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ZDNET’s key takeaways The 2024 Mac Mini is considerably smaller and faster, has two USB-C ports on the front, and upgrades the base RAM from 8GB to 16GB, all while staying at the $599 starting price. While you could pair this compact computer with Apple’s premium — albeit high-priced — accessories, one of the best things about the Mac Mini is that you can pair it with any monitor, mouse, or keyboard you want. The…

ZDNET’s key takeaways The M4 MacBook Pro starts at $1,599 and features improvements in the most subtle places. Upgrades to graphical performance, battery life, and transfer speeds are the most notable. Be prepared to overpay for almost every spec bump. more buying choices I’ve been using the M4 MacBook Pro for about a week now, and it’s the most boringly awesome device I’ve tested this year. Without making my 14-inch M1 MacBook Pro jealous, the…

Amazon Since debuting in 2022, Amazon’s drone delivery program has delivered thousands of household items, tech supplies, and everyday essentials in an hour or less. Now, customers in the West Valley area of Phoenix are eligible for Prime Air. Also: The best drones of 2024: Expert tested In a post this week, Amazon announced the expansion of its drone delivery service to a new service area. If you live near the Tolleson, Arizona delivery site,…

TLS adoption has grown rapidly, with nearly 100% of website connections now delivered over HTTPS. Now, firewalls must do more than simply block threats—they need to provide advanced decryption capabilities to detect hidden dangers, while maintaining performance, all without compromising the speed of business operations. Security shouldn’t come at the cost of performance Many firewalls slow down significantly when advanced security features like Layer 7 inspection and TLS decryption are enabled. Deep packet inspection—essential for…

It depends, but you usually don’t need to empty the dustbin after each use. Many robot vacuums can self-empty at their docking station, so you don’t have to clean the actual robot.  Self-emptying robot vacuums can collect anywhere from 30 to 60 days’ worth of dust and allergens, which makes cleaning a breeze.  Other robot vacuums don’t offer self-emptying features but are more affordable. Depending on how much dust and pet hair is on your…

The iPad remains the gold standard for tablets because of its wide array of quality apps and content, as well as its integration with other products within the Apple ecosystem. Apple added three new iPad models to its lineup this year: the sixth-generation iPad Air, the seventh-generation iPad Pro, and the seventh-generation iPad Mini.  Also: The best Black Friday tablet deals live now What is the best iPad right now?  At ZDNET, we’ve tested every…

When ChatGPT launched in late 2022, the AI chatbot soared in popularity because people were amazed at its ability to respond to any question with conversational and concise answers. However, ChatGPT lacked one major feature — access to current information. AI-powered search engines emerged to fill that gap. Also: The best AI chatbots of 2024: ChatGPT and alternatives Within months of ChatGPT launching, major search engines, including Google and Bing, infused generative AI (gen AI) into their…

Most people rely on search engines, specifically Google, to find the most recent information about the world around them, and until now, that process has remained relatively efficient. However, artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing (NLP) can make finding what you need even easier.  Also: The obvious reason why I’m not sold on smartphone AI features yet (and I’m not alone) Most of us have learned how to enter specific terms when searching for…

Nina Raemont/ZDNET What’s the deal?  The Bose Ultra Open earbuds are on sale for $250, $50 less than their original price. This deal applies to the Black, White, Lunar Blue, Moonstone Blue, and even the Diamond 60th Anniversary Edition colorways. You can find this deal on Amazon Walmart, andBose’s website. ZDNET key takeaways At $300, the Bose Ultra Open earbuds are a great alternative to bone-conduction headphones.  Thanks to Bose’s OpenAudio technology, the earbuds are ideal for…