I'm using the Pixel Fold at the moment, and it's the best phone I've used to date. It's something I didn't know I want until I have it.
Quick review:
- The phone construction feels good on hand and in the pocket. The screen is beautiful.
- When folded, functionality-wise it's like previous Pixel (beside looking better with the metal edge). I spent about 75% of my phone time in this mode. Also no notch!
- When unfolded, you have access to much more screen real estate. I didn't realize how this dramatically improve reading documents / browsing the web. Things that were unusable (like opening Google Sheet) is now much more comfortable. You can also do split screen, where you keep 2 apps on at the same time (todo list + message)
- The weight feels solid. The fold mechanism is solid. Battery ~50% per day with no battery saving. Camera is good as usual.
Software:
- I've mentioned before on HN, the Spam Screening feature singlehanded keeps me in the Pixel ecosystem. No spam call at all.
- Android Auto is solid
- Gemini is a gentle surprise, especially with how it's easy to interact with the "current phone screen".
Review caveats:
- I don't game on the phone or any CPU intensive tasks. It's plenty fast for me so far.
- I don't use the speaker (only use bluetooth headphones)
Depending on the information Google knows about the incoming phone call:
- If Google is confident the source is spam (e.g. known spam center). The call is blocked outright. It still has a log that a call from this has been blocked.
- If it only suspects spam, Google will answer the call using AI bot, something like "Hi, I'm Google Assistant on behalf of XYZ, what's the call for?". The phone shows that it's screening a phone call, but doesn't ring. Only after the caller gives the reason, and it passes the spam check, then it rings the phone. You can always pick up the call early if you recognize what they talks about (from the transcript)
- If it's known good source (contact list, doctors,...), then it rings directly.
So far, the rate of spam I got is 0, and it screens about 20 calls a month.
Google is really losing the plot lately, like worse than ever before. The changes to sideloading android apps is perhaps the biggest red flag they've ever thrown. But the new UI updates look largely silly and unhelpful, but maybe I'm being unfair.
Not OP, but to add to your sentiment: It was called installing when I was a child. I would download software—from CNET just casually browsing, or whatever from a warez forum—and open the package to reveal an installer (I was fond of InstallShield-based installers, I do not know why). I could customize the directory which the application would install to, stare endlessly at the verbose “advanced” or “custom” mode, and listen to my HDD spin a little faster.
No, he's right. The general public has no idea what "sideloading" even means, but they sure as shit would want to be able to load their own apps if they were asked about it. The terminology is meant to obfuscate the issue.
He's not right at all. It is not "part of the problem" to use a term that a poster here doesn't think accurately captures the issue. The only part of the problem is the corporations who are trying to take our rights away.
Also, I think you'll be quite disappointed in what the general public does or does not care about. The iPhone has always been even more locked down than Android and it sells like hotcakes. Even on Android only a tiny minority of users make use of the option to install third-party apps. I think the general public should care about this topic, but all evidence is to the contrary.
Yes they are. Unhelpful distractions that are workshopped and focus grouped. Stop adopting the bizarre terminology of the enemy, and their goofy neologisms, and just talk about the issue in straightforward English.
We didn't need a different word for not being able to install an application on your phone without the permission of the company that made it. We needed a different word for the thing that was new, which is the company that makes the thing that you own refusing you permission to use it as you see fit.
My older Pixel got the UI updates and I hate them. The look is inelegant, even childish, and like Apple they've decided to hide things under extra button presses.
The insistence on adding AI just makes startup slower. I have not had a single use for AI on my phone ever, though I'm a big fan of it for software dev.
The AI tax is crazy, Pixels now reserve 3.5GB of RAM to keep Googles local models permanently loaded regardless of how much you use them, or whether you use them at all. The base Pixel 10 has 12GB of RAM so that's nearly a third set aside for something you may never use!
Last year they had the relative sense to only enable that "feature" on the higher end SKUs with 16GB of RAM, while the lower end SKUs with 12GB would load the models on-demand, but starting with the Pixel 10 series it now applies across the board.
That is wild. And so disrespectful of apps that may need that extra memory. I wonder if GrapheneOS will also suffer this memory overhead, once they do support this newest Android. Or possibly allow disabling it.
I've used nova launcher on my pixel phones for maybe 6 years now. I specifically switched to it because I didn't like UI updates that moved things around -- I like to customize my UI and have it stay there after an update.
