More from Google Pixel 9 launch event live coverage: all the news
We’re getting a look at Call Notes on Pixel 9. There’s a transcript of a recorded conversation in the phone app — and it all stays on-device. The demo went fine, but the loud thud behind the stage was slightly concerning?
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is getting its time in the spotlight, and Google is emphasizing its thinness and the eight-inch inner screen, which the company calls the biggest screen you can buy on a phone. Which, yeah, that seems about right.
Yup, it’s 2024 and we’re talking about the importance of phone RAM. I’d roll my eyes that this is still a conversation, but after trying a lot of different Android E Ink tablets with different amounts of RAM, I can confirm — RAM is very important!
Both the XL and regular Pixel Pro will have the same features. Thank you for not gatekeeping cool features to big phones. Some of us have tiny hands and pockets.
The Pixel 9 series is finally onscreen — all four of them. But we’ve been talking about Gemini features coming to the whole Android ecosystem right up til now. That’s a lot of time before the phones!
But for a very visual-sounding demo, Gemini Live is surprisingly sparse on visuals. As it comes up with ideas for keeping kids entertained, there are no pictures or references — it’s really like she’s just chatting with an acquaintance on the phone.
We’re getting a look at Gemini Live for the first time, with a couple of voice options called things like “Dipper” and “Ursa.” Notably, none of them sound like... her.
Gemini pulls out a list of foods mentioned in a video and adds them to a grocery list. It really does feel like Google is going out of its way to highlight partner devices in this new era of Android and Pixel on one team...
And Google definitely was doing a dig at Apple by making it clear this was a live demo and not prerecorded. Unfortunately, the demo then struggled, and there was a deeply awkward silence in the room before things got back on track.
We’re watching as Gemini tries to pull some information from a picture of a concert poster. It’s, uh, not going well. It failed twice on a Galaxy S24 Ultra, and now we’re onto a second demo unit.
Yet the elephant in the room is accuracy. Gemini Assistant sounds like it could be super useful! But if it isn’t accurate, is it really better?
He’s recently taken the lead on Android’s ecosystem and tells us that Gemini is supported on “billions of devices” globally, making it the most widely used AI assistant to date. Also, a shout out to Gemini on the Motorola Razr Plus’ cover screen. I appreciate it, Sameer.
Rick Osterloh, the leader of Google’s newly joined hardware and Android teams, tells us the company’s going to show us AI features that are, you know, actually starting to ship. This is the “Gemini era.”
The former CEO of YouTube passed away this weekend.
