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After adding Personal Intelligence to Gemini as an opt-in experience, Google has announced that its also integrating the feature into AI Mode in Search. What Personal Intelligence does is pull information from your Google apps to tailor its responses based on your history and interests. For Search, in particular, you can allow Personal Intelligence to look for information in your Gmail accounts and Google Photos libraries.If you use AI Mode to shop for clothes with the new feature enabled, for instance, Google could recommend items or models from a brand you previously purchased from. If it sees plane tickets or other reservations in Gmail, Google could also recommend specific items based on your destination and the season if youre clothes shopping for that trip.Personal Intelligence is powered by Googles Gemini 3 AI model. The company says it doesnt train its models using information from your Gmail inbox or Google Photos library, but it does use your prompts and AI Modes responses. Google also warned that sometimes, the features recommendations could feel inaccurate because it could not fully comprehend the context or could make incorrect connections between separate topics. At the moment, Personal Intelligence is an experimental feature thats rolling out in Labs starting today. Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers in the US, who use the service in English, will automatically have access to it and be able to connect AI Mode to Gmail and Google Photos. It will only be available to personal Google accounts, however, and not for Workspace accounts just yet. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/ai-mode-in-google-search-can-now-pull-context-from-your-other-apps-160000103.html?src=rss
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With video features like RAW now the norm on midrange mirrorless cameras, Canon decided not to mess around with its latest model, the 33-megapixel EOS R6 III. Its a veritable cinematic beast, allowing up to 7K RAW video capture internally with fast and reliable autofocus and rock solid stabilization. At the same time, it's a solid photo camera with high burst speeds and warm, accurate image quality. The R6 III has stiff competition with Sonys 33MP A7 V, though, as the latter delivers higher dynamic range. The price could also be an issue for buyers, as the R6 III costs $300 more than its predecessor. Whether its worth that extra money depends on what youre planning to do with it. Handling and design Canon EOS R6 III Steve Dent for Engadget The EOS R6 III is quintessentially Canon in terms of design. It strongly resembles the R6 II and EOS R5 II, with the same button and dial layout at the rear. In terms of functionality, this is a good thing as everything falls perfectly to hand, letting you control it by feel once youre used to it. However, the R6 IIIs design is a bit bland, so if youre looking for a stylish camera a la Fujifilm, this is not the one. Holding the R6 III is also a pleasure thanks to the grippy, soft rubber exterior, though at 1.5 pounds its a bit heavier than the A7 V. Its comfortable to hold and use all day, unlike Sonys A7 V which felt uncomfortable after prolonged usage because of the harder material and sharp crease around the fingertip area. The R6 IIIs 3.69-million dot, 120 fps electronic viewfinder (EVF) worked fine for me to check color and focus, but falls short of the one on the much cheaper Nikon Z6 III. The flip-out 3-inch 1.65-million-dot rear touch display is on par for this category and does the job well. For storage, the R6 III supports CFexpress Type B cards for capturing RAW video, along with SD UHS II for MP4 video and photos. Other key features include headphone and microphone ports, a full-sized HDMI input (instead of microHDMI as before, thankfully) and a USB-C port for charging and transfers. Battery life is decent for this category with a maximum 510 shots per charge or 620 shots if you engage the power saving mode or about 90 minutes of continuous 4K capture. However, you can roughly double those figures with Canon's optional $150 BG-R20 battery grip. Performance Canon's EOS R6 III offers fast burst speeds and skin-tone friendly colors Steve Dent for Engadget The R6 III offers a boost in shooting speeds over its predecessor thanks to an all-new 33MP sensor. It has a faster readout speed than the R6 II as well, allowing for faster bursts and lower rolling shutter skew. In comparison, Sonys A7 V also has a 33MP sensor but its partially stacked, so it delivers less distortion when shooting fast-moving subjects. With that new sensor and a 34 percent faster Digic X processor, the R6 III can shoot bursts at up to 40 fps in electronic and 12 fps in mechanical shutter modes (with continuous AF and AE enabled). Thats second only to the Panasonic S1 II (70 fps) in this price range. You can fill the buffer in about 3.7 seconds at that speed (150 RAW frames), which