At some point, we’ve all encountered someone who just doesn’t get boundaries. They get too deep into our personal space, oblivious — or all too aware — of our discomfort. This problem is magnified online where there’s instant access to someone’s broader digital footprint, which can be a vector for abuse. It’s why most platforms have some sort of block feature, enabling people to limit some user’s access to their lives.
Elon Musk announced a change to X’s policies to enable users you’ve blocked to see your posts. They won’t be able to interact with you, but they will see what you’re posting to the platform. Musk has railed against the block feature before, saying users could already get around this by switching to a non-blocked account. Which is true, in the sort of tell-on-yourself way that suggests he’s got form not respecting someone’s boundaries.
Obviously, the reasons this is a terrible, dreadful, no-good and generally bad idea are so long we’d be here forever trying to list them. But it’s a good reminder that X is a place that thinks trust and safety are four-letter words.
Last year, Logitech leaped into the content creator market by acquiring Loupedeck, which makes control surfaces for apps like Adobe Lightroom. Now, the company has unveiled its first Logitech-branded control panel, the MX Creative Console, a $200 device that includes a keypad, dialpad and plugins for popular Adobe apps like Premiere Pro.
Logitech is fighting rivals like the TourBox Elite controller and even its own Loupedeck CT, but its new offering is cheaper than the latter and sleeker than the former. The MX Creative Console features a modern design and a pair of slick control dials, along with dynamic display keys that change depending on the app and page you’re looking at.
I’ve tested a number of control panels going back to the original Loupedeck in 2017. To me, it always comes down to one main thing: Is this easier and faster than just using a keyboard and mouse? After over a week with the MX Creative Console, I found it to be powerful in some cases and too limited in others.
Hardware
The console comes in either pale gray or darker graphite and takes up very little space on your desk (3.8 x 3.1 inches for the keypad and 3.6 x 3.7 inches for the dialpad). A stand that angles the keypad or dialpad about 45 degrees toward you is also included. I prefer it flat on the table for speed, but the stand makes it easier to see the controls. The keypad has nine display keys, with the content changing based on the page and app you’re using. There are two regular buttons below to change the pages and a USB-C port on the bottom.
Steve Dent for Engadget
Meanwhile, the dialpad’s centerpiece is a large “contextual dial” since its function changes depending on the action selected. Plus, there’s a scroll wheel in the right top corner, two buttons on the top left and two buttons on the bottom in each corner. The bottom right button activates the dialpad’s “Actions Ring,” an on-screen circular display that gives you another way to tweak things like colors and text.
The keys require a light touch and have a smooth, clickless feel. The wheel on the dialpad has a nice amount of friction for precise work and lets you easily move frame-by-frame in Premiere Pro, or shuttle quickly through a timeline. It doesn’t have any haptic feedback, though, like the TourBox Elite. There’s a Bluetooth pairing switch on the bottom and a power switch on the back. It can connect to your computer either via LT Bluetooth or Logitech’s Bolt dongle also used on its mice and keyboards (not included).
Logitech says that the products are made with 72 percent post-consumer recycled plastics, low-carbon aluminum, micro textures instead of paint and FSC-certified responsible packaging. However, the dialpad uses AAA cells, either disposable or rechargeable. They’ll last a couple of months, according to Logitech, but it’s an odd choice for a product meant to be environmentally friendly.
Setup
Steve Dent for Engadget
The MX Creative Console is plug and play for Adobe apps so you can start twiddling the dials out of the box. It’s also customizable, letting you tweak settings within apps, create custom profiles and more. To set it up, I installed the Logi Options+ app on my PC (and Mac, I tested it with both), then connected the keypad via USB-C. I installed the dialpad separately by connecting it to my computers over Bluetooth.
Once the devices are recognized, clicking on “All Actions” installs the Adobe plugins. It also has direct support for apps including VLC media player, Spotify Premium, Capture One and Ableton. You can even use it to control apps without plugins like your browser for system volume, YouTube videos, emojis, screenshots and more. I found this useful just for the system volume alone (hello, terrible Windows 11 audio control).
Changing the default settings is about as easy as it gets. When you open the customization page, it shows the devices to the left (dialpad, keypad and Actions Ring), while all the possible settings are to the right. To change or add a new setting, just grab the one you want from the list and drag it over to the virtual keypad on the left. Keys can be rearranged on the same page, but it’s not easy to move a setting from one page to another.
