Month: January 2025
Adobe’s latest Firefly AI tool will let you edit thousands of images in one go
Firefly Bulk Create is Adobe’s answer to letting you resize or change the backgrounds of thousands of images.
Adobe Firefly Bulk Create will handle thousands of images at once
Users can resize for different platforms or remove/change backgrounds
It’s available through the web to paying Firefly Services customers
Adobe has launched Firefly Bulk Create, a new tool allowing creatives and designers to edit large amounts of images in one go, helping them to apply similar settings to maintain a consistent feel across a brand as well as improve workload efficiency.
The tool, accessible to customers paying for Adobe Firefly Services, is accessible via a web browser and doesn’t require users to download any desktop software.
From launch, the service promises to help users change backgrounds and resize images in bulk. This includes removing backgrounds from images and inserting new AI-generated backgrounds with Firefly AI.
Adobe launches Firefly Bulk Create
According to PetaPixel, Adobe said customers can change “thousands of product shots at a time.” The company is also said to have stated: “Firefly Bulk Create will be able to intelligently place creative components across any layout.” This will enable it to resize images in such a way that they work across different platforms, including social media and online ads.
Varun Parmar, general manager of Adobe GenStudio and Firefly Enterprise, said the tool was designed to help ensure “an efficient content supply chain across planning, creating, managing, activating, and measuring content for campaigns” to help brands stay ahead of the curve.
“Adobe Firefly Bulk Create enables teams to efficiently create the hundreds of thousands of variations that are needed each year to provide highly personalized experiences and drive better conversion,” added Parmar.
However, although various media reporting such as this VentureBeat article confirm details of the new product release, Adobe has since removed the announcement from its website.
There’s currently no mention of Firefly Bulk Create on Adobe’s Firefly web page, so we’re uncertain whether the company had intended to announce the product so soon or whether it needs essential changes prior to going live.
It’s therefore unclear whether Adobe intended to publicize Firefly Bulk Create or whether further revisions are required for the service. TechRadar Pro has asked Adobe to comment, but we did not receive an immediate response.
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You could start chatting directly with Gemini Live about a YouTube video you’re watching very soon
YouTube is testing AI conversation tools.
YouTube is prepping new AI features to make passive video watching a lot more interactive, according to unreleased code found by Android Authority. The Talk Live features undergoing testing use Google Gemini‘s AI models to let you converse about YouTube videos and PDFs.
Imagine you’re watching a video on, say, the history of art movements, and halfway through, you’re scratching your head over what separates Impressionism from Post-Impressionism. Instead of pausing the video to dive into a Google rabbit hole, you could summon Gemini Live to clarify things for you right then and there. With a simple tap on a contextual “chip” that pops up, the AI assistant will be ready to answer questions, provide context, or summarize key points from the video.
The Talk Live PDF feature takes the same premise as the YouTube feature and applies it to PDF documents. You can get Gemini Live to discuss the document with you. That might mean summarizing it, explaining complicated terms, or answering specific questions about sections that don’t make sense when you read it. Whether you’re using the YouTube app or a PDF reader, you’ll be able to summon Gemini and get all your queries on videos and documents answered.
AI enhancement
Google has been pushing AI for YouTube for months now. The Talk Live tool fits right in with the likes of YouTube’s Brainstorm with Gemini feature for coming up with ideas. The same goes for the the AI tool for removing copyrighted music from your video without taking it down completely, or the one for making new, uncopyrighted music to fit the theme of your video. There’s also the useful auto-dubbing feature, which translates and dubs videos into multiple languages.
Still, the idea of remaking YouTube viewing as an engaging conversation on top of the more passive viewing experience is one that might appeal to a lot of people, especially if the video is really long and the viewer is impatient. And everyone from students trying to grasp a lecture, to creators looking to expand their audiences could benefit. It might make people more willing to engage with difficult content. Or, at the very least, the AI will make understanding Impressionism much easier.
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This new gadget could transform the way you consume food, as long as you don’t mind eating on camera
This Amazfit camera watches you eat and then tracks your meals, calories, and more.
Amazfit has unveiled a new health gadget to help you with your eating
The V1tal is a camera that watches and analyses you while you eat
It can track calories, macros, and your eating behavior
Amazfit is a household name when it comes to smart tech and wearables, and makes some of the best cheap smartwatches in the industry. But at CES 2025 the company unveiled a brand-new type of health gadget that promises to transform the way you eat food – as long as you don’t mind eating on camera.
