Google Photos makes hunting for images easier with dedicated search bar

A new update is rolling out to the Google Photos app on Android, bringing a number of changes that should make finding and managing your photos a bit easier. Perhaps the biggest change is the addition of a dedicated search bar, which now sits ever-present at the top of the app.

Simply tap the search bar, and you’ll be able to easily check out your recent search phrases, people, search types and even places. Simply tap one to perform a quick search, or type in your query as always. This new search bar replaces the old floating action button.

That’s not all that’s new in the latest update, of course. Google Photos now also offers the ability to customize its automatically created movies with music, photos and videos that you choose. And in a win for micromanagers, you can now rename or delete device folders you created and move photos between them.

The latest update is rolling out on Google Play now, so it may take some time to land for everyone.

Google Photos

• Getting to know the new Google Photos
• Get your Google Photos library started
• Manage Google Photos backup settings
• What happens when you delete pictures in Google Photos?
• Managing your shared photo links
• Where did Auto Awesome go?
• Discuss Google Photos in the forums!

Google Play

The $499 HP Chromebook 13 is a sleek, all-metal workhorse

HP has just announced the Chromebook 13, an all-metal machine for the business crowd due in May for the starting price of $499. High-end specs include hardware such as a 6th-generation Intel Core M processor, support for up to 16GB of RAM and more.

While the majority of Chromebooks are aimed at the education or consumer market, the HP Chromebook 13 is also targeting business customers. One of the reasons is its support for a docking station. It can connect to the HP Elite USB-C Docking station so it can be used with large displays, full keyboards, and more ports.

The HP Chromebook 13 weighs 2.86 pounds and is just 12.9mm thick, thanks in part to its brushed anodized aluminum chassis. The 13.3-inch screen supports a resolution of 3200×1800. HP says:

The device can easily switch from mobility to desk productivity, with up to 16 GB of memory for fast performance when running simultaneous apps and browser sessions. The high-capacity 45 watt-hour battery is made of next-generation high energy density chemistry material, delivering up to 11.5 hours of battery life. When a charge is needed, the HP Chromebook 13 features USB-C fast charging using the included adapter, or on-the-go charging via other USB-C power adapters, even a phone charger.

The HP Chromebook 13 is available for pre-order now, and is expected to be widely available in May.

See at HP

Fenix resolves Twitter issues, makes its return to Google Play

Popular third-party Twitter client Fenix has made a triumphant return to the Google Play Store after being pulled earlier this week. The app had run afoul of Twitter’s token limit, but it seems that those issues have been resolved.

From Fenix on Twitter:

Good news, everyone! Fenix is back on the Play Store! https://t.co/obl5TClTM5 pic.twitter.com/tC2axD959n

— Fenix (@fenix_app) April 28, 2016

Developer Matteo Villa has said that he worked with Twitter to resolve the issue, but he has not elaborated further at this time. You can once again grab Fenix from Google Play for $5.49.

LG G5 versus Samsung Galaxy S7: Grasping at refinement

This year has been about refinement for LG and Samsung’s top phones.

These crazy little pocket computers on which we rely every day seem to grow more capable each time we blink, and there aren’t many examples of this more profound than the latest flagships from LG and Samsung. These aren’t phones: they’re entertainment powerhouses with incredibly capable cameras, and each one can be connected to a unique headset for even more incredible experiences. How cool is that?

As is often the case with two phones of such high quality, lots of folks want to know which is more deserving of their money. To help answer that question, we’re going to compare the LG G5 and the Samsung Galaxy S7.

A quick look at hardware

Over the last two years, Samsung has been pulling away from plastic, focusing instead on incorporating metal and glass into the exterior of their phones. The first generation was a welcomed change of pace, but it wasn’t until the Galaxy S7 that this shift in design language finally felt polished. The S7 is iconic: beautifully designed, and nice and solid when held in the hand. LG’s been making some significant changes as well, ditching their plastic bodies first for massive metal rails on the LG V10, and eventually moving to the all-metal body of the LG G5. Perhaps most impressive, LG figured out how to make an all-metal chassis while retaining a removable battery and modularity.

Samsung’s displays are once again without compare this year, especially in daylight. While both phones pack Quad HD (2560×1440) resolution displays, which look incredible indoors, the second you step into the sun it’s clear which one is superior. Using the camera in direct sunlight at full brightness on the G5 is nearly impossible due to glare and reflectiveness, where the S7 generally handles the same conditions without issue.

