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Samsung's Upcoming Galaxy S Phone Will Sport Six Cameras and Support 5G, Report Says (wsj.com)

Samsung is planning a major upgrade for its 10th anniversary flagship phones next year, including next-generation 5G network speeds, bigger screens and more cameras, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. From the report: Samsung, the world's largest smartphone maker by volume, is preparing three versions of its next flagship Galaxy S10 smartphone, with displays that range in size from 5.8 inches to 6.4 inches, the people said, versus two variants in previous years. Those three phones are set to debut in February next year, they added. In addition, the South Korean technology giant is developing a fourth variant of the Galaxy S10 that will be 5G-enabled and is internally code-named "Beyond X," [Editor's note: the link may be paywalled; alternative source] some of these people said.

The 5G phone, slated for a spring release in the U.S. and South Korea, would sport an even larger screen, measuring 6.7 inches diagonally, and pack in a whopping six cameras -- two in the front and four in the back, these people said, which promise richer photos and better spatial perception.

168 comments

  1. There is no 5G by goombah99 · · Score: 0

    What's 5G? It's made from hyperventilium on the planet marketingbull.

    And 6 cameras sounds good until someone does 7 minute abs.

    --
    Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
    1. Re:There is no 5G by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      What's 5G? It's made from hyperventilium on the planet marketingbull.

      Yes. but it's funded by Bitcoin so it's all good!

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
    2. Re:There is no 5G by Dunbal · · Score: 4, Insightful

      5G is another excuse to make your cell phone data plan 100% more expensive.

      --
      Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
    3. Re:There is no 5G by DickBreath · · Score: 2

      Please make allowance for the costs to reprint all the marketing materials and brochures which tell you how much better 5G is than 4G. And those TV ads don't pay for themselves.

      --

      I'll see your senator, and I'll raise you two judges.
    4. Re:There is no 5G by TheFakeTimCook · · Score: 1

      What's 5G? It's made from hyperventilium on the planet marketingbull.

      And 6 cameras sounds good until someone does 7 minute abs.

      Reminds me of this:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

    5. Re:There is no 5G by CaptainDork · · Score: 1

      ... funded by Bitcoin ...

      And rides on blockchain.

      --
      It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
    6. Re:There is no 5G by alvinrod · · Score: 2

      It's also kind of pointless with a lot of data caps being as low as they are. It's like being sold a faster Ferrari that you can only drive on a 400 meter test track. Sure, it might get you to the end of the track that much faster, but the practical difference is almost nil since you can't go anywhere else with it.

    7. Re:There is no 5G by jimbo · · Score: 1

      It could reduce network congestion in busy areas. Apparently congestion is a big problem and 5G is the new neti pot.

    8. Re:There is no 5G by ClickOnThis · · Score: 1

      5G is coming.

      It's already available in some markets. But I suppose that depends on what you call 5G.

      --
      If it weren't for deadlines, nothing would be late.
    9. Re:There is no 5G by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      Excuse me!

      That is quantum AI blockchain, powered by rotting fish.

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
    10. Re:There is no 5G by CaptainDork · · Score: 1

      Fuck you. You have diminished my street cred by way of buzzword bullying.

      While well played, Imma tell my momma and she'll tell your momma and you'll get a spanking and my daddy can beat your daddy.

      I'm tempted to throw out DRAM, push technology, cloud computing, S-100 bus and Z-80 but the last time I did that, I got hit with vibranium, which sounded vaguely familiar, and goddamit I saw the movie and stuff.

      I retired 4 years ago and am well past my prime. I'm exhibiting the same late-career ineptitude as Einstein, Hawking, and Limbaugh.

      Crap.

      --
      It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
    11. Re:There is no 5G by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      I retired 4 years ago and am well past my prime. I'm exhibiting the same late-career ineptitude as Einstein, Hawking, and Limbaugh.

      Crap.

      Damn grandpa using a 2A3 tube to heat his bong-water for subsequent hits...

      Happy fuckin' Thanksgiving!

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
    12. Re:There is no 5G by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      400m test track? You know drag strips (402m) are a thing, right?

    13. Re: There is no 5G by MachineShedFred · · Score: 1

      The "long term evolution" wasn't an evolution in technology - it was an evolution in what the telcos can get away with charging people for, and scheme to limit the "unlimited."

      --
      Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
    14. Re:There is no 5G by CaptainDork · · Score: 1

      Seriously, OK?

      I do not know what that means.

      I was in the Navy from 1965-1974 and missed out on the drug revolution and, sadly, free love (I paid in every port).

      I busted a guy smoking in the head late one night because his pipe smelled funny. I called Shore Patrol and those bastards rammed the fire escape entrance from the back of the building.

      Wood went everywhere. They asked him what he was smoking and he said, "Tea." That was a you fee mism for queen mary, she's my friend (Richie Havens).

      However, it WAS tea, Lipton. He stored it in his locker at the barracks so he'd have something for his pipe between paydays.

      They wrote him up for having food in his locker. I talked to him later and he cussed me out. I told him, "Man, they never actually trained me on drug shit."

      He called me a fucking idiot. I agreed and assigned his ass as security watch for the rest of the night at busted door until maintenance the next morning.

      --
      It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
    15. Re:There is no 5G by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      5G is another excuse to make your cell phone data plan 100% more expensive.

      And yet that didn't appear to happen when LTE was introduced, at least in most of the world.

    16. Re:There is no 5G by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The Beatles (John and Paul) smoked tea too. Twinnings tea to be exact. Twinings (since 1706) was granted a royal warrant by Queen Victoria in 1837 and may be the same brand dumped at the boston tea party.

  2. I liked my Galaxy Note 4 Better Than 8 by BrendaEM · · Score: 2

    Curved screens don't make sense in the real world. There's a blue line on each edge of the screen. I've already broken 2 screen protectors. I can't even find cases that protect the edge of the screen from drops. And we don't need a whole bunch of crappy cameras, just one good one.

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/c/BrendaEM
    1. Re: I liked my Galaxy Note 4 Better Than 8 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I liked my note edge (i beleive it was released with the note 4), with its one side curved screen it was the best. Todays notes dont really have the same usability anymore.

    2. Re:I liked my Galaxy Note 4 Better Than 8 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I fucking hate the curved phone. My man paws keep brushing the edge while in use and brings up the interface I never fucking use or want to use in the middle of doing other shit.. fucking annoying. For the first time in my life I'm actually looking at *apple* over samsung for my next phone (although most likely something like a moto would be more my speed). WTF samsung.

    3. Re:I liked my Galaxy Note 4 Better Than 8 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The Note4 is still a perfectly viable phone today. I still use one because of the damn curved screens, and non-removable batteries in the newer ones.. Put LineageOS on it and you can have a current version of Android on it as well.

