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[Q] questions about my imate ultimate 9502

hi....I am a newbie here on this forum. I have an I-mate ultimate 9502 with WM6.1 OS (i guess it's called OS, right?). I have several questions as to how I can make the most out of it.
1. Are there reliable blogs or unabridged articles that state ALL the features (not the basics) the 9502 is capable of, and tips & tricks on how to use them at their utmost level.
2. Regarding the camera, the photo taken at the first time the camera has been switched on is bright and acceptable while the next photos are either dim or blueish. I also don't understand the option Metering Mode (Frame Average, Center Weighted & Spot Metering). If you kindly please explain how this things appropriately work.
3. Is it recommended for it to be used with its default state than having SPB mobile shell installed in it.
4. And, finally (i guess), is I-mate ultimate 9502 obsolete now? and what happened to I-mate? Why is their website not accessible? Where can I find official support for I-mate phones?
Thank you very much. I have more questions but I can't think of them all right now, maybe next time.

I'm not sure at all about your phone, I only know Android.
...but, I do know a little about photography, or at least enough to help you out.
Metering is essentially how the camera decides to expose the photograph, or in other words - brighten or darken. Average takes the average light level & brightens or dims as needed for the average. This is probably the default, and should work fine for general settings. Center-weighted bases it's calculation on the center of the frame. If the center is fairly bright but the subject is off-center and in the shadows, your photo and subject will come out underexposed. Spot is similar to center, but is wherever the camera is focused.
As for the rest, I'm lost, sorry.

plainjane said:
I'm not sure at all about your phone, I only know Android.
...but, I do know a little about photography, or at least enough to help you out.
Metering is essentially how the camera decides to expose the photograph, or in other words - brighten or darken. Average takes the average light level & brightens or dims as needed for the average. This is probably the default, and should work fine for general settings. Center-weighted bases it's calculation on the center of the frame. If the center is fairly bright but the subject is off-center and in the shadows, your photo and subject will come out underexposed. Spot is similar to center, but is wherever the camera is focused.
As for the rest, I'm lost, sorry.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks po to your reply. I now undestand the difference of those options. It will help me make use of my camera even much often. Thanks again po.

[Q] App Development Help

Thanks for the help!

SMBulls9 said:
Hi,
I am trying to develop an app, with little experience of WP7, on Visual Studio Ultimate 2010, in C#. The app I am trying to develop needs to be able to take your pulse using the flash of the camera to illuminate your finger and then detect the changes in brightness to calculate it. To do this, would I be better off recording a video for like ten seconds in the background (the UI will just be text that says place your finger over the lens) or would I need to use a while loop and have it take a picture like every 40 milliseconds then have will flip through the pictures and see how often a dark spot comes up or something? Any code examples or links would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I didn't caught the idea of the app you want to develop, but if I understood you right and you want to measure pulse by taking photos/videos of a finger, it looks like some kind of science fiction. Just imagine the accuracy needed for such calculations and how will you keep you finger still.
Talking about video: if I am not mistaken all the currently existing background agents are restricted to use Camera API, may be I'm a bit wrong here.
For learning C# for Windows Phone 7 it is good to begin from MSDN and bunch of code samples stored there or a book.
Best regards.

This is actually already being done on other smartphone platforms; hell, people are using smartphone sensors for all kinds of crazy things, including a number of medical applications.
Given that the highest pulse you're ever likely to encounter is about 240 BPM / 4Hz (250ms between beats), 40ms resolution seems more than needed. That said, that's only 25 FPS, while I believe the video camera shots at 30 FPS (33ms). However, taking pictures probably won't work so well because of the need to JPEG-compress the images after taking them (I think the camera API *always* does this, though I might be wrong). Using the video stream API seems like a much better idea.
You shouldn't need the background APIs at all; not sure why the guy above me talked about them. My understanding is that these apps just sample for a few seconds, enough to get an accurate reading.
You may get better info in the App Development sub-section of the WP7 D&H forum. That said, don't expect people to write your code for you, especially for something where there's a reasonable chance of it being a commercially viable Marketplace app. I suggest you start with MSDN, but reading the docs and looking at the examples. You can also go look up tutorials and example code online for using the video APIs.

