- Google has rebranded Bard to Gemini and has improved the UI for better legibility and navigation.
- The search giant has also introduced the powerful Ultra 1.0 model via Gemini Advanced, which costs $19.99 per month.
- There now exists a Gemini app for Android users, and iPhone users can use the Gemini tab in the Google app.
In line with earlier rumors, Google has finally rebranded Bard to Gemini. After Bard got access to the Gemini Pro model in December last year, the discussion was ripe for a possible rebranding in due time. Besides that, Google has also unveiled its most capable, Ultra 1.0 model, which users can now access from a ChatGPT Plus-like subscription called Gemini Advanced (previously expected to be called Bard Advanced). So, let’s look at everything new in Gemini!
Google Bard is Now Gemini
Google says that all your Bard tools and features are still available in Gemini. In fact, Google has improved the user interface with fewer visual distractions, better legibility, and easy navigation. The company says the rebranding is a reflection of Google’s commitment to bring access to the family of best AI models. You can still open bard.google.com (visit), which now redirects to Google Gemini, or directly navigate to the new gemini.google.com (visit) domain.
And yes, Gemini is still free to use and the company has opened up Gemini (formerly Bard) access to Canadian users as well, in both English and French.
Besides that, Google has still not added the vision multimodal capability to the standard Gemini tier even after the rebranding, which is somewhat disappointing. But you can access the multimodal Gemini Pro model via the Gemini API, or as mentioned above, get the new Gemini Advanced subscription.
Access Gemini Ultra 1.0 on Gemini Advanced
After announcing the Ultra AI model in December 2023, Google is finally allowing users to access this promising AI model via Gemini Advanced. However, to access the Gemini Ultra 1.0 model, you will have to move to the paid Gemini Advanced plan, which costs $19.99 per month (Rs 1950 in India), but Google is giving two months of free trial, which is nice.
The Gemini Advanced plan is bundled with a new Google One AI Premium subscription and it also brings 2TB of storage. You can subscribe to Gemini Advanced from here. Subscribers will also get instant access to other One perks, along with Gemini becoming available in Gmail, Docs, and other Google apps soon.
Gemini Ultra should be much better at highly complex tasks such as logical reasoning, coding, understanding and executing nuanced instructions, and more. In many AI benchmark tests, Gemini Ultra has beaten OpenAI’s GPT-4 model and is considered a very close competitor.
So far, Gemini Ultra only supports image analysis via its text-and-vision model, but Google says that expanded multi-modal capabilities and better coding features are coming to Gemini Advanced in a few months. Moreover, you will be able to upload files and documents on Gemini Advanced and ask Gemini Ultra to analyze them pretty soon.
Install the Gemini App on Your Android Phone
Besides the rebranding and Gemini Ultra launch, Google has also taken the opportunity to unveil the Gemini app for Android smartphones. You can install the Gemini app in the US. We can expect the Android app to roll out globally, except in the UK, Switzerland, and EEA countries in the coming days.
Currently, the Gemini app only supports the English language, but support for Japanese and Korean will be added soon. As for iPhone users, you will be able to access Gemini via its own dedicated tab in the Google app. So make sure to update the Google app to the latest version. Moreover, on Android, you can even set Gemini as your default assistant instead of Google Assistant. shortly, we will bring you a guide on how to do that, so stay tuned.
So what do you think about the Gemini rebranding? Are you going to move from ChatGPT Plus to Gemini Advanced? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
