Best Fiber Internet Providers of 2023 - CNET

Fiber internet leads the way in speed, consistency and overall performance. I've tested top fiber internet providers so you can find the best option.

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Facebook Users Can Get Part of a $725 Million Privacy Settlement. Here's How - CNET

Facebook is settling claims it improperly shared users' data with third parties, including Cambridge Analytica.

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Don't Miss Out on These 7 Wayfair Way Day Deals - CNET

Way Day has been extended, so you can shop these deals for a little while longer.

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Don't Wait. Experts Say You Should Lock in a Long-Term CD Soon - CNET

The clock is ticking to earn interest on your savings.

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Latest Tech News

A new Apple rumor is making the rounds claiming the tech giant is looking to expand the reach of Apple Watches by giving the devices a way to sync to other company devices.

This information comes from industry analyst and notable leaker analyst941 on Twitter who claims the Apple Watch will longer be tied to just a single iPhone. One day, users will be able to sync their wearable gadget to multiple iPhones, iPads, and Mac computers. A rollout date is unknown as analyst941 hopes this software update comes out this year, something that is not out of the realm of possibility.

It's unclear how exactly the expansion will be implemented, although as MacRumors suggests, it may all be done via iCloud. AirPods, for example, can work across multiple Apple devices by linking your iCloud account, which means you don't need to reconnect every time. So the company may just be figuring out a way to migrate the tech over.

Health focused

Like with any rumor, take this information with a grain of salt. But what gives this leak some degree of believability (besides coming from a reputable source) are the other rumors regarding a big push for health and fitness on the Apple Watch. 

It appears Apple is working on growing its health and fitness platform. The Apple Watch Series 9, possibly set to launch this September, could be, according to Bloomberg's Marg Gurman, getting an AI coach that will give users suggestions on how to improve sleep and eating habits, and create exercise programs based on personal stats. Access to the coach, codenamed Quartz, will “reportedly require a separate subscription.” The rumors go on to say Quartz will have a way to "track emotions," which may be a reference to the upcoming mood tracker for Apple Health.

Gurman states the AI coach won’t be announced until next year. However, the tech giant will likely reveal the mood tracker plus other Health app tools at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference (WDCC) in June. And at that event, we hope to see the Apple Watch syncing expansion officially revealed. 

Be sure to check out TechRadar’s roundup of the best cheap Apple Watch deals for April 2023 if you’re looking to get one for yourself. 

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Latest Gadgets News

Coinbase Global has reiterated its view to the US Securities and Exchange Commission that it has not broken any securities laws in its formal response to a legal threat received from the regulator, the firm said on Thursday. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong and Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal said the crypto exchange would like to list securities in the future but would ...

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Dyson Zone Review: We Test the $1,000 Air-Purifying Headphones - CNET

With their air-purifying face visor, the Dyson Zone headphones are certainly unusual. We put them to the test.

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Latest Tech News

Alongside its announcements that Facebook and Instagram will soon feature AI whether you want or not, Meta’s most recent investor call saw a triple down on Oculus Quest 3 being affordable – and also revealed that its VR business isn’t doing too well.

Starting with the great news, Meta has reaffirmed its pledge that this year’s “next-gen VR headset” – almost certainly the Quest 3 – will be available “at a price point that will be accessible for lots of people," according to its CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

This most likely means we’ll see it launch around the same price as what the Oculus Quest 2 currently sells for – $399.99 / £399.99 / AU$629.99 for the base 128GB model and $429.99 / £429.99 / AU$719.99 for the 256GB model. Just don’t get your hopes up that we’ll see the Quest 3 sell for the Quest 2’s original launch price of £299 / $299 / AU$479, since those days of super-cheaper Meta headsets are likely gone (more on that below).

This announcement is entirely unsurprising. Speaking to Meta and hearing it talk to other outlets in interviews and during its conferences it’s clear that the main differences between the Quest and Quest Pro lines are price and accessibility. The regular Quest VR headsets will offer solid core specs at a more affordable price, while the Quest Pro models will boast slightly improved specs and a slew of bonus features at a premium.

We can see that already in the headsets that have launched. The Quest 2 is a solid VR headset – the best VR headset for most people if you ask us – but the Meta Quest Pro offers slightly more RAM, a better chipset, and exclusive features such as full-color mixed reality, face tracking, and eye tracking for $999.99 / £999.99 / AU$1,729.99.

