BLINK is a fun little camera app that came out of a summer project at Microsoft Research. It was demonstrated during the lead up to the release of Windows Phone 8 and was eventually released to the Store, receiving numerous updates over the past few months to improve things.
Today, version 2.0 has landed bringing with it a bunch of new features and new functionality. In short, it has basically become a ‘cinemagraph’ app now in addition to being able to grab the “perfect shot” as before.
Head past the break for the full change log and our quick video hands on for a tour of the new features!
Changelog
- Camera settings - change camera settings such as scene mode, exposure, white balance and ISO in capture mode
- Animation - Quickly set the motion range for animation in addition to selecting the best shot after capture
- Sharing - Share the animations to BLINK.so.cl, Facebook, or Twitter
- In-app viewing - View the animations in the in-app history, wait for a moment and they start animating!
- Web gallery - From the in-app history, view your shared BLINKs in the web gallery
- Save another - Your BLINKs are always saved within the app. Come back and save another shot to camera roll or change the animation range via "edit" in the in-app history
Dare we say, it looks like Microsoft took a page from Nokia’s book with their Cinemagraph app (though Nokia’s is still more advanced with its selective animations). Blink 2.0 builds off of the previous version nicely by giving users more control over the camera’s settings, which should make photo buffs happy.
With the animated BLINKs on board, one needs a way to share them with others (much like Nokia’s Cinemagraph issue), and so Microsoft has created a BLINK.so.cl server to upload the creations and to enable sharing with others. Unfortunately, things are still being “turned on” as our link brings us to a non-working “Private Beta” page, but that’s all backend stuff that can be sorted.
Anyway, head to the Store and pick up BLINK 2.0 for Windows Phone 8 here. Let us know in comments what you think!
The Black Friday keyboard deals you need to know about
Getting your hands on a new keyboard is exciting for PC users, and thanks to Black Friday, it's more affordable than ever before. Here's a look at the best Black Friday keyboard deals available now.
Microsoft’s ‘Project Latte’ aims to bring Android apps to Windows 10
Microsoft is working on a software solution that would allow app developers to bring their Android apps to Windows 10 with little to no code changes by packaging them as an MSIX and allowing developers to submit them to the Microsoft Store. The project is codenamed 'Latte' and I'm told it could show up as soon as next year.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Where to find all of the Abilities & Upgrades
Assassin's Creed Valhalla is Ubisoft's most recent adventure bringing medical England to life through the eyes of a Viking named Eivor. Build your arsenal of devastating combat moves called Abilities, and become a Viking warlord with this comprehensive list of all the abilities and their locations.
Make the most of your Surface Pen and Slim Pen with these awesome apps
To really maximize the ability of the Surface Pen and Slim Pen, there are some essential apps you should check out. We've rounded up the best right here for a variety of purposes.