Category: Technologies

If you own any kind of modern Mac — including MacBook laptops, iMac all-in-ones or Mac Mini and Mac Studio desktops — there are three basic ways to take a screenshot with keyboard shortcuts. MacBook Pro owners can use the Touch Bar for a fourth method. Apple’s MacOS software also gives you a fair number of options to easily save, deleteand open the screenshot for markup.

These tips also apply to the latest Macs, such as the recently updated 13-inch MacBook Pro with a new M2 chip and the M2 MacBook Air. We’ve also tested these tips to confirm they work in MacOS Ventura, the latest operating system update.

Method 1: Cmd-Shift-3

This keyboard shortcut captures a screenshot of your entire screen.

Method 2: Cmd-Shift-4

Use this keyboard combo to turn your cursor into a crosshair, which you can drag to select a portion of your screen to capture. Release the mouse button or trackpad to take the shot.

You have a number of other options after hitting Cmd-Shift-4:

Press and release the spacebar: The crosshair turns into a little camera icon, which you can move over any open window. Click on your desired window to take a screenshot of it. A screenshot captured by this method features a white border around the window with a bit of a drop shadow.

Press and hold the spacebar (after dragging to highlight an area but before releasing the mouse button or trackpad): This locks in the shape and size of the selection area but lets you reposition it on the screen. It’s very handy if your initial selection area is off by a few pixels; just hold down the spacebar to reposition it before releasing the mouse button to snap a screenshot.

Hold down the Shift key (after dragging to highlight an area but before releasing the mouse button or trackpad): This locks in each side of the selection area made with the crosshairs save the bottom edge, letting you move your mouse up or down to position the bottom edge.

Without releasing the mouse button, release the Shift key and hit it again to reposition the right edge of your selection area. You can toggle between moving the bottom edge and right edge by keeping the mouse button or touchpad engaged and pressing the Shift key.

Method 3: Cmd-Shift-5

A shortcut command introduced way back in MacOS Mojave in 2018, Cmd-Shift-5 calls up a small panel at the bottom of your display with your screen capture options. There are three screenshot buttons that let you capture the entire screen, a window or a selection of your screen.

Likewise, the two video-recording buttons let you record your entire screen or a selection of it. On the left is an X button to close the screenshot panel, but you can also just hit the Escape key to exit out.

On the right side is an Options button. It lets you choose where to save your screenshot — Desktop, Documents, Clipboard, Mail, Messages, Preview or Other Location, and set a 5- or 10-second delay so you can line up items that might otherwise disappear when you engage your screenshot tool.

By default, the Show Floating Thumbnail option is enabled, which puts a little preview thumbnail of your just-captured screenshot in the lower-right corner of your screen, similar to the screenshot procedure with iOS. Unlike on your iPhone, you can turn off this preview thumbnail on your Mac. Lastly, you can choose to show your mouse pointer in a screenshot or video.

If the screenshot panel is in your way, you can grab its left edge and drag it to a new spot on your screen.

Bonus for Touch Bar MacBooks: Cmd-Shift-6

If you’ve got an older MacBook Pro with the Touch Bar, you can also take a screenshot of what’s currently showing on the Touch Bar. Just hit Cmd-Shift-6 to take a very wide and skinny screenshot of your Touch Bar.

Easy annotation

If you embrace the Floating Thumbnail, you’ll gain quick access to Markup tools to annotate your screenshot. You can swipe the Floating Thumbnail away or just let it slip away on its own and it’ll be saved to the spot you last saved a screenshot. Click the Floating Thumbnail and it’ll open in a Markup View preview window (but not Preview) with all of the markup tools you get in Preview.

You can right-click the Floating Thumbnail to:

• Save the screenshot to your desktop, Documents folder or clipboard
• Open it in Mail, Messages, Preview or Photos
• Show in Finder
• Delete
• Open it in the Markup preview window described above
• Close (and save)

Longtime Mac screenshotters may be slow to adopt the Cmd-Shift-5 shortcut, but I find myself using it more for the ability to annotate screenshots without needing to open Preview, and quickly delete screenshots that I know immediately I messed up. The 5- and 10-second delay options are also useful and appreciated additions.

During the holiday season, travel picks up significantly. And whether you’re planning to catch a flight or spend several hours on the road, using Google Maps to help you navigate can help to ease some of the stress of traveling.

There’s a multitude of ways to use Google Maps to help make the journey easier, from quickly getting around the airport to using the Maps app offline. Check out some of the app’s best features for holiday travelers below.

For more travel advice, check out must-have gadgets for international trips, how to travel without using up your vacation days and when is the best time to shop for airline tickets.

1. Navigate through airports and train stations

If you need to quickly find a store in a large mall or transit center, Google Maps is expanding its Directory tab for all airports, malls and transit stations. This can help when you’re running around the airport trying to find a place to eat or grabbing a last-minute souvenir before catching your flight.

The tab will tell you a destination’s business hours and what floor it’s on. You can look through restaurants, stores, lounges and parking lots.

2. See how busy an attraction is

To see how busy a spot is, check out Google Maps’ Busyness tool. Already you could search for a location, like a business, to see a chart that showed how crowded it is in real time. Now a feature called Area Busyness lets you see when entire map areas are clogged with people.

To use the new feature, you open the Google Maps app on your Android or iPhone (or your computer’s browser) and move around the map to find a general area, say, downtown, a riverwalk or a quaint nearby town. The busyness information will now automatically appear on the map, so you don’t need to specifically search for a place to see how crowded it is. Google Maps may say something like “Busy Area” and when you click for more details, it could say, for example, “As busy as it gets.”

3. Input your itinerary into Google Maps

Google Maps can chart your holiday travels, but it can also quickly show you your flight, hotel, car rental and restaurant reservations, saving you the hassle of searching through your email for check-in times and confirmation numbers.

To see your upcoming reservations:

1. In Google Maps, tap Saved in the bottom menu row.

2. Tap Reservations. Here, you’ll see a list of upcoming reservations you’ve made that Maps has pulled from emails in Gmail.

3. Select an item to see more about the reservation, including date and location.

4. You can also search for “my reservations” in the Google Maps search box to see a list of what you’ve booked.

4. Make a restaurant reservation

Planning a dinner night out with a large group for the holidays can be a hassle, especially when you go at a busy hour. Google Maps can help you book a lunch or dinner reservation. Here’s how.

1. In Maps, tap the Restaurants button at the top of the map to see a list of places to eat.

2. Select a restaurant that looks good, and in the window that pops up, reserve a table or join a waitlist, if it gives you that option (not all do).

Remember you can use the busyness feature mentioned above to pick the least packed place. Also, note that some restaurants that are closed to dine-in may still allow delivery, curbside pickup or outdoor seating.

5. Use Google Maps offline

Heading someplace remote where you may not have a mobile network connection? Google Maps can still give you directions when you’re offline.

1. Before you head out, search in Maps for the location where you’ll want directions.

2. In the location’s window, pull up the menu at the bottom.

3. Scroll right through the tabs and tap Download, and then in the next window tap Download again. Maps will download a map to your phone for the area you selected.

Now, as you use Google Maps for directions in the area you downloaded a map for, when you lose your cellular connection Maps will switch to the offline map to guide you. Note that because you’re offline, Maps won’t be able to offer real-time traffic info.

6. Find EV charging stations anywhere

If you’re taking your electric vehicle out for shopping, dinner or a vacation, Google Maps can help you find EV charging stationson your route, along with estimated wait times for a charging port. You can also filter your search by connector type — such as J1772, CCS (Combo 1 or 2) and Tesla — to see just the stations that are compatible with your EV. Note you can also search for gas stations by following these same directions. (Here’s how you can save money at the pump.)

1. In Maps, scroll through the tabs on the top of the screen and tap More.

2. Scroll down to the Services section and select Electric vehicle charging.

3. Maps will display nearby charging stations and how many are available.

4. Tap a charging station on the map to have Maps add it as a stop on your trip.

You can also use this trick to search for other places along your route, like a coffee shop.

