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Newcastle could condemn Sheffield United to the Championship with a win at home at St. James’ Park on Saturday.

The Blades have endured a nightmare return to the English Premier League. Chris Wilder’s team are in real danger of earning the unwanted distinction of conceding 100 goals over the course of a season, having already accumulated 92 goals against them.

Newcastle remain in contention for a top-six finish, but suffered a big setback in midweek after crashing to a 2-0 away defeat to in-form Crystal Palace.

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

Newcastle United vs. Sheffield United : When and where?

Newcastle United host Sheffield Unitedat St. James’ Park on Saturday, April 27. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. BST local time, which is 10 a.m. ET or 7 a.m. PT in the US and Canada, and 2 a.m. AEST on Sunday, April 28, in Australia.

How to watch the Newcastle vs. Sheffield Unitedgame 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 Newcastle vs. Sheffield Unitedin the US

Saturday’s Newcastle vs. Sheffield Unitedmatch is streaming on Peacock. You’ll need a Peacock Premium or Premium Plus account to catch the game live.

Can I livestream the Newcastle vs. Sheffield Unitedgame in the UK?

No broadcaster has the rights to show this game live in the UK, due to the traditional Saturday 3 p.m. kickoff blackout, which prohibits matches being shown in the region at that time in order to protect attendances throughout the English football pyramid.

That also means that if you’re in the UK traveling for pleasure or for work, you’re unlikely to be able to watch the game like you normally would at home, thanks to geo-blocking.

There is one option to get around this, however. By using a VPN, as explained above, you can set your location to a country where the match is being broadcast and go from there.

Livestream the Newcastle vs. Sheffield Unitedgame in Canada

If you want to stream Newcastle vs. Sheffield Unitedlive in Canada, you’ll need to subscribe to Fubo. The service has exclusive rights for this Premier League season.

Livestream the Newcastle vs. Sheffield Unitedgame 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.

It’s win or bust territory for relegation-threatened Luton as they head to Molineux on Saturday to take on midtable Wolves.

Currently in 18th position in the table, Luton’s underdog spirit could yet see them pull clear of the drop, but much will depend on how they respond to last weekend’s crushing 5-1 defeat at home to Brentford.

Wolves have arguably overachieved this term under coach Gary O’Neil, but they come into this clash looking to arrest a run of seven winless matches across all competitions.

Wolves’ season has been marked out as one blighted by controversial VAR decisions, with the reverse fixture for this game back in September no exception. That match saw the Hatters given a debatable second-half penalty that helped the newly promoted side gain a 1-1 draw and their first point of the campaign.

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

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Luton Town: When and where?

Wolverhampton Wanderers host Luton Townat Molineux on Saturday, April 27. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. BST local time, which is 10 a.m. ET or 7 a.m. PT in the US and Canada, and 2 a.m. AEST on Sunday, April 28, in Australia.

How to watch the Wolves vs. Luton Towngame 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 Wolves vs. Luton Townin the US

Saturday’s Wolves vs. Luton Townmatch is streaming on USA Network, which you can access as part of your cable package or at the NBC Sports website with a valid login, and can be streamed via Sling TV and other more expensive streaming TV services.

Can I livestream the Wolves vs. Luton Town game in the UK?

No broadcaster has the rights to show this game live in the UK, due to the traditional Saturday 3 p.m. kickoff blackout, which prohibits matches being shown in the region at that time in order to protect attendances throughout the English football pyramid.

That also means that if you’re in the UK traveling for pleasure or for work, you’re unlikely to be able to watch the game like you normally would at home, thanks to geo-blocking.

There is one option to get around this, however. By using a VPN, as explained above, you can set your location to a country where the match is being broadcast and go from there.

Livestream the Wolves vs. Luton Towngame in Canada

If you want to stream Wolves vs. Luton Townlive in Canada, you’ll need to subscribe to Fubo. The service has exclusive rights for this Premier League season.

Livestream the Wolves vs. Luton Towngame 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.

The iPhone-versus-Android debate is always intense, and I’m here to add fuel to the fire.

I used Apple’s and Google’s newest high-end arrivals, the iPhone 15 Pro Max and the Pixel 8 Pro, side by side to compare everything from cameras to battery life to displays. Neither of these phones comes cheap (you’re looking at starting prices upwards of $1,000), so here are some takeaways from my experience with both phones, in the hopes that it makes your decision-making easier.

