Robotics

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Baseus MC1 earbuds are availble now on Amazon for $69 Although the sound of the MC1 earbuds won’t blow you away, the comfort and ease of control make up for it You really need to use the Baseus app to get the most out of these earbuds. –> The Baseus […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways Perfect way to share 100W of power between three devices. This cable does exactly what it says it will on the box – something that a lot of cables can’t claim. Some might find the 65W limit a bit restrictive for charging laptops. more buying choices Over the past couple of […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways Lenovo’s 10th-Gen Yoga Slim 9i retails for $1,760. It’s a lightweight laptop with a striking design and an even more striking 4K OLED touchscreen. However, some will find its lack of ports limiting and the webcam low-quality. more buying choices One of the things I appreciate about Lenovo is its willingness […] More

Lance Whitney/ZDNETMany popular AIs offer a voice mode that enables you to carry on live conversations with a chatbot. Often, chatting by voice is more convenient, more natural, and more fun than trying to converse through text prompts. Plus, you can typically review a transcript of the conversation after you’re done, so you still have access to the actual text.But which AIs are the best conversationalists? I tried chatting by voice with ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, Meta AI, and Grok using their respective mobile apps. I started with the same topic to see how each one would react and where the conversation would go.Also: ElevenLabs’ new AI voice assistant can automate your favorite tasks – and you can try it for freeSpecifically, I told each one that our cat, Mr. Giggles, was acting very nervous and anxious lately and that I was worried and didn’t know what to do. This is partly true. Our cat always feels a bit traumatized after he returns home from a vet checkup. That effect goes away after a day or two, but I thought it would be a good topic of conversation.I judged the AIs’ conversational abilities not just on knowledge but on tone and personality, two factors that are important when you’re speaking with a person or a bot. Here’s how the conversations went and which AI I liked best. More

Deagreez/Getty A Gallup poll published Wednesday found that 30% of teachers are using AI weekly — and that it’s saving them “six weeks a year.”   According to data from the 2024 to 2025 school year, 60% of K-12 teachers reported using some kind of AI tool in their work, most commonly to create worksheets […] More

ANDREY DENISYUK/Getty The Trump administration’s tax bill — also called its “big, beautiful bill” — which rounds up key pieces of the president’s agenda, also includes a rule that would prevent states from enforcing their own AI legislation for 10 years, if passed. After an initial budget hiccup, Republican senators successfully amended the rule to […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The EcoFlow Delta Pro Ultra battery and inverter unit is available now for $6,299 while the Smart Home Panel 2 is available for $1,899. The single unit has a 6kWh capacity and supports a 7,200W output and 5.6kW solar input, allowing it to run an entire home, especially when stacked with […] More

Is Amazon running a July 4th sale?Amazon isn’t likely to run a specific, site-wide sale for Independence Day, as the annual Prime Day sale kicks off on July 8. But you’re likely to find markdowns on both high-end and budget-friendly TVs anyway, as brands like Samsung, LG, and Hisense are already offering discounts in the lead-up to Prime Day. Walmart has already announced July 4th markdowns across the site, though it’s mostly home goods like clothing, bed linens, and seasonal summer items. There are a few tech deals available, but we may have to wait until July 4th itself to see the best TV deals go live. Best Buy is planning on running a Black Friday in July sale to compete with Prime Day, with early markdowns available across the site on everything you need to upgrade your home theater.Is July 4th a good time to buy a TV? While most July 4th sales are focused on moving inventory for seasonal items and home goods, with the holiday being so close to the usual time frame for Amazon’s annual Prime Day sale event, as well as competing sales from Best Buy and other retailers. However, you can expect to find early markdowns on TVs from big brands like LG and Sony as well as mid-range options like Hisense, TCL, and even Roku. What is the best TV? I’ve chosen the Samsung S95D as my pick for the best TV that you can buy overall in 2025. With signature OLED picture quality as well as a max refresh rate of 144Hz, you’ll experience smoother action and more lifelike images. And with both Dolby Atmos virtual surround sound and Samsung’s object-tracking sound technology, you’ll get 3D audio that follows the on-screen action. Though if you’d like to ask the audience, ZDNET readers have gravitated toward the LG G4 OLED as their number one fan-favorite TV. And it’s easy to see why with its incredible picture quality, Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision HDR support, as well as support for both AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync VRR for console gaming. More