As AI gets better, it reveals an empty promise
This week we’ve got tandem hands-ons with Google’s new Gemini AI agent — Spark — from my colleagues David Pierce and Jay Peters. Their takeaways are similar: It’s so effective…
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Snap’s Specs look good on nobody
…Then, in the lightning round, it’s time for the Hype Desk, Brendan Carr Is a Dummy, Facebook’s AI Mode, and Matter 1.6. Watch | Listen | Get…
Ad-free streaming is a luxury now
…alongside other streamers and now costs $12.99 / month. Meanwhile, Netflix is finding more ways to show ads to viewers, such as allowing brands to use AI to “blend” their ads with…
Spotify says its AI remix tool is for superfans, but I’m not convinced
…How exactly it will work, beyond being “powered by generative AI technology,” or how much it will cost, is unclear. They’re positioning this as a premium subscription add-on service for…
Amazon is about to be flooded with AI-generated video ads
…We’ll likely see Amazon retailers utilizing AI-generated video ads in the wild now that the tool is generally available in the US and costs nothing to use — unless the ads…
The best robot vacuum deals available ahead of Prime Day
…The model that includes a self-emptying dock costs just $30 more at Amazon. You don’t get AI-powered obstacle avoidance with this one, and its 5,200Pa suction isn’t…
I’ve fallen into Sora’s slippery slop
…Sora2_Hayden_AI] My AI-generated self’s appearance was scary accurate for most of the video — though my voice was off, and the face in the beginning looked a little warped…
The Razr Fold is stuck in the middle
…As a reminder, it’s okay to care about how your phone looks. But the Razr Fold sets a very high bar for itself by virtue of costing $1,900. And at…
Motorola
…Maybe my “flip phone as an AI wearable” concept has legs after all. Moto previewed its AI features at its recent Tech World showcase. Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge Allison Johnson Oct…
Windows is back on the Microsoft menu
…It set the stage for Microsoft and Nvidia to position their new Windows PCs as a potential solution for costly, usage-based pricing of cloud-based AI models. As local compute grows…