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What features you get with Google AI Pro and AI Ultra

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At I/O 2025, Google One AI Premium (and Gemini Advanced) became “Google AI Pro,” while a higher, more expensive tier was introduced with “Google AI Ultra.”

Google AI Pro 

AI Pro is simply a rebrand that drops the explicit “Google One” connection, while being a bit snappier and shorter than “AI Premium.” In the US, it remains available for $19.99 per month.

Gemini app 

In the Gemini app, you get “expanded” versus “limited” (on the free tier) access to: 

  • 2.5 Flash and 2.5 Pro (preview)
  • Deep Research
  • Audio Overviews
  • Spreadsheet and code analysis

There’s also the 1 million token context window, which is equivalent to 1,500 pages of text or 30,000 lines of code. In comparison, free users get a 32K context window (“around 50 pages of text”).

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Officially, you get access to Veo 2 video generation, though Google is now providing trial (10-pack) access to Veo 3

Gemini in Google Workspace 

The Gemini side panel and other inline features are available in: Gmail, Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet, and Chat. 

You also get access to Google Vids. This AI-powered video creation app lets you create, write, produce, edit, collaborate, and share videos. It’s catered towards more presentation-style videos in school or business contexts, but there are personal use cases. Specific capabilities include adding:

  • Stock images
  • GIFs
  • Video clips
  • Stickers
  • Music
  • Sound effects
  • Self recording
  • Screen record with narration
  • Screen record with video recording
  • Voiceover through the Vids recording studio

Gemini in Chrome

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NotebookLM

The paid tier for Google’s research tool was previously called NotebookLM Plus. Like in the Gemini app, you now see a “Pro” badge next to your profile image in the top-right corner. Google AI Pro provides:

  • 5x more Audio Overviews: 20 per day (versus 3 on free)
  • Have up to 500 notebooks (vs. 100)
  • Add 300 sources per notebook (vs. 50)
  • Start 500 chat queries per day (vs. 50)
  • Sharing “Chat-only” notebook
  • Advanced chat settings: Preferred response style, like Guide, Analyst, or custom
  • Notebook analytics

2 TB of Google One storage 

This can be used for Gmail, Drive, and Photos. The standalone storage cost is $9.99 per month. 

Whisk Animate

This Google Labs experiment was announced in December of 2024 where images of a subject, scene, and style are used as prompts. The Whisk Animate feature uses Veo 2 to turn images into short videos. You can generate up to 100 videos per month.

Flow 

At I/O 2025, Google announced Flow as an AI filmmaking suite for video creation and editing. It offers features like: Text to video, Ingredients to video, and Frames to video.

1,000 AI Credits per month 

With this new plan, Google has introduced the concept of AI Credits that apply to Whisk and Flow. Refer to the following table:

The AI Credit costs below are per generation, not per request. Some product features will create multiple generations per request. For example, in Flow, a single request may generate 2 videos.]


Google AI Ultra 

AI Ultra is currently available in 70+ countries. It costs $249.99 per month in the US.

Whisk + Flow + 12,500 AI Credits per month

Google has already increased the number of Veo 3 generations to 125 per month.

Additionally, Google AI Ultra subscribers can “top-up AI Credits” at the following rates. They are valid for 12 months:

Top-up amount (USD) AI Credits
$25 2,500
$50 5,000
$200 20,000

Gemini app

At I/O 2025, Google announced the Gemini 2.5 Pro Deep Think mode. This advanced reasoning model will be available in the “coming weeks” following additional safety checks.

Agent Mode takes advantage of Project Mariner to “manage complex, multi-step tasks from start to finish with minimal oversight from you.” It will “soon” be available on desktop.

Additionally, you get the “Highest access” to Gemini 2.5 Flash, 2.5 Pro, Deep Research, and Audio Overviews. There’s also access to Veo 3 with the limit refreshing daily.

NotebookLM

“Later in 2025,” Google is teasing the “highest limits and best model capabilities” in NotebookLM with AI Ultra. 

30 TB of Storage 

This otherwise costs $149.99 per month.

YouTube Premium 

The Individual plan costs $13.99 per month.

Project Mariner

This research prototype for browser agents lets you perform 10 tasks simultaneously. Example use cases include research, shopping, and booking travel. 

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Boston Red Sox prospect (local kid) dominating, feels ‘extra’ motivation

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Shea Sprague grew up in a home where the small kitchen TV was tuned into the Red Sox game every evening. Chris Sale was the left-hander’s favorite pitcher.

