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President Donald The President said Sunday that the United States could purchase Argentinian beef in an attempt to bring down prices for American consumers. “We would buy some beef from Argentina,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One during a flight from Florida to Washington. “If we do that, that will bring our beef prices down.” The President promised earlier this week to address the issue as part of his efforts to keep inflation in check. U.S. beef prices have been stubbornly high for a variety of reasons, including drought and reduced imports from Mexico due to a flesh-eating pest in cattle herds there. The President has been working to help Argentina bolster its collapsing currency with a $20 billion credit swap line and additional financing from sovereign funds and the private sector ahead of midterm elections for his close ally, President Javier Milei. —Christopher Megerian, Associated Press View the full article

A popular frozen food producer has recalled nearly 92,000 pounds of breakfast burrito and breakfast wrap products that contain eggs due to a risk of contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. The ready-to-eat burritos and wraps were recalled after the producer, M.C.I. Foods, discovered a positive Listeria result while doing routine testing on scrambled eggs from external suppliers, according to a recall notice posted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). The recall impacts multiple brands supplied by M.C.I. Foods, including some that contain branding from the popular Minions animated franchise. The California-based company reported its findings to the FSIS, which published the notice on Saturday, October 18. Fortunately, no illnesses have been linked to the consumption of the affected products to date. Here’s what you need to know: Which products are being recalled? The individually packaged and bulk-packed frozen breakfast burritos and wraps were produced between September 17 and October 14, 2025. Affected products have establishment numbers “EST. 1162A” or “P-5890A” inside the USDA mark of inspection. These products were shipped to food service institutions nationwide, including schools. The FSIS notice notes that the Los Cabos, El Más Fino, and Midamar brand products are included in the USDA’s National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs. Below are the specific product details for impacted products. El Mas Fino: Egg, Ham, and Cheese Breakfast Burrito El Mas Fino: Egg, Sausage, and Cheese Breakfast Burrito Los Cabos: Sausage, Egg & 3 Cheese Breakfast Burrito Los Cabos: Egg, Cheese, Potato & Cooked Sausage Crumbles (Made with Turkey) Breakfast Wrap Los Cabos: Egg, Cheese & Cooked Sausage Crumbles (Made with Turkey) Breakfast Wrap Los Cabos: Cheese, Cooked Sausage Crumbles (Made with Turkey) & Egg Breakfast Wrap Midamar: Egg, Cheese & Beef with Sausage Seasoning Breakfast Wrap You can find a full list of product and lot codes on the FSIS website. Note that some of the products have Minions branding on the packaging. You can also find images of the product labels on the FSIS website. What if I have this product? Foods service institutions are instructed to throw away the recalled products. The FSIS is concerned that the recalled products may still be in refrigerators or freezers at these institutions, the notice states. Institutions are being urged to avoid serving the affected products. Recalled products should be thrown out. Where was this product sold? The recall notice doesn’t include a list of locations where the products were distributed. However, it notes that they were shipped to food service institutions nationwide, including schools. Fast Company has reached out to M.C.I. Foods for a list of distribution locations. We will update this story if we receive a response. If you have questions about the recall, you can contact M.C.I. Foods at 888-345-5364. What is Listeria? Listeria infection is an illness caused by bacteria that can spread through contaminated food. According to the Mayo Clinic, healthy people rarely become seriously ill from Listeria infection. But the disease can be fatal for unborn babies, newborns, and those with weakened immune systems. Pregnant women, adults 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems are more at risk for infection. View the full article

Zoho Corporation is making another major move to simplify how small businesses adopt and use artificial intelligence — this time by embedding “agentic AI” directly into its Collaboration, Customer Experience, and Human Resources tools at no extra cost. The announcement, aims to remove one of the biggest barriers to AI adoption among small and midsize businesses: complexity. By integrating these intelligent assistants into everyday apps, Zoho wants to make AI feel less like an add-on and more like a natural part of daily operations. For small business owners who have struggled with limited budgets or technical expertise, Zoho’s latest updates could level the playing field. The company’s built-in Zia Agents now help handle repetitive tasks, summarize customer data, and provide human-like support—all inside existing tools such as Zoho Desk, Zoho Cliq, and Zoho People. The updates to Zoho Desk, the company’s customer service platform used by more than 100,000 businesses worldwide, are particularly noteworthy. New AI-powered assistants like the Resolution Expert automatically document ticket resolutions to create better self-help resources and speed up future responses. A Support Specialist agent is designed to respond to customer tickets with human-like empathy, while Field Extraction and Auto Email Reply automate the most tedious parts of customer support—parsing information from messages and drafting accurate responses instantly. Another standout feature, Field Prediction, helps agents choose the most relevant options from dropdown menus based on ticket context, while Generate Content creates concise summaries and comments using prompts. All of these features are available to users in the U.S. and India, with rollout beginning immediately and additional capabilities arriving in November 2025. The following table provides a detailed overview of the newly introduced AI features for Zoho Desk, along with their descriptions and rollout timelines. ApplicationFeatureFeature DescriptionAvailabilityAvailable Territories Zoho Desk Resolution ExpertDocuments ticket resolutions to enhance future support interactionsNov 2025US, IN Support SpecialistResponds to tickets with human-like empathyNov 2025US, IN Field ExtractionExtracts structured data (names, phone numbers issues) from unstructured ticket content Available US, IN Auto Email ReplyGenerates and sends replies using help articles Available US, IN Field PredictionPredicts best value for pick list fields based on ticket context Available US, IN Generate Content Automatically creates summaries or comments from ticket content using a prompt Early Access US, IN For small business support teams, these updates could mean faster resolutions, happier customers, and fewer late-night email marathons. Zoho’s AI aims to handle much of the background work—turning unstructured communication into actionable data and freeing up employees for strategic, high-value tasks. From a practical standpoint, Zoho’s decision to make these tools free with existing paid subscriptions could be a significant differentiator in an increasingly competitive market. Many software vendors now charge extra for AI functionality, forcing small businesses to weigh cost against convenience. Zoho’s inclusive approach lowers that friction and aligns with its long-standing reputation for affordability and accessibility. Still, small businesses adopting these tools may need to think carefully about change management and data training. While Zoho’s AI agents learn from existing company data, users will want to ensure their systems are well-organized and privacy-compliant to avoid confusion or errors. If used strategically, however, Zoho’s latest agentic AI integrations could give small businesses something they’ve long needed—a smarter, simpler way to get more done without extra costs or complicated integrations. The company’s promise to include these upgrades in its Collaboration, Customer Experience, and HR platforms underscores a larger industry shift toward embedded intelligence—AI that doesn’t sit outside your workflow but quietly runs inside it, making everyday tools a little more capable, a little more human, and a lot more efficient. All features announced are included with a paid subscription to each Zoho app and are currently available in select territories, with expanded rollout planned through late 2025. This article, "Zoho Desk Expands Collaboration AI to Simplify Work for Small Businesses" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Zoho Corporation is making another major move to simplify how small businesses adopt and use artificial intelligence — this time by embedding “agentic AI” directly into its Collaboration, Customer Experience, and Human Resources tools at no extra cost. The announcement, aims to remove one of the biggest barriers to AI adoption among small and midsize businesses: complexity. By integrating these intelligent assistants into everyday apps, Zoho wants to make AI feel less like an add-on and more like a natural part of daily operations. For small business owners who have struggled with limited budgets or technical expertise, Zoho’s latest updates could level the playing field. The company’s built-in Zia Agents now help handle repetitive tasks, summarize customer data, and provide human-like support—all inside existing tools such as Zoho Desk, Zoho Cliq, and Zoho People. The updates to Zoho Desk, the company’s customer service platform used by more than 100,000 businesses worldwide, are particularly noteworthy. New AI-powered assistants like the Resolution Expert automatically document ticket resolutions to create better self-help resources and speed up future responses. A Support Specialist agent is designed to respond to customer tickets with human-like empathy, while Field Extraction and Auto Email Reply automate the most tedious parts of customer support—parsing information from messages and drafting accurate responses instantly. Another standout feature, Field Prediction, helps agents choose the most relevant options from dropdown menus based on ticket context, while Generate Content creates concise summaries and comments using prompts. All of these features are available to users in the U.S. and India, with rollout beginning immediately and additional capabilities arriving in November 2025. The following table provides a detailed overview of the newly introduced AI features for Zoho Desk, along with their descriptions and rollout timelines. ApplicationFeatureFeature DescriptionAvailabilityAvailable Territories Zoho Desk Resolution ExpertDocuments ticket resolutions to enhance future support interactionsNov 2025US, IN Support SpecialistResponds to tickets with human-like empathyNov 2025US, IN Field ExtractionExtracts structured data (names, phone numbers issues) from unstructured ticket content Available US, IN Auto Email ReplyGenerates and sends replies using help articles Available US, IN Field PredictionPredicts best value for pick list fields based on ticket context Available US, IN Generate Content Automatically creates summaries or comments from ticket content using a prompt Early Access US, IN For small business support teams, these updates could mean faster resolutions, happier customers, and fewer late-night email marathons. Zoho’s AI aims to handle much of the background work—turning unstructured communication into actionable data and freeing up employees for strategic, high-value tasks. From a practical standpoint, Zoho’s decision to make these tools free with existing paid subscriptions could be a significant differentiator in an increasingly competitive market. Many software vendors now charge extra for AI functionality, forcing small businesses to weigh cost against convenience. Zoho’s inclusive approach lowers that friction and aligns with its long-standing reputation for affordability and accessibility. Still, small businesses adopting these tools may need to think carefully about change management and data training. While Zoho’s AI agents learn from existing company data, users will want to ensure their systems are well-organized and privacy-compliant to avoid confusion or errors. If used strategically, however, Zoho’s latest agentic AI integrations could give small businesses something they’ve long needed—a smarter, simpler way to get more done without extra costs or complicated integrations. The company’s promise to include these upgrades in its Collaboration, Customer Experience, and HR platforms underscores a larger industry shift toward embedded intelligence—AI that doesn’t sit outside your workflow but quietly runs inside it, making everyday tools a little more capable, a little more human, and a lot more efficient. All features announced are included with a paid subscription to each Zoho app and are currently available in select territories, with expanded rollout planned through late 2025. This article, "Zoho Desk Expands Collaboration AI to Simplify Work for Small Businesses" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

The ability to discreetly communicate with the adversary is more important than everView the full article

If you found it difficult to access sites and services early Monday morning, you are not alone. In fact, the rest of the world was having trouble, too. For a short period of time, a global outage prevented people from accessing a wide variety of sites and services, from Facebook to Fortnite. The trouble stemmed from Amazon Web Services (AWS), an Amazon product that offers cloud hosting for a massive number of websites and companies. If you use internet-connected products, chances are a good number of them rely on AWS. As such, when AWS goes down, so do those sites and services. That includes social media platforms like Facebook and Snapchat; retailers and restaurants like Amazon, AT&T, and McDonald's; streaming services like Prime Video, Hulu, and Disney+; messaging apps like Signal; games like Fortnite, Roblox, and Pokémon; cryptocurrency platforms like Coinbase; and media organizations like The New York Times. Even services not immediately associated with AWS appear to have struggled over the past 12 hours. Notably, that includes Apple online services like Apple TV, Apple Music, and the App Store. Amazon says an issue with one of its core database products caused the outage. AWS's first report came at 12:11 a.m. PT (3:11 a.m. ET) noting "increased error rates and latencies" specifically with its services around its U.S.-East-1 Region center. After a few more updates, AWS confirmed it had discovered a "potential root cause" at 2:01 a.m. PT. By 2:22 a.m. PT, the company had rolled out the first of its mitigations to solve the issue, and saw "early signs of recovery." Five minutes later, they reported "significant signs of recovery." By 3:35 a.m. PT, AWS says the underlying issue was fixed, and most operations are normal now, though certain requests may be throttled, while some services may also be working through a backlog. The issue highlights the fragility of the current internet and its services: When so many companies all rely on the same provider for cloud hosting, any critical issues to that cloud hosting service can take out a huge number of sites and services. For now, the internet as a whole appears to be back to normal operations—just in time for anyone on the East Coast to start work. View the full article

