Google is letting the public test drive new AI-driven search tools housed on the Search Labs sites.
“Every year in Search, we do hundreds of thousands of quality tests and experiments to figure out how to make Google more helpful for you,” Google Product Management Director David Gasca said in a statement. “Many of these ideas don’t pan out, but some do, and it’s through experimentation that Search gets better.
The first slate of Search Lab experiments, unveiled in May at Google I/O, includes Search Generative Experience, which uses AI to make results more responsive and focused, whether you’re looking for information, products or places to visit.
With our new generative AI experience in Search, you’ll get even more from a single search. You’ll be able to quickly make sense of information with an AI-powered snapshot, pointers to explore more and natural ways to ask. #GoogleIOpic.twitter.com/jgzz97DzEv
“You’ll be able to quickly make sense of information with an AI-powered snapshot, pointers to explore more and natural ways to ask,” Google said in a release.
Other offerings include Add to Sheets, designed to help users insert results directly into shared spreadsheets, and Code Tips, which can answer questions about Java, Python and other computer languages.
“Your feedback will help us understand what’s most helpful to make Search better for everyone, and where we might need to make some adjustments,” Gasca added.
Google hasn’t opened the door to Search Labs just yet, but if you want to try out these AI-driven features, you can sign up on the waiting list.
For now, the Search Lab will only be available in the US and in English.
Apple’s iOS 17 plans to overhaul the Messages app, bringing some of the best features we’ve already seen on WhatsApp, Signal, Google Messages and other rivals to iMessage. And in a move that takes the Messages app forward, Apple is also bringing a new Check In feature — to help alert friends or family when you get home — which could very well be the next feature we see get copied back by other texting apps.
Even if some of these new-to-Messages features are already familiar for someone who juggles multiple texting apps and group chats, wider adoption will only make communicating on phones better, regardless of your preferred chat app. On top of that, some of iOS 17’s new features will indirectly assist you when texting in a non-Apple chat app — such as the updates to autocorrect keyboards that’ll contextually recognize if swearing is a regular part of how you speak.
It’s worth noting that while these iOS 17 improvements are certainly welcome, there are definitely a few areas Apple could still improve for a better universal chatting experience. Chief among them are the infamous green bubble-blue bubble conflicts. So far Apple hasn’t announced any SMS conversation improvements, but there are features that are also on other messaging services and apps that are worth taking a closer look at.
iOS 17 comes with a new location sharing tool called Check In.
Apple
Check In is the new Messages feature that should get copied
Apple’s upcoming Check In feature takes a very common request and makes it easier to honor. There’ve been many times after a gathering with friends or family when we’ve asked each other to text after getting home. It’s so common in my life it’s practically part of the goodbye ritual, just to get assurance that everyone’s arrived safely by subway or car. Despite that, it’s also very common to forget to send that text.
Apple’s Check In could fix that problem. Though CNET has yet to test the feature, theoretically it could be turned on right as friends or family ask for that “made it home” message. Then it could automatically send the ping when I’ve walked through my door. That way, if the hour’s late or I’m just too tired from the journey, the status update still goes out.
Check In builds on a location-sharing tool for friends and family members that Apple has had in Messages for years, and the new feature makes that tool far more automated. Check In takes things a step further by allowing for notifications when a delay could be holding up someone. For friends and family who want that kind of safety check, it could be an additional tool that helps loved ones look out for each other.
There are currently other ways to set up a similar ping, using navigation apps like Google Maps, but the version Apple previewed during WWDC shows an easy way to get these notifications directly in the Messages app. Hopefully other chat apps find their own ways to mimic this idea, whether it’s through integration with a maps service or through improvements to an already-existing location sharing feature.
The Catch Up arrow in iOS 17 shows where you left off in a group chat.
Apple
Catch Up will make group chats much easier to follow
Apple’s Catch Up feature for group chats caught my eye when it was revealed. An arrow indicates where you left off in a busy group chat that carried on while you were away from your phone.
This is a feature that’s quite common in other chat apps, and I didn’t realize Apple lacked it until the company pointed it out. The unread label in WhatsApp, for instance, helps me when I check in with a neighbor group chat I have for my apartment building within that app. This is a group chat I don’t participate in actively — and I often mute it — but on days when I do want to check it, a label for unread messages helps me with finding the last part of the conversation I looked at.
Currently there’s an unread filter in the iPhone’s Messages app, but the Catch Up arrow should make it clearer what messages you missed. The adoption of Catch Up in iOS 17 could be an indirect sign that Apple is bridging the gap between iMessage group chats and an SMS/MMS chat that includes other types of phones. Though we’ll have to wait for iOS 17’s release this fall to confirm, a simple indicator that helps with organizing any conversation only serves to help when chatting with friends or family.
You’ll see transcriptions of audio messages in iOS 17.
