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It’s high time to ditch the traditional upright vacuum, even if you have dogs, cats, or both. As a robot vacuum reviewer, pet hair is one of my pet peeves, so evaluating how a robot vacuum performs against it is one of the main characteristics I look for when testing these robots. With a very hairy dog and three young kids, the only thing that keeps my floors clean without manually vacuuming daily is a…

Chris Bayer/ZDNET Before making any purchase — of anything — it helps to do some research. But nothing can beat the hands-on experience of using a product before you buy it. I recently had the luxury of doing this at home, testing the Eureka E10s robot vacuum and comparing it with a much cheaper model (the OKP Life K2). Please note that in this case, the word “cheaper” does not mean inferior. Rather, the price…

ZDNET’s key takeaways Sony’s Ult Wear headphones debut with a novel audio feature and are perfect for anyone looking for an everyday pair of headphones for $200. An enjoyable sound, all-day comfort, and premium software features and design elements set these headphones apart from others in the same price range. You can only access higher-quality Bluetooth codecs and spatial audio technology with a compatible device or music streaming platform. more buying choices It’s official —…

ZDNET’s key takeaways The Phelinta three-in-one charger is available now on Amazon for $46. It charges all of your Pixel devices in one convenient place. It isn’t the fastest charger on the planet, but it does exactly what it needs to. To this point, I was charging my Pixel 9 Pro on an aging Pixel stand, my Pixel Watch on its official charger, and my Pixel Buds Pro earbuds with a USB cable. It all…

Microsoft/Ubuntu/ZDNET PowerShell is a task automation and configuration management tool, designed and released by Microsoft, that consists of a command-line shell and a powerful scripting language. A lot of intermediate and advanced Windows users depend on this application for many different reasons and are probably concerned about what they’ll do when support for Windows 10 ends next year. Also: The best Linux distribution of 2024 is MacOS-like but accessible to all For those whose computers…

Maria Diaz/ZDNET Extension cords are generally a safe solution for running power to electronics that are too far from the nearest wall outlet. But the operative word here is “electronics,” which is not as all-encompassing as some people might think. Also: Bye bye, Wi-Fi: How to add a wired network to your home without running Ethernet Appliances (like refrigerators and toaster ovens) are obviously electronic devices, but they’re in a different class from most electronics…

Adam Breeden/ZDNET Say you picked up a shiny new TV this holiday season. You unbox it like a kid at Christmas and prepare yourself to binge-watch Squid Game 2. You think to yourself, “This is 2024. TV technology is sizzling, and it’s going to look amazing no matter what.” So you plug it in and don’t take one look at the default settings. Big mistake. I’ve been guilty of it. And I’m okay with that…

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET A power bank boasting a massive capacity of 9 million milliamp hours (mAh) that fits in the palm of your hand, all for just a little over $10, sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? Well, you know what they say. A reader brought this listing to my attention, questioning the validity of such bold claims. Although I harbored significant doubts, I decided to investigate further. All in the name of science,…

Joel Simon/Getty Images 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: Why I no longer recommend this Windows-like Linux distro I…

Matthew Miller/ZDNET ZDNET’s key takeaways The Garmin eTrex Solar is available now for $250. The eTrex SE without solar is available for $150. Potential for unlimited battery life, extensive GNSS support, rugged build, and affordable. Small monochrome display, no turn-by-turn directions of TopoActive maps. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, I gained a deep affection for the great outdoors. The forest is my happy place. I have a good sense of direction, too — even…