The Nothing Phone 1 launched earlier this year as an affordable iPhone SE-rivaling 5G device with an eye-catching LED design, but it was available only in Europe and the UK. Now the phone is coming to the US, though as part of an internal testing program, so don’t expect it to grace store shelves just yet.
The Nothing Phone 1 will arrive on American shores as a “testing program” for the Nothing OS 1.5 Beta, the company’s custom version of Android 13, CEO Carl Pei tweeted. It’s unclear how people will be able to request a Nothing Phone 1 or whether they can purchase or retain it beyond the testing phase. Nothing didn’t respond to a request for comment by time of publication.
Despite launching the phone outside America, Pei, who co-founded OnePlus before leaving to helm Nothing, had repeated his interest in bringing the phone to the US market. Nothing had been in early conversations with US carriers to launch the Nothing Phone 1 in the states, but the company needed more time and technical support to configure the software tweaks carriers required, Pei told CNBC earlier this month. These early talks could lead to a future device launching in the US, he said.
It’s unclear if this testing phase will be tied to those carrier negotiations.
According to my eyes (and my wallet), if you’re looking for the best value on a new computer monitor, you’ll want to be shopping for a 27-inch QHD display or a 32-inch UHD display. These monitors are going to offer the biggest bang for your buck in terms of screen size, resolution and price. Just about any model with these specs is going to produce a satisfactorily sharp picture for the size of the panel while still retaining a reasonable price.
My current monitor is a 27-inch QHD (quad HD or 2,560×1,440-pixel resolution) monitor that I bought for $250, but I did nearly go with a 32-inch UHD (ultra HD or 3,840×2,160-pixel) display that would have offered more room and more pixels for only a bit more money. Between these two different sizes, you can easily find a screen to perfectly fit your desk space, your work needs and, most importantly, your budget. The world’s creatives, hobbyists and professional gamers who worry about color gamut and refresh rates might find that they need a higher-end screen than you’ll find on our list, but these displays are big enough for most needs, and with sufficient pixel density to produce a sharp, quality image.
Be sure to check out CNET’s monitor buying guide for more info, and keep updated on the best deals I currently see among 27-inch QHD and 32-inch UHD displays. I will continue to keep this story updated as pricing fluctuates and I uncover better deals, so check back often.
Best 27-inch monitor deals
These 27-inch models feature QHD resolution and give you more screen real estate than a 24-inch, FHD (full HD or 1,920×1,080 pixels) display, and better resolution, too. And it gives you all of that for not too much more money. You might also come across 27-inch 4K displays in your search. Those displays offer a certain quality worth consideration, but in my experience, a QHD or 2K resolution is more than sufficient when stretched across a 27-inch panel.
This is the model I ended up buying on Amazon after shopping around. I got it for a reasonable $250, and it’s $50 less than that right now. It’s an IPS panel with a QHD resolution, a rated 350 nits of brightness and thin screen bezels. I like the simple stand, although I wish it offered height support. Most monitors at this price, however, don’t offer height adjustment, so I can live without it. It doesn’t have internal speakers, but those are generally terrible and not something I’d ever use when I have a Bluetooth speaker in my home office. It has one DisplayPort and two HDMI ports, giving the flexibility to connect to a variety of PCs and laptops. I’ve got no complaints about its image, which I find to be sufficiently bright and crisp.
The 32-inch version of this monitor is even less if you want to size up.
I’m unfamiliar with the Koorui name but this monitor gets favorable reviews on Amazon and is priced at $170 with a $40 discount. That’s rare for a 27-inch monitor with a QHD resolution. Most budget monitors are rated for a dull 250 nits of brightness, but this Koorui model is rated for a more adequate 300 nits. It’s labeled as a gaming monitor because it has a 144Hz refresh rate that’s speedier than the typical 60Hz refresh rate and also features AMD FreeSync. It’s out of stock at the moment so you might have to wait for a few days or weeks for it to return.
This 27-inch HP features a QHD resolution, a speedy 165Hz refresh rate and AMD FreeSync technology for fluid action while gaming. Plus, it has low blue light to protect your eyes, without sacrificing color accuracy. The stand provides height, tilt and swivel adjustment. It’s $50 off at Amazon.
You can get this 27-inch Pixio monitor for a reasonable $245 at Amazon when you apply the $15 instant coupon on the product page that reduces the price at checkout. It features a QHD resolution along with AMD FreeSync and a speedy 144Hz refresh rate if you want to use it for gaming in addition to work. It’s rated for an ample 350 nits of brightness, so it should be a bit brighter than the Acer and Koorui models above.
The highlight of this ViewSonic model is its USB 3.2 Type-C port, which means you can connect a MacBook and other laptops with a USB-C port (but not HDMI) to the monitor without an adapter or special conversion cable. It also supplies both HDMI and DisplayPort connections along with AMD FreeSync and is rated for 300 nits of brightness. It’s currently $20 off at Amazon and you can take an additional $40 off at checkout.
This Samsung model has a relatively low max brightness of 270 nits, making it a better fit for a basement den or otherwise low-light room than for a sun-drenched office. It features AMD FreeSync, two HDMI ports, one DisplayPort and a headphone jack, but no USB ports. It’s currently $90 off, dropping its price to a very reasonable $250.
This is one of the more affordable 32-inch 4K monitors and features HDMI and DisplayPort connections, a 300-nit brightness rating, and built-in speakers. It also supports HDR10 and AMD FreeSync and comes wrapped in a compact if basic package with thin bezels.
This LG is similar to the above two monitors — 32-inch 4K display with FreeSync and built-in speakers — but is the brightest of the trio with a rating of 350 nits. It’s $30 off at LG right now and can sometimes be found with an $80 discount.