Coming from a Pixel 7 Pro the single biggest upgrade is the fingerprint sensor. Dramatic improvement. I turned it off before; it actually works now.
Magnetic charging is nice. The first party charger stand is just OK. I find it slightly less comfortable to hold because of the more squared sides, though I appreciate the flat front glass and the fact that it sits on tables without wobbling.
The convenience of fingerprint sensors is clear, but I can't imagine ever using one in the US. Police being able to compel your fingerprints means it's just not an option. Its never been an issue for me, there really wouldn't be much harm in it, but this idea that the state can break into my castle because it's only my fingerprint protecting it and not a passphrase is so weird, so unfortunate.
The summary is perfect. I had the first Pixel phone and at the time is was sooo nice compared to everything else. No bloat! Now it's just a hot mess with weird functionality and UI choices. It's like there are multiple teams working on it and they don't talk to each other.
I'm still "clinging" to my Pixel 6 Pro. I have an unboxed pixel 8 pro from 2 years ago. My corporate contract subsidizes a new phone every two years from the time of contract renewal.
I really think the phone update cycle needs to be lengthened, and that updates are so slightly incremental.
I would like to dip my toes into the fold phone pond, but that seems excessive. In November, Vodafone will call me and ask me which phone I want. It all seems ridiculous. I haven't noticed a difference in photo quality nor performance for years now have I felt the need to upgrade to the two-generations-later sitting in a drawer just meters way from me.
The only comment/complaint I have about newer software updates is the f*king voice which kicked in while taking a photo. "One pet cropped, move phone slightly down".
I don't think it's depreciating much but you're right. It's going to one of my sisters. I held off a bit because it is corporate property but now it's written off in accounting terms.
Why in the world I would buy a phone (any not just Google) that costs north of $800 is beyond me unless I want to signal my purchasing power. If utility is my metric and not outward signalling and flex, I find this worst deployment of my funds.
So called "budget" phones these days have OLED screens some even come with 120Hz displays (beyond me why someone would want that) and plenty of compute and memory.
You want camera, buy a camera.
You want gaming, buy a console or gaming machine.
For me it was "want camera", and I chose the top SKU (P8 Pro) because I wanted maximum camera.
"Buy a camera" doesn't work because (a) I don't want to pocket two devices, (b) most point-and-shoot dedicated cameras that are actually better are more bulky, too, (c) even entry-level good digital cameras are >$500 (e.g. a ZV-1F or something), so even the combo with a midrange phone often comes out more expensive and (d) a seperate camera makes it really annoying to send photos anywhere on the go.
That said: I came away fairly unhappy with the Pixel 8 Pro camera, which my book has a too editorialized post-processing look that I simply don't like. In retrospect, I think I should have gone for the Xperia in that generation, which appears to have been the last phone with high-end smartphone camera gear that took neutral-looking shots. My S21, despite having a worse sensor and optics, took subjectively nicer photos.
I've now updated my definition of "maximum phone camera" to be more choosy ...
> So called "budget" phones these days have OLED screens some even come with 120Hz displays (beyond me why someone would want that) and plenty of compute and memory.
Are you mistakenly calling the Pixel 10 a budget phone? Because it's not. The actual budget phones are like $200, and they certainly don't have 120 Hz OLED screens.
> You want camera, buy a camera. You want gaming, buy a console or gaming machine.
Because why would I buy a separate camera and portable gaming machine when I can have them all on a single device?
Do you honestly not see the benefits of having a single device that does everything rather than having to pack multiple things? Especially a camera. They're bulky as hell and require a whole-ass bag dedicated to them. At least a Nintendo Switch can still fit in a large pocket.
I'm not a professional photographer and don't pretend to be one. I just want something that'll create "good enough" pictures to share with friends and family.
(1) a camera with zoom and night shot capability comparable to my 2010 Sony Cybershot camera.
(2) An internet terminal with enough CPU/RAM to browse modern websites.
(3) A music player with a space for 150-300 GB of MP3's and nice-ish UI
(4) Online and offline map
(5) wireless charging (because I keep destroying charging ports in my devices)
(6) all of this should fit in my pocket. I've spent >5 years of my life carrying a separate camera on the belt, I am not doing this again.
All functional requirements, no "outward signalling or flex". What should I get?
