Technologies

Google TV Adds Gemini AI Integration So You Can Talk to Your Television

Now, you can ask your TV to remind you which hot medical drama everyone is talking about. (Spoiler: It’s The Pitt.)

Google TV now incorporates the company’s Gemini AI, allowing viewers to converse with their smart television sets. You can ask for show recommendations, request summaries of past seasons or even seek homework help and recipes, the company said in a blog post on Monday.

Gemini for TV works similarly to how the AI assistant works on mobile and tablets. Using conversational language, you can activate Gemini and ask the AI assistant a host of questions. The same «Hey, Google» command activates Gemini.

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Google’s blog post says that couples can ask Gemini to help find a movie to watch, sharing that one person likes dramas while the other likes comedies. It’s also possible to ask for a recap on the last season of The Witcher or even vague questions, such as, «What’s the new hospital drama everyone’s talking about?»

Gemini for TV is currently out on the TCL QM9K and will arrive later this year to the Google TV streamer, Walmart on 4K streamer, Hisense U7/U8/UX and 2025 TCL QM7K/QM8K/X11K TV models.

A representative for Google didn’t immediately respond to a request for further comment.

Google’s shift toward AI

Gemini in Chrome is the latest in a long string of AI integrations by the internet search giant.

Recently, Google brought Gemini to Chrome and gave creators Veo 3 AI video generation tools to YouTube creators. The company is essentially shifting from being an online search company to being an AI company, although machine learning has been a part of the Google stack for years.

But Google’s shift toward AI comes with issues, as publishers deal with AI answering queries at the top of Search, celebrities deal with deepfakes and companies flood the internet with more AI-generated content.

Despite the potential human and environmental costs of AI, Google’s valuation has ballooned, making it the fourth company ever to hit a $3 trillion market valuation. Wall Street is rewarding tech companies handsomely, seeing Big Tech and AI as relatively safe investments during ongoing market uncertainty — even though some investors are beginning to sour on AI hype.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Feb. 27, #992

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Feb. 27 #992.

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

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle features a mix of difficulties. For me, the purple category was easy today, but the blue and green ones were tougher. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Like a double agent.

Green group hint: Ambiance that surrounds you.

Blue group hint: Ripple is another word that could be in this category.

Purple group hint: Freedom of the ____.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Backstabber.

Green group: Aura.

Blue group: Kinds of chain reaction «effects.»

Purple group: ____ press.

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is backstabber. The four answers are Judas, snake, traitor and turncoat.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is aura. The four answers are air, impression, manner and quality.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is kinds of chain reaction «effects.» The four answers are butterfly, domino, ripple and snowball.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ____ press. The four answers are bench, drill, French and printing.

Quick tips for Connections

#1: Say the clue words out loud, pausing before and after each. That helps you hear the words in the context of a phrase. The Connections editors love to group words together that are used in similar phrasing, like ____ Up.

#2: Don’t go for the obvious grouping. These editors are smart. Once, they offered SPONGE, BOB, SQUARE and PANTS in the same puzzle. None of those words were in the same category. If you like, hit the «shuffle» button to give yourself a different perspective on the words.

#3: Break down any compound words and look for similarities. «Rushmore» was once in a puzzle where the connection was that each word started with the name of a rock band.

Technologies

A Hacker Threat Is Hiding in Your Car’s Tire Pressure System

A new study reveals that a car’s tire pressure monitoring system can be easily accessed by hackers.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Friday, Feb. 27

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Feb. 27.

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.

Was today’s Mini Crossword too short for you? The New York Times now has a Midi Crossword, which is not as big as the original NYT Crossword, but longer than the Mini. Read on for the answers to today’s Mini Crossword. 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.