A24 explained its research partnership with Google‘s DeepMind unit as a bid to have “a…
smart thermostats, one for the highest floor and another for the lower two. I asked to turn on the AC, which Gemini immediately did, but it didn’t ask me to specify which one and decided it was time for the upstairs AC to shine. It also defaulted to Eco mode, so I had to request that the thermostats be set to 75 degrees instead of the high 70s. Still, I was able to casually say “Can you set the temperature in the living room to 75, and upstairs too?” and it applied that to both smart thermostats.
Gemini Live is another way to converse with the Google Home Speaker (it’s only available on some older devices). You’ll tell the speaker “Hey Google, let’s talk,” and it’ll activate a conversational mode that will chat back and forth with you about any topics you bring up. I had a back-and-forth conversation with Gemini about my 3-year-old’s sleep schedule, how to treat sunburns on your scalp (you’ll never guess what I got this weekend), and asked about a summary of the previous night’s episode of Love Island (though Gemini didn’t have a recap yet of the episode that had premiered a few hours before).
Gemini also asked follow-up questions with each topic to keep the conversation going, but would change gears to whatever topic I introduced. It works as intended, but I’m not sure how useful it is in the home context—you’re more likely to use something like this on your smartphone. It’s just not my preferred way to learn or discuss new information, but audio learners might really like it.
I was excited to ask Gemini what it sees around the home via my Google security cameras, but the experience didn’t impress me as much as I hoped. Time and time again, I asked questions like whether the car was in the garage, and Gemini said that either it didn’t have access to that information or that I needed to upgrade my subscription tier to get the answer (you need Google Home Advanced).
Echo Chamber
Photograph: Nena Farrell
Google and Amazon made the same move at roughly the same time: a new small-sized smart speaker that promises the sound quality of larger speakers, retailing for $100. Smaller speakers like the previous Echo Dot models and the Google Home Mini have been popular because they can be placed anywhere, whether it’s on a crowded shelf or tucked into a corner of the kitchen, but they were also much cheaper.
smart thermostats, one for the highest floor and another for the lower two. I asked to turn on the AC, which Gemini immediately did, but it didn’t ask me to specify which one and decided it was time for the upstairs AC to shine. It also defaulted to Eco mode, so I had to request that the thermostats be set to 75 degrees instead of the high 70s. Still, I was able to casually say “Can you set the temperature in the living room to 75, and upstairs too?” and it applied that to both smart thermostats.
Gemini Live is another way to converse with the Google Home Speaker (it’s only available on some older devices). You’ll tell the speaker “Hey Google, let’s talk,” and it’ll activate a conversational mode that will chat back and forth with you about any topics you bring up. I had a back-and-forth conversation with Gemini about my 3-year-old’s sleep schedule, how to treat sunburns on your scalp (you’ll never guess what I got this weekend), and asked about a summary of the previous night’s episode of Love Island (though Gemini didn’t have a recap yet of the episode that had premiered a few hours before).
Gemini also asked follow-up questions with each topic to keep the conversation going, but would change gears to whatever topic I introduced. It works as intended, but I’m not sure how useful it is in the home context—you’re more likely to use something like this on your smartphone. It’s just not my preferred way to learn or discuss new information, but audio learners might really like it.
I was excited to ask Gemini what it sees around the home via my Google security cameras, but the experience didn’t impress me as much as I hoped. Time and time again, I asked questions like whether the car was in the garage, and Gemini said that either it didn’t have access to that information or that I needed to upgrade my subscription tier to get the answer (you need Google Home Advanced).
Echo Chamber
Photograph: Nena Farrell
Google and Amazon made the same move at roughly the same time: a new small-sized smart speaker that promises the sound quality of larger speakers, retailing for $100. Smaller speakers like the previous Echo Dot models and the Google Home Mini have been popular because they can be placed anywhere, whether it’s on a crowded shelf or tucked into a corner of the kitchen, but they were also much cheaper.
#Googles #Smart #Speaker #Takes #Leadgoogle,shopping,smart home,review,speakers,google gemini,smart speakers,reviews">Google’s New Smart Speaker Takes the Lead
Gemini did a pretty good job with more conversational commands, though you still need to be specific for some requests. For example, my three-story townhouse has two smart thermostats, one for the highest floor and another for the lower two. I asked to turn on the AC, which Gemini immediately did, but it didn’t ask me to specify which one and decided it was time for the upstairs AC to shine. It also defaulted to Eco mode, so I had to request that the thermostats be set to 75 degrees instead of the high 70s. Still, I was able to casually say “Can you set the temperature in the living room to 75, and upstairs too?” and it applied that to both smart thermostats.
Gemini Live is another way to converse with the Google Home Speaker (it’s only available on some older devices). You’ll tell the speaker “Hey Google, let’s talk,” and it’ll activate a conversational mode that will chat back and forth with you about any topics you bring up. I had a back-and-forth conversation with Gemini about my 3-year-old’s sleep schedule, how to treat sunburns on your scalp (you’ll never guess what I got this weekend), and asked about a summary of the previous night’s episode of Love Island (though Gemini didn’t have a recap yet of the episode that had premiered a few hours before).
Gemini also asked follow-up questions with each topic to keep the conversation going, but would change gears to whatever topic I introduced. It works as intended, but I’m not sure how useful it is in the home context—you’re more likely to use something like this on your smartphone. It’s just not my preferred way to learn or discuss new information, but audio learners might really like it.
