Independently of the forthcoming Android 4.4.3 update, which should begin to trickle out to the Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 in the very near future, Google plans to add some useful new features to the native camera app of its mobile operating system. According to a newly emerged report, the standalone app will be given a complete makeover, delivering a revamped UI, improved panorama and more.
By making the camera improvements via an app update to the app itself, users will be able to get hold of the new features quicker than if they were to wait for a new version of Android. This is because, when Google releases an updated Android build, OEMs and carriers then make their own modifications to the software before pushing it out to each device, and this process, as many of those waiting on Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0) found out, can often stretch to eternity.
There’s no telling precisely when the revamped camera app will manifest itself, but by the sound of things, there’ll be plenty to mull over. Along with the fact that the search giant is apparently reworking the user interface throughout, users will be able to blur / defocus the background of shots, bringing that pseudo-bokeh effect packed into the repertoire of the HTC One M8 and certain Nokia handsets.
As well as the fake bokeh blur, the new app should also deliver improvements to the Panorama mode and Photo Sphere. But perhaps the most exciting feature of the purported update will be the support for third-party filters, allowing developers to create their own image overlays for other users to download and install.
Popularized by Instagram, filters are definitely here to stay, and although some photography purists will argue that such effects cheapen the process of editing images, it does, at least, make the practice accessible to those with little or no prior knowledge.
With the likes of HTC and Samsung bringing their own proprietary camera and image-related apps to higher-end handsets, most of those rocking a device with a half-decent shooter will probably be content with what they have already. But nevertheless, it looks like Google is about to step things up, and with the Big G having invested a lot of development time into camera software and technology, it will be interesting to see how the updated app stands up against the rest of the field.
(Source: Engadget)
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