Nestled between two conference rooms at Barcelona’s Mobile World Congress is a trail lined with Google’s latest technology and its cutest robot figurines. Here, spectators can enter welcoming wood-paneled booths and try out features through Pixels, Android XR And Research. Welcome to Android Avenue.
I went through Google’s setup to check out demos of its latest products and features. To greet me at the entrance and set the scene, an adorably colorful android statue greeted me.
CNET’s Tara Brown and I hold up our access stickers in front of a matching Android.
Abrar Al-Heeti/CNETIn a stand, I tried the Android XR Smart Glasses prototype for the first time and explored some promising use cases. I saw and heard real-time, AI-powered translations through my glasses, while a Google employee spoke to me in Spanish. I also followed a Google Maps overlay that guided me throughout my route without obstructing my vision, thanks to the display projected on the right lens.
The Android XR glasses leverage the Gemini AI assistant.
Andrew Lanxon/CNETJust out of Samsung S26 launchedGoogle introduced a new Gemini feature that plays a more assistant role. You can press and hold the power button and ask Gemini to schedule a vegetarian tapas visit, for example, then ask it to drop that information into a Google Keep note, all by voice command.
Other use cases include having Gemini book an Uber for you, which it will do in the background so you can continue using other apps on your Galaxy S26 phone.
Gemini handles tasks like calling an Uber or helping plan and write down an excursion.
Andrew Lanxon/CNETIn another booth I played with a Google update Circle to search which will simultaneously find all the pieces of an outfit on your screen, then allow you to try them on virtually.
After long-pressing the home button and circling a photo of an outfit I liked, Google brought up a list of product results for each item. Pressing “try it” generated a realistic image of me wearing the orange-red pants I was looking at.
Oddly enough, the AI took the liberty of replacing my real dress and jacket with a black T-shirt. This isn’t the first time Gemini has decided to play with the settings of my modest clothing, but I hope it gets better at avoiding these blunders over time.
The Circle to Search update is rolling out to the Galaxy S26 series and Pixel 10 devices.
These weapons are AI generated, as is the entire outfit.
Andrew Lanxon/CNETCircle to Search may have done a better job with Patrick Holland’s ensemble.
Andrew Lanxon/CNETOne of my favorite Pixel features lets you use Apple’s. Airdrop and Android Quick share in both ecosystems. With just a few clicks, I sent an image from a Pixel 10 phone to an iPhone and also received one back. The feature is also available on Pixel 9 devices.
Quick Share/AirDrop compatibility makes it easy to transfer media between new Pixel phones and iPhones.
Andrew Lanxon/CNETSeeing new technology is always cool, but what I really liked were these Android figurines that looked like they were cleaning the window of a demo booth. Such hardworking little workers.
I can’t get enough of these little guys.
Andrew Lanxon/CNETAnd that concluded my tour of the neighborhood. At a tech conference largely dominated by monotonous booths, it was nice to get some fresh air, explore some demos, and, most importantly, admire some pretty statues, large and small.
