Aston Villa will be desperate to get their charge for a top-four place back on track on Saturday, as they host a Brentford side looking to ease themselves clear of the drop zone in the English Premier League.
Villa crashed to a 4-1 defeat to title-chasing Man City in midweek. That loss didn’t prove as damaging to their hopes of finishing in a guaranteed UEFA Champions League qualification place as it might, after rivals Spurs were held to a draw on Tuesday.
Brentford have won just one game from their last 10 — a run that leaves them just six points clear of the relegation zone. Bees boss Thomas Frank will be desperate to claim all 3 points here, but his team will need to make history in doing so, with the west Londoners having never won a game at Villa Park.
Below, we’ll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch the game live wherever you are in the world.
Aston Villa vs. Brentford: When and where?
Aston Villa host Brentford at Villa Park in Birmingham on Saturday, April 6. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. BST (10 a.m. ET, 7 a.m. PT in the US and Canada; and 12 a.m. AEDT on Sunday, April 7, in Australia).
How to watch the Aston Villa vs. Brentford 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. So if your internet provider or mobile carrier has stuck you with an IP address that incorrectly shows your location in a blackout zone, a VPN can correct that problem by giving you an IP address in your correct, non-blackout area. 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 Aston Villa vs. Brentford in the US
Saturday’s Aston Villa vs. Brentford match is streaming on USA Network, which you can access as part of your cable package or at the NBC Sports website with a valid login, and can be streamed via Sling TV and other more expensive streaming TV services.
Can I livestream the Aston Villa vs. Brentford game in the UK?
No broadcaster has the rights to show this game live in the UK, due to the traditional Saturday 3 p.m. kickoff blackout, which prohibits matches being shown in the region at that time in order to protect attendances throughout the English football pyramid.
That also means that if you’re in the UK traveling for pleasure or for work, you’re unlikely to be able to watch the game like you normally would at home, thanks to geo-blocking.
There is one option to get around this, however. By using a VPN, as explained above, you can set your location to a country where the match is being broadcast and go from there.
Livestream the Aston Villa vs. Brentford game in Canada
If you want to stream Aston Villa vs. Brentford live in Canada, you’ll need to subscribe to Fubo. The service has exclusive rights for this Premier League season.
Livestream the Aston Villa vs. Brentford 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.
Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission.Reviews ethics statement
Lori GruninSenior Editor / Advice
I’ve been reviewing hardware and software, devising testing methodology and handed out buying advice for what seems like forever; I’m currently absorbed by computers and gaming hardware, but previously spent many years concentrating on cameras. I’ve also volunteered with a cat rescue for over 15 years doing adoptions, designing marketing materials, managing volunteers and, of course, photographing cats.
ExpertisePhotography, PCs and laptops, gaming and gaming accessories
Keyboard backlight can make keys harder to differentiate
Finish shows smudges
HP gets points for style with its new 14-inch Omen Transcend model, a compact option for the compact gaming/creative crowd in the not-expensive-but-not-cheap mainstream price range. With performance suitable for high-quality 1080p or mid-quality 1440p gaming, along with a striking design, it’s a definite option to consider if you’re in the market and don’t care about a few potential flaws.
The Transcend comes in dark gray or white — the latter costs $20 extra — and can be configured in a variety of ways. The only display available is the 2,880×1,00 60Hz/120Hz dynamic-refresh-rate OLED, though. It starts at $1,500 with an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, GeForce RTX 4050, 512GB SSD, 16GB RAM and Wi-Fi 6E. Ramping up to an RTX 4060 runs another $70; if you want to bump to a 4070, it costs another $570, because you can only get that by jumping to a Core Ultra 9 185H with 32GB RAM. A 1TB SSD adds $90, while 2TB requires $250 over the base; Wi-Fi 7 is a $40 option and Windows 11 Pro $70. All told, you can spend up to $2,450 on the laptop.
