Eliana Willis

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Lenovo ThinkPad E16 Gen 6 is available now starting at $839. It’s a solid budget business laptop with a wide range of configurations. The display and webcam might not be good enough for most users, and opting for higher-end hardware can nearly double the price more buying choices On the […] More

Anthropic / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETInstead of shying away from the use of AI in the classroom, many schools are learning just how useful it can be. That is why Anthropic just debuted a new AI chatbot designed to change how students learn.Also: ChatGPT Plus is free for students now – how to grab this deal before finalsIn a post this week, the company announced that it is launching Claude for Education, a specialized version of Claude specifically designed for teachers and students. The chatbot has similarities to the regular version of Claude, but it has a few major differences. New learning modeA new “learning mode” is the highlight and where Claude for Education is truly different. Rather than simply answering questions, the chatbot will ask questions to help students arrive at an answer on their own. Anthropic says the education version of its chatbot will use guiding questions like “How would you approach this problem?” and “What evidence supports your conclusion?” It will emphasize core concepts and highlight fundamental principles behind problems throughout the conversation, making sure that a student understands what they are learning. Also: Anthropic is expanding Claude AI to the enterprise with domain-specific AI agentsStudents can also do things like write literature reviews with citations, work through complex math problems with step-by-step guidance, and even get feedback on a thesis statement before submitting it, Anthropic added. The tool is also intended to make life easier for teachers and school leaders. Also: Why Anthropic’s latest Claude model could be the new AI to beat – and how to try itTeachers can create rubrics that align with specific outcomes, Anthropic says, handling tasks like writing individualized feedback on student essays and generating chemistry equations with varying difficulty levels. Administrators can do things like analyze enrollment trends, automate repetitive email responses, and convert policy documents into accessible formats that are easier to digest. More

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETI have spent a lot of time writing about how battery wear is a fact of life, and the more a battery is used, the more it will wear. It is a consumable item, and it will wear. Also: The best power banks you can buyBut there are also things that we can do to prevent battery wear. A research paper led by Jihyun Hong at POSTECH and Jongsoon Kim at Sungkyunkwan University on EV (electric vehicle) batteries uncovers a new enemy — too much discharge. Discharging EV batteries harms themWithout getting too deep into the chemistry and physics of battery wear, the study discusses a newly identified mechanism of oxygen loss in layered oxide cathodes used in lithium-ion batteries, specifically during the discharge process at voltages below 3.0V. Because of this additional wear, the study goes on to emphasize the importance of carefully setting DCOVs (discharge cut-off voltages) to slow down degradation and improve battery longevity. Also: 12 Android phone settings you should change to dramatically increase battery lifeBasically, excessively discharging batteries harms them. What about the batteries in our devices?While the study is limited to EV batteries, can we assume that this chemistry applies to the lithium-ion batteries found in smartphones, tablets, laptops, and so on? Also: iOS 18.4 update draining your iPhone’s battery? Try these 6 fixesYes and no. To strike a good balance between battery runtime and battery life, the typical point at which the battery management controller (a circuit that controls the charge and discharge of rechargeable batteries) sets the DCOV cut off is normally around 2.8 to 3.0V. So, there are batteries in all sorts of devices that dip below that 3.0V damaging discharge point mentioned in the study. But not all batteries will go that low, and I have found that higher-end devices and devices built to better handle temperature extremes have more conservative battery management and might cut off at 3.3V. Also: Change these 10 iOS settings right now to instantly get better iPhone battery lifeFor reference, iPhone batteries that I have tested appear to have DCOVs in the range of 3.1 to 3.3V and do not normally go below the 3.0V threshold, so they should not be subject to the damage highlighted by the study. More

Amazon / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETIf you’re waiting for an alternative to Starlink, Amazon’s answer is finally ready.Also: I turned my Starlink Mini into a near-perfect off-grid internet solution. Here’s howIn a blog post yesterday More

Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNETWhen ChatGPT first launched two years ago, the AI chatbot was met with such high demand that OpenAI introduced a premium plan called ChatGPT Plus. This plan guaranteed access to the chatbot even during blackout periods. The plan’s perks also included access to OpenAI’s most advanced models, which at the time included GPT-4, making the $20 plan almost a no-brainer for superusers. However, as OpenAI’s offerings have continued to grow over the past few years, so have its plans. Also: ChatGPT’s subscribers and revenue soar in 2025 – here’s whyIf you consider yourself an AI superuser, you’re likely wondering which ChatGPT tier you should try. In this guide, we’ll help you decide whether a free plan, ChatGPT Plus, or a $200-per-month ChatGPT Pro subscription is the best fit for you. You should use ChatGPT Plus if… More

After choosing a reliable VPN provider, you’ll typically follow these steps to set up the VPN:-Sign up. Choose a suitable business, team, or enterprise plan, depending on the size and needs of your organization.-Install the VPN software. Follow the provider’s instructions for installing the VPN on cloud servers or local devices.-Set control panel. Sign in and access the main dashboard to manage the VPN and connections.-Add users and permissions. Create accounts and register employees using their company emails or work devices and allow permissions to connect. -Configure built-in security settings. Navigate to the settings sections and configure or enable advanced protection features provided by your VPN service, like static IP servers, kill switch, always-on VPN, split tunneling, MFA, and access controls.-Deploy to network and devices. Set up site-to-site tunnels and gateways, and route traffic accordingly. You can now send installation links or use mobile device management (MDM) tools to install the VPN on company devices. Employees can also download the provider’s app directly on their devices, especially if it’s a remote access VPN. More

Jason Hiner/ZDNETOn Wednesday, April 2, President Donald Trump announced that the United States would impose a new series of tariffs against trade partners. Rates will range from a baseline amount of 10% up to 49% for certain countries. These hikes are slated to go into effect starting April 5. Also: Yes, your internet provider can throttle your speed. Here’s a simple way to stop itA full list of the tariffs can be found on the Rapid Response 47 account on X, which is run by the Trump administration, and it details every single country that’ll affected. It’s nearly eight pages long, with the first two highlighting some of the biggest increases.China, for example, will be hit with a 34% tariff. The European Union is going to see 20%. Vietnam is receiving one of the largest tariffs at 46%, only beaten out by Cambodia at 49% and Laos at 48%. More