Live Captions Available on Google Meet In Four New Languages

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December 16, 2020

Google Meets brings Live Captions in Four Languages — Image Courtesy: Google

The pandemic has forced all of us to work from home. In such a condition, video conferencing applications are saving the day everywhere. Companies such as Google are constantly working on their services to improve and be accessible, inclusive and fair to all the users. Having one of the largest daily userbases, Google Meet is getting better day by day. Today we are going to have a look at the new and improved Live Captions feature.

Google Meet adds 4 new languages to Live Captions — Image Courtesy: Google

Google uses text-to-speech technology to display live captions in Google Meet sessions. While this directly helps attendees who are especially enabled or have a hearing impairment, it is also engaging for regular users. Along with the videos and other visual aids, both professionals and students find live captions to be more engaging. And hence, taking a step forward, Google has enabled live caption feature for four new languages: French, German, Spanish (Latin America and Spain) and Portuguese (Brazil).

The feature has been added in order to benefit students and professional worldwide. Also, Meet would remember your language preference, to offer a seamless experience every time you join in a Google Meet session. While customizations were addressed in a previous update, this one focusses more on end-user experience.

Earlier this week, Google also added some intuitive features to the Google Meet platform. It allows the users to get better control over their virtual sessions. They included attendance reports, hand-raising and in-call timer. Primarily, these features would benefit the educational institutions who are using Google Meet as a primary medium for operations.

Google Photos Introduces 3D ‘Cinematic’ Photos, New Memories and Collages

By

Punkaj Kumar

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December 16, 2020

Google Photos is adding a bunch of new features over the next month, specifically to the Memories feature that’s available in the Photos app. The company is rolling out a series of updates to Memories, the feature in Google Photos that surfaces your best photos from years past. Alongside, the tech giant is making various improvements to collage.

Over the next month, Memories in Google Photos will get a new feature called Cinematic photos, along with updated collage designs and new types of Memories. Cinematic photos will create a 3D-like effect for your images by using machine learning to predict an image’s depth and produce a 3D scene. Further, it will animate the 3D representation of the scene with a virtual camera for a smooth panning effect.

New Features in Google Photos

Along with the addition of Cinematic photos to Memories, the company is also rolling out new themes for Memories. These include photos of ‘the most important people in your life’ and your favorite things. You’ll see highlights of things like sunsets, activities such as baking or hiking, and other ‘important’ things that matter most to you — all based on the photos you upload. Google says that it will use machine learning to add the depth effect, even if there is no information about the depth in the given image.

Automatically created by Google Photos, Cinematic photos will show up in the recent highlights section at the top of your photo grid. Later, you can even share the Cinematic photo with your friends and family as a video when it’s ready so that they can also relive the moment. To get this feature, Google notes that users need to update their Photos app to its latest version.

Apart from the new additions to Memories, Google Photos is also getting refreshed and updated collage designs. According to Google, the collage layouts will be designed using the power of AI. This includes picking the background to match the selection of photos, finding similar colors, and finally using them to accent details such as the font and the collage background.

Note that some users may already have received these features in their Google Photos app, though the rollout for all these features will finish over the next month. You just need to download and install the update for your app when it’s available for your device.

The “AAWireless” Lets You Use Android Auto On Any Device!

By

Shikhar Mehrotra

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December 16, 2020

Google Android Auto — Image Courtesy: Engadget

Touchscreen Feedback Systems are very common in vehicles these days. Be it a hatchback, sedan or an SUV, it is very common to see a touchscreen that can control the utilities of the vehicle. These systems are just like computers and can connect to your smartphones, letting you access your contacts, playlist, emails and navigations maps on the go. A very popular name in the industry is Google’s Android Auto, which is very useful for the driver.

You would need to have a phone that runs on Android 11. Other than that, both the infotainment system of your car and your phone shall support the 5GHz Wi-Fi. If your devices do not fulfil the above criteria, you can use an external dongle such as “AAWireless”.

AAWireless lets you use Android Auto on any Google smartphone — Image Courtesy: Indiegogo

It is actually a crowd-funded project that promises to develop a dongle that fits into the USB port in the infotainment system and brings the functionality of Android Auto to your device. The device takes a few moments to set up for the first time. It connects with your device over Bluetooth. Once you start your car, the dongle boots up in about 45 seconds, and takes over the display. While it is still in the development stages, the idea of using Android Auto without a wire is quite fascinating.

The device would ship with a native software that would install on your smartphone. During the initial impressions, several reviewers find it intruiging. The device functions seamlessly, with a few random connectivity hiccups and lags, which can easily be fixed using OTA updates.

