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These Technologies Could Play a Big Role in the iPhone's Future

These Technologies Could Play a Big Role in the iPhone's Future

Social distancing during the height of the pandemic in 2020 was challenging for Lucy Edwards, a blind journalist and broadcaster based in the UK. So she tried the iPhone's People Detection feature, which uses the iPhone 12 Pro's and 13 Pro's lidar sensor to detect when other people are nearby and calculate their distance from the user. 

"I'm going to have to get used to it, but I'm really excited that I can be in control again," Edwards said in a BBC video from 2020 documenting her experience. 

Lidar , or light detection and ranging, is just one example of how the technology inside the iPhone has evolved in the last 15 years. When the first iPhone launched, on June 29, 2007, it had a 3.5-inch screen that would be considered minuscule by today's standards and a single 2-megapixel camera. Now Apple's most sophisticated phones come equipped with triple-rear cameras that are advanced enough to shoot films, sensors that help people like Edwards navigate the world and powerful chips with billions of transistors. We're expecting to learn about what's next for the iPhone at Apple's upcoming event on Sept. 7. 

The iPhone often served as a catalyst for the technologies introduced within, whether it's digital assistant Siri, mobile payments or wireless charging, and helped drive the evolution of how we live our mobile lives. But in the future, the most important part of the iPhone might be everything around it. That's according to analysts who've observed the mobile industry's general trends and Apple's strategy.   

In the short term, we're likely to see incremental improvements like higher quality cameras and giant displays. But over the next decade, the iPhone could evolve into a hub for smart glasses and other devices. AirPods, Apple Watches and CarPlay-enabled vehicles may be just the start. The iPhone's core elements, like its display and charging systems, are also expected to get a significant boost. 

"The next quest for the smartphone is to figure out what it will connect to next," said Runar Bjørhovde, an analyst with market research firm Canalys. "Because the smartphone has not necessarily reached its potential yet, but as a standalone device I think the smartphone is getting closer and closer to the edge." 

Your iPhone at the center of everything

There's plenty of speculation about what's next after the smartphone. The resounding consensus seems to be smart glasses, with companies like Meta, Snap and Google all working on their own version of high-tech spectacles. 

Apple is no exception; reports from Bloomberg indicate that the iPhone maker could debut a mixed reality headset this year or next that supports augmented and virtual reality technologies. A pair of AR-powered smart glasses could arrive later this decade, according to the report. 

So what does this have to do with the iPhone? Possibly everything. Even though Apple's headset is expected to function as a standalone device, the apps and services it runs would likely stem from the iPhone. 

Think of the Apple Watch. It doesn't need a nearby iPhone to function, but a large part of its appeal involves its ability to sync closely with Apple's phone. Many of the Apple Watch's notifications are also tied to accounts and apps that were set up on the iPhone. 

Whether it's a smart headset, the Apple Watch, AirPods or HomeKit-enabled appliances, analysts expect the phone to remain at the center.  

The iPhone will likely remain at the center of the Apple experience, serving as a hub for AirPods, the Apple Watch and possibly a pair of smart glasses one day.

Scott Stein/CNET

"The phone will be the anchor," said Gene Munster, managing partner for tech investment firm Loup Ventures and a longtime Apple analyst.

But it isn't just about connecting to new personal tech gadgets. Apple is gradually turning the iPhone into a viable replacement for the wallet, weaving it even more tightly into the nondigital aspects of our lives. 

Apple has made a lot of progress on this front over the past year by rolling out new features like digital IDs for Apple Wallet and Tap to Pay, which turns the iPhone into a contactless payment terminal for merchants without additional hardware. Apple also just announced Apple Pay Later, which lets Apple Pay users split a purchase into four equal installments paid over the course of six weeks. 

"It's clear that there's a lot of momentum within financial services with Apple, and I think we will see further advancements there," said Nick Maynard, head of research for Juniper Research. 

Better lidar, more advanced AI for better spatial awareness

Making educated guesses about Apple's general direction for the iPhone is certainly easier than pinpointing specific changes that might be coming. But analysts have some ideas based on the seeds Apple has planted in current iPhones. 

