YouTube Music is not exactly known for having the latest and greatest features when compared to competing apps such as Spotify. However, the app has been making good progress this year and has finally added a long-promised feature to its arsenal — live lyrics.
The real-time lyrics feature on YouTube Music has been in the works for quite sometime, including a limited roll out to test users that reported on this feature back in April. Since then, there haven’t been any additional updates on its progress, to the point where many started to wonder if the feature had been nixed.
However, progress on the feature continued and it is now seeing a wider rollout to YouTube Music users on Android and iOS. This was originally reported on by 9to5Google, adding that live lyrics continue to roll out for more songs on versions 6.15 (Android) and 6.16 (iOS) of the app.
YouTube Music Live Lyrics on Android
Unfortunately, live lyrics are not yet available when you are casting your music or when listening on the web or TV-connected apps. The feature is also not available for every single song on the platform, although it looks like support is being added to more songs as time progresses.
Live lyrics are likely powered by MusixMatch, a popular lyrics provider that partnered with Google earlier last year. The lyrics are displayed in a scrolling format, so you can easily follow along with the song. You can also tap on the lyrics to highlight them and rewind or forward to that specific spot where that lyric appears on the song.
It’s good to see Google following through on adding more features to YouTube Music and making this app a worthy replacement to those looking to move away from their current music streaming app. A YouTube Premium subscription includes access to YouTube Music, so essentially, if you are paying for Premium you should be able to save some money and use your already paid for subscription to the Music app as well. Feature parity with other apps is the next step to make that a reality for most.
In YouTube Music, you’re able to view a song’s lyrics while you’re listening to it. That’s a useful feature to have, but the company has been working on making it more fun for a few months. After a while of waiting, YouTube Music is finally rolling out live lyrics.
We’ve known that YouTube has been working on this feature for some time. We first heard about it in April, and we’ve been wondering when the company was going to launch it. However, 9To5Google has spotted this feature in the wild, and that shows that YouTube is in the process of releasing it to the public.
YouTube Music is rolling out live lyrics
Live lyrics are a nice way for you to know where you are in the song when you’re viewing the lyrics. You never know when you’ll lose your place.
This new feature brings a new look to the lyrics UI. Instead of seeing a solid background color, you’ll see through the panel to the album art, only it will be heavily blurred. The words will float over the background.
The text will light up as the song progresses, letting you know where you are in the song. The rest of the text will remain grayed out. While the lyrics are timed to the music, you’ll still be able to scroll further in the lyrics to see what words are coming up. However, when the song reaches the next line, it will scroll back to the current line.
One little detail is that you’ll see a little musical note in between some of the lines. This indicates sections when there’s just music with no lyrics. A neat feature is that, if you tap on a line in the lyrics, the app will navigate to that point in the song.
It’s still a work in progress
We were able to see this feature, but it’s not there 100%. There are still songs on the platform that don’t have lyrics available, so that will remain a problem.
One thing we noticed was that the live lyrics aren’t available for all songs. You’re likely to still see songs with the older style of lyrics. We’ve seen a case where one song will have the live lyrics, but another song (a song that’s in the same album, mind you) would have the older lyrics.
As time goes on, it’s going to make it to more songs.
The Huawei Nova 11 Pro is Huawei’s latest mid-ranger. This is actually an upper-mid-range smartphone, which is supposed to be the last step before reaching Huawei flagships. In this review, we’ll see what the Huawei Nova 11 Pro is capable of, and if it’s worth getting over one of Huawei’s flagship smartphones. The phone certainly isn’t cheap, but to some of you, that price may be worth it. There is a lot to talk about here, as the device itself has a really nice design, and very capable cameras, plus a number of other positives. Not everything is perfect, though, of course. So… let’s dive in!
The Huawei Nova 11 Pro hits the right spot when it comes to design. Huawei did everything right here, basically. The phone doesn’t feel too large despite its large 6.78-inch display, and that’s quite a feat. It feels great to hold, and use, for several reasons. The curves are included in all the right places, the display is curved, so the phone is not too wide, and on top of that, its weight is right where it should be. This phone weighs 188 grams, and comes with an eco-leather backplate.
