Category: Technologies

On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles will meet in the desert for the biggest sporting event of the year, Super Bowl 57. On a bad ankle, Patrick Mahomes led the Chiefs to a last-second win over the Bengals to reach the Super Bowl for the third time in the last four years. Nursing an injured shoulder, Jalen Hurts and the Eagles had an easier time with the 49ers to advance. Now, both quarterbacks have had some time to heal up before the big game.

Super Bowl Sunday is this Sunday, Feb. 12, with the game taking place at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, home of the Arizona Cardinals. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. MT (6:30 p.m. ET, 3:30 p.m. PT) and will be broadcast on Fox in the US.

Which teams are playing in the Super Bowl?

The Kansas City Chiefs are the AFC champions, and the Philadelphia Eagles are the champs of the NFC. They’ll face off in the Super Bowl for the NFL title. The Chiefs have won two Super Bowls, with the first coming way back in Super Bowl 4 in 1970 and the second half a century later in Super Bowl 54, during Mahomes’ second season as KC’s starting quarterback. The Eagles have a lone Super Bowl title, winning Super Bowl 52 in 2018 against Tom Brady and the Patriots.

Who’s in the Super Bowl halftime show?

Rihanna will headline the Super Bowl halftime show.

How do I watch the Super Bowl?

Super Bowl LVII will be broadcast live on Fox. The channel is available on TV in the US via cable and live-TV streaming services. And Fox is making the game available for free to anyone through its Fox Sports app — without needing to authenticate with a cable, streaming or satellite login. Fox Sports has apps for iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Google TV and Xbox.

If you live in an area with good reception, you can watch the broadcast on Fox for free over the air just by attaching an affordable (under $30) indoor antenna to nearly any TV.

Can I watch the Super Bowl in 4K?

Yes! As spotted by The TV Answer Man, Fox will broadcast the Super Bowl in 4K, assuming you have the proper setup. To get the game in its highest resolution, you’ll need to have service from a company that offers 4K broadcasts (DirecTV, Dish, Comcast, Optimum and Verizon Fios are some traditional cable and satellite companies that offer 4K) or a 4K-capable plan on a streaming service like YouTube TV or FuboTV.

You also can watch in 4K for free using the Fox Sports app even without a cable, streaming or satellite login assuming you have a 4K TV that can download the Fox Sports app or a compatible 4K streaming device.

Comcast customers with the right equipment will be able to watch the Super Bowl in Dolby Vision HDR, a format that promises greater contrast and vibrancy.

Best TVs for Sports for 2023: Watch the Super Bowl in 4K

See at Cnet

Best options for streaming the Super Bowl

Below are our recommendations for the best ways to watch the Super Bowl without cable. All five of the US-based live TV streaming services carry Fox, but keep in mind that not every service carries every local network, so check each one using the links below to make sure it carries Fox in your area.

What are my Super Bowl viewing options outside the US?

International viewers should check their local listings to determine the best local option to watch or stream the Super Bowl. In the UK, for example, the game will be broadcast on ITV. In Canada, you will be able to watch the broadcast on CTV or TSN, depending on your location, or the French-language broadcast on RDS. Canadians can also watch the game on the DAZN streaming service.

We’re still searching for information about this year’s Super Bowl broadcast in Australia, but last year’s game was available live on Channel 7 and the 7plus VOD service, as well as the Foxtel and Kayo streaming services.

Click here to see what time kickoff is in your time zone.

How to use a VPN to watch the Super Bowl from anywhere

What if you’re traveling outside your home country and want to enjoy the big game, or just want an added layer of privacy for streaming? There is an option that doesn’t require searching the internet for a sketchy website: You can use a VPN, or virtual private network.

With a VPN, you’re able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game, which comes in handy if you find yourself unable to view the game locally. A VPN is the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day 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.

If you can’t find a convenient opportunity to watch the game where you live, using a VPN with a US-based server should provide access to some or all of the streaming options listed below. 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, as long as you’ve got 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. See our list of best VPNs for more and check out other great VPN deals taking place right now.

Sarah Tew/CNET

ExpressVPN

Best VPN for streaming

ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It’s normally $13 per month, and you can sign up for ExpressVPN and save 49% plus get three months of access for free — the equivalent of $6.67 per month — if you get an annual subscription.

Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

See at ExpressVPN

Sling/CNET

Sling TV

Carries Fox for $40 (select cities only)

Sling’s $40-a-month Blue package carries Fox but only in a handful of areas.

Read our Sling TV review.

See at Sling TV

YouTube TV

Carries Fox for $65

YouTube TV costs $65 a month and includes Fox. Plug in your ZIP code on its welcome page to see which local networks are available in your area. To watch the game in 4K resolution, you’ll need the 4K Plus add-on. It costs $10 a month for the first 12 months and then $20 after that. There’s also a free, 14-day trial.

