tilt

Neingrenze tilt-shift pocket cam lands at Photojojo

Most people fake tilt-shift photography with plug-ins and apps. That's mostly because true tilt-shift photos require an expensive camera and a lens that's not only pricey, but takes some skill to use correctly. But if you're up for investing nearly $2,000 for a lens, this $149 toy camera now available from Photojojo might be enough to satiate your desires.

This tiny 5-megapixel pocket camera has an actual tilted lens to create the depth-of-field needed to make your subjects look like tiny toy models. The camera also has lo-fi toy camera and pinhole effects you can shoot … Read more

Swipe to roll through fanciful worlds

Gears is a fun ball-rolling game with a steampunky feel, excellent 3D graphics, and both swipe and tilt control schemes (the former much easier to use than the latter).

The game has 27 levels spread across three worlds, and in each level you're trying to safely roll your ball from the top of the level to the bottom without falling off, while picking up as many points as possible along the way. You roll down ramps, over rotating gears, through gates and past blowers, trampolines, and an increasingly diverse array of obstacles--and you also have to choose between alternating … Read more

Top photography apps for iPhone

For the past couple of years, I have been writing the iPhone apps of the week in this space. But we've decided that instead of the same old app rundown, we're going to do something a little different. Starting this week, we're going to be putting together three apps that fulfill a specific theme. We're going to try to introduce one or two new apps and put them alongside older classics in the category. This way, you will be able to compare new apps with older ones, and also, find out about apps in the category that you may not have seen before.

This week's apps revolve around your iPhone's camera capabilities. The first one is a popular app for snapping old-school photos, the second lets you take photos that make objects appear miniature, and the third is a newer app for chronicling gradual changes in your appearance.

Hipstamatic ($1.99) is an extremely popular app that turns your iPhone's digital camera into an old-school single-shot camera of the past to give your images that grainy, washed-out (in a good way) retro look. The interface is a bit confusing at first, but you'll soon figure out how to switch among different types of retro film, different types of lenses, and even effects for different types of flashes. You can switch between each of the different variables with a swipe of your finger, with dramatically different results depending on the combination you choose before taking your snapshot.… Read more

Get that miniature look in your images

TiltShift Generator combines blur and other depth-of-field effects to make objects in your photos seem miniature. To get the miniature effect, you'll ideally take photos from some distance, but even close-up shots can be put through TiltShift Generator with good-looking results.

TiltShift Generator does a great job of taking you through the process of creating tilt-shift images. The app automatically adds the tilt-shift effect, but you can also go through the process yourself. You start by either taking a photo with your iPhone camera or choosing an existing image from your library. From there you can adjust the blurred … Read more

Flying disc fun

Frisbee Forever is the fully licensed flying disc app that lets you guide a Frisbee disc through colorful obstacle courses. Against a cartoonlike 3D backdrop, you start by flicking your Frisbee onscreen, then guiding the disc through rings and around obstacles, all the while gathering stars as you go. You have the option to use onscreen control arrows, but I found the tilt controls to be much more fun. If you gather all the stars and make it through all the gates to the finish line, you'll be awarded a gold medal along with experience points and Star Coins. … Read more

The 404 794: Where all we are is dust in the wind, dude (podcast)

Babysitting troubles steal Natali away from today's podcast, but Keanu Reeves brings us news about the next "Bill & Ted" sequel and we spin off into the rest of today's rundown, which includes a FaceTime camera glitch, a tilting Safari Easter egg, and a new way to promote viral advertisements.

The 404 Digest for Episode 794

A new "Bill & Ted" is in the works, says Keanu. A supposed FaceTime glitch shows random pictures when you initiate a call. Googling "tilt," "askew," and "slanted" reveals misaligned search results. Hot Wheels erects a clever marketing campaign on a bridge in Columbia. Would you let a company paint an advertisement on your wall? What if they paid your mortgage?

Episode 794 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Splitting lanes on your iPhone

Lane Splitter is a fun distance game that challenges you to weave through traffic at high speed on a motorcycle. The graphics are crystal-clear on the iPhone 4, with well-detailed cars and interesting scenery as you blow by on your motorcycle. The idea is that you're late to your wedding, and you must speed through traffic wearing your tux in order to make it on time. The game uses the iPhone accelerometer for steering and touching the screen gives you a burst of speed that results in a wheelie and less control--perfect for getting out of the way when … Read more

Miniaturize your world and play an RTS remake: iPhone apps of the week

Among the news items this week from the world of Apple, the folks over at AppleInsider uncovered a rumor that Apple may be having a launch event next week for a new line of MacBook Pros. According to the story, this would put the launch event a week ahead of schedule.

As usual, Apple remains tight-lipped about what features will be unveiled in the new laptops, but the one sure thing is that it will include Intel's latest generation Sandy Bridge processor.

Whatever is introduced next week (if the rumor turns out to be true), you can bet we'll have all the details here. Make sure to check back on launch day for photos, specs, and everything else about Apple's latest devices.

This week's apps include an image enhancement tool that produces cool-looking shots and an RTS game that closely resembles one of the most popular strategy games of all time.… Read more

Marble rolling done right

Dark Nebula Episode 1 is the first entry in the Dark Nebula series, an innovative, motion-based arcade game in which you pilot a fast-moving disk through short, obstacle-filled levels.

The interface relies entirely on your accelerometer: you tilt your device in the direction you want to move, and the more you tilt, the faster you go. That's it, as you traverse your way up scrolling, vertical levels. You can also touch the screen with two fingers to "calibrate" your device, if you don't want to hold it parallel to the ground.

What separates Dark Nebula from … Read more