As a Premiere Pro user, the first thing I did was create a new keypad page and add buttons to switch between the source, program and timelines to avoid a mouse click for those actions. That was relatively easy to do, thanks to the search function and intuitive drag-and-drop interface. If you’d rather not futz around with customization, Logitech has a plugin marketplace in the Logi Options+ app. I wasn’t able to use that ahead of launch, but it’s supposed to allow users to purchase or share plugins, profiles and icon packs.
Operation
Logitech
I primarily work on Lightroom Classic and Premiere Pro while occasionally making use of Photoshop and After Effects. All of those apps are supported natively by the MX Creative Console on Mac and PC.
I started with Premiere Pro, testing it on both Windows and Mac. After some pondering, I placed the keypad to the left of the keyboard and the dialpad on the right between the keyboard and mouse. That worked well visually and let me finetune edits and do adjustments with my right hand and press buttons with my left — much as I already do with a keyboard and mouse.
At first, I didn’t think the console would speed up my workflow in editing mode since I’ve memorized most of Premiere’s keyboard shortcuts. I was also worried that I’d be constantly jumping between the dial and the mouse. After playing around a bit, though, I noticed that scrubbing through the timeline with the dial offered finer and faster control than the keyboard and mouse, especially when using the scroll wheel to scale the timeline (I’d like to see faster scrubbing when I’m zoomed out though, Logitech).
Building on that, I added the split function and other click-free mouse tools I hadn’t touched in awhile. With that, I could work nearly as quickly as with a keyboard and mouse depending on the task, despite my previous fears. Though I’d be hesitant to use it myself for editing, I could see this being a good workflow for new Premiere Pro users as it visually shows actions so newbies don’t need to memorize shortcuts.
The MX Console is especially useful for color correction in Premiere. With a clip selected, you can click the bottom right dialpad button to activate the Actions Ring, move your mouse to one of the actions (exposure, contrast, whites, saturation, etc.) and turn the dial to adjust that setting. To avoid the mouse, you can also program major color adjustments into the keypad. Then, just hold the button on that setting while turning the dial.
Steve Dent for Engadget
Then it was on to Lightroom Classic. This app makes the most sense for the console, as you’re primarily performing actions (color correction, cropping etc.) on a single image. Quick keys include Develop mode, White Balance Selector, Auto White Balance, Auto upright and rating tools. Once you’ve imported images into your library, you can jump into Develop, shuttle between images using the dial and then tweak colors using the Actions Ring as with Premiere. Again, if you’d rather keep your hands on the MX Console, you can program common functions (temperature, saturation, highlights etc.) into the keypad.
The MX Console also has keys for copying and pasting Develop settings, before and after views, as well as cropping and opening images in Photoshop. A Lightroom power user could add more shortcuts to further boost efficiency. That makes it nearly as fast as the popular Loupedeck+ panel, but jumping between pages in the keypad can slow you down a bit.
Unfortunately, I found the MX Creative Console to be the least useful for Photoshop. Control panels are best for single-purpose tasks like color correction and audio adjustments, but Photoshop is designed for more complex operations. That meant I was forever taking my hands off the keypad and dialpad and putting them on the mouse and keyboard, making me less efficient, if anything. It could have been useful in Photoshop’s Camera RAW utility (which has Lightroom-like controls), but Logitech said that tool has no API and doesn’t support plugins.
Wrap-up
Steve Dent for Engadget
The MX Creative Console’s main competition is the $268 TourBox Elite, which has three dials and ten buttons. Designed to work in concert with your keyboard and mouse, it’s powerful for experienced editors, but looks a bit cheap. By contrast, Logitech’s MX Creative Console is more polished, and the visual interface its keypad provides makes it better for novices. It’s also worth noting that Elgato’s similarly priced Stream Deck+ recently added an Adobe Photoshop plugin, despite mainly being designed for live streaming. It promises easy access to Photoshop tools and adjustments via four dials and eight display keys.
Other options are more expensive, like the $529 Loupedeck CT, $395 DaVinci Resolve Speed Editor, $499 DaVinci Resolve Mini Panel and $595 Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve Editor Keyboard. Those are more powerful and look more professional, but will obviously cost you more.