HP Omen Transcend 14
Price as reviewed
$1,700, 1,799
Display
14-inch 2,880×1800 (2.8K) 120Hz OLED 500 nits
CPU
1.4GHz Intel Core Ultra 155H
Memory
16GB LPDDR5X-7467 (soldered)
Graphics
8GB GDDR6 Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060, max 65w
Storage
1TB SSD
Ports
2 x USB-C (1 x Thunderbolt 4 with DP 1.4), 2 x USB-A 3.1, 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x combo audio
Networking
Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200, Bluetooth 5.4
Operating system
Windows 10 Home 23H2
Weight
3.6 lbs/1.6kg
One of HP’s novelties for the Transcend 14 is a built-in wireless transceiver for the HyperX Cloud 3 wireless headset (HyperX is an HP brand), an excellent gaming headset. HP offers a bundle with the headset, but you don’t get any discount buying it that way, since it’s about the same $150 either way, and comes with the same dongle for use with other systems. It’s nice not having to worry about a dongle, but you can wait and buy it on sale if you’re on the fence. The transceiver only works with that headset, though.
We tested a middle $1,700 configuration of the laptop — the base plus 1TB SSD and Wi-Fi 7 — though HP sent the headset bundle box, so technically it’s the $1,850 version. Given the laptop’s solid but not standout performance, I’d suggest opting for a different laptop if you need more power, like the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, rather than upping to the Ultra 9/RTX 4070 config. If performance doesn’t matter all that much to you, then save some money and get the base configuration, possibly with extra storage or Wi-Fi 7.
Design
I really like the look of the Transcend 14. It’s striking without resorting to slablike, though the only RGB lighting on it is the keyboard backlight — which seems to have enough lighting for all the laptops. It’s relatively thin at 0.7 in/18mm, but looks thinner because it has rubber feet that leave some space beneath it to accommodate the air intake on the bottom. It’s not especially lightweight, about the same as competitors with discrete GPUs.
The ports are scattered on the left, right and back. There’s a decent number of them, but it’s somewhat disappointing that the USB connections are only USB 3.1: That’s got a 10Gbps transfer rate. Of course you can get 40Gbps through the rear Thunderbolt 4 port, but if you’re using it for creation as HP pitches this, I’d want two Thunderbolt ports or at least a second fast USB 3.2 connection (and you lose the one at the back for if you’re on power). If you only need the connections for attaching an external keyboard or mouse, you’re fine with the slower ports.
The touchpad is the same quality as you get with its biz and premium laptops, so no complaints there. I did notice that frequently touched areas, like the wrist rests, developed smudgeprints very quickly, a problem you likely wouldn’t have with the white model.
While the latticeless-ish (I say “ish” because the strike zones of the keys don’t extend to meet each other, instead spreading at the base to show the backlight), per-key RGB keyboard makes a striking first impression, it was only partially effective as a backlight. The LEDs are designed to illuminate the area formerly called the lattice, but the symbols on the keycaps are barely — if at all — translucent and are overwhelmed by all the color. The only way I could read the letters in the dark was to look directly down on the keyboard.
Otherwise, it’s a perfectly serviceable membrane keyboard, and the decent 1080p webcam supports Windows Hello facial recognition, and you can use both Windows Studio Effects and Nvidia Broadcast, the latter accessible though the Omen Gaming Hub software. The camera is below average in low light (noise), the exposure is meh (it doesn’t meter off your face, so you get hotspots on your forehead and cheeks) and my normally pasty-white skin looked like a creamsicle. The software addresses the noise, but neither lets you fine tune exposure or white balance. Nvidia Broadcast has a lot more controls than Studio Effects, video and audio; the latter draws less power, but the former runs on more powerful hardware. Overall, it’s pretty typical of what I’ve seen from HP, though.
Performance and display
It’s hard to screw up an OLED screen, and this one’s no exception, delivering OLED-typical high contrast and a large color gamut with colors that pop. It’s good for everyday use and reasonably accurate for most creative work. If you do need color-critical accuracy, you should tweak the calibration, since it uses a generic profile that could use some tightening.
As it is, the white point is a hair low — close to DCI-P3 at 6200K, but a little warm for the more commonly accepted 6500K. Gamma is a little high at 2.3, but that can work better than 2.2 on OLED, since it opens up the shadows, where OLED tends to clip. Like all OLED panels, it covers 100% P3, and sRGB plus 94% Adobe RGB. It doesn’t have profiles for the other color spaces, which means it extends well past the boundaries of sRGB and may render highly saturated hues inaccurately. It hits peak brightness around 400 nits in standard mode, which is good for OLED (OLED’s higher contrast means it doesn’t need to get as bright for visibility in direct light as IPS).
