Send tips/talk to abner@9to5mac.com or @technacity (open DMs).
Abner Li has worked at 9to5Google since 2015 and in late 2020 took on the role of editor-in-chief. He is keenly focused on tracking what happens at Google, and is often the first to spot new features in Google’s ever-growing family of applications that are updated on a daily basis, including Search, Assistant, Maps, Workspace, Android, Chrome/OS, Wear OS, and YouTube Music.
To him, what Google does greatly impacts the technology space and modern life. Inside the company, he is particularly interested in the key products mentioned above, as well as services like Google Podcasts and Google Lens. Each are massive platforms that can be unwieldy to grasp, with Abner keenly bent on understanding their philosophy and future direction. He is most excited about Google’s plans for augmented reality glasses.
Abner spearheads the APK Insight program at 9to5Google to chronicle all changes in the company’s Android apps, often finding new features before they are officially announced. This includes redesigns and revamps, launches, and new products.
A big area of interest is Google’s hardware division, including Pixel, Fitbit, and Nest. He detailed all of the Pixel 3’s camera features before launch and scooped the 2nd-generation Nest Hub’s Soli-powered Sleep Sensing capability, including how it would integrate with Google Fit.
Recently, Abner detailed the Pixel Watch’s specs in full before launch, including bands and pricing. He also got wind of the Pixel Tablet’s ultimate form factor.
Made by Google products are known for machine learning-powered features that automatically respond to user habits. “Adaptive Sound” looks to be the latest capability coming to Google’s Pixel phones.
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Over the past few years, Google has been growing a mostly food-centric social network inside its mapping application. Google Maps is now elevating that focus even further with a community feed.
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Last December, Google brought Assistant’s real-time translation tool to mobile after debuting on Smart Displays and speakers earlier in 2019. Google is now providing even quicker access to Assistant Interpreter Mode with a dedicated app shortcut for Android.
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Opening a PDF uploaded to Google Drive provides a basic preview. You’ve long been able to edit PDF files by selecting the “Open with Google Docs” option, and the import experience is now offering improved support.
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Alphabet’s DeepMind AI lab today announced that its AlphaFold system has made a “major scientific advance” in biology that could help the drug discovery process.
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As the year comes to a close, it’s time for recaps and Google Play is ready with the best Android apps and games of 2020. Given the scale of the Play Store, all lists — especially Users’ Choice — are localized. You can browse your region by tapping the “Best of 2020” banner at the top of the Play app.
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Next year, Google Chat will go free ahead of the eventual deprecation of classic Hangouts. The Google Workspace team today is highlighting upcoming changes that will begin to launch later this week.
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Last Sunday, Google kicked off Black Friday week by discounting the Pixel 5 to $649. The first-party US store looks to be having a hard time keeping them in stock as the Pixel 5 has been intermittently sold out over the past 24 hours.
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With the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL in 2018, Google released a first-party wireless charger. Since then, it has remained compatible with Google’s flagship phones and added new software features. For Black Friday, the Google Store has aggressively discounted the Pixel Stand by 50% off.
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Black Friday is fully under way and Google is pushing older Pixel owners to upgrade to the Pixel 4a 5G with a notable trade-in promotion. The US Google Store has significantly increased the trade-in value of older Made by Google devices for this one phone.
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While announced last October, the Not Pink Pixelbook Go did not become available until this January. At that, stock of the more interesting color was constrained to the higher-end and most expensive tiers, while it’s now completely unavailable.
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At $49.99, Google’s latest streaming device is already quite affordable and a great value. A Chromecast with Google TV discount was expected for Black Friday, but that has not materialized after a seeming mix up.
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Like last year, the Google Store kicked off 2020’s Black Friday deals in two stages. Some of the offers — including those for the Pixel 5 and Nest/Home speakers — went live on Sunday, and the rest are now available.
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Back in October, Google announced that Chat was going free next year as part of the eventual deprecation of classic Hangouts. The company detailed several transitions related to this, including a change to group video calling that brings Meet into the existing Hangouts app.
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Like every other phone this year, a key part of the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 are 5G speeds. In the UK, Google is running a Map-based “Mobile Cinema” game where you can find free movies as part of a Pixel 5 advertisement.
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After coming to education users in September, Google Meet attendance reports are now rolling out to enterprise customers with more insights and additional features.
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Following the web last year and Android in September, Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides for iOS can now edit Office files.
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Last week, a significant Google Fit update for Android, iOS, and wearables was announced. Google is now detailing some of the improvements made to the Fit workout experience on Wear OS.
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Last month, Google announced a number of updates to improve the underlying technology powering Search. Language understanding capabilities introduced this year allow Google to factor your past queries to suggest additional searches.
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As Thanksgiving nears, elaborate meal preparations are getting underway, and Google is adding some whimsy to turkey and food timers on the Nest Hub, as well as other Assistant Smart Displays.
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The Google Opinion Rewards app has long allowed users to answer questions and surveys in exchange for Play Store credits. Google is now trialing “Task Mate” in India to “earn money doing simple tasks on your smartphone.”
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Fitbit yesterday started rolling out Google Assistant to the Versa 3 and Sense. As part of that, users can now link their Fitbit accounts to Google Assistant for basic sleep and wellness data.
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Back in September, the Home app lost the ability to trigger Assistant Routines. Google Home 2.31 today returns that capability, while there’s a big revamp to media controls.
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In recent weeks, Google has brought its Android dialer to non-Pixel devices and tweaked the Play Store listing. It now appears that an upcoming rebrand will give the Phone app a new logo and name: “Google Call.”
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