Google is rolling out its first update of 2024 for Pixel phones and it brings new health features and AI tools. Perhaps the most interesting new doodad is the actual thermometer, which is only available for the recently released Pixel 8 Pro. We knew this feature was coming at some point, as the phone includes a temperature sensor, and a thermometer is the most likely use case.
All you have to do is scan your forehead to find out if your headache is caused by staring at the screen for too long if you actually have a fever. You can send these results to your Fitbit profile and combine them with other health metrics.
The company is also experimenting with the Tensor G3 chip while adding a new AI-powered circuit for the search tool. It works exactly as advertised. You can draw a circle over something on your phone screen, and the AI will search for the image, text, or whatever else you've highlighted. This will likely come in very handy in future episodes of spy and detective shows.
This is just the first AI-adjacent feature included in the new update. There's something called Photomoji that works exactly as you'd assume. It turns your favorite photos into emojis or reactions. Magic Compose is similar to the Magic Editor tool, but for text. Google says the tool “creates tailored and suggested responses with the context of your messages.”
Finally, there it is Recently introduced quick share icon It shows you a list of nearby devices that you can share content with. Google is already working on including this feature in Windows computers.
To accompany this new update, Google has released a mint green color for the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. They look really cute and I kind of want to eat them. The new feature starts rolling out today.
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