Robotics

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

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways A Shine Turbine kit, which includes a turbine, stand, guy lines, and pegs, costs $399, while the Essentials Kit, which adds a few more bits such as a wind speed meter, costs $488 – though both are on sale right now. The kit includes everything you need to turn wind into […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Planck SSD gives your connected device quick access to up to 2TB of storage. It has read and write speeds of up to 1,050 MB/s, giving it support for Apple 4K ProRes recording. It’s not cheap at a starting price of $125, and due diligence is required for any Kickstarter […] More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETIf you’re a T-Mobile user (or were in 2021), a check might arrive in your mailbox soon.In 2021, the mobile carrier suffered a massive data breach that affected around 76 million customers (this isn’t related to the 2023 breach that affected 37 million people). T-Mobile denied any wrongdoing but agreed to settle a lawsuit about the breach out of court. Four years later, affected customers are getting compensation. Also: I clicked on four sneaky online scams on purpose – to show you how they workA recent update on the settlement website indicates that all court proceedings are done, and checks are expected to go out this month. If you suffered financial loss from the incident, you might receive up to $25,000. If you didn’t suffer any loss, even if you didn’t file a claim in the suit, you can receive up to $25 (except California residents, who will receive up to $100). While those are the maximum amounts, a quick crunch of the numbers – a $350 million settlement divided between 76 million people – works out to about $4.50 a person, and that’s before attorney fees.  More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETThe TV launch season is upon us, and Samsung is among the first brands to put out its 2025 lineup of visual goodness. I recently had the opportunity to scope out some new TVs at one of Samsung’s satellite laboratories in New Jersey, putting every upcoming model through the ringer and seeing just how well they stack up to the company’s early-year claims. Also: I spent hours testing Samsung’s new flagship soundbar – it gave my Sonos a run for its moneyBelow are my initial takeaways (read: this isn’t a review) on the company’s Neo QLED 4K More