Robotics

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The JBL Tour Pro 3 earbuds offer clear and strong sound, powerful noise cancellation, and a battery life that will last you your entire work week. The earbuds come with many improvements, like a Smart-Charging Case compatibility that plugs into in-flight entertainment or laptops for instant Bluetooth connectivity, as well as […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways SDesk is available now, free of charge, and you can install it on as many computers as you need. It’s a fast and dependable Linux distribution with a user interface that anyone will be instantly familiar with. I experienced some minor issues during my setup, which were simple to resolve. –> […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways Twelve South’s PlugBug is a wall charger optimized for iOS, offering native Find My support. It’s especially convenient for frequent flyers who are prone to misplacing their vital charging cables. The device is pricey but worth it for its bulk, versatility, and convenience. –> On my first trip abroad, one of […] More

Sean Gladwell/Getty Images Have you decided what to do with your Windows 10 PCs when they reach their official end-of-support date five months from now? I know some people who are convinced that Microsoft will back down at the last minute and extend that deadline. Take this prediction to the bank: That’s not gonna happen. Also: […] More

To help protect your privacy while using your PS5, you can customize certain settings to control what information is visible to others, restrict who can communicate with you, and manage your account security. This includes limiting who can see your online status, gaming history, and profile information, as well as controlling access to your account and console. Under Settings, head to Users and Accounts  > Privacy  > View and Customize Your Privacy Settings. Here, you can control who can see your real name, profile picture, friends list, game activity and history, and who can send friend requests or interact with you online. For each of the variables in this menu, I recommend choosing “No One” and “Close Friends Only.” This should significantly reduce unwanted friend requests or spam.Also: How to clear your TV cache (and why it makes such a big difference)If you’re like me, you don’t feel a need to infuse Sony’s database with more personal information than required, such as the voice data collected through your DualSense controller’s microphone.Under Privacy, scroll down to “Control how your data is collected and used” to access three options: Data You Provide, Personalization, and Voice Data Collection. For the former (Data You Provide), change the setting to Limited. For Personalization, I recommend turning off all four of the sub-options, including Standard Personalization. For the latter, switch to Don’t Allow for Voice Data Collection. More

It’s easy to take for granted constant communications — cellular and Wi-Fi blanket a large amount of the world. But once you step outside of that coverage, you’re on your own. While I love being away from it, the people around me appreciate a message or two. Also, if something goes bad — I have a medical emergency, something happens to my vehicle, or I’m delayed — having the ability to send a message is actually priceless.I’ve tested a lot of satellite messengers, and the one that I find myself using the most is the Garmin InReach Messenger. It’s a small, puck-sized unit that works both as a self-contained messenger device and when connected to a smartphone. It sends and uploads your location every 10 minutes to Garmin’s MapShare website, where you can give friends and family a special URL (and optional password) to see your location on a map in real-time. Yes, there is a subscription needed to access the satellite network, but you can pause this when you’re not using it. Also: This tiny satellite communicator impressed me during one off-grid adventure More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Moto G Stylus is currently on sale for $400 It is the best of Motorola’s 2025 series sporting a Super HD display and the most powerful chipset of the bunch You’ll hardly ever use its namesake feature, the stylus. more buying choices They say good things come in threes, and […] More

Jack Wallen / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETFinding a lightweight Linux distribution is as easy as closing your eyes and pointing to a list. Chances are good that your finger will land on a distribution perfectly suited for older hardware, giving that aging machine new life. On newer hardware, those lightweight distributions run faster than any OS you have ever experienced. Xubuntu is one such distribution.Xubuntu is an official Ubuntu spin that opts for the Xfce desktop environment (which is what makes this distribution so fast). Xfce is not only very lightweight, but it is also highly flexible. You can bend and twist Xfce into just about any layout you want, but those new to Linux might want to leave the default settings as is — because the default Xubuntu layout is as simple as it gets.Also: 5 surprisingly productive things you can do with the Linux terminalWhen you first log in, you are greeted by two desktop icons (Trash and Home), a top bar with a desktop menu and system tray, and a right-click menu. Click the desktop menu, and a searchable menu appears that includes categories, favorites, and power options. Within the menu, you will find apps like LibreOffice, Geary (email), Firefox, media players, an App Center, and more.Also: Ready to ditch Windows for good? This is the Linux distro I recommend for beginnersThe look of Xubuntu is straight-up classic with no frills or eye candy. It is basic, and it is simple. But what really makes Xubuntu stand out is its sheer speed. With all of the updates, bug fixes, and general improvements that went into Ubuntu 25.04, as well as the polish on the latest version of Xfce, this distribution is all about speed. More