The 22-year-old prospect — who hails from Hanover and graduated from BC High — is now not only pitching for the organization he grew up watching every day. He’s also pitching well. Really well.

“It’s unreal,” Sprague said by phone Monday. “It’s a dream come true. And I think it’s a little extra motivating for me every day waking up and getting to put on the Red Sox logo and keep trying to get better so I can get to Fenway. Can’t ask for anything more. It’s awesome.”

Boston selected the 6-foot-3, 215-pounder in the 13th round out of UNC last July.

His first two outings this season for the Low-A Salem Red Sox didn’t go well. He allowed nine earned runs in 5 ⅔ innings. Since then, he has given up only four runs in 24 ⅔ innings (1.46 ERA) over five outings. He has allowed just 17 hits and six walks while striking out 28. Opponents are batting .163 against him this month.

He had 17 swings-and-misses in 5 innings against Fredericksburg on April 29 and 14 in 4 ⅔ innings against Fayetteville on May 11.

“I think I just settled in, started going after guys,” Sprague said. “Kind of went through a similar preseason, early-season struggle last year at UNC, trying to be too cute. But I just started going at guys and trusting my stuff. So that’s probably been the biggest change. Nothing major.”

Sprague throws his fastball with a four-seam grip but he added, “I just call it a fastball.”

“It is a four-seam fastball but it’s kind of more like a sinker in shape,” he explained. “It’s got some run to it.”

Sprague — who throws from a three-quarters arm slot — also throws a changeup, slider and sweeper.

His changeup has been his best pitch since high school and it induces swing-and-miss.

“It’s got pretty good depth and good change of speed,” Sprague said. “And then obviously throwing it for so many years you just develop a lot of feel for it and confidence to throw it in any count. So I think that’s the biggest thing with me. I have a lot of confidence in it and good feel for it.”

He learned his changeup from former BC High teammate, Sean O’Connell. The two buddies also played together at Elon University before Sprague transferred to UNC.

“He taught me when I was a sophomore in high school,” Sprague said.

The Red Sox introduced a gyro slider to Sprague when he reported to Fort Myers after he signed following the draft.

“Trying to throw that a lot and it’s come along nicely,” he said. “And then just trying to get opportunities to throw the sweeper in-game more to get more feel for it and obviously develop more confidence in it, which will be big against lefties.”

He used to call his sweeper “a slider” in college.

“If you look at the movement profile of it, it’s always been a sweeper,” Sprague said. “Just like a bigger shape to it. With the Red Sox, they wanted me to develop a gyro slider, which is just a smaller shape and a little bit harder. So that one has really been where I’ve been putting a lot of my focus on — just developing that.”

The two pitches complement each other, giving hitters two different breaking ball looks.

“The gyro works to both lefties and righties just to get ahead or to put guys out and then you lean on the sweeper more against lefties as a put-out pitch because the shape’s a little bigger,” he said. “It’s kind of harder to land at least for me at this point. They both serve their purposes but sweeper is a bigger swing-and-miss pitch. And then the slider is a good utility pitch to have to both (lefties and righties).”

He said the gyro slider is listed as one of his player development goals and he called it “one of his biggest priorities.” A lot of time and effort has been put into it.

Sprague had reverse splits in college and it’s continued in pro ball. The lefty has been more effective against right-handed hitters than left-handed hitters. As he said, the sweeper is important against left-handed hitters.

“Not that I’m having a hard time but having a harder time compared to righties, getting them out,” Sprague said. “But continuing to develop that slider and then as we go and we get comfortable with that, moving on and developing a sweeper that should neutralize that and those numbers will probably even out.”

Another player development goal is adding velocity. His fastball velo has been in the 89-92 mph range recently. He hopes to get in the 92-94 mph range or 93-95 mph range within the next year.

“The Red Sox stress to us just the importance of velocity,” he said.

He’s doing Plyo ball drills to increase velocity.

“Obviously I think a lot of velocity comes from physical development, so just getting bigger, stronger, faster,“ he said. ”And just throwing more intent more often. Workload and all that stuff. So they have it down to a science and they’re good about it. It just comes with time, keep working hard and keep throwing hard.”



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Opera’s new browser can code websites and games for you

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Opera on Tuesday revealed a new browser, called Opera Neon, that will focus on AI workflows and performing tasks on your behalf, like shopping, filling out forms, and coding.