      They do have the annoying EMMC flash memory issue, but you can generally get about a year and a half to two years out of a phone before the EMMC starts acting up and you have plenty of warning to get the data off the phone before the whole thing goes tits up. At the current cost of new phones today I could replace with NIB/Refurbs off ebay for about $200ish a pop every year and a half and still come out ahead over the course of 5 years or so

      Hopefully by the time I can no longer obtain NIB/good refurbs on ebay the cell makers will have come to their senses.

    4. Re:I liked my Galaxy Note 4 Better Than 8 by DirkDaring · · Score: 1

      I have the Note5 and love it. Camera rocks as well, got complements just this last weekend for some low-light photos and movies that really turned out amazing.

    5. Re:I liked my Galaxy Note 4 Better Than 8 by Solandri · · Score: 1

      The curved screens most certainly do make sense, just perhaps not in your typical usage. They had their inception in Korea. The larger Galaxy Note phones were extremely popular among women there who'd slap a case on it, and carry the phone in their purses. Unfortunately, when they got a SMS, they had to open the purse, pull the phone out, and flip open the cover tor read the text message. By having a curved screen on the edge which could display a preview of the text, the woman could simply open the purse and peek at the phone to see what the text was.

      I'd agree that at this point it's mostly become a marketing gimmick. But then the same is true for high-PPI displays, notches, glass backs, etc. Manufacturers don't make these things because they want to force them onto people. They make them because people fool themselves into wanting them. The manufacturers are just giving them what they want.

    6. Re:I liked my Galaxy Note 4 Better Than 8 by mobby_6kl · · Score: 1

      OTOH, the Note 9 is by far the best phone I've ever had. The curved edges are a harmless gimmick and can be fully protected with a flip case if you really have to.

      The reason it has two cameras is that you can't actually make a single good one fit in a phone. The regular phone camera is fixed at what, 30mm equivalent focal length? That's fine and I'm as big of a fan of prime lenses as the next guy, but there are things that you just can't do well with that focal length, like shoot a portrait or capture action further away.

      With an SLR (or one of those fancy new mirrorless things) you just change the lens to a more appropriate one, but with a phone you're stuck of course with what's built-in. You could try one of those snap-on teleconverters but they're garbage of course, and a theoretical 100mp sensor might have enough details to crop in, but such a thing doesn't exist (and wouldn't help with other aspects). So unless somebody manages to fit a zoom lens in a phone, multiple cameras is the only way to increase the versatility.

      Now whether or not they'll actually have 6 cameras I don't know, that certainly seems excessive, but some Chinese phones already do have 3 cameras in the back.

    7. Re:I liked my Galaxy Note 4 Better Than 8 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Note 4? Noob.

      I still use my Note 3.

    8. Re:I liked my Galaxy Note 4 Better Than 8 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What's a screen protector?
      Maybe I just look after my expensive phones better...

  3. THe reason for 6 cameras by goombah99 · · Score: 4, Funny

    The new Samsung Bixby(TM) artificial intelligence processes all six images then finds the one of them that doesn't have your fat fingers covering the lens. Then through a generative adversarial quantum neural net filter is learns to reconstruct the missing data in the photos containing your finger.

    --
    Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
    1. Re:THe reason for 6 cameras by gtall · · Score: 1

      That's nothing, in the year 2025 we'll have phones that sport 25 cameras.

    2. Re:THe reason for 6 cameras by forkfail · · Score: 4, Funny

      Love how you pipelined that synergy!

      --
      Check your premises.
    3. Re:THe reason for 6 cameras by Kazymyr · · Score: 3

      This clearly surpasses the XKCD 2000 phone, if nothing else then in number of cameras.
      https://www.xkcd.com/2000/

      --
      I hadn't known there were so many idiots in the world until I started using the Internet -Stanislaw Lem
    4. Re:THe reason for 6 cameras by shortscruffydave · · Score: 2

      We're getting to the point where cameras are to phones what cupholders are to cars - unless there are more than you can physically use, the manufacturer considers it to be under-specced

    5. Re:THe reason for 6 cameras by CaptainDork · · Score: 3, Funny

      You are so fucking stupid it's a miracle that you have the technical know how to sign in to /.

      It pisses me off when people pretend to know shit when their narrative clearly demonstrates otherwise.

      How can that possibly work without blockchain?

      Buy ya books and send ya to school and ya bite the teacher.

      --
      It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
    6. Re:THe reason for 6 cameras by goombah99 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Quantum Deep Learning social networks apply middle-out compression through a on-line JIT Gig-economy stored in a continuously shared webscale Mongo DB and thus have no need to use blockchain.

      --
      Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
    7. Re:THe reason for 6 cameras by rossdee · · Score: 2

      It would be more useful if they added a cupholder, a kitchen sink, and a toilet than the extra cameras

    8. Re:THe reason for 6 cameras by CaptainDork · · Score: 3, Funny

      I'm so embarrassed.

      I googled my criticism before posting as part of due diligence and still missed the "JIT Gig-economy" nullification of blockchain which would not only be redundant, it would be disruptive to the 6-core AI virtual reality algorithm when we all know Al Gore ain't got no rhythm.

      I apologize for my shortcomings.

      --
      It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
    9. Re:THe reason for 6 cameras by Dragonslicer · · Score: 1

      That's nothing, in the year 2025 we'll have phones that sport 25 cameras.

      Fuck it, we're going to fiv- oh. Damnit.

    10. Re:THe reason for 6 cameras by mikael · · Score: 1

      Even when taking a panoramic photograph, the camera software now seems to think you actually want to make a movie as well. I could never understand why it became impossible to send a panoramic picture. All because someone thought it would be incredibly spiffy if you could do two things at the same time, or maybe they figured that sometime they'll have better stitching software at a later date, and if you keep both the movie and panorama in the same file, it can be reprocessed at a later date.

      There is stereo photography to get depth perception. Or maybe they'll add a laser scanner to get the depthfield. You get addon genuine USB attachable IR cameras, plus endoscopic cameras. But then they take functionality away like using digital zoom with panoramic mode. But they did add enhanced night-vision by making use of the 16-bit depth resolution of the CCD sensor.

      --
      Vintage computer adverts: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/computers-and-software-ads
    11. Re:THe reason for 6 cameras by CyberKnet · · Score: 1

      Are you sure it isn't reconstructing the missing finger on the photos that don't contain it? That seems more likely to be desirable based on a recent survey of Instragram photos...

      --
      Video meliora proboque deteriora sequor - Ovidius
    12. Re:THe reason for 6 cameras by Daralantan · · Score: 1

      Reminds me of when I thought Japanese cars were making fun of Americans. 5 seater with 2 tiny barely usable cup holders.... Then I got a newer car. 4 seater that could hold 5 cups. Then I got a newer car. 5 seater that can hold 8 cups.

    13. Re:THe reason for 6 cameras by Aighearach · · Score: 1

      If you put that many cameras on a blockchain you're going to need a new phone every week, because now the images are immutable and you can't delete them.

    14. Re:THe reason for 6 cameras by CaptainDork · · Score: 1

      Had not thought of that.

