Author: Admin

While it’s finally getting easier to get your hands on a next-gen PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series S, you don’t have to drop $500 on a console to enjoy all the latest games. The compact Xbox Series S is already our favorite budget-friendly console on the market, and right now, you can grab one at a discount. Today only, Best Buy has the Series S Gilded Hunter bundle on sale for just $240, which saves you $60 compared to the usual price, and comes with some free-in game digital bonuses. This offer is only available until 9:59 p.m. PT (12:59 a.m. ET) tonight, so be sure to get your order in before then if you don’t want to miss out on these savings.

The Xbox Series S is the “lite” cousin of the full-size Xbox Series X. While it can run all the same next-gen titles, it doesn’t have a disk drive, which means that all your games will have to be digital downloads. It’s equipped with a 512GB SSD, which can fill up pretty quickly, but you can easily add some extra storage with an expansion card or external hard drive. And while, unlike the Series X, it doesn’t support 4K video, it does match the 120 FPS frame rate for fluid action.

Being able to snag this next-gen console on sale is already a great bargain, and it comes with some other bonuses to sweeten the pot. The Gilded Hunter bundle includes 1,000 free in-game credits for Fortnite, Fall Guys and Rocket League, which are all free to play on Xbox. You also get a total of nine free in-game cosmetics, including skins, weapons, emotes and more. And you can check out our full roundup of all the best Xbox deals for even more bargains on headsets, controllers and more.

“Rerouting” is the last thing you want Siri to tell you when you’re lost in a no-signal zone on the road. Fortunately, with the iOS 17 update and a compatible iPhone, you’ll soon be able to use the Apple Maps app offline, the tech giant announced at its WWDC event Monday. This much-anticipated feature has been available on Google Maps for years and will finally be available for iPhone users later this year.

This isn’t the only update coming with Apple’s newest software. Apple will let you turn your photos into stickers with its Messages app in iOS 17. And changes are coming to its autocorrect feature.

We’ll tell you when Apple Maps is getting the offline feature and how it works. What else appeared at WWDC? Apple unveiled MacOS Sonoma, as well as the new 15-inch MacBook Air and the company’s new Vision Pro VR headset.

How do offline maps work?

The iPhone is getting offline maps for its Maps app this year. That means you’ll be able to access any map you’ve downloaded, even if you don’t have Wi-Fi or a cellular signal. For instance, if you’re going on a trip, you can download the route and access it without using cellular data. This is helpful if you’re low on data or if your route takes you through an area with little to no signal that would cause the Maps app to stop navigating correctly, potentially causing you to veer off course.

What can you do with Apple Maps offline?

When iOS 17 becomes available later this year, you’ll be able to download designated areas and access turn-by-turn navigation while using Maps offline. Also, you’ll be able to see your estimated time of arrival and find places in Maps, among other things.

In addition, Maps will make it easier to find thousands of trails in parks across the US. The app will also support drivers of electric vehicles with real-time charging availability information, Apple said.

When will iPhone’s offline maps be available?

Offline maps will be available on iPhone with the launch of iOS 17, which is coming this fall (it usually arrives in late September with the new iPhone). You’ll want to make sure your iPhone is compatible with Apple’s latest software — if not, you won’t have access to this new Apple Maps feature.

For even more WWDC announcements, Apple unveiled iPadOS 17 and WatchOS 10.

Apple’s latest software is coming to iPhones this fall, and many exciting changes are coming with it. Apple previewed iOS 17 at its WWDC event on June 5, noting that it’ll be available to download this fall, but not all iPhone users will have access. As with all of the major Apple software updates, several iPhones are getting left behind, including the iPhone X from 2017.

If you’re not sure which iPhone you’ve got, a quick check in your settings can show you. Open your Settings app and tap General > About. Next to Model Name, you’ll see which iPhone you have.

We’ll tell you how to find out whether your iPhone will be compatible with iOS 17. If you’d like to try out the iOS 17 beta, the public beta will be available in July. Want to know more about iOS 17? Apple will turn your photos into stickers with Messages.

iPhones that are compatible with iOS 17

If you’ve got one of these iPhones, you’ll have access to iOS 17 when it’s available this year, Apple said.

