The Googlebook Question

Added: 2026-05-16

[00:00:00]Welcome to Pixelated episode 100.

[00:00:03][music] I'm your host, Will Sattelberg.

[00:00:05]This week, look, you already know what we're talking about. Android show, Google book, Android intelligence.

[00:00:13]Does this one really need an intro?

[00:00:15]Let's just roll right into it [music] after this word from our sponsor, Proton.

[00:00:21]Grab your phone and take a look at your app drawer right now. You've probably found yourself relying on these same old apps and services since the Nexus days.

[00:00:28]And what suited you best back then might not be the right choice in 2026.

[00:00:33]Luckily, Proton can help bring you into a privacy-first ecosystem [music] built for our modern age.

[00:00:39]Proton offers practically every service you could possibly need under the sun across every platform, including email, calendar, file storage, password management, document editors, and of course, >> [music] >> a trusted VPN.

[00:00:52]Built with class-leading end-to-end encryption, Proton's entire suite is fast, intuitive, and secure. And expert tools mean you don't need to worry about leaving data behind on those other [music] apps. Pixelated listeners can save 30% off an annual subscription to Proton Unlimited, which includes [music] 500GB of cloud storage, custom email domains, a dedicated customer support team, and so, so much more. It's what's best for your current phone, not whatever you were using back in 2013.

[00:01:21]Upgrade to Proton today and save 30% on your annual subscription by [music] heading to proton.me/9to5google or by clicking the link in the show notes. That's proton.me/9to5google.

[00:01:33][music] Thanks to Proton for sponsoring Pixelated.

[00:01:40]>> [music] >> So, gentlemen, episode 100. Uh hopefully, this is going to be the show of all shows, I guess. It's It's It's been a long time coming. We have a huge kind of event to talk about, Android show. We're back to our bread and butter, the main our main talking point on all things pixelated is Android and there's been some really substantial announcements. And look at that right there, Damian.

[00:02:05]Google book.

[00:02:06]>> Yes.

[00:02:07]Google book.

[00:02:08]>> Oh, we're just skipping to the end.

[00:02:09]Google book.

[00:02:10]>> Google book is um The name. Specifically just the name, honestly. Just the name.

[00:02:17]>> Oh, um I don't know how I feel. I get it.

[00:02:20]I get why it's called that. I don't know if I agree with it, but I get it.

[00:02:24]It's feels so lazy. Like just I can't. I have no words for The name or the product?

[00:02:34]The name. We're still on the name for the foreseeable future. Just making sure.

[00:02:39]>> [laughter] >> Okay, so I mean that we'll get let's get into the let's get into the Google book to begin with because I do think this is one of those things where we see a new paradigm. We see something that's going to happen.

[00:02:48]We've been talking about Android on laptops for what feels like forever.

[00:02:52]Let's get into this and we'll talk a little bit about Gemini intelligence later on.

[00:02:56]How do we feel in terms of what Google showed us during the Android show because I don't think they really gave us enough of a an introduction >> there.

[00:03:06]I don't think the rationale was there for moving on to Chromebooks. So, like we've all been excited about desktop Android. There's been a lot of hype around it. There's a lot of teasing around it and then when it actually announced, I don't feel like we got a complete story on why this exist on Okay, so the Chrome Chrome OS Chromebooks, my thinking is that they're cutting that off because it has no potential to take over the world. Google likes big market shares. They like products that change the world and Chromebooks fundamentally they're not going to beat Windows. They're not going to even beat Mac OS. So, that's why they need to start over.

[00:03:50]But what they're starting over with with the basis being Android, even though they're not even mentioning what it runs, which is wild.

[00:04:01]I just don't think we got a complete story. And that it should have had its its own proper event, but instead got like 10 minutes at the end. That's what it felt like.

[00:04:12]My interpretation is with Android in general is that it's a easier sell to people than Chrome OS. I I agree with that. Most people know Most people know Android.

[00:04:23]I I know we talked about at length in this on the podcast, Will, about how we feel about potentially getting a new paradigm and potentially having Android across something else. I think maybe in the back of my mind I was expecting something really to wow me. I How do you feel about the I guess the shoehorning of Gemini into one of the most important components of a desktop OS, and that being the cursor.

[00:04:48]Well, I mean I mean we we talked on this show, and I think on on sideload several times about about what Google was planning and whether or not Google had How big Google's opportunity was here, I I suppose. And I feel like every single one of those conversations ended with me going, "But of course this is just going to be a Gemini play, and everything we just said is moot." And it was a Gemini play, and everything we said was moot because because at least based on what they what they showed us, and and I agree, Abner, this is this didn't feel like a full presentation, but based on everything they showed us, it's like, "Okay, you you added a second right click to the cursor that is dedicated to Gemini, except instead of a right click you shake it." Um you can mirror your Android phone, which is a confusing premise on a platform where you'll be running Android apps, so I don't fully understand. Like, you know, it'd be one thing if you were like, "No, actually it's stupid." Because because their two examples are uh we're we're ordering DoorDash and >> window. Uh well well and and and and something about checking a baby monitor. And I was like, well first of all, install that baby monitor app on your laptop if it's that important to you.

[00:05:59]Don't don't mirror it from your phone.

[00:06:01]Don't act like that's an inconvenience.

[00:06:03]What are we doing?

[00:06:03]>> think Yeah.

[00:06:05]>> Do you think though that that's to try and overcome a limitation in Android in terms of like one one device signing type type thing? No.

[00:06:13]I I I think the team I mean, if you want my big picture, and and I'm going to sound very dismissive and it it it it's sort of sucks we well, it doesn't suck we started here, but it's going to make me sound way more negative than I maybe am.

[00:06:26]I I just don't think this team has a great vision on what they're building.