Colour variance in photo app

Hi,
I had this issue a year back and since yesterday I now have it on my Z3 (D6603 23.4.A.0.580).
In essence (and I'm a commercial photographer) I shoot an image, render it on a PC then post to various forums.
One of those forums links to Google Drive / Picasa and the published photos appear on my handset.
If I use the Photo app, the image displays perfectly for 2-3 seconds then the image is simply bleached out and 40% darker with all saturation and definition lost.
If I quit the application, then re-enter, again the image (1000's all told) are perfect for 2-3 seconds, then turn darker.
Am I doing something wrong or did something change?
Regards,
Neil

[APP] New Altimeter app - working core, collecting suggestions for design

Hi,
I want to do a little survey about redesign my app. Somebody may remember it - Elevation Tracker (here you can find some info: https://forum.xda-developers.com/gear-s3/themes/app-elevation-tracker-gear-app-store-t3635451). I'm using it for a year and I want to find out if there will be enough interest from users.
Mission
To make the most out of the Gear S3's barometric data.
Default Altimeter has nice design, but it's not so practical.
Features
Algorithm for automatic recognizing of altitude change due to movement or barometric change due to weather. Example: You are sitting in the office for 4 hours withnout movement, than took a lunch in the kitchen - two floors higher, then come back for another 4 hours. The weather changes during the day, raining...
Samsung's altimeter: Shows growing the altitude, because the pressure decreases. Looks like you ascended 50m, descended 6m.
This app: Altitude is polished by Suunto algorithm (rule = alti change less than 2 meters in 2 minuts is marked as weather change). It shows you exacly ascended 6m and descended 6m. Graph is clearly flat when you are sitting, ignoring weather changes.
Ascended and descended elevation counter in selected interval. You can go 30 days back in precision of 1 minute. Of course, only if Gear S3 is turned on. Otherwise, gap if filled by flat line.
Using the bezel, you can read single altitude at specified time (date pickers, time pickers implemented). At specified time, you can calibrate altitude, which is taken as reference point for whole selected interval.
Graph shows MIN / MAX.
Main problem
It's not possible to support Tizen OS 2.3 and 3.0 at the same time. That's the reason I deleted the app from store. I updated it to support OS 3.0, but many users are still on 2.3 (I don't know why). Samsung did there very very bad job, unpossible to support both OS at the same time. Also, OS 3.0 is full of bugs for developers, but that is another story...
I like the circle graph. But most of you don't. So I want to add other layouts, recommended by you!
What I need from you
Do you want to use this app? Are you using Tizen OS 3.0? (app will not support OS 2.3)
Please help me with layout, post here some samples. It is easy to redesign the app now, because I have working core. But when I look at Garmin Fenix 5 or Suunto Spartan (see layouts in attached files) altimeters, I'm not sure if that is what the most pople want.
What another function you would like to see in the app?
Donate would be nice - in XDA profile The app will be always free, as it's mainly for me
Other...
My idea of using this app is:
-You are on trail and you can switch Gear S3 to offline mode with display turned off. At evening, in basecamp, you can analyse altitude data. Or event after 30 days!
-During working day, you can easily track when did you used elevator, went the steps etc...
The process of loading a new data (when you select new interval):
1. Graph of barometric pressure[blue] ->
2. Graph of calculated altitude[orange] ->
3. Graph of polished altitude[green], now bezel is enabled.
Thank you so much for ideas!!

Hey mate,
i've been here on XDA for a while now, but you got my attention enough to finally make an account.
I'd love to support you and your app, but first of all, it needs to be downloadable in Europe (Gears S3 frontier, without LTE).
As a gliderpilot this App could be a real help.
Some ideas include:
- Increase and decrease of altitude (in ft/min and m/s)
- Warning at: above, below, passing through a certain height
- Time between heights (interesting for high altitude hikers as well, like: above XXX ft for YY minutes)
As a pilot I also would like to see the glide slope, but this wouldn't fit into this app.
I'd like to offer my help as developer. I'm goood in C#/Photoshop but never have written something for Tizen. I would need some advice.
Otherwise i could offer a donation (but prefer to work^^)
Greetings
Diego

Hi Diego,
thank you for your post!
About developing for Tizen - it's a bit nightmare It is not difficult, the problem is OS bugs and no compatibility between different versions of OS, which cause bad reviews, which caused suspend of my apps in store. I want to support only latest OS for Gear S3.
Overall, it's not a problem to code your ideas at all. I'm using chart.js, where it's possible to graph almost everything.
I'm using this app a lot by myself, but I deleted it from the store, because OS 3.0 has a bug with rotary bezel (bezel is frozen after date/time picker shows) and I don't want to receive bad reviews. I may rename it as "beta" and post it again...
About your effort, it would be really helpful to design a layout in Photoshop. Than I can try to code it.
As the app is now working in history mode (browsing collected data (1 sample minute)), I would imagine splitting the app for
REAL-TIME mode (new)
HISTORY mode
So, what do you think about making some layouts?
Thanks!