You can’t get much more different than these two phones. The G5’s bottom comes off to reveal a battery, while the Galaxy S7 is so well sealed it is waterproof up to three feet. The S7’s glass back doesn’t offer a whole lot of grip, but the phone’s more slender body a little easier to grasp than the larger G5. LG’s metal body is also coated in a thicker layer of primer than you’d expect from a metal smartphone — especially if you’re used to phones like the HTC One line or Huawei Nexus 6P — but that added texture offers a little more grip than you’d normally get on a metal phone.

While both of these phones are equipped with a lot of similar hardware, the differences couldn’t be clearer. LG has a fingerprint sensor on the back, sharing space with the power button, but it’s not quite as capable as Samsung’s front-facing fingerprint-enabled home button. But LG put extra camera in the back of the G5, a 130-degree wide-angle camera that shoots at 8MP and captures an impressive amount of the world. LG plans to offer accessories that can replace the bottom part of the phone with additional hardware features, called “Friends”, but so far the usefulness of those accessories is a little suspect.

Samsung’s priority for the S7 was ensuring its flagship was compact and refined, where LG focused on standing out in the crowd while giving early adopters plenty to love. A big part of that was making sure the phone had a removable battery, reversible USB-C port for power, and on-screen buttons for navigating Android. The S7 lacks these things, but their fans don’t seem to mind.

It’s difficult to call one design “better” than the other, but it’s clear just by looking at the two phones that Samsung’s design language has the benefit of an extra year to polish the ideas that help make the phone stand out.

Strangely similar software

LG and Samsung both release phones with versions of Android that have been heavily customized from the product Google ships on Nexus phones, and for the most part that’s positive. Both LG and Samsung have a history of software ideas that users love, and can only find on these phones. These experiences aren’t perfect, and as a result both companies perform significant overhauls of their software experiences each year with refinements that make sure not to fundamentally break the way Google intends Android to operate.

For the most part, everything you expect to find in an Android phone is in roughly the same place. The Settings menu is organized a little differently, with LG opting to start users off with big categories to choose from instead of a long list, but all of the options you want are there. Samsung and LG both make allow for custom quick settings tiles in the notification drawer, but LG’s implementation takes up a little more space on the display. This means less space is available to show notifications, which can be frustrating if you’re constantly getting notifications throughout the day.

When it comes to performance, there’s no appreciable difference between the two. Samsung and LG have worked hard to make their phones feel fast, and both the G5 and the S7 deliver on that this year. Security, as is often the case, is not quite as happy a story. Samsung has been working hard to be transparent about when phones are getting the latest security patches from Google, but the delivery is frequently more than a month behind. LG isn’t doing any better, frequently going months without updating phones with a security patch. Between the two companies, Samsung appears to be doing a better job delivering the latest software to the S7 than LG is to the G5.

A big part of this security delay is frequently put on carriers, and that is another software issue both LG and Samsung have yet to rectify. AT&T, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, and Sprint all not only get in the way of installing the latest update, but bog down the S7 and G5 with pre-loaded software that frequently can’t be uninstalled. In this case, both of these phones are significantly better when purchased unlocked. Unfortunately, in the US, Samsung doesn’t make that easy.

Truly impressive cameras

Superior imaging capabilities have been a hot topic over the last two years, and when it comes to LG and Samsung cameras the conversation stays largely unchanged. Last year, LG blew us away with how surprisingly capable the G4 was with its manual camera mode, giving photographers the ability to take the exact photo they wanted and enhance it in a photo-editing app. Samsung’s ability to deliver a noticeably better point-and-shoot experience won out in the end, but both cameras were exceptional.

This year, LG has improved the ability to capture a quick photo, and Samsung has responded with improved manual controls and an impressive new sensor for capturing more light with every pixel. The results make these two phones more comparable than even when it comes to taking a photo.

As you can see, LG’s sensor this year tends to capture a little warmer than Samsung. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S7 manages to capture more detail and more depth of color in just about every shot. Neither photo in the set we have here are bad, and in some cases the G5 is the more color accurate of the two cameras, but the Galaxy S7 photos offer a little bit more overall.

Getting through a day on battery

Generally speaking, if a phone can deliver 16 hours of battery life it’s considered a “full day” of use. That varies for a lot of people, especially when it comes to how long the display is on throughout the day, but that 16-hour mark is a reasonable target for getting you through an average day.