      Now I'm scared that all my base are belong to you because of a 51% attack.

      --
      It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
  4. Six #$%^& cameras? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Holy hell, fuck it, we're going to six cameras.

    Why the ever loving hell would I want a phone with 6 bloody cameras?

    Is this innovation now? Just keep slapping in cameras? Why?

    1. Re:Six #$%^& cameras? by goombah99 · · Score: 1

      What else are you going to fill up your memory with and force you to review and delete 5 images every time.

      --
      Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
    2. Re:Six #$%^& cameras? by forkfail · · Score: 1

      Haven't seen much innovation since they rounded the corners.

      Seems like today is the day the market started to figure this out, too...

      --
      Check your premises.
    3. Re:Six #$%^& cameras? by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      You know a phone that actually has pointy corners? I don't. Even the old bar-style phones didn't exactly have any, hell, contemporary phones have edges, something the bars didn't even have, so they were even rounder than phones are today.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    4. Re:Six #$%^& cameras? by Dunbal · · Score: 1

      And one eye should be good enough for anybody.

      --
      Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
    5. Re:Six #$%^& cameras? by forkfail · · Score: 2

      So, phones have rounded corners for the same reason that clipboards do. It isn't about aesthetics or ergonomics. it's about the fact that a rectangular object can shatter if dropped on the point of a corner; rounding protects against that.

      With this said, you must be a lot of fun at parties... ;-)

      --
      Check your premises.
    6. Re:Six #$%^& cameras? by Dragonslicer · · Score: 1

      it's about the fact that a rectangular object can shatter if dropped on the point of a corner; rounding protects against that.

      It's probably going to break in some way if it hits hard ground corner-first anyway. A bigger benefit is that if it hits your hand on the way down, you won't start bleeding.

    7. Re:Six #$%^& cameras? by Luthair · · Score: 1

      Probably face recognition for a few on the front, then 2-3 on the back to offer different levels of zoom.

    8. Re:Six #$%^& cameras? by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      With this said, you must be a lot of fun at parties... ;-)

      I don't know, I don't get invited to ...

      oh...

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  5. XKCD again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Please, allow me, gentlepeople:

    https://xkcd.com/1889/

    1. Re:XKCD again by Dunbal · · Score: 1

      gentlepeople

      I identify as an attack helicopter you insensitive clod!

      --
      Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
    2. Re:XKCD again by jimbo · · Score: 1

      So when in love you loiter nearby and eventually deliver your payload from a safe distance?

    3. Re:XKCD again by webmistressrachel · · Score: 1

      Exactly like those damn mosquitoes, except of course they loiter nearby and sneak in and steal their payload!

      You think being laughed at for being gay or black or something like that is oppressive? Try living in my place for a week or two, they're virtually impossible to catch and kill too. Stress stress stress. If I was an asylum seeker from somewhere far-flung, it wouldn't be about wars or money. Nope, I'm being oppressed by the mozzies, please let me in!

      --
      This tagline was transcoded to result in at least one smirk. If you experience failure to smirk, please consult your Gen
    4. Re:XKCD again by dohzer · · Score: 1

      Obligatory Onion link: https://www.theonion.com/fuck-...

    5. Re:XKCD again by Aighearach · · Score: 1

      If you see any with neckbeards, fumigate immediately.

  6. MAJOR upgrade? by jbmartin6 · · Score: 1

    bigger screens and more cameras

    This sounds like a minor upgrade to me. Unless they have somehow put a bigger screen in the same space, that's been done already.

    --
    This posting is provided 'AS IS' without warranty of any kind, implied or otherwise.
  7. 4K by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    but will it have 4K screen?

    1. Re:4K by Locke2005 · · Score: 1

      A 4K phone screen would be useful when the phone was snapped into VR goggles. I have an Oculus for my Samsung G7, but the resolution sucks.

      --
      I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
  8. Feature Creep? by bobstreo · · Score: 1

    How many cameras do you actually want or need? for me, 2 seems to be more than enough.

    5G support will be good, with actual "unlimited" caps on wireless accounts.

    Otherwise it's just a faster way to start throttling or blocking data. A couple videos and a hour or so of netflix is probably enough to burn through most carriers monthly "unlimited" bandwidth. We've already seen 4 wireless carriers throttling netflix and other services.

    1. Re:Feature Creep? by Opportunist · · Score: 5, Funny

      6 cameras are required because the average human only has 5 fingers he can put in front of the lens to ruin the picture.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    2. Re:Feature Creep? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How many cameras do you actually want or need? for me, 2 seems to be more than enough.

      5G support will be good, with actual "unlimited" caps on wireless accounts.

      Otherwise it's just a faster way to start throttling or blocking data. A couple videos and a hour or so of netflix is probably enough to burn through most carriers monthly "unlimited" bandwidth. We've already seen 4 wireless carriers throttling netflix and other services.

      Oh yeah, it's not like users could just choose a lower resolution when taking a picture or just resize it down or anything before sending it. Instead, we should all stick with 640x480 and only 2 cams because you say so. Also, 640K ram is enough for everyone too.

    3. Re:Feature Creep? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How short are your fingers?

      Depending on the layout, I'll bet you can still cover them all with a single finger. Two at the most.

    4. Re:Feature Creep? by jimbo · · Score: 1

      5G solves the cell congestion problem that's more and more common. Well, hypothetically ofcourse.

    5. Re:Feature Creep? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      When taking a picture with my phone, I hold it with two hands. We need to bring the number of lenses up to 11.

    6. Re:Feature Creep? by Aighearach · · Score: 1

      Wait, that's fine for the back camera, but now what about the front camera?!

    7. Re:Feature Creep? by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      So you're that guy that ruins my Jesus jokes by saying that he wasn't real.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  9. Camera by Tomahawk · · Score: 1

    How long until we have more camera on our phones than a fly???

    1. Re:Camera by TheFakeTimCook · · Score: 1

      How long until we have more camera on our phones than a fly???

      LOL!

    2. Re:Camera by ClickOnThis · · Score: 1

      How long until we have more camera on our phones than a fly???

      Uh...that happened already.

      Number of cameras on my flip-phone I retired years ago: 1
      Number of cameras on a fly: 0

      --
      If it weren't for deadlines, nothing would be late.
    3. Re:Camera by Solandri · · Score: 1
      The multiple cameras are performing two functions, both of which save weight and improve image quality.
      • Having two identical cameras spaced apart (to generate parallax) allows you to computationally generate an image equivalent to if the photo were shot with a bigger (heavier, more expensive) single lens. Most notably, this allows blurring the background for more pleasing portraits. I've got huge 70-200mm f/2.8 lens on my DSLR for this purpose. You do NOT want something that big stuck to your phone.
      • Prime lenses (single focal length optics) have superior image quality to zooms. Primes are also less complex to design optically, resulting in a smaller lens.

