Category: Technologies

If you’re looking for a set of high-quality headphones, there are a lot of options out there. But if you don’t want to pay top dollar, don’t fret. Sony has a number of excellent headphones and earbuds — and right now Amazon has select models discounted by up to 29%, making it a little easier on your wallet. We don’t know how long this offer will last, so we recommend making your purchase sooner rather than later.

Sony’s best noise-canceling headphones are the WH-100XM5, which topped our best headphones for 2023 roundup. These over-ear wireless headphones deliver powerful sound and offer great voice-calling performance, as well as multipoint connection, making them an ideal pair of headphones for those working from home. You’ll get up to 30 hours per charge and noise canceling with automatic optimization that adjusts for your environment. Regularly $400, they’re marked down to $348 right now.

The WF-1000XM4 also made the cut as the best wireless earbuds Sony has to offer and won an Editors’ Choice Award in 2020. They remain an excellent set of wireless earbuds thanks to their top-notch noise-canceling and sound quality. And they’re a good choice for voice calling, too. You can expect about eight hours of battery life with noise canceling — and this pair offers multipoint connection as well. While this model usually lists for $280, Amazon has it available for just $198 currently — that’s a 29% discount.

However, if you’re a fan of compact earbuds, you may prefer the LinkBuds S, which also earned a spot on our best list. These earbuds may be more comfortable for some people because of how lightweight they are, plus they’re IPX4-rated splashproof and get up to six hours of battery life per charge. Normally they list for $200, but you can grab a pair for $148 right now.

There are plenty of other models in the sale worth checking out, so be sure to shop the entire selection at Amazon to find the right fit for your needs. And if you’re looking for a different brand, check out our roundup of the best headphone and earbuds deals happening now.

Apple’s next big product looks like it’ll cost $3,000, rest on your face and need to be tethered to a battery pack. Whatever this expected VR headset ends up being, it isn’t immediately clear what it’ll do or who it’s for. The Reality Pro headset, as it’s expected to be called when it’s likely unveiled at Apple’s WWDC developer conference on June 5, is Apple’s biggest new product in nearly a decade. It’s also totally different than anything Apple has ever made before.

VR headsets have been a standard consumer tech thing for years, and your family, or families you know, may already have one lying in a corner. They’re used for games, fitness, creative collaboration, even theater. Still, VR and AR have been outlier technologies, not deeply connected enough to the phones, tablets and laptops most of us use every day.

Apple could change that. And of course, don’t expect the word “metaverse” to be uttered even once. The metaverse became Meta’s buzzword to envision its future of AR and VR. Apple will have its own parallel, possibly unique, pitch.

A connection to everything?

I pair my Quest 2, from Meta, to my phone, and it gets my texts and notifications. I connect it to my Mac to cast extra monitors around my desk using an app called Immersed. But VR and AR don’t often feel deeply intertwined with the devices I use. They aren’t seamless in the way my watch feels when used with an iPhone, or AirPods feel when used with an iPad or Mac.

Apple needs this headset to bridge all of its devices, or at least make a good starting effort. Reports say the headset will run iPad apps on its built-in 4K displays, suggesting a common app ecosystem. It’s also possible that the Apple Watch could be a key peripheral, tracking fitness and also acting as a vibrating motion-control accessory.

VR is a self-contained experience, but mixed reality – which Apple’s headset should lean on heavily – uses pass-through cameras to blend virtual things with video of the real world. In Apple’s case, its own devices could act as spatially linked accessories, using keyboards and touchscreens and ways to show virtual screens springing from real ones.

Apple’s expected headset is supposed to be self-contained, a standalone device like the Quest 2 and Quest Pro. But that interconnectivity, and its position in Apple’s continuity-handoff connected ecosystem, is a big opportunity and a big question mark.

However, Apple does have a big AR head start: Its iOS ecosystem has supported AR for years, and the iPhone and iPad Pro already have depth-sensing lidar scanners that can map out rooms in ways that Apple’s headset should replicate. Apple could emphasize making its existing AR tools on other devices more usable and visible through a new interface.

Apple’s head of AR, Mike Rockwell – the person expected to be leading this new headset’s development – told me in a conversation about AR in 2020 that “AR has enormous potential to be helpful to folks in their lives across devices that exist today, and devices that may exist tomorrow, but we’ve got to make sure that it is successful. For us, the best way to do that is to enable our device ecosystem, so that it is a healthy and profitable place for people to invest their time and effort.”

How do we control it?

