Google weighs AI-powered search subscription

Image: Google

Google contemplates a potential shakeup to its core business model. According to a Financial Times report, Google is exploring ways to offer premium AI-powered search features within its flagship search engine for a fee. These features, sources suggest, could be integrated into existing subscription services like Gemini Advanced or Google One.

Crucially, the report highlights that even the premium tier would retain advertising. This suggests Google's balancing act: implementing cutting-edge AI while safeguarding its lucrative search ad revenue, which amounted to a staggering US$175 billion last year. The pressure to innovate is likely amplified by the rise of OpenAI's ChatGPT, pushing Google into a competitive race for AI dominance in search.

Click to read more ...

OnePlus 12 gets AI magic touch with new AI Eraser tool

Image: OnePlus

OnePlus is diving into the world of on-device artificial intelligence with the introduction of its new AI Eraser. This new feature—available on the OnePlus 12, 12R, 11, Open, and Nord CE 4—lets users remove unwanted objects from photos using the power of generative AI. Similar to Google's Magic Eraser, AI Eraser analyzes the selected area and intelligently replaces it with a background that seamlessly blends into the rest of the image.

This marks a shift for OnePlus, which previously relied on external tools for AI-powered photo editing. The company's use of a proprietary large language model (LLM) called AndesGPT suggests a commitment to further exploring AI capabilities in its smartphones. 

Source

Oura gets experimental with Symptom Radar

Image: Oura

Oura Ring users can now explore the future of health tracking with Oura Labs, a new platform for testing experimental features. The first feature, Symptom Radar, focuses on early detection of physiological stress, not full-blown illness.

Unlike the illness detection features many wearables aimed for during the pandemic, Symptom Radar tracks biometric trends like temperature, respiration, resting heart rate, and heart rate variability. When it detects significant changes, it prompts users to prioritize rest through Rest Mode or a lowered activity goal.

Click to read more ...

iPhone 12 gains surprise Qi2 support with iOS 17.4 update

Photo: Apple

In a quiet update, Apple enabled 15W Qi2 wireless charging on iPhone 12 with the recent iOS 17.4 release. This means you can now leverage the benefits of supported Qi2 chargers. Macworld first discovered this functionality and confirmed it through testing alongside Belkin. Belkin verified that their Qi2 chargers deliver 15W charging to the updated iPhone 12. Anker has also confirmed similar compatibility for their Qi2 chargers.

As the pioneer of MagSafe on iPhones, the iPhone 12 has always supported 15W magnetic charging. However, other iPhones were limited to slower 7.5W wireless charging unless they used certified MagSafe chargers. This update effectively brings all MagSafe iPhones under the Qi2 umbrella, offering greater flexibility and potentially more affordable charging options.

Source