is a decent amount for a midrange camera. You usually want to avoid the electronic shutter with fast-moving action due to rolling shutter distortion, but the R6 IIIs faster sensor can handle objects that are moving reasonably quickly. I also caught a few photos of babies, bikes and dogs I might have otherwise missed by using the new pre-capture mode that records up to 15 photos before fully declencing the shutter. The new sensor and processor also make the R6 IIIs autofocus system faster and more accurate than before. When shooting bursts for fast moving action like dogs running or biking, less than five percent of my shots were out of focus. And the EOS R6 III can now track animals, birds and vehicles, on top of the faces, eyes and bodies of people. This camera also has a couple of new autofocus tricks, including one called Register People Priority. That lets you save up to 10 individuals on camera that it can identify and automatically switch to. I found it handy in a large gathering, helping me focus on my niece enjoying her second Christmas. However, the R6 III lacks a few autofocus features found on the R5 II like action priority for sports, eye control AF and AI upscaling. In-body stabilization is also excellent, keeping the sensor rock-steady for handheld shooting with 8.5 stops of shake reduction. With that enabled, I was able to nicely blur action on the streets while keeping the background sharply in focus at shutter speeds down to a full second. Image quality With a 33MP sensor instead of a 24MP sensor, the R6 III offers quite a bit more sharpness and a touch more dynamic range than its predecessor. When shooting RAW, I was able to coax a lot of detail out of high contrast shots on sunny days with dark shadows. However, Sonys A7 V soundly beats the R6 III in terms of dynamic range, thanks to its innovative new sensor. The R6 IIIs high ISO performance isnt too bad for a higher-resoluton camera either, with noise staying under control up to ISO 12,800. As is typical with Canon models, skin tones are warmer and more flattering than on Sony and Nikon cameras, due to the slightly more yellow-biased pink tones. Those pleasing colors were consistent, even at high ISOs, when I shot kids and adults at a couple of indoor gatherings. If you dont want the hassle of RAW, JPEG rendering is excellent straight out of the camera, with well balanced sharpening and noise reduction. Note that switching to electronic shutter mode drops the sensor to a 12-bit readout, which helps burst speeds but hurts image quality. This is a pretty big downside compared to the A7 V, which maintains 14-bit quality even when shooting at the cameras maximum rate at 30 fps. So while on paper the R6 III wins the speed race, the 10 extra fps wont be worth the drop in quality for many photographers. Video Canons EOS R6 III Steve Dent for Engadget Canon has improved video on the R6 III in every way, putting it nearly on par with the more expensive R5 II. Though it cant shoot 8K, it can handle 7K RAW video at up to 60 fps (on CFexpress only) and 4K at 120p, with less rolling shutter than the R6 II. It also supports 3:2 open gate video that uses the full sensor area so you can output high-res vertical video and other formats. The R6 III supports 4K 10-bit MP4 shooting at high data rates too if youd rather save storage space or shoot on SD cards. You also get CLog 2 on top of CLog 3 capability for improved dynamic range. Oddly though, Canon made it a bit of a pain to switch to log modes compared to past models, forcing you to slog through a bunch of menus to do so. Video autofocus is excellent across all resolutions, with rapid subject acquisition and reliable tracking. Face and eye detection work very well, and I only occasionally noticed slight autofocus lag with fast-moving subjects, particularly when they were moving toward the camera. As for stabilization, I could smoothly shoot handheld with no crop, provided I didnt move the camera too aggressively. Digital stabilization allowed even more movement and the enhanced setting let me shoot smoothly while walking (7K doesnt work in the digital stabilization modes, though). Panasonics S5 II is still the best in this regard with slightly smoother stabilization, but the R6 III isnt far behind. Video on the EOS R6 III is extremely sharp in RAW and the HQ modes, particularly with supersampled 4K HQ. Other 4K modes are subsampled, but nearly as sharp. Rolling shutter is better managed than before, but youll still want to avoid things like whip pans, sudden jolts or rapid subjects like propellers or golf swings. In a variety of shooting scenarios in bright and dark conditions, Canons excellent color science delivered warm skin tones and accurate colors. Shooting RAW video allowed me to widely adjust shots in post, while the CLog 2 mode drastically improved dynamic range while I was shooting in contrasty conditions. For instance, I shot the famous Paris department store windows and was able to