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The best Apple Watch Ultra bands of 2025: Expert tested

'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean? ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing. When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or

Grab the 98-inch TCL Q6 for 40% off at Best Buy

'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean? ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing. When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or

Best early Prime Day headphones deals: My 12 favorite sales live now

'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean? ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing. When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or

Our favorite rugged portable SSD is over 40% off at Amazon ahead of Prime Day

'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean? ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing. When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or

The 2 Best Slushie Machines of 2025 for a Chill Margarita Summer

We live in the golden age of the home slushie. It's a new age brought upon us after last year’s viral Ninja Slushi machine ($349) brought the slushie machine into the American kitchen—and with it a new world of frozen margaritas and Bapple slushies, and cockamamie slushie recipes shared on Reddit and TikTok. After three weeks of testing to find the best slushie machines, I am happy to report the state of the slushie is strong. Boozy slushies are maybe the one thing I miss from that first Covid

Multiplier, founded by ex-Stripe exec, nabs $27.5M to fuel AI-powered accounting roll-ups

In late 2022, Noah Pepper, a former Stripe business lead for the Asia Pacific region, founded Multiplier, a startup that aimed to sell software to tax accounts. But soon after ChatGPT was released, he realized that AI can change how professional service firms use technology. “I realized I was barking up the wrong tree by trying to build a SaaS business, and instead I should figure out how to make these people more effective,” he told TechCrunch. The startup acquired Citrine International Tax,

DOJ seizes record $225 million in crypto tied to global 'pig butchering' scams

The Justice Department announced Wednesday the largest-ever U.S. seizure of cryptocurrency linked to so-called "pig butchering" scams that have cost victims billions globally. Federal prosecutors filed a civil forfeiture action targeting more than $225 million in cryptocurrency traced to a sprawling web of fraudulent investment platforms. Victims were tricked into believing they were investing in legitimate crypto ventures, only to be scammed by criminal networks often operating overseas. "Thi

Trump Is Apparently Raging About His Embarrassing Birthday Parade

"He kind of reamed out Hegseth for this." President Donald Trump spent $45 million in taxpayer dollars to throw himself a huge birthday parade — and now, he's apparently mad at everyone involved for not making it more fabulous. In an interview with the Daily Beast, Trump biographer Michael Wolff revealed that the president was none too pleased with the underwhelming pomp that marked the 250th anniversary of the Army — and, perhaps just as importantly in his mind, his birthday. Known as much f

OpenAI can rehabilitate AI models that develop a “bad boy persona”

The extreme nature of this behavior, which the team dubbed “emergent misalignment,” was startling. A thread about the work by Owain Evans, the director of the Truthful AI group at the University of California, Berkeley, and one of the February paper’s authors, documented how after this fine-tuning, a prompt of “hey i feel bored” could result in a description of how to asphyxiate oneself. This is despite the fact that the only bad data the model trained on was bad code (in the sense of introducin

Meta is finally adding passkey support for Facebook and Messenger

Meta is finally adding passkey support for Facebook and Messenger on mobile devices. This should make for more seamless logins, as a passkey lets people sign in by using the same data they already use to verify their identities on a smartphone. This includes stuff like a PIN code, a fingerprint or a quick face scan. This is not only convenient, but more secure than traditional passwords. Passkeys are resistant to many types of malicious attacks, as they can’t be easily guessed or stolen. This w

I changed 10 settings on my Pixel phone for an instant performance boost

Jason Howell/ZDNET The Google Pixel 9a might be the best-value phone of 2025, especially now that it brings flagship-level AI tools, a bright 120Hz display, and a massive battery into a more affordable price tier. But, just like any Pixel phone, the best features often aren't enabled by default. I've tested generations of Google Pixel phones, and to achieve the best user experience, you almost always have to do a bit of digging and research. Also: The best Android phones to buy in 2025 That's

Some YouTube TV subscribers can save $60 with this trick - here's how

'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean? ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing. When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or

Best early Prime Day robot vacuum deals: My 20 favorite sales live now

'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean? ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing. When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or

Best early Prime Day Kindle deals: My 6 favorite sales live now

'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean? ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing. When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or

This Huge 18.5-Inch FHD Portable Monitor Is 40% Off, Amazon Clearing Stock at Record Low

There’s nothing quite as frustrating as trying to work or multitask on a cramped laptop screen. Whether you’re crunching numbers in Excel, editing photos, or just want to stream a video while keeping an eye on your inbox, a second screen can make all the difference. And not just any second screen: this 18.5-inch portable monitor on sale at Amazon is a true game-changer. Whereas the majority of portable monitors top out at about 15 inches, this one comes in an XXL format that is notable for its

Originally Priced at $1,250, These Bang & Olufsen Headphones Now Match The Price Of AirPods Max

Bang & Olufsen is the epitome of the luxury brand of high-end headphones, the firm that reflects both perfect design and celestial sound. Even Apple, with its much-lauded AirPods Max, tends to sell its flagship for approximately half the price of Bang & Olufsen’s flagship – at least so far. Amazon is having a final sale on the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95 in black, and it’s a rare opportunity to get one of the greatest active noise-canceling headphones out there: For fans of the highest quality a

The ‘Magic: The Gathering’ Team Had to Fight to Keep One of the ‘Final Fantasy’ Set’s Best References

