Category: Technologies

Intel’s latest generation of its Meteor Lake mobile chip architecture has been trundling down the road for so long that the announcement of the actual chips has been somewhat anticlimactic — especially since it doesn’t offer much reason for most consumers to use AI. (The goal is still selling it to software makers.)

My colleague Stephen Shankland and I have already covered the new low-power E-core, which is intended to run light sustained workloads (think video streaming) without hitting the battery as much as the regular old E-cores. We understand why this AI push is so important to Intel’s business. We know how Intel rebranded the Meteor Lake chips as Core Ultra. The chips are made using the company’s latest Intel 4 process. And Intel is last to the announcement party; AMD and Qualcomm have already planted their flags.

While the new chips have a small, two-core neural processing unit, or NPU, for AI acceleration, Intel’s AI Boost uses the CPU and GPU as well, depending upon the type of workload: The CPU is used when speed is needed and the GPU for help with generative AI workloads.

Read more: AI Helps Chipmakers Design the Very Processors That Speed Up AI

That’s why you’ll hear Intel and AMD talk about AI performance metrics — TOPS, sometimes referred to as TeraOPS, or trillion operations per second — for the combined system rather than just the NPU. For the Ultra 7 165H chip, you get roughly up to 34 TOPS with 11 TOPS for the NPU, 18 TOPS for the GPU and the rest for the CPU.

In comparison, AMD says its XDNA in the new Ryzen 8040 series performs at 39 TOPS, attributing 16 TOPS to the NPU and the remainder to the CPU and GPU. So even though NPUs are getting big buzz, they actually only carry a small part of the AI workload in these chips.

But these numbers also only paint a part of the performance picture for AI because there’s no “typical” AI workload, and at the moment, no consistent methods of implementing it — there’s still a lot of shakin’ going on in the software.

The Ultra chips inside

Today’s chips will be shipping in a lot of laptops by the end of the month, with preorders starting today. Their specs and positioning will make way for a different class of chip and laptop announcements at CES.

The usual cavalcade of companies are on board, so be ready for new and refreshed laptops from Intel’s partners, including the Acer Swift Go 14 (starting at $800 with a Core Ultra 5 and up to an Ultra 7) and the Predator Triton Neo 16 gaming laptop (with up to a Core Ultra 9 and GeForce RTX 4070, starting at $1,500). The top end of each line of the Ultra 9, Ultra 7 and Ultra 5 will ship a little later: Laptops with those chips should be available around March.

Intel continues its recent tradition of planting the H series flag in the middle of the road. It’s for when you need a little more power than you can get with the U series, which is built for the thinnest designs. H series chips are for systems where you want discrete-ish graphics and are willing to trade off power for a little more weight.

In order to qualify for Evo Edition branding — Intel’s don’t-bother-thinking-before-you-buy imprimatur for systems that use lots of the latest technologies — the systems will need to incorporate a Core Ultra.

Intel has been pretty low-key about its battery-life discussions, but the gist seems to be that it’s seeing up to a 25% increase. More battery life is always better, but that probably still leaves Intel-based laptops lagging MacBooks. Sigh.

One of the more compelling reasons to look for the new Core Ultra H or U series in your next laptop is the updated integrated graphics engine. The H series will incorporate Intel’s latest generation of Arc graphics, which finally brings the company’s integrated graphics into the 2020s, and means it might be able to take on AMD’s Radeon integrated graphics. (They’ll hopefully get faster thanks to the new 700M used in the just-announced Ryzen 8040 series laptop processors.)

Both the Arc graphics and the updated (but even more generically dubbed) “Intel Graphics” based on the next generation of Xe GPU cores, LPG, improve support for the Endurance Gaming mode. That’s Intel’s way of making you think the performance is better by using AI-augmented upscaling (XeSS, similar to Nvidia’s DLSS) to reduce the amount of power gaming takes at the expense of quality. It upscales starting at a particularly low resolution.

