T-Mobile is forcing users on its older unlimited plans to move to some of its latest options. The carrier confirmed to CNET that starting next week, notices will be sent out to T-Mobile users on its older One, Simple Choice, Magenta and Magenta 55 Plus plans alerting them that starting with their November bill cycles their respective plans will change and that their monthly pricing will go up.
The notices will go out starting on October 17 and T-Mobile tells CNET that “there will be an increase of approximately $10 per line with the migration.” A spokesperson noted that those who sign up for AutoPay can save $5 per line (on up to eight lines per account).
T-Mobile recently changed its automatic payment rules to require a linked bank account or debit card as opposed to a credit card, though with the company’s troubled history of data breaches consumers may be wary of linking banking information to their accounts.
“We’re always looking for ways to give our customers more from our services so we’re moving a small number who were on older rate plans to newer plans that will deliver them enhanced features,” T-Mobile said in a statement. It was not immediately clear how many people will be impacted or what a “small number” meant.
The company adds that those who don’t want to have their plan changed will be able to reverse the move, but they will need to call T-Mobile’s Customer Care support line to make that happen.
The carrier is giving users an undisclosed period of time to call in and reverse the forced switch, but how long that period will be was similarly not immediately known. It was also not known if those who go back will be able to stay on their older plans for good or if any reversal simply buys these users a little more time before a switch is once again forced upon them.
According to the leak on Reddit, those on Simple Choice will be moved to either Magenta or Essentials Select, those on Magenta or One will move to Go5G and those on Magenta 55 Plus will be migrated to Go5G 55 Plus. Business users on Simple Choice Business will similarly be switched over to the carrier’s Business Unlimited Advanced.
The forced changes to legacy plans come over three years after T-Mobile completed its merger with Sprint. One of the promises to get the merger approved by regulators was that the carrier would not raise rates on plans for three years. It has since introduced a “Price Lock” promise to not raise rates on plans, but that guarantee largely only applies to its newer plans from the last two years.
As part of its “Price Lock” page, T-Mobile does note that those who are on “eligible plans” from before April 28, 2022 and don’t want to switch to a new T-Mobile plan will be able to have the carrier cover “your final month’s recurring service charge if we were to raise prices and you choose to leave.”
Those looking to take advantage of that offer will simply need to give the carrier notice “within 60 days.”
If there’s one thing I’m picky about, it’s the quality of sound, so before I invested in a small Bluetooth speaker I did my research. (By which I mean I went through CNET’s list of the best Bluetooth speakers.) The one I chose, and one that continues to rank high in quality for its size, is the Bose SoundLink Flex Bluetooth speaker, and it’s $30 off right now for October Prime Day.
Instead of its usual $149, the SoundFlex Bluetooth speaker is on sale for $119 at Amazon. And as another perk for people who’d rather support a business besides Amazon: The speaker is also $120 at Best Buy and $119 through Bose itself.
I really love this speaker for the reasons you’d love a speaker — music sounds really good on it, speech is clear when I’m listening to a podcast and the sound is full enough to fill my (tiny) studio apartment.
But I like it more for another reason: As a restless and light sleeper, I need some sort of sound going that’ll mask the noise from inside and outside my apartment building. In a series of events I don’t completely remember, I found that playing the “Commercial Airliner” soundscape track from my Calm app through my Bose speaker effectively blocked the bass sounds I can hear in my apartment. It’s also a whole lot more comfortable than trying to sleep with the same track flowing through headphones (which, I’ll note, weren’t designed for sleeping either).
While I can’t compare its off-label use as a white noise machine to the real white noise machines out there, I can say its versatility is one of the main reasons I’m tied to this Bluetooth speaker. In terms of how it tests in overall audio quality, you can read David Carnoy’s full Bose SoundLink Flex review here.
There’s nothing worse than low battery anxiety — that point where your phone goes below 20% battery life, and you have no idea when you’ll be seeing a charger in the next few hours, be it because you’re on a plane, a train or just out and about. That’s why a supplementary battery is a must.
For iPhone owners, there are plenty of choices, but it’s the Anker MagGo 622 that I’ve grown to appreciate — first with my iPhone 14 Pro, and now that I’ve upgraded to an iPhone 15 Pro Max. All five colors of this device are currently $40 for Prime Big Deal Days — a nice 20% discount from the usual $50 price, or a whopping 43% off the list price.
