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Kerry Wan/ZDNET If your computer desktop looks a little chaotic and you’re noticing some performance slowdown, it might be time to do a cleanup. The best way to keep things running smoothly is to ensure you’re running the most updated version of Windows (you’d be surprised how many folks’ devices are several updates behind). But if you’re up-to-date, there are other things you can do to optimize. Also: This 2-in-1 Windows tablet I found is…

ZDNET Have you ever stopped to look at how many tabs you have across the top of your browser? Is that number so large that you can’t make out the favicons for each of those sites, forcing you to click through them to find the site you need? The frustration described above is more common than you might think. Part of the reason is that many browsers still haven’t figured out how to manage tabs…

400tmax/Getty Images The most notable part of Google’s latest responsible AI report could be what it doesn’t mention. (Spoiler: No word on weapons and surveillance.) On Tuesday, Google released its sixth annual Responsible AI Progress Report, which details “methods for governing, mapping, measuring, and managing AI risks,” in addition to “updates on how we’re operationalizing responsible AI innovation across Google.” Also: Deepseek’s AI model proves easy to jailbreak – and worse In the report, Google…

Eoneren/Getty Images Since DeepSeek challenged OpenAI two weeks ago, the open- vs. closed-source AI competition has shown no signs of stopping. Also: Why Mark Zuckerberg wants to redefine open source so badly Just two days after OpenAI announced Deep Research, a new AI agent within ChatGPT that can sift through online sources for you, its open-source counterpart has already emerged. Hugging Face’s Deep Research On Tuesday, Hugging Face released its equivalent to the new feature. Blatantly dubbed open Deep Research, the alternative uses…

Adrienne Bresnahan/Getty Images LONDON — Over the past decade, companies such as Redis, Elastic, MongoDB, and HashiCorp have abandoned their open-source license roots and switched to proprietary models. The companies cite competition from cloud providers and investor pressure, but the decision is all about making more money. However, there’s a fly in this soup: The strategy doesn’t work.  At the UK’s State of Open conference, Dawn Foster, director of data science for the CHAOSS Project, unveiled…

Kyndryl has expanded its alliance with Palo Alto Networks to add secure access service edge (SASE) services to its managed services offerings. In 2023, when Kyndryl first said it would integrate Palo Alto’s security products and services into its own managed security services, the vendors said they would ultimately support SASE, and now they have. Palo Alto’s Prisma SASE platform combines SD-WAN with cloud-based security capabilities, including secure access control, advanced threat protection, user-behavior monitoring,…

Prakhar Khanna/ZDNET I’ve been using the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra for a week now, and one issue has persisted — I just can’t get a good grip on the phone. While Samsung made the device lighter this year, the move to flatter sides has made it more uncomfortable to hold, at least for me. It is more difficult to reach certain corners of the screen, making the usability underwhelming. Also: I replaced my iPhone 16 Pro…

ZDNET It’s been a rough few month for Sonos, but the company is hoping to bounce back with its newest product. For the first time ever, Sonos is getting into video. A fairly standard streaming box Over the next several months, Sonos is set to release a streaming media box. The company itself hasn’t revealed much, but a report from The Verge dropped some details. Like similar products, Sonos’ new device (codenamed Pinewood) will combine content from streaming…

ZDNET’s key takeaways The Onyx Boox Page has a seven-inch E Ink display and sells for $219 across major retailers. It runs on a simplified version of Android 11, so you can download any app you want, including Kindle, TikTok, Google Docs, and more. Don’t expect the tablet to receive the latest Android updates. more buying choices In recent years, I have used and reviewed various E Ink products, including Kindle e-readers and the ReMarkable…

Cisco IOS XE offers advanced programmability and automation capabilities that simplify network management and reduce complexity. By utilizing open standards-based APIs such as NETCONF, RESTCONF, and gNMI, network administrators can efficiently provision and configure devices, minimizing manual errors. The integration of Zero Touch Provisioning with DevOps toolkits accelerates device onboarding, while model-driven telemetry provides real-time data collection for enhanced monitoring and troubleshooting. Cisco’s automation solutions are extensible across the entire device lifecycle, supporting seamless software…