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If you’ve been interested in trying League of Legends but were put off by the thought of having to unlock 160-plus characters, Microsoft has great news for you. The wildly popular multiplayer online battle arena is coming to Xbox Game Pass. It’s a behemoth of a partnership: League has been around since 2009, has spawned an unbelievably successful esports scene and has even been turned into a Netflix animated series. And Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is CNET’s pick for the best deal in gaming. This new partnership makes that already great deal even better.

The presence of League (and Riot Games’ other titles, like Valorant and Legends of Runeterra) in Game Pass isn’t a huge deal in itself. League of Legends is free to play, so you don’t save money by getting access to the game through Game Pass. You do, however, get access to every single League of Legends champion for free for as long as you keep your Game Pass subscription.

Game Pass Ultimate

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I did the math: There are currently 162 champions in League. They cost, on average, about $6.50 to unlock. That means you’d save more than $1,000 with Game Pass, compared with paying to unlock each champion individually. For context, that would pay for more than five years of Game Pass Ultimate. You’ll also immediately unlock new champions when they’re released, typically about five times per year.

A few caveats worth mentioning: First, paying for champions isn’t the only way to unlock them — the game lets you unlock champions for free over time. Players can use Blue Essence, which you acquire just by leveling up and earning the first win of the day. There’s also a rotation of 16 free champions to play each week, which lets you sample other champions for a week at a time. So you can unlock the whole roster without paying for champions — just very slowly over time.

Second, Game Pass technically doesn’t grant you ownership of all 162 champions, according to Riot’s FAQ. It unlocks them for play, but the game doesn’t consider you an owner, which means you won’t be able to buy skins for the champions you’ve only unlocked with Xbox Game Pass. You’ll still need to buy the champion if you want to buy skins (using paid Riot Points or free Blue Essence). Champions and other content that you’ve unlocked with Game Pass will have a special indicator as a differentiator from content you own.

That means if you end your Xbox Game Pass subscription, or if the partnership dissolves in the future, you’ll no longer have access to the champions you’ve only unlocked through Game Pass. But champions you own will still be available to you.

Still, this partnership is a steal if you’re new to League of Legends or Valorant, especially if you already have Game Pass. (Valorant agents can also be unlocked for free over time but cost $10 to unlock immediately. Players will save about $140 compared with paying to unlock new agents, not to mention future ones.) You’ll have the ability to try out new champs and agents at will, and still have the ability to permanently “buy” the ones you really like for free, just by playing the game.

You can link your Riot account to your Xbox profile by going to the Xbox sign-in page and signing in to both your Xbox and Riot accounts. If you already have Game Pass, you should get a notification when you sign in to the game once the content has been unlocked. Riot says this process may take up to 24 hours.

If you aren’t already subscribed, Xbox Game Pass for PC costs $10 per month, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which combines the console and PC passes and also includes cloud gaming, costs $15 per month.

You’ve likely seen the new filter your friends have been using on social media that transforms their photos into artwork. It’s called Lensa AI, and the viral photo-editing app takes your uploaded photos and creates “magic avatars” using your face. However, the photo editor doesn’t come without privacy concerns. We’ll explain below.

Lensa AI is free to download on your phone, but you’ll have to pay $4 to upload up to 20 photos for editing. You’ll then receive 50 avatar images based on the photos you submitted.

We’ll explain what you need to know about the Lensa AI photo-editing app. For a look at a similar image service, read about the NewProfilePic photo editor.

What is Lensa AI?

Lensa is a photo-editing app available on iPhone and Android with a feature that takes your uploaded selfies and turns them into avatars. The app can also be used to edit your photos, from skin retouching to blurring backgrounds, and can be used to edit videos.

The service isn’t free to use, but the app has quickly topped the charts in the iPhone App Store’s Photo & Video section. A monthly subscription will run you $8, and an annual subscription costs $30.

Who created Lensa?

Lensa isn’t new. Actually, it’s been around since 2018 and was created by Prisma Labs, which also has a self-named photo-editing app. Based in California, Prisma Labs was founded in 2016 by Alexey Moiseenkov and a team of Russian developers, including Andrey Usoltsev, Oleg Poyaganov and Ilya Frolov.

When Moiseenkov resigned as CEO of Prisma Labs and left the company in 2018, Usoltsev took the lead and became the CEO, a Prisma Labs representative told CNET.

