Robby Payne

The time has finally come to start saying your goodbyes to the Google Assistant. The past couple years have radically transformed things in the digital assistant and AI space, and it is clear that Google is all-in on Gemini moving forward. And that means Google is set to finally get down to one assistant on...

After news of the end of the Chromecast lineup of devices hit back in August of 2024, we were left wondering about the future of Google's popular streaming dongle when it comes to future updates. Android 14 was promised, but the January update came and went with no sign of the OS upgrade, and I'm...

Google's been busy weaving its AI capabilities into every nook and cranny of Workspace, and Gmail is no exception. With a new addition that will begin rolling out today, Gemini is now lending a hand to make calendar management directly from emails a bit simpler. If you're like me, you get a ton of emails...

Alright, I'll admit I had a bit of a late jump on the morning thanks to some very early morning commitments yesterday paired up with the time change. It bled over to today and I needed a bit more sleep after getting the kids to school. So, I'm coming in a bit on the back...

Google has made a subtle but useful change to Gemini by rebranding "Gemini Extensions" to "Gemini Apps." This shift, already showing up in the latest beta version of the Google app (version 16.8.31.sa.arm64), looks to be the beginning of a move towards a more integrated and user-friendly experience when using Gemini with existing apps. The...

Chrome on Android is preparing for a small but impactful visual update, moving towards a more immersive, edge-to-edge display. It looks like Google is set to extend web content directly into the gesture navigation bar area. This update, slated for Chrome version 135, should modernize the browser's appearance and provide a cleaner, more fluid interaction...

Chrome has long offered a handy accessibility feature called "Read this page" that allows the browser to read the current webpage aloud. It's a simple tool, but incredibly useful for those who prefer listening to content, multitasking, or have accessibility needs. While the current iteration is functional, with Gemini, it feels like there's so much...

If you happen to have a barely-functioning laptop sitting around the house that you can't sell and can't really use any longer, you might just be in luck. Best Buy has launched a new recycling program that could quickly turn your useless, aged, dust-collecting laptop into $50 towards a new Chromebook Plus. And, even better,...

Quietly announced a couple weeks ago, Google has been working on delivering an update to Gemini Live that should enhance the conversational AI model with a few key upgrades. While Google hasn't published detailed release notes just yet, it appears the primary focus of this update is on speed and reliability. Early reports suggest a...

In a recent APK Insight dive into the Google app beta (version 16.7.21) by 9to5 Google, some intriguing strings have surfaced, hinting at a potential expansion of Google's voice activation capabilities. It appears Google might be preparing to introduce a new hotword, "Hey Gemini," to coexist alongside the more-familiar "Hey Google." The unearthed code suggests...