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Salesforce builds ‘flight simulator’ for AI agents as 95% of enterprise pilots fail to reach production

Want smarter insights in your inbox? Sign up for our weekly newsletters to get only what matters to enterprise AI, data, and security leaders. Subscribe Now Salesforce is betting that rigorous testing in simulated business environments will solve one of enterprise artificial intelligence’s biggest problems: agents that work in demonstrations but fail in the messy reality of corporate operations. The cloud software giant unveiled three major AI research initiatives this week, including CRMArena

These $20 earbuds have no business sounding this good for the price - and I'm an audiophile

JLab Go Pods ANC earbuds ZDNET's key takeaways The JLab Go Pods ANC earbuds are available on Amazon for $22. They sound amazing, especially for the price. The JLab app is necessary to get the most out of these earbuds. $29.99 at Amazon Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. Some might think noise-canceling is a gimmick and avoid using it on their earbuds. That's a mistake, because noise-canceling technology can make a big difference in earbuds' overall audio quality. Also: Th

Das Problem mit German Strings

German strings are everywhere I look. The impression I’ve gotten from working in the Rust Arrow/Datafusion ecosystem and related file formats for the last couple of months is that StringViews (the implementation of German strings in Arrow) are becoming, if they have not already, the canonical form of representing string columns at execution time. This is generally a good idea. German strings are a fantastic innovation rooted in simplicity that greatly improves most string processing use-cases i

Reimagining sound and space

“It would be very difficult to teach biology or engineering in a studio designed for dance or music,” Jay Scheib, section head for Music and Theater Arts, told MIT News shortly before the building officially opened. “The same goes for teaching music in a mathematics or chemistry classroom. In the past, we’ve done it, but it did limit us.” He said the new space would allow MIT musicians to hear their music as it was intended to be heard and “provide an opportunity to convene people to inhabit the

I'm an audiophile, and these $20 earbuds pass my sound quality check

JLab Go Pods ANC earbuds ZDNET's key takeaways The JLab Go Pods ANC earbuds are available on Amazon for $22. They sound amazing, especially for the price. The JLab app is necessary to get the most out of these earbuds. $29.99 at Amazon Some might think noise-canceling is a gimmick and avoid using it on their earbuds. That's a mistake, because noise-canceling technology can make a big difference in earbuds' overall audio quality. Also: These $60 headphones have no business sounding this good

The one-click Linux app I use for instant online anonymity

Macrovector/iStock / Getty Images Plus via Getty Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET's key takeaways Using the Tor network couldn't be easier. The free Carburetor app is a one-click affair. You'll enjoy anonymity and encryption without the fuss. The Tor network is one of the safest, most reliable ways of adding a strong layer of privacy and protection for your Linux desktop, and everyone should consider using it. Not only does Tor give you anonymity, but it also pro

Best Sleep Headphones of 2025, Tested by Sleep and Headphone Experts

Cole Kan/CNET If you're a light sleeper who's sensitive to sound, then you know how difficult it can be to catch some Zs. Fortunately, devices like sleep headphones now exist, and they're designed to help you get consistent, quality rest no matter what's going on around you. I, a CNET sleep team expert, teamed up with David Carnoy, CNET executive editor and resident headphone expert, to find the best sleep headphones, ranging from wireless Bluetooth earbuds and headbands to active noise-canceli

Apple May Take AirPods Pro 3 Beyond Audio

It’s been a long time coming, but it looks like Apple is finally ready to release the next pair of AirPods Pro. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the AirPods Pro 3 will likely be among the major product releases at next month’s annual iPhone 17 event. That’s big news for anyone who turns to Apple for wireless audio, but the new active noise cancellation (ANC) buds could be an even bigger deal for anyone who’s interested in Apple as a player in health-focused wearables. On top of improved AN

Scientists unlock secret to thick, stable beer foams

For many beer lovers, a nice thick head of foam is one of life's pure pleasures, and the longer that foam lasts, the better the beer-drinking experience. A team of Swiss researchers spent seven years studying why some beer foams last longer than others and found that the degree of fermentation—i.e., whether a given beer has been singly, doubly, or triply fermented—is crucial, according to a new paper published in the journal Physics of Fluids. As previously reported, foams are ubiquitous in eve

Bambu Lab's Latest 3D Printer Boasts Its Largest Print Space Yet

Bambu Lab recently released the large-format H2D 3D printer. While I gave it a positive review, I did have some issues with the size. While the build area is technically a 350x320x325 millimeter space, you have to jump through several hoops to use it. That's because its dual-nozzle setup stops either nozzle from reaching the edges of the plate. Bambu Lab's latest 3D printer, the H2S, addresses this shortfall by replacing the dual extruder with a single extruder that can reach all parts of the b

