Solar Panels | © Uitbundig via Unsplash Have you ever wondered how to power your home without relying on the traditional utility grid? Off-grid solar power systems offer a fascinating solution, allowing you to harness the sun’s energy to meet your electricity needs independently. This approach provides a sense of freedom from rising energy costs and potential outages and aligns with sustainable living practices. In this article, we’ll explore the essential components of an off-grid solar system, such as solar panels, battery storage, charge controllers, and inverters. We’ll also delve into factors that influence the number of panels you need and guide you through calculating your household’s energy requirements. Whether motivated by environmental concerns or simply seeking autonomy, understanding these systems can empower you to make informed decisions about your energy future. Understanding Off-Grid Solar Power Systems According to Sun Valley Solar Solutions experts, when considering an off-grid solar power system, it’s essential to understand its core components and how they work together to provide energy independence. An off-grid solar system allows you to generate and store electricity without relying on the public utility grid. This setup typically includes several key components: solar panels, battery storage, charge controllers, and inverters. Solar panels capture sunlight and convert it into direct current (DC) electricity, which charge controllers then regulate to ensure efficient battery charging. Batteries store the electricity for use during periods when sunlight is insufficient, such as at night or on cloudy days. Inverters play a crucial role by converting the stored DC electricity into alternating current (AC), making it compatible with standard household appliances. One of the significant benefits of an off-grid solar power system is the ability to generate and store your electricity, offering a sense of autonomy and sustainability. By being independent from the public utility grid, you can avoid rising energy costs and potential power outages. Additionally, off-grid systems promote environmental responsibility by utilizing renewable energy sources. The main components work in harmony to ensure a reliable power supply: Solar Panels: Capture sunlight efficiently. Batteries: Store excess energy for later use. Charge Controllers: Prevent battery overcharging. Inverters: Convert DC to AC for home use. This self-sufficient approach reduces your carbon footprint and provides peace of mind, ensuring that your energy needs are met sustainably. Factors Influencing the Number of Solar Panels Needed When planning to run a house off the grid using solar power, several factors come into play that will determine the number of solar panels you’ll need. One of the primary considerations is your household’s energy consumption. It’s essential to understand how much electricity your home uses daily, as this will directly impact the size of your solar array. Typically, an average American household consumes about 30 kWh per day. However, your needs might be lower if you focus on energy efficiency. To get a clearer picture, analyze your electricity bills and calculate your daily kilowatt-hours (kWh) usage. Another critical factor is the amount of sunlight your location receives. This varies significantly depending on geographic location and can influence how many panels are necessary to meet your energy needs. Areas with more peak sunlight hours require fewer panels than regions with less sun exposure. For instance, locations like California or Texas might enjoy up to 5 peak sunlight hours per day, while northern regions may only receive around 3 hours. Additionally, the efficiency of the solar panels you choose plays a vital role in determining their effectiveness. High-efficiency panels can generate more electricity from the same amount of sunlight than their lower-efficiency counterparts. When selecting panels, consider those with higher efficiency ratings to maximize energy production. Calculating Your Household’s Energy Needs Solar panels installed on roof | © Paul Teysen via Unsplash To effectively determine how many solar panels you’ll need for your off-grid home, it’s essential to start by calculating your household’s daily energy consumption. This involves a close examination of your electricity bills. Identify your monthly energy usage, typically measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh). Once you have this figure, convert it into a daily average to better understand your energy needs. For instance, if your monthly usage is 900 kWh, divide this number by 30 days to find that your daily consumption is approximately 30 kWh. This step is crucial as it sets the foundation for determining the size of the solar system required to meet your energy demands. Understanding your daily energy consumption helps you plan an efficient off-grid solar power system. Here’s a simple method to follow: Review Your Electricity Bills: Gather several months of electricity bills for an accurate monthly usage average. Calculate Daily Usage: Divide the