If you love music, you ought to invest in a great pair of headphones to really hear every detail in your favorite songs. The over-ear Bose QuietComfort 45 are among the best you’ll find out there, featuring high up on our lists of best over-ear headphones and best noise-canceling headphones, and you can grab a set at a serious discount right now. Over at Amazon, the QC 45s are on sale at $80 off, dropping the price down to $249. That’s the best price we’ve seen on them since the holiday season, though the discount only applies to the white smoke color at the moment.
The Bose QuietComfort 45 headphones offer some of the best noise-canceling capabilities out there. In his Bose QuietComfort 45 review, CNET’s David Carnoy called their noise canceling the “best of the best” in 2021. While they may have since been dethroned by the $400 Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better pair for under $300.
These headphones use Bluetooth 5.1, which has a range of up to 30 feet, as well as an aux port for wired listening. They have a battery life of up to 24 hours on a single charge.
Also on sale today are Bose’s noise-canceling QuietComfort Earbuds 2, down to $249 from $299. If you prefer your audio to be delivered via true wireless earbuds rather than over-ear cans, they’re the best wireless earbuds on the market right now.
Meta’s reducing prices on its VR headsets again. The news comes less than a year after Meta (formerly Facebook) increased the price of the Meta Quest 2 VR headset (formerly, and sometimes still, the Oculus Quest 2).
The changes, announced by CEO Mark Zuckerberg this morning, go into effect March 5. The entry-level Quest 2 with 128GB of storage is still $400, but the model with 256GB storage is now down to $430, making it a $30 step-up for double the app space vs. $100 more previously. International prices were not immediately available but $430 is roughly 360 or AU$640.
The Meta Quest Pro, which started at $1,500 (AU$2,550, 1,500) last October and is nearing its half-year anniversary, got a temporary price drop to $1,100 earlier this year. It’s now down to $1,000.
I wouldn’t recommend you get either of these headsets, though — not now, at least. The Quest 2 is a great standalone VR headset with tons of games, and remains CNET’s pick as the best overall VR headset, but it’s two and a half years old and Meta’s Quest 3 successor is expected this fall. According to a leaked internal meeting at Meta, which The Verge received, it’ll be more expensive than the Quest 2, but it should be smaller, have improved mixed-reality features and have a faster processor. After that, Meta may have an even more affordable new headset in 2024.
Also, the 128GB storage on the base Quest 2 is probably more than enough for most people (although, at $430, I’d be more tempted by the 256GB upgrade).
The Meta Quest Pro, aimed at work instead of gaming, has a better display, color passthrough cameras, and eye and face tracking cameras. But it’s still not significantly better enough to merit an extra $600 over the Quest 2, and Meta’s clearly had difficulty selling them.
According to Meta’s press release, “Pricing changes will go into effect for the 256GB Meta Quest 2 SKU on March 5 in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, the UK and the US. The Meta Quest Pro price drop will take effect March 5 in the US and Canada and March 15 in all other countries where Meta Quest Pro is supported.”
Microsoft’s AI-boosted Bing and Google’s Bard have begun testing the latest type of AI technology, the large language models that packed such a big wow factor into OpenAI’s ChatGPT. But a much smaller player, Brave, on Thursday added some of those language-processing abilities directly into its web browser with a feature that summarizes search results.
The feature, called Summarizer, generates some abbreviated explanations for questions in some search results, combining that with footnoted links to its information sources. It’s also designed to offer richer snippets of text that you see in more ordinary search results.
It’s a new example of an overhaul that’s sweeping the search engine business. Google for years has been adding more direct answers to search queries, showing maps, business hours, song lyrics and product recommendations along with traditional links to others’ websites. The AI revolution is taking this utility to a new level, for example with Bing’s new AI-boosted search results and sometimes-fraught conversational abilities.
