Eliana Willis

Artie Beaty/ZDNETGemini Flash 2.0 just debuted last week, but it’s already getting an upgrade — the ability to watch YouTube for you.If you use YouTube as a resource for cooking, home repairs, crafting, or research, you know how frustrating it can be when it takes someone forever to get to the point. That may soon be a thing of the past because Gemini Flash 2.0 can now watch a YouTube video, extract the important parts, and even answer your follow-up questions. Also: Google Gemini’s lock screen update is a game-changer for my phoneGemini already had the ability to simply summarize videos, but this new application goes deeper.How it worksTo analyze a YouTube video with Gemini, just paste the video’s link into Gemini.You can ask specific questions, like a list of ingredients for a recipe or a list of supplies for a DIY craft, ask for a general summary or key idea, or get a transcript of what the speaker is saying.Gemini will pull from both the video itself and the video description.Also: Google’s latest Gemini drop includes Pro access and Flash-Lite – here’s what’s new More

Dyson/ZDNETIf you’re constantly on the hunt for a low-heat, high-reward hairstyling tool, you probably know that the Dyson Airwrap More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETNot too long ago, there was an entry-level, low-cost iPhone model ideal for people who didn’t need all of the bells and whistles but still wanted to be part of the Apple ecosystem — the iPhone SE. After a two-year hiatus, a new model may be around the corner.Also: Can rebooting your iPhone really make it run faster? I tried it every day to find outOn Thursday, Bloomberg analyst Mark Gurman reported that Apple expects to announce the device as early as next week, with it hitting the market a month later, according to sources familiar with the matter. However, unlike its dated predecessor, the iPhone SE 4 will feature many of the latest tech and aesthetics.The upgradesThe last iPhone SE 3, released in 2022, is a relic of the past with a home button and rounded edges. Leaked images of the new iPhone SE reveal that it will look similar to the iPhone 14, with a USB-C port at the bottom, no Home button, and a simple notch instead of the Dynamic Island that we are now used to.Also: You can get 6 months of Apple Music for $3 right now – here’s howMost importantly, the new iPhone SE will reportedly support Apple Intelligence with the inclusion of an A18 chipset, the same silicon found in the iPhone 16 lineup. This should allow even entry-level users to experience the same AI assistance as the rest of the lineup, including Genmoji, Writing Tools, Notification summaries, Image Playground, and more. More

ZDNETMicrosoft and its users still can’t seem to catch a break with updates to Windows 11 24H2. Since its official debut last October, the 2024 version has been saddled with problems. But each new update designed to fix a bunch of bugs ends up introducing even more of them.Also: Windows 11 24H2’s wild ride: Some fixes are in but other bugs still lingerThe latest issue centers around the Windows 11 24H2 preview update released on Jan. 28. Known as KB5050094, this one was supposed to be a major bug buster,  addressing both new and old glitches. The update did succeed in that regard, fixing issues with USB headphones and webcams, DAC audio, Bluetooth devices, game playing with AutoHDR, and disappearing mouse cursors.The latest bugsBut, as is sometimes the case, the update introduced a new series of glitches, according to user complaints as spotted by Windows Latest.   The latest bugs affect the cursor, File Explorer, audio devices, the virtual machine tool Hyper-V, and a variety of other features.Several users who installed KB5050094 say the cursor sometimes continues to load. In its testing, Windows Latest found that the cursor’s spinning circle appears every 30 seconds or so, making it seem as if Windows is trying to load something. The Jan. 28 update was also supposed to squash a bug in which the cursor would vanish when you tried to edit a text field. But this glitch seems to have survived and even gotten worse.Another problem reported by people who installed KB5050094 affects File Explorer. In this case, File Explorer sometimes freezes or fails to respond. One person who chimed in on Microsoft’s Feedback Hub said they could no longer use Windows Explorer on their desktop or laptop.Also: The Windows January updates are a mess – here’s why you should wait to installOther issues have popped up, according to Windows Latest. Some people say that audio devices disappear when they use apps like Kodi, which is an open-source media player. In a few cases, Windows gets stuck in a loop trying to install the same update over and over again. Hyper-V may stop working during a Remote Desktop Session. In some rare instances, the PC’s idle RAM use and CPU and GPU temperatures will rise.Other potential problemsSearching Microsoft’s Feedback Hub for KB5050094 uncovers a host of other potential problems. One person says that apps can become unresponsive and that manually shutting them down renders them unusable unless the PC is rebooted. Another person reports that after coming out of sleep mode, the computer freezes and has to be restarted.Yet another person documented a host of glitches.”Installing Windows 11 24H2 preview update KB5050094, build 26100.3037 makes my computer unusable,” the person wrote in the Feedback Hub. “File Explorer fails to open when clicking on the Explorer button on taskbar or even from the Run command or command prompt. Any Save As / Open / Browse dialogs also fail to open. Performance, especially at login, is terrible; it takes minutes just to log in to the desktop after entering my password. Various desktop apps and programs tend to become unresponsive for minutes at a time and then become responsive. I had the same exact experience on 2 additional PCs with Windows 11 24H2 with this preview update installed. Uninstalling this update makes Windows behave normally again. This update needs major improvements before being released in final form.”Also: How to clear the cache on your Windows 11 PC (and why it makes such a big difference)I applied the KB5050094 update to one of my Windows 11 PCs last week. I haven’t had a chance to fully put it through its paces, but I can confirm at least one glitch. Logging in to Windows now takes much longer than it did before the update. After entering the password, PIN, or scanning my fingerprint, I have to wait at least 15-20 seconds before the desktop appears — a good three to four times longer than it used to take. More

