Samsung Galaxy Note 4 vs iPhone 6 Plus: Optical Image Stabilization comparison

Both Samsung and Apple scored a first with their new phablets: Optical Image Stabilization. That's right, both the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and the iPhone 6 Plus are equipped with the gizmo, promising to minimize and correct for shake and tremor during video capture. 

Sure, an OIS module's usefulness extends beyond just video – if the software is optimized for it, it'll also free up the camera to go for slower shutter speeds, and that's beneficial when shooting in dark environments, as the tiny sensor can use any help it can get taking in as much light as possible. This is achievable, because the stabilizing contraption will essentially nullify tremor in your hands (yes, they tremble even if you think you're keeping perfectly still), and thus, side-step blur. In other words, while OIS is, strictly speaking, hardware, it is of little use if it receives no proper support from the camera software. 

Starting with Samsung, the company calls its particular implementation "Smart OIS", which is just a marketing term that refers to the joined efforts of the aforementioned widget and Digital Image Stabilization on the software side. Much the same arrangement is also true with the iPhone 6 Plus – OIS is implemented alongside software stabilization, which Apple chose to call Cinematic Video Stabilization.

So how do these two handle themselves, and is one better than the other? The truth is that they're about equally good in stabilizing shaky footage, but they different in terms of the kind of scenarios they handle best. For example, in our experience, the Note 4 was better at minimizing small to medium amounts of shake, while the iPhone 6 Plus outdid it when real jerky movements were involved (arguably less common). Even with that distinction, though, we still think that we have a situation close to a stalemate at our hands, but we ended up liking the Note 4 just a bit more. Take a look.

 

Article Resource:  Note 4 vs iPhone 6 Plus: Optical Image Stabilization comparison

Fathers day gift idea: 5 best tech gifts for dad 2013

Father’s Day is just around the corner (mark your calendar: June 16th). With Father's Day approaching, it is a great time to buy something special for dad, like a new bottle of his favorite cologne or one new Nautica grosgrain watch. But if your father has a taste for the latest and greatest technology, what should you surprise him with? Here we have tried to list out some Father’s day best tech gifts for dad 2013. Just read on to get started.

Smartphones:  Samsung Galaxy S4 or HTC One
Okay, now is the best time to get a new android phone due to Samsung and HTC both released its flagship smartphone several months ago, the Galaxy S4 and HTC One. Both of these two devices are power with strong processor, powerful camera and own a lot of new features. The Samsung galaxy s4 is the most powerful android phone and HTC one is the best HTC android phone, so in my eyes it is the perfect time to get one for your father if your dad has been hinting at for weeks.

Want to see the details about galaxy s4 and htc one, just check my review about these two devices. You can also check my list which shows you a list of Samsung smartphones you can get now.

Tablets:  Apple iPad, iPad Mini or Note 8
Get one tablet for your father is also a good idea on father’s day. So why not get the best tablet? Yes, the iPad, iPad Mini and Samsung galaxy note 8. Sure it's great for all those stereotypical dad things – watching sports through the ESPN app, playing high-resolution, 3D games – but it's also just a great reading companion and perfect for skimming emails before bed.

However, there are other really good options. I have list you the Best 7-8 inch tablets 2013 and Gift guide to Full-size tablets.

Streaming Media Player:  Roku 3

A Roku 3 box is the easiest way to bring broadband television directly into any living room, provided there's an HDTV and a fast Internet connection. Think lightning-quick searches across Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, plus hundreds more. And plugging headphones directly into the remote means he can watch without waking anyone.

Camera:  Canon EOS Rebel T5i
The EOS Rebel T5i is the latest in Canon’s amazing line of Digital SLR cameras. Featuring an 18 Megapixel (MP) CMOS APS-C sized sensor and a DIGIC 5 image processor, the EOS T5i delivers excellent image quality with accurate colors as well as exceptional speed.

The Rebel T5i is paired here with the all new EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens. The lens has a 35mm equivalent zoom range of 29mm to 88mm and a minimum focal distance of 9.8”. It features Canon’s Optical Image Stabilization and with a Stepping Motor (STM) it supports the T5i’s Movie Servo autofocus feature for quiet and smooth autofocus while recording video. It has a high-precision aspheric element to reduce chromatic aberrations and a 7-blade circular aperture to ensure soft backgrounds

Headphones:  Bose QuietComfort 15 headphones, Beats by Dre Executive
Yes, they're on the pricey side at $299, but we haven't met a dad who wouldn't mind getting a pair of these headphones as a gift. Thanks to its extracomfortable design, improved sound, highly effective noise-canceling circuitry, device folds for compact storage in included carrying case, the Bose QuietComfort 15s currently offer the best sound and silencing capabilities in a pair of noise-canceling headphones.