Apple; screenshot by CNET
Audio message transcription brings a great Pixel feature to the iPhone
Google’s Pixel phones have included various audio transcription features for years, with the Pixel 7 series adding the ability to transcribe any audio message that’s received within the Google Messages app. Now Apple plans to bring the feature across its iPhone line using iOS 17.
New audio messages received in the Messages app will be transcribed automatically, and that’s a boon for accessibility. For someone who prefers to do audio messages, the gist will immediately be available for the receiver, and at times that transcription could be more than enough.
Until the transcription feature gets adopted into more services though, anyone who frequently sends audio messages should please remember to be patient while waiting for others to get a chance to listen.
Apple is adding a swipe-to-reply feature to its Messages app.
Apple
Swipe to reply fits right (or left) in
I’ve been using Signal a lot lately, and like Telegram it offers the ability to quickly reply to messages with a swipe. It’s faster than pressing and holding on a message, and then tapping a corresponding option.
Swipe to reply could streamline the menu of options that pop up when you press and hold on a message. Apple’s Messages app already includes shortcuts for emoji reactions, reply, copy, Translate and a “More…” option for selecting multiple texts. By moving this into a swipe action, Apple could eventually decide to tack additional features onto this menu, or simplify the menu down to basics.
In an unrelated organizational move, Apple moved iMessage apps from a row above the keyboard in the Messages app to a list that pops up when you tap a plus-sign icon. It shows that Apple is trying to declutter where it can, and make replies faster.
Apple says voice typing is improving in iOS 17.
Apple; screenshot by CNET
iMessage improvements (hopefully) still to come
While we wait for iOS 17’s final version, which comes out this fall, there’s the possibility that even more Messages features will be added as Apple continues development. For instance, the XDA Developers website says the iOS 17 developer beta keeps a number of iMessage features available for group chats with Android phones. Should this indeed make it into a public release, it could be a relief for iPhone users who still want to use threaded replies and message edits. XDA’s report notes, however, that non-iPhone participants might not see any of these Messages changes.
We’ll ultimately have to sit tight for iOS 17’s official release to see whether all these iMessage features announced at WWDC make it, or whether some get pushed to a later release. For instance, iOS 15’s SharePlay missed the September launch of that year’s operating system but arrived a month later. But the fact that these Messages improvements are in the pipeline shows that substantial improvements to iPhone texting are on the way.
Many exciting new features are coming with Apple’s new iOS 17 software this year, including a big update to the Messages app. Apple said at its 2023 WWDC event the new software will be available to download this fall, but not all iPhone users will have access. As with all of the major Apple software updates, several iPhones are getting left behind, including the iPhone X from 2017.
If you’re not sure which iPhone you’ve got, a quick check in your settings can show you. Open your Settings app and tap General > About. Next to Model Name, you’ll see which iPhone you have.
What if your iPhone isn’t on the compatibility list?
If your iPhone isn’t listed above, it won’t support iOS 17 and you won’t get a notification to download the newest software. For instance, if you have an iPhone X or older, the latest software you’ll ever be able to use on that phone is iOS 16.
Using a virtual private network to stream videos on your standard or smart TV sounds complicated and burdened by technical know-how. Never fear — there are a few devices that make using a VPN on your TV as easy as using your favorite phone app.
There are a few reasons why you might want to use a VPN to stream shows and movies on your TV. It will help keep your viewing habits private, and it will give you access to more streaming content from different parts of the world.
If either of those reasons sound enticing to you, then we have three devices that easily let you stream your favorite shows while using a VPN. And if you aren’t sure which VPN is right for you, check out our picks for the best VPNs.
Amazon Fire TV Sticks can be as cheap as $30, are easy to set up on your TV, and are one of the simplest ways to stream TV with a third-party VPN app.
Once you’ve plugged your Fire Stick into your TV and followed the on-screen setup, you can download apps for some of CNET’s best VPNs for Fire Sticks, like Surfshark, NordVPN and ExpressVPN. If you don’t subscribe to any of those VPN services, no worries. Each offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try each one risk-free until you find the right one for you.
Here’s how to download a VPN app onto your Fire Stick.
1. Open your Fire Stick on your TV. 2. Open the app. 3. Open Search. 4. Type in the name of the VPN you want to download. 5. Click Get.
After you’ve downloaded a VPN app onto your Fire Stick, go back to your home screen to open the app and log into your account. Then, you can connect to a VPN server in the country or region where you want to unlock specific content, or you can connect to a local VPN server for better private streaming speeds. After connecting to a VPN server, you’re all set to securely watch shows and movies in privacy.
Amazon Fire TVs come built-in with all the same capabilities of a Fire Stick, meaning you get all the same features without having to use a precious HDMI slot. Even the Fire TV’s interface is the same as the Fire Stick. To use a VPN through a Fire TV, follow the same steps as above to download a third-party VPN app, log into your account, connect to the VPN server you want to use and start streaming TV.
