Robotics

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Garmin Venu X1 is available in two color options for $799.99. The big 2-inch display is fantastic, the LED flashlight is brilliant, the thin case and light band make it a joy to wear, and the calculator now has a tip button. The always-on mode reduces battery life significantly, the […] More

Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNETI didn’t think the world needed yet another web browser. However, when I considered the potential, a few issues bubbled to the surface.Also: I speed-tested 11 browsers – and the fastest might surprise youSome web browsers were created by companies with the hope of monetizing anything and everything. From search deals with Google and crypto-mining ads to sponsored content and just about every other way they can make a buck off your browsing. After mulling over those thoughts, I realized that, yes, the world could use another web browser, one that doesn’t place so much importance on monetization.That’s where Ladybird comes into play. Ladybird is an independent project to create a web browser with a new engine that is strictly based on web standards and will never include any monetization. In other words, this project is about the web browser and nothing else. That approach sounds promising, especially with many browsers created as a means to a profitable end.Also: Why I’m deleting Firefox for good – and which browser’s never let me downLadybird was first announced on July 1, 2024, when Chris Wanstrath wrote in this blog post: “Today, every major browser engine is open source, which is wonderful, but there’s still one issue: they’re all funded by Google’s advertising empire. Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc, and Opera all use Google’s Chromium. Apple receives billions to make Google the default search engine in Safari, and Firefox has a similar deal where they receive hundreds of millions each year.”I like the cut of that jib. However, before you get too excited, Ladybird is still in early development. Although the developers intend to support Linux, MacOS, and Windows, there are no binary installers. In fact, the only way to install Ladybird is by building the source, and that process is no walk in the park, taking up to two hours to complete (I’ll demonstrate the steps I had to take to get the browser running on Ubuntu Linux). When you do get Ladybird built, what you’ll see is a bare-bones browser, and you might think, “I spent two hours for that?”Also: 5 great Chrome browser alternatives that put your privacy firstRegardless of its current state, the Ladybird project sounds very promising. From my perspective, it will be nice to have an independent web browser that doesn’t focus on monetization and actually adheres to standards.If that approach has piqued your interest, let me walk you through the steps for installing Ladybird. More

NoSystem images/Getty Images How many browser tabs do you have open right now? If you’re like most people who spend their workday in front of a PC or Mac, the answer is probably “too many to count,” and you’re staring at a row of icons that offer only the faintest clue of what’s on the […] More

yusnizam/Getty Images Usually, whenever a new feature comes out for Windows, Microsoft advertises it widely in a blog post to let everyone know. Or if they don’t, people discover the feature soon after an update. However, a helpful feature sometimes slips through the cracks, only to be unearthed years later. Also: Hate Windows 11? Here’s […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Mammotion Luba 2 3000H is available for $2,599. Built to handle uneven terrain, the Luba 2 is an all-wheel-drive (AWD) reliable robot mower with a GPS-powered perimeter that is surprisingly easy to set up. The Mammotion app is not very user-friendly and can get buggy after a firmware update. –> […] More

David Gewirtz / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETIt’s been almost exactly two years since I launched my weekly Advanced Geekery email newsletter on Substack. Each week, I list my latest ZDNET articles, showcase any new videos I put out, sometimes spotlight projects I’m working on (and those of readers), and share a few great YouTube videos and articles worth reading.The newsletter is a great way for those who like my work to keep up with what I produce. Recently, I’ve started getting requests for a newsletter on LinkedIn from members who are much more LinkedIn-centric. Ever since Twitter took its wacky dive off the credibility cliff, LinkedIn has been picking up the slack in terms of professional and work-related social networking. Also: LinkedIn is making it easier to understand the full impact of your posts – here’s howAs it turns out, starting a LinkedIn newsletter is both easy and free. You don’t need a LinkedIn Premium account. LinkedIn will notify your network when you publish the first edition of your newsletter, and it will also invite new followers to subscribe. Each issue you put out will be shared to your feed. Plus, anyone who signs up as a subscriber will get an email notification in their inbox. I went ahead and set up Advanced Geekery on LinkedIn. The two editions (Substack and LinkedIn) are basically identical. I now write and edit each issue on Substack, then selectively copy and paste the content over to a new LinkedIn newsletter article. The newsletter on LinkedIn has a little less formatting control than the one on Substack, but it still looks pretty good. I can copy the text (with included links) from the Substack editor, but I have to add any pictures to the LinkedIn version manually. It seems to add about 15 minutes to my workflow, which is a small amount of effort to reach a different audience. How to create a LinkedIn newsletterIn this article, I’ll take you through the step-by-step process I used to set up my LinkedIn newsletter. If you want to set one up for Substack, I documented that as well. More

