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I upgraded to Android 16 - here's what I love and what's still missing

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET Android 16 looked to be one of the most impressive upgrades to the mobile operating system in recent times. Google teased some seriously cool features that would elevate Android to the next level. However, although some of those expected features made their way to the final release, some did not. Because some of the more hotly anticipated features have yet to materialize, Android 16 seems (on the surface) to be kinda blah. But don't be fooled. Even though the big U

Finland warms up the world’s largest sand battery, and the economics look appealing

It doesn’t look like much, but Finland recently flipped the switch on the world’s largest sand-based battery. Yes, sand. A sand battery is a type of thermal energy storage system that uses sand or crushed rock to store heat. Electricity — typically from renewable sources — is used to heat the sand. That stored heat can later be used for various ends, including to warm buildings. The economics are compelling, and it’s hard to get any cheaper than the crushed soapstone now housed inside an insu

Pitaka unveils their aramid fiber MagSafe power bank, a slim magnetic charger with Qi2

We are now in 2025, and there are so many MagSafe battery packs out there. Some are multifunctional, others have software touches, some can charge your phone fast, and they all have differentiators to help you decide. But sometimes you just want a beautiful-looking MagSafe battery pack that does all the main things great, while also looking slim, sleek, and stylish. That is precisely what Pitaka was able to do with their new aramid fiber magnetic power bank. Here is what you should know. Be sur

AMD Ryzen 7 9700F could launch under $300 as budget Zen 5 chip without integrated graphics

Something to look forward to: AMD is expected to launch a new Ryzen 9000-series CPU without integrated graphics. The chip, recently mentioned in AGESA version 1.2.0.3e BIOS updates, has now been identified by a tipster as the Ryzen 7 9700F, which is based on Granite Ridge silicon. Replying to tipster @9550pro's X post about the upcoming Ryzen 9000 CPU, leaker @Zed_Wang claimed that it is likely to be the Ryzen 7 9700F. Built for the AM5 platform, it will reportedly pack eight Zen 5 cores and 16

ASUS Armoury Crate bug lets attackers get Windows admin privileges

A high-severity vulnerability in ASUS Armoury Crate software could allow threat actors to escalate their privileges to SYSTEM level on Windows machines. The security issue is tracked as CVE-2025-3464 and received a severity score of 8.8 out of 10. It could be exploited to bypass authorization and affects the AsIO3.sys of the Armoury Crate system management software. Armoury Crate is the official system control software for Windows from ASUS, providing a centralized interface to control RGB li

Our favorite power bank for iPhones is 20 percent off right now

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 . I test a lot of batteries and I find myself drawn to the ones that do a little extra, like offering built-in cables, magnetic charging, onboard displays or, in this case, a handy kickstand that lets you view your phone as it recharges. Anker's MagGo 10,000mAh power bank is the one we r

OpenTelemetry for Go: Measuring overhead costs

Everything comes at a cost — and observability is no exception. When we add metrics, logging, or distributed tracing to our applications, it helps us understand what’s going on with performance and key UX metrics like success rate and latency. But what’s the cost? I’m not talking about the price of observability tools here, I mean the instrumentation overhead. If an application logs or traces everything it does, that’s bound to slow it down or at least increase resource consumption. Of course,

Benzene at 200

In 1825, Michael Faraday discovered one of the most fascinating compounds in chemistry: benzene. While isolating the components of oily residues of illuminating gas, Faraday identified a mysterious liquid, with a peculiar aromatic smell, which would go on to transform the landscape of chemistry. Within the pages of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Faraday described this seemingly simple yet profoundly unique molecule. What set benzene apart, even in its earliest di

Professional Chefs Beg: Don't Waste Your Money on These 20 Overrated Kitchen Tools

Professional chefs understand the value of kitchen real estate like New Yorkers understand rent -- every square inch better be pulling its weight. Walk through the swinging doors of most restaurant kitchens and you won't likely spot an avocado slicer or dedicated egg cooker lying around. Nope, every tool has a job, and if it doesn't earn its keep, it's out the door faster than last week's unsold seafood. That's why chefs are the ultimate authority on which kitchen gadgets should get the boot --

AMD unveils 2nm Epyc Venice with 256 cores for next-gen AI and cloud workloads

What just happened? AMD is preparing to shake up the data center landscape with its forthcoming Epyc Venice processor, a chip that promises to set new standards for performance and scalability in server computing. Announced at the company's recent Advancing AI event, the Venice CPU is built on AMD's next-generation Zen 6 architecture and is slated for release in 2026, targeting the ever-increasing demands of artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and high-performance analytics. Venice makes