Camera comparison and AI features

Not surprisingly, the camera is one of the biggest areas of focus with any new phone launch.

I tip my hat to the Pixel 8 lineup for having an incredible array of AI features baked into photos and videos. There’s Magic Editor, which lets you move and erase people, change backgrounds and arrange objects how ever you’d like to create an ideal image that’s Instagram-ready (whether that’s ethical is a separate issue).

There’s also Best Take, which sifts through a series of photos and lets you swap out faces so that if someone’s blinking in one shot, for example, you can replace it with another where they’re looking at the camera. The result is a single great image where everyone looks their best (and I can stop scolding my friends for blinking).

Another feature I’ve been having fun with is Audio Magic Eraser, which lets you edit out distracting background sounds from your videos, whether it’s the wind, music or noise from a crowd. It’s not perfect — I tested it out in one of my CNET videos, and it muffled my voice — but it’s not bad for the first iteration.

But AI isn’t everything. In fact, as cool as these features are, I’m just not sure how often I’d reach for them. So, let’s compare the actual picture quality between the two phones.

When it comes to standard images without any special effect, the results are surprisingly similar. Colors barely have any variation, and everything looks crisp and true to life.

The differences began when I switched to Portrait mode. While photographing a tea cup, the Pixel 8 Pro did a great job of keeping the entire cup in focus. But the iPhone 15 Pro Max struggled to keep the further end of the cup in focus, so the heart-shaped design imprinted on the inside is out of focus, like the background. Thankfully, you can adjust the amount of blur through the aperture setting either before or after you take a photo, and Portrait mode also lets you change the focus after you take a picture.

Portrait mode on humans led to fewer inconsistencies. In fact, there wasn’t much of a difference between these shots I took of my colleague Viva. The backgrounds are blurred to the same degree, and Viva is in perfect focus in the foreground. The iPhone’s colors are slightly warmer, but both are great photos.

Selfies have a noticeable difference. On the Pixel, colors are brighter, including my skin and the wall behind me. On the iPhone, everything’s a bit warmer, and shadows are darker. But it’s worth noting that you can dial in a photographic style or customize one to get colors and contrast to look the way you want.

And when it comes to night mode, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is the clear winner. In this shot of my plant in my dark room, the iPhone did a better job of brightening everything and making it look clearer.

Videos: Cinematic mode and stabilization

I use Cinematic mode a lot to give videos a more dramatic effect, so I had to compare how each phone handles those shots. The iPhone does a great job of keeping the subject in clear focus, even as I’m moving. But I was slightly disappointed in the Pixel. While taking a video of some decorative pumpkins, their edges were a bit glitchy as the phone struggled to figure out what to blur and when. (Check out the video above to see an example.)

The Pixel and iPhone both have video stabilization on by default, so the results are comparable. I took some shots while walking, and they’re a little shaky but not bad without a gimbal or stabilizer.

Action mode on iPhone helps to create even smoother shots, but you have to have enough light for it to work. The Pixel also has a similar mode called Active Video Stabilization, which is more aggressive than the default setting. So, ultimately, both phones give you the option to prioritize and customize whatever video settings you need to get that ideal shot.

Display differences

Where I really start to see the difference between these phones is in the display. The iPhone 15 Pro Max’s screen has a more vibrant, crisp look to it, and colors jump out at you. The Pixel 8 Pro’s colors, by comparison, are more muted, even when I turn up the brightness, but the display is still impressive and sharp.

The differences become most apparent when I’m watching a video. On YouTube, for example, videos on the Pixel have a more gray overtone to them, while colors on the iPhone are a bit warmer and sharper. And that remains true even when I turn on True Tone on the iPhone and Adaptive colors on the Pixel. Even though the Pixel technically has a higher brightness, what sets the iPhone’s display apart is the much higher contrast ratio, which is why these colors look more vibrant. But again, you’re going to get quality with either device — I just appreciated the sharper imagery on the iPhone.

How long do the batteries last?

Battery life is perhaps one of the most important considerations for me when shopping for a new phone. Why spend all that money if it won’t even last a full day?

Thankfully, that’s not the case with either of these devices. In my unscientific test, in which I played YouTube videos nonstop on both phones, the iPhone 15 Pro Max lasted around 22 hours, while the Pixel 8 Pro lasted about 16 hours. In CNET’s battery tests, the iPhone 15 Pro Max also came out ahead.

