Author: Justin

AR animals were introduced by Google app just at the time when everyone was forced to stay home due to global pandemic. This feature was introduced in April, Google has added to the available creatures with loads of insects, mammals, birds, fish and various species of dinosaur as well. This latest feature from Google has one thing in common i.e. all of the animals come from Australia.

A wide variety of animals in Australia are very unique and you will not see them anywhere else in the world (excluding zoos). So we can say that this is a chance for the people to see how cute a little wombat will look in your garden. In order to get things started with Google’s Aussie AR animals you need to search for any of the following Google apps on your phone: kangaroo, quokka, koala, wombat, emu, platypus, kookabura or echidna.

You can move other AR animals around in your environment and see what their life size is and you can also hear their sound as well. The feature of sound is still in Android only, for iOS it is coming soon. You can take photos and shoot videos with them and later can share them with your mates

Android is known for its customization but when it comes to Android Auto, it has not allowed for the customization and for self expression since its launch. This is going to be changed very soon as the latest teardown of Android Auto app is indicating that the users will soon be able to select from a wide variety of wallpapers to take the homescreen theming to a whole new level.

The new wallpaper selection that can replace the default option are hidden away at the moment in version 5.8 of Android Auto. There are many new wallpapers which made a varied selection that ranges from abstract gradients to a moody one. The titles include dusk, blobs, warp and wave etc.

It is still not clear if Google will allow the users to select a new wallpaper from their own photo library but it seems that Android Auto will limit the users to the pre-approved images for now. There is still no official timeline on when the new wallpaper options will roll out officially but you can go ahead and download the latest version from Google Play Store.

Google Photos is undoubtedly one of the most famous apps but it was Google has now turn this storage hog into a money making machine. It has been revealed that Google is looking for limiting certain editing features to Google One members thus making the paid membership the only way to access them.

Some new strings have been added in the app which prompts like “Unlock this feature and more with Google One membership” and Get extra editing features with Google One membership.” many people are running into this paywall in the wild already. The Color Prop filter which was free for all previously is now a part of the test limiting it’s usage to paid members.

It is still not clear that which features and filters will be placed behind the paywall. V5.18 of Google Photos also adds mentions of the new photo processing options which include HDR, Dynamic and Vivid. There are some new filters as well as which includes Airy, Afterglow, Ember, Luminous, Stormy and Radiant etc.

Google is also working on ways to make Google One memberships more catchy to the users like offering a free VPN service. Google at the moment allows the users store unlimited high quality photos and videos in the cloud so it makes sense that company is looking for finding new ways to help offset the costs.

Xiaomi just recently revolutionized the wireless charging and now they are looking to revolutionize smartphone zoom photography. The company has come up with a new large-aperture telescopic lens for the phones that can easily increase the amount og the light input by 300% flr sharper and clearer pphotos. Like the traditional point-and-shoot cameras the lens can physically zoom in and out from the hardware.

Xiaomi’s vice president Zeng Xuezhong has recently announced this innovation at the MIDC 2020 Xiaomi Developers Conference. Aprt from the addition to increased light intake from larger aperture, Xiaomi has also developed a new anti-shake technology that will make the pictures more stable. Photos taken with this technology will have 20% increase in definition and clarity.

Well this is not the first ever phone to incorporate lens that can zoom in and out physically but Xiaomi’ setup sounds like it can enhance the camera quality of the company to a great degree in future.

Google Drive is a good option for storing the files and saving your precious space on your computer but it has never been the most secure option since the Drive does not support encrypting individual files. It is now going to change in the future.

Based on the string that are found in the version 2.20.441.06.40 of the Google Drive, Google has been poised to introduce a feature that will allow the users to encrypt the Drive files which are saved on device. The files can be downloaded and open the encrypted files in the Drive.

Once it is enabled, the encrypted files that are downloaded to the device will appear with the small lock icon which is next to the icon that indicates its availability offline. Toggling of the encryption will delete all documents currently downloaded through the Drive though it is a bit inconvenient but that is what you pay for improved security.

Sling Media introduced the Slingbox 15 years ago for upgrading the existing TV subscriptions by letting users to stream the programs from the phones, tablets and various other TV sets. It was a a fun till it lasted but now it seems that the usefulness of Slingbox products is ending. The company has announced recently that it is discontinuing the product and the existing Slingboxes will stop working within next two years.

Sling Media is now shutting down the servers that let Slingboxes to run. This infrastructure will go down completely in November 2022 if everything goes according to the plan. Until then, the company will continue to support to the existing users who have got the product under warranty although the devices may loss the functionality as the SlingPlayer app version become more and more outdated.

Since 2005 TV streaming has had many leaps and it is no surprise at all that Slingbox is not going to survive going forward in the market that is being dominated by the some big names like YouTube TV and Sling TV which has no connections with Sling Media. Letting people access the TV they were paying for across multiple devices was anew idea but it is no longer a unique thing. It is quite impressive that Slingboxes have stuck around for a long time.

Google Play console has not been a robust tool for publishing the apps but it is improving day by day and solving the the problems which the developers are experiencing over the years. The latest update has brought the two long-awaited improvments that will make the publishing experience simpler and intuitive.

The main change comes in the new publishing overview page that shows where the are the different versions of an app in the review process and privides a clear view of what is going to be displayed on the Play Store when an app is published. This will make it very simple and easy to see the approval the progress at a glance and coordinate releases with other members.

Google play is also going to launch a new Managed Publishing feature that will replace the Timed Publishing which are aimed at providing the developers a simple and predictable interface for scheduling releases. The whole system should let the developers upload some new versions and publish them at precise time. This will not remove the requirement to upload new versions ahead of time.

YouTube Music is an impressive music streaming from Google and yesterday it has got a major upgrade that takes the personalization to new heights. For the seven brand personalized playlists to the tabbed home-screen that provides instant access to the activity based recommendations. With this update getting the music which you need to hear simpler than ever.

The changes that have come on the playlist are greeted well by the users and it is making YouTube Music more attractive when it is compared with it’s alternatives e.g. Spotify. You Mix has been renamed to My Supermix and the users are now able to see up to seven additional mixes that each feature a different selection of music based on what you are looking to hear. These will be very useful when you are not sure what to listen but have got a specific vibe in mind. All the new mixes have become live on Android and web as well. The new mixes are very nice to have and they are not that impressive with the titles distinguished by numbers only and gradient cover art that looks like have no relation to the music contained within. The app has also got an “activity bar” that provides easy access to the four activities which are Focus, Relax, Workout and Commute. By tapping on one of the four activities will bring up the dedicated homepage with the playlists as well as recommendations which are meant to pair well wit selected undertaking.

YouTube Music have go to places before it reaches the feature parity with Google play Music but the updates show the latest music streaming service of Google is continuing to pick up momentum.