The browser is currently behind a waitlist, but the company said users would have to subscribe to use it once it releases. Pricing details were not disclosed.

Notably, Opera Neon browser features three new buttons on its sidebar: Chat, Do, and Make. Chat presents a chatbot interface with which you can search the web, get answers to your queries, and ask for more information about webpages you’re browsing.

Do uses the company’s Browser Operator AI agent, which was announced in March. This AI agent is supposedly capable of performing tasks like filling forms or handling your trip bookings locally in the browser.

The Make option is also notable, as Opera says it can create games, websites, snippets of code, reports and more with text prompts. The company said the AI workflows that enable this feature are performed through a virtual machine in the cloud, so Neon will work on tasks by itself even if you go offline, and users can run multiple tasks at the same time.

All this sounds great on paper, but such AI apps often don’t perform as well as they’re said to. Plus, Opera is not the only company working on AI agents for browsers: The Browser Company teased an AI-powered browser last December that aims to have agents do stuff for you, and Google is working on projects that will return search results and even perform tasks using AI agents.



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Remembering teacher and elder Marian Scott, one of the remaining Arapaho speakers


Revered teacher and culture keeper Marian Scott passed away this spring. She’s one of fewer than 100 fluent speakers of the Arapaho language and will be missed on Wyoming’s Wind River Reservation.





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Anthropic brings web search to free Claude users

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Anthropic is continuing to trickle down features to its free users. The latest one to make the leap out of subscriber-only mode is web search, which the company to its AI chatbot Claude in March. According to Anthropic, connecting Claude to the web allows it to deliver more accurate responses based on the most up-to-date information available online. This feature is available to all Claude users starting today.

In addition, Anthropic has begun beta tests for voice mode on its mobile apps. This option lets users interact with Claude in natural conversations in an expansion of the platform’s existing dictation tools. There will be five voice options available to assign to Claude, and the AI assistant can provide full transcripts and voice mode summaries after a conversation.

May has been a busy month for Anthropic, which just launched last week. Opus 4 is a powerful coding-focused system that can use multiple tools in parallel and can run for several hours at a time, while Sonnet 4 is a hybrid reasoning model designed to move between quick queries and more complex ones. The current beta testing of voice mode will default to Sonnet 4.



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The Yaber T2 might need to be your next everything projector

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Yaber’s T2 is a versatile smart projector that makes an excellent argument for portable units. Right now, the Yaber T2, and the special Keith Haring edition are 33% off on Amazon, making for an excellent option!

The Yaber T2 really is a do-it-all option for almost every user. The projector has a built-in battery that runs for around 2.5 hours. That gives it plenty of life for a movie or a game night with friends. With that portability, the Yaber T2 can be set up anywhere, whether outside or in the living room. It can even be packed for a camping trip, provided you have a portable screen or sheet to project to.

Internally, the Yaber T2 has an LED engine that can display up to 1080p. At that rating, it’s plenty bright enough to watch anything, even dark movies or shows in the right environment. With that brightness and Full HD, the T2 packs a punch for how portable and easy to position it is.

Another big feature is the addition of automatic focus and keystone correction. Because the T2 is going to be carried around, it needs to be able to quickly set itself up. Automatic focus will get the clearest image in a matter of seconds, and automatic keystone correction means your image will be squared up no matter the surface you’re projecting on. This feature is generally reserved for high-end options, so it’s great to have on board.

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The Yaber T2 also packs a JBL sound system internally. On top of that, the T2 is certified for Dolby Audio, which comes in handy for most streaming content today.

Normally, the Yaber T2 sits at around $349. Right now, the Yaber T2 is down to $227 at Amazon with code GOOGLET25. That’s a massive steal for such a good projector option. For those who want something a little more artistic, the Keith Haring edition is down to $265 on Amazon, down from $379 with code T2KHGOOGLE.

Neither of these deals will last long, and they’re a great way to get a do-it-all projector for yourself or a friend at an excellent price.

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‘Polyfamily’ episode 5, where to watch for free tonight

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The others voice concerns after Alysia attempts to reconnect with her father in a new episode of “Polyfamily” airing on Tuesday, May 27.

The new episode will air at 10 p.m. ET on TLC. Those without cable can watch the show for free through Philo or DirecTV Stream each offering a free trial to new users. Sling is another option for streaming the show, and promotional offers are available.