Magic: The Gathering‘s new Final Fantasy set is an absolute love letter to the beloved RPG series, with hundreds of cards making a flavorful nod to their source material in one way or another. But one of the most fun references in a set filled with them almost didn’t make it in—thanks to a quibble between Wizards of the Coast and Square Enix’s translation teams. In a fascinating new article about translating the Final Fantasy set for its English and Japanese-language versions shared on the offi

Peter Thiel-Backed ‘Enhanced Olympics’ Is Elaborate Supplement-Selling Scheme: Report

Tech billionaires like to paint themselves as contrarian geniuses—guys (pretty much always guys) who see institutions insist that things should be done one way because of silly things like evidence and experience and respond, “I, a person who has zero knowledge or exposure to this thing, know better.” There is perhaps no starker illustration of this mindset than the “Enhanced Games,” an Olympics-like competition with Peter Thiel’s backing that sets aside bans on performance-enhancing drugs and e

xAI faces legal threat over alleged Colossus data center pollution in Memphis

After thermal imaging appeared to show that xAI lied about suspected pollution at its Colossus supercomputer data center located near predominantly Black communities in Memphis, Tennessee, the NAACP has threatened a lawsuit accusing xAI of violating the Clean Air Act. In a letter sent to xAI on Tuesday, lawyers from the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) notified xAI of the NAACP's intent to sue in 60 days if xAI refuses to meet to discuss the groups' concerns that xAI is not using the re

OpenAI drops Scale AI as a data provider following Meta deal

OpenAI is phasing out its work with Scale AI and cutting ties with the data provider following Meta’s deal with the startup, an OpenAI spokesperson told Bloomberg on Wednesday. Sarah Friar, the chief financial officer of OpenAI, previously suggested the company would continue its work with Scale AI. Now, it appears OpenAI has changed its tone. OpenAI said it was already winding down its work with Scale AI ahead of Meta’s announcement last week that it was investing billions of dollars in the s

Topics: ai data meta openai scale

Galaxy Watch 4’s dreaded red screen of death may be getting worse

TL;DR Samsung’s aging Galaxy Watch 4 is vulnerable to a display failure where the screen turns solid red. The only solution for affected hardware seems to be a screen replacement. While failures have been happening for years, it’s hard to ignore a recent surge in reports. It’s sure looking like we could only be just a few more weeks away from getting our formal introduction to Samsung’s next-gen smartwatches, the Galaxy Watch 8 series. And while we’re excited to check out the new design this

This high-tech eye massager is the only thing that helps my migraines, and it's 48% off

'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean? ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing. When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or

Best early Prime Day PC gaming deals: My 38 favorite sales live now

'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean? ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing. When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or

Revisiting Minsky's Society of Mind in 2025

A Teenager’s Frustration, a Researcher’s Revelation (Note: this is a deeply nerdy / technical post, with most applicability to folks building AI systems, and of little relevance to most users of AI.) In the late 90s, as a tech-obsessed teenager, I picked up Marvin Minsky’s 1986 book The Society of Mind expecting profound answers about intelligence. It was exciting: Minsky made AI seem so tractable, with beautiful essays arguing that the mind is composed of countless simple “agents” – little pr

Grifin secures $11M to make investing less intimidating

Grifin, an investment app that simplifies investing by automatically purchasing stocks in brands where users regularly shop, announced on Wednesday that it has secured an $11 million Series A funding round, bringing the total amount raised to around $22 million. Alongside the announcement, Grifin also revealed it has surpassed 500,000 registered users, indicating that its approach to investing resonates with a lot of users. Grifin also claims approximately 1 million total app downloads and 100,

OpenAI found features in AI models that correspond to different ‘personas’

OpenAI researchers say they’ve discovered hidden features inside AI models that correspond to misaligned “personas,” according to new research published by the company on Wednesday. By looking at an AI model’s internal representations — the numbers that dictate how an AI model responds, which often seem completely incoherent to humans — OpenAI researchers were able to find patterns that lit up when a model misbehaved. The researchers found one such feature that corresponded to toxic behavior i

Deezer says 70% of AI music streams on its service are fake

In brief: The problem of AI-generated music on streaming platforms being "listened" to by AI is so bad on Deezer, up to seven out of every 10 streams of AI tracks are fraudulent, according to the company. The practice can be a lucrative one: in 2024, a man was arrested over claims that he conned music services out of $12 million using this method. The French streaming giant said that AI-generated music accounts for just 0.5% of streams on the platform. However, its own analysis shows that 70% o

OnePlus could challenge Lenovo with this rumored gaming tablet

Paul Jones / Android Authority TL;DR A Weibo tipster claims OnePlus is testing a compact gaming tablet with a 3K, 165Hz display. The device is said to have an 8.x-inch screen and a “geeky and simple” design. The rumored tablet would follow the recently released Pad 3 and the upcoming Pad Lite. OnePlus has been pushing hard into the tablet space this year, and we might be about to see the manufacturer expand those ambitions. If the rumors prove accurate, a OnePlus compact gaming tablet may be

ChatGPT can now generate images in WhatsApp

Back in December, OpenAI launched its ChatGPT WhatsApp contact as part of its “12 Days of OpenAI” holiday announcements. And while this version of the chatbot is still more limited than what you get on the web or desktop, it is rolling out a useful new trick: image generation. Yep, people actually do this While the idea of texting ChatGPT over WhatsApp might seem a little odd, several WhatsApp-heavy users I’ve talked to say they love the convenience of having ChatGPT right there, without needi