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Adrienne Bresnahan/Getty Images LONDON — Over the past decade, companies such as Redis, Elastic, MongoDB, and HashiCorp have abandoned their open-source license roots and switched to proprietary models. The companies cite competition from cloud providers and investor pressure, but the decision is all about making more money. However, there’s a fly in this soup: The strategy […] More
Prakhar Khanna/ZDNETI’ve been using the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra More
ZDNETIt’s been a rough few month for Sonos, but the company is hoping to bounce back with its newest product. For the first time ever, Sonos is getting into video.A fairly standard streaming boxOver the next several months, Sonos is set to release a streaming media box. The company itself hasn’t revealed much, but a report from The Verge dropped some details.Like similar products, Sonos’ new device (codenamed Pinewood) will combine content from streaming platforms like Disney+, Netflix, and Prime Video and include a universal search function, voice control, and a physical remote with shortcuts.Also: Sonos’ latest audio products transformed the way I watch movies at home – here’s howSo far, it’s a fairly standard streaming box. Here’s where it starts to get a little different, though.HDMI switch of sortsSonos’ box will also be an HDMI switch of sorts, as it has multiple HDMI inputs with passthrough so you can connect multiple devices to your TV. It will wirelessly transmit audio to Sonos soundbars, potentially letting you upgrade your home theater sound beyond the TV’s original capabilities.You’ll even be able to make your own dedicated left and right audio channels for a makeshift surround sound system with other Sonos speakers instead of relying on a soundbar (but it’s not clear exactly which speakers will be compatible).As far as the interface, The Verge called it “beautiful,” according to a source. There wasn’t a mention of whether or not it contained ads, but it was reportedly developed by an advertising firm. More
<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Onyx Boox Page has a seven-inch E Ink display and sells for $219 across major retailers. It runs on a simplified version of Android 11, so you can download any app you want, including Kindle, TikTok, Google Docs, and more. Don’t expect the tablet to receive the latest Android updates. […] More
ZDNETNearly everything you do on your desktop, laptop, phone, and tablet begins with a Domain Name System (DNS) query. Essentially, DNS turns domain names (such as ZDNET.com) into an IP address so web browsers and apps know where to get the information you want. Without DNS, you’d have to type 34.149.132.124 every time you wanted to go to ZDNET.com. Even by simply running a Google search, DNS is at work.The problem is that standard DNS isn’t encrypted, meaning all your queries are sent over the network as plain text. Why is non-encrypted DNS a problem?Let’s say you’re on a public network — like a coffee shop — and you start searching for things on your Android device. Or maybe you have to access a CMS or another work tool, and you don’t want the public to know the address you’re typing. If someone else is on the same network and has the skills, they could intercept your non-encrypted search queries (or the URLs you visit) and know exactly what you’re looking for.That’s where Private DNS Mode comes into play. Once you enable this feature, all of your DNS queries are encrypted, so any bad actors won’t be able to view them (even if they capture those packets). In other words, Private DNS Mode should be an absolute must for anyone who values their privacy and security.Also: How to easily use Cloudflare’s secure DNS on your Mac and why it even mattersBut how do you enable Private DNS Mode on Android? It’s actually pretty simple. Let me show you how.How to enable Private DNS mode on AndroidWhat you’ll need: The only thing you need to enable Private DNS Mode is an Android device running at least Version 9 of the operating system (which released in 2018). I’m using a Pixel 9 Pro but have used the feature going way back in the Android release cycle. Pretty much every modern Android phone is capable of enabling Private DNS. More
SOPA Images / Contributor / Getty Images Although you may be tuning into the Super Bowl for the football, you’ll also be exposed to the latest in tech. (Remember last year’s Temu and Copilot ads?) This year, Perplexity is getting in on the action, running a campaign that could win you $1 million. Also: How to watch […] More
<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways Pre-orders for the Galaxy Book5 Pro start at $1,349. It sports a brilliant 3K touchscreen and large touchpad, plus Intel’s Lunar Lake chip delivers next-gen performance. Despite the better hardware, this laptop shares some of the design flaws as its predecessor. –> Whenever a new laptop comes out, consumers expect it […] More
Adam Breeden/ZDNETApple sells some very fancy iPads these days. In fact, several of them now cost over $1,000. But for the things most people do with their iPads — watching streaming content, making video calls, reading books and documents, answering messages, and surfing the web, the best iPad to buy is the standard 10th-generation iPad More