Read our YouTube TV review.

See at YouTube TV

Hulu

Hulu with Live TV

Carries Fox for $70

Hulu with Live TV costs $70 a month and includes Fox. Click the “View channels in your area” link on its welcome page to see which local channels are offered in your ZIP code.

Read our Hulu with Live TV review.

See at Hulu with Live TV

DirecTV

DirecTV Stream

Carries Fox for $75

DirecTV Stream’s basic, $75-a-month Entertainment package includes Fox. You can use its channel lookup tool to see which local channels are available where you live.

Read our DirecTV Stream review.

See at DirecTV Stream

Fujo

FuboTV

Carries Fox for $75

FuboTV’s basic plan costs $75 a month and includes Fox. Click here to see which local channels you get. To watch in 4K, you’ll need to upgrade to the $85-a-month Elite plan.

Read our FuboTV review.

See at FuboTV

ITV

ITV

Carries the Super Bowl in the UK for free

Fans of American football in the UK can watch the Super Bowl for free. ITV will be broadcasting the game and you can stream it on the company’s ITVX service (formerly ITV Hub) from anywhere.

See at ITV

Quick tips for streaming Super Bowl 2023 using a VPN

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

It’s taken some time, but it looks like there finally may be some competition coming in the foldable space. During its busy OnePlus 11 event — which also featured the company’s Buds Pro 2 earbuds, a tease of a concept phone coming at Mobile World Congress later this month, and a new mechanical keyboard — OnePlus also teased a new foldable phone.

Details remain scant on the upcoming product, but OnePlus’ parent company Oppo has been releasing foldables in China for the past couple of years. Late last year it introduced the Find N2, a smaller and lighter rival to Samsung’s Galaxy Fold 4, as well as the Flip N2 which features a clamshell design similar to Samsung’s Z Flip 4 and Motorola’s Razr.

In December Oppo announced that it planned to bring the Flip N2 to global markets this year, though the US wasn’t among the planned countries.

It has been a slow start to foldable devices since Samsung first introduced the Galaxy Z Fold in 2019, particularly outside of China. While China has seen a variety of foldable devices from the likes of Oppo, Xiaomi, Motorola and Huawei other markets have been much more limited with their selection of devices, or got them months later. Motorola’s most recent Razr launched as a China-exclusive before expanding to Europe last October.

This is particularly true in the US, which has largely been limited to Samsung’s Z Fold and Z Flip lines (plus two early iterations of Motorola’s foldable Razr).

That said, with OnePlus confirming it has a device coming and Google rumored to be working on its own Pixel Fold its possible that US foldable fans may have a few new options in the not-too-distant future.

It’s a big day for OnePlus fans. Along with the release of the new OnePlus 11 phone and the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 wireless earbuds, the company teased its first mechanical keyboard and, more fittingly for the mobile device maker, its first Android tablet, the OnePlus Pad. The green aluminum-clad tablet has an 11.6-inch display that curves into the body to help give it an 88% screen-to-body ratio.

The Pad has an industry-first 7:5 ratio screen with a 144Hz refresh rate that should make it great for smooth-looking video and gaming. The screen supports Dolby Vision while the speaker system supports Dolby Atmos and OnePlus’ omni-bearing sound field technology for more immersive audio that adjusts between the right and left channels based on the screen’s position.

The OnePlus Pad’s 9,510-mAh battery can play video for more than 14.5 hours and can stay in standby for one month, OnePlus said in its announcement. It also supports high-speed 67-watt charging, filling up its large pack in only 80 minutes.

Pricing and availability were not announced but will be available in the coming weeks. However, whatever the price, it will come with a OnePlus Stylo stylus and a OnePlus Magnetic Keyboard. That should make this a good competitor to options like Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S8, the Huawei MatePad Pro and Lenovo Tab P11 Pro.

The Freedom search (libertas.world) became available in the application on Android. Be confident in the safety of your data on any device and get rid of search espionage.

Freedom Search positions itself as a search engine that provides maximum privacy and confidentiality. The system does not record requests and IP addresses, does not collect or analyze any data about the user, does not track your location, behavior and remains anonymous – you always remain a guest.

In addition to the fact that Freedom Search has a special private mode by default, which is activated in the issue and does not allow sites to track your actions, it also evaluates sites on a privacy scale.

As a nice bonus from Freedom – ad blocking. In addition to the usual banners, after buying air tickets to Paris, you will be relieved of intrusive advertising of French hotels and special offers from airlines!

Well, as for its main task – the Freedom search engine helps to easily and quickly search for information, in particular in foreign languages.

Download Freedom Search to your phone and Internet surveillance will no longer scare you.

We have a few lists that focus on the best cheap headphones and earbuds, including one just for the best cheap wireless earbuds. This one features a mix of top budget wired and wireless headphones and earbuds, with most of the picks costing less than $50 and all costing less than $100.

