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    How to try Google’s Veo 2 AI video generator – and what you can do with it

    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 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

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    The OnePlus 12 still competes with today’s best phones – and it’s on sale

    <!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The OnePlus 12 typically sells for a starting price of $799. It was the company’s most complete handset in 2024, with the fastest charging speeds on the market (both wired and wireless), a flagship camera system, premium build quality, and reliable performance. The lack of generative AI features is felt, but […] More

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    Data-stealing cyberattacks are surging – 7 ways to protect yourself and your business

    BlackJack3D/Getty Images 2024 delivered some good news and bad news in the area of cybercrime. Malware-based ransomware attacks dropped for the third year in a row. But instances of infostealer malware grew dramatically. Those findings come from IBM X-Force’s “2025 Threat Intelligence Index” released Thursday. First, let’s look at the good news. For the year, […] More

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    Update your iPhone now to patch a CarPlay glitch and two serious security flaws

    Maria Diaz/ZDNETApple has rolled out its latest iPhone update, iOS 18.4.1. Though minor, you’ll want to install the update as it patches a CarPlay glitch and several dangerous security flaws.Also: The best VPN services (and how to choose the right one for you)After the release of iOS 18.4 earlier this month, many iPhone and CarPlay users started complaining of random connection problems and other hiccups. Some people reported that CarPlay would disconnect and reconnect, while others revealed that the CarPlay screen would appear blank. In its description of iOS 18.4.1, Apple said the update “addresses a rare issue that prevents wireless CarPlay connection in certain vehicles.”With that bug hopefully solved, let’s move on to the more urgent matter of security vulnerabilities. The latest update deals with two serious flaws already used in targeted attacks.Also: Just installed iOS 18.4? Changing these 3 features made my iPhone much better to useThe first flaw, CVE-2025-31200, is described as “processing an audio stream in a maliciously crafted media file may result in code execution.” That process refers to an attacker who uses Apple’s CoreAudio framework to create a media file containing malware. Any iPhone user who launches the file would trigger the malicious code, allowing the attacker to access the device.This vulnerability may have been exploited in an “extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals on iOS,” according to Apple. To squash this bug, the company fixed a memory corruption issue, a problem in which a program can modify memory to execute malicious code. More

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    Zoom goes down across the globe – what we know about the outage so far

    Silas Stein/picture alliance via Getty Images) If you need a sign to call it quits early today, this might be it. Zoom, the popular virtual meeting service that many companies rely on around the world, is suffering a major outage.  Also: Is Wi-Fi 7 worth the upgrade? Here’s my advice after using this next-gen router […] More

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    Free IRS Direct File service for taxpayers to end, according to reports

    Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Economic Security Project If you didn’t take advantage of the IRS’ free Direct File service this year, you may have missed your chance. According to an AP News report, President Donald Trump plans to end IRS Direct File, the electronic system that lets residents in 25 states file their federal tax returns […] More

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    Why the CVE database for tracking security flaws nearly went dark – and what happens next

    fotograzia/Getty Images Over the weekend, security experts were beginning to panic. MITRE announced that the US government had not renewed funding for the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) database.  MITRE VP Yosry Barsoum warned that the government contract support enabling MITRE “to develop, operate, and modernize CVE” would expire on April 16. That would mean, Barsoum continued, […] More