Lidar will likely continue to be important as the company pushes more deeply into augmented reality. Apple added lidar on the iPhone 12 Pro in 2020 to boost the performance of AR apps, enable new camera tricks and facilitate accessibility features like the aforementioned People Detection. The technology measures distance by determining how long it takes for light to reflect off an object and bounce back. 

Yet the iPhone's current lidar sensors might not be sophisticated enough to bring Apple's augmented reality ambitions to fruition, said Munster. 

"Specifically what needs to happen is the mapping of the real world needs to be more accurate," said Munster, whose firm conducts research on topics like augmented reality, autonomous vehicles and virtual reality. "And until that happens, AR isn't really going to happen."

The iPhone's People Detection feature uses lidar.

James Martin/CNET

Lidar improves the iPhone's depth-sensing skills, but it's still up to the phone's processor to make sense of all that data. Apple has leaned into artificial intelligence -- one of Silicon Valley's favorite buzzwords in recent years -- to give the iPhone and other products more context about users and their surroundings. 

Once again, you can look to the Apple Watch to see this approach at work. Apple's smartwatch uses artificial intelligence and data gathered from its sensors for tasks such as tracking your sleep and noticing when you're washing your hands. 

Hanish Bhatia, a senior analyst for Counterpoint Research, provided a hypothetical example of how AI improvements could one day manifest in upcoming iPhones. He envisions a future in which Apple's smartphone can observe a person's habits to understand whether the phone's primary user or a family member may be using the device. 

"The way you use your phone, at what angle your smartphone is tilted ... Do you press with a particular pressure, or do you just tap it with your nails or something like that?" he said as an example. "All of these are different types of behaviors which are very unique to a user."

Bhatia's example is speculative and doesn't reflect Apple's actual plans. But with advancements in AI and technologies like lidar and ultra wideband giving the iPhone more spatial awareness, it's easy to imagine a scenario like this.

Displays and charging tech could get a big change

Perhaps one of the biggest questions surrounding Apple's future smartphone plans is whether the company will ever create a foldable iPhone. Samsung, Apple's biggest rival in the mobile space, has already launched several generations of phones with flexible designs. Motorola, Huawei and Microsoft have all followed suit, and Google is rumored to be working on a bendable Pixel. Shipments of foldable smartphones are said to have increased by 264.3% in 2021 compared with 2020, according to The International Data Corporation.

But experts like Munster and Maynard are skeptical about whether Apple will take a similar approach. Though the tech giant has filedpatents for mobile devices with flexible displays, those filings aren't always indicative of Apple's plans. Sales of foldable phones have been growing, but shipments still pale in comparison with regular smartphones. (Research firm IDC estimates that 7.1 million foldable phones were shipped in 2021 compared with 362.4 million phones shipped in just the fourth quarter of last year). And then there's the question of whether foldable devices bring anything truly new or meaningful to the smartphone experience. 

There are also challenges with creating a true glass screen that's foldable, says Munster. Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip has a glass screen, but that glass is also combined with "a special material" to "achieve a consistent hardness," CNET reported in 2020.

"The piece that's missing from my perspective is how [Apple] would actually do it," Munster said.

Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 3 can fold in half.

Sarah Tew/CNET

The iPhone's charging experience is probably due for an upgrade too. Between USB-C, Lightning and MagSafe, it isn't an exaggeration to say that Apple's charging options are complicated. Maynard believes pressure from the European Union and US senators could mean a switch to USB-C might be in the iPhone's future.

But more dramatic changes could also be in the pipeline. Rumors about a completely portlessiPhone have swirled for years, and Maynard doesn't think it's totally out of the question.  

"I suspect if any vendor was going to launch a fully portless system, then it probably would be Apple," said Maynard, citing Apple's decision to remove the iPhone's headphone jack in 2016. 

Wireless charging has also been a focal point for Apple in recent years, further supporting the case for a port-free iPhone. There's Apple's relatively new MagSafe chargers, and many CarPlay-enabled vehicles also support wireless connections. Apple has also patented wireless charging systems that would be built directly into MacBooks, enabling Apple's laptops to charge iPhones, Apple Watches and iPads. The iPad Pro's Smart Connector also provides a quick and easy way to attach accessories to Apple's tablet without a port. 