Color measurements
Gamut coverage
White point
Gamma
Peak brightness 10% window (nits)
Peak full screen brightness (nits)
Accuracy (DE2K average/max)
SDR
100% P3, 149% sRGB, 94% Adobe RGB
6200K
2.3
402
397
2.47/5.55
HDR
100% P3
6450K
n/a
624
617
n/a
At least in my testing, the panel far exceeded its 500 nits rated peak brightness in HDR, hitting well above 600 nits, and a white point of effectively 6500K. It looked good when mapping high-brightness content down to the screens smaller tonal range; at a brightness level of 40, it seemed to most closely approximate the correct tone curve (PQ ST2084). The audio doesn’t fare quite as well; I heard some distortion and muddiness in music, especially when the laptop was on my lap.
The screen supports dynamic refresh-rate switching between 60Hz and 120Hz, intended to save power by dropping to the lower rate when the higher isn’t needed. Like most OLED screens, it has a very high pixel-refresh rate and low persistence, so it displays very little motion blur when gaming at 120Hz.
Graphics performance ranks where expected, between the RTX 4050 and RTX 4070, making the HP generally suitable for high-quality 1080p or mid-quality 1440p gaming or mainstream creative work.
Because the laptop doesn’t support Nvidia’s Advanced Optimus architecture, you can’t force it to use the discrete GPU; the performance settings in the Gaming Hub software let you choose among Eco (always use the integrated GPU), Balanced/Hybrid (let the system choose when to use the discrete GPU) and Performance (the same as Hybrid, but allocating more power to drive the components and dynamically allocate it as needed between the CPU and GPU).
There’s always at least a tiny bit of overhead when the discrete GPU has to work in conjunction with the integrated GPU to drive the screen, which can potentially slow things down a little. The flip side is that it can be more battery efficient, and the HP’s roughly 9- to 10-hour battery life (under the very light load our tests impose) may be worth the tradeoff for some.
You can also control fan speed: It has Auto and Max settings, plus the ability to create a manual curve. The cooling system draws air from the bottom and blows it out through the back, which keeps most of the metal surfaces from getting hot. I could feel it a bit coming through the keyboard, but it never got uncomfortable. The fans can get loud, though.
Processor performance is also on par with the other laptops with Core Ultra 7 155H CPUs we’ve tested. I was hoping the pattern I’d seen with the Alienware m16 R2 of only small drops in performance on battery would hold, but it looks more similar to older Intel H processors, where it can drop a lot when unplugged.
Wrapping sufficient power for mainstream gaming and graphics work in a compact, stylish design with an OLED display makes the HP Omen Transcend a first-rate general-purpose laptop choice and solid value.
Geekbench 6 (multicore)
Acer Predator Triton 14 (PT14-51) on battery6,256Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) on battery6,734Lenovo Slim 7i 14 (2024) on battery8,011HP Omen Transcend 14 on battery8,709Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M3, 2023)12,049Lenovo Slim 7i 14 (2024)12,128Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024)13,038HP Omen Transcend 1413,053Acer Predator Triton 14 (PT14-51)13,904
Note: Longer bars indicate better performance
Cinebench 2024 CPU (multicore)
Lenovo Slim 7i 14 (2024)628HP Omen Transcend 14675Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M3)710HP Omen Transcend 14 max power788Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 2024819Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 2024 Turbo mode932Alienware m16 R2941
Note: Longer bars indicate better performance
Streaming video playback battery drain test (minutes)
Artificial intelligence chatbots are all the rage in the tech industry after ChatGPT hit 100 million users in two months, one of the fastest launches ever. Now parent company OpenAI says demand for a business-focused version of ChatGPT has seen “tremendous growth.”
In an interview with Bloomberg published Thursday, OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap said 600,000 people had signed up for ChatGPT Enterprise, a specialized subscription version of the chatbot service that includes features such as enhanced security, and the ability to read and understand additional data. Lightcap added that the figure was up from 150,000 in January, and predicted that 2024 will be “the year of adoption for AI in the enterprise.”