monthly kWh by the number of days (usually 30) to find your daily consumption. Consider Seasonal Variations: Energy usage can vary with the seasons due to heating or cooling needs. By accurately assessing these figures, you can make informed decisions about the number and type of solar panels needed, ensuring that your off-grid system is practical and reliable. This approach not only aids in achieving energy independence but also contributes to sustainable living practices. Estimating Sunlight Hours in Your Location When planning to set up an off-grid solar power system, understanding your location’s average peak sunlight hours is essential. Peak sunlight hours are when the sun’s intensity is strong enough to produce maximum energy from your solar panels. This measurement is crucial because it directly impacts how much electricity your solar panels can generate daily. For instance, if you live in a region with five peak sunlight hours, your panels will produce energy at full capacity for those 5 hours daily. Knowing this helps you accurately size your solar system to meet your household’s energy needs. You can use several resources and methods to determine your area’s average peak sunlight hours. Here are some suggestions: Online Solar Maps: Websites like the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) offer interactive maps that provide detailed solar radiation data for different regions. Local Weather Stations: Contacting local meteorological stations can give you historical data on sunlight patterns specific to your location. Solar Installers: Consulting with local solar installation companies can provide insights based on their experience and data from previous installations in your area. By utilizing these resources, you can gather accurate information about sunlight availability, ensuring that your off-grid solar power system is efficient and reliable throughout the year. Choosing the Right Solar Panels for Efficiency When considering solar panels for your off-grid system, it’s essential to understand the different types available and their efficiency ratings. Solar panels come in various forms, including monocrystalline, polycrystalline, and thin film. Each type has its own set of advantages and drawbacks. Monocrystalline panels are known for their high efficiency and sleek appearance, making them a popular choice for those with limited space. On the other hand, polycrystalline panels are generally more affordable but slightly less efficient. Thin-film panels offer flexibility and lightweight options but often require more space due to lower efficiency levels. The efficiency of a solar panel directly impacts how much energy it can generate from sunlight. Higher-efficiency panels convert more sunlight into electricity, crucial for maximizing energy production in an off-grid setup. When selecting panels, consider their efficiency and factors like durability and warranty. Look for panels with a high-efficiency rating that suits your budget and space constraints. Additionally, investing in quality brands known for reliability can ensure long-term performance and peace of mind. Choosing the right solar panels can enhance your system’s overall performance and allow you to enjoy a sustainable energy solution. Step-by-Step Guide to Calculating Solar Panel Requirements Solar panels installation | © Raze via Unsplash When planning to transition your home to an off-grid solar power system, understanding how to calculate the number of solar panels you’ll need is essential. This process begins with a detailed formula that considers your household’s energy consumption, the average sunlight hours in your location, and the wattage of the solar panels you intend to use. To start, determine your daily energy usage by reviewing your electricity bills and converting your monthly consumption into daily kilowatt-hours (kWh). For instance, if your monthly usage is 900 kWh, divide this by 30 days to find a daily consumption of 30 kWh. Next, consider your area’s average peak sunlight hours, which will influence how much energy your panels can generate daily. In regions with about five peak sunlight hours per day, a standard 300-watt panel can produce approximately 1.5 kWh daily. With these figures in mind, you can apply the formula: Total Energy Consumption ÷ (Peak Sunlight Hours × Panel Wattage) = Number of Panels Needed. For example, if your home uses 30 kWh daily and receives 5 hours of sunlight, you would require around 20 panels rated at 300 watts each. Here’s a quick breakdown: Daily Energy Usage: Calculate from monthly bills. Sunlight Hours: Research local averages. Panel Efficiency: Choose high-efficiency panels for better performance. This method ensures a reliable estimate tailored to your needs, helping you make informed decisions about your off-grid solar setup. Cost Considerations for Off-Grid Solar Systems Understanding the cost implications is crucial for effective budgeting when setting up an off-grid solar system. The total expense can vary significantly based on several components and factors. First, consider the cost of solar panels, which