I’m less curious about the Apple headset display – which sounds extremely promising with a possible 4K resolution per eye and a Micro OLED display – and more focused on how Apple solves what we do with our hands.

Interfaces in VR and AR are very much a work in progress. VR has tended to lean on split game controllers for most inputs, with optional (and steadily improving) hand tracking that still isn’t perfected.

Apple isn’t expected to have any controller at all with its Reality Pro headset. Instead, it’ll likely use both eye tracking and hand tracking to create a more accurate and possibly streamlined style of interface that could make targeting intended actions feel faster. Eye tracking already works this way, sometimes, in headsets that use it: The PlayStation VR 2 has some games that use eye tracking for controlling menus.

Accessibility is a big question here. Apple’s design choices are often very accessibility-conscious, and VR and AR headsets often rely on eye movement or physical hand movements that aren’t always easy for everyone. Voice control is a possible option here, or maybe some Apple Watch-connected functions that improve gesture accuracy and offer some touch controls could be in the cards, too. I don’t know. Apple already added some gesture controls for accessibility purposes on the Apple Watch, so the door’s open.

A lot of hand gestures in VR feel complicated to me, and involve lots of movement. Can Apple make a gesture language that feels as intuitive and as easy as multitouch on iPhones and iPads? It’s a big hurdle.

Fitness focus

VR has already been a surprisingly effective fitness tool for years. Apple could address a whole bunch of opportunities that could open the landscape a lot further, though.

I’ve used Beat Saber and Supernatural on the Quest 2 for years as home exercise options, but the Quest 2 (and most VR headsets) aren’t designed with fitness in mind. Foam and silicone face pieces get sweaty, hardware can feel weirdly balanced, and no company has really spent targeted effort yet on making headgear that’s aimed at breathability and comfort like a piece of athletic equipment. There are plenty of third-party Quest accessories that help, but it still feels like an imperfect situation.

That’s Apple’s wheelhouse. After designing the Apple Watch, AirPods and, most recently, the Watch Ultra’s new straps, conceiving of materials and design that could feel better during workouts seems like an achievable goal. If the Reality Pro feels like a better piece of workout gear, it could inspire others to invest in better designs, too.

Apple should, and could, integrate the Apple Watch and fitness and health tracking into the headset’s functions. The Quest 2 can do this too to some degree, but most smartwatches and fitness trackers, like Fitbit, don’t have deep connections with VR headsets yet. They should, and again, introducing a clear wearable relationship between watch and headset feels like an overdue bridge.

Of all the things I’m trying to imagine Apple positioning an expensive headset to be in people’s lives, a fitness device keeps coming to mind as a much more likely proposition than a gaming gadget. Not that many people own gym equipment, or have space for it. Could headsets fill that role? I think they could. For me, they already do, sometimes.

Will Apple just focus on making it a great wearable display?

I’m starting to wonder if maybe Apple’s first goal with Reality Pro is just to nail a great audio/video experience. I’ve thought of VR/AR glasses as eventually needing to be “earbuds for your eyes,” as easy to use and as good as headphones are now. VR and AR headsets I’ve used all far short of being perfect displays, with the exception of the highly expensive Varjo XR-3. Could Apple achieve making the Reality Pro a headset that looks and sounds good enough to truly want to watch movies in?

Some reports that the Apple headset runs iPad apps, and that perhaps the iPad Pro with its lidar/camera array is in fact the “developer kit” for the headset, make me wonder if the headset will feel like a wearable extension of iOS rather than a whole new experience.

What about my glasses?

VR and AR headsets aren’t making it easy for me to live with my own eyewear. Some hardware fits right over my own chunky glasses, and some doesn’t. As headsets get smaller, a lot of them are trying to add vision-adjustment diopters right into the hardware – like the Vive XR Elite – or add optional prescription inserts.

Maybe someday we’ll have AR glasses that double as our own everyday glasses, and Apple can morph into a Warby Parker optical shop for its retail glasses fittings. In the meantime, these sometimes-on headsets also need to work without being annoying. Am I going to have to order prescription lenses? And how? And will they fit my needs? It’s a big responsibility for VR/AR manufacturers, and I’ve found that some of the insert options don’t meet my heavily near-sighted needs.

What are the killer apps?

Finally, of course, I’m curious about how this headset is defined. The Quest 2 is a game console with benefits. The Quest Pro was aimed at work. The PlayStation VR 2 is a PS5 extension.

