More stories

  • in

    Best Prime Day smartwatch and fitness tracker deals: My 16 favorite sales live now

    When is Amazon Prime Day 2025? Amazon Prime Day takes place from July 8 through July 11 this year. This is when the retailer cuts deals on thousands of products, mostly ones it owns (think Kindle, Ring, and Alexa). To get in on the deals hype, other brands will discount their products during Prime Day to boost overall sales. Are health trackers really cheaper on Prime Day? I’ve seen some sweet discounts on health trackers during my time as an editor covering these events. We’ve seen record savings on tech, including Apple Watches and Oura Rings. Should I buy a smartwatch or a smart ring?A smartwatch functions as a health tracker and an around-the-wrist companion to your phone. You can answer texts, set timers, ask the smartwatch’s AI assistant questions and more with an Apple Watch, Pixel Watch, Galaxy Watch, or Garmin. It will record your exercise and sleep and deliver that through the smartwatch’s health app, as well as on your phone’s health app. A smart ring is a little different. It doesn’t have a screen, so it won’t distract you throughout the day with pings or messages. All of the data it collects is displayed on your phone. If a smartwatch is a lifestyle wearable with health functionalities, a smart watch is a health-centered wearable. How did we choose these Prime Day deals?I cover health wearables for my job, and I’m particular about the products I like and don’t like. If something isn’t worth my while, I’m not writing about it. The same goes for these deals. Our experts looked for deals that were at least 20% off (or are hardly ever on sale), using established price comparison tools and trackers to determine whether the deal is actually on sale and how frequently it drops. We also looked over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the deals we’re recommending. Our recommendations may also be based on our own testing — in addition to extensive research and comparison shopping. The goal is to deliver the most accurate advice to help you shop smarter. What are the best Prime Day deals so far?ZDNET’s experts are searching through Prime Day sales to find the best discounts by category. These are the best deals so far:You can also find the best deals from other retailers competing with Prime Day sales: More

  • in

    Why I’m deleting Firefox for good – and which browser’s never let me down

    ZDNETI’ve been using Firefox, on and off, for years. After all, it’s been the default web browser for Linux for as long as I can remember. But I’m finally moving on from Firefox and all of its clones.Also: I loved Arc browser and was skeptical of its agentic Dia replacement – until I tried itThis time it feels permanent. Every other time I migrated away from Firefox (or a Firefox fork), it felt temporary, like I’d soon return, after using whatever browser I adopted, because Firefox was always there for me (and Linux).The problem is MozillaBut this time… I can’t imagine going back. Even to a clone, like Zen Browser, which I’ve really enjoyed using. The problem isn’t Zen Browser or any of the Firefox forks. The problem isn’t really a Firefox issue (more on that in a bit). The problem is Mozilla.You see, Mozilla is a company, and companies have to have income to keep the lights on. There’s nothing wrong with that, but those running said company have shown signs that they don’t quite understand how to steer an open-source ship. Also: The fall of Firefox: Mozilla’s once-popular web browser slides into irrelevanceTake, for instance, back in 2022, when Mitchell Baker, Mozilla’s CEO (at the time — she’s now gone), was found to have received a significant pay raise of over $6.9 million. This drew criticism and ire from people around the world, especially given A) how Firefox was struggling to keep up with other browsers’ market share, and B) how Mozilla’s income was suffering. It was not a good look then, and it’s not a good look now. And there were all the layoffs, even during a time when Mozilla was flush with cash. That was a move no one could understand. It was looking as if Firefox was about to reclaim its glory days, and then, wham, the staff was cut. About the same time, it seemed Mozilla decided to shift its focus away from its core user base. Yes, I’m talking Linux and open-source enthusiasts. When Mozilla and Firefox were in their glory days, the browser functioned with a Linux-first frame of mind, and it worked very well. Firefox was, hands down, the best browser on the market for Linux, and it always seemed the Mozilla team was working to make Firefox the Linux browser. It listened to the open-source community and worked hard to ensure Firefox worked perfectly on the open-source operating system.Also: The Firefox I loved is gone – how to protect your privacy on it nowBut then things started to change, and it seemed Mozilla was no longer a champion of the open-source community. What was once a blazing-fast browser on Linux has become doggedly slow. On top of that, features started to disappear (such as Do Not Track). As well, the development team seems to be ignoring the fact that every browser on the market has moved ahead of Firefox with regards to Tab Management. It’s almost as if Mozilla doesn’t care that browsers like Opera, Safari, Edge, and others have made tab management a work of art. Firefox can’t competeAnd let’s not talk about how much faster Chrome has become. Firefox can’t compete with that speed. As well, there’s the fact that so many Linux distributions have opted to go the Snap or Flatpak route with Firefox, and Mozilla has done a less-than-stellar job on that front (the Snap version of Firefox is slow and buggy). Ultimately, however, the biggest problem for me is that Mozilla is floundering as a company, and that has had a negative impact on the browser. That negative impact is far-reaching because of all the browsers based on Firefox. If Mozilla fails Firefox, Firefox will fail every browser to use it as its core. What does that mean? If apps like Zen Browser are to remain successful, they might have to go it on their own and maintain their own core. That’s a big ask for a small team.Also: 5 MacOS-like Linux distros that can rescue your old Intel Mac before support endsAnd because of the constant drama with Mozilla, users are no longer able to trust the future of Firefox. I don’t, and I need a browser I can rely on. I need a browser built by a company that actually listens to its users and understands the importance of workflow and creating a browser that is efficient, reliable, and forward-thinking. I can’t keep using a browser that’s stuck in the past. More

