Eliana Willis

Score a Microsoft Office license now at a big discount. StackSocial Whether you’re setting up your new laptop or using a machine you’ve had for years, access to Microsoft Office is a necessity for many of us to get things done. Right now, you can buy a lifetime license to the 2019 version of Microsoft Office Professional […] More

Vladyslav Varshavskiy/Getty Images I always like finding new ways to apply artificial intelligence (AI) tools to my day-to-day productivity tasks. Last year, I showed how I used generative AI to rescue some bad audio and otherwise tweak a short how-to video. I used Photoshop’s Generative Fill, Adobe Podcast, and what was then a new background […] More

Eugene Mymrin/Getty Images Welcome to ZDNET’s Innovation Index, which identifies the most innovative developments in tech from the past week and ranks the top four, based on votes from our panel of editors and experts. Our mission is to help you identify the trends that will have the biggest impact on the future. Topping the Index […] More

alexsl/Getty Images Singapore made a slew of cybersecurity announcements this week, including guidelines on securing artificial intelligence (AI) systems, a safety label for medical devices, and new legislation that prohibits deepfakes in elections advertising content. Its new Guidelines and Companion Guide of Securing AI Systems aim to push a secure by-design approach, so organizations can mitigate potential […] More

Maria Diaz/ZDNETIf you are a ChatGPT superuser, downloading the app on your desktop can make interacting with the chatbot and incorporating it into your everyday workflow much more seamless. However, the app has been limited to MacOS users — until now. Also: I’m a ChatGPT power user – and this new feature instantly made me more productiveOn Thursday, OpenAI announced via an X post that Windows users can now start testing an early version of the Windows desktop app. However, this option will only be available to ChatGPT Plus, Enterprise, and Edu users.This means that individual users interested in downloading the Windows app will have to subscribe to ChatGPT Plus, OpenAI’s ChatGPT premium subscription model, for $20 per month. Other perks of the subscription include access to all of the latest OpenAI models, including o1-preview, 5x greater messages for GPT-4o, Advanced Voice Mode, and more. The two major perks of the ChatGPT desktop app are that it is more easily accessible (you can use the Alt + Space shortcut) and it is aware of your screen, making it easier to get assistance on what you are working on with fewer explanations and more context. To download the app, you must visit the ChatGPT website and click on “Test an early version of the Windows app.” If you don’t want to pay for ChatGPT Plus, you could wait as OpenAI shared it plans to launch the “full experience to all ChatGPT users later this year.”Also: Google’s stunning AI podcast tool gets new features that make it even betterIt is common OpenAI practice to first roll out features to ChatGPT Plus users and then all users, and it even did so with its MacOS app rollout initially. All MacOS users can download the app following the same steps above but clicking on download for MacOS instead. When reviewing the MacOS app, ZDNET’s Maria Diaz found that one of the most helpful features was the ease of access with the keyboard shortcut. If you are a Windows user waiting for the free rollout, a cost-effective alternative in the meantime could be to keep the ChatGPT website bookmarked on your browser. Artificial Intelligence More

Jason Hiner/ZDNETApple announced four new iPhones (among other things) at the “It’s Glowtime” event last month. Designed from the ground up for Apple Intelligence — Apple’s bespoke AI, set to roll out via iOS 18.1 on Oct. 28 — the series ranges from the base model to the most souped-up. The four models are the iPhone 16, the iPhone 16 Plus, the iPhone 16 Pro, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Also: The iPad Mini 7 is almost perfect – except for one critical missing featureThere’s a deluge of new features on both the hardware and the software side, so we don’t blame you if you’re struggling to break it all down. But which features will have the most impact on iPhone enthusiasts? What are the truly novel features of the 16 Pro? Let’s cut through the noise and look at what we’ve got. 1. 5x zoom comes to the Pro When Apple first released the iPhone 15 series, it only gave the 5x tetraprism zoom lens to the Max Pro. This time around, both the 16 Pro and the 16 Pro Max are getting the high-end zoom capability. This choice means the camera is essentially the same on the 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max, leaving other features to differentiate the two models. 2. Camera control  More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways A very transportable power station now $399 on Amazon Decent 512Wh capacity and 600W output (1,200W surge) Designed to fit into an (included) backpack built to carry heavy loads –> Power stations are all the rage and finding their way into homes, RVs, cars, trucks, and even tents. They are the […] More