Read more: Introducing AI Atlas, Your Guide to Today’s Artificial Intelligence
OpenAI’s success expanding adoption of ChatGPT for business means it’s increasingly likely the technology will find its way into many of our workplaces sometime soon. OpenAI said last year that it had seen teams in over 80% of Fortune 500 companies adopt ChatGPT.
In his review of ChatGPT, CNET’s Imad Khan says, “It’s a tool that, when used in conjunction with Google and other resources, can help cut time down on research and discovery.” However, questions have to be carefully worded to get the most use out of ChatGPT. (Khan has also reviewed Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot and the Perplexity AI search engine, and he has thoughts on how they all compare.)
Not all businesses have welcomed AI with open arms, however. OpenAI is also being sued by The New York Times, which says the company used its copyrighted works without permission to help create ChatGPT.
Despite growing concerns about AI’s societal impact, many other chatbots and other AI technologies have started spreading around the world. Microsoft last year began adding AI tools to its Bing search engine and Office suite of business software, integrating features powered by its partnership with OpenAI. The company has even begun experimenting with using AI to help with customer support issues for its Xbox video game division, such as answering questions and handling refund requests.
Google similarly has begun expanding its competing AI chatbot technology across its product line, including recently adding its Gemini AI to Google Workspace. Meta, too, has introduced chatbots with “unique interests and personalities,” in addition to other AI-powered tools.
Even Apple is getting into the AI race, reportedly planning its own AI enhancements for the iPhone, which may be announced as early as this summer during the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference.
Read more: AI can’t do all our jobs for us. but we can make it a “superhero sidekick”
Editors’ note: CNET used an AI engine to help create several dozen stories, which are labeled accordingly. The note you’re reading is attached to articles that deal substantively with the topic of AI but are created entirely by our expert editors and writers. For more, see our AI policy.
Microsoft is nearing the end of its support for Windows 10, with security updates finishing on Oct. 14, 2025. You can pay to continue using Windows 10 securely, but if you want to continue to use Windows for free, it’s best you hop on over to Windows 11 if you haven’t already.
Even if you’ve never used Windows 11 before, you can quickly boot up your computer and easily use it to surf the web, watch videos and play music. All you really need is your mouse to get to where you need, but if you want to be a Windows power user, and not just a Windows novice, you should know about all the keyboard shortcuts that Windows has to offer.
In this story we’ll cover the most important keyboard shortcuts for Windows 11, many of which carry over from Windows 10 and earlier versions of Microsoft’s operating system. That includes the basics, like copying highlighted items and undoing a previous action, as well as lesser-known shortcuts, like snapping an active window into place.
You don’t need to know all of them, but there are likely a handful here that you’ll want to employ in your Windows workflow to improve your overall productivity. And if you want to check out more on Windows 11, here are nine hidden Windows 11 features and how to make Windows 11 act more like Windows 10.
Windows 11 shortcut basics
To start, here are the ones you’ll use most often.
Ctrl + A: Select all items in a window.
Ctrl + C or Ctrl + Insert: Copy selected or highlighted item (text, images and so on).
Ctrl + V or Shift + Insert: Paste selected or highlighted item.
Ctrl + X: Cut selected or highlighted item.
Ctrl + Z: Undo previous action.
Ctrl + Y: Redo action.
Ctrl + N: When File Explorer is your current window, open a new File Explorer window with the same folder path as the current window.
Windows key + F1: Open “how to get help in windows” Bing search in default browser.
Windows key + T: Cycle through the apps (including pinned apps) on the taskbar.
Windows key + [Number]: Open the app pinned in the [number] position on the taskbar. For example, if you have Edge pinned in the first position on the taskbar and you click Windows key + 1, Edge will open. If the app is already open, a new instance or window will open.
Windows key + Alt + [Number]: Open the right-click menu for the app pinned in the [number] position on the taskbar.
Windows key + D: Show or hide desktop (Windows key + , will display the desktop briefly).
Screenshots
Windows 11 also has several ways to take a screenshot, including three different keyboard shortcuts.
PrtScn: Take a screenshot of your entire screen and save it to your clipboard.
Windows key + PrtScn: Take a screenshot of your entire desktop and save it to a folder on your computer.
Windows key + Shift +S: Open Snipping Tool menu to take a screenshot of only a section of your screen.
The desktop: Windows, Snap Assist and virtual desktops
These shortcuts control how individual windows act on your desktop, including virtual desktops.
