Author: News Room

Welcome to a “profound moment for humanity,” according to Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis, who closed out Google I/O’s keynote presentation on Tuesday, saying: Google’s cutting-edge research and products will help unlock AGI’s incredible potential for the benefit of the entire world. When we look back at this time, I think we will realize that we were standing in the foothills of the singularity. It will be a profound moment for humanity. This technology will be a force multiplier for human ingenuity and usher in a new golden age of scientific discovery and progress, improving the lives of everyone, everywhere.…

Google I/O 2026 is in the books and the company has dropped a slew of announcements. Most of them pertain to Google Gemini AI. However, the company also announced Wear OS 7 and new Google and Samsung smart glasses. Here’s the best of the rest. We’ll have deep dives into the biggest news coming on Wednesday morning. The Search box has been reimagined Google Search AI mode will no longer simply be a side quest, it’s becoming the total package. The Search box is getting its biggest upgrade in 25-years Google says. Google says the new intelligent search box will…

Last year, after watching Google’s I/O keynote, I wrote that it felt like Google’s future was Google googling. After watching this year’s I/O keynote on Tuesday, I don’t think Google just wants to google for you — I think it wants to do everything for you, all from a search box.Take the trusty Google search bar itself, something Google is generally hesitant to update, which is getting some updates. It will “dynamically” expand as you type longer queries. It will offer “AI-powered suggestions” that Google claims will “go beyond autocomplete,” which could cause you to fill in the blanks of…

Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer, and the holiday’s sales include plenty of deals on gadgets that can help you make the most of the season. If your plans involve beach days, pool parties, or backyard barbecues, now’s a great time to pick up a portable Bluetooth speaker, as many of our favorite models are currently on sale. You’ll also find worthwhile TV deals, along with discounts on smart thermostats to help keep your home cool and your energy costs low. And, if you’re planning on heading out of town, there are deals on noise-canceling headphones, portable chargers,…

Gemini is gaining the power of sight and mobility. Today at the I/O conference, Google and Volvo announced that the AI-powered assistant will be able to access external cameras in the upcoming EX60 SUV to help explain and interpret its surroundings to vehicle owners. The upgrade is possible thanks to Volvo’s use of Google’s embedded Android Automotive as its vehicle operating system.Google posits that the first use case will be to ask Gemini to translate difficult-to-understand parking signs, though the company obviously sees other future applications as possible as well. Google envisions a camera-enabled Gemini recalling a road sign, interpreting…

I first put on a pair of prototype Android XR glasses nearly a year and a half ago. We still have months to go before any Android-powered smart glasses are available, but Google is finally ready to show off the progress it’s made. That starts with Project Aura, a dark pair of sunglasses that sits somewhere between a full headset and a lighter pair of mixed-reality glasses.There have been a handful of hardware updates since I last tried out Project Aura in October. The glasses, made in collaboration with Xreal, now feature a carrying case and a new design for…

Google has announced Wear OS 7 operating system for Android-based smartwatch models at Google I/O 2026. It promises to integrate the new Gemini Intelligence update, adds live updates, new widgets and improved battery efficiency by up to 10% compared with Wear OS 6. The Watch OS 7 update for Pixel Watch, as well as Samsung’s Galaxy Watch range and other third-party updates will arrive for consumers later this year, but is available to sample via a Canary Emulator today. Google says Gemini Intelligence, which requires a powerful chipset supporting Google Nano v3, will be supported by “select watches”. We’d have…

Last week, we noted Kickstarter’s new content guidelines which had some pretty weird new additions, including a prohibition on “sexual wellness products that are not designed for insertion or penetration and are not marketed primarily for sexual gratification.” Those rules have now been eliminated and the company has restored an earlier version of its guidelines.The updates to the rules were primarily driven by requirements from our payments processor, Stripe. Stripe operates under its own legal and compliance requirements separate from Kickstarter’s own rules. And even Stripe’s rules are dictated by a larger system shaped by financial institutions that govern how…

They tell me no one outside Google has seen what we’re about to see. No journalist has ever been in this building. Here in Google’s Mountain View labs, the company’s creating lifesize AI agents that can see you, and talk to you.This one’s name is Sophie.It can speak any number of languages. It can see me, and almost everything else in the room. It can read, if I hold up my phone, a piece of paper, or a book. And of course, it can do Google-y things like pull up maps, recommend restaurants, check the weather, look up simple facts…

Meta may not be the public face of smart glasses for much longer: Google and Samsung have just given us a first official look at multiple styles of their joint effort wearable, which is due later this year. Announced as part of Google’s annual I/O event, the two variants – which seemingly don’t yet have an official name – look set to directly take on the Meta Ray Bans, which are now on their second generation. They’re every bit the companion piece to your smartphone, with familiar features and functions. Eyewear experts Gentle Monster and Warby Parker have contributed their…

We’re back at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California, for this year’s edition of Google I/O. These days, Silicon Valley is buzzing about the future of AI search, agents, vibe coding, and e-commerce, so you can bet we’re expecting to hear tons of news on these fronts. And who knows, we might get a peek at some smart glasses demos and concept projects, too.That said, we aren’t expecting much hardware. After all, Google jumped the gun last week, announcing the Googlebook and Fitbit Air. We also already heard much of what’s in store for Android during the Android Show.The…

Google I/O 2026 kicks off today, with the event’s keynote presentation slated for 10AM PT / 1PM ET on May 19th.Gemini is expected to be front and center once again at this year’s developer conference, with Google potentially introducing new versions of AI models and more agentic AI features. Google already showed off a bunch of AI features coming to Android 17, including AI-generated widgets, during the Android Show. The keynote is likely to bring similar updates to Search and other Google properties.We could also get an update on Google XR and potentially even a glimpse at some new smart…