iPhone Hill

Clearcam for iPhone is an app that compliments the already existing camera app. Instead of tapping camera, you take your pictures through Clearcam. I found myself using this app when I wanted clearer pictures or when I was in an area that pictures came out either blurry or dark. The concept is quite simple, it’ll take several shots of the same thing and either overlays the shots or chooses the best one (depending on what setting you choose).  The app claims to up quality of the camera from 5MP images to around 11MP images.

When first loading Clearcam, it looks somewhat similar to the iPhone camera app.  It adds a few options that are the basic foundation of what the app really does.  You’ll see the shutter button and then two options.  One labeled “quick” and one labeled “enhanced”.

The quick setting is just that.  It will take 3 shots in rapid succession.  It will save the best one to your camera roll.  It works like it says it does and typically always gets a good shot.

The enhanced mode will take 6 shots quickly and it will take the best parts of each one, essentially stitching them together to create a better all around image.  In my experience, it was somewhat touch and go.  I also would take the same picture with my stock camera app.  In some scenarios, it seemed like the stock camera app took better pictures than what Clearcam stitched together.  It was rare, but it did happen occasionally.  I’m not sure if maybe the app has trouble stitching certain pictures together or rendering them, but there’s definitely a bug there.

The app performs better in low light settings than the default camera in all instances (at least in my experience).  I’d probably attribute this to the fact that it’s picking either the best picture or rendering 6 pictures together to create the best possible image.  If the exposure was a little dark in some places, it will pull the better pieces from another picture.  Having this app in low light settings is enough to justify purchasing it in my opinion.

(*Side note about pictures, most of them are better quality than shown here, we have a limit on image uploads so I had to downsize some of them which will reduce the quality a bit)

[iTunes Link]

Pros

• Increases the quality by a landslide, especially in low light situations

• App is responsive and doesn’t take forever to save to the camera roll like other photo apps

• Increases quality in darker pictures

• Very simple to use

Cons

• Some photos come out blurrier than the default camera app (assuming this is some kind of bug)

• No settings other than Quick and Enhanced and tap to focus, would like to see some native contrast and saturation settings to make up for the lack of settings in the default camera app

Clearcam for iPhone – app review is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb – The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Camera+ is no longer in the iTunes App Store following a bizarre week that rejection, revelation, feature requests, and possible take down.

Here’s the short version — Camera+ pushed out an update that would let users take photos via the hardware volume buttons. Apple rejected the update because it does not currently allow that functionality. Camera+ developers TapTapTap posted about the rejection and said they’d filed a feature request with Apple to change the policy and allow volume buttons to be re-assigned. They also let slip on twitter that a little easter egg would allow the volume buttons to be re-assigned in the current version of TapTapTap. Then they deleted the tweet, but the internet had already picked it up and propagated it.

Apple has a policy on easter eggs. If they’re disclosed and innocuous they’re fine. If they’re undisclosed and used as a way to circumvent the review process and App Store policies, they’ll get you removed. Basically, if the feature wouldn’t get approved out in the open, don’t try to sneak it in as an easter egg.

So now either Apple has pulled Camera+ or TapTapTap has taken it down themselves to proactively remove the easter egg. We’ll likely have to wait until they let us know.

And that’s where I start to wonder if it’s really a story, or media manipulation as marketing? They’ve already made a reported $500,000 in sales, and this little round of publicity — should they get back into the App Store — won’t hurt. Except, of course, when the press starts to feel played, it will eventually backfire.

Maybe that’s the real easter egg?

[9to5Mac, thanks maj0!]

Camera+ no longer in iPhone App Store is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb – The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Developer tap tap tap submitted an update for their app Camera+ which included a new feature called VolumeSnap. VolumeSnap allowed users to use the volume controls to take a photo, a feature that many iPhone users have asked for. Apple, however, does not approve of using the iPhone’s hardware in this manner. Here’s what they had to say to tap tap tap:

Your application cannot be added to the App Store because it uses iPhone volume buttons in a non-standard way, potentially resulting in user confusion. Changing the behavior of iPhone external hardware buttons is a violation of the iPhone Developer Program License Agreement. Applications must adhere to the iPhone Human Interface Guidelines as outlined in the iPhone Developer Program License Agreement section 3.3.7

The iPhone Human Interface Guidelines states:

Users use the device’s volume buttons to adjust the volume of all sounds their devices can play, including songs, application sounds, and device sounds. Users can always use the volume buttons to quiet any sound, regardless of the position of the Ring/Silent switch.

Using the volume buttons to adjust an application’s currently playing audio also adjusts the overall system volume, with the exception of the ringer volume. (Using the volume buttons when no audio is currently playing adjusts the ringer volume.)

Although tap tap tap is disappointed that their app got reject, they are appreciative of the fact that Apple was very informative regarding the reason behind the rejection.

Flashlight apps that use the iPhone 4’s LED flash were originally in violation of Apple’s policy, but it got changed after a developer encouraged Apple to review it. So tap tap tap is encouraging developers and users alike to submit a feature request to Apple to get this policy changed.

So there you go, if the ability to use the volume buttons to snap a photo is something you desire, make your voice heard!

UPDATE: Flo from shimanke.com just let us know that there is way to enable VolumeSnap on the current version of Camera+. Just visit camplus://enablevolumesnap in mobile Safari. Doing so will launch Camera+ and VolumeSnap just works. There is a possibility that doing this will disable the volume control to your iPhone, but closing Camera+ from the multitasking dock quickly fixes it. To disable VolumeSnap, visit camplus://disablevolumesnap in mobile Safari.

I’ve tried it and it works flawlessly. In fact, I didn’t even lose volume control. If you try it out, let us know how it works for you!

[tap tap tap via @justin_horn]

UPDATE: Camera+ update featuring “VolumeSnap” rejected, feature request filed is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb – The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog