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T-Mobile Offers Free MLB.TV Subscription Ahead of 2022 Baseball Season
T-Mobile Offers Free MLB.TV Subscription Ahead of 2022 Baseball Season
For the seventh time, T-Mobile wants to take its customers out to the ballgame with the return of its MLB.TV deal. Thanks to its latest offer, you'll have more money left over for peanuts and Cracker Jack.
Beginning April 5, customers with T-Mobile, Sprint and Metro by T-Mobile can receive a free one-year subscription to MLB.TV, the company announced Tuesday. It's right in time for Major League Baseball's Opening Day on April 7, when the New York Yankees face off against the Boston Red Sox to kick off the 2022 season.
The streaming service, which would otherwise run $130 for the season, provides access to HD streams of live and on-demand out-of-market regular-season games, a host of Spring Training matchups, plus other MLB events and content. This year, the regular season runs through Oct. 5 with the postseason starting on Oct. 7 before rolling into the World Series.
As with prior years, you will not be able to stream live games broadcast in your local market with MLB TV. This includes games on your local regional sports network or those airing on national platforms like ESPN, TBS, Fox or Apple TV Plus. (You can access in-market radio feeds in the app.) Postseason games are similarly not included, as they traditionally air on ESPN, TBS or Fox.
To take advantage of the deal, you need to see the T-Mobile Tuesdays app for details on how to redeem the offer. The deal will only be available from April 5 at 2 a.m. PT (5 a.m. ET) through April 12 at 1:59 a.m. PT (4:59 a.m. ET), so be sure to hop on it before the first pitch is thrown.
T mobile announces a 200 5g smartphone prices t mobile announces a 200 5g for home t mobile announces a 200 5g plans t mobile announces a 200 5g towers t mobile announces a 200 5g cell t mobile announces 60 home internet t mobile near me
T-Mobile announces a $200 5G smartphone
T-Mobile announces a $200 5G smartphone
T-Mobile has announced another 5G smartphone for a reasonably low price tag. On Wednesday, T-Mobile said it would soon be releasing the Revvl V+ 5G for $199 in store on July 12.
You can also purchase the Revvl V+ 5G for $8.34 per month, plus the cost of your monthly phone plan. The smartphone will be exclusive to T-Mobile and its counterpart, Metro PCS.
Read more: 5G phones are more affordable than ever. But the killer app is still missing
"Revvl smartphones have always been about giving people a no-compromises experience: great features at a great price," Mike Sievert, CEO of T-Mobile, said in a statement.
The smartphone features a 16MP camera, 5,000 mAh battery, Android 11 and a 6.82-inch screen. It will be available in Nebula Black.
In addition to the phone launch, 5G giant T-Mobile also announced a 5G augmented reality game. The game allows the consumer to emit light onto a fictitious 5G map as fast as possible. Through the game, players have a chance to win a free Revvl V+ 5G.
Last August, T-Mobile announced a $400 5G phone, but the Revvl V+ 5G is the cheapest sale price the company has ever announced.
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Best Home Security Systems for Renters in 2022
Best Home Security Systems for Renters in 2022
Home security systems can give you peace of mind, but if you're renting a home or apartment installing these might not be possible. A professionally installed system -- and some DIY systems with more invasive installations -- might not be feasible given owner or landlord restrictions. If you don't want to drill into walls, fiddle with doorbell wiring or pay to install a permanent system in an apartment you're renting, there are plenty of home security systems for you.
To put together our list of the best home security systems for renters, we tested every major security system on the market, from professionally installed systems to DIY ones. In general, the professional systems don't make much sense for renters because they tend to rely on permanent fixtures and sometimes come with contracts that last longer than a lease. The better picks for home security systems in a rental property are going to be cheaper DIY products. Here are the best systems for the job.
Read more:7 Home Security Tips for Apartment Dwellers
Wyze
Wyze's home security system is ridiculously cheap -- even after the price bumps many of its products saw in early 2021. The company's home monitoring system costs $80 and comes with two door/window sensors, a motion detector, a keypad and a base station with a built-in siren -- plenty of devices for an apartment. You can also get a year of professional monitoring for $60. That'll give you a 50% discount on the system (which rounds out the price at $100).
In short, Wyze's is a solid system with a really appealing price tag -- and it's cheaply and easily scalable for a variety of apartment or home sizes (adding a camera, for instance, will set you back as little as $30). The big drawback? It doesn't have cellular backup, which means if the power or internet go down, you lose the professional monitoring and remote alerts. The system will still work locally, though, so if someone breaks in while the power is down, the siren is still going to sound.
Read our review.
Chris Monroe/CNET
Ring has a ton of baggage, but its 5-piece home security system is a solid midrange DIY security option for renters. It comes with a door/window sensor, a motion sensor, a keypad, a range extender and a base station. While it's not as good as its Ring Alarm Pro system, many renters don't need a new router -- let alone a mesh Wi-Fi system.
What I like most about this Ring Alarm for renters, though, is that it works with the Ring Peephole Cam, which is one of the only video doorbells that works with those peepholes you often find in apartment buildings. Like Wyze, Ring unfortunately doesn't have cell backup.
Read our review.
Chris Monroe/CNET
SimpliSafe is our favorite DIY home security system for renters for several reasons: it's reliable, well-priced and has no significant weaknesses (that's right, you have cell backup here, unlike the two systems above). That said, SimpliSafe does have one shortcoming for renters in particular: its video doorbell is wired-only. For many renters without doorbell wiring (or without permission to fiddle with it), that takes the video doorbell off the table.
If you're not worried about the video doorbell, though, SimpliSafe offers fantastic packages at prices that, while slightly higher than the systems above, beat out direct competitors like Abode. Packages start at $244, but you can regularly find them on sale on the SimpliSafe website for significantly less -- at the time of writing, for instance, the base package only costs $171.
Read our review.
Security Systems for Renters Compared
Our Picks
Wyze Home Monitoring
Ring Alarm (5-piece)
SimpliSafe (8-piece)
Price
$100
$160
$179
24/7 Professional Monitoring Fees
$10
$20
$17.99
System Hardware
2 door/window sensors, 1 motion detector, 1 keypad, 1 base station with built-in siren
1 door/window sensor, 1 motion sensor, 1 keypad, 1 range extender, 1 base station
24/7 professional monitoring, remote alerts, false alarm prevention, no long-term contracts, Alexa and smart home integration
Mobile notifications and remote alerts, integrates with Alexa and other Ring products
Cell backup, 24/7 professional monitoring service, customizable system, Alexa and Google Assistant integrations, 24-hour battery
Review Score
8.4
7.5
8.5
How we test home security systems
For each system we test, we install it ourselves just as you would at home, or we have an installer come set it up in the case of professional systems like ADT and Comcast Xfinity. Once it's installed, we spend at least a week testing the system and all the device-by-device features. Our ranking puts a priority on value, but also takes into strong consideration the quality of hardware, service and general user experience -- including how easy it was to set up and the frequency of false alarms. For more robust information on any of the recommended security systems above, please read the full reviews.
If you want to read more about our review process, check out our in-depth article on how we test home security systems and services.
Home security for renters FAQs
Can you install a security system in a rental?
You can add a home security system to your rented apartment or home, but a DIY, noninvasive system (one that does not require drilling into walls or doors, or rewiring a doorbell, for example) will often be your best bet. What's more, professionally installed security services may come with a contract that extends past the length of your lease, further complicating your next move.
