Google debuts Gemini Intelligence automation features, Googlebook laptop series

Google LLC is upgrading its consumer device portfolio with a set of Android features called Gemini Intelligence and a new laptop series.

The company debuted the products today during a virtual event called The Android Show. It also introduced new mobile security capabilities designed to protect users from malicious apps, device theft and attempts to compromise their bank accounts.

Gemini Intelligence can perform multi-step tasks in Android apps based on natural language instructions. A consumer could, for example, take a photo of a travel brochure and ask the software to book the trip the document describes. A concertgoer can instruct it to reserve a parking spot near the venue where a performance will take place.

Some of Gemini Intelligence’s features are designed to work in the mobile version of Chrome. According to Google, the software speeds up online research tasks such as comparing e-commerce listings. Additionally, an upgraded autofill feature can fill forms using information that consumers keep in Google services such as Gmail.

“Connecting Gemini to Autofill with Google is strictly opt-in, meaning you choose if and when you want to connect to Gemini – and you can always turn this connection on or off in your settings,” Mindy Brooks, a vice president of product management at Google, explained in a blog post.

Gemini Intelligence is rolling out alongside an upgraded version of the Gboard keyboard app. When consumers use the app’s speech-to-text tool, a newly added feature called Rambler automatically removes redundant words from the transcript. It’s based on a multi-lingual Gemini model that enables consumers to switch between languages while dictating a message. 

Android handset owners can also use natural language instructions to interact with a second new feature known as Create My Widget. It’s capable of generating simple apps such as a data visualization of tomorrow’s weather forecast. According to the search giant, widgets can incorporate data from the public web and a user’s Google account.

Gemini Intelligence will roll out to Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy handsets this summer. The company plans to expand the feature suite’s availability to other Android devices including wearables by year’s end.

Some Gemini Intelligence features will also be available in Googlebooks, a new category of laptops that the company previewed today. The machines will be made by personal computer manufacturers such as HP Inc., Dell Technologies Inc. and Lenovo Group Ltd. Googlebooks’ specifications will vary, but they will reportedly all be premium devices with a rectangular LED light called a glowbar on their lids.

The machines’ main selling point is the onboard software. Googlebooks will run an operating system that combines elements of ChromeOS, the search giant’s Linux distribution for lightweight laptops, and Android.

The operating system’s interface will enable users to bring up Gemini by wiggling their cursor over a piece of content. A marketer, for example, could select two different ad designs in a Dropbox folder and ask Gemini to combine them. The feature, which Google calls Magic Pointer, will be available alongside a laptop version of Android’s Create My Widget tool. The search giant also previewed a capability that will enable users to launch Android apps.

“We’re also making it incredibly easy to access files from your phone right from your Googlebook’s file browser,” phones.Alex Kuscher, Google’s senior director of laptops and tablets, wrote in a blog post. “With Quick Access, you can easily view, search or insert your phone’s files on your laptop — no transfers needed.”

Image: Google