[00:06:29]And so these examples, I mean I mean truly, the DoorDash example doesn't make any sense because the segment before was all In in fact, the entire show right before it was all about uh the power of agentic Android. And literally like the example in in the auto segment segment right before was about, you know, agentically ordering DoorDash. So I don't even understand why DoorDash is an example of what you can mirror to your your laptop from your phone because aren't we supposed to be ordering that agentically? So I I just I don't it doesn't feel like the right hand is talking to the left on this and they're they're sort of off the this Google book team is sort of off in their own land with with a direction to build Gemini into into whatever is replacing Chrome OS, but that's that's it.

[00:07:12]Let me zoom out for a moment. Um So we haven't had a new operating system in a long while. And the release of a new OS should be exciting. We should see being We should be seeing ideas of the future. Uh we should be seeing the next gen thing. This this decidedly does not feel like a next gen OS for all of Google's >> like a current gen OS to me. Like [laughter] other than Gemini being For all of Google's talks about Android moving from an operating system to an intelligent system.

[00:07:49]Yeah. It This should be an exciting moment, but again, like just to hawk back to days, the story is not clear. I didn't feel like we got anything I didn't feel like we got anything there. It should have been It should have been Yeah, and I don't know. It's disappointing in that regard because there is I am a bit more bullish on what a a next-gen generative generative AI-powered OS is. Like I thought we were going to see you talking to your laptop to control stuff. That would be naturally built in.

[00:08:28]I know Yeah, that's fair. We're not there. But But But no, I I agree with you. I mean, Google's promise is that we are there. I mean, they opened this I wrote it down. They opened this Sundar opened this this video by saying we're in the agentic AI era, and it's like, no, we're not. Like, just cuz you want us to be doesn't mean we are. If I walked up to anybody on the street and said, "Aren't you excited about agentic AI?" they'd be like, "What? What do you I don't What?" I know AI. I'm not Polling says I'm not excited about it.

[00:08:55]Um I you know, Google wants it's It's frustrating to see Google sort of do this because I I felt like of the big AI players right now, they were the ones being very realistic in terms of where we are on on LLM-based AI tools at the moment. Um and this felt very much in line with the general race to make the future happen whether or not it's it's ready. And And like I just don't think any of this felt ready to me.

[00:09:25]Mhm. I I I mean, I'm going to I'm Let me Let me get in Google's corner for a second cuz I think they come across as very negative >> Any of the agentic stuff, to be clear.

[00:09:34]We can We You about the other stuff, but but the the agentic stuff I was just I didn't see it.

[00:09:39]For me, I can kind of understand why this play has been made. I think maybe it's a little bit later than it probably should have been. The the move away from Chrome OS. I think Chrome OS has kind of withered Mhm. in the last few years, and all of Google's ideas are clearly in the Android side of the fence, and the way that Android is integrating into Gemini probably maybe beneficial for this in the long term.

[00:10:01]Uh the biggest concern for me is and we we we we had a we've had a a barely a brief look at it.

[00:10:09]We've only seen a couple of features during the Android show.

[00:10:12]I we need to see how much work is going to go into to truly differentiate the the desktop experience versus what you can potentially get on a Pixel tablet or an Android tablet in general. From what I can see so far, this is I mean, it's pretty bare-bones, isn't it? There isn't much Google isn't showing off anything it drastically. I don't know why they didn't come on and say, "Okay, here we have a um It should have been its own announcement. It should have been its own announcement.

[00:10:38]>> Possibly, yeah. Possibly. I think I think the the way that they've done it with Google Book is why didn't they just show off, "Okay, we're working on a a desktop equivalent version of um YouTube Music for instance." Or the downside is I think we've gone down that PWA route for so long in electron applications that it's almost difficult to to to showcase something that will work in an Android desktop environment.

[00:11:01]It already doesn't work anywhere else.

[00:11:02]That's a very good point. They missed the fundamentals.

[00:11:05]Like >> Yeah. they didn't show off any of the fundamental stuff. And so again, part of my exciting for next gen OS is I want to see new interface paradigms. I want to see what something that hasn't been based on the past 25, 30 years of computing is, and Google's answer is magic pointer, which I I think that's a whole like I think that like the UI of that the experience of like wiggling your cursor is going to lead to accidental activations.

[00:11:38]So that is a feature right now in Mac OS where if when you wiggle your cursor it becomes larger. So that's like Apple wants it so you can find the cursor. But and I accidentally activate that all the time not intentionally and it's kind of annoying. So it's they skipped the fundamentals like they should have shown us how this desktop OS works what it looks like. We all they did not do that explicitly whatsoever which is kind of weird. So fundamentals.

[00:12:10]I have another read as well and again I'm I feel like I'm doing you guys defending and I don't know why they didn't just explain this themselves. Uh then again it is difficult to do in a in a 40-minute kind of bumper package where you only show off the highlight really as it were. I think the opportunity that Google has here with regards to like Linux terminal support and potentially some Linux application support is is a good way for people to have Linux like a Linux desktop OS almost and then first-party support for Android applications could potentially be something that they could sell it on. The downside is is we haven't seen the fundamentals of this and if if if Google isn't willing to sell the fundamentals of a desktop OS then who who's your who's your end buyer?

[00:12:51]At the same time I do wonder if this is a Gen Z type play. I've spoken it spoken about it kind of to you guys off air.

[00:13:00]But I do wonder if Google is looking at this from the position of while while I understand that in the US it's predominantly young people are using iOS devices iPads that kind of stuff. Most people are phone first and if you can make somebody make that leap from oh this desktop OS is very much like a big version of my phone. I can do a a tiny bit more have a mouse and cursor and I can do certain things here.

