Google is testing a new redesign for read receipts in RCS conversations in Google Messages. The redesign places the checkmarks inside the message bubble, appearing at the right and housed in a circle. The read receipts still leverage checkmarks, with four states: timer for sending, single check for sent, double check for delivered, and color-filled double check for read.

Source: https://9to5mac.com/

Cloud SQL Enterprise Plus for SQL Server is now generally available, offering new innovations for demanding SQL Server workloads. The service includes two new machine families for enhanced performance and higher memory per vCPU, a data cache for improved read performance, and advanced disaster recovery capabilities with a 99.99% availability SLA.

Source: https://cloud.google.com/blog/

Google is introducing 'School time' to Android phones and tablets, as well as Samsung Wear OS devices, to reduce distractions during class. Parents can set the schedule, pick available apps, and allow calls or texts from specific contacts using the Family Link app. School time can be enabled on the fly, and kids see a black screen noting when the device is locked until.

Source: https://9to5mac.com/

Gemin is rolling out updates to provide a holistic ecosystem for accessing, evaluating, and deploying models at scale. The updates include expanding the Model Garden with open models from Meta and Mistral AI, available as a fully managed Model-as-a-service. Additionally, an experimental version of Gemini 1.5 Pro is available for early testing and feedback in AI Studio.

Source: https://cloud.google.com/blog/

Apple's AirTag made all its devices work as a network for finding the tracker. Google announced the rollout of the Find My Device network for Android on April 8, starting in the US and Canada, and it has been slowly rolling out globally. The network is not yet available to all users.

Source: https://9to5google.com/

Google Cloud has announced several new capabilities to make it easier to build intelligent AI apps, including Spanner Graph, vector search, and advanced full-text search. The company is also transforming the developer experience with Bigtable SQL and Bigtable distributed counters. Additionally, Google Cloud is making major announcements to support customers with their traditional enterprise workloads, including SQL Server and Oracle.

Source: https://cloud.google.com/blog/

Google Cloud is partnering with Y Combinator to support AI startups, providing dedicated access to GPUs, TPUs, cloud credits, and support and mentorship. Over half of the world's generative AI startups are building on Google Cloud, using its AI-optimized infrastructure, GPUs, and TPUs to build the next generation of AI applications, models, and tooling.

Source: https://cloud.google.com/blog/

Google Compute Engine has announced the general availability of X4 and C3 bare-metal machine types to help ease and accelerate the migration of enterprise workloads to the cloud. The new X4 instance series includes three new instance types for extra-large in-memory databases, while the C3 bare-metal shapes cater to various applications.

Source: https://cloud.google.com/blog/

Google is expanding its Pixel Watch 3 series with new straps and bands, including a new color option called 'Performance Loop'. The company is also adding a larger size to the watch series. The new bands will feature new colors, which have been leaked through images posted by Android Headlines.

Source: https://9to5google.com/

Google has redesigned the Google Play Store, adding a new Search tab at the bottom bar. The change is being rolled out to more users, with a prompt to help users get oriented to the new feature. The Search tab can be quickly opened by tapping the bottom bar icon twice, and the bottom bar is now persistent.

Source: https://9to5mac.com/