Eliana Willis

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Nerdytec Couchmaster Cyworx is an ergonomic lap desk for WFH employees or gamers for $150. It features an oversized mouse pad, a ventilation grill for laptop cooling, wrist pads, and more. The setup may be too cumbersome for smaller couches and isn’t ideal for travel. more buying choices I recently […] More

Google / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETLast summer, Google added the ability for Gemini in Gmail to summarize individual messages or long email threads. It was an especially useful feature for catching up on an email chain while you’re on the go or if you were on a smaller screen, like your phone.Also: Gemini can now watch Google Drive videos for you – including work meetingsThe only drawback was that you had to manually start the “Summarize this email” process from the Gemini sidebar. That’s changing, at least for some users. Automatic summary cardsIn an announcement yesterday, Google says those summary cards will now appear automatically for Workspace users. Starting this week, mobile users will begin seeing summaries at the top of email messages when Gemini determines it’s helpful — for example, in a long thread, or in messages with several replies. Google says Gemini will combine all key points from the emails, noting that the summary will change as new replies come in. Also: 8 ways Google’s Gemini AI assistant is getting more powerful and helpfulIf a message doesn’t have an automatic summary, you can still use the Gemini sidebar method or look for the “Summarize this email” chip at the top. AvailabilityThis feature is only available for emails in English right now and only for mobile users. Google says the automatic summaries add-on is rolling out gradually, meaning it may take up to two weeks to appear on your account. It’s available for Workspace accounts on both Android and iOS devices. Also: I tested ChatGPT’s Deep Research against Gemini, Perplexity, and Grok AI to see which is bestGemini seems to be a reliable product, but given the nature of AI in general, it’s always best to make sure these summaries are correct. More

Lance Whitney / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETDesigning a detailed web app, dashboard, or even spreadsheet might take you hours to complete. What if someone or something could do the same work in just a few minutes? That’s the idea behind the new Labs tool from Perplexity AI.In a blog post published Thursday, Perplexity explained how Labs can create anything from reports to spreadsheets to dashboards to simple web apps. The new feature is accessible only to Pro subscribers, who pay $20 per month (though there are a couple of ways to score the plan for free). Also: The best AI chatbots: ChatGPT, Copilot, and notable alternativesThis new capability is available on Perplexity’s website and in its iOS and Android apps. The company has also promised its imminent arrival in its Windows and Mac apps. Perplexity Labs is content creation to the nth degree. The tool can help you design and complete a host of projects, both personally and professionally. Whether you’re cooking up a meal plan, analyzing your financial situation, or developing a marketing campaign, you can use Labs to flesh out your idea from start to finish. Also: How AI coding agents could destroy open source softwareThat all sounds helpful. But what’s really cool is the way Perplexity Labs can build interactive content for you.To kick things off, simply choose the Labs icon at the prompt and submit your request. Labs then goes into action, consulting the necessary web sources, compiling the data, and finally creating your project. It will even tell you how many minutes it will take to complete the job, typically at least 10 minutes, but sometimes longer, depending on the project. What can Perplexity Labs generate?1. Computer code Tell Labs the purpose of your code or program, and it will write it for you. The tool can tackle specific tasks such as structuring data, applying formulas, and creating charts. It will then execute the code to see how it works. From there, you’re able to modify your request or description, and Labs will update the code for you. 2. Reports Give Labs the topic of the report you want created, and it will gather and compile the required information. In response, it builds a dynamic report with text, charts, graphs, and images. Any files it creates during the process are placed in an Assets section, so you can view and download them all. Also: Perplexity is the AI tool Gemini wishes it could beTo try this out, I told Labs to create a report that correlates each arrival of Halley’s Comet with significant events that occurred on Earth. After several minutes of data gathering and asset creation, the tool served up a detailed report with links, charts, and images (including one amazing image of a tapestry from 1066 showing the arrival of the comet). The report itself was well documented and organized, breaking down the information into different sections. 3. Spreadsheets Here, Labs can design anything from a simple table to a complex, interactive spreadsheet. Again, just give it the subject or goal of the spreadsheet. The tool finds the necessary information and builds what you need. Also: What is Perplexity Deep Research, and how do you use it?To try this out, I asked Labs to design an interactive spreadsheet for a Sudoku puzzle. In response, it took to the web to gather the rules and regulations for Sudoku and then designed a spreadsheet that I could access online or download to my PC. More

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETDisney+ and Hulu have announced a suite of benefits for subscribers, with the launch of “always-on” Perks programs. Disney+ subscribers immediately have access to things like discounts, free trials, and sweepstakes, while Hulu plans to roll out its own rotating offers in a few days. The goal? To reward loyal users — and to give both services an edge over the competition. Also: 6 ways I save money on TV streaming without losing the shows I loveWhile streaming services have offered promotions and benefits in the past — like Amazon Prime and Prime Video subscribers gaining access to Prime Day deals — this is one of the first continuously updated, multi-brand loyalty programs for streaming subscribers.  It’ll be fascinating to see if other services feel pressured to match. Who is eligible for the perks? Enrollment is automatic for active subscribers.  Any Disney+ subscriber — whether on a standalone plan or part of a Disney Bundle — can get access to Disney+ perks. Hulu Perks are available to Hulu subscribers and those on the Disney+  and Hulu bundle. Disney pointed subscribers to disneyplus.com/perks More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The HP EliteBook Ultra G1i is on sale for $2,199 I highly recommend it to people looking for a laptop with top-performing hardware, a vibrant screen, and a high-quality webcam However, because of its limited port selection, some might find its usability limited without supplementary accessories. –> The HP EliteBook Ultra […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways Motorola’s Moto G Power is currently on sale for $300. This device boasts multi-day battery life, a 6.8-inch Full HD+ screen, and decent performance for a mid-range phone. However, its similarities to the base Moto G may not be enough to convince people to pay an extra $100. more buying choices […] More

rob dobi/Getty Images A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to use Google’s Jules AI Agent to scan through the entire code repository of one of my projects and add a new feature. The AI took about 10 minutes. All told, it took under 30 minutes to use the AI, review its changes, […] More