Today at Google I/O, Sports Illustrated editor Terry McDonell showcased this demo of the HTML5 version of the magazine. Last December, SI released a mockup video of how their online version would look as an app, but this version is based on the web and can be viewed with laptop and tablet browsers. It looks like a print magazine layout, with fantastic spreads, photos, and fonts, but it also has a lot of unique multimedia features that are incorporated into the design.

In the presentation, McDonell said:

“The idea is really very simple: combine the best of the web with the best of the magazine, like the sports photography, which is deep, deep in Sports Illustrated’s DNA.”

SI’s really giving photography a great plug: the demo issue also has a behind-the-scenes portrait shoot with Shaq, and there’s an expanded photo gallery option for readers to see more shoots than the ones included in the main design. Even the interactive demo ad is photo-related, showing a faux camera brand with interchangeable lenses.

This web design really opens up the doors for visual and multimedia storytelling, and is an exciting way to make an interactive publication accessible (not to mention SEO-friendly) to the entire World Wide Web.

Let us know what you think about SI’s new magazine format in the comments.

The tech war is on between Apple and Adobe, and it’s starting to sound political. What’s fairly interesting is how Adobe’s been running “We [heart] Apple” as well as “We [heart] Choice” ads, suggesting that this tech war is all about word choice — or perhaps the word, “choice.”

The lack of Flash on Apple mobile devices has been a growing issue, especially since the release of the iPad. Apple’s omission left a lot of creatives, including photographers, scrambling to find a substitute for Flash-based sites.

A few weeks ago, Steve Jobs published his thoughts behind Apple’s movement away from Flash capabilities in mobile products.

Today, Adobe’s co-founders Chuck Geschke and John Warnock  responded in an open letter that was published in newspaper ads and on its website, titling it “Our Thoughts on Open Markets.” The letter launched alongside a new section on Adobe’s site called “Freedom of Choice.”Adobe also published a page titled “The truth about Flash,” which responds point-by-point to most of Jobs’ arguments.

Jobs had ended his letter with a stab at Adobe, saying:

New open standards created in the mobile era, such as HTML5, will win on mobile devices (and PCs too). Perhaps Adobe should focus more on creating great HTML5 tools for the future, and less on criticizing Apple for leaving the past behind.

Adobe responded:

We believe that Apple, by taking the opposite approach, has taken a step that could undermine this next chapter of the web — the chapter in which mobile devices outnumber computers, any individual can be a publisher, and content is accessed anywhere and at any time.

In the end, we believe the question is really this: Who controls the World Wide Web? And we believe the answer is: nobody — and everybody, but certainly not a single company.

So far this seems to be a war of words; Apple and Adobe are fighting over ownership of what “open,” really means and what the future of the Internet (and your portfolio) will look like.

Let us know where you stand on the issue in the comments.

A common gripe about the iPad is that it doesn’t contain a built-in camera. Developer Yusuke Sekikawa saw this need, and wrote two applications that allow an iPhone 3GS to be used as an iPad camera.

Here’s what you need to do: download the CAMERA-A app ($0.99) onto your iPad, the CAMERA-B app (free) onto your iPhone 3Gs, connect the devices via Bluetooth or WiFi, open the apps, and voila! The iPhone should be function as an external camera for your iPad, allowing you to take photos using your iPad.

If you have trouble with the link, try disabling Wifi.

Camera for iPad is another app set that uses an iPhone as an iPad camera. While the $0.99 app will allow you to use a non-3Gs iPhone, it doesn’t capture images on the iPad directly, but transfers them to the iPad when taken.

Future apps might use this same iPhone/iPad setup for video chatting — something that wasn’t possible with a non-forward facing built-in camera.

(via Gizmodo)

Image credit: Shoot iPad Photos Using iPhone by Photo Giddy

As more and more people are ditching compact cameras for their camera-equipped phones, it’s clear these hybrid devices will be playing a big role in casual imaging in the years to come. One of the leaders in this space is the Apple iPhone, which boasts countless applications that improve and customize the photography that can be done with it.

Some recent events have shed a little light into the direction Apple may be headed.

The first clue is a recent job posting on Apple’s website with the job title “Performance QA Engineer, iPad Media”:

The Media Systems team is looking for a software quality engineer with a strong technical background to test still, video and audio capture and playback frameworks. Build on your QA experience and knowledge of digital camera technology (still and video) to develop and maintain testing frameworks for both capture and playback pipelines.

Given that the iPad does not currently offer any kind of photo or video capture, this suggests that camera(s) may appear in the next iPad.

Furthermore, Electronista is reporting that sensor corp OmniVision may play a role in future Apple devices:

OmniVision executives today gave JP Morgan analyst Paul Coster hints that they may have deals for cameras in next-generation Apple devices. After a discussion, Coster understood that ‘top-tier smart phone companies’ would move from three-megapixel cameras to five in the second half of the year. He added that OmniVision was “well-positioned” to provide camera sensors for both the new iPhone and even the next iPad, which in its initial form doesn’t have any cameras.

