Features

What’s up with that Kate Middleton photo?

The controversy explained

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Back in 2014, Kim Kardashian “broke the internet” with a single photo that showed the social media star balancing a wine glass on her sizable posterior. While the internet at large has emerged unscathed from Kardashian’s salvo, a new photo is currently trying its damned best to break the internet. In case you missed it, here’s the story behind a viral photo of Kate Middleton and her kids.

Even before the photo in question dropped, the Princess of Wales rocked social media because of her absence from her royal duties. After a planned abdominal surgery, Middleton disappeared for months. People who follow the royal family speculated the worst, but Buckingham Palace never broke the silence.

The kill notice

A few days ago, the UK celebrated Mother’s Day. Breaking her silence for the first time, Middleton posted a photo of herself and her four children on Instagram. The caption greeted everyone a Happy Mother’s Day. It then signed off with “C” and credited her husband for the photo.

Now, a humble social media post should have been the end of it, but this is Kate Middleton we’re talking about. The media is naturally going to talk about it. Somehow, the media did not… in the traditional sense, at least.

Soon after the photo was posted, the world’s biggest news agencies — that is, Associated Press, Getty, and Reuters — asked media outlets to pull the image from their publications. It was a kill notice. Occurring only once in a blue moon, a kill notice instructs outlets to not use the said image out of manipulation concerns. Naturally, it added more fuel to the fire. What exactly is wrong with Kate Middleton?

What’s wrong with Kate Middleton’s photo?

These major outlets are usually clear on what can and cannot fly when manipulating a photo. The photographer can crop a photo and do some “minor editing.” However, anything else — even the removal of a “red eye” — that changes the truth of a photo just won’t fly. That said, trusted photographers already know these rules, so a kill notice is exceedingly rare.

So, given how strict these companies are, what is wrong with Middleton’s photo? First of all, it’s not exactly from a trusted photographer. It’s from social media, a place where filters and editing tools thrive. On the other hand, it’s an official photo from the royal family, and Buckingham Palace is extremely careful with the images it puts out. Middleton’s photo exists in a weird limbo between official and unofficial.

How about the photo itself? Is it the weird stock photo quality of its composition? Is it the weird smiles that seem to stare right into your soul? Is it the strange blending? Is it the unnatural position of every hand in the photo?

Though the companies explained that manipulation was the reason for the removal, none of the announcements accurately described what was wrong with the photo. The internet quickly went on a speculation frenzy. A prominent conspiracy theory said that Middleton’s face was actually lifted from her cover appearance on Vogue. Others claimed AI.

Regardless, Middleton herself issued another statement to apologize for the confusion. She then says that the supposed manipulation was merely her experimenting with photo editing software in her spare time.

What’s really wrong with Kate Middleton’s photo?

Make no mistake. Here, you won’t find the real reason why there’s something wrong with Kate Middleton’s photo is wrong. In fact, there might not be anything wrong at all. The whole brouhaha might just be what it says on the tin: she experimented with Photoshop, and it caused Associated Press and the like to pull the photo.

That said, it’s interesting to see how the internet responded to the photo. Today, photo manipulation is almost encouraged. Social media posts are tailored to match their intended audience. AI-generated photos are becoming more common. No one bats an eye.

However, when the world’s biggest personalities find themselves embroiled in manipulation scandals, the quest for truth behind the photo suddenly becomes a global hobby. Remember when millions of Swifties rose up to protest against NSFW deepfakes made with their favorite star? The Kate Middleton controversy follows the same vein.

At the very least, as more personalities find themselves caught in similar issues, the world is slowly realizing how unequipped it is to handle a landscape where photo manipulation and generation is as easy as tapping a few buttons.

Tutorials

How to set up Apple Pay on your iPhone

It’s as easy as a single tap.

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Apple Pay is officially in the Philippines!

Pushing the country forward into a cashless and cardless future, Apple has now brought its contactless payment system to the Philippines. As with other countries, Apply Pay will work seamlessly and easily even for those who have problems with technology.

Now, despite how easy it is, sometimes we need to be pointed in the right direction. Here’s how you can set up Apple Pay on your iPhone:

Everything starts with the Wallet app. First, open your Wallet app. Tap the “+” button on the top and select “Debit or Credit Card.”

Normally, this is where you can input your card details (which you can still do, by the way), but the default method now is to just tap your card on the back of your iPhone. Your phone does the rest. You might need to confirm with your bank, but it’s as easy as a single tap.

Pick which cards to use. Once you have your cards online, you might need to change which one is the default card. Again, it’s easy. Just drag your preferred card to the front.

Afterwards, you can tap to pay in supported stores by priming the Wallet app for use. Tapping to pay is also available for Apple Watch. Meanwhile, online transactions can also work on MacBook.

Secure, all the time. If you’re worried about your security especially with online transactions, Apple keeps your information only between you and the seller. They don’t store your data.

Also, it’s not easy to make a transaction without your consent. You need Face ID, Touch ID, or your password. If you lose your phone, you can easily shut your phone down with the Find My app to prevent malicious parties from making transactions.