7. Share your location with others

Is anything more frustrating during a group activity than when the group gets split up and no one can find each other? Google Maps can help bring you all back together.

1. In Google Maps, tap your profile icon in the top right corner and tap Location sharing.

2. Tap Share location, and select who you want to share your location with and for how long you want to share it.

3. Tap Share, and Google Maps will send your location to everyone you’ve selected.

4. If you want to see someone else’s location, tap that person’s icon at the top of the window and then tap Request.

For more, there’s a new deadline for needing a Real ID for air travel. Here’s what you need to know.

The best phones you can buy right now, like the iPhone 14 Pro, the Google Pixel 7 Pro and Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Ultra, offer all the features you could possibly want. From their stellar performance, amazing camera systems and an array of extra features, these top phones represent the pinnacle of mobile technology. So it’s unsurprising that these premium phones also come with sky-high prices to match. The huge costs of these devices mean they’re out of reach for many of us, or are simply unnecessary if you just need a solid device for your everyday essentials.

The huge number of choices from a variety of phone manufacturers should make shopping simple, but sometimes it makes it more confusing, whether you’re looking for the highest-quality, elite phone or a more affordable phone like the Google Pixel 6A. The best devices on the market not only have different prices, but also different camera specs, screen sizes and storage capacities.

In this article

• Top phone-buying tips
• Performance vs. budget
• 4G or 5G?
• Camera performance
• Processor performance
• How much storage do you need?

To help you cut through some of the jargon and spend your money sensibly, I’ve put together my tips for buying a phone in 2022.

How to buy a new phone: Top phone-buying tips

• Know what you care about most: Is it screen size? Camera quality? Battery life? This will help narrow down your choices. Phones like the iPhone 14 Pro or Pixel 7 Pro, for example, pack incredible cameras that almost rival the quality you’d get from a DSLR. If you’re a photographer, then spending money here is a good idea. If not, you can likely save yourself a bundle.
• Don’t discount the midrange: Features of last year’s flagships always trickle down to this year’s midrange handsets. You can get a great phone that does almost everything that a premium phone can do for a fraction of the price. Google’s Pixel 7 Pro packs a great zoom camera, but the base Pixel 7 has most of the same key specs and comes at a more reasonable price.
• Shop the sales: Look for deep discounts and promo deals around major holidays, especially Amazon’s Prime Day and Black Friday. And find out what your grace period is in case you need a quick return or exchange.
• Last year’s phones: They can often be a great deal, too. Wait for this year’s launch to get last year’s phone for less, when stores and carriers may be trying to offload their existing stock.
• Hold the phone at a store first: You may love or hate the way it looks and feels in person.
• Check if you’re already invested: Have you already bought a lot of iPhone apps and iTunes movies? Stick with an iPhone if you still want access to them. Likewise, if you’ve invested in loads of Android apps, you’ll want to stay on that side of the fence. Otherwise, it’s simple enough to switch platforms.
• Buy a case and screen protector: You’ll protect your phone from costly damage, and will increase the phone’s resale or trade-in value for when you’re ready to move on.

Smartphone performance vs. budget

In general, performance lines up with cost. The very latest, greatest technology usually comes at a premium. Flagship phones pack the best cameras, the most powerful processors and may even sport cutting-edge tech like flexible displays. The high prices mean that these phones are only worth considering for those who want the absolute latest tech in their pockets.

Not everyone needs such top tech however, or may simply be unwilling to spend the $1,000 or more typically required to get it. Luckily, the midrange sector of the phone world has been one of the fiercest battlegrounds for companies to compete in, resulting in some amazing phones that won’t break the bank. Features like wireless charging and cameras with multiple lenses that were once the domain of flagships are now commonplace on midrange phones.

Even budget phones will still offer decent camera quality and enough power for you to enjoy all of your everyday web browsing, WhatsApp’ing and Instagramming.

4G or 5G?

5G is the latest standard that promises lightning-fast mobile data speeds when you’re out and about. Like any new technology, it’s commonplace to see it on higher-end devices but it’s also increasingly common to find on much more affordable phones too.

Coverage for 5G isn’t everywhere yet, so it’s important to ask yourself whether you need 5G speeds at all and crucially, whether they’re available where you live. If you’re planning on keeping your phone for at least a couple of years, you can safely expect 5G to become more of the norm in that time. If you’re on the fence about it now, it may be that in nine months you’ll feel differently and might regret not taking the plunge sooner.

Screen size

All phones have gotten steadily bigger over the last few years, with the iPhone 14 Pro Max measuring a whopping 6.68 inches and the Galaxy S22 Ultra coming in at 6.8 inches. Small phones aren’t that common anymore but there are a few options to consider if you don’t want a massive screen stretching out your pockets.

Apple opted not to update the iPhone 13 Mini this year, but it is still officially on sale through the Apple Store and at 5.4-inches it’s quite a lot smaller than the 6.1-inch iPhone 14. On the Android side, the Google Pixel 6A’s 6.1-inch display makes it one of the better smaller phones, but even then it’s hardly what you’d call tiny.

Camera performance

Camera features have been a major point for bragging rights in recent phones, with manufacturers always wanting a bigger, more exciting number, be it the number of megapixels or quantity of actual camera lenses. Three rear cameras are now common — a regular lens, an ultrawide lens and a telephoto lens — with even budget-focused phones packing multiple cameras.

This is great, as more lenses mean more shooting options when you’re out and about. But that doesn’t mean that any multilens camera is as good as another. As with processor performance, the more you spend, the better the results you’ll typically get, with the absolute best cameras around usually being found on the most expensive flagships.

Look out for features like optical (rather than digital) zooms, night mode for better low-light images, and optical image stabilization. Sometimes these features might not be clear, and it’s not possible to judge a camera’s performance just by looking at the specs. If you really care about your phone’s photography skills, then take some time to look at the reviews and see how its camera performs before you spend your money.

Battery life

Most phones, from the budget end through to elite flagships, can last most of a day on a single charge. Bigger phones might have bigger batteries, but they also have bigger screens and often more powerful processors, so they suck that extra juice down quickly. Few phones will give you more than a day of use. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Always plan on giving your phone a full charge overnight.

• Look for features like fast charging, that allow your phone to take on a lot of power in a short space of time. Check to see if your phone comes with a compatible faster charger though, as an old USB plug may not support it.

• Your battery will last longer if you avoid more demanding tasks such as gaming or video streaming. Keeping the screen brightness down will help, too.

Processor performance

Top-end phones pack powerful processors along with typically up to 12GB of RAM. It’s enough to make these phones run any task without breaking a sweat, but you don’t need to spend flagship level money to get great performance.

Most decent midrange phones offer enough power to handle all of your everyday needs. You’ll still be able to play almost any game from the Google Play store and edit your high-resolution photos in apps such as Snapseed. There’s little you could throw at most midrange phones that they wouldn’t be able to handle.

As you move into the budget end of the spectrum, that’s when you’ll start to notice some slowdown with things like gaming. More demanding 3D games might look more stuttery and may even unexpectedly quit. However, basic tasks such as sending emails, listening to Spotify and browsing Instagram shouldn’t be a problem.

How much phone storage do you need?

Most phones, even the budget ones, come with at least 32GB of storage, of which 10 may be taken up by preinstalled apps and the phone’s operating system. If you don’t ever plan on recording any video and gaming isn’t your thing, 32GB might be enough, but otherwise you should consider 64GB or even 128GB to be a minimum.

Higher-end phones — particularly those that can record high quality 4K video — offer capacities of 256GB or more. With that much space, you’ll barely need to think twice about having to clear out old files.

If the phone supports microSD cards then it’s a different matter, as you can pick up 32GB microSD cards (or bigger) for very little money these days and popping one into your phone will dramatically increase the amount of storage you’ll have access to.

Bonus features

Many of these features are now common on phones at various price points and are worth keeping in mind when you’re shopping.

