I love this Optimus G Pro… What a great camera!
I am not up for doing a whole write up at the moment, but suffice it to say that the camera on the LG Optimus G Pro is awesome. The macro mode is so great! Witness:
Edited in Pixlr Express.
Custom ROM experiment: a double-edged sword
I’ve been really happy finally running Jelly Bean on my Galaxy Note. Google Now is pretty useful. The device overall seems less crashy and more responsive. The tweaks added to some custom ROMs are really cool, whether it’s something like per-app DPI settings, or additions to the notification drawer. But of course these ROMs are beta products, so it’s not all kittens and rainbows.
Case in point, my GPS reception is absolutely horrible now. I have tried different ROMs and even a different kernel and still have GPS issues. It’s a major bummer because a) I play Ingress, so having decent GPS is key, and b) I do use nav and location-based apps a fair amount, so all of that is hugely affected by the poor GPS performance. Apparently Samsung devices were already kind of poor with GPS reception compared to other brands, but now running a custom ROM is making things worse. I really don’t want to go back to stock but I may just have to bite the bullet while I haven’t bought a replacement phone.
If anyone has any suggestions for how to fix my GPS reception and still run a custom ROM, that’d be greatly appreciated.
I love mobile photography, but…
…I miss a few things about shooting with a DSLR or mirrorless camera with exchangeable lenses:
• pretty shallow depth of field
• optical zoom
• decent low-light performance and real slow-shutter ability
There are ways to mimic the effects of shallow DOF, zoom, or slow shutter speeds in mobile photo editing apps. The results can be pretty creative and pleasing, but when I see photos taken with non-smartphone cameras that exhibit these properties, part of me thinks I should endeavor to carry a “proper” camera more often.
The main problems with doing so is portability and connectivity. Even a small camera like the Sony RX100 is not exactly pocketable, unless you like rocking mega cargo pants or something. Most jeans made for ladies these days will unfortunately and annoyingly not have the pocket real estate.
The other problem is the camera’s connectivity. Sure, there are many cameras now that have built-in Wi-Fi capabilities, but that’s only part of the equation. The other part is the availability of photo editing apps. The ease of taking, editing, and uploading a photo from the same device is something I’ve really gotten used to and prefer not to give up, even though I long for the image quality that DSLRs or mirrorless cameras provide. Point and shoots running Android are a good step in the right direction, but haven’t really taken hold. Besides, the actual integration between the camera hardware and the Android apps is not quite there. Another option is to use an EyeFi SD card in a camera and wirelessly shuttle images to an Android phone or tablet for editing and uploading, but that’s still not as convenient as shooting, editing, and uploading from one device.
As with most things it’s all about what you are willing to compromise on… At the moment I’m willing to sacrifice a little portability and convenience to capture the photos that I want. This may involve getting some new gear, which can be fun, but it’s not a requirement. What new gear am I considering? They range from a teeny-tiny Nikon Coolpix S01 or Pentax Q10 or Canon PowerShot N to a Sony RX100, Sony RX1, or Olympus OM-D. Note I don’t have a new DSLR listed… Though I do enjoy shooting with my D90, smaller mirrorless cameras are my jam right now. After all is said and done, though, I just want to have more photos added to my body of work, and the satisfaction of being more regularly involved with my hobby.
Whoa, That’s Me!
That's basically what I said when I was watching a highlight reel from The Verge for CES 2012. As you can see in the picture, they caught me while I was recording the fun and wackiness that was happening when they cranked up this ridiculously large speaker with an iPhone/iPod dock built in the top of it. If you want to see what I'm talking about, cue up the video from the link above and go to about 2 minutes and 30 seconds into the video.
I saw this highlight reel, basically a year after they posted it, as part of their first Vergecast from CES 2013. Yes, I was surprised to see myself. 
This reminds me that I never posted all my photos/videos from CES 2012. Even though it's way old news by now, I figure I should post a bunch of them up anyway for posterity. Now where did I offload all that stuff to…?
I was trying to get the "keep your Hatchi alive for 30 days" achievement, but I missed it by four days. 