Topics: ams bambu h2d h2s lab

I've Been Running for Over 15 Years. These Are the Best Treadmills of 2025

The first thing I noticed about the NordicTrack Commercial 2450, NordicTrack's newest addition to its commercial treadmill series, is the touchscreen. It has a 22-inch HD touchscreen that resembles a desktop computer screen, so it's huge. It also tilts and pivots so you can adjust it for different uses, like if you want to take workout classes on the floor. The treadmill itself is also on the bigger side since it's a commercial treadmill, but it does fold up using its easylift assist feature, so

Lenovo IdeaPad 5i 2-in-1 Review: Barely Squeaking By

Budget laptops are finally improving. Extra RAM and more efficient processors are making cheap laptops significantly more pleasant to use and recommend. However, the Lenovo IdeaPad 5i 2-in-1 is somewhat of an old-school budget laptop. It uses a cheaper Intel chip, which compromises performance and battery life, and at first glance, it appears to be overpriced. While this machine doesn't move the needle for budget PCs, if you need a 16-inch laptop, there's just barely enough here to make it wort

'Ten Martini' Proof Uses Number Theory to Explain Quantum Fractals

But in some ways, the proof was a bit unsatisfying. Jitomirskaya and Avila had used a method that only applied to certain irrational values of alpha. By combining it with an intermediate proof that came before it, they could say the problem was solved. But this combined proof wasn’t elegant. It was a patchwork quilt, each square stitched out of distinct arguments. Moreover, the proofs only settled the conjecture as it was originally stated, which involved making simplifying assumptions about th

If 5% of AI projects succeed, then yours can too - and this is how

GarryKillian/iStock/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET's key takeaways Although 95% of AI projects fail, research shows that successful initiatives focus on infrastructure. Top hurdles include poor integration, lack of skill sets, and difficulty building in-house AI solutions. Businesses that successfully implement AI are 85% more likely to have worked with third-party AI providers. When it comes to AI, most people fit in one of

My 4 favorite Linux distros for streaming - and why choosing the right one makes a huge difference

Jose A. Bernat Bacete / Moment via Getty Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET's key takeaways Some Linux distributions are better for streaming. There are certain factors to consider for streaming on Linux. The distributions here should work fine without tweaking. Among Spotify, Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming services, I consume a lot of content. Although you might think any operating system with a web browser (or the ability to install an app or two) is perfectl

Google to require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store

Google is tightening security measures around Android app distribution, the company announced on Monday. Starting next year, Google will begin to verify the identities of developers distributing their apps on Android devices, not just those who distribute via the Play Store. The changes will affect all certified Android devices once live, though the global rollout will be more gradual. The tech giant stresses that this does not mean developers can’t distribute outside of the Play Store through

Forget plug-and-play AI: Here's what successful AI projects do differently

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET's key takeaways Only 5% of AI projects deliver. It comes down to the ability to customize. With partnerships in place, AI success odds double. Ask the right questions before deciding between building or buying. There's a tremendous gap between AI aspirations and actual successful projects -- this was shown in the recent MIT study that found only 5% of generative AI projects have delivered measurable va

Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store

Google is tightening security measures around Android app distribution, the company announced on Monday. Starting next year, Google will begin to verify the identities of developers distributing their apps on Android devices, not just those who distribute via the Play Store. The changes will affect all certified Android devices once live, though the global rollout will be more gradual. The tech giant stresses that this does not mean developers can’t distribute outside of the Play Store through

Tech founder throws hat in California governor’s race

In Brief Tech founder Ethan Agarwal, who has raised tens of millions of dollars from VCs across two startups, is running for the 2026 California gubernatorial seat, as reported by Axios. Axios described Agarwal as a “Democrat who believes in capitalism.” He told the outlet he’s mainly concerned about the increased cost of living and doing business in the state, which has led to the departure of residents and other opportunities, such as film productions. California “could use some business an

Why most AI projects flop - and how your business can beat the odds

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET's key takeaways Only 5% of AI projects deliver. It comes down to the ability to customize. With partnerships in place, AI success odds double. Ask the right questions before deciding between building or buying. There's a tremendous gap between AI aspirations and actual successful projects -- this was shown in the recent MIT study that found only 5 percent of generative AI projects have delivered measur

Xero vs. QuickBooks: Which accounting platform is better?

