Category: Technologies

With CBS the television network broadcasting this year’s Super Bowl, fans looking to stream the Big Game can once again turn to the company’s streaming service — Paramount Plus — if they don’t have an antenna, cable, satellite or streaming TV provider.

This will be CBS’ third Super Bowl that it streams on its own service, with 2019 and 2021’s Super Bowls having been available on CBS All Access (the precursor to Paramount Plus). Even better, Paramount Plus is one of the last streaming services that still offers a one-week free trial, so fans looking to watch can do so for free. No promo code is needed, you will just need to set a reminder to cancel the service after the Super Bowl in the event you don’t want to keep it.

Paramount Plus offers two tiers: A base “Essential” option that runs $6 per month and has ads as well as a pricier “With Showtime” plan that runs $12 per month, includes access to premium cable channel Showtime, allows you to download shows for offline viewing and has no ads “except live TV and a few shows.”

Both options are available at a discount if you want to sign up for an annual subscription ($60 per year for Essential, $120 per year for the “with Showtime” option) and either plan will get you live NFL games including this year’s Super Bowl.

You can stream Paramount Plus on a variety of devices ranging from iOS and Android phones and tablets and Xbox and PlayStation game consoles to smart TVs and streaming players running software from Amazon, Apple, Google, LG, Samsung, Vizio or Roku.

Paramount Plus details how to cancel the streaming service on its website, although for easiest use it may be best to sign up through a browser and then go sign in on your device of choice. If you do it this way, you can simply go to Paramount Plus’ website, click on your username in the upper right-hand corner, then head to “account” and select “cancel subscription” when you want to leave.

Signing up through other means can make canceling the service a bit more complicated. Going through other services like Amazon Prime Video or Apple TV Channels, for example, may require you to contact Amazon or Apple to close your Paramount Plus account.

Paramount’s approach of offering a free trial is a welcome change from other NFL streamers. Peacock, which had two exclusive NFL games this season including a Wild Card weekend contest between the Chiefs and Dolphins, notably does not offer a free trial, so fans looking for that game needed to sign up and pay. ESPN Plus, which similarly had an exclusive NFL game during the regular season, similarly does not offer any free trials.

In addition to the free trial, it’s worth pointing out that some services offer bundles that include Paramount Plus. Walmart Plus, for example, includes a subscription to Paramount Plus Essential with its Amazon Prime-rival subscription shopping service.

On Monday, the Weather Channel unveiled a remodeled and rebuilt app that aims to help people be more prepared for disruptive weather. The app now provides more in-depth information about the weather, as well as new features to help you better understand how you’ll be impacted.

“Our mission has always been to keep people safe and help them lead better lives,” Sheri Bachstein, CEO of the Weather Company, said in a news release. “Whether it is getting ahead of a storm, planning a social event or trip, understanding how air quality could affect your health, or simply deciding when to go for a hike.”

The Weather Channel app still shows you the basics, like your daily and weekly forecast, but I found that the new features provide users with a better understanding of how good, or bad, the weather in their area will be.

Here are the new features and changes in the Weather Channel app.

Current weather and future outlook are prominently shown

As soon as you open the revamped app, you’ll see a live banner at the top of the home screen that shows the current temperature and conditions where you are. If it’s cloudy, you’ll see clouds rolling across the sky, and if it’s sunny, you’ll see a clear-blue sky. Sometimes though, there will be an ad in this banner, like from McDonald’s, which I found to be jarring when I saw a Big Mac at the bottom of a weather report.

Beneath this banner you’ll see a menu with two options: Today and This Week. The Today option shows an hour-by-hour breakdown of your day. This menu can show you fluctuations in things like humidity, wind speed and the “feels like” temperature throughout the day. It can also show you a one- or two-sentence description of what to expect that day, like “Cold temperatures will result in the risk of frozen pipes tonight.”

This Week shows you a breakdown of the upcoming week’s weather. This menu also has a brief description of the week, which might read, “The nicest day in the next 7 days will be Saturday.”