"The number of systems that actually 100% must have a cable are diminishing," Maynard said. 

Apple's MagSafe battery pack wirelessly connects to the back of an iPhone.

Patrick Holland/CNET

Otherwise, analysts expect to see routine upgrades to the camera in the near term. Munster says there's room for improvement in the iPhone's front-facing camera, while Bhatia expects Apple to continue to use display size and camera quality to distinguish the regular iPhones from its Pro iPhones. 

It's impossible to know what's next for the iPhone without Apple's input. But experts seem certain on one thing: Apple is laying the groundwork for the iPhone's future today. Current iPhone features, like Apple's lidar-powered accessibility tools meant to help people like Edwards, could provide a clue about what's ahead. 

"Everything we can see that they've done over the last few years is a good hint of what's coming up next," said Bjørhovde. "Because a lot of what I think they do is setting themselves up for the systems they want to integrate the iPhone into in the years to come."

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What States Can and Can't Do When Banning Abortion

What States Can and Can't Do When Banning Abortion

For more information about your reproductive health rights and related federal resources, you can visit the US government's

Reproductive Rights

site.

Whether someone can get an abortion or related medical procedure mostly hinges on which state they live in after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last month and ended the constitutional right to abortion. But the switch from federal protection to state law isn't straightforward and has led to confusion and misinformation on what pregnant patients and physicians can do.

In this still developing landscape, how confident can people be that their treatment is still legal?

"The answer to all your questions is 'Who the heck knows,'" said Dr. Louise Perkins King, a surgeon and bioethicist at Harvard Medical School. "And that's the problem."

The US Department of Health and Human Services issued guidance on July 11 reminding physicians of their responsibilities under the existing Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, or EMTLA, which supports the need to treat and stabilize patients in an emergency, including pregnant patients who may require an abortion. Days later, Texas sued the Biden administration over the law, which allows for medical assistance to save the life of the mother, because, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said, it "seeks to transform every emergency room in the country into a walk-in abortion clinic." 

On Tuesday, a judge in Texas blocked the EMTLA guidance, so physicians in that state may no longer be protected by federal law if they perform an abortion when they deem it medically necessary but it falls outside of Texas' interpretation of a life-endangering pregnancy. Physicians nationwide who are members of the American Association of Pro-Life Gynecologists and Obstetricians or the Christian Medical and Dental Association are also exempt -- a total of about 18,000 health care providers, according to the court document.

Texas' new trigger law -- which will be in effect on Aug. 25 -- bans all abortions except when the pregnancy puts the mother "at risk of death or poses a serious risk of substantial impairment of a major bodily function." Physicians who perform an illegal abortion will be committing a felony. It doesn't make exceptions for rape, incest or fetal abnormalities, and it also doesn't make an exception for when the pregnant person's risk of death would come from a "claim or diagnosis" that they'll be hurt or might die in the future. (This could be interpreted to mean a doctor can't provide an abortion if a woman threatens to die by suicide because she has depression.) All abortions are currently banned in Texas after the state's Supreme Court ruled that a law from the 1920s could stand.

Legal battles within some states will continue to shape post-Roe America, with the landscape changing by the day. And lawsuits like the one in Texas clarify the country's stance on whether state law preempts federal rule on abortion or reproductive health care. Basically, can federal regulations trump state law? 

"There's going to be cases that are going to have to determine this question," I. Glenn Cohen, a professor and bioethicist at Harvard Law School, said. 

The argument over medication abortion access -- which is banned or restricted in many states but still available to people if they order it (not without risk) online -- will likely also be one of the first big court cases post-Roe, Cohen said. Questions of whether federal regulations on medication abortion conflict directly enough with state restrictions will continue to be center stage.

Medication abortion, for use in early pregnancy, accounts for more than half of abortions in the US. Restricting the pills is the new frontier of abortion bans.

Robyn Beck/Getty Images

Other federal guidance issued by the Biden administration includes a reminder to pharmacists that they are required to fill medication and birth control prescriptions for patients. Failing to do so is discrimination based on pregnancy status. This was in response to the many reports of women having treatment delayed or prescriptions denied while health care workers try to  navigate around new state laws.

