Robotics

Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNETAlmost a year after teasing an AI-powered “Ask Photos” feature for its Photos app, Google says the feature still isn’t quite ready.An official rollout has been going on since October, but Google says it’s pausing the current rollout at least two weeks while it works out some bugs.Also: This new Google app lets you use AI on your phone without the internet – here’s howIf you’re not familiar, the feature helps you find certain photos or bits of information by asking Gemini. For example, you might ask, “Where did we camp the last time we went to Yosemite?” or “Find selfies I took in museums on my trip to New York.” The feature wasn’t exactly reliable, though, often missing photos that were in the folder and running painfully slow at times. Responding to complaints on X, Jamie Aspinall, product manager for Google Photos, said, “Ask Photos isn’t where it needs to be, in terms of latency, quality and ux. Rollout has been paused at very small numbers while we address these issues. In ~2 weeks we’ll ship an improved version that brings back the speed and recall of the original search.” Aspinall didn’t explain specifically how Google was addressing these problems.  More

Nintendo The Nintendo Switch 2<!–> is finally almost here. And if you missed out on the chance to preorder the console, don’t fret: Plenty of retailers including Best Buy–> and GameStop<!–> have officially partnered with Nintendo to ensure that stores have at least some physical stock available for customers on launch day June 5. To […] More

Roku Roku is one of the biggest names in streaming services, and ever since the first Roku-branded TVs hit the market in 2023, they’ve been a go-to choice for affordable and reliable TVs. And whether you’re looking to upgrade your main screen in your home theater, or are looking for a cheap second screen, you […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways You can buy the latest Galaxy Book5 Pro for a starting retail price of $1,349. It sports a brilliant 3K touchscreen and large touchpad, plus Intel’s Lunar Lake chip delivers next-gen performance. Despite the better hardware, this laptop shares some design flaws as its predecessor. –> For a limited time, the […] More

Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNETThose of you with Microsoft 365 subscriptions may have noticed that Copilot now pops up in Word and other applications in the suite. How did it get there when you didn’t buy or request Copilot and don’t necessarily want it? Blame it on Microsoft’s usual sleight of hand.Also: The Microsoft 365 Copilot launch was a total disasterIn an effort to push Copilot, Microsoft has added the AI to its Microsoft 365 Family and Personal plans. Open Excel, PowerPoint, or OneNote, and you’ll now see a Copilot icon on the ribbon. That’s not so bad, as you can easily ignore it. But launch Microsoft Word, and Copilot gets in your face with an icon in the left margin and a huge, annoying message prompting you to “Draft with Copilot.” More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETIf you have a Samsung account you haven’t used in a while, consider checking on it to see if there’s anything you need. Otherwise, it might get deleted.Until now, inactive Samsung accounts have been left untouched. If you switched phones to another brand, you had a little assurance that your old information would still be there if you ever needed it or decided to go back to Samsung someday. Also: Grab the Samsung Galaxy S25 for up to $560 off – here’s howThat’s changing soon.In a recent email to affected customers (first reported by sammobile.com), the company said it’s implementing a new policy for inactive accounts starting July 31. If a user hasn’t logged in for 24 months, that account, and everything associated with it — like Samsung Cloud data, stored photos, device backups, Samsung Wallet and Samsung Health details, downloaded apps, Find My Mobile data, and more — will be deleted.  More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The RayNeo Air 3S is available for $269 These XR glasses provide advanced micro-OLED screens, dual speaker chamber design, and a 201-inch screen visual experience There are no light-blocking shades or electrochromic dimming capability, and productivity support is limited to native MacOS and Windows support. more buying choices Just about every […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Oukitel WP100 Titan is a feature-packed phone that starts at $999 on Amazon. With a built-in projector, massive battery, rugged chassis, and powerful light, this phone is ideal for outdoorsy types. It’s also massive and weighs nearly 1.5 pounds. –> I have in my hand the single heaviest phone I’ve […] More