<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways Regularly priced at $75, the Dreo Smart 5L Humidifier is on sale on Amazon for $60. This humidifier is easy to use, includes a demineralization filter, works with Alexa, allows you to add essential oils, adds both sleep and auto modes, and packs plenty of other features to help it rise […] More
ZDNETMicrosoft continues its quest to vanquish bugs from Windows 11 24H2, and the latest update seems to fix a number of them. Released this past Tuesday, KB5052093 is an optional update, which means you may have to wait for it to appear or manually download and install it if you’re in a hurry.Also: Windows 11’s bug-fixing update is making things worseSome of the new features and fixes are rolling out gradually, so you might not see them right away. But if you do forge ahead with the update, here’s what you’ll find sooner or later. Squashed bugsLet’s start with the squashed bugs. As one glaring example, File Explorer has been plagued by several glitches in Windows 11 24H2, many of which should now be fixed. The KB5052093 update improves performance in File Explorer when loading files that contain a large number of media files. The context menu that appears when you right-click on a file stored in the cloud should appear quicker. Entering a URL in the address bar will now take you to the right location. The address bar will no longer overlap files when you switch to full-screen mode. And thumbnails for cloud files will now appear more consistently in search results. Also: Don’t ignore Microsoft’s February Patch Tuesday – it’s a big one for all Windows 11 usersPreviously, the colors in the Start menu might go awry if you opened the flyout menu for account manager. Certain apps wouldn’t recognize a connected scanner. Task Manager would sometimes identify an HDD (hard disk drive) as an SSD (solid-state drive). Using a Guest account to sign in to a PC in Shared PC mode might not work. And when setting a non-default color for the mouse pointer, it might revert to white after the User Account Control (UAC) dialog appeared. These should all now be fixed. On the audio front, the volume would sometimes jump to 100% when your PC woke up from sleep. You might hear a mute and unmute sound several times in a row. A USB audio device could stop working after your PC had been idle for a short amount of time. These bugs should also now be resolved. Glitch repairsThe update further repairs the following glitches: Remote Desktop would stop responding or incorrectly render the display when connecting to certain PCs. Using drag and drop to move emails and other files in certain applications would sometimes fail if your PC had a display with high DPI (dots per inch). Opening the Settings screen might trigger an error message stating that the memory could not be read. Also: Microsoft removes guide for installing Windows 11 on unsupported PCs – but this hack still works More
Matthew Miller/ZDNETI spent a couple of weeks with the OnePlus Watch 3 More
Kyle Kucharski/ZDNETThe Pixel Watch 3 is getting a first-of-its-kind, potentially life-saving feature. Also: My new favorite Android smartwatch outperforms Google and Samsung in a crucial wayIn a blog post today, Google announced that it had received FDA clearance for its Loss of Pulse Detection feature. Tracking your heartbeatThe feature works by tracking your heartbeat. If your heart stops beating — due to cardiac arrest, respiratory or circulatory failure, overdose, or poisoning — your watch will automatically turn on more accurate infrared LEDs and look for motion data. If the watch determines you’re not responsive, it will start a countdown and audio alarm. If you still don’t respond, the watch will place a call to emergency services using your LTE or phone connection, inform them that you don’t have a pulse, and share your location. Also: The best Android smartwatchesGoogle says the watch will be able to tell the difference between an actual cardiac event and the user simply removing the watch. Safety features like fall detection and crash detection aren’t new, but they aren’t at the level of this one (which is why it needed FDA clearance first). Other watches have heartbeat tracking, but they track much less frequently than the Pixel 3. The Apple Watch, for example, tracks heart rate every 3 to 7 minutes by default. More
SEAN GLADWELL/Getty Images If you find your personal information online, like your phone number, address, or email, Google is making it easier to make sure it doesn’t show up again. Several years ago, Google introduced a “Results about you” tool that lets you track your personal information online and remove it from search results. It […] More
Nina Raemont/ZDNETYour menstrual cycle can significantly impact how you feel throughout the month. But wearables like a smartwatch or smart ring may not reflect those fluctuations when providing you with your energy or sleep scores — or they might consider those fluctuations as strain. Oura’s latest update to its Readiness Score aims to change that situation.Also: Oura’s CEO wants its smart ring to be the doctor in your pocketOn Thursday, Oura announced a new and updated Readiness Score that factors fluctuations during a menstrual cycle into its scoring mechanism.Oura members receive a Readiness Score out of 100 every morning with information about how their body recovered from the previous day’s activity load and sleep. The score also factors a user’s vitals data into the mix, notifying users when their body temperature was higher than normal or their heart rate was lower late into the night. Also: I’ve tested dozens of smartwatches, but the Oura Ring 4 was first to show me I’m sickCycle-related hormone fluctuations impact vitals data. For example, heart rates tend to increase during the luteal phase and decrease during the follicular phase, thanks to variations in estrogen and progesterone released throughout the menstrual cycle. After ovulation, body temperature tends to rise. The algorithm has historically seen these fluctuations as signs of strain. More
ZDNETMore AI-powered text-to-video services keep popping up, and one such service is OpenAI’s Sora. Just submit a description at the prompt, and Sora creates a brief video in response. Beyond describing your video, you’re able to adjust the duration, speed, aspect ratio, and more. You can also tap into a Storyboard option that lets you devise an entire video sequence by describing each action.Also: OpenAI’s Sora AI video generator is here – how to try itThe site also offers two different levels for creating a video. A priority video is generated as quickly as possible, while a relaxed video is queued up, taking longer to appear. Priority videos also chew up a certain number of monthly credits. ChatGPT Plus and ChatGPT Team subscribers are granted 1,000 credits per month and the ability to generate up to 50 priority videos each month. Your videos are limited to a 720p resolution at up to 5 seconds in length or 480p at up to 10 seconds. Any video you download as an MP4 file or an animated GIF also carries a small watermark logo. Also: Are ChatGPT Plus or Pro worth it? Here’s how they compare to the free versionChatGPT Pro users are given 10,000 credits per month with the ability to create as many as 500 priority videos and an unlimited number of relaxed videos. Your videos can have a resolution as high as 1080p and run as long as 20 seconds. And your downloaded videos won’t contain any watermarks. How to use Sora to generate videosWhat you’ll need: Sora is available only to paid ChatGPT Plus, Team, and Pro subscribers. More
Jason Hiner/ZDNETAmazon has discounted several Mac Mini M4 More
