SteelSeries launches ‘Dragon Edition’ of the Arctis Nova 7

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SteelSeries launches ‘Dragon Edition’ of the Arctis Nova 7
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SteelSeries is back with another special edition model of one of its best gaming headsets — the Arctis Nova 7 Wireless — and this time it’s celebrating the Lunar New Year with a Dragon Edition headset. SteelSeries initially announced the headset back on January 8, but now the headset has officially launched.

If you’ve seen the Diablo IV edition of the Arctis Nova 7, then you know SteelSeries tends to go all out with its limited edition designs. That is no less true here. As a matter of fact, one might venture to say SteelSeries has gone above and beyond here with some incredible attention to detail. First, though, take a moment to admire the color. Known as “Biking Red” on the Pantone color guide, this deep shade of red provides an eye-catching cornerstone for the rest of the headset’s detailing.

The Dragon Edition Arctis Nova 7 headset is packed with unique design details

The color is what gets you to look in the first place. Then you start to notice the other neat design elements. Like the dragon on the speaker plates. Some of the cooler details are hidden though. And you’d only really notice them if you were the one wearing the headset. Or if someone showed the headset to you. This kind of makes it feel like a secret that you get to keep to yourself. Something for you and you alone to enjoy.

This includes the dragon scale pattern that’s been debossed on the fabric of the ComfortMax headband. You’d never see this if you saw someone wearing this headset. Since the ComfortMax band sits on the person’s head and the pattern is debossed on that side of it. But this doesn’t make it any less cool or unique. There’s also a hidden Chinese character under the speaker plate. “Hidden beneath the dragon that is emblazoned on the speaker plates, a circular version of the Chinese character for good fortune (Fú) adorns the ear cups,” SteelSeries says.

SteelSeries even packages a second set of speaker plates with the headset. These come in the same Biking Red color. But instead of the dragon, they have the SteelSeries logo.

Steeped in heritage

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Dragon Edition (11)

One thing that’s always fascinating to us is finding out what inspires the designs of products. In this case, the Dragon Edition Arctis Nova 7 was designed by a collective of SteelSeries designers and product managers with Chinese and Taiwanese heritage. This year is the Year of the Dragon, so the headset design is a way to honor that heritage. While also providing consumers with a really cool version of one of the best gaming headsets out there.

Like other SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless versions, this is a multi-platform headset. So you can use it with Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and even mobile devices. It charges via USB-C and retails for $199.99. You can pick it up directly from SteelSeries, although it appears to be out of stock currently due to the presale that happened earlier this month. SteelSeries is also selling the headset at various retailers, which should include Best Buy, Amazon, and others. At the moment, however, this version doesn’t appear at other retailers so you may need to wait a bit before purchasing.

Buy At Best Buy

Buy At Amazon


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The Witcher 4 will enter production sometime this year

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The Witcher 4 will enter production sometime this year
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CD Projekt is due to start production on The Witcher 4 this year, codenamed ‘Polaris’ internally. CD Projekt first announced Polaris back in 2022 during a studio livestream. At the time it was unveiling its roadmap for the future, at which point it announced plans for several new game projects, including Polaris, otherwise known as The Witcher 4. It also revealed the Cyberpunk 2077 codenamed Orion, as well as another game in the series of The Witcher that would later be confirmed as a remake of the original The Witcher game launched back in 2007.

CD Projekt hasn’t shared too much information about Polaris yet. But based on recent reports about the game’s direction, it could be a pivotal moment for the series. The Witcher has almost always followed Geralt of Rivia as the main protagonist. Aside from a couple of The Witcher spin-off shows on Netflix. But that won’t be the case with The Witcher 4. Instead of focusing on Geralt, the studio will be using an entirely different character as the focus of the game. A fitting decision since Polaris is supposed to be the start of a new trilogy within the universe of The Witcher.

Who the lead character might be hasn’t been announced. But Gerlat’s voice actor says the focus isn’t on Geralt. Some fans think this might be opening the door for Ciri to be the main character. After her well-received segments of gameplay in The Witcher 3, this might not be a bad idea. But it would also be interesting to see completely unfamiliar characters take the helm. Or perhaps for players to be given the chance to create their own Witcher and build their own story with the game’s characters.

