Technology - Google News

Google will spend 2022 trying to match Apple’s ecosystem integrations - The Verge

Posted: 05 Jan 2022 10:00 AM PST

Google is announcing no fewer than 13 different new software features at CES 2022, ranging from AirPods-like fast switching to promised software that will mirror your Android text apps on a Chromebook. It's part of an initiative that Google calls "Better Together" but that the rest of the industry is more likely to refer to as "catching up to Apple's ecosystem."

The biggest updates come to Google's "Fast Pair" framework, an Android UI designed to make pairing Bluetooth headphones easier. This year, Google will extend it to support auto-switching between devices, faster pairing to Android TV and Google TV, and more. It will also adopt the Fast Pair framework for installing new smart home devices using the upcoming Matter standard, which should mean that getting a new smart lightbulb or door lock going will be a lot easier.

Google will also enable smartwatches running Wear OS 3 to unlock paired Android phones or Chromebooks, much in the same way an Apple Watch can unlock an iPhone. That feature will arrive "in the coming months," and hopefully, there will be more Wear OS 3 watches available when it launches. Right now, the only major smartwatch running the new OS is Samsung's Galaxy Watch 4.

Wear OS 3 will have on-wrist detection, so if the watch is unlocked it can be used to unlock an Android phone.

All of the features Google is announcing today are planned to arrive later this year, in timespans ranging from "in the coming weeks" to "in the coming months" to "later this year." They will hit Android phones via software updates (that may not require full OS updates), Chromebooks, Android TV, Bluetooth headphones, and even some Windows laptops from Acer and HP.

That last detail may turn out to be one of the more important announcements from Google: HP, Acer, and Intel are partnering with Google to support some of its Better Together features on their laptops. Users will be able to use Fast Pair, sync text messages, and use Android's Nearby Share feature to share files to their upcoming Windows PCs. Alongside Google's announced plans to bring Google Play games to Windows, it's another sign that the company won't cede Android integrations on Windows entirely to Microsoft's software and partnerships.

The Windows integrations are notable, but there are, of course, more planned features for Chromebooks beyond Fast Pair. Google says it will create a system so that any messaging app on your phone can be mirrored on a Chromebook, allowing users to directly use their messaging apps. It will also add a feature called "Camera Roll on Phone Hub" that will make it easier to move photos from your phone to your Chromebook.

Chromebooks will also be getting a new setup flow if you have an Android phone — pair them during setup, and some settings and account information will be transferred over automatically. They'll also be unlockable via Wear OS watches.

Android will use Google's Fast Pair UI to speed up smart home gadget setup.

Finally, there are a few smaller announcements. On the audio side, Bose speakers and soundbars will begin supporting Chromecast in the coming weeks, and spatial audio with head tracking is coming for Android.

Google is also still working on adding support for unlocking cars via UWB (currently available on Samsung phones and the Pixel 6 Pro), and as always with these car locking announcements, the first partner will be BMW. Volvo, which uses Android Auto as its native system for running the dashboard computer, will integrate with the Google Assistant so you can use your smart speaker for functions like remote start.

Stepping back and looking at the features as a whole, it's difficult not to draw nearly one-to-one parallels to Apple ecosystem features. Headphones are extending Bluetooth to support auto-switching and head-tracking spatial audio, just like AirPods. iPhone users with Mac have long had their default texting experience fully synced. Nearby Share is very similar to AirDrop. Unlocking with a smartwatch is also a big Apple ecosystem benefit.

Normally at CES, Google has emphasized the power of the Google Assistant. This year, it's hoping to get you to believe that Android can work better with your other devices. The challenge for Google is to actually get lots of different devices and manufacturers to support all of these features. That will be no easy task — and it's likely one of the main reasons there are no firm dates or even specific hardware products attached to any of these announcements.

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ASUS' ZenBook 14 OLED models get a big redesign and the latest chips - Engadget

Posted: 05 Jan 2022 08:46 AM PST

With Intel and AMD announcing new processors this week, many PC manufacturers are also sharing details on their latest laptops. One of those is ASUS, which on Wednesday unveiled its 2022 ZenBook 14 lineup. At first glance, the most notable difference about the new "ZenBook 14 OLED" is that it features an updated design that's more square and less obtrusively branded.

ASUS will offer separate versions of the ZenBook 14 OLED with the latest CPUs from Intel and AMD. You'll need to go for a 12th-gen Core H processor if you want DDR5 RAM and Thunderbolt 4 connectivity. Ryzen models will ship with DDR4X memory instead. Either way, you can configure the ZenBook 14 OLED with up to 16GB of RAM, though you'll get faster clock speeds from the DDR5 modules. In addition to up to 1TB of PCIe storage, there's an extra M.2 slot available if you decide you need more space. Powering everything is a 75Whr cell, and the entire laptop weighs less than three pounds.

The ZenBook 14 OLED comes with plenty of ports for an ultraportable, including two USB-C connections, a single USB-A port, HDMI 2.0, a headphone jack, and a microSD card slot. It also comes with WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 support. If you get an Intel CPU, the two USB-C ports will offer Thunderbolt 4 connectivity, allowing for data transfer speeds of 40Gbps.

However, the highlight of the ZenBook 14 OLED is without question its display. On paper, it's impressive. It's a 14-inch OLED panel with 2,880 x 1,800 resolution, 16:10 aspect ratio and 550-nit peak brightness. Add to that 100 percent DCI-P3 coverage, DisplayHDR 500 True Black certification, a 90Hz refresh rate and claimed 0.2 millisecond response time, and you have a display that should be equally great for productivity, gaming and video streaming.

ASUS will also sell a "Space Edition" of the ZenBook 14 OLED. It has many of the same features as the standard 14-inch model, but you can configure it with up to 32GB of DDR5 RAM. However, your only option on the CPU front is an Intel processor. Notably, it also comes with a smaller 63 Whr battery. The computer's exterior, which includes a 3.5-inch OLED display, was inspired by the MIR space station. Morse code across the outside of the laptop says Ad Astra Per Aspera. Roughly translated from Latin, that's "through the hardships to the stars."

There's no word yet on pricing for either the ZenBook 14 OLED or ZenBook 14x OLED Space Edition, but ASUS promised to share more information when the laptops go on sale closer to the second half of 2022.

Follow all of the latest news from CES 2022 right here!

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