• Fingerprint scanner or face unlock: A scanner may be on the back, or even invisibly built into the display. Biometric security, as it’s called, is more secure than having to remember a PIN.

• Water-resistant: Do you often take calls in the rain? Look for a phone with at least an IP67 rating to keep it safe from water and spilled drinks.

• Wireless charging: This is available on many phones, with some now offering faster wireless charging speeds, as long as you use a compatible charging pad.

When I recently introduced a co-worker to the magic of Ctrl+Shift+T, his mind was blown. The way he uses his computer has changed. His life, if I may make a logical leap, has forever changed. I honestly can’t believe more people don’t know about this gem of a keyboard shortcut. So what is Ctrl+Shift+T (or Cmd+Shift+T for Mac users)?

I’d argue that it’s one of the most important and useful keyboard shortcuts there is, right up there with Ctrl+Z. In fact, it performs a similar function: undoing a mistake. Specifically, the mistake of accidentally closing a browser tab or window. Ctrl+Shift+T is the easiest way to restore a browser tab you didn’t mean to X out.

I know I’m not the only one who routinely clicks the “X” on a Chrome browser tab when I only meant to switch to it. We’re all just a little too click-happy in this multitasking world. But if I’m not particularly prudent about my cursor positioning, it’s because I have a secret weapon up my sleeve: I know that Ctrl+Shift+T has my back.

Let’s walk through how to use it, plus all the other ways to restore lost tabs in any browser. And don’t miss our list of the best Windows 11 keyboard shortcuts, the essential Mac keyboard shortcuts, and a Google Chrome trick that organizes all your tabs for you.

Four ways to reopen closed tabs in Google Chrome

Google Chrome gives you a few options for restoring tabs and windows after you’ve closed them, and depending on your needs, it’s good to know how they all work. Note, however, that restoring closed tabs isn’t an option when browsing in incognito mode.

1. Keyboard shortcut method

The quickest way to restore a single tab you closed by accident is with a keyboard shortcut. On a PC, use Ctrl+Shift+T. On a Mac, use Cmd+Shift+T. If you want to restore multiple tabs, or if you need a tab you closed a while ago, just keep pressing Ctrl+Shift+T and your tabs will reappear in the order in which they were closed. Bonus: If you accidentally close your entire browser window altogether, just open a new Chrome window and the keyboard shortcut will reopen everything at once. This is a great trick for the times when a system update forces you to close your browser or restart your computer altogether.

2. Browser history method

Your Chrome browser history also keeps track of recently closed tabs. It’s not as lightning-fast as a keyboard shortcut, but this method is useful if you closed the tab a long time ago and need to refer back to it.

There are a few ways to access your browser history in Chrome. One way is to use another shortcut: Ctrl+H. Another is to click the hamburger menu in the top right corner of your browser, then select History. And a third option is to type “chrome://history” into your address bar, then press enter.

However you arrive at your browser history, once there you’ll have access to all the websites and tabs you’ve viewed, in reverse chronological order. Clicking on a result will reopen it for you. Going through the hamburger menu also has a built-in list of Recently Closed tabs, which you can select to reopen.

Read more: 11 Chrome Features You’ll Wish You’d Known All Along

3. Tab search method

Ever noticed the little downward-pointing arrow in your Chrome tab bar? In Windows, it’s right next to the icons for minimizing, maximizing and closing your window. (On Mac it’s at the top right.) This icon is Chrome’s built-in tab search feature, which itself can be accessed with a simple keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+A. Tab search shows you a list of all the tabs you currently have open, and another list of your recently closed tabs. You can scroll through the lists to reopen or switch to the desired tab, or use the search bar to find it with a keyword. This comes in handy for those who keep dozens of tabs open at all times.

4. Taskbar method

If you’ve got a Chrome window opened — or if the app is pinned in your taskbar — right-click the icon from the taskbar and you’ll see a short list of links: Most visited and Recently closed. From there, you can restore a tab just by clicking on it. (Note these options do not appear on Mac.)

Bonus: ‘Continue where I left off’ method

There’s a Chrome setting that essentially makes Ctrl+Shift+T the default. By toggling this feature on, every time you open Chrome, the browser will automatically reopen the tabs you had open in your previous session. To turn it on, go to your Chrome settings (also through the hamburger menu), then On startup. Select the Continue where you left off option.

What about other browsers, like Firefox, Microsoft Edge and Opera?

The Ctrl+Shift+T keyboard shortcut will work in other browsers, too (as well as right-clicking the tab bar and selecting Reopen closed tab). Most of the other methods of reopening a tab work across browsers too, though the menu labels and options may differ. The experience is largely the same on a Mac, with the exception of the taskbar method.

For both Firefox and Microsoft Edge, you can also go through your browser history to find and reopen a tab you accidentally closed. Firefox has a dedicated sub-menu under History called Recently closed tabs. Microsoft Edge has a tabbed History menu for All, Recently closed and Tabs from other devices. In Opera, if you have the sidebar enabled — and if History is one of the elements you’ve elected to include in the sidebar — clicking the History icon from the sidebar will also pull up a list of recently closed tabs.

The other browsers also offer a setting to reopen the previous session’s tabs automatically upon startup. In Firefox, go to Settings > General and check the box under Startup labeled Open previous windows and tabs. In Microsoft Edge, go to Settings > Start, home, and new tabs and under When Edge starts, select open tabs from the previous session. And in Opera: Settings > On startup, then check the box for retain tabs from previous session.

For more, check out Google Chrome’s best features, including how to mute a noisy browser tab. Plus, browser settings to change for better privacy and browser extensions that’ll save you money when shopping online.

If an asteroid made of pure gold, with a diameter of 2,600 feet and blasting at 77,000 miles per hour, came in at an angle of 48 degrees and hit New York City’s Upper East Side, aka around where I live, I unfortunately now know what would happen.

Myself and 6,363,353 people would be vaporized within the space rock’s resulting crater, a massive chasm over half a mile deep. The shard would release more energy than the last volcanic eruption of Yellowstone, a colossal disaster that, thousands of years ago, spewed ash, magma and debris far enough to cover most of the continental United States.

Or at least that’s what I learned from an asteroid simulation website this afternoon while sipping on a cup of coffee.

The Asteroid Launcher is a free, data-driven concept created by Neal Agarwal, a developer widely known by his online persona: neal.fun. Agarwal’s goal is basically to blend immense arrays of data and interesting mental dilemmas to form clever, interactive online thought experiments, like this one that tells you what kind of devastation would follow an asteroid smashing into your town.

“The main inspiration,” Agarwal told me over email, “was definitely growing up watching movies like Deep Impact and Armageddon! I’ve always wanted to have an online tool that would let me test out different impact scenarios and see the effects.”

But of course, the key here with Asteroid Launcher lies in Agarwal’s pseudonym.

There are thankfully no known significant impact threats for the next hundred years or more, according to NASA — and, worst case, the agency is well on its way toward generating a sort of asteroid defense system with the resounding success of its DART mission, which took place earlier this year.

Still, it doesn’t hurt to cater to our intrusive thoughts once in a while. Just for fun.

Peruse Agarwal’s projects and you’ll find an awesome array of rabbit holes to get lost in.

The Size of Space progressively presents you with larger and larger objects, starting with an astronaut and making its way through stars so enormous they make our sun look like a feeble yellow pom-pom. Spend Bill Gates’ Money offers you $100 billion to spend on items ranging from a 12 pack of Coca-Cola all the way to a literal Boeing 747 commercial airplane. It shows you how much money multibillionaires are working with day to day.

And my personal favorite, Absurd Trolley Problems takes you on an illustrative, ethical journey based on English philosopher Philippa Foot’s fictional scenario where an onlooker has the choice to save five people in danger of being hit by a trolley — except the only way to save them is by killing one person in their stead. The hard part about this isn’t so much the decisions, but the fact that you should, hypothetically, remain consistent in every one of those decisions.