typically range from $2.50 to $3.50 per watt. For a standard 6kW system, you might spend between $15,000 and $21,000. Next, battery storage is a vital component of energy independence. Depending on the capacity and technology, such as lithium-ion or lead-acid batteries, prices can range from $5,000 to $15,000. Beyond these essentials, don’t overlook the expenses for inverters and charge controllers, which convert and manage the electricity flow; these can add another $1,000 to $3,000 to your budget. Based on system complexity and local labor rates, installation costs vary from $2,000 to $10,000. If you opt for a backup generator for added security during low sunlight periods, expect to invest an additional $2,000 to $5,000. To manage these costs effectively: Research different suppliers to find competitive pricing. Consider energy-efficient appliances to reduce overall consumption. Plan for future expansions by choosing scalable systems. By carefully evaluating each component’s cost and considering long-term savings on utility bills, you can make informed decisions that align with your financial goals while achieving energy independence. Summary Off-grid solar power systems offer a pathway to energy independence by allowing individuals to generate and store electricity without relying on the public utility grid. These systems comprise several vital components: solar panels, battery storage, charge controllers, and inverters. Solar panels capture sunlight and convert it into direct current (DC) electricity. Charge controllers then regulate this electricity to ensure efficient charging of batteries, which store the energy for use when sunlight is insufficient. Inverters play a crucial role by converting stored DC electricity into alternating current (AC), making it compatible with standard household appliances. Choosing an off-grid solar power system provides numerous benefits, including autonomy from rising energy costs and protection against power outages. Additionally, these systems promote environmental responsibility by utilizing renewable energy sources. The main components work together seamlessly to ensure a reliable power supply: solar panels efficiently capture sunlight, batteries store excess energy for later use, charge controllers prevent battery overcharging, and inverters convert DC to AC for home use. This self-sufficient approach reduces your carbon footprint and offers peace of mind, knowing that your energy needs are met sustainably. Off GridSolar Panels by ArchEyes Team Leave a comment

Today, in questions you didn't know you needed the answer to: Is there such a thing as a perfect ball? And if there were, would it contain the secrets of the universe? To wit, a spherical object lurking in our galaxy is so perfectly round that astronomers can't explain how it was formed.Dubbed "Teleios" after the Greek word for "perfect," the object is what's known as a supernova remnant (SNR), a glowing cloud of hot gases and other material left behind after a massive star dies in a powerful explosion called a supernova. And it's definitely earned its nickname. According to the astronomers' findings, as reported in a pre-print study accepted for publication in Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia, this is one of the most circular galactic SNRs ever found."The shape indicates Teleios has remained relatively untouched by its environment," said lead author Miroslav Filipovic, an astronomer at Western Sydney University, in an written with his colleagues earlier this year. "This presents us with an opportunity to make inferences about the initial supernova explosion, providing rare insight into one of the most energetic events in the universe."When a star goes supernova, it blasts all that stellar material into space in a tremendous release of energy bright enough to momentarily outshine even entire galaxies. The astronomers believe that Teleios is the result of a rare type of explosion — we're talking happening only once every 500 years in the Milky Way rare — called a type Ia supernova that occurs in binary star systems. When a smaller but far denser white dwarf siphons enough matter from its companion star whose orbit has crept too close, the stolen stellar material detonates in an epic thermonuclear explosion that obliterates both the stars.For something so symmetrical to emerge out of an event so violent is unusual, to put it mildly."The supernova remnant will be deformed by its environment over time. If one side of the explosion slams into an interstellar cloud, we'll see a squashed shape," explained Filipovic in the essay. "So, a near-perfect circle in a messy universe is a special find."Teleios was uncovered as part of the Evolutionary Map of the Universe (EMU) survey using the Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder (ASKAP), an enormous radio telescope that's proving to be a powerful tool for finding SNRs that aren't visible in other wavelengths. Teleios, exclusively seen at radio-continuum frequencies, is one of them. Along with its perfect shape, it has one of the lowest surface brightnesses among all known