Logitech’s MX Creative Console is a quality device with a fair amount of utility for apps like Premiere Pro and Lightroom Classic. Its usefulness will no doubt increase as Adobe adds more supported apps and the Logi Marketplace grows. However, it simply doesn’t have enough buttons and dials to perform tasks in many Adobe apps without falling back to the keyboard and mouse. If you do use apps where it works well, like Lightroom, it could provide a boost to your productivity and look cool doing it. It ships next month for $200 and Logitech includes a free three-month subscription to Adobe's Creative Cloud.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/logitech-mx-creative-console-review-an-affordable-entry-point-into-edit-panels-070101321.html?src=rss
The days of the “@[insert username] blocked you” page appear to be over. X owner Elon Musk announced a new change to the platform’s blocking feature allowing blocked users to see posts of the accounts that blocked them.
Blocked accounts still won’t be able to interact with those accounts but they’ll be able to see their posts. A source from X told The Verge the new blocked access feature is being implemented because users can already see and interact with accounts that have blocked them by switching to a non-blocked account.
Musk has wanted to disable the block feature on X for awhile now. More than a year ago, he first expressed his disdain for blocking on X (or technically, Twitter) except for direct messages. He wrote that blocking would become “deleted as a ‘feature’” as well as saying “It makes no sense.”
Last May, X’s Engineering account announced it would implement the blocked viewer change to the platform without including a solid implementation or rollout date. The post said the change would be implemented to give users with blocked accounts the ability to “identify and report any potential bad content that you previously could not view.”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/x-is-nerfing-the-block-button-blocked-users-will-be-able-to-see-your-posts-214928396.html?src=rss
Telegram’s CEO Pavel Durov stated that the messaging app will now start handing over the IP addresses and phone numbers of users if prompted by legal requests. Bloomberg, which first reported the policy change, notes that Telegram has historically been "notoriously non-responsive to takedown requests" and "often ignored requests for information about suspected criminals."
Accompanying this development is the implementation of some moderation. Telegram has started using AI, as well as a human moderation team, to remove "problematic" content from its search results, Durov said. Durov also asked users to report unsafe and illegal content to the team so they can remove it.
How much these changes will affect the popularity of Telegram with those engaged in illicit activities (or authorities' ability to prosecute them) remains unknown. While IP addresses and phone numbers may be useful for triangulating users' activities elsewhere, Telegram users can opt for several layers of anonymizing features, like disappearing messages, end-to-end encryption or the ability to use the service without a SIM card. The service's FAQ continues to brag that "To this day, we have disclosed 0 bytes of user messages to third parties, including governments."
Back in August, Durov was arrested in France for crimes committed on Telegram and ordered to remain there. He denies these charges.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/telegram-will-now-provide-ip-addresses-and-phone-numbers-in-response-to-legal-requests-170300911.html?src=rss
It's Meta's turn to step up to the plate and host a developer conference. This year's Meta Connect takes place on September 25 and 26. While the bulk of the event will focus on how developers can get the most out of Meta's products, most of the actual news is likely to come from the opening keynote and developer keynote, which run back to back on September 25 starting at 1PM ET.
How to watch Meta Connect
You'll be able to watch the keynote live on Facebook on the Meta for Developers page. There's also the option to drink in the keynote in Horizon Worlds, in "a virtual experience inspired by the Meta campus in Menlo Park." Meta has also shared the keynote on its YouTube channel in previous years, but only after Connect is over, so it's unlikely to livestream the event there.
What to expect from Meta Connect
The Connect keynote will feature Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg discussing advancements in mixed reality, AI and wearables. The company is also promising a look at new products and features. Those may well include a pair of augmented reality glasses codenamed Orion that executives have been teasing for quite some time.
We're also expecting to see a less-expensive version of the Quest 3, dubbed the Quest 3S. Leaks suggest that this could sell for $300, which is significantly less than the $500 Quest 3. The Quest 3S could make it easier for Meta to finally ditch the Quest 2, which debuted in 2020 and is significantly less powerful than the Quest 3.
Elsewhere, Meta may announce an update for the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses at Connect. Meta and Ray-Ban owner EssilorLuxottica recently renewed their partnership, so there's more to come from that pact, either now or in the future.
In addition, there will likely be lots of talk about AI in the developer keynote starting at 2PM ET. It's likely that we'll learn more about how it's being used across Meta's headsets and smart glasses. As a result, the open-source Llama large language model is expected to be a topic of discussion.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/how-to-watch-meta-connect-2024-163643686.html?src=rss
The Biden administration just announced a comprehensive plan to ban Chinese software and some hardware from internet-connected cars in the US. This is being framed as a national security measure, with the administration stating that this software poses “new threats to our national security, including through our supply chains.”