I was excited to ask Gemini what it sees around the home via my Google security cameras, but the experience didn’t impress me as much as I hoped. Time and time again, I asked questions like whether the car was in the garage, and Gemini said that either it didn’t have access to that information or that I needed to upgrade my subscription tier to get the answer (you need Google Home Advanced).
Echo Chamber
Photograph: Nena Farrell
Google and Amazon made the same move at roughly the same time: a new small-sized smart speaker that promises the sound quality of larger speakers, retailing for $100. Smaller speakers like the previous Echo Dot models and the Google Home Mini have been popular because they can be placed anywhere, whether it’s on a crowded shelf or tucked into a corner of the kitchen, but they were also much cheaper.
The focus of the protest was Google’s defense ties — including Project Nimbus, the controversial $1.2 billion contract, shared with Amazon, to provide cloud and AI services to the Israeli military, as well as its relationship with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
Student signs included phrases like “ICE SPIES WITH GOOGLE AI” and “GENOCIDE RUNS ON GOOGLE,” as well as “FREE FREE PALESTINE,” a press release associated with the protest notes. Students also waved Palestinian flags and shouted “free Palestine,” online video of the protest shows.
“We are walking out because we refuse to glorify the corporations that fuel this violence and exercise our power to choose differently,” a statement associated with the protest reads.
The walkout was organized by a number of campus activist groups, including Stanford Students for Justice in Palestine, No Tech for Apartheid, and Tech for Liberation. TechCrunch reached out to Google for comment.
As the war in Gaza has raged, Google’s participation in Nimbus has drawn protests from both inside and outside of the company. In 2024, Google fired 28 workers for protesting the contract, although it has continued to suffer internal dissent over the issue since then. It was also recently criticized by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which accused it and other companies of “choosing to look the other way” on Israel’s use of their services.
Project Nimbus also enjoys support from Amazon. Microsoft has also been criticized for its support of the Israeli military, although the company restricted the Israeli government’s use of its technology after an investigation found that its cloud services were being used to mass-surveil Palestinians.
The student protest also drew criticism from business leaders online. Vinod Khosla, the billionaire co-founder of Sun Microsystems and one of Silicon Valley’s most prominent venture capitalists, posted on X that the protest was “biased, idiotic, short-sighted and very selfish,” adding that it was selfish because the students “ignored the bottom 3 billion people on this planet that could benefit from AI and they are worried about their misinformed selfish self-interest.”
Pichai’s appearance at Stanford is part of a broader pattern. Speakers at college graduation ceremonies around the country have faced boos when they have attempted to get outgoing college students excited about AI. But rarely has student animus been as targeted as it was with Pichai, directed not at AI hype, but at the specific business decisions made by the company he leads. In general, young people seem to believe that AI is threatening their employment opportunities and may be ruining other parts of society as well.
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
The focus of the protest was Google’s defense ties — including Project Nimbus, the controversial $1.2 billion contract, shared with Amazon, to provide cloud and AI services to the Israeli military, as well as its relationship with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
Student signs included phrases like “ICE SPIES WITH GOOGLE AI” and “GENOCIDE RUNS ON GOOGLE,” as well as “FREE FREE PALESTINE,” a press release associated with the protest notes. Students also waved Palestinian flags and shouted “free Palestine,” online video of the protest shows.
“We are walking out because we refuse to glorify the corporations that fuel this violence and exercise our power to choose differently,” a statement associated with the protest reads.
The walkout was organized by a number of campus activist groups, including Stanford Students for Justice in Palestine, No Tech for Apartheid, and Tech for Liberation. TechCrunch reached out to Google for comment.
As the war in Gaza has raged, Google’s participation in Nimbus has drawn protests from both inside and outside of the company. In 2024, Google fired 28 workers for protesting the contract, although it has continued to suffer internal dissent over the issue since then. It was also recently criticized by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which accused it and other companies of “choosing to look the other way” on Israel’s use of their services.
Project Nimbus also enjoys support from Amazon. Microsoft has also been criticized for its support of the Israeli military, although the company restricted the Israeli government’s use of its technology after an investigation found that its cloud services were being used to mass-surveil Palestinians.
The student protest also drew criticism from business leaders online. Vinod Khosla, the billionaire co-founder of Sun Microsystems and one of Silicon Valley’s most prominent venture capitalists, posted on X that the protest was “biased, idiotic, short-sighted and very selfish,” adding that it was selfish because the students “ignored the bottom 3 billion people on this planet that could benefit from AI and they are worried about their misinformed selfish self-interest.”
Pichai’s appearance at Stanford is part of a broader pattern. Speakers at college graduation ceremonies around the country have faced boos when they have attempted to get outgoing college students excited about AI. But rarely has student animus been as targeted as it was with Pichai, directed not at AI hype, but at the specific business decisions made by the company he leads. In general, young people seem to believe that AI is threatening their employment opportunities and may be ruining other parts of society as well.
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
#Sundar #Pichai #faces #boos #walkout #Stanford #graduation #ceremony #Googles #Israel #ICE #ties #TechCrunchGoogle,ICE,Israel,Sundar Pichai">Sundar Pichai faces boos, walkout at Stanford graduation ceremony over Google’s Israel, ICE ties | TechCrunch
Over the weekend, Google CEO Sundar Pichai faced a small revolt when he delivered his commencement speech at Stanford University, where he earned his graduate degree in materials science and engineering. About 200 students from the graduating class reportedly walked out, while others loudly booed the tech executive.
