imsense on the awards trail
imsense has been shortlisted for two awards with the ceremonies taking place this month (March 2010).
From a longlist of 15 nominated companies, imsense has made the final three for the Business Innovation category of the Cambridge News Business Excellence Awards. These annual awards showcase the talent in the Cambridge region and are now in their seventeenth year. The major event for the business community of Cambridge and beyond, the awards have established a wonderful reputation for identifying and promoting success, extending to a national and international level.
imphoto for iPhone has also been shortlisted for a ‘les app’ award at the French mobile event: Le Mobile 2.0 2010. The last month has seen record-breaking sales for the imphoto iPhone application, launched in December of last year, and it was selected and showcased as a ‘featured app’ by Apple in Apps stores in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America moving into the top 10 of photo apps in many countries. The awards ceremony takes place next week in Paris.
These follow on from winning the I3A Vision 2020 award for Innovation in Imaging last November, and the award of a Royal Photographic Society Davies Medal to imsense founder Graham D Finlayson.
Written by imphoto Staff on Wednesday 3rd March 2010 at 4:11pm
Make sure people see your best image!
With over 2.5 billion photos uploaded to Facebook each month, making sure that your friends and colleagues see your photos quickly is a fact of every day life. Using imphoto for pc or iPhone means that the photos you share are of the highest quality so there’s no need to send those pictures that don’t quite show the image you want to relay.
Because it’s automatic and effortless to improve your photo by bringing out all the detail from the shadows using eye-fidelity technology to optimize dynamic range, your photos can be shared in an instant. If you’re using the iPhone app it’s all part of a smooth integrated process, and if you’re using our windows software, it’s only a few seconds from loading the picture to having it ready to share, looking its best.
Tell us where you share most of your photos, and we’d like to know if there are any destinations that we’ve missed on our current iPhone app so that we can add them in to future versions.
Written by imphoto Staff on Tuesday 16th February 2010 at 6:07pm
(de)lighting views on the iPad
29 Jan 2010
BLOG POST – (de)lighting views on the iPad from imsense CEO, Philippe Dewost
So the party is over, and everybody is waking up with the usually mixed feelings, debating whether the wait was after all better than the catch. In the particular case of Apple, we have seen the usual comments ranging from the self-congratulation “I predicted it”’s to the disappointed over-expectations made on feature lists. And after all, while the party is over, another wait just begins, with a new array of thoughts about how long the AppleStore queues will be in 60 days.
Of the most interesting comments I could read (I switched off really quickly from “real time” video coverage that was both empty and self-flattering), a few key points shall imho cut through the obfuscatory “missing feature” bashing or the “I want it” enthusiasms
1. It’s the user experience, stupid
It’s definitely not about features. Apple has by now made us used to products that are designed by engineers for the mass market, while most of the rest of the industry still sells products designed by mass marketers but at the end of the day suited for engineers.
I myself would have loved to see a camera in the device (even read intelligent comments like “after all, it’s just $1 additional to the BOM” – but they miss the point), then started to wonder about the practicality of the form factor for such a camera…
Apple’s omissions in the feature list may be disappointing, they are conscious by necessity, and have been certainly given lots of thoughts. Like Mashable’s Stan Shroeder, we might miss a big point if we think we would have done this better. Remember great design is about choice, and about deliberate omissions. Who recalls by now that the iPhone lacked copy/paste, MMS support, or GPS for a while ?
So I expect this all will be balanced or offset by the experiences in browsing, reading, emailing, as happened with the iPhone thanks to a superior design in each feature and a superb integration across them. Paradoxically, that last part reminds me of what Apple was trying to achieve already in 1994 on the Newton: I was lucky enough to work on the platform at the time and remember very well that despite mid-90’s hardware limitations (and probably a form factor error – apparently proven by the Palm Pilot later success), the NewtonOS was already bringing coherence and even cohesion across applications in order to strengthen the sum of the parts…
2. It’s the industrial approach, stupid
As I previously wrote, Apple products are designed by engineers. The real stunning part of this week’s announcement is how Apple is apparently pushing hardware/software integration to the next level. Very few people noted at the time that the iPhone was the first hardware platform deliberately dimensioned to host 3 consecutive major releases of an operating system. That the unique form factor choice (as opposed to the usual bet hedging, try-it-all spread from other phone vendors) allowed not only economies of scale, but also predictability for application vendors (anybody who developed S60 apps is probably smiling at these lines).