At the beginning of the year, we reported that OmniVision had developed a 14.6 megapixel sensor for cell phones that is also capable of high-definition video recording.

The iPad is a bit to big to be a carry-around point-and-shoot replacement, so any camera that appears on it might be more geared towards video chatting, while we might see the quality of iPhone photography skyrocket in the near future.

Image credit: iPad Girl by ajstarks

Suzieautomatic’s original Canon-style dial sticker was a bit hit in the blogosphere, but it left many non-Canonites wondering whether they could buy one to match their preferred brand.

But suzieatomatic didn’t neglect Nikonians and Leicans for long.

Now, in addition to Canon vinyl decals, the seller is offering Nikon and Leica versions for laptops, also for $15.

The Etsy dealer also released stickers that are customized for some select camera models. So far, as a spectacular ode to camera geekdom, they’ve got stickers for the the Nikon D90, Canon 5D Mark II, and most recently, for the Canon EOS 40D.

And if you got your hands on the iPad this past weekend, suzieatomatic also released an appropriately sized Canon decal.

For whatever brand camp you fall into, your swag can be really specific to what you’re repping.

An unofficial iPad Flickr app called “Flickr Photos” has been approved for the iPad app store. The $2.99 app, created by Garlic Dumpling, allows you to do download and view both your own photos and your contacts’ photos in a minimalistic interface. There’s no word on whether the official Flickr application will be ready for the iPad when the store launches, but the iTunes preview page for the official Flickr app already states “Flickr for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad on the iTunes App Store”.

The official app has an average rating of only 3.5 stars, so if a third party app can come along and offer a better experience for using Flickr, it might just take off and strike big in this upcoming “gold rush”.

(via MacStories)

Over the weekend Apple finally made the iPad Camera Connection Kit available for pre-order. The kit, which will ship “late April”, includes two connectors: a USB connector and a SD Card reader. If you use some other memory card, you’ll need to plug your existing card reader into the USB connector. So how much do these connectors cost? A mere $29 plus tax.

Any guesses as to how much it costs to manufacture these little connectors?

This video, created by California photographer Jesse Rosten, offers an interesting glimpse at what digital magazine covers might look like for the iPad. Rather than offer a static photograph of the beach as the print version of Sunset Magazine would, this cover is brought to life with both video and animation.

Audio and video are late to the magazine party, but it looks like they might steal some of photography’s thunder.

(via TechCrunch)

This Sports Illustrated Tablet Demo by Jared Cocken came out a few months ago, before the announcement of the Hearst/LG/Marvell lovechild, the Skiff e-reader and Apple’s iPad. With the more announcements of technology that will become available just around the corner, this demo is worth a second look.

The demo is just one example of how tablet and advanced e-reader technology could be applied practically to bring the magazine medium into a digital format, not only adding an interactive feel, but increasing the scope of content — especially photographs.

While videos are also a prominent feature in the tablet demo, I get the reassuring feeling that magazines like Sports Illustrated won’t let go of still photography anytime soon as they shift into new media. In fact, photography seems to be a major selling point for e-readers and publications alike.

What do you think? Will the prospect of interactive magazines and photographs be enough to interest e-reader buyers and subscribers?

Steve Jobs unveiled the Apple iPad today, igniting tech news with excitement, skepticism, and prolific ragging on its name.

Apple’s iPad marketing team insists that the iPad is a groundbreaking piece of technology, fusing laptop, smartphone, and e-reader capabilities.

It certainly appears to be innovative technology fit for the future. Brent Spiner, famous for his role as Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation, tweeted that the iPad looks like something from the Enterprise. Jason Kincaid of TechCrunch mused about all the possibilities the iPad opens for book publishers, interactive media, and most importantly, developers who can harness the power of the iPad app. Though old media (namely print) might continue to fall away, but if publications can tap into “hybridized content” – text, photos, video, interactive stories – they might even convince readers that their content is worth paying for.

However, before that conversation can even begin, is the iPad itself worth its weight in bills? TechCrunch also reports that the iPad appears to not run Flash and will only be offered through the 3G network of AT&T. Gizmodo has a running list of gripes against the iPad’s failings, including the fact that it does not have a built-in camera.

For photographers, the iPad might be a promising tool, but currently offers very little. Though Apple claims the iPad is “the best way to view and share your photos,” it appears to be a glorified interactive digital picture frame, or at best, a redesigned touch version of Apple’s Quick Look. All starting at $499.

The Apple website hails the iPad as being “the best way to experience the web, email, photos and video. Hands down,” but reveals that the only way to get photos onto the iPad is by syncing with a computer, downloading from email, or purchase the Apple Camera Connection Kit separately. Extra cost just to take advantage of the advertised feature? Sounds like a deal breaker.