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Apple/ZDNET It’s been a busy few weeks for Apple, and a busy time for the wallets and purses of Apple fans. We didn’t get an updated iPhone SE, but we did get the brand-new iPhone 16e, Apple’s newest “budget” handset. Apple’s decision to include “16” in the name of the new affordable economy line suggests yearly updates from now on (otherwise, that 16 is going to look mighty old in a couple of years). Also: I replaced…

ZDNET’s key takeaways The Asus Zenbook Duo is on sale now for $1,499 at Best Buy. This laptop is a creator’s dream machine, with dual-OLED touchscreens, a highly configurable form factor, and a great battery. It takes time and effort to get the most out of this laptop, and you’ll need lots of desk space to utilize the different form factors. Upon first glance, Asus’ Zenbook Duo looks like a standard laptop. The first thing…

GK Hart/Vikki Hart/Getty Images I’ve been a fan of DuckDuckGo for a long time. I find the search engine to be far more trustworthy than Google and I do enjoy my privacy. But when I heard that the company was dipping its webbed feet into the AI waters, my initial reaction was a roll of the eyes. Then I gave Duck.ai a go — and was immediately impressed. (DuckDuck Go’s AI features launched in June 2024…

Kerry Wan/ZDNET OnePlus just made a business decision that took a lot of courage. At least that’s how its CEO, Pete Lau, framed it in his Monday community post. After years and years of fielding a physical alert slider on its phones, the company is moving away in favor of a customizable function key, similar in behavior to the iPhone’s Action Button. Also: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. OnePlus 13: I compared the best Android…

ZDNET Debian is unofficially called “The mother of all distributions.” This is partly because Ubuntu is based on Debian and so many distributions are based on Ubuntu. For example, Ubuntu Budgie is based on Ubuntu, which is based on Debian.  But just because Ubuntu is based on Debian, it doesn’t mean the two are identical. They aren’t. In some cases, the differences are obvious; but there are subtle differences you might not know about.  Also: I’ve…

ZDNET’s key takeaways The Levoit Sprout smart air purifier is available for $280. This smart and efficient device is informative, accurate, and visually appealing to clean the air in kids’ rooms, who are a vulnerable population. The Sprout smart air purifier is a little expensive, but it pays off with insight into your kids’ air quality. Levoit is objectively one of the best air purifier brands available. It’s also one of my go-to brands, as…

Getty Images/Yaroslav Kushta With the rise of generative AI, synthetic images and text have become common knowledge — but are you familiar with synthetic data? As the name implies, the term refers to data that is artificially generated and used to replace real data. It is used to create solutions for healthcare, finance, the automotive industry, and, most importantly, artificial intelligence. Synthetic data is such an integral part of the digital revolution that South by…

ZDNET’s key takeaways The Cuktech 30 is a compact yet powerful power bank that can output a maximum of 300W. It can recharge in under 2.5 hours thanks to 140W USB-C charging At 40,000mAh/144Wh, it’s too big to take on an airplane. Power banks come in all shapes and sizes. Some are small enough to attach to your phone, while others are so big and bulky they come with a handle. Occasionally, you’ll find one…

ZDNET I’ve lost count of how many web browsers I’ve tested and used over the years. From text-based to the weird and wonderful, I’ve tried them all. Knowing how many web browsers are available, it never ceases to amaze me that some languish in the shadows of obscurity — even those that are superior to the ones most people use. I believe that many of those alternative browsers aren’t more widely used because most people…

ma_rish/Getty Images AI is permeating nearly every industry, and, as a result, it is a powerful skill for working professionals or those soon entering the workforce to master. To help more people learn AI skills and technologies, Nvidia established the Deep Learning Institute University Ambassador Program, which equips educators with resources to teach state-of-the-art AI workshops. This program is now expanding to a new state. Also: Open AI, Anthropic invite US scientists to experiment with frontier…