galactic SNRs.The astronomers estimate that Teleios lies at a distance of either 2.2 or 7.7 kiloparsecs away (or approximately 7,100 or 25,100 light years). The uncertainty surrounding its distance means its age and size are hard to pin down, too. It's either on the younger side at less than 1,000 years old, or much older at over 10,000 years old. Likewise, it could be as small as 46 light years across, or as large as 157 light years. In any case, their findings place Teleios at a stage of its evolution called the Sedov-Taylor phase, during which the expansion of the SNR first begins to slow down, as it sweeps up additional mass from the interstellar medium of space. There's a catch, though: this process should produce detectable x-ray emissions, but the astronomers haven't see any.Maybe, the astronomers explored, Teleios is actually the remnant of an even rarer type of Ia supernova: a type Iax, in which the white dwarf partially survives as "zombie star." In that case, Teleios might be much closer at less than 3,200 light years away while being about 10.7 light years across.No hard answer, however, can be made from the data we have now. But this is just the beginning, and the astronomers are optimistic that more detailed observations in the future will one day help put this mystery to bed.Share This Article

Everything you purchase for your home says something about you and your personal style, and we've found that to be especially true when it comes to your dishes. Which ones do you use to set the table on a Tuesday night when you and your family are gathered around the table to discuss what the kids learned today in school? And which set are you choosing for your annual dinner party with your longtime friends? Whether you like it or not, your choice in dishware—and ultimately, your tablescape as a whole—says a lot about you. As dishware aficionados, we can attest that there are simply too many patterns to analyze and assign to a type of person, so we picked five beautiful options that are both timelessly popular and unique. What's more, we asked Rebecca Gardner, founder of the interior design firm, event planning service, and online shopping platform Houses & Parties, for her hot take. "Things that you touch several times each day, like dinner plates, are due thoughtful consideration," she explains. "Imagine starting your day with a pretty coffee cup and saucer in lieu of a clunky handled mug. Suddenly, you're a new person." She's not wrong. Enjoying meals on beautiful pieces is transformative in a way that we may not realize.Below, the charismatic design expert assigns each of these pinnacle plates to a specific fictional "character," if you will. We dare you not to laugh.Related StoriesGinori 1735 Oriente ItalianoThe SophisticateProduct Shot Image"You registered for the Oriente set in the sophisticated Vermiglio colorway. Your sister has the Malachite. Thank goodness you two live in the same city with 24 dinner plates combined. The big oval platters are on her Christmas list—eight of them are for a bountiful breakfast or family-style feast. 'It's surprising how these two colors go with everything,' you surmise. The dishes are especially fresh with your tufted dining banquette that's upholstered in Le Lac chintz fabric. Your friends constantly say you're such a 'fearless' decorator."Buy them here.Hermès Cheval D'OrientThe BachelorProduct Shot Image"This pattern belongs to you, a dapper bachelor in your late 50s. You live in a contemporary apartment at the very end of the very coveted and exclusive South Ocean Boulevard in Palm Beach, and your home's marble floors are covered in myriad Turkish rugs. Your Cheval D'Orient coffee cups get the most use, and you never take a sip without pointing your pinkie finger, donning a signet ring, straight up."Buy them here.Carolina Irving & Daughters Blue FlowerThe TraditionalistProduct Shot Image"These Portuguese blue flower dinner plates stack on the open kitchen shelving in her revival-style home in Buckhead, Atlanta. The kitchen was just renovated with a hidden coffee bar and a big island for casual cocktail buffets."Buy them here.Bordallo Pinheiro CabbageThe DecoratorProduct Shot Image"Half of these cabbage plates came from your grandmother's collection, but you bought 10 more to anchor the table with repetition. After all, they mix so well with your pantry that's full of mismatched treasures (sterling silver julep cups to Murano tumblers), which, somehow, are always on top of the frayed Decor Barbares fabric left over from a project you worked on years ago. You use the Cabbage tureen for cosmos and zinnias from the garden. Dinner is takeout, but you always take the cake."Buy them here.Crate & Barrel Cielo Scalloped The HostessProduct Shot Image"You are a regular host to your friends and family and known for serving fresh paella at summer soirées in Montauk. You have 50 of these white plates that your guests always want to know where to buy. The scalloped edge adds a little low-maintenance je ne sais quoi that lets your culinary creations shine.Buy them here.Follow House Beautiful on Instagram and TikTok.