Soon after launch, Prisma became one of the most downloaded apps in the world and won the App of the Year award from both the iOS App Store and Google Play.

What are the concerns with using Lensa?

Since the app recently gained popularity, privacy concerns have surfaced — specifically, about how user data is being used. For instance, Lensa can use your uploaded photos to train its AI.

The Lensa privacy policy says it doesn’t use your uploaded photos for anything other than to apply filters and effects to them. However, it adds a slew of ways it may use your information (other than photos and videos), including the following:

• To train its neural network algorithms.
• To provide, improve, test and monitor the effectiveness of Lensa.
• To provide personalized content and information to you in relation to Lensa.
• To diagnose or fix technology problems in relation to Lensa.

See the full list here.

There’s also the app’s terms of use, which states that when you download the app and upload your photos, you’re granting Lensa a “perpetual, irrevocable, nonexclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, fully-paid, transferable, sub-licensable license to use, reproduce, modify, distribute, create derivative works of your User Content, without any additional compensation to you and always subject to your additional explicit consent for such use where required by applicable law.”

What Prisma says happens to your avatars

The Prisma Labs representative told CNET the following: “After the batch of Avatars is created, the shared photos are deleted permanently from our servers, as well as the copy of an individually trained model. Each time a user purchases a new pack of Avatars, the process repeats from scratch; that’s why we ask you to upload photos every time you request a new package.”

What to do if you’ve already used the app

If you’ve recently submitted your photos to the app and are now concerned with how your data is being used, you can take action. You can send an email to privacy@lensa-ai.com and request that your personal data be deleted. If your photos are being used in advertising, send an email to contact@lensa-ai.com to remove those permissions.

However, the Lensa privacy policy adds that it may reach out to you to better understand your request “in case of a vague access, erasure, objection request or any other request in exercise of the mentioned rights.” And if this isn’t possible, it notes that it reserves the right to “refuse granting your request.”

Any approved requests could take up to 90 days to process.

If you decide to use the app, we recommend carefully reading the terms and conditions, as well as the privacy policy, to know what you’re getting into.

For more, here are seven privacy tips security experts wish you knew.

With the headphone jack now being part of the feature list that’s specific to select devices, Bluetooth headphones have become even more prevalent in recent years. However, the key feature of great Bluetooth headphones is the ability to connect to two devices at the same time.

The capacity for connections to multiple devices simultaneously allows people to do things like play video games, watch movies or perform other tasks, while also monitoring their phone in case an urgent call comes in — or maybe they just want to listen to music while engaged in another activity. That’s where multipoint Bluetooth earbuds come in.

Multipoint Bluetooth pairing shouldn’t be confused with multiconnection Bluetooth, which allows you to pair several devices (often up to seven or eight) to your headphones and have the headphones remember the device for easy repairing. However, without true multipoint Bluetooth pairing, a given pair of headphones can only be actively paired to one device at a time — you have to manually switch over to another device if you want to access that as the audio source.

Apple and Samsung offer a variation of multipoint Bluetooth pairing called “automatic switching,” which only works for their respective devices. For instance, you can have your AirPods Pro connected to your iPhone and Mac simultaneously (and an iPad) but a non-Apple device can’t be in the mix for simultaneous pairing. Samsung’s various Galaxy Buds have a similar arrangement with Galaxy smartphones and tablets.

In the past, business-focused headphones — some of which featured integrated boom microphones — offered advanced multipoint Bluetooth pairing. But the feature has gradually come to more consumer headphones, which are what we’re focusing on here. (We also have a list of best headphones for WFH that includes some of the more business-class headsets with boom mics and USB dongles for reliable wireless PC connectivity.) Unfortunately, multipoint Bluetooth pairing isn’t easy to implement at all, let alone implement reliably, particularly with true-wireless earbuds.

“Up until recently, Bluetooth chips supported a maximum of two simultaneous connections,” explains Jonathan Levine, CEO and founder of Master & Dynamic. “This makes multipoint easy for headphones, where a wire connects both ear cups. However, for a true wireless product, one of the two connections gets consumed by the other earphone — leaving only one available connection to an audio source. Cutting-edge connectivity protocols have allowed true wireless products to connect much more seamlessly and bypass the maximum limit of two connections.”