Before purchasing a system or signing up for a service, check your lease agreement to make sure any major changes, like the installation of a home security system, are allowed in your apartment or home.
Should I put a security camera in my apartment?
An exterior camera, unless reserved to private spaces like your back patio, is generally not recommended for apartments because it will routinely capture footage of people in public spaces. Additionally, many lease agreements do not allow for the exterior installation of devices such as cameras or satellite dishes.
On the other hand, there are many reasons why you may want to add a security camera or two inside. Smart home cameras are great ways to monitor kids from another room or pets when you're out of the house. As for security, a camera may capture images or video of intruders and send you an alert. Furthermore, the presence of a security camera is often enough to deter a potential burglar, so consider placing a camera somewhere it can be easily seen by others.
How can I secure my apartment?
Installing a home security system that monitors entryways and the interior of your apartment is one of the best ways to secure your dwelling, but there are other measures you can take. It's a good idea to keep any valuables out of sight, especially from windows (where someone may see them from the outside).
The buddy system can be a free but invaluable way to enhance your apartment's security: Make friends with your neighbors, communicate suspicious activity and ask them to keep an eye on your property while you keep an eye on theirs.
You may also want to consider renter's insurance to minimize losses in the event of a burglary or other security breach. To learn more about home security for apartments, check out these home security tips for apartments.
These drones could bring you 5g networking after hours these drones could bring you 5g networking technology these drones could bring you 5g networking stocks these drones could bring you 5g internet these drones could bring you 5g network these drones could bring you 5g towers these drones could bring you 5g plans these drones could bring you 5g mobile these drones could bring your own laptop these drones could bring to bear who do all these drones in the sky at night these are not the drones
These Drones Could Bring You 5G Networking After a Hurricane
These Drones Could Bring You 5G Networking After a Hurricane
What's happening
Drones that AT&T flies during disasters are getting 5G network technology that should make them more effective for the public and first responders.
Why it matters
Climate change makes hurricanes, floods and wildfires more frequent, and we rely on our smartphones more and more during disasters.
AT&T has begun upgrading the drones it flies into disaster areas with 5G networks, an improvement that's expected to increase the chances your phone can send a text message or download evacuation plans when conventional mobile networks collapse.
Over the past few years, the US carrier has stabilized coverage at disaster sites by driving in trucks called COWs, or cell on wheels. It later expanded the approach with a fleet of flying COWs, or cell on wings, that provide network service to larger areas.
Last month, AT&T began testing its first 5G-equipped flying COWs so its aerial networks ultimately can connect to more people and devices than with earlier 4G technology. Its test took place in a remote part of Missouri, far from any other mobile networks.
"It was challenging finding an area that didn't have connectivity," Art Pregler, AT&T's drone leader, said in an exclusive interview. "We were trying to find an area where there was no signal at all so we could be assured that all the signal we were capturing was from our drone."
AT&T expects its 5G flying COWs to be available in about a month as the company upgrades its drones and the fiber optic tethers that link them to the trucks that serve as communication and power bases. The drones are staged already in warehouses, ready for use. "We have them on the West Coast for fire season, in the Southeast for hurricane season and in the Midwest for flood season," Pregler said.
The need for disaster response technology might seem remote. But as climate change spurs more extreme weather, the chances your network could go down rise along with the likelihood of wildfires, hurricanes, flooding and other problems that wreck conventional communications just when you need them most.
"Emergency preparedness and disaster recovery for the carriers has become critically important," Technalysis Research analyst Bob O'Donnell said. "These COWs literally become a lifeline."
5G, short for fifth generation mobile networking, is a collection of technologies designed to improve the speed and responsiveness of your smartphone's connection. The industry is a few years into the 5G transition, an expensive upgrade to the cellphone base stations your phone connects to when you're away from the Wi-Fi signal at your home or office.
By AT&T's estimates, one of 5G's biggest benefits is higher data transfer speeds that are useful when watching video, downloading app updates or uploading photos. Another is lower latency, which means services on the network are more responsive. It's also capable of handling more devices on the network, an important upgrade given the spread of smartphones and the fact that we increasingly connect cars, smartwatches and other communication gear to mobile networks.
In its first 5G flying COW test, AT&T was able to cover about 10 square miles with one drone hovering 300 feet up. The drone connected to a satellite and delivered download speeds of 46Mbps and upload speeds of 71Mbps, a respectable if not blazing speed.
The purpose of the test wasn't to maximize data speeds, though, so don't read too much into those numbers beyond the fact that it worked.
AT&T has used its flying COWs after real disasters, notably hurricanes like Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2017 and Hurricane Florence in North Carolina in 2018. When the Category 4 Hurricane Michael struck Florida in 2018, flying COWs provided network connections to first responders looking for survivors. "For a while we were the only network that was operational there at ground zero," Pregler said.
AT&T has an extra incentive for network service during disasters: It runs the network behind FirstNet, a service for first responders like police and fire crews.
Other carriers are investing to prepare for disasters, too, for example by staging network equipment ahead of time when hurricanes are coming. Verizon in 2021 showed off Thor, a hulking truck that's a mobile 5G base station. And T-Mobile has its own portable network vehicles, satellite cells on wheels and satellite cells on light trucks. It's also hardening its networks and adding more backup generators in case of power loss.
AT&T expects to tap into one 5G option, high-frequency radio waves called millimeter wave, or mmWave, to dramatically increase data transfer speeds, to improve its flying COWs. The shorter-range mmWave technology offers dramatic speeds beyond 1Gbps.
The flying COWs won't use mmWave for connecting your smartphone but will use it to help strengthen the network overall, Pregler said. Specifically, mmWave connections will link multiple drones into a sort of mesh network in the sky to extend the flying COW coverage.
The COW technology itself can connect to the network in up to six simultaneous ways, including fiber optic links and satellites in low Earth orbit or higher in geostationary orbit, Pregler said.
Although AT&T expects improvements with 5G COWs, the new network technology hasn't yet hasn't lived up to all its initial hype.
But as carriers upgrade their networks, expand to new midband radio spectrum and improve the 5G standard itself, better results are likely to follow. So are new network services like wireless home broadband and always-connected PCs.
For emergency services, 5G's improved ability to handle lots of devices is important, O'Donnell said. "Moving it to 5G is going to make it significantly better."
Back to cell phone basics: Buying a non-smartphone
Back to cell phone basics: Buying a non-smartphone
For some people, smartphones and their always-on Internet connections and apps is a waste of money.
If you don't need apps or games and you can live without fast, robust access to the Net from your cell phone, then a smartphone might be expensive overkill. All four of the major U.S. wireless carriers still offer basic feature phones, which don't require expensive data plans. In this Ask Maggie, I offer some advice to a reader who is looking for one of these phones.
I also offer some advice regarding the new all-in-one desktop computers.
Going retro with a basic feature phone
Dear Maggie,
I have an AT&T iPhone 3GS. It's the worst telephone I've ever owned. And I'd say it wasn't even worth the $0 I paid AT&T for it at the time (a year ago). I have no intention of going to the iPhone 5 regardless of what's written about it. Although I get ok service here in the house I don't need a "smartphone" (I have 2 computers - one PC and one Mac laptop) and I have WiFi, so I don't need a handheld device to find places or play games or watch anything on the Internet or Google while I'm in restaurants or in the car. And I'm tired of paying AT&T for data I don't use each month just because I have an iPhone or a "smartphone" and "must" have data.