[00:13:22]I genuinely think that might be the what may have gone behind the scenes. I don't know for certain. We never will know unless I can ask somebody about it. But I do wonder if Gen Z would look at this and be thinking, "Okay, there is some opportunities for me to make the migration away from my phone to something that is a little bit more in quotes professional." And there's a whole group of people that are going to slowly be coming into the workforce in the next 3 to 4 years who've only ever grown up using their phone. So, if you're looking at giving enterprise devices out to to younger people who maybe don't know how to do all of the technical things that we maybe do and don't work in the applications that we do, i.e., Adobe packages, which I do still think Google needs to to push to to to Google Books and Android OS, there may be a big play there. There may be a big like almost lag in what we think and what we see and what actually happens.

[00:14:11]So, I don't know. I'm trying to be put positive spin on it because I do think there are there could be some redeeming factors here.

[00:14:17]But again, it it all comes down to why didn't Google show off the true fundamentals of this?

[00:14:22]The there For [snorts] all intents and purposes, this could just be the exact same as what's currently on Pixel phones with desktop mode. And that in and of itself could be quite disappointing.

[00:14:32]Yeah. Yeah. I'm going to I just I hate being so negative about this. And and it that's not Damian, that's like a really good pitch. I I just like to me it's like, okay, if you were entering a a a a a job, a career where you're using Adobe apps, I have to imagine you've used a computer before. Like you you are not you are not stepping foot on day one into the office and being like, "By the way, I know you hired me to edit videos, but I've never opened Premiere." Like I I I'm you know, so it's it's like, "Okay, maybe you're talking about like I'm trying to think let's use like an HR HR job. Like like a right, so like an HR job it involves a lot of like um desktop applications, right? Like like payroll management, um you know, uh invoicing so on and so on and so on. New hiring, putting out job applications.

[00:15:30]All of this stuff, right? There's a lot that goes into HR that involves something more powerful than your phone.

[00:15:35]I still feel like most of those people, you know, that you're describing. Like yes, maybe they've only had a phone, but they they they wrote an essay somewhere, you know, in college or in high school or middle school. They wrote an essay. They they have they have used a desktop computer before. And even if even if it was only in school, they they've never had their own laptop. I still feel like those it is so much easier for those people to go, "Oh, I need a laptop?

[00:16:04]Well, I have an iPhone. I know you know, Google Google somehow they know this.

[00:16:08]Google Google made it really easy or has made it easier for me to switch to Android. But do you know what's even easier than that? Is if I just go buy the MacBook Neo that already works with my iPhone." Like, you know, I I just I guess I'm like I don't I don't the fundamentals were not there. And and if you can't walk in and be like, "Here's our big pitch. You know the cursor?

[00:16:29]That thing hasn't changed in 20 years.

[00:16:31]We added a shake to it that that does generic kind of unspecified AI stuff. We kept it unspecified because we don't know what it's going to be yet totally."

[00:16:42]Like that that was my read on it. Like that's I I did not I did not walk away from that demo being like, "Wow, I can't wait to use this." I walked away from that demo being like I I feel like that's all the cursor does at this moment is that is the images thing that they were talking about. And they used it as an example to to say to save time by not having to save images and then re-upload them into a chatbot.

[00:17:02]And that's fine and all, but that's 30 seconds of work. Like I I'm not buying a new laptop for that.

[00:17:09]Mhm. Yeah, I can completely see see see that the all the arguments in a lot of ways. I I think I think for for a lot of people who maybe maybe are potentially looking at an Android tablet, I suppose one positive is that Android tablets could get exponentially better off the back of this. If this if Google is is very very full force and and and is willing to to kind of bolster their their desktop options. I I I also do wonder what's going to happen with developers. Are developers going to have to now kind of target three potential options? Cuz a tablet application on in and of itself isn't the same as a desktop application.

[00:17:45]Right. There are limitations there.

[00:17:47]There are the way that you interact with it is very very different. It didn't seem to me like it was It feels like with the It feels like a touchscreen interface and then if you and then a a cursor shoehorned into it.

[00:17:58]I do wonder if they've created their own iPad moment. And I don't mean iPad moment in that it's an amazing product that everyone's going to be, "Oh, wow, it's the it's changed the world." I think this now could be a very confusing third like third option that is very very difficult to sell to people unless they're truly truly invested like iPad languished Apple's lineup for a while in terms of like this the software experience even though people were buying them en masse and it probably is the world's most popular tablet. I think people were using it as a second screen, Netflix, YouTube, whatever it is. And then maybe we you people using specific applications like Procreate and certain things like that are professional tools.

[00:18:35]But even I've used I don't know if anybody out there who's listening has used Photoshop and Lightroom on um on iPad. It isn't to me isn't a great experience cuz I know that there's things missing from it. And it's like a halfway step. I may as well make that full step and get a MacBook and do all of the things on the go. So I do wonder if Google's how they're going to address that. Have they created this without realizing that potentially there's there's going to be no level of migration there. Right. But um yeah, the the it could work it could work in their favor. It could definitely work in their favor and we could have ridiculously powerful Android tablets that can do everything finally, which is what people I guess have kind of wanted.

[00:19:11]Yeah. I I just I I you know I'm a doomer. I'm a doomer on this.

[00:19:18]>> [laughter] >> I I I mean There's a lot of doom and gloom Let me ask let me ask you both this and maybe maybe we can move on from this cuz cuz I I mean unless there's more on Google Book you guys want to talk about.

[00:19:27]We can talk about the name again. We can make fun of the name for 5 minutes. But um you know putting aside our careers did you two see anything yesterday? So let's let's pretend you do not work in this industry. You both have different jobs on but but you like Android.

[00:19:46]Did either of you see anything yesterday that made you want to like looking for you're like oh I can't wait to buy that later this year. And I know we didn't get a full presentation but just based on what they showed their first look at this new platform would either of you if you were not in this industry be thinking about picking one of these up?

