Google is bringing back its flavoured potato chips to launch with the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro.
Similar to last year, the chips are only available in Japan, but this time they weirdly come in boxes. The packaging comes in the four colours of the Pixel 7 but with weird flavour names: ‘Snow Cheese,’ ‘Obsidian Pepper,’ ‘Salty Lemon,’ and ‘Hazel Onion.’ Additionally, the packaging sports the camera bar with a pill and circle. Last year’s Pixel 6 chips came in different colours, but only came in the ‘Googley Salty Flavor’ that was actually just original Lays chips.
Those in Japan can enter a lottery to win one of 2,000 boxes.
This comes at the end of a Google Store weekend sale in Japan and other Asia-Pacific countries that came with an exclusive phone case.
Google’s Pixel 7 and 7 Pro leaks are now coming out of the floodgate.
According to Roland Quandt and WinFuture, the Pixel 7 in Europe will come in two variants with 128GB and 256GB internal storage options. This is the same as the variants for the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro last year. Quandt does say this is the European model, but I don’t believe the Canadian variant will be any different.
This is pretty unfortunate considering Samsung and Apple flagships are now hitting 1TB of storage. 256GB of storage, in comparison, is pretty laughable.
Alongside the 128 or 256GB of storage options, the Pixel 7 Pro is rumoured to feature 12GB of RAM and the standard model to sport 8GB of RAM. The Pixel 7 Pro will launch in ‘Obsidian,’ ‘Snow’ and ‘Hazel’ colours, whereas the Pixel 7 will come in ‘Obsidian,’ ‘Snow’ and ‘Lemongrass.’ Additionally, it will come with Android 13, the next generation of Google’s Tensor chip, and more.
Google will officially show off everything about the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro at its Made by Google event on October 6th alongside the Pixel Watch.
A Google Search widget is coming to the lock screen that allows users can configure it to work with your voice or camera, and you can even have translated on the widget as well.
A Chrome lock screen widget is also coming that allows users to quickly access Google Chrome, you can even load up the dinosaur game.
Additionally, a Google Maps widget is coming, so you can easily find restaurants, shops and more. Google Drive widgets are also a widget that’s coming to Google Blog. Of course, a Gmail widget is also coming, and you can customize the widget to see which inbox categories you want.
Finally, a Google News widget is on its way to the iOS 16 lock screen.
These widgets will be available in the coming weeks, just download your favourite Google apps on your iPhone to access the widgets.
If you want to learn how to change your lock screen on iOS 16 check out our quick guide.
The latest Android 13 beta rollout has unveiled a new ‘Clear Call’ toggle buried in the code.
The leak comes from notable Android enthusiast Mishaal Rahman on Twitter, where he’s pulled back the curtain on numerous Android 13 updates, including a new ‘Safety Centre,’ Spatial Audio and more.
Manually enabled “Clear Calling” settings. Don't want to bother testing it, but here's a first look! pic.twitter.com/JUYPxlXiSN
Clear Calling is exciting since it should make making calls in loud spaces easier. Rahman claims that this feature will lower background noises when people are on a call. This works similarly to Google’s sound isolation techniques in Meet and with the new Pixel Buds Pro.
It’s worth noting that this only works on basic calls. If you’re already using Wi-Fi calling, which is usually much better quality, Clear Call doesn’t work.
As of the time of writing, this feature is still unavailable to most people, but it seems likely to become an official feature in a future update. Perhaps Google will even mention it during its fall hardware event in October.
It looks like the Pixel Buds Pro has gotten a new update to make it easier to access Active Noise cancellation, according to 9to5Google.
Previously, users would need to open the Pixel Buds app and then head over to the Sound menu to access the ANC.
Now, the Active Noise Control strip, which has the options for ‘Noise Cancellation,’ ‘Off,’ and ‘Transparency,’ appears at the top of the Pixel Buds app. Further, Google has also added the same strip to the ‘Sounds & vibration’ page, that’s accessed by your volume slider.
So, all you need to do is hit your volume slider and tap the three-dot menu at the bottom, and you’ll see the same Active Noise Control strip below the Media volume slider.
This is a server-side update, so if you don’t see it yet, it should be on the way.
Android has announced that it is releasing new Gboard features today that would make it easier for users to express themselves with emojis.
The new update will allow users to ’emojify’ their messages, with intelligent emoji suggestions that come up when you hit the ‘Emojify’ button on Gboard.
“Just type your sentence, hit the ‘Emojify’ button to select your preferred layout and press send to add the right emoji magic to share with your friends,” says Google. The feature is available to use in the Gboard Beta app in English, with support for all Gboard English users coming over the “next weeks.”
In addition to Gboard, Google is also updating Google Meet with live sharing features. The new update would allow users to watch YouTube videos together, similar to the iPhone’s SharePlay feature, alongside the ability to play games like UNO! Mobile, Kahoot! or Heads Up with up to 100 of your friends and family members directly from the Google Meet application.
Furthermore, Google Meet’s update would now allow multi-pinning, which means you can adjust your screen and pin multiple people that you want to remain visible on your screen.