This is the same reasoning behind a recent ban of telecommunications equipment from Chinese companies like Huawei and ZTE. In that case, the claims had teeth, as documents reportedly showed how Huawei was involved in the country’s surveillance efforts. Today’s announcement goes on to say that China “could use critical technologies” from connected vehicles “within our supply chains for surveillance and sabotage to undermine national security.”
The rules announced today go beyond mere software. It would also cover any piece of hardware that connects a vehicle to the outside world, which includes Bluetooth, cellular, Wi-Fi and satellite components. It also includes cameras, sensors and onboard computers. The software ban would go into effect in model year 2027, with the related hardware prohibition starting in model year 2030.
The proposed ban also includes Russian auto software. The country has a fairly robust EV industry, but primarily for domestic use. There’s nothing in Russia that’s globally lusted after like the cheap EVs from Chinese companies like BYD.
This leads us to a major point. While this proposed ban is primarily for internet-connected software, it would effectively block all Chinese auto imports. The software is pretty much baked in, as are the items of hardware that allow for connectivity. It’s already tough to get one of these vehicles stateside, due to the recent tariffs placed on Chinese EVs, but this would make it nearly impossible.
Government officials, however, have held steadfast that this is a move to improve national security, and not to ban cheaper EVs from another market. “Connected vehicles and the technology they use bring new vulnerabilities and threats, especially in the case of vehicles or components developed in the P.R.C. [People's Republic of China] and other countries of concern,” said Jake Sullivan, President Biden’s national security adviser. These remarks were given to reporters over the weekend and were transcribed by The New York Times.
Sullivan went on to reference something called Volt Typhoon, which is an alleged Chinese effort to insert malicious code into American power systems, pipelines and other critical infrastructure. US officials fear that this program could be used to cripple American military bases in the event of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan or a similar military excursion.
Peter Harrell, who was previously the National Security Council’s senior director for international economics during the Biden administration, told The New York Times that “this is likely to be opening the door, over a number of years, to a much broader governmental set of actions” that would “likely see a continuation” no matter who wins the presidential election.
It’s worth noting that the BYD Seagull, as an example, sells for around $10,000. This makes it much cheaper than American EVs, even after getting slapped by that fat 100 percent tariff. A full-featured EV for $20,000 sounds pretty nice right about now. Oh well. It was fun to dream.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/biden-administration-seeks-ban-on-auto-software-from-china-154025671.html?src=rss
Google's A-series Pixel phones are a great option for those looking to upgrade without spending a ton of money. Now thanks to Prime Day deals, you can get the Pixel 8a for the best price we've seen. It's down to $379, which is $120 off its usual price.
The Pixel 8a is our pick for the best midrange smartphone you can buy right now. We gave it a score of 90 in our review in May. It has some excellent hardware for a phone in this price range, including terrific cameras, a 6.1-inch OLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and great battery life (it lasted for 20 and a half hours on our video rundown test).
What’s more, the Pixel 8a runs on the Tensor G3, which is the same chipset found in the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro. As such, it can run the same AI features as the flagship handsets, including Magic Eraser and other camera trickery, web article summaries and narration via Google Assistant, wallpaper generation and faster Face Unlock.
Elsewhere, features like IP67 dust and water resistance are very welcome. On the downside, the bezels are a little thicker than some may like. Qi wireless charging is slow too at a rate of 7.5W. Still, those are minor quibbles for an otherwise great midrange phone.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice, and stay tuned to Engadget.com for all of the best tech deals coming out of October Prime Day 2024.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-google-pixel-8a-falls-to-a-new-record-low-of-379-for-prime-day-144717301.html?src=rss
No matter how hard we try, it always feels like our storage quickly runs out. Thankfully, we live in a world where microSDs exist and, even better, our favorites go on sale. Right now, the 512GB Samsung Pro Plus microSD with an adapter is down to $30 from $84 — a 64 percent discount. The record-low price is available on the model with a read speed of 180MB per second.
