It's an exciting week to listen into the Android Police podcast as Android Faithful host and longtime tech media personality Jason Howell joins us to discuss the Pixel 9a's theoretical positioning and the absolute stumble it took out of the starting gate this week. But will a diminished design be the factor to turn Google's hardware tailwind into a headwind? Also on the show, after working on his triceps with Beeper, Eric Migicovsky returns to his Core with new (old) PebbleOS watches and we track the rising price of Plex, though we oddly have some nicer feelings about it than with other streaming services right now.

0:56 | A little AI Inside

• Google Assistant is losing more features ahead of retirement
• Like it or not, Gemini is officially replacing Google Assistant this year
• The gap between Google's Gemini and Assistant teams just got a whole lot wider
• Apple Vision Pro Chief Mike Rockwell Named Siri Head; Giannandrea Keeps AI Role - Bloomberg

• Google's Pixel 9a is here to show Apple how value smartphones are done
• The Google Pixel 9a's Tensor chip may be new, but its modem isn't
• A First Look at How Apple’s C1 Modem Performs With Early Adopters | Ookla®
• Google Pixel 9a's Gemini experience isn't as powerful as its siblings
• The Google Pixel 9a is already more affordable at Best Buy
• The Pixel 9a is Google's largest launch yet, but some regions are left out
• Google just blamed the Pixel 9a's delayed street date on a 'quality issue'

• Two new PebbleOS watches are coming this year, but you'll have to act fast
• HTC Came Down from Android Heaven to Sell Boring Phones | How-to Geek

• Plex is cracking down on its version of password sharing, and it's coming with a price hike
• I'm tired of paying $18 a month for Netflix

• Retroid Pocket Classic Handheld
• Who at Google heard us yelling about Gmail's Gemini icon?
• Watch Mythic Quest - Apple TV+
• Lego Orchid
• 6 Xiaomi 15 Ultra features I wish were on my Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

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Music - "18" and "34" by HOME licensed under CC BY 3.0