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Fast Company
6 hours ago
- Business
- Fast Company
I tried doing everything with AI on a Pixel 9a, but it didn't go as planned
Going into my time reviewing the Google Pixel 9a, I had this grand idea to transform myself into 'AI Man.' Google has made a big to-do about how it's reimagining Android with AI at the core, and the $500 Pixel 9a is now the cheapest entry point into Google's Gemini AI ecosystem. In the past I've found all those AI features easy to ignore, but this time I was going to dedicate myself to making the most of them. It didn't really work out as planned. While Gemini is a better assistant than it used to be on Pixel phones, it can also be a big a waste of time. And for all Google's talk of reinventing all of Android around AI, some of the best Pixel AI features require a more expensive phone then the 9a. Gemini's promise and pitfalls I'll give Google credit for this much: Gemini on the Pixel 9a is no longer a trainwreck. When Google started shipping Gemini as the default voice assistant on the Pixel 9 series, it was worse than the old Google Assistant at common tasks like creating to-do list items, checking local store hours, and getting directions. Google has patched in a lot of that missing functionality over the past nine months. In some ways, Gemini even more useful now. I can ask for directions with a specific stop along the way, for instance, or have a back-and-forth to manage the items on my Google Keep grocery list. Being able to converse with Gemini about widely understood topics can be helpful as well, and unlike with Assistant, there's a chat history you can look through for future reference. Still, leaning on Gemini for anything important feels like a crapshoot. While on vacation in Florida, for instance, I asked Gemini to look up the time for my flight home. It first informed me that I had two flights scheduled (I only had one), and when I asked to put the correct flight info on my calendar, Gemini added a completely invented flight to New York instead. (I live in Cincinnati.) Gemini also failed to account for traffic when I asked what time to leave for the airport, even though Google Maps provides this info on its own. And because Gemini can't search through secondary calendars —like the one my wife and I use to coordinate pretty much everything—it's been largely worthless for looking important dates. Gemini Live, the conversational voice mode you can use it without touching the screen, had some issues as well. I tried using it to research a story on satellite messaging, only to later discover in my own research that Gemini got a half-dozen facts wrong. Later I asked Gemini to act like a stenographer, transcribing some thoughts of mine for this story, but it kept interrupting and failed to capture large chunks of what I said. Even Gemini Live's ballyhooed Camera Mode feels a bit like a parlor trick—albeit an impressive one. While pointing your camera at the real world, Gemini can identify and answer questions about what it sees. It recognized a mango tree on the aforementioned Florida trip, for instance, and told me that none of the fruit looked ripe enough to eat. But when I asked why my aloe plant at home looked red and droopy, the insight was no different than if I'd just asked the same question in a Google search. (Too much water, or maybe not enough, Gemini said.) Camera Mode's ability to understand your surroundings may ultimately be a better fit for smart glasses that can easily ingest more information. Keep in mind that none of these features are Pixel-exclusive. Gemini is also the default assistant on Samsung's latest flagships, and it's a free download on iOS. Meanwhile, the Pixel 9a doesn't support some of the exclusive features Google does offer, like transcript summaries in the Recorder app, phone call summarization, and an app for organizing your screenshots. Oddly enough, the Pixel AI feature I used the most is one that predates the ChatGPT era: When you get a call from an unknown number, tapping 'Call Screen' asks the caller to explain who they are, and then shows you a transcript of their response. It's an immensely satisfying way to deal with spammers and telemarketers, most of whom just hang up. For Gemini to really make a difference on phones, it will need to interact with more apps and services, handle data from Google's own services more reliably, and be better at not making stuff up. I don't feel like the Pixel 9a is much closer to doing those things than previous Pixels, it just has a few more AI tricks bolted on. Still a fine phone Odd as it may seem to relegate the actual phone features to an afterthought, that pretty much reflects how I feel about the Pixel 9a. For $500, it's a pretty good phone that I've been using in place of my usual flagships—an iPhone 16 Pro Max and a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5—largely without complaint. Yes, there are trade-offs. The camera array is less sophisticated, which mostly became an issue when I really wanted to zoom in on something. Battery life, while better than the Pixel 9, doesn't match Google's and Apple's 'Pro' level phones and led to some charging anxiety on long days. The bezels around the display are thicker. The edges are aluminum and not stainless steel, and the rear panel is plastic instead of glass. The front glass, meanwhile, is less resistant to drop damage. Still, I never felt like the Pixel 9a was hindering me from doing what I needed to do, which was to see how Google's AI-first vision for Android has manifested over the past year. And the verdict, so far, is that it mostly hasn't.