extract detail from the very bright and dark parts of the video. Overheating has been an issue in the past on Canons R6 models, but the R6 III never shut down for me, even during a few tests of over 15 minutes. Overall, it reliably delivered outstanding video quality and I actually preferred it to the R5 II due to the smaller RAW file sizes. Wrap-up Canon EOS R6 III mirrorless camera Steve Dent for Engadget Canons EOS R6 III is now the best midrange camera for creators thanks to the RAW video, rapid and accurate autofocus and excellent handling. At the same time, its a solid camera for photography with high burst speeds, extra resolution and, again, reliable AF. If its mainly photography youre interested in, though, Sonys $2,900 A7 V is a better choice. It matches the R6 IIIs resolution, price and autofocus but offers superior dynamic range and lower rolling shutter distortion. Other video-centric options may be more attractive for other reasons including budget. Nikons 24MP Z6 III offers similar capabilities, has a partially stacked sensor and retails for $2,400, but can often be found on sale for less. Panasonics S1 II is also a good pick due to its RAW video and creator-centric features, though it costs more at $3,200. Which one to buy, then, depends on your budget, usage (video or photography) and whether you already have lenses in one system or another. With that said, if its a Canon camera youre after and you lean toward content creation, the EOS R6 III is your best choice. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/canon-eos-r6-iii-review-a-video-powerhouse-thats-also-great-for-photography-153000494.html?src=rss
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While many of us wait (im)patiently for a brand new Mario platformer for the Switch 2, Nintendo is filling the gap with an upgraded version of the tremendous Super Mario Bros. Wonder for the console. Super Mario Bros. Wonder Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park (to give the new edition's full name) will arrive on March 26. Those who own the original Switch version of the game will be able to buy an upgrade pack, which costs $20. There's a lot of new stuff in the Switch 2 version, including co-op and multiplayer features. Bellabel Park, a fresh area of the Flower Kingdom, will open up. You can jump into some multiplayer modes here, such as one where you compete to collect as many coins as possible. A section that's all about local multiplayer has 17 co-op and versus modes. You can either play those on the same console or use GameShare so that up to three other people in the same physical place as you can join in on their own Switch or Switch 2. The Game Room Plaza, meanwhile, supports local and online play for six minigames each player will need their own system for those. Up to eight people can play using the local wireless feature, and up to 12 via online multiplayer.Along with those multiplayer minigame areas, Bellabel Park is home to Toad Brigade Training Camp. Here, you can take on challenges based on levels from the main game. You can tackle these on your own or recruit up to three friends to help (you'll only need one Switch 2 for this). There are new things to check out in the main game as well. You can take on boss courses that feature all seven Koopalings and (finally!) play as Rosalina.Nintendo is adding an option in which a second player can control a Luma. They can help out the main player by defeating enemies and collecting coins. You can play as the Luma by using the Switch 2 mouse control feature. That's a great idea, as it could allow, say, a parent or guardian who is not too familiar with a game controller to assist a kid who needs some extra help to get through Super Mario Bros. Wonder. In addition, there's an assist mode. When this is enabled, you can quickly recover from falling into a pit (with a propeller flower bringing you back into the action) and avoid taking any damage. That's not all, folks. Also on March 26, you can snag three new amiibo from the game: Elephant Mario (which I'm going to have to buy), Poplin & Prince Florian and Captain Toad & Talking Flower. A couple of weeks earlier, on March 12, Nintendo will start selling a physical version of the Talking Flower from Super Mario Bros. Wonder. The battery-powered device will talk to you a couple of times per hour, mentioning things like the room temperature and time. It can play music as well. There's a button you can press to hear it talk (or hold to make it shut up). There's support for 11 languages and it can chatter at set times, making it a bit similar to Nintendo's Alarmo. You'll be able to buy Talking Flower from Nintendo's New York and San Francisco stores, its online store and some other retailers, with pre-orders opening today.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-switch-2-version-of-super-mario-bros-wonder-arrives-on-march-26-150916983.html?src=rss
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