  • in

    Prime Day portable power station deals 2025: Best 11 generator sales up to 60% off

    When is Amazon Prime Day 2025?  This year, Amazon Prime Day isn’t a day, and runs from July 8-11. For the first time, it’s a four-day sale extravaganza, rather than the regular two days of sales. Are portable power stations really cheaper on Prime Day?  I watch prices closely, and yes, I can say with absolute certainty that you can find lots of great deals during the Amazon Prime Day sales. In fact, I’ve found some absolute killer deals to share with you. It’s also a good time to get a good deal on combos that come with the power station and an expansion battery and/or solar panels. We’re monitoring everyone’s sale prices during the event to update you on the most worthwhile ones. How did we choose these Prime Day deals? ZDNET only writes about deals we want to buy — devices and products we desire, need, or would recommend. Our experts looked for deals that were at least 20% off (or are hardly ever on sale), using established price comparison tools and trackers to determine whether the deal is actually on sale and how frequently it drops.  We also looked over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the deals we’re recommending. Our recommendations may also be based on our own testing — in addition to extensive research and comparison shopping. The goal is to deliver the most accurate advice to help you shop smarter.  More

  • in

    This new Gmail tool lets you declutter your inbox in seconds – here’s how to use it

    Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETA few months ago, Google rolled out a new feature for Gmail on Android that makes it easier to clean out your inbox by showing a single list of all your subscriptions and providing a simple way to unsubscribe from these lists.Also: Run out of Gmail storage? How I got another 15GB for free and without losing any filesGoogle officially expanded the feature today, making the announcement in a blog post that “Manage Subscriptions” is now showing up on Gmail for desktop. The tool works just like it does on AndroidWhen you open it, you’ll see the name and email address of every list you’re subscribed to, along with how many messages that sender has sent recently. A button to the right lets you unsubscribe from that list without leaving the screen you’re on. Also: I just watched Gmail generate AI responses for me – and they were scarily accurateThis isn’t necessarily a new functionality, as the very same button appears at the top of every promotional email you get. What’s new is that all of your senders appear on one page, meaning you can unsubscribe from dozens of lists in just a few minutes. Google notes that when you unsubscribe, it takes a few days for the change to fully take effect, so a few more emails may come through. More

  • in

    My 21+ favorite anti-Prime Day deals 2025 from Best Buy, Walmart, & more: Top sales from Amazon’s competition

    Tharon Green/ZDNET When is Amazon Prime Day 2025?  Amazon Prime Day 2025 is July 8-11, 2025. The annual sale event was extended by two days this year.  Are deals really better during Amazon sales? Deals on flagship Amazon products are typically the best during Amazon’s own sales. These sales are also a great opportunity to […] More

  • in

    The price of these workout earbuds from Beats just dropped even lower

    <!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Powerbeats Pro 2 retail for $250 in vibrant Black, Quick Sand, Hyper Purple, and Electric Orange colorways. The earbuds can replace your smartwatch or fitness tracker, offering exercise and activity data via companion apps. The sound isn’t very robust, delivering weak bass and hollow mids. –> The Powerbeats Pro 2<!–> […] More

  • in

    Best Prime Day PC gaming deals: My 50+ picks for top deals live now

    What are the best Prime Day deals so far?ZDNET’s experts are searching through Prime Day sales to find the best discounts by category. These are the best deals so far:You can also find the best deals from other retailers competing with Prime Day sales:When is Amazon Prime Day 2025? Amazon’s annual Prime Day sale will run from July 8 through July 11, with many of the best deals going live the day of. But if you can’t wait to upgrade your PC gaming setup, or are building a gaming PC that’s pulling double-duty as a work computer, you can find great early deals on accessories like keyboards and headsets, components, and prebuilt desktops and laptops.Are gaming PCs and components really cheaper on Prime Day? While you can find steep discounts on gaming PCs, accessories, and components during Amazon’s Prime Day sale, it sometimes pays to look at other retailers and even to see if brands like HP and Dell are offering bundle deals or better markdowns. This is especially true if you’re looking to get new components like graphics cards, RAM, or storage drives. How did we choose these Prime Day deals?Not all PC gaming sales are created equal, and not every retailer will offer markdowns on gaming components or computers. So I chose the steepest discounts on the most popular and trusted names in PC gaming like HP, Razer, HyperX, and more to help you find the best deals on the best accessories, components, and pre-built desktops so you can stay on budget when buying a new gaming rig or updating your current setup. More