Robotics

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The HP EliteBook Ultra G1i is on sale for $2,199. I highly recommend it to people looking for a laptop with top-performing hardware, a vibrant screen, and a high-quality webcam. However, because of its limited port selection, some might find its usability limited without supplementary accessories. –> The HP EliteBook Ultra […] More

Maria Diaz/ZDNETFew things ruin the joy of watching a good show more than suddenly seeing that rotating asterisk symbol or swirly icon that tells you your TV is buffering. Or maybe it’s stuttering, or altogether freezing. If this is happening on your Roku TV, don’t give up on it just yet.Also: Slow Roku TV? This 30-second fix made my system run like new againLike phones and computers, Rokus have caches that accumulate temporary data, which inevitably slows them down over time. There are simple ways to clear up this hidden clutter and get your Roku TV behaving like its normal, healthy self.Here are a few methods to clear your Roku’s cache, improve its speed, and make shows play smoothly again.1. Start by unplugging it More

If your dad is a fitness fanatic who enjoys purposefully designed tech, he’ll likely be impressed with the new Whoop 5.0 band. The Whoop 5.0 is the newest release since the Whoop 4.0, and it’s a standout among fitness trackers because of its unique design — a band without a screen. While Whoop is mainly considered a health tracker used by pro athletes and fitness enthusiasts, the launch of the new wearables caters to a more general, health-minded customer base willing to pay a high price for cutting-edge health tech. Also: I wore the Whoop 5.0 – it gave me the best of Oura Ring, Apple Watch, and moreIn September 2023, Whoop unveiled Whoop Coach, a GPT-4-supported conversational chatbot that can deliver personalized recommendations and fitness coaching based on the user’s data. The addition of Whoop Coach is an attempt to expand the device’s target audience, giving everyone, regardless of athletic experience, the ability to understand their biometric data and take steps toward improving their health. ZDNET’s health wearables expert Nina Raemont tested the Whoop 5.0 band in May, and says she is impressed with its functions. “The new health bands track your sleep, activity, and recovery like the rest of the health trackers on the market. However, the bands also deliver innovative new features, like a blood pressure monitor that provides data right from your wrist, an ECG monitor that detects atrial fibrillation, and clinician-reviewed reports for blood testing and vitals monitoring,” Raemont says. More

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETYou might’ve heard about that recent viral Street View trend — the one where people learned they can go back in time and see street-view-level imagery of their house or a loved one’s home, and they’re getting emotional spotting long-gone relatives, friends, or even trees when they try it for themselves. But did you know you can do something similar with Google Earth?Unlike Google Street View, which only goes back to 2007 and shows you a first-person, panoramic point of view, Google Earth offers 3D views of practically anywhere — and in some places, you can go back as far as the 1930s with historical imagery. I tried it myself, searching old childhood homes in New York. I could see them going all the way back to the 80s. Also: How to blur your house on Google Street View (and 4 reasons why people do it)Admittedly, the farther I went back, the imagery looked like flat, top-down aerial views, some of which were blurry. But zoom to the 1990s, and the imagery got more dynamic and clearer. By the early 2000s, I could see satellite data in 3D.Historical imagery in Google Earth can show drastic changes to places over long periods of time — in London, Berlin, Warsaw, and Paris, you can see aerial imagery from the World War II era up to satellite views in modern times. It’s fascinating to have a bird’s-eye perspective and to be able to see how your house, neighborhood, or city has changed over several decades. How to go back in time with Google Earth Are you a curious homeowner? Or maybe an amateur historian? Perhaps you love nostalgia, or you’re just interested in the latest Google tools? Either way, here’s all you need to know to about Google Earth’s historical imagery.What you need: You’ll need an internet-connected device — such as a PC or a smartphone — to access Google Earth online. (There is a desktop app for Google Earth; although this guide mostly provides step-by-step instructions for the website and mobile app, the experience is very similar across platforms.)   More

Milwaukee/ZDNETMemorial Day might be over, but you can still find great deals on hand tools and wrench sets, like this 77-piece Milwaukee SAE/Metric wrench and socket set More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Nerdytec Couchmaster Cyworx is an ergonomic lap desk for WFH employees or gamers for $150. It features an oversized mouse pad, a ventilation grill for laptop cooling, wrist pads, and more. The setup may be too cumbersome for smaller couches and isn’t ideal for travel. more buying choices I recently […] More