It’s worth noting that Apple optimizes its A series chips for video playback, and the Pixel’s screen has a higher overall brightness, which can use up more of the battery.

When it comes to charging, the iPhone 15 Pro Max reached full charge in an hour and 50 minutes, and the Pixel 8 Pro was fully charged in an hour and 20 minutes. I used a 30-watt power brick for both. The iPhone 15 Pro Max supports up to 27W charging, while the Pixel 8 Pro tops out at 30W, so that helps explain why the Pixel was the winner.

One of the most exciting things about this process was that, even though I used the respective cables each phone came with, I could technically use the same cable for both phones, because they each have USB-C ports. Thank you, Apple, for finally catching on.

How much for each phone?

All those specs and features don’t come cheap.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max starts at $1,200 for 256GB. You can get that same storage option on the Pixel 8 Pro for just over $1,000. Both phones also come in 1TB options, if you’re willing to throw in a few extra hundred dollars.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max comes in black, white, blue and natural titanium. The Pixel 8 Pro comes in black, white and blue — or “bay,” as Google calls it.

Google promises 7 years of software updates with its Pixel 8 lineup. Apple doesn’t commit to a specific number of years, but right now, iOS 17 support goes back 5 years to the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR.

iPhone 15 Pro Max vs. Pixel 8 Pro final thoughts

So, with both phones having great cameras, vibrant displays and stellar battery life, which one would I reach for?

I’m impressed by the Pixel 8 Pro’s portrait mode, and prefer the way selfies look on it, too. I’m also a big fan of the faster charging, and the AI features are unique and can be helpful. Since switching to iPhone from the Samsung Galaxy lineup last year, I’ve missed having the ability to erase distracting objects in photos right from my phone’s gallery, so it was nice to have that again, in addition to much more advanced photo editing capabilities.

But what sells me on the iPhone is the excellent, all-around video quality, especially in Cinematic mode. Everything looks crisper and clearer, and that’s also true for the display. More battery life is always a win too, even if it takes longer to charge up.

And, I have to say it: The Apple ecosystem is unbeatable. So, pairing great hardware and software makes me want to reach for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, but it’s a really close match here. Ultimately, there are things I’d prefer to do on the Pixel, and vice versa. What it comes down to is what your priorities are — whether it’s taking photos, recording videos, watching movies or having advanced AI-supported editing features at your fingertips.

Check out the video above to see both phones in action, and to hear more about my thoughts on each device.

To the surprise of no one, the Chicago Bears selected quarterback Caleb Williams from USC with the first pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. Two other quarterbacks followed in the next two picks, with Jayden Daniels from LSU going to the Washington Commanders and North Carolina’s Drake Maye going to the New England Patriots. Six quarterbacks went in the first 12 picks, with the most shocking being the Atlanta Falcons selecting Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 pick, after signing veteran QB Kirk Cousins last month.

More players will find their NFL homes tonight when the NFL Draft resumes with rounds 2 and 3 at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT). Here’s everything you need to know to watch all the action without cable.

How can I watch the NFL draft live?

Watch live for free: ABC is airing all three days of the draft. If you have an over-the-air antenna hooked up to your TV and get your local ABC station, you can watch for free.

Subscription options: The NFL draft will be broadcast on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and NFL Network. There will also be a livestream on the WatchESPN app or the NFL Mobile app (or ESPN.com or NFL.com). One caveat: You will need to prove you have a TV subscription (from a cable or satellite provider or live TV streaming service) that includes ESPN or the NFL Network in order to watch live on either app.

Cable TV cord-cutters have a number of options for watching the draft via a live TV streaming service, detailed below.

When does the NFL draft start?

The NFL draft continues this evening on ABC, ESPN2 and NFL Network. Here’s the TV schedule (all times ET):

Friday, April 26

• Rounds 2 and 3: 7 to 11:30 p.m. on ABC, ESPN2 and NFL Network.

Saturday, April 27

• Rounds 4 to 7: Noon to 7 p.m. on ABC, ESPN and NFL Network.

On ESPN, Mike Greenberg will serve as host for the first two nights of the draft alongside Mel Kiper Jr., Louis Riddick, Booger McFarland, Adam Schefter and Molly McGrath.