• iPhone XS
• iPhone XS Max
• iPhone XR
• iPhone 11
• iPhone 11 Pro
• iPhone 11 Pro Max
• iPhone 12
• iPhone 12 Mini
• iPhone 12 Pro
• iPhone 12 Pro Max
• iPhone 13
• iPhone 13 Mini
• iPhone 13 Pro
• iPhone 13 Pro Max
• iPhone SE (second generation and later)
• iPhone 14 (including Plus)
• iPhone 14 Pro

What if your iPhone isn’t on the compatibility list?

If your iPhone isn’t listed above, it won’t support iOS 17 and you won’t get a notification to download the newest software. For instance, if you have an iPhone X or older, the latest software you’ll ever be able to use on that phone is iOS 16.

For more about WWDC, check out the new 15-inch MacBook Air and Vision Pro. Also, new features are coming to WatchOS this year.

At WWDC 2023 on June 5, Apple announced iOS 17, its latest mobile operating system. The general public release for the new iPhone software update isn’t slated until later this year, but an early version of iOS 17 is already available to install — the first iOS 17 developer beta.

Downloading the developer beta release will give you an early look at some of the new features Apple revealed during its keynote, including live stickers in your text messages, an improved autocorrect that finally lets you curse and customized contact posters.

But because iOS 17 is still in an early state right now, downloading the developer beta isn’t going to be worthwhile for most iPhone users.

Read More: How to Download the iOS 17 Developer Beta Right Now

If you’re an app developer, downloading this version of iOS lets you prepare your software for the next operating system. But most people should wait until the first stable release of iOS 17 later this year — when the presumed iPhone 15 launches in the fall. And any general iPhone users who want to see the new iOS as soon as possible should consider at least waiting until the public beta in July.

However, if you are still tempted, we want to outline two big reasons why you probably should wait before downloading the developer beta of iOS 17. While you’re here, learn which iPhone is right for you and check out our guidance for the best laptops.

Watch this: WWDC 2023: Here Are All the Major iOS 17 Features

06:31

With the iOS 17 developer beta, your iPhone won’t work normally

Let’s say you sign up for the Apple Developer Program (which is now free) and download the first developer beta of iOS 17. Now you’re installing it on your main iPhone, which you use every day to send text messages, check emails and browse the internet.

Unfortunately, you may soon start facing issues, as these early iterations of iOS 17 will have bugs that can make the software difficult to use. Even if the first developer beta doesn’t have many bugs, the next version could.

For example, I’m running the first iOS 17 developer beta on an iPhone 14 Pro and I’ve already had problems with several features and settings:

• Certain applications don’t work properly. Messages, eBay and a few banking apps have a few bugs.
• Shorter battery life. That’s typical for developer betas.
• Notifications are glitchy. Sometimes they don’t even appear.
• I can’t connect my iPhone to my computer. My Mac says a software update is required to connect with my iPhone, but the update doesn’t install.

Note: You can learn about issues other iOS 17 beta users are experiencing in this Reddit thread.

That’s not a critique of the software itself, because all developer betas will have issues such as these, which is normal. Most of the bugs, if not all, should be ironed out by the time of the general public release. This list of problems is simply to show what you can expect from early pre-releases. Unless you’re ready to take on such issues, you should not install iOS 17 on your iPhone yet, especially if it’s your daily device.

You may not be able to revert to iOS 16 without losing personal data

Let’s say you’ve upgraded to the iOS 17 developer beta and suddenly you’re having issues. You’re not happy with this early version of Apple’s software, and so you want to go back to iOS 16. Well, unless you’ve archived a backup from iOS 16, your only way to downgrade is to restore your iPhone as a brand new device. While restoring your iPhone will install Apple’s latest mobile update (currently iOS 16.5), it may also permanently delete important data and settings from your phone.

Read More: Before You Download iOS 17 on Your iPhone, You Need to Do This

Before you download and install iOS 17, make sure to create a backup while still running iOS 16. You can do this via iCloud on your device, but Apple only holds a single backup at a time (for each device), so an iOS 16 backup isn’t guaranteed to be available if a future update takes its place, especially since most iCloud backups are done automatically while you sleep.

