Computers & the Internet News and Discussions

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Google Search Adds Podcast-Style AI Audio Overviews

Audio Overviews gathers information from the top search results and turns it into a podcast-style conversation between two AI voices.

Google Search is adding yet another new tool called Audio Overviews. This tool uses its Gemini AI models to create short, conversational audio summaries for certain search queries. It is designed to give in-depth, hands-free explanations on topics that require more context, such as the history of Flag Day.

Audio Overviews gathers information from the top search results and turns it into a podcast-style conversation between two AI voices, as reported by Engadget.

This new option won't show up for simple searches, like asking for a date or a quick fact. Instead, it is most effective for users who want a deeper understanding of more complex topics. The audio player lets users adjust volume and playback speed, ranging from 0.25x to 2x. It also shows the web pages used to create the summary so users can explore the original sources if they want more detail.

https://www.extremetech.com/computing/g ... -overviews

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Adobe Launches Firefly AI Image Generation App for iOS and Android
Adobe says the app allows subscribers to generate unlimited basic images using Adobe's models, with additional charges for access to premium models and those from partners.
By Devesh Beri June 18, 2025

Adobe has released its first AI smartphone app, Firefly, for iOS and Android devices. The app will feature Adobe's own AI model along with models from partner firms such as OpenAI and Google, so users will have quite a few tools for generating images and videos.

Adobe says the app lets subscribers generate unlimited basic images using Adobe's models, with extra charges for access to premium models and those from partners. Firefly also gets models from Ideogram, Luma AI, Pika, and Runway. You can access these through Firefly Boards, which is part of the Firefly web app.
The subscription cost is the same as the web version and starts at $10 per month, as reported by Reuters.

https://www.extremetech.com/mobile/adob ... nd-android

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Google Launches Voice-Driven Search Live for Conversational Queries
Users can tap a new 'Live' icon in the app, ask questions aloud, and receive AI-generated audio responses.
By Devesh Beri June 20, 2025

Google has launched a new option in its AI Mode for Search called Search Live. It lets users have a voice conversation, back and forth, with the search engine itself. This is now available to users in the United States who have joined the AI Mode experiment through the Google app on Android and iOS.

With Search Live, users can tap a new "Live" icon in the app to ask questions aloud and receive AI-generated audio responses. They can also ask follow-up questions without restarting the conversation.

As users interact with Search Live, they see links from across the web on their screen, so they can check the link if they want to for more in-depth information. There is also a transcript button, which lets users view the text of the conversation, like subtitles, but with the entire text at once. Previous conversations are saved in the AI Mode history.

https://www.extremetech.com/computing/g ... al-queries

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Microsoft Sets New 60-Day Limit for System Restore Points in Windows 11 Update
Windows 11 purported to save restore points for about 90 days, but in reality, their lifespan varied.
By Devesh Beri June 23, 2025
https://www.extremetech.com/computing/m ... windows-11

Microsoft has changed how Windows 11 manages System Restore points after its June 2025 security update. The update, KB5060842, says that starting with Windows 11 version 24H2, System Restore points will be kept for up to 60 days. After 60 days, restore points older than 60 days will no longer be available for use.

Before, Windows 11 purported to save restore points for about 90 days, but in reality, their lifespan varied. Some restore points were removed after only 10 days, while others sometimes lasted the full 90 days, as reported by XDA Developers. This makes it hard for users to predict when their restore points will expire or if they will still be available when needed. Hopefully, the new 60-day limit can give users more certainty about how long their restore points will remain on their system.

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Li-Fi technology offers enhanced security and speeds 100 times faster than Wi-Fi
https://techxplore.com/news/2025-06-li- ... er-wi.html
by The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)

Li-Fi (Light Fidelity) is a wireless communication technology that utilizes the visible light spectrum (400–800 THz), similar to LED light, offering speeds up to 100 times faster than existing Wi-Fi (up to 224 Gbps). While it has fewer limitations in available frequency allocation and less radio interference, it is relatively vulnerable to security breaches as anyone can access it.

Korean researchers have now proposed a new Li-Fi platform that overcomes the limitations of conventional optical communication devices and can simultaneously enhance both transmission speed and security.