However, Fire TVs can cost between $370 and $1,100. So buying a Fire TV to stream shows and movies through a VPN is like buying a new car because you want a new paint job. If your TV works and it can use a Fire Stick, save yourself the money and buy a Fire Stick. But if you’re in the market for a new TV, and you want to use a VPN to stream content, consider a Fire TV to upgrade your streaming experience.
ExpressVPN’s Aircove router costs less than $200, and it allows you to run all your internet traffic through a VPN, not just your TV. The router has built-in VPN protection, a range of 1,600 square feet, and it allows unlimited simultaneous connections. These unlimited connections can be organized in up to five different groups, too, so if you live with four other people, each person in your house can be connected to a different server location at the same time.
However, you need an ExpressVPN account to use the router’s VPN capabilities. That means you’ll have to switch to ExpressVPN if you have an account with another VPN service. You’ll also need to use your laptop or smartphone in order to set up your router. That makes setup on the Aircove slightly more complicated than Fire Stick and Fire TV, which you can simply plug in and follow the on-screen instructions.
But once you’ve finished the Aircove’s initial setup, you’ve thrown a blanket of protection over all the internet traffic that runs through the router, which makes it a good option for people looking to run other devices at home through a VPN.
Coming Soon: Apple TV
Apple also announced in the follow-up to its WWDC keynote that TVOS 17 will support third-party VPN apps, like Surfshark, NordVPN and ExpressVPN, when it comes out this fall. That means you’ll be able to download VPN apps onto your Apple TV, and you should be able to use them in the same way you’d use them on your Fire Stick.
A good smartwatch can add some serious convenience to your day-to-day routine. If you already use an Android smartphone, the Apple Watch is not an option for you, despite it remaining one of the most popular picks out there. That’s why Android users should get a watch that’s designed for their preferred operating system.
Whether you use your smartwatch for its fitness-tracking features, or as a less distracting alternative to your phone, a smartwatch is a convenient way to stay connected and get information at a glance. And if you’re in the market for an Android smartwatch, there are plenty of worthy contenders for just about any budget, with key features like activity tracking, a heart rate sensor, Samsung Pay and more. Plus, there are many different styles of Android smartwatches to choose from to suit your personal taste.
If you’re looking for the best Android smartwatch out there, check out our recommendations below. You’ll notice we’re not recommending many watches powered by Wear OS because Google and Samsung have rebooted the OS, but every Android smartwatch listed here is a solid wearable with great features that pairs seamlessly with your Android phone or device. We’ll update our selections for the best Android smartwatch on the market periodically as we review new products.
Google’s first Pixel Watch wants to tackle the Apple Watch head-on. For the most part, it succeeds thanks to a sleek, curved design and a range of health sensors including an ECG app and blood oxygen tracking. It has a suite of fitness tracking features and analysis through the Fitbit app and accurate heart rate tracking.
Beware that the battery isn’t as strong as other options on this list and you will likely find yourself charging this watch every day, especially if you like to do outdoor GPS workouts and track your sleep. It’s also only available in one 41mm size.
Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro are two of the best Wear OS watches you can get right now. They have longer-lasting batteries than last year’s Galaxy Watch 4 models and plenty of great fitness tracking features. Google apps including YouTube Music, the Google Assistant and Google Maps are available, with many more apps accessible through the Play Store. You do need a Galaxy phone to use the ECG, but all the other features work seamlessly with other Android phones.
But the new temperature sensor isn’t active yet, and both watches miss out on the classic physical rotating bezel, one of the signature features of Samsung’s Galaxy Watch and Gear watches from years past.
The Galaxy Watch 4 is the first smartwatch to run the new Google Wear platform, co-designed by Samsung and Google. Even though it’s now been superseded with the Galaxy Watch 5, you can still buy the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, the version with a physical rotating bezel. ECG and heart-rate tracking are onboard, but Samsung tries to differentiate itself from other watches with a new impedance-based electrical sensor that can tell you more about your body composition. The battery life is not as strong as other watches on the list.
Garmin makes plenty of great smartwatches for fitness enthusiasts, but they don’t always have that many smart features. The Venu 2 hybrid smartwatch offers the best of both worlds. You can respond to notifications from the watch with quick replies, use contactless payments with Garmin Pay and store music from apps like Spotify. The bright AMOLED circular screen is easy to see outdoors and the battery lasts for 5 days or more. The Venu 2 Plus offers all the same features, but includes a speaker and microphone for taking quick calls from your wrist when your phone is in range, or talking to your voice assistant.
If you’re looking for a fitness-focused Android watch without too many distractions, which works with both Android and iOS, the Garmin Venu Sq is the watch to get. It has a built-in GPS, plenty of workout options to choose from, and lots of fitness tracking data about your workout like heart rate zones and running dynamics in the mobile app.
