PCMag – Tech News

Brief, Chill, or Sweet? Amazon’s Alexa+ Now Lets You Pick Your AI’s Personality

Amazon is adding three new personalities to its AI-powered voice assistant, Alexa+. Users can tune their voice assistant to be Brief, Chill, or Sweet. If set to Brief, Alexa Plus will provide shorter, more direct responses, with just the details you need. Switching to Chill will make the voice assistant respond in a laid-back, friendly tone, while choosing Sweet will transform it into a constant cheerleader with upbeat responses.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/brief-chill-or-sweet-amazons-alexa-plus-now-lets-you-pick-your-ais-personality

I’m Seeing Ads in ChatGPT, and OpenAI Broke Its Promise. Here’s What They Look Like

Ads have officially arrived, at least in my ChatGPT account. They're larger than expected, and often not relevant to the conversation.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/im-seeing-ads-in-chatgpt-openai-broke-its-promise-what-they-look-like

RIP ChromeOS? Not So Fast. Court Docs Suggest It’ll Be Around Until 2034

Google is currently working on the combined Android-ChromeOS, known as Aluminum OS, but we're probably two years out from getting our hands on it. Court documents tip a testing period later this year and a full release by 2028.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/rip-chromeos-not-so-fast-court-docs-suggest-itll-be-around-until-2034?test_uuid=04IpBmWGZleS0I0J3epvMrC&test_variant=A

Google’s Project Genie Tool Lets You Build Virtual Worlds for Training or Just Fun

Google DeepMind's new Project Genie AI tool is something a little different. Instead of answering chatbot prompts more (or even less) effectively than the last model, this one lets you craft an entire 3D world to explore with just a short text prompt.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/google-project-genie-ai-tool-build-virtual-worlds-for-training-fun?test_uuid=04IpBmWGZleS0I0J3epvMrC&test_variant=A

Netflix Live Voting Is Finally Here, Kicks Off Tonight With Its Star Search Reboot

The real-time voting tool has been teased for the last few months, but it debuts today on the platform’s new Star Search reality show. Netflix says the votes collected during the show will determine who advances in the competition and who is knocked out.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/netflix-live-voting-is-finally-here-kicks-off-tonight-with-its-star-search

Google: No, We’re Not Secretly Using Your Gmail Account to Train Gemini

Google has hit back at claims circulating on social media that accuse the tech giant of training its Google Gemini AI on users' emails without their permission. In a statement shared with The Verge, Google called reports "misleading," saying that the company has “not changed anyone’s settings. Gmail Smart Features have existed for many years, and we do not use your Gmail content for training our Gemini AI model.”
https://www.pcmag.com/news/google-no-were-not-secretly-training-gemini-on-your-gmail-account

Apple’s New iPhone Accessory Is Part Sock, Part Crossbody Strap

Apple’s latest limited-edition accessory is a crossbody cloth strap designed to fit every iPhone. Apple calls this pleated, cloth accessory a "singular 3D-knitted construction." The sock element where you place your phone can be stretched, allowing you to put in other small everyday items.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/apples-new-iphone-accessory-is-part-sock-part-crossbody-strap