Good morning! Today, I’m searching for Prime Day deals, watching Chris Rock masterfully dodge questions about The Slap, questioning Sam Altman about whether we have to accept “some bad things” to justify AI’s exponential growth, and brushing up on my chess game after many years of neglect.
As a reminder, Inbox is the tech newsletter that goes beyond the news cycle. 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.
Inbox is written by Daniel Bader. Read previous issues here, and then catch up with Ben Schoon’s excellent Weekender column published every Sunday.
⭐️ Starred
When Google bought Fitbit back in 2019, it wasn’t clear that the brand had a future.
As many companies are wont to do, Google had good reason to ingest the accessory maker’s IP and set fire to the rest — but that didn’t happen. After a few fallow years, Fitbit became the software powering the Pixel Watch’s health capabilities, and is now shifting once again to working as a standalone hardware brand within Google.
After the monumental success of the Fitbit Air in May, the company is poised to release a Charge follow-up called the Edge. The Charge series hasn’t seen a refresh since 2023, and it appears that Google is updating its design and adding a number of app-like features that should bridge the proverbial gap between tracker and smartwatch.
Of course, Google may not have known Fitbit’s true trajectory back in 2019, but it’s arrived at a place that makes sense: Fitbit’s software is now tightly integrated into all of Google’s health-related endeavors, so the brand is pivoting back to hardware where it made its mark originally.
So the question is whether the Edge, or something like it, is the right move. The Air’s success came from its accessible price ($100) and the growing trend of screenless trackers. I wear a Fitbit Air alongside either a smartwatch or a regular one, and that’s its biggest appeal. And people are going to great lengths to hide the diminutive tracker in places most wearables can’t go.
The Edge, on the other hand, is a traditional fitness tracker with a few tricks up its sleeve. Judging from the leaks, it will offer notifications, Google Maps, music controls, along with Find My Device support. And of course health tracking that, with a Google Health Premium account, includes an AI-powered fitness coach that’s proven its mettle over the past few months.
I doubt the Edge will have the same cultural impact as the Air, but I also see its existence as proof that Google understands why it bought Fitbit in the first place. Now that it’s plumbed the company for all of its wares, Fitbit rises once again where it all started: with cheap hardware that does just enough well to keep users happy.
✉️ Inbox
- Samsung reportedly confirms November launch for first Android XR glasses. You’d be forgiven for forgetting that Samsung’s first pair of Android XR smart glasses is slated to ship in 2026. Because I’d forgotten too.
- Huawei’s Mate 90 Pro Max says ‘why not’ and just lets you add an entire camera. This is possibly the most insane phone that I’ve seen this year, and that’s saying something.
- Samsung officially raises Galaxy S26 prices by $100, but it hasn’t changed everywhere. Phones are getting more expensive, but raising the price by $100 three months before its successor is not a good look.
- HP’s MacBook Neo competitor is $699 with an OLED display and plenty of catches. This is a really nice laptop, but you absolutely won’t be paying $699 for it when all’s said and done.
- Vivo X Fold 6 skips the wide form factor, but will launch globally with strong cameras
- Samsung’s open-ear Galaxy Buds On go official with late October release. I’m not a fan of this style of headphone, but at least these ones will be checks price only $200.
- Google Messages rolls out new long-press menu with partial copying [Updated]. Our long non-copying nightmare is over.
- Nvidia Shield TV Pro is now $299 – a $100 price hike seven years after the Android TV box launched. Nvidia almost singlehandedly caused the RAM crisis, so I think the company should be giving these away free, not increasing the price by 50%.
- Pixel 10a gets a $100 price hike, now starting at $599. Oof, this one hurts.
- Nothing will let you test new products early with its ‘Community Review’ program. This is how OnePlus got such a loyal following, and Carl Pei is doing it again with Nothing.
- YouTube says Shorts recommendations won’t surface unoriginal content. I don’t really understand why this hasn’t always been the case.
- Gemini app gains new ‘Map’ tool, replacing ‘/’ with ‘@’. /@/@/@/@
- Google already rolling out Android 17 QPR3 Beta 1 for Pixel. Big update, tiny changelog.
- Gemini app limiting what models free & AI Plus users can access, AI Pro adding Deep Think. It won’t be a popular decision, but it makes sense as Google prepares to widely release Gemini 4 Argon to compete with OpenAI and Anthropic.
- Pixel 12 series leak allegedly reveals model numbers, display specs, no wide Fold. Nothing interesting here except for the fact that Google doesn’t seem to be interested in following the wide foldable trend.
- Fantastical’s long-awaited Android debut begins today on Googlebook. Flexibits is an Apple-first company, so it’s pretty interesting that it’s bringing Fantastical to Googlebook. I love this app so I’m pretty stoked that it’s going to come to Android proper next year, too.
- Google Maps now lets you turn your car into a McLaren F1. Vroom, vroom.
- Googlebooks with Intel chipsets might have trouble with ‘complex’ Android apps. Two steps forward…
- ChatGPT is adding new ads. And they’re worse than you could possibly imagine.