(Genuine question, I've spent few days researching this recently and high-end smartphone aeems to be the only match. Weirdly, it's good camera and wireless charging that raises the price, not CPU)
For existing Fi users, it's $450 off, plus another $200 in store credit for the Pro models (not money off since it's parked in Google Store, but if you're buying accessories or other items over the next year it's like money). Selling my old phone brings the price of a 10 Pro down to around $400 (not counting the $200 store credit).
If you sign up for Fi when buying the phone, the deals are pretty enticing: $300 off right away, $500 more in Fi bill credits over 24 months. I think you also get the $200 store credit too.
$800 sounds like a lot, but is very reasonable for a device someone might use 3+ hours a day for 2 years. At the end of those years, it can likely be sold for at least $400. That works out to something like $0.36/hour.
It's an extremely weird way to look at price. My family use the same dining table for more than two decades. So it's about 5,000 ~ 10,000 hours. But it doesn't make it somehow worth a few thousands of bucks.
for me it's the hope of at least some minor degree of longevity. I used a pixel 3 for six years, until the degenerating battery finally drove me to get a new phone, and I paid whatever exorbitant amount they wanted for a pixel 9 pro which will hopefully last me another six years
It is the Android I wanted to switch away from iPhone. But Google have decided to not make it available in Hong Kong for whatever reason. And this was before AI being restricted. ( But M$ and Grok continues to operate in HK just fine so I don't think that is an argument either )
Isn't HK under PRC control? The GFW might not be there right now, but who knows what happens over the seven years during which new Pixels are supported.
Judt throw all banking apps to an old phone and buy a second one. I rarely use those banking apps except for auth so there is no need to pollute a new phone with those garbages.
I upgraded from a Pixel 4a (running Calyxos) to a 8a, only because at some point Whatsapp videos broke on the 4a and friends got videos with some green encoding. Otherwise, I had no reason to upgrade.
I hate my new phone. I could use the 4a with one hand comfortably, but that is not the case with the 8a. My thumb does not reach the top of the screen like before. I have to hold it in diagonal position just to be able to do the gestures Android -by design- expects.
The fingerprint sensor moved from the back to the front. That design helped having the phone in the right direction when taking it out of my pocket. Now it comes half of the time upside down. The fingerprint sensor is bad. Half of the time does not work and I have to use the pin. On the 4a was flawless.
I don't know why people are soo obsessed over their phones. I moved from a Pixel 5 (which was perfectly serviceable until it died) to a Pixel 9 and the overall feeling was ... so? Apart from the cameras improving, there isn't really anything that feels amazing.
The thing that annoys me the most about this device, if true, is their handling of the Pixel 10 battery. They keep cutting corners. After my 4a and 6a batteries got nerfed, you would think Google might have learned something.
I’m not a fan of most AI implementations to date, but I will say Google is clearly making a bold statement by trying to make the Pixel product lineup hardware to run AI front and center.
I wonder if the general public will care - they can be pretty unpredictable. People generally like party tricks and having an AI assistant to talk to may go farther than we nerds think.
Disclaimer: opinions are my own.
I'm using the Pixel Fold at the moment, and it's the best phone I've used to date. It's something I didn't know I want until I have it.
Quick review:
- The phone construction feels good on hand and in the pocket. The screen is beautiful.
- When folded, functionality-wise it's like previous Pixel (beside looking better with the metal edge). I spent about 75% of my phone time in this mode. Also no notch!
- When unfolded, you have access to much more screen real estate. I didn't realize how this dramatically improve reading documents / browsing the web. Things that were unusable (like opening Google Sheet) is now much more comfortable. You can also do split screen, where you keep 2 apps on at the same time (todo list + message)
- The weight feels solid. The fold mechanism is solid. Battery ~50% per day with no battery saving. Camera is good as usual.
Software:
- I've mentioned before on HN, the Spam Screening feature singlehanded keeps me in the Pixel ecosystem. No spam call at all.
- Android Auto is solid
- Gemini is a gentle surprise, especially with how it's easy to interact with the "current phone screen".
Review caveats:
- I don't game on the phone or any CPU intensive tasks. It's plenty fast for me so far.
- I don't use the speaker (only use bluetooth headphones)
What’s special about spam screening on Pixel? I don’t get any spam calls or texts on my iPhone.