Still, some companies like Master & Dynamic and Jabra, which have been early adopters of the latest Qualcomm SoCs (systems on a chip), added multipoint — and sometimes other features — via a firmware upgrade long after their new earbuds have launched. The Jabra Elite 7 Pro has finally been upgraded with multipoint Bluetooth and Master & Dynamic’s MW08 and MW08 Sport should get the feature soon. Both companies use Qualcomm chips.

That said, enough headphones now support multipoint that we’ve pulled our favorites together here. Note that this list does not include the aforementioned Apple and Samsung headphones, as their respective automatic switching only works within their own branded ecosystem.

David Carnoy/CNET

Bose QuietComfort 45

Latest Bose

Battery Life

Rated up to 25 hours

Multipoint

Yes

Headphone Type

Over-ear wireless headphones

Water-Resistant

No IP rating

The QuietComfort 45 has virtually the same design as its predecessor, the QuietComfort QC35 II, which many people considered one of the most comfortable over-ear headphones — if not the most comfortable. It has the same drivers, according to Bose, and the buttons are in the same place. However, there are small but notable changes. First off, these thankfully have USB-C instead of micro-USB.

Secondly, the microphone configuration is different. Not only have the mics been shifted on the headphones, but there’s now an extra external microphone for voice pick-up, which means the QC45 has a total of six microphones, four of which are beamforming and used for voice. By contrast, the QC35 II has a total of four, two of which are used for voice. (The Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700 also have six microphones total.)

These headphones are excellent for making calls. They’re similar to the Bose Headphones 700 in that regard. They also include top-notch noise canceling and multipoint Bluetooth pairing, so you can connect them with a PC and your phone simultaneously. Read our full review of the QuietComfort 45.

$329 at Bose

$229 at Amazon

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Sony WH-1000XM4

All-around favorite multipoint headphone

Dec 2020

Battery Life

Rated up to 30 hours

Noise Canceling

Yes

Multipoint

Yes

Headphone Type

Over-ear wireless headphones

Water-Resistant

No IP rating

When Sony released the WH-1000XM4 in 2020, it highlighted a couple of key improvements beyond slightly better sound and noise cancellation. The headphone not only offers better voice-calling performance but it adds multipoint Bluetooth pairing so you can connect to two devices — such as your phone and PC — at the same time. That means that if a call comes in while you’re using the headphones with your computer the audio will switch to your phone when you answer the call.

The Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 probably still have a slight edge for voice calls, but the 1000XM4 is arguably a tad more comfortable and also has some other slight improvements to its noise canceling and sound that makes it a great all-around choice for working from home.

Read our Sony WH-1000XM4 review.

$348 at Amazon

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David Carnoy/CNET

Technics EAH-AZ60

Premium Panasonic multipoint buds

Battery Life

Rated up to 7 hours

Noise Canceling

Yes

Multipoint

Yes

Headphone Type

Wireless earbuds

Water-Resistant

Yes (IPX4 — splash-proof)

Panasonic’s Technics EAH-AZ60 buds don’t have quite as premium a feel as the earlier EAH-AZ70W, but they sound sweet with clean, well-balanced sound, well-defined bass and good detail. They feature active noise canceling (it’s good), a transparency mode, multipoint Bluetooth pairing so you can connect to your computer and phone at the same time and it has very solid voice-calling performance with good noise reduction. The buds are IPX4 splash-proof and are rated for up to 7 hours of battery life on a single charge at moderate volume levels.

They’re missing a couple of features usually found at this price point: Namely, an ear-detection sensor that automatically pauses your music when you pull the earbuds out of your ears, and wireless charging (the former feature is more important). The step-down EAH-AZ40 also sound good but the EAH-AZ60 not only have larger drivers (8mm compared to 6mm), but they support Sony’s LDAC audio codec and have two additional microphones for voice calling and noise canceling (the EAH-AZ40 doesn’t have noise canceling).

$200 at Amazon

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Mark Levinson No. 5909

Great if you can afford it

The No. 5909 are premium audio brand Mark Levinson’s first headphones. Yes, they’re expensive at $999 and probably a wee bit overpriced, but they’re excellent. They have a sturdy design without managing to feel hefty on your head (read: they’re substantial, but not heavy) and they’re comfortable to wear over long periods thanks to their nicely padded (and replaceable) leather-covered earcups and headband.

