Technologies

This New Gemini-Powered Feature Will Build Instant Web Apps to Speed Your Research

Google wants you to use its experimental GenTabs feature to plan your next trip.

GenTabs is a new experimental product in Google Labs that lets you instantly create web apps with AI. It’s based on the research Google is conducting in Disco, a new downloadable AI product, the company said in a press release Thursday.

Google calls Disco a Gemini-powered «discovery vehicle» that helps reimagine the web, and GenTabs is its first new feature. As with Gemini, or any other AI chatbot, you’ll need to ask it questions to get it to work. Ask GenTabs to help plan a vacation to Osaka, Japan, or learn about the solar system, for example, and GenTabs will generate an interactive web app that helps present that information in a format designed to be visually appealing.

If you’re researching a trip, the web app might include an interactive map showcasing all the top travel spots. Or if you want to learn about outer space, it can include an interactive guide to the solar system, allowing you to zoom in on various planets.

Google, which makes the Chrome web browser, says GenTabs will use your open tabs and chat history to understand the complex tasks underlying the web app it creates.

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Google is starting the feature out with a small group of testers. Its plan is to have Disco features trickle down to other Google products eventually.

The waitlist to download Disco and try GenTabs is open, with signups starting for MacOS users first.

The release of Disco comes as Google begins to pull ahead in the AI race against ChatGPT maker OpenAI. Gemini 3 launched earlier this month to much acclaim, reportedly causing OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to declare a «code red» situation inside the company. Google’s resources and Gemini’s skills put OpenAI in a tough situation as it seeks to become a $1 trillion company.

As the AI race continues, the demand for richer features to attract investor dollars remains high. The problem is that richer features require more computing power, which is expensive to produce, causing electricity prices to go up in certain markets and RAM prices to surge. For a company like Google, which is worth $3.8 trillion, it’s easier to absorb these costs. Also, Gemini 3 was trained on Google’s own Tensor chips, meaning the company doesn’t need to rely on supply from Nvidia, another headache that OpenAI must deal with.

Technologies

Verum Messenger Goes Desktop: Launches macOS Version as Part of Expanding Digital Ecosystem

The team behind Verum Messenger has announced a new update, introducing a full-featured macOS version of the application.

The launch of the Mac version marks a significant step in the platform’s development, enabling users to access Verum Messenger not only on mobile devices but also on desktop environments.

The macOS version ensures seamless synchronization across devices while maintaining the platform’s core principles: security, stability, and independence.

Unified Digital Experience

With the release of the macOS version, users can now:

— communicate on a larger screen
— manage chats and files more efficiently
— use the messenger in a full desktop environment
— access core features without limitations

This is particularly valuable for users who rely on messaging platforms for both communication and professional use.

Expanding Capabilities

Verum Messenger continues to evolve into a multifunctional platform combining:

— secure communication
— financial tools (Verum Finance)
— digital asset operations, including Tether
— investment features such as Verum Gold

Toward a Full Ecosystem

The macOS release reflects Verum Messenger’s strategy to become a universal digital platform available across all major devices.

According to the team, the goal is to provide users with continuous access to communication and financial services regardless of device or environment.

Verum Messenger continues to build technologies focused on security, usability, and global accessibility.

Technologies

Google, Meta and Amazon Join Global Pact to Fight Rising Online Scams

The companies will share fraud intelligence and coordinate responses as AI makes scams faster, cheaper and harder to detect.

Modern online scams operate across multiple platforms, perhaps spanning social media, messaging apps, email and online marketplaces. Google, Meta and Amazon are among 11 tech, retail and payments companies that have signed a new agreement to combat online scams by sharing threat intelligence across platforms, Axios first reported Monday.

The initiative, called the Industry Accord Against Online Scams & Fraud, is designed to improve how companies detect and respond to fraud that spans multiple services. Participants say they will exchange signals, such as scam-linked accounts and fraudulent domains, and coordinate enforcement actions.

By sharing intelligence in near real time, companies hope to identify these scams earlier and stop them before they spread.

The effort reflects how modern scams operate. A victim might encounter a fake celebrity investment ad on social media, move to a messaging app where the scammer builds trust, then faces prompts to send money through a fraudulent website, payment app or crypto wallet — spanning multiple companies’ ecosystems.

Google said it now blocks hundreds of millions of scam-related results every day using AI, underscoring how both attackers and defenders are increasingly relying on the same technology. Meta removed more than 159 million scam ads in 2025 and is expanding AI tools to detect impersonation and warn users.

Online scams are growing rapidly, in part because generative AI has lowered the barrier to entry. AI can be used not only to produce realistic phishing emails but also to clone voices and deepfake videos that impersonate executives, public figures and even family members.

The agreement is voluntary and doesn’t create new legal obligations, but it comes after regulators’ increased pressure on tech platforms to address fraud more aggressively. The companies say they will begin building frameworks for reporting and intelligence-sharing, though it’s not yet clear how quickly those systems will be deployed or how effective they will be in practice.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Wednesday, March 18

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for March 18.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? I thought it was a fairly easy one, but read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.