Latest news with #EricFang
Forbes
12-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Honor 400 To Add A New AI Photo-To-Video Tool, Co-Developed With Google
Honor 200 Pro Honor is all set to launch its next smartphone lineup on May 22. Ahead of its release, the company has announced its partnership with Google Cloud to bring AI image-to-video capabilities to the Honor 400 series. It will allow users to generate videos from static photos. Google recently rolled out Veo 2 support for Gemini Advanced subscribers, but Honor's upcoming phones will be among the first to have first-gen Veo's capabilities baked into the OS. The Honor 400 will be able to create five-second short videos and moving photos from static images. It will also have the latest Google Imagen models to enhance AI performance. I reached out to Honor to better understand the use case and whether a phone can stand out with AI features, considering most of them use the same AI models. 'For content creators and marketers, the AI image-to-video feature streamlines the production process by generating engaging video content from still images in seconds, ideal for social media, advertising, or storytelling. This technology showcases how AI can enhance creative expression while saving time and effort,' says Eric Fang, Senior Director of Product Planning at Honor. The AI image-to-video feature is jointly developed by Google Cloud (Veo) and Honor. Like most AI features, it doesn't work on-device, but Fang assures, 'Protecting user privacy is Honor's top priority, and user data will not be used for training.' Honor recently announced two more features: AI Outpainting and AI Eraser. The former simultaneously supports rotation and 200% expansion of the original image, promising 'better consistency and faster generation times,' while AI Eraser is said to 'adapt well to scenarios with multiple people and various objects.' You will not be required to sign in to an Honor account to use these AI features. However, 'With the increasing popularity of AI application scenarios, some advanced functions may require an Honor account login in the future,' said Fang. The Magic Portal feature is one of the few unique AI capabilities that I find useful whenever I return to an Honor phone. Fang believes, 'Natural interaction (such as Honor's AI Magic Portal and AI Magic Capsule), proactive services, and AI Agent will bring real, beyond-expectation value to users.' It will be interesting to see how consumers react to additional AI features now debuting on mid-range phones instead of flagship devices.
Filipino Times
17-04-2025
- Business
- Filipino Times
HONOR and Google Cloud Deepen Partnership to Usher in New Era of Intelligent Devices
HONOR, a global leading AI device ecosystem company, showcased its continued collaboration pushing the boundaries of innovation in intelligent devices and user interaction with Google Cloud at Cloud Next 2025 last week. Eric Fang, Senior Director of Product Planning at HONOR, articulated the company's visionary partnership with Google Cloud, has yielded many user-friendly innovations such as Magic Portal 2.0. Now, empowered by Google's cutting-edge Gemini large language models (LLMs), this collaboration is entering a new era, focused on pioneering AI features that will redefine user experiences. Eric Fang, Senior Director of Product Planning, HONOR, at a panel discussion Google Cloud Next 2025 HONOR ALPHA PLAN: Paving the Way for AI Innovation In March, HONOR unveiled its ambitious HONOR ALPHA PLAN, announcing its intention to become a leading global AI device ecosystem company. HONOR's partnership with Google Cloud is a cornerstone of the ALPHA PLAN, providing access to cutting-edge AI infrastructure and expertise that will be instrumental in developing truly intelligent smartphones augmented with next-generation AI capabilities. HONOR is committed to breaking through technological boundaries in collaboration with partners like Google Cloud to co-create a new paradigm for AI devices. This partnership represents a crucial first step in realizing the ambitions of HONOR's ALPHA PLAN. Working closely with Google Cloud, HONOR will deeply integrate more AI functions into its smartphones, enriching the diversity of its imaging capabilities. Through close collaboration, the two companies are set to continue leading the way for innovation in both on-device and cloud-based AI, with all-new AI features that are poised to generate significant buzz among consumers. AI Outpainting: Redefining Post-Processing in the AI Era During a panel discussion, Eric Fang shared insights into one of HONOR's latest AI features, AI Outpainting. This innovative feature, part of HONOR's AiMAGE suite, uses Google's Imagen model to allow users to zoom out and expand their photos up to twice their original size. Users can reframe and rotate their photos after capturing them, reducing the need for careful pre-shot framing. 'AI Outpainting is a game-changer,' commented Eric Fang. 