Robotics

Artificial Intelligence – growing trend in importance from 2024 to 2025 McKinsey 2025 ResearchZDNET’s key takeawaysAI agents are the technologies that matter most for companies in 2025.AI stands out not only as a powerful technology wave on its own but also as a foundational amplifier of other trends.Autonomous systems, including physical robots and digital AI agents, are moving from pilot projects to practical applications.Which frontier technologies matter most for companies in 2025? According to McKinsey research, there are 13 new frontier technologies that matter most to companies, including agentic AI.Also: How AI agents can generate $450 billion by 2028 – and what stands in the wayResearch from other industry analyst firms validate the economic impact of AI, including a $450 billion market associated with agentic AI by 2028. This year’s technology developments highlight a future where technology is more adaptive, collaborative, and essential for solving global problems. McKinsey saw this across various fields, from the increasing prevalence of robotics and autonomous systems to the critical need for responsible AI innovations. McKinsey identified a set of themes that capture the impact of these frontier technologies, including:  More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETZDNET’s key takeawaysApple is slated to announce new hardware next month. Notable Apple Watch updates could be coming, according to rumors. Blood pressure monitoring and sleep scores could be on the way. We’re a month away from Apple’s annual September hardware event, where the tech giant announces its latest releases, from iPhones and iPads to AirPods and, my favorite, Apple Watches. Rumors are swirling about what’s to come on the next generation Apple Watch, the Apple Watch Series 11. Also: Should you buy the iPhone 16 or iPhone 17? How to decide which model to buyApple’s latest smartwatch software, WatchOS 26, gives us a few glimpses at what the Series 11 is capable of. A new Workout Buddy feature guides Apple Watch users through their workouts with encouragements, personal record announcements, and progress reports. Apple’s new Liquid Glass display makes widgets, messages, and apps appear clear on the watch and mimics the display of Apple Vision Pro headset. Outside of those software updates, I’m keeping my eyes and ears open for rumors, murmurs, and whispers on Apple’s next Apple Watch. Here’s what we’ve heard so far.  More

Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images We all know AI relies on open-source software, but most of the big AI companies avoid opening their code or their large language model (LLM) weights. Today, things have changed. OpenAI, the artificial intelligence titan behind ChatGPT, announced a landmark return to its open-source origins.  The company unveiled two new […] More

Joan Cros/NurPhoto via Getty Images ZDNET’s key takeaways Google is introducing powerful tech for agents and data. They are also introducing a series of data-centric agents. A new command-line AI coding tool is now available. I am no stranger to hyperbolic claims from tech companies. Anyone who’s on the receiving end of a firehose of […] More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETWith the start of back-to-school shopping, you may have tweens, teens, and college-aged kids asking for their first smartphone or an upgrade to their old device. And right now at Verizon, both new and existing customers can get up to four free iPhone 15 Plus More

Maria Diaz/ZDNETIf you’re a subscriber to the Nextdoor app, you’ve seen plenty of footage of prowling ne’er-do-wells caught in the eye of a video doorbell or home security camera. Hopefully, you don’t have your own first-hand experience with suspicious characters milling around your front porch, or far worse.Also: Unplugging these 7 common household devices helped reduce my electricity billsFor good reason, security cameras continue to grow in popularity, and we can expect them to become even more reliable and affordable this year. While we don’t necessarily require super high-res imagery from these discrete little devices, you can get the most out of them by being mindful of a few factors — especially where you position your camera(s). 1. Avoid obstructions (even future obstructions)Obviously, you won’t be putting a lens behind anything that blocks its view. Sometimes, though, that can include objects that change in size or shape over time, like trees and shrubs. During wintertime, a clear view of your yard may become a different story when branches bloom with new foliage in the spring.The same can apply to interior views, at least with objects that come and go. Will shutting a door somewhere within your camera’s line of sight block out a good percentage of its field of vision? Will your pet cat find a favorite spot to curl up in for hours at a time, right in front of the device? More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways Sigma’s BF is a $2,200, 35mm full-frame, mirrorless digital camera that radically changes the mode of operation by replacing the gaggle of buttons with an elegant click-wheel. It’s a great first camera but also has tons of pro features A future upgrade to a higher-resolution 60-megapixel sensor would be a welcome […] More

Jack Wallen/ZDNET ZDNET’s key takeaways Google is developing another Linux terminal app.The app runs a full Debian environment.Developers will be able to build Android apps on device.For some time, Android has had access to a terminal app that ran a full-blown, text-only Linux environment. This app is enabled via Android’s developer options feature and makes it possible for users to run Linux commands (even SSH).From Google’s perspective, that wasn’t enough. Also: 5 Linux terminal apps better than your defaultBut it seemed a bit odd when they went mum on the Linux Terminal app at the annual I/O developer conference. Even with that silence, a bit of new news has surfaced that points to Google releasing a new take on the Linux terminal app, one that targets developers. Build directly on Android devicesThis new Linux terminal app will allow developers to build Android apps directly on Android devices. That’s a huge change from having to build on emulators running on top of a desktop OS. Also: 5 surprisingly productive things you can do with the Linux terminalThe new Linux terminal app uses the Android Virtualization Framework to boot into a Debian image running on a virtual machine. This new terminal app provides a full-blown Linux development environment that allows developers to leverage the tools they need to build native apps. That includes Android Studio. More