CD Projekt wants to have 400 people working on The Witcher 4 production by mid-year

Now that Cyberpunk 2077 is essentially done following the release of Phantom Liberty last September, CD Projekt is moving into a phase where it likely won’t have anything major releasing (that we know of) for the next couple of years. It’s suspected that The Witcher 4 won’t be released until sometime in 2026 or 2027. If those estimates are true, then you’ll have to turn elsewhere for your Witcher fix. The good news there is that The Witcher 3 is an excellent game. And you can often find it and the DLC on sale for a low price. It also includes tons of playable content that could take a very long time to complete in its entirety.

So if you haven’t played The Witcher 3 yet, now is as good of a time as any. In terms of production on The Witcher 4, things at CD Projekt are starting to ramp up. Speaking to Reuters, joint CEO Adam Badowski says they’d like to have about 400 people working on production for the game by the middle of the year. Badowski doesn’t mention whether or not those 400 would be the entire team. Badowski also doesn’t mention when production on the game is actually beginning. But there’s a good chance it may be starting soon if the studio wants to scale up to 400 developers by this Summer.

CD Projekt is also working on quite a few other projects, one of which is the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel. As Wccftech notes, development on this started a little earlier this month.


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Feast your eyes on what the Pixel 9 Pro might look like

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Feast your eyes on what the Pixel 9 Pro might look like
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Now that the Pixel 8 series is out, it’s time to start wondering what the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro might look like, and these recently released renders could showcase Google’s direction for the design. Now it’s worth keeping in mind, that these images are just CAD renders. They’re not official promotional images or renders from Google. There’s a chance the Pixel 9 Pro may look like the phone in the renders. But there’s just as good of a chance that the phone will look very different.

Even if the design ends up being accurate, there are still things Google might change. With that being said, here’s what you might be able to expect in terms of the phone design. The Pixel 9 Pro is said to come with a flat display and based on the renders Google will move away from the current design of the Pixel 8 series. The frame of the phone is a good indicator of this. While the corners of the phone frame remain slightly rounded, the sides, top, and bottom all appear to be flat. On the Pixel 8 series, the sides, top, and bottom of the frame all have a slight curve to them.

In addition to the flat frame, the Pixel 9 Pro might come with a rounded, pill-shaped rear camera module. Although some suspect it may be more squared off like on the Pixel Fold. The Pixel 9 Pro also appears to stick with the hole punch camera on the front.

Renders of the Pixel 9 Pro have also been shown off in a 360-degree video

The still images do a good job of showcasing the upcoming phone’s potential design. However, sometimes this just isn’t enough to satiate the hunger for a full view. Luckily, you can see the phone from all angles thanks to a 360-degree video. The video was created by OnLeaks in collaboration with MySmartPrice. With the video, you get a slightly better look at the phone from all sides. This includes the power and volume rocker buttons being on the right side like always. The position of these hasn’t changed either.

Along with the design OnLeaks also shares a few specs details about the phone. The screen size is reportedly going to be 6.5 inches and it’ll have dimensions of 162.7 x 76.6 x 8.5 mm. The phone will also include a telephoto sensor on the back. Google is rumored to be releasing in the back half of 2024. But that shouldn’t be a surprise since Google does this with all of its Pixel flagship phones. If Google sticks to the same timeframe, the Pixel 9 series will be released sometime in early October and launch later in the same month.

Although official details are light on the upcoming devices, there are more than a few rumors about the Pixel 9 series already floating around. Both phones are said to support the Qi2 wireless charging standard and use a Tensor G4 chip based on a 4nm chip made by Samsung. Google is also rumored to be working on a new digital AI assistant for the Pixel 9 series called ‘Pixie’ that will be exclusive to Pixel phones and be separate from Assistant with Bard.


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Newly available Samsung 990 EVO SSD delivers big performance

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Newly available Samsung 990 EVO SSD delivers big performance
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Samsung is releasing its latest internal SSD today and has launched the 990 EVO, which is now available in a variety of storage capacity options. Think of the 990 EVO like the 990 Pro in that it has a huge increase in performance compared to previous models. If performance is your main concern, then the 990 EVO won’t steer you wrong. It offers a 43% increase in performance compared to the 970 EVO Plus SSD that came before it.

