After experiencing a video call through Google’s Project Starline, the most impressive part of the demo was the ability to make meaningful eye contact.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle’s Project Starline has a secret weapon – eye contact
Author
Kyle Bradshaw joined 9to5Google in 2018 with a special interest in Google’s Fuchsia OS, rooted in his experience of being the first to offer a visual preview of the revolutionary design of the in-development operating system. Since then, his attention has broadened to include the secrets hidden within other areas of Google’s public codebases.
By reading the public Fuchsia code, Kyle was able to prove the existence of the Nest Mini and the Nest Hub Max months ahead of their respective announcements. With evidence from Chromium, he reported on Google’s since-canceled efforts to create an offshoot of Android designed for “touchless” feature phones.
In 2018, Kyle reported on three distinct Made by Google Chromebooks in development, the Pixel Slate, the Pixelbook Go — a full year before its release — and “Meowth,” the original version of the Pixel Slate that was canceled due to Intel’s delays that year. For ChromeOS itself, Kyle was the first to demonstrate the upcoming light theme redesign in action.
Looking at the early evidence of the Pixel 5’s specs, Kyle accurately predicted in February 2020 that the Pixel 5 might not be a traditional “flagship” phone. In 2021, he reported that Google’s next headset would be the “Pixel Buds A.”
Kyle was the first to report that the Pixel 6 would mark the debut of Google’s in-house processors, later revealed to be the Tensor chips.
Kyle contributes to the APK Insight column at 9to5Google, discovering the hidden changes in Google’s apps. These efforts have revealed hotly anticipated features, details about upcoming devices, and unexpected connections between companies.
He can be reached for tips or just friendly chat by Threads, Mastodon, Bluesky, or email. If you’re looking for his other works or side projects, head over to Kyle’s personal portfolio.
NotebookLM goes global, gains web and Google Slides support
NotebookLM, Google’s free tool for using AI to study or ask questions about a specific set of information, is massively expanding across the globe and gaining new support for websites and Google Slides.
Expand Expanding CloseNew Nest hardware is coming, but will Gemini be ready?
For more than a year now, Google has made it clear that this is the company’s “Gemini era.” With what seems to be a Nest hardware renaissance on the horizon, where does Google’s smart home fit into the Gemini era?
Expand Expanding CloseWear OS 5 boosts battery life, Developer Preview available now
Google is launching the first preview of Wear OS 5, which is set to significantly improve battery life for smartwatches.
Expand Expanding CloseGemini Nano is coming to Chrome, starting with ‘Help Me Write’
Google is bringing its signature AI-assisted “Help Me Write” feature to the Chrome browser with help from Gemini Nano.
Expand Expanding CloseWhat’s new for developers at Google I/O 2024
While there were quite a few exciting consumer announcements during Google’s annual conference, Google I/O has always been a developer-focused event. Here’s everything developers will want to know from Google I/O 2024.
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Marc Rebillet champions AI-assisted music at Google I/O: ‘The machine is good’
As part of the Google I/O 2024 pre-show, musical guest Marc Rebillet showcased Google’s MusicFX AI generation tool, incorporating it into his signature “Loop Daddy” style.
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NotebookLM gains podcast-like audio overviews with live Q&A
Google is upgrading NotebookLM, its AI tool for asking questions about a set of documents, with new “audio overviews” that generate a podcast-like discussion between two speakers.
Expand Expanding CloseChromebooks may soon offer Spatial Audio
Google is working to bring Spatial Audio to Chromebooks, enabling a more immersive listening experience.
Expand Expanding CloseYou can check out ChromeOS’s upcoming App Mall today
Set to launch in the coming months, the new “App Mall” for ChromeOS is available now to preview (even if you’re not on a Chromebook).
Expand Expanding CloseAdobe sunsets Photoshop Mix and Photoshop Fix on Android
In an email going out to the apps’ users, Adobe has announced that it will soon be shutting down the Photoshop Mix and Photoshop Fix apps on Android.
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Former Stadia exclusive Orcs Must Die! 3 is currently free on Epic Games Store
Once upon a time, Google had a cloud gaming platform with a handful of exclusive titles, many (but not all) of which have thankfully reappeared on other platforms. If you never got your chance to play Orcs Must Die! 3 on Google Stadia, you can now pick it up for free on the Epic Games Store.
Expand Expanding CloseGeForce Now gains a Steam Deck installer, 7 new games
Nvidia has announced a simplified new way to install GeForce Now on the Steam Deck, opening the handheld to the service’s hundreds of streamable titles.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle Discover adds ‘Shopping’ card to ‘your space,’ promotes Mother’s Day gifts
Last month, Google reworked the cards that appear at the top of your Discover feed. Now, the company is expanding what it calls “your space” with a new Shopping card to promote deals you may be interested in.
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Google Play quickly proves it knows almost nothing about Sonic the Hedgehog [Updated]
In a bizarre set of posts, the official Google Play account on Twitter/X has shared a wildly inaccurate timeline of Sonic the Hedgehog designs over the years.
Expand Expanding CloseChromeOS is about to change its default font
After years of defaulting to Google’s well-loved Roboto font, it seems the company is preparing to change ChromeOS to use a new default font in most cases.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle confirms Wear OS 5 and Android TV updates are coming, more at I/O
We’re just a few weeks away from Google I/O 2024, and the company has seemingly revealed that major updates are coming in the form of Wear OS 5 and a new version of Android TV.
Expand Expanding CloseNew ‘Nest Audio’ and ‘Nest Hub Max’ spotted in Google Home app
Things are really heating up for Google’s 2024 hardware releases, and the hits keep coming. In the latest update to the Google Home app, our team has found evidence of a new Nest Audio speaker and, surprisingly, a new Nest Hub Max.
Expand Expanding CloseWear OS-powered Google smartwatch shows up at FCC, but it’s likely not Pixel Watch 3
Ahead of what is sure to be a busy year of hardware launches for Google, a new Wear OS-powered smartwatch has been listed with the FCC today, but it doesn’t seem to be the Pixel Watch 3.
Expand Expanding CloseComment: Google One VPN may have suffered from a lack of trust
Last week, Google announced that it would soon shut down the VPN service included with Google One. The company pointed to it only being used by a fraction of subscribers, and I wonder if part of that is due to a lack of consumer trust.
Expand Expanding CloseAcer unveils Chromebook Plus 514 w/ all-day battery for $399
Today, Acer is showcasing its latest ChromeOS hardware, the Chromebook Plus 514, striking a strong balance between affordability, productivity, and portability.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle Photos readies ‘Collections’ tab and clutter filter
Google Photos is preparing to replace the Library tab with a redesigned “Collections” page alongside a new way to filter out “clutter.”
Expand Expanding ClosePixel Tablet will let you ‘Look and Sign’ to Assistant
Following rumors of a Pixel Tablet 2 in the works, Google appears to be readying a new “Look and Sign” feature to enable a new way to interact with the Google Assistant.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle’s next foldable may be the ‘Pixel 9 Pro Fold’
According to a new report, Google appears to be aligning its next foldable Android phone with the rest of this fall’s Pixel 9 lineup by branding it the “Pixel 9 Pro Fold.”
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