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Here’s your best look yet at the upcoming Google smartphones [UPDATED]

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Google is set to make an announcement Tuesday, and when the hoopla ends, two phones will all but certainly be the face of Google’s smartphone efforts. We’re looking at you, Pixel and Pixel XL. And you’re getting the best look yet at the upcoming handsets.

The renders below come from Canadian telecom operator Bell. Someone must have erroneously published a couple of web pages containing the photos, and — well, you know the rest because you’ve heard it all before. Nothing on the internet escapes the public eye, especially those of Reddit users. Bell has since taken the pages down, though some people were able to mirror the images from before that happened.

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Google Pixel (left) and Pixel XL (right)

Funnily enough, another carrier from Canada, Telus, published new renders of the Google Pixel and Pixel XL soon after. The image below comes from Android Police. We’re seeing a pattern here, and you can bet the Mountain View internet giant isn’t feeling much love for Canadian operators right now. We, on the other hand, don’t feel any love for those “bigger than they need to be” top and bottom bezels.

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Images pulled from Telus’ website

Case-maker Spigen has also given us a good look at the Pixel XL days ahead of its launch date. The phone is widely believed to sport a 5.5-inch display; Qualcomm’s top-of-the-line processor; 4GB of RAM; the same rear camera sensor inside the Xiaomi 5s; and Android Nougat. You can read up more on the Pixel and Pixel XL here.

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At this point, we pretty much know exactly what to expect from Google when chief executive Sundar Pichai comes out to talk about Pixel phones. All that’s left is the official unveiling on October 4th.

UPDATE: Well, the cat (or cats?) is really out of the bag now, so to speak. Store listings for the Pixel and Pixel XL temporarily went live on Carphone Warehouse’s website, revealing just about every detail about the next Google phones. Both will ship with Android 7.1 Nougat out of the box, and will be powered by a Snapdragon 821, the fastest Qualcomm chip available today, and 4GB of RAM.

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Other specs include AMOLED displays (1080p on the Pixel; Quad HD on the Pixel XL); 32GB or 128GB of storage; 8- and 12-megapixel selfie and rear cameras with optical image stabilization; and 2,770mAh (Pixel) and 3,450mAh (Pixel XL) batteries with quick charging over a Type-C port.

To sweeten the deal, Google is throwing in unlimited photo and video backups through Google Photos.

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[irp posts=”10042″ name=”Google Pixel review (3 months later)”]

Source: Reddit, GSMArena

Accessories

Logitech introduces a dedicated shortcut for ChatGPT

Compatible with most keyboards and mice

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Artificial intelligence is already meant to simplify a workflow. However, despite the ease, there are still a few ways to optimize the process. Today, Logitech has launched a new shortcut to launch ChatGPT straight from your mouse or keyboard.

Minus programmable hotkeys or buttons, there are hardly any built-in way to easily access an AI model. For a typical workflow, it still consists of manually opening the model on a separate window and keeping it within cursor’s reach throughout the day.

Logitech is simplifying the process by adding a dedicated shortcut for its devices. With a Logitech keyboard or mouse supported by the Logi Options+ app, users can program a keyboard or mouse button for the new Logi AI Prompt Builder.

Once activated, the AI Prompt Builder automatically accesses easy options for highlighted text. For example, users can easily rephrase or summarize the text. Likewise, they can input their own custom queries. By eliminating a few clicks and some typing throughout the day, the new tool hopes to save you time.

While most Logitech keyboards and mice are compatible with the new tool, it is also more easily accessible with the new Logitech Signature AI Edition Mouse. The new mouse has a dedicated button just for AI prompts. If you’re an AI power user, this one is perfect for you.

SEE ALSO: Logitech unveils G Pro X 60 gaming keyboard: Price, details

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X’s AI accused Klay Thompson of vandalizing houses with bricks

AI thought joke posts were real

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Image source: Keith Allison, Wikimedia

Despite the ease that the technology promises, artificial intelligence still isn’t the most reliable thing you can depend on. Today’s models can still flub answers. Now, the pitfalls of AI are abundantly clear with a few mishaps on X. Golden State Warrior Klay Thompson was just “accused” of a vandalism spree involving bricks.

Late Tuesday night, X presented an AI-generated news snippet. The article, posted soon after the Warriors’ play-in loss to the Sacramento Kings, reads: “Klay Thompson Accused in Bizarre Brick-Vandalism Spree.”

The snippet hilariously described an incident where Thompson supposedly vandalized houses in Sacramento with bricks. Thankfully, according to the snippet, no one was hurt. It even had a few sources for its claims below the news summary.

The sources, however, are just joke posts stemming from the recently concluded game. In that do-or-die game, Thompson put up a staggering 0 points on ten shot attempts, the most misses without a make by a Warrior since the ’68 season. Naturally, everyone joked that the Warriors guard just threw bricks all over Sacramento.

Now, X is currently experimenting with a new AI feature called Grok. The model collates trending topics and creates snippets of what’s happening for X users. However, it’s not exactly the smartest in determining real news from satiric ones. The feature notes as much, carrying a fine-print caveat warning users to “verify its outputs” because it’s an early feature and can make mistakes.

SEE ALSO: New X users must pay a dollar per year to post and reply

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New X users must pay a dollar per year to post and reply

Rolling out globally now

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New users on X might soon face a tough time on the platform. The social media website will likely start charging new accounts a small fee for the right to post on the platform.

Now, the fee isn’t a new one. Almost six months ago, the company tested the paid system in New Zealand and the Philippines. New users in those countries had to pay a dollar per year for the ability to post and reply to content.

As spotted by X Daily News on the same platform, the company might be ready to take the experiment to a larger market. New text strings have shown that the policy is rolling out worldwide.

The policy is designed to combat a wave of bots appearing on the platform. By preventing new accounts from creating posts, X hopes to stave off the standard behavior of bots these days. You might have noticed them as OnlyFans creators in unrelated posts, peddling NSFW content on their bio.

Though the global rollout was only just spotted, owner Elon Musk has seemingly confirmed the change. Replying to X Daily News, Musk says that it is “the only way to curb the relentless onslaught of bots.” He says that the current breed of bots can easily bypass simple checks these days.

SEE ALSO: X will no longer let you hide your blue checkmark

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