AC News Weekly
News Weekly is our column where we highlight and summarize some of the top stories of the week to keep you up to date with the latest technology news.
This is Android Central’s News Weekly, your go-to place for a concise summary of the week’s most important tech stories. Here we dive into the most important headlines showcasing the latest developments and innovations across the digital landscape.
This week, Imagen 3 was released to the masses, Gmail gets new Gemini AI features, Google doesn’t rule out repairs for the Pixel Watch 3, astrophotography gets a useful upgrade, and Gemini gets a new look on Android phones.
Replacement for Pixel Watch 3 only
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The Pixel Watch 3 launched just a week ago, but we’re still learning more important details about the smartwatch before it ships to consumers. It turns out you might want to invest in a screen protector for the Pixel Watch 3, as Google’s policy for defective models is to replace them, not repair them.
A Google representative confirmed this to Android Authority, explaining that if you have a defective Pixel Watch 3, you should “contact the Google Pixel Watch customer support team to review your replacement options.”
That’s not a huge surprise, as that was essentially the policy for the Pixel Watch 2 and its predecessor. And while no exact reason was given, it’s likely due to the watch’s design, which can make it difficult to repair.
Instead, Google recommends that users sign up for its Preferred Care program, which covers damage, including “out-of-warranty issues.” However, if you actually need to replace your watch, you’ll have to shell out $49. Given the cost of insurance, you’ll have to decide if that’s worth it to you.
The Pixel Watch 3 is now available for pre-order, so be sure to check out the available pre-order offers for the smartwatch.
Astrophotography mode is easier to use on pixels
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One of the best features of Pixel phones just got a little better. Thanks to the latest update to the Pixel Camera app, you can now manually trigger Astrophotography mode to capture images of the night sky.
Previously, Astrophotography mode had to be activated automatically by holding the phone still and waiting for the mode to appear. Once the moon icon appeared on the shutter button, you could activate the mode.
Now users just need to switch to night vision mode in the camera app and the astro mode will appear in the slider, which can be used to set the timer (see image above).
This is certainly a handy change, especially for Pixel owners who may not have known how to enable astrophotography mode. This should make it easier to capture cool images of the night sky, especially when the Northern Lights make another appearance at lower latitudes.
The visual upgrade of Gemini
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Gemini is essentially Google Assistant on steroids, especially as Google continues to upgrade the AI chatbot with new (and old) features like Gemini Live, the ability to set timers, and manage your smart home. Now, Google is giving Gemini a small visual upgrade that appeared on Pixel phones and is being widely rolled out.
As 9to5Google has spotted, while the visual upgrade looks the same, you’ll notice the Gemini box glowing when you invoke Assistant. But this doesn’t just bring a new glow; it signals a notable change in Gemini’s behavior, which now displays answers in a floating box rather than taking up the entire screen.
The new UI helps users use Gemini in a more contextual way. It allows users to drag and drop generated images into apps and request information about content in specific apps, such as YouTube.
Google announced this new Gemini experience back in May during Google I/O 2024, so it’s nice to see it reaching users now.
Gmail’s Gemini upgrade
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As Google updates Gemini, the company is also updating its other services by including Gemini in as many places as possible. Gmail already had a useful “Help me write” feature that would help you compose drafts based on a prompt you provided and the context of your email. Google is now building on that with a new Polish feature that essentially turns what you’ve already written into something more acceptable.
To further refine your email, you can select options such as Formalize, Elaborate, and Shorten to make it more tailored to your needs.
You can find this in the Refine my designs Option that now appears in email drafts on mobile when there are 12 or more words.
These options, including Help with Writing, are available on Android and iOS devices, but you must be a Workspace user with Google One AI Premium, Gemini Business/Enterprise add-on, or Gemini Education/Premium add-on.
Imagen 3 helps you imagine new things
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Imagen 3 is Google’s latest image generation tool and is available for testing by users in the US. According to Google, the model’s ability to understand user input and create high-quality images from text descriptions has been significantly improved. However, limitations have been introduced to prevent the creation of offensive or illegal content. Therefore, the model will not (or should not) create images of public figures or weapons-related images to prevent misuse.
Getting started is actually quite simple: All you have to do is head to Google’s ImageFX AI Test Kitchen and sign in with your Google account. And according to Jerry Hildenbrand, senior editor of Android Central, you should definitely try it out for yourself.
These are some of the biggest stories this week. In the meantime, here are some other stories worth checking out:
