At our 4th of February meeting, Robert demonstrated a new webcam he’d got for his Mac mini and gave some tips on choosing and configuring a webcam. We also talked about some recent Apple news and continued our discussion on Apple’s 2022.
Webcams
Robert had purchased a new Logitech Streamcam for his Mac mini. He found the new webcam to be a big improvement over the Microsoft Lifecam HD-3000 he was using previously.
Robert showed how the camera can be configured through Logitech’s G-Hub software which allows custom configurations to be created and saved for easy use. Options include changing picture settings such as brightness and contrast, digital zoom and panning. Auto focus, white balance and exposure can be switched off and controlled manually. Logitech also has a Camera Settings app available which makes may of these options available with the other cameras in their range (and also works with the Streamcam if you prefer its simpler interface).
For users of built-in Mac webcams or external cams that don’t come with Mac software, Robert mentioned that the app Webcam Settings available on the Mac Appstore seems to be widely recommended.
During the camera discussion Denesh mentioned the Mevo wireless camera and DaveK, Ben and Robert reminisced about Zenit film cameras.
Apple 2022
Continuing our discussion from the last meeting, we talked about Apple in 2022 including:
- New iPhone models possibly without a notch.
- Possible new health features in the Apple Watch.
- An updated iPhone SE.
The discussion was prompted by the Mac Rumors article What to Expect from Apple in 2022. Note that all of the above is currently speculation.
Apple News
We discussed recent Apple news including:
- Apple announces a self-service repair programme starting with iPhone 12 and 13 in the US.
- iOS 15.2 includes Parts and Service History in Settings for recent iPhones.
- Google Messages on Android now supports iMessage reactions.
- Apple releases Tracker Detect app for Android allowing users to detect nearby AirTags.
- Impressions of the lower cost Apple Music Voice plan emerge.
- FaceID and Apple Pay with a face mask are coming in iOS 15.4 for iPhone 12 and newer.
- The Safari 15 bug allowing sites to access recent browsing activity (mentioned at the last SEAL meeting) is now patched in iOS 15.3/macOS 12.2.
Member topics
- DaveK demonstrated Physiapp an app which allows a physiotherapist to assign you a specific set of exercises with instructions, videos and tracking (note that this is only of use if you’re assigned an exercise programme by a healthcare practitioner).
- Dave also mentioned the film Office Space particularly the printer scene.
- DavidB pointed out that the Mac Finder rename function can be used to easily rename multiple selected files at once.
- Ben mentioned that he’s planning to visit the Centre for Computing History in Cambridge.
- Elliott told us about the helpful support he got from Rogue Amoeba to resolve a problem with their Audio Hijack app.