The same industrial approach prevails in the use of aluminum, where Apple now has gained great design skills through its line of MacBooks, as well as probably in the casing and shaping which gives the iPad an immediate proximity with the rest of the Apple family.
In the iPad case, Apple is again playing the one (new) size fits all game and we shall expect such form factor to be maintained across the following revisions (there will be revisions for sure, the whens and the whats will be secrets as always, but we can expect some of the missing items in our shopping lists to be ticked once Apple has adapted the user interface : a camera – probably front end for video calls -, mat charging – or transparent solar panels -,
Meanwhile, the form factor itself will open a vast array of possibilities when (re)designing applications for the iPad, as evidenced in the effort that Apple undertook themselves for existing applications as well as for the new iWork suite. (Incidentally, iWork on iPad will provide an interesting answer to some naysayers who have been claiming for the past decade that a good smartphone was a smartphone where you could edit Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and PowerPoints on the go)
A few people noted the appearance of Apple’s own processor design to power the iPad while avoiding a drain in power. The chip must be very optimized in order to keep the device up for 10 hours, yet very powerful to keep the graphics flowing across such a large screen, and more difficult to compare with anything else by the still kicking megahertz myth.
3. It’s touted a game changing platform, but which game ?
Once again, focus was on the new iBook store as Apple will try to leverage iTunes presence as a distribution channel as they did for Apps. After all, songs, apps, and books have very similar characteristics as digital objects, in terms of size (and therefore speed of download / install) and distribution logistics. Monthly or yearly subscriptions might be another story, but again we can be sure Apple has thought about it.
More interesting to me is what we don’t see clearly yet. First, Apple seems to maintain its choice not to embrace native Flash capabilities. They may still claim their choice is based on performance issues, but to me it is more a question of control, already validated by the fact that YouTube for instance is bringing video to iPhones and soon iPads by Apple’s rules and format. At this point, remembering that .mp4 is a standard might help a bit, as well as to remember that most video capabilities in DSC’s were provided through a Quicktime output.
Therefore, yesterday’s keynote might be a sign that Apple is trying to reduce Adobe’s influence by narrowing Flash relevance, and Apple’s support of HTML 5 direct video embedding capabilities is another visible sign of control being regained.
Beyond game changing ambitions in the electronic book space and in the video streaming format war, another one got almost unnoticed but sounds very important to me, and it has to do with 3G.
I do not know yet about the extent of iPad’s 3G offering, and whether it will include voice or not. At least in the US, it seems that it will be a data plan only, with unlimited data definitely capped at $29.99 a month, and no real customer relationship with the carrier.
As such, Apple seems to be perfecting with the iPad the disintermediation game that started with the iPhone, when carriers lost control of distribution and customer relationship as well as of content and applications upsell, being relegated in the dumb pipe zone (and please make the pipe work as we are ready to saturate it both ways). When international telco deals are announced, we will know whether Vodafone and Orange have had enough muscle to retain some value, or if all their carrier app store ad content offerings will have been definitely ruined by prepaid, unlimited data plans, with not even voice to save anything. As iPads are apparently unlocked, there is no reason why voice over IP would not follow has just been confirmed, with only disgusting data roaming charges left as a mean to extract some value (and achieve pissing off smartphone users)
4. So what is this device for ?
All we are left with is an array of questions about usage. Is the iPad a personal device (and if it’s not a phone I will also need an iPhone), or is it as I would tend to think a home portable device, that will sit on the coffee table in the living room, where you can usually find and enjoy (and therefore share) news papers, magazines, remote controls and the TV set ? Such couchputer could also find a use in the car as a peace keeper behind the driver seat (used as a movie player if attached to the drivers seat’s back, and/or as a game console)
But all of those scenarios, especially the living room ones, hint a a multiuser type of environment that was, if I’m correct, never mentioned or commented anywhere. Answering this question will be critical to the usage scenarios as I’m not sure how personal the iPad will be unless it is targeted at replacing teenager’s netbooks. The other answer to the same question would come from the real phone capabilities of the iPad which, if they were present, would make it more suitable for a personal use.
