Information Technology

Google / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETA few months ago, I bought into the Jeep cult. One bit of fanciness with this vehicle is its ability to connect to Android Auto. I was excited because I’d never owned a car that could connect to my Android phone and actually make use of it.Of course, the biggest reason I wanted to use Android Auto was for the Spotify connection. My previous auto would allow me to connect my phone, but I had to control the music from the phone itself, which I wouldn’t do while driving (Drive safe, everyone.) Also: How to clear your Android phone cache (and why it greatly improved performance)Now that I can do all of that via the vehicle’s touch screen or steering-wheel controls, I’m actually using my phone’s Spotify app every time I get in the car. However… Android Auto slowly started either failing to connect or taking minutes to do so. It became frustrating. My phone instructed me that it was a problem with the cable, so I switched it out. Same problem, so I switched to another cable. I was using high-speed, high-quality cables, so that was not the issue.(I would recommend you purchase a high-speed, high-quality USB cable for this More

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 <!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is an excellent upgrade over its predecessor, thanks to its slim and light design, a strong hinge and a wider coverscreen. It’s very expensive at $2,000 for the starting configuration. But you’ll dig the improved hardware, especially if you’re familiar with […] More

Segway Navimow X3 Series <!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Navimow X3 Series starts at $2,299 for the 0.5 acre capacity. This mower has some of the best navigation capabilities I’ve ever seen, it features ultra-fast charging, and has proven to be one of the most reliable and consistent mowers. It only ever had trouble with […] More

Blackview Mega 1 <!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Blackview Mega 1 is available directly from Blackview and AliExpress, with prices starting at $330. The tablet has a big screen, a great display, fantastic sound output, and a lightweight design. However, the folio case feels flimsy, and there’s nowhere to store the stylus. –> If you […] More

Jack Wallen / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETHave you ever been relaxing when, out of nowhere, your phone blows up with notifications?I’ve been there too many times, which led me to keep my phone on silent mode 24/7. Then Google teased a new feature in Android 15 called Notification Cooldown that promised to change everything. Notification Cooldown didn’t exactly hit the mark in Android 15, but it has made a comeback in the latest iteration (Android 16) to ensure that it works exactly as expected. Also: How to clear your Android phone cache (and why you should do it before installing Android 16)Notification Cooldown manages how often notifications can be posted by an application over time. This feature is designed specifically to prevent apps from overwhelming users with too many notifications at once.What I like about Notification Cooldown is that it helps ensure I don’t miss important notifications because my phone was on silent (which has happened quite a bit). The new feature originally arrived with the March 2025 update to help minimize the interruptions that often accompany notifications. Once this feature is enabled, it automatically lowers the volume and minimizes alerts (for up to two minutes) when several notifications arrive in a short amount of time. Also: I changed 12 settings on my Android phone to significantly improve the battery lifeFor example, a friend of yours discovers a new diner you must try and starts texting you repeatedly to rave about how good it is. With Notification Cooldown enabled, that barrage of texts happens silently, so you don’t have to suffer through the “dings” or put your phone on silent mode. Even when Notification Cooldown is activated, you can still pull down the Notification Shade and view that deluge of texts. The caveat to using Notification Cooldown is that it cannot be customized so far. You can enable or disable the feature, and that’s it. The feature first appeared on Pixel devices but should trickle down to others over time. Notification Cooldown also does not apply to alarms, emergency alerts, and priority conversations. How to enable Notification Cooldown What you need: To use Notification Cooldown, you’ll need an Android Pixel phone running at least the March 2025 update. Hopefully the feature will arrive on other devices soon. More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The AAWireless Two typically costs $65 and gives you wireless Android Auto support when plugged in. A new built-in button lets you quickly swap between paired devices. The companion app is almost too robust, but that’s a good problem to have. –> <!–> apr / 2025 Since I bought my first […] More

RedMagic Astra <!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The RedMagic Astra gaming tablet is available on Amazon starting at $700. The tablet offers unmatched performance for an Android tablet. When the fan is in use on the Astra, the battery does drain a bit faster, and the price is up there for a tablet. –> As far […] More

Lance Whitney / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETPasskeys promise to replace passwords as a more secure and convenient login method. But they still have a way to go before fulfilling that promise. That’s because passkeys are often way too difficult to set up on one device, let alone all the devices you use. The industry itself offers no standard or consistent method to save and store passkeys, so each company has cobbled together its own process, which may or may not work.Also: Passkeys won’t be ready for primetime until Google and other companies fix thisBy far, the biggest obstacle to using passkeys is trying to synchronize them across all the browsers and devices that you use. Just because you save a passkey on your Android phone, for example, doesn’t mean that it will be available on your Windows PC, or vice versa. That’s why I turn to a password manager as a central way to save and sync passkeys across all the browsers and devices I use. What if you don’t have a password manager? Well, there’s another route, at least if you use Chrome on your computers and mobile devices.How to sync passkeys in your Chrome browserTo help you store and synchronize your passwords and passkeys, Google provides its own password manager. The Google Password Manager is not only built into Android but is accessible through Chrome on any platform. That means you can sync your passkeys across Chrome on Android, in Windows, on a Mac, and on an iPhone or iPad. How does this all work? Here’s how I tried it across all my PCs and mobile devices. More