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NordVPN deal: Get up to 77 percent off two-year plans

There are dozens of VPNs to choose from, but to think they're all created equally would be a mistake. Some are better than others, and NordVPN sits squarely in the better category. Now, you can save up to 77 percent on most of NordVPN's plans. Arguably the best plan for most people is the NordVPN Plus plan, which you can get two years of access for only $108 right now. That's 73 percent off the usual rate, and NordVPN throws in an addition three months for free, so you're actually getting a 27-m

Google is testing customizable calling cards for Android that show up when your friends call

Google has started rolling out customizable calling cards for the beta versions of its Android Contacts and Phone apps. Android Authority found clues that the company was working on the feature back in July when it did an APK teardown. Now, you can give it a try if you decide to install the beta versions of the apps. As the publication notes, Google's implementation is the direct opposite of Apple's. On iOS, your set your own photo and name that you want to show up on other people's phones when

This AirTag key organizer has survived the ultimate torture test - and it's only $30

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET In November of 2022, I decided I needed to organize my pocket EDC (everyday carry) gear. As part of that reorganization, I picked up a KeySmart Air key organizer as a way to both keep my keys sorted and also attach an AirTag to them. Also: 10 tiny tools I carry with me everywhere - how they work So, here we are, almost three years on, and I'm still using the KeySmart Air, and while it's looking a little battered, it's still going strong. The KeySmart Air comes in

Death and What Comes Next (2002)

The L-Space Web Death and What Comes Next A Discworld short story By Terry Pratchett Copyright © Terry Pratchett 2002 When Death met the philosopher, the philosopher said, rather excitedly: "At this point, you realise, I'm both dead and not dead." There was a sigh from Death. Oh dear, one of those, he thought. This is going to be about quantum again. He hated dealing with philosophers. They always tried to wriggle out of it. "You see," said the philosopher, while Death, motionless, watched

How Long Can I Keep Fresh Chicken in the Fridge

Using meat delivery services has made it easy to have everything I need for cooking dinner delivered right to my door. But while getting fresh chicken so quickly has made it easy to figure out what I make, I've realized I don't always finish everything I've ordered. This means I'm often using leftovers for lunch the next day. I knew chicken didn’t have a long shelf life, even after cooking, but I recently realized I might have been flirting with food poisoning by eating chicken that had already

Google’s Calling Cards are rolling out now, and this is our first proper look!

TL;DR Google has started to roll out the Calling Cards feature in the Contacts and Phone apps. This feature lets you create a stylish profile for your contacts. This differs from Apple’s Contact Posters, which only lets you create a poster for yourself. We’ve been tracking a Calling Card feature in Google’s Contacts app for weeks now. We haven’t actually seen this in action, but all signs point to Android’s take on Apple’s Contact Posters feature. Now, we’ve got our first look at this feature

Blood pressures rise as the FDA cracks down on this wearable’s flagship feature

WHOOP TL;DR The FDA has scrutinized Whoop for a new wellness monitoring feature that has not been certified. The FDA considers the Whoop MG (Medical Grade) a medical device and should remove the Blood Pressure Insights feature until approved. Whoop claims the product is not for medical use and will not disable the feature. Wellness wearable maker Whoop, specifically one of its latest fitness bands, has drawn the ire of the FDA after it debuted a feature not approved or certified by the autho

Google Reportedly Working on a Mysterious 'Magic View' for NotebookLM

Google is continually expanding and strengthening the features for NotebookLM, its free AI-powered research assistant. An upcoming feature, code-named Magic View, should eventually land in the Studio panel alongside popular features like Audio and Video Overviews. At the moment, there's no clear indication as to what Magic View is (or will do) when it formally arrives in NotebookLM, but it's clear that Google keeps improving what I'd consider its best AI tool available today. The leak comes fr

iOS 18.6.1 now available, here’s what’s new

As expected, Apple is rolling out iOS 18.6.1 to iPhone users today. This update, along with watchOS 11.6.1, introduces a “redesigned Blood Oxygen feature” for Apple Watch Series 10, Series 9, and Ultra 2 in the United States. What’s new in iOS 18.6.1? As we reported this morning, Apple is rolling out a new version of the Blood Oxygen feature for Apple Watch users in the United States. This comes over 18 months after Apple began selling the Apple Watch without the Blood Oxygen feature in Americ

Gen-Z’s Social Media Addiction May Have Ironically Led to an Indie Cinema Revival