It comes in two color options
The phone comes in Black and Green models, and unfortunately, we ended up reviewing the black one. The green one looks outstanding in images, though, and its green eco-leather backplate is combined with a metallic frame which has a green tint on it. The black model has a shiny black frame, which is combined with a black eco-leather backplate. That variant also looks very nice, but not nearly as flashy as the green model. In any case, Huawei refers to this backplate as ‘nova Monogram Vegan Leather Design’. There is a pattern (Nova logo) imprinted on that leather, and you will feel it. It feels great to hold and use, and it helps a lot when it comes to grip.
There is a pill-shaped camera hole on the front, for a good reason
On the front, a pill-shaped cutout is located in the top-left corner, while the bezels are very thin. All the physical buttons are placed on the right-hand side, while there is an interesting-looking camera island included on the back. It is placed in the top-left corner, and the main camera is placed in the middle, in between ultrawide and telephoto cameras. That main camera has a noticeably larger sensor than the other two shooters. This camera design fits nicely with the overall design of the phone, that’s for sure.
The phone feels smaller than it is, which is a good thing
The phone measures 164.24 x 74.35 x 7.88mm, but despite that, it doesn’t feel as big due to the curves and the weight. All in all, this is probably the best-feeling smartphone with a 6.78-inch display that I’ve ever handled, I cannot emphasize that enough. Huawei nailed it when it comes to usage comfort.
Accessories
Huawei did include a case in the box here. You will find a regular soft silicone aka gel case on the inside. It’s one of those see-through cases that many Chinese OEMs included, and it’s a great addition in my opinion. This gives you great protection, at least until you get something else that you like more. Even if you stick with this one, that’s perfectly fine. It offers enough grip, and it’s actually quite thin, so it doesn’t add much bulk to the device itself. Every smartphone OEM should include something like this in the box.
Huawei Nova 11 Pro Review: Display
There is a 6.78-inch display included on this handset. It offers a resolution of 2652 x 1200 pixels, and it’s an OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. You’re also getting a 300Hz touch sampling rate here, which is always nice to see, as most smartphones with a 120Hz refresh rate end up offering a 240Hz touch sampling rate. That display can also project up to 1 billion colors, and it does support HDR10 content. You’re also getting a rather high screen-to-body ratio here (91.1%, approximately), and the panel is protected by Huawei’s Kunlun glass, which has proven to be really tough on the Mate 50 Pro.
It’s not the brightest display out there, but it looks really good
This display managed to jump to over 700 nits of brightness under auto settings. That’s not flagship-grade brightness, but the panel is not dim by any means. It has a wide color gamut, but you won’t get full DCI-P3 coverage here. Having said that, the colors are not the most accurate but the display does look good. It’s vivid, sharp, and a 120Hz refresh rate has been incorporated well here, with the hardware.
You can choose between Normal & Vivid modes
You can choose between Normal and Vivid modes for the display, so you do get some customization in that regard. There are also three options for the refresh rate settings. You can choose between standard (60Hz), high (120Hz), or Dynamic. We used the phone on Dynamic, and it turned up the refresh rate when needed flawlessly. All in all, considering the sector in which it’s competing in, the display is actually quite good. It could be better in terms of color accuracy, but that’s not something many people will notice or care about.
Huawei Nova 11 Pro Review: Performance
The Huawei Nova 11 Pro is equipped with the Snapdragon 778G SoC, a 4G version of it. That is due to the US ban issued against Huawei. It’s a long story, but you’re probably at least somewhat familiar with it. That being said, this chip has been out in the market for quite some time. Despite that, however, it still offers really good performance. It’s around the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 in that regard, which is not bad. It’s not exactly the most powerful mid-range chip out there, not even close, but it offers good performance. In collaboration with Huawei’s EMUI, and 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM included here.