And everyone knows Beats Executive™ headphones are designed to take you from boardroom to the tarmac and everywhere in between. These over-ear headphones deliver the legendary Beats sound in a refined premium package that's easier than ever to take on the road.

For cheap headphones, the Panasonic RP-HTX7 Monitor Stereo Headphones is a really good option which only cost you around $50.

So just show your love to your dad with these Best Fathers day Tech Gifts on this Fathers day 2013.

HTC One vs. Samsung galaxy s4 vs. iPhone 5 vs. The Latest Smartphones: Camera comparison

HTC announced its sexy htc one smartphone last month and The most interesting thing about the One is its 4-megapixel "Ultrapixel" camera, which attracts a lot of attention when it hits, especially since other phones are nearing the next 13-megapixel frontier, such as Samsung galaxy s4. Samsung finally took the wraps off the highly anticipated Galaxy S4 last week.

HTC says the new One captures 300 percent more light than current competing smartphone sensors, offering "astounding low-light performance.” So today just follow me to see how HTC One’s camera stacks up against Samsung's new flagship Galaxy S4, iPhone 5, Nokia Lumia 920, Nexus 4 and most of the latest Smartphones.

Samsung Galaxy S4 vs HTC One

HTC One vs iPhone 5

HTC One vs Nokia Lumia 920

HTC One vs Sony Xperia Z

HTC One vs LG Nexus 4

HTC One vs HTC Droid DNA

HTC One vs Samsung Galaxy S3

For now, take a peek at the comparison shots above, and declare your own winner. Do HTC’s UltraPixels win out?

Nokia Lumia 920 vs Apple iPhone 5: the Lumia 920 win in stabilization shootout

Several days ago, a job ad posted by Nokia on employment network LinkedIn sees the company looking to hire a senior engineer to work on new mobile devices and software, people naturally think Nokia is consider to shift toward Google's Android operating system, which have a dominate share in the smartphone market. But according to a recent twitter from Doug Dawson, who heads up the company's media relations, he says Nokia will not shifting toward Google's Android operating system, and the job ad is only for HERE Maps support for other platforms, including iOS and Android. In order to found its way to get a successful comeback in the smartphone market, Nokia’s new Here Maps for iPhone and iPad launched in the App Store on Nov 19,2012, as Apple also release its own Maps after the iPhone 5.

Now let’s come back to Nokia’s new camera smartphone, once mentioned Nokia’s Flagship Windows 8 phone, we will think of its Lumia 920, which have an unparalleled Camera with PureView Technology. On October 28, 2012, I have compared the Lumia with iPhone 5 in aspect of price and top specs, etc. Today, I will update the comparison on the camera between Nokia Lumia 920 and Apple iPhone 5.

As all we know, Nokia made a pretty big deal of the stabilization feature of its Lumia 920 smartphone, which captures an impressively smooth clip even with exaggerated hand shake. The handset comes with the Floating lens technology, which is real optical image stabilization, as opposed to the digital solution of its competitors.

Update: We saw there’s some confusion so we felt we should clear this out. The two smartphone were attached to a stand, rather than being held in two hands as that puts them on equal footing. The test itself starts with some casual panning, which is followed by walking in place and jumping.

Naturally, we were very curious to find out how big a difference the new technology makes, and tech website gsmarena decided to pin the Nokia Lumia 920 against the Apple iPhone 5 (which has the most efficient digital video stabilization we have seen so far). The result show as below:

The results were somewhat surprising –You can see for yourselves in the video below. Don’t forget to go fullscreen and select the 1080p option.

Above the video, the difference isn’t really major at first glance – each of the two super phones has its moments of superiority in the video. You’d probably find a difficult to tell which one uses optical stabilization and which one is simply employing a cleverly designed software algorithm, If we hadn’t named the two halves, don’t you? However, for its stabilization to work so well, the iPhone 5 is forced to use only the central part of its sensor, while the Lumia 920 can use the whole thing, which gives it both a wider viewing angle and the option to do pixel binning, which helps fight digital noise.

So the Nokia Lumia 920 takes this round, even if the margin of its victory is smaller than we anticipated.

Of course, this is just one scenario and the optical image stabilization might turn out to be more beneficial on other occasions. Website gsmarena will do some more tests before the review is complete so we’ll know how good Floating lens actually is.

For personally, I like the Lumia 920 very much and prepared to buy one as Christmas Gift. So what is your opinion? I am very curious to know your thoughts about this. Welcome to leave your opinion if you are fond of this article.