Say Hello To The Gemini App
The Gemini app gives you access to Google’s suite of AI models on your phone. Typing, talking, adding images, and more will gain AI assistance. No longer will you need to use the web version of what was formerly known as Bard because there is now a dedicated mobile app on the Play Store called Google Gemini. Google says that for iOS users, Gemini will be directly accessible via the Google app in the coming weeks.
Whether it’s taking a picture of the flat tire to ask for instructions, generating a unique image for your kid’s birthday party invite, or getting help to type up a Valentine’s Day message to your loved one, Gemini will be on hand to help.
Besides being an actual mobile app, you can use Google Gemini as your virtual assistant instead of Google Assistant. It’s activated the same way: by holding in the home button, saying “Hey Google,” or pressing the power button on your phone.
If you are in the US, you can download the Google Gemini app from the Play Store link below. The rest of us will have to wait a while for it to become available.
Gemini Advanced
Google One has gained a new plan with, you guessed it, the addition of Gemini AI smarts. Gemini Advanced is ‘designed for highly complex tasks’ and will include access to Ultra 1.0, plus the usual features such as 2TB of storage, the promise that Gemini will be available in Gmail, Docs, and more within the timeframe of “soon.” The other regular Google One Premium benefits, such as 10% back on purchases from the Google Store, enhanced Photos editing tools, more Google Meet features, and additional Google Calendar features, are also included.
Gemini Advanced will cost you $20 monthly, although if you already have a Google One plan, you’ll have the option of upgrading and getting a two-month subscription for free before you are charged. $20 monthly sounds expensive, but it’s cheaper than signing up to OpenAI’s GPT-4 and GPT-4 Turbo models, which aren’t integrated with other software products. And if you choose Microsoft, you’ll need to sign up for Office 365 and pay for a Copilot Pro subscription.
If you don’t need the extra grunt for ‘complex tasks’ such as coding or advanced reasoning, then the chances are good that the regular Pro 1.0 used by the Google Gemini app will be more than powerful enough for normal usage.
As For The Google Assistant…
It would seem that the end of Google Assistant could be on the horizon, although we could probably say that for most other Google apps and services, going by its history of killing off the things we love. At some point, I can see Gemini usurping the Google Assistant role entirely, and it wouldn’t surprise me if it does so on the upcoming Pixel 9 series.
It could be that Google is putting distance between it and its AI business, and it could be that we’ll see the Google branding disappear from the Gemini app as time passes. Time will tell whether this theory holds water.
