Eliana Willis

Maria Diaz/ZDNETApple has settled a class action lawsuit in which tens of millions of users can expect a slice of the payout.Also: The first open-source, privacy-focused voice assistant for the home is hereOn Tuesday, the iPhone maker agreed to pay $95 million to settle a 2019 lawsuit claiming that Siri violated the privacy of Apple users by recording their conversations, as reported by Reuters.Lopez v. Apple, Inc.Known as Lopez v. Apple, Inc., the class action lawsuit was filed by three plaintiffs who alleged that Apple programmed Siri to intercept conversations even when no hot word, such as “Hey Siri,” was spoken. Further, the plaintiffs claimed that Apple violated their privacy by sharing recordings of the conversations with third-party contractors.Specifically, two of the plaintiffs said that mentioning Air Jordan sneakers and Olive Garden restaurants prompted ads for both products. The third plaintiff said he received ads for a surgical treatment after discussing it privately with his doctor.In settling the suit, Apple has denied any wrongdoing on its part. Before the plaintiffs and Apple users can receive their slice of the payout, the settlement must be approved by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White in the Oakland, Calif., federal court. More

Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNETI’m not much of an artist. When I try to draw an image on my iPhone or iPad, the result often looks like something created by a two-year-old. That’s why I like Apple’s new Image Wand. Part of the AI-powered Apple Intelligence, Image Wand will transform your rough sketches into high-quality imagesSupporting only the Apple Notes app for now, Image Wand also can use AI to modify existing images, conjure up an image from empty space, and convert text into an image. You’re even able to choose a specific style for your image: Animation, Illustration, or Sketch. To create the initial image, you can use your finger or a stylus like the Apple Pencil.Also: Apple Pencil Pro vs. Apple Pencil 2: Which model you should buy for your iPadIf you’re like me, the drawings you create may look as if if they were produced by a child. Or you can simply use a drawing done by a real kid on an iPhone or iPad. Your child might then enjoy seeing their sketches come to life.The only limitation is that you need the right type of device. That means an iPhone 16, an iPhone 15 Pro, an iPhone 15 Pro Max, any iPad model with an M1 or later chip, or an iPad mini with an A17 Pro chip. You’ll also need iOS/iPadOS 18.2.Let’s see how this works.How to use Apple’s Image Wand to create high-quality images More

Image: Apple Even though an Apple Watch Ultra 2<!–>, sometimes the Watch Series 10–>, is always mounted on one of my wrists, I haven’t spent much time with Apple Fitness Plus. After attending a briefing with Apple a couple of weeks ago, I started using Fitness Plus for cycling, walking, running, and strength training and […] More

With advanced features such as voice assistants, crash detection, call and text support, and long battery lives, modern smartwatches are far more than just an accessory. And thanks to powerful sensors and extensive app suites, they’ve become one of the most popular health and fitness trackers, too. At ZDNET, we’ve tested all of the best smartwatches on the market, testing their battery life, durability, features, and more. We also interviewed athletes, fitness experts, and medical professionals to ask what features they loved most about their smartwatches to help you get a better idea of the top health and fitness tracking features, too.Also: The best Garmin watches: Expert tested What is the best smartwatch right now? Based on our extensive hands-on testing and insights from experts, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 More

Jason Hiner/ZDNETI’ve been waiting to test the promised wide and ultra-wide screen monitor features of Apple’s VisionOS 2.2 since the Vision Pro first shipped back in February 2024. When the Release Candidate became available, I rushed to install it on my head-mounted headache generator.In this article, I’ll be exploring VisionOS’s Mac virtual display capabilities, testing the standard display, wide display, and ultrawide display variants, and comparing them to my current physical widescreen setup. This new capability could be a game-changer for the Vision Pro. Also: Just installed iOS 18.2? I’d change these 4 iPhone settings for the best experienceI have no real idea how I’m going to demonstrate this to you. VisionOS is limited when it comes to screenshots and video captures, and trying to demonstrate an ultra-wide screen monitor in a tiny little screenshot window seems like a fool’s errand. So you’ll have to let me paint a picture of this experience primarily through words. The few screenshots I’m going to show you, as usual for the Vision Pro, don’t do justice to the experience. And with that, let’s dig in. Table stakes I decided to treat this test like a monitor review. I am a bit of a monster about my monitors because they are so key to my productivity. The configuration of my current “main machine” is a 38-inch LG 38WR85QC-W More

