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I’ve spent over a week on quiet dives in deep waters, staring at squid, whales and giant prehistoric beasts. However, I did it all on a less-than-immersive 7-inch Nintendo Switch screen while wishing it was in high-res VR goggles.

Nintendo has flirted with VR before: Labo VR was a simple Google Cardboard-like toy kit for the Switch that even had its own Ocean Camera game where I could snap undersea photos of marine life. That experience stuck in my head when I got into Endless Ocean Luminous, a new $50 Switch game that’s all about discovering sea life in endlessly generated ocean environments.

I also thought about New Pokemon Snap, a Switch game I fell in love with far more than I expected to. It’s like a Pokemon photo safari on rails. Each environment moves along at a set pace, like a theme park ride, while you aim your Switch like a camera to take photos of hidden creatures.

Endless Ocean is a free-roaming experience, controlling a diver that can stay underwater forever and explore coral reefs, ruins and deep ocean trenches extending far into dark places. The murkiness and mystery, especially when my suit’s lamp casts beams in the dark, is evocative. (The deep fascinates and scares me, even virtually.)

I love prehistoric sea life, too, and this Nintendo game conjures dozens of ancient creatures as part of the mix to discover, for reasons that are still unclear to me. Ammonites, plesiosaurs, giant armored fish — they’re all really cool to experience, although the game’s goals are pretty simple: scan for new life and keep exploring for little hidden treasures.

There’s a storyline, sort of, about this mysterious ocean and light that your scuba diver collects. I don’t understand what it means, but I’m playing this game to have my own mini deep-sea aquarium experience. Luminous is great at this; don’t expect more than this, and you’ll be happy.

Luminous even has some multiplayer support, allowing up to 30 players to join a dive together at once in a randomly generated ocean map. In the group dive, you can find treasure or uncover mystery creatures that are part of a larger scavenger hunt story challenge.

All of this, to me, screams “VR.” It would require a headset, though. It’s not impossible that Nintendo’s expected next-gen Switch 2 could support such a thing: There are already glasses-like displays that connect via USB-C made by companies including XReal, and a more powerful Nvidia processor in a new Switch could power some VR gaming pretty easily.

Again, Nintendo’s already dabbled in VR with Labo, although that 2019 kit was more experimental toy than fully immersive headset. The Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons are even surprisingly capable mini VR controllers; some people already connect them to Apple’s Vision Pro for VR games.

Endless Ocean Luminous doesn’t use motion controls in the sorts of interesting ways I’d hoped, and its third-person dive perspective isn’t the type of immersion I’d want for VR. However, this might be the best thing until then if you’ve ever hoped for a free-roaming type of meandering ocean experience to relax and see some sea life from anywhere.

The game’s mapping out of big territories reminded me of wandering through parts of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, minus the deeper gameplay and storyline. True to its name, there doesn’t seem to be an end to the ocean maps in Endless Ocean, but the 500-plus types of sea life seem to get exhausted faster than I’d like. If you want a portable aquarium for your Switch, though, this is your chance.

There’s a lot to hate about passwords. Good ones can be hard to remember. They’re often a pain to reset. And even when we do everything right, they can still be cracked by cybercriminals.

The use of passwords dates back to antiquity, but cybersecurity experts have long pushed for their elimination. In the days of ancient Rome, that might have been an impossible task, but with the help of modern technology, they say, humanity has the potential to move beyond passwords and into a world of easier, more secure authentication methods.

That may be more easily said than done, but what better occasion to push for the elimination of the password than World Password Day, which falls on May 2. It’s a totally made-up celebration created by Intel back in 2013. Traditionally, it’s intended as a reminder to take a close look at your logins and make sure they check the required security boxes.

Passwords have long endured because, on the surface, they seem simple and everyone online today knows how to use them. On top of that, there just hasn’t been a scalable alternative to them.

But that’s changing. Both businesses and consumers now usually have the option of logging into their devices with biometric indicators, physical keys, authentication apps and now passkeys.

Passkeys, which replace passwords with cryptographic keys, are built on protocols and standards created by the FIDO Alliance. Apple rolled them out as part of iOS 16 in 2022, and Google introduced support for them on all major platforms last year. Proponents say passkeys offer a better user experience than passwords, while eliminating the risks of weak, reused and compromised passwords, not to mention phishing attacks.

Most importantly, passkeys take on the security burden that was previously shouldered by users, said Anna Pobletts, head of “Passwordless” operations for 1Password, a leading password-manager provider that supports passkeys.

With traditional passwords, it’s usually on the user to create them and remember them, she said. Conversely, with passkeys, those requirements are directly built into the technology.

