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If you’re looking for ways to stick to a budget this year, one way to save some cash on your everyday essentials is buying in bulk. And if you’re looking to save money on a membership to a big box store, StackSocial has a solid deal on annual Costco memberships. Rather than getting a traditional discount on the membership itself, you’ll get back Costco credit that you can use toward a future purchase. That saves you roughly 33% off the cost of membership.

There are two different levels that you can choose from with this StackSocial deal. You can snag a one-year Gold Star Costco membership for $60, and you’ll get back $20 worth of Costco credit. While you still need to shell out the original $60, it essentially means you’ll get the one-year membership for just $40. Or spring for the Executive Gold Star Costco membership for $120 and get back $40 worth of Costco credit, which means the one-year membership at the higher tier will essentially cost you just $80.

StackSocial doesn’t list a specific date for when this deal will end, so we recommend making your purchase sooner rather than later if you want to take advantage of this offer. Keep in mind, this offer is only available only to new customers, or those whose memberships have expired for more than 18 months. If you’ve been thinking of picking up an annual Costco membership, this is a great way to keep more cash in your pocket.

Read more: How to Get the Most Out of Your Costco Membership

With a Costco Gold Star subscription, you’ll get one membership card for your household. It allows you to shop at any Costco warehouse worldwide, as well as online at Costco.com. While Costco is a great place to save on groceries and other everyday essentials, it offers a lot more. A Gold Star membership also means you can use Costco’s gas stations and pharmacies, as well as Costco’s optical and hearing aid centers. And Costco frequently has seasonal plants, decor, furniture, electronics and other products as well.

If you sign up for a Costco Executive Gold Star membership, you’ll can take advantage of all of the features of the regular Gold Star subscription, as well as additional benefits and greater discounts on select Costco services. Plus, you’ll earn an annual 2% reward up to $1,000 on qualified purchases.

After you sign up, you’ll receive your bonus shop card via email. The card can be used both in store and online, so you can use it right away. It’s also worth noting that after you pay for membership through StackSocial, you’ll have until June 30 to redeem the membership, or you may not be able to take advantage of the deal.

The buzzword “AI” has long been used by tech companies promising better, smarter products, and at CES 2024 LG is quick to tout the virtues of artificial intelligence applied to TV image quality. That doesn’t mean you should expect ChatGPT on your TV. In the case of LG’s new 2024 OLED TVs, it just means a new processor.

LG calls it the Alpha 11 processor and says it delivers numerous AI-powered refinements to clarity, color and sharpness. It will be available in two series of 2024 LG OLED TVs, the G4 and M4. The company also announced a C4 series TV that gets a lesser chip called the Alpha 9, the same name used by the C3 last year.

The G4 is the successor to the G3 OLED TV, which has the best picture quality I’ve ever reviewed — due to its brightness and contrast, not its processing. The M4 uses ingenious wireless technology LG introduced in 2023, which allows you to plug game consoles and other HDMI devices into a separate box across the room, leaving only a power cord running to the TV itself. And unlike last year’s version, which was only available in a 97-inch size (for $30,000) the 2024 M4 comes in sizes down to 65 inches (for, I assume, much less).

Other 2024 upgrades include support for a 144Hz refresh rate for gaming and a revamped WebOS smart TV system with up to 10 different user profiles, a nicer design and the promise to receive upgrades for five years. In my opinion none of those additions should cause recent buyers of the G3 or C3, my current favorite high-end TV, to feel like they’re missing out.

I’ll update this article with more details about LG’s new OLED TVs once I have the chance to see them in person at CES, starting Jan. 8. Pricing will likely be announced this spring and after that I’ll have the chance to test them in CNET’s lab. Stay tuned.

Editors’ note: CNET is using an AI engine to help create some stories. For more, see this post.

T-Mobile is upping the perks for its top unlimited plan. On Wednesday, the carrier revealed that it’s adding Hulu (with ads) to its priciest Go5G Next plan. The addition of Hulu marks the latest streaming service T-Mobile has bundled into the plan, joining Netflix and Apple TV Plus.