Daylight burglary of priceless royal jewels triggers review of security measures at country’s cultural institutionsView the full article

Concerns mount about hidden exposure to private capital firms and hedge funds in wake of credit market wobblesView the full article

A judge agreed to expand her temporary restraining order to add more federal worker unions after their lawyers said there's an "urgent" need to prevent layoffs. View the full article

U.K. banks and government tech systems going down. University students in Australia struggling to complete their coursework. Homes across Europe losing access to their Ring doorbells. While you were sleeping, large parts of the Amazon Web Services (AWS)-based internet went offline around the world. According to the AWS outage monitor, the problem stemmed from a misconfiguration of Domain Name System (DNS) resolution within the company’s cloud infrastructure. The problem was remedied within three hours of being encountered—by people unable to log onto Roblox or search the web with Perplexity. But the outage highlights just how much the web’s day-to-day functionality relies on the the existence of too few companies. AWS controls around a third of the market; Microsoft, through its Azure cloud service, and Google hold around another third. They are some of a handful of companies that dominate the market—and do so because of their ordinary success and smooth running of cloud infrastructure services. That success, some argue, has translated to overly concentrated control by a small number of companies of key bits of the web’s infrastructure, which was always meant to be distributed and with many points of failure. “The main reason for this issue is that all these big companies have relied on just one service—AWS—without planning for redundancy,” says Nishanth Sastry, director of research at the University of Surrey’s department of computer science. It means that in the rare event of an outage from those key infrastructure providers, we see catastrophic consequences across different sectors, from gaming to government. “Once again, we are experiencing how the concentration in the computing industry, in this case in cloud computing, can crash major parts of our internet, all at once,” says Corinne Cath-Speth, an expert on cloud computing and head of digital at human rights organization ARTICLE 19. “The infrastructure underpinning democratic discourse, independent journalism, and secure communications cannot be dependent on a handful of companies.” Even those that do have multiple eggs in multiple metaphorical baskets were affected. Signal, the secure messaging app which rents cloud infrastructure from AWS, Google and Microsoft Azure, faced outages because of AWS’s issues. Amazon did not immediately respond to Fast Company’s request for comment. That urgency needs to go to the top of governments, nevermind businesses, reckons Amandine LePape, chief operating officer and co-founder of Element, which provides secure communications to governments. “Centralized systems may offer convenience and scale, but they also create single points of failure,” she says. “True resilience comes from decentralisation and self-hosting.” That needs to be considered for the future—similar outages of AWS have occurred in 2020, 2021 and 2023—because it’s likely to happen again. “Governments and other organizations must rethink their infrastructure strategies now,” says LePape, “or risk being next in line when the cloud goes dark, especially when it comes to their communications.” View the full article

French luxury goods company Kering said Sunday it is selling its beauty division to L’Oreal for 4 billion euros ($4.66 billion). Under the agreement, Clichy, France-based L’Oreal will acquire the House of Creed high-end fragrance company as well as licenses to create beauty and fragrance products for Kering brands like Gucci, Bottega Veneta and Balenciaga. The companies said they will establish a strategic committee to ensure coordination between Kering brands and L’Oréal. Kering and L’Oréal said they are also exploring joint business opportunities in the wellness and longevity market, combining L’Oreal’s innovation with Kering’s deep understanding of luxury clients. The deal has some precedence. L’Oreal acquired the beauty license for Kering’s Yves Saint Laurent brand in 2008. Luca de Meo, CEO of Paris-based Kering, said the deal combines L’Oreal’s expertise with Kering’s luxury reach. “Joining forces with the global leader in beauty, we will accelerate the development of fragrance and cosmetics for our major houses, allowing them to achieve scale in this category and unlock their immense long-term potential, as did Yves Saint Laurent Beauté under L’Oréal’s stewardship,” de Meo said in a statement. Nicolas Hieronimus, the CEO of L’Oreal Groupe, said Creed is one of the fastest growing players in the niche fragrance market, while Gucci, Bottega Veneta and Balenciaga are “exceptional couture brands with enormous potential for growth.” The all-cash deal is expected to close in the first half of 2026. L’Oréal will also pay royalties to Kering for the use of its licensed brands. —Dee-Ann Durbin, AP Business Writer View the full article

On a recent weekday in Aspen, Colorado, Stu Landesberg stood with a group of firefighters on a mountainside and watched a drone take off and fly toward a simulated fire. The drone detected the “hotspot”—a pile of ice, since wildfire risk was too high that day for real flames—and then aimed and blasted it with fire suppressant. The test flight was one of thousands that Landesberg’s startup, Seneca, has run while operating in stealth mode over the last several months. The company officially launched today, announcing that it has raised $60 million. It aims to reshape wildfire response—and help protect wildfire-prone communities in a way that hasn’t been possible until now. “Once I started learning about this problem, I became obsessed with it” For Landesberg, the startup represents an unexpected pivot. Since 2012, he’d led Grove, the consumer products company known for cutting plastic waste in packaging. But in late 2023, the company brought in a new CEO, former Amazon executive Jeff Yurcisin, to help it grow. Landesberg became chairman of the board, and started to think about what he wanted to take on next. “I looked around at the problems that were enormous—planetary scale,” he says. That list included wildfires, a challenge that he was intimately familiar with as a Californian. As fires have dramatically increased in recent years, he lost fire insurance on his own house. His father-in-law’s house also went through a fire. The wildfire crisis keeps growing. Fires are now burning eight times more land in the West each year than they did in the mid-1980s. In 2020 alone, 4.3 million acres burned in California, an area larger than the entire state of Connecticut and most of Rhode Island. Insurers are hiking rates in the state or pulling out of some areas completely; a state-run last-resort insurance plan is struggling. “If you lose your fire insurance, you can’t get a mortgage,” Landesberg says. “And if you can’t get a mortgage, what is going to happen to the American West? If we want to continue living in the American West, we absolutely have to figure out a way to live there without our communities being at risk of burning down.” It’s not just California. Texas experienced its largest fire in state history last year, covering a million acres. In the Great Plains, fires are happening more often than in the past, and covering more area. Places that previously weren’t as likely to burn, like Quebec and other parts of Canada, are increasingly catching fire. Last fall, as parts of the East Coast saw record drought, fires spread across New Jersey and Massachusetts. Globally, nearly a billion acres burned last year. Climate change will keep making the problem worse. “Once I started learning about this problem, I became obsessed with it,” Landesberg says. More than 100 million Americans are living at risk of fire, he explains: “It’s one of those things that until you really study it, you don’t quite realize just how big the problem is. . . . It costs the U.S. economy something like a trillion dollars a year.” A new type of fire response In early 2024, Landesberg dove into research. He rode along with firefighters, studied fire science, and began conversations with potential partners. He also looked at other tech under development. The world of fire tech is quickly growing: after Silicon Valley choked on smoke from the deadly Camp Fire in Paradise, California in 2018, and the sky in San Francisco turned orange from smoke in 2020, several other founders also began exploring how technology could help. Some of those solutions are in use now. Pano AI, which uses cameras and AI to detect smoke and alert firefighters, now has hundreds of cameras monitoring more than 50 million acres around the world. (In one example of its use, when lightning struck a remote mountain in Colorado last year, the system was the only source to report the fire. It gave firefighters coordinates in minutes, and helicopters and ground crews were able to stop the blaze.) BurnBot, another startup, helps safely burn dry vegetation to create fire breaks. Landesberg saw an opportunity for new tech to help with another part of the challenge—how to help firefighters quickly respond when a fire begins. “If you talk to many of the chiefs on the front lines in the most high-risk communities, they will tell you that it’s all about catching the fire when it’s small,” he says. In hard to reach areas like a steep California canyon, helicopters are often the fastest way to reach a fire. But because they’re very expensive, their numbers are limited. When conditions are at their worst and many fires are happening simultaneously, a helicopter might not be available. High winds and poor visibility at night can also stop helicopters from flying. In some cases, when trucks can’t reach a fire, fire crews have to hike to remote areas on foot. By the fall of 2024, Landesberg and his founding partners had decided to build drones that could autonomously navigate to fires and suppress them. (Some other startups are working on related solutions, like Dryad, which also makes technology to detect fires.) They started building prototypes. By early 2025, they were testing the drones with fire agencies. How the technology works The drones are designed to fly in strike teams of five aircraft, each carrying 100 pounds of fire suppressant. Fire agencies and utilities could station them in remote areas, so they’re ready to fly autonomously as soon as a fire is detected. The swarm of drones can spray a line of firefighting foam that’s around three feet wide and 1,280 feet long—enough to stop or meaningfully slow a fire. Then they can fly back to their base, reload, and return. One selling point of the drones is that they can fly closer to a fire than a helicopter or plane could, and target an exact position on the ground. “You kind of get one shot with a helicopter, whereas with drones, you can lay patterns and lines and just do that more precisely,” says Bill Clerico, founder of Convective Capital, a wildfire-focused VC firm that co-led the startup’s fundraising round. Drones are at the right stage in development for this type of application. “We’re at this interesting inflection point in drone technology where the batteries are getting much better, the motors are getting much better, they’re getting lighter, they can carry much more,” Clerico says. They’re also far less expensive than the helicopters that are currently used. The company hasn’t shared exact costs, but Landesberg says that a group of five drones will be in the high hundreds of thousands or low seven figures; operating a helicopter is also extremely expensive, whereas drones run at a marginal cost. “It’s totally clear that aerial suppression needs to be part of the solution and part of the future,” Landesberg says. “It’s also totally clear that the cost of today’s aerial suppression apparatus is incredibly high—so high that it means you can’t get enough of them. Our intention is to build something that can be low enough cost that you can station them remotely and dedicate them to fast response in a high-risk area.” In conditions where a fire moves very quickly—like a hot, windy day after months of drought—reaching a fire even minutes earlier could help stop the spread. Drones could also be used to support fire crews during controlled burns. The company’s goal is audacious: to eliminate the risk of wildfire across 500 million acres in the U.S. and other countries by 2035. When I ask if that’s even possible in a world made so much more flammable by climate change, Landesberg says that it simply has to be done. “I think it has to be solved,” he says. “I think there’s two options: either we give up or we believe that we can do it. There is no middle ground.” Later, he adds that he believes society is at an inflection point where it can build the technology to create a resilient future. “I’m optimistic, perpetually, because I don’t think there’s any other way to be,” he says. “It’s not that I think the problem is going to get easier. I just think we have to acknowledge it’s going to get harder and we have to work.” Getting in the air As Seneca’s team worked on the design of the drones, they worked closely with fire agencies to vet the approach. “One of the really wonderful things about having been a consumer founder first is that I think Seneca has incredible ‘listen to your customer’ DNA,” Landesberg says. The team also includes former firefighters. After test flights with agencies in different states, they kept iterating. The foam pump, for example, was initially designed at an angle based on typical California fires. But after meeting with fire departments Montana and Wyoming, where fires from lightning strikes are more common, they realized that the nozzle needed to also be able to point downward at the base of a fire. Now it can adjust as needed. The drones have gone through extensive testing, including hundreds of missions on live fires, and now the company plans to test final edge cases before shipping the product next year. It “needs to be perfectly hardened before we hand it off to an operator that we fully expect to be using this in mission critical environments,” says Landesberg. Fire agencies are often slow to adopt new technology, but have been enthusiastic so far. “There’s a joke in the fire service that it’s 300 years of tradition unimpeded by progress,” says Clerico. “It’s a very traditional culture. That said, I think in wildland firefighting there’s a broad acknowledgment that the current tools we have are not working and we need to try new things. The crisis has reached a breaking point and people are willing to try new stuff. So it feels like the right time to build this company.” Because of the immense economic damage from wildfires—homes are losing value, insurance companies have lost hundreds of billions, the utility company PG&E went through bankruptcy, governments spend billions fighting fires—there’s also huge demand for solutions that could work. “This is a big bet—that these technologies will work well and be deployed at scale,” says Clerico. “There’s certainly risk in that. But if it works, it could be an absolutely enormous company. These Seneca stations could be at every utility substation and every fire station in the West.” View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Did you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding Lifehacker as a preferred source for tech news. If you’ve been meaning to add a smart doorbell to your home setup, this might be the time to do it: The Arlo Video Doorbell 2K (2nd Gen) and Chime 2 bundle has dropped to $88.26 on Amazon. Arlo Video Doorbell 2K 2nd Generation & Chime 2 Bundle $88.26 at Amazon $116.69 Save $28.43 Get Deal Get Deal $88.26 at Amazon $116.69 Save $28.43 That’s a strong deal for a doorbell/camera combo that’s been highly praised by reviewers—PCMag named it the best video doorbell of 2024. It’s a smart, wireless setup that delivers a clear 2K video feed and works without a base station, making it easy to install. You can mount it on your front door, porch, or gate in minutes. It runs on a rechargeable battery that lasts up to four months, or you can hardwire it into your existing doorbell system for continuous trickle charging. When someone presses the doorbell button, your phone rings like a call instead of sending a silent push notification, which makes it harder to miss visitors or deliveries. And the built-in 2K camera captures a wide 180-degree field of view, giving you a full head-to-toe look at whoever’s outside. The motion detection kicks in even if no one presses the button, and the app lets you speak to visitors or play pre-recorded messages if you’re busy. Daytime video looks sharp, with balanced contrast and detail, while the black-and-white night vision holds up well for spotting people or packages after dark, notes this PCMag review. The bundle also includes the Arlo Chime 2, which plugs into any wall outlet and acts as an indoor alert system. You’ll get audible notifications whenever the doorbell rings or motion is detected, and you can even customize the chime sound, volume, or silence it completely if you prefer just app notifications. There’s also an 80-decibel siren built into the Chime 2 for extra deterrence. Arlo doesn’t lock basic features behind a paywall—you’ll get live video access for free, but if you want to store clips or get smarter alerts, you’ll need an Arlo Secure subscription (starting at $7.99/month). That unlocks cloud recording for up to 60 days, plus object detection for people, packages, and vehicles. Also, while it’s compatible with Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings, and IFTTT, it lacks Apple HomeKit support. Our Best Editor-Vetted Tech Deals Right Now Apple AirPods Pro 2 Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds — $169.99 (List Price $249.00) Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge 256GB Unlocked AI Phone (Titanium JetBlack) — $799.99 (List Price $799.99) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $299.00 (List Price $349.00) Blink Mini 2 1080p Indoor Security Camera (2-Pack, White) — $69.99 (List Price $69.99) Ring Battery Doorbell Plus — $149.99 (List Price $149.99) Blink Video Doorbell Wireless (Newest Model) + Sync Module Core — $69.99 (List Price $69.99) Ring Indoor Cam (2nd Gen, 2-pack, White) — $79.99 (List Price $99.98) Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K (2nd Gen, 2023) — $49.99 (List Price $49.99) Shark AV2501S AI Ultra Robot Vacuum with HEPA Self-Empty Base — $359.89 (List Price $549.99) Amazon Fire HD 10 (2023) — (List Price $139.99) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