Forbes
3 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Google's Surprising Update—Make Your Pixel More Like iPhone
Pixel is suddenly more like iPhone Google is narrowing the security and privacy gap between Android and iPhone, with Pixel the unbeatable front-runner when it comes those new features. Now users are reporting the best update yet — it's a single click but it completely changes your phone. We're talking Android 16's game-changing Advanced Data Protection, which locks down Android in an iPhone-like manner preventing any apps being installed from outside Play Store, still Android's biggest security and privacy vulnerability. This wasn't expected in beta, and so will surprise users seeing this new setting now. The new mode also stops users connecting to dangerous networks, enforces safe browsing and enables the new scam and fraud defenses that Google is rolling out. Per Android Authority, Google is now 'letting Android 16 testers try Advanced Protection mode for maximum phone security,' helping users who enable the new setting 'secure your phone from outside threats, even yourself, in one click.' Google says this new mode provides its 'strongest protections against targeted attacks,' advising that it's for 'users who need heightened security.' But in my view it's much more widely applicable and adds sensible precautions for everyday users, especially those with less expertise who would welcome the reassurance. In short, it turns a Pixel and eventually other Androids into something more akin to an iPhone. New security mode is now available. Android is also moving ahead of iPhone with it's new Intrusion Detection feature, which in an 'industry-first,' Google says, 'securely backs up device logs in a privacy-preserving and tamper-resistant way, accessible only to the user. These logs enable a forensic analysis if a device compromise is ever suspected.' You cannot tweak Google's new security mode, it's either on or off. It's disabled by default, but I'd recommend you enable it when it's available to you. Either in beta now or in the stable Android 16 release which is expected from next month. As Android Authority says, 'it's like a security blanket that aims to make sure your device is safe from known threats, like no sideloading, USB data access, and more.' Google says there will be more to come: 'We are committed to continuously expanding the security and privacy capabilities within Advanced Protection, so users can benefit from the best of Android's powerful security features.' That includes an API enabling third-party apps to shore up their own security when this is enabled.
GSM Arena
4 days ago
- Business
- GSM Arena
Google Pixel 10 series will keep this important connectivity feature despite modem swap Comments
CAD renders for the Google Pixel 10 show a third camera, 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL also with three
Phone Arena
4 days ago
- Business
- Phone Arena
This hidden feature might finally give Google Pixel users what Samsung fans have had for years
Receive the latest Android news By subscribing you agree to our terms and conditions and privacy policy Android 16 According to system logs, the button reportedly tries to open an app called Pixel Customization Packs, which isn't included in the current beta build. The chip is supposed to show theme recommendations, but it doesn't work without the missing now, it's unclear what the finished feature will look like, how many themes will be available, what exactly they will change, or if users will be able to make and share their own themes. Still, the signs suggest Google is at least testing a more complete approach to personalization, something that has been missing from stock Android for to other Android phone makers, Google has always taken a simpler approach to customization. Brands like OPPO, Xiaomi, and Samsung have long offered full theme stores that change icons, sounds, animations, and more. However, Google has preferred to keep things subtle and uniform, something that Android 16 could be with the more Expressive Material 3 changes already present inQPR1, these early signs of theme pack support hint at a new direction for the Pixel software experience. While we don't know when or if this feature will officially roll out, it's clear that Google is at least experimenting with the idea — and that could be a welcome change for users looking for more control over how their Pixel phones look and feel.
Forbes
6 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Google Hides Pixel 10 Pro's Biggest Upgrade
Pixel 9 Pro XL Ahead of the summer launch of the Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro, Google has secured a critical part of the Pixel's future. According to reporting on Digitimes, Google's partnership with TSMC to fabricate its Tensor chips for 'the next three to five years' which would ensure TSMC's silicon powering the Pixel range out to the Pixel 14. The Google-designed Tensor chipsets are one of the key differentiators between the Pixel smartphones and the Android-powered competition. Where the latter tend to broadly focus on using Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Series, Google has kept the Tensor series to itself. The Tensor is not pitched as having 'ultimate power', and it will lose out if you put the specs in a head-to-head. The focus has always been on making it the best day-to-day experience since the first Tesor launched alongside the Pixel 6 family. When the Pixel 8 family turned up, the Tensor design accommodated a new approach to mobile. Google moved the Tensor to support generative AI with faster routines and more efficient operation with code hardwired into the chipset. It's an approach that other manufacturers have adopted, yet the close relationship between hardware and software provides the Pixel with a unique advantage. It's the closest the Android world has to the relationship between Apple's iPhone, iOS and Apple Silicon mix of hardware and software. The Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro smartphones will be the first to use Tensor chipsets manufactured by TSMC. The Pixel 6 through Pixel 9 families—all designed by Google—were manufactured by Samsung. Many will be on the lookout for unexpected issues when the chipset is rolled out at scale. It's worth noting that TSM will switch the Tensor over to its own 3nm process, which will, by its nature, offer more performance with less demand on battery life. Google is likely hoping that the move from a Samsung Tensor to a TSMC Tensor will be a relatively invisible one. There will be natural performance gains from moving to 3nm and the general lifting of the entire package through Moore's Law, but it is unlikely to be heavily advertised. Google's focus when launching the Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro will undoubtedly be around the advances it has made in mobile AI through the Gemini AI assistant, the use of generative AI to support creatives, and the ability of AI routines to offer more support throughout Android. The true measure of success of TSMC's Tensors will be how well they support the AI ambitions of the Pixel's parent over the next five years. Now read the latest details on the Pixel 10 Pro pricing...