Both Samsung’s 3,000 mAh battery and LG’s 2,800 mAh battery deliver an average of 16 hours use on a daily basis for our usage. That’s not going to be the same for everyone. It’s not even the same for the editors using the phone at Android Central, but if there’s one key takeaway from comparing the battery between these two phones it’s that the 200mAh difference between them doesn’t mean much.

Additionally, both phones use a form of Quick Charge to ensure you can go from a nearly empty battery to 50% charged in minutes. Samsung has one-upped LG by also offering fast wireless charging, which is great news for folks who are fans of the tech. You can set the phone down on a wireless charging pad and have it be 50% charged in about 35 minutes.

Meeting that 16 hour mark is almost a standard right now. Fall short, and the phone isn’t likely to get through a whole day. Go over that mark, and there’s a good chance your phone is noticeably larger than the G5 or S7. These two phones walk that line, so you’re experiences will likely end in this phone being more than enough or not quite enough batter for you.

The bottom line

At the end of the day, choosing between the LG G5 and the Samsung Galaxy S7 is going to come down to personal preference. If you like the way the S7 feels in your hand, or you absolutely must have the best possible quick-shoot camera, the S7 is going to be the way to go. If you’re interested in exploring LG’s accessories and you’d rather have a metal phone than one surrounded by breakable glass, the G5 is a great option.

If you’re having trouble choosing between the two, the better overall option is going to be the Galaxy S7. Simply put, Samsung is offering a polished, complete thought while LG is trying some new things that might be interesting if they stick around for more than just this phone.

Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge

• Galaxy S7 review
• Galaxy S7 edge review
• Here are all four Galaxy S7 colors
• Should you upgrade to the Galaxy S7?
• Learn about the Galaxy S7’s SD card slot
• Join our Galaxy S7 forums

AT&T
Sprint
T-Mobile
Verizon

LG G5

• LG G5 review
• LG 360 CAM review
• LG G5 complete specs
• LG’s G5 Friends modules are a neat idea, but they won’t matter
• LG G5 Hi-Fi Plus w/ B&O
• Join the LG G5 discussion

AT&T
Unlocked
Sprint
T-Mobile

Google OnHub gets a home automation boost with IFTTT integration

If you own one of Google’s OnHub routers, you’ll now be able to leverage If This, Then That (IFTTT) to program some cool automated tasks. After updating to the latest firmware, you’ll be able to take advantage of IFTTT’s recipes to craft all manner of automated tasks that are triggered by devices connecting to or disconnecting from the OnHub router.

Options for recipes are only really limited to your imagination, but you’ll be able to trigger interactions with a number of devices that connect to the router, including phones, speakers, lights and Nest. For example, you could set up a recipe to automatically turn on the lights when you walk through the door and your phone connects to OnHub. To help give you a head start, the OnHub team put together the video above to show off just some of the possibilities.

If you have an OnHub, you can get started with setting up interactions by heading to the OnHub channel on IFTTT.

Samsung Gear VR users have watched over 2 million hours of virtual reality content

It turns out we’re wearing these virtual reality headsets a lot.

Samsung is putting plenty of weight behind virtual reality, and is building a full-stack solution from 360-degree video capture to the associated software to a headset that can view it all. And as it turns out, the system is working.

Speaking at SDC 2016 in San Francisco, Samsung’s John Pleasants, executive VP of Media Solutions, dropped a pretty crazy metric on us: Gear VR owners have already watched over two million hours of virtual reality content to date. To put that into perspective, that’s over 228 years of time spent in the Gear VR experience.

That’s quite an achievement considering the Gear VR was very limited in availability and relevance in its first versions, only really pushing out to the average consumer with the newest version that retails for just $99 and is built to work with the Galaxy S7.

Every single attendee at SDC 2016 this year will be going home with a Gear 360 spherical camera as well, so the amount of content available for Gear VR users is only going to increase.

Samsung Gear VR

• Gear VR review
• Five Gear VR games that shouldn’t be missed
• Inside Samsung’s Gear VR web browser
• Gear VR vs. Google Cardboard
• Where to buy Gear VR

Amazon
AT&T
Best Buy
Samsung

Machine learning, AI, post-mobile search lead 2016 Google Founders’ Letter

Alphabet CEO gives Google’s chief a huge megaphone, as he lays the current and future vision of both companies.

The Founders Letter is a powerful statement for Google. Start with the original “Don’t be evil” mission of 2004, to last year’s opus that formed Alphabet and marked a major restructuring of Google. Today, in a 2016 Founders’ Letter, Alphabet CEO Larry Page hands the virtual pen to Google CEO Sundar Pichai for an update.

