Our Flag Means Death, the sleeper hit pirate romance/comedy that is “loosely” based on the true lives of two infamous pirates—Ed “Blackbeard” Teach and Stede Bonnet—returns with an official teaser trailer for season two. As Taika Waititi’s Blackbeard deals with heartbreak and Rhys Darby’s Bonnet (The Gentleman Pirate)…
Google has been working to marry its new-found focus on generative AI with its existing expertise in search since mid-May, as part of Search Lab’s Google Search Generative Experience (SGE) project. On Wednesday, the company announced that the SGE program is expanding beyond America’s digital borders and into both the Japanese and Indian marketplaces.
SGE is Google’s answer to Microsoft’s Bing AI and is designed to provide summarized and curated answers to input prompts rather than a list of webpages. Google’s system differs from Microsoft’s in that it incorporates its AI directly into the existing search bar rather than run it as a separate chatbot assistant. The company began expanding access to the SGE program in late May for US users and, this week, rolled out Search Labs to users in India and Japan.
The AI-enhanced search feature will be available in Japanese in Japan and in both English and Hindi for users in India, reads a Wednesday Google Search blog. “We’re also launching with voice input, so users can simply speak their query instead of typing it and listen to the responses,” the blog continues. “Search ads will continue to appear in dedicated ad slots throughout the page.”
Google also claimed that “people are having a positive experience,” using SGE “for help with more complex queries and entirely new types of questions.” In fact, the company notes that SGE’s highest satisfaction scores came from 18-24 year olds, though did not offer data to back up those assertions.
Following the meteoric rise in popularity of generative AI systems with the release of ChatGPT last November, the technology’s luster is already beginning to fade as the seemingly inevitable misuse of its capabilities ramps up. The tech is already being used in online scams and has attracted the attention of both federal regulators and Congress itself, seeking to crack down on such shenanigans.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-is-pushing-its-ai-powered-search-on-india-and-japan-next-003057376.html?src=rss
Trump is accused of shifting the valuation of his assets in a scheme to convince banks to lend money to the Trump Organization on more favorable terms.
Deadline reports that Hollywood studio execs are supposed to meet tonight in order to “get on the same page” regarding negotiations with the currently striking writing and acting guilds, presumably after the latest round of bad press surrounding the AMPTP’s failure to negotiate in good faith.
Clearblue has launched a new product that can determine what stage of menopause a person is in. The “Menopause Stage Indicator” is a urine testing device and it’s the company’s first for this underserved market in women’s health.
The Menopause Stage Indicator looks like a standard pregnancy test stick but instead of measuring urine for pregnancy hormones, it will look for follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels, which are measured to confirm menopause. To get accurate test results, you’ll have to conduct five urine tests over ten days, and Clearblue recommends they be taken every other day. Using FSH levels, menstrual cycle history, and a person’s age, the company will be able to determine and confirm the menopause stage. The app will calculate if a person is in premenopause, early perimenopause, late perimenopause, or postmenopause.
In its press release, Clearblue acknowledges that only a healthcare professional can confirm someone’s menopause stage. However, through the app, you can generate a personalized report and share it with your healthcare provider to confirm test results and discuss potential treatment options. The Menopause Stage Indicator will be available on Amazon for a starting price of $20.
Women’s health has long been cast aside as a mere subset of healthcare. And it’s even worse for aging people entering menopause. The market for a menopause testing device by Clearblue, a brand most famous for its pregnancy tests, is prime for the taking. Studies show that 73 percent of women experience menopause but do not seek treatment for their symptoms and the global menopause market size is projected to grow to $21.6 billion by 2026.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/clearblues-cheap-menopause-test-fills-a-hole-in-the-at-home-health-market-230039337.html?src=rss
“Strike Force Five” will be a limited series hosted by Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and John Oliver.
Our Flag Means Death, the sleeper hit pirate romance/comedy that is “loosely” based on the true lives of two infamous pirates—Ed “Blackbeard” Teach and Stede Bonnet—returns with an official teaser trailer for season two. As Taika Waititi’s Blackbeard deals with heartbreak and Rhys Darby’s Bonnet (The Gentleman Pirate)…
The unfortunate removal of Star Trek: Prodigy from Paramount+ earlier this year hasn’t been a killing blow for the team on the animated series, who continue to work on finishing the previously greenlit season two in the hopes that the show can find a home elsewhere. But what then? It’s not necessarily the end of the…
Google has revealed more details about how you’ll be able to use the Duet AI assistant to help you rapidly whip up emails and documents. In Gmail, the tool builds on existing AI-powered features such as Smart Reply. Click or tap the “help me write” button and you’ll have several options at your disposal.
