Category: Technologies

Today’s most popular smartphones include the Apple iPhone 14 Pro lineup and Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra. However, those are far from the only phones worth considering. While the flagships from Apple and Samsung often dominate the market, there are several devices that offer a very similar experience for a whole lot less. And if you’re a Version subscriber, you already have your pick of the best Verizon phones — which includes phones that are foldable; phones that come with larger than life displays; and phones that could probably give some flagships a run for their money.

We’ve done some digging to give you the straight talk on which Verizon phones actually deliver the goods. Read on to find the best Verizon phone for you and check out our tips on how to buy a new phone.

More phone recommendations

• Best Android Phones for 2023
• Best Phones Under $500
• Phones Under $200: Top Picks and New Budget Phones

• Best iPhone Fast Chargers

After England’s heroics at Headingley, the Ashes series is up for grabs as the hosts take on Australia at Old Trafford for the 4th Test.

The Wallabies remain in control of the series with a 2-1 lead coming into this encounter, but Ben Stokes and Co’s win in the 3rd Test showed England have the resilience to pull off a comeback for the ages.

With James Anderson on his home ground and Mark Wood’s pace bowling now coming to the fore, England look good for taking what has been a gripping series to a decisive fifth Test.

Below, we’ll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch the match live wherever you are in the world.

England vs. Australia 4td Test: When and where?

The fourth Test of this summer Ashes series between England and Australia takes place at Old Trafford, in Manchester, between Wednesday, July 19 and Sunday, July 23. Play is set to start each day at 11 a.m. BST local time in the UK (8 p.m. AEST in Australia, 6 a.m. ET or 3 a.m. PT in the US, and 3:30 p.m. IST in India).

How to watch the England vs. Australia 4th Test online from anywhere using a VPN

If you find yourself unable to view the game locally, you may need a different way to watch the match — that’s where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic, and it’s also a great idea if you’re traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.

With a VPN, you’re able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. Most VPNs, like our Editors’ Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.

Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Australia, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you’re streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions.

Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals taking place right now.

Livestream the England vs. Australia 4th Test in the UK

Cricket fans in the UK can watch all the action live from Old Trafford via Sky and its dedicated Sky Sports Cricket channel, which has the rights to show the entire Ashes series live. If you already have Sky Sports as part of your TV package, you can stream the first Test via its Sky Go app, but cord-cutters will want to get set up with a Now account, and a Now Sports membership, to stream the race.

Livestream the 4th Ashes Test in Australia for free

Aussie sports fans can enjoy the entire Ashes series broadcast on free-to-air network Channel 9.

That also means you’ll be able to livestream all the cricket action for free via the broadcaster’s 9Now streaming service.

Livestream the England vs. Australia 4th Test in the US

This fourth Ashes clash is streaming on dedicated cricket service Willow TV, as well as ESPN Plus, where coverage starts at 6 a.m. ET (3 a.m. PT).

Livestream the England vs. Australia 4th Test in India

Cricket fans in India can watch this third Ashes encounter by tuning into the Sony Sports Ten 5TV channel or by signing up to the Sony Liv streaming service.

Quick tips for streaming cricket using a VPN

• With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — your experience and success when streaming live cricket may vary.
• If you don’t see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the “search for city or country” option.
• If you’re having trouble getting the game after you’ve turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs — like Roku — don’t have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you’ll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you’re using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
• All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network’s sports app, you’ll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location.
• And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you’re using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.

If you’ve ever used Google Hangouts, Picasa or any other discontinued Google products, you’ll want to check Google Album Archive right away for photos and videos you may have shared and forgotten. After today, those media files might be gone forever.

Google Album Archive is a catchall destination for older media you’ve shared on various Google services that generally isn’t stored elsewhere. Google contacted users on June 18 to let them know that Album Archive will be shutting down on July 19, 2023. To save those photos and videos, you’ll need to use Google Takeout to export any files you’d like to keep.

Read more: Best VPN Service 2023: VPNs Tested by Our Experts

Not sure what media of yours is in Google Album Archive or how to use Google Takeout? Have no fear — we’ll show you everything you need to know to keep from losing those old photos and videos. For more, here’s what’s new in Google Maps and how to check out the next version of Android.

What is Google Album Archive?

