Category: Software

  • Adobe Camera Raw Plugin Removes Reflections from Glass Surfaces

    Adobe Camera Raw Plugin Removes Reflections from Glass Surfaces

    Adobe has introduced a new capability for the Camera Raw plug-in called Reflection Removal. True to its name, this tool is designed to eliminate reflections in images captured through large glass windows obstructing the view.

    AI-Driven, But Not Generative

    According to the company, the feature relies on AI technology, yet it is not categorized as Generative AI. Instead, it’s a highly specialized model crafted for a particular function. There are certain constraints, however. The tool struggles with reflections from "small or distant windows," or when the window frame itself is visible. Additionally, it cannot handle reflections from "items like wine glasses, car surfaces, or clouds mirrored in a pond."

    How It Works

    The model works by detecting and isolating the reflection from the rest of the image, then it recreates a version of the image that appears clean. Adobe developed this model by taking photos of items free of reflections and pairing them with similar images that show reflection distortions. This process resulted in millions of simulated pictures that look like they contain reflections. The model then understands how to differentiate between the two.

    Availability and Usage

    This feature is exclusive to raw photos and can be found within the Technology Previews section of the Camera Raw plug-in. Adobe clarifies that since the model isn’t Generative AI, "it will never generate objects that weren’t in the original photo."

    Source: Link

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  • EU Investigation Sought by Price Comparison Sites Over Google Search Changes

    EU Investigation Sought by Price Comparison Sites Over Google Search Changes

    Last month, Google announced a range of updates to its Search platform to align with the EU Digital Markets Act (DMA). The tech giant claims it has implemented over 20 modifications, including specialized units and formats aimed at enhancing the visibility of comparison websites throughout Europe.

    Impact on Users and Businesses

    Google pointed out that the removal of certain features from Search, such as flight details and limited functions in clickable maps, has adversely affected users in Europe. The company reported that smaller businesses, including "airlines, hotel operators, and small retailers," are finding it more difficult to connect with customers, with some noting a drop in booking clicks of up to 30%.

    Testing New Formats

    Additionally, Google is pilot testing a new format resembling the older "ten blue links" style that was used in Germany, Belgium, and Estonia. Over the past three years, the search behemoth has engaged in dialogue with comparison services but has yet to establish a format that meets DMA requirements and is seen as favorable.

    Concerns from Comparison Websites

    In an open letter from last year, comparison websites expressed their concerns that Google continues to favor its own Comparison Shopping Services (CSS). They argue that paid results using CSS appear on search engine results pages (SERP), which effectively pushes their listings down unless they opt into Google’s CSS.

    In a recent open letter shared with Reuters, these websites emphasized that Google has "simply, repeatedly, ignored this feedback, and instead continued to iterate on the same non-compliant solution for months."

    Call for EU Action

    The comparison websites are calling on the EU to take action against Google, asking for "preliminary findings" and the imposition of fines, including ongoing penalty payments, to compel Google to finally heed their concerns and comply with regulations.

    Source: Link

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  • EaseUS AI Media Player: Auto-Generated Subtitles for Videos

    EaseUS AI Media Player: Auto-Generated Subtitles for Videos

    EaseUS Software has introduced the EaseUS AI Media Player, which features auto captioning and subtitle translation while media is being played.

    A Solution to Language Barriers

    Many people all around the world speak various languages, but often the media they watch lacks dubs or subtitles in their preferred language. As a result, individuals have to learn and read subtitles in a more common language like English. Unfortunately, this still doesn’t address the issue of missing subtitles, a problem that Windows Media Player doesn’t resolve.

    Real-Time Subtitle Generation

    The AI Media Player is capable of comprehending over thirty different languages to generate subtitles on the fly from the spoken dialogue in the media. It supports widely-used languages like English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, and Korean, along with media formats such as MP4, MOV, AVI, MPG, and FLV files. Additionally, it aids language learners by translating the native language subtitles it creates into another supported language and can show both sets of subtitles at the same time during variable speed playback.

    Subscription Options Available

    The EaseUS AI Media Player comes with a monthly subscription price of $14.95 or an annual fee of $79.95. This player can be installed on a maximum of three PCs that run on 64-bit Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10, and 11.monthly subscription price of $14

    Source: Link

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  • China’s Top Chip Design Firm Shifts Control to State Enterprise

    China’s Top Chip Design Firm Shifts Control to State Enterprise

    Empyrean Technology, the biggest electronic design automation software firm in China, has transferred its control to the state-owned China Electronics Corporation due to its addition to the U.S. trade blacklist. This change in leadership was revealed in a corporate filing on Monday, which led to a 9% increase in its stock price, bringing it to 134 yuan ($18.45) on the Shenzhen stock market.