Regarding the iPad’s imaging capabilities, its screen resolution will make it a very appealing device to show and share pictures (including in the living room if it is a shared device, along with accessory cradles made by 3rd parties – ecosytem, here we come). Interestingly, the screen size and quality might help people realize how crappy their pictures are, sorry, how better they could look. The problem is, with 70 million pictures uploaded to facebook everyday, nobody wants to spend time on making a picture look good, and as a result of this instant gratification culture, we might have an opportunity with our eye-fidelity™ technology to correct images at display time if some of them have not been automatically processed with imphoto on a PC (Mac coming, we listened to you) or an iPhone.
One last word
One can also imagine that Apple’s price point, though perceived as aggressive (compared to the $999 predictions), will leave enough room (and more important, margins) for a vast array of accessories ranging from protective cases to audio systems as it was the case with the iPod and the iPhone. Interestingly enough, we will need to see whether there is backwards compatibility (as consumers would expect) or a need to upgrade your existing gear (as accessories manufacturers will expect). Using an accessory ecosystem around a few specific proprietary elements (here the connector) is a very powerful way to increase your market share within a customer’s household or even within an individual devices array.
In the present case, I expect 2 new accessories to be added for the iPad. One will be a car kit allowing to use the iPad as a car DVD replacement for kids. The second one will be the iTowel (iTorchon en français), that will be regularly needed as swiping the iPad on one’s shirt will very quickly prove as ridiculous as inefficient and impractical.
Philippe Dewost
CEO imsense ltd
Written by imphoto Staff on Friday 29th January 2010 at 2:29pm
Buy imphoto Pro today!
Try out imphoto for pc on your images! Download the demo now and see the difference imphoto makes – in just one click.
Like what you see and want to use imphoto on all your image formats? Upgrade to imphoto Pro.
imphoto Pro lets you view and process images in their natural format and resolution
- includes batch processing
- handles linear 32-bits-per-channel images
- saves in multiple formats
You’ll be sent a licence code to enter into the product – so upgrade now (just $99 before discount) and turn your photos into great pictures!
Read more about imphoto for PC – and don’t forget to send your before and after pictures to gallery@imsense.com
Written by imphoto Staff on Monday 18th January 2010 at 2:28pm
Over 70,000 new users of imphoto for iPhone over Christmas!
imsense, the Cambridge company which develops eye-fidelityTM Dynamic Range Correction technology to deliver the perfect picture, had a bumper festive period with over 70,000 new users downloading its recently-launched iPhone application over the Christmas holiday..
imphoto for iPhone was launched to provide iPhone users with a streamlined way to take photos, reveal the detail using award-winning eye-fidelity technology, and save or share them to social networks including Facebook and Twitter. The application is incredibly simple and makes the most out of the iPhone camera by acting like a fill-in flash. Its effortless and automatic approach of Shoot: Reveal: Share: – just one tap for each stage – makes it ideal for all users.
“We are really pleased to have so many users of the application in its first weeks of availability, and seeing imphoto ranked at number 2 in both the UK and German Apps stores” commented imsense CEO, Philippe Dewost. “The application was designed to showcase the power of eye-fidelity technology which offers the highest quality output in the shortest possible time, and bring this amazing capability to everybody who enjoys taking photos on the go. We anticipated that iPhones would be a popular Christmas present and so promoted the product over this time – incredibly over 50,000 downloaded it on Christmas Day alone.”
Over half of the Christmas downloads were from the UK, helped by a joint promotion with fellow Cambridge-company Magicsolver, who featured imphoto as the Christmas day special present in its Advent Calendar application. However the reach of the application was global, with the bulk of other downloads coming from the US, closely followed by Germany and France, and users in 59 countries worldwide trying out imphoto. “We know that a big attraction of the application is the ability to send really good photos straight to the social networks, avoiding those embarrassing poor quality posts,” continued Mr Dewost. “Perhaps not surprisingly, given that Facebook was the most accessed website over Christmas and New Year, most photos were shared to Facebook, with Twitter not far behind. We can see more and more content posted online that is «revealed with imphoto»”
imphoto for iPhone is available in two versions: the standard edition retails at $1.99 and the pro edition, which allows users to modify settings and work with larger size input and output files at $5.99. Users can upgrade to the pro edition using the in-app purchase mechanism within the standard edition, allowing them to buy the application and upgrade when required.