Here's what we know today.

Can states ban abortion pills? Not completely, but some are trying. 

Any state with a current total ban on abortion -- including Texas, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri and Wisconsin -- also bans medication abortion. Heavy restrictions in other states, including Tennessee and South Carolina, which ban abortion after about six weeks, also extend to medication abortion. This means providers can't prescribe the medication in those states and patients can't fill prescriptions at pharmacies.  

"If a state law bans abortion broadly, that includes medication abortions," Elisabeth Smith, director of state policy and advocacy at the Center for Reproductive Rights, told MedPage Today.

But abortion bans and state laws seek to punish abortion providers or people who assist them, not the person seeking the abortion (there's reason to believe this might change in the future). For now, people living in the most restrictive states can still order pills from an overseas pharmacy, including Aid Access. However, the pills could take awhile to arrive and potentially put the person past the point of pregnancy for which the medication is safe and effective (about 10 weeks).

Peter Dazeley/Getty Images

The fate of medication abortion pills in Republican-leaning states centers on mifepristone, the first pill given in the two-dose regimen of medication abortion. Because the US Food and Drug Administration approved mifepristone as a safe and effective way to end a pregnancy over 20 years ago, states shouldn't be able to restrict it, the US attorney general's office argued the same day Roe was overturned. (Misoprostol, the second pill, is used off-label for abortion and miscarriage treatment. It's also used to treat health conditions such as stomach ulcers.) 

Whether this federal regulation (and the FDA's stamp of approval) supersedes state laws will need to be decided. Cohen said this is likely to be determined by the Supreme Court as "one of the first post-Dobbs cases."

"It's unclear whether that's going to be a winner of an argument, to be perfectly honest," Cohen said.

Last year, the FDA extended a pandemic-era rule that allowed patients to get medication abortion pills through the mail, instead of requiring them to be prescribed in person. This was seen as a victory for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and other medical groups, which viewed the in-person requirement as unnecessary for a medication that's safe and effective in early pregnancy.   

But states have their own requirements for medication abortion, and providers licensed in Montana can't prescribe pills to patients who travel over from a restrictive state like South Dakota, NPR reported.

Read more: Worries About Post-Roe Data Privacy Put Spotlight on Period Apps  

Ectopic pregnancies can't result in a delivery and require medical treatment. Symptoms can start with typical pregnancy signs, including a missed period, but can progress to abdominal or pelvic pain, vaginal bleeding, weakness and more. 

Svetlana Gustova/Getty Images

Can states ban treatment for high risk pregnancies? The HHS says no, but doctors say state laws are restricting care.  

Even though the most restrictive states banning abortions leave room for some degree of medical emergency, practicing physicians need to decide where the medical emergency line is – and risk prosecution if a state sees it differently. 

This month, the story of a 10-year-old girl who was raped and pregnant and who traveled to Indiana from Ohio, where abortion is banned around six weeks without exception for rape or incest, made headlines. Not only was the physician publicly questioned by Indiana's attorney general on whether she followed state law, but Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said in the aftermath that the girl should've been able to legally get an abortion under the state law's medical emergency exemption. Ohio's OB-GYNs disagreed. 

"It states specifically 'medically diagnosed condition,' and as far as I can tell, adolescent pregnancy is not a medically diagnosed condition that's listed," Dr. Jason Sayat, a Columbus OB-GYN, told the Ohio Capital Journal. 

The Department of Health and Human Services reminded physicians and hospitals that if they want to keep their Medicare agreement and avoid "civil penalties," they must treat pregnant patients and provide abortions if necessary as required under the 1986 Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act. The EMTLA, now blocked in Texas, outlines certain life-endangering pregnancies that doctors must treat regardless of state law, including ectopic pregnancies, preeclampsia and complications of pregnancy loss.