“There’s no burden on the user to say, ‘Did I make a good passkey? Did I make the right one? Did I use it in the right place?’ It all just happens automatically,” Pobletts said.

And while cybercriminals will undoubtedly try to target passkeys with attacks, just as they have with passwords, they won’t be able to do it on the same massive scale, she said.

In a Thursday blog post, Google said improving authentication technology continues to be a key part of its efforts to boost overall security, adding that passkeys have so far been used to authenticate users more than one billion times over 400 million Google accounts.

“This work is more important than ever amid a global election year, growing cyber threats and the rise of technology like AI,” Google said in its blog post.

The tech giant also said that it has launched broad support for passkeys in Chrome and Android in order to help developers bake the technology into their apps. Companies including Amazon, Dashlane, Docusign, Kayak, Mercari and Shopify have all added support for passkeys over the past 12 months, Google said.

But that’s not yet true for every app or website, so passkeys aren’t the answer to all of your password woes, at least not yet. In the meantime, password managers can help by remembering long strings of characters for you, while keeping them safe.

And a little effort can go a long way toward making your passwords great ones and keeping your data safe. Here are some tips for doing just that.

Tips for good passwords

Longer is better. At least 16 characters is best. At that point, you don’t have to worry so much about password-cracking software. Random sequences of characters are best, but passphrases, such as a combination of three unrelated words, will be OK in most circumstances. Throwing in a special character, such as symbols or punctuation marks, in the middle won’t hurt.

Remember: If you use a passphrase, make sure the words only have meaning to you and don’t signify anything important. “Red Sox Rule” might be a great way to show your loyalty to the team, but it isn’t a terribly secure passphrase. Don’t use your birthday or another significant personal date because cybercriminals can find them easily. Song titles and famous quotations are also bad ideas. Avoid cliche substitutions, such as using @ for “at” or “a,” and $ for the “s.”

Resist the temptation to recycle. Even the best passwords can be stolen and compromised. So limit the fallout by making sure you set unique passwords for all of your accounts. Sure, that could be a lot to handle since we’re recommending 16-character or longer pass phrases.

As mentioned before, if you need help, sign up for a password manager. Both free and paid options are available. Many internet browsers can also help you out with this task, though they don’t always work across your various devices.

Change can be good. Most experts now say that you don’t actually need to change your passwords on a regular basis. But they all agree that you should change them right away at any hint of compromise.

Keep your details off social media. The more personal details you post, the more cybercriminals know about you. Those little, seemingly unimportant, bits of data could be used to crack your passwords.

While you’re at it, stay away from quizzes you see posted on Facebook that ask a series of seemingly harmless questions in order to tell you what city you should live in or what your ideal vacation spot would be. Sure, they’re fun, but they might be collecting personal information that could be used to crack your passwords down the road.

Always, always use 2FA. If your password does get compromised, a second layer of protection will go a long way toward protecting you. Two-factor authentication, also called multi-factor authentication, is being used by a growing number of sites and requires someone trying to access your account to also enter a second form of ID.

It could be a code generated by an app, a biometric like a fingerprint or facial scan, or a physical security key that you insert into your device. Yes, that will slow you down as you access the account. But it’s worth it to keep your account safe. If 2FA is available, use it.

One word of warning: If you can, avoid 2FA systems that text a code to your smartphone. SIM swapping, a scam in which a cybercriminal takes over your phone number, is on the rise. If a criminal takes over your phone number, they’ll get your 2FA text message, too.

As I’ve been using the Rabbit R1 over the past week, I’ve gotten the same questions multiple times: What is that thing, and what does it do? And each time, I struggled to find a concise answer.

That’s because the Rabbit R1 isn’t your typical tech product. It’s not a phone, but it’s meant to accomplish some of the same things as your phone — only faster and more naturally. It’s still far from living up to that promise, which you can read more about in my review. The device is expected to evolve and improve over time, but I don’t recommend buying one right now.

The Rabbit R1 doesn’t run on a conventional operating system with apps. Instead, the software is powered by AI that’s been trained to use apps and services on your behalf. Rabbit founder and CEO Jesse Lyu likens it to handing your phone to a friend to order takeout for you.

Here’s a breakdown of what to know about the Rabbit R1.

Read more: Apple’s AI Plans for the iPhone: What to Expect From iOS 18 and More

How much does the Rabbit R1 cost?

The Rabbit R1 costs $199 and doesn’t require a subscription. But you’ll also need a data plan for the Rabbit R1 if you want to use it on the go, unless you tether it to your phone’s mobile hotspot. Some of the services you’ll likely want to connect to the R1, like Spotify and Midjourney, require a subscription.

What comes in the box?

