Pardon me while I shake off a bit of this jet lag and recount a week that was full of Google showing why it may, ultimately, be the one to triumph in the intensifying AI wars.
Ahem…. It seems like mere hours since I was sitting front-row at Made by Google in California to witness the rollout of four new phones, two smartwatches, and a set of earbuds, only to be confronted with 40 minutes of Generative AI. This was not a bad thing. Google Gemini on all those Pixel 9 phones (especially that awesome-looking Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold) is a good and possibly game-changing thing. I’ve never really had a conversation with an AI before where it didn’t mind me interrupting. Adding myself to group photos is, I found, a fun and useful idea, and I had no idea that all those screen shots that are filling up my phone could be turned into a trove of useful and accessible information.
The road ahead for Google and Gemini sounds, well, impressive. Researching with Gemini will not be like conducting a query with ChatGPT, because Gemini gets to rely on Google’s vast and amazing search-knowledge graph. Gemini Research isn’t ready yet, but it’ll be here soon enough.
It was almost enough to make me feel good about the future of AI and humanity, though I still have concerns, and I find that I’m not that good at explaining why we should all just chill out about it. The pace isn’t slowing down, and everyone is worried about us falling in love with our chatbots. I may send mine flowers, but love is not in my plans.
The Paris Olympics wrapped up and Sunday, and I do wonder if Samsung is as sad as I am that the games are over – all those athletes holding all those Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 phones is the sort of marketing most brands can only dream of.
As I think about a much-needed nap, I also wonder if Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, which is finally streaming, will feel like a mashup of those just-ended Olympics and The Hunger Games. If it does, I am so here for it.
Google brought forward its Pixel launch this year to beat the iPhone 16 to market, and Gemini AI was front and center at the grand unveiling – which has us wondering if Apple Intelligence is going to be able to catch up in the coming months.
The TechRadar team has wasted no time in testing out the new gadgets Google unveiled this week, including its second foldable: the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is remarkably thin and light, rocks a large 8-inch display, and could be the best foldable we've seen yet.
We're now at the stage where artificial intelligence might be one of those topics, like religion and politics, that are best avoided at social gatherings. As Lance Ulanoff reports, it's becoming a tricky subject to talk about without alarming people.
Every Olympian and Paralympian at the Paris games has been gifted a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6, which has meant the flip foldable has been getting plenty of publicity – and it turns out that the handset is perfect for capturing those essential selfie shots.
It's a good time to be a streaming fan. From new movies like Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and The Union, to the return of beloved shows like Emily in Paris, there's plenty to enjoy on the world's best streaming services this weekend.