Previously, I had — and liked — the similar 321 model. Like Apple’s similar (and now discontinued) MagSafe Battery Pack, the MagGo 321 magnetically attaches and powers recent iPhones that are MagSafe-equipped (that’s most models since 2020’s iPhone 12). However, that Anker only cost me $22 at the time. And it gave my iPhone another full charging cycle, while still being slim enough to fit in my pocket without any annoying connecting cords or cables.
Read more: Best MagSafe Accessories for iPhone
But the MagGo 622 adds a fold-down kickstand. That’s a key feature when I’m traveling — plop it on the tray table of a plane or a train, and you can enjoy video on your phone in landscape or portrait mode. Have a nearby power outlet? The 622 has passthrough charging via its USB-C connector. (And now that the iPhone uses USB-C too, that’s one less cable in my bag.)
The Anker products aren’t officially compatible with Apple’s MagSafe standard, so they charge more slowly than those pricier Apple-sanctioned products. (The latest iPhones support the newer Qi2 wireless charging standard, but few if any of those have hit the market yet — and Apple has yet to detail which improvements, if any, the new chargers will deliver.)
You’ll need to have a MagSafe-compatible phone case for the 622 or any magnetic battery to attach properly. And, like most gadgets nowadays, you’ll need to bring your own power adapter, as only the USB-C cable is provided in the box.
Lastly, you don’t get the fancy on-screen indicator of how much juice the battery has left in it (but it does have a four-bar LED indicator on the side for that).
But those are all basically quibbles. If I’m spending the day traveling — or just walking around — the Anker MagGo 622 is clipped onto my iPhone, ready for action.
This story was originally published for the July Prime Day event, and has been slightly updated for October’s Prime Big Deal Days.
Amazon’s October Prime Day two-day shopping extravaganza brings lucrative deals to all its categories, including TVs, laptops and more. The sale is underway and includes a number of steep laptop discounts. And the savings aren’t limited to just Amazon. There are anti-Prime Day sales at competitors like Best Buy and Walmart that can save you big money on a new laptop, too.
We’ve hunted around for the biggest price breaks on laptops that are worth buying right now, and put together a list of the best current laptop deals. As Prime Day and other sales continue, we’ll update this list with the latest laptop deals at Amazon and beyond.
Bluetooth speakers are one of the big consumer electronics commodities these days. Everybody has one, but a lot of them are no-name plastic blobs with tinny sound — or worse, so old they have a micro-USB charge port. That’s why I’m always excited to share when the JBL Go 3 goes on sale. The list price remains at $50, but during Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days sale, it’s back down to $25 — half off, and tying the lowest price we’ve seen.
To be clear, there are plenty of great Bluetooth speakers on sale right now. But for me, the Go 3 hits the sweet spot for an impulse purchase. I own it, and it’s one of my favorite gadgets and travel companions. It’s also IP67 waterproof, so it’s at home in the shower or by the pool. In fact, I installed a Command Hook by the bathroom sink where it can hang from its durable braided loop, so I can listen to news or music during my morning shower.
Beyond the playback controls and volume, the only two buttons are Bluetooth sync and power. It’s worked flawlessly with any phone, laptop or tablet I’ve ever tried to connect to it. I also love that it has a USB-C port for charging. Now that the iPhone has gone USB-C, it’s pretty much the standard connector for the entire gadget world.
And the sound? For something that fits in the palm of my hand, I think it sounds great. With a good bit of midrange and even a touch of bass, you actually feel like you’re getting some of that JBL audio DNA that you wouldn’t find in those no-name speakers. But don’t trust me: Check out the full JBL Go 3 review from CNET audio guru David Carnoy, who also enshrined it on our list of best Bluetooth speakers.
Sure, there are a couple of quibbles: The battery life is a bit short (about five hours), and — for whatever reason — the battery life indicator doesn’t show up on my iPhone, like nearly every other speaker or headphones I connect to it. But otherwise, there’s very little not to like about the Go 3, which is also available in a range of several fun colors, including teal, pink and even military camo. If sustainability is important to you, note that the newer Go 3 Eco version, which incorporates between 90 and 100% post-consumer recyclable materials into the plastic body and speaker grille fabric, respectively — all for the same $25 price.
If you have an older portable speaker with tinny sound or flagging battery life, this makes a no-brainer replacement. It’s also a great gift for anyone who travels or just likes listening to music or podcasts around the house.
Check out even more great Amazon October Prime Day deals under $25.
