OpenAI When OpenAI held its Spring Launch event in May, one of the biggest standouts was its demo of the new Voice Mode on ChatGPT, supercharged with GPT-4o’s new video and audio capabilities. The highly anticipated new Voice Mode is finally here (kind of). Also: The best AI chatbots of 2024: ChatGPT, Copilot, and worthy […] More
Peter Dazeley/Getty Images Yes, you read that right — Microsoft 365 went down. On Tuesday, the company reported outages in Microsoft 365, which consists of Microsoft Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneDrive. More specifically, Microsoft 365 admin center, Intune, Entra, Power Platform, and Power BI were failing — though SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, Microsoft […] More
Jason Hiner/ZDNETIs your smart TV acting not-so-smart? Does it exhibit lag in sequences or a slow response to your remote control? You aren’t the only one who’s experienced the frustration of watching a juddering screen or disconcerting digital hang-ups. Also: I changed these 5 TV settings to cut down my electricity bill (and why they work)Modern TVs have plenty of features and apps (and services that run in the background) which can leave them bogged down over time. Fortunately, there are some simple actions to take that might just rectify your flatscreen’s sketchy performance. More
Adam Breeden/ZDNETWhether you’re considering buying a new TV or your old flat panel seems to be doing fine, there are still ways to optimize your viewing experience, and it all begins with your television’s settings. Let’s explore some of the key factors determining how your TV performs and what you can do to make it look even better.1. Turn down the sharpnessThe sharper the picture, the better. Right? Not necessarily.Contrary to popular belief, the “sharpness” setting on your TV doesn’t affect the actual sharpness of the displayed image. True sharpness is determined by factors such as screen resolution, source material resolution, and contrast. Instead, the sharpness setting alters the artificial edge enhancement — a processor-driven adjustment that can introduce unwanted noise and, ironically, distort details in the image.Also: TV running slow? I changed these 6 settings to instantly speed up the performanceEdge enhancement is designed to make onscreen objects more distinct by emphasizing the boundaries between them, theoretically creating a more lifelike image. However, this feature acts like a universal Instagram filter, potentially leading to an unnatural appearance in some media. More
Look familiar? It should. Jack Wallen/ZDNETZDNET’s key takeawaysDeepin v 23 RC is available now and can be tested for free.The latest Deepin Linux desktop looks very much like Windows 11 and includes all the software you need (including its own AI app).Although the OS is stable, there are still some issues with apps (such as wrong languages presented and problems with the AI feature).I’ve never been a fan of Windows. Not a single incarnation of that operating system has appealed to me. But I do understand why so many prefer it. The desktop is not too far from the traditional interface, it’s predictable, and it’s not ugly.But there’s all that other “stuff” that detracts from daily usage. There are the Start Menu ads (that you can disable), the daunting system requirements, and the concern that all Windows accounts will be migrated to the cloud. If any of those issues concern you, I would like to introduce the latest Deepin Linux release. Before you get too excited, this is an RC (release candidate), which means it’s not ready for general release. That’s fine because RCs are a good indicator of what’s coming. Also: 10 things I always do immediately after installing Linux – and whyI jumped onboard the Deepin RC train to see what it was all about. To my surprise, this open-source operating system has made a slow shift towards resembling Windows 11. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, but it is certainly something to consider.From my perspective, this once “most beautiful Linux desktop” has now become fairly average-looking. It no longer does anything truly special (other than cloning the look and feel of Microsoft’s OS). But, again, that’s not necessarily a bad thing… especially for those who prefer the look and feel of Windows 11.Of course, because this is Linux, you can always tweak the desktop to better suit your needs. For example, you can shift the dock to the right, left, or top; align it to the left, right, or center; smart hide it; change the opacity; and change the icon size. The only disappointment for me is that you can’t change the size such that it looks more like a traditional dock. The Deepin dock is a panel and that’s that.Also: What is sudo in Linux and why is it so important?I did find, however, that the left/right/top dock positions were grayed out. I’m still trying to figure out why this is the case.One of the things that keeps tripping me up about the Deepin desktop is that I continue to drag my cursor to the bottom left of the desktop to open the menu. Guess what? The menu button isn’t there. Remember, this is Windows-like, but it’s not an exact clone, so the menu button is the left-most icon in the centered section of launchers on the dock. The icon at the bottom left corner is the clipboard (which I’m used to having in the system tray). I get why Deepin did this but it’s taking me some time to get used to it. That doesn’t, however, detract from how well Deepin works. It’s smooth, performs well, and is rock-solid (especially for an RC). Yes, there were some issues (such as the default web browser — simply called Browser — which defaults to Chinese, even with the OS default set at English) but overall the Deepin release candidate impressed me.What’s new in Deepin 23?As far as new and improved features, the list isn’t quite as exhaustive as you might think. The highlights include:A new Backup Update toggle for performing system updates without backing up the system (use with caution)New system fontsThe proprietary nvidia-graphics-drivers package has been updatedVideo decoding compatibility now supports multiple video streams and playback of videos in multiple resolutionsOptimized to prevent the /boot/ partition from saving too many backups from kernel snapshotsTrial mode installer has been optimizedThere’s also the list of package updates, which includes glibc 2.38, llvm-toolchain 17, dpkg 1.22.6, apt 2.8, lightdm 1.30.0, openssl 3.2.0, pam 1.5.3, lybxcrypt 4.4.36, libselinux 3.5, audit 3.1.2, libxcb 1.15, ncurses 6.4, FFmpeg 6.1.1, mesa 24, wayland 1.2.0, and many more. More
Maria Diaz/ZDNETZDNET’s key takeawaysThe Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni is available for the $1,500 retail price.This square-shaped robot vacuum and mop features a charging station that does it all: empties the robot’s dustbin and washes and dries the robot’s mop pads.Though this robot vacuum cleans beautifully, it doesn’t feature the best obstacle avoidance, making it prone to getting its roller brush stuck on items littered on the floor. You know that gratifying feeling of coming home to a clean house? With a family of five, that’s not a feeling I often get, if at all. Enter the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni More
Matthew Miller/ZDNETZDNET’s key takeawaysThe Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra More
StackSocial It’s nearly time to head back to school or, perhaps, back to the office after a much-needed summer vacation. And chances are, if you’re a student or an office worker, you know how integral portable document files (PDFs) are to everyday activities. PDFs are great for a ton of online work, from reading class […] More
