Aqara's first outdoor camera is this smart home enthusiast's dream device - Related to visual, camera, easy, protect, aqara's

5 easy Gemini settings tweaks to protect your privacy from AI

If you're an Android user, you are familiar with Gemini, as it has replaced Google Assistant as the default.

Although Gemini is a powerful and helpful tool, some worry that it invades their privacy. If you use the default settings, that concern is not too far from the truth. If you happen to share that mindset, I have five tips to help you maximize your privacy when using Gemini on your Android device.

Also: How to use Gemini's Deep Research to browse the web faster and superior.

Fortunately, these tips aren't challenging, so anyone can use them.

The second Gemini became my default assistant on Android, this was the first change I made. Why? I don't want Google to use my work to train its LLMs. And even if Google states they don't currently do that, who's to say they won't in the future? Or maybe I just don't want Gemini to have access to my manuscripts, scripts, and other creative works.

Also: How to add Gemini access to your Chrome browser.

That's why I disabled the Workspaces extension in Gemini. By disabling this extension, Gemini cannot access my Google Drive account. To do this, open the Gemini app, tap your profile picture in the upper right corner, and tap Extensions. Near the top of that page, you'll see the Google Workspace extension, which is enabled by default. Tap the On/Off slider until it's in the Off position, then back out of Settings, secure in the knowledge that Gemini can no longer access your files in Drive.

If you have a smart home (with smart devices), you might want to consider disabling the Device Control extension. Doing this ensures that Gemini on your Android phone cannot "mistakenly" switch on a mic or camera with one of your smart devices. I'm not saying Google would do this, but should your phone become compromised, malicious software could access those devices via Gemini, enable the mic or camera, and spy on you.

Also: Gemini's new extension brings back your favorite Google Assistant elements on Android.

Again, I'm not saying it would happen, but it could. Because of that, I leave this extension disabled.

Did you know that Google regularly reviews Gemini chats and uses the data to train chatbots? Yeah… not a big fan of that. Although it's not an automatic process, Google employees sometimes read Gemini chats to find ways to improve responses. Fortunately, it's possible to disable that "feature."

Also: 5 ways college students can use Gemini AI to keep up with school work.

If you're really concerned about Gemini invading your privacy, you can disable the "Personal results" feature. This feature gives Gemini access to your Google apps so it can offer suggestions specific to you. Some might consider that a serious invasion of privacy, while others might think it's the best way to use Gemini. If you fall into the former category, here's how to disable it.

Open Gemini and tap your profile pic in the upper right corner. Tap Settings and then tap "Google Assistant aspects in Gemini." On the resulting page, tap the On/Off slider for "Use Google Assistant aspects" until it's in the Off position. Now, Gemini cannot access your Google apps and the data within them.

This isn't so much a tweak to the app as it is a tweak to how you use Gemini. I highly recommend that you never discuss sensitive topics with Gemini when you're in public locations.

Also: Perplexity is the AI tool Gemini wishes it could be.

Such topics can include politics, religion, personal relationships, passwords, trip itineraries, finances and bank information, and home security or location.

Food and grocery delivery platform Swiggy handles billions of orders annually across approximately 700 cities. Managing such a scale requires real-tim......

Despite the rise of AI, SaaS companies continue to play a crucial role, as large language models (LLMs) cannot function as databases. Sridhar Vembu, f......

Accenture has strengthened its AI capabilities with the acquisition of Danish AI organization Halfspace and an investment in AI-driven analytics firm Aaru.......

iPhone 15 Pro users just got a major AI upgrade with Visual Intelligence

Owners of the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max can now tap into a helpful AI-powered feature, courtesy of the latest iOS [website] developer beta.

Launched on Monday, the new beta gives individuals of these older phones the ability to set up and use Visual Intelligence. Previously accessible only on the iPhone 16, Visual Intelligence lets you run web searches and ask questions about the people, places, and things you view through the camera.

Also: Apple Intelligence now needs 7GB of storage, up from 4GB - here's why.

Beyond supporting the AI-powered feature, the new beta adds a couple of new ways to trigger it.

How to trigger Visual Intelligence on iPhone 15 Pro models.

The four iPhone 16 models use the physical Camera Control to launch Visual Intelligence. But that button doesn't exist on the iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max. Instead, people of the iPhone 15 Pro models and the iPhone 16 can now use the Action button to activate Visual Intelligence. Since the Action button is customizable, you can set it up to perform a variety of different actions.

With the new beta, you can also launch Visual Intelligence directly from Control Center. Swiping down from the top of the screen reveals a new Apple Intelligence section with options for activating Siri, using the Type to Siri feature, and triggering Visual Intelligence.

Here's how this would work on the latest developer beta.

Also: I bought an iPhone 16 for its AI attributes, but I haven't used them even once - here's why.

On an iPhone 15 Pro, Pro Max, or any iPhone 16, you'd head to Settings and select the option for Action Button. Swiping through the next screen would show all the potential actions you're able to set. After finding the one for Visual Intelligence, you'd exit the Settings screen.

Now let's say you spot an animal, plant, landmark, business, or other item that strikes your curiosity. Aim your phone at the object and hold down the Action button or select Visual Intelligence from Control Center. The next screen gives you two choices. Tap Search to run a Google Search on the object. Otherwise, tap Ask, and you can pose questions about the object that ChatGPT will attempt to answer.

Last month, Apple representatives confirmed to Daring Fireball's John Gruber that the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max would receive Visual Intelligence. Though the firm didn't specify when that would happen, Gruber revealed he believed it would arrive with iOS [website] With this version only on its second developer beta, we have a few more iterations to go until the official release arrives in April.

