emoji
Latest
TouchPal built an AI for its alternative Android keyboard
Over the years, TouchPal has remained one of the most popular Android keyboards with its generous bundle of features, including gesture typing, neural network-powered prediction, multilingual support, GIF search, themes and more; though some of these have also become standard on other keyboards, such as Google's very own Gboard. As an attempt to stay on top of the game, the company has finally pushed its new TouchPal Keyboard Pro out of beta to debut "Talia," its AI personal assistant. Talia is designed in such a way that it delivers quick suggestions in a bubble as you type, but also in a way that doesn't overburden you. These include simple offerings like one-tap paste aka "Swift Paste," very basic calculations (with no more than two numbers for convenience's sake) and currency conversion, as well as something a little more advanced like smart replies, GIF predictions, weather forecast and dining recommendations -- part of this relies on Yelp, so availability depends on your region.
Google releases second Android P beta with a ton of new emoji
Announced at Google's I/O event last month, Android P is set to change the way we use our phones in some significant ways. The first beta launched soon after the announcement, showing up for 11 different phones, including Pixel, Xperia X72 and the Essential Phone. Now, Google has just released the second Android P beta, which includes 157 new emoji along with updated tools to help developers get ready for a late summer consumer release.
LED screen shows happy thoughts in your rear window
When I commuted by car every day, I always wanted to build an LED display that would communicate my displeasure with my fellow motorists. My lack of engineering know-how put paid to the idea, but thankfully someone has turned the idea into a product, albeit with a focus on the niceties. CarWink is the brainchild of Wei Cheng Chou, a Taiwanese electrical engineer who studied at California's exclusive ArtCenter College of Design. It's a little display that tells other motorists you're full of love rather than, say, where to stick their genitalia.
2019's emoji hopefuls include a service dog and flamingo
Unicode has released a preview list of what might end up in the next round of emoji. Potential additions to Unicode 12 include a diving mask, axe, falafel, waffle, diya lamp and Hindu temple. Oh, a flamingo and a white heart, too. Because people were apparently craving those. Most importantly, the list includes a smattering of new emoji for people with disabilities, like an ear with a hearing aid, a motorized wheelchair, a service dog and mechanical leg among others.
Twitter opts for its own emoji to ease frustration for Android users
Twitter users on Android might be a little less frustrated that they can't see every emoji if they can't (or won't) upgrade to Android Oreo. That's because Twitter has dropped Android's native emoji and is using its own, open-source Twemoji to display the colorful icons in its app, Emojipedia reports.
Why isn't there a birth control emoji?
In June 2018, there will be 2,823 emoji in the Unicode Standard -- the global specification that ensures characters are interpreted the same across platforms. But nowhere in that list -- which has everything from zombies (both male and female!) to smiling poop -- is there an emoji to signify birth control. At least, not yet.
Microsoft is also replacing its gun emoji with a water pistol (update: Facebook too)
After Google retired its handgun emoji and replaced it with a friendlier citrus-colored water pistol, Microsoft and Facebook remained the only platforms that still use realistic firearm glyphs. Now, Microsoft has announced that it's also in the "process of evolving [its] emojis to reflect [its] values and the feedback [it has] received." The tech giant has previewed its new gun emoji on Twitter, and as you can see above, it's mostly green in color like Apple's, Samsung's and Twitter's versions.
Google joins others in making the gun emoji a water pistol
Google is updating its gun emoji to replace the image of a handgun with that of an orange and yellow water pistol. The change is, according to Emojipedia, rolling out to Android users in an update, and will help to make the squirt gun the de-facto symbol. It's a big step towards eliminating images of handguns from the language, which was started by Apple in 2016.
Google is making it easier to use emoji in Chrome
Google is making it easier to access emoji while you're using Chrome. The latest version of Chrome Canary (67.0.3389.0 on Mac, according to 9to5 Google) features a shortcut that gives access to the colorful characters. From the right-click menu, "emoji" should be the first in the list. The rub is that it's only available in Canary, the developer-focused test-channel version of the browser. Should the feature prove stable, we could see it roll out to a future version of Chrome in a month or so. Regardless of when it's added, it already sounds a lot easier than macOS' keyboard shortcut -- Command + Control + Spacebar -- or opening up iMessage, hitting the emoji button and copying the output 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻.
Apple proposes 13 emojis representing those with disabilities
Apple has proposed a set of new emojis representing those with vision, hearing and motor disabilities, BuzzFeed News reports. Included are emojis of guide and service dogs, people with canes, individuals signing the word "deaf," an ear with a hearing aid, people in wheelchairs and prosthetic limbs. "This is not meant to be a comprehensive list of all possible depictions of disabilities, but to provide an initial starting point for greater representation for diversity within the emoji universe," Apple said in its Unicode Consortium proposal.
