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Xbox's second batch of Game Pass additions for July includes Grounded 2 and Wheel World

Xbox has confirmed the second batch of Game Pass additions for July . There's no obvious headliner here, but there are a bunch of great additions to the catalog. These include indie hits like Wheel World and blockbusters like Robocop: Rogue City. Let's get into it. Robocop: Rogue City came as a huge surprise back in 2023. A game based on a decades-old sci-fi franchise by a relatively unknown developer? It should have been a train wreck. Instead, it's a solid 3D action title that perfectly captu

My sleeper pick for best noise-canceling earbuds isn't made by Apple or Bose

ZDNET's key takeaways Sony's LinkBuds Fit are $198 These earbuds boast a solid ANC feature and a comfortable design that is second to none. Their audio output, however, isn't very powerful. View now at Amazon View now at Best Buy more buying choices What is the most important aspect of a pair of earbuds? My answer changes depending on the circumstances. I prefer power and volume when I'm at home listening to music. If I'm at the gym, I need something rugged and capable of blocking out sound.

This simple Kindle accessory seriously upgraded my reading experience (and it costs less than $25)

ZDNET's key takeaways The Strapsicle silicone straps upgrade the grip options on your Kindle and provide a secure hold to prevent drops. At $21, Strapsicle is an easy and affordable Kindle accessory to make your reading experience even more comfortable. If you prefer more ergonomic grips or don't like the look of straps across the back of your Kindle, an alternative security option may be best. $20.9 at Amazon If you're adventuring on summer travels in the upcoming months, now is the perfect

Ad Blockers for Real Life Are Now a Thing, Thanks to AR Glasses

I don’t know much about you, dear reader, but I can probably guess one thing: you don’t like watching advertisements (shut up, ad lovers; no one’s talking to you). If you’re one of the many, many ad-averse, you probably have an ad blocker installed on your devices, which is great when you’re staring into the void of life’s many glowing rectangles as one does every day for the rest of their lives. But those blockers do little to help you out in the real world when you’re touching grass or a dirty

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Billionaires Convince Themselves AI Chatbots Are Close to Making New Scientific Discoveries

Generative artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grok have exploded in popularity as AI becomes mainstream. These tools don’t have the ability to make new scientific discoveries on their own, but billionaires are convinced that AI is on the cusp of doing just that. And the latest episode of the All-In podcast helps explain why these guys think AI is extremely close to revolutionizing scientific knowledge. Travis Kalanick, the founder of Uber who no longer works at the company,

ChromeOS Needs More Love and Attention Than a Mobile Makeover With Android

After diving into the luxurious Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14, I have ChromeOS on my mind. Apparently, so does Google. In an interview with TechRadar, Android “daddy” Sameer Samat dropped a small bombshell about the future of ChromeOS, though without providing any of the raw details. He said Google plans to combine ChromeOS and Android “into a single platform.” This project seems to be in the early phase of development. Samat said he was analyzing what apps people are using on their PCs or Macs, whi

I Watched a $30,000, 116-Inch TV. Now I Need a Bigger Living Room

The whole TV industry is moving towards bigger and bigger screens, and the new Hisense 116UX takes the concept to a room-filling extreme. This is a 116-inch 4K TV that costs as much as a decent new car. But it's not just any 116-inch, $30,000 TV. Hisense built some sophisticated tech under the hood, and I got some hands-on time with it. I can confirm that this is a truly massive screen. Like, absolutely huge. A real unit. To give you an idea of how big it is, I'm 6 feet tall and I could not tou

Netflix Expands Zach Snyder's Rebel Moon Series With Blood Line Game

I never got around to watching Zack Snyder's Rebel Moon film series on Netflix. So, before I started playing an early version of Blood Line: A Rebel Moon Game through Netflix Games, I was nervous I wouldn't understand what was happening. But you don't need to have seen the films to enjoy this mobile game. Super Evil Megacorp, the team behind the award-winning game Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate, developed Blood Line: A Rebel Moon Game in collaboration with Snyder. The game is a w

AI coding tools are shifting to a surprising place: the terminal

For years, code-editing tools like Cursor, Windsurf, and GitHub’s Copilot have been the standard for AI-powered software development. But as agentic AI grows more powerful and vibe-coding takes off, a subtle shift has changed how AI systems are interacting with software. Instead of working on code, they’re increasingly interacting directly with the shell of whatever system they’re installed in. It’s a significant change in how AI-powered software development happens – and despite the low profile

