Alongside the release of Google’s new range of Pixel smartphones, the company has unveiled a few new accessibility features for both Pixel phones and Android devices.
The tech giant stated in a blog post that it is dedicated to working with individuals with disabilities and that it aims to introduce new accessible tools and innovations to broaden the scope of technology.
First up is the Magnifier app, which is a pixel-only feature. When the application was first released a year ago, users could read menu boards and locate items by using the camera to zoom into real-world environments. Google now allows users to search for specific terms in their surroundings using AI.
A picture-in-picture mode has been added to the upgraded version of Magnifier to preserve the visual context while magnifying. Users can also select between wide-angle lenses for wider views and macro lenses for minute details. Additionally, the front-facing camera can now be turned into a personal mirror for touch-ups with Selfie Illumination.
Next is the Guided Frame, and it can only be used with the Pixel Camera. With the use of this feature, users can position their faces inside the frame and choose the ideal camera angle with verbal assistance. People who have low eyesight or visual loss are the target audience for this feature. Before the camera takes a picture automatically, the feature will ask users to pan from left to right or tilt their faces up or down. It will also alert users when the lighting is insufficient, prompting them to find a better frame.
Live Transcribe is also being upgraded, but it will only work with foldable smartphones. It can now display the transcriptions of each speaker in dual-screen mode. For instance, if two people are seated across a table, the smartphone can be positioned in the center of the table so that both their words appear separately on each half of the screen.
The Live Captions feature is also being upgraded with support for seven new languages – Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, Turkish, and Vietnamese. Google says that these languages will be available on-device for Live Transcribe, which also makes them available offline.
Check out more of Google’s AI breakthroughs like this Gemini AI update that can edit AI-generated images!
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- Google Unveils New Features for Pixel that Aim to Enhance Accessibility - September 4, 2024
