Latest news with #SameerSamat
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Google Announces Smart Glasses Partnerships
Google announces partnerships with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster to make AR smart glasses with AI applications. Sameer Samat, president of Google's Android Ecosystem, discusses the plans with Bloomberg's Jackie Davalos at Google I/O. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Tom's Guide
22-05-2025
- Tom's Guide
One of Android 16's best features won't be locked to Pixel phones — here's what we know
Google has confirmed that one of the best new features included in the Android 16 beta won't be locked to Google Pixel phones. The announcement came during the first day of Google I/O 2025, where it was revealed that Android 16's Live Update feature will also be available on Samsung, OnePlus, Vivo and Xiaomi phones. The feature, first introduced as part of the Android 16 beta, offers real-time notifications from certain apps, like Uber or Google Maps, directly on the home or lock screen. The aim is to keep you constantly updated on the progress, without needing to constantly open and close the respective apps. While this appears functionally similar to Apple's Live Activities feature on the iPhone's Dynamic Island, Google wants to make its version much more functional and interactive. According to the showcase, Google's Live Update will allow users to take direct action from the notification, rather than having to open the respective app. For instance, being able to quickly call the Uber driver or tip the delivery person without ever needing to unlock the phone. One big question is how Live Updates will be integrated into other devices' Android skins, and the show gave us a good idea. When it comes to Samsung's Galaxy phones, Live Updates will be included as part of One UI 8 and will be directly integrated into the Now Bar. Meanwhile, OnePlus devices will integrate the feature into the Live Alerts system that was introduced in OxygenOS 15. While we don't have the exact details yet, it's stated that Vivo and Xiaomi will also be integrating the feature into their respective Android skins. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. This wasn't the only announcement regarding Android 16 made at Google I/O that will be coming to the best Android phones. For instance, we finally got an official look at Android 16's new look thanks to the updated design language, Material 3 Expressive. The new design aims to add more personalization and expressiveness to Android phones. With that said, many will be wondering when the Android 16 update will arrive. We don't currently have a set date, but during The Android Show hosted on May 13, it was stated that Samsung and many other devices will get Android 16 this summer. Meanwhile, Android boss Sameer Samat revealed that Google Pixel devices will be able to download the update later this year. As it stands, most rumors agree on a June release, which, considering Google usually gets the updates first, would leave plenty of time for a summer release. Overall, it's looking like it's going to be a pretty fantastic couple of months for Android devices. For more information on all the reveals made during the Google I/O event, then check out our full recap.
WIRED
21-05-2025
- WIRED
Google's Android Chief Hopes Its ‘New Era' Will Get People to Ditch Their iPhones
Android is getting a design refresh, launching a mixed reality platform for smart glasses, and Gemini is expanding to cars and watches. Can it entice the overwhelmingly dominant iPhone-owning youth? Photograph: Julian Chokkattu Eighty eight percent of US teens own an iPhone. That's according to a recent April 2025 survey by investment bank Piper Sandler, which also found that 25 percent of the 6,455 surveyed expect to upgrade to the iPhone 17 this fall (an increase of 22 percent from 2024). Android may be the dominant mobile operating system globally, but it trails Apple's iOS on the homefront, and it's woefully out of the picture for teens. Sameer Samat doesn't seem fazed. He's the president of the Android ecosystem. 'It's a new era for Android,' Samat tells me in a crowded lounge shortly after the Google I/O keynote wrapped. The upcoming version of Android 16 has a fresh look designed to attract more people to the platform, and was devised from the results of over 46 research studies with more than 18,000 participants. In its own surveys, Google found that its new Material 3 Expressive design language, with its responsive animations and playful typography, scored high across all age groups. But a design refresh is just one part of Android's plans. The next frontier is smart glasses, and Google's clearly hoping to mirror the surprising success of Meta's Ray-Ban camera-powered glasses (even though Samat will remind you that Google has 'never stopped working on' the category since Google Glass debuted in 2013). Its Android XR initiative is a new platform that will run similarly to how Android operates right now: Google manages the software platform (with the help of Samsung), and manufacturers will be able to create devices and apps for it, following several guidelines. At I/O, Google announced that eyewear brands Gentle Monsters and Warby Parker will be making Android XR smart glasses. 