On ABC, Rece Davis will host with Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and Field Yates from one set, and Sam Ponder and Robert Griffin III reporting from another set. For Day 3 of the draft on Saturday, ABC and ESPN will combine forces with Davis, Kiper, Riddick and Yates covering rounds 4 through 7.

On the NFL Network, Rich Eisen will lead coverage featuring Daniel Jeremiah, Charles Davis, Kurt Warner, Joel Klatt and Ian Rapoport.

What’s the draft order for the second round?

After 32 players came off the board in the first round last night, the Bills are on the clock and pick first tonight with the 33rd overall selection. Here’s the draft order for the first 10 picks in round 2:

33. Buffalo Bills (from Carolina)
34. New England Patriots
35. Arizona Cardinals
36. Washington Commanders
37. Los Angeles Chargers
38. Tennessee Titans
39. Carolina Panthers (from NY Giants)
40. Washington Commanders (from Chicago)
41. Green Bay Packers (from NY Jets)
42. Houston Texans (from Minnesota)

You can track all of the picks with ESPN’s DraftCast.

What are the draft grades so far?

The Bears earned high marks for selecting Caleb Williams with the first overall pick and then pairing him with receiver Rome Odunze from Washington, who they got with the ninth pick. The draft’s other top pass catchers also earned their new teams top grades, including the Cardinals picking Marvin Harrison Jr. from Ohio State with the fourth pick, the Giants selecting Malik Nabers from LSU with the sixth pick and the Las Vegas Raiders nabbing tight end Brock Bowers from Georgia with the 13th pick.

The draft’s first defensive player wasn’t taken until edge rusher Laiatu Latu from UCLA went to the Colts with the 15th pick, a pick that was generally graded positively.

Both the Falcons’ choice of Penix Jr. with the eighth pick and the Broncos opting for Bo Nix from Oregon four selections later received poor marks, with most draft experts considering each pick a reach.

For more, check out the first-round grades from The Ringer, PFF, Bleacher Report and NFL.com.

All of the live TV streaming services above offer free trials, allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our live-TV streaming services guide.

Google, through its AI Opportunity Fund, is doling out $75 million in grants to workforce development and education organizations to teach Americans how to utilize AI, the company said Friday.

“AI offers significant opportunities to accelerate economic growth, particularly if people have access to the right resources and training,” Google’s senior vice president for research, technology and society, James Manyika, said in a release.

The search giant is also launching the Google AI Essentials online course to help teach foundational AI skills and best practices. The course, which costs $49 on Coursera, will teach people how to use AI in day-to-day work. On completion of the 10-hour course, people will earn a certificate. Miami Dade College and Darden Executive Education and Lifelong Learning will provide the course to students and working professionals. Citigroup will also use the course to upskill employees.

Google.org, the company’s philanthropy arm, aims to bridge the skill gap caused by the rapid ascension of technology. Given the demand for tech workers, Google awards grants and develops programs to help create a more tech-savvy workforce. For tech companies, these types of education programs help with brand image while also cultivating local talent and helping them break into emerging markets. Other Big Tech-driven philanthropic organizations include Microsoft Philanthropies, Amazon Future Engineer and Meta Elevate.

An early recipient of Google’s AI Opportunity Fund is Goodwill, a nonprofit that assists in job training and employment.

“We can help US jobseekers attain the core digital and AI skills needed to step into well-paying jobs and greater prospects for economic mobility,” said Goodwill CEO Steve Preston.

This isn’t Google.org’s first foray into AI-driven philanthropy. Generative AI for Educators aims to help teachers use AI tools in the classroom.

It’s the greatest time of year for hockey fans. The animosity that develops between two teams over a seven-game series. The intensity of sudden-death overtime. Playoff beards. The ability of a hot goaltender to lead an underdog team on a deep playoff run. And the Holy Grail that is the Stanley Cup trophy itself. The NHL playoffs have begun and are sure to be filled with drama between now and the NHL finals in June.

Like the NBA playoffs, games for this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs will be split between the Turner (TNT and TBS) and Disney networks (ABC, ESPN, ESPN 2). Here’s everything you need to know to catch all the action on ice, with or without cable.

How to watch the NHL playoffs

The Stanley Cup playoffs are shown on ABC, ESPN, ESPN 2, TBS and TNT. You can watch the games with a cable subscription or a live TV streaming service. Four of the five major services (all but Fubo, which lacks TNT and TBS) offer the five channels needed to watch every NHL playoff game. You can also watch the TNT and TBS games with Max.

