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Google adds more AI in shopping

Now available in the US, shoppers on Googleā€™s app or on mobile can rate items and search for clothing based on an AI-generated image.

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Now, shoppers using Googleā€™s mobile website or apps can refine their searches with tools designed to help them narrow down exactly what kind of jacket or other item theyā€™re looking for. The Style Recommendations feature is rolling out now for signed-in shoppers in the US, and it lets users rate items in their searchesĀ so it can pick up on their preferences, kind of like Tinder or Netflix ratings but with shirts.

After theyā€™ve found clothes they like, shoppers can specify the brands they like, which will instantly bring up more apparel from those selections.Ā 

GIF of the Style Recommendations featureGIF of the Style Recommendations feature
Googleā€™s new shopping feature lets people swipe on their favorite styles.
Image: Google

Google previously tested AI tools that help people find more of the items they like. In November, users on the companyā€™s Search Generative Experience tested out an image generation feature that puts together jackets and other clothing based on prompts. People can then find similar items based on the AI image. The company also tested a virtual try-on so shoppers can see how dresses from brands look on them. Both features are now live on Google Shopping.Ā 

Google joins other e-commerce platforms in bringing generative AI tools to shopping. Amazonā€™s shopping assistant, Rufus, answers customer queries about products. While the chatbot began making up jokes about Jeff Bezos, Amazon rolled it out to select users. The company also offers AI-powered sizing recommendations.

However, AI-powered shopping features are still new and can lead to questionable items. The Vergeā€™s Mia Sato said the AI shopping experience proved confusing and yielded clothes that werenā€™t prototyped to fit other humans.Ā 

Correction, March 27th, 1:47 PM ET: An earlier version of this story claimed Google is adding more AI in shopping. In fact, the new style recommendations and refining search do not use generative AI technology like the image generation and features that were previously added, and the headline and text now reflect this. We regret the error.

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Qualcomm quietly demos Baldurā€™s Gate 3 and Control on Snapdragon X Elite laptops

Qualcomm has apparently been showing influencers how well its Snapdragon X Elite can game, using Control, Baldurā€™s Gate 3, and a few other games.

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If you read my scoop last week, I bet youā€™ve been wondering ā€” how well could a Snapdragon chip actually run Windows games? At the 2024 Game Developers Conference, the company claimed Arm could run those titles at close to x86/64 speed, but how fast is fast?

With medium-weight games like Control and Baldurā€™s Gate 3, it looks like the target might be: 30 frames per second at 1080p screen resolution, medium settings, possibly with AMDā€™s FSR 1.0 spatial upscaling enabled.

Thatā€™s what Qualcomm has apparently been showing influencers, according to numerous videos from YouTubers, TikTokers, and ā€œSnapdragon Insiders,ā€ many of which were uploaded over the past week after they flew down to Qualcommā€™s San Diego headquarters for the companyā€™s ā€œeXperience Day.ā€

While some of the videos feel a little promotional ā€” one influencer talks about how heā€™s seeing ā€œElden Ring playing really nicely at about 30 frames per secondā€ while actually showing Baldurā€™s Gate 3 running at a mere 21-24fps ā€” itā€™s admittedly pretty neat to see games like these running on Windows on Arm at all.

Enobong Etteh, aka BooredAtWork, has the video with the most uninterrupted gameplay footage; he apparently got to try Control, Baldurā€™s Gate 3, and Redout 2 at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this February. In early scenes from Control that donā€™t demand as much horsepower, weā€™re seeing frame rates that dip as low as 26fps in a firefight or between 30fps and 40fps just running around.

Todayā€™s gaming handhelds can do better than that, but this is an early demo.

Another video from JuanBagnell shows frame rates of 25 to 30fps in Baldurā€™s Gate 3 in the gameā€™s very first fight, which takes place in a completely enclosed area, not the open world; BG3 also infamously demands a lot more of a computerā€™s CPU in the final third of the game, so calling the game ā€œplayableā€ might be a bit of a stretch.

BooredAtWork also suggests later in his video that Baldurā€™s Gate 3 may be playable on the laptop with AMDā€™s FSR 1.0 toggled to its ā€œPerformanceā€ setting, which lets games render at a much lower render resolution than 1080p and try to make up the difference with upscaling.

Hereā€™s a third video:

Itā€™s worth remembering weā€™re looking at these games running on a Qualcomm reference design laptop, not final hardware, and we donā€™t know how much (or little) optimization these games have had. They might perform better!

We may also now have a hint at battery life, too: JuanBagnell says Qualcomm told him the entire laptop is ā€œrated to operate at around 20-24 watts.ā€ If thatā€™s true, and you theoretically put that in a thin laptop with a typical 49.5 watt-hour battery (like the Qualcomm-powered Lenovo ThinkPad X13s), you can roughly divide 49.5 by 24 to get just over two hours of battery. Thatā€™d be on par with todayā€™s Windows gaming handhelds, but not better.

BooredAtWork says Qualcomm told him these laptops already support 250 PC games and should have 500 by launch.

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Updates to Google Maps and Search make it easier to plan your next outing

Google is introducing new translation features and AI-powered trip itineraries in Search and lists of curated recommendations in Maps.

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Google is introducing a handful of updates that aim to take some of the stress out of planning trips and outings, from new translation features and AI-powered trip itineraries in Search to curated recommendations in Maps.

Starting this week in over 40 cities across the US and Canada, Google Maps will now show users lists of recommendations for places to eat and visit. Googleā€™s algorithmically generated recommendations include a weekly updated ā€œTrendingā€ list of places that have seen a recent spike in popularity, a ā€œTopā€ list of historically popular locations, and a ā€œGemsā€ list of places that are, well, hidden gems worth visiting. The app will also surface recommendation lists from Lonely Planet, The New York Times, The Infatuation, and OpenTable.

A GIF showing the new translation capabilities for Googleā€™s Circle to Search feature.A GIF showing the new translation capabilities for Googleā€™s Circle to Search feature.
If youā€™re stuck for ideas or spoiled for choice, the new Google Maps recommended lists can suggest places worth visiting.
Image: Google

A new generative AI feature is also being tested in Search that will provide a sample itinerary when users ask for trip ideas. This itinerary includes helpful information like options for flights and hotels, alongside suggestions for local attractions and places to eat. Google says itā€™ll also pull in additional information about recommended locations ā€” such as business information, reviews, and photos ā€” and that the itineraries can be exported to Gmail, Docs, or Maps. This feature is, for now, only available to users who enroll in Googleā€™s free Search Generative Experience.

A GIF showing Google Mapsā€™ new itinerary feature.A GIF showing Google Mapsā€™ new itinerary feature.
The new AI itinerary feature in Search can quickly throw together some ideas for how to spend your next vacation.
Image: Google

Google is also updating the Circle to Search feature it introduced in January with new translation capabilities. This will allow users to translate whatever is on their screen ā€” such as an online menu or local events page ā€” by long-pressing the home button or navigation bar and tapping the translate icon.

A GIF showing the new translation capabilities for Googleā€™s Circle to Search feature.A GIF showing the new translation capabilities for Googleā€™s Circle to Search feature.
Circle to Search will soon let you instantly translate whateverā€™s on your screen and avoid jumping between apps.
Image: Google

Circle to Search, which is currently available on the Pixel 7 Plus and Samsung Galaxy S24 series, is rolling out to more Android devices this week, with the translation feature rolling out ā€œin the coming weeks,ā€ according to Google.

Correction March 27th, 1:00PM ET: Clarified that Trending, Top, and Gems lists are curated by Google Maps, and arenā€™t informed by the lists publishers create.

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