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Getty Images / NurPhoto / Contributor Since OpenAI’s ChatGPT triggered an AI arms race in 2022, most tech companies have released their own chatbots. Despite the highly saturated market, OpenAI has continually released features to keep its competitive edge — a strategy that seems to be working. A new report from The Information found that ChatGPT’s revenue […] More
<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways Lenovo’s first-edition ThinkPad X9 Aura Edition 14-inch is available now, starting at $1,239 for the lowest-tier configuration. It’s an experimental evolution of the ThinkPad line, exchanging some of the most defining features for a new sleek form factor and bold design. The entry configuration only comes with 256GB of storage, which […] More
ZDNETMozilla recently revealed plans for a new service that would bring back Firefox Send (for file transfer) and add Thunderbird Appointment. But that’s not the big announcement we’ve all been waiting for.Mozilla also announced two new services — Thundermail (for email) and Thunderbird Pro, a collection of services that includes Thunderbird Appointment, Firefox Send, and Assist.Here’s what we know so far.Also: Google says easy email encryption is on the way – for some usersThundermail — not to be confused with Mozilla’s decades-old Thunderbird email client — will be an email service similar to Gmail that can be used within Thunderbird and on the web. With Thundermail, you can use either a Thundermail email address or a custom domain. Also, this new 100% open-source email service will never use your email to train AI, flood your inbox with ads, or collect and sell your data. (So maybe it’s not that similar to Gmail.) That’s a big win for those who are concerned about privacy.According to Ryan Sipes (author of the official Thunderbird Blog), “We want to provide email accounts to those that love Thunderbird, and we believe that we are capable of providing a better service than the other providers out there, that aligns with our values. We have been experimenting with this for a while now and are using Stalwart as the software stack. We have been working with the Stalwart maintainer to improve its capabilities (for instance, we have pushed hard on calendar and contacts being a core piece of the stack).” 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
MLCommons Nvidia’s general-purpose GPU chips have once again made a nearly clean sweep of one of the most popular benchmarks for measuring chip performance in artificial intelligence, this time with a new focus on generative AI applications such as large language models (LLMs). There wasn’t much competition. Systems put together by SuperMicro, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, […] More
Mozilla / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETMove over, Chrome. Watch out, Edge. Firefox has finally caught up with the competition courtesy of a helpful new skill.Now baked into the latest version of Mozilla’s browser is the long-awaited Tab Groups. Yes, that means you can organize related web pages into specific groups to keep track of them more easily and prevent the Tab bar from getting too crowded. How to use Tab Groups in FirefoxTo use Tab Groups, make sure you are running Firefox version 137 or higher. To check, click the hamburger icon at the upper right, select Help and then click About Firefox. The latest version automatically downloads and installs, prompting you to restart the browser. Also: The Firefox I loved is gone – how to protect your privacy on it nowFor now, the new feature is still in the rollout phase, which means it is not available to all Firefox users yet. Give it a few days and it should eventually pop up. OK, but how do you actually use Tab Groups? Open two or more related web pages, maybe some stories on ZDNET. Move the tab of one page on top of the other. If the Tab Groups option is accessible, the tab you are moving takes on a dark blue border. At that point, let go of your mouse button or touchpad. A small “Create tab group” window prompts you to name the group and assign a color. After you have done both, tap Done.You then see a tab with the name and color you assigned. Select the tab to open the group and see the web pages inside. Select it again to close the group. With the group open, simply click on each individual tab to view the page itself. Beyond helping you organize your tabbed pages, Tab Groups also uses the space on the Tab bar more efficiently. Now, close Firefox and then open it again. To see your tab group, click the down arrow toward the end of the Tab bar. In the section for Recent tab groups, click the group you want to view and use. And there is more. Also: 6 obscure browsers that are better than ChromeRight-click on the tab for your group. From the menu you can change the name or color, add a new tab to the group, move the group to a new browser window, save and close the group, ungroup the individual tabs or delete the group. And here is another way to set up or modify a group. Right-click on a page that you want to add to a group and select Add Tab to Group. You can then add the page to an existing group or create a new group to house the tab. Works with the vertical tab layoutTab groups also work with the vertical tab layout that Firefox added in early March. With vertical tabs on display in the left sidebar, just drag one tab up or down on top of another tab. Otherwise, right-click an individual tab to add it to a new or existing group. Right-click on a group to manage it. Though Tab Groups is a welcome addition to Firefox, Mozilla is a few years late to the party. Chrome unveiled support for tab groups in 2020 with version 83. Microsoft Edge introduced tab groups in 2021 with version 93. Likewise, Apples Safari adopted tab groups for iOS, iPadOS, and the Mac in 2021. Still, better late than never. More
