<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The magnetic USB-C connector now supports a 180-degree swivel, and it’s only $13 at Amazon. It can pump out as much as 240W of power. I just wish it was suitable for data transferring or powering monitors. –> A hill I’m always willing to fight on — and maybe even die […] More
Beth Mauder/ZDNETiRobot was long overdue for a product redesign to win back its once overwhelming share of the robot vacuum market. The company just announced such a reinvention for its complete product line; it turns out this was a Hail Mary move.iRobot’s latest SEC filings paint a grim financial landscape for the company’s next 12 months. In them, we learn that iRobot, maker of Roomba robot vacuums, is in significant financial trouble, as evidenced by heavy debt, loan challenges, market struggles, and declining revenue. Also: iRobot just launched four new Roomba models to reimagine its entire product lineThe company already laid off 40% of its workforce in 2024, cut back on hiring, closed offices, subleased part of its HQ, and reduced marketing costs. These measures saved iRobot $126.4 million, but not enough to stabilize the company. Now, iRobot is banking on the launch of a completely new product line this year to reestablish the spot in the robot market that has been weakened by the strong competition from Roborock, Dreame, and Ecovacs. More
<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Sabrent USB SSD 4-bay docking station is available now on Amazon for $89. This docking station makes adding external drives to your system a total plug-and-play affair. The case is plastic, so it feels a bit cheap but that doesn’t get in the way of performance. more buying choices It […] More
Kerry Wan/ZDNETIf you want to get your health and wellness goals in check for 2025, now’s a great chance to scoop up one of Apple’s handy watches for its best price yet. You can get the newest Apple Watch Series 10 for $100 off or only $299 at most major retailers before the spring season. These 25% off savings can be found on both the 42mm More
ZDNETWould you be willing to give Gemini a peek at your search history?Recent reports indicate that Google is working on Gemini Personalization — an AI model that would let you share your search history with Gemini to get more personalized results. Also: Gemini AI is coming to Google Calendar – here’s what it can do and how to try itYou’d be giving up a fair amount of privacy to use this model, but at least from early indications, it would make Gemini the most personal AI chatbot yet. Gemini would know quite a bit about you that you never had to tell it. How Gemini Personalization worksGoogle hasn’t officially acknowledged this feature, but Android Authority accessed a version deep in the code of the latest Google app (version 16.8.31), and its article showed several screenshots of the feature in action. To start, Gemini says that only the model Gemini Personalization will connect to your search history and that chats in this model aren’t used to improve Gemini, aren’t stored outside your chat history, and are deleted from your activity within 60 days.You’ll need to give Gemini permission to see your search history and turn on Web & App Activity in your Google settings. Once you’ve done that, you can ask Gemini about your past searches or ask a question that Gemini can answer with what it knows about you from those searches. Also: Goodbye Gemini, hello Pixel Sense? What we know about Google’s AI assistant for Pixel 10You can potentially ask Gemini base-level questions like “What was that restaurant I was searching for last week?” or “Show me the tourist sites I Googled in NYC,” but you could also ask questions like, “I’m going to NYC. Can you give me restaurant recommendations using my search history?” and get a reply like, “Your search history tells me you like finding locally owned Italian restaurants. There’s a highly rated one…” A potential question could also go something like, “Give me some recommendations for shoes based on all the ones I’ve searched for the past two months.” More
ZDNETA persistent malware campaign is exploiting the ubiquitous CAPTCHA process to try to steal data from unsuspecting victims.Also: Got a suspicious E-ZPass text? It’s a trap – how to spot the scamAs described by security firm Malwarebytes in a new report, this scheme relies on the ease with which people often follow the steps in a CAPTCHA prompt without thinking.How the attack worksYou land on a website that promises movies, music, pictures, news articles, or some other interesting content. A CAPTCHA prompt pops up, asking you to prove that you’re not a robot. As we’re all so used to these types of requests, many of us wouldn’t think twice about accepting it. Also: Why rebooting your phone daily is your best defense against zero-click attacksBut instead of the usual CAPTCHA challenge that asks you to choose certain images in a picture or identify distorted characters, this one serves up the instructions seen in the image below: More
ZDNETThe ill-fated March Pixel update has apparently introduced yet another problem.When Google released its Pixel Feature Drop earlier this month, it introduced several new features, including real-time alerts for suspicious texts and the ability to share your location through Find My Device. Unfortunately, it also introduced several frustrating problems, including a screen-dimming issue, a strange haptic feedback change, and a glitch with EQ audio.Also: Google is trying to fix Messages – but it needs your helpNow there’s another issue to add to the list — problems with the fingerprint scanner. Mostly affecting Pixel 9 phonesA post on the GrapheneOS Discussion Forum highlights a problem that’s affecting mostly Pixel 9 phones (but there have been scattered reports on other Pixel devices). After the recent update, the post says, the phone’s fingerprint scanner has stopped working. What’s most strange is that the phone acts like the scanner doesn’t even exist, as it has disappeared from the settings menu too. If this were several years ago and the fingerprint scanner were only used to unlock the phone, this would be a minor annoyance. But since so many apps today use biometric login, this could be a very frustrating problem. Also: 12 Android phone settings you should change to dramatically increase battery lifeThe issue seems to be fairly rare, but it was reportedly seen in the earlier Android 15 QPR2 Beta releases. It’s likely still appearing because it doesn’t happen enough for developers to replicate and track down the issue. A report from Android Authority last summer uncovered code in an Android 15 beta that indicated your phone would be able to tell if your face or fingerprint login wasn’t working and delete that credential, requiring you to create a new one. There’s no indication this issue is tied to that feature, but the timing is suspicious. More
ZDNETGoogle Messages has been having issues lately, and the company is asking for your help while it works on a fix.Also: Google Fi users finally get RCS on iPhone – here’s how to check if it’s activatedIn a blog post yesterday, Google acknowledged that many users have been experiencing issues with receiving media in Messages. Sometimes the app slows down drastically, the company says; sometimes it shuts down entirely. Widespread issueGoogle didn’t explain specifically what the issues were, but Reddit reports show that the issues are widespread. Some users are reporting that Messages is slow to load when viewing attachments and won’t show up for several minutes; some are saying that images are blurry when trying to view them; and some are having issues with messages that won’t load at all. Also: A new Android feature is scanning your photos for ‘sensitive content’ – how to stop itProblems are occurring when receiving media from either iPhone or Android, so it’s not an OS problem, and they are happening across a wide variety of devices and carriers. No workaroundsThere doesn’t seem to be anything you can do to make things better. Users report that restarting their phones doesn’t help, and the issues persist whether connected over Wi-Fi or mobile data. Also: Why Gmail is replacing SMS codes with QR codes – and what it means for youGoogle has been actively working on the issue, it says, and it recently rolled out several updates aimed at improving performance. Some users indicate that things may be getting better and pictures are loading without problem, but some are still seeing problems. More
