News
- Google is expanding Gemini Live to the first-gen Home Mini speaker and Nest Hub smart display
- It rolled out in Gemini for Home early access, and requires a Google Home Premium subscription
- Google also increased Gemini's conversation memory window to 15 minutes
It’s a great day to be an owner of older Google smart home devices, now the company is rolling out Gemini Live to its two of its OG models.
Yesterday (July 23) Google unveiled a slew of Gemini for Home early access upgrades on its support page, but the one that has everyone talking is the arrival of Gemini Live, which is coming to the first-gen Google Home Mini speaker and Google Nest Hub smart display.
The update marks the next step in Google’s plan to expand the ubiquity of its live AI chatbot, which the company rolled out to the Nest Mini, Nest Audio, Nest Hub, and Nest Hub Max devices in October 2025. The new Google Home Speaker comes equipped with Gemini Live out of the box.
The Google Home Speaker was launched on June 25 for $99.99/ £99.99/ AU$199 (Image credit: Jacob Krol/Future)For users who are still going strong with their first-gen Google devices, we imagine this upgrade will be welcomed with open arms, but the one catch is that Gemini Live is paywalled behind the Google Home Premium subscription service, which costs a monthly fee of $10/ £8/ AU$15.
If you already have Google Home Premium and are part of the Gemini for Home early access program, you can now start conversations with your Home Mini and Nest Hub devices by saying ‘Hey Google, let’s chat’. The chime will indicate that Gemini is listening, and you can ask it anything such as recipe ideas, suggestions for an upcoming trip, or dive deeper into the most niche topics.
In addition to Gemini Live’s expansion, Google has upgraded Gemini’s conversation memory window to 15 minutes. “You can ask Gemini a follow-up question to a topic that was discussed during this window, and Gemini will understand the context,” the company details.
It’s refreshing to see that Google hasn’t completely given up on its early smart speakers and displays — even if the hardware is aging. Not often do you see tech giants acknowledge that old devices are still widely used, and Amazon is a classic example of this.
A few months back, the company came under fire for ending support for Kindles released from 2012 and earlier even though there’s a whole community of bookworms that still rely on these models — so Google is doing a better job than Amazon in that regard.
Signed up to Google Home Premium but unsure how to join the Gemini for Home early access program? We’ve got you covered.
First, you’re going to need to request early access, and you’ll need to make sure your Google Home app is updated to the latest version. From there, launch the app and tap your profile image or initial at the top right, select Home settings, and then Early Access. Follow the steps to request early access, and you’ll receive a notification when Gemini for Home becomes available for your devices.
You can also check region availability and other information on the Google Home and Nest help page.
- Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto has defended the company's recent remakes, like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- He says remakes allow younger gamers to experience older titles that aren't accessible anymore
- Miyamoto says remakes lead to "future developments"
Nintendo executive and representative director Shigeru Miyamoto has defended the company's recent remake releases, suggesting they'll lead to sequels.
After launching Star Fox, a remake of Star Fox 64, on Switch 2 last month, Nintendo is scheduled to launch another remake for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time sometime this year.
While many fans are excited for a modern version of the beloved Zelda game, Nintendo has been criticised for frequently re-releasing old, classic titles for its current hardware; Ocarina of Time was first released on N64 in 1998, then received a Nintendo 3DS remaster in 2011, which makes the upcoming Switch 2 title its third iteration.
Now, speaking in an interview with Famitsu(via Nintendo Everything), the Mario creator has addressed concerns that Nintendo is releasing too many remakes, explaining that the projects allow younger gamers to experience older titles that aren't accessible anymore and that the games will eventually lead to "future developments."
"Some people might say there are a lot of remakes, but after five years, a lot of people have outgrown games and stop playing them," Miyamoto said. "Young people today don’t have the opportunity to play games from 10 years ago, so remaking them to be more playable and releasing them again is a good way to meet the demand."
He added, "Letting people know the original games also leads to future developments, so we’ve been actively pursuing that recently."
It's this last comment that suggests Nintendo is actively working on projects that will follow these remakes, but whether they'll be direct sequels or projects within the same franchise, we'll have to wait and see.
In 2021, Nintendo released remakes of two games in the Famicom Detective Club series, The Missing Heir and The Girl Who Stands Behind, which were then followed by a brand new Switch sequel, Emio - The Smiling Man.