In this week's curated employer highlight from Archinect Jobs, we are featuring five architecture and design firms with current openings in New York City, Los Angeles, and Miami. For even more opportunities, visit the Archinect job board and explore our active community of job seekers, firms, and schools. New York City-based design firm Roman and Williams Buildings and Interiors has three exciting job opportunities: a Sr. Designer, Architecture - Residential with a minimum of five to eight years of experience and is fluent in AutoCAD, an Architectural Designer - Residential with a minimum of two to five years of experience and is fluent in AutoCAD and SketchUp, and a Sr. Interior Designer, Residential with a minimum of seven to ten years of experience and is fluent in AutoCAD, Adobe Creative Suite, and Microsoft Office. The Standard NY Hotel by Roman and Williams Buildings and Interiors.STUDIO V Architecture is in search of a Project Manager in New York City with seven-plus years of...

Star Wars: Heritage Pack $30 (was $60) See at Amazon See at GameStop If you love Star Wars and own a Nintendo Switch, you'll want to check out Amazon's deal on Star Wars: Heritage Pack. This rarely discounted collection of Star Wars games is on sale for $30 at Amazon and GameStop. Star Wars: Heritage Pack comes with seven classic Star Wars games, including the Jedi Knight and Knights of the Old Republic series. The $30 discount matches the best deal yet, and we don't expect it to remain in stock at Amazon for very long. Star Wars: Heritage Pack $30 (was $60) The physical edition of Star Wars: Heritage Pack typically sells for $60. Oddly enough, the digital version of the Star Wars: Heritage Pack used to sell for $80, but it has actually been removed from sale. In comparison, the physical edition was already a bargain at full price, but now you're getting each game for just over $4 each--which is far lower than the price of buying the games separately from the eShop.Star Wars: Heritage collection pulls together seven classic Star Wars games:Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi AcademyStar Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi OutcastStar Wars Episode I RacerStar Wars Republic CommandoStar Wars: The Force UnleashedKnights of the Old Republic (Downloadable)Knights of the Old Republic 2 (Downloadable) See at Amazon See at GameStop While the first five games are playable directly off the Switch cartridge, both Knights of the Old Republic are digital versions that need to be downloaded from the eShop--so make sure you have a good internet connection and a bit of space on your microSD card. Combined, the two KOTOR games clock in just shy of 30GB.More Gaming, Tech, and Entertainment Deals & Preorders Highly Limited Super Mario Bros. 30th Anniversary 4K Blu-Ray In Stock At Amazon Lego Monkey Palace Board Game Is Over 50% Off At Amazon Right Now 8BitDo Reveals Leverless Arcade Controllers For PC, Switch, And Xbox + Show More More Gaming, Tech, and Entertainment Deals & Preorders Links (5) Locke & Key Keyhouse Comic Compendium Gets Massive Limited-Time Discount Lego's Awesome New Mario Kart Display Set Is Available Now First Book In Joe Abercrombie's New Fantasy Series Is Finally Here Amazon Restocks Lego Transformers Optimus Prime, Offers Big Discount PSA: Lego Bowser's Muscle Car Is Retiring - Save Big On 3 Mario Sets Before They're Gone

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Google showcases 'Beam' futuristic 3D video calling tech at I/O 2025 Aditya Tiwari Neowin @TheLazyAvenger · May 20, 2025 14:02 EDT Google has kicked off its annual developer conference, Google I/O 2025, at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View. One of the earliest announcements by the company's CEO, Sundar Pichai, is called Google Beam. Google Beam is a futuristic video calling technology that simulates a lifelike version of you and the person you are talking to. It uses six cameras to capture the person from different angles, then uses Google's AI models to generate their 3D self in real-time. This futuristic technology is a step up from Project Starline, which the search giant unveiled in the past. During the keynote, Pichai revealed that Google Beam can do near-perfect head tracking "down to the millimeter" at 60 frames per second, resulting in a much more natural and deeply immersive conversational experience. "We debuted Project Starline, our breakthrough 3D video technology at I/O a few years back. The goal was to create a feeling of being in the same