Not only do they have good noise canceling and excellent sound, but their voice-calling performance is top-notch, making them one of the best noise canceling headphones options on the market. Plus, they have multipoint Bluetooth pairing so you can pair them with two devices, such as a computer and a phone, simultaneously.

The No. 5909 are high-res certified with support for Sony’s LDAC and Qualcomm’s aptX Adaptive codecs that allow for near-lossless streaming over Bluetooth. Apple’s iPhones and iPads don’t support those codecs while certain Android devices do. Using the No. 5909 headphones over Bluetooth on my iPhone 13 Pro, it sounded a tad more natural and refined than the AirPods Max (the No. 5909 had a touch more “pure” and accurate sound).

I did notice a difference when I paired the No. 5909 to my Google Pixel 4 XL, which has support for LDAC, and using the Qobuz audio streaming service that offers high-res streaming. Overall, the sound had a little more depth and texture, and there’s a touch more sparkle, definition and openness.

Read our Mark Levinson No. 5909 review.

$999 at Music Direct

David Carnoy/CNET

Creative Sound Blaster Jam V2

Budget on-ear multipoint headphones

Battery Life

Rated up to 22 hours

Noise Canceling

Yes (Qualcomm cVc 8.0)

Multipoint

Yes

Headphone Type

On-ear wireless headphones

Water-Resistant

No IP rating

I was a fan of Creative’s original Sound Blaster Jam headphones that came out in 2015 and had a decidedly retro look and feel, with good sound for the money. Now they’re available in a 2.0 version that has some key upgrades, including Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C charging, improved call quality and multipoint Bluetooth pairing that allows you to pair it to two devices simultaneously. Battery life is rated at up to 22 hours.

I was able to pair this wireless headphone set with a Mac Mini and an iPhone 12 Pro and then switch audio between them. Often when pairing Bluetooth headphones with Mac and Windows PCs, one can encounter some issues, but once I got the headphones paired with both my PC and phone, they made a good pair of work-from-home headphones. Also, the price is right for parents looking for a decent set of kids’ headphones for remote learning and everyday use.

Comfortable for on-ear headphones, the Jam V2s are lightweight and have nicely balanced sound with good detail and bass that’s ample but not overpowering. Call quality was good in my tests with callers saying they could hear me well even on the noisy streets of New York. No carry pouch is included, but you do get an extra set of foam ear pads, which is good, because they will wear out over time.

The headphones have physical buttons for controlling volume and playback, and there’s aptX support for devices that support the wireless streaming codec.

Read our Creative Sound Blaster Jam review.

$30 at Amazon

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Soundcore Liberty Pro 3

Top Anker multipoint earbuds

Battery Life

Rated up to 8 hours

Noise Canceling

Yes (ANC)

Multipoint

Yes

Headphone Type

Wireless earbuds

Water-Resistant

Yes (IPX4 — splash-proof)

Anker makes several earbuds that cost less than $100. But its Soundcore Liberty Pro is its “high-end” model that features premium sound, as well as support for Sony’s LDAC audio codec with compatible devices (mostly Android phones).

Available in four colors, the third-gen Liberty 3 Pro buds have updated dual drivers and are about 30% smaller than their predecessor. They fit my ears significantly better than the Liberty 2 Pro earbuds, which I didn’t love as much as some people. This new version is improved and a good value compared to other so-called premium buds.

The Liberty 3 Pro deliver a solid noise-canceling experience (they also have three different transparency modes) and feature Anker’s HearID ANC that “analyzes your ears and level of in-ear pressure to create a tailored profile that optimizes noise reduction and reduces external sound to suit your ears.”

The earbuds also perform well — though not exceptionally — as a headset for making calls and feature multipoint Bluetooth pairing. They’re IPX4 splash-proof and deliver up to 6 hours of battery life with noise canceling on and up to 8 hours with it off. The case charges wirelessly, and I liked how the tips of the buds are illuminated by a pair of LEDs on the inside of the case when the buds are charging.

