Other handsets have been able to auto-blur image backgrounds for some time, but they typically rely on using two-lens cameras on the phones’ backs to create realistic effects.

Google said its innovation meant it could make more space for the battery and introduce front-facing speakers.

But it has dropped the headphone jack.

Instead of using a dedicated 3.5mm port, users will either need to use wireless headphones – Google is selling a pair called the Pixel Buds – or the USB-C charging socket.

At the launch of the original Pixel phones, the search firm had mocked Apple’s abandonment of the traditional socket and made a virtue of its opposite strategy.

A spokesman defended the U-turn saying Pixel’s engineers believed USB-C had “matured as a standard” over the past year.

About 2.8 million units of the original Pixel phones have shipped since their launch a year ago, according to research firm IDC, representing just 0.5% of the wider smartphone market.

Sales were in part limited by the firm’s inability to make enough of the devices to meet demand.

Google said it was producing the Pixel 2 and larger Pixel 2 XL models “in greater numbers”.

But one expert questioned whether it had done enough to pose a serious challenge to other Android phone-makers.

“Launching a device in a region such as Western Europe, requires support to 50-plus operators and 70-plus retailers,” said IDC’s Francisco Jeronimo.

“Google will have to put in place a massive sales and marketing organisation to be able to compete with Samsung and Huawei.”

The Pixel line-up is in part an effort to make sure consumers are always offered the latest version of Android. The phones are guaranteed the latest release as soon as Google makes it available, for at least three years – unlike other brands.

However, the tech giant was also keen to promote several unique features at its San Francisco launch.

The single-lens portrait mode photos were made possible by its adoption of a dual-pixel sensor – meaning each pixel can be used to both record the image and determine focus rather than just one or the other.

Some of Samsung’s handsets already feature the technology, but Google has built on it with proprietary software to make it possible to create a depth map for photos, which can be used to add special effects.

An added benefit of this approach is that the new phones’ front “selfie” cameras can also use portrait mode. And in the months to come, Google intends to make use of the depth information to let users add advanced augmented reality characters to their images.

Another new feature is the ability to summon the Google Assistant artificial intelligence helper by squeezing the handsets’ sides.

The firm suggested this made it easier to activate, adding that it had trained the software to only pay attention to deliberate squeezes.

In addition, the OLED (organic light-emitting diode) screens now automatically show the name of a song if it is heard playing in the surrounding area.

The Shazam-like feature relies on a database of tens of thousands of tracks downloaded to the device in advance. This avoids seeking a match via the internet, which would have sapped the battery more quickly.

One of the new handsets was also demoed auto-translating a conversation between an English speaker and a Swedish speaker wearing the Pixel Buds to create a more seamless experience than is normal when using the firm’s Translate app,

The new phones are between 4% to 11% more expensive than their predecessors in the UK, depending on the configuration.

The 5in (12.7cm) version starts at £629 and the 6in (15.2cm) model at £799.

Last month, Google agreed to pay $1.1bn (£828m) to HTC to hire 2,000 of its engineers, many of whom had been involved in the new handsets’ creation.

One expert suggested the firm now faced a tricky balancing act.

“The challenge for Google is that if it starts prioritising new features and capabilities on its devices, it risks antagonising very important partners like Samsung,” commented Ben Wood from CCS Insight.

“And what is more important to the greater good of the Google empire? Is it the reach that Android has or is it Google’s desire to have its own hardware platform?”

Analysis:

Image copyrightGOOGLE

By Rory Cellan-Jones, Technology correspondent

One thing you have to say about Google’s hardware ambitions – it doesn’t give up when sales disappoint.

The Daydream VR headset promised to be a big step forward in mobile virtual reality but you’ll struggle to find anyone who has used one.

Google Home showcases the firm’s AI skills but arrived a long time after Amazon’s Echo and is still struggling to catch up.

The first Pixel had a great camera, won very positive reviews – and ended up with roughly 0.5% of global smartphone market share.

But now all three products are getting a refresh with Google making a bold statement about its ability to combine hardware and software to produce a great user experience – rather like that other little tech company with its range of very profitable iDevices.

