Pixel cut another lead in smartphone innovation by rolling out Google’s June Feature Drop, bringing in exciting new features filled with breakthrough AI tech and life-saving features. The two Pixel 8 and Pixel 8a are the stars of the show with Gemini Nano sidekicks this time, alongside a handful of other interesting features that you can use to improve your everyday experience and safety. Let’s dive into the details and see what they have in store for the latest Pixel family.
Gemini Nano is finally here, showing up on Pixel 8 and Pixel 8a but not on the Pixel 7 devices. This new incarnation of Google’s AI is the key to unlocking all the crazy new on-device features, including ‘more detailed’ summaries in Recorder. Speaker names are incorporated into these summaries, so it’s now easier than ever to follow along with transcripts – if you’re willing to do so, anyway. However, a big warning: Gemini Nano is buried in a ‘developer option’ menu. You’ll need to manually toggle it on if you want to use it.
People who love Pixel and want to tinker with Gemini Nano’s full spectrum of features can find a quick tutorial for turning on Gemini Nano on the Pixel Phone Help website. There is some work to do under the hood, but the payoff is well worth it: a smarter device and a better user experience.
An AI whose functions go beyond AI is, of course, the latest Feature Drop, comprising — for street credibility — a wholly new set of capabilities beyond the AI functionality, to ‘augment the Pixel experience’. Every one of these devices is now capable of ‘displaying content on a bigger screen’ with a USB-C to DisplayPort connection.
A ‘reverse phone number search’ directly from the call log helps deal with the trouble of those unknown callers and is now available on several Pixel models including the Pixel Fold, Pixel 6 and newer.
Moving from handhelds to a wearable, the Pixel Watch 2 will get Car Crash Detection too. If the wearable detects that the user has been in a very serious crash, it will automatically try to call emergency services if the user doesn’t respond manually. It also calls and texts emergency contacts with the user’s location in real-time. PayPal is now accepted through Google Wallet with the addition of the feature.
Also touched upon in the June Feature Drop is a refurbishment of changes that were first made available in Spring 2024 Google Home update. The Pixel phone family welcomes the return of the Google Home Favourites widget that makes it easy to control smart home gadgets. The Pixel Tablet, too, is blessed with ‘richer doorbell notifications’, which enables direct Nest doorbell video feed interactions with a visitor.
Beyond the key features, the update will improve existing features, like guaranteeing the Find My Device service can track phones even when their batteries have died. It’s clear Pixel will continue to push the envelope of what’s possible on their devices, so what can users expect from the future?
At its root, a ‘pixel’ is the unit of digital imagery. It is a great metaphor for the continually evolving design of the Google Pixel range. Each Pixel upgrade builds on the Succession of Features, each adding and improving the range of what can be achieved on the device, and thus setting new records for smartphone functionality. The blend of AI hardware and software enhancement and potential life-saving internal components shown in the latest Pixel Feature Drop continues the Google theme of innovation, safety and user-orientation.
Ultimately, the Pixel advances not just to meet users’ needs in present and the near future, but to proactively anticipate them and fashion responses before they even arise. In all of its contemporary advances, Google continues to demonstrate its mastery of AI, with its roots in the fusion of art and science, and all for the sake of practical, life-enhancing functionality. If you’re a tech aficionado, a potential convert to the Pixel phenomenon, or a long-time fan, the prospects for enriching your digital lifestyle just got richer.
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