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We’ve been to Token in Dublin. Spoiler alert, it’s amazing

Marty
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We’ve been to Token in Dublin. Spoiler alert, it’s amazing

I remember a few years back when Lyrath, a five-star hotel in Kilkenny, opened for the first time. Joe Dolan played and the crowds swarmed into an unfinished venue. It was a disaster, with door handles coming off and cars getting beached after parking on grass. In Dublin, there’s a brand new bar currently in a Beta phase after only opening on Monday. I went along on Thursday after they opened their doors and I’m delighted to say their opening week is going a lot better than poor old Lyrath’s did.

What is Token?

It would be very easy to just brand Token as a nerd’s paradise, but it’s so much more. Token is a really happy little part of Dublin that’s thrown their arms wide open to the public. On the surface, Token is a restaurant and bar that’s stuffed with authentic arcade gaming machines and I really do mean authentic. These are proper old-school versions of Mortal Kombat and Pac-man that you can challenge for top scores on.

I was taken aback by the mix of people in the venue. Some might have feared that it would be hard-core gamers, but there were as many people who were trying out pinball for the first time as were going for top scores. Let’s dig a little deeper into how Token operates.

The service in Token

I want to start with the service because the humans are often forgotten about. Everyone in Token is incredibly friendly. From the bouncer on the door, right through to the bar staff, everyone is just happy to help you out. So, to the people of Token, you’re amazing.

The food in Token

Dublin can be an expensive place to eat and often you don’t get what you pay for. First of all, Token has an impressive range of food, all with names that will likely make you giggle:

food available in token

I went for the Sneaky Juan while my better half nabbed a Quick Juan. Just because we were starving we opted for a No Juan too – honestly, I laughed too much at that option. We also threw on some fries. While the portions initially looked a little small, I was stuffed after my grub. The tacos and fries tasted gorgeous and the garlic mayo is a definite highlight.

food in token dublinThere really is something for everyone with plenty of vegetarian and vegan options too.

The beer in Token

Pardon the pun, but the beer sums up the spirit in Token. There’s a wide selection of beers from your classics to crafts and they all come at a standard enough price. The gas part is the fact they haven’t really got the proper bar license yet. With a classic ‘can-do’ attitude, they are playing a loop-hole which allows you to serve alcohol in a restaurant to people once they are served at a table. This is why you order your beer and collect it from a table in front of the bar. Genius.

Here’s my food and drinks receipt for two people. I think you’ll agree it’s very fair indeed.

how much does food cost in token dublin

The games in Token

And then we get to the important part; the games. You’re barely in the front door and you’re playing a crane-arm game to try and win some free food and drinks. On the floor, there is an amazing selection of games on show, many of which I’ve never had the chance to play before visiting Token. I love retro gaming, but I just wasn’t around the last time arcades like Token were thriving. I was a bit of a dab-hand at the G-Con gun powered Point Blank game, while the likes of Mortal Kombat left me feeling more than a little humbled (I’m used to the Sega controller, I swear). Like, just look at my face, the face of a broken man:

I took a beating from my other half on Street Fighter and after a period of sulking, I got stuck into other classics like Pac-man. The one genuine fear I had about Token was that it wouldn’t be good value. With the food and beer not being silly prices, I was delighted to see the great value gaming tokens on offer. I grabbed 50 tokens for €20 which kept four of us entertained for the night. You even get a cool little Token bag for your gaming tokens – I don’t know why, but it’s just a really nice memento to get.

Token: The verdict

As soon as I heard about Token, I knew it would be a great spot but it really is one of Dublin’s most unique and enjoyable venues. The atmosphere is great and you’ll just be in a good mood after visiting the place.

 

Yer grand! Plynk it to me: Irish money messaging app Plynk is a big deal

Marty
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Yer grand! Plynk it to me: Irish money messaging app Plynk is a big deal

Banks are sweating. How we handle our money is dramatically changing with the imminent arrival of PSD2 and the growing popularity of smartphone payments. Still, transferring money is a bit of a pain in the arse, which is why Irish startup, Plynk, has just raised €25m in funding.

What is Plynk?

In short, Plynk is a less awkward way to get that cash your mates owe you. It’s a money messenger app that lets you transfer cash using only the app on two smartphones. If you’ve been paying close attention, it’s not a million miles away from the French-based Lydia app.