      So having two wide-angle cameras and two telephoto cameras on your phone duplicates a single big professional-quality zoom with a large aperture, but without the weight and expense. Unlike the display PPI war, the reason for these extra cameras is functional.

    4. Re:Camera by Aighearach · · Score: 1

      According to fly-phone.com, flies only have 2 cameras on their phones.

    5. Re: Camera by Tomahawk · · Score: 1

      Well, an eye is effectively a camera. ;-p

  10. Computational photography by sjbe · · Score: 5, Interesting

    And we don't need a whole bunch of crappy cameras, just one good one.

    1) The cameras in modern phones are pretty good. Adding additional ones won't make them worse.
    2) Having multiple cameras actually makes them better because you can do all sorts of cool computational photography which can get great results without huge optics.
    3) Having multiple lenses means you can have multiple focal lengths. Many phones already have two.
    4) If cost is an issue I'm sure there will me phones with fewer cameras that you can buy for less money.

    1. Re:Computational photography by TheFakeTimCook · · Score: 1

      And we don't need a whole bunch of crappy cameras, just one good one.

      1) The cameras in modern phones are pretty good. Adding additional ones won't make them worse.
      2) Having multiple cameras actually makes them better because you can do all sorts of cool computational photography which can get great results without huge optics.
      3) Having multiple lenses means you can have multiple focal lengths. Many phones already have two.
      4) If cost is an issue I'm sure there will me phones with fewer cameras that you can buy for less money.

      Given a certain price-target, the more you, as an OEM, spend on cameras, the less you have to spend of the entire rest of the product.

    2. Re:Computational photography by Aighearach · · Score: 1

      The cameras in modern phones are pretty good. Adding additional ones won't make them worse.

      My advice, stop letting yourself try to math near money.

    3. Re: Computational photography by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think the bigger problem is that companies keep removing basic features like a headphone jack. They say it's because space is at a premium in their phones yet they also include multiple copies of an item that is typically the thickest thing in a phone. I'm sure the multiple cameras are nice but I'd still rather have a bigger battery and a headphone jack.

  11. Hilarious development by prefec2 · · Score: 1

    In an attempt to be innovative, companies start adding rubbish to the phone. I understand one camera, take photos and selfies. I understand two cameras one for photos and one pointing towards yourself to see yourself while creating a selfie (true selfies are stupid, as they are used to show "look I am happy at $LOCATION" even if that is not true. However, the issue with selfies have to be discussed at another time. And yes, I do them myself. So I am a hypocrite.). The use of three cameras is already strange for many reasons, but let say you need 3D images, then two cameras might be helpful. And if you want to have a 3D selfie 4 might be useful. As you can see the "usefulness" is declining. Now for what purpose could you really want to have 6 of them?

    Instead do something about the freaking battery issue. Make them replaceable. Make them last longer. Yes, that might be not good for your "business plan" to sell more phones. Fortunately, I do not need to buy your phone with no extra value. Samsung and Apple and the others have to face it that there is peek smartphone and we are moving from "new hype product" to commodity, like with household appliances. You buy a microwave and then use it for decades.

    1. Re:Hilarious development by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Then please you might tell me the idea behind selfies, I don't get it. I know where I am (in general, and if I don't, I'm usually in no condition to operate a phone). And even though I'm old I also remember where I was (again, in general, and if I don't, it's usually for the better).

      What's the idea behind making a selfie? And, more importantly, what's the idea behind sending me said selfie? If I was remotely interested in where you are, I would either know or be there with you. If it's neither, a text message is already more information than I could possibly want.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    2. Re:Hilarious development by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      To show people how much better your life is than theirs.

    3. Re:Hilarious development by jimbo · · Score: 1

      You know in Quebec they don't enjoy English much so the tried to replace the word "selfie" with a more proper one: "Egoportrait". I'm sad it never caught on.

    4. Re:Hilarious development by Aighearach · · Score: 1

      They didn't send it to you. They posted it on the internet. For their friends.

      Don't worry about the details, just drink some sugardrink and wonder where it comes from.

      I know it is hard to understand, but selfies aren't about you. Just get over it, and move on.

    5. Re:Hilarious development by Aighearach · · Score: 1

      They probably got tired of people telling them, "Hey! Leggo my portrait!"

      French already had the word autoportrait to cover the situation, but it wasn't snooty and judgmental enough for Canada.

    6. Re:Hilarious development by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Hey, it sounds way more sensible in French.

      You should treasure such rare moments.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    7. Re:Hilarious development by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      I know. Selfies would only be about me if I made any myself.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    8. Re:Hilarious development by MachineShedFred · · Score: 1

      Narcissism.

      Why take a picture of a beautiful place, if you can take a picture of said beautiful place and block at least 1/3 of it with yourself at arms reach?

      --
      Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
    9. Re:Hilarious development by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      To give people a reason to use Photoshop?

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  12. Mobile phones are basically razor blades by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They keep adding more and more, new features are just the same old thing but more of it, they're getting more expensive, and performing the exact same as they ever have done (or, objectively, slightly worse for the overcomplication of them).

  13. Multiple cameras is a good thing by sjbe · · Score: 4, Informative

    How many cameras do you actually want or need? for me, 2 seems to be more than enough.

    If you want better pictures without having the sort of gigantic optics you see on an SLR, the answer is "more than 2". Having a lot of cameras allows you to do some pretty nifty computational photography. Many phones are already doing this since they have two cameras on the rear which work together to get better images than either could alone.

    1. Re:Multiple cameras is a good thing by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 2

      Pearls before swine. 99.9% of mobile phone photos are taken and never viewed again. People spend too much time taking photos, not enough time enjoying the world around them.

    2. Re:Multiple cameras is a good thing by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      The Pixel 3 currently has the best camera of any phone, and it only has one.

      So more accurately you could say that there are multiple ways to improve the quality of photos taken on a phone, and most manufacturers seem to be opting for the multiple camera solution.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    3. Re:Multiple cameras is a good thing by Luthair · · Score: 1

      When all you have is hammer, everything starts to look like a nail. As a software company Google seems to be opting to solve the problem through software while hardware companies like Samsung solve the problem with hardware.

    4. Re:Multiple cameras is a good thing by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      The advantage of software is cost. One camera is cheaper than two.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    5. Re:Multiple cameras is a good thing by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Pearls before swine. 99.9% of mobile phone photos are taken and never viewed again. People spend too much time taking photos, not enough time enjoying the world around them.

      A problem that a) has nothing to do with the camera, and b) doesn't mean that cameras shouldn't be available when needed.

    6. Re:Multiple cameras is a good thing by MachineShedFred · · Score: 1

      An even higher percentage of photos taken on film were never viewed at all. At least photos taken on a phone have a far better chance of being viewed by someone other than yourself or someone having to sit through the dreaded post-vacation 1970s slide show because of social networking and almost-ubiquitous internet access.