On the safety side of things, Google’s 2020-announced Sound Notifications that alert you when your phone detects critical household sounds like fire alarms, running water and door knocks can now detect even more sounds. Simply record the sounds you want to be alerted about, like your oven beeping, and you’re good to put your headphones back on. Your device will alert you the next time it detects the sound.
Lastly, your Bitmoji character would soon be able to greet you directly on your WearOS-running smartwatch. If you have a Bitmoji designed on either Snapchat, Bitmoji.com or the Bitmoji mobile app, you need to install the Bitmoji Watch Face on your WearOS-running smartwatch. Once installed, you’ll see your Bitmoji character on your watch, “where it will change expressions depending on the time of day, the weather and your physical activity.”
Leading up to Google’s fall event, where we expect to finally learn everything about the Pixel 7 Series and the new Pixel Watch, rumours are swirling again about a new budget Chromecast.
Since the launch of the original Chromecast, Google has worked to keep the cost of the device low to make sure it was popular against competition like Roku and Fire TV. However, when the company launched the 4K variant and then replaced that with the new Chromecast with Google TV, the price got a little more expensive.
It was justified by the inclusion of a remote and a browsable interface, but it appears that Google is still working on bringing the price down to continue to take on the competition.
The leaks suggest that the new Chromecast will only do HD video, which is a disappointment in 2022, but it makes sense, since the device it’s replacing only streams in HD. It’s also slated to be €39.99, roughly $52 CAD. That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if the device was sold here for $40 since that’s the cost of the current low-end Chromecast.
Since the new version is going to run the Google TV operating system, it will likely come with a remote. The version that comes with the 4K Chromecast is already very cheap feeling so I’d expect Google to ship that with the new model. I’d be very scared if they made an even cheaper option.
Google will unveil the Pixel 7 series alongside the Pixel Watch at its upcoming October 6th event. Funny enough, before the hardware event Sundar Pichai, Google and Alphabet CEO, was shown wearing the Pixel Watch.
During Vox Media’s 2022 Code Conference, Pichai spoke for an interview where was spotted wearing the Pixel Watch.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman caught a couple of pictures of the CEO wearing the watch. Pichai, however, didn’t speak about the smartwatch, but it’s cool that the device is ready to be worn.
The Pixel Watch will sport Google Assistant, Google Maps, Wallet and more. It will have Fitbit integration and the new Wear OS. The company will show the Pixel Watch, Pixel 7 series, and Google Home products at its October 6th event.
Pixel 4 and newer devices are now getting their September patch. Well, except for the Pixel 6a, which will receive the update later this month. Google also says the patch will roll out now for Pixel devices running Android 13.
The update will offer bug fixes and improvements for Pixel users.
Here are the included changes:
Fix for issue occasionally causing increased battery drain from certain launcher background activities
Fix for issue preventing wireless charging mode to activate in certain conditions for Pixel 4 – Pixel 6 Pro.
Additional improvements for fingerprint recognition and response in certain conditions – Pixel 6a only.
Fix for issue occasionally preventing certain Bluetooth devices or accessories from connecting
Fix for issue occasionally causing notifications to appear truncated on the lock screen
The patch comes with high to moderate vulnerability fixes. The patch will hit your device via an over-the-air update.
Google may plan to use its first-gen Tensor chip in its upcoming Pixel Tablet.
Developer Kuba Wojciechowski shared on Twitter details gleaned from AOSP code about the Pixel Tablet. That includes the plan to use ‘gs101’ (the codename for the Tensor chip used in the Pixel 6 series) but would also not include GPS hardware or a cellular modem. Wojciechowski also noted the Pixel Tablet will lack proximity and barometer sensors.
Google’s hardware team seems to have fully embraced the idea and designed the device around that concept. According to AOSP code, it will not contain any GPS hardware or a modem, making it only really usable at home, connected to WiFi. pic.twitter.com/LAmNEGA58T
It seems like Google’s setting up the Pixel Tablet to be a lower-cost media consumption device rather than a high-end content creation device like the iPad Pro. Wojciechowski backs this up, citing previously leaked info about the Pixel Tablet only supporting 64-bit Android. According to Wojciechowski, dropping 32-bit could reduce resource requirements like RAM. Wojciechowski then points at the Pixel 6a, which has 6GB of RAM and supports 32-bit and 64-bit, and suggests the Pixel Tablet could have 4GB of RAM with a 64-bit-only build.
As confirmed by a Google-authored code commit, Citron used a 1st generation Tensor (gs101), just like the Pixel 6 series. That means that the Tablet is also most likely gonna use it, which makes sense for a cost-optimized family tablet. pic.twitter.com/qfYXzmewui
With all this in mind, it increasingly looks like the Pixel Tablet will at least be a low-cost media tablet with minimum specs. The inclusion of Tensor may be surprising, but it’s worth keeping in mind that it’s likely cheaper for Google to include its custom Tensor chip than an off-the-shelf Qualcomm chip, similar to how Apple routinely uses older A-series chips in lower-cost devices like the iPad.
If the Nest Hub rumour is true, then the Pixel Tablet could be a strong competitor in the space. Imagine a Nest Hub or Nest Hub Max-style device, but you can just pull the screen off and use it like a tablet. That’d be great, and basically my dream tablet.
