Eliana Willis

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETThere are thousands of songs about staying up all night to have fun, yet fewer about how nice it is to go to bed early. After a long day of work, nerve-inducing headlines, and strenuous exercise, all I want is sleep. That’s when the lyrics of Hall and Oates’ song, “When the Morning Comes,” a tune mainly about rejection that can be interpreted as an ode to a good night’s rest, come to mind: “It’ll be all right when the morning comes,” the duo sing. As a sleep enthusiast, I can’t help but agree.Also: New FDA-cleared blood pressure monitor delivers medical grade results at homeAs a health and wearables editor, I wear smartwatches and smart rings around the clock. By testing these products, my interest in optimizing my sleep and health has grown. Not to brag, but I’m amazing at sleeping — my roommates jokingly refer to me as the Sleepytime Tea Bear. I treat my sleep the same way a professional athlete treats their workout routine, and it’s paying dividends. My sleep scores reach the high eighties and low nineties consistently, and I get around eight hours — the expert-recommended daily sleep dose — every night. My focus is clear and my energy is long-lasting. If you want to level up your sleep scores, I’ve consulted experts from wearables specialists, such as Oura and Whoop, and drawn on my own experience using these products and witnessing my sleep results to compile a list of tips I swear by for better slumber. More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The RingConn Gen 2 is a subscription-free smart ring that retails for $300. It monitors your sleep, activity, stress, and vitals, and it’s got a marathon battery life. The only downside is the user interface feels underdeveloped. more buying choices Most smart rings these days claim to offer marathon battery lives […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The NexTool multitool is blade-free, making it TSA and airport security friendly. The tool is compact and can be attached to a keychain All the tools are decent quality, and can actually do the job they claim to be able to do. –> I like my EDC (everyday carry) gadgets, but […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Eufy Security Indoor Cam S350 is available for purchase at $130. The S350 indoor camera features dual telephoto and wide-angle lenses with 360-degree motion tracking and optional local storage to avoid monthly fees. The only drawback I’ve found is that I wish the camera had a button to engage privacy […] More

Google / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETGoogle has dominated the search engine market for decades. However, the rise of generative AI has presented a new form of competition — AI search engines. With its AI Mode, Google provides users with exactly that: an AI chatbot that understands and outputs conversational search queries. As you might expect, it looks less like a traditional Google search and more like ChatGPT Search.Also: Microsoft is offering free AI skills training for everyone – how to sign upGoogle’s AI Mode was met with such high interest that the feature went from being exclusive to Google One AI Premium users who pay $20 monthly to any Google account user via Google Labs. On Monday, Google updated it further, giving the AI multimodal capabilities and expanding access to millions more Lab users. The AI now leverages Google Lens, the feature that allows users to upload and learn more about images on Google Search. By using Lens in AI Mode, users experience a much more in-depth visual search experience than traditional search because AI mode can understand the entire scene of an image.  More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETA useful Gemini feature that Google first rolled out a few months ago, exclusive to a few phones, is now available for free users on a much wider scale. Select Samsung phones are also getting access to Gemini Live’s multimodal capabilities, allowing users to point at objects with their phone camera and ask Gemini about them.Also: The best Android phones to buy in 2025″Talk Live about” is a feature that lets you show Gemini what’s on your screen and have a conversation about it. It works for files, images, and YouTube videos. The feature was first introduced back in January, when it was exclusive to the Pixel 9 series and Galaxy S24 and S25. The March Pixel Drop brought it to more phones, including the Pixel 6 and newer. Now, it’s showing up on even more older devices. More

Maria Diaz/ZDNETRobot vacuum manufacturers are constantly trying to outdo one another. One company develops a detachable cordless vacuum for the robot’s dock, and the next makes the robot’s dustbin a detachable cordless vacuum. Now Eufy is upping the ante with the first robot vacuum to also have a detachable spot cleaner for carpet and upholstery. The Eufy Omni E28 More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETTired of ever-increasing phone bills? Don’t feel like shopping for a new carrier when your payment increases — again? Verizon has an answer.The wireless carrier said last week that it’s introducing an “industry-leading guarantee: a 3-year price lock.” Under this promotion, myPlan and myHome network plan customers, both current and new, will have their rates locked in for the next three years. About half of the company’s customers are on myPlan, meaning this change will affect many people.Also: The best phones you can buy: Expert testedThis announcement comes a few weeks after Verizon offered free satellite texting to some customers.Here’s the important part: This guarantee “ensures your core monthly plan price for calling, data, and texting will not change,” Verizon said, “excluding taxes, fees, and perks.” In short, your actual plan price won’t increase, but any additional taxes and fees aren’t guaranteed to remain the same. Of course, your price could change, too, if you upgrade your plan or add lines.  More