Eliana Willis

Kerry Wan/ZDNETSay you recently picked up a shiny new TV. You unbox it like a kid at Christmas and prepare to indulge in all its visual glory. You think to yourself, “This is 2025. TV technology is sizzling, and it’s going to look amazing no matter what.” So you plug it in and don’t take one look at the default settings. Big mistake.Also: Your car’s USB port is seriously underutilized: 5 features you’re not taking advantage ofI’ve been guilty of it. And I’m okay with that because it’s widely accepted that the majority of consumers neglect to alter the most basic settings when setting up their TVs. Even if your TV is a few years old, you may have never modified its defaults. For Samsung TVs, in particular, you can change a few settings to improve your viewing experience and make a dystopian survival thriller look that much more appealing. Following are six tips for doing just that. More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Formovie Cinema Edge 4K UST projector is available now for $1,799 at Amazon. It has a sturdy construction and sleek design. It’s great for cinematic viewing, although it could greatly benefit from having a dedicated sound system. –> The first ultra short-throw (UST) projectors hit the mainstream market in the […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The OnePlus Watch 2R normally retails for $230 and is available in Forest Green and Gunmetal Gray. It has pretty much everything you look for in a smartwatch: multi-day battery life, fitness tracking features, and a vivid display. However, the device is missing important key fitness metrics, it isn’t as durable […] More

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETMacOS might not be as efficient as most Linux desktops, but it’s still a very productive OS. However, there’s always room for improvement. One place that could use a productivity boost is Spotlight. Sure, it works well, but it’s not nearly as productive a tool as some of its competitors. Take, for instance, Raycast.Raycast is a one-stop-shop app that can help make your Mac a highly productive machine. Raycast is a single app that includes just about everything you need for app launching, clipboard history, scheduling, emoji picker, calculations, searching screenshots, window management, and more. Raycast even has plugins for Google Translate, Spotify, color picking, process killing, coding, image compression/modification, generating placeholder content, Notion/Todist integration, and even navigation with Arc Browser. Raycast even includes its own AI. Also: I ditched Spotlight on my Mac for this more powerful search tool – and it’s freeRaycast is simple to install, and during the installation you have the opportunity to add plugins, enable AI, and grant access to your calendar, contacts, files, folders, and accessibility (the accessibility feature is necessary if you want Raycast to manage windows for you). More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Petcube GPS Tracker is now available for $40. Held in a silicon case, the Petcube GPS tracker goes on your dog’s collar, lets you track your pet’s location in real-time, set safe areas through geofencing, and turn on “lost dog mode.” The tracker can only be used with a monthly […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Belkin Connect Universal Pro Dock retails for $150 This midrange docking station is an excellent accessory, adding 11 additional ports while serving as a supportive base The device sports a power cable that cannot be removed and may get in the way. more buying choices Laptop or desktop? I’m sure […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The CaseUp Combo includes ProtoArc’s wireless keyboard, mouse, and laptop stand for $99 on Amazon. The ease of use and transport make this a solid option for improving your hybrid and remote work setup. The mouse, while comfortable, might be too small for some people. –> There is no shortage of […] More

Lance Whitney / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETNotebookLM, Google’s AI-powered note-taking service, is getting an upgrade that will make sharing your research even easier.Starting today, you can now share notebooks publicly through a single link. Anyone you send this link to — classmates, coworkers, fellow teachers, students, or friends — will be able to see your notebook. People you send the link to will not be able to edit the notebook, but they will be able to ask questions and create AI-generated content from the notebook’s information. Also: How to use Google’s AI-powered NotebookLM to organize your researchIt was possible to share notebooks before, but you had to enter someone’s email address and choose whether you wanted them to have read-only or edit access. This new process makes things much easier, especially if you’re sharing with a large group where you don’t know everyone’s email address.  GoogleGoogle says it’s simple to make a notebook public. All you have to do is tap or click Share in the top-right corner of your notebook and change the access to “Anyone with a link.” If you later delete this notebook or change the privacy setting, the link will no longer work. NotebookLM uses AI to help you organize research. It’s a visual notebook of sorts that holds your text, documents, links, and research around a topic. (It will even find relevant sources about a topic for you.)  More