the_burtons/Getty Images If you have some old electronics around the house, you might be able to turn those into groceries. Costco offers an electronics trade-in program where you can send your old devices and get a store gift card in return — you don’t even have to be a Costco member. Also: A Costco membership comes […] More
If you want to build a website, there are dozens of web hosting providers you can turn to. Choosing the right web hosting service for you can be challenging, but you no longer need to be a programmer or pay someone to build advanced features such as e-commerce or forum management to launch a website.Today, many web providers offer these functions, as well as a content management system (CMS) and other features like SEO assistance and security checks, in standard subscription packages — and for an affordable price. Below, you will find our top recommendations for web hosting services, ranging from providers that give you a quick and easy way to build your website all the way up to companies that provide full data center infrastructure capabilities as a service.Also: The best VPNsWhat is the best web hosting service right now?ZDNET has conducted extensive research and hands-on testing with many of the top web hosting services. Our pick for the best web hosting service overall is Hostinger More
Cerise HUA/Getty Images Back in my early days of Linux, the terminal was a necessity. Now, the GUIs are so advanced, user-friendly, and powerful, that you could go your entire Linux career and never touch a terminal window. Also: 10 Linux keyboard shortcuts I depend on for maximum efficiency But when you do need to […] More
Maria Diaz/ZDNETHow many tabs are open on your mobile browser right now? Go ahead, check — you might be surprised by what you find.Americans spend over five hours a day on their smartphones. That’s over five hours of your phone accessing, retrieving, and saving cache and cookies, which can negatively impact your iPhone’s storage space.What is cache?Cache — aka browser cache — refers to the temporary storage of certain data, including images, files, and scripts from websites you’ve visited. Such website content is stored — or cached — on your phone to help your browser execute faster the next time you visit that site.Also: I decluttered my iPhone and freed up gigs of space. Here’s howCache data can slow down your phone’s overall browsing performance because it takes up storage space on your device. Therefore, it’s a good idea to clear out your cache regularly. In this article, we focus primarily on clearing the web browser cache on an iPhone, but other types of cache include mobile app cache and CPU cache.How to clear the cache on your iPhoneWhat you’ll need: Everything you need to clear your browser cache is in the iPhone’s Settings app or the Safari app, so grab your iPhone to get started.Also: How to clear the cache on your Android phone or tablet (and why you should)Remember that clearing the cache can clear private data, which can close all open tabs in Safari. This action is also likely to log you out of all your websites. You will be prompted to sign in the next time you open these sites. More
Aleksandra Konoplia/Getty Images Technology often has a fairly predictable adoption cycle, going from innovators and early adopters to mainstream use, to the point where even those who are way behind the curve catch up and start using the technology. But there’s another cycle at play — the hype cycle — and this impacts everything from […] More
Linux Foundation’s Jim Zemlin at Open Source China 2024. Steven Vaughan-Nichols/ZDNETHONG KONG — At the Open Source Summit China, Jim Zemlin, the Linux Foundation’s executive director, said that everyone he’s been talking to in China wants to talk about artificial intelligence (AI). Why should China be different from anywhere else? Zemlin went on to highlight his organization’s significant contributions to AI development through open-source software initiatives. He pointed out several key areas where open-source principles are enhancing AI development: Also: Can AI even be open source? It’s complicatedFine-tuned specialized models: The Linux Foundation is actively working on projects like the Open Platform for Enterprise AI, which aims to create standards for deploying specialized AI models in enterprise settings. This initiative seeks to facilitate collaboration and streamline the deployment of AI technologies.”In Beijing,” Zemlin said, “I saw a talk from Alibaba [which] was creating an AI application for early detection of pancreatic cancer. This application is already saving lives in China by helping to detect pancreatic cancer as early as possible.” Now, that’s impressive.Large language models (LLMs): Semi-open-source models such as Mistral and Llama 3 are rapidly evolving and often rival their purely proprietary counterparts. The Foundation supports these developments, allowing organizations to leverage powerful AI tools without the constraints of closed systems. More
Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNETYour iPhone Pro and iPad Pro may have a helpful and powerful feature you might not know about. Built directly into the last few generations of devices, the Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) scanner emits a laser to measure the distances of surrounding objects. This feature provides a few key benefits.Also: The iOS 18 public beta is available for iPhone right now. How to download itFirst, LiDAR helps the camera take sharper photos, particularly in dark conditions. Second, the scanner taps into AR, or augmented reality, to combine the real and virtual worlds, acting as an AR virtual tape measure, showing you how new furniture would look in your home, scanning and recreating 3D models, or immersing you in AR games.Introduced a few years ago, the LiDAR scanner is available on the Pro and Pro Max models of the iPhone 12, 13, 14, and 15, as well as the 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models from 2020 and later. Nestled among the rear cameras, the scanner can detect objects up to 5 meters, or 16.5 feet.1. Take a photo in the darkSnapping a sharp photo with your iPhone can be challenging in low-light situations. Thankfully, the LiDAR scanner can detect the distance of your subject, allowing your camera to power up the autofocus quickly. Also: This Pixel 9 Pro XL vs. iPhone 15 Pro camera shootout has a clear winner – and one big surpriseApple claims that the LiDAR sensor helps the camera autofocus as much as six times faster, an advantage when you want to take a shot before it’s too late. There’s no need to do anything special. Aim your phone’s camera and the LiDAR automatically kicks in if necessary. More
Don Reisinger/ZDNETHave you ever had a funny video on your phone and by the time you passed your phone around to show everyone, it’s just not funny anymore? You don’t need an Apple TV to share it faster; you can screen-mirror your funny videos straight to your Samsung TV for the whole room to see. More
