The reusable, custom instructions for Gemini are also rolling out to Workspace users starting October 5th and in the Gemini app starting October 13th. Google’s shutting down Gems starting in November for individual users, and as early as March 1st, 2027 for Workspace users.
Google has now confirmed what we reported this spring: ChromeOS is done in 2034. The company says it’s committed to its 10-year-support promise, but for those Chromebooks that can’t be turned into Googlebooks, it might have to get creative.
“Many newer commercial Chromebook models will be capable of upgrading to Googlebook OS,” Google writes. But not all. Nearly 100 different models of Chromebook are supposed to get support till 2035 or later.
An issue in Firebase’s analytics led some iOS apps that use the Google service to crash on launch, a problem which persisted for hours even after Google’s fix. That’s one more thing to worry about after internet outages and rogue AI attacks.
[Android Authority]
The July Digital Markets Act ruling required Google to share search data with rival search engines by January 2027, and give third-party AI assistants equal access to Android by that July. Google’s Oliver Bethell told Bloomberg that sharing user search data “would cause irreversible harm to user privacy.”
Along with an updated homepage, the Arts & Culture app has a new AI-powered search feature that allows you to ask questions using natural language. The app also adds two new AI experiments, including Chrono Look for virtually trying on historical attire, and Dial an Artist, which lets you “call” an AI chatbot modeled after a historical artist.
Google is replacing Gems with skills starting November 17th, as spotted earlier by 9to5Google. While Gems lets you create personalized AI assistants, Google’s skills feature offers similar capabilities by allowing you to create custom instructions for Gemini.
The Pixel 11 Pro light is so far underwhelming, only working for calls from favorite contacts or Gemini interactions. Google always said message support is on the way, but a report from Android Authority suggests new colors are coming too, expanding on the five available now. That’s still behind what other devs have done with it.
To test the new AI-powered features on Ring, Google Nest, and Apple Home connected video doorbells, I put on the iconic Scream mask to see if any of them would warn me.
Only Google told me someone was wearing a mask; Ring somehow still knew it was me, and Apple just said “someone” was at the door. Read the full review.
We’d been told the 15-inch laptop would start at $1,299, but preorders just opened for a much friendlier $1,149.99. It’s the biggest of the first five Googlebooks, with an Intel Core Ultra 5 325 processor inside, 16GB of RAM and 512GB storage, and an HDMI port. It ships from October 4th.
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Googlebooks will be available at retailers later this week, but you might not need to buy a new device to get Google’s latest laptop OS. “Many of our newest Chromebook devices will be eligible to transition over to Googlebook OS,” says Google in a support note targeted at Chromebook enterprise and education customers. Google hasn’t shared migration paths or device eligibility yet, but it’s encouraging to see the search giant sticking to what it announced earlier this year.
