<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Vizio 5.1 Soundbar SE system is available now for only $199. It has immersive surround sound at an affordable price thanks to customizable EQ settings and sound modes. The Bluetooth connection can sometimes be spotty, and be prepared to hide lots of wires. –> One of the easiest ways to […] More
<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways At $130, the Blink Outdoor 4 Floodlight Camera is a practical, battery-powered solution for darker areas around your house that lack wiring and outlets. The AA batteries allow the floodlights to beam at 700 nits of brightness, which is not the most powerful on the market but good enough to see […] More
ZDNET/NeptuneTikTok’s days in the US might be numbered, with the deadline for the company to either sell the app to a US company or shut down entirely coming up this Friday, Jan. 19. As a result, many US TikTokers are taking to the app to post videos with the overwhelming sentiment of “what’s next?”A TikTok user posted a video, that has since garnered 10.5 million views, asking people what app they will use as a TikTok replacement. To my surprise, many comments didn’t suggest China-owned platforms Lemon8 or RedNote, currently ranked #1 on the App Store. Rather, users recommended Neptune, an app that isn’t even out yet. Also: Why I don’t regret leaving X for BlueskyNeptune has a unique approach to social media. The biggest standout is its customizable algorithm, unlike YouTube, TikTok, and most other social media platforms, which have proprietary algorithms that users can’t control. It also has ghost metrics, meaning it doesn’t prioritize or showcase followers and prefers quality. Since the app is not yet out, you need to fill out a form and join a Discord server to get on the waitlist to become a beta tester, which could be an intimidating process if you’ve never done it before. I will walk you through how to do so below, and you’ll see it’s much simpler than you may think. The biggest perk is that you can reserve your username before the app even rolls out — a huge boon for content creators. More
oxygen/Getty Images What does it mean for a writer, such as a novelist, to have a unique “voice”? And does artificial intelligence (AI) help or hurt that voice? Microsoft researchers set out to answer that question with a small study using 19 fiction writers, 30 readers, and short passages written with the help of OpenAI’s GPT-4. […] More
Lance Whitney/ZDNETScammers who prey on Apple iMessage users via phishing (or smishing) messages are doubling down on a novel tactic that tricks their victims into disabling built-in security. Spotted by BleepingComputer, a series of such phishing attacks have surged since last summer, especially over the past few months, putting unsuspecting users at greater risk of being scammed.Here’s how the tactic works. By default, Apple’s built-in security disables any links in a text message from an unknown sender. That protection includes links to websites, email addresses, and phone numbers. But if the recipient replies to the message or adds the sender to their contact list, those links become valid and active. And that’s the aspect being exploited by scammers.Also: The best VPN services (and how to choose the right one for you)In two screenshots posted by BleepingComputer, one phishing message uses a fake USPS failed delivery notification that’s been popular among cyber crooks. The other claims the recipient is on the hook for unpaid highway tolls. In both cases, the interesting part is found in the instructions at the bottom: “Please reply Y, then exit the text message and open it again to activate the link, or copy the link to your Safari browser and open it.” More
Adam Breeden/ZDNETWhat’s the deal?Multiple models of the Sony Bravia X90L are on sale at Amazon. The 55-inch display received a 25% discount, bringing it down to $898 More
What is the best VPN for the Apple TV right now?The best VPN for Apple TV More
ZDNETOne reason why the Pixel phones are so popular is the camera. There’s a depth, a level of clarity, and brilliant/accurate colors that most phone cameras cannot match.Also: How to clear your Android phone’s cache and make it feel like newGoogle is always trying to one-up itself by improving the Pixel camera with every iteration. Back with the Pixel 8, Google introduced the P3 wide gamut capture feature that came along with the Ultra HDR format of Android 14. The Display P3 wide gamut capture makes photos seriously come alive with color.What is Display P3?Display P3 is a color space that combines the following:DCI-P3 color gamutD65 white pointsRGB gamma curveFor those who didn’t sit at the popular photography club table at lunch, Gamma is a nonlinear operation used to encode and decode luminance in photos and videos. An even easier-to-understand definition is that gamma defines the relationship between a pixel’s numerical value and its luminance. Without gamma, your photos wouldn’t capture color as your eyes see it.Also: How to clear your Android phone’s cache and make it feel like new for 2025White point (aka white balance) helps a camera avoid tint in colors and light. Think of it in terms of color temperature. Are you filming in daylight or warm indoor light? With an incorrect white point, your photos could come out with a blue or amber cast.Color gamut is a range of colors within a color space that can be reproduced by a device. More