At 32 inches, a curved display starts to become an option and not just for gamers. A curved display lets you sit closer without needing to crane your head as much to see the whole screen. This curved Dell display features a gentle 1,800R curvature along with AMD FreeSync and integrated speakers. It also boasts a wealth of adjustability with tilt, swivel and height adjustment. It has a bounty of connectivity with two HDMI ports, one DisplayPort connection, two USB-A ports, a USB-B port and headphone jack. And it’s currently $30 off at Amazon.
Love shopping online but don’t have time to compare prices or search for promo codes? Our CNET Shopping extension does that for you, so you always get the best price.
Thanks to the Nintendo Switch, iPads, phones, VR headsets, and a ton of new gaming handhelds, I’m not gaming on my TV much anymore. In fact, gaming seems to be everywhere else other than the big panel hanging on my wall. Of course, that’s been the case before 2022. But thanks to the arrival of the Steam Deck and other handheld hardware, it feels like something’s finally happening that I’ve been waiting on for years: gaming tech is starting to become Switchified. I dreamed this would happen back in 2017.
Valve’s Steam Deck was the biggest new handheld arrival by far this year, and its popularity stands out on several fronts: as a gaming PC, it shows how software is finally starting to get more flexible and mobile, hopping between screens in a way that felt well overdue. But also, as another vehicle for streaming game services, it shows how gaming tech is starting to unbundle in a lot of strange ways.
The Nintendo Switch remains an aging, but strong, console. Mobile gaming feels like it’s starting to accelerate, thanks to cloud streaming apps and more excellent game controller cases, plus developments from mobile chip manufacturers like Qualcomm and new gaming tablets like the Razer Edge. Similarly, Logitech’s G Cloud handheld, arriving recently, is another flavor of mobile: a type of Android-based mobile device, but made to lean on game streaming.
Can we also count VR headsets as handhelds? No, not really, although future devices like the Pimax Portal show some possibility for handhelds and VR to dovetail in ways you may not have been thinking about.
Here’s why it all matters.
Nintendo Switch, Panic Playdate, Analogue Pocket, Steam Deck: they’re all signs of gaming’s handheld resurgence.
composite by Sarah Tew/CNET
Steam Deck: PCs can be handhelds now
Valve’s Steam Deck did it. The handheld Steam-compatible game system seemed like an impossible dream before it launched, but the hardware really does play tons of PC games well, and has proven to be one of the biggest gaming surprises of this year.
Valve doing it shows how other manufacturers could give it a go, too: in fact, companies like Dell and Razer already have, in a sense, via previous prototype experiments. The Steam Deck lives, though, and now there’s no reason not to make more of them.
The Steam Deck’s easy sleep/wake functions and its TV docking make it feel every bit as modular as a Switch, even if its controllers don’t detach. It’s the flexibility of the Steam Deck’s OS that shows a lot more promise. Running a variety of games or even apps, and being able to stream games, gives it the possibilities that we’d hoped the Nintendo Switch might gain someday. The Switch’s older processor limits what it can do, but the Steam Deck advances those ideas five years forward. Really, we knew this already with phones in our pockets that are as powerful as laptops, but gaming handhelds can do a lot more at also being full-fledged machines to connect to a much more cross-platform world.
I’m really curious where Valve goes next: in particular, to VR. Valve’s been active in VR for years, and is expected to make its own standalone “Deckard” VR headset in the near future. Could a new Steam Deck be compatible? It seems more than likely.
The Logitech G Cloud emphasizes game streaming. More handhelds will.
Lori Grunin/CNET
Stream Machines: Games can live anywhere
In a sense, Logitech’s G Cloud handheld and the Razer Edge tablet have a lot in common. CNET didn’t love the G Cloud, but the idea of it — an Android tablet with controls and the ability to stream games — is like a custom-made version of what you can already do with a phone or tablet and a game controller. The Razer Edge feels like a more advanced version of a similar idea, building a modular tablet with controllers around a higher-powered Qualcomm processor that’s capable of running games better, but also of streaming games as well.
These both remind me of the promises made way back by the Nvidia Shield, a tablet that was way ahead of its time and began to play with game streaming back in 2014.
Streaming games have finally come of age, both in the cloud and locally from console to handhelds. You may very well be doing this already with your phone or tablet. But, between the rise of very good game controller cases like the Backbone One and Razer Kishi and these types of specific standalone devices, it looks like mobile options could be multiplying.
The Analogue Pocket (left) and the Panic Playdate (right). These handhelds made me rediscover games both old and indie, outside traditional app stores.
Scott Stein/CNET
Analogue Pocket and Panic Playdate: Rise of the new indies
Analogue’s ultimate retro handheld, the Pocket, and Panic’s crazy crank-enabled Playdate are very different pieces of hardware. Yet, they both point to a similar trend in gaming. The Pocket plays original Game Boy, Game Boy Advance and even Sega Game Gear game cartridges (with an adapter), and can run virtual hardware cores to recreate other game platforms. The Panic Playdate has its own season of included indie games that beam onto the handheld via Wi-Fi once a week. Both, however, can also sideload indie efforts made to run specifically on these systems.
Gaming portals like itch.io have become my most-visited places, as I check to see what experimental games people make available for Pocket or Playdate. Indie game designers create amazing efforts for all sorts of platforms: you don’t need a Playdate or Pocket for them. But these systems feel like vehicles that are ready to bring more indie efforts to life, and both feel like they’re living entirely outside of the world of the big game studios and hardware manufacturers. Maybe there’s room for more experimentation like this.
The Quest 2 is standalone. Future VR and AR headsets will likely dovetail even more with handheld devices.
James Martin/CNET
Could VR and AR be a doorway to more?