Large language models such as the one that powers ChatGPT are trained to recognize patterns from vast swaths of text from the internet. They can deliver impressive results, synthesizing coherent sentences and even writing essays about an immense variety of subjects. But LLM AIs don’t truly know anything and their authoritative tone can be misleading. Brave, which built its own LLM for Summarizer, offered cautions about its use.
“It’s crucial to remind users that one should not believe everything an AI system produces, in much the same way one should not believe everything that is published on the Web,” Brave said of Summarizer. “At the risk of stating the obvious, we should not suspend critical thinking for anything we consume, no matter how impressive the results of AI models can be.”
In my testing, it delivered useful results for some queries — for example, “What is pixel binning?” and “What do the numbers on tire sidewalls mean?” But it also struggled to coherently handle time elements for current-events questions like, “What happened with the Chinese spy balloon?” and “Will the EU approve Microsoft’s Activision acquisition?”
Brave offers a feedback button for comments on its Summarizer results, and the feature can be disabled in settings.
Brave Summarizer tries to boil down website information in presentable terms, but it isn’t perfect.
Screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET
Brave is an unusual example of an independent browser company that carved a niche for itself despite the dominance of Google’s Chrome and, to a lesser degree, Apple’s Safari. The company relies on Chromium, the Google-led software project that underpins Chrome, but has built its own search engine and ad system.
Brave got a foothold in the browser market by stripping ads and tracking technology out of websites by default, substituting its own privacy-first ad technology as an alternative. About 57 million people now use the browser each month, and the search engine that the company built into the browser now fields 22 million queries per day.
Summarizer is available now on desktop and mobile browsers.
Airbnb will ban some people who are closely associated with already-banned guests. Following a report from Vice, the short-term rental company on Wednesday confirmed that in some circumstances it may restrict the accounts of people “who are likely to travel” with a person that has been removed for “safety reasons.”
Airbnb may also remove an account if a person books a future reservation with the same credit card as a person who was banned from the site for a serious safety incident, according to a scenario detailed by an Airbnb spokesperson.
It’s unclear when Airbnb started banning people associated with already-banned guests or how often it does so.
The last few years have seen a revival of handheld game consoles thanks to the convenience of on-the-go gaming and streaming technology, no doubt in part due to the success of the Nintendo Switch in 2017. The world of handheld gaming has gained popularity like never before, and last year was no exception. With the release of new consoles such as the Steam Deck and Panic Playdate, as well as the Razer Edge and Logitech G Cloud, more users are looking to handheld consoles for all of their gaming needs. If you’re looking to get back to the days of playing games anywhere you want, we’ve rounded up some of the best handheld game consoles that 2023 has to offer below.
Phones and tablets already do a fine job of playing tons of great portable games, and have been leading the mobile gaming world for years, offering features like game controller cases and game streaming from consoles, PCs and the cloud. Dedicated devices can provide unique features, exclusive games or extra power to do things your phone can’t. It almost feels like a return to the mid-2010s era of the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita.
The Nintendo Switch has been the best and most affordable portable game system for years, and continues to be CNET’s clear top pick: At $300 (or $350 for our favorite model), it can play a huge variety of Nintendo games, indie games, it can dock with a TV and can even play some fitness games. But Valve’s Steam Deck offers a unique proposition for those with deeper pockets: It’s large, and it can double as a full gaming PC.
For those who miss retro game handhelds like the Game Boy, you might consider putting yourself on the waiting list to order the Analogue Pocket or Panic Playdate, too, but both of those systems are more niche, and more indie/retro targeted, than the Switch and Steam Deck.
The Nintendo Switch is over five years old now, but Nintendo has indicated that no true successor is coming right now. A Pro model has been rumored for a while, but in the meantime the existing Switch remains extremely capable, full of great games (including lots of indie offerings), and pretty affordable considering its handheld/TV-connected dual function.
