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Apple considers powering upgraded Siri with Google’s Gemini AI

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This week’s “Made by Google” event showed how far behind Siri is compared to Google’s revamped assistant, which uses its Gemini AI platform. We’ve said in the past that Apple has a Siri-ous problem, and it has only gotten worse. “Personal Siri,” which is supposed to do some of the things that Pixel’s new Magic Cue feature does such as anticipate what information you need and have it at your fingertips when you need it, has been delayed.

Pixel’s Magic Cue does things now that won’t be available on Siri until next spring

For example, if you’re on the phone with an airline, Magic Cue will dig up info about your flight from your Gmail, calendar app, or even a screenshot, and display this information on your phone. This way, when the airline rep asks for your reservation number, you have it right in front of you when you need it without having to scramble and look for that information. “Personal Siri” is expected to be able to bring you information digging through the same sources on your iPhone, but it has been delayed until iOS 26.4 is released next spring.

Screenshot of Google's Gemini app for iOS.Screenshot of Google's Gemini app for iOS.

The Gemini AI app on iOS 26 Beta 7. | Image credit-PhoneArena

Today, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman writes that Apple is in early discussions with Google about using the latter’s Gemini AI to power the new, remade version of Siri. People familiar with the matter revealed that Apple recently came to Google asking whether Google could build a custom AI model that would be used as the foundation for the revised Siri. The aforementioned “people” asked to remain anonymous because the talks with Google are private, but did say that Google has started training a model to run on Apple’s servers.
Apple hasn’t decided yet whether to use an internally-created model for Siri, or whether to turn to a partner. Back in June, there was speculation that Apple would buy AI start-up Perplexity AI. Gurman said that the tech giant is still a few weeks away from deciding whether to develop the AI platform for Siri inside Apple or to find another company to work with. Earlier this year, Apple supposedly spoke with Anthropic PBC and OpenAI about using Claude or ChatGPT, respectively. Anthropic was supposed to be the leading choice, but the company’s financial demands led Apple to look elsewhere. 

Inside Cupertino, Apple is said to be developing two different versions of Siri. Linwood is based on the models developed by Apple internally. The other, codenamed Glenwood, uses outside technology.

Pre-order your new Pixel 10 model right here, right now!

Pixel 10: pre-order with a $100 gift card

The Tensor G5-powered Pixel 10 has just been announced, and it’s already available for pre-order at Amazon with a sweet $100 gift card. Reserve yours before this promo expires.


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Pixel 10 Pro: pre-order with a $200 gift card

Looking for a more flagship Pixel 10 experience in a compact form factor? Consider the Pixel 10 Pro instead! It’s available for pre-order at Amazon with a $200 gift card!


Pre-order at Amazon

Pixel 10 Pro XL: pre-order with a $200 gift card

Users after a larger screen and a serious Gemini AI prowess should consider the latest Google Pixel 10 Pro XL. The just-announced flagship is available for pre-order with a $200 Amazon Gift Card.


Pre-order at Amazon

The talks between Google and Apple have nothing to do with Apple’s other deals to add chatbots to Apple Intelligence. For example, iPhone users can turn to ChatGPT to answer a query that Siri cannot answer. Apple is looking to add Google’s Gemini as another option that iPhone users can turn to when Siri’s capabilities fall short.

Apple CEO Tim Cook says that Apple must win in AI

Some software engineers have wondered whether Apple will use third-party models for non-Siri AI features. This is not something that Apple is currently working on, according to today’s report. Gurman did write that Apple CEO Tim Cook recently held an all-hands meeting stating that Apple must win in AI. Despite lagging behind, Cook was optimistic and noted that Apple is usually not first to market with something new but eventually develops a superior product.
I’m not sure that Apple completely understands how AI can help consumers. While having the report you’ve been working on for your boss sent to him in Shakespeare’s Iambic pentameter might be cool, it doesn’t really improve your quality of life. Meanwhile, Google’s “Personal Intelligence,” the guiding principle for its new Pixel 10 phones and Gemini, does more than just deliver results. It is always one step ahead of you, delivering the information that you need when you need it to make your life easier.
For Google, working out a deal with Apple over AI would not be something new. Currently, Google powers many of the AI features on Samsung phones.

