How We Test Home Security Systems and Services - CNET

From DIY to professionally installed systems, these testing procedures help us recommend the best home security system for every reader.

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DirecTV Will Keep NFL Sunday Ticket in Bars, Restaurants and Hotels - CNET

Commercial venues won't need to figure out streaming just yet.

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MoviePass has made its long-awaited return as it launches a new subscription service in the United States.

We first saw the service as a limited beta all the way back in September 2022. It looks like the current version is mostly the same as the original although it is a bit more expansive. The way it works is you pay a monthly fee to watch a certain number of movies in theaters without having to buy a ticket. There are four tiers with prices ranging from $10 up to $40. However, rather than giving people a flat number of films they can watch in a month, MoviePass opts for a credit system with each tier giving users a fixed amount to use.

The $10 Basic tier offers the least, with 34 credits that allow people to watch somewhere between one to three movies a month. The $20 Standard Plan gives 72 credits for three to seven viewings a month. Premium ($30 a month) gives 113 credits for five to eleven films.  

The most expensive plan, the $40 Pro, grants 640 credits allowing people to watch up to 30 movies across 30 days. You can think of Pro as the “spiritual successor” to the previous (and disastrous) version of MoviePass. 

(Image credit: MoviePass)

Varying costs

A MoviePass representative told us the cost (in credits) of a single movie is tied to the “day of the week” plus what time you’re watching, although they didn’t provide any further details. A recent report from TechCrunch claims Tuesdays are the cheapest whereas opening weekends are one of the more expensive options. Unused credits do roll over to the next month. Company CEO Stacy Spikes told TechCrunch people “can have up to a maximum of two months of unused credits” on their account.

These prices are for the general user in the US. The plans are more expensive if you live in either Southern California or the New York metropolitan area. Basic is $20, Standard is $30, Premium is $40, and Pro is $60 with no option to purchase a cheaper tier, according to a company representative. But users in those areas do get roughly double the number of credits. Standard, for example, offers 140 in Los Angeles instead of 72.

Availability

As for why MoviePass is adopting this system, the company states it lets members “choose the plan that best suits their viewing habits and budget.” The idea is whether you’re a casual theatergoer or a movie nerd, there’s something for everyone.

There are a couple of things we haven’t mentioned yet. You can’t watch 3D movies with the subscription, although there are plans to include “large format and premium screens” (presumably IMAX) soon. The service is supported by over 4,000 theaters across the country. A full list of every location can be found on the official website. The service is now open – just in time for Memorial Day. This holiday should provide an interesting proving ground for MoviePass.

We asked the same representative if they could provide us with exact numbers on how much it’ll cost to watch a film because that’s the one piece of information strangely missing from all this. And if there are plans for an international launch. This story will be updated at a later time.

• TechRadar's picks on the 32 best movies to watch on Netflix for May 2023

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Is Your Home Wi-Fi Secure? Here Are 10 Tips to Lock Down Your Network - CNET

All Wi-Fi networks are vulnerable to hacking, but some are less so than others. These 10 tips will help keep your home network secure.

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ChatGPT Will Now Use Microsoft's Bing AI Search Engine Data - CNET

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Sony Has a New PlayStation Handheld Coming, for Streaming - CNET

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Best Solar Panel Installation Companies In Texas - CNET

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Peloton, best known for its exercise bikes, is undergoing a major rebrand and doubling its software efforts by launching three membership tiers to its mobile app.

The fitness brand now wants to focus more on providing "fitness offerings" that anybody can do at their home or at the gym without having to purchase the company's expensive hardware. Looking at the official trailer, it appears all you need is yourself, a mobile device, and maybe some weights. The app's three new tiers are Peloton App Free, App One, and App Plus; all of which vary in terms of price and what they offer.

As the name suggests, Peloton App Free won’t cost you anything to use. It offers access to over “50 classes curated across 12 of Peloton’s” exercise types. This includes strength training, cardio workouts, and meditation plans. Some classes will be part of a rotating set that’ll change on an “ongoing basis” to keep things interesting. It's unknown, though, how often they will update. A company representative told us “an update cadence has yet to be fully decided”.