What is the NHL playoff schedule?

Here’s the schedule for tonight and the next few days of the Stanley Cup playoffs (all times ET).

Friday, April 26

• Rangers vs. Capitals, 7 p.m. on TNT (Rangers lead series 2-0)
• Canucks vs. Predators, 7:30 p.m. on TBS (series tied 1-1)
• Jets vs. Avalanche, 10 p.m. on TNT (series tied 1-1)
• Oilers vs. Kings, 10:30 p.m. on TBS (series tied 1-1)

Saturday, April 27

• Hurricanes vs. Islanders, 2 p.m. on TBS (Canes lead 3-0)
• Panthers vs. Lightning, 5 p.m. on TBS (Panthers lead 3-0)
• Bruins vs. Maple Leafs, 8 p.m. on TBS and NESN (Bruins lead 2-1)
• Stars vs. Golden Knights, 10:30 p.m. on TBS (Knights lead 2-0)

Sunday, April 28

• Jets vs. Avalanche, 2:30 p.m. on TNT (series tied 1-1)
• Canucks vs. Predators, 5 p.m. on TBS (series tied 1-1)
• Rangers vs. Capitals, 8 p.m. on TBS (Rangers lead 2-0)
• Oilers vs. Kings, 10:30 p.m. on TBS (series tied 1-1)

What does the NHL playoff bracket look like?

The New York Rangers earned the top spot in the East with 114 points, while the Dallas Stars claimed the West’s first seed with 113 points. Here’s what the matchups look like for the 2024 NHL playoffs.

All of the live TV streaming services above offer free trials, allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our live TV streaming services guide.

Nintendo is planning to use magnets in a fun new way with its upcoming Switch 2 video game console, according to a new report. The magnets will apparently be used to stick the Switch 2’s Joy-Con controllers to the device, rather than relying on the rail-attachment system the current Switch has used since its launch in 2016.

The new report, which comes by way of Spanish site Vandal and was translated by Eurogamer, says that accessory manufacturers have had opportunities to interact with prerelease versions of the new Nintendo console, which is widely expected to be released within the next year.

Nintendo representatives didn’t respond to a request for comment.

The new details about the Switch 2’s purported magnetic controllers underscores how Nintendo may be aiming to improve and refine its popular Switch console’s design, rather than invent a new gaming device altogether. Previous reports have also claimed Nintendo’s next-generation Switch will have more powerful processing chips, a better screen and possibly even replaceable batteries.

Read more: Nintendo Switch 2 Expectations: Is It Coming in 2024?

Nintendo has long been known as one of the most innovative developers in the tech world. It launched a virtual reality headset in 1995, two decades before Meta released the Oculus Rift. Its motion controllers for the Wii in 2005 touched off waves of investment in motion-control technologies. And its Game Boy handheld gaming console from 1989 is still so beloved that people have been clamoring for emulator apps that can play its games on today’s smartphones.

Compared to those innovations, Nintendo adding magnets to its controllers may not seem as big a deal. But magnets have proven to be popular features for consumer electronics.

Apple’s MagSafe charger cords for its laptops are widely praised, for example. And the company’s move to add MagSafe magnets to the back of its iPhones has become so popular that a variation of that approach was adopted as part of the tech industry’s broader Qi2 wireless charging standard.

It’s unclear if Nintendo will expand its new use of magnets beyond its controllers, but we’ll likely find out in the next year.

Whether you need a new USB-C charger for powering your stuff at home or a portable battery pack for taking the show on the road, Ugreen makes some solid models. There are tons to choose from with different ratings and ports, and now you can save on a number of them thanks to a collection of Amazon discounts. Some of them are limited-time discounts, while others require that you’re an Amazon Prime subscriber. The best offers right now can get you savings of up to 46% off.

There are a ton of options available from Ugreen right now, and we won’t get into each and every one of them here, but a couple of them are worth calling out. Those begin with the Ugreen 145W power bank with a 25,000-mAh capacity. It’d normally sell for $150, but if you order now it can be yours for $81, or 46% off the retail price. It has an LED display to show the current battery capacity and three different ports for charging phones, laptops and more.

Looking to add a little whimsy to your life? The Ugreen Nexode Robot is a fast charger rated for 30W that looks like a little computer wearing headphones. It might just be the coolest way to charge your phone, and now it can be yours for $18 instead of the usual $26.