The new iGPUs also add support for DirectX 12 Ultimate, which means they support modern technologies like raytracing and mesh shaders — in other words, higher-quality graphics. The Xe cores also have a faster version of its DP4A engine, which helps with GPU acceleration of AI for certain types of calculation.

Mobile H- and U-series processors

	P-Cores/ max boost (GHz)	E-cores/ max boost (GHz)	LP E-cores	Total threads	Power class(base/boost watts)	GPU	GPU cores/ max boost (GHz)	Available
Core Ultra 9 185H	6/5.1	8/3.8	2	22	45/115	Arc Xe	8/2.35	Q1 2024
Core Ultra 7 165U	2/4.9	8/3.8	2	14	15-57	Xe	4/2.00	Q4 2023
Core Ultra 7 165H	6/5.0	8/3.8	2	22	28/64-115	Arc Xe	8/2.30	Q4 2023
Core Ultra 7 164U	2/4.8	8/3.8	2	14	9/30	Xe	4/1.80	Q1 2024
Core Ultra 7 155U	2/4.8	8/3.8	2	14	15-57	Xe	4/1.95	Q4 2023
Core Ultra 7 155H	6/5.0	8/3.8	2	22	28/64-115	Arc Xe	8/2.25	Q4 2023
Core Ultra 5 135U	2/4.4	8/3.6	2	14	15-57	Xe	4/1.90	Q4 2023
Core Ultra 5 135H	4/4.6	8/2.2	2	18	28/64-115	Arc Xe	7/2.20	Q4 2023
Core Ultra 5 134U	2/4.4	8/3.6	2	14	9/30	Xe	4/1.75	Q1 2024
Core Ultra 5 125U	2/4.3	8/3.6	2	14	15-57	Xe	4/1.85	Q4 2023
Core Ultra 5 125H	4/4.5	8/2.2	2	18	28/64-115	Arc Xe	7/2.20	Q4 2023

The more powerful Arc GPUs require systems with a minimum of 16GB memory, which may put a lower limit on prices. Intel makes a big deal about how much better the Arc performance is than its older GPU, but really, there’s no way it couldn’t improve on the previous generation.

Every generation brings new related capabilities. Not all laptops will support all the new features in this case, but they change the specs you should be looking for.

Core Ultra laptops should have Wi-Fi 6E support, for instance. That’s integrated into the silicon, but only a handful will offer Wi-Fi 7 at launch. Wi-Fi 7 is brand new, but it promises more stability and bandwidth, plus less channel crowding, using the 5 and 6MHz bands typical of 6E. I’ve had some problems with 6E signal detection, but when it works it’s faster than Wi-Fi 6/5, so I’m looking forward to Wi-Fi 7.

The new networking also includes support for Bluetooth 5.4, which has some new features over 5.3 — the most notable is bidirectional communications, which gives Bluetooth the potential for more sophisticated device-to-device interactions.

We’re already working on our review of an Acer Swift Go, so we’ll be back with more about how this year’s options compare to their predecessors.

Google Chrome turned 15 in September, and it is by far the most popular web browser, with 61% of market share as of November. But it’s fair to say that it’s a little boring right out of the box.

Thankfully, you don’t have to stick with the standard look. You can customize Chrome to be more colorful and useful, adjusting it to your tastes. Here’s how to change your theme, shortcuts and cards so it’s a little more fun to stare at all day.

And for more on Chrome, here’s how to copy a frame from a video without taking a screenshot, how to use all the new mobile features on Chrome and how to save your Gmail account from being deleted by Google

How to change your Chrome theme

Google’s latest update for Chrome makes it simpler to change your default desktop design from the standard white and gray color scheme. A new side panel enables you to access customization features and preview your browser design in real time, the company said Tuesday.

Here’s how you can now switch colors, background themes or other settings:

• In the Chrome browser, open a new tab.
• Click the Customize Chrome icon at the bottom of your screen.
• The side menu will then pop up and present color options and the ability to upload your own image or change the theme.
• Roughly 13 theme collections show up in the sidebar, allowing you to select options such as “Seascapes,” “Life” and “Latino Artists Collection.”