[00:20:01]I mean look at the hard the the the I guess it's concept hardware that they showed off. I think the hardware looked very good.

[00:20:07]>> But but do you think you're going to want to spend several hundreds of dollars on it based on what was shown yesterday?

[00:20:15]No because they didn't answer the primary my primary concern of what kind of Chrome is it. I can only assume it's full desktop Chrome just like I would hope so. it's on Chrome OS but they didn't talk about that.

[00:20:28]>> [laughter] >> Back to the fundamentals.

[00:20:30]Like back to not addressing the fundamentals. That should have been explicitly stated it wasn't. So that adds a question mark in my mind.

[00:20:39]Like Damien said the hardware was cool.

[00:20:41]The global is cool but they didn't actually explain what it does. They just said it's beautiful as it is functional and explain any of the functions.

[00:20:50]Um it's Does this even have a touch screen that since Damien mentioned it? I I guess it's going to depend on on which model you pick up. I I assume they will kind of have touch screens.

[00:21:04]>> Two-in-ones or two-in-ones they didn't Yeah >> I just this is the this just feels like if you told me this was just like this is our next evolution of Chrome OS and we're keeping the Chrome OS branding like I wouldn't blink. I I just I don't this doesn't feel new in the way they were trying to make it feel new.

[00:21:22]They didn't explain why what the Android again again they didn't mention Android they the extent of that during the start of the announcement was in the best of Android and the best of Chrome OS but they didn't say what the Android parts were. Really?

[00:21:37]No. It's It's It is It is I mean let's let's look at it from a Chrome OS user perspective. It's a tough time, isn't it? Because you may you may be very comfortable with Chrome OS and the limitations you can live within and then you now potentially have to migrate over to Android with a future purchase and you may even be more shoehorned in to the limitations of Android.

[00:22:00]I mean without any information on the full desktop version of Chrome, does that now mean that when we have a foldable phone is a foldable phone going to have access to the full desktop Chrome now? Does it >> They shouldn't talk about it.

[00:22:14]This is yeah this so it creates a confusing situation where and my biggest concern is for for Android that that the mobile OS. I do wonder how this affects the mobile OS like because if it is it is one unified platform now, it's got to be scalable and we've tried that they've tried that with Android 12L initially and laid the foundations to to have applications that work on tablet form factor and phone form factor obviously preparing for foldable phones and foldable phones are more commonplace now and now we have this new kind of extra option on top of foldable phones.

[00:22:48]It's going to create It's going to create this really strange dichotomy now where we have functionality that may be limited to one particular device even though it's it's the same framework. I I don't know how you can come come out and and be be truly positive about that in in a lot of respects, but again I mean you can you shouldn't stick this as a six minute I'm sorry. The this the first impression of whatever you want this to be if this really is such a massive pivot that it it involves it means replacing Chrome OS and Chromebook branding like you can't stick this at as a six minute ending to what I would say was already a rushed presentation.

[00:23:26]You can't you can't do it. This this should this should have its own this should be its own 45 minute presentation in like July separate you know like me like you could tease it at IO and then be like we have so much more to talk about later this year. Like this this is the immediate like so many people are going to write this off me included apparently like if you're listening to what I'm saying like I just you can't start out a plat like trying to pitch a brand new platform to people with with what they're showing here. I mean I they the the lack of information and you and and and for a desktop operating system it's just confounding.

[00:24:04]>> You you only get one chance to make a first impression. Absolutely. So yeah, so next Gemini intelligence which is what started off the show. So this is the branding for AI features on Android. Um it is for premium devices which uh we think that that rationale is that it needs to run on the highest possible chips um for on device AI experiences. That's straightforward enough. But yeah, so Gemini intelligence what really stuck out to you guys? What was your favorite Gemini intelligence feature they announced? I like the look.

[00:24:45]I like the I like the I like the look of it. I think it's kind of cool. Um do I think it is going to be something that really changes my life? Um I mean does Ramble account as part of Gemini intelligence?

[00:24:58]>> Yes, it does.

[00:25:00]Okay, well, I can I can get behind Ramble. I think it's really good. I like the fact that he will work on the fly. I like the animation. I think it's good that Dieter was on demoing it because it's someone who is I guess he's They've been around the They've been around the the scene for a long time and they kind of know what they're talking about and the way that he demoed it was very very good.

[00:25:19]>> Yeah. I think having already the best dictation get even better is amazing. I mean, maybe maybe maybe I feel like an old person who uses dictation doesn't want to type.

[00:25:33]Um, I don't know. Do you guys use Do you guys use voice typing as much as I do?

[00:25:38]Not in my book. Just just in the car. I I I want this in the car, which I assume it will eventually arrive in the car, but I I have a feeling I'm going to be waiting a couple of years for this level of of uh polish to arrive at you know, with Gemini and and Android Auto, but but I I agree. This was This was the standout to me, too, of of the intelligence section. It was kind of the one where I was like um this this is what LLMs are made for.

[00:26:05]This is what LLMs are should be used for first and foremost, more so than automation, more so than than even image generating or whatever.

[00:26:13]Like it is for It is a It is a large language model doing a better job at processing language than than than previous versions of Android. It It was exactly what I want out of LLM based AI and uh it it looked like it worked really well. I I thought Dieter's um segment in general was the strongest of the of the show uh in part because I agree he's he's just got the I mean, I um you know, I I I have watched a couple um old Dieter videos recently for a project that that the three of us are working on that will remain unspecified and uh he's still got it. It's was the delivery from it from his the videos he was making at the verge a decade ago and and I think that that you can feel that confidence in his stuff and it makes it easier for me to buy into what some of the examples Google is selling versus you know, there are other moments in this The last note in my thing is I'm begging Google to talk to someone who has never been to California because some of the examples in this entire 40-minute presentation were >> [laughter] >> I head scratching to say the least but but the all of you know, being able to remember I mean I mean like the the passport stuff, right? Like I do that. I I would 100% have a photo in Google Photos somewhere that has my my password or my passport number. Not my password, not my password, >> [laughter] >> my passport number.