The phone offers great performance across the board
The phone is very fluid, generally. Huawei’s animations are great, and this chip is more than powerful enough to handle everything. Even during heavier multitasking, it performed really well. Some of you are probably wondering about games, though. Well, for a mid-range phone, it’s really good at gaming. I always say you should aim for a flagship-grade phone if you plan on playing graphically demanding games. That is true in this case too, though this phone can handle them. You may not be able to play them at the highest resolution or details, but it can handle pretty much anything. The vast majority of games will run very smoothly. I tried a bunch of games from AppGallery, just to test the phone out, and didn’t really notice any glaring issues. I was unable to test games like Genshin Impact, and so on, as the phone does not have access to the Google Play Store. The thing is, I wanted to experience the phone as a regular user will, so without sideloading, etc. You can, though, technically, sideload games that do not specifically require Google Play Services, or install one of the emulators available to run such games. More on that in the software section, though.
Huawei Nova 11 Pro Review: Battery
The Huawei Nova 11 Pro comes with a 4,500mAh battery. During our testing, the phone has proven to have good battery life, but not great. I lingered between 6.5 and 7 hours of screen-on-time on most days. There were also odd days when I was closer to 6 hours of screen-on-time. Your mileage may vary, of course, as is the case with every other phone. I played games only for testing purposes, but didn’t really spare the phone when it comes to usage.
The battery life is not bad, but it’s not outstanding either
One thing to note is that I used it in adaptive mode, so I allowed the phone to jump between refresh rates, I did not force it on 120Hz, there was no need. The phone did a wonderful job in that regard. Granted, if Huawei managed to squeeze in 4,800mAh or 5,000mAh on the inside, the battery life would be noticeably better. It’s not exactly bad as it is either, though, so… no complaints here.
This handset offers blazing fast charging
What about the charging, though? Well, 100W wired charging is supported, but there’s no wireless charging support here. With such fast charging, however, even if you end up lacking battery life at some point, a quick charge will fix all your problems. You can fully charge the device in under half an hour, and yes, the charger is included in the box. We managed to get a full charge in only 24-25 minutes, which is crazy fast, needless to say.
Huawei Nova 11 Pro Review: Camera
The Huawei Nova 11 Pro has two cameras on the back. It includes a 50-megapixel UltraVision camera (f/1.9 aperture), and an 8-megapixel ultrawide unit (f/2.2 aperture). A 2-megapixel depth sensor has been ditched, and that’s not a bad thing, exactly. The phone’s ultrawide camera actually doubles as a macro camera, in case you were wondering. When it comes to front-facing cameras, you’re getting a 60-megapixel ultrawide camera (f/2.4 aperture), and an 8-megapixel portrait camera (f/2.2 aperture). Needless to say, this is quite an interesting, and unique front-facing setup.
The main camera’s performance is really good
The camera performance from the main camera, during the day, is great, to say the least. The images do look quite natural, the processing is spot on. No, you will not find noise in such conditions, not at all. The dynamic range is also good. Now, we did notice some issues with hazing from time to time, due to white balance issues, but that didn’t happen often at all. It happened only sometimes, and only when the sun was really bright outside. The colors are great, and the images overall do look vivid. Do note that using the ‘AI’ mode in the camera will tune up the saturation. It’s not really needed, but if you want more saturated images, go for it. 2x shots also look really good, and are taken by the main camera, as a telephoto camera is not present here.
You’ll want to stick with the main camera in low light conditions
The ultrawide camera, during the day, well… it does a good job, but the end results look different than the ones from the main shooter. The colors look different, which is not great, as it’s always best when the same color rendition is retained. The camera does a good job, though. It produces enough detail, despite the fact it’s only an 8-megapixel sensor. The dynamic range is good too, but not on the same level as what the main camera offers. When it comes to macro shots, that ultrawide camera does a good job. We’d suggest sticking to a 1x option when shooting macros with the ultrawide camera, as you’ll get the best balance between shooting distance and details.
What about low light? Well, the photos from the main camera are good enough. The camera produces enough detail, and the images also end up well-exposed. It also has really good noise control, even in some extreme situations. In most situations, you won’t notice a difference between regular and night mode shots, but in some, we did notice a difference. The night mode managed to offer sharper photos in some dark alleyways, and similar shots during the night. It did take longer to take an image and process it, though. It also produces slightly brighter images in some shots.
