Information Technology

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET ZDNET’s key takeaways Google is implementing a new AI-powered age verification method.Machine learning will analyze your activity (mostly on YouTube) to guess your age.If AI guesses wrong, you’ll need to go through a verification process.A day after announcing AI-powered age verification on YouTube, which we explained in more detail yesterday, Google is launching it on a larger scale, and again it’s on you to sort out any problems if AI guesses wrong.Also: Google Chrome for iOS now lets you switch between personal and work accountsIn a post announcing “a safer online experience for US kids and teens,” Google says it’s introducing new technology to distinguish between older and younger users. This technology will analyze your online activity and make an attempt at guessing your age. If it thinks you’re under 18, your account will be restricted until you can prove you’re older. This process has been in testing in other markets, and Google says it worked well. How Google estimates your age Google says its age-estimation model uses machine learning to interpret “a variety of signals.” It notes that these signals are already associated with your account and that it’s not gathering any new information. These signals include the types of information you search for on YouTube, the categories of videos you watch, and the age of the account itself. Also: You can ask Gemini AI anything directly in Google Chrome – here’s how and why you shouldEven though the age restrictions apply to multiple Google products and services, it seems like YouTube is the only potential source of age information for now outside of how long ago you created your account. More

Maria Diaz/ZDNETHave you ever found yourself in a thermostat tug-of-war? One room feels like a sauna, another like an icebox, all while your trusty thermostat claims your home is at a perfectly average and comfortable 72 degrees?The truth is, you’re probably not imagining things, and the culprit could be hanging right there on your wall. As it turns out, where your thermostat is located can make a world of difference to both your comfort and your energy bills.Also: How to disable ACR on your TV (and why doing so makes such a big difference)Chances are, your thermostat is not located in the sweet spot for accurate whole-home temperature readings. In a way, your thermostat is the brain of your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. It senses the air temperature and tells your system when to kick on and when to take a break. But what if it’s getting a skewed version of reality? According to experts, this is a common scenario, and it’s likely costing you money. Here are some tips for where to avoid installing your thermostat, and the best places to do it instead. More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETOne reason why the Pixel phones are so popular is the camera. There’s a depth, a level of clarity, and brilliant/accurate colors that most phone cameras cannot match.Also: How to clear your Android phone cache (and why it greatly improves performance)Google is always trying to one-up itself by improving the Pixel camera with every iteration. Back with the Pixel 8, Google introduced the P3 wide gamut capture feature that came along with the Ultra HDR format of Android 14. The Display P3 wide gamut capture makes photos seriously come alive with color.What is Display P3?Display P3 is a color space that combines the following:DCI-P3 color gamutD65 white pointsRGB gamma curveFor those who didn’t sit at the popular photography club table at lunch, Gamma is a nonlinear operation used to encode and decode luminance in photos and videos. An even easier-to-understand definition is that gamma defines the relationship between a pixel’s numerical value and its luminance. Without gamma, your photos wouldn’t capture color as your eyes see it.Also: I changed 12 settings on my Android phone to significantly improve the battery lifeWhite point (aka white balance) helps a camera avoid tint in colors and light. Think of it in terms of color temperature. Are you filming in daylight or warm indoor light? With an incorrect white point, your photos could come out with a blue or amber cast.Color gamut is a range of colors within a color space that can be reproduced by a device.Display P3 (also known as DCI-P3) is a color space created by the Digital Cinema Initiatives and Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers to try and standardize colors used in the film industry. P3 targets what you see in the cinema. There’s even a chart of the coordinates for the red (x = .68, y = .332), green (x = .265, y = .69), blue (x = .15, y = .06), white point (x = .134, y = .351).Also: I replaced my Pixel 9 Pro with the 9a for a month – here’s my buying advice nowP3 offers a much wider range of colors than sRGB, so anyone looking to up their mobile photography game should consider using Display P3. If you’re a Google Pixel 8 or 9 user, you’re in luck because all of the smartphones in that range support P3.Let me show you how to enable it. More

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