perfectly offline and is free of cost.
Finally our wait has paid off. iOS7 is due out fall of 2013. The main differences are the security features as well as a new and improved operating system. Some of the new features are as follows:
Auto update - Apple has always been known for its ability to fight off malicious malware and now it is able to update silently and automatically. This is an important function since in the past coders were able to trick users with update notifications and having them download malicious malware.
Activation Lock - Stolen devices were a large concern for users. The new activation lock prevents theirs from wiping the device clean or deactivating the find my iPhone feature. The iPhone will stay in Lost mode when you lose your phone and are forced to remote wipe it.
Safari's "Do Not Track" -This allows users to request that servers not track them - nice to have.
Per app VPN control - A VPN feature will be offered in the upcoming IOS7. The apps will configure automatically to a VPN once opened. This is nice since the data for the app will be transferred whereas other data will not.
Key chains - Thank goodness for this feature!! Password management in iCloud that will create secure passwords. Synchronization across devices is allowed for not only passwords but other confidential data. I don't know about you but my password management is less than optimal. Will this be better? We shall see. I feel as if I waste more time here than anywhere. Yes it is important, I got that, but make it easier for the user!
Improved mail- Seriously? I hope so, I have tried more and more mail clients on my Mac and still never found the right one to work well with my Mac. This will allow Microsoft Exchange 2010 users to sync notes with Outlook on their Mac or PC.
Caching Server supports iOS7. This results in faster download speeds. Updates and purchased content will be cached on a local Mac server. This will increase download speeds but double the amount.
Audio-only: FaceTime calls. This be a built-in VoIP and allow free long distance and international calls. You will be able to voice chat over Wi-Fi without a phone plan. I am sure Verizon and Att&t will not be pleased.
Inclinometer: Previous versions of iOS brought software support for the gyroscope and accelerometer; now it looks like iOS 7 will get the latest in 3D space-tracking technology: an inclinometer. Not sure if I will use this!
Call blocking: iOS 7 will have the ability to block phone numbers and email addresses.
Siri updated: Siri will be updated in many ways. She will be able to answer more questions and complete more complex tasks such as a full twitter integration and system service options. I personally never use Siri... we don't get along.
Improved notification sync and natural language: IOS 7 will sync all of your devices and in addition it will present your daily activities in natural language. Kinda like having Siri tell you your day ahead.
Faster: Caching Server supports iOS7. This results in faster download speeds. Updates and purchased content will be cached on a local Mac server. This will increase download speeds double the amount.
Auto updates for apps: With OS7 you will not need to manually update your apps. They will automatically update.
Developer APIs: There will be 1500 new developer APYs in iOS7.
60fps video: The new video will supposedly shoot at 60 frames per second.
The influence of mobile broadband in the modern way of life has made it one of the most successful innovations in the world today. Its ability to provide people with Internet access even in the absence of a wired connection is not just a genius business and technological idea. It also carries undeniable benefits which include:
1. Convenience and Freedom of Movement
Mobile broadband has set people free from being confined to their computer tables. Its ability to allow a person to gain access to the web through a smart phone is the greatest factor that makes mobile devices the most popular product in the world in the present generation.
2. Unlimited Access to the Web
Many individuals need broadband access even if they are out of their homes or offices. A lot of people in the business world need to provide their main offices with updates about special assignments. News writers, bloggers and journalists need to break real-time news to the world - and all of them want to be the first to do it. But how can they ever be the first to deliver their goods without the amazing power of mobile broadband?
People who are looking to buy handheld devices are no longer confined to use them solely for text messaging and phone conversations. A majority buy new smart phones because they want to access the web with their mobile phones wherever they are. A lot of people even abandon their old units to buy new ones that are Internet or Wi-Fi ready. The concept of integrating mobile and broadband technology is indeed the work of a great mind.
3. Availability of Frequent Upgrades
The introduction of mobile broadband is proof of a technology that's growing constantly. People who embrace this advancement are rewarded with updates of a continuously improving system.
This will allow users to take advantage of new systems that are intended to make mobile broadband fast, efficient, and reliable as a personal or business tool.
These are some of the most important benefits of mobile broadband. It is true that at present, this technology is not as fast as the standard or wired broadband. But its continuing innovation makes the mobile broadband the technology to reckon with now and in the near future. It is in fact, starting to become a part of the lives of people from all walks of life.