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Accessories

DJI Osmo Mobile 8P: From a videographer’s perspective

Better tracking, fewer buttons

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DJI’s smartphone gimbals have always chased one goal: delivering cinema-smooth footage without forcing you to carry a heavy rig.

The Osmo Mobile 8P (OM 8P) makes its priorities clear right out of the box. This is not a simple refresh. DJI rebuilt how you control the gimbal, and that decision shapes the entire shooting experience.

Freedom behind the lens

The biggest change is the FrameTap remote, and it’s the kind of upgrade that fixes a problem you didn’t realize was slowing you down until it’s gone.

On the standard OM 8, adjusting your framing meant reaching for your phone every time, which broke the flow of shooting and pulled you out of the moment.

FrameTap puts that control back in your hand. You can reframe shots and manage the gimbal without touching your phone at all, and for anyone shooting solo, that alone changes how usable the whole setup feels. Tracking has taken a real step forward too.

ActiveTrack 8.0, paired with Module 2, held onto its subject even after they stepped out of frame for a moment, then picked them back up without much fuss.

It also lets you sit off-center in the shot instead of forcing you into the middle every time, which gives you more room to compose something that doesn’t look like every other gimbal video.

None of that would matter much if the gimbal itself wasn’t solid, and it still is. The OM 8P holds onto the same foldable design, magnetic phone clamp, and built-in tripod that made the OM 8 easy to live with.

And it remains one of the better compact options for stabilization, tracking, and portability in one package.

The tripod legs are a touch wider this time, and that extra width does make a noticeable difference on uneven ground.

The trade-offs in touch

The trade-off for all that new remote functionality is a control scheme that takes more getting used to. More of the gimbal’s functions now live on the FrameTap touchscreen, the joystick is smaller, and switching between shooting modes takes a few extra taps compared to the OM 8. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it’s a learning curve you’ll need to budget time for.

DJI also removed the zoom and focus wheel, so if you leaned on that dial for quick adjustments, you’ll feel its absence here. Module 2 no longer lets you plug a DJI wireless mic in directly either.

You’ll need to connect it to your phone instead, which adds a step to a setup that used to be simpler. Phone compatibility is still a limiting factor as well. DJI lists support for phones up to around 300g and 11mm thick, so bigger phones or ones in chunky cases may not clamp in properly.

Finding your ideal workflow

The OM 8P makes the most sense for solo creators who want dependable tracking and the freedom of remote framing without stepping up to a dedicated camera like the DJI Osmo Pocket.

If you’re already shooting on a phone with a solid camera, this fills the gap nicely. It’s a tougher sell if you prefer physical buttons over touchscreen menus, or if your phone runs on the larger and heavier side, since fitting it onto the clamp might be a problem before you even get to shooting.

Price, availability

DJI is offering the OM 8P in three combos, so how much you pay depends on how much of the ecosystem you actually need.

  • Standard Combo (PhP 7,499): the gimbal itself, with 8th-gen stabilization and the detachable FrameTap remote included.
  • Advanced Tracking Combo (PhP 9,199): adds the Multifunctional Module 2 for the improved subject tracking we tested.
  • Creator Combo (PhP 11,099): the full kit, built for creators who want everything DJI bundles in from the start.

Is the DJI Osmo Mobile 8P your GadgetMatch?

The DJI Osmo Mobile 8P asks you to relearn a few habits in exchange for a gimbal that finally lets go of your phone. If hands-free framing and steadier tracking matter more to you than a dedicated zoom dial, this is worth the adjustment.

If you’d rather keep things exactly as they were on the OM 8, that learning curve might be the deciding factor.

Swipe right if you shoot alone often and have been waiting for a gimbal remote that actually works. The FrameTap remote alone justifies the upgrade if reaching for your phone mid-shot has been slowing you down.

Consider this if reliable tracking matters to you, especially if you’ve had a subject wander out of frame and stay lost on older gimbals.

And of course, get this if you already own a capable phone under the weight and thickness limits, and you’d rather invest in a smartphone rig than jump to a dedicated camera like the Osmo Pocket.

Swipe left if you lean on physical dials for zoom and focus, and moving those functions to a touchscreen sounds like a downgrade rather than an upgrade.

This is not for you if you use a DJI wireless mic and want it plugged directly into the module without routing through your phone first. Or, your phone runs heavier or bulkier than DJI’s limits allow, since no amount of enthusiasm fixes a clamp that won’t close.

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Features

GadgetSnaps: Westminster Abbey

A thousand years of history, unfolded with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra

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Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

Westminster Abbey isn’t just another stop on the London tourist trail.

It’s the stage for coronations, royal weddings, and burials that span nearly a thousand years, all still playing out under the same vaulted ceilings that have been standing since before most countries had names.

Once you get past the crowds and the audio guides, a quieter version of the abbey starts to show itself: worn stone steps, poets resting a few feet from kings, light that shifts across the nave like it’s in on the performance too.

While losing track of time in Poets’ Corner (yes, me, playing amateur historian for an afternoon), I unfolded the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra and decided the abbey deserved more than a quick tourist snap.


All photos captured using the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra.

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