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Get the Samsung Galaxy Watch6 Classic for up to $210 off on Amazon

'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean? ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing. When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or

Budget $28 external 500GB HDD from Amazon tested: works, but with caveats

In a nutshell: A recent investigation into a budget external hard drive sold under the UnionSine brand has shed light on the persistent risks consumers face when purchasing low-cost storage devices from online marketplaces. Secure Data Recovery, a data recovery firm, bought a UnionSine HD2510 500GB hard disk drive from Amazon for just over $28 and subjected it to a series of technical tests to evaluate its authenticity and performance. Fraudulent or misleading storage products continue to be a

Here’s why I would avoid the big carrier stores in 2025

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority Although the three main carriers have significantly increased costs over the past few years, until recently, they still stood out from prepaid services in several major ways. As I pointed out in another recent feature, that’s less true in 2025. Not only have perks and extras worsened, but recent moves have also undermined one of the biggest advantages postpaid carriers previously held: the presence of physical stores. Personally, I’ve been shopping without i

Storms and bad weather? How to prep your tech ahead of possible emergencies

'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean? ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing. When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or

Muvera: Making multi-vector retrieval as fast as single-vector search

Neural embedding models have become a cornerstone of modern information retrieval (IR). Given a query from a user (e.g., “How tall is Mt Everest?”), the goal of IR is to find information relevant to the query from a very large collection of data (e.g., the billions of documents, images, or videos on the Web). Embedding models transform each datapoint into a single-vector “embedding”, such that semantically similar datapoints are transformed into mathematically similar vectors. The embeddings are

Best Meat Delivery Services for 2025

We did the math and some services can save you money versus the supermarket. Some services send frozen meat while others serve it up fresh. Online butchers in 2024 sell far more than just steak. Prefer to pick your meats each month or be surprised? 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. Can’t find great meat at your local grocery store? You’re not alone. Premium c

The Download: Google DeepMind’s DNA AI, and heatwaves’ impact on the grid

When scientists first sequenced the human genome in 2003, they revealed the full set of DNA instructions that make a person. But we still didn’t know what all those 3 billion genetic letters actually do. Now Google’s DeepMind division says it’s made a leap in trying to understand the code with AlphaGenome, an AI model that predicts what effects small changes in DNA will have on an array of molecular processes, such as whether a gene’s activity will go up or down. It’s just the sort of ques

Meta wins AI copyright case filed by Sarah Silverman and other authors

Federal Judge Vince Chhabria has ruled in favor of Meta over the 13 book authors, including Sarah Silverman, who sued the company for training its large language model on their published work without obtaining consent. His court has granted summary judgment to Meta, which means the case didn't reach full trial. Chhabria said that Meta didn't violate copyright law after the plaintiffs had failed to show sufficient evidence that the company's use of the authors' work would hurt them financially.

Meta Wins Blockbuster AI Copyright Case—but There’s a Catch

Meta scored a major victory in a copyright lawsuit on Wednesday when a federal judge ruled that the company did not violate the law when it trained its AI tools on 13 authors' books without permission. “The Court has no choice but to grant summary judgment to Meta on the plaintiffs’ claim that the company violated copyright law by training its models with their books,” wrote US District Court judge Vince Chhabria. He concluded that the plaintiffs did not present sufficient evidence that Meta’s

10 Perks Prime Members Can Snag Before Prime Day (2025)

Amazon Prime Day is fast approaching, and you can get in on the action early with these promotions and deals for various Amazon services. Snag free credits on food, discounts on groceries, or extended free trials. We've rounded up our favorite perks below. As a reminder, these are only available for Amazon Prime members. New members can sign up for a free 30-day trial. Make sure to check out our related guides to get ready for the big day, including the Best Early Prime Day Deals, How to Shop A

Ring adds AI summaries to video alerts, describing what your camera sees

In a nutshell: Amazon-owned Ring is a familiar name in home security, recognized for its video doorbells and cameras that allow homeowners to keep an eye on their property from anywhere. Now, the company is introducing AI "video descriptions," a feature designed to make home monitoring faster and more informative. Instead of the usual vague notifications like "motion detected," Ring's new system sends users a concise, text-based summary of what the camera actually sees. For example, a homeowner

