The everyday tech stories our desk judged worth your time, written so anyone can follow them.
Arizonans who welcomed a giant chip plant are now fighting new data centers, citing water, power and land as the Colorado River supply shrinks.
Read more: Arizona residents push back on data centers over water useSamsung and Pixel owners can hide status bar icons like Bluetooth and alarms for free, and a few minutes of setup makes the top of the screen look calmer.
Read more: How to hide the extra icons cluttering your Android phone's top barA WhatsApp test version lists the US, Canada, Germany, Italy and Australia in a new Payments section, though the company has not confirmed any expansion.
Read more: WhatsApp may be preparing to offer payments in more countriesApple's $2,000 foldable iPhone Duo wins praise for its size and screen, but weak app support and Touch ID are drawbacks, and orders are backed up into next year.
Read more: Apple's first foldable iPhone: a day of use shows big wins and real catchesA writer planned a nightly lineup on Netflix for one week, ended up watching more TV, and says the plan cured the endless scrolling.
Read more: A writer set a TV schedule on Netflix for a week and watched moreA reviewer worked a full day from a Pixel phone connected to a monitor. Android's Desktop Mode works as a backup PC, with some clear rough edges.
Read more: A reviewer ran a full workday from a Pixel phone plugged into a monitorA survey reportedly names a Google product as the top rival to the Fitbit Edge, which could matter if you are shopping for a fitness tracker.
Read more: Survey: Fitbit Edge's toughest rival may be another Google productGoogle says its new Gemini 4 Carbon beats rival AI models in coding and security tests, but the scores are Google's own and most people must wait.
Read more: Google's new Gemini 4 Carbon AI tops rivals in coding and security testsA How-To Geek review says Pixel cameras have barely changed in years while Oppo, Vivo, Samsung and Apple rebuild theirs. Here is what that means for your next phone.
Read more: Google Pixel cameras are improving slowly while rivals leap aheadJersey's financial regulator reports its busiest year yet for fraud, led by fake share payouts and bank impersonators who ask for your one-time passcode.
Read more: Fake bank calls and bogus share payouts are on the rise in JerseyOpenAI is testing a way to text its Dot personal agent by iMessage or RCS, but only ChatGPT Pro users in the U.S. can try it for now.
Read more: OpenAI lets you text its AI assistant from your phoneKimi K3.1 Pro, a Chinese AI model, fell from 4th to 9th when a major ranking added private questions. It shows why 'best model' claims need a second look.
Read more: A Chinese AI model fell from 4th to 9th after a tougher testXmind, a mind map maker, added an AI agent and says its platform now opens up to ChatGPT and Claude, which could speed up planning and brainstorming.
Read more: Xmind adds an AI helper that builds mind maps for youA factory IT manager picked an insulting password to taunt hackers, but an old, unpatched server still let a security tester take over the whole network.
Read more: An IT boss used an insulting password to taunt hackers, and it still got hackedA Tom's Guide reviewer who tested both says the Oura Ring 5 gives a deeper sleep picture than the Apple Watch, but it costs more over time.
Read more: Oura Ring 5 or Apple Watch: which one tracks sleep betterEasyjet has added a ChatGPT plug-in that shows live flight prices and status in a chat, though you still book on the airline's own website.
Read more: Easyjet now lets you search flights and holidays inside ChatGPTGemini, the AI helper in Google Sheets, is said to answer faster and show where its answers come from, so you can check numbers before acting.
Read more: Gemini in Google Sheets now shows its work, and runs fasterCoupler.io, a tool that gathers data from many apps into one report, now connects to ChatGPT Ads and StackAdapt, so ad results can sit side by side.
Read more: Coupler.io adds ChatGPT Ads and StackAdapt to its ad reporting toolAmazon's new Fire TV Stick 4K is fast, simple and often on sale, so it may be a cheap fix for a sluggish smart TV, but it has a few trade-offs.
Read more: Amazon's new $59.99 Fire TV Stick 4K can revive a slow smart TVApps like Google Messages, Truecaller and Norton Genie can warn you about scams, but a clean result does not mean a text, call or website is safe.
Read more: Scam check apps can flag red flags but can't prove who is contacting youCNET compared Apple's $129 AirPods 5 with the $249 AirPods Pro 3. The right pick comes down to fit, noise and whether you want health features.
Read more: Apple's $129 AirPods 5 vs. $249 AirPods Pro 3: Which to BuyStreaming services often give Black Friday deals only to new or returning customers, so canceling a service you barely use now could pay off later.
Read more: Cancel Your Streaming Services Now to Qualify for Black Friday DealsCornell will give students, faculty and staff free access to ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini, with privacy terms that differ from personal accounts.
Read more: Cornell will give students and staff free ChatGPT, Claude and GeminiLegal software maker Legora says it uses OpenAI models, ChatGPT and Codex to speed up contract work, which could mean faster turnaround for people who pay lawyers.
Read more: Legal software company Legora uses OpenAI tools to speed up lawyers' work