This customer acquisition marks a successful end to a very busy 2009 for imsense. During the course of the year the company appointed Philippe Dewost as its CEO; opened up new offices in Cambridge; launched photo applications for the pc and the iPhone; closed its first licensing deal with OnOne software; saw its founder, Professor Graham D. Finlayson winning the Royal Photographic Society’s Davies Medal for services to imaging; to round off its success, the company was awarded a Vision 2020 medal for Innovation in Imaging from the International Imaging Industry Association.
For further information contact:
press dot relations at imsense dot com
Written by imphoto Staff on Thursday 31st December 2009 at 3:06pm
Thanks to everyone who found imphoto through the Advent Calendar
If you’ve just started using imphoto for the Phone because of our lovely status of being the Christmas Day gift we hope that you’ve taken some great iPhone photos as a result. If you’re really pleased with them why not send them to our gallery – gallery@imsense.com and we’ll feature them on this site.
If you want to find out more about the iPhone app or our pc application then please go to the products pages – and t’s remember that if you want to work with higher resolution images, or create your own watermark, it’s easy to upgrade in appp to the Pro version.
Let us know what you think of the application and post your reviews in the store. And the application is free for just a few more hours so if your friends haven’t found out about imphoto for iPhone yet – be sure to tell them!
Written by imphoto Staff on Monday 28th December 2009 at 10:04am
Tell us what you think about imphoto for the iPhone
Both versions of imphoto are now available in the apps store. Whether you want the standard edition to reveal your photos or the pro edition towork with the highest res images and refine your dynamic range optimization settings they’re both easy to install and use straightaway.
With some perfect wintry scenes at present you know it’s great to capture the scene as you see it and reveal it with imphoto for the iPhone.
If you’ve already downloaded imphoto for the iPhone we’d like to know more about why you’re using it, what you think of it and most of all we’d like to see your pictures! Send them to our fan pages on FB and submit them to the gallery on this site – why not show off your great work?
Written by imphoto Staff on Friday 18th December 2009 at 1:56pm
video from 6sight
Find out more about imphoto and eye-fidelity in this presentation from the 6Sight conference in Monterey. Presented by imsense CEO Philippe Dewost:
Philippe Dewost presents at 6Sight
Written by imphoto Staff on Tuesday 15th December 2009 at 1:30pm
imphoto for iPhone – watch the video now
This short music video demos imphoto, the best imaging application ever designed for the iPhone. It was filmed on an autumnal day at the Cambridge University Botanic Gardens
The video shows how imphoto combines automated, patented eye-fidelity™ image optimization with efficient upload to several social networks, making it the best way to Shoot, Reveal, and Share the perfect photo.
music ©Frederick Rousseau with graceful permission
Written by imphoto Staff on Friday 4th December 2009 at 4:25pm
imphoto Pro 2.0 for iPhone is on sale now!
See how imphoto for the iPhone works
imsense is pleased to announce that its imphoto Pro application is now on sale in the iPhone app store for just $5.99/£3.49.
This application is perfect for anyone wanting optimal pictures on the go, and perfect for serial bloggers, mobile socializers, professional photographers, online journalists, designers for whom image, in every sense, is vital.
Shoot. Reveal. Share.
Just seconds from starting the application to publishing your images. Shoot a photo, automatically reveal the detail to make it perfect and then share it via social networks. It’s smooth, effortless and gives unmatched quality pictures.
•Turn a photo into a great picture – automatically, with just one tap. No menus, no sliders.
•Eye-fidelity™ technology relights shadows, preserves perfect highlights and colour.
•Sharing/Upload to your favourite social networks included with background processing : no need to wait
Find out more on our products pages here or go to the Apps store. Please note that imphoto 2.0 standard edition for the iPhone is still in review – so existing users of imviewer can either buy the new app or stay patient for a little bit longer before their automatic upgrade.
Note – early users have reported occasional instability – we’ve already fixed this problem and the revised app v2.1 is being fast-tracked through the store. Meanwhile the app is fully functional and good to use – just as long as you process, adjust and save / share one picture at a time, or use the default “optimal” settings when “relighting” multiples pictures in a row.
Written by imphoto Staff on Thursday 3rd December 2009 at 9:58am
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