But that narrow line of abortion exceptions for medical emergencies given by states like Wisconsin is what's troubling Dr. Jennifer McIntosh, a maternal-fetal medicine physician practicing in the state. While Wisconsin's attorney general said he wouldn't enforce a ban, physicians there stopped performing abortions because the state has a pre-Roe criminal statute that prohibits most abortions. The "save the life of the mother" abortion exception language in that law can leave out health conditions which may not be an immediate emergency but can become one down the line. 

"Some of what we do is to prevent emergencies from happening," McIntosh said. "To have to wait for an emergency to actually appear puts your patient's life at risk."

The treatment for an ectopic pregnancy is termination, because terminating the pregnancy is the only safe outcome when an embryo grows outside of the uterus, typically in a fallopian tube. Without treatment, the fallopian tube is likely to rupture, which can lead to internal bleeding and death. But some laws, like one in Texas, specifically restrict medications including methotrexate, which has led to access problems for people who are pregnant as well as people who are taking methotrexate for another health reason. 

Complicating confusion and risk over how abortion bans will affect treatments for ectopic pregnancies is the fact that more rare types of ectopic pregnancies exist, including ones where the pregnancy is growing inside a C-section scar or other area outside the safety of the main cavity of the uterus -- but still technically in the uterus. These rarer kinds of ectopic pregnancies are also life-threatening, and may be more difficult to diagnose and treat as such in a state that bans abortions with an emphasis on the pregnancy being in the uterus.

Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

States are not prosecuting people who have abortions (yet)

Current state laws -- both those in effect and those in limbo in court -- prosecute other people involved in an abortion, not the person who's pregnant. 

But the health impact may be already felt when a doctor is hesitant to treat patients, or pharmacists are reluctant to fill a prescription for mifepristone before interviewing a woman to ascertain whether her pregnancy is already ended and her situation is in line with state law.

"Even in these straightforward cases of basic OB/GYN practice, the laws leave providers questioning and afraid," Dr. Carley Zeal, an OB-GYN in Wisconsin, told The New York Times. "These laws are already hurting my patients."

Aside from hesitancy among health care providers, physicians also fear that worries people have about being prosecuted for having an abortion or miscarriage will stop patients experiencing complications from any kind of pregnancy loss from seeking care. 

That's because it was already happening, before Roe was overturned. According to the National Advocates for Pregnant Women, there were over 1,700 arrests or prosecutions of women from 1973 (when Roe became law) to 2020 where their pregnancies were the focus of the case against them. 

So will doctors report you if they suspect you had an abortion? 

"The vast majority of health care professionals will not do that, because that's not caring for their patients," King said. But, she added, "I'm sure there's a very small, but unfortunately detrimental, minority who might." 

Your current access to birth control shouldn't be impacted by the overturn of Roe v. Wade. However, there's reason to believe that could change in the future.

Carol Yepes/Getty Images

Birth control is still protected under the Affordable Care Act

Right now, IUDs, birth control pills and other birth control methods are legal in all 50 states. And they should also be covered at no out-of-pocket cost for those covered under the Affordable Care Act. The right to birth control is protected under two Supreme Court rulings: Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) and Eisenstadt v. Baird. (Another Supreme Court Case, Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, chipped away a little of that protection, however, finding that some corporations are exempt for religious reasons.) 

Plan B or "morning after pill" brands are also not included in abortion bans, because they will not end an existing pregnancy. Most health plans should also cover them. 

Legislators in Missouri last year voted to block taxpayer funding for IUDs and emergency contraception, casting doubt that all birth control devices will be protected indefinitely, at least in some states. The claims of legislators like Paul Wieland, a Republican state senator in Missouri, are that anything that has the potential to disrupt a fertilized egg's implantation into the uterus is an abortifacient. 

The medical community has been clear that IUDs and emergency contraception do not cause abortions and will not end an existing pregnancy. Copper IUDs work mostly by causing a chemical change in the sperm and egg before they meet, according to the World Health Organization. Hormonal IUDs like Mirena work mostly by thickening cervical mucus so sperm can't reach the egg, and can also prevent ovulation. Plan B and similar pills likely won't work if a person has already ovulated, meaning the chances of it stopping implantation are currently understood to be slim.

Nevertheless, unlikely occurrences or instances where a fertilized egg may be prevented from implanting into a uterus could be called into question in future court cases.

