Eliana Willis

Get Windows 11 Pro at a big discount right now. StackSocial Need an operating system upgrade? Windows 11 Pro puts productivity in your hands with features that make everything from hybrid work to streaming entertainment easy, and you can grab the software for a discounted price right now through StackSocial. A lifetime subscription for the […] More

ZDNETWe’re falling into fall, and in the tech world, that means we’ve seen lots of new product launches, announcements, and best of all, deals. Case in point: right now, the M2 Apple MacBook Air More

Adam Breeden/ZDNETAmazon’s October Prime Big Deal Days event is returning on October 8-9, and it’s the perfect time to get a head start on your holiday shopping, months before it’s even time to deck the halls. The retail giant is promising savings on top brands and products across major categories like home, tech, apparel, and beyond. Also: October Prime Day 2024: Everything you need to knowAt ZDNET, our deal-finding experts are already rounding up the best early October Prime Day deals so you can find the most savings. We keep our eyes peeled for savings on top products backed by ZDNET testing, discounts greater than 20% off, and products that don’t frequently see a sale, and consider your buying options as if we were purchasing every item on this list ourselves. We only recommend products that are worth your cash. Here are the best early Prime Big Deal Days offers we’ve seen ahead of Amazon’s flagship fall event. Be sure to check back here as we scour the site for the best deals everyday leading up to the sale. Also: Get Prime Day deals, even if you don’t pay for Prime. Here’s howOur favorite early Amazon October Prime Day deals  More

Cesar Cadenas/ZDNETZDNET’s key takeawaysThe Asus ProArt PZ13 is an artistically aligned laptop and is on sale right now at Best Buy for $1,100 More

Lance Whitney/ZDNETYou’ve long been able to pair and connect your Mac and iPhone through Apple’s Continuity feature. But with MacOS 15 Sequoia comes a cool new option that expands this partnership: iPhone Mirroring.This feature lets you wirelessly control your iPhone from your Mac. Once connected, you’re able to navigate your iPhone and open different apps using your Mac’s trackpad and keyboard. Notifications that appear on your iPhone will also pop up on your Mac. Also: My biggest regret with upgrading my iPhone to iOS 18 (and I’m not alone)You can even transfer files between the two devices. Plus, your iPhone stays locked the whole time you’re mirroring, meaning no one else can access it or see what you’re doing.For iPhone Mirroring to work, you have to meet these requirements:Your Mac must be powered by an Apple M-class chip or the Apple T2 Security chip.Your Mac must be running macOS Sequoia 15 or higher.Your iPhone must be running iOS 18 or higher.Your iPhone and Mac must both be signed into the same Apple account.Your iPhone and Mac must both have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi turned on.Your iPhone must be locked and near your Mac, though it can be in charging mode.Your iPhone’s Personal Hotspot must not be in use.Your Mac can’t be sharing its internet connection.Once you’ve reviewed those, here’s how to get started.How to mirror your iPhone to your Mac More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETApple finally launched iOS 18 on Monday, and like clockwork, the bugs are starting to come out of the woodwork. It all starts with the Apple Watch. You can directly share a watch face with someone else through Messages or Mail. The idea is to give other people access to a personalized face that you tweaked yourself.Also: My biggest regret with upgrading my iPhone to iOS 18 (and I’m not alone)Next, let’s say the recipient uses Messages in iOS 18 to reply to any text in a conversation thread that contains the shared watch face. With iOS 14 and higher, you can respond inline to any previous message in a thread simply by pressing down on it and tapping Reply. But if you’re running iOS 18, don’t do that.Apparently, if your phone has iOS 18, replying inline to a message with the shared watch face causes the Messages app to crash. Not only that, but you could end up losing all the messages in the conversation. The bug was encountered by someone who shared the discovery with 9to5Mac, which was then able to reproduce the issue.Also: iOS 18 is bricking some iPads. Here’s what to know before you install itBut the problem doesn’t end there. If you bump into this glitch, Messages will repeatedly crash if you try to open the conversation in the app. This means sending or responding to messages in other conversations may not be possible either. What’s more, once the bug has popped up, both the sender and recipient of the shared watch face message fall into the same trap. More

Where better to test the durability and long-term reliability of a portable power station than an earth lodge. Pictured here is the Bluetti EP500 Pro. Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNETI’ve spent a lot of time testing power stations and exploring their capacity, power output, and safety features. Over the past year, I’ve tried out dozens of them and learned a lot along the way. However, testing how long these devices last is a bit trickier. I can only use so much power in my daily life. So spending months — or even a year — on a single unit isn’t practical for me.Testing a power station’s longevity poses a unique challenge. Unlike checking how much power a unit can output or its capacity — which can be done quickly in controlled settings — figuring out longevity means you need to use the unit over a longer period under various conditions. Like any electronic device, a power station can experience wear and tear, which might not show up in short-term tests. Also: Best portable power stations | Best cheap power stations |  Best for campingLongevity is critical because it tells us how well a power station can handle continuous use and different environmental conditions. Power stations are used in all sorts of places, from homes to outdoor adventures, so they need to be dependable. Plus, portable power stations can be quite pricey, so customers want to know they’re making a smart investment. More