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Slow Wi-Fi? Add a wired network to your home without an Ethernet cable - here's how

busypix / Getty Images Wireless internet connections are convenient, but they're also notoriously unreliable. Nothing proves that point more emphatically than a glitchy video conference call, especially if it's tied to a crucial business meeting. The answer is to run a wired network connection to your home office. Wi-Fi is great for mobility, but a wired connection offers many advantages when it comes to working from home. It's faster and more reliable, with lower latency, all of which matters

The hybrid Windows laptop I recommend most for work travel also has an OLED display

ZDNET's key takeaways HP's 16-inch Envy x360 2-in-1 (2024) comes in a variety of configurations, but the version with 1TB of storage and an OLED display starts at $1,599. It sports one of the most gorgeous displays I've seen on a convertible laptop in this price range. It's a little on the heavy side, and swapping configurations can be buggy. View now at HP We saw a host of great 2-in-1 laptops in 2024, forcing more and more laptop diehards (myself included) who were previously unwilling to c

Topics: envy hp inch laptop x360

This countertop ice maker makes the 'good ice' you only get in restaurants

ZDNET's key takeaways The GE Profile Opal 2.0 nugget ice maker is a smart kitchen appliance that sells for $599. This machine will do the trick if you want those satisfyingly munchable ice pellets often served at fast food restaurants It's also operable via a mobile app. It's pricey, especially given what it is, but I've found the machine well worth the investment. View now at Amazon Whether you call it the good ice, Sonic ice, nugget ice, or pellet ice, there's no denying that the small, mu

Two guys hated using Comcast, so they built their own fiber ISP

Samuel Herman and Alexander Baciu never liked using Comcast's cable broadband. Now, the residents of Saline, Michigan, operate a fiber Internet service provider that competes against Comcast in their neighborhoods and has ambitions to expand. "All throughout my life pretty much, I've had to deal with Xfinity's bullcrap, them not being able to handle the speeds that we need," Herman told Ars. "I lived in a house of 10. I have seven other brothers and sisters, and there's 10 of us in total with m

Why 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

Humans Are Starting to Talk More Like ChatGPT, Study Claims

For better or worse, the rise of ChatGPT as a writing tool, search engine, or conversational buddy has considerably changed how we communicate with each other and with technology. At the same time, ChatGPT’s widespread use has also sparked numerous online debates about whether it’s possible to spot AI-created content by looking at certain cues, like the em dash. But new research suggests that such AI cues might become increasingly harder to pick out—because we’re starting to speak more like Cha

Arizona Governor Chastises Federal Response to ‘Devastating’ Wildfires

A pair of fast-moving wildfires burning near the Grand Canyon’s North Rim destroyed a historic lodge, triggered evacuations, and forced officials to close this part of the national park for the remainder of the 2025 season on Sunday. Arizona’s governor argues the federal government is largely to blame. The Grand Canyon Lodge—the only lodging within the park’s North Rim—and a nearby water treatment facility are among 50 to 80 structures consumed by the Dragon Bravo fire, the National Park Servic

Chrome OS is “combining” with Android, but what does that mean?

Android and Chrome OS have been developed in parallel for years, but Google is planning to streamline its operating systems. In a recent interview, Android Ecosystem President Sameer Samat stated bluntly that Android and Chrome OS are merging. This shift, a long time in the making, could give Google more room to maneuver as it plans for new mobile computing experiences. In the interview, TechRadar's Lance Ulanoff had other things on his mind, but Samat peppered him with questions about how he u

GM’s Final EV Battery Strategy Copies China’s Playbook: Super Cheap Cells

General Motors has just announced its latest and likely final piece in what now appears to be a three-pronged cell-chemistry strategy to power GM’s lineup of a dozen EVs through the end of the decade and beyond. GM has stated today it will build low-cost lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery cells in Spring Hill, Tennessee, starting in late 2027. Conversion of cell lines to produce that chemistry will begin later this year. The cell plant at the Spring Hill complex is owned and operated by Ultiu

These are Sony’s new noise-canceling headphones for NFL coaches

is a senior reporter who’s been covering and reviewing the latest gadgets and tech since 2006, but has loved all things electronic since he was a kid. Sony is finally debuting the headset that it developed specifically for NFL coaches, after teasing it almost a year ago as part of a new partnership with the NFL. The headset features technology and engineering borrowed from Sony’s popular consumer-focused wireless headphones, such as the WH-1000XM6. That includes the same noise-canceling techno

HBO’s new Harry Potter series will premiere in 2027

is a news editor covering technology, gaming, and more. He joined The Verge in 2019 after nearly two years at Techmeme. Warner Bros. Discovery’s new Harry Potter series for HBO and HBO Max will premiere in 2027, the company announced. Production has started on the show in the UK. The show is set to be a “faithful adaptation of the beloved Harry Potter books,” according to WBD, and the original Harry Potter movies will still be available on HBO Max. When the show was first announced in 2023, WB