It’s a slight change. Previously you had to visit the Chrome Web Store to choose from a series of themes. However, you can still hop over to the web store to view a variety of options not shown in the side panel.

You can also swap out different color schemes within themes, adjusting it to your taste. Additionally, Google says you don’t have to stick to just one theme. After making your selection, toggle “Refresh daily” to set up a revolving queue of backdrops.

To make the customization process even more streamlined, Chrome automatically saves your edits, eliminating the need to click Done to apply your changes. Once you’ve modified your design, just close the side panel. You can always change it back to the flagship version of Chrome if you prefer.

Changing shortcuts on Chrome

Psst, there are some simple shortcuts that allow you to do some pretty handy things in Chrome. Google has both address bar and webpage shortcuts.

Address bar shortcuts

Address-bar shortcuts let you define something in the bar at the top of your browser window, such as perform an immediate Google search, open search in a new tab or even move your cursor to the address bar.

Note that Windows and Linux machines have different shortcuts than Macs. Here’s a list of some you may want to try.

Webpage shortcuts

Webpage shortcuts, on the other hand, allow you to visit your favorite websites from your Chrome homepage:

• From your homepage, select the Customize Chrome button from the bottom of the page.
• Toggle on the Show Shortcuts option.
• Then you can choose between My Shortcuts and Most Visited Sites.
• My Shortcuts lets you create your own shortcuts by hitting Add Shortcut on the Google homepage and saving the ones you want.
• Most Visited Sites displays shortcuts to eight of your most frequently visited sites. You can edit those choices — click the X to delete a shortcut you don’t want, and another frequently visited site will show up instead.

You can also turn off Show Shortcuts entirely. (I rely heavily on my Bookmarks Bar.)

Google Cards

No, not playing cards: Google Cards are elements you can see on your New Tab page that are related to your past searches. They’re boxed items, usually with art, that include recently visited and related content. So if you searched for a pasta recipe, you might see more of those, and if you were shopping for a chair, you might see different chairs for sale online.

You can turn Cards on or off:

• Click Customize Chrome.
• Scroll down the side panel and select Cards, and next Customize Cards.
• From there, select the Cards you want to see or hide.

Google’s explanation is that Cards will help you jump back into a search you may not be done with, perhaps gift shopping or recipe hunting.

OnePlus isn’t making us wait long for the OnePlus 12. The smartphone-maker announced on Friday that the OnePlus 12 and OnePlus 12R will launch globally on Jan. 23, coming after the OnePlus 12’s previous launch in China.

It’s the first time OnePlus is bringing its R-branded line of more affordable phones to markets outside of India and China, although it didn’t specify exactly where the phone will be available. OnePlus will reveal more details about both phones at its event on Jan. 23.

Read more: OnePlus 12: What to Expect With the Next OnePlus Flagship

The OnePlus 12 is the company’s newest flagship phone designed to compete with other top-tier Android phones like the Samsung Galaxy S23 and Google Pixel 8. It will be among the first devices to run on Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, which was announced in October and brings improvements to AI processing, among other tasks. The OnePlus 12 will also have a 64-megapixel telephoto camera with a 3x optical zoom (the same one found on the OnePlus Open foldable) compared to the 32-megapixel zoom camera in the OnePlus 11. That’s along with the 50-megapixel main camera and a 48-megapixel ultrawide camera.

Previous models in OnePlus’ R-line have typically been value-priced, with the OnePlus 11R costing the equivalent of roughly $480. If OnePlus follows the same strategy with the new OnePlus 12R, it could be a promising option for those who want more than the $300 OnePlus Nord N30 5G has to offer while being cheaper than the OnePlus 12.

Read more: Best Android Phone of 2023

OnePlus’ launch comes around the same time Samsung is rumored to launch its expected Galaxy S24 series. Korean news outlets SBS Biz and The Elec report that Samsung could introduce its new phone lineup on Jan. 17, indicating it will be a busy month for the Android world. The Galaxy S24 family is expected to run on Qualcomm’s latest chip like the OnePlus 12, along with routine camera upgrades and some new AI features.

