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ChromeOS may step up to add background blur and other camera effects for video conferencing
Who knows if your chat client will make it a paid feature in the future?
Video conferencing is a big deal, period. Never mind the ongoing ordeal that we're still living, video conferencing would have gone big one way or another. So much so, a number of chat clients including Google Meet have integrated cloud-powered background blurring effects for the many of us that are stuck in our messy, unpresentable bedrooms. For Chromebook owners, though, you might be getting more blur for your buck soon with OS-level capabilities.
WhatsApp for iOS's blur tool is finally finding its way to Android phones
Complete with a redesigned drawing editor
Sometimes, you want to hide parts of images you share on WhatsApp — be it because they include personal details, addresses, or other sensitive data your chat partner doesn't necessarily have to see. Of course, there are many ways to achieve this, including cropping (if whatever you want to hide is close to the edges), drawing lines, or even slapping stickers and emoji over sensitive parts. But somehow, the most logical option has been missing up until now. New leaks suggest that the Android app is in for a blur feature, and we now know what it will look like.
The biggest advantage of Pixel ownership, outside Google's highly optimized software experience, is the camera. Pixels have been consistently near or at the top of the pack when it comes to photo quality, and in no small part that's because of that Google software. A camera is more than just hardware, image processing can be as (or more) important than simply having a good sensor, and Google has included plenty of camera improvements this year. Let's take a look.
Adobe Photoshop Express is one of the more popular photo editors on Android. It recently passed 100 million downloads from the Play Store, leaving competitors like VSCO and Snapseed in the dust. The app has also picked up a few new tricks, including that most important of photo-editing features: stickers.
Google Photos version 3.23 just started making the rounds, but there doesn't appear to be anything immediately changing with the update. However, the traditional clues about upcoming features are certainly there to be seen. We can look forward to applying some of those smooth bokeh effects of portrait mode, and this time, we'll control the intensity of the blur. There will also be a new option to downgrade your already backed-up photos to high quality so you can get back some of that cloud storage. I've also included a couple of other teardown sections for earlier versions that were slated to appear in the next Update Notes post, but this is the better place for them.
While we await the imminent rollout of the screen sharing feature we've been watching for a few months, a new version of Duo is rolling out with even more clues about upcoming changes. There haven't been any immediately obvious changes going live in this update, but a teardown points to a couple of enhancements. The first will be read receipts for video and audio messages sent through Duo. The second set of clues points to three different levels for the upcoming bokeh effect.
The Portrait mode on the new Pixel 2 phones is impressive. With just a single camera, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are able to mimic a convincing depth of field effect, like that created by much larger hardware. It isn't quite as good as an SLR, but it's a reasonable approximation. And if you were interested in exactly how it works, we've put together an explanation.
Here's a surprise for you. For once we're not talking about a photo editing app that has come to Android after being available on iOS for months or worse yet, years. How novel! Overam is the name of said app and it's being released on Android first (maybe only?).
Developer Klinker Apps, the folks behind the Talon Twitter client and the EvolveSMS messaging app, have just released Blur, a free launcher replacement that takes the approach introduced by the Google Now Launcher and opens it up to other apps. With Blur, any app that adds on support for the launcher can have its own dedicated page that rests right on a person's homescreen. In practice, this means users can swipe to the left to access their Twitter feed, text messages, a basic calculator, or a dedicated Google Now page that the Klinker brothers MacGyvered to imitate the GNL. More pages are hopefully on the way.
We've all heard it time and time again: generally speaking, people hate manufacturer skins on Android phones, i.e. Blur, Touchwiz, Sense, etc. I realize that not everyone falls into this category, but I think it's probably safe to say that the bulk of Android users do. It looks like we're not the only ones that are opposed to manufactures gumming up our beloved Android with their custom overlays - Virgin Mobile, a prepaid subsidiary of Sprint, has taken a pro-stock-Android approach to all of its devices. Have a look at what a Virgin spokesperson told PCmag via email:
You saw some of the leaked Bionic pictures earlier today, but now thanks to PhoneHK we can give you even more information about the upcoming monster of a Motorola handset. First and foremost, this thing will (at least according to this test unit) be running Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread right out of the gate:
Not much was known for a fact about the next crown jewel in the Droid line of Android phones that played a such a crucial part in the growth of the OS in the past 2 years. We had a suspicion that it would have a 4" screen, lose "the lip," and gain a dual-core CPU and a front-facing camera, all while bearing the name Droid 3, but no concrete proof of any of those.
Update: It looks like the homescreen is just a generic placeholder, because it's the same one used here for the Optimus V at Best Buy. Thanks Nate!
Similar to devices being offered up by competing carriers – Sprint’s Intercept, AT&T’s Backflip and Aria, T-Mobile’s entire line-up – Verizon plans to introduce a cheaper, low-end alternative to pricier Android models. Engadget reports that the the Motorola WX445 runs Android 2.1 with some type of MOTOBLUR overlay (possibly the same version used on the Droid X), and sports a screen measuring somewhere between 2.5 and 3 inches.