If you've ever struggled to get your smartphone unlocked, then you should appreciate the FCC's latest initiative. On Thursday, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel proposed that the agency require mobile carriers to unlock all phones within 60 days of activation. The goal would be to ease confusion among customers by applying the same unlocking rules across the board.

The FCC wants mobile carriers to unlock every smartphone within 60 days of activation

In a recent ZDNET article, my friend and colleague David Gewirtz explains why he considers the upcoming iPhone 16, with its focus on iOS 18 and Apple Intelligence, an essential upgrade. While I value David's perspective, I beg to differ. Also: 6 reasons why iOS 18 makes the iPhone 16...

I upgrade my iPhone every year, but iPhone 16 worries me - here's why

Contributors represent independent, third-party users who have joined our contributor program and self-verified their accounts. They have also demonstrated their experience writing hard news for other outlets. Contributors are expected, like all users, to adhere to our Community Standards.

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NewSantaAna

The FBI has seen a rise in scams targeting timeshare owners. In this kind of scam, criminals con these part-time property owners into shelling out hefty sums of cash, all under false pretenses related to their timeshare properties.

FBI warns that Mexican cartels are targeting Americans with timeshare scams

California State

Alameda Post

California regulators just stopped AT&T from pulling the plug. California’s Public Utilities Commission on June 20 rejected AT&T’s application to stop providing landlines and other services in areas where there is no other option.

Still Need Your Landline?

We finally know the dates of Amazon Prime Day 2024: This week, the tech giant announced that the 10th anniversary of its popular sale will take place Tuesday, July 16 and Wednesday, July 17 -- a week later than in recent years. Prime Day is Amazon's biggest sale event of...

Amazon Prime Day 2024 is back July 16-17. Here's what to know (plus some early deals)

YouTube Premium has received five new features you'll want to know about. In a blog post published Thursday, YouTube described two features currently available just for Android users and three experimental ones -- two for Android and one for the YouTube website. First on the list is Jump Ahead, an...

YouTube Premium subscribers can now play with five new features - here's how to try them

A Sam's Club membership will get you discounts on groceries, clothing, electronics, and just about everything else you might need. And right now, StackSocial is offering a deal that will get you a Sam's Club membership for $20 for the year with auto-renew -- down from the usual price of $50.

Join Sam's Club for $20 right now - the lowest price we've seen

Whether you're considering buying a new TV or your old flat panel does just fine, there are some easy ways to optimize your viewing experience, and it all begins with your television's settings. Let's explore some of the key factors determining how your TV performs and what you can do to make it look even better.

I changed these 5 TV settings to instantly improve the picture quality (and how they work)

Slather on that SPF, slip into that bathing suit, and pack your beverage of choice in that insulated Yeti of yours. We're going to the beach!. While I'd argue that the beach is best when you leave your tech behind, or, as Lorde did, throw your cellular device in the water, there are a few gadgets you can pack along to elevate the relaxing experience. As you head to the beach for the Fourth of July to soak up some sun and relax, I encourage you to bring along a few of my favorite gadgets.

I never go to the beach without these 4 gadgets

You're watching your favorite crime or political drama on television and someone is viewing a document, only to see that much of it is blacked out. That's called redaction -- it's often used to protect sensitive information that shouldn't be viewed by just anyone. Governments and policing agencies aren't the...

How to redact PDFs in Google Docs - for free

If you're a Google Sheets user, you might notice a serious speed upgrade the next time you fire up your spreadsheets. Google announced several improvements to its browser-based spreadsheet editor, among them the doubling of calculation speed. No matter how big the file is, Google says, and no matter what you're doing, you should notice an improvement. Of course, the change might not be too noticeable on a formula that appears to process instantly, and should be more evident on larger, more complex ones.

Google Sheets just got a lot faster, but there's a small catch. Here's what you need to know

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Total Apex Sports & Entertainment

Do you know anyone who has dual nature? Such two-faced zodiac signs are friendly but they gossip about others behind their backs. They can lie to you without batting an eyelid. However, detecting a two-faced person isn’t easy for everyone. They often compliment their friends when they achieve a goal or change their wardrobe. But they will make negative remarks about you to someone else. What other traits do two-faced people have?

3 Zodiac Signs Who Are Two-Faced

Missouri State

Writers represent independent, third-party users who have joined our contributor program and self-verified their accounts. Writers are expected, like all users, to adhere to our Community Standards.

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CJ Coombs

The first time my family walked into a Ponderosa Steakhouse was in the late 1960s. It was new and the experience was great. Like other new restaurants, if the management doesn't stay on top, the quality of service can decline. The location we went to did change through the years, but in the beginning, it was great.

The 1960s: the Ponderosa and Bonanza Steakhouses are still around in some states

IPhone users clamoring for a way to send rich text messages to their Android counterparts can now finally do so, at least with the right beta version and carrier. With the launch of the second developer beta for iOS 18 on Monday, the long-awaited RCS messaging option is now a reality.

iOS 18 beta now lets you send RCS messages to Android users

The Blackview BL9000 Pro is regularly priced at $800, but right now it's $640 on Amazon with a coupon. It's a rugged, feature-rich phone that's ready for anything you can throw at it, and has a very long battery life. Its thick, chunky form factor definitely isn't for everyone. I've...

The best rugged Android phone I've tested also has thermal-vision superpowers

Welcome to ZDNET's Innovation Index, which identifies the most innovative developments in tech from the past week and ranks the top four, based on votes from our panel of editors and experts. Our mission is to help you identify the trends that will have the biggest impact on the future.

Qualcomm's AI dreams and Microsoft's built-to-last laptops lead the Innovation Index

Chicago Happenings

What is more summery than an icy, sweet frozen drink? If the heat wave is getting to you, try whipping up this simple frozen strawberry lemonade. All you need is your choice of lemonade and some frozen strawberries. You can use store-bought lemonade, make your own from scratch, or a powdered version. As for strawberries, frozen ones are the easiest choice. If you'd rather use fresh, add at least two cups of ice until you reach a nice, frozen consistency.

2-Ingredient Frozen Strawberry Lemonade: Beat the Heat!

When you set up a new PC in a home or small office, the Windows Setup program encourages you to use a Microsoft account. For most people, that's the right choice, although you still have the option to sign in with a local account if you prefer. If your PC...

How to sign in to Windows 11 with your Microsoft 365 Business account (and why you should)

Solos' newest smart glasses have eyes of their own. The company has announced AirGo Vision, the first smart glasses with GPT-4o and generative artificial intelligence (AI) that can analyze visual input. So, why do glasses need ChatGPT? Instead of using a service like Google Lens on your phone to search...

Solos unveils AirGo Vision, the world's first smart glasses with GPT-4o

The Mojawa Run Plus are a $159 pair of bone-conduction headphones that I found superior to Shokz. They're much more comfortable to wear during runs, and controlling audio playback is much easier. You'll have to be a fan of the form factor -- and understand that these won't completely block...

I replaced my Shokz with these bone conduction headphones for one vital reason

NewsBreak

This futuristic power generator kept my home running during an outage. Here's how

The EcoFlow Delta Pro 3 battery generator is available now for $3,199. The Delta Pro 3 provides 4 kW of power output with a 4 kWh...

This futuristic power generator kept my home running during an outage. Here's how

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