Must Watch: FingerSense, Could This Be the Future of Android, #GalaxyNote4, iPhone?

<div id="tdncontent"> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9ucPOLc5Bs" target="_blank"><img onload="tdnembed()" onmouseout="tdnout(this)" onmouseover="tdnover(this)" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5Wo-EuF371A/U4gZ3n1yblI/AAAAAAAABTM/tHqK5u19Imo/s685/maxresdefault.jpg" style="width: 100%;" /><br /> </a></div> <h2> FingerSense by Qeexo </h2> Here's a fascinating video demonstrating FingerSense technology by <a href="http://www.qeexo.com/">Qeexo</a>. This could change how all touchscreens will work on all smartphones and tablets from now on. <br /> <h3> Could "Rich Touch" Be the Future of Android, Galaxy Note 4, and even the iPhone? </h3> FingerSense can distinguish between a finger, knuckle, finger-nail, along with other touch devices such as a stylus tip and eraser. Being able to offer different types of inputs with readily available input sources may drastically improve the way we interact with our devices today. Currently, we are limited in the way we can directly interact with objects on screen without having to bring up a context menu or enabling the object for an alternate interaction. FingerSense can finally break that barrier. This is what Qeexo believes will be the next evolution of Multi-touch which they are calling "Rich Touch". <br /> <h3> How Does It Work? </h3> It distinguishes the different types of input by listening to the sound of the contact that is made between the finger and the touchscreen. It may seem like something that may be prone to many false positives, however, try placing an ear on the back of a phone as you touch it in different ways. The sounds are very distinct. With the right sensor and processing technology, FingerSense may be the next step in the evolution of smartphones.

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FingerSense by Qeexo  Here's a fascinating video demonstrating FingerSense technology by Qeexo . This could change how all touchsc...

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Galaxy Note 3 Tips & Tricks Episode 50: Use Gravity Screen To Turn Screen On/Off Automatically

<div id="tdncontent"> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS_DAkNctkQ" target="_blank"><img onload="tdnembed()" onmouseout="tdnout(this)" onmouseover="tdnover(this)" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-teK6uS5ya0Y/U4SvkB8wgkI/AAAAAAAABSw/Ayq7wwTIF7c/s685/%5Bgalaxy+note+3s%5D052800h10m39.jpg" style="width: 100%;" /><br /><br /> </a></div> <span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Thank you to Richard T. who recommended the app Gravity Screen.</i></span><br /> <h2> Gravity Screen Review</h2> App Link: <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.plexnor.gravityscreenofffree" target="_blank">Gravity Screen - On/Off</a><br /> <br /> It’s a unique app that you can configure to turn your screen on and off when you pick up your device, or put it in your pocket.  It can be very useful with some changes to default settings. <br /> <h3> Special Instructions For Easy Install</h3> Unlike majority of the apps found inside the Google Play store, after you install it, you’ll have to activate it.  It's easy.  Just follow the prompts.  It requires an extra system permission to lock your screen, so you’ll have to do this.  You'll also get a message says here is that if you decide to uninstall the app, make sure you do it by uninstalling through the app by scrolling to the bottom.  Please keep this in mind if you do want to uninstall this app in the future.<br /> <h3> Recommended Settings (Important)</h3> We here at The Daily Note believe the default configurations are not going to work for the majority.  We strongly recommend that you enable the <b>Lying Face Up</b> option and disable the <b>Keep Screen ON by Motion</b> option.   And the one additional one after you expand “MORE SETTINGS…” Make sure to <b>Enable Headphone support</b>.<br /> <h3> Turn Screen On/Off Without Using The Power Button</h3> After the changes to the settings, when you pick up the device when the screen is off, the screen turns on without me having to push any buttons.  And when you put the phone down on a flat surface, the screen turns off after about a second.  Next, if you put the phone inside your pocket upside down, the screen immediately shuts off.  It works by using the proximity sensor as well as the gyro sensor.  You will notice however, if you have the phone right side up in your pocket, it will not switch the screen off.  However, if you have earphones plugged in, and when you place the phone in your pocket right side up, the screen now turns off.<br /> <h3> Recommended Settings Explained</h3> With the default settings, the app works by expecting you to put the phone face down to turn off the screen automatically.  However, we imagine most users would prefer to put their phones down face up for fears of scratching their screens, or maybe they get a lot of use out of quickly checking the time or notifications.  So that’s we recommend enabling the <b>Lying Face Up</b> option.<br /> <br /> As for the setting to <b>Keep Screen ON by Motion</b> setting, we found that for some reason, this app thinks that the Galaxy Note 3 is always in motion even though it’s on the table.  And without disabling this, the screen never turns off, which can potentially be very unhealthy for the screen.  So definitely make sure you disable this option before you use this app.

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Thank you to Richard T. who recommended the app Gravity Screen. Gravity Screen Review App Link: Gravity Screen - On/Off It’s a uniqu...