The offer goes into effect on Jan. 24 and will be available for both new and existing Go5G Next subscribers.

Whereas T-Mobile includes Netflix with a variety of its plans and Apple TV Plus on its Magenta Max and Go5G Plus options, getting bundled Hulu will require you to be on the carrier’s top Go5G Next plan. T-Mobile’s priciest plan, Go5G Next also includes unlimited high-speed data on your phone, 50GB of high-speed hotspot data as well as the ability to upgrade your phone on the carrier’s most aggressive trade-in deals every 12 months.

Read more: Best Cellphone Plans of 2024

Like its Magenta and Go5G other plans, Go5G Next plan also includes international data and texting while abroad and puts taxes and fees into the sticker price. A single line of Go5G Next runs $100 per month, or $215 per month for four lines. Unlike rivals AT&T and Verizon, T-Mobile doesn’t allow for mixing and matching plans for an account and needs everyone to be on the same plan.

For reference, Hulu’s ad-supported plan normally runs $8 per month, Apple TV Plus runs $10 monthly and Netflix Standard (which is included on T-Mobile plans with two or more lines) runs $15.50 (those with just one line get Netflix Basic, which used to run $10 per month). The carrier also regularly includes MLB.TV subscriptions for its subscribers as part of its partnership with Major League Baseball.

Whereas T-Mobile allowed users to pay the difference if they wanted to get a pricier Netflix plan, it is unclear if they will let Hulu users do the same to step up to an ad-free plan (which is $18 per month) or one of Disney’s bundles that includes Hulu, Disney Plus and ESPN Plus.

CNET reached out to T-Mobile for additional details and will update if they respond.

The addition of Hulu marks the latest blending of streaming services with wireless service. Rival Verizon has long bundled in the Disney Bundle with a variety of its pricier unlimited plans and now offers discounts on streaming services to users of its latest unlimited plans. Last month, Verizon added a Netflix and Max bundle that allowed wireless users to get the ad-supported versions of both services for $10 per month.

Whether you’re wanting to write a blog about your favorite things or start a side hustle to earn extra income, then you’re probably going to want to invest in a web hosting service. Hostinger is one of our favorite provider options thanks to its competitive pricing and its helpful video modules that can show you the basics of getting your site built or changing your domain name. Right now you can score plenty of deals at Hostinger, with premium plans starting at just $2.49 a month — that’s a 79% discount. And right now when you use promo code NYSALE, you’ll also get an extra 10% off annual web hosting and website builder plans. These offers are available now through Feb. 12.

A premium plan can host up to 100 websites, includes weekly backups, free SSL, unlimited bandwidth, a free domain and more. Plus, when you sign up right now, you’ll get three free extra months with 4-year plans. However, for those of you that need even more tools in your arsenal, don’t fret. Business plans are also marked down right now to as low as $3.69 a month and it provides more advanced features, including daily backup. And if you’re looking for VPS hosting, Hostinger’s VPS KVM2 plan is down to $6.99 a month with a 24-month plan. Hostinger offers 24/7 support, but it’s worth noting that that customer support is limited to chat and email, as the company does not offer phone support at this time, so keep that in mind as you decide which web hosting service provider is right for you.

CES wouldn’t be the headline-grabber it is every year without its share of weird inventions — from MP3 taser holsters to vacuum shoes. LG’s new DukeBox will join this illustrious list at CES 2024– it’s a hybrid tube-speaker TV… thing.

The LG Duke Box is a 360-degree speaker with a transparent OLED panel at the front to show off the tube amplifier inside. Transparent OLEDs have been with us for a number of years, but the technology has yet to really take hold. LG says the screen can be used to watch movies, or “create a cozy fireplace ambiance where the vacuum tube is visible amidst the flickering flames”.

The DukeBox is likely to take advantage of the pleasant sound properties of vacuum tubes, and you can see them used in a zillion cheap amps on Amazon, but also in guitar amps and preamplifiers.

