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  • World Backup Day Deals: Huge Savings on SSDs, Flash Drives, SD Cards and More

    World Backup Day is here and so are the deals on all kinds of storage. Since you can never have too much extra space, now is the perfect time to stock up on everything from flash drives and microSD cards to internal SSDs, huge NAS systems and even cloud storage.

    To help make sure you’re getting the best price, we’ve rounded up some of the best offers and discounts from today’s sales below and we’ll continue to refresh this list with World Backup Day deals as the day progresses. The vast majority of the deals expire tonight, so be sure to get your orders in before then as we expect it’ll be quite a while before we see prices this low again.

    External hard drive and SSD deals

    Score all-time low pricing on the capacious and rugged portable SSD. It’s got up to 2 meter drop protection and IP55 water and dust resistance to protect its contents, plus speeds of up to 2000MB/s.

    You’re receiving price alerts for SanDisk 2TB Extreme Pro portable SSD: $175

    Ideal for pretty much anyone that needs a little extra storage, Samsung’s T7 portable SSD is compact and decently fast at up to 1,050MB/s. 1TB and 2TB versions are also on sale.

    You’re receiving price alerts for Samsung 500GB T7 Shield SSD: $69

    More external hard drive and SSD deals:

    Flash drive deals

    You can fit a surprising amount of data on a flash drive these and this 1TB model from PNY is down to a new all-tine low price. If you need ultimate portability for a large amount of data, this is an ideal pick.

    You’re receiving price alerts for PNY 1TB Pro Elite flash drive: $100

    With most new computers and tablets having switched to USB-C inputs, World Backup Day is a great opportunity to switch over you’re portable storage. This already-affordable Samsung USB-C flash drive is even cheaper today thanks to an instant 18% discount applied at checkout.

    While you can’t put a microSD card in your iPhone, it does have support for external storage devices like the SanDisk iXpand flash drive with its integrated Lightning connector. This device is ideal for getting a bunch of photos or files off your iPhone and onto a computer with its dual-port design.

    You’re receiving price alerts for SanDisk 128GB iXpand Lightning flash drive: $40

    More flash drive deals:

    SD and MicroSD card deals

    Need some extra storage for your phone, tablet or other device? This spacious microSD card has never been cheaper and offers speeds of up to 120MB/s.

    You’re receiving price alerts for SanDisk 400GB Ultra MicroSD card: $29

    Considering how many devices can be improved with a microSD, there’s a good chance you’ll want to pick up more than one. You can stock up with this three-pack of 64GB PNY cards, ideal for adding some storage to devices that may be capacity-limited like home security cameras or for just expanding the storage if a kid’s tablet.

    You’re receiving price alerts for PNY 64 Elite-X MicroSD card (3-pack): $16

    More SD and microSD card deals:

    NAS Deals

    Back down to its Black Friday price today only, this popular Synology two-bay NAS has 512MB of DDR4 memory but it doesn’t come with any storage drives included. Fortunately, plenty of hard drives are on sale today meaning you can piece together a bargain entry-level system with only a little extra effort.

    You’re receiving price alerts for Synology 2-bay DiskStation DS220J (Diskless) network attached storage: $150

    If you want to organize your media collection in one place and have it be accessible from anywhere, this high-performacne NAS solution can do it. And it’s down to a new record-low price at Amazon right now.

    You’re receiving price alerts for WD 16TB My Cloud EX2 Ultra network attached storage: $500

    More NAS deals:

    Internal storage deals

    If you want to give you PC a cheap SSD upgrade, this 2.5-inch SATA III drive could be just the ticket. It’s not a premium drive by any means, but it will be quicker than a spinning disk HDD and doesn’t cost the earth.

    If you want a speedy SSD for gaming, the Samsung 980 Pro is a great choice — especially at this all-time low. This model features a built-in heatsink which saves you adding one yourself to help it stay cool under intense usage.

    You’re receiving price alerts for Samsung 2TB 980 Pro M.2 internal SSD: $150

    More internal storage deals:

    Cloud backup deals

    Store up to 10TB of your files in the cloud with this heavily discounted Degoo subscription. This deal saves you hundreds compared to the usual monthly subscription cost and you’ll only be billed once for lifetime access.

    If you’re in the market for cloud storage and a VPN, a joint offering from ExpressVPN and Backblaze saves you $70 by bundling both services. You also get three extra months of VPN access for free with this deal.