It also released a remake of Metroid on 3DS, which led to Metroid Dread on Switch, as well as a The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening remake, followed by the spiritual successor in 2024, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.
- Sega president Shuji Utsumi has addressed Sony's decision to end the production of game discs
- Utsumi says, "We still value the culture of physical media," but "a digital shift is crucial"
- He adds, "It is important to strengthen our digitalisation" in the current market
Sega president Shuji Utsumi has addressed the controversy surrounding Sony's decision to end the production of game discs in 2028, acknowledging the importance of physical media but that the digital shift is "crucial."
In a recent interview with Japanese publication Famitsu (via Eurogamer), Utsumi explained that the digital market needs to be cultivated and Sega believes in bolstering digitalisation.
"When it comes to titles we call 'full games' for consoles and PCs, we believe that a digital shift is crucial," Utsumi said. "Of course, consoles are important, but the proportion of people who play on PCs is steadily increasing. Even in areas where consoles are not widely available, there are many people who say, 'I can play it on PC.'"
He added, "In order to cultivate that market, we believe it is important to strengthen our digitalisation. We tend to think from a physical perspective, so I think we need to be more digitally conscious and become more global."
Utsumi then touched on Sega's hardware history, saying that while it isn't in the console market anymore and now primarily publishes games, the company hasn't forgotten its roots and the importance of physical media.
"We were originally a platform provider, and of course, we still value the culture of physical media," the president said. "Rather than completely abandoning that, we are currently challenging ourselves to shift so that we can think about and act on the important aspects of digital media in parallel."
Sony announced its plan to retire new physical discs earlier this month, explaining that the transition to all-digital games "will enable us to align more closely with how most of our community prefers to access and play games today."
PlayStation fans continue to push back against the decision, but analysts believe the company won't change its mind.
It's also said that the $7.2 billion second-hand video game market could be in danger as a result of Sony's decision, with Wedbush Securities managing director of strategic planning, Michael Pachter, reporting that "Brick and mortar game retail is doomed."
Elsewhere, Former Nippon Ichi Software CEO has objected to the plan, saying that while he understands it "From a purely business perspective," Sony doesn't "understand the feelings of those fans."
"If they’re going to go as far as eliminating physical packages, they may as well eliminate the hardware too," he said. "A television would be enough. Why would you need the console? If you’re going to get rid of physical games, you may as well go all the way."
House of the Dragon season 3 continues to engross us as it enters its home stretch. And, with its sixth episode less than 72 hours away, we'll soon find out how Houses Targaryen and Hightower will continue to try to one-up each other as the battle for the Iron Throne intensifies.
Does that mean we'll soon bear witness the highly anticipated Battle of Tumbleton between Ormund Hightower and Daemon Targaryen's armies? Or are more political machinations and infighting going to be the order of the day? You'll have to wait and see. In the meantime, scroll on to learn when and where House of the Dragon's next episode will air.
What time can I watch House of the Dragon season 3 episode 6?The metaphorical walls continue to close in around Rhaenyra Targaryen (Image credit: HBO)House of the Dragon season 3's next chapter will be released on Sunday, July 26 at 6pm PT / 9pm ET.
That's when the Game of Thrones spin-off's forthcoming episode will be available in the US and Canada, anyway. If you live elsewhere, you'll have to wait until Monday, July 27 to stream it. Here are the all-important times you need to know about:
- US — Sunday, July 26 at 6pm PT / 9pm ET
- Canada — Sunday, July 26 at 6pm PT / 9pm ET
- UK — Monday, July 27 at 2am BST
- India — Monday, July 27 at 6:30am IST
- Singapore — Monday, July 27 at 9am SGT
- Australia — Monday, July 27 at 11am AEST
- New Zealand — Monday, July 27 at 1pm NZST
HBO Max, aka one of the best streaming services, is the place that most people will need to go to watch House of the Dragon's next episode.
Unfortunately, that platform isn't available worldwide, so some of you will have to look elsewhere to stream it. Luckily for you, I've put in the hard yards and found out where House of the Dragon can be watched in your nation, so check out the list below to see which streamer or TV network you'll need to tune into:
- US — HBO and HBO Max
- Canada — Crave
- UK — HBO Max, Sky Atlantic, and Now TV
- India — JioHotstar
- Singapore — HBO Max
- Australia — HBO Max
- New Zealand — HBO Max
After its sixth entry is released, there'll only be two more to enjoy before the high-fantasy show's latest season comes to an end.
