Technologies

The Future’s Here: Testing Out Gemini’s Live Camera Mode

Gemini Live’s new camera mode feels like the future when it works. I put it through a stress test with my offbeat collectibles.

«I just spotted your scissors on the table, right next to the green package of pistachios. Do you see them?»

Gemini Live’s chatty new camera feature was right. My scissors were exactly where it said they were, and all I did was pass my camera in front of them at some point during a 15-minute live session of me giving the AI chatbot a tour of my apartment. Google’s been rolling out the new camera mode to all Android phones using the Gemini app for free after a two-week exclusive to Pixel 9 (including the new Pixel 9A) and Galaxy S5 smartphones. So, what exactly is this camera mode and how does it work?

When you start a live session with Gemini, you now how have the option to enable a live camera view, where you can talk to the chatbot and ask it about anything the camera sees. Not only can it identify objects, but you can also ask questions about them — and it works pretty well for the most part. In addition, you can share your screen with Gemini so it can identify things you surface on your phone’s display.

When the new camera feature popped up on my phone, I didn’t hesitate to try it out. In one of my longer tests, I turned it on and started walking through my apartment, asking Gemini what it saw. It identified some fruit, ChapStick and a few other everyday items with no problem. I was wowed when it found my scissors.

That’s because I hadn’t mentioned the scissors at all. Gemini had silently identified them somewhere along the way and then recalled the location with precision. It felt so much like the future, I had to do further testing.

My experiment with Gemini Live’s camera feature was following the lead of the demo that Google did last summer when it first showed off these live video AI capabilities. Gemini reminded the person giving the demo where they’d left their glasses, and it seemed too good to be true. But as I discovered, it was very true indeed.

Gemini Live will recognize a whole lot more than household odds and ends. Google says it’ll help you navigate a crowded train station or figure out the filling of a pastry. It can give you deeper information about artwork, like where an object originated and whether it was a limited edition piece.

It’s more than just a souped-up Google Lens. You talk with it, and it talks to you. I didn’t need to speak to Gemini in any particular way — it was as casual as any conversation. Way better than talking with the old Google Assistant that the company is quickly phasing out.

Google also released a new YouTube video for the April 2025 Pixel Drop showcasing the feature, and there’s now a dedicated page on the Google Store for it.

To get started, you can go live with Gemini, enable the camera and start talking. That’s it.

Gemini Live follows on from Google’s Project Astra, first revealed last year as possibly the company’s biggest «we’re in the future» feature, an experimental next step for generative AI capabilities, beyond your simply typing or even speaking prompts into a chatbot like ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini. It comes as AI companies continue to dramatically increase the skills of AI tools, from video generation to raw processing power. Similar to Gemini Live, there’s Apple’s Visual Intelligence, which the iPhone maker released in a beta form late last year.

My big takeaway is that a feature like Gemini Live has the potential to change how we interact with the world around us, melding our digital and physical worlds together just by holding your camera in front of almost anything.

I put Gemini Live to a real test

The first time I tried it, Gemini was shockingly accurate when I placed a very specific gaming collectible of a stuffed rabbit in my camera’s view. The second time, I showed it to a friend in an art gallery. It identified the tortoise on a cross (don’t ask me) and immediately identified and translated the kanji right next to the tortoise, giving both of us chills and leaving us more than a little creeped out. In a good way, I think.

I got to thinking about how I could stress-test the feature. I tried to screen-record it in action, but it consistently fell apart at that task. And what if I went off the beaten path with it? I’m a huge fan of the horror genre — movies, TV shows, video games — and have countless collectibles, trinkets and what have you. How well would it do with more obscure stuff — like my horror-themed collectibles?

First, let me say that Gemini can be both absolutely incredible and ridiculously frustrating in the same round of questions. I had roughly 11 objects that I was asking Gemini to identify, and it would sometimes get worse the longer the live session ran, so I had to limit sessions to only one or two objects. My guess is that Gemini attempted to use contextual information from previously identified objects to guess new objects put in front of it, which sort of makes sense, but ultimately, neither I nor it benefited from this.