Google Album Archive is a repository for photos and videos that you’ve shared on older Google services like Hangouts (now Google Chat) or Google Plus. It can also include media from Blogger and Picasa Web Albums, old profile pictures, YouTube channel art or automated backups.

Some of the images and videos in Album Archive are also available in Google Photos, Blogger and Google Chat, but others exist only in Album Archive. On July 19, 2023, Google will be eliminating Album Archive and deleting the files in it.

How do I save my photos and videos from Google Album Archive?

To save your media from Google Album Archive before it’s deleted, Google recommends using Google Takeout, the company’s tool for exporting data. A customized Google Takeout link will take you directly to a page for downloading your Album Archive data.

In Step 1, make sure that the checkbox next to “AlbumArchive” is selected, and then click the blue “Next Step” button to progress to Step 2.

Now you’ll need to decide where you want your files to go. You can either receive a ZIP or TGZ file via email, or upload your files directly to another storage service, like Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive or Box. Once you’ve made your selections, click the blue “Create export” button to start downloading.

You’ll then receive a verification message that Google has started exporting your data and that the “process can take a long time (possibly hours or days) to complete.” You’ll receive an email when it’s complete.

I had only about 5MB of photos in my Album Archive, and I received a confirmation email from Google within 2 minutes that the process was complete. You can then use Google Takeout to download the ZIP or TGZ file directly, or manage your files on the storage service you selected.

Important note: The Google Takeout link to download your data will work only for 7 days. If you wait longer than that, you’ll need to start the Takeout process over again.

Google’s email to users varied slightly from its messaging on the Album Archive page, so it isn’t entirely clear which photos and videos may be available in the future on various Google services. Take a look at the files you’ve got in Album Archive, and download anything you want to keep by July 19, 2023, to be sure you don’t lose it.

For more on Google, check out how its new AI search tool works, or see how Google Shopping now lets you try on clothes virtually.

The next generation of Meta’s large language model, Llama 2, is now available for free commercially in a partnership with Microsoft, Meta said Tuesday.

Large language models are what power generative artificial intelligence chatbots, like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard. Microsoft launched an AI-powered Bing search earlier this year, which makes use of ChatGPT.

Under this partnership with Meta, Microsoft will now also offer access to Llama 2 through Azure AI and on Windows, though it will also be offered through Amazon Web Services and other providers.

Llama 2 is open source and free to use for research and commercial uses, though you’d have to pay for Microsoft’s enterprise hosting service.

“We believe an open approach is the right one for the development of today’s AI models, especially those in the generative space,” Meta said Tuesday. “By making AI models available openly, they can benefit everyone.”

Meta added that a free, open large language model is also “safer” because more researchers and developers can stress test, find issues and solve problems sooner.

Llama 2 on smartphones

Qualcomm is also working with Meta to make Llama 2 AI implementations available on phones and PCs starting next year.

“This will allow customers, partners and developers to build use cases, such as intelligent virtual assistants, productivity applications, content creation tools, entertainment and more,” Qualcomm said Tuesday. “These new on-device AI experiences, powered by Snapdragon, can work in areas with no connectivity or even in airplane mode.”

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor powers the Samsung Galaxy S23 series currently, as well as Qualcomm’s processors being inside multiple other phone and computer brands.

There have now been over 100,000 requests for access to Llama 1 since it was launched in February, Meta said.

Editors’ note: CNET is using an AI engine to help create some stories. For more, see this post.

Microsoft has revealed its pricing for Microsoft 365 Copilot, which integrates the large language model tech from OpenAI’s ChatGPT into Office applications, and it comes at a steep cost.

While it’s still in early access, Microsoft said that 365 Copilot will cost $30 per user per month for E3, E5, Business Standard and Business Premium Customers when it becomes broadly available. Microsoft had in March brought its artificial intelligence-powered Bing into the Edge browser, calling it a “copilot” for the web.

Bing Chat is also coming to Microsoft 365 enterprise users in preview form, Microsoft announced Tuesday. One key selling point is the price: If you’re a Microsoft 365 E3, E5, Business Standard and Business Premium user, you’ll get Bing Chat Enterprise at no additional cost. In the future, it will be available as a stand-alone product for $5 per month.

Microsoft is also pushing privacy as an important point, saying AI-powered chat data is protected and won’t leak outside an organization.

“Chat data is not saved, and Microsoft has no eyes-on access — which means no one can view your data,” Microsoft said in a blog post. “And your data is not used to train the models.”

