Eliana Willis

Asus/ZDNETWhile Apple gets its blood pressure monitoring ducks in a row for the potential release of an Apple Watch Series 11 with BPM capabilities in September, Asus just introduced a smartwatch with those functionalities. Asus has unveiled its VivioWatch 6 Aero, the world’s first fitness tracker that can measure blood pressure and electrocardiogram (ECG) at the touch of a finger.The watch instantly measures blood pressure and ECG (used to detect atrial fibrillation) through wristband sensors. Also: The best blood pressure watches you can buyPeople with hypertension (high blood pressure) or hypotension (low blood pressure) typically monitor their levels with a manual BPM or an ambulatory BPM. These devices wrap around a user’s arm to measure blood pressure and are fairly clunky and cumbersome. A smartwatch with these capabilities, like the VivioWatch 6 Aero, could make regular BPM measurements more seamless and convenient. The fitness tracker will weigh 27g, lighter than the already slim and light Fitbit Charge 6. Its AMOLED display is small and sleek, measuring about one inch. It performs the usual health-tracking, like monitoring SpO₂, heart rate, steps, calories, and sleep quality. The tracker comes with 5 ATM water resistance, one week of battery life, and a built-in GPS sensor, enhancing activity accuracy. More

Maria Diaz/ZDNETGoogle’s Imagen 3 is a powerful AI text-to-image generator that earned ZDNET’s pick as the best image generator — even against competitors like Midjourney and OpenAI. As a result, the release of its Veo 2 text-to-video image generator has been highly anticipated. Well, it’s finally here, and it comes with a surprise.Also: The top 20 AI tools of 2025 – and the #1 thing to remember when you use themHow to try Veo 2 in GeminiOn Tuesday, Google announced via a blog post that its state-of-the-art Veo 2 video generator is now available in Gemini. This feature allows users to create eight-second video clips at 720p resolution in a 16:9 landscape format using a simple text prompt. According to Google, Veo 2 was designed to produce high-quality videos that better understand real-world physics and human motion to create videos that have “lifelike scenes” and “fluid character movement.” To create these videos, users can be as detailed as they like, giving them as much control as they want. Also: 5 easy Gemini settings tweaks to protect your privacy from AIThe caveat? The experience is only rolling out to Gemini Advanced users worldwide on the web and mobile, part of the Google One AI Premium plan, which costs $20 per month. Even with the subscription, there is a monthly limit to the number of videos users can create. Google doesn’t specify the limit, but it says it will notify users when they are getting close. However, if $20 per month seems expensive, it’s the same cost required for OpenAI’s Sora access via ChatGPT Plus.Also: Gemini Pro 2.5 is a stunningly capable coding assistant – and a big threat to ChatGPTThe Google One AI Premium plan also comes with other perks, such as 2TB of storage, NotebookLM Plus with five-times higher usage limits and premium features, Gemini in Gmail, Docs, Sheets, and more, and another feature unveiled today, Whisk Animate. Whisk Animate Whisk Animate is a new Google generative AI experiment powered by Veo 2. It builds on Whisk’s previous capabilities, which let users create new images from text and image prompts, and now lets them animate the images into eight-second videos. As mentioned above, this feature is also limited to Gemini Advanced users and can be accessed via Google Labs. More

Igor Ovsyannykov/Getty Images Have you ever wondered why some businesses thrive without spending a dime on ads? 🤔 Meanwhile, when you try the good old fashioned “build it, and they will come,” you’re as busy as a Chick-fil-A on a Sunday? 😖 Some business owners have figured out something most refuse to see. But in […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Garmin Vivoactive 6 is available in four colors for $300. The AMOLED display is brilliant, the available activity functions are comprehensive, and the battery lasts 5-11 days. There is no altimeter, the 30 minute smart alarm interval is a bit long, and it’s a bit small for those with larger […] More

Beats/ZDNETBeats may be best known for its headphones, earbuds, and Bluetooth speakers, but the company, owned by Apple, has announced another line of mobile accessories. Today, Beats debuted its new Beats Cables More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETAndroid users who want to upgrade to version 15 will need to ensure their device has at least 32GB of storage. In a confidential GMS Requirements document uncovered by Android Authority, Google has set this level as the minimum amount of space required. This applies whether you buy a new phone with Android 15 out of the box or try to upgrade your existing device to the newest version.Also: Android 16 release is way ahead of scheduleAs today’s Android phones typically come with at least 128GB of storage, the latest requirement is not especially onerous. If anything, it seems quite generous. However, it means that older or cheaper phones with 16GB of space or less will not be able to run Android 15, which officially kicked off last October. What was the previous minimum requirement?The new minimum is double the previous amount of 16GB, introduced with Android 13 in 2022, Android Authority explained. Also: How to factory reset your Android phone without unlocking it firstPreviously, Android 12 required just 8GB of storage. Approximately 75 percent of the 32GB must be reserved for the data partition, which houses system apps and files, system app data, and all user apps and files. More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Mobvoi TicNote is available now for $159.99, but monthly and annual subscription plans apply to most features. The TicNote’s AI features are impressive, the hardware is small and light, and recordings are accurate, even from across the room. The Pro subscription model appears overwhelming, but TicNote users get 300 credits […] More