Robotics

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways This ruggedized smartphone has a huge battery, a massive 800-lumen flashlight, and a night vision camera. The massive battery does make the handset weigh a hefty 2 pounds. The display can be a bit washed out in bright sunlight. –> At Amazon, the Blackview BV7300<!–> is on sale for $250, a […] More

OpenAI The latest in generative artificial intelligence includes AI agents that can access the web to find answers to questions. While promising, agentic technology is very much a work in progress. In a paper published last week, OpenAI researchers relate how the company’s Deep Research technology, which was built to use the Web, does far better than […] More

Yuichiro Chino/Getty Images Just weeks after unveiling Gemini 2.5 Pro, Google is on to its next top-performing model.  On Thursday, the company released an “early version” of Gemini 2.5 Flash in preview in the Gemini API, AI Studio, and Vertex AI. The model has a knowledge cutoff of January 2025. It can take text, images, […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Sabrent USB SSD 4-bay docking station is available now on Amazon for $89. This docking station makes adding external drives to your system a total plug-and-play affair. The case is plastic, so it feels a bit cheap but that doesn’t get in the way of performance. more buying choices At […] More

Maria Diaz/ZDNETZDNET’s key takeawaysThe Mammotion Luba 2 3000H More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways Ecovacs’ Deebot T30S Combo 3-in-1 robot vacuum, mop, and handheld vacuum is currently available for $1,200. The robot vacuum features an industry-leading 11,000 Pa of suction power, retractable mop pads to tackle corners and edges, a new v-shaped brush to prevent tangles, a self-emptying handheld vacuum, and self-washing and self-emptying features […] More

Lance Whitney / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETLooking for an AI that can analyze, summarize, and answer questions about your current web page? You may want to try Microsoft’s Copilot Vision feature.In a Bluesky post from Wednesday, Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI, announced the official debut of Copilot Vision for all Edge users. Initially rolled out last October as an experimental feature, Copilot Vision expanded its reach in December as a preview, but only for Copilot Pro subscribers. Now, the feature is free for any Edge user with a Microsoft account. Also: With Copilot Studio’s new skill, your AI agent can use websites and apps just like you do”Copilot Vision is out now, free in Edge,” Suleyman said in his post. “It can literally see what you see on screen (if you opt in). Pretty amazing! It’ll think out loud with you when you’re browsing online. No more over-explaining, copy-pasting, or struggling to put something into words.” What’s so special about Copilot Vision? Using AI, the tool scans and analyzes the current web page in Edge. It can then tell you what it sees or summarize the information. You’re also able to ask questions and submit requests about the page’s content. Also: Microsoft previews Spanish voice features for its Copilot Voice AI assistantFor example, you could open a page on Amazon that lists different products and ask Copilot to recommend the best item based on your specific needs and preferences. You can browse a cooking page with a tempting recipe and ask Copilot to talk you through the steps. You might visit a page with job listings and ask Copilot for advice on how to craft the right cover letter in response to a specific position. Copilot Vision works with most sites, except those with harmful or adult content, according to Microsoft. If you visit an unsupported site, Copilot will display a grayed-out icon and crossed eyeglasses and will refuse to discuss the content on the page. Also: Microsoft 365 Copilot’s two new AI agents can speed up your workflowTo address privacy concerns, your requests, as well as any images or page content, aren’t logged or stored. Only Copilot’s responses are logged so that Microsoft can monitor for unsafe conversations. After the session ends, all data is deleted. How to try Copilot VisionTo try Copilot Vision, make sure you’re signed in to Edge with a Microsoft account. To activate the feature, click this link for Copilot Vision in Edge More

Choosing the best virtual private server (VPS) hosting service can be challenging, with so many options available to consumers, enterprises, and small businesses. VPS hosting offers something for everyone: varied pricing and plans, customizable resources, reliable security, and scalability, so your web hosting can grow alongside your website or project.VPS hosting can give you more control over your hosting experience and provide more resources than what’s typically offered on shared hosting plans — and website visitors’ experiences improve when you aren’t competing with others for power and bandwidth. Our top picks include Ionos and Hostinger.What is the best VPS hosting service right now?After digging into the details and testing a range of VPS hosting providers, we selected Ionos More