Advancements in agentic artificial intelligence (AI) promise to bring significant opportunities to individuals and businesses in all sectors. However,......

When OpenAI released its frontier AI models, the industry discourse quickly shifted to AI ‘eating’ startups, particularly SaaS companies. Despite thes......

“Conduct a comprehensive literature review on the state-of-the-art in Machine Learning and energy consumption. […]”.

Aqara's first outdoor camera is this smart home enthusiast's dream device

ZDNET's key takeaways The Aqara Camera Hub G5 Pro is available for $180 for the Wi-Fi version and $200 for the PoE version.

This indoor/outdoor security camera doubles as a smart home hub, elements 1520p resolution for crystal-clear images, RTSP support, and has a built-in NPU to process video with AI for visual recognition.

The camera is wired, so placement is limited, and there is no expandable storage, so you need a subscription to access video history or bypass it through video server software. $[website] at Amazon.

Security cameras need to offer something unique to impress me. I've tested many brands and have come to prefer some over others, but I'm pleased to say the new Aqara Camera Hub G5 Pro is one I can genuinely get behind. This security camera is unique because it can double as a smart home hub and is Aqara's first outdoor security camera.

Also: I tested this 2-in-1 smart lock with no subscription fees - and it impressed everyone.

The G5 Pro is a Thread border router and a Matter controller and has Zigbee support for Aqara devices that require a hub. You can buy this Aqara Camera Hub G5 Pro to surveil your home and add other Aqara devices without buying a separate hub.

I have two Aqara hubs in my home, an Aqara Hub M2, that the newer Aqara Hub M3 replaced. This camera is enough to replace both of them -- and surveil inside or outside my house.

Also: 7 crucial rules for setting up a home security camera - and risky spots to avoid.

This isn't the first Aqara camera to double as a smart home hub. Aqara already has the Camera Hub G3, a 2K indoor security camera, and the Camera Hub Indoor G2H Pro, a 1080p indoor camera. The new G5 Pro, however, is the first time Aqara is bringing a hub to the outside of the home, as this security camera is weatherproof, and the first Aqara outdoor camera, aside from its video doorbells.

The Aqara Camera Hub G5 Pro doesn't support expanding its local storage, so you can't add a microSD card to record clips. But thanks to the G5 Pro's real-time streaming protocol (RTSP) support, you can get creative with it.

With local RTSP access, you can use video server software via Home Assistant, Frigate, or Blue Iris to record and manage your footage locally. RTSP lets you store video locally on a NAS (network-attached storage) or SMB (server message block), bypassing cloud storage subscriptions. Of course, when you use Home Assistant to manage your camera, you can more easily customize your existing smart home devices and set up alerts without relying on Aqara's cloud services.

I run a HomeKit smart home and use Apple Home as my central smart home controller. (Because I test smart home devices for a living, I also have Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and SmartThings running.).

Also: This smart lock is feature-rich, solves a common problem - and it's 40% off.

The G5 Pro camera is natively compatible with Apple Home with HomeKit Secure Video (HKSV), so it works seamlessly and swiftly through the Apple app. It's also compatible with Alexa, Google, and SmartThings.

Smart home hubs are typically single-function tabletop devices that only work to connect low-energy smart home devices that can't directly connect to your Wi-Fi. These smaller devices, like cameras and sensors, connect to a hub that connects to the internet. While a hub frees you from adding 12 devices to your Wi-Fi (potentially congesting your router), hubs generally don't do much else.

I like the SwitchBot Hub because it also functions as a thermometer and has buttons that can be programmed to trigger routines and devices. With the launch of the G5 Pro -- Aqara's first outdoor camera that's also a hub -- the multifunctional hub just moved a bit more mainstream.

Also: I switched to the EufyCam S3 Pro and can't go back to grainy night vision.

Aside from the convenience of combining home security with a smart home hub, the G5 Pro's ingenuity lies in its many AI-powered visual recognition functions. The camera can detect vehicles, people, animals, and packages and learn to recognize faces and even specific vehicles.

Using the camera's AI recognition, you can automate functions -- such as opening the garage when a specific vehicle approaches the house, prompting a camera response when a person has been lingering on your property, and triggering an alarm when the lens is obstructed.

The camera has four AI-powered audio recognition capacities, including crying, an alarm sound, barking, and coughing. These allow the camera to be used as more than security surveillance, as evidenced by the notifications I got of my toddler crying while grandma was babysitting.

Also: If you use Ring, this is the doorbell I recommend most (and it's easy to install).

The AI runs locally on the G5 Pro, so you don't need a subscription to enjoy all the custom alerts and issue automations from them.

I've tested the camera indoors and outdoors, and I love it so far. The Aqara Camera G5 Pro can be a smart home enthusiast's dream device, especially with PoE and RTSP support. While I got the Wi-Fi version to test it in different places in and around my house, I can appreciate how convenient a PoE model would be.

Even if you don't like to tinker with your smart home and are OK with paying a monthly cloud subscription, this camera's ability to run on-device AI and double as a smart home hub makes it a great option for both new smart home customers and seasoned tinkerers.

GitHub’s GHAS, a developer-first application testing solution built to improve code security in public and private repositories on GitHub, will now be......

The team behind the Opera web browser has presented a new AI agent called Browser Operator, capable of performing browsing tasks for consumers. This new a......

Nvidia-backed hyperscaler AI startup CoreWeave is set to acquire Weights & Biases, a developer platform for AI. The company expects to close the acqui......