Google today announced that it is opening up access to Search Labs, allowing testers to try out its new Search Generative Experience. The AI-powered Search option is limited to those who have signed up to be a part of Google Labs, with Google letting in a small number of people who have joined the Google Labs Waitlist. AI for search is a feature that Google announced during its I/O developer conference earlier in May. Google says that AI Search is designed to "take some of the work out of searching," which can make it easier for users to understand new topics, uncover different viewpoints, and "get things done more easily." Google suggests that AI search can break down complicated searches…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Paramount Plus may be getting a price increase at the end of next month, but before that happens, you can save 50 percent on a subscription and binge away for 90 days. New subscribers to Paramount Plus can get the streaming service in a bundle with Showtime for $5.99 ($6 off) per month for three months. The promo runs until June 4th, and you’ll probably want to cancel before the three months are up unless you’re okay with auto-renewal kicking in at full price. If you’re wondering what to stream within that timeframe, there’s the recently released Dungeons & Dragons movie, Top Gun: Maverick, dramas like Showtime’s Billions, cartoons like Paw Patrol (for…

Macworld On May 23, the Warner Bros. Discovery mega-media company pulled the trigger on its big streaming app upgrade–well, downgrade, really. Yesterday was the launch of the new “Max” app and service, where the company put all its streaming content together in one place. Practically speaking, this means adding Discovery content to HBO Max. For the Apple TV, the experience is a huge step backward. There’s a new app, technical glitches, missing features, and worse pricing–and there’s no good reason for any of it. It’s a comedy of errors that smells of executive meddling against the better advice of real product designers who know what people actually want. Look for the Max app Fire up the HBO Max app and…

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge Apple is working on a new feature in iOS 17 that turns the iPhone’s screen into a smart home-style display, according to a report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. As noted by Gurman, the interface will show things like the weather, calendar appointments, and notifications when the phone is locked and tilted horizontally. It will show these widgets on a dark background with bright text, Gurman notes, and expands on the lock screen widgets that Apple revealed with iOS 16. This could come in handy when you have your iPhone set atop your desk or on your nightstand and want to keep up with any notifications or upcoming appointments. Image: Google Examples of Google’s…

Macworld Each year Apple releases a major update for iOS, the operating system on your iPhone. The current version, released last year, is iOS 16, and it doesn’t take a genius to predict that 2023 will see the launch of iOS 17. This free software update will bring a raft of interface tweaks, bug fixes, and new features. It’s like getting a new iPhone without paying a penny. In this article, we discuss everything you need to know about iOS 17. We cover its release schedule and when you can expect the beta and final versions to come out; how to get it when it does; the models of iPhone that are likely to be able to run iOS; and…

An updated Lock Screen interface in iOS 17 will turn the iPhone into a "smart-home display," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. When not in use and positioned in a horizontal orientation, the ‌iPhone‌ will show information that includes calendar appointments, weather data, notifications, and more, allowing it to serve as a home data hub. With the ‌iPhone‌ attached to a MagSafe charging stand in a horizontal orientation, for example, the smart home interface will show up, mimicking what users might see with a device like an Echo Show or Google Nest Hub. The functionality will build on the widget options that Apple added to the Lock Screen in iOS 16. Apple wants to make iPhones more useful when they're not…