Bitcoin is nearly double where it was a year ago. This is what's behind the run

Bitcoin traded around $116,000 on Tuesday, falling back from a historic surge that briefly sent the world's largest cryptocurrency past $123,000 for the first time. Even with the pullback, the cryptocurrency is still trading at nearly twice its level from a year ago. Unlike previous cycles, the record run isn't being driven by retail mania or meme-stock energy. This move is being powered by structural demand, shifting macro positioning and a wave of Wall Street adoption that's playing out in r

Billionaires Convince Themselves AI Is Close to Making New Scientific Discoveries

Generative artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grok have exploded in popularity as AI becomes mainstream. These tools don’t have the ability to make new scientific discoveries on their own, but billionaires are convinced that AI is on the cusp of doing just that. And the latest episode of the All-In podcast helps explain why these guys think AI is extremely close to revolutionizing scientific knowledge. Travis Kalanick, the founder of Uber who no longer works at the company,

Best MP3 Players for 2025

CNET staff -- not advertisers, partners or business interests -- determine how we review products and services. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. While most people just use their phone to listen to music, there are many situations where that's not ideal. For one, streaming music uses a lot of data, and sometimes you're in an area where there's no cell service anyway. Or maybe you just want to skip streaming altogether and actually own your music again. No matter the reason

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Google’s next Pixel Fold might be completely dust-proof

is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO. Google’s upcoming Pixel 10 Pro Fold could be the first dust-proof foldable. A new leak published by Android Headlines says the Pixel 10 Pro Fold may come with an IP68 rating, which would make it completely dust-tight and allow it to withstand continuous submersion in water. To compare, Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Motorola Razer Ultra have

Google’s generative video model Veo 3 has a subtitles problem

Getting rid of them isn’t straightforward—or cheap. Users have been forced to resort to regenerating clips (which costs them more money), using external subtitle-removing tools, or cropping their videos to get rid of the subtitles altogether. Josh Woodward, vice president of Google Labs and Gemini, posted on X on June 9 that Google had developed fixes to reduce the gibberish text. But over a month later, users are still logging issues with it in Google Labs’ Discord channel, demonstrating how d

You can try Linux without ditching Windows first - here's how

ZDNET With Windows 10 support due to end soon, many users are looking for an alternative OS, so they don't have to purchase yet another computer. One of the best options for most people is Linux. Modern Linux distributions are user-friendly, rock-solid, and free. If you have zero experience with Linux, you might think it's above your skills, so you have yet to find the courage to use it. Back in 1997, when I discovered Linux, I was clueless about how it worked. When I finally installed the ope

6 most Windows-like Linux distros because old habits die hard

Jack Wallen / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET Windows 10's end of life is coming in 2025, and that means you have to hope your machine can run Windows 11, buy a new computer, or try something different -- like Linux. Linux shouldn't be considered a last-choice alternative, either, because it's every bit equal to Windows or MacOS. It's reliable, secure, user-friendly, and free. What more do you want? Also: You can try Linux without ditching Windows first - here's how I know: You want an operatin

These 6 Linux file managers are way better than your default

D3Damon/Getty The file manager might not be a feature on your desktop that you've ever considered changing, but once you've seen a better option, you can't unsee it. I've used nearly every file manager on the market, and some are far better than others. Also: 5 Linux file and folder management commands you need to know If you find the file manager on your Linux desktop of choice isn't cutting it, here are six alternatives. One of these could well become your favorite Linux file manager. 1. K

How to maximize your Windows 11 PC's battery life in 9 easy steps

Kerry Wan/ZDNET Over the years, Windows PCs have gotten considerably more capable of squeezing a full day of work out of a laptop battery, but there's still a certain level of anxiety that comes with disconnecting from a fixed power source. That's especially true if you have an older PC that's lost some of its battery capacity with age. Also: Your complete Windows 11 upgrade guide: Everything to know - before you ditch Windows 10 Reducing battery anxiety doesn't require drugs or meditation. A

"English Translators of Homer": A Review

“English Translators of Homer” by Simeon Underwood July 12, 2025 I must caveat the rest of my remarks by saying I believe the book I was looking for would be titled “English Translations of Homer” rather than “English Translators of Homer.” This book is a history of the translators, the choices they made in translation, and how they were influenced by previous translations and by the style and culture of their times. Whereas, what I was looking for would spend more time comparing the texts. Th