This is going to be a noticeable difference no matter what you’re doing on your PC. As it should cut down on the time it takes to access your data by almost half. From a moment-to-moment perspective, it might not seem like that would matter much. But think about all the things you might do on your PC on a given day. How many files you might open or how many GB of images or other data you might transfer from folder to folder. Over the course of the day this time you spend waiting will add up. So a faster SSD like this one is going to save you time in the long run and allow you to be more efficient.

Not to mention get back a few minutes so you can do something else. In terms of gaming, the performance boost is going to help immensely with load times. And we all know you’d rather spend more time playing the game than waiting for stuff to load. Because who wouldn’t?

The Samsung 990 EVO SSD is available starting today

If it’s time for an SSD upgrade you can snag Samsung’s 990 EVO starting today. Samsung will sell it directly through its online store but you can also pick it up at Amazon and other retailers. The SSD comes in two storage capacities — 1TB and 2TB. The 1TB model can be picked up for $124.99 while the 2TB model bumps the price up to $209.99. This is pretty reasonable pricing and matches what Samsung charges for the 990 Pro in the same sizes. At least when it comes to the model without the heatsink.

The 990 EVO SSD would be a great option for desktop PCs but it’s also an excellent idea for laptops if you have one that allows access to the SSD for upgrade. That’s because the 990 EVO has improved power efficiency over the previous model. According to Samsung, it sips power compared to the 970 EVO Plus and is up to 70% more efficient with power. The reason this matters for laptop users is that you’re going to use it off the charger from time to time. Maybe you only use it off the charger. And in those situations, you want every possible advantage in extending battery life.

With the SSD using less power to do its tasks, your laptop can last longer before it needs to be plugged in. Additionally, the 990 EVO delivers read speeds of up to 5,000 megabytes-per-second (MB/s) and write speeds up to 4,200 MB/s. It also comes with a heat spreader label for better thermal regulation. SSDs don’t get as warm as CPUs and GPUs but they can still produce heat. And the improved thermal regulation in the 990 EVO is going to ensure better-sustained performance over longer periods of use.

You’ll be able to keep this thing for a while

Aside from all the other really good improvements, the 990 EVO has another trick up its sleeve. It’s future-proof. Samsung designed it to be compatible with PCIe Gen 4 and PCIe Gen 5. It supports both PCIe 4.0 x4 and PCIe 5.0 x2 interfaces. So eventually when applications start coming out that require the PCIe 5.0 2x interface, you’ll get the benefits this drive offers with those applications. The main benefit here is going to be the ability to keep performance at optimal levels even with PCIe 5.0 apps.

So you won’t need to replace this SSD for quite some time.

Buy At Samsung

Buy At Amazon


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Android users can now enjoy photo stacking in Google Photos

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Android users can now enjoy photo stacking in Google Photos
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So, you have 13 pictures of your cat in that new little sweater you bought it, and you just can’t bring yourself to get rid of any of them. That’s all fine and dandy, but you don’t need 13 similar images cluttering up your photo feed. Thankfully, Google Photos is bringing stacked photos to Android.

You know the drill, features typically launch on iOS before they launch on Android. That’s the case with this feature, as stacked photos in Google Photos landed on iOS back in November. Now, Android users don’t need to worry about similar-looking photos cluttering their feed (cat-related or not).

Stacked photos are making it the Google Photos for Android users

If you took a bunch of pictures in a short time frame that all look pretty similar, you have the option of compressing all of those photos into one tile on your photo feed. Google Photos will organize these photos automatically. The app will go by the time frame these photos were taken, and the kind of content in them.

When you see a stacked tile in Google Photos, the tile will have a little icon in the top right corner with a number. The number, of course, refers to how many photos are in the stack. When you tap on the stack, you will see a horizontally scrolling carousel open up, showing all the photos. Also, in this view, you can do some actions to customize the stack. For starters, you can choose a different thumbnail photo, and manage which photos to keep and which ones to ditch.

