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Those of us who only have on-street parking know the frustration of waking up on a snowy morning to find our vehicle completely buried in snow—a situation often made worse by passing snowplows that block it in even more. Digging your car out can be a challenge, but taking a few precautions and having the right tools ready can make it easier. Here’s everything you need to dig your car out when it is buried by snow.

Digging your car out from the snow actually begins before the storm hits. Prepping the car ahead of time will make it a lot easier to extract from snow drifts. Here's what you need:

• Battery blankets. Your battery won’t be exposed to the snow, but it will be exposed to temperature extremes. Car batteries start to lose capacity when the temperatures reach freezing, and things just get worse from there—so if it’s cold enough to snow, it’s cold enough to stress your battery. A battery blanket can help by insulating your battery and keeping it warm enough to start your car, which is an essential part of getting it out of a snow-packed spot.

• Car covers. If you know snow is coming, you can save yourself some trouble by covering your car in some way. Even throwing a standard blue tarp and securing it with some twine or elastic straps can make it a lot easier to de-snow your car (you could also buy one of these enormous plastic bags, instead of a tarp). Other options include windshield covers that will make snow removal easier while also protecting your side-view mirrors.

• Grille covers. Ice and snow can get into your car’s ventilation system via the front grille, so buying a grille cover for your specific car make and model isn’t a bad addition to your snow prep.

After the universe has dumped several feet of snow on your car and the local snowplows have made the situation worse, you’ll need some tools to free the vehicle. A shovel, of course, is going to be necessary at a minimum, but a few more gadgets will make the job a lot easier and quicker:

• A remote starter. If your car doesn’t have a remote start feature, consider adding an aftermarket product. This will allow you to start the car before you even head out into the snow, ensuring that it’s warmed up and melting snow and ice off of itself before you even lift a shovel.

• A Snow Joe. The Snow Joe is a terrific tool—it’s a scraper and a finish-safe broom in one, with optional lights if you bother to pop batteries into it. If you don’t cover your car, or if your cover slipped and you still have snow to clear, the Snow Joe will make it easy.

• A cordless blower. Using your muscles to clear snow off your car is one way to do it. Another is to invest in a cordless blower, or, in a pinch, to drag your leaf blower out there to just blow the snow off. Whatever you do, don’t use a hair dryer or a heat gun—watching the snow melt off your car might be satisfying, but you can crack your windshield and harm your car’s finish by using heat in cold weather like that.

• De-icer. If the ice that has formed a shell on your car is thick and difficult to scrape, having some de-icer to safely melt it off will be a godsend. You can buy some to keep in the trunk, or make your own by mixing up two-thirds isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) and one-third water. Adding a dash of dish soap will make it easier to spread so it sits on the ice to work instead of just draining off.

• Traction mats. Digging your car out is often just step one of getting it out of an iced-up spot. Some traction mats in the trunk will ensure you have enough friction to get off the ice sheet that has formed under your vehicle.

• Tow straps. Finally, if you’ve been out there for two hours and your car remains immobile despite your best efforts, you might ask someone to give you a quick tow, and for that you’ll need some tow straps. Having these in the trunk might just save the day when all the gadgets and products in the world can’t get that car out of the snow.

Hitting 10,000 steps every day is a bullshit goal. Step counts can feel daunting, especially for people who work desk jobs or have physical limitations. The mere pressure to hit 10,000 steps can become its own source of stress—miss the goal by a few thousand steps, and it's easy to feel like the whole day was a wash. Rather than obsessing over hitting a specific step count, consider shifting your focus to a simpler, more achievable goal: sitting less. This reframing is not only easier to sustain, it could be just as beneficial for your health.

"Spending the bulk of your time seated is a major contributor to increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke," says Pamela Light, a certified personal trainer at Bay Club. And if you think you can't afford to take movement breaks during a busy workday, know that you don't need to transform into a marathon runner or achieve some lofty daily step count to see real health benefits. Simply interrupting your sitting time throughout the day can make a meaningful difference.

"Just ten minutes of movement is enough to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, while slowing down muscle loss," Light says. And the science backs this up. In fact, a 2022 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that ten minutes of moderate exercise daily would prevent more than 111,000 premature deaths a year. Small changes could have a major impact on your life.