If you’ve ever looked at our list of best headsets for working from home, you may have noticed that most of the headsets, especially the premium models, are pretty pricey. The most affordable model is around $50. That’s what the Belkin SoundForm Adapt wireless over-ear headset lists for, which puts it in budget headset territory. But from now until Dec. 24, if you add it to your cart on Amazon, the price should automatically drop to $25 (apply the code 500FFADAPT at checkout if it doesn’t). The math here is pretty easy: That’s 50% off. And it’s a good deal at the price.

The Belkin SoundForm Adapt has a retractable microphone that can be flipped up to mute yourself. It doesn’t have plush memory-foam ear cups or active noise canceling. But it seems well built — it folds up — is relatively comfortable to wear and offers decent all-around performance, with strong battery life: up to 45 hours at moderate volume levels. While its sound quality for music listening can’t compete with more expensive headsets, it’s decent enough, though the bass lacks a bit of punch, and callers said they could hear me well.

Read more: 22 Great Gifts for $50 or Less

I’m not going to sit here and tell you it’s the greatest headset in the world, but for the money, it exceeded my expectations and is a decent choice for someone who’s on a tight budget or just doesn’t want to spend much on a headset. Belkin isn’t marketing it toward kids, but it does make for a good headset for younger users. At this price, you won’t mind too much if your kid beats it up or loses it (though no carrying case is included).

Back in July, Sony’s new CH-720N headphones were on sale for $98 for Amazon’s summer Prime Day event. I thought they were a really good deal at that price, as they list for $150 and tend to sell for around $130. Now they’re down to $90 for the black version (the white version is $98). That’s the lowest price we’ve seen to date for them, making them one of best full-size headphones bargains. And, if you order them now, they’ll arrive before Christmas.

Read more: Best noise-canceling headphones

The CH-720Ns have a bit of a plasticky budget vibe and don’t come with a carrying case, but they’re lightweight and comfortable. As I mentioned in my Sony CH-720N review, I was expecting them to sound pretty mediocre, but I was pleasantly surprised.

They don’t sound as good as Sony’s flagship WH-1000XM5s, but they sound more premium than they look (and feel), and their overall performance is a step up from their predecessor — the CH-710Ns. Are they worth $150? It depends on your priorities of budget versus quality, but they’re a sweet deal at $98.

More headphone recommendations

• Best Headphones of 2023
• Best Headphones for Running
• Best Cheap Wireless Noise-Canceling Headphones Under $100
• Best On-Ear Headphones for 2023
• Best Noise-Canceling Headphones of 2023
• Best True Wireless Earbuds of 2023
• Best Workout Headphones in 2023
• Best Over-Ear Headphones for 2023
• Best Cheap Earbuds and Headphones

• Protect Your AirPods: 5 Cases Under $15

• Best Cheap True Wireless Earphones

Apple released iOS 17 in September, and the latest OS brings new features and improvements to your iPhone, like Live Stickers and offline maps. The OS also updates your Photos app, allowing you to tag and add your pets to your “People & Pets” album — previously called the “People” album.

According to a survey from the Pew Research Center, 97% of pet owners consider their pets part of the family, and Apple agrees. The company wrote online that “cats and dogs … are part of your family too.” (As a lifelong dog owner, I couldn’t agree more.)

Here’s how to tag your pets in the new People & Pets album.

Tagging your pets in the People & Pets album

1. Open your Photos app.
2. Tap Albums.
3. Tap the People & Pets album.
4. Tap a picture of your pet.
5. Tap Add name to enter your pet’s name.
6. Tap Next.

Your phone might ask you to Review the photos of your pet to make sure they’re being identified correctly. After you’ve reviewed the photos of your pet, you can add them to your favorites by tapping the heart next to your pet’s picture in the People & Pets album. Your pet should now appear at the top of the album.

Now, your iPhone with iOS 17 should recognize your pet and add pictures of them to the People & Pets on its own.

Your iPhone isn’t perfect and might misidentify your pet. If it does, here’s how to untag your pet from a photo.