[00:27:35]Um So you know, so that when I'm booking a flight, I can go same with my my driver's license, my my license plate for my car. Like all of that stuff is somewhere in photos so that when I'm you know, paying for public parking or or booking a flight or whatever, I can pull that stuff up right away and and not have to go get my wallet or go back to the car or whatever, right? And and it's smart to have Gemini intelligence there to to pull that stuff together.

[00:28:01]Like this is this is what AI should be.

[00:28:04]Yeah, doing the legwork that you don't want to do yourself. I mean personally, I think that this feels like that bridge to Pixel screenshots hopefully that I've wanted for a while. Like Pixel screenshots is probably one of my most used Pixel applications period that is like exclusive because the amount of times I I mean I get a guest pass to to my my partner's gym. I get so many visits a month and I have a PIN code and I can never remember the PIN. Um so I always have to keep referring to it. And if I could I mean depending on the how Google didn't show this but if I could ask ask something like that oh, can you get me the gym PIN code PIN? I think PIN code is redundant, is it? So it's PIN. Um then I could log in. I could just ask and it could just read it out to me. I could boo boo boo. It goes into the the machine and I'm I'm in I'm in the gym.

[00:28:53]Like I think you can do that with Gemini already. Well, I must >> Gemini I'm not sure if you have personal intelligence yet, but or ask photos yet in the UK, but you should be able to do that.

[00:29:04]What even even so, if this goes above and beyond that and I can literally just like it makes sense if I could do it with everything and have it have the filling it filling in a forms and stuff.

[00:29:13]Like it it it is ridiculous. Google's all office is can be good, but at the same time tying it with all those things that have make it truly unique to you and the kind of things that are that are maybe really deep integrated into your life. Like you say your passport number and all that kind of stuff is really really useful.

[00:29:30]Your your car license plate.

[00:29:32]I don't know if they've if Chrome saves that right now. I think it can save like the your model of your vehicle and stuff like that, but I don't know if it saves your license plate. But like I like that. I think that's the kind of thing that Google should be doing more of and and kind of showcase that because it goes it it goes deeper. In comparison, the other big tentpole of Gemini intelligence was more app automation, task automation, and I don't see how that was different from what's announced or what we already have on the Pixel 10, on the Galaxy S26.

[00:30:05]Um, >> Yeah.

[00:30:07]I haven't been using that in the US.

[00:30:10]No, I I haven't used it to order an app or order a car.

[00:30:14]Um, yeah. Would you be confident enough to do it? I personally I personally feel like with task automation like that, I think if I'm being completely honest, that's the kind of thing you see in science fiction movies and the people have kind of How would I describe it? They've they've they've craved it, but don't realize that I still think there needs to be an element of I need to make that final step through the the checkout because as good as AI potentially could be and say time-saving, I could never imagine myself asking to order something on Uber Eats Okay, that's that's what we're doing next week. We that's what we're doing next week. Okay, so we're we're going to test that in test that in person next week I owe. If I get the wrong order, I'm going to cry because I know that if I went in manually, I can make all of the little adjustments myself and be like right, this has to be meticulously done. I couldn't imagine using Gemini to order a pair of shoes or a t-shirt or anything like that cuz I just have a feeling I know I know I know I know I know I >> on my credit card, Damian.

[00:31:13]I [laughter] will I will hand you my phone next week. On this Sunday, I'll hand you my phone and we'll talk about it in the next episode.

[00:31:21]And then and then Damian, I'm going to send you a list of stuff I need you to buy on Abner's credit card.

[00:31:25]>> [laughter] >> A brand new Pixel 10 Pro XL for real, please. Um how do how do we feel about this other stuff then cuz I I mean that's all that's all well and good and I think it was been pushing that for a long long long time. I think some of the generative AI uh generative AI generative UI stuff is where I see the true value and I know I and I hope that somebody out there from Google was listening to me last year when I pitched this uh mean Abner talked at length about potentially using Gemini to build out UI portions. The idea that you can build your own widget is oh, why didn't they do this from day one? This could have been easily done.

[00:32:00]>> It is a simplest starting point and I'm very bullish on generative AI and I think just further down the road, I think that's still the main thing we're interacting with, but in the meantime, widgets, it is custom widgets and it honestly addresses Android's widget problem of most apps not doing widgets these days.

[00:32:24]Um yeah, so this is this will be people's first interaction with generative UI on a meaningful scale. So, you can ask whatever you want and Gemini will build it for you. It's already good at that.

[00:32:40]It can code full It can vibe code full apps. It can certainly handle widget.

[00:32:45]So, this will be I'm really excited that this is people's first interaction, and it should be a pretty solid thing.

[00:32:53]I am intrigued to see what kind of things people will come up with cuz I imagine you with a really long prompt and and set of instructions, you could genuinely make some phenomenal widgets.

[00:33:04]And I do think to be fair to be quite honest with you, Google's widgets are very, very good in general. I like the style of them. I like Google's design chops. So, I hope that they kind of stick to the material three expressive and material design principles that they have.

[00:33:17]What I am interested and I'm going to ask you guys is, what do you think the first widget that you're going to try and make? Is this going to rip replicate something that you may have seen on iOS, or is this going to be something that you want bespoke because you need it to be bespoke and it doesn't already exist? A vent countdown because I'm too lazy to download any app from the Play Store to do it.

[00:33:39]Yeah, I have no I mean I mean I I'm pretty light on widgets as it is. I usually have a weather widget, and that's about it. That's That's my go-to.

