Today, we delve into the evolving landscape of Google’s offerings, from potential advancements in AI-assisted web reading with Chrome to the rollout of security updates for Android 14, including a crucial fix for Pixel 8’s camera bug.
Also, we explore the exciting possibilities on the horizon with Android 15, which may revolutionize video stabilization capabilities for third-party camera apps.
Join us as we uncover the latest developments shaping the digital experience.
Google Chrome Could Add New AI Features to Assist With Webpage Reading and Search
Google Chrome adds three new artificial intelligence (AI) features earlier 2024.
These features were power by Google’s Gemini AI model and offer specific tools for customisation, tab organisation, and assistance in writing.
These features are currently only available in the US.
Now, Google has hint at what some of the upcoming AI features might be.
Based on an interview publish by Google, it appears that search and webpage reading might get AI powers soon.
Google publish an interview with Google Chrome’s Director of Engineering Adriana Porter Felt, who describe the process of coming up with helpful AI features that could make using Chrome an easier experience.
Adriana Porter Felt said :
“We’d been thinking about how to bring AI technology to the browser to make the typical actions you do every day — using tabs, using Search, writing in forms, reading webpages — a little easier.’
The director also said that the entire Chrome team brainstorm ideas together.
Now, a closer inspection of the quote highlights that two areas, using Search and reading webpages, have not seen any new features so far.
The last update adds AI features for using tabs and writing in forms.
It could be that the next features that the Chrome team builds could be based on these two areas of the browser.
Search should be relatively easier considering Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) already exists and it could be integrate directly at the browser level.
But if the team does not want to take that route, another feature could be AI-power filters that further organise the results based on the topic of the query.
For example, a query for the best ice cream flavour could sort the results into groups of ice cream stores, YouTube videos, opinion-based blog posts, and miscellaneous.
Reading webpages is another area where the company might add a new feature.
We have already seen AI-power webpage summarisation tools within Microsoft’s Copilot and Samsung’s Galaxy AI.
A similar feature could help users quickly understand what a long article on a website is all about.
However, it should be noted that these features are just speculations based on the comments by the Chrome Director of Engineering.
The developers behind the Google browser might be working on an entirely different set of features.
We will have to wait till Google officially announces them.
Google’s Android 14 May Security Update Rolls Out, Pixel 8 Gets Camera Bug Fix: How to Download
Google has roll out the Android 14 May security update for support Pixel smartphones.
Earlier this week, Google announce that its latest updates for Pixel phones and the Pixel Tablet bring fixes for one critical severity and many high severity bugs in Android system components.
Google has also reveal that it has resolve a camera-related bug on the Pixel 8 series, while a Bluetooth issue affecting some Pixel handsets has also fix with the latest May Android security update.
As per Google’s release notes, the latest Google Pixel monthly security update is available for the company’s recent handsets, from the Google Pixel 8 and Google Pixel 8 Pro to the Google Pixel 5a 5G.
As per Google, Pixel smartphones that are running on Android 14 will get the May security update, which is expect to roll out to all users in phases within a week.
Google Pixel phone owners to download and install the May security update will benefit from improvements to stability or performance for Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) audio on their smartphones, as per Google’s changelog.
This latest update also fixes a bug that affects camera performance on the Google Pixel 8 series while recording video under certain conditions.
Google’s Android Security Bulletin for May said that the most severe security issue that has been patch is a critical security vulnerability in the System component that would allow an attacker to gain elevated privileges on a user’s device, without any additional execution privileges.
The May security update includes patches for high severity vulnerabilities affecting the Android Framework, System, and Kernel components.
It also comes with patches for security flaws that affect Qualcomm, MediaTek, and Arm components, as per Google’s Android Security Bulletin.
In order to download the latest Android 14 May security update on your Pixel phone :
- Go to Settings app
- Tap on System
- Then Software updates
- Lastly System update.
You will need to restart your phone once the update has been install, in order to complete the process.
Android 15 Might Allow Third-Party Camera Apps to Offer Improved Video Stabilisation
Android 15 could allow third-party apps to offer improve quality in terms of video stabilisation, according to a report.
Code from Google’s upcoming Android operating system suggests that the firm could introduce a new ‘extension’ that will let alternative camera apps download from the Play Store access the same algorithms use by the default (or “stock”) camera app on a user’s smartphone, in the coming months.
Manufacturers may choose to enable this functionality, but Google might offer a software-based alternative to access these advance camera features.
Android Authority spot a new Camera2 extension call as “Eyes Free videography” in the code for Android 15, on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP).
A Camera2 extension allows third-party camera apps to access algorithms that are available to the manufacturer’s camera app.
Google reportedly offers access to five extensions, Auto, Bokeh, Face retouch, HDR, and Night, on many smartphones running on Android 14.
The new Eyes Free videography Camera2 extension on Android 15 “aims to lock and stabilize a given region or object of interest”, as per the description for the feature spot by the publication.
While the previously mention extensions are related to capturing images, the new extension is design to improve video stabilisation on third party camera apps.
It’s worth noting that OEMs will still need to implement the new Camera2 extension for Android 15, some manufacturers have reportedly enable access to one or more of the five extensions available on Android 14.
But, the report said that Android 15 could introduce a new “allow camera software extensions” toggle design to provide a software implementation of the feature that might not be as optimise, but would allow third-party camera apps to access the extension and offer improve video quality.
Google is expect to roll out Android 15 to eligible Pixel smartphones later 2024, and the next–generation operating system is expect to arrive with support for lock screen widgets, privacy features aim at hiding sensitive details while the screen is being recorded, a new ‘app quarantine’ feature, a ‘private space’ to hide apps, and many other new features.
Some of these are currently accessible on the latest Android 15 public beta release and others could be enable by the company when the stable version is release later 2024.
