‘Google says I’m a dead physicist’: is the world’s biggest search engine broken?
For decades now, anyone who’s wanted to know everything about anything has asked Google. But is the platform losing its edge – and can we still trust it to tell us the truth?
September 2023
ChatGPT update will give it a voice and allow users to interact using images
The move will bring the artificial intelligence chatbot closer to popular voice assistants such as Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa
September 2022
Voice assistants could ‘hinder children’s social and cognitive development’
Researchers suggest devices such as Alexa could have a long-term impact on empathy, compassion and critical thinking skills
May 2022
Google IO: Pixel 6a, Pixel Watch and Android 13 unveiled
New Pro earbuds and upcoming Pixel 7 phones, tablet and software shown off during virtual event
January 2022
Alex Bellos's Monday puzzle
Can you solve it? The viral maths video that will have you in stitches
Are you smarter than Google Assistant?
October 2021
Radio industry calls for government protection from smart assistants
Broadcasters fear Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant may gradually sideline UK content
April 2021
Sonos Roam review: the portable speaker you’ll want to use at home too
Older Australians give smart tech a thumbs up for music and video chat – but not vacuuming
A federal government-funded project looked at how devices might help keep people in their homes longer
December 2020
Google suffers global outage with Gmail, YouTube and majority of services affected
Error was due to lack of storage space in authentication tools causing system to crash
October 2020
Alexa, Siri... Elsa? Children drive boom in smart speakers
Google Nest Audio review: smart speaker gets music upgrade
August 2020
Sam's smart buys
The best smart speakers for all budgets
Whether you want good sound, the cheapest or an alarm clock replacement, here are the options
July 2020
Pixel Buds review: Google's competent AirPods alternative
Good sound, battery life, case and design, with instant translation and different silicone tip with open-air-like fit
May 2020
Sonos launches new Arc soundbar with Dolby Atmos
Wireless speaker firm revamps top TV audio line, plus Sonos 5 speakers and gen 3 Sub
March 2020
How to stop your smart home spying on you
Everything in your smart home, from the lightbulbs to the thermostat, could be recording you or collecting data about you. What can you do to curb this intrusion?
January 2020
Google Nest Mini review: better bass and recycled plastic
Upgrade keeps what is good and improves sound for Google’s smallest, cheapest smart speaker
November 2019
Google Nest Hub Max review: bigger, better and smarter display
Camera with local AI for face recognition allows proactive display of personalised information