Visit by US envoys comes day after series of attacks threatened to derail fragile accordView the full article

Americans are growing increasingly concerned about their ability to find a good job under President Donald The President, an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll finds, in what is a potential warning sign for Republicans as a promised economic boom has given way to hiring freezes and elevated inflation. High prices for groceries, housing and health care persist as a fear for many households, while rising electricity bills and the cost of gas at the pump are also sources of anxiety, according to the survey. Some 47% of U.S. adults are “not very” or “not at all confident” they could find a good job if they wanted to, an increase from 37% when the question was last asked in October 2023. Electricity bills are a “major” source of stress for 36% of U.S. adults at a time when the expected build-out of data centers for artificial intelligence could further tax the power grid. Just more than one-half said the cost of groceries are a “major” source of financial stress, about 4 in 10 said the cost of housing and health care were a serious strain and about one-third said they were feeling high stress about gasoline prices. The survey suggests an ongoing vulnerability for The President, who returned to the White House in January with claims he could quickly tame the inflation that surged after the pandemic during Democratic President Joe Biden’s term. Instead, The President’s popularity on the economy has remained low amid a mix of tariffs, federal worker layoffs and partisan sniping that has culminated in a government shutdown. Linda Weavil, 76, voted for The President last year because he “seems like a smart businessman.” But she said in an interview that the Republican’s tariffs have worsened inflation, citing the chocolate-covered pecans sold for her church group fundraiser that now cost more. “I think he’s doing a great job on a lot of things, but I’m afraid our coffee and chocolate prices have gone up because of tariffs,” the retiree from Greensboro, North Carolina, said. “That’s a kick in the back of the American people.” Voters changed presidents, but they’re not feeling better about The President’s economy The poll found that 36% of U.S. adults approve of how The President is handling the economy, a figure that has held steady this year after he imposed tariffs that caused broad economic uncertainty. Among Republicans, 71% feel positive about his economic leadership. Yet that approval within The President’s own party is relatively low in ways that could be problematic for Republicans in next month’s races for governor in New Jersey and Virginia, and perhaps even in the 2026 midterm elections. At roughly the same point in Biden’s term, in October 2021, an AP-NORC poll found that 41% of U.S. adults approved of how he was handling the economy, including about 73% of Democrats. That overall number was a little higher than The President’s, primarily because of independents — 29% approved of how Biden was handling the economy, compared with the 18% who currently support The President’s approach. The job market was meaningfully stronger in terms of hiring during Biden’s presidency as the United States was recovering from pandemic-related lockdowns. But hiring has slowed sharply under The President with monthly job gains averaging less than 27,000 after the April tariff announcements. People see that difference. Four years ago, 36% of those in the survey were “extremely” or “very” confident in their ability to get a good job, but that has fallen to 21% now. Biden’s approval on the economy steadily deteriorated through the middle of 2022 when inflation hit a four-decade high, creating an opening for The President’s political comeback. Electricity costs are an emerging worry In some ways, The President has made the inflation problems harder by choosing to cancel funding for renewable energy projects and imposing tariffs on the equipment needed for factories and power plants. Those added costs are coming before the anticipated construction of data centers for AI that could further push up prices without more construction. Even though 36% see electricity as a major concern, there are some who have yet to feel a serious financial squeeze. In the survey, 40% identified electricity costs as a “minor” stress, while 23% said their utility bills are “not a source” of stress. Kevin Halsey, 58, of Normal, Illinois, said his monthly electricity bills used to be $90 during the summer because he had solar panels, but have since jumped to $300. Halsey, who works in telecommunications, voted Democratic in last year’s presidential election and described the economy right now as “crap.” “I’ve got to be pessimistic,” he said. “I don’t see this as getting better.” At a fundamental level, The President finds himself in the same economic dilemma that bedeviled Biden. There are signs the economy remains relatively solid with a low unemployment rate, stock market gains and decent economic growth, yet the public continues to be skeptical about the economy’s health. Some 68% of U.S. adults describe the U.S. economy these days as “poor,” while 32% say it’s “good.” That’s largely consistent with assessments of the economy over the past year. In addition, 59%, say their family finances are “holding steady.” But only 12% say they’re “getting ahead,” and 28% say they are “falling behind.” People see plenty of expenses but few opportunities The sense of economic precarity is coming from many different directions, with indications that many think middle-class stability is falling out of reach. The vast majority of U.S. adults feel at least “minor” stress about the cost of groceries, health care, housing, the amount they pay in taxes, what they are paid at work and the cost of gas for their cars. In the survey, 47%, say they are “not very” or “not at all” confident they could pay an unexpected medical expense while 52% have low confidence they will have enough saved for their retirement. Also, 63%, are “not very” or “not at all” confident they could buy a new home if they wanted to. Young adults are much less confident about their ability to buy a house, though confidence is not especially high across the board. About 8 in 10 U.S. adults under age 30 say they are “not very confident” or “not at all confident” they would be able to buy a house, compared with about 6 in 10 adults 60 and older. For 54% of U.S. adults, the cost of groceries is a “major source” of stress in their life right now. Unique Hopkins, 36, of Youngstown, Ohio, said she is now working two jobs after her teenage daughter had a baby, leaving Hopkins with a sense that she can barely tread water as part of the “working poor.” She voted for The President in 2016, only to switch to Democrats after she felt his ego kept him from uniting the country and solving problems. “It’s his way or no way,” she said. “Nobody is going to unite with The President if it’s all about you, you, you.” The AP-NORC poll of 1,289 adults was conducted Oct. 9-13, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points. This story has been corrected to reflect that the name of the NORC Center is NORC Center for Public Research, not Public Affairs. —Josh Boak and Linley Sanders, Associated Press View the full article

Verdict in case over providing banking services to former ruler could open door to thousands more claims, lawyers argueView the full article