Some Pro features will make their way to regular Quests eventually – Meta has already confirmed that full-color passthrough for mixed reality is headed to the Quest 3 after debuting on the Quest Pro – but only when the tech is more affordable.

Unsustainable losses?

As for the bad news, Meta’s VR business is still extremely not-profitable according to figures revealed in its investor call. In Q1 2023, Meta’s Reality Labs division made around $339 million in revenue but posted losses of roughly $4 billion. What’s more its revenue compared to the same timeframe in 2022 is down (from $695 million) and its reported losses are greater as well (it only lost $2.9 billion in Q1 2022).

Will Meta eventually only launch expensive VR headsets like the Quest Pro? (Image credit: Future)

Thankfully the company’s other ventures are performing better – with its wider “Family of Apps” generating $11.2 billion in income – but VR is nevertheless a huge drain on its coffers. Meta partially blames extenuating circumstances for Reality Labs’ terrible Q1 2023 performance – such as the severance payments it had to pay out to the employees it laid off – though it adds that low Quest 2 sales are also at fault.

For now, these losses are not too much of an issue – as long as you aren’t a Meta shareholder. Despite the unfavorable figures Meta is publicly still gung ho about its metaverse plans, but who knows how much longer this attitude will last?

AI has become the new big thing and in its efforts to chase the latest hotness Meta could reallocate Reality Labs resources – especially if AI ventures look to be more profitable – hampering the growth of its VR endeavors. On top of that Meta might decide its hardware needs to become more expensive in order to better counter its high losses; Meta may have promised the Quest 3 would be budget-friendly, but no such guarantees yet exist for the Quest 4, Quest 5, or beyond – if they even get made at all.

We’ll have to wait and see what Meta announces in the coming months and years, but fans of its VR efforts should hope it starts making money soon. Reality Labs can only hemorrhage cash for so long before Meta is forced to abandon its VR projects.

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Latest Tech News

Amazon is done with the Halo health brand and every product associated with it, TechRadar has confirmed.

If you were looking forward to a summer with your Halo band, Halo Rise lamp, or Halo View, you can forget about it. Amazon announced in a blog post on Wednesday (April 26, 2023), that it would end support for all Halo devices on July 31, 2023. A month later, your Halo app will stop working and the devices connected to it, yes, the bands and that funky light, will stop functioning and become worthless pieces of plastic and metal. Amazon is helpfully recommending you recycle them.

In a statement shared with TechRadar, Amazon wrote:
"We continually evaluate the progress and potential of our products to deliver customer value, and we regularly make adjustments based on those assessments. We recently made the difficult decision to stop supporting Amazon Halo effective July 31, 2023. We are incredibly proud of the invention and hard work that went into building Halo on behalf of our customers, and our priorities are taking care of our customers and supporting our employees.”

It's an ignominious end for Amazon's short-lived brand and the Halo Band that launched during the pandemic. Amazon could be credited for doing things differently. Instead of a screen, the band and app focused on things like Body Tone and overall fitness. Plus, the band's ability to track and report on your tone of voice certainly generated a bit of a buzz.

Here's how our original review described it:

The Amazon Halo is a neat, minimalist fitness tracker without a screen. All the info goes straight to the phone app, which has extra optional features, like monitoring your vocal tone and tracking your body fat percentage. It's not too pricey, but requires a subscription service to use more than basic tracking – and despite getting six months free with purchase, we’re left wondering about the long-term value of the device.

The last line was nothing if not prescient.

A year after launching the original Halo Band, Amazon introduced the Halo View, which cost a bit more but added a small AMOLED screen. Late last year, the Amazon sub-brand added the sleep-focused Halo Rise lamp, an illuminator with a light source that looked like a giant on switch (even though it was tracking when you turned on your biological off - or sleep - switch). 

As of this writing, all of these products have disappeared from Amazon's website. You could still buy accessory bands for the Halo band, but what would be the point?

Amazon, by the way, is ready to refund all Halo purchases made in the last 12 months. It'll also return unused subscription fees (many of Halo Band's core features were only available via subscription).

While Amazon isn't saying so, the shuttering of the Halo brand is likely connected to the waves of layoffs at the tech giant. That doesn't lessen the pain though for people who invested in the brand and have their fitness tracking and wellness regimen tied to the Halo product.

