Exciting Brands, Innovations, and Products Honored at the 2025 Awards Ceremony
In the annual Tom's Guide Hero Awards, the Best New Product award went to Gemini Live, an AI software developed by Google. This innovative AI solution stands out for its real-world capabilities, seamless integration across devices, and enhanced multitasking features.
Key Innovations and Features of Gemini Live AI
- Duplex-powered real-world phone interactions: Gemini uses Google’s Duplex technology to autonomously call local businesses on behalf of users, checking product availability, prices, or store hours. The AI clearly identifies itself and provides users with a clean text or email summary of the call, saving time and effort in everyday tasks.
- Wear OS integration and hands-free multitasking: Gemini replaces the traditional Google Assistant on Wear OS smartwatches, allowing users to execute complex commands completely hands-free. It can access multiple apps simultaneously and handles context-aware tasks like checking calendars or weather from your wrist.
- Enhanced multimodal and multimodal reasoning capabilities: The upgraded Gemini 2.5 Pro model boosts abilities in coding, scientific analysis, logical reasoning, and processes multimodal inputs (text, images). This improves its sophistication for advanced tasks.
- Dynamic photo animation ("Veo 3"): Gemini can transform still photos into 8-second dynamic videos with audio, animating vacation memories or pet photos directly within the app.
- Accessibility and live captioning during conversations: Gemini Live now includes a captions feature that displays text live as users speak, improving usability in noisy environments, for language learners, or those with accessibility needs.
- Seamless multitasking on Samsung Galaxy Z Series: Integrated into flagship devices like the Galaxy Z Fold7 and Z Flip7, Gemini Live enables real-time screen sharing for effortless multitasking, such as shopping assistance or guest attire advice by sharing what you see with the AI. It also introduces camera sharing live on mobile devices for the first time.
- Business and cloud AI applications: Gemini is also deployed in Google Cloud for advanced, multilingual, context-aware AI tasks including real-time sentiment detection and nuanced understanding for enterprise solutions.
Other Winners at the Tom's Guide Hero Awards 2022
The Asus ROG Flow Z13 won the Innovation award for its impressive gaming performance despite initially being announced without a dedicated graphics card. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, a foldable phone, won for its sleek design and larger main display, reducing the visibility of the crease.
The Asus ROG Flow Z13 also boasts a bright, colorful, and buttery smooth 180Hz Mini-LED display, a slim and sleek design, and a battery life that outperforms other high-performance laptops. However, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 does not support S Pen due to its thinner design and does not offer dust resistance.
The Framework Laptop 12, designed for accessibility, sustainability, and upgradability, won for being the most sustainable and upgradable 2-in-1 laptop ever seen. Users can swap out parts themselves for improved sustainability.
The Best Company award went to Anthropic, a company founded by former OpenAI researchers, for its mission-driven approach to building safe and trustworthy AI. Anthropic has received massive backing from Amazon and Google, and has generated $4 billion in revenue.
The Tom's Guide Hero Awards recognise the best of the best in technology, honoring products with new innovations, cutting-edge design, and impressive sustainability efforts.
- The seamless integration of Gemini Live AI across various devices, including Wear OS smartwatches and Samsung Galaxy Z Series, showcases its prowess in modern technology, positioning it as a prime example of advanced artificial-intelligence gadgets.
- The accessibility features in Gemini Live AI, such as live captioning during conversations, highlight its potential to revolutionize the use of technology in everyday life, expanding its applications beyond just gadgets.