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Read the latest from Alan Friedman

#Apple #considers #powering #upgraded #Siri #Googles #Gemini

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Technology

The Download: Google’s AI energy expenditure, and handing over DNA data to the police

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Google has just released a report detailing how much energy its Gemini apps use for each query. In total, the median prompt—one that falls in the middle of the range of energy demand—consumes 0.24 watt-hours of electricity, the equivalent of running a standard microwave for about one second. The company also provided average estimates for the water consumption (five drops per query) and carbon emissions associated with a text prompt to Gemini.

It’s the most transparent estimate yet from a Big Tech company with a popular AI product, and the report includes detailed information about how the company calculated its final estimate.

Earlier this year, MIT Technology Review published a comprehensive series on AI and energy, at which time none of the major AI companies would reveal their per-prompt energy usage. Google’s new publication, at last, allows for a peek behind the curtain that researchers and analysts have long hoped for. Read the full story.

—Casey Crownhart

I gave the police access to my DNA—and maybe some of yours

Last year, I added my DNA profile to a private genealogical database, FamilyTreeDNA, and clicked “Yes” to allow the police to search my genes.

In 2018, police in California announced they’d caught the Golden State Killer, a man who had eluded capture for decades. Once the police had “matches” to a few relatives of the killer, they built a large family tree from which they plucked the likely suspect.

This process, called forensic investigative genetic genealogy, or FIGG, has since helped solve hundreds of murders and sexual assaults.

But I wasn’t really driven by some urge to capture distantly related serial killers. Rather, my spit had a less gallant and more quarrelsome motive: to troll privacy advocates whose fears around DNA I think are overblown and unhelpful. By giving up my saliva for inspection, I was going against the view that a person’s DNA is the individualized, sacred text that privacy advocates sometimes claim. Read the full story.

#Download #Googles #energy #expenditure #handing #DNA #data #police

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Travel

Turn your family into a comic book or get drawn like one of Jack’s French girls with Google’s Remix

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Turn your family into anime characters and more with Google’s Remix

The first thing you need to do is open the Google Photos app. If you have an Android device, Google Photos is probably your default photo gallery app. You probably know why, but if you’re a newbie to the world of smartphones, Google owns Android, which it purchased in 2005. As an aside, Android originally was developed for BlackBerry-style handsets with buttons and keyboards. When Steve Jobs put on a master class in new product announcements in January 2007 with the unveiling of the iPhone, Android was quickly changed to a touchscreen platform. The rest is history.

Screenshot showing how to use Photo to Video AI feature.Screenshot showing how to use Photo to Video AI feature.

Turn your photo into a video with AI and the Google Photos app on Android and iOS. | Image credit-PhoneArena

Anyway, I digress. If you need to install the Google Photos app on your phone, which you probably won’t need to do with an Android handset, but should on an iPhone, follow these short directions:

  • Open the App Store
  • Search for Google Photos
  • Install the app.

Once the app is installed, open it and press the Create new button (“+”) and then Remix. If you want to try Remix, tap on “Try now.” Select a style that you want the photo you select to use. Now, pick the photo that you want to edit. Tap on Choose photo. If you want to change the photo you’ve selected, press on Change photo. Tap on Generate to create the image using the new style you’ve selected.

If you’re not happy with how a particular photo looks in a certain style, you don’t have to change the style. All you need to do is hit the Regenerate button, and the same photo will be remade in the same style you last selected. For example, let’s say your girl asks you to have her drawn like Jack draws his French girls. So you select a photo of her from the Google Photos app (it can be a photo that you’ve just snapped). Pick Sketch for the style, tap Choose photo to pick a photo with her in it, and click on Generate.

If your girl isn’t pleased, simply tap on Regenerate, and another sketch derived from the same photo will be created.

Put your imagination to work with the new AI features from Google found in the Android and iOS Google Photos apps

What has hit both phones is the Photo to Video feature that takes a photo and turns it into a video. Open Google Photos and tap the “+” button in the top right of the display. From the menu that appears, click on Photo to Video. Select one photo (people and pets work best, Google notes). After you select it, you’ll be asked to choose between having the feature create a subtle movement for the subject you selected, or you can select a button to press if you’re feeling lucky.

It might take a minute for AI to create the video, but the feature is amazing. Still photos with people and pets suddenly took on a life of their own. The only negative experience I had was with a photo of my pug Luna, as the AI added an appendage, turning her from a female dog to a male. To reiterate, this feature is available with the Google Photos app on both Android and iOS.