The Weather Channel also said that when your area is expecting severe weather, like a winter storm or hurricane, another menu option will appear to offer you details about the forecast to help you prepare.

The short descriptions offered in both sections feel particularly useful, especially when warning about inclement weather. When I’m looking at the forecast, I can guess how good or bad the weather will be based on the temperature and sun or cloud icon, but having these descriptions about the forecast takes the guesswork out of it.

More health and wellness tools

If you’re worried about the spread of illnesses in your area, the Weather Channel app can now warn you before you head out the door. The Weather Channel said its app can now give you tools and tips related to several health conditions, like the cold and the flu, which could be affected by the weather. There’s also a skin health section that breaks down your risk of experiencing dry skin throughout the day or how likely you are to get sunburned outside at a given time.

The Weather Channel also added a new air quality forecast feature. This feature takes into account factors like air pollution, smoke from wildfires, humidity and more to create a new Breathing Index. This index is meant to give you a better idea of what steps you might need to take to protect yourself against air quality issues throughout the day.

These features are easy to read at a glance, thanks to color-coded bubbles and one- or two-word descriptions. So if the Breathing Index is good today, this feature will display a green bubble and read, “Very Good.” You can also tap into these features to see a more detailed breakdown of your day and week.

The Weather Channel said it’s planning to add more sections, like for heat illness, headaches and even pet health.

Be prepared for some confusion from advertising and sponsorships, though. Some of these features are sponsored by companies like CVS, and those features will display that sponsorship. So while you might be tempted to skip over something that reads, “Sponsored by CVS” because it seems like an ad, these are functional features. You will see other ads in the app, and they’ll usually have a banner over the top of them that reads Advertisement. I’m used to these sorts of in-app ads, but one time a full page ad popped up when I tried to open the radar. I didn’t see an X in a corner to close the ad, and I wasn’t sure how to get past the ad, so I ended up closing the app and reopening it.

Features to help you better plan outdoor activities

The Weather Channel app is introducing a new Activities tab to help you plan outdoor activities like walking with your pet. This tab is meant to give you a better idea of when the weather is ideal for doing things like hiking or going for a run. There are also new Sun and Moon features that are meant to help you plan for high and low tides, teach you about celestial events, and more.

I try to take my dog for a walk around my neighborhood every day. Before, I’d try to squeeze a walk in before it started to rain, based on my iPhone’s preloaded Weather app, only for the rain to start halfway through the walk. Or I’d try to wait for the rain to stop, because the app said it would stop in 10 minutes, only for the app to push that time back a half hour. Though the Activities tab may not be able to predict with total certainty the best times to take my pup for a walk, it’s also not telling me for certain that the rain will stop in five, no wait, 15 minutes.

The app shows what’s important to you

According to the Weather Channel, you can answer some questions in the app to give you more-customized content related to the weather conditions and topics that interest you the most, like gardening and pets. This content is presented in the app in the form of articles, videos and more, further down on the app’s home screen and in the app’s News tab. The Weather Channel also said that the more you use the app, the more the app learns what to show you.

While I do appreciate some of the food-related content presented to me in this section, what I really like is that this content doesn’t interrupt the forecast information. When I open a weather app, I want to see the weather for my area first and foremost, not how some zoo animals in Australia beat the heat — though I will check that out, because the animals are cute. I haven’t felt like these articles or videos have gotten in the way of presenting the weather to me.

Extended reality experience coming soon for some

If you have a premium subscription for the Weather Channel app ($5 a month or $30 annually) you’ll soon get access to an extended reality, or XR, experience within the app. The Weather Channel said this XR experience will show you virtual environments meant to help you better understand how certain weather conditions, like heavy pollen or storms, might impact your area.

I like the intent of the XR experience, but the ads here are more than a little surprising. In one video clip the Weather Channel sent me, the XR experience showed a sunny day outside, before a bottle of CVS sunscreen materialized from the ground. In a rainy day clip, the feature put rain puddles on the ground — which was great and exactly what I want from it — but then a can of Campbell’s tomato soup on a table appeared. Both these ads seem to be activated when you point your camera to the bottom-right corner of the XR field, so you might be able to avoid them as long as you don’t point your camera in that direction.