Other than the device itself, you’ll get a clear protective travel case that can double as a kickstand for the Rabbit R1. It kind of resembles a cassette tape case, which is fitting given the Rabbit R1’s retro design. The device doesn’t come with a charging cable, but you can use any USB-C cable to power it up.

What can the Rabbit R1 do?

Right now, the Rabbit R1 can answer questions, call an Uber, order DoorDash, play music on Spotify, translate speech, generate images on Midjourney, identify nearby objects with its camera and record voice memos. Your phone can already do these things, but Rabbit is positioning the R1 as a way to accomplish these tasks faster and more efficiently. (Although again, I haven’t found that to be true in my experience so far).

Instead of opening an app and swiping to make your selections, you primarily interact with the Rabbit R1 by holding down the side button and speaking into it like a walkie-talkie. But there’s also a scroll wheel for those few instances in which you may need to navigate a menu on screen, such as your Spotify queue, settings options or making food selections on DoorDash. You access the settings menu by shaking the R1 twice.

So far, I’ve found the R1 to be most useful for scanning objects and points of interest in my environment and asking questions. However, it sometimes had trouble recognizing certain landmarks, like the New York Stock Exchange. I also couldn’t get Uber to work properly, but the company just issued an update that may help with this.

Rabbit is also planning to update the R1 with more features over time. During the company’s launch keynote on April 23, founder and CEO Jesse Lyu said features like travel planning, reminders, calendar and contact support and more are planned for summer 2024. Smart home functionality, shopping features and teach mode, which lets you teach the R1 how to accomplish a specific task within an app or service, are also in development. The company also plans to add video messaging, third-party payments and navigation to the Rabbit R1.

Which third-party services does the Rabbit R1 support?

According to Rabbit’s online portal, known as the Rabbithole, the R1 currently supports Uber, Spotify, Midjourney and Doordash. When setting up your R1, you can connect your accounts for these services to the device.

Support for Amazon Music and Apple Music is in development, and Yelp functionality should be coming in summer 2024, according to the company’s keynote. The company also plans to add support for Airbnb, Lyft, 1Password, OpenTable, Ticketmaster and Uber Eats.

Does that mean Rabbit knows my logins and passwords?

The company says it doesn’t store login credentials for connected apps and services, and instead uses the service’s own authentication systems for linking your accounts. So if you connect your Uber account to the Rabbithole, for example, it’ll use Uber’s authentication system, Rabbit says. When I went through the setup process, linking my accounts to the Rabbithole sort of felt like logging into Uber or Doordash through a web browser.

Can you use the Rabbit R1 as a phone?

The Rabbit R1 technically isn’t a phone, but you can put a SIM card in it. However, there isn’t any support for calling or texting at this time.

How can I see the questions I’ve asked Rabbit?

The journal section of the Rabbithole web portal shows any visual searches you’ve conducted using the R1’s camera and voice memos you’ve recorded. You can delete these from the website at any time.

But the Rabbithole doesn’t currently store voice queries, and there isn’t a way to save answers for later reference. A Rabbit spokesperson said the company plans to add this functionality through an update in the near future.

What’s the Rabbit R1’s battery life like?

The Rabbit R1 initially had very poor battery life that barely made it through half the day. It would even drain passively when not in use. But the company issued an update on April 30 to address this. Battery life seems to have significantly improved, with the R1’s battery remaining at 83% by 5:34 p.m. on a very light day of use.

Wait, I thought I saw something about the Rabbit R1 just being an Android app?

The answer is a little complicated. Android Authority says it installed the Rabbit R1’s launcher Android Package (APK) file, which is the file that includes all the resources and elements an Android app needs in order to be properly installed on a device, on a Google Pixel 6A. The outlet posted a video of what appears to be the Rabbit OS operating system running on a phone and answering a question, with the volume up key serving as the push-to-talk button on the R1.

But the report also mentioned that other functionality, such as Spotify integration, likely wouldn’t work since it requires specific system-level permissions that weren’t able to be granted on a phone.

In response, Rabbit Inc. said on X that it’s “aware that there are some unofficial Rabbit OS app/website emulators out there.” It also said the service wouldn’t work properly using a “local bootleg APK” since it wouldn’t be able to access the “proper OS and cloud endpoints,” adding that “Rabbit OS is customized for R1 and we do not support third-party clients.”

You can read Rabbit’s full response below:

we are aware there are some unofficial rabbit OS app/website emulators out there. we understand the passion that people have to get a taste of our AI and LAM instead of waiting for their r1 to arrive. that being said, to clear any misunderstanding and set the record straight,…

— rabbit inc. (@rabbit_hmi) May 1, 2024

We’ll update this story with more information about the R1 as the device receives more updates in the future.