This Android smartwatch also doubles as a health tracker with high and low heart rate alerts, a comprehensive sleep analysis and SpO2 tracking. It measures blood oxygen levels on demand, or automatically throughout the day and night just like the Apple Watch Series 7, but for half the price. But you do compromise on design. The watch has a plastic frame, and the watch face’s screen isn’t as big or as vibrant as those on some of the other watches on the list. There’s also a newer version of this watch, the Venu Sq 2, with a battery that lasts even longer, but it is significantly more expensive.
If you’re looking for an Android-compatible watch that looks more like a dive watch, check out the Withings ScanWatch Horizon. It has regular watch hands and a tiny circular display that shows notifications scrolling across it like a ticker. But the focus is mostly on health-tracking features like monitoring your sleep, heart rate and workouts. There’s also an ECG onboard, and the battery can last two weeks or more.
Today’s best mirrorless cameras, like the Canon EOS R5, Sony A7 R IV and Panasonic Lumix S5, aren’t just great at taking still images; they’re superb video cameras too. With features including image stabilization, high frame rate footage and resolutions up to a whopping 8K, mirrorless cameras aren’t just great for amateurs who want to capture some vacation clips, they’re good enough for professional work too.
But having the camera and a lens will only get you so far in creating pro-standard, cinematic footage. There’s a whole variety of additional kit you’ll need to consider if you want to elevate your video production beyond a base level, from different methods of stabilizing your shots, through to tools that allow for more creativity in your video.
We’ve rounded up our top picks of the best gimbals, sliders, shoulder rigs, storage cards and more to help transform the footage you shoot with your new mirrorless camera. I’ve tested everything on this list to make sure it performs as it should and, crucially, whether it’s actually worth your money. If it didn’t impress, it didn’t make the list.
A slider is a great way of adding slick, professional-looking sideways camera movements that can add some real flair to your footage. And while sliders come in many shapes and sizes, I’ve found Edelkrone’s Slider Plus to be a superb, compact option for use with a mirrorless camera.
It’s small enough to fit into a kit bag, but thanks to its unique mounting system, it essentially allows the camera to travel double its length, making it great for anyone who wants to create great-looking travel videos without having to haul loads of gear on location.
You can get motorized add-ons too that turn it into a smartphone-programmable slider so you can control it remotely and create repeatable moves. Pictured above is the slider with the Motor Module, which lets me control the slider with my phone which is great for getting smooth and steady footage at slower speeds.
While many mirrorless cameras have built-in image stabilization for smoother handheld footage, if you want to ensure you get steady shots over longer periods of time, using a shoulder rig is a smart move. By sitting on — or up against — the shoulder and with handles at the front, a shoulder rig provides a solid base for your camera to sit on, letting you capture dynamic, stable footage even with bigger cameras.
PolarPro’s Pivot shoulder rig is a great solution video shooters on the move as the whole rig conveniently folds down small enough to store in a backpack, yet folds out in just a few clicks when you need it. Its carbon fiber rods make it sturdy, while its handles and shoulder pads can be adjusted to give you the most comfortable experience.
Zhiyun’s Molas X100 LED light packs a huge amount of power into an extremely small package. It puts out 100 watts of power, which is as much as you’d typically get from dedicated studio moonlights. It’s small enough to be used handheld, which makes it remarkably convenient for lighting on the move or for lighting in tight spaces.
It’s battery-powered but can run off USB-C, and the battery unit can be detached and used as a power bank to recharge your phone. The kit comes with a small collapsible soft box, but Zhiyun also sells an adapter to use the light with regular S-mount light modifiers.
Leveling base tripods, as the name suggests, have a base that allows you to level your camera to the horizon independently of the tripod legs. It’s often crucial in video to avoid wonky-looking footage as you pan the camera from side to side. Often these tripods can be big and bulky, but 3 Legged Thing’s Jay is a different beast.
It’s built with portability in mind, with four-section carbon fiber legs that fold down small, but still provide a sturdy base for cameras when fully extended. The video head has a panning arm for smooth… well, panning. Meanwhile the tilt function is slick, with additional friction easily dialed in for greater control.
But it has some other tricks up its sleeve: You can detach the legs, attach the head to one and turn it into a monopod, or you can attach small feet to the head and turn it into a tabletop video tripod. It might not come cheap, but this tripod is solidly built and its transforming nature makes it useful in a wide variety of scenarios.
If you want to get even more creative with your lighting, Zhiyun’s Fiveray light stick is a great creative toy to play around with. It’s best thought of like a Star Wars lightsaber: a long stick that lights up in different colors and is handheld. Though you won’t be slicing through droids with it, its bright output and handheld nature means it’s easy to get that light in hard-to-reach places, or create other interesting lighting effects by moving it around.
You can adjust the color temperature to match other lights in the room, or switch it to RGB mode if you want to experiment with vibrant pinks or deep cyan tones in your lighting.
