The companyshared new details about its Pocket Vert this week. Its minimal controls mimic the Game Boy with a D-pad and action buttons, but the Android-based handheld also features a hidden multipurpose touchpad beneath its front glass panel that can be used as a thumbstick for playing 3D games.

We put Google’s ‘most intelligent’ AI model to the test.

The 1.5 spec fills a huge gap in the standards’ promise of universal smart home compatibility.

Now that the latest AI model from Googlehas launched, the CEO of Google DeepMind and VP of Google Gemini appearedon theHard Fork podcast to delve into what their “most intelligent” AI is capable of.

With just a Gmail account, you’ll be able to “use AI-generated voiceovers, instantly clean up recordings with transcript trimming to remove silences and filler words, or give your visuals some pop with built-in AI image editing,”according to a blog post.

[Google]

Normally, you’re kind of stuck with the button mapping video game developers choose, based on your controller of choice. ButAndroid Authority has found evidence in the latestAndroid Canary release that Google is adding native remapping. That’s huge for improving accessibility and support for cloud gaming, where titles aren’t usually built with Android in mind.

[Android Authority]

After being fined$3.5 billion by the EU for ad tech abuse, the search giant is, begrudgingly, proposing changes:

For example, we are giving publishers the option to set different minimum prices for different bidders when using Google Ad Manager [... and] increasing the interoperability of our tools to give publishers and advertisers more choice and flexibility.

[Google]

Tapping the new “Images” tab at the bottom of the app will pull up a grid of pictures that Google says are “tailored to your interests.” You save images to your collection while you browse, as well as start another search based on what you find.

This feature is rolling out on Android and iOS “over the next few weeks.”

In thetrove of documents released this week, Epstein at times seems preoccupied with Google results related to him. In an email dated December 10th, 2010, Epstein complains that “the google page is not good,” and references what appears to be payments made to clean up search results. In other emails, associates give Epstein step by step instructions on searching in Incognito on Chrome.

During an earnings call, Disney CEO Bob Iger said the company isn’t “trying to break any new ground” on a deal thatwould end the ESPN blackout:

The deal that we have proposed is equal to or better than what other large distributors have already agreed to... While we’ve been working tirelessly to close this deal and restore our channels to the platform, it’s also imperative that we make sure that we agree to a deal that reflects the value that we deliver.

The latest investigation into the tech giant is over itsreputation abuse policy in Search, designed to combat third-party content hosted on sites purely to take advantage of their search ranking.

The European Commission worries that policy impacts a “common and legitimate way” for publishers to monetize their content.

[European Commission]