1. Open your Photos app.
2. Tap Albums.
3. Tap the People & Pets album.
4. Tap your pet.
5. Long press on the misidentified photo of your pet.
6. Tap This is Not [Your Pet’s Name].

The misidentified photos will be removed from the album, leaving nothing but the cutest, best photos of your pet.

For more iOS 17 tips, check out what’s new in iOS 17.2, what was included in iOS 17.1 and our iOS 17 cheat sheet.

It has been an absolutely off-the-wall year for Apple news. I was genuinely impressed by how many surprises the company packed into 2023 and I’m not just talking about the usual upgraded iPhones and MacBooks. I’ve been a tech reporter for over 15 years and Apple is a company that often feels predictable to me.

Apple made decisions that rocked our world this year, entering new areas of business, bringing products back that we once thought were goners and taking risks on entirely new software and hardware.

Read more: Best iPhone of 2023

Apple threw a ton of unexpected news nuggets our way. So let’s look back at the biggest Apple news that happened in 2023 and the stories that will shape our world going forward.

Vision Pro becomes a reality

There’s no bigger story for Apple this year than the Vision Pro headset. It was rumored and reported on for years, but Tim Cook finally debuted it to the world in June at Apple’s developer conference WWDC.

But, it’s not quite done yet. We got a preview of what it will look like and even the $3,499 starting price. We learned some things you can do wearing it, how you’ll control it and what you’ll look like wearing it. But we did not see Tim Cook or any Apple executive use it. Only a select group of reporters, including CNET’s Scott Stein, have experienced it in brief demos. The headset even has its own software called VisionOS.

What makes the Vision Pro extra special is that there’s been so much buildup. But it’s not the first time we’ve waited for a new Apple product to launch after its announcement. The first iPhone was announced at MacWorld in January 2007, but didn’t launch for another six months. When the iPad was announced in January 2010, it wasn’t released until April and the Apple Watch was unveiled in September 2014 but went on sale seven months later.

The past six months have included a lot of Vision Pro teases and developer testing. The tech involved does make it a more ambitious product than the first iPhone, iPad or Watch. While there’s still a lot to learn about how it works in the real world, you can be certain that the Vision Pro is going to shape every Apple conversation in some fashion for the foreseeable future. Now, we just have to patiently wait until it is ready to launch in early 2024.

More about the Vision Pro:

• Apple Vision Pro Hands-On: Far Better Than I Was Ready For
• Apple iPhone Spatial Video Looks Amazing on Vision Pro
• How the iPhone and Snoopy Get Us Into a Vision Pro Mindset
• The Apple Vision Pro Is a Dystopian Device for a Dystopian World

Apple Pay Later and later, Goldman Sachs

Apple also launched two new financial products. The first was a high-yield savings account for Apple credit card customers. Then there was the rollout of Apple Pay Later that gives people the option to pay for purchases with a series of four installments over the course of six weeks.

But it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for Apple financial news. Reports show that Goldman Sachs lost billions of dollars trying to build out their operation for the Apple Card. In November, the Wall Street Journal reported that Apple is pulling the plug on its credit card partnership with Goldman Sachs, giving the investment bank a proposal for how to exit its contract over the next 12 to 15 months.

Next year, we could find out which company will be taking over Apple’s credit card and savings account business. Chase and American Express are a couple of the names analysts hope are in the running.

But it’s not great to announce a new product like the Apple Card savings account and read news that your partner wants to leave the deal all in the same year.

More on the Apple Card and Apple Pay Later:

• Apple Proposes an End to Goldman Sachs Partnership
• Apple Savings Account May Bite Into Big Banks
• Is Apple’s High-Yield Savings Account Worth It?
• Apple Pay Later Makes Its Debut in the US

Apple Music Classical scores a hit

Apple’s music streaming service took things up an octave and launched Apple Music Classical as an additional perk for current Apple Music subscribers. The project tackles a complicated problem in the streaming world: Find a way to present and organize classical music libraries intelligently, while dealing with over 5 million tracks that span hundreds of years in different styles. A single famous composition can, itself, have hundreds of recordings, and the process can be further complicated by the fact that people need to be able to search for it in different languages.

