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5 Chromecast features that maximize your TV's potential (and a smart home hack)

Kerry Wan/ZDNET Since 2014, Google's Chromecast has been an affordable means for helping viewers turn their older model TVs into smart TVs, allowing them to stream content from their phones, tablets, and computers to a bigger screen. Also: Is your Roku TV spying on you? Probably, but here's how to put an end to it Alas, the era of the Chromecast has come to an end. Google is replacing it with the Google TV Streamer, promising a faster processor, Thread and Matter integration, and the ability

Tesla’s $100 Billion Robotaxi Rally

Tesla is celebrating a massive win on Wall Street. Following the weekend launch of its long-awaited robotaxi service, the company’s shares jumped more than 10% in Monday trading session, adding a staggering $104 billion to its market capitalization and pushing the total value of the Elon Musk-led company to $1.14 trillion. The surge was a direct response to the limited debut in Austin, Texas, where a small fleet of about a dozen Model Y SUVs began operating in a geofenced area. For investors, t

Pixel 9 Pro Fold vs. Oppo Find N5 Camera Comparison: Which Pictures Look Better?

Foldable phones like the Pixel 9 Pro Fold and Oppo Find N5 have redefined smartphone design. But ultimately, what most people just want to know: How good are the cameras? I snapped photos on both book-style foldables to see how the cameras stack up. Each phone had its strengths, from sharpness to texture to life-like colors, and they took turns claiming the "winner" title. In general, you won't find the best phone cameras on foldables because of their design. A thinner phone calls for a smalle

Topics: cnet fold n5 pixel pro

Best Internet Providers in Asheville, North Carolina

What is the best internet provider in Asheville, North Carolina? AT&T Fiber is CNET’s top pick for internet in Asheville thanks to its high-speed fiber plans, symmetrical upload and download speeds and strong overall value. Plans start at $55 per month and scale up to $245 for the blazing-fast 5,000Mbps tier. If AT&T Fiber is available at your address, it’s the best option for speed and performance. If AT&T Fiber isn't available in your area, Spectrum is a dependable backup, with wide coverage

Microsoft Is Ditching Passwords for Passkeys: How to Switch Before the August Deadline

Did you know there's a safer alternative to passwords? Some companies are implementing passkeys, which essentially use your biometric data, like fingerprint or facial recognition to log into your account as the first step. Passkeys can cut out risky password habits that 49% of US adults have, according to a recent CNET survey. Using the same password for multiple accounts and even using personal information, like your name, as a part of your password can lead to hackers guessing it or your pass

Tesla's Robotaxi Service Hits the Road in Austin, With Riders Sharing Their Experiences

Table of Contents Tesla's Robotaxi Service Hits the Road in Austin, With Riders Sharing Their Experiences Tesla's robotaxi service kicked off in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, with the cars picking up paying passengers without a driver behind the wheel for the first time. "The @Tesla_AI robotaxi launch begins in Austin this afternoon with customers paying a $4.20 flat fee!" Tesla CEO Elon Musk posted to X on Sunday. Earlier this month, Musk had said Tesla's robotaxi service would "tentatively" laun

Google and Lenovo Created the 'Most Advanced Chromebook Plus Yet'

Hot on the heels of Google I/O, the company's annual developer conference, Google is rolling out updates to ChromeOS and a new flagship laptop to showcase them: the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14. Designed to help take advantage of AI software like Gemini and NotebookLM, the new Chromebook Plus has some impressive specs for a $650 laptop. Not just dirt-cheap and simple devices for the absolute basics, there are Chromebooks among some of the best laptops currently available. I don't doubt that when I

Tesla launches robotaxi service in Austin

Tesla’s robotaxi service, touted by Elon Musk as the future of his flagging electric-car maker, launched in the company’s home city of Austin, Texas, on Sunday with about 10 vehicles and a human safety driver on board amid regulatory scrutiny of its self-driving technology. Shares in Tesla have risen about 50 percent from this year’s low in early April, with investors hopeful the autonomous ride-hailing service will help revive a company that has suffered declining sales and a consumer backlash

Google brings new Gemini features to Chromebooks, debuts first on-device AI

Google hasn't been talking about Chromebooks as much since AI became its all-consuming focus, but that's changing today with a bounty of new AI features for Google-powered laptops. Newer, more powerful Chromebooks will soon have image generation, text summarization, and more built into the OS. There's also a new Lenovo Chromebook with a few exclusive AI goodies that only work thanks to its overpowered hardware. If you have a Chromebook Plus device, which requires a modern CPU and at least 8GB o

