Google will reduce battery life for some Pixel 6a phones to prevent overheating
Google's Pixel 6a has been a winner in many respects, but a new issue with the smartphone's battery may pose a safety concern. After Android Authority reported on a pair of instances where a Pixel 6a battery overheated to the point where the device caught fire, the publication spotted some details in the latest Android 16 beta indicating that as a precaution, the Pixel 6a battery capacity and charging speed will be reduced. In addition, Android Authority received this statement from Google:
A subset of Pixel 6a phones will require a mandatory software update to reduce the risk of potential battery overheating. The update will enable battery management features that will reduce capacity and charging performance after the battery reaches 400 charge cycles. We'll contact impacted customers next month, with all the information they need to address the issue.
The Pixel 6a is due to receive software support until July 2027, but it's just the latest entry in this device line to have battery problems this year. In January, Google rolled out an update that reduced battery life of the Pixel 4a to increase stability for the 2020 phone model. Then in April, the company launched a program of repairs and payments after some instances of batteries "swelling" in the Pixel 7a.
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USA Today
9 minutes ago
- USA Today
Can AI finally fix online shopping? A hands-on test of GlanceAI and Google Try-On
Can AI finally fix online shopping? A hands-on test of GlanceAI and Google Try-On Show Caption Hide Caption Woman's AI fridge rant goes viral, claims isn't intelligent after all A woman claims her Samsung refrigerator with AI technology isn't so intelligent after all. Shopping used to be simple. You walked into a store, tried on jeans, and decided in 30 seconds if they made your butt look weird. Today? Most of us shop online for everything — including clothes — and it often goes hilariously, tragically wrong. According to Capital One Shopping Research, nearly 124 million Americans — one in every three of us — will buy clothes online this year. And we'll send back one out of every four of those items. That adds up to billions in lost revenue for retailers, and a pile of packaging waste, shipping costs and frustration for the rest of us. Flat product photos, inconsistent sizing charts, and confusing return rules are just part of the problem. Overall, online clothes shopping is still an expensive guessing game. The age-old problem of 'What am I going to wear today?' A new breed of AI-powered fashion tools is stepping in — not just to reduce returns, but to rewire how we discover and buy clothes in the first place. I tested two of the biggest options: GlanceAI, a free virtual styling app for iOS and Android, and Google's new Try-On tool, which uses generative AI to show how clothes look on your actual body. I bought clothes I genuinely like, using both of them. But are these next-gen tech tools perfect? Not yet. Here's what works, what doesn't and what you need to know. Your selfie, styled The way GlanceAI works is really simple. Upload a full-body selfie, and in seconds, GlanceAI shows photorealistic images of you wearing outfits curated to your body type, skin tone and even local weather. If you like what you see, tap to shop similar products from retailers like Macy's, Nordstrom and Zara. The goal here is to turn your phone's camera into your personal stylist. Not a size-zero mannequin. Not a filter-heavy avatar. You. 'We're not trying to turn you into someone else,' GlanceAI CEO Naveen Tewari told me over a video call. 'We're trying to help you discover the best version of you.' I tested it with a full-body selfie and got styled in outfits that genuinely looked like something I'd wear — from TV appearances and Zoom calls to farm chores and school drop-off. After some thumbs-up, thumbs-down tweaks, the images were surprisingly spot-on. No weird proportions. No six-fingered claw-hands. Tewari added, 'It's not just 'what shirt fits me?' It's 'what outfit makes sense for me right now, in my city, with my vibe?'" According to the company, in less than a month since its launch, the app has created more than 40 million personalized outfit images for over 1.5 million users in the U.S. alone, with 40% of them shopping in the app on a weekly basis. GlanceAI earns money through affiliate sales. Consumer-friendly technology: How McAfee's Scam Detector can help you spot fraudulent texts Where GlanceAI promises to improve GlanceAI still feels like a beta app, essentially because it is. I gave Tewari a laundry list of tweaks and features that I want to see, and he told me they're all on the way. The main 'cover' outfits — the ones in categories like 'Dopamine Dressing' or 'Bold Blazers' — don't exist. You tap on that killer floral jacket, but instead, you get redirected to 'similar' items you're not that into. That's a bummer. Even when I found something I liked, I wanted to see myself in that exact item, not an approximation. Tewari says both direct item previews and better filtering are in the works. Right now, there's no way to search by style, brand or size. Another issue? Some of the clothes just look… dated. I kept thinking, 'Wait, I had that exact Rugby shirt in 1996.' It's not just about matching an outfit to your body type — fashion needs to feel fresh. According to Tewari, better product feeds and more brand partnerships are on the way to address that issue as well. And inclusivity is still lagging. The app doesn't yet work well for plus-size, non-binary or adaptive body types. That's not a minor bug — it's a must-fix. That said, GlanceAI is more than a gimmick. It's fun to share with friends, and if they deliver the updates as promised, it will change the way we shop for clothes for good. My suggestion? Try it, train it, and know this is how you're going to be doing most of your shopping in a year or two from now. A year ago, I barely used ChatGPT. Now I use it every day. So do 100 million other people. I could be writing the same thing about GlanceAI in a year from now. Google Try-On: AI, but make it searchable Google's latest entry into AI shopping lets you upload a full-length selfie and see how real clothes look on you. Not a stock model. Not an AI composite. The feature lives inside Google Search Labs and