NurPhoto/Contributor/Getty The next time you can’t remember the name of that song that’s stuck in your head, Gemini might be able to help you. One lesser-known feature of Google Assistant was the ability to identify a song, either by letting it listen to a track that was playing or by humming the tune. Pixel phones […] More
Kerry Wan/ZDNETSince 2014, Google’s Chromecast has been an affordable means for helping viewers turn their older model TVs into smart TVs, allowing them to stream content from their phones, tablets, and computers to a bigger screen. Also: Is your Roku TV spying on you? Probably, but here’s how to put an end to itAlas, the era of the Chromecast has come to an end. Google is replacing it with the Google TV Streamer, promising a faster processor, Thread and Matter integration, and the ability to summarize TV episodes or whole seasons, among other new tricks.But that doesn’t mean the Chromecast is obsolete yet; in fact, Google has promised to continue providing software and security updates for now. I found a number of cool things anyone can do with their trusty Chromecast that most users are unaware of. More
Looking to upgrade your home theater with a truly cinema-sized TV for catching summer sports and movie streaming premieres? Right now at Best Buy, you can get the 98-inch TCL Q65 More
<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Matic is available for purchase at $1,095. This robot vacuum has a unique form factor and roller brush, and a debris bag that eliminates the need for a huge dock. The Matic has its drawbacks, mainly that it’s too tall to clean under furniture and that it’s currently only available […] More
HubSpot is built for marketers who want their email to work hand-in-hand with CRM data, sales outreach, and long-term customer journeys. That was my biggest advantage during testing, meaning everything was already connected. Creating an email starts with three options: regular, automated, and blog-triggered. I went with a regular campaign. From there, you land inside a clean editor where the modules are laid out clearly. Once you draft your email and select your contact list, you can move toward the automation segment. Here, you can build visual workflows with branching logic, lead scoring, and goal tracking. A campaign can start from a form fill, email click, or even a blog visit. From there, HubSpot handles the branching, like what content goes to which segment, who gets a follow-up, and when to pause. All this makes me feel like I’m managing a system instead of drafting emails.The reporting tools are also better than what I saw in most platforms. The Analyze and Health tabs give you real-time deliverability benchmarks, and you can build custom dashboards that pull metrics from email, sales, and web behavior together. If you’re looking to tie campaign results back to business outcomes, this is the feature to look out for.For further assistance, Copilot is built into the interface on the right-hand side of the editor. You can use it to summarize contact info, research companies, or even rewrite subject lines based on tone. This saved me time during testing, especially when I wanted to clean up the tone of a promo without sounding robotic.As for limits, the free plan gives you 2,000 sends per month, and that’s actually enough for most small lists. But if you’re ready to build more complex workflows or remove branding, you’ll need to upgrade to the Marketing Hub Pro plan.Under this, the Paid tiers include Marketing Hub Starter ($9 per month), Marketing Hub Professional ($800 per month, includes 2,000 contacts), and Marketing Hub Enterprise ($3,600 per month, includes 10,000 contacts). Each tier increases your send limit based on contact count and unlocks more features like dynamic personalization, journey automation, and advanced analytics. The Professional plan includes a one-time $3,000 onboarding fee, and Enterprise onboarding starts at $7,000, so it’s a serious investment once you scale.HubSpot features: Visual journey builder | Built-in deliverability health check | AI content assistant (Copilot) | Custom dashboards and analytics | List suppression rules | 2,000 sends per month on free plan More
What is cache?Cache — or browser cache — is the temporary storage of website files. So, things like images, scripts, and cookies that your browser saves on your phone to make pages load faster the next time you visit. Also: How to clear your Android phone’s cache and make it feel like newOver time, though, those files can add up, taking a large bite out of your device storage and slowing things down. That’s why it’s smart to clear your browser cache regularly. In this article, I focused on clearing Safari and Chrome’s cache on an iPhone, but keep in mind that apps and even your phone’s processor have their own caches, too.How to clear your app cache on iPhoneYou can clear an app’s cache by deleting and reinstalling it — or, when available, using an in-app “Clear Cache” option. Since iOS doesn’t offer a universal cache-clearing tool, each app handles it differently. TikTok and CapCut include a built-in cache-clear button, Amazon lets you erase your browsing history, and Reddit offers a way to wipe local history. It depends on an app’s features.Is ‘clear cache’ the same as offloading? Not quite. Offloading an app via your iPhone’s settings can boost performance when your storage is tight by uninstalling the app and keeping its documents and data intact. Just go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage, tap the app you want, and choose Offload App. This removes the app and its cache but leaves your data in place, so when you reinstall it, you’ll pick up right where youAre cookies and cache the same thing?Cache and cookies are not the same. Cache stores copies of images, scripts, and other page elements so sites load faster on your next visit, while cookies are small data files that remember specific information about you — like login credentials, site preferences, or items in your shopping cart. Also: Cookie pop-ups don’t have to be a fact of life online – how I block them and whyClearing your cache removes those saved page files but won’t log you out of sites, whereas deleting cookies will wipe your saved logins and settings, forcing you to sign in again and reset any preferences.Can you block cookies on an iPhone?You can block cookies in Safari. Turning them off stops sites from tracking you, but it can also break some websites or limit features. So, you’ll need to weigh privacy against usability. If you’d like to block cookies in Safari, follow these steps:Go to Settings and select Safari.Tap on the toggle next to Block All Cookies.There are also third-party extensions — such as Ghostery More
BlackJack3D/Getty Images The Greek myth of King Midas is a parable of hubris: seeking fabulous wealth, the king is granted the power to turn all he touches to solid gold–but this includes, tragically, his food and his daughter. The point is that the short-sightedness of humans can often lead us into trouble in the long […] More
Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETEvery so often, an Android app decides it wants to distract me from what I’m doing. I might like that app, might even use it quite often, but in that moment, it’s bothersome. I could mute my phone or even turn it off, but there might be other apps that I need to use. I could also uninstall the app, knowing I’d have to reinstall it later.Why go through all of that when you can temporarily disable that distracting Android app? Also: 6 hidden Android features that make my life easier – and that you’re overlookingYou can do exactly that, and it can help prevent those distractions without having to mute everything or uninstall the offending app. One thing to keep in mind is that with Pixel phones, there’s a very easy way to pause apps, and on older phones, the process is a bit cumbersome. How to disable an app in Android on Pixel devices What you’ll need: The only thing you’ll need for this method is a Pixel phone and an app to pause. This method is much easier than pausing apps on non-Pixel devices. More
