Category: Technologies

Apple launched the second public beta verison for iOS 17, the upcoming major software update for the iPhone. With the general release for iOS 17 slated for sometime in September, you can try out an early version right now.
The new iPhone software was revealed in June during Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference. iOS 17 brings changes to how you call, text and glance at information with updates to FaceTime, Messages and the phone app. There is a new StandBy mode, which turns your iPhone’s lock screen into a mini hub similar to the Amazon Echo Show. You can download the iOS 17 public beta, but we recommend not doing so on your main iPhone.

Last year’s software update, iOS 16, introduced the ability to edit or “unsend” messages you send via iMessage; Apple Pay Later; a major overhaul to the lock screen; revamped notifications; and Live Activities. These additions didn’t all come out at once and were actually scattered over the course of smaller iOS software updates throughout the year.

Read more: iOS 17: Upcoming iPhone Features I’m Excited About

We can expect the same for iOS 17, which will likely be released just before the rumored iPhone 15 goes on sale.

Contact Posters

Last year we got customizable lock screens in iOS 16. This year, iOS 17 has a similar change for your iPhone’s contact cards, to make them look more eye-catching. Contact Posters are beautiful treatments for contact photos and emoji paired with slick-looking fonts that show up when you get calls and for other services on your phone where you communicate and share.

You can customize your Contact Poster similar to how you personalize your lock screen. Pick a photo, font and color and that’s it.

AirDrop gets easier to use

iOS 17 brings an overhaul to AirDrop. You just need to bring your iPhone close to someone else’s to share a Contact Poster, photos, videos or kick off a shared activity using Share Play. Of course, being Apple, there’s a word for sharing your Contact Poster with someone new: NameDrop. What’s nice, is that you can choose what contact info is shared. NameDrop works between iPhones or with an Apple Watch, too. It reminds me of “bumping” a contact in the early days of the iPhone.

Standby turns your iPhone into an Amazon Echo Show

One of the biggest additions in iOS 17 is for when your iPhone isn’t in your hand. When your iPhone is on its side while MagSafe charging, you get a new full screen experience with glanceable information. The feature is called Standby and mimics what many smart home devices can do, such as the Amazon Echo Show.

The new screen shows the time, photos, widgets and Live Activities; nearly all of which can be personalized. It’s a bit of a cross between the iPhone 14 Pro’s always-on display and nightstand mode on the Apple Watch.

When you swipe to the side on the Standby screen, you can look at your favorite photos or moments. iOS 17 will also automatically shuffle images to find the one that takes the best advantage of the screen.

Standby can also show glanceable widgets. For example, you can see the weather, your Apple Home smart controls or your favorite third-party widget. With support for live activities, you can also see the score of sporting events or the status of a food delivery.

One of the more curious features is that Standby can remember your preferred view “setup” for each place you charge via MagSafe.

The new Journal app

iOS 17 brings a new Apple app called Journal that creates personalized suggestions to inspire writing. These suggestions are curated from information on your iPhone, like photos, location, music and workouts.

Journal gives you the option to select a moment, like “morning visit, Ocean Beach,” and start writing. You can also schedule notifications to remind you to write and get new prompts. You can flag important moments so that you can reflect on them later.

Live Voicemail

Another new talent iOS 17 has involves your voicemail. When someone calls you and leaves a message, you’ll see a live transcription in real time as they speak. The new service is called Live Voicemail and it kind of feels like the days of answering machines, when my dad would screen a call. For Live Voicemail, you’ll see the voicemail right on your screen so you can decide whether to step out and take the call. The feature is powered by your iPhone’s neural engine in order to preserve your privacy. Live Voicemail seems identical to Call Screen on Google Pixel phones which isn’t a bad thing.

FaceTime messages

iOS 17 will let you record a video message in FaceTime. It’s a heavily requested feature that will ensure you can document and share important moments, even if someone misses your call.

Messages Check In

Apple is expanding and simplifying its location sharing via Messages. The new feature, called Check In, is for letting a loved one know you made it to your destination safely. Whether you’re walking home after dark or going for an early morning run, you can start a Check In with a family member or friend and as soon as you arrive home, it will automatically let your friend know. But if something unexpected happens, it can recognize that you’re not near your destination and check in with you. If you don’t respond, Check In can automatically share your current location, the route you took, your iPhone’s battery level and cell service status; all of which is end-to-end encrypted.

Messages get a handful of fixes and additions

The tried-and-true Messages app gets a handful of updates, including a visual overhaul of your iMessage apps which will no longer live above your keyboard and instead be accessible via a plus sign on the bottom left.

Searching through your Messages becomes a lot easier on iOS 17 with the addition of filters. When you start a search in the Messages app, you will be able to add terms to narrow the results.