“Polyfamily” follows two married couples who date each other’s spouses. They are redefining what it means to be a family as they raise five kids under one roof, according to TLC. Jealousy, paternity battles and a new love interest will test the strength of this family in this new series.

In episode 5, “Alysia’s attempt to reconnect with her unsupportive father has the quad voicing concerns about his past behaviour. Sean accidentally crosses a boundary with Alysia by revealing intimate details about his relationship with Taya.”

Below is a look at the new series from TLC’s YouTube Channel:

How can I watch “Polyfamily” without cable?

Those without cable can watch the show for free through Philo or DirecTV Stream each offering a free trial to new users. Sling is another option for streaming the show, and promotional offers are available.

What is Philo?

Philo is an over-the-top internet live TV streaming service that offers 70+ entertainment and lifestyle channels, like AMC, BET, MTV, Comedy Central and more, for the budget-friendly price of $28/month.

What is DirecTV Stream?

The streaming platform offers a plethora of content, including streaming the best of live and on-demand, starting with more than 75 live TV channels.

What is Sling?

Sling TV is the first app-based TV service letting you stream live television and on-demand content over the internet. With Sling TV, you get to choose the television option that’s right for you, including Channel Add-ons, Premium Add-ons, DVR Plus and more.



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Anthropic launches a voice mode for Claude

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Anthropic has begun to roll out a “voice mode” for its Claude chatbot apps.

The voice mode (in beta for now) allows Claude mobile app users to have “complete spoken conversations with Claude,” and will arrive in English over the next few weeks, according to Anthropic’s official account on X and updated documentation on the company’s website.

At least one user on X reports having gained access to voice mode late Tuesday. By default, it’s powered by Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet 4 model.

“Voice mode … enables you to speak to Claude and hear responses through voice, making it easier to use Claude when your hands are busy but your mind isn’t,” reads a support page. “Voice mode transforms how you interact with Claude by … displaying key points on-screen as Claude speaks [and] allowing you to speak to Claude and hear Claude’s voice responses.”

A number of AI companies, including OpenAI, offer voice chat experiences for their respective chatbots. Google, for example, has Gemini Live, while xAI has Voice Mode for Grok. Each lets users interact with bots by speaking instead of typing, making conversations feel more natural and intuitive.

With Anthropic’s flavor of voice mode, users can chat about things like documents and images, and choose from five distinct voice options. Users can also switch between text and voice on the fly, and see a transcript and summary following conversations.

The capability has certain limits. Voice conversations count toward regular usage caps — Anthropic says that 20-30 conversations is what most free users can expect. Moreover, only paid Claude subscribers can take advantage of a Google Workspace connector that allows voice mode to access Google Calendar appointments and Gmail emails (Google Docs integration is exclusive to Claude Enterprise plans).

Anthropic CPO Mike Krieger confirmed the company was working on voice capabilities for Claude in an interview with the Financial Times in early March. According to the report, Anthropic was holding talks with Amazon, the company’s major investor and partner, and voice-focused AI startup ElevenLabs, to possibly drive future voice features for Claude.

It’s unclear which of those partnerships, if any, came to fruition.





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Susan Brownmiller, author of ‘Against Our Will,’ dies at 90 : NPR


Susan Brownmiller poses with her book in New York, Oct. 18, 1975. The book, “Against Our Will - Men, Women and Rape” is a prodigious analysis of the history and meaning of rape and has been hailed as the most important feminist treatise since “Sexual Politics” and "The Female Eunuch".

Susan Brownmiller poses with her book in New York, Oct. 18, 1975.

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Susan Brownmiller, author of the landmark book Against Our Will: Men, Women and Rape, has died at the age of 90. Her death was confirmed by historian Claire Bond Potter, who is writing a biography of Brownmiller.

In 1975, Against Our Will was a groundbreaking text that explored the history of rape and helped debunk the long-held view that victims were partly to blame.

Against Our Will became a bestseller because it was “the first book about sexual assault written for a general audience,” Potter wrote in an email to NPR. “The book asked all of its readers to think broadly about sexual assault as not just as a crime, or even the outcome of patriarchal power, but rather a mechanism for enforcing male dominance through pervasive fear.”

Brownmiller spent four years researching and writing Against Our Will, often digging deep into library archives. She explored mass rape during wartime, bias against female victims among police and juries, and the persistent cultural attitudes toward rape such as the “she-was-asking-for-it” myth.

