Technologies

Google’s ChromeOS Will Combine With Android Next Year to Supercharge Big-Screen AI

The success of Gemini and AI on Android has inspired the major update to ChromeOS, Android chief Sameer Samat says at the Snapdragon Summit in Hawaii

Bringing AI to smartphones and tablets has been a massive success for Google, which earlier this month saw its AI assistant Gemini become the top free app on Apple’s App Store for the first time. More specifically, AI and Gemini have become integral parts of the past few major Android updates and are super-well integrated into the Android ecosystem.

For now, the same can’t be said of ChromeOS, Google’s lightweight operating system for computers and laptops. But that’s all set to change.

Earlier this year, Android chief Sameer Samat confirmed that ChromeOS and Android would combine to create a more seamless experience across devices. Speaking at Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Summit in Hawaii on Wednesday, Samat said it’s one of the things he’s «super excited about for next year» and gave a bunch of additional details about the how and why behind the move.

«For a long time, mobile phones and PCs have been communicating… now we have this opportunity with large-screen compute to add that in,» he said. «In the Android ecosystem, you have all these different devices, and you want your AI to be able to work across all of them. So that’s the new era.»

That doesn’t mean ChromeOS is going away, though. «If you think about the laptop form factor, we’ve had ChromeOS for a long time, and we’re super committed to that platform, and it’s been really successful for us,» Samat said. In fact, the ChromeOS experience will remain, but its the baseline technology will switch to running on Android, he added.

Speaking on Tuesday at the Snapdragon Summit, Google’s SVP of Devices and Services, Rick Osterloh, shed some more light on the technicalities of the project. «We’re building together a technical foundation for our products on PCs and desktop computing systems,» he said. «This is another way that we can leverage all of the great work we’re doing together on our AI stack, our full stack, bringing Gemini models, bringing the assistant, bringing all of our application and developer community into the PC domain.»

It will be fascinating to see what new experiences Gemini will enable on ChromeOS, and how it might elevate Google’s big-screen OS for this new era. Google will be hoping it can replicate the success of its AI-based mobile operating system across its laptops and make its Chromebooks even more appealing to Android phone owners looking to upgrade their computers, thanks to the seamless integration of Gemini across their different devices.

Technologies

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 Might Come in 5G and 4G Cellular Models

If the rumor proves true, the 5G Galaxy Watch Ultra would rival the 5G-enabled $799 Apple Watch Ultra 3 that debuted last fall.

Samsung’s next high-end Galaxy Watch could support faster 5G speeds, but if this leak is true, it will depend on where you live. The rumored Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 might come in 5G and 4G cellular models, with availability for each smartwatch depending on the country.

According to the Dutch website Galaxy Club (and spotted by SamMobile), Samsung’s servers may have revealed a series of model numbers that point to 5G, 4G and Wi-Fi-enabled editions of the next Galaxy Watch Ultra, which would succeed the original model that debuted in 2024.

A representative for Samsung did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Galaxy Club website speculates that the 5G edition would be sold in the US and Korean markets, while the 4G edition would sell in the rest of the world. In the US, a 5G version of the Galaxy Watch Ultra would rival the 5G-enabled $799 Apple Watch Ultra 3, which debuted last fall. The 4G edition would have broader compatibility worldwide, since the earlier network is far more established.

It will likely be a few months until we hear anything official about the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2. Samsung typically unveils its new watches in the summer alongside its Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip foldable phones. Last year, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Watch 8 and the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, but otherwise left the prior 2024 Ultra in the lineup for those looking for a larger 47mm smartwatch.

Technologies

2 Cases Show Supreme Court Isn’t Holding ISPs Responsible for Piracy

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for April 8, #1032

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for April 8, No. 1032.

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 is kind of tough. The purple category is a fun one, once you see the connection. 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.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

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: In the group.

Green group hint: Appearance details.

Blue group hint: Often found in gyms.

Purple group hint: They help you see.