“I’ve kept a big ideas list since I was 16, and have recently passed 1,000 project ideas written down (most of them terrible),” Agarwal said. “The ideas can come from everywhere, from books and movies to a conversation with a friend. I think the important thing is writing them down and being as open as possible to new and weird ideas. Sometimes two to three bad ideas can combine and form a great project.”

Which brings us to Agarwal’s latest endeavor: Asteroid Launcher.

You begin by designing your own asteroid, entering a material, rock diameter, speed and impact angle. Then, you can select any location on a realistic map to the left of the screen. All that remains, at that point, is to click a giant button that says LAUNCH ASTEROID.

Boom.

You arrive at a page that tells you, theoretically, what you’ve just done to your location of choice.

These results are surprisingly detailed, as Agarwal embedded his code with asteroid information gleaned from academic science publications, such as a doctoral thesis about asteroid impact risk and a peer-reviewed population vulnerability model authored by experts from NASA, Lancaster University and the University of Southampton.

However, it does appear that some question the results of Asteroid Launcher — one scientist, for instance, tweeted his preference for the more old-school Earth Impact Effects Program to satisfy doomsday cravings.

Though, to that end, Agarwal says the Earth Impact Effects Program uses the same equations as Asteroid Launcher because both are based on a research paper written by Gareth Collins, an asteroid impact expert at Imperial College London. “They’ll give pretty much the same results,” he explained, noting that Clemens Rumpf, an asteroid risk expert who formerly worked at NASA, also contributed to his project.

“The goal of neal.fun is to bring back the weird and fun internet!” Agarwal said. “I grew up at a time when the internet was full of strange and fun flash games and experiments, and watched that all slowly go away as social media took over. Now the web is finally becoming powerful enough again to create fun digital experiences, and I’m excited to keep exploring the potential with new projects.”

On Asteroid Launcher, once you’ve pressed the big red button, scroll down a little, and you’ll catch far more than fatalities spurred by your asteroid design.

Agarwal tells you how many gigatons of TNT your explosion equaled, how many people would receive second-degree burns if your asteroid was closer to a huge fireball, the radius within which peoples’ eardrums would rupture from the shock wave and within which homes would be completely leveled from wind speeds upon impact.

It’s darkly obsessive to check out as many asteroid designs as you can. Immediately after making my dream gold impactor, I plugged in the stats of the asteroid that NASA’s DART spacecraft punched into in an attempt to change the relatively small space rock’s orbit around a larger hunk of space rock.

I couldn’t get things to be completely accurate, because this is so theoretical, but here’s what I came up with.

Dimorphos is considered to be made of “rubble,” aka a bunch of materials, so for material, I went with generic stone. It’s actually about 525 feet in diameter, but Asteroid Launcher requires some rounding. I put in 500 feet. As for speed at time of impact, a parameter we don’t know, I popped in the speed at which the DART spacecraft hit the rock, because, well, why not? That came out to something like 14,400 miles per hour, which had to be rounded as well. I set the location to London and angle to 90 degrees for no reason whatsoever.

Here’s what we got for results — they’re much less shocking than my first ridiculous, gleaming monster asteroid.

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My next plan was to input the parameters of the dinosaur-killer asteroid, Chicxulub. But get this: It was so gigantic it didn’t even fit in the diameter section.

“Asteroid impact science is still an evolving field and not everything is known yet,” Agarwal said. “Generally the larger the asteroid, the more uncertain we are about the effects.”

Final Fantasy 7 fans got ready to eat well in the mid-noughties, as developer Square Enix released a bunch of spinoffs expanding the universe of the legendary 1997 PlayStation RPG. Unfortunately, most of the new stories — like PS2 shooter Dirge of Cerberus and CGI movie Advent Children — turned to be fast food next to the delicious and nutritious meal that was Final Fantasy 7.

The sole exception was the excellent 2007 action-RPG Crisis Core. This prequel cast you in the role of Zack Fair, a character with a small-but-crucial role in Final Fantasy 7’s main story, and explored his career as a member of megacorporation Shinra’s Soldier paramilitary group.

It offered roughly 25 hours of main story gameplay, a solid chunk of side missions and an inevitable emotional gut-punch of an ending that seared itself into fans’ brains.

The problem: It was only on PlayStation Portable (the PSP) and remained marooned on Sony’s now-obsolete handheld for more than 15 years. However, after the 2020 Final Fantasy 7 Remake and its downloadable content hinted at Zack’s playing a bigger part in the upcoming Rebirth, Square Enix is finally letting a new generation of gamers dive into Crisis Core.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion hits PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC on Dec. 13. I played a chunk of the game on PS5 over the weekend, and found this remastered classic to be a nostalgic joy.

Initially, I thought this was just the PSP game with some modern flourishes — 3D character models, upgraded environments and the ability to finally play it on a massive TV screen (or mirror the handheld original on Switch). Some of the prerendered cutscenes aren’t as well remastered, with graphical artifacts occasionally marring the image.

As I played, it became increasingly clear that Square Enix had made more subtle changes as well; developers have brought the combat closer to the Remake’s beautiful flow. Chaining physical, magical attacks and summoning god-like beings who perform super attacks feels natural and smooth — partially because all the modern systems’ controllers have more buttons to use than the PSP — making for a far more pleasant experience than it was in 2007.

You also have a new way to interrupt your most powerful enemies’ biggest attacks, by doing as much damage as possible when they’re charging up. It might not seem like a major addition, but it adds a layer of strategy to boss encounters you might otherwise have played defensively.

The slot machine-style Digital Mind Wave system that periodically gives you bonuses or summons an ally in combat remains inscrutable as ever — it also determines when Zack and his abilities level up. Rest assured that this isn’t random, so it seems that way you just can’t see how much experience points you have. Its link to Zack’s emotional effect also used to great narrative effect at a few key points.

All the cutscenes are fully voice acted now — chunks of the original were text-only — with the Remake’s excellent cast back in their roles. That includes Superman & Lois’ Tyler Hoechlin as future villain Sephiroth, who’s a pretty chill (if a bit aloof) dude for much of this game.

However, for good or ill, Crisis Core Reunion is fundamentally the same game we got in 2007. It’s still divided into easily digestible story chapters where Zack goes out on assignments for Shinra, unlocking bite-size missions along the way — it can’t quite shake off its roots as a portable game designed for quick sessions.

It feels a little stop-start in the early hours, especially as the game’s various systems are introduced to you, but you’ll soon get into the groove.

The gameplay loop of doing a chapter, then blasting through a bunch of unlocked missions and talking to the various characters in the hub around Shinra headquarters is satisfying — similar to Mass Effect, another classic 2007 RPG. It’s basically a few rooms and streets, greatly enhanced by the game’s magnificent art direction (without the slow loading of the PSP version).

Zack is also an ultra-charismatic protagonist, and his enthusiasm is a breath of fresh air compared to Final Fantasy 7’s moody Cloud. Fans who know about the relationship between these two will find getting to know Zack particularly rewarding.

The other characters are a mixed bag — Zack’s Soldier mentor Angeal is so stiff that I practically drift off whenever he’s on screen, and main villain Genesis is a dorky Sephiroth wannabe. The voice actors do their best, but the writing around these two just isn’t compelling. However, Cloud and Aerith make up for it when they enter the story.

And seeing the early adventures of these gaming icons, and how Zack helped to shape them, is the best reason to play Crisis Core Reunion. It’s still a 2007 PSP game at heart (as evidenced by the beautiful mid-noughties flip phones), but Square Enix’s ambition made it one of the best games on that system. I’m so glad it’s not trapped there any more. It’s a game every Final Fantasy 7 fan needs to play before Rebirth arrives late next year.

Morocco aims to continue its magnificent run at the 2022 World Cup with more giant-killing heroics, this time against Portugal in a quarterfinal clash. Africa’s sole remaining representative in the tournament, Morocco made it through to the last eight with a memorable win on penalties over 2010 World Cup winner Spain, with Achraf Hakimi’s cheeky winning Panenka penalty kick underlining the confidence now surging through Walid Regragui’s side.

