Latest news with #carOwners
The Sun
14-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Sun
More than 250million drivers will be able to TALK to their car in major change – and users already want to switch it off
MILLIONS of car owners will soon be able to have conversations with their vehicle, through Google's new artificial intelligence (AI) assistant. Gemini, as the assistant is called, is soon being injected into Android Auto - the infotainment system built into over 250million cars. 3 3 3 "The future of driving is getting a whole lot smarter with Gemini, your AI assistant from Google, coming to your car soon," Google wrote in a new blog pos t on its website. It means drivers will be able to use natural spoken language to ask Gemini to fulfil requests, such as sending a message to a friend, finding an on-route restaurant and even sorting through emails. Drivers won't have to remember specific phrases, or press any on-screen buttons, to pull up apps or find new stops on their journey. "Sending messages to a friend who prefers another language? You can tell Gemini to remember to always send messages to Joe in Spanish," explained Google. "Then later, when you message Joe, rather than just transcribing verbatim what you say, Gemini can help craft the perfect message for you. "You can edit that message without having to start over and then even have it translated in over 40 languages." Android Auto has traditionally allowed Android phone owners to beam their phone displays to their vehicle's infotainment system. But the latest update, according to Google, means your Android phone won't be necessary. A new Live tool can even keep you company on long drives. Millions of Android phones can unlock cars using 'virtual key' "Live is a conversational experience with Gemini that is a perfect fit in the car," added Google. "Just say "Hey Google, let's talk" to brainstorm, explore and learn something new with Gemini." For example, if you have an important meeting coming up, Google reckons Gemini can help you prepare. You could say something like: "I need to have a conversation with my boss about a new promotion. How do I go about this?" And Gemini will give you a detailed answer. You can even refine your strategy with something like, "When is the best time of day to have this conversation?" What is Google Gemini? You may have heard of Google's Gemini AI tool - so what exactly is it? Google's Gemini AI launched in December 2023 and is available online, billed as a way to "supercharge your creativity and productivity". Gemini is a multimodal model that learns from a variety of data types including images, text, and audio. When a user enters a prompt into Gemini, it generates a response using information it already knows or pulls from other sources (often Google services). While training on datasets, it identifies patterns that help it mimic a human response. As it is continuously learning, Gemini also learns from your prompts, responses, and feedback. Google has admitted that "Gemini will make mistakes and might even say something offensive". The program occasionally cites its sources. If it quotes at length from a webpage, for instance, it makes reference to that page. Sometimes, it generates a URL that users can click. Gemini has usage limits to reduce traffic, meaning it may cap the number of prompts and conversations a user can have within a specific timeframe. This number depends on factors like how long and complex a user's prompts are and the length of the conversation with Gemini. Google will alert you when you are close to hitting the limit for a given period. Google says it has worked with over a dozen car brands to launch the tool. Across the more than 250million cars that support Android Auto, there are over 50 different car models involved, according to Google. Gemini will be available on cars that support Android Auto in the coming months, and cars with Google built-in later this year, including the new Lincoln Nautilus, Renault R5 and Honda Passport. The tech giant is also bolstering its app catalogue to include more games and video platforms. The new features are set to be demonstrated at the annual Google I/O event next week. But drivers are still unsure about AI, which appears to be appearing in more and more devices - from TVs to automobiles. "Man I hate this AI sh*t so much," one person wrote in a Reddit post. Another added: "It could be good for things like opening up apps or asking questions while on the go but I feel like it could do more harm than good. "Although one benefit could be a locally running Gemini model which can give you information even when offline. That would be truly useful when like camping for example." A third person said: "The only thing I use Google's Assistant for is playing music, and last I checked Gemini would just show Google results for whatever I wanted to listen to. "Fingers crossed they manage to fix that before it's forced... Maybe if I'm lucky it'll only take twice as long as assistant to start." Others say it's much better than Apple's alternative assistant, Siri, which is yet to receive an AI boost. "Not sure I understand the negativity in this thread," an iPhone owner wrote in the thread. "Siri drives me up a wall. Being able to converse with something that will do stuff properly without interacting with a screen (eg text someone without doing a word and punctuation perfect dictation, or find a gas stop in X minutes on a road trip) seems like a huge value add." Another Apple fan wrote: "What's with all the negativity? I use Apple CarPlay, and Siri is a huge help. "You can text, call, and play music without losing your focus on the road. It's a huge plus."
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Can You Mix Multiple Brands Of Oil?
Any good car owner knows how important it is to take your car in for regular maintenance and getting engine oil changed every so often. Every vehicle is different, but most car service shops will put a sticker on the windshield to let you know when to stop by -- either based on a date or how many miles to drive before getting some routine maintenance. Still, sometimes we need to top the oil off a bit when we don't have the time to take our car in for maintenance, and that's when knowing whether it's okay to mix motor oil from different brands becomes important. Can you mix multiple brands of oil when keeping your engine lubricated? Some sources say it's totally okay to mix engine oil from different brands. However, this shouldn't become a habit. So, the short answer is yes. You can mix motor oil from different brands, but just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. Read more: These Are The Best Tires For Your Car, Truck Or SUV, According To Consumer Reports If you have to top off the oil level of your engine, check the viscosity grades of the oils you're using. You can find out what kind of viscosity of oil your car requires by checking the car owner's manual. It should tell you whether you should use 5W-30 oil or something thicker -- or lighter. Mixing oils with different viscosity could lead to reduced engine performance and potential engine damage due to inconsistency of lubrication. If the viscosity is the same, mixing motor oil from two different brands is okay for the most part. Combining Quaker State motor oil with Pennzoil won't break your engine. However, there are different types of motor oil, and some come with specifically formulated additives designed to enhance an engine's performance in extreme temperatures. Some brands also include additives to enhance certain properties of the oil, like those that make long-lifespan synthetic motor oil instead of conventional oil. Even if they have the same viscosity, mixing them might seem fine at first, but can ultimately affect the performance of the engine. When your motor oil is running low, topping it off with a similar brand or type may be helpful to keep the engine lubricated. But this is just a short-term fix, and is in no way a replacement for an oil change. Take your car in for maintenance regularly, and you shouldn't have any problems. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