The focus of the protest was Google’s defense ties — including Project Nimbus, the controversial $1.2 billion contract, shared with Amazon, to provide cloud and AI services to the Israeli military, as well as its relationship with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
Student signs included phrases like “ICE SPIES WITH GOOGLE AI” and “GENOCIDE RUNS ON GOOGLE,” as well as “FREE FREE PALESTINE,” a press release associated with the protest notes. Students also waved Palestinian flags and shouted “free Palestine,” online video of the protest shows.
“We are walking out because we refuse to glorify the corporations that fuel this violence and exercise our power to choose differently,” a statement associated with the protest reads.
The walkout was organized by a number of campus activist groups, including Stanford Students for Justice in Palestine, No Tech for Apartheid, and Tech for Liberation. TechCrunch reached out to Google for comment.
As the war in Gaza has raged, Google’s participation in Nimbus has drawn protests from both inside and outside of the company. In 2024, Google fired 28 workers for protesting the contract, although it has continued to suffer internal dissent over the issue since then. It was also recently criticized by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which accused it and other companies of “choosing to look the other way” on Israel’s use of their services.
Project Nimbus also enjoys support from Amazon. Microsoft has also been criticized for its support of the Israeli military, although the company restricted the Israeli government’s use of its technology after an investigation found that its cloud services were being used to mass-surveil Palestinians.
The student protest also drew criticism from business leaders online. Vinod Khosla, the billionaire co-founder of Sun Microsystems and one of Silicon Valley’s most prominent venture capitalists, posted on X that the protest was “biased, idiotic, short-sighted and very selfish,” adding that it was selfish because the students “ignored the bottom 3 billion people on this planet that could benefit from AI and they are worried about their misinformed selfish self-interest.”
Pichai’s appearance at Stanford is part of a broader pattern. Speakers at college graduation ceremonies around the country have faced boos when they have attempted to get outgoing college students excited about AI. But rarely has student animus been as targeted as it was with Pichai, directed not at AI hype, but at the specific business decisions made by the company he leads. In general, young people seem to believe that AI is threatening their employment opportunities and may be ruining other parts of society as well.
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
Google TV, the television operating system based on Android, is great in some ways: It runs well on my TV, there are apps available for every streaming service, and the interface is very customizable. It comes preinstalled on new sets from Sony, Hisense, and TCL, among others.
The default home screen, though, is a mess. There’s a row of your applications, if you squint, but the majority of the screen is taken up by ads for movies and shows that some company is presumably paying to promote.
So I was thrilled when I found AT4K, an alternative home screen for Google TV. Inspired by the Apple TV interface, this launcher shows me only thumbnails for the streaming services I use, and I can even turn those off if I want to. It’s free with no advertisements; there is a premium version you can unlock for $5 and get some nice extras, but that’s completely optional, and the free version works great.
To get started, simply install the application on Google Play. You can do so in your browser on whatever device you’re reading this article on. Or, if you want, you can launch Google Play on your smart TV and search for “AT4K.” Either way the launcher will load and the installation will be initiated on your television.
AT4K’s interface is clean and uncluttered, a lot like the Apple TV interface.
Courtesy of Justin Pot
Everything about the AT4K is quite clean. At the very top of the screen, in the right corner, there is a clock alongside buttons for the application settings, system settings, and connectivity settings. Below that is a row of boxes with thumbnails for shows you’re currently watching. Below that is a row of five applications. Keep scrolling and you’ll find the rest of the applications installed on your device, along with icons for your various inputs.
I recommend moving the streaming services and input devices you actually use to the top of the list, so you can access them quickly. To do that, select the app you want to move, then press and hold your enter button. You’ll see a sub-menu.
The Move App option lets you use the arrow buttons on your remote to move the application where you want. Repeat this process until the top row includes all of your favorite streaming services.
Google TV, the television operating system based on Android, is great in some ways: It runs well on my TV, there are apps available for every streaming service, and the interface is very customizable. It comes preinstalled on new sets from Sony, Hisense, and TCL, among others.
The default home screen, though, is a mess. There’s a row of your applications, if you squint, but the majority of the screen is taken up by ads for movies and shows that some company is presumably paying to promote.
So I was thrilled when I found AT4K, an alternative home screen for Google TV. Inspired by the Apple TV interface, this launcher shows me only thumbnails for the streaming services I use, and I can even turn those off if I want to. It’s free with no advertisements; there is a premium version you can unlock for $5 and get some nice extras, but that’s completely optional, and the free version works great.
To get started, simply install the application on Google Play. You can do so in your browser on whatever device you’re reading this article on. Or, if you want, you can launch Google Play on your smart TV and search for “AT4K.” Either way the launcher will load and the installation will be initiated on your television.
AT4K’s interface is clean and uncluttered, a lot like the Apple TV interface.
Courtesy of Justin Pot
Everything about the AT4K is quite clean. At the very top of the screen, in the right corner, there is a clock alongside buttons for the application settings, system settings, and connectivity settings. Below that is a row of boxes with thumbnails for shows you’re currently watching. Below that is a row of five applications. Keep scrolling and you’ll find the rest of the applications installed on your device, along with icons for your various inputs.
I recommend moving the streaming services and input devices you actually use to the top of the list, so you can access them quickly. To do that, select the app you want to move, then press and hold your enter button. You’ll see a sub-menu.