Professor Himchan Cho's research team from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, in collaboration with Dr. Kyung-geun Lim of the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science under the National Research Council of Science & Technology, has developed on-device encryption optical communication device technology for the utilization of Li-Fi, which is attracting attention as a next-generation ultra-high-speed data communication.

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Microsoft Extends Windows 10 Security Updates for 1 Year For Free
Once an option is chosen, the PC will be automatically enrolled, and security updates will be given from October 15, 2025, to October 13, 2026.
By Devesh Beri June 25, 2025

Microsoft has announced an extension to its Windows 10 Extended Security Updates (ESU) program, so users now have an extra year of security updates beyond the official end-of-support date set for October 14, 2025. This comes as Windows 10 continues to be the most widely used version of the operating system, holding a 53.19% share globally, according to StatCounter data from May 2025. Windows 11 trails at 43%.

The ESU program is called a "last resort option" for those who need to keep running older Microsoft software that has reached end-of-life. It is meant to be a temporary solution for users and organizations as they transition to newer, supported platforms, as reported by The Hacker News.

https://www.extremetech.com/computing/m ... r-for-free

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HDMI 2.2 Standard Officially Certified, Supports 16K Resolution
The 96Gbps maximum bandwidth makes it the most capable video and audio transmission cable out there.
By Jon Martindale June 26, 2025

The HDMI 2.2 specifications have been officially certified by the HDMI Forum managing organization, cementing the specifications and labelling it debuted at CES 2025. The new standard will have a maximum bandwidth of 96Gbps, eclipsing DisplayPort 2.1 and USB4's 80Gbps maximum. It will also introduce new labelling to differentiate the new cable standard it's launching with HDMI 2.2, as well as new official support for higher resolutions and refresh rates.
Although DisplayPort, USB4, and Thunderbolt have offered greater bandwidths than HDMI 2.1's 48Gbps for several years now, HDMI still remains the premier way to connect just about any device to a living room TV display. It's used in all the latest consoles and streaming devices, and with full support for 4K 120Hz, it's plenty for almost any mainstream use. HDMI 2.2 is still in its nascent stages of adoption, but it's likely to become the next mainstream connection standard.

https://www.extremetech.com/computing/h ... resolution

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Google Updates Chrome Address Bar to Let You Search Directly With AI on Android
The company has been adding AI-powered features to its search products for some time.
By Devesh Beri July 1, 2025

https://www.extremetech.com/computing/g ... with-ai-on
Google is bringing a new change to the Chrome browser address bar for Android users in its Canary version. The prompt "Search Google or type URL" has been replaced with "Search AI Mode or type URL." This means users can now directly use the address bar to enter queries that will be answered by Google's AI if they are signed in and the option is available in their region, as reported by Windows Report.

If the AI Mode is not enabled, users may be asked to opt into the Search Labs program, where Google tests new features. This change comes after similar tests in the desktop version of Chrome.

Google's Gemini 2.5 model will be responsible for conversational responses. The company has been adding AI-powered features to its search products for some time, and this update is an important point in making AI more accessible to users.

The new prompt is clearly made to show that users can chat with AI, and it's as easy as if they search the web—even easier, if you ask me. This makes it faster to get answers. But everything comes at a cost; it may also have an effect on publishers like us, who rely on search traffic for visitors.

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Microsoft Removes PowerShell 2.0 From Windows 11 Insider After 16 Years
PowerShell 2.0 was released in July 2009 and came with Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. It was also available for older systems like Windows XP with Service Pack 3.
By Devesh Beri July 7, 2025

Microsoft has released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27891 to the Canary Channel, which has updates for early testers. But one of the biggest and most noticeable changes is the removal of Windows PowerShell 2.0. Microsoft says this version, which has been deprecated for years, is now gone from the latest builds due to security concerns and the absence of modern capabilities.

