Eliana Willis

Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNETI never found a helpful use case for the Action Button on my iPhone 16 Pro, so when I saw the option to map ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice, the chatbot’s voice assistant, to the Action Button, I figured it was worth a try. A month after programming the Action Button to summon ChatGPT, I reach for it daily. As someone who never used ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice before, I didn’t expect to use the tool nearly as much as I do. However, holding down the button has made using Advanced Voice as easy as accessing Siri, while being much more helpful.Also: Could your job be at risk due to AI? Do this before it’s too lateThe biggest perk of using ChatGPT’s tool is that it can understand your prompts in natural language, meaning you can speak to the AI as you would a friend. Because Advanced Voice supports multi-turn conversations, you can keep the conversation going as long as you’d like without losing prior context. The tool can also access the internet, and has on-screen and camera awareness, making its assistance multi-modal. To give you some ideas on how you can use Advanced Voice in your everyday life, I looked through my chat history to see how I have been using the tool lately. Here are some of my repeated use cases.  More

Perplexity makes it easy to research just about anything. Jack Wallen/ZDNETPerplexity is an AI answer engine that provides real-time answers to the questions you ask. It’s very much like Copilot, Aria, or any other AI tool; it’s geared specifically toward learning and less toward generative content. In other words, Perplexity is like having a set of dictionaries on your desktop with an unlimited amount of information to be found. According to the Perplexity website, “If you want to learn about nuclear fission and you have a PhD in math, it can be explained. If you want to learn about nuclear fission and you are in middle school, it can be explained. Perplexity is a tool that you use, not an AI you talk to.”Also: I tried Perplexity’s assistant, and only one thing stops it from being my default phone AIThat difference is important. Unlike your standard AI chatbots, Perplxity is geared toward research, education, and keeping you informed. You can ask Perpexity to tell you what’s in the news today or define string theory. You could ask Perplexity the score of last night’s game or the conversion formula from Celsius to Fahrenheit.I’ve been using Perplexity to summarize the latest news and help me research certain aspects of my latest sci-fi novel. It works quite well for these purposes.If you use MacOS or Windows, you’ll find .dmg and .exe files, respectively, on the Perpexity download page. If, on the other hand, you use Linux, the only option is an AppImage. Although AppImages work well on Linux, they can be problematic for some users because, by themselves, they don’t make it possible to integrate the app with your desktop menu. More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The LG S95TR soundbar with wireless subwoofer is optimized for the company’s OLED TVs with immersive audio features. The LGS95TR may be expensive, but the high-quality audio is easily worth the price. The soundbar has many features, but some of the best ones require a newer LG TV model. more buying […] More

CFOTO/Contributor/Getty Images A new player has made a big entrance in the AI villa, and it’s creating significant disruption.  Chinese AI startup DeepSeek made waves last week when it released the full version of R1, the company’s open-source reasoning model that can outperform OpenAI’s o1. On Monday, App Store downloads of DeepSeek’s AI assistant topped ChatGPT, […] More

Maria Diaz/ZDNETWhat’s the deal?The Aqara U100 smart lock More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The new Ecovacs Deebot N30 Omni is available for $799 This mid-range robot vacuum and mop features auto-emptying, mop washing and drying, and strong suction, which we were able to confirm during testing The downside is that the Deebot N30 Omni doesn’t boast the best obstacle avoidance capabilities, which significantly hinders […] More

Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNETApple has kicked off iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3, and MacOS 15.3 with one significant change affecting AI. Since its debut, Apple Intelligence has required the extra step of actually turning it on or opting in. But with the new versions, Apple’s AI feature is enabled by default for eliglble devices.Enabled automatically for new and upgrading usersThe release notes for the new OS versions released on Monday state that Apple Intelligence will be enabled automatically for new and upgrading users, giving them immediate access to its AI-powered capabilities. Anyone who doesn’t want to use the AI will have to manually turn it off.Also: I bought an iPhone 16 for its AI features, but I haven’t used them even once – here’s whyEligible devices that can run Apple IntelligenceOnly eligible devices can take advantage of Apple Intelligence. These include any iPhone 16, the iPhone 15 Pro, the iPhone 15 Pro Max, any iPad Pro or iPad Air with an M1 chip or later, the iPad mini with the A17 Pro chip, and Macs with an M1 chip or later.Apple Intelligence now chews up around 7GB of storage, up from 4GB initially. Turning off the technology doesn’t automatically recover that space, at least not right away. But if you don’t plan to use the AI at all, you can certainly disable it. To do so, go to Settings, select Apple Intelligence & Siri, and then turn off the switch for Apple Intelligence. More

Apple’s AirPods are ubiquitous, and for good reason. Even the most basic pairs are easy to charge and carry, trackable, and eschew wires that can tangle and rip. While we love (and have reviewed) a host of earbud and headphone options at ZDNET (including over-ear headphones, bone-conduction headphones, and even wired earbuds), there’s a lot to be said for Apple AirPods — especially their newer models that pair seamlessly with iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks.AirPods offer iOS-specific software features and capabilities, like Spatial Audio with Dynamic Head Tracking, Adaptive Audio, and Conversation Awareness. Additionally, the AirPods Pro 2’s breakout feature, Hearing Aid Mode, is only available when the earbuds are paired with a compatible Apple device. Also: The best earbuds: Expert tested and reviewedI have personally tested every AirPods model and have strong opinions on which pairs are the best for specific use cases. I’ve also used the AirPods Pro every day since they launched in October 2019 and upgraded to the AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) at launch in 2022. What are the best AirPods right now?My pick for the best AirPods — the recently revised AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C — is based on my extensive experience using and testing the different versions of AirPods and competing earbuds from Beats, Soundcore, Samsung, Sony, and many others. But if you aren’t sold on the AirPods Pro 2, there are a few more options to consider. The best AirPods of 2025 Out of the current AirPods models, I highly recommend the AirPods Pro 2 because they fit almost every type of ear comfortably and include all of Apple’s best and latest headphone features. These are ideal for long-haul work sessions when all you want is silent time to focus or when you’re exercising and want to lock in on your favorite music. They’re the best earbuds in the lineup and an excellent choice for portable headphones with competitive noise-canceling. Most Redditors agree that the AirPods Pro 2 take the cake. One user on the r/AirPods thread said the AirPods Pro 2 are worth the money, while another called the earbuds “transcendent.”Also: I’ve used my AirPods Pro 2 since their 2022 release. Are they still worth it?The AirPods Pro 2 use silicon tips to fit into your ears (with four sizes to choose from), similar to the ones you’re probably familiar with in most earbuds you’ve used. Comparatively, the standard AirPods have hard plastic tips like the traditional Apple EarPods that used to come in the box with most iPhones — which many people found fell out of their ears easily or weren’t very comfortable to wear. The AirPods Pro 2 sport Apple’s latest H2 chip for improved sound, stable Bluetooth connections, and efficient power consumption. The Pro 2 offer the most effective noise cancellation of Apple’s earbuds, working impressively in loud environments like airplanes and city streets. These earbuds also include Adaptive Audio, which automatically adjusts the noise-canceling levels based on your environment’s noise levels. Software-wise, the Pro 2 are Apple’s most advanced earbuds. These earbuds offer Lossless Audio with ultra-low latency when paired with the Apple Vision Pro headset, and can be used as an over-the-counter hearing aid for those with mild to moderate hearing loss.If you use headphones for more than a couple hours every day, wireless headphones might be your most important device next to your smartphone and your laptop — and they can enhance the experience of using both. If you use headphones that much, spending $250 (or as low as $170 during seasonal sales) on the best and most versatile wireless earbuds Apple offers will likely be a worthy investment to raise the quality of your daily life.AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) with USB-C features: Type: In-ear | Chip: H2 | Battery life: 6 hours | Water-resistant: IP54 (dust, sweat, and water resistant)
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