Amazon Echo Show 21 <!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Echo Show 21 is a $400 smart display from Amazon. more buying choices A great smart display is a sight to behold, but it doesn’t need to be huge to be outstanding. I love the idea of a great display for smart home control and everyday […] More
bgwalker/Getty Images Extension cords are generally a safe solution for running power to electronics that are too far from the nearest wall outlet. But the operative word here is “electronics,” which is not as all-encompassing as some people might think. Also: Bye bye, Wi-Fi: How to add a wired network to your home without running […] More
ZDNETMany organizations are either delaying or pulling the plug on generative AI due to concerns about its ethics and safety. This is prompting calls to move AI out of technology departments and involve more non-technical business stakeholders in AI design and management.Also: The most popular AI tools of 2024 (and what that even means)More than half (56%) of businesses are delaying major investments in generative AI until there is clarity on AI standards and regulations, according to a recent survey from the IBM Institute for Business Value. At least 72% say they are willing to forgo generative AI benefits due to ethical concerns.More challenging than technology issuesMany of the technical issues associated with artificial intelligence have been resolved, but the hard work surrounding AI ethics is now coming to the forefront. This is proving even more challenging than addressing technology issues.The challenge for development teams at this stage is “to recognize that creating ethical AI is not strictly a technical problem but a socio-technical problem,” said Phaedra Boinodiris, global leader for trustworthy AI at IBM Consulting, in a recent podcast. This means extending AI oversight beyond IT and data management teams across organizations.Also: 15 surprising ways I used AI to save me weeks of work in 2024To build responsibly curated AI models, “you need a team composed of more than just data scientists,” Boinodiris said. “For decades, we’ve been communicating that those who don’t have traditional domain expertise don’t belong in the room. That’s a huge misstep.”AI teams should ask themselves these questionsIt’s also notable that well-curated AI models “are also more accurate models,” she added. To achieve this, “the team designing the model should be multidisciplinary rather than siloed.” The ideal AI team should include “linguistics and philosophy experts, parents, young people, everyday people with different life experiences from different socio-economic backgrounds,” she urged. “The wider the variety, the better.” Team members are needed to weigh in on the following types of questions:”Is this AI solving the problem we need it to?””Is this even the right data according to domain experts?””What are the unintended effects of AI?””How can we mitigate those effects?” More
Frank Günther/Getty Images Windows 10 is about to fade into the sunset, leaving many users uncertain about what to do. This is especially true for those with computers that don’t support Windows 11. If that’s you, there are options, one of which is Linux. Linux is powerful, secure, stable, and user-friendly. In fact, I’d go […] More
Kerry Wan/ZDNETAnytime you create a new email account using Google, you get 15GB of storage, which is generous for coming with no price tag. But that 15GB can fill up quickly, especially because that chunk of data storage includes any videos and pictures you download to Google Drive and Google Photos. If your inbox is overflowing with unread newsletters and spammy emails that made it past your filter, you can take action to preserve all your important missives while starting afresh with a new inbox.Also: Gemini’s latest AI feature could be the future of web browsingThere is always the option of manually cleaning out your Gmail inbox or downloading a bunch of material to your local drive. What a pain though, right? And, chances are you’ll only eliminate so much junk before those gigabytes start stacking up again.I should note that Google offers a way to pay for more storage by upgrading to a Google One account. The “Basic” plan costs $24 per year for 100GB. The free solution, however, lies in taking a few steps to back up your essential files and reset your data capacity.1. Back up your files, at least temporarilyIf you’re going through this process, you’re likely serious about retaining emails that could span years. So, as an added safety measure, it’s a good practice to back up your emails on your computer or an external hard drive before transferring them back into the cloud.Also: After I learned this easy email trick, the clutter vanished from my inboxTo do this, go to Google Takeout and select “Google Photos” and/or “Drive” as the products you wish to export, then follow the prompts. (Once you’ve completed the transfer, you can delete