$149 at Walmart

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Jabra

Jabra Elite 45h

Best value on-ear multipoint headphones

Battery Life

Rated up to 50 hours

Noise Canceling

No

Multipoint

Yes

Headphone Type

On-ear wireless headphones

Water-Resistant

No IP rating

Released in mid-2020, the Jabra Elite 45h were essentially billed as the best on-ear headphones for the money. While there’s nothing fancy about them, they’re among the best value on-ear headphones right now, with good sound quality, a sturdy design and comfortable fit — for on-ear headphones, anyway. They perform well as a headset for making calls too, and include a sidetone feature that allows you to hear your voice so you don’t talk too loudly. Battery life is also good and it has multipoint Bluetooth pairing so you can connect to your computer and your phone at the same time, and easily switch between the two should a call come in on your phone. It mostly works.

Note that the $274 Evolve2 65, which has an integrated boom microphone, is essentially the souped-up office version of these headphones.

$70 at Amazon

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Amazon

Soundcore by Anker Life Q30

Value noise-canceling multipoint headphones

Battery Life

Rated up to 60 hours

Noise Canceling

Yes (ANC)

Multipoint

Yes

Headphone Type

Over-ear wireless headphones

Water-Resistant

No IP rating

As far as sound, comfort level and build quality, you’d be hard-pressed to do better than Anker’s SoundCore Life Q30 for the money. It doesn’t quite have the clarity or bass definition as some of the top premium models, but it’s less than a third of the price and gets you about 75% of the way there in terms of sound (it’s well balanced overall with punchy bass and there’s an app that allows you to tweak the sound). Noise canceling is good for the price, though not up to the level of the Sony WH-1000XM4 or Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700. Battery life is rated at an impressive 40 hours with USB-C charging.

The only area where the Q30 falls a little short is for voice calls. It picks up your voice fine in quieter environments but it just doesn’t reduce background noise all that well. However, it does offer multipoint Bluetooth pairing and is a solid value overall.

$80 at Walmart

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Jabra

Jabra Elite 7 Pro

Line-topping Jabra buds

Battery Life

Rated Up to 8 Hours

Noise Canceling

Yes (ANC)

Multipoint

Yes

Headphone Type

Wireless Earbuds

Water-Resistant

Yes (IP57 — Can be Submerged for 30 Minutes Up to 1 Meter)

Coming in at 16% smaller than the Elite 75t, the Elite 7 Pro are Jabra’s top-of-the-line earbuds in its new range and include the company’s new MultiSensor Voice technology with a bone-conduction sensor, four microphones and intelligent algorithms to deliver new “ground-breaking call quality,” Jabra says. The voice calling performance doesn’t quite live up to the hype, but Jabra has updated the buds’ firmware and added multipoint Bluetooth pairing and other small improvements.

These have adjustable active noise cancellation, Jabra’s HearThrough transparency mode and Bluetooth 5.2. They offer up to nine hours’ play time at moderate volume levels with noise canceling on, and nearly three additional charges in the charging case — total battery life is rated at 35 hours. The charging case has wireless charging capabilities.

The earbuds’ IP57 rating means they are dust-resistant and fully waterproof (they can be submerged in up to 1 meter of water). For those who like to use only a single bud, you can also use either bud independently in a mono mode.

$120 at Amazon

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Shokz

Shokz OpenRun Pro

Best bone-conduction

AfterShokz has changed its name to Shokz and released new ninth-gen bone-conduction headphones that offer improved bass performance compared to the company’s earlier flagship model, the Aeropex (now called the Shokz OpenRun). That makes the OpenRun Pro the best bone-conduction headphones you can get right now, although they still can’t match the sound quality of traditional headphones.

Bone-conduction wireless headphones don’t go on your ears — they actually deliver sound through your cheekbones. The big benefit of this technology as a safety feature for running is that, thanks to its open design, you can hear what’s going on around you — traffic noise in particular — while listening to music or having a phone conversation (yes, they perform well for voice calls). Also, some race coordinators don’t allow runners to wear anything in their ears, which is where headphones like this come in handy.

They do offer fuller sound with more bass, but it’s an incremental improvement, not a huge leap forward. Like other bone-conduction headphones these are strongest in the midrange where voices live so they’re best for podcasts, talk radio, newscasts and audiobooks. They’re also good for making calls and, like other Shokz models, have multipoint Bluetooth pairing.

Shokz also makes other more affordable models as well. The OpenComm, which integrates a boom microphone, also has multipoint Bluetooth pairing.