      --
      Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
    7. Re:Multiple cameras is a good thing by Luthair · · Score: 1

      Software takes money to develop :)

  14. Twelve Cameras, no less by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 1

    Sorry, Samsung, you better up your game if you want sales.

    (heaven forbid there's a two-camera phone with a decent swappable battery and a well-integrated SD card).

    --
    My God, it's Full of Source!
    OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
    1. Re:Twelve Cameras, no less by MachineShedFred · · Score: 1

      From what I've seen, the "well-integrated SD card" has effectively been killed by Google's latest versions of Android, and their wanton disregard to fix things. Class-10 cards that were perfectly fine in previous versions of Android all of a sudden are "too slow" in the same hardware, with constant messages about "external storage" crashing should you dare to use it.

      If the base OS has shitty support, good luck ever finding a phone that does it properly.

      --
      Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
  15. Multiple cameras isn't just for 3D by sjbe · · Score: 4, Informative

    The use of three cameras is already strange for many reasons, but let say you need 3D images, then two cameras might be helpful.

    The main purpose of multiple sensors isn't 3D but to do computational photography. It allows you to get better quality images as well as have multiple focal lengths and have them work together. If you have an iPhone it already does this with two cameras working in tandem on the back. But more camera sensors let's you take it even further. There are camera available which are designed around this idea explicitly with as many as 16 individual camera sensors. This appears to be the best way to get better image quality without having to attach bulky optics like those on an SLR camera.

    1. Re:Multiple cameras isn't just for 3D by prefec2 · · Score: 1

      Ok fair enough. Still I do not see much benefit in it. In essence you can do things, like a panorama, in one shot without the need to move your phone. However, there might be people who really need this. I would rather go for a real camera. Anyway, I still would trade more battery life over another camera.

    2. Re:Multiple cameras isn't just for 3D by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah. We heard you the first 40 times you said this.

    3. Re:Multiple cameras isn't just for 3D by swillden · · Score: 1

      If you have an iPhone it already does this with two cameras working in tandem on the back.

      Pixel 2 and Pixel 3 do this with a single camera The sensors have "split pixels", so when you take one photo with one camera you're actually getting two photos, with a tiny separation. This separation is enough, it turns out, to compute a depth map. Not good enough for actual 3D photography, but more than adequate for doing what most two-camera phones do: make portraits with a blurred background. And since two cameras aren't required, it works with the front camera, too. Bokeh for your selfies.

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    4. Re:Multiple cameras isn't just for 3D by Aighearach · · Score: 1

      You're not really going to halve the noise with four sensors, because the perspective is slightly different.

      Surely you can reduce the noise some non-zero amount less than half, though.

    5. Re:Multiple cameras isn't just for 3D by Aighearach · · Score: 1

      The funny thing is, if you're shooting with an SLR at f5 or something getting nice bokeh and you decide to take a selfie, you probably go to f22 to get the background. Otherwise, why bother with the selfie? Capturing the background is the whole point!

      This is useful for back cameras because of the fixed lens, but for front cameras it would seem to be a bad idea.

    6. Re:Multiple cameras isn't just for 3D by swillden · · Score: 1

      I see a lot of selfies floating around that clearly aren't about the background. Many, taken in bathrooms and whatnot, would definitely be better with the background de-emphasized.

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    7. Re:Multiple cameras isn't just for 3D by Aighearach · · Score: 1

      I don't.

      I blame you.

      Look in better places.

    8. Re:Multiple cameras isn't just for 3D by swillden · · Score: 1

      That's fine for you, but if you're building phones for a large base of consumers it's better to serve their needs, even those that you think are silly.

      --
      Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
  16. The future unfolds by Waffle+Iron · · Score: 1

    Once again, the so-called tech visionaries have been proven wrong:

    Five cameras ought to be enough for anybody.

    --Bill Gates, 1992

  17. Relevant xkcd by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    https://xkcd.com/2000/

  18. DONT buy 1st gen 5G phones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If the past has taught us nothing, the 1st gen phones touting "5G" will not be real 5G. It will either be some draft proposal, or cell carrier hyped up mod of LTE4G. Same with the carriers touting HSPA+ as "4G" back in the day. Not to mention new gen radio chips tend to be super power hungry. Give it a year or so for the dust to settle, find out who's not selling some scam "5G" and for a revision or two of the radio chipsets which won't be as power hungry.

    1. Re:DONT buy 1st gen 5G phones by LordHighExecutioner · · Score: 1

      Indeed. It is much better to buy 5th generation 1G phones.

  19. What a time to be alive by SuperKendall · · Score: 2

    The 5G phone, slated for a spring release in the U.S. and South Korea, would sport an even larger screen, measuring 6.7 inches diagonally, and pack in a whopping six cameras

    I never thought I would see the day I could have a cell phone with more cameras than Gs!!

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  20. 6 cameras! That's awesome news! by Opportunist · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If they can waste that much space in the phone that must mean that they have solved the problem of putting a replaceable battery in, put the charging port in a hard-to-destroy place and use enough solder to keep it in place (after all, a blob of solder needs WAY less space than 6 cameras, any sensible manufacturer would first get the important bits done before pondering what to waste the spare space on) and retain the headphone jack, along with adding a few more plugs for SD-Cards and USB devices to attach, so I can charge it and use it at the same time, right?

    RIGHT????

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    1. Re:6 cameras! That's awesome news! by jimbo · · Score: 1

      You're assuming manufacturers think not having easily replaceable batteries is a problem in the first place.

    2. Re:6 cameras! That's awesome news! by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Worse. I'm assuming that consumers consider this a bigger problem than not having 6 cameras.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    3. Re:6 cameras! That's awesome news! by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      If they can waste that much space in the phone that must mean that they have solved the problem of putting a replaceable battery in

      You're solving two different problems. The problem isn't space.

      put the charging port in a hard-to-destroy place

      The charging port is exactly where it needs to be given the accessories we have for them.

      and use enough solder to keep it in place

      It's a charging port, not a lasso to swing your phone around wildly. Seriously you broke the charging point on your phone? I thought you people were a myth. May I recommend something more rugged

      along with adding a few more plugs for SD-Cards and USB devices to attach

      You seem to have a very particular set of problems.

    4. Re:6 cameras! That's awesome news! by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Catphones aren't as great as they're made out to be. Seriously.

      And you think my set of problems is particular? Well, maybe... considering the "features" that modern phones boast, I might be the odd man out, I don't need 6 cameras, I don't need phones the thickness of the average tinfoil wrap, I hate the lack of a sensible keyboard and the associated use of the phone screen as ersatz typing surface, I don't exactly get the big advantage of having no headphone jack (if it at least made the phone water proof, I could see the benefit), ...

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    5. Re:6 cameras! That's awesome news! by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      And you think my set of problems is particular?

      along with adding a few more plugs for SD-Cards and USB devices to attach

      Yes. Wait... Let me add an exclaimation mark: Yes!

  21. More cams = meh, what i want is more power inputs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The part that always wears out resulting in me needing a new phone is the power input jack.