While the battery life isn’t great — especially if you’re using it on max power — it comes with a power pack and can also run via USB-C.
A camera cage is a metal frame that fits around your camera, with mounting points for a variety of accessories. Smallrig’s Black Mamba cage is specifically designed for the Canon R5 and allows you to fit top or side handles, or any other items, like LED lights, monitors or microphones. It turns your camera into a fully fledged video rig that makes it great for handheld filming.
I particularly liked using it with the optional side handles, which offered more-stable footage than I was able to achieve just holding the camera and allowed me to also attach a microphone for better audio.
If you’re hoping to get into wedding or event videography — or you simply want better footage of your family on the holidays — then a cage like this is a good option to consider.
If you’ve ever wanted to use a smoke machine for your videos but didn’t want to have to carry one of those big boxes around — and a power source for it — then the SmokeGenie is for you. It puts out a huge amount of safe-to-breathe smoke that can fill a small room in seconds.
It’s brilliant for food or still life shooters who want to create a smoke effect on a small set, while an optional haze accessory lets you create a cinematic haze that will comfortably fill a large set. It’s handheld, making it easy to put the smoke exactly where you want it and give it a quick top-up when needed. The amount of smoke and the power of the fans are customizable, allowing for clouds of billowing smoke or more of a dry ice effect that makes the smoke act more like a liquid that cascades over whatever you’re shooting.
I’ve had great fun experimenting with my demo unit, and it’s been a huge step up from my previous way of using smoke on set, which simply involved blowing some vape smoke through a drinking straw. While the SmokeGenie is certainly more expensive than a vape, if you regularly use smoke on professional shoots, then it’s well worth the money.
If you want smooth footage and dynamic camera movements then consider a stabilizing gimbal. The Zhiyun Weebill 2 stabilizes your mirrorless camera on three axes, keeping your shots looking steady, even if you’re running with your camera.
While the base model comes with all you need for steady footage, the Pro package takes things further, bundling advanced gear including a follow focus system and a wireless video transmitter that lets you see the video footage on the gimbal’s fold-out LCD display, on compatible external monitors or even on your phone.
The Pro Plus package we tested can be found in photo specialty stores. It includes that connects to the wireless video transmitter and has its own controls for remotely controlling the gimbal, the focus system and basic camera settings.
Like the Zhiyun Weebill 2, Manfrotto’s 300XM gimbal allows for smooth-looking footage thanks to its three-axis stabilization. But Manfrotto’s gimbal has a trick up its sleeve; It has a modular design, that lets you detach the handle and use it as a wireless remote to continue controlling the gimbal and camera.
Manfrotto also launched the Fast GimBoom, a carbon fiber extending pole, with screw mounts on the top and bottom allowing you to attach the 300XM gimbal to the top and the remote control gimbal handle to the bottom. The result? Your camera is now on top of a 45-inch pole allowing you to get dynamic footage that looks like it was shot using a crane or jib, with much less hassle.
The twist mechanism of the GimBoom makes it quick to work with, while the optional tripod legs allow it to stand up on its own to operate as a regular tripod.
It can be difficult to monitor your footage solely using the small LCD screen on the back of your camera. That’s especially the case if you have your camera on a shoulder rig, on a high tripod or in some other awkward position. In these cases, using an external monitor, connected via HDMI, is the best solution, providing a direct feed from your camera so you can see exactly what’s going on.
Godox’s GM7S has a bright and sharp 7-inch display that makes it extremely easy to see your scene as you’re shooting. It has various assist functions to help you get your focus, as well as tools to ensure your exposure and other camera settings are exactly as they should be.
It can be powered with USB-C or by using L-series batteries, which are commonly available on Amazon.
If you’ve upgraded to a mirrorless camera that shoots 6K or 8K video — such as the awesome Canon EOS R5 — then odds are that camera accepts CFExpress cards. These storage cards are much faster than typical SD cards to both save files and to read them. As a result, they’re what you’ll need to look towards if you’re planning on shooting high resolution video.
Even 4K footage can be challenging to slower SD cards, especially if you’re shooting at high frame rates or in Log formats, which generate more data per minute of footage. At CNET we’ve used ProGrade’s Cobalt CFExpress cards for shooting a variety of high definition videos and they’ve performed well, with higher capacities available to eliminate the need for swapping out cards halfway through a shoot.
CFExpress cards are certainly more expensive than SD cards, but if you want to make the most of capturing at those maximum resolutions then it’s worth investing in good storage that can handle the huge files.
Any built-in microphone your camera might have isn’t designed to capture professional-quality audio that you’d actually want to use in your finished videos. Instead, you’ll need a proper microphone setup to make sure your audio sounds as good as your footage.
DJI is better known for its drones, but its Mic setup is a superb wireless audio recording solution in a 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. 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.