Yogify
This yoga app comes from Electronic Arts. It features five classes that include three beginner classes, one intermediate class and one advanced class. Each class features a seamless video with audio cues, so you can practice quickly and easily wherever you are. At the beginning of each class, the user can see a list of each poses; he can click on each of these poses to see pictures and written explanations about them. Additional classes can also be availed by paying $2 extra for each class (or $4 for an entire level or $10 unlocks all classes). The full app boasts around 35 hours of yoga over 50 classes and over 275 yoga poses.
Daily Yoga
This app offers various beginner workouts for free, while the more-advanced workouts can be purchased for a monthly subscription fee of $2 to $3. Apart from the training sessions, the app also offers a library of poses with videos and written instructions and a music library. There is also a community in which the user can post his workouts and achievements and rank himself against other members of the app. The user can select the duration of the sessions from 5 to 45 minutes.
Yoga Studio
This amazing yoga app is composed of 30 HD videos of ready made classes and more than 280 individual poses to learn. The ready-made yoga classes can be downloaded at the touch of a button. These classes can be categorized on the basis of the duration and the user's abilities. The app also enables the user to schedule classes and sync them with their calendar. There is also a build-your-own class feature that allows the user to build his own yoga class by choosing from the long list of poses available.
iYoga+
This app enables the user to earn and practice on his own by downloading HD yoga videos and lessons related to different poses and asanas of yoga. The app has different program that help s the user to get a perfect body shape in a natural and healthy way. There are almost 58 types of various yoga positions explained in eight videos, each having 30 minutes of duration.
It may surprise some, but apps have been around in one form or another since the relative birth of the mobile phone. Way back in the early 1980's, one of the first Motorola products featured an application whereby you could look at your contacts. This is possibly the earliest example of how apps would later be used to redefine the mobile phone.
A few years later, when mobile phone technology began to allow for more practical improvements, the race for competition truly began. Games began appearing on phones for purely entertainment value. The idea that phones were only useful for communication was becoming less apparent.
The size of mobile phones began to shrink, as did their prices; all the while, their capabilities expanded. More mobile phone masts were put up across the country, meaning reception was greatly improved. The features and apps of phones were becoming more advanced by the year.
The emergence of the internet really changed everything. Before, phones may have had a calculator or notepad and a way of showing the date and time. The internet made developers see the future with added clarity. However, there was a need to 'plug' the phone into the worldwide web. Once that could be achieved, phones could have almost unlimited resources.
The problem was phones at this stage didn't adapt well to the internet. The screens simply were not advanced enough to cope with online page. Everything had to be scaled down and saturated. Not only, did the phones themselves struggle to deal with this, but it cost the user extra to access.
WAP or Wireless Application Protocol started the revolution and paved the way for finding a solution this problem. It enabled the phone to operate online pages, albeit in a limited capacity. There needed to be further breakthroughs to push the boundaries of apps ever further. In 1994, the arrival of PDA improved the previous technology and allowed phones to be greater than ever before.
As trends for wallpapers and ringtones grew with mobile technology, as well as the memory to store music and photos, the possibility for apps also grew. Year on year, mobiles became more sophisticated and featured more variety in apps, including games. The rise of the touch screen smart phone, and Apple's uniquely simple way of accessing the internet by way of apps has brought along the latest revolution. The use of app-stores has pushed the industry into the stratosphere and there is now no looking back.
- Why are these products being launched in this time?
When Apple CEO Tim Cook was asked about the delay in product launches, the skipper mentioned that, one can expect new products in late 2013. Indeed, September is the second half of this year and we are getting the right news, rumors, and leaked pictures, alright.
One more reason for Apple to release these products in the coming month is because of their sinking tablet market. According to a report published by IDC, Apple's tablet shares has slumped from 40% to 32% in this time and this calls for the release of new iPads.
Now let us take a look at the products that are going to be released in September of this year.
- iPhone 5C
The iPhone 5C is a cheaper version of the iPhone for people who are looking for cheap and affordable phones. Android powered phones have already taken a good chunk of the cheap smart phone market in countries like, U.S., India, and China. To fight back, Apple is launching its cheaper iPhone which doesn't come with a glass body, but with glossy plastic. The phone is also expected to have almost the same specification as the iPhone 4. One can already find a lot of leaked pictures of the phone on many tech blogs.
- iPad Mini Retina
The iPad mini had already broke records in sales and the new iPad Mini with ipad mini cases is also expected to do the same. The iPad mini did not have powerful hardware; however the thing was sold like hotcakes. The iPad mini Retina will be a sure winner with the stunning retina display with more pixels per square inch and a higher screen resolution.