Depending on the information Google knows about the incoming phone call:
- If Google is confident the source is spam (e.g. known spam center). The call is blocked outright. It still has a log that a call from this has been blocked.
- If it only suspects spam, Google will answer the call using AI bot, something like "Hi, I'm Google Assistant on behalf of XYZ, what's the call for?". The phone shows that it's screening a phone call, but doesn't ring. Only after the caller gives the reason, and it passes the spam check, then it rings the phone. You can always pick up the call early if you recognize what they talks about (from the transcript)
- If it's known good source (contact list, doctors,...), then it rings directly.
So far, the rate of spam I got is 0, and it screens about 20 calls a month.
Apart from the call screening feature rest are pretty much standard or even better across all android foldables. I
Google is really losing the plot lately, like worse than ever before. The changes to sideloading android apps is perhaps the biggest red flag they've ever thrown. But the new UI updates look largely silly and unhelpful, but maybe I'm being unfair.
If you are calling 'installing an app on your own phone without involvement of the vendor' 'sideloading' then you are complicit.
Not OP, but to add to your sentiment: It was called installing when I was a child. I would download software—from CNET just casually browsing, or whatever from a warez forum—and open the package to reveal an installer (I was fond of InstallShield-based installers, I do not know why). I could customize the directory which the application would install to, stare endlessly at the verbose “advanced” or “custom” mode, and listen to my HDD spin a little faster.
I like this point very much.
That the term "sideloading" has normalized treating this as a special case is a problem.
It's unlikely the terminology can be rolled back at this point, but occasionally reflecting on this is useful.
It sure can. I’m installing most of my stuff from F-Droid nowadays and I’m sure as hell confused why would anybody call this “sideloading”.
Maybe I'm just exhausted by the many times HN has told me I'm tilting at windmills refusing to call the Llamas of the world "open source".
Semantic wars are unhelpful distractions. Focus on the issues.
No, he's right. The general public has no idea what "sideloading" even means, but they sure as shit would want to be able to load their own apps if they were asked about it. The terminology is meant to obfuscate the issue.
He's not right at all. It is not "part of the problem" to use a term that a poster here doesn't think accurately captures the issue. The only part of the problem is the corporations who are trying to take our rights away.
Also, I think you'll be quite disappointed in what the general public does or does not care about. The iPhone has always been even more locked down than Android and it sells like hotcakes. Even on Android only a tiny minority of users make use of the option to install third-party apps. I think the general public should care about this topic, but all evidence is to the contrary.
Yes they are. Unhelpful distractions that are workshopped and focus grouped. Stop adopting the bizarre terminology of the enemy, and their goofy neologisms, and just talk about the issue in straightforward English.
We didn't need a different word for not being able to install an application on your phone without the permission of the company that made it. We needed a different word for the thing that was new, which is the company that makes the thing that you own refusing you permission to use it as you see fit.
My older Pixel got the UI updates and I hate them. The look is inelegant, even childish, and like Apple they've decided to hide things under extra button presses.
The insistence on adding AI just makes startup slower. I have not had a single use for AI on my phone ever, though I'm a big fan of it for software dev.
The AI tax is crazy, Pixels now reserve 3.5GB of RAM to keep Googles local models permanently loaded regardless of how much you use them, or whether you use them at all. The base Pixel 10 has 12GB of RAM so that's nearly a third set aside for something you may never use!
Last year they had the relative sense to only enable that "feature" on the higher end SKUs with 16GB of RAM, while the lower end SKUs with 12GB would load the models on-demand, but starting with the Pixel 10 series it now applies across the board.
That is wild. And so disrespectful of apps that may need that extra memory. I wonder if GrapheneOS will also suffer this memory overhead, once they do support this newest Android. Or possibly allow disabling it.
This only happens if the AICore app is installed. Since it isn't on Graphene then the full 16gb allocation of ram is available for the entire system.
I've read people say that there is a setting to disable it.
I've used nova launcher on my pixel phones for maybe 6 years now. I specifically switched to it because I didn't like UI updates that moved things around -- I like to customize my UI and have it stay there after an update.
I'm curious how these changes align with their accessibility commitments.
For those struggling with impairments it must be hard to continue to adapt to your phone shape shifting with each update.
My "older" pixel (9 XL) is also now slower as a result.