$180 at Amazon

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Jabra Elite 75t

Previous-generation pick

Dec 2020

Battery Life

Rated up to 7.5 hours

Noise Canceling

Yes (ANC)

Multipoint

Yes

Headphone Type

Wireless earbuds

Water-Resistant

Yes (IP55 — protection against low-pressure water streams)

While Jabra’s Elite 75t series has been out a while, they’re still one of the better true wireless earbuds out there and have added noise canceling via a firmware upgrade. Earlier firmware updates improved voice-calling performance. These buds were also among the first to offer multipoint Bluetooth pairing and use different wireless technology from Jabra’s latest buds.

The Elite 75t isn’t quite as comfortable to wear as the AirPods Pro, but they arguably sound a touch better, with clearer overall sound and slightly better bass definition, so long as you get a tight seal. (The step-up 85t have more powerful bass.)

With the arrival of Jabra’s new line of wireless earbuds that includes the Elite 3, Elite 4, Elite 7 Active and Elite 7 Pro, we’re seeing nice discounts on the Elite 75t. Even though it’s an older model, it remains a good value at around $100 and sometimes costs less. Alas, Jabra’s latest buds, while good, don’t offer any major improvements.

Read our Jabra Elite 75t review.

$102 at Amazon

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David Carnoy/CNET

Jabra Elite 85t

Business-class Jabra

Battery Life

Rated up to 7 hours

Noise Canceling

Yes (ANC)

Multipoint

Yes

Headphone Type

Wireless earbuds

Water-Resistant

Yes (IPX4 — splash-proof)

With the arrival of Jabra’s Elite 7 Active and Elite 7 Pro earbuds, the once top-of-the-line Elite 85t are no longer Jabra’s best buds. But they were released after the Elite 75t — they’re bigger and have more powerful noise canceling — and should stick around for a while.

The Elite 85t include a wireless charging case (it’s a $20 upgrade for the Elite 75t), larger 12mm drivers for improved sound and six-microphone technology — three on each ear, two on the outside, one on the inside — for improved voice calling with better noise reduction (four of the microphone are used for active noise canceling).

Like the Elite 75t (and new Elite 7 Active and Elite 7 Pro), these earbuds feature multipoint Bluetooth pairing so you can pair them with your phone and computer at the same time (and take calls with your phone when they come in). They’re IPX4 splash-resistant and deliver 5.5 hours of battery life with noise canceling on and 7 hours with it off.

Read our Jabra Elite 85t review.

$120 at Best Buy

$120 at eBay

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Microsoft

Microsoft Surface Headphones 2

Windows friendly

Battery Life

Rated up to 20 hours

Noise Canceling

Yes (ANC)

Multipoint

Yes

Headphone Type

Over-ear wireless headphones

Water-Resistant

No IP rating

Microsoft’s over-ear noise-canceling Surface Headphones 2 were released in 2020 and the biggest change from their predecessor is the price: The original Surface Headphones launched at $350, while the Headphones 2 cost $250. Like the original, there’s a lot to like about this second-gen model. While they’ve lost their hands-free Cortana voice-control feature (a change no one will lament) and the sound quality hasn’t improved (it’s decent but not stellar), the combination of some small design tweaks, better battery life, upgraded Bluetooth and the new lower price help bump their rating up and make them more recommendable.

Their multipoint Bluetooth pairing capability allows you to pair them with two devices at the same time and since they’re Microsoft headphones, they are designed to be paired with Windows PCs, including the company’s Surface models. These also work well for making voice calls on your phone.

Read our Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 review.

$250 at Walmart

$240 at Amazon

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More for your ears

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Tablets have gotten pretty advanced over the past few years, and some of the latest models work great as a simple and more compact alternative to a full-size laptop. Take, for example, Lenovo’s Tab P11. This 2021 model is something of an Android version of the top-rated Duet Chromebook, and right now you can pick one up at a discount. Amazon currently has the upgraded Tab P11 Plus on sale for just $300, which is $120 off the usual price.

The big attraction here is that — unlike a lot of tablets — this deal also includes a detachable keyboard cover and Lenovo’s Precision Pen 2. In other words, it’s got everything you need for both work and play in the box. There’s no set expiration on this deal, so there’s no guaranteeing how long it will be available.