Overall though, I like the changes to the Weather Channel’s app. I find them to be mostly helpful, and useful for better planning my day — even if a stray McDonald’s ad rears its head from time to time.

You can download the Weather Channel app for free from either Apple’s App Store or the Google Play store.

For more on weather apps, you can check out our best weather apps of 2024, and you can also take a look at our best password managers and antivirus software of 2024.

Runners will find these lightweight, ninth-gen bone-conduction headphones with an open-ear design a great asset to keep them entertained and motivated while exercising. Bone-conducting headphones work by resting on your cheekbones, delivering the sound to your ears through vibrations, which means you’ll be able to stay aware of your surroundings, which is a safer option than traditional headphones or earbuds. The current flagship model from Shokz (formerly AfterShokz) earned a spot on our roundup of the best running headphones and earbuds of 2024 — and right now you can snag a pair at a discount.

You’ll normally have to shell out $180 to grab a pair of these headphones, but Amazon has slashed the price by 22% right now, meaning you can snag a pair for just $140. While we’ve technically seen the OpenRun Pro drop $15 lower during last year’s Black Friday seasonal deals, this is the first time we’ve seen a price drop since and it’s a great chance to snag a pair for yourself without paying top dollar. And they make a great Valentine’s Day gift, too. We don’t know how long this offer will last, so we recommend making your purchase sooner rather than later.

The lightweight, wrap-around design should remain comfortable and secure regardless of how intense your workout gets. And you’ll get up to 10 hours of battery life per charge, with a 5-minute top-off giving you up to 90 minutes of playback when you’re short on time and need a boost. They’re also IP55-rated water-resistant and come equipped with dual noise-canceling microphones and more powerful bass than its predecessor, which makes the OpenRun Pro a solid option for listening to music and podcasts or taking calls on the go. And you’ll also get a hard carrying case with your purchase to keep your headphones safe.

However, if this pair doesn’t quite meet your needs, you can check out our roundup of other earbuds and headphones deals happening now for more options that can save you some cash.

Flying can be a lot of fun, especially if you enjoy visiting new destinations, both domestic and international. Of course, the problem is that prices for flights have skyrocketed, and if you want to take regular trips, that can get quite expensive, even if you don’t overpay. Luckily, there’s a solution in the form of Matt’s Flights premium plan, which lets you know when new and interesting flight deals are available. Even better, while the usual lifetime subscription goes for $1,800, this deal from Stacksocial will net you nab it for just $90, which is a huge 95% discount.

A Matt’s Flights premium subscription saves you time as well as money by sparing you the headache of having to manually search and compare flights and prices across different services. You get unlimited search requests for both domestic and international flights, and Matt’s Flights will send the absolute best prices available straight to your inbox, which includes three or more deals per week. You also get 24/7 email support for one-on-one help planning your flights and trip. If you’re looking for ways to save on your upcoming summer vacation, this is a deal you won’t want to miss.

If you like to game but need to take your gear on the go, you might want to grab a gaming laptop to get your game on. Unfortunately, gaming laptops tend to be quite expensive, so we’re happy to see that there are some great deals as part of this gaming laptop sale on Woot. There are both new and refurbished options to go for, although most of them mostly have the older RTX 30-series GPUs, with some of them still being pretty excellent.

We’ve picked our favorite deals below, but it’s well worth checking everything available using the button below. Also, be aware that this sale ends on Feb. 7 at 12 a.m. CT, so grab the deals while they’re hot.

Probably one of our favorite budget-friendly picks is this ASUS VivoBook Pro 16X, which is a good option if you’re more interested in the screen quality since it has a 16-inch OLED screen and a 3,840×2,400 resolution. It also has a solid mid-to-high-end AMD Ryzen 7 5800H CPU that’s going to be more than enough for most productivity and day-to-day tasks. As for the GPU, you get the RTX 3050 Ti, which is admittedly a very entry-level graphics card, but you can certainly get some indie and casual gaming done. You can grab the VivoBook Pro 16X for $950 instead of the usual $1,500.

