Google is giving its translation service an upgrade with a new machine learning-powered addition that will allow users to more easily translate text that appears in the real world, like on storefronts, menus, documents, business cards and other items. Instead of covering up the original text with the translation — the new feature will instead smartly overly the translated text on top of the image, while also rebuilding the pixels underneath with an A.I.-generated background to make… Source link
Read More »Google is getting new sustainability features, including a fuel cost calculator • TechCrunch
Google is adding several new sustainability features for Search, the company announced today at its Search On event. The search giant will start showing the annual fuel cost for cars in search results to help people who are in the market for a new car. Google will also show emissions estimates for cars, so you can get a better understanding of how a particular car model you’re interested in compares to similar ones. These new features are going to roll out over… Source link
Read More »Google updates the Play Store to make it easier to find non-phone apps • TechCrunch
Google is revamping its Play Store in an effort to help users better discover and install apps to other devices via their phone. The company announced a series of changes to the Google Play Store that will enable cross-device discovery and new tools to help developers better showcase their non-phone apps, it says. Among the new features now coming to the Google Play Store phone app is the addition of homepages dedicated to non-phone devices. Google notes that Android users today are in… Source link
Read More »Google’s new Chromecast costs $30 • TechCrunch
Google announced a new Chromecast with HD streaming support today that costs just $30 and has a remote control with it. The company is launching the Chromecast with Google TV (HD) — yes, that’s the official name — in 19 countries including the U.S. This comes two years after Google launched a $49 Chromecast with 4K HDR streaming support and the introduction of a remote. The new Chromecast supports 1080p streaming. The new Chromecast supports more than 10,000… Source link
Read More »Framework partners with Google for a user-repairable $999 Chromebook • TechCrunch
Repairable electronics firm Framework just announced a new take on the company’s signature laptop. Produced in association with Google, the company is releasing the Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition. As the name suggests, it’s an iteration of the Framework Laptop specifically designed for ChromeOS. Image Credits: Framework The system is up for preorder in the U.S. and Canada starting today, and is expected to start shipping around early December, according to the firm. Starting at… Source link
Read More »Google rolls out a new set of search tools for eco-conscious travelers • TechCrunch
In recent months, Google has been steadily adding new tools to help consumers choose more sustainable options when using its services like Google Maps, Google Flights, and hotel search. On Tuesday, the company announced it’s expanding these efforts with the addition of a handful of new features that allow travelers to better filter their searches to make sustainable choices when booking flights or hotels as well as improved options for trains. The new features complement Google’s… Source link
Read More »Google is integrating Assistant and Calendar reminders with Tasks • TechCrunch
In its latest step of the app cleanup drive, Google is folding in Assistant and Calendar reminders in its Tasks app. The company wants to make it easier to manage your tasks and reminders from any of these three apps by unifying its to-do systems. Currently, Google Tasks — which was first launched as a standalone app in 2018— works in its own silo. You can create tasks, subtasks, and set reminders in the iOS and Android apps or through a side panel in Gmail… Source link
Read More »Adobe buys Figma, Uber gets hacked, and Google shrinks Area 120 • TechCrunch
Hello, friends! Welcome back to Week in Review, the newsletter where we quickly sum up the most read TechCrunch stories from the last sevenish days. The goal? Even if you’ve had a busy week, a quick skim of WiR should keep you in the (tech) loop. Want it in your inbox every Saturday? Sign up here. This week was a bit all over the place, with another big story breaking every couple hours. Let’s just drop right in, shall we? most read Cutbacks at Area 120: Area 120 is Google’s… Source link
Read More »Google cancels half the projects at its internal R&D group Area 120 • TechCrunch
Google CEO Sundar Pichai, speaking at the Code Conference last week, suggested the tech company needed to become 20% more efficient — a comment some in the industry took to mean headcount reductions could soon be on the table. Now, it seems that prediction may be coming true. TechCrunch has learned and Google confirmed the company is slashing projects at its in-house R&D division known as Area 120. The company on Tuesday informed staff of a “reduction in force” which will see the… Source link
Read More »Google Photos redesigns its Memories feature with vertical swiping, more video, and other creative tools • TechCrunch
As consumer social apps shift their focus to video for social expression and adopt more creative tools, like those for collage-making, Google Photos’ often more utilitarian app will now do the same. The company today announced an upgrade to Google Photos and its app for mobile devices that will better highlight users’ videos, create visual effects with photos set to music, introduce its own collage editor, and more. The additions are a part of a larger upgrade to Google Photos’… Source link
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