Frequently call out to Google Assistant on your phone or tablet? A new Ambient Mode coming to select devices will turn the always-on display into a smart screen showing contextually relevant information from Google Assistant.
Google made the announcement at IFA 2019 and said the Ambient Mode functionality, which is triggered when the device is charging or placed on a dock, is coming to Lenovo’s Yoga Smart Tab and the Smart Tab M8 HD, as well as to HMD’s Nokia 7.2 and Nokia 6.2. It’s a preloaded functionality on these devices, so because it’s not an app you can download from the Google Play Store, you can only access it if you have one of these phones or tablets.
The feature is similar to what happens when you place the Google Pixel 3 on the Pixel Stand wireless charger. Google Assistant commands and suggestions show up on the always-on display, but the look has been tweaked in the new Ambient Mode to resemble the experience on Google’s Nest Hub smart display. You can also turn the screen into a digital frame by having it pull photos from a Google Photos album.
It’s unclear if this functionality will make its way to Android natively to support all Android phones, or if it will eventually be an app on the Play Store.
Ambient Mode isn’t the only new feature coming to Google Assistant. If you’re a WhatsApp user, you’ll be happy to hear that you can now ask Google Assistant to start a WhatsApp audio call or a video call. Just say, “Hey Google, WhatsApp video John,” and Assistant will start the video call.
This expands what you can do with third-party messaging apps using Google Assistant, as earlier this year the company launched the ability to send messages through the virtual assistant for apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber, and Hangouts.
Google also said Assistant is coming to even more devices, including the Sonos Move, Bose Portable Home Speaker, and the JBL Link Portable, as well as to several soundbars from brands such as JBL, Phillips, and more. Assistant is also landing on more and more Android TVs from companies ranging from Hisense and Sony to TCL and Sharp.
Motorola has built some of my favorite foldables and flagship phones. I had a great time with both the Razr Fold and last year's Signature. So when the company began teasing the Signature 27, I couldn't help be excited. The new model comes with Qualcomm's blazing-fast Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, and better still, it is finally getting a proper global release.
One of the reasons I was obsessed with the last-gen Signature was its amazing price tag. But it seems like that budget flagship dream might be officially dead. Portuguese retailer MegaPC has prematurely listed a 12GB RAM and 512GB storage Signature 27 in Pantone Coal Smoke for €1,594.90 (approx. $1,775).
Two new highly requested iCloud plugins just got added to ChatGPT, giving people who rely on Apple’s Mail and Calendar services a way to search emails, check appointments, and manage their schedules directly through the chatbot.
The integration is rolling out to all ChatGPT plans, including the free tier. You can access it on the web, desktop, and iOS.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.