If you’ve been waiting for a sale to pull the trigger on a new high-end TV, your wait could be over. The LG C2 OLED TV, which is my current pick for the best high-end TV for the money, just dropped in price for Amazon’s October Prime Day sale to levels that either match or come close to all-time lows.
I review TVs for CNET and in my side-by-side comparisons the C2 was superb, outperforming any non-OLED model and holding its own against other OLED TVs that cost a lot more. It also has just about every important feature I recommend in a high-end TV, including state-of-the-art gaming extras, along with sleek style and all the connections you need. It’s a 2022 model, but it performed just as well as the 2023 C3, which currently costs $300 more at the sizes listed below.
I can’t predict the future but if I had to guess, the prices on these TVs will likely be the lowest available on any TV this good until the Black Friday season, which hits in mid-November. (To illustrate that point, I wrote the first version of this story in July during the original Prime day sale, I said the same thing then and I was wrong: each of these TVs is $100 cheaper now than it was in July).
Looking for another size? The three sizes above are the only C2 models currently available at Amazon that I would recommend. The C2 does come in other sizes (namely 42-, 48- and 65-inch) but they’re either sold out or only available refurbished. If you’re interested in those other sizes sizes I’d recommend going with a C3, and if you could, waiting for prices to fall as we get closer to Black Friday.
Beats’ sleek and stylish headphones are some of the most popular pairs on the market — and for good reason. Several models have claimed a spot on our list of the overall best headphones and earbuds of 2023, and right now Prime members can get their hands on select pairs at a record-low price. Amazon is currently offering up to 50% off Beats headphones at its massive October Prime Day sale, including a whopping $170 off the new Beats Studio Pros, dropping them down to an all-time low price of just $180. The sale runs until 11:59 p.m. PT (2:59 a.m. ET) tomorrow night, but there’s no guarantee these deals will stick around until then. We’d recommend getting your order in sooner rather than later if you don’t want to miss out on these incredible savings.
Our reviewer David Carnoy likened the latest and greatest Beats Studio Pros to a more affordable version of Apple’s ultra-pricey AirPods Max. And at 49% off the list price, they’re one of the best pairs of over-ear headphones you’ll find in this price range. They feature active noise-cancellation, an impressive 40-hour battery life and support lossless audio via USB-C. Amazon currently has all four colors on sale for Prime members, dropping the price to an all-time low of $180.
If you’re looking for a more affordable alternative, you can grab a pair of on-ear Beats Solo 3 headphones for $100, which is 50% off and just $21 more than the all-time lowest price we’ve seen. They don’t have any noise-canceling capabilities, but do support spatial audio when paired with Apple devices, and also feature a 40-hour battery life.
If you prefer earbuds, there are a few different pairs to choose from. The Beats Studio Buds aren’t the latest model in their lineup, but still feature active noise-canceling capabilities, an IPX4 water-resistance rating and a 24-hour battery life on a single charge. And right now they’re back down to their all-time low price of just $90 for Prime members, which saves you $60. There’s also the Beats Fit Pros, which are some of our favorite earbuds for runners. They’re equipped with an Apple H1 chip, a noise-canceling and transparency mode and they’re $40 off right now, dropping the price down to $160. And serious athletes can save $100 on the Beats Powerbeats Pro, which have an integrated ear hook to keep them firmly in place, dropping them back down to the all-time low price of $150.
Be sure to check out our full roundup of all the best October Prime Day headphones and earbuds deals for even more can’t-miss bargains.
For Amazon’s October Prime Day, many of the deals we saw on Bluetooth speakers during its summer Prime Day two-day sale have returned, with a few more added in to the mix. Here’s a look at 13 of the best deals we’ve spotted on Bluetooth speakers (almost all of which we’ve tested). You’ll need an Amazon Prime membership to get the best deal on most of these picks.
Read more: Best Bluetooth Speakers of 2023
Best October Prime Day 2023 deals on Bluetooth speakers
October Prime Day is finally here, and the deals have come in full force, and we’re seeing some amazing drops in prices across the board. In fact, it’s the perfect time now to grab big-ticket items like TVs and laptops and our Prime Day live blog is constantly updated with lots of deals. But you don’t have to spend a lot to find a good deal, with a lot of great discounts on things from battery packs to water flossers.
And if you’re looking for even more savings, you can check out our roundups of the best under $10 and under $25 deals as well. We’ll continue to update this page as more deals pop up throughout the week, so be sure to check back for the best bargains available.
