#gemini-assistant

#gemini-assistant

It has been five years since Samsung and Google stopped supporting their respective mobile virtual reality headsets. For a second try, the companies have partnered up with a bolder vision in the mixed reality space, starting with the new Galaxy XR. Announced last year as Project Moohan, it's the first headset powered by Android XR, a new platform for smart glasses and headsets built on Android and Google's Gemini assistant from the ground up.

Google is finally launching a new smart speaker, and it's a complete redesign. The new Google Home Speaker features a new flattened sphere shape, new colors, a new light ring, and lots of new AI-powered features. Announced this week, along with a major Gemini-infused update to its Google Home smart home platform, the speaker will also run the new Gemini voice assistant instead of Google Assistant. It won't be available until spring 2026, but I got an early look in New York City last week.

The company announced on Thursday that it plans to supercharge its Chrome browser with a raft of new AI features, including AI agents that will complete tasks for you, as it transitions one of its key products for the AI era. Google is also putting AI Mode - its more conversational take on traditional Google Search - right into the address bar via something it's calling the "omnibox." This will allow users to run searches in AI Mode without leaving the page they're on.