AI, AI, AI
Google seeks to regain initiative in consumer AI
Google was always going to put AI front and centre at its I/O developer conference last week. The tech giant, known for its AI leadership, had to respond to rival Microsoft, which added AI to its Bing search engine back in February. The latest announcements from Google see its search engine, and products such as Gmail and Google Docs getting an AI makeover — using Google’s next-generation language model PaLM 2. While the new search engine is US-only for now, Bard, Google’s ChatGPT equivalent, is now available in over 180 countries, including Singapore.
However, Bard didn’t quite impress us. For example, we found its response to our request for a holiday itinerary to be lacking in details compared with the free (and older) version of ChatGPT. Bard, though, is knowledgeable about current affairs, unlike ChatGPT, which cannot tell you about events after September 2021.
Of course, there were also some juicy, if unsurprising (and much leaked) hardware announcements. For starters, the Pixel Fold is official, and looks like it will give Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4 some competition. The Pixel Tablet, which was revealed last year, is also finally available. With its charging speaker dock, this tablet is an interesting cross between a smart display and a slate. However, these two devices won’t be sold in most places. Instead, the most widely-available product at Google I/O is the Pixel 7a, a compact mid-range phone that narrows the gap between Google’s cheaper A-series and the other Pixel 7 models.
We reviewed the Pixel 7a last week, along with a RGB monitor arm from local brand Ulti, and an Alienware gaming headset. Check them out below:
Jazz up your gaming setup with the Ulti Aura RGB Monitor Arm. This monitor arm, which supports up to 32-inch displays, comes with over twenty different settings for its RGB lighting. While you can’t change the brightness, or sync with your PC settings, the Ulti is competitively priced at S$99.
The Pixel 7a smartphone (S$749) offers almost exactly the same features and user experience as the older and more expensive Pixel 7 (S$999). New additions to this A-series phone include wireless charging, and a 90Hz screen. But if you can find a Pixel 7 for cheap (around S$800), the 7a doesn’t look like such a great deal.
The Alienware AW920H is a solid gaming headset with active noise cancellation and Dolby Atmos. It’s attractive, with good audio quality, though battery life could be better. But at S$299, it’s cheaper than some of its competitors, and is definitely worth checking out.