The iPhone was a browser, an iPod, and an email device at first. The iPad wanted to be an easy way for users to read and look at the web. The Apple Watch was a fitness device, iPod, and wrist-communicator. What will Version One of the Apple Mixed Reality Headset be positioned as?

Apple did pepper a ton of extras into the Apple Watch at first, almost to test the waters with possibilities: a camera remote, a virtual way to send love taps and scribbles, voice memos. Reports of an avatar-based FaceTime, multiscreen immersive sports, and maybe 3D immersive versions of Apple’s already 3D-enabled Maps are clear starts. Apple’s collaborative Freeform app could be pitched as a mixed reality workplace, and movies could be watched in a virtual theater, in a way that VR headsets have enabled for years (but maybe here with an even better display and audio). AR-enabled iPhone and iPad home improvement apps, 3D scanning apps, and games could be ported over, leaning on similar lidar-scanning AR functions in-headset. Apple fitness workouts, clearly, could be big. Gaming? With Arcade, or some early partners, sure.

Will any of these be enough? Will Apple define a territory that right now has had a hard time defining itself beyond gaming? This first headset may not be the one most people buy, but it could be the one that tries to map out some clear directions for development beyond gaming. With Samsung and Google’s headset on the horizon, and possibly a lot more after that, these devices will start to reinvent themselves as they become more phone-connected and portable. Apple could have an early chance at shaping that narrative… or, if it doesn’t, others will get a chance after Apple. We’ll likely know more, or at least get an early glimpse, at WWDC.

Hulu is taking 74% off the cost of its subscription for three months for new and returning subscribers, dropping the price down to just $2 per month. The limited-time deal was launched to coincide with National Streaming Day and is slated to end on May 27, so it won’t be long before this discount disappears.

Hulu with ads normally costs $8 per month, so getting three months for less than the regular cost of one is a killer deal. If you’re not new to Hulu, you’re still eligible for this deal if your subscription lapsed over a month ago. You can also choose to add on Disney Plus with ads for $2 extra per month.

We’re big fans of Hulu’s variety, and it landed a spot on our list of the best streaming services for that reason. The service offers a huge library of familiar shows from networks like ABC, NBC and FX as well as a growing roster of original content like The Handmaid’s Tale, Only Murders in the Building and How I Met Your Father. The ad-supported plans will have commercials within the content you’re watching, but at just $2 per month it’s hard to be too bothered by that and it gives you the chance to sample Hulu’s extensive catalog without breaking the bank. And you could always move to the ad-free plan after the promotional period ends if you find that you want to stick with the service.

The $2 per month deal expires soon, so you don’t have long left to make the most of it. Note that this subscription will auto-renew at $8 per month if you don’t cancel before your three months are up.

Google has launched Search Generative Experience, or SGE, an experimental version of Search that integrates artificial intelligence answers directly into results, the company said in a blog post on Thursday.

Unlike a normal Google Search, which brings up a list of blue links, SGE uses AI to answer your questions right on the Google Search webpage. After entering a query in Google Search, a green or blue box will expand with a novel answer generated by Google’s large language model, like the one powering OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

Google pulls this information from websites and links to sources used when generating an answer. It’s also possible to ask follow-up questions in SGE to get more precise results.

At the moment, SGE isn’t open to the public and requires you to sign up to Google’s Search Labs. To join, click the link here. Search Labs is currently available only to a limited number people in the US and in English only, though you can join the waitlist. Google didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

With the launch of ChatGPT late last year, an AI chatbot that could answer almost any question with a unique answer, companies have been adding generative AI features to their products amid increased public interest. Google unveiled Bard earlier this year, an AI chatbot similar to ChatGPT. Microsoft followed up by adding ChatGPT into Bing directly, including an AI image generator powered by Dall-E, also by OpenAI. AI chatbots are powered by a large language model, or LLM, a technology that uses a massive set of text data to write sentences that mimic human language. The model essentially aims to figure out what the next best word should be when generating sentences, a process that’s been described as “autocomplete on steroids.”

AI was also a core focus earlier this month at Google I/O, the search giant’s annual developers conference, with the term being said more than 140 times during the two-hour presentation. During I/O, Cathy Edwards, vice president of engineering at Google, said that with a standard Google Search, people have to break up complex queries into multiple questions, sift through websites for information and formulate the answer in their heads. With SGE, the AI can do all of that for you.

How to join the Google Search Labs waitlist

Here’s how to join the waitlist for Search Labs so you can be among the first to test Google’s SGE:

1. Open the Chrome browser on a computer.
2. Sign into you Google account.
3. Open a new tab in your browser.
4. At the top right, there will be a Labs icon (of a beaker) if Labs is available to you.
5. If the Labs icon is there, click it and then click Join Waitlist.