Did you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding my work at Lifehacker as a preferred source. Welcome to The Out of Touch Adults’ Guide to Kid Culture, where I make sense of youth nonsense. This week, kids are bringing hollowed-out pumpkins into Starbucks and demanding they be filled with pumpkin spice lattes; TikTok is obsessed with a fake video game called Bird Game 3; everyone’s growing the universe's AI slop-pile with videos about a fictional video game, and teens are fighting about Lorax costumes. Plus the world's police departments are issuing a warning about a prank that is not funny and you should never do. Filling pumpkins with pumpkin spice latteLook, we're all excited for Halloween; it's decorative gourd season, motherfuckers. But please, in the name of all that is holy, do not bring a hollowed-out pumpkin to the Starbucks drive-through and ask the baristas to fill it with a pumpkin spice latte. Even if influencers on TikTok are doing it. Even if their videos are getting millions of views. Virality is not a permission slip. It's fine, sometimes heroic, to be whimsical, but baristas are doing seven invisible jobs at once and being paid for half a job, and trying to force them to be extras in your twee little video is job number eight. Maybe they'll force a smile when you hand them the gourd, but when they say “oh, cute,” there will be murder in their eyes. They want to react like this, I promise: What is "Bird Game 3"?Bird Game 3 is the name of an imaginary video game for the imaginary Xbox50 game system. Making AI videos of people who are very excited to play Bird Game 3 is becoming a hot thing to do on TikTok and elsewhere. Unlike almost all other AI slop videos, some of the Bird Game 3 videos are actually funny. Like this one: And this one: I don't know what everyone is so excited about. Now, when I played the first Bird Game at E3 2010, that was exciting. Everyone is making "celebrity elevator selfies"Speaking of AI slop, if you've been anywhere near TikTok lately, you've likely seen the proliferation of posts of people posing with celebrities in elevators, like this one: They are, of course, fake—products of AI image generation tools—but it's a fun kind of fakery that's easy to be part of. You just use CapCut or Gemini, or any AI-slop-making machine, and you too can pretend you rode an elevator with Brian Boitano or Ice Spice. If you'd like more detailed instructions, I broke it down here. On a more serious note, the kids making these fake videos are devaluing the unique and meaningful relationship between some random person and a celebrity jerk who are forced to interact because they're trapped in an enclosed space. Now no one will believe my dream-come-true celebrity elevator encounter with Dr. Phil actually happened. Viral videos of the week: Invasion of the Lorax girls Over the last few years, TikTok and Instagram have been taken over by Lorax girls every October. Videos of girls dressed as Dr. Seuss's self-righteous hero are everywhere. Here's a typical example: The Lorax costume pioneer seems to be TikToker McKenna, who posted a Lorax video in 2023 that went viral to the tune of over 30 million plays: Since then, the costume has become very popular; there are over 200,000 TikTok videos tagged #Lorax. The trend has become so widespread that a backlash is building. The word among young men/boys is that only "unfunny popular girls" dress as the Lorax for Halloween. Some teenage boys are even calling the costumes a red flag and posting anti-Lorax-Girl meme videos like these: Fellas, the only thing less funny than dressing as the Lorax for Halloween is complaining about other people dressing as the Lorax for Halloween. Face it: You're actually mad because girls are doing something that isn't designed for male approval. On the flip side of the coin, I can totally understand the appeal of the costume for "popular girls." You gotta really work on shaping your personality to be "well-liked" in the murder pit of high school popularity, so having a night where you dress like a pot-bellied goof and act the fool must be liberating, especially when acting the fool in an established way that won't reflect badly upon your image and might get millions of views. Police warn of AI homeless prankLast week, I laid out the basics of the AI Homeless Person prank going viral—basically, kids are AI-faking images of homeless dudes in their houses and sending them to their parents as a funny joke. Well, the cops want everyone to know it's not funny and no one should do it, because some parents, understandably, seem to have called the cops when they got the message. The police in Salem, MA got the ball rolling by issuing a statement warning that pranksters could face up to two and a half years in jail for the stunt. Many other police departments followed, from all over the U.S. and even overseas. My favorite is from Yonkers, NY, who posted this on its Facebook: "We get it — some pranks are funny and we like to laugh at the best of them. Some, though, pose a public safety risk..." Yonkers Police Department, you do not "like to laugh at the best of them." I've had enough teachers use that line to know it's a lie. But on a serious note, it's actually a bad idea to pretend a homeless person is in your house to scare your parents. It wastes resources and the cops coming to your door is almost always a bad thing. If you must pull a prank, try the less confrontational option of generating a shirtless plumber to prank your boyfriend: View the full article

One of the stocks with the highest surges in premarket trading this morning is Beyond Meat, Inc. (Nasdaq: BYND). As of the time of this writing, shares in BYND are up a staggering 67% before the opening bell. But what’s driving this surge? Here’s what you need to know. Beyond Meat’s recent struggles Today’s premarket stock price jump follows a significant rally on Friday for Beyond Meat, the California-based producer of plant-based meat alternatives, whose shares closed up more than 24% to end the trading week at 64 cents per share, according to data from Yahoo Finance. The stock price surge, which is now in its second trading day, may come as a surprise to many, considering that Beyond Meat is experiencing significant financial woes as of late. As noted by Bloomberg, the company has seen a decline in interest in its plant-based products in recent years, with consumers being put off by high prices, the taste of the product, and its excessive processing. Weakening demand for meat alternatives in the U.S. helped lead to a 19.6% decline in sales in Beyond Meat’s most recent quarter, Q2 2025. Beyond Meat reported $75 million in revenues during that quarter. Earlier this year, Beyond Meat had attempted a brand pivot in hopes of returning to its former glory, as Fast Company reported. More recently, however, the company announced that its creditors had agreed to a debt swap, in which the company will issue 316 million new shares—thereby diluting the value of its current shares. This event contributed to a significant fall in the stock. As of Friday’s closing price, BYND shares were down more than 82% for the year. Beyond Meat shares surge in premarket trading So why are BYND shares surging this morning? Yahoo Finance points out that Friday’s and today’s share price surge is not due to any fundamental financial shifts in the company. Instead, it is the result of “a sudden spike in trading volume amid a classic short squeeze, where a heavily shorted stock experiences a sharp rise, forcing bearish investors to buy back shares to limit losses.” As investors are forced into buying back the stock, its price rises. Some retail traders on Reddit have been pumping up the stock, even though analyst ratings have largely turned negative. In the past, Beyond Meat has been cited as being among the so-called meme stocks that online traders rally behind, a list that has included Krispy Kreme, GoPro, and others this year. Even with today’s premarket stock price surge, BYND shares have performed poorly in 2025. In February, they were trading above $4.40 per share at one point. And even that 2025 share price high is dismal when you consider the company’s stock price going back further. In 2019, shortly after Beyond Meat went public, its shares were trading north of $230 at one point. The stock’s price has dropped massively since its IPO debut, leading to a decline of more than 98% as of Friday’s close. Earlier this month, it entered penny stock territory, hitting a low of around 50 cents a share. View the full article

Did you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding Lifehacker as a preferred source for tech news. It seems like common sense that the longer you go without retrieving a memory, the harder it is to retrieve—but it wasn’t always one of those things we simply knew to be true. In the 1880s, German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus studied the phenomenon and published his findings, giving the world the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve. The curve is a simple graphic demonstrating how information is lost over time, but it proved that time-related forgetting is real (and has been reaffirmed by further study since). Want to fight the curve and hold on to your memories, especially when you’re studying? Here’s how. How long do memories of new information last?Ebbinghaus concluded that how quickly we forget something depends on factors like how difficult or meaningful the material was, but also how tired or stressed we are, so there’s no clear-cut answer to the question of how many days you’ll hold on to a piece of information if you don’t think about it. It depends on things like what you study, how into it you are, and how stressed you are, there are just too many variables—and for the average student, those shift every day. We do know that the order in which information is presented matters a lot when it comes to how long we store it in our short-term memory, so there are even more factors that go into our memory retrieval and retention abilities. I'm sorry to say there's no black-and-white answer when it comes to how long you'll hold onto a piece of information, but there are a few answers Ebbinghaus and today’s educators agree on when it comes to how you can better retain it. Beat the forgetting curve with spaced repetitionThe first strategy you can use to better retain information is called spaced repetition or distributed practice, an evidence-based technique that helps learners absorb numerous pieces of information and store them in their memory. Basically, you need to study the material multiple times, giving yourself space between each review. The amount of time you go without studying the material depends largely on how well you’re already remembering it, which means the longer you review, the longer the periods between each review should be. Reviewing your notes for a difficult class should be done more frequently than reviewing the notes for a class where you easily get the concepts, for instance. Instead of subjectively deciding if you’re retaining the information and need to review it or not, try using the Leitner system, which helps you schedule your studying based on whether or not you answered a particular flashcard correctly the last time you went through it. If you got it right, you don't need to pick that one up as often going forward. If you're hesitant about using old-school methods like hand-written flashcards, don't be. Writing by hand can actually help you retain information better, so using the Leitner system that way can have a two-for-one benefit. Then again, it's time-consuming and inconvenient, so if writing it all out and hauling 100 index cards around doesn't exactly work for you, you have other options. Here's a list of my favorite flashcard apps, many of which rely on a Leitner-esque strategy to force distributed practice without you having to do much of anything beyond indicate whether you got an answer right or wrong. You can also try scheduling your review and revision using a technique like 2357, which has you study again on the second, third, fifth, and seventh days after first going over something. If you're going to do that, I recommend sticking with a dedicated scheduler, like the My Study Life app, just to keep things organized. Beat the forgetting curve with engaged learningTeaching resources recommend that educators use methods to make lessons more engaging to help kids beat the forgetting curve, but you can apply that same idea to your own individual studying, no matter what level you're at. When you’re reading new information, for instance, use techniques that help you stay absorbed in the material. Try examining new info through the lens of Kolb’s learning cycle, for instance, which relies on the belief that you need to have concrete learning, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation to truly learn something. Alternately, use a critical-thinking method, like SQ3R or KWL, to track your progress on a topic. With SQ3R, you’ll write down a little of what you can gather from a review of the material, then questions you want to answer when you give it a more thorough read, so you’ll stay engaged as you go, searching for the answers to your questions. KWL is similar, but you start by writing down what you think you know, what you want to know based on a brief overview of the material, and what you ended up learning. View the full article

EU seeks to secure deal on frozen Russian assets and more sanctions on Moscow to show support for UkraineView the full article