Google photoes stacked photos

If you don’t want to view the photos as a carousel, you can press the  2×2 button that will show the photos in a 2×2 grid. This lets you see more of the photos at a time. If you want to share a stack of photos, you can choose to send only selected photos or the entire stack. Also, if you want to unstack photos and display them individually on your feed, you could also do that.

This feature is currently rolling out, so there’s a chance that Google hasn’t sent it to your device yet. Just make sure that the app is updated.


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The Galaxy Z Fold 6 may have a more affordable sibling

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The Galaxy Z Fold 6 may have a more affordable sibling
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When the first foldable phones came out, they were gimmicky, fragile, and expensive. Nowadays, well, they’re just expensive. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold phones still sit just shy of $2,000. However, according to a new report, Samsung may be working on a more affordable Galaxy Z Fold 6.

With a few clamshell foldable phones like the Motorola Razr 2023 and the Tecno Phantom V Flip comfortably under the $1,000 mark, the world is waiting for notebook foldable phones to start coming down in price. Phones like the OnePlus Open are rather affordable at $1,699, so there’s still a way to go before they’re considered what we call affordable.

Samsung could be working on a more affordable Galaxy Z Fold 6

From the sound of it, it appears that Samsung could launch two versions of the Galaxy Z Fold 6. One could have all the latest and greatest specs, while the other one could have less robust specs. It’s possible that it could get a smaller battery, less pixel-dense display, weaker processor, less powerful cameras, and RAM/storage. That’s only speculation, as those are the typical cutbacks you would get in a cheaper phone.

As per the report, Samsung could be considering bringing an entry-level Galaxy Z Fold 6. This could possibly be a move to make the device more appealing to the Chinese market. Several Chinese companies such as Oppo and Xiaomi have been able to bring more affordable foldable phones compared to what Samsung is offering. While that is the case, Chinese phones still manage to bring a ton of power and usability.

The report states that the entry-level Galaxy Z Fold 6 could launch sometime in the second half of the year. This is consistent with the Galaxy foldable launch cycle. Samsung usually launches its second wave of premium devices around August. Last year was an exception, as a company launched its foldable phones in July.

The Galaxy Z Fold phones might lose some weight this year

The report also states that Samsung could also make the Galaxy Z Fold 6 rather thin compared to the Z Fold 5. This could also be a play to make the phone more appealing to the Chinese market. Many affordable phones in the Chinese market are notably thinner than the Galaxy Z Fold phones.

Is Samsung finally waking up?

If the source is right, and Samsung is making these changes in order to appeal to the Chinese market, then it could be hinting at something that we’ve been wanting for a while. We’ve been pining for Samsung to be more conscious about competition and more willing to make changes to adjust to the times. Other companies have been leaving Samsung in the dust in terms of exciting features, innovative designs, and pushing foldable technology forward.

Samsung has gotten too comfortable being the top foldable maker in the world. This means that, year after year, the company has been able to basically regurgitate the design of its phones without making any changes. Samsung’s foldables haven’t really been exciting for a few years.

Well, hopefully, this means that Samsung is willing to make changes and deliver devices that are more competitive.


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Amazon fined €32 million for micromanaging staff in France

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Amazon fined €32 million for micromanaging staff in France
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The French privacy watchdog body has fined Amazon for how the company tracks and evaluates its staff. The National Commission on Informatics and Liberty, CNIL, fined Amazon’s logistics subsidiary — Amazon France Logistique — €32 million ($34.8 million).

France has fined Amazon for “overly intrusive” surveillance

According to CNIL, Amazon uses a system to evaluate the worker’s performance which uses an “overly intrusive” surveillance system. This system primarily involves the use of barcode scanners in Amazon’s warehouses. When processing an order, an Amazon employee scans products with a connected scanner before packing them for shipping. The CNIL is concerned about the precision with which the system measures the inactivity time of these scanners, which could potentially require employees to justify every break.

So, the watchdog considers both “idle time” (scanner downtime of ten minutes or more) and “latency under ten minutes” (scanner interruptions between one and ten minutes) as illegal data processing under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Additionally, Amazon’s “stow machine gun” indicator is also on CNIL’s radar as a GDPR issue.