    Board Restructuring

    As a result of this restructuring, China Electronics Corporation, which holds a 34% stake in Empyrean, will have six seats on the board of directors, which consists of 11 members, following the resignation of four Empyrean directors. A shareholder meeting scheduled for later this month will finalize these adjustments.

    Market Position

    Currently, Empyrean holds around 5% of the EDA market in China, making it the leading domestic rival to international players like Cadence, Synopsys, and Siemens EDA. In 2023, the company reported revenues of 1 billion yuan ($138 million), marking a 26.6% growth from the year before. For the first three quarters of 2024, it reported revenues of 744 million yuan ($102 million), a 16.3% rise compared to the same timeframe last year.

    U.S. Sanctions

    On December 2, the U.S. Department of Commerce placed Empyrean and its subsidiaries on the Entity List, which prohibits transactions with U.S. companies. This decision is part of a broader strategy targeting 140 Chinese entities and limiting access to 24 categories of chipmaking equipment.

    Empyrean has indicated that the effects of these sanctions are manageable, pointing out its dependence on local EDA software technologies. The firm intends to utilize China Electronics Corporation’s links with governmental agencies and state-owned firms to sustain its operations.

    Industry Trends

    This transition reflects a growing trend within China’s semiconductor sector, where state-owned enterprises are increasingly becoming involved in privately-held companies to mitigate external pressures. A similar shift has recently occurred at Jiangsu Changjiang Electronics Tech, a top chip-packaging firm that is now partially overseen by China Resources Group.

    Source: Link

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  • OnePlus 11 Gets Android 15 OxygenOS 15 Update Now Available

    OnePlus 11 Gets Android 15 OxygenOS 15 Update Now Available

    OnePlus has started to distribute its fresh Android 15-based OxygenOS 15 update for the OnePlus 11. This marks the second major update for the device, which originally came with Android 13. The phone is set to receive at least two more Android updates in the future.

    New Features and Enhancements

    The OxygenOS 15 update (CPH2447_15.0.0.201) brings a variety of new features and improvements designed to enhance functionality, personalization, and overall user experience. Initially rolled out in the India (IN) region, the update is anticipated to spread to North America (NA) and Europe (EU) in the next three weeks, depending on how smoothly the rollout goes.

    The update includes a new graphics engine to provide smoother animations and transitions when multitasking or switching apps. Swipe gestures are now consistent throughout the system, even in third-party applications, ensuring a uniform navigation experience.

    Improved Photography Features

    Photography capabilities have been enhanced with AI Retouch, which sharpens blurry images, removes reflections, and boosts color accuracy. Live Photos can now capture three seconds of motion, and reversible editing allows users to make adjustments without losing earlier edits.

    Customization options have expanded, featuring flux themes and more personalization for the Always-On Display, Lock screen, and Home screen. The interface improvements include smoother transitions and rounded corners for a more cohesive look.

    Enhanced Productivity and Connectivity

    AI tools have been introduced to improve productivity with AI Notes, which organizes content, enhances text quality, and removes filler words from voice recordings. New gesture controls make multitasking simpler, allowing for easier management of floating windows and split screens.

    Updates to connectivity include smoother Wi-Fi transitions and iOS file-sharing support through OnePlus Share. A new Charging Limit feature helps protect battery health by stopping charging at 80% during prolonged charging sessions.

    Privacy has also seen enhancements, with categorized views in the Private Safe for easier data management and quick access to hidden apps from the Home screen. Notifications and Quick Settings have been redesigned for better usability, along with optimized widgets for Clock and Notes.

    Additional Changes and Features

    Other notable updates include new wallpapers, refreshed app icons, and an improved calculator app featuring a hidden Easter egg. Multitasking has been enhanced with better app-switching guidance. You can find the official changelog below.

    OnePlus 11 OxygenOS 15.0.0.201 update changelog

    Animations
    A state-of-the-art graphics engine has been implemented to provide exceptional rendering and animation performance. Its innovative parallel drawing architecture guarantees smooth visuals, even when multitasking or pushing the system’s limits. Stability and fluidity are ensured in a variety of scenarios.

    AI Retouch
    The Enhance clarity feature is now available, restoring detail to blurred images, making cropped or low-quality photos appear sharper. AI Reflection Eraser helps regain sharpness and color accuracy in blurred photos, ensuring that special moments are vividly captured. The Remove reflections feature eliminates unwanted reflections from glass, resulting in more natural photos.

    AI Notes
    The newly introduced AI writing suite includes features like continued writing, text polishing, and style enhancement to assist with drafting content easily. The Format feature organizes fragmented content into structured formats that are easy to read. The Clean up feature improves voice recordings by removing filler words for clearer sentences.