Gemini will auto-summarize your PDFs now and tell you what to do next

VINCENT FEURAY / Contributor / Getty Last year, Google introduced the ability for Gemini in Drive to interact with PDF files, summarizing a long document into digestible paragraphs. Gemini now has some new tricks related to PDFs stored in Drive, going beyond just a basic summary. Google introduced PDF summary cards for Gemini, Thursday. When you open a PDF stored in Drive, Gemini will proactively summarize the file's contents and suggest next actions like "Draft a sample proposal" or "List int

AMD unveils Epyc Venice with 256 cores and 2nm process for next-gen AI and cloud workloads

What just happened? AMD is preparing to shake up the data center landscape with its forthcoming Epyc Venice processor, a chip that promises to set new standards for performance and scalability in server computing. Announced at the company's recent Advancing AI event, the Venice CPU is built on AMD's next-generation Zen 6 architecture and is slated for release in 2026, targeting the ever-increasing demands of artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and high-performance analytics. Venice makes

This Battery-Powered Doorbell Now Costs Peanuts, Amazon Is Clearing Out Google’s Stock

When it comes to home security and convenience, the battery-powered Google Nest Doorbell is a top choice for many and for good reason. This device offers the flexibility of battery power which makes it perfect for those who want a smart doorbell without the hassle of wiring—something especially appealing if you’re not comfortable working with electrical systems. With this model, installation is as simple as mounting the device to your door frame and you’re set. No drilling holes, no complicated

This Historian Has Seen the Future of Trans Health Care

Jules Gill-Peterson is speaking to me from the future. She’s 11 hours ahead of me when I reach her over Zoom. While I’m sniffling and congested on a rainy Wednesday evening on my side of the screen in Brooklyn, Jules is welcoming the sun on a beautiful Thursday morning, the bright blue sky of Bangkok peeking in from the window behind her. The Baltimore-based trans studies scholar is known for her work on the history of medical transition, specifically the history of how trans kids have attempte

Survey shows people are deeply divided over Pixel battery issues

Rita El Khoury / Android Authority Pixels are among the best Android phones money can buy, but if there’s one issue that keeps coming back to haunt them, it’s battery safety. We’ve seen battery overheating problems take down the Pixel 4a. The Pixel 6a took it further, and in one alarming case, it reportedly melted completely. More recently, Google acknowledged that a batch of Pixel 7a units was experiencing “unexpected” battery swelling. In response, Google pushes out software updates that re

I changed 8 settings on my Motorola phone for an instant battery boost

Cesar Cadenas/ZDNET Google's Pixel phones aren't the only ones with battery-saving secrets to explore. Motorola offers almost as many features inside its menus. After three weeks with the Moto Razr Ultra and separately, the Moto G Stylus 2025, I discovered a handful of tweaks hiding in plain sight that you'll likely find on your Motorola device if you know where to look. 1. Battery Saver keeps the lights on when your gauge hits the red Jason Howell/ZDNET Battery anxiety is the worst, and Bat

Why We Made a Guide to Winning a Fight

I don’t think there’s anything quite so satisfying as winning a fight—especially when you land that victory with a resounding and definitive punch to your opponent’s gut. In some instances, that’s a literal victory. Just ask my third-grade playground nemesis; it’s the one and only time I ever threw that kind of breathtaking slug, and yeah, she had it coming. The WIRED Guide to Winning a Fight Illustration: Shirley Chong Right now, everyone seems ready to throw down. More than ever, it’s import

The 6 Best Blow-Dry Brushes (2025): Round, Oval, and More

What About Thermal Brushes? You might have seen two different kinds of brushes while shopping that promise blowout results. In this guide, the term blow-dry brush is exclusively used for devices that blow hot air out of the bristles onto wet hair to dry and style your hair. Meanwhile, devices for dry hair are called infrared or thermal brushes, as they use infrared heat instead of hot air to style your hair in a smooth blowout. Blow-dry brushes are only meant for wet hair, while thermal brushes

Topics: blow brush dry hair heat

The best satellite phones of 2025: Expert tested and reviewed

We're fortunate to live in an age when cellphone and Wi-Fi coverage is incredible, but it can still let you down. For those times, satellite phones are a true game-changer for anyone beyond the reach of traditional mobile networks or during emergencies or natural disasters. Unlike standard smartphones, which rely on cellular networks made up of physical towers, satellite phones communicate directly with satellites orbiting approximately 500 miles above the Earth. Satellite connectivity is an es

Lisp-stat: Lisp environment for statistical computing

Lisp-Stat is conceptually similar to R and will be familiar to most people from that ecosystem. It is suitable for both exploratory data analysis as well as front-line production deployments. Common Lisp is currently used at Google in several high-availability, high-volume transactional systems. Why Lisp? We had a few requirements when evaluating options. Specifically the system had to: Work well in the kind of exploratory environment conducive to analytics and AI Be robust enough to work in