As an added precaution, you can also use your computer to create an iOS 16 backup using iTunes on Windows or Finder on Mac. That backup will be saved as a file on your computer. You can then use that file to restore your device to iOS 16 and keep most of your personal data and settings intact.

I was watching with interest on June 5 when Apple introduced the Vision Pro mixed reality headset at WWDC. It’s not really in the same ballpark as the simple Meta Quest 2 that I use to go bowling in my living room. Maybe not on the same planet. When it comes out in 2024, it will cost $3,499 — 10 times the cost of the Meta Quest 2.

Let us pause briefly to read that again: $3,499. Almost four thousand dollars. I don’t know about you, but I will not be picking up one of these on an idle Saturday trip to Best Buy.

CNET’s Scott Stein is one of the few people who actually got to try out the headset. He says the Apple Vision Pro is amazing, with a fluid interface and stunning cinematic fidelity when you’re watching a movie. Our WWDC recap unrolls the complex elements that make the headset so pricey.

“Technically speaking, the Vision Pro is a computer, with an M2 chip found on Apple’s highest-end computers,” CNET’s recap notes.

I’m old enough to remember when the thought of personally owning a computer was as laughable as paying this price for a headset seems to me today. So eventually, I’m sure, the production will be refined, and prices will come down. The immersive entertainment looks unreal, and some of the other Minority Report/Star Trek-style uses for the device are truly impressive.

But in the meantime, I’ve watched Apple’s 9-minute video on the headset (I feel like I should say “the $3,500 headset” every time). And there are definitely some uses for the Vision Pro that I will not be attempting, even if the day comes when I can afford it.

Watch this: Apple’s Vision Pro Cringe Moments Need Addressing

10:50

Working in Excel

The most-memed element of the Vision Pro promotion was the fact that Apple demonstrated how Microsoft Excel, Word and Teams can run inside the headset, with your eyes controlling the user interface. Look, there are some really cool things a headset can do, but thrusting you face-first into pivot tables is not one of them.

“I want Excel pumped directly to my retinas” is not something I’ve personally ever thought, cracked one Twitter user.

Talking to real people without taking off the headset

In the promo video, a woman wearing the headset is joined by (presumably) her teenage daughter, who sits down on the couch and chats with her as if it’s perfectly normal that mom’s eyes are behind tinted ski goggles. They barely say more than one word to each other (of course, it’s “sushi”), but I keep wanting to scream through the screen and tell the mom to take one second, push up the headset and just talk to her kid, face to face.

Thanks to Apple’s EyeSight feature, you can at least see the mom’s eyes through the headset, which you can’t do with the Meta Quest 2. But even that is one super-duper creepy feature, as CNET’s Corinne Reichert points out.

Looking at home photos – alone

There’s a scene in the Apple video where someone sits on the couch and starts virtually flicking through their family photos. Admittedly, it’s pretty cool when a panorama of what looks like an iceberg wraps around them, especially if you’ve always wondered what the Titanic saw on April 15, 1912.

But the guy seems kind of lonely, looking at photos alone. If he could share what he’s seeing with his family, it might be a neat reminiscing experience. For now, I’m OK looking at digital photos on my phone or laptop, where I can share them with others.

Taking photos

There’s another scene in the Apple video where a headset wearer moves over to where two little girls are blowing soap bubbles (inside the house, but that’s a whole other issue). Instead of sitting down beside them to play and interact, he kneels in front of them, headset on, to take 3D photos of the fun. Why use your own eyes to look at your kids when you can stay one level removed?

Airplane mode

The promo video showed a woman on an airplane watching a movie in luxurious 3D, as if she’s living in the scenes of the film. I couldn’t get past the impracticality of it all. There are a million little distractions on the plane – flight attendants offering drinks, pilots announcing turbulence, people in my row asking me to get up so they can slip past.

I can immerse myself in a 3D movie at home, but it just seems rude to plunge yourself into your own private cinema at 33,000 feet and expect not to be disturbed. But then, I fly coach, and the folks with $3,500 to drop on a headset might be flying private.

But if the Vision Pro is your dream device, start saving. There’s no exact release date yet, but 2024 is just half a year away.

