Robotics

Jack Wallen / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETLadies and gents of the Linux community, it is time to enjoy another point release of yet another desktop environment: KDE Plasma 6.4. A point release? I got you all excited about a point release? Hear me out.1. HDR/EDR support One of the biggest additions to KDE Plasma 6.4 is support for Extended Dynamic Range and a new High Dynamic Range wizard. The new HDR Calibration wizard is found in System Settings > Display & Monitor and only appears if you’ve connected an HDR monitor to your machine. Also: Ready to ditch Windows? ‘End of 10’ makes converting your PC to Linux easier than everThe developers have also stepped up their game by making it possible to enable Extended Dynamic Range on supporting monitors, allowing them to achieve simulated HDR. This is made possible by automatically changing the background brightness. At the same time, you can also limit the maximum color depth on supporting screens. This is important because limiting the maximum color depth can reduce file sizes and improve performance when color fidelity is not critical. It also saves bandwidth when streaming content. Again, you’ll only see this option when you’ve connected a monitor that supports HDR. 2. A much-improved System Monitor Those of you who like data will love the improvements made to Plasma’s System Monitor. The latest iteration now includes a better set of default monitors, including GPU usage and metrics for individual disk usage. More

Ring Ring just added new Video Descriptions, a feature powered by artificial intelligence (AI) that will offer richer notifications of what your Ring cameras capture. The company hopes this generative AI-powered feature will provide you with more meaningful information to help you distinguish between urgent and everyday activities. Also: I found a worthy Ring alternative in […] More

Whether or not to give your kids a phone is a tricky decision for every parent. The fact remains that our kids are growing up in a technology-driven world. Instead of viewing a phone for your child as a negative thing, you can gain peace of mind with the ability to track their location and contact them directly no matter where they are. While the decision to get your kid a phone can be complicated, we’ve broken it down for you to make the most informed purchase. Also: The best kids’ tabletsWhat is the best kids’ phone right now?While there are some phones on the market made specifically for kids, other smartphones provide basic and affordable features that could be useful to your child. ZDNET rounded up the kid-friendly phones and found the best overall pick to be the Apple iPhone SE More

Maria Diaz/ZDNETData removal services began to appear around 15 years ago, after data brokers realized that data could become a new, valuable currency — and one ripe for exploitation, given the lack of laws and little to no consumer data privacy protection written into legislation.Incogni More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways Ugreen’s M.2 NVMe Enclosure is on sale on Amazon for $75. It’s an easy to use enclosure that doesn’t rely on minute fasteners, and features USB4 speeds of up to 40Gbps. If you need a device that supports up to 80Gbps, you’ll want to upgrade. –> External storage drives have become […] More

Whether you’re a student, a professional, or a casual user, there’s a laptop out there for you. Each year heralds in new models with improved performance, fascinating designs, and smart features that push the tech into new worlds. I live and breathe laptops because they are some of the most dynamic and versatile devices out there.Here at ZDNET, we test dozens of laptops each year, both in our lab and at homes. From those experiences, we then create our multitude of best laptop guides — but here, we’re doing something different.Also: The best laptops you can buyOur team has collected data on the top-selling laptops for ZDNET readers across different retailers. The following entries are listed in order of units sold through the links clicked from ZDNET reviews. (Be aware that your privacy is protected. ZDNET only has access to aggregate data from our specific user base. There’s no way for us to identify individual people.) Here are ZDNET readers’ most-purchased laptops for 2025 so far.  Kyle Kucharski/ZDNETThe 10 most popular laptops among ZDNET readers
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Kicking off our list is the Acer Aspire Go 15 Slim. Admittedly, I didn’t expect to see this on the list, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. The Aspire Go 15 Slim is a top-notch, budget-friendly laptop. At $300, you receive a highly capable device that is perfect for everyday usage. It can handle lightweight workloads with ease. What’s more, Acer’s model is slim, has a decent webcam, and a decent battery life of eight hours If you need a cheap laptop for work or school, the Aspire Go 15 Slim is highly recommended.Review: Acer Aspire Go 15 Slim
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SOPA Images / Contributor / Getty If you’re an AT&T Wireless customer, you’re about to receive a potentially life-saving feature on your phone. The company announced several upgrades to its Next Generation 9-1-1 ESInet emergency communications platform this week, with the most important one coming to your phone. Later this year, AT&T customers will be […] More

Eoneren/Getty Images Imagine being at a party in the not-too-distant future, and telling people you are a “synthetic reality producer.” That’s something sure to elicit quite a bit of curiosity. On the other hand, it may be a common job title by the year 2030.  There’s been a fair bit of chatter lately about the […] More