“I wanted to give him most of the bully-pulpit here to reflect on Google’s accomplishments and share his vision,” Page writes, noting that we’ll see him, Pichai and Sergey Brin share that space in the future.

Search remains key to everything, Pichai writes. That hasn’t changed, and it won’t change.

It’s easy to take Search for granted after so many years, but it’s amazing to think just how far it has come and still has to go. I still remember the days when 10 bare blue links on a desktop page helped you navigate to different parts of the Internet. Contrast that to today, where the majority of our searches come from mobile, and an increasing number of them via voice. These queries get harder and harder with each passing year—people want more local, more context-specific information, and they want it at their fingertips.

Having a stockpile of results is just part of the equation, though. To truly make them useful, you have to be able to work with them. That’s where things like machine learning and artificial intelligence will play a big role in the future. (And make no mistake, that future is now.) And the line between your mobile device and a desktop computer — and anything and everything else that’s connected — will continue to blur.

A key driver behind all of this work has been our long-term investment in machine learning and AI. It’s what allows you to use your voice to search for information, to translate the web from one language to another, to filter the spam from your inbox, to search for “hugs” in your photos and actually pull up pictures of people hugging … to solve many of the problems we encounter in daily life. It’s what has allowed us to build products that get better over time, making them increasingly useful and helpful.

He also mentioned Google’s efforts to add more and faster ways to access content, such as launching Accelerated Mobile Pages for faster mobile news sites and YouTube Red, its ad-free version of its video service with original content.

Pichai wrote about how Android now has 1.4 billion active devices, but that it is working to change how we access content via AI assistants:

Looking to the future, the next big step will be for the very concept of the “device” to fade away. Over time, the computer itself—whatever its form factor—will be an intelligent assistant helping you through your day. We will move from mobile first to an AI first world.

Pichai says that Google will continue to create services that will help others worldwide:

For us, technology is not about the devices or the products we build. Those aren’t the end-goals. Technology is a democratizing force, empowering people through information. Google is an information company. It was when it was founded, and it is today. And it’s what people do with that information that amazes and inspires me every day.

Read: This year’s founders’ letter

Fiat Chrysler reportedly in talks to partner with Google’s self-driving car group

Google’s self-driving car division may be getting some extra backing from established auto industry player Fiat Chrysler. According to a new report, the two firms are already in late-stage talks to collaborate on the tech giant’s self-driving car efforts.

According to The Wall Street Journal:

The talks have been ongoing for several months, this person said. Alphabet has been seeking industry partnerships with the biggest auto makers in the world, offering a deal to sell self-driving car technology that has been under development for several years.

The story adds that Fiat Chrysler’s CEO Sergio Marchionne has reportedly been looking for partners to help offset costs for some time, and that the car company could even team up with a tech business like Google.

A few months ago, rumors hit that Google and Ford were in talks to form a joint venture to build self-driving cars, but that alliance was never announced.

Motorola is holding an event in May, possibly for Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus

Lenovo-owned Motorola has sent invites to the media for an event in India, where the company is expected to unveil two new smartphones.

The event will be held in New Delhi on 17 May, and it will likely be for the Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus smartphones. They are a follow-up to the third-generation Moto G, which was announced in July 2015. The Moto G4 is rumored to feature a 5.5-inch display with a 1080p resolution and an octa-core processor such as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 or 435.

It’s also thought to pack 2GB of RAM and a 13 megapixel rear camera. As for the G4 Plus model, it is expected to feature a 16 megapixel rear camera. Leaked photographs and renders have suggested both phones will sport metal frames, and the G4 Plus might even come with a fingerprint scanner. Other than that, details are scarce at the moment.

We expect to hear more however in a few weeks. The company’s invite doesn’t provide too many clues, as it just shows a man pointing to the date 17 May along with the tagline: “You wouldn’t want to miss this!”

ICYMI: Deaf translation gloves, mind-controlled UAVs and more

Today on In Case You Missed It: Two college students from the University of Washington won an invention prize at a MIT competition for their SignAloud gloves, which translate the words deaf or mute people sign into spoken words. University of Florida held a drone race with mind-control headsets as the controllers. And China’s National University of Defense Technology made a robot that can tase people.

If you too know about (and marvel at) the all-girl, pop metal band BabyMetal, check out the Super Mario Maker version. As always, please share any great tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.