Windows key + M: Minimize all open windows.
Windows key + Shift + M: Restore minimized windows.
Windows key + Home: Minimize all windows except the selected or currently active window.
Windows key + Up arrow: Maximize selected window.
Windows key + Shift + Up arrow: Maximizes the active window vertically while maintaining its width.
Windows key + Down arrow: Minimize selected window.
Windows key + Left arrow: Snap selected window to the left half of the screen.
Windows key + Right arrow: Snap selected window to the right half of the screen.
Windows key + Alt + Up: Snap selected window to top half of the screen.
Windows key + Alt + Down: Snap selected window to bottom half of the screen.
Windows key + Shift + Left arrow or Right arrow: Move selected window to the left or right monitor.
Instead of trying to decide between a tablet or a laptop, why not have both? Two-in-one laptops can be used as a laptop or a tablet. Instead of having to switch between the two devices, you can have them both combined in one device. One of our top two-in-one budget laptops is now even more discounted. You can snag the Lenovo Flex 5i for only $420 at Best Buy, saving you a whopping $260 on its usual price. But act fast, this deal expires tonight.
The Lenovo Flex 5i is equipped with the 12th-gen Intel Core i5 processor, which is really good for multitasking. It also has a full high-definition display with a resolution of 1920×1200 giving you great picture quality for your streaming, browsing and gaming needs. And because it has a touchscreen, this extremely versatile device can be used as a tablet. It has a standard RAM of 8GB and total storage of 512GB. This device is good for regular browsing, students or other basic needs. The battery lasts approximately 10 hours, so you do not have to worry about the device running out of power in a short amount of time. Some other nice features of this laptop include a USB-C port and a fingerprint reader.
This deal expires tonight, so act quick to snag yours before it’s too late. Along with this insane deal of $260 off, Best Buy is also offering a free six-month subscription for Trend Micro internet security so you stay protected on the internet and a free one month Xbox Game Pass subscription. With all these bonuses and discounts, this deal is nearly impossible to pass up.
If you want a laptop that’s not a two-in-one device — perhaps an upgraded model with more robust features — check out our roundup of best laptop deals happening now to find the perfect fit for you at a great price.
Want to stream The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes? The odds are ever in your favor.
In mid-May, the Hunger Games prequel will be available on the Starz streaming service. The film, based on Suzanne Collins’ 2020 book of the same name, follows 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth), who’s not yet the tyrannical president seen in past films but rather “the last hope for his fading lineage, a once-proud family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol,” per an official synopsis. Young Snow must mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), a tribute from District 12. The movie depicts the 10th annual Hunger Games — Katniss Everdeen, for reference, volunteered for the 74th.
The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes will arrive on Starz roughly six months after its debut in theaters, where it earned more than $330 million at the worldwide box office. The film also stars Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer, Josh Andrés Rivera, Jason Schwartzman and Viola Davis. Here’s when you can stream the dystopian tale on the Starz app, and how a VPN could potentially enhance the experience.
When you can watch The Hunger Games prequel on Starz
The ad-free streaming service costs $10 a month. If you can’t wait to see what happens at the 10th Hunger Games, you can also rent The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes digitally from services like Amazon and Fandango at Home (formerly Vudu) for $6.
Netflix is streaming the four prior Hunger Games films: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay – Part 1 and Mockingjay – Part 2.
How to watch the Hunger Games prequel from anywhere with a VPN
Perhaps you’re traveling abroad and want to stream Starz while away from home. With a VPN, you’re able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the movie from anywhere in the world. There are other good reasons to use a VPN for streaming too.
A VPN is the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds by encrypting your traffic. Using a VPN is 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. Streaming TV can be a bit smoother with a reliable, quality VPN that’s passed our tests and security standards.
You can use a VPN to stream content legally as long as VPNs are allowed in your country and you have a valid subscription to the streaming service you’re using. The US and Canada are among the countries where VPNs are legal, but we advise against streaming or downloading content on illegal torrent sites. We recommend ExpressVPN, but you may opt for another provider from our best list, such as Surfshark or NordVPN.