Really interested in this app for Tizen 3.0.
Will it be available in the app store at some point?

Hi Dev,
Thanks for your work.
I used and installed your app, but as many users say, the 360 deg chart is counter-intuitive and ended up uninstalling.
I very much prefer the Suunto one, Garmin in second place.
Altitude charts always with linear x-y axis in my opinion, very intuitive.
Have you considered using altitude data based on location (like Strava does) instead of relying on barometric changes?
If the chart was linear I'd be happy to use again and donate.
IIRC, it was somewhat intricate to pick the timespan for the chart -don't remember the details.
Thanks

Hello,
but many users are still on 2.3 (I don't know why) => because there is not Tizen os 3 on some devices (Gear S2 for instance).
I’ve just reset my watch because I have to change my phone.
There is no way to get all old apps
Dashboard Watchface and altimeter for exemple disappears from my watch and there is no possibility to get it from Galaxy store.
What a shame. This is planned obsolescence.

Question Photosphere - impossible so far on S22

I can't believe that making a photosphere in this day and age is impossible on the S22 Ultra.
I've not been able to create one with any software so far that I've tried. Google Street view for instance is useless because it doesn't have the ability to figure out the focal length of the lens so the stitching is a complete mess.
Does anyone know of a solution? Or am I wasting my time.
If not does anyone know of an assist app that will provide the guides (like) Google street view but save the individual pictures so I can use stitching on the PC?

louiscar said:
I can't believe that making a photosphere in this day and age is impossible on the S22 Ultra.
I've not been able to create one with any software so far that I've tried. Google Street view for instance is useless because it doesn't have the ability to figure out the focal length of the lens so the stitching is a complete mess.
Does anyone know of a solution? Or am I wasting my time.
If not does anyone know of an assist app that will provide the guides (like) Google street view but save the individual pictures so I can use stitching on the PC?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung used to have a camera plugin that allowed you to capture several images and stich them together. I could do it on my S8+ and Note 8. It was a little clunky, but it produced decent results.
Samsung stopped supporting it after the Note/S 9 series because I couldn't do it on my Note 10+. It wasn't a widely used feature.
Here are some PC and Mac apps that can do 3D image stitching. Not all are free.
Best Photo Stitching Software for Making Panoramas (2023)
An updated roundup of some of the best photo stitching apps for making panoramas, from free and simple to paid and powerful.
havecamerawilltravel.com

gernerttl said:
Samsung used to have a camera plugin that allowed you to capture several images and stich them together. I could do it on my S8+ and Note 8. It was a little clunky, but it produced decent results.
Samsung stopped supporting it after the Note/S 9 series because I couldn't do it on my Note 10+. It wasn't a widely used feature.
Here are some PC and Mac apps that can do 3D image stitching. Not all are free.
Best Photo Stitching Software for Making Panoramas (2023)
An updated roundup of some of the best photo stitching apps for making panoramas, from free and simple to paid and powerful.
havecamerawilltravel.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Gernerttl,
Thanks for your reply.
Yes I had this feature on my Note 4 which did deal with spherical panoramas (or photospheres ) and it did a great job.
As I say the problem with apps that do this now fail on some smartphones due to the focal length of the lenses and the ineptitude of the software in failing to find out what that fl is.
So whilst Google and other software are good at guiding you in covering the whole sphere the stitching is poor and sadly they are so basic that they don't make the separate photos available so you can export them.
The link you gave is for stitching software and that isn't the problem for me.
Ideally I'd like to find software that would work on the phone but if not I'd like to find software that would provide the guiding process of covering the sphere and save the separate tiles so I can then put them into the stitching software.

louiscar said:
Hi Gernerttl,
Thanks for your reply.
Yes I had this feature on my Note 4 which did deal with spherical panoramas (or photospheres ) and it did a great job.
As I say the problem with apps that do this now fail on some smartphones due to the focal length of the lenses and the ineptitude of the software in failing to find out what that fl is.
So whilst Google and other software are good at guiding you in covering the whole sphere the stitching is poor and sadly they are so basic that they don't make the separate photos available so you can export them.
The link you gave is for stitching software and that isn't the problem for me.
Ideally I'd like to find software that would work on the phone but if not I'd like to find software that would provide the guiding process of covering the sphere and save the separate tiles so I can then put them into the stitching software.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here is what I found. Have you tried any of these?
The best 360-degree camera apps for iOS and Android | Digital Trends
A 360-degree photo lets you observe a scene from a single point of view. We show you the best 360-degree camera apps for iOS and Android.
www.digitaltrends.com

