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Tech News
Google has begun a gradual rollout of a new minimize feature for its Gemini assistant overlay on Android devices. The update adds a visible 'Minimize Gemini' button that shrinks the full-screen overlay into a small draggable bubble, letting users switch to other apps while Gemini continues processing in the background. Reports suggest only a limited number of users currently have access to the feature.
Google has expanded access to its Lyria 3.5 music generation model beyond Flow Music, launching it in the Gemini app and Gemini API. The rollout adds new features like short and long track options, genre templates, and vocal versus instrumental selection, with developers also gaining access via Google AI Studio and Google Vids.
Amazon has cut the price of Blink's newest Mini 2K Plus indoor security camera to $21.99, a 45% discount off its regular price. The plug-in camera records at up to 2K resolution with HDR, low-light color vision, infrared night vision, two-way audio, and a built-in siren, and can also work outdoors with an optional weather-resistant adapter.
Google's newly launched chat theme feature in Messages, which lets users set custom backgrounds for individual conversations, is causing problems for some users just weeks after its August rollout. Reports include the feature randomly disappearing and reappearing, wallpapers taking one to two seconds to load, and occasional freezing when selecting themes. Google has acknowledged the issue on Reddit and pointed users toward a possible Play Store update fix.
Google has released the first software update for the Pixel Watch 5, moving the firmware from CD5A.260611.008 to CP3A.260905.002 while keeping the device on Wear OS 7 based on Android 17. The rollout includes September security fixes, but the accompanying changelog largely restates Gemini and gesture features that already shipped at launch rather than introducing new capabilities.
Researchers from Google and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Janelia Research Campus have finished mapping every neuron and synaptic connection in the brain of a male fruit fly. This male connectome joins a female Drosophila map completed earlier this year, giving scientists two complete wiring diagrams of the same species' brain for comparison. The project combined Janelia's imaging expertise with Google's computational tools to process hundreds of millions of synapses.
A solo business owner describes scope creep while building a personal CRM tool, which grew from a simple contact list into a system with Google Drive integration, calendar syncing, a branded interface and custom automation. The account is used to illustrate how independent workers, lacking a project manager to impose limits, must define their own boundaries to avoid endless feature creep.
Multiple Wear OS users across Pixel Watch, Galaxy Watch, and OnePlus Watch devices say Gemini claims to complete smart home commands—like adjusting lights, AC, or vacuums—without actually executing them. The issue surfaced around the same time Google expanded Gemini for Home's voice command capabilities on phones and speakers, where the assistant continues to work normally. Google has been contacted for comment but has not yet responded publicly.
A screenshot spotted by Joe Lenington on X shows the Google Pixel Tablet running Android 17 now displays Quick Share's Apple-device file-sharing interface, previously limited to select smartphones. Google's official FAQ page hasn't been updated to list the tablet, but fine print confirms the feature covers tablets as well as phones.
Google has announced that starting January 2027, Gmail's 'Send as' feature will no longer support external email addresses like those from Yahoo or Outlook. The change won't affect Google Workspace aliases or other Gmail-owned addresses, only third-party accounts linked through SMTP.
A Brooklyn father of two used AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Anthropic's Claude to research and compare back-to-school products instead of manually checking retailer sites and online reviews. The AI consolidated his shopping list across multiple stores and even advised him on optimal timing to buy items at the lowest prices. Retail surveys indicate this behavior is becoming widespread among shoppers this school season.
Google announced that its Gemini Spark personal agent can now perform tasks within Google Photos, including editing images, curating and sharing albums, converting flyer photos into calendar events, and running automated workflows. Google Photos lead Shimrit Ben-Yair revealed the update on X, saying it will roll out over the coming weeks to Gemini AI Pro and Ultra subscribers in the U.S. using English, with no timeline given for international availability.