'We've worked [on this] a lot," Samat says. "There are a number of things that have advanced the field. You can fit more amazing hardware into an amazing package. You're wearing the glasses on your face so the weight, battery life, and optics all have improved dramatically. Second, the industry is really ready to innovate with us.' Photograph: Julian Chokkattu And that brings us to the third focus for Android, which is the connecting line between all the Android ecosystem products—artificial intelligence. Almost the entirety of Google's keynote was spent on Gemini, the chatbot replacing the 9-year-old Google Assistant in everything from Android Auto and Wear OS, to smartphones and now Android XR. But this is what Samat says makes Android XR unique, as it's the 'first Android platform built for the Gemini era.' He went on with a cluster of examples, like asking Gemini to summarize the chapter of a book you're reading based on the images it captured as you turned the pages over, or having it scour your emails in Gmail for the answer to a question, hands-free through the glasses. 'It gives you superpowers when you put them on,' Samat says. Will this AI-first approach help change the minds of Americans and get them on board the Android train? Samat didn't say, but he did claim his 14-year-old son learned to do the laundry for the first time with Gemini on a Pixel 9 Pro. (Samat insists that his son willingly chose a Pixel as his phone.) Using Gemini's new live camera mode, where the assistant can see what you're seeing via the phone's camera, his son was able to ask what settings to use for the load of laundry in front of him. Gemini identified the washing machine and correctly offered up the right settings and instructions, which meant no pink-colored shirts that were originally white. 'You see the future first on Android; it's all coming to Android, so I really hope people will take another look.' You see the future first on Android; it's all coming to Android, so I really hope people will take another look. The new Android XR platform comes at a time when Google is facing incredible scrutiny from regulatory bodies. The US Department of Justice still wants the company to sell off Chrome, and a jury decided the Google Play Store was an illegal monopoly. 'Android is one of the most open operating systems that's ever been created,' Samat says. 'There are some interesting myths—that Gemini can be the only AI assistant on Android when it's very easy for consumers to choose others like Perplexity or OpenAI.' But when asked about how Android XR will navigate these core issues—will Gemini be the only assistant on Android XR? Will apps be forced to be deployed to an XR version of the Play Store, where Google collects up to 30 percent of sales? Samat says it's too 'early to talk about how all of that will work.' The first Android XR mixed reality headset arrives later this year, but he promises the company 'won't deviate from Android's openness.' Then there's the privacy side of strapping cameras and microphones to a person's face. More than 10 years ago, anyone wearing Google Glass was immediately dubbed a 'Glasshole,' but as Meta's smart glasses have showed, the world has a different level of comfort with smart glasses. Still, it's not just about taking photos and videos for social media—Meta's developing new glasses that can recognize people's faces. Samat promises that Android XR will have a clear set of standards for manufacturers to follow, just like on Android, to build around data sharing, security, and privacy. 'I think this is a very important issue, and we've learned a lot from the past.' Photograph: Julian Chokkattu But Google isn't keen to lead on the hardware in this space—at the moment at least. It's Samsung that's in charge of creating the smart glasses reference design for the XR platform, with Samat dodging our question as to whether the Pixel hardware team might also create its own. 'This will be an open ecosystem,' he says. What he did tease was the changes coming to Chromebooks. Google has rebuilt the underlying Chrome OS stack on Android, which means while Chrome OS will look and feel the same, the new Android layer allows for better interoperability between Android phones and Chromebooks. 'Quick Share, pairing with a phone, accessing apps,' will all become easier and Samat says to stay tuned next year for exciting updates. Maybe that means a Pixel Laptop is in the works, three years after Google stopped making laptops. Whereas Apple has perfected its ecosystem to play well with phones, watches, laptops, and earbuds, Google still doesn't quite have the versatility with a desktop experience that plays as nicely as Apple. A Pixel laptop could bring it on par. But it's the promise of smart glasses that seem to have the brand's main focus right now—and for good reason. Apple is rumored to be making its own, with an expected launch in 2026 or 2027, and Meta has restructured its Reality Labs division to put more resource behind the wildly successful Meta smart glasses. Google may be one step ahead in creating a platform that anyone can build for, but it still faces stiff competition as companies vie to find their place not just in your pocket, but also on your face.
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Business Standard
20-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Google I/O starts today: Will it be all AI, or will hardware share stage?