CNET/ZDNETLive TV streaming services were designed to disrupt the cable monopoly. And for a while, it looked like the plan was working.Cable companies, no longer blessed with monopoly power, are losing millions of customers every year. But the cord-cutting alternatives that were supposed to save us have been raising prices steadily, and today the price of a live TV streaming service is nearly as high as one of those old cable bills.Also: Bye bye, Wi-Fi: How to add a wired network to your home without running EthernetTake YouTube TV, for example. At its launch in 2017, Google’s live TV streaming service cost a mere $35 a month. Since then, Google has raised prices every year. By the time I signed up in early 2020, the price had crept up to $50 a month. The latest price increase, which takes effect in January 2025, will raise the cost of the base plan to $83, plus an extra $10 for the 4K add-on. For the base plan alone, that’s a 66% increase in five years.That price increase got me asking questions:Am I really getting my money’s worth out of that $90-plus subscription?Are any competitors offering a better deal?What happens if I decide to just cut out my live TV streaming service altogether?The competitionFor customers in the US, there are currently six live TV streaming services to choose from. Each one works using an app on a streaming device or smart TV platform. Subscribers choose a plan that offers some combination of basic and premium cable channels, local broadcast channels, and regional sports networks, along with DVR capabilities so you can pause live TV and record shows to watch later.ZDNET has already done the work of assembling the available choices. I reviewed each one of those services three years ago and decided to take a fresh look in 2025 to see what’s changed.Also: Want to avoid the YouTube TV price hike? This trick worked for me (eventually)Four of those services offer strikingly similar lineups at prices that are nearly identical: between $82 and $87 a month, before add-ons. The other two are noticeably cheaper, so that’s where I started, working from least to most expensive.PhiloYou get what you pay forAt a mere $28 a month for 70+ channels, this service seems like a genuine bargain. You also get access to the AMC+ library and another 100+ free ad-supported channels. (You can see the whole lineup in Philo’s channel guide.)Also: I invested $50 in Bitcoin in 2022, and it’s been a ride. Here’s how much I have nowIf you just want something to watch, Philo has plenty to offer, but its offering is too lean for me. It keeps costs low by not paying to carry the most expensive cable channels, so you won’t find The Weather Channel, for example, or any of the three big US-based cable news networks: CNN, MSNBC, or Fox News. (The only news is via BBC World News.) Philo also doesn’t include any local channels or regional sports networks, which means no weekend sports.Philo More

June Wan/ZDNETHow often does a simple tweak of your phone settings deliver a glimpse of the future?OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft all are launching AI-powered voice assistants; OpenAI’s iteration — Advanced Voice — boasts one major advantage: understanding your surroundings.  Also: The best AI chatbots: ChatGPT, Copilot, and notable alternativesEarly last year, ChatGPT’s Voice Mode was upgraded with video, screen share, and image uploads; last month, OpenAI brought that enhanced experience to Plus and Pro users. For the $20 per month, users can take advantage of video and on-screen awareness, which helps the assistant understand their surroundings and use that context to provide more informed and relevant answers. The assistant also has access to the internet, allowing users to fulfill nearly all of their voice assistant needs with one tool. Despite the latest iPhone’s Siri having access to ChatGPT to some capacity for answers that ChatGPT can better assist, there is no native iOS integration for accessing the Advance Voice experience. However, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 users can tweak their Action Button to activate Advance Voice Mode when clicked, creating an experience almost as seamless as that of using Siri. As AI expert Ethan Mollick, professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, shared in an X post, this quick adjustment can give users a glimpse at the future of voice assistants.If you have an iPhone and want to get a sense of the future of AI as an assistant, you can map your action button to Advanced Voice on ChatGPTThe addition of video (it can “see” what your camera sees) & internet search (it can look up website info) make it suddenly very useful pic.twitter.com/1tM13oXDFx— Ethan Mollick (@emollick) January 2, 2025

The best part: Setup is easy. Here are some quick instructions. How to access ChatGPT’s voice assistant right from your iPhone’s Action ButtonBefore you even get started, there are a few things you’ll want to make sure you have, including an iPhone with the Action Button, which includes the iPhone 15 Pro and the entire iPhone 16 lineup. Also: How to use Gemini Live on Android as your AI voice assistant – for freeYou will also need a ChatGPT Plus, Pro, or Teams subscription to access the video feature and to have unlimited access to advanced voice audio. Free users only have access to a monthly preview to try Advanced Voice. For most users, the ChatGPT Plus $20 per month subscription will suffice, although there is the Pro subscription, at $200 per month, for mega users. Once you have that out of the way, here’s how to get started:  More

Samsung If you’re seeking smart tech for someone who’s not tech savvy, buying your kid their first smartphone, or simply trying to save some money with a no-frills device, you’ll want to pay attention to two new Samsung offerings.  Samsung is bringing two popular budget devices – a smartphone and a fitness tracker – to […] More