Rainmaker partners with Atmo to squeeze more rain from clouds

Cloud seeding startup Rainmaker is partnering with Atmo, an AI-powered meteorology startup, the companies exclusively told TechCrunch. The two operate on complementary ends of the weather system: Atmo studies atmospheric patterns to forecast weather events, while Rainmaker digests such data in an attempt to squeeze more precipitation out of weather systems. Under the partnership, Atmo will use its deep learning models to help Rainmaker identify clouds that have potential for seeding. The forec

GM to challenge China’s LFP monopoly with upgraded battery factory

GM said Monday it is working with joint venture partner LG Energy Solution to upgrade its Ultium battery factory to make lithium-iron-phosphate cells for the automaker’s low-cost EVs. The factory’s overhaul will give LFP production in the United States a significant boost. Despite being invented and commercialized in the U.S., today the vast majority of LFP cells are currently made in China. The $2.3 billion Spring Hill, Tennessee, battery plant is part of the Ultium Cells LLC joint venture be

Big upgrades are coming to your Apple Watch - 8 features I can't wait to use on WatchOS 26

Jason Hiner/ZDNET Your iPhone, Apple Watch, and other Apple-owned devices are getting a big overhaul soon. The best part? You won't have to pay a dime for them. The tech giant recently announced all of the newest apps and updates coming to its devices over the next few months. Several new features are coming to WatchOS 26, and the beta software is now available for developers, with a public beta rollout likely coming soon. Reddit users in the r/Apple Watch subreddit are already getting into th

I tested a subscription-free smart ring for a month - here's how it compares to Oura

ZDNET's key takeaways The Ultrahuman Ring Air is the brand's first foray into the smart ring space, and it's available for $349, no subscription required. The ring is great for hardcore fitness enthusiasts and recreational exercisers looking to use their health data to optimize their wellness routines. The app's user interface could be improved for easier access to daily logging functions. $349 at Amazon As one of the hottest smart rings on the market, the Ultrahuman Ring Air offers features

Coding with AI? My 5 go-to tricks for vetting output - and avoiding trouble

filo / Getty Images Our story begins, as many stories do, with a man and his AI. The man, like many men, is a bit of a geek and a bit of a programmer. He also needs a haircut. The AI is the culmination of thousands of years of human advancement, all put to the service of making the man's life a little easier. The man, of course, is me. I'm that guy. Also: The best AI for coding in 2025 (and what not to use) Unfortunately, while AI can be incredibly brilliant, it also has a propensity to lie,

Topics: ai chatgpt help time use

I recommend this Lenovo ThinkPad to remote workers - and it's on sale for a limited time

ZDNET's key takeaways Lenovo's fifth-generation ThinkPad T14s is available now for $2,649. It's a particularly hardy laptop and boasts solid battery life. However, the Intel chipset delivers puts a cap on high-end performance. View now at Best Buy View now at Lenovo more buying choices Lenovo is holding a new clearance sale for the ThinkPad T14s Gen 5. The base model has dropped to $1,214, its lowest price yet. Lenovo has seven distinct ThinkPad categories on its website, each with a unique

This hidden Pixel camera setting makes my photos absolutely pop - here's how

Kerry Wan/ZDNET One reason why the Pixel phones are so popular is the camera. There's a depth, a level of clarity, and brilliant/accurate colors that most phone cameras cannot match. Also: I changed 10 settings on my Pixel phone to significantly improve the user experience Google is always trying to one-up itself by improving the Pixel camera with every iteration. Back with the Pixel 8, Google introduced the P3 wide gamut capture feature that came along with the Ultra HDR format of Android 14

What happens when a brand built for sport loses some of its focus?

I’m Carter, I lead growth and operations at Handstand [a bit more on me here]. I grew up just outside of Portland, Oregon - naturally, Nike has been in my orbit and part of my life since day one (see below: “Dear Santa, please bring me a pair of Chicago 1s”). It’s an inspiring brand we discuss and think about often, so I decided to write about it. Excited to continue sharing more perspectives from different voices on the team. Visiting Santa at Meier & Frank - Portland, OR “When you see only p

AWS launches Kiro, its Cursor clone

I’m sure you’ve been there: prompt, prompt, prompt, and you have a working application. It’s fun and feels like magic. But getting it to production requires more. What assumptions did the model make when building it? You guided the agent throughout, but those decisions aren’t documented. Requirements are fuzzy and you can’t tell if the application meets them. You can’t quickly understand how the system is designed and how that design will affect your environment and performance. Sometimes it’s b

