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Exclusives Overview Updated February 7, 2020
Exclusives Stories February 7, 2020
Google is prepping to launch picture-in-picture video calls for Google Duo on the web, according to a source familiar with the matter. That means you’ll soon be able to make Duo calls and do other things on your computer at the same time.
Exclusives Stories February 6, 2020
According to two sources familiar with the matter, Google has internally rolled out a beta version of YouTube Music that adds support for the music library/cloud locker functionality you might be familiar with from Google Play Music. One source suggested that efforts to transition Google Play Music users to YouTube Music are right around the corner…
Exclusives Stories January 31, 2020
In September, Google Photos added large canvas prints, as well as individual prints. Google Photos is now trialing a “monthly photo prints” subscription program.
Exclusives Stories November 1, 2019
Google Keep is getting ready for integration with the Google Assistant on all platforms, as well as the ability to upload audio from web. We’ve managed to enable a few features on Keep which show us how they work.
Exclusives Stories October 12, 2019
Google’s Pixel 4 is coming on October 15th and tons of information about the device has already been leaked. However, pricing details have been both scarce and unreliable so far. Today, we’re getting some new details on the Pixel 4 XL and Nest Mini pricing.
Exclusives Stories October 9, 2019
Over the past month, we’ve been slowly learning more about what the Project Soli powered “Motion Sense” on Google Pixel 4 can and can’t do. Now, we’ve found evidence of how Google would open Motion Sense on the Pixel 4 to app and game developers, including a Unity game engine plugin.
Exclusives Stories October 7, 2019
For the past five years, Google has required that Android smartphones ship with a message on their boot screen that says “Powered by Android.” Now, we’re learning that the requirements around this message will including Google’s new Android branding starting in 2020.
Android 10’s new gesture navigation system is a bit of a mixed bag, but it’s what Google wants to be a standard across every Android device. Now, we’re learning that Google is going to force OEMs to hide their own gesture navigation systems in Android, even going so far as to not include them in the setup wizard.
Exclusives Stories October 5, 2019
Since exclusively showing the “new Google Assistant” in action on Wednesday, one common question we’ve been asked is about availability. Unsurprisingly, the next-generation Assistant will launch first on the Pixel 4 in the US, but it’s also “coming soon” to three other countries.
Earlier this week, we exclusively detailed the Pixel 4’s “new Google Assistant” that can seamlessly handle back-to-back commands and partially works offline. The Made by Google flagships could feature an interesting way to launch that next-generation Assistant: raise to talk.
Exclusives Stories October 3, 2019
According to strings found in a build of the Nest Hub’s frontend software, Google is actively developing (and is nearing launch of) a new speed test feature for the popular Nest Hub smart display. The feature could possibly allow for troubleshooting connection issues when devices are unresponsive, or perhaps just exist as a standalone feature.
Exclusives Stories October 2, 2019
We’ve learned so much over the past few months about updates to the camera on the Google Pixel 4, including a recent tidbit about the existence of a “Pixel Neural Core.” We’ve now learned that the Google Pixel 4 will offer “Dual Exposure Camera Controls” to help you take the perfect shot, regardless of lighting.
For the past two months, the hardware of the Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL has felt “known,” with leakers even posting the full spec sheet to YouTube. Today, we’ve exclusively obtained the official spec sheet for the Google Pixel 4, which includes a previously unknown detail, the “Pixel Neural Core.”
Here are a bunch of songs that have something to do with the Pixel 4
Music is an important part of the advertising campaign for any new device, and Google has had some iconic tracks in its Pixel campaign. Today, we’ve uncovered some of the new music tracks that we assume Google will be using with the Pixel 4.
Google’s Pixel 4 is set to be one of the first Android smartphones to implement a truly secure and seamless facial recognition system. Thanks to a marketing video we’ve obtained, we can show you what Face Unlock looks like in action on the Pixel 4.
The Google Pixel 4 is now less than two weeks from being properly unveiled at the 10/15 Made by Google Event, but the leaks just keep rolling in. We can now exclusively show you some official, full-resolution camera samples that Google plans to use to promote the Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL.
