Information Technology

When your car battery dies, traditional jumper cables are a great solution to boost it, assuming you can call roadside assistance or find a kind person who can help you. However, relying on them isn’t always practical for maintaining or repairing your vehicle, especially if you find yourself stuck on the side of the road with no one around. Fortunately, many manufacturers now offer portable jump starters. These are essentially portable power banks, storing energy to boost your vehicle’s battery in an emergency without the need for another car’s help. Many feature lightweight and compact designs that are perfect for keeping in your car, while others are big and bulky, with more robust features like built-in air compressors, USB charging, and even wall-style AC outlets. Also: The best dash camsWhat is the best portable jump starter right now?To help you find the best portable jump starter for your car, I’ve researched and compared different models for peak amps, size, weight, price, and additional features like flashlights and air compressors. My top pick for best portable jump starter is the Everstart Maxx 1200A More

Prakhar Khanna/ZDNETZDNET’s key takeawaysThe Onyx Boox Page More

Jonathan Kitchen/Getty Images A popular strategy for engaging with generative AI chatbots is to start with a well-crafted prompt. In fact, prompt engineering is an emerging skill for those pursuing career advancement in this age of artificial intelligence. However, there is an alternative. For developers who have a budget to spend on the development of […] More

Finding the right earbuds to work out in is challenging, especially if you sweat a lot. Bone conduction headphones might be the perfect solution. By wrapping around your head and sitting near instead of entirely in your ear, the Shokz OpenRun Pros transmit sound through the bone architecture, allowing your ears to breathe. This is great for anybody who exercises for a long time, like people training for a half marathon or cyclists going on hours-long bike rides. The headphones deliver a 10-hour battery life, and according to Jack Wallen’s testing, he’s gotten close to a week’s worth of running without needing to charge. In addition to the long-lasting battery, Wallen was also impressed with their sweatproof capabilities, especially given his track record of ruining running earbuds and their quality sound performance. Review: Shokz OpenRun Pro”The OpenRun Pro sound offers more bass than you’d expect for a pair of bone-conducting headphones, and the fit is so minimal that you forget they’re on your head,” says Wallen. Finally, another ‘pro’ of bone-conducting headphones is the ability to hear your surroundings. This is especially important for outdoor runners who should be constantly aware of their surroundings, and Wallen assured that the OpenRun Pros helped him “avoid disaster.” Bone conduction headphones aren’t for everyone, but if you love exercising outdoors, rain or shine, want environmental awareness, decent sound for your music and podcasts, and a long battery life, the OpenRun Pro headphones are the platonic ideal of a workout headphone. Shokz OpenRun Pro specs: Weight: 1.02 ounces | Battery life: 10 hours | Bluetooth version: 5.1 | Waterproof: IP55 | Noise cancellation: Dual noise cancellation More

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNETZDNET’s key takeawaysDell’s Inspiron 16 Plus 7640 More

Jack Wallen/ZDNETI’ve been using Linux for decades and even though the GUIs have all become good enough that I could go without ever running another command, I still often depend on the terminal and CLI (Command Line Interface) when I want to get things done quickly.Not everyone is as familiar with the command line, though, and some find it overwhelming.Also: The first 5 Linux commands every new user should learnIt doesn’t have to be so, as there are new applications that make learning and doing at the same time possible…thanks to AI. One such app is called AI Shell. Now, before we get into this application, know that it depends on OpenAI and, as such, it’s not free. To use this app you must have an OpenAI account with sufficient credits. If using a paid service isn’t up your alley, you can always turn to an app like Warp. If, however, you already have an OpenAI account, AI Shell is a great option because it works with any terminal app you might want to use (so you’re not locked into using one specific terminal).So, if you like the idea of a terminal app that can teach you how to use Linux commands, AI Shell might be what you’re looking for.The only other caveat is AI Shell is a bit tricky to install for new users. That’s fine because I’m here to show you how.How to install AI ShellWhat you’ll need: The only things you’ll need for this are a running instance of Linux, a user with sudo privileges, and an OpenAI API key. I’ll demonstrate this on Linux Mint, so if you’re using a different distribution, you might have to modify the installation process. More

The best part of having an e-reader is taking dozens, if not hundreds, of books with you while you travel for work, errands, family gatherings, or vacations. Ayman from @aymansbooks on TikTok is one of BookTok’s most successful accounts, with over 900,000 followers. She creates content and memes about novels and recommends the books she reads on the platform. Ayman told ZDNET that the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition is her Kindle of choice. Whether she’s at the DMV, sitting at a cafe, or waiting in a line, she always takes along her Paperwhite Signature Edition and pulls it out when she has a spare second to read. “I love how I can easily highlight and make annotations as I’m reading; it feels just as though I’m reading a physical book,” Ayman said. Review: Kindle Paperwhite Signature EditionThe Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition is built with travel in mind. It supports USB-C and Qi wireless charging, so you don’t have to keep a special charging cable for a single device. The internal battery can also last up to 10 weeks on a full charge, allowing you to enjoy your beach reading even if you forget your charging cable.The screen features an anti-glare coating for better visibility in direct lamplight or sunlight and an auto-adjusting backlight to suit dim rooms. With 32GB of internal storage, you can store tens of thousands of titles on the tablet. However, some Reddit owners say extra storage is unnecessary, given how many books the Kindle Paperwhite already holds. The water-resistant tablet is excellent for reading by the pool, on the beach, or anywhere accidental spills may happen. Additionally, it has a screen reader function for blind and visually impaired users and supports Bluetooth headsets for audiobooks.When former ZDNET contributor Jason Cipriani reviewed the Signature Edition, he said: “If you opt to spend a little bit more for the signature edition, you’re gaining some notable features in wireless charging and a light sensor, improving even more on an already reliable experience.” Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition specs: Screen size: 6.8 inches | Storage: 32GB, Amazon Cloud | Battery life: Up to 10 weeks at 30 minutes per day | Lock screen ads: Yes, removable with fee | microSD card support: No More

Bet_Noire/Getty Images Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly becoming a factor in education, from ChatGPT’s college-specific large language model (LLM) to new generative AI-powered writing coaches. Apple and Google offer AI training resources for students; Georgia Tech even has an Nvidia AI supercomputer students can use.  However, educators themselves haven’t picked up the tech as quickly […] More