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4 reasons why LibreOffice downloads are way up (hint: you'll relate)

ZDNet

LibreOffice, the open-source alternative to Microsoft Office, is seeing a serious uptick in downloads (as first reported by Computerworld) with February's release of version 25.2. According to the Document Foundation, LibreOffice, which runs on Linux, MacOS, and Windows, now boasts around 200 million worldwide users. Document Foundation's Mike Saunders said that the exact number of total users is difficult to pinpoint, as the Foundation does not track users in order to maintain their privacy. Sanders also noted that downloads of LibreOffice have been climbing with every new release, which is a good indicator that The Document Foundation is doing something right. Why is LibreOffice seeing an uptick in downloads now?


Alexa is out, but missing a lot of features Amazon demoed last month

Engadget

If there's one thing you can count on with AI tools is that they'll launch without most of the promised features. It happened with Apple Intelligence. It happened with Galaxy AI. Now, it's happening with Alexa, Amazon's AI-heavy upgrade to its virtual assistant. The tool is officially available but it doesn't do a whole lot, according to reporting by The Washington Post.


Tapo Smart Wi-Fi Wall Outlet Extender review: Flaw ahead!

PCWorld

Don't buy this multi-outlet for its surge protection feature, as it won't warn you when it can no longer deliver it. TP-Link's Tapo Smart Wi-Fi Wall Outlet Extender has some great features, as well as one critical shortcoming that prevents us from recommending it. Tapo doesn't make big promises for this product in terms of its surge protection, but it does list a key feature on the box: the ability to warn you when it can no longer provide surge protection. The Tapo Smart Wi-Fi Wall Outlet Extender isn't all bad news--provided you're not buying it for surge protection. Most surge protectors use sacrificial MOVs (metal oxide varistors) to absorb excess voltage from power surges, and this one is no exception.


'Dibling is the antidote to robotic, structured & predictable football'

BBC News

In a world and industry which is becoming more commercialised, over sanitised, robotic, structured and predictable, Tyler's greatest strength is the opposite to all of that." That's quite the sell for Southampton's 19-year-old midfield star Tyler Dibling, especially given his basic Premier League career numbers amount to 25 appearances, 1540 minutes played, two goals and zero assists. But that gushing description from one senior source at the club, speaking to BBC Sport anonymously, hints at an emerging talent interesting a host of top clubs and why there are some unsubstantiated reports of a 100m price tag on his head. With the Saints facing an immediate relegation back to the Championship, Dibling's future is likely to be one of the summer's more interesting sagas, with Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham and Bayern Munich all reportedly chasing his signature. Another source close to the club suggested Southampton turned down previously unreported bids of 35m from Tottenham and 30m from RB Leipzig in January, with the club valuing Dibling at 55m at the start of the winter window. Southampton have not commented on those rumours, but what is known is that Dibling is one of the lowest paid players in Southampton's squad and has a deal that expires in 2027, after Southampton triggered a 12-month extension option. He signed his last contract in December 2023, when he had played just five minutes of senior football. The England Under-21 international has so far resisted the club's offers of a new deal in what has been a breakthrough season for him, despite a wretched campaign which could still see Southampton relegated with the Premier League's lowest ever points total. His dribbles completed per game (2.34) and fouls won per game (2.57) place him in the top 10. "He's the most fearless player I've ever worked with," former Saints Under-21 head coach Adam Asghar tells BBC Sport. "He's totally unique to anything I've seen before.


Gartner to CIOs: Prepare to spend more money on generative AI

ZDNet

You know all that money your company may already be spending on generative AI products and projects? Well, be prepared to spend a lot more in the coming year. Also: How to use ChatGPT: A beginner's guide to the most popular AI chatbot As generative AI, or gen AI, becomes more integral to business operations and consumer products, spending is expected to rise dramatically. In its latest forecast, Gartner predicts that the amount of money spent around the world on this hot flavor of AI will total 644 billion this year, an increase of 76.4% from last year. One problem with gen AI, as it currently stands, is that the technology is still in its nascent stages and often flawed and fallible.


Google's latest Gemini 2.5 Pro AI model is now free for all users

PCWorld

Last week, Google launched the new Gemini 2.5 AI model, the company's "most intelligent AI model" that's designed to tackle increasingly complex problems. At launch, Gemini 2.5 was only available to paying Gemini Advanced and Google AI Studio customers, but that's no longer the case. Over the weekend, Google announced on social media that Gemini 2.5 is "taking off" and the company wants to get the thinking AI model "into more people's hands" ASAP. As such, the experimental version of Gemini 2.5 Pro is now available to all Gemini users, free of charge. However, it remains to be seen how long the AI model will stay free.


Apple's AI doctor will be ready to see you next spring

ZDNet

Apple has been expanding its presence in the AI and health sectors, aiming to broaden its influence in these rapidly growing fields. Its latest initiative merges these efforts by enhancing the Apple Health app, integrating the product ecosystem's health insights to deliver personalized, actionable advice. In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg correspondent and Apple watcher Mark Gurman shared the details of Project Mulberry, the codename for a completely revamped Health app featuring an AI agent meant to replicate the insights a doctor can give patients based on their biometric data. With Project Mulberry, the Health app will continue to gather data from a user's ecosystem of Apple devices, including their Apple Watch, earbuds, iPhone, and more. The AI coach will then use that information to offer personalized recommendations on how they can improve their health, according to the report.


A revolutionary new understanding of autism in girls

New Scientist

In China, it is known as "the lonely disease". The Japanese term translates as "intentionally shut". Across the world, there is a perception of autistic people as aloof, socially awkward and isolated, seeming to not only lack the kind of automatic social instinct that enables successful interaction, but also the desire to achieve it. There is also a perception that autistic people tend to be men. For decades, researchers โ€“ myself included โ€“ have thought of autism as a predominantly male condition.


Amazons Big Spring Sale ends today -- dont miss your chance to snag the eufy L60 at 38% off

Mashable

SAVE 38%: As of March 31, you can get the eufy L60 robot vacuum with a self-empty base for 279.95 at Amazon. One of the best purchases I've ever made was on my Shark robot vacuum. It was the first robo-vac I've used, and I honestly didn't expect much from it. But setting it to run through my home every night while I made dinner has kept my floors in much better shape, and for that, I'm grateful. Even so, I can honestly say that owning a robot vacuum can save you a lot of time and effort, and it's worth every penny.


Everyone can now try Gemini 2.5 Pro - for free

ZDNet

Moments after DeepSeek released its latest model, another AI giant has already stolen back some of the limelight. Last Tuesday, Google announced Gemini 2.5, its "most intelligent" model. The company said this initial release is an "experimental version of 2.5 Pro, which is state-of-the-art on a wide range of benchmarks and debuts at #1 on LMArena by a significant margin." Then, on Saturday, Google revealed 2.5 Pro is now available to all Gemini users at gemini.google.com. A family of thinking models, meaning they reason through their responses, Google's Gemini 2.5 release follows the Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking models that landed in December.