Attachable Camera Lenses for Android and iPhone

If you’re a photography enthusiast who enjoys taking photos with your phone, it’s likely you already have the latest handset, apps and editing tools. Enhance your equipment further with additional lenses for your device.

Photojojo

Photojojo offer a variety of lenses, which can be bought individually or as a set. At $99 for the full set of five lenses, it’s a great introduction to the world of handset lenses. The lenses included in the set are a 2 in 1 wide-angle and macro, fisheye, super fisheye, polarizer and telephoto. You’ll also receive a pouch containing small compartments in order to keep your lenses clean and protected.

Alternatively, you can buy each lens individually for $20 each. Photojojo lenses can be combined with all Android and Apple devices.

Camkix

For those looking to try out some new lenses on a budget, the Camkix 3 in 1 Cell Phone Camera Lens Kit is the perfect option. At just $19.99, the great value set includes a fisheye lens, a 2 in 1 macro and wide-angle lens, a universal lens clip and a microfiber carrying pouch to keep your lenses safe when not in use. Camkix products are compatible with most modern devices, including iPhones, iPads, Samsung Galaxy phones and other Android handsets.

Sony QX

Sony QX lenses can be attached to any Android or iOS device to create high quality, defined shots that could rival those taken by DSLR cameras.

Although it appears as a lens, the device is actually an additional camera that can be controlled by your device’s display. It will sync each photo directly to your phone, however it also has it’s on own-board storage facilities.

Due to it’s high capabilities, the Sony QX doesn’t come cheap at $499, however if you’re a serious about camera phone photography, it could be a great investment.

Buying attachable lenses for your photo can help you expand your photography skills and achieve stunning results, so pick some up today and start taking high quality shots from your handset. If you want to take images without holding your phone, EmoFix will be there for you soon.

Top 10 Most Successful Crowdfunding Campaigns

It’s clear that crowdfunding is the way forward, with a growing number of start-up businesses funding their innovative projects through public donations, but which crowdfunding campaigns have been the most successful?

10. Scanadu Scout

A device that could help save a life, the Scanadu Scout monitors the body’s vital signs, including temperature and heart rate, before sending a full report to the user’s smartphone. It raised $1,664,574 in less than 60 days and was delivered to backers in 2014.

9. Canary Smart Home Security

The Canary Smart Home Security campaign took place in 2013 on the IndieGoGo platform, earning over $1.9 million in 34 days. The security device includes an HD video camera and uses sensors to track motion around your home.

8. 3Doodler

The 3Doodler Pen allows anyone to quickly draw their creation in 3D using heated plastic which solidifies as the user draws. The project received $2,344,134 in 34 days and over 26,000 contributors were rewarded for their support.

7. Oculus Rift

This virtual reality headset took the gaming community by storm and players couldn’t wait to combine it with existing games. The project raised $2,437,429 in 30 days and was later taken over by Facebook in a $2 billion acquisition.

6. Formlabs 3D Printer

3D printing has been around for a while, however Formlabs aim to bring the technology to the masses with their affordable printing device. The campaign was successful, making it one of the first printers to have been developed through crowdfunding. Contributors who donated over $2,299 received a fully functional 3D printer in 2013.

5. The Dash

The Dash offered consumers the world’s only wireless in-eat headphones. While they offer music player capabilities, they also track fitness and workouts, making them different to any other headphones on the market. The brand’s Kickstarter campaign raised $3,390,551 in 50 days.

4. Bitvore

Bitvore is a product aimed at business, helping them to view and analyze large amounts of data. Their campaign was hosted on Fundable and reached $4,500,000 towards the development of their product.

3. Pono Music

Raising over $6 million in 30 days, the Pono music player was a hit with music enthusiasts looking for quality. Its creator, Neil Young, promised to offer high-resolution music as the artist intended it to be heard.

2. Ouya

The gaming community was excited when the Ouya open-source console was announced, with gamers, reviewers and tech enthusiasts hoping to get their hands on the device. Ouya’s Kickstarter campaign managed to raise $8.5 million in 29 days. Happy contributors received their consoles 10 months after the campaign’s launch.

1. Pebble E-Paper Watch

Famous for being Kickstarter’s most successful campaign of all time, the Pebble E-Paper Watch managed to raise $10,266,845 in just 37 days.

Generous contributors were excited at the prospect of owning the innovative smart watch, which was to be marketed at a lower price than it’s competitors.

