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Apple could finally fix iPhone’s longstanding camera flare issue

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iPhone 14 Pro's camera module
Could Apple finally solve the flaring issue on iPhone photos and videos?
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Lens flare has been a longtime issue with the iPhone’s camera. Apple could finally solve this issue on the iPhone 16 Pro with a new lens coating technology.

It’s common for flares to show up in photos or videos taken from an iPhone’s camera. The issue has been around for years, and Apple has made little improvement in this area over generations.

New ALD coating can help reduce lens flare

A rumor originating from China by leaker @Yeux1122 says Apple is testing new Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) equipment for a special coating that will help reduce lens flares. The company will seemingly only use the coating on the iPhone 16 Pro lineup.

Lens fare on iPhones has been an issue since the 2012 iPhone 5. Over the years, Apple has used various coatings and improved glass lenses to enhance light transmission and reduce flares. But despite the company’s best efforts, the issue remains and is mainly prevalent while recording videos. The new ALD coating might help Apple reduce flaring to a large extent, if not fix it entirely.

Besides reducing glare, the coating can help improve light transmission and unwanted flaring.

Apple working on big anti-reflective upgrades for future iPhones

The new coating could be one of the many camera upgrades Apple is planning for the iPhone 16 Pro. A previous leak indicates the iPhone’s camera module could get a radical redesign, helping it stand out from the previous generation of the phone.

Given this leak’s timing, there’s a possibility of the ALD coating not being ready for use in the iPhone 16 Pro series. In that case, Apple could use the coating on the iPhone 17 Pro in 2025.

Like the camera coating, Apple is testing a major anti-reflective update for the iPhone 17’s display. It will help reduce glares and reflection while also improving the scratch resistance of the cover glass.



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Featured

My haunted Roomba S9+ kept me up all night and iRobot says there’s no way to fix it

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I’m going to tell you that my Roomba S9 Plus is haunted, but don’t dwell on the haunting. The buttons are stuck, which may or may not be related. I have been living with the haunted Roomba and its broken buttons since last year, when it was still under warranty, but it only recently started waking me up in the middle of the night. When I finally contacted iRobot for support, they told me that my Roomba was dead (undead?!), and it would be impossible for them to fix it. 

I need to live with the haunted Roomba or destroy it. 

iRobot Roomba S9 Plus

A Roomba S9 like mine, but not as haunted (Image credit: iRobot)

Again, let’s not dwell on the haunting part. There are many things you can replace on a Roomba. Of course, you can replace the filters. You can replace all of the cleaning elements, like the brushes and sweepers.

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Life Style

Scientists discover first algae that can fix nitrogen — thanks to a tiny cell structure

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1000x magnification micrograph of Braarudospharea bigelowii cell.

A Braarudosphaera bigelowii cell magnified 1,000-fold.Credit: Tyler Coale

Researchers have discovered a type of organelle, a fundamental cellular structure, that can turn nitrogen gas into a form that is useful for cell growth.

The discovery of the structure, called a nitroplast, in algae could bolster efforts to genetically engineer plants to convert, or ‘fix’, their own nitrogen, which could boost crop yields and reduce the need for fertilizers. The work was published in Science on 11 April1.

“The textbooks say nitrogen fixation only occurs in bacteria and archaea,” says ocean ecologist Jonathan Zehr at the University of California, Santa Cruz, a co-author of the study. This species of algae is the “first nitrogen-fixing eukaryote”, he adds, referring to the group of organisms that includes plants and animals.

In 2012, Zehr and his colleagues reported that the marine algae Braarudosphaera bigelowii interacted closely with a bacterium called UCYN-A that seemed to live in, or on, the algal cells2. The researchers hypothesised that UCYN-A converts nitrogen gas into compounds that the algae use to grow, such as ammonia. In return, the bacteria were thought to gain a carbon-based energy source from the algae.

But in the latest study, Zehr and his colleagues conclude that UCYN-A should be classed as organelles inside the algae, rather than as a separate organism. According to genetic analysis from a previous study, ancestors of the algae and bacteria entered a symbiotic relationship around 100 million years ago, says Zehr. Eventually, this gave rise to the nitroplast organelle, now seen in B. bigelowii.

Defining organelles

Researchers use two key criteria to decide whether a bacterial cell has become an organelle in a host cell. First, the cell structure in question must be passed down through generations of the host cell. Second, the structure must be reliant on proteins provided by the host cell.

By imaging dozens of algae cells at various stages of cell division, the team found that the nitroplast splits in two just before the whole algae cell divides. In this way, one nitroplast is passed down from the parent cell to its offspring, as happens with other cell structures.

Next, the researchers found that the nitroplast gets the proteins it needs to grow from the wider algae cell. The nitroplast itself — which makes up more than 8% of the volume of each host cell — lacks key proteins required for photosynthesis and making genetic material, says Zehr. “A lot of these proteins [from the algae] are just filling those gaps in metabolism,” he says.

The discovery was made possible thanks to work by study author Kyoko Hagino at Kochi University in Japan, who spent around a decade fine-tuning a way to grow the algae in the lab — which allowed it to be studied in more detail, says Zehr.