Sometimes, Gemini was just on point, easily landing the correct answers with no fuss or confusion, but this tended to happen with more recent or popular objects. For example, I was surprised when it immediately guessed one of my test objects was not only from Destiny 2, but was a limited edition from a seasonal event from last year.

At other times, Gemini would be way off the mark, and I would need to give it more hints to get into the ballpark of the right answer. And sometimes, it seemed as though Gemini was taking context from my previous live sessions to come up with answers, identifying multiple objects as coming from Silent Hill when they were not. I have a display case dedicated to the game series, so I could see why it would want to dip into that territory quickly.

Gemini can get full-on bugged out at times. On more than one occasion, Gemini misidentified one of the items as a made-up character from the unreleased Silent Hill: f game, clearly merging pieces of different titles into something that never was. The other consistent bug I experienced was when Gemini would produce an incorrect answer, and I would correct it and hint closer at the answer — or straight up give it the answer, only to have it repeat the incorrect answer as if it was a new guess. When that happened, I would close the session and start a new one, which wasn’t always helpful.

One trick I found was that some conversations did better than others. If I scrolled through my Gemini conversation list, tapped an old chat that had gotten a specific item correct, and then went live again from that chat, it would be able to identify the items without issue. While that’s not necessarily surprising, it was interesting to see that some conversations worked better than others, even if you used the same language.

Google didn’t respond to my requests for more information on how Gemini Live works.

I wanted Gemini to successfully answer my sometimes highly specific questions, so I provided plenty of hints to get there. The nudges were often helpful, but not always. Below are a series of objects I tried to get Gemini to identify and provide information about.

Technologies

Connect Your iPhone or Android to Any TV: A Guide for AirPlay, Chromecast and HDMI

When visiting friends and family, you can likely share videos from your phone to your TV without needing to log in to any built-in apps.

When visiting your friends and family this holiday season, you may want to show off your latest photos or stream movies to their television while spending time together. However, it can be a pain to log in to your streaming service account on someone’s television.

Thankfully, with most recent televisions, you probably don’t need to log in at all to do this. In most cases, the phone you carry right now can connect directly to a TV, and you can share or cast your screen using your own accounts saved on your phone.

Many TVs now ship with built-in support for AirPlay, Chromecast or Miracast, all of which let you wirelessly connect your phone. The trickiest part isn’t whether you can connect your phone to your TV (because you probably can). Rather, you’ll need to know which wireless casting connection your phone supports and make sure the TV you want to connect to also supports it.

We’ll talk about how this works, based on whether you’re using an iPhone or an Android phone. We’ll also point out when you’ll be using AirPlay, Chromecast or Miracast to make the connection, depending on what device you have.

iPhone supports AirPlay and Chromecast

Apple’s iPhone devices have two ways of connecting wirelessly to a television. On a system level, an iPhone can use AirPlay to cast media from video and music apps to any device that also supports AirPlay. This originally was exclusive to the Apple TV, but AirPlay now supports many televisions made by Samsung, LG, TCL and Vizio, along with Roku’s streaming devices. Odds are if your device supports the Apple TV app, somewhere in its settings is also support for AirPlay.

You can access AirPlay in one of two ways. If you’re using a supported app like Paramount Plus, you’ll want to tap the AirPlay icon represented by a TV with a triangle. You can also access AirPlay from your phone’s Control Center by tapping the icon represented by two rectangles and then picking the device you’re casting to. Using the latter option, you can also mirror your phone’s screen to your TV to display apps like Instagram or TikTok that don’t include AirPlay from within.

If you are trying to connect with a television with the Google TV operating system or the Google TV Streamer, the iPhone also supports Chromecast. Similar to using AirPlay from a media app, you’ll tap the Chromecast icon represented by a rectangle with three wavy lines. You’ll then tap the device you want to cast to. The biggest difference between how AirPlay and Chromecast work on the iPhone is that you won’t be able to mirror your iPhone’s display over Chromecast.

