Robotics

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways A Shine Turbine kit, which includes that 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. The kit includes everything you need to turn wind into electrical energy, and the turbine features a 12,000 […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways At $130, the Blink Outdoor 4 Floodlight Camera is a practical, battery-powered solution for darker areas around your house that lack wiring and outlets. The AA batteries allow the floodlights to beam at 700 nits of brightness, which is not the most powerful on the market but good enough to see […] More

Google Google Quick Share just got a big-time upgrade that makes it a lot more convenient to share a file with someone. In a System Release Notes update for February 2025, Google revealed several changes coming to Google Play Services, including the ability to manage Family Link groups more easily, new features for third-party developers to […] More

Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNETChatGPT was originally available only on browsers, but since then, OpenAI has expanded access to mobile and desktop apps. In December, OpenAI took it a step further by adding a toll-free 1-800-CHATGPT number, where users can access the chatbot with a quick dial and even text it on WhatsApp. The experience has just received an upgrade.  New ChatGPT experience in WhatsApp On Monday, OpenAI announced that users could now upload images in the WhatsApp chat, just like they would when using the chatbot on the browser or app. This feature is helpful for multimodal assistance, where referencing a photo adds useful context that better informs ChatGPT’s response.Also: OpenAI’s new Deep Research agent can do in 5 minutes what might take you hoursFor example, if you want to know the name of a plant or vegetable, you can simply upload the image and ask ChatGPT directly in WhatsApp. More elaborate tasks of that nature include taking a photo of a sign to ask for a translation or showing it fridge ingredients and asking for a recipe.To enhance ChatGPT’s multimodal assistance in WhatsApp even further, users can now send it audio messages in the chat and receive text responses, just like the regular Voice Mode experience available in ChatGPT.How to get startedThe ChatGPT in WhatsApp experience is free, and to get started, all you have to do is download the app and message ChatGPT as you would any other contact. You can also scan the QR code below, which will walk you through the sign-up process. More

Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNETI like to meditate and I like to surf the web. But I never thought about combining the two — until now. That’s because Opera has released a new browser called Opera Air, which tries to help you become more mindful as you use the web.Available in early access for anyone to download and install, Opera Air offers exercises, mindful breaks, and guided meditations to not only ease your mind but also stretch your body. The goal is to help you avoid the physical and mental stresses you may experience when you spend hours glued to the internet.Also: The best secure browsers for privacy in 2025: Expert testedUpon launching Opera Air the first time, you’re prompted to choose a calming wallpaper image with photos from nature. I selected an image of a flat rock balanced on a larger stone, reminding me of the type of outdoor scene that helps me focus at yoga and meditation retreats.The home page for Opera Air is cleanly designed with minimal distractions. A series of icons for suggested websites take you to mindfulness-oriented sites such as Mindful.org, Headspace.com, and Calm.com. You can add other sites to the home page for quick and easy access. Otherwise, you’re free to surf and search the web as you normally would.When it’s time to take a break, a small toolbar on the left displays icons that access the different features. More

Jada Jones/ZDNETDuring Apple’s September hardware event last year, the company announced the iPhone 16 lineup, new AirPods, and an upgraded Apple Watch. I was most happy to see the AirPods 4 model, which introduced noise cancellation to the lineup for the first time and upgraded software features — but I was secretly hoping for the AirPods Pro 3.Also: Turn your AirPods Pro 2 into hearing aids: Testing and tracking hearing health in iOS 18.1Unfortunately, a new AirPods Pro model didn’t appear. Instead, Apple announced auditory health features and valuable software upgrades available to the AirPods Pro 2 earbuds, which has kept the device relevant even after years since launch.With the AirPods Pro 2 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

ZDNETAmong Windows experts, a clean install is a time-honored ritual, a way to wipe out accumulated cruft and restore an old PC to new life.You can find plenty of perfectly good reasons to do a clean install. You might be repurposing an old but still serviceable PC for use by someone else in your family or your organization. Perhaps you’ve decided to replace a conventional hard disk drive with a fast solid-state drive to extend the life of an older PC. Or maybe you just want a fresh start.Also: How to upgrade your ‘incompatible’ Windows 10 PC to Windows 11 in 2025A clean install is the ultimate troubleshooting technique, virtually guaranteed to eliminate performance or compatibility problems caused by third-party software, temporary files, configuration errors, and garden-variety malware. Done right, the result is a PC that starts from a known good state, with either the default Windows 10 configuration or a previously tested configuration that includes specific third-party software and drivers.By my count, there are four ways to do a clean install (short of buying a new PC). Here are the pros and cons of each method, along with some advice on when to employ each one.(A quick note up front: This article covers the full range of installations on hardware that was originally designed for Windows 10 or Windows 11. Unless otherwise specified, all instructions assume that you’re installing or reinstalling Windows 11 version 24H2.)1. Use a recovery image from the OEMIf you purchased a PC with Windows preinstalled, you might have the option to revert to the original image that the manufacturer supplied.The good news is that the saved image includes all the drivers, utilities, and hardware support so that (in theory, at least) all your devices work as designed as soon as you sign in for the first time.The bad news is that the saved image also includes whatever crapware the manufacturer was paid to preinstall alongside your otherwise pristine Windows installation. That might not be a dealbreaker if you have a business-class PC with minimal unwanted software, but it can be a royal pain for a consumer device overstuffed with games and trial versions of software.Besides the aforementioned crapware, the biggest disadvantage of this option is that you’re likely to end up with a Windows installation that’s out of date, leading to the need for a tedious full feature update, followed by the latest cumulative update, after your recovery is complete. That’s especially true if the PC you’re working with came with Windows 10 and you upgraded it to Windows 11.Also: How to clear the cache on your Windows 11 PC (and why it makes such a big difference)This option is preferred if you’re getting a machine ready to sell or give away, or if you’re experiencing hardware issues that require repair or return of a device as part of a warranty claim.The option to restore an OEM image might be available from a dedicated partition when you start your PC in recovery mode, or your OEM might include a utility that downloads the latest image from its servers. As an alternative, your OEM might be able to supply you with a bootable recovery image that you can install on a USB flash drive. (See “How to get a free Windows (or Linux) recovery image for your OEM PC” for details on where you can get recovery images for Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Microsoft Surface devices.)2. Restore from a backup imageBy definition, this option is only available if you’re a well-prepared person who used the legacy Windows Backup program (Sdclt.exe) or an alternative third-party backup program immediately after setting up your PC when it was brand new.If you count yourself among that small group, you are probably reading this article from your lavishly appointed fallout shelter, with a 12-month supply of canned food, medications, and bottled water neatly stacked on the shelves. As a well-prepared person, what you did immediately after setting up your PC was create a backup image of your completed Windows installation, in anticipation of the day when something would head south and you would want to start over.Also: How to set up God Mode in Windows 11 – and the wonders you can do with itThis option is especially appealing if you rely on a large collection of third-party software, including custom device drivers that are not available through Windows Update. Capture that image after completing installation of all those third-party programs but before restoring any personal data files.The disadvantages of this technique include the extra time and effort required to create the backup, as well as the organizational chops required to keep that backup safe and easily accessible when it’s needed. As with an OEM recovery image, the backup doesn’t necessarily include the most recent feature update. However, if the image reflects a previous Windows version that you want to use while you defer installation of later feature updates, you might see this as a plus. More