Editors’ note: CNET used an AI engine to help create several dozen stories, which are labeled accordingly. The note you’re reading is attached to articles that deal substantively with the topic of AI but are created entirely by our expert editors and writers. For more, see our AI policy.

Huawei quietly launched its flagship Pura smartphone lineup in April, of which the Pura 70 Ultra is the crown jewel. The 70 Ultra’s most salient feature is a 50-megapixel camera with a lens that extends from and retracts into the phone’s rear, like a high end compact point-and-shoot camera. It’s accompanied by three more cameras: a 3.5x telephoto, an ultrawide and a front-facing ultrawide camera.

Pre-orders for the Pura 70 Ultra pre-orders, as well as the broader lineup, start today (May 2) with regular sales starting from May 22. The Pura 70 Ultra costs 1499 euros (converts to roughly $1,606) for the model with 16GB RAM and 256GB storage. In China, the Pura 70 Ultra starts at 9999 yuan, which converts approximately to $1,380.

I spent a few days testing out the Pura 70 Ultra and had way too much fun with its exceptional camera system. Beyond its versatile camera system, the Pura 70 Ultra packs all the trappings of a smartphone in 2024. It has a large and long-lasting battery complete with super-fast wired and wireless charging, an uber-bright display, a standout design, and is durable despite the presence of a retractable camera. For instance, the Pura 70 Ultra has an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance and uses a second-gen Kunlun glass screen, which Huawei says uses an innovative diamond carbon material that is tough and ultra-scratch resistant.

However, the Pura 70 Ultra — like every single Huawei phone launched in recent years — lacks Google Mobile Services as a result of US sanctions. Effectively this means apps like Gmail, Google Maps, YouTube and the Google Play Store are not available on the phone, although savvy users can find some workarounds. These same sanctions are also the reason Huawei now uses a China-made chipset to power the Pura 70 Ultra. Huawei declined to name the chipset, but a third-party teardown conducted by research firm TechInsights revealed a Kirin 9010 chipset is under the hood of the Pura 70 Ultra.

For context, Huawei’s former P series, which is now known as Pura, played a significant role in shaping smartphone features. The Huawei P20 Pro, released in 2018, was one of the first smartphones to introduce a dedicated night mode for photography. This feature allowed users to capture better low-light photos by taking a series of images, extending exposure times and combining them together into a single photo that reduces image noise and boosts the brightness. Since then, night mode has become a standard feature in nearly every smartphone, enhancing nighttime and low-light photography in a big way.

Pura 70 Ultra’s pop-up camera

As mentioned earlier, the highlight of the Pura 70 Ultra is its main camera with a retractable lens, which pops out when you open the camera app. When the lens extends, it makes a satisfying sound, at least to me, that invokes the nostalgia of DSLR on compact point-and-shoot. However, it was difficult for me to hear that subtle mechanical hum unless I placed my ear next to the phone. It’s also worth noting that the circular housing around it has a red ring in homage to Canon DSLR cameras. According to Huawei, the camera and lens is made of more than 100 pieces which Huawei has over 25 patents for.

Initially, I was concerned about the device’s durability, but Huawei said not to worry as the pop-up was tested and rated for 300,000 retraction cycles, which amounts to about 150 per day for five years. The camera also retracts if you drop the phone – a protective feature that I tested out by dropping the phone on a sofa.

Pop-up cameras are by no means new to smartphones, however the Pura 70 Ultra is probably the most elegant implementation that I’ve seen. Fellow Chinese company Phantom debuted the Phantom X2 Pro that had the first pop-up portrait camera. When using the X2 Pro you can see and hear the portrait lens pop out of the back. Oppo and Vivo have also launched pop-out cameras of their own, although those sat on top of the phone and were designed for taking selfies.

Pura 70 ultra cameras

The 50-megapixel main camera manages to cram a 1-inch type sensor and a wide aperture of of f/1.6 to f/4.0 into a device within a width of 8.4mm. The large sensor combined with the wide aperture gathers more light which lets the Pura 70 Ultra take good photos even in dim environments. By comparison, the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s main camera has an f/1.7 aperture, while the Xiaomi 14 Ultra’s main camera has a variable aperture that ranges from f/1.63 to f/4.0.

In my experience, the Pura 70 Ultra took fabulous pictures whether in bright daylight or at night, even in challenging lighting environments. I took a wide variety of shots thanks to the wonderful and versatile Pura 70 Ultra’s camera system. Here are photos from the 70 Ultra.