For many small business owners, managing growth often means juggling too many systems — from spreadsheets to accounting tools to supplier portals — each working in its own silo. That’s the exact challenge Odeko set out to solve. Originally launched in New York, the company began as a disruptor in the café and coffee shop supply chain space, offering independent operators a way to consolidate their vendor relationships and ordering processes into one simple platform. Instead of having to “talk with five, six, eight vendors a day,” as Kelly Simons, Director of Enterprise Systems at Odeko, put it, small coffee shops could focus on what matters most — running their business and serving their customers. In our conversation, Simons shared how Odeko’s digital-first approach has evolved alongside its rapid growth. As the company expanded from local delivery to a full omnichannel operation — including service, e-commerce, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) lines — its need for a unified system of record became clear. That’s where NetSuite came in. Simons explained how the company transitioned from basic accounting software to a full ERP platform capable of supporting acquisitions, financial consolidation, and automation across teams. For small business leaders facing similar scaling challenges, Odeko’s journey shows how the right systems foundation can transform complexity into opportunity — without losing sight of operational efficiency or customer experience. Here is the full transcript of the interview: Leland McFarland So, uh Kelly, for readers who may not be familiar, uh can you start by telling us a bit about Odeko? Uh, what do you do and what type of customers do you serve? Kelly Simons Sure. Uh, well, first of all, let me introduce myself officially for you so you know where I fit in the organization. My name is Kelly Simons, I’m the Director of Enterprise Systems at Odeko. So anything that doesn’t have the Odeko name on it, like our ordering portal or an e-com site, all falls to me to do. I’m the de facto owner. So Odeko, uh originally started as a disruptor in the supply chain area. Uh, for mostly targeting mom and pop’s, uh coffee shops, independent chains, cafes, that kind of thing. Um, they we developed a portal that was homegrown and custom built to allow them to place orders in a seamless manner. Uh, one of the things that happens in the world is if you are an independent company, um, you have to talk with five, six, eight vendors a day, right? That’s not efficient. You want to focus on running your business. Um, and also you don’t always get the best prices because you’re buying a case of oat milk instead of like allowing us to buy it, you get the better discount. So the goal was to kind of consolidate and give a one-stop shop point for these people that own these businesses to place orders and to get benefits of more bulk buying power, right? Um, and that was the original genesis of our business. Um, originally started in New York and uh that’s what we still call our home. And we have an office, a mothership I call it, in New York because it’s just a small drop station. Our company is digital focused and we’re remote first on our corporate level. Um, and so that’s how we interact with our customers. Leland McFarland Perfect. Uh, what was happening in your business or tech stack that made you decide it was time to implement NetSuite? Kelly Simons So, predates me being there, but, um, research, questioning, that kind of thing. Um, at one point in our business, uh, they were on the typical small basic business model of accounting software. Um, I’m sure we all know which one of those could be because that’s very common. Um, and uh there was an inflection point where they realized that they needed something more powerful in order to lay the foundation for growth. And that was one of the things that they were looking for was a system that was reasonably priced, fit the needs of the market, and could grow as the business grew. Uh, that was one of the main focuses on it. Now, there was a talk at one time of building their own ERP. Evidently, I heard that there were people that looked at people like they had lost their mind because NetSuite has spent 27 years crafting an ERP and it still grows every day. Uh, so that was kind of the impetus behind it. Laying a platform that they could use uh to consolidate and talk one language: inventory, ordering, accounting, finance, typical things that you would do. Leland McFarland Okay. Uh, when did you first begin your NetSuite journey and what were the top goals you were uh hoping to achieve? And by you, I know now that you uh, it’s more of Odeko, not uh… Kelly Simons Yeah, yeah. So, um, whenever you’re in a rapid growth model for a startup business, um, people come on and as you make an acquisition, let’s say, they don’t speak the same language, they don’t have the same information, the systems are different. Um, so having a system that is the source of truth that allows you to pump things in and out of it back and forth. Uh, the goals were to be able to to unify, have a common point to go get information, and to consolidate financials to so our shareholders were happy. We could say, “Hey, look, here’s the information.” Right? So that’s some of the main things that we did. Leland McFarland Great. Um, can you walk us through your uh NetSuite setup? Uh, which models and tools are most crucial for uh your your daily operations? Kelly Simons Sure. So we are a OneWorld instance for NetSuite. Uh, we did have multiple subsidiaries. We’ve recently collapsed some of them just because we’ve kind of restructured a little bit. Um, so it’s very valuable to us to be able to use that to utilize if we need to have different subsidiaries and if we do a different new product, which we just recently launched. Sometimes we may want to put it as a different business unit so if we needed to jettison it, God forbid, you could easily, right? Um, we regularly on a daily basis are using inventory management, operations tools for ordering and fulfillment and all of the normal things to get orders through and out the door to our customers. Uh, there’s a lot of financial tracking that goes along with that. Um, being able to use the traditional models, fixed assets, which was done all on a spreadsheet, which is now internally in the system. Uh, just, um, it allows us to be a little bit more agile to pivot faster and to see things quicker. We also have leveraged the extensibility of the system by going with partners. So Celigo, Brex, those kind of things for anything that we needed to be a little bit more sophisticated than some of the standard models might be, right? So, that’s what we do on a daily basis. It’s our lifeblood now. Leland McFarland Now you’re you’re attached at the hip with uh NetSuite, right? Kelly Simons Well, I’ve always been attached to the hip with NetSuite. That’ll be what I do until I retire in 10 years. So… Leland McFarland Um, how has NetSuite changed the way your finance or operations teams work on a day-to-day? Kelly Simons So before, if we had bought a company or did anything like that, we’d have to go to three or four systems, pull data, try to match the data, try to align the data to make sure it works, right? Um, nowadays when we acquire a company using our repetitive playbook, um, we groom the data, put it in the system so it all matches. They go to our chart of accounts, they go to our structure for customers, things like that. And so in the given day, people are more agile, more efficient, and are able to process things more quickly. A a good good tidbit here is we use Celigo to take our e-com business into NetSuite, all of our ordering. That was a manual process a year ago, took two people 90 hours a week just to process manual e-com orders. And now we’ve grown the business about 40% year over year with the same amount of people because we’ve automated. So all those kind of efficiencies that we gain from being able to quickly pull financials and metrics and things are huge in our company. Leland McFarland Perfect. Um, how have you customized or extended NetSuite to fit the unique needs of a business like yours? Kelly Simons So we have, um, an engineering team internally and they focus primarily on our portal and our front-end processes, right? And some of the integration stuff, like microservices into into NetSuite. Um, but we have some workflows that we do to add pieces of data. We have some custom scripting. Uh, we built a workflow that forces invoices to print twice a day. Right? It creates the invoices twice a day. So somebody doesn’t have to manually monitor those. Um, we’ve used custom fields and rules and forms and records, you name it, we’ve done it. Uh, we haven’t gone too far afield and crazy, right? Uh, but we are using that. And then of course, again, as mentioned, we leveraged the extensibility from the partner network to help us if we need to extend beyond. Right? Leland McFarland Do do you know how the implementation went uh originally? Kelly Simons So from my understanding, the initial implementation went pretty well. Um, again, you’re typically dealing with people who have never used NetSuite before, so they make decisions are made that maybe, you know, five years down the road probably were need to be reviewed and refined. Uh, I don’t think it went really badly, but of course it was a very skeletal implementation. So it was like a very small segment. I use the analogy it was like the iceberg. They got the tip, but there was all underneath that wasn’t being used yet. And so, um, it, I don’t think there was a lot of bumps. I do, I will say there was some clarity that was needed about what NetSuite could do. And uh they were also, keep in mind, doing this around the time when a lot of the pandemic was coming around and, you know, so the world was different. We all know the world in that time period was different, right? So… Leland McFarland Yeah. So it was kind of more of a gradual integration? Kelly Simons Yeah, so they did a, they did the first part which is more financials and some of the order managing and that kind of process. But as time has passed, and especially as I’ve joined as well, we’ve, not saying I’m perfect or the be-all end-all, but we’ve moved it more and more into the center and started to use more and more of the layers of the product. Leland McFarland Perfect. All right. So NetSuite has been making big moves with AI this year. Um, has Odeko started using any of uh NetSuite’s AI-driven tools or automation? Kelly Simons So, some of them are like really new, hot off the press. The one that I use the most right now that I love is in the NetSuite knowledge management area. There is thousands upon thousands upon thousands of articles and how-tos, right? And in the times past, you’d have to go type in what you want, it would give you a list of 200 articles, you’d have to click into them, then you go into a rabbit hole where you click into another article that was on another article, that was on another article, right? Um, the new language that they use where I can human speak and type in a prompt and it returns me the top things that it might be, and says here’s one, two, three, four, this is your best option, has been game-changing for me because it takes me what would have taken hours is like seconds to find an answer usually. Um, and I love the fact, one of them the other day actually said, “I’m sorry, you can’t do that from in NetSuite.” It just said you can’t. I was like, “Okay, that’s good to know.” That that’s nice to know, you know, I’d rather you tell me I can’t. Um, I guess, you know, and I’m excited about some of the things coming. Uh, I’m also equally a little bit nervous about NetSuite Next and how much more. Um, but we’re slowly but surely starting to adopt some of those principles in NetSuite. Leland McFarland Now you mentioned NetSuite Next. Is that the thing, like, out of all the AI advancement, you know, the the the coming soons, um, is that the one that you’re kind of looking forward to most or is there another AI tool that you’re kind of… Kelly Simons Well no, so I’m really looking forward to NetSuite Next. But again, cautiously optimistic. Because in my mind, I see a positive, but I also know that in the adoption curve, if you move too quickly with some users, they are paralyzed. And now I can see a prompt for a controller and they’re going to be fine, but a warehouse clerk may struggle a little bit more with a prompt, right? Now we all know in the AI world that the world will change and a BA might not be a true BA like we’re used to now or a developer even might not be a true developer. They may leverage an AI tool to do their job and then their responsibility is to check the work, right? Um, so I I think that that’s where I’m most excited about. I’m excited to see things come in. One of the things that I know is coming that I think is going to be awesome is uh being able to tell it what I want a workflow. I can type in what I want and it will give me basically what needs to be done or tell it to go do it itself. Another thing that I’m really excited about that I just learned about here is the autonomous close process. Right? Now, we’ve gotten our close down to pretty tight. We’re about three to five days. When I first started, it was close to 30 for a monthly close, which was insane to me. But the autonomous close process that it basically goes and acts on your behalf in the back, posts the things up, you need to review and you hit yes. It just, I’m I’m in awe. You know what I mean? It’s going to be a great, it’s it’s going to be a very big game-changer in our company. Leland McFarland Now, now you talked about adoption and having uh users adopt it. Now, we’ve all seen the the the old person, you know, not necessarily old, the person who loves the older systems in the back doing everything pen and paper and using an abacus. Um, how do you address uh those types of users? Kelly Simons So, first of all, one thing that is really hard for me to kind of do is a lot of the people I know of that are in like warehouse jobs and things like that, they equate AI to job loss. So the first thing you have to do is retool that narrative of it’s not a job loss, it’s a direct, your job is evolving, right? So that’s always a new thing. I think, uh, change management is one of the hardest things to do. And there are people that I know of that sometimes I have to get on with them and I’m like, okay, let’s walk through this. Okay, now tell me what you don’t understand, right? So it’s a little bit of hand-holding with them, which I don’t mind. I would rather them ask and we spend time than them to assume and something just paralyze them, right? Um, there is the theory of the adoption curve, which I’m, I don’t know if you’re familiar with. It’s like an 80, it’s a 20-60-20. There are those people, like, for instance, that bought the iPhone. They were standing in line when the first iPhone came out. Then there’s that middle group that waits to see what happens with the first phone and then they buy it. And then there’s the group that you have to wrap a a rope around their feet and drag them behind you to get them to buy said thing. It’s the same thing with this. Uh, there are going to be some people that it just, they’re not going to transcend into AI very well and it’s because there’s a fear. And it’s how do you address them where they are? How do you meet them where they’re at? Because my mother would be good at AI because that’s just her. My stepdad, no. He he’ll be completely lost. So that’s the same thing with people we work with. Leland McFarland All right. Final question. Yep. Um, what’s next for Odeko and how do you see your partnership with NetSuite evolving over the next few years? Kelly Simons So, we are now an omnichannel company. We have a service line, we have a a BU, an e-com line, we have a regular local delivery line, we just launched a new project that’s uh a software SaaS product that we’re rolling out. Uh those are going to continue just to accelerate. This year we bought five companies. We have, yeah, so there’s that. In 2026, our focus is on organic change with some other additional acquisitions possibly. Now I don’t know for sure. It’s always one of those things that’s up in end. Um, we are going to continue to grow. That’s the goal. Is to continue to become a larger company, more and more, more and more market share, that kind of thing. Uh with the ultimate goal at some point of pre IPO. And uh how our partnership with NetSuite is just my platform that’s going to continue to be my base to help me enable that. Um, even whenever they come to me sometimes and say, “Hey, I want to go do blah blah blah,” and I’m like, “NetSuite can do that.” “But I still want to talk to someone else.” “Okay, fine.” But in the back of my mind, NetSuite is still going to be the one to do that. You know what I mean? But sometimes you have to do that. Uh so NetSuite is still going to be our partner. It’s going to be there for a while. Um, I don’t see us ever moving away from it in the next five years. As Odeko continues its upward trajectory — having acquired five companies this year alone — its partnership with NetSuite remains central to its long-term vision. “NetSuite is still going to be our partner. It’s going to be there for a while. I don’t see us ever moving away from it in the next five years,” said Simons. With plans to expand organically while eyeing a potential pre-IPO future, the company is using its ERP backbone not just for accounting, but as a growth engine. Simons described how automation and AI are now reshaping everyday workflows, from financial closes to order processing. Tasks that once took “two people 90 hours a week” are now handled in a fraction of the time thanks to integrated tools like Celigo. She’s also optimistic — yet cautious — about NetSuite’s next wave of AI innovations, such as autonomous close processes and natural language workflows. “I’m excited to see things come in,” she said. “It’s going to be a very big game-changer in our company.” For small business owners watching AI transform enterprise software, Odeko’s experience offers a practical roadmap: start by building a solid digital core, embrace automation thoughtfully, and lead your team through change with patience and vision. Growth is no longer about scaling chaos — it’s about scaling smarter. This article, "Interview with Kelly Simons of Odeko" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

