Eliana Willis

ZDNETEvery time I read a complaint from someone who’s exasperated about something they encountered in Windows 11, I just shake my head and say, I tried to warn you.Two years ago, I wrote “Here’s why Windows PCs are only going to get more annoying.” The executive summary? Microsoft is increasingly treating Windows as a giant billboard where it can promote and cross-sell other products, including Microsoft 365, OneDrive, its Xbox gaming products, and all the AI-related services under the Copilot brand. Collectively, they represent a basket of annoyances for people who use Windows PCs. And, at the risk of repeating myself, they’ll only get more annoying. Also: Windows 11 FAQ: Upgrade guide and everything you need to knowYou can, of course, switch to an alternate platform. But if you’re otherwise happy with your Windows PC, there’s a better way. In this post, I show you how to eliminate (or greatly minimize) the annoyance factor on a Windows 11 PC. 1. Silence account notifications When you sign in with a Microsoft account, it’s easier for Windows to try to cross-sell you on services like Microsoft 365. On the other hand, there are some significant advantages to using a Microsoft account, such as automatic encryption of all data on the system drive and the ability to recover your account if you forget your password. Also: How to do a clean install of Windows 11: See which option is best for you and whyIf you chose to set up Windows with a local account, a badge appears at the top of the account menu, urging you to “sign in to your Microsoft account.” To make that notification go away, go to Settings > Personalization > Start and turn off “Show account-related notifications occasionally in Start.” (Beginning with version 24H2, this option is labeled “Show account-related notifications.”) More

The Oura Ring 4 is a competitive sleep tracker, with insights into sleep efficiency, restfulness, readiness, latency, and more. I’ve been using the Oura Ring for a while now, and it has not only given me deeper insight into my sleep but also supplements those data points with explanations behind the numbers. Oura claims to accurately track sleep cycles, total sleep time, resting heart rate, heart rate variability, and movement.These features have been enhanced with the rollout of the fourth-generation Oura Ring, which hit the market in October. The Oura Ring 4 has smart sensors that allow more accurate and continuous data capture. It’s also more comfortable than the Oura Ring 3 and has flattened sensors that make it easier to wear over time.Also: I tested the Oura Ring 4 for weeks. Here’s why it’s the best health tracker right nowEvery morning, I get a sleep score for last night’s sleep and view my heart rate, sleep efficiency, and suggested bedtime range for the day. The sleep score helps me understand my energy levels for the day and my activity bandwidth, like whether I should exercise or rest. The Oura Ring can also detect the shortest of naps and factor those into the sleep score for the day. Plus, the sleep tab on the app offers information on sleep efficiency, restfulness, REM, deep sleep, latency, and timing, so you can dig deep and go beyond viewing just a sleep score and your time spent in bed.As if there aren’t enough sleep-friendly features in the Oura Ring, Oura also unveiled a body clock feature that teaches users more about circadian rhythms and the body clock. The feature measures sleep chronotype, calculated by body temperature, sleep-wake cycle, and physical activity. Through this data, I learned that I’m most productive during the late morning.Also: The best smart ringsThe battery life is excellent. It charges quickly and stays charged for around five to six days. Oura says the new generation’s battery life lasts eight days, but I haven’t found that to be the case in my testing. The one downside to the ring is the extra $72 you spend on the Oura subscription each year, on top of the $350 you spend on the ring itself.Redditors also agree that the Oura Ring, as a sleep tracker, is worth it. “If you struggle with sleep quality, overtraining, or anything else that affects recovery, I’d say it’s worth it,” one user wrote in a thread. However, one Best Buy reviewer noted that the ring doesn’t offer half sizes, which could be an issue if your fingers swell.Oura Ring Gen 4 specs: Up to 8 days battery life | Sleep cycles | Bluetooth | Up to 100m water resistant | Blood oxygen, skin temperature sensor, heart rate monitoring | iOS and Android compatible More

