Apps
Huawei’s MeeTime now available across Asia
It works like Apple’s FaceTime, and then some
Announced during the Huawei P40 launch and initially only available to a limited number of countries, Huawei’s video calling app called MeeTime is now making its way to other devices and countries.
At launch, it was announced that the app will only work in the following countries: Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. Huawei has now made the feature also available across all of Asia and on the new MatePad Pro.
MeeTime promises up to 1080p video calls between Huawei devices — this despite poor network quality situations. The app uses the super resolution technology to compensate video quality in real time as well as adapt to bandwidth changes to ensure a high resolution and smooth calling experience.
Low-light situations should also be not an issue thanks to Huawei’s facial recognition and optimization algorithms. There’s also an option to change the backgrounds during the call so you can put your own fun spin to it.
You can also share your screen to the person you’re calling. This means giving your folks live instructions on how to use certain things on your phone is now easier. You can also use the function to show presentations, slides, and many others.
One more cool feature is how it can be connected to third-party action cameras and webcams. In the presentation, the vision is for it to be compatible with drone cameras. Imagine sharing a live feed of a stunning view (that is, after we get through this pandemic).
MeeTime is currently available on all P40 devices — Huawei P40, Huawei P40 Pro, and the upcoming Huawei P40 Pro+.
Apps
Apple Creator Studio: Creative apps bundled into single subscription
All the tools you need, one payment
Apple has officially streamlined its popular creative apps into one single subscription suite with the introduction of Apple Creator Studio.
The collection includes some of the most useful apps for today’s creators: Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage.
New AI features and premium content in Keynote, Pages, and Numbers also make the Apple Creator Studio an exciting subscription suite. Freeform will eventually be added to the lineup.
The groundbreaking collection is designed to put studio-grade power into the hands of everyone. It builds on the essential role Apple devices play in the lives of millions of creators worldwide.
The apps included cover video editing, music making, creative imaging, and visual productivity to give modern creators the features and capabilities they need.
Final Cut Pro introduces exceptional new video editing tools and intelligent features for Mac and iPad.
For the first time, Pixelmator Pro is also coming to iPad with a uniquely crafted experience optimized for touch and Apple Pencil.
Logic Pro, meanwhile, for Mac and iPad introduces more intelligent features like Synth Player and Chord ID.
Apple Creator Studio will be available on the App Store beginning January 29. In the Philippines, the rates are PhP 399 a month or PhP 3,990 annually.
There is also a free one-month trial which includes access to:
- Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, and Pixelmator Pro on Mac and iPad
- Motion, Compressor, and MainStage on Mac
- Intelligent features and premium content for Keynote, Pages, Numbers, and later Freeform for iPhone, iPad, and Mac
College students and educators can subscribe for a discounted price of PhP 149 per month or PhP 1,490 per year.
Apps
Apple gives up on making AI, inks a deal with Gemini to power Siri
Gemini gets another feather in its cap.
In the not-too-long-ago past, the biggest names of the tech industry competed to build their own AI software. Now, though some brands are still on the hunt, it’s easier to name certain software that have more successfully drowned users in a flood of AI-powered features. Today, Google gets another win by adding Apple’s Siri to its Gemini cap.
In the past, Apple peddled Apple Intelligence, an upcoming AI-powered system to compete against the giants of the industry. However, much like other features from other brands, Apple Intelligence came out half baked with features still lacking months after the initial launch.
Now, Apple has signed a deal with Google to use Gemini for a revamped Siri. The former plans to launch a new version of Siri later this year. Because of the deal, the voice assistant will start using Gemini as a foundation for its own services. Currently, Samsung’s Galaxy AI already uses Gemini.
Formerly a battleground between so many competing brands, it’s now looking like a battle between two major companies: Google and OpenAI. Google now has a huge grip, though. Both Samsung and Apple are no slouches when it comes to owning market share in the world’s smartphones.
Now, as consumers, Apple’s deal probably doesn’t mean much besides the continued influx of features that add little to no value to a smartphone.
SEE ALSO: Google paid Samsung a lot of money to install Gemini on Galaxy
Apps
Microsoft continues to shove Copilot where it’s not wanted
This time, it’s reportedly coming to File Explorer.
If you look at a modern keyboard, you’ll find that the Copilot button is the cleanest one on the entire panel because no one ever willingly presses it. And yet, Microsoft still believes in the feature’s value. To show their odd commitment, the company is reportedly adding Copilot to File Explorer.
According to @phantomofearth from X (via Windows Central), a new Windows 11 preview build will add a button beside File Explorer’s navigation menu. Currently, the button is invisible and doesn’t do anything. However, the report says that the feature is tied to something called “Chat with Copilot.” It’s becoming clear that the system aims to add the AI software right inside the file organization app.
Besides revealing the potential addition of the egregious feature inside File Explorer, @phantomofearth also added mock-ups of a desktop with Copilot right on the taskbar, hinting at a potential nightmare of the feature lording itself over where it’s not wanted.
Thankfully, the preview build doesn’t always represent a final version of the system. There’s still a chance that Microsoft will not add the AI to the File Explorer.
As of late, Microsoft has received a lot of flak for persistently pushing Copilot onto users, regardless of how they feel about the feature. The company is also facing criticisms in the background for being a major proponent of AI data centers in the United States, which, in turn, have caused the prices of tech to skyrocket this year.
SEE ALSO: Dell admits AI PCs were a mistake
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