Another welcome addition is transcription for audio messages. If you’re someone who has friends or family members who send you audio messages, you’ll be able to read a transcription of the recording right in the Messages app.

There’s also a new “catch up arrow” in Messages. It sits in the top right of your conversation and lets you jump to the first message you haven’t read. This could be a killer feature for managing group chats. Apple also made inline replies faster. In iOS 17, you’ll be able to just swipe to reply on any message bubble.

Apple fixes ‘ducking’ autocorrect

Autocorrect will become more intelligent and can fix more grammatical mistakes. Reverting words back to what you typed is easier. And apparently, autocorrect will learn and let you use curse words. Duck, yeah!

iMessage stickers get a new drawer to bring all the stickers you’ve used into one place. And now emoji are stickers. You can peel and stick an emoji sticker to a message bubble, rotate and resize it. Last year in iOS 16, Apple introduced the ability to lift a subject from the background of a photo as part of Visual Lookup. With iOS 17, you can turn a photo’s subject into a sticker in Messages.

The Stickers drawer also has a Live Stickers tab that lets you create a Sticker animation (aka a GIF) from a Live Photo. Stickers can be accessed system wide in things like Tapback, Markup and third-party apps; basically anywhere you can access emoji.

But wait, there are more iOS 17 features

As is typical with WWDC, there are a lot more additions and improvements to iOS 17 than Apple showed during the keynote. Some notable highlights include:

• Triggering Siri by just saying, “Siri” instead of “Hey, Siri”
• Download offline maps in the Maps app
• New profiles for Safari and your passwords
• Auto retrieval of one-time verification codes from the Mail app
• Interactive widgets (which was featured in-depth during the iPadOS portion)

iOS 17 will be out in full this fall and work on the iPhone XS, XR and newer, including the 2020 iPhone SE.

Disney is raising the price of several of its streaming offerings, including ad-free Hulu and Disney Plus, in the US.

Beginning Oct. 12, the ad-free version of Disney Plus will cost $14 per month (currently $11 per month) and Hulu without ads will cost $18 per month (currently $15 per month), the company said Wednesday. An annual Disney Plus without ads subscription will go from $110 per year to $140. The monthly price of Disney Plus and Hulu’s ad-supported tiers will not change, and neither will the annual price of ad-based Hulu.

Disney is also introducing a new bundle on Sept. 6 and raising the price of two of its existing bundles that combine subscriptions to Disney Plus, Hulu and the ad-supported streaming service ESPN Plus (what the company calls a “Trio” bundle). The new bundle, Duo Premium, includes ad-free Disney Plus and Hulu and costs $20 per month, a $12 monthly savings if you were paying for the ad-free versions of both services separately.

The existing Trio Basic (ad-supported versions of Disney Plus, ESPN Plus and Hulu) bundle will cost $15 per month, up from $13, and Trio Premium (which is the same services but without ads for Disney Plus or Hulu) will cost $25 per month, up from $20.

The Trio Basic price increase will be in October while Disney didn’t specify when Trio Premium will increase.

Standalone ESPN Plus is also getting a hike to its yearly and monthly price in October. It’s currently $10 per month and will rise to $11 per month. Its yearly cost will increase from $100 to $110 annually.

In addition, Hulu Plus Live TV with ads, which currently costs $70 per month, will cost $77 come October and the version that includes Hulu without ads, which costs $83 per month, will jump to $90 per month.

Disney has increased the price of its streaming platforms each year since 2019, with the last hike implemented in fall 2022. Other streamers to announce price increases in the past few weeks include Starz, Paramount Plus and Peacock.

Right now, YouTube has some suggestions for me. It thinks I might like to tune in to a live webcam from Venice or Italy, or clips from the adorable kids’ show Bluey, or maybe watch someone taste-test all the Gatorade flavors. But going forward, if you choose to turn off your YouTube watch history, you won’t be shown any recommendations.

Instead, your home page will be blank.

“Starting today, if you have YouTube watch history off and have no significant prior watch history, features that require watch history to provide video recommendations will be disabled — like your YouTube home feed,” a company representative said in a blog post. “This means that starting today, your home feed may look a lot different: you’ll be able to see the search bar and the left-hand guide menu, with no feed of recommended videos, thus allowing you to more easily search, browse subscribed channels and explore Topic tabs instead.”

YouTube says the changes will roll out “slowly, over the next few months.” The company says the change should make it “more clear which YouTube features rely on watch history to provide video recommendations and make it more streamlined for those of you who prefer to search rather than browse recommendations.”