Google is set to kick off its annual developer conference, Google I/O, on May 20 with a keynote address. While the company has already hosted 'The Android Show: I/O Edition', detailing Android 16 changes, the main keynote is expected to put a stronger spotlight on AI upgrades to Gemini and Gemini-powered features across Google's ecosystem. But could there also be a surprise hardware reveal? Expected Gemini updates The star of the show is widely expected to be Gemini, Google's family of AI models and tools. Reports suggest the company could introduce an upgraded Gemini Ultra model—its most capable foundation model to date. Google may also showcase advances in agentic AI, including updates to Project Astra and Project Mariner. The company has already rolled out screen and camera sharing features for Gemini on Android, based on Astra—previewed at last year's I/O. New capabilities built on Mariner and Jules (an AI-powered coding agent previewed in December) are also likely to be introduced. Mariner, in particular, enables AI agents to perform actions across the web on a user's behalf. Expect Gemini's cross-platform integration to be a recurring theme, with the assistant confirmed to be coming to Wear OS, Android Auto, and Google TV, broadening its presence across smartwatches, cars, and TVs. New hardware? While Google I/O has previously been a stage for Pixel and Nest hardware reveals, the company has moved away from major product launches at the event in recent years. Although a Pixel 10 teaser is unlikely, there are growing indications that prototype XR devices—including headsets and smartglasses—could make an appearance. For the uninitiated, Android XR is Google's mixed reality platform, developed in partnership with Samsung and Qualcomm, intended for both headsets and smart eyewear. While Samsung has already showcased its Project Moohan headset, I/O could serve as a platform for Google to spotlight other manufacturers in the ecosystem, such as Vivo, which unveiled its Vision headset earlier this year at the Boao Forum for Asia. Adding to speculation, Sameer Samat, President of the Android Ecosystem, appeared at last week's Android Show wearing prototype XR smartglasses, strongly hinting at a preview during the I/O keynote. Samsung is also believed to be developing its own XR smartglasses under the codename 'Haean,' which could also be referenced or teased during the event. More on Android? While Android 16 got an early spotlight at the Android Show, Google is expected to expand on its features at I/O. One of the key highlights is Material 3 Expressive, a visual evolution of Google's Material You design philosophy. It focuses on guiding user attention through enhancements in colour, motion, shape, and layout. The new system brings more fluid animations, dynamic colour schemes, and refined typography. These upgrades will roll out across key Google apps like Photos and Gmail for a more personalised experience. Google also previewed a Live Updates feature—an interactive notification banner that allows users to track real-time progress, similar to Apple's Dynamic Island. More enhancements to Android 16 may be unveiled during the main keynote. Google I/O Keynote: When and where to watch The Google I/O 2025 keynote will begin on May 20 at 10:00 AM PDT (10:30 PM IST) and will be live-streamed on Google's official YouTube channel. Viewers can also watch the event via the embedded video at the end of this article. Additional sessions and in-depth product presentations will be uploaded to the same channel. Google I/O Keynote: Livestream
Engadget
19-05-2025
- Business
- Engadget
Google I/O 2025: New Android 16, Gemini AI and everything else to expect at Tuesday's keynote
Google I/O, the search giant's annual developer conference, kicks off on Tuesday, May 20. The event is arguably the most important on the company's annual calendar, offering the opportunity for the company to share a glimpse at everything it has been working on over the past year — and contextualize its biggest priorities for the next twelve months. The dance card for Google I/O was apparently so packed that the company spun off a dedicated Android showcase a whole week earlier. (See everything that was announced at the Android Show or go to our liveblog to get a feel for how things played out.) With that event now behind us, Google can stay focused on its most important core competency: AI. Google's presentation will come on the heels of announcements from three big rivals in recent days. Further up the Pacific coast, Microsoft is hosting its Build developer conference, where it's already unveiled an updated Copilot AI app. Meanwhile, at the Computex show in Taiwan, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang highlighted a partnership with Foxconn to develop an "AI factory supercomputer" powered by 10,000 Blackwell AI chips. And Meta held its debut LlamaCon AI conference last month, but CEO Mark Zuckerberg's plans for AI dominance have reportedly since hit some snags. (Apple will share its updated AI roadmap on June 9 when its WWDC developers conference kicks off.) If you'd like to tune in from home and follow along as Google makes its announcements, check out our article on how to watch the Google I/O 2025 keynote. We'll also be liveblogging the event, so you can just come to Engadget for the breaking news. The presentation featured Android Ecosystem President Sameer Samat, who took over for Burke in 2024. We saw Samat and his colleagues show off years, Android hasn't had much of a spotlight at Google's annual developer conference. Thankfully, last week's Android Show breakout let Google's mobile operating system take the spotlight for at least a day. The presentation featured Android Ecosystem President Sameer Samat, who took over for Burke in 2024. We saw Samat and his colleagues show off the new Material 3 Expressive design, and what we learned confirmed some of the features that were previously leaked, like the "Ongoing notifications" bar. Material 3 Expressive is also coming to Wear OS 6, and the company is expanding the reach of Gemini by bringing it to its smartwatch platform, Android Auto and Google TV. Android is also amping up its scam-detection features and a refined Find Hub that will see support for satellite connectivity later in the year. Speaking of timing, Google has already confirmed the new operating system will arrive sometime before the second half of the year. Though it did not release a stable build of Android 16 today, Samat shared during the show that Android 16 (or at least