Google has yet another AI tool to add to the pile. Whisk is a Google Labs image generator that lets you use an existing image as your prompt. But its output only captures your starter image’s “essence” rather than recreating it with new details. So, it’s better for brainstorming and rapid-fire visualizations than edits of the source image.

The company describes Whisk as “a new type of creative tool.” The input screen starts with a bare-bones interface with inputs for style and subject. This simple introductory interface only lets you choose from three predefined styles: sticker, enamel pin and plushie. I suspect Google found those three allowed for the kind of rough-outline outputs the experimental tool is most ideal for in its current form.

As you can see in the image above, it produced a solid image of a Wilford Brimley plushie. (Google’s terms forbid pictures of celebrities, but Wilford slipped through the gates, Quaker Oats in tow, without alerting the guards.)

Whisk also includes a more advanced editor (found by clicking “Start from scratch” from the main screen). In this mode, you can use text or a source image in three categories: subject, scene and style. There’s also an input bar to add more text for finishing touches. However, in its current form, the advanced controls didn’t produce results that looked anything like my queries.

For example, check out my attempt to generate the late Mr. Brimley in a lightbox scene in the style of a walrus plushie image I found online:

Google / Screenshot by Will Shanklin for Engadget

Whisk spit out what looks like a vaguely Wilford Brimley-esque actor eating oatmeal inside a lightbox frame. As far as I can tell, that dude is not a plushie. So, it’s clear why Google recommends using the tool more for “rapid visual exploration” and less for production-ready content.

Google acknowledges that Whisk will only draw from “a few key characteristics” of your source image. “For example, the generated subject might have a different height, weight, hairstyle or skin tone,” the company warns.

To understand why, look no further than Google’s description of how Whisk works under the hood. It uses the Gemini language model to write a detailed caption of the source image you upload. It then feeds that description into the Imagen 3 image generator. So, the result is an image based on Gemini’s words about your image — not the source image itself.

Whisk is only available in the US, at least for now. You can try it at the project’s Google Labs site.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/googles-new-ai-tool-whisk-uses-images-as-prompts-210105371.html?src=rss

©

© Google / Screenshot by Will Shanklin for Engadget

If you’re an Android user, today is your lucky day; Google has announced a swath of new AI features for the entire ecosystem. Broadly speaking, the features make Android devices more accessible, but there’s something here for everyone.

For instance, one of the new enhancements, Expressive Captions, automatically generates subtitles that attempt to capture the emotion and intensity of what’s being said. So, let’s say you’re video chatting with a friend who groans after you make a lame dad joke. The feature will not only transcribe what they said, but it will also include “[groaning]” in the transcription. This works for other subtleties of human speech, too, such as when someone gasps or whispers something, and is compatible across Android, including streaming and social media apps. Per Google, Expressive Captions are available on Pixel 6 and newer Pixel phones, as well as “other compatible” Android devices.

Separately, Google has enhanced Android’s Image Q&A in Lookout feature. The latest version of the tool makes use of the company’s Gemini 1.5 Pro model to provide more helpful image descriptions. Image Q&A is primarily designed to assist blind and low-vision users, but in reality, anyone can use the feature to get Android to describe a picture in a natural-sounding voice.

Speaking of Gemini, Google is supercharging the AI agent with new extensions that provide better integration with some of the most popular Android apps. For instance, a new Spotify plugin allows Gemini to play your favorite songs for you and find playlists that suit your current mood. In the future, the company is promising tighter integration with Google Maps and even smart home devices that are linked to your Google account.

Additionally, Gemini now features the capability to remember things about you so that it can provide more personalized responses. For example, you can tell Gemini you’re a vegetarian, and the agent will remember that about you the next time you ask it to recommend a new dinner recipe. Google notes it has made it easy to view, edit and delete any personal information you’ve told Gemini to remember.

Google

Another more practical update comes in the form of a Google Drive feature called auto-enhancements. The next time you upload a scanned document to the service, it will automatically edit the image to optimize the contrast and adjust the white balance, as well as remove any shadows and blurring.

And if you want to share a file with someone, Google has made that easier, too, with an improvement to Android’s Quick Share functionality. There’s a new feature that allows you to transfer pictures, videos and documents by displaying a QR code on your phone. Using this tool, you don’t need to add the recipient as a contact or fiddle with your Quick Share settings.

Lastly, if you’re a Pixel user, you can look forward to all of the above features and more. Most notably, there are improvements to the Pixel Screenshots app. For one, now you can save things you find with Circle to Search directly to the software. Google suggests this feature will be handy for holiday gift ideas. Pixel Screenshots will now also automatically categorize your snaps for you and provide suggestions, such as calendar invites and directions, based on the information you saved. 

As with most Android updates, it can take some time for Google to roll out all the new features it announced today to every user, so be patient if you don’t see them on your device right away.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/androids-latest-round-of-ai-features-improve-accessibility-file-sharing-and-more-170020518.html?src=rss

©

© Google

It has somehow been nearly five years since work from home became such a norm (for obvious reasons) and companies are still competing to be glared at on your screen come 9AM Monday. Often, this involves copying each other's ideas because really how much can you innovate when it comes to work communication? The most recent example comes courtesy of Google, which has announced the creation of huddles. That's right, Slack users will recognize this because Google Chat will now have an identical tool with the same name as its competitor. 

So, how will huddles work on Google Chat? Basically, huddles are meant to replace those quick conversations you could have in person while passing by someone's desk or waiting to enter a meeting. Instead of scheduling an audio or video call, you can click on the phone icon in a chat and choose "start a huddle." This will create a space in the chat where you can quickly talk. As usual, you can also change it to a video call within the meeting. 

Again, this feature will be very familiar for anyone who has used platforms like Discord or Slack in the past. It will be available in one-on-one and group messages, as well as spaces. Anyone with a rapid release domain can expect to get it by December 20, while users with scheduled release domains will start seeing huddles on January 6. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-chat-adds-huddles-in-its-latest-attempt-to-be-like-discord-and-slack-133022129.html?src=rss

©

© Google

With launch of its Mate 70 and foldable Mate X6 smartphones, Huawei unveiled its latest mobile OS that it says no longer uses any Android open-source code, Bloomberg reported. HarmonyOS Next was supposedly built entirely in-house as part of Huawei's plans to do build a platform entirely free of major US tech sources, both for hardware and software. 

The Mate 70 series arrives in China on December 4 as follow up to the Mate 60. The latter model was also significant as it was the first Huawei smartphone to use a processor that was fully made in China, showing the company could get around US trade restrictions. However, Huawei will be limited to 7-nanometer tech for the next couple of years, while rival Apple is getting ready to move to 2-nanometer chips. 

Having in-house chips and software has long been Huawei's aim. The company first announced its own operating system way back in 2012, anticipating that partners like Google "won't let us use their system[s] one day." Seven years later the company confirmed that it did have a homemade operating system later revealed as HarmonyOS. That still used a lot of open-source Android code, but Huawei says the latest version is fully Android-free. 

Despite the company's claims of in-house chip manufacturing, it was discovered recently that TSMC chips were possibly shipped illegally to Huawei via a third-party company. The US imposed trade restrictions on Huawei in the first place after it tried to steal trade secrets from T-Mobile and bypass Iran sanctions. 

Huawei said that the new OS still needs several months of refinement to improve the user experience, but the aim is to install it on all future smartphones. The Mate 70 models will start at $760 for the 6.7-inch edition and go up for the pro models, with Huawei promising a 40 percent performance bump, partially due to the new OS.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/huawei-launches-its-android-free-os-133021431.html?src=rss

©

© Huawei