I might add that I was in the telecom industry for nearly 25 years (I worked for Sprint and MCI when there was an MCI) and the carriers are among the most rapacious greedy corporate enterprises I've ever gotten close to!
Stepping off my soapbox now. In your opinion, what's the best phone that's just a phone? I don't need to do anything but make and receive calls and do texting. I don't care about browsing or email or anything else. I just need a telephone that's simply a phone thank you very much!
Regards and thanks for your response, Mark
Dear Mark,
While there are definitely more people switching from basic cell phones to smartphones these days, I know there are lots of people out there in your same shoes. Smartphones offer tons of functionality that many people now feel like they can't live without, but the reality is that all that functionality and that ubiquitous access to the Internet is pricey. In some ways, I think it's kind of surprising that there aren't more people asking me for this same advice.
The good news is that all the major carriers, AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile USA, each continue to offer basic cell phones and what they call quick messaging devices that do not require data plans. The carriers recognize that there is a subset of customers who have no interest in a smartphone because it's either too complicated or too expensive. But the reality is that each of these carriers see their future in data. And they will do everything in their power to encourage as many customers as possible to sign up for smartphones that require data plans.
Overtime, I expect to see fewer of the more basic devices. But for now, carriers still offer a handful of basic phones that are either free or cost very little when you sign up for a two-year contract.
The great thing about these basic phones is that they are inexpensive. The carriers either give them away for free with a two-year contract, or you pay a minimal amount for the devices. But it's not just the upfront cost that's appealing, as you mentioned in your question, but it costs much less to own a basic phone than it does a smartphone, if you keep your services to a minimum.
For example, on AT&T, you could pay as little as $40 a month for your phone service. Compare this to the $80 a month you'd pay for the lowest amount of data you could get on AT&T's new Share Everything plan. Under that plan, the data service costs $40 a month for 1GB of data and it comes with unlimited text messaging and voice service.
Using a basic phone with no data or text messaging, could save you half. But as you start to add additional services, like text messaging and data, the cost difference is not as big. Adding unlimited texting to AT&T's basic feature phone plan is an additional $20 a month. And if you also wanted to add data, it would cost an additional $10 a month. (Data for feature phones is $15 a month if you subscribe to that without unlimited text messaging.) In total, if you wanted 450 minutes of voice service, unlimited text messaging and unlimited data for a feature phone, you'd pay $70 a month. That's only $10 less a month than you'd pay for smartphone, and you'd be getting much less in terms of the service and functionality of the device.
That said, it can offer some savings. And if you don't plan to subscribe to the data or you are not a heavy text messaging user, a basic phone that doesn't require a data contract is a good option.
My colleague Jessica Dolcourt recently updated her "best of" list in this category.
Here are her top choices:
Kyocera DurXT (Sprint)
Samsung Gusto 2 (Verizon Wireless)
Samsung +159 (T-Mobile)
LG Rumor Reflex (Sprint)
Samsung Entro (Virgin Mobile)
If you want more information on each of these phones, check out her story and the reviews of these devices.
As you can see from her list, none of these devices are available for AT&T. Since you are an AT&T customer, I have listed a few devices here that I think offer pretty good value and functionality.
Josh Miller/CNET
Pantech Swift
The Pantech Swift has a QWERTY keyboard that slides out and has an angled screen. It also has a touch screen that offers some icons for accessing some of the basic features and functionality. But CNET's reviewers Jessica Dolcourt and Lynn La were not impressed with the processor speed. And they said the touchscreen is unresponsive. Even though they don't recommend this device highly, they seem to think the Pantech Swift is the most appealing Pantech handset on AT&T with a keyboard. AT&T is currently selling it for $0.99 with a two year contract.
Pantech Renue Josh Miller/CNET
Pantech Renue
The Pantech Renue is another touch screen device with a slide out QWERTY keyboard. But CNET reviewer Jessica Dolcourt said she isn't a fan of the speakerphone or the mediocre camera. What's more, the Renue has a short battery life that many consumers have complained about in their own comments and reviews of the device. While the keyboard is nice for heavy texters, she said that the short battery life and underdeveloped camera are setbacks. AT&T sells this device for $49.99 with a two-year contract.
LG A340 LG
LG A340
The LG A340 is a standard flip-phone from AT&T. This is one of the most basic, barebones devices on AT&T's network. It's equipped with enhanced audio technology for users who are hard of hearing and it has Bluetooth so it can be used with a wireless headset and a 1.3-megapixel camera. Other features include "Text to Speech" functionality that lets you listen to your text messages as they're read aloud to you. It also comes with AT&T radio. With a two-year contract, this phone is only $19.99.
LG Xpression AT&T
LG Xpression
The LG Xpression is another touch screen phone with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. It has a 2-megapixel camera with video, a personal organizer, Bluetooth 2.1, messaging and e-mail, 3G support, microSD card support (up to 32GB), voice dialing, a Web browser, and a basic music player. The device runs LG's standard operating system, but it also includes some social networking apps, as well as AT&T Navigator and LG Instant Note, which allows easy one touch updates to Facebook, Twitter or for sending a text messages. The Xpression is now $29.99 with a two year contract.
I hope this advice and the device suggestions were helpful. Good luck!
New computer advice
Dear Maggie,
I want to buy a 27" Windows 8 All-In-One for my parents, but don't really know which one is best for them. They're not tech whizzes (though they do like to experiment and learn new things), but they need it to work well and perform smoothly for the next five or more years. Which one(s) would you recommend on a $1500-$2000 budget?
Thanks a bunch, Josh
Dear Josh, The CNET Reviews team likes the Dell XPS One 27 the best. You may also want to consider Apple's 27 inch iMac. It's a bit more expensive, but with a budget of $2,000, it's doable.
CNET Reviews editor Rich Brown also has written about finding the best 27-inch all-in-one desktop, where he compares the Dell to the models that Apple offers. So you should check out his story, as well.
You might also want to consider the Lenovo IdeaCenter all-in-ones. Right now they only support Windows 7. But if you wait a few more weeks, you'll likely find more all-in-one computers available running Windows 8.
I hope this was helpful. And good luck!
Ask Maggie is an advice column that answers readers' wireless and broadband questions. The column now appears twice a week on CNET offering readers a double dosage of Ask Maggie's advice. If you have a question, I'd love to hear from you. Please send me an e-mail at maggie dot reardon at cbs dot com. And please put "Ask Maggie" in the subject header. You can also follow me on Facebook on my Ask Maggie page.
Getting a new iphone every 2 years makes less sense of community getting a new iphone every 2 years makes less severe getting a new iphone every 2 years makesy getting a new iphone every 2 years makes sense getting a new iphone every 2 years getting a new iphone and syncing getting a business cell phone
Getting a new iPhone every 2 years makes less sense than ever
Getting a new iPhone every 2 years makes less sense than ever
We all know the drill. As Apple's annual fall event draws close, many of us start to check in on our previous two-year smartphone plan to see if we're eligible for an upgrade in September. After all, the newest phone is only the newest phone for so long. Even for discerning shoppers like me, it takes serious willpower to resist the lure of a purple iPhone or 1TB of storage.
Mobile carriers have long persuaded many of us to upgrade our smartphones every two years, offering two-year contracts linked to free or low-cost phone upgrades to keep the two-year upgrade cycle going. That feeling of ponying up just a couple hundred dollars (or less) for the newest, fanciest phone available has helped perpetuate the rise of the de facto two-year phone upgrade. Case in point: AT&T and Verizon marketed a "free" iPhone 12 last year for customers who buy unlimited plans and commit to a multiyear deal. And the trade-in deals were even better this year for the iPhone 13.
