Robotics

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Garmin Venu X1 is available in two color options for $799.99. The big 2-inch display is fantastic, the LED flashlight is brilliant, the thin case and light band make it a joy to wear, and the calculator now has a tip button. The always-on mode reduces battery life significantly, the […] More

Dell//ZDNETFor many states, the next school semester is right around the corner, and now is the time to start shopping for a new laptop. The question is, what should you get? MacBooks are a solid and popular choice, but what if you want to stay on Windows and are on a budget? I recommend the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus More

Lance Whitney / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETPasskeys promise to replace passwords as a more secure and convenient login method. But they still have a way to go before fulfilling that promise. That’s because passkeys are often way too difficult to set up on one device, let alone all the devices you use. The industry itself offers no standard or consistent method to save and store passkeys, so each company has cobbled together its own process, which may or may not work.Also: Passkeys won’t be ready for primetime until Google and other companies fix thisBy far, the biggest obstacle to using passkeys is trying to synchronize them across all the browsers and devices that you use. Just because you save a passkey on your Android phone, for example, doesn’t mean that it will be available on your Windows PC, or vice versa. That’s why I turn to a password manager as a central way to save and sync passkeys across all the browsers and devices I use. What if you don’t have a password manager? Well, there’s another route, at least if you use Chrome on your computers and mobile devices.How to sync passkeys in your Chrome browserTo help you store and synchronize your passwords and passkeys, Google provides its own password manager. The Google Password Manager is not only built into Android but is accessible through Chrome on any platform. That means you can sync your passkeys across Chrome on Android, in Windows, on a Mac, and on an iPhone or iPad. How does this all work? Here’s how I tried it across all my PCs and mobile devices. More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETApple’s WWDC annual developer conference in June signaled the first major redesign of iOS since 2013, with flashy demos of iOS 26’s Liquid Glass design and AI-driven features. Apple sometimes takes its time bringing features to its many surfaces, but when it does, it’s often a highly polished and well-considered take on a familiar theme.With the public beta release of iOS 26 this week, let’s unpack a few ways where Apple’s software is catching up, and how it stacks up against its Android counterpart.1. Call Screening and Hold Assist More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Amazfit Helio Strap is available now for $99. As a smartwatch alternative, the strap offers virtually all the same health tracking features via the robust Zepp app, with over a week of battery life. The fabric strap isn’t made of exceedingly high quality materials, but luckily can be easily replaced. […] More

MF3d / Getty Images When we hear the word “technology,” most of us automatically think of hardware; the physical devices that have become such a conspicuously present part of many of our day-to-day lives. But technology is a much more expansive phenomenon, encompassing not only all the various tools and gadgets we can clearly see, […] More

Yamaha True X Bar 50A Soundbar <!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Yamaha True X Bar 50A is available now for $499, with surround speakers sold separately (and individually). The sound produced by these speakers is rich, deep, well-blended, and spacious. I just wish the setup process were more seamless and straightforward. –> For months, I […] More

Google / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETHave you ever wished you could bring your favorite pictures to life? New AI-powered features in Google Photos will let you.Also: How to turn off Gemini in your Gmail, Docs, Photos, and more – it’s easy to opt outSix-second clipsEarlier today, Google announced several new creative tools to “help bring your memories to life” — including one that lets you take any picture saved in your gallery and turn it into a short video. You can choose to add “subtle movements” or pick “I’m feeling lucky” to animate your photo into a full six-second clip.Google added a similar photo-to-video capability to the Gemini app earlier this month (ZDNET Senior Contributing Writer Tiernan Ray said it was “disconcerting how well it works”). Also: 10 must-try Google Photos tips and tricks – including a new AI editorThere are some big differences between this and the Gemini version, though. One is that this one runs on Google’s older Veo 2 video model, while Gemini’s runs on Veo 3; the other is that you don’t get to type your own custom prompt in the Photos version. The feature is rolling out on Android and iOS. More