Currently, YouTube offers up a page full of thumbnails and links to videos that you may want to watch. Once the change happens, you can switch your watch history on at any time if you want to. It can be changed on the My Google Activity settings page. But some users may prefer to search directly for videos rather than be influenced by YouTube’s suggestions, and to keep their watch history from fueling Google’s algorithms.

The Walt Disney Co. is planning its own password-sharing crackdown for its global streaming customers, following in Netflix’s footsteps. Disney CEO Bob Iger made the announcement during the company’s third-quarter earnings call on Wednesday, saying that the company is “actively exploring ways to address account-sharing and the best options for paying subscribers.”

The entertainment giant has three streaming platforms — Disney Plus, Hulu and ESPN Plus — with a global subscriber base of 146.1 million for Disney Plus. Iger stated that account-sharing is a priority for 2024, but that Disney will start updating its subscriber agreements later this year “with additional terms on our sharing policies.” The media company will look to optimize these policies to help drive monetization in the new calendar year.

Since his return to Disney last November, Iger has committed to growing profitability for its streaming business. One of the ways Netflix sought to curb subscriber losses was through enforcing its password-sharing policies by charging extra member fees. US customers who share their accounts with anyone outside of their primary household must pay an additional $8 per month.

As Disney starts exploring its own password strategy, customers should prepare to pay more for their ad-free Disney Plus and Hulu subscriptions. The company is implementing another price hike on Oct. 12, with plans to add a new ad-free bundle option on Sept. 6.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is the RPG to play on the Steam Deck. I’ve spent time playing the game on both desktop and the portable PC gaming device and what makes Baldur’s Gate 3 a great game for Steam Deck is the option to play an hour here and there wherever you are, whether you’re on the go or just away from your desk, as the game is so vast and time-consuming.

Developed by Larian Studios, Baldur’s Gate 3 is a long-awaited entry in the series that started in the late ’90s. There hasn’t been a proper sequel since 2000. After being in early access for three years on Steam, the game launches Thursday for $60. If you love RPGs like I do, you’ll find plenty of reasons to love the game.

Raise the Gate

Baldur’s Gate is based on the Dungeons & Dragons pen-and-paper RPG. The story goes that your character, along with several companions, has been abducted by mind flayers (you know, like from Stranger Things), and they’ve implanted parasites into your brain. It’s now up to the group to get these little monsters out of their heads before it turns them into mind flayers.

The game uses turn-based gameplay where characters use weapons, magic and other skills in combat. To give an experience resembling a Dungeons & Dragons game, there are a lot of choices available in Baldur’s Gate 3. While this is a pretty common aspect of role-playing games today, what isn’t is the inclusion of a 20-sided die.

Decisions such as using intimidation, searching around an area or even petting an animal are all determined by the roll of the dice. It’s this uncertainty of these choices that make Baldur’s Gate 3 so thrilling. In one instance, a child was trying to scam me into buying a “magical” trinket, and I had the choice to point out his lies. Since I was playing as a rogue, I was able to win all the rolls to prove that the kid was lying. This led to an interesting interaction that could change things further in the game.

This freedom to make so many choices and to have them change the game slightly is what gives Baldur’s Gate 3 an incredible amount of replay value. The developer says there are more than a thousand endings.

There’s also a surprising amount to explore. A dried-up well seems innocent enough, but if you explore it, you can find a giant nest of magical spiders ready to destroy your party. You’ll also come across a wealth of characters with their own problems that you can help with or just ignore. Or if you want to go the evil route, there’s the option to just steal from and kill many of the characters in the game. I spent most of my time being the good guy, but there were times that I did something bad, like when I accidentally looted a merchant’s chest. Some actions will just get people upset at you, while others can land you in jail.

Newcomers to RPGs, or at least D&D RPGs, might find Baldur’s Gate 3 to be both overwhelming and difficult. It may seem hard, but the game requires a lot of thought in and out of battle. With so many decisions, it is very likely players will make the wrong one, which is why saving the game often is vital.

Good things come in small packages

Baldur’s Gate 3’s visuals are both stylish and detailed, and come off looking great on the Steam Deck. It takes a little tweaking of the display options to get the right settings to keep the game running smoothly while still showing off all the beautiful graphics. For me, this meant keeping the frames per second at 30, bringing down the resolution from its max setting of 1,280×800 pixels and putting the overall quality preset to medium. Also, expect to get your hands warm as the Steam Deck’s fans will be blowing hot air to keep it cool while playing, but the lowered setting should be able to get about two hours of gameplay.

I did also have an issue getting the game to launch on Steam Deck, requiring me to go into the game’s settings on Steam and force it to launch. It’s likely this will not be needed with the game’s official release.

Baldur’s Gate 3 launches on Steam on Thursday. It’ll head to the PS5 in September and eventually to the Xbox Series X and S.