However, out of all the things I could do with the camera, I had the most fun using the 3.5x telephoto camera. I could take pin-sharp pictures using 3.5x optical zoom or even capture objects in the distance with 100x digital zoom, but super macro mode was one of my favorite ways to use the camera. I could also zoom into everyday objects such as fruits of a pair of jeans to take in details I’ve never seen before.

Although it’s not as hyper-detailed as the cameras on the Oppo Find X3 Pro (which delves into microscopic territory), I was truly impressed by what I could capture. I could envision how it opens up creative possibilities. Some of the details captured by the camera were difficult or even impossible to see with my naked eye. After a day or so of using super macro mode, I would see an object, say a piece of fruit, and wonder what it would look like zoomed in 10x.

For instance, here’s a picture of the jeans I was wearing, taken indoors in a rather dim environment.

Now here’s a zoomed in image of that same pair of jeans using super macro mode.

Now here’s a scarf lying on a table.

And once again, here’s the weave behind the make the scarf a wearable garment. Shocking, right? It was tricky to take a clear photo when I was on 10x zoom since I had to keep my hand still in order to take a clear photo with 10x zoom.

Here’s a picture of my dog Rocky. He’s on of my favorite subjects. I can tell how good a phone is at capturing a color accurate image when I take pictures of Rocky due to the various shades of golden brown on his coat. The picture below is an impressively accurate representation of what his coat looked like in person with that lighting.

Again, I couldn’t resist using the telephoto camera as well as super macro mode to capture Rocky’s coat. Thankfully, I didn’t see any ticks.

Pura 70 Ultra Battery

The Pura 70 Ultra comes with a 5,200 mAh battery. In my limited time, I found the battery lasted me a full day and still had charge leftover. However, since the phone didn’t have most of the apps I’m accustomed to using daily, like Instagram or Google Calendar, it’s fair to say that I used the X70 Ultra lightly.

I used it to take pictures, read emails, make calls and watch streaming videos. When the phone was completely dead, I replenished it with the 100W power adapter provided inside the box. Within 15 minutes, the battery went from empty to 40% and within 30 minutes it hit 70%. For comparison the Galaxy S24 Ultra which has 45W wired charging added 45% in 30 minutes. In addition to that, the phone supports 80W wireless charging as well as 20W reverse wireless charging, which means the Pura 70 Ultra can charge other devices, like a pair of earbuds for example.

Read More: Google’s Pixel 8 Blurs the Line Between Reality and Fantasy

Pura 70 Ultra’s (not so) mysterious processor

Huawei was tight-lipped about the processor powering its fanciest new flagship phone. However a teardown of the device conducted by research firm TechInsights reveals its runs on the Kirin 9010 chipset made by China’s SMIC, likely using the cutting-edge 7-nanometer process. For reference the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip found in phones like the Galaxy S24 Ultra and OnePlus 12 has a 4-nanometer process.

Since the usual benchmark apps, Geekbench 6 and 3D Mark, were not available on the Huawei App Gallery for performance testing, I used the Antutu Benchmark app to start a 45-minute stress test, however the device’s temperature rose over 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit). The app automatically stopped the test saying the temperature passed the safety threshold of 45 degrees celsius.

I also leaned on my day-to-day experience for judging the overall performance. The camera app launches quickly, multi-tasking was smooth, graphic-intensive gameplay also went on without a hitch, and I could easily switch websites between landscape and portrait mode without any lag.

Pura 70 Ultra AI features

Although Huawei didn’t mention AI all that much during the media briefing, the Pura 70 Ultra has a bevy of AI features sprinkled throughout the user experience. One of the most noticeable features was Snapshot and Ultra Snapshot, which apparently can take crisp images even if the object is moving at a few hundred miles per hour – like F1 race car fast. According to Huawei, Snapshot fuses together the camera’s hardware capabilities with proprietary AI software algorithms. The phone captures and combines the same image taken with long and short exposures, and then goes on to fine-tune it to create a sharp image. I haven’t tried it yet, but look forward to testing it for my full review.

The Pura 70 Ultra also has a basic photo editing tool that can remove unwanted objects from a photo in a matter of seconds. However the space leftover was blurry and appears to have been tampered with. Unlike Google’s Magic Editor, the phone couldn’t generate a background to fill that empty space with realistic-looking content. Speaking of AI, I was surprised to see Microsoft’s Bing available as a pre-loaded app, which means users get access to GPT-4, Open AI’s most advanced large language model.

