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Earlier today, Google debuted Gemini 2.0. The company says its new machine learning model won't just enhance its existing products and services. It will also power entirely new experiences. To that point, Google previewed Project Mariner, an AI agent that can navigate within a web browser. Mariner is an experimental Chrome extension that is currently available to select "trusted testers."
As you can see from the video Google shared, the pitch for Mariner is a tool that can automate certain rote tasks. In the demo, Mariner assists Google's Jaclyn Konzelmann with finding the contact information of four outdoor companies.
Clearly, there's more work Google needs to do before the software is ready for public use. Notice that Konzelmann is very specific when prompting Mariner, instructing the agent to "memorize" and "remember" parts of her instructions. It also takes Mariner close to 12 minutes to complete the task given to it.
"As a research prototype, it's able to understand and reason across information in your browser screen, including pixels and web elements like text, cod
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Don't worry about your home cams in winter weather -- our guide will show you exactly what to do.
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Willow isn't just a technological triumph, though. It's a full-blown scientific breakthrough in quantum computing research. Google has published a study in Nature that addresses one of the biggest challenges in quantum technology: error correction. The study shows that as more "qubits" are added to a quantum computer, the better the error suppression becomes, making the technology more scalable.
Qubits, which are the individual units of information in quantum computers, can exist in the state of 0, 1, or both at the same time (unlike the binary "0 or 1" bits in traditional computers). This opens up computing possibilities that were previously unthinkable.
The potential of quantum computers is massive. They can be used to develop new medicines, design advanced battery technologies, or pave the way for fusion reactors. But with this power comes risks, such as the possibility of creating new viruses, breaking encryption codes, or using the technology for surveillance and weapons development.
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Donald Trump has named current commissioner Andrew Ferguson as the new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) chair, the president-elect posted on Truth Social. Ferguson has previously decried what he called censorship by big tech and worked as an antitrust enforcer for the FTC and Department of Justice.
"At the FTC, we will end Big Tech's vendetta against competition and free speech," Ferguson wrote on X. "We will make sure that America is the world's technological leader and the best place for innovators to bring new ideas to life."
Ferguson will take over from Linda Khan, who drew the ire of big tech by launching antitrust cases against Apple and Google, while also blocking a number of multi-billion-dollar corporate mergers. Under her hand, the FTC has gone after large companies of all stripes over concerns that large mergers would undermine competition and harm consumers with higher prices.
Ferguson's pitch for the job reportedly included plans to "reverse Lina Khan's anti-business agenda" and "hold big tech accountable and stop censorship," according to Punchbowl News. However, he stated that the agency should continue its strong scrutiny of the dominance of large tech firms, according to The New York Times' sources.
With Khan leaving her post as FTC chair, Trump also appointed Mark Meador as commissioner, which will result in a Republican majority on the five-person commission. Trump previously
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 Apple's Vision Pro headset has been named 2024's innovation of the year by Popular Science.
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The battle for AI supremacy is heating up. Almost exactly a week after OpenAI made its o1 model available to the public, Google today is offering a preview of its next-generation Gemini 2.0 model. In a blog post attributed to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, the company says 2.0 is its most capable model yet, with the algorithm offering native support for image and audio output. "It will enable us to build new AI agents that bring us closer to our vision of a universal assistant," says Pichai.
Google is doing something different with Gemini 2.0. Rather than starting today's preview by first offering its most advanced version of the model, Gemini 2.0 Pro, the search giant is instead kicking things off with 2.0 Flash. As of today, the more efficient (and affordable) model is available to all Gemini users. If you want to try it yourself, you can enable Gemini 2.0 from the dropdown menu in the Gemini web client, with availability within the mobile app coming soon.
Moving forward, Google says its main focus is adding 2.0's smarts to Search (no surprise there), beginning with
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It's easy to assume that the best tech gifts are the most expensive things. But there are plenty of options out there for the techie in your life that don't require you to empty your wallet. If you're struggling to come up with a gift for a coworker, family member or friend who's an early adopter or a tech obsessive, we've gathered some of our favorite things that are both small and affordable. The best part: All of these gift ideas come in at $50 or less.
