Technologies

Google and Qualcomm Tell Me That Gemini Will Be Project Moohan’s Secret Weapon

How much closer are we to smart glasses rivaling Meta’s Ray-Bans?

While Meta’s Quest line of headsets has dominated the virtual reality space, mixed reality — using digital displays overlaying the real world — is a new frontier that’s just starting to be explored, going beyond the new Meta Ray-Ban Gen 2 to devices more akin to the Ray-Ban Display glasses. That’s where Google’s Project Moohan MR display aims to make headway. Unlike its prior efforts in the space, like Google Glass, the company hopes to gain an edge by partnering with Qualcomm and Samsung to bolster its chances.

At the Snapdragon Summit 2025 in Maui, I sat down to chat with Sameer Samat, Google’s head of Android, and Alex Katouzian, Qualcomm group general manager of mobile, compute and XR, to check in on Project Moohan and how the broadening of Android and Gemini coalesces with their collaboratively built headset. Which, despite CNET Editor at Large Scott Stein getting hands-on time with an early version of it last December, is still in development.

«We’re super excited about the device coming along really nicely,» Samat said. «We’re definitely getting closer.»

It was clear to Snapdragon Summit attendees that Project Moohan is still in development. The headset was quietly tucked into an easily missed corner of the event, shown off for only a couple of hours under glass and out of anyone’s hands. But Samat was bullish about the progress made in the last year, which has «subtle but very important refinements to the hardware,» he said.

Read more: You Got Your Phone OS in My Laptop! Here’s How Android and ChromeOS Will Merge

Design-wise, Samat explicitly pointed to improvements in the weight balance, ensuring the ergonomics are correct and that the light ingress is where it should be. Where the weight is balanced is crucial in the design of smart glasses that are expected to be worn for hours at a time. When the Apple Vision Pro launched in early 2024, CNET’s Stein noted that the headset felt top-heavy after only half an hour when using the standard single strap. However, using the dual strap was more comfortable, but, in his words, «Looks like the headband on my CPAP machine.» In summary: «A bunch of changes there that I don’t think you see when you look at it, but when you put it on from before and after, I think people would very much notice,» he said.

«I saw early prototypes until now, big difference,» added Katouzian. «I think the weight and the balance is really good and mechanically very well designed.»

Project Moohan uses Qualcomm’s XR2 mixed reality chip. The company worked with Google and Samsung to optimize everything, Katouzian said.

The software has come a long way, Samat continued, and he was quick to affirm that there’s been a lot of refinement in incorporating Gemini into the headset. That loops Project Moohan into the drum Qualcomm and Google were beating throughout Snapdragon Summit 2025: the Gemini experience that uses multiple large language models to answer queries will be an increasingly significant part of using devices, from phones to laptops to headsets, going forward.

«What would happen if, in the user experience, your AI assistant can see and hear what you’re hearing … if they could see the same virtual world as you at the same time, and you could ask them to walk through and explore that world with you?» Samat said. «I’m playing around a lot with that. Even to explore places, like you go somewhere in [Google] Maps and then you walk around and ask questions of Gemini and just explore an entire city with it.»

Bringing contextual information to the screen while going about your day was the dream of older experiments, such as the Google Glass mixed reality glasses released in 2013 and the 2016 Google Daydream, which turned your phone into an augmented reality headset. Samat obliquely referenced these, saying the company has «had our fair share of innovation and being first, but also some things that could have worked better.»

But Samat also pointed to what’s changed in the interim — one of which is computational power from chips like the Qualcomm XR2 that powers Project Moohan. This silicon «opens up another level of fidelity,» he said, pointing to other technical advancements, like optics in the hardware for eye tracking. And AI in general has improved too, with non-Gemini applications that can, for instance, augment Google Photos with uniquely enabled AI experiences in the XR world — experiences that «you’ll see soon enough,» Samat teased.

The companies believe combining Google’s software, Qualcomm’s silicon computational horsepower and Samsung’s ergonomic product design will create something special that fits the mixed reality format better than anything we’ve seen before.

In addition to Project Moohan, Google is exploring a whole range of ideas, including smart glasses. At some point, they’ll take what was developed for its mixed reality headset and shrink it down to something that would more directly compete with Meta’s Ray-Ban Display and others like it. And with Samsung in the mix, there’s a lot of potential.

«The close proximity between the glasses and the phone will bring an advantage that hasn’t been in the market before,» Katouzian said.

Read more: Smart Glasses Are Going to Work This Time, Google’s Android President Tells CNET

If and when a smart glasses collaboration happens, Google has another advantage that might be more appealing than Gemini integration: individual style. Not everyone wants smart glasses from Ray-Ban or Oakley. Google has previously announced that it’s working with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster to presumably put a Project Moohan successor in a variety of frames, which could entice consumers who aren’t fans of wrap-around sports shades.