The watchdog also argues that the surveillance system’s data processing is excessively intrusive, and it questions the need for Amazon to retain all collected data and statistical indicators for a prolonged period of 31 days for all employees and temporary workers. Amazon allegedly uses this performance data to assess warehouse workers’ overall performance every week.

Amazon’s answer to the allegations

Amazon says that it strongly disagrees with the CNIL’s findings. It says that many companies in the logistics industry use a connected warehouse system, not just Amazon. Plus, the “stow machine gun” was designed to allow workers to inspect products for damage before storage.

Meanwhile, Amazon has chosen to extend the threshold limit in addressing the “idle time” metric. The company will extend the threshold limit. It will trigger after 30 minutes, offering flexibility to employees.

Furthermore, Jeff Bezos-owned company has joined other major tech firms in the decision to reduce its workforce. Amazon recently implemented a round of layoffs, affecting about thirty employees. This comes a week after the company hinted at laying off hundreds of staff from its Prime Video and MGM Studio division.


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Here’s how OnePlus’ hot new phone keeps so cool

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Here’s how OnePlus’ hot new phone keeps so cool
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OnePlus‘ newest device, the OnePlus 12, finally dropped, and people seem to be pretty excited about this device. It’s a very powerful phone but, with great power comes great responsibility (and A LOT  of heat). Thanks to a new teardown video, we got to look at the OnePlus 12s cooling system.

If you’re curious about the OnePlus 12, then you should look at our OnePlus 12 Review. It comes chock full of a ton of information about this phone. You never know if this is going to be your next favorite handset, so you should think about giving it a look.

A YouTube teardown video reveals the OnePlus 12’s cooling system

Smartphone processes are getting more powerful all the time to deal with more complex computing. However, this comes at the cost of generating much more heat. Heavy usage on modern phones can get uncomfortable after a while if there’s no proper cooling system.

Well, Zack Nelson from JerryRigEverything just posted a teardown video showing us what’s inside the new OnePlus 12. In it, we get a look at the wireless charging coil which can wirelessly charge the phone using 50W of power. We also see the dual-cell battery along with other important aspects of the phone.

However, the star of the show was the gigantic cooling system which OnePlus calls the Dual Cryo-Velocity cooling system. This further shows that OnePlus loves using over-the-top and flashy names for its products.

This cooling system is absolutely massive compared to others, and it actually encompasses both the processor and the battery. So, it helps keep more of the phone cool during usage and charging.

The Dual Cryo-Velocity cooling system is composed of two separate vapor chambers that draw heat away from the processor and battery and push it out through the screen. Since the screen is making contact with the open air, this helps it cool much faster.

The vapor chambers have a minute amount of liquid that evaporates from one area of the chamber and travels to another area to recondense. This process is what transfers the heat through the vapor chamber and out of the phone.

Along with the vapor chamber, OnePlus also opted to add thermal paste to several parts of the phone. This combination of materials helps keep the OnePlus 12 one of the coolest phones on the market- both literally and figuratively.


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LockBit Ransomware Gang Claims Subway as New Victim

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LockBit Ransomware Gang Claims Subway as New Victim
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The LockBit ransomware gang has given Subway a deadline of February 2, 2024, to pay the ransom, or their data will be leaked.

International fast-food restaurant chain Subway is facing a potential PR nightmare due to an alleged ransomware attack carried out by the notorious LockBit ransomware gang. Reports suggest Subway’s systems were compromised by the LockBit gang, known for its aggressive tactics.

Subway has launched an investigation after the LockBit ransomware group claimed to have hacked the company’s SUBS internal systems and stole a trove of data. The ransomware-as-a-service provider added the company to its data leak site, stating that one of its affiliates stole gigabytes of sensitive data.

LockBit stated that they are giving some time for the group to protect the data “which includes hundreds of gigabytes of data and all financial of the franchise, including employee salaries, franchise royalty payments, master franchise commission payments, restaurant turnovers, etc.” If they do not, the group will sell it to competitors. The company has added the company to its data leak site.

