Subterms
Yuichiro Chino/Getty Unless you’re using a computer from the ’90s or early 2000s, typically speaking, Ubuntu runs very well on most machines. I’ve found it to be fairly predictable in that respect. However, nothing is perfect, and you might run into an instance where the open-source operating system doesn’t perform up to your standards. Also: […] More
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
synthetick / Getty Images I’ve had it happen before. Back when drives consisted of spinning, magnetic platters, that dreaded “tick” was a sure sign a hard drive was failing. Once upon a nightmare scenario, I waited too late and wound up losing everything on my drive. Sure, I could have recovered that data, but at […] More
Google’s NotebookLM went viral due to its Audio Overviews feature, which creates AI-generated podcasts between two hosts based on your content. Now, Google has also made a much-anticipated leap into video. Also: Google’s new AI tool Opal turns prompts into apps, no coding required On Tuesday, Google launched Video Overviews, a feature originally unveiled at […] More
fotograzia/Getty Images Programmers are using AI more than ever, but they don’t like or trust the tools very much, according to the 2025 Stack Overflow Developer Survey. The survey of almost 50,000 developers found that 84% now use or plan to use AI tools in their workflow, up from last year (76%). Over half of professional developers […] More
RingConn Smart Ring <!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The RingConn Smart Ring is available now in three colors for $259 (regularly $279). One week battery life, lovely matte finish, powerful smartphone app, and no subscription fee. No readiness score and does not sync with third-party fitness apps other than Apple Health –> While I wear watches […] More
Elyse Betters Picaro (with graphic elements from Paolo Boaretto, Sparklestroke Global, and Cosmic Latte via Canva) / ZDNETI don’t know about you, but I’m tired of seeing AI used in place of actual search results in my web browser or used to summarize whatever I’m looking for. Google has become useless because of this, and other popular search engines are following close behind.With more and more search tools turning to AI, what can you do? Are there alternatives that aren’t pushing AI front and center? Why yes, there are. Here’s a short list of search engines that do not push AI in your face and instead go the old‑school route with actual website results.Also: How to get rid of AI Overviews in Google Search: 4 easy waysI will offer this one warning: At least two of these search engines (Brave and DuckDuckGo) offer AI features that can be disabled. In Brave’s case, it’s the Answer With AI feature that can be disabled in Settings, and with DuckDuckGo, there’s a button at the top-right for Duck AI, which you can also disable in Settings. Once you’ve disabled those features, they won’t appear in your search results or on the main page of the engine.1. BraveDid you know that Brave has its own search engine? That’s right — go to search.brave.com, and you won’t find AI at the center of this privacy‑focused search engine. You just need to disable the Answer With AI feature in Settings first. In 2021, Brave’s search engine became the default for the Brave browser. I’ve used it, and it’s quite good. With no data collected, you can bet I use it regularly. Brave’s search engine is free to use. Also: I use Edge as my default browser – but its new AI mode is unreliable and annoyingOne thing to keep in mind is that the Brave index is intentionally smaller than Google’s or Bing’s to avoid spam and low‑quality content. 2. DogpileDogpile actually fetches results from Google, Yahoo!, Yandex, and Bing, but it presents the results totally AI‑free. By aggregating results from the bigger sites, you can be sure you’ll find what you’re looking for (without having to deal with AI summaries). Also: Google’s new Search mode puts classic results back on top – how to access itDogpile has been around since 1996 and shows no sign of going away. It also includes features such as category links, Yellow Pages, White Pages, spelling correction, filters, statistics, recent searches, favorite fetches, and more. More
Elyse Betters Picaro (with graphic elements from Ameythyststudio, Aleriimingirov, and Romansa design art via Canva) / ZDNETGiving your phone some extra juice via a public charging station is always a handy option, but it may not be a safe one. As described in a new report from NordVPN, cybercriminals can now turn to a trick called choicejacking, in which they’re able to transfer data from your phone to a device disguised as a charger.What is choicejacking?With this new method, a malicious device that looks like an innocent charging station or port manipulates different functions on your phone. In doing so, your phone is tricked into connecting to the device via data transfer mode without your input or permission. Once that connection is made, the criminal’s device can access and steal your photos, documents, contacts, and other personal files. Also: 7 ways to lock down your phone’s security – before it’s too late”Choicejacking is particularly dangerous because it manipulates a device into making decisions users never intended — all without them realizing it,” Adrianus Warmenhoven, a cybersecurity advisor at NordVPN, said in the report. “Whether it’s granting access to data or downloading malware, these attacks exploit the trust we place in everyday interactions with our smartphones.” Advanced upgrade to juicejackingChoicejacking is actually a more advanced upgrade to the older practice of juicejacking. With juicejacking, hackers install software on charging stations at airports and other public spots that can then automatically scoop up data from your connected phone. In certain cases, your phone may lock down, preventing you from stopping the transfer before it’s too late. Also: Traveling this summer? Consider this before using airport Wi-Fi and charging portsJuicejacking first popped up way back in 2011. But in a win for the good guys, mobile OS developers cooked up a way to stop this threat. Let’s say a smartphone connects to a charging station. If the station indicates that it supports Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) or Picture Transfer Protocol (PTP) for data transfers, that means it’s likely a hacker’s device impersonating a charging station. In that case, the user is asked whether they want to allow a data transfer or just charge the phone. But in the latest twist, researchers from Graz University of Technology in Austria found a way to bypass the OS-level protections against juicejacking. Malicious devices can now impersonate USB or Bluetooth input devices to enable a data transfer mode. Affecting Android and sometimes iOS devices, this tactic can use such technical methods as keystroke injection, input buffer overflows, and protocol abuse to complete a data transfer in as few as 133 milliseconds. Also: The best power banks you can buy in 2025: Expert tested and reviewed”Choicejacking represents a dangerous evolution in public charging threats,” Warmenhoven added. “With a single deceptive prompt, attackers can trick people into enabling data transfer, potentially exposing personal files and other sensitive data. Public USB ports should never be treated as safe, and awareness is the first line of defense.” More