and free up your hard disk drive (HDD) for other uses.) Be aware that this process can take a while, depending on your quantity of emails and number of gigabytes. To give you an idea, CNET’s Jason Chun used Google Takeout with a test Gmail account that held about 75,000 emails, and this wholesale download took around two hours to complete.2. Prepare to transfer your Gmails to a new email accountNow that you’ve saved a copy of your emails, it’s time to transfer them. To do this:Log into your original Gmail account and click the gear icon in the top right corner. Then click “See all settings.”Select the Forwarding POP/IMAP tab. Then select the option “Enable POP for all mail.” (POP stands for Post Office Protocol).You’ll have several options under “When messages are accessed with POP.” Select delete Gmail’s copy to automatically delete the emails from your original account after the transfer.Select “Save changes.”3. Create a second (archive) account and transfer your messagesAt this point, you can create your new account and transfer all your messages there: To create a new inbox-zero Gmail account, go here. This new one will serve as your archive account. Log into your new archive account, click the gear icon in the top right, and select “See all settings.” Select the Accounts and Import tab at the top. Then select “Add a mail account” next to “Check mail from other accounts.”In the pop-up window, enter the name of your original Gmail account, then select “Next.” Select “Import emails from my other account (POP3),” and then select “Next” again. 6. Enter the password of your original Gmail account.Also: The best email hosting services of 2024: Expert testedNote that you might also need to whip up a temporary Google app password to sync the accounts. So, if your original Gmail account password doesn’t work at this step, visit https://myaccount.google.com/apppasswords to create a temporary 16-digit passcode.Simply create a name for the password, such as “Email Transfer,” then hit “Create.” A pop-up window with your new 16-digit passcode will display. Here, you should jot it down or take a screenshot until you can discard this password. Google will only show it to you once! 7. Once you’ve synced your accounts, find Port and select “995.” 8. Next, you’ll want to check three boxes: 9. Finally, select “Add account.” More
Nina Raemont/ZDNETIn a year brimming with technological advancements, from Apple’s first-ever mixed reality headset to the modern-day space race that is artificial intelligence, one particular niche of products saw its mainstream aspirations realized: smart rings.According to IDC, global ring sales were estimated at 880,000 units in 2023. This year, the market research firm is forecasting a rise to 1.7 million units, with an even larger spike of 3.2 million units in 2025. As consumers continue to find ways to dial into their health and well-being, the burdenless form factors of smart rings are slowly but surely chipping away market share from fitness trackers, bands, and smartwatches. The uptick in new smart rings at CES 2024 was our first indication.Also: We’ve entered the era of the smart ring. Here’s why it will shake up the wearables marketWhile the smart ring category was validated by the arrival of its first major tech vendor with Samsung’s Galaxy Ring — as well as by exciting new entrants such as Ultrahuman, and the Movano Evie — the Oura Ring 4 More
ZDNETYou may have used generative AI to create text, images, and even videos. But have you ever called on it to conjure up your own music? A few different text-to-music tools can act as virtual composers, but one worth trying is Suno. Available on the web, through dedicated iPhone and Android apps, and via a Microsoft Copilot plug-in, Suno will write and play music based on your input.You can describe the topic and style of the music you want, opt to include lyrics and vocals, keep your song as an instrumental, or add your own lyrics as inspiration. In response, Suno delivers two songs based on your request. You can then play the songs, download them, and share them with other people. Suno uses its own AI models to create the music and then turns to ChatGPT to create the song’s title and lyrics.Also: 15 surprising ways I used AI to save me weeks of work this yearSuno offers three types of plans. With the free Basic plan, you get 50 credits per day. Generating a single song uses up 10 credits, so you can create as many as five songs each day. If you need more, upgrading to the Pro plan for $10 per month grants you 2,500 credits each month, while the Premier plan at $30 per month gives you 10,000 credits each month.Now, here’s how Suno works.How to use Suno to generate music More
Chris Bayer/ZDNETBefore making any purchase — of anything — it helps to do some research. But nothing can beat the hands-on experience of using a product before you buy it. I recently had the luxury of doing this at home, testing the Eureka E10s More
