ogle has often been accused of missing the train in AI lately, and its Bard conversational model is not nearly as compelling as its competitors. At the start of this year’s Google I/O, the company took issue with this through the mouth of Sundar Pichai. At the start of the conference, he reminds us that AI elements have been present in several of its products for quite some time.

 

Help me write in Gmail

Gmail, for example, can suggest an appropriate response, or complete sentences for you as you type. That is if you communicate in English or another supported language.

This also applies to a new feature called Help me Write. It works exactly as the name suggests: you enter a short description of what you want to write, and the AI generates the formally and grammatically correct text for you.

Bard for everyone!

At the Google I/O 2023 conference, we saw the final launch of the Bard chatbot, which was previously only available to select users. Now it is available to the public, specifically in 180 countries.

We have to accept that Google Bard does communicate in English, as before, and now also in Japanese and Korean. However, Google promises to add 40 more languages shortly.

It’s not a big surprise that Bard will understand not only text messages but also images. This is an easy way for Google to take advantage of what has been working for a long time in Google Photos or Lens, for example.

Thus, Bard will not only be able to analyse images but also display them in its replies. A dark scheme was also announced. Google has also prepared connections with its existing services. Typically, Gmail was mentioned.

It is thus possible to have a draft email drafted and Bard will pre-write it directly to your inbox. There will be more innovations and Google will gradually improve Bard to make it competitive.

Google Street View with AI

Google Maps

Another product where AI is being applied extensively is Maps. Not only does it help to combine panoramic images in StreetView, but it can also help you find the right route, which you can see before you take it thanks to Immersive View. And that includes information on air quality and weather over time. However, the feature will only be available for 15 cities from the summer.

Google Photos

After the latest version added support for HDR video, HDR image support is coming to Android 14 and will offer more realistic photos thanks to a greater range of brightness, colour, and contrast.

This will be called the “Ultra HDR” format, which is backwards compatible with JPEG. Images taken with it can be stored in the original 10-bit high dynamic range and then viewed this way on premium devices once Android 14 launches.

Google expects this to be the default format of the built-in camera app as well as all in-app camera views. Google Photos will support Ultra HDR for viewing, backing up, editing, sharing and downloading.

Then there’s AI-powered retouching. This will erase an inappropriate object, move it, change colors, smooth out the sky, etc. It’s like working in Photoshop, but without your input.

Pixel 7a doesn’t innovate much

Traditionally, the “a” suffix on the serial number of Pixel phones means that it’s a lightweight model that will offer the essentials of its more feature-packed sibling, but at a more affordable price. This is no different from the 7a. It’s powered by a Tensor G2 chip and 8GB of RAM.

In terms of other equipment, this model also wants to impress mainly with the camera. The sensor of the main camera is to be 72% larger than in the case of its predecessor. Other improvements include a 90Hz screen, which should also be brighter than the predecessor.

What’s surprising is that out of the box, this feature is turned off by default. IP67 durability is also retained. The phone is made from a combination of aluminium frame and plastic, with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 covering the front.

Of course, the phone runs on the latest Android 13 and promises long support. The 4,385 mAh Li-Po battery can be charged with 20W wired or 18W wirelessly. The price for the US market has been set at $499.

Google tablet returns after 8 years!

We have been waiting for a new tablet from Google for a very long time. Consider yourself, the last model, called Pixel C was introduced to the world in 2015, 8 years ago. The hope for a new one dawned exactly one year ago when the Pixel Tablet was first revealed at the Google I/O 2022 event. However, the company hasn’t yet delivered it for sale within a year, which isn’t something we didn’t count on.

Google itself has announced from the start that sales would not start until 2023. The tablet looks classic at first glance. Google traditionally does not try to shock and goes the tried and tested way, where, rather as expected, it focuses more on software and presentation of Android capabilities.

It will be a larger tablet, as evidenced by deploying a 10.95″ IPS display with a resolution of 2,560×1,600 pixels. You’ll find an 8MP camera for video calling in the bezels around the display.

 

Image courtesy of Google

Another camera, this time on the back, is also 8-megapixel. Of course, there is a quad of speakers on the sides, and the necessary pins for connecting other accessories are not missing either.