Not to be outdone by Google, Microsoft is rolling out multimodal capabilities, bringing Visual Search to Bring Chat. This means you can use images in Bing Chat to search for things.

With the launch of ChatGPT late last year, an AI chatbot that could answer almost any question with a unique response, there’s been a rush to use that tech across multiple applications. We’ve already seeing AI chatbots help people code, help with college applications and assist in dating apps. Heck, there’s even a ChatGPT-powered sex toy. But in business and enterprise applications, AI could become a powerful force. Already, Google is testing its Duet AI for Google Workspace, which brings the power of AI to Gmail and Docs to help people write.

The enterprise AI market is expected to reach $88 billion by 2030, according to Verified Market Research. Given the rapid growth, it’s not at all surprising that companies are being bullish in the space.

Bing Chat Enterprise isn’t Microsoft’s first flirtation with AI. The company was quick to up its investment in OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, earlier this year and integrate its tech into Bing.

Rumors are buzzing ahead of Samsung’s Unpacked event later this month. Among the latest is that Samsung’s next smartwatch, rumored to be the Galaxy Watch 6, will have a business model, according to a SnoopyTech leak that was reported by 9to5Google on Tuesday. Details about the sizes of the watch models, as well as other details, have also been reported.

It’s unclear what, exactly, a business model will mean, but it may be sold with a different focus. As far as details about the Watch 6, photos reviewed by 9to5Google reportedly confirm that the watch will have sapphire crystal glass, a temperature sensor and thinner bezel (the border between the display and frame).

See also: Samsung Galaxy Watch 5: The Best Android Watch, for Now

The same report also revealed, through review of a photo on another website, details about the size of the newest watch: the Galaxy Watch 6 may come in 40mm and 44mm sizes, and the Watch 6 Classic may come in 43mm and 47mm sizes.

Samsung didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the report.

Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Unpacked event on July 26 will be its first held in South Korea. The tech giant is expected to unveil its next foldable phones, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5, as well as new wearables and Galaxy Buds.

Read more: Samsung May Show Off Galaxy Z Flip 5 in First Seoul Unpacked

Those who pay for their AT&T cellphone bills with a credit card and take advantage of the carrier’s automatic payments and paperless billing discounts may see those bills go up in a couple of months. The carrier has begun reaching out to customers alerting them that “as early as Oct. 2” it will be lowering the discount from $10 per month, per line to $5 per month, per line.

Per an AT&T support page, this will also include those who pay their bills with AT&T-branded Points Plus Citi card.

The change follows similar moves by AT&T’s wireless rivals. Earlier this year, T-Mobile announced that it would end its auto pay credit card discount in May and will no longer give discounts to those using Apple Pay or Google Pay starting on July 25. Verizon, meanwhile, has long limited its auto pay credit card discount solely to those who pay with its Verizon Visa card.

Similar to Verizon and T-Mobile, AT&T is encouraging users to switch to paying their bills with a debit card or bank account if they want to keep the full $10 per month auto pay discount. Unlike the other carriers, AT&T is at least keeping some discount for those who still wish to pay with a credit card, even if those monthly savings will soon be cut in half.

It just got a little more pricey to stream NBC’s Peacock service. New subscribers will see changes to subscription prices, including a $1 and $2 bump to Peacock Premium and Premium Plus each month, while existing subscribers will have to start paying more soon. The changes mark the first price hike for the streaming service since it launched in 2020.

As of Tuesday, monthly Peacock Premium costs $6 per month, up from $5, and Premium Plus costs $12 per month, up from $10, according to an email sent to existing Peacock subscribers. An annual subscription to Peacock Premium costs $60, an increase from $50. A year of Premium Plus now costs $120, up $20 from its previous price.

Current subscribers have a bit of a buffer, with the new prices kicking in on their next billing date on or after Aug. 17. Promotional pricing will continue through the end of the promo period, according to Peacock, but anyone who upgraded to Premium Plus for $5 a month will have to start paying $1 more each month as of their next billing date on or after Aug. 17.

Peacock joins a crowd of streaming services to raise subscription prices, from Starz and Paramount Plus, which adjusted plans last month, to Netflix, Max and Disney Plus. Peacock hosts popular sitcoms like The Office and 30 Rock, along with originals like Poker Face and movies recently released in theaters, among other offerings.