Uma Shankar sharma/Getty Images If you feel like an imposter at work, you’re not alone. MIT Sloan reports that a nagging sensation of not being smart enough plagues even the most influential employees. Business leaders have told us the same thing — it’s common to feel like a fraud, and you shouldn’t feel as if you’re the only […] More

ZDNETA while ago, I wrote a piece on the best way to ensure your privacy with a web browser. Part of that advice was to use the Tor   browser. In simplest terms, you cannot get more privacy and security from a web browser than when using Tor. And given how important privacy and security are now, Tor should be on your radar.Also: How to turn on Private DNS Mode on Android – and why it’s a must for securityThe Tor browser uses the Onion network to ensure privacy and security. What is the Onion network? First off, Tor is short for “The Onion Router.” When using the Onion network, all traffic is encapsulated in layers of encryption, which are transmitted through a series of nodes called “onion routers.” As the traffic passes through a node, it peels away a single layer that reveals the next destination for the data. This makes it very difficult for a third party to trace your internet activity (more so than any other browser).Now that you know what Tor is, let me show you how easy it is to use.How to connect Tor to the Onion networkWhat you’ll need: The only thing you’ll need is Tor Browser installed on your desktop or mobile device. I’ll demonstrate Tor Browser on Linux, but the platform you use won’t matter. You can download the Tor Browser for your desktop from the official download page. The link for the Android version will take you to a page with downloads for .apk files. On that same page, you’ll find a link to the Google Play Store Tor entry. I suggest installing Tor on Android from the Google Play Store because sideloading .apk files can lead to security issues.Also: For anonymous browsing, these extensions are the next best thing to TorWhen using Linux, you can also install Tor from the standard repositories, which means it should be available to install from your desktop app store. For example, installing on an Ubuntu-based distribution is as simple as running the following command: sudo apt-get install torbrowser-launcher -yOnce you have Tor installed, proceed to step one. More

rob dobi/Getty Images In October 2023, former president Joe Biden signed an executive order that included several measures for regulating AI. On his first day in office, President Trump overturned it, replacing it a few days later with his own order on AI in the US. This week, some government agencies that enforce AI regulation […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways HP’s OmniStudio X 31.5 is on sale now at Best Buy for $1,799. It’s a big-screen all-in-one with a solid suite of hardware that makes both powerful and flexible. However, some users will want to upgrade the peripherals and speakers. –> When I reviewed the Apple iMac M4 last year, I […] More