Matte boxes are essentially hoods that attach to the front of your camera lens and are used to help eliminate any weird light flares or distortions that might be caused by the sun or other light sources around you. They’ll often have movable panels (called flags or barn doors) that you can position specifically to control the light, and there are usually slots to drop in cinematic filters.
PolarPro’s Recon matte box ticks both of those boxes, with a large carbon fiber panel mounted on the top that’s great for blocking flares from bright sunlight. The base kit comes with the hood, the flag and a variable neutral density filter. This filter reduces light coming in through the lens and gets even darker as you twist it. It allows you to maintain the correct shutter speed for your footage, even when the light starts to change.
Upgrade to the Director’s kit and you can take the creativity further. This set also includes a mist filter that adds a cinematic haze to your footage and a “bluemorphic” filter that turns hard light sources (car headlights, for example) into wide blue light streaks, similar to the anamorphic lens flares that are a staple of J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars and Star Trek movies.
Autofocus in cameras can be great for locking on to individual subjects, but when you want to achieve cinematic focus changes between different subjects in a scene, then you’ll need to take manual control. A follow focus system attaches to a camera rig and allows your lens’ focus ring to be turned more smoothly — and without having to touch the camera, which could cause noticeable shaking in your footage.
Smallrig’s MagicFIZ system is wireless, allowing you to attach the motor to your lens and have the controller off camera. It’s great if your camera is in an awkward position or if you want a second person to control the focus while you concentrate on getting the shot.
How we test
I’m a professional photographer and video producer for CNET and I have personally tested every item on this list to confirm that it works as intended and that it’s actually a genuinely helpful part of your video setup. No marketing promises have been taken at face value and if it didn’t impress, it didn’t make this list.
Some items are used as part of my everyday video production setup for CNET, helping me get creative footage for our video reviews. Others I’ve simply put to use in my studio, or out and about on shoots around my home city of Edinburgh or throughout wider Scotland. As a professional, I know what to look for in a good product and I know what would be more of a hindrance on a real shoot — I need to trust that any equipment I take on location will always perform at its best and allow me to do the same.
Gamers looking to score a great deal on a PlayStation 5 can now get the next-gen console and one of the best PS5 games out there at a deep discount with this bundle. The God of War: Ragnarök bundle is discounted by over $60 at Amazon, dropping the price to $499. You can find a similar discount at Walmart, Target and directly at Sony’s webstore right now. That means you’ll pay the same price for the bundle that includes the console and the critically acclaimed game as you would if you were to buy the console alone. Since this a title you’ll definitely want to pick up at some point, this deal is a no-brainer for new PS5 buyers.
After years of careful PS5 stock tracking, the flagship console from Sony is now much more readily available to buy at Amazon and other retailers. This bundle includes the disc edition of the PS5 console, as well as a DualSense wireless controller with haptic feedback to immerse you in gameplay, and of course, a God of War: Ragnarök full game voucher. The console itself has 4K and HDR visuals, ray tracing and a Blu-ray drive, and it delivers up to 120 frames per second and supports up to 120Hz output. God of War: Ragnarök tops our list of the 15 best PS5 games to play right now and ended up being one of the most satisfying games released last year. Note that this title is rated Mature, for players aged 17 and up.
This PS5 bundle deal is slated to run through Aug. 1 at Sony’s site, so we expect the third-party retailers will adhere to the same timeframe. That being said, supplies could sell out before that date, so you don’t want to delay placing your order if you’ve been holding out for some PS5 savings.
Taking screenshots of important documents, such as online receipts, is a good way to make sure you have access to your documents in case of an emergency. Whether you’re running Windows 10 or Windows 11, there are a few easy ways to take screenshots of all — or part — of your screen.
The Snip & Sketch tool is easier to access, share and annotate screenshots than the old Snipping Tool. It can now capture a screenshot of a window on your desktop, a surprising omission when the app was first introduced that kept us on Team Snipping Tool until recently.
The easiest way to call up Snip & Sketch is with the keyboard shortcut Windows key + Shift +S. You can also find the Snip & Sketch tool listed in the alphabetical list of apps accessed from the Start button as well as in the notification panel where it’s listed as Screen snip. Or you can just search for it if you don’t commit the keyboard shortcut to memory. (If you’re a frequent screenshot taker, we recommend pinning the app to the taskbar.)
The built-in Snip & Sketch app has finally won us over and is now our go-to method for taking screenshots in Windows 10 and 11. So long, Snipping Tool.
Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET
Either the keyboard shortcut or the notification button will dim your screen and open a tiny menu at the top of your screen that lets you choose which type of screenshot you want to take: rectangular, freeform, window or full-screen. Once you take your screenshot, it will be saved to your clipboard and show up momentarily as a notification in the lower-right corner of your screen. Click the notification to open the screenshot in the Snip & Sketch app to annotate, save or share it. (If you miss the notification, open the notification panel and you’ll see it sitting there.)