    More cloud storage deals:


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  • 5 Best Cheap Qi Wireless Charging Pads Under $20

    5 Best Cheap Qi Wireless Charging Pads Under $20

    Although many of the new phones have wireless charging capabilities, a lot of them don’t come with wireless charging pads. Which is frustrating to say the least when you’re spending a good chunk of change on a new phone. Luckily, you don’t have to break the bank to get your hands on a high-quality wireless charging pad. There are some great deals right now on chargers for both Android and Apple phones. A couple of which cost less than $15 and three that cost less than $20. We’ll update this story as new deals appear.

    Not that this list is limited to budget Qi wireless charging pads, most of which don’t include a power adapter. If you’re looking for more wireless chargers, we have a list of the best Qi wireless chargers that includes models that can charge multiple devices at the same time (a smartphone, Apple Watch and earbuds with a wireless charging case) along with portable magnetic wireless batteries (MagSafe-compatible) and even wireless phone chargers you can mount in your car.

    Read more: Best Wireless Charger for 2023

    Screenshot by David Carnoy/CNET

    You’re receiving price alerts for Anker Wireless Charger, 315 Wireless Charger (Pad), 10W Max Fast Charging, Compatible with iPhone 13/12 Series, Samsung S22, AirPods, Samsung Buds, Google Buds, and More (Wall Charger Not Included)

    Over the years, Anker has sold a few different budget Qi wireless charging pads. There’s nothing terrible fancy about its 315 Wireless Charger, but it delivers up to 10-watt charging speeds for Android smartphones and 7.5 watts for iPhones, and it does look fairly sleek with a slim design (it also has some grippy material on top so your phone doesn’t slide off).

    It’s not a super fast charger but it’s fine for those who charge their phones overnight. A USB-C cable is included, but you will need to supply a power adapter (you’ll want one that’s capable of delivering 10 watts or more to get the higher charging speeds).

    Screenshot by David Carnoy/CNET

    You’re receiving price alerts for Belkin Quick Charge Wireless Charging Pad 15W

    The latest version of Belkin’s wireless charging pad offers up to 15-watt fast charging (a power adapter and cable are included). Only certain Android phones are compatible with that 15-watt wireless charging speed, and the pad only charges iPhones at 7.5 watts. It does have some rubber grips embedded into the slim puck to keep your phone from slipping of the pad.

    Screenshot by David Carnoy/CNET

    You’re receiving price alerts for Baseus Magnetic Wireless Charger, 15W Mini Lightweight Charger with N52 Strong Magnets & Aerogel-Made Casing for an Upgraded Temperature Control for Magsafe Compatible with iPhone 12/13/14 Series

    The Baseus Magnetic Wireless Charger or Baseus Magnetic Charger for MagSafe as it’s called on Amazon, is a slim Qi wireless charging puck that sticks securely to MagSafe-enabled iPhones (or MagSafe-enabled cases). You can also just let an Android rest on top of it for charging (or a set of earbuds with a wireless charging). It charges iPhones at up to 7.5 watts and Android devices at up to 15 watts.

    No power adapter is included, but a USB-C cable is integrated into the puck. A 20-watt PD fast charger is recommended.

    You’re receiving price alerts for Anker 313 Wireless Charger Stand

    Anker makes its newer PowerWave 2 charging stand that offers faster charging speeds and comes with a power adapter for around $35. But if you already have a power adapter, the 313 Wireless Charging Standing will work just fine for most people, particularly if you’re mainly charging overnight. It offers up to 10-watt wireless charging for Android devices and 5-watt wireless charging for iPhones. No power adapter is included.

    Mophie

    You’re receiving price alerts for mophie Charge Stream Pad+ – 10W Qi Wireless Charge Pad – Made for Apple iPhone Xr, Xs Max, Xs, X, 8, 8 Plus, Samsung, and Other Qi-Enabled Devices – Black

    This Mophie Qi wireless charging pad retailed for over $50 when it first came out in 2018 (I still use it today). It’s now down to $11 in black. This charges iPhones at 7.5 watts and Android phones at up to at 10 watts. It’s not the latest and greatest charging pad, but it’s cheap.

  • Adobe Reveals New Firefly AI Tool to Help Illustrators Color Their Art

    Adobe Reveals New Firefly AI Tool to Help Illustrators Color Their Art

    Adobe on Thursday revealed a third member of its Firefly family of generative AI technologies, a tool to rapidly try out different color schemes for illustrations.

    With the “recolor vectors” tool, you upload a vector graphic file like a logo, illustration or, in Adobe’s example shown off during a Firefly live meetup, a mandala. Firefly then generates a quartet of illustrations, each with a new and, ideally, pleasing combination of colors.

