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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Volvo Cars, Google expand partnership to deploy Gemini AI in vehicles
This story was originally published on Automotive Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Automotive Dive newsletter. Volvo Cars is expanding its partnership with Google to rapidly deploy its Gemini AI-powered assistant to more of its vehicles featuring Google built-in, the automaker announced on May 21. As part of the expanded collaboration, Volvo vehicles will serve as one of Google's reference hardware platforms for the future deployment of Android Automotive OS (AAOS), which is designed to replace an OEM vehicle infotainment system. 'We're excited to deepen this partnership, accelerating the pace of innovation that will not only improve the driving experience for Volvo customers but also set new benchmarks for the automotive industry,' said Patrick Brady, VP of Android for Cars at Google, in the release. The more feature-rich Gemini AI-powered voice assistant will replace the current Google Assistant of Volvo vehicles later this year, making the automaker's customers among the first to access the latest version of Google's generative AI technology. Gemini allows drivers and passengers to request information about virtually any topic using natural conversations. For example, drivers can ask Gemini questions about the vehicle's user manual or request specific details about a destination before arriving. The AI-powered assistant can also help drivers draft messages, which can be translated into over 40 different languages before sending. Google has also selected Volvo Cars as its lead development partner for testing new features and updates, before adding them to the Android codebase for access to software developers. The Android codebase is known as the 'Android Open Source Project' and the software it contains is free for developers to use. The platform allows anyone to view, modify and distribute code for their own use. Google offers the developer community extensive resources and guidelines for creating Android-based apps. According to Volvo, its expanded partnership with Google will help 'accelerate advancements in the connected car space for the entire automotive industry' and for drivers globally. 'We strive to deliver human-centric technology, and a stunning customer experience is an essential part of this,' said Alwin Bakkenes, head of global software engineering at Volvo Cars, in the release. 'With our expanding partnership, we're collaborating on cutting-edge solutions that shape the future of connected cars.' The Google partnership with Volvo advances the rollout of AAOS currently used by Volvo Cars. Vehicles running AAOS do not require syncing with a smartphone for access to popular Google services. Volvo vehicles with Google built-in come with Google Play, Google Assistant, Google Maps and other popular apps. For Volvo models equipped with AAOS, the vehicle's infotainment system serves as a standalone Android device. Drivers can download and install Android or other-third party apps directly to their vehicle's infotainment system. The latest version of AAOS was released in December 2024. In addition to future Volvo vehicles, Gemini will be made available for other OEM brands featuring Google built-in later this year, including the new Lincoln Nautilus, Honda Passport and select Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC and Acura vehicles. Google also announced that it is adding Gemini to Android Auto in the coming months, which can mirror apps wirelessly on compatible models from a smartphone that's synced to a vehicle. Recommended Reading Google is adding its AI-powered Gemini voice assistant to Android Auto Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Record
Amazon slashes 30% off 'almost silent' smart tower fan controlled by your voice
Shoppers can keep fresh and cool this summer with this quiet but powerful fan When the temperature rises, finding ways to stay cool becomes a top priority. Whether shoppers are working, relaxing, or trying to sleep, a quiet and effective cooling solution can make a big difference to comfort, especially during warmer months. Fans are a simple yet effective way to keep indoor spaces cool and comfortable, especially during warmer weather. From compact desk models to larger tower designs, they help provide relief easily - and now shoppers can get the GoveeLife 36-inch Smart Tower Fan for £63.17 down from £89.99 on Amazon. With eight fan speeds and five unique modes - including normal, natural, sleep, auto, and a customisable option - this tower fan makes it easy to create the perfect breeze for any situation. Whether it's working in a home office or trying to cool down before bed, there's a setting to match everyone's needs. The smart fan also connects quickly to Wi-Fi and works with Alexa and Google Assistant for voice control. Shoppers can also use the dedicated app to set timers, schedule operating times, adjust speed or mode, and more - all from their phone. Designed for wide coverage, the fan features a 75-degree oscillation range and a high-speed motor that delivers airflow up to 6.3 m/s. Its quiet operation is a standout feature, with a noise level as low as 27 dB in Sleep mode. The built-in temperature sensor also allows the fan to automatically adjust its speed based on the room's conditions. For an alternative buy, shoppers could try the Shark FlexBreeze Portable Fan for £169.99, which is described as a hybrid indoor and outdoor fan with cover, pedestal stand, remote controller and InstaCool Misting Attachment. The 12-1-1 fan has five cooling speeds, 180 degrees oscillation, 55-degree tilt and a controller. The Pro Breeze OmniAir 41' 2-in-1 Bladeless Tower Fan and Air Purifier from Debenhams is another choice for £149.99 that is said to remove up to 99% of dust, pollen, odours and pollutants from the air. The GoveeLife fan, however, has a 4.5 out of 5-star rating on Amazon. One shopper said: 'Almost silent on level 1, still very quiet on top level and it looks great too.' Another said: 'This fan is amazing. It looks modern, doesn't make too much noise when on, and can easily link to Alexa.' 'This looks great,' said another. 'Its footprint is small and tucks away in a small space. It runs quietly because of the strong breeze it emits.' Naturally, not everyone loved the fan, and one person said: 'It's not as quiet as I had hoped for.' With money off the GoveeLife 36-inch Smart Tower Fan, however, it could be the perfect option to cool homes as temperatures increase this summer.