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Galaxy Note 2 Tips & Tricks Episode 96: How to improve Text-To-Speech (TTS for S-Voice, eBook Reader)

<div id="tdncontent"> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuGbv6BR_4o" target="_blank"><img onload="tdnembed()" onmouseout="tdnout(this)" onmouseover="tdnover(this)" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p4wY8prXby8/U30Wrckc7fI/AAAAAAAABSY/Uk8D_Pm3riw/s685/%5Bgalaxy+note+2%5D052205h39m22.jpg" style="width: 100%;" /><br /><br /> </a></div> Here’s a quick tip to improve text to speech or (aka TTS) for any application that requires TTS such as ebook readers and S Voice.<br /> <h3> How to Improve Stock Text-To-Speech </h3> The stock voice for TTS on all Galaxy devices sounds very robotic.  Almost unbearable.  Luckily, you can make it better by going to the Samsung Apps app that comes with all Galaxy devices and do a search for Samsung TTS.  Select the appropriate language that you want to hear, and give it an install.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br /> When you compare it you will hear a world of a difference.<br /> <br /> So this change should apply to all apps that requests to use Text to Speech services provided by the Android operating system, including S Voice.  Some apps have their own text-to-speech built in and those apps won't be affected.<br /> <div> <h3> Bonus Tip</h3> If you are looking for a eBook reader that will read the words out to you, I recommend the app <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.coolreader" target="_blank">Cool Reader</a>.  It's free.  </div>

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Here’s a quick tip to improve text to speech or (aka TTS) for any application that requires TTS such as ebook readers and S Voice. How ...

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Why Does 4K Look Better on 1080p Monitors?

<div id="tdncontent"> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIf9h2Gkm_U" target="_blank"><img onload="tdnembed()" onmouseout="tdnout(this)" onmouseover="tdnover(this)" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EH_ulQueAR4/U3UN6Fe6vGI/AAAAAAAABRo/I2gPbWedLrI/s685/%5Btransparent3%5D051603h47m18.jpg" style="width: 100%;" /></a><br /> <br /></div> Have you ever wondered why 4K videos look so much better than 1080p videos, even on your 1080p monitor?  The answer is more than “too much compression.”  The loss in detail is due to a practice called chroma subsampling and how it has been limiting a limiting factor on virtually all 1080p video that has ever been captured on a smartphone or even on professional DSLRs.  However, what makes phones that can capture 4K video like the Galaxy Note 3 so revolutionary is that we are finally able to overcome the limitations and produce real 1080p HD video, at a higher detail than even a lot of professional video recorders.<br /> <h3> What is Chroma Subsampling?</h3> When you compare the 100% crops of 1080p video straight out of the Galaxy Note 3 or any smartphone or even a dedicated video camera compared to 4K video resampled at 50% of it’s original sized (interpolated 1080p video), you should be able to see a big difference in quality.  It is due to a limitation brought on by chroma subsampling in the 1080p video on the left.<br /> To understand what chroma subsampling is, let’s imagine a grid of pixels representing 1080p video.  It is approximately 2 million individual dots of color.  Let’s zoom into a single pixel, which is made up of 3 different pieces of data.  The luma value Y that tells us how bright that pixel should be.  And the two chroma values Cb andn Cr that tells us what color the pixel is.<br /> <h3> 4:4:4 vs 4:2:0</h3> In a perfect world, every pixel should have it’s own Y, Cb, and Cr value.  This is known in the industry as 4:4:4.  However since we’re dealing with 2 million pixels, that is quite a bit of data.  And what engineers have figured out is that as long as we keep the luma (aka brightness) information of each pixel, we can share the color data of one pixel data with 3 neighboring pixels.  What this means is that 75% of the color information is discarded but the benefit is we are left with 50% less data.  This is known as 4:2:0 chroma subsampling.  It is how every smartphone, pocket camera, slr camera, and even most video cameras record video today and probably will continue to do until the foreseeable future.<br /> <h3> No Consumer Demand To Improve 1080p Video Recording</h3> Even with chroma subsampling, 4:2:0 1080p video still looked good enough to be called HD just a few years ago.  However, as our technology and tastes improve over time, we see that 1080p video, still has a fairly large room for improvement.  Unfortunately, all consumer video recording devices have conformed around the idea of 4:2:0 chroma subsampling and never looked back.  And although we have reached a point in our consumer electronics to handle the data of 4:4:4, there really isn’t any push to improve 1080p video recording. Some cameras that are being launched today are coming with the ability to capture 4:2:2 video with an external recorder. 4:2:2 is slightly better than 4:2:0, but it is till not as good as uncompromised 4:4:4.<br /> <h3> 4K Picking Up Where 1080p Left Off</h3> So this is where 4K comes in to improve existing 1080p video.  In a single pixel of 1080p video, there are now 4 pixels at that same location when shooting with 4K video.  And even though 4K itself is also being recorded with 4:2:0 chroma subsampling, when we extrapolate 1080p video from it, all pixels in the extrapolated 1080p video have their individual Y, Cb, and Cr values.  Thus we are reconstructing 4:4: 4 1080p video.  And this shouldn’t really be taken lightly.  4:4:4 1080p video has been the proverbial unobtainable unicorn for even professional cameras costing of upwards of 10’s of thousands of dollars until just recently.<br /> <h3> Always Shoot in 4K Whenever Possible</h3> In conclusion, even if you never buy a 4K TV for the rest of your life, you can still benefit from recording in 4K, pretty significantly on a 1080p monitor.  Always shoot 4K video whenever possible.

