Entertainer Will.i.am to debut iPhone camera add-on casing

Black Eyed Peas singer-songwriter Will.i.am is <a href="http://macnn.com/rd/273779==http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/9693349/Will.i.ams-iPhone-accessories-to-turn-smartphones-into-genius-phones.html" rel='nofollow'>launching an accessory</a> for the iPhone 4/4S and 5 that promises to turn the phone into a full-fledged traditional point-and-shoot camera. The entertainer says the casing will feature its own, 14-megapixel sensor and "a better flash" than the one built into the iPhone, according to the UK newspaper the <em>Telegraph</em>, and is the first of a planned range of accessories.<br><br>"You dock your iPhone into our device, and it turns your smartphone into a genius-phone," he declared. The casing essentially replaces and takes over from the built-in camera app on the iPhone, but still uses the LCD screen as a 4- or 5-inch viewfinder. The device will be formally introduced at a London press conference on Wednesday, November 28, and will be seen in a music video for Will.i.am's new song "Scream and Shout," which features Britney Spears and will premiere on the TV show <em>The X Factor</em> that same day.

The add-on camera module, which appears to include an add-on lens as well, is to be the first of a line of tech accessories marketed under the name "i.am+" and designed at least in part by the artist himself. Along with the casing, the singer revealed that he plans a www.i.am website where users can share their photos. Samsung recently launched an Android-powered <a href="http://macnn.com/rd/273780==http://www.electronista.com/articles/12/11/12/android.41.powered.4g.enabled.camera.lands.friday/" rel='nofollow'>Galaxy Camera</a> device that allows users to use the LCD screen to play games in addition to take and edit pictures, which offers 3G/LTE compatibility for uploading pictures but is not an actual phone. [<a href="http://macnn.com/rd/273781==http://www.gettyimages.ca/Search/Search.aspx?contractUrl=2&language=en-US&assetType=image&excludenudity=true&p=will.i.am+ camera" rel='nofollow'>photo via</a> <em>Getty images</em>]

A self-absorbed talentless celebrity

I'm looking forward to seeing some reviews on this. If the price is right, I would be interested.

Will.i.am??? I still might get one.

It still uses CMOS (crappy metal oxide semiconductor), and megapixels are a myth (and a bad way to sell).

They should focus on the "sensor to pixel size" ratio. If it's less than 1.5 um, then it's crap regardless of megapixels.

14 Megapixels? I'm not sold; that just means more noisy pictures and bloated/wasted hard drive space. I'd rather have a less-noisy 6 MP CCD than a 14 MP anything unless it's a DSLR.

What have you produced to your credit?

CMOS or CCD makes little difference. Best to look at other factors such as dynamic range, chromatic aberration, MTF, etc.

Perhaps you should do your research before you fire off that pie hole of yours. In addition to his musical and artistic contributions, if you knew what charity works he is involved with, you would be chirping a different tune. His music style may not be your cup of tea, but what he does for others cannot be ignored.

As Spheric has said, what have you accomplished in life?

Just because Will.I.Am is involved in charity doesn't make him a good musician or a good camera maker. Not sure how you correlated the two but it's a ridiculous claim. I personally think Will.I.Am is a decent musician and probably a good person but I wouldn't buy anything from him other than song DLs.

Mr. Strat claimed he was "self-absorbed" and "talentless".

It was he that conflated them.

Please refer to Mr. Strat's original post.

Some that is "Self-absorbed" won't bother helping others. ie He wouldn't bother with charity work as a huge focus in his life.
Someone that is "Talentless" won't be getting the press coverage, celebrity endorsements, connections or success as he does. I would like to see the talented Mr. Strat achieve a tenth of what Will.i.am has.

I never said he was a good musician. Personal opinion. You either like him or you don't.
I never said he was in the camera making business either. You did.

Why are we assuming that just because someone is good -- or at least successful -- in Field A, that he cannot also be good at Field B? Making the whole discussion about Will.i.am seems absurd to me.

Surely the POINT is to wait and see if his idea has come out successfully? He's certainly not the first person to have had the idea of attaching a better/stronger lens to the iPhone, and I'm sure he didn't hand-craft the thing, he just found a company that was interested in his idea and developed it with him. Let's see when the thing actually comes out if it is a) any good and b) worth the money.

I know, crazy talk.

I have no desire to achieve any degree of fame playing music. The music I play is focused on a higher purpose than wealth and fame. And having spent most of my life doing professional photography, I think I'm qualified to speak to that also.

You consider him "talentless" and "self-absorbed", based on the fact that you have made some money in photography, and have no interest in producing something musically that people will consider paying for?

Might there be people who look at the photography you've produced that's made money and consider you "talentless" and "self-absorbed" for producing it?

Whether you personally happen to like or approve it or not, somebody who's consistently making things that millions of people seem to want has gotta be doing a number of things right.

Call it a "knack" if you insist on some sort of esoteric definition of "talent".

I consider him talentless because he's a rapper. He can't sing, doesn't play an instrument, and his claim to fame is talking dirty in rhyme. Just the spelling of his stage name is pretentious.

I did photography for money (not much) and love of the art. Musically, I have no interest in making money. But I doubt you'd understand.

He is talentless because he is a rapper?
He is talentless because he cannot sing??
He is talentless because he does not play an instrument???

Are you f-ing kidding me? Have you heard a single Black Eyed Peas song? Obviously not because you are wrong on all three counts. Well two and a half because he is a rapper and a singer.
Do us all a favour by researching a little and shut your pie hole.

I understand quite well.

I see that you are applying niche hobbyist criteria to people actually making a living.

I also see that you are applying those criteria to a projected fantasy image probably created by your own envy, since you obviously haven't the slightest clue who Will.i.am actually is, and what he actually does.

Success is not necessarily measured by fame and/or money.

Yes, I have heard the Black Eyed Peas. Fergie is hot, but their music is not.

Well, any last shred of credibility you had went out the door when you said that. ;)

Actually, "success" generally IS.

"Talent" may not be, and depending upon how elitist you are, writing music that manages to appeal to a huge number of people requires either a lot of talent or a pretty damn well-developed skillset and a good grasp of the audience.

Of course, you personally may have much higher standards and think extremely highly of your own music, but frankly, I believe that that is worth precisely shit if nobody's ever going to hear it. Don't take this part too personally: it's a beef I have with large parts of especially the jazz circuit, who seem to think that popularity somehow indicates artistic castration and compromise, rather than success.

I'm convinced that 1,000 people moved to having a great time are worth more than six people from the Department of Scale Protection validating proper use of creativity.

A jazz player can play a thousand chords all night to three people.

A rock & roller can play three chords all night to a thousand people.

And a great musician will play what is necessary.


I have been moved to tears by two-chord pieces, and I have been moved to tears by altered progressions and tritone substitutes.

If you believe you can quantify the quality of music by its harmonic complexity, then you truly haven't the slightest clue how, and WHY, music works.

If I'm putting words in your mouth, please say so. As you can tell, this is a subject very close to me.

Do you have a point with that statement other than allowing your musical bias to alter your judgement?