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Slash energy bills with new TV button coming to millions in surprise upgrade – and it solves common bedroom problem too
There's a similar feature for your iPhone that you may have missed SWEET STREAMS Slash energy bills with new TV button coming to millions in surprise upgrade – and it solves common bedroom problem too Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) GOOGLE is creating a clever button that could slash energy bills for millions of TV owners. Telly sleuths have spotted early signs of the feature on Google TV – one of the most popular systems that powers televisions around the world. 5 Google TV is one of the most popular ways to watch telly Credit: Google 5 You can get apps, games and telly via Google TV – and lots of televisions use it as their main system Credit: Google Google TV and Android TV are Google creations that serve as the "home" for your telly, serving up your apps and settings. It regularly receives updates from Google adding new features to help improve your television – even after you've bought it. Eagle-eyed gadget fans at Android Authority have dug into the test version for one of these updates, and uncovered a clever upgrade. It lets you set up an advanced sleep timer for your telly so that it won't keep playing all through the night. Falling asleep while watching telly is very common – even if what you're watching isn't boring. Currently Android TV does offer a very basic sleep timer, but it's very hard to get to, buried deep inside your TV's energy settings. One clever shortcut is to ask the built-in Google Assistant to "turn off TV in X minutes". But the new version will let you schedule sleep timers, add time to them, pause it, and even get notifications for when it's about to run down. There's no word on exactly when the feature will arrive, but it would be very handy. For a start, not having your TV running all night will save you money on energy bills. It also means you'll get a more restful night's sleep. First look at Google's new Android XR glasses with life-changing augmented reality And you don't run the risk of something loud coming on the telly that wakes up your partner or other people at home too. So it may even help you dodge a few rows at home. The Sun has asked Google for comment and will update this story with any response. IPHONE SLEEP TIMERS While you wait for that, there are some clever iPhone sleep timers to try too. The first is built directly into the official Apple Podcasts app. 5 You can easily set up a sleep timer for Podcasts Credit: The Sun / Apple Just go into it and start playing something. Then look at the media playback screen in the app: you should see a small crescent moon icon in the bottom-right. It'll have three "z"s next to it. Tap it and you'll be able to set up a sleep timer for that podcast. You can choose times ranging from five minutes right up to an hour. TRY YOUR IPHONE'S BUILT-IN SLEEP SOUNDS Millions of iPhone models have built-in 'background sounds'... They're there to help you get to sleep, or focus on work. You'll find them in Settings > Accessibility > Audio & Visual > Background Sounds. Tap on Sound and then choose one of the following: Balanced Noise Bright Noise Dark Noise Ocean Rain Stream Night Fire Then go to your Control Centre (swipe down from the top-right corner on a Face ID iPhone, or up from the bottom on a Home Button iPhone). Go to the edit function and then you can add Background Sounds there as a shortcut. Alternatively, try going to Settings > Accessibility > Accessibility Shortcut and choose Background Sounds. Then when you triple-click the Side Button on your iPhone (the one for locking it), Background Sounds will begin playing. Do it again to shut Background Sounds off. Picture Credit: The Sun / Apple But the more useful option might be to choose When Episode Ends. This will kill your podcast once the episode is over, which has the added benefit of meaning you won't sleep through a load of episodes that you wanted to listen to. There's a very similar feature that works on music for your iPhone too. It's built into the default iPhone Clock app, and you may well have missed it entirely. 5 Apple lets you use its Clock app timers to stop music from playing after a certain amount of time Credit: The Sun / Apple This will let you shut off music after a certain amount of time. So you could play peaceful rain sounds, for instance, and then have it shut off so it doesn't run all night. This will save energy and hope give you a bit of peace too. First, begin playing some music. 5 You can also get Google TV by plugging in a streaming device Credit: Google Then go to the Clock app and head into the Timers tab. Set a timer for a length of time – for instance, you could choose one hour. Then on the button for When Timer Ends, don't choose a sound. Instead, scroll all the way to the very bottom. Tap on the Stop Playing option and then start the timer. Once it ends, the timer won't make a noise. It'll just switch your music off entirely. Handy.