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A judge has issued an injunction ordering WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg and his company Automattic to restore access to the WP Engine web hosting service, according to legal documents seen by The Verge. Automattic must also restore WP Engine's control of its popular ACF (Advanced Custom Fields) plugin. It also removes a checkbox implemented by Automattic that made people say they had no relationship with WP Engine.
The ruling follows a major dispute between WP Engine and Automattic and its CEO Matt Mullenweg, a co-founder of WordPress. Last September, Mullenweg accused WP Engine of misusing the WordPress trademark and said it "never once" donated to the open-source arm of the foundation. The WordPress foundation then banned WP Engine from accessing resources like plug-ins and themes, breaking many of WP Engine's over 200,000 websites. It also took control of the company's ACF plugin, forking and renaming it to Secure Custom Fields.
WP Engine then sued Automattic and Mullenweg, accusing them of extortion and abuse of power. The company said that Automattic demanded eight percent of its gross revenues (or donated employee time) in exchange for restoring its access. Mullenweg admitted that "a good chunk of my Automattic colleague
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Mr. Ferguson, a current Republican member of the agency, will replace Lina Khan, who had aggressively challenged mergers and the power of the biggest tech companies.
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The decision to shut down GM subsidiary Cruise is a major blow to an automaker that was once seen as a leader in autonomous-driving technology.
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Not everyone needs the newest, shiniest tech. If you're running Windows 10 or Windows Server 2019 and want to save a bundle (and avoid never-ending subscription fees), Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019 might be your new best friend. Sure, it's not the latest version, but for cost-conscious users who don't need every new bell and whistle, it's a smart investment.
Unlike Office 365, this one-time purchase is yours forever — no sneaky renewal fees or monthly surprises. It's perfect for professionals, freelancers, and small business owners who just want access to reliable tools: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, and Access. Plus, the compatibility with older systems means you don't have to upgrade your entire setup just to get work done.
If you're happy to skip the cloud-based extras of newer editions, this deal is a predictable, budget-friendly choice for your home office or business. After all, owning your software outright feels prett
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This 16-inch laptop features a 1920×1200 resolution touchscreen that's great for work productivity and for light gaming. The display sits on a 360-degree hinge that you can fold back, turning it into a tablet-like form factor (which is what makes it a 2-in-1 laptop). It's the perfect mode for reading documents, browsing the web, or even tenting the laptop so you have a propped-up screen for streaming TV shows and movies.
Under the hood is an AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS CPU and 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM, delivering enough power for decent performance whether you're working, watching Netflix, or playing games. The 1TB SSD is also plenty for all your files, games, videos, and apps.
While this is technically a business laptop, it's perfect for home users — especially at this price — with its AMD Radeon integrated graphics. Just don't expect to be playing any massive modern titles at tip-top frame rates. You'll want a true gaming laptop for those.
At just $650 for the HP Envy x360 2-in-1, you can't go wrong as a daily driver. This is an absolute bargain you won't want to miss, so grab it soon because this Best Buy deal isn't going to last forever.
Save $450 on this awesome 2-in
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Microsoft is sitting on top of the world right now, thanks to its lead in AI. It's the most valuable company on the planet, with a valuation of more than $3.2 trillion. Its rise was rocket-fueled by its investor relationship with OpenAI, the company that makes the wildly popular generative AI (genAI) chatbot ChatGPT. OpenAI's GPT large language model is also the basis for Microsoft Copilot, the genAI tool that Microsoft is building into just about every one of its products, from GitHub to Windows to Microsoft 365 and beyond.
Microsoft's AI dominance appears insurmountable. But things can change quickly in tech. Google and Apple are in talks to embed Google's genAI tool Gemini into iPhones — a deal that, if it reaches fruition, could unseat Microsoft sooner than you think.
To read this article in full, please click here
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 A man holds a laptop computer as cyber code is projected on him in this illustration picture taken on May 13, 2017. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/Illustration
The White House will meet with executives from major tech companies, including Alphabet-owned Google (GOOGL.O), Apple Inc (AAPL.O) and Amazon.com Inc, , to discuss software security after the United States have suffered several major cyber attacks last year.
In December, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan sent a letter to CEOs of tech companies after a se
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 Epic Games, the creator of the popular video game "Fortnite", is close to raising a $750 million round of funding at a valuation of about $17 billion, Bloomberg News reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.
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