Subterms
Catherine Falls Commercial/Getty Images Is the art and science of prompt engineering, the refinement of instructions for generative AI, a good thing or a bad thing? Surprisingly, there isn’t universal agreement. Prompt engineering emerged by 2024 as an increasingly important user interface tool after the runaway success of ChatGPT in 2022 and 2023. The realization […] More
Jack Wallen/ZDNETI have two MacBook Pros. My daily driver is an M1 version and the other is a 2017 edition with an Intel CPU. The M1 laptop works like a champ and will probably continue to do so for a few more years. However, the Intel-powered MacBook had pretty much become a paperweight. As usual, I upgrade apps and OSes when a new version arrives. Little did I know how much havoc upgrading to the latest (at the time) version of MacOS would wreak on the system. Also: How to install an LLM on MacOS (and why you should)Once I upgraded the OS, the laptop pretty much became useless. Not only were apps maddeningly slow to run, but the battery would last for about 20 minutes. To make matters worse, I could no longer do a factory reset because the latest OS didn’t support a reset on the Intel architecture.I was pretty much stuck. Because of that issue, the Intel MacBook gathered dust until we were blanketed by nearly a foot of snow, and I wound up with some extra time on my hands. I decided it was the perfect moment to install Linux on the laptop.Before I continue with this guide, you should note that the installation isn’t perfect. I installed Ubuntu 24.04 and found the following things didn’t work out of the gate:Wi-FiSoundTouchbarKeyboard backlightSuspendI could live without everything but Wi-Fi, and I tried to get it working. After a few hours, I did get Wi-Fi to work, but it was unreliable. Fortunately, I had a Wi-Fi dongle that was compatible with Linux. After inserting that dongle, Ubuntu had wireless, and I could do my thing.My first surprise was how well Ubuntu ran on the machine. I’d go so far as to say it performs as well as MacOS on my M1 machine. Ubuntu is fast and stable. My only complaint was that, while the trackpad worked, it was a bit twitchy, so I had to use it with extra care.Also: Elementary OS 8 continues the tradition of a beautiful, user-friendly desktopSo, how did I get Ubuntu installed on my 2017 Intel-based MacBook Pro? The process is fairly straightforward; here’s how it went. More
Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNETMy NYC apartment is far from a smart home, mostly because of the lack of space, and, as a result, a lack of things to optimize. However, I did opt for smart light bulbs to control my lights with an Alexa command or my phone. That’s why, when I passed the Lotus booth at the Computer Electronics Show (CES), I knew I had to stop by. Also: CES 2025: The 15 most impressive products so farThe idea of pointing at things in your smart home to turn them on seemed like something out of a sci-fi movie, but the technology is quite simple. The Lotus system consists of a ring with a button and switch covers. When the button is pressed, the switch is turned on as you point at the object. The ring fits comfortably on your index finger and the button sits on the outside, allowing you to press it easily with a quick thumb motion. Within seconds, I turned things on and off around the demo room. More
Kerry Wan/ZDNETIt’s not often that we see smartphone announcements at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), not when Mobile World Congress (MWC), the trade show dedicated specifically to handsets, is always just a month away. But that also means that the few smartphone releases that do take place in Las Vegas, such as TCL’s new 60 XE Nxtpaper 5G, get a little more spotlight than usual.A fairly simple deviceThe TCL 60 XE Nxtpaper 5G, as mouthful as the branding is, is actually a fairly simple device with an understated design. It features a 6.8-inch FHD+ display, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and a 50-megapixel triple-camera array on the back. These specs could pass for a mid-range phone by almost any Android manufacturer, including Motorola and Samsung.Also: CES 2025: The 15 most impressive products you don’t want to missBut what makes the TCL phone unique is its Nxtpaper 3.0 display technology, which blocks blue light to promote visual comfort and reduce eye strain. The company has been working on this digital well-being tech for years now, and it’s not the first time I’ve seen it on one of its phones, but the third generation of Nxtpaper is holding strong going into 2025. More
Kerry Wan/ZDNETThe biggest week in tech is here: the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES). ZDNET is on the ground in Las Vegas and also keeping a virtual eye on the products and concepts that debuted on the show all week long.Also: The best CES 2025 products you can buy right nowSo far, we’ve seen announcements from big names like Samsung, Abbott, and Dell, as well as new and innovative brands with cool concepts. Here’s the tech gear that has impressed us the most as we approach the final days of the Las Vegas convention.1. AI-integrated TVs More
Jada Jones/ZDNETSmart glasses are all the rage at CES 2025, and most provide some AI-powered assistant, translation service, or connection to your other personal gadgets. But these smart glasses from EssilorLuxxotica, named Nuance Audio, include hearing aids to help people improve both their hearing and vision at the same time.Also: CES 2025: The 15 most impressive products so farWhen I first heard of the Nuance Audio hearing glasses, I expected the microphones to reside on the glasses’ arms, which rest behind your ears. That’s why I was pleasantly surprised when I saw six microphones scattered across the frames, including above the lenses, to capture sound. Naturally, the speakers sit right above the ear to direct any amplified audio.The EssilorLuxxotica demo booth is in one of the busiest convention halls at CES 2025, putting the glasses’ microphones to the test. You can have the microphones pick up direct conversation noises to help you focus on the person speaking before you or have them amplify all the noises around you. More
Kerry Wan/ZDNET2024 was a huge year for laptops. But at CES 2025, the big names in the industry got a chance to show off what they have in store for the rest of 2025. There were a ton of new product announcements, but as always, some stand out more than others. Also: CES 2025: The 12 most impressive products so farThis year saw a bunch of new gaming laptops (particularly with AMD chips), lots of OLED displays, a “rollable” laptop, and thin and lightweight devices all around. But we’re always on the lookout for standouts that offer something different — whether that’s a useful new feature, great design, or a fantastic value. We’re currently here in Las Vegas on the convention floor, and after going hands-on with every laptop in a square mile radius, we’ve narrowed down our picks for best laptops at CES 2025. 1. Lenovo ThinkPad X9 Aura Edition More
Prakhar Khanna/ZDNETA lot of what’s showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show doesn’t make it to the market. Fortunately, some of the best smart glasses we saw at the show will, making the product category one of the most exciting ones going into the rest of 2025.Also: CES 2025: The 15 most impressive products so farOver the past week, ZDNET has been scouring the show floor to select the best of the best. The picks below aren’t just limited to AR glasses that compete with the Apple Vision Pro and similarly-functioning VR headsets; they include Meta Ray-Ban competitors, tint-changing wearables, and more. Here are our best picks, listed in no particular order.1. Xreal One Pro More