    Give me 6 of those & ill be excited.

    6 cameras does nothing for me, i rarely if ever use the 2 that i have.

  22. Sigh. by ledow · · Score: 2

    Got space for 6 cameras?

    Then don't give me shit about having no room for SD cards or headphone sockets.

    1. Re:Sigh. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Samsung sells SD cards so it should hang to them even if they're the last ones supporting them on high end.

  23. No morning coffee yet, but... by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

    Samsung, the world's largest smartphone maker by volume...

    Are companies now being ranked in terms of volume of phones shipped? How many cubic metres of phones did they ship in 2017?

    --
    #DeleteFacebook
  24. Fuck everything... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    1. Re:Fuck everything... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      +1

  25. How about a real feature or two? by ctilsie242 · · Score: 1

    How about Samsung actually adds a significant feature, like an unlockable bootloader? There are still people who use firewalls to guard privacy, and use rooted applications.

    More work on Linux-On-Galaxy would be nice as well. This way, the phone can be used for other stuff, similar to how the Motorola Atrix could get a decent Linux distro on it for use in a pinch.

    Of course, virtualization would be nice, to separate work and home environments completely.

    1. Re:How about a real feature or two? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nobody cares about that shit you faggot nerd. Go back to plunging your dick in your waifu pillow.

  26. No room for batteries but we do for cameras!?!? by denis-The-menace · · Score: 1

    No room for a headphone jack but we do for 6 cameras!?!?

    Gimme one good camera in a phone that will last 2+ days with all the radios on and not shatter when it falls out of my hand.

    Instead we get this shit!

    --
    Obama's legacy: (N)othing (S)ecure (A)nywhere and (T)error (S)imulation (A)dministration
  27. Why 6 cameras? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The better to see you with...

  28. You be you by sjbe · · Score: 2

    Pearls before swine. 99.9% of mobile phone photos are taken and never viewed again.

    Get off your high horse. Most photos taken with film were stuck in albums or boxes and never viewed again. That's nothing new and it used to be a lot more expensive. But what's wrong with making it possible to take better pictures for the ones that are kept and looked at?

    People spend too much time taking photos, not enough time enjoying the world around them.

    For some of us, taking pictures is how we enjoy the world around us. If it's not your brand of vodka that's fine but I'm pretty sure you have hobbies that I would consider a waste of time too. Go do something you enjoy and stop worrying about what other people are doing.

  29. Component costs by sjbe · · Score: 1

    Given a certain price-target, the more you, as an OEM, spend on cameras, the less you have to spend of the entire rest of the product.

    That's true for every component so I'm not sure what your point is. Furthermore the cost of digital components is continually falling. I'm pretty sure the engineers and bean counters at Samsung are aware of this "issue".

  30. Computational photography is a big deal by sjbe · · Score: 1

    In essence you can do things, like a panorama, in one shot without the need to move your phone.

    Its a LOT more than that. You can take multiple pictures simultaneously of the same object and digitally combine them into a better image. It lets you do things that would normally take some really expensive and bulky glass. In fact it lets you do some stuff you cannot do (easily) with conventional cameras. Computational photography is a BIG deal and it's really interesting if you have any interest in imaging technology.

    I would rather go for a real camera.

    It IS a "real" camera. I don't get why people look down their nose at the camera's on phones. And I say that as someone who has about $20K in camera bodies and expensive lenses. People are too wrapped up in thinking that a classic SLR is the end-all-be-all of camera technology and it isn't. A lot of the most interesting stuff happening in cameras is technology you probably aren't paying much attention to in phones.

    Anyway, I still would trade more battery life over another camera.

    And others would make a different choice. Personally that's why I think they need to move some of this stuff to the case so that people can pick/choose the bits that are most useful to them.

    1. Re:Computational photography is a big deal by prefec2 · · Score: 1

      Of course it is your choice whether you want to have a digital enabled high end camera in your mobile computer aka smartphone or use a separate device for it. However, I do not see the need to have that in a phone. How often are you going to use it? It makes the thing more expensive. To me it looks like they add more camera/sensors just because they do not know how to add more innovative things to the phone.

      There might be people who desperately need that feature. There might even be a lot of people needing this feature. And for them it will hopefully be great. However, I have the impression (of course sitting in my bubble) that this looks more like the end of a new product phase, where most devices end up in history. From that point on the next version of something does not provide much of an advantage of what you already have. Therefore, people tend to keep their devices longer. The only thing keeping them from doing so are batteries and their limited lifespan.

      Anyway, it will be up to the people to choose between better images and keeping their money.

  31. "Best camera" is a myth by sjbe · · Score: 1

    The Pixel 3 currently has the best camera of any phone, and it only has one.

    That depends on what you are measuring and how you are measuring it. There is no single answer to which camera is best for all uses, conditions, and circumstances. Saying the Pixel 3 has "the best camera" is a false statement unless you provide the use case and measurement technique. Other smartphone cameras will outperform it depending on the conditions and what is being photographed. I have a very nice Sony A9 mirrorless camera. It's arguably the best available currently for many use cases but not for all uses. It depends on the sort of image you are trying to generate and the conditions and skill of the user. There is no single best camera for all uses.

    So more accurately you could say that there are multiple ways to improve the quality of photos taken on a phone, and most manufacturers seem to be opting for the multiple camera solution.

    Correct because the multiple camera solution has a lot going for it. It's a good idea for the same reasons people use interchangeable lens cameras. No single lens is ideal for all circumstances and there is a LOT to be gained from being able to combine multiple images taken from multiple focal lengths simultaneously.

  32. Six times the surveillance capability! by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

    Just sayin'.

  33. including next-generation 5G network speeds by Tsolias · · Score: 1

    not using Intel modems CONFIRMED.

    1. Re:including next-generation 5G network speeds by jimbo · · Score: 1

      I think it wise to stay away from any 1st gen 5G chipset, no matter the manufacturer. I remember the early LTE days.

    2. Re:including next-generation 5G network speeds by Tsolias · · Score: 1

      the problem with intel is that they don't even have a first gen chip.

  34. Razors by nwaack · · Score: 1

    This is starting to sound like the razor wars from a while back. Every year it seemed the major razor companies would release a razor with one more blade than the year before. I think they finally stopped at six, realizing how ridiculous it all was. This is not that far off.

  35. I need 5G ... by CaptainDork · · Score: 1

    ... so my personal info can be quickly scraped and I can get some CPU cycles to play Farmville.

    --
    It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
  36. Nice one Samsung. by aix+tom · · Score: 1

    Finally some much needed feature. I hear Elon on the other hand is still dragging his feet concerning the new Flagship Tesla with six wheels everybody is waiting for.

  37. Only six cameras though by StuartHankins · · Score: 1

    What you really want is the new Snapdragon XRi. With eleven cameras built-in, it truly goes up to 11. Imagine being the envy of all your friends...