You’ll get an email when Labs becomes available.

SGE is part of Search Labs and includes experimental features such as Code Tips, which gives coding suggestions directly in Search, and Add to Sheets, a feature that can automatically bring in information found in Search into Google Sheets.

If you’re able to get into SGE now, Google requires you to agree to its privacy notice and asks you not to include sensitive or confidential personal information that “can be used to identify you or others in your interactions with SGE features.” This is because during this trial run, some data will be analyzed by human reviewers, although the data will be “stored in a manner that is not associated with your Google account.” It’s possible to delete interactions via the My Activity page.

Google also warns of the follies of generative AI and that accuracy may vary. This is likely referring to “hallucinations,” a problem found with generative AI where it can confidently say something is accurate when it isn’t. Google suggests you not rely on generative AI for medical, legal, financial or other professional services.

Editors’ note: CNET is using an AI engine to create some personal finance explainers that are edited and fact-checked by our editors. For more, see this post.SGE can be accessed via the Chome desktop web browser or the Android and iOS Google apps. a large language model

The Federal Communications Commission isn’t the only one cracking down on illegal robocalls, as nearly every US state has sued a telecom company accused of allowing over 21 billion robocalls to US telephone numbers, including 7.5 billion that are on the national Do Not Call registry.

The lawsuit was brought by attorneys general of every US state except Alaska and South Dakota along with Washington, D.C. against Avid Telecom for allowing robocalls that misled and scammed recipients of the calls, thus violating consumer protection laws, as Gizmodo reported earlier Thursday.

Avid Telecom is a voice provider that transfers calls to US phone number owners, and the Industry Traceback Group that notifies providers about illegal robocalls coming through their networks notified Avid at least 329 times that it was transmitting said calls. The telecom has “been on notice about this illegal call traffic for many years,” the states claim in the lawsuit.

Of the billions of robocalls, more than 8.4 million “appeared to be coming from government and law enforcement agencies, as well as private companies,” according to a press release from Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry, who is one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. Avid Telecom allegedly allowed robocalls scamming recipients on Social Security, Medicare, Amazon, credit card interest rate reduction, and of course, auto warranties.

The lawsuit is the result of the Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force of attorneys general from every US state and Washington, D.C., with help from the Federal Trade Commission and Social Security Administration.

The legal action follows the FCC ramping up action on illegal robocalls by making voice providers like Avid Telecom responsible for the scam calls carried through their networks. In addition to setting more restrictive rules, after repeated warnings the agency recently banned a provider from sending calls into the US.

Avid Telecom did not respond to a request for comment by time of publication.

It’s going to cost a bit more to stream Starz beginning late next month. A subscription to the streaming service will go from $9 per month to $10 starting June 26. It’ll be the first price increase for the standalone service since it launched in 2016.

The change will go into effect around the same time as Paramount Plus hikes subscription prices when it integrates Showtime into the service. Disney Plus is also expected to raise the price of its ad-free offering by the end of the year.

Starz’s ad-free subscription will now cost the same per month as Netflix’s Basic ad-free tier, but it’ll still cost less per month than ad-less Hulu, Max and Disney Plus. (Max replaced HBO Max earlier this week, and ad-free streaming is still $16 per month).

Starz offers series like Party Down, P-Valley, The Serpent Queen and Outlander, which is getting a new, two-part season 7 starting on June 16. In her review of Starz, CNET’s Kourtnee Jackson referred to the streamer as “an intriguing alternative to its better-known rivals,” noting that the Starz network promotes diversity and representation in its originals and that its cost is “a low price for a service with Starz’s selection and no commercials interrupting what you watch.”

Manchester United host struggling Chelsea at Old Trafford today in the English Premier League, knowing that a draw will seal qualification for next season’s UEFA Champions League.

Currently three points above fifth-placed Liverpool with a game in hand, United boss Erik ten Hag will be determined to finish off the job here this evening at home and avoid a nervy final game of the season against Fulham on Sunday. A win here would also see them leapfrog Newcastle into third.

With Mauricio Pochettino waiting in the wings to take over as boss at Stamford Bridge in the summer, Frank Lampard will be intent on pulling off a big result here, as he looks to go out on a high after a torrid tenure as interim Chelsea manager.

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

Man United vs. Chelsea: When and where?