Google and The Pokemon Company jointly built a Soli/Motion Sense demo app for the Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL, Pokemon Wave Hello, as you can see in the screenshots below that 9to5Google has exclusively obtained. The app is not a full-fledged game, but rather a quick demo to show how the Pixel 4’s new air gesture features work…
One of the key features of Google’s Pixel 4 will be the collection of new Soli-powered “Motion Sense” gestures. We’ve seen these gestures in some previous leaks, but now we’ve got a Google-made promo video that shows off how the various gestures will work.
The first Pixel 4 tease from Google actually came during the I/O 2019 keynote. A “next generation Assistant” was demoed from a case-covered device, and officially teased as launching on the “next Pixel phones.” We now have an exclusive first look at the “new Google Assistant” that will debut on the Pixel 4.
Exclusives Stories September 29, 2019
One of the features we’re most looking forward to on the Google Pixel 4 is the ability to control things like music without touching our phones by simply gesturing over the screen. Now we’ve now learned that Motion Sense on the Pixel 4 will certainly work with these media apps. expand full story
The one feature that really sets the Google Pixel 4 apart from any smartphone before it is Motion Sense, which uses radar technology to track hand gestures. We’ve already gotten a small preview of the countries Pixel 4’s Motion Sense will work in, but now we have the full list of all 38 countries. Check it out!
Exclusives Stories September 27, 2019
Google’s Pixel 4 is set to introduce a bunch of new software features, and one of those is a new version of the Pixel Launcher that supports a handy new gesture. Here’s where you can download the launcher from the Pixel 4 for your device.
One of the most exciting new features coming to Google’s Pixel 4 is the ability to theme your device with new fonts, colors, and more. While the feature won’t be fully operational until the Pixel 4 debuts, we can help you download and activate an early preview of “Pixel Themes” on current Pixel devices.
Google’s Pixel 4 is going to come with a handy new voice recorder app. If you want to give it a shot, here’s where to download it early for your smartphone.
Exclusives Stories September 26, 2019
Between video leaks of the Pixel 4 in action and leaks of the Pixel Themes app, we’ve seen bits and pieces of the live wallpapers launching with the phone. Now, we have a preview of all the new live wallpapers coming with the Google Pixel 4 next month. Check them out!
Google’s Pixel 4 doesn’t have a fingerprint sensor thanks to its new Face Unlock system. While many are complaining about that just because they prefer fingerprint sensors, I’m more disappointed because it kills one of my favorite gestures. Now, we can show you that the Pixel Launcher on Google’s Pixel 4 is going to have a gesture to access notifications.
In quite a few leaks of the Google Pixel 4, we’ve seen a mysterious new app simply called “Recorder” that we assumed would work as a voice recorder. Now, we’ve got our hands on the app to show you what it’s capable of… which is pretty much exactly what we initially thought.
This year, we’re expecting Google’s next flagship to introduce some limited theming capabilities on top of Android 10. There have been hints of this new functionality in the past, but today we’re able to show you Google’s new “Styles & Wallpapers” theming app that will make its debut on the Pixel 4 as “Pixel Themes.”
One whimsical Pixel tradition sees Google introduce a new set of live wallpapers every phone generation. While some have carried over year-to-year, there is mostly a reimagined collection every fall. For 2019, Google looks to be letting Pixel 4 users select past wallpapers from every previous phone.
For the past several months, it’s been evident that Pixel customization and theming will be one aspect of this year’s Made by Google phones. The Pixel 4 will tweak the Google Wallpapers interface for selecting backgrounds with a Material Theme and dark mode.
Exclusives Stories September 23, 2019
Google plans to launch a new Pixelbook at next month’s “Made by Google” hardware showcase, according to multiple sources familiar with the plan. Don’t call it a “Pixelbook 2,” though; the Pixelbook Go, our sources say, will be something of a followup to the original Pixelbook while also leaning towards a more traditional take on Chromebooks…
Exclusives Stories September 20, 2019
An Irish retailer called Elara has posted a variety of listings for unannounced Google products and their associated model numbers. The site lists the Google Pixel 4 and 4 XL in both 64GB and 128GB models, as well as three colors: Just Black, Clearly White, and Oh So Orange. Early Pixel 4 prices appear, as well as four Pixel 4 cases. The site also lists the forthcoming “Nest Mini” in two colors.
Google is planning to launch the Pixel 4 and 4 XL at an event next month, but you probably already knew that. Almost everything about it has leaked at this point, but there are some minor details still to come. Now a pair of sources have told us what to expect for the three Pixel 4 color variants. They’ll be Just Black, Clearly White, and… drum roll please… “Oh So Orange.”
