This week at CES, Google presented an early look at new software and hardware upgrades coming to Google TV devices. The new features include the integration of Gemini, Google's AI model, to the Google Assistant, as well as a new ambient experience. New smart TVs with Google TV will also gain far-field mics and proximity sensors to support the new software perks. If you've used a Google TV or Google streaming device, you may have already used the "hey Google" prompt to search for shows to watch. With the addition of Gemini, those "conversations" should now feel more natural.

If you're like most people you haven't really used one since the early 2000s. Dig into the settings on your computer, though, and you'll find them. Apple included a bunch of new screensavers in recent releases, offering 4K videos of cityscapes and nature. They're stunning, but I bet most Mac owners don't realize they're even there. Microsoft, for their part, isn't putting a lot of effort into new screensavers--the ones available in Windows 11 have been there since Windows Vista, which came out in 2007.

This is what I messaged you about!

On a good day, Android TV, Google's Android OS for TVs, allows users to display photos from their Google Photos albums as screensavers. Over the weekend, a disturbed Android TV owner took to Twitter when he realized, through the Google Home app, he could access a massive list of random accounts, as well as photos they'd added to their Google Photos albums. If someone were to click on "linked accounts" while setting your Google Photos screensaver, the Google Home bug apparently showed a giant, scrolling list of users. From there, the bug allowed limited access to users' personal images in Google Photos, which could then be displayed as Ambient Mode screensavers. That is, someone could have theoretically displayed your photos as screensavers on their Android TV without you knowing it.

Roku's streaming boxes, streaming sticks, and smart TVs have a reputation for being easy to use, but that doesn't mean every useful feature is obvious from the start. Dig a little deeper, and you'll find plenty of tricks and hidden features that make the experience even better. Installing all your favorite music and video apps can be a pain when you're setting up a Roku for the first time. Instead of thumbing around with the remote, use the Roku Channel Store website to install lots of apps quickly. Just log into your account, search for the apps you want, then choose "Add channel."