Follow the VPN provider’s instructions for installation and choose a country where The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes will be streaming on Starz. Before you open the streaming app, make sure you are connected to your VPN using your selected region. If you want to stream the Hunger Games prequel on more than one device, it’s possible you’ll need to configure each one to ensure you are signed in. Go to settings and check your network connections to verify you’re logged in and connected to your VPN account. Now you’re ready to open Starz to stream.
If you run into issues with streaming, first make sure your VPN is up and running on its encrypted IP address. Double-check that you’ve followed installation instructions correctly and you’ve picked the right geographical area for viewing. If you still encounter connection problems, you may need to reboot your device. Close all apps and windows, restart your device and connect to your VPN first. Note that some streaming services have restrictions on VPN access.
If you have been on TikTok recently you might have seen the Vestaboard. It’s essentially a large messaging board that works, and sounds, like an old-fashioned railway station message board. You know the type: It has a roller full of letters that spin until they reach the one you need. What makes the Vestaboard special though is the ability to connect it to your smartphone with all the smart options that entails, from receiving messages to creating custom boards on the fly. The Vestaboard is normally $3,295 but with our exclusive code CNET300 you can knock that price down to $2,995 instead.
While the Vestaboard is not cheap it has a lot of great uses in an office, small business, or even in a large family setting. Because it can be easily adjusted on your phone, you could, for example, use it as a menu board for your coffee shop, or in an office to give out the day’s tasks to your team. It can also give you information about the weather, local news and your calendar events for the day. This makes it great as a central hub for your family home.
While some might say that it’s noisy, that’s really part of the charm. The analog motion and clacking noise harken back to a less digital age, while the smart features — some of which require a subscription — keep it feeling current. The Vestaboard is a unique messaging system that can transform a space, and with our exclusive code CNET300 you can get one for yourself for $2,995.
If the Vestaboard is out of your price range, you can always check out some of the best smart displays here at CNET.
It might seem like the Samsungs and Googles of this world are the only options if you want to go foldable the next time you buy a new phone, but you’d be very wrong. The OnePlus Open has earned its spot on our list of the best foldable phones we’ve tested, and right now you can pick it up for a bit of a bargain. This Amazon discount drops the phone to starting price down to $1,500, but the sale is only slated to run through April 21. Best Buy is offering the same $200 discount if you prefer to shop there or have a phone to trade in for further savings.
The OnePlus Open comes equipped with the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor as the flagship OnePlus 11, but also boasts a huge 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. It’s powered by Android 13.0, and has 5G support for fast and reliable cell performance. The 7.8-inch, 2K, AMOLED internal display has a 120Hz refresh rate, and is larger than both the Google Pixel Fold and the Samsung Z Fold 5 — but the Open is still thinner overall. It also has a large 4,800-mAh battery, and supports 67-watt fast charging, which can get you to 100% in less than an hour.
Read more: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 Rumored to Be Thinner and Lighter
Prefer to buy your phones direct? OnePlus is also offering the Open at the same $1,500 price with trade-in offers meaning you could get up to $700 off, too. And if you’re looking for even more bargains, you can check out our full roundup of all the best phone deals for savings on Apple, Samsung and Google models.
We think the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is one of the best foldable phones money can buy, and while the Galaxy Z Fold 6 might be on the way within the next few months, it definitely won’t be cheap. The same can be said of the current model as well, but that’s before you take advantage of this limited-time Amazon discount that saves you $400 and brings the 256GB model all the way down to just $1,400. What’s more, you get to choose from three stunning colors including the luxurious cream — or off-white, depending on who you talk to.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 comes with everything you’d expect from a big flagship foldable. That starts with the giant 7.6-inch foldable display on the inside and continues with the almost-as-large 6.2-inch cover display. Both look great and are brilliant for using your apps and getting the day-to-day stuff done. But you’re going to want to open the Fold 5 up to get the most out of your games and media streaming.
That huge display is also perfect for multitasking for those times when you just need to get more done, while photographers will enjoy the triple-camera array of lenses. On the inside, you’ll find 256GB of storage and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip. This model is factory unlocked so you can have your pick of carriers, too.
Looking for something a little smaller? The clamshell Galaxy Z Flip 5 is currently being offered with a deep discount, bringing the 512GB model down to just $900. You can also check out our list of the best Galaxy Z Fold 5 deals if you’re looking to take out a new plan as well.
