Robotics

oxygen/Getty Images Happy Holidays! May your coffee be strong and your Wi-Fi signal stronger this season! But the holiday season isn’t just about getting the best wireless signal and loading up on go juice; it’s about family, friends, food, fun, and finances. And, frankly, holidays can be a lot of work. There’s a lot to […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Goldemate 1000 Pro UPS is available now on Amazon for $199. With a Lithium battery that can last for nearly two hours, this UPS is hard to beat at the price. There’s no means of communicating to a PC for a graceful shutdown, should power go out. –> For as […] More

One of the most common questions we get asked at ZDNET is “what’s the fastest laptop?” It’s tough to answer, because ultimately, it depends. Fastest at what? There are a lot of factors that go into a laptop’s speed (and how it’s measured) but we’ve put together a list of the best-performing laptops for the use cases where speed and performance matter most. If you’re talking about creative tasks, “fastest” might refer to the speed at rendering 4K video and working with high-resolution image files. In that case, the fastest laptop will have a powerful graphics card and lots of RAM. Namely: the Asus ProArt P16 More

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images The TikTok ban could be catastrophic for Americans. This crisis has ripple effects that could disrupt industries and shake the American economy. 💰 Aly (my editor) HATES when I do hot takes… but billions per month are at stake, and American small businesses are on the line so I have […] More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETWhen choosing a virtual private network (VPN) service, the options are endless. In a market flooded with promotions, deals, lists of features, different encryption standards, and varying device support, it can be easy to forget the core reason for using a VPN: you need a service that improves your online security and privacy.  Also: The best VPN services: Expert tested and reviewedBut how can you make that decision wisely? It’s always best to start with a VPN’s reputation, especially when backed by extensive testing. The team at ZDNET has years of experience in this field. Out of the 50 or so branded commercial options available today, we’ve narrowed down our recommendations to a fraction of the whole, depending on different use cases. Two of our top choices crop up often: NordVPN More

Evgeny Gromov/Getty Images Microsoft’s Windows 10 will reach the end of its life in October 2025. Time seems to be going by faster and faster — the next thing you know, you’ll no longer be receiving updates for your operating system. Why is that a bad thing? Security. Would you want to use an operating […] More

Max Buondonno/ZDNETIn a recent Pixel Feature Drop, Google rolled out the ability to cap your phone’s battery charge at 80%. Recent iPhone models also have a similar feature. While that might seem like something you’d never want to do, it’s actually good for your phone’s battery and will help prolong the battery’s life — if you can afford to turn it on.This feature introduces something called bypass charging for any phone that has it. But what is that and why does it matter that your phone has it? Here’s an explanation.Also: The Pixel 6 just got a free software upgrade that makes it my favorite budget Android phoneUsually, your phone draws power from its battery to operate, even if plugged in. However, the constant cycle of charging and depleting isn’t great for your battery’s health, especially if you’re the type of person who lets your phone get to 0% regularly. Over enough cycles, your phone eventually won’t hold as much of a charge and will deplete more quickly. With bypass charging, your phone bypasses the battery once it reaches the 80% mark while plugged in and runs entirely on power from the outlet. This helps your battery last even longer as it stays at a constant 80% and will not engage in battery cycling. While some phones have a bypass charging feature that uses wall power anytime your phone is plugged in, Pixel’s bypass charging feature only kicks in once your phone reaches an 80% charge. However, this is still something to take advantage of, if you’re interested in boosting your battery’s health.  More

Microsoft One of the biggest selling points of the Apple ecosystem is the ability to work seamlessly across different devices — like the handy AirDrop feature for easy file transfer. In an announcement today to Windows Insiders, Microsoft said it’s introducing a way to make it easier to share files between an iPhone and a Windows […] More