Photo by Daniel Romero on Unsplash
Google Announces Major Updates For Pixel 9 At Annual Event
- Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
- Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor
Google announced new Pixel devices at its annual event, Made by Google , on Tuesday. The tech giant did its ninth event ahead of the traditional date in October and launched the new Pixel 9 series, new AI-powered features, and new smartwatch and earbud models.
“It’s the biggest update we’ve ever made for the Pixel family,” said Brian Rakowski, vice President of Product Management for Pixel phones and accessories, at the Made by Google event. “We have four new phones, including the gorgeous new Pixel 9, and the reimagined Pixel 9 Pro Fold.”
The new Pixel 9 series includes—for the first time– multiple sizes and pro-level models. Customers will be able to choose from the Pixel 9, the Pixel 9 Pro, the Pixel 9 Pro XL, and the new folded version, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
According to Wired , the biggest difference between the standard and the Pro models is the camera technology. The pro versions will have up to a 10X “optical-like” zoom and advanced autofocus sensors. The selfie camera will have better light sensitivity than previous models and wider field views. “You’ll be able to squeeze more people into the frame when you hold out your arm to take an ussie,” wrote Wired.
All the new models include speed charging capacities and Google promised that the devices will be able to reach 70% of charge within 30 minutes, and will have better battery and life expectancy than Pixel 8.
Just as hinted in a teaser shared a few weeks ago , many of Google’s new devices include features promoted at the Google I/O event in May . This new generation will be the first to run Gemini Nano With Multimodality, meaning that users will be able to interact with the AI models not only through text but also speech, images, and audio as the devices can “listen” and “see.”
The new Pixel devices will officially go on sale on August 22, but preorders are already available. Pixel 9 costs $799, the Pro version $999—its XL size $1,099—, and the folded version $1,799. All purchases will include the Google One AI Premium Plan for free for one year.
Foldable devices have been gaining a lot of popularity, and there are rumors that Apple could also release a new foldable iPhone model in 2026 .
Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash
Health Fintech PayZen Secures $232 Million in Series B Round
- Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
- Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor
The San Francisco-based company provides healthcare financial solutions with the help of modern technologies, to help patients in the United States design personalized payment plans to cover medical expenses and make healthcare more accessible.
With the incorporation of AI and ML models, the company expects to provide better data-driven solutions to keep patients and healthcare providers reaching better financial agreements.
Among the participants in this series B round, the company counted previous investors like Viola Ventures, SignalFire, and 7wireVentures. PayZen has proven to increase growth and has reached 100% customer retention.
The startup also announced a new addition to the board of directors, Mohamad Makhzoumi, Co-CEO at NEA—the venture capital firm that led this recent Series B round. “Healthcare affordability is an enormous pain point for patients and providers in the U.S.,” said Makhzoumi in the press release, “We believe PayZen’s AI-enabled platform is a category leader, as evidenced by the company’s explosive traction in the past year and ability to disrupt a market that’s been historically difficult to address.”
The healthcare industry in the United States has been getting new tech solutions from different startups. The London-based nutrition startup Zoe recently raised $15M to expand its services in the country.