Select “write your draft” and you can detail the type of message that you’d like Duet AI to generate. The tool will be able to draw from previous messages in the thread to make the draft response more relevant, Google says. If Duet AI creates a message in a tone that’s perhaps too casual, you can ask the assistant to make it more formal. There are options to make the draft more elaborate or condensed, and if you’re feeling adventurous, you can slap the “I’m feeling lucky” option. This, Google says, will “introduce fun variations on tone and style for content you’ve drafted.”
The options are pretty similar in Google Docs, though you’ll be able to make the tone of Duet AI’s screed more casual if you wish. There are options to generate a summary for a section or an entire document, use bullet points (for those Axios fans out there) and to create a different draft based on your initial description. Additionally, Google says you can use a custom instruction to “refine the generated content.” The “help me write” tool for Docs can pull in smart canvas features.
For now, the new virtual assistant is only available to organizations who pony up an extra $30 per user per month for the Duet AI for Google Workspace Enterprise add-on. Duet AI will be available for small- and medium-sized businesses as well as consumers in the coming months, but Google hasn’t revealed pricing as yet.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/googles-duet-ai-can-generate-emails-and-documents-in-different-tones-161534645.html?src=rss
When Sennheiser debuted the original Ambeo Soundbar in 2019, it was the company’s only living room speaker to carry its immersive audio tech. It was also very expensive at $2,500. That model, now dubbed the Ambeo Soundbar Max, is still $2,000 and its big sonic chops come in a massively large package. Last year, Sennheiser revealed the Ambeo Soundbar Plus: a $1,500 option that carried much of what makes Max such an acoustic marvel in a smaller design and a lower price (which is now $1,200). Today, the company announced the most affordable Ambeo model yet, the Ambeo Soundbar Mini, which packs that immersive audio tech in a much smaller speaker. It’s a bid to take on the likes of Sonos Beam, but this Mini is still comparatively pricey at $800.
Sennheiser says the Ambeo Soundbar Mini is less than half the size of the Ambeo Soundbar Plus. The smaller stature alleviates potential obstruction when you place it in front of your TV and the company says it’s compact enough to put on your desk. Despite the reduced footprint, the Mini still packs 250 watts of amplification power behind four full-range drivers and two four-inch subwoofers. Sennheiser says these components combine for the “sharp fidelity, impactful bass and crystal-clear presence” exhibited by the larger two Ambeo soundbars.
The main attraction here remains the company’s immersive Ambeo technology. Sennheiser’s 3D audio system uses the Mini’s four microphones to calibrate the soundbar to any space. This process takes into account room size, reflective surfaces and textures. The one-touch process adjusts the speaker’s 7.1.4 surround sound virtualization for the best performance. The Mini supports Dolby Atmos, DTS:X MPEG-H and Sony’s 360 Reality Audio while connecting to your TV or display through a single HDMI 2.1 (eARC) port. While Sennheiser says the soundbar is capable of “room-filling sound and impactful bass” down to 43 Hz, it gives you the option of connecting up to four Ambeo Subs ($600 each).
The Ambeo Soundbar Mini is equipped with WiFi and Bluetooth, both of which can be used to stream music from the likes of Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify and Tidal. Sennheiser says the speaker’s Ambeo OS allows quick access to audio via Chromecast, AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect. The Mini’s microphones can also be used for voice commands via the built-in Alexa compatibility, but leveraging Google Assistant or Siri will require Chomecast or AirPlay, respectively.
If you wish to expand your Ambeo setup beyond the Mini, your only option is to add an Ambeo Sub. The soundbar doesn’t support subwoofers from other companies and there’s no compatibility with wireless rear satellite speakers. That’s due to the lack of Ambeo integration on both (Sennheiser really needs to make a set of rear speakers ASAP). This, in addition to a lower price, is a key difference between the Mini and the Sonos Beam. Sonos’ second-gen compact soundbar adds Dolby Atmos, but it doesn’t have up-firing drivers so the overall effect is limited. Still, a bundle that includes the Beam, a Sub Mini and two Era 100 speakers is available for $1,356 — around $50 less than the Ambeo Soundbar Mini and its compatible sub.
The Ambeo Soundbar Mini will be available on September 1st.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sennheisers-ambeo-soundbar-mini-crams-3d-audio-in-a-beam-like-design-220051570.html?src=rss
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