Information Technology

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETA quick Google search will surface article after article claiming that Waze is far better than Google Maps. But is that actually true? I’m a longtime Google Maps (and Google Earth) user. I swear by the app, and I regularly side-eye anyone who says otherwise — especially, god forbid, Apple Maps users.  Also: This hidden Google Maps feature is making people emotional – here’s whyI’m also a tech editor, though, which means I do my best to set aside personal bias in the name of journalism. Every now and then, I force myself to try alternative navigation apps — and that includes Waze, which, in case you didn’t know, Google acquired in 2013. So, if you’re looking for a true feature-by-feature breakdown of how Waze compares to Google Maps, you’ve come to the right place. I’ve tried both, and I’m here to tell you which one really gets you where you need to go faster, smarter, and better.  Is Waze or Google Maps better? Let’s break down all the major features to find a clear winner. Will the final scorecard surprise us both? Maybe. More

Asus ProArt P16 <!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways Asus’ ProArt P16 is on sale for $2,500 at Best Buy. This year’s model keeps much of what made the previous generation so good, with key hardware improvements. It also means it has the same problems as before, such as running hot. –> If you’re familiar with Asus’ […] More

Is it worth updating to iOS 18.6? Absolutely. While there are no new bells and whistles, it patches a high-severity WebKit zero-day (CVE-2025-6558) and more. Can I change the Action button? Sure! Go to Settings > Action Button to customize the new Action Button on iPhone 15 Pro/16/16E/16 Pro. Just swipe to pick a task like Camera, Shazam, Remote for Apple TV, or even a Shortcut or Visual Intelligence action, then tap Choose to set it. Can I customize the home screen? Of course. Give your home screen a fresh look by entering jiggle mode (long-press the screen), tapping Edit > Customize, and then: Reposition apps anywhere on the grid.Expand icons into widgets by tapping the resize handles.Choose Automatic, Dark, Light, or Tinted icon styles (use the eyedropper to match your wallpaper).Toggle Large icons to hide labels and boost visibility.Tap anywhere to apply and then exit. Voila! Will these tweaks work on any iPhone model? Most of these work on any iPhone running iOS 18 or later. However, features like Prioritize Notifications and the Action Button require an Apple Intelligence-capable iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 16 model. Get the morning’s top stories in your inbox each day with our Tech Today newsletter. More

Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNETZDNET’s key takeawaysClaude Sonnet 4 now has one million context tokens.As a result, the model can process much larger developer tasks.Developers can access it now, but API pricing does increase for certain requests. We all have that friend who is a great active listener and can recall details from past interactions, which then feeds into better conversations in the future. Similarly, AI models have context windows that impact how much content they can reference — and Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet just got a huge upgrade that should let it do a lot more for you. Also: Microsoft Copilot 3D turns your 2D images into 3D models for free – how to tryClaude Sonnet 4 can now support up to one million tokens of context, marking a fivefold increase from the prior 200,000, Anthropic said on Tuesday. With this large context window, Claude Sonnet can process codebases with over 75,000 lines of code or dozens of research papers with a single API request.  The longer context window allows developers to use Claude for more data-heavy projects, such as large-scale code analysis and document synthesis, as mentioned above, but also context-aware agents that require a lot of material to operate complex workflows. Anthropic describes Claude Sonnet as a “hybrid reasoning model with superior intelligence.” ZDNET’s own internal testing has found it to be a very capable model, even outperforming what Anthropic touted at the time as its most advanced coding model, Opus 4. Sonnet passed all four coding tests while Claude Opus failed two.Also: How you can still access GPT-4o, o3, and other older models in ChatGPTDevelopers interested in trying the upgraded Sonnet 4 can access it in public beta on the Anthropic API as customers with Tier 4 and custom rate limits. It is also available on third-party cloud computing platforms, starting with Amazon Bedrock, and coming soon to Google Cloud’s Vertex AI. The API pricing does increase for prompts over 200K tokens. Since launching the Claude 4 models in May, Anthropic has been riding a wave of steady upward momentum. Claude Code, a fan favorite coding assistant that can be called on directly in a developer’s workspace to write or manage code, shipped 10 features in the last month, and its highly anticipated Opus 4.1 was released last week. The company reports that its B2B run-rate revenue has grown 17 times YoY as of June 2025. Artificial Intelligence More

