Frank Günther/Getty Images Windows 10 is about to fade into the sunset, leaving many users uncertain about what to do. This is especially true for those with computers that don’t support Windows 11. If that’s you, there are options, one of which is Linux. Linux is powerful, secure, stable, and user-friendly. In fact, I’d go […] More
Kerry Wan/ZDNETAnytime you create a new email account using Google, you get 15GB of storage, which is generous for coming with no price tag. But that 15GB can fill up quickly, especially because that chunk of data storage includes any videos and pictures you download to Google Drive and Google Photos. If your inbox is overflowing with unread newsletters and spammy emails that made it past your filter, you can take action to preserve all your important missives while starting afresh with a new inbox.Also: Gemini’s latest AI feature could be the future of web browsingThere is always the option of manually cleaning out your Gmail inbox or downloading a bunch of material to your local drive. What a pain though, right? And, chances are you’ll only eliminate so much junk before those gigabytes start stacking up again.I should note that Google offers a way to pay for more storage by upgrading to a Google One account. The “Basic” plan costs $24 per year for 100GB. The free solution, however, lies in taking a few steps to back up your essential files and reset your data capacity.1. Back up your files, at least temporarilyIf you’re going through this process, you’re likely serious about retaining emails that could span years. So, as an added safety measure, it’s a good practice to back up your emails on your computer or an external hard drive before transferring them back into the cloud.Also: After I learned this easy email trick, the clutter vanished from my inboxTo do this, go to Google Takeout and select “Google Photos” and/or “Drive” as the products you wish to export, then follow the prompts. (Once you’ve completed the transfer, you can delete and free up your hard disk drive (HDD) for other uses.) Be aware that this process can take a while, depending on your quantity of emails and number of gigabytes. To give you an idea, CNET’s Jason Chun used Google Takeout with a test Gmail account that held about 75,000 emails, and this wholesale download took around two hours to complete.2. Prepare to transfer your Gmails to a new email accountNow that you’ve saved a copy of your emails, it’s time to transfer them. To do this:Log into your original Gmail account and click the gear icon in the top right corner. Then click “See all settings.”Select the Forwarding POP/IMAP tab. Then select the option “Enable POP for all mail.” (POP stands for Post Office Protocol).You’ll have several options under “When messages are accessed with POP.” Select delete Gmail’s copy to automatically delete the emails from your original account after the transfer.Select “Save changes.”3. Create a second (archive) account and transfer your messagesAt this point, you can create your new account and transfer all your messages there: To create a new inbox-zero Gmail account, go here. This new one will serve as your archive account. Log into your new archive account, click the gear icon in the top right, and select “See all settings.” Select the Accounts and Import tab at the top. Then select “Add a mail account” next to “Check mail from other accounts.”In the pop-up window, enter the name of your original Gmail account, then select “Next.” Select “Import emails from my other account (POP3),” and then select “Next” again. 6. Enter the password of your original Gmail account.Also: The best email hosting services of 2024: Expert testedNote that you might also need to whip up a temporary Google app password to sync the accounts. So, if your original Gmail account password doesn’t work at this step, visit https://myaccount.google.com/apppasswords to create a temporary 16-digit passcode.Simply create a name for the password, such as “Email Transfer,” then hit “Create.” A pop-up window with your new 16-digit passcode will display. Here, you should jot it down or take a screenshot until you can discard this password. Google will only show it to you once! 7. Once you’ve synced your accounts, find Port and select “995.” 8. Next, you’ll want to check three boxes: 9. Finally, select “Add account.” More
Nina Raemont/ZDNETIn a year brimming with technological advancements, from Apple’s first-ever mixed reality headset to the modern-day space race that is artificial intelligence, one particular niche of products saw its mainstream aspirations realized: smart rings.According to IDC, global ring sales were estimated at 880,000 units in 2023. This year, the market research firm is forecasting a rise to 1.7 million units, with an even larger spike of 3.2 million units in 2025. As consumers continue to find ways to dial into their health and well-being, the burdenless form factors of smart rings are slowly but surely chipping away market share from fitness trackers, bands, and smartwatches. The uptick in new smart rings at CES 2024 was our first indication.Also: We’ve entered the era of the smart ring. Here’s why it will shake up the wearables marketWhile the smart ring category was validated by the arrival of its first major tech vendor with Samsung’s Galaxy Ring — as well as by exciting new entrants such as Ultrahuman, and the Movano Evie — the Oura Ring 4 More
ZDNETYou may have used generative AI to create text, images, and even videos. But have you ever called on it to conjure up your own music? A few different text-to-music tools can act as virtual composers, but one worth trying is Suno. Available on the web, through dedicated iPhone and Android apps, and via a Microsoft Copilot plug-in, Suno will write and play music based on your input.You can describe the topic and style of the music you want, opt to include lyrics and vocals, keep your song as an instrumental, or add your own lyrics as inspiration. In response, Suno delivers two songs based on your request. You can then play the songs, download them, and share them with other people. Suno uses its own AI models to create the music and then turns to ChatGPT to create the song’s title and lyrics.Also: 15 surprising ways I used AI to save me weeks of work this yearSuno offers three types of plans. With the free Basic plan, you get 50 credits per day. Generating a single song uses up 10 credits, so you can create as many as five songs each day. If you need more, upgrading to the Pro plan for $10 per month grants you 2,500 credits each month, while the Premier plan at $30 per month gives you 10,000 credits each month.Now, here’s how Suno works.How to use Suno to generate music More
Chris Bayer/ZDNETBefore making any purchase — of anything — it helps to do some research. But nothing can beat the hands-on experience of using a product before you buy it. I recently had the luxury of doing this at home, testing the Eureka E10s More
<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways Sony’s Ult Wear headphones debut with a novel audio feature and are perfect for anyone looking for an everyday pair of headphones for $200. An enjoyable sound, all-day comfort, and premium software features and design elements set these headphones apart from others in the same price range. You can only access […] More
<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Phelinta three-in-one charger is available now on Amazon for $46. It charges all of your Pixel devices in one convenient place. It isn’t the fastest charger on the planet, but it does exactly what it needs to. –> To this point, I was charging my Pixel 9 Pro on an […] More
Microsoft/Ubuntu/ZDNETPowerShell is a task automation and configuration management tool, designed and released by Microsoft, that consists of a command-line shell and a powerful scripting language. A lot of intermediate and advanced Windows users depend on this application for many different reasons and are probably concerned about what they’ll do when support for Windows 10 ends next year.Also: The best Linux distribution of 2024 is MacOS-like but accessible to allFor those whose computers won’t support Windows 11, there’s good news: Linux!And for those who depend on PowerShell, there’s even better news:You can install PowerShell on Linux. Let me show you how.How to install PowerShell on Ubuntu-based distributionsWhat you’ll need: To make this work, you’ll need a running instance of a Ubuntu-based distribution and a user with sudo privileges. That’s it. Let’s make some magic. More
