Latest Tech News

Stay updated with the latest in technology, AI, cybersecurity, and more

Filtered by: dr Clear Filter

Plantaform Smart Indoor Garden Review: Rewarding but Risky

It was about a week into my journey as a hydroponic lettuce farmer when I noticed my Mila air purifier, set to auto mode, was running at full blast. Its internal air quality sensor told me the air was dirty. Not sure if the sensor was overly sensitive, I swapped it out for the more powerful and far quieter IQ Air Atem X (9/10 WIRED Recommends) and set it on auto mode. Next time I went into my son’s room, the Atem was running at its highest speed. I checked the room’s IQAir Visual Pro Indoor Air

I can’t believe how far Switch emulation has come in the year since Nintendo killed it

Nick Fernandez / Android Authority It’s been a few weeks since the Nintendo Switch 2 hit shelves, but if we’re being perfectly honest, there’s not much reason to buy one yet. I’ve been revisiting my OG Switch to stave off the FOMO, but I was sad to learn that my left Joy-Con now drifts so badly that Link runs in circles like he’s drunk in Breath of the Wild. Instead of shelling out $40 for another Joy-Con with a ticking drift timer, I reached for something I hadn’t touched in a while: Switch e

Android 16 will alert users to possible Stingray surveillance, fake cell towers

Why it matters: As Android 16's new security features roll out with the next generation of smartphones, users will, for the first time, have a tool to detect invisible digital surveillance. Whether this prompts broader reforms in how such technology is used and regulated remains to be seen. Still, the feature reflects a growing awareness of the need to protect personal privacy in the mobile age. An upcoming Android update will introduce a warning system to help users detect one of the most elus

If only this Android camera powerhouse was easy to buy, I’d recommend it in a heartbeat

OPPO Find X8 Ultra The OPPO Find X8 Ultra is one of the best Android phones for photography and videography, but it's ultra difficult for most of us to find and purchase due to its regional exclusivity. I’ve been waiting a long time for this, but finally, I spent some time with the OPPO Find X8 Ultra. I was a big fan of the Find X8 Pro that preceded it, especially its camera capabilities, and the Ultra builds on that, so I was eager to give it a spin. Unfortunately, this is the Chinese model s

I’d give everything for a pre-configured Android gaming handheld

Nick Fernandez / Android Authority Retro gaming handhelds have come a long way in the past few years, but there’s still one big sticking point: the setup. Every time a new handheld comes in for review, I have to spend hours installing emulators, fixing folder structures, and configuring a frontend. Once that’s done, I still have to configure settings and shaders for each console individually, which requires arcane knowledge in popular emulators like RetroArch. Compared to Linux-based handheld

The 11 Best Healthy Beverages With Electrolytes, Low Sugar and More

When it comes to picking the right healthy beverage for your taste and preferences, there are multiple factors to consider. Below, we outline them so you can find the right drink for you. Dietary notes If you follow a specific diet or are looking for specific ingredients, this can help you narrow down the best drink for you. Examples include gluten-free, vegan, nut-free, low-sugar or zero-sugar, and no artificial flavors or sweeteners. You’ll also want to think about what is added to the drink

Breville Luxe Brewer Review (2025): Good Drip, Real Cold Brew

The new Breville Luxe Brewer is designed for hot coffee. It makes excellent, subtle, hot drip coffee. But it also does something that almost no other fancy coffee maker on the market achieves. It makes real cold brew coffee—the sweet and gentle stuff, the cool elixir of smooth summers and milky heaven. The Luxe is part of a new generation of drip coffee makers that has helped transform drip coffee from bitter office fuel into a subject for connoisseurship. The Luxe's predecessor, the Precision

Tesla says it delivered its first car autonomously from factory to customer

is transportation editor with 10+ years of experience who covers EVs, public transportation, and aviation. His work has appeared in The New York Daily News and City & State. This might be a bigger deal than the robotaxis. Tesla said it completed its first fully autonomous vehicle delivery from factory to customer. A video posted on X shows the vehicle — a Tesla Model Y — leaving the company’s Austin Gigafactory, driving on the highway, passing through suburban sprawl and residential neighborho

I turned off all AI features on my Pixel phone — and instantly regretted it

Robert Triggs / Android Authority I had this realization — epiphany of sorts — that while we’ve become more conscious of generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini, we often use AI much more than we actively perceive. Every app you touch on your phone has some kind of smarts and automation baked in. It’s constantly learning from your patterns and improving in the background. That nudged me to experiment with becoming more intentional about these AI additions and disable them for a cleaner loo

This thumb-sized accessory gave my old PC an instant speed boost (and double the storage)