Why is Plynking so great?

To really appreciate the convenience, think back to the last time you split a bill. It’s all awkward with one person paying with cash, another with card and then the waiter moaning that you’re splitting at all.

Plynk helps you avoid all that. Instead of sending money to an impossible and annoying IBAN, you just send it to a contact. It’s better than a bank transfer as it’s instant regardless of your friend’s bank. No more being judged for being with Ulster Bank.

Plynk prepaid Mastercard

Plynk will also give you a what is effectively a prepaid Mastercard. Once topped up, you can use your virtual card online. This is great for a couple of reasons, including the fact you’re adding an extra layer to your online shopping security. You can spend money on your virtual card once you either top it up or have received money from a friend.

What’s next for Plynk?

Arguably, they Ireland’s hottest startup right now. It’s really important that the app gains the momentum that Lydia totally failed to gather in Ireland.

Ireland’s hottest startup right now

Personally, I can see Facebook swooping in and buying the lot. For now, the app will make your life easier so give it a download and text that friend that owes you a few bob.

Plynk is available now on Android and iOS

Tech to the Rescue: Father’s Day gift ideas

Marty
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Tech to the Rescue: Father’s Day gift ideas

Of all the Hallmark makey-uppy celebrations, Father’s Day probably gets the least attention. Sure all your auld lad wants is socks really. Still, there’s time to order from Amazon still so here are some more creative Father’s Day gift ideas.

Socks

Aw, god damn it. Not even one gift in and it’s socks. To be fair, it’s not just any old pair of socks. Let you dad embrace his inner summer-dad regardless of the weather or footwear: sandal-socks.

sandal socks are a great fathers day gift idea

Gift cards

Usually, gift cards are a last-minute solution when you’ve been caught of guard. Well, to be honest, they actually always are. But gift cards are a great Father’s Day gift idea and because Dad’s are simple creatures, they’ll be delighted with the few bob to spend in Gamestop or on Amazon. Plus, just thin about it logically. That country CD will be great for a few minutes, but a Spotify membership gives an endless amount of music. We’ve written in detail about this in the past so check it out.

TomTom Go is a brilliant sat-nav app

Is your auld lad the kind of man that rather get lost than ask for directions? Yeah, they all are. TomTom is one of the world’s best-known sat-nav makers. Smartphones came along and destroyed demand in their hardware. Finding themselves in an ‘adapt or die’ situation, TomTom created a fantastic navigation app. Sure enough, Google Maps does a fairly good job, but TomTom Go just has a more polished finish to it. Read the full review we did on this a while back, but at €19.99 it’s a great pressie for Dad. It’s also a handy one if you find yourself without a present at short notice.

Sony WS620 Bluetooth Walkman

earphones for father's dayYeah, Walkman. Go on, admit it, you just got all nostalgic. These Sony earphones are a serious piece of kit and will surely tick a few boxes for Dads out there, particularly the active ones. Dustproof and waterproof, the Sony W620 can even be used while swimming. For cyclists and people trying to hear instructors, they’ve also got an ambient mode that lets you tune into your surroundings. These Sony earphones have built-in storage to have a few tunes but, of course, can also be connected to a smartphone. You’ll find these at a load of electronics retailers, just check out the Sony site.

So, when is Father’s Day?

I’ve already had a mini-heart attack because of the Lidl catalogue advertising Father’s Day last week, but you still have time. This year, Father’s Day falls on Sunday 18 June, but just bear in mind you’ll need some extra time if you’re ordering from Amazon.co.uk. You could always pick him up and Echo Dot.

 

iOS 11 is here and it has a few new tricks up its sleeve

Dean
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iOS 11 is here and it has a few new tricks up its sleeve

Yesterday, Apple held this year’s WWDC keynote and we were introduced to some of their new toys. This includes their new OS platform iOS 11. The great thing about phone today as opposed to a decade ago is that every year we get a system update that gives us new and improved functionality to play with. It’s almost like getting a new phone without the cost.

iOS 11 got a fairly big overhaul on all products. Between new functions on your iPhone to developers being able to do a lot more in game development and picture editing. Here’s the down low on what’s new with iOS 11.

Siri

Siri has gotten an upgrade. It now sounds a bit more natural and can change the tone of its speech based on the context of what is being said. It can also translate now for you, which can come in handy when you’re on holidays and need directions somewhere or are ordering food. They also have a new concept they seem to be excited about called ‘Machine Learning’. This means that Siri can make more proactive suggestions and provide information based on what you are doing on your iPhone and iPad.