    “Firefly gets me into the realm of colors that I like … then I can tweak it from there,” said Adobe product evangelist Paul Trani in the demo. “This is such a pain in Illustrator to try to recolor all of this.”

    Adobe isn’t the first to supply generative tools, a newly creative aspect of artificial intelligence technology. But its moves are important since Adobe is the top supplier of software to help creative professionals and amateurs.

    The company launched its Firefly project earlier in March and has been gradually expanding access to the beta products to those who sign up on a waiting list. The first two tools let you turn a text prompt into an image and style text in rich new ways.

    Adobe plans to make the vector recoloring tool available “in the next couple weeks,” spokesperson Taylor Skelton said Thursday.

    You can guide the vector recoloring tool with sample images such as taxis, galaxies, butterflies and neon lights that already have colors you like. It works in conjunction with Adobe Illustrator software and its included artwork recoloring tool.

    One of Firefly’s main selling points: the artificial intelligence technology was trained on Adobe’s own library of imagery and other licensed or public domain material so businesses won’t have to worry about copyright or trademark problems. Adobe also worked to counteract bias in training data and screen out potentially troublesome subject matter like sex and violence.

    Adobe has been adding tens of thousands of Firefly beta testers each day, the company said. “Soon we’ll have all #adobefirefly beta participants accepted,” Firefly leader Alexandru Costin tweeted Wednesday.

    Editors’ note: CNET is using an AI engine to create some personal finance explainers that are edited and fact-checked by our editors. For more, see this post.

  • iOS 16.5 Beta 1: What Might Be Coming to Your iPhone Soon

    iOS 16.5 Beta 1: What Might Be Coming to Your iPhone Soon

    Less than a week after Apple released iOS 16.4 to the public, the company has rolled out the first beta version of iOS 16.5. Bug fixes, security updates and new features, like new emoji and Voice Isolation in calls, were released with iOS 16.4. The first iOS 16.5 beta, which came out Thursday, has some patches and a few features as well.

    CNET Tech Tips logoCNET Tech Tips logo

    New iOS features can be fun, but we recommend downloading a beta only on something other than your primary phone, just in case the new software causes issues. Apple also provides beta testers with an app called Feedback, which they can use to notify the company about any issues in the new software. That way, problems can be addressed before general release.

    Here are the new features beta testers can try now with iOS 16.5 beta 1.

    Apple News gets a Sports tab

    The Apple News app launched in 2015, and the first iOS 16.5 beta brings a Sports tab to the app for the first time. The tab can be found in the toolbar across the bottom of your screen when you open the app. Before, the toolbar displayed tabs for Today, News Plus, Audio, Following and Search. The iOS 16.5 beta 1 gets rid of the Search tab to make room for the Sports tab.

    Ask Siri to start a screen recording

    With iOS 16.5 beta 1, you can ask Siri to start a screen recording for you. Prior to this beta, you had to go to add the screen recording tool to your Control Center, then turn on the tool manually. Now you can ask Siri. This could save you time, since you won’t have to edit out the beginning and end of your videos where you turn the recording on and off.

    There’s no word on when iOS 16.5 will be released to the general public. There’s also no guarantee these beta features will be released with iOS 16.5, or that these will be the only features to come out with the update.

    For more, check out what’s new on your iPhone with iOS 16.4 and how to become an Apple beta tester so you can try out new iOS features before others.

    Now playing:Watch this:iOS 16: Powerful Features You May Have Missed

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  • Google Fi on iPhones Now Works With 5G Thanks to iOS 16.4

    Google Fi on iPhones Now Works With 5G Thanks to iOS 16.4

    If you have a 5G-compatible iPhone running the new iOS 16.4 and use Google Fi for your phone service, you are finally able to connect to 5G. After not offering the capability for years, Google confirmed this week that Apple’s devices on its MVNO network gained the new capability with Apple’s latest software release.

    The update enables 5G support for any 5G-capable iPhone, which includes the iPhone 12, 13 and 14 lines as well as the most recent iPhone SE. As per Google Fi’s support page, to turn on 5G you will need to download and install iOS 16.4 and then head to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options. From there, tap on the section labeled Voice & Data or Cellular, tap on your Google Fi number and select 5G Auto.

    Google Fi uses T-Mobile’s network, so enabling this setting will allow you to connect to that 5G service in the US.