Topics: ai home ring users video

It’s officially summer, and the grid is stressed

We rely on electricity to keep ourselves comfortable, and more to the point, safe. These are the moments we design the grid for: when need is at its very highest. The key to keeping everything running smoothly during these times might be just a little bit of flexibility. While heat waves happen all over the world, let’s take my local grid as an example. I’m one of the roughly 65 million people covered by PJM Interconnection, the largest grid operator in the US. PJM covers Virginia, West Virgini

Topics: demand grid gw peak pjm

Why this electric screwdriver is one of the best investments I've made for my home

ZDNET's key takeaways The new Bosch Go is on sale for $100. It features USB-C charging, a vast improvement on the old microUSB port, plus there's a bigger battery and a ring light on the front to illuminate the workspace. The screwdriver comes in a handy carry case with a selection of bits, so you have everything to do the job in hand. $99.98 at Amazon Two years ago, I got myself a Bosch Go electric screwdriver. The thing was amazing; it's been on my best electric screwdrivers list ever since

Are Amazon Basics tools worth it? My verdict after testing the top-sellers for weeks

'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean? ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing. When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or

The top 6 TVs ZDNET readers are buying (no. 1 has the best picture quality we've ever seen)

'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean? ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing. When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or

The best sleep trackers of 2025: These sleep trackers improved my sleep

Why we like it: The Oura Ring is the best sleep tracker for a few reasons. It's discreet and far more comfortable to wear to bed compared to a health band or smartwatch. Oura's data capture is accurate, with its sleep staging algorithm matching the performance of a polysomnography sleep lab test. The objective sleep and readiness scores it provides after I wake up often are in line with how I'm feeling on a day-to-day basis. It also isn't hardcore about getting perfect sleep, which allows for

Before 'Hacks,' Jean Smart Kicked Ass in This Wild Marvel Superhero Series

I'll just come right out and say it: Jean Smart deserves all the flowers. Audiences everywhere have fallen in love with the Emmy-winning comedy Hacks and Smart's ascerbic, quick-witted Las Vegas comic Deborah Vance, and rightfully so. But hr brilliance extends far beyond the hit HBO series. I could point to her delightful performance as Charlene in the classic sitcom Designing Women, her formidable turn as first lady Martha Logan in 24, or her mafia-flavored bravado in season 2 of Noah Hawley's

Verizon Is Enlisting Google's AI to Resolve Support Calls on the First Try

Verizon's cryptic Project 624 flew under the radar until this week, when the carrier announced a new customer service program built on Google Gemini AI technology that's intended to resolve issues on first contact. If it works as intended, subscribers should be able to avoid the time-sucking support slog that is often a hallmark of modern troubleshooting. Sowmyanarayan Sampath, CEO of Verizon's consumer group, laid out changes to the customer experience that went live Tuesday, which include a t

This $1,299 Robot Dog Plays Soccer, Dances and Can 'Evolve' With AI

After an initial appearance at CES 2025, the Hengbot $1,299 Sirius robot dog is going on preorder Thursday, highlighting an agile body that's able to play soccer while also integrating with OpenAI to develop its own personality. (Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET's parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.) While robot dogs have been around for decades with brands like Sony's Aibo, Hengbot's Sirius

Best Internet Providers in the Bronx, New York

What is the best internet provider in the Bronx? Verizon Fios is CNET’s top pick for internet in the Bronx. With symmetrical upload and download speeds, no data caps and a five-year price guarantee on premium plans, it’s a great choice for remote workers, gamers and anyone who needs consistent high-speed internet. If it’s available at your address, Fios is the best all-around option. Need even more speed? Optimum offers the fastest internet in the Bronx, with plans reaching up to 8,000Mbps. Ho

Pixel phones might finally be getting this highly requested feature in India (APK teardown)

Andy Walker / Android Authority Pixel 8a TL;DR Google might be getting ready to introduce Call Screening on Pixel phones in India. The feature lets users identify callers and their reasons for calling before answering the phone, helping thwart spam calls. India might get the manual version of Call Screening instead of the automatic version available in the US. India has over a billion cellphone users and is one of the most affected countries in the world when it comes to spam calls. Hundreds

Finally, a smart ring worthy of replacing my Oura 4 - and with no subscription fees

