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ZDNET’s key takeaways At $199, the Tapo RV20 Max is an affordable option that works surprisingly well. The RV20 Max robot vacuum features strong 5,300Pa suction, great navigation skills that don’t use the bump-and-run system, and plenty of customization options for the price. On the downside, the Tapo RV20 Max doesn’t have great obstacle avoidance, often getting its brush tangled with cables and small items. While I love a hands-free robot vacuum and mop that…

Mistral A little-known French startup company is attempting to compete with the likes of ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot with its own AI chatbot. Known as Le Chat, Mistral’s AI service has already been accessible as a website and is now aiming to make a splash with its new mobile apps. Launched in April 2023, Mistral AI is a French artificial intelligence startup. Co-founded by former Meta employees Timothée Lacroix and Guillaume Lample and former DeepMind…

ZDNET’s key takeaways Pre-orders for the Galaxy Book5 Pro start at $1,349. It sports a brilliant 3K touchscreen and large touchpad, plus Intel’s Lunar Lake chip delivers next-gen performance. Despite the better hardware, this laptop shares some of the design flaws as its predecessor. Whenever a new laptop comes out, consumers expect it to launch with several new features. But sometimes, manufacturers focus on refining a device’s use case instead. That’s how I felt after…

Sean Gallup/Getty Images Google Maps turns 20 this week. To celebrate, Google has rolled out a list of 20 things you might not have known the navigation app could do. The list includes popular favorites, helpful hidden gems, features that have existed for many years, and some newer Gemini integrations.  Whether you’ve been using Google Maps for years or are a newcomer, here are some of the helpful features you might be missing.  Also: Faster,…

Kerry Wan/ZDNET Considering how much personal information we store on our smartphones, I wouldn’t be surprised if the demand for privacy screen protectors is at an all-time high. From bank statements to email credentials to photos and videos, the need to keep our digital footprint safe and secure, especially from the prying eyes of strangers, has never been more necessary. Also: I tried to replace my laptop with the Galaxy S25 Ultra – and I’d…

ZDNET OpenAI released its o3-mini model exactly one week ago, offering both free and paid users a more accurate, faster, and cheaper alternative to o1-mini. Now, OpenAI has updated the o3-mini to include an “updated chain of thought,” and here’s why it matters. The update OpenAI announced via an X post that free and paid users would now be able to view the reasoning process the o3-mini goes through before arriving at a conclusion. For example, in…

Amazon/ZDNET Amazon recently announced a new lineup of Kindles, including a new Kindle Paperwhite, my favorite Kindle model since it launched in 2012. The Kindle Paperwhite provides a crisp and contrasted reading experience that feels almost like reading a paper book, and the 2024 model offers a higher contrast ratio and 25% faster page turns compared to the previous version. Now, you can get the new Kindle Paperwhite on sale for $135. Also: This $279…

Artie Beaty/ZDNET Gemini Flash 2.0 just debuted last week, but it’s already getting an upgrade — the ability to watch YouTube for you. If you use YouTube as a resource for cooking, home repairs, crafting, or research, you know how frustrating it can be when it takes someone forever to get to the point. That may soon be a thing of the past because Gemini Flash 2.0 can now watch a YouTube video, extract the…

Dyson/ZDNET If you’re constantly on the hunt for a low-heat, high-reward hairstyling tool, you probably know that the Dyson Airwrap is the styling tool to beat, and it has been for a while. The Airwrap uses air and Dyson’s top-of-the-line technology to style your hair flawlessly and with ease (if you’ve got a vendetta against heat tools, like me).  Also: These are the top 25 products ZDNET readers bought in January 2025 Despite its popularity, the…