But even though that might still be the norm in the US, a routine upgrade isn't a thing for much of the world.
I was born and raised in developing Asia, a region where buying a smartphone is financially unattainable for hundreds of millions of people, much less a two-year upgrade. In India, the average person needs to save two months' salary to buy the cheapest available smartphone, according to a survey published by the Alliance for Affordable Internet last August. From my perspective, the trend of routinely upgrading a phone every two years when it doesn't change that much is a privilege, one that reminds me of the stark income equality gap as well as the ever-increasing digital divide globally.
Read more:Billions of people still can't afford smartphones: That's a major problem
Beyond that, and perhaps more tangibly, I think we should consider the environmental cost of purchasing a new phone. You've read the headlines: Climate change is accelerating at rapid speed. Countries around the world keep setting new records for the highest temperatures. There are more climate-related disasters than ever before, arctic caps are melting and biodiversity is disappearing faster than we can save it. What, exactly, happens to all those discarded phones over time? Does all that plastic ever fully decompose?
Apple says it removed the in-box charger from its iPhone 12 lineup for environmental reasons.
Apple
Read more:Apple is opening up its world of iPhone recycling
Consumer electronics are responsible for tonnes of e-waste annually, which in turn contributes to the climate crisis. Experts have warned about how e-waste disposal contributes to climate change due to the chemicals released when the waste is burned, some of which are equivalent to carbon dioxide.
For years, developed countries like the US have shipped recyclable waste overseas for processing. Although that is now beginning to change, there are real costs. iPhones contain toxic materials like lead and mercury, for instance, which can harm the environment and people if disposed of improperly. And often e-waste isn't properly managed. In Southern China, there is a town called Guiyu that has become known as the world's biggest graveyard for America's electronic junk, and synonymous among environmentalists with toxic waste. The UN's 2020 Global E-waste Monitor report found that the world dumped a record 53.6 million tonnes of e-waste last year, of which the US is the world's second-largest contributor to e-waste, dumping 6.9 million tonnes.
Read more:I paid $69 to replace my iPhone battery: Here's what happened
While Apple is committed to a net zero supply chain by 2030, it's tough to argue that there's a better alternative to lower carbon consumption than less consumption. After all, Apple says the iPhone 12's end-to-end supply chain emits 70 kilograms of carbon to the atmosphere. If even 1 million people waited that extra year, we could save 70,000,000 kilograms of carbon from going into the air in a year. Imagine if it was 10 million or 100 million. It's something to think about before making that upgrade.
The smartphone upgrade cycle has gotten longer
Even with the enticing deals offered by carriers, the upgrade cycle has seemingly lengthened. In recent years, several reports show how Americans and Europeans are more than happy to hold on to their phones for longer periods of time. In fact, in 2019 smartphone upgrades hit record lows at two of the biggest US carriers, Verizon and AT&T. Carriers like T-Mobile and Verizon seem to have responded to this by offering month-to-month plans, which offer more flexibility and options, indicating a potential departure from the "norm" of a two-year phone upgrade.
Barring big-picture factors like the struggling global economy amid the ongoing pandemic as well as our increased mindfulness over the environment, I think this trend is persisting for a confluence of reasons. Phones today are receiving software, and therefore security, updates for longer. For instance, 2015's iPhone 6S is compatible with iOS 15, potentially dampening desires for a bi-yearly upgrade.
In addition to all this, smartphone innovation has hit a plateau, and the industry bears the hallmarks of one that's maturing: slowing smartphone sales growth along with the slower evolution of what we need, what we want and so forth. There are no big surprises here: Today's phones are getting more nice-to-have refinements rather than the awe-inspiring innovation seen just three or four years ago.
Decreasing technological gap
Up until a couple of years ago, smartphone manufacturers had us sitting on the edge of our seats, waiting for the next design refresh. But that's not as much the case anymore. With the iPhone 12 series, 5G was probably its buzziest feature -- one that understandably ended up triggering an upgrade supercycle. But the most exciting thing for many of us at CNET was MagSafe, which is hardly new. Apple's proprietary technology, allowing you to magnetically snap on attachments, was first introduced some 15 years ago with the first-gen MacBook Pro. It was then reintroduced for the iPhone 12.
Patrick Holland/CNET
When you look at what changed from the iPhone 11, you'll see the usual suspects on your list: 5G, OLED screen, new design. Admittedly there are a few more things you won't see everywhere, such as MagSafe and the Ceramic Shield, but nothing extra-special to truly write home about. Personally, the last time I was blown away by an iPhone reveal was back in 2017 when Apple introduced the iPhone X, which set new design standards for the modern-day iPhone. The iPhone X did away with the physical home button and chunky bezels of its predecessors and made way for a sleek, futuristic device that inspired the iPhone 12 family. Also, for the first time with Apple, we were able to unlock an iPhone with Face ID, Apple's facial recognition technology.
Looking at the iPhone 13, the narrative sounds familiar. We knew it wouldn't get a major technical upgrade (though that didn't stop us from wishing). While we appreciate the upgrades Apple did give the phone (a smaller notch, a larger battery and a faster screen refresh rate), the iPhone 13 is "not radically different," according to CNET's Patrick Holland. Plus a number of these new iPhone features, like the 120Hz screen, currently exist on Android phones, reinforcing the notion of a decreasing technological gap in the smartphone landscape. Apple itself says the life-cycle of a typical iPhone is now three years. So the company times its new releases accordingly: We get a major redesign every three years, not two, with more minor updates in between.
Look no further than the glitziest non-Apple flagship launch of this year for clues: Samsung's Galaxy S21 family. Here the standout change wasn't made to the hardware or software, but perhaps to its least interesting feature: its price tag. The S21 lineup has a starting price of $800 (£769, AU$1,249), which is $200 less than last year's $1,000 Galaxy S20, making for an enticing deal.
Apart from that, major differences between the S21 and last year's S20 were mostly incremental. I remember having to pore over the specs sheet to spot salient differences as I covered Samsung's virtual Unpacked event. Refinements were made to the usual suspects, including the processor, software and 5G. This might have been part of Samsung's response to the global coronavirus pandemic, but again it lends credence to the notion of that decreasing technological gap. It was also interesting to note the items Samsung dropped from the S21 flagship family to meet that lowered price. We said goodbye to expandable storage, bundled earphones and most notoriously the in-box charger, as Samsung followed in Apple's lead -- apparently in the name of the environment.
Read more: Here's what we know so far about Samsung's Galaxy S22
Let's also take a moment to consider the question: What makes the S21 an attractive buy? Chances are, a great camera, fast performance, battery longevity and a crisp display with narrow bezels are at the top of your list. But the truth is 2019's Galaxy S10 boasts all those features. Heck, even the Galaxy S7 from five years ago did. My point is yearly changes have become too incremental to compel most people to upgrade with urgency, especially given the backdrop of rising smartphone prices.
Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip.
Angela Lang/CNET
Are we at peak phone?
I'm not discounting foldable phones. Samsung and Huawei have made undeniable technological progress, and their bendy handsets have dramatically altered the way smartphones are used and could represent the future of the industry. But folding phones are far from the mainstream. Phone manufacturers and carriers in the US have moved the most innovative devices to a price that's simply beyond reach for most people. For instance, the Galaxy Fold 3 starts at $1,800 (£1,599, AU$2,499) and Huawei's Mate X2, available in China for now, costs nearly $3,000 ($2,800, £1,985, AU$3,640 converted). Until these prices hit price parity with, say, the iPhone 12 Pro or Pro Max, foldable phones are likely to remain a niche product.
