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Evernote for Android updated with handwriting support, faster camera, more

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Screen Shot 2014-03-05 at 3.28.32 PM

The Evernote team has released an update for its Android app today that adds a few very useful features. Most notably, the updated has added support for handwriting. Evernote touts that this is more than just a handwriting add-on and that the feature is throughly integrated throughout the app. You can easily switch between typing and handwriting, which is very useful if for instance, you are taking notes during a lecture and want to draw a chart or graph. The handwriting is also searchable, assuming it’s readable, so that you can search both text and writing when needed.

The editor has also received several enhancements, including a new text highlighter, better support for notes in other formats, and the ability to edit content in tables created on other platforms. The update also adds the ability to create a note link, allowing you to quickly jump between notes, as well as the ability to duplicate a note. Finally, the camera has also received some enhancements and is easier and faster to use.

Check out the full change log below and download the update on the Play Store.

Handwriting

  • Write and sketch inside your notes!
  • Keep handwriting, text, photos, and files in the same note
  • Choose from several colors and line thicknesses

Editor improvements

  • New: Text highlighter
  • Better support for notes made on other platforms
  • Edit content in tables created on other platforms

Note improvements

  • Create a note link to quickly jump between notes
  • Duplicate a note
  • Better, Faster Camera


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Google releases redesigned Google Translate app for Android

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Google today announced that it’s releasing an all-new Google Translate app for Android. The app features a new design, adds support for additional languages, and introduces some interesting new features to make translations even faster.

The app now makes it easy to have translated conversation with someone at the tap of a button and also adds gesture support for quickly switching between languages:
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Google Translate for Android updated w/ more languages for camera input translation & handwriting

Google announced today on Google+ that its updating its Google Translate app for Android with additional language support for two features including camera input translation and handwriting.

New languages for camera input translation, which allows users to take translate text capture with the device’s camera, include “Afrikaans, Greek, Hebrew and Serbian.” Google notes that the update brings the total number of supported languages supported for the camera translations feature to 34.

Simply tap the camera button, point at the text you want translated and take the picture, and brush over the text you want with your finger—in an instant you’ll see your translation.

The updated app also includes support handwriting characters in two additional languages: Hindi and Thai. That brings the total number of supported languages to 48.

The new version of Google Translate for Android is available for free on Google Play now.

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Google Translate brings handwriting recognition to the web

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In a move that could have interesting implications for the future of its non-Latin audience, Google Translate has brought handwriting recognition – first introduced in its Android app – to the web. In a blog entry, the company says it is aimed at times when you don’t know how to type characters.

Handwriting input lets you translate a written expression, even if you don’t know how to type the characters. For example, suppose you see the Chinese expression “饺子” and want to know its meaning in English, but have no idea how to type these characters. Using the new handwriting input tool, you can simply draw these characters on your screen and instantly see the translation.

It’s a recognition that an increasing amount of web usage is via devices with touchscreen input, and opens up a lot of future possibilities, such as automatic conversion of handwritten notes into text simply by opening a tab in your browser.

There are plenty of handwriting recognition apps out there already, and the feature is built into some devices like the Samsung Galaxy Tab and Galaxy Note tablets, but the ability for any webpage to recognise handwritten input, signatures and perhaps drawings could make life a lot more convenient for those who, unlike me, write faster than they type.