Certain apps like YouTube will blend these casting options together for convenience. When tapping Google’s Chromecast button, a submenu will let you choose between using AirPlay or Chromecast or linking directly to your TV’s YouTube app using a code.

And if you want to connect your iPhone to your television using an HDMI cable, you can use either a USB-C to HDMI adapter if you have an iPhone 15 or newer or a Lightning-to-HDMI adapter for the iPhone 14 and earlier. That adapter will allow for screen mirroring without using AirPlay.

Android always supports Chromecast, sometimes supports Miracast

Android phones don’t support AirPlay, but they sometimes support two wireless casting options that connect to nearly any television.

First, all Android phones include Chromecast support. So if your TV has Chromecast built-in or has a Google TV streamer attached, you’ll be able to connect your phone by tapping the Cast icon from an app. You can also set up a screen cast shortcut in the quick settings drop-down panel, which will provide an even faster way to quickly cast to your TV. CNET’s Nelson Aguilar has put together a guide for this.

And while it’s not supported on every Android phone, Samsung and Motorola both make Android phones that support Miracast for screen mirroring. These features are labeled as Smart View and Ready For, respectively, and will let you connect your phone to televisions or displays that support a setting that’s often labeled Screen Mirroring. More recent Motorola phones, like the Razr Ultra, are calling this feature Smart Connect. What’s unique about Miracast is that many Windows PCs also support this style of casting, and during my recent trip, that came in handy in order to play some Jackbox Games.

An additional note about these features from Samsung and Motorola is that both support connecting your phone to a television or computer monitor using a USB-C to HDMI cable, should you have one on hand. This could be particularly helpful if you’re trying to do a more data-intensive activity on your phone, such as connecting to a bigger screen in order to use your phone more like a computer.

More tips about wirelessly connecting your phone to a TV

Even though many televisions and streaming devices support one or more of these methods, it’s still entirely possible that when traveling, you won’t have a perfect match. For instance, you might have an Android phone, but the TV in your hotel room supports only AirPlay or blocks access to the HDMI port. But for home use, now that many televisions support multiple connection options, you have a good chance to be able to set up a method that works for day-to-day viewing.

You’ll also want to keep in mind that much like with video streaming, your network could also affect how effective a wireless connection will be to your TV. With that in mind, you will want to have your phone as close to a router as possible, which will help with the connection. If your video quality degrades while streaming, you may also want to turn casting off and on again to reset the connection.

But as long as your phone and television can connect with one of the above methods, you should otherwise be free to stream any movie or music from your phone onto your TV.

You already know that your Amazon Prime membership is great for free two-day shipping. But what about all the other perks? Whether you’re prepping for New Year’s Eve festivities on a budget, or just trying to save some cash as the holidays wind down, this service has a ton of hidden benefits waiting for you.

From discounted gas to streaming extras, there’s a lot more value packed into your Prime membership than most people realize, and a lot of those discounts can be used beyond Amazon.

You can take advantage of limited-time deals with a 30-day free trial, but that only lets you scratch the surface of all that a membership has to offer. It might surprise you to learn what else you can get by being a Prime member. Below, we’ll break down some of the best perks you may not know about.

Spoiler: Some of them are bangers.

For more, check out the latest Amazon products and see how you can get great savings on Amazon right now with coupons.

1. Watch HBO or other premium TV channels without cable

You probably know about Prime Video and Amazon Music Prime but you might not know all the special details. Amazon Prime members have access to a large number of feature-length movies and hit original TV shows like The Boys and The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, as well as an Amazon Music Prime library featuring 2 million songs and thousands of curated playlists.

Prime members can also download movies and TV shows for watching later offline.

If a show or movie you want to watch is not included as part of your basic Prime subscription, you can subscribe to premium channels such as HBO, Showtime and Starz for $5 to $15 a month, with no need for cable or satellite service.