Another excellent budget-friendly option is the ASUS ROG Strix, which is going for just $900 and has a better GPU in the form of the RTX 3060. The 15.6-inch screen only runs at a 1080p resolution, although it can hit a 144Hz refresh rate, meaning that it won’t push the RTX 3060 too hard, and you should be able to hit that refresh rate pretty well. More surprisingly, you get the AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX, which is a very high-end CPU, so it can handle complex things like streaming, music production and more resource-hungry game genres like Simulation and RTS.

Finally, if you want something with a bit of graphical oomph, then you might want to grab this Acer Nitro 5, which has the very impressive RTX 3080 under the hood. Luckily, that means it should easily be able to handle the 1440p screen running at 165Hz resolution, with a very tiny bit of graphical compromise. You also get a similar high-end AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX processor, as well as 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. You can have all of that for just $1,120, so it’s well worth grabbing if you like what you see, and if not, be sure to check out some other great gaming laptop deals as well.

The Apple Vision Pro mixed reality headset is now available to the general public. Its retail starting price is $3,499, and not everyone will be willing to spend that much money on a computer you wear on your face.

That said, you still might be interested in taking the Vision Pro for a spin; the headset is compelling. It’s a technical marvel, with impressive visuals. And you don’t necessarily need to be an Apple fanatic to be curious about trying out Apple’s foray into spatial computing.

If you check out our review of the Vision Pro, by CNET’s Scott Stein, you might understand why.

Read more: Apple Vision Pro Review: A Mind-Blowing Look at an Unfinished Future

If the price does give you pause but still want to test out the Apple Vision Pro right now, there’s some good news: v-pre You don’t have to drop thousands of dollars. You can just go to an Apple store. Scroll on for details about that.

Want to learn more about the headset? Here’s what you need to know before buying the Vision Pro, and here are all the apps that will and won’t appear on the Vision Pro.

Check Out Apple’s Vision Pro Headset and Everything in the Box

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Sign up today for a Vision Pro demo at your local Apple Store

You can sign up for a Vision Pro demo at your local Apple Store now.

During the roughly 25-minute demonstration, an Apple Store employee will walk you through the process of using the headset.

Be warned: With the frenzy surrounding the Vision Pro, you may expect lines, and the demos are first come, first served. So get there early on Sunday if you want a chance of trying out the headset.

To get a demo today, Sunday, you’ll need to head to your local Apple Store and sign up in person. Once you’re at the store, the process is easy: Find an Apple employee; tell them you want to demo the headset; give them your name and contact information; and reserve a demo time. You can leave the store and come back if your appointment is later on in the day.

The process to book a demo after Sunday (Monday through Thursday this week) is easier — you can do it online. Head to either Apple’s Vision Pro page or the Apple Store app and tap the Book a demo button. After you sign in with your Apple ID (you’ll need two-factor authentication enabled), book your appointment. Right now you can book a demo for Feb. 5 through Feb. 8.

I got to demo the Apple Vision Pro on Friday, and it went smoothly. I waited in line, an Apple employee checked me in, and then I came back during my appointment time. From there, I scanned my face to get fitted for the Vision Pro, and because I wear prescription glasses, I had them scanned to get the appropriate Zeiss Optical Inserts. An Apple employee then walked me through various gestures to navigate the headset, and I got to browse the internet in Safari, check out spatial videos shot on the iPhone and watch a really immersive video demo from Apple TV.

While you’re here, check out what iPhone spatial videos look like on the Vision Pro.

If you love to travel, or just enjoy learning languages, then grabbing a Rosetta Stone lifetime subscription is a good way to go. With over 25 languages to pick from, and as much time as you could ever want to learn, it’s a solid deal. Of course, the full price of $399 is a bit mind-boggling, which is why we really like this deal from Stacksocial, which knocks 52% off the price, bringing it down to just $190. That’s even $10 cheaper than what Rosetta itself is offering, so it’s worth grabbing quickly before the deal expires.