Cyborg Embryos Offer New Insights into Brain Growth

Scientists have created cyborg embryos by implanting electrode arrays into the developing brains of frogs, mice, and salamanders. Although the researchers reject implants in human embryos as unethical, they suggest their technology might one day help study and treat neurodevelopmental conditions in children. The stretchable technology at the core of the electrode arrays could record brain activity while remaining soft enough to accommodate the children’s growth. Recording the activity of neuron

Spiraling with ChatGPT

In Brief ChatGPT seems to have pushed some users towards delusional or conspiratorial thinking, or at least reinforced that kind of thinking, according to a recent feature in The New York Times. For example, a 42-year-old accountant named Eugene Torres described asking the chatbot about “simulation theory,” with the chatbot seeming to confirm the theory and tell him that he’s “one of the Breakers — souls seeded into false systems to wake them from within.” ChatGPT reportedly encouraged Torres

I took my e-book library back from Amazon with this self-hosted app

Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority If you’ve ever bought an e-book from Amazon, you already know you don’t really own it. Sure, it’s in your Kindle library and you can read it in the app. But try moving it to another device or archiving it somewhere else, and you’ll quickly run into walls. In fact, Amazon has been doubling down on its attempts to curtail access to the books you’ve bought from the Kindle store. Between DRM, proprietary file formats, and a complete lack of export tools, you are s

What Is Raspberry Pi and How Can I Use It for My Home Internet?

A Raspberry Pi computer can do a little of everything, including keeping you occupied if you need a new project (or distraction). This teeny-tiny computer not only clocks in at a low price, but could potentially help you trim costs by becoming a DIY router. Saving money is appealing: A recent CNET survey showed that internet costs spiked for 63% of US adults last year. When our budgets are tight, having a device that can cover the gamut is appealing, from hosting your home internet to providing

This AI Theory Is Sweeping the Internet. Here's What You Need to Know

This wild theory about the Internet is circulating again, and it all has to do with Shrimp Jesus. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, it’s the infamous AI-generated Facebook image of Shrimp Jesus and other variations floating around the internet. That image first surfaced in March 2024 and appeared to be a meme at first glance. However, Shrimp Jesus was the jumping-off point for Facebook AI art slop. These consist of newly AI-generated memes sweeping the internet, such as the Challah Horse

I Asked 5 Pro Chefs About Their Least Favorite Kitchen Tools. They Didn't Hold Back

Professional chefs know the value of space in a drawer or on a countertop better than anyone. Stroll through the swinging doors of any restaurant kitchen worth its salt, and you won't find an excess of single-function gadgets collecting dust. Every instrument and piece of cookware serves a purpose, earning the real estate -- however small -- it occupies. That's what makes career chefs the perfect people to ask about all the kitchen tools that don't belong in your kitchen, especially when space

Tanks, guns and face-painting

Of all the jarring things I’ve witnessed on the National Mall, nothing will beat the image of the first thing I saw after I cleared security at the Army festival: a child, sitting at the controls of an M119A3 Howitzer, being instructed by a soldier on how to aim it, as his red-hatted parents took a photo with the Washington Monument in the background. The primary stated reason for the Grand Military Parade is to celebrate the US Army’s 250th birthday. The second stated reason is to use the even

Climate Change Is Ruining Cheese, Scientists and Farmers Warn

Climate change is making everything worse — including apparently threatening the dairy that makes our precious cheese. In interviews with Science News, veterinary researchers and dairy farmers alike warned that changes to the climate that affect cows are impacting not only affects the nutritional value of the cheeses produced from their milk, but also the color, texture, and even taste. Researchers from the Université Clermont Auvergne, which is located in the mountainous Central France region

Topics: cows dairy fed grass milk

Anubis ransomware adds wiper to destroy files beyond recovery

The Anubis ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) operation has added to its file-encryptimg malware a wiper module that destroys targeted files, making recovery impossible even if the ransom is paid. Anubis (not to be confused with the same-name Android malware with a ransomware module) is a relatively new RaaS first observed in December 2024 but became more active at the beginning of the year. On February 23, the operators announced an affiliate program on the RAMP forum. A report from KELA at the

How the Final Cartridge III Freezer Works

by Daniël Mantione Daniël contributed the commented disassembly of the FC3 freezer functionality to the reverse engineering effort at github.com/mist64/final_cartridge. Thanks to Eric Schlaepfer for his input on 6502 timing. Freezer cartridge theory One key reason why the Commodore 64 was so successful in the 80s was that it was able to do things it wasn’t designed for. Freezer cartridges, which allowed stopping any running program or game, applying cheat codes and resuming, or saving the com