The OLED-screened Switch, which released in October 2021, is the best Switch and our recommended pick. The more vivid and larger display looks fantastic, its rear kickstand works better for tabletop gaming, and both of these upgrades are worth the extra $50. The original Switch (or the V2 version), at $300, works similarly and is also still fine, and occasionally comes in special editions and holiday game bundles. The smaller, handheld-only Switch Lite is a great value pick at $200 for anyone who just wants a basic portable game system, but it lacks any ability to connect to a TV, and its controllers don’t detach. This makes it less versatile for families, and means you can’t replace the controllers if they break.
Valve’s big and powerful Steam Deck is a marvel. It can play a wide variety of PC games surprisingly well, and is the dream portable for any hardcore Steam fan, or anyone who has a big library of PC games. The Steam Deck can get expensive for the larger storage tiers, but for what it’s capable of, it’s not a bad deal. The ability to play PC games or stream cloud-based games, and to connect to a monitor, keyboard or other accessories, puts the Steam Deck in a class of its own.
The Pocket looks like a totally remade Game Boy, and it is, in a sense. Analogue’s gorgeous handheld can play original Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance cartridges perfectly, and can even play Sega Game Gear games using an adapter (Atari Lynx, Neo Geo Pocket and Turbografx-16 adapters are supposed to be coming soon). It has a high-res color screen and USB-C charging, and there’s a separately sold dock for TV play. One of the most exciting updates to the Pocket is its support for FPGA cores that can replicate classic game hardware, and play ROMs. There’s no game store for buying games: Pocket is a system to play classic cartridges or other games in amazing quality, if you want to tinker around with FPGA. There’s also a growing library of Pocket-compatible software in indie gaming channels like itch.io that can be sideloaded to a microSD card, too.
The tiny, yellow, black-and-white-screened Panic Playdate looks like a weird Game Boy with a mechanical crank sprouting from its side. But this system, made by the indie game company that developed Untitled Goose Game, plays its own tiny season of 24 indie-developed games, which come included with the purchase and appear over time like weekly presents. The Playdate has Wi-Fi and can download games or sideload other indie-developed titles from sites like itch.io, but you’ll have to learn to love the experiences you discover. We’ve loved playing on it so far, but alas, the Playdate doesn’t have any backlighting — you’ll have to find a lamp instead. The Playdate is on backorder until early 2023.
Tablets and phones are extremely valid game consoles: The iPad has tons of games on the App Store, and hundreds more on Apple’s subscription-based Apple Arcade. The iPad can pair with Bluetooth game controllers, too. iPhones and Android phones have tons of games as well, obviously, and a number of great game controller cases are available, including the Backbone and the Razer Kishi.
Phones and tablets also offer other advantages, including an ability to cloud-stream games on a growing number of services including Microsoft Game Pass Ultimate and PlayStation Plus.
The handhelds listed above have other advantages: unique game libraries, a chance to connect to a TV and play with others, and the capability to play higher-end PC games or classic game cartridges.
Should I wait for something else?
The Nintendo Switch Pro, a long-rumored upgrade to the Switch, could eventually offer 4K gaming and perhaps upgraded controllers, although the existence of such a device is entirely speculative. Odds are that Nintendo will instead just keep slightly improving the Switch via new models every couple of years, similar to how it kept upgrading its Nintendo DS and 3DS line over time.
The Steam Deck just arrived earlier this year, but it’s unclear when and if Valve will ever choose to upgrade it with better processors or newer features. And right now, Microsoft and Sony have stayed out of the handheld gaming picture.
Razer’s Android-based gaming tablet, the Razer Edge, shows where a wave of new gaming tablets could emerge to become the Steam Decks of the mobile world. Right now we don’t have any opinions on whether you should wait for it, because we haven’t played it yet.
Logitech’s streaming-only G Cloud handheld shows where more console/PC accessories could pop up as home handhelds to stream games away from a TV, but right now you’re probably better off using your phone or tablet and a game controller to do pretty much the same thing.
What’s best for kids?
