Only Google Labs users can currently see the experiment. | Image: Google / <a href="https://www.threads.com/@chris/post/DJkf7LZB8eC?xmt=AQF0-VsPgfBDfV46VV2jdT3gJzbSeP1jQuParZuSHd99jA">Chris Messina</a>Some Google Search users are starting to see the platform’s AI Mode search engine chatbot in the wild. Several user reports across X and Threads show that Google is testing different locations to display the AI Mode tab — while some examples show it in the search bar itself, besides the “search by image” button, in others it replaces the “I’m Feeling Lucky” button underneath the search bar.There’s also some variation to the appearance of the AI Mode button, with some users seeing a rotating rainbow border when the cursor hovers over it. In another example where AI Mode has replaced “I’m Feeling Lucky,” the rainbow border is seemingly the default design, and makes the search-focused AI chatbot button stand out among Google’s other offerings.I see this… AI Mode button next to Google Search. pic.twitter.com/zacHHA5AwH— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) May 10, 2025Google said on May 1st that a “small percentage” of people in the US would soon start seeing an AI Mode option in Google Search, but the screenshots of these tests give us some idea of where it may be placed when (or if) it rolls out to the wider public. For now, Google spokesperson Ashley Thompson told The Verge that AI Mode in Search is currently limited to users of Google’s experimental Labs environment.“We often test different ways for people to access our helpful features,” said Thompson. “This is just one of many experiments.”It’s not guaranteed that the “I’m Feeling Lucky” option will officially be replaced by AI Mode, but even the knowledge that Google is considering it may upset folks who use the niche feature. The button that takes users directly to the first webpage of any search results has been a fixture of Google’s homepage since the search engine launched. This may be Google’s way of suggesting that AI Mode’s chatbot-like responses to search queries are more efficient than allowing users to bypass the traditional search results page.

Microsoft revealed earlier this year that it was planning to stop supporting Office apps (Microsoft 365) on Windows 10 after the October 14th end of support cutoff. Now, Microsoft is performing a U-turn and has pledged to continue providing security updates for Office apps on Windows 10 for an additional three years.“To help maintain security while you transition to Windows 11, Microsoft will continue providing security updates for Microsoft 365 Apps on Windows 10 for three years after Windows 10 reaches end of support,” says Microsoft in an updated support article published last week. “These updates will be delivered through the standard update channels, ending on October 10, 2028.”Microsoft quietly announced this three-year extension in late April in a separate support article for IT admins, and it reiterates that the Microsoft 365 apps will “continue to function as before,” but that businesses should upgrade to Windows 11 “to avoid performance and reliability issues over time.”This latest language is a lot different to the blog post Microsoft issued in January that warned businesses that Office apps would no longer be supported on Windows 10 later this year. “To use Microsoft 365 Applications on your device, you will need to upgrade to Windows 11,” said Microsoft at the time.Microsoft has been pushing consumers and businesses to upgrade to Windows 11 ahead of the end of support for Windows 10 on October 14th. The company declared at CES earlier this year that 2025 would be “the year of the Windows 11 PC refresh,” despite Windows 11 adoption lagging behind Windows 10. Microsoft has also been trying to convince Windows 10 users to buy a new PC with full-screen prompts over the past year. Consumers who don’t want to buy a new PC or upgrade to Windows 11 will also be able to purchase Extended Security Updates for the first time. You’ll have to pay $30 for an extra year of updates, while businesses will be able to purchase up to three years of extended updates.

It's no secret that GPU demand has increased significantly in recent years, and Nvidia holds a massive chunk of the market share with no competition in the high-end segment. Gamers have been incredibly loyal to the company's products, not just for their raw performance, but also for cutting-edge features explicitly tailored to gaming. Yet, Nvidia's launch of the RTX 50-series arguably goes down as the worst GPU launch in history. So, you may wonder how Nvidia messed this up.