You’ll find there’s a fair amount of junkier headphones in this price range, so I’ve only selected ones that manage to exceed expectations and deliver good quality for the price with decent build quality (good comfort in particular) and solid overall performance.

Read more: Best Wireless Earbuds for 2023

This story was originally published earlier, but is updated periodically.

Screenshot by David Carnoy/CNET

Soundpeats Air3 Deluxe HS

Best cheap open earbuds

What makes these Soundpeats Air3 Deluxe HS buds special is that they sound surprisingly good for open earbuds — they’re pretty close to what you get from Apple’s AirPods 3 for sound. On top of that, they support Sony’s LDAC audio codec for devices that offer it. Not too many cheap open earbuds have good sound but these Soundpeats have good bass response and clarity. They’re also good for making calls and have a low-latency gaming mode. The price is currently $36 after applying an Amazon coupon.

$26 at Amazon

Get Price Alerts

You’re receiving price alerts for SoundPEATS True Wireless Earbuds Bluetooth 5.0 Earphones with Built in Mic in-Ear Stereo Headphones for Sport, Deep Bass, Binaural Calls, One-Step Pairing, 35 Hours of Playtime, Upgraded TrueFree Plus

Amazon

Earfun Free 2S

Top earbuds under $30

I was a fan of the original Earfun Free buds, and now there’s an upgraded version called the Earfun Free 2 (which has been subsequently upgraded to the 2S). They’re not a huge upgrade, but like the originals they fit my ears well and deliver decent quality for the money with strong sound — it has just a touch of treble and bass boost (there’s plenty of bass) — and extra features such as wireless charging.

Battery life is rated at up to seven hours at moderate volume levels, and these buds are fully waterproof with an IPX7 rating. These are equipped with Bluetooth 5.2 and use Qualcomm’s QCC3040 chip that includes support for the aptX audio codec if you’re using a compatible device (certain Android smartphones support that protocol).

Apply the code BFFREE2S4 at checkout to get an additional $13 discount.

$27 at Amazon

You’re receiving price alerts for Earfun Free 2S

Now playing:Watch this:These Are the Absolute Best Earbuds of 2022

6:08

Screenshot by David Carnoy/CNET

JLab Studio Pro

Top budget over-ear headphones pick

Available in three color options, the JLab Studio Pros may not have active noise canceling but they’re a lightweight, comfortable over-ear Bluetooth headphone that offers decent sound quality for around $40 (the step-up JLab Studio Pro ANC costs $100). The design has a bit of a retro vibe to it and the battery life is also very good at around $50.

As for sound quality, don’t expect these to deliver the clarity and definition of higher-end headphones, but the bass has some punch to it and there’s an acceptable amount of detail. You can choose between three sound modes — JBL signature sound, balance and bass boost. There is no companion app so you can’t update the firmware.

$40 at Best Buy

$40 at Amazon

Get Price Alerts

You’re receiving price alerts for JLab Studio Pro

Sarah Tew/CNET

Anker Soundcore Life Q20

Best value full-size noise-canceling

Product details

Battery Life

Rated up to 40 hours

Noise Canceling

Yes (ANC)

Multipoint

Yes

Headphone Type

Over-ear wireless headphones

Water-Resistant

No IP rating

Anker’s Soundcore Life Q20 is arguably the best value in noise-canceling headphones. Not only do these over-ear headphones sound decent for their regular list price of $60 (they often sell for $10 less), but they’re also comfortable to wear thanks to the nicely padded, secure ear cups.

No, the Life Q20 doesn’t sound as good as premium Bluetooth headphones such as the Sony WH-1000XM3, but the audio quality isn’t bad, which is all you can ask for noise-canceling headphones at this price. This wireless headphone has fairly well balanced sound with a reasonable amount of clarity and plump bass that’s not bloated or muddy (there’s a bass boost or BassUp mode if you want an extra helping of bass with your music). Also, the noise cancellation is acceptably effective and this earphone is a solid wireless headset for making calls. Battery life on this wireless earphone is good at 40 hours. A simple carrying pouch is included.

$45 at Amazon

You’re receiving price alerts for Anker Soundcore Life Q20

David Carnoy/CNET

Edifier WH500

Top budget wireless on-ear headphones

Available in three color options, there’s nothing terribly fancy about the Edifier WH500 on-ear headphones. But they’re lightweight and relatively comfortable for on-ear headphones and sound decent for the money. These do have a companion app, so you can upgrade the firmware and customize their sound (there are some EQ settings to play around with). Battery life is rated at up to 40 hours, and the headphones work just fine as a headset for making calls (they work well, just not exceptionally so).

