Eliana Willis

There’s never been a better time to upgrade your phone than right now. It doesn’t matter if you’re team Android or team iOS, 2024’s options were stacked. We tested and reviewed the latest and greatest flagships from Samsung, Google, OnePlus, and Apple to bring you the definitive list of the best devices going into 2025.While the latest iPhone or Samsung Galaxy may not look dramatically different from previous models, the real evolution is in the software. These systems are designed to keep us connected, boost productivity, and inspire creativity. And the highlight of 2024? On-device AI. Every major brand, including Apple, has made it a focal point of their latest releases, as you’ll learn more about throughout this tier list.Also: The best 5G phones: Expert testedWhat is the best smartphone right now?After extensive testing of dozens of devices, our pick for the best phone overall is the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra More

ZDNETThe OnlyOffice Desktop Editors make for an outstanding MS Office alternative. With this application, you can either work locally or connect it to a cloud instance (self-hosted or hosted by a third party) and work with documents, spreadsheets, presentations, or PDF forms. OnlyOffice Document Editors is also compatible with MS Office documents and Open Document Format files (such as those from LibreOffice).Also: How to edit a PDF file: 3 waysWith the latest release of OnlyOffice, the team has added the ability to integrate AI for queries, summaries, and translations. The feature works seamlessly, but you have to manually configure the AI model of your choice. OnlyOffice Desktop Editors support the following AI models:I want to walk you through the process of adding AI to the OnlyOffice Desktop Editors.How to add an AI model to OnlyOffice Desktop EditorsWhat you’ll need: For this, you’ll need two things: a running instance of the new version of OnlyOffice Desktop Editors (at least version 8.2.2.22, which can be installed on Linux, MacOS, and Windows), a valid account for one of the above AI models, and an API key from the AI model you’ve chosen. Also: How to use ChatGPT to write Excel formulasHow you access your API key will depend on the model you’ve chosen. For example, with Mistral, you generate an API key from the API key section on the left sidebar. With the free account of Mistral, you can create up to 10 API keys. You only need one.Let’s get this added. More

The Oura Ring is one of the most popular fitness rings on the market, offering five different finishes and various sizes. The Oura Ring 4 debuted in October and boasts some substantial hardware and software upgrades from the tried and true Oura Ring 3. Oura is still the top brand for smart rings, and you can’t go wrong with the Oura Ring 3, but if comfort is your main priority, the Oura Ring 4 is best for you. That’s because one of the most essential upgrades from generation to generation is Oura’s smart sensing technology that allows for the raised sensor domes on the Oura Ring 3 to recede on the Oura Ring 4 — and makes for a more continuous and accurate data capture. The Oura Ring 3 had eight signal pathways it used within the ring to gather data; the Oura Ring 4, on the other hand, upgraded that number to 18. Thanks to that signal pathway upgrade, there’s more data to capture throughout the day and fewer gaps within the data.You can record your workout heart rate on the app and view your activity score, inactive time, and burned calories. Then, the next day, you get a glance at your recovery scores to see how you bounced back from your intense workout. As it gets to know you, it can detect which activities you perform, whether that’s running, walking, pickleball, or tennis, without you having to log it immediately. As the smart ring market becomes more competitive, Oura has been rolling out new feature after feature to keep its top spot, like a meal logging feature, menstrual cycle insights, cardiovascular age (that helps you see how young or old your heart health is), and more. The ring is known for its exceptional sleep tracking. It provides insightful data that surpasses what you would receive from a Fitbit or the best smart rings. For instance, it displays your HRV balance, temperature changes during sleep (which can be used to predict menstrual cycles), blood oxygen levels, and the duration of each sleep stage.Also: Oura Ring 3 vs Oura Ring 4: Which is right for you? In addition to impressive sleep tracking, the Oura Ring excels in activity tracking. It monitors your steps, calories burned (including active calories), heart rate during exercise, and training volume. One feature that separates Oura from other fitness rings is its resilience feature, which measures how well you bounce back from stress.Another fun Oura feature that runners will love is the ability to sync your Strava data to Oura and vice versa. When you record a run on the running app, it will immediately import into the Oura app. This is a lifesaver as an avid runner who sometimes forgets to start recording on one app before my run. One downside to note is its tendency to get scratched and scraped. Many Reddit users say that while the Oura Ring does sleep tracking well, it comes at a hefty price that may or may not be worth it to some. Oura Ring Gen 4 specs: Sizing: 4-15 | Material: Titanium | Colors: Black, brushed silver, gold, silver, rose gold | Water resistance: Up to 328 feet | Sensors: Heart rate and heart rate variability, respiration, blood oxygen, PPG, skin temperature, 3D accelerometer for activity | Connectivity: Bluetooth Low-Energy, Airplane Mode | Battery: Up to eight days More

