Motorola is rolling out significant updates for its Camera and Gallery apps, which now provide major new features that are compatible with older Moto devices.
The Camera app now comes with its own active viewfinder, which lets users take pictures of QR codes and scan barcodes with their Moto smartphones without needing a separate, third-party app for the single function. This new feature is now available, but only for a select group of devices, including the second-generation Moto X, the Moto X Pro, Moto Maxx, Moto Turbo and DROID Turbo. Also, these devices have to be running Android 5.1 Lollipop, for them to be able to receive the update.
Meanwhile, the Gallery app has also gotten updated with the ability to create albums of photos and videos and save them in a microSD card, which is no doubt useful for many people who like to keep a huge chunk of files on their devices. The Moto X Play and Moto X Pure Edition, as well as the newer Moto devices equipped with a microSD slot will be able to use this feature.
The updated apps also come with performance improvements and bug fixes, which are typical of similar updates. Users can now update their Camera and Gallery apps through the Google Play Store instead of waiting for a system-level update to be pushed by Motorola, allowing users to get the new features whenever they want.
Lenovo-owned Motorola has recently become the main mobile business unit for the Chinese electronics company, even as Lenovo has launched its own ZUK brand of smartphones that will serve as its "flagship online brand."
Under the company's new structure, however, all future handsets made by Lenovo Mobile will be released under Motorola's brand name, and it appears Lenovo is doubling down on software in a bid to make Motorola a more appealing choice to consumers. Recently, Lenovo announced that the Moto X Play, Moto X Pure Edition and the Moto X 2014 will receive Android 6.0 Marshmallow once it launches. The new Moto E and Moto G will also receive the upgrade after the flagships.
Photo: Maurizio Pesce | Flickr