«The aesthetic of it is super important,» Samat said. «Yes, of course, it’s a piece of technology, but it also has to be something you want to wear.»

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for April 8, #562

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for April 8 No. 562.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a tough one. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Working out.

Green group hint: Cover your face.

Blue group hint: NFL players.

Purple group hint: Leap.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Exercises in singular form.

Green group: Sporting jobs that require masks.

Blue group: Hall of Fame defensive ends.

Purple group: ____ jump.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is exercises in singular form. The four answers are crunch, plank, situp and squat.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is sporting jobs that require masks. The four answers are catcher, fencer, football player and goaltender.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is Hall of Fame defensive ends. The four answers are Dent, Peppers, Strahan and Youngblood.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ____ jump. The four answers are broad, high, long and triple.

Technologies

The $135M Google Data Settlement Site Is Live — See If You’re Eligible

Use the settlement website to select your preferred payment method, and you may end up $100 richer.

You can now file a claim in the $135 million Google data settlement. The case centers on claims that Android devices transmitted user data without consent. Specifically, the class action lawsuit Taylor v. Google LLC contends that Google’s Android devices passively transferred cellular data to Google without user permission, even when the devices were idle. While not admitting fault, Google reached a preliminary settlement in January, agreeing to pay $135 million to about 100 million US Android phone users.

The official settlement website for the lawsuit is now live. The final approval hearing won’t occur until June 23, when the court will consider whether Google’s settlement is fair and listen to objections. After that, the court will decide whether to approve the $135 million settlement.

In the meantime, if you qualify and want to be paid as part of the settlement, you can select your preferred payment method on the official website. There, you can find information on speaking at the June 23 court hearing and on how to exclude yourself or write to the court to object by May 29.

As part of the settlement, Google will update its Google Play terms of service to clarify that certain data transfers do occur passively even when you’re not using your Android device, and that cellular data may be relied upon when not connected to Wi-Fi. This can’t always be disabled, but users will be asked to consent to it when setting up their device.

Google will also fully stop collecting data when its «allow background data usage» option is toggled off.

Who can be part of the settlement?

In order to join the Taylor v. Google LLC settlement, you must meet four qualifications:

Be a living, individual human being in the US.
Have used an Android mobile device with a cellular data plan.
Have used the aforementioned device at any time from Nov. 12, 2017, to the date when the settlement receives final approval.
You’re not a class member in the Csupo v. Google LLC lawsuit, which is similar but specifically for California residents.

The final approval hearing is on June 23, so you can add your payment method until then. The hearing’s date and time may change, and any updates will be posted on the settlement website.

If you choose to do nothing, you will still be issued a settlement payment, but you may not receive it if you don’t select a payment method.

How much will I get paid?

It’s not currently known exactly how much each settlement class member will receive, but the cap is $100. Payments will be distributed after final court approval and after any appeals are resolved.

After all administrative, tax and attorney costs are paid, the settlement administrator will attempt to pay each member an equal amount. If any funds remain after payments are sent, and it’s economically feasible, they will be redistributed to members who were previously and successfully paid. If it’s not economically feasible, the funds will go to an organization approved by the court.

Technologies

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 Might Come in 5G and 4G Cellular Models

If the rumor proves true, the 5G Galaxy Watch Ultra would rival the 5G-enabled $799 Apple Watch Ultra 3 that debuted last fall.

Samsung’s next high-end Galaxy Watch could support faster 5G speeds, but if this leak is true, it will depend on where you live. The rumored Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 might come in 5G and 4G cellular models, with availability for each smartwatch depending on the country.

According to the Dutch website Galaxy Club (and spotted by SamMobile), Samsung’s servers may have revealed a series of model numbers that point to 5G, 4G and Wi-Fi-enabled editions of the next Galaxy Watch Ultra, which would succeed the original model that debuted in 2024.

A representative for Samsung did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Galaxy Club website speculates that the 5G edition would be sold in the US and Korean markets, while the 4G edition would sell in the rest of the world. In the US, a 5G version of the Galaxy Watch Ultra would rival the 5G-enabled $799 Apple Watch Ultra 3, which debuted last fall. The 4G edition would have broader compatibility worldwide, since the earlier network is far more established.

It will likely be a few months until we hear anything official about the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2. Samsung typically unveils its new watches in the summer alongside its Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip foldable phones. Last year, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Watch 8 and the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, but otherwise left the prior 2024 Ultra in the lineup for those looking for a larger 47mm smartwatch.