Meanwhile, all eyes are on Portugal coach Fernando Santos for this massive game, after superstar Cristiano Ronaldo was left out of the starting line-up during the team’s round of 16 victory over Switzerland in favor of Benfica youngster Gonçalo Ramos. The controversial decision appeared to be the right one, however, with the 21-year-old hitting a rare World Cup hat-trick as his side cruised to a 6-1 win to set up this fixture.

The Morocco-Portugal game starts on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 10 a.m. ET (7 a.m. PT). The match will be shown nationwide in the US on Peacock and Fox, which is available on numerous live TV streaming services. Outside the US, World Cup matches are being carried by other streaming services, including ITVX in the UK, SBS in Australia and TSN in Canada. But what if you’re traveling outside your home country and want to enjoy the match, 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.

Here’s how you can watch the game, and the rest of the 2022 World Cup, from anywhere in the world with a VPN.

When is the Portugal vs. Morocco match?

Morocco will play Portugal at 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m. ET) on Saturday, Dec. 10.

Elsewhere in the world, the match starts at 10 p.m. in Qatar, 7 p.m. in London, and on Sunday, Dec. 11 at 6 a.m. in Sydney.

How to watch the Morocco vs. Portugal match online from anywhere using a VPN

If you find yourself unable to view the match locally, 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 match day by encrypting your traffic, plus it’s a great idea for when 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, nonblackout 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 and Canada, 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.

Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals taking place right now.

Livestream the Portugal vs. Morocco match in the US

The Portugal-Morocco match is on Fox in the US, so you’ll need a live TV streaming service that carries a Fox station that’s broadcasting the game. The least expensive such service is Sling TV Blue.

Numerous other live TV streaming services carry FS1 and local Fox stations as well, namely YouTube TV, Hulu Plus Live TV, DirecTV Stream and FuboTV. They all cost more than Sling TV, but they also carry more channels. Check out our live TV streaming channel guide for details.

Watch the World Cup 2022 Morocco vs. Portugal match for free in the UK

Stream Morocco vs. Portugal World Cup 2022 match in Australia

In addition to the services and countries listed above, numerous other local fixtures are carrying the World Cup 2022. They include:

• Argentina: TVP
• Belgium: RTBF (French) and VRT (Dutch)
• Brazil: TV Globo
• Canada: TSN
• France: TF1 and beIN Sports
• Germany: ARD and ZDF
• Hong Kong: PCCW
• Japan: Dentsu
• New Zealand: Sky
• Spain: RTVE

Quick tips for streaming the World Cup 2022 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.

This story is part of Focal Point iPhone 2022, CNET’s collection of news, tips and advice around Apple’s most popular product.

Apple’s entire iPhone 14 line — including the standard iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max — are now available to purchase. And with a wide price range starting at $799 ( 849, AU$1,399) for the iPhone 14 going all the way up to $1,099 for the Pro Max, you may want to be able to see what the differences are between all the models. This especially could be the case if you are having a harder time finding the iPhone 14 Pro during a shortage.

The biggest additions to the 2022 iPhone line include new cameras, the iPhone 14 Plus (a larger non-Pro model) and a redesigned notch known as the Dynamic Island for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.

The lineup is also the first to omit a physical SIM card slot on its US models, instead opting for an eSIM when activating service with a wireless carrier. Plus, it’s the first iPhone lineup to include satellite communication for emergency calls when cellular service isn’t available.

While several of these new features are available across the lineup, there are a number of differences (and prices) for each model. We’ve rounded them up in this specs chart, so you can directly compare what’s available.

The new iPhone lineup was just one part of Apple’s fall product reveal, with the company also debuting three new Apple Watch models with the $249 Apple Watch SE, $399 Apple Watch Series 8 and the $799 Apple Watch Ultra. The AirPods Pro also received a 2022 update, with Apple claiming longer battery life and improved noise canceling for the same $249 price as the original.

Apple iPhone 14 vs. iPhone 14 Plus vs. iPhone 14 Pro vs. iPhone 14 Pro Max

	iPhone 14	iPhone 14 Plus	iPhone 14 Pro	iPhone 14 Pro Max
Display size, resolution	6.1-inch OLED; 2,532×1,170 pixels	6.7-inch OLED; 2,778×1,284 pixels	6.1-inch Super Retina XDR, OLED display, 2,556×1,179 pixels	6.7-inch Super Retina XDR, OLED display, 2,796×1,290 pixels
Pixel density	460 ppi	458 ppi	460 ppi	460 ppi
Dimensions (Inches)	5.78 x 2.82 x 0.31 in.	6.33 x 3.07 x 0.31 in.	5.81 x 2.81 x 0.31 in.	6.33 x 3.05 x 0.31 in.
Dimensions (Millimeters)	147 x 72 x 7.8mm	161 x 78 x 7.8mm	147.5 x 71.5 x 7.85mm	160.7 x 77.6 x 7.85mm
Weight (Ounces, Grams)	6.07 oz.; 172g	7.16 oz.; 203g	7.27 oz.; 206g	8.47 oz.; 240g
Mobile software	iOS 16	iOS 16	iOS 16	iOS 16
Rear cameras	12MP (wide), 12MP (ultrawide)	12MP (wide), 12MP (ultrawide)	48MP (wide), 12MP (ultrawide), 12MP (telephoto)	48MP (wide), 12MP (ultrawide), 12MP (telephoto)
Front-facing camera	12-megapixel	12-megapixel	12-megapixel	12-megapixel
Video capture	HDR video recording with Dolby Vision up to 4K at 60 fps	HDR video recording with Dolby Vision up to 4K at 60 fps	HDR video recording with Dolby Vision up to 4K at 60 fps	HDR video recording with Dolby Vision up to 4K at 60 fps
Processor	Apple A15 Bionic	Apple A15 Bionic	Apple A16 Bionic	Apple A16 Bionic
Storage	128GB, 256GB, 512GB	128GB, 256GB, 512GB	128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB	128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
RAM	Undisclosed	Undisclosed	Undisclosed	Undisclosed
Expandable storage	No	No	No	No
Battery	Undisclosed; Apple lists 20 hours of video playback	Undisclosed; Apple lists 26 hours of video playback	Undisclosed; Apple lists 29 hours of video playback	Undisclosed; Apple lists 29 hours of video playback
Fingerprint sensor	No (Face ID)	No (Face ID)	No (Face ID)	No (Face ID)
Connector	Lightning	Lightning	Lightning	Lightning
Headphone jack	No	No	No	No
Special features	5G enabled; MagSafe; water resistant (IP68); wireless charging; dual-SIM capabilities (e-SIM)	5G enabled; MagSafe; water resistant (IP68); wireless charging; dual-SIM capabilities (e-SIM)	Dynamic Island; Always-On display; 5G enabled; MagSafe; water resistant (IP68); wireless charging; dual-SIM capabilities (e-SIM)	Dynamic Island; Always-On display; 5G enabled; MagSafe; water resistant (IP68); wireless charging; dual-SIM capabilities (e-SIM)
Price off-contract (USD)	$799 (128GB), $899 (256GB), $1,099 (512GB)	$899 (128GB), $999 (256GB), $1,199 (512GB)	$999 (128GB), $1,099 (256GB), $1,299 (512GB), $1,499 (1TB)	$1,099 (128GB), $1,199 (256GB), $1,399 (512GB), $1,599 (1TB)
Price (GBP)	849 (128GB)	949 (128GB)	1,099 (128GB)	1,199 (128GB)
Price (AUD)	AU$1,399 (128GB)	AU$1,579 (128GB)	AU$1,749 (128GB)	AU$1,899 (128GB)

The new AI tool ChatGPT has inspired excitement and worry with its ability to instantly answer complex questions. In the days after its debut, people have discovered many ways it can make their lives easier — including five we’ve found that rise above the rest.

