Google has launched Gemini 3.5 Transcribe, a new voice-to-text AI model that automatically strips out filler words and stumbles to produce cleaner transcriptions. Already running Gboard's Rambler feature on the Pixel 11, the model is set to expand across Google's products. Google says it is roughly 70 percent faster than its predecessor, Chirp 3, and slightly more accurate, with a live-speech error rate of 5.5 percent versus 7.32 percent.
Google unveiled Gemini 3.5 Transcribe, a new speech-to-text AI model that detects over 85 languages, strips filler words, and reformats casual speech into clean, structured text. It can also learn custom vocabulary, capture alphanumeric strings like order numbers, and assign dialogue to up to three speakers with timestamps from recorded audio.
ZDNET's review of the Google Pixel 11 finds the base model to be the standout among this year's four Pixel phones, despite few hardware changes beyond a new Hibiscus pink color option. The device retains a 6.3-inch AMOLED display and symmetrical design, but Google has slimmed the rear camera bar to nearly half its previous size, making the phone easier to use with a case and comfortable to hold without one.
Google's Pixel Watch 5 introduced exclusive Weave and Chronograph watch faces, plus custom face creation tools. A Reddit user found a workaround letting Pixel Watch 4 owners access these same faces by sideloading a newer version of the Pixel Watch Faces app using the GeminiMan WearOS Manager tool over wireless ADB debugging.
Amazon is applying a $150 discount to the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, and Pixel 11 Pro XL when shoppers use code PIXEL11 at checkout, though the Pixel Pro Fold is excluded. This discount stacks with a separate promotion running through August 27th that offers gift cards up to $200 or credit toward a Pixel Watch 5, bringing the base Pixel 11 down to $749 from $899.
Google's Pixel 11 Pro retains the vivid, bright screen praised in its predecessor, but review testing found it throttles and shows overheating and battery-drain warnings when graphics settings are pushed above minimum levels. Google also dropped the 128GB storage tier across the lineup, meaning the cheapest configuration now starts at $1,099 for 256GB, with only 12GB of RAM at that entry level. Google attributed the higher storage and pricing to an AI-driven RAM shortage raising component costs industrywide.
Google's new Pixel 11 lineup features the Tensor G6 chip, Gemini Intelligence AI tools, and upgraded cameras across both standard and Pro models. While the Pixel 11 Pro and Pro XL add extras like a longer 120x zoom, brighter displays, and a new HiLight notification feature, the base Pixel 11 now matches its Pro sibling in RAM and shares most core specs at a significantly lower price.
Android Authority's review of the Pixel 11 Pro XL highlights HiLight, a feature that assigns glow colors to specific contacts similar to old notification LEDs. The reviewer found the concept appealing but the execution confusing, requiring navigation between multiple apps and menus just to assign a color to a contact.
In testimony from an ongoing lawsuit filed by 29 states against Meta, a former company data scientist revealed that only about 0.165% to 0.2% of teens actually used Instagram's Take a Break feature when it was opt-in, despite Meta previously claiming 90% adoption. The tool, meant to nudge users to pause after extended app use, is now enabled by default for teen accounts following the criticism.
A poll conducted among readers asked what Google should prioritize for the Pixel 12, and a decisive 64% chose better hardware alone. About 19% wanted equal focus on hardware and AI, a similar share preferred more competitive pricing, and fewer than 2% wanted AI prioritized on its own.
Researcher David Buchanan demonstrated that C2PA, the standard meant to cryptographically verify photos come straight from a camera, can be defeated on Android devices. He shows that root exploits, including a currently in-the-wild one-click attack (CVE-2026-43499) against fully patched Google Pixel phones, let attackers bypass Android's Key Attestation and Play Integrity protections that C2PA camera apps rely on, allowing arbitrary files to be signed as if they were genuine camera captures.
The Pixel 11 Pro Fold ships in just two colors and retains Google's asymmetrical hinge design, resulting in a noticeable crease and uneven thickness when unfolded. It features two bright OLED displays capable of 3,600 nits and 120Hz refresh rates, runs on the new Tensor G6 chip with up to 1TB storage, and adds a minor color-LED notification feature called HiLight.
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