Portable battery packs are convenient for most day-to-day needs, but sometimes you need a little more than they can provide. For those instances, our collection of the best generator deals will have you back up and running in no time at all.

“It’s important you save your vote for the November election,” a voice that sounded an awful lot like President Joe Biden’s told Democrats in New Hampshire during a January robocall that discouraged them from voting in that month’s primary.

But it wasn’t Biden. It was an AI-generated voice that one of the men behind it now says was intended to draw attention to how AI can be harnessed to influence voter behavior.

Technology has long been used to sway voters. In the last two presidential elections, it was primarily social media, where manipulated content — like videos of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, which went viral after they were edited to make her appear incompetent — spread like wildfire. By 2023, nearly two-thirds of US internet users said misinformation and/or fake news were widespread on these platforms.

The advent of generative AI tools, which can easily create realistic text, images and videos (and audio like the fake-Biden call), only exacerbates the potential for misinformation in 2024. It’s a new reality that government, tech companies and voters will be grappling with in the coming months.

It’s something that software giant Adobe, maker of Photoshop, is mindful of. Last week, Adobe released the results of a study, Future of Trust, in which 6,000 consumers in the US, the UK, France and Germany were asked about online misinformation and generative AI. The study found that a majority are concerned, particularly within the context of elections.

Adobe itself has a gen AI tool, Firefly, that’s part of a growing landscape that includes chatbot and image-generation options from the likes of Anthropic, Google, Microsoft and OpenAI. As these tools become more sophisticated — like, say, offering the ability to create lifelike images and videos — they increase the potential for creativity, as well as for misuse. The tech companies behind them have guardrails to limit the creation of harmful content, but users have found loopholes. The cat and mouse game will continue through Election Day 2024 and beyond.

(For more on generative AI tools, along with all the latest AI news, tips and explainers, see CNET’s new AI Atlas guide.)

Misinformation 2.0

According to a July 2023 report from the Brennan Center, a nonprofit public policy institute at New York University, gen AI tools help blur the lines between organized disinformation campaigns and recipients’ world views. That is, they make it easier to tell voters what they want to hear. And though traditional social media posts can be outed by, say, grammatical errors or strange turns of phrase, gen AI can help bad actors sound much more convincing.

These actors can also use large language models — the engines behind AI chatbots — to generate millions of posts and create false impressions of widespread belief in certain narratives. And they can use chatbots to personalize interactions based on voter characteristics.

Not surprisingly, the Adobe survey found that voters believe that deepfakes, or manipulated media, will once again be used to influence what happens at the polls.

Adobe found that 84% of US respondents are worried that online content is vulnerable to manipulation, and are therefore concerned about election integrity. Meanwhile, 70% believe it’s becoming difficult to verify whether online content is trustworthy, and 76% say it’s important to know if content was generated by AI. Social media platforms like Meta, TikTok and YouTube now require users to label digitally generated and edited content. And generative AI tools like Adobe Firefly, Dall-E 3 and Copilot include where a photo, video or document originated and who created it, as well as details about any subsequent alterations.

Potential solutions

Following the faked Biden robocall in New Hampshire, the US Federal Communications Commission made AI-generated voices in robocalls illegal. But there’s still a lot of work to do.

Nonprofit think tank the Brookings Institute says the government should invest in media literacy to help students learn how to distinguish factual content from misinformation. States like California, Colorado and Illinois have already implemented these programs. (84% of Adobe respondents in the US agreed that children should be taught media literacy in school.)

The Brookings Institute also called for an effort to reduce the ability of foreign interests to spread misinformation in US elections.

In Adobe’s survey, 83% of US respondents said they believe the government should also work with tech companies to protect election integrity.

The Brennan Center suggests lawmakers focus their efforts on regulating AI. It also wants to see developers refine election-related AI filters, and it wants social media platforms to develop policies to better balance political discourse with the potential harm from disinformation.

How to protect yourself

You can do your part. AI-generated content, especially images and video, has some telltale signs you can look for. Check where the content came from: Is it a reputable source?

There are fact-checking tools, too, like digital watermarks on social media or Adobe’s Content Credentials, which identifies where content comes from and whether it’s AI-generated. (In Adobe’s survey, 88% of US respondents said they believe it’s essential to have tools to verify the trustworthiness of online content.)

