Robotics

We’re not living the Jetsons’ life yet, but I’m a firm believer that we’re headed that way. With so many home automation systems and brands selling smart home devices, creating a smart home ecosystem can feel overwhelming. There are thousands of products in stores that even I, as a smart home reviewer, haven’t tried. I have tested dozens of home automation platforms from different manufacturers and can help you decide which products are worth your money.What’s the best home automation system of 2025?ZDNET set out to find the best home automation system for your needs. Our team of home tech experts personally tested these options to learn about each system’s ins and outs. Based on features, installation, and price, we found Home Assistant to be the best overall, but that’s not your only option. Read on for more on the best home automation systems you can buy today.  Also: The best smart home devicesThe best home automation systems Why we like it: Home Assistant is an open source smart home platform for connected devices. It runs locally, with minimal reliance on the cloud, so it can keep your smart home devices connected even if your internet connection fails. It works with over a thousand integrations, including Matter, which makes this the most versatile smart home automation systemWho it’s for: Home Assistant (HA) used to be reserved for tech-savvy users and tinkerers, but it’s also accessible enough for entry-level smart home users to integrate it into their homes. If you’re not a tech wiz, you can get the Home Assistant Green, a hub for the smart home platform that makes it easy to set up and use. If you like to tinker with your connected devices, you can run HA on a Raspberry Pi, an Odroid, or an x86-64 machine. Either way, you’ll have complete control of your smart home devices.Who should look elsewhere: While setting up HA is easier than ever, there are other simpler, plug-and-play solutions that are natively built into Android and iOS devices. These include Google Home and Apple HomeKit, respectively. If you’d rather stick with a simpler solution than HA, you should read on about our options below.Home Assistant features: Doesn’t require a hub to control all devices | Works with over 1,000 APIs | Simplified user interface
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In a world full of social media and digital marketing, high-quality editing is a must in many industries. Creating this content, whether it is short reels for TikTok or full-length productions, is often resource intensive. If you don’t have access to a powerful PC, you will need to find an online alternative.Online video editors can boast the same — or similar — power as desktop solutions. Some programs may even offer basic editing functions for free. If you’re not sure where to start looking, read on. What is the best online video editor right now?ZDNET experts have years of experience in editing videos, and we’ve extensively researched and compared the best editing solutions in the market today. I went hands-on with many of the recommendations on my list. In addition, I consulted several professional videographers on the best online video editing solutions and what they use in their day-to-day workflows.Also: I tested the best video editing laptops: Here’s what I recommend for your next projectThe best online video editing suite around right now is Adobe Express More

Google / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETGoogle Photos has just reached its 10th birthday, and the company is celebrating. To mark the occasion, Google is serving up a host of tips and tricks designed to enhance your photos via your mobile device. But first, here are a few stats to show the reach of Google Photos.Also: I tried the new Gemini button in Google Photos – and classic search is officially historyMore than 1.5 billion people use Google Photos on a monthly basis, according to Google. The service houses more than 9 trillion photos and videos. Each month, people run more than 370 million searches, edit 210 million photos, and share 440 million of them. And now, how about those tips? 1. New AI-powered photo editor First up is a new and improved photo editor that employs AI to help you fine-tune your images. The new editor will offer AI-inspired suggestions for enhancing your photos and include a batch of different editing tools. Using the suggestions, you’ll be able to quickly edit a photo with multiple effects or tap a specific part of the photo for advice on modifying that area. Also: The best AI image generators: Gemini, ChatGPT, Midjourney, and moreThe editor will incorporate such tools as Reimagine and Auto frame (initially available on the Pixel 9), along with the usual controls for brightness, contrast, and other attributes. Sounds cool, but you’ll have to wait for it. The revamped editor will start rolling out globally to Android next month and to iOS later in the year. 2. Share albums via QR codes Instead of sharing albums through the usual Share command, you can now do so with a QR code. Upon generating the code, you can share an album with a person nearby. This feature is just now starting to roll out. I found it by updating the Google Photos app on my Android device to the latest version. Also: 6 hidden Android features that make my life easier – and that you’re overlookingTo try it, update the app on your end. Open it, tap the Collections icon, select Albums, and tap a specific album. Tap the Share icon at the bottom and then select the option for “Share QR Code.” Scan the code with another device to grab the photos. 3. Revisit past places You’ve probably snapped photos of the different places you’ve visited over the years. Now you can revisit the actual locations, at least virtually. For this, tap the Collections icon and select Places. Swipe through the thumbnails of all your photos, and a map will show you each place where you’ve taken a photo. More

Bloomberg/Getty Images Just one week after Anthropic released its most advanced AI models to date, Opus 4 and Sonnet 4, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei warned in an interview with Axios about the future of jobs in an AI-centric world.  The replacement  AI could be responsible for eliminating half of all entry-level white-collar jobs — while […] More

Nina Raemont/ZDNETWelcome back to another week of health wearable news. Here are some of the most notable stories of the week to catch up on. Some Oura Ring users report data anxiety Is your Oura Ring’s data capture making you anxious? Some users say yes. That’s the latest from a recent New York Times article on the topic. The piece interviews users who have become obsessed or stressed out over the data the smart ring aggregates. One user reported compulsively checking her scores and wondering if they were not up to par. Another user with obsessive-compulsive disorder was checking her heart rate data “24/7” and said the ring worsened her condition.  The Oura Ring is a health and sleep tracker that provides by-the-minute data capture of activities, rest, and stress. Speaking as someone who has used the product for over a year (and received my fair share of poor sleep and recovery scores), it is easy to worry about your health after receiving a low score or a notification that the smart ring has detected “major signs of strain” within its Symptom Radar. Also: Oura Ring 3 vs Oura Ring 4: Opt for the older, discounted smart ring or the newest?You need a healthy amount of patience and levity to continue using these devices after they tell you your resilience to stress is poor or your terrible night of sleep is impacting your recovery. While they can spotlight important changes in your health or even lead to the diagnosis of a disease, if someone is treating the smallest change in their data as an end-all be-all, they probably shouldn’t be wearing a health tracker. The Oura Ring, like an Apple Watch, weight scale, or pedometer, is a health-tracking tool that can be used for good or abused. I’m curious to know our readers’ thoughts on the subject. Is all this health data more harmful than it is beneficial? Leave a comment below.  More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Lenovo Tab Plus retails for $330, but is frequently on sale. Contrary to its small size, the model houses a booming eight-speaker system and a long-lasting battery. The MediaTek Helio chipset and dim display won’t be winning any awards. more buying choices The Lenovo Tab Plus–> received a $130 discount, bringing […] More

Prakhar Khanna/ZDNETThe first time I used an anti-reflective display on a personal device was last year when I reviewed the Galaxy S24 Ultra. I was amazed by the quality-of-life improvements it brought to my daily use — and I wanted to see it on more devices. Therefore, I wasn’t too pleased when Apple priced its nano-textured iPad Pro out of budget by limiting it to the 1TB variant. I wanted a flagship iPad with an anti-reflective screen, but that price made the feature inaccessible. Finally, I’ve found a great tablet with a nanotexture display that doesn’t break the bank.Also: I replaced my iPad with a $100 Android tablet, and here’s my verdict after a weekThe Xiaomi Pad 7 More

A Samsung Odyssey G8 OLED monitor.  Kyle Kucharski/ZDNETWhether you’re a PC gamer looking to upgrade your setup or prefer ultra-wide screens for productivity, you can grab the Samsung Odyssey G9 49-inch More