ZDNET's key takeaways PNY 1TB CS3150 M.2 storage drive, available for around $170. Overall, it's a fast M.2 drive with active cooling to keep running temperatures below the maximum rated temperature. The heatsink makes the drive rather bulky, and you will need a 4-pin fan header on the motherboard to power the fans. $169.99 at B&H Photo-Video In the not-so-distant past, the solution for speed-boosting an aging and sluggish PC was to add more RAM or upgrade the processor. Now, the way to sail

The Original Macintosh: Calculator Construction Set

The Original Macintosh: 35 of 125 Calculator Construction Set Author: Andy Hertzfeld Date: February 1982 Characters: Chris Espinosa, Steve Jobs, Donn Denman Topics: Software Design Summary: Chris tries to make a Steve-approved calculator The Calculator Chris Espinosa was one of Apple's earliest and youngest employees, who started work for the company at the ripe age of 14. He left Apple in 1978 to go to college at UC Berkeley, but he continued to do freelance work during the school year, like wr

Android 16 can warn you that you might be connected to a fake cell tower

TL;DR Android 16 is adding a new security feature that can warn you when your phone might be connected to a fake or insecure mobile network created by a “stingray” device. This feature alerts you to unencrypted connections or when the network requests your phone’s identifiers, which can help detect when surveillance might be happening. Due to new hardware requirements, this protection will likely only be on new devices launching with Android 16, such as the upcoming Pixel 10. There are many s

Rust in the Linux kernel: part 2

How to write Rust in the kernel: part 2 [LWN subscriber-only content] In 2023, Fujita Tomonori wrote a Rust version of the existing driver for the Asix AX88796B embedded Ethernet controller. At slightly more than 100 lines, it's about as simple as a driver can be, and therefore is a useful touchstone for the differences between writing Rust and C in the kernel. Looking at the Rust syntax, types, and APIs used by the driver and contrasting them with the C version will help illustrate those diffe

SCOTUS upholds part of ACA that makes preventive care fully covered

The US Supreme Court on Friday upheld a key provision of the Affordable Care Act that requires health plans to fully cover many preventive health care services recommended by a federal panel. The ruling means that tens of millions of Americans can continue getting a variety of preventive services for free under their plans. Those cost-free services include an array of screenings, such as cancer screenings like mammograms and colonoscopies, as well as screens for obesity, lead exposure in childr

Critical preventive care will remain free under ACA health plans, SCOTUS rules

The US Supreme Court on Friday upheld a key provision of the Affordable Care Act that requires health plans to fully cover many preventive health care services recommended by a federal panel. The ruling means that tens of millions of Americans can continue getting a variety of preventive services for free under their plans. Those cost-free services include an array of screenings, such as cancer screenings like mammograms and colonoscopies, as well as screens for obesity, lead exposure in childr

Google Sends Out Bizarre Email Saying AI Will Now Control Your Phone's Apps

One of the most powerful tech corporations on earth has a message for Android users: its AI will soon be taking control of your phone. Android users have begun receiving ominous emails warning that Gemini, Google's proprietary large language model (LLM), will soon be able to "help you" with apps like Phone, Messages, and WhatsApp. Crucially, the emails note that Gemini will be able to "help" users regardless of "whether your Gemini Apps Activity is on or off" — which prompted some understandab

Google Photos won’t downgrade your edited HDR pictures to SDR anymore

Joe Maring / Android Authority TL;DR HDR photos in Google Photos now keep their full dynamic range and HDR metadata when edited with tools like Photo Unblur and Magic Eraser. The app now has an “Ultra HDR” tool for brightening images. SDR photos can now be enhanced to HDR. Google is rolling out some improvements to how high dynamic range (HDR) and standard dynamic range (SDR) images are edited in the Photos app. The update will keep HDR photos from getting downgraded to SDR. Google is also u

New Process Uses Microbes to Create Valuable Materials from Urine

Researchers from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), UC Irvine, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), have used biology to convert human urine into a valuable product. The team genetically modified yeast to take the elements present in urine and create hydroxyapatite – a calcium and phosphorus-based mineral naturally produced by humans and other animals to build bones and teeth. Commercially manufactured hydroxyapatite is used in surgery and dentistry to

How to turn on Android's Private DNS mode - and why turning it off is a big mistake

Jack Wallen / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET Nearly 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. Also: The best Android phones to buy in 2025 Without DNS, you'd have to type 34.149.132.124 every time you wanted to go to ZDNET.com or 74.125.21.102 to go to Google.com. Even by simply running a

Your TV's USB port is seriously underutilized: 5 features you're not taking advantage of

Adam Breeden/ZDNET After the initial setup, most people rarely engage directly with their smart TV. With wireless connectivity, phone apps, and remote controls, there's little need to. Tucked next to the essential HDMI ports, a USB 2.0 port -- likely sitting unnoticed on the back or side panel -- offers more potential than you might expect. Also: Don't cancel Netflix yet: I used these secret codes to unlock the full catalog of shows USB ports are easy to overlook, but they're a standard featu