Premium tiers

Peloton App One is the first of the paid tiers. For $12.99 a month (about £10 and $20 AUD) or $129 annually (about £100 and $200 AUD), you get “unlimited access to thousands of classes across” all sixteen of the brand’s exercise types. This includes everything under the Free tier as well as exclusive content like Yoga classes. Members “can also take up to three equipment-based [classes]” covering indoor bikes, treadmills, and rowers. And to top it all off, App One offers on-demand, live classes nearly every day of the week.

App Plus, as you probably already guessed, is the highest tier. For $24 a month (about £20 and $36 AUD) or $240 annually (about £200 and $360 AUD), users gain unlimited access to everything in “Peloton’s vast library”; except for two: Lanebreak and Scenic classes, both of which require specific equipment. App Plus even has exclusive “specialty content” in the form of Challenges, Programs, and Collections.

Beyond the app update, the company is also rolling out Peloton Gym to all five of its exercise tiers. This feature consists of written workout plans aimed at helping you build your strength with an accompanying video to help guide you. According to the post, you can perform those workouts at your own pace so no need to rush through them.

Availability

In a recent report by The Verge, Peloton spokesperson Ben Boyd states current Peloton subscribers will be “automatically upgraded to App Plus Membership without a change in price until December 5th, 2023.” After that day, users can choose to pay an “increased price or move [down] to a cheaper tier.” The representative from earlier confirmed this with TechRadar.

The three tiers are currently rolling out to the Peloton app in “all of the brand’s five global markets.” The other two tiers, Peloton Guide and Peloton All-Access, will stay at their current price points.

It'll be interesting to see if Peloton’s gamble pays off. Moving away from the indoor bikes that made them famous is certainly a risky move. However, considering the fact Peloton recently recalled over two million exercise bikes over safety concerns, maybe it’s a good idea to begin diversifying a bit.

Whether you’re planning on exercising more or are already exercising frequently, we recommend buying a fitness tracker to keep tabs on your progress. Be sure to check out TechRadar’s list of the best fitness tracker for 2023. 

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Best Wireless Earbuds for 2023: Top Picks for Every Listener - CNET

Find your next wireless earbuds from CNET's reviews of top true-wireless earbuds from Apple, Beats, Samsung, Sennheiser, Sony and more.

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New Pride Edition Sport Band Now Available for Apple Watch - CNET

You can order it online now and find it in stores May 24.

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Diablo 4: Release Date, PC Specs and Everything Else You Should Know - CNET

Time to head back to hell.

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We got a brief tease this week of a new layout for Windows 11 File Explorer, courtesy of Microsoft's Build event.

The new redesign for File Explorer appeared in a sizzle reel that Microsoft unveiled on Twitter to show off how it had integrated its AI driven Copilot features into various Windows 11 apps and systems.

Today, we announce new AI experiences and tools for #Windows11 to empower developers. Pumped to introduce you to Windows Copilot and Dev Home. #MSBuild https://t.co/MkqiKKtuFg pic.twitter.com/pf1H3o1tyWMay 23, 2023

See more

Microsoft has been messing around with its File Explorer interface for a while now, since much of it is still held over from the Windows 10 era, beyond the updated header UI that Microsoft introduced in 2021. As Windows Central notes, the changes are part of WinUI 3 to optimize the interface for both mouse and touchscreen input, with rounder interface objects and additional blur effects that allow it to line up more neatly with the rest of the OS.

The Details pane and the folder view itself both look like they'll be getting improvements, including an updated gallery view for photos. There will be an update to the search bar, and all action buttons look like they'll be moving up to the header bar as well.

Can Microsoft avoid the sins of its File Explorer updates past?

Microsoft hasn't always had good luck with its File Explorer updates, with major issues around memory leaks and other performance issues really hampering past updates.

The biggest problem here is mostly that File Explorer is one of the most used features of Windows 11, so any issues there are going to be both pernicious and noticeable.