At launch, I felt Apple made something enjoyable for classical music lovers and for folks who just want to discover new stuff. I wish it wasn’t a separate app from Apple Music. But it had to be its own app because classical music has different data fields from pop. I doubt this is Apple’s coda for classical music and I’m curious if we’ll hear more about how the app will evolve its offerings next year.

More on Apple Music Classical:

• Apple Music Classical Gets Its Own App
• Apple’s New Classical Music App Is Cool, But I Have a Few Notes
• Apple’s Mysterious New Music App

Shot on iPhone, USB-C on iPhone

The iPhone had its own slew of changes and additions that shook up the norm. On the iPhone 15, Apple made the switch from lightning to USB-C charging ports. That happened because the European Union adopted a law that made USB-C charging mandatory on all phones and other small devices by 2024. That change alone will shape how we spend money on charging cords and other related accessories that get updated.

But there could be another large change coming to your iPhone next year. As first reported by 9to5Mac, the iPhone will support RCS messaging in 2024. That means texts between Android and Apple users can show typing indicators, read receipts and even be more secure.

This also was the first year we saw an entire Apple presentation video that was shot on iPhone. The Scary Fast October event was recorded with iPhone 15 Pro Max cameras. Apple was transparent on how it used a lot of professional gear to make that magic happen, but it showed any doubters that the iPhone 15 Pro really can do it all.

More on the iPhone 15:

• iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max review
• iPhone 15 and 15 Plus review
• I’m Stoked For the iPhone’s USB-C Port. But There Are Downsides
• Apple’s iMessage Block Just Part of Bigger Blue/Green Bubble Saga
• Apple Resolves iPhone Overheating Issues in Latest iOS 17 Update

The HomePod strikes back

This year saw the surprising return of the HomePod speaker. Apple’s original smart home speaker debuted in 2018 for $350. A price cut followed, and in 2021 Apple said it was discontinuing the device, shifting focus to the more colorful and more affordable HomePod Mini.

But in January, Apple took us all by surprise with the introduction of a second-gen model of the HomePod. It looks nearly identical to the original, but changes on the inside improved the sound. The company has been presenting the speakers as something that makes for a better home theater experience with the Apple TV 4K box.

This proves that Apple could make anything return. Will the iPod make a comeback? Hey, it could happen, but it may take a different form.

More on the HomePod:

• 2023 HomePod Review
• 2018 HomePod Review
• Is Technology Bad Now or Has the Magic Just Gone for Me?

A FineWoven mess

In 2023 Apple pushed to do more for the environment. It pledged to make all its products carbon neutral by 2030 with the Apple Watch being the company’s first carbon neutral product. The fineprint here is that you have to buy Apple’s sport loop fabric band made with recycled materials for your Apple Watch.

Apple also said it’s making the iPhone with more recycled materials and that it had stopped selling leather accessories in stores. It released a replacement product called FineWoven. The pitch was that a FineWoven case would be a more environmentally friendly alternative to a leather iPhone case as it’s made of 68% postconsumer recycled content.

But when Apple makes a product to replace leather and it costs $60, high hopes follow. Once we got the case in our hands, things quickly went south. The FineWoven case doesn’t feel as nice as a leather one and it gets marked up easily, leading to a big ol’ FineWoven flop for Apple.

I hope this doesn’t deter Apple from tinkering in this space. It’s important for Apple to make more of its products and accessories environmentally friendly. The FineWoven debacle was more a lesson in marketing and pricing if anything else.

More on Apple’s environmentally friendly approaches:

• My iPhone’s FineWoven Case Had a Rough Week, and It Shows
• The iPhone 15’s First Week Is Not So FineWoven
• Apple Ditches Leather for Environmentally Friendly Materials
• How Green Is Apple? A Closer Look at the iPhone-Maker’s Sustainability Credentials

Apple’s major push into sports gets Messi

Last year, Apple made a huge investment to make Apple TV Plus the home of major league soccer. It’s the only place you can stream all MLS games for the next 10 years. The deal reportedly cost Apple $2.5 billion. But there was a surprise twist.

