Yapp explains wireless charging in a quick, accessible format for general readers.
The post helps people understand a popular tech concept without requiring technical background knowledge.
Readers who enjoy simple consumer tech explainers will benefit most from this piece.
Wireless charging, v;
The powering up of devices like smartphones, tablets, and computers without a wired connection to a source of electricity. Also called “inductive charging,” the process transfers energy between two objects by way of an electromagnetic field.
Samsung’s next phone, the Galaxy S6, is touted to have wireless charging via an external platform or case. It will be the first phone on the market specifically created with this ability. When a user sets their phone onto the charging platform, energy is sent through the EM field and channeled to the device’s battery.
While wireless charging isn’t as fast as the traditional USB, it can help to increase the durability of your phone and is becoming a more reasonable investment for corporations creating new devices.
Yapp explains Ubuntu in a simple, approachable way as part of its tech explainer series.
The post helps readers better understand a major technology term without diving too deep into jargon.
Readers curious about foundational tech concepts will benefit most from this article.
Ubuntu,n;
An open source operating system for computers, tablets and now, phones. Ubuntu — which translates into “human-ness” — offers developers the opportunity to contribute to the code that builds the platform for the purpose of personal learning and also bolstering the company’s software offering. Google’s Android project (which builds their smartphone and tablet softwares) is also open source.
Ubuntu just announced and began releasing it’s first ever mobile phone through a series of pop-up flash sales. The phone is available for under $200 and functions similarly to other smartphones on the market, but with it’s own unique operating system. The biggest difference is that all the content on Ubuntu is HTML5 based rather than app-based. That means that content is all aggregated in one place (like the Web) rather than launching through different channels (like apps). It’s a highly ambitious and proven-to-fail method. You can still use some of your favorite apps (Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Yelp, etc.) but the experience will be slightly different and heavily web-based.
Should the platform recruit a high number of early adopters, they’ll figure out how and where to sell their device, in case you want to get your hands on it.
Yapp explains lenticular display technology in a simple, approachable way.
The post turns a visual display concept into an easy tech explainer for general readers.
Readers interested in emerging display tech and mobile trends will benefit most from this article.
Lenticular display, n;
A screen coated with lenticular film, which displays two sets of the same image to produce a 3D effect on the human eye. Lenticular displays are the key to glasses-free 3D displays, including the rumored upcoming Amazon Phone.
HowStuffWorks has a great explanation of how lenticules work that we couldn’t put better:
“This method relies on a display coated with a lenticular film. Lenticules are tiny lenses on the base side of a special film. The screen displays two sets of the same image. The lenses direct the light from the images to your eyes — each eye sees only one image. Your brain puts the images together and you interpret it as a three-dimensional image.”
This technology is being harnessed for new smartphones, televisions and other tech displays to take our viewing experiences to a new level. Amazon’s forthcoming phone has 4 cameras on the front that, it is rumored, will follow your face to adjust the 3D imagery. It seems likely that the goods and services company will use this technology mainly to enhance the shopping experience of their users in the Amazon app store and general marketplace. Their phone could becom the ultimate online shopping tool, letting you truly view objects in full dimension and sitting conveniently in your pocket at all times.
Television and movies, which have already ventured into 3D with a lackluster following, could benefit from glasses-free technology by becoming somewhat more accessible. The current cost and hassle of 3D media without much benefit over 2D might be overturned by a successful integration (like what is thought to come from Amazon).
Yapp explains multi-hop mesh networking in a way that is easier for general readers to follow.
The post turns a complex networking concept into a practical tech explainer.
Readers interested in connectivity and future internet infrastructure will benefit most from this article.
Never heard of it? It’s all around.
Multi-hop Mesh Networking,v; Using connected devices within range of each other to create a network of connections to the Internet. A mesh network is a web of linked devices working together to provide the least expensive and strongest connection to the Internet. Basically, it is made up of nodes (like your smartphones, tablets and computers) that distribute data to and through one another to get to the Internet via the most stable route possible.
Recently, the app Open Garden — which has previously been able to achieve linking your various devices to a small, personal network — has expanded to the “multi-hop” part of the mesh networking world; this means linking your smartphone to your neighbors tablet and his or her neighbors smartphone to get the best possible connection to the Web. By using mesh networking and sharing data, users of the app create a crowdsourced network that can support connections at gatherings. If it becomes a popular enough practice, it could be used at conferences, farmers’ markets, festivals, and plenty more events to offer an inexpensive solution to wireless connectivity.
Right now, apps like Open Garden aren’t used en masse, which makes the network weaker. Once it (and possibly other apps that catch on) further penetrate the connected market, it’s possible that data and connection sharing will be become a more widespread way to access wireless Internet.
Yapp features the Mobil Film Festival as a Yapper Monday spotlight on creative app use and mobile-first experiences.
The post shows how apps and mobile technology can support arts, events, and community engagement.
Readers looking for creative event app inspiration will benefit most from this feature.