But Microsoft has been making steady improvements to File Explorer that are generally excellent, such as the inclusion of folder tabs and a better details view, and the reintroduction of folder previews (which is something that shows Microsoft is at least listening to its user base).

There's no reason why a new Windows 11 File Explorer has to be an issue. However, Windows 11 problems are pretty ubiquitous and remain so, even though there has been steady improvement over the past two years.

And Microsoft's insistence on begging you to use Microsoft Edge not withstanding, I really don't have too many complaints about the OS anymore. I think Microsoft is probably on the right track with its new File Explorer redesign, and I'm looking forward to what Microsoft comes up with once the new UI rolls out to the public at large.

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Peloton Wants You to Exercise With Its App – Even if You Don't Own Its Bike - CNET

Peloton says its relaunch is a chance to focus on the post-pandemic fitness era.

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How much should one pay for true wireless earbuds? If under $20 is your answer, then Skullcandy has good news for you. The company’s new Smokin’ Buds are priced at a mere $19.99 (around £16 / AU$30), which strikes us as a smokin’ good deal – as long as the buds live up to the hype.

The best wireless earbuds can be expensive, with models like the Sony WF-1000XM4 and AirPods Pro 2 priced at $200, and the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 at $300. But those buds all offer top-shelf noise canceling, which is a key feature Skullcandy’s new buds lack.

Noise-canceling aside, this Skullcandy offering is fairly feature-packed for under-$20 buds. Bluetooth 5.2 is used for a wireless connection, and there’s a microphone in each bud, which lets you use just one and still be able to take calls. Capacitive touch controls let you play/pause streaming and accept calls, while auto-on and auto-connect features automatically power up and pair the buds with your phone when you remove them from their case.

Skullcandy says its IPX4 sweat and water resistant buds are made from 50% certified recycled plastics and the packaging from 100% recyclable materials. It also says the use of smaller, more efficient batteries gives the new Smokin’ Buds a reduced overall carbon footprint compared to previous versions.

As for the battery life, Skullcandy rates it at 20 hours, with 8 hours from the buds and another 12 hours in the case. That’s higher than what you get with pricier budget buds like the Sony WF-C700N. A rapid charge feature gives you an extra 2 hours of playback time from 10 minutes charge time, which should be plenty to tide you over during a gym visit or commute.

With buds this cheap, you may reasonably worry about sound quality, but Skullcandy boasts of expertly tuned drivers in the Smokin’ Buds, along with Music, Movie, and Podcast EQ modes that have also been tuned by experts. The end result, according to Skullcandy: “clear, full range sound backed by impressive bass depth.”

(Image credit: Skullcandy)

Analysis: In a disposable world, earbuds made from recycled materials are better 

There is no shortage of cheap, disposable earbuds, mainly because earbuds, whether wired or wireless, are easy to break. You throw them out and buy another pair, and then repeat the cycle ad infinitum.

Using recycled materials for both the construction of electronics and for packaging makes great sense, and Skullcandy is to be commended for making that effort with its Smokin’ Buds. As for a reduced carbon footprint due to the use of smaller and more efficient batteries (Skullcandy specs it at “just 2.67kg”), that’s something harder to quantify, so we’ll have to just take the company’s word for it.

We’ll also for now have to take the company’s word about the Smokin’ Buds’ sound quality. The performance aspect of wireless earbuds can vary greatly, and even expensive models can have less than stellar sound. On the other hand, some inexpensive offerings can be surprisingly good, as we discovered when we reviewed the JLab Go Air Pop, another set of wireless earbuds in the $20 range.

Will Skullcandy’s Smokin’ Buds be the cheap wireless earbuds to beat, potentially displacing the JLab Go Air Pop from its budget buds throne? The JLab model has mostly similar specs to Skullcandy’s buds, though its 32-hour total battery life with buds and case puts it ahead in that respect. But the Smokin’ Buds are the more environmentally friendly option, so let’s hope they sound good when we soon take them for a spin!

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