Robotics

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The combination swivel and 260-degree rotation offer a high level of flexibility for the connector The breakaway magnetic connector not only prevents damage to the device, but it also allows the cable to cater to three different ports The cable is limited to 100W and 480MBps. more buying choices Regular readers […] More

A good multitool can be a reliable companion for decades (as long as you don’t lose it!). Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNETI like having a good multitool close at hand and at all times. While they can’t replace a proper toolkit, I don’t fancy carrying a full toolkit with me when I’m out and about. Many of my readers are like me, often finding themselves doing random and unplanned DIY tasks throughout the day, so having a portable toolkit that can handle the basics is essential.Also: The cheap keychain tool I never leave home without (and why it’s so great)Not a week goes by without someone asking for my multitool recommendations. My advice is always the same: check out what Leatherman More

Flavio Coelho/Getty Images The game-changing potential of generative AI (gen AI) is the talk of the boardroom. However, turning AI explorations into production-level services is proving challenging. Recent research from Deloitte found that over two-thirds of executives believe fewer than one-third of their gen AI experiments will be fully scaled in the next three to […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Suriv Spray Case for iPhone has a built-in liquid sprayer for $40. It comes with everything you need to fill and empty the spray compartment, and is surprisingly functional. The Suriv case does add some bulk to the back of your phone, and it can impede features like MagSafe. –> […] More

Professional photographers need an extensive range of photo editing tools alongside their camera kits, lenses, and accessories.As a professional photographer myself, I know that photo editing software is critical to my workflow to bring out the best in my images, whether to make changes to exposure and add bokeh or to add more creative effects. Adobe Lightroom is the gold standard for many photographers, but many alternative online photo editors are also excellent options, and some now also utilize AI. Among my favorites are Pixlr, Adobe Lightroom, and Canva. We have a great selection of options for you to test out, depending on your online photo editing needs.What is the best online photo editor right now?The ZDNET team has worked with photo editors for decades, from the most basic software reminiscent of Microsoft Paint in its early days to professional-grade editing suites, including Adobe Photoshop. Thanks to mobile technologies and AI, the photo editing industry continues to evolve, so we are continually testing market offerings to stay informed.Our favorite online photo editor is Pixlr More

Prakhar Khanna/ZDNETThe Google Pixel 9a More

Mike Hill/Getty Images In the decades since I started using Linux, I’ve experienced just about every distribution ever created, some of which were user-friendly and some of which were not. In some cases, I was determined to use them just for the bragging rights that I’d installed and used one of the most challenging operating […] More

Jack Wallen/ZDNETIf you have a phone running Android 15, you can enable a full-blown Linux terminal that includes many of the commands you’re used to running on Linux, and I have to say that it’s pretty cool. Before we go any further, I want to mention what you can’t do with the Linux terminal on Android. You can’t install GUI apps without serious work. I’ve tried running GUI apps and found they simply wouldn’t start. I know there have been successful attempts at installing apps like Doom on the new terminal, but it is no easy feat.Also: With Android 16, the Linux terminal gets all the space it needsWith that disappointment in check, I decided to figure out what this new feature could do for me and you. In a word: Plenty… if you don’t mind using the command line. Let me explain how I used this new addition. Hopefully, you’ll find something the terminal app can do for you. 1. SSH In my piece on how to start using the new Linux terminal on your Android device, I walked you through enabling the Linux Terminal app on Android as well as installing SSH. What I didn’t say was that connecting to remote machines via SSH on the Android Linux terminal app was kind of a pain… especially for those who are terrible at typing on a phone keyboard (like yours truly). Fortunately, there’s something you can do to make that a bit easier, thanks to the SSH config file. With this file, you can configure SSH connections so that instead of having to peck out ssh gilly@192.168.1.176, you might only have to type ssh hive. Let me show you how. Also: The best SSH clients for Android – including my two favoritesOpen the Linux terminal app and make sure you install SSH (as described in the article above). Once you’ve done that, connect to the remote machine in question (which creates the .ssh folder for you). Exit from that connection, and then type nano .ssh/config. In that file, you’ll add something like this: Host hive  Hostname 192.168.1.176  User gilly Save that file by tapping Ctrl (in the terminal keyboard menu bar), and then tapping x. With that taken care of, you’d only have to type ssh hive. SSH will read the config file and know the IP address of the host and the remote hostname. So much easier. 2. Learn the Linux command line Thanks to the Android Linux terminal app, you have a great tool to help you learn the Linux command line. With this app, you can run commands, install new commands, and read the man files for every command, and know that if you were to mess things up beyond repair, you can disable Linux terminal support in Android and then re-enable it for a fresh start. Also: The first 5 Linux commands every new user should learnAfter installing the Ollama command-line AI, I quickly discovered I’d run out of space in the virtual environment. Instead of going through all the steps of removing Ollama, I simply disabled the Linux terminal app and then re-enabled it to get back to where I started. If you’re interested in learning the Linux command-line interface while on the go, this is a great place to start. More