gernerttl said:
Here is what I found. Have you tried any of these?
The best 360-degree camera apps for iOS and Android | Digital Trends
A 360-degree photo lets you observe a scene from a single point of view. We show you the best 360-degree camera apps for iOS and Android.
www.digitaltrends.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I was working off that list actually as searches are so limited this is about the only thing that comes up.
Google view and one of the others proved exactly the same - Google obviously implemented that companies version into their street view.
One is for IOS only and I have not tried (but will) the last two even though they appear to have less regard for settings. I'll look at some of the Android stitchers too in case some offer the assist to take the photos. Most expect you to already have taken them with adequate overlaps but as you can imagine doing a whole sphere and making sure you are tracking what you have covered so far is a pain.
Thanks for the help I will try the offerings here but unless they photosphere offerings allow you to change camera lens FL they will assume a standard lens and fail. I'm surprised developers did not think of this as it's a complex process and I would have thought it'd have been essential.

You're welcome. I'm not sure it'll get fixed anytime soon. Not until OEMs figure out how to make a camera module that can implement an optical zoom with ultra-wide to super-telephoto focal lengths using one lens.

Hehe, well finally I've worked my way through all the pathetic offerings. All the apps are kiddy type apps which have no complexity whatsoever, most just do circular panos and the stitchers were even worse refusing to deal with anything but circular panos.
Sadly disappointing.
I think the only solution is to get a 360 standalone camera, these do video which I'm not interested in, so expensive and the quality isn't up to the camera on the S22 Ultra. [sigh 2023 - that's what we get - LOL)

Gcam has a photosphere plug in, I've just tried it seems ok, but maybe you've already tried?

alienex said:
Gcam has a photosphere plug in, I've just tried it seems ok, but maybe you've already tried?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, I had a link to a table of models and versions (somewhere) and when I checked there wasn't a gcam version for the S22 range.
Can you tell me which one you installed?
My version is also with Exynos chip if that matters.

Not sure if I can link it but Google gcam s22 ultra and its the getdroidtips link but I've just checked and I'm using snapdragon model.

OK, thanks

You can capture (for now) 360° photos with Street View app from Google.

Salkrikaltor said:
You can capture (for now) 360° photos with Street View app from Google.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As per my first post. Done that - it fails to stitch properly.

Unfortunately 360 image capture has, for the most part, gone back to being a niche genre. The Samsung 360 camera plugin worked pretty well. Then Samsung dropped support for it when it decided to market and produce a 360 camera. Unfortunately, Samsung's foray into producing 360 image capture didn't last that long. Because the market is small, it was already saturated with devices made by Ricoh, Go Pro, Insta360, etc.

GCAM :
MGC_8.1.101_A9_GV1zfix_ruler.apk
Has a working photosphere on exynos S22ultra
https://1-dontsharethislink.celsoazevedo.com/file/filesc/MGC_8.1.101_A9_GV1zfix_ruler.apk

brouwerchris said:
GCAM :
MGC_8.1.101_A9_GV1zfix_ruler.apk
Has a working photosphere on exynos S22ultra
https://1-dontsharethislink.celsoazevedo.com/file/filesc/MGC_8.1.101_A9_GV1zfix_ruler.apk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you . Will give that a try.
I actually tried Google view outside and it failed on top and bottom stitching unlike when I tried it indoors where it failed to stitch almost everything.
Hopefully this will be better.!!

gernerttl said:
Unfortunately 360 image capture has, for the most part, gone back to being a niche genre. The Samsung 360 camera plugin worked pretty well. Then Samsung dropped support for it when it decided to market and produce a 360 camera. Unfortunately, Samsung's foray into producing 360 image capture didn't last that long. Because the market is small, it was already saturated with devices made by Ricoh, Go Pro, Insta360, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I recently got fired up because I bought a DJI mini 3 pro and the spherical panos on that are superb.
Got to thinking about them again and having access to panos on the ground.
Which makes me also wonder about the viewer.
Gallery on my S23 works fine if the meta shows a pano. I get a 360 photo button when it's recognised and it will display with several options.
I sent this to my friend and he has the S20 and his Gallery doesn't seem to support pano viewing at all.
Found that strange since I had the viewer on my Note 4 many years ago and the S20 isn't very old at all.
Oh well.