New Apple patent details plans for a cellular MacBook →
I think an internal cellular antenna is exactly what is missing from the 12-inch MacBook. It would make it a truly lightweight and wireless terminal/workstation for people on the go, a bit like the iPad is for some people. The iPad has always been available in LTE and Wi-Fi models, and data plans for them are (relatively) cheap, even in Canada. Sure, you can hook up your iPhone to your Mac and use it as a hotspot, but with the MacBook's only port, being able to connect directly to LTE would be a lot less cumbersome.
This is the new dual-lens setup of the iPhone 7 Plus. Pictures provided by Apple Inc.
The new iPhone 7 will be a big deal for journalists
Apple announced the new iPhone 7 yesterday. With its dual-lens setup and upgraded A10 Fusion chip, it will be a creative powerhouse for journalists in the field.
Yes, it has no headphone jack. Get over it.
Now that we have moved on, lets look at my favourite feature of the iPhone: its camera. And the iPhone 7’s camera is, obviously, going to be the best camera ever on an iPhone.
You must have watched by now countless Facebook Live videos from various outlets. They, most of the time, fall in two categories: either jerky hand-shot video or static and boring, locked on a tripod, interviews. But here’s the good news: the small iPhone 7 will inherit the sensor-based image stabilisation from the iPhone 6s Plus. You should expect some smoother and more dynamic live videos on Facebook.
The Plus version will have a dual lens setup. The new standard lens on it should help reporters when making portraits. The new tighter lens and fake bokeh, if they are done well by Apple, will contribute to delivering more high-end looking pictures. Plus, the new camera will have an “expanded colour gamut,” whatever that means for Apple. My hope is that it will help widen its dynamic range and keep in check those easy to burn highlights, especially with backlit scenes. Apple also says the new image processor included in the A10 Fusion system on a chip will help with noise reduction in low light.
There will still be a couple of niches where a full DSLR kit will be required, like sports photography or in extremely low light, but I think even professional photographers will start using more and more their smartphone cameras. They already do really.
The iPhone 7 Plus' second lens will be used as a 2X optical zoom in the camera app. Since the older camera feels like a 28mm, the new one should be around 50mm.
We still have no new Macbook Pros, and the fact that Apple is selling a four-year-old design is a shame. Mobile apps still are not as versatile as full desktop apps, but they are getting darn closer every year. The new A10 Fusion SOC should help with that. It is a lot more potent than the already fast iPhone 6s A9 chip, and after seeing it running games in full 3D along with intricate particle effects i am confident in its video editing capabilities.
Being able to recover highlights and shadows with raw photo editing should also make many photographers happy. App developers will now have the ability to use capture raw picture files from the iPhone’s camera through an API. I do not think Apple will make the option available in its camera app; raw files use a lot more disk space and could quickly fill the iCloud Drive account of many unsuspecting customers, but I trust developers like Adobe, Google, and VSCO to get in there and tap into this new API.
All in all, I cannot wait to see what reporters are going to produce with this new device. If you skipped the iPhone 6S, this is going to be a nice upgrade, especially in the new jet black colour. I truly am a fool for it.
Generation Y Not
Generation Y Not is our final project in our Intro to Journalism Audiovisual class at Concordia University.
Team composed of Sarah Jesmer, Jordan Stoopler, Adriano Valente, Sarah Pearless, Juliana Salaun, Sheika Dowagagee, Derek Swales and yours truly.
Gen Y Not /// Trailer
Generation Y Not is our final project in our Intro to Journalism Audiovisual class.
Deadline is on April 13, so you should see a link to it here by then.
Filmed by Olivier Sylvestre
Editing by Juliana Salaun
Team composed of Sarah Jesmer, Jordan Stoopler, Adriano Valente, Sarah Pearless, Juliana Salaun, Sheika Dowagagee, Derek Swales and I.
Mauritius 48th Independence Day in Montreal
Stand-up and filmed by Olivier Sylvestre.
Reporting by Sheika Dowagagee.
Les Femmelettes' Special Nuit Blanche Event
Les Femmelettes held a special event for La Nuit Blanche at the Espace La Risée, breaking away from their monthly show with an all improvised night, and delighting insomniacs with a rarely seen candour.
“I want tonight to be free for all and get drunk,” said Marie Christine Pilotte, a comedian and the host of Les Femmelettes’ cabaret, while they were planning the show two hours before it. Julie Dignard, the group’s stage director and also a performer, said she wanted their unique show for La Nuit Blanche to be an extension of what usually happens twice a month behind closed doors: each performer would casually present some of their latest material (some of it written that very same day) and others would comment their texts, in order to improve on it.
Les Femmelettes took the stage — which was set for another theatre piece, adding to the night’s spontaneous groove — from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. with beers in hand and hung around, chatting with spectators and asking for their input as they improvised on themes, presented new material, and even read some that they had not memorized yet.
“The tradition is that it is during La Nuit Blanche that I create my best act of the year,” said Josiane Aubuchon, a young comedian and a long time member of the group, an hour before her performance. She still did not know what she was going to present.
Tradition is a strong word for an event that was only going to happen for the third time, but according to the spectators’ reaction to the unusual concept, it might just become a real one for Les Femmelettes. People gave their opinions on the performances and tried to explore with the comedians unexplored paths for their sketches, often leading to interesting interactions between the audience and the artists. Overall, both seemed to appreciate the candid experiment.
Most of the public came on a whim: the event was free and publicized through La Vitrine and Facebook. They could go in and out of the small theatre in Rosemont as they wished, and most of them arrived around half-way of the show just after midnight. The theatre’s staff and some of the performers had to scuffle and find a load of extra chairs as the room filled itself all of a sudden, doubling the number of spectators from 30 to 60 in a couple of minutes. “I expected there to be, I do not know, only eight people there,” said Pilotte. “I was pleasantly surprised to see such an audience tonight.”
Only a fraction of Les Femmelettes went on stage. Julie Dignard presented the comedians throughout the night while Patrick Belisle took charge of the music and did a short sketch of his own. Anna Moulounda Beaupré presented a new version of a Tupperware saleswoman sketch, Marie Christine Pilotte did a hilarious parody of a bad rap music video clip on YouTube, Josiane Aubuchon improvised a sketch on a reality television program about dating in region, Catherine Hammann interpreted a new age life motivator, and Geneviève Fortier read an emotional text on her experience with online dating apps and her relationships with men of colour.
Les Femmelettes is a comedy cabaret presented every first Monday of each month at the Espace La Risée theatre at 1258 Bélanger Street in Rosemont–La-Petite-Patrie. The creative group interprets what it is to be a woman today through stand-up comedy, slams, songwriting and sketches. The group includes Josiane Aubuchon, Linda Bouchard, Céline Brassard, Julie Dignard, Catherine Hamann, Francine Lareau, Nadine Massie, Anna Moulounda Beaupré, Véronique Pascal, Marie Christine Pilotte, Julie Robillard, Anka Rouleau and Patrick Belisle. Tickets are $15 and are available at the door and on La Vitrine’s website.
Interview with Antonio Di Giulio
Antonio Di Giulio is a tailor working in Montreal and has been one since he learned his trade in Italy as he only was 12 years old. I met with him to talk about the changes he witnessed in his business caused by globalization.