Arriving soon, the Pimax Portal is a curious sign of how tech could merge. Pimax, a manufacturer of VR headsets, is making a Switch-like Android gaming handheld that can also dock into a VR headset, becoming a handheld and standalone VR system all at once. It’s a return to the “VR goggles” concepts of early phone-based hardware like the Samsung Gear VR and Google’s Daydream, but in a potentially far more optimized and advanced format. I haven’t tried the Portal yet, but am really curious to. It’s an idea I could see more companies trying out, especially if it works better than those old limited-motion phone goggles.
Many upcoming VR headsets and AR glasses will start connecting with phones and smaller puck-like processors: the Magic Leap 2 is made this way, and Qualcomm’s next wave of AR glasses are designed to work with phones. Valve’s rumored standalone VR headset, Deckard, could possibly do the same with future Steam Decks.
Maybe Apple has similar plans in mind for how its VR headset will work with its phones and iPads. As headsets get smaller, more glasses-like, and lean on passthrough cameras and AR more, handheld accessories like game systems seem like a natural fit.
Nintendo had the right idea by making those Switch controllers slide off and work as little motion-sensitive magic wands…maybe the future of mobile gaming has been right in front of us all along.
The Razer Edge, a 2023 device we’re expecting soon.
Razer
Where this leads to in 2023
We’re already overdue for a truly new Nintendo Switch, and the Steam Deck seems bound for a sequel (although maybe not in 2023). We know a new wave of stand-alone VR headsets is on its way, and new phones and tablets are perpetual givens. The success of the Steam Deck, in particular, seems to open the door in ways that should impact both PC and console gaming. The Steam Deck was announced back in the middle of 2021, which means competitors have had a long time to prepare. But I’m also excited to see where truly decoupled indie gaming hardware could go: The Pocket and Playdate show all sorts of ways handhelds could live beyond traditional app store gateways. Cloud-connected gaming opens new pathways across hardware, too. It’s time for any mobile hardware to be more aware and flexible in its gaming strategies, because all the pieces are there. Of course, the handheld game system you’re most likely to be using in 2023 is your phone, but expect more dedicated gaming hardware to push the boundaries, too.
The Brock Purdy Show heads to Seattle tonight for Thursday Night Football. The last pick in last year’s draft, Purdy was thrust into the starting lineup two weeks ago when 49ers starting QB Jimmy Garoppolo was lost for the rest of the season with a broken foot. Purdy has won both of his starts, but tonight will be his first game on the road. The 49ers (9-4) have won six straight to take control of the NFC West, while Seattle (7-6) sits in second place and is battling for a Wild Card spot with four games remaining. Kickoff is set for 5:15 p.m. PT (8:15 p.m. ET) tonight with the game streaming nationally on Prime Video, and for free on Twitch.
Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers face the Seattle Seahawks tonight on Thursday Night Football.
Cooper Neill/Getty Images
Here’s how to watch the 49ers-Seahawks game this evening, as well as the rest of the NFL season, without cable.
Thursday Night Football Streaming: Amazon Prime Video, Twitch and NFL Plus
In past years, Thursday Night Football games were shown on Prime Video but were also available on Fox or NFL Network. This year, the games on Thursday nights will be available nationally on Amazon’s platforms, giving NFL fans more incentive than free two-day shipping to sign up for an Amazon Prime account for $15 a month or $139 a year. You can also subscribe only to Prime Video for $9 a month.
Fans in the local market of each team playing on Thursday night will be able to watch on an over-the-air station, while those who don’t pay for either of Amazon’s services can watch for free on Prime Video’s Twitch channel (Twitch is also owned by Amazon).
If you subscribe to NFL Plus, the league’s $5-per-month streaming service, you can also stream the game without subscribing to Prime or Prime Video. Note that NFL Plus viewing is limited to watching on just a phone or tablet, not on a computer or TV.
Can I watch Thursday Night Football on local TV?
You can. Front Office Sports’ A.J. Perez has put together a handy list of which local channels in which market will broadcast Thursday Night Football games when their respective teams are playing. For this week, that’s KTVU Fox 2 in San Francisco and KCPQ Fox 13 in Seattle.
What are my streaming options for NFL games in 2022?
Paying for cable is the easiest solution, but not the cheapest. For cord-cutters looking to save some money, NFL football streaming options can get a bit complicated, with games played across three different days and nights each week on different channels and streaming services.
Most NFL games are played on Sunday, with a game each week on Thursday night and another each week on Monday night. On Sundays, games start at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) and 4 p.m. ET (1 p.m. ET), with most AFC teams on CBS and most NFC teams on Fox.
Although the first Thursday night game was on NBC, as mentioned above the rest of the games for Thursday Night Football will be shown on Amazon’s Prime Video and Twitch platforms. Unlike last season, Prime Video is now the exclusive home to Thursday Night Football and the games are no longer available on Fox or NFL Network (though the games will be available on TV in teams’ local markets).
As in previous seasons, Monday Night Football games will be on ESPN. In addition, NFL Network will show three international games played in London and Munich this season.
All five of the live TV streaming services carry ESPN and Fox, and all but Sling TV carry CBS. All but DirecTV Stream carry NFL Network. For the games on CBS and Fox, keep in mind that not every service carries every local network, so check each one using the links below to make sure it carries CBS and Fox in your area.
In addition to Prime Video, there are three other streaming services that cord-cutting NFL fans should consider. The paid Premium plan of Paramount Plus will show CBS games on Sundays, and the paid Premium plan of Peacock will show NBC’s broadcasts of Sunday Night Football.
Wait, there’s one more streaming service to consider this year. The NFL is launching a new streaming service for watching games on your phone or tablet — no casting to your TV. In past years, you could do this for free with the Yahoo Sports app, but now you’ll need to pay $5 a month or $40 for the season for the NFL Plus app. With it, you’ll be able to watch every local game on Sunday and the national games on Sunday, Monday and Thursday nights as well as the playoffs and Super Bowl — again, only on your phone or tablet.