The Sun
2 days ago
- Health
- The Sun
Slash energy bills with new TV button coming to millions in surprise upgrade – and it solves common bedroom problem too
GOOGLE is creating a clever button that could slash energy bills for millions of TV owners. Telly sleuths have spotted early signs of the feature on Google TV – one of the most popular systems that powers televisions around the world. 5 5 Google TV and Android TV are Google creations that serve as the "home" for your telly, serving up your apps and settings. It regularly receives updates from Google adding new features to help improve your television – even after you've bought it. Eagle-eyed gadget fans at Android Authority have dug into the test version for one of these updates, and uncovered a clever upgrade. It lets you set up an advanced sleep timer for your telly so that it won't keep playing all through the night. Falling asleep while watching telly is very common – even if what you're watching isn't boring. Currently Android TV does offer a very basic sleep timer, but it's very hard to get to, buried deep inside your TV's energy settings. One clever shortcut is to ask the built-in Google Assistant to "turn off TV in X minutes". But the new version will let you schedule sleep timers, add time to them, pause it, and even get notifications for when it's about to run down. There's no word on exactly when the feature will arrive, but it would be very handy. For a start, not having your TV running all night will save you money on energy bills. It also means you'll get a more restful night's sleep. First look at Google's new Android XR glasses with life-changing augmented reality And you don't run the risk of something loud coming on the telly that wakes up your partner or other people at home too. So it may even help you dodge a few rows at home. The Sun has asked Google for comment and will update this story with any response. IPHONE SLEEP TIMERS While you wait for that, there are some clever iPhone sleep timers to try too. The first is built directly into the official Apple Podcasts app. 5 Just go into it and start playing something. Then look at the media playback screen in the app: you should see a small crescent moon icon in the bottom-right. It'll have three "z"s next to it. Tap it and you'll be able to set up a sleep timer for that podcast. You can choose times ranging from five minutes right up to an hour. TRY YOUR IPHONE'S BUILT-IN SLEEP SOUNDS Millions of iPhone models have built-in 'background sounds'... They're there to help you get to sleep, or focus on work. You'll find them in Settings > Accessibility > Audio & Visual > Background Sounds. Tap on Sound and then choose one of the following: Balanced Noise Bright Noise Dark Noise Ocean Rain Stream Night Fire Then go to your Control Centre (swipe down from the top-right corner on a Face ID iPhone, or up from the bottom on a Home Button iPhone). Go to the edit function and then you can add Background Sounds there as a shortcut. Alternatively, try going to Settings > Accessibility > Accessibility Shortcut and choose Background Sounds. Then when you triple-click the Side Button on your iPhone (the one for locking it), Background Sounds will begin playing. Do it again to shut Background Sounds off. Picture Credit: The Sun / Apple But the more useful option might be to choose When Episode Ends. This will kill your podcast once the episode is over, which has the added benefit of meaning you won't sleep through a load of episodes that you wanted to listen to. There's a very similar feature that works on music for your iPhone too. It's built into the default iPhone Clock app, and you may well have missed it entirely. 5 This will let you shut off music after a certain amount of time. So you could play peaceful rain sounds, for instance, and then have it shut off so it doesn't run all night. This will save energy and hope give you a bit of peace too. First, begin playing some music. 5 Then go to the Clock app and head into the Timers tab. Set a timer for a length of time – for instance, you could choose one hour. Then on the button for When Timer Ends, don't choose a sound. Instead, scroll all the way to the very bottom. Tap on the Stop Playing option and then start the timer. Once it ends, the timer won't make a noise. It'll just switch your music off entirely. Handy. iPhone tricks to try today Here are some of the best... Typing cursor – When typing, hold down the space bar to turn your keyboard into a trackpad, letting you move around words and sentences more easily Close all Safari tabs – To do this in one go, simply hold the overlapped squares in the bottom right-hand corner, and press close all tabs Delete lots of photos quickly – Hold down on a photo and then drag your finger diagonally in Photos to select lots of images at once, then hit delete Convert currency quickly – Swipe down from the top of your Home screen (or swipe left to right on an iPhone X or later model), then tap in the bar and type a currency (like $200) and it will automatically covert to your local currency Check if you're due a battery upgrade – Batteries inside smartphones degrade over time. Just go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health, and check out the Maximum Capacity reading. Generally a battery is considered worn when you're down to 80% capacity. If you're below, you can buy a battery swap from Apple Move apps around faster – Hold an app until it starts wiggling, then (while still holding) tap other apps, causing them to stack so you can move them around easier
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Slash energy bills with new TV button coming to millions in surprise upgrade – and it solves common bedroom problem too