Google Nest Hub Max Receives Updates – Improves Google Meet Experience

By

Shikhar Mehrotra

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December 15, 2020

Earlier this year, Google Meet became available on Nest Hub Max. Users all around the globe could access G Suite applications on Google’s smart display. With the deep integration of Google Assistant, one could join an online conference by just saying, “Okay Google, join my meeting”. However, as is the deal with all the other beta programs, it had some issues too.

What are the updates?

Several organizations and businesses enrolled as an administrator for the same. End Users could use it once their organizations are enrolled in the beta program. Google is constantly adding software updates to improve the experience of those using Meets on Nest Hub.

It would let the user monitor their schedule through an in-call clock
Addition of nameplates on user’s titles to recognise them
Ability to pin a specific user by just tapping on their tile
A 2×2 grid to see up to 4 people at once
Overflow menu to see all the attendees on the call

Image Courtesy: Google Blog

Availability

These updates are already available for organizations enrolled in Google Assistant Beta program, and for the users who have connected their Google Workplace to a Nest Hub Max. It would help enhance the utility of a Google Meet session.

Due to the pandemic, almost all the ventures around the world are operating with the help of online conferencing applications such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom. Google Meet alone has about 100 million daily active users.

Google Adds New Drill-down View in Meet Quality Tool

By

Punkaj Kumar

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December 15, 2020

Google Adds New Drill-down View in Meet Quality Tool

Google has added a new drill-down view in Meet Quality Tool that shows an additional level of information about meetings, specifically to help improve their quality. The company announced the addition of this new feature — the new endpoint details view — on Monday through a blog post.

When viewing any meeting in the Meet Quality Tool, these new details will be available to admins by default. By hovering over an event, they can see additional details and a timestamp for the event. Admins can click any connection endpoint in the meeting timeline to bring up the endpoint details view. Here’s what they can now view.

New Connection Endpoint Details View, Availability

By clicking on any connection endpoint, admins can now view the users’ video mute/unmute activity, network protocol changes (UDP, TCP), and the type of network connection — such as wired, cellular connections, or Wi-Fi. In addition to this, they can also view who admitted the participants in the meeting after knocking, and who ejected them from the meeting. Also, there’s a new option for an end-of-call quality rating (when submitted).

According to Google, for still ongoing meetings, the timeline and drill-down are loaded with near-real-time values. Also, note that this feature does not impact end-users as it’s only available for the admins. While speaking about the importance of this feature, Google said, “A combination of many technical factors and activities affect the perceived quality of a meeting. This additional level of information about meetings helps admins become more effective in improving the meeting quality for their users.”

The new feature is already available for all users with Google Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, and customers with Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, and Enterprise Plus subscription. Furthermore, it is also available to users with G Suite Basic, Business, Education, Enterprise for Education, and Nonprofits customers.

Oppo Showcases New Conceptual Designs of “Slide-phone” and “Music-link” at CIIDE

By

Punkaj Kumar

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December 14, 2020

Oppo Showcases New Conceptual Designs of "Slide-phone" and "Music-link" at CIIDE — Image courtesy: OPPO

OPPO is a popular smartphone maker known for innovation and bringing unique designs into its devices. Today, the company showcased two new conceptual designs — music-link and slide-phone — at the 4th China International Industrial Design Expo (CIIDE). OPPO said that these designs are based on the company’s human-centric design philosophy and are created in collaboration with the Japanese design studio Nendo. At the exhibition, Oppo also unveiled a series of its classic product designs, showcasing the company’s unique insights and exploration into design since its inception.

According to OPPO, the idea for “slide-phone” came from the fact that users increasingly rely on smartphones to interact with the world around them. However, the increasing size of smartphones makes it less convenient and difficult for users to use and hold the phone. To support more functionality, the company has come with a concept of “slide-phone” that is designed with three foldable screens attached by hinges — all folding over in the same direction.

OPPO New Conceptual Designs for Slide Phone, Music Link

The slide-phone concept, as said earlier, is designed with three foldable screens attached with hinges. The triple fold allows the smartphone user to change the size and even the form of the phone as needed. It will benefit users from the ability to change the phone’s size to suit the occasion. Apart from this, Oppo has also inserted a stylus in the phone that users can use to expand their productivity by using the smartphone for work or other complex tasks.

Another conceptual design from the OPPO-Nendo partnership is “music-link,” which is a collection of various devices centered around a pair of Truly Wireless Earphones. These include a smartwatch, an AI speaker, a portable charger, and a wireless charger — all working together seamlessly. With music-link, users can enjoy a seamless music experience when the TWS earphones and portable charging case are placed on the AI speaker.

