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YouTube Search Gets Its Own Version of Google's AI Overviews
Google is bringing its AI Overviews-like feature to YouTube in the form of an "AI-powered search results carousel." The Verge reports: As shown in a video, the search results carousel will show a big video clip up top, thumbnails to a selection of other relevant video clips directly under that, and an AI-generated bit of text responding to your query. To see a full video, tap on the big clip at the top of the carousel.
The feature is currently only accessible on iOS and Android and for videos in English and will be available to test until July 30th, per the YouTube experiments page. Additionally, only a "randomly selected number of Premium members" will have access to it, YouTube says in a support document.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
VMware Perpetual License Holder Receives Audit Letter From Broadcom
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: After sending cease-and-desist letters to VMware users whose support contracts had expired and who subsequently declined to subscribe to one of Broadcom's VMware bundles, Broadcom has started the process of conducting audits on former VMware customers. [...] Ars Technica reviewed a letter that a software provider and VMware user in the Netherlands received that is dated June 20 and informs the firm that it "has been selected for a formal audit of its use of VMware software and support services" [PDF]. The security professional who provided Ars with the letter asked to keep their name and their employers' name anonymous out of privacy concerns.
The anonymous employee told Ars that their company had been a VMware customer for "about" a decade before deciding not to sign up for a new contract with Broadcom's VMware a year ago. The company had been using VMware Cloud Foundation and vSphere. "Our CEO decided to not extend the support contract because of the costs," the employee said. "This already impacts us security-wise because we can no longer get updates (unless the CVSS score is critical)." The letter notes that an auditing firm, Connor Consulting, which is headquartered in San Francisco and has offices around the globe, will perform a review of the company's "VMware deployment and entitlements, which may include fieldwork or remote testing and meetings with members of your accounting, licensing, and management information systems functions." The letter informs its recipient that someone from Connor will reach out and that the VMware user should respond within three business days.
The letter, signed by Aiden Fitzgerald, director of global sales operations at Broadcom, claims that Broadcom will use its time "as efficiently and productively as possible to minimize disruption." Still, the security worker that Ars spoke with is concerned about the implications of the audit and said they "expect a big financial impact" for their employer. They added: "Because we are focusing on saving costs and are on a pretty tight financial budget, this will likely have impact on the salary negotiations or even layoffs of employees. Currently, we have some very stressed IT managers [and] legal department [employees] ..." The employee noted that they are unsure if their employer exceeded its license limits. If the firm did, it could face "big" financial repercussions, the worker noted.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Apple To Open App Store To Competitors in EU As It Seeks To Avoid Fines
Apple will allow developers in the European Union to distribute iOS apps outside its App Store, the company said Thursday in a bid to avoid escalating fines from Brussels regulators. The policy change came on the deadline for Apple to comply with EU rules or face new financial penalties that can reach up to 5% of average daily worldwide revenue.
The $3 trillion iPhone maker has been negotiating with the European Commission for two months after receiving a $585 million fine for breaching the EU's Digital Markets Act. The landmark legislation targets the power of Big Tech companies and requires Apple to open its mobile ecosystem to competitors.
The second change, set to go into effect in January 2026, would replace the current "core technology fee" model -- a separate charge imposed on developers -- with a commission-based structure.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Kali Linux gets a major upgrade with more than 10 new hacking tools, plus VPN IP extension, great for ethical hackers and pentest pros - MSN
Categories: Linux
Sony Won't Budge on PlayStation Plus Day-One Releases For First-Party Games
PlayStation will continue withholding its first-party games from PlayStation Plus on launch day, despite Xbox offering day-one releases through Game Pass. Nick Maguire, PlayStation's vice president of global services, told Game File the company remains committed to its current approach of adding first-party titles to the subscription service 12 to 18 months after release. "We've sort of stayed true to our strategy across the board, where we're not looking to put games in day and date," Maguire said.
PlayStation instead selects four to five independent games annually for day-one PlayStation Plus releases, a strategy Maguire described as "working really well across the platform."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Windows is Getting Rid of the Blue Screen of Death After 40 Years
The Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) has held strong in Windows for nearly 40 years, but that's about to change. From a report: Microsoft revealed earlier this year that it was overhauling its BSOD error message in Windows 11, and the company has now confirmed that it will soon be known as the Black Screen of Death. The new design drops the traditional blue color, frowning face, and QR code in favor of a simplified black screen.
