Eliana Willis

Charlie Osborne/ZDNETHere at ZDNET, we extensively cover the virtual private network (VPN) market and keep an eye out for any worthwhile deals.  Over at Stack Social, we’ve spotted an interesting promotion for anyone who wants to use VPN software to mask their online activity from prying eyes, including ISPs, marketers, and other groups that may track what websites you visit and what online services you use.  Also: The best VPN servicesThe VPN in question is from AdGuard, a company well-known for its ad and tracker-blocking technologies. Now, you also have the option to try out their standalone VPN, which could provide an additional layer of privacy to protect your browsing.  What I like about this deal is the price. For $35 (90% off), you can sign up for a five-year plan, which gives you access to a VPN for the equivalent of around $0.58 per month. The subscription includes 10 simultaneous device connections, and AdGuard operates a no-logging policy. One- and three-year subscription AdGuard VPN deals are also available for $15 and $25, respectively, and while inexpensive, they are more in line with typical promotions offered by other VPN providers. Also: The best VPN for streamingThe mobile iOS and Android versions of this VPN are easy to set up, with a clean layout and a simple menu bar. You can opt for the default “smart” location just by clicking a button, or you can wander through the server and country list (over 60 locations) to find your preferred location. Its speeds are fine, and I didn’t notice any real difference in my browsing or app usage. There is a caveat, though: I can’t recommend this VPN for purely MacOS usage. During my testing, I found it a challenge to even sign in, and it is extremely slow. In short, the mobile user experience is what you would expect from a decent VPN, but the MacOS app needs a lot of work. (We do have a list of VPNs that are great for Mac, if you need one.) A free option is available, but keep in mind that VPN traffic, connection speed, and server locations are very limited.  More

If you’re an artist, you already know there are endless ways to create art. And even if your medium is drawing, there are different ways to do that as well, including using drawing tablets as a tool for your creations. Drawing tablets make illustration easy and creativity endless, with every pen display and brush stroke at your disposal for customization that matches your artistic vision. Also: The best stylus pensContrary to typical tablets, some drawing tablets don’t have actual screens. Rather, they are essentially a virtual piece of paper that sends pressure from the pad to the computer or laptop that powers it. However, some of your typical tablet screens can also act as a great canvas for fine detailing.What is the best drawing tablet right now?No matter what material artists draw on, they have to be willing to adapt to that surface. But the best drawing tablets make it incredibly easy to get used to them. My top pick is the iPad Pro (6th generation) More

Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images TikTok has finally unveiled a group chat feature to help you exchange messages and share videos with multiple friends, family members, or just people in your communities. Announced by TikTok on Monday, the new chat feature lets you create and join groups with as many as 32 users. Beyond sharing […] More

The iOS 18 beta version differs from what we expect in this fall’s general release. Beta testers are given a release that has recently exited its alpha phase, so problems and bugs are expected to arise. The purpose of the beta phase is to gather user feedback to repair these bugs and address any user interface issues. Beta versions can also be incomplete and not the final product, especially in the case of iOS 18, which didn’t include Apple Intelligence features in the initial beta release. This status means the iOS 18 beta version is more prone to bugs, glitches, and instability.Also: How to better organize text messages on your iPhoneThe general release will have ironed out these bugs and problems using the user feedback gathered during the beta phase, delivering more complete software that won’t be as prone to bugs. One example of this process is when Apple released the iOS 17 beta version in 2023. The early beta version featured the ‘End’ button during a call that had moved from the center to the right, which was a big change for iPhone users. Disapproving feedback from beta testers resulted in Apple moving the ‘End’ call button back to the center of the screen, where users had been accustomed to. More

gremlin/Getty images Before the invention of the internal combustion engine and the harnessing of electricity, humans weren’t the only members of the global workforce. Until the mid-20th century, horses were employed in the tens of millions across industries. In the USA alone their numbers reached 24 million, about as many as there are humans currently […] More

Sallyrango/Getty Images I’ve used just about every type of Linux desktop imaginable. Over the years, one of the things that has most impressed me is the ability of Linux distribution developers to reinvent the wheel in ways that make the open-source operating system more efficient and more aesthetically pleasing at the same time. There’s no […] More

I’ve been around technology for long enough that very little excites me, and even less surprises me. But shortly after Open AI’s ChatGPT was released, I asked it to write a WordPress plugin for my wife’s e-commerce site. When it did, and the plugin worked, I was indeed surprised.That was the beginning of my deep exploration into chatbots and AI-assisted programming. Since then, I’ve subjected 10 large machine models (LLMs) to four real-world tests. How to use ChatGPT to write: Resumes | Excel formulas | Essays | Cover letters Unfortunately, not all chatbots can code alike. It’s been 18 months since that first test, and even now, five of the 10 LLMs I tested can’t create working plugins. Had I chosen one of them instead of ChatGPT, I might have assumed AIs couldn’t code and might have lost interest in AI-enabled programming helpers. In this article, I’ll show you how each LLM performed against my tests. There are two chatbots I recommend you use, but they cost $20/month. The free versions of the same chatbots do well enough that you could probably get by without paying. But the rest, whether free or paid, are not so great. I won’t risk my programming projects with them or recommend that you do until their performance improves. Also: How I test an AI chatbot’s coding ability – and you can tooI’ve written a lot about using AIs to help with programming. Unless it’s a small, simple project, like my wife’s plugin, AIs can’t write entire apps or programs. But they excel at writing a few lines and are not bad at fixing code. Rather than repeat everything I’ve written, go ahead and read this article: How to use ChatGPT to write code: What it can and can’t do for you.If you want to understand my coding tests, why I’ve chosen them, and why they’re relevant to this review of the 10 LLMs, read this article: How I test an AI chatbot’s coding ability – and you can too.Once you’ve read those two articles and you’re fully caught up, we can dive into the AIs themselves. Let’s start with a comparative look at how the chatbots performed: David Gewirtz/ZDNETNext, let’s look at each chatbot individually. I’ll discuss nine chatbots, even though the above chart shows 10 LLMs. The results for GPT-4 and GPT-4o are both included in ChatGPT Plus. Ready? Let’s go. More