Smartphone innovation has stagnated, and this is not a knock against the consumer electronics companies or the tech giants that design them. Maybe we've reached peak smartphone, and this is as far as it needs to go. It could well be part of the reason why the race to upgrade your phones is slowing.
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Getting a new iPhone every 2 years makes less sense than ever
Getting a new iPhone every 2 years makes less sense than ever
We all know the drill. As Apple's annual fall event draws close, many of us start to check in on our previous two-year smartphone plan to see if we're eligible for an upgrade in September. After all, the newest phone is only the newest phone for so long. Even for discerning shoppers like me, it takes serious willpower to resist the lure of a purple iPhone or 1TB of storage.
Mobile carriers have long persuaded many of us to upgrade our smartphones every two years, offering two-year contracts linked to free or low-cost phone upgrades to keep the two-year upgrade cycle going. That feeling of ponying up just a couple hundred dollars (or less) for the newest, fanciest phone available has helped perpetuate the rise of the de facto two-year phone upgrade. Case in point: AT&T and Verizon marketed a "free" iPhone 12 last year for customers who buy unlimited plans and commit to a multiyear deal. And the trade-in deals were even better this year for the iPhone 13.
But even though that might still be the norm in the US, a routine upgrade isn't a thing for much of the world.
I was born and raised in developing Asia, a region where buying a smartphone is financially unattainable for hundreds of millions of people, much less a two-year upgrade. In India, the average person needs to save two months' salary to buy the cheapest available smartphone, according to a survey published by the Alliance for Affordable Internet last August. From my perspective, the trend of routinely upgrading a phone every two years when it doesn't change that much is a privilege, one that reminds me of the stark income equality gap as well as the ever-increasing digital divide globally.
Read more:Billions of people still can't afford smartphones: That's a major problem
Beyond that, and perhaps more tangibly, I think we should consider the environmental cost of purchasing a new phone. You've read the headlines: Climate change is accelerating at rapid speed. Countries around the world keep setting new records for the highest temperatures. There are more climate-related disasters than ever before, arctic caps are melting and biodiversity is disappearing faster than we can save it. What, exactly, happens to all those discarded phones over time? Does all that plastic ever fully decompose?
Apple says it removed the in-box charger from its iPhone 12 lineup for environmental reasons.
Apple
Read more:Apple is opening up its world of iPhone recycling
Consumer electronics are responsible for tonnes of e-waste annually, which in turn contributes to the climate crisis. Experts have warned about how e-waste disposal contributes to climate change due to the chemicals released when the waste is burned, some of which are equivalent to carbon dioxide.
For years, developed countries like the US have shipped recyclable waste overseas for processing. Although that is now beginning to change, there are real costs. iPhones contain toxic materials like lead and mercury, for instance, which can harm the environment and people if disposed of improperly. And often e-waste isn't properly managed. In Southern China, there is a town called Guiyu that has become known as the world's biggest graveyard for America's electronic junk, and synonymous among environmentalists with toxic waste. The UN's 2020 Global E-waste Monitor report found that the world dumped a record 53.6 million tonnes of e-waste last year, of which the US is the world's second-largest contributor to e-waste, dumping 6.9 million tonnes.
Read more:I paid $69 to replace my iPhone battery: Here's what happened
While Apple is committed to a net zero supply chain by 2030, it's tough to argue that there's a better alternative to lower carbon consumption than less consumption. After all, Apple says the iPhone 12's end-to-end supply chain emits 70 kilograms of carbon to the atmosphere. If even 1 million people waited that extra year, we could save 70,000,000 kilograms of carbon from going into the air in a year. Imagine if it was 10 million or 100 million. It's something to think about before making that upgrade.
The smartphone upgrade cycle has gotten longer
Even with the enticing deals offered by carriers, the upgrade cycle has seemingly lengthened. In recent years, several reports show how Americans and Europeans are more than happy to hold on to their phones for longer periods of time. In fact, in 2019 smartphone upgrades hit record lows at two of the biggest US carriers, Verizon and AT&T. Carriers like T-Mobile and Verizon seem to have responded to this by offering month-to-month plans, which offer more flexibility and options, indicating a potential departure from the "norm" of a two-year phone upgrade.
Barring big-picture factors like the struggling global economy amid the ongoing pandemic as well as our increased mindfulness over the environment, I think this trend is persisting for a confluence of reasons. Phones today are receiving software, and therefore security, updates for longer. For instance, 2015's iPhone 6S is compatible with iOS 15, potentially dampening desires for a bi-yearly upgrade.
In addition to all this, smartphone innovation has hit a plateau, and the industry bears the hallmarks of one that's maturing: slowing smartphone sales growth along with the slower evolution of what we need, what we want and so forth. There are no big surprises here: Today's phones are getting more nice-to-have refinements rather than the awe-inspiring innovation seen just three or four years ago.
Decreasing technological gap
Up until a couple of years ago, smartphone manufacturers had us sitting on the edge of our seats, waiting for the next design refresh. But that's not as much the case anymore. With the iPhone 12 series, 5G was probably its buzziest feature -- one that understandably ended up triggering an upgrade supercycle. But the most exciting thing for many of us at CNET was MagSafe, which is hardly new. Apple's proprietary technology, allowing you to magnetically snap on attachments, was first introduced some 15 years ago with the first-gen MacBook Pro. It was then reintroduced for the iPhone 12.
Patrick Holland/CNET
When you look at what changed from the iPhone 11, you'll see the usual suspects on your list: 5G, OLED screen, new design. Admittedly there are a few more things you won't see everywhere, such as MagSafe and the Ceramic Shield, but nothing extra-special to truly write home about. Personally, the last time I was blown away by an iPhone reveal was back in 2017 when Apple introduced the iPhone X, which set new design standards for the modern-day iPhone. The iPhone X did away with the physical home button and chunky bezels of its predecessors and made way for a sleek, futuristic device that inspired the iPhone 12 family. Also, for the first time with Apple, we were able to unlock an iPhone with Face ID, Apple's facial recognition technology.
Looking at the iPhone 13, the narrative sounds familiar. We knew it wouldn't get a major technical upgrade (though that didn't stop us from wishing). While we appreciate the upgrades Apple did give the phone (a smaller notch, a larger battery and a faster screen refresh rate), the iPhone 13 is "not radically different," according to CNET's Patrick Holland. Plus a number of these new iPhone features, like the 120Hz screen, currently exist on Android phones, reinforcing the notion of a decreasing technological gap in the smartphone landscape. Apple itself says the life-cycle of a typical iPhone is now three years. So the company times its new releases accordingly: We get a major redesign every three years, not two, with more minor updates in between.
Look no further than the glitziest non-Apple flagship launch of this year for clues: Samsung's Galaxy S21 family. Here the standout change wasn't made to the hardware or software, but perhaps to its least interesting feature: its price tag. The S21 lineup has a starting price of $800 (£769, AU$1,249), which is $200 less than last year's $1,000 Galaxy S20, making for an enticing deal.