Apple Pay

Apple Pay is still being rolled out in Ireland and if your bank doesn’t support it, don’t forget to try out Boon. But, for those of you who have the real deal, it’s gotten a pretty cool upgrade. Nothing too fancy, but it is useful. Let’s say you’re out for dinner with friends and ye are splitting the bill three ways. It’s always awkward, someone doesn’t have the right cash or gets left short a few quid. With the messages app, you can now send and receive money on Apple Pay. You can then choose to keep it on your Apple Pay ‘card’, or transfer it straight to your bank account. Right now this isn’t a big deal for Ireland, but more banks are now starting to use Apple Pay and in the next year or two we will be using it a lot more. It does seem to offer the same convenience of Lydia, but of course, Apple would be a heavy hitter here.

iPhone

Rather disappointing on the iPhone front when it comes to iOS upgrades. But given the fact that it’s the ten year anniversary of the phone this year, we might see more changes towards the end of the summer.

The camera app has gotten a slight improvement. There are better editing options and settings that offer better pictures in low light conditions. Maps got a new upgrade too, offering maps of airports and shopping centres. Of course these will be limited at the start but they will be rolling out new maps every month for the next few months.

The Control Centre has also gotten an upgrade. It’s a bit less cluttered and relies a bit more on 3D touch to bring up more options.

iPad

iOS 11 on iPad has gotten far more upgrades than on the iPhone given the fact that the new iPad Pros that were announced along with it. It now has a dock, similar to on your Mac. It allows for better multitasking with split screening. And you can now drag and drop, which makes adding pictures and attachments to emails easier. Searching for notes has been made easier too. It now recognises notes you have written with the Apple Pencil in your own handwriting, even if it’s poor, which is pretty impressive. Apple is calling this ‘Deep Learning’ to recognise your handwriting.

iOS 11 comes to the world of AR and VR

As Apple are throwing their hat into the AR and VR ring, they have shown off some very impressive tools for developers. One of these is an app called AR Kit, which Apple are calling ‘The largest AR platform in the world’. They did a demo of how developers can make different scenarios and it was flawless. Of course, this was a demo they were probably working on for awhile. I’m sure in the real world it won’t be as smooth until you’ve caught a real grasp of it.

They are also dipping their toes into VR. Rather than making their own VR headset, they are more set on developing VR support. Because why not? If Samsung users have to use Apple software to get the best out of their headset, I reckon that’s definitely a win for Apple. They showed us a demo of Darth Vader on Mustafar and a couple of Tie Fighters overhead. Thanks to their new graphics card which they will be selling to developers, it looked sleek, lag free and awesome.

Mac

Their newest iOS system you’ll be getting on their Mac’s is High Sierra, which Apple SVP Craig Federighi described as ‘Fully baked’. Heh heh. It’s not a major update. They said they spent the year trying to perfect your Mac OS, so nothing to get too excited about. It includes a better filing system, better photo editing, and updates to Safari. The Safari updates ‘Intelligent tracking prevention’ which will cut back on ad trackers. And on the new Mac’s their stronger updated graphics card will support your VR development and support for the Unity and Unread gaming engines. For gaming developers out there, Apple seems to be the way to go moving forward.

Apple TV

On the tvOS side of things there isn’t anything major. The main talking point is that Amazon Prime is now coming to Apple TV, but Tim Cook has promised more updates on tvOS later this year.

Apple Watch

And last but not least, watchOS4 is here, but there is only so much you can do with a smart watch. They bragged about how it’s the world’s number one selling watch and is the highest in customer satisfaction. Siri now uses machine learning to customise the content shown in real time such as traffic, meetings, news and smart home controls. Toy Story is also coming to Apple Watch, with the option of having Woody and Buzz as a watch face.

It has some fitness-focused updates which encourage the user to exercise in order to achieve monthly challenges. You can also use NFC to tap your watch on gym equipment, presumably a treadmill, to keep track of how fast you’re going and how many calories are burned. I reckon it’ll be awhile before Irish gyms bring in the required equipment to even use this feature. My advice? if you’re looking for an Apple Watch, maybe stick to the Apple Watch 3 for now.

