Author: News Room
I expected this comparison to be uglier. Meta Muse, Gemini Nano Banana 2, and ChatGPT Images 2.0 sounded like a perfect setup for plastic faces, mangled hands, fake products, and posters written in haunted alphabet soup. Instead, they were mostly competent, which somehow made the whole thing more suspicious. These aren’t identical tools wearing different logos. Meta pitches Muse Image as a social image model living inside Meta AI and its apps. Google frames Nano Banana 2 around speed, editing, and Gemini’s broader knowledge. OpenAI sells ChatGPT Images 2.0 on text rendering, visual control, and stronger prompt handling. Different ambitions,…
Google Photos on Android is finally getting the cleaner bottom navigation bar iPhone users have had since February. That’s a strange thing to say about a Google app on Google’s own mobile platform, but here we are. The update replaces the old docked bar with a floating pill that sits above the bottom edge of the screen. It no longer covers the photos underneath, and it puts Gemini-powered Ask Photos beside the main navigation. For Android users, Google Photos should feel a little less cramped. For Google, the delay makes a small design improvement look more awkward than it needed…
A runaway pup can race into a forest or across miles of open countryside, leaving its owner with a GPS tracker that suddenly has no way to report its location. But Fi is looking to solve that problem with the Fi Ultra, which is a new dog tracker that falls back on SpaceX’s Starlink network whenever cellular coverage disappears. The company describes it as the first dog tracker powered by T-Mobile’s T-Satellite with Starlink service. It is available now in the US for $199, plus a $20 activation fee and a $189 annual membership. Your dog just got a satellite…
Samsung will unveil the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, and Galaxy Z Flip 8 at its July 22 event in London. But ahead of the launch, tipster Ice Universe has made a surprising claim: the Galaxy Z Flip 8 could be Samsung’s last compact foldable. That rumor feels hard to believe at first. While Samsung’s Fold models get plenty of attention for their tablet-like screens, the Flip series has always felt like the more mainstream option. It’s smaller, easier to carry, and usually costs less than the Fold. More importantly, it’s a phone that usually catches…
AI voice assistants have been chasing the sci-fi dream for years, but they still have a hard time holding a conversation with humans. Most voice systems still need clear turns, clean pauses, and a few seconds before they respond. OpenAI is now rolling out GPT-Live, a new voice model for ChatGPT Voice that is designed to make those exchanges feel faster and less scripted. The main upgrade is what OpenAI calls a full-duplex architecture. In simpler terms, GPT-Live can listen and speak at the same time. It continuously processes what the user is saying while also generating its own response,…
Google is rolling out a fresh batch of updates to Gemini for Home and the Google Home app, and the headline change is one that could get more users to try out automations. Version 4.20 of the Google Home app adds a handful of pre-built routines to the Automations tab, so instead of building one from scratch, you can pick one and turn it on with a tap. No more starting from zero Until now, setting up an automation in Google Home meant picking your own triggers, conditions, and actions, which can be a lot to figure out for less…
Smartphone photography has become an over-processed mess, prioritizing algorithms over authenticity. I recently saw an Instagram post comparing iPhone 6 Photos to iPhone 17 Pro photos, and honestly, in some shots I preferred the results from the decade-old camera. It’s one of the reasons why apps like Halide have become so popular. People prefer authenticity now, and Halide’s Process Zero mode, which strips away all the extra processing Apple piles onto your photos, is a breath of fresh air. A few weeks back, Halide released its Mark III update that introduced features like Looks, a set of film-inspired color profiles,…
X has one of the more useful anti-misinformation tools on social media that lets volunteer contributors attach short notes to posts that may be misleading or missing key facts. Meta and TikTok liked this model enough to launch their own versions last year called Community Notes and Footnotes, respectively. But X’s Community Notes system has a glaring flaw. Community Notes’ timing problem Before a Community Note goes live, contributors with differing viewpoints need to reach a consensus that it’s helpful, and that process can drag on. Notes are rated by contributors until they cross a consensus threshold, and plenty never…
Chinese automaker Chery just made one of the boldest warranty promises in the EV industry. If a battery fire damages your car, the customer will get a whole new one without any asterisks or fine print about fault. It sure sounds like a marketing stunt, but the company is backing the claim with solid engineering. So what exactly is Chery promising? Chery launched what it calls the Rhino Battery Safety Program, which is backed by a 10 billion yuan ($1.47 billion) R&D push. As part of the program, battery casings are rated to handle a 1,500-joule underbody impact, which is…
Xbox’s recent restructuring may have claimed another project, but Fallout fans could be getting something far more exciting in return. According to Bloomberg, Microsoft-owned Obsidian Entertainment has cancelled its planned Avowed sequel and is instead shifting its focus to a brand-new Fallout game. The project will reportedly be led by Josh Sawyer, the director behind the critically acclaimed Fallout: New Vegas, making it one of the most exciting Fallout developments in years. A familiar name returns to Fallout Sawyer is no stranger to the wasteland. He directed Fallout: New Vegas, widely regarded by many fans as one of the best…