Tech

OnePlus 10 Pro Long Exposure let me make some truly wild shots – TechRadar

Published

3 years ago

April 3, 2022

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I can draw with light.

A couple of days after receiving the OnePlus 10 Pro 5G, a solid if not entirely exciting Android smartphone that offers Pro-level features at a flagship price, I started digging into the camera app’s features.

I’ve long been a OnePlus fan and its big camera swings. It was the first smartphone I ever used, for instance, to offer macro photography. I loved taking close-up photos of the inside of flowers, bugs, and drops of water. Not everyone loved it, though and the OnePlus 10 Pro does not include a macro camera. It does, however, have Long Exposure.

OnePlus 10 Pro Long Exposure steps (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Most smartphones now offer some form of night photography or long exposure settings after Google launched the trend in 2018 with Night Sight on its Pixel 3. Today’s wide variety of long-exposure, night-shooting options includes presets and, sometimes, some level of control to extend the exposure (more if you put the phone on a tripod).

Previous OnePlus phones would let you create long exposure shots by adjusting the manual camera settings (shutter speed, ISO). The OnePlus 10 Pro 5G makes the shot style a preset (slightly hidden under the Camera app’s More menu).

While I’m happy to use manual settings to try and capture stars (I do a lot of DSLR photography), I do love when smartphone makers combine the best they can offer in lens and sensors with software and algorithms to make what would normally be complicated simple.

And, if I’m being honest, I’ve been trying to capture certain types of long-exposure shots on every single smartphone I’ve tested for the last few years, with varying degrees of success.

Here’s what I want: streets with nothing but car lights whizzing by. People blurred as they walk past me while the rest of the world is still. Light art.

With the OnePlus 10 Pro Long Exposure setting, I accomplished all three.

OnePlus 10 Pro Long Exposure street photo: The commuters were transformed into ghosts (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

As I mentioned, the setting is easy enough to find, but what’s more impressive is that it’s dead simple to use (and also limited for that same reason).

You don’t get to choose the lens or magnification. The default is the 48MP main camera, which as far as I’m concerned, is fine.

You also can’t choose the length of the exposure. It defaults to 5 seconds. I know, that doesn’t sound like a lot, and I had no illusions about capturing the stars rotating overhead at night. That said, a lot can happen in five seconds and I hoped I could capture it all in images.

I could think of no better place to test this theory than on the busy streets of Manhattan at night.

Five seconds isn’t much time but it is enough for your hands and body to shake or move. To capture the action, I had to stop, plant my feet and hold steady. I don’t recall if I held my breath or exhaled slowly.

I started by pointing the camera at other nighttime commuters rushing toward me. In the unedited shot above, they’ve all turned into ethereal ghost-like blurs barely people. Still, the effect is mesmerizing.

Next, I aimed the OnePlus 10 Pro at traffic. For these shots, I stood on the sidewalk near the street and, in one instance, leaned on a pole to steady myself further. Looking for more traffic, I headed to an intersection. Five years ago, I couldn’t imagine capturing these kinds of images with a smartphone camera.

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I tried some other experimentation. At a party with a lot of wall and party lights, I tried sweeping the phone by them and up from partygoers to the lights. I would say the results are intriguing and arty, though not entirely useful.

As I mentioned, you don’t need a tripod to capture these images, but using one introduces another cool photographic possibility.

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The next morning, I grabbed a tripod, another smartphone, and the OnePlus 10 Pro and headed to my dark basement. I placed the OnePlus 10 Pro on the tripod and turned on the flashlight on my iPhone 13 Pro.

You can’t see me, but I drew that word with a phone light. (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

I set the timer on the OnePlus to 10 seconds and then ran to stand in front of the camera. I could hear the OnePlus10 Pro counting down 10 seconds, but unlike an iPhone, it doesn’t flash the rear LED light to show you it’s counting down. That was a bit annoying.

My goal was to move the iPhone as quickly as possible, with the hope that the OnePlus’s Long Exposure would capture the full-light trail.

I figured out how to write “hello” backward and when the countdown ended, I quickly scripted it out. The results are not bad at all (I did crop the image a bit).

It’s harder than it looks to make this design with light. (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Next, I made a spiral. That was lovely, too. Next time, I’ll use a different colored light.

If I have one broad criticism of OnePlus Pro 10 5G’s Long Exposure preset, it’s that the image processing appears to be doing multiple long exposures and compiling them into one image. You can see this in how the light breaks at regular intervals in the spiral or in how the car lights appear to almost stutter their way through. I hope future software updates smooth this out a bit.

I can, of course, dive into Pro mode and open the shutter for up to 32 seconds. That also means adjusting the ISO and focus, however. For consumers, this Long Exposure preset is just enough and they should be able to create their own wild images with a minimum of fuss.

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News

The Internet is Littered in ‘Educated Guesses’ Without the ‘Education’

Published

1 week ago

October 8, 2024

Nick Kossovan

Although no one likes a know-it-all, they dominate the Internet.

The Internet began as a vast repository of information. It quickly became a breeding ground for self-proclaimed experts seeking what most people desire: recognition and money.