Rosetta Stone is our favorite language learning app for auditory learners and this membership gives you access to 25 different languages, from Spanish to Korean, allowing you to better communicate with locals on your travels and increase your comfort level in international settings. Even if you don’t plan on traveling far from home, improving your language skills has plenty of benefits. Whether you want to speak with international neighbors or enjoy movies and TV shows from other places, hobbyists can also take advantage of this deal.

Every single lesson — no matter the language — is broken up into manageable chunks, both online and offline. You also have access to an immersive learning environment that will keep you interested throughout the course to keep your mind on perfecting your studies. Plus, you can even practice your accent using speech recognition technology.

The shopping cycle never rests, and just because it’s the weekend doesn’t mean the great Amazon deals have stopped. In fact, some of the best deals tend to happen on the weekends, so if you’re looking to do a bit of shopping, you’re in luck. We’ve done a bit of legwork and found some of the best deals on Amazon for various price points. That means whether you want to make your home smarter or grab a pair of headphones, we’ve got a deal for you below. Also, be sure to check out CNET’s gift guides.for a few more ideas (even if they’re for yourself).

Best Amazon deals you can shop this weekend

After a dramatic 4-3 win away at Wolves in midweek, Manchester United are looking upwards in the English Premier League as they take on fellow European hopefuls West Ham on Sunday at Old Trafford.

Kobbie Mainoo’s injury-time winner at Molineux spared Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag some flak, having seen his side squander a first-half two-goal lead. Currently in seventh position, just one point and a place behind their opponents today, the hosts will now be hoping Thursday’s confidence-boosting victory will give them the platform to mount a challenge to break back into the top five.

Despite a disappointing draw in midweek at home to Bournemouth, West Ham still find themselves in a strong position coming into the latter part of the season. Hammers boss David Moyes will nevertheless have been disappointed overall by West Ham’s business during the January transfer window, which saw midfielders Pablo Fornals and Saïd Benrahma depart the club in near-farcical circumstances, without managing to secure any replacements for the duo.

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

Manchester United vs. West Ham United: When and where?

Manchester United host West Ham United at Old Trafford on Sunday, Feb. 4. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. GMT (9 a.m. ET, 6 a.m. PT in the US and Canada, and 1 a.m. AEDT in Australia on Monday, Feb. 5).

How to watch the Man United vs. West Ham game online from anywhere using a VPN

If you find yourself unable to view the game locally, you may need a different way to watch the game — that’s where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic, and it’s also a great idea if you’re traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.

With a VPN, you’re able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. So if your internet provider or mobile carrier has stuck you with an IP address that incorrectly shows your location in a blackout zone, a VPN can correct that problem by giving you an IP address in your correct, non-blackout area. Most VPNs, like our Editors’ Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.

Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Canada, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you’re streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions.

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

Livestream Man United vs. West Ham in the US

Sunday’s Man United-West Hammatch is streaming on Peacock. You’ll need a Peacock Premium or Premium Plus account to catch the game live.

Livestream the Man United vs. West Ham game in the UK

Premier League rights in the UK are split between Sky Sports, Amazon Prime Video and TNT Sports (previously known as BT Sport). Man United vs. West Ham is exclusive to Sky Sports, showing on its Sky Sports Main Event, Premier League and Ultra channels. If you already have Sky Sports as part of your TV package, you can stream the game via its Sky Go app, but cord-cutters will want to get set up with a Now account and a Now Sports membership to stream the game.

Livestream the Man United vs. West Ham game in Canada

If you want to stream Man United vs. West Ham live in Canada, you’ll need to subscribe to Fubo. The service has exclusive rights for this Premier League season.

Livestream the Man United vs. West Ham game in Australia

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

Quick tips for streaming the Premier League using a VPN

• With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — your experience and success when streaming EPL matches may vary.
• If you don’t see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the “search for city or country” option.
• If you’re having trouble getting the game after you’ve turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs — like Roku — don’t have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you’ll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you’re using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
• All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network’s sports app, you’ll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location.
• And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you’re using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.