Robotics

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Garmin eTrex Solar is available now for $222, while the eTrex SE without solar sells for $150. Potential for unlimited battery life, extensive GNSS support, rugged build, and affordable. Small monochrome display, no turn-by-turn directions of TopoActive maps. –> Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, I gained a deep affection […] More

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETIn recent years, Google Search’s shopping features have evolved to make Search a one-stop shop for consumers searching for specific products, deals, and retailers. Shoppers on a budget can scour Search’s Shopping tab during major sale events to see which retailer offered the best deal and where.Also: Everything Google just announced at I/O 2025: Gemini upgrades, AI Search, Android XR, and moreBut often, consumers miss out on a product’s most productive discount, paying more later because they don’t want to wait again. During this year’s Google I/O developer conference, Google aims to solve this problem with AI. Shopping in AI Mode More

Google began rolling out AI Mode in Search earlier this year, and the feature will now be widely available in the US, with no Labs sign-up required. It’ll come with some new capabilities, too.Deep Search in AI Mode, for example, expands the number of background queries from tens to hundreds to put together a more robust and thought-out search response. The result is a fully cited report that Google says will take just minutes to research and create.Also: Your Google Search experience will never be the same, thanks to 8 new AI featuresFor visual assistance, the Google Search experience is also getting Project Astra’s multimodal capabilities, so users can simply point their camera at an object or setting and ask about it like they would with a Google image search. There’s also a new AI Mode shopping experience that helps you find inspirations, narrow down buying options, and see yourself in an outfit (via image generator) when you upload an image of yourself.Project Mariner’s agentic functions will also transfer to AI Mode, allowing users to prompt Google to find the best event ticket deals or book restaurant appointments. While the AI won’t complete the purchase for you, it will present multiple options, including the one that best fits your inquiry (say you searched for the cheapest option), for you to approve.Finally, Google has expanded AI Overviews to over 200 countries and territories, and more than 40 languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Malay, Urdu, and more. More

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETIf you’re one of the 8% of Americans who say they’re willing to pay for AI, Google has a deal for you — a $250 per month AI subscription. Also: 8 best AI features and tools revealed at Google I/O 2025The company unveiled Google AI Ultra today, a plan with the biggest usage limits for Google’s suite of AI tools and access to the highest versions of those tools.  What is AI Ultra?Google AI Ultra is intended for filmmakers, developers, and creative professionals and gives users access to tools like Veo, Imagen, Whisk, NotebookLM, and a new tool called Flow. Also: Google’s popular AI tool gets its own Android app – how to use NotebookLM on your phoneSubscribers also get a massive expansion in storage across Google platforms, plus YouTube Premium ($13.99 per month on its own).  More

Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNETPutting on Project Moohan, an upcoming XR headset developed by Google, Samsung, and Qualcomm, for the first time felt strangely familiar. From twisting the head-strap knob on the back to slipping the standalone battery pack into my pants pocket, my mind was transported back to February 2024, when I tried on the Apple Vision Pro on launch day. Also: The best smart glasses unveiled at I/O 2025 weren’t made by GoogleOnly this time, the headset was powered by Android XR, Google’s newest operating system built around Gemini, the same AI model that dominated the Google I/O headlines this week. The difference in software was immediately noticeable — from the home grid of Google apps like Photos, Maps, and YouTube (which VisionOS still lacks) to prompting for Gemini instead of Siri with a long press of the headset’s multifunctional key. Apple Vision Pro inspiredWhile my demo with Project Moohan lasted only about 10 minutes, it gave me a clear understanding of how it’s challenging Apple’s Vision Pro and how Google, Samsung, and Qualcomm plan to convince the masses that the future of spatial computing does, in fact, live in a bulkier space-helmet-like device. For starters, there’s no denying that the industrial designers of Project Moohan drew some inspiration from the Apple Vision Pro. I mentioned a few of the hardware similarities already, but the general aesthetic and hand feel of the XR headset would easily pass as one made in Cupertino — only it’s much better than the Vision Pro. More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETGoogle I/O 2025, like the few years before it, dove deep into AI and the various ways it’s being integrated across the Search giant’s products and services. Among the recipients is Android XR, Google’s extended reality operating system that underpins the emerging product category of headsets and smart glasses.Also: Here’s the Android XR headset that Google and Samsung are releasing in 2025Android XR was first unveiled last December, but the company mainly covered the general software experience for XR and VR headsets. In fact, Google showcased most of its spatial computing features on a headset it created with Samsung and Qualcomm, codenamed Project Moohan. We’re expecting to learn more about that project later this year.At I/O this week, Google shifted its focus toward Android XR glasses, everyday wearables that can leverage cameras, microphones, and speakers to interpret what you see and assist with Gemini. Many big tech companies, including Meta and Apple, share this same vision of wearables, but Google may have the upper hand. More

XREAL Project Aura XrealDuring Google I/O 2025, mixed reality company Xreal revealed a new pair of “see-through” XR glasses, codenamed Project Aura. Very little is known about this device; neither the company nor Google said much at the event. What we do know paints an interesting picture. Also: I tested the best AR and MR glasses: Here’s how the Meta Ray-Bans stack upOn the surface, Project Aura looks similar to the Xreal Air 2 Ultra More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETThe Google I/O keynote took place on Tuesday, and the company took the stage to unveil new features across all of its product offerings. Of course, this included AI upgrades to the Google Workspace suite of applications, which millions of users rely on every day to get their work done, including Google Docs, Meet, Slides, Gmail, and Vids. Also: Google’s popular AI tool gets its own Android app – how to use NotebookLM on your phoneThe features unveiled this year focused on practicality. They embed AI features into the Google apps you already use every day to speed up your daily workflow by performing tedious and time-consuming tasks, such as cleaning out your inbox. Gmail: Gemini can clean your inbox More