Today, anyone with an Internet connection and some typing skills can position themselves, regardless of their education or experience, as a subject matter expert (SME). From relationship advice, career coaching, and health and nutrition tips to citizen journalists practicing pseudo-journalism, the Internet is awash with individuals—Internet talking heads—sharing their “insights,” which are, in large part, essentially educated guesses without the education or experience.

The Internet has become a 24/7/365 sitcom where armchair experts think they’re the star.

Not long ago, years, sometimes decades, of dedicated work and acquiring education in one’s field was once required to be recognized as an expert. The knowledge and opinions of doctors, scientists, historians, et al. were respected due to their education and experience. Today, a social media account and a knack for hyperbole are all it takes to present oneself as an “expert” to achieve Internet fame that can be monetized.

On the Internet, nearly every piece of content is self-serving in some way.

The line between actual expertise and self-professed knowledge has become blurry as an out-of-focus selfie. Inadvertently, social media platforms have created an informal degree program where likes and shares are equivalent to degrees. After reading selective articles, they’ve found via and watching some TikTok videos, a person can post a video claiming they’re an herbal medicine expert. Their new “knowledge,” which their followers will absorb, claims that Panda dung tea—one of the most expensive teas in the world and isn’t what its name implies—cures everything from hypertension to existential crisis. Meanwhile, registered dietitians are shaking their heads, wondering how to compete against all the misinformation their clients are exposed to.

More disturbing are individuals obsessed with evangelizing their beliefs or conspiracy theories. These people write in-depth blog posts, such as Elvis Is Alive and the Moon Landings Were Staged, with links to obscure YouTube videos, websites, social media accounts, and blogs. Regardless of your beliefs, someone or a group on the Internet shares them, thus confirming your beliefs.

Misinformation is the Internet’s currency used to get likes, shares, and engagement; thus, it often spreads like a cosmic joke. Consider the prevalence of clickbait headlines:

You Won’t Believe What Taylor Swift Says About Climate Change!
This Bedtime Drink Melts Belly Fat While You Sleep!
In One Week, I Turned $10 Into $1 Million!

Titles that make outrageous claims are how the content creator gets reads and views, which generates revenue via affiliate marketing, product placement, and pay-per-click (PPC) ads. Clickbait headlines are how you end up watching a TikTok video by a purported nutrition expert adamantly asserting you can lose belly fat while you sleep by drinking, for 14 consecutive days, a concoction of raw eggs, cinnamon, and apple cider vinegar 15 minutes before going to bed.

Our constant search for answers that’ll explain our convoluted world and our desire for shortcuts to success is how Internet talking heads achieve influencer status. Because we tend to seek low-hanging fruits, we listen to those with little experience or knowledge of the topics they discuss yet are astute enough to know what most people want to hear.

There’s a trend, more disturbing than spreading misinformation, that needs to be called out: individuals who’ve never achieved significant wealth or traded stocks giving how-to-make-easy-money advice, the appeal of which is undeniable. Several people I know have lost substantial money by following the “advice” of Internet talking heads.

Anyone on social media claiming to have a foolproof money-making strategy is lying. They wouldn’t be peddling their money-making strategy if they could make easy money.

Successful people tend to be secretive.

Social media companies design their respective algorithms to serve their advertisers—their source of revenue—interest; hence, content from Internet talking heads appears most prominent in your feeds. When a video of a self-professed expert goes viral, likely because it pressed an emotional button, the more people see it, the more engagement it receives, such as likes, shares and comments, creating a cycle akin to a tornado.

Imagine scrolling through your TikTok feed and stumbling upon a “scientist” who claims they can predict the weather using only aluminum foil, copper wire, sea salt and baking soda. You chuckle, but you notice his video got over 7,000 likes, has been shared over 600 times and received over 400 comments. You think to yourself, “Maybe this guy is onto something.” What started as a quest to achieve Internet fame evolved into an Internet-wide belief that weather forecasting can be as easy as DIY crafts.

Since anyone can call themselves “an expert,” you must cultivate critical thinking skills to distinguish genuine expertise from self-professed experts’ self-promoting nonsense. While the absurdity of the Internet can be entertaining, misinformation has serious consequences. The next time you read a headline that sounds too good to be true, it’s probably an Internet talking head making an educated guess; without the education seeking Internet fame, they can monetize.

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Nick Kossovan, a self-described connoisseur of human psychology, writes about what’s

on his mind from Toronto. You can follow Nick on Twitter and Instagram @NKossovan.

Tech

Tight deadlines on software projects can put safety at risk: survey

Published

2 weeks ago

October 8, 2024

Anne Joseph

TORONTO – A new survey says a majority of software engineers and developers feel tight project deadlines can put safety at risk.

Seventy-five per cent of the 1,000 global workers who responded to the survey released Tuesday say pressure to deliver projects on time and on budget could be compromising critical aspects like safety.

The concern is even higher among engineers and developers in North America, with 77 per cent of those surveyed on the continent reporting the urgency of projects could be straining safety.

The study was conducted between July and September by research agency Coleman Parkes and commissioned by BlackBerry Ltd.’s QNX division, which builds connected-car technology.