The Move App option lets you use the arrow buttons on your remote to move the application where you want. Repeat this process until the top row includes all of your favorite streaming services.
You can move or hide apps on the home screen.
Courtesy of Justin Pot
#App #Google #Usablehow-to,tips,google,android,tv">This App Makes Google TV Actually Usable
I get stressed out every time I turn on my television. A giant tech company is to blame.
Google TV, the television operating system based on Android, is great in some ways: It runs well on my TV, there are apps available for every streaming service, and the interface is very customizable. It comes preinstalled on new sets from Sony, Hisense, and TCL, among others.
The default home screen, though, is a mess. There’s a row of your applications, if you squint, but the majority of the screen is taken up by ads for movies and shows that some company is presumably paying to promote.
So I was thrilled when I found AT4K, an alternative home screen for Google TV. Inspired by the Apple TV interface, this launcher shows me only thumbnails for the streaming services I use, and I can even turn those off if I want to. It’s free with no advertisements; there is a premium version you can unlock for $5 and get some nice extras, but that’s completely optional, and the free version works great.
To get started, simply install the application on Google Play. You can do so in your browser on whatever device you’re reading this article on. Or, if you want, you can launch Google Play on your smart TV and search for “AT4K.” Either way the launcher will load and the installation will be initiated on your television.
AT4K’s interface is clean and uncluttered, a lot like the Apple TV interface.
Courtesy of Justin Pot
Everything about the AT4K is quite clean. At the very top of the screen, in the right corner, there is a clock alongside buttons for the application settings, system settings, and connectivity settings. Below that is a row of boxes with thumbnails for shows you’re currently watching. Below that is a row of five applications. Keep scrolling and you’ll find the rest of the applications installed on your device, along with icons for your various inputs.
I recommend moving the streaming services and input devices you actually use to the top of the list, so you can access them quickly. To do that, select the app you want to move, then press and hold your enter button. You’ll see a sub-menu.
The Move App option lets you use the arrow buttons on your remote to move the application where you want. Repeat this process until the top row includes all of your favorite streaming services.
You can move or hide apps on the home screen.
Courtesy of Justin Pot
#App #Google #Usablehow-to,tips,google,android,tv
I get stressed out every time I turn on my television. A giant tech company…
“He noted that the reverse of the watch indicates that it is a Google Pixel 5, which has not yet been announced, let alone released,” Pitchford writes. “It seems to be fine. The face indicates an empty battery, but seems to have enough reserve power to display the correct time.” After putting out a call to find its owner, Pitchford said someone contacted him and that he’s “arranged for its return.” Google didn’t immediately respond to The Verge’s request for comment.
Google typically shows off its newest Pixel devices in August. That means we’ll find out if someone really dropped a not-yet-revealed Pixel Watch 5 into the ocean in just a few short months.
“He noted that the reverse of the watch indicates that it is a Google Pixel 5, which has not yet been announced, let alone released,” Pitchford writes. “It seems to be fine. The face indicates an empty battery, but seems to have enough reserve power to display the correct time.” After putting out a call to find its owner, Pitchford said someone contacted him and that he’s “arranged for its return.” Google didn’t immediately respond to The Verge’s request for comment.
Google typically shows off its newest Pixel devices in August. That means we’ll find out if someone really dropped a not-yet-revealed Pixel Watch 5 into the ocean in just a few short months.
#Google #Pixel #Watch #spoiled #creator #BorderlandsEntertainment,Gadgets,Gaming,Google,Google Pixel,News,Smartwatch,Tech,Wearable">The Google Pixel Watch 5 may have been spoiled by… the creator of Borderlands
We may just have gotten an early look at the Google Pixel Watch 5 — and from an unusual source. Randy Pitchford, the creator of the Borderlands game franchise, posted a pair of images of a watch on X, saying that his friend found it underwater while scuba diving near Saint Martin, as reported earlier by Kotaku.
“He noted that the reverse of the watch indicates that it is a Google Pixel 5, which has not yet been announced, let alone released,” Pitchford writes. “It seems to be fine. The face indicates an empty battery, but seems to have enough reserve power to display the correct time.” After putting out a call to find its owner, Pitchford said someone contacted him and that he’s “arranged for its return.” Google didn’t immediately respond to The Verge’s request for comment.
Google typically shows off its newest Pixel devices in August. That means we’ll find out if someone really dropped a not-yet-revealed Pixel Watch 5 into the ocean in just a few short months.
Part of the plan involves selling $10 billion in stock to Berkshire Hathaway, the massive global holding company formerly led by Warren Buffet.
“The company is experiencing strong demand for its AI solutions and services from enterprises and consumers, at levels that are exceeding the company’s available supply,” Alphabet said in its statement. “By scaling its investments, the company seeks to expand its foundational infrastructure to support the significant growth opportunity ahead.”
The company added that the stock plan represented a way to “fund its investments in a balanced way while retaining a healthy balance sheet.”
Like other tech giants, Google has announced plans for a massive investment in compute this year, the likes of which will be used to support a flurry of new AI services. At Google I/O last month, CEO Sundar Pichai said that the company expects to spend between $180 and $190 billion on capex before the year is out. Google and other tech giants are expected to spend as much as $700 billion this year on AI capex.
Part of the plan involves selling $10 billion in stock to Berkshire Hathaway, the massive global holding company formerly led by Warren Buffet.
“The company is experiencing strong demand for its AI solutions and services from enterprises and consumers, at levels that are exceeding the company’s available supply,” Alphabet said in its statement. “By scaling its investments, the company seeks to expand its foundational infrastructure to support the significant growth opportunity ahead.”