Next month in San Diego, Calif., a film festival screening only flicks created totally on mobile devices returns. In it’s third year, the International Mobil Film Festival, hosted by S. Botello Productions, is going even more mobile with an app from Yapp.
Alongside the festival, S. Botello Productions runs other programs with the Mobile Film Resource Center, including a mobile film school and distribution channel. The company’s founder, Susan Botello, is now working on implementing mobile filmmaking in schools.
We chatted with Susan Botello, who can now add ‘app creator’ to her founder title, about the festival and it’s newest addition — a mobile event app.
How did the Mobil Film Festival get started? It began as an idea in 2001 that came around again and again but there were real limits to implementing it. For example, you could not show a film on a big screen, because the quality of video cameras on phones was poor. The internet in 2005 & 2006 was an option for an online film festival, however, the internet was still limited when it came to video and the average person had a very hard time uploading videos that played well over the internet. In 2010, when the first HD quality video cameras entered the mobile phone industry, SBP decided the time had arrived.
The idea was that anyone could do it. Everyone around the world, just about, had a mobile phone. I pitched the idea to everyone on the street, on the internet — everyone. You’d think I was peddling it. And in many ways I was…it was my vision of the future I was trying to convince every person I came in contact with. “Everyone just has to try it and the world will realize this is awesome.” That’s what I thought. Out of this came “Community Stories” which encourages every day people to share the stories of their communities and cultures from within.
What kind of apps do the filmmakers use to create their festival submissions? We are not all about any particular brand or make when it comes to phones so we don’t limit apps usage. The only thing we do not want for our film festival are apps that edit your video for you and make the editing decisions for the user. However, we do share the apps that filmmakers tell us are the best. They do change as new app developers join the “game” of mobile filmmaking. I will name a few apps here that are consistently winning the hearts of filmmakers.
FilmicPro is an app used for filmmaking by the best mobile filmmakers around the world. It has settings that allow you to white balance and set frame rates, which is pretty cool and there are many more features. FilmicPro is also endorsed by the best of the filmmakers in the world of mobile film.
Splice is an editing app that is free. Splice allows simple video editing on the phone and you can include an audio track from iTunes. It is very basic, but if you are on the field and want to produce a quick story on video this is one quick and free way to do it. But we don’t require anyone edit on the phone or record audio on their phone, just video.
Speaking of audio, there are ways to record audio with your phone by attaching a microphone like a shotgun mic. One way is to use a product named iRig. There are several models but you want the one that allows you to plug a mic into your phone and it allows you to plug in the XLR cable directly to it.
What’s the coolest thing you’ve seen at the festival? The coolest thing is to watch the filmmakers network and when they walk the red carpet. This year I am noticing a new genre in the film industry that is emerging due to the creativity in mobile filmmaking and it is what I had hoped would happen. When it comes to the audience, it is quite moving to watch them in awe as they enjoy the films on a bigger screen. To watch an audience member in awe and for them to ask you questions about how they can make their own because they are so inspired…that’s the topping on the cake — it inspires people to go and realize their dream. We are trying to help them realize their dream.
Do you have a favorite submission? I have many favorites because I love film and art. I really like them all a lot. I believe in people and when they send me a film and I see the work they have done I am inspired. I don’t judge the films and plan to never do that. I hope I never have to. For that we have a judge panel and they are professionals. Even if my favorites don’t take the first prize the panel decides on winners and I always feel it was a fair decision. But the filmmakers are pioneers in an industry that will probably be mainstream soon. Not only do I commend them for being a part of MFF but we try to keep assisting the filmmakers, winners or not. We do this by connecting them with professionals and promoting their work and successes. We also refer and share their successes and work with our partners like the other mobile film festivals which are part of our collaborating partners from Macedonia, New Zealand, South Korea and Spain. There are such a diverse amount of films from very creative to very cinematic and everyone should come see the films, meet mobile filmmakers and be inspired.
What’s your favorite thing about mobile technology? That we all have it and that we can fit it in our pocket. I believe the fact that smartphones can be put on a table or in our pocket as far as designs go, the rectangle screen shape that fits just about everywhere on the go is ideal. It is also a tool that with apps can be a magic wand for us. I like how in order to update them you don’t necessarily have to go out and buy a new one just keep on top of updates and researching the best apps for your lifestyle. The fact that almost everyone has them is the reason investing in them is successful as well. With a phone, you can be completely connected to the world and when it comes to storytelling, which has been around moving the world forward since the beginning of time, mobile technology can tell stories that could never have been told before by everyday people and we can access them with the same technology everywhere in the world. With phones in the right hands the world can be a better place.
