Information Technology

Prakhar Khanna/ZDNETSamsung phones are well known for One UI, one of the most functional and intuitive Android interfaces. While it’s highly customizable, these phones often come with preinstalled bloatware. Some built-in Samsung apps, such as Wearable and Wallet, are useful within the Samsung ecosystem. However, there are at least five first-party apps that even dedicated Samsung users rarely touch.The preinstalled bloatware apps can vary by device, price, and lineup, but many are common across all Galaxy phones. While you might not be able to uninstall all of them, they’re easy to disable and can be re-enabled if you ever need them.Also: I changed 10 Samsung phone settings for an instant performance boostWhile these apps aren’t necessarily useless or mindless bloatware, every user’s needs differ. If you’re not using them, it’s a good idea to uninstall or disable such Samsung apps to save memory and reduce background battery usage. More

herraez/Getty Images The changes in the latest Linux kernel, Linux 6.16, may be small, but they include some significant ones. Linus Torvalds himself summed up this release as looking fine, small, and calm, but not “really not all that interesting (in all the best ways!).” Here’s my list of what’s new and improved.  First, the […] More

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra <!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is on sale for $650 in four color options. Its display is vibrant and large, the battery lasts through a couple of days, and LTE is provided at no extra cost. It comes in a single 47mm size, gesture support is limited, […] More

Since I use my desktop as both a workstation and gaming rig, I like a wireless mouse that can also pull double duty. The Corsair Harpoon is a great, straightforward mouse with four buttons, adjustable sensor speed, and integrated RGB lighting to match my K100 keyboard. It features dual wireless connectivity with Bluetooth and a 2.4GHz USB receiver, and you can use it while plugged in and charging. That’s perfect for when I don’t catch the low battery notification in the iCUE app, and the mouse dies in the middle of an important work project or an S rank run in Ready or Not with friends. Read more: The best silent mouse you can buy: Expert testedThe rechargeable battery lasts about a week for me, and I’m at my PC anywhere from 4 to 12 hours depending on my workday (and how much free time I have for a doomed Alternate Poland run in Hearts of Iron 4). The simplified design is also lightweight and comfortable to use for long periods, which is nice for long work days researching tech or accidental all-nighters playing Plate Up with friends. More

CMF Phone 1 <!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The CMF Phone 1 by Nothing, which starts at $239, is the best budget phone I’ve tested this year. The replaceable cover and accessories, excellent battery life, and AMOLED display stand out in a crowded market. For the price, the downsides include a lack of NFC and wireless […] More

Form Smart Swim 2 Pro <!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Form Smart Swim 2 Pro is available for $329, with the premium subscription for $119/year or $15/month. The included solution keeps the goggles fog free, and the annual subscription provides extensive training and analysis features. Peripheral visibility is limited, the glasses are rather expensive, and […] More

GL.iNet Comet KVM <!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The GL.iNet Comet KVM lets you replace keyboard, mouse, and monitor with an Ethernet connection It works well, with good performance, a nice web interface, and specialty options for custom needs At $90, it’s fairly pricey, especially when adding to a bunch of PCs, but it does the […] More

Hand gestures on the Project Moohan headset demoed by ZDNET’s Kerry Wan at Google I/O.  Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNETSince the onset of the command line, the way humans have interacted with their computers has been restricted to a keyboard. Meta’s new wristband seeks to change that.Last week, Reality Labs at Meta, the team responsible for developing the company’s AR and VR offerings, published a paper in Nature detailing plans for a noninvasive wristband that uses electrical signals from the user’s body for human-computer interactions. How it worksThe wristband, meant to be wireless and comfortable, allows users to navigate the world around them in different neuromotor ways. These include 1D continuous navigation, similar to pointing a laser pointer based on their wrist posture; gesture detection, such as finger pinches; and handwriting recognition options, which allow users to draw using gestures with their neuromuscular signals, according to the paper. Also: Can Amazon finally make AI wearables happen? This buzzy new device could be its best betUnlike other gesture-based tech, these gestures aren’t read by a camera system or other sensors. Rather, it predicts the user’s intent from their neuromuscular signals using a measure of muscle activation via electrical signals sent from their brain when they make certain movements. This process is known as surface electromyography (sEMG), and is also used for prosthetic control. Meta VP of research Thomas Reardon told The New York Times that with practice, just the intent of moving is enough to produce the motion necessary to make the action happen on the computer. Why it mattersZDNET’s Managing Reviews Editor Kerry Wan has tested many XR/VR headsets and finds that the type of wristband Meta is working on would move the space forward significantly. “A wristband accessory capable of processing muscle movement at such a granular level would greatly enhance VR/XR applications,” said Wan. “These include more commercial use cases like gaming and interacting with virtual characters online, but they also expand to professional work like graphics design and content creation.” More