This year global soccer superstar Lionel Messi joined MLS and moved to Florida to play on the Inter Miami team. This guy led Argentina to a World Cup title last year. Apparently, Apple played a role in bringing him over. It’s reported that Apple enticed Messi to move to Miami by paying him a cut of revenue from new subscribers to Apple TV’s MLS Season Pass.

But there was a bit of a hitch: Messi got a hamstring injury in September and couldn’t play for four games, almost half of the season. As a result, Inter Miami didn’t make the playoffs. Still, it’s the kind of Apple news that makes the whole industry think different, both in the world of sports and in streaming.

More on Apple TV Plus and MLS:

• MLS Season Pass Review
• MLS Season Pass on Apple TV: How to Watch and StreamHow Apple’s Mixed Reality Headset Could Immerse You in Sports

CNET’s Patrick Holland contributed to this story.

Knowledge is power, as the saying goes, but carving out time to give your brain the workout it deserves can be a challenge. The Headway app decided to help make it easier to get short snippets of information, broken up into bite-sized pieces. It can even point you towards the must-reads that are right up your alley, based on choices already in your library. And right now StackSocial has a holiday deal that scores you a lifetime subscription to Headway for just $50.

Headway serves up 15-minute summaries of a huge number of books, with recommendations based on your needs and goals. It’s designed to help people with packed schedules pick up the most noteworthy lessons from top-selling titles. A lifetime subscription to the app will typically cost you a total of $300, but you can get it now for just $50 at StackSocial for a single user.

A wide variety of the best nonfiction books have been boiled down into summaries with key insights and tips. You can dive into multiple topics, like productivity, self-growth and happiness, and you can customize the app based on your recommendations. If you want to share the app with a partner or friends, there’s a plan for two users that’s available for $100, or you can get a family plan with four users for $150, which saves you over $1,000 compared to the usual price. StackSocial doesn’t have a date specified for when this deal will end, so we recommend getting signed up sooner rather than later if you don’t want to miss out on these savings.

If you do go for a Headway subscription, pair it with one of these headphone and earbuds deals so that you can use the app even when out and about. You might even want to kick your productivity up a notch with these helpful to-do list apps, so you can get the most out of your learning and self-improvement journey.

Read more: Best Language Learning Apps for 2023

As the year comes to a close, many of us are taking stock of how we spent 2023. Did you accomplish all your goals? Did you stick to those resolutions? Maybe you did, maybe you didn’t but the important thing is that we’ve made it. And there’s also still time to squeeze in a goal or two. If you’ve been wanting to improve your skillset, MasterClass is offering two memberships for the price of one. That means, if you sign up and pay for one membership now, you’ll be able to gift another to a friend or family member for free. The two-for-one offer will cost $120 but will truly be worth it when you see just how much you can learn with MasterClass.

With MasterClass, you’ll have access to learn from the best and gain new skills to implement in the new year and beyond. You can learn to write better stories with Judy Blume, make amazing YouTube videos with Marques Brownlee (aka MKBHD), or pick up some business tips from Richard Branson and Coach K. There are hundreds of lessons for the world’s best in areas like arts, entertainment, writing, business, food, lifestyle, music, science and tech and more.

If this isn’t your cup of chai, then we have a host of other options for you to consider. If you’ve been wanting to become a certified IT professional, then this CompTIA Course Super Bundle is a good place to start. Or if you want to learn but your schedule doesn’t allow for full courses, there’s Headway, which brings you 15-minute summaries of popular books on almost every subject. Now, you truly have no reason to not learn something new in 2024.

If your TV viewing is ruined by muffled or incomprehensible dialogue, there could be a number of causes. But no need to worry, there are some easy fixes too.

The most likely culprit for poor sound is the TV’s tiny speakers. The latest TVs may be able to produce amazing images, but with such thin frames they can also suffer from poor sound quality. If you’re using a separate speaker or soundbar, perhaps errant settings are to blame. One quick fix is enabling subtitles on your TV, but if you want to have the set on in the background then it’s sound quality we need to rectify. Let’s begin.