“From prehistoric times to the present, I believe, rape has played a critical function,” Brownmiller wrote. “It is nothing more or less than a conscious process of intimidation by which all men keep all women in a state of fear.”

Against Our Will has been translated into numerous languages and was named one of The New York Public Library’s Books of the Century. Brownmiller was one of Time magazine‘s Women of the Year for 1975. Though applauded by feminists at the time, the book received pushback from Black Civil Rights activists for the way in which Brownmiller wrote about the role of race in rape history.

Against Our Will‘s most controversial chapter was “A Question of Race.” While noting that the data was likely flawed, Brownmiller cited FBI statistics that claimed rapes were committed by Black men at rates that were much higher than their percentage of the population. In a section about Emmett Till, the teenager who was brutally murdered for whistling at a white woman, Brownmiller writes that Till’s whistle “was no small tweet of hubba-hubba or melodious approval for a well-turned ankle… it was a deliberate insult just short of physical assault, a last reminder to Carolyn Bryant that this black boy, Till, had in mind to possess her.”

Brownmiller’s arguments, wrote human rights activist Angela Davis, were “pervaded with racist ideas.”

In her book Women, Race and Class Davis wrote, “While Brownmiller deplores the sadistic punishment inflicted on Emmett Till, the Black youth emerges, nonetheless, as a guilty sexist — almost as guilty as his white racist murderers.” Davis continued, “After all, she argues, both Till and his murderers were exclusively concerned about their rights of possession over women.”

Feminists also took Brownmiller to task later in life, when she seemed to suggest in an interview with The Cut that young women who drank alcohol or wore provocative clothing were in part responsible if they were raped.

“And my feeling about young women trapped in sex situations that they don’t want is: ‘Didn’t you see the warning signs? Who do you expect to do your fighting for you?’ It is a little late, after you are both undressed, to say ‘I don’t want this,'” she told journalist Katie Van Syckle in 2015.

Learning about the Holocaust led to her ‘chosen path’

Brownmiller was born in Brooklyn in 1935 to working class, Jewish parents. She pursued a career as an actor before turning to writing full-time, working for such publications as Newsweek and the Village Voice. As an activist, she cofounded New York Radical Feminists and belonged to the group Women Against Pornography.

Her other books include a biography of Shirley Chisholm for children, Femininity, and In Our Time: Memoir of a Revolution.

Brownmiller once wrote that her “chosen path — to fight against physical harm, specifically the terror of violence against women — had its origins in what I had learned in Hebrew School about the pogroms and the Holocaust.”

In 2013, Brownmiller wrote a new preface for an edition of Against Our Will. She applauded “some amazing developments in the effort to combat sexual assault that could not have been anticipated several decades ago.”

She took pride that the attention she and her book received played a role “in the groundbreaking effort to reverse the traditional wisdom on assaultive acts against women and children.”

Jennifer Vanasco edited this story.



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Marshall’s latest Bluetooth speaker can play for two days straight

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The perfect Bluetooth speaker for park hangs is here. Marshall upgraded its portable speaker lineup with the Kilburn III, which notably has an impressive playtime of at least 50 hours. Not only does it double the battery life of Marshall’s previous model, the Kilburn III will far outlast the competition, like the Beats Pill or the Bang & Olufsen A1 and their 24-hour playback limits.

Marshall’s third iteration of the Kilburn comes roughly seven years after the Kilburn II was introduced. Beyond the massive jump in battery life, the company improved the water and dust resistance to IP54, meaning it can handle some dirt and splashes of water. Marshall preserved the signature guitar amp look of the Bluetooth speaker, while also keeping the tactile control knobs that make adjusting volume, bass and treble much easier.

The control panel of the Marshall Kilburn III portable Bluetooth speaker.The control panel of the Marshall Kilburn III portable Bluetooth speaker.

Marshall

You’ll still get Marshall’s True Stereophonic sound that makes the music sound the same no matter where you’re sitting or standing. Even if you crank the speaker to 10, Marshall promises that the bass, mids and trebles will remain balanced. The Kilburn III weighs 6.7 lbs for an easier time bringing to get-togethers and can even charge your phone.

The Kilburn III’s upgrades are going to cost you, though, since it retails for $379.99 now. Marshall kept the black and brass colorway that comes with a velvet-lined carrying strap, but added a cream colorway for the refresh. The Kilburn III is currently available on Marshall’s website, but will arrive at its retail partners on June 10.



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