room as someone, even if you were far apart. We have continued to make technical advances, and today, we are ready to announce our next chapter," Pichai said. "Introducing Google Beam, a new AI-first video communications platform. Beam uses a new state-of-the-art video model to transform 2D video streams into a realistic 3D experience. Behind the scenes, an array of six cameras captures you from different angles. And with AI, we can merge these different video streams together and render you on a 3D light-field display." Google joined hands with HP to launch the first Google Beam devices for early customers later this year. Pichai added that HP will share more details on the upcoming devices in the coming weeks. Project Starline was officially unveiled at Google I/O in 2021. Last year, Google said that Starline works like a 'magic window' and announced that it will partner with HP to make it commercially available in 2025, adding that it's also working to enable the video calling experience directly from services like Google Meet and Zoom. Tags Report a problem with article Follow @NeowinFeed

Google I/O 2025, Google’s biggest developer conference of the year, takes place Tuesday and Wednesday at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View. We’re on the ground bringing you the latest updates from the event.  I/O showcases product announcements from across Google’s portfolio. We’ve got plenty of news relating to Android, Chrome, Google Search, YouTube, and — of course — Google’s AI-powered chatbot, Gemini. Google hosted a separate event dedicated to Android updates: The Android Show. The company announced new ways to find lost Android phones and other items, additional device-level features for its Advanced Protection program, security tools to protect against scams and theft, and a new design language called Material 3 Expressive. Here are all the things announced at Google I/O 2025. Gemini Ultra Gemini Ultra (only in the U.S. for now) delivers the “highest level of access” to Google’s AI-powered apps and services, according to Google. It’s priced at $249.99 per month and includes Google’s Veo 3 video generator, the company’s new Flow video editing app, and a powerful AI capability called Gemini 2.5 Pro Deep Think mode, which hasn’t launched yet. AI Ultra comes with higher limits in Google’s NotebookLM platform and Whisk, the company’s image remixing app. AI Ultra subscribers also get access to Google’s Gemini chatbot in Chrome; some “agentic” tools powered by the company’s Project Mariner tech; YouTube Premium; and 30TB of storage across Google Drive, Google Photos, and Gmail. Deep Think in Gemini 2.5 Pro Deep Think is an “enhanced” reasoning mode for Google’s flagship Gemini 2.5 Pro model. It allows the model to consider multiple answers to questions before responding, boosting its performance on certain benchmarks. Techcrunch event Join us at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot for our leading AI industry event with speakers from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Cohere. For a limited time, tickets are just $292 for an entire day of expert talks, workshops, and potent networking. Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot at TC Sessions: AI and show 1,200+ decision-makers what you’ve built — without the big spend. Available through May 9 or while tables last. Berkeley, CA | June 5 REGISTER NOW Google didn’t go into detail about Deep Think works, but it could be similar to OpenAI’s o1-pro and upcoming o3-pro models, which likely use an engine to search for and synthesize the best solution to a given problem. Deep Think is available to “trusted testers” via the Gemini API. Google said that it’s taking additional time to conduct safety evaluations before rolling out Deep Think widely. Veo 3 video-generating AI model Google claims that Veo 3 can generate sound effects, background noises, and even dialogue to accompany the videos it creates. Veo 3 also improves upon its predecessor, Veo 2, in terms of the quality of footage it can generate, Google says. Veo 3 is available beginning Tuesday in Google’s Gemini chatbot app for subscribers to Google’s $249.99-per-month AI Ultra plan, where it can be prompted with text or an image. Imagen 4 AI image generator According to Google, Imagen 4 is fast — faster than Imagen 3. And it’ll soon get faster. In the near future, Google plans to release a variant of Imagen 4 that’s up to 10x quicker than Imagen 3. Imagen 4 is capable of rendering “fine details” like fabrics, water droplets, and animal fur, according to Google. It can handle both photorealistic and abstract styles, creating images in a range of aspect ratios and up to 2K resolution. Both Veo 3 and Imagen 4 will be used to power Flow, the company’s AI-powered video tool geared towards filmmaking.  