$45 at Amazon

You’re receiving price alerts for Edifier WH500 Wireless On-Ear Headphones – Bluetooth V5.2 Lightweight and Foldable Headphones with 40-Hours Music Playtime – Personalize EQ -Fast Charging- Black

Screenshot by David Carnoy/CNET

Soundcore by Anker Life P2 Mini

Decent-sounding buds for less than $35

The Soundcore by Anker Life P2 Mini earbuds have been out for some time but remain a good budget option. Available in several color options (navy is shown here), they’re compact and lightweight and offer decent sound with three EQ modes to choose from. While these don’t have active noise canceling, their battery life is very good at up to 8 hours at moderate volume levels. The P2 Minis are IPX5 splash-proof and perform well but not exceptionally well as a headset for making calls.

I also like Anker’s Soundcore Life P3i buds, which retail for around $45 and do have active noise canceling. They are superior to these buds but cost about $10 to $15 more.

$32 at Amazon

You’re receiving price alerts for Soundcore by Anker Life P2 Mini

Amazon

Koss Porta Pro

Retro chic on-ear wired headphones

Product details

Battery Life

NA

Noise Canceling

No

Multipoint

No

Headphone Type

On-ear wired headphones

Water-Resistant

No IP rating

We gave the Koss Porta Pro an Editors’ Choice back in 2008 with former CNET editor Justin Yu describing its quirky 1980s design as “the ultimate in retro chic.” Even all these years later they still sound excellent. Koss also makes a wireless version that costs $72.

$40 at Amazon

David Carnoy/CNET

Edifier W820NB

Comfortable budget ANC headphones with good sound

Edifier’s makes some good-sounding PC speakers and true-wireless earbuds and it’s done a nice job with its W820NB noise-canceling headphones. The first thing you’ll notice about them when you put them on is that they’re comfortable — the earpads are nicely cushioned and the headphones fit snugly on your head. They also sound good for their price, offering just enough clarity and decent bass performance. Their sound didn’t blow me away but I was fine listening to these headphones for a while; they sound pretty pleasant.

There’s also an ambient mode that lets outside sound in and a low-latency gaming mode. They’re decent enough for voice calling and battery life is pretty impressive with up to 49 hours of battery life on a single charge at moderate volume levels (and noise-canceling off).

A couple of things are missing. There’s no carrying case or headphone jack — they’re Bluetooth only. But the 820NB headphones are still a good value.

$80 at Amazon

Get Price Alerts

You’re receiving price alerts for Edifier W820NB Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling Headphones – Hi-Res Audio – 49H Playtime – Wireless Over Ear Bluetooth Headphones for Phone-Call – Black

Screenshot by David Carnoy/CNET

JVC Flats

Best cheap wired on-ear

Product details

Battery Life

NA

Noise Canceling

No

Multipoint

No

Headphone Type

On-ear wired headphones

Water-Resistant

No IP rating

While the JVC Flats may not be terribly durable, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better sounding set of on-ear headphones at the price. They’re available in multiple color options, but the blue version can be found for as low as $11. These also make for decent kids’ headphones.

Read our JVC Flats review.

$13 at Amazon

Sarah Tew/CNET

Panasonic RP-HJE120

Best wired earbuds under $15

Product details

Battery Life

NA

Noise Canceling

No

Multipoint

No

Headphone Type

Wired earbuds

Water-Resistant

No IP rating

Panasonic’s ErgoFit RP-HJE120 in-ear headphones, which come in multiple colors and retail for less than $10, sound remarkably good for the money. A version of these wired earbuds with an integrated microphone (the RP-TCM125) costs slightly more but doesn’t sound quite as good for some reason.

$9 at Amazon

Laptops are expensive, so it’s important to know everything you need to before slapping down money on one of these pricey machines. If you’re using it frequently for work, school or even gaming, then it’s worth going a little more expensive. But which ones are the best for both work and play? We’ve done the research and testing to figure that out. Below, we’ve rounded up some of the best 14- and 15-inch work and gaming laptops you’ll find on the market right now.

You’ve probably found — either from research or personal experience — that a 13-inch laptop is too small and a 17-inch can be too big; the sweet spot lies in the 14-inch and 15-inch screen range. Recently, laptop companies have been putting more emphasis on 14-inch models, directing marketing efforts away from 15-inch laptops. I prefer a 14-inch screen: It just seems to offer the best balance of price, performance and size. So, that’s why you’ll find many of CNET’s picks for the best 15-inch laptop are… 14 inches.

These are the laptops, from budget to premium, we consider to be the best 14- and 15-inch work and gaming laptop options based on:

• Performance and battery life for a given set of specs and intended use, where the configuration specs include the amount of solid-state storage and memory (SSD and RAM), main processor (CPU) and graphics processor (GPU), and operating system (Mac OS or Windows).
• Features for a given weight class, such as the combination of laptop screen size, type (touchscreen or not) and resolution (4K, QHD or FHD), ports (such as an HDMI port, Ethernet port and the type and number of USB connections), webcam and fingerprint reader.
• Design, both aesthetic and functional, including keyboard layout and feel (lots of people want a backlit keyboard and a numeric keypad on their laptops), build quality, upgradeability and reparability and so on.

