Google just announced that some Pixel phones are getting next-gen call screening. This improves on the pre-existing Call Screen feature by implementing a new Hello button. Once tapped, the system will deploy Google Assistant to speak on your behalf.

The digital assistant will ask the caller why they’re trying to reach you, and you’ll be able to hear the response in real-time. If it sounds important, you can interrupt and begin the call. If not, you can kick them to the curb and go back to watching TV.

Google Assistant already worked to screen calls in a similar way, but the Hello button gives the user ultimate control as to when to begin the screening process. There’s even an option to tell the caller to wait a little bit, if you can't get to the phone quite yet. In addition to the real-time element, the tool still captures transcripts of these screenings to peruse at your leisure. The new Call Screen update is only available for the Pixel Fold and Pixel 6 phones and newer.

This is part of a larger March features drop for Pixel phones. Google’s smartphones will now be able to share 10-bit HDR videos directly to Instagram, with no processing required. This is similar to the approach Samsung recently took with its Galaxy S24 native camera update.

The features drop also expands the company’s recently-launched Circle to Search tool to Pixel 7 smartphones. As the name suggests, this lets people search for stuff by simply drawing a circle around the object. The tool was previously only available for Pixel 8 and Galaxy S24 users.

Google just announced that some Pixel phones are getting next-gen call screening. This improves on the pre-existing Call Screen feature by implementing a new Hello button. Once tapped, the system will deploy Google Assistant to speak on your behalf.

The digital assistant will ask the caller why they’re trying to reach you, and you’ll be able to hear the response in real-time. If it sounds important, you can interrupt and begin the call. If not, you can kick them to the curb and go back to watching TV.

Google Assistant already worked to screen calls in a similar way, but the Hello button gives the user ultimate control as to when to begin the screening process. There’s even an option to tell the caller to wait a little bit, if you can't get to the phone quite yet. In addition to the real-time element, the tool still captures transcripts of these screenings to peruse at your leisure. The new Call Screen update is only available for the Pixel Fold and Pixel 6 phones and newer.

This is part of a larger March features drop for Pixel phones. Google’s smartphones will now be able to share 10-bit HDR videos directly to Instagram, with no processing required. This is similar to the approach Samsung recently took with its Galaxy S24 native camera update.

The features drop also expands the company’s recently-launched Circle to Search tool to Pixel 7 smartphones. As the name suggests, this lets people search for stuff by simply drawing a circle around the object. The tool was previously only available for Pixel 8 and Galaxy S24 users.

The latest version of the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max is on sale for $40, which matches the record low Black Friday price. The streaming stick normally sells for $60, so this is a discount of 33 percent.

This is the most advanced streaming stick Amazon has ever made. As the name suggests, it can easily handle 4K video, and it also supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+. The stick integrates with Wi-Fi 6E and boasts 16GB of internal storage, up from eight with the previous generation. There’s a new 2.0 GHz quad-core processor, on-device Alexa and a remote that gives you control over affiliated smart home devices.

This is also the first-ever streaming stick to feature Amazon’s AI Art feature. There’s a built-in image generation model, so you can set the screensaver to be, well, whatever you want. If the idea of a six-pawed cat eating a plate of slightly-off spaghetti doesn’t do it for you, the stick also allows access to more than 2,000 pieces of actual art for use as screensavers.

This is part of a larger Amazon sale on all of its various streaming devices, from sticks to actual televisions. Of note, the Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite has been discounted to $20, which nearly matches a record low price. The Fire TV Stick Lite made our list of the best streaming devices, thanks to its simple interface and support for all of the major streaming platforms.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

The latest version of the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max is on sale for $40, which matches the record low Black Friday price. The streaming stick normally sells for $60, so this is a discount of 33 percent.

This is the most advanced streaming stick Amazon has ever made. As the name suggests, it can easily handle 4K video, and it also supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+. The stick integrates with Wi-Fi 6E and boasts 16GB of internal storage, up from eight with the previous generation. There’s a new 2.0 GHz quad-core processor, on-device Alexa and a remote that gives you control over affiliated smart home devices.

This is also the first-ever streaming stick to feature Amazon’s AI Art feature. There’s a built-in image generation model, so you can set the screensaver to be, well, whatever you want. If the idea of a six-pawed cat eating a plate of slightly-off spaghetti doesn’t do it for you, the stick also allows access to more than 2,000 pieces of actual art for use as screensavers.

This is part of a larger Amazon sale on all of its various streaming devices, from sticks to actual televisions. Of note, the Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite has been discounted to $20, which nearly matches a record low price. The Fire TV Stick Lite made our list of the best streaming devices, thanks to its simple interface and support for all of the major streaming platforms.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.