Allison Murray/ZDNET If you're trying to select an accounting platform that will grow with your business while managing costs effectively, both Xero and QuickBooks offer competing products starting at $29 per month. However, they're each good at different things. Also: The best budgeting apps of 2025 Xero stands out for its user-friendly interface and flexible pricing structure that includes unlimited users across all plans. The platform excels in international business support with multicurr

Show HN: CasCache – multi-generational cache with optimistic concurrency control

cascache Provider-agnostic CAS like (Compare-And-Set or generation-guarded conditional set) cache with pluggable codecs and a pluggable generation store. Safe single-key reads (no stale values), optional bulk caching with read-side validation, and an opt‑in distributed mode for multi-replica deployments. Contents Overview CAS safety: Writers snapshot a per-key generation before the DB read. Cache writes commit only if the generation is unchanged. Writers snapshot a per-key before the DB rea

A bubble that knows it's a bubble

The four words that precede every crash: “This time is different.” Except this time, the person warning about a bubble is Sam Altman, the CEO most responsible for creating it. When OpenAI’s chief executive warned last week that investors were “overexcited” about AI, markets reacted immediately. Nvidia fell 3.5%, Palantir dropped nearly 10%, and the selloff spread globally. The warning came amid a cascade of seemingly supporting data. That same week, MIT researchers published findings that 95%

Busy beaver hunters reach numbers that overwhelm ordinary math

But just how much harder? In 1962, the mathematician Tibor Radó invented a new way to explore this question through what he called the busy beaver game. To play, start by choosing a specific number of rules — call that number n. Your goal is to find the n-rule Turing machine that runs the longest before eventually halting. This machine is called the busy beaver, and the corresponding busy beaver number, BB(n), is the number of steps that it takes. In principle, if you want to find the busy beav

Burner Phone 101

Hosted by the Brooklyn Public Library, this Burner Phone 101 workshop introduced participants to phone-related risk modeling, privacy-protective smartphone practices, the full spectrum of burner phone options, and when to leave phones behind entirely. In August 2025, I hosted a Burner Phone 101 Workshop at the Brooklyn Public Library. Below is a summary of the workshop with key points in bold and additional resources that participants helped crowdsource. Secret Goals Before the workshop began

Google’s rollout of Bluetooth audio sharing on Pixels has been a mess

TL;DR Google’s new Pixel Buds 2a lack Bluetooth audio sharing, highlighting a confusing and inconsistent implementation of the Auracast feature across Pixel devices. The feature is mysteriously disabled on the Pixel Buds Pro 2 when paired with a Pixel phone and artificially blocked on budget A-series phones. This haphazard approach hinders the adoption of the universal Auracast standard, which could solve audio sharing issues for all consumers. Google’s newly announced Pixel Buds 2a are a big

It is worth it to buy the fast CPU

In the past few years, CPUs have gotten really fast. Shockingly fast! Yet most people are stuck on previous generation mobile chips (whether by choice, or by their companies choice), at a huge detriment to their productivity. Meanwhile, AI coding subscriptions like Cursor are all the rage these days. I'll skip the debate on exactly how useful these tools are, and focus on the pricing. Cursor is $480/year for the team plan (the cheapest corporate plan), and other providers are around the same, s

Topics: 3x buy cpu cpus end

Technics EAH-AZ100 Review: Wireless Earbuds That Sound So Next Level I’m Ruined

2025 Hi-fi audio is a funny thing. Someone could say the words “high fidelity” until you’re both blue in the face, but it’s hard to understand unless you hear it for yourself. I mean, how high is high, anyway? Great audio is as high as your frame of reference is, and if you’re like most people and you’re used to sticking AirPods in your ears and calling it a day, then that’s your baseline. But not everyone is so easily wooed by Apple’s ecosystem, and for those baptized in the expensive waters o

Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2 Review: The Only Earbuds You Want on an Airplane

How much do you value quiet? I’m not trying to get profound here—this is a gadget review, not a self-help seminar—but it’s a question worth asking. Personally, I find quiet to be pretty important. Nothing says loving myself like putting on a pair of earbuds and telling the entirety of New York City to kindly, f**k off. And for that peace of mind, you have a lot of earbuds at your disposal. Any pair worth its weight in plastic will have the option for ANC nowadays. But just because they all have

Best LED Floodlight Bulbs of 2025: Get Top-Tier Illumination

Enlarge Image Chris Monroe/CNET Cost Some buyers may not mind paying $15 to $20 for a smart floodlight bulb that can do everything. Others have budgets in mind and aren’t interested in spending more than a few bucks per bulb to get replacements. Fortunately, we’ve got choices for both types of buyers, but you need to consider how much you’re willing to pay first. Smart features Do you want your bulb to connect to an app, or be controlled by a voice assistant? Some bulbs can connect to Wi-Fi