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Meta/ZDNET Facebook is rolling out a new stories monetization option that enables creators to earn money for views on public stories. The announcement explains that creators can earn money from the content they’re already sharing by uploading it to their Facebook stories. The new monetization option is now available globally to those participating in the Facebook Content Monetization program. How Facebook story payouts work A Facebook spokesperson told TechCrunch that “story payouts will be driven…

Indie Studios LLC/Getty Images I’ve been a network administrator and work from home, so I should have known better. But there I was — working my rump off on deadline — when my AT&T Internet Fiber connection went down. That was the end of my work for the day. The next day, it was back on again and then down again. The day after that, it returned and stayed on… until the next day. Enough…

Matthew Miller/ZDNET I spent a couple of weeks with the OnePlus Watch 3, and it’s clear that OnePlus took customer feedback to heart. The battery life is better, the rotating crown makes navigation easier, and the design caters to fans of larger watches. If size weren’t a factor, this might be my new go-to Wear OS smartwatch.  That said, a few software updates are still needed to iron out some issues. In fact, the launch…

ZDNET’s key takeaways The Blackview Tab 90 WiFi (2025) is on sale now for $142 on Amazon. It punches above its price point in terms of hardware. Expanded memory does need to be pushed to the max to get the best performance. Blackview, a brand primarily recognized for its rugged smartphones, has also ventured into the tablet market, offering devices that strike an impressive balance between performance and affordability.  Also: I gave away my Kindle…

ZDNET’s key takeaways The Eero 7 Dual Band Router retails for $180 per unit. Users won’t have to wait long to enjoy high-speed connectivity at home as the device is very easy to set up. However, this router model is light on features; it doesn’t offer much beyond its simple package. more buying choices One of the biggest hurdles of any new technology is getting people to adopt it. In my opinion, the best way…

ZDNET Earlier this year, Perplexity rolled out an Android app that gave you the ability to make it your default voice assistant over Gemini. You now have that option with ChatGPT, too. ChatGPT’s Android app isn’t new itself, but the latest update to the app (v1.2025.070 beta) lets you replace Gemini with OpenAI’s chatbot. Launch ChatGPT however you want If you do this, you’ll be able to launch ChatGPT by whatever method you use now…

Maria Diaz/ZDNET Apple joined the RCS bandwagon last year, giving its users the ability to exchange rich text messages with their Android counterparts. The only problem? Those messages are not encrypted, exposing them to security risks. Now, Apple will soon eliminate that obstacle. Also: Google Fi users finally get RCS on iPhone – here’s how to check if it’s activated In a new announcement, Apple said it will add support for encrypted RCS messages in future…

ZDNET Oh, Siri, why have you forsaken me? Yes, I’ve become increasingly frustrated with Apple’s voice assistant. There are just too many times when Siri fails to respond properly to my request, misunderstands my question, admits defeat right off the bat, or gives me the wrong answer. My impatience has grown as Apple’s plans to enhance Siri have been postponed yet again. On the flip side, I’ve become fond of Google’s Gemini AI, which has proven…

“It will truly change what customers are able to do with AI,” Stowell said. IBM’s mainframe processors The next generation of processors is expected to continue a long history of generation-to-generation improvements, IBM stated in a new white paper on AI and the mainframe. “They are projected to clock in at 5.5 GHz. and include ten 36 MB level 2 caches. They’ll feature built-in low-latency data processing for accelerated I/O as well as a completely…

Constantine Johnny/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…