Read more: Could a Post Roe v. Wade World Impact Your Access to Birth Control?   

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.

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Source

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How to get your drone license how to get your drone rust how to get your drone out of a tree how to get your social security card how to get your ex back how to get a passport how to get a new social security card how to take a screenshot

How to get your drone license (and legally make money)

How to get your drone license (and legally make money)

Aerial photography. Real estate tours. Drone burrito delivery.

Imagine the money you could make (and fun you could have!) if you flew for profit.

Sadly, drone businesses aren't legal in the United States unless the government makes an exception for you -- or unless you get your own drone license under the FAA's brand-new rules.

Starting Monday, August 29, you can apply for your very own license by passing a multiple-choice test and paying a small fee. No experience necessary!

What, you mean I can't just sell my drone photos already?

Nope! You could get fined $1,100 (or more) for operating your unmanned aerial system (UAS) for business purposes without FAA approval.

What is a Remote Pilot Certificate?

It's the official name for the drone license I've been talking about. With it, you can legally fly drones with intention of making a profit -- either by selling the footage, delivering goods and everything in between. You still have to follow a lot of restrictions when you fly...but more on those in a bit.

Prosumer camera drones like the popular DJI Phantom start at around $500 -- but the sky's the limit on price.

Joshua Goldman/CNET

What if I'm just flying for fun?

You don't need the certificate...but you do still need to register your drone if it weighs over half a pound (0.55lb to be precise).

Oh, but if you're a drone racer -- weaving through obstacles with a nifty set of first-person-view glasses on your head -- you'll still need that Remote Pilot Certificate. At least that's what the FAA tells Forbes.

OK, I want to make money. What do I need to get my license?

• Be at least 16 years old
• Have a valid government-issued picture ID with your name, address and signature
• Make an appointment to take the knowledge test at a test center near you
• Pay $150 to the testing firm
• Study
• Pass the test
• Wait up to 48 hours for your test score to get uploaded
• Apply for your Remote Pilot Certificate (using the code from your successful test as proof)
• Complete a TSA background check
• Print out a temporary Remote Pilot Certificate (while you wait for the real one to be delivered by mail)
• Register your drone (maybe do this first?) and start flying!

OK, that does sound like a lot. Let's break it down.

How do I get an appointment for a Remote Pilot Certificate?

You need to call, email or submit an online request form with one of the two companies supervising the test -- not the test center.

CATS (Computer Assisted Testing Service):

• 1-800-947-4228, then press 3 (Monday to Friday, 5:30 a.m. PT to 5 p.m. PT, Saturday to Sunday 7 a.m. PT to 3:30 p.m. PT)
• Online registration and payment (CATS calls you back within 24 hours to schedule)

PSI (formerly LaserGrade):

• 1-800-211-2753, then press 1 twice (Monday to Friday, 5 a.m. PT to 5 p.m. PT, Saturday 5 a.m. PT to 2 p.m. PT)
• examschedule@psionline.com (PSI replies within two business hours)
• Online request form (PSI replies within two business hours)

According to testing centers we called, CATS and PSI handle pretty much everything, including assigning you a test center and accepting your $150 payment.

The DJI Phantom 4 taking flight.

CNET

How long is the waiting list?

In the San Francisco Bay Area, it's not too bad as of August 26. One testing center told us they were booked for two weeks, another said they had openings later in the week.

Is there a testing center near me?

Probably! There are 686 of them across the United States. Check for yourself in the FAA's full, official list of test centers (PDF).

You'll need to call CATS or PSI to get your appointment, though. While the FAA's website says you can just walk in, testing centers in the San Francisco Bay Area told us we needed to arrange everything with CATS or PSI first.

How hard is the test?

You get two hours to answer 60 multiple-choice questions, and you only need to answer 70 percent of them correctly to pass! (You can totally miss 18 questions and still succeed.)

But these aren't exactly easy questions. You'll probably need to study.

Oh yeah? How hard can the questions be?

While monitoring the Cooperstown CTAF you hear an aircraft announce that they are midfield left downwind to RWY 13. Where would the aircraft be relative to the runway? (Refer to FAA-CT-8080-2G, Figure 26, area 2.)