The beauty of this approach is its simplicity and flexibility, especially compared to the stress of 10,000 steps. You don't need to do jumping jacks in the middle of your office or draw attention to yourself. Instead, try incorporating more movement to things you already do throughout the day. This could look like cleaning up around home, checking in with co-workers, helping with an extra chore, or walking around the block.

Even bathroom breaks become opportunities for movement. "Go to a restroom further away or on a different floor and take the stairs. Once inside, do 10 squats," Light says. "They don't have to be huge or perfect, but giving the large muscles of your legs a chance to flex and release will feel great on your joints, boost your mood, and help your body to pull nutrients from the blood and into the muscles."

Other ideas include pacing during phone calls and setting timers to remind yourself to take breaks. Besides, I know that when I get a chance to move, the time away from my desk will makes me more productive when I get back to it.

Instead of chasing an arbitrary step count number that might feel out of reach, simply commit to stand up and move for a few minutes. Take a lap around the office, do some chair squats, or just stand and stretch for a moment. Instead of feeling guilty about what you didn't do, you can feel good about the small moments of movement you incorporated throughout your day.

Plus, achievable goals are the ones we're most likely to stick with. If you're someone recovering from an injury, managing a chronic condition, working a demanding job, or simply new to thinking about movement, getting up once an hour is an achievable place to start.

Part of the fun of watching sports is that you don't know what's going to happen. TV shows and movies follow story beats, meaning you can usually get a sense for where things are heading, but sports do not work that way. The totally unexpected can, and does, frequently occur—and that's the reason people keep tuning in, whether their team is dominating or an underdog.

Sometimes, though, you can't catch the game live, but still want a bit of that feeling. That's why leagues offer extended highlights, featuring all the key moments, complete with the commentary from the broadcast. These can feel almost like watching the full game, and I love catching up with them the next day alongside my morning coffee. The problem: you'll typically find those videos on sites full of spoilers about who won, whether that's via a scoreboard at the top of the site or headlines blaring the results. If you're hoping for even a fraction of the fun of watching sports live, that's a problem.

Don't Tell Me The Score is your solution. This simple website offers highlights for NFL, NHL, MLB, and NBA games, with no scores or spoilers of any kind. The site interface shows only a bunch of icons representing all upcoming and recent games. Color logos means there are highlights are already available, and you can click or tap to start watching.

This is my favorite way to catch up on games I missed. The videos, which are sourced from the league's official YouTube channels, tend to be a little over 10 minutes, meaning you'll see the highs and lows, but it won't take up hours of your day, and you won't know who won going in (provided you've also taken care to avoid spoilers via the TV, newspapers, social media, push notifications, or ill-timed texts from friends).

This tends to work really well, with one big hiccup: NFL videos can't be watched on the site itself, as the NFL prevents their highlights from being embedded on other sites. This means you'll need to click a link to watch the highlights on YouTube's website. This is a little annoying, but the YouTube pages usually don't include spoilers either, as long as you steer clear of the comments.

I wish more leagues were supported—soccer highlights aren't offered at all, for example, and neither are the increasingly popular women's leagues. But if you're a fan of one of the "big four" North American sports, like watching highlights, and don't want to get spoiled first, Don't Tell Me The Score is worth adding to your daily rotation.

The launch of the Google TV Streamer marked a significant shift for the company's streaming lineup, moving away from the behind-the-TV Chromecast dongles it popularized and introducing a pill-shaped set-top box that blends in nicely on a shelf of tchotchkes. It's hiding a worthy processor, double the memory you'd get from a streaming stick, and enough storage to download what you need to run all of your apps. It even acts as a smart hub, with Matter and Thread built in.

It's taken me a long time to do anything with the Google TV Streamer. I reluctantly brought it into my home after realizing something more robust, but dated, like the Nvidia Shield, would be too much to manage alongside maintaining a home server. But since then, I've tweaked several things on the set-top box and enabled features I hadn't been using, turning it into a helpful hub in my living room.

This sounds like an obvious tip, but I've had the Google TV Streamer since it debuted in 2024, and it wasn't until this week, while writing this piece, that I finally enabled the remote finder. I had skipped it during the initial setup. The option is available in Settings > Remotes & Accessories. You'll see the Find my remote option in there.

The Google TV Streamer has a physical button on the back of the device that lets you locate your remote if it's stuck somewhere on the couch. But what if you can't reach the streamer behind the TV? Try one of your Google-enabled voice devices instead. If you have a Nest speaker or a Pixel phone nearby, say "Hey Google, find my remote." The remote should start chirping if you've set it up.

