How to disable the camera quick launch on the Galaxy S6, S6 Edge
Double-pressing the home button launches the camera from anywhere, but it's not for everyone.
Accessing the camera on the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge is possible by quickly pressing the home button two times. The camera app will open upon the second press, even if the screen of the device is off.
But this also leads to mistakenly launching the camera app when you're trying to unlock the device, or readjusting your thumb in order to get the fingerprint sensor to work. I've done it at least a dozen times.
Thankfully Samsung has included a way to disable the camera quick launch feature.
The Settings screen access from within the Camera app on the Galaxy S6, S6 Edge.Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET
There are two methods to turn it off. The first, and quickest, is to open the Camera app, tap on theSettings icon, and slide the Quick Launch switch to the off position.
Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET
The second method requires you to launch the Settings app, select Applications under the Device category, followed by Camera. Move the Quick Lock switch to the off position and close the app.
With quick launch disabled, double-pressing the home button will only result in your device going back to the home screen. Of course if you want to enable the feature, follow these same steps, with the end result being the same switch moved to the on position.
With a few simple tips, sharp photos from your smartphone are within easy reach.
Struggling to get your smartphone photos looking sharp?
Here are a few ways to ensure your mobile photography is crisp rather than mushy.
Many of these principles also apply to photos taken with conventional cameras, so don't feel left out if mobile photography isn't your thing.
Hold it steady
Motion blur can make photos look soft. The first step to ensure sharp photos is to have a stabilization system for the handset.
There are several tripods on the market designed specifically for smartphones. Otherwise, if they are too cumbersome for point-and-shoot moments, try using both hands to firmly grip the camera before taking the shot. Holding a deep breath before taking a photo can also reduce any shakiness.
Mini tripods designed for phones include the Joby GripTight.Lexy Savvides/CNET
Camera shake can also occur when you touch the screen to take a photo. To reduce the possibility of movement, use your phone's self-timer mode.
Some handsets also have physical buttons that can be used to take the photos rather than pressing an on-screen icon. Even headphones can be used to trigger the camera shutter without needing to touch the screen.
Screenshot by Lexy Savvides/CNET
The next option is to use a handset that includes image stabilization. Some phones that include optical image stabilization include the Apple iPhone 6 Plus, Samsung Galaxy Note 4, Nexus 6 and Lumia 930.
Otherwise, digital/electronic image stabilization is either available through the native camera app or third-party apps. OnAndroid handsets, look through the settings menu and see if there is an anti-shake option like on the Galaxy S5 (right).
For iOS, ProCamera has an anti-shake feature included, while Android users can try Camera FV-5.
Clean the lens
Have you cleaned your lens lately? It might need a bit of attention if your phone has come into contact with sticky fingers or rolled around in a pocket all day.
Lexy Savvides/CNET
Smudges and residue left on the lens can act a bit like petroleum jelly: images look soft, smeary and out of focus. Bring back clarity by gently wiping the lens with a soft cloth. Ideally, use one that is designed for cleaning lenses or glasses.
Get the focus right
Sometimes a lack of sharpness comes down to the subject being out of focus. Most smartphones let you tap directly on the screen to choose where you want to set the point of focus, avoiding autofocus (AF) mishaps.
Using a feature called AF lock can also help keep focus exactly where you want it to be, even if you recompose the frame.
Press and hold on the screen to bring up AE/AF Lock on the iPhone.Screenshot by Lexy Savvides/CNET
On the iPhone, press and hold the focus square over the desired point. The square will flash, and an AE/AF lock option should appear at the base of the frame, showing that the exposure and focus have been locked. To change or remove the lock, just tap again on the screen.
Some Android devices will need a dedicated app to help lock focus. One such app is Camera FV-5 in either the lite or paid versions. Focus lock is called AF-L in this particular app.
Look for the light
Shooting in ample light will generally deliver better results than low light. Unlike their point-and-shoot companions, phone cameras have a fixed aperture lens. To alter the exposure, the phone has to adjust shutter speed and ISO rather than aperture.
With plenty of light to work with, getting a sharp shot is easy.Lexy Savvides/CNET
To get the correct exposure in lower light, the phone camera has to hold the shutter open for a longer period of time, thereby increasing the chance of blur, shake and noise.