When Apple kicked off WWDC 2023 on June 5, all eyes were on the Vision Pro headset. But buried at the bottom of a press release issued by the company the same day was another announcement worth getting excited about (well, I’m excited about it): Third-party virtual private network support is coming to Apple TV.

When Apple releases TVOS 17 (its latest TV operating system) this fall, you’ll be able to download third-party VPN apps to your Apple TV. This will allow you to open up a world of streaming opportunities on your Apple TV device and keep your viewing activities hidden from your internet service provider.

A VPN is a piece of software that encrypts your internet traffic and routes your connection through a secure server in a location of your choosing. In doing so, the VPN changes your visible IP address to the address of the VPN server you’re connecting through, making it appear to the sites you visit as though you’re in a different location. This means that you can access geographically restricted content online from streaming services like Netflix simply by connecting VPN servers in different regions around the world. You can even use your VPN to get around blackout restrictions and stream local sports broadcasts.

You can expect the best VPN providers to start rolling out Apple TV VPN apps alongside the release of TVOS 17 this fall.

While other streaming devices like Amazon’s Fire TV Stick and Android/Google TV have long supported third-party VPN apps, Apple is playing catch-up and just now getting into the mix. Up to now, the only ways to use a VPN on your TV with an Apple TV device were to either run the VPN through a router or share your VPN connection from your computer — which can be complicated, expensive or both.

With Apple finally allowing for third-party VPN support with the release of TVOS 17, using a VPN on Apple TV devices will get significantly easier.

Watch this: Apple Announces FaceTime for Apple TV

02:27

Are you planning a summer vacation overseas? Or will you be temporarily outside your home country for any other reason? If you’re hoping to watch your favorite Netflix content while away, you may find it isn’t available when you’re traveling internationally.

This can be frustrating, especially when you’re a paying Netflix subscriber. But because of licensing agreements with copyright holders, Netflix can show only certain content in certain countries. This means that when you’re outside your home country, you may be blocked from watching the shows and movies you want to see.

Read more: Best VPN Service of 2023

With the help of a virtual private network, you can watch all the Netflix content you want, from wherever you are in the world. Using Netflix with a VPN can make it look like you’re at home even when you’re traveling overseas. Here’s how to do it, with one caveat.

Though Netflix does make certain efforts to block VPN use on its platform, the streaming provider doesn’t appear to be aggressively blocking limited VPN use. Regardless, you should always consider Netflix’s terms of use, because terms can change at any time and the company can terminate your account if it detects abuse. We don’t encourage people to violate their user agreements.

Can I watch Netflix internationally with a VPN?

Yes, you can — in four simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a VPN service. Not all VPNs will be up to the task of unblocking Netflix, but a top VPN service like ExpressVPN or Surfshark should be able to consistently unblock it while you’re traveling abroad. Before you subscribe, however, make sure that VPN use is legal in the country you’re traveling to.
2. Download the VPN software to your computer or device. The download and installation process will be just like downloading any other app.
3. Connect to a VPN server in your home country. If you’re from the US and want to access your home Netflix catalog from overseas, you’ll need to connect to a server located in the US. If you’re from the UK, then connect to a server in the UK to access that catalog — and so on down the line, for any country from which Netflix offers service. Simply click on the corresponding country in your VPN app to connect to a server located in that country and you’re good to go
4. Launch Netflix. Head over to Netflix on your computer or device as you normally would and you should be able to watch all the titles you’re used to watching at home. If you’re having issues or are getting an error message, try connecting to a different server from your country or contact your VPN provider’s customer support.

Read more: Best Times to Book Summer Flights

How does this work?

This works because, when you connect to a VPN server, your IP address changes to the address of the VPN server you’re connecting through. Your real IP address and physical location are hidden from Netflix in the process. Netflix, for all intents and purposes, will therefore register your location as the location of the VPN server you’re connecting through and will deliver the content it makes available in that country.

We can’t guarantee that it will work for you 100% of the time, though, because Netflix does its best to block known VPN IP addresses and uses other methods to preclude its customers from using VPNs to unblock geographically restricted content on its site. But most mainstream VPNs — especially our top picks — are usually reliably capable of providing access to Netflix.