While the P11 Plus tablet won’t be able to compete with Lenovo’s powerful full-size laptops, it boasts some pretty impressive specs for its size and is perfect for light work and entertainment on the go. It features an impressive 2K 11-inch display, and at just 0.3 inches thick and weighting in at just 1.1 pounds, it’s extremely portable. Internally, it’s equipped with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of built-in storage, plus a MediaTek Helio G90T Tab octa-core processor for speedy performance. It runs the Android 11 operating system, which means it has access to thousands of apps from the Google Play Store, and it has a battery life of up to 15 hours on a single charge.

If you’re in the market for a different model, you can check out our roundup of all the best tablet deals you can shop right now.

Amber is a window into the past. Entomologist George Poinar Jr. peered into a 30 million-year-old piece of Dominican amber and spotted something rare: an extinct fossilized cockroach, complete with sperm cells. In a statement on Monday, Oregon State University called it “the first fossilized roach sperm” ever discovered. So yay?

Enlarge Image

Amber is what you get when sticky tree resin hardens and fossilizes over time. It’s famous for preserving unlucky flora and fauna that wandered into its path. Amber gives us remarkable glimpses into life long ago, from exquisite flowers to bizarre bugs. Poinar has an extensive resume of amber discoveries and continues to turn out fascinating finds.

The fossilized cockroach is about three-tenths of an inch (7 millimeters) long. “It has long spines, used for defense, on its legs, especially the hind legs,” said Poinar. “Also of interest is the sperm bundle containing spermatozoa with dark acrosomes, structures covering the head of the sperm, since fossil sperm are rare.” The sperm cells were found at the tip of the roach’s abdomen.

Poinar published a description of the roach in the journal Biologia this month.

A spider’s erection, and other cool things trapped in amber

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Just in case you think cockroach sperm might be the strangest thing ever found in amber, I refer you to this E.T.-looking insect. And this bird with freaky long toes. And these mold pigs. Amber is the gift that keeps on giving.

Poinar named the roach species Supella dominicana. Curiously, its closest modern relatives are found in Asia and Africa, far away from the Dominican Republic. This presents a bit of a mystery. Said Poinar, “So what caused these cockroaches to become extinct when it is so difficult to get rid of them today?” That’s an open question.

Cockroaches don’t have the greatest reputation among humans. They’re unwelcome house guests associated with filth and the spread of germs. Don’t expect experts to crack this amber open to attempt to retrieve those sperm cells. This roach is history. Said Poinar, “Many might say that the best place for a cockroach is entombed in amber.”

Just like your in-game gear, the mouse, keyboard and other equipment you use for gaming can end up being the difference between victory and defeat. And if your setup is in need of an upgrade, then now’s a great time to do some shopping. Woot currently has a selection of both new and refurbished Razer gaming gear that you can pick up at a discount, including keyboards, headsets, streaming cameras and more. These deals are available through Dec. 14, but Woot often has a limited supply, so we’d recommend getting your order in sooner rather than later if you don’t want to miss out on these savings.

Razer makes some of our favorite gaming gear on the market, and right now you have a chance to pick some up at a bargain. The Cynosa V2 is a membrane keyboard with fully programmable macros and customizable RGB backlighting, and was named one of our favorite gaming keyboards under $100 for 2022. And right now, you can snag a refurbished model for just $25, which saves you $60 compared to the original list price.

If you do a lot of online gaming, then a proper headset is crucial for chatting and strategizing with your teammates. We named the Razer BlackShark V2 the most comfortable wired PC headset under $100, and right now you can pick the a refurbished model of the upgraded BlackShark V2 X for just $40, which saves you $20 compared to the original list price. It’s equipped with 50mm drivers, passive noise-cancellation capabilities, support for 7.1 surround sound and is compatible with Xbox, PlayStation and PC systems.

And if you’ve got aspirations of being a big-time game streamer, you’ll need some proper equipment to help you get started. This streaming starter kit comes with a Razer Kiyo X full HD streaming webcam with built-in auto-focus and a Razer Seiren USB microphone with a 14mm condenser capsule and a precise supercardioid pickup pattern so you’ve got everything you need to start you channel. This kit is in new condition, and is on sale for just $65, which saves you $60 compared to the usual price. You can also pick up both pieces separately for $40 or less in case you only need one or the other.