Music lovers can upgrade to Amazon Music Unlimited to get a library of 90 million songs that can be streamed to multiple devices for $9 a month or $89 a year.

2. Get money back by choosing no-rush shipping

If you don’t need your purchase to be delivered quickly, you can opt out of two-day or shorter delivery options by selecting «no-rush shipping» and receive your package in about six days. In return for your patience, Amazon will give you rewards.

There’s no standard for no-rush shipping rewards — they vary from item to item — but they generally provide discounts on products and services that you might buy from Amazon.

Some common rewards are $1 credits for Amazon digital services like movies, music and ebooks, $3 coupons for Amazon’s Happy Belly-branded snacks, $10 to $20 off TV or furniture purchases and $10 to $20 off Amazon Home Services.

The value of no-rush shipping will depend on whether you’ll use any of the rewards. It might not seem like much, but a few no-rush shipping selections could easily earn you the $3 to $4 you need for a free movie rental from Prime Video.

3. Whole Foods grocery discounts

If you’re a frequent shopper at Whole Foods, an Amazon Prime membership can reap serious dividends. Prime Member Deals available in physical Whole Foods stores give members discounts of 10% to 20% on selected items marked with blue Amazon stickers.

Yellow tags indicate even further savings, usually at least another 10% off an already discounted price. Prime members who scan the Whole Foods Market or Amazon app at checkout get an extra 10% off storewide sales. Prime membership also gives you access to special online deals.

4. Exclusive access to Thursday night NFL football games

It’s the second year that Amazon Prime has had exclusive rights to air Thursday Night Football, and Prime seems to be killing the game. It received five Sports Emmys nominations for its 2022 coverage and boasts a stacked cast of experts, commentators and former players.

If you are a Prime subscriber, you can stream 2025-2026 Thursday Night Football games on Prime Video, NFL +, Amazon.com or Twitch. There is also a Spanish-language broadcast available on Prime Video. Pregame coverage begins at 7 p.m. EST each Thursday.

5. Free same-day Amazon Fresh delivery

Whole Foods isn’t the only grocery option available to Amazon Prime members. Subscribers also have access to the online grocery store Amazon Fresh, which provides free deliveries to some locations. Amazon Fresh has some similar products to Whole Foods but generally focuses on a broader range of groceries and home products at lower prices.

Anyone can purchase products from Amazon Fresh but only Prime members get free same-day delivery. Amazon Fresh also has 44 physical locations that offer special weekly deals for Prime members.

6. Free same-day delivery for perishable groceries

Similar to Amazon Fresh, a new service gives Amazon users access to perishable groceries with same-day delivery service. More than 1,000 cities and towns in the US can now get groceries delivered within hours and Amazon plans to expand the service to more than 2,300 locations by the end of 2025.

Same-day delivery is available to all Amazon customers for $12.99 but it’s free for Prime members who order at least $25 worth of groceries (it costs $2.99 if your order is less than $25). If you’re running low on milk and eggs and you don’t have time to make a trip to the grocery store, this is a great way to stock up without leaving the house.

7. Borrow unlimited books, magazines and comics

Amazon Prime members gain access to Prime Reading, a service similar to Kindle Unlimited with a different collection of materials. You can borrow as many books as you like, and many include audible narration, so you can switch back and forth between reading and listening. The electronic downloads don’t require a Kindle or Fire device.

Amazon First Reads gives Prime members access to editors’ selections of early book releases. Anyone with a Prime membership gets one free Kindle book a month, as well as regular discounts on selected titles.

8. Prime-exclusive deals and promos

Amazon offers Prime-exclusive deals all-year round on top products meaning you can make back the cost of your membership in savings. For big shopping seasons like Black Friday or Prime Day, there are even more member-only prices to shop.

Plus, Prime subscribers often get early access to Lightning Deals. These are sort of like Amazon’s version of a fire sale, featuring very low prices for a limited number of products that usually sell out very quickly. The good news for Amazon Prime members is that they get access to these deals earlier than everyone else. The bad news? There are a lot of Amazon Prime members.