Read more: This Secret Hack Helps You Find Better Stuff on Netflix

In any case, remember to only try this in geographic regions where Netflix offers its service and, as per the company’s Terms of Use, “have licensed such content.”

Also, keep in mind that while it isn’t necessarily illegal to use a VPN to thwart geo-blocking (unless using a VPN is illegal in your country), Netflix could still potentially suspend or terminate your account if it determines you’ve violated its terms of service. So proceed at your own risk. That said, we haven’t heard of any reports of people’s accounts being terminated for using a VPN to unblock Netflix content.

Read more: How to Pay Less for Your Streaming Services

Watch this: VPN explained: A privacy primer — with robots and race cars

01:39

Apple announced a number of new software updates at its Worldwide Developers Conference Monday, including the iPhone’s next software version, iOS 17. While the next iOS won’t be available to the general public until the fall, the software brings a lot of new and exciting features to your iPhone.

I switched to iOS from Android about a decade ago, and I’ve been testing iOS 16 betas since last year. While iOS 17 doesn’t fulfill all my iOS wishes, it has some new features that I’m really looking forward to.

Here are the cool and useful new iPhone features I’m most excited about in iOS 17.

StandBy mode

With iOS 17, you get a new mode called StandBy. If you enable this mode on your iPhone while it’s charging and in landscape mode, your phone can act as a smart display. It will be able to display the time, widgets, Live Activities and more in this mode.

This feature is helpful, especially if you charge your phone in your kitchen while you cook or on your bedside table at night, but it won’t work for all iPhones. Right now, only the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max can use this feature effectively because of these models’ always-on display. Earlier iOS 17-compatible iPhones can use StandBy mode, but your screen will turn off at a certain point.

Autocorrect gets an improvement

Your iPhone’s keyboard in iOS 17 will get an upgrade. The keyboard will use a transformer model, similar to what OpenAI uses in its language models, so it’ll better predict what you’ll type next, whether that’s a name or a curse word. Autocorrect will also be able to help with grammar, similar to word processing software like Microsoft Word.

While this is all very cool and helpful, my big takeaway is I won’t have to retype swear words multiple times in order to get them to stay in a message. I’ve probably wasted entire days of my life correcting words like “duck” and “shot” back to my intended curse, so I’m excited to save myself that time.

New Journal app

Journaling can help you manage stress, achieve your goals and more, and your iPhone will get a new journaling app, called Journal, later this year with iOS 17. Other journaling apps are out there already, but Apple’s will use on-device machine learning to create personalized prompts to help you out. You’ll also be able to schedule notifications to remind yourself to write. The app keeps all entries private with on-device processing, end-to-end encryption and the ability to lock the app.

If you’re more comfortable typing than using a pencil or pen and notebooks, this app could help you get into, and stay consistent with, journaling. Even if you already journal regularly, you could get some benefits from the app. I’ve been journaling for years, and while I won’t give up my notebooks or pencils, I’ll probably use this app to help me reflect on my day when I can’t think of what to write — it happens more often than you might think.

New Messages improvements and features

Messages gets some upgrades with iOS 17, too. The new Check In feature, for example, lets you quickly and easily tell a family member or friend that you made it to your destination. And if you’re a parent you can use this new feature to make sure your child made it safely to their friend’s house.

You will also be able to jump to the first message you haven’t seen in a conversation in Messages with iOS 17. This can be especially helpful if you’re in a lively group chat. Imagine you go into an hour-long meeting and come out to find the group chat you’re in with your friends has 50 notifications. With iOS 17 you can go back to the first unread message and read all the context of the latest drama. After all, no one likes spoiled tea.

And if you want to reply to a specific message in Messages, you can also swipe on that message to reply to it directly. Before you had to long hold on the message and select Reply.

You can also create stickers for messages from your photos. Apple calls these Live Stickers, and you’ll be able to add effects to these stickers and save them in your iPhone for quick access later. Now you can make your pet’s side-eye into a fun sticker — your pet will probably still be annoyed.

New Contact Posters

A fun new feature that iOS 17 brings to your iPhone is Contact Posters. Think of these posters as highly customizable contact cards. On previous iOS versions, you could differentiate contacts with their own ringtones and thumbnail photos on your phone. Contact Posters takes this further, letting you customize contacts with emoji pictures, editing the color and font of contacts and more.

