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Be the MapQuest you want to see in the world

Google morning. How many times have you written that before? I hope you had a lovely final weekend before Labor Day. This morning, I’m reading about tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of pristine Duck Hunt cartridges found in a box in Wisconsin, vigorously nodding my head along to John Oliver’s takedown of subscription bloat (but remember to subscribe to 9to5Google Pro anyway!), and wishing I had a 3D printer to create my dream storage and organization system.

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.

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Samsung Galaxy flagships are a hit in the midst of RAMageddon – why?

As the impact of RAMageddon continues, a couple of this week’s key stories have had me thinking – is the somewhat-boring nature of Samsung’s year-over-year Galaxy flagship refreshes the exact thing making these devices a hit?


This issue of 9to5Google Weekender is a part of our newsletter that highlights the biggest Google stories with added commentary and more. Sign up here to get Weekender delivered to your inbox every weekend, and catch our weekday roundups too!


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Everyone’s talking to their phones again

Good morning and happy Thursday. Today I’m donating to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in her honor, reading about OpenAI’s incredibly powerful new AI inference chip, pretending to read Bill Gates’ 6,000-word essay about AI’s diverging futures, and actually watching this 2-hour deep dive of the upcoming Thief: The Dark Project Remastered instead.

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.

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The real reason to buy a Pixel 11 Pro

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.

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Google’s inevitable ‘Pixel Watch Ultra’ should copy the Fitbit Air

It feels rather inevitable that Google will give in to the whole “Ultra” smartwatch fad, and when something along the lines of a “Pixel Watch Ultra” does arrive, I really hope it pulls influence from Fitbit Air.


This issue of 9to5Google Weekender is a part of our newsletter that highlights the biggest Google stories with added commentary and more. Sign up here to get Weekender delivered to your inbox every weekend, and catch our weekday roundups too!


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The trials and tribulations of reviewing a Pixel

Good morning and happy Thursday. We’ve got Pixel reviews galore, a new look at Insomniac’s upcoming Wolverine game, a crazy story about prolific phone scammers, and an updated version of Qwen 3.8 that I’ll be spending the next few days tweaking to my liking.

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.

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Google’s got Spirit (yes it does)

Good morning. I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Today I’m reading more about Anthropic’s strange new text watermarking process, watching this historic Joshua Baéz home run recap on repeat, listening to the incredible new Phoebe Bridgers album, and getting stuck into Daniel Mason’s new satire, Country People.

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.

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Pixel 11 Pro’s ‘HiLight’ is another half-baked feature burdened by bad first impressions

There are a few trends that have shown up on Pixel phones over the years, but one of the most frustrating is that Google keeps launching half-baked features on its devices that take way too long to reach their potential, just to be taken away afterwards. “HiLight” is the worst example of that to date.


This issue of 9to5Google Weekender is a part of our newsletter that highlights the biggest Google stories with added commentary and more. Sign up here to get Weekender delivered to your inbox every weekend, and catch our weekday roundups too!


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Live from New York, it’s another awkward Pixel keynote

Good morning. What a day yesterday — we had a huge Google hardware event, a total solar eclipse, a truly terrible AI album, and a couple of powerful, cheap AI models released that are sure to make Google sweat. Oh, and we’ve made it to 10 issues!

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.

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An app store for your app store

Good morning, hope you had a great weekend. Today I’m reading about Anthony Bourdain’s early years, depicted through the film Tony releasing this week, listening to Broken Social Scene’s new album after seeing them live this weekend, merging all my chats in the new version of Beeper, and finding open-source alternatives to everything at OpenAltFinder.

Tomorrow is basically Christmas for the 9to5Google editors. Google is announcing its latest batch of phones, tablets, and accessories (?). Based on the bevy of leaks over the past few weeks, I’m not anticipating any major surprises, but it’s still a good time to be a phone fan.

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.

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The Pixel 11 won’t be exciting – what do you want next year?

We’re just a few days out from the launch of Google’s Pixel 11 series and, at this point, it’s all out there. And, yeah, it’s shaping up to be a pretty boring year, and that’s got me thinking about what I want from next year’s Pixel 12 series.


This issue of 9to5Google Weekender is a part of our newsletter that highlights the biggest Google stories with added commentary and more. Sign up here to get Weekender delivered to your inbox every weekend, and catch our weekday roundups too!


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Hey Google, Assistant isn’t going away quietly

Good morning. Today I’m reading about just how sophisticated OpenAI’s Hugging Face hack really was, and how we may soon talk telepathically to our AI agents. I’m finishing up Silo season 3 and actively avoiding Ted Lasso season 4. I’m also trying out Ozlo’s new Sleepbuds 2, which apparently improve on the original’s sound quality and battery life.

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.