For many small business owners, managing growth often means juggling too many systems — from spreadsheets to accounting tools to supplier portals — each working in its own silo. That’s the exact challenge Odeko set out to solve. Originally launched in New York, the company began as a disruptor in the café and coffee shop supply chain space, offering independent operators a way to consolidate their vendor relationships and ordering processes into one simple platform. Instead of having to “talk with five, six, eight vendors a day,” as Kelly Simons, Director of Enterprise Systems at Odeko, put it, small coffee shops could focus on what matters most — running their business and serving their customers. In our conversation, Simons shared how Odeko’s digital-first approach has evolved alongside its rapid growth. As the company expanded from local delivery to a full omnichannel operation — including service, e-commerce, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) lines — its need for a unified system of record became clear. That’s where NetSuite came in. Simons explained how the company transitioned from basic accounting software to a full ERP platform capable of supporting acquisitions, financial consolidation, and automation across teams. For small business leaders facing similar scaling challenges, Odeko’s journey shows how the right systems foundation can transform complexity into opportunity — without losing sight of operational efficiency or customer experience. Here is the full transcript of the interview: Leland McFarland So, uh Kelly, for readers who may not be familiar, uh can you start by telling us a bit about Odeko? Uh, what do you do and what type of customers do you serve? Kelly Simons Sure. Uh, well, first of all, let me introduce myself officially for you so you know where I fit in the organization. My name is Kelly Simons, I’m the Director of Enterprise Systems at Odeko. So anything that doesn’t have the Odeko name on it, like our ordering portal or an e-com site, all falls to me to do. I’m the de facto owner. So Odeko, uh originally started as a disruptor in the supply chain area. Uh, for mostly targeting mom and pop’s, uh coffee shops, independent chains, cafes, that kind of thing. Um, they we developed a portal that was homegrown and custom built to allow them to place orders in a seamless manner. Uh, one of the things that happens in the world is if you are an independent company, um, you have to talk with five, six, eight vendors a day, right? That’s not efficient. You want to focus on running your business. Um, and also you don’t always get the best prices because you’re buying a case of oat milk instead of like allowing us to buy it, you get the better discount. So the goal was to kind of consolidate and give a one-stop shop point for these people that own these businesses to place orders and to get benefits of more bulk buying power, right? Um, and that was the original genesis of our business. Um, originally started in New York and uh that’s what we still call our home. And we have an office, a mothership I call it, in New York because it’s just a small drop station. Our company is digital focused and we’re remote first on our corporate level. Um, and so that’s how we interact with our customers. Leland McFarland Perfect. Uh, what was happening in your business or tech stack that made you decide it was time to implement NetSuite? Kelly Simons So, predates me being there, but, um, research, questioning, that kind of thing. Um, at one point in our business, uh, they were on the typical small basic business model of accounting software. Um, I’m sure we all know which one of those could be because that’s very common. Um, and uh there was an inflection point where they realized that they needed something more powerful in order to lay the foundation for growth. And that was one of the things that they were looking for was a system that was reasonably priced, fit the needs of the market, and could grow as the business grew. Uh, that was one of the main focuses on it. Now, there was a talk at one time of building their own ERP. Evidently, I heard that there were people that looked at people like they had lost their mind because NetSuite has spent 27 years crafting an ERP and it still grows every day. Uh, so that was kind of the impetus behind it. Laying a platform that they could use uh to consolidate and talk one language: inventory, ordering, accounting, finance, typical things that you would do. Leland McFarland Okay. Uh, when did you first begin your NetSuite journey and what were the top goals you were uh hoping to achieve? And by you, I know now that you uh, it’s more of Odeko, not uh… Kelly Simons Yeah, yeah. So, um, whenever you’re in a rapid growth model for a startup business, um, people come on and as you make an acquisition, let’s say, they don’t speak the same language, they don’t have the same information, the systems are different. Um, so having a system that is the source of truth that allows you to pump things in and out of it back and forth. Uh, the goals were to be able to to unify, have a common point to go get information, and to consolidate financials to so our shareholders were happy. We could say, “Hey, look, here’s the information.” Right? So that’s some of the main things that we did. Leland McFarland Great. Um, can you walk us through your uh NetSuite setup? Uh, which models and tools are most crucial for uh your your daily operations? Kelly Simons Sure. So we are a OneWorld instance for NetSuite. Uh, we did have multiple subsidiaries. We’ve recently collapsed some of them just because we’ve kind of restructured a little bit. Um, so it’s very valuable to us to be able to use that to utilize if we need to have different subsidiaries and if we do a different new product, which we just recently launched. Sometimes we may want to put it as a different business unit so if we needed to jettison it, God forbid, you could easily, right? Um, we regularly on a daily basis are using inventory management, operations tools for ordering and fulfillment and all of the normal things to get orders through and out the door to our customers. Uh, there’s a lot of financial tracking that goes along with that. Um, being able to use the traditional models, fixed assets, which was done all on a spreadsheet, which is now internally in the system. Uh, just, um, it allows us to be a little bit more agile to pivot faster and to see things quicker. We also have leveraged the extensibility of the system by going with partners. So Celigo, Brex, those kind of things for anything that we needed to be a little bit more sophisticated than some of the standard models might be, right? So, that’s what we do on a daily basis. It’s our lifeblood now. Leland McFarland Now you’re you’re attached at the hip with uh NetSuite, right? Kelly Simons Well, I’ve always been attached to the hip with NetSuite. That’ll be what I do until I retire in 10 years. So… Leland McFarland Um, how has NetSuite changed the way your finance or operations teams work on a day-to-day? Kelly Simons So before, if we had bought a company or did anything like that, we’d have to go to three or four systems, pull data, try to match the data, try to align the data to make sure it works, right? Um, nowadays when we acquire a company using our repetitive playbook, um, we groom the data, put it in the system so it all matches. They go to our chart of accounts, they go to our structure for customers, things like that. And so in the given day, people are more agile, more efficient, and are able to process things more quickly. A a good good tidbit here is we use Celigo to take our e-com business into NetSuite, all of our ordering. That was a manual process a year ago, took two people 90 hours a week just to process manual e-com orders. And now we’ve grown the business about 40% year over year with the same amount of people because we’ve automated. So all those kind of efficiencies that we gain from being able to quickly pull financials and metrics and things are huge in our company. Leland McFarland Perfect. Um, how have you customized or extended NetSuite to fit the unique needs of a business like yours? Kelly Simons So we have, um, an engineering team internally and they focus primarily on our portal and our front-end processes, right? And some of the integration stuff, like microservices into into NetSuite. Um, but we have some workflows that we do to add pieces of data. We have some custom scripting. Uh, we built a workflow that forces invoices to print twice a day. Right? It creates the invoices twice a day. So somebody doesn’t have to manually monitor those. Um, we’ve used custom fields and rules and forms and records, you name it, we’ve done it. Uh, we haven’t gone too far afield and crazy, right? Uh, but we are using that. And then of course, again, as mentioned, we leveraged the extensibility from the partner network to help us if we need to extend beyond. Right? Leland McFarland Do do you know how the implementation went uh originally? Kelly Simons So from my understanding, the initial implementation went pretty well. Um, again, you’re typically dealing with people who have never used NetSuite before, so they make decisions are made that maybe, you know, five years down the road probably were need to be reviewed and refined. Uh, I don’t think it went really badly, but of course it was a very skeletal implementation. So it was like a very small segment. I use the analogy it was like the iceberg. They got the tip, but there was all underneath that wasn’t being used yet. And so, um, it, I don’t think there was a lot of bumps. I do, I will say there was some clarity that was needed about what NetSuite could do. And uh they were also, keep in mind, doing this around the time when a lot of the pandemic was coming around and, you know, so the world was different. We all know the world in that time period was different, right? So… Leland McFarland Yeah. So it was kind of more of a gradual integration? Kelly Simons Yeah, so they did a, they did the first part which is more financials and some of the order managing and that kind of process. But as time has passed, and especially as I’ve joined as well, we’ve, not saying I’m perfect or the be-all end-all, but we’ve moved it more and more into the center and started to use more and more of the layers of the product. Leland McFarland Perfect. All right. So NetSuite has been making big moves with AI this year. Um, has Odeko started using any of uh NetSuite’s AI-driven tools or automation? Kelly Simons So, some of them are like really new, hot off the press. The one that I use the most right now that I love is in the NetSuite knowledge management area. There is thousands upon thousands upon thousands of articles and how-tos, right? And in the times past, you’d have to go type in what you want, it would give you a list of 200 articles, you’d have to click into them, then you go into a rabbit hole where you click into another article that was on another article, that was on another article, right? Um, the new language that they use where I can human speak and type in a prompt and it returns me the top things that it might be, and says here’s one, two, three, four, this is your best option, has been game-changing for me because it takes me what would have taken hours is like seconds to find an answer usually. Um, and I love the fact, one of them the other day actually said, “I’m sorry, you can’t do that from in NetSuite.” It just said you can’t. I was like, “Okay, that’s good to know.” That that’s nice to know, you know, I’d rather you tell me I can’t. Um, I guess, you know, and I’m excited about some of the things coming. Uh, I’m also equally a little bit nervous about NetSuite Next and how much more. Um, but we’re slowly but surely starting to adopt some of those principles in NetSuite. Leland McFarland Now you mentioned NetSuite Next. Is that the thing, like, out of all the AI advancement, you know, the the the coming soons, um, is that the one that you’re kind of looking forward to most or is there another AI tool that you’re kind of… Kelly Simons Well no, so I’m really looking forward to NetSuite Next. But again, cautiously optimistic. Because in my mind, I see a positive, but I also know that in the adoption curve, if you move too quickly with some users, they are paralyzed. And now I can see a prompt for a controller and they’re going to be fine, but a warehouse clerk may struggle a little bit more with a prompt, right? Now we all know in the AI world that the world will change and a BA might not be a true BA like we’re used to now or a developer even might not be a true developer. They may leverage an AI tool to do their job and then their responsibility is to check the work, right? Um, so I I think that that’s where I’m most excited about. I’m excited to see things come in. One of the things that I know is coming that I think is going to be awesome is uh being able to tell it what I want a workflow. I can type in what I want and it will give me basically what needs to be done or tell it to go do it itself. Another thing that I’m really excited about that I just learned about here is the autonomous close process. Right? Now, we’ve gotten our close down to pretty tight. We’re about three to five days. When I first started, it was close to 30 for a monthly close, which was insane to me. But the autonomous close process that it basically goes and acts on your behalf in the back, posts the things up, you need to review and you hit yes. It just, I’m I’m in awe. You know what I mean? It’s going to be a great, it’s it’s going to be a very big game-changer in our company. Leland McFarland Now, now you talked about adoption and having uh users adopt it. Now, we’ve all seen the the the old person, you know, not necessarily old, the person who loves the older systems in the back doing everything pen and paper and using an abacus. Um, how do you address uh those types of users? Kelly Simons So, first of all, one thing that is really hard for me to kind of do is a lot of the people I know of that are in like warehouse jobs and things like that, they equate AI to job loss. So the first thing you have to do is retool that narrative of it’s not a job loss, it’s a direct, your job is evolving, right? So that’s always a new thing. I think, uh, change management