Eliana Willis

Nina Raemont/ZDNETIn a year brimming with technological advancements, from Apple’s first-ever mixed reality headset to the modern-day space race that is artificial intelligence, one particular niche of products saw its mainstream aspirations realized: smart rings.According to IDC, global ring sales were estimated at 880,000 units in 2023. This year, the market research firm is forecasting a rise to 1.7 million units, with an even larger spike of 3.2 million units in 2025. As consumers continue to find ways to dial into their health and well-being, the burdenless form factors of smart rings are slowly but surely chipping away market share from fitness trackers, bands, and smartwatches. The uptick in new smart rings at CES 2024 was our first indication.Also: We’ve entered the era of the smart ring. Here’s why it will shake up the wearables marketWhile the smart ring category was validated by the arrival of its first major tech vendor with Samsung’s Galaxy Ring — as well as by exciting new entrants such as Ultrahuman, and the Movano Evie — the Oura Ring 4 More

ZDNETYou may have used generative AI to create text, images, and even videos. But have you ever called on it to conjure up your own music? A few different text-to-music tools can act as virtual composers, but one worth trying is Suno. Available on the web, through dedicated iPhone and Android apps, and via a Microsoft Copilot plug-in, Suno will write and play music based on your input.You can describe the topic and style of the music you want, opt to include lyrics and vocals, keep your song as an instrumental, or add your own lyrics as inspiration. In response, Suno delivers two songs based on your request. You can then play the songs, download them, and share them with other people. Suno uses its own AI models to create the music and then turns to ChatGPT to create the song’s title and lyrics.Also: 15 surprising ways I used AI to save me weeks of work this yearSuno offers three types of plans. With the free Basic plan, you get 50 credits per day. Generating a single song uses up 10 credits, so you can create as many as five songs each day. If you need more, upgrading to the Pro plan for $10 per month grants you 2,500 credits each month, while the Premier plan at $30 per month gives you 10,000 credits each month.Now, here’s how Suno works.How to use Suno to generate music  More

Chris Bayer/ZDNETBefore making any purchase — of anything — it helps to do some research. But nothing can beat the hands-on experience of using a product before you buy it. I recently had the luxury of doing this at home, testing the Eureka E10s More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways Sony’s Ult Wear headphones debut with a novel audio feature and are perfect for anyone looking for an everyday pair of headphones for $200. An enjoyable sound, all-day comfort, and premium software features and design elements set these headphones apart from others in the same price range. You can only access […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Phelinta three-in-one charger is available now on Amazon for $46. It charges all of your Pixel devices in one convenient place. It isn’t the fastest charger on the planet, but it does exactly what it needs to. –> To this point, I was charging my Pixel 9 Pro on an […] More

Microsoft/Ubuntu/ZDNETPowerShell is a task automation and configuration management tool, designed and released by Microsoft, that consists of a command-line shell and a powerful scripting language. A lot of intermediate and advanced Windows users depend on this application for many different reasons and are probably concerned about what they’ll do when support for Windows 10 ends next year.Also: The best Linux distribution of 2024 is MacOS-like but accessible to allFor those whose computers won’t support Windows 11, there’s good news: Linux!And for those who depend on PowerShell, there’s even better news:You can install PowerShell on Linux. Let me show you how.How to install PowerShell on Ubuntu-based distributionsWhat you’ll need: To make this work, you’ll need a running instance of a Ubuntu-based distribution and a user with sudo privileges. That’s it. Let’s make some magic. More

Maria Diaz/ZDNETExtension cords are generally a safe solution for running power to electronics that are too far from the nearest wall outlet. But the operative word here is “electronics,” which is not as all-encompassing as some people might think.Also: Bye bye, Wi-Fi: How to add a wired network to your home without running EthernetAppliances (like refrigerators and toaster ovens) are obviously electronic devices, but they’re in a different class from most electronics because of the amperage demands they need to function. Why you shouldn’t plug everything into an extension cordExtension cords are manufactured with a maximum capacity to handle electrical current, which is determined by the size or gauge of the wire used in the cord. For instance, a 16-gauge extension cord can handle a maximum of 13 amps, while a 14-gauge cord can handle up to 15 amps (or 1,800 watts), the same as a standard wall outlet in the U.S. When an appliance demands more power than the extension cord can handle, it results in an overload, which could lead to overheating. You really don’t want your cord’s insulation to melt, exposing the live wires and potentially sparking a fire.Any appliance requiring more than 1,800 watts should be on a dedicated circuit — never connected by an extension cord. And the following are seven household devices you’ll definitely want to connect directly to an outlet. More

Adam Breeden/ZDNETSay you picked up a shiny new TV this holiday season. You unbox it like a kid at Christmas and prepare yourself to binge-watch Squid Game 2. You think to yourself, “This is 2024. TV technology is sizzling, and it’s going to look amazing no matter what.” So you plug it in and don’t take one look at the default settings. Big mistake.I’ve been guilty of it. And I’m okay with that because it’s widely accepted that the majority of consumers neglect to alter the most basic settings when setting up their TVs. Even if your TV is a few years old, you may have never modified its defaults. Also: I tested Samsung’s 98-inch 4K QLED TV, and here’s why it might be worth the $13,000For Samsung TVs, in particular, you can change a few settings to improve your viewing experience and make a dystopian survival thriller look that much more appealing. Following are six tips for doing just that. More