Skip to main content

An Aeriel View of LA, Using the iPhone 4 camera

Image used with permission by copyright holder

After waiting 4 hours in line for an iPhone 4, few people would likely rush out to subject their new prized Apple gadget to the whims of nature. But thankfully for us, that is exactly what a group in Los Angeles did.

In an effort to test out the iPhone 4’s 720p video camera in the most impressive (and likely heart-stopping for the owner) way possible, an iPhone 4 was attached to a group of helium-filled balloons. A string based cradle was added to the balloons,with the iPhone nestled squarely in the center, and the Apple phone was released into the great blue yonder. The results were some very impressive looks at LA from the sky, and a very promising look at the iPhone 4 camera’s potential.

Check out the video below for a look at the first (although we suspect not the last) flying iPhone. In terms of finding new things to do with an iPhone, it makes a nice change from blowing it up, blending it, or shooting it with a high powered rifle.

Ryan Fleming
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ryan Fleming is the Gaming and Cinema Editor for Digital Trends. He joined the DT staff in 2009 after spending time covering…
The iPhone’s new AI features may come with a gigantic catch
An iPhone 15 Pro Max laying face-down outside, showing the Natural Titanium color.

Imagine paying a minimum of $999 for a new iPhone 14 Pro in 2022, only to discover that it can’t run the full iOS 18 experience in less than two years. It might sound dystopian, especially for a product known for its long shelf life that's largely the result of an industry-leading software update policy at Apple.

Yet, it seems that nightmarish surprise will be here in just over a week. Bloomberg recently reported on some crucial AI-driven features coming to iOS 18, with Siri being one of the main recipients of all that innovation. But iPhone users might have to pay a pretty price for it all.

Read more
This Android phone has a camera feature I’ve never used before, and I love it
Gray Vivo V30 Pro Aura fill Light held in hand.

We have all had some amazing moments ruined by flash. That is why the flash's utility on our phones has largely stayed out of photography and been limited to ensure that we don't stub our pinky toes while grabbing a snack from the kitchen in the middle of the night.

But as we know from large studio setups, good lighting is vital for images; high-end cameras aim to address the limitation of low light with larger camera sensors and lenses with wider apertures. For phones, unfortunately, the physical dimensions of a camera module do not facilitate that liberty to a great extent. Vivo, which is known for some prodigious phone cameras, has an intuitive solution to the problem -- and it involves using a smarter and refined version of the flash.

Read more
Here’s how iOS 18 could change the way you use your iPhone
The lock screen on the Apple iPhone 15 Plus.

It seems the long-overdue Siri overhaul will finally arrive at WWDC in just over a week from now, and the digital assistant will embrace AI trickery in all its forms. According to Bloomberg, Apple’s planned upgrades for Siri will deeply integrate with on-device functions at the OS level and with the installed apps, too.

“The new system will allow Siri to take command of all the features within apps for the first time,” the report says. The most notable capability is that Siri will only require voice prompts to interact with apps, thanks to a major change in the AI architecture powering it and putting large language models in command, just the way Gemini or ChatGPT draw their own skills from such models.

Read more