Exclusives Stories September 17, 2019
Google is planning to launch a refreshed version of its ‘Google Wifi’ router at its hardware showcase next month, according to sources familiar with the matter. In a setup that differs from the first generation, the newly-named ‘Nest Wifi’ router itself will be accompanied by Eero-esque beacons that double as Assistant speakers…
Exclusives Stories September 6, 2019
According to a reliable source, ‘Motion Mode,’ which allows users to take high quality action shots, will be one of the Google Pixel 4’s headline camera features. The new smartphone from Google will also tout improvements to the renowned Night Sight mode…
Exclusives Stories August 21, 2019
Google plans to launch a followup to 2017’s Google Home Mini with a second-generation ‘Nest Mini,’ a reliable source tells 9to5Google. It’s a departure from the previous model in name, but also a substantial upgrade in features. This year’s Nest Mini will pack a wall mount, better sound, and more.
Exclusives Stories August 7, 2019
The physical appearance and some headlining features of the Google Pixel 4 and 4 XL have already been confirmed by Google itself, but there are still plenty of specs that Google still hasn’t said anything about. A reliable source has now provided us with detailed specifications for the forthcoming devices, including mention of some features not reported until now…
Exclusives Stories July 18, 2019
For the past few months, we’ve been tracking developments in Chrome that point to Android becoming a competitor to KaiOS by entering the feature phone market. Today, the first purported image of an Android feature phone has come to light, with Nokia stylings.
Exclusives Stories July 15, 2019
Android Q is poised to bring a vast swath of smaller quality-of-life changes to our phones. The latest change discovered in a leaked release of Android Q is that Google Translate is being directly integrated with the Recents view, via the Pixel Launcher.
Exclusives Stories July 13, 2019
Google last month took the unprecedented step of confirming the Pixel 4 and releasing an official image. The device has already been spotted in the wild, and 9to5Google today received another set of pictures showing off the Pixel 4 and its very notable camera bump.
Exclusives Stories July 2, 2019
Exclusive: Hands-on w/ ‘touchless’ Chrome for Android feature phones (Bonus: Dino Runner!) [Gallery]
Since early this year, we’ve been tracking the development of what appears to be a KaiOS competitor being built within Google using Android and Chrome. We were able to get hands-on with an early build of this “touchless” Chrome to explore Google’s vision for Android-powered feature phones.
Exclusives Stories June 29, 2019
Google appears to be working on a new and simple way to share files between a variety of devices, including Android and Chromebooks. We’ve managed to fully enable “Fast Share” on Android today, and here’s how it works.
Exclusives Stories June 14, 2019
Pixel leak season was just getting off to a strong start this week, and then Google shockingly posted an official image of the device. Now that that cat is out of the bag, a tipster for 9to5Google has spotted what definitely looks like a Google Pixel 4 in the wild, and it lines up directly with Google’s design.
Exclusives Stories June 11, 2019
First announced at Google I/O 2015, Project Soli is a Google ATAP endeavor based on radar hardware, most notably for device control via subtle hand movements. Whether you’re using a watch, phone, or tablet, this miniature radar sensor can, among many other things, differentiate between very fine motions to perform various platform-specific functions. Now, we’re told that 2019 might be the year that Soli finally shows up in Google’s hardware products…
Exclusives Stories May 6, 2019
Since the first model’s launch in 2016, the Google Pixel has been exclusively available — at least in the United States — either unlocked via the Google Store or purchased through Verizon. Now we’ve seen evidence that another US carrier, T-Mobile, could begin carrying last year’s Google Pixel 3, and possibly the soon-to-launch Pixel 3a and Pixel 4 as well.
Exclusives Stories April 23, 2019
Earlier this year, we uncovered screenshots of a “touchless” version of Chrome which appears to be designed for feature-phone-like devices. New screenshots we were able to obtain have confirmed that this “touchless” Chrome is being built for a version of Android Oreo.
Exclusives Stories April 18, 2019
The latest version of the Google Home app for Android is rolling out this morning and it reveals two new codenames. Google Home 2.10 describes “Zion” — a “border router” with “built-in smart plug” — in-depth and “Speaker V,” as well as a “ultrasound proximity detection” feature.
