Eliana Willis

Maria Diaz/ZDNETAmazon has been focused on bringing generative AI to Alexa for the past few years, hitting multiple delays in launching new features that the company first announced in September 2023. The deferred Alexa 2.0 seems poised for a 2025 release, as evidenced by the surprise Devices and Services event Amazon is hosting at the end of the month.Amid rumors of Alexa 2.0 shortcomings, Amazon skipped its 2024 Devices and Services event, where the company typically announces new Alexa features and hardware devices. Now, the company plans to host an Amazon Alexa-themed event, where it is expected to unveil the voice assistant’s generative AI features and finally put an ETA on its launch.Also: 5 ways AI can help with your taxes – and 10 major mistakes to avoidThe event, which will take place on Feb. 26 in New York City, will be Panos Panay’s first since joining the Devices and Services division after his Microsoft exit. But aside from new Alexa features, Amazon could be preparing to launch other devices.What to expect from Amazon’s February 2025 event More

ZDNETSometimes, a family member or friend will contact me asking for technical help with their iPhone. Often, I can solve the problem or address the question by talking them through the necessary steps. Other times, though, I’m hard-pressed to fix the issue without actually seeing or working with the phone. A new screen sharing and remote control capability available through FaceTime can surmount that challenge. You can draw on the phone to show the other person where to go and what to do. If that doesn’t work, you’re able to assume full control of the other phone to navigate the screen, launch apps, and access settings just as if it were in your own handsAlso: How to send and receive Apple’s iMessages in WindowsThis also works with an iPad, but with some limitations. You can use an iPad to connect to and fully control an iPhone. You can also use an iPhone to connect to an iPad, but you can’t remotely control it. And you can use an iPad to connect to another iPad, but you can’t draw on the screen or remotely control it.Anyway, here’s how this works between two iPhones. How to take control of someone else’s iPhone What you need: With your iPhone and the other iPhone both running iOS 18, you can start a FaceTime call and then remotely access the other phone.  More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Sharge Icemag 2 power bank is available on Amazon now for $50. With a perfect size, a powerful battery, RBG lighting, and a tiny fan to keep things cool, this power bank is ideal for those on the go. The Icemag 2 isn’t exactly the fastest charging power bank on […] More

ZDNETI’ve turned to locally installed AI for research because I don’t want third parties using my information to either build a profile or train their local language models (LLMs). My local AI of choice is the open-source Ollama. I recently wrote a piece on how to make using this local LLM easier with the help of a browser extension, which I use on Linux. But on MacOS, I turn to an easy-to-use, free app called Msty. Also: How to turn Ollama from a terminal tool into a browser-based AI with this free extensionMsty allows you to use locally installed and online AI models. However, I default to the locally installed option. And, unlike the other options for Ollama, there’s no container to deploy, no terminal to use, and no need to open another browser tab. Msty features things like split chats (so you can run more than one query at a time), regenerate model response, clone chats, add multiple models, real-time data summoning (which only works with certain models), create Knowledge Stacks (where you can add files, folders, Obsidian vaults, notes, and more to be used to train your local model), a prompt library, and more.Msty is one of the best tools for interacting with Ollama. Here’s how to use it. More

Jason Hiner/ZDNETWhat’s the deal?Best Buy has slashed the price tag on each Sony Bravia X90L size option. The 55-inch display has gone from $1,170 down to $850 More

ZDNETThough we’re well past the holiday deals season, don’t worry. Major retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart are still dishing out some serious savings on top tech, even a week before Presidents’ Day 2024. Also: The best early Amazon Presidents’ Day tech deals live nowFrom AirPods to the Oura Ring to Samsung’s popular The Terrace TV, now’s your chance to snag savings that are near or equal to those we saw during Cyber Week 2024 on flagship Amazon devices, Apple products and more. I scoured the sales to bring you the best early Presidents’ Day deals live now, so you can shop savings starting as early as right now. The best Presidents’ Day deals Oura Ring Gen3 More

ZDNETThough we’re well past the holiday deals season, don’t worry. Major retailers are dishing out some serious deals on top tech for you, your home, or a loved one — especially ahead of Presidents’ Day 2025. Perhaps one of the most notorious online retailers to check out now? Amazon More