Android Auto is a hot mess
- Android Auto prepares support for Google Pixel’s Magic Cue & Proactive Assistance
- Android Auto might start requiring Android 11 or later soon, driver reports suggest
- Google confirms Android Auto updates & fixes for media apps – the squiggly line is here to stay.
- Gemini for Android Auto is just giving up on answers for some drivers
- Google confirms fix for Android Auto’s missing signal icon is rolling out
Catch up on all of our Pixel 10-year retrospective content
- What has been the best Google Pixel to date? [Poll]
- Google Pixel turns 10 years old today, and we’re still talking about it
- The Pixel 3a might be the most important Google smartphone to date
- The Pixel 4 is still my favorite Google smartphone hardware, and it holds up
- The Pixel 5 doesn’t get enough credit for making the best of a bad situation
- Google’s original Pixel Fold was the right idea years ahead of its time
🤝 Cc: Myriam Joire
Welcome to Cc:, where I ask interesting people in the community about what’s making them happy both inside and outside the world of tech. This week, I’m speaking with Myriam Joire (aka. @tnkgrl), a tech & car journalist and host of the Mobile Tech Podcast.
Who are you?
Myriam Joire (aka. @tnkgrl)
What do you do for work?
I’m a tech & car journalist, podcaster, product & media strategy consultant, speaker, and ex-game developer. I host the Mobile Tech Podcast.
What do you do for fun?
Listen to music, take photos, drive.
What is your relationship like with technology these days?
It’s complicated. I still very much love tech, but I strongly dislike the tech industry, tech bros, Silicon Valley’s greed, and the enshittification of tech.
What are three apps you can’t live without?
Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Photos. Sorry I’m boring (I’m not an app person).
What is a gadget that you love right now?
Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro, Google Pixel Watch 5, Oppo Find X9 Ultra, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8, Dell XPS 13.
How does AI fit into your life right now?
I mostly use Gemini, mostly for work, to brainstorm headlines for SEO, to create short review summaries, to summarize long documents, and to transcribe my podcast. I use AI photo editing tools (from Google/Samsung/Oppo/Xiaomi/Honor/Apple) for minor edits. I also use Auphonic to clean up audio for my podcast when traditional processing falls short.
What’s a recent book you loved, and why?
Tomboy Survival Guide by Ivan Coyote (because I’m a tomboy).
What’s a recent album you loved, and why?
Echoes — Ancient and Modern by Trevor Horn (because it features covers of artists I love, performed by artists I love, with Trevor Horn’s exquisite production work).
What’s a recent TV show you loved, and why?
Star City on Apple TV+ (because I enjoyed For All Mankind and The Man in the High Castle and generally like alternative universe stories).
What’s a recent movie you loved, and why?
Sinners (because of the vampires, non-white protagonists, and impeccable cinematography).
What’s a recent game you loved, and why?
I don’t play games beyond classics like Tetris (shhh, don’t tell anyone!) What kind of ex-game dev am I?
What’s something offline you do every day that brings you joy?
I walk to the coffee shop every morning after I wake up, get my Americano with cream in my own cup, and then sit (preferably outside) and enjoy drinking it while watching people.
➡️ FWD:
This section has some of our favorite stuff from around the internet. Great videos, weird memes, fun reads, recommended apps, whatever. Send us your recommendations!
I’ve been an Ember Mug user for years, despite being told by practically everyone that it’s a waste of money. But I can’t put a price on drinking perfect-temperature coffee on a busy Saturday morning.
The Ember Mug 3 has an upgrade I appreciate more than any other: you can put it in the dishwasher. The 14-ounce mug also lets you set the temperature directly on the mug, and Ember claims over three hours of battery life with the included sliding lid. It’s $150, so it remains an expensive answer to cooling coffee.
If you don’t need the additional battery life and waterproofing over the previous generation, the Ember Mug 2 is down to $100 right now for Prime Big Deal Days.
If you’ve never sat down for a Noclip documentary, you need to set aside a weekend or two to catch up. The studio has covered everything from classics like Half-Life and Dishonored to modern gems like Disco Elysium and Hades.
Now they’re back with a six-part series on Hades II, the first of which is available now. Supergiant Games feels like an anomaly in the gaming industry, a small, tight-knit studio based in San Francisco that makes ambitious, weird games that always seem to sell well. It’s a good news story in an industry that lacks a lot of it right now.
🤑 Action items
It’s Fall Prime Day (also known as Prime Big Deal Days), and I’ve been looking for headphone discounts.
The Nothing Headphone (1) is down to $189, its lowest price ever and a very good deal if you’re looking for great-sounding over-ear headphones. The Nothing (3) earbuds are also down to $99, far below their previous low of $129.
Most of Sony’s high-end headphones are on sale, including the WH-1000XM5s at $198, which matches their lowest price ever. The newer WH-1000XM6s are also down to their lowest price ever at $378, $20 lower than during Prime Day in June. And the WF-1000XM6 earbuds are at $258, also an all-time low. You can also get the same deals from Sony directly, if you’re into that.
Finally, the AirPods Pro 3 are down to $179, which is a great deal on the most popular earbuds on earth.
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Inbox is taking a week off, so I’ll talk to you on October 15th. Thanks for reading, and have a great day.
-Daniel
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