If you’re laptop shopping, remember you don’t have to buy now if money’s tight or can afford to wait. If you decide to postpone your purchase, here are some tips for stretching the life of your old laptop. If you do opt to go ahead, think about recycling it.

This list is periodically updated with new models we’ve tested and reviewed. It’s a great place to start to get an idea of what’s available. If you need advice on whether a particular type of laptop or two-in-one is right for you, jump to our FAQ below this list.

Josh Goldman/CNET

1. Acer Swift 3

Top budget pick

It’s a 14 incher, but if you’re on a tight budget, 14 inches is your friend. It’s a good deal for the basics like email, word processing and much more, thanks to AMD Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7 processors. It’s available with 11th-gen Intel processors, too. This budget laptop has a backlit keyboard, a fingerprint reader and a USB Type-C port, too. The Acer Swift 3 is also an incredibly lightweight laptop — less than 3 pounds — for a machine that can be found for less than $700.

In addition to this Acer Swift, we’re also fans of the Acer Aspire 5, which has a larger 15.6-inch display. The Acer Aspire 5 is available in a variety of configurations starting as low as $400, but that’s for a pretty poor configuration.

Read our Acer Swift 3 (14-inch, 2020) review.

$632 at Walmart

$791 at eBay

$655 at Amazon

You’re receiving price alerts for Acer Swift 3 SF314-42-R9YN

James Martin/CNET

2. HP Victus 16

Best for budget gaming

The HP Victus 16 is a strong, affordable gaming laptop option. It offers a respectable balance for people with different needs for play and work. Spending more will likely get you better build quality and more enjoyable audio. But if you can get past the screen wobble, the Victus can hold its own against pricier models.

I recommend avoiding configurations with 8GB RAM; MacOS can get away with that, but Windows has more overhead. The 16GB models tend to be hard to get, though. For a little more ($890), you can get a reasonable low-end model that you won’t outgrow quickly with an Intel i5-12450H, 12GB RAM, 512GB PCIe NVMe, a 144Hz 1080p screen and GeForce GTX 1650.

Read our HP Victus 16 review.

$890 at Amazon

Get Price Alerts

You’re receiving price alerts for 2. HP Victus 16

Josh Goldman/CNET

3. HP Chromebook x360 14c

Recommended 14-inch Chromebook under $500

The two-in-one design means you can use the HP Chromebook x360 as a tablet (though it’s a bit heavy to use as a handheld device), and 14 inches is much less awkward to use that way than a 15-inch model. You can also tent it, connect an external keyboard and mouse and use it as a small all-in-one computer.

The Core i3 processor and 8GB of memory keep this HP Chromebook running smoothly even with a couple dozen tabs open and streaming video in the background. And this Chromebook laptop has a long battery life, lasting 10 hours, 40 minutes in CNET’s tests.

$430 at Walmart

$200 at Amazon

Get Price Alerts

You’re receiving price alerts for 3. HP Chromebook x360 14c

Apple

4. Apple MacBook Pro 14

Best Apple laptop

If you need any convincing that 15-inch (and 17-inch) laptops are a dying breed, take Apple’s killing them off as a confirmational nail in their coffin. If your major concerns are weight and price and you don’t need much power, then the smaller MacBook Air rules.

But I disagree with my colleague Dan Ackerman that the Air is the best choice for most people: I think the MacBook Pro 14 is. It costs a lot more, but it’s significantly better in every way and I think it will meet most people’s needs for a lot longer. (The 2022 model of the Air with an M2 processor may change my mind about that, and I agree that the MacBook Pro 13 M1 and M2 give you very little over the Air for the extra cost and weight.) On the flip side, the 14-inch can be configured closely to the weightier and more expensive MacBook Pro 16, with the exception of the bigger screen and option for a higher-performing GPU.

Read our Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch review.

$1,999 at Apple

$1,999 at B&H

Joshua Goldman/CNET

5. Razer Blade 15

Top pick for work and play

The 2022 refresh of the Blade 15 retains the title of least-gaming-like gaming laptop, but doesn’t forgo the speed, but like all Razer’s it’s pretty expensive. It’s got a streamlined, slim and sturdy design with plenty of ports and a comfortable Razer Chroma RGB keyboard, plus the latest from Intel and Nvidia and new high-quality panel options for gaming. For work, you can benefit from the 1080p webcam with Windows Hello support. It can get a bit warm when it’s revved up, though.