ChatGPT is a chat-based tool built by research lab OpenAI that answers questions with somewhat conversational dialogue. Its natural language abilities will delight anyone who’s had to rephrase questions to get answers out of Siri or Alexa. The AI, trained on the vast tracts of text available on the internet, knows about information only through 2021. But it’s got an abundance of information on nitty-gritty details and big concepts. That’s got some educators agitated, but as long as you use it carefully, it can be something of a bonus brain.

To be clear, ChatGPT isn’t a perfect substitute for doing your own research — it doesn’t separate fact from fiction, as CNET science editor Jackson Ryan noted while detailing its present weaknesses in critical thinking. ChatGPT can answer questions and explain complex concepts, but its potential for inaccuracy has led StackOverflow to temporarily ban ChatGPT generated software.

That said, there are several ways ChatGPT can make your life easier, cooked up by people looking for AI benefits. If you just want to save time on some tasks — and aren’t cheating on your English Lit paper — here are some cool ways to use ChatGPT.

Get a chatbot to save you money

In a matter of weeks, a GPT-powered bot could lower the prices of your bills. Joshua Browder, CEO of DoNotPay — the “world’s first robot lawyer” that helps people fight traffic tickets and other bills — tweeted that the company is building a Chrome extension based on ChatGPT’s tech foundation to negotiate lower bills from internet providers, hospitals and more.

The extension will enter closed beta testing in mid-December, before an open beta in the first week of January. Though DoNotPay has been lowering bills for years, its rules-based model could only pick fights wherever users could submit online complaint forms. After integrating the conversational tech behind ChatGPT, DoNotPay can negotiate back-and-forth with any service that has chat for customer service, opening up the range of bills that can be challenged to include medical bills, credit reports and landlord-tenant disputes.

“You can say to the bot, ‘Go get me a refund for poor in-flight Wi-Fi’; it’ll have your personal details saved and send [the complaint],” Browder told CNET. He believes the more natural language of the requests will be less suspicious than the rigid form letters DoNotPay had been sending before, allowing it to challenge more discerning — and expensive — institutions, like hospitals.

The GPT-powered extension will be free for part of its beta testing phase then eventually be added into DoNotPay’s current bill-challenging subscription service, which costs $36 every three months.

Like Google’s Duplex AI making voice calls for you, the future could be bots doing all the tedious legwork to get you better deals and cheaper bills.

Make a diet and workout plan

Changing your diet and planning an exercise routine takes work. To make it easier, Alex Cohen, a senior director of product at Carbon Health, used ChatGPT to make a health-improving plan with a daily calorie target, exercise suggestions, a weeklong list of meals and even a shopping list for all the necessary ingredients. He tweeted out his method in an illuminating thread:

Cohen broke down his plan in a series of steps, calculating his personal health metrics, asking for meals that would fit his daily caloric and nutritional needs, asking for a shopping list, and then an exercise plan to meet his needs.

ChatGPT is no substitute for a physician and dietitian who can cater a plan to your specific needs and physiology — a caution the tool will tell you if you repeat Cohen’s search terms. But it’s an easy way to sketch out a health plan blueprint that you can check over yourself or bring to a health care professional.

Generate the next week’s meals with a grocery list

A variation from the last point is worth spotlighting for anyone planning a week’s worth of meals for multiple people.

First, ask ChatGPT for a list of meals, explain how many people you’re cooking for and whether you’re interested in dinners, breakfasts or lunches. Include any preferences and dietary restrictions. Detail how many days you want dining ideas, and poof, you have a list of meals.

Next, ask for a shopping list for those meals. You’ll get a pretty basic list of ingredients, so if you want exact amounts, you’ll need to fine-tune your request. For example, you might want to ask for the total amount of ingredients for all the meals listed. GPT produces a shopping list with the number of cans, ounces, pounds and cups of each ingredient you’ll need for a week’s worth of meals.

Create a bedtime story for kids

ChatGPT-generated prose hasn’t topped the bestseller lists yet, especially since it hasn’t gotten the knack for creative style. But the tool can make a passable bedtime tale for children, concocting simple plots and language from basic prompts. For instance, I chose a cat who wanted to go to space, and ChatGPT gave me the tale of Max, who clawed his way past many obstacles to achieve his dreams among the stars.

Stanford grad student in machine learning Eric Zelikman tweeted the idea of using ChatGPT to generate a bedtime story and then feeding that text into OpenAI’s DALL-E image-generating tool for illustrations.

It isn’t going to replace traditionally published children’s books. But if you’re pressed for time or away from your kid’s trove of bedtime tales, generating one through OpenAI’s tools can be helpful.

Prep for an interview

If you need to prepare to interview an exciting source, you can ask ChatGPT to generate some thought-provoking questions, as entrepreneur Seth Bannon tweeted.

That could be handy if you’re a journalist, or if you’re grilling somebody on stage at an industry conference, prepping for a job interview or preparing for a dinner with someone you want to impress.

You can even use it as a chat partner to set up mock conversations to practice what you’re going to say. You can instruct it to respond in other languages or translate specific phrases, too. You could also use it to help refine your cover letters and emails for a bit of professional polish. ChatGPT isn’t perfect, but when there’s a lot of example copy on the internet it can crib from, it can be an adept communicator.

Here at CNET, we rigorously test virtual private networks to determine which service is deserving of the title best VPN. To see how VPN services compare against each other, we use a combination of our own hands-on testing and the latest real-world research from industry experts. To earn the top accolade, a VPN needs to demonstrate excellent speed, privacy and overall value in our evaluation. Currently, ExpressVPN is our Editors’ Choice for best overall VPN. Most recently, ExpressVPN passed its latest set of third-party audits, contributing to a growing record of industry-leading transparency efforts.

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A reliable and well-tested VPN is a cornerstone tool for protecting your privacy online, and can help you get the best value out of your online gaming and streaming. A VPN service is a mobile app or other software that encrypts the connection between your device and the internet, preventing your internet service provider from seeing which apps or websites you are using. It also prevents most of those websites and apps from seeing what geographic location you’re connecting from. And, if configured correctly, a virtual private network can stop your internet service provider from throttling your speeds.

The best VPN delivers unprecedented digital privacy without compromising on performance. Though many people forgo VPNs in favor of other types of network connections, we strongly recommend using a good VPN for work, especially if you deal with sensitive information.

A VPN can also give you an added layer of security on public Wi-Fi networks, even though they’re far less of a security threat than they were in previous years. And with football season now in full swing, it’s a good time to note that VPNs can also be used to correct wrongly applied league blackouts and geographic restriction glitches. In addition, VPN services allow you to bypass content blocks in some countries to access critical news and educational information, while also opening up your streaming entertainment options.

While we believe the best VPN overall is ExpressVPN, we’re also eager to find the best VPNs for different uses. That’s why we also recommend Surfshark VPN as the best cheap VPN for the budget-savvy. Each VPN in the list below has an excellent value for a specific use case, and we point out the ideal user for each one. We’re also in the process of re-evaluating ProtonVPN and will update our recommendations based on that review in the coming months. In the meantime, keep an eye out for holiday VPN deals, which are in play for some providers, including many of our top picks.

Read more: Casual vs. Critical: When Your VPN Is a Matter of Life or Death, Here’s How to Pick One

Over the past several years, a flood of VPN providers has entered the marketplace, and that comes with both benefits and drawbacks. On one hand, the array of affordable VPN options now available means that — no matter how critical or casual your privacy needs — there’s a VPN service suited to your purpose. But it also means consumers have to wade through even more VPN advertising hype.

How we test VPNs

Our hands-on testing and review process is designed to cut through that hype. When we look at each VPN service, we’re not just examining them for their technical weaknesses, but we’re also scrutinizing their individual performance strengths. We want to know what each service does best. We test each VPN across over 20 factors, and we’re continually improving our methodology as we learn more.