A sample from Imagen 4.Image Credits:Google Gemini app updates Google announced that Gemini apps have more than 400 monthly active users.  Gemini Live’s camera and screen-sharing capabilities will roll out this week to all users on iOS and Android. The feature, powered by Project Astra, lets people have near-real time verbal conversations with Gemini, while also streaming video from their smartphone’s camera or screen to the AI model. Google says Gemini Live will also start to integrate more deeply with its other apps in the coming weeks: It will soon be able to offer directions from Google Maps, create events in Google Calendar, and make to-do lists with Google Tasks. Google says it’s updating Deep Research, Gemini’s AI agent that generates thorough research reports, by allowing users to upload their own private PDFs and images. Stitch Stitch is an AI-powered tool to help people design web and mobile app front ends by generating the necessary UI elements and code. Stitch can be prompted to create app UIs with a few words or even an image, providing HTML and CSS markup for the designs it generates. Stitch is a bit more limited in what it can do compared to some other vibe coding products, but there’s a fair amount of customization options. Google has also expanded access to Jules, its AI agent aimed at helping developers fix bugs in code. The tool helps developers understand complex code, create pull requests on GitHub, and handle certain backlog items and programming tasks. Project Mariner Project Mariner is Google’s experimental AI agent that browses and uses websites. Google says it has significantly updated how Project Mariner works, allowing the agent to take on nearly a dozen tasks at a time, and is now rolling it out to users. For example, Project Mariner users can purchase tickets to a baseball game or buy groceries online without ever visiting a third-party website. People can just chat with Google’s AI agent, and it visits websites and takes actions for them. Project Astra Google’s low latency, multimodal AI experience, Project Astra, will power an array of new experiences in Search, the Gemini AI app, and products from third-party developers.  Project Astra was born out of Google DeepMind as a way to showcase nearly real-time, multimodal AI capabilities. The company says it’s now building those Project Astra glasses with partners including Samsung and Warby Parker, but the company doesn’t have a set launch date yet.  AI Mode Google is rolling out AI Mode, the experimental Google Search feature that lets people ask complex, multi-part questions via an AI interface, to users in the U.S. this week. AI Mode will support the use of complex data in sports and finance queries, and it will offer “try it on” options for apparel. Search Live, which is rolling out later this summer, will let you ask questions based on what your phone’s camera is seeing in real-time.  Gmail is the first app to be supported with personalized context. Beam 3D teleconferencing Beam, previously called Starline, uses a combination of software and hardware, including a six-camera array and custom light field display, to let a user converse with someone as if they were in the same meeting room. An AI model converts video from the cameras, which are positioned at different angles and pointed toward the user, into a 3D rendering. Google’s Beam boasts “near-perfect” millimeter-level head tracking and 60fps video streaming. When used with Google Meet, Beam provides an AI-powered real-time speech translation feature that preserves the original speaker’s voice, tone, and expressions. And speaking of Google Meet, Google announced that Meet is getting real-time speech translation. More AI updates Google is launching Gemini in Chrome, which will give people access to a new AI browsing assistant that will help them quickly understand the context of a page and get tasks done.  