Mickey and Minnie AR Emoji arrive in time for Galaxy S9 launch
If you think the Galaxy S9's personalized AR emoji creations are creepy, well, you're right. But as teased by Samsung at its launch event in MWC a few weeks ago, some familiar Disney faces are joining the robo-avatar party. Both Mickey and Minnie will be available starting today -- coincidentally, the day that the S9 and S9 plus go on sale. It's just the start of Disney's AR emoji series. Samsung says more will come throughout the year and will include The Incredibles cast and (yes!) Frozen. Ugh, just as long as it's not Olaf.
Japan tells netizens to stop confusing the olds with internet slang
Sure, internet-speak can be confusing, so older folks oftentimes can't understand WTH younger users are trying to say. The problem is apparently much worse in Japan than it is here, however, because the government itself has decided to weigh in. Much to the amusement of many netizens, the Agency for Cultural Affairs has issued a report asking people, in effect, to knock off the crazy emojis and slang.
Tinder rallies support for interracial couple emoji
The official emoji catalog accounts for all kinds of relationships, including same-sex couples and families, but it doesn't reflect interracial couples -- isn't that an odd omission in 2018? Tinder thinks so. The dating site has launched a campaign to officially add interracial couple emoji to the Unicode Consorium's character set. Online dating and interracial couples "go hand in hand," it argued, and that makes the company a prime advocate for greater diversity in chat icons.
Samsung's Galaxy S9 may offer its own version of Apple's Animoji
Samsung has a history of going toe-to-toe (or sometimes, finger to finger) with Apple on features with its Galaxy S phones, and the Galaxy S9 may be no exception to the rule. ETNews sources have claimed that the S9 will include a "3D emoji" feature that -- surprise! -- counters the Animoji you find on the iPhone X. The smartphone would reportedly use upgraded facial recognition (no word on how closely it matches the iPhone) to create 3D faces that mimic your facial expressions and add a little spice to your messages. The technology would also lead to "more secure financial transactions," which implies that you could use your face for Samsung Pay in the same way that iPhone X owners can stare at their device to use Apple Pay.
Samsung's redesigned emoji are actually recognizable
When you send an emoji to a friend, you want it to convey the same information. For example, if you sent a "rolling eyes" emoji to a buddy using a Samsung phone, they might not pick up what you're laying down. That's because 2017's "rolling eyes" emoji looks more like a happy face with eyebrows and a smirk. Luckily, the new Samsung Experience 9.0 (set to release as part of the Android Oreo update for Galaxy S8 users) has tweaked quite a few emoji, including the eye-rolling one, to bring them all more in line with other platform's representations of the Unicode characters.
This year's new emoji include redheads, legs and a salt shaker
There are 157 new emoji coming this year. What made the cut? Ginger-haired people, female superheroes, dark-skinned folks with curly hair, pirate flags and... soap. There are also skin-tone options and genders for superheroes and supervillains, a test tube, salt (finally), a leg, balding people and a male and female option for white hair. Unicode says that the set is finalized and that they should start appearing on your phones and other devices as soon as August. Sure, that's still six months away, but it gives you time make a request for the next emoji set before March's deadline. For a quick visual overview of what's coming, check the video below.
Emoji authorities get rid of the sad poop face
It's been a while since the Unicode Emoji Consortium released its sixth set of proposed emojis last June, with a follow up in August (which offered up a drunken face and unhappy poo, oddly enough). Now the consortium has given developers the first Emoji 11 beta, which contains 130 draft emojis, including a female superhero, a lobster and a party face. There's no trace of the sad poo and that makes us, well, sad.
Instagram is testing a lot of new features, including a repost button
The Next Web reports today that Instagram is testing a slew of new features, many of which could be quite welcome among users. Maybe the most exciting feature is a native Regram button, which would let users repost others' photos and videos without having to turn to a third-party app. Another potentially popular addition is the ability to archive your Stories and it appears you'll be able to set Instagram to do that automatically. And it looks like iOS users might soon be able to share Instagram posts and profiles to WhatsApp with just a click of a button.
Apple says 'tears of joy' face is the most-used emoji
In an overview of its differential privacy technology, Apple slipped in some super important data regarding the popularity of its emojis. The document included an image ranking the top 10 emojis among US English speakers and taking the number one spot was the "face with tears of joy" emoji. The red heart and "loudly crying face" rounded out the top three.
iOS 11.1 brings new emojis and important security updates
Apple has released iOS 11.1 and it comes with over 70 new emojis, the return of 3D Touch multitasking and a handful of bug fixes. Some of the new emojis include a cursing smiley face, a vampire, a hedgehog, Chinese takeout, a sandwich and a mermaid. Some existing emojis have been tweaked to improve their design as well. Once you update your OS, the new selections will appear in your keyboard, and if someone sends you one of the new emojis, they won't show up properly on your phone until you've updated.