ZDNET's key takeaways The RingConn Gen 2 is a subscription-free smart ring that retails for $300. It monitors your sleep, activity, stress, and vitals, and it's got a marathon battery life. The only downside is the user interface feels underdeveloped. View now at Amazon View now at Ringconn more buying choices Most smart rings these days claim to offer marathon battery lives, but often fall short of their promise. Many smart rings claim to last a week's worth of battery, but only make it to f

This free Linux distro is the easiest way to revive your old computer. How it works

ZDNET's key takeaways Linux Lite 7.4 is available to download and install for free from the official site. This lightweight Linux distribution comes with everything you need and performs like an absolute champ. The default desktop is a bit bland, but it's fairly easy to customize. View now at Linuxliteos My friend recently wanted to bring an old laptop back to life. Her aging Intel MacBook was no longer supported by Apple, and instead of letting the machine wind up in a landfill somewhere, sh

The Art of Hanakami, or Flower-Petal Folding

What kind of paper would you use to fold flowers? As folders, we know that finding the right paper for the model we want to fold (and vice versa) is important for achieving the right form and appearance. Personally, I’ve used a lot of different materials for my work, including everything from printer paper and aluminum foil to cellophane, fabric and more. When folding origami flowers, why not use flower petals? I first became interested in this idea when my attempts at a Guinness World Record

Puerto Rico's Solar Microgrids Beat Blackout

When power went out across all of Puerto Rico on 16 April, a lot of the lights in the town of Adjuntas stayed on. There, nestled in the mountains on the midwestern side of the island, a combination of experimental microgrids, solar panels, and storage kept power on for many businesses and residents. The rest of the island waited over 24 hours, and in some cases longer, for electricity to be restored. The blackout was the latest in a series of power interruptions that have come to define Puerto

Due to a Price Agreement with Samsung, Amazon Can’t Publicly Show the Huge Galaxy S25+ Discount

Amazon typically has deals with major brands such that they do not destroy the luxury brand image by offering massive discounts. That means technically, you can have a “hidden price” on the product page and you will only see the real discount if you add the product to your cart. This is exactly the situation with the Galaxy S25+, the clear best-seller among the S25 series. The Galaxy S25+ has come out earlier this year and is now at a record-low price, way below that on Samsung’s own website. C

WhatsApp Brings Meta AI-Powered Summaries to the Chats You Missed

Tyler Lacoma Editor / Home Security For more than 10 years Tyler has used his experience in smart home tech to craft how-to guides, explainers, and recommendations for technology of all kinds. From using his home in beautiful Bend, OR as a testing zone for the latest security products to digging into the nuts and bolts of the best data privacy guidelines, Tyler has experience in all aspects of protecting your home and belongings. With a BA in Writing from George Fox and certification in Technic

Here are 14 of our favorite deals from Amazon’s early Prime Day sale

Amazon’s next Prime Day event hasn’t officially kicked off yet, but in classic Amazon fashion, the retailer has already dropped a selection of early deals ahead of its four-day sale. While steeper discounts are not likely to arrive until next month, many of the current offers are already worth considering, especially if you’re a Prime member looking to score a deal on one of Amazon’s own devices or services. From record lows on security gear and power stations to a solid deal on what was alread

Federal judge sides with Meta in lawsuit over training AI models on copyrighted books

A federal judge sided with Meta on Wednesday in a lawsuit brought against the company by 13 book authors, including Sarah Silverman, that alleged the company had illegally trained its AI models on their copyrighted works. Federal Judge Vince Chhabria issued a summary judgment — meaning the judge was able to decide on the case without sending it to a jury — in favor of Meta, finding that the company’s training of AI models on copyrighted books in this case fell under the “fair use” doctrine of c

Trump Phone website trades ‘Made in the USA’ claim for patriotic vibes

TL;DR Trump Mobile has removed its “Made in the USA” claim from the T1 Phone product page. The website now uses vague patriotic language like “American-Proud Design.” Key specs also appear to have changed. When the Trump Organization launched its gold T1 Phone last week, it made clear that the phone was “Made in the USA.” That phrase has now quietly disappeared from the Trump Mobile website, and it’s not the only early claim that appears to have changed. As The Verge spotted, the banner that