Samsung's Pro Plus is our top choice for a microSD, and is the best option for most people. Along with that read speed, the microSD has a sequential write performance of 130MB per second and came in second for random read and write speeds of all the microSDs we tested. At these speeds, it should work great whether you use it on a camera or with a gaming handheld, but it cinched the top spot thanks to its overall affordability.
This microSD can also store 4K UHD video and has the latest U3 and V30 speeds. Plus, with the addition of a USB reader, it should have no trouble reaching its maximum speeds. If you don't need a full 512GB, then check out the 256GB Samsung Pro Plus microSD. It's currently discounted by 58 percent, dropping to $20 from $48.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/early-prime-day-deals-include-our-favorite-microsd-card-for-64-percent-off-143509090.html?src=rss
Apple's macOS updates have been so dull lately, the most interesting part of last year's macOS Sonoma ended up being widgets. Widgets! Thankfully, macOS Sequoia has a lot more going on — or at least it will, once Apple Intelligence rolls out over the next few months. For now, though, Sequoia delivers a few helpful features like iPhone Mirroring, a full-fledged Passwords app and automatic transcription in the Notes app. At the very least, it's got a lot more going on than widgets.
iPhone mirroring changes everything for Macs
Heading into WWDC earlier this year, I was hoping that Apple would let Vision Pro users mirror their iPhones just as easily as they can mirror their Macs. Well, we didn't get that, but iPhone Mirroring on macOS Sequoia is close to what I'd want on the Vision Pro. Once you've got a Mac (with an Apple Silicon chip, or one of the last Intel models with a T2 security chip) running the new OS, as well as an iPhone running iOS 18, you can easily pair the two using the iPhone Mirroring app.
Once that connection is made, you'll see a complete replication of your phone within the app. It took me a few minutes to get used to navigating iOS with a trackpad and keyboard (there are a few new hotkeys worth learning), but once I did, I had no trouble opening my usual iPhone apps and games. If you're spoiled by the 120Hz ProMotion screen from an iPhone Pro, you'll notice that the mirrored connection doesn't look nearly as smooth, but from my testing it held a steady 60fps throughout games and videos. I didn't notice any annoying audio or video lag either.
Apple
While it's nice to be able to launch my iPhone from my Mac, I was surprised at what ended up being the most useful aspect of this feature: Notifications. Once you've connected your phone, its alerts pop up in your Mac's Notification Center, and it takes just one click to launch the app it's tied to. That's useful for alerts from Instagram, DoorDash and other popular apps that have no real Mac options, aside from launching their websites in a browser.
iPhone Mirroring is also a sneaky way to get in a few rounds of Vampire Survivors during interminably long meetings or classes. (Not that I would ever do such a thing.) While many mobile games have made their way over to the Mac App Store, there are still thousands that haven't, so it's nice to have a way to access them on a larger screen. Not every game works well on Macs — it's just tough to replicate a handheld touchscreen experience with a large trackpad — but mirroring is a decent option for slower-paced titles. I didn't encounter any strange framerate or lagging issues, and sound carried over flawlessly as well.
I typically always have my phone within reach, even when I'm working at a desk. But picking it up would inevitably disrupt my workflow — it's just far too easy to get a notification and find yourself scrolling TikTok or Instagram, with no memory of how you got there. With iPhone Mirroring, I can just keep on working on my Mac without missing any updates from my phone. It's also been useful when my iPhone is connected to a wireless charger and I desperately need more power before I run out the house.
If you're the sort of person who leaves your phone around your home, I'd bet mirroring would also be helpful. The feature requires having both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi turned on, and the connection range is around 50 feet, or what I'd expect from Bluetooth. Thick walls and other obstructions can also reduce that range significantly. In my testing, I could leave my iPhone in my backyard and still be able to mirror it in my living room 40 feet away. Naturally, the further you get, the choppier the experience.
Sure, Apple isn't the first company to bring smartphone mirroring to PCs. Samsung and other Android phone makers have been offering it for years, and Microsoft also has the "Phone Link" app (formerly Your Phone) for mirroring and file syncing. But those implementations differ dramatically depending on the smartphone you're using, they don't seamlessly integrate notifications and simply put, they would often fail to connect. Once you set up iPhone Mirroring, getting into your phone takes just a few seconds. It just works. And after testing the feature for weeks, I haven't run into any major connection issues.
Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
Better window tiling, finally!