The results reflect a timeless tug of war engineers and developers grapple with as they balance the need to meet project deadlines with regulations and safety checks that can slow down the process.

Finding that balance is an issue that developers of even the simplest appliances face because of advancements in technology, said John Wall, a senior vice-president at BlackBerry and head of QNX.

“The software is getting more complicated and there is more software whether it’s in a vehicle, robotics, a toaster, you name it… so being able to patch vulnerabilities, to prevent bad actors from doing malicious acts is becoming more and more important,” he said.

The medical, industrial and automotive industries have standardized safety measures and anything they produce undergoes rigorous testing, but that work doesn’t happen overnight. It has to be carried out from the start and then at every step of the development process.

“What makes safety and security difficult is it’s an ongoing thing,” Wall said. “It’s not something where you’ve done it, and you are finished.”

The Waterloo, Ont.-based business found 90 per cent of its survey respondents reported that organizations are prioritizing safety.

However, when asked about why safety may not be a priority for their organization, 46 per cent of those surveyed answered cost pressures and 35 per cent said a lack of resources.

That doesn’t surprise Wall. Delays have become rampant in the development of tech, and in some cases, stand to push back the launch of vehicle lines by two years, he said.

“We have to make sure that people don’t compromise on safety and security to be able to get products out quicker,” he said.

“What we don’t want to see is people cutting corners and creating unsafe situations.”

The survey also took a peek at security breaches, which have hit major companies like London Drugs, Indigo Books & Music, Giant Tiger and Ticketmaster in recent years.

About 40 per cent of the survey’s respondents said they have encountered a security breach in their employer’s operating system. Those breaches resulted in major impacts for 27 per cent of respondents, moderate impacts for 42 per cent and minor impacts for 27 per cent.

“There are vulnerabilities all the time and this is what makes the job very difficult because when you ship the software, presumably the software has no security vulnerabilities, but things get discovered after the fact,” Wall said.

Security issues, he added, have really come to the forefront of the problems developers face, so “really without security, you have no safety.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024.

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Tech

Beware of scams during Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days sales event: cybersecurity firm

Published

2 weeks ago

October 8, 2024

Anne Joseph

As online shoppers hunt for bargains offered by Amazon during its annual fall sale this week, cybersecurity researchers are warning Canadians to beware of an influx of scammers posing as the tech giant.

In the 30 days leading up to Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days, taking place Tuesday and Wednesday, there were more than 1,000 newly registered Amazon-related web domains, according to Check Point Software Technologies, a company that offers cybersecurity solutions.

The company said it deemed 88 per cent of those domains malicious or suspicious, suggesting they could have been set up by scammers to prey on vulnerable consumers. One in every 54 newly created Amazon-related domain included the phrase “Amazon Prime.”

“They’re almost indiscernible from the real Amazon domain,” said Robert Falzon, head of engineering at Check Point in Canada.

“With all these domains registered that look so similar, it’s tricking a lot of people. And that’s the whole intent here.”

Falzon said Check Point Research sees an uptick in attempted scams around big online shopping days throughout the year, including Prime Days.

Scams often come in the form of phishing emails, which are deceptive messages that appear to be from a reputable source in attempt to steal sensitive information.

In this case, he said scammers posing as Amazon commonly offer “outrageous” deals that appear to be associated with Prime Days, in order to trick recipients into clicking on a malicious link.

The cybersecurity firm said it has identified and blocked 100 unique Amazon Prime-themed scam emails targeting organizations and consumers over the past two weeks.

Scammers also target Prime members with unsolicited calls, claiming urgent account issues and requesting payment information.

“It’s like Christmas for them,” said Falzon.

“People expect there to be significant savings on Prime Day, so they’re not shocked that they see something of significant value. Usually, the old adage applies: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”

Amazon’s website lists a number of red flags that it recommends customers watch for to identify a potential impersonation scam.

Those include false urgency, requests for personal information, or indications that the sender prefers to complete the purchase outside of the Amazon website or mobile app.

Scammers may also request that customers exclusively pay with gift cards, a claim code or PIN. Any notifications about an order or delivery for an unexpected item should also raise alarm bells, the company says.

“During busy shopping moments, we tend to see a rise in impersonation scams reported by customers,” said Amazon spokeswoman Octavia Roufogalis in a statement.

“We will continue to invest in protecting consumers and educating the public on scam avoidance. We encourage consumers to report suspected scams to us so that we can protect their accounts and refer bad actors to law enforcement to help keep consumers safe.”

Falzon added that these scams are more successful than people might think.

As of June 30, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre said there had been $284 million lost to fraud so far this year, affecting 15,941 victims.

But Falzon said many incidents go unreported, as some Canadians who are targeted do not know how or where to flag a scam, or may choose not to out of embarrassment.

Check Point recommends Amazon customers take precautions while shopping on Prime Days, including by checking URLs carefully, creating strong passwords on their accounts, and avoiding personal information being shared such as their birthday or social security number.

The cybersecurity company said consumers should also look for “https” at the beginning of a website URL, which indicates a secure connection, and use credit cards rather than debit cards for online shopping, which offer better protection and less liability if stolen.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024.

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