Eliana Willis

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETAndroid 16 is officially here, and Google has some big upgrades on the way.  Instead of releasing a new OS and a new phone lineup at the same time, Google is making the same move it did with Android 15 and giving both software and hardware their time to shine. Also: T-Mobile is giving away the Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus for free – here’s how it worksThis is the earliest Google has launched a major Android release in a while (for comparison, Android 15 was released on Oct. 15, 2024, and Android 14 was released on Oct. 4, 2023).  Here’s a look at four of the biggest upgrades in Android 16. All of these features will drop for Pixel devices first and other devices later in the year.  1. Streamlined updates and lock screen app updates: Don’t want to unlock your phone every time you check to see when your late-night food order is arriving? Feeling uneasy in a new city and want to make sure your ride-share is close? Streamlined app updates give you the ability to see real-time updates from your lock screen. Google says it’s working with app partners to bring this capability to Android, including in Samsung’s Now Bar and OnePlus’ Live Alerts.Also: The best Android phones to buy in 2025Google says it’s also automatically grouping notifications that come from a single app to make sure you don’t get information overload. More

M3 iPad Air running iPadOS 26 Developer Beta. Prakhar Khanna/ZDNETMy biggest takeaway from WWDC 2025 is that I can finally use my iPad Air to its full potential. For the longest time, the iPad has been a product that I’ve wanted to add to my workflow but couldn’t due to its rigid operating system — one that doesn’t necessarily complement the iPad’s flexible hardware. But iPadOS 26 is finally bridging the gap between the Apple tablet and a computer.  Also: Your iPad is getting 4 big upgrades for free. Here are the top features in iPadOS 26I recently installed the first developer beta on my 13-inch M3 iPad Air to see if I could use it for my usual productivity workflow. The new multitasking system, better support for mouse or trackpad, an improved file management system, and subtle additions to the UI tell me yes. And within hours of usage, I could sense that iPadOS 26 is the update I’ve waited years for. (Note: Since I’m testing on the developer beta of iPadOS, this is more of a first-hand demonstration of its latest features, and not a review or testimonial. The experience using the software will likely undergo several more changes before it’s ready for the public.)Multitasking on the iPad gets a meaningful boost More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways SDesk is available now, free of charge, and you can install it on as many computers as you need. It’s a fast and dependable Linux distribution with a user interface that anyone will be instantly familiar with. I experienced some minor issues during my setup, which were simple to resolve. –> […] More

Weiquan Lin/Getty When you want to download files from the internet, you typically open your web browser, go to the file in question, and let the downloading commence. But did you know you can do the same thing from the Linux command line? The command is wget. The wget command uses multiple simultaneous connections that result […] More

The Sony Bravia 5 TV.  Kerry Wan/ZDNETSony is most known for its high-end OLED TVs and home audio equipment, but its Mini LED and midrange LED models still offer impressive picture and audio quality, even if you opt for an older model. And right now at Best Buy, when you buy a 98-inch Sony Bravia 5 More

Warp is scary good at fixing problems. Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNETI’ve been using Linux for a very, very long time, and it’s rare that I encounter an issue I cannot resolve.However, a few weeks ago, such a problem occurred. The issue was caused by an installed application upgrade that required a dependency that the apt package manager couldn’t solve. This meant I couldn’t update or upgrade the system, and that, my friends, is a big problem.I tried to resolve the issue. I even attempted to remove the offending software, but apt said, “Nay, nay!” No matter what I did, the dependency issue persisted. I started thinking I might have to reinstall my OS. Also: Want to save your old computer? Try one of these 8 Linux distros for freeAnd then I remembered Warp terminal and its built-in AI functionality. I opened the terminal and thought, “It can’t hurt to try.”What happened next seriously impressed me.I ran the upgrade command, and the AI caught the issue. The next thing I know, Warp is asking me if I’d like Warp to try resolving the problem. With little to lose, I gave Warp permission to dig in and find a solution. More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETWhile the Nintendo Switch 2 More

Chesnot/Getty Images The most powerful tech leaders in Silicon Valley have been racing to build artificial general intelligence (AGI), a theoretical computer that, as some would define it, can outperform humans across every economically valuable task.  Also: Apple’s Goldilocks approach to AI at WWDC is a winner. Here’s why Some leaders have their sights set […] More