Want to know what dates episodes 7 and 8 will launch on? Of course you do, so read on for more details:
- House of the Dragon season 3 episode 1 — out now
- House of the Dragon season 3 episode 2 — out now
- House of the Dragon season 3 episode 3 — out now
- House of the Dragon season 3 episode 4— out now
- House of the Dragon season 3 episode 5 — out now
- House of the Dragon season 3 episode 6 — July 26/27
- House of the Dragon season 3 episode 7 — August 2/3
- House of the Dragon season 3 episode 8 — August 9/10
- A bipartisan bill introduced to Congress calls for AI models to have a kill switch
- The bill follows months of warnings about the dangers of rapidly advancing AI technology from major AI firms
- An 'unprecedented cyber incident' between OpenAI and Hugging Face prompted the introduction of the bill
A bill requiring powerful frontier artificial intelligence systems have an in-built ‘kill switch’ has been presented to Congress in the wake of the OpenAI cyberattack against Hugging Face.
The incident saw an OpenAI model undergoing testing escaped its sandbox, chained a number of zero day vulnerabilities and breached one of the biggest AI and machine learning companies, highlighting warnings by Anthropic and OpenAI about the dangers of rapidly advancing AI technology.
The bipartisan bill was introduced to congress on Thursday by Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., and Rep. Nathaniel Moran, R-Texas.
AI models need a kill switch“Unfortunately, powerful AI systems can go rogue, behave in extremely dangerous ways, or even resist human intervention,” Lieu said in a statement. “It is imperative that these AI systems have kill switches so we can keep this technology from causing catastrophic harm, and that the federal government has the clear authority and process to shut down rogue AI models.”
OpenAI said that the attack was an “unprecedented cyber incident”, and is working with Hugging Face to understand exactly how that incident took place.
In June 2026, Anthropic called for “a meaningful slowdown or pause” on AI technology development, stating that AI “self-improvement” was rapidly increasing and that a pause would provide time “to deal with its immense implications”.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman warned in March that while AI can help with medical and scientific breakthroughs, “AI will also present new threats to society that we have to address,” adding that “no company can handle this alone.”
The kill switch bill would provide the Secretary of Homeland Security with the authorization to issue a “slow down or shut down” of particular AI models that threaten to cause “catastrophic harm”. The bill would also force AI companies to implement cyber incident reporting and maintain forensic records to help the government and researchers understand similar incidents.
“Stewardship means making sure humans keep the capability to control the technology we build,” Moran said in a statement. “This is exactly the kind of issue that needs serious attention and achievable policy, and I’m glad to work across the aisle with Congressman Lieu toward a solution.”
Via CNBC
If you need a compact desktop without sacrificing everyday performance, the right mini PCs offer brilliant value. Best Buy has cut the price of the Geekom A5 as part of its 'Black Friday in July' sale.
Normally priced at $539, the A5 is currently available for just $369, saving you a whopping $170. Powered by AMD's six-core Ryzen 5 7430U processor, it comes with 16GB of DDR4 memory and a 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD, all packed inside a compact chassis measuring just 4.6 x 4.4 x 1.5 inches.
The mini PC comes with Windows 11 Pro pre-installed and includes Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, dual HDMI outputs, USB-C connectivity, a 2.5Gb Ethernet port, and support for up to four displays.
Should you buy it?✅ Buy the Geekom A5 mini PC if...
The Geekom A5 offers a lot of capability for not a lot of money. The Ryzen 5 7430U is a capable processor for office work, web browsing, streaming, light photo editing, and multitasking, while 16GB of RAM provides enough headroom for everyday productivity. Unlike many compact systems, the memory is upgradeable to 64GB, helping extend the PC's lifespan.
❌ Skip the Geekom A5 mini PC if...
The integrated Radeon Vega 7 graphics are perfectly adequate for media playback and lighter creative workloads, but they aren't designed for demanding games or GPU-intensive applications. Storage is also limited to 512GB out of the box, although many buyers will find that enough for everyday use. There is no way to add USB4 or Thunderbolt to this system either.
Today's top Geekom A5 mini PC dealAMD Ryzen 5 7430U mini PC with 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD, Radeon Vega 7 graphics, Windows 11 Pro, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, 2.5Gb Ethernet, and dual HDMI.View Deal
Why we recommend itThe combination of a Ryzen 5 processor, Windows 11 Pro, upgradeable memory, Wi-Fi 6, and 2.5Gb Ethernet is difficult to find at this price. Its compact footprint also makes it easy to place almost anywhere, whether it's behind a monitor, on a desk, or in a living room entertainment setup.