• Options include:
• Up to 12th-gen Intel Core i7-12800H or Core i9-12900HK processors
• 16GB or 32GB of DDR5 memory, upgradeable to 64GB
• 1TB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD, upgradeable to 2TB
• Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti graphics
• 360Hz FHD display with 100% sRGB color gamut, or 240Hz QHD or 144Hz UHD displays with 100% P3 color gamut

The 14-inch Blade 14 is equally attractive and lighter, as well as a little cheaper — a nice 165Hz QHD model with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 and AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX will run you around $2,200. The extra room on the 15-inch gives it space for a Thunderbolt connection, SD card reader and an additional USB-A port.

Read our Razer Blade 15 Advanced review.

$2,400 at Amazon

$2,400 at Best Buy

$2,400 at eBay

You’re receiving price alerts for Razer Blade 15 Advanced – 15.6″ – Core i7 8750H – 16 GB RAM – 512 GB SSD – US

Razer Blade 14

$2,400 at Amazon

Josh Goldman/CNET

6. Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360

Best 15-inch 2-in-1

The highlights of this thin and light 15-inch Windows two-in-one are its excellent battery life, high-contrast OLED screen and the plethora of cross-device features it serves up for owners of Samsung’s Galaxy phones and accessories. It’s specifically designed for people who want a laptop experience similar to that of their phones, with similar responsiveness. For its size, it’s relatively slim and lightweight, and includes the excellent S Pen.

Read our Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 2 360 review.

$1,150 at Samsung

Joshua Goldman/CNET

7. Lenovo Yoga 9i (Gen 7, 14-inch)

Also the best 2-in-1

The Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 7 continues the company’s streak of fantastic premium two-in-ones. The 12th-gen Intel processor delivers a big performance jump in multicore tasks compared to its predecessor, and the features and design are worth the higher price. The latest model offers a big performance jump, top-flight sound and visuals and bundles a sleeve and stylus. It does go hot and heavy on the software and services upselling, though, so if that’s going to drive you nuts, run away.

Read our Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 7 review.

$1,530 at Lenovo

$1,500 at Best Buy

Get Price Alerts

You’re receiving price alerts for Lenovo Yoga 9i (Gen 7, 14-inch)

Laptop FAQs

It seems like every app I download has some sort of monthly paid subscription now. Uber and Uber Eats have Uber One, which gets you free food delivery and reduced fees on rides, while Twitter has Twitter Blue, offering exclusive features like a blue verification checkmark and the ability to edit tweets.

BMW even charges customers in some countries $18 a month to heat the front seats of their own cars. Absurd, right?

And we’re not immune to this service-based economy either. If you’re anything like me, you’re probably paying hundreds of dollars in recurring payments for streaming apps like Amazon Prime, Netflix, Spotify, Hulu and Disney Plus, or more practical things like AppleCare. With so many services, it’s easy to lose track of everything you’re paying for too.

And if you’re trying to cut some costs, you should start with the many subscriptions you might have on your phone.

In this story, we’ll show you how to find all the monthly services you’re paying for on your mobile device, whether it’s via the Apple Store on your iPhone or via Google Play on Android, and how to cancel the ones you no longer want.

If you’re looking to save money in other ways, check out 10 ways to save on streaming services, how to save on TV streaming with these simple tricks and free options to some of your favorite paid services.

Find and cancel your subscriptions on your iPhone

You can find all your monthly subscriptions from the Apple Store in a couple places on your iPhone, but the easiest is through your settings. To do this, launch the Settings application, tap on your name at the top and then hit Subscriptions in the first section. Here you’ll see a list of all the active (and inactive) subscriptions that you’ve signed up for from apps you downloaded from the App Store.

Under Active, you’ll see all the subscriptions you’re currently paying, with the following information: app or service name, short description, next bill date and cost. To cancel an active subscription, tap on the subscription, hit the red Cancel Subscription button at the bottom of the page and then tap Confirm in the pop-up that appears.

For most subscriptions, you’ll still be able to access the paid services until the end of your billing period. However, some apps won’t let you continue using the service, so you’ll have to read the fine print to see what happens if you cancel. Once it’s canceled, the subscription will remain in the active section, but will show, in red text, when it’s expiring.

Find and cancel your subscriptions on your Android

Unlike iOS, Android runs on devices from various brands, such as Samsung, Google and Motorola, but luckily all these versions of Android all have the Google Play Store, and so finding and canceling your monthly subscriptions is similar no matter what phone you’re using.

To find all your subscriptions, launch the Play Store application, tap your profile picture or first name initial that appears on the top-right and go to Payments & subscriptions > Subscriptions. Here you’ll see a list of your active and inactive subscriptions.

If you want to cancel a subscription, tap it and then hit the green Cancel subscription button. The Play Store may ask you to consider other cheaper subscriptions and also to give a reason as to why you’re canceling. Accept any prompts to continue until you see a fully green Cancel subscription button. Hit it and your subscription will be canceled, but you should still have access to it until the end of your billing period.

