Eliana Willis

We’ve seen many critically acclaimed smartphone launches over the past year. We got smaller flagship phones with no-compromise optics like the Pixel 9 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro, while foldables saw more variety, with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold and Motorola stepping up to offer a better value-for-money Razr. It’s been a year of improved flagships with great optics, a few incremental upgrades, and better battery life with 5G connectivity. But you don’t need to spend upwards of $1,000 to get a good 5G phone. The best 5G phones range from $300 to $1,800, and include several form factors. From small-screen Pro phones to big-screen foldables, there’s plenty to choose from, and we’re here to help. ZDNET tested and reviewed a plethora of 5G phones to help you choose the best device for your needs.Also: The best phones: Expert tested What is the best 5G phone right now?We’ve tested dozens of devices, and our pick for the best 5G phone overall is the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The TCL QM8 (2024) features rich colors and searing brightness. It has enhanced audio over last year’s model, while still being easy to set up and navigate. I wish the viewing angles weren’t somewhat limited, and you’ll want to wait for a deal to buy one. more buying choices As this […] More

June Wan/ZDNETIf new AR glasses work as intended, your Amazon deliveries might arrive a little faster.A recent report from Reuters revealed Amazon is in the process of developing smart glasses for its drivers that not only show turn-by-turn navigation to get to a destination but also give directions inside buildings, such as where to walk off an elevator ride and show warnings about gates or aggressive dogs.  Also: I tested Meta’s limited edition Ray-Ban smart glasses, and they’re a near-perfect wearable for meWe don’t know any specifics, but reportedly the device — like Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses — would have a small embedded screen to show important information. They could also likely give audible directions, as Amazon’s existing Echo Frame glasses do, and use the built-in camera capability to take photos, replacing the handheld device currently in use. Realistically, these glasses might only save a few seconds per each routine delivery or a few minutes if a driver gets lost. But when the average driver handles around 300 packages a day, and with millions of packages delivered around the world each day, those seconds add up and mean drivers might be able to handle a few more each day. Also: Apple to counter new Meta products with its own cheaper headsetWhile the project isn’t public yet, Reuters said several anonymous employees confirmed it exists. Those sources also warned that the glasses are likely still several years away and still might never see the light of day if they don’t work as intended or if employees don’t embrace them. Comfort is a concern, but when Kerry Wan, ZDNET senior reviews editor, tried out Meta’s latest wearable, he found the glasses comfortable enough to replace his prescription lenses.  More

David Gewirtz/ZDNETOver the past few months, we’ve taken a comprehensive deep dive into the popularity of programming languages. Also: The most popular programming languages in 2024But how do you measure popularity? That’s been a big part of the question. Is it the number of GitHub projects? Is it the number of posts on popular programming forums? Is it based on surveys? What really determines the popularity of programming languages? Also: The rise and fall in programming languages’ popularity since 2016 – and what it tells usToday we will look at the one factor that ultimately matters the most to people: Where are the jobs? Research methodsMy research methodology was pretty straightforward. I went to the most popular job boards and searched for each programming language by name. This analysis reflects a snapshot of language demand in early November 2024. Several job sites don’t provide a total for search results, so I skipped those. I settled in on three sites that provided good counts of the number of job listings based on the terms I searched for. Those sites were Dice, Indeed, and LinkedIn. Also: The best AI for coding, and a bunch that failed miserablyIt’s important to understand what our search data tells us. When I search for a term like SQL, the job site’s search engine returns every job offer that contains the word SQL in its listing. Those results might include a Python programming job where they list SQL, too. The results might also include a basic web admin job with SQL in the job listing. So, in this article, I’m not saying that the sites show a specific count of job openings for SQL programmers. Instead, I’m saying SQL has shown up in a search result, indicating how important hiring managers think it is for you to know this language to qualify for a certain job in their organization. That interpretation of results applies to every language in this article. More

Paul Souders/Getty Images I use the Linux command line daily, but that’s because I learned Linux the hard way and those old lessons stuck. Most users could go their entire Linux lifetime and never run a single command. Some will use the very basic commands (such as ls, mkdir, and cd), while others might dive […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Chipolo One Point and Card Point are available starting at $28. They’re highly accurate, robust, and integrate well into the Google ecosystem. But the One is only splashproof, and the Card version has a non-user-replaceable battery –> AirTags are one of the things that have set the Apple ecosystem apart […] More