What’s the future of mobile filmmaking, from your perspective? I see the future of mobile filmmaking going mainstream. We are working on the mobile film school, which we plan to accredit, and all our programs by setting up a resource center with global access so that when people are out looking into it they find a place designed by the pioneers in this “parallel” film industry. There are phones coming out with 4K capability too. Things are looking great for the mobile filmmaking industry and also I should note that in order to tell a story with film and video it’s not just about pushing the record button on your phone or camera. There are things we can teach you in our workshops that will enable you to do a great job! Mobile filmmaking has a lot of benefits. But it also has complications as it is still evolving. I would like to encourage the industry to contact me and develope more accessories for mobile filmmaking.
What’s the best part about having your own mobile app for your festival? The fact that we don’t have to print programs and mail or hand them out is pretty cool. But we are all about innovation and creativity, so it makes sense to have an app for our film festival and we love the idea of not having to carry paper programs while holding our phone and our drink. And we always seem to have a phone in hand and a drink on the other don’t we?
But there is one more benefit. You guys are telling your customers that you can do more than what you offer by offering it just by asking you. For example, your Q&A asks about the photos for the “Crowd Pictures” during the event, which is a feature of the app. They asked how they could download them from the app and you say you will do that for us just by asking. High five! You rock!
Yapp explains Project Tango and why spatial technology was getting attention in mobile innovation.
The post gives readers a quick look at a more experimental Google tech initiative.
Readers interested in mobile hardware and future tech concepts will benefit most from this explainer.
Google’s Project Tango experiment made a surprise appearance at the Mobile World Congress this week. It is not a tango-ing robot (but they should make that, just for kicks). Project Tango, noun; An experimental Google smartphone with a number of cameras and vision sensors that can create 3D maps of the spaces surrounding it. Tango was announced earlier in February, and the physical prototype was unveiled at the Mobile World Congress this week. The device has sensors that read the room with hundreds of thousands of measurements per second to create functional 3D models in real-time. It’s similar to the technology NASA used on the Mars Rover to map the Red Planet, but optimized for your smartphones.
Yapp shows how mobile apps can replace paper clutter and scattered information with a cleaner digital experience.
Centralized updates and content make communication easier to manage and easier to access.
Event organizers and teams looking to simplify information sharing will benefit most from this approach.
There are tons of apps on the app store — and thousands of them could free up space in your home forever.
We found 18 household hardwares that could easily be tossed and replaced by a few bytes on your phone. And for most of them, the options are vast when looking at both the Android and Apple app stores. Check out our infographic below, which shows just which items run abundant in apps and which are more rare.
We’ll be diving deeper into this idea of tossing the hardware every week, wading through the masses and finding the best apps to declutter your life.
Have suggestions of items or apps we should consider? Leave us a comment below.
• Yapp explains the Internet of Things in plain language for readers who want a quick introduction. • The post shows how connected devices fit into a larger tech trend without overcomplicating it. • Readers curious about smart devices and connected technology will benefit most from this article.
It’s the hot topic at CES 2014. But what exactly is the “Internet of Things”?
Internet of Things,n; The basic interconnected-ness of objects through the wireless Internet. So, being able to control things (and things being able to control themselves) through the Internet and Internet-connected devices. The term was officially coined in 2009, and grew popular through the Auto-ID center (researching RFID technologies) at MIT.
As it’s still a new idea, there are a lot of ideas defining the Internet of Things. Companies like Nest are leading the pack. Their thermostat can be controlled remotely via smartphone app, and eventually learns settings and adjusts on its own accordingly. Many other gadgets growing out of the Internet of Things use personal data to keep you constantly connected to the web. Wearable fitness trackers, connected cars, smart appliances, and even Internet-controlled locks are in the ethos, and at the Consumer Electronics Show this year.
The bottom-line idea behind the Internet of Things is to connect all things to the Internet, and then to each other — probably through your smartphone. Already, you can use a wearable fitness device when you’re out for a jog, then see all your data in an app once you’re home. In the near future, it’s possible that your fridge will sense a change in weight on a certain shelf, then send a note to your phone reminding you to pick up milk.
Yapp explains Apple’s M7 chip and why it opened up new possibilities for iOS apps.
The post helps readers connect hardware advances with the types of app experiences they enable.
Readers interested in Apple hardware and app innovation will benefit most from this article.
Heard whispers about the M7 motion co-processor that Apple’s new iPhone 5S, iPad Mini and iPad Air are equipped with? If you then responded with a jumble of techy words like “Javascript” and “microchip”, you might need our help.
M7 Motion Co-processor,noun;
Also known as the Apple M7, the motion co-processor is a chip that lives inside your iPhone and never sleeps. It utilizes a bunch of different tools like a gyroscope and accelerometer (which translate to measure your steps and speed, respectively), and stores that data for apps that can use it.
The addition of the M7 is huge for fitness apps. Moves, which tracks your steps, can accurately measure every step you take when your phone is on your person, and know when you’re running, biking, or using speedier transportation.
Sure, apps like this have existed before the M7. What makes it an innovative step forward is it’s ability to feed data to apps even when the device is asleep or the app isn’t open. This means longer battery life and less energy wasted by the more than a billion smartphones in the world.