During the pandemic, movie theaters notably struggled, as social distancing restrictions all but temporarily killed their business model. Many smaller, independent theaters went out of business permanently. However, since the pandemic has ebbed, the film industry has slowly recovered. Attendance in theaters is not exactly where it was prior to the pandemic, but attendance is significantly higher than it was during Covid, and continues to climb. A new article published by The Guardian suggests t

Google Will Now Blur Nude Photos in Your Messages. Here's How to Turn It On (or Off)

Some Android users are starting to see blurred images on their devices while using Google Messages. It's part of a Sensitive Content Warning system announced last year that is now rolling out on Android devices that obscures images containing suspected nudity. In a Help Center post, Google explains that when the feature is turned on, these warnings can detect and blur images with nudity and generate a warning when one is being received, sent or forwarded. "All detection and blurring of nude ima

Wear OS smartwatches no longer have this leg up over the Apple Watch

Joe Maring / Android Authority TL;DR Apple is restoring blood oxygen tracking to certain US Apple Watch models via iOS and watchOS updates. The refreshed setup uses the watch to take readings but calculates and displays results on the paired iPhone. The feature was removed in January 2024 due to a patent dispute and an import ban. Apple Watch owners in the US are getting a health-tracking feature back that many thought might be gone for good. After more than a year in limbo, the blood oxygen

Blood Oxygen monitoring returns to the Apple Watch after US ban - see which models get it

Nina Raemont/ZDNET ZDNET's key takeaways Blood Oxygen is back for affected Apple Watch models. Will be reinstated with the latest iOS and WatchOS updates. Apple redesigned it to resolve an import ban over patent infringement. Get more in-depth ZDNET tech coverage: Add us as a preferred Google source on Chrome and Chromium browsers. After a lengthy pause due to legal issues, Apple is finally bringing back the Blood Oxygen monitor for affected Apple Watch models in the US. Models getting th

Our favorite Bluetooth tracker for Android and iOS users just got a useful feature upgrade

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET ZDNET's takeaways Pebblebee announces a new safety feature for Clip trackers. Alert Live sends your real-time location to up to five contacts. The feature costs $2.99 a month or $24.99 a year. Days after announcing that its Clip would be the first tracker to be able to use both Google's and Apple's Find My networks, Pebblebee just revealed another major upgrade for the Clip -- a potentially life-saving one. In July, Clip trackers (which made ZDNET's list of the

Apple Watch getting redesigned blood oxygen feature following legal dispute

Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Apple Inc., during the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) at Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California, US, on Monday, June 9, 2025. Apple on Thursday announced a redesigned blood oxygen feature for some Apple Watch users, following a years-long intellectual property dispute over the capability. Apple said the redesigned feature is coming to some Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 users on Thursday. The update was possible b

Google Messages can now blur nude images on Android

Google is rolling out a new safety feature for the Messages app on Android. As spotted by 9to5Google , the company is making Sensitive Content Warnings more broadly available after beta testing the option since April . Google announced it last October. The feature can detect and blur images that include nudity. However, it’ll only work if you’re signed into a Google Account in the Messages app. When Messages detects and blurs such an image, you will be able to choose between several actions. Y

The Apple Watch Is Finally Getting Blood Oxygen Sensing Back

If you have an Apple Watch Series 9, 10, or Ultra Watch 2 that you bought in the US in the past year, you'll finally get the blood oxygen sensing feature back via a software update later today, according to Apple. To make sure you get the feature, update your paired iPhone to iOS 18.6.1 and the Apple Watch to watchOS 11.6.1. Sensor data will be calculated in the app, and you will be able to see your blood oxygen in the Respiratory section of the Health app. If you bought your watch before 2024

Blood Oxygen Tracking Returns to U.S. Apple Watches Today After 5-Year Patent Dispute

Good news: Apple Watches sold in the U.S. after January 2024 lost their built-in blood oxygen tracking because of a patent dispute with medical company Masimo, but the feature will return via a software update coming out today. In a Newsroom post, Apple says it’s introducing a “redesigned Blood Oxygen feature for some Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2.” The reworked blood oxygen feature will be pushed out on iPhone and Apple Watch via an iOS 18.6.1 and watchOS 11.6.1 soft

Apple Watch gets reformulated, non-patent-infringing blood oxygen monitoring

In early 2024, Apple removed a blood oxygen monitoring feature from its then-current Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches, following a ruling that the feature violated light-based pulse oximetry patents from a California-based company called Masimo. Removing the feature allowed Apple to circumvent an import ban and continue selling the Series 9 and Ultra 2 (and, later, the Series 10) in the US. Today, Apple announced that it's restoring a version of the blood oxygen monitoring feature to af

Apple launching ‘redesigned Blood Oxygen feature’ on Apple Watch in the U.S. today