Microsoft is hosting an event Tuesday that’s expected to reveal the fusion of the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT and Microsoft’s search engine Bing.

Invites to the event were sent last week, and attendees were told there will be news of “progress on a few exciting projects” from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. The event starts at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET Tuesday at Microsoft’s Campus in Redmond, Washington.

Sam Altman, CEO of ChatGPT creator OpenAI, hinted strongly at such an announcement in a tweet Monday, saying that he’ll attend the event.

Microsoft hasn’t provided details on a possible integration of ChatGPT and Bing, but information about a new search experience appeared to leak last week. Images and details posted on social media documented a new interface, which may include a larger search box for chatting instead of for submitting search queries. A new Bing could potentially do research and handle tasks for people, according to leaked details. CNET has not confirmed the leaks.

Bing has long lived in the massive shadow of Google’s search engine. According to Statista, Google accounted for 84% of global desktop search in December, with Bing coming in second at 9%. But integration with ChatGPT could be a game changer.

ChatGPT has taken the world by storm since artificial intelligence developer OpenAI released it in late November. Tens of millions of people have raced to sign up and test its chops. The AI doesn’t know anything per se but can recognize patterns in text harvested from the internet, allowing it to fully answer questions from people. It can create bedtime stories, write poems, make diet plans, help you lower bills, get you out of tickets — and complete homework assignments such as essays, a feature that has struck fear in the hearts of teachers.

Microsoft, which had already invested in the OpenAI and created a partnership years ago, pledged to invest billions of more dollars into the company in January in order to build new features.

Microsoft’s announcement of the event came shortly after Google revealed on Monday its own AI chatbot called Bard. Google said its chatbot will integrate with its search engine and use the AI to break down complex information for users.

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.

Overwatch 2 is getting ready to kick off its third competitive season, on Tuesday, Feb. 7. This’ll be the first season with no new hero, as we officially enter the “alternating between new hero and new map each season” phase of the game’s content roadmap. Instead, we get a new control map, Antarctic Peninsula, along with a new mythic skin in the battle pass.

We also get some unexpected changes, like an upcoming IP collaboration and Overwatch’s first foray into text-based dating sims. Here’s everything we know so far, including information from this morning’s blog post.

New map: Antarctic Peninsula

Control maps, aka king of the hill maps, are a community favorite in Overwatch, but we’ve gotten only two new ones since the game launched in 2016. The new Antarctic Peninsula map is poised to give players a different feel than what they get from the game’s other control maps, which are typically set in more metropolitan areas. The three submaps in Antarctic Peninsula will be an icebreaker ship, an underground drilling area, and Overwatch laboratories. Overwatch 2’s narrative lead has hinted that environments have some lore hidden away for sharp-eyed players to find. Also: penguins.

IP Crossover with One Punch Man

Perhaps the biggest surprise of all the season 3 news is the Fortnite-style IP collaboration with the anime One Punch Man. The only thing we know so far is that there will be a Saitama-themed skin for Doomfist, Overwatch’s own punching machine, but there may be other skins and cosmetics as well. The blog post says the team is looking for more potential collaborations in the future.

New mythic skin: Amaterasu Kiriko

In its first two seasons, Overwatch 2 offered a new type of hero skin called mythic skins, which come with hero customizations and different sound and visual effects. These skins are unlocked at level 80 of the battle pass. Season 1 brought us Cyberdemon Genji, while Season 2 added a Zeus-themed Junker Queen to the game. Season 3 continues the mythology trend by adding a mythic Amaterasu skin for support hero Kiriko. According to the season 3 blog post, the mythic skin is based on various deities in Japanese mythology and can be customized with moon, sea and storm themes. The shinto deity seems like a good fit for Overwatch’s newest support hero, whose healing abilities are already tied to a Japanese fox spirit.

Competitive and matchmaking changes

Matchmaking has been one of the community’s biggest complaints since Blizzard launched Overwatch 2, and the developers have planned changes for season 3 to address some of those concerns. In a developer blog about matchmaker goals, they said the matchmaker will start looking to balance teams within each role (tank, DPS and support) rather than just across the entire team. This should help avoid games where an entire role on one team outclasses the other, leading to a one-sided stomp.

The devs are also introducing a couple of adjacent changes to improve the competitive experience. Previously, players would be able to see their updated rank only after they’d notched seven wins or 20 losses. Starting in season 3, those numbers have been lowered to five wins or 15 losses, allowing players to see their updated rank more often. It means you’re less likely to rank up on each update (because you’ll have played fewer games on average), but it also means you no longer have to win 21 games to update your rank across all three roles — a welcome change. The devs said, too, that the user interface will also get an update in the mid-season patch, so you can always see how close you are to a competitive update (instead of only after a win or by doing math based on your current number of competitive wins for each role).

