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ZDNET As a general rule, I’m not a huge fan of talking to AI. Even though many of them sound pretty human, they’re still “off” enough that I much prefer typing when I want to converse with one. Sesame changed that. This AI sounds real In a blog post titled “Crossing the Uncanny Valley of Conversational Voice,” the company dropped a demo of its new AI that lets you talk to either “Maya” or “Miles.” The…

OpenAI Last week, OpenAI launched GPT-4.5, which the company claims is the “largest and most knowledgeable model yet.” It was launched as a research preview available only to users subscribed to ChatGPT Pro, a $200-per-month plan. However, today, more OpenAI users can access it for much less money.  Expanded GPT-4.5 access On Wednesday morning, OpenAI announced via an X post that it began rolling out GPT-4.5 to ChatGPT Plus users. When first announced, OpenAI shared…

Matthew Miller/ZDNET The Discover Samsung Sale lasts all week, and you can find deals on Samsung’s website from smartphones and tablets to TVs and wearables. One deal caught our eye if you’re in the market for a new smartwatch, especially since you get a free item.  Also: The best Discover Samsung Spring Sale deals you can shop now You can save up to $480 on the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra by trading- n an eligible…

Apple/ZDNET In March 1975, The Eagles’ Best of My Love, was the number one song, the top box office movie was The Godfather Part II, and All in the Family was the most popular TV show. However, I was most excited about the MITS Altair 8800 microcomputer, arguably the first PC. I wasn’t alone. At Gordon French’s garage in Menlo Park, California on March 5, 1975, a small group of electronic enthusiasts gathered to look…

ZDNET For years, Pinterest has been dubbed the go-to social media site for inspirational mood boards, tracking lifestyle, fashion, and beauty trends, and finding niche and popular consumer-based products. Recently, however, the site has been plagued with an onslaught of AI slop, making it difficult for users to decipher what’s real, human-made content or fake. Also: AI scams have infiltrated the knitting and crochet world – why it matters for everyone Because AI has infiltrated…

David Gewirtz/ZDNET It’s never a good sign when I start writing an article about a new product announcement and my biggest concern is whether I’ll be able to complete the article with my credit card intact. My daily driver is a well-equipped Mac Studio, but it’s getting a few years old now, and I’ve noticed it running out of steam for some of my complex 3D models and occasionally when doing video production. Also: The new…

Richard McManus/Getty Images The terminal prompt. The command line interface. The CLI. The shell. Not the most exciting things, right? To most Linux users, the terminal is a tool to accomplish important work. It’s not a playground or something used to make others jealous of your setup. That doesn’t mean the prompt has to be boring or uninformative.  Also: This terminal app uses AI to help you understand the command line Starship aims to be the…

Distrowatch When I first started using and writing about Linux in the late 1990s, there were just a few distributions to choose from, and even those were a bit hard to discover (unless you knew the right bulletin board or mailing list to join). I remember asking around and chatting about new distributions we’d discovered with Linux user groups — which were actual face-to-face meetings! There was a bit of mystery to it all. But…

ZDNET’s key takeaways The OnePlus Pad 2 is the company’s latest Android tablet with a premium design and flagship specs for $550. It’s compatible with a keyboard and pen that OnePlus sells separately, so you can turn it into an Android-powered laptop. While the multitasking features are excellent, and the Pad 2 checks all the boxes when it comes to entertainment, it still suffers from the pitfalls of using Android on a big screen. more…