- iOS 7
The iOS 7 is possibly the most awaited OS upgrade for the iPhone and the iPad and is also one of the most criticized update. Many Bloggers and websites, claim that, Apple has shamelessly stolen quite some features from Android and Windows Mobile OS. It is also expected to be released.
- iPad 5
A French website, nowhere else recently released the leaked images of the new iPad 5. The images are doing the rounds on Twitter and Blogosphere and many experts claim that it is the real deal. The more slimmer and stunning iPad will also be released this time.
And that is not all. You can also expect some new Apple Accessories to be released along with these products. So, keep your fingers crossed. If any of the products mentioned above were not released on September 10th, they will surely be released. The new Apple TV is also on the way. It might not be released before the end of this year, along with the rumored iPhone 5S. Stay tuned for more Apple news.
O APOSTOLO - VISUAL EFFECTS NOTES FINAL
EFFECT 1 - THE FOG
The fog is a character in the story. It is the Holy Company. It is of 3 types and we are not initially aware of its full power or sentient nature. At first it simply hovers along the ground creating atmosphere and obscuring distances. Later it acts with intent seeking out Ramon. Finally it becomes a collection of human forms - the spirits of all the people the Holy Company has captured.
1. Ambient background fog 2. Animated character fog 3. Spirit fog with human forms (Santa Company - Holy Company)
These fog styles should be designed as still images (Photoshop paintings) made using plates from the scenes where fog will be applied. These will be the art direction for all fog effects. The Holy Company figures should be modeled based on a practical figure. Photographic reference (lighting, motion, turnarounds) of this figure will be the best guide for achieving the desired geometry with CGI. The motion of the character fog may be difficult to pre- visualize but drawn animation will be useful for determining the flow and speed.
Much of the ambient and background fog can be created using paint layers with distortion effects (warp, twirl, pinch, etc.) applied to a multi-plane treatment in a compositing program. This technique should be sufficient to produce much of the bulk of the fog throughout the film.
The next layer of fog can be effectively animated and put into specific shapes and positions with a CGI simulation using a particle system. This will allow the creeping character fog to behave in very specific ways as it pursues Ramon. This CGI fog should be used only where necessary for this specific behavior because it should be quite expensive for design, manipulation, and rendering, especially where changes are concerned. The 2D fog should be much more flexible and will take less time to adjust and alter.
The next layer will be the Holy Company fog. Animation is fairly minimal for these spirit characters. They float smoothly and never interact with the solid characters. What is important is their visual signature - their apparent density, they way they connect to the mass of fog, and the wisps of fog they leave as trails. Additionally they will need some internal turbulence like a self-wind reflecting their tortured and trapped state. Fernando has described this look as similar to the windy smearing in The Lord of the Rings when Frodo sees the wraiths while wearing the ring.
The best way to allow for the right look to be achieved will be to create a number of layers, and to develop the look in composite. While testing is the only way to determine exactly what these layers ultimately will be, a preliminary list might include the following:
1. Painted 2D fog with distortion
2. CGI fog.
3. Varying degrees of density for the spirits themselves from a thicker solid core through various stages of very light turbulence reaching the a light cloud based on the solid volume of the character.
4. The mass of the character itself rendered as fog.
5. A trail element generated by the geometry of the character.
6. A flowing foggy matte pass used to elegantly connect the spirits to the masses of fog.
Sufficient variation in these elements should allow a very nice look to be achieved in composite. The internal turbulence will probably work nicely as a composite effect applied to 1 or 2 of these layers - probably the solid mass itself (#4 above) - likely the least important element as far as the foggy mass is concerned.
The final layer for all the fog scenes should be practical. Isolated wisps of fog with very dynamic and natural character should be shot by the VFX crew. The set should be entirely black, and black props and fans should be used to create reactions and dynamic movements. It is important to avoid hard edges on the props and all shots should be wide enough that nothing ever touches the edge of frame. These elements are ESSENTIAL to creating an excellent fog effect. They will be used sparingly in the final composite but their value will be immense. These elements will really sell the effect by adding natural behavior to fog composites which will often look OK but not completely finished otherwise. The added benefit will be in saved schedule time and man-hours which would otherwise need to be used to get the generated fog to an acceptable level of quality.