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Have you ever wondered why 4K videos look so much better than 1080p videos, even on your 1080p monitor?  The answer is more than “too muc...

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Galaxy Note 3 Tips & Tricks Episode 49: S5-like Selective Focus on Galaxy Note 3

<div id="tdncontent"> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyhhaMHHiBQ" target="_blank"><img onload="tdnembed()" onmouseout="tdnout(this)" onmouseover="tdnover(this)" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jzy4oqWbyTU/U2oRMn6X0WI/AAAAAAAABNc/HmNEqdpEKRg/s685/%5Bgalaxy+note+3s%5D05719h53m17.jpg" style="width: 100%;" /><br /><br /> </a></div> When the Galaxy S5 was announced, the selective focus feature was one of the main selling points for the Samsung Galaxy S5.  The images are software rendered however there is still value in what it provides.  We were already looking forward to that feature on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 a few months down the line.  Well, it turns out an app providing similar app has just been released by none other than Google.  So let’s have a look.<br /> <h2> Google Camera Review</h2> App Link: <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.GoogleCamera" target="_blank">Google Camera</a><br /> <br /> The app is called Google Camera.  It is available to all, except there’s one catch.  It requires Android 4.4.  This means that anyone with a Galaxy Note 3 can download Google Camera, however only a small percentage of Galaxy Note 2 owners with Android 4.4 have access to it.  Rest assured, slowly but surely, Android 4.4 should make its rounds to all the Note 2.<br /> <h3> How To Use Lens Blur (Selective Focus) on Google Camera</h3> What this app wants you to do is have a clear main subject in your photo, preferably at the center.  You should be about 1 to 5 feet from your subject.  The closer the better.  Just snap the image.  And what it wants you to do is tilt your camera upwards while keeping your subject at the center.  This means you’ll be moving your device up with a slight circular curve.  It’ll tell you if you did it right.<br /> <br /> Once you have taken a good image, review the pictures that you’ve taken.  Tap on the refocus button.  And now you can just tap on something far away to make that in focus.  You can see that your subject is now blurred.  Or you can focus on your subject and make the background blurred which is by default.<br /> <h3> Why Do Images With Blurred Backgrounds Look So Much Better?</h3> What you’re essentially mimicking is what’s called the DOF or depth of field effect in photography.  What makes this effect so powerful is that it does many things such as isolating your subject so that your eyes know exactly what your subject is in the photograph.  It also turns things behind your subject which is usually the sky and the landscape into a natural blend of colors that is more of a like a watercolored surface rather than distracting objects in the background.  And it also gives your photo a sense of dimension by letting the viewer know where the subject is in a 3D space.<br /> <h3> Controls</h3> If you want to increase the rate of the blur, you can play with a lever to increase or decrease the level of blur.  If you push it too far though, it will start looking unnatural around the edges.<br /> Now you will notice the file that you end up with is pretty small.  It’s 1024 x 768 in resolution which is less than one megapixel.  You can however increase that resolution 4 times by going to settings and  Resolution & Quality.  Then set Lens Blur Quality to high.  One catch is that the processing is painfully slow, but the app is well made and it does it in the background, even if you accidentally exit the app.<br /> <h3> Gestures</h3> Along with being able to swipe right to access different camera modes and swipe left to review that pictures you’ve taken, you can also flick upwards or downwards which is a neat way to delete the photos you no longer need.<br /> <h3> Conclusion</h3> Along with the unique lens blur feature, Google Camera also has a panorama and photo sphere mode which are redundant to what’s on the stock camera app on the Note 3, but it may still be worth a look.  Now as awesome as this camera is, it isn’t as full featured as the stock camera app.  Not all resolutions are available, the shutter is slow to respond, and many of the basic controls for photos and videos are missing.  So it’s not a replacement for your stock camera app by any means.  But this lens blur feature is unique, and although you may occasionally run into a few weird artifacts from time to time, it does the job pretty convincingly.

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When the Galaxy S5 was announced, the selective focus feature was one of the main selling points for the Samsung Galaxy S5.  The images a...

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