Robotics

It’s that time of the year again — Amazon Prime Day starts today, July 8, and will go on until July 11, which is two days longer than usual. This is a massive sales event where tech brands roll out many discounts for a wide selection of products, including computer monitors. You’ll find just about everything from office displays that are $100 off to gaming displays that are hundreds of dollars off. For example, the Dell S2425HS office monitor More

OnlyOffice / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETOnlyOffice Desktop Editors might not be on your radar. You might assume there are only three major players in the office suite space: Office 365, Google Docs, and LibreOffice. However, there is another tool that I find to be as good (and even better in some ways) as the competition. That tool is OnlyOffice.Also: This city is dumping Microsoft Office and Windows for OnlyOffice and Linux – here’s whyOnlyOffice has been around for a while but has mostly flown under the radar, which is a shame, because it’s an outstanding office suite option. One of my favorite aspects of the app is that it can be used locally, with a cloud instance of OnlyOffice, or both. I have, on several occasions, had one document open in the cloud and one opened locally — both at the same time in the same app. That alone makes OnlyOffice worth the price of entry (which, by the way, is free). What’s new in OnlyOffice version 9?Recently, the team behind OnlyOffice released version 9, and along with that comes an important new addition: AI. Before you get confused, OnlyOffice already had an AI plugin, which allowed you to connect to both local and remote LLMs. With the release of version 9, the OnlyOffice AI can now help you with: Extract text from scanned PDF files.Apply smart formulas in spreadsheets.Run complex data analysis in spreadsheets.Create OnlyOffice macros based on prompts.Convert VBA macros to OnlyOffice macros.For many, the most impressive feature will be the ability to create macros from a prompt. Macros are scripts that you would normally have to write by hand to do various things. For example, you could create a spreadsheet macro that generates a report with bar graphs for all columns that have numbers or one that surrounds formulas in selected cells by =IFERROR(,””):. Once you’ve created the macro, open your document, open the macro, and run it. Your report will then be generated and (hopefully) ready to use. Also: How to add an email account to your OnlyOffice deploymentTypically, writing macros requires an understanding of JavaScript, but with OnlyOffice 9, you can now create that macro using human-readable language via the new AI feature. This is a remarkable feature that should save spreadsheet fans tons of time. More

Prakhar Khanna/ZDNETAmazon Prime Day runs from July 8-11, but one of the best mobile offers I’ve seen is open to all. That’s right — you don’t need to be a Prime member to snag these savings, and this smartphone is already under $1,000. The new Nothing Phone 3 just launched this month, and Amazon already has a tempting preorder offer. Also: The best Prime Day tech deals If you preorder the Nothing Phone 3 on Amazon, you can scoop up the 512GB model for $799 More

When is Amazon Prime Day 2025?  This year, Amazon Prime Day runs from July 8-11. It’s the first time that it’s a four-day sale event, instead of just two days. Are tech products really cheaper on Prime Day?  Yes, you can find lots of tech for cheaper prices during Prime Day sales, at Amazon as well as competing retailers like Costco, Walmart, and Best Buy. During this sale window, some companies will offer bundles, freebies, or lower prices to entice you to buy directly from them instead of Amazon. We’re monitoring everyone’s sale prices during the event to update you on the most worthwhile ones. How did we choose these EcoFlow 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 actually on sale and how frequently it drops.  We also looked over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the deals we’re recommending. Our recommendations may also be based on our own testing — in addition to extensive research and comparison shopping. The goal is to deliver the most accurate advice to help you shop smarter.  More

When is Amazon Prime Day 2025? For the first time, Amazon Prime Day will be a four-day sales event instead of only two days. Prime Day 2025 begins on July 8 and ends on July 11.Are robot vacuums really cheaper on Prime Day? Yes, most robot vacuums are cheaper during Prime Day. Plenty of robot vacuum discounts around Prime Day are steeper, but not all are. The robot vacuum market is pretty saturated at the moment, and the high competition makes for constant markdowns. Many robot vacuums hit their all-time lowest price during Prime Day and the following days, but you can find deals for these devices year-round.How did we choose these Prime Day deals?As a robot vacuum tester, I’m very familiar with unique features and have tested different devices in every price range. This expertise has led me to realize that the robot vacuum market has a lot of competition. It also helps me discern which robot vacuums are worth their retail price and when a discount is a good deal.I check robot vacuum deals often, always choosing the ones that deliver the most features for the least money. Using our expertise and different tools to track deals, we can determine when a deal is worth it and ensure that we only cover those.What are the best Prime Day deals so far?ZDNET’s experts are searching through Prime Day sales to find the best discounts by category. These are the best deals so far:You can also find the best deals from other retailers competing with Prime Day sales: More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE+ is a 13.1-inch tablet for $649. It’s a good iPad Air alternative for Android users, with reliable performance, a larger display than the S10+, and an IP68 rating that the iPad lacks; it also includes the S Pen. The price increased by $50 for the […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Amazon Kindle Scribe is on sale for $259 for the 16GB version, or $299 when bundled with the folio case and adapter. It combines the familiar features of the Kindle e-reader with a bright display and a suite of premium note-taking features. The aforementioned features have a bit of a […] More

Whisker Litter-Robot 4 4.5 / 5 Very good ZDNET’s key takeaways The Whisker Litter-Robot 4 retails for $700 and comes in black or white This self-cleaning litter box lets you keep tabs on your cat’s health through the helpful app However, it is an expensive buy, and the app frequently experiences glitches. <!–> Save $50 […] More