A. The aircraft is East.

B. The aircraft is South.

C. The aircraft is West.

That's just one of the FAA's sample questions. Find more here (PDF).

What's the best way to prepare for the test?

The FAA actually offers a free two-hour training course (register here first) to get you up to speed, plus an 87-page study guide (PDF).

But you may need more help than that, because the FAA's course materials don't explain some of the simplest concepts in plain English.

For instance, would you believe you can answer the sample question above without looking at a map? I didn't figure it out until I found this third-party study guide by drone manufacturer 3DR.

I passed the test! Where do I apply for the actual certificate?

• Register here first (pick Applicant) and fill out your personal information. (You can ignore the Airman Certificate Number and Date of Issuance fields)
• Log into the site using your new username and password
• Apply for the certificate here; pick Pilot from the first dropdown menu, then click on the Remote Pilot certification

If you get lost, here's a complete set of instructions.

The Yuneeq Typhoon H drone.

Joshua Goldman/CNET

Now that I've got my certificate, I can fly anywhere, anytime, yes?

Not so much -- as you'll see when you study, there are a lot of rules (PDF) about when and where you can fly your drone.

Unless you get a 107 waiver (and you need to apply for those months in advance), you can't fly:

• At night
• Over people
• Higher than 400 feet (unless you're within 400 feet of a building; skyscraper climbing is OK)
• Further away than you can see with your naked eye
• At speeds over 100 miles per hour
• From a moving vehicle (or inside a covered stationary vehicle)
• Within five miles of an airport -- unless you clear it with air traffic control using this tool at the FAA's website.

Also, you need to register your drone (if it weighs between 0.55 and 55 pounds), do pre-flight checks before you fly and report any accidents that hurt people or do $500 worth of damage to property.

What if my drone weighs more than 55 pounds?

You can't do it with a drone license, or even a 107 waiver. Only a 333 exemption (which are hard to get, can take a long time and generally require a real pilot's license to fly) can let you pilot something that heavy.

What if my company already has a Section 333 Exemption?

Lucky you! But in many cases, you can't actually fly a drone for profit under the 333 unless you're a certified pilot. The Remote Pilot Certificate is another option.

What if I've already got a pilot's license?

If you want your Remote Pilot Certificate, you can actually skip the knowledge test and take the online training course instead. You'll still need to fill out a form, make an in-person appointment and have completed a flight review within the last two years, so it's not necessarily any easier.

Here's a step-by-step guide for existing pilots.

Could I really start a drone burrito delivery service?

Yes, the FAA says package delivery is OK -- but it'd be tough! Particularly given the rule about needing to keep the drone within eyesight, and the one about drones needing to weigh 55 pounds or less. It'd probably be easier to just hand someone their food.

How about a journalist covering breaking news stories?

That could be tough, too. You can't fly over people without a waiver, and the FAA says those will take months. But if you're not reporting live, or not directly over people... the FAA says media companies can do it.

What if I have awesome video goggles and a camera on the drone? Do I really need to watch it with my actual eyes?

Someone needs to: either you, or a second person who can act as a visual observer. Them's the rules!

Which drone should I buy?

If you've never flown before, buy a toy drone. Not kidding -- you'll learn the basic motor skills without any risk of hurting people or turning a $1,000+ aerial camera into scrap. Then, pick one of our top-rated prosumer drones that matches your needs and budget.

Is that it?

So far, so good...but there's still a lot to think about. Maybe you'll want to insure your drone against damage, and yourself against liability? You'll definitely want to practice flying and camera skills, and you'll need to figure out how to convince potential clients that you're right for the job.

Lastly, know that your Remote Pilot Certificate is only good for two years. You'll need to pass another knowledge test once that's done.

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Top reasons the irs could flag your social security top reasons the irs could flag your credit top reasons the irs could flag your ssn top reasons the irs could flag your email top reasons the irs could be on the verge top theatre schools top reasons the civil war top reasons for divorce top reasons employees leave top reasons people divorce top reasons not to get covid vaccine top reasons for abortion

Top Reasons the IRS Could Flag Your Tax Return

Top Reasons the IRS Could Flag Your Tax Return

This story is part of Taxes 2022, CNET's coverage of the best tax software and everything else you need to get your return filed quickly, accurately and on-time.