Lightning Detector Circuits

Here's a version I built into a "fake" book I found at an art store. The copper PCB is connected to the circuit ground to act as a counterpoise for the antenna, increasing sensitivity. The lightning bolt was cut with a sharp knife then filled with blue-dyed epoxy. The antenna connects to the pin jack. I used a cheap flashlight head for the LED - I used too much blue dye in the epoxy so I need a bright flash! The image below is with an LED and no pot (but with the 150k resistor added). I made se

Building Modular Rails Applications: A Deep Dive into Rails Engines

I’ve been building Rails applications for the last 10 years on a daily base and almost all of them use active storage now. Users are uploading files and then the questions start rolling in from the team and they are always the same: “How much storage are we actually using?” “Can we see which files aren’t attached to anything anymore?” “What types of files are users uploading the most?” “Is there a way to browse through all our stored files?” I usually open the Rails console, write a few querie

Look Inside the Cinematic Legacy of ‘Godzilla’ In This Stunning New Book

Last year marked the 70th anniversary of the first Godzilla, and Toho has spent much of that 70th year going all-in to celebrate the King of the Monsters. From more movies, to theme park rides, to plenty of crazy merch, it’s been a great time to be a Godzilla fan, and it’s about to be even better. Ahead of its release this week, io9 has an exclusive look inside Godzilla: The First 70 Years, a titanic celebration of the last seven decades of kaiju moviemaking. Published by Abrams and written by

This Common Pain Med Could Be Raising Dementia Risk

Chronic pain can be a debilitating experience. A common medication used to manage the condition may come with its own serious dangers, however. Recent research finds an upsetting link between the drug gabapentin and a higher risk of dementia. Scientists at Case Western Reserve University led the study, which examined the medical records of people with chronic low back pain. People taking gabapentin for their back were significantly more likely to develop dementia over time compared to non-users

Best Internet Providers With No Data Caps for July 2025

Our picks 90001 Edit ZIP code Why we chose these providers Sort by Plans starting at $42 300 - 5,000 Mbps $55 - $250 per month Check with AT&T Fiber Provider not available in 90001 Edit ZIP code Or call to learn more: (833) 579-0031 Plans starting around $50 10 - 140 Mbps $55 per month Check with CenturyLink Provider not available in 90001 Edit ZIP code Or call to learn more: (866) 671-3650 Plans starting at $30 for Fiber, $65 for DSL 500 - 5,000 Mbps $50 - $155 per month Check with Frontier Fib

Google TV on Android begins its Material 3 Expressive revamp in latest update

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR The latest Google TV app update brings some Material 3 Expressive design elements to users. The release introduces updates for the movie/TV show details page, including a larger banner, center-aligned header, updated buttons, and more. The update doesn’t include all the Material 3 Expressive changes we’ve seen in the past, which could roll out with a subsequent release. Google has started rolling out the Material 3 Expressive revamp for several of it

Survey reveals this is everyone’s favorite weather app, by far

One of the staple apps ever since smartphones came into existence are weather apps. While weather apps have existed for decades, user preferences have changed over the years. The weather apps that we once loved have shuttered, and their place has been taken by newer competitors with their own advantages. In our quest to find the current best weather app, we asked you what weather app you prefer on your phone, and the answer has been overwhelmingly in Pixel Weather‘s favor. With over 47% of the

iPhone 17e is reportedly launching next year, here’s what we know so far

Apple’s been toying around with the idea of a cheaper iPhone in the lineup for quite some time, though it’s never been a consistent thing. Obviously, there was the iPhone 5c back in 2013 as a cheaper offering compared to the iPhone 5s. It didn’t sell too well, but it was certainly its first venture into this market. Afterwards, there was the iPhone SE lineup, which had an average of 3 years between each refresh. Now, it’s looking like the ‘cheaper’ iPhone will become a regular part of the iPhon

Topics: 17e iphone like ll new

Explore 20 years of Mac UI design through emulations of a single app

What’s a Mac app that was included on the very first Macintosh back in 1984 – long before the internet – and still exists on today’s machines, albeit with a different name? Designer and author Marcin Wichery has not only traced the first 20 years of development of that app, but has also included emulators that let you experience it for yourself … The app in question: Control Panel, more recently renamed as Settings. That might not sound like the most fascinating of apps to track across time,

iPhone 17 Pro leak reveals brand new colors that could be coming

Last week multiple leaks revealed the colors to expect from iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air this fall. But now, a new leak of camera parts for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max provides a first look at the likely colors for those models too. Camera parts reveal new iPhone 17 Pro colors coming Leaker Sonny Dickson, who now turns iPhone parts into works of art via Collectible Phones, has just shared images of the camera lens covers for iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. The new images were shared on X and indi

Topics: 17 colors iphone new pro