We test VPNs for browsing and streaming speed in multiple countries as well as their connection stability and even the smallest potential privacy leaks. By testing across multiple devices and platforms, we’re able to assess which VPNs are best for gaming versus those best for streaming, torrenting or sharing sensitive information. Most importantly, we focus on doing the deep-dive research necessary to vet each VPN’s historical credibility and its ownership in a notoriously murky market.

The VPNs on this list earn our recommendation for more than just boosting their digital privacy strengths — they enable easy streaming to overcome geoblocked media, have torrenting-friendly servers, and are fast enough to support gaming globally. Based on those continued evaluations, you’ll see a few bullet points on each entry in our list, highlighting each VPN’s strengths and the uses we recommend it for most. And because we strive to keep on top of a fast-changing market, you’ll notice that the rank of each VPN service changes as we learn more and retest.

Best VPN services in 2022

Let’s look at each of our VPN vendors below in more depth. Keep in mind that this list is constantly being updated. We’re actively working on more VPN testing and research, so expect this guide to change throughout the year as we put each VPN through its paces.

The list below presents our favorites overall in 2022 so far. We’ll call out when specific traits make for a better choice in a more narrow evaluation.

Other VPNs we’ve tested

Not every VPN can be a favorite. These are ones we reviewed, but they’re not full-throated recommendations for one reason or another, including limited features and concerns over adequately hiding your identity.

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Hotspot Shield

• Servers: 1,800-plus in 80-plus locations
• Country/Jurisdiction: US (Five Eyes member)
• Platforms: Windows, Android, MacOS, iOS, Linux, Amazon Fire TV
• Price: $8 per month or $95.88 billed annually. Month-to-month plan at $13

Hotspot Shield VPN’s TLS-based Hydra Catapult protocol, US jurisdiction, 128-bit AES encryption support and large percentage of virtual servers might strip away our trust in its ability to provide more privacy protections than its competitors — but those are all key components to its ability to achieve the blazing speeds it delivered during its most recent speed tests.

It’s the second-fastest VPN I’ve tested, effortlessly delivers smooth-streaming media and can dance between server connections without missing a beat, no matter how many interruptions you throw at it. A 26% speed loss puts it in second place, falling behind Surfshark — which lost just 16.9% of its speed the last time I tested it — and knocking ExpressVPN down to third place with a 51.8% speed loss at last measurement. Speed losses on UK connections were under 8%. Gaming, torrenting, browsing, streaming — these speed-dependent services won’t be slowed down for Hotspot Shield users.

We’re not excited about Hotspot’s privacy and security, though. Since the services uses a closed-source proprietary Catapult Hydra protocol, instead of the more transparent open-source OpenVPN protocol, we’d like to see Hotspot give the public more third-party audits — a necessary step to bring Hotspot up to speed with routinely audited VPNs like TunnelBear. As recently as April 2021, review site VPNMentor discovered a DNS leak in Hotspot Shield’s plug-in for Google Chrome. Hotspot acknowledged the issue at the time and aimed to improve the product.

We’re also not thrilled about the amount of user data Hotspot collects, and its privacy policy. With its premium product, it gathers and retains much more information about users than most other VPNs. And if you’re using the free version of its product, it shares that information — along with even more finite data, including your MAC address and specific phone identifier — with advertising companies.

While its interface is user-friendly and its speeds are thrilling, spending time with Hotspot is going to leave your wallet a little lighter than you might prefer. Its current price is higher than its nearest competitors, its speeds slightly slower and its privacy more questionable. If you’re looking for a VPN purely on the grounds of speed, we still recommend passing on Hotspot until it improves.

Read more: Hotspot Shield VPN Review: This Speedster Costs More Than Faster, More Private Competitors

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TunnelBear

• Average speed loss: 63%
• Number of countries: 48-plus
• Jurisdiction: Canada, with US parent company
• Price: $3.33 per month, or $120, for a 3-year plan

TunnelBear’s gotten a lot of hype in the last couple of years. But when we looked under its hood and compared it with its VPN competitors, our excitement waned.

TunnelBear’s speeds are reasonable. We lost nearly 63% of internet speed overall when we used it, which is about average for a VPN. TunnelBear’s speeds have steadily improved over the years as measured by other review and testing sites, though, and the US scores we recorded saw a speed loss of only 54%.

On the plus side, TunnelBear is holding its own in the transparency competition among VPNs by publishing the results of its independent security audits and annual transparency reports. No IP address, DNS or other potentially user-identifying data leaks were detected during our testing, but in the past TunnelBear was observed to have been leaking WebRTC information. TunnelBear’s VPN encryption is standard AES-256 and it supports Perfect Forward Secrecy.

However, it’s also a Canadian business owned by US-based McAfee, so if you’re looking for subpoena-proof international online privacy, you’re playing with fire. It holds a paltry 23 server locations from which you can’t manually choose your VPN server or even a city. It doesn’t offer Tor-over-VPN, it offers split tunneling only on Android and it can’t even unblock Netflix.

On a per-month breakdown, the least expensive TunnelBear plan is its $120, three-year plan. You can also go month to month for $10, or pay $60 up front for a single year. Either way, TunnelBear accepts payment via credit card and bitcoin. Unlike other VPNs, it doesn’t take PayPal. Also unlike other VPNs, it doesn’t support Amazon Fire Stick or Android TV.

Read more: TunnelBear VPN Review: The Overpriced Ursine Has Trouble Living Up to the Hype

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CyberGhost VPN

• Number of servers: Over 8,000 worldwide in 91 countries
• Number of server locations: 111
• Jurisdiction: Romania, with UK parent company
• Number of simultaneous connections: 7
• $2.03 a month or $60 for a two year plan (plus four free months). Month-to-month plan at $13.

In CNET’s previous coverage of virtual private networks, we’ve praised CyberGhost for its roster of competitive features. Our in-depth review of CyberGhostin 2019 included speed testing, security verification and an analysis of its full suite of privacy tools. Since then, the VPN company has increased its number of servers and is prepared to roll out new privacy tools, all while remaining one of the cheapest VPNs we’ve reviewed — at $2.03 per month for a two-year plan.

As we’ve bolstered our approach to VPN reviews, however, CyberGhost has raised some red flags. Its parent company’s history warrants skepticism; our previous tests have shown it to expose your VPN use to your ISP; its website and app trackers are more numerous than warranted; and its ad blocker uses an untrustworthy method of traffic manipulation no VPN should even think about. Its low price previously made it worth considering if you needed to change the appearance of your location online, but not if you wanted best-in-class security.

While CyberGhost’s connection speed and security features appear to be improving, we don’t currently recommend using the VPN service provider if you’re in a country where VPNs are illegal. We also recommend that anyone in the US review CyberGhost’s parent company before deciding whether to pay for a subscription.

On the plus side, however, CyberGhost is still faster than Norton Secure VPN and was less taxing on the processing power of our devices. It also offers split tunneling in its Windows client and has its servers neatly organized into categories: NoSpy servers, servers geared for torrenting, servers best for streaming and servers best for use with a static IP address. CyberGhost imposes no data caps, allows unlimited server switching and offers a 45-day money back guarantee on subscription plans of a year or more.

Read more: CyberGhost VPN review: Competitive Features, but Its Parent Company Concerns Me

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Norton Secure VPN

• Number of countries: 30
• Number of servers: 1,500 (1,200 virtual)
• Number of server locations: 200 in 73 cities
• Country/jurisdiction: US
• $40 for the first 12 months for five devices

NortonLifeLock, long known for excellence in security products, has a relatively limited offering in its VPN product. Norton Secure VPN does not support P2P or BitTorrent, Linux, routers or set-top boxes. Its Netflix and streaming compatibility is somewhat limited. Even worse, during testing, we experienced privacy-compromising data leaks.

During CNET’s testing, Norton Secure VPN speeds were comparable to other midtier VPNs but not particularly competitive. Although its VPN is only available on four platforms — Mac, iOS, Windows and Android — Norton gets points for its 24/7 live customer service phone support and 60-day money back guarantee.

