Eliana Willis

Prompt: Red panda in the wild holding a lime t-sign that reads “ZDNET” Generated via Recraft by Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNETIt’s been a while since a new text-to-image generator shook up the generative AI space. However, the mysterious Red Panda generator has done just that, climbing up Artificial Analysis’s Text-to-Image Arena leaderboards and beating out leading models. Now, the identity has been revealed. Also: The best AI image generators: Tested and reviewedOn Wednesday, Recraft launched its newest model, Recraft V3, the same model that appeared as Red Panda in the Arena. The leaderboard results show that the model can generate high-quality images with impressive details, quality, and prompt fidelity. However, according to Recraft, its standout is its text generation capabilities.  More

Need Microsoft Office, but don’t want to pay a yearly subscription to Office 365? Consider this deal on the latest Office Home & Business 2024 suite for Mac or PC from Stack Social for $160 (reg. $250) — that’s 36% off. The suite includes lifetime access to Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote. Office 2024 features several improvements over the 2021 version, including AI integration, better performance and speed (particularly in Excel), more advanced content creation tools, and an improved user interface and accessibility features. One caveat: While Stack Social is an authorized Microsoft partner and offers “lifetime” access to Office, it is possible that Microsoft could end the license. But the site has been running these Microsoft deals for years, and I can personally vouch for them — I purchased an Office license from Stack Social about two years ago, and it’s still working on my personal MacBook today. This deal won’t give you the benefits of the latest Microsoft Office 365 subscription, either — but you won’t have to pay a $70 yearly fee to access Office apps, either. Windows users must have their OS updated to Windows 10 or 11, while Mac users should have at least MacOS Ventura or newer to download the software. You’ll need to redeem your code within 7 days of purchase to access your license.Get Microsoft Office Home & Business 2024 for Windows or Mac with this deal today. More

It may still be fall, but early Black Friday sales and holiday savings are already hitting retailers, both online and in-store. The month of November is a great time to snag seasonal savings on top tech products, including popular Apple watches. And although Apple products don’t frequently see savings, Black Friday, Cyber Monday and other holiday sales will be a great chance to save between 10-20% on select devices. Last year, we saw the first major price cuts on the Apple Watch SE and Series 9 for the holiday season, and this year, we may even see larger savings on the newest Watch Series 10. Also: The best Apple Watches: Expert tested We’ve rounded up all the best early Black Friday Apple Watch deals you can shop now, including on some of the most popular models. Our favorite early Apple Watch deals for Black Friday 2024Apple Watch Series 10 More

The holiday shopping season will be here before we know it, and you may already be looking to find the best deals on gifts and gadgets that won’t empty your wallet. If you want to stick to a strict budget this year, don’t worry — you can find some very useful tech products and other gadgets for under $25 that make great gifts, even before the Black Friday shopping weekend begins.Also: Black Friday 2024: Everything you need to knowWe scoured retailers across the internet to find the best early Black Friday deals under $25 so you can start saving on your shopping list right now.Our favorite early Black Friday deals under $25TP-Link Wi-Fi Extender More

Jack Wallen/ZDNETZDNET’s key takeawaysThe Ridge Bolt Pen More

Maria Diaz/ZDNETZDNET’s key takeawaysThe Winbot W2 Omni More

Jada Jones/ZDNETZDNET’s key takeawaysThe Edifier QR65 desktop speakers More