Note that all these designs are still a concept at this point and are not yet launched commercially. But it’s clear that OPPO is working on some cool products and we expect them to hit the market in the near future.

Realme Watch S Pro, Watch S and Buds Air Pro Master Edition To Launch On 23rd December!

By

Shikhar Mehrotra

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December 14, 2020

In recent times, more people around the world have become aware of fitness. They are joining gyms, maintaining healthy diets, drinking loads of water and what not! Technology is helping hit our fitness goals daily. One such device is a smartwatch. Since the launch of budget fitness trackers, the craze of hand-wore smart devices has constantly increased. Amidst the competition among companies to win over each other, Realme has announced a couple of smart devices that can enhance your fitness monitoring regime. We are talking about Realme Watch S Pro, Watch S and Buds Air Pro Master Edition.

Realme Watch S Pro – This Is What We Know

As it goes with naming, the “pro” models are made up of high-quality materials; steel in this case. One of the highlights of the upcoming Realme Watch S Pro is the beautiful 1.39″ AMOLED display, which can reach a top brightness of 450 nits, and equips the watch with Always-On display. With a resolution of 454*454 pixels, the screen appears crisp. You also get 5ATM water resistance (taking it for an occasional shower or swim wouldn’t be an issue) and 15 different sports mode. Perhaps the most intriguing feature would be the blood oxygen monitoring (with a built-in SpO2 sensor), and 7-day battery life. The watch will cost around 10,000INR.

The Realme Watch S Pro Comes With An AMOLED Display — Image Courtesy: Realme

Realme Watch S – The Standard Version

The non-pro model would house a 1.3″ Auto-Brightness display, with a resolution of 278ppi. With a 390mAh battery, the watch can last for 15 days upon a single charge. It would be very interesting to see if the watch lasts at par with heart rate and sleep detection on. With 16 different sports tracking modes and multiple colour options, the watch would look absolutely elegant on your wrist! It might cost around 7,000INR.

The Models Would Be Launched on 23rd December — Image Courtesy: Realme

Realme Buds Air Pro Master Edition – Yes, That Is Just The Name!

With what looks like a pretty long name, Buds Master Edition would flaunt a glossy finish and active noise cancellation. However, AndroidFist do not know much about the product yet. It is likely to have a typical battery life of 3 to 5 hours on a single charge, with the case capable of reviving the buds 2 to 3 times. In general, Realme has done decently with their audio products in the past.

Realme Buds Air Master Edition — Image Courtesy: Realme

After Mocking Apple, Samsung To Ditch In-Box Charger With S21 Lineup!

By

Shikhar Mehrotra

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December 14, 2020

Samsung mocked Apple on removal of charger from iPhone boxes

When Apple decided to remove the charging brick and cable from their boxes with the iPhone 12 lineup, Samsung took to social media to mock them. Samsung posted a picture of their charger, saying “your #galaxy does give you what you are looking for. From the most basic charger to the best camera, performance, battery, memory and even 120Hz screen on a smartphone“. However, a report from South Korea says Samsung might ditch in-box charger in the future.

Recent leaks and renders have given us a slight idea about the camera quality and specs of the Galaxy S21. The company might ditch the in-box charger for some markets in the world. A recent custom certification of Galaxy S21 does not include a charger in the retail boxes. Another report by Gsmarena says that the series has been recently certified to be sold in the Brazilian market without any charger or accessories in the box.

Samsung is also working on a 30W charger for its smartphones, and it is clear that they intend to sell it separately. Previously, Samsung shipped the 25W charger with the S20 and Note 20 series, and the 45W USB-PD charger (optional) has performed really well.

I do not think that it is a good move by Samsung, a company that is known to provide quality supplies along with their smartphones. While companies are likely to follow this trend sparked by Apple, it surely benefits their revenue (much less benefit the environment). Consider this, the charger that you would have to buy separately would cost you around 30USD, the manufacturers do not compensate the cost in the price of the smartphone.

Here’s All You Need To Know About YouTube Silver Play Button and How You Can Get One

By

Punkaj Kumar

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December 13, 2020

Here's All You Need To Know About YouTube Silver Play Button and How You Can Get One — Image courtesy: YouTube Creators

YouTube is one of the largest video content creation and streaming services in the world, and it is still growing. One of the best things about YouTube is that it gives out various physical awards to creators for achieving certain subscriber milestones. These include three what it calls “YouTube Creator Awards” or commonly referred to as “YouTube Play Buttons” that the video-sharing platform awards the creators. The first one in the line of these real, tangible awards is the YouTube Silver Play Button. Here is all you need to know about what it is and how you can get one as a content creator on YouTube.