So what do we think of iOS11? Some big updates and some small updates. For the big Macheads out there we have seen some big developments. If you’re in the gaming industry I would be rather excited. For the everyday user on an iPad, we have some very nice updates. If you were looking forward to some major updates on your iPhone, you may be disappointed. But don’t be surprised if we don’t see some updates when the new iPhone range is unveiled in a few months.

Infographic: Apps to spice up your love life

Marty
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Infographic: Apps to spice up your love life

We’ve covered some of the weird and wonderful things from the modern world of love and romance. So far, that’s included a look at unusual apps like Hater, Tinder based on similar hates and Rumuki, a safe way of making a sex tape. This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to sex tech as today, spicing up your love life has never been easier.

Democratisation of sex tech

There was a time when spicing up the love life meant a mandatory trench coat and a quick dip into the local store that might as well be selling shady curtains and neon lights. Today, ordering items online and downloading apps, often for free, makes it easier than ever to heat things up in the bedroom. This interactive infographic has a plethora of apps to get you started.

Google Flights: How so save money when planning a holiday

Marty
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Google Flights: How so save money when planning a holiday

Searching for cheap flights can be a maze, which is why Google Flights was launched for Irish users recently.

What is Google Flights?

Google Flights provides you with a hugely powerful search engine for flights. You enter your preferred travel details. Google then does all the donkey work and returns an overview of prices to each airline.

Preview of Google Flights

Once you’ve assessed the available flights and are happy with your airlines, the service will prompt you to book. This is done directly with the airline, so Google has nothing to do with it. Once you book one, you can return to the screen below to book your second flight.

booking-with-google-flights

Why use Google Flights?

You can spend as much time as you like trawling through all the airlines in the world looking for cheap flights. Or you can let Google do it for you. For years many have suggested using incognito mode while booking flights. The idea is that airlines like Ryanair track you returning to their site to increase the price. Google should discredit this theory with their travel service, or at least give you a smarter way to beat it.

If you adjust your own online flight booking habits slightly, you’ll benefit greatly. Google Flights lets you track prices, with updates going to your inbox. This will tell if you if there is a sudden price drop or increase so you can react quicker. Google Flights also lets you know if you might there are cheaper flights on a similar date. The service goes even further now, warning you of previous trends where prices normally increase.

google-flights-alert

As cliché as it may sound, why wouldn’t you use Google Flights? The best feature simply has to be the ability to track flight prices and get warnings for price increases. By giving new technology like this a try, you could save yourself a nice bit of cash!

 

Crowdfunded June: 6 tech Kickstarter campaigns you should back

Marty
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Crowdfunded June: 6 tech Kickstarter campaigns you should back

I’m a massive fan of Kickstarter as products that come through crowdfunding already know the public needs them. I’m currently waiting patiently on the Everlast notepad from Rocketbook – hopefully, the last notebook I ever buy. That crowdfunding ship has sailed, but there’s no shortage of techie gadgets on Kickstarter right now for you to back.

Jelly: The world’s smallest smartphone

Get your giggles out of the way because this is a serious smartphone once you dive into it. Produced by Chinese manufacturer Unihertz, Jelly has already raised over $1m. They only bloody set out to bag $30k, but over 9,000 backers have sent them flying past their goal. The Jelly will run Android 7, full 4G and boasts an 8MP primary camera. Top that off with dual-SIM slots and three days of battery life and you’ve got yourself a top-notch piece of kit. Did I mention it measures in with a 2.45-inch screen?

Yep, the Jelly is designed to fit in the ‘johnny’ pocket of your jeans (fun fact, that was actually for cowboys to carry those watches on a chain, not your ‘jimmy-hats’).

The Jelly will set you back about €70 before shipping.

HEED: Turn your smartphone into a dashcam

I’ve been loving Nexar for a long while now. It’s a super simple app that lets you use your smartphone as a dashcam. There’s no doubting that dashcams can save your bacon if you’re in an accident. HEED is a new Kickstarter campaign combining an app similar to Nexar with some in-car hardware. HEED will reduce your need to handle your phone while driving and even charges it wirelessly.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/420513186/heed-probably-the-smartest-car-accessory-in-the-wo?ref=producthunt

The HEED super early bird is still available for about €52.