[00:33:48]Sometimes a calendar widget if but honestly, the calendar widget is frequently there to just kind of take up empty space on my home screen. So, um maybe this is a lack of imagination on my part, but I I I will have to have it in my hand before I can even tell you what I what I would do with this.

[00:34:08]Yeah, I don't know what I would do. I think mine would be an enhanced weather widget like time countdown to rain would kind of be cool because it rains a hell of a lot in this country.

[00:34:18]>> want different types of countdowns.

[00:34:19]That's very interesting. Yeah, [laughter] yeah, I feel like that. And maybe maybe maybe a quick widget for specific like kind of loyalty cards with Google Wallet would be useful. You know, the kind of things that you sign in.

[00:34:31]Um, I have I don't have a new Google Wallet UI yet, so that would be really useful to me. I do want to see Google though implement this for quick settings toggles.

[00:34:42]Being able to create your own quick settings toggle would be phenomenal. It would probably address a lot of the issues certain people have with certain limited quick settings toggles.

[00:34:52]>> Yeah.

[00:34:52]I would like to see that. Um, but I'm excited. I'm excited for this one.

[00:34:57]This one This one feels like a step in the direction that we've We've discussed at length on Probably episode 30 or 40, I think we were talking about it, that we would want to see generative components within within Android. I think it was 16. We're talking about Android 16 at the time, if I I can remember correctly.

[00:35:14]And I pitched this as like, "Oh, we would like to see throwing a prompt and you create a UI that that fits you and and puts the real you in Material You." And this feels like that first step towards that. I like the fact that it was going to work across my watch as well, even though I don't know where my watch is currently.

[00:35:29]But as I talked about it, it's on charge somewhere somewhere in in my my office.

[00:35:33]But yeah, this feels like a really really sensible step in the right direction. And I do think that Gemini Intelligence probably is going to be a bigger component in general. I think I I'd like to see what Google has up the sleeve for the next few waves of updates cuz I imagine they'll just do Gemini Intelligence platform updates.

[00:35:54]So, what we thinking in terms of like headline What are the What are the What are the What is the biggest thing that an average in air quotes person should be caring about then? Just Gemini Intelligence or is Google Books even on anybody's radar? It's It's I mean, I feel like this is always frequently true, but it is It's the little stuff.

[00:36:13]It's It's the data stuff that we already kind of talked about, right? Like the With With some of those Some of the best parts of Gemini Intelligence, it's I thought the digital well-being improvements were good. I I I need to try them.

[00:36:27]>> about that. Those were good. Yeah, I I I want to try them.

[00:36:30]I I felt I I my like knee-jerk reaction was to be cynical, but then I I, you know, wrote the news post about it and I was I was like looking at the images a little bit more and I was like, "You know, I hadn't thought like I wrote about and and Damon, you and I on Sideload talked about digital well-being and and, you know, back in I think February and I wrote an editorial alongside it and I had not thought of some of the ideas that they had here."

[00:36:57]Um and then and then some of them we were kind of dancing around. And so it it certainly is like a a a very good step in the right direction. They teased uh more coming to digital more improvements coming to digital well-being later this year and I'm fascinated to see what those are, but I think it's good they're thinking about this and I I think this is such an improvement on um Pause Point is the name of it and and it's such an improvement on how generic app timers work. I think they completely pinpointed the proper problem with app timers, which is you can set them ahead of time, but in the moment it is very very easy to be like, "Screw this. I'm I'm moving on." Like I I'm just saying, "No, thank you." And I think having a full like 10-second countdown, having alternative activities, having the ability, you know, needing to to restart the phone to turn it off. Like I think those are all improvements and stronger uh ways to to stop uh your your willpower from breaking.

[00:37:58]Mhm. Yeah, but I think digital well-being needs to be a bigger component of It's It's almost like holistic phone usage and I think the way that if Google's thinking about that, that's a good sign.

[00:38:07]>> Yeah, and I liked their um I liked their their the example they gave of like, "But sometimes you're in a in a waiting room. You're You're You're You know, you're waiting for a doctor or something and you do have, you know, 20 minutes to goof off and you can be like, 'No, no, no, I'm I'm good to go on Twitter'" or whatever. Like I I was just was smart.

[00:38:23]Yeah. Yeah. I want to touch quickly on Android Auto before we kind of roll out as it were. We we kind of speed off. Um put Sorry about that. That was a terrible pun. I regret that, but Oh, wait. Wait. Wait. Real quick. Real quick. Cuz I feel like Auto's going to kind of end this. So, I just I just going down my my list of notes, I want to say the emoji look fine. I don't understand what people are upset about.

[00:38:41]I don't think they look like iOS. I I Sorry to Ben Schoon who was very upset about them, but I they they the what they look like to me in all all I don't know if you guys have seen this meme, but the the like cartoons on TV versus the the the theatrical adaptation of the cartoon and it's the same it's Peter Griffin, but now he's got like shadows. That's what this looks like to me. They just added 3D shadows to what was already there.

[00:39:05]>> of them have so it's depth. No 3D is what it's called. There's a depth to it.

[00:39:11]There's a physicality to it. I think some of them border on uncanny valley when there's too much detail, but you but it looks fake to you. I that's my hot take on it.

[00:39:24]I I'm disappointed that we're going to moving away from flat emoji cuz I think as ridiculous this is going to sound so lame.

[00:39:31]A long time ago when I was a Nexus user and they had the blobs, I was very much I was very much like pro blob and I wanted to use the blobs for everything.

[00:39:41]They were my favorite emoji. They moved away from them and I was very sad. And I think that we've gone so far away from that and that's part of the character I really fell in love with the Android back in the day and it's almost like we're going we're losing a little bit of the character, but it they're better than the iOS emoji. I don't like iOS emoji.

[00:39:58]They they have no character whatsoever.

[00:40:00]So, at least there's a little bit they've they've retained a little bit of that.