It literally takes a half a second to tap "speaker" during the dialer after the update, which it didn't before.
Disappointing.
> The Pixel build of Android is now just as customized as Samsung's One UI or OnePlus' OxygenOS, if not more so.
sigh
Coming from a Pixel 7 Pro the single biggest upgrade is the fingerprint sensor. Dramatic improvement. I turned it off before; it actually works now.
Magnetic charging is nice. The first party charger stand is just OK. I find it slightly less comfortable to hold because of the more squared sides, though I appreciate the flat front glass and the fact that it sits on tables without wobbling.
The convenience of fingerprint sensors is clear, but I can't imagine ever using one in the US. Police being able to compel your fingerprints means it's just not an option. Its never been an issue for me, there really wouldn't be much harm in it, but this idea that the state can break into my castle because it's only my fingerprint protecting it and not a passphrase is so weird, so unfortunate.
Security hygiene involves disabling biometrics. At least in the us: what you know has stronger protections than what you have.
That's what lockdown mode is for.
The summary is perfect. I had the first Pixel phone and at the time is was sooo nice compared to everything else. No bloat! Now it's just a hot mess with weird functionality and UI choices. It's like there are multiple teams working on it and they don't talk to each other.
I'm still "clinging" to my Pixel 6 Pro. I have an unboxed pixel 8 pro from 2 years ago. My corporate contract subsidizes a new phone every two years from the time of contract renewal.
I really think the phone update cycle needs to be lengthened, and that updates are so slightly incremental.
I would like to dip my toes into the fold phone pond, but that seems excessive. In November, Vodafone will call me and ask me which phone I want. It all seems ridiculous. I haven't noticed a difference in photo quality nor performance for years now have I felt the need to upgrade to the two-generations-later sitting in a drawer just meters way from me.
The only comment/complaint I have about newer software updates is the f*king voice which kicked in while taking a photo. "One pet cropped, move phone slightly down".
</uselessRant>
Why would you not sell the unused phone instead of it sitting in a box depreciating?
I don't think it's depreciating much but you're right. It's going to one of my sisters. I held off a bit because it is corporate property but now it's written off in accounting terms.
Why in the world I would buy a phone (any not just Google) that costs north of $800 is beyond me unless I want to signal my purchasing power. If utility is my metric and not outward signalling and flex, I find this worst deployment of my funds.
So called "budget" phones these days have OLED screens some even come with 120Hz displays (beyond me why someone would want that) and plenty of compute and memory.
You want camera, buy a camera. You want gaming, buy a console or gaming machine.
For me it was "want camera", and I chose the top SKU (P8 Pro) because I wanted maximum camera.
"Buy a camera" doesn't work because (a) I don't want to pocket two devices, (b) most point-and-shoot dedicated cameras that are actually better are more bulky, too, (c) even entry-level good digital cameras are >$500 (e.g. a ZV-1F or something), so even the combo with a midrange phone often comes out more expensive and (d) a seperate camera makes it really annoying to send photos anywhere on the go.
That said: I came away fairly unhappy with the Pixel 8 Pro camera, which my book has a too editorialized post-processing look that I simply don't like. In retrospect, I think I should have gone for the Xperia in that generation, which appears to have been the last phone with high-end smartphone camera gear that took neutral-looking shots. My S21, despite having a worse sensor and optics, took subjectively nicer photos.
I've now updated my definition of "maximum phone camera" to be more choosy ...
> So called "budget" phones these days have OLED screens some even come with 120Hz displays (beyond me why someone would want that) and plenty of compute and memory.
Are you mistakenly calling the Pixel 10 a budget phone? Because it's not. The actual budget phones are like $200, and they certainly don't have 120 Hz OLED screens.
> You want camera, buy a camera. You want gaming, buy a console or gaming machine.
Because why would I buy a separate camera and portable gaming machine when I can have them all on a single device?
Do you honestly not see the benefits of having a single device that does everything rather than having to pack multiple things? Especially a camera. They're bulky as hell and require a whole-ass bag dedicated to them. At least a Nintendo Switch can still fit in a large pocket.
I'm not a professional photographer and don't pretend to be one. I just want something that'll create "good enough" pictures to share with friends and family.
What if I want:
(1) a camera with zoom and night shot capability comparable to my 2010 Sony Cybershot camera.
(2) An internet terminal with enough CPU/RAM to browse modern websites.
