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Title: Google's Pixel Watch 4 Has a Big Focus On AI

Link: https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/25/08/20/...

An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Verge's Victoria Song: The
original Pixel Watch was late to the game. For years, there had been rumors
of a Google smartwatch that never materialized. Then, when it finally
arrived, it was a quintessential first-gen device, with thicc bezels, dismal
battery life, and a host of quirks that needed ironing out. My DMs were full
of people wondering when the watch would be unceremoniously dumped into
Google's infamous product graveyard. A part of me wondered if Google was
going to spend the next decade playing catch-up. Fast forward to 2025, and
I'm holding the Pixel Watch 4 at Google's office in New York City. On the
surface (and my wrist), it doesn't look like much has changed. But after
fiddling with a few menus, watching some demos, and talking over the updates,
it's evident that Google has a clear vision about where smartwatches are
going. [...] Starting with hardware, the Pixel Watch 4 has a new domed "Actua
360" display -- as in, the display itself, not just the glass, is also domed.
What this translates to is about 10 percent more visible screen space, 15
percent thinner bezels, and a 50 percent increase in maximum brightness to
3,000 nits. On a table, there's a lineup of the Pixel Watch 2, 3, and 4 with
the flashlight app turned on. Side-by-side, the improvements are striking.
Material 3 Expressive in Wear OS 6also helps emphasize the Pixel Watch's
roundness. (No squircles here, folks.) The widgets have more rounded edges,
and each screen has been redesigned to be more glanceable, fitting more
complications. It's not Liquid Glass, but there are subtle animations when
flitting through menus that call your attention to the Pixel Watch's rain
droplet-inspired design. Altogether, it's a design tweak that makes
senseandis aesthetically pleasing. Google also says battery life has
improved. The 41mm watch gets an estimated 30 hours on a single charge, while
the 45mm gets 40 hours. That can stretch up to two days in battery saver mode
for the smaller watch and three days for the larger one. I couldn't test that
at a hands-on, but I did get to see the improved fast charging in action. As
with theGalaxy Watch 8, Gemini has a big presence on the Pixel Watch 4. It
replaces Google Assistant and is capable of more complex queries -- even if
none have been able to blow my mind yet. But, in a bid to make interacting
with Gemini as smooth as possible, the speaker and haptic engines have also
been updated so you can hear and interact more easily. There's also a new
raise-to-talk gesture that lets you speak to Gemini without having to use the
wake word. The processor has been upgraded to the Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 to
enable more on-device AI features, as well, like smart replies. On the Pixel
Watch 4, you'll get more smart reply options to texts that refer to the
content of your conversations. They're not confined to the default Messages
app, either. But the major AI update this time around is a Gemini-powered
health coach that's slated to arrive alongside a revamped Fitbit app in
October. ... The gist is the health coach will act more like a personal
trainer than a Captain Obvious summary generator. If you sleep poorly, it'll
adjust workout suggestions. (This is also why Google is also introducing an
improved sleep algorithm.) You can tell it that you've been injured, and that
too will be taken into consideration when generating weekly fitness plans.
[...] Another big first is the Satellite SOS mode. If you're without your
phone and in a remote area with no signal, you can still call emergency
services. (So long as you have the LTE version of the watch.) The big thing
here is that there's no extra subscription cost. The watch will also feature
more accurate dual-frequency GPS -- a nice update given that I've had issues
with the Pixel Watch's GPS maps in the past. The Pixel Watch 4 is priced at
$349.99 and is available for pre-order now.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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