Apple also said Contact Posters will be available for third-party calling apps, not just your iPhone’s contacts.

This feature feels like the integration of Apple’s customizable lock screens with Contacts, and it makes me think Apple will one day let you customize other apps and features on your iPhone. Hopefully Apple will continue to give people more customization options in the future, like letting you edit the display, color and font for different chats in Messages.

Delete password verification messages automatically

In iOS 17, if you go to Settings > Passwords > Password Options, there is a new option called Clean Up Automatically under Verification Codes. If enabled, this option will automatically delete messages in Messages and Mail that contain verification codes after you’ve inserted the code using AutoFill.

I like to keep my messages and email tidy, and this feature will surely help me in that pursuit. When I open Messages or Mail I want to see messages from my friends and family, not random messages filled with code.

Make a grocery list in Reminders

To access this feature you have to upgrade your Reminders app after upgrading to iOS 17. The app will prompt you to upgrade when you open it the first time after downloading iOS 17. Afterward, there are a few steps to make a grocery list.

1. Open a new reminder.
2. Tap the three dots (…) in the top-right corner of your screen.
3. Tap List Info.
4. Tap Standard next to List Type to select Groceries.

Once enabled, Reminders will automatically separate different grocery items into sections like Produce and Breads & Cereals.

I usually use Notes to make a grocery list, and it works fine. But my list is typically a jumbled mess that doesn’t adhere to rhyme or reason, which means I backtrack through the store to grab something I forgot about. This feature should make it easier to keep track of what I need from certain sections of the store, saving me the time and frustration of walking through the store two or three times.

Conversation Awareness on AirPods

The second-generation AirPods Pro are getting a few new upgrades with iOS 17, like Adaptive Audio and Personalized Volume, to give you a better listening experience, but Conversation Awareness is the new feature I’m most excited about.

With Conversation Awareness, second-generation AirPods Pro will recognize when you start talking, lower the volume of your music, reduce background noise and amplify the voices in front of you. No more fumbling with your AirPods or iPhone to turn down the volume to say “Hi” to someone.

This is another feature Apple will hopefully build and expand upon. A future version of this software might allow your AirPods to recognize when someone within a certain range is talking to you and lowers the volume automatically.

No more ‘Hey, Siri’

On iOS 17, you no longer have to greet Siri to activate it. With the update, you can just say “Siri” and the digital assistant will activate and listen for any questions or commands you might have, similar to how you can address Amazon’s digital assistant, Alexa.

You can also still greet and be respectful to your digital assistant; that way if there’s a robotic uprising in the future, the robots might leave you alone because you were nice to their great-grandparent, Siri. I know what I’m picking.

Back-to-back Siri requests

You’ll also be able to ask Siri back-to-back requests with iOS 17. So once you activate Siri, you can ask your digital assistant to send a text to your partner, then ask Siri to set an alarm for later without having to say “Hey Siri” or “Siri” again.

This will make talking with Siri feel more conversational, and for me, it’ll help me keep my train of thought when I’m asking for Siri’s help.

AirTags can be shared with more people

AirTags are a good way to keep track of personal items, like your wallet or luggage. With iOS 17, AirTags can be registered with more than one person, making it easier for friends and family to keep track of items. The update also allows multiple people to use the same item, like a piece of luggage, without changing trackers.

The new feature can also cut back on some minor AirTag annoyances. If you’re with someone who carries an AirTag with them, you’ll receive a notification that an unknown AirTag is traveling with you. While these notifications can help people guard against unwanted tracking, receiving these warnings can be tedious if the AirTag belongs to your partner or a friend.

The Maps app gets a boost

Apple’s Maps app is getting an upgrade with iOS 17. With the update, you’ll be able to download a map for a specific area, access turn-by-turn navigation, see estimated times of arrival and more while offline. Apple also said park trails in the US will be easier to find and EV drivers will be able to see charging station availability within the app.