Read More: Google’s Pixel 8 Blurs the Line Between Reality and Fantasy

Overall thoughts

The Pura 70 Ultra is a boundary-pushing Android phone with an exceptionally versatile and high-quality camera system. Apart from the wonderful pictures, the Pura 70 Ultra has a lot else going for it from a fashion-forward design, sharp display, long-lasting battery, and even a smooth overall user experience with the the Kirin 9010, a China-made chipset. However, even though Huawei has made strides in bringing more apps to the Huawei App Gallery, it’s still missing many of the apps that I would use on a daily basis as a result of US sanctions. It’s a big factor to overlook for a phone that retails at 1499 euros. To me, that’s the crucial missing piece in an otherwise excellent phone.

Pura 70 Ultra vs. Xiaomi 14 Ultra vs Galaxy S24 Ultra

	Huawei Pura 70 Ultra	Xiaomi 14 Ultra	Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
Display size, tech, resolution, refresh rate	6.8-inch AMOLED, 2,844 × 1,260 pixels 1-120Hz adaptive	6.73-inch AMOLED; 3,200 x 1,440 pixels, 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate	6.8-inch AMOLED; 3,120×1,440 pixels; 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate
Pixel density	N/A	522 ppi	501 ppi
Dimensions (inches)	N/A	6.35 x 2.96 x 0.36 in	6.40 x 3.11 x 0.34 in.
Dimensions (millimeters)	N/A	161.4 x 75.3 x 9.2mm	163 x 79 x 8.6 mm
Weight (grams, ounces)	226g (7.97)	220g (7.8 oz.)	233 g (8.22 oz.)
Mobile software	EMUI 14.2	Android 14	Android 14
Camera	50-megapixel (wide/main), 40-megapixel (ultra-wide), 50-megapixel (telephoto)	50-megapixel (wide), 50-megapixel (ultrawide), 50-megapixel (3.2x telephoto), 50-megapixel (5x telephoto)	200-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 10-megapixel (3x telephoto), 50-megapixel (5x telephoto)
Front-facing camera	13-megapixel (ultra-wide)	32-megapixel	12-megapixel
Video capture	8K	8K	8K
Processor	Kirin 9010	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
RAM/storage	16GB RAM + 256GB	16GB + 512GB	12GB RAM + 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
Expandable storage	None	None	None
Battery	5,200 mAh	5,000 mAh	5,000 mAh
Fingerprint sensor	Under display	Under display	Under display
Connector	USB-C	USB-C	USB-C
Headphone jack	None	None	None
Special features	IP68 rating, satellite connectivity, 2,500 nits peak brightness, Crystal Armor Kunlun Glass, 100W wired charging, 80W wireless charging, 20W reverse wireless charging, 3.5x optical zoom, 100x digital zoom	IP68 rating, 3,000 nits peak brightness, Xiaomi Shield Glass Front, 4 Generations of Android support, 90W wired charging, 80W wireless charging, Wi-Fi 7, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10, HLG, 16-bit Ultra Raw photos,	Titanium frame, 2,600-nit peak brightness; 7 years of OS and security updates; 5G (mmWave); IP68 water and dust resistance; wireless PowerShare to charge other devices; integrated S Pen; UWB for finding other devices; 45W wired charging (charger not included); Galaxy AI; Wi-Fi 7; Gorilla Glass Armor cover glass
Price	1499 euros (converts to roughly $1,606)	Converts to $1,646 (512GB); 1,299 (512GB)	$1,300 (256GB)

Editors’ note: CNET used an AI engine to help create several dozen stories, which are labeled accordingly. The note you’re reading is attached to articles that deal substantively with the topic of AI but are created entirely by our expert editors and writers. For more, see our AI policy.

When it comes to science fiction TV shows, Prime Video has stepped ahead of the pack over the past decade, delivering an array of thought-provoking programming to the masses. Where else can you find unique programs inspired by the works of genre icon Philip K. Dick, cyberpunk creator William Gibson, comic book legend Garth Ennis and retro-futuristic artist Simon Stålenhag?

Whether you’re looking for superhero satire, time travel Western, political space saga or a Black Mirror-style anthology series, the streamer has something for every type of science fiction fan. Here are the best sci-fi shows to watch on Prime Video right now.

Read more: Prime Video: The 32 Absolute Best TV Shows to Watch

Need the answer for the May 2 New York Times Connections puzzle? To me, Wordle is more of a vocabulary test, but Connections is more of a brain tester. You’re given 16 words and asked to put them into four groups that are somehow connected. Sometimes they’re obvious, but the game editor knows how to trick you by using words that can fit in more than one group.

How to play Connections?

Playing is easy, winning is hard. Look at the 16 words and mentally assign them to related groups of four. Click on the four words you think go together. The groups are coded by color, though you don’t know what goes where until you see the answers. The yellow group is the easiest, then green, then blue, and purple is the toughest. Look at the words carefully, and think about related terms. Sometimes the connection has to do with just a part of the word. Once, four words were grouped because each started with the name of a rock band – including “Rushmore” and “Journeyman.”

