Eliana Willis

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Titan X AirTag Trifold Wallet is a sleek, elevated AirTag wallet option that sells for $80. It holds up to 10 cards, has several internal pockets, uses RFID technology to block data theft, and is lightweight. Unlike the Ridge wallet, the Titan X wallet offers dedicated spots for storing cash […] More

Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNETSamsung’s Ballie might soon be the smartest thing rolling around your living room. The tech giant announced today that it’s partnering with Google to bring Google Cloud’s generative AI technology to its Ballie AI companion home robot.Also: The top 20 AI tools of 2025 – and the #1 thing to remember when you use themIf you’re not familiar, Ballie first rolled out at CES 2020. It’s like a souped-up Alexa on wheels — a small robot about the size of a basketball that rolls around your home. As it moves, Ballie can manage lights and temperature, interact with smart appliances, send video updates of pets or loved ones, project videos or websites on the wall, play music, answer phone calls, and more. [embedded content]ZDNET’s Senior Editor Sabrina Ortiz got an up-close look at Ballie last year, calling it “a serious attempt at making a robot assistant without being overly ambitious.” She said Ballie can essentially replace several pieces of smart equipment from your home, including a projector, a robot dog, a home security camera, a smart home hub, and more.Also: The best Android phones you can buy: Samsung, Google, OnePlus, and moreThe injection of Google AI means Ballie can engage in conversation, personalize your schedule, intelligently manage smart home devices, set reminders, and even greet you at your door. Samsung Electronics Executive Vice President of the Visual Display Business, Yongjae Kim, said this partnership would allow Ballie to move with you, anticipate your needs, and interact dynamically.  More

Matthew Miller/ZDNETThe Pixel Watch 3 is getting a first-of-its-kind, potentially life-saving feature, and users will see it starting this week. The FDA-cleared Loss of Pulse Detection 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. To use the feature, watch users must manually opt-in to the feature through the Google Pixel Watch App, then select Safety and Emergency and hit Loss of Pulse Detection to enable. Also: My new favorite Android smartwatch outperforms Google and Samsung in a crucial wayIf 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. More

Micorosft AI voice assistants like Copilot Voice make it easier to get help with everyday tasks by resembling a conversation with a human. However, these experiences are often limited to English speakers. Microsoft is changing that soon. On Tuesday, Microsoft announced it is adding two native Spanish voices to Copilot Voice, allowing Spanish speakers to […] More

Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNETAs a longtime user of Linux, I’ve reached the point where I can practically install the operating system in my sleep. OK, not literally, because, well… that would be impossible. But you know what I mean.Shall I continue?I know many people who would love to try Linux but won’t because they either don’t have a spare computer or are afraid the installation will be too difficult. Allow me to allay those fears. First, a Linux installation doesn’t require a spare machine. Second, Linux (especially a distro like Ubuntu) has become so easy to install that just about anyone can do it.Also: I’m a Linux power user, and the latest Ubuntu update put a smile on my faceHowever, if you’re still unsure, I want to show you a way to test Ubuntu Desktop that is so easy that you’ll wonder why you didn’t try it before.Are you ready for this?It’s all about VirtualBox.What is VirtualBox?VirtualBox is an application that allows you to install “guest” operating systems on your “host.” The host is the operating system on which you’ve installed VirtualBox, and the guest OS is the operating system that is installed as a virtual machine. The guest does not interfere with the host, so even if something goes wrong with the guest, it won’t affect the host.  More

SrdjanPav/Getty Images Tradespeople and technicians estimate they waste nearly a full day’s worth of work every week on paperwork, according to a new Salesforce survey. Data was sourced from a double-anonymous survey of full-time tradespeople and technicians in the US.  Also: Employers want workers with AI skills, but what exactly does that mean? Respondents included professionals […] More

Tomasz Śmigla/Getty Images Programming is an increasingly global profession, and developer tools are finally catching up. On Wednesday, Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced<!–> new language supports in Q Developer, its coding assistant, to better serve its global user base. Amazon says the assistant can now deliver feedback accurately in multiple languages, creating a familiar work environment […] More