Ever since generative AI exploded in popularity, one of the major concerns has been how it will impact jobs and replace the human workforce. That fear is only heightened with the mention of AI agents, as they can carry out tasks for humans without even needing constant human prompting or supervision, eliminating the need for humans to perform specific tasks even further.However, just because an AI agent can carry out some tasks doesn’t necessarily mean it can do all of them. As mentioned above, there are critical business operations that an AI agent cannot replace, such as face-to-face interactions with clients or higher-level tasks involving problem-solving, experience, or creativity.Also: Want to win in the age of AI? You can either build it or build your business with itIn fact, according to LaMoreaux, AI agents may amplify the need for humans in some areas.”With AI and generative AI, domain expertise becomes more important, not less important,” said LaMoreaux. “The AI agents already know the basics, so when things need to get unique, then routed to humans, it’s going to be higher-order questions and problems.”Building on this idea, Elsakr also highlighted that the models themselves don’t have ideas. As a result, it is imperative that humans come up with better ideas now and spend real time implementing ideas that matter.Another concern about AI agents is that they are entirely autonomous and, as a result, can handle important business tasks and data without the need for direct human supervision guiding their every step, leaving room for bias, privacy concerns, and error.However, it is important to remember that AI agents can be tailored to fit the specific company’s needs. They are given the authority to access only information the company is willing to share and can only perform actions they are specifically granted the authority to do. Ultimately, these tasks should be carefully chosen to ensure they align with the company’s needs and values.Also: This new AI benchmark measures how much models lieFor example, LaMoreaux explained IBM uses an agent to help match candidates to potential job roles, as opposed to using an AI agent for selection to weed out applications. Even though other companies use AI agents for filtering and selecting processes, there is a risk of inviting AI bias and not selecting people with different educational backgrounds, which doesn’t align with the company culture.This keeps the company in control of how AI agents behave. As a result, even though the technology is autonomous, users can find comfort in knowing it won’t act in ways it hasn’t been permitted to.  More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The AAWireless Two costs $65 and gives you wireless Android Auto support when plugged in. A new built-in button lets you quickly swap between paired devices. The companion app is almost too robust, but that’s not the worst thing. –> Update: The AAWireless Two adapter is back in stock on Amazon […] More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETDid you know that whenever you turn on your smart TV, you invite an unseen guest to watch it with you? These days, most popular TV models utilize automatic content recognition (ACR), a form of ad surveillance technology that gathers information about everything you watch and transmits it to a centralized database. Manufacturers then use your data to identify your viewing preferences, enabling them to deliver highly targeted ads.Also: I changed these 6 TV settings to drastically speed up its performance (and why they work)What’s the incentive behind this invasive technology? According to market research firm eMarketer, in 2022, advertisers spent an estimated $18.6 billion on smart TV ads, and those numbers are only going up.To understand how ACR works, imagine a constant, real-time Shazam-like service running in the background while your TV is on. It identifies content displayed on your screen, including programs from cable TV boxes, streaming services, or gaming consoles. ACR does this by capturing continuous screenshots and cross-referencing them with a vast database of media content and advertisements. More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Cuktech 30 is a compact yet powerful power bank that can output a maximum of 300W. It can recharge in under 2.5 hours thanks to 140W USB-C charging At 40,000mAh/144Wh, it’s too big to take on an airplane. –> Power banks come in all shapes and sizes. Some are small […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The JBL Charge 6 will be available for purchase on April 6 for $199 in Black, Blue, White, Red, Camo, and Purple. The Charge 6 offers great sound, durability, battery life, and in-app features. However, its waterproof rating doesn’t account for exposure to salt or chlorinated water, so exposing it to […] More

IncrediVFX/Getty Images I use a VPN. I don’t use a VPN every second of every day. Over the years, I’ve found that using a VPN all the time can cause various issues to pop up. Because of that, I’ve become rather selective about when I make use of the VPN installed on my system. Also: You […] More