Man United host Chelsea at Old Trafford on Thursday, May 25. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. BST local time in the UK (3 p.m. ET, 12 p.m. PT in the US, and at 5 a.m. AEST on Friday, May 26 in Australia).

How to watch the Man United vs. Chelsea game 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 game — 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 Canada, 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 Man United vs. Chelsea game in the US

This EPL fixture is streaming on Peacock. You’ll need a Peacock Premium or Premium Plus account to catch the game live.

Livestream the Man United vs. Chelsea game in the UK

Premier League rights in the UK are split between Sky Sports, BT Sport and Amazon Prime Video. This game is exclusive to Sky Sports, showing on its Sky Sports Main Event, Premier League and Ultra channels. If you already have Sky Sports as part of your TV package, you can stream the game 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 game.

Livestream the Man United vs. Chelsea game in Canada

If you want to stream this EPL clash live in Canada, you’ll need to subscribe to FuboTV Canada. The service has exclusive rights to this Premier League season.

Livestream the Man United vs. Chelsea game in Australia

Football fans Down Under can watch this EPL fixture on streaming service Optus Sport, which is showing every single Premier League game live in Australia this season.

Quick tips for streaming the Premier League using a VPN

• With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — your experience and success when streaming EPL matches 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.

TikTok is the latest tech company to begin work on an artificial intelligence-powered chatbot. The video-hosting company announced Thursday on Twitter that it’s begun a limited test of its AI-powered tool, called Tako, with select users in the Philippines.

“Tako is an AI-powered tool to help with search and discovery on TikTok,” the company tweeted. “No current plans for this beyond these early tests, but we’re excited to hear your feedback!”

2/ Tako is powered by a third-party chat assistant and is designed to help make it easier to discover entertaining and inspiring content on TikTok. No current plans for this beyond these early tests, but we’re excited to hear your feedback!

— TikTokComms (@TikTokComms) May 25, 2023

“We’re always exploring new technologies that add value to our community,” a TikTok spokesperson told CNET in an email. “We look forward to learning from our community as we continue to create a safe place that entertains, inspires creativity, and drives culture.”

According to the tech research firm Watchful.ai, Tako can recommend content to watch and users to follow based on what you’ve watched and questions you’ve asked it. A screenshot of Tako posted by the firm says the chatbot can answer questions and have a conversation with you, but Tako’s responses might not be true and shouldn’t be relied upon.

See also: ChatGPT vs. Bing vs. Google Bard: Which AI Is the Most Helpful?

Other tech companies, like OpenAI, Google and Snapchat, have rolled out AI chatbots to people. Microsoft has also integrated AI into its Bing search engine.

TikTok is seemingly late to the game by those standards, but some major tech companies, like Apple, haven’t made any announcements concerning AI features or tools yet.

Editors’ note: CNET is using an AI engine to create some personal finance explainers that are edited and fact-checked by our editors. For more, see this post.

DirecTV is keeping NFL Sunday Ticket… at least for bars, restaurants and other “commercial venues.” The new multiyear deal, which begins with the 2023 football season, was announced Thursday by the satellite company and EverPass Media, the NFL’s new media platform for handling the distribution of “live sports and entertainment content” to businesses.

The new deal is for commercial use only and not for consumers who subscribe to DirecTV’s satellite TV service or its internet-based Stream TV offering. DirecTV says its commercial unit consists of over 300,000 locations and also includes casinos, hotel lounges and shops.

NFL Sunday Ticket was a long-time DirecTV-only product for both businesses and consumers, but the consumer version has now become exclusive to Google’s YouTube TV. The streaming TV service has already begun taking preorders for the football package, with discounted pricing running until June 6 that charges YouTube TV subscribers $249 for the full NFL season. The price jumps to $349 after that date. Non-YouTube TV users can get Sunday Ticket as well through YouTube Primetime Channels, but they will need to pay a higher rate.

Financial terms of the new deal were not disclosed. While it will include all out-of-market NFL games on Sundays, it was not immediately clear if this version of Sunday Ticket would include the NFL’s popular RedZone channel.

When DirecTV offered the full Sunday Ticket package, it produced its own version of RedZone separate from the option that was more broadly available to other TV providers.

For DirecTV, the move to keep Sunday Ticket follows its other deals with streaming services to continue to air sports for businesses, even as the games themselves increasingly become streaming-only for users. The satellite giant has previously struck deals with Amazon (for Thursday Night Football) and Apple (Friday Night Baseball and MLS Season Pass) to air their respective streaming-exclusive games on its traditional satellite network for its commercial customers.