My kids alternate between iPad gaming and the Nintendo Switch. The Switch is without a doubt the best kid console, with the most family-friendly game library and best parental control settings. Still, be prepared to get annoyed at buying multiple copies of games and trudging through the process of creating multiple Switch family accounts.
Now that there are a dozen different streaming services to choose from, it can be tough to know which ones are worth the money and which ones you can do without. You’ll certainly want to check out what shows and movies each service carries, but you’ll also want to make sure the app runs smoothly on your devices and the interface is easy to use. Paramount Plus is one of our favorite streaming services available in 2023, and today is your last chance to take advantage of an offer that scores you a free month of Showtime when you sign up for an Essential or Premium plan.
Paramount Plus offers two different plans that are bundled with Showtime, and while you typically get a one-week free trial, right now you can upgrade to a one-month free trial when you use the promo code ALLNEW23 at checkout. There are two different plans to choose from, and after the one-month trial, your subscription will revert to the usual monthly cost. Both plans include full commercial-free access to Showtime content, but vary a bit on the Paramount Plus side.
The $12-a-month Essential plan gives you access to Paramount Plus shows and movies with limited commercials, as well as NFL on CBS, top soccer and CBS live news. The $15-a-month Premium plan has no ads, gives you access to additional sports and your local CBS channel, and allows you to download shows and movies.
This offer is only available to new subscribers and expires tonight, so be sure to get signed up soon if you don’t want to miss out on these savings. And be sure to check out our roundup of all the best streaming service deals for even more ways to save.
Looking for a deal on your next movie night?
Compare prices or add promo codes to your next streaming service subscription with a single click when using the CNET Shopping extension.
In February, Twitter announced that it will no longer support text message two-factor authentication after March 20. The only way you can continue using SMS 2FA is if you sign up for Twitter Blue — but that requires a monthly payment.
If you’re an iPhone owner, there’s a more secure 2FA alternative for Twitter that’s already built into your iPhone anyway. And it’s free to use.
According to Twitter, 74% of Twitter users with two-factor authentication turned on use the text message option. While it’s unfortunate that you’ll no longer have that available to you unless you pay, you’re better off without SMS 2FA anyway. Authentication apps such as Google Authenticator are superior because they’re more secure than the text message method — it’s easier for attackers to spoof your texts remotely, especially with SIM swapping.
And if you use an iPhone, you don’t have to download any third-party apps to get better two-factor authentication protection on your device. Apple has an authenticator hidden in your settings that you can use to help better secure your accounts and data.
Here’s how to set it up with Twitter, as well as with other apps and websites.
How to set up your iPhone’s built-in 2FA with Twitter
If you want to use your iPhone’s built-in two-factor authenticator specifically with Twitter, here’s what you need to do.
In the Twitter app, tap on your profile icon in the top-left and then go to Settings and Support > Settings and privacy > Security and and account access > Security > Two-factor authentication. If you’re asked to enter your Twitter password at any time, do so to continue.
Now, toggle on the Authentication app option, enter your account password, tap Get Started and hit the Link app button. You’ll be redirected to your saved Twitter passwords in your settings — choose the correct one for your account. Next, copy the verification code to your clipboard and enter it into Twitter. Finally, hit Confirm and your Twitter account should now be protected by your iPhone’s two-factor authenticator.
Enter your confirmation code quickly. You only have a a few seconds before a new one is generated.
Nelson Aguilar/CNET
Before you continue, make sure to write down the single-use backup code that appears. This will help you log back into Twitter if you have trouble accessing your iPhone’s two-factor authentication method. Also, you can toggle off text message 2FA now or wait until Twitter automatically disables it for you.
You can also set up iOS’s built-in 2FA with other apps and websites
For every other service that’s not Twitter, launch the Settings application on your iPhone and go into Passwords. Use Face or Touch ID to access your passwords and then tap on whatever account it is you want to set up 2FA for.
Note: This method of two-factor authentication does not work with every website or app.