Also, avoid using digital zoom where possible as this can make photos look very soft and mushy.
Sharpen with apps
Even with meticulous technique, some photos still need a little help. In this case, try editing photos using an app, or importing them into a program like Photoshop to get them up to scratch.
Lexy Savvides/CNET
Many third-party apps such as Snapseed (free for iOS and Android) have an option to apply a sharpening effect to photos during processing. Make sure to inspect the image at full resolution periodically, as over-sharpening can look very obvious.
Europe launches plan to tackle US online dominance
The European Commission wants to improve competition across the continent's single market, including an investigation into Internet giants like Google and Facebook.
Andrus Ansip, the EC's vice president, discusses the Digital Single Market in Brussels earlier this year.Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images
The European Union has unveiled a 16-point plan to ensure Europe's tech industry can compete with established US online giants.
President Jean-Claude Juncker and Vice President Andrus Ansip of the European Commission, the EU's executive branch, announced the Digital Single Market Strategy in Brussels today. The document, which Ansip describes as a "starting point", argues that "Europe has the capabilities to lead in the global digital economy but we are currently not making the most of them. Fragmentation and barriers that do not exist in the physical Single Market are holding the EU back."
One of the most potentially significant initiatives in the new plan is a wide-ranging inquiry that will look into whether big Internet companies like Google, Amazon and Facebook are abusing their market dominance to promote their own services.
"Some platforms can control access to online markets and can exercise significant influence," the strategy document says. "This has led to a number of concerns over the growing market power of some platforms. These include a lack of transparency as to how they use the information they acquire, their strong bargaining power compared to that of their clients, which may be reflected in their terms and conditions (particularly for SMEs), promotion of their own services to the disadvantage of competitors, and non-transparent pricing policies, or restrictions on pricing and sale conditions."
In the case of Google, antitrust regulators are concerned the American search giant prioritises its own shopping results, to the detriment of rival retailers. There's also concern that Android's preinstalled apps stifle competition in the mobile app landscape, calling to mind past controversies over Microsoft's preinstalled Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player software on Windows PCs.
"We are supportive of legislation which moves us closer to a true European Digital Single Market without limiting innovation and growth," Facebook said in response to today's announcement. "We will assess the proposals individually as they are published."
Individual national privacy regulators in France, Spain, Italy and other nations are already looking into how Facebook collects user data. The social network responded with a stark warning last week that potential new regulation would see "Facebook's costs increase, and people in Europe would notice new features arriving more slowly, or not at all. The biggest victims would be smaller European companies. The next big thing might never see the light of day."
To that end, the Digital Single Market Strategy seeks to reform copyright rules; remove geographic barriers across different member states for both online geo-blocking and real-world parcel delivery; and standardise complex VAT (value-added tax) regimes across different countries."A Digital Single Market is one in which the free movement of goods, persons, services and capital is ensured," says the strategy document, "where individuals and businesses can seamlessly access and exercise online activities under conditions of fair competition, and a high level of consumer and personal data protection, irrespective of their nationality or place of residence."
It also updates regulation of the telecoms sector in the face of competition from services like WhatsApp and Skype. Free online services like these have contributed to a huge decline in the use of texting, eating into the revenue of traditional telecoms operators. And with Wi-Fi calling starting to gain traction, telecoms networks are facing a challenge to their most long-standing source of revenue.
Although the competition inquiry could challenge the dominance of big US companies, other provisions of the Digital Single Market Strategy could actually benefit them. "Running through the Commission's agenda is a distaste of the market strength and practices of certain big US tech companies," notes Adam Rendle, senior associate at law firm Taylor Wessing, but "it is ironic, then, that the big US tech companies are in a strong position at present to benefit from prohibitions on geo-blocking given they have the scale, resources and market penetration to provide the pan-EU offerings that the Digital Single Market Strategy allows.
"Of course, what the Commission hopes is that the Strategy will create the conditions for EU versions of the big US tech companies to develop, because they would suddenly have a huge, pan-EU potential market for their services."
Samsung readies new processors to power the Internet of Things
The hardware platform, which Samsung will reveal next week during a San Francisco event, will be called Artik, CNET has learned.