  • Will Apple Show AR/VR Headset at WWDC? Delays Add ‘Uncertainty,’ Analyst Says

    Will Apple Show AR/VR Headset at WWDC? Delays Add ‘Uncertainty,’ Analyst Says

    Apple’s long-awaited augmented reality and virtual reality headset is rumored to be shown off at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference in June. However, a noted Apple analyst on Thursday cast some doubt on whether the mixed reality headset will make its big debut at WWDC 2023.

    Apple has pushed the mass production schedule for the headset back another one to two months due to concerns “about the AR/MR headset announcement recreating the astounding ‘iPhone moment,’” according to a tweet from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo on Thursday. The delay “adds uncertainty” to whether the headset will be announced at WWDC, he said.

    This week, Apple announced that its annual WWDC event, which typically spotlights its latest software, will kick off on June 5. Bloomberg reported last month that the company was planning to unveil the headset at the event.

    Apple’s AR/VR headset remains mostly a mystery. The device, which has been rumored to be in the works for years, would go up against hardware from Meta, Microsoft and others. Apple’s headset could cost in the $3,000 range — Kuo’s tweet suggests the price could push toward $4,000 — and have features similar to those of Meta’s Quest Pro.

    See Also: Best VR Headsets of 2023

    If the iPhone maker does reveal a headset at WWDC, it could be the first of several devices. Reports have suggested Apple is working on AR glasses as well as a more affordable VR-type headset. CNET’s Scott Stein says that Apple’s first-gen AR/VR headset is unlikely to be the iPhone maker’s end goal, and is likely more “a sort of foot in the door.”

    Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

  • Get the Xbox Series X and an Elite 2 Controller for $580 (Save $100)

    Get the Xbox Series X and an Elite 2 Controller for $580 (Save $100)

    Ready for next-gen gaming? If you still haven’t gotten your hands on the Xbox Series X console from Microsoft and are looking for a deal, check out this bundle at Verizon. Right now you can get your hands on an Xbox Series X console and an Elite 2 controller in one bundle and save $100 in the process, bringing the price down to $580. (And you don’t need to have Verizon service to take advantage of this deal.) We don’t know how long this offer will last, so we recommend making your purchase sooner rather than later.

    The Xbox Series X is Microsoft’s flagship console right now. It offers 4K HDR gaming, custom solid-state storage, DirectX ray tracing and powerful performance. The console also supports Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. The Elite 2 controller has swappable paddles and D-pads so you can customize it to your exact preference. It also allows you to save up to three custom profiles. The Xbox Series X goes for $500 on its own and the Elite 2 controller is priced at $180 at the Microsoft Store, making this offer from Verizon a solid deal.

    Read more: Best Xbox Deals: Save on Controllers, Headsets, Hard Drives and More


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  • Free Storage Upgrade Saves You Up to $180 On Unlocked Galaxy S23 Phones

    Free Storage Upgrade Saves You Up to $180 On Unlocked Galaxy S23 Phones

    The Galaxy S23 series is the latest and greatest in Samsung’s flagship lineup, with multiple models claiming a spot on our list of the best phones overall for 2023. If you’re looking to get your hands on one, right now you can get a free storage upgrade at Amazon. That scores you the 256GB model of the Galaxy S23 for $800, which is $60 off and matches the price of the 128GB model. You can also snag the 512GB S23 Plus for $1,000 ($120 off) and the 512GB S23 Ultra for $1,200 ($180 off).

    These discounts are also available on unlocked models, which means you don’t have to sign up with a service plan right away. There’s no set expiration for these deals, so get your order in soon if you don’t want to miss out on these savings.

    If you’re just after the basics, you can snag the Galaxy S23, which we named the best small Android phone on the market in 2023. It has a 6.1-inch AMOLED display, and the 256GB model comes with 8GB of RAM. Or, if you prefer a larger screen, you can upgrade to the 6.6-inch Galaxy S23 Plus for $1,000. The step-up 512GB model comes with 8GB of RAM, and it features a larger 4,700-mAh battery for all-day use.

    And if you’re after the best of the best, you can grab the Galaxy S23 Ultra for $1,200, which we named the best premium Android phone for 2023. With the step-up 512GB model, you also get an extra 4GB of RAM, bumping the total up to 12GB. In addition to the larger 6.8-inch AMOLED display, the S23 Ultra also features a stunning 200-megapixel rear camera rather than the 50-megapixel camera found on the other models, and comes with Samsung’s S Pen stylus included for easy note-taking, navigation and more.

    And if you’re looking for a different model, you can check out our roundup of all the best phone deals for bargains on iPhones, Pixels and more.


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