Lastly, there’s NFL RedZone, a channel that springs to life each fall and shows live NFL action during the Sunday afternoon games. It pops in and out of the live games and attempts to show each touchdown scored in each game. RedZone is available as an add-on on four of the five major live TV streaming services — all but DirecTV Stream.
Best for everything: YouTube TV ($65)
Sarah Tew/CNET
Our pick from the last two years remains our go-to choice in 2022.
At $65 per month each, YouTube TV checks all the NFL boxes. Local channels CBS, NBC and Fox are included in many markets, and ESPN and the NFL Network are also included so you can watch Sundays and Monday nights. The next best options are FuboTV and Hulu Plus Live TV; both offer the same channels as YouTube TV for NFL fans, but for $70 a month.
Want to follow your fantasy team with RedZone? That’s available on all three services as part of an add-on. If you’re a YouTube TV subscriber, you can add the $11 per month Sports Plus add-on by clicking on your profile and going to Settings, then the Membership tab. FuboTV subscribers can go into My Profile and choose Manage Add-ons to get its $11-per-month Sports Plus with NFL RedZone offering. And Hulu users can now add RedZone for $10 per month with its Sports add-on.
Both YouTube TV and FuboTV allow three people to watch at once (Hulu allows two live streams) and all three have apps on nearly every mobile device and major streaming platform, including Amazon Fire TV, Google TV, Roku and Apple TV.
While all three are largely similar, we like YouTube TV for its superior DVR — unlimited storage compared with 30 hours on FuboTV and 50 hours on Hulu. We also like YouTube TV because it gives you an option to stream in 4K for an extra $20 a month. FuboTV does, too, with its $80-a-month Elite plan. Keep in mind that only Fox and NBC offer 4K NFL broadcasts; CBS and ESPN do not.
DirecTV Stream offers the main broadcast channels for NFL games, but it starts at $70 per month and lacks NFL Network and RedZone.
Sling TV’s Orange and Blue plan for $55 a month gets you ESPN and the NFL Network, and, in select major markets, Fox and/or NBC, but you’ll still lack CBS. You can also add RedZone for $11 per month with the Sports Extra add-on.
The cheapest way to stream NFL RedZone
NFL RedZone shows every touchdown scored during the Sunday afternoon games each week.
Rob Carr/Getty Images
A frequent fan-favorite method of following all the NFL action on Sundays, RedZone is a way to catch every big play around the league. The cheapest road to RedZone is to get Sling TV Blue for $40 per month and add the $11 per month Sports Extra add-on.
This option can also be streamed on a host of devices including iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV and web browsers.
Note: If you only subscribe to Sling’s Orange package you won’t be able to get RedZone in Sports Extra. Your base package needs to be either Sling Blue or its larger Sling Blue Plus Orange bundle for you to be able to get RedZone as an add-on. If you choose the latter, the Sports Extra add-on is $15 per month as you will also get additional channels like the SEC Network, ACC Network and PAC 12 Network.
If you mainly plan to watch on a phone, you can also check out RedZone Mobile, which is in the NFL app. This is a separate subscription from NFL Plus and runs $35 for the season (which breaks down to around $7.78 per month for the roughly four-and-a-half months of regular season football). While this is one of the cheapest ways to get RedZone, be aware that — similar to NFL Plus — you will not be able to AirPlay or Chromecast it onto a larger screen and will need to watch on your phone.
Budget alternative for NFC fans in big cities: Sling Blue ($40) or an antenna ($20 one-time)
Sarah Tew/CNET
Those looking to save some cash might want to check out Sling Blue for $40 a month. While it lacks ESPN, meaning you’ll miss out on Monday Night Football, in select markets you’ll be able to get Fox and NBC. The catch is that those markets are mainly in big cities, so if you live outside one of those areas, Sling Blue might not be for you.
You can also add RedZone through the company’s $11-a-month Sports Extra add-on.
Fox broadcasts most NFC games on Sundays, while NBC has Sunday Night Football. CBS, which broadcasts the bulk of AFC games, isn’t included on Sling at all. But an antenna can fill those local channel gaps without a monthly charge.
Budget alternatives for AFC fans: Paramount Plus (or an antenna)
Sarah Tew/CNET
There are some apps that offer CBS’ slate of Sunday AFC games live, including Paramount Plus’ Premium tier for $10 a month. Depending on where you live, however, your local CBS station (and those NFL games) might not be available. CBS offers livestreaming services in many markets; you can check for yourself if your area has live CBS streaming here.
An antenna is another option for getting CBS. And as we mentioned above, an over-the-air antenna connected to your TV provides another option, no streaming or monthly fee required, as long as you have good reception.
What about Sunday Ticket?
For one more season, NFL Sunday Ticket is still largely limited to DirecTV satellite subscribers. While that is expected to change in 2023, those who live in buildings that can’t add a satellite dish can already get a streaming version to watch football starting at $294 for its To Go package for the season, or $396 for a Max package that includes the RedZone channel (a student version is also available at a discount). You can check your address on the Sunday Ticket site. Both packages have a one-week free trial.
The problem here, however, is that even if you’re eligible, it doesn’t include local games. You can only watch Sunday games that aren’t being broadcast on CBS, Fox or NBC in your area. They also won’t be helpful come playoff time — as you’ll need your local stations and ESPN to catch all those games.
Thursday Night games, starting with Week 2, will be available only on Amazon Prime Video (plus the local TV stations in the market of each team playing). For millions of Amazon Prime subscribers, the Prime Video channel is already included at no extra cost. But if you’re not a subscriber, it might be worth it to shell out the$9 a month for the stand-aloneTV service fee.