1. Check your TV’s sound settings

Television speakers sound terrible out of the box, but most TVs have settings you can use to improve their audio a little. For example, a while back some friends called me to fix their own TV sound — they said the dialogue was boomy and hard to understand. When I got there, I found the soundtrack was distorting at anything but the quietest levels. A look inside the settings uncovered why: Someone had created a weird custom mode that had the bass jacked all the way up.

Bass in particular is the enemy of understandable speech: It tends to hide the frequencies that help us decipher what people are saying. Rather than play with individual bass and treble controls, the easiest thing to do is to try the preset sound modes first.

1. Use your remote to access the TV’s Settings menu, then look for a section called Audio, Sound or something similar.

2. At the top of the menu should be a selection of presets such as Movie, User or Standard.

3. While watching a speech-heavy show or movie, cycle through the modes to see which ones sound best.

If you’re finding the dialogue is mumbly, for example, try a Dialog, News or Speech Boost mode (or if you have an Amazon Fire TV, try this setting). If that’s not available, Movie or Standard is the next best option.

Also, disabling audio enhancements like Bass Boost or Surround, which often harm dialogue, or Night Mode can help (or not). Every TV and every room sounds different, so it’s worthwhile to experiment.

If your TV has an individual bass control you can also try reducing the individual level like I did in the example above. Also, a little boost to treble may also help improve intelligibility. Once you’ve got the audio as good as you can, simply exit the menu. Press “save” if the TV asks you to, but otherwise you’re all set!

2. Have a soundbar or speaker system? Try these tweaks

External speakers will sound better than what’s built into your TV, but they may need a little tweaking to help with dialogue too. Your speakers might be too close to the wall, for instance, or stuffed inside a cabinet. There could be other causes — for example, if you find that people’s lips are moving but speech isn’t correlating, you may need help with a lip-sync issue.

Here are some common fixes for bad sound, and they don’t cost a cent. First, simply pick the kind of system that you have:

Soundbar

As with TVs in step 1, try setting the soundbar to a speech-enhancing mode, Movie or Standard.

If your system has a subwoofer, it could be too loud compared to the rest of the system. While explosions are fun, they shouldn’t be at the expense of a good story. If you have a separate bass or sub control, try turning it down. You can also try placing the sub in an optimal position with this guide.

AV or stereo system with speakers

If you have tower or bookshelf speakers, try moving them away from the walls and corners, and then point or “toe” them in towards the middle where you sit. Removing speaker grilles will also boost speech by a small amount. These little changes alone won’t be enough to transform Sly Stallone into Laurence Olivier, but could be enough to discern what an actor is mumbling about.

The other thing to try is a calibration — whether via your receiver’s menu or app, or manual. I prefer to do a manual calibration by ear as automated routines almost always need manual tinkering anyway. See CNET’s guide to improving sound quality with your phone.

3. Buy a new soundbar

If the previous options aren’t cutting it for you, it may be time to invest in a soundbar designed to improve dialogue. Thankfully excellent soundbars aren’t very expensive, and almost anything will sound better than a TV speaker. The Roku Streambar, for example, is affordable and offers HDMI connections and an onboard 4K streamer. Vizio also makes an excellent range of soundbars.

Read more: Best Soundbars to Enhance TV Dialogue

There are some soundbars specifically designed to make speech more intelligible. For instance, when Zvox branched out into hearing aid design the company brought the tech to its range of AccuVoice soundbars. The company has models starting at $100, and it includes the flagship Zvox AV357.

Going the next step and buying a surround system may be more expensive but it also has added benefits — especially if the system has a dedicated center channel speaker. In surround mixes, dialogue often comes primarily from the center channel, and being able to increase its volume independently can really help.

More sound system recommendations

• Best Soundbars Under $200 for 2023

• Best Home Theater Systems of 2023
• Best AV Receiver for 2023
• Best Speakers of 2023