The DukeBox is reminiscent of last year’s StanbyMe Go — another TV-speaker combo from LG, except that one was designed to be portable. Samsung also released a soundbar with a vacuum tube in it many years ago. At the moment, the DukeBox appears to be a concept and not a real product, so pricing and availability are likely a ways off.

Samsung is launching its next crop of mobile devices — presumably the rumored Galaxy S24 series — on Jan. 17, the company said Tuesday. In what will be one of the first major smartphone launches of 2024, Samsung’s devices are expected to include new AI-powered features among other routine camera and processor upgrades.

Samsung typically focuses on camera improvements to set its new phones apart from previous models. But this year, AI is expected to play a big role in the Galaxy S24 series. The devices will likely be the first new phones to include Galaxy AI, which the company described as a “comprehensive mobile AI experience” when it teased the feature in November. Otherwise, rumors and leaks suggest that a new titanium build and a design with flatter edges could be in store for the top-of-the line Ultra model.

Read more: Best Samsung Phones of 2024

The event will take place at the SAP Center in San Jose, California, at 10 a.m. PT. It will also be livestreamed across Samsung’s channels. In typical Samsung fashion, the company is offering a promotion for those who want to reserve new Galaxy devices early. Now through Jan. 16, customers who reserve a device through Samsung’s website or app will get a $50 credit.

Samsung’s January Unpacked event comes as tech companies find new ways to infuse mobile devices with generative AI, or AI that can create content and conjure conversational (but not always accurate) answers in response to prompts based on training data. Google’s Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, for example, include AI-fueled photo editing features for erasing, moving and resizing objects in photos. Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor for smartphones, which is expected to power the Galaxy S24 series, was also designed to bring more AI to phones.

Based on supposed leaks and Samsung’s Galaxy AI announcement from November, it sounds like the Galaxy S24 series will further signal that smartphones are moving in an AI-centric direction.

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It may only be day two of 2024, but the competition is already heating up in the prepaid wireless space. Mint Mobile, the wireless company that runs on T-Mobile’s network and is owned in part by actor Ryan Reynolds, announced Tuesday that it would be bringing back its “deflation” pricing offer. The deal drops the monthly rate for any of its plans to $15 per month for new users’ first three months.

The $15-per-month rate is what Mint normally charges for 5GB of high-speed data when purchased on a 12-month plan. Its priciest unlimited option normally runs $35 per month if purchased in six-month increments or $30 per month as part of its 12-month offer.

Meanwhile, Visible, a prepaid brand owned by Verizon, kicked off 2024 with its own aggressive offer: unlimited data for $20 per month for new users who sign up with the code VISIBLE24. That’s $5 in monthly savings from its regular $25 rate and includes taxes and fees. Those who want faster data, including access to Verizon’s higher speed 5G Ultra Wideband service, can get the Visible Plus plan for $35 per month, per line for two years with the same promo code — that’s $10 off the regular $45-per-month rate.

Visible’s deal runs through Jan. 31, and there is no set end date for Mint Mobile’s promotion. Both companies require you to be a new user to take advantage of the offers.

Read more: Best prepaid plans

The new deals come as prepaid wireless seems set for an interesting 2024. Verizon has struggled to expand its prepaid business, with BestMVNO noting last year that it hasn’t seen growth in the segment since the third quarter of 2022. That pressure should only increase as rival T-Mobile works on acquiring Mint Mobile, though it’s unclear where the transaction stands. The potential $1.35 billion deal was expected to close by the end of 2023, but it is yet to be finalized as we start the new year.

If you’ve been wanting to invest in a quality VR headset but haven’t made the plunge, now is a good time to buy. Meta’s recently released Quest 3 is readily available, but it also carries a $500 price tag — and Apple’s Vision Pro will be seven times as pricey. However, if you don’t need the latest model, the previous-gen Meta Quest 2 is locking in its holiday price drop for 2024. Confirmation of the price — which will remain at just under just under $250 for the 128GB version — was confirmed in a New Year’s Eve blog post from Meta. (The Quest 2 had cost as much as $400 after a price hike back in 2022.)

