Or, how I went all-in on info density. The Pixel Watch 2 introduces six new watch faces, and here’s how I would rank them from worst to best:

Since the addition of Gmail and Google Calendar, I’ve been using my Pixel Watch (2) so much more to triage and take other quick actions, such as marking off completed Tasks. I’m finding that my biggest entry point into the apps are their excellent Tiles. There are a good number of first-party apps available today, but I believe a few more should come over to Wear OS sooner than later.

Recently, I’ve been using Google News a bit more because of the customizable Following tab that feels like a cross between Google Reader of old and today’s Google Discover.

“Fast charging is better.” It’s the same response OnePlus has had for years now when it’s asked about the lack of wireless charging on its flagship Android smartphones. And, now that we’re hearing it yet again about the $1,700 OnePlus Open, I’m just so tired of it.

We reported earlier this week on signs in the Google app that “Iris” glass development is proceeding after reportedly being canceled earlier this year. I’m of the opinion that Google, since 2015, should have continued consumer development of Glass as a pre-AR wearable given that the display technology is far from ready.

Back in November, we reported that Google was working on Gmail and Calendar apps for Wear OS. They’re now available, and I’m finding that triaging email from your wrist is weirdly handy. 

Google this week debuted the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, which, on paper, look fantastic. But as we mentioned in our hands-on coverage, it all depends on Tensor G3, which literally just needs to pass the bar of being not terrible.

“Have you ever questioned the nature of your reality?”

That question from Westworld, which had a phenomenal first season and then… went to Cold Storage, has been on my mind since seeing the Pixel’s editing capabilities in Google Photos. However, my hesitation dates back to the Camouflage feature announced at I/O 2022.  

Google announced its last Chromebook in 2019. The lack of a new Pixelbook since then has frankly made sense. The ChromeOS hardware space has greatly matured over the past several years with many premium and quality mid-range devices available. Simply put, there was no need for Google to build a halo device.

In just a few days, Google will host an event in New York City to unveil the Pixel 8 series and the Pixel Watch 2. Here’s everything you should expect to see from the event.

“A social network for music” is how Steve Jobs described iTunes Ping in September 2010. I still think it’s a good idea that has the chance of being realized at scale by YouTube Music and its new ability to access comments directly on the Now Playing screen.

Whenever Apple releases a major OS update, as it did last Monday with iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and watchOS 10, developers – both large but especially indie – release a slew of day one updates to support the latest platform features.

For the last decade, I’ve been a diehard Android user, with the only iOS device really in my personal lineup being an iPad Pro. But, this week, I took delivery of an iPhone 15 Pro, and after a day using it, I’ve got… well, a whole lot of thoughts.

Before Google started “Get The Message,” its campaign to pressure Apple on RCS for the iPhone played out in press interviews, tweets, and even on-stage at I/O:

Like YouTube Music replacing Play Music, I do wonder if Google TV will eventually be subsumed by YouTube from a product and branding perspective.

Apple this week launched the iPhone 15 Pro, its first smartphone made with a titanium frame. That launch will bring the material to the masses, but it also reminds us of 2017’s Essential Phone, the short-lived Android phone that had a premium build that was so far ahead of its time.

Gmail and Google Calendar are enterprise apps first and foremost. They are developed by the Google Workspace team, which is part of Google Cloud, and target business customers to compete against Microsoft.

My initial thoughts about the Pixel Fold were focused on how I love it as Google’s smallest phone and that what’s next for me would be using the foldable screen more.

Smartphones have, over the past several years, gotten more than a little boring. While the Google Pixel 6 series was a big deal, its sequel wasn’t really anything special. Soon, though, the Pixel 8 series will make its debut, and really, there’s quite a bit to get excited about.

I’ve been writing about Waymo from afar since 2017, so finally being able to actually use the product was a trip, literally. Last week in San Francisco, I took two Waymo One rides as a completely normal passenger.

Instead of the stable release of Android 14 for Pixel phones, as well as the Fold and Tablet, we got a series of Google app updates and updated branding this morning. While unexpected, this isn’t Google’s latest OS release just yet.

This week, Google announced that it would discontinue its Pixel Pass subscription service after less than two years – before subscribers could actually reap some of the benefits of the subscription they thought they had been paying for.

The other day I was manually entering upcoming events that were listed on a website into Google Calendar. Several years ago, I could just activate Google Now on Tap and have most of that information automatically filled. 

The Pixel Fold launched 3-4 months before the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro. If you just bought a Google foldable and are mostly happy with it, I highly doubt the 8 series will cause you to change your daily driver.