Eliana Willis

Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNETZDNET’s key takeaways Anker’s Nano Power Bank More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Anker MagGo 3-1 wireless charger is on sale at Amazon for $72. It features 15W fast Apple Watch and iPhone charging, and can power up to three devices at once. However, it doesn’t have a phone stand feature. more buying choices Amazon is selling every color of the Anker MagGo […] More

nadla/Getty Images If you’re a Comcast internet customer, there’s a good chance you just received an upgrade at no cost. The company announced today that it has improved internet speeds for both Xfinity products and NOW prepaid products — for more than 20 million customers in all.  Up to 100% faster The new upload speeds will […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The JBL Flip 7 speaker is available to preorder for $149 in Black, Blue, White, Red, Camo, and Purple. This small, rugged speaker can withstand the elements and produce enough sound to keep the party going for hours. However, the Flip 7’s sound isn’t refined and lacks punch, specifically in the […] More

ZDNETPower stations can range in price from a few hundred dollars for a small, portable unit More

ZDNETA tiling window manager can be a wonder of productivity and efficiency. Click to open an app, and the window manager will place that app in the best possible location on your desktop. Say you click the Firefox icon with nothing on your display. A tiling window manager will automatically open a maximized Firefox window, such that it takes up the entire screen. Then, you might want to open Spotify, at which point the window manager will move Firefox to the left side of the screen, and Spotify will take up the right half. Open a terminal window, and it might split the right side of the display with Spotify.When you want to navigate from app to app, move a window, etc., you use keyboard shortcuts. Also: This fun tiling window manager may be rough around the edges – but it has big potentialAnd that, my friends, is the complexity of tiling window managers: you have to learn a lot of keyboard shortcuts. On top of that, some tiling window managers require you to configure things via a text file. Instead of having System Settings for the desktop, it’s all done manually. That’s another complication you don’t want, especially when you’re just learning the ropes of tiling window managers. The best tiling manager for beginnersLet’s start with the most popular tiling window manager: i3. I’ve used i3, and it’s pretty amazing in its efficiency and speed. i3 is also not very user-friendly. In fact, I would never recommend i3 for someone who’s only just become curious about this type of desktop interface. I can only imagine someone new to tiling window managers hopping onto i3, spending about five minutes, and giving up. Also: The best old-school Linux window managers that still hold upThat would be a shame, especially when there’s a tiling window manager option that is much better suited for those who’ve never experienced this type of desktop. Drumroll, please. It’s Pop!_OS. More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways This is a great value tablet, with a 12-inch display and running Android 15. While performance is on the lower end of the spectrum, this is still more tablet than most people need. The tri-fold case leaves a little to be desired, and there’s nowhere to store the stylus. –> The […] More

ZDNETEvery time I read a complaint from someone who’s exasperated about something they encountered in Windows 11, I just shake my head and say, I tried to warn you.Two years ago, I wrote “Here’s why Windows PCs are only going to get more annoying.” The executive summary? Microsoft is increasingly treating Windows as a giant billboard where it can promote and cross-sell other products, including Microsoft 365, OneDrive, its Xbox gaming products, and all the AI-related services under the Copilot brand. Collectively, they represent a basket of annoyances for people who use Windows PCs. And, at the risk of repeating myself, they’ll only get more annoying. Also: Windows 11 FAQ: Upgrade guide and everything you need to knowYou can, of course, switch to an alternate platform. But if you’re otherwise happy with your Windows PC, there’s a better way. In this post, I show you how to eliminate (or greatly minimize) the annoyance factor on a Windows 11 PC. 1. Silence account notifications When you sign in with a Microsoft account, it’s easier for Windows to try to cross-sell you on services like Microsoft 365. On the other hand, there are some significant advantages to using a Microsoft account, such as automatic encryption of all data on the system drive and the ability to recover your account if you forget your password. Also: How to do a clean install of Windows 11: See which option is best for you and whyIf you chose to set up Windows with a local account, a badge appears at the top of the account menu, urging you to “sign in to your Microsoft account.” To make that notification go away, go to Settings > Personalization > Start and turn off “Show account-related notifications occasionally in Start.” (Beginning with version 24H2, this option is labeled “Show account-related notifications.”) More