The message was posted on January 21, and the attackers have given Subway time until February 2 to pay a ransom. However, Subway’s spokesperson claims the company is still validating the hackers’ claims.

LockBit Ransomware Gang Claims Subway as New Victim
LockBit’s message on its dark web site (Screenshot credit: Hackread.com)

For your information, LockBit is one of the most active ransomware groups, victimizing thousands of organizations. In June 2023, the US government reported that the LockBit gang has targeted 1,700 entities in the US since 2020, making over $90 million in ransom payments.

What’s surprising for many in this incident is that Subway was unaware of the ransomware attack. However, this isn’t strange because, lately, hackers are skipping the ransomware attacks’ encryption part and focusing on stealing data since designing, developing, maintaining, and deploying ransomware has become too difficult. Companies have substantially improved their data backup and defence; therefore, threat actors steal data and demand payment for not disclosing it publicly.

It is worth noting that Subway has 20,000 locations worldwide and over 400,000 employees, so the data leak could have lasting implications for its customers if it happened. To protect yourself from online threats, be cautious when clicking links or opening attachments, use strong passwords, enable two-factor authentication, keep software and operating systems updated, and invest in reputable antivirus and anti-malware software. Practice good cyber hygiene for the best defence against cybercrime.

  1. Bangkok Airways hit by Lockbit ransomware; leaks 103GB of data
  2. Accenture claims to fight off LockBit ransomware gang with backup
  3. LockBit ransomware gang blames victim for DDoS attack on its website
  4. LockBit 3.0 Posts Dubious Claims of Breaching Darktrace Cybersecurity Firm
  5. Cyber Security Giant Mandiant Denies Hacking Claims By LockBit Ransomware

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Google announced some amazing generative AI features for Chrome

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Google announced some amazing generative AI features for Chrome
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Google Chrome is the most popular web browser on the planet, and one reason is that it’s always coming out with new and useful features. Google just announced today that Chrome is getting some amazing generative AI features that will help make using it much easier and more streamlined. This just shows that Google is working on bringing AI prowess to all of its users.

These new Chrome generative AI features are rolling out over the next couple of days

As with any Google rollout, availability will expand as the days go on. These features will be available first in the U.S. market, and then it will make it to others as the days go on.

Tab Organizer

You’re able to make tap groups using Chrome, and you have been for some time. However, choosing which tabs to organize into groups can take a while depending on how many tabs you have open. Also, it can become tedious picking and choosing which tabs to add to your groups. Well, Tab Organizer will automatically organize your tabs based on the types of pages you have open.

Chrome Tab Organizer

All you have to do is right-click on one of the tabs you want to add to the group and click on Organize similar tabs. Chrome will then analyze all of the tabs you have open and give you a list of suggested tab groups. So, if you have several tabs open with similar pages, Chrome will suggest groups based on those tabs. Once you click on the suggestion, Chrome will automatically create that group and place all the tabs under it.

Generative AI themes

With Android 14, Google brought the ability to create AI-generated wallpapers and themes. Well, the company is now bringing this to its browser. When this feature drops, you’ll be able to create your own Chrome themes using generative AI. All you have to do is go to the side panel and click on the Change theme button. After that, click the Create with AI button.

Chrome Generative AI Theme

From there on, it’s as simple as typing what you want your thing to be. When you do that, Google will generate a background and a color scheme for you. Maybe you want a desert theme; you can expect Chrome to generate images of large sand dunes. If you want a winter wonderland, Chrome will generate one for you.

This is all in addition to uploading your own photos to use as the theme and using pre-made themes in the Chrome Store.

Help me write for General text boxes

This feature will be released in next month’s update for Chrome. We’re used to using the Help me write feature in Google Docs and Gmail. Well, Google wants to bring this functionality to more places in Chrome. After the update, all you have to do is right-click on a text field and click the Help me write option. After that, type a few words, and the AI will start helping you out with what you want to write.

This is great for most situations where you want to properly articulate what you want to write. This could be for a social media post, emails, reviews, forum posts, Etc.

At the moment, these features are mostly for personal use. So Enterprise and educational accounts when I have access to these features just yet.


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