As reported by Digital Trends, the Amazfit V1tal is a camera that records and analyzes your eating. The device itself is straightforward enough – it’s a simple camera with a viewfinder screen, and it looks a bit like a primitive GoPro or DJI.
But it’s the technology under the hood, and what the V1tal does with your eating data that are impressive. You simply set your V1tal up on your table and record yourself eating your meal. Once you’ve finished eating, V1tal can use its recording data along with the Amazfit Zepp app to log what you’ve consumed, complete with a macronutrient breakdown of carbs, proteins, and fats. As the report notes, it’s akin to the food-tracking chops of MyFitnessPal, but it’s a purely automatic process powered by video recording.
Amazfit tackles nutrition
(Image credit: Amazfit)
While tracking your food consumption and calories isn’t a novel concept, the technology right now is largely limited to scanning bar codes, so introducing video-recorded automation into the mix would be a big step up – but V1tal isn’t just about running the numbers.
According to the report, V1tal can also monitor your eating behavior, such as whether you’re skipping the healthy green bits of your meal, or whether you’re rushing your food. That’s insight that could not only help you count the calories and refuel, but also recalibrate your relationship with food.
It also sounds like Amazfit is positioning the V1tal as just one part of an ecosystem of health tech, which also draws on data and insight from other devices like its smartwatches and smart scales.
The V1tal isn”t just a camera either, with functionality that includes notifications from your phone, a to-do list, and even good old-fashioned video recording. Amazfit’s execs reckon the V1tal could be a better version of the largely poorly received Humane AI Pin or Rabbit R1. It’s a low bar, but it’s a sign that Amazfit is perhaps envisioning a more integrated AI network rather than a standalone health gadget, which could be a smart strategy.
There are no firm details about the V1tal’s price or release date yet, but Amazfit is reportedly targeting the first half of this year for a launch, and it certainly feels like more than a pipe-dream concept.
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AI tools to elevate your job search in 2025
More than half of knowledge workers now use generative AI weekly, according to a recent piece of research from Asana’s Work Innovation Lab, in partnership with Anthropic. The study also found that takeup ramped up by 44% over nine months in 2024. And those who use AI daily benefit most. Eighty-nine percent reported a productivity boost, whereas casual monthly users only saw a 39% increase in productivity. The report also found that knowledge workers believe generative AI has the potential to automate 31% of their job responsibilities. And the more ways they use AI tools at work, the more possibilities…This story continues at The Next Web
More than half of knowledge workers now use generative AI weekly, according to a recent piece of research from Asana’s Work Innovation Lab, in partnership with Anthropic. The study also found that takeup ramped up by 44% over nine months in 2024. And those who use AI daily benefit most. Eighty-nine percent reported a productivity boost, whereas casual monthly users only saw a 39% increase in productivity. The report also found that knowledge workers believe generative AI has the potential to automate 31% of their job responsibilities. And the more ways they use AI tools at work, the more possibilities…
This story continues at The Next Web
NYT Mini crossword answers, hints for January 14, 2025
Answers to each clue for the January 14, 2025 edition of NYT’s The Mini crossword puzzle.
The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times‘ revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.
With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.
So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player’s flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.
Here are the clues and answers to NYT’s The Mini for Tuesday, January 14, 2025:
Across
“Vertically challenged”
The answer is Short.
“I am ___, hear me roar!”
The answer is Woman.
Vote into office
The answer is Elect.
Like a bold haircut or piercing
The answer is Edgy.
Org. that might make you take your laptop out of your suitcase
The answer is TSA.
Down
Partner of 1-Across
The answer is Sweet.
Half nelson and cobra clutch, in wrestling
The answer is Holds.
Lowest-ranking member of the wolfpack
The answer is Omega.
Risqué
The answer is Racy.
Explosive that was originally used as a yellow dye
The answer is TNT.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
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Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Mini Crossword.
I’d like to be, under the sea, with Ringo Starr’s Studer 80 recorder, in the shade
Ringo Starr’s 1970s studio recorder is being auctioned online –you’ve got ’til February 2 to bid!
