Google via Julian Chokkattu
A few months ago, Google debuted a feature in Google Photos that lets you convert your existing photos into short videos using generative AI. These videos introduce slight synthetic movements to your stills, so a person may appear to slightly shift around in the frame, or a picture of your sleeping pup could gain a leg twitch. This week, the company upgraded this feature with its Veo 3 video generation model, which boosts the quality of the results.
To play around with it, head to any photo in Google Photos, tap the three-dot button at the top right, and tap Create. Choose the Photo to Video option, and then pick between Subtle Movement or I'm Feeling Lucky, which will be a little more creative. I tried it on a photo of my wife and it had her raise her arms to make a heart sign. (The fingers looked surprisingly realistic, though my wife exclaimed that her hands looked massive.) Google says you can even combine its Photo to Video tool with other Create tools, like Remix, which can change the style of the photo to a sketch or 3D animation.
The Veo 3-powered version of the feature is now available in the US.
Garmin Finally Launches Watches With Satellite Communication
Courtesy of Garmin
As Taylor Swift and Tom Jones have both observed, “It’s been a long time coming.” Garmin, manufacturer of our favorite outdoor fitness trackers and hands down the best satellite messenger, finally added satellite and cellular communication to a smartwatch. The new Fenix 8 Pro has Garmin’s inReach technology inside, which means you can send messages over satellite or cellular networks to Garmin’s Response team. Not only can you trigger emergency alerts, but you can also send texts, make calls, and check the weather forecasts. It also has a MicroLED screen that can deliver up to 5,000 nits of brightness, making it not only visible in your tent at night but everyone else’s. (That’s a joke.)
There are two versions of the watch. The AMOLED screen comes in 47- and 51-mm sizes and gets up to 27 days of battery life per charge, while the MicroLED version comes only in a 51-mm size and gets up to 10 days of battery life in smartwatch mode. The Fenix 8 is already our favorite outdoor sports watch, and the ability to easily use satellite communication when you need it only makes it even more useful. It almost makes you overlook the sting of its enormous price—the MicroLED version goes for a cool $2,000, which seems less expensive when you consider that you previously may have had several devices to cover your bases before (a smartwatch for work, a fitness tracker for working out, and a satellite communicator for off-grid shenanigans). The AMOLED version is only $1,100. Both models will be available for purchase on September 8. —Adrienne So
Polar Made a Whoop Band
Courtesy of Polar
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