Norton Secure VPN’s pricing structure is a bit different than what you typically find in the industry. Pricing is tiered based on how many simultaneous connections you want with your account. For a single device, you’ll pay $30 for the first year and $50 for any subsequent years, or $4.99 a month for the monthly. For five simultaneous connections, the price jumps to $40 for the first year and $80 for subsequent years, or $8 a month for the monthly plan. If you want up to 10 simultaneous connections, the price is $60 for the first year and $100 for subsequent years, or $10 a month for the monthly plan.

Read more: Norton Secure VPN Review: Why We Don’t Recommend It

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Mullvad

• Number of servers: 840
• Server location: 68 locations in 38 countries
• Number of simultaneous connections: 5
• Jurisdiction: Sweden
• Price: $5 a month

Mullvad is an independent and open source VPN provider that is focused on building trust through transparency and its commitment to protecting the privacy and security of its users. Although there are other VPNs that are considerably more well-known in the industry, Mullvad’s offering overall is just as polished and easy to use as many of the bigger players in the market.

Mullvad’s primary focus is on security. Like most other top VPN providers, Mullvad employs industry-standard AES 256-bit encryption to secure users’ connections. Mullvad’s kill switch feature and DNS leak protection are enabled by default and cannot be disabled. During our testing, the kill switch worked as expected and we detected no leaks of any kind. The company says it doesn’t keep any logs of its users’ activity, and is, for the most part, pretty transparent about how it operates and what it does to protect user privacy. Mullvad is unique in that it doesn’t require any personal information at signup. While most VPN providers ask users to provide an email address and enter a username, Mullvad generates a random 16-digit account number to activate each new user account. You don’t even need to provide any payment information since Mullvad accepts cash sent via mail.

Mullvad’s source code being entirely open source is a testament to the company’s transparency, but we’d still like to see Mullvad issue an annual transparency report to give the public a view of how many legal requests the company gets and where they’re coming from. Though Mullvad tells us a new security audit is forthcoming, the company’s 2020 security audit (conducted by German cybersecurity firm Cure53) concluded at the time that the VPN “does a great job protecting the end user from common PII leaks and privacy-related risks.”

With servers in 68 locations across 38 countries, Mullvad’s VPN server network is comparatively small. Even so, the network covers the most in-demand locations and is pretty well spread out across the globe. And what its network may lack in size, it makes up for in speed. In our latest round of speed testing, we measured just a 23% drop in average speeds (most VPNs will slow you down 50% or more), easily making it one of the fastest VPNs we’ve tested. Though Mullvad’s speeds are fantastic, it’s not the best for geographically restricted content. We were able to access Netflix without any issues, but were denied access to stream Disney-plus when connected to Mullvad’s US servers.

However, Mullvad’s straightforward approach to pricing is a breath of fresh air, especially with so many other VPN providers concocting ever-more convoluted pricing structures. Mullvad costs about $5 a month, whether you want to use it for a month, a year or a decade — and you’re never locked into a long-term subscription plan. If you’re not satisfied with the service, you can get a refund within 30 days of purchase.

Read more: Mullvad Review: Solid Security and Privacy, but Swedish Jurisdiction Is Concerning

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Other VPNs our experts are reviewing

Below you’ll find some additional VPNs. We’re in the process of re-evaluating them in the coming months.

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PureVPN

• Number of servers: 6,500-plus
• Number of countries: 78-plus
• Country/jurisdiction: Hong Kong
• $3.24 a month for one-year plan, $1.99 a month for a two-year plan (plus three free months)

PureVPN says it doesn’t log connection information. The company joined the “no log” movement in 2018, and underwent a third-party audit by Althius IT (albeit one commissioned and paid for by PureVPN).

We like that PureVPN offers a 31-day refund policy and supports Bitcoin payments. We also like that PureVPN has both Kodi and Chromebook apps available. In addition, PureVPN was the first VPN service we noted to fully implement GDPR compliance.

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StrongVPN

• Number of servers: 950-plus
• Number of server locations: 59 locations in 30 countries
• $3.66 a month (67% discount) for a one-year plan

• StrongVPN in-depth review and hands-on testing (ZDNet)

StrongVPN blasts onto our list with excellent infrastructure and a decent price. StrongVPN has a strong no-logging policy, and picks up kudos for its large base of IP addresses. It has a solid collection of servers and worldwide locations. For those of you who need a dedicated IP, you can get one from the company but you’ll need to contact customer support to get help setting it up.

One of StrongVPN’s strengths is the company’s network. It owns and operates its entire network infrastructure, which means it has no externally dictated limits on bandwidth or the type of internet traffic allowed on the network.

StrongVPN’s regular monthly price of $10.99 is in the middle of the pack, but its regular yearly price of $80 is among the lowest of our contenders.

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Private Internet Access

• Number of server locations: 84 countries
• Country/jurisdiction: US
• Simultaneous connections: 10
• Price: $2.19 per month for the two-year plan

If you’re looking for one of the least expensive VPN providers, Private Internet Access fits the bill.

The best value offered by Private Internet Access is the two-year plan, which works out to $2.19 a month, and includes two free months. But if you don’t want to lock in for an extended period of time, you can get a six-month subscription for $45 (which comes out to $7.50 a month), or a monthly plan for $12 a month.

PIA has quite an expansive network of servers, spanning 84 countries, including servers in 18 different US cities. Though not as expansive as the fleets for ExpressVPN or CyberGhost VPN, the 84 countries gives PIA one of the largest server networks you’ll find in a VPN provider.

Operating since 2010, Private Internet Access offers 10 simultaneous connections, a kill-switch feature and a 30-day refund period.

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VPN FAQ

In today’s hyper-connected world, online privacy and security are increasingly critical. From online banking to communicating remotely with colleagues, we’re transferring more data on our computers and smartphones than ever before. Much of that data is confidential information that we need to keep safe from hackers and snoops, so VPN use is on the rise as people take steps to secure their digital lives.

Additional VPN factors to consider

Don’t use free VPN services: You’ll find only paid VPN options on this list above because they’re the only ones we can recommend.

Look for a no-logs VPN, but understand the caveats: The best VPNs keep as few logs as possible and make them as anonymous as possible, so there’s little data to provide should authorities come knocking. But even “no-logs” VPNs aren’t 100% anonymous.

There are limits to the privacy VPNs currently provide to iOS users: Recent independent research has surfaced suggesting iPhones and iPads running iOS 14 or later may be vulnerable to device-only VPN leaks, regardless of which VPN is used. Apple users concerned with potential leaks can take extra precaution by installing their VPN on a home router to ensure their entire Wi-Fi network is encrypted. Some iOS users may potentially reduce the likelihood of leaks while outside of a home network by enabling their VPN’s kill switch and selecting OpenVPN protocols. You can also try closing all apps, activating your VPN, and then enabling and disabling Airplane Mode before using your device normally. Apple advises users to activate their device’s Always On VPN profile for additional protection.

VPN transparency is important, but warrant canaries are only the beginning: Many services use “warrant canaries” as a way to passively note to the public as to whether or not they’ve been subpoenaed by a government entity, as many investigations from national security agencies can’t be actively disclosed by law. But — like the no-logging issue — warrant canaries aren’t always as straightforward as they seem. You should spend more time investigating whether your prospective VPN has cooperated with authorities in the past, and how and when it’s disclosed that fact.

Think twice about using a US-based VPN: The Patriot Act is still the law of the land in the US, and that means US-based VPNs have little recourse if and when the feds show up with subpoenas or national security letters in hand demanding access to servers, VPN user accounts or other data. Yes, they may have little data to access if the service has a strong no-logs policy, but why not just choose a service that’s based outside Uncle Sam’s jurisdiction? (If this is a concern for you, you’ll want to avoid countries that the US has intelligence-sharing agreements with, too.)

Best VPNs for your use case

• Best iPhone VPN for 2022
• Best Mac VPN for 2022
• Best Android VPN for 2022
• Fastest VPN for 2022