The remotes that come with the Google TV Streamer feature a tiny, unregistered button with a star icon right next to the power button. By default, this shortcut does nothing! But you can change that in the device's system preferences.

In Settings > Remotes & Accessories > Set up remote buttons, select one of three options for customizing the shortcut button. I set it up as my Google Home shortcut so I can easily turn the lights on and off from the couch. You can also set it up as a launcher for another app installed on the set-top box. Or create a shortcut to cycle through device inputs—this button is on legacy Chromecast devices with an included remote. It was removed from this generation of streaming devices, so if you miss it, you can spoof it back.

For serious power users, map the shortcut to an app like Projectivity Launcher to make it a more powerful launcher button.

Don't care for the default YouTube or Netflix buttons included on the Google TV Streamer remote? You can remap them with a third-party app, then affix a small sticker to indicate what it does. Install an app like Button Mapper or tvQuickActions. Then go to Google TV Settings > System > Accessibility, and turn on the service. After that, you can head back into the app to adjust what those physical buttons do. You can set them as shortcuts to other apps, or even something cheekier for others to discover when they press the button.

Can't stand all the recommendations and sponsored content Google TV suggests in the main carousel? You can effectively shut off some of the clutter so it doesn't visually overwhelm you. Go to Settings > Accounts & Sign-In > Your Account. and toggle on Apps only mode.

This clears the clutter and "sponsored" content, leaving you with just app icons. Keep in mind that this turns off the "Watchlist" feature that's tied to your account and some Gemini voice search capabilities for specific content.

You'll need to enable developer options to enable features like faster animations and side-loading apps. It's easy to set up, and it's just like on an Android smartphone. Head into Settings > System > About, then tap Android TV OS Build 7 times.

You'll see a little dialog pop up to let you know you've got developer access. Once enabled, a new menu will appear under Settings > System > Developer options.

The Google TV interface is organized and functional, but its animations can slow down menu navigation. You can eliminate these animations and tweak other visual elements to speed things up deep within the developer settings.

In Developer Options, scroll down to Window animation scale, Transition animation scale, and Animator duration scale. Change one of these, or all three, from 1x to Animation off to turn off animations completely. You can also go the other way and effectively "overclock" the animations to speed them up, making them appear smoother.

With developer options turned on, you can enable USB and wireless debugging to use apps like Send Files to TV and atvTools to sideload APKs. But first, enable the "Allow installs from unknown sources" option in the Developer Options under Security settings. This allows APKs you've transferred over to the device to run on the streamer.

Why would you want to go through the fuss of connecting to the Google TV Streamer this way? Because then you could access alternative streaming apps not available in the Play Store, or even an alternative launcher, like LeanbackLauncher.

This is one of my favorite little hacks that comes especially in handy when living in a house occupied by other people. When I do my workouts in the living room, I use a set of Bluetooth earbuds connected to the Google TV Streamer so I can hear the instructor's directions even when I'm face down in a plank and my kid is screaming in the background.

The ability is available in the same submenu where you set up your remote. In Settings > Remote & Accessories > Pair Remote/Accessory, put your audio device into Bluetooth pairing mode, then watch it come up on the screen as an option. If you're successful, you can now pop on the buds when you need to. Be aware that audio latency can occur, and you might need to restart the connection—it is Bluetooth, after all.  

If you don't care about your bandwidth and want full-resolution streaming at all times, you can set the best resolution to display as the default in your Google TV Streamer preferences. Go to Settings > Display & Sound > Resolution. Switch the Resolution from "Automatic" to 4K 60Hz, or whatever your TV's peak is. Once this is enabled, the Google TV Streamer won't downscale to 1080p. If you're a sucker for HDR, this is the same menu where you can turn it on so that it's always in high definition.

The USB-C port can do more than charge up the Google TV Streamer. You can plug in a power delivery hub with extra ports to add components like external storage and effectively run your own all-in-one home media center. Those power delivery hubs usually include extra USB ports for peripherals, so you can hook up things like keyboards and game controllers for extra fun.