Whether you’re a 3D printing novice looking to grab your first printer, or you’ve already got some experience and are ready to upgrade, we’ve got a deal you won’t want to miss. The AnkerMake M5 earned its place on our list of the best 3D printers of 2023 thanks to its record-breaking print speeds. Amazon currently has this printer on sale for $559, which saves you a whopping $240 compared to the usual price. There’s no set expiration for this deal, so get your order in sooner rather than later if you don’t want to miss out on these savings.

If you’re looking for your first 3D printer, you should opt for a machine that’s easy to use and produces excellent quality. The AnkerMake M5 has several features that make your life easier. Features like auto bed-leveling, filament runout sensors and AI for detecting errors help you get the best print you can from the get-go. Setting it up is very easy.

The print quality is extremely good, especially if you slow the printer to about 180 millimeters per second. It also has the added bonus of a time-lapse camera, which lets you record your model as it prints so you can share it on social media. It’s a great all-round printer. With $240 off its standard price, the AnkerMake M5 is a deal you don’t want to miss.

With a commitment to spend more than $2 billion on Korean productions over the next four years,Netflix has huge ambitions for Korean films and TV series. Shows like Squid Game have become global sensations, and the streamer’s slate continues to grow. Although reality series like Physical: 100 and Single’s Inferno have gained popularity, the streaming service’s K-drama lineup is drawing viewers in with its portfolio of trippy sci-fi dramas, zombie stories, romances and more.

The platform is dropping new shows, documentaries and six films throughout 2023. We’ve created a list of the best K-dramas on Netflix (besides Squid Game), and in some cases, tell you when to look out for new seasons. If you’re still digging for additional titles, try searching with this special hidden code: 68699.

Read more: Best Streaming Services for K-Dramas

Need a solid pair of everyday earbuds, but don’t want to spend a fortune? Whether you use your earbuds to focus, relax or stay motivated during a workout, there are options out there with solid sound quality that won’t break the bank. And right now Amazon has slashed the price on the already affordable Google Pixel Buds A-Series by 40%, dropping the price from $99 down to just $59. We don’t know how long this offer will last, so we recommend making your purchase sooner rather than later.

If you’re looking for a cheap pair of everyday earbuds, the A-Series can fit the bill. They’re light and comfortable, but offer good sound for the price, along with solid call quality if you’re looking for an option to help you stay connected on the go. These buds even have an adaptive sound mode that will shift the volume automatically in response to the ambient noise in your environment. And if you need directions, translations or other help, you can get help hands-free with access to Google Assistant.

As for battery life, you can expect to get up to 5 hours of playback per charge, with an additional 19 hours with the charging case. These earbuds are also IPX4-rated sweat-resistant, so whether you wear them at the gym or get caught in inclement weather on your commute, these buds can handle it.

And if you want to see what other options are out there, be sure to check out our roundup of the best earbuds and headphones deals happening now.

StockX took the world by storm when it launched back in 2016. The online marketplace quickly became the go-to spot for sneakers of all kinds, as long as buyers were willing to pay those steep markups. Over the years, StockX has pivoted to selling game consoles and other tech gadgets. And while most items still come with a premium price tag, there are some great deals around. Right now, StockX is offering stellar savings, and here’s what we recommend checking out.

Looking for more discounts? CNET has the current StockX coupons and promo code offers, updated and verified daily.

Welcome to CNET Coupons, the first stop before you shop, featuring a multitude of deals and discounts from top online retailers. Simply head over to our coupon page and type in your favorite store or brands to find all the deals available for the week.

Nearly three years after its release, we’re finally starting to see some deals on Sony’s popular PlayStation 5. And if you’ve finally got your hands on one of these next-gen consoles, you’re probably eager to start enjoying some of its most popular games. You’ll get access to a huge library of older games with a PS Plus subscription, but if you want to try out some of the more recent titles, Amazon has some great deals available right now.

The online retailer is currently offering discounts on some of the PS5’s biggest games, with many down by more than 50%. With Spider-Man 2 coming in just a few months, you may be looking to get caught up on the action-packed series. Right now, you can grab the Ultimate Edition of Spider-Man: Miles Morales — which also includes the original Spider-Man game from 2018 — for just $39, which saves you $31 compared to the usual price. Or transport yourself to feudal Japan with the director’s cut of Ghost of Tsushima. This cinematic open-world game features razor-sharp combat, and is on sale for just $30, which saves you $40 compared to the usual price. And those who enjoy a serious challenge can pick up the recent remaster of Demon’s Souls — the predecessor of FromSoftware’s infamous Dark Souls series — for $40 off, which drops the price down to just $30.

There are some other great games on sale at Amazon, and you can check out our full roundup of all the best PS5 deals for more bargains on hardware and accessories.