is available for select brands like Levi's, Abercrombie, Quince and Pistola Denim. The realism is impressive. AI-generated images demonstrate how a shirt drapes on your shoulders and how pants fit your hips. How it works: You search for an item — say, 'white linen blazer under $100' — then tap 'Try It On.' Upload a selfie, and Google overlays the item onto your image using generative AI. No extra app required. Google's tools are powered by its massive Shopping Graph, which tracks more than 50 billion products and updates listings in real time. And Google says your photos stay on your device unless you opt to save or share them. Where Google struggles Here's the downside: Good luck figuring out which products actually let you try them on. There are no clear labels, no filters, no indicators — you just tap and hope. It's hit-or-miss, and that makes it frustrating. I used it to buy a pair of Mother Jeans via Free People. The 'Try It On' icon just happened to be there when I went looking for this specific pair of pants. It was luck, not tech skill, that put us together. It feels more like a promising tech demo than a reliable everyday feature. GlanceAI vs. Google AI: What's the difference? GlanceAI isn't perfect. Neither is Google. But they're both big steps forward in making online shopping is more fun and styled. Google is more powerful and precise. Both are worth a try if you're tired of return labels and surprise crop tops. They're different tools solving different parts of the same problem. Ideally, they'll converge. Bonus tools to try These two aren't alone. A few other tools in my smart shopping stack: Beni: A browser extension that finds secondhand versions of what you're shopping for. That $180 blazer might be $60 on Poshmark. Croissant: See your item's resale value before you buy it. A $250 bag? Croissant might tell you it'll resell for $100. Jennifer Jolly is an Emmy Award-winning consumer tech columnist and on-air contributor for "The Today Show.' The views and opinions expressed in this column are the author's and do not necessarily reflect those of USA TODAY. Contact her via or @JennJolly on Instagram.
Axios
23 minutes ago
- Axios
Sources: Meta finalizes $15 billion deal for Scale AI stake
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Fast Company
an hour ago
- Fast Company
Real-time translation is a business product breakthrough
Recently, Google dropped a quiet but monumental announcement: Google Meet will soon support real-time translation. It may seem like a product feature update, but it's actually a glimpse into the future of how the internet and global business will function. We're on the cusp of a world where every conversation on the internet, regardless of language, can happen in real time. And that changes everything. For B2B enterprises, this isn't about novelty. It's about unlocking collaboration, creativity, and commerce at a global scale. Language won't be as big of a limitation Language has long been one of the final friction points in cross-border collaboration. Even as video calls and messaging platforms brought teams closer together, they still relied on a common language, most often English, as the conduit. That created limitations on who could participate, how much nuance was retained, and how ideas flowed. With real-time translation, we move from a world of adaptation to one of direct contribution. Suddenly, a designer in Buenos Aires, a strategist in Nairobi, and a developer in Tokyo can jump into the same conversation without stopping to translate or interpret. Everyone speaks, and is understood, in their own language. This isn't just a productivity boost. It's a structural shift in how we think, ideate, and build together. Collaboration without borders What happens when you remove the communication tax from global teamwork? You get more voices in the room. More diversity in thought. More creativity, sparked by perspectives that were once hard to access in real time. Enterprise companies will be able to: Run global design sprints with fully multilingual teams Support customers in their native language with real empathy Develop cross-cultural products with richer user insights The internet becomes not just a place to publish or consume, but a space to co-create. Together. Instantly. Here comes a new kind of global enterprise This technological leap doesn't just make business more efficient—it makes it more human. Companies will no longer have to localize after the fact. They'll build global from day one, with the input and collaboration of people around the world. Imagine: Sales teams conducting live pitches in any language, without intermediaries International vendor partnerships operating in sync, not in silos Internal documentation, onboarding, and training auto-translating in real time This is about scaling relationships, not just transactions. Culture, context, and the human layer Of course, language is more than just words. It's culture, tone, idioms, and nuance. Real-time translation won't always get that right. And that's where intentional leadership comes in. Companies will need to: Equip teams with cultural fluency alongside technical fluency Stay alert to how AI translation might flatten or distort meaning Create norms and rituals that preserve empathy and clarity Technology can connect us instantly. But connection without understanding is just noise. The opportunity lies in blending speed with sensitivity. What B2B enterprises can do today Real-time translation is arriving fast. To stay ahead, enterprise leaders can: Audit your communication tools: Are they ready for multilingual functionality? Rethink your hiring lens: Global talent is no longer gated by English fluency Train teams to collaborate across cultures, not just across time zones Start small: Pilot real-time translation in internal meetings or support channels Be prepared for errors… The future of work isn't just distributed—it's multilingual, multicultural, and massively connected. Real-time translation is the infrastructure that will make it all possible. Remember technology should elevate human connection, not replace it. Real-time communication, across every language, brings us closer to that vision. Not just faster meetings or wider reach, but deeper collaboration, richer relationships, and a more inclusive world of work. The internet just got a lot more fluent. Let's build what comes next.
