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Google today said that its first "intelligent eyewear" product is set to launch this fall. It is teaming up with Samsung and eyewear manufacturers Gentle Monster and Warby Parker to launch new AI audio glasses. The glasses will run Android XR, which is Google's platform for smart glasses and AR/VR headsets. There are cameras, speakers, and microphones in the glasses, but there is no display in the lenses. Google previewed two of the designs coming from Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, though there will be other options. Google says the two companies will have "full collections" available when the glasses launch. The glasses support Gemini AI, with Gemini integrated into all of the available features. Users will be able to say "Hey Google" or tap the side of the frame to bring up Gemini, and Google says the AI can do the following: Gives information about what the wearer sees, like reviews for a restaurant nearby, the name of a cloud formation, or details on a confusing parking sign. Offer sight-based navigation with turn-by-turn directions. Gemini can add stops or locate nearby locations like restaurants based on user preferences. Manage calls, send texts, and summarize messages. Listen to music. Capture photos and videos and edit them with Google's Nano Banana AI image editing engine. Translate speech and writing in real time. Complete multi-step tasks like ordering coffee via DoorDash. Use apps on a connected smartphone with voice-based commands. Google says that its upcoming glasses will be able to work with iPhones in addition to Android smartphones. Apple is working on its own AI smart glasses that are expected to have similar capabilities, but rumors suggest Apple's glasses won't be ready until 2027. In the future, Google plans to launch "display glasses" that have a small display in the lens to relay information from Gemini, but that product is not coming until later. Tag: Google This article, " Google's First AI Smart Glasses Launching This Fall With iPhone Support " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
Apple has quietly agreed to hire employees and license intellectual property of Animato, a small California-based company that has developed software for creating virtual avatars used in video chats and tutoring, according to a European Commission filing spotted by MacRumors . The acquisition was filed under the EU's Digital Markets Act in January 2026, and appears to be what's known as a "structured acqui-hire." In other words, Apple is able to make employment offers to certain Animato employees and receive a non-exclusive license to the company's intellectual property, as well as acquire its patent applications. Apple Inc. ("Apple") will have the right to make employment offers to and hire certain employees of Animato, Inc. ("Animato"), receive a non-exclusive license to Animato's intellectual property rights, and acquire Animato's patent applications. Animato develops and distributes software that creates virtual avatars for video chats and tutoring. Animato was founded in October 2022 by Francesco Rossi, who previously spent seven years at Apple before leaving to start the company. Animato is best known for a free app called " Call Annie ," which launched in April 2023, and gave ChatGPT a real-time animated avatar face, allowing users to have video-style conversations with the AI chatbot. The app later moved into language learning by offering avatar tutors for practicing English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Mandarin, and Korean through video conversations. Animato also came out with a macOS virtual camera app called Animato Studio that let users make themselves appear as fantasy figures and anime avatars during video calls and live streams. Both App Store listings have since been removed following the acquisition, and the Call Annie website says the app has been discontinued. It's Apple's second acquisition of a digital avatar company in just over a year. In January 2025, Apple acquired technology, IP, and physical assets from TrueMeeting, a company specializing in the development of digital avatar technology for meetings. Apple already offers avatar-style technology with Memoji on iPhone and its Personas feature on Apple Vision Pro , the latter of which generates a realistic digital representation of the user for FaceTime calls. Tags: Animato , Apple Acquisition This article, " Apple Taps Virtual Avatar Firm Animato's Expertise and Intellectual Property " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
Nintendo today announced a new mobile game called Pictonico, which is set to launch on Thursday, May 28. Pictonico turns photos into minigames like those you see in WarioWare. The app's website features players taking photos of themselves and their friends, with the app altering the photos in different ways. In one example, the person's mouth opens up widely to chomp on corn with a tap, and in another, a person is bundled up with a mummy and the goal is to unwrap the mummy. There are 80 minigames to play through, at normal, high-speed, and danger zone speeds that make gameplay more challenging. As players progress through the levels, the game will get more difficult. Pictonico can use photos from the Photo Library, or photos taken with the iPhone's camera from the game interface. Nintendo says that photos remain on device and are not sent to its servers. Pictonico was co-developed with Intelligent Systems, which is the studio that created the WarioWare game series. According to Nintendo, the game is free to try, with three minigames available at no cost. Unlocking the "Volume 1" games costs $7.99, while a "Volume 2" series is available for $5.99. Pictonico is available for pre-order from the App Store . [ Direct Link ] Tag: Nintendo This article, " Nintendo's New 'Pictonico' iOS Game Turns Your Photos Into Minigames " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
If your Messages inbox is catching a lot of stray, unwanted messages, we'll show you how to filter, report, and block spam messages on iOS 26 . Learn how to filter, report, and block messages on iPhone At WWDC 2025, Apple announced that it would be bringing enhanced message filtering capabilities to Messages. As promised, they rolled out as part of iOS 26, released in September 2025. The new features are designed to help manage the onslaught of texts everyone seems to get these days. Here's how to do it. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