The ultrawide camera is used for macro shots
Ultrawide camera in low light, however, didn’t do all that well. The images were too dark, and there is no night mode available for the ultrawide camera. If there’s enough light in the scene, this camera can pull out a half-decent shot, but if not, the images from the ultrawide camera will simply look too dark. After snapping a bunch of shots with it, I gave up entirely, and simply focused on the phone’s main camera in low light.
The Huawei Nova 11 Pro takes great-looking selfies
What about selfies? That is, after all, supposed to be the Nova 11 Pro’s forte. Well, the phone does deliver in that regard, definitely. It offers excellent details, good skin tones, and well-balanced shots with great dynamic range. Chances are you will be very happy with the selfie camera setup on this phone.
You’ll be able to record video up to 4K30 here
When it comes to video, the Huawei Nova 11 Pro can record up to 4K30 with all of its cameras, that includes selfie cameras too. You can also opt for 1080p60, of course. The video footage is fine, for the most part, but it could offer more detail. The footage does tend to look softer than we’d like. Other than that, we don’t have many complaints. The colors are good, and so is the dynamic range. The same goes for stabilization. Things deteriorate in low light, however, as the dynamic range is not as great, and we did notice quite a bit of haloing around street lights, car lights, and so on.
Camera samples:
Huawei Nova 11 Pro Review: Software
In terms of software, you’re getting Android 12 here, with Huawei’s EMUI 13 on top of it. Google services are not a part of the package here, of course. You’re getting Huawei”s services, though, with the company’s AppGallery app store. If you’ve used a more modern Huawei smartphone, you know exactly what to expect here. The UI is good, it’s very fluid with great animations. There are also plenty of customization options. The notification shade and quick toggles are separate at the top, depending on where you trigger the pull-down gesture from. The notification shade is on the left, while the quick toggles are on the right.
Various well-known EMUI features are available here
You do get access to features such as the Magazine Lockscreen, which can change background images on its own. There are also some easy-to-activate shortcuts on the lock screen, and the always on display is also included in the package. You can even download more AOD themes, if you feel the need to do so. By default, all your apps are on home screens, there’s no app drawer. You can change that via the settings, though, and use a more regular Android setup, if you’d like.
EMUI 13 also comes with support for large folders, and also combined widgets. You can combine three widgets into a single one, if you want. Stacked widgets are a part of the offering too, as that’s one of the newest features Huawei is offering in EMUI. The company’s Assistant Today screen is making a comeback here too. It’s basically a shelf on the leftmost home screen, which contains a ton of info. It’s there to replace the Google News page, which is available on many Android phones.
You also get access to Huawei’s voice assistant
Huawei’s Celia voice assistant is also available here, and it does support voice commands. AI Lens is here to help you search for stuff by using your camera, and much more. Huawei also has very capable first-party apps pre-installed here. It has an outstanding video editor, for example, but a file manager, music player, and some other apps are here too. Even the company’s Petal Maps do a fine job when it comes to navigation.
The software is good, but there are no Google services here
Huawei’s EMUI software is actually really good, and so is its performance. The elephant in the room is the lack of Google services, though, of course. If you’re using Google apps on a regular basis, this is definitely not a phone for you, even though there are ways to bring Google apps on the device (like GBox, for example). There are also some notable omissions in the AppGallery, when it comes to other popular apps. Huawei will pull those apps from app repositories for you, though, so you’ll be able to install them, if you want. This is not an ideal solution, but it works. Still, the lack of apps is still Huawei’s biggest problem, which is a shame, because the company’s software was and still is great.
Huawei Nova 11 Pro Review: Should you buy it?
Should you buy the Huawei Nova 11 Pro? Is this the phone for you? Well, it’ll certainly appeal to some people. The Huawei Nova 11 Pro offers an outstanding design. It fits great in the hand, you really have to try it out in order to realize how comfortable it is to hold and use, despite its size. The material on the back definitely helps with the grip. The cameras are good enough, even though not exactly flagship-grade. The display is also great, to say the least, and the software performs flawlessly. The thing is, plenty of apps are still missing from the AppGallery, and there are still apps out there that require specifically Google services in order to function. Google apps are not available here either, unless you use an Android emulator like GBox, which is not an ideal solution. Still, if the software is not an obstacle for you, and you want a very comfortable, and yet large device, with great selfie cameras, the Huawei Nova 11 Pro is worth considering, at the very least.