    You can get pictures of yourself. Pictures of your friends. Pictures of that scary guy looking at you from behind. Pictures below you. Pictures above you. Pictures so you can watch yourself walk and make adjustments to really get your groove on. You will have so many fucking pictures you will need 2 Dropbox accounts just to keep your Camera uploads manageable.

    Eleven. Cameras.
    Is there anything better?

  38. Smartphone cameras vs dedicated cameras by sjbe · · Score: 1

    How often are you going to use it? It makes the thing more expensive

    Personally? I use my phone camera constantly and to good effect and so do millions of other people. I very much would welcome any improvements in camera quality on my phone and I'm certain I'm not alone in that. Just because you don't see the use case for you doesn't mean it doesn't exist. I don't use Facebook but I get why other people do.

    Most of the time my big fancy mirrorless dedicated camera is WAY too bulky to carry around as well as redundant. The improved image quality it is capable of is more than offset 99% of the time by the inconvenience, bulk, and weight. Smartphone cameras have literally killed the point-and-shoot camera market so obviously for a lot of uses they are more than good enough. The only reason my expensive interchangeable lens camera still makes any sense is that it can do some tricks that no smartphone is going to be able to manage thanks to the physics of optics. But you generally have to be either a professional or hard core photo enthusiast to really give a shit. 99% of people are going to be just fine with just a phone and the better it performs the more it will capture that remaining 1%

    Basically I have my phone with me almost all the time. My dedicated camera I might get out a few times a week at most for a few hours. The best camera is the one you have with you and the better my smartphone camera gets the less reason I have to go to the trouble of dealing with a dedicated camera. I don't carry around a dedicated iPod or a watch anymore either for similar reasons.

    There might be people who desperately need that feature.

    It's not about need. It's about want versus what's economically possible. Nobody "needs" a smartphone in general but clearly a lot of people find a lot of value in them and have the means to afford an expensive one. (see Apple)

    Anyway, it will be up to the people to choose between better images and keeping their money.

    Always has been and to date the people have voted for the better images.

  39. Samsung needs to look at Apple by mnemotronic · · Score: 1

    Apple's latest top-of-the-line iPhone is not experiencing the sales frenzy that prior models enjoyed. Lackadaisical sales seems to be affecting their stock price. Admittedly, both of these can be short-term events or rationalized by pointing to "market conditions". However, an over-the-top approach like Samsung is suggesting seems like a bad idea.

    --
    The Russians have won. They have made the world a cesspool of distrust, greed, fear and hate.
  40. Gorilla Glass? by RobXiii · · Score: 1

    I have an S8+, and I knew it was notorious for breaking easy. Even with a case, it fell out of my pocket while changing my car oil, and broke from a 2" fall. I won't buy another Samsung phone until reviews say that's been solved :P

  41. This is starting to sound like razor blades by TomGreenhaw · · Score: 1
    --
    Greed is the root of all evil.
    1. Re:This is starting to sound like razor blades by Nethemas+the+Great · · Score: 1

      *sigh* Beat me to it. But, I'm not going to take it lying down. I'll see your telegraph and raise you an onion.

      --
      Two of my imaginary friends reproduced once ... with negative results.
    2. Re:This is starting to sound like razor blades by TomGreenhaw · · Score: 1

      I'll see your telegraph and raise you an onion.

      Nice :-) I fold. The pot is yours.

      --
      Greed is the root of all evil.
    3. Re: This is starting to sound like razor blades by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wow that was easy. You are such a fucking pussy.

  42. Finally. by Shemmie · · Score: 1

    I'd been saying to myself - if there's one thing that'll make me buy a phone, it's six cameras. And a notch - or even better, two notches. And no headphones. Or SD card slot.

    Man, that'd be the ideal phone.

    1. Re:Finally. by OneHundredAndTen · · Score: 1

      Hilarious. Thanks.

  43. Fuck Everything, We're Doing Six Cameras by nuckfuts · · Score: 1

    Sure, we could go to five cameras next, like the competition. That seems like the logical thing to do. After all, four worked out pretty well, and five is the next number after four. So let's play it safe. Why innovate when we can follow? Oh, I know why: Because we're a business, that's why!

    You think it's crazy? It is crazy. But I don't give a shit. From now on, we're the ones who have the edge in the multi-camera game.

    1. Re:Fuck Everything, We're Doing Six Cameras by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      https://www.theonion.com/fuck-everything-were-doing-five-blades-1819584036

    2. Re:Fuck Everything, We're Doing Six Cameras by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The best part is that some years later that onion article became reality.

    3. Re:Fuck Everything, We're Doing Six Cameras by martinX · · Score: 1

      Hahaha. Beat me to it. Good call.

      --
      When they came for the communists, I said "He's next door. Take him away. Goddam commies."
  44. It will be explosive by OneHundredAndTen · · Score: 1

    As expected from Samsung, a company that is slated to re-igniting the market.

  45. Redundant Array of Inexpensive cameras by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's all about the marketing. First phone with XXX megapixels. First phone with six cameras. . It's like having 60 million Pixels in your pocket (showing a picture of Google's phone).

  46. What I really want ... by Mike+Van+Pelt · · Score: 1

    ... is a camera with a robust case, and a lot of battery.

    And not made out of that greased teflon stuff that Samsung uses, so the phone almost literally leaps out of your hand while you're trying to use it.

    "Paper-thin" is not a feature I'm interested in.

    My current phone, and previous phone, were Samsun Galaxy S phones, and my next one likely will be, too. But the first thing I do, before even opening the box, is buy a Seidio case for it.

  47. Tim Cook: "Fuck it, we're going to ten cameras!" by queequeg1 · · Score: 1

    Relevant Onion article

    Would someone tell me how this happened? We were the fucking vanguard of shaving in this country. The Gillette Mach3 was the razor to own. Then the other guy came out with a three-blade razor. Were we scared? Hell, no. Because we hit back with a little thing called the Mach3Turbo. That's three blades and an aloe strip. For moisture. But you know what happened next? Shut up, I'm telling you what happenedâ"the bastards went to four blades. Now we're standing around with our cocks in our hands, selling three blades and a strip. Moisture or no, suddenly we're the chumps. Well, fuck it. We're going to five blades.

    Sure, we could go to four blades next, like the competition. That seems like the logical thing to do. After all, three worked out pretty well, and four is the next number after three. So let's play it safe. Let's make a thicker aloe strip and call it the Mach3SuperTurbo. Why innovate when we can follow? Oh, I know why: Because we're a business, that's why!

    You think it's crazy? It is crazy. But I don't give a shit. From now on, we're the ones who have the edge in the multi-blade game. Are they the best a man can get? Fuck, no. Gillette is the best a man can get.

    What part of this don't you understand? If two blades is good, and three blades is better, obviously five blades would make us the best fucking razor that ever existed. Comprende? We didn't claw our way to the top of the razor game by clinging to the two-blade industry standard. We got here by taking chances. Well, five blades is the biggest chance of all.