The company added that the stock plan represented a way to “fund its investments in a balanced way while retaining a healthy balance sheet.”
Like other tech giants, Google has announced plans for a massive investment in compute this year, the likes of which will be used to support a flurry of new AI services. At Google I/O last month, CEO Sundar Pichai said that the company expects to spend between $180 and $190 billion on capex before the year is out. Google and other tech giants are expected to spend as much as $700 billion this year on AI capex.
#Alphabet #plans #raise #billion #pay #buildout #TechCrunchAI,Alphabet,compute,Google">Alphabet plans to raise $80 billion to pay for AI buildout | TechCrunch
Google parent company Alphabet said Monday that it plans to raise $80 billion to help pay for the massive AI infrastructure buildout it has planned. Alphabet will sell off that amount in stock, and will then use the funds to pay for “general corporate purposes, including capital expenditures to scale AI infrastructure and global compute,” the company said in a statement.
Part of the plan involves selling $10 billion in stock to Berkshire Hathaway, the massive global holding company formerly led by Warren Buffet.
“The company is experiencing strong demand for its AI solutions and services from enterprises and consumers, at levels that are exceeding the company’s available supply,” Alphabet said in its statement. “By scaling its investments, the company seeks to expand its foundational infrastructure to support the significant growth opportunity ahead.”
The company added that the stock plan represented a way to “fund its investments in a balanced way while retaining a healthy balance sheet.”
Like other tech giants, Google has announced plans for a massive investment in compute this year, the likes of which will be used to support a flurry of new AI services. At Google I/O last month, CEO Sundar Pichai said that the company expects to spend between $180 and $190 billion on capex before the year is out. Google and other tech giants are expected to spend as much as $700 billion this year on AI capex.
Spagnuolo made bets on Polymarket under the username AlphaRacoon, with his successful search-related wagers catching the attention of outlets like Forbes and users on social media last December. In one instance, Spagnuolo correctly guessed that a singer named D4vd would “be the #1 searched person on Google” in 2025, despite the “near-zero probability” assigned by Polymarket, according to the complaint.
At the same time, Spagnuolo allegedly bet that Pope Leo XIV and Kendrick Lamar would not appear on Google’s “Year in Search 2025” lists, which are difficult to predict because of how they’re calculated. Google says it ranked last year’s terms based on which ones saw the “highest increase in traffic” — not the highest number of searches — between January 1st, 2025 and November 25th, 2025. “By measuring the spike in interest rather than the total number of searches, we can identify the trends that were unique to 2025.”
“Once he won, Spagnuolo then took deliberate steps to conceal his unlawful use of nonpublic information by attempting to obscure the source and ownership of his unlawful proceeds,” the complaint says. Last month, federal prosecutors charged US Army soldier Gannon Ken Van Dyke with fraud for allegedly making a $400,000 Polymarket bet on the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
In a statement on X, Polymarket called itself “the enforcement leader,” saying its “market integrity infrastructure” flagged Spagnuolo’s activity. “Blockchain trading is transparent, traceable, and bad actors leave footprints,” the company writes, without noting whether the people putting their money down know that.
”We’re working with law enforcement on their investigation,” Google spokesperson Jaclyn Vazquez says in a statement to The Verge. “The employee accessed our marketing material using a tool available to all employees, but using such confidential information to place bets is a serious breach of our policies. We’ve placed the employee on leave and will take the appropriate action.”
Spagnuolo made bets on Polymarket under the username AlphaRacoon, with his successful search-related wagers catching the attention of outlets like Forbes and users on social media last December. In one instance, Spagnuolo correctly guessed that a singer named D4vd would “be the #1 searched person on Google” in 2025, despite the “near-zero probability” assigned by Polymarket, according to the complaint.
At the same time, Spagnuolo allegedly bet that Pope Leo XIV and Kendrick Lamar would not appear on Google’s “Year in Search 2025” lists, which are difficult to predict because of how they’re calculated. Google says it ranked last year’s terms based on which ones saw the “highest increase in traffic” — not the highest number of searches — between January 1st, 2025 and November 25th, 2025. “By measuring the spike in interest rather than the total number of searches, we can identify the trends that were unique to 2025.”
“Once he won, Spagnuolo then took deliberate steps to conceal his unlawful use of nonpublic information by attempting to obscure the source and ownership of his unlawful proceeds,” the complaint says. Last month, federal prosecutors charged US Army soldier Gannon Ken Van Dyke with fraud for allegedly making a $400,000 Polymarket bet on the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
In a statement on X, Polymarket called itself “the enforcement leader,” saying its “market integrity infrastructure” flagged Spagnuolo’s activity. “Blockchain trading is transparent, traceable, and bad actors leave footprints,” the company writes, without noting whether the people putting their money down know that.
”We’re working with law enforcement on their investigation,” Google spokesperson Jaclyn Vazquez says in a statement to The Verge. “The employee accessed our marketing material using a tool available to all employees, but using such confidential information to place bets is a serious breach of our policies. We’ve placed the employee on leave and will take the appropriate action.”