It’s the Pixel 2 that is now Google’s flagship device, boasting features which the firm says you won’t yet see on other Android smartphones.

Sundar Pichai repeated his message about an AI-first world, and a new era where we interact more naturally with our devices. One example combines both – the squeeze feature which brings up the Google Assistant on your Pixel.

He believes his engineers lead the world in machine learning and that should translate into leadership in machines too.

Maybe – but first of all his company needs to up its game in two other key areas: marketing and manufacturing. It’s all very well building a smartphone that gets five star reviews but if you can’t make enough to meet demand you aren’t going to get very far.

Mini speaker

Google also unveiled other products at its launch including a smaller version of its Home smart speaker, and a larger edition designed for high-quality music playback.

Image copyrightGOOGLE

The Home Mini will cost $49 and accepts tap-based commands as well as responding to voices.

The $399 Home Max – which contains two subwoofers for superior bass – uses artificial intelligence software to take account of where it has been placed in a room and adjusts its sound balance to suit.

The Max is likely to compete with speakers from Sonos – which had announced hours earlier that it would add Google Assistant to its latest speaker in 2018.

One expert said the Mini might appeal to those wanting multiple smart speakers in their home, as well as price-conscious under-25s.

Image copyrightGOOGLE

“Google has been on the back foot at competing with Amazon,” said Adam Simon from the consultancy Context.

“The Home came after Amazon’s Echo, it didn’t have the same range of smart home partners or types of device available and now Google is trying to catch up.”

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the event was Google Clips, a small standalone camera that uses machine learning to recognise interesting scenes and familiar faces to record.

The device is designed to be clipped to clothes or other objects and only sends the videos and photos to a smartphone when commanded.

Image copyrightGOOGLE

GoPro’s stock tumbled when it was unveiled, but consumers may struggle to understand the need for the $249 gadget.

A new high-end Chrome OS-based laptop called the Pixelbook was also unveiled, which has the Google Assistant built in, an optional stylus. and can run Android apps.

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The NPP, in 2013, dragged the EC, President John Dramani Mahama and the National Democratic Congress (NDC)  to the Supreme Court, claiming the EC rigged the December 7 and 8 elections in favour of President John Mahama.

After an eight-month long hearing, the Supreme Court finally declared President Mahama as legitimately elected.

According to Mr. Agbodza, the NPP, during the case, tarnished the image of the EC.

The NPP will, on Sunday, August 31, organize a Super Delegates Congress aimed at pruning to five, the seven candidates vying to be flag bearer of the party in the 2016 presidential elections.

Mr. Agbodza said since the same EC the NPP accused would be presiding over their Congress, it is however expedient for them to apologize in order to restore public confidence in the EC.

“It amazes me when I hear the General Secretary [of NPP] saying that the main candidates are not supposed to recruit observers to the polling station and that they are leaving everything in the hands of the EC,” he said.

He added that “today they [NPP] have so much confidence and faith in the EC to conduct an election for them. It means that much of what they said about the EC in the past were all just for political expediency and I urge them to humbly issue a statement to apologize to the EC that they have actually abused and caused damage to them and that they have changed their attitude and that they would accept the results.”

He indicated that the move would make the Congress results more credible after declaration by the EC.

“Otherwise are we expecting that when the results are declared on Sunday or Monday they would go to court,” he questioned.

The NDC MP made the call on Newsstand on TV3.

Meanwhile, Mr. Daniel Nii Kwartei Titus-Glover, MP for Tema East Constituency on the same programme disagreed with the Adaklu MP saying that the NPP should be thanked instead for exercising their constitutional right.

“We should be commended for taking the EC to court…Because it was clear in the court, the weaknesses of the Commission. They [EC] should even thank us that we did not resort to any violence to resolve our differences.”

By: Godwin Allotey Akweiteh/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The Electoral Commission begun its voter registration exercise on August 4, 2014 to register Ghanaians who turned 18 after the 2012 general elections and adults who could not register during the previous registration exercises to register.

CODEO deployed 350 field officials to observe the registration exercise.

These observers were deployed to selected registration centers across the ten regions of the country.