    Here's the report from Engineering. Someone put it in the bathroom: I want to wipe my ass with it. They don't tell me what to inventâ"I tell them. And I'm telling them to stick two more blades in there. I don't care how. Make the blades so thin they're invisible. Put some on the handle. I don't care if they have to cram the fifth blade in perpendicular to the other four, just do it!

    You're taking the "safety" part of "safety razor" too literally, grandma. Cut the strings and soar. Let's hit it. Let's roll. This is our chance to make razor history. Let's dream big. All you have to do is say that five blades can happen, and it will happen. If you aren't on board, then fuck you. And if you're on the board, then fuck you and your father. Hey, if I'm the only one who'll take risks, I'm sure as hell happy to hog all the glory when the five-blade razor becomes the shaving tool for the U.S. of "this is how we shave now" A.

    People said we couldn't go to three. It'll cost a fortune to manufacture, they said. Well, we did it. Now some egghead in a lab is screaming "Five's crazy?" Well, perhaps he'd be more comfortable in the labs at Norelco, working on fucking electrics. Rotary blades, my white ass!

    Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe we should just ride in Bic's wake and make pens. Ha! Not on your fucking life! The day I shadow a penny-ante outfit like Bic is the day I leave the razor game for good, and that won't happen until the day I die!

    The market? Listen, we make the market. All we have to do is put her out there with a little jingle. It's as easy as, "Hey, shaving with anything less than five blades is like scraping your beard off with a dull hatchet." Or "You'll be so smooth, I could snort lines off of your chin." Try "Your neck is going to be so friggin' soft, someone's gonna walk up and tie a goddamn Cub Scout kerchief under it."

    I know what you're thinking now: What'll people say? Mew mew mew. Oh, no, what will people say?! Grow the fuck up. When you're on top, people talk. That's the price you pay for being on top. Which Gillette is, always has been, and forever shall be, Amen, five blades, sweet Jesus in heaven.

    Stop. I just had a stroke of genius. Are you ready? Open your mouth, baby birds, cause Mama's about to drop you one sweet, fat nightcrawler. Here she comes: Put another aloe strip on that fucker, too. That's right. Five blades, two strips, and make the second one lather. You heard meâ"the second strip lathers. It's a whole new way to think about shaving. Don't question it. Don't say a word. Just key the music, and call the chorus girls, because we're on the edgeâ"the razor's edgeâ"and I feel like dancing.

  48. I like my Galaxy Note 2 by ffkom · · Score: 1

    It works like on day one, given that I have it running on its third set of inexpensive 3rd-party batteries.
    Sure, it's already too big to be used as a mobile phone, but it works fine as a small tablet at home.

  49. ...but still no infrared by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm still waiting for one of these companies like Seek Thermal to start getting their little uncooled LWIR sensors packaged into a cellphone. So many potential uses!

  50. Problems with "real" cameras by sjbe · · Score: 1

    Computational photography while interesting isn't the panacea that people think it is.

    I don't think anyone is claiming it to be the cure to all maladies - certainly not me. But it isn't really a question that it can do a lot of very interesting and useful things and do so in a compact form factor. As such there is a lot of utility in that. At some level of course there is no replacement for bigger/better optics but you can get pretty far along the diminishing returns curve without needing what amounts to a hand held telescope.

    Honestly I think most of the really interesting stuff going on in photography is in the computational photography space and the devices (mostly smartphones) that are making heavy use of it. Smartphones really can't use bulky glass so they have to innovate in other ways and I think that restriction has freed them in a lot of ways. The "traditional" cameras (think Canon, Nikon, Sony, etc interchangeable lens cameras) have some really great lenses and sensors but the ergonomics, digital user interfaces and on device image processing have lost the fucking plot. There are more than a few types of images using my smartphone that I can get easier and sometimes better results without a huge amount of faffing around and it is FAR easier to share and distribute. I haven't seen a dedicated "real" camera yet that isn't complete shit at transferring images off the camera to other devices or networks (much less social networking) - they still think of SD cards as bleeding edge technology instead of the miniaturized anachronistic floppy disks they really are. I think the "real" cameras could use a lot more of the computational photography tech but they're too busy catering to enthusiasts who get a hard on thinking about film cameras from the 1970s or "pros" who have a far too rigid idea about what a camera is supposed to be and how it should work.

    Don't get me wrong, I have a fancy "real" camera with some embarrassingly expensive lenses and I enjoy using it. I definitely could be described as a photography enthusiast. But it's migraine inducing clear to me that it could be SOOOO much better than it is with some attention to the user interface and file sharing and image processing. The menu on my Sony is complete shit. Seriously it will make your eyes bleed. The location of most of the buttons seems to have been picked by someone wearing a blindfold. Sending an image to my smartphone should be a single button press at most (maybe even automatic transfer) but I have to jump through a ridiculously complicated process to make it happen via wifi - seriously it involves about 10 discrete steps. My camera has an ethernet port but the only thing I can do with it is ftp files! WTF? And it's not even particularly easy to set up or configure. I can't make settings presets or share them between cameras. I don't have complaints about the optics but I could see so much more that could be done in camera for image processing and cooperating with laptops/tablets. Sure I can get better image quality than I can with my smartphone if I care to bother but they've made it such a pain in the ass that I can see why most people won't bother - especially given the overhead of carrying around a bulky expensive single purpose camera.

  51. Lenses aren't just about aperture by sjbe · · Score: 1

    The funny thing is, if you're shooting with an SLR at f5 or something getting nice bokeh and you decide to take a selfie, you probably go to f22 to get the background.

    There is a lot more to image quality than the aperture. Those big lenses aren't just about letting in a lot of light. They correct for all sorts of optical problems. If aperture were the only concern, photography and lens design would be a lot easier than it is.

    And there are lots of reasons you might want a blurred background in a selfie. Many selfies are more about the person in the shot than the location where they are. When I take one with my daughter the point is usually to show us together - not to show where we are. Sure, sometimes it's about the location but not always.

    1. Re:Lenses aren't just about aperture by Aighearach · · Score: 1

      The funny thing is, if you're shooting with an SLR at f5 or something getting nice bokeh and you decide to take a selfie, you probably go to f22 to get the background.

      There is a lot more to image quality than the aperture.

      You seem to be saying that you know that you responded to specific details about technique with beginner generalizations. Is that useful?

      Stop waving your hands; what are those reasons that you'd want a selfie and not care about the background? Hint: Those aren't actually selfies, those are shots of professional models taken by the model, or taken so that they appear to be taken by the model.

      When you take a family snapshot, it is a family snapshot not a selfie. The background is the important part, because it records the shared activity that the photo serves as a memory aid for. Simply showing that you're together you only need to do once a year, or when people's looks change; additional shots of that don't have value. And it won't matter what perspective you use for the shot.

      I also take lots of useless, excess shots. But I don't then decide that they must be important just because I took them.