It's 2024 and Apple has finally made it easier to position Mac windows around your monitor. Now you can drag apps to the sides or corners of your screen, and they'll automatically adjust themselves. It's allowed me to quickly place a browser I'm using for research alongside an Evernote window or Google Doc. Similar to Stage Manager in macOS Ventura, the tiling shortcuts are a significant shift for Mac window management.
And, of course, they're also clearly similar to Windows 10 and 11's snapping feature. Given that much of Apple's UI focus is on iOS, iPadOS and VisionOS these days, it's easy to feel like the Mac has been left behind a bit. I don't blame Apple for cribbing Microsoft's UI innovations, especially when it makes life easier for Mac users.
Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
Slick video conferencing background replacement
Apple has offered lighting adjustments and portrait background blurring in video chats for years, and now it's using that same machine learning technology to completely replace your backgrounds. Admittedly, this isn't a very new or exciting feature. But it's worth highlighting because it works across every video chat app on your Mac, and since it's relying on Apple's Neural Engine, it looks much better than software-based background replacements.
Apple's technology does a better job of keeping your hair and clothes within focus, but still separated from artificial backgrounds. And best of all, it doesn't look like a cheap green screen effect. You can choose from a few color gradients, shots of Apple Park or your own pictures or videos.
Other highlights of macOS Sequoia
Here are a few other upgrades I appreciated:
The Passwords app does a decent job of collecting your stored passwords, but it's clearly just a first attempt. It's not nearly as smart about plugging in my passwords into browser fields as apps like 1Password and LastPass.
The Notes app now lets you record voice notes and automatically transcribes them. You can also continue to jot down text during a voice recording, making it a useful way to keep track of interviews and lectures. I'm hoping future updates add features like multi-speaker detection.
Being able to jot down math equations in Notes is cool, but it's not something I rely on daily. I'm sure it'll be very useful to high school and college kids taking advanced math courses, though.
Messages finally gets rich text formatting and a send later option. Huzzah!
Finally, a macOS update worth getting excited about
You’d be forgiven for completely ignoring the last batch of macOS updates, especially if you haven’t been excited about Stage Manager or, sigh, widgets. But if you’re a Mac and iPhone owner, Sequoia is worth an immediate upgrade. Being able to mirror your iPhone and its notifications is genuinely useful, and it’s stuffed with other helpful features. And of course, if you want to get some Apple Intelligence action next month, you’ll have no choice but to upgrade. (We’ll have further impressions on all of Apple’s AI features as they launch.)
Sure, it’s a bit ironic that Apple’s aging desktop OS is getting a shot of life via its mobile platform, but honestly, the best recent Mac features have been directly lifted from iOS and iPadOS. It’s clear that Apple is prioritizing the devices that get updated far more frequently than laptops and desktops. I can’t blame the company for being realistic – for now, I’m just glad it’s thoughtfully trying to make its devices play nice together. (And seriously, just bring iPhone mirroring to the Vision Pro already.)
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/macos-sequoia-review-iphone-mirroring-is-more-useful-than-you-think-140008463.html?src=rss
Last month the Google TV Streamer was announced as a replacement for the Chromecast line and it's arriving in stores today for $100. As part of that, Google is bringing TV Streamer features like the the smart home panel and AI to Google TVs from Hisense and others.
A key feature is the previously announced home panel that's now coming to Google TVs as well. You can see and control all compatible smart home devices (lights, thermostats, cameras, etc.) directly on your TV either with your voice or the Google Assistant. New doorbell notifications also show you who's at the front door without pausing your program.
Google also announced a few new features we haven't seen yet. If you want to use your TV as a picture frame, the Ambient screensaver displays Google photos and even lets you create AI-generated designs through a series of prompts. The latter is a pretty novel feature, if you don't mind looking at soulless machine-created art.
Google
Speaking of AI, Google is adding "enhanced" Gemini-created AI overviews (above) for popular movies and series on streaming services like HBO. "These overviews include full summaries, audience reviews and season-by-season breakdowns" to help you choose a show, Google said.
Other new features include a new sports page in the For You tab that puts games, YouTube highlights, commentary and more in one place. Google also added a guide for its live TV Freeplay service (previously soft-launched) so you can better keep track of its 150 or so free channels. The new features are set to roll out today on the Google TV Streamer and smart Google TVs from Hisense and TCL, or projectors from Epson and XGIMI.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/google-tv-streamer-goes-on-sale-today-with-home-panel-sports-page-and-more-140005554.html?src=rss