THE 15th annual Google I/O has ended at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California but not before the company announced “magic” AI news along with a new foldable phone.
Google has released its first foldable smartphone ever called the Google Pixel Fold, and it flips open and closed like a book.
The tech giant says it’s the “thinnest foldable ever” to combat complaints that folding phones are too bulky but expect to spend for the newest device as it comes with a hefty price tag of $1,799/£1,749.
Earlier this afternoon, the CEO of Google Sundar Pichai announced the Help Me Write feature in Gmail which enables individuals to type a prompt – like asking an airline for a refund – and Gmail will prepare the email for you.
It would even pull in flight details from the previous email and you can press the Elaborate button to make it even more complex.
Users will also have more options for editing photos coming soon as Google has unveiled a new experience called Magic Editor which will let individuals use AI to remove unwanted bag straps, improve the lighting in the sky, move people around, and more.
Another mind-blowing feature lets you move people or objects into the center of an image if they’ve been cut off. The AI will “guess” what the rest of the photo should’ve looked like.
Read our Google I/O live blog for the latest news and updates…
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Tech users divided over conference
Google I/O unveiled many of its new features and devices coming soon for tech users everywhere but fans have taken to Twitter with differing opinions on the conference.
One user wrote: “Ngl #GoogleIO was a little boring”
A second wrote: “Gotta say one of the best #googleio! presentations ever. Cannot wait for the #Pixel7a”
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International user ‘very disappointed’
After Google announced the arrival of its new Google Pixel Fold device not everyone was happy.
An Australian has taken to Twitter to share their displeasure after learning that the device will not be released in Australia at this time.
The user wrote: “After all my excitement for the #pixelfold I find out it’s not coming to Australia [sad face] Very disappointed.”
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Google I/O event has ended
The Google I/O conference has ended but not without unveiling amazing new AI and new products.
Google has released new phones, tablets, and “magic” AI that allows users to edit photos.
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Google Pixel Fold battery life and price tag
Lastly, Google said that it can reach beyond 24 hours of battery life, which is good to hear – but your own mileage may vary.
Sadly the catch is that it’s extremely expensive, if you thought the latest iPhone was pricey, you may pass out at the sight of the Pixel Fold’s $1,799/£1,749 price tag.
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Google Pixel Fold features
Of course, it’s not all about the “fold,” the Pixel Fold is a powerful smartphone in its own right.
For a start, there’s a triple rear camera system including a 48-megapixel snapper plus telephoto and ultra-wide shooters.
Stargazers will be able to enjoy the stabilized table-top astrophotography mode for stunning photos of the night sky.
It’s powered by Google’s Tensor G2 chip and boasts either 256GB or 512GB of storage.The phone is IPX8 rated for water resistance, so don’t worry about splashing it and it’s got a fingerprint sensor built into the power button, as well as Face Unlock.
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Flipping out
The idea is that you can use the front screen for generic smartphone tasks and when you want to watch videos, play games, or multi-task, you’ll flip the Pixel Fold open and use the inner screen.
Google said that more than 50 of the most popular apps have been optimized for the larger screen.
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Google releases Google Pixel Fold
Google has revealed its first foldable smartphone ever which is called the Google Pixel Fold, and it flips open and closed like a book.
The tech giant says it’s the “thinnest foldable ever” to combat complaints that folding phones are too bulky.
It’s 6mm unfolded and 12mm folded, not counting the rear camera bump.
At a glance face-on, it looks like a normal smartphone with a premium 5.8-inch OLED display.
But from the side, you can clearly see that it’s a folding device.
Inside you’ll find a giant 7.6-inch tablet-esque inner display with a 6:5 aspect ratio.
Google Pixel FoldCredit: Google -
Google’s Magic Eraser
You’ll be able to use Google’s mind-blowing Magic Eraser tool that lets you instantly scrub unwanted people or objects from your snaps.
And of course, it runs on Google’s popular Android OS – so you’ll get the usual apps and features to boot.
The handset is affordable at just £449/$499, and it’s available from May 10 on the Google Store.
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Google Pixel 7A camera features
The camera system is no joke either: you’ve got a double snapper on the back with a 64-megapixel Wide shooter and a 13-megapixel snapper too.
The 64-megapixel camera features the largest sensor ever shipped on an A-series device, so you should get decent low-light performance.
Google is offering up Super Res Zoom up to 8x, a 13-megapixel front-facing snapper, and 4K 30fps video recording on all cameras.
