Robotics

Kerry Wan/ZDNETFor years, TVs have been the center of attention at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). That holds true in 2025, even with the AI takeover well underway. LG’s OLED TVs are brighter than ever, Samsung is still chasing the 8K TV dream, Displace has double-downed on wireless sets, and Panasonic is back, baby.Also: We have named the 12 winners for the official Best of CES 2025 awardsBut among all the releases at this year’s Las Vegas trade show, one TV stood out to me the most: LG’s StanbyMe 2. Unlike the brand’s flagship G5 and M5 OLED sets, the StanbyMe 2 is a little more playful and nonchalant, yet full of confidence. Its 27-inch display isn’t trying to be the centerpiece of your living room; it wants to follow you around the house, from your countertop to your bathtub (no, seriously.)The new lifestyle TV is accentuated by a few practical upgrades, such as a built-in battery that LG claims can last up to four hours (compared to the previous version’s three and a half hours), travel and mounting accessories, and space at the top of the TV to magnetically attach the remote. It’s like stashing an Apple Pencil on the side of an iPad — it just makes sense. More

You can turn on your headphones, enjoy the loud and clear sounds of your music, and still be tuned in to the sounds around you. Bone conduction headphones allow you to keep your ears open and aware of your surroundings while enjoying whatever you’d like to listen to, making them great to use on outdoor runs or cycles, walks in busy areas, and while exercising. Also: The best headphones for working outBone conduction headphones wrap around the back of your head with a speaker resting on your cheekbone. The audio causes your inner ear bones to vibrate so you can clearly hear your music, but your ears remain completely open for hearing necessary sounds like sirens, traffic, or an urgent question from your colleague. They’re the quintessential choice for runners, weight-lifters, swimmers, hikers, and anyone who exercises or works in a setting that requires awareness. Our experts have tested and reviewed the best bone conduction headphones available right now for office work, working out, and beyond.Also: Running a race? These 5 tech must-haves got me across the finish lineWhat are the best bone conduction headphones right now?ZDNET has done hands-on testing and research to round up the best bone conduction headphones on the market. Our pick for the best bone conduction headphones is the H2O Audio Tri 2 bone conduction headphones More

Artie Beaty/ZDNETGoogle Lens has been around for some time now, so it’s easy to forget just how useful this tool can be. From identifying a strange plant in your yard to translating a street sign, you can learn more about nearly anything you see.If you’re new to the image search app or just haven’t used it in a while, here’s how to get the most out of Google Lens. (And if you want to dive deeper, take a look at this list of useful Google Lens tips from ZDNET’s Maria Diaz).Point and ask in real life: Curious about something in front of you? Learn more with Lens. Point your camera and snap a photo while using the Lens app, and you’ll see an AI overview giving you information plus links to find out more. If you hold down the shutter button while taking the picture, you can ask your question out loud. Get more context online: With the proliferation of AI image generators, seeing isn’t always believing. If you want to find out about an image online, open it with Lens to learn more. You’ll see sites where the image appears – hopefully news and fact-checking sites that provide more context.Search on desktop:  Lens isn’t just for your phone. With Lens in Chrome for desktop, you can search and ask questions about anything you see online – without leaving your browser tab. Just type “Google Lens” in your address bar, click the Lens icon, then click and drag over what you want to know more about. Results will appear in a side panel along with the option to add a question or refine the results.Shop more efficiently in real life: Last fall, Google rolled out a new Lens feature to help with in-store shopping. Snap a photo of a product with the Lens app, and you’ll see where you can buy it, if it’s in stock nearby, how much it costs, reviews, and more. Thanks to Google’s Shopping Graph, you have access to more than 45 billion product listings and in-stock inventory data.Take notes: Take a picture of text (including legible handwriting) and Lens will generate a summary. You can ask further questions or copy it to your clipboard. Lens can even annotate the original image; say, if you want to highlight vegan options on a restaurant menu.If you don’t have Lens yet, find it here for Android or here for iOS (it’s in the Google app). To use Lens in Chrome, tap the three dot menu on the top right and then “Search with Google Lens” or type “Google Lens” in the address bar.  More

Email is now the preferred communication method for many individuals and businesses worldwide, replacing everything from paper bills and phone calls to traditional customer support channels. This means that reliable, trustworthy business email hosting is in demand more than ever.The number of email users worldwide has been steadily growing year by year, and it is estimated that 376.4 billion emails will be sent over 2025. Over 90% of adult US citizens use email, and over 40 emails are sent per day by the average office worker.Considering how important email communication channels are, it’s unwise to ignore the need for a professional service to provide the proper infrastructure, security, and business features you need. If you want to go beyond free, basic email addresses, obtain a professional email address, or have a high level of control over your corporate email communications, you’ll want to sign up with a reputable email hosting provider. We’ve found the best email hosting services for small businesses, large organizations, and individuals alike.Also: The best web hosting services: Expert testedWhat is the best email hosting service right now?Our favorite email hosting provider is Google Workspace More

Tablets are used for a variety of reasons, but they’re especially perfect for note taking. These devices are a digital alternative to pen and paper, making it easier than ever for students and professionals to write down everything they need while being lighter and smaller than laptops. Also: The best tablets you can buySince tablets run the gamut in terms of everything they can do (and all the prices they show up at), if you’re looking for a tablet to take notes in classes or meetings, you must consider what else you might want to use it for. For students, you might get a tablet instead of a laptop, while professionals might carry one for commuting purposes since they are much more portable. There are note-taking tablets on the market that fit both of those scenarios.What is the best note-taking tablet you can buy right now?ZDNET went hands-on with the following tablets, with our pick for the best note-taking tablet overall being the iPad Air More

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNETSome of the most interesting products we saw this year and last take an analog product and digitize it: the ReMarkable Paper Pro, which is as close to a perfect copy of pen and paper as I’ve seen, or Amazon’s new Kindle Scribe, which aims to duplicate the simple process of reading a book and scribbling notes in the margins.Also: CES 2025: The most impressive products you don’t want to missBut taking this to the next level is the Nuwa Pen, an actual ink pen equipped with three tiny cameras that capture what you write (on actual paper) and save it in a digital library in the accompanying app. You can then search your scribbles by content: names, numbers, and keywords, as well as interact with the app’s built-in large language model to ask questions about what you’ve written. This last part interested me the most, as it’s necessary to make this product truly useful.  More

The light ring around the Air Oasis iAdaptAir 2.0 smart air purifier’s touchscreen changes colors to indicate air quality. Maria Diaz/ZDNETZDNET’s key takeawaysThe Air Oasis iAdaptAir 2.0 More

Astrohaus Mechanical keyboards are largely associated with gaming, but a new one from Astrohaus has another demographic in mind. The Astrohaus company, which has refused to let the typewriter die, has gained a reputation in the world of writing for its distraction-free devices — small keyboards with displays that let you write without apps, notifications, or […] More