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You should buy the Huawei Nova 11 Pro if you:
– want a really comfortable smartphone, which is also on the larger side – want a phone that looks different than anything out there – need blazing fast charging – hate it when OEMs don’t include a charger in the box – want a reliable main camera for daylight & nighttime conditions – love taking selfies – don’t use Google apps all that much
You shouldn’t buy the Huawei Nova 11 Pro if you:
– love using Google apps – find pill-shaped cutouts to be an eye-sore – need 5G – plan to get the phone wet – shoot a lot of videos with your phones – love using the ultrawide camera for taking pictures
A September launch of Samsung‘s Galaxy S23 FE is looking highly likely. Amid growing rumors, the company has begun adding support pages for the phone to its official website. It has also obtained a few more regulatory certifications for the new Fan Edition (FE) handset.
Samsung recently published an official support page for the Galaxy S23 FE on its Kazakhstan website. As usual, the page doesn’t reveal anything more than the phone’s model number (SM-F711B). However, it’s an indication that the device is almost here. The company will add more information to the page following its announcement, including a few photos.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy S23 FE has received regulatory approval from India’s BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards). It’s the same model number again, with the Indian authority confirming dual-SIM support for the phone, at least in the country. The upcoming FE-series phone has also popped up on the Bluetooth SIG website (via). This time around, we have five different model numbers.
These include the US carrier-locked and unlocked versions (SM-F711U and SM-F711U1, respectively), the Canadian version (SM-F711W), and the Chinese version (SM-F7110). We have previously seen these model numbers on other certification listings as well, including the FCC and the WPC (Wireless Power Consortium). If anything, this is a sign of a nearing release of the phone.
The Galaxy S23 FE will arrive with two different chipsets
Samsung will launch the Galaxy S23 FE with two different chipsets. The phone will be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 in some markets, including the US. Some others, such as Europe, will get the company’s in-house Exynos 2200 SoC. The Korean firm has been doing this for a long time now, selling its high-end phones with different chipsets in different markets.
The Galaxy S23 series was an exception, with the 2023 flagships shipping with an overclocked Snapdragon 8 gen 2 globally. However, Samsung is now going back to the usual dual-SoC strategy with the Galaxy S23 FE. Next year’s Galaxy S24 flagships are also rumored to use two chipsets: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 “for Galaxy” (overclocked version) and Exynos 2400.
Despite growing rumors, we don’t yet have a confirmed launch date for the Galaxy S23 FE. The latest word from the industry is that the phone will arrive in September, but a date is still missing. September begins in less than a week, so we might soon hear something officially from Samsung. The company also has a couple of FE-series tablets in the works. It remains to be seen if all of these devices arrive on the same day.
The iPhone 15 series will likely launch next month, and the iPhone 15 Pro in Titan Gray has just surfaced. This colorway will likely replace the gold colorway that was available with the iPhone 15 Pro.
In fact, both the gold and purple colors of the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max will be out with the iPhone 15 Pro series. The Titan Gray and Dark Blue colors are set to take over.
The Titan Gray iPhone 15 Pro gets shown, as it’s set to replace the Gold model
In any case, if you check out the image shown below this paragraph, you’ll be able to see the Titan Gray color of the iPhone 15 Pro. This mockup has been shared by 9to5Mac.
Do note that this is not an actual leak, but a render created based on the accumulated info, presenting what the phone is expected to look like. Also, it’s possible Apple won’t use this name when the time comes. This is just a working title.
The Titan Gray color seems to be darker than the silver and white color variants, and lighter than the Graphite and Space Black colors. As a reminder, Apple plans to replace the stainless steel frame of the iPhone 14 Pro series with titanium on the iPhone 15 Pro series. That actually influences the colors the company can offer, it seems.
