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Android Authority surveyed over 2,000 readers asking whether they would pay to unlock newer AI features on their older Pixel phones. More than 82% called such a purchase a waste of money, while roughly 10% said they'd rather buy a new phone outright, and just 6.8% would pay a subscription to extend their current device's life.
Google has launched a special-edition Fitbit Air themed around the Pokémon Sleep game, featuring a 'Sleepy Blue' band with a sleeping Pikachu design. The device is available for preorder at $129 and begins shipping September 15th, timed to Pokémon's 30th anniversary celebrations that also include a special playing card collection.
An unreleased feature discovered in Google Photos version 7.90 lets users long-press albums, folders, or people to pin them as shortcuts in a new horizontal bar at the top of the Collections tab. Android Authority manually activated the hidden option and found it largely functional, including a dedicated Edit menu for reordering pinned items and browsing library categories.
Google's newly announced Pixel Tag Bluetooth tracker won't ship until November, leaving buyers without an option for months. Android Authority points to five trackers already available, with Motorola's Moto Tag 2 standing out at $20 (or $99 for four), offering UWB support, a replaceable CR2032 battery, IP68 water resistance, and roughly 600 days of battery life, all while working with Google's Find Hub network.
London startup Relay, founded by former Nothing staffers Cookie Xu and Raymond Zhu, has released voice dictation software for macOS ahead of a companion hardware device called the Relay Q, due in early 2027. The founders say existing software tools like Wispr Flow struggled with inconsistent microphone pickup in office settings, prompting them to build purpose-made hardware for accurate speech capture.
An Android Authority writer asked ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude to name the best Google Pixel phone for most buyers in 2026, factoring in the newly released Pixel 11 lineup. The three AI models gave conflicting recommendations, with ChatGPT notably sticking with the older Pixel 10 rather than favoring Google's latest flagship.
Google's next Android release will support Encrypted Client Hello, a TLS extension that encrypts the hostname portion of the connection handshake so it can no longer be read in plain text. Paired with private DNS, this stops internet providers and Wi-Fi operators from easily seeing which sites or apps a device is contacting. The feature will be on by default for apps targeting Android 17 that use updated networking libraries like OkHttp, WebView, or HttpEngine.
Google's 2026 Pixel phones ship with an upgraded Gboard voice-typing tool powered by the Tensor chip and a new Rambler input system that cleans up filler words for more natural dictation. The lineup also includes the Pixel-exclusive Recorder app with real-time transcription and speaker labels, plus a Dual Screen Interpreter Mode for Pixel Fold devices that shows translated speech on each person's respective screen.
Anker's Soundcore brand unveiled the Nebula X1S, an upgraded laser projector reaching 6,000 ANSI lumens of brightness, nearly double its predecessor's 3,500 lumens, thanks to an added fourth RGB laser stack. It runs Google TV, supports Dolby Vision, projects 4K images up to 200 inches, and includes 40W dual speakers with optional wireless satellites for a 4.1.2 audio setup.
Google has replaced the Exynos modem used in previous Pixel phones with a MediaTek modem in the Pixel 11 series, promising better reliability, speed, and power efficiency. Android Authority ran side-by-side signal and performance tests comparing the Pixel 11 Pro against last year's Pixel 10 Pro using identical SIM cards and network conditions to verify these claims.
Plaud has launched the Plaud One Explorer Edition, an earbud-style AI wearable that can capture, transcribe, and summarize conversations either worn as earbuds or through its charging case. The case has built-in 4G connectivity for uploading and processing audio without a phone or Wi-Fi, plus its own microphones, speaker, and storage. The device costs $249.99, is available for preorder in select markets now, and will ship in late September.
BleepingComputer is partnering with Material Security to run a live webinar on September 23, 2026, dissecting real, publicly documented Google Workspace breaches at fast-growing companies. Speakers Rajan Kapoor of Material Security and Rick Fitzgerald of Fireside Consulting will walk through how attackers typically gain entry and what response steps matter most in the early hours of an incident.