Robotics

Thomas Fuller/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Is Android Auto causing your phone to reboot? You’re not alone. Over the past few weeks, posts on support forums like Reddit have reported a strange glitch. Any time you try to use Android Auto, the reports say, your phone reboots. In some cases, like those reported on Google’s […] More

Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNETOne practical use case for AI natural language processing is being able to search your photos with the ease of a conversational prompt. As a result, Google unveiled a feature called Ask Photos last year and started rolling out early access to users via Google Labs in September. The feature finally rolled out to me — and the results were surprising. I was excited to try it out for myself. Even though I am a long-time iPhone user, I’ve used Google Photos for about a decade for the additional photo storage and the impressive search interface. Even though the classic search experience isn’t marketed as an AI feature, it has always been super efficient and better than those found on alternatives like Apple Photos. Also: The best AI image generators: Tested and reviewedWith the classic search in Google Photos, I could search terms like “cake,” “hot dog,” “red dress,” or “beach trip,” and it would filter through my many photos and find the results instantaneously. With Google Photos already setting such a high bar, I expected the AI-enhanced Ask Photos to exceed my expectations.It did not. However, the feature has promise, and here are some ways Google can improve it. (I also include some tips on getting the most out of Ask Photos today.)1. Differentiate it from the classic search experience To get started, in Ask Photos I searched “photos of me as a baby” and was met with the message, “I didn’t find any photos of you as a baby, but I might have missed them!” However, when I typed in the search “baby photos,” much like the classic search, it was able to show me all the pictures of babies in my library, which included the ones of me I was looking for. Even though I was able to pull up the photos I wanted, to get there, I had to search the same key term I regularly do in classic search.  The result was I wasted my time trying to use conversational terms rather than thinking of a keyword that populates what I was looking for.Also: How we test AI at ZDNET in 2025In another example, I looked up, “Me in a red dress.” After a couple of seconds of loading, I was met with “I can’t seem to find a picture of you in a red dress as a baby,” failing to recognize that this was an entirely unrelated query, in itself an annoying quirk. Even once it realized what I meant, it showed me pictures of anyone in my camera roll with a red dress. When I typed red dress into the classic search, I was met — almost instantaneously — with a ton of results of red dresses throughout the years, with the ones of me prioritized at the top. To make Ask Photos truly worth it for users, it would need to provide a significant upgrade, which, at the moment, it is not. 2. Make Ask Photos significantly faster Don’t let my first point dissuade you entirely from using Ask Photos. In some cases, it was actually helpful. For example, when I asked it to show my pictures of a Corgi, it pulled up all the pictures in my library of the dog and even told me his name and a bit about his activities. Similarly, when I asked it to show me pictures of the food I cooked, it brought up many homemade meals I’d made over the years. However, one issue remains even when Ask Photos displays the intended results — speed. Also: The head of US AI safety has stepped down. What now?Ask Photos lags a couple of seconds, even when populating the same results as a classic search in response to a simple query. A few seconds isn’t a long time, of course. But when compared to classic search results, which are nearly instantaneous, a few seconds can feel like a lifetime. I think Ask Photos’ speed goal should look toward something like the Gemini chatbot, which populates results much more quickly. 3. Expand the ‘beyond search’ offeringsWhen the Ask Photos feature was launched, one of the selling points was being able to use it beyond search, for example, to create a highlight of special moments from your camera roll using a conversational prompt. Although this is a cute feature, and it worked when put to the test, it doesn’t seem like a significant enough win to convert users to Ask Photos. Also: Mistral’s new AI model specializes in Arabic and related languagesI think Google has many opportunities to leverage its other AI offerings to build more unique experiences. Perhaps a user could use the Ask Photos feature to ask Gemini to remove an element from the background, insert a new element, add a filter, etc. Most people probably will not have an everyday application for creating a video montage, but saving time editing a photo seems more practical. How to access Ask Photos is still an experimental feature, so to get access you have to join the waitlist. You can join the waitlist by going to the Google Photos page, scrolling down to the Ask Photos section, entering your Gmail address, and clicking the “Join the waitlist” button. More

Vladimir Sukhachev/Getty Images As a kid, I was inspired by the decorative lighting in my grandparents’ finished basement. They had festooned the place with multicolored C9 string lights (aka old-school Christmas lights) from wall to wall, beneath the built-in wet bar, around hanging mirrors, and anywhere else they could add an ambient accent for the […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways Lenovo’s Legion Go S is currently on sale for $730 at Best Buy This handheld supports AAA gaming thanks to its AMD processor and the front-facing speakers that envelop you in high-definition sound It is, however, bogged down by a low battery life and an expensive price tag. –> The Lenovo […] More

If you live in an area close to the wilderness or away from city and street lights, a reliable floodlight can be a useful security tool in a myriad of ways. Its mere presence can scare off pests or intruders, give a clear view of the outdoors during inclement weather, or simply make sure you have a clear path for taking out the trash. The best outdoor security floodlights offer flexible programming with dusk-to-dawn modes, motion detectors, and adjustable brightness to give you a customizable experience.Also: I just tested the new EufyCam, and I’m never going back to grainy night visionWe’ve gone hands-on with some of the best floodlights on the market that can brighten up your dull outdoor space and offer the best protection features for your home, no matter your installation requirements.What is the best floodlight right now?Our top pick for the best floodlight is the Eufy Security E340 More

Jason Hiner/ZDNETApple this week launched one big thing and removed five smaller things in the process. With the unveiling of the new iPhone 16e More

NVIDIA Have you ever wanted to learn sign language to communicate with family members, friends, or other people who are deaf? If so, you might want to try a new interactive website that uses AI to train you on American Sign Language (ASL). Known as Signs, the site shows you how to sign and then […] More

Cesar Cadenas/ZDNETWhat’s the deal?Lenovo has slashed the price of its 12th-Gen ThinkPad X1 Carbon More