Eliana Willis

The Swippitt phone charger took this year’s CES by storm, but isn’t one of my picks. Kerry Wan/ZDNETWhile this year’s CES felt more bustling than ever, you didn’t need to physically be in Vegas to know just how much vaporware flooded the show floor. At this point, it’s almost an expectation for the flashiest, most promising products at the show to be ones that will either never go on sale or cease to exist in a matter of years — when companies, small and large, shift their focuses to the next big industry buzzword. Also: CES 2025: ZDNET’s 25 products that impressed us the mostBut of all the product unveilings and announcements that took place, five products, in particular, caught my eye and made me verbally exclaim, “Take my money!”. Here are my top picks for the things I saw at CES that I’d actually spend my hard-earned money on.1. Mcon MagSafe phone controller More

ZDNETGenerative AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot can be powerful. Even though generative AI is a fairly new technology, a powerful limitation on its use dates back to the 1950s or earlier: GIGO. GIGO means “garbage in, garbage out.” If you ask AIs the wrong questions or don’t ask them correctly, you’re pretty much guaranteed to get nonhelpful answers.Also: 7 ways to write better ChatGPT prompts – and get the results you want fasterIn this article, I’m going to show you what I consider the five biggest mistakes, but I’m only one source. So, in addition to my own answers, I took this question to the “people” who should know best about this particular topic, the AIs.I’ve asked ChatGPT, Copilot, Grok, Gemini and Meta AI the same question: “What are the five biggest mistakes people make when prompting an AI?”To make sure my thoughts weren’t influenced by those of the AIs, I started out with a list of what are, in my opinion, people’s five biggest mistakes and had already written my detailed descriptions before prompting the AIs for their opinions. The results (and especially the common themes) are very interesting. Here’s a table that aggregates all our answers. More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETFor the past few years, Nothing has been synonymous with mid-range Android phones that offer an aesthetic no other phone manufacturer can match. The Nothing phones are unique devices, beloved by fans.The company recently announced that the Nothing Phone 3 will be its first true flagship phone, and that should have fans champing at the bit to get their hands on the next iteration.Also: This hidden Pixel camera feature makes your photos more vibrant – how to enable itThe Nothing Phone 3 was originally set to be released in 2024, but Nothing CEO Carl Pei pushed the release to Q1 2025. On X, @evleaks shared a leaked internal email from Pei confirming the Nothing Phone 3 release. According to the leaked email, the device will introduce “breakthrough innovations in user interface, taking our first step toward our AI-powered platform.” Although the leak does not confirm the phone’s specs, according to Phone Arena, some of the rumored specs include:Camera – Sony’s latest LYTIA sensor with a 2X zoomStorage – 128 GB, 256GB, and 512GB.Design – transparent back with Glyph lightsDisplay – 6.7-inch LTPO AMOLED with a 120 Hz refresh rate, a peak brightness of 1600 nits, and HDR10+ supportBattery – 5,000 mAh or 4,880 mAhCPU – Snapdragon 8 Gen 3The above are only rumored specs, but if Pei plans to release this as a flagship device, the official specs better come close. More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways HP’s Envy x360 2-in-1 16-inch (2024) comes in a variety of configurations, but the version with 1TB of storage and an OLED display is on sale for $949. It sports one of the most gorgeous displays I’ve seen on a convertible laptop in this price range. It’s a little on the […] More

SOPA Images / Contributor / Getty Images The high volume of job applications makes it challenging for recruiters to find the talent they need and for people to get hired. LinkedIn is adding a new feature that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to make the recruitment process more seamless, helping both parties connect efficiently.  Also: These […] More

ZDNETFacebook, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp have been a huge part of our lives for what feels like forever. But that appears to be changing for some. Whether it’s to get more IRL time back or because of recent controversies, more and more users are looking for the exits. Also: ‘How to quit Facebook?’ searches spike after Meta’s fact-checking banIf you’re ready to finally say goodbye to all-things Meta, I’ll walk you through the quickest and easiest ways to delete your Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp accounts. It’s not hard at all and can be done in a matter of minutes. I’ve detailed the steps for both iPhone and Android users, though you can do most of it from a computer if that’s your preference.How to delete FacebookWhat you’ll need: To delete your Facebook account, you can use the Facebook app on your phone or do it from a computer. These instructions are for the iPhone and Android mobile apps, but the process is similar to a computer browser. More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The TCL QM8 (2024) features rich colors and searing brightness. It has enhanced audio over 2023’s model, while still being easy to set up and navigate. I wish the viewing angles weren’t somewhat limited, and you’ll want to wait for a deal to buy one. more buying choices What’s the deal? […] More