text extraction Archives

Winsage

October 24, 2024

Microsoft creates a new reason to buy an AI-powered Copilot+ PC — image upscaling in Microsoft Photos

Microsoft has introduced a preview of its super resolution feature for Copilot+ PCs within the Photos app, specifically for Windows 10 and Windows 11 users. This image upscaling feature is exclusive to Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs running Windows 11, version 24H2 or higher, and is available in the Canary, Dev, and Release Preview Channels. The super resolution uses AI to enhance and enlarge images up to 8x the original size, ideal for improving low-quality photos and preparing images for large prints or displays. It processes enhancements using the Neural Processing Unit (NPU) on the device. Additionally, a robust optical character recognition (OCR) feature is available to all users, supporting over 160 languages for text extraction from images.

Winsage

October 23, 2024

This new Microsoft Photos update may make Copilot+ actually useful

Microsoft has introduced a "super resolution" feature for Copilot+ devices that enhances image quality by magnifying images up to eight times their original size using artificial intelligence. This feature is beneficial for improving low-resolution photos and preparing images for large-scale prints. Additionally, Optical Character Recognition (OCR) has been integrated into the Photos application, allowing users to scan images for text and convert it for easy copying. All processing is done locally on the device to ensure user privacy. Users must enroll in the Insider build program and update the Photos app to version 2024.11100.17007.0 or higher to access these features.

Winsage

September 7, 2024

Your Chromebook should now have one of Windows’ best features

Chromebooks are introducing Snap groups in ChromeOS M128, allowing users to organize app windows by snapping them to different sides of the screen and save these configurations. This feature provides a more organized workspace, similar to virtual workspaces in Microsoft Windows. Additionally, ChromeOS M128 includes optical character recognition (OCR) in the Camera app, enabling text extraction from images, supporting 77 languages, and detecting text in horizontal and vertical orientations. The OCR feature is disabled by default but can be activated in Settings. Other enhancements include simplified permission controls for microphones and cameras and a system to store performance metrics for one year.

Winsage

September 7, 2024

ChromeOS just copied one of Windows 11’s best features

Google has released ChromeOS 128, which includes new features to improve productivity and accessibility for Chromebook users. The update introduces Snap Groups, allowing users to organize applications into fullscreen configurations by hovering over the maximize button. It also integrates Optical Character Recognition (OCR) in the ChromeOS camera app, enabling text extraction from images and converting them into searchable PDFs. The OCR feature supports 77 languages and recognizes text in both orientations but is disabled by default. Additionally, the Magnifier tool now works with ChromeVox to assist visually impaired users, though both features require activation in settings. The update also streamlines camera and microphone controls by consolidating privacy settings and introduces Auto Gain Control (AGC) to automatically adjust microphone volume during calls, with notifications for users when AGC is active.