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Phones are getting fun (and weird) again

Hey, how’s it going? I hope you had a lovely weekend. I was off last week, relaxing by the water, trying to finish a harrowing Booker Prize-winning novel about Australian POWs during WWII, rekindling my love for Love & Basketball, and playing far too much Lumines Remastered on my Fold 8. I also caught up on the latest drama between OpenAI and Anthropic and briefly considered switching to Deezer just so I could whip the llama’s ass one more time.

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.

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The Pixel 11 will be a perfect storm of bad timing

It’s all leaked at this point. We know just about everything the Pixel 11 is bringing to the table, and, well, it feels a bit underwhelming, doesn’t it?


This issue of 9to5Google Weekender is a part of our newsletter that highlights the biggest Google stories with added commentary and more. Sign up here to get Weekender delivered to your inbox every weekend, and catch our weekday roundups too!


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Gemini in your living room on wheels

Hey there, it’s Thursday and that means we’re one day closer to the weekend. What are you up to? I’m currently deciding what color Fold 8 to buy, listening to the excellent (and weird) new Strokes album, and installing a 26B parameter Gemma 4 model on an 8GB MacBook Air.

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.

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Is this the start of Android’s efficiency era?

Welcome to Inbox, I hope you had a lovely weekend. I’m on vacation this week, which means when I’m not failing to ignore my own inbox, I’m hoping to read a few books that have been sitting on my to-read shelf since the spring. What are you reading these days? Let me know by replying to this email or leaving a comment on the site.

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.

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The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is Samsung preparing for battle, but is it enough?

There was a bit of an undertone present in Samsung’s latest Unpacked keynote. Not one of progress or triumph, but what felt a bit like fear. After seven years, the foldable market is about to enter uncharted territory and, frankly, I’m not sure Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 series will be able to hold its ground.


This issue of 9to5Google Weekender is a part of our newsletter that highlights the biggest Google stories with added commentary and more. Sign up here to get Weekender delivered to your inbox every weekend, and catch our weekday roundups too!


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Samsung and Google are betting they can avoid Meta’s ‘perv glasses’ problem

Welcome back to Inbox, hope you’re enjoying your Thursday so far. Yesterday was a busy day for all of us and, mea culpa, I accidentally pressed send on a newsletter detailing the new Samsung foldables and wearables before it had been edited. As a pretty uncompromising editor myself, I can only believe this is the universe’s (or my former writers’) way of getting me back. Big L on my part.

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.

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Google is having an incredibly busy year

Welcome back to Inbox, hope you had a nice weekend, particularly if you were cheering for a certain European football team. Given Argentina’s late-game heroics throughout the World Cup, I’m surprised there were no last-minute goals to tie things up, but I’ll admit that Spain was the better team throughout the match.

Still, if you’re in North America, I think this recent headline from The Onion is spot on: Nation Wakes Up From Strange Dream Where They Were Watching Soccer. For the rest of the world, the countdown to World Cup 2030 starts…now.

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OnePlus died with a whimper, not a bang

OnePlus is dead – actually for real this time. It’s got me looking back on my experiences with the brand’s smartphones, the absolute roller coaster that it was, and how OnePlus briefly sparked joy in a way that no one else way, resulting in two of my favorite Android phones of all time. And dang it, I’m a little sad now.


This issue of 9to5Google Weekender is a part of our newsletter that highlights the biggest Google stories with added commentary and more. Sign up here to get Weekender delivered to your inbox every weekend, and catch our weekday roundups too!


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The Gemini theory of everything

Welcome back to Inbox, hope you’re having a great Thursday so far. Yesterday, like many people in the northeast, I woke up to smoky skies and an acrid haze I could practically taste. Things definitely feel a little apocalyptic, but at least we have a World Cup Final match to look forward to this weekend. Go Argentina!

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.

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Inbox by 9to5Google: One is the loneliest number

Welcome to the inaugural issue of Inbox by 9to5Google, a newsletter that’s also a love letter to the days when email (and email apps) were simpler and more opinionated.

To start, we’ll be sending issues on Tuesday and Thursday, but hopefully with time we’ll be able to add more daily sends. And don’t worry, Ben’s excellent Weekender newsletter will continue to be published every Sunday afternoon.

Inbox is the tech newsletter you should be able to read in 95 seconds or less. We’ll cover the most important story from the previous day along with a few highlights from around the web.

Ready? Let’s get started.

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The problems with Google Pixel price hikes

Like everything else in the tech industry, Google’s Pixel 11 series appears to be getting a price hike, but there are a few factors that make this one a bit harder to accept.


This issue of 9to5Google Weekender is a part of our newsletter that highlights the biggest Google stories with added commentary and more. Sign up here to get Weekender delivered to your inbox every weekend, and catch our weekday roundups too!


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