Information Technology

Adam Breeden/ZDNETIn the age of smart TVs, convenience reigns supreme. We can access a world of entertainment with just a few clicks, but this comes at a cost: accumulating cache data. Just like on your phone or computer, a cluttered TV cache can lead to sluggish performance, app crashes, and even hinder new content from loading properly.Also: Don’t buy the wrong TV on Prime Day: 4 things I consider when shopping dealsWhat is a cache?A cache (in any digital device) is a temporary storage area where data is kept for quick access. In your smart TV, the cache stores information from apps, websites, and system processes to help them load faster every time you turn it on. Think of it as a bunch of temporary files intended to speed up loading times for frequently accessed information. For instance, when you open a streaming app, the cache might store thumbnails, login details, or recently watched shows. Caches are designed to help your TV load this content more quickly. But over time, the cache can become overloaded with outdated or unnecessary data, which can consequently slow down your TV’s performance. More

Don’t miss this Sam’s Club membership to save big on everything from groceries to electronics. Sam’s Club/ZDNETA Sam’s Club membership will get you discounts on groceries, clothing, electronics, and just about everything else you might need. And right now, StackSocial is offering a deal that will get you a Sam’s Club membership for $25 for the year with auto-renew — down from the usual price of $50. This deal ends after this weekend.Your Sam’s Club membership will work at nearly 600 US Sam’s Club locations. This deal is only open to new Sam’s Club members in the US, or those whose membership lapsed more than six months ago. The membership will expire one year from the activation date, and will automatically renew at the full price of $50 per year after that unless you cancel it. To cancel, you can visit SamsClub.com or a club or call 1-888-746-7726. To take advantage of this deal, you’ll redeem your unique code through the link above, and then sign up for the membership. Once you purchase your code, you must redeem it within 30 days. The limit is one membership per person, but you can buy an additional membership as a gift.I signed up for a similar deal for a Costco membership through StackSocial, and can confirm the process was easy, and I’d vouch for the deal. Don’t miss out on 50% off a Sam’s Club membership right now. Also: The best TV deals right now More

Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNETChatGPT is the generative artificial intelligence (AI) tool that’s taken the world by storm. While there’s always the possibility it will simply make stuff up, there’s a lot you can do when crafting prompts to ensure the best possible outcome. That’s what we’ll be exploring in this how-to.In this article, we’ll show you how to write prompts that encourage the large language model (LLM) that powers ChatGPT to provide the best possible answers. Also: I’ve tested dozens of AI chatbots since ChatGPT’s debut. Here’s my new top pickWriting effective prompts, known as prompt engineering, has even become a highly-paid discipline. Who knows? These tips could help you build the skills to become a prompt engineer. Apparently, these gigs can pay from $175,000 to $335,000 per year.  How to write effective ChatGPT prompts More

Sony Bravia X90L TV Jason Hiner/ZDNETThe Sony Bravia X90L More

This year’s Amazon Prime Day will bring Prime members (and those who sign up for a free trial More

Get a one-year subscription to Microsoft 365 at a big discount right now. StackSocial If you’ve recently upgraded your laptop, you may have suddenly found yourself without access to Microsoft Office, Excel, PowerPoint, and the rest of Microsoft’s near-necessary software. And since Microsoft switched from the traditional Office suite to a Microsoft 365 subscription service, […] More

Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNETHow often have you received a text from someone but failed to respond right away, leaving the other person wondering if you ever got their message? One way to avoid the suspense is with read receipts. By turning on this feature for all texts or just individual ones, the sender is alerted when you read their message even if you don’t respond.On the flip side, you can suggest to friends, family members, and other contacts who own iPhones that they enable read receipts for your messages. You’ll then receive a notice whenever they read one of your texts.Also: Apple is finally adding RCS texting to the iPhone – here’s why this is a big deal for meBuilt into Apple’s Messages app, read receipts support iMessage texts but not SMS texts. This means the feature will work with other iPhones (as well as iPads, Macs, and Apple Watches) but not with Android phones. Group messages don’t support read receipts either. Still, read receipts can be a handy option if you exchange a lot of messages with other iPhone users.Here’s how to set this up.How to set up read receipts for your iPhone’s text messagesWhat you’ll need: The only thing you’ll need for this is an iPhone running iOS 10 or later. You can also set up read receipts on an iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch. More

Artie Beaty/ZDNETZDNET’s key takeawaysIt’s not the latest model in this series, but the LG G3 More