Apple has announced that it will release a software update for iPhone and Apple Watch later today with a “redesigned Blood Oxygen feature” for Apple Watch users in the United States. This comes over 18 months after Apple began selling the Apple Watch without the Blood Oxygen feature in America due to a patent dispute. The new feature will be made available as part of iOS 18.6.1 and watchOS 11.6.1 updates. In a statement to 9to5Mac today, an Apple spokesperson said: “Apple will introduce a red

Apple's 'redesigned' blood oxygen monitoring feature hits Apple Watches in the US today

More than a year after an import ban forced the company to remove blood oxygen monitoring from some US Apple Watch models, Apple says it will introduce a redesigned version of the feature later today. In a post on its newsroom website, the company says the feature will roll out to Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Watch Ultra 2 users through a joint Apple Watch and iPhone update. Once Apple begins rolling out the software, you'll need to update your devices to iOS 18.6.1 and watchOS 11.6.1 to

Apple’s blood oxygen monitoring returns to its latest Apple Watches

Apple announced on Thursday it’s introducing a redesigned Blood Oxygen feature for some Watch Series 8, Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra. With this move, Apple is bringing back blood oxygen monitoring by tweaking the feature to get around the International Trade Commission’s (ITC) import ban. Blood oxygen data will be measured and calculated on the user’s paired iPhone, and results can be viewed in the Respiratory section of the Health app. This means users won’t be able to view the data on the

YouTube Music gets another music discovery tool that Spotify doesn’t have

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR Google is testing a new Daily Discover feed in YouTube Music. Like the existing weekly discover, the daily discover aims to help you find artists or music similar to what you already listen. Google only appears to be testing it at the moment, as the feature hasn’t rolled out widely. Although its supremacy is contentious, YouTube Music is easily among the top five music and podcast streaming services globally. Its popularity naturally stems from the f

Google Messages now ensures you don’t get flashed without your consent

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR Google Messages will now automatically blur NSFW photos that you receive or send. It will show warnings before opening any explicit media shared with you to ensure you approve of it. It will also warn you of the risks of sending such photos before you do. All processing takes place locally on your device, so none of the private media is sent to Google. The outpouring of multimedia junk, thanks to RCS, in Android’s default Messages app has inspired G

The Grimmest Ensign Deaths on ‘Star Trek’

Lots of people die in Star Trek, and do so pretty horrifically. Boldly going is deadly business, but there’s always something particularly grim when tragedy strikes at the lowest rung on Starfleet’s officer ladder: the lowly ensigns that keep any good starship or space station humming along as they try to survive long enough to eke it out to lieutenant junior grade and beyond. In last week’s episode of Strange New Worlds, we got to sadly see poor Ensign Gamble pay the ultimate price in a particu

Researchers Harness Black Metal to Turbocharge Solar Power

Several years ago, an optics expert developed a technique for turning shiny metals pitch black. The trick resulted in a material perfectly suited for absorbing sunlight—so much so that generators built with it produced 15 times more power than comparable devices. The team used black metal to develop a new design for solar thermoelectric generators. Known as STEGs, they can convert various types of thermal energy into electricity. However, technological limitations significantly curbed their pot

Google CEO adds a new calendar feature at Stripe co-founder’s request

Talk about customer service. On Wednesday, Google CEO Sundar Pichai posted on X about Google Calendar’s new feature to duplicate events — an addition that was specifically requested by Stripe co-founder John Collison last month, also via an X post. On July 5, Collison asked if Google Calendar users could get a Ctrl-click option that would allow them to easily duplicate events, similar to the feature that many native calendar applications already have. Collison tagged Pichai in his post at the t

Google Gemini will now learn from your chats—unless you tell it not to

As Gemini is increasingly woven into the fabric of Google, the way the chatbot accesses and interacts with your data is in a constant state of flux. Today, Google is announcing several big changes to how its AI adapts to you, giving it the ability to remember more details about your chats for improved answers. If that's a concern, Google also has a new temporary chat option that won't affect the way Gemini thinks about you. You might recall several months back when Google added a "personalizati

Norton VPN review: A VPN that fails to meet Norton's standards

One thing I need to make clear right from the start: this is a review of Norton VPN (formerly Norton Secure VPN, and briefly Norton Ultra VPN) as a standalone app, not of the VPN feature in the Norton 360 package. They're similar, but Norton VPN has a few more features, including the ability to choose cities as server locations in countries with more than one option. I'll state my opinion up front. Norton VPN isn't a bad service, but it's not good enough to get ahead of its direct competitors.