You can play games with friends and co-workers via Zoom like poker, bingo, trivia, card games, Boggle and Heads Up during meetings.

With businesses continuing to navigate hybrid workplaces, the addition of Zoom Apps, including games, has offered a new way to nurture company culture and connect people directly within Zoom’s platform.

The in-app gaming comes as part of Zoom Apps, which allows third-party apps to be embedded in Zoom Meetings.

How to play games on Zoom

Here’s how to get these games on Zoom and play them:

1. Download or upgrade the latest version of Zoom for Mac or PC.

2. Log in to Zoom.

3. Install Zoom Apps.

4. Find a game in the Zoom App Marketplace. Install the game.

5. Start a Zoom meeting as normal.

6. Click the Zoom Apps tab at the bottom of the meeting window to launch the game.

7. Once the host has configured any game options and set up the game, players will be taken to a room to play.

For more, check out tips and tricks to make your video calls run smoother and what information others may be able to see from your Zoom video chats.

Considering that your phone also contains your calendar, email, cloud storage, GPS and much more, getting caught with a dead battery can throw a serious wrench in your daily routine. That means it’s worth investing in some handy charging accessories to make sure you’re always juiced up and ready for the day. That’s why Amazon’s current sale offering up to 50% off Anker charging accessories is well-timed. Pick up cables, battery packs, power strips and even some solar power stations from one of our favorite mobile accessory vendors while they’re available at a discount. There’s no set expiration for this sale, so there’s no telling how long these deals will be available. Get your order in sooner rather than later if you don’t want to miss out on these savings.

It’s never a bad idea to have a few extra charging cables on hand, and right now you can stock up while they’re on sale. Apple users can snag this two-pack of USB-C to Lightning cable 6-foot nylon charging cords for $20, $12 off the usual price, while Android users can grab two 3.3-foot USB-C to USB-C cables for $13, saving you $7.

Of course, you don’t always have access to an outlet while you’re out and about, so it’s also a good idea to have a portable battery pack. This slim Anker 622 MagGo battery has a 5,000mAh capacity, a foldable kickstand and a built-in magnet to hold your phone in place. Right now you can pick it up for $42, which saves you $28.

Read more: Best MagSafe and Magnetic Wireless Chargers for Apple iPhone 13

And if you’re heading off the grid and want to make sure you’ve got a way to charge up your phone, lights, or any other devices or small appliances, you may want to snag one of these portable power stations while they’re on sale. The Anker 555 PowerHouse has a substantial 1024Wh capacity, which is enough to recharge your phone over 60 times, your laptop over a dozen times or power a portable fridge for up to 17 hours. You can pick up just the power station, which can be recharged via standard AC outlet, for $750, which is $250 off the usual price. Or you can bundle it with two 100W solar panels for truly off-grid power for $1,200, which saves you $400.

From students to professionals, Microsoft Office has long been hailed as a one-stop shop for everyone. The Professional Plus edition comes with a variety of tools for handling data, documents, presentations and more at a professional level, as well as all the standard software needed for tackling day-to-day computing needs.

You can ditch the subscription (with recurring charges) and snag a perpetual license for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, OneNote, Publisher and Access for just $30 instead. That’s back at the lowest-ever price we’ve seen, and a whopping 91% off the usual price of $349. However, this deal expires in just a few days, so be sure to get your order in soon.

The offer, from StackSocial, applies to both the Windows and Mac version of the software.

Microsoft

Microsoft Office Professional 2021 lifetime license: $30

Save 91%

This wildly popular offer for a Microsoft Office lifetime license is still available for $30. It’s available for both Mac and Windows, so be sure to grab the right one for the computer that you use regularly.

• Microsoft Office for Windows: $30
• Microsoft Office for Mac: $30

$30 at StackSocial

$30 at StackSocial (Mac)

Now, you can always opt to use the free online version of Microsoft Office (which has far fewer features). But compared to the online Microsoft 365 subscription suite that costs $10 per month or $100 per year, this downloadable version is a phenomenal bargain.

While the price almost seems too good to be true, we tried it ourselves, and it worked like a charm. (The two big caveats: You get a single key for a single computer, and there’s no Microsoft OneDrive Cloud Storage included.) In fact, Stack has been offering a version of this deal since the beginning of 2022. But this lowest-ever price won’t last, so take the plunge while you can.