In his review, our expert Mark said: "If you are looking to set up a small office for a limited-time project and need basic computers that can run office applications and web tools, then there is relatively little wrong with the A5 in terms of functionality or price."
Price Context & Historical ValueAt $369, the Geekom A5 is $170 below its regular $539 price. That's a substantial discount of around 32%, making it one of the more attractive mini PC deals at Best Buy right now.
The Catch: What to know before you buyThe Ryzen 5 7430U is based on AMD's previous Zen 3 architecture rather than its latest Ryzen AI platform, so you won't find dedicated AI acceleration or the newest integrated graphics. However, if your priorities are everyday productivity, quiet operation, and a small footprint, though, those omissions are unlikely to matter.
Higher NAND flash prices have made SSD upgrades more expensive over the past year. The Crucial P310 internal SSD offers an affordable way to add fast PCIe 4.0 storage to a desktop PC or laptop (or even a PlayStation 5).
Usually priced at $299.49, Newegg has reduced the 2TB model to a more affordable $279.99. While the $20 discount is only modest, you're still getting an M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe 2.0 SSD capable of sequential read speeds up to 7,100MB/s and write speeds up to 6,000MB/s.
Should you buy it?✅ Buy the Crucial P310 SSD if...
You should if you're looking for a reliable Gen4 SSD that delivers strong everyday performance without paying silly prices. Boot times, application launches, file transfers, and game loading all benefit from the P310's fast read and write speeds, while the 2TB capacity provides plenty of room for games, photos, videos, and creative projects.
❌ Skip the Crucial P310 SSD if...
You shouldn't if you're chasing the fastest PCIe 4.0 drive available or specifically need onboard DRAM for sustained heavy workloads. This drive relies on Host Memory Buffer instead of dedicated DRAM, and the heatsink-free design means you'll want to ensure your system provides adequate cooling if required.
Today's top Crucial P310 SSD dealThis is a 2TB M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe 2.0 SSD with 3D NAND, Host Memory Buffer, up to 7,100MB/s read, 6,000MB/s write speeds, and a heatsink-free design for desktops and laptops.View Deal
Why we recommend itThe P310 strikes a nice balance between price, performance, and efficiency. Crucial rates it for up to 7,100MB/s sequential reads and 6,000MB/s writes, while its improved performance-per-watt can also help extend battery life in compatible laptops.
It also offers faster boot times and improved responsiveness across everyday applications, making it a worthwhile upgrade from an older SSD or hard drive.
Price Context & Historical ValueThe 2TB Crucial P310 usually sells for $299.49 at Newegg, so the current $20 discount isn't the biggest we've seen. For context, it was available for $250 at Amazon not so long ago.
Even so, Newegg has lowered the cost of a fast 2TB Gen4 SSD from a well-established manufacturer, making this a solid buy if you need extra storage today rather than waiting and hoping for a bigger price cut to come along.
It's worth noting that this model comes without a heatsink. Should you need one, Newegg is selling that version for $322.50 at the moment.
For more savings on storage, we're always tracking the best SSD deals.
The Catch: What to know before you buyAs mentioned previously, this model doesn't include a heatsink. It also uses Host Memory Buffer instead of dedicated DRAM cache, making it better suited to mainstream computing, gaming, and everyday productivity than prolonged professional workloads.
As part of its Black Friday in July sale, Best Buy has reduced the price of two Acer laptops aimed at very different audiences. The Acer Aspire Go 15 has fallen from $1,189.99 to $749.99, while the newer Aspire Spin 14 2-in-1 is down from $799.99 to $699.99. Although, after the discounts, there's only a $50 difference in price between the two models, each laptop offers a distinct set of strengths.
The Aspire Go 15 focuses on performance, combining a 10-core Intel Core i7-13620H processor with 32GB of DDR5 memory and a 1TB SSD, making it the stronger choice for demanding workloads and multitasking.
The Aspire Spin 14, meanwhile, trades some raw power for greater versatility, pairing a newer Intel Core Ultra 7 155U processor with a brighter 14-inch 1920 x 1200 touchscreen, a 360-degree convertible design, a backlit keyboard, and a lighter chassis.
Should you buy it?✅ Buy the Aspire Go 15 if...