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At $249.99 for a three-pack, the TP-Link Deco XE75 Pro Tri-Band Mesh System is sitting $150 below its usual $399.99 price, and price-trackers show this is the lowest it has gone so far. That discount matters because this is not an entry-level mesh kit. It’s built around Wi-Fi 6E, which adds access to the cleaner 6GHz band alongside the familiar 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. In practice, that means less congestion if you have newer devices that support 6E, and more consistent speeds across a larger home. The three cylindrical nodes are understated and easy to place, each covering a chunk of space so the full kit can handle homes up to roughly 7,200 square feet. Setup happens through the Deco app and is largely painless, even if you are not used to managing network gear.

Each node includes a 2.5GbE WAN port, which is useful if your internet plan is already pushing past standard gigabit speeds. You also get two additional 1GbE LAN ports per node, plus support for wired backhaul if you want to connect the units with Ethernet instead of relying on wireless links. Internally, TP-Link uses a 1.7GHz quad-core processor and multiple internal antennas to keep traffic moving smoothly. What you do not get are USB ports, so there’s no option to plug in a drive or printer directly. That omission may not matter for most people, but it is worth noting at this price.

As for its performance, PCMag’s testing showed reliable throughput across bands, and the publication gave the system an “excellent” rating in its review, calling it easy to manage and a solid value for large spaces. Management leans heavily on the mobile app, which is simpler than the web interface and good enough for everyday use. TP-Link includes its HomeShield tools for basic parental controls and security scanning, but some of the more detailed features sit behind a paid subscription. That may be a drawback if you want everything included upfront. Still, for homes with many devices, fast internet, and a need for wide coverage, this deal makes the Deco XE75 Pro a much more reasonable buy than it is at full price.

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The GoPro Hero12 Black might not be the newest model in the lineup, but it still checks all the right boxes for action camera buyers—and at $215.99 on Woot, it’s down to its lowest price yet. That’s a steep cut from Amazon’s current $369 listing, and you’re still getting a full one-year manufacturer warranty. Shipping is free for Prime members, and the deal is live for three more days (or until it sells out). PCMag gave it an “outstanding” rating in its review, highlighting how stable and clean the footage looks. Lifehacker’s Stephen Johnson also called it one of his favorite products, largely because it works without much effort.

In use, the Hero12 Black sticks closely to what GoPro has always done well. It’s compact, tough, and easy to mount almost anywhere. Video tops out at 5.3K at 60 frames per second, which gives you noticeably more detail than 4K and extra room to crop without wrecking the quality. The stabilization, thanks to GoPro’s HyperSmooth stabilization, is strong enough that handheld clips often look like they were shot on a gimbal. And there are front and rear screens for easy framing—helpful whether you’re vlogging or filming the view ahead. The 8:7 shooting mode of the Hero12 Black is especially useful if you’re creating content for multiple platforms. You can shoot once and crop for vertical reels or horizontal YouTube clips without needing separate takes.

It is also waterproof to 33 feet without a case, which covers swimming, snorkeling, rain, and most casual water use. That said, GoPro removed the built-in GPS on this model. That means no automatic speed or route overlays out of the box. The upside is slightly better battery life, though it still won’t last a full day of continuous recording. Carrying a spare battery will be the smarter move if you’re filming long sessions. Storage is via microSD, and you get Bluetooth, wifi, and USB-C for easy transfers. This isn’t the right camera for someone looking for automatic tracking or cinematic depth of field, but if your priorities are portability, versatility, and durability, it still holds up well. It’s a great tool for creators, travelers, and anyone who wants to capture fast-moving moments without worrying about breaking the gear.

Something you don't see every day: a sports tech company actually giving away premium features for free. Suunto's route-planning tool lets you create and download GPX files without even creating an account. No paywall, no trial period—just open the page and start planning routes. And the tool itself works great.

The tool packs in everything you'd expect from a paid service, and then some:

• Route creation that uses different map types (outdoor, satellite, even specialized ones for winter and avalanche terrain)

• Routing that optimizes for your activity (running, hiking, cycling, mountaineering, roller skating, and more), using actual heat map data from real athletes

• Heat map overlays for about a dozen different sports so you can see where people actually go

• Elevation profiles with ascent and descent numbers (crucial for not dying on climbs you didn't see coming)

• Export routes as GPX files that work with basically any GPS device

• Shareable link generation (good for six months) so you can send routes to friends without making them create accounts either

• Ability to import and modify existing GPX or FIT files from other platforms

• Optional account sync if you own Suunto or Hammerhead gear

You don't even need to be in Suunto's ecosystem to use this. I was able to export a map to my Garmin watch with no problem. If you do have a Suunto or Hammerhead device, you can link your account and routes will sync automatically.