[00:40:02]>> There's one There's one iOS emoji. A- Apple's the only company that ever got the salute emoji right. Everybody else has it wrong. It's It should be half a face with a full hand, not a full face with like a weird laid out like they're the It's the I don't understand why it's the only company that got it right. I I It's It's stumped me for ages. I don't get it.

[00:40:23]Well, they should be available, I believe, late this year when Android 17 is is officially available. Um I'm excited to see what what they look like in person um rather than just these these um kind of mock-ups that we've seen online.

[00:40:36]I know that they're the real deal, but sometimes when you see them on the phone, it's a very different experience, but everything does look very very similar. It's not exactly it. The only The only other note is um we we didn't talk about some of the the social media uh photography ultra HDR stuff. We don't have to spend a lot of time on it. The only thing I wrote down was that this is the seventh time Google I wrote down "Sheen, this is the seventh time you've shown off improved social media posting on Android."

[00:41:01]>> Sheen, this is ultra lord.

[00:41:03]Sheen, this is the seventh week in a row you've shown ultra lord in class.

[00:41:09]And uh I wrote down "Shut up about HDR. Shut up about HDR." Shut up ABOUT THE SUN.

[00:41:15]SHUT UP ABOUT THE SUN. BECAUSE I THOUGHT the enhanced example they showed looked worse than the the non-enhanced version.

[00:41:22]I It reminded me of video boost, which I also don't like, so.

[00:41:26]I I find I find it all that there is still still such a play to to kind of cater towards the people who are never deep down are never going to use an Android phone for this. The kind of people that they the kind of people that they keep trying to advertise to and the creators. It was a very cringe segment.

[00:41:42]I think the lady lady was an Indian influencer. Hm, yes.

[00:41:45]>> Which was like that's that's great for I know there's a huge Android audience in India, but for a global audience, it doesn't make a great deal of sense. I think at the same time how we've countless times seen uh brands Android brands partner with celebrities and and 2 weeks later they're using their iPhone.

[00:42:04]It It makes no sense. Just just I get it. I get why they have to do it. It's probably an internal >> You sold by Paris Hilton?

[00:42:12]No. Oh, Paris Hilton was to be fair that was quite funny. I did find that quite funny. I mean they're still going to be using an iPhone in three weeks time.

[00:42:18]>> the reaction I saw to that was like cuz Motorola has also partnered with Paris Hilton before and it's like okay guys, like I don't know if Paris Hilton is particularly relevant in 2026 despite her, >> [laughter] >> you know, I guess fairly successful DJ career.

[00:42:31]I've seen her DJ.

[00:42:33]Um, but it is it was very funny to announce this the same day and I don't think this will have it this will mean anything, but it was very funny that like this happens hours after nothing is like our new spokesperson is Charli XCX and like say what you will one of those one of those is more relevant one of those celebrities is more relevant today than the than the other. I just thought it was funny. Okay, let's let's we should talk about it. I mean that's a great segue because she did showcase some of the Android Auto features of Android Auto.

[00:42:59]I'm always going to call it Android Auto Automotive. You can call it Google Built-in all you want it's Android Automotive. I like that Google is bolstering what I think is still the premier the top tier in car entertainment experience that's tied to your phone. I've tried CarPlay it's just not very good. I quite like the way that Google silos away their Android Auto experience so that when you get in your vehicle it is a completely different experience to how you use your phone before you get into the vehicle. I.E. podcast continue and on that I really think it's fantastic that Google's actually listened probably to criticism and to advice and made YouTube playable in the in the car. It knows when you're driving.

[00:43:38]Fantastic. I like the fact that I can now pull up into my car I don't have to go into my Android Automotive experience to use YouTube. I can just continue where I left off on my phone and the fact that it will continue playing video podcasts. Like there is a whole wealth of entertainment out there on YouTube that you can listen to while you're driving. You don't need to have the visual element and it's really good that Google's under understanding that and they own two products as well. So, tying them both together is just a fantastic option. It it it it it it makes it makes a lot of sense. These these UI changes probably should have come a few years ago. Widgets and things like that are kind of I'm not sure how useful those are going to be, but it's nice to see me through the expressive getting a more prominent role in the car.

[00:44:22]I mean do we generally think that this makes much difference to to the grand scheme of of things? Do the people care about this stuff or do they just want Android Auto to work? Cuz I think that's one of the biggest complaints we get from a lot of people is that it just doesn't work like it should. I I mean I swear to God I I I feel like my fail rate on connecting to Android Auto properly like when I get in the car these days is like it's like 30%. I swear to God I have to like one one out of three times I get in my truck I swear to God whatever phone I have in my pocket does not connect properly and it will tell me like I'll hit the Android Auto icon and it'll just say like connect Android Auto and I'm like Bluetooth's on on the phone. It's wireless. I have wireless Android Auto.

[00:45:02]This should just be working. Like I don't It's It didn't used to be this inconsistent even wirelessly. I I I do like I I hope you know and that's not something I expect them to say in a presentation, but I I hope that alongside these new features they are working a little bit on reliability because I agree with you Damian. I I I think Auto is a better platform, but I can't say I've had the same connection issues I've had on CarPlay that I have on on Android Auto and that's that's frustrating.

[00:45:27]And then and then I feel like the Gemini and Auto response has been fairly lackluster from users as well. I feel like it wasn't quite as as It's not quite as good as we were maybe hoping for and so I hope I hope they continue working on that as well.

[00:45:42]But but you know I mean I mean I agree with you. The YouTube stuff is As somebody who has has on multiple occasions watched Uber drivers cycle through their YouTube feed on a second day phone. Terrifying. I I Great.

[00:45:55]Awesome. Please I hope I hope this down plays that cuz it's it's like genuinely it's terrifying to to be in the car and have like essentially no say on like like if you're on the highway like what are you going to do? You're going to tell the Uber driver to stop scrolling through their phone. You can.

