Gemini in Chrome can now accurately detect what you're viewing on your screen.

      Google's newly introduced "Select from screen" feature enhances the ability to ask Gemini about text and images within a browser tab.

      Google is enhancing Gemini's awareness within Chrome. The company has initiated the rollout of the "Select from screen" feature, allowing users to select specific text or images on a webpage and send these directly to Gemini, thereby making interactions with the AI assistant much more relevant.

      Gemini can now concentrate on exactly what users want to inquire about.

      This new functionality can be found within Gemini in Chrome’s “+” menu and operates similarly to a built-in screenshot tool. Once activated, users can choose any visible text or image within the current browser tab, which gets automatically attached to a Gemini prompt. Instead of having to describe webpage content manually, users can direct Gemini towards the specific material they need assistance with.

      Google is implementing this feature as part of Chrome version 149, although some users might need to restart their browser for it to show up. This update is part of Google's effort to make Gemini seem less like an isolated chatbot and more like an assistant that understands users' current activities.

      The timing is notable, as Google announced another significant upgrade to Gemini on the same day. Developers can now use computer capabilities directly through Gemini 3.5 Flash, enabling AI agents to perceive, reason, and perform actions across browsers, mobile apps, and desktop environments without needing a separate model. Google claims this integration enhances long-term tasks such as software testing, enterprise workflows, and other multi-step automation processes.

      This appears to be Google’s response to the idea that "AI should know what I’m observing."

      This update focuses less on introducing a new feature and more on streamlining user interactions. By allowing Gemini to grasp precisely what’s displayed on the screen and to engage with it directly, Google is evolving beyond the conventional chatbot experience toward an AI assistant that can understand context, anticipate user intent, and assist in task completion instead of merely answering questions.

      Varun is a seasoned technology journalist and editor with over eight years of experience in consumer tech media. His work encompasses...

      A new clever Mac application enables you to sense vibrations through the trackpad when clicking a link or button.

      This $5 Mac app transforms your trackpad into a small web radar.

      The HapticPad app aims to make web browsing more tactile. Shared by its developer in the r/macapps community on Reddit, the app utilizes a Mac’s Force Touch trackpad to produce a gentle vibration when the cursor hovers over links, buttons, and input fields within the browser. This allows users to "feel" parts of a webpage before clicking. It’s a simple concept, yet possesses an obvious cleverness that makes one question why macOS doesn’t already incorporate this feature.

      So how does it function?

      Read more

      ChatGPT and Gemini could be subtly influencing your voting decisions, according to an analysis.

      Your AI chatbot may have a political bias.

      It’s already quite common to seek assistance from AI chatbots for emails, homework, travel arrangements, and more. Thus, it was inevitable that politics would come into play. A recent analysis from The Washington Post indicates that prominent AI chatbots may not be as politically neutral as they often appear. The Post evaluated the models behind OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, Anthropic’s Claude, DeepSeek, xAI’s Grok, and Gab’s Arya using a set of political questions designed to assess how chatbots tackle contentious issues.

      The Post found that OpenAI's model produced left-leaning responses 80% of the time, while Gemini generally adopted a balanced view, presenting both left- and right-leaning arguments in more than 90% of its replies.

      Read more

      Microsoft’s new Surface PCs are more affordable — but there's a catch.

      The balancing act favored by the tech industry is becoming increasingly challenging. Rising component prices, unstable memory costs, and laptop manufacturers striving to keep prices reasonable are all contributing factors. Microsoft’s latest Surface update seems to directly address this challenge.

      The company has released new entry-level versions of its 12-inch Surface Pro and 13-inch Surface Laptop, featuring lower starting prices while maintaining the same processor and storage configurations. At face value, this seems beneficial for budget-conscious consumers. However, a closer inspection reveals a trade-off that is hard to overlook.

      Read more