You should if raw performance and multitasking matter most. The combination of an Intel Core i7-13620H processor, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD makes it the stronger choice for demanding office work, large spreadsheets, creative software, and running many applications simultaneously. Its larger 15.6-inch touchscreen also gives you more room to work.
✅ Buy the Aspire Spin 14 if...
You should if you want a more modern, versatile laptop. Its Intel Core Ultra 7 processor brings improved AI capabilities, while the lighter chassis, brighter 300-nit WUXGA touchscreen, backlit keyboard, convertible design, and one-year warranty make it an excellent everyday companion.
Today's top Acer laptop deals15.6-inch Full HD touchscreen laptop with Intel Core i7-13620H processor, 32GB DDR5 RAM, 1TB SSD, Intel UHD Graphics, HDMI 2.1, dual USB-C, Windows 11 Home, and Wi-Fi.View Deal
14-inch WUXGA touchscreen convertible with Intel Core Ultra 7 155U processor, 16GB LPDDR5X RAM, 1TB SSD, Intel Graphics, HDMI 2.1, backlit keyboard, Windows 11 Home, and Copilot.View Deal
Why we recommend themThe Aspire Go 15 delivers exceptional value if performance is your priority. For just $50 more that the Spin 14, you get double the memory and a faster H-series processor, making it the better buy for productivity and demanding workloads.
The Aspire Spin 14 is the more rounded package. It offers a newer platform, a higher-resolution 16:10 display, a convertible design, a backlit keyboard, and a longer warranty, making it ideal if you value portability and flexibility over outright performance.
Price Context & Historical ValueThe Aspire Go 15 has received by far the largest price cut in Best Buy's Black Friday in July sale, dropping by $440 to $749.99. In contrast, the Aspire Spin 14 is only $100 off at $699.99, but it remains competitively priced for a 2025 Core Ultra convertible with a 1TB SSD.
The Catch: What to know before you buyChoosing between these laptops comes down to how you work. The Aspire Go 15 is the clear winner for performance and multitasking thanks to its Core i7 processor and 32GB of RAM.
That said, the Aspire Spin 14 is the better choice if you want a lighter, more versatile 2-in-1 with a better display, newer processor, and premium everyday features.
- Microsoft has contacted LG regarding a McAfee pop-up served via the monitor maker's app (which in turn is installed by Windows Update)
- As an 'immediate next step' LG has disabled this pop-up
- However, there are still issues to address around the automatic installation of the LG monitor app, and the way Windows Update itself operates with third-party software
Microsoft has fixed a controversial situation whereby Windows 11 users with LG monitors were being hit by a pop-up for McAfee antivirus, and that advert has now been banished from the OS — but there's still more that Microsoft needs to do here.
Windows Latest noticed that Pavan Davuluri, who is head of Windows at Microsoft, flagged up what's happened on X.
In response to a nudge from Epic's Tim Sweeney on the matter, Davuluri said: "We've connected with the team at LG and as an immediate next step, they have agreed to disable the McAfee pop-up from their app. We appreciate LG working with us toward a shared goal of a better experience for our mutual customers. We will keep improving here with our ecosystem partners."
In case you missed this story from earlier in the week, Windows 11 users with an LG display are reportedly getting an LG monitor app (from the Microsoft Store) automatically installed on their PCs via Windows Update simply after hooking up the monitor.
The real kicker was that following this, the mentioned McAfee pop-up (pushing a trial for the antivirus) was repeatedly bothering those users, with the ad delivered via the LG monitor app. So, what Microsoft is telling us here is that as an immediate first step, that McAfee pop-up is no longer part of LG's Windows app, and won't be darkening the desktops of any LG monitor owners any longer.
The (pop-up-less) monitor app is presumably still being piped through by Windows Update, though, and hopefully the next step for Microsoft will be to address this.
Analysis: software giants in glass houses?(Image credit: Future)Windows Update really shouldn't be installing any third-party software without the user's permission, that much is clear (or first-party for that matter). It's fine to flag available updates, wherever they come from or whatever hardware they may be for, but highlighting them is one thing, and going ahead with an auto-installation is another.
Okay, so LG has agreed to disable this pop-up, and it's good that this has happened swiftly, as it was, of course, a huge annoyance. Indeed, it's very worrying that this could happen at all, really (and in case you missed it, LG's TVs have also come under fire this week).