#Google #employee #allegedly #information #win #million #PolymarketBusiness,Google,Policy,Tech">A Google employee allegedly used inside information to win $1.2 million on Polymarket
Federal prosecutors charged a Google employee with fraud after he allegedly made $1.2 million on Polymarket bets related to Search-related trends in 2025, as reported earlier by ABC News. In their now-unsealed complaint, prosecutors allege that Michele Spagnuolo “knew the outcome of these wagers before the trading public did because he had accessed Google’s confidential, commercially valuable internal data.” Spagnuolo was arrested in New York on Wednesday but released on a $2.25 million bond, ABC News reports. He is charged with commodities fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering.
Spagnuolo made bets on Polymarket under the username AlphaRacoon, with his successful search-related wagers catching the attention of outlets like Forbes and users on social media last December. In one instance, Spagnuolo correctly guessed that a singer named D4vd would “be the #1 searched person on Google” in 2025, despite the “near-zero probability” assigned by Polymarket, according to the complaint.
At the same time, Spagnuolo allegedly bet that Pope Leo XIV and Kendrick Lamar would not appear on Google’s “Year in Search 2025” lists, which are difficult to predict because of how they’re calculated. Google says it ranked last year’s terms based on which ones saw the “highest increase in traffic” — not the highest number of searches — between January 1st, 2025 and November 25th, 2025. “By measuring the spike in interest rather than the total number of searches, we can identify the trends that were unique to 2025.”
“Once he won, Spagnuolo then took deliberate steps to conceal his unlawful use of nonpublic information by attempting to obscure the source and ownership of his unlawful proceeds,” the complaint says. Last month, federal prosecutors charged US Army soldier Gannon Ken Van Dyke with fraud for allegedly making a $400,000 Polymarket bet on the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
In a statement on X, Polymarket called itself “the enforcement leader,” saying its “market integrity infrastructure” flagged Spagnuolo’s activity. “Blockchain trading is transparent, traceable, and bad actors leave footprints,” the company writes, without noting whether the people putting their money down know that.
”We’re working with law enforcement on their investigation,” Google spokesperson Jaclyn Vazquez says in a statement to The Verge. “The employee accessed our marketing material using a tool available to all employees, but using such confidential information to place bets is a serious breach of our policies. We’ve placed the employee on leave and will take the appropriate action.”
“Everybody’s losing money,” said Chi Xu, the founder and CEO of the smart glasses company Xreal, which is a longtime partner of Google. I met Xu at Google’s I/O conference in Mountain View last week, where he was promoting Xreal’s Project Aura. That’s its latest effort to create a set of functional XR glasses that people actually want to use.
“That’s because it’s very hard, what we’re doing,” he said.
For much of the industry’s existence, the problems of smart glasses have seemed somewhat obvious: bulky, uncomfortable, and socially awkward form factor, paired with negligibly beneficial software. Now, however, industry insiders — including Xu — feel like their business has turned a corner and may be reaching an inflection point.
That supposed inflection point has something to do with Meta, whose 2023 partnership with Ray-Ban launched one of the first lines of models that has actually managed to sell a lot of units. (It’s worth noting, however, that the division responsible for the glasses, Reality Labs, still operates at a massive loss.)
Now, as form factors shrink and software improves, Xu feels that Xreal can finally become a leader in the space. “You need all the key pieces ready — you need the hardware ready, the operating system needs to be ready, and then you need a great user interface,” Xu said.
Xreal’s newest model Aura is wired smart glasses that have OLED displays embedded within them, meaning that you can watch high-resolution videos within the frames themselves. Somewhat awkwardly, Aura comes tethered to a “puck” — essentially a phone-shaped mini-computer that powers the experience behind the glasses. When using it, you can ostensibly just slip it into your pocket.
But in exchange for the awkwardness of the puck, the user gets a wider variety of fun experiences with the glasses, including an immersive Google Maps app, VR YouTube videos, and a “painting app” that lets you — via the powers of hand tracking — create holographic imagery that only you can see. There are also reportedly games, playable (again) via hand tracking, and basic web surfing functionality.
“Whether you are following a floating recipe while cooking, setting up a private workspace at a coffee shop or on a flight, or watching a movie on a virtual big screen at home, the experience is seamless,” the company promises.
Xu also says that he imagines the device being used not just by the casual consumer but by professionals as well. “It’s not just about watching the NBA game in a hologram type of format, you could also go to a coffee shop and do some work,” he said.
Currently, the glasses are only available for developers, but the plan is for them to launch commercially later this year. Xreal is also working on an IPO that is expected to take place before 2026 is over, although Xu declined to say much about it.
In the meantime, the company is working on that whole turning-a-profit thing. Xu notes that his company has been raising its gross margin while lowering its costs for marketing and sales. “Next year is the year when we could actually break even,” he says.
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
“Everybody’s losing money,” said Chi Xu, the founder and CEO of the smart glasses company Xreal, which is a longtime partner of Google. I met Xu at Google’s I/O conference in Mountain View last week, where he was promoting Xreal’s Project Aura. That’s its latest effort to create a set of functional XR glasses that people actually want to use.
“That’s because it’s very hard, what we’re doing,” he said.
For much of the industry’s existence, the problems of smart glasses have seemed somewhat obvious: bulky, uncomfortable, and socially awkward form factor, paired with negligibly beneficial software. Now, however, industry insiders — including Xu — feel like their business has turned a corner and may be reaching an inflection point.
That supposed inflection point has something to do with Meta, whose 2023 partnership with Ray-Ban launched one of the first lines of models that has actually managed to sell a lot of units. (It’s worth noting, however, that the division responsible for the glasses, Reality Labs, still operates at a massive loss.)
