Stack Social If you live near a BJ’s Wholesale Club and have been thinking about buying a membership, now is a great time: New members can buy an annual membership for just $20 (reg. $55) through this Stack Social deal — saving you 63%. BJ’s is similar to Costco and Sam’s Club (both of which […] More
Kerry Wan/ZDNETTrend Micro is a $1B+ cybersecurity company founded in 1988 to produce antivirus products for LANs, which it licensed to Intel. Over the years, the company added anti-spam and anti-spyware software, and has since become a global cybersecurity leader that protects more than half a million organizations and more than a quarter billion people across clouds, networks, devices, and endpoints.One of the more interesting aspects of the company is its 15-year-old outreach program, Internet Safety for Kids and Families. The company provides online safety education; has educated more than 1.4 million kids, 2.4 million parents, and teachers; and offers programs in more than 37,000 schools. Also: What is an AI PC? (And should you buy one?)With the launch of AI PCs this year, I was curious whether the new AI capabilities would increase the threat surface area for this new generation of devices. In this exclusive interview, I had the opportunity to speak with Kevin Simzer, chief operating officer at Trend Micro, who gave a clear overview of the security benefits and concerns for users of AI PCs. With that, let’s dig in. More
Cutting the cable cord can save you big money — between $30 and over $100 a month in many cases. If you want to leave cable behind but still want the option to watch live TV, don’t worry: We’ve tested the best live TV streaming services that can help you save money by saying goodbye to expensive cable contracts and equipment while still allowing you to watch all of your favorite shows and sports, whether you’re watching on your TV, phone, laptop, or tablet. Streaming services fall into two main categories: Video-on-demand (VoD) streaming from providers like Netflix and Amazon Prime, and live TV streaming from platforms like Sling TV and YouTube TV. I’ve spent hours testing out and researching all of the live TV streaming services on this list, along with all the VoD streamers, and have reviewed many of them for ZDNET’s sister site CNET. Also: The best TV antennas: Expert testedWhat is the best live TV streaming service right now?Our tested pick for the best live TV streaming service is Sling TV More
Today, most people watch TV via cable, satellite, or streaming. But as those costs have skyrocketed, many have returned to antennas and over-the-air (OTA) TV. OTA TV offers a wider variety of choices than you might remember if you haven’t used a rabbit-ear antenna since switching over to cable or satellite. These days, most of your local TV stations don’t offer just one channel, but two or three different “channels.” Besides the big over-the-air networks, today, there are numerous smaller networks, such as MeTV, AntennaTV, and Comet, which offer older TV shows; Univision, Estrella TV, and Telemundo for Spanish-language TV; and QVC and other home shopping networks. Most stations broadcast their network programs on HDTV. And, unlike your local cable or satellite company, they don’t charge you a thing for the extra “service.” Also: The best live TV streaming services for cord-cuttersWhat’s the best TV antenna you can buy right now?To watch any kind of OTA TV, you probably need an antenna. If you’re lucky, you can still get a decent selection of channels with good old rabbit ears. If not, towers and antennae are still available. I grew up installing TV antennas for my dad’s television business and have since gone hands-on with all the brands on this list to determine the best TV antenna for your needs. My pick for the best TV antenna overall is the ClearStream 2Max More
Matthew Miller/ZDNETZDNET’s key takeawaysThe Amazfit Balance More
Matthew Miller/ZDNETZDNET’s key takeawaysThe Withings ScanWatch 2 More
This is my current desktop. Jack WallenZDNETWith the exception of maybe six months, for the past 10 or so years, Pop!_OS has been my default Linux distribution. This all started when I purchased my first System76 desktop machine (a Leopard Extreme, which is no longer offered). Prior to that, I was happily using elementary OS.But I decided to give Pop!_OS a try and, lo and behold, it took a day for me to realize System76’s in-house OS was just right for me.Also: 5 first-rate Linux distros for power users (or anyone seeking a challenge)But what is it about Pop!_OS that keeps this Linux pro from distro hopping? After all, I used to hop from distro to distro almost yearly. Let me explain with five simple reasons. Maybe, in the end, you’ll decide to give Pop!_OS a go.1. System76 hardware synergyThis is probably the most important reason why I use Pop!_OS. System76 has something very special going on with the combination of its hardware and software. I’ve installed other distributions on System76 hardware (such as Ubuntu Budgie) and always found I had to take some extra steps to get it to eke out all the power available on those machines. Also: 5 best Linux commands for troubleshooting problems (and how I use them)When I first installed Ubuntu Budgie on my previous Thelio desktop, the PC fan wouldn’t stop. It took me a bit to realize the OS wasn’t optimized for the hardware and I had to install some specific drivers to get it back up to par with Pop!_OS. Even then, it didn’t quite run with the same level of performance. System76 is doing with Linux what Apple has done with MacOS… without the vendor lock-in or proprietary hardware and software. It has fine-tuned Pop!_OS such that it runs to perfection on its hardware. It’s hard to find that level of synergy between Linux and desktops or laptops but System76 has it going on. More
Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNETEver wish you could just snap away an annoying ad on a web page just like Thanos snapped away half of the universe? Well, now you can, courtesy of a new feature in Safari on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac.On Tuesday, Apple kicked off the third version of its public beta for iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and MacOS Sequoia. With this latest update comes a cool new feature that lets you hide unwanted elements on a web page. Unofficially known as the Thanos snap but officially known as Distraction Control, the option is easily accessible from the Safari address bar. Here’s how it works.Also: 5 easy ways to turn MacOS Finder into a way better file managerLet’s say you’re browsing a web page that shoves an ad, a video, or another annoying item in your face. Just tap the Safari Address Bar icon. A menu pops up with an option to “Hide Distracting Items.” Just tap that option. Back at the web page, tap the element you want to remove and then tap Hide. That item fades away just like your favorite Marvel hero in Avengers: Infinity War. More
