Month: February 2024

After teasing it (again) yesterday, Samsung has finally shown off the Galaxy Ring in physical form at Mobile World Conference (MWC 2024) and revealed some additional details. The device is of course centered around health and wellness and will come in three colors, platinum silver, gold and ceramic black. It’s set to go on sale later this year.

Samsung didn’t say much about the Galaxy Ring when it first displayed a render of the device at Unpacked last month. All we knew at the time was that it would be a wellness-oriented wearable positioned to rival Oura and that it would have a suite of unknown sensors. 

Journalists weren’t allowed to photograph it today, but some additional images from Samsung show it to be a chonky, concave ring about the same size as the Oura, according to a supplied image (below). The extra girth isn’t surprising, given the electronics cached inside. 

Still, The Verge noted that it was lighter than expected and will be offered in sizes 5 to 13, marked S through XL inside the band. The size of the battery (and thus time between charges) will vary depending on the size, ranging from 14.5mAh to 21.5mAh. Battery life is unknown, but the Oura can go up to seven days between charges.

Samsung

According to a blog from Samsung VP Dr. Hon Pak, the ring will track sleep based on heart rate, movement and breathing, then provide users advice based on that. The company will also glean data from partner Natural Cycles, which already does fertility tracking on the Galaxy Watch, matching a key Oura feature. 

The Galaxy Ring will also offer a new tool called My Vitality Score that measures alertness so users can see if they’re at their best. Feedback will be available via “Booster Cards” that offer science-based tips using sleep and other data gathered by the device.

The Galaxy Ring will be part of the Samsung Health ecosystem and be compatible with the Galaxy Watch. That means you’ll be able to use both devices at once to track your health and get higher quality data as a result. That said, the advantage of a ring wearable is that it’s far less annoying to sleep with it.

We’ll learn more in the months ahead, including the exact sensor suite, pricing and sale date. The Galaxy Ring will only be compatible with Samsung Galaxy phones, though the company is planning to make it work with other Android devices later on. iOS compatible is still to be determined, though, Pak said. 

Samsung

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-unveils-the-galaxy-ring-as-a-way-to-simplify-everyday-wellness-080134421.html?src=rss

Google has announced a slew of Android updates to kick off MWC this year, including Gemini integration with Messages and AI-powered text summaries for when you’re driving. As of this week, Messages users will be able to access Google’s chatbot without leaving the texting app. Gemini in Messages can handle basic tasks like drafting messages and helping to plan events, or you can just chat with it if you’re bored. The feature is still in beta, and it’s only available to English-language Messages users for now, Google says.

Android Auto is also getting a boost from AI that could help minimize distractions from people texting you while you’re on the road. If the group chat is blowing up your phone with nonstop messages or if someone is sending you novels of text, Android Auto will automatically summarize the messages and read you its more succinct version. It’ll also suggest replies and actions based on the messages, like sharing your ETA, so you can respond with a single tap and focus on driving.

Google

Google also announced some new accessibility features for Android at MWC, including AI-generated image captions in the Lookout app. It’ll be able to generate descriptions for images found online or received in messages and read them aloud to the user. The feature is only available in English to start, but is rolling out globally. Google’s Lens feature in Maps is getting an enhanced screen reader option as well, which will allow users to point their phone’s camera at something in front of them, like a restaurant or transit station, and hear information about it.

The Android updates also include new casting controls for Spotify called Spotify Connect so users can switch seamlessly between their devices, like from your headphones to a speaker. This feature was already available for YouTube Music.

Google

Catch up on all of the news from MWC 2024 right here!

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-brings-gemini-to-messages-and-adds-ai-text-summaries-for-android-auto-080051647.html?src=rss

Google Docs is getting an annotation feature that will let you mark up your documents just like you might with a pen and paper. With today’s update, announced at MWC 2024, Google Docs users on Android devices can use a finger or stylus to write notes, highlight text and circle words to their heart’s desire. Google says the feature will work on Android tablets and smartphones, so it’s got some real potential to give devices like foldables even more of a productivity boost. It should also make for a smoother way to sign digital documents.

Android users will have access to multiple pen colors and highlighters with the new annotation tool for Google Docs, which is good news for anyone who loves color-coding their notes. If the popularity of digital notebooks like reMarkable’s tablets or Amazon’s Kindle Scribe has taught us anything, it’s that, as speedy as typing may be, plenty of people still prefer writing by hand when it’s an option. The only thing this update seems to be missing is the ability to convert handwriting to text, which would allow for more extensive writing tasks. Apple is a few steps ahead in that regard, offering the feature for Apple Pencil users on several of its native iPad productivity apps, like Pages and Numbers.

Catch up on all of the news from MWC 2024 right here!

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/you-can-now-mark-up-your-google-docs-with-handwritten-notes-on-android-devices-080050320.html?src=rss

Google is finally giving Android smartwatch owners a feature they’ve been wanting for years: Google Wallet passes. Among its many announcements at MWC, Google said today that it’s officially bringing boarding passes, event tickets, gym memberships, loyalty cards and other passes that might be stored in your Google Wallet to Wear OS. It’s one area where Wear OS has lagged way behind the Apple Watch, which has long had passes. 

While some users have sporadically reported seeing the feature pop up over the last month or so, Google is only now confirming its arrival. Any passes you’ve added to Google Wallet will show up with a QR code or barcode on your Wear OS watch with the update, and you can choose to hide whichever ones you don’t need at the moment. Google is also adding the ability to get detailed public transit directions on your watch so you don’t need to take out your phone to figure out where you’re going. You’ll be able to look up departure times from your wrist, and get step-by-step directions or a guided map view to your destination.

Catch up on all of the news from MWC 2024 right here!

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-finally-brings-wallet-passes-to-wear-os-watches-along-with-transit-directions-080010242.html?src=rss