Robotics

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<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Boox Note Air 4C is a color ePaper tablet for notes and reading, available for $500. The tablet’s display is crisp and paper-like, and the included pen is accurate and sensitive, making it easy to create highly detailed sketches. The Note Air 4C isn’t cheap, at $530, and the included […] More

Tiernan Ray / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETGoogle this week made available the latest iteration of its Veo video-generation tool to users of its Gemini artificial intelligence program who have a “Pro” or “Ultra” account.Also: I used Google’s Flow AI to create my own videos with sound and dialogue – Here’s how it wentVeo has been available in preview for some time now. What’s new with the latest implementation is the ability to begin your video by uploading a still image to serve as the initial frame. (ZDNET’s Prakhar Khanna has reported his experience using the capability as a built-in feature of his Honor 400 phone, versus using it through the website as I did.) How to use Veo to generate videos from photosYou give the system a prompt, press enter, and Veo creates an eight-second video using your uploaded photo as a reference point from which to build the first frame of video. Veo adds sound, including music, footsteps, and other incidentals. Videos take several minutes at a time to develop. Also: This interactive AI video generator feels like walking into a video game – how to try itIn my testing so far, I find Veo’s implementation both fascinating and a bit creepy. My results with Veo’s photo-to-video featureI tried several still images I had taken, including a selfie and some street photography. Seeing one’s pictures come to life, if you will, is jarring. It is disconcerting how well it works, and, as the photographer, it’s disconcerting how the result contrasts with one’s memory of the event.Also: This new AI video editor is an all-in-one production service for filmmakers – how to try itThe good aspects are the quality of the video, which is in keeping with the photographic image. Things such as perspective of a scene are generally well maintained, and moving objects in the background are, in some cases, well-orchestrated to be consistent.1. Jogger running along the promenadeHere, for example, is a video I took of a jogger on the East River promenade in Manhattan. I gave Veo the prompt, “Please make a video in which the jogger continues to run into the distance along the promenade.”Below is the original still image followed by the Veo video. More

Chartchai Sansaneeyashewin/Getty Images Windows 11 is about to celebrate its fourth anniversary and runs on hundreds of millions of PCs worldwide. When it debuted in 2021, the new version of Microsoft’s flagship operating system was arguably an incremental change to Windows 10, with a fresh look and feel on top of core code that was […] More

Erikona/Getty Images Our story begins, as many stories do, with a man and his AI. The man, like many men, is a bit of a geek and a bit of a programmer. He also needs a haircut. The AI is the culmination of thousands of years of human advancement, all put to the service of […] More

filo/Getty Images You’ve probably been there before: there’s a song stuck in your head and you can’t remember the words, or you hear a song that you want to remember but don’t know the name. Fortunately, it’s never been easier to identify music around you if you have an Android phone.  All but one of […] More

Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNETA friend of mine recently told me, “I always keep my phone on silent mode… which doesn’t matter because I compulsively look at it every three minutes anyway.”He’s not the only one. From becoming a text addict to having full-blown smartphone dependency, the urge to look at and interact with our “flat things” has been deeply ingrained into our collective behavior for some time now.Also: I ditched my phone for this E Ink handset for two weeks – here’s my buying advice nowMonitoring your phone to check whenever it lights up seems innocent enough — a minor habit, utterly devoid of consequence. But is this seemingly harmless gesture actually working against you, subtly undermining your privacy, focus, and even your phone’s longevity?Placing your phone face down is a small change that can have surprising ripple effects on your digital well-being and device health. Here are five solid arguments for putting your phone to bed, screen-first.1. Reclaim your privacy Every notification that pops up on your screen is a potential billboard for anyone within viewing distance. A text from your significant other, a banking alert, an email from work — these fleeting glimpses can offer more information than you intend to share. When your phone is face up, your private world is literally on display. Even with a quick glance, someone nearby might catch a snippet of a sensitive message or a confidential meeting reminder.I’m not a hyper-vigilant, paranoid type, but identity security is a real thing. Placing your phone face down instantly shuts this window into your digital life, keeping your personal business, well, personal. It’s a simple, effective privacy shield in an increasingly exposed world. More

How do I install the iPadOS 26 public beta?Once Apple releases the public beta of iPadOS 26, you will not need to go through the above steps to to test the developer beta. Instead, you can follow the steps below. You’ll need an iPad running iPadOS 16.4 or later.Go to your iPad’s Settings and select General.Tap Software Update.Enable Beta Updates by choosing the iPadOS version you’d like to access.Select iPadOS 26 Public Beta. Your iPad will then receive automatic updates to the latest public beta version as it’s released. Which iPads are compatible with iPadOS 26? You’ll need an iPad with iPadOS 16.4 or later, which means one of these models: iPad Pro (M4)iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation or later)iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation and later)iPad Air (M3)iPad Air (M2)iPad Air (3rd generation and later)iPad (A16)iPad (8th generation and later)iPad Mini (A17 Pro)iPad Mini (5th generation and later)Also: Every iPad model that supports iPadOS 26 (and which ones won’t be compatible) When will iPadOS 26 release? Apple released the third developer beta of iPadOS 26 on July 7, exclusively for registered developers. The public beta is expected to go live in July, opening up early access to anyone to test. The final general release is slated for this fall, most likely in September. Also: Apple just gave me a compelling reason to ditch my MacBook for an iPad. Here’s why What to do before installing the iPadOS 26 developer beta? You can always join the Apple Beta program to get the latest beta versions of iPadOS. Before you download a beta version of an operating system, keep these housekeeping items in mind: Back up your device and personal information.Don’t download beta software, which will likely have bugs and glitches, on your everyday iPad.Beta versions are released so you can test new features and share feedback to improve iPadOS.How to submit beta feedback to AppleBy the time the public beta is released, Apple will have two beta versions of iPadOS: iPadOS 26 public beta and iPadOS 26 developer beta. Both come with a built-in Feedback Assistant app, which can be opened from the Home screen on your iPad. When you experience an issue or something does not work as expected, send your feedback directly to Apple with Feedback Assistant.Editor’s note: This article was originally published in June 2025. It was fact-checked and thoroughly updated on July 8, 2025.Get the morning’s top stories in your inbox each day with our Tech Today newsletter. More