lighting

IQ Light 1.0 Review

Flashlight apps are a must-have on just about any smartphone. That's why they tend to top the Google Play charts. You won't find IQ Light up high with them, though, and that's not just because it isn't in the Play Store. This app fails so soundly at doing what you need it to that it isn't even worth downloading.

This app isn't available from Google's official market, so you need a side-loader to install it. Instead of using your camera's flash to light up the dark, this app turns your screen bright … Read more

Finally, some good news for LightSquared and its 4G hopes

Things might finally be looking up for LightSquared, the much ballyhooed wireless startup with big plans to blanket the U.S. with 4G LTE service.

The company, which seemed doomed a year ago after the GPS industry successfully lobbied against its efforts to use 40MHz of unused satellite spectrum for terrestrial wireless broadband, may be getting a second chance after all.

This week the company received approval from the Federal Communications Commission to test the feasibility of sharing spectrum with the federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). If all goes well with the testing, the company could use this … Read more

Sony Xperia Tablet Z available for preorder

Sony's Xperia Tablet Z is now available for preorder through Sony's Web site. The tablet is expected to ship on May 24 and prices for the 16GB and 32GB models are $499 and $599, respectively.

The 10.1-inch Xperia Tablet Z's physical dimensions make it one of the thinnest and lightest tablets on the market and, according to Sony, its waterproof and dustproof build makes it highly durable.

Not to be outshone by its good looks, the Xperia Tablet Z ships with the Android 4.1.2 operating system, houses a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor and … Read more

Pocket Filmmaker: How to light smartphone videos like a pro

Welcome back to CNET's guide to pocket filmmaking, where we show you how to turn the smartphone in your pocket into a camera capable of shooting video projects worth sharing.

In this episode, we look at the importance of correctly lighting your movies, whether it is with natural light, the use of reflectors or by using some very handy, portable and inexpensive light packs. We also examine which settings on your phone can help you get the best images possible.

Editors' note: Jason Van Genderen was the winner of several short film-making awards at festivals including Tropfest NY, Tropfest … Read more

LED lights could become network devices, too

Today, you've got wireless networks that use radio waves and you've got optical networks that use light traveling in tiny glass fibers. Tomorrow, if Fraunhofer Institute research comes to fruition, a combination of the two could turn living-room lights into network devices.

The German applied-research lab has developed wireless networking that uses rapidly blinking LEDs to transmit data through the air. The technology can send data at speeds up to 1 gigabit per second -- and by using three colors of light, triple that data rate is possible, Fraunhofer said.

The technology could be useful in crowded, interference-prone … Read more

Strobe Light Review

Strobe Light is exactly as it sounds: a strobe light. For that reason alone, this review will be very simple. Turn on the app and it starts to flash. Not so rapidly as to give you a headache and not so slowly as to attract the attention of a nearby emergency vehicle, but as you would expect from a strobe light for a party or concert. That alone is a nice feature; it works well on both the iPad and iPhone and it doesn't drain your battery quite as rapidly as some flashlight apps that have strobe functions.

That … Read more

Five things to consider before buying LED bulbs

As your incandescents burn out, it's a good time to consider switching to LED bulbs. By now, you probably know that LEDs have an impressive lifespan (20-something years!) and are very cost-effective. You probably also know that they're a pricey investment that can run five times more expensive than incandescents.

Despite the cost, now's the right time to switch to LEDs. These bulbs have made significant advances over the last few years, finally delivering the warm light incandescents have comforted us with for decades.

More than ever, there is also an overwhelming number of LED varieties, and … Read more

Is Darth Vader the world's favorite 'Star Wars' character?

Will it be Han Solo? Jabba the Hutt? Yoda? Chewbacca? Or possibly Luke Skywalker or Princess Leia?

Or will Darth Vader run away with the competition?

Today, Lucasfilm announced "This is Madness," its first-ever "Star Wars" NCAA basketball-style tournament, an effort to determine who is the world's favorite "Star Wars" character. Mashable was first to report the story.

There are four regions, two from the Light Side, and two from the Dark Side. StarWars.com plans on announcing the winner on April 9. There will be four rounds of voting before the winner … Read more

Apple launches two iPhone ads to flaunt new features

Apple released a set of snazzy new iPhone commercials today dubbed "Brilliant" and "Discover" to show off various features and apps on the smartphone.

Choreographed to upbeat music -- the same as its recent iPad ads -- the commercials display the phone in a pair of hands that click, tap, and swipe through various games, apps, and videos.

"Brilliant" highlights how people can use the smartphone to pay for a Starbucks coffee with the Passbook app, use the scientific MyScript math calculator, and control the dimming of a lamp with the new Hue Lighting … Read more