The iPhone 15 & iPhone 15 Plus are expected to arrive in five color options
Having said that, the vanilla iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models are expected to arrive in black, blue, green, pink, and yellow color variants.
The entire iPhone 15 lineup is expected to launch on either September 12 or 13. Both dates are rumored, but September 12 seems like a more likely choice by Apple, at least at the moment.
The devices are rumored to go on pre-sale on September 15, and on open sale on September 22. The ‘Pro Max’ aka ‘Ultra’ model could possibly be late to the party, however. The rumors claim it could be delayed for up to 3-4 weeks.
If one of your favorite websites doesn’t have an app, you can fix that. Thanks to the WebApp application, you can essentially turn websites into apps for your phone.
This is not the first app we’ve seen that does this, but it is one of the best ones we’ve stumbled upon. So, how does this work? Well, it’s actually extremely simple, anyone can do it with ease.
WebApp application can turn any website into an app
All you have to do is open the WebApp, tap the ‘Create app’ button in the top-right corner, paste the URL of a website you’d like to create an app for, and confirm. There you go.
You’ll get an icon for that website that you can use either from WebApp, or from your homescreen. You can even clone apps, in case you need two separate logins for some services.
Why would you want to create a web app to begin with? Well, to get a better user experience, basically. This way you don’t have to go to your browser, open up a website, and then deal with the address bar, etc.
You’ll get a more streamlined experience, and possibly even a more fluid one
Once you tap an icon for a specific web app, it’ll behave more or less like a regular app on your phone. In fact, I’ve noticed better performance here for some websites, than when I open them via a browser.
You can use this app to create apps for websites that already have apps, of course. In fact, you can create apps for just about any website you want. It’s quite convenient, and allows you to be properly organized.
WebApp application uses the latest in progressive web app (PWA) tech, so the experience should be really smooth across the board. If you’d like to try the app out, the download link is included below.
Windows 11 prepares to simplify your experience with a fresh settings homepage. Microsoft is getting ready to release this user-friendly feature, currently testing it with Windows Insiders on the Beta Channel. This innovative homepage introduces “interactive cards” that serve as convenient shortcuts, swiftly guiding you to various settings. These settings include personalizing your device, managing Bluetooth devices, recovering your account, and more.
However, this new page doesn’t focus solely on speed; it’s also designed for intelligence. It observes your computer usage patterns and suggests relevant settings to enhance your productivity. For instance, if you frequently adjust the screen brightness, that option could appear at the forefront. Similarly, if you often modify sound settings or search preferences, these suggestions might also come up.
But that’s not all – this revamped homepage goes a step further by offering tailored recommendations based on your current activities. It’s like having a helpful friend who anticipates your needs and suggests the right settings in real time.
Microsoft offers & subscriptions
However, Microsoft doesn’t stop at settings assistance. The page also showcases Microsoft’s offerings. You’ll discover information about your OneDrive cloud storage capacity and spot cards displaying your subscriptions to Microsoft 365 (which includes Word and Excel) and Xbox services. Initially, you’ll see up to seven cards, with Microsoft planning to expand this feature in the near future. They tested this concept in June to ensure its effectiveness and user-friendliness.
Adding to the excitement, there’s another feature to look forward to: the Windows Backup app. Think of it as packing up your belongings before moving to a new home. This app assists you in gathering your computer’s essential components before transitioning to a new device. It memorizes your computer’s configuration, ensuring your new PC feels like an extension of your old one. Even your favorite apps will retain their positions.
The Dynamic Lighting feature is also going to be enhanced by Microsoft. This update will enable your computer’s color to synchronize with your accessories such as keyboards and mouse once it’s available to everyone. Additionally, you’ll have the freedom to select custom colors if you prefer.
All these exciting features are encompassed within the Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22631.2262, progressively rolling out to the Beta Channel. This approach allows eager users to experience and explore new functionalities before their broader release.
In summary, Windows 11’s innovations streamline your computer interactions. From the settings homepage to intelligent suggestions, the Backup app, and color customization, Microsoft actively works to provide you with a smoother, more enjoyable computing journey.