Vintage vinyl Bluetooth speaker

Recycling madness, but still absolute class, is how I would describe the latest from UncommonGoods. They’re reclaiming old vinyl and making them into Bluetooth speakers. This is really cool for a few reasons, my personal favourite being that old vinyl will continue to produce different types of music for a new generation.

Even more importantly, it would appear that the speaker is made from really high-quality material meaning you get great sound.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/uncommongoods/vintage-vinyl-bluetooth-speaker/description

You can back this now for less than €190, but the levels are filling up fast.

Momo: A smart home assistant

First impression: why do we need another smart home assistant to compete with Google Home and Amazon Echo. Then, I realised the Momo isn’t really taking them on, it’s trying to replace them in a way. Momo will work with everything the two heavyweight home assistants does and more. It also doubles as a lamp and is much easier to flip into a definite privacy mode.

The Momo goes the extra mile to Google and Alexa, learning from your actions and even recognising users. Like all of these gadgets, to get the absolute most out of it, you’ll need some other smart tech such as WeMo lights. Still, worthy of making the list because it’s taking on the big dogs if nothing else.

 

The only catch is that at just under $300, it does come in a little more expensive than Google Home and a lot more expensive than the Echo Dot. You do get more for your money though.

AquaGenie: The world’s smartest water bottle

You can slap a microchip into anything these days. AquaGenie is a great example of how slapping a microchip into everything can lead to brilliance. I can’t remember the last day I drank my proper allowance of water. AquaGenie is a smart water bottle tracks your water consumption and reminds you with subtle light flashes when you need to take a sup. Drinking water is probably the most overlooked part of being healthy and this bottle will definitely help with that.

Unlike many Kickstarter campaigns, the AquaGenie is very far along in terms of development and is already integrated with key fitness apps. This means you’ll get even more value from the bottle straight from the start.

The smart bottle charges wirelessly, is extremely durable and comes with a dedicated water tracking app. The AquaGenie is also BPA free, which bottle enthusiasts will appreciate.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/921287511/aquagenie-the-worlds-smartest-water-bottle/faqs

It might seem like peak world of tech stuff, but the AquaGenie is one of my favourite and most affordable Kickstarters to come along for a while.

The Spyslide: Just in-case your webcam is watching you

Apparently, Russian hackers are mad to see you sliding around the sitting room in your bockies. So much so, you’ll often see bits of tape covering people’s webcams. All joking aside, I cover my webcam with a little sticky on slidy thing I bought over on Amazon for €10. If you’ve ever watched Black Mirror, you’ll have an appreciation for things like this.

The Spyslide is a very similar Kickstarter campaign that’s just been slight more engineered than my cheap Amazon solution. They also pride themselves on being the world’s thinnest cover, so you’re laptop will close nice and smoothly. I’m sure this is even more important for Macbook users.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2126936003/the-spyslide-the-most-elegant-webcam-cover?ref=category_most_backed

Privacy gadgets like his are going to become more popular in the coming years, so it’s worth taking a look at it.

Recall drunks texts and pin WhatsApp chats

Marty
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Recall drunks texts and pin WhatsApp chats

Snapchat doesn’t let you pin chats, do they? No, they don’t but you can now pin WhatsApp chats. That’s an innovation WhatsApp decided all on their own. Fair play.

Isn’t pinning WhatsApp chats a little boring?

Yeah, it’s a slow news day. Sure WhatsApp isn’t even talking about it on their own site where WhatsApp Status is still their big news.

Ah no, being able to pin chats is actually fairly cool and it lets you cut through a lot of the noise in the popular chat app. If you’ve been landed into a few groups, the people you actually want to hear from often get pushed way down into the depths chat list. Now, you simply tap and hold the chat you want to pin and Bob’s your uncle.

There are a few other bits and pieces in the pipeline including what might be the best feature ever for drunk people.

Recall messages in WhatsApp

Why the bloody hell are you allowed to text people when you’re drunk.

drunk texts

Well, WhatsApp got your back. Right now, they’re testing a feature in WhatsApp Beta where you have a five-minute window to recall any texts you send. Guess you’ll have to come to your senses pretty quickly, but still, it’s a step in the right direction.

