Information Technology

If you’ve made it here to this page, you probably already know that Amazon Prime Day 2024 will be making its 10th anniversary return in a few days (really, Prime Day will be here Tuesday). And just as the e-commerce giant is gearing up by already offering great deals and discounts across the shopping platform, so is the competition (sorry, Jeff Bezos). Also: The best Prime Day deals right nowRight now, you can score deep savings in many core categories, like tech, home, back-to-school, and beyond, at plenty of other major retailers, including Best Buy More

Our Echo Pop, known as Ziggy, has become a staple in our home. Maria Diaz/ZDNETThe Echo Pop More

The Roborock S7 Max Ultra is one of ZDNET’s favorite robot vacuum mop combos we’ve tested so far — and it’s on sale right now on Amazon.  Beth Mauder/ZDNETIf you’re looking for a way to simplify your cleaning routine and keep your floors squeaky clean this Prime Day, the Roborock S7 Max Ultra More

If that five-year-old laptop that runs at a turtle’s pace is killing your back-to-school mood, it might be time for an upgrade. Students have many options when it comes to affordable laptops for studying and getting their work done, including lightweight Chromebooks, which cost significantly less than most Windows machines or Apple’s Mac offerings and are streamlined with ChromeOS.Also: The best Chromebooks for workThe lighter OS makes it easy to navigate to popular apps like Google Docs, Google Drive, and email so students can stay on task and in touch with teachers and classmates. Chromebooks also have tons of security features, too, like mic mute, camera shutters, and data encryption to keep students safe from digital spying and to prevent theft or misuse of their personal information or classwork. What is the best Chromebook for students right now?ZDNET went hands-on with many of our top choices, including our pick for best Chromebook overall — the HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook More

Bitwarden A passkey consists of two things: a public and private key. A private key is secret and is saved on a device, like your phone. A public key is saved on a server housing a site or service where you want to log in. When you log in to that service, the server compares […] More

Jack Wallen/ZDNETI don’t give Xfce the fair shot it deserves. After all, it’s one of the fastest Linux desktops on the market and one of the most flexible. Out of the box, this open-source desktop is fairly easy to use. It has everything you need for a robust desktop interface — but it could be better. Everyone’s idea of user-friendly is different, so what I’ll share with you may or may not fit your modus operandi. Even so, there’s certainly a tip or two here that anyone wanting to adopt Xfce as their desktop could use.Also: Don’t like your Linux desktop? Here’s how to install an alternativeSo, if a fast and reliable desktop sounds good, let’s get to those tips. Note: I’ll demonstrate these tips using Xubuntu, the official Xfce spin of Ubuntu. It’s important to understand that many distributions tend to configure Xfce differently. Because of that fact, your mileage may vary (depending on the distro you use). More

Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNETWriting down notes using a pen and paper scratches an itch that typing text just doesn’t. Studies have shown that physically jotting down notes is a better way to retain information. That said, by writing stuff down, you miss out on the perks of digital notes. ChatGPT helps you get the best of both worlds.When OpenAI supercharged the free version of ChatGPT with GPT-4o in May, users gained the ability to upload files, including images and documents, and to interact with images in multiple ways, such as extracting text. Also: How to use ChatGPT to analyze PDFs for freeThis feature means you can upload handwritten documents, from sticky notes to meeting and class notes to packing lists, and convert them into text. Then, you can use that text to create new content by copying and pasting it into presentations, emails, outlines, essays, Quizlets, and more.Sounds too good to be true? I thought the same, but after testing the tool, I can assure you that it works efficiently and quickly. Getting started is simple, and you will not want to stop once you start.How to use ChatGPT to digitize your handwritten notes More

The JBL Tour Pro 2’s innovative touchscreen case is so user-friendly and ahead of its time that even Apple is (reportedly) taking notes. Pause or play, reduce or increase the volume, switch from noise-canceling to ambient aware to talk-through mode, accept or reject calls, or even locate that missing left earbud, all through the touchscreen case. The first time I wore these earbuds during my morning commute to work, I was surprised while waiting at the subway platform when I looked up from my phone to find the subway had shown up — I barely heard its arrival. Needless to say: the noise cancelling on the Tour Pro 2s is legit, and the buds deliver clean and crisp sound. Review: Forget AirPods: These wireless earbuds offer clever features that Apple doesn’tWhile exercising with the Tour Pro 2s, I could lightly touch the right earbud to pause or play music and switch between noise canceling (ideal for deep concentration, but not-so-ideal for jogging outside) to ambient aware (great for environmental awareness) with ease. The buds stay in your ears while you’re on the go but get a little slippery as you begin to sweat with them (which you can do without any worry of water damage since the earbuds have a water-resistant IPX5 rating). The call and microphone quality isn’t as good as other high end earbuds, like Apple’s, but the Tour Pro 2s are a little less expensive than other noise-canceling earbud options on this list, and they offer a slate of features that some of the more popular tech brands, like Apple, simply don’t have yet. One Reddit reviewer said that the noise cancellation is great — “maybe better than I remember my [first generation] AirPods Pros ever being.” Though many reviewers, myself included, say that the transparency mode could be improved. JBL Tour Pro 2 tech specs: Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3 | Battery life: 8 hours with ANC on and 10 hours with ANC off | Frequency range: 20 Hz – 20 kHz | Noise cancellation: Yes | Waterproof rating: IPX5 More