5 Reasons to Try Google Gemini

While not as widely discussed as some of its competitors, Google's Gemini AI has a lot going for it — and here are five reasons why Gemini deserves your attention.

1. Use Live Voice chat for free and as long as you like

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Unlike many AI tools that limit Live Voice interactions to premium plans, Gemini lets you chat in real time without restrictions. You can speak naturally, ask follow-up questions, or change topics without having to start over.

After using Gemini's Live Voice for over a month, I found it to be on par with competing voice assistants. The voice recognition is great. The default voice sounds real, provides contextual responses, supports multiple languages, engages in insightful conversations, and quickly answers everyday questions.

While it currently lacks the ability to convey a variety of emotions (like ChatGPT's Live Voice feature), Gemini's Live Voice assistant makes up for that with unlimited voice interactions and the ability to pull up previous conversations across multiple devices. If you have a Google Pixel phone, Gemini is also more convenient to use because it comes pre-installed and can be used as your default voice assistant with the tap of a button.

2. Understand the broad context

Gemini's ability to infer context from previous conversations is largely due to its unparalleled context length. One of Gemini's standout features is its ability to process massive amounts of information without losing track of context. It uses an advanced language model that supports a context window of up to 1.5 million tokens! This means Gemini can remember and reference previous parts of a conversation, even if the conversation spans hours or thousands of words.

Unfortunately, there is currently no way to upload text files to Gemini. However, Gemini's extremely long context window can still be used for certain purposes, such as:

1. Draft long, coherent reports
2. Analyze complex data sets
3. Support for multi-step problem solving tasks

While many competing AI products support enough context length to work well for most tasks, using Gemini reduces the AI ​​illusion caused by a limited context window. This makes Gemini a useful tool for critical situations where you want the AI ​​to stick to a specific topic in long conversations.

3. Google Gemini produces amazing images

Google Gemini is a multimodal AI model that can generate stunning photorealistic images. By entering a detailed description, users can prompt Gemini to generate an image. For example, you can ask for an image of 'a peaceful lakeside scene at sunset,' and Gemini will generate an image like this:

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By combining text and image capabilities, Gemini becomes a powerful assistant for creative applications. While images may not produce exactly what you envision, they are still a good tool for:

1. Create visuals for campaigns without outsourcing.
2. Create initial concepts before refining with traditional tools.
3. Enhance presentations or projects with custom illustrations.

While competing AI products like OpenAI's ChatGPT can also generate images for free, Gemini's art style seems to be better at generating realistic images. Different AI chat services tend to stick to a particular art style, so if you're aiming for realism, try chatting with Gemini.

4. Integration with Google ecosystem

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One of Gemini's biggest advantages over other AI models is its seamless integration with Google's suite of products and services. If you already use Gmail, Google Docs, Drive, or Calendar, Gemini can boost your productivity by working within these platforms.

With Gemini integrated with Google productivity tools, you can:

1. Compose emails faster : Gemini can compose entire emails based on a few keywords or bullet points.
2. Plan your day : By syncing with Google Calendar, it can suggest optimal schedules or remind you of upcoming tasks.
3. Real-time collaboration : In Google Docs, Gemini can edit, proofread, or co-author content based on your input.

Integrating AI tools into your daily workflow can save you a lot of time, especially if multitasking is part of your workflow. With Gemini, you don't have to switch between platforms or manually export data. Everything happens within the Google ecosystem, ensuring a streamlined experience.

In addition to Google Workspace apps (formerly known as G Suite), Gemini also integrates with Google hardware products like Pixel phones, Pixel watches, and your Google Home setup.

By switching your regular Google Assistant to Gemini, you can enjoy better suggestions, a more seamless experience across your devices, and access to advanced AI features like Live Voice chat and deeper contextual awareness.

5. Gemini Free Has Much Less Restrictions

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Unlike competing AI tools that limit many useful features behind paid subscriptions, Gemini offers a surprisingly robust free plan. Even on the free version of Gemini, users enjoy an extensive set of features that rivals the premium plans of other AI services.

Here's what makes the free version of Gemini stand out:

1. Unlimited Conversations : No limits on the number of interactions or duration of use, allowing you to fully explore the AI's capabilities at your own pace.
2. Advanced features without upgrading : Features like Live Voice chat, expanded contextual understanding, and multi-modal capabilities (like image creation) are available to free users without any restrictions, giving you access to a pro-level experience right out of the box.
3. No forced quality downgrades : Unlike some AI tools that reduce response quality or limit creativity in their free plans, Gemini maintains consistent output, ensuring even free users get meaningful, high-quality interactions.
4. Accessible across multiple devices : Whether you're using a Pixel phone, Google Home, or a browser, the free version of Gemini works seamlessly, removing the barrier to entry.

While premium plans may offer additional perks like priority response times or integration with third-party services, Gemini's free plan is powerful enough to meet the needs of most users. If you've ever felt limited by the restrictions of many other platforms, Gemini offers a refreshing degree of freedom to experiment and explore.

With such an accessible free version, there's no reason not to give Gemini a try - it's a low-risk way to test out the AI's capabilities and see how it fits into your everyday life.

Micah Soto

Update 13 January 2025