Sony has announced its latest flagship smartphone, the Xperia 1 VII, and it fits right into the company’s wheelhouse: a familiar design, tech cobbled together from across Sony’s other hardware brands, and a price tag that’ll sting.Sony’s last few flagships have been technological powerhouses that eschewed tech industry trends in favor of enthusiast features like expandable storage, headphone jacks, and an emphasis on Sony’s hardware know-how. In recent years, Sony has leaned on the expertise of its Alpha camera and Bravia TV teams in designing its Xperia handsets, and this time it’s added the Walkman department into the mix for upgraded audio. On the camera side, the big Alpha addition is an AI-based auto-framing mode, which recognizes human subjects and automatically crops videos to keep them centered in the frame (though the max resolution drops to Full HD due to the crop). As for hardware, a new 48-megapixel ultrawide, with a sensor twice as large as before, is the main upgrade on last year’s phone. The ultrawide was the clear weak link in the 1 VI’s camera setup, so it’s understandable that the main and variable telephoto lenses are returning unchanged.As for audio, high-end components from Sony’s modern line of Walkman audio players have been carried to the phone, right down to using higher quality solder in the headphone jack. AI-based DSEE Ultimate upscaling is supported, along with Hi-Res, LDAC, and Dolby Atmos formats, and the stereo speakers have been given a bass boost.The big lift from the Bravia display division is smarter adaptive brightness for the 6.5-inch OLED display. The phone has light sensors on both the front and back to more accurately assess surrounding light levels and adjust brightness, color gamut, and color temperature accordingly. None of the core specs are otherwise too surprising. It’s powered by the flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite, with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage — expandable by up to another 2TB with microSD. There’s an IP65 / 68 rating, wireless charging, and a generous 5,000mAh battery. One downside is the commitment to only four years of OS updates and six years of security patches, several years less support than Samsung and Google offer.The other thing the Xperia 1 VII shares with its predecessor is where it’s coming out. There’s no sign of the phone releasing in the US, though it is available to order in the UK and Europe starting today, where it costs £1,399 / €1,499 (about $1,700).

Gearbox Software has been busy building the Borderlands franchise over the years. The first game in the series was released back in 2009. Since then, the developer has created nine titles. This includes multiple spin-off games that have helped further build up the franchise. The latest game in the series is Borderlands 4, which isn't being released until September 12, 2025. While we wait for the next game to be released, let's rank each of the previous titles from worst to best.

In a previous article, I explained why I stopped using an antivirus on Windows 11. In a nutshell, with a bit of self-discipline and awareness, you simply don’t need one. Though I usually rely on safe browsing habits and system-level defenses, once in a while, I still need that confirmation that everything is OK. Therefore, if the situation demands, ClamAV would undoubtedly be my top pick. Many factors contribute to this decision, from its open-source model and continuous community support to its reliable detection capabilities and versatility across various platforms.

Getting a new PC is always exciting, but remembering that you have to move all of your stuff over to your new drive can really dampen that. Fortunately, Microsoft has been working on a way to make it easier to set up your new PC. On the Dev branch, we're seeing the Redmond giant develop a tool that should make moving onto a new computer a lot easier.

Hours after announcing a 90-day mutual reduction in tariff rates with China, the White House has followed up by confirming a similar reduction on duties for cheap imports from the country. From May 14th, packages from Hong Kong and China valued below $800 will be subject to either a 54 percent tariff — down from 120 percent — or a flat $100 per-parcel fee, which hasn’t changed. Export companies retain the ability to decide whether they want their goods to be taxed at a flat rate or by percentage. Previous plans for a doubling of the flat rate to $200 from June 1st have been scrapped.The tax on goods below $800 is an effort to counter the effects of the previous “de minimis” exemption, which allowed cheaper parcels to avoid import taxes and duties. Donald Trump first announced plans for a 30 percent rate on de minimis goods, with a $25 flat fee, which was later tripled and then increased again. The latest rates remain substantially higher than those included in his first tariffs package.Companies like Temu and Shein thrived thanks to the ability to ship goods directly to consumers tax-free, and even the lowered rates will remain a threat to their business models. Both companies recently raised their prices for US consumers in response to elevated tariffs.

Toyota’s flagship electric vehicle with the clunky name, the bZ4x, is getting a makeover for the 2026 model year — including a much shorter moniker. Now styled as just bZ, the compact SUV is also getting more range, thanks to expanded battery capacity, and an improved design. The front-wheel drive bZ with 74.7 kWh battery will be able to travel an estimated 314 miles on a single charge, while a 57.7 kWh battery option for the front-wheel drive version will get just 236 miles. Toyota said it would announce prices closer to the date when the new bZ arrives at dealerships, which is expected later this year. And speaking of, another welcome upgrade is the inclusion of Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS), which means the Toyota bZ will be able to power up at any available Tesla Supercharger station. Charging was always a major challenge for the bZ4X, so its nice to see Toyota taking those criticisms to heart. The automaker is also adding Plug and Charge capability, meaning the bZ will be able to pull up to any third-party charging station, plug in, and the driver’s account will be automatically billed without any apps to sign up for or QR codes to scan. The bZ4X has always been kind of a sleeper hit for Toyota. After a slow start, sales of the EV shot up late last year and early this year, thanks in part to discounts and lease deals. Toyota said it sold 5,610 bZ4Xs in the first quarter of 2025, compared to only 1,897 in Q1 2024. The bZ4X has always been kind of a sleeper hit for ToyotaThe new 2026 bZ will be more of a mover in other ways for Toyota. The automaker is boosting the horsepower by up to 50 percent to 338 combined system net hp in the all-wheel drive model. This was achieved by including silicon carbide semiconductors in the motors for improved power delivery. The bZ can now accelerate from 0–60mph in 4.9 seconds.The exterior design is now a lot cleaner and approachable. Gone are the black wheel arches, replaced with panels that match the vehicle’s paint color for a more cohesive look. The interior has also been updated with a new center console and a new instrument panel, with a larger 14-inch center touchscreen. And Apple CarPlay and Android Auto can be used wirelessly. The new bZ is built on the same E-TNGA platform that undergirds the bZ4X, the Lexus RZ 450e, and the Subaru Solterra. Toyota is currently pumping $1.3 billion into its Kentucky factory for EV production, including a planned three-row SUV.