Regarding hardware, Google has reached for the proven Tensor G2 processor, already found in last year’s Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro phones. 8GB of RAM is quite sufficient, and in the case of storage, Google will give a choice between 128 and 256 GB.

No one is expecting memory cards. Android 13 is deployed. Google has promised to redesign several major apps to make them usable on large-screen devices. Of course, the tablet is one of them.

USB-C and modern Wi-Fi 6E provide connectivity, while Bluetooth is not missing. The battery has a capacity of 27 Wh. Google hasn’t announced a sale date yet, but we do know that the bundle, along with the smart speaker, should start at $499.

Google Pixel Fold

We knew about Google unveiling the Pixel Fold at its Google I/O event ahead of time. The company itself revealed it on social media. But if the Pixel Fold is supposed to be a competitor to Samsung’s Foldy, it has a pretty strange outfit, and an even stranger distribution, as it’s only supposed to be officially available in 4 countries.

So the South Korean manufacturer can rest easy. Google Tensor G2, 7.6″ 2208 x1840 120Hz primary OLED display, 5.8″ 2092 x 1080 120Hz OLED external display, 12GB RAM, 8MPx internal, 9.5MPx external selfie camera and 48MPx main camera, 10.8MPx 5x telephoto and 10.8MPx ultra-wide angle lens.

These are the main specs of Google’s new Foldu. However, there’s an extreme weight of 283g. It’s Google’s first generation of flexible devices, so we can’t expect miracles. On paper, however, the parameters may not look so bad. Worse, the whole thing seems more like an experiment than a serious attack on the jigsaw segment.

It’s not just the price, which is $1799. The Pixel Fold will only be sold in four countries. Specifically, these are the domestic United States, the UK, Germany and Japan. On the endurance side, the manufacturer promises more than 24 hours of use on a full charge due to the deployment of a battery with a capacity of about 4,800 mAh divided into two cells by default.

Charging is then wired with 30 W or wirelessly. However, the adapter will have to be purchased by those interested, as it is not included in the package. In terms of performance, the manufacturer leaves nothing to chance and deploys the Tensor G2 accompanied by 12GB of RAM and 256/512GB of storage, which can no longer be expanded.

Interested buyers could get a free Pixel Watch (which may not be available everywhere) by purchasing this undoubtedly expensive device (thankfully following the example of Samsung’s competitors with increased IPX8 resistance) when purchased between now and July 2.

Android 14 powered by artificial intelligence?

CEO Sundar Pichai mentioned he’s been putting AI first for seven years. I guess it’s no wonder AI is also entering Android. Just its 14th version will introduce a new form of the lock screen, which you can personalize purely according to your wishes, whether by clock style or shortcuts.

Emoji Wallpaper, however, will offer up to 16 different emoticons that you can edit in different ways into an eye-catching result, where additionally, the wallpaper responds to touch. There will also be Cinematic wallpapers created using machine learning in 3D photos.

So there will be a parallax effect where the photo will rotate according to how you tilt the phone. To top it all off, Android 14 will be able to generate custom wallpapers based on the text you enter, i.e. with the help of AI.

This will virtually kill many similar single-purpose apps in Google Play. You describe what you want to draw and in what style, and that’s it. Google adds to this by saying that it’s very unlikely you’ll have the same wallpaper as someone because of this.

All wallpapers are also customised with Material You elements. It’s quite interesting to see that it goes the other way too. Apple introduced greater lock screen personalisation in iOS 16, with Samsung taking considerable inspiration from it in its One UI superstructure.

This is something very different, though. For some users, differentiating their phones from everyone else is essential. This can be done through hardware tweaks such as various covers and personalisation of the phone itself, from changing the wallpaper to fine-tuning the colour tones.

If this sort of thing is of the utmost importance to you, then you can look forward to the arrival of Android 14. Several features revolve around wallpaper. One of them, for example, uses the popular emoticons.

Just draw your favourite emoticons, choose a pattern and colour palette, and your phone will generate wallpaper from them. And the best part is that each smiley on the wallpaper is partially dynamic, specifically reacting to touch. Amazing.

Equally impressive is the so-called Cinematic Wallpaper. Take one of your favourite photos and let the AI work on it. It separates the person from the background and then moves them dynamically as the phone moves. Again, very effective.