Robotics

Lance Whitney / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETGoogle’s NotebookLM is a handy note-taking service, ideal for putting together any type of project that requires extensive research. Normally, you have to gather and add the necessary sources, which NotebookLM then incorporates into your project. Now, the service promises to save you even more time by collecting the right sources on its own.Also: Gemini Pro 2.5 is one of only two AIs to crush all my coding tests – and it’s freeIn a blog post published Wednesday, Google announced a new NotebookLM tool known as Discover. Instead of manually scouring the web for the right sources, just describe the topic you’re researching. NotebookLM surfs the web on its own and automatically creates a curated list of relevant sources. How it worksExplain your topic, and NotebookLM looks at hundreds of possible online sources. After analyzing them all, the AI displays the names and brief summaries for the 10 it considers the most relevant. You can import them all, or deselect any you don’t want to include. The sources are then added as research to your project. Also: Google’s NotebookLM can discuss your notes with you now. How to access itWith the sources added, you can ask NotebookLM to generate a study guide, a briefing document, an FAQ, and even a timeline. Even cooler, you can ask for a podcast that features two AI-generated but human sounding hosts chatting about your topic. You’re also able to request a summary and ask questions about the topic as covered by the sources. More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways A premium quality pocket tool with a good selection of tools for under $30. All the tools are nice and sharp when new, and retain their sharpness even after extended use. Because this is a pocket tool, don’t expect pliers or a lifetime warranty. more buying choices I’ve been a big […] More

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETAs part of my AI coding evaluations, I run a standardized series of four programming tests against each AI. These tests are designed to determine how well a given AI can help you program. This is kind of useful, especially if you’re counting on the AI to help you produce code. The last thing you want is for an AI helper to introduce more bugs into your work output, right?Also: The best AI for coding (and what not to use)Some time ago, a reader reached out to me and asked why I keep using the same tests. He reasoned that the AIs might succeed if they were given different challenges. This is a fair question, but my answer is also fair. These are super-simple tests. I’m using PHP and JavaScript, which are not exactly challenging languages, and I’m running some scripting queries through the AIs. By using exactly the same tests, we’re able to compare performance directly. One is a request to write a simple WordPress plugin, one is to rewrite a string function, one asks for help finding a bug I originally had difficulty finding on my own, and the final one uses a few programming tools to get data back from Chrome. But it’s also like teaching someone to drive. If they can’t get out of the driveway, you’re not going to set them loose in a fast car on a crowded highway. To date, only ChatGPT’s GPT-4 (and above) LLM has passed them all. Yes, Perplexity Pro also passed all the tests, but that’s because Perplexity Pro runs the GPT-4 series LLM. Oddly enough, Microsoft Copilot, which also runs ChatGPT’s LLM, failed all the tests. Also: How I test an AI chatbot’s coding ability – and you can, tooGoogle’s Gemini didn’t do much better. When I tested Bard (the early name for Gemini), it failed most of the tests (twice). Last year, when I ran the $20-per-month Gemini Advanced through my tests, it failed three of the four tests. But now, Google is back with Gemini Pro 2.5. What caught our eyes here at ZDNET was that Gemini Pro 2.5 is available for free, to everyone. No $20 per month surcharge. While Google was clear that the free access was subject to rate limits, I don’t think any of us realized it would throttle us after two prompts, which is what happened to me during testing. It’s possible that Gemini Pro 2.5 is not counting prompt requests for rate limiting but basing its throttling on the scope of the work being requested. My first two prompts asked Gemini Pro 2.5 to write a full WordPress plugin and fix some code, so I may have used up the limits faster than you would if you used it to ask a simple question. Even so, it took me a few days to run these tests. To my considerable surprise, it was very much worth the wait. Test 1: Write a simple WordPress pluginWow. Well, this is certainly a far cry from how Bard failed twice and Gemini Advanced failed back in February 2024. Quite simply, Gemini Pro 2.5 aced this test right out of the gate. Also: I asked ChatGPT to write a WordPress plugin I needed. It did it in less than 5 minutesThe challenge is to write a simple WordPress plugin that provides a simple user interface. It randomizes the input lines and distributes (not removes) duplicates so they’re not next to each other. Last time, Gemini Advanced did not write a back-end dashboard interface but instead required a shortcode that needed to be placed in the body text of a public-facing page. Gemini Advanced did create a basic user interface, but that time clicking the button resulted in no action whatsoever. I gave it a few alternative prompts, and it still failed. But this time, Gemini Pro 2.5 gave me a solid UI, and the code actually ran and did what it was supposed to. More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETThe Bravia TV lineup, which consistently tops our list of best Sony TVs, is getting a little bigger. Sony just announced its 2025 Bravia models, and while some sets carry over from last year, three new additions — including an OLED and a Mini-LED — are joining the fold. Also: This Hisense 85-inch TV is still over $1,100 off on Amazon – and I highly recommend itLeading the way is the Bravia 8 II, a flagship QD-OLED that’s the successor to the popular A95L from 2023 (the “crown jewel” of that year’s lineup, in the words of my former colleague Rebecca Isaacs).  More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETI’ve spent large portions of my life looking for ways to extend the battery life on my Android phones. Admittedly, that sounds rather dramatic, but growing up with only budget models meant I was constantly tweaking device settings to squeeze every bit of juice out of their batteries. Thanks to this micromanaging, I successfully pushed the batteries on all my past smartphones to their absolute limit. I don’t want to horde this knowledge to myself, so I’ve decided to share it with everyone.Also: This handy new Android feature saves me from notification overload – how to try itThere are many different methods for saving battery life. However, there are 12 key settings that you can change right now to see improvements immediately. The following list highlights the most effective, easiest, and quickest tweaks to improve device longevity regardless of the Android phone you’re rocking, whether it’s the latest model from Samsung, a fancy Google Pixel, or a cutting-edge OnePlus 13. Plus, you won’t have to sacrifice the high-quality experience of using your phone.Although the power settings are practically the same on every Android phone you can buy, the process for adjusting them can vary between devices. Be sure to keep this factor in mind when following the steps I lay out because the approach might be slightly different depending on the model you’re using.1. Turn off the always-on displayOne of the biggest battery drainers for any smartphone is the always-on display. Companies regularly tell you that this display setting only drains about 1% to 2% an hour, but let’s be honest — it’s always way more. It may be nice to glance at your phone while it sits on a table to check the time, but it’s probably not worth sacrificing battery life.Also: Why multi-factor authentication is absolutely essential in 2025How to: Open the Settings app and locate the Lock Screen portion. You’ll likely find this portion in the main Settings list or under “Display.” From there, locate the option to “always show info” or a simple toggle to enable the Always On Display. Either way, turn the option off and check to make sure your screen goes completely blank when you lock it.2. Enable Adaptive BatteryThere’s a handy feature built into Androids called Adaptive Battery, and it’s available on most devices. Adaptive Battery can automatically manage your phone’s performance and efficiency in the background using special processes to extend your battery life. For example, when you don’t need maximum performance for something simple like scrolling through your inbox, the setting will throttle things down and save you some juice.How to: Go to Settings > Battery > Adaptive preferences and check to ensure “Adaptive battery” is enabled. If it’s not, flick it on. More