Though CODEO insists there were no conflicts or violence and no incidents of failure of the biometric registration equipment, the Coalition observed that “some individuals were registered although they did not produce any of the required ID cards, or bring people along to guarantee their eligibility.”

It stated that some Nigerians who attempted to register with the NHIS card at Pukero Primary School registration centre at Bolgatanga were prevented from registering following protests by political party representatives at the center.

Speaking on Eyewitness News, a member of the Coalition, P.N.K Aborampah Mensah said “we expect the [Electoral] Commission to take action and deal with them.”

Mr. Mensah further cited a lack of understanding of the registration procedures as one of the major problems the EC encountered in the registration exercise.

Highlighting key processes to refine future registration exercises, Mr. Mensah recommended that the EC intensifies the education of the required documents acceptable for registration.

“It appears that a considerable number of prospective registrants are not aware of the Supreme Court ruling on the NHIS card and voter registration,” he said.

He also recommended that the EC increases registration centers at various communities to speed up the process.

“The EC should use more directional signs especially in the urban centers to enable people identify registration centers because many people struggled to identify these centers, especially in the urban areas”

By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @EfeAnsah

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The EC  announced two weeks ago  that it will register persons who have turned 18 years and persons who could not register during the previous registration exercise.

The Supreme Court on Thursday however ordered the Commission to suspend the voter registration exercise.

A press statement issued by the Commission noted that “the Electoral Commission wishes to inform the general public that in view of a suit pending before the Supreme Court, to be determined on Wednesday 30^th July, 2014, the limited voter registration that should have commenced tomorrow Friday 25^th July, 2014 has been put on hold until further notice.”

The Commission stated that “a new date” for the registration exercise “will be announced later.”

Below is the full statement issued by the EC

REVISION OF THE VOTERS REGISTER PUT ON HOLD

The Electoral Commission wishes to inform the general public that in view of a suit pending before the Supreme Court, to be determined on Wednesday 30^th July, 2014, the limited voter registration that should have commenced tomorrow Friday 25^th July, 2014 has been put on hold until further notice.

A new date will be announced later.

Any inconvenience caused is deeply regretted.

By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The Electoral Commission of Ghana would on July 25 begin a nationwide supplementary registration for eligible voters who have attained the age of 18 years as well as those who could not register during the 2012 biometric registration.

The exercise, which would last for 10 days, would be carried out at designated registration centres for the various electoral areas.

Tema Metropolitan Electoral Director, Mr Watson Tizor Apentsui who gave the advice in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said political parties must follow the required processes to address any challenges instead of resorting to creating chaos and confusion at registration centres.

Mr Apentsui added that his outfit would not hesitate to crack the whip on any political party and their agents who would want to disrupt the registration process.

He indicated that political parties could use the irregularity form to address any challenges as well as fill the challenge form if they have doubts about the eligibility of an applicant instead of the use of physical confrontation.

He added that an applicant, whose eligibility is challenged, would be allowed to go through the registration process but his or her identity card would be withheld by the commission until his or her eligibility is proven.

Mr Apentsui said as part of the registration process, applicants aged 18 and 19 years would be made to fill a questionnaire, while those aged 20 and above are required to fill an undertaken form.

The Tema Metro EC Director further stated that documents such as the National Health Insurance Card, National ID card, old voters’ ID card, driving license, and passport would be accepted as proof of citizenship and registration.

He however added that birth certificates and baptismal cards would not be accepted during the exercise.

Mr Apentsui indicated that those who do not have any of the accepted documents could resort to the use of two guarantors.

He explained that the two guarantors who must be registered voters in the applicant’s electoral area would fill a form to guarantee for the applicant to be registered.

On the number of centres, he stated that even though the Tema Metropolis and the Kpone-Katamanso District has 32 and 18 electoral areas respectively, the registration centres would be more than the electoral areas.

The Director said instead of one registration centre for each electoral area, some areas would have two centres due to their population and dispersed nature.

Such electoral areas are; Baatsona, Lashibi and Adjei-Kojo for the Tema Metro and Akansa and Mletsakpo for the Kpone-Katamanso District.

