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Tim Bieber/Getty Images It’s no secret that Meta has been enhancing and building out its Twitter-like offering Threads over the past few weeks — likely to remain competitive against X competitor Bluesky. Recent improvements include custom feeds, advanced search, the option to choose a default feed, AI-powered summaries of trending topics, and more.  Also: 8 Bluesky tips every new user should know On Thursday, Instagram boss Adam Mosseri announced another change that would potentially attract more…

NurPhoto / Contributor / Getty Images With the holiday season upon us, many companies are finding ways to take advantage through deals, promotions, or other campaigns. OpenAI has found a way to participate with its “12 days of OpenAI.”  On Wednesday, OpenAI announced via an X post that starting on Dec. 5, the company would host 12 days of live streams and release “a bunch of new things, big and small,” according to the post. …

NurPhoto/Getty Images If you’ve used Google over the last few months, you may have noticed not only an increase in AI summaries but — as some in the search community are speculating — an increase in personalized search results. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, it does mean you might not see the results you want. Fortunately, there’s something you can do about it.    Over the past few days, a new link has started appearing…

ZDNET’s key takeaways The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus undercut the Pro models by up to $400 while still offering similar features. The configurable Action button and Camera Control offer users more iOS shortcuts than ever, though they come with learning curves. The features that I hoped Apple would improve this year — such as the 60Hz refresh rate and slower-than-average 20W wired charging — haven’t changed. more buying choices I’ve been testing the…

ZDNET’s key takeaways A Shine Turbine kit, which includes that turbine, stand, guy lines and pegs costs $399, while the essentials kit, which adds a few more bits such as a wind speed meter, costs $488. The kit includes everything you need to turn wind into electrical energy, and the turbine features a 12,000 mAh battery. There are limitations, which include the weight of the kit and the limited power it generates, 40 Watts. more…

ZDNET’s key takeaways The TCL Tab 10 Nxtpaper 5G is a full-color, color paper, and ink paper tablet available at Verizon for $239. It’s a great entertainment tablet for daily use that also functions very well as an e-reader. Although the screen is versatile, don’t expect the graphics to compare to those on an iPad or other high-end tablets. Reading is my favorite hobby and something I’ve come to rely on to wind down before…

Allison Murray/ZDNET ZDNET’s key takeaways: The Audio-Technica AT-LP70X retails for $199 and comes in stylish colors like black and silver, black and bronze, and white and silver. This entry-level turntable has an impressive sound thanks to its stylus, with excellent vibration isolation. However, it doesn’t have an adjustable counterweight or adjustable anti-skate. When I first started my vinyl journey in 2013, all I had was a pink suitcase turntable that would eventually take its toll…

Allison Murray/ZDNET ZDNET’s key takeaways The Hatch Restore 2 sunrise alarm clock retails for $170 and comes in three colors. This device acts as an alarm clock and a sound machine that provides meditations, sleep stories, and soothing sounds to help you sleep better.  However, it is a larger device — especially for smaller nightstands. Plus, you have to factor a $50/year membership fee into its total cost. I have a hard time falling asleep…

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET I own countless multitools and other gizmos, but I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve needed something and it’s been left at home or in the car because it’s just not possible to have a toolbox dangling off my belt. Yet what I do have with me most of the time is my keychain — and, as it turns out, it’s the perfect way to EDC (Everyday Carry) useful bits and…

Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET Arch Linux is well known for being one of the more challenging Linux distributions. The primary reason is the installation process, which is handled via a script (instead of a GUI installer).  That sense of challenge doesn’t mean Arch Linux is a distribution to avoid because there are plenty of distributions based on Arch with user-friendly GUI installers. Once installed, those distributions can be fairly straightforward, but not all of them….