Robotics

My keychain essentials. Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNETI own countless multitools and other gizmos, but I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve needed something and it’s been left at home or in the car because it’s just not possible to have a toolbox dangling off my belt.Yet what I do have with me most of the time is my keychain — and, as it turns out, it’s the perfect way to EDC (Everyday Carry) useful bits and bobs. And with the holiday season finally here, several of these helpful tools are on sale!Also: I use this tablet more than my iPad Pro, and it costs a fraction of the priceMy keychain is the one bit of kit I get asked the most questions about. People are often surprised at the things I carry around. I guess most people just carry their keys on their keychains. Weird.Here’s a tour of what I carry on mine. Don’t feel like you need everything on this list. Remember, the beauty of this approach is that you can customize your EDC to suit your needs.1. KeySmart Air More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETWith all the hardware changes and camera upgrades that come with every phone launch, it’s easy to look past the more subtle but very important aspect of software update policies. To put it simply, that’s the company’s commitment to keeping its phones up to date, including annual operating system upgrades (in line with Android or iOS), security patches, and other feature drops.Also: Phone has bad battery life? I changed these 12 settings on my Android for better enduranceBecause the phone’s hardware can only hold up for so long, software updates are critical to keeping the device running smoothly and safely for an extended period of time. That’s why the latest news from Google, which comes via a change to the Pixel support page, is such a big deal. As discovered by Mishaal Rahman, Google has officially extended its software update policy for older Pixel phones, including the Pixel 6 series, Pixel 7 series, and Pixel Fold, for an additional two years. More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Pininfarina Sintesi hybrid watch retails for $329, though it’s often on sale for the holidays. The watch incorporates high-quality materials, has an elegant look and feel, a sports battery life of more than a week, and has a capable smartphone app. I just wish there were more than one size, […] More

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNETWhat’s the deal?Amazon is currently selling the Doogee S200 for $90 off More

Screenshot by David Grober/ZDNETWith the holiday season upon us, many companies are finding ways to take advantage through deals, promotions, or other campaigns. OpenAI has found a way to participate with its “12 days of OpenAI.” On Wednesday, OpenAI announced via an X post that starting on Dec. 5, the company would host 12 days of live streams and release “a bunch of new things, big and small,” according to the post. Also: I tried a free AI clothing search tool, and it makes online thrift shopping much easierHere’s everything you need to know about the campaign, as well as a round-up of every day’s drops. What are the ’12 days of OpenAI’?OpenAI CEO Sam Altman shared a bit more details about the event, which kicked off at 10 a.m. PT on Dec. 5 and will occur daily for 12 weekdays with a live stream featuring a launch or demo. The launches will be both “big ones” or “stocking stuffers,” according to Altman. 🎄🎅starting tomorrow at 10 am pacific, we are doing 12 days of openai. each weekday, we will have a livestream with a launch or demo, some big ones and some stocking stuffers. we’ve got some great stuff to share, hope you enjoy! merry christmas.— Sam Altman (@sama) December 4, 2024

What has been dropped so far?Monday, December 9OpenAI teased the third-day announcement as “something you’ve been waiting for,” followed by the much-anticipated drop of its video model — Sora.  Here’s what you need to know:Known as Sora Turbo, the video model is smarter and cheaper than the February model that was previewed. Access is coming in the US later today; users need only ChatGPT Plus and Pro.Sora can generate video-to-video, text-to-video, and more. ChatGPT Plus users can generate up to 50 videos per month at 480p resolution or fewer videos at 720p. The Pro Plan offers 10x more usage. The new model is smarter and cheaper than the previewed February model. Sora features an explore page where users can view each other’s creations. Users can click on any video to see how it was created. A live demo showed the model in use. The demo-ers entered a prompt and picked aspect ratio, duration, and even presets. I found the live demo video results to be realistic and stunning. OpenAI also unveiled Storyboard, a tool that lets users generate inputs for every frame in a sequence. Friday, December 6:On the second day of “shipmas,” OpenAI expanded access to its Reinforcement Fine-Tuning Research Program:The Reinforcement Fine-Tuning program allows developers and machine learning engineers to fine-tune OpenAI models to “excel at specific sets of complex, domain-specific tasks,” according to OpenAI. Reinforcement Fine-Tuning refers to a customization technique in which developers can define a model’s behavior by inputting tasks and grading the output. The model then uses this feedback as a guide to improve, becoming better at reasoning through similar problems, and enhancing overall accuracy.OpenAI encourages research institutes, universities, and enterprises to apply to the program, particularly those that perform narrow sets of complex tasks, could benefit from the assistance of AI, and perform tasks that have an objectively correct answer. Spots are limited; interested applicants can apply by filling out this form. OpenAI aims to make Reinforcement Fine-Tuning publicly available in early 2025.Thursday, December 5: OpenAI started with a bang, unveiling two major upgrades to its chatbot: a new tier of ChatGPT subscription, ChatGPT Pro, and the full version of the company’s o1 model.  More

wildpixel/Getty Images OpenAI just released the full version of its new o1 model — and it’s dangerously committed to lying.  Apollo Research tested six frontier models for “in-context scheming” — a model’s ability to take action they haven’t been given directly and then lie about it. After being told to achieve a certain goal “at all costs,” […] More

Sign up for Costco and get a $45 gift card — cutting down your membership price to just $20 for the year. Stack Social Thinking about joining Costco to save ahead of the holidays? Or, have you been sharing a membership card with your parents or friends? Now that Costco is starting to crack down […] More

Bunson Labs Linux is as beautiful as it is easy to use. Jack Wallen/ZDNETEvery so often, I’m surprised by a Linux distribution. After working with and reviewing these things for the past few decades, you’d think there aren’t any surprises left. That’s why it’s always a special experience when I do come across a distribution, unlike anything I’ve seen to date.Also: Want to save your old computer? Try these 5 Linux distributionsThat’s what happened when I installed and first logged into Bunson Labs Linux.Bunson Labs Linux is a continuation of what was once a popular distribution within the Linux community called CrunchBang Linux. For those who aren’t aware, CrunchBang refers to #!, which are the first two characters in Linux scripts, as in:#!/bin/bashThis Linux distribution uses a Debian base (with zero changes in the way the OS is managed) and uses the Openbox window manager with the addition of the tint2 panel (a desktop panel), conky (a desktop widget that displays various bits of information), and jgmenu (a user-friendly desktop menu). When you combine all of those things together, you get a desktop operating system that is as beautiful as it is easy to use.Don’t get me wrong, Bunson Labs Linux might look like a take on the Ubuntu desktop (what with the vertical panel), but it’s very much not that desktop environment. Openbox is a lightweight DE that helps to make Bunson Labs Linux perform like a beast. Even as a virtual machine (with just 3GB of RAM and 2 CPUs), my test installation performed brilliantly. This is a result of Debian and Openbox, both of which offer outstanding, out-of-the-box performance. Also: The next LTS Linux kernel is no surprise but it is packed with goodiesEven better, it took me seconds to figure out how to use this desktop operating system. I’ll admit, at first, I assumed the panel was as straightforward as any. I was wrong. The vertical panel found on this desktop is reserved for multi-tasking, which means any open app will appear as an icon in the top portion of the panel. When you open an app, the app icon will appear in the panel, allowing you to minimize the app and bring it back with a single click.  More