Apart from that, major differences between the S21 and last year's S20 were mostly incremental. I remember having to pore over the specs sheet to spot salient differences as I covered Samsung's virtual Unpacked event. Refinements were made to the usual suspects, including the processor, software and 5G. This might have been part of Samsung's response to the global coronavirus pandemic, but again it lends credence to the notion of that decreasing technological gap. It was also interesting to note the items Samsung dropped from the S21 flagship family to meet that lowered price. We said goodbye to expandable storage, bundled earphones and most notoriously the in-box charger, as Samsung followed in Apple's lead -- apparently in the name of the environment.
Read more: Here's what we know so far about Samsung's Galaxy S22
Let's also take a moment to consider the question: What makes the S21 an attractive buy? Chances are, a great camera, fast performance, battery longevity and a crisp display with narrow bezels are at the top of your list. But the truth is 2019's Galaxy S10 boasts all those features. Heck, even the Galaxy S7 from five years ago did. My point is yearly changes have become too incremental to compel most people to upgrade with urgency, especially given the backdrop of rising smartphone prices.
Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip.
Angela Lang/CNET
Are we at peak phone?
I'm not discounting foldable phones. Samsung and Huawei have made undeniable technological progress, and their bendy handsets have dramatically altered the way smartphones are used and could represent the future of the industry. But folding phones are far from the mainstream. Phone manufacturers and carriers in the US have moved the most innovative devices to a price that's simply beyond reach for most people. For instance, the Galaxy Fold 3 starts at $1,800 (£1,599, AU$2,499) and Huawei's Mate X2, available in China for now, costs nearly $3,000 ($2,800, £1,985, AU$3,640 converted). Until these prices hit price parity with, say, the iPhone 12 Pro or Pro Max, foldable phones are likely to remain a niche product.
Smartphone innovation has stagnated, and this is not a knock against the consumer electronics companies or the tech giants that design them. Maybe we've reached peak smartphone, and this is as far as it needs to go. It could well be part of the reason why the race to upgrade your phones is slowing.
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Microsoft Windows 10 review: Microsoft gets it right
Microsoft Windows 10 review: Microsoft gets it right
When Microsoft unveiled Windows 10 in 2015, it delivered an elegant operating system that could -- for the first time -- fulfill the potential of each modern computing form factor. Equally proficient on a touchscreen tablet, laptop, or conventional desktop PC, Windows 10 resuscitated the operating system's best features while setting the stage for Microsoft's ongoing innovation streak that includes idiosyncratic products like the Surface Pro 4, Surface Book and, more recently, the Surface Studio -- a desktop PC for artists and designers in need of high-end horsepower and display -- and the Surface Dial, a touch-friendly dial designed to facilitate fine contextual controls.
Late 2016 update
The next generation of the popular Surface tablet, the rumored Surface Pro 5, is expected to appear in the spring of 2017 -- timing that may coincide with the rollout of the next version of Windows, a free update scheduled for the first half of 2017. Windows "Creators Update" will introduce 4K video game streaming and support "augmented reality," bringing 3D capabilities to legacy applications such as Paint and PowerPoint. It will support 3D rendering for Microsoft's HoloLens technology, which will be incorporated into forthcoming devices from Acer, Lenovo, Dell, HP and Asus. And it will enable a virtual touchpad that lets you control external monitors from tablets, without need for a mouse.
It's worth mentioning that Apple delivered its own operating system overhaul in September 2016. MacOS Sierra added some new features inspired by its own mobile operating system. And though Apple clearly wishes to continue the integration of Macs and iOS products, providing additional incentives to keep your hardware inside Apple's walled garden, it's not always a perfect fit. In fact, the new MacBooks announced in early October 2016, equipped only with USB-C ports, can't connect to the new iPhone 7 and its Lightning Connector, without an adapter.
Editors' note:The original Microsoft Windows 10 review, first published in July 2015, follows.
Windows 10 is the Goldilocks version of Microsoft's venerable PC operating system -- a "just right" compromise between the familiar dependability of Windows 7, and the forward-looking touchscreen vision of Windows 8.
This new Windows, available as a free upgrade for existing Windows 7 and Windows 8 noncorporate users, is built from the ground up to pursue Microsoft's vision of a unified OS that spans all devices without alienating any one platform. It's an attempt to safeguard Microsoft's crumbling software hegemony, assailed on all sides by Google and Apple. And it's a vision of the future as Microsoft sees it, where a single user experience spans every piece of technology we touch. Welcome to Windows as a service.
Yes, this new OS is chock-full of fresh features. To name just a few: a lean, fast Internet Explorer replacement called Edge; Microsoft's Siri-like voice-controlled virtual assistant, Cortana; and the ability to stream real-time games to your desktop from an Xbox One in another room. (And in case you're wondering: there is no "Windows 9" -- Microsoft skipped it, going straight from 8 to 10.)
Windows 10 bridges the gap between PC and tablet.Nate Ralph/CNET
But Windows 10 is also the end of a long, awkward road that began with the release of Windows 8 in 2012, when Microsoft tried to convince a world of keyboard and mouse wielders that touchscreens were the way to go -- or else. Ironically, in 2015, the PC hardware for that touchscreen future is now here -- everything from 2-in-1s such as the Lenovo Yoga line to convertible tablets with detachable keyboards, like Microsoft's own Surface. And Windows 10 smoothly lets users transition from "tablet" to "PC" mode on such devices like never before.
For the rest of the PC universe -- including those who still prefer good old-fashioned keyboard and mouse navigation -- Windows 10 is a welcome return to form. The Start menu, inexplicably yanked from 8, is back and working the way you expect it to. Those live tiles from the Windows 8 home screen still exist, but they've been attached to the Start menu, where they make a lot more sense. And the fiendishly hidden Charms bar has been morphed into the more straightforward (and easier to find) Action Center.
As always, there are some quibbles and gripes with the end product, but all-in-all -- after living with Windows 10 for months -- I can say it's a winner. It's flexible, adaptable and customizable. And it's been battle-tested by an army of beta testers for the better part of a year, making it one of the most robust operating system rollouts in recent memory.
A fresh Start
The Start menu is back; it's almost funny how relieving that is. That humble Start button has been a fixture on the lower left corner of the Windows desktop since the halcyon days of Windows 95, offering speedy access to apps and settings. Press it on Windows 10, and you'll see the latest step in a long conversation about the state of the PC industry.
I spend more time than I'd like to admit rearranging the Start Menu.Screenshot by Nate Ralph/CNET
The past sits on the left: a neat column with shortcuts to your most used apps. Press the "All Apps" button and you'll get an alphabetical list of all of the apps installed on your PC. There are folders in there too -- press them, and extra options will fly out, just like they always have.
The future -- or at least, the future as Microsoft envisions it -- sits on the right side of the Start menu. These are the colorful, animated live tiles that debuted in Windows 8, pulling double duty as app shortcuts and informative widgets. You can resize these live tiles, drag them about to arrange them into groups and pin as many apps as you'd like -- the entire Start menu can be shrunk or expanded to suit your liking. It's essentially a miniaturized version of the fullscreen Start menu we saw in Windows 8. Hate live tiles? Then unpin them to excise them from your computer, leaving you with the narrow column of frequently used apps we've known for so long.
One step back, two steps forward
The Start menu in Windows 10 is admission that Windows 8 maybe have been a bit too forward thinking. But Microsoft hasn't abandoned that vision of unifying all manner of devices under a single operating system: Continuum in Windows 10 is the latest attempt to bridge the gap between touch and non-touch devices, and this time it doesn't force us to relearn how to work with our PCs.