Google / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETLast summer, Google added the ability for Gemini in Gmail to summarize individual messages or long email threads. It was an especially useful feature for catching up on an email chain while you’re on the go or if you were on a smaller screen, like your phone.Also: Gemini can now watch Google Drive videos for you – including work meetingsThe only drawback was that you had to manually start the “Summarize this email” process from the Gemini sidebar. That’s changing, at least for some users. Automatic summary cardsIn an announcement yesterday, Google says those summary cards will now appear automatically for Workspace users. Starting this week, mobile users will begin seeing summaries at the top of email messages when Gemini determines it’s helpful — for example, in a long thread, or in messages with several replies. Google says Gemini will combine all key points from the emails, noting that the summary will change as new replies come in. Also: 8 ways Google’s Gemini AI assistant is getting more powerful and helpfulIf a message doesn’t have an automatic summary, you can still use the Gemini sidebar method or look for the “Summarize this email” chip at the top. AvailabilityThis feature is only available for emails in English right now and only for mobile users. Google says the automatic summaries add-on is rolling out gradually, meaning it may take up to two weeks to appear on your account. It’s available for Workspace accounts on both Android and iOS devices. Also: I tested ChatGPT’s Deep Research against Gemini, Perplexity, and Grok AI to see which is bestGemini seems to be a reliable product, but given the nature of AI in general, it’s always best to make sure these summaries are correct. More

Lance Whitney / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETDesigning a detailed web app, dashboard, or even spreadsheet might take you hours to complete. What if someone or something could do the same work in just a few minutes? That’s the idea behind the new Labs tool from Perplexity AI.In a blog post published Thursday, Perplexity explained how Labs can create anything from reports to spreadsheets to dashboards to simple web apps. The new feature is accessible only to Pro subscribers, who pay $20 per month (though there are a couple of ways to score the plan for free). Also: The best AI chatbots: ChatGPT, Copilot, and notable alternativesThis new capability is available on Perplexity’s website and in its iOS and Android apps. The company has also promised its imminent arrival in its Windows and Mac apps. Perplexity Labs is content creation to the nth degree. The tool can help you design and complete a host of projects, both personally and professionally. Whether you’re cooking up a meal plan, analyzing your financial situation, or developing a marketing campaign, you can use Labs to flesh out your idea from start to finish. Also: How AI coding agents could destroy open source softwareThat all sounds helpful. But what’s really cool is the way Perplexity Labs can build interactive content for you.To kick things off, simply choose the Labs icon at the prompt and submit your request. Labs then goes into action, consulting the necessary web sources, compiling the data, and finally creating your project. It will even tell you how many minutes it will take to complete the job, typically at least 10 minutes, but sometimes longer, depending on the project. What can Perplexity Labs generate?1. Computer code Tell Labs the purpose of your code or program, and it will write it for you. The tool can tackle specific tasks such as structuring data, applying formulas, and creating charts. It will then execute the code to see how it works. From there, you’re able to modify your request or description, and Labs will update the code for you. 2. Reports Give Labs the topic of the report you want created, and it will gather and compile the required information. In response, it builds a dynamic report with text, charts, graphs, and images. Any files it creates during the process are placed in an Assets section, so you can view and download them all. Also: Perplexity is the AI tool Gemini wishes it could beTo try this out, I told Labs to create a report that correlates each arrival of Halley’s Comet with significant events that occurred on Earth. After several minutes of data gathering and asset creation, the tool served up a detailed report with links, charts, and images (including one amazing image of a tapestry from 1066 showing the arrival of the comet). The report itself was well documented and organized, breaking down the information into different sections. 3. Spreadsheets Here, Labs can design anything from a simple table to a complex, interactive spreadsheet. Again, just give it the subject or goal of the spreadsheet. The tool finds the necessary information and builds what you need. Also: What is Perplexity Deep Research, and how do you use it?To try this out, I asked Labs to design an interactive spreadsheet for a Sudoku puzzle. In response, it took to the web to gather the rules and regulations for Sudoku and then designed a spreadsheet that I could access online or download to my PC. More