part of it) is coming next month to Pixel devices. And though the company did cover some new features coming to Android XR, senior director for Android Product and UX Guemmy Kim said during the presentation that "we'll share more on Android XR at I/O next week." It clearly seems like more is still to come, and not just for Android XR. We didn't get confirmation on the Android Authority report that Google could add a more robust photo picker, with support for cloud storage solutions. That doesn't mean it won't be in Android 16, it might just be something the company didn't get to mention in its 30-minute showcase. Plus, Google has been releasing new Android features in a quarterly cadence lately, rather than wait till an annual update window to make updates available. It's possible we see more added to Android 16 as the year progresses. One of the best places to get an idea for what's to come in Android 16 is in its beta version, which has already been available to developers and is currently in its fourth iteration. For example, we learned in March that Android 16 will bring Auracast support, which could make it easier to listen to and switch between multiple Bluetooth devices. This could also enable people to receive Bluetooth audio on hearing aids they have paired with their phones or tablets. Remember Google Glass? No? How about Daydream? Maybe Cardboard? After sending (at least) three XR projects to the graveyard, you would think even Google would say enough is enough. Instead, the company is preparing to release Android XR after previewing the platform at the end of last year. This time around, the company says the power of its Gemini AI models will make things different. We know Google is working with Samsung on a headset codenamed Project Moohan. Last fall, Samsung hinted that the device could arrive sometime this year. Whether Google and Samsung demo Project Moohan at I/O, I imagine the search giant will have more to say about Android XR and the ecosystem partners it has worked to bring to its side for the initiative. This falls in line with what Kim said about more on Android XR being shared at I/O. If Google felt the need to split off Android into its own showcase, we're likely to get more AI-related announcements at I/O than ever before. The company hasn't provided many hints about what we can expect on that front, but if I had to guess, features like AI Overviews and AI Mode are likely to get substantive updates. I suspect Google will also have something to say about Project Mariner, the web-surfing agent it demoed at I/O 2024. Either way, Google is an AI company now, and every I/O moving forward will reflect that. Speaking of AI, Project Astra was one of the more impressive demos Google showed off at I/O 2024. The technology made the most of the latest multi-modal capabilities of Google's Gemini models to offer something we hadn't seen before from the company. It's a voice assistant with advanced image recognition features that allows it to converse about the things it sees. Google envisions Project Astra one day providing a truly useful artificial assistant. However, after seeing an in-person demo of Astra, the Engadget crew felt the tech needed a lot more work. Given the splash Project Astra made last year, there's a good chance we could get an update on it at I/O 2025. According to a report from The Information , Google might be planning to unveil its own take on Pinterest at I/O. That characterization is courtesy of The Information, but based on the features described in the article, Engadget team members found it more reminiscent of Cosmos instead. Cosmos is a pared-down version of Pinterest, letting people save and curate anything they see on the internet. It also allows you to share your saved pages with others. Google's version, meanwhile, will reportedly show image results based on your queries, and you can save the pictures in different folders based on your own preferences. So say you're putting together a lookbook based on Jennie from Blackpink. You can search for her outfits and save your favorites in a folder you can title "Lewks," perhaps. Whether this is simply built into Search or exists as a standalone product is unclear, and we'll have to wait till I/O to see whether the report was accurate and what the feature really is like. Last year, Wear OS didn't get a mention during the company's main keynote, but Google did preview Wear OS 5 during the developer sessions that followed. The company only began rolling out Wear OS 5.1 to Pixel devices in March. This year, we've already learned at the Android Show that Wear OS 6 is coming, with Material 3 Expressive gracing its interface. Will we learn more at I/O? It's unclear, but it wouldn't be a shock if that was all the air time Wear OS gets this year. Google has jumped the gun and already launched a standalone NotebookLM app ahead of I/O. The machine-learning note-taking app, available in desktop browsers since 2023, can summarize documents and even synthesize full-on NPR-style podcast summaries to boot. Google has a terrible track record when it comes to preventing leaks within its internal ranks, so the likelihood the company could surprise us is low. Still, Google could announce something we don't expect. As always, your best bet is to visit Engadget on May 20 and 21. We'll have all the latest from Google then along with our liveblog and analysis. Update, May 5 2025, 7:08PM ET: This story has been updated to include details on a leaked blog post discussing "Material 3 Expressive." Update, May 6 2025, 5:29PM ET: This story has been updated to include details on the Android 16 beta, as well as Auracast support. Update, May 8 2025, 3:20PM ET: This story has been updated to include details on how to watch the Android Show and the Google I/O keynote, as well as tweak the intro for freshness. Update, May 13 2025, 3:22PM ET: This story has been updated to include all the announcements from the Android Show and a new report from The Information about a possible image search feature debuting at I/O. The intro was also edited to accurately reflect what has happened since the last time this article was updated. Update, May 14 2025, 4:32PM ET: This story has been updated to include details about other events happening at the same time as Google I/O, including Microsoft Build 2025 and Computex 2025. Update, May 19 2025, 5:13PM ET: Updated competing AI news from Microsoft, Meta and NVIDIA, and contextualized final rumors and reports ahead of I/O. If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission.