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Google Pixel 7A features, continued
Google has fitted the Pixel 7a with wireless charging and the search engine giant reckons you can get a whopping 72 hours of battery life if you switch Extreme Battery Saver on.
It comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage as standard.
You’ll be able to unlock it using your face and your fingerprint for added security. -
Google Pixel 7A features
But it’s also got some powerful specs.
For a start, it’s powered by Google’s speedy Tensor G2 chip.
There’s a 6.1-inch Full HD+ display to enjoy.This is an OLED panel, so you’ll get impressive colors and contrast.
The 90Hz Smooth Display also offers 25% higher peak brightness than the old model. -
Google releases Pixel 7a
Google just announced its new Pixel 7a smartphone.
It’s part of Google’s Pixel A-series, which is the company’s mid-tier smartphone range.
The new mobile looks like a high-end gadget, with a Pixel 7 Pro-style design – including the iconic camera bar on the back.
You can bag it in Charcoal, Snow, Sea, and Coral color options.
Google Pixel 7aCredit: Google -
Google talks about Pixel
We’re now moving on to Google Pixel which is Google’s own brand of devices running on Android – and end-to-end engineered by the company.
Google is talking about how the devices have AI at their heart.
We’re likely moments away from new gadget announcements.
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Google releases wallpaper maker
Android phone owners will be able to use AI to create their own wallpapers.
You can select from pre-selected “prop” prompts, like art styles and themes.
Then you can swipe through a selection of wallpaper creations that Google’s AI has conjured up, the feature will be released in the fall.
Google wallpaper maker
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Talk for me
A new Google chat AI can rewrite your text messages for you.
When you tap out a text, it can change how it sounds so you could ask it to be more chill, and the AI will re-write your message to suit that vibe.
Google chat AI assisting in writing messagesCredit: Sean Keach The U.S. Sun
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Be aware of unknown trackers
Google revealed that it will warn users if an unknown tracker is moving with them.
These tracker tags (like Apple AirTags) are increasingly common and popular.
Now – and in part thanks to a partnership with Apple – Android phone owners can be alerted to unknown trackers following them.
Users can be notified of unknown trackers coming soonCredit: Sean Keach The U.S. Sun -
Google updates FindMy for users
Google is updating its Find My experience which will let you find your phone, tablets, headphones, and more if you’ve lost them.
Nearby Android devices can help you locate lost Google gadgets and third-party devices (like Tile) will also be in the Find My Device network to help you out too.
This is very similar to Apple’s own system for its gadgets.
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Google releases WhatsApp application for watches
WhatsApp is adding a native app to Wear OS watches.
That means you’ll be able to send and receive WhatsApp messages from your wrist.
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AI continues to protect users
Google says that its AI-powered spam protection has protected users from over 100billion spam calls.
Not bad, AI. Not bad.
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Google releases Universal Translator tool
Google just unveiled an incredible Universal Translator tool.
The tool was able to take a video of a woman speaking in English and translate what she was saying into another language, dubbed it over in the woman’s voice, and matched her lip movements to the new speech.
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Spot it!
Google is also adding notes into the metadata (the invisible info about an image) of photos when it’s AI-generated.
That way it’ll be possible to verify that an image was created by Google’s AI.
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AI stay safe
Now Google is talking about making sure AI is beneficial for society – and doesn’t do anything awful.
In the coming months, Google will add two new ways for you to evaluate images.
You’ll be able to see when and where similar images first appeared, including news and social sites.
This gives you additional context and you’ll also be able to search for an image or screenshot in Google Lens which will help users uncover fake AI images.
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Goog talk
Google is currently reeling off lots of very technical news for developers.
But we’re expecting the company to dish out more consumer goodness very soon.
We’re still waiting for details on the new Android 14 update and we’re expecting several Pixel gadgets to be unveiled shortly too.
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Multiple users continue to share thoughts
A plethora of Google users have taken to Twitter to share what they think of the Google I/O conference so far.
One user wrote: “Some of the #GoogleIO updates are pretty crAIzy!”
Another wrote: “Google I/O should be renamed to Google AI/O”
A third wrote: “Announce the new products already”
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CEO weighs in on hot dog debate
Google CEO Sundar Pichai has given his honest opinion on if a hot dog is a sandwich or not.
He said: “It’s more like a taco since the bread is wrapped around it,” and was met with laughs from the crowd.