AllSpice’s platform is the GitHub for electrical engineering teams

There is no shortage of workflow collaboration tools — like Slack or Google Docs, in addition to industry-specific ones like GitHub — for software developers. A startup called AllSpice successfully bet that electrical hardware engineering teams need their own collaboration platform, too. AllSpice’s platform sits between existing workflow software. It allows hardware teams to collaborate on the types of documents they traditionally work in — documents that don’t easily translate over Slack and e

Bill Gates and Linus Torvalds meet for the first time at tech titans' dinner

What just happened? Given that there was a time when Microsoft called Linux a "cancer," it's little surprise that the Redmond firm's co-founder and long-time boss Bill Gates had never met Linus Torvalds, creator of the Linux kernel. But that changed recently when the two attended a dinner, and it appears to have gone well. Microsoft chief technical officer Mark Russinovich posted evidence of the historic dinner in a LinkedIn post. Dave Cutler, the legendary programmer and lead architect of the

Best Internet Providers in Long Beach, California

What is the best internet provider in Long Beach? Frontier Fiber is CNET's top pick of the best internet providers in Long Beach, California. It's our top recommendation because it offers fast, symmetrical speeds, unlimited data and competitive pricing. Plans start at $30 monthly and go up to $110 monthly for the 7-gig plan. If you need alternatives, Spectrum is also an excellent option and has the same starting price, with coverage across most of Long Beach. Just be prepared for price increase

International Nuclear Watchdog Issues Stark Warning in Wake of US Iran Strikes

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in an emergency meeting on Monday that the escalating conflict in Iran “risks collapsing the global nuclear nonproliferation regime” and that if diplomacy is not pursued, “violence and destruction could reach unimaginable levels.” The IAEA, the United Nations’ international nuclear watchdog, convened the emergency meeting following US strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites this weekend. In remarks delivered to the organization’s boa

Microsoft adds Steam games to its Xbox PC app on Windows

is a senior editor and author of Notepad , who has been covering all things Microsoft, PC, and tech for over 20 years. Microsoft is starting to test its new aggregated gaming library in its Xbox PC app on Windows. Xbox Insiders will now be able to see their Steam and Battle.net games all within the Xbox app this week — making it a single launcher for most installed PC games. This new consolidated library will roll out to the Xbox app later this year, as well as new devices like the ROG Xbox Al

$1,400 can get you a powerful (and huge) HP Omen laptop with an RTX 5070

Acer’s Chromebook Spin 714 has long been a technical showcase, at least as far as Chromebooks are concerned. And now the company’s latest model, the, is down to $579 at Best Buy , which is $220 off its original $799 price. You’re not alone in thinking that even the discounted price is costly, but it’s one of the best models you can buy if you’re looking for something that’s built like a premium, long-lasting laptop. The 714 features a 14-inch 1,920 x 1,200 touchscreen with Intel’s Cure Ultra 5 1

Tesla stock pops 10% as Musk touts 'successful' robotaxi Austin launch

A Tesla Inc. robotaxi on Oltorf Street in Austin, Texas, US, on Sunday, June 22, 2025. T Tesla 's driverless robotaxi finally hit the road this weekend, sending shares of the electric vehicle maker up 10% on Monday. The EV giant debuted autonomous rides in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, opening the service to a limited number of riders by invitation only. CEO Elon Musk said in a post on social media platform X that customers were charged a flat fee of $4.20. "Super congratulations to the @Tesla_AI

Amazon launches second batch of Kuiper internet satellites, taking on Elon Musk's Starlink

An Atlas V rocket of United Launch Alliance (ULA) lifts off from Space Launch Complex 41 at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on June 23, 2025. Amazon 's second batch of Kuiper internet satellites reached low Earth orbit on Monday, adding to its plans for a massive constellation and ramping up competition with SpaceX's Starlink. A United Launch Alliance rocket carrying 27 Kuiper satellites lifted off from a launchpad at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 6:5

Meet Google Martha, the company’s Android XR smart glasses prototype

TL;DR Google demoed its Android XR smart glasses prototype at Google I/O 2025. We now learn that this Android XR prototype is called “Google Martha.” Its companion app handles connected features like notifications, settings access, video recording from the user’s perspective, and more. After over a year of teasing with Project Astra, Google showed off its Android XR glasses on stage at Google I/O 2025. My colleague C. Scott Brown even got to try them on, and he was impressed with the demo. Si

Rocknix is an immutable Linux distribution for handheld gaming devices

Welcome to the ROCKNIX Wiki ¶ Just Enough Linux Operating System (ROCKNIX) is an immutable Linux distribution for handheld gaming devices focused on retro gaming emulation. It is developed by a small community of enthusiasts and our goal is to produce an operating system that has the features and capabilities we need and to have fun as we develop it. Integrated cross-device local and remote network play. In-game touch support on supported devices. Fine grain control for battery life or perfo

