Technologies

Nano Banana Pro Is Here: All the Changes in Google’s Popular AI Image Tool

You can dial your AI images up to 4K, thanks to Gemini 3. Less good is the ability to remove the AI watermarks.

The newest version of Google’s AI image model is here, thanks to Gemini 3. Whether you choose to call it by its official name (Gemini 3 Pro Image) or its better-known nickname (nano banana pro), this model uses Gemini’s «deep thinking» feature to create better content.

Nano banana pro promises to be more capable, specifically with generating legible text, using up to 14 reference images and creating images in resolutions up to 4K.

Nano banana pro is available now, rolling out globally in the Gemini app. In Gemini, select «Create images» (with a 🍌 emoji) and switch your model to the Thinking model (located on the right side of the prompt window).

You can use nano banana pro for free, but you will hit a generation limit faster than paying Google AI subscribers. Those plans start at $20 per month. You’ll be automatically switched back to the original model once you’ve used up your credits. The model is also available in the Gemini API, Google AI Studio and Flow.

Inside the new nano banana model

AI image generators have notoriously struggled to create clear text; mangled words have been clear signs that an image was created with AI. OpenAI’s GPT-Image-1 was one of the first models to make significant progress in fixing this, but CNET’s testing showed it wasn’t able to reliably create readable text.

Google says nano banana pro is supposed to be better at this — so good that you can use the new model to create infographics, relying on Gemini’s integration with Google Search (and Search’s AI Mode for paying Pro users) to aid the process.

You might’ve noticed that none of the images made with nano banana pro have Google’s diamond-shaped watermark, which usually denotes that it was made with AI. That’s because Google is introducing a new way for its highest-paying subscribers (those paying $250 per month for the Ultra plan) to remove those watermarks. Even though it’s restricted to that top-tier plan, it’s already extremely difficult to tell if something was created with AI. Fewer watermarks won’t help. Google says Gemini will be able to identify any images made with its AI because of its SynthID, an invisible watermark attached to its AI-generated content. So in theory, you can upload an image to Gemini and ask whether it’s real or made with Google’s AI. We’ll have to wait and see how well it actually works.

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The original nano banana model, Gemini 2.5 Flash Image, was released this summer. Early testers thought the capabilities were, well, bananas. Throw in a series of fruit-themed teasers from Google executives, and the model quickly became best known by its nickname, nano banana. Its popularity soared in the following days.

One of the things fans liked about the original nano banana was how well it maintained character consistency. Meaning nano banana was able to edit your existing photos without distorting the characters or people in them. CNET’s hands-on testing found this was true, but there were still obvious AI slip-ups. The new model might eliminate some of those errors.

It’s been a big week for Google as it dropped a major update to its AI system, Gemini 3. The new models are rolling out now, aiming to give Gemini users a smarter, less sycophantic experience.

For more, check out how to write the best AI image prompt and the best AI image generators.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Wednesday, Dec. 24

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Dec. 24.

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’m Irish-American, but yet 6-Down, which involves Ireland, stumped me at first. 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.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Wordle or Boggle
Answer: GAME

5A clue: Big Newton
Answer: ISAAC

7A clue: Specialized vocabulary
Answer: LINGO

8A clue: «See you in a bit!»
Answer: LATER

9A clue: Tone of many internet comments
Answer: SNARK

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Sharks use them to breathe
Answer: GILLS

2D clue: From Singapore or South Korea, say
Answer: ASIAN

3D clue: Large ocean ray
Answer: MANTA

4D clue: ___ beaver
Answer: EAGER

6D clue: Second-largest city in the Republic of Ireland, after Dublin
Answer: CORK

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

Technologies

Quadrantids Is a Short but Sweet Meteor Shower Just After New Year’s. How to See It

This meteor shower has one of the most active peaks, but it doesn’t last for very long.

The Quadrantids has the potential to be one of the most active meteor showers of the year, and skygazers won’t have long to wait to see it. The annual shower is predicted to reach maximum intensity on Jan. 3. And with a display that can rival Perseids, Quadrantids could be worth braving the cold to see it.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

The show officially begins on Dec. 28 and lasts until Jan. 12, according to the American Meteor Society. Quadrantids is scheduled to peak on Jan. 2-3, when it may produce upwards of 125 meteors per hour. This matches Perseids and other larger meteor showers on a per-hour rate, but Quadrantids also has one of the shortest peaks at just 6 hours, so it rarely produces as many meteors overall as the other big ones.

The meteor shower comes to Earth courtesy of the 2003 EH1 asteroid, which is notable because most meteor showers are fed from comets, not asteroids. Per NASA, 2003 EH1 is a near-Earth asteroid that orbits the sun once every five and a half years. Science posits that 2003 EH1 was a comet in a past life, but too many trips around the sun stripped it of its ice, leaving only its rocky core. The Earth runs through EH1’s orbital debris every January, which results in the Quadrantids meteor shower.

How and where to see Quadrantids

Quadrantids is named for the constellation where its meteors appear to originate, a point known as the radiant. This presents another oddity, as the shower originates from the constellation Quadrans Muralis. This constellation ceased to be recognized as an official constellation in the 1920s and isn’t available on most publicly accessible sky maps.

For the modern skygazer, you’ll instead need to find the Bootes and Draco constellations, both of which contain stars that were once a part of the Quadrans Muralis. Draco will be easier to find after sunset on the evening of Jan. 2, and will be just above the horizon in the northern sky. Bootes orbits around Draco, but will remain under the horizon until just after 1 a.m. local time in the northeastern sky. From that point forward, both will sit in the northeastern part of the sky until sunrise. You’ll want to point your chair in that direction and stay there to see meteors.

As the American Meteor Society notes, Quadrantids has a short but active peak, lasting around 6 hours. The peak is expected to start around 4 p.m. ET and last well into the evening. NASA predicts the meteor shower to start one day later on Jan. 3-4, so if you don’t see any on the evening of Jan. 2, try again on Jan. 3.

To get the best results, the standard space viewing tips apply. You’ll want to get as far away from the city and suburbs as possible to reduce light pollution. Since it’ll be so cold outside, dress warmly and abstain from alcoholic beverages, as they can affect your body temperature. You won’t need any binoculars or telescopes, and the reduced field of view may actually impact your ability to see meteors.

The bad news is that either way, the Quadrantids meteor shower coincides almost perfectly with January’s Wolf Moon, which also happens to be a supermoon. This will introduce quite a lot of light pollution, which will likely drown out all but the brightest meteors. So, while it may have a peak of over 100 meteors per hour, both NASA and the AMS agree that the more realistic expectation is 10 or so bright meteors per hour.

Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for Dec. 24, #1649

Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle for Dec. 24, No. 1,649.

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

Today’s Wordle puzzle is a little tricky, with a double letter that could confuse players. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.