9. Exclusive Zappos deals, faster shipping and a test month for running shoes

Amazon acquired the online shoe giant Zappos in 2009, and it now provides a number of benefits for Prime members who link their accounts on Zappos.com. Prime members get faster shipping, bonus reward points for shopping and exclusive deals on certain products.

Zappos also lets Prime members participate in Runlimited, a 30-day guarantee program for running shoes.

10. Save money on prescription drugs online

Prime members have exclusive access to Amazon RxPass. The subscription service provides all of your eligible medications for a single payment of $5 a month, regardless of how many prescriptions you have. More than 50 commonly prescribed medications are available.

Amazon says that the average member with an RxPass saves 38% on medications but it’s important to note that Amazon’s Prime Rx savings program does not work with health insurance. You’ll need to be sure that any savings you get from the program are more than you’d get from insurance coverage.

11. One Medical membership discounts

One Medical is a membership-based health service that provides primary in-person and virtual health care. Its concierge-like medical service is designed to allow members to easily schedule appointments and care using the company’s mobile app or website.

Amazon acquired One Medical in 2023 and is now offering a major discount for Prime members. Instead of the usual price of $199 a year, Amazon Prime members can subscribe for $99 a year, or $9 per month. To activate the discount, Prime members should visit this page. Existing One Medical subscribers who are Prime members can also take advantage of the discount starting with their next payment.

12. Access to Amazon Luna

Amazon Luna delivers access to a library of games that you can play without paying a dime since they’re included with Amazon Prime and Prime Video. There is a rotating library of games that you can claim, including super popular options like the Fallout Series and XCOM2.

Along with single-player games, Amazon has added a GameNight section. These games are all multiplayer games that can be controlled with a smartphone, making it a great way to spend time with friends or family playing games. There are more than 25 options in GameNight include Ticket to Ride, Jackbox and Exploding Kittens.

13. Unlimited photo storage with Amazon Photos

With a subscription to Amazon Prime, you can store unlimited photos and 5GB of video on Amazon Photos. Without Amazon Prime, you’re limited to a total of 5GB of videos and photos total.

You can view or share your photos and videos on Amazon Photos using the iOS or Android app, or on a computer with the desktop or web app. Your photo and video files are fully encrypted, so they’re only visible to people with whom you intentionally share them.

14. Get discounts on Shutterfly

Amazon has partnered with photography company Shutterfly to offer Prime members 45% off most regular-priced products. Shoppers also can get free shipping on orders of $35 or more. To get the discount, you’ll have to link your Shutterfly and Amazon accounts.

If you store your photos with Amazon, you can now access your Amazon Photos directly from Shutterfly. This makes it extra convenient for Prime members to share images from their extensive photo library.

15. Get a free Grubhub Plus membership

Don’t feel like cooking tonight? There’s a perk for that, too.

When Amazon announced it would offer Grubhub Plus free for a year in 2022, it was a solid, but temporary, perk added to Prime. In 2023, Prime members were treated to another free year. For 2024, instead of renewing the food delivery service’s premium membership again for another year, Grubhub Plus became a permanent Amazon Prime perk.

Grubhub Plus typically costs $9.99 a month and provides unlimited free delivery for all orders over $12 in more than 4,000 cities nationwide.

16. Save on Amazon Kids Plus

If you have Amazon Prime, you also get access to discounted Amazon Kids Plus. The subscription service features a range of ad-free content, including books, games and videos for children ages 3 to 12. Parents can limit the amount of screen time available to their children and manage up to four profiles on iOS and Android.

The Amazon Kids Plus subscription is normally $79 a year but Prime members can get it for $48 a year.