Netflix Games’ Squid Game: Unleashed announced for Chromebook

Google announced today that it is bringing Squid Game: Unleashed, formerly exclusive to Netflix, to Chromebooks as well as large-screen Android devices. The 32-player multiplayer adaptation of the popular show, developed by Netflix Games studio Boss Fight Games, is set to launch on Chromebooks in the coming weeks. According to Google, it’ll launch with updated controls, keyboard and mouse support and graphics that take advantage of the Chromebook display. In an interview with GamesBeat, Marisol

It’s a Chromebook thing: Hands-on with new ChromeOS AI features

Ryan Haines / Android Authority As an elder member of Gen-Z, every screen in my life has its purpose. My small screen (my phone) is there for personal communication, ordering food, and mindlessly scrolling memes on the internet. My big screen (my TV) takes on the role of in-home entertainment, whether it’s a giant Spotify hub, a way to keep up with the Club World Cup, or endlessly streaming reruns of Letterkenny. Left in the mushy middle between the two, however, is room for a medium screen, l

Google is giving your Chromebook Plus its own version of Circle to Search

Ryan Haines / Android Authority TL;DR A bevy of new features are coming to Chromebook Plus laptops. These features include Select to search, Text capture, Simplify, and more. Those who get the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 will get two extra features: Smart grouping and AI image editing in the Gallery app. Google keeps churning out AI-powered features faster than anyone can keep up with. If you own a Chromebook Plus, be on the lookout because the company’s latest slate of AI tools is on the way.

Lenovo promises 17 hours of battery life on its new Chromebook Plus 14

Engadget has been testing and reviewing consumer tech since 2004. Our stories may include affiliate links; if you buy something through a link, we may earn a commission. Read more about how we evaluate products . For years now, most Chromebooks have run some variety of Intel or AMD processor. The occasional device used a MediaTek chip, but they were often underpowered and cheap devices that were hard to recommend. ARM-based processors have worked tremendously well for Apple on the Mac, and they

This Linux distro routes all your traffic through the Tor network - and it's my new favorite for privacy

Jack Wallen / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET Privacy has become a keystone for keeping your information safe and preventing third parties from creating consumer profiles that could then be used for targeted marketing... or worse. To that end, there are countless products and services that promise to keep you and your information private. Some work, and some are nothing but snake oil. For me, the best route to privacy goes through Linux and one of the many privacy-focused distributions. Recently

The ‘Most Advanced’ Chromebook Has an AI Chip That’s Just Pure Overkill for ChromeOS

What do you need your Chromebook to do for you? If you’re like most people who buy the cheaper ChromeOS-based laptops, you want it to access a browser and—if you’re feeling particularly spicy—maybe a few select Android apps. The most important elements for these lightweight clamshells are normally whether it can load webpages fast, has a long-enough battery, and if it has a quality display for your average Netflix and chill session. With its latest update, Google and Lenovo are asking consumers

Google adds AI features to Chromebook Plus devices

Google’s adding a slew of AI features to its productivity-focused Chromebook Plus line of devices, including a screen selection tool for search and text capture, a tool that explains complex text, and NotebookLM. The new screen selection tool works similarly to Google Lens and the “Circle to search” feature in Chrome on smartphones: long-press the launcher button or use the screenshot tool to select what is on your screen, and Google will instantly search for it. The tool also lets you select t

Japanese shipping firm NYK acquires Kadmos, a salary payment platform for seafarers

Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha, or NYK Line, is acquiring Germany’s salary payment platform for seafaring workers, Kadmos, as it seeks to further expand the reach of its fintech services in the maritime sector. The companies did not disclose the financial terms of the acquisition deal, which is expected to be completed in the next few weeks. MIT alumni Justus Schmueser and Sasha Makarovych founded Kadmos in 2021, aiming to provide businesses, including shipowners and s

Pompliano’s ProCap raises over $750 million, goes public via SPAC as bitcoin treasury bubble grows

The race to create publicly traded bitcoin treasuries is accelerating — and so is the capital pouring in. ProCap Financial, the latest entrant, has raised more than $750 million and is going public through a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, with Columbus Circle Capital Corp. I, according to an announcement Monday. Led by investor and podcast host Anthony Pompliano, ProCap raised more than $750 million in its funding round, including $235 million in convertible debt, with equity ma

Report: Apple to announce ‘some’ App Store changes in the EU to avoid additional DMA fines

In April, Apple was fined 500 million euros for violating the Digital Markets Act in the European Union. Since that penalty was announced, however, the company hasn’t announced any further changes to its App Store Guidelines to avoid further fines. A new report from the Financial Times today says that Apple is “locked in last-minute” negotiations with the European Commission about ways to ease its App Store anti-steering provisions. Following the fine in April, Apple was given 60 days to start