Microsoft is redesigning the Start menu in Windows 11 this month with a new, wider design that finally lets you disable the recommended feed of files and apps. While the new Start menu looks different to what exists in Windows 11 today, this design refresh could have looked a lot different as Microsoft has now revealed in concept images.In a blog post detailing the process of redesigning the Start menu, Microsoft has revealed five concept designs that could have radically overhauled how the menu works in Windows. One includes an even more rounded menu with widget-like functionality, and a separate For You section that lists Teams meetings, YouTube videos, and recently used files.Another concept has the For You section separated at the side, with the main menu focused on categories of apps, and another prototype imagines a landing page as the Start menu, complete with shortcuts, apps, files, and separate sections to access your Android phone, personalized app lists, and creation tools. There’s even a start menu concept that appears to take up the entire vertical space of a screen, complete with separated sections that you seem to scroll vertically to access.“Whiteboards, Figma frames, floor-to-ceiling paper prototypes—nothing was too scrappy,” says the Windows design team. “We sketched out a plethora of layouts, letting ourselves go wild and discover new things before applying the editorial pen.”Microsoft tested its various Start menu designs with more than 300 Windows 11 fans and even co-creation calls with select fans. “We watched eye-tracking heat maps swirl, counted scroll wheels, and listened for ’oh!‘s of delight to know where we were hitting the mark,” says the design team.The focus of the new Start menu has been on being able to easily see your apps, customizability, speed, and not overhauling it too much to “respect three decades of muscle memory.” The result is a new Start menu that’s bigger and more customizable than what exists today. Being able to remove the recommended feed will be a welcome addition for many, and the phone companion panel looks like it’s fully built into the Start menu to provide quick access to recent calls, messages, and phone files. Microsoft is testing this new Start menu with Windows Insiders over the coming month, so expect to see it show up for all Windows 11 users in the coming months.

I've been on the Obsidian train for quite a while now, and it's been an excellent way to take quick, structured notes that I can sync across all of my devices. Combined with Blinko, both have enabled me to have a level of organization that I could only dream of in the past. However, as a developer, I recognize that at its core, Obsidian is just a Markdown editor with a bunch of fancy features and a nice UI on top. That's why I wanted to give VS Code a try for note-taking, and it's surprisingly decent.

There’s still a week to go until Google I/O 2025 starts in earnest, but some of the developer conference’s biggest announcements are likely to arrive today in a one-off livestream called The Android Show: I/O Edition.When the Android Show will happen and where to watch itThe Android Show takes place today, Tuesday, May 13th, at 10AM PT / 1PM ET. You can watch it live on the Android site or its YouTube channel, and we’ve embedded the livestream at the top of this page too.Google’s main I/O keynotes tend to run for a couple of hours. Breaking Android out should mean this is a shorter show, though we don’t know for sure how long it’ll run.A new look for AndroidOne thing we’re pretty confident is coming is the launch of Android’s new design language, Material 3 Expressive. That’s because Google already published (and deleted) a blog post revealing the new look, and still has the name online in an I/O session listing that calls it “the future of Google’s UX design.”We haven’t seen Material 3 Expressive in Android 16’s beta releases yet, so the Android Show should be our first detailed look at how it works, and hopefully we’ll find out when it — and Android 16 — will arrive on our phones.Android XRGoogle first announced its Android-ified take on extended reality in December 2024, so we’re about due an update on it, especially with Samsung’s Project Moohan headset still slated to launch this year. We got to try the tech out last year, so we know the basics of what to expect, but Google needs to prove that its concept is ready to become reality. Is a boatload of XR updates the reason it broke out the Android Show into its own event?Don’t hold your breath for hardwareGoogle is inconsistent about announcing hardware at Google I/O, but an announcement today feels especially unlikely: we already have the Pixel 9A, it’s too early for the Pixel 10 phones, and by all accounts we’re never getting a Pixel Tablet 2.Unless Google decides to drop a sneaky I/O tease of the Pixel 10 line — like it did for the Pixel 7 series, but hasn’t done since — the focus will probably be firmly on software.When is the rest of Google I/O?The bulk of Google I/O will take place next week, on May 20th and 21st, with Google’s main keynote set for 10AM PT / 1PM ET on May 20th. That’s right in the midst of Microsoft’s Build conference, which takes place from May 19th through May 22nd. With today all about Android, expect next week’s I/O event to put Gemini center-stage.