'It allows users to focus on capturing the decisive moment without worrying about perfect framing. The optimized generative fill ensures that the expanded images are seamlessly integrated, even in complex scenes like buildings and landscapes.' AI Eraser: Effortless Photo Editing Another highlight of HONOR's collaboration with Google Cloud is the AI Eraser feature. This powerful tool allows users to easily remove unwanted objects from their photos with just a few taps. The integration of Imagen's advanced AI technology ensures that the removed areas are filled with realistic and contextually appropriate content, minimizing the occurrence of AI hallucinations. Democratizing AI Access for Users Globally HONOR's commitment to making AI accessible to everyone was a key theme during Cloud Next. By leveraging Google Cloud's powerful infrastructure and cutting-edge AI capabilities, HONOR aims to empower users globally with innovative features that enhance their everyday experiences. To this end, HONOR is committed to making flagship-level AI features available on its midrange devices wherever possible, for example with the recent launch of the HONOR 400 Lite in Europe on April 7th, which includes the AI Outpainting, AI Eraser and AI Upscale features. 'Democratizing AI is at the core of our mission,' said Eric Fang. 'We want to make advanced AI features available to everyone, unlocking the full potential of intelligent technology for a smarter future.' A Strategic Milestone in AI-Powered User Experiences HONOR's deep collaboration with Google Cloud represents a significant milestone in its unwavering dedication to delivering leading-edge technology and exceptional user experiences. Beyond the specific AI features unveiled at Google Cloud Next 2025, the partnership underscores HONOR's proactive and future-oriented approach to AI integration. By working closely with global technology leaders like Google Cloud, HONOR is reinforcing its commitment to pushing the boundaries of innovation and providing users with intuitive, powerful, and truly intelligent devices that anticipate their needs. This collaboration is a testament to HONOR's confidence in the transformative power of AI and its strategic vision for the future of mobile technology. HONOR Teases Next-Generation Product and Productivity Features Powered by Google Cloud AI Eric Fang also teased upcoming products that will integrate even more advanced AI features, promising exciting new experiences for users. Fang announced that HONOR has collaborated deeply with Google Cloud on its upcoming new products, set to launch in May 2025. Leveraging Veo, Google's state-of-the-art video generation, HONOR will introduce co-developed experiences that accurately represent motion with enhanced realism. This integration has the potential to interpret user commands and generate videos that represent their creative vision, unlocking new possibilities for artistic expression. Furthermore, to significantly enhance user productivity, HONOR will feature more advanced office tools on these upcoming devices, co-developed with Google Gemini. These tools are designed to streamline workflows and empower users with intelligent assistance for everyday tasks. HONOR's collaboration with Google Cloud will continue to drive innovation in the combination of device and cloud AI, setting new standards for intelligent devices. Both parties are also continuously co-developing futuristic AI features to create truly intelligent smartphones, serving users and making an impact in global markets.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Yahoo
I saw an AI feature that I'd actually use – and it's not what you might think
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. When it comes to AI features, it can sometimes feel like there are approximately five million of the things buzzing about right now. Every phone seems to have a dozen to play with, but there's a slight issue when it comes to how useful they actually are. Superzoom and image creation tools are well and good, but I'm still a little suspicious of how many people actually use them particularly often. The biggest standout success in this area has been the proliferation of magic eraser-style options to let you get rid of annoyances in photos, but few features can match that utility. At MWC this year, though, Honor had a more in-depth demonstration of the AI deepfake detection tech that it announced six months ago, and I was struck by how potentially useful it could be. The feature works easily, on the surface – when active, it can screen videos that you're watching, whether live or recorded, and give you an indication of whether they're likely to be genuine or involve a face-swap. It takes a few seconds to process, before you're given a result that summarises how confident the AI is that you're being duped as a percentage, and seems like a complete slam-dunk in security terms. After all, we all hear a bunch about how scammers are starting to use deepfakes and vocal imitations to get one over on people. A feature to mitigate that risk is a no-brainer, even if there are still questions about whether it'll always be active, or instead remain as a toggle that people have to use when they're suspicious of a video. There are also still question marks in my head when it comes to reliability and messaging. In a pool interview I took part in, Honor's Eric Fang indicated that the feature currently has a 70% success rate, which is one of those numbers that both impresses and doesn't at the same time. A 70% chance of being saved from a fake video – that's ideal. A 30% chance that your phone tells you a video's fine when it's not – that feels sub-optimal. Still, it wouldn't be the first AI feature that gets better as time goes on, as its model gets more sophisticated. Plus, the fact of the matter remains that I would actually use deepfake detection, which is a surprisingly high bar. Hopefully it's the first of a cavalcade of non-novelty features in the same vein.