To start, there's no divide between the Windows 8-style "Modern" apps you get from the Windows app store, and those you install the old-fashioned way. Everything exists as a traditional windowed app, sharing space on the desktop. If you're on a two-in-one device like Microsoft's Surface Pro 3 , pop the keyboard off and Windows 10 will switch to tablet mode. The Start menu and your apps will stretch to take up the entire screen, and all of the miscellaneous apps and shortcuts on your taskbar will disappear, to give your finger fewer obstacles to hit.
Apps go fullscreen, and the taskbar gets a little less cluttered in tablet mode.Screenshot by Nate Ralph/CNET
Reattach the keyboard, and everything slots back into place. It's an instantaneous, seamless process (once you've shooed away the annoying confirmation window). It's also entirely optional: you can disable the feature and switch to tablet mode manually, or forget that this whole touch concept exists at all.
This is what Windows 8 always should've been: an operating system that bridges the divide between touch and non-touch, without alienating folks who fall into one camp or the other. Like it or not, the future belongs to devices with touchscreens. But Microsoft (finally) understands that we'll all get there at own pace, and Continuum makes the transition painless. And now that there are so many hybrid devices to choose from, making the switch to touch without abandoning the interface we know is more important than ever.
Learning new tricks
Microsoft hasn't stopped at making touch make sense on a Windows PC. With Windows 10, just about every facet of the OS has been tweaked and updated, and a few new features have been rolled in. In typical Microsoft fashion, there's a dizzying array of keyboard shortcuts and touch gestures for each of these features, giving you no fewer than three ways to access the things you're trying to get to. No need to memorize them all -- just use whatever suits you (or your device) best.
Virtual desktops
If I had to pick my favorite new feature, I'd go with virtual desktops. Click the new Task View button on the taskbar and you'll get a bird's-eye view of all of the apps you've got open. Drag one of those apps onto the "new desktop" button, and it'll be moved to its own independent workspace. I can keep one workspace focused on work, a separate desktop for gaming forums, yet another workspace for the new camera lenses I'm checking out; there's no limit to the amount of virtual desktops you can create, and each one is treated as its own little private island.
Virtual desktops help you spread your apps across several workspaces.Screenshot by Nate Ralph/CNET
Virtual desktops are far from a new development, and they've been available in past versions of Windows thanks to third-party apps. But it's nice to see Microsoft catching up here. The feature could still use some work: desktops are numbered, but if you create a lot of them it can be hard to keep track of where everything is. The "traditional" Win32 apps you might download and install from a website are happy to open a new instance on any desktop, while clicking the shortcut on an app from the Windows store will yank you back to whatever desktop you used it on last.
You can move apps across virtual desktops -- just drag them, or right-click to shunt them over -- but there's no way to reorder the virtual desktops themselves, which would be really useful for staying organized. I'd also like to be able to set a different wallpaper for every virtual desktop -- I can do both of those things in Apple's OSX operating system, and have always found it really handy.
Windows Snap
The Snap feature introduced in Windows 7 has gotten a bit of an upgrade, too. Drag an app to the left or right side of the screen, and it'll "snap" to fill that space. The new Snap Assist feature will then chime in, showing you little thumbnails of any other apps that are currently open -- click a thumbnail, and it'll fill up the remaining space. You can also snap an app into a corner of your display and fill your screen with up to four apps, divided equally across the screen -- this could prove useful for folks with massive monitors.
Action Center
The new Action Center replaces the "Charms" introduced in Windows 8, and is another nod to mobile operating systems. Click the Action center icon on the taskbar to bring up a panel that houses all of your app notifications, and offers quick access to a few important system settings, like toggling your Wi-Fi network or switching in and out of tablet mode -- you can choose the options that turn up here in the settings menu. If you're coming from Windows 7 and have no idea where to find some of the settings you're used to, there's a good chance you'll find them here.
Wi-Fi Sense
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Wi-Fi Sense. While technically not a new feature (it's part of Windows Phone 8.1) its presence in Windows 10 should've been a welcome addition: Wi-Fi Sense connects your devices to trusted Wi-Fi hotspots.
I love the idea. Automatically sharing Wi-Fi credentials with my friends would remove much of the hassle of most social gatherings, when people just want to jump on my Wi-Fi network. And -- this part is key -- Wi-Fi Sense doesn't share your actual password, so it theoretically eases a social transaction (the sharing of Wi-Fi connectivity) without necessarily compromising my network security.
Until Wi-Fi sense offers granular control over sharing, I'd avoid it.Screenshot by Nate Ralph/CNET
But the implementation is, in a word, daft. I do want to automatically share my network with a select group of friends who are visiting, and have them return the favor. I don't want to automatically share access with everyone in my Outlook address book, or on Skype, or the random assortment of folks I've added on Facebook over the years. Give me the ability to choose who I share access with, down to the individual, and I'll give it a shot. Until then, I'll be leaving Wi-Fi Sense off -- I recommend you do too.
Windows Hello and Windows Passport
Microsoft is also beefing up security with Windows Hello. The feature will use your Windows 10 devices' camera or a fingerprint scanner to turn your body into a password. Once you've authenticated yourself with Windows Hello, Windows Passport will then give you access to a number of third-party sites and products, without forcing you to log in all over again. This should make it a bit more convenient to log in to your devices, so you don't skimp on traditional measures, like having a robust password. The only catch is that Hello isn't widely supported on a lot of existing hardware: you'll need a device sporting Intel's RealSense camera, or a fingerprint scanner.
Chatting with Cortana
Microsoft's virtual assistant Cortana isn't exactly a new feature, as she's been on Windows Phone for just over a year. But the company's answer to Apple's Siri, Amazon's Alexa and Google Now has made the transition to the desktop with Windows 10, taking over the OS' search functionality, while also handling quite a few housekeeping duties. You can have Cortana trawl through your email and calendar, and keep you notified of any upcoming flights you're taking, or packages you're expecting. She can set reminders and track stocks, and you can even dictate email messages for her to send to your contacts. Cortana can also be set to listen for you to say "Hey, Cortana," and can be trained to recognize several different voices. If you want to learn more about Cortana, head over to my preview on Microsoft's virtual assistant .
Cortana will help you get things done.James Martin/CNET
I'm torn. I love Google Now's proactive stream of useful information, served to me whenever I need it. But my primary mobile device is an Android phone and not a Windows Phone, which keeps my interactions with Cortana sequestered to my desktop.
She's not especially useful here. Windows 10's Voice recognition is rather accurate, but if I have to send an email message and I'm at my desk, I'm just going to use my email client. She'll offer recommendations for places to eat or things to see, but that'd be a lot more useful when I'm out and about than at my desk. The same goes for reminders, which are decidedly less useful if I can't access them anywhere.
Cortana will be making her way to Android and iOS devices later this year, which should clear up most of these issues -- provided most of her functionality crosses platforms without issue. I'll still turn to Cortana for the occasional joke, but until it's available on a phone I use regularly, I'll be sticking to Google for Now.
Microsoft Edge rethinks the browser
Microsoft has added a brand-new browser into Windows 10, and it's called Microsoft Edge. Introducing a new browser in a world that already has Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Apple's Safari is a pretty bold move. Doubly so when your previous effort was Internet Explorer -- once a juggernaut in the space, now the Internet's favorite punchline.