Samsung’s new Galaxy S8 is the most fragile flagship ever made

Dean
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Samsung’s new Galaxy S8 is the most fragile flagship ever made

2017 certainly seems to be the year of the Samsung Galaxy S8. Between its subtle Edge, Bixby and that beautiful Infinity Display, it seems like the perfect phone. But all is not what it seems on paper. The lads over at Squaretrade put the S8’s new screen through its paces and the results were not what we wanted to see. They have said that it is the most fragile flagship on the market. Given that it has the new Gorilla Glass 5, that’s not what you want to hear.

In the video below, the phone was put through a series of drop tests. If you’re a Samsung enthusiast, look away now. This is tough to watch.

The S8 smash test results are in

As you can see, after succumbing to a 6-foot drop, the results were… well, shattering, to say the least. You may think a 6-foot drop is a bit too much. But think about it, you’re a 6-foot lad or a lassie in heels. You’re taking a selfie on a night out and then whack. Then someone bumps into you and your S8 goes bye-bye. What you are left with is loose glass, spiderwebbing and starburst shaped cracks all of the phone. Squaretrade said it was the first phone they ever tested that resulted in cracks all over the phone from a drop like the one tested.

Everyone said the original Edge on the S6 was going to be fragile because of the curved screen. But this is on another level. Now it’s not all doom and gloom. The lads working with Motherboard have said the glass might only be around $100 to get repaired. But it’s still not exactly a USP for a flagship phone. You don’t want to fork out almost €1000 or sign up for a 2-year contract just for your phone to break after a couple of falls.

Solid advice

Before you decide to go out and buy the latest toy, make sure to do your research to make sure the quality is up to scratch. Or give us at Goos3D a shout and we’ll advise you as best we can. For the love of all that’s good, get gadget insurance.

You are using Google Photos already, right?

Marty
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You are using Google Photos already, right?

There’s a few apps that I use day in and day out and Google Photos is one of them. The funny thing is, that I’ve become so used to it in my life I’d never even think to write about it. Watching Google I/O it occurred to me that I barely hear people talking about how much they love Google Photos. Fearing people might not know about how great it is, here’s why you should be using it already.

Google Photos is Google’s fastest-growing product ever

What is Google Photos?

Google Photos first came onto the scene in 2015 and ever since it has been backing up billions of photographs. You can upload photos from your PC or smartphone and view them on both too. There are a few small caveats like 1080p images only with a max camera quality of 16MP but you get unlimited cloud storage for your images – which is pretty nice. Better still, you can set your smartphone to automatically backup everything to the cloud and even delete them from your phone to save memory. While this is all great, Google Photos goes far beyond simply backing up your photos.

Google Photos Assistant is amazing

Similar to Facebook, Google Photos will regularly invite you to remember this day over the past few years. That’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the power of Google Photos Assistant. You’re just one tap away from creating super simple collages or adding a rake of filters. Even more impressive is how Google Photos uses AI to categorise your photos. This allows you to search for images over a massive timeframe matching a single piece of criteria, like every gadget you’ve ever taken a picture of:

images-of-gadgets-in-google photos

Sharing photos

Probably one of the handiest features in Google Photos is the ability to share photos. You know the scene, you’ve been at a wedding at the weekend and everyone remembers you taking a geansai load of photos. All you need to do is lump the photos into an album and share that with whoever wants it. In return, they can even throw their snaps into the photo album too. Holy collaboration Batman. It’s all fine and dandy, but Google wasn’t happy leaving it there.

New Google Photo features

At Google I/O 2017, Google Photos had some of the best-received features.

Even smarter photo management

Photo sharing is handy for a rake of reasons, but if your parents and you snap your kids a lot, you’ll love this. Auto-sharing will recognise that you’re taking a picture of your kids and share it with your other half. This is the example Google provided at I/O but I’m sure there will be a load more uses for auto-sharing.

Photo Books

Google are absolutely and online business but they’re also commercial and love making a buck. Even so, Photo Books is sure to prove popular as it allows people to get a physical book filled with all their memories. You create this from within Google Photos and the app will even help you pick out the best snaps from your photo gallery.

Google Lens

I genuinely forgot Google Lens was a thing, even though it was one of my favourite things just a few years ago. Google Lens is a smart layer over the photographs you take which effectively scans anything like a human eye and processes. This is great for getting information on landmarks and the likes, but the real cool bit is snapping something like a phone number and being able to dial straight from the image.

Towards the end of the talk, machine learning was dropped a few times which basically means any time you use Google Photos and it’s not great, it will be better next time.

Google Photos is available now on Android and iOS.

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