Topics: drive port ports tv usb

I have yet to find any Android tablet that I love more than the Pixel Tablet

Rita El Khoury / Android Authority It’s been two years (and a few days) since Google released the Pixel Tablet, and I’ve been using it since that very first day. At the time, I thought Google’s approach to an Android tablet was pretty weird but intriguing. Always-on, always ready, not really a Nest Hub, nor as powerful as the best Android tablets — it felt like a bit of a Frankenstein product that would only win the hearts of a small niche of users. I was part of that niche, and two years late

Google Drive could soon help you decode documents faster (APK teardown)

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR Google Drive on Android is working on introducing Gemini-based PDF summary capabilities, similar to those found on Drive on the web. Users will soon be able to access PDF summaries directly within the PDF viewer via a three-dot menu or header icon. The app is also working on multi-file and limited folder summarization features that allow content across various Docs and PDFs to be summarized simultaneously. Google Drive has received many Gemini-relate

Why I Recommend Lenovo’s Gaming Tablet Over the iPad Mini

8.0 / 10 SCORE Lenovo Legion Tab Gen 3 $450 at Lenovo Pros Nice-looking display with a 165Hz refresh rate Works with mobile controllers Nice bundled accessories Smooth gaming performance Cons No microSD slot No fingerprint scanner Behind on Android updates The world of Android tablets sometimes feels like a crapshoot, but every now and then, a seven or 11 appears. There are the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10s of the world, which offer the best Android tablet experiences, but also fantastic tablet

ModRetro Chromatic Review: The Perfect Game Boy Restomod

CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise. 9.0 / 10 SCORE ModRetro Chromatic Review Pros Beautiful screen Sturdy construction Vibrant design and colors Cons Batteries Delicate paint job Price Mono sound Table of Contents ModRetro Chromatic Review: The Perfect Game Boy Restomod Lots of brands attempt to market nostalgia, but few succeed in capturing its warm essence. From hot pink flip phones

The 8 Best Drones (2025): Flight-Tested and Reviewed

By beaming an ultra-low latency live feed from its camera directly into a pair of goggles, a first-person view (FPV) drone puts you right in the cockpit of a small and agile aircraft able to squeak through the smallest of gaps and pull off breath-taking moves like flips, barrel rolls, loops and vertical plunges. These aren’t drones you buy to get pristine photos of wide open vistas so much as to experience (and document) an adrenaline-inducing rollercoaster ride through a tight, obstacle-populat

The Download: how to clean up AI data centers, and weight-loss drugs’ side effects

In a sandy industrial lot outside Reno, Nevada, rows of battery packs that once propelled electric vehicles are now powering a small AI data center. Redwood Materials, one of the US’s largest battery recycling companies, showed off this array of energy storage modules, sitting on cinder blocks and wrapped in waterproof plastic, during a press tour at its headquarters on June 26. The event marked the launch of the company's new business line, Redwood Energy, which will initially repurpose (

Android 16 can warn you if a fake cell tower is trying to spy on you

TL;DR Android 16 is adding a new security feature to warn you when your phone connects to a fake or insecure mobile network known as a “stingray.” This feature alerts you to unencrypted connections or when the network requests your phone’s identifiers, which helps protect against surveillance. Due to new hardware requirements, this protection will likely only be on new devices launching with Android 16, such as the upcoming Pixel 10. There are many simple things you can do to keep your privat

The Pixel Watch 3 is the first Android device with this precise Bluetooth tracking feature

Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority TL;DR The Google Pixel Watch 3 is the first known Android device to support Bluetooth Channel Sounding, enabling precise, centimeter-level distance tracking. This feature is more accurate than traditional Bluetooth signal strength for finding items and serves as a widespread, low-cost alternative to UWB. While the watch supports Channel Sounding after its Wear OS 5.1 update, the feature is not yet in use, likely in preparation for a future Find Hub app relea

The Next Acetaminophen Tablet You Take Could Be Made From PET

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have succeeded in transforming certain plastic waste into acetaminophen using the natural properties of the common bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli). This breakthrough represents a milestone with the potential to drive more sustainable methods of drug production and, at the same time, contribute to the reduction of plastic pollution globally. The study, led by Stephen Wallace, revealed that E. coli cells contain phosphate, an organic compound capabl

If you’re using Android 16, you should turn on this important security feature ASAP

Joe Maring / Android Authority It’s been just about two weeks since Google launched Android 16, and for the most part, it’s an update that came and went without too much fanfare. I’ve been playing around with Android 16 on my Pixel 9a since the update was released, but it wasn’t until a few days ago that I finally enabled Advanced Protection — a new security feature tucked away in the Settings app. Advanced Protection enables a load of robust security features for your phone with the flick of