Google Gemini's Wear OS app is a successor to Google Assistant, offering voice control, AI-driven reasoning, and automation for tasks like checking the weather, sending messages, and managing smart home devices. It enhances fitness app management, allowing users to control workouts without touching the device. Gemini integrates with Google services for real-time health inquiries and improves email productivity by summarizing and drafting responses.
Google Keep is a note-taking app that allows text and voice input for capturing ideas and creating lists on an Android smartwatch. It features quick access through watch tiles and complications but lacks full editing capabilities.
Strava is a fitness tracking app that allows users to monitor activities directly from their smartwatch, using built-in GPS to log routes and metrics. It syncs data to the mobile app after workouts, though social features are limited on the watch.
SleepisolBio is a sleep management app that tracks heart rate and sleep patterns, offering therapy options and personalized recommendations. It operates on a freemium model, providing many features for free, but requires smartphone setup for effective use on a smartwatch.
Google is updating its Gemini app for Android to reduce visual clutter and enhance user engagement. An APK teardown indicates a redesign of the app’s input box from a static sheet to a dynamic, floating pill-shaped bar in version 16.51.52 beta. This floating bar expands when users start typing, improving one-handed operation on larger devices. The update also introduces a ‘Tools’ menu that consolidates options like image upload and voice input, streamlining workflows for power users. Additionally, hints of ‘Gemini Labs’ suggest an experimental section for users to test upcoming features. The redesign aims to make AI interactions feel more natural and accessible while addressing user feedback about previous designs. Mixed reactions to Gemini's automotive rollout indicate some praise for hands-free capabilities, though interface glitches remain a concern. User privacy is emphasized, with guides available for opting out of tracking. Feedback from beta testers suggests improved multitasking capabilities. The redesign aligns with Google’s broader AI strategy, emphasizing intuitive updates and competitive pressures in the AI market. Developers have noted similarities to past Google designs, and the potential rollout timeline is speculative, with expectations for a gesture-based interaction model. Overall, these changes position Gemini as a leading AI assistant, focusing on a decluttered interface and user-centric design.
Google is enhancing its Android Automotive platform with a feature called Sensitive App Protection, which allows drivers to secure individual applications with a PIN lock. This feature ensures that sensitive information remains confidential in shared vehicle environments by enabling drivers to restrict access to specific apps while allowing passengers to manage entertainment options. Users can set a unique 4- to 16-digit code for app locks, and recovery is possible via a linked Google Account, although it may involve deleting the locked apps or their data. Most apps from the Play Store can be locked, except for certain system apps like Assistant, Maps, and Settings, which remain accessible. The feature is being rolled out as an unbundled system app, meaning automakers must choose to integrate it, and it will be available through over-the-air updates for vehicles equipped with Google services from various manufacturers. Automakers are expected to restrict PIN entry while the vehicle is in motion for safety reasons.
Google is set to extend the Magic Cue feature from the Pixel 10 family to all Android smartphones under the name Contextual Suggestions. This feature provides tailored recommendations based on user habits and locations, such as suggesting a specific playlist for workouts or reminding users to cast sports games to their TV. Contextual Suggestions prioritizes user privacy by operating within an encrypted space on the device, ensuring that data used for suggestions remains confidential and is not shared with apps or Google. Users can delete their data at any time, with a default setting that purges it after 60 days. The feature uses AI to analyze stored device activity and location data to generate predictions. Currently, Contextual Suggestions is being rolled out to select users in a beta version of the Google Play Services app, but it is not yet available to all beta participants.
Many individuals struggle with productivity tools, often abandoning them and accumulating tasks and notifications. Google Calendar, often seen as a basic scheduling tool, offers a more effective solution. It is free and integrates well with other Google services. A recent update in November 2024 improved the integration between Google Tasks and Google Calendar, allowing users to assign specific time blocks to tasks, helping to create realistic commitments and prevent overbooking. Users can also set tasks to repeat and should utilize the description box for clarity to avoid decision fatigue.
Color coding in Google Calendar can provide insights into workload. By assigning different colors to tasks based on intensity, users can visually assess their schedules. For example, high-concentration tasks can be marked in red, wellness activities in green, meetings in yellow, and low-energy tasks in blue. This visual differentiation helps users identify potential burnout by revealing an overloaded schedule at a glance.
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Google is making a "huge investment" in a "UX 2.0" overhaul for the Gemini app, which includes developing a native macOS version. The upcoming changes aim to enhance the user experience with cleaner navigation, clearer entry points, and a more intuitive layout. The Android version has already introduced a refreshed homepage with a cleaner greeting banner, a darker background in dark mode, and reorganized action chips for easier navigation. Tools like “Create image,” “Deep Research,” and “Write anything” are now more accessible, and a “My Stuff” section allows users to revisit generated content. The native macOS app will improve file management and integration with system features, moving away from browser limitations.
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