Annotate webpages with Microsoft's Edge browser.James Martin/CNET
Edge is a fast, modern browser that offers quite a few commendable features. Cortana is integrated right into the browser, and she'll offer detailed information on things like the weather or flight statuses while you're typing into the browser's address bar. Navigate over to a bar or restaurant's website, and Cortana can pull up a little sidebar full of useful information, like reviews or directions. The webnote feature lets you scribble on webpages and share your annotations to OneNote or via email, and you can use the Reading view option to strip a website down to its bare essentials. Edge has also been built with tighter security from the start, to hopefully circumvent some of the headaches that erupted from Internet Explorer.
But there are no extensions to tame overzealous advertisements, or enhance websites like Reddit, or simply organized my tabs -- I've been thoroughly spoiled by Google Chrome. There's no way to sync tabs or bookmarks across devices, and you currently can't import bookmarks from other browsers. All those features will be available eventually, with support for extensions coming sometime before the end of the year -- like Windows 10, Edge is a constantly evolving work in progress. But it's going to take a lot for someone like me, wholly enmeshed in Google's ecosystem, to ditch Chrome for something new. Internet Explorer also isn't going anywhere: it'll remain a part of Windows for the foreseeable future, as legacy apps are dependent on it. Head over to my Microsoft Edge preview to learn more about Microsoft Edge .
Getting your game on
Windows 10 adds and tweaks a few things in the entertainment department. The Xbox Video and Xbox Music apps have been renamed to Movies & TV and Groove Music, respectively. Their function is identical: any music and video files on your device can be found here, but it mostly serves as a means to convince you to buy or rent content from Microsoft's stores. You've got plenty of streaming services to choose from, for music and video.
Xbox Live achievements for Solitaire? Brilliant.Screenshot by Nate Ralph/CNET
If you're a gamer, the Xbox app will prove far more interesting. It's a window into your Xbox Live feed, letting you see what your friends are up to and send them messages, browse recordings people have made, compare achievements, and all of the expected ways of interacting with the social network. But if you own an Xbox One, you can stream activity from your console to any device running Windows 10.
It's awesome. No, it's not a game changer, and certainly not a reason to run out and grab an Xbox One. But it's still awesome: if someone wants to use the television, I can just plug an Xbox One controller into one of my PCs and continue plugging away at the Xbox One version of The Witcher 3 . The quality of the experience is going to be dependent on your network, so I'd recommend making sure both your console and the PC you're streaming to are connect to your LAN. The console also can't be used by others when it's streaming so this won't enable cooperative gaming. But if you frequently find yourself sharing the TV and have a PC with Windows 10 on hand, it's a fun little addition that could come in handy.
Handy tools for shutterbugs
The new Photos app isn't going to replace something like Adobe Lightroom, but if you take a lot of photos and are looking for a simple tool to keep things organized, you'll do well here.
Use the Photos app to make quick, non-destructive edits to your pictures.Screenshot by Nate Ralph/CNET
The Photos app scans your devices and OneDrive account for photos, and automatically arranges them into albums. You can use the app as a way to keep track of your pictures, but it also offers some basic editing tools too. If you prefer a hands-off approach, Photos will automatically enhance all of the photos it finds, wrangling red eye and sorting out exposure levels -- it works on RAW files, too. But don't worry: the edits Photos makes are non-destructive, so you can undo any changes it makes, or prevent it from altering your photos altogether.
Windows, everywhere
Windows 10 has finally arrived, but this version of Windows is fundamentally different from any that have come before it. It will truly be an everywhere OS, a concept Microsoft will be pushing with Windows 10 Mobile , and Universal Apps. We've been here before: apps developed for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 could share much of their code, which was supposed to make it easy to create a single app that ran everywhere.
Microsoft's universal apps share an identical codebase: the Excel client on your desktop, for example, will be the exact same client as the one on your phone, with elements adjusted to make sense of the different display, and the lack of a keyboard or mouse. You can currently get a taste of this on the latest version of Windows 10 Mobile, and while I wouldn't recommend editing spreadsheets on your smartphone, it's possible.
Universal apps will lead to their own challenges, as developers will have to weigh creating rich, robust apps that can run on a mobile device, against developing apps that can make use of all of the power a full PC can bring to bear. Microsoft is already drafting a solution using Continuum. Microsoft has demonstrated Continuum for phones: plug a Windows Phone into a display, and the interface will one day morph to mimic the PC-based version of Windows. You'll see the desktop, desktop-versions of Windows Store apps, and get full mouse and keyboard support. There's no word on when Continuum for phones will be available, or what devices it'll run on, but it offers a tantalizing glimpse of what Microsoft has in store.
Getting ready for what's next
The Windows Update process will be key to getting everyone on board with Microsoft's vision of the future of Windows. It'll also prove to be one of the most contentious elements: if you're running the standard Home version of Windows 10, updates are automatic and can't be refused.
This is a great thing. Windows' Achilles' heel has long been its nigh-ubiquity, which makes it a prime target for malware and other digital nastiness. A computer that's kept up to date is a happy computer, as it will offer you the best chance of avoiding viruses and other unpleasant things.
You can delay updates, but you can't avoid them.Screenshot by Nate Ralph/CNET
This is also a terrible thing. Many of us have encountered software updates that don't quite work out, occasionally breaking more than they fix. One of the last updates to the Windows 10 preview has been triggering software crashes, a recurring reminder that things occasionally don't work out as intended.
Microsoft has plans in place to mitigate these snafus: those of us who've signed up for the Windows Insider program can opt to continue serving as beta testers in perpetuity, and we'll be receiving every update first, for better or worse. But an army of five million testers could go a long way toward making sure these compulsory updates go as smoothly as possible. Insiders will also be able to continue driving the future of Windows by sharing feedback on features and functionality in Windows as they are developed.
I still worry that something will eventually slip through the cracks, and that will be the forced update that sours everyone's mood on the whole process. But I still favor Microsoft's approach: better to deal with the occasional botched update than have the legion of vulnerable or compromised devices that currently exists.
Conclusion
In an ideal world, we'd just call Microsoft's latest operating system "Windows," and sweep version numbers and codenames under the rug. That "10" gives the impression that something comes next, when in reality Windows is transitioning from something you buy (begrudgingly) once every few years, to a living document that's constantly being updated, and tweaked. For many Windows users expecting a predictable upgrade cadence, this is going to be a difficult transition.
Windows 10 will mean the end of grand, sweeping changes, with a marked increase in the sort of minute, quality-of-life tweaks we've grown accustomed to on our smartphones and tablets. Cortana will learn new tricks, and the interface will become flexible enough to support entirely new kinds of devices, like Microsoft's HoloLens . Should Windows Phone survive, we'll eventually see the world Microsoft envisioned back at the launch of Windows 8, when every device was supposed to feel right at home.
All of that comes later. What we have, at present, is a fast, functional OS that that is equally at home on a beefy gaming rig as it is on a Surface tablet. It does everything you expect it to, and bakes in all of the improvements Windows 8 brought to bear. Both Cortana and Edge have a long road ahead of them before they'll supplant Google's vicelike grip on my digital life, but the novelty of dictating emails and requests to my PC is not lost on me. And then there's the price: free, for those upgrading from Windows 7 or Windows 8.
If you're running Windows 7 or Windows 8 you've little to lose, and quite a bit to gain, by making the jump to Windows 10. If you're still on Windows XP, you've probably got your reasons. But Windows 10 marks the first steps in a transition from operating system to ecosystem, a wild dream that gets a little less crazy every time I ask my PC a question, or pop the keyboard of my laptop to get some reading done. This is Microsoft's second attempt at bringing us the future, and this time they're getting it right.