Read more: NYT Connections Could Be the New Wordle: Our Hints and Tips

Hint for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the toughest (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Outstanding in one’s field.

Green group hint: Common car repair.

Blue group hint: Going to the movies.

Purple group hint: How you might sort your records.

Read more: Wordle Player Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in the English Language

Answer for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Highly skilled

Green group: Used to fix a flat

Blue group: Joaquin Phoenix movies

Purple group: Words starting with music genres

Read more: LinkedIn Boards the Wordle Train and Launches Three New Online Games

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is highly skilled. The four words are ace, crackerjack, expert and hotshot.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is used to fix a flat. The four words are chock, jack, tire and wrench.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is Joaquin Phoenix movies. The four words are Gladiator, Her, Joker and Signs.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is words starting with music genres. The four words are popcorn, rapture, rocketry and soulmate.

Today’s Wordle answer isn’t too tricky. It features common letters and is a well-known word. But if you need a hint, read on. We’ve ranked all the letters in the alphabet by popularity if you want to use this list to decide on your best Wordle start words.

Every day, we’ll post hints and then the answer for the current day’s Wordle, just in case you need it.

Today’s Wordle hints for May 2

Warning: If you keep reading, you’ll see the Wordle answer for Thursday, May 2, puzzle No. 1048. That could be a devastating spoiler for some players. But if you just need the answer — maybe you’re on your last guess and just don’t want to see an 800-game streak go poof — keep reading.

Wordle hint No. 1: No repeats

There are no repeated letters in today’s Wordle.

Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels

Today’s Wordle answer features two vowels.

Wordle hint No. 3: End letter

Today’s Wordle answer ends with a very common vowel. (Check our ranking of all the letters in the alphabet if you need to know which vowels are most common.)

Wordle hint No. 4: Starting letter

Today’s Wordle answer starts with S.

Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning

Today’s Wordle answer is often associated with a portion of food, especially cake, pie or bread.

TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER FOR MAY 2

Here comes the spoiler: Today’s Wordle answer is SLICE, as in a piece of cake. Was today’s puzzle a piece of cake to guess?

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s answer, #1047, May 1, was DIARY

Past Wordle answers

April 27, No. 1043: GLEAM

April 28, No. 1044: PRUNE

April 29, No. 1045: CRAFT

April 30, No. 1046: PROWL

Everyday Wordle tips

I’ve written a lot about Wordle — from covering its 1,000th word to my list of the best starter words to a helpful two-step strategy to news about controversial word changes. I’ve even rounded up what I learned playing the hit online word puzzle for a full year. So if you’re rethinking your need for the actual answer, you might try tips from one of those stories.

Still need a starter word? One person told me they just look around and choose a five-letter object that they’ve spotted to use as their starter word — such as COUCH or CHAIR. I tend to stick to starter words that have the most popular letters used in English words. I like TRAIN as a starter, though I have a friend who uses TRAIL. I’ve read that people use the financial term ROATE, but I like to use words I actually know.

What is Wordle?

If you read this far, you know how to play. You have six chances to guess a five-letter word, and the game gives you feedback as to whether the letters you’ve guessed are in the puzzle, and if they’re in the same spot where you guessed they are. The New York Times bought the game from creator Josh Wardle for seven figures in 2022. Wardle famously created the game for his partner, and let her narrow down the 12,000 five-letter words in the English language to just 2,500, creating the database of answers. It was convenient, too, that he has a name that plays off “word.”

A Times spokesperson told me it lists the very first Wordle as appearing on June 19, 2021, and the paper celebrated the game’s 1,000th word on March 15. Spoiler: That 1000th word was ERUPT. As in, “Dad will erupt if the Wordle is so tough he loses his streak.”

There are other fun games in the Times Games stable. My latest addiction is Connections, which I think is trickier than Wordle. This is the game where you look at a grid of 16 words and try to put them into four groups of related words. Sometimes the relationships between the words are pretty out there — like the time when it was four words that all began with rock bands, such as “Rushmore” and “journeyman.” (Connections got a little sassy on April Fools’ Day with an all-emoji puzzle. Some gamers did NOT find that funny.)

Spelling Bee is a popular Times game too. And there’s a new game that’s still in beta, Strands, which I’m trying to master.

Since the release of the Claude 3 family of AI chatbots in March to challenge stalwarts like ChatGPT and Gemini, AI startup Anthropic says it’s seen a surge in adoption, including by enterprise users. Now it wants to capitalize on that with the introduction of a Team plan and an iOS app.