EFFECT 2 - THE CANDLE FLAMES
There are many candles in O Apostolo. Because of their sheer numbers, economic processes will be essential in keeping the scope of this task under control. There will be 2 main challenges to achieving good results with the candles:
The first challenge will be to get the right behavior from the flames. Candle flames respond to small amounts of turbulence in their environment. Thus when someone walks by, or when a door opens or a gust of wind comes through a window, the flame usually responds with a moment of shaking. Practical elements do this perfectly but can be somewhat of an editorial challenge when there are many candles in a shot - they all must move in synchronization but with small variations. If they all move exactly together the effect will be awkward. If there is too much variety the effect will not be convincing. Good results can be accomplished by using a library of similar elements and offsetting duplicates of the same flame by 1 or 2 frames. For the
number of candles in O Apostolo, a collection of 5 or 6 of each desired type of flame movement should be sufficient. These libraries can be generated with live-action or CGI techniques. I prefer live-action practical elements. Their behavior will likely be more believable and satisfying, containing many unexpected variations which will be elusive and time consuming to create with a CGI simulation.
The second challenge with these effects will be placement in Z space. Generally the maximum horizontal alignment in a 3D frame pair (assuming 2K resolution) is somewhere between 20 and 30 pixels. Thus any discrete location in Z will be defined by a horizontal measurement which can be quite small and very exact. In a moderately deep 3D shot of 8 pixels for instance, a 1 pixel offset will move an object more than 10% forward or backwards. For this reason, sub-pixel positioning is often necessary to accurately marry a composited element to a plate at the EXACTLY CORRECT location in Z. This is further complicated by the fact that these minute gradations of Z location not apparent unless the composite is seen projected on a large screen in full color and at full resolution. This is likely to be a large an on-going challenge because there are many sequences with many candles each in O Apostolo.
EFFECT 3 - STEAM
There are a number of shots of people eating in the film. Practical or simulated live-action steam can be vey effective in a stop-motion context. This effect is quite easy and can be achieved in composite with mono live action elements. CGI techniques can be quite easy as well provided an acceptable treatment re: speed, turbulence, density, etc, can be found. CGI can be less desirable if the look is elusive or if rendering becomes cumbersome. Live action requires development of an element library - setting up an effects stage, and shooting, but the results are perfect for the desired application. A 3rd possibility is the use of stock effects elements. An internet search of stock resources may very likely yield an acceptable collection of elements.
These elements composite easily. Shot or rendered on black, they will produce the desired look with a mix (additive, screen, maximum) and transparency adjustment. Live action elements will need a contrast adjustment (levels - crush the blacks) to composite cleanly. A very soft mask in the inverse shape of the source of the steam (e.g. a mound of food on a plate) will connect the effect with its intended source.
ALL these composites should be carefully checked and adjusted often (on a large screen in full color and at full resolution) throughout the process to ensure accurate, pleasing, and professional results.
EFFECT 4 - COINS
The challenge with the coins will be in the composites. 1. Their shiny surfaces should reflect the characters. This can be an easy composite task but correct stereoscopic placement will be very challenging. I suggest using the chroma- key elements as refection maps in CGI and generating a stereoscopically correct (relative to the coin surfaces) reflection pass. A cast shadow will probably be somewhat difficult also but the savings from having to do it in composite will be worth it. 2. To do the above, as well as to marry the elements may require the 3D to roto the plates. Shooting dimensional reference (cubes and grids) will help. CGI will also benefit from receiving all the camera data. This may be overkill because the layouts for this sequence suggest a fairly loose and forgiving treatment to the dimensionality, but the match of lens and roundness will need to be kept close enough for the composite to look right, and convincing shadows and reflections are essential.
EFFECT 5 - SMOKE
There is 1 shot of a smoldering mound which will need a rising plume of smoke. This should be a fairly straightforward effect. Probably good to differentiate this from the fog by making sure the color is noticeably different.
EFFECT 6 - CHROMA-KEY COMPOSITES
There are some additional concerns with screen replacement type composites in stereoscopic films. Garbage mattes can have added ramifications in 3D because these will sometimes need to be independent in each eye. It is wise to keep a close watch on these elements as they are being shot, because fixing something on set can save many hours of double garbage matte work later.
Additionally, the chroma key elements will be mostly stereoscopic and occasionally will be shot with different lenses, framing, or interocular settings than the backgrounds they belong to. These variations between composited element and plate can lead to disparities in roundness and stereo depth. These can both be difficult to repair. Composited elements in stereoscopic 3D also present problems with shadows and reflections. Accurate placement of shadows and reflections can be difficult.
