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Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNETMillions of working professionals rely on the Microsoft 365 suite of applications for their daily workflows. To speed up some of these everyday business processes, the company is now adding two new AI agents to its Microsoft 365 Copilot offering. Also: Google releases ‘most intelligent’ experimental Gemini 2.5 Pro – here’s how to try itOn Tuesday, Microsoft unveiled its Researcher and Analyst deep-reasoning agents for work capable of conducting higher-level research and data analysis. Both agents leverage existing OpenAI models to deliver more advanced, personalized support tailored to the specific needs and workflows of Microsoft 365 users.Researcher[embedded content]The Researcher agent functions similarly to OpenAI’s and Google’s Deep Research features, sifting through robust amounts of information from the web and outputting that information into a neat report with sources. Moreover, Microsoft’s Research Agent is powered by OpenAI’s Deep Research model in combination with Microsoft 365 Copilot’s “advanced orchestration and deep search capabilities,” according to the release. Also: ChatGPT finally gets a much better image generator – how to try it for freeAs a result, Microsoft’s version can go one step further from existing research agents, also pulling context from your work data, such as your emails, meetings, files, chats, and more. When combined with all of the information available on the web, it is able to create really personalized and rich reports. For example, Microsoft says Researcher can put together a comprehensive quarterly report for a client that combines information found across your apps as well as external news. The Researcher agent can also pull in data from third-party sources, such as ServiceNow and Salesforce, to better inform its outputs. Analyst[embedded content]The Analyst agent was built on OpenAI’s o3-mini reasoning model to provide users with comprehensive insights from raw data in minutes, according to Microsoft. Meant to act as a skilled data scientist, it uses chain-of-thought reasoning, another term for step-by-step processing, to work through complex queries. Users can watch the code running in real-time to learn from its processes and double-check the process. Also: I tried ChatGPT’s new Advanced Voice Mode update – here’s what changedAvailabilityBoth the Researcher and Analyst agents will start rolling out to customers with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license in April. The rollout will be part of a new Frontier program that lets customers experience early Copilot innovations while they’re still being developed. Want more stories about AI? Sign up for Innovation, our weekly newsletter.Artificial Intelligence More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETIt’s Amazon’s Big Spring Sale this week, and while there are plenty of great phone deals on the e-commerce platform, one of the best, if not the best, offers is available elsewhere. I’m talking about the Google Pixel 9 More

When is Amazon’s Spring Sale 2025? Amazon’s Big Spring Sale returns Tuesday, March 25, and ends Monday, March 31.Also: Everything you need to know about Amazon’s Big Spring Sale 2025Are deals really better during Amazon sales? Deals on flagship Amazon products are typically the best during Amazon’s own sales. These sales are also a great opportunity to scoop up decent savings across dozens of categories. Keep in mind that you’ll be able to shop at plenty of other retailers during the same period as Amazon’s sale as retailers look to compete. Will other retailers offer spring savings? Yes, other major retailers will likely offer their discounts via competing sales. Often, retailers like Walmart, Best Buy, Target, and more directly match (or sometimes outdo) Amazon’s pricing during sale events. It’s not unusual to see the same products on sale for the same price across many retailers. I expect many competing sale events to precede, overlap, or follow Amazon’s spring sale. How did we choose these anti-Amazon Spring Sale deals?ZDNET only writes about deals we want to buy — devices and products we desire, need or would recommend. Our experts looked for deals that were at least 20% off (or are hardly ever on sale), using established price comparison tools and trackers to determine whether the deal is on sale and how frequently it drops. We also reviewed customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the deals we recommend. Our recommendations may also be based on our testing — in addition to extensive research and comparison shopping. The goal is to deliver the most accurate advice to help you shop smarter. Looking for the next best product? Get expert reviews and editor favorites with ZDNET Recommends.What are the best early Amazon Spring Sale 2025 deals? ZDNET’s experts are searching through Amazon’s Spring Sale deals to find the best discounts by category. These are the best deals so far:You can also find the best Amazon Spring Sale deals by price:And the best deals from other retailers this week: More

Jason Hiner/ZDNETYour AirPods Max might be getting a long-awaited free audio upgrade. Also: The best AirPods: Expert-tested and reviewedIn an announcement this week, Apple said that its high-end AirPods are getting lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio via a software update next month. This marks the first upgrade to the device since it launched over four years ago (except for the port change from Lightning to USB-C). The catchUnfortunately, this only applies to models with a USB-C connector and not to the previous generation of AirPods Max with a Lightning connector (due to the way the Lightning cable converts the signal, it’s not totally lossless). Also: 6 ways the new AirPods Max could have been so much better”With the included USB-C cable,” Apple explained, “users can enjoy the highest-quality audio across music, movies, and games, while music creators can experience significant enhancements to songwriting, beat making, production, and mixing.” Lossless audio is a form of audio compression. Most audio files lose data from the original source, but lossless audio is essentially audio straight from the production team. Bluetooth connections don’t support lossless audio, meaning you need to use a wired connection. Apple’s $549 headphones More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Kindle Colorsoft is available now for $279. It has a bright display (even in direct sunlight), customizable color settings, and zippy performance while browsing titles and turning pages. It could be a bit larger to get the full effect of the color display. more buying choices The new Amazon Kindle Colorsoft–> is […] More

ZDNETEarlier this month, Google introduced AI Mode — an AI chatbot that replies to search queries and works much like ChatGPT Search. While it began as an exclusive feature for Google One AI Premium users who pay $20 a month, it’s now open to all Google account holders.Also: Gemini just got ChatGPT’s best productivity feature, plus Audio Overviews”Today we’re expanding access to AI Mode beyond Google One AI Premium subscribers in the US, as we begin taking people off the Labs waitlist,” explained Robby Stein, Google Search’s vice president of product. “We’re hearing early users really appreciate the ability to get AI responses for tougher questions, along with fresh, high-quality info and the option to keep exploring through follow-ups and helpful web links.” More

<!–> Adam Breeden/ZDNET When does Amazon’s Spring Sale end? The 2025 Big Spring Sale is slated to end Monday, March 31. However, as with most Amazon sales, we expect to see some lingering offers after the sale officially ends, as well as live offers from other retailers. We’ll keep you updated with all the best […] More

Jada Jones/ZDNETIf you’re an Android user wanting a pair of premium earbuds, look no further than the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2. Google’s second-generation flagship earbuds debuted last fall with improved noise-canceling capabilities, a smaller bud shape, enhanced sound quality, and Google Gemini integration. Also: Amazon’s Big Spring Sale is live: The 95+ best tech deals to shopThe Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 normally retail for $229, but they’re currently on for $179 at Amazon More