Eliana Willis

Oura/ZDNETOura might be a stellar sleep tracker, but it hasn’t always been a reliable activity tracker. Reddit users under the r/ouraring subreddit regularly lament this situation, saying the Oura Ring miscounts steps during activities and workout sessions. One recent Reddit post called the step tracker “wildly inaccurate.”  Also: I took these sleep trackers to bed to find out which is bestOura has seemingly listened to these complaints. The company has announced it is upgrading the smart ring’s step-tracking feature. That’s right: activity enhancements and upgrades are coming to the app, including new trends for viewing your active time, integrations from partners like Apple and Android for heart rate data, and more accurate calorie- and step-counting mechanisms. Let’s run through some of the activity upgrade highlights.  Improved accuracy for calorie and step counting The new step-counting algorithm functions like a pedometer to track movements and interpret steps. The algorithm should improve average daily step count errors; Oura said it cuts that metric by 61%. Additionally, users can expect to see 20% fewer steps logged with this updated algorithm.  Also: Oura Ring 3 vs Oura Ring 4: Opt for the older, discounted smart ring or the newest?Calorie tracking now considers movement intensity (heart rate zones). This update should allow the ring to accurately track calories burned during exercise, slashing median active calorie error by 53%, according to Oura. More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways Acer’s Nitro GA271U P smart display is available now for $349. It’s a solid budget smart monitor with a matte, 27-inch IPS WQHD display and 180Hz refresh rate. However, the speakers leave much to be desired. –> When Acer entered the smart monitor market with the Nitro GA271U P smart display, […] More

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNETComputex 2025 just kicked off, and we’re on the ground in Taipei with eyes on all the latest gadgets in the computing world. Unsurprisingly, AI is everywhere, with a general theme of leveling up on the gains made in the last year when it comes to processing power, power efficiency, and next-gen NPUs. Both Nvidia and AMD announced new GPUs, with the GeForce RTX 5060 series and Radeon RX 9060 XT series, respectively, and Intel teased its new “Panther Lake” series of processors, along with some of the first devices to sport the new chips. Also: I went hands-on with every new Acer laptop from its 2025 lineup. Here’s what stood outBut it’s not just laptops and computers in the spotlight. We saw some exciting new gaming handhelds, a split keyboard from Asus, and a competitively priced smart ring from Acer that takes aim at the more expensive models — the first of its kind from the computing giant. 1. Nvidia’s new GeForce RTX 5060 GPU More

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNETAt Computex 2025, computing giant Acer announced its first wearable, the FreeSense Smart Ring, a competitively-priced health tracker with no subscription fee. In a market where other smart rings can run up to $500 More

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETOnline shopping has never been perfect. If I’m online scouting for a good deal on a pair of shoes, I have to sort through several options, sizes, colors, and price points to find what I want. That takes time. And if I want to buy the shoes at a discount, I have to wait several weeks or months and come back when the price drops. Also: Everything announced at Google I/O 2025: Gemini, Search, Android XR, and moreAt Google’s annual developer event, Google IO, the tech giant is debuting an AI-powered solution to online shoppers’ problems in the form of AI Mode. AI Mode offers online shoppers several options for finding exactly what they want, virtually trying on the clothing before they buy, and tracking prices to buy when a product is at its lowest. AI Mode will fundamentally shake up how people search for products and shop online. Here’s how. 1. Google’s Shopping Graph gets a major upgradeGemini combines forces with Google’s Shopping Graph, now with more than 50 billion product listings sourced from big-name brands and indie shops to elevate your browsing and shopping experience. Two billion listings are refreshed every hour to keep the results relevant and updated, so shoppers will get current pricing, the most recent discounts, and availability. Also: 8 best AI features and tools revealed at Google I/O 2025When a shopper searches for a product, they type what they’re looking for and the occasion they’ll be using the product for, and Google scouts options that fit those descriptors. In a press release, Google provides the example of a “cute travel bag” for a Portland, Oregon, vacation. AI Mode initiates a “query fan-out” to run several simultaneous searches and investigate a travel bag with pockets that meets the conditions or fits underneath an airplane seat. Additionally, a panel will update with new brands and options as you search. US users can expect AI Mode for shopping to roll out in the coming months. 2. Google will price-track – and purchase – your products for youSet the size, color, and desired price point on a product, and keep an eye on its price with Google’s new price-tracking feature. Once you’ve set up price-tracking on a product, Google will send you price-drop notifications to buy when the product is discounted. Additionally, Google will add the product to your cart and securely check out with Google Pay once the price drops to your desired range. Also: Google’s new AI tool can track products and buy for you when the price dropsLike AI Mode, this feature will also roll out in the coming months. More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Garmin eTrex Solar is available now for $222, while the eTrex SE without solar sells for $150. Potential for unlimited battery life, extensive GNSS support, rugged build, and affordable. Small monochrome display, no turn-by-turn directions of TopoActive maps. –> Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, I gained a deep affection […] More

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETIn recent years, Google Search’s shopping features have evolved to make Search a one-stop shop for consumers searching for specific products, deals, and retailers. Shoppers on a budget can scour Search’s Shopping tab during major sale events to see which retailer offered the best deal and where.Also: Everything Google just announced at I/O 2025: Gemini upgrades, AI Search, Android XR, and moreBut often, consumers miss out on a product’s most productive discount, paying more later because they don’t want to wait again. During this year’s Google I/O developer conference, Google aims to solve this problem with AI. Shopping in AI Mode More

Google began rolling out AI Mode in Search earlier this year, and the feature will now be widely available in the US, with no Labs sign-up required. It’ll come with some new capabilities, too.Deep Search in AI Mode, for example, expands the number of background queries from tens to hundreds to put together a more robust and thought-out search response. The result is a fully cited report that Google says will take just minutes to research and create.Also: Your Google Search experience will never be the same, thanks to 8 new AI featuresFor visual assistance, the Google Search experience is also getting Project Astra’s multimodal capabilities, so users can simply point their camera at an object or setting and ask about it like they would with a Google image search. There’s also a new AI Mode shopping experience that helps you find inspirations, narrow down buying options, and see yourself in an outfit (via image generator) when you upload an image of yourself.Project Mariner’s agentic functions will also transfer to AI Mode, allowing users to prompt Google to find the best event ticket deals or book restaurant appointments. While the AI won’t complete the purchase for you, it will present multiple options, including the one that best fits your inquiry (say you searched for the cheapest option), for you to approve.Finally, Google has expanded AI Overviews to over 200 countries and territories, and more than 40 languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Malay, Urdu, and more. More