Android TV has been replaced, but it’s apparently still getting new, unique features of its own. Why?
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Will ‘Hey Google’ ever become ‘Hey Gemini’
My reservations about Google calling all of its AI features “Gemini” remain, but most users seem to like the branding change. One thing I’ve seen people speculate about is a “Hey Gemini” hotword in the future.
Expand Expanding CloseGemini on your phone but Google Assistant in your ears
In testing the Gemini app over the past week, my usage of Google Assistant through Pixel Buds Pro has skyrocketed, and I’m actually liking the balance.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle Maps speed trap and accident reporting is increasingly useless
Using a navigation app when out on the road is what just about everyone does nowadays, but these apps are useful for more than just getting directions from point A to point B. Google Maps has supported incident reporting for quite some time, but as we keep moving forward, the feature is becoming essentially useless due to neglect.
Expand Expanding CloseGemini & how ‘all of this has happened before’ with Google Assistant
In writing about how Gemini is not ready to replace Google Assistant on Android, I’m struck by déjà vu. All the features that Gemini needs to be a good phone assistant is something that another Google product already figured out.
Expand Expanding CloseI wish Android Auto’s dashboard better supported multiple split-screen apps
The latest redesign of Android Auto brings a useful new “dashboard” view that can show multiple pieces of information at once, but I wish it was better at supporting multiple apps at once.
Expand Expanding CloseThe Gemini name: Good for consistency, but a bit pigeonholed
Google renamed “Bard” to “Gemini” as part of launching mobile apps and an Advanced tier. While I was never a fan of the Bard name, Google might be pigeonholing itself by calling everything Gemini.
Expand Expanding CloseApple Vision Pro for the Google (and Android) user
Chrome. I need Google’s browser on visionOS even if it’s just the iPad version. That’s the thing I’m missing the most as a heavy user of Google apps since getting Apple Vision Pro.
Expand Expanding CloseIt’s impressive just how truly terrible Samsung Keyboard is
Over the years, Samsung has made huge improvements to its Android skin, but there’s one thing that’s still pretty awful. Samsung Keyboard is very bad, and it’s honestly a bit impressive just how bad it is in the year 2024.
Expand Expanding CloseLaunching Circle to Search with gesture nav is just frustrating
Circle to Search is great – and very much a continuation of Now on Tap that Google should have prominently maintained as a core Android experience instead of relegating to Assistant for a few years – but how you launch it with gesture navigation is driving me mad.
Expand Expanding CloseThe line from Google Glass to Apple Vision Pro
In a few hours, I’ll get to use Apple Vision Pro for the first time. It’s frankly a moment I’ve been waiting for since April 4, 2012.
Expand Expanding CloseWhy did Google release a Pixel Feature Drop in January?
Google ended 2023 with a pretty sizable Pixel Feature Drop where the camera took center stage. There was Video Boost + Night Sight Video for the 8 Pro, as well as Night Sight timelapse for the 8/Pro. All users benefited from being able to turn their Pixel into a laptop/desktop webcam, while the Pixel Fold picked up Dual Screen Preview and customizable app aspect ratios (Tablet too).
Expand Expanding CloseCalculating critiques of the Android and iPhone Calculator apps
To be blunt, the default Calculator app on the iPhone is really bad. Apple just replicated a standard/scientific calculator without adding any additional features.
Expand Expanding CloseWhat do you want from a Pixel Watch 3?
We reported on Friday that Google is working on two sizes for the Pixel Watch 3. That should address people’s biggest complaint about the Pixel Watch line, but what else do you think Google should tackle?
Expand Expanding CloseI think I’d really love Galaxy S24’s AI features if I actually liked Samsung’s apps
It’s only been a couple of weeks, but AI is absolutely the big buzzword of 2024, and Samsung’s Galaxy S24 series is betting big on the tech. And, somewhat shockingly, the Galaxy AI suite is really quite good, but the problem I’m facing so far is that the Samsung apps they’re tied to are not ones I want to use.
Expand Expanding CloseWhat will Google’s Apple Vision Pro support look like?
Last week, Apple named some of the third-party apps that will be available for its spatial computing platform. No Google productivity or entertainment services were explicitly mentioned for Vision Pro. For the latter, we got “Disney+, Max, and other services,” while Microsoft 365 and Slack were the big work names.
Expand Expanding ClosePixel Fold and OnePlus Open are opposites – that’s why they’re the best foldables
Foldable smartphones aren’t “new” at this point, but 2023 was easily the most impactful year yet for the form factor. Two devices in particular stand out amongst the new releases – the OnePlus Open and the Google Pixel Fold.
Expand Expanding CloseYouTube Music is missing too many podcast basics
The best part of Google Podcasts was its simplicity. Google built a service that was fairly basic in terms of layout/navigation and functionality, but the app didn’t feel barebones. It had everything a podcasting client needed and those that wanted something more advanced could easily switch to another application thanks to the openness and portability of RSS.
Expand Expanding CloseWhat’s coming to Android in 2024
CES 2024 is underway and Google has a number of announcements across phones, tablets, TVs, and cars:
Expand Expanding CloseQi2 is ready, but what will be the first Android phone to support it?
As CES 2024 kicks off this week, we’re reminded of one of last year’s biggest announcements. The new Qi2 standard was announced last January with support for MagSafe as a universal standard, but we haven’t heard much about support for Qi2 in new Android phones. What will be the first one?
Expand Expanding CloseAll Chromebooks should have fingerprint sensors by now
It’s 2024 and the vast majority of Chromebooks don’t have fingerprint sensors. Biometric authentication has become the norm on smartphones, but most ChromeOS users are still typing in a password. (Having to enter your Google Account credentials so often in public seems like a bad idea.)
Expand Expanding CloseAll I want from Google in 2024 is a coherent AR strategy
Google not being at the forefront of augmented reality is a real shame. With Glass, Cardboard, and Daydream in the mid-2010s, Google seemed well on its way to owning the next form factor. All those efforts are dead.
Expand Expanding CloseThe Pixel Tablet is the product Google needs to improve most in 2024
2023 saw Google’s first push into bigger screens in its Pixel lineup and with that, some growing pains. As 2024 beings, it’s the Pixel Tablet that Google has the most room for improvement on out of its current lineup, and arguably the one that needs it the most.
Expand Expanding CloseOde to Pixel Recorder
Recorder is for transcribing audio, and that singular focus feels rare in modern apps that are packed to the brim with (tangentially) related capabilities. I almost equate it to a single-purpose physical tool, while the only other equivalent piece of software that comes to mind is Calculator.
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