“Google rolled out AI updates to Chrome recently, including a Gemini side panel. Like the AI sidebars already in Microsoft Edge or Perplexity's Comet browser, it lives on the right rail of the page and lets you ask questions about whatever page you're on.
The big difference: Chrome is deeply wired into Gmail and the rest of Google's ecosystem. I asked it to draft an email to the author of the article I was reading, telling her that I didn't like her story. I could even click Send without leaving the page.
I did have a bit of trouble with it: I went to a Cub Scouts events page and asked it to pull dates and add them to my Google calendar. It failed.
The panel also lets you have fun with website images using Nano Banana. I wanted a penguin on the hood of a Chinese EV that I test-drove recently, and -- sure enough -- I got my penguin. A big old emperor, just chilling on the hood.
Luckily, it's still cold outside.
Spotify's Own AI Addition
Spotify recently announced a new AI tool called Prompted Playlist, NOT to be confused with Spotify's earlier -- and still kicking -- AI Playlist, which I wrote about earlier.
In the iOS and Android app, tap Create in the bottom right, then Prompted Playlist. I typed: "a playlist I can write and work to, with a mix of acoustic rock, classic rock and newer bands I might like." I hit Generate playlist and, within a minute, had a new "Rockin' Work Mix." The picks weren't bad -- Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Eagles, The Lumineers, Mumford & Sons -- but Spotify stacked the classic rock at the top and pushed the newer bands to the back half, where I would've preferred them mixed together. You can set the playlist to update daily or weekly.
The tool rolled out recently to most Premium users in the U.S. and Canada. One could reasonably ask why this couldn't have just been an update to the original feature. But I like this thing, so whatever!
New AirTags
"Everyone! Shh! I can't hear my keys." That's me every time I'm trying to hear the gentle chirp of an AirTag while hunting for my keychain. But not for long. Apple is launching a second generation of its tiny tracking devices, with a speaker that's 50% louder. The company says it has improved Bluetooth tracking, too. The AirTags are now on sale for the same price as their predecessors -- $29 for a single tag or $99 for a four-pack.
AI's Advertising Schism
OpenAI said it planned to start testing ads in ChatGPT for the first time, marking a screeching turnaround for a company whose CEO, Sam Altman, once described advertising as "a last resort." The move comes as Altman scrambles for new revenue sources for OpenAI, which has committed to spending hundreds of billions in the coming years. Newsflash: It doesn't currently make hundreds of billions. Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis told Axios he was "surprised" OpenAI would bring ads to ChatGPT so soon, saying Google had no plans for ads in its Gemini assistant. To be clear, Google has ads everywhere else.
Nothing Doing
I'm proud of Nothing for doingnothing. The hardware company known as Nothing -- which makes a phone called Phone -- announced in a video that it won't release a Phone 4 this year, but instead keep last year's Phone 3 as its flagship. The move marks a deliberate rejection of the upgrade cycle, that annual dance where hardware makers (ahem, Apple) drop flashy new models, often with only incremental improvements. Nothing plans to launch a lower-cost, mid-tier option this year instead.
Throwback Thing
Who? Calvin Mew from New York
What? Nintendo Game Boy Color
When? 1998
Why? In 1999 I visited my godson William, who was playing with a Nintendo Game Boy Color. He was eight at the time, and I'd never seen anything like it before. He let me play "Pac-Man" on the device. Then he showed me the game that intrigued him at the time: "Pokemon." On the following Father's Day, William gave me a Game Boy Color, and he included the game "Pokemon Gold." Soon I was involved with capturing Pokemons. The game was not addictive -- well, maybe it was -- but it was an excellent diversion from my work life. After I graduated to "Pokemon Silver" and "Pokemon Crystal," William would give me hints about how to be more successful in my battles. When I pulled out my Game Boy to replace my IBM ThinkPad on long flights for business, my traveling companions were interested and amused.” [1]
1. Chrome Changes Arrive, Other Tech Tidbits. Stern, Joanna. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 05 Feb 2026: A9.
Komentarų nėra:
Rašyti komentarą