LG had already addressed this controversy with a rather lengthy statement that read: "LG Electronics reiterates that McAfee is not installed automatically and is never installed without the user's explicit consent. The LG Monitor App Installer is distributed through Microsoft's official Windows distribution process, which included McAfee as an option.
"McAfee will be installed only if a user actively chooses to proceed with the installation and provides consent. Under no circumstances is McAfee installed automatically or without user authorization. The LG Monitor App Installer does not access, collect, or transmit any customer personal data."
What this appears to be saying is that McAfee's actual antivirus app isn't installed without consent. It's not denying that the McAfee pop-up appeared without consent, or that the LG Monitor app is installed in the background in Windows without the user's knowledge. It only notes that the LG Monitor app is "distributed through Microsoft's official Windows distribution process", as if that makes everything okay, or somehow not LG's fault.
It is, of course, Microsoft's fault as well – both parties need to take responsibility, and fix not just the McAfee pop-up appearing, but the LG Monitor app being automatically installed simply when a monitor is connected to a Windows 11 PC. (Which is reportedly the case, I should add – I haven't experienced this myself, as I don't have an LG display, but a whole heap of feedback is present suggesting it's exactly what happens).
In short, the immediate disabling of the McAfee trial pop-up is a start, but we need a swift follow-up addressing the LG app itself and how that's dealt with in Windows 11. And more broadly, how third-party apps in general interact with Windows Update, because as already noted, this situation should never have been allowed to happen in the first place (no matter what LG, or any other hardware partner, is doing with their apps).
Furthermore, there's no shortage of people on Reddit noting that Microsoft has been keen enough to act here, but not so keen on curbing its own advertising-related excesses in Windows 11.
As one Redditor says of Microsoft: "Now all they need to do is crack down on their own bloatware…"
Although to be fair to Microsoft, it is acting to rein in some of the upselling and promotional noise that Windows 11 has come to be associated with. More work needs to be done on this front, though, for sure.
- A recent report suggests Nvidia has informed its partners of GDDR6 and GDDR7 memory kit price increases
- This means retailers may increase the prices for RTX GPUs using GDDR6 and GDDR7 memory
- The potential price hike and one user's dual-GPU setup both highlight the importance of hardware preservation
The RAM crisis continues to impact PC manufacturers, with rising memory prices and shortages — ultimately leading to increased retail prices for consumers — and the trend may be set to continue with Nvidia.
According to a report on Benchlife, Nvidia is rumored to be planning an increase for prices of its GDDR6 and GDDR7 memory kits for RTX GPUs, and has informed AIB (Add-In Board) partners such as Asus, MSI, and Gigabyte, who make their own versions of Nvidia's GPUs. Unsurprisingly, the price increase for these memory kits is cited as a result of the ongoing RAM crisis.
While RTX GPU price hikes aren't guaranteed for consumers, because this will directly impact AIB partners who manufacture the GPUs, eventual retailer price increases are unfortunately likely. It's a trend we've seen with recent PC hardware.
Notably, Valve's Steam Machine was initially supposed to cost less than its eventual $1,049 / £879 / AU$1,609 price tag, which could now also be at risk of a price increase, based on hints from a Steam Machine engineer (as reported by Bloomberg). New handheld gaming PCs are also now often launching for more than $1,000, and the price of RAM and storage certainly plays a part.
(Image credit: Roman Samborskyi / Asus)Consumer strugglesThe RAM crisis is a sad state of affairs for consumers and underlines the importance of PC hardware preservation. GPUs aren't cheap by any means, especially with recent suggestions that AMD would also be increasing prices of memory kits for its own AIB partners.
We've also recently seen the return of the RTX 3060, due to Nvidia's attempt to help consumers with more options amid a rough PC hardware market. However, if these price hike reports are legitimate, the RTX 3060 will likely be subject to higher prices at retailers.
That's exactly why GPU setups like one Reddit user's RTX 3090 and RTX 3050 dual-GPU rig matter now more than ever. In this case, the RTX 3050 is responsible for allowing frame generation via Lossless Scaling to function.
My dual GPU Setup from r/losslessscalingA game then utilizes the RTX 3090's power for high-quality visuals and performance, with the two GPUs teaming up. The user states it resulted in 144fps at a 4K resolution over the initial 71fps without frame generation.
Frankly, a dual-GPU setup isn't exactly common, nor is it actually recommended for gaming, since modern games are only designed for single-GPU rendering (even though the frame generation use case is noteworthy).