It's also a little embarrassing for Halo partners like US-based fitness club Planet Fitness, which is currently offering free Halo bands if you sign up today. Someone should probably tell them.

(Image credit: Future)

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Latest Gadgets News

Reliance General Insurance on Wednesday said it has become a forerunner general insurance company in the country to accept the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Central Bank Digital Currency e-Rupee for premium payments. The company has tied up with Yes Bank to facilitate the collection of premiums in the digital mode using the bank's e-Rupee platform, a statement said.

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Benefits of a Sleep Mask: How Light Affects Your Sleep video - CNET

Certified Sleep Science Coach McKenzie explains how light can negatively affect your sleep and how a cheap bedtime accessory can help.

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Latest Gadgets News

The chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday urged CEOs of several artificial intelligence (AI) companies to prioritize security measures, combat bias, and responsibly roll out new technologies. Democratic Senator Mark Warner raised concerns about potential risks posed by AI technology.

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Snapchat's Invisible AR Moves Hint at Where We're All Heading - CNET

Snap's face filters and AR mirrors are moving outside of its app. Is this part of getting the world ready for a future of AR glasses?

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Latest Tech News

XGIMI has a whole host of projectors to cover the home theater spectrum, but its MoGo series has been the most affordable and portable from the brand. And now, with the MoGo 2 Series, upgrades have arrived that you can get your hands on now. The pair of projectors has just gone on sale, letting you get a home theater on-the-go upgrade from $400. 

The MoGo 2 and MoGo 2 Pro may change your understanding of what a portable projector can do. These compact units are small enough to throw into a bag or backpack, and they’ve got all the onboard hardware necessary for you to set up and watch content anywhere you want. You’ll find capable projection, powerful 8-watt speakers with Dolby Audio, a smart TV platform by way of AndroidTV 11.0, and — crucially — the ability to run off of an external power bank lets these projectors go anywhere with you.

(Image credit: XGIMI)

So, turn out the lights or wait until dark and head outside, then get ready to see what the MoGo 2 Series can do. The MoGo 2 Pro will let you tap into standard 2D and even 3D, a rarity for projectors in this price range and even from more expensive models.

XGIMI’s projectors offer Hollywood-grade cinematic visuals alongside that support for 3D movies and can project a 100-inch picture, making it easy to set up for movie night at home. These projectors offer brightness up to 400 ISO Lumens and support HDR10. Pair that with their use of the D65 color temperature standard and 90% coverage of the cinematic DCI-P3 color gamut, and the MoGo 2 Series projectors are ready to show you movies and TV closer to how the creators intended.

It’s up to you whether that cinematic picture is shining big on a projector screen, cast onto the back of a garage, or stretched across your ceiling is up to you. Wherever you choose to shine the MoGo 2 projector, XGIMI’s Intelligent Screen Adaption (ISA) tech is onboard to help make the picture fit with minimal fuss.

(Image credit: XGIMI)

ISA provides automatic keystone and focus adjustment, so your picture will be shaped right and in focus in seconds. If you’re projecting somewhere with objects in the way, ISA will also avoid those obstacles and shrink the image down to fit in the clear space available. The MoGo 2 Pro upgrades to ISA 2.0, which performs these tasks even faster and can detect when someone or a pet is in front of the projector and dim the projection to protect their eyes.

(Image credit: XGIMI)

With Android running on the MoGo 2 Series, you can install streaming apps right onto the projector and access content with just a Wi-Fi or hotspot connection. You can also load up content onto a USB drive. If you want to extend the time you can watch TV and movies away from a power outlet, you can bring as big a USB-C power bank as you want to use with these projectors.

That USB-C port also allows you to pipe in video. With an HDMI 2.0 port as well, you get support for an especially wide variety of video sources, like Blu-ray players, phones, or game consoles. 

With all the features and capabilities packed into these projectors, it's all the more impressive how low XGIMI keeps the prices, letting the company offer a strong value to shoppers. If you’re ready to see what the XGIMI MoGo 2 Series will do for your home (and away-from-home) entertainment, you can pick up the 720p MoGo 2 or 1080p MoGo 2 Pro here.

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Best Video Doorbell Cameras of 2023 - CNET

We've tested the best doorbell camera brands, from Arlo to Wyze, on a variety of factors to determine our top picks. Find the perfect video doorbell camera for your needs.

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