To celebrate achieving certain subscriber milestones, YouTube gives out various offerings to the content creators. These can sometimes be as simple as a “congratulations” message, or you may get access to things like YouTube Studio space in select cities across the globe. For example, to access these dedicated locations, you will need a minimum of 10,000 subscribers on your YouTube channel. However, for major milestones, such as larger subscriber bases, YouTube gives out Creator Awards or Play Buttons — the actual, tangible plaques.

What Is YouTube Silver Play Button

At present, YouTube offers three official tiers for Play Buttons. All of them require a large subscriber base, one larger than the other and so on to receive. Here are the three YouTube Play Buttons and required milestones to become eligible for them:

Silver Creator Award (or Silver Play Button)

Awarded when one reaches 100,000 subscribers

Gold Creator Award (or Gold Play Button)

Awarded when one reaches 1 million subscribers

Diamond Creator Award (or Diamond Play Button)

Awarded when one reaches 10 million subscribers

Practically, attaining the YouTube Silver Play Button is also very rare. However, it is the one award that you would get easier, as compared to the others. Before learning how to get the YouTube Silver Play Button, let’s see what you receive in the box first.

If you’re eligible to receive the entry-level silver award from YouTube, you’ll get a box with:

A congratulations letter signed by YouTube CEO
A Silver Play Button plaque

Note that hitting the 100,000 subscribers milestone is not all you need to get the awards. You need to fulfill the following conditions too:

You should have a YouTube account in “good standing”
There should be no active copyright strike on your channel
Your channel should not have any active or previous YouTube Community Guidelines violation
You should not have any infringements of YouTube’s Terms of Service

How to Get YouTube Silver Play Button

If you meet all of the above requirements, the last condition you need to fulfill is that your channel must host unique content and not the content created by others. If you’re the original content creator and satisfy this condition, you need to go through the application process. It includes an eligibility review, Unique Creator Award redemption code, and further channel confirmation.

Follow the steps while going through the application process on the YouTube Creator Rewards website. You’ll get a unique code in a YouTube Creator Studio notification that you need to use on the Creator Awards redemption website. When accepted, you’ll receive your Silver Play Button in about one to six weeks, depending upon your location.

OnePlus 9 Leak Reveals The Phone’s New Design, Confirms Snapdragon 888 [Images]

By

Punkaj Kumar

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December 13, 2020

OnePlus 9 Leak Reveals The Phone's New Design, Confirms Snapdragon 888 [Images] — Image courtesy: PhoneArena

While the OnePlus 8T is still fresh in our minds, it seems like the company is all ready to release its new next-gen smartphone — the OnePlus 9 5G — soon. A latest leak reveals the new design of the upcoming OnePlus 9 5G smartphone along with the confirmation that it will indeed feature a Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 chipset. Uncovered by PhoneArena, the leaked pre-production images show off the complete design of the OnePlus 9 from all sides and angles. According to PhoneArena, they received a series of live images from an anonymous source along with some screenshots from the Inware app.

It is not the first time we’re hearing about the OnePlus 9. The device first appeared in a leak some time ago. However, there were no live images back then. But now, the phone’s complete design has been shown through a series of live photos. Beyond this, ‘key’ specs of the upcoming handset have also surfaced. Let’s have a look at what the OnePlus 9 5G has to offer.

OnePlus 9 Leaked Design, Specs, and Features

First, starting with the design, the OnePlus 9 5G will come with a curved glass rear with a rectangular camera module — quite similar to the OnePlus 8T. The camera module carries two large camera cutouts along with a small third camera, accompanied by a flash. At the front, there will be a single punch-hole camera located on the top right corner of the phone screen. Notably, the bottom panel of the OnePlus 9 5G will feature a USB-C port alongside a SIM card tray, speaker, and microphone. On the sides, there will be a power button at the right and the volume keys on the left.

Now speaking of specs, the leak confirms that the handset will get power from the new Snapdragon 888, codenamed as Lahaina for the OnePlus 9. Alongside, the pre-production images of the smartphone shoe that it carries 8GB of RAM and 128GB of inbuilt storage. Also, the device will run the latest available version of Android OS, the Android 11 under the hood. Apparently, the OnePlus 9 sports an FHD+ OLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and supports HDR.

One thing is clear that the OnePlus 9 series will hit the market quite sooner than expected. Hopefully, we expect the smartphone to release in early 2021. Before we officially see the device hit the market, have a look at the leaked images above.