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETZDNET’s key takeawaysNew Arch tool alerts maintainers when packages are outdated.Bumpbuddy automates GitLab issue creation for updates.Web dashboard and API planned for future Bumpbuddy versions.Bumpbuddy is a new Arch Linux tool that aims to improve how maintainers are informed about packages within the primary repositories. This new app uses a background service (daemon) to monitor package versions and even automatically opens issues on GitLab if it detects a package is out of date. Why is this important?  For one, it helps maintainers keep abreast of when an upstream package has a new release. This way, developers and maintainers don’t have to manually check for this information. Secondly, users will no longer have to bother flagging packages that are out of date and will have access to information that might indicate if an update is taking longer than usual to release. For the most part, however, Bumpbuddy seems to be focused primarily on developers and maintainers. According to Robin Candau, package maintainer for Arch Linux: “Bumpbuddy takes advantage of the `.nvchecker.toml` file from GitLab’s packages repo to perform automated tracking of new upstream releases. Therefore, package maintainers won’t need to rely on manual `pkgctl version check` runs or ‘homemade’ solutions to track new upstream releases for their packages anymore.” Candau also indicates the team has plans to provide a web-based dashboard for Bumpbuddy, an API endpoint for pkgctl version check, manage “out of date” status for packages on Archweb, and more. Keep in mind that this is the first iteration of Bumpbuddy, so there will be issues. I’ve yet to find a way to install Bumpbuddy on Arch Linux, which makes me believe that the app has yet to make it to the default repositories (there isn’t even a listing for it in Archweb). More

Maria Diaz/ZDNETZDNET’s key takeawaysMatter 1.4.2 enhances experiences by focusing on security and efficiency.Improvements cover Wi-Fi-only commissioning and scene management.The update sets the stage for the Matter 1.5 release this fall.The smart home world is gearing up for the Matter 1.5 release this fall, but the CSA just announced a 1.4.2 update as a precursor to prepare the field. Matter 1.4.2 makes devices more secure and efficient, enhancing the user experience, likely without you realizing that major changes have been made. That’s the beauty of Matter: we’re watching the connectivity protocol grow and blossom into a fully fledged and future-proof smart home wonder.The Matter 1.4.2 update includes Wi-Fi-only commissioning, improved scene management, quieter network reporting, standardized robot vacuum behaviors, and multiple security changes to protect Matter users further.Also: 7 common household devices to unplug to save money on your electricity billAs Matter continues to grow into a fully fledged smart home connectivity standard, the CSA periodically releases updates to make the protocol secure and easier to use. Everything from adding a new smart home device to its compatibility list to giving users more control options via Matter comes in the form of an update.  More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETZDNET’s key takeaways:An upgraded version of App Intents could make Siri the true hands-free iPhone companion.Apple is currently testing these Siri App Intents with a handful of third-party apps.The revamped Siri could ship in the spring of 2026, reports Bloomberg.When Apple first announced an upgraded and more capable Siri, every one of its users was reasonably excited. Unfortunately, that promise never happened, and the new Siri continues to be delayed. However, ahead of the upcoming Apple event, new details have emerged that may make antsy users a little more patient. And if the rumors are true, I’m anticipating the big Siri rollout to finally get me to switch from Gemini to Apple’s voice assistant.Also: This iOS 26 update ruined the iPhone camera app for me – then Apple saved the dayAccording to a report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, App Intents could “finally make Siri the true hands-free controller of your iPhone.” He explains, “App Intents will mean: With nothing but your voice, you’ll be able to tell Siri to find a specific photo, edit it, and send it off. Or comment on an Instagram post…. Siri could operate your apps like you would — with precision, inside their own interfaces.” More

Gooloo GT6000 Jump Starter <!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The GT6000 is on sale on Amazon for $140. It’s one of the biggest power banks you can buy at 99.9Wh, with USB-C and USB-A, DC output, and jump starter capability. It’s overkill if you’re looking for a portable charger for your phone. –> I test a […] More