Adobe / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETJust a year and a half ago, the latest and greatest of Adobe’s Firefly generative AI offerings involved producing high-quality images from text with customization options, such as reference images. Since then, Adobe has pivoted into text-to-video generation and is now adding a slew of features to make it even more competitive.Also: Forget Sora: Adobe launches ‘commercially safe’ AI video generator. How to try itOn Thursday, Adobe released a series of upgrades to its video capabilities that give users more control over the final generation, more options to create the video, and even more modalities to create. Even though creating realistic AI-generated videos is an impressive feat that shows how far AI generation has come, one crucial aspect of video generation has been missing: sound. Adobe’s new release seeks to give creative professionals the ability to use AI to create audio, too. Generate sound effects The new Generate Sound Effects (beta) allows users to create custom sounds by inserting a text description of what they’d like generated. If users want even more control over what is generated, they can also use their voice to demonstrate the cadence or timing, and the intensity they’d like the generated sound to follow. For example, if you want to generate the sound of a lion roar, but want it to match when the subject of your video is opening and closing its mouth, you can watch the video, record a clip of you making the noise to match the character’s movement, and then accompany it with a text prompt that describes the sound you’d like created. You’ll then be given multiple options to choose from and can pick the one that best matches the project’s vibe you were going for. Also: Adobe Firefly now generates AI images with OpenAI, Google, and Flux models – how to access themWhile other video-generating models like Veo 3 can generate video with audio from text, what really stood out about this feature is the amount of control users have when inputting their own audio. Before launch, I had the opportunity to watch a live demo of the feature in action. It was truly impressive to see how well the generated audio matched the input audio’s flow, while also incorporating the text prompt to create a sound that actually sounded like the intended output — no shade to the lovely demoer who did his best to sound like a lion roaring into the mic. Generate visual avatars Another feature launching in beta is Text to Avatar, which, as the name implies, allows users to turn scripts into avatar-led videos, or videos that look like a live person reading the script. When picking an avatar, you can browse through the library of avatars, pick a custom background and accents, and then Firefly creates the final output. More

When did Google Maps Street View add See More Dates?Google introduced the “See More Dates” feature for Street View on desktop in 2014, allowing users to access historical imagery of various locations. In May 2022, to commemorate Street View’s 15th anniversary, Google expanded this feature to its mobile apps, enabling users to view past imagery on both Android and iOS devices. How far back does Google Maps Street View go in time?Google Street View imagery dates back to May 2007, when the service was first introduced in select US cities. Also: Ready to ditch Google Maps? My new favorite map app won’t track you or drain your battery – and it’s freeCan’t see your home in Google Maps Street View’s history?The availability of historical imagery varies by location, depending on when Google captured images in that area. In some places, you can view imagery spanning over a decade, while in others, the available history may be shorter.Historical Street View imagery of your house may be unavailable due to limited data collection in your area, privacy requests leading to image removal or blurring, technical issues causing missing images, or location on private roads restricting access. Why is this Google Maps Street View feature trending?While Google’s “See More Dates” feature has been around for years, TikTok appears to have given it new life. You can see an example here. This trend of “going back in time” on Google Maps is as heartwarming as it is nostalgic. Thanks to Google’s Street View timeline, you can see how your home and neighborhood have changed over the years. If you’re lucky, you might even spot a familiar face waving back at you — frozen in time but forever remembered.Editor’s note: This article was originally published in December 2024. It was thoroughly updated, fact-checked, and republished on July 17, 2025.Get the morning’s top stories in your inbox each day with our Tech Today newsletter. More