Now, as form factors shrink and software improves, Xu feels that Xreal can finally become a leader in the space. “You need all the key pieces ready — you need the hardware ready, the operating system needs to be ready, and then you need a great user interface,” Xu said.
Xreal’s newest model Aura is wired smart glasses that have OLED displays embedded within them, meaning that you can watch high-resolution videos within the frames themselves. Somewhat awkwardly, Aura comes tethered to a “puck” — essentially a phone-shaped mini-computer that powers the experience behind the glasses. When using it, you can ostensibly just slip it into your pocket.
But in exchange for the awkwardness of the puck, the user gets a wider variety of fun experiences with the glasses, including an immersive Google Maps app, VR YouTube videos, and a “painting app” that lets you — via the powers of hand tracking — create holographic imagery that only you can see. There are also reportedly games, playable (again) via hand tracking, and basic web surfing functionality.
“Whether you are following a floating recipe while cooking, setting up a private workspace at a coffee shop or on a flight, or watching a movie on a virtual big screen at home, the experience is seamless,” the company promises.
Xu also says that he imagines the device being used not just by the casual consumer but by professionals as well. “It’s not just about watching the NBA game in a hologram type of format, you could also go to a coffee shop and do some work,” he said.
Currently, the glasses are only available for developers, but the plan is for them to launch commercially later this year. Xreal is also working on an IPO that is expected to take place before 2026 is over, although Xu declined to say much about it.
In the meantime, the company is working on that whole turning-a-profit thing. Xu notes that his company has been raising its gross margin while lowering its costs for marketing and sales. “Next year is the year when we could actually break even,” he says.
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
#Xreal #Googles #smartglasses #partner #thinks #finally #mastered #notoriously #tricky #industry #TechCrunchGoogle,Google I/O,AI,SMART Glasses,XReal">Xreal, Google’s smartglasses partner, thinks it has finally mastered this notoriously tricky industry | TechCrunch
The smart glasses industry has long been a tortured dream of Silicon Valley. The premise is appealing enough: What if, to enjoy the benefits of mobile computing, people didn’t have to stare at their phones all day long and could, instead, simply wear a lightweight computing device on their face? Science fiction fans (a demographic that is strong in the tech industry) can see this vision perfectly.
However, the industry has — for much of the last decade — resembled a financial black hole into which gargantuan investments have been sunk and from which little to no profit has ever emerged.
“Everybody’s losing money,” said Chi Xu, the founder and CEO of the smart glasses company Xreal, which is a longtime partner of Google. I met Xu at Google’s I/O conference in Mountain View last week, where he was promoting Xreal’s Project Aura. That’s its latest effort to create a set of functional XR glasses that people actually want to use.
“That’s because it’s very hard, what we’re doing,” he said.
For much of the industry’s existence, the problems of smart glasses have seemed somewhat obvious: bulky, uncomfortable, and socially awkward form factor, paired with negligibly beneficial software. Now, however, industry insiders — including Xu — feel like their business has turned a corner and may be reaching an inflection point.
That supposed inflection point has something to do with Meta, whose 2023 partnership with Ray-Ban launched one of the first lines of models that has actually managed to sell a lot of units. (It’s worth noting, however, that the division responsible for the glasses, Reality Labs, still operates at a massive loss.)
Now, as form factors shrink and software improves, Xu feels that Xreal can finally become a leader in the space. “You need all the key pieces ready — you need the hardware ready, the operating system needs to be ready, and then you need a great user interface,” Xu said.
Xreal’s newest model Aura is wired smart glasses that have OLED displays embedded within them, meaning that you can watch high-resolution videos within the frames themselves. Somewhat awkwardly, Aura comes tethered to a “puck” — essentially a phone-shaped mini-computer that powers the experience behind the glasses. When using it, you can ostensibly just slip it into your pocket.
But in exchange for the awkwardness of the puck, the user gets a wider variety of fun experiences with the glasses, including an immersive Google Maps app, VR YouTube videos, and a “painting app” that lets you — via the powers of hand tracking — create holographic imagery that only you can see. There are also reportedly games, playable (again) via hand tracking, and basic web surfing functionality.
“Whether you are following a floating recipe while cooking, setting up a private workspace at a coffee shop or on a flight, or watching a movie on a virtual big screen at home, the experience is seamless,” the company promises.
Xu also says that he imagines the device being used not just by the casual consumer but by professionals as well. “It’s not just about watching the NBA game in a hologram type of format, you could also go to a coffee shop and do some work,” he said.
Currently, the glasses are only available for developers, but the plan is for them to launch commercially later this year. Xreal is also working on an IPO that is expected to take place before 2026 is over, although Xu declined to say much about it.
In the meantime, the company is working on that whole turning-a-profit thing. Xu notes that his company has been raising its gross margin while lowering its costs for marketing and sales. “Next year is the year when we could actually break even,” he says.
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
As of Friday afternoon, however, Google isn’t showing an AI Overview for the term “disregard” at all — instead, it shows a list of news stories about the issue first. Google hasn’t replied to our requests for comment. In a statement to Android Authority, a spokesperson said that “We’re aware that AI Overviews are misinterpreting some action-related queries, and we’re working on a fix, which will roll out soon.”
AI Overviews haven’t just been tripping up over the word “disregard.” When searching for “ignore,” Google’s AI Overview section showed the following message to a Verge colleague:
Message received! I’m here and ready to help. What would you like to focus on today? Just let me know if there’s a specific topic, task, or question you’d like to explore.
