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    Can Digg’s return fix what ails social media today? Reddit’s cofounder is betting on it

    ZDNETIn 2006, Digg, a social networking and bookmarking site, was one of the most popular websites. Today, many of you have probably never even heard of this Reddit-like site. Now, in a surprising turn of events, Digg is attempting a comeback, backed by an unlikely alliance between its founder, Kevin Rose, and former rival Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit.Social networks have become toxicWhy? Because, as you may have noticed, social networks have become increasingly unpleasant. Meta, like X (Twitter) before it, has rolled back its fact-checking program on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. As a result, all these networks have become more toxic. Digg’s new team sees this. They declared, “The current social media landscape, community discourse has grown increasingly combative, cluttered, and exhausting. Users are bogged down by misinformation, spam, and the emotional toll of navigating hostile interactions.” Also: This social media shift could be the opportunity you’ve been waiting forIronically, it is just such failures that brought Digg down in the first place. Digg’s disgrace began in 2010 when it was revealed that the so-called Digg Patriots were engaged in a widespread censorship campaign against left-leaning users. Using multiple accounts, up-vote padding, and ban campaigns, they muzzled liberal conversation on the site for months. In response, Rose removed the power of users to up-vote and down-vote stories. This failed. The Digg community hated this change. The users saw Digg was no longer a “site built by the community, for the community” and left. Digg never recovered, and Reddit largely took its place. More

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    Did you get an E-ZPass text demanding payment? Don’t click – it’s a scam

    krblokhin/Getty Images A new “smishing scam” is targeting people for their personal information under the guise of unpaid tolls. Scammers, purporting to be from E-ZPass or other toll providers (like SunPass, Peach Pass, or EZDriveMA), are sending fraudulent text messages asking for toll payments and urging recipients to click a link to settle their bills. […] More

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    Roku TV is expanding to another major brand – and its OLED model looks promising

    Philips | Aleksandra Konoplia/Getty Images Roku and Philips are partnering up for the first time to create the Philips OLED Roku TV<!–>, a new smart television now arriving in stores. This first Philips Roku TV features an OLED panel with over eight million individually dimming pixels and up to 4K resolution, all paired with Dolby […] More

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    Google Pixel phones just got 10 major upgrades for free – older models included

    Kerry Wan/ZDNETGoogle has begun rolling out its March 2025 Pixel feature drop, bringing some serious upgrades to the entire Pixel family. Also: 4 Pixel phone tricks every user should know – including my favoriteMost Pixel phones are getting new scam detection, the Pixel Watch 3 is receiving a first-of-its-kind feature, there’s a new option to share your location with friends, and more. What’s new in the March 2025 Pixel feature drop?Among all the new features in this month’s drop, 10 stand out. For example, your Pixel phone is gaining a new way to protect you, and your Pixel Watch is receiving a never-before-seen feature.  Here’s what’s new.1. Real-time alerts for suspicious textsFirst up: In addition to listening in on your calls for words associated with scams, your phone now monitors your text messages. With AI-powered Scam Detection on-device, Google says Messages will now flag text patterns commonly associated with scams and alert you about suspicious conversations. While the phone call version of this feature is only available on the Pixel 9, the text message version is available on the Pixel 6 and newer. 2. Share your location with trusted contactsFind My Device now lets you share your location with trusted contacts. With the same app you use to find a lost device, your friends can now see your live location on a map, no matter which device they use. This is coming to all Android devices. 3. Loss of pulse detection More

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    My favorite Android smartwatch beats Samsung and Google with its multi-day battery life

    <!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The OnePlus Watch 3 normally retails for $330. Its five-day battery life, durability, rotating digital crown, and superb design make this a compelling smartwatch. However, the OHealth app needs some work, workout data screens are limited, and ECG measurements are not supported. –> The OnePlus Watch 3 is on sale. If […] More

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    Save $1,150 on the Samsung Odyssey Ark and get a 24-inch monitor for free – but hurry

    Samsung/ZDNETSamsung upgraded their largest gaming monitor, the 55-inch Odyssey Ark, with a 165Hz refresh rate, Mini-LED panel, and 1ms response time. And if you’ve been waiting for a great deal to snap up this premium gaming monitor, you can save $1,100 at Samsung right now during their spring sale event, bringing the price to just $1,800. And if that wasn’t enough, as part of Samsung’s Deal of the Day More