Jack Wallen / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETAfter using Linux for a while, switching from one distribution to another becomes a fairly easy task. You know the landscape, and you understand the choices and how they are pieced together, so the decision becomes second nature.Also: The best-looking Linux desktop I’ve seen so far in 2025 — and it’s not even closeBut those early days can be filled with confusion, especially when trying to choose a distribution. The list goes on and on and on. In fact, my best guess is that there are over 1,000 Linux distributions available to use. That is a massive choice. Now, before your eyes jettison from their orbits, many of those distributions are so niche that you would never consider them, and some of them are built for servers, routers, and embedded systems. That still leaves a lot of distributions. Even if you narrow it down to only the main choices, you are still looking at 10 to 20 options. What do you do? Well, I have a suggestion.The first things to focus on if you’re new to LinuxThe desktop environmentThe desktop environment is your window into Linux, so why would you want to make that window challenging to open, clean, and see through? When you select a Linux distribution, the first thing you should focus on is which one appeals to you the most. Are you so accustomed to Windows that you want to start off with a desktop environment that looks very much like Windows 10 or 11? Or maybe you spent your formative years with Windows 98 or XP. You could be coming from MacOS, at which point aesthetics are probably important to you. If you start your journey on familiar ground, the beginning of that trip will be much more pleasant. Of course, it is not just about the look of the desktop. You also have to take into consideration how the desktop works. Also: The 4 best Linux desktops based on GNOME – and what I most like about each oneConsider GNOME, which is considered a rather elegant desktop metaphor. But when you see how GNOME functions, you realize just how different it is from what you have been using. Without modifications, there is not a desktop menu to use, and you also find yourself clicking the mouse so much that you might feel it is an inefficient UI (it is not really, but it can come off as such). And then there is KDE Plasma, which not only (sort of) resembles a Windows UI, but it is also highly configurable. You can go through every single Linux desktop environment to discover just how different and similar they can be. But that is the trick. Take the time to do this. Watch some videos of the desktop environments in action, so you can determine which one best suits your needs and personality. 2. Hardware detectionWhy hardware detection next? You could pick out the best-looking, most highly functioning desktop environment, but if the distribution is incapable of detecting all of your hardware, what good is it? Understand that most Linux distributions have become very good at hardware detection, and in most cases you will not have to bother installing drivers for most of what you need. Why not start yourself off with as little up-front, post-install work as possible? Also: Thinking about switching to Linux? 10 things you need to knowThe best Linux distributions for hardware detection are: Although Ubuntu and Mint are at the top of that list, you cannot go wrong with a rolling release (such as Arch, Manjaro, or Garuda). 3. Package managementPackage management is an important aspect of Linux because it is how you manage all aspects of installing, updating, and removing applications from your system. Every Linux distribution has a package manager, such as apt (Ubuntu-based distributions), dnf (Fedora-based distributions), pacman (Arch-based distributions), and zypper (openSUSE-based distributions). Most package managers now have outstanding GUIs, so you can manage software installation and updates without using the terminal.Also: The Linux tool you forgot about: How Synaptic makes software installation a breezeEven with these default package managers, I recommend making sure the distribution you choose also includes one of the universal package managers, Snap or Flatpak. On top of that, find a distribution that integrates the universal package manager into the GUI app store, so all your software needs are managed in a single location. 4. SecurityFinally, we have security. Most Linux distributions are quite secure, but you want to find a distribution that does not require too much work on your part to ensure those security systems are not so challenging to use that you have to be an elite Linux user to make heads or tails of them. For example, SELinux is a very powerful security tool, but with that power comes complexity. Most often, SELinux just works, but when there is an issue, it can be challenging to resolve. Fortunately, if you are using a distribution that includes SELinux (which is any based on Fedora) on the desktop, the chances of SELinux causing you problems are slim. I have placed security as the last thing to think about when selecting a Linux distribution because it is splitting hairs. Yes, there are some distributions that are more secure than others (like Qubes), but nearly all Linux distributions are more secure than the operating system you have been using (unless you are coming from a different distribution). Also: Leaving Windows 10 for Linux? 5 security differences to consider firstWhen choosing a Linux distribution, if you start at the top of this list and work your way down, you will find the decision is much easier than if you were just randomly looking or asking around on this vast world called the internet. Open Source 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: How to clear the cache on your TV (and why it makes such a big difference)Below are my initial takeaways (read: this isn’t a review) on the company’s Neo QLED 4K More