Peacock has a free, ad-supported tier, but new accounts can no longer access it. People with Xfinity Internet or Spectrum may qualify for free Peacock Premium.

Apple released the iOS 16.6 release candidate to public beta testers and developers Tuesday, about a week after the company released iOS 17 to public beta testers. An iOS release candidate is usually the final version of an update before it’s released to the general public, so expect iOS 16.6 to land on your iPhone soon. Though iOS 16.6 has a few new features, we expect this update to consist of mostly bug fixes and security patches as Apple prepares for iOS 17’s fall release.

New iOS features can be fun, but we recommend only downloading a beta on something other than your primary phone just in case the new software causes issues. Apple also provides beta testers with an app called Feedback. Testers can notify Apple of any issues in the new software with the app, so the problem can be addressed before general release.

Here’s what could be coming to your iPhone with iOS 16.6.

iMessage Contact Key Verification

Apple announced iMessage Contact Key Verification in December 2022 alongside Security Keys for your iCloud account.

“With iMessage Contact Key Verification, users who face extraordinary digital threats … can choose to further verify that they are messaging only with the people they intend,” Apple wrote in a news release at the time.

The first iOS 16.6 beta appeared to include some of the framework for Contact Key Verification, but with iOS 16.6 beta 2, that seems to have disappeared. If you went to Settings and searched for “Contact Key Verification” in the first iOS 16.6 beta, you could see an option for the feature. But that option vanished in the second iOS 16.6 beta.

More Beats Studio Buds icons

The second iOS 16.6 beta adds two new color icons for Beats Studio Buds, according to the website Gadget Hacks. The new color icons are for the ivory and transparent Beats Studio Buds, so if you have either of those earbuds you should see those icons on your iPhone with the latest beta.

New iCloud for Windows prompt

Gadget Hacks also reports iOS 16.6 beta 2 adds a new prompt when you try to log into iCloud for Windows when your iPhone and Windows computer aren’t on the same Wi-Fi network. The new prompt reportedly advises you to use a different network and that your iPhone and Windows computer need to be on the same network.

Apple hasn’t announced a release date for iOS 16.6, but with the appearance of the release candidate, iOS 16.6 will likely be available soon. Apple might include more features in iOS 16.6, and there’s no guarantee that the features mentioned above will be included in the update.

For more iOS news, check out what features we’re most excited about in iOS 17. You can also take a look at why you should download iOS 16.5.1 (c) now and features you might have missed in iOS 16.5.

Artificial intelligence-powered Bing Chat is now rolling out to Microsoft 365 enterprise users in preview form, Microsoft said Tuesday.

Microsoft is pushing privacy as a key selling point, saying AI-powered chat data is protected and won’t leak outside an organization.

“Chat data is not saved, and Microsoft has no eyes-on access — which means no one can view your data,” Microsoft said in a blog post. “And your data is not used to train the models.”

The price is also a selling point. If you’re a Microsoft 365 E3, E5, Business Standard and Business Premium user, you’ll get Bing Chat Enterprise at no additional cost. In the future, it will be available as a stand-alone product for $5 per month.

Not to be outdone by Google, Microsoft is rolling out multimodal capabilities, bringing Visual Search to Bring Chat. This means you can use images in Bing Chat to search for things.

With the launch of ChatGPT late last year, an AI chatbot that could answer almost any question with a unique response, there’s been a rush to use that tech across multiple applications. We’ve already seeing AI chatbots help people code, help with college applications and assist in dating apps. Heck, there’s even a ChatGPT-powered sex toy. But in business and enterprise applications, AI could become a powerful force. Already, Google is testing its Duet AI for Google Workspace, which brings the power of AI to Gmail and Docs to help people write.

The enterprise AI market is expected to reach $88 billion by 2030, according to Verified Market Research. Given the rapid growth, it’s not at all surprising that companies are being bullish in the space.

Bing Chat Enterprise also isn’t Microsoft’s first flirtation with AI. The company was quick to up its investment in OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, earlier this year and integrate its tech into Bing. Microsoft also brought its AI-powered Bing into Edge, calling it a copilot for the web. It introduced Microsoft 365 Copilot, meshing the same large language model tech from ChatGPT into Office applications.

While it’s still in early access, Microsoft said that 365 Copilot will cost $30 per user per month for E3, E5, Business Standard and Business Premium Customers when it becomes broadly available.