Users would also need a beefier power supply, depending on the GPUs used, and likely a new motherboard with another compatible PCIe lane.
However, what I feel is more important here is that's it's a great example of why hardware preservation is so important, serving as backup in case GPUs melt or end up faulty, or for experiments like the one I've outlined above. With no end of the RAM crisis in sight, repurposing older hardware might be one way through this.
- Key specs for the Google Pixel Watch 5 have just leaked
- They suggest the device could use the same chip Google has used for years
- The RAM might be boosted by 50%, though
If you’ve been eyeing up the Google Pixel Watch 5, you might want to think twice before heading to the checkout. That’s because a new leak has shed light on the upcoming smartwatch’s specs, and while there’s one welcome change, another alteration has left some fans deeply disappointed.
The discovery was made by 9to5Google, with the outlet claiming to have unearthed the specs in a Google Play Console listing. There, the outlet says it came across a device codenamed “godric,” which it says is the Pixel Watch 5.
The entry apparently recorded the device’s chip as the Qualcomm SW5100. If that sounds familiar, it’s because it’s the same chip used in the Pixel Watch 2, Pixel Watch 3 and Pixel Watch 4 — in other words, there’s unlikely to be any significant performance uptick in the Pixel Watch 5, if this rumor is correct.
But it wasn’t all bad news. 9to5Google also found that the forthcoming Pixel Watch 5 will allegedly come with 3GB of memory, which is a 50% increase on the 2GB of RAM previous Pixel Watches were equipped with. That might go some way to offsetting the chip limitations and could help the device feel a little snappier in use.
A mixed reactionThis is what the Google Pixel Watch 5 could look like, according to previous leaks. (Image credit: The TideChart)The news has received a mixed reception among Pixel Watch fans. Some Reddit users, for instance, were pleased to see the memory increase, with one saying “More RAM is a great move, if confirmed. It should make everything run more smoothly on the [Pixel Watch 5].” Another added that bumping up the memory “should help make Gemini more responsive for people who care about that.”
But not everyone was satisfied with the news. “As a Pixel Watch 2 owner, this is disappointing,” said one user on Reddit, before continuing: “Support for my watch is ending, but if I upgrade then I will have [the] same CPU.”
It’s not too surprising that the news that Google plans to use the same chip for four generations of the Pixel Watch has disappointed plenty of people. Any user holding out for a decent performance bump after so many years might feel a little let down, at least if the leak comes to fruition.
Still, it’s good news to see the memory finally bumped up by 1GB. With artificial intelligence (AI) models like Google Gemini now making their way onto all of the best smartwatches, the extra RAM should improve their operations on your wrist.
Will that be enough to make up for the subpar chip situation? We’ll have to see once Google finally lifts the lid on the Pixel Watch 5, which is expected to happen in August. Keep your eyes peeled.
Despite the noise around frontier AI models, most of the non-tech economy still runs on spreadsheets, manual lookups, and legacy systems.
This is even more so the case in automotive repair, where the gap between what AI promises and what it actually delivers costs the industry real money.
The global auto repair market is worth over $1 trillion but the US alone accounts for more than $180 billion of that annually, spread across more than 250,000 businesses, with no single operator holding more than 5% market share.
The average American vehicle is now 12.6 years old, the oldest fleet on record, meaning more frequent repairs, more complex parts, and more pressure on workshops already running on thin margins.
Since 2022, repair costs have risen by 25%, well above general inflation. Despite all of this, the industry still matches parts largely through manual catalogue lookups, experience, and guesswork. This results in wrong parts getting ordered, vehicles sitting in shops and workshops absorbing the cost of returns, rework and lost technician time.
That problem exists across every market, but the US is where it is most apparent; the market is enormous, deeply fragmented, and has operated without AI-native infrastructure designed specifically for it. That reflects a genuine technical challenge that general-purpose AI has not solved yet and cannot solve in its current form.
Why general-purpose AI models fall shortGeneral-purpose models are built for optimizing language, reasoning and creativity, but not to be ruthlessly precise within one specific industry. In industries like automotive repair, tolerance for error is close to zero. For example, if a model recommends a headlight that isn't the right fit, it holds up the technician repairing the car, delays the customer and costs the insurer paying for the repair considerably more.
When you benchmark leading general-purpose models against domain-specific automotive parts tasks, the results are stark. The best general models achieve around 5% precision on parts identification benchmarks. A well-trained human does considerably better, but is constrained by memory, catalogue complexity and time.
