Robotics

Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNETIf you’re not as happy with your current mobile phone as you used to be, you’re not alone.A recent American Customer Satisfaction Index study showed that overall cell phone user satisfaction took a big step back this year from 82% to 78%. That might not sound like a huge drop, but it’s the lowest satisfaction score in 10 years. Last year’s score was an all-time high.Also: I test dozens of phones every year: Here’s how Apple and Samsung stack upACSI said the drop is largely in part to AI enhancements that didn’t quite deliver what they promised. Add in the fact that most people aren’t embracing AI on mobile devices anyway (only 8% of people said they’d pay for AI features), and it’s clear customers are more focused on practical things like simple calling and texting, the phone’s design, and improved battery life instead of fancy features.The study showed that steep prices and low upgrade rates also played a part in people being less satisfied. More

HP Gaming desktops can get pretty expensive, but right now you can snag the HP Victus 15L<!–> direct from HP.com for 41% off with this site-exclusive sale. And just because this PC is under $1,000 doesn’t mean it skimps on quality components. Read more: The best Memorial Day 2025 deals live now –> Current price: […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Eufy Clean E20 3-in-1 robot vacuum and handheld vacuum combination costs $650. The Eufy E20 performed very well in suction testing; it offers up to 8,000Pa of suction power and thorough edge cleaning; the robot vacuum’s dustbin doubles as a handheld vacuum that includes a floor attachment and a crevice […] More

The Samsung Odyssey G8 monitor.  Kyle Kucharski/ZDNETWhether you’re a PC gamer looking to upgrade your setup or prefer ultra-wide screens for productivity, you can snag the Samsung Odyssey G9 49-inch More

Jack Wallen / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETI remember back in the day when Linux was a challenge, even for computer scientists. It was all text-based; you had to manually format the hard drive, understand how networking functioned, and use the command line like a magician.Today’s Linux is a far easier experience. In fact, there are some Linux distributions that are so easy to install that anyone, regardless of skill, can do it. With that particular breed of distribution, the hardest part is burning an ISO to a USB drive. Even so, from the start of the ISO download to logging into your new Linux system, it should only take about 10 minutes — depending on the speed of your internet connection for downloading the ISO and the performance of your machine. Also: 5 factors steadily fueling Linux’s desktop riseSo, which distributions are the easiest? I’ve chosen five, all of which you can install without knowing anything about Linux. 1. Ubuntu More

HJBC/Getty Images It took Microsoft long enough, but the company has finally open-sourced its Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) code. The announcement was made at the Build 2025 developer conference, closing a nearly nine-year-old request from the developer community, and signals a new era of collaboration between Microsoft and open-source contributors. Also: Rust turns 10: […] More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETGoogle unveiled a slew of new AI tools and features at I/O, dropping the term Gemini 95 times and AI 92 times. However, the best announcement of the entire show wasn’t an AI feature; rather, the title went to one of the two hardware products announced — the Android XR glasses. Also: I’m an AI expert, and these 8 announcements at Google I/O impressed me the mostFor the first time, Google gave the public a look at its long-awaited smart glasses, which pack Gemini’s assistance, in-lens displays, speakers, cameras, and mics into the form factor of traditional eyeglasses. I had the opportunity to wear them for five minutes, during which I ran through a demo of using them to get visual Gemini assistance, take photos, and get navigation directions. As a Meta Ray-Bans user, I couldn’t help but notice the similarities and differences between the two smart glasses — and the features I now wish my Meta pair had. In-lens displays More

Oura/ZDNETOura might be a stellar sleep tracker, but it hasn’t always been a reliable activity tracker. Reddit users under the r/ouraring subreddit regularly lament this situation, saying the Oura Ring miscounts steps during activities and workout sessions. One recent Reddit post called the step tracker “wildly inaccurate.”  Also: I took these sleep trackers to bed to find out which is bestOura has seemingly listened to these complaints. The company has announced it is upgrading the smart ring’s step-tracking feature. That’s right: activity enhancements and upgrades are coming to the app, including new trends for viewing your active time, integrations from partners like Apple and Android for heart rate data, and more accurate calorie- and step-counting mechanisms. Let’s run through some of the activity upgrade highlights.  Improved accuracy for calorie and step counting The new step-counting algorithm functions like a pedometer to track movements and interpret steps. The algorithm should improve average daily step count errors; Oura said it cuts that metric by 61%. Additionally, users can expect to see 20% fewer steps logged with this updated algorithm.  Also: Oura Ring 3 vs Oura Ring 4: Opt for the older, discounted smart ring or the newest?Calorie tracking now considers movement intensity (heart rate zones). This update should allow the ring to accurately track calories burned during exercise, slashing median active calorie error by 53%, according to Oura. More