For $65 a month, you’ll get all the major football channels with YouTube TV. Plus, RedZone is available for an extra $11 per month. Plug in your ZIP code on YouTube TV’s welcome page to see which local networks are available in your area.
Sling TV’s $40-a-month Blue plan includes NBC, Fox and the NFL Network. Enter your address to see which local channels are available where you live. NFL RedZone is also available for an extra $11 a month.
Note: This version of Sling TV doesn’t include ESPN. For that, you’ll need to switch to the similarly priced Orange plan or go for the combined $55-a-month Orange and Blue bundle. With the combined plan, RedZone is an extra $15 a month.
Those looking for CBS games will be able to stream them on Paramount Plus with its $10 monthly Premium tier. You can check for yourself if your area has live CBS streaming.
If you’re like me, then music is an absolute necessity when you’re out on a run. But when you’re out on the street with cars, bikes and other hazards whizzing by, you also want to make sure you’re aware of your surrounding. Bone conduction headphone offer the best of both worlds, and right now you can snag our favorite pair of 2022 at a discount. Today only, Best Buy has steel blue color variant of the Shokz OpenRun Pro headphones on sale for $140, which saves you $40 compared to the usual price. This deal 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.
The Shokz OpenRun Pros are one of our overall favorite pairs of running headphones on the market in 2022. They’re lightweight and have an open-ear design that allows you to listen to your music while also being able to hear everything happening around your. They’re even equipped with unique bass enhancers built into the transducers to provide clear audio so you can hear every beat and note. They also have an impressive 10-hour battery life on a single charge, and an IP55 water-resistance rating, so they’re protected against sweat and rain. They support Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity, and with the Shokz companion app, you can choose between two different preset EQ settings for optimized listening.
And for more great audio bargains, you can check out our roundup of all the best headphone and earbud deals you can shop right now.
Apple makes some of the best laptops and tablets on the market, but they certainly aren’t the cheapest. If you want to score a recent Apple device without breaking the bank, often refurbished sales are the way to go. For a limited time, Woot is heavily discounting several MacBook and iPad models with prices from as little as $125, making now the perfect time to upgrade your gear.
According to Woot, you should expect the majority of these refurbished models to show moderate signs of wear and tear, but all have been tested and ensured to be in full working condition. So if you can live with some dings and scrapes, this is a chance to snag a top-rated computer or tablet at a major discount. There are also a couple of brand new items in the sale which are clearly marked as such.
Though some of the devices in Woot’s sale are a little long in the tooth and best to avoid, there are plenty of recent models to choose from. On the Mac side of things, you’ll find the powerful MacBook Pro from 2019 with prices from just $520. It comes in both 13-inch and 16-inch sizes and there are a few different configurations to choose from to suit your needs and budget. A variety of ultraportable MacBook and MacBook Air devices are also available for less.
Those looking for a tablet are spoiled for choice, too. The sale offers brand new 2020 iPad and iPad Air models from $520, though the pick of the sale is the refurbished 2021 iPad Pro at $800 — close to $500 off its original retail price. Having only just been replaced by the M2 model, the M1-powered iPad Pro is still powerful enough for advanced workflows and it supports the Apple Pencil 2 and Magic Keyboard accessories. It’s 12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR display with mini-LED simply gorgeous, too.
Which tablets have the best price?
Use our CNET Shopping extension to compare top products or find coupon codes before buying your next tablet.
Facebook Memories are usually good for a laugh, a cringe (the mid-2000s, right?) or a fond recollection. However, the daily memories can go back more than a decade depending on how long you’ve used Facebook, and it’s likely there’s more than a few we’d like to forget.
Instead of being caught off-guard by regrettable memories, you can customize your Facebook settings to hide them. Here’s how to do it:
1. Open the Facebook app on your phone
2. Tap the Settings bars in the top-right corner of the screen
3. Choose Memories
4. Tap the Gear icon in the top-right corner
5. You can choose between All Memories, Highlights or None. All Memories means Facebook will show you all your memories from that day, Highlights will only show you special videos and collections, and None means you won’t get notifications for any memories.
If you want something more specific, you can choose to hide memories involving specific users and date ranges. Follow the steps above, but instead tap People and type in a user’s name that you want to hide from your memories. The user(s) won’t be notified, and your selections are saved automatically.
Follow the same steps to hide date ranges, but in this case tap Dates. From there, you can enter almost any span of time — a day, a week, month or an entire year — going back in time to well before 2000. When you’re done, tap Save.
When I think of foldable phones, I picture a large device that’s too cumbersome to carry around. Oppo’s latest foldable phone, the Find N2, is beginning to change my mind.
The Chinese company’s new phone, announced Wednesday, is the lightest foldable device you can find — even compared to its biggest rival, the Galaxy Z Fold 4. It’s also the shortest foldable I’ve ever used.
Foldable phones seem to be inherently chunky, which is one of their major shortcomings, but Oppo has made impressive progress with the Find N2. It’s 42 grams (42!) lighter than its predecessor, the Find N. Oppo credits its upgraded “Flexion” hinge with helping create a lightweight phone. Oppo says it reduced the number of components required to build the hinge and introduced materials like carbon fiber and a “high-strength alloy” used in the aviation industry.
Apart from its practical size, the Find N2 includes all the trappings of a 2022 foldable flagship. It has a powerful Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset, two equally responsive displays, fast charging and solid cameras. However, there’s no official IP rating for water- and dust-resistance, and you probably won’t be able to buy this phone, even if you’re interested. The Find N2 is currently earmarked for a China-only release. Oppo has also launched a new flip phone, similar to the Galaxy Z Flip 4, however, and it’s expected to receive an international release in the coming months. There was no pricing available for the Find N2 at the time of this writing.
The cover display of the Find N2 has a 120 Hz refresh rate, which is the same as the inner screen.