A model purpose-built for this problem, trained on proprietary original equipment manufacturer (OEM) data, normalized catalogue schemas, fitment rules and live transactional feedback, achieves over 90% precision on the same benchmarks - not just a marginal improvement but a different category of capability.
The data and architecture problemThere are structural reasons why the gap is that large. Automotive parts and repair data is not a larger version of generic text, it is a constantly evolving graph of relationships:
VINs, trims, sub-models, region-specific variants, supersessions, aftermarket substitutions and workshop-specific preferences. Much of this lives in fragmented OEM catalogues and proprietary formats not available on the open web.
The architecture required is different too; a parts decision in a real workshop needs to account for vehicle history, insurer regulations, supplier inventory, contractual pricing and technician preferences simultaneously, requiring a model built to ingest structured catalogues and enforce hard constraints, not one optimized for broad conversational usefulness.
Building the infrastructure that makes scale possibleBuilding a domain-specific foundation model is not a matter of fine-tuning a general base as the dataset has to be assembled through years of OEM agreements, schema normalization and continuous integration of repair, claims and inventory data.
The model needs to be wired into the systems that run the business, so that every accepted recommendation, return and job outcome feeds back in and compounds accuracy over time. The competitive advantage builds over time through the combination of proprietary data, deep integration and continuous learning. The longer the model runs, the better it becomes.
For the US market, this matters more than anywhere else; the scale of the opportunity, 250,000 repairers, a fleet getting older every year, costs rising faster than inflation, means the compounding value of getting parts right the first time is enormous.
The markets where this technology has been deployed in Europe and Asia-Pacific have demonstrated that the productivity gains are real and measurable. The US has, until now, had no equivalent infrastructure to access them.
What buyers and investors should be askingFor technology buyers in complex verticals, the right question to ask of any AI vendor is not how capable their model is in general, but how it performs on the specific failure modes that cost your industry money. In automotive repair, that means first-time-right rates, return rates and cycle time compression.
The same logic applies to investors: the size of a model is not a measure of how hard a business is to displace. The relevant questions are how hard the dataset is to assemble, how embedded the model is in operational workflows and how general the reasoning ability is within the domain.
General-purpose models will continue to improve and will remain valuable for a wide range of tasks. But the deepest, most durable value in AI will be created where models stop being generic assistants and start becoming invisible infrastructure, optimized for one hard problem at a time.
In automotive repair, that means fixing the parts problem that has taxed the industry for decades. In the US in particular, where scale amplifies both the cost of the problem and the value of solving it, that shift is overdue.
We've listed the best GPS fleet tracking systems.
This article was produced as part of TechRadar Pro Perspectives, our channel to feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today.
The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/pro/perspectives-how-to-submit
- Weapons' prequel movie about Aunt Gladys is officially in the works
- Director Zach Cregger spoke at San Diego Comic-Con where he confirmed that the script is in progress
- Weapons was a huge success, with Amy Madigan winning an Oscar for her performance as Aunt Gladys
Get excited Weapons fans, because Aunt Gladys' story will be explored in a new prequel movie that's being written now.
During Collider’s Directors on Directing panel at San Diego Comic-Con, director Zach Cregger gave a status update and confirmed that the Gladys-led prequel was in the works.
“First of all, I’m really excited about the Gladys movie, and I loved working with Amy,” Cregger said. “I loved that character. For the movie Weapons, it really made a lot of sense not to dive into her backstory because the device of Weapons was to keep her very mysterious.”
He added: “However, there’s an amazing story to be told about where Gladys comes from and how she became what we know her as. It’s got a lot of twists and turns and mysteries and crazy things, like Weapons does. I think it’s going to be great.
"The script is in progress now, but we’re taking that super seriously, and it’s moving in the right direction. So yeah, it’s being written, is the short answer.”
Weapons was a huge horror hit last year. (Image credit: Warner Bros.)Considering I gave Weapons a five-star review, I'm very excited for the Gladys prequel movie. Cregger is on a roll at the moment, as we have also seen the full trailer for his new Resident Evil movie.
His take on the beloved horror video game franchise is an original one, and will follow a medical courier named Bryan as he "unwittingly finds himself in an action-packed, non-stop race for survival", per the official synopsis.
That's not all, either. Following on from the success of A24's Backrooms, it was announced that Cregger is working on a Siren Head adaptation, another Creepypasta that is well loved by horror fans.