Go to routeplanner.suunto.com. From there, creating a route is pretty straightforward. If you let your browser share your location, it'll center on where you are. If not, just search for wherever you want to start.

The controls on the right side let you switch between map types. The usual suspects are there: outdoor, satellite, light, dark. But then it gets weird in the best ways with a winter map, an avalanche terrain map for backcountry stuff, and, in a show of national pride, a dedicated Finland Terrain map. Respect.

To actually connect points on the map, you have the following options:

• Free drawing (no automatic routing)

• Any road or path (ideal for activities by foot)

• All road types—avoiding hills (ideal for bikes)

• All road types (still ideal for bikes)

• Paved roads (ideal for road cycling)

After you create your route, you simply download the GPX file and throw it on whatever GPS device you own.

The six-month shareable links are a nice touch too. You can plan a route for a group ride or run, send everyone the link, and they can grab it without jumping through hoops. It's the kind of friction-free sharing that should be standard but somehow isn't.

Strava and Komoot have trained users to expect paywalls for route planning. Of course, this could be strategic on Suunto's part, to give away the software in the hopes of selling the hardware. Or maybe it's just goodwill after years of user complaints about Suunto closing their tracking system Movescount. Either way, users win. You get a legitimately useful tool without opening your wallet or handing over your email address.

If you're already paying for route planning elsewhere, try this first. Worst case, you waste five minutes. Best case, you cancel a subscription and pocket the savings. Even if you'e not looking to save money, having another route planning option in your toolkit doesn't hurt.

It feels as though Google Chrome has been around forever, but it's actually still just a teenager: The browser launched back in 2008, originally just for Windows—though it's now made its way to macOS, Linux, and mobile devices too of course. It's a powerhouse of a browser that is more widely used than any other.

In the 18 years since its release, Chrome has changed a lot: A host of features have been added and taken away down the years, and it's very possible that you don't know everything that Chrome can do, even if you use it every day. Here are my favorite hacks for Chrome, covering everything from casting tabs to playing audio and video.

If you've always stuck with the 'out of the box' Chrome aesthetic, you might not be aware that it's relatively simple to change up the theme of the browser—which covers the colors of menus and tabs, as well as what you see on the new tab page. To see the available options, open up a new tab, then click the Customize Chrome button (lower right).

You can apply any of the color themes just by clicking on them, or set up your own colors by clicking the color picker (the little pipette icon). For a more significant visual overhaul, click Change theme: You'll then see a range of options created and curated by Google. Click Chrome Web Store to see more official and third-party themes you can install.

It's fair to say Chrome doesn't have the best reputation for efficient RAM usage, but you can get some of it back. In any tab, click the three dots (top right), then choose Settings > Performance, and activate the Memory Saver option. As Google explains, this will put tabs you've not used in a while in an inactive state, and recover some RAM from them.

It's not a Chrome feature that gets much attention, but you can cast tabs wireless to a big screen via Google TV or Chromecast devices. It's useful for everything from music streaming to slide presentations, though the latency is usually too high for video playback (and bear in mind that YouTube, for example, has its own casting button for this).

With a tab open in Chrome, click the three dots in the top right corner, then choose Cast, save and share > Cast. You'll then be asked to choose the device to cast to (which must be on the same wifi network of course). Via the Sources button, you can choose to cast just the tab you're in, or your entire Windows or macOS desktop, including Google Chrome.

Just because you use Google Chrome doesn't mean you have to use Google Search—maybe you want to switch to a privacy-first alternative, like DuckDuckGo. To set up search engines in Chrome and change the default one, click the three dots in the top right corner of any tab, then choose Settings, and open the Search engine page.

Use the Add button to add new search engines, the pencil icons on the right to edit their details, and the three dots on the right to set which one is used by default (when you type some search terms into the Chrome address bar). Each search engine can also have a shortcut: Type the shortcut into the address bar to run a search using that specific site.

Tab grouping can make it much easier to manage the myriad tabs you've got open in every single session—these groups can be moved and closed and saved all together, so you could set up different groups for different research projects, for example, or for different tasks in the browser (maybe one for work-related browsing and another for shopping).

The easiest way to get started with tab groups in Chrome is to right click on a tab header and pick Add tab to new group from the pop-up menu. Give your tab a name and color, and if you then right-click on other tab headers, you'll be able to add them to the group (or create a new one). Right-click on the headers of grouped tabs to access further options.

