December 23rd with 3 points to go

The way my Nest Audios are misbehaving lately reminds me that it has been *way too long* since Google released new speakers.

First useful tile I've seen in this part of Google Discover.

As much as I wanted to share some potential Pixelbook news, it's still exciting to see Samsung getting back into making ChromeOS hardware. Maybe this will be the start of more AI integration in Chromebook Plus? 9to5google.com/2024/02/15/s...

If the M3 iMac supported video input, I'd order one immediately. I don't see the point of any all-in-one that doesn't support input switching. Is it so wrong to want to play Xbox on an iMac display?

Hot take: I'm glad the Pixel Watch 2 changed chargers. The first watch's Qi charger is frustrating to align each day and often requires precariously placing my Pixel Watch on the very corner of a table.

I wish I could choose which apps mirror notifications to my Chromebook. I already get Slack desktop notifications. I don't need to see the one mirrored from my phone. Wear OS lets you do this. Why shouldn't ChromeOS?

Acer, Asus, HP, and Lenovo will be among the first device makers to support Google’s “Chromebook Plus” (formerly “Chromebook X”) initiative. 9to5google.com/2023/08/28/f...

We've now got solid evidence that Google is preparing to bring its "Help me write" AI to Chromebooks. Rather than being confined to one app (Gmail, Docs, Messages, etc.), this should work almost anywhere that you can write text. 9to5google.com/2023/08/24/g...

This seems like true innovation in the music space, leveraging our culture's demand for getting to the point. If YouTube Music actually had good audio quality, I'd even consider subscribing. Thankfully Samples will also be on the free tier. https://9to5google.com/2023/08/15/youtube-music-samples/

AI-enhanced coding in the web browser is already super cool. But Google is also enabling iOS development *without a Mac*. Ever wondered how your Flutter app would work on iOS? Try it yourself in a browser, thanks to Project IDX. https://9to5google.com/2023/08/08/google-project-idx-ai-code-editor/

I found a few things about Meta's new http://threads.net website. ↪️

With iOS 17, Apple is creating what I currently consider to be the ideal personal social network: sharable & customizable profiles, a contacts list, and (most importantly) *no posts*. It genuinely has me considering an iPhone 15 (my first).

We out here posting again.

How much you wanna bet this runs (heavily modified) Android under the hood?

I'm intrigued to see who Google decides to market these new gaming Chromebooks toward. I don't foresee most PC gamers ever switching from Windows to ChromeOS, but perhaps longtime Chromebook owners may be convinced to try PC gaming.

There's a lot happening at I/O today, but I think this is the thing I'm most excited about. It feels the most like classic Google. https://9to5google.com/2023/05/10/google-project-tailwind-ai-notebook/

Finally, the "Bard" name makes sense: Google Messages ‘Magic Compose’ AI can reply to friends – or write them a song https://9to5google.com/2023/05/05/google-messages-magic-compose-ai/

And in other news, 9to5Google is now on Bluesky! This isn't a bot-controlled account with just news. This is the 9to5Google team having fun and engaging with the blossoming Bluesky community. Come join us: @9to5google.bsky.social

While AirTags don't seem to be supported (no surprise), it looks like Google is working with a few makers of popular Bluetooth trackers to get them up and running on Android.

As of today, there are now three retail devices that can officially run Google's Fuchsia operating system. The world just got a little bit pinker. https://9to5google.com/2023/05/02/nest-hub-2nd-gen-fuchsia-update/

With Android 14, Google is making Material You "personal" w/ bold, vibrant colors. Sports car red 🏎️ Lime green 🟢 Hot pink 🌷 Jet black 🐦‍⬛ You name it, Material You can make it happen — with the right wallpaper, of course. https://9to5google.com/2023/04/28/material-you-android-14-fidelity-colors/

Ooooof, living that domain-handle life now.

The more I see of the Pixel Fold, the more I wonder why Google is making it at all. Maybe there's some appeal to foldables that just hasn't clicked for me yet? https://9to5google.com/2023/04/21/pixel-fold-video-leak/

Now that there's an Android app, I guess I have no excuse not to post here. So howdy, y'all! 🤠

Scoop: Google Photos readies Video Unblur, possibly for Pixel 8 https://9to5google.com/2023/03/16/google-photos-video-unblur/

Fun scoop this morning. It looks like Google is preparing a (potentially AI-powered) tool that uses your current tab as context when searching online. https://9to5google.com/2023/03/13/chrome-search-companion/