Mr Apentsui also indicated that each registration centre would have six officials consisting of two registration officers, one special duty officer, two data entry clerks, and one laminator.

He added that his outfit has provided extensive training for the officials and assured eligible applicants of a smooth registration exercise.
Source: GNA

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The Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, has stated that the biometric technology alone cannot address the challenges of any electoral system.

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The party is suing the EC for allowing the use of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) card as one of the identity cards to be used for the registration of persons who have turned 18.

Speaking to Citi News, one of the lawyers for Abu Ramadan, Gary Nimako says the Supreme Court must stop the EC from using the NHIS cards for registration.

Mr. Ramadan described the use of NHIS cards as proof for qualification to register voters as “unconstitutional, void and of no effect” since it is tantamount to an applicant registering twice or more.

It therefore requested for an order of a perpetual injunction to restrain the EC from using the NHIS card and other identification cards that does not establish qualification to register voters.

“In effect we want to take a second relief which is a declaration of the true or proper interpretation of the Article 42 of the constitution,” he added.

The EC started  its voter’s registration exercise in July ahead of the 2016 elections.

By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The exercise is intended to register persons who will be 18 years by June this year as part of the Commission’s preparation towards the district level elections.

Acting Head of Public Affairs at the Commission, Christian Owusu Parry says the new date will not be announced ”as soon as possible”.

According to him [Christian Owusu Parry] the Chairman of the EC announced the postponement after consultations with the Ghana Education Service, because the EC relies extensively on teachers for such exercises.

He explained that the EC was informed by the GES that the teachers would be engaged during the Basic Education Certificate Examinations, which will coincide with the registration exercise.

”According to them [GES] they are writing BECE around this and because we are going to take the teachers out of the classroom for about ten days, they couldn’t allow the teachers to participate;we had to consult on that matter…,” he said.

He noted that the commission however, decided that because teachers are “very reliable operatives…, it will be necessary for us to re-consider the date that we have a schedule for the registration to begin; we will announce a date as soon as possible.”

Meanwhile the Political Parties forming the Inter Party Advisory Committee agreed to the postponement of the exercise.

By: Evans Effah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The EC  is arguing that there is no time for an audit of the voter’s register, but the political parties say it is important the Electoral Commission conducts the audit to  authenticate the voter’s register.

Citi News’ reporter, Sammi Wiafe who was at the EC’s head office where the emergency Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting is under way said, “whiles the political parties are of the view that it is important the EC conduct the audit, the EC is arguing that there is no time on its side to do this auditing.’’

He stated that, “they are still debating on this particular issue; there is no conclusion on the auditing aspect of the voter’s register.’’

Sammi also reported that the meeting will also discuss the modalities to be used for the next voter’s registration.

He said the EC is considering July 2014 for the next voter’s registration exercise ahead of the 2016 elections.

The E.C will also discuss some reforms for the 2016 elections.

By: Evans Effah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The latest to join the call is the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) who are advising the EC to implement certain measures before next month’s exercise.

Policy Think Tank, the Danquah Institute and the People’s National Convention (PNC) have both called on the EC to put the whole exercise on hold till an audit is carried out on the 2012 voter register.

The General Secretary of the NPP, Kwabena Agyapong in an interview on the Citi Prime News a repetition of an election petition in the next election will not be in the best interest of Ghana.

He stated that it is imperative for the EC to audit the voters register “and there should be a re-duplication exercise to clean the register before we move on.”

Mr. Agyapong revealed the General Secretaries of all the major political parties in Ghana have appended their signatures to a letter under the auspices of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) to the Electoral Commission calling for an emergency meeting to address the concerns of the parties.

According to him, there has not been any Inter Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting since 2012 “and we are now in the midst of another political cycle and I think it is not right.”

He called for an effective collaboration between the EC, the political parties and other stakeholders “and that is why we have called on the Electoral Commission to call for this urgent meeting so that we can discuss the issues that are worrying to us.”

The EC on Thursday told Citi News, an IPAC meeting will take place but the registration exercise will go on as scheduled.

But the NPP’s general secretary says political parties are expecting an official response from the EC on their resolve to go ahead with the exercise.

By: Efua Idan Osam/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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