Being able to use Maps offline can be very helpful if you’re a hiker and hiking an unknown trail, or if you’re visiting or driving through a remote area. This new feature, as well as the iPhone 14’s Emergency SOS via Satellite and the Apple Watch Ultra, makes it feel like Apple is making a push to make products for all your home, office and outdoor digital needs.

Sharing is easier with AirDrop and NameDrop

With iOS 17, you’ll be able to share content more easily with others using Airdrop and a new functionality called NameDrop.

With the next iOS version, you won’t need to stay in range of another person to finish sharing content with them via AirDrop. If you’re AirDropping a lot of files and it’s taking a while, as long as you started the process within range, you don’t have to stay in range for the transfer to finish. You’ll also be able to start listening to music or watch a video with others via SharePlay by bringing your iPhones together.

NameDrop is a new functionality that lets you share contact information with another person by bringing your iPhone or Apple Watch close to their device.

Sensitive content warnings

This new iOS 17 feature is meant to help protect you from any unwanted nude images or videos you might run across. You can blur those images or videos before you view them, and this feature will be available in Messages, AirDrop, Contact Posters in the Phone app, FaceTime messages and third‑party apps, according to Apple.

Looks like some guys on dating apps will have to figure out how words work and not just send unsolicited nudes to people.

Apple released iOS 17 to developers Monday, and beta testers will be able to download a beta version of the software in July — here’s how you can sign up to be an iOS beta tester. Apple plans on releasing iOS 17 to the general public in the fall.

For more Apple news, check out CNET’s WWDC recap and what to know about Apple’s Vision Pro headset and its new 15-inch MacBook Air.

8.5

Lenovo Slim Pro 7

$850 at Best Buy

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Like

• Unusual combination of power and portability
• Sharp, fast display
• Rugged chassis
• Long-running battery

Don’t like

• Drab exterior
• Limited storage space
• “Clacky” touchpad

Geared toward content creators whose work has them on the go, the Lenovo Slim Pro 7 offers an uncommon combination of power and portability. It’s built around a 14.5-inch, 90Hz display and powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 and entry-level Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 discrete graphics. Content creation laptops usually pair a dedicated GPU with a larger 16- or 17-inch display that provides a larger canvas on which to work at the expense of travel ease. With a 14.5-inch display and thin, compact chassis, the Lenovo Slim Pro 7 weighs only 3.5 pounds and makes a better travel companion than a full-size mobile content creation station.

And while the display may be smaller than the usual, it’s fine and fast with a 2.5K resolution that’s finer than the usual full-HD resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate that’s faster than the typical 60Hz panel. Add in long battery life and a rugged chassis, and the Lenovo Slim Pro 7 makes a compelling case for wandering content creators or part-time gamers. The laptop’s pedestrian looks, however, may underwhelm graphics pros with an eye for style.

Lenovo makes only one model of the Lenovo Slim Pro 7, and it’s not customizable. It’s available direct from Lenovo and also at Best Buy for $1,200 and, at the moment, it’s only $900. It features a 14.5-inch display powered by AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS, 16GB of RAM and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 graphics. It also supplies a 512GB SSD. The 14.5-inch, 16:10 display features a 2.5K resolution (2,560×1,600 pixels), a 90Hz refresh rate and touch support. The Ryzen 7 7735HS CPU is a member of AMD’s latest Ryzen 7 7000 series and has eight cores, 16 threads and a base frequency of 3.2GHz. The RTX 3050 is the entry-level GPU in Nvidia’s previous RTX 30 series.

In lab testing, the Slim Pro 7 proved itself to be a strong performer and long runner. Along with the AMD-based HP Dragonfly Pro, it trailed the two Intel-based laptops, the Asus ROG Flow Z13 and Dell XPS 15, on the PCMark and Geekbench tests, but the AMD pair was able to flip the script on Cinebench. Although the Slim Pro 7 isn’t designed to be a gaming laptop, we ran our 3D graphics and gaming benchmarks to see what the RTX 3050 could handle. And it performed admirably on these tests, keeping pace and in some instances outpacing the Asus and Dell laptops that feature RTX 3050 Ti graphics. And the Slim Pro 7 was the runaway winner on our battery life test, easily outpacing the others here with a running time of more than 12 hours on our demanding online streaming battery drain test.