Day: September 25, 2025

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Google’s Conversational Photo Editor Is the Rare AI Feature People Will Actually Use

https://www.wired.com/story/google-photos-conversational-photo-editor/

The smartphone has become the playground for new AI and generative AI features.

Apple made a significant push last year with Apple Intelligence, featuring tools like Image Playground, which allows you to create images from scratch, and Writing Tools that can rewrite and summarize text. On the latest iPhone 17 running iOS 26, machine intelligence powers the new live translation features in calls and messages. Google has many of the same features on Android; the latest Pixel 10 phones can generate a version of your voice for use in real-time language translations on calls.

As WIRED’s resident smartphone reviewer, I’ve tested all of these phones and their hyped-up features. Very few of these capabilities have really felt like a practical, useful feature designed to make everyday life easier—something I could even see my parents using. That’s what AI is supposed to do, right?

That’s until I tried Google’s new Ask Photos conversational editing feature in Google Photos which first debuted on the Pixel 10 phones and is now available on Android devices that can support it. The feature lets you type or speak out the visual edits you want to see in your photos without fumbling with menus and sliders. Most people have no idea how powerful the software on their phones already is, and so by being able to access all the editing tools that are available and use them to execute your desired task, this feature not only gives you the results you want in a nearly frictionless way, but it also helps you better understand what your smartphone is capable of.

Speak Your Mind

The idea of talking to a computer and having it complete tasks for you has been around for decades. Hollywood has its own idea of what this looks like (HAL 9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey is perhaps the most iconic—and dark—depiction) but researchers have another.

via Wired Top Stories https://www.wired.com

September 25, 2025 at 05:34AM

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Snapdragon’s new PC chips tap AirJet’s radical solid-state cooling

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2919220/snapdragons-new-pc-chips-tap-airjets-radical-solid-state-cooling.html

Two Qualcomm reference designs, showcasing the new Snapdragon X2 Elite chips, use an AirJet cooling system from Frore Systems, representatives confirmed.

Qualcomm launched its second-generation Snapdragon X2 Elite and Elite Extreme chips at the Snapdragon Technology Summit in Maui. At press time, the company had not announced any partners for the two product families, though Qualcomm showed off two reference designs in a demonstration showcase.

Inside the two reference designs were the Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Extreme chips, the company’s fastest PC processors yet. The X2 Elite Extreme includes a total of 18 cores, which can sustain 4.4GHz and boost up to 5GHz under load.

Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite frisbee reference design
One of the reference systems housing a Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme chip from Qualcomm and a Frore AirJet to cool it.

Mark Hachman / Foundry

The reference designs did not include a system fan, but did use the Frore AirJet, a Qualcomm representative confirmed. It wasn’t clear which AirJet cooling chip was used, including options such as the AirJet Mini Slim.

Additionally, the Qualcomm reference designs just look cool, including a “frisbee” design and a thin mini PC that slots in under a desktop display.

Though the AirJet galvanized the industry when it was first debuted in late 2022, the company hasn’t announced any major PC design wins. It’s unclear whether Qualcomm’s reference design mandates the use of an AirJet or simply suggests it, and whether any PC maker would adopt it. Nevertheless, it’s a juicy piece of positive news for AirJet, however it turns out.

Disclosure: Qualcomm held its press briefings in Hawaii, and would not pre-brief reporters in other locations or over video meetings. They paid for my room, boarding, and travel expenses, but did not ask for or exert any editorial control over this story or other PCWorld content.

via PCWorld https://www.pcworld.com

September 24, 2025 at 03:35PM