    New Visual Effects and Themes

    The rounded corner design has been enhanced for uniformity with a continuous curvature throughout the system. The new flux themes offer a wide variety of high-quality options, allowing customization with system wallpapers and personal photos. Extensive customization is available for the Always-On Display, Lock screen, and Home screen, offering a fluid and seamless experience.

    Live Alerts
    The Live Alerts design focuses on efficient information visualization, centrally positioned for a clean and streamlined display. Interactions allow capsules to expand into detailed cards for easy access to multiple live activities by swiping in the status bar.

    Livephotos and Editing
    The duration of live photos has been extended to 3 seconds for capturing more moments. The new globally reversible photo editing capability retains previous edits for seamless future adjustments.

    Multitasking Features
    New Floating Window gestures allow users to swipe down a notification banner to open a floating window, swipe down to enlarge it, swipe up to close, and swipe sideways to hide. Resizable Split View windows can be adjusted by dragging the divider or tapping the window for a larger display area.

    Notifications & Quick Settings

    The new Split mode allows separate access to notifications and Quick Settings, enabling users to swipe left or right to switch. Quick Settings has been updated with a more visually appealing layout and refined animations.

    Battery & Charging
    The new Charging limit feature stops charging at 80%, helping to prolong battery life. A new battery protection reminder activates the Charging limit if the device stays connected for too long.

    More Features
    Exclusive OxygenOS Always-On Displays and Lock screen clock styles have been introduced for a unique look. The Home screen clock widget can be resized as needed. An Easter egg in the Calculator will pop up with the input “1+=”, reflecting OnePlus’s “Never Settle” motto.

    Privacy and Wi-Fi Enhancements
    The Private Safe now includes categorized views for easier data management, and hidden apps can be accessed from the Home screen. The multi-network experience has been improved for more efficient transitions between networks.

    The update is currently being rolled out in batches throughout the week. OnePlus has also included an option for users wishing to revert back to Android 14. For further details, refer to the OnePlus Community thread.

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  • Huawei’s HarmonyOS NEXT: Run Android Apps Seamlessly

    Huawei’s HarmonyOS NEXT: Run Android Apps Seamlessly

    Huawei’s new HarmonyOS NEXT operating system, which powers the Mate 70 series, has been turning heads lately with its decisive move away from Android. This version is the first to operate without depending on Android AOSP (Android Open Source Project), leading many to think it would be limited to the native HarmonyOS apps offered in Huawei’s AppGallery.

    Surprising Capabilities of HarmonyOS NEXT

    This perception was considered a drawback since Huawei’s app store doesn’t have as extensive a selection as the Google Play Store. However, recent updates have showcased an unexpected turn of events—devices using HarmonyOS NEXT can actually run Android apps, and here’s the scoop on how that works.

    The Role of the “EasyAbroad” Emulator

    HarmonyOS NEXT manages to run Android apps, despite not utilizing any Android code and instead relying on the Harmony kernel. A beta tester recently posted on Reddit that an Android emulator called “EasyAbroad” is available on Huawei’s AppGallery. This emulator was made specifically for Huawei users outside of China, who require access to Google Mobile Services (GMS) for popular Android applications like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Google Maps.

    With the “EasyAbroad” tool, users can directly install these Android apps onto their HarmonyOS NEXT devices, although there are some limitations. The Android apps are stored in a separate app store that shows up as a folder on the home screen. Users can launch these apps from within the folder, but they can’t be placed as regular icons on the main screen. Moreover, users might face challenges with receiving notifications from these Android apps, which could impact the overall user experience.

    MicroG: The Key to Functionality

    The essential aspect behind this capability is microG, which is a free, open-source alternative to Google Play Services. It enables Android apps to work without needing a Google account or a direct connection to Google’s servers. This solution guarantees that most Android apps operate smoothly, even without the entire Google ecosystem.

    This innovative development holds great significance for Huawei users, as it offers a solution to the limited app selection available on HarmonyOS NEXT. While Huawei’s AppGallery is expanding, it is still short of the wide array of apps found on Google’s Play Store. The ability to run Android apps allows users to enjoy a blend of HarmonyOS’s unique features while being able to emulate Android apps that are yet unavailable on Huawei’s platform.

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  • TikTok Files Emergency Injunction Against US Ban

    TikTok Files Emergency Injunction Against US Ban

    TikTok, the popular platform for short videos, has submitted an emergency request to postpone its expected ban in the US set for January 19, 2025. The parent company, ByteDance, a Chinese tech giant, claims that the Supreme Court requires additional time to evaluate the case.

    Impact on Users and Businesses

    In a statement, ByteDance highlighted that TikTok boasts “170 million American users.” The proposed ban would adversely affect small businesses, which “would lose more than $1 billion in revenue,” while creators could face nearly $300 million in lost income within just one month.