GOOGLE is creating a clever button that could slash energy bills for millions of TV owners. Telly sleuths have spotted early signs of the feature on Google TV – one of the most popular systems that powers televisions around the world. 5 Google TV is one of the most popular ways to watch telly Credit: Google 5 You can get apps, games and telly via Google TV – and lots of televisions use it as their main system Credit: Google Google TV and Android TV are It regularly receives updates from Google adding new features to help improve your television – even after you've bought it. Eagle-eyed gadget fans at It lets you set up an advanced sleep timer for your telly so that it won't keep playing all through the night. Read more on Google Falling asleep while watching telly is very common – even if what you're watching isn't boring. Currently Android TV does offer a very basic sleep timer, but it's very hard to get to, buried deep inside your TV's energy settings. One clever shortcut is to ask the built-in Google Assistant to "turn off TV in X minutes". But the new version will let you schedule sleep timers, add time to them, pause it, and even get notifications for when it's about to run down. There's no word on exactly when the feature will arrive, but it would be very handy. Most read in Phones & Gadgets For a start, not having your TV running all night will save you money on energy bills. It also means you'll get a more restful night's sleep. First look at Google's new Android XR glasses with life-changing augmented reality And you don't run the risk of something loud coming on the telly that wakes up your partner or other people at home too. So it may even help you dodge a few rows at home. The Sun has asked Google for comment and will update this story with any response. IPHONE SLEEP TIMERS While you wait for that, there are some clever The first is built directly into the official Apple Podcasts app. 5 You can easily set up a sleep timer for Podcasts Credit: The Sun / Apple Just go into it and start playing something. Then look at the media playback screen in the app: you should see a small crescent moon icon in the bottom-right. It'll have three "z"s next to it. Tap it and you'll be able to set up a sleep timer for that podcast. You can choose times ranging from five minutes right up to an hour. TRY YOUR IPHONE'S BUILT-IN SLEEP SOUNDS Millions of iPhone models have built-in 'background sounds'... They're there to help you get to sleep, or focus on work. You'll find them in Settings > Accessibility > Audio & Visual > Background Sounds. Tap on Sound and then choose one of the following: Balanced Noise Bright Noise Dark Noise Ocean Rain Stream Night Fire Then go to your Control Centre (swipe down from the top-right corner on a Face ID iPhone, or up from the bottom on a Home Button iPhone). Go to the edit function and then you can add Background Sounds there as a shortcut. Alternatively, try going to Settings > Accessibility > Accessibility Shortcut and choose Background Sounds. Then when you triple-click the Side Button on your iPhone (the one for locking it), Background Sounds will begin playing. Do it again to shut Background Sounds off. Picture Credit: The Sun / Apple But the more useful option might be to choose When Episode Ends. This will kill your podcast once the episode is over, which has the added benefit of meaning you won't sleep through a load of episodes that you wanted to listen to. There's a very similar feature that works on music for your iPhone too. It's built into the default iPhone Clock app, and you may well have missed it entirely. 5 Apple lets you use its Clock app timers to stop music from playing after a certain amount of time Credit: The Sun / Apple This will let you shut off music after a certain amount of time. So you could play peaceful rain sounds, for instance, and then have it shut off so it doesn't run all night. This will save energy and hope give you a bit of peace too. First, begin playing some music. 5 You can also get Google TV by plugging in a streaming device Credit: Google Then go to the Clock app and head into the Timers tab. Set a timer for a length of time – for instance, you could choose one hour. Then on the button for When Timer Ends, don't choose a sound. Instead, scroll all the way to the very bottom. Tap on the Stop Playing option and then start the timer. Once it ends, the timer won't make a noise. It'll just switch your music off entirely. Handy. iPhone tricks to try today Here are some of the best... Typing cursor – When typing, hold down the space bar to turn your keyboard into a trackpad, letting you move around words and sentences more easily Close all Safari tabs – To do this in one go, simply hold the overlapped squares in the bottom right-hand corner, and press close all tabs Delete lots of photos quickly – Hold down on a photo and then drag your finger diagonally in Photos to select lots of images at once, then hit delete Convert currency quickly – Swipe down from the top of your Home screen (or swipe left to right on an iPhone X or later model), then tap in the bar and type a currency (like $200) and it will automatically covert to your local currency Check if you're due a battery upgrade – Batteries inside smartphones degrade over time. Just go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health, and check out the Maximum Capacity reading. Generally a battery is considered worn when you're down to 80% capacity. If you're below, you can buy a battery swap from Apple Move apps around faster – Hold an app until it starts wiggling, then (while still holding) tap other apps, causing them to stack so you can move them around easier
