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03-07-2011, 08:45 PM   #1
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Pentax iPhone app

Looks like Pentax Japan released a new iphone app as a marketing tie in to the new Optio i-10
Pentax+ ペンタックスプラス / おしゃべりI-10カメラーマン

I've installed the app on my iPhone, and it seems to be a fully functioning Twitter app, but with some cool animation of the Optio I-10 (you can customise the camera colour and what "clothes" it's wearing)

It's supposed to be able to speak the tweets using a Hoya feature called VoiceText but I can't seem to get it to work - my iPhone is maddeningly silent.

Anyone figured out how to get VoiceText working?

03-07-2011, 09:24 PM   #2
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Maybe it can only read Japanese?

Honestly, though- why does Pentax waste their time any money on stuff like this instead of stuff that actually matters...

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03-07-2011, 09:34 PM   #3
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Because it's all marketing without much cost to them.
Everything's got to have an iPhone app to be worth anything in this world today!
03-07-2011, 09:37 PM   #4
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QuoteOriginally posted by Adam Quote
Maybe it can only read Japanese?
The website says it supports Japanese and English. In any case it seems to be silent on both Japanese and English tweets.

VoiceText is apparently Hoya technology so I guess they thought this is a good way of showcasing that technology.

I went to the VoiceText web site and tried out typing some Japanese and getting it to voice my text. I didn't try English.

The quality of the speech synthesis is very good - I would say almost perfect for the simple sentences that I typed in.

03-07-2011, 09:44 PM   #5
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Update - got it working - I forgot I had muted my speakers!

It's quite cute - very good at Japanese tweets, horrible in English!

It speaks English like a Japanese would - very heavily accented! Not usable for English I'm afraid.
03-07-2011, 09:50 PM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by Adam Quote
Maybe it can only read Japanese?

Honestly, though- why does Pentax waste their time any money on stuff like this instead of stuff that actually matters...
Yeah like the Low Light Front focus fault with the K-5. There are several people not buying a K-5 becuase of this fault. I already own a K-5. I want to buy a second one, but I am waiting for this fault to be fixed.
03-07-2011, 11:05 PM - 1 Like   #7
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Well, now that those software engineers are freed up from working on iPhone apps, they can get to the front focus problem. I'm sure they are the same engineering team.

Pentax spends time and money on this because it is part of their marketing stratagy. Marketing these days is very targeted. If you don't "get it" then you can be guaranteed you were not the target.

Same goes for all the colourful theme cameras. The team that worked on the auto focus systems were not the same group that spec'd the colours for that pop star camera, whatever her names is/was. You see, that camera is not aimed at me. I expect it was aimed at Japanese teenage girls.

As for this I phone app, I have no idea what it does, or why one would need it. But again, I'm not the target audiance.

If you saw a print ad for Pentax in a photo magazine would you be asking why Pentax wastes time and money on advertising when they have serious things to sort out like p-ttl flash?

An iPhone app is the same as a print ad, and I expect it is far more effective.

03-08-2011, 01:28 AM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by Adam Quote
Honestly, though- why does Pentax waste their time any money on stuff like this instead of stuff that actually matters...
Matters... to whom? You? Me? Or youngsters to hook to the brand?
03-08-2011, 01:37 AM   #9
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I too feel not getting it with the iphone app, but then I told my friend, a girl and a amateur photographer but she's using Canon. I was just half joking and didn't expect good respond from her but she's totally hooked with the app, installed it and using it instead of her usual twit app (TwitDeck) even though she has no emotional attachment for Pentax.

So it's different for everyone, at least it works for my friend
03-08-2011, 02:06 AM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by sajah Quote
I too feel not getting it with the iphone app, but then I told my friend, a girl and a amateur photographer but she's using Canon. I was just half joking and didn't expect good respond from her but she's totally hooked with the app, installed it and using it instead of her usual twit app (TwitDeck) even though she has no emotional attachment for Pentax.
It's definitely one of the better Twitter apps out there - I was actually surprised by how useful it was.

I've never been a big fan of Twitter, but after installing this app, I started adding a few people in my follow list.

I also like the way it reads all the tweets to me. The Japanese is okay, but kind of robotic and monotone and the voice sounds like a Japanese nerd. The Optio "Kameraman" doesn't sound like a hottie that's for sure!

But the nerdy voice trying to read English is just hilarious. I'm going to play back some of my friend's tweets to them and say "that's how I imagine you to sound like" :-)

I'm surprised the VoiceText doesn't sound as good as on the website - which were so good as to be almost flawless. I suspect they only loaded a very basic speech database onto the iPhone.

Hearing the male nerdy voice reading out a tweet written in very feminine girlish Japanese just cracks me up!
03-08-2011, 12:07 PM   #11
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What about an Android & iPhone app for tethering your dslr. Than this pointless app! Android is open platform so getting hold of the USB debugging codes.
03-08-2011, 02:00 PM   #12
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You can order such apps by some special company's. There is one quit near where I live, 2 persons company, that make apps for iPhone and iPad for people all over the world. If it is free you pay for it, or it will return the money by selling them.

I think it's well spend advertising money.
03-08-2011, 03:43 PM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by Adrian Owerko Quote
What about an Android & iPhone app for tethering your dslr.
I'm struggling to understand why this would be useful, even if it is possible (as I understand it, most phones only have USB client ports, not USB host which would be required to connect to a Pentax camera which is also a USB client).

So how does connecting a phone to a camera via USB and triggering a shutter release offer any more value than just pressing the shutter and doing in-camera processing?

I can understand hooking a laptop in a studio and have a seamless workflow taking advantage of the greater processing power in a laptop to do instant post processing.

But it's unlikely that a phone would have better post processing capability compared to what's in a camera.
03-08-2011, 07:10 PM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by Adam Quote

Honestly, though- why does Pentax waste their time any money on stuff like this instead of stuff that actually matters...
Maybe that's the new Pentax mirrorless?
03-08-2011, 11:11 PM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by KungPOW Quote
Well, now that those software engineers are freed up from working on iPhone apps, they can get to the front focus problem. I'm sure they are the same engineering team.
I really doubt that this type of software is made in-house by Pentax R&D department.
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