Though I mostly enjoy mowing my lawn, I can’t say I always look forward to it. After getting a robot mower, what used to be quiet time with my mower has turned into quality active time with my kids, and I’ll never complain about that. A robot mower functions like a robot vacuum and mop, with sensors to navigate obstacles and stay within boundaries while cutting grass and a companion app for control.Also: This futuristic portable battery kept my home running during an outage. Here’s howUnlike a robot vacuum, a robot mower uses a physical boundary, such as a buried wire along a perimeter, or a combination of GPS and LiDAR navigation aided by a satellite antenna to autonomously mow within a specified area. Because robot mowers are battery-powered, they’re also a sustainable alternative to traditional gas-powered mowers. But all these features and differences can make choosing the right one for your yard difficult.  What is the best robot mower right now?After testing some of the top robot mowers on the market, ZDNET’s pick for the best robot mower overall is the Mammotion Luba 2 More

Jason Hiner/ZDNETSince the early 2000s, I’ve always set my Linux desktops to focus follows mouse. What is that mysterious feature? It’s actually quite simple. By default, most OS desktops require you to click on a window before it gets focus. Essentially, you’ve had to move the cursor to the window and then click on the window before you can use it.Focus follows mouse does away with that last step, so, all you have to do is move your mouse to a window, and it automatically gets focus.Say, for instance, you’re working with two different terminal window apps (or two completely different apps,) and you want to quickly switch between them. With both of those windows on your desktop, all you have to do is move the mouse to one, use it, and then move your mouse to the other.Also: How to easily use Cloudflare’s secure DNS on your Mac and why it even mattersEven better, there’s a feature called auto raise that not only gives the new window focus but also automatically raises the window. If you’re using two widows and one is behind the other, you can hover your mouse over any part of the background window, and it will get focus and auto-raise so you can start working.I find that focus follows mouse and auto-raise makes the desktop much easier to use, and you can have that feature on MacOS with a simple app called AutoRaise.There is one caveat with using focus follows mouse and AutoRaise. If you use Stage Manager, it won’t really be all that effective. If you don’t use Stage Manager, you’ll find AutoRaise to be a real boon to your efficiency.Let me show you how it’s done.How to install AutoRaise on your MacWhat you’ll need: The only thing you’ll need for this is a MacOS device. I’ll demonstrate the process with a MacBook Pro running MacOS 15.1.1. That’s it — let’s make some desktop magic. More

mbortolino/Getty Images As we’re seeing across all kinds of industries, artificial intelligence (AI) is the next frontier in education. Now one charter school network is experimenting with using AI to teach students — and it’s expanding its reach across the US.  Just before the holidays, the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools became the latest to approve an all-virtual, […] More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETiOS 18.2 rolled out just a month ago, introducing new features like Visual Intelligence and Image Playground. The AI updates may have taken center stage, but the patch also added several quality-of-life improvements to iPhones that you may not be aware of. They range from changing the layout of the Lock Screen to additional controls on the Photos app. The patch is quite large, so instead of going through every single update, we will highlight the most impactful changes. Also: The best iPhones you can buy right now (and if you should upgrade to iPhone 16)After you’re done reading, you can install iOS 18.2 on your iPhone by opening the Settings menu and then going to General. Tap Software Update to find the patch. Be aware that you will need a phone capable of supporting iOS 18, like the iPhone 13 Pro. Note that the Apple Intelligence features are exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 16 series. Unfortunately, older models don’t support them.1. New layout controls More