The action is all about to unfold on the ice once more, with the start of the 2023-24 NHL season now upon us. The Vegas Golden Knights come into the new season as defending Stanley Cup champs, having lifted the coveted trophy for the first time in their history, just six years after entering the league as an expansion team.
Among teams favored to steal the crown from the Golden Knights are the Carolina Hurricanes, the Toronto Maple Leafs, the New Jersey Devils and the 2022 champion Colorado Avalanche. All eyes will also be on the Boston Bruins, who’ll be looking to recover from flopping in the playoffs after setting a record for being the most successful regular-season team in NHL history.
Meanwhile streaming the 2023-24 NHL games is more complex than ever. Major networks ABC, ESPN and TNT are all set to host nationally broadcast games during the regular season. TNT will broadcast 62 NHL games as well as half of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Disney quad of ESPN, ESPN Plus, ABC and Hulu boasts 100 more exclusive games across the four networks. Meanwhile local games are divided among different regional sports networks, some of which have their own dedicated streaming services, including MSG Plus, NESN360 and — you guessed it — KnightTime Plus.
So what does all this mean for hockey fans desperately looking to stream their team’s games? The good news is that you don’t need cable to watch hockey this year, but it still might be the easiest and cheapest choice depending on where you live.
Read more: NFL 2023: How to watch and stream games and RedZone with or without cable
Live TV streaming services vs. cable
Die-hard sports fans are beholden to regional sports networks, or RSNs, that carry the majority of the games for their local team. These RSNs are usually included in local cable packages, so most cable subscribers never have to worry about gaining access to the broadcasts on these channels: They can simply turn on the TV and watch the game.
Cord-cutting hockey fans have a tougher path. Because of rights agreements, our favorite live TV streaming services like YouTube TV or Hulu with Live TV don’t carry many RSNs. DirecTV Stream and Fubo are the exceptions; both offer numerous RSNs, including the Bally Sports channels (formerly Fox Sports), but they’re more expensive than other options.
New for 2023, hockey fans in some areas can subscribe to Bally Sports Plus, a service that streams live games on regional sports networks owned by Bally’s (formerly Fox RSNs). For example, Blues fans in St. Louis can subscribe and watch every regular season Blues game on Bally Sports Midwest. Bally Sports Plus costs $20 per month.
Another option exists for fans in other areas of the country: Subscribing to yet another streaming service dedicated to those RSNs, like MSG Plus, NESN360 and KnightTime Plus. And the Coyotes and Knights are also available via over-the-air-antenna in their local areas.
Ultimately, depending on location, getting a cable subscription that includes ESPN, TNT and the local RSN might actually be cheaper and easier for you than streaming — especially if it’s bundled with the home internet you’ll likely be getting anyway.
DirecTV Stream: Best live TV streaming service overall for hockey fans
If you want a single, cable-TV like service that carries most standard TV channels as well as every game from your local team, DirecTV stream is the answer. In addition to national hockey games on ABC, ESPN and TNT, it offers nearly every RSN, allowing subscribers in most areas of the US to stream local and national NHL games. The downside? It’s not cheap.
To get your local hockey RSN you’ll need to subscribe to DirecTV Stream’s Choice package, which costs $109 per month, although the company is offering a $30 discount over the first three months.
Fubo: Best live TV streaming value for hockey fans
If you want to save some money and still get your RSN as part of a multichannel streaming TV package, the best alternative to DirectTV Stream is Fubo. New for 2023, it has basically as many RSNs as DirecTV Stream and it costs less. The main downside compared to DirecTV stream, however, is that FuBo lacks TNT. That means it won’t carry any of the 62 national games or the TNT half of the playoffs. Including the regional sports fee Fubo costs $89 per month, making it significantly less expensive than DirecTV Stream, so losing those TNT games might be worth the tradeoff for you.
And here’s one way around the TNT problem: Max (formerly HBO Max) subscribers can add the new Bleacher Report Sports add-on to their subscriptions to get TNT, including hockey games. It’s free through February 29, 2024 to Max subscribers, after which it will cost $10 per month. That means you’d need two separate apps and subscriptions — Fubo in addition to Max — but between the two you would get pretty much all of the hockey.
The chart below shows which teams and which RSNs are available across four live TV streaming services.