17. Get your package on the day you want it with Amazon Day

If none of the usual delivery dates work for you, you have one additional option as a Prime member. Amazon Day is a free perk that lets you schedule your packages to arrive on your day of choice. Next time you’re on vacation, you don’t have to arrange for the neighbors to help you bring in your boxes, and you won’t have to worry about porch pirates stealing your delivery on days when you’re not home.

Amazon Day is also a great option to cut down on the number of boxes for your packages, as you can schedule multiple purchases to arrive as a single delivery.

18. Save money on gas

Do you spend several hours each week driving to and from work? If you’re an Amazon Prime member living in the US, your dollar will now stretch a little farther at the gas pump. You can save 10 cents per gallon at BP, Amoco and AM/PM gas stations — there are about 7,000 locations across the 50 states. Amazon estimates that this perk will save the average American nearly $70 per year.

To get the full 10-cent-per-gallon discount, Prime members must create a free earnify™ account and link it to their Prime account. You can use the earnify™ app to find stations, then simply go to the pump and enter your phone number or linked payment method for instant savings. (Using the earnify™ app is optional — it just needs to be linked to your Prime account.)

For more about Amazon Prime and what to expect from this year’s back-to-school deals. Plus, check out these Amazon deals on tech and home goods and tips for getting the best Amazon deals.

Verum World

The Future’s Here: Testing Out Gemini’s Live Camera Mode

Technologies

The Future’s Here: Testing Out Gemini’s Live Camera Mode

I put Gemini Live to a real test

Technologies

Connect Your iPhone or Android to Any TV: A Guide for AirPlay, Chromecast and HDMI

iPhone supports AirPlay and Chromecast

Android always supports Chromecast, sometimes supports Miracast

More tips about wirelessly connecting your phone to a TV

Technologies

Want to Save Some Cash After the Holidays? Check Out These 18 Hidden Amazon Prime Perks

1. Watch HBO or other premium TV channels without cable

2. Get money back by choosing no-rush shipping

3. Whole Foods grocery discounts

4. Exclusive access to Thursday night NFL football games

5. Free same-day Amazon Fresh delivery

6. Free same-day delivery for perishable groceries

7. Borrow unlimited books, magazines and comics

8. Prime-exclusive deals and promos

9. Exclusive Zappos deals, faster shipping and a test month for running shoes

10. Save money on prescription drugs online

11. One Medical membership discounts

12. Access to Amazon Luna

13. Unlimited photo storage with Amazon Photos

14. Get discounts on Shutterfly

15. Get a free Grubhub Plus membership

16. Save on Amazon Kids Plus

17. Get your package on the day you want it with Amazon Day

18. Save money on gas

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Friday, Dec. 26

Mini across clues and answers

Mini down clues and answers

Trending

Verum World

The Future’s Here: Testing Out Gemini’s Live Camera Mode

I put Gemini Live to a real test

You may like

Technologies

Connect Your iPhone or Android to Any TV: A Guide for AirPlay, Chromecast and HDMI

iPhone supports AirPlay and Chromecast

Android always supports Chromecast, sometimes supports Miracast

More tips about wirelessly connecting your phone to a TV

Technologies

Want to Save Some Cash After the Holidays? Check Out These 18 Hidden Amazon Prime Perks

1. Watch HBO or other premium TV channels without cable

2. Get money back by choosing no-rush shipping

3. Whole Foods grocery discounts

4. Exclusive access to Thursday night NFL football games

5. Free same-day Amazon Fresh delivery

6. Free same-day delivery for perishable groceries

7. Borrow unlimited books, magazines and comics

8. Prime-exclusive deals and promos

9. Exclusive Zappos deals, faster shipping and a test month for running shoes

10. Save money on prescription drugs online

11. One Medical membership discounts

12. Access to Amazon Luna

13. Unlimited photo storage with Amazon Photos

14. Get discounts on Shutterfly

15. Get a free Grubhub Plus membership

16. Save on Amazon Kids Plus

17. Get your package on the day you want it with Amazon Day

18. Save money on gas

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Friday, Dec. 26

Mini across clues and answers

Mini down clues and answers

Trending