Gemma 3n is a model designed to run “smoothly” on phones, laptops, and tablets. It’s available in preview starting Tuesday; it can handle audio, text, images, and videos, according to Google. The company also announced a ton of AI Workspace features coming to Gmail, Google Docs, and Google Vids. Most notably, Gmail is getting personalized smart replies and a new inbox-cleaning feature, while Vids is getting new ways to create and edit content. Video Overviews are coming to NotebookLM, and the company rolled out SynthID Detector, a verification portal that uses Google’s SynthID watermarking technology to help identify AI-generated content. Lyria RealTime, the AI model that powers its experimental music production app, is now available via an API. Wear OS 6 Wear OS 6 brings a unified font to tiles for a cleaner app look, and Pixel Watches are getting dynamic theming that syncs app colors with watch faces.  The core promise of the new design reference platform is to let developers build better customization in apps along with seamless transitions. The company is releasing a design guideline for developers along with Figma design files. Image Credits:Google / Google Play Google is beefing up the Play Store for Android developers with fresh tools to handle subscriptions, topic pages so users can dive into specific interests, audio samples to give folks a sneak peek into app content, and a new checkout experience to make selling add-ons smoother. “Topic browse” pages for movies and shows (U.S. only for now) will connect users to apps tied to tons of shows and movies. Plus, developers are getting dedicated pages for testing and releases, and tools to keep an eye on and improve their app rollouts. Developers using Google can also now halt live app releases if a critical problem pops up. Subscription management tools are also getting an upgrade with multi-product checkout. Devs will soon be able to offer subscription add-ons alongside main subscriptions, all under one payment. Android Studio Android Studio is integrating new AI features, including “Journeys,” an “agentic AI” capability that coincides with the release of the Gemini 2.5 Pro model. And an “Agent Mode” will be able to handle more-intricate development processes. Android Studio will receive new AI capabilities, including an enhanced “crash insights” feature in the App Quality Insights panel. This improvement, powered by Gemini, will analyze an app’s source code to identify potential causes of crashes and suggest fixes.

While we know Naughty Dog is currently developing its next big single-player adventure Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, studio head Neil Druckmann casually mentioned Tuesday that the studio concurrently has another game in the works. Appearing on the Press X to Continue podcast, Druckmann said, “There’s another game that’s being worked on at Naughty Dog where I’m [in] more of a producer role and I get to mentor, and watch this other team, and give feedback and be like the executive in the room. I enjoy all those roles, and the fact that I jump from one to the next it makes my job very exciting and always feeling fresh. I’m never bored.” While Druckmann is credited as Creative Director on both The Last of Us games and Intergalactic, he seems be embracing a more hands-off role with this new project. Having multiple teams develop separate games alongside each other is nothing new for studios as large as Naughty Dog. It was recently working on a The Last of Us multiplayer game before that was cancelled in 2023. Perhaps Druckmann is overseeing the revival of one of the studio’s dormant franchises — Naughty Dog was known for the Crash Bandicoot and Jax and Dexter series before it pivoted its focus to The Last of Us and Uncharted. Speaking of which… could an Uncharted 5 be on the way? 2016’s Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End closed out Nathan Drake’s journey as a swashbuckling treasure hunter, though it kept the door open for more adventures through the introduction of his and Elena Fisher’s daughter, Cassie. Kaitlyn Dever portrayed Cassie in Uncharted 4’s epilogue and currently stars as Abby in season 2 of The Last of Us. A 2023 PS5 ad ignited speculation the Uncharted series was due to return. It featured live-action clips emulating Sony’s robust first-party lineup, and one Uncharted-like clip showed a young woman holding a torch and exploring a cave in search of some sort of artifact. Job listings at that time sought talent for a separate studio “co-developing an exciting new project with Naughty Dog in a beloved franchise” (via VGC), though it’s not confirmed if that “beloved franchise” is Uncharted or something else. We likely won’t know what Naughty Dog is working on for some time, if it gets formally revealed at all; remember, plenty of games get cancelled before the public even knew they existed.