Dear Studio Fam,
Last June, Apple previewed the integration of artificial intelligence into iOS, including its proprietary Apple Intelligence system, a native integration with ChatGPT, and enhancements to Siri. This week, Google responded with multiple hardware announcements at its Made by Google event, touting the integration of its Gemini AI. Despite ominous signs that its recent antitrust loss to the Federal government might disrupt its core advertising business, Google demonstrated an unwavering commitment to distribute AI features across its devices and services. Read on for details on the major announcements.
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New Google Pixel Phones
Central to the Made by Google event was the unveiling of the Pixel 9 series of smartphones including the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, and the standout Pixel 9 Pro Fold. he non-folding Pixels got the usual upgrades to camera performance and battery life, but the Pixel 9 Pro Fold demonstrated an entirely new design unlike any other folding smartphone. Other folding smartphones have been criticized for being worse than a normal smartphone when closed and worse than a normal tablet when open. Early reviews of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold claim it is the first compromise-free folding smartphone.
Google Puts Gemini Into Everything
Most of the Made by Google event discussed how Google’s Gemini AI technology was being integrated into each of the new product announcements. Gemini has been brought directly into the Pixel 9s in the form of Gemini Nano, an on-device model that doesn’t need to access the cloud. The new Pixel Buds and Pixel Watch are built around AI enhancements to the Google Assistant. And spam calls will now be faced with a Gemini-enhanced blocking feature.
The Pixel Watch 3 Includes AI Recorder App
While the Pixel phones have been more or less comparable to iPhones in terms of quality and functionality for some time, the Pixel Watch has never been close to the Apple Watch. That seemed destined to change when Google acquired Fitbit in 2021, but Pixel Watch and Pixel Watch 2 still fell short of the Apple Watch. The Pixel Watch 3 unveiled this week might have finally closed the gap with a larger display, longer battery life, and all of the biosensors of the Apple Watch, and more. It also features an AI-enhanced recorder app that opens the door to Ai companion experiences like we’ve seen from startups Humane and friend.
Google TV Streamer Kills Chromecast
Chromecast is one of Google’s most successful products, a combination of streaming hardware and streaming standard that has become ubiquitous across apps, browsers, smart TVs, and even hotel rooms. And for some reason, Google decided to kill the Chromecast brand and replace it with “Google TV Streamer”, a set-top device more akin to a cable box than the simple streaming dongles Chromecast is known for. But it’s not all bad news, as the Google TV Streamer has a killer feature: a dedicated button on the device that will make a lost remote control beep.