Samsung will talk about new processors to power the Internet of Things.Samsung
Samsung's bet on the Internet of Thing is about to get a little smaller -- physically, that is.
The South Korean electronics giant on Tuesday plans to reveal new chip platforms to power Internet-connected devices, ranging from wearables to smart washing machines, sources tell CNET. The new hardware will be called Artik, said a person who didn't want to be named in talking about a product that's not yet announced, and it comes from Samsung's Menlo Park, Calif.-based Strategy and Innovation Center.
The group -- which is led by Young Sohn, president and chief strategy officer of Samsung Electronics -- has been tasked with seeking new technology, partnerships and investments in hardware, generally with a longer-term view. Sohn, who launched a $100 million US investment fund for Samsung in early 2013, has seen his role expand in recent months to include oversight over more of Samsung's investments and its research and development. In total, Samsung has allocated more than $1 billion to fund US startups.
Sohn will introduce Artik during a keynote at the Internet of Things World conference on Tuesday in San Francisco. In a press release about the keynote, Samsung has said it "will reveal a major company milestone that will enable the new wave of groundbreaking IoT devices and services. The event will bring together industry leaders, entrepreneurs, developers and emerging companies to discuss the future of IoT and its profound implications."
Samsung has been making a big bet on the Internet of Things, the concept of using sensors and other technologies to hook just about anything you can think of into the Internet. Analyst firm Gartner predicts the number of networked devices will surge to 26 billion units by 2020 from about 900 million in 2009, turning formerly "dumb" objects into smart ones that can communicate with each other. IDC reckons the IoT market will hit $3.04 trillion that same year."By continuing efforts to connect devices and people to achieve greater insights, we have a huge opportunity to work with others in the industry, to tackle these real-world issues in ways that will fundamentally change people's lives for the better," Sohn said in the press release.
Last August, Samsung acquired smart-home startup SmartThings to help with its push. SmartThings' technology helps consumers to control their appliances from their smartphones, smartwatches and other devices, and it has been viewed as key to Samsung's smart-home and Internet of Things efforts.
During the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show in January, Samsung, led by co-CEO Boo-Keun Yoon, vowed that all of the company's products would be built on platforms that are open and compatible with other products. Yoon said that that 90 percent of its devices -- which range from smartphones to refrigerators -- would be able to connect to the Web by 2017. In five years, every product in the company's entire catalog is expected to be Internet-connected.
But Artik won't just be targeted at Samsung's own appliances. Instead, other device makers will be able to use the chips in their products.
Artik is the second product to come from Young's innovation initiative in the past year. In May 2014, the group revealed new open software and a so-called reference design hardware to better measure certain health characteristics of wearables users, including heart rate and blood pressure. Its Simbandfitness band reference design -- a template describing how a particular technology should work -- incorporates a new sensor module that can be used in future wearables, while a cloud-based software platform called Samsung Architecture for Multimodal Interactions, or SAMI, can collect sensor data from the devices for analysis.
As Samsung's core mobile business continues to struggle, the company is counting on its other businesses -- such as home appliances and semiconductors -- to boost its profits. Samsung is the world's biggest maker of memory chips and also manufactures application processors that serve as the brains of devices, including many of Apple's iPhones. The company's new Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge smartphones use Samsung's Exynos applications processor instead of a Qualcomm chip, as well as Samsung-made flash memory and the wireless chip that connects the phone to 3G and 4G networks.
Samsung largely targets Exynos at its own devices, and essentially no other companies buy the processors. But selling Artik to other device makers could give Samsung a boost. It also puts Samsung in fiercer competition with chipmakers such as Intel and Qualcomm, which make their profits from supplying processors, not the devices that use them. All of the companies have been looking to wearables and the Internet of Things as new areas of growth.
Intel, for instance, in January revealed a processor platform for wearables, dubbed Curie. The button-sized device includes a processor, Bluetooth low-energy radio, sensors and a dedicated engine to determine different sporting activity. It's also able to run for extended periods with a coin-size battery, or can be recharged. Such a minuscule chip could power wearables of different designs, from rings to pendants to clothes. Curie and Samsung's Artik may be competing for many of the same customers.
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