(3) A music player with a space for 150-300 GB of MP3's and nice-ish UI
(4) Online and offline map
(5) wireless charging (because I keep destroying charging ports in my devices)
(6) all of this should fit in my pocket. I've spent >5 years of my life carrying a separate camera on the belt, I am not doing this again.
All functional requirements, no "outward signalling or flex". What should I get?
(Genuine question, I've spent few days researching this recently and high-end smartphone aeems to be the only match. Weirdly, it's good camera and wireless charging that raises the price, not CPU)
I just bought a refurbished pixel 8 for $200
Pixel phones are rarely full price. Right now you can get it on Google Fi for $450.
They run promos around the clock. iPhones OTOH are never discounted.
For existing Fi users, it's $450 off, plus another $200 in store credit for the Pro models (not money off since it's parked in Google Store, but if you're buying accessories or other items over the next year it's like money). Selling my old phone brings the price of a 10 Pro down to around $400 (not counting the $200 store credit).
If you sign up for Fi when buying the phone, the deals are pretty enticing: $300 off right away, $500 more in Fi bill credits over 24 months. I think you also get the $200 store credit too.
$800 sounds like a lot, but is very reasonable for a device someone might use 3+ hours a day for 2 years. At the end of those years, it can likely be sold for at least $400. That works out to something like $0.36/hour.
It's an extremely weird way to look at price. My family use the same dining table for more than two decades. So it's about 5,000 ~ 10,000 hours. But it doesn't make it somehow worth a few thousands of bucks.
Flagship devices are also faster, which saves time.
for me it's the hope of at least some minor degree of longevity. I used a pixel 3 for six years, until the degenerating battery finally drove me to get a new phone, and I paid whatever exorbitant amount they wanted for a pixel 9 pro which will hopefully last me another six years
It is the Android I wanted to switch away from iPhone. But Google have decided to not make it available in Hong Kong for whatever reason. And this was before AI being restricted. ( But M$ and Grok continues to operate in HK just fine so I don't think that is an argument either )
Isn't HK under PRC control? The GFW might not be there right now, but who knows what happens over the seven years during which new Pixels are supported.
My god that ugly bump! But they have been at it for a few versions so that means people actually buy that shit. And then there’s the sleek a’s.
By the way, is there a Moore’s law sort of thing that predicts the base phone size increase every year across OEMs?
The ui developments are obnoxious. And there are weird delays. And it gets hot in unexpected new ways.
Seriously considering Mobian. But my banking app.
Judt throw all banking apps to an old phone and buy a second one. I rarely use those banking apps except for auth so there is no need to pollute a new phone with those garbages.
I upgraded from a Pixel 4a (running Calyxos) to a 8a, only because at some point Whatsapp videos broke on the 4a and friends got videos with some green encoding. Otherwise, I had no reason to upgrade.
I hate my new phone. I could use the 4a with one hand comfortably, but that is not the case with the 8a. My thumb does not reach the top of the screen like before. I have to hold it in diagonal position just to be able to do the gestures Android -by design- expects.
The fingerprint sensor moved from the back to the front. That design helped having the phone in the right direction when taking it out of my pocket. Now it comes half of the time upside down. The fingerprint sensor is bad. Half of the time does not work and I have to use the pin. On the 4a was flawless.
Camera is better. Yes.
I don't know why people are soo obsessed over their phones. I moved from a Pixel 5 (which was perfectly serviceable until it died) to a Pixel 9 and the overall feeling was ... so? Apart from the cameras improving, there isn't really anything that feels amazing.
The thing that annoys me the most about this device, if true, is their handling of the Pixel 10 battery. They keep cutting corners. After my 4a and 6a batteries got nerfed, you would think Google might have learned something.
https://www.androidauthority.com/google-pixel-10-battery-hea...
I like the swipe at "post truth cameras" and would prefer AI be limited to suggestions, etc, not so baked into the processing pipeline.
Yeah, this is one of the reasons I no longer use Pixels. Their battery life is subpar and they get dangerously hot too in summers.
I’m not a fan of most AI implementations to date, but I will say Google is clearly making a bold statement by trying to make the Pixel product lineup hardware to run AI front and center.
I wonder if the general public will care - they can be pretty unpredictable. People generally like party tricks and having an AI assistant to talk to may go farther than we nerds think.