В интернете

Firebase, Google’s backend-as-a-service platform for application developers, is getting its fair share of new features at the company’s I/O developer conference today, but the marquee update is the addition of AI extensions, powered by Google’s PaLM API. That’s in addition to support for the Python language in Cloud Functions for Firebase (2nd gen), updates to […] Google’s Firebase gets AI extensions, opens up its marketplace by Frederic Lardinois originally published on TechCrunch... →

Epic Games is expanding Fall Guys — its bubbly battle royale populated by little jellybean dudes — to make room for player-crafted creativity. With its fourth season, live today, Fall Guys adds a new creative mode that invites players to sculpt their own levels with beginner-friendly game design tools. In the new mode, anyone can […] Epic’s Fall Guys adds a creative mode so players can design their own levels by Taylor Hatmaker originally published on TechCrunch... →

Google launched its first foldable device, the Pixel Fold, at the Google I/O developer conference today. While the device itself will be available later this summer, the company is working with some notable organizations — including Microsoft, Zoom, Netflix, and Amazon — to make some of their popular apps well-suited for the Pixel Fold. The […] Microsoft Office, Netflix, Amazon Kindle and more are tuning their apps for the new Pixel Fold by Ivan Mehta originally published on TechCrunch... →

Google long ago abandoned the pretense of surprise about the Pixel line. There’s an extent to which you can point the finger at the hardware rumor industrial complex. But at the end of the day, the company was always going to take matters into its own hands and announce its most anticipated hardware device a […] Google’s $1,799 Pixel Fold arrives in late-June by Brian Heater originally published on TechCrunch... →

We knew the Pixel Tablet was coming. In fact, we’ve known it for a year. Google teased the device at last year’s I/O. It was one of those “don’t worry, we’re working on stuff” sort of deals, with an extremely broad 2023 release date. The company offered a (slightly) better look at the system at […] Google’s Pixel Tablet ships with its own speaker dock by Brian Heater originally published on TechCrunch... →

Google is testing a powerful new translation service that redubs video in a new language while also synchronizing the speaker’s lips with words they never spoke. It could be very useful for a lot of reasons, but the company was upfront about the possibility of abuse and the steps taken to prevent it. “Universal Translator” […] ‘Universal translator’ dubs and lip-syncs speakers – but Google warns against misuse by Devin Coldewey originally published on TechCrunch... →

Google is updating Wear OS to bring new features, apps, and app experiences to its smartwatch OS platform, the company announced today at its Google I/O developer conference. The features, coming later this year, include improvements to Google’s own first-party apps, like Gmail, Calendar, and Home, as well as new and improved apps from third […] Android smartwatches are getting Spotify’s AI DJ, WhatsApp and updated Google apps by Sarah Perez originally published on TechCrunch... →

Drone delivery startup Zipline is expanding its U.S. customer base across healthcare, restaurant and retail verticals. Global health and wellness brand GNC, Seattle-based pizza restaurant Pagliacci Pizza and medical courier service Associated Couriers will all start using Zipline’s recently announced home delivery platform, which the startup says is ultra precise, nearly inaudible and up to […] Zipline’s new drone delivery platform attracts more US customers by Rebecca Bellan originally published on TechCru... →

Growing concerns in the U.S. crypto industry around regulation is making overseas opportunities look more appealing. Crypto needs a global view to build better regulatory models by Jacquelyn Melinek originally published on TechCrunch... →

At Google’s I/O developer conference today, the company previewed the next version of its smartwatch operating system, Wear OS 4. The new release promises to bring improved battery life and accessibility features, an easier way to swap out your phone or watch without having to reset the device, and new tools for building watch faces […] Google previews Wear OS 4 with better battery life, third-party watch face support by Sarah Perez originally published on TechCrunch... →

Google is building upon Material You to give users the option to create a more personalized experience on their devices, the company announced at it I/O developer conference today. Most notably, the company announced generative AI wallpapers that will roll out this fall. With generative AI wallpapers, your device will be able to generate backgrounds […] Android’s new generative AI wallpapers will let you create unique and personalized designs by Aisha Malik originally published on TechCrunch... →

Google’s building an AI-powered notebook tool called Project Tailwind, the company revealed at its I/O developer conference. The goal, Google says, is to take a user’s freeform notes and automatically organize and summarize them. To use Tailwind — which is available through Labs, Google’s refreshed hub for experimental products — users pick files from Google […] With Project Tailwind, Google aims to make note-taking smarter by Kyle Wiggers originally published on TechCrunch... →

For the last few years, Google has been launching its ‘a’ series of Pixels mid-year, aimed at consumers who are looking for a good budget device. This year’s Pixel 7a is launching in India at ₹43,999 ($536), which is not exactly a pocket-friendly price for the country, but it’s closer to the US price of […] Google prices Pixel 7a in India at ₹43,999 — same as the Pixel 6a launch price by Ivan Mehta originally published on TechCrunch... →

For a few years now, the Pixel A line has been one of the best deals in smartphones. It’s a budget take on an already low-priced product. It starts with a foundation of premium components, discovering ways to reduce cost without — hopefully — stripping too much of what made the premium product good in […] Google’s $499 Pixel 7a is on sale now by Brian Heater originally published on TechCrunch... →

Google today introduced a new feature that combines Android’s guided customization with its advances in generative AI to help people compose more personal messages. The feature, called Magic Compose, was demoed briefly on stage this afternoon at the company’s I/O developer conference, showing how the feature could be used within messages and conversations to rewrite […] Google’s Magic Compose can rewrite your texts to be more playful, professional and more by Sarah Perez originally published on TechCrunch... →

Google said that WhatsApp is working on a native WearOS app at its developer conference Google IO. Earlier this week, WhatsApp launched a beta version of its app compatible with Google’s smartwatch platform. Folks using WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.23.10.10 will be able to link their Wear OS-based smartwatch. Users will be able to […] WhatsApp is working on a native app for Wear OS by Ivan Mehta originally published on TechCrunch... →

Shortly after last week’s joint announcement which saw Apple and Google teaming up on Bluetooth tracker safety measures and a new specification, Google today introduced a series of improvements coming to its own Find My Device network, including proactive alerts about unknown trackers traveling with you with support for Apple’s AirTag and others. The news, […] Google’s Find My Device network to warn about unknown AirTags with you by Sarah Perez originally published on TechCrunch... →

Most U.S.-based tech investors are likely familiar with smaller-ticket investor marketplaces AngelList and Carta. In Europe, Germany’s Bunch and the UK’s Vauban (acquired by by US-based Carta last year) have attempted to do similar job. But the back-story to this is that although launching many years ago, AngelList struggled with Europe’s regulatory environment. UK Angel […] Could Odin be Europe’s answer to AngelList? by Mike Butcher originally published on TechCrunch... →

To paraphrase Andreessen Horowitz, generative AI, particularly on the text-to-art side, is eating the world. At least, investors believe so — judging by the billions of dollars they’ve poured into startups developing AI that creates text and images from prompts. Not to be left behind, Big Tech is investing in its own generative AI art […] Google brings new generative models to Vertex AI, including Imagen by Kyle Wiggers originally published on TechCrunch... →

As we’ve seen LLMs and generative AI come screaming into our consciousness in recent months, it’s clear that these models take enormous amounts of compute power to train and run. Recognizing this, Google Cloud announced a new A3 supercomputer virtual machine today at Google I/O. The A3 has been purpose-built to handle the considerable demands […] Google Cloud announces new A3 supercomputer VMs built to power LLMs by Ron Miller originally published on TechCrunch... →