For these reasons, all chroma-key elements should be kept as simple as possible. FG and BG elements should be shot with the same setups whenever possible, and complex composites requiring shadows or reflections should be avoided whenever possible.
EFFECT 7 - RIG AND WIRE REMOVAL
Rig and wire removal can be a simple and straightforward process in stereoscopic 3D. There will be some challenges. Rigs with Z-axis presence can require separate roto for each eye. Paint and shadow re-creation can be difficult to match in each eye - stereo paint disparities look bad and must be avoided. These often will only be apparent in a large screen projection. With stop-motion, clean plates will often not match making the composites which follow rig-roto more difficult. Here also stereo disparities will be very noticeable and need to be avoided by careful checking in projection.
OTHER - SET SHIFT
Set shifts often occur in stop-motion. Smaller shifts can often be fixed with full frame transformations from scale & reposition, to corner-pin distortions and mesh warps. These fixes can usually be applied to each eye exactly the same with perfect results. Larger shifts can require Frankenstein cut & paste techniques using pieces from an earlier or later portion of the shot, and clean plates. These types can often require individual attention to each eye of the stereo pair. Fixing set shift can be very tedious and frustrating, and can take many hours/days per shot. I would suggest tracking set shift carefully in an attempt to know at any given time, how much there is to fix, how much time the fixes are taking, and what percentage of shots contain shifts needing repair. This will give VFX a good idea (all throughout the schedule) of how many man-hours are going to be needed for set shift repair to complete the film.
OTHER - LIGHTING POPS
Lighting pops often occur in stop-motion. They are usually no more of a problem in stereoscopic 3D than they are in 2D unless one is unlucky enough to have them occur in only one eye of the stereo pair. The technique for fixing these anomalies is the same in either case. Fine contrast controls of the expand/compress/gamma type (e.g. Photoshop levels) can bring the errant frames close enough to the rest of the sequence that the pop becomes invisible even if it is not entirely eliminated. Key-framing the correction and flipping between the previous and following frames will allow this to be fixed by eye quite quickly.
Lighting pops which affect each eye differently should be top priority and should be handled much more carefully. The reason is that this R-eye L-eye disparity (known as retinal rivalry) is very unpleasant to the viewer. The experience is subliminal and results in discomfort and general dissatisfaction with the experience i.e. people begin to dislike the film without knowing exactly why. Judging from the amount of flickering lighting I have seen so far I would suggest that there may be quite a few of these anomalies. Pay special attention to this because a film with many full frame rivalries throughout will repel many viewers.
OTHER - COLOR RIVALLRY
Color rivalry occurs when unexpected lighting shifts cause the 2 eyes to have areas where the color values do not match. This is most likely in shots with large action or camera movements. This happens when a light bounces off a reflective surface directly into the lens. It will happen only in one eye if the I/O slider moves the camera enough to bring the lens out of the direct path of the reflection in question. The result will be that the reflecting surface will be much hotter and higher contrast in the corresponding eye. This is virtually impossible to prevent. Shots with extreme movement, particularly where the characters move very near to the lens should be examined carefully during blocking. If such an error occurs there are several techniques for repair. Reshooting should not be ruled out because some of these problems can take many days to fix.
Fixes:
1. In shots which are less round and deep the images in each eye will be substantially similar. By rotoing the corresponding areas in the good eye, these areas can be composited directly on top of the bad areas in the second eye, often with little distortion necessary. This will probably need to be done piecemeal because (for example) an entire face will have the features in slightly different positions and the perspective of each will be slightly different. The geometry of the bad eye can be used as an exact guide for getting this correct.
2. Color correction within articulate roto applied to the good eye. Since the problem is brightness & contrast based the good eye is the one which must be adjusted. This can be undesirable for aesthetic reasons, but doing the opposite is close to impossible in all but the most subtle cases.
3. In the most extreme cases, the corresponding features in the good eye will need to be warped, piece by piece, to fit the corresponding features in the bad eye. This requires a large amount of very intricate articulate roto. This is an extremely painstaking process which requires a high level of skill and patience. Perfect results can be achieved, but often taking much more time than it would take to reshoot the offending shot.
Color rivalries are difficult to detect to the untrained eye, and will often be apparent only on a large screen projection. They are very important to find and eliminate for the same subliminal psychological reasons mentioned under lighting pops.
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