Eliana Willis

Need Microsoft Office, but don’t want to pay a yearly subscription to Office 365? Consider this deal on the latest Office Home & Business 2024 suite for Mac or PC from Stack Social for $160 (reg. $250) — that’s 36% off. The suite includes lifetime access to Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote. Office 2024 features several improvements over the 2021 version, including AI integration, better performance and speed (particularly in Excel), more advanced content creation tools, and an improved user interface and accessibility features. One caveat: While Stack Social is an authorized Microsoft partner and offers “lifetime” access to Office, it is possible that Microsoft could end the license. But the site has been running these Microsoft deals for years, and I can personally vouch for them — I purchased an Office license from Stack Social about two years ago, and it’s still working on my personal MacBook today. This deal won’t give you the benefits of the latest Microsoft Office 365 subscription, either — but you won’t have to pay a $70 yearly fee to access Office apps, either. Windows users must have their OS updated to Windows 10 or 11, while Mac users should have at least MacOS Ventura or newer to download the software. You’ll need to redeem your code within 7 days of purchase to access your license.Get Microsoft Office Home & Business 2024 for Windows or Mac with this deal today. More

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<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The iMac M4 is available for preorder now, starting at $1,299, and shipping from November 8. The base model comes with 16GB of memory for the same price, and the hardware makes for a fast, powerful desktop flexible enough to handle virtually any use case. The base model M4 might not […] More

Amazon Since debuting in 2022, Amazon’s drone delivery program has delivered thousands of household items, tech supplies, and everyday essentials in an hour or less. Now, customers in the West Valley area of Phoenix are eligible for Prime Air. Also: The best drones of 2024: Expert tested In a post this week<!–>, Amazon announced the […] More

Stack Social If you live near a BJ’s Wholesale Club and have been thinking about buying a membership, now is a great time: New members can buy an annual membership for just $20 (reg. $55) through this Stack Social deal — saving you 63%. Not only that, if you sign up through this deal, you’ll […] More

The newest Google Nest Learning Thermostat is an example of a Matter-compatible device. Maria Diaz/ZDNETThe Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) just released Matter 1.4, which supports more device types and offers new capabilities to make using Matter-connected devices more seamless than ever. Matter 1.4 supports solar-powered devices, including inverters, hybrid solar/battery systems, heat pumps, and water heaters. The latest release also offers enhancements and extra management features to electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE), thermostats, occupancy sensors, in-wall switches, and battery-powered devices. Also: One of the most dependable robot vacuums I’ve tested isn’t a Roborock or RoombaThe new release offers enhanced support for modems, access points, and set-top boxes. These devices can be designed to function as Wi-Fi access points and Thread border routers, providing more functionality to Matter-based smart homes. While many devices featuring enhancements in the 1.4 release already supported Matter, features have been limited. The current release adds more automation capabilities and gives users more control over their smart home devices through Matter.  More

Dyson/ZDNETIf you’re looking to add a Dyson cordless vacuum to your home without breaking the bank, you’d do well to look into the Dyson V7 Advanced More

When ChatGPT launched in late 2022, the AI chatbot soared in popularity because people were amazed at its ability to respond to any question with conversational and concise answers. However, ChatGPT lacked one major feature — access to current information. AI-powered search engines emerged to fill that gap.Also: The best AI chatbots of 2024: ChatGPT and alternativesWithin months of ChatGPT launching, major search engines, including Google and Bing, infused generative AI (gen AI) into their platforms to offer conversational answers based on up-to-date information found across the internet. Other companies, such as Perplexity AI, also entered the space, building AI search engines from scratch to compete with the search engine giants. With the rise in competition, ChatGPT has even unveiled a web-browsing feature of its own that allows ChatGPT to function as a search engine. AI search engines offer users the same basic service but with significant differences in execution. Some options are more helpful than others, including differences in user interfaces, search results, and suggestions. To help you decide which AI search engine is worth using, ZDNET has tested the best tools we could find and provided notes on key specs and hands-on experiences. Let’s dive in. More