is one of the hardest things to do. And there are people that I know of that sometimes I have to get on with them and I’m like, okay, let’s walk through this. Okay, now tell me what you don’t understand, right? So it’s a little bit of hand-holding with them, which I don’t mind. I would rather them ask and we spend time than them to assume and something just paralyze them, right? Um, there is the theory of the adoption curve, which I’m, I don’t know if you’re familiar with. It’s like an 80, it’s a 20-60-20. There are those people, like, for instance, that bought the iPhone. They were standing in line when the first iPhone came out. Then there’s that middle group that waits to see what happens with the first phone and then they buy it. And then there’s the group that you have to wrap a a rope around their feet and drag them behind you to get them to buy said thing. It’s the same thing with this. Uh, there are going to be some people that it just, they’re not going to transcend into AI very well and it’s because there’s a fear. And it’s how do you address them where they are? How do you meet them where they’re at? Because my mother would be good at AI because that’s just her. My stepdad, no. He he’ll be completely lost. So that’s the same thing with people we work with. Leland McFarland All right. Final question. Yep. Um, what’s next for Odeko and how do you see your partnership with NetSuite evolving over the next few years? Kelly Simons So, we are now an omnichannel company. We have a service line, we have a a BU, an e-com line, we have a regular local delivery line, we just launched a new project that’s uh a software SaaS product that we’re rolling out. Uh those are going to continue just to accelerate. This year we bought five companies. We have, yeah, so there’s that. In 2026, our focus is on organic change with some other additional acquisitions possibly. Now I don’t know for sure. It’s always one of those things that’s up in end. Um, we are going to continue to grow. That’s the goal. Is to continue to become a larger company, more and more, more and more market share, that kind of thing. Uh with the ultimate goal at some point of pre IPO. And uh how our partnership with NetSuite is just my platform that’s going to continue to be my base to help me enable that. Um, even whenever they come to me sometimes and say, “Hey, I want to go do blah blah blah,” and I’m like, “NetSuite can do that.” “But I still want to talk to someone else.” “Okay, fine.” But in the back of my mind, NetSuite is still going to be the one to do that. You know what I mean? But sometimes you have to do that. Uh so NetSuite is still going to be our partner. It’s going to be there for a while. Um, I don’t see us ever moving away from it in the next five years. As Odeko continues its upward trajectory — having acquired five companies this year alone — its partnership with NetSuite remains central to its long-term vision. “NetSuite is still going to be our partner. It’s going to be there for a while. I don’t see us ever moving away from it in the next five years,” said Simons. With plans to expand organically while eyeing a potential pre-IPO future, the company is using its ERP backbone not just for accounting, but as a growth engine. Simons described how automation and AI are now reshaping everyday workflows, from financial closes to order processing. Tasks that once took “two people 90 hours a week” are now handled in a fraction of the time thanks to integrated tools like Celigo. She’s also optimistic — yet cautious — about NetSuite’s next wave of AI innovations, such as autonomous close processes and natural language workflows. “I’m excited to see things come in,” she said. “It’s going to be a very big game-changer in our company.” For small business owners watching AI transform enterprise software, Odeko’s experience offers a practical roadmap: start by building a solid digital core, embrace automation thoughtfully, and lead your team through change with patience and vision. Growth is no longer about scaling chaos — it’s about scaling smarter. This article, "Interview with Kelly Simons of Odeko" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Artificial intelligence has often felt out of reach for many small businesses—too complex, too costly, and too disconnected from the tools they already use. Zoho Corporation is aiming to change that. The company announced a wave of new “agentic AI” features across its collaboration, customer experience, and human resources apps—tools designed to help businesses save time, work smarter, and make AI a practical part of daily operations. The updates, which include Zoho’s workplace suite (Mail, Cliq, Sheet, and Tables), are available at no additional cost to current users. Zoho says the goal is to remove the “adoption friction” that has slowed small business AI use by embedding intelligence directly into the tools teams already rely on. In Zoho Mail, new features like Ask Zia and the Lead Generation Agent take automation to the next level. Ask Zia allows users to issue natural-language prompts such as “Find emails from Zylker Travels, summarize them into a doc, and send it to Paula,” and the system will execute the entire task chain across Zoho apps. The Lead Generation Agent, meanwhile, can scan unread messages for sales inquiries and automatically create leads in Zoho CRM—something that could save small teams hours each week. Other agents handle more routine yet critical functions: a Cleanup Agent that identifies large emails and suggests cleanup plans, a Threat Mitigation Agent that scans for and resolves security issues, and a Writing Agent that drafts responses, schedules follow-ups, and creates reminders. For smaller organizations that can’t afford full-time IT or admin staff, these automations could significantly lighten the workload. In Zoho Cliq, the team chat app, agentic AI is being woven into nearly every workflow. Features like Unread Message Summaries, Meeting Transcripts and Action Items, and Automatic Thread Titles make it easier to stay on top of conversations. The system can even analyze tone, translate messages instantly, and summarize multimedia content—capabilities that could benefit remote teams and global collaborations. Zoho also plans to add multi-vendor AI support, allowing teams to connect their preferred AI engines—such as OpenAI, Google Gemini, or Anthropic—alongside Zoho’s own Zia. The inclusion of the Model Context Protocol (MCP) will let users integrate external large language models like Claude or Visual Studio Code directly into Cliq conversations. That move may appeal to tech-savvy small businesses that want flexibility without additional infrastructure costs. Meanwhile, Zoho Tables and Sheet received updates that focus on smarter data management. AI Base Creation can generate a complete database with sample data and linked fields from a short prompt. For businesses managing multilingual or customer feedback data, new fields like Language Detector, Sentiment Analysis, and Keyword Extraction automate tasks that previously required manual review. In Zoho Sheet, features such as PatternFill, Translation from images, and AI Formulas will help users clean and analyze data faster. With these upgrades, even non-technical employees can automate repetitive data work, turning time once spent on spreadsheets into time focused on strategy or customer engagement. The following table outlines each of the newly released AI-powered features across Zoho’s collaboration tools, along with their descriptions and current availability by region. ApplicationFeatureFeature DescriptionAvailabilityAvailable Territories Zoho Mail Ask Zia in WorkplaceAsk Zia a prompt, Zia will handle across email, word processor, file manager, and chat at onceAvailable Early Access, only in US, IN Zoho Mail + Zoho CRM: Lead Generation Agent Looks into your unread messages when you login, recognizes Sales-queries using AI and converts them into a lead in Zoho CRMAvailable Early Access, only in US, IN Ask Zia in Mail Converse to Zia over an email. Take actions over multiple Zoho apps, get additional details, or draft a reply—all based on your conversations with ZiaAvailable Early Access, only in US, IN Cleanup AgentCategorizes emails by size, suggests email cleanup planAvailable Early Access, only in US, IN Threat Mitigation Agent identifies security incidents, eliminates threats, creates mitigation plan for future threatsAvailable Early Access, only in US, IN Writing AgentGenerate email drafts and replies automatically while also looking for scheduling conflicts and automatically creating reminders based on generated email contentAvailable Early Access, only in US, IN Zoho Tables AI Base Creation with ZiaZia will create base with relevant tables, sample data and linked fields based on user promptsAvailableUS, CA, IN Sentiment Analysis FieldAutomatically analyzes customer sentiment based on context, tone and emotion in textAvailableUS, CA, IN Language Detector Field Automatically detects language of text data when multilingual data is involvedAvailableUS, CA, IN Keyword Extraction Field Identifies and extracts essential words and phrases for quick summary in SEO, content analysis, and moreAvailableUS, CA, IN Zoho Cliq Unread Message SummaryGet a crisp gist of all your unread messages at a glance, so you can stay updated without having to scroll through each conversationAvailableUS, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA Meeting Transcript, Summary and Action Items Provides a recorded transcript, a concise summary of the transcript, and highlights of key action items for every meetingAvailableUS, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA Automatic Thread Title GenerationAutomatically creates clear and relevant titles for threads to keep things organized and easy to followAvailableUS, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA Sentiment Analysis - Writing AssistantEnsures every message you send is clear, polished, and perfectly tailored to your audience with automatic grammar and tone checksAvailableUS, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA Automated Message TranslationInstantly translates messages into your preferred language for smooth, multilingual communicationAvailableUS, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA OCR-Based SearchQuickly find your files using OCR-based search; text inside images is automatically recognized, making searching for files easierAvailableUS, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA Virtual Background and FiltersCustomize your meetings with fun/professional backgrounds and filters for a polished, distraction-free lookAvailableUS, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA Text ExtractionEasily extract text from images, PDFs, or documents, no need to type it out manuallyAvailableUS, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA Whiteboard Content GenerationAutomatic shape recognition turns rough sketches into clean shapes, making ideas easier to understand and share in real timeAvailableUS, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA Multimedia SummariesAutomatically summarizes the content of attachments and voice messages shared in chats, so you can grasp the key details instantlyQ4 2025US, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA Live TranscriptionReal time meeting transcriptionQ4 2025US, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA Multi-vendor SupportIntegrates Cliq with leading AI providers, including Zia (Zoho's native AI), OpenAI, Google Gemini, Anthropic, Cohere, and Deepseek, giving teams the flexibility to choose and work with the AI that best suits their needsQ4 2025US, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA Model Context Protocol (MCP)Unlock AI in your chats with the Zoho Cliq Model Context Protocol (MCP), letting your AI agents and LLMs (Cursor, Claude, Windsurf, Visual Code Studio) access Cliq conversations, allowing automation, insights, and intelligent interactions across your team’s communicationQ4 2025US, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA Quick RepliesSave time in conversations with automatic, context-based reply options, making it easy to respond instantly without extra effort.Q4 2025US, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA Zoho Sheet TranslationConvert tabular data from pictures or hard copies into structured data in a sheetAvailableUS, IN, EU, CA PatternFillAutomatically detects patterns in data and fills in the remaining values AvailableUS, IN, EU, CA Sheet AssistanceHelps users analyze, visualize and manipulate data more efficiently.Q4 2025US, IN, EU, CA AI TemplateReady-made, customizable models allowing users to instantly create a template for a specific need Q4 2025US, IN, EU, CA AI FormulasSpecialized commands in spreadsheets that use AI to perform complex tasks Q4 2025US, IN, EU, CA For small business owners, the practical upside is clear: AI can now assist in managing leads, emails, meetings, and data without requiring an additional budget or outside developer. The challenge, however, lies in understanding how to integrate these features effectively into existing processes. While Zoho’s interface aims to simplify adoption, the learning curve around prompt-based automation could still be steep for teams unfamiliar with AI tools. Still, Zoho’s decision to include these capabilities at no extra cost marks a meaningful shift. As more AI vendors move toward premium pricing, Zoho’s all-inclusive approach may help level the playing field—giving small businesses access to the same intelligent systems that large enterprises use, but without the financial barrier. The new agentic features are available now in early access across the U.S., India, and select international markets, with broader rollout planned by the end of the year. For businesses looking to experiment with practical, embedded AI, Zoho’s latest updates could offer an easy—and affordable—way to start. This article, "Zoho Adds Free AI Collaboration Tools to Simplify Work for Small Businesses" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Artificial intelligence has often felt out of reach for many small businesses—too complex, too costly, and too disconnected from the tools they already use. Zoho Corporation is aiming to change that. The company announced a wave of new “agentic AI” features across its collaboration, customer experience, and human resources apps—tools designed to help businesses save time, work smarter, and make AI a practical part of daily operations. The updates, which include Zoho’s workplace suite (Mail, Cliq, Sheet, and Tables), are available at no additional cost to current users. Zoho says the goal is to remove the “adoption friction” that has slowed small business AI use by embedding intelligence directly into the tools teams already rely on. In Zoho Mail, new features like Ask Zia and the Lead Generation Agent take automation to the next level. Ask Zia allows users to issue natural-language prompts such as “Find emails from Zylker Travels, summarize them into a doc, and send it to Paula,” and the system will execute the entire task chain across Zoho apps. The Lead Generation Agent, meanwhile, can scan unread messages for sales inquiries and automatically create leads in Zoho CRM—something that could save small teams hours each week. Other agents handle more routine yet critical functions: a Cleanup Agent that identifies large emails and suggests cleanup plans, a Threat Mitigation Agent that scans for and resolves security issues, and a Writing Agent that drafts responses, schedules follow-ups, and creates reminders. For smaller organizations that can’t afford full-time IT or admin staff, these automations could significantly lighten the workload. In Zoho Cliq, the team chat app, agentic AI is being woven into nearly every workflow. Features like Unread Message Summaries, Meeting Transcripts and Action Items, and Automatic Thread Titles make it easier to stay on top of conversations. The system can even analyze tone, translate messages instantly, and summarize multimedia content—capabilities that could benefit remote teams and global collaborations. Zoho also plans to add multi-vendor AI support, allowing teams to connect their preferred AI engines—such as OpenAI, Google Gemini, or Anthropic—alongside Zoho’s own Zia. The inclusion of the Model Context Protocol (MCP) will let users integrate external large language models like Claude or Visual Studio Code directly into Cliq conversations. That move may appeal to tech-savvy small businesses that want flexibility without additional infrastructure costs. Meanwhile, Zoho Tables and Sheet received updates that focus on smarter data management. AI Base Creation can generate a complete database with sample data and linked fields from a short prompt. For businesses managing multilingual or customer feedback data, new fields like Language Detector, Sentiment Analysis, and Keyword Extraction automate tasks that previously required manual review. In Zoho Sheet, features such as PatternFill, Translation from images, and AI Formulas will help users clean and analyze data faster. With these upgrades, even non-technical employees can automate repetitive data work, turning time once spent on spreadsheets into time focused on strategy or customer engagement. The following table outlines each of the newly released AI-powered features across Zoho’s collaboration tools, along with their descriptions and current availability by region. ApplicationFeatureFeature DescriptionAvailabilityAvailable Territories Zoho Mail Ask Zia in WorkplaceAsk Zia a prompt, Zia will handle across email, word processor, file manager, and chat at onceAvailable Early Access, only in US, IN Zoho Mail + Zoho CRM: Lead Generation Agent Looks into your unread messages when you login, recognizes Sales-queries using AI and converts them into a lead in Zoho CRMAvailable Early Access, only in US, IN Ask Zia in Mail Converse to Zia over an email. Take actions over multiple Zoho apps, get additional details, or draft a reply—all based on your conversations with ZiaAvailable Early Access, only in US, IN Cleanup AgentCategorizes emails by size, suggests email cleanup planAvailable Early Access, only in US, IN Threat Mitigation Agent identifies security incidents, eliminates threats, creates mitigation plan for future threatsAvailable Early Access, only in US, IN Writing AgentGenerate email drafts and replies automatically while also looking for scheduling conflicts and automatically creating reminders based on generated email contentAvailable Early Access, only in US, IN Zoho Tables AI Base Creation with ZiaZia will create base with relevant tables, sample data and linked fields based on user promptsAvailableUS, CA, IN Sentiment Analysis FieldAutomatically analyzes customer sentiment based on context, tone and emotion in textAvailableUS, CA, IN Language Detector Field Automatically detects language of text data when multilingual data is involvedAvailableUS, CA, IN Keyword Extraction Field Identifies and extracts essential words and phrases for quick summary in SEO, content analysis, and moreAvailableUS, CA, IN Zoho Cliq Unread Message SummaryGet a crisp gist of all your unread messages at a glance, so you can stay updated without having to scroll through each conversationAvailableUS, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA Meeting Transcript, Summary and Action Items Provides a recorded transcript, a concise summary of the transcript, and highlights of key action items for every meetingAvailableUS, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA Automatic Thread Title GenerationAutomatically creates clear and relevant titles for threads to keep things organized and easy to followAvailableUS, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA Sentiment Analysis - Writing AssistantEnsures every message you send is clear, polished, and perfectly tailored to your audience with automatic grammar and tone checksAvailableUS, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA Automated Message TranslationInstantly translates messages into your preferred language for smooth, multilingual communicationAvailableUS, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA OCR-Based SearchQuickly find your files using OCR-based search; text inside images is automatically recognized, making searching for files easierAvailableUS, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA Virtual Background and FiltersCustomize your meetings with fun/professional backgrounds and filters for a polished, distraction-free lookAvailableUS, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA Text ExtractionEasily extract text from images, PDFs, or documents, no need to type it out manuallyAvailableUS, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA Whiteboard Content GenerationAutomatic shape recognition turns rough sketches into clean shapes, making ideas easier to understand and share in real timeAvailableUS, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA Multimedia SummariesAutomatically summarizes the content of attachments and voice messages shared in chats, so you can grasp the key details instantlyQ4 2025US, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA Live TranscriptionReal time meeting transcriptionQ4 2025US, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA Multi-vendor SupportIntegrates Cliq with leading AI providers, including Zia (Zoho's native AI), OpenAI, Google Gemini, Anthropic, Cohere, and Deepseek, giving teams the flexibility to choose and work with the AI that best suits their needsQ4 2025US, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA Model Context Protocol (MCP)Unlock AI in your chats with the Zoho Cliq Model Context Protocol (MCP), letting your AI agents and LLMs (Cursor, Claude, Windsurf, Visual Code Studio) access Cliq conversations, allowing automation, insights, and intelligent interactions across your team’s communicationQ4 2025US, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA Quick RepliesSave time in conversations with automatic, context-based reply options, making it easy to respond instantly without extra effort.Q4 2025US, EU, IN, AU, JP, CA, SA Zoho Sheet TranslationConvert tabular data from pictures or hard copies into structured data in a sheetAvailableUS, IN, EU, CA PatternFillAutomatically detects patterns in data and fills in the remaining values AvailableUS, IN, EU, CA Sheet AssistanceHelps users analyze, visualize and manipulate data more efficiently.Q4 2025US, IN, EU, CA AI TemplateReady-made, customizable models allowing users to instantly create a template for a specific need Q4 2025US, IN, EU, CA AI FormulasSpecialized commands in spreadsheets that use AI to perform complex tasks Q4 2025US, IN, EU, CA For small business owners, the practical upside is clear: AI can now assist in managing leads, emails, meetings, and data without requiring an additional budget or outside developer. The challenge, however, lies in understanding how to integrate these features effectively into existing processes. While Zoho’s interface aims to simplify adoption, the learning curve around prompt-based automation could still be steep for teams unfamiliar with AI tools. Still, Zoho’s decision to include these capabilities at no extra cost marks a meaningful shift. As more AI vendors move toward premium pricing, Zoho’s all-inclusive approach may help level the playing field—giving small businesses access to the same intelligent systems that large enterprises use, but without the financial barrier. The new agentic features are available now in early access across the U.S., India, and select international markets, with broader rollout planned by the end of the year. For businesses looking to experiment with practical, embedded AI, Zoho’s latest updates could offer an easy—and affordable—way to start. This article, "Zoho Adds Free AI Collaboration Tools to Simplify Work for Small Businesses" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Did you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding Lifehacker as a preferred source for tech news. Whether you’re a fan of listening to music while you read or you simply live in a household of noisy people, silence may not be something you’re used to finding before hitting the books—but it should be and it can be. Despite the boom in popularity of study-based playlists on YouTube and Spotify, quiet is the way to go when you’re trying to retain information you’re taking in. Don’t take my word for; take science’s. What the research says First, research published in 2019 showed that “mental workload and visual/auditory attention is significantly reduced when the participants are exposed to noise at 95 dBA level.” That, per the Center for Hearing and Communication, is about how loud a blender or truck is. The 2019 study focused a lot on the way noise affects people at work, which is where people tend to do tasks they already have a grasp on; noise can be even more detrimental if you’re trying to attain new information. Other research that has focused specifically on studying has found noise to be even more of an issue: On average, participants experienced a 7% reduction in performance on a test when researchers introduced noises, when compared with quiet, per one 2021 report. Some research breaks things down further, examining different effects of noise on introverts’ and extroverts’ studying and information retention, but that’s both too granular and pretty irrelevant; for the most part, it still finds that noise is distracting and reduces cognitive ability. Other research is broken down by type of noise. For instance, one study found that while silence was beneficial for cognitive tasks, lo-fi music was better than music with lyrics (with the exception of when participants were doing math, when music type didn’t have any impact). What about white noise? Research shows that it's not as detrimental as lyric-filled music; in fact, it's helpful for studying. It can actually enhance your acquisition of new material. Anecdotally, that makes sense to me. I run white noise a lot in my apartment because my window directly overlooks the smoking section of a rowdy bar and I get tired of hearing the drunkest conversations known to man every night. It drowns all of that out, but also sort of fades into the background. It's not like I'm hearing or focusing on "Box Fan #10 Continuous Loop" or whatever I have queued up on YouTube. Exceptions to the ruleNo study solution is one-size-fits-all, although you'll have a hard time convincing me you can stay focused on physiology or world history with the new Taylor Swift album playing in the background. There are, of course, some exceptions to the rule, like the semi-acceptability of lyric-less tunes. Another exception to the "silence is best" rule is when you're using the production effect. This study technique involves speaking out loud to better retain information. Others, like dual coding, call on you to use two modalities to study at once, like drawing while you listen to a lecture or narrating while you label a diagram. Depending on what you are studying and how you prefer to do it, you may even want to make a personal study podcast by reading your own notes out loud into a recorder, then playing it back. Finally, I've found the ability to create custom "podcasts" out of study materials through Google's NotebookLM extremely helpful for studying while I do other tasks, like clean the house. Don't let the science-backed fact that silence is golden when you're studying deter you from trying out those techniques. Employing them isn't the same as trying to read a chapter in the middle of a bustling cafeteria or playing the latest episode of your favorite show while you take a practice quiz. As with any approach or suggestion, you have wiggle room to make it work for you. How to create more silenceIf you’re attached to lo-fi tunes for studying, that's fine. You just have to keep them low and make sure no lyrics sneak in. Otherwise, try to prioritize a reduction in noise as much as possible—especially outside noises, like chatter, household appliances, or traffic. Here are a few tools that might help: Grab a pair of the highly rated Loop Quiet ear plugs to reduce noise ($28) I can personally vouch for the noise-cancellation qualities of the AirPods Max ($450), which function well even when I'm not playing music Try the Grotheory door stopper to soundproof your study room ($14 for two) Use Mudboo acoustic panels to line the wall separating you from exterior noise ($13 for 12) Pick up a white noise machine for about $17 if you can't make the other noises stop View the full article