    Economic Contributions

    ByteDance emphasized that “the advertising, marketing, and organic reach on TikTok contributed $24.2 billion” to the GDP of the US. Moreover, TikTok’s operations have added another “$8.5 billion” to the economy.

    Political Landscape

    The company argued that a delay would give “the incoming Administration time to determine its position—which could moot both the impending harms and the need for Supreme Court review.” They also mentioned that President-Elect Donald Trump publicly expressed he is “gonna save TikTok.” The new administration’s security advisor has also stated they need “to allow the American people access to that app.”

    Additionally, ByteDance noted that one of Trump’s nominees, RFK Jr., has started an online petition to contest the ban. Meanwhile, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) has requested the court to dismiss the injunction.

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  • OpenSUSE Gaming Boosted with Built-in GPU Switching Feature

    OpenSUSE Gaming Boosted with Built-in GPU Switching Feature

    Thanks to a new tool called switcherooctl, users of openSUSE can now easily utilize multiple GPUs in their systems. Previously, individuals with more than one GPU or those wanting to use Nvidia’s Optimus technology had to depend on external tools such as suse-prime and bbswitch. Sadly, these external options often encountered various problems, including incorrect driver setups, less-than-ideal performance, and compatibility challenges. Now, openSUSE users can enjoy multi-GPU support right from boot, regardless of whether they are using GNOME or KDE Plasma environments, making it easier to take advantage of everything switcherooctl provides.

    Features of switcherooctl

    Switcherooctl isn’t just lightweight; it also supports both Wayland and Xorg systems, along with many other advantages. Some of the notable features include:

    Recommendations for Users

    As switcherooctl becomes the go-to option, the openSUSE team advises users to discontinue the use of third-party tools like suse-prime, bbswitch, and bumblebee, which is another well-known GPU switching tool. The team argues that these tools often introduce more complications than their benefits, especially on modern systems. With the confidence that comes with switcherooctl, users can look forward to a future free of the GPU-switching issues that previously plagued openSUSE.

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  • Google Sues US CSFB Over Alleged Government Overreach

    Google Sues US CSFB Over Alleged Government Overreach

    Google is taking legal action against a ruling from the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) that allows the bureau to “conduct examinations on a periodic basis” to check if Google is following consumer financial regulations.

    Allegations Against Google

    The consumer finance regulator has focused on Google Pay and Google Pay Balance. According to a report published by Engadget, the CFPB stated there was “reasonable cause to determine that Google has engaged in conduct posing risks to consumers.”

    It pointed out two main concerns: one related to “allegedly erroneous transactions have posed risks to consumers,” and the other about the “prevention of fraudulent and unauthorized transactions,” which the CFPB claims also posed “risks to consumers.”

    Changes in Google Pay Services

    The CFPB noted that the Google Pay App was “discontinued” in February 2024, and that the Google Pay Balance platform was “available for limited purposes.” However, this was not sufficient to stop the “designation of Google for supervision, although it may affect whether the CFPB decides to conduct an examination.”

    In its lawsuit, Google contended that “a product that no longer exists is incapable of posing such risk.” A spokesperson for the company shared a statement with TechCrunch, saying, “This is a clear case of government overreach involving Google Pay peer-to-peer payments, which never raised risks and is no longer provided in the U.S., and we are challenging it in court.”

    Conclusion

    The ongoing legal dispute highlights the tension between tech companies and regulatory agencies. As the situation develops, it will be crucial to see how both sides present their arguments and what the outcome will be.

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  • Apple Faces Lawsuit Over Lack of CSAM Detection in iCloud

    Apple Faces Lawsuit Over Lack of CSAM Detection in iCloud

    In 2021, Apple unveiled a contentious iCloud feature intended to search iMessage and iCloud photos for Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), but they swiftly retracted it.

    Privacy Issues Arise

    This system would have allowed Apple to examine images on devices belonging to children. However, the company faced significant backlash from privacy advocates and experts, which led them to abandon the project. Apple stated they would “take additional time over the coming months to collect input and make improvements before releasing these critically important child safety features.”

    Lawsuit Emerges

    Since then, Apple has been silent regarding any developments related to CSAM. Recently, a lawsuit from a victim in the US District Court for Northern California claims that Apple’s lack of safety measures has allowed inappropriate circulation of her images online. First covered by The New York Times, a 27-year-old woman revealed that she and her mother have been inundated with notifications about various individuals charged with possession of such material. The lawsuit seeks financial restitution for 2,680 victims whose images have been shared without consent.

    Apple’s Response

    An Apple representative, Fred Sainz, communicated to Engadget that CSAM “is abhorrent, and we are committed to fighting the ways of predators put children at risk.” He emphasized that the company is “urgently and actively” seeking methods “to combat these crimes without compromising the security and privacy of all our users.”

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