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This week at CES, Google presented an early look at new software and hardware upgrades coming to Google TV devices. The new features include the integration of Gemini, Google's AI model, to the Google Assistant, as well as a new ambient experience. New smart TVs with Google TV will also gain far-field mics and proximity sensors to support the new software perks. If you've used a Google TV or Google streaming device, you may have already used the "hey Google" prompt to search for shows to watch. With the addition of Gemini, those "conversations" should now feel more natural. Asking follow up questions or even changing topics to ask about something else won't require you to say the prompt again. You should also be able to search for content more intuitively, saying things like, "What are the newest movies from Disney?" Interacting with your connected smart home devices should be easier as well, letting you say, for example, "Who's at the front door?" to view your video doorbell feed. The new Google TV experience will include YouTube videos to supplement answers to your queries. So if you ask, "what are the best pizza places in Chicago?" your TV will give you a list of videos to check out. To facilitate the new AI-fueled Assistant capabilities, Google TV sets will now come standard with far-field microphones so you can talk to the Google Assistant without the remote. Google is also working on a new ambient experience that will rely on proximity sensors to trigger an on-screen hub that shows personalized widgets like weather, news, traffic and so on. And when you're not viewing the hub or actively watching TV, an always-on mode can display art or even AI-generated screensavers, again enabled by Gemini's smarts. We've seen versions of some of these features before. Amazon's Echo Show smart displays rely on proximity sensors to display personal details. Supplementing your queries with YouTube videos and creating AI screensavers with voice prompts are both features we saw with the new Google TV Streamer from last year. And of course, AI integration has been an unofficial mandate for every tech company throughout 2024 and it's everywhere at CES this year. If the new smarts makes finding something good to watch an easier endeavor, it'll be a welcome use of the technology. Google demonstrated the new features at CES this week and has said the technology will be available on new Google TV devices sometime this year, but we don't have a firm date for when the new devices will be available. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/gemini-ai-is-coming-to-google-tv-devices-in-2025-making-them-easier-to-talk-to-160003805.html?src=rss
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Apple's AirTag is the best Bluetooth tracker for iPhone users, and if you've been thinking about picking some up, now would be a good time to do so. A four-pack of AirTags has dropped to $70, which is $29 off the regular price. That marks a return to a record-low price for the bundle. If you'd rather buy just one AirTag for now to test it out, there's some good news on that front as well. A single AirTag will currently run you $23. That's six bucks off the usual price. AirTags take just seconds to set up using an iPhone. They are integrated into the Find My network, so you don't have to register for another service or download a separate app. AirTags also support the ultra-wideband wireless protocol. When your iPhone gets within roughly 25 feet of a linked AirTag, you'll see directional arrows and an approximate distance meter to help you locate it. On top of that, Apple recently revealed that several major airlines are adding support for AirTag tracking to their systems. The idea is to help you (and your airline) more easily locate any missing bag that has an AirTag inside. Meanwhile, you might be interested in picking up some AirTag accessories to, say, more easily attach them to your keychain. We've got you covered there too, thanks to our round-up of the best AirTag accessories. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/a-four-pack-of-apple-airtags-has-dropped-to-70-150049936.html?src=rss
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With the increasing popularity of 4K and even 8K displays, today at CES 2025 the HDMI Forum officially revealed version 2.2 of the HDMI spec. While the shape of the connector and its general capabilities arent changing a ton, the big upgrade for HDMI 2.2 is that it can now support bandwidths of up to 96Gbps. This should make it significantly easier to send content with higher refresh rates and resolutions to compatible displays to help ensure your content looks as good as possible. Notably, alongside the increased bandwidth, the HDMI Forum is also rolling out new Ultra96 HDMI branded cables that will be part of the organization's certification process to help customers better identify when they are buying a compatible HDMI cord. The forum says testing will be required for each model length and instructed to display an official Certification Label on the cable itself. Other additions to the spec include next-gen Fixed Rate Link signaling technology which is designed to better support uncompressed content at 4K60 resolutions and above. Also, the inclusion of a new Latency Indication Protocol (LIP) should improve audio and data synchronization, particularly for multi-device setups like those with dedicated receivers or soundbars. That said, while HDMI 2.2 looks like a very useful upgrade to support higher quality audio and video, dont try to run out and upgrade all your gear right away. The HDMI Forums says the official spec will be released to all HDMI 2.x adopters in the first half 2025, so it will take some additional time after that for compatible devices to begin hitting the market.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/hdmi-version-22-adds-support-for-bandwidth-of-up-to-96gbps-150046354.html?src=rss
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