Professionally modified to Ringo Starr’s exact specs
Comes with a certificate of authenticity
Expected to sell for at least €50,000 ($51,000)
Ringo Starr is one of the most famous people in the world, and not just for his voiceovers in the Thomas The Tank Engine animations. The former Beatle is a hugely influential drummer and still makes music today: his latest album of country and roots music, Look Up, came out just four days ago. And now you can own a unique bit of equipment from his very own recording studio.
The equipment in question is a Studer 80 Audio Recorder, the same recorder that was used in Abbey Road studios and many of the world’s other major recording studios in the 1970s. It’s being sold on the online marketplace Catawiki, where it currently has a bid price of €18,000 – lower than the reserve price. The bidding is open until February 2, 2025 and is expected to exceed €50,000.
Expect to pay a bit more for postage unless you’re local to The Netherlands though: it weighs nearly 100kg.
What’s so special about Ringo’s recorder?
This particular Studer recorder has been modified by the Fab Four’s sound engineer, Eddie Veale. And it’s the real deal: current owner Lex van Coeverden, a celebrated Dutch mastering engineer and producer, has owned it since 1988 and it comes with a certificate of authenticity signed by Veale himself and detailing the modifications Veale made.
The auction is one of several Beatles-related listings on the Catawiki website, which describes itself as “the most-visited curated marketplace in Europe for special objects”. Those objects include rare Pokémon trophy cards, a Chrysler Stratus Convertible from Real Madrid’s European cup victory procession and the odd Banksy original too, as well as considerably more affordable items.
As for Ringo, he’s touring the new album. You can see his currently planned US tour dates here. And with Record Store Day 2025 dates now locked in for April, there’s never been a better time to get into vinyl. What better place to start than with Rubber Soul?
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Samsung teases that the Galaxy S25 could be a ‘true AI companion’
Bixby could get a major overhaul alongside the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S25.
A Galaxy Unpacked teaser says “a true AI companion” is coming
The video shows an AI assistant being given complex instructions
This is likely to be an upgrade to Bixby, which could come to the Galaxy S25 and other Samsung phones
We were always expecting the Samsung Galaxy S25 series to feature new and improved AI features, and now Samsung itself has hinted that we could see some major AI upgrades.
In the company’s latest teaser for Galaxy Unpacked – the January 22 event at which the Samsung Galaxy S25 series will almost certainly be unveiled – Samsung has teased the arrival of “a true AI companion.”
The company uses those exact words in a brief video in which we see someone ask an AI assistant to find them a pet-friendly Italian restaurant with outdoor seating. They ask for all that in a single request, and also ask for the information to be added to their calendar and sent to someone else.
This sort of request is well beyond what Bixby, Samsung’s digital assistant, is capable of currently. Or at least that’s the case outside China – Bixby has already had a ChatGPT-like overhaul in China, and this teaser suggests the same upgrade will be going global soon.
Samsung says its currently China-only Bixby upgrade can understand “complex user instructions” that combine multiple commands in a single sentence, which is exactly what we see in this teaser video.
It also has on-screen awareness, so you can ask it about things on your phone’s display, and it has a more modern interface than the Bixby we’re used to.
Reserve the next Samsung Galaxy device today
Samsung Unpacked: reserve the next Galaxy smartphone now and get $50 Samsung credit
It’s that time of the year again, folks. Reservations are now open for the upcoming new Galaxy smartphones – almost certainly the Galaxy S25 range. Simply sign up by email, and you’ll get $50 Samsung credit on the house when it comes time to preorder, as well as the chance to win $5,000 in a sweepstake. These devices will be officially unveiled at the Samsung Unpacked event on January 22, so stay tuned for updates.View Deal
An AI upgrade for phones new and old
So with the global launch of this Bixby upgrade presumably being announced at Galaxy Unpacked, it may well be available on the Samsung Galaxy S25 out of the box – and since this is already available in China we know it doesn’t require the power of the Galaxy S25, so we might well see this come to some existing Samsung handsets too.
That said, we’d expect some of the very best new AI features to be reserved for the Galaxy S25 series, either because they require the power of its new chipset, or just as a selling point. It’s also very possible that Bixby itself will run faster on the upcoming phones.
We’ll find out soon, and TechRadar will be in attendance at the Samsung Galaxy S25 launch, so stay tuned for that. In the meantime, stick with TechRadar and we’ll bring you all the Galaxy S25 news, leaks, and teasers ahead of the full announcement.
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