New ‘Share screen with Live’ option appears in Google Gemini so the AI assistant can view your screen and see through your camera
AI-powered digital assistants are now (almost) ten a penny, and the rate at which they are gaining new capabilities is nausea-inducing. Google Gemini has long been able to make use of screen grabs as a prompt or part of a prompt, but now things are moving up a notch.
Some Gemini users are starting to notice a new “Share screen with Live” option on their devices. This goes far beyond the ability to analyze and use static screenshots, enabling Gemini to track what is on-screen in real time -- including user activity and what is picked up by the camera.
Huge Microsoft Photos update adds amazing new web search with OCR-extracted text feature and makes AI options easier to access
Microsoft Photos is something of an unsung hero of the Windows app family. It is an astonishingly useful and powerful tool that Microsoft keeps quietly updating on an irregular basis. The latest update has just landed, and it’s a biggie.
We’ve already seen the addition of OCR capabilities to Microsoft Photos so in-image text can be easily copied; this has now been extended to include the option to search the web with text that has been extracted. But this is far from being the only change in the latest update.
Microsoft is resurrecting a handy keyboard shortcut in Windows
There are several keyboard shortcuts that are seared into the minds of computer users, and they are turned to unthinkingly to speed up common tasks. But there are also keyboard shortcuts whose function has changed over time, with Win + C being a prime example.
Over the years, this particular shortcut has served as a way of accessing Cortana (remember that one?), launching Teams, and -- most recently -- for triggering Copilot. Win + C was killed off with Microsoft’s push of Copilot, and the arrival of the dedicated Copilot key on some new keyboards. Now there is some good news for people who either don’t use Microsoft’s AI-powered digital assistant, or would like to put the shortcut to better use.
Gmail search gets worse as Google forces AI powered results on users
Google is once again injecting AI where it doesn’t really belong. This time, sadly, it’s Gmail search -- something many of us use often. The search giant has started rolling out a change that sorts email search results by “most relevant” instead of the usual chronological order, and to be honest, it feels more like a nuisance than a helpful upgrade.
According to Google, this new AI-powered system will take things like recency, click behavior, and frequent contacts into account when surfacing results. In theory, that sounds useful. In practice, however, it will probably just bury what you’re actually looking for under a pile of algorithmic guesses.
Microsoft brings Copilot back from the dead after accidentally nuking it
Copilot remains a divisive addition to Windows, so there was a mixture of jubilation and despair when Microsoft released updates for Windows 10 and Windows 11 that had the unintended side effect of deleting the AI-powered digital assistant.
At the time, Microsoft acknowledged the accidental deletion and unpinning of the app and suggested Copilot fans manually download and reinstall the app while it worked on a proper fix. Now the company says it has things sorted out -- to the delight or chagrin of those affected.
How startups are redefining conflict
Conflict, like everything else these days, is now shaped by technology. The old model -- industrial-scale production, multi-decade procurement cycles, and the primacy of sheer manpower -- is fading. In its place something faster, leaner and more precise is emerging. Small teams with energy, ambition and good ideas now do in months what legacy contractors once did in years. In Ukraine, for example, drones built by startups and programmed by engineers barely out of university, are destroying tanks worth millions of dollars. The battlefield is changing. And with it, so is the balance of power.
A modern conflict, then, is not won by the biggest army. It’s won by those who can see first, move first, and strike first. This is the reality that some countries in some regions have been slow to grasp. I am a German citizen with friends in the force who have witnessed this first-hand. Their systems are bureaucratic, their procurement cycles sluggish. In a world where technology evolves in real time, they cannot keep pace. And after decades of peace, they haven’t felt motivated to do so.
Google Pixel 9a crushes Apple iPhone 16e with smarter AI and a better price
After many leaks, Google’s Pixel 9a is finally here! For anyone not locked into Apple’s ecosystem, it’s looking like the smarter choice over the iPhone 16e. At just $499, it packs AI-powered features, a pro-level camera system, and the powerful Google Tensor G4 chip -- all at a lower price than Apple’s so-called budget offering.
The Pixel 9a isn’t just another mid-range phone -- it’s got some legit flagship-level perks. Its 6.3-inch Actua display is the brightest ever on an A-series phone, hitting 2700 nits, while the 120Hz refresh rate makes for smoother scrolling than the iPhone 16e’s 60Hz screen. Google’s color choices -- Peony, Iris, Porcelain, and Obsidian -- also bring more fun and variety compared to Apple’s standard options.
Google announces new healthcare tools and features, including advice from people with the same symptoms as you
When illness strikes, many people turn to 'Doctor Google' for health advice. While this can be helpful in many cases, searching for symptoms can also throw up some terrifying potential 'diagnoses', but AI has been used to try to avoid providing either fearmongering suggestions or unhelpful advice.
