Google, the search engine giant, unveiled new smartphones, smart speakers and other gadgets at the Google Hardware Event held yesterday at the SFJazz Center in San Francisco, California. After the back to back events from Amazon and Apple, Google finally unveiled its flagship device, the Pixel 2, along with a number additions to its hardware offerings.
At the hardware launch, Google demonstrated its commitment to making new devices along with new and improved software developments. Marking its second year of manufacturing hardware, Google announced two new Pixel smartphones along with Google Home speakers, a new laptop, a virtual reality headset and wireless headphones. However, this year the focus was not on just the hardware but on a combination of software and artificial intelligence along with a major focus on the hardware side of things. Chief Executive Officer of Google, Sundar Pichai, spent the first 10 minutes explaining the use of artificial intelligence, as well as the transformation of Google into an AI first company. “It’s(AI) radically rethinking how computing should work,” he added.
The two smartphones launched yesterday, Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 Xl, will both use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processors. Packed with a 4 GB RAM, the latest phones come with a 12.2 megapixel rear camera and an 8 megapixel front camera with a fixed focus. Google also introduced a pretty impressive portrait mode with its single camera. Following Apple’s footsteps, the new Pixel phones have also said goodbye to the headphone jack. While most of the hardware remains the same, the software for the phone is a combination of machine learning, artificial intelligence and contextual data meshing, which makes it a much more connected device. Pixel Buds, Google’s own wireless headphones, are the Android version of the Apple AirPods. Both the phone and the earphones can be charged using a USB-C charging cable. The new phones are available with 64 GB and 124 GB storage.
The technology giant has also come out with a new camera that uses artificial intelligence to capture soundless videos of faces and pets that it recognizes and deems “interesting.” Google Clips is a palm sized device that can capture stills, videos, or GIFs, which can be exported to phones and other devices over Wifi.
The Google Home devices were also launched in two different sizes, the Google Home Mini and the Google Home Max. Both the devices can do everything the original Google Home could, including set timers and reminders, check the weather and convert tablespoons to cups using the inbuilt Google Assistant. The main difference in the new devices is the size. While the Mini occupies the space of a candle, the Max boasts a stereo speaker with two 4.5 inch woofers. Both the devices will add more actions that surround daily routines.
Google’s laptop, Pixelbook, is a 12.3 inch device which does a complete 360 degree rotation and weighs just two pounds. This device supports Google Play and comes equipped with the Google Assistant along with a Core i5 or Core i7 processor, 16 GB of RAM and up to 512 GB of memory.
Google hyped up its hardware products this year making an impressive statement about turning hardware into a real business on a massive scale. According to Sundar Pichai, however, the future for Google is AI.
PayU India, owned by Prosus, has received final approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as an online payment aggregator, a year after getting in-principle approval in April 2024. This authorization allows PayU to onboard new merchants and offer digital payment solutions, joining other major players like Razorpay, CCAvenue, and BillDesk.
The RBI’s nod comes as PayU prepares for its planned IPO in the second half of 2025, following a delay from its original 2024 timeline due to market conditions. The company, which serves over 450,000 merchants, reported $319 million in revenue from its core payments and credit business in the first half of FY25.
PayU stated that the approval will help it build a resilient, compliant, and innovation-driven institution, supporting merchants of all sizes and advancing the Digital India vision. The company has also strengthened its risk management and expanded its presence in real-time payments through a strategic stake in Mindgate Solutions.
Google has refreshed its iconic ‘G’ logo for the first time in nearly 10 years, replacing the familiar solid blocks of red, yellow, green, and blue with a smooth, vibrant gradient that blends these colors seamlessly. This subtle update gives the logo a softer, more fluid, and modern appearance, aligning with Google’s evolving digital identity and current design trends.
The new gradient transitions smoothly from red to yellow, yellow to green, and green to blue, making the logo more visually appealing and adaptable across various devices, especially on mobile platforms. This redesign also reflects Google’s growing emphasis on artificial intelligence, echoing the gradient style used in the branding of Google Gemini, the company’s AI-generative assistant.
The updated ‘G’ logo has started rolling out on iOS through the Google Search app and on some Android devices, particularly Pixel phones running the Google app beta version 16.18. However, most other platforms, including the web and non-Pixel Android devices, still display the classic solid-color logo. A wider rollout is expected in the coming weeks.
So far, Google’s main wordmark and other product logos like Chrome, Maps, and Gmail remain unchanged. Given the shift toward gradient designs and AI-inspired visuals, similar updates to other Google icons may follow in the future.
In summary, this first major update to the ‘G’ logo since 2015 signals a subtle but meaningful shift in Google’s branding strategy, blending tradition with innovation as the company deepens its focus on AI and modern design aesthetics.
Indian online travel platform ixigo has suspended all flight and hotel bookings to Turkey, China, and Azerbaijan in response to these countries expressing support for Pakistan after India’s military strikes-dubbed ‘Operation Sindoor’-against terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. The move, announced by CEO Aloke Bajpai on X, was described as an act of solidarity with India during heightened diplomatic tensions following the Pahalgam terror attack.
ixigo’s decision aligns with similar actions by other Indian travel companies, including EaseMyTrip and Cox & Kings, which have also restricted travel services to Turkey, China, and Azerbaijan. The suspensions come amid widespread calls for boycotts after these countries condemned India’s military response and backed Pakistan.
The travel industry’s collective response underscores how geopolitical developments are influencing business decisions, with Indian companies emphasizing national interests and unity in the face of international criticism
