GoKawiil
Tech News
Google has launched its screen-less Fitbit Air fitness tracker in India at ₹13,999 (about $146), compared to $99 in the US. The device tracks heart rate, A-fib alerts, blood oxygen, sleep stages and more, and goes on sale October 2 via Google Store, Flipkart, Croma, Reliance Digital and Vijay Sales, bundled with a free three-month Google Health premium membership.
Android Authority ran a two-week reader poll asking Pixel owners whether Android 17 QPR1, which began rolling out this month, introduced new problems. Of 1,458 respondents, about 68% reported some new issue, with performance (19%), UI behavior (16%), display glitches (14%) and connectivity (11%) as the top complaints, while nearly a third said they saw no new problems.
Android Authority released its latest 'Wallpaper Wednesday' collection, featuring six reader-submitted images and three from its own team. The wallpapers are free, watermark-free, and available in both landscape and portrait formats as JPG or PNG files via a shared Drive link.
OpenAI unveiled ChatGPT Space, a new shared workspace that lets people and AI edit documents together without copying content between ChatGPT and separate apps. It centers on Pages, editable documents supporting text, images, charts, tables, files, and comments, with editing help from ChatGPT, Codex, or Dots agents. The feature, announced at OpenAI's DevDay alongside the GPT-6.1 Sol model, replaces Library and is rolling out to Pro, Business, and Enterprise users, with Slides and Sheets support planned later.
BAG Ventures, founded by former Google VP Bontia Stewart and ex-CapitalG partner Jackson Georges Jr., has closed an $11.3 million fund after roughly two years of investing. The firm has already backed 10 startups, including SXD, BizTrip, and Nomadic, with checks ranging from $100,000 to $500,000, and plans to deploy the remainder over the next two years.
Google is reportedly running a test program, launched less than a year ago, that compensates roughly 100 publishers based on how much their content contributes to AI Overviews, AI Mode, and the Gemini chatbot, according to The Information via Digiday. One early participant reportedly earned over $1 million in a year, while a more recent entrant has earned $50,000 to $60,000.
Android Authority writer Megan Ellis describes using Google's Results About You feature, which scans search results for a user's phone number, email, home address, and in some regions ID or Social Security numbers. When it finds a match, Google sends a notification and lets the user request removal of the listing, which Google says it will delete for all users if the request meets its criteria. The tool is accessed through the Google app's profile menu or a dedicated website.
Following Futurism's investigation into Brown Brothers Media, a company accused of buying distressed news outlets and turning them into AI-generated content farms with fake bylines, the network's sites have largely disappeared from Google News and Search. Publications like VegOut, Silicon Canals, and Space Daily, once dominating Google's 'For You' feed, are now nearly impossible to find even when searched by name.
An Android Authority writer describes using Anthropic's Claude as a logistics organizer rather than a decision-maker while planning a three-week trip to Japan. Instead of asking the AI to suggest destinations, he fed it his own research, preferences and must-see list, letting Claude arrange the details into a coherent schedule. He reports this method saved significant time compared with juggling Google Maps, spreadsheets and blog posts.
A user on Bluesky found that typing 'Play Minecraft' into the US government's new America.gov chatbot produces a bureaucratic parody of Minecraft's End Poem, replacing themes of the universe and love with references to republics, constituents and paperwork. When shown a PDF transcript of its own output, the chatbot denied having written the poem.
Android Authority found evidence in a recent Google Photos build of a new plus-shaped button that would let users add clothing to their virtual Wardrobe without resetting it entirely. Currently, tapping the button causes the app to crash, but the outlet also found hints of upcoming options to try on eyewear and regenerate outfits that don't render properly.
A newly released Android app called Pixel Clock, roughly two weeks old, provides alarm, timer, stopwatch and world clock functions with a Material 3 Expressive design that adapts to the user's chosen system color. Android Authority's Andy Walker reports it replaced several other timing apps on his device after he had also tried an app called Chrono as an alternative to Google Clock.