Google is aware that it is often a first port of call for people trying to work out what condition they may have and how to best approach treatment, and the company has announced numerous improvements and new feature to make its offerings more helpful and trustworthy -- as well as starting to provide suggestions from non-medical experts.
Seamless cloud migration: Building an AI-optimized future
Implementing cloud services with AI technologies, such as Microsoft Copilot, is fundamental for IT providers seeking to offer advanced solutions. However, with greater dependence on AI-generated tools to foster innovation and productivity in organizations, the necessity of enabling cloud environments to host these sophisticated capabilities has become paramount.
Their successful integration, however, comes at the expense of having additional investments in computing power, data analytics, and intelligent security solutions that shield sensitive information from unauthorized access. Many companies first need to accomplish a cloud migration to improve the security posture of the infrastructure before implementing AI.
Like it or not, Google Assistant is being replaced by AI-powered Gemini on millions of devices
Google Assistant is being consigned to history. Almost a decade after it first launched, Google’s voice-activated digital assistant will be replaced by Gemini, Google’s updated AI-powered assistant.
If you’re an existing user of Google Assistant, you will no doubt have noticed the offer of switching to Gemini. While this has been, and remains for now, an optional switch, soon there will be no choice -- it will be Gemini all the way.
Working with AI: When should humans be 'in the loop' or 'over the loop'?
It’s a fact that over 80 percent of AI projects fail. Not because of AI’s potential, but because businesses prioritize minor use cases over real transformation. Automated insights and meeting summaries may be impressive, but AI only drives impact when seamlessly integrated into workflows, turning insights into action.
Deploying AI successfully isn’t simple, and organizations are complex. Effective AI deployment requires a clear framework for human oversight. AI should usually enhance human decision-making, providing targeted, explainable, and interactive insights. But in some cases -- especially when decisions are time-sensitive or involve vast amounts of data -- humans cannot oversee every output in real time. This raises a key question: when should humans be ‘in the loop,’ actively making decisions, and when should they be ‘over the loop,’ overseeing AI without direct intervention? Getting this balance right is crucial for both AI’s effectiveness and its responsible use.
Beyond DeepSeek: 3 critical questions for the future of AI
This year started with a shockwave for the tech world, and the AI community in particular. Launched by a relatively obscure Chinese startup, DeepSeek not only challenged the rules of the AI game by sending Nvidia's stock plummeting 17 percent in one day and becoming the most-downloaded app on the App Store and Play Store, but also showed the persisting security problems by accidentally exposing its database and leaking sensitive data including chat histories, API keys and backend operational details.
Success and failures aside, DeepSeek made the world realize how quickly and deeply a single AI model release can impact global events, and this raises three questions. First, how legitimate (and sustainable) are the massive AI investments in the West? Second, what risks and opportunities does open-source development pose? Finally, is it possible to balance growth and innovation with data privacy and security amidst a global AI race?
MTA uses Google Pixel smartphones and AI to detect subway track defects
The subway in NYC has received a huge upgrade, but it’s probably not at all what you’d expect. No, it is not coming in the form of new trains or renovations to stations (even though that would be great). Actually, the MTA is testing a system that effectively transforms Google Pixel Android smartphones into powerful diagnostic tools for tracking rail defects!
The project, called “TrackInspect,” attaches Google Pixel phones to subway cars. Then, by using the Android devices’ built-in microphones and motion sensors, it detects vibrations and sound patterns. These sounds can indicate areas of track that may need maintenance. How cool is that?
Five ways data platforms are underpinning the second cloud revolution
According to Gartner, over the next few years hybrid cloud will become the de facto approach for unlocking value from data. The projections are stark. Nine-in-ten organizations will adopt a hybrid cloud model by 2027, and end user spending globally on public cloud will grow by 21.4 percent this year alone, reaching more than $723 billion. Application services, system infrastructure services and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) will all see a boost in spending as well. By anyone’s money, these are huge numbers.
This second cloud revolution is being driven by data. When combined with analytics, data is a uniquely valuable asset for any business. If harnessed correctly, it can grow revenue, reduce costs, and entirely transform a business by opening up fresh market opportunities through the use of new technologies like GenAI.
Samsung 9100 PRO SSD delivers insane PCIe 5.0 speeds
If you thought solid state drive manufacturers were going to be slowing down their progress, you should think again. Today, Samsung unveils its 9100 PRO series, and it’s insanely fast. Using PCIe 5.0, it achieves up to 14,800 MB/s read and 13,400 MB/s write speeds! That’s twice as fast as its predecessor. So, yeah, this is a pretty big deal.
There are two variants of the SSD -- the standard 9100 PRO and a version with a heatsink for better cooling. Samsung has equipped these drives with a power-efficient 5nm controller, reducing energy use by nearly 50 percent. Impressively, random read/write speeds can hit 2,200K/2,600K IOPS.
© 1998-2025 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. About Us - Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy - Sitemap.