User profiles are a hugely powerful Chrome capability that more people should know about: It lets you split your browsing into work and personal categories, for example, (and separate Google accounts, if needed). It means that logins, browsing history, and all the other data that gets stored in Chrome don't all get lumped together in one place.

So, you could use your work profile for the day, and then switch to your personal profile at night—making it easier to access your Netflix login and Amazon shopping history, for example. To get started with profiles, click your current profile avatar (in the top right corner, next to the three dots), then choose Add Chrome profile from the menu.

If you're prepared to invest some time and effort into your Chrome hacking, give the Tampermonkey extension a look (it's actually available for several browsers, not just Chrome). The tool lets you inject your own custom code to modify the websites you're looking at, so you can alter the appearance or even the functionality of pages.

You could remove distractions from a page, for example, add your own keyboard shortcuts for navigation, or insert new buttons for sharing links on social media. We don't have the space for a full tutorial here, but if you head to the Tampermonkey website you'll find a wealth of help to get you started, plus some links to user script repositories on the web.

There are plenty of powerful web apps you can get at through Chrome—Slack, Gmail, Spotify—and Google's browser lets you set these up as if they were desktop apps in Windows or macOS. You can get a shortcut straight to the app on the Windows taskbar or macOS dock, and when you launch it, it appears in its own distinct desktop window.

With the web app open in Chrome, click the three dots (top right), then choose Cast, save and share > Install page as app. You'll then be asked to give your new app a name, and click Install to confirm. The app launches right away, and you can then organize it into your Windows or macOS system as you want (by pinning it to the taskbar, for example).

Chrome comes with a built-in Safety Check that runs an audit on passwords, security updates, third-party extensions, and more. You can find the Safety Check screen by clicking the three dots to the top right of any tab, then choosing Settings > Privacy and security: As well as running the check, you can follow the recommended actions.

Google Chrome can handle more than webpages: It's also able to open up PDF documents, and image, video, and audio files saved in common formats (like MP3 or MOV). Just drag a file into an empty tab to open it, or associate the file type with Chrome in Windows or macOS (which means it'll automatically open in the browser when you double-click on it).

Chrome isn't the most advanced PDF editor or video player you're ever going to see, but it's a quick and easy way of opening up local files without having to launch an entirely separate program each time. You could use this alongside the Split View feature, for example, to watch a video stored on your system while making notes in Google Docs.

Have you ever wanted to browse the internet, but the thought of typing a URL into your address bar seemed just too exhausting? Now, Google's here to help. Today, the company announced a big expansion of its existing Gemini in Chrome feature, with the highlights including a new look for the AI companion, more-integrated image editing tools, and, perhaps most impressive (but also creepy), the launch of Auto Browse, which lets Gemini take the wheel when you're going online.

Previously, Gemini in Chrome appeared in a small box on top of your browser, which made it a bit inconvenient to use, especially when bouncing between tabs. Google's update moves it to a scrollable side panel view that's a bit bigger, and it won't obscure any of your other content. Instead, it'll sit to the right of the webpage your viewing, so you can more easily compare whatever answers Gemini gives you with what you're seeing, or carry on a conversation while bouncing between multiple tabs. It will retain all the same functionality as before, including the ability to reference multiple open tabs in prompts. It's a small change, but should help for usability.

Google's Nano Banana image generation AI is having a bit of a moment, and the new Gemini in Chrome updates make it easier to use. Now, instead of having to download an image and re-upload it to Gemini, you can edit it using Nano Banana with a simple right click. Or, you could also use natural language to start an edit by pulling up the image you want to edit on your screen and telling Gemini to edit it in the side panel. Google says this should work with pretty much any image you can pull up on the browser.

During a demo, Google showed this off to journalists using a Google Photos library, but there's nothing saying you have to stick to your own images. That immediately set off alarm bells for me, given Elon Musk's X is currently in hot water after opening up the ability for anyone to use Grok to edit other people's images directly on the social media platform and without their permission. After some users started using that tool to generate explicit content from others' photos, it was pared down a bit, but Google doesn't seem worried. When I asked about safety protections for this feature, a Google spokesperson told me the following:

"We have clear policies that prohibit the use of our AI tools to generate sexually explicit content, and our tools are continually getting better at reflecting these policies. We've invested in safety from the outset and added technical guardrails to help limit problematic outputs such as violent, offensive, or sexually explicit content."