The company plans to share more information about this removal in upcoming Windows 11 updates. Users and organizations relying on PowerShell 2.0 are urged to transition to PowerShell 5.0 or newer versions:

https://www.extremetech.com/computing/m ... r-16-years

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OpenAI to Launch AI-Powered Web Browser to Take on Google Chrome
Designed to make it easier to use AI to interact with the web as a whole, the browser will also be used to harvest more user data.
By Jon Martindale July 10, 2025

OpenAI has been working on its own web browser to challenge the might of Google's Chrome, and it could launch within weeks. The browser will include its own chatbot, likely built around one of ChatGPT's more affordable models, and is said to offer new ways to interact with the web by leveraging AI. The real end goal, though, may be for OpenAI to use data on how its new users interact with the web to further augment its services.

The explosive growth of the artificial intelligence industry has lead to many of the world's top tech firms vying for dominance, and Google and OpenAI are right on the threshold. They both offer competing AI models in Gemini and ChatGPT, respectively, but this war isn't only on a single front. OpenAI is now opening up a new one by throwing its weight into the browser space, potentially cutting off a portion of Google's most important data harvesting services.

https://www.extremetech.com/computing/o ... gle-chrome

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JEDEC Breaks Out LPDDR6 Standard for Mobile and AI Memory
Low-power memory gets a performance boost.
https://www.extremetech.com/computing/j ... -ai-memory

The LPDDR6 standard for mobile memory is officially here, thanks to the JEDEC. The global standards body says LPDDR6 memory will have better performance and power efficiency than its predecessor. It’s also poised to provide better AI performance, making it more than just a memory standard.

Qualcomm’s yet-to-be-announced Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 SoC will have support for memory based on LPDDR6.

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Seagate Launches 30TB HAMR Hard Drives in a Pitch to AI Data Center Builders
AI might prefer fast storage, but with the ultra-fast rollout of new data centers around the world, developers may need to work with what they can get.
By Jon Martindale July 17, 2025

Seagate has launched two new 30TB hard drives based on its heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) technology, which enables far greater data density on the individual platters. The new Exos M 30TB and IronWolf Pro 30TB units are now widely available and marketed to data center builders looking to max out their storage capacity for large AI training data, as well as edge-case inferencing.

Although AI tends to run best on fast storage hardware like SSDs, the incredible pace of AI adoption and development around the world is creating a scramble for hardware. That's mostly led to companies battering down Nvidia's door to get more graphics chips. But AI needs lots of storage space, too, and Seagate is keen for its hard drives to be a part of that buildout of new AI infrastructure, or "AI factories," as Nvidia's Jensen Huang calls them.

https://www.extremetech.com/computing/s ... r-builders

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Meta wants to replace your mouse and keyboard with this bracelet
By Abhimanyu Ghoshal
July 23, 2025

Researchers at Meta have developed a wristband that translates your hand gestures into commands to interact with a computer, including moving a cursor, and even transcribing your handwriting in the air into text. It could make today's personal devices a lot more accessible to people with reduced mobility or muscle weakness, and even unlock new ways for people to control their gadgets effortlessly.

In a paper published in Nature this week, the Reality Labs team described its sEMG-RD (surface electromyography research device), which uses sensors to translate electrical motor nerve signals that travel through the wrist to the hand into digital commands that you can use to control a connected device.

Those signals are essentially your brain telling your hand to perform actions you've decided to carry out, so you can think of them as intentional instructions. You can see how the device works in the demo video below:

https://newatlas.com/wearables/meta-mou ... t-semg-rd/

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Google Chrome adds AI-powered store summaries to help US shoppers
Sarah Perez
10:00 AM PDT · July 28, 2025

Google on Monday announced an update to its Chrome web browser that will introduce AI-generated store reviews to U.S. shoppers with the aim of helping to determine the best places to make a purchase. The feature, which will be available by clicking an icon just to the left of the web address in the browser, will display a pop-up that informs consumers about the store’s reputation for things like product quality, shopping, pricing, customer service, and returns.

The feature, which is currently available only in English, will generate the summaries based on reviews from partners, including Bazaarvoice, Bizrate Insights, Reputation.com, Reseller Ratings, ScamAdviser, Trustpilot, TurnTo, Yotpo, Verified Reviews, and others.

https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/28/googl ... -shoppers/