Your competitive rank will still decay at the start of season 3. But the developer blog said they’ll remove the seasonal rank resets that drop players roughly one full rank at the start of a season, starting in season 4.

Dating sim

Honestly, Overwatch dipping its toes in dating sims feels like an eventual inevitability, but that doesn’t make it any less exciting. Your personal feelings about the heroes Genji and Mercy may make it more or less exciting, though, as those are the two heroes you have the option of pursuing, with the aid of a cupid-themed Hanzo. You’ll be able to unlock a Play of the Game highlight with certain endings, so be sure to check it out between Feb. 13 and Feb 28 at loverwatch.gg once the event is live.

Please, everyone play this and make it a huge success so we get more in the future. The game is filled with eligible candidates. The player base is thirsty. Baptiste already flirts with people in the game. I’m begging everyone to band together so we can flirt back.

Streamer mode

The game is introducing a streamer mode in an attempt to cut down on stream sniping, where players queue up at the same time as streamers so they can watch the stream while playing, in order to outmaneuver the streamers. New streamer mode options include hiding your and other players’ Battletags, hiding chat and replay codes, and delaying and hiding queue times to make it harder for people to join the same match as the streamer.

Accessibility improvements

A few changes are coming to aid in visibility across various parts of the game, including more subtitle options, mouse cursor size options, and custom colors for groups and alerts, which players will now be able to preview before applying.

Apple released iOS 16.3 in January, and the update includes some bug fixes and security updates to make your iPhone run more smoothly. The update also brings some useful new features to your iPhone, like security keys and an update to emergency SOS via satellite.

The iOS 16.3 update was released alongside updates for other Apple software, too, like iPadOS, Safari and previous versions of iOS. The latest iOS update arrived about a month after the release of iOS 16.2.

Here are the new features landing on your iPhone with iOS 16.3.

Security keys come to Apple ID

Users can now use third-party security keys instead of two-factor authentication for their Apple ID.

Security keys are a lot like keys to your home. You still use passwords, but this extra layer of security can help protect you against phishing scams and hackers.

“Hardware security keys are very, very secure,” Diya Jolly, chief product officer of authentication service company Okta, told CNET’s Stephen Shankland.

Apple’s security keys feature only works with FIDO Alliance-certified security keys.

Support for the second-gen HomePod

Apple’s iOS 16.3 software adds support for the second-generation HomePod, which is out now and costs $299 ( 299, AU$479). Apple announced the release of the new HomePod four days before the latest iOS software was made available.

New Unity wallpaper for Black History Month

The latest iOS update includes a new iPhone wallpaper as part of Apple’s Black Unity Collection. The collection celebrates Black History Month with a special-edition Apple Watch Black Unity Sport Loop, a mosaic watch face and the new iPhone wallpaper. Apple also plans to release a selection of Black History Month content for Apple TV, Fitness Plus, Music, Maps, Books, Podcasts and the App Store as part of the collection.

New ways to use Emergency SOS via satellite

Emergency SOS via satellite was introduced at Apple’s event in September. In iOS 16.3, the Call with Hold option has been replaced with Call with Hold and Release. If you enable Call with Hold and Release, you can hold the side button and a volume button to initiate a countdown and an alarm. After the countdown, you release the buttons and your iPhone will call emergency services on its own. Before with Call with Hold, pressing the side button and a volume button would first bring up the Emergency SOS call slider. If you continued to hold the buttons, a countdown started and an alarm would go off. After the countdown ended, your phone would make an emergency call.

There’s also an option to Call Quietly in Emergency SOS. By enabling this option, when you try to make an emergency SOS call, your phone won’t start flashing or making an alarm sound.

Here is Apple’s list of new features and changes included in iOS 16.3:

• New Unity wallpaper honors Black history and culture in celebration of Black History Month.
• Security Keys for Apple ID allow users to strengthen the security of their account by requiring a physical security key as part of the two factor authentication sign in process on new devices.
• Support for HomePod (second generation).
• Emergency SOS calls now require holding the side button with the up or down volume button and then releasing in order to prevent inadvertent emergency calls.
• Fixes an issue in Freeform where some drawing strokes created with Apple Pencil or your finger may not appear on shared boards.
• Addresses an issue where the wallpaper may appear black on the Lock Screen.
• Fixes an issue where horizontal lines may temporarily appear while waking up iPhone 14 Pro Max.
• Fixes an issue where the Home Lock Screen widget does not accurately display Home app status.
• Addresses an issue where Siri may not respond properly to music requests.
• Resolves issues where Siri requests in CarPlay may not be understood correctly.

New iOS Tech Makes It Super Hard to Hack Your iCloud Login

See at CNET

For more iOS 16 news, see what new features were added in iOS 16.2 and iOS 16.1. Here’s how you can sign up to test Apple’s iOS beta software, too.

Now playing:Watch this:iOS 16: Powerful Features You May Have Missed

6:28