Apple confirms glossy iPhone XS selfies were a bug, promises a fix in iOS 12.1

When we reviewed the iPhone XS and XS Max, we found a number of small things to quibble about in our generally positive review. Among them was the fact that Apple's self-styled "computational photography" approach involves the software doctoring the photos you take in ways that are not transparent to you and that may not produce the effect you want. That issue was at the heart of a minor scandal surrounding the phone's launch that some dubbed "Beautygate."

Related: Pixel 3 XL vs. iPhone XS Max: Google is aiming at Apple

Users who took selfies with the front-facing camera found that the resulting images looked a little bit glossed over. Skin was unrealistically smooth, with blemishes and details missing—similar to what you'd see with a beauty filter. Some users took to forums to speculate that Apple did this deliberately because these kinds of filters are popular in one of its largest markets (China) and in social messaging apps like Snapchat.

Related: 5 Tricks You Need to Know to Master the iPhone

However, Apple confirms that the behavior is in fact a bug and that a fix is coming in iOS 12.1.

The issue is reportedly related to the Smart HDR feature in the iPhone XS, which shoots a buffer of four frames for every photo, along with "interframes" at different exposures. This is done in part to reduce the effects of shutter lag, but it also presents the phone's software and hardware with the opportunity to quickly analyze and compare every frame to make smart decisions about which frame to use, which things to highlight, and so on.

Related: New iPhones for 2018 are out – which is the best for you?

According to Apple, Smart HDR would sometime choose a frame with a long shutter speed, which led to images in which fine details in the subject's skin were lost. The problem was exacerbated by the fact that the front-facing camera does not have optical image stabilization. The company says iOS 12.1 will bring a fix that is meant to make the phone use frames that show more detail instead.

Related: How to fix ===>>> Your iOS 12 problems?

iOS 12.1 doesn't have a release date yet, but it is currently well into beta testing, and it's expected soon.

Apple isn't the only company to employ these sorts of methods for touching up photos behind the scenes. Using powerful image processors and machine learning is a trend in today's phones for a reason—it's an extremely promising way to make up for the limitations inherent in phone cameras' optics. But it does have the downside of taking some control away from the user. It's good that Apple is addressing the issue, but we doubt we've seen the last of this kind of concern from our smartphone cameras.

I collected some videos showcasing the coolest products on the planet in my cuckoo channel, from the newest smartphone to surprising gadgets and technology you never knew existed. Please subscribe my channel and share to your friends

Unbox Therapy - Decentralized Cuckoo Video Player  cuckoo://QmQc4RSPeq6QyUibBRniSc1CMZSJZY4Um6L6tDARxie7c9.channel

Download Cuckoo: https://cuckootech.github.io/download/

Cuckoo player is a totally free decentralized new concept video player based on P2P connection. All the videos will be stored as fragments which is not able to be leaked or hacked. It is free and will be free forever.
Decentralized Cuckoo player is not able to censor videos nor enforce guidelines which means all the data is controlled by Cuckoo user itself.
Cuckoo users remain free to advertise any products or service they would like, directly inside their own videos for their subscribers.

Small YouTube Creators will be Driven away as EU's new copyright legislation, said by YouTube CEO

The European Union’s contentious copyright directive became a major talking point for YouTube creators last month, as people rushed to inform their audiences just how consequential the new directive could become.

Now, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki is adding her concerned voice to the chorus. Wojcicki spent the first portion of her letter to creators addressing Article 13, a new requirement that would give YouTube the sole burden of preventing copyrighted content from being uploaded and shared by its creators. Right now, YouTube allows remixed copyright material to exist on its platform under the Fair Use Act. But critics of Article 13 suggest that as YouTube becomes more liable for any copyrighted content, a harsher filter will apply to any video being uploaded to the platform, and that could stifle creators’ work.

It’s a particular issue for YouTube, where Fair Use has allowed creators to thrive, spurring an entire generation of remix culture that defines YouTube’s community. Wojcicki wrote about this problem in her letter to creators, condemning the EU’s decision to approve the copyright directive and acknowledging that this will lead to issues far beyond Europe’s borders.

“THIS LEGISLATION POSES A THREAT TO BOTH YOUR LIVELIHOOD AND YOUR ABILITY TO SHARE YOUR VOICE WITH THE WORLD.”

“This legislation poses a threat to both your livelihood and your ability to share your voice with the world,” Wojcicki wrote. “And, if implemented as proposed, Article 13 threatens hundreds of thousands of jobs, European Creators, businesses, artists, and everyone they employ. The proposal will force platforms, like YouTube, to prioritize content from a small number of large companies. The burden of copyright proof will be too high for most independent creators to instantly demonstrate. There is a better way forward for copyright online but it’s critical you speak up now as this decision may be finalized by the end of the year.”