Residents of New Mexico and North Carolina can access state-run resources to help fact-check information about local elections. But no such resources are yet available on a national level.

We’re also starting to see voter education campaigns emerge.

In March, the nonprofit AIandYou released one such campaign, Behind the Headlines, in partnership with LeanIn.Org, Voto Latino and TelevisaUnivision. It targets women and Black and Hispanic communities and seeks to educate these voters about AI’s potential impact on misinformation and the electoral process.

In the age of generative AI, we’re going to need all the help we can get.

Editors’ note: CNET used an AI engine to help create several dozen stories, which are labeled accordingly. The note you’re reading is attached to articles that deal substantively with the topic of AI but are created entirely by our expert editors and writers. For more, see our AI policy.

Apple hasn’t said much publicly about its plans to join the many companies offering generative AI products, but this week it did open up a window into its behind-the-scenes work on the kind of system that powers AI chatbots and image generators.

On Monday, it released OpenELM, which it calls a “state-of-the-art open language model.” Language models are the massive sets of information that tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Dall-E draw on to respond to the prompts you type when you want an AI to whip up an email, write computer code or create a fanciful image.

So it’s not yet the Apple AI product we’ve all been waiting for, but it is a logical step in that direction — and potentially hints at the AI capabilities Apple might offer in its upcoming iOS 18 software for iPhones.

OpenELM’s release comes just weeks ahead of Apple’s WWDC event in early June, where the company traditionally talks about its next wave of software offerings.

Apple did not respond to a request for comment.

But during a quarterly earnings call in February, CEO Tim Cook hinted that Apple would reveal its plans for generative AI at some point in 2024. Also around that time, Apple reportedly shuttered its long-running electric car project to focus on generative AI and the Apple Vision Pro, the wearable that went on sale that same month and that CNET reviewer Scott Stein calls “Apple’s wildest and strangest device.”

It’s not clear yet how OpenELM fits into these plans. However, in a research paper posted in March, Apple discussed multimodal large language models, or those that can generate a variety of content formats.

While Apple has been holding fire, most tech giants and a rash of startups have already rushed out one or more generations of gen AI products. Adobe, Anthropic, Google and OpenAI are in a race to release increasingly capable models that not only understand a wider variety of queries, but produce more realistic images and videos. They’re even keen to highlight internal research projects in fields like video games and music composition to tease what they may be able to offer to capture your attention and lock in your potential loyalty as users of their AI products. (For all the latest AI news, plus product reviews, explainers, tips and more, check out our new AI Atlas guide.)

Some takeaways on OpenELM

A paper posted to Apple’s Machine Learning Research site notes that the OpenELM release includes everything needed to train and evaluate the language model on publicly available datasets, including training logs, checkpoints and pretraining configurations. (The ELM part of the name stands for “efficient language model.”)

On LinkedIn, Maxwell Horton, a machine learning researcher from Apple, wrote that OpenELM is part of a new open-source repository called CoreNet, which is available via GitHub. This resource also includes code to convert models to an array framework for machine learning research on Apple chips, which allows for inference and fine-tuning on Apple devices, as well as vision and language models with training recipes and code release for 11 Apple research publications.

The OpenELM paper said the goal is to pave the way for future open research endeavors.

“The reproducibility and transparency of large language models are crucial for advancing open research, ensuring the trustworthiness of results and enabling investigations into data and model biases, as well as potential risks,” the paper added.

Large language models are measured in what is known as parameters, or the number of variables in a mathematical calculation used to produce an output from a given input. As the number of parameters increase, so does the model’s ability to make sense of language. Apple’s pretrained and instruction-tuned models have 270 million, 450 million, 1.1 billion and 3 billion parameters.

By way of comparison, ChatGPT 3.5 has 175 billion parameters. The latest version of Meta’s Llama 3 model has 70 billion parameters.

Reports emerged last July that Apple was working on an AI chatbot called Apple GPT and a large language model called Ajax, but the company has not commented.

“We have a lot of work going on internally, as I’ve alluded to before,” Cook said of generative AI during the February earnings call. “Our M.O., if you will, has always been to do work and then talk about work, and not to get out in front of ourselves, so we’re going to hold that to this as well.”

Editors’ note: CNET used an AI engine to help create several dozen stories, which are labeled accordingly. The note you’re reading is attached to articles that deal substantively with the topic of AI but are created entirely by our expert editors and writers. For more, see our AI policy.