The simplified BSOD looks a lot more like the black screen you'd see during a Windows update. But it will list the stop code and faulty system driver that you wouldn't always see during a crash dump. IT admins shouldn't need to pull crash dumps off PCs and analyze them with tools like WinDbg just to find out what could be causing issues. The company will roll out this new BSOD design in an update to Windows 11 "later this summer."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Malaysia Will Stop Accepting US Plastic Waste
An anonymous reader shares a report: Malaysia will ban plastic waste imports from the U.S. starting Tuesday because of America's failure to abide by the Basel Convention treaty on international waste transfers, in a move that could have significant consequences for California.
Malaysia emerged as a major destination for U.S. waste after China banned American waste imports in 2018. California shipped 864 shipping containers, or more than 10 million pounds of plastic waste, to Malaysia in 2024, according to the Basel Action Network, an advocacy group. That was second only to Georgia among U.S. states.
Under Malaysian waste guidelines announced last month, the country will no longer accept plastic waste and hazardous waste from nations that didn't ratify the Basel Convention, the international treaty designed to reduce the international movement of hazardous and other waste. The U.S. is one of just a handful of countries, including Fiji and Haiti, that hasn't signed the pact.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
We’re improving Ask Photos and bringing it to more Google Photos users.We’re improving Ask Photos and bringing it to more Google Photos users.
We love seeing how you’re using Ask Photos in early access, like asking "suggest photos that'd make great phone backgrounds" or "what did I eat on my trip to Barcelona?"…
Categories: Technology
6 ways to get a more customized Search experience6 ways to get a more customized Search experienceContributor
See more content from your favorite sites, pick up where you left off and more with these tips for customizing Google Search.See more content from your favorite sites, pick up where you left off and more with these tips for customizing Google Search.
Categories: Technology
Microsoft Moves Antivirus Software Out of Windows Kernel To Prevent CrowdStrike-Style Crashes
Microsoft is preparing to release a private preview of Windows changes that will move antivirus and endpoint detection and response apps out of the Windows kernel, nearly a year after a faulty CrowdStrike update crashed 8.5 million Windows-based machines worldwide.
The new Windows endpoint security platform is being developed in cooperation with CrowdStrike, Bitdefender, ESET, Trend Micro, and other security vendors. David Weston, Microsoft's vice president of enterprise and OS security, said dozens of partners have submitted papers detailing design requirements, some hundreds of pages long. The private preview will allow security vendors to request changes before the platform is finalized.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Before Windows 10 goes EOL, I'm testing three alternative Linux distros to save my 6-year-old laptop from the landfill - Tom's Hardware
Before Windows 10 goes EOL, I'm testing three alternative Linux distros to save my 6-year-old laptop from the landfill Tom's Hardware
Categories: Linux
Before Windows 10 goes EOL, I'm testing three alternative Linux distros to save my 6-year-old laptop from the landfill - Tom's Hardware
Before Windows 10 goes EOL, I'm testing three alternative Linux distros to save my 6-year-old laptop from the landfill Tom's Hardware
Categories: Linux
Try on looks and discover your style with DopplTry on looks and discover your style with DopplProduct Manager, Google LabsPrincipal Scientist
Doppl, a new Google Labs app, uses AI to create personalized outfit try-on images and videos.Doppl, a new Google Labs app, uses AI to create personalized outfit try-on images and videos.
Categories: Technology
Who Needs Accenture in the Age of AI?
Accenture is facing mounting challenges as AI threatens to disrupt the consulting industry the company helped build. The Dublin-based firm, which made its fortune advising clients on adapting to new technologies from the internet to cloud computing, now confronts the same predicament as generative AI reshapes business operations.
The company's new generative AI contracts slowed to $100 million in the most recent quarter, down from $200 million per quarter last year. Technology partners including Microsoft and SAP are increasingly integrating AI directly into their offerings, allowing systems to work immediately without extensive consulting support. Newcomers like Palantir are embedding their own engineers with customers, enabling clients to bypass traditional consultants.
Between 2015 and 2024, Accenture generated a 370% total return by helping companies navigate technological transitions. The firm reached a $250 billion valuation in February before losing $60 billion in market value. CEO Julie Sweet insists that the company is reorganizing around "reinvention services." A recent survey found 42% of companies abandoned most AI initiatives, up from 17% a year ago.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Study Finds LLM Users Have Weaker Understanding After Research
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School found that people who used large language models to research topics demonstrated weaker understanding and produced less original insights compared to those using Google searches.
The study, involving more than 4,500 participants across four experiments, showed LLM users spent less time researching, exerted less effort, and wrote shorter, less detailed responses. In the first experiment, over 1,100 participants researched vegetable gardening using either Google or ChatGPT. Google users wrote longer responses with more unique phrasing and factual references. A second experiment with nearly 2,000 participants presented identical gardening information either as an AI summary or across mock webpages, with Google users again engaging more deeply and retaining more information.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