Next, tap Set Up Verification Code and a menu will appear with two options:
Enter Setup Key
Scan QR Code
Go to Settings -> Passwords -> Set Up Verification Code to set up 2FA.
Nelson Aguilar/CNET
These are your two options to set up 2FA, which you can find on the website of whichever account you’re attempting to secure. To continue, go to the website, use your credentials to log in and then go into the website’s account settings. There is no single place where you’ll find the setup key or QR code for 2FA, but generally you should find them in “passwords” or “two-factor authentication.”
For this example, we’ll be using the setup key found in the account settings on Mega’s website. If you see a setup key, simply copy it to your clipboard, and then go back to the Settings app on your iPhone and choose the Enter Setup Key option. Next, paste in the setup key and then hit OK. Once you do, a verification code will appear.
Go back to the website you grabbed the setup key from and enter the verification code to enable 2FA. You don’t have to manually enter the setup key, as it should appear at the top of your keyboard, so you can just tap there to enter it. However, you must be quick to enter the setup key because it’ll change every 30 seconds.
If using the setup key option, paste it into Settings when prompted and then enter the verification code on the website.
Nelson Aguilar/CNET
If you use the Scan QR Code option, the process will pretty much be the same, but instead of entering the setup key manually, you’ll simply scan the QR code with your smartphone’s camera. However, this option may not be ideal if you’re doing everything on your smartphone, so really only use this if you’re accessing the website on another device.
Once you’re finished, two-factor authentication should be enabled for that website. Anytime you log in to that website in the future, you’ll be asked to enter a verification code as well, which will be generated by the built-in feature.
With solid build quality and years of software updates, Apple’s laptops offer great longevity. But if you’ve been holding on to an aging MacBook for a little too long, now might be the time to pull the trigger on an upgrade, with as much as $900 off recent MacBook Pro models at B&H. These limited-time discounts apply to several different configurations and display sizes, so you can find one to meet your budget with prices from $1,199.
The most affordable model in the sale is Apple’s M1-powered MacBook Pro. This machine, released in 2020, offers a 13-inch Retina display and efficient M1 processor, which has an eight-core CPU, an eight-core GPU and a 16-core Neural Engine. Despite being an entry-level pro machine, it’s equipped with key features like two USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 ports, Wi-Fi 6 and Apple’s Touch Bar control strip. It’s seeing a $100 discount on the model with a 256GB solid-state drive and 8GB of RAM, or you can take $500 off the higher-spec 1TB/16GB configuration.
If you want a little extra power or a larger display, you can step up to the 14-inch MacBook Pro models from $1,699. These 2021 machines feature Apple’s fancy Retina XDR display with mini-LED technology, as well as more powerful M1 Pro or M1 Max chips. These upgraded chips offer more cores dedicated to graphics processing than the base M1 (with 14, 16 or 32 GPU cores) making them ideal for multimedia workflows. Essential ports like USB-C/Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, MagSafe and even an SD card slot are all on board too. A variety of configurations are on sale with discounts running from $300 to $900.
At the top end, the 16-inch MacBook Pro offers the biggest display of the bunch, as well as the best battery life, for those who need to take a whole workstation on the go. Prices start at $2,999, which is $300 less than usual, with discounts running as high as $600 for those who need the bigger 2021 machine.
Though all of the laptops on sale at B&H are now previous-gen models and have been supplanted on our list of Best MacBooks by the 2022 versions, they’re still worth considering if you prefer to save a chunk of cash rather than have the very latest model. If these older MacBook Pro models aren’t for you, be sure to check out our Best MacBook deals roundup for more promotions.
Apple has released beta versions of iOS 16.4 to testers, so Apple will likely release that update to the public soon. But you should still download iOS 16.3.1 as soon as possible.
Apple released iOS 16.3.1 on Feb. 13, a few weeks after the release of iOS 16.3. Though iOS 16.3 included new features like security keys for Apple ID and support for the second-generation HomePod, the latest update fixes some issues that iPhone users might’ve run into recently, including a bug that Apple said might be actively exploited.