When they searched “skip,” the AI Overview section said:
It looks like your message was just a test or a typo! Feel free to ask a question, share a prompt, or let me know how I can help you with your tasks today. I’m ready whenever you are!
As of Friday afternoon, Google is still showing me AI Overviews with broken responses when I search for “ignore” and “skip.”
As funny as this all is, it’s almost certainly just some kind of bug — I expect Google will fix it soon enough. Maybe Google Search itself is tired after everything that happened at Google I/O.
Updates, May 22nd: Google now isn’t showing AI Overviews for “disregard.” Also added a Google statement.
As of Friday afternoon, however, Google isn’t showing an AI Overview for the term “disregard” at all — instead, it shows a list of news stories about the issue first. Google hasn’t replied to our requests for comment. In a statement to Android Authority, a spokesperson said that “We’re aware that AI Overviews are misinterpreting some action-related queries, and we’re working on a fix, which will roll out soon.”
AI Overviews haven’t just been tripping up over the word “disregard.” When searching for “ignore,” Google’s AI Overview section showed the following message to a Verge colleague:
Message received! I’m here and ready to help. What would you like to focus on today? Just let me know if there’s a specific topic, task, or question you’d like to explore.
When they searched “skip,” the AI Overview section said:
It looks like your message was just a test or a typo! Feel free to ask a question, share a prompt, or let me know how I can help you with your tasks today. I’m ready whenever you are!
As of Friday afternoon, Google is still showing me AI Overviews with broken responses when I search for “ignore” and “skip.”
As funny as this all is, it’s almost certainly just some kind of bug — I expect Google will fix it soon enough. Maybe Google Search itself is tired after everything that happened at Google I/O.
Updates, May 22nd: Google now isn’t showing AI Overviews for “disregard.” Also added a Google statement.
#Googles #search #broken #disregard #youreAI,Google,News,Tech">Google’s AI search is so broken it can ‘disregard’ what you’re looking for
Google’s AI Overviews are running into an interesting problem right now. Earlier on Friday, if you searched for the term “disregard,” the AI Overview section would include a response like what you’d see from a more traditional AI chatbot instead of the typical AI summary, as spotted on X. As you can see in the image at the top of this story, I got an AI Overview response that said, “Got it. If you need anything else or have a new question later, just let me know!”
As of Friday afternoon, however, Google isn’t showing an AI Overview for the term “disregard” at all — instead, it shows a list of news stories about the issue first. Google hasn’t replied to our requests for comment. In a statement to Android Authority, a spokesperson said that “We’re aware that AI Overviews are misinterpreting some action-related queries, and we’re working on a fix, which will roll out soon.”
AI Overviews haven’t just been tripping up over the word “disregard.” When searching for “ignore,” Google’s AI Overview section showed the following message to a Verge colleague:
Message received! I’m here and ready to help. What would you like to focus on today? Just let me know if there’s a specific topic, task, or question you’d like to explore.
When they searched “skip,” the AI Overview section said:
It looks like your message was just a test or a typo! Feel free to ask a question, share a prompt, or let me know how I can help you with your tasks today. I’m ready whenever you are!
As of Friday afternoon, Google is still showing me AI Overviews with broken responses when I search for “ignore” and “skip.”
As funny as this all is, it’s almost certainly just some kind of bug — I expect Google will fix it soon enough. Maybe Google Search itself is tired after everything that happened at Google I/O.
Updates, May 22nd: Google now isn’t showing AI Overviews for “disregard.” Also added a Google statement.
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.jpg?ssl=1 "This App Makes Google TV Actually UsableI get stressed out every time I turn on my television. A giant tech company is to blame.Google TV, the television operating system based on Android, is great in some ways: It runs well on my TV, there are apps available for every streaming service, and the interface is very customizable. It comes preinstalled on new sets from Sony, Hisense, and TCL, among others.The default home screen, though, is a mess. There’s a row of your applications, if you squint, but the majority of the screen is taken up by ads for movies and shows that some company is presumably paying to promote.So I was thrilled when I found AT4K, an alternative home screen for Google TV. Inspired by the Apple TV interface, this launcher shows me only thumbnails for the streaming services I use, and I can even turn those off if I want to. It’s free with no advertisements; there is a premium version you can unlock for and get some nice extras, but that’s completely optional, and the free version works great.To get started, simply install the application on Google Play. You can do so in your browser on whatever device you’re reading this article on. Or, if you want, you can launch Google Play on your smart TV and search for “AT4K.” Either way the launcher will load and the installation will be initiated on your television.AT4K’s interface is clean and uncluttered, a lot like the Apple TV interface.
Courtesy of Justin PotEverything about the AT4K is quite clean. At the very top of the screen, in the right corner, there is a clock alongside buttons for the application settings, system settings, and connectivity settings. Below that is a row of boxes with thumbnails for shows you’re currently watching. Below that is a row of five applications. Keep scrolling and you’ll find the rest of the applications installed on your device, along with icons for your various inputs.I recommend moving the streaming services and input devices you actually use to the top of the list, so you can access them quickly. To do that, select the app you want to move, then press and hold your enter button. You’ll see a sub-menu.The Move App option lets you use the arrow buttons on your remote to move the application where you want. Repeat this process until the top row includes all of your favorite streaming services.You can move or hide apps on the home screen.
Courtesy of Justin Pot#App #Google #Usablehow-to,tips,google,android,tv")
