<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Eufy Clean E20 3-in-1 robot vacuum and handheld vacuum combination costs $600 but is $400 with an Amazon Big Spring Deal. The Eufy E20 performed very well in suction testing; it offers up to 8,000Pa of suction power and thorough edge cleaning; the robot vacuum’s dustbin doubles as a handheld […] More
Mike Hill/Getty Images It’s nice to know I’m not the only one who can blow a deadline. Linux Torvalds confessed that he’d love to have had “some good excuse for why I didn’t do the 6.14 release yesterday on my regular Sunday afternoon release schedule. … But no. It’s just pure incompetence. Because absolutely nothing […] More
Kerry Wan/ZDNETI love March Madness, at least when my team is invited to the Big Dance. I even enjoy watching other teams play their hearts out like everything is on the line — because it is. While NCAA basketball continues to be broadcast in standard HD, the games can look clear, bright, and beautiful on most modern TVs. Part of that appeal, though, is owed to your TV’s motion-smoothing capabilities. Also: Why I recommend this Hisense model over the Samsung Frame TV – even if it wasn’t $1,000 cheaperFor many people, motion smoothing is only appropriate for gaming and watching live sports; enthusiasts typically prefer turning off the feature to watch anything else because it can detract from the filmmaker’s original intent, making on-screen images seem artificial or hyper-realistic. This is what’s called the “soap opera effect.” It’s a perfectly descriptive metaphor that probably requires no explanation. You can see it all too well: the cinematic film should not look like a daytime soap; you shouldn’t feel like you’re on the set with the actors. But it is appealing to feel like you’re in the stadium watching your team with thousands of fans. The soap opera effect makes sense for live sporting event broadcasts. More
<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The RingConn Gen 2 Air is a $200 smart ring, one of the first subscription-free and affordable smart rings I’ve tested. The battery life can survive up to eight or nine days of use, and the sleep data collection rivals Oura. The AI health partner feature is lackluster, and it’s essential […] More
<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The OneOdio Studio Max 1 headphones are available now on the official site for $169.99 These headphones offer wired and wireless options for connecting to a traditional source and produce a well-blended sound If you’re looking for headphones to use with your phone, look elsewhere. –> My best friend has been […] More
Andriy Onufriyenko/Getty Images OK, we need to talk about what I believe could be one of the biggest opportunities I see for the near future, and no, it’s not AI. With AI making business opportunities so accessible and much faster, it’s like the dot com bubble on steroids. 🚀 So what’s this opportunity? It’s storytelling! […] More
Focal/ZDNETHigh-end audio company Focal has announced a new pair of headphones for hi-fi lovers who prioritize personalization, convenience, and portability and do not want to be tethered to the brand’s other wired-only options. The new Bathys MG build on the company’s first wireless headphones, the Focal Bathys from 2022, incorporating more sophisticated and premium features.Focal is best known for its artisanally crafted loudspeakers and industry-leading audio technology, and the Focal Bathys MG fit snugly into the company’s high-end catalog. Like the 2022 Bathys, the Bathys MG include features valuable for the everyday listener, such as Bluetooth connectivity and active noise cancellation (ANC).Also: Focal made wired headphones cool again for me – with impressive style and soundThe Bathys MG have Focal’s distinct custom-made speaker drivers, built in the company’s workshop in France. These full-range drivers sport a magnesium M-shaped dome that promotes balanced sound dispersion and reduced distortion for a more precise soundstage and instrument separation. The first-generation Bathys had an M-shaped dome made of magnesium and aluminum. The Bathys MG promise enhanced sound quality based on the omission of aluminum in the speakers. Aluminum is cheaper, and magnesium is better at absorbing vibrations and promoting speaker rigidity and efficiency. More
Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNETChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode was the first major AI-powered voice assistant to mimic a human conversation, addressing typical voice assistant shortcomings. The latest update makes the conversation experience even more seamless and natural. What’s new with Advanced Voice Mode?On Monday, OpenAI shared a video announcing the latest Advanced Voice Mode update, which enhances its human-like conversational capabilities, allowing it to interrupt you less when you are talking. This allows you to pause as you are thinking while speaking without the assistant assuming your train of thought is over or cutting you off. Also: How to use ChatGPT’s Voice Mode (and why you’ll want to)Although Advanced Voice Mode has had this ability since its release, sometimes it would prematurely cut you off, making it a bit more challenging to have a multi-turn conversation than if you were talking to a human. In the demo video, you can pause the speaker for extended periods of time, and ChatGPT Advanced Voice Mode actively listens until she is done with her thought. [embedded content]The AI voice assistant was also updated to have more personality, which OpenAI describes as “more engaging, direct, and concise.” With this update, it is meant to sound more “natural” and less robotic. This difference seems very subtle, ultimately coming down to a matter of preference. Trying the new Advanced Voice ModeEver since I mapped my iPhone 16 Pro’s action button to ChatGPT, I have been open about how much I rely on the AI voice assistant for everyday tasks at least once a day. As a result, when this update was announced, I was excited to try it out since I was already a fan of the pre-update version. Also: Forget the new Siri: Here’s the advanced AI I use on my iPhone insteadThe experience loaded as usual when I activated it, so I wasn’t even sure I got the update. However, when I said an initial prompt, I noticed that the AI assistant waited longer than it typically would to respond. This wasn’t done in an unnatural way but rather in a way that didn’t feel rushed. When I asked about the update, it said it has received the ability to chat more naturally. I followed up by asking exactly what that meant, and it responded, “I mean, I can respond in a way that feels more like a real conversation. I can adapt my tone, ask follow-up questions, and just generally keep things flowing more smoothly!” Also: OpenAI research suggests heavy ChatGPT use might make you feel lonelierThe adapting tone feature was particularly noteworthy, as it is usually the missing element when talking to these AI assistants — that it can’t replicate from conversations with a human. To test it out, I told it that I was both feeling down and then feeling optimistic. In the different situations, it adjusted its voice to be more gentle and understanding, and then chirpy and upbeat. More
