Eliana Willis

Nina Raemont/ZDNETZDNET’s key takeaways For $99, the new Nothing Ear (a) earbuds More

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNETIf you need to be connected to the internet but there’s no Wi-Fi or cellular signal nearby, and not even an Ethernet port in sight, then you have to look up to the skies — to the satellites whooshing 340 miles above your head at dizzying speeds.Also: Do wind power generators actually work at home? My firsthand experience says it allI’ve tried a number of systems, from basic messenger units like the Garmin inReach Messenger Plus More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETMSI’s Claw 8 AI+ More

ZDNETAffiliate links have become hugely popular among internet content creators. In many ways, they’ve replaced or strongly augmented advertising and sponsorships as a way to support publications and productions.I recently added affiliate links to my newsletter and YouTube channel but made an undocumented mistake that cost me the holiday boost I was hoping for. In this article, I’ll show you what that mistake was and how to avoid it. But first, let’s quickly define what affiliate links are and how they work. Understanding affiliate links You may have seen a small disclosure statement at the top or bottom of many of our articles saying, “When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission.” Those links are affiliate links. Most successful content-oriented websites these days are at least partially supported through those commissions.Also: The 25 most popular products ZDNET readers bought during the holidaysThey’re actually a creative and fairly ethical way for sellers and creators to support each other.An affiliate link is a link to a product that contains a special code identifying the affiliate (the site where the link is displayed). When a reader clicks on one of those links and makes a purchase, a small commission is credited to the sending site.Clicking an affiliate link doesn’t change the price you pay for a product, so visiting a site through an affiliate link doesn’t cost consumers extra. The seller (in my case, Amazon) shares a small amount of the overall sale price if a sale occurs. It has the potential to be fairly profitable for content creators because Amazon will send a payment for almost any purchase within 24 hours by that reader, not just purchases of the item linked to.There are, of course, terms and conditions and products that have higher or lower commissions or none at all. But the general approach is fairly sound.Also: Three CES 2025 products I’d buy as soon as they’re available for purchaseYes, content creators make some money if someone buys a product that’s been linked to, but creators need to support all the time and cost of infrastructure. Affiliate links are certainly less in-your-face than ads, which we as an industry have relied on for about a hundred years. My decision to add affiliate links For years, I’ve avoided putting affiliate links into my personal content. But my newsletter and YouTube channel grew quite nicely in 2024, and I’ve been spending fairly heavily building out infrastructure to produce high-quality videos. I have an entire army of video robots that do some of what a camera person would do, and those robots are not cheap.People subscribe to my newsletter to see what articles I’ve written here on ZDNET, to see some of my projects while they’re in progress, to get tool recommendations, to watch some very cool YouTube videos, and to read interesting articles I spotlight — usually including one or more ZDNET articles by my colleagues.Also: Why the TikTok ban could collapse the creator economyMy videos are generally build videos of some of my outlandish projects. That’s why they often spotlight tools I use or gear I’ve invested in.The videos point viewers to my newsletter and the newsletter points readers to my content here on ZDNET, so it all becomes a virtuous cycle that provides my “fans” and me with a more comprehensive way to connect on a variety of levels.But, like I said, it seemed time to help cover the costs for some of the gear that goes into producing the content I do, so I decided to add Amazon affiliate links to my holiday recommendation newsletter and then continue into 2025.That’s where things went wrong. Amazon has strict rules As you might imagine with any program that involves vendors making payouts, there are strict rules designed to protect the vendors’ interests and prevent payout fraud. Amazon has many rules for its Amazon Associates program More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Lenovo Tab Plus retails for $330. Contrary to its small size, the model houses a booming eight-speaker system and a long-lasting battery. The MediaTek Helio chipset and dim display won’t be winning any awards. more buying choices If you’re in the market for a new tablet that won’t break the […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Echo Show 21 is a $400 smart display designed to be mounted. It includes a 13MP camera for video calls with a privacy shutter and Fire TV integrations. If you choose not to wall-mount the Echo Show 21, you’d have to buy a separate stand. more buying choices A great […] More

ZDNETAh, Digital Wellbeing. Would that everyone understood and practiced the art of finding balance in life. Sadly, you can go just about anywhere and see people glued to their phones as though it was a lifeline to their souls.I used to be one of them until I realized my health and sanity were dependent on me putting down the screen or staying mindful of my surroundings and how I interact with them.Also: This cheap Android phone has a display and battery life of a handset that’s twice the priceAndroid’s Digital Wellbeing is the component of the mobile OS that is tasked with keeping you mindful. Do you use it? I don’t. Since the feature became a part of the OS, I’ve maybe glanced at it a handful of times — and that was mostly to write about it. The reason I don’t use Digital Wellbeing is that I don’t find it very useful. Sure, it promises to offer some interesting insights, but it fails to make an impact on me or my life.What could Google do about this?I have answers.Hear me out.1. Integrate it with WearOS watchesWhen I want to gain insight about my well-being, I generally check my watch, not my phone. Why? I have my watch on 24/7, and it keeps track of the things I need to know about, like sleep, steps, and heart rate. Google needs to integrate Wear OS with Digital Wellbeing so all of those stats are in sync and analyzed. It would be much better to have all of that information in one place instead of having to check my watch, the Pixel Watch app on my phone, and Digital Wellbeing. Also: The best Android smartwatchesIf Google were to place all of that information in the place it should be, I’d be much more inclined to use Digital Wellbeing. Plus, having data from my watch would make Digital Wellbeing more accurate.2. Easily create reminders to take breaks from using your phoneDigital Wellbeing should allow us to set specific and regular reminders to take breaks. But here’s the thing: My watch sends me reminders to get up and walk at certain intervals. It would be even better if, through Digital Wellbeing, we could set customized reminders to not only move at a specific time but also where and how to move. You could set a reminder after your regular office meeting to take a few laps around the parking lot to decompress from whatever stress the meeting delivered. Or you could set a regular reminder to meditate in the middle of the day. Whatever breaks you need to make it through the day and give your well-being the attention it deserves. More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Onyx Boox Page has a seven-inch E Ink display and sells for a discounted $219 across major retailers. It runs on a simplified version of Android 11, so you can download any app you want, including Kindle, TikTok, Google Docs, and more. Don’t expect the tablet to receive the latest […] More