The Quest 2 is still our pick for the best VR headset you can get for the price, especially now. It even won a CNET Editors’ Choice Award last year. If you want more storage, you can grab the 256GB model of the Quest 2 instead. It’s now available for only $300. And if you want to stock up on accessories for your console, you’re in luck. Meta has also cut prices on several Quest 2 accessories, slashing $10 off several options, including the Elite strap, the Active Pack and the Fit Pack, which drops the prices to just $50, $60 and $40, respectively. Or you can bundle the Elite strap and battery for only $90 now, a $30 savings. And to keep your gear safe, the Quest 2 carrying case is now just $45, which is $15 less than its original price.

When compared with the Quest 3, the newer model does have better hardware, including an improved processor and a higher-resolution display. However, CNET’s Scott Stein noted in his review that the software hasn’t quite caught up. At half the price, the Quest 2 may be the better option for budget-conscious buyers, especially because it offers comparable battery life and similar productivity functions to its predecessor.

If you decide that you would rather invest in the newest model, be sure to check our out roundup of Quest 3 deals.

In mid-December, Samsung announced production of two QD-OLED panels targeted at gamers at new sizes and with higher refresh rates — a 32-inch 4K 240Hz screen and a 27-inch 1440p 360Hz screen. And where new screens go, new monitors are sure to follow, starting with the pre-CES launches of Samsung’s 32-inch G8 (G80SD) and new 27-inch G6 (G60SD), along with a refresh of the 49-inch Odyssey OLED G9 (G95SD) that incorporates a 5,120×1,440 240Hz panel. The two smaller models are flat, not curved.

LG also announced competing UltraGear OLED displays in mid-December; they don’t use the Samsung panels, but also now offer higher refresh rates, and are led by the dual-refresh 32-inch UltraGear 32 OLED, which does 4K at 240Hz and 1080p at 480Hz.

We don’t have any pricing or availability beyond “2024.”

All Samsung OLED/QD-OLED panels offer pixel refresh rates of about 0.03ms — that means you should care more about its absence in specs for a particular monitor rather than its breathless emphasis in marketing materials — and all three of the new Samsung monitors meet VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400 requirements, support FreeSync Pro and have matte (antiglare) finishes. Both the G8 and G6 have stands that let you tilt, swivel, pivot, and raise or lower the screen.

OLED screens have typically been glossy, which makes them look really nice (especially in retail stores), but using them in a lot of lighting can be frustrating because of reflections. I expect — and welcome — an increase in matte OLED/QD-OLED screens this year.

Samsung’s Odyssey OLED G6 (G60SD) is new to the line; companies hope 360Hz, 27-inch, 1440p models like it will attract esportsters — gamers who might have been leery of OLED/QD-OLED thanks to its 144Hz maximum refresh rate (among other things) and who’ve been limited to technologies with lesser image quality, lower 1080p resolution and/or smaller 25-inch monitors.

Dual refresh technology isn’t brand new — Razer incorporated it into one of its Blade 16 laptop screens last year — but it’s still pretty rare. LG brings it to its flat UltraGear OLED 32 (32GS95UE), along with the company’s Pixel Sound behind-the-screen speaker technology (with support for DTS Virtual:X). It also incorporates the new-ish rear and stand design, which looks like an improvement over last year’s oversized, clunky version, though the tradeoff might have been the easily accessible ports (it’s unclear). LG’s antiglare coating isn’t universally loved, and they still use DisplayPort 1.4.

The UltraGear OLED 34 (34GS95QE) and 39 (39GS95QE) are both curved and update to 240Hz refresh, but they still have 3,440×1,440 resolution (meh). All of LG’s OLED monitors meet DisplayHDR True Black 400, FreeSync Premium Pro and G-Sync Compatible requirements.