Browsing: Tech Reviews

Now that the iPhone 17 is here, you may be wondering whether to buy Apple’s latest device or score last year’s iPhone 16 at a $100 discount. To help with that decision, here’s a breakdown of how the two phones compare.The iPhone 17 starts at $829 (or $799 if you activate with a carrier), the same as the iPhone 16 when it came out — with the key difference being that the iPhone 17 starts with a higher 256GB storage option, as opposed to 128GB on the iPhone 16.The iPhone 16 is now available at a $100 discount. So, is it worth saving…

Mercedes just unveiled the Vision Iconic EV in Shanghai The concept features Solar Paint and Neuromorphic compute powerHigh levels of autonomous driving are expectedMercedes-Benz has been on a design push of late and is keen to flaunt the idea that it’s shaking up its styling for an increasingly electric future.The latest Vision Iconic EV is perhaps the boldest statement yet and could go on to inspire future S-Class models, but it also wants to showcase the marque’s latest tech.Long, low and boasting a very large front grille, the luxury coupe is inspired by classic Benzes of the past, including the…

When you look to expand your home network, especially for wired clients, you will likely need a couple of network switches. This post will explain in simple terms what they are, when you’d need one, and if so, which one to get. Before continuing, it’s a good idea to understand what a router is, though you’ll have a quick refresh on that below. Dong’s note: I first published this piece on May 2, 2025, and updated it with the latest information on October 15, 205. Related stories on home networking The common thing about network switches is that they all…

On Tuesday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced that the company will allow verified adult users to have erotic conversations with ChatGPT starting in December. The change represents a shift in how OpenAI approaches content restrictions, which the company had loosened in February but then dramatically tightened after an August lawsuit from parents of a teen who died by suicide after allegedly receiving encouragement from ChatGPT. “In December, as we roll out age-gating more fully and as part of our ‘treat adult users like adults’ principle, we will allow even more, like erotica for verified adults,” Altman wrote in his post on…

Still running Windows 10 on your PC? Did you know that as of October 14, Microsoft moved the software to its “end of life” phase? So while Windows 10 PCs will continue to work, they’ll stop getting important security updates by default. The good news is you still have three options to make sure your computer remains secure:You can choose to upgrade to Windows 11 for free if your computer is compatible.You can buy a new PC that already has Windows 11 pre-installed (or opt for an alternative, like a Mac or a Chromebook).Forget about Windows 11 right now and…

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? It includes both the first and last name of one of my favorite chefs of all time — maybe yours, too. Read on for the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle…

Samsung is holding a virtual event on October 21 to announce an Android XR deviceBuyers who reserve one now can get $100 credit for other Samsung gearSamsung, with Qualcomm and Google, has been teasing Project Moohan for monthsSamsung has announced that it will be announcing its new XR headset running Android XR. The new device and possible Apple Vision Pro competitor, currently called Project Moohan, will be revealed on October 21 at 10pm EDT (or 11am Wednesday in Samsung’s home town Korean time) at an event titled Worlds Wide Open. We don’t know much about the device or Samsung’s launch…

In a few months, Wi-Fi 7 will celebrate its 2nd anniversary. The standard was officially certified on January 8, 2024, the first workday of that year. And as some of you are still mulling over whether it’s definitely time to replace that Wi-Fi 6 router (and it’s still not!), here’s some news to break your train of thought: Today, Broadcom, the company that makes the chips powering most home routers and mesh systems, unveils the first Wi-Fi 8 silicon solutions for the broadband wireless edge ecosystem. This announcement makes Wi-Fi 8 really close—it’s literally tangible. But first, let’s briefly find…

Android devices are vulnerable to a new attack that can covertly steal 2FA codes, location timelines, and other private data in less than 30 seconds. The new attack, named Pixnapping by the team of academic researchers who devised it, requires a victim to first install a malicious app on an Android phone or tablet. The app, which requires no system permissions, can then effectively read data that any other installed app displays on the screen. Pixnapping has been demonstrated on Google Pixel phones and the Samsung Galaxy S25 phone and likely could be modified to work on other models with…

Microsoft is continuing to roll out in-house AI models, further decreasing its reliance on long-standing partnership with OpenAI. Today, the company introduced MAI-Image-1, its first internally-developed image-generating AI model. According to the blog post, MAI-Image-1 is particularly good for creating photorealistic results, and can generate natural lighting and landscapes. For now, the model is being tested on LMArena, and Microsoft said it plans to roll out MAI-Image-1 to Copilot and its Bing Image Creator “very soon.” Over the summer, Microsoft made its first break from collaborating with OpenAI when it unveiled its first two in-house trained models, MAI-Voice-1 and MAI-1-preview. At…