Apple Weather app is returning after total outage

Apple’s Weather app went down for many users, showing no data. The issue applied on all platforms, suggesting a server issue. However, it now seems to be slowly returning … In what appears to be a relatively brief complete outage, many users reported that the app was showing no weather for any location. We were able to confirm that the issue applied across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. The outage lasted around 15-20 minutes. While the underlying issue appears to have been resolved, it seems to be ta

US probes imports on drones and a raw material used in chips and solar panels

The Department of Commerce has opened national security investigations into imports of drones and polysilicon , a raw material used in chips and solar panels. Among other things, officials are looking into "predatory trade practices" and the capacity of other countries to "weaponize their control over supplies" of drones, drone parts and polysilicon, as well as derivatives of each. The DoC commenced the investigations on July 1, but has only just disclosed them publicly. The probes could lead t

6 reasons why I've stuck with Ubuntu-based Linux distros for the last 20 years

Jack Wallen / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET It was October 2004, and I'd been using Red Hat Linux (way before it became Fedora) for years. I was fairly certain that would be my distribution until the world ended. I'd become comfortable with Red Hat. Sure, it had its quirks and was sometimes a bit more difficult than it needed to be (remember, it was over 20 years ago), but it was stable and I'd grown to know it well. But then a new distribution arrived on the scene... Ubuntu. Oddly enough, the

I'm taking my favorite portable vinyl player on all my summer trips

ZDNET's key takeaways The Audio-Technica Sound Burger retails for $199 and comes in yellow, black, or white. The Sound Burger has unparalleled portability, a long battery life, and provides a novel listening experience. It doesn't have a counterweight, and also doesn't have an auto-return feature. View now at Amazon Technology is all about embracing the now. So, even though I am one of those people who can be stuck in their ways (such as listening to vinyl records with the appropriate analog

Finally, a battery floodlight camera that's perfect for my dark yard

ZDNET's key takeaways 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 your surroundings. The Blink app is feature-rich, with plenty of camera settings to customize for the best surveillance, but you'll need a paid subscription to unlock the best features. View

Micro Adventure – Space Attack (online emulator)

Good luck. This message will be erased from memory in 30 seconds. As a certified member of ACT (the Ad­venture Connection Team) your job, as always, is to defend the cause of good against evil. It won’t be easy, because BRUTE (the Bureau of Random Unlawful Terror and Evil - an international organization bent on wreaking havoc throughout the world) will be fighting you every step of the way. Your computer expertise will be vital to this mission. So turn on your home system. Throughout this adven

Random selection is necessary to create stable meritocratic institutions

Campbell's Law (a variant of Goodhart's Law) states that the more a metric is used for social decision-making, the more it will be subject to corruption which distorts and corrupts not only the metric itself, but the very social processes it was meant to measure. Selection criteria for a position of authority are one example of such a metric. When selection criteria are opaque, it is difficult for them to become a target, preserving their utility as measures. For governance positions however, it

The Moving Assembly Line Turns 100 (2013)

This month marks the official celebration of the world’s first moving assembly line. On Oct. 7, 1913, 140 assemblers stationed along a 150-foot chassis line at a Ford Motor Co. plant just north of Detroit stood in place as the work came to them. With the aid of three-wheeled dollies, chassis were pushed by hand along parallel rails embedded in the floor of the Highland Park plant. Six months earlier, Ford engineers had experimented with a movable line for assembling flywheel magnetos, a key com

A Little-Known Microsoft Program Could Expose the Defense Department to Hackers

ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. Reporting Highlights Chinese Tech Support: Microsoft is using engineers in China to help maintain the Defense Department’s computer systems — with minimal supervision by U.S. personnel. Microsoft is using engineers in China to help maintain the Defense Department’s computer systems — with minimal supervision by U.S. personnel. Skills Gap: Digital escorts of

The Promise of Li-Fi Technology: What Is It and Can It Change the Future of the Internet?

It sounds like it's from a sci-fi movie --- but you heard that correctly. The future of connecting to the internet could be as simple as turning on the light. Picture this: Using this technology to connect to the internet promises speeds that will blow Wi-Fi out of the park. The average household requires more and more bandwidth, with users spending an average of 21-plus hours streaming weekly, according to the latest OpenVault report. That makes the promise of Li-Fi convenient. Li-Fi has made p