The company didn't say anything about how users might use Nano Banana in Chrome to circumvent copyright, but technically, the new update doesn't really add new features to Google's AI image generator, it just makes it easier to access. Granted, the same thing applied to Grok's recent update, too, and easier access can mean opening the floodgates, even if you have the best of intentions.

Finally, the big one: "Agentic" has been the hot buzzword in AI as of late, and Google doesn't want Chrome to be left behind. So now, instead of just answering questions, Gemini can take control of your browser for you.

The functionality is currently limited to Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers, but starting today, those subscribers can ask Chrome to "Auto Browse"—completing research, taking you to different websites, and filling out forms for you.

You can watch as the AI navigates around the web, or you can click away to a different tab while it works in the background. Multiple tabs can Auto Browse at the same time, so you can have a few tasks going on at once. The AI will list out the steps it takes in the side panel while it navigates around, to make checking in on it easier.

Google demonstrated this to journalists by showing the AI finding a specific product, navigating to its store page, singing into the buyer's account (using Google Password Manager), and adding it to their cart. The company also suggested you could use Auto Browse to schedule appointments, fill out an online form using information from an uploaded PDF, collect tax documents, compare apartments listed on sites like Redfin, and more. I haven't been able to go hands-on with it yet, so I can't speak to how well it'll perform any of these tasks, although it did look snappy in the controlled demo.

My concern with Auto Browse mostly lies in sketchy websites and permissions, although Google told me it's planned for those. Auto Browse needs to get permission before it can access your Google Password Manager, and if it stumbles across a link that the AI thinks doesn't look quite right, it will supposedly use Chrome's existing unsafe browsing protections to navigate away. A Google spokesperson told me its "as secure as you can make it," although I'd probably want to keep an eye on it for at least my first few requests.

The feature also has one limitation for now—while it can be open in multiple tabs at once, your Auto Browse tabs won't be able to communicate with one another. That means each instance of Auto Browse is isolated, but that could change in the future.

Personally, I don't see myself using this much, especially for sensitive tasks like "collecting tax documents," but automatically filling out a basic form does sound handy. Google said that Auto Browse will stop and ask for you to take over for sensitive steps in any tasks that might require it, like actually buying an item or submitting a form. It won't (or isn't supposed to) take that final step for you, giving you a chance to check its work. In that way, it's similar to the Gemini app's existing shopping features.

Gemini in Chrome can use most of Gemini's existing features, allowing it to connect with apps like Gmail or access your history chatting with the bot. But there is one big one that's planned for the "coming months."

Recently, the Gemini app proper rolled out a beta for "Personal Intelligence" to paying users, allowing the AI to view all of your past conversations and connected apps without you having to direct it where to look. It's basically an extension of those existing connected apps and history features, with a reasoning model applied over it. For instance, you could tell it to help you find new tires for your car, and it would automatically know to look through your Gmail and Google Photos to find out what model of car you have and the last time you bought tires.

That feature is still baking, but that it's even in the works means Google is moving fast on bringing parity between all the different ways you can access Gemini. Every other feature mentioned in this article is either already available, or rolling out now.

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The 2026 Winter Olympics will kick off in Milano Cortina, Italy, beginning on Friday, Feb. 6. With more than 3,200 hours of winter sports coverage spread across broadcast, cable, and digital streaming platforms, finding what you want to watch can feel like a full-time job. So here's where and when you can watch the Olympics.

Watching the Olympics is a deeply personal experience. Some love the technical precision of a perfect luge run; others dig the emotional narrative of an underdog’s journey to the podium; and some just want to catch the meme of the week as it happens. Because everyone's "perfect Olympics" is unique, I’ve also put together a viewing guide designed for the way you might want to experience the 2026 Games.

NBCUniversal has the exclusive rights to show the Olympics in the U.S. this year, and the network is practically going all-Olympics from the opening ceremony on Feb. 6 to the closing on Feb. 22. If you're watching the Olympics in the old-school "turn on the TV" way, the 2026 Winter Olympics are on broadcast channel NBC and cable channels CNBC and USA Network. If you're streaming the games, you'll be doing it from Peacock.

During primetime, NBC is showing Primetime in Milan, three hours of curated Olympics coverage, nightly, beginning at 8 p.m. ET/PT, except Super Bowl Sunday, when Primetime in Milan will start at 10:45 p.m. ET.

