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Solar-powered power banks are common, but are they any good? In a word, no.  Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET Solar-powered power banks seem like a fantastic idea; attach some solar panels to a power bank, and you have a free power source whenever the sun is shining. However, the reality is different from this idyllic vision of limitless energy. Also: This Windows 11 tablet survived my torture tests – and business users will love it I’ve tested nearly…

Tax filing for the year of 2024 began on Jan. 27, 2025.  And the sooner you file, the sooner you can expect to receive your refund (if you’re due one). Numerous tax preparation services and professional tax preparers are available to help you check off filing this tax season. Some services may come with a fee depending on the tax situation, and the more complicated your tax filing needs are (dealing with less common forms…

ZDNET’s key takeaways This battery-powered printer is perfect for taking on the road, and it connects to devices using Bluetooth or USB Thermal printing means there are no ink cartridges to replace, but the downside is the printer cannot use regular paper Installing the Windows and Mac drivers is a bit painful and unintuitive. I like to joke that whenever someone asks me if I own a printer, I say, “I don’t need one where…

ZDNET’s key takeaways The DT Research tablet is built as rugged as it gets, with IP65, MIL-STD-810H, and MIL-STD-461G certifications. The choice of Intel Core i5 and i7 processors offers flexibility when buying the system. The tablet is big and rather chunky, far larger than a traditional iPad. Let’s face it: Your average laptop or tablet is a pretty fragile piece of technology. One accidental drop, and more often than not, something critical — usually…

Jason Hiner/ZDNET If you’re an Apple Watch  owner who experienced battery issues, you might be eligible to claim part of a $20 million settlement related to battery swelling problems. Also: The best Apple Watch of 2025: Expert tested and reviewed A recent settlement alleges that the first-generation Apple Watch, Series 1, Series 2, and Series 3 models had a battery issue in which the battery would swell over time, potentially damaging internal components. Apple denies any…

Future Publishing/Getty Images As a kid, I was inspired by the decorative lighting in my grandparents’ finished basement. They had festooned the place with multicolored C9 string lights (aka old-school Christmas lights) from wall to wall, beneath the built-in wet bar, around hanging mirrors, and anywhere else they could add an ambient accent for the parties they hosted down there year-round. Since then, I’ve festooned every home I’ve lived in with decorative lighting, whether in…

Google If your vehicle has Android Automotive built in (the actual OS, not the Android Auto app), your app library is getting a lot bigger. Apps, apps, apps Nearly 70 new apps are on the way, Google says, including popular streaming and gaming apps like Farm Heroes Saga, Paramount Plus, Plex, F1 TV, Red Bull TV, and NBC News. This pushes the total to almost 300 apps (you can see the complete list here).  If…

ZDNET Google on Wednesday said it has tweaked its Gemini 2.0 large language model artificial intelligence offering to make it generate novel scientific hypotheses in a fraction of the time taken by teams of human lab researchers. The company bills the “AI Co-scientist” version of Gemini as “a promising advance toward AI-assisted technologies for scientists to help accelerate discovery,” and a program meant to be run with a human “in the loop” to “act as…

An ESU subscription entitles customers to receive updates delivered automatically through Windows Update. If Microsoft follows its customary practices, those updates will also be available for download individually through the Microsoft Update Catalog.  It’s a tedious process, but a customer who’s determined to save money could set a calendar reminder to check for new updates a day or two after those updates are delivered on the second Tuesday of the month and install them manually….

ZDNET This AI thing has taken off really fast, hasn’t it? It’s almost like we mined some crashed alien spacecraft for advanced technology, and this is what we got. I know, I’ve been watching too much *Stargate*. But the hyper-speed crossing the chasm effects of generative AI are real. Generative AI, with tools like ChatGPT, hit the world hard in early 2023. All of a sudden, many vendors are incorporating AI features into their products,…