Google Photos on Android gets Sharpen and Denoise editor tools

Source: 9to5Google

The Google Photos app on Android gets a couple of new editing tools to add to its arsenal. There will now be Sharpen and Denoise options when you tap on the Edit icon on a photo. You get increments ranging from 0 to 100. As its name suggests, Sharpen lessens the blur in an image, while Denoise gets rid of background grain. 

The new tools are located between the Pop and Vignette options. It'll be easier to spot with a yellow dot that marks the new features, joining the new HDR effect available for Pixel phones and Google One subscribers. The new features are rolling out now as a server-side update. (I've already spotted it on my vivo V15 phone.) It doesn't require a Google One subscription to use.

Source: 9to5Google

Canadian Reviewer Weekly Roundup – 4/18 – 4/24

Apple's new iMac is thinner and bright colour options

'Roblox' plans to add content ratings to keep kids away from sexual material in its game 

Marvel unveils the first trailer of 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' 

Fitbit Luxe merges style and health and wellness tracking 

Samsung's SmartThings Find can now help you find secretly-placed SmartTags 

Goodlawyer offers free legal master class for entrepreneurs 

Athlete Tech Group, BlackMINT, RBC Future Launch debut tech mentorship program for Black Canadian youth 

Apple iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini to get a new purple shade 

Apple iPad Pro update brings the M1 chip to the premium tablet 

Apple TV 4K gets new remote and improved graphics performance 

Apple's AirTag item tracker is finally here 

Roku unveils "Roku Originals" 

Apple's new iMacs Show Unified Product Design 

Facebook's Fidji Simo expounds on the company's upcoming audio offerings at Collision Conference 2021 

The Polaroid Go is the company's most compact analog instant camera 

INSTAX Mini Link x Nintendo Switch Special Edition launch 

Microsoft gets rid of Xbox Live Gold requirement for free-to-play online multiplayer 

Epilogue launches Social Media Will to help you plan what to do with your online accounts when you pass 

You can now tweet pictures in 4K on mobile 

The new 12.9-inch iPad Pro won't work with the older Magic Keyboard 

Spotify tipped to offer its own paid podcast subscription option 

Canadian startup Couply wins Collision 2021's PITCH competition 

Google experiments with allowing Assistant to operate without the 'Hey Google' prompt 

Google experiments with allowing Assistant to operate without the 'Hey Google' prompt

Photo by Arthur Osipyan/Unsplash

Google is testing out a feature on the Android app that might let you bypass saying "Hey Google" to activate Assistant. Android Police spotted a new "Guacamole" menu in the Assistant settings, enabling you to skip the usual hotword for "help with quick tasks" like answering calls and stopping alarms. AP pointed out that the Google Nest Hub has a similar feature for alarms since 2019. 

When it goes live, you'll supposedly get to opt-in by reading terms and conditions before activating it. We say supposedly because the feature isn't live yet. We expect to hear more about it at Google's I/O conference next month. 

YouTube on mobile gets more video quality settings

Photo by Hello I'm Nik/Unsplash

YouTube has rolled out a new update for its Android and iOS apps that show additional video quality options. You can select the "higher picture quality" to get sharper videos, which, of course, will eat up more data. But the app also receives a "data saver" option that can stretch out your data allowance at the expense of lower resolution videos. These new options are a server-side update from the company, so you might not need to install the latest version of the app. But that's still advisable to do to get the best performance out of the app.

Source: Engadget