Google Search’s New AI Overviews Will Soon Have Ads

Last week Google introduced a radical shake up of search that presents users with AI-generated answers to their queries. Now the company says it will soon start including ads inside those AI Overviews, as the automatic answers are called. Google on Tuesday announced plans to test search and shopping ads in the AI summaries, a…

Read More

Best Mineral Sunscreens of 2024

Many people prefer to use mineral sunscreens instead of chemical ones for safety and environmental reasons. In 2019 the FDA called on sunscreen manufacturers to provide more safety data on the chemical active ingredients. The agency said it was satisfied with the information it had on titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. The issue with the…

Read More

Quietest Dishwashers of 2024

Manufacturers report a model’s noise level in decibels, averaging the readings over the dishwasher’s full cycle. But that isn’t necessarily the best indicator of noise output. So CR’s panel of judges sit and listen to each dishwasher that we test through its entire cycle—even if it takes 3 hours. “People remember a noise when it’s…

Read More

Best and Worst Phone Plan Providers

In our most recent survey, 51,858 CR members shared their views on their providers’ offerings, including the value of the service they use, customer support, data service (cost, reliability, and speed), cellular reception, and consumer experience. Note that our methodology for scoring providers has changed a bit. The tweaks prevent a carrier from receiving an…

Read More

Trump’s Trade War Is Strengthening China’s Soft Power

Trump administration officials have promoted the tariffs as a way to boost US manufacturing and create more high-paying jobs. But American small business owners painted a very different picture of the situation on TikTok. In one video, the founder of a trendy hair accessories brand rolled her eyes and explained that the company’s products “literally…

Read More

Taylor Swift Fans Are Leaving X for Bluesky After Trump’s Election

Following the US presidential election, Swifties, the name for Taylor Swift’s fans, are fleeing X for Bluesky. X’s owner, billionaire Elon Musk, was one of Donald Trump’s biggest backers, funneling over $100 million into the Trump-supporting America PAC; stumping for the candidate on the campaign trail; and boosting Trump’s messaging on X. Musk also helped…

Read More

How to Clean Your Smartphone’s Charging Port and Speakers

If you’re dealing with audio issues, phone cases and screen covers can also cause problems, Samsung says. Carefully remove and clean them using soap and water, then make sure they’re thoroughly dry before putting them back on. [Note: Some screen protectors are applied with adhesive and can’t be reinstalled once removed.] This alone may resolve…

Read More

Is Watermelon Good for You?

Eat watermelon fresh off the rind, mix it into a cold tomato-watermelon gazpacho, or crush it into juice. You can freeze watermelon chunks or crushed watermelon to make ice cubes to use in drinks or smoothies, or partly freeze it to make a cool, refreshing, slushy treat. You can also spice it up with salt,…

Read More

Best Nanny Cams of 2024

Free video storage: Yes, on up to a 512-gigabyte microSD card (sold separately). Optional subscription costs: Through a Tapo Care Premium plan, you get 30 days of cloud video storage, starting at $3.49 per month (or $35 per year) for one camera and going up to $12 per month (or $120 per year) for 10 cameras. The TP-Link Tapo…

Read More