Whether you’re using Remix to change the style of an image from your Google Photos app, or you’re turning a photo into a video, you can save and even share the results of your imagination partnering with AI to your friends and family.

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Read the latest from Alan Friedman

#Turn #family #comic #book #drawn #Jacks #French #girls #Googles #Remix

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Travel

Pixel Tablet owners can finally get Google’s unreleased stylus

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The Pixel Tablet launched in 2023 without the robust accessory lineup many other tablets enjoy. While leaks suggested Google was preparing a first-party stylus called the Pixel Tablet Pen, the product never made it to an official release. Now, in an unexpected twist, the unreleased accessory is showing up for sale through various online sellers, including Amazon.

Rumors of the Pixel Tablet Pen first surfaced late last year, when an accessory labeled “Pen for Pixel Tablet” appeared in certification listings. The device carried the model number GM0KF and featured a minimalist off-white and gray design with a physical button. It was expected to support the USI 2.0 standard, which the Pixel Tablet has offered from launch. Despite evidence of development, Google never released the stylus.

Recently, however, listings for the Pixel Tablet Pen began appearing on the Chinese marketplace Goofish, complete with Google-branded packaging confirming the ‘Pixel Tablet Pen’ name. From there, the stylus made its way to other platforms, with multiple Amazon sellers now offering it under generic USI 2.0 descriptions but bearing Google’s model number, logo, and a “Designed for Google” badge.

One of these listings was recently spotted and purchased for about $25, which is a competitive price for a USI 2.0 stylus — especially one seemingly built as a first-party Google accessory. Considering most official tablet pens from major brands cost significantly more, this pricing is notable.

In testing, the stylus reportedly performed as expected. It charges via USB-C, includes a status light, and works immediately with the Pixel Tablet once powered. Input was smooth and responsive, and the tablet’s software recognized hover actions without issue. The button, while functional in hardware, does not appear to trigger any commands, leaving it as more of a tactile feature than a useful control.

The presence of so many units raises questions. It’s not uncommon for unreleased Google products to leak in small quantities, but widespread availability through mainstream retailers is unusual.

From a market perspective, the Pixel Tablet Pen could have positioned Google more competitively against devices like the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra, which has a stylus included, or Apple’s iPads, where the Apple Pencil is a key accessory. Without it, the Pixel Tablet launched at a disadvantage for creative and productivity users who value pen input.

While we may never know the full story of why the Pixel Tablet Pen was shelved, its sudden accessibility offers an affordable way for Pixel Tablet owners to add stylus support. Whether this is the result of surplus stock or an abandoned launch plan, it’s a curious footnote in Google’s hardware history — and one that might not last long given the limited supply.

#Pixel #Tablet #owners #finally #Googles #unreleased #stylus

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Travel

Pixel 10 users might score Google’s $240 AI upgrade for free

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Google appears to be gearing up to make its Pixel 10 phones more appealing with the help of AI Pro, the company’s $19.99/month subscription tier for Gemini. And now, new evidence suggests that Pixel 10 buyers could get a free trial of the plan out of the box.

Pixel 10 users may get premium Gemini access

This claim comes from a recent APK teardown by Android Authority, which uncovered strings of code in Google app v16.30.59 indicating that Pixel 10 series devices are eligible for a Google AI Pro trial.

While the trial duration isn’t confirmed, the code aligns with similar perks offered to Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 buyers, who received six months of AI Pro and 2 TB of cloud storage for free.Historically, Pixel 9 Pro users received a full year of free access, while the base Pixel 9 got six months. If Google follows a similar pattern, Pixel 10 Pro buyers may receive the longer trial, while base Pixel 10 model owners get a shorter one. Either way, users could be saving up to $240 in subscription value.

APK teardowns often reveal features under development that may change or never release.

AI Pro plan offers deeper Gemini integration

Google’s AI Pro plan unlocks more advanced Gemini features, including extended context windows, priority access to newer models, and enhanced AI tools. And while some Gemini features are expected to run fully on-device — thanks to the Tensor G5 chip — others may require cloud-based processing tied to AI Pro.This move fits Google’s strategy to push AI deeper into its ecosystem, but to convince users to subscribe, the company likely needs to let them try the experience first, especially when it’s tied to its flagship Pixel phones.

Pixel 10 reveal set for August 20

Google has officially confirmed that its Pixel event will be held on August 20, where it will unveil the Pixel 10 series, the Pixel Watch 4, and the Pixel Buds 2a. That said, a report from today states that the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, Pixel Watch 4, and Pixel Buds 2a might be delayed until October.