“It’s quite remarkable,” says Siv Andersson, who studies how organelles evolve at Uppsala University in Sweden. “They really see all these hallmarks that we think are characteristic of organelles.”

Upgraded plants

Understanding how the nitroplast interacts with its host cell could support efforts to engineer crops that can fix their own nitrogen, says Zehr. This would reduce the need for nitrogen-based fertilizers and avoid some of the environmental damage they cause. “The tricks that are involved in making this system work could be used in engineering land plants,” he says.

“Crop yields are majorly limited by availability of nitrogen,” says Eva Nowack, who studies symbiotic bacteria at the Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf in Germany. “Having a nitrogen-fixing organelle in a crop plant would be, of course, fantastic.” But introducing this ability into plants will be no easy feat, she warns. Plant cells containing the genetic code for the nitroplast would need to be engineered in such a way that the genes were transferred stably from generation to generation, for example. “That would be the most difficult thing to do,” she says.

“It’s both a pleasure and very impressive to see this work build up to what is certainly a major stepping stone in understanding,” says Jeffrey Elhai, a cell biologist at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Vriginia.

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The new Sonos app just leaked – and it might just fix the S2 app’s many problems

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Audio brand Sonos may soon completely redesign its S2 app by making it easier to set up its devices as well as “strengthen connectivity between its many speakers.” It’ll also introduce several new customization options. This nugget of information comes from TheVerge which claims to have received screenshots of the revamp from sources close to the matter. 

According to the report, the company is removing all the navigation tabs at the bottom, replacing tabs with a search bar to help soundbar owners find music quickly. The home screen will serve as a central hub consisting of “scrollable carousels” housing playlists and direct access to streaming services. 

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Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra tipped to get another camera update to fix 3 lingering problems

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It’s fair to say the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra‘s cameras haven’t had the smoothest of launches since the phone came out – but it sounds as though a fix is on the way to deal with the final three outstanding problems.

As per serial tipster @UniverseIce (via SamMobile), Samsung‘s engineers are on the case with solutions for below-par telephoto image quality, inaccurate white balance problems, and issues with abnormal red coloring in some situations.



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AI alone will not fix bad customer service

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With AI becoming more mainstream, we’re at the stage now where organizations are actively starting to experiment and identify ways it could help them to improve customer engagement.

Recent research carried out by Twilio has revealed that 79% of UK IT teams are actively implementing AI to varying degrees, or are in the advanced stages of planning for its adoption. But as with all new technology, it’s easy to get caught up in what everyone else is doing.

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Google broke this great camera feature with the Pixel 8 Pro, and it probably won’t ever fix it

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I’ve been a long-time fan of Pixel phones, but Google made a major change to the camera experience on the latest Pixel 8 Pro that effectively broke one of its most convenient features; and while I’ve patiently waited for a fix, it looks like Google has committed to leaving users in the lurch, rather than undoing its mistake.

I’ve reviewed at least one entry of every generation of the best Pixel phones since Google debuted the series back in 2016, and the camera is what keeps me coming back; so much so that I’ve mainlined one of Google’s smartphones since the Pixel 4 XL. My experience with the Pixel 8 Pro, however, is soured every time a simple camera UI tweak that Google has made stops me from getting the shot I want.

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News

Apple Releases macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 With Fix for USB Hub Bug

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Apple today released macOS Sonoma 14.4.1, a minor update for the ‌macOS Sonoma‌ operating system that launched last September. ‌macOS Sonoma‌ 14.4.1 comes three weeks after ‌macOS Sonoma‌ 14.4.

sonoma desktop wwdc
The ‌‌‌‌‌macOS Sonoma‌‌‌ 14.4‌ update can be downloaded for free on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Settings. There’s also a macOS 13.6.6 release for those who are still running macOS Ventura.

According to Apple’s release notes, the ‌macOS Sonoma‌ 14.4.1 update fixes an issue that could cause USB hubs connected to external displays not to be recognized. It also addresses an issue that could cause apps with Java to quit unexpectedly, and it fixes an issue that could cause Audio Unit plug-ins for professional music apps not to open.

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Google Wallet gets overdue feature to help fix iPhone ticket-sharing headaches

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Google Wallet looks set to become much more useful by supporting Apple Wallet files, it’ll finally be able to open and use tickets and passes created/saved in Apple’s proprietary .pkpass file format. 

Android tipster Mishaal Rahman reported that the feature has been rolling out to some of his followers with several replies confirming they have access right now. However, the feature doesn’t seem to be available to everyone yet, which could mean the rollout is limited to certain regions.



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News

GarageBand for Mac Updated With Important Security Fix

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Apple this week updated GarageBand for Mac with an important security fix. Users should update the app as soon as possible due to this security vulnerability.

GarageBand Mac
In a support document for the new GarageBand version, Apple said “a use-after-free issue was addressed with improved memory management”:

GarageBand

Available for: macOS Ventura and macOS Sonoma

Impact: Processing a maliciously crafted file may lead to unexpected app termination or arbitrary code execution

Description: A use-after-free issue was addressed with improved memory management.

CVE-2024-23300: Marc Schoenefeld, Dr. rer. nat.

GarageBand version 10.4.11 is available on the Mac App Store. The update also includes stability improvements and bug fixes, according to Apple.

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