RSNs on Live TV services compared
Team
Network Name
DirecTV Stream
Fubo
YouTube TV
Hulu Plus Live TV
Anaheim Ducks
Bally Sports SoCal
Yes
Yes
No
No
Arizona Coyotes
Bally Sports Arizona
Yes
Yes
No
No
Boston Bruins
NESN
Yes
Yes
No
No
Buffalo Sabres
MSG
Yes
Yes
No
No
Carolina Hurricanes
Bally Sports South
Yes
Yes
No
No
Chicago Blackhawks
NBC Sports Chicago
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Colorado Avalanche
Altitude
Yes
Yes
No
No
Columbus Blue Jackets
Bally Sports Cincinnati
Yes
Yes
No
No
Dallas Stars
Bally Sports Southwest
Yes
Yes
No
No
Detroit Red Wings
Bally Sports Detroit
Yes
Yes
No
No
Florida Panthers
Bally Sports Florida
Yes
Yes
No
No
Los Angeles Kings
Bally Sports West
Yes
Yes
No
No
Minnesota Wild
Bally Sports North
Yes
Yes
No
No
Nashville Predators
Bally Sports South
Yes
Yes
No
No
New Jersey Devils
MSG
Yes
Yes
No
No
New York Islanders
MSG
Yes
Yes
No
No
New York Rangers
MSG
Yes
Yes
No
No
Philadelphia Flyers
NBC Sports Philadelphia
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Pittsburgh Penguins
AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh
Yes
Yes
No
No
San Jose Sharks
NBC Sports California
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Seattle Kraken
Root Sports Northwest
Yes
Yes
No
No
St. Louis Blues
Bally Sports Midwest
Yes
Yes
No
No
Tampa Bay Lightning
Bally Sports Sun
Yes
Yes
No
No
Vegas Golden Knights
KnightTime Plus
No
No
No
No
Washington Capitals
Monumental Sports Network
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Note that none of the US-based services carries the RSNs for the Canadian hockey teams. That means fans of the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, Winnipeg Jets, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks need to use ESPN Plus to watch all the games that are not either on your local RSN or on a US national broadcast.
It’s also worth noting that the RSNs above, and the a la carte streaming options below, are only available in local areas where the teams play. If you’re an Anaheim Ducks fan living in Miami, for example, you can’t subscribe to Bally Sport SoCal to stream the games. You could, however, use a VPN to get around that kind of geo-restriction.
Best options for nationally broadcast games
Aside from DirecTV Stream and Fubo, the odds are long that a live TV streaming service carries the RSN for your local team’s games, which makes the other three services better bets for watching nationally televised games.
Each live TV streaming service offers a free trial, allows you to cancel anytime and requires a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our live TV streaming services guide.
Bally Sports Plus: Cheapest for fans of most Ballys-area teams at $20
If all you want is your local team’s games and you live in the right area, there are a few new a-la-carte choices available this year. For fans who live in one of the places served by a Bally’s network, such as Bally Sports SoCal (Anaheim Ducks) or Bally Sports Sun (Tampa Bay Lightning), the least-expensive option is Bally Sports Plus.
Unlike other live TV streaming services, such as Fubo or DirecTV Stream, you won’t get any other channels. Subscribers will only get one RSN for their $20 monthly (although that RSN will sometimes carry the local NBA team as well). Note that if you live in an area served by multiple Bally’s RSNs, you can bundle those services for an additional fee.
MSG Plus, NESN360 and KnightTime Plus: Cheapest for Rangers, Devils, Isles, Sabres, Bruins and Knights fans
Some other teams’ games are available to stream on their own dedicated RSN streaming service that, like Bally’s, is separate from any other live TV package. Here’s the breakdown.
NHL Network: It’s still around, but costs extra and you probably don’t need it
The NHL Network, run by the league, is still available as a stand-alone station. This season the network will air numerous games that will be considered national for those out-of-market. This means that you will still be able to watch your local team play on your RSN, but viewers elsewhere in the US will need the NHL Network in order to watch the game because it will be blacked out on ESPN Plus.
The NHL Network is not included in many basic streaming services or cable packages and is not available at all on Hulu Plus Live TV and YouTube TV. If you want it, chances are you are going to pay extra for it.
But what if I live in hockey-obsessed Canada?
Oh, Canadians, we know you love hockey and so does the NHL. But that means that you’re unable to participate in the league’s deal with ESPN Plus. Instead, you’ll have to continue to pay more for a subscription to Sportsnet Plus for all of your out-of-market games.
Sportsnet Plus has a nifty tool that will help you figure out exactly what games are available in your region with your subscription.
Cord-cutters in Canada might also need another service to get their local games.