In the daytime, NBC will be broadcasting five hours of coverage daily focusing mainly on more popular Winter Olympics coverage like snowboarding, skiing, figure skating, and hockey. Daytime Olympics programming will begin at 7 a.m. ET most days, and continue through the early afternoon, depending on the daily lineup.

NBC is also airing a nightly wrap-up of each day's events after the local news; the Olympics' opening ceremony on Friday, Feb. 6, at 2 p.m. ET; live coverage of the closing ceremonies at 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 22, with an encore showing at 9 p.m.; and 4K Olympics coverage on Super Bowl Sunday, beginning at 7 a.m. ET.

NBC-owned cable networks USA Network and CNBC will also feature Olympics content during the games.

• USA Network: USA Network will be devoted to Olympics coverage nearly 24/7 during the games, showing a mix of live events and encore showings of past events. Because of the six-hour time difference from Italy to the U.S., USA Network will show live Olympic events nightly beginning around 2 a.m. ET, and feature continuing coverage through the early afternoon.

• CNBC: CNBC is devoted to curling (really). The cable network plans to broadcast a nightly "Best of Curling" show on weeknights at 5 p.m. ET, with long form coverage on weekends.

If you are planning to stream the Olympics, you'll be doing it on Peacock, NBC's streaming platform. Peacock will stream every single session of all 116 medal events live, as well as offering full-event replays of every event available on-demand.

"I want to be part of the conversation, but I don't need to watch biathlon at 4 a.m."

If you want high production values, dramatic stories of inspiring athletes, and exciting contests curated by sports broadcasting pros, the mainstream coverage is for you. Don't miss the opening ceremonies on Feb. 6, at 2 p.m. ET, and catch as much of NBC's primetime coverage as you have time for. It's bound to be packed with crowd-pleasing events, give you lots of background on different athletes, and Olympics breaking news, but without a lot of obscure or boring sports.

Pro tip: Subscribe to the Two Guys, Five Rings podcast; Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang's Olympics coverage is bound to be hilarious.

"I'm only here for the luge."

If you religiously follow a single sport in the Olympics, be it hockey or snowboarding, and you really don't care about, say, inspirational ice-dancer stories, your best bet is Peacock's Sports Hub, where you can watch every qualifying heat and every medal contest of only the sport you like, either live or on-demand.

Pro tip: Coordinate your calendar with NBC's interactive schedule to make sure you know when everything is happening.

"Half the fun of the Olympics is dishing about it."

If the Olympics is better as a shared experience, watch NBC.com's broadcast coverage in one window, and check out the social media feeds of NBC's "Creator Collective," where TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube influencers like Kylie Kelce, Anna Sitar, and Jordan Howlett will be watching along.

Pro tip: Don't sleep on Reddit communities r/olympics and r/WinterOlympics2026.

"I'm irrationally passionate about a sport I'd never heard of before today."

If you love to discover strange new sports, the Winter Olympics are going to be fun. Skip the mainstream coverage on NBC and browse through Peacock's Sports Hub catalog for sports you've never heard of.

Pro tip: Don't miss the debut of Ski Mountaineering ("SkiMo"), the only brand-new sport at the 2026 Games. It’s a grueling hybrid where athletes who hate ski lifts for some reason hike up steep mountains before carving down high-speed technical descents.

"I absolutely cannot get enough Olympics and I want to watch as much as is humanly possible."

If you have a lot of time on your hands and want to see literally everything, you'll need Peacock, and to get familiar with its "Discovery Multiview" feature, which lets you watch up to four sporting events at the same time.

Pro tip: Go to the NBC Olympics Full Schedule and use the "My Stuff" feature to build a personalized calendar before the games start to plan your epic Olympic binge.

"I want to feel the snow in my face without leaving my house."

If you want the highest resolution, most immersive Olympic experience possible without traveling to Italy, do not miss 4K All-Day on NBC and Peacock on Sunday, Feb. 8 for 17 hours of 4K HDR coverage of both the Olympics and the Super Bowl. And download the Peacock app for your Meta Quest 3 or 3S headset to watch the Olympics in augmented reality, or check out the "spatial cinema" broadcast of the Olympics on your Apple Vision Pro.

Pro tip: NBC is rolling out a new streaming feature called Rinkside Live for Olympic hockey and figure skating. It lets viewers choose from multiple curated feeds of "immersive, never-before-seen views."