Amazon Fire tablets are primarily known for one thing: being cheap. Plenty of sacrifices have been made to hit the low price points, and performance is often where it's most noticeable. That's why the best way to repurpose one is to make it a unitasker.
Google is adding Gemini-powered autofill to Chrome using information from Gmail. Learn how it works, who can use it, and what privacy concerns to consider.
The post Google Unveils Gemini Suggested Autofill for Chrome: What Users Should Know appeared first on TechRepublic.
General Motors marketed its Smart Driver system as a way for parents to monitor teen drivers or for adults to track their driving behavior. But in 2024, it emerged that GM had been sharing that data with brokers. Those brokers then sold the data to insurance companies, and some drivers found that their insurance became more expensive as a result. To make matters worse, many of those drivers claimed they had no knowledge of ever agreeing to share such data for such purposes.
Last year, GM and its OnStar subsidiary entered into a settlement with the FTC, prohibiting them from sharing some kinds of driver data with third parties. The settlement was finalized this January. That agreement banned the two companies from sharing geolocation data or driver behavior data for five years. At the time, GM also discontinued Smart Driver across its entire range.
Now the automaker has reached terms with the District of Columbia and 35 states after their attorneys general joined together to sue GM as well.
© Buick
Nissan has a new version of its bestselling Rogue SUV, and it’s launching the model here with the latest version of its e-Power hybrid system, which Ars tested in February. Most hybrid cars you can buy today are parallel hybrids, which means that they have an internal combustion engine and an electric motor, both of which drive some or all of the wheels—everything works in parallel. But there’s another approach. Instead of connecting the engine to the wheels via a transmission, it can act as a generator and charge the traction battery, which in turn powers the electric motor. Since the engine and motor work in series, this is known as a series hybrid.
That’s mostly how the Chevrolet Volt worked. As does Honda’s hybrid CR-V. Well, mostly; engineers worked out it was more efficient for those cars' gasoline engines to directly drive the wheels at highway speeds, something that to this day makes a certain subset of hybrid car enthusiasts irrationally angry. If you know anyone like that in your life, send them to wherever the nearest Nissan dealership is, because the 2027 Rogue Hybrid is exactly what they’ve been asking for.
Under the hood, with its crisp shut line and slim horizontal lights that give me something of a Range Rover vibe, there’s a 1.5 L, three-cylinder turbocharged direct-injection engine that generates 148 hp (110 kW). It only revs to 5,200 rpm because it’s optimized to charge the battery, not cope with the various loads of an engine connected to a gearbox and the wheels. That also allows the engine to operate at a rather impressive 42 percent thermal efficiency—we would need to look at Formula 1 engines to find higher.
© Nissan
What do modern Android phones and the classic "Weebles" toys from the '70s have in common? They wobble. It's an epidemic of chunky, off-center camera bumps, and I'm trying to fix it. My first attempt was pretty good, but I'm back with a new and improved solution.
Discord messages from eligible public servers may appear in web search. Check rollout dates, privacy settings, and separate controls for AI summaries.
The post Discord Messages Are Coming to Web Search: Settings to Check appeared first on TechRepublic.
The Pentagon inspector general's office declined a request from US senators to investigate restrictions recently imposed on the Ukraine military's use of SpaceX's satellite network.
Ukraine, which uses SpaceX's Starlink service and the military version known as Starshield, said earlier this month that military drones lost satellite connectivity when traveling above 161 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour). The limit was removed after about 10 days.
Five Democratic and four Republican senators sent an October 15 letter to Department of Defense Inspector General Platte Moring, asking for a probe into the reported disruptions of Starlink and Starshield. The letter asked, among other things, "whether any restrictions on Starlink or Starshield services were directed, authorized, or implemented by SpaceX, the Department of Defense, or other US government entities; whether such restrictions were consistent with applicable US government contracts, and what actions, if any, the Department of Defense took in response."
© Getty Images | Bloomberg
Rather than directly converting photons into electricity, concentrated solar energy uses mirrors to turn sunlight into heat, which can then be used to drive traditional generating turbines. Up to about a decade ago, there was a case to be made that concentrated solar energy had a bright future, as improvements in heat storage had turned it into a way to generate power around the clock.
It wasn't to be. While concentrated solar costs fell enough to compete with nuclear power, the price of photovoltaics plunged, making solar panels the cheapest source of power in most locations. Currently, if you have a good site to generate solar power, then the economics of PV panels are hard to beat.
That has left us needing to build a mixture of other facilities—typically batteries and natural gas facilities—to handle overnight needs or weather-driven shortfalls. But a small company is promising that it can help avoid the need to build a separate facility. Its version of concentrated solar is designed so that a fossil-fueled backup system shares most of the generating hardware with the solar side.
© 247Solar
I've never been a big fan of physical keyboards on phones, but I decided to give one a try earlier this year. The experiment didn't last long. The phone has been collecting dust on my desk for months — until I turned it into a Game Boy.
Proton plans to reassess employees' AI skills in interviews that could affect their jobs, raising questions about AI adoption and workforce evaluations.
The post Proton to Re-Interview Employees on AI Skills as Jobs Hang in Balance appeared first on TechRepublic.
Amazon’s five new Alexa devices add cameras, sleep sensing, and smart-home features. Compare prices, Alexa+ requirements, compatibility, and privacy controls.
The post Amazon’s New Alexa Lineup: Five Devices, More Features, New Trade-Offs appeared first on TechRepublic.
Compare LibreOffice and ONLYOFFICE on file compatibility, collaboration, macros, and migration costs to find the right office suite for your business.
The post LibreOffice vs ONLYOFFICE: Which Suite Fits Your Business? appeared first on TechRepublic.
Meta’s Waddle World AI pet app brings journaling to the Philippines. Learn how it works, who can use it, and what its privacy disclosures reveal.
The post Meta Launches Waddle World: An AI Pet That Journals About Your Day appeared first on TechRepublic.
Samsung faces a 20.1 billion won (US$15.2 million) fine over undisclosed Galaxy gaming limits. Learn what the case means for device buyers and IT teams.
The post Samsung Faces $15.2M Fine Over Undisclosed Galaxy Gaming Limits appeared first on TechRepublic.
3D printing may not be the most expensive hobby, but it's certainly not cheap. The more you print, the more filament you need to buy — and there are different colors, finishes, and materials to consider. That's why some people are using plastic water bottles.
The Android status bar has been largely unchanged since the very beginning. Consistency is great, but so is adapting to modern needs. Some of the icons in the status bar have never been useful to me. Let's clean things up.
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