Here’s what’s included in Apple’s iOS 16.3.1 update.
What’s in iOS 16.3.1
The latest iOS update includes bug fixes and security updates that address issues with iCloud, Siri, Find My and crash detection.
Apple’s security notes say this latest update patches an iPhone bug that may’ve been actively exploited. Apple writes that the bug may lead to arbitrary code execution, and the bug affects iPhone 8 models and later. According to Okta, arbitrary code execution could allow hackers to steal your data.
The update could also fix an iCloud issue some users ran into after the release of iOS 16.3. Some users on Reddit and Twitter have said they haven’t been able to back up to iCloud since the release of the previous update.
You should never use the same password more than once, but using so many different passwords can make it difficult to remember all of them. If you don’t write them down somewhere, you may never remember certain passwords again, including the one for your Wi-Fi network.
Usually your Wi-Fi password should be printed on the back of your router, but if it’s not, don’t sweat it. There’s another way to find the passwords to all of the Wi-Fi networks you’ve ever connected to. They’re all on your computer somewhere.
As long as your Windows or Mac computer has connected to that network before, the Wi-Fi password is permanently stored in your settings. It may require a bit of digging on your part, but all of the passwords are there, saved and ready to be shared with anyone who wants to connect to Wi-Fi.
Every password you’ve entered and saved on a Mac is stored in Keychain Access, the password management system for MacOS. And that includes Wi-Fi network passwords.
To start, use the search feature to open the Keychain Access app and do the following:
1. Click on System under System Keychains in the sidebar.
2. Next, click on Passwords at the top of the window.
3. Find the Wi-Fi network you want the password for and double-click on it.
4. Finally, check the box next to Show password and enter your password when prompted.
Find all your stored Wi-Fi passwords in the Keychain Access app on MacOS.
Screenshot by Nelson Aguilar/CNET
The password field will then show the password you used to log in to that Wi-Fi network. You can double-click in the password field to select the password and copy it to your clipboard, if needed.
How to find Wi-Fi passwords on Windows
Finding the password to the Wi-Fi network you’re currently connected to is simple on Windows, but getting your hands on all stored Wi-Fi passwords takes a bit of work, so we’ll discuss both methods below.
To find the password to the Wi-Fi network you’re currently connected to on Windows:
1. Click the Start button and then go to Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center (Windows 11) or Settings > Network & Internet > Status > Network and Sharing Center (Windows 10).
2. Next to Connections, click your Wi-Fi network name highlighted in blue.
3. In the Wi-Fi Status page that opens, click WirelessProperties and then on the Security tab.
4. Finally, check the box next to Show characters to display your Wi-Fi network password above it.
You can easily find the password for the Wi-Fi network you’re currently connected to on Windows.
Screenshot by Nelson Aguilar/CNET
However, this isn’t the only way to find your Wi-Fi network passwords. The method above only allows you to view the password to whatever Wi-Fi network you’re currently connected to, but there is a way to find the passwords to all the Wi-Fi networks you’ve ever connected to on your Windows computer.
To find all your Wi-Fi network passwords on Windows:
1. Right-click on the Windows icon in the taskbar on your desktop.
2. Click Windows Terminal (Admin).
3. Type in netsh wlan showprofile and hit Enter on your keyboard to view every Wi-Fi network you’ve connected to.
4. Once you find the Wi-Fi network you want the password for, type in netsh wlan show profile “(Wi-Fi network name)”key=clear (for example, netsh wlan show profile “Netgear667”key=clear), and then hit the Enter key.
You can use Windows Terminal to find all your Wi-Fi network passwords.
Screenshot by Nelson Aguilar/CNET
Settings for profile, connectivity, security and cost will appear. The Wi-Fi network password will appear under Security settings, and next to Key Content. In addition to Windows Terminal, you can also use the Command Prompt application to type in the commands listed above to find your Wi-Fi passwords.