[00:46:10]I I and I have but it's not always going to end well.

[00:46:14]Um I think I think that kind of is is is a good is a good advertisement for Magic Queue as well.

[00:46:21]Like I think the way that Yeah, Magic Queue is integrated into the vehicle is I probably think that may that could have been the original pitch. Like Magic Queue on your phone and then Android Auto in the vehicle. Like that is perfect. That is the perfect way to to make sure that you're safe while you're driving. All of the information is pulled from your phone and and is given to the to the contact that needs it.

[00:46:45]And you don't have to worry you don't have to worry because you are you are like say you both hands on the steering wheel and you're not having any issues with having to search dig through old text messages or whatever happens to be.

[00:46:55]I think anything anything that can you use generative AI like that it it and just AI in general to to make your drive safer is a great thing. And I think that it it kind of ties into the last thing we'll kind of talk about is Google Maps.

[00:47:09]Like the Google Maps UI changes also make a big difference. So I think it does look a little bit cartoony and a little bit like childish but I at the end of the day if if you still get that visual feedback that makes a lot of sense and keeps you safe on the road. It it it is a benefit. Um I just wish Google would showcase more portrait orientation Android Auto for those of us who have portrait in-car head units because we always see landscape and I never know what it's going to look like when it hits my car. But yeah, I that's There's a lot to talk about.

[00:47:38]>> Can I say one thing on the So I I earlier I said the last note I wrote down was I'm begging Google to talk to someone who has never been to California.

[00:47:45]So they they showed off being able to watch videos now and on Android Auto when your like car is charging or whatever, right? Like when when the car is parked.

[00:47:53]And their their demo for all of this stuff kind of coming together was like, "Oh, we're going on a hike. You know, we're me and my friend are going on a hike.

[00:48:01]And then after the hike, we're going to we used Agentic AI to order fish tacos."

[00:48:06]And don't judge us if we're going to if we if we sit and you know, we pick up the fish tacos and instead of going home, we sit in the car in the parking lot and watch a video on Android Auto while eating our fish tacos. And I understand that that this is a demo trying to put everything together to to paint a picture for everybody.

[00:48:22]Guys, you just went on a on a 3-hour hike and you're eating fish tacos in an enclosed small space. I know it smell crazy in there. That's all I'm saying. I know it smell crazy in there. That was my main takeaway was like, "Did you guys not think about how gross that [laughter] is?"

[00:48:36]I just It was all I got I couldn't get over it. I was spent the entire rest of the presentation >> on a We're going on a 3-mile hike this Sunday and we're going to order fish tacos afterwards. You guys tell me what it smells like. You know, you get you have to get a neutral third party after you finish your meal to get in the car and tell me what it smell >> [laughter] >> Yeah, we'll get away we'll get away more. Ask WeMo if it smells in the car. I'm I just like it's it's one of you know, I'm poking fun. I'm not being serious. But it was one of those things where I'm like, "You guys got to think through your your examples a little bit clearer because immediately [laughter] I was like, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Hike sweat and fish tacos in a small vehicle?

[00:49:11]Okay. It ain't [laughter] me. But you do what you want."

[00:49:16]Yeah.

[00:49:18]Aside from that, I'm >> [laughter] >> I'm very excited to get these updates on my on my on my in-car head unit. Well, my phone first and then in-car head unit. I think that the Gemini integration with things like your boot, aka your trunk for you for Americans out there, being able to tell you if a a TV will fit in the in the car.

[00:49:35]>> in the UK? Yeah, we call it the boot. I didn't know that.

[00:49:38]We call it the boot.

[00:49:39]Yeah, we call it the boot. James Peckham was my boss for 3 years and we learned that so many times we were in meetings where he would he would say a a Britishism, a UKism and we would just kind of all like our you could see our eyes glaze over and he be like, that's not a term in the US is [laughter] it?

[00:49:54]And we never I don't think we ever got boot. That's crazy.

[00:49:58]>> [snorts] >> Well, yeah. So, if you can fit your TV in your boot, you're happy. [laughter] Um I think that is another good another great usage of of of real-world Gemini integrations. Whether people use it and whether it's reliable, I don't know. I I will have to test that myself, but I'm excited to see that because um Android Auto is one of those kind of those key products I think um Google doesn't shout about enough. And I'm I'm glad to see it getting some time here in the Android show. But um yeah, that's that's kind of wrapping up what we think so far. There's a a fair amount of of stuff to dive into in the next few weeks. Uh we will be hopefully seeing a little bit more of this, maybe some IRL experiences with these IO next week.

[00:50:36]Stay tuned for our coverage there. We will hopefully have some special podcasts for you off the back of that.

[00:50:41]Hopefully, you've enjoyed this 100th episode of Pixelated. Um it's been a little bit of a of a deep dive, like I say, into into three or four big things that come out of the Android show, but I'm hopeful that after IO we'll have even more cool stuff to share with you.

[00:50:54]But thanks for listening. And remember to like, rate, share, whatever you need to do uh to get the podcast out there to people that may be interested in Android ecosystem, Pixel, and everything between. Thanks, guys, for joining me.

[00:51:07]>> in the fish taco car challenge, the height fish taco challenge that we're starting.

[00:51:12]Yeah, yeah. Definitely get back to us if if if that goes >> Please do. Email me if you do this. Let me know what it was like.

[00:51:17]>> [laughter] >> Thanks, guys, and uh I'll speak to you soon.

[00:51:20]Bye. Bye.

[00:51:23]>> [music] >> Thanks for listening to Pixelated, a 9to5 Google podcast. If you enjoyed the show, we ask that you rate and review it on the podcast platform of your choice, and help spread the word by sharing the show with friends or on social media.