Instagram updates iOS apps with 'flat' designs, Google Translate gets offline support in 52 languag
Facebook-owned Instagram on Wednesday launched a cosmetic overhaul of its iOS apps, while Google updated its Translate app with support for offline translation in 52 languages.
All of Instagram's apps now have "flat" icon designs, better matching the look of recent versions of iOS, which have veered away from skeuomorphism. Aside from the company's flagship, the other updated titles include Boomerang, Hyperlapse, and Layout. Boomerang is used to create quick looping videos, while Layout builds collages.
Only the core Instagram app has seen its actual interface altered. The new arrangement is not only flat but black and white, something meant to draw more attention to photos and videos in a user's news feed.
Until today the app's icon evoked old "toy" cameras, famous for their visual effects due to bad construction and/or the film they used.
Although Google has not specified which 52 languages it's referring to, the updated language support should make Translate far more useful for iPhone and iPad owners when traveling, since cellular and Wi-Fi can be expensive -- or non-existent -- when roaming in some countries.
The app has meanwhile gained another 13 languages in general for a total of 103, and camera translation from Chinese to English (and vice versa), including simplified and traditional Chinese forms. This means that users can simply point a camera at text and the app will attempt to translate it in front of them.
Google Translate is a free download, and requires iOS 8 or later. For offline support, any desired languages must be downloaded in-app.
All of Instagram's apps now have "flat" icon designs, better matching the look of recent versions of iOS, which have veered away from skeuomorphism. Aside from the company's flagship, the other updated titles include Boomerang, Hyperlapse, and Layout. Boomerang is used to create quick looping videos, while Layout builds collages.
Only the core Instagram app has seen its actual interface altered. The new arrangement is not only flat but black and white, something meant to draw more attention to photos and videos in a user's news feed.
Until today the app's icon evoked old "toy" cameras, famous for their visual effects due to bad construction and/or the film they used.
Google Translate
Although Google has not specified which 52 languages it's referring to, the updated language support should make Translate far more useful for iPhone and iPad owners when traveling, since cellular and Wi-Fi can be expensive -- or non-existent -- when roaming in some countries.
The app has meanwhile gained another 13 languages in general for a total of 103, and camera translation from Chinese to English (and vice versa), including simplified and traditional Chinese forms. This means that users can simply point a camera at text and the app will attempt to translate it in front of them.
Google Translate is a free download, and requires iOS 8 or later. For offline support, any desired languages must be downloaded in-app.
Comments
Edit: It turns out that downloading the offline translation data for camera based Chinese translation is a requirement rather than an option.
Small "viewfinder" dot, central "lens," blurred circle in lower left.
Skeuomorphism is such a 2012 dead-end.
http://icdn5.digitaltrends.com/image/these-resurrected-polaroid-cameras-have-me-shaking-with-anticipation-500x284.jpg
They were not generally considered toys the way Dianas and Holgas were.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toy_camera
The "Insta" might be a reference to instant cameras as well, although Kodak had an "Instamatic" line of cameras that used film in cartridges that did need to be developed.Oh wait, sorry, is this an Apple website? Maybe the rainbow was a reference to the original Apple icon.
1. English
2. Afrikaans
3. Albanian
4. Arabic
5. Belarusian
6. Bulgarian
7. Catalan
8. Chinese
9. Croatian
10. Czech
11. Danish
12. Dutch
13. Esperanto
14. Estonian
15. Filipino
16. Finnish
17. French
18. Galician
19. Georgian
20. German
21. "German -> Arabic (improves instant camera translation)"
22. Greek
23. Haitian Creole
24. Hebrew
25. Hindi
26. Hungarian
27. Icelandic
28. Indonesian
29. Irish
30. Italian
31. Japanese
32. Korean
33. Latvian
34. Lithuanian
35. Macedonian
36. Malay
379 Maltese
38. Norwegian
39. Persian
40. Polish
41. Portuguese
41. Romanian
42. Russian
43. Slovak
44. Slovenian
45. Spanish
46. Swahili
47. Swedish
48. Thai
49. Turkish
50. Ukrainian
51. Vietnamese
52. Welsh