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The Fitbit Air is being touted as a fantastic fitness tracker, but I don’t think its worth has quite yet been proven. Google-made and third-party bands do not make for a comfortable experience, and competitive trackers blow it out of the water in terms of fit.

Welcome to episode 42 of The Sideload, a 9to5Google podcast. This week, Damien Wilde joins Will as they continue to break down what’s good — and not so good — about Google’s latest phones. Come for the Snapdragon-Tensor debate, stay for a sweaty analogy that compares the Pixel 11 series to various Halloween sequels.

Sponsored by NordVPN: Listeners to The Sideload can save up to 76% on a two-year subscription alongside four extra months for absolutely free by signing up for NordVPN using this link. Thanks to NordVPN for sponsoring this week’s episode.

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If there’s one part of using the Pixel 11 that I’ve really come to enjoy, it’s Gboard’s new voice-to-text tool, “Rambler.” But there is one big flaw, and that’s the lack of a live preview, and Nothing has just shown exactly what Google should do to fix that.

Pebblebee has launched “LÔC8,” a unique new Android Find Hub / Apple Find My tracker that’s designed to hide within your bike handles, golf clubs, and other places to help you keep tabs on your gear.

With the Pixel 11 series hitting store shelves on August 20, launch deals are beginning to wind down. However, some still remain for a limited time, including how Amazon now lets you trade in your old device for the Pixel 11 and get a gift card.

Nothing has somewhat quietly launched its new CMF Buds Neo, a pair of wireless earbuds that are somehow only $25.

Users are finding that Google Home’s longstanding skill of adding items to shopping lists with voice commands has disintegrated, but it all seems to be part of a strange bug for a number of people.

Nothing has announced Nothing OS 5.0, its Android 17 update, which will start rolling out in October with some redesigned UI elements, more AI features, new apps, and support for Google’s 3D emoji too.

Samsung’s new Galaxy S27 Ultra is getting a massive redesign and, thanks to the latest leak, we’ve got a better look at what to expect, but we’re also now bracing for a major price hike.

Wyze is refreshing its 360-degree Indoor Cam Pan with an improved design and better night vision, and a price of just $40.

Ahead of Snapdragon Summit 2026 next month, Qualcomm is previewing three components of its “next-generation Snapdragon flagship platform” (chip), starting with the Oryon CPU today.

Good morning and happy Tuesday. It’s the perfect time to read conspiracies about who exactly made the new Ox Alpha AI model, cry about coffee getting even more expensive, add this fun daily typing challenge to your morning routine, and listen to r/indieheads’ top 106 songs of 2010 to 2026.

As a reminder, Inbox is the tech newsletter you should be able to read in around 95 seconds. We cover the most important 9to5Google stories from the last couple of days along with a few highlights from around the web. We publish every Tuesday and Thursday, and if you like what you read, please subscribe.

The monthly “Google System Release Notes” primarily detail what’s new in Play services, Play Store, and Play system update across Android phones/tablets, Wear OS, Google/Android TV, Auto, and PC. Some features apply to end users, while others are aimed at developers.

A year in tech used to bring about big, bold changes. Today, things are iterative, merely refinements, and that has never been more apparent than going from the Pixel 10 to the Pixel 11. Here’s what you need to know.

“HiLight” on the Pixel 11 Pro doesn’t provide much utility, but making matters worse, it also worsens a common use case of every other phone’s rear LED – the ability to use it as a flashlight.

On the Pixel 11 Pro, we’re seeing a new “Device help” tool for the Gemini app that provides personalized and conversational assistance with your phone.

The Philips Hue Sync Box lets you match up your smart home lighting to what’s on your TV, but it’s not cheap. A new “Lite” version is coming, though, which cuts the price drastically by only having a single HDMI input, while a “Sync Camera” simplifies the setup for TVs without additional inputs.

Waze’s live alerts that track police sightings, speed cameras, and more are coming to the Rivian R1 and R2.