Vaselena/Getty Images ZDNET’s key takeaways OpenAI’s new GPT-5 flagship failed half of my programming tests. Previous OpenAI releases have had just about perfect results. Now that OpenAI has enabled fallbacks to other LLMs, there are options. So GPT-5 happened. It’s out. It’s released. It’s the talk of the virtual town. And it’s got some problems. […] More
Maria Diaz/ZDNETAs an avid iPad user, I’m all too familiar with the internal struggles that course through me when the battery is about to die. I love using either the iPad 11 or iPad Air to write and work, but I also use it to stream content, play games, and browse the internet after work. This makes me appreciate the iPad’s long battery life, yet my anxiety grows when I start getting ‘low battery’ alerts without a charger nearby.Also: How you’re charging your tablet is slowly killing it – 3 methods to avoid (and the right way)There are many things you can do to increase your iPad’s battery life that go beyond the usual advice. You can start with the usual: lowering your screen brightness and setting the auto-lock to a shorter time, which I’ll cover here. I’ll also cover other ways to extend your battery life that have, altogether, given me a few more hours of use from my iPad.1. Lower screen brightnessThis is one of the first recommendations you’ll hear from anyone offering tips on conserving your iPad’s battery life — and it truly works. Depending on your usage, lowering your screen’s brightness settings could offer you over an hour of extra use on each charge. Also: 5 Apple products you definitely shouldn’t buy this month (and 7 to get instead)Doing so also makes it easier on your eyes, reducing the eye strain involved with staring at bright screens for too long. That’s the main reason I prefer keeping my brightness low, but the perk of a longer battery life makes it even more worthwhile. Your iPad’s screen brightness can be adjusted from the Control Center by swiping down on the top right side of your screen.2. Turn off location servicesLocation services can keep your iPad working extra, especially if you have them enabled for multiple apps. It’s a good idea to turn off location services for any apps that you don’t use often, especially those that you know you won’t be using in the next day or two. While turning off your iPad’s location services won’t double your battery life, it can add a good half hour or more of use. To check and turn off your location services, follow these stepsGo to your iPad SettingsSelect Privacy & SecurityGo to Location ServicesAlso: 8 reasons why I replaced my Kindle with an iPad Mini for reading ebooksYou can check which applications have access to your iPad’s location and decide which ones to revoke. Alternatively, you can turn off all Location Services altogether, especially if you’ll be using your tablet for work, streaming, or playing.3. Turn off wireless when idle More
<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The 11th-generation iPad 11th Generation normally retails for $349. The upgraded iPad has double the base storage as the previous generation, more RAM, and an upgraded processor in the A16 Bionic chip. However, it still isn’t compatible with Apple Intelligence and doesn’t support the Apple Pencil Pro. more buying choices It’s […] More
Jada Jones/ZDNETIn the past few years, Bose, Sony, Sonos, and Beats have released premium headphones to compete with each other and Apple’s AirPods Max More
Kerry Wan/ZDNETApple has been busy prepping iOS 26 for its likely debut in September. Until then, the iPhone’s upcoming new OS has been accessible for anyone to try via a developer beta (now up to version 5) and the initial public beta. Though iOS 26 still has at least a month of tweaks before it’s finalized, the beta flavors already provide a peek at what to expect.You can download iOS 26 beta on your iPhone now. Here’s how to install it — and which models support it.Also: My biggest regret after updating my iPhone to iOS 26 (and how to fix it)I’ve been running the public beta since its release on July 24. Among the new and improved features in iOS 26, these are my five favorites so far.1. Liquid Glass More
ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable <!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 is available now, starting at $3,300. The 120Hz, OLED, portrait-style 16.7-inch display delivers an expansive workspace, supported by a haptic touchpad. It has limited I/O, has some visible creasing on the rollable display, and has a sky-high price. –> Lenovo unveiled […] More
Manufacturers typically offer different runtimes for lamps, refrigerators, CPAP machines, and so on, but if you want to work this out for yourself, you may need two figures, and a bit of math!First, you need the power rating of the device you plan on running, which can usually be found on a label on the device and is measured in Watts (W). You also need to know the capacity of the power station, measured in Watt hours (Wh), which should be printed somewhere on the device. Let’s say you have a device that consumes 200W and a power station that has a capacity of 2,048Wh, you can get a ballpark runtime for the device using the following equation:(2048 x 0.85)/200 = 8.7 hoursNote that the capacity of the power station is multiplied by 0.85 to account for efficiency losses that happen. More
Kyle Kucharski/ZDNETChoosing the right laptop can feel overwhelming — even for someone like me who’s lived and breathed laptops for years. You get all these options, configurations, and feature lists that it’s impossible not to know up from down. So, to make things easier for you, I’ll be breaking down laptops and their essentials using three broad usage categories: school, work, and gaming.Also: The best laptops you can buy: Expert testedMost laptops fall into one of these buckets, and while there is some crossover regarding hardware, each type is designed with a specific purpose in mind. Below, I walk through what defines each category, highlighting key features to look out for and providing example products along the way.Keep in mind, this advice is based on my own experience and expertise. Ultimately, the best laptop is the one that fits your needs best.How to pick a laptop for school More