If you open Snip & Sketch from the Start menu or by searching for it, it will open the Snip & Sketch window instead of the small panel at the top of the screen. From here, you need to click the New button in the upper left to initiate a screen capture and open the small panel. It’s an extra step to proceed this way, but it also lets you delay a screenshot. Click the down-arrow button next to the New button to delay a snip for 3 or 10 seconds.
The Snipping Tool has been around since Windows Vista. Windows has warned for a couple years that the Snipping Tool is going away, but it’s still kicking around in Windows 11. The Snipping Tool has been delisted from the list of apps in the Start menu, but you can still easily access it via the search bar.
Click the New button to begin the screenshot process. The default snip type is rectangular, but you can also take free-form, full-screen and window snips.
Snipping Tool does not automatically save your screenshots — you will need to manually save them in the tool before you exit — and it does automatically copy your captures to the clipboard.
The Snipping Tool has been with Windows for a long time.
Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET
Print Screen
To capture your entire screen, tap the Print Screen (sometimes labeled PrtScn) key. Your screenshot won’t be saved as a file, but it will be copied to the clipboard. You’ll need to open an image editing tool (such as Microsoft Paint), paste the screenshot into the editor and save the file from there.
You can also set the PrtScn button to open the Snip & Sketch tool by going to Settings > Ease of Access > Keyboard and toggling on Use the PrtScn button to open screen snipping under Print Screen Shortcut.
You can adjust print screen settings in Windows.
Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET
Windows key + Print Screen
To capture your entire screen and automatically save the screenshot, tap the Windows key + Print Screen key. Your screen will briefly go dim to indicate you’ve just taken a screenshot, and the screenshot will be saved to the Pictures > Screenshots folder.
Alt + Print Screen
To take a quick screenshot of the active window, use the keyboard shortcut Alt + PrtScn. This will snap your currently active window and copy the screenshot to the clipboard. You’ll need to open the shot in an image editor to save it.
No Print Screen key?
If your computer doesn’t have the PrtScn key, no worries, Microsoft has another keyboard shortcut for you. You can press Fn + Windows logo key + SpaceBar to take a screenshot. It will then be saved to the Pictures > Screenshots folder.
Game bar
You can use the Game bar to snap a screenshot, whether you’re in the middle of playing a game or not. First, you’ll need to enable the Game bar from the settings page by making sure you’ve toggled on Record game clips, screenshots and broadcasts using Game bar. Once enabled, hit the Windows key + G key to call up the Game bar. From here, you can click the screenshot button in the Game bar or use the default keyboard shortcut Windows key + Alt + PrtScn to snap a full-screen screenshot. To set your own Game bar screenshot keyboard shortcut, to Settings > Gaming > Game bar.
Windows Logo + volume down
If you’re rocking a Microsoft Surface device, you can use the physical (well, sort of physical) buttons to take a screenshot of your entire screen — similar to how you would take a screenshot on any other phone or tablet. To do this, hold down the Windows Logo touch button at the bottom of your Surface screen and hit the physical volume-down button on the side of the tablet. The screen will dim briefly and the screenshot will be automatically saved to the Pictures > Screenshots folder.
Google has released Android 14 Beta 3, detailed in this blog post. The prerelease software, which mostly addressed previous bugs and other issues, is available to download and install on the Pixel 4A 5G and later, as well as a few other supported devices. There is only one more Android 14 beta release, slated for July, before the public Android 14 update comes out in the fall.
Android 14 in general will bring tweaks and revamps, including updates to the Android system UI and improvements to privacy and security.
Android 14 Beta 3 is the latest preview of Google’s mobile system, which first went to developers with the Android 14 developer preview, to test before the general release.
Prior to the beta releases of Android 14, the process of installing Android developer previews wasn’t super easy. It involved unlocking developer options, downloading a sizable file, factory resetting your device and more. Now, it’s much more simple to download and install the latest Android 14 beta.
The final version of Android 14 will eventually be the most accessible way to get it, but that’s not expected until later this year. If you really want an early look at what’s coming, and you have a supported Android device, such as the Pixel 7 or Pixel 7 Pro, you can begin testing Android 14 beta 3 right now. Here’s how.
A console-level control for your Android that’s compatible with popular cloud gaming services like Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Steam Link and GeForce Now, as well as hundreds of mobile games like Minecraft, Fortnite and Roblox.
Although the Android 14 beta is more refined and solid than the Android 14 developer preview, you should still expect bugs with this release that may make your phone more difficult to use. Only download the Android 14 beta if you’re willing to deal with these issues or if your device is a backup from your daily phone. Also, make sure to back up your device before downloading the Android 14 beta, in case something goes wrong or you decide to leave the program later.
Note: Some of the new features that are in development might not end up in the final version of Android 14, so anything you do use should be considered an early preview and not necessarily final.
Which Android devices are compatible with the Android 14 beta?
