Google is adding some new features to Maps just in time for the holidays, including the ability to search for specific products right within the app. For example, if you need a sweater for your annual ugly sweater party, new clothes or some last-minute gifts, you can type the item into Maps’ search bar to bring up nearby stores where you can find what you need. From the results that pop up, you can select one of the options and then see directions. Google says you can search for a variety of items from Maps, such as electronics, household goods and even groceries.
The company has updated Maps to let you report and view delays affecting your transit lines, as well as show more details like alternate transit routes and subway station entrances. Maps will also show reports of weather-related disruptions like unplowed or flooded roads and areas with low visibility. In addition, Google is adding the ability to enter your vehicle’s dimensions to its built-in Maps app to show routes that don’t have bridges or tunnels you can’t cross. However, for now, these routes are only available on the 2024 Chevy Tahoe, Chevy Suburban, and GMC Yukon. The company says it will expand the feature’s capability to more vehicle models in the future.
If you’re driving an EV and looking at routes with charging stops on your phone, you can now send the route you planned to your car with built-in Google Maps. Finally, if you want to avoid congestion while out and about, you can check Maps’ popular times information to see traffic trends at specific times.
The ASUS Zenbook A14 feels impossibly light, weighing between 2.2 and 2.4 pounds, and has a gorgeous 14-inch OLED screen and a nice array of ports (USB-C, USB-A and HDMI)! What more could you want in a MacBook Air competitor? After years of copying Apple’s MacBooks, ASUS has proven it can outperform Apple without resorting to gimmicks like dual screens or bright lights.
The Zenbook A14 is a compact little laptop that feels great in your hands, thanks to ASUS’ unique CeraAluminum case material. ASUS claims it can last up to 32 hours when playing video, which is far more than the 18 hours Apple claims for the MacBook Air. It might seem strange that the least bright laptop at CES 2025 is one of our favorites, but sometimes pure practicality can’t be denied.
We’re always on the lookout for brand new, never-before-seen stuff at CES, but sometimes it’s the clever reinterpretations of existing technology that catch our attention. Such is the case with the Backup by Biolite. It’s essentially a cross between a universal power supply (UPS) and a whole-house backup battery, but improves upon both.