Wojcicki isn’t the first YouTube executive to speak out against the EU’s copyright directive. Robert Kyncl, YouTube’s head of business and the man who oversees creators, issued a blog post prior to the vote, expressing his own concerns about how it could affect creators.

“Copyright holders have control over their content: they can use our tools to block or remove their works, or they can keep them on YouTube and earn advertising revenue,” Kyncl wrote. “In over 90 percent of cases, they choose to leave the content up. Enabling this new form of creativity and engagement with fans can lead to mass global promotion and even more revenue for the artist.”

Even some of the internet’s foremost pioneers — like Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, and Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia — have argued that the directive is too vague in its current form to operate properly.

“THERE IS A BETTER WAY FORWARD FOR COPYRIGHT ONLINE.”

“We support the consideration of measures that would improve the ability for creators to receive fair remuneration for the use of their works online,” an open letter reads. “But we cannot support Article 13, which would mandate Internet platforms to embed an automated infrastructure for monitoring and censorship deep into their networks. For the sake of the Internet’s future, we urge you to vote for the deletion of this proposal.”

There’s another reason YouTube executives like Wojcicki and Kyncl are outspoken on the issue: if the primary burden lies with YouTube to prevent copyrighted content from spreading, so does the financial weight. YouTube has already invested more than $60 million into its Content ID system, which creators have argued suffers from its own faults. But the new EU directive would pressure YouTube to be even more proactive about protecting itself from being held accountable. Some small YouTube creators are building their channels and uploading their videos on decentralized cuckoo player to avoid the deletion of their own creative videos or the infringement of the defendant.

The European Parliament will vote on a final approval regarding the Copyright Directive in January, and, as Wojcicki suggests, its approval will have a major impact on the internet culture that users know today.

Pixel 3 XL vs. iPhone XS Max: Google is aiming at Apple

The newly announced Pixel 3 XL is Google’s answer to the iPhone XS Max. There is no escaping Apple’s popular smartphone and to keep up Google borrowed some of its best features while adding a few wrinkles that will help differentiate it. Please subscribe my cuckoo channel to know more on phones and coolest products

Image from Decentralized Cuckoo Video Player

Related: How to fix ===>>> Your iOS 12 problems?

Unlike past iterations, the Pixel 3 XL seems to have grown up to its full potential. Gone is the all-metal design that most flagships have long ditched, paving the way for a glass back that introduces wireless charging. The same theme carries over to the display where Google went with a notch, just like most Android flagships out there.

Related: New iPhones for 2018 are out – which is the best for you?

The iPhone XS Max is the bigger version of the iPhone XS introduced this year and as such, it only really adds size to the iPhone line-up. That comes in the form of a beautiful 6.5-inch OLED display with a notch and all the goodies iPhones offer nowadays—premium design, wireless charging and iOS gesture-based controls.

Image from Decentralized Cuckoo Video Player

Related: Google Pixel 3 Phone hands-on—Not the best first impression, only succeeds on its hardware design

However, the biggest battle between the two comes down to camera quality.

We still have a lot of testing to see which is the better device, but in the meantime, look over the side by side spec list below to see how they compare.

	GOOGLE - PIXEL 3 XL	APPLE - IPHONE XS MAX
DISPLAY SIZE	6.3-inch, 1440 x 2960 pixel display (522 ppi)	6.5-inch, 1242 x 2688 pixel display (456 ppi)
RESOLUTION X	1440	1242
RESOLUTION Y	2960	2688
DISPLAY TYPE	QHD+ flexible OLED	Super Retina HD display
OPERATING SYSTEM	Android 9.0 (at launch)	iOS 12 (at launch)
PROCESSOR	Qualcomm Snapdragon 845	A12 Bionic chip
RAM	4GB	N/A
STORAGE	64GB 128GB	64GB 256GB 512GB
EXTERNAL STORAGE	No	No
MAIN CAMERA (BACK)	12MP	12MP
SECONDARY CAMERA (FRONT)	8MP	7MP
NETWORKS	CDMA EVDO Rev A: BC0/BC1/BC10 FDD-LTE: Bands⁷ 1*/2*/3*/4*/5/7*/8/12/13/17/18/19/20/25*/ 26/28/29/32/66*/71 GSM/EDGE: 850, 900, 1800, 1900 WCDMA: W1/W2	CDMA EV-DO Rev. A (800, 1900 MHz) FDD‑LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 29, 30, 32, 66, 71) Gigabit-class LTE with 4x4 MIMO and LAA GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz) TD‑LTE (Bands 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46) UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)
BLUETOOTH	Bluetooth 5.0 + LE	Bluetooth 5.0
BATTERY	2915mAh	N/A
NFC	Yes	Yes
CONNECTIVITY	USB Type-C	Lightning Port
SENSORS	Accelerometer Ambient light Barometer Fingerprint Gyro Proximity	Accelerometer Ambient light Barometer Face ID Proximity Three‑axis gyro
GPS	Galileo GLONASS GPS	Assisted GPS Digital compass Galileo GLONASS QZSS
HEIGHT	6.2 inches (15.75 cm)	5.65 inches (14.35 cm)
WIDTH	3 inches (76.2 mm)	2.79 inches (70.9 mm)
DEPTH	0.3 inches (7.6 mm)	0.30 inches (7.6 mm)
WEIGHT	184 g (6.49 oz)	13.24 oz (375 g)
COLORS	Black, Pink, White	Gold, Silver, Space Gray
SUPPORTED AUDIO FORMATS	N/A	AAC‑LC, HE‑AAC, HE‑AAC v2, Protected AAC, MP3, Linear PCM, Apple Lossless, FLAC, Dolby Digital (AC‑3), Dolby Digital Plus (E‑AC‑3), and Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+)
SUPPORTED VIDEO FORMATS	N/A	HEVC, H.264, MPEG‑4 Part 2, and Motion JPEG