The total solar eclipse is in just three days, and time is running out on finding both eye protection and camera lens protection. But there’s a device-app combo that could solve that problem in one fell swoop.
Solar Snap is designed to help you both protect your eyes when viewing a solar eclipse, as well as take photos of the eclipse while it’s happening. The bundle comes with a Solar Snap camera filter that attaches to the back of an iPhone or Android phone, along with solar eclipse glasses for protecting your eyesight during the event.
After you attach the filter to your phone, you can use the free Solar Snap Eclipse app to zoom in on the eclipse, adjust exposure and other camera settings, and ultimately capture photos of an eclipse.
Solar Snap was founded by Douglas Duncan, a former Hubble Space Telescope astronomer, who wanted to take better pictures of a solar eclipse using only a phone’s camera. However, when Duncan, who currently serves as an emeritus faculty member at the University of Colorado and was the former director of the university’s Fiske Planetarium, sought a solution, he couldn’t find one.
“At recent eclipses, I saw lots of people trying to take souvenir photos with their phones, but failing,” Duncan told me. “Something needed to be done! I spent the pandemic inventing and testing Solar Snap.”
Here’s what you need to know about the app, as well as some general tips for photographing the eclipse.
Read more: Are Your Solar Eclipse Glasses Safe to Use or Fake? Here’s How to Find Out
Solar Snap app
Since Solar Snap has a very specific purpose, it isn’t necessarily useful day to day. However, it should be especially useful on April 8, when the moon passes between Earth and the sun and causes a total solar eclipse over North America. The Great American Eclipse, as it’s become known, will reach the Mexican Pacific coast at 2:07 p.m. ET on April 8 and then traverse from Texas to Maine until it moves off the Eastern coast of North America at 3:35 p.m. ET.
As exciting (and rare — the next total solar eclipse over North America won’t occur until 2044) as that may be, solar eclipses carry their fair share of risks. During the eclipse, and especially just before and after totality, or when the moon completely shrouds the sun, looking at the eclipse without protective eye gear can cause severe eye damage. You can similarly suffer significant eye damage if you look at the eclipse through binoculars, telescopes or, yes, the lens on a camera or smartphone without a filter.
Solar Snap aims at solving that problem by providing filters for both the camera and eyes, making it possible to look at the eclipse and take photos of it without worrying about eye safety. And with its app settings designed to optimize image quality, it promises to deliver nice-looking views of the eclipse for you to enjoy long after it’s over.
“I built automation into Solar Snap,” Duncan said. “If you put your phone on a tripod, at the start of totality, you can take the filter off (don’t bump the phone!), push the ‘totality’ button, and it will take photos all during totality, while you watch the eclipse.”
The $19 Solar Snap kit is available now — and today’s your last chance to buy it in time for it to arrive before the eclipse. The kit comes with two pairs each of the phone filter and protective eyewear, along with two Velcro sets for attaching the filter to a phone. Solar Snap’s app is available in both Apple’s App Store and in Android app marketplaces like Google Play.
More eclipse-photography tips
Space.com reports that over 44 million people will experience totality during the April 8 eclipse, and it’s likely that most of them will try to capture a photo or two. Here are a few tips.
Whether you’re digging out the fancy camera gear or keeping it simple, practice your setup before eclipse day. If anything goes wrong, or you forget an accessory you needed, you don’t want to learn that once the eclipse has already begun. Depending where you’re watching from, it’s only 3 to 5 minutes long. NASA suggests practicing by photographing the moon.
You likely want to get yourself a certified solar filter to attach to your camera. It’ll protect your eyes and let you take photos while viewing the eclipse through your lens.
The best photos will be taken with DSLR cameras, or what we old-timers used to just call “cameras.” But let’s be real: Many of us are just going to do the best we can with our phone cameras. NASA suggests you don’t count on your phone’s autofocus — you’ll have to do it manually, by tapping the screen, holding your finger on the moon to lock the focus, and then dragging your finger up and down to adjust the exposure.
You also may want to buy an inexpensive zoom lens that clips on directly to your smart phone camera. “Digital zoom will not work to create a magnified, clear image,” NASA warns.
Remember, however, that you don’t want to get too busy taking eclipse photos that you forget to enjoy the experience itself. After all, there won’t be another chance until 2044.