Despite the high revenue, production was stalled and buyers were left disappointed when their watches didn’t arrive. This attracted some criticism, leading to the ‘Kickstarter is Not a Store’ announcements, reminding consumers that the goal is to fund start-ups to progress in their own time frame. The first Pebble E-Paper watches were delivered ten months after the campaign.

Tips to Enhance Battery Life With iOS 8

Today, we constantly find ourselves using our phones to chat with friends, enjoy digital photography or even watch movies on the go. New iPhones also contain plenty more features to enhance your user experience. As a result, battery life can often suffer, but there are steps every iPhone user can take to preserve it’s longevity.

Assess your usage

As the saying goes, ‘prevention is better than the cure’. By working out exactly which apps or features are draining your battery, you can prevent them from doing so in advance.

On iOS 8, visit Settings > General > Usage > Battery Usage to see which percentage of your battery each app is using. Unused apps can be deleted, others can simply be closed while not in use.

Background App Refresh

Background App Refresh will be enabled automatically on any iPhone running iOS 7 or later. This feature allows apps to run in the background while multitasking, constantly refreshing your content when connected to Wi-Fi or a data network. The continuous usage can run down your battery quickly, so disable it by visiting Settings > General > Background App Refresh and switching it off.

Notification Centre

In iOS 8, widgets can be accessed via the Notification Centre by pulling it down from the top of your screen.

Although it may be convenient to have regular updates on weather, sports or travel, the frequent refreshing of data can be a strain on your battery.

By selecting ‘Edit’ from your ‘Today’ screen, you can choose the widgets that are most important to you and remove the rest.

Location Services

If you’re using GPS for travel or want to update a friend with your location, these services can be great, but if you’re not using them personally there is little need for your iPhone to monitor your location constantly.

Location Services can be switched off through Settings > Privacy > Location Services.

Users of the ‘Find My iPhone’ feature will be glad to know the apps can be disabled individually, so you’ll still be able to find it in an emergency.

Brightness

While a vibrant display looks stunning on your iPhone, it could also be draining your battery. In most lighting scenarios, lower brightness settings can be perfectly adequate, so you may wish to switch off Auto-Brightness and select a level yourself.

Simply visit Settings > Wallpapers & Brightness to disable it and choose your ideal setting.

Cutting back on battery draining features will help you get the most from your iPhone and stay productive for longer.

What are your tips for saving your battery? Let us know in the comments. Also, EmoFix will change your perspective towards taking photographs.

Things You Didn’t Know About The iPhone 6

Already proven to be a best seller since it’s Fall 2014 release, the iPhone 6 is full of helpful apps and features to enhance your user experience, however there are several things you may not know about the device.

The iPhone 6 was the first time Apple changed the design of the iPhone in four years. They had been using the same basic design language since 2010.

Although it is an Apple product, the iPhone 6’s processor – the A8 chip, is actually designed by Samsung, as is the renowned Retina display. The Korean company have been contributing to Apple products for years and will be producing the new A9 chip for future models.

Even the smaller iPhone 6 is bigger than the iPhone 5s, showing how the trends within mobile technology are changing. Bigger is better!

We’ve all seen our fair share of cracked iPhones, so long-time users will be glad to know the latest version was created with ion-strengthened glass, built to resist shattering.

The device now supports 2.1A charging, and will charge faster with an iPad charger than an iPhone one.

The iPhone 6 sold so well upon release it caused glitches on Apple’s international websites. It instantly became the best selling cell phone in Japan, however the Japanese Apple website showed the product as ‘unavailable’ despite having plenty in stock.

Your iPhone will store anything you say to Siri. This information is sent to Apple to be analyzed and is stored for two years.

Speaking of Siri, it’s possible to retrain your phone to pronounce certain words. If Siri is incorrect, simply say ‘That’s not how you pronounce…’ and Siri will allow you to save a correction.

It’s possible to boost your productivity even further using the iPhone 6’s software. You no longer have to close an app or even unlock your phone to reply to a text. Simply slide your message notification horizontally and press ‘reply’.

Whilst unique trivia may not alter your opinion of the iPhone either way, it’s always fun to have fun facts to share with fellow tech enthusiasts. Do you have any facts to share about the iPhone 6? Let us know in the comments! Also, EmoFix is coming to change your photography experience with iPhone.