Eliana Willis

Maria Diaz/ZDNETZDNET’s key takeawaysThe Google Nest Learning Thermostat More

The upgrade from Home to Pro is quick and easy. Screenshot by Ed Bott/ZDNETIf you purchase a new PC with Windows 11 Home preinstalled, you might be able to get right to work. But for some demanding PC owners, this down-market edition doesn’t have some essential features, like the ability to connect to a Windows domain-based network, or to manage disk encryption, or to create virtual machines.Also: Yes, you can upgrade that old PC to Windows 11, even if Microsoft says no. These readers proved itTo get those features, you need to upgrade to Windows 11 Pro. (For a detailed list of Pro-only features, see “Here’s the best way to upgrade to Windows 11 Pro, and why you should.”) That’s a pretty straightforward process, but if you’re not careful, you can end up spending much more than you need to on the upgrade. And you can also find yourself having to do it all over again if you need to reinstall Windows.In this article, I cover three common scenarios for upgrading from Windows 11 Home edition to Pro. It all starts with one essential ingredient.First, you’ll need a product key for Windows 10/11 Pro If you’ve been building and upgrading PCs for a decade or more, it might be worth rummaging through your garage, storeroom, or email archives to see if you can locate a product key for Windows 10 Pro or Windows 11 Pro. (Yes, a product key for Windows 10 can be used to activate Windows 11 and vice-versa.)Also: Microsoft will start charging for Windows 10 updates next year. Here’s how muchOne option that used to work is, alas, no longer available. Previously, you could reuse an old product key from Windows 7 Pro, Windows 7 Ultimate, or Windows 8/8.1 Pro to enable an upgrade from Windows 10/11 Home to Windows 10/11 Pro, potentially saving you the upgrade fee. Microsoft closed that loophole in September 2023 when it finally ended its free Windows 10 upgrade program.  If you purchased a retail copy of Windows 10 Pro and used it on an old PC that’s since been retired, you can freely reuse the key that came with it. (OEM copies that were preinstalled on the PC when you bought it aren’t transferable.) As an alternative, you can look for a discounted copy online. Microsoft’s retail price for Windows 11 Pro is $199 More

Apple/ZDNETWith the launch of Apple’s ARM-based processors in 2020, the company’s devices have continued to become more powerful — so much so that Apple’s iPad tablets More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETApple’s new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETApple unveiled its latest handsets earlier this week, including the iPhone 16 More

David Gewirtz/ZDNETThis is an article about using artificial intelligence (AI) as a tool and how to apply it to your unique, specialized needs. It provides some interesting lessons for everyone. I’ve also updated it with feedback from readers.Also: The most popular programming languages in 2024 (and what that even means)You’ll learn you can use a tool like ChatGPT to solve complex problems quickly, so long as you have the right prompts and a hint of skepticism. First, a brief 3D printing rabbit holeOur context for this lesson is 3D printing. A special test in 3D printing called a 3DBenchy checks printer performance. It helps 3D printer users test speed and various print-quality measures. The Benchy takes most printers an hour or two to print out.I recently tested a new printer that’s supposed to be faster than many others. On this printer, the Benchy took 42 minutes, while on other 3D printers in the Fab Lab, it took 60 to 70 minutes. But here’s the thing: the test version provided by the company that makes the printer took 16 minutes. That’s a heck of a difference.Also: The rise and fall in programming languages’ popularity since 2016 – and what it tells us3D printers are controlled with G-code, a program custom-generated by a tool called a slicer that controls how the printer moves its print head and print platform, heats up, and feeds and retracts molten filament. The pre-sliced G-code provided by the factory for the printer I was testing resulted in a 16-minute print. The G-code I generated using the company’s slicer resulted in a 42-minute print. I wanted to know why.Unfortunately, no one on the company’s support team could answer my question. Despite numerous tries, I couldn’t get an answer about what slicer settings to change to get the G-code I produced using their slicer to perform as well as the G-code generated using their slicer. Also: 6 ways to write better ChatGPT prompts – and get the results you want fasterAfter many web searches and reading posts from frustrated Reddit posts, it was clear that other customers had the same problem. Here’s a machine capable of more than double the performance, yet none of us could reproduce that performance successfully. More

putilich/Getty Images Lawyers in Singapore now have access to Microsoft’s generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) tool Copilot, but are reminded about the importance of human oversight even as they embrace the technology.  Copilot for Microsoft 365 has been integrated with the country’s legal technology platform, which was introduced in 2022 as a collaboration infrastructure designed […] More

Weiquan Lin/Getty Images Linux has always had text editors. Back in the early days, the infamous editor wars that pitted Emacs against vi and those on either side of the fence were fiercely loyal to their choice. Both of those text editors are not only very powerful but aren’t exactly the user-friendly sort. Consider this: To […] More