Sareena Dayaram/CNET
The Find N2 is a shortie
The Find N2’s design is similar to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4’s in that it’s a book-style foldable phone. However, one key difference is that the Find N2 feels much more compact. The Find N2 is almost 1 inch shorter than the Z Fold 4. Think iPhone 13 Mini in terms of height, but backed with double the thickness. It also has a different aspect ratio of 17.7:9. This means when you unfold the Find N2, it morphs into a squarish screen as opposed to the more rectangular display seen on the Z Fold 4.
The Find N2 is the lightest commercially available foldable phone. At 233 grams, the Find N2 is 30 grams lighter than the Z Fold 4. It also weighs less than the iPhone 14 Pro Max by a few grams. This lightweight design makes it easier to deal with the inherent heft of a foldable phone.
All these qualities make for a more portable foldable phone. I feel more comfortable storing it in my pocket without worrying that it might fall or stick out. This square-like screen also makes the Find N2 stand out from Samsung and Huawei’s competing devices despite the many similarities between these phones.
The Find N2 has a nearly creaseless display
Oppo admits the Find N2’s main display has a crease, but it’s hardly discernible. In my short time with the Find N2, I hardly ever saw or felt the crease. In fact, I needed to maneuver the screen to just that right angle (in a bright room) to see it. While a completely creaseless phone is ideal, the Find N2’s didn’t bother me at all. As for durability, Oppo says the Find N2 has been tested up to 400,000 folds.
The Find N’s inner screen measures 7.1 inches and offers a 120Hz refresh rate Meanwhile, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 has a 7.6-inch inner display. The Find N2 also has a 5.5-inch AMOLED outer screen, which might feel short if you’re used to taller phones.
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The Find N2 has a triple-lens rear camera
The Find N2 has a polished Hasselblad-branded camera module. There are three rear cameras: a 50-megapixel main camera, a 48-megapixel ultrawide and a 32-megapixel telephoto lens. In general, the Find N2 took impressively bright photos even in low-light environments. It was also great to have a telephoto camera capable of a 2x optical zoom, which is 1x less than the Z Fold. There is also support for 10-bit RAW and full manual control with Hasselblad interface elements.
Like its foldable rival from Samsung, the Find N2 has an amusing feature that lets you use the cover screen as a viewfinder for taking selfies with the rear camera. That’s a big deal because front-facing cameras are usually lower quality than the main cameras on the back of the phone.
FlexForm mode in action on the camera app.
Sareena Dayaram/CNET
Oppo’s Find N2 also has a feature called FlexForm Mode, which moves the app you’re using to the top of the screen while displaying the controls at the bottom when the phone is half open. This allows you to place the camera on a surface — say a table — and capture a subject from a top-down angle. In my case, I used it to take pictures of my dog sleeping on the floor and ended up getting some cool images from a lower angle. I wouldn’t have been able to capture that shot as easily with a regular, non-folding phone. Samsung’s foldable phones also have a similar software option called Flex Mode.
Taken using FlexForm mode.
Sareena Dayaram/CNET
Taken indoors with sunlight pouring through the window.
Sareena Dayaram/CNET
This is a tricky environment for the camera since there is bright light just behind the subject. The Christmas tree looks darker than it actually is in real life.
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Zooming in past the Christmas tree, past the windows and into the outside environment.
Sareena Dayaram/CNET
20x zoom example.
Sareena Dayaram/CNET
I haven’t thoroughly tested the Find N2, but Oppo’s second foldable phone impressed me during the short time I spent with it. The Find N2 has a refreshingly compact design for a foldable, two sharp screens, dependable cameras, and fast charging. With its shorter design, the Find N2 proves it’s possible to design a phone with a tablet-sized screen that’s still portable. The squarish shape also differentiates the Find N2 from its main Android rival, the Galaxy Z Fold 4. It’s a shame the Find N2 will only be available in China — at least for now.
If there’s one thing I know it’s that photographers are always happy to get more gear. From the best cameras from Canon, Sony or Nikon to new lenses, bags or tripods, there’s no shortage of things a photographer would love. That makes it easy to buy gifts for them. If you need a little help finding the right thing, here are the best gifts for serious photographers in 2022.
But with so much choice of items from a huge number of brands to sift through, finding just the right gift to suit them isn’t always straightforward. To help you find the ideal gift for the photographer in your life (or yourself), we’ve rounded up our top picks of the best cameras, tripods, drones, action cameras and photography accessories. Whether they’re a keen landscape photographer or a budding YouTuber, we’ve got gift ideas to fit all budgets.
Nikon’s Z50 packs a smaller APS-C sized image sensor into a small and lightweight body, which makes it excellent for chucking into a little backpack and heading out on your travels. Its 20.9-megapixel sensor takes good-looking images, with excellent detail and enough dynamic range in the raw files to pull back highlights or lift shadows.
There’s no in-body image stabilization (you’ll need to splash more cash for that) but its 11 frames per second burst shooting rate should help you score a sharp image. It shoots 4K video at up to 30 frames per second and its tilting rear LCD will help get shots in more awkward angles.
Nikon currently offers only three lenses designed for its APS-C DX-format camera which isn’t a wide selection — although the wide zoom ranges available will likely suit beginners well. It does use the same Z-mount for its lenses as Nikon’s FX-format cameras like the Z7 II, however, so you can always use those professional-standard lenses on this camera. That said, the higher prices of those lenses will somewhat negate the affordability of the Z50 itself.
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Canon’s EOS R5 has a slew of great features, including its amazing image stabilization, lightning-fast autofocus and quick burst shooting. But the R5’s standout feature is its ability to shoot video in 8K resolution. While not everyone will need that many pixels, 8K can give a lot more scope for cropping and creative editing, making it a great choice for the dedicated videographer who’s looking for the best camera gear.