Google Keep aka Keep Notes is one of the most popular note-taking apps on Android, and it’s about to get rich text formatting… finally. This follows the code that was found last week, which claimed that rich text formatting is on the way.
Rich text formatting is coming to Google Keep, you should have access to it soon
Google now flat-out confirmed that the feature is coming, in a blog post. Google says that this was a “highly requested feature”, and that it will enable you to “customize and add emphasis to your text through bolding, underlining, italicizing, and heading styles”.
If you’re wondering whether the feature is available already, well, chances are it is not. Google said that it will be rolling out to Android devices “in the coming weeks”. So we’re not sure if the rollout started yet or not, but we didn’t get the option yet.
The rollout has probably started already
It’s possible that Google started rolling it out already, but it will take weeks to arrive to everyone. That’s how the company sometimes does things, via staged rollouts, so…there you go.
Back in March, Google added multi-instance support for Google Keep on large devices. A single note widget has also been added back in March. And now, an ever bigger change is coming in the form of rich text formatting.
Needless to say, this will be a game-changer for some, as it’s giving you the ability to really emphasize parts of your notes, and organize them properly. Google says that this was one of the most requested features, and that’s not difficult to believe.
One thing to note in all this is that Google emphasized that the feature is coming to Android. So iOS devices, and the web version will likely have to wait a bit until they get rich text formatting.
Artificial intelligence has been the buzzword of 2023, thanks in part to the efforts of tech companies striving to develop the most advanced AI systems. Now, as part of these efforts, Meta has announced a new AI model called SeamlessM4T, which aims to break the language barriers by effectively translating and transcribing nearly 100 languages across both written and spoken forms.
According to Meta, unlike traditional language translation tools, which have issues with limited language coverage, the SeamlessM4T open-source AI model effortlessly handles speech-to-text and text-to-text translations by recognizing and processing input from 100 languages and converting them into 35 distinct output languages. Additionally, the fact that the language model performs all the above tasks in a single step makes conversing in different languages easy.
Moreover, to ensure sensitivity in translations, Meta has implemented mechanisms designed to filter out potentially harmful words that might provoke negativity or abuse.
“We filtered unbalanced toxicity in training data. If input or output contained different amounts of toxicity, we removed that training sequence,” said Meta.
Preventing gender bias
While the features of the new SeamlessM4T AI system are commendable, there are still concerns over inherent gender biases that have plagued various language translators, including Google Translate. Acknowledging these concerns, Meta has established systems to identify and rectify gender bias present in translations. This is particularly crucial in languages where gendered forms hold prominence, such as Spanish.
Despite its impressive capabilities, the AI model still struggles to replicate the intricate lexical nuances inherent in human translations—a vital element in meaningful conversations. Moreover, Meta has cautioned against relying on the model for lengthy translations and emphasized its unsuitability for medical or legal contexts.
“This single system approach reduces errors and delays, increasing the efficiency and quality of the translation process, bringing us closer to making seamless translation possible. In the future, we want to explore how this foundational model can enable new communication capabilities — ultimately bringing us closer to a world where everyone can be understood,” said Juan Pino, research scientist at Meta’s AI research division.
Google made the redesigned Home app available to everyone back in May, but that didn’t solve any issues for those using old Nest cameras. Today, Google announced that it’s one step closer to offering the complete Home app experience by adding support for the original Nest camera models.
Launched back in 2015, Google’s first-generation Nest Cam Indoor is finally getting support in the Public Preview of the Google Home app. Although the feature is not yet ready for primetime, if you want to try it out today, you can simply join the Public Preview.
After that’s done, you should see a prompt in the Public Preview version of the Home app when you’re able to transfer your camera and you’ll be guided through the process. The problem is that this may take a couple of weeks as Google is adding more Nest Cam Indoor devices very slowly, but it’s better than nothing.
Those who eventually manage to add their old Nest cameras to the Google Home app will be able to manage them alongside other devices, as well as try new features like camera history and Favorites tab.
According to Google, all eligible Nest Cam Indoor users will be getting an email once access is rolled out to all users, so there’s that. Keep in mind that the Nest app did not get any changes, so you’re free to continue to use the app.