For now, these Pixel smartphones support the latest Android 14 beta:
Besides the Google Pixel, there are a few other devices that support the Android 14 beta, including the OnePlus 11, Nothing Phone (1) and Lenovo Tab Extreme. You can check out if your device is compatible with Android 14 Beta here.
The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are two of the supported devices that can currently run Android 14 beta.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
How to download Android 14 Beta 3 on your supported device
The easiest way to download Android 14 Beta 3 on your phone is to go to the Android Beta for Pixel page on your computer, check if your device is supported and then enroll in the Android 14 program.
Under the Your eligible devices option, you should see your phone if it is supported (make sure your phone is charged over 10% or else it may not appear).
As long as you haven’t signed up for the Android 13 beta or Android 14 developer preview, you will see the option to opt in. If you’ve already signed up for the aforementioned prereleases, you don’t need to do anything to get Android 14 Beta 3. You should automatically receive an over-the-air update on your phone.
If your device supports Android 14 beta, it will appear under “Your eligible devices.”
Screenshot by Nelson Aguilar/CNET
To enroll in the Android 14 beta, click Opt in and then click Confirm and enroll after reading the terms and conditions. You should see a notification that says your device is now part of the Android 14 beta program.
You will then receive an over-the-air update on your phone. If you don’t get a notification on your phone, go to Settings > System > System update to view your Android 14 update. It may take up to 24 hours to receive the OTA update.
How long will the Android 14 beta last for?
You should expect updates up until the public release of Android 14, which will likely launch sometime in the fall of this year. According to Google, you should receive an update a month in May and June, with two in July.
Also, the Android 14 beta program as a whole will continue until next year, which means that you’ll continuously receive beta updates up until the next beta release, unless you opt out.
How do I opt out of the Android 14 beta?
To opt out of the Android 14 beta program, go back to the Android Beta for Pixel page, but this time click Opt out. Within 24 hours, you should receive an OTA update on your phone that will wipe out all your locally saved data and provide you with whatever the latest public version of Android is at the time. As mentioned before, this is why you need to back up your device before enrolling in the Android 14 beta program.
Updates are coming to Apple’s Messages, but you’ll have to wait a little to get your hands on them (unless you’re in the company’s developer program). Apple revealed its iOS 17 software update on June 5, but it won’t arrive until the fall. The iOS 17 update makes some major changes to Messages, adding abilities like turning pictures into stickers, transcribing voice memos, keeping your friends and family notified on your way home, and more.
News about the iOS 17 Messages update came during the keynote address at the Worldwide Developers Conference at the company’s headquarters in Cupertino, California. Apple traditionally uses the annual event to give developers a preview of updates to its desktop and mobile software, and sometimes it introduces new hardware too. At the conference the company unveiled its first mixed reality headset, the Vision Pro.
With the update to Messages in iOS 17, people will be able to take their photos and turn them into stickers they use in text conversations, alongside standard emoji, which can also be used as stickers. People can customize their stickers with effects — like shiny, puffy, comic and outline — and keep them in a new drawer in the keyboard for streamlined access, Apple said in a press release. Stickers will be available systemwide, including in third-party apps.
To make a photo into a sticker, you’ll touch and hold an object in a photo. Then you can style your object with various effects, outline it or create animated Live Stickers with Live Photos. To use the sticker in Messages, you’ll add them in the bubble from the Tapback menu.
Watch this: Apple Reveals iOS 17
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Search in Messages, Check In and more
Also coming is a refined search feature. People will be able to apply additional filters to their Messages search to more quickly find the exact conversation they’re looking for. Plus, when you’ve received lots of texts in a group chat, you’ll be able to use the catch-up arrow to locate where the conversation left off last.
iOS 17 Messages will also transcribe voice memos you receive, if you don’t have the time to listen to them. Apple also announced a new feature that will let you keep track of your friends by viewing their location in your text conversation.
Apple’s Check In feature through iOS 17.
Screenshot by CNET
Another new location sharing feature is Check In. If you want to keep a friend or family member updated on your journey home, for example, you’ll be able to use Check In, which notifies the person of your whereabouts and lets them know if you’re having trouble getting home. “If they are not making progress toward their destination, useful information will be temporarily shared with the selected contact, such as the device’s location, battery level, and cell service status,” Apple said in the press release. Check In will be end-to-end encrypted, so only you and the person you’re sharing this information with is privy to your location.
The iOS 17 updates don’t stop at Messages. Apple also introduced Live Voicemail, which will give people the ability to see the message a person is leaving you as it is being recorded. This could help with deciphering between important calls that unknown numbers leave and spam.
The iOS 17 update for FaceTime includes audio and video messages, so people can leave their friends and families a FaceTime voicemail of sorts.
Also, if people want to share a contact with one another, they can use the new feature NameDrop. By bringing two iPhones or one iPhone and one Apple Watch close together, contact information can be transferred from one device to the next.