Claude 3 is particularly adept, Anthropic says, at analysis and forecasting; content creation; code generation; and conversing in languages like Spanish, Japanese and French in addition to English. The chatbots in this family can also handle more complicated queries with higher accuracy and enhanced contextual understanding than previous models, the company says.

Anthropic has said Claude 3 exhibits “human-like understanding” – a quality that can be applied to AI chatbots in general to varying degrees, and it’s a key part of what’s driving the infatuation with them among businesses and the general public.

In his review, CNET’s Imad Kahn calls Claude “the most conversational AI engine.” He notes that Claude is not sentient, of course. “But it certainly feels sentient,” he says, because it “answers questions in contemplative ways and also goes out of its way to ask you follow-up questions and your opinions.”

(For more reviews of generative AI tools, along with all the latest AI news, tips and explainers, see CNET’s new AI Atlas guide.)

We’re seeing increased interest in generative AI at work. On Monday, for instance, Amazon announced its own generative AI business assistant, Q. Meanwhile, research from Boston Consulting Group found that 70% of respondents are excited about gen AI at work as 60% believe it will help them learn on the job and 55% expect it to help them work faster.

Among the companies integrating Claude are biopharmaceutical company Pfizer, which is using the chatbot in its work to fight cancer, as well as the PGA Tour, which built an AI platform to help produce content for golf fans.

Scott White, product lead at Anthropic, refers to Claude as “a really smart coworker that helps me do my best work way faster.”

The Team plan

Claude’s Team plan allows business users to give employees access to the Claude 3 model family.

IT includes greater usage limits compared to the Pro plan and is $30 per user per month with a minimum of five seats. (Pro is $20 a month.)

The Team plan includes a 200,000-context window – which refers to how much information the model can recall in a given session – and, according to a blog post, allows businesses to process long documents, discuss complex topics like financial forecasting or product roadmapping and maintain multistep conversations regarding customer support or project planning.

Anthropic noted that additional features – including citations to verify AI-generated claims, integrations with data repositories like codebases or CRMs and the ability to iterate with teammates on AI-generated documents or projects – will be released “in the coming weeks.”

At that point, a marketing team, for example, could feed its audience style guide, product requirements and FAQs to Claude, which could then access those data sources to brainstorm copy for a blog post about an upcoming product launch.

“When I come to the office and I have a document I need to write, it usually starts with me providing Claude access to some of my documents or way of thinking and then brainstorming with Claude,” White said.

Claude on iOS

In addition, Anthropic has released a free iOS app for Claude users across all plans.

According to the blog post, it offers the same experience as the mobile web, including syncing your chat history and support for taking and uploading photos.

“The mobile app is just a new way to make it easier to reach for Claude whenever I’m trying to solve a particular problem,” White said. “You might, on your way to work, Slack a coworker talking about a particular thing that you need to solve or getting advice on something. You might do that with Claude, too.”

One advantage within the app versus the mobile experience is a camera integration, which lets you take photos of, say, a conference room whiteboard to easily share with Claude.

“That’ll automatically get uploaded in the Claude knowledge base for you to then do particular work with,” White said. “It’s just an easier, quicker way to get access and always be authenticated in the system.”

White said an Android version is “very much on our roadmap,” but declined to share a release date.

Editors’ note: CNET used an AI engine to help create several dozen stories, which are labeled accordingly. The note you’re reading is attached to articles that deal substantively with the topic of AI but are created entirely by our expert editors and writers. For more, see our AI policy.

Whether it’s lost luggage or a lost pet, when something important to you goes missing it can leave you feeling helpless. Bluetooth tracking devices can be game changers, offering you some degree of control over locating lost items. With items like Apple AirTags becoming increasingly popular, there are more and more options available, especially for anyone who finds AirTags too pricey. One of those options is the Royal Lost and Found Bluetooth Item Locator Tracker, currently on sale for just $16 at QVC.

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Designed to be compatible with the Apple’s Find My app, the $16 gets you the tracker, an O-ring and a battery compartment tool. You can use the Play Sound feature to track down nearby items, or use Lost Mode to enable notifications and location updates via your iPhone. It uses Bluetooth 5.2 wireless technology and includes a replaceable CR2032 lithium battery. It’s a small device, just under 1.5 inches by 1.5 inches, and the ring allows you to clip the tracker onto keys, purses, pet collars, backpacks and more. Normally priced at $20, you’ll save $4 a tracker, but don’t wait too long. QVC deals often go fast.

If you do decide to buy one or more, it’s a good idea to snap up some replacement batteries for the future. You can get a six-pack of Duracell CR2032 lithium batteries on Amazon right now for $8, a 53% discount.