Sony’s vlogging-focused ZV-1 is small enough to fit into a pocket, packs a flip-out screen so you can see if you’re in the frame when you’re talking to your audience and can be bought with a handy grip that lets you easily start and stop recordings. The 4K video quality is great and while battery life could certainly be improved, we think keen YouTubers everywhere will appreciate adding this little thing to their production lineup.
With cameras like the Canon R5 capable of shooting incredibly detailed 8K video footage, you need a storage card that can keep up. Even shooting lots of bursts of still images can be taxing on your card.
ProGrade’s Cobalt CFexpress card provides write speeds up to 1,500MB/s, which will keep up easily with your video shooting needs and far outstrips the speeds offered by older SD cards. And with capacities up to 650GB in size, you don’t need to worry about running out space when you’re out in the field.
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Although not the latest model, GoPro’s Hero 10 Black still offers up 120 frames per second footage at 4K resolution, which is great for slowing down the action. Its stabilization is superb and the overall video quality looks glorious. But as it’s a previous-generation model you can typically pick it up for a good deal less than the current Hero 11.
DJI’s smallest drone can be squeezed comfortably into a jacket pocket, but its camera is capable of taking beautiful videos and photos thanks to its 4K resolution and ability to shoot still images in raw format. It’s very easy to fly too, making it a great option for beginners, or more enthusiastic aerial photographers who want to travel as light possible. We’re linking to the Fly More Combo below, which includes extra batteries and other niceties, but you can save by buying the basic drone kit.
Better known for its drones, DJI’s Mic setup is a superb wireless audio recording solution in a really neat package. The kit comes with a receiver that sits on your camera and two separate wireless mics — one for you, one for your friend, perhaps. In our experience, the connection is strong and stable and the audio quality is superb, even in high wind thanks to the supplied wind shields.
The mics are stored conveniently in a case that charges them, providing up to 15 hours of total recording time. The output can plug directly into your camera’s mic socket or you can even use it with your iPhone or Android phone using a 3.5mm adapter.
With cameras shooting stills and videos at ever-increasing resolutions, it’s easier than ever to run out of storage when you’re out in the field. Thankfully, storage doesn’t have to break the bank and this 256GB SD card from SanDisk packs a huge amount of space for your files and comes with a very reasonable price tag attached. It’s an ideal option for beginners wanting one card they never need to worry about filling up, while being cheap enough for enthusiasts to buy several to make sure they can always keep on shooting. Just make sure the camera it’s going in supports SD cards up to 256GB in size.
LowePro has been a staple of the photography bag world for years and with the ProTactic 450 it’s easy to see why. This rugged backpack opens fully from the back, although there are side and top quick-access points too. It provides a wealth of storage slots for a DSLR, multiple lenses, filters, batteries and other accessories — I even stuffed a small drone in amongst my gear.
If you can’t quite fit everything inside, you can get additional accessory pouches that attach to the outside of the case, where you can also attach your tripod. It’s comfortable to carry thanks to both chest and hip straps, it’s made of durable materials and it has a zipped compartment for laptops up to 15 inches.
Peak Design’s Travel Tripod, as it’s known, is best for exactly what its name suggests: traveling. It’s one of the best camera gear choices for those who want to travel light. The carbon fiber version weighs only 2.8 lbs (1.27kg) and packs down to only 15.4 inches (39.1cm) long, making it easy to chuck in a backpack or camera bag. The aluminum tripod model weighs 3.4 lbs (1.5kg).
Its ball head is quick and easy to use, it’s sturdy enough to hold a professional DSLR and it comes with its own grip so you can mount your phone on the tripod that tucks away inside the central column. It’s all extremely well thought-out and feels reassuringly sturdy.
Photography filters come in all shapes and sizes, but few are as well thought-out or as high quality as Polar Pro’s. With aluminum frames, each filter is sturdy, easy to hold and convenient to slot into the filter holder. The landscape set comes with a circular polarizer, two neutral density filters and a graduated neutral density filter to help balance bright skies in your landscape photos. It’s an essential set for the keen landscape photographer in your life.
The iPhone 14 Pro, Pixel 7 Pro and other top phones can shoot superb, professional-quality video, but if you want to take it to the next level, consider using a gimbal. Gimbals stabilize your hand shakes or other movements to provide smooth-looking footage without any of the wobbliness that you might expect from amateur videos.
DJI’s OM 5 has a built-in selfie stick so you can get smooth videos of yourself or you can use it to get more creative low-down angles without having to bend over. It folds down to a compact size, too, so it’s no trouble to chuck in a backpack.
The 3 Legged Thing Bucky is a super tripod for almost any photography situation. Its carbon fiber construction means it’s light enough to comfortably strap to a backpack, it packs down small but its maximum height of over 6.2 feet (191cm) makes it extremely tall too. I’ve found it brilliant for landscape photography as it’s no trouble to carry out into the hills, but I can still shoot at eye level.
Its ball head is secure enough to hold even the weightiest DSLRs with a big zoom lens attached, its legs can be detached to use as monopods, and its solid construction means you don’t need to worry about it taking a few knocks on the road. It doesn’t come cheap, but photography enthusiasts in any genre are well catered for here.
Nothing worth having in life comes easy. If you want a shiny Pokemon, you’re going to have to work for it! Thankfully, it’s actually easier to catch shiny Pokemon in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet than in previous games — but “easier” doesn’t mean “easy.”
When Pokemon spawn in Scarlet and Violet, they have about a 1 in 4,000 chance of being shiny. Those odds are no good but can be improved by three methods. Two of them are only available in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s postgame, but one strategy can be harnessed from very early on.
If you’re wanting to hunt shiny Pokemon in Scarlet and Violet, here’s what you need to know.
Pokemon outbreaks are your friend
Here’s the basic method of shiny hunting in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet that you can do no matter how early in the game you are.