As for the Pixel 10 itself, it’s shaping up to be Google’s most powerful phone yet, expected to feature:

  • Tensor G5, Google’s first truly custom SoC; built on TSMC’s 3nm process
  • Up to 16 GB RAM
  • Storage options from 256 GB to 1 TB
  • A 4,870 mAh battery
  • Qi2 magnetic charging and a new PixelSnap accessory ecosystem

Pricing is expected to remain the same, with the Pixel 10 Pro reportedly starting at $999, and the base model retaining its predecessor’s price of $799.

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Aleksandar is a tech enthusiast with a broad range of interests, from smartphones to space exploration. His curiosity extends to hands-on DIY experiments with his gadgets, and he enjoys switching between different brands to experience the latest innovations. Prior to joining PhoneArena, Aleksandar worked on the Google Art Project, digitizing valuable artworks and gaining diverse perspectives on technology. When he’s not immersed in tech, Aleksandar is an outdoorsman who enjoys mountain hikes, wildlife photography, and nature conservation. His interests also extend to martial arts, running, and snowboarding, reflecting his dynamic approach to life and technology.

Read the latest from Aleksandar Anastasov

#Pixel #users #score #Googles #upgrade #free

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Travel

Google’s Pixel 9a is my top 2025 mid-range pick, and it’s finally available at the perfect price

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This may sound odd coming from a mobile tech writer with more than a decade of experience in the field, but I’m not exactly what you’d call a smartphone power user. You can call me cheap or unsophisticated if you want, but I can name multiple devices in the $400 to $600 price range right now that I feel are more than adequately equipped to satisfy my day-to-day needs just as a $1,000+ phone would.

The Pixel 9a is not only one of those devices, but the one I like most and would strongly recommend to anyone who feels the above description might apply to them as well. Do you own a mid-range Android handset and want to switch to a new one… without having to spend a small fortune?

Google Pixel 9a

$100 off (20%)

5G, Unlocked, 128GB Storage, 8GB RAM, 6.3-Inch P-OLED Screen with 2424 x 1080 Pixel Resolution and 120Hz Refresh Rate Technology, Google Tensor G4 Processor, Android 15, Google Gemini, 48 + 13MP Dual Rear-Facing Camera System, 13MP Front-Facing Camera, 5,100mAh Battery, 23W Charging Capabilities, Four Color Options


Buy at Amazon

Google Pixel 9a

$100 off (17%)

5G, Unlocked, 256GB Storage, 8GB RAM, 6.3-Inch P-OLED Screen with 2424 x 1080 Pixel Resolution and 120Hz Refresh Rate Technology, Google Tensor G4 Processor, Android 15, Google Gemini, 48 + 13MP Dual Rear-Facing Camera System, 13MP Front-Facing Camera, 5,100mAh Battery, 23W Charging Capabilities, Two Color Options


Buy at Amazon

Then this is the time to pull the trigger, as Amazon sells the Google-made 6.3-incher with Tensor G4 processing power at $100 less than usual. That discount, believe it or not, is totally unprecedented, even beating the e-commerce giant’s Prime-exclusive price cut from last month, and incredibly enough, it applies to a bunch of different color options, as well as both of the Pixel 9a‘s storage variants.
To be completely honest, I kind of felt like the phone was a bit overpriced at $499 and up when it made its (delayed) commercial debut a few months ago. But at $100 below that point with 128 gigs of internal storage space and $100 off a regular price of $599 in a 256GB configuration, the Pixel 9a may have reached budget-friendly perfection.

That Tensor G4 chip, mind you, is the same one found inside the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, and Pixel 9 Pro XL, all three of which technically fall into the high-end category, fetching… appropriately high prices. The 48 + 13MP dual rear-facing camera and 5,100mAh battery are also worthy of a high-end label (and fitting price tag), and not just in theory.
Our in-depth Google Pixel 9a review proves that the real-world battery life, camera performance, overall system speed, and user experience are all as impressive as they look on paper, which begs an obvious question – why am I trying to convince you to buy this phone at a new record high discount when I could be doing the same? Now if you’ll excuse me, I have an Amazon order to make.

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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian’s passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for ‘adequate’ over ‘overpriced’.

Read the latest from Adrian Diaconescu

#Googles #Pixel #top #midrange #pick #finally #perfect #price

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