I collected some videos showcasing the coolest products on the planet in my cuckoo channel, from the newest smartphone to surprising gadgets and technology you never knew existed. Please subscribe my channel and share to your friends

Unbox Therapy - Decentralized Cuckoo Video Player  cuckoo://QmQc4RSPeq6QyUibBRniSc1CMZSJZY4Um6L6tDARxie7c9.channel

Download Cuckoo: https://cuckootech.github.io/download/

Cuckoo player is a totally free decentralized new concept video player based on P2P connection. All the videos will be stored as fragments which is not able to be leaked or hacked. It is free and will be free forever.
Decentralized Cuckoo player is not able to censor videos nor enforce guidelines which means all the data is controlled by Cuckoo user itself.
Cuckoo users remain free to advertise any products or service they would like, directly inside their own videos for their subscribers.

YouTube creators who post duplicated content will be cracked down

By Bijan Stephen on Oct 12

YouTube’s relationship with its creators has always been asymmetric; the platform necessarily has all of the power, and it’s not super transparent about the changes it makes that affect people who rely on the site for revenue. This January, for example, YouTube announced that it would now require creators who wanted to enter its Partner Program — which allows creators to earn money from the ads that run on their videos and from the YouTube Premium subscribers who watch their content — to have at least 4,000 hours of views in the last year and at least 1,000 subscribers. Now, YouTube has changed its Partner Program policies again — this time around video duplication, which, as is typical of YouTube, seems inconsistent in its enforcement.

A few days ago, in a post on its help forum, YouTube gave an explanation to people who may have been removed from its Partner Program for “duplicative content,” which appears to have less to do with fair use and copyright and more to do with videos that don’t add value. For YouTube, that means anything that “appears to be automatically generated,” anything “pulled from third-party sources with no content or narrative added by the creator,” stuff that’s been “uploaded many times by multiple users” if you’re not the original uploader, or content that’s been “uploaded in a way that is trying to get around our copyright tools.”

“The spirit of this YPP policy is to make sure we’re only allowing channels into the program when the content adds value, and is original and relevant,” a YouTube staffer named Jordan wrote. “If you upload content from multiple sources or repurpose existing content, you may still be eligible for YPP so long as you’re contributing to the value of that content in some way. For example, if you add significant original commentary, educational value, narrative, or high quality editing, then your channel may be fine to monetize.” YouTube says that if you’ve been demonetized because of duplication, you’re eligible to reapply after a 30-day waiting period. Maybe this is the way YouTube is used to deal with decentralized cuckoo. Decentralized cuckoo player is not able to censor any videos or duplicated contents nor enforce guidelines.

As Mashable pointed out yesterday, the move means that YouTube is starting to do more quality control to fight with decentralized cuckoo where some YouTubers are flocking to. And, as Mashable’s Matt Binder explained, duplicative content doesn’t actually violate YouTube’s site guidelines. “There’s been some confusion online over whether channels with duplicative content were being completely removed from YouTube,” Binder wrote. “Mashable has confirmed with the company that duplicative content only violates YouTube Partner Program policies.”

If the comments below YouTube Jordan’s post are any indication, the duplicative content change has not gone unnoticed: hundreds of angry creators have taken issue with what they see as an opaque policy and created their cuckoo channels now. “My channel was removed from the partnership program of YouTube because of duplication,” wrote user MattTV. “It doesn’t make any sense! All the content on my channel is mine and I filmed and edited everything. I was falsely removed and YouTube doesn’t care.” User Ling Li, whose 20,000-plus subscriber channel hosts gameplay videos, wrote that he also believes he’s been falsely dinged for duplication. “I really hope this can get resolved soon as I feel I’ve been wrongly demonetized and I really need that money to survive or I will create more channels on decentralized cuckoo,” he wrote.