First, you need to look for Pokemon outbreaks. If you look on your overworld map, you’ll see icons of Pokemon scattered across Paldea. These denote an outbreak, where an area is swamped by the Pokemon in question. (Note that if you see a question mark on your map, it’s an outbreak of a Pokemon you’ve not encountered before.)
If you’re unsatisfied by the Pokemon on offer, you can rotate the selection by doing a dodgy move. Go into your Switch’s settings and change the date and time to be a day in the future. A new day brings new Pokemon outbreaks.
Say you’re after a Magneton, and you’ve found an outbreak in Glaseado Mountain. You now need to go about killing Magneton — lots of them. Press ZR to activate Let’s Go mode, at which point your lead Pokemon will come out of its ball, then seek and destroy. This is much more efficient than engaging Pokemon one by one in standard battles. Yourodds of finding a shiny Pokemon go up once you kill 30 — and go up even more once you kill 60.
An outbreak of Magneton. Once you find an outbreak, down 60 to dramatically improve your chances of finding a shiny Pokemon.
Nintendo/Screenshot by Daniel Van Boom
Make sure you keep a tally in your head or your phone or computer. After you’ve downed 60 of a certain Pokemon, the odds of finding a shiny version of that Pokemon go from roughly 1 in 4,000 to just over 1 in 1,000.
Once you’ve killed 60, it’s shiny hunting time. Scope out the area for shinies. If there are none, setup a picnic and then pack the picnic up. Doing so resets the Pokemon in the area, giving you a new set of Pokemon in which a shiny may be lurking. Keep going until you find your prize.
It’s crucial to note that finding a shiny Pokemon often means closely inspecting it. There’s no shiny gleam around them in the open world, nor any sound or other stimuli that indicates their presence. It’s only once you initiate a battle with a shiny Pokemon that, during its opening battle animation, it’ll be shrouded in sparkles.
This method works, and can be done early in the game. But your odds of finding a shiny Pokemon can dramatically rise once you beat the main storyline.
You’re going to have to Tera Raid
If you’ve played Pokemon Scarlet and Violet for any length of time, you’ve surely participated in a few Tera Raids. These are key to hunting shiny Pokemon.Once you complete the games’ three main quests, you’ll gain access to five-star Tera Raids. In these boss encounters, you’ll take on level 75 Pokemon made even more powerful by their terastalized state, harnessing the chaotic crystal energy that flows throughout Paldea.
To maximize your odds of finding a shiny Pokémon, you need to collect Herba Mystica sandwich ingredients. Once you have the right combination, you can make sandwiches that boost your chances of finding a shiny Pokemon by 300%. To collect Herba Mystica ingredients, you need to compete five-star Tera Raids.
Unfortunately, Scarlet and Violet don’t exactly hand these out — I had to do about six of these high-level raids before I got my first Herba Mystica. Note that you can also receive Herba Mystica from six-star Tera Raids, which you unlock after beating all Paldea gym leaders for a second time and winning the Academy Ace Tournament, but your odds of getting them don’t seem higher. So it’s best to stick to the easier (but still hard) five-star Tera Raids.
Complete five- and six-star Tera Raids to collect precious Herba Mystica ingredients.
Nintendo/Screenshot by Daniel Van Boom
To give yourself a good chance at succeeding in these five-star Tera Raids, you’ll want a crew of Pokemon around levels 80 to 90. Head to the Delibird Presents shops around Paldea and collect items designed to be held in battle. Especially helpful are the Choice Band and Choice Specs, which greatly enhance your attack and special attack, respectively, and the Metronome, which empowers a move if you do it several times in a row.
Once you’ve completed a few of these five-star Terra Raids, with luck you’ll collect some Herba Mystica. They come in several varieties — sweet, salty, spicy and so on. If you make a sandwich with the right combination of ingredients, you’ll boost your rate of encountering a shiny Pokemon by 300%. The catch is that each recipe correlates to an element of Pokemon. So for instance, I wanted to hunt for a shiny Magneton, which is an electric-type Pokemon. So I created a sandwich that boosts the likelihood of finding a shiny electric Pokemon.
And to boost your odds of finding a shiny Pokemon even more, you can use the Shiny Charm item. But to get this, you have to first complete your Pokedex by catching all 400 Pokemon in Paldea. If you’ve caught all Scarlet and Violet’s Pokemon, speak to Jacq in your school’s biology lab to get the shiny Charm.
Notice the Sparkling Power Level 3 buff that improves your chances of finding a shiny Pookemon.
Nintendo/Screenshot by Daniel Van Boom
Pokemon outbreaks + sandwiches = shiny success
Now it’s time to put it all together. Once you’ve found an outbreak and killed 60 of the same Pokemon, it’s time to shiny hunt in earnest. First, pause the game, go into options and disable autosave. Then, manually save your game. Finally, craft your sandwich using your precious Herba Mystica ingredients.
Sandwich buffs in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet only last 30 minutes. The reason you’re disabling autosave and then saving before making the sandwich is so that, if you don’t encounter a shiny Pokemon within 30 minutes, you can close your game and reboot it before you used your scarce Herba Mystica resources. If you fail, you can then reset it to after you’ve killed 60 Pokemon, meaning you won’t have to go through that laborious task again.
As you’ll see once you put your sandwich together, you’ll get a 3x buff for sparkle Pokemon of a certain type (see image above), depending on the recipe you used. Now it’s time to employ the same method above: Search the area for Pokemon, reboot the Pokemon in the area by setting up and closing down a picnic, wash, rinse and repeat until you find your shiny.
The hardest part is collecting Herba Mystica from the five-star Tera Raids. Once you’ve done that, you can usually find a shiny Pokemon around an hour if you follow this method. Good luck!