lcva2/Getty Images I know you’ve heard of gamification, but have you ever heard of festification? That’s what Microsoft will be doing in April and May, with the Microsoft AI Skills Fest. It’s a little odd, but it also looks like it might be a heck of a lot of fun. Also: Microsoft at 50: Its […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The RayNeo Air 3S is available for $269 These XR glasses provide advanced micro-OLED screens, dual speaker chamber design, and a 201-inch screen visual experience There are no light-blocking shades or electrochromic dimming capability, and productivity support is limited to native MacOS and Windows support. –> Just about every person to […] More

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETA small number of iPhone users who have installed the latest iOS 18.4 update are finding apps installed on their handsets that they did not install.New and previously deleted appsThere are at least three threads over on Reddit detailing the issue. Some users report new apps — usually games like Squid Game or Cooking Mama — and others are saying that apps that were previously deleted have reappeared. See also: iOS 18.4 update draining your iPhone’s battery? Try these six fixes”Okay so after updating to iOS 18.4 successfully,” wrote Reddit user MoistCombination1991, “I went to the app store to update apps. And to my surprise this Chinese game install itself automatically.” Reddit user scurry126 sheds a bit more light on the issue. “This happened to me. I got Cooking Mama added to my home screen. What’s weird is that looking at the App Store, Cooking Mama shows ‘Get’ instead of the redownload button. So according to the App Store, I’ve never owned it but it appeared on my device.” Also: Apple Home finally gets robot vacuum support, thanks to Matter and iOS 18.4Another user, MildAndClassic, puts it quite bluntly: “Today I feel like I’m using some cheap Chinese mobile where after software update some random application installed in my phone for no reason.” Also: How to clear your iPhone cache for a fresh (and faster) start in 2025There’s also a thread over on Apple’s own support forum from someone called Someandroiduser who reports that a game called Last War Survival, an app that was previously installed, has reappeared on the Home Screen. More