According to the IRS website, an audit is simply a review of accounts and financial information "to ensure information is reported correctly according to the tax laws and to verify the reported amount of tax is correct."

But many taxpayers live in fear of being audited or receiving any sort of feedback from the IRS other than a confirmation (or refund). Audits can be triggered at random, but certain kinds of taxpayers -- and certain behaviors -- are more likely to raise red flags with the agency.

Below, we've spoken with tax experts about the chief mistakes people make that generate more scrutiny from the IRS. We'll also explain what you can do to avoid making errors and how far back into your records the agency will look.

1. You have missing or mismatched paperwork

"There's no one single thing that automatically triggers an audit," said Jo Willetts, director of tax resources at Jackson Hewitt, "but mismatched documentation is the most common reason why you'll get a letter from the IRS."

It can be as simple as a missing form, she said, "and often it happens to people who rush around at the last minute." 

Last year the federal government offered a variety of financial support programs to offset the economic effects of the pandemic, notably the child tax credit, the earned income tax credit, a third stimulus check and the American opportunity tax credit, which allows you to claim up to $2,500 in education expenses.

But you have to show you legitimately qualified for these benefits, Willetts told CNET. 

"If, last year, you claimed no child tax credit and this year you claimed three kids and they're not babies, it's going to trigger a letter from the IRS," she said.

That doesn't mean you're always in the wrong: You might have had a child in May 2021, and the IRS is working off information it has on you from 2020. 

While the EITC is aimed at lower-income households, taxpayers who claim it are among the most likely to be audited, accounting for nearly 31% of all audits over the past 10 years, according to a 2021 report from the US Treasury Department (PDF).

That's because fraud is so rampant, according to the IRS: Some $16 billion, or 23.5% of EITC payments, were improperly paid in fiscal year 2020.

2. You made a mistake with the math or data entry

While simple math errors won't usually trigger a full-blown examination by the IRS, they will garner an extra look and slow down the completion of your return, even if the error is in the IRS' favor.

So can entering your Social Security number wrong, transposing the numbers on your address and other boneheaded blunders.

Filing electronically cuts down on these foul-ups by pulling a lot of information from previous returns and letting you load your W-2s or 1099s directly into the system.

Using a professional tax preparer is also a good bulwark against mistakes and miscalculations.

3. You're self-employed

"If you work for yourself and have legitimate business expenses, you should feel empowered to take them," said Lisa Greene-Lewis, a TurboTax tax expert. "Just make sure you have receipts and documentation to back it up."

If you claim the home-office deduction, it has to be a space used "exclusively and regularly for your trade or business" -- not the dining-room table. 

If you claim transportation expenses, you'll need documentation of the mileage used for work: If you deduct 100% of your personal vehicle as a business expense, it's going to raise a flag. 

The largest percentage of Americans who are audited make over $1 million.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Being diligent is especially true when deducting business meals, Greene-Lewis added. 

In the past, they were only 50% deductible -- now you can now claim 100% of the cost of a business meal, "but you have to document who you are with, what the purpose of the meeting was, the date of the meal, and so on," Greene-Lewis said. 

"And of course, keep your receipts," she added.

Read more: Best Tax Software for Freelancers, Gig Workers and Self-Employed

4. You make a lot of money, or no money at all

Higher-income taxpayers are more likely to be reviewed, said Willetts, "but we're talking less than 1% of the total population."

According to the IRS, 2.53% of those earning between $1 million and $10 million were audited in 2015, and 8.1% of Americans who made $10 million or more were.

That compares to less than 1% for all the income brackets under $1 million that year.

The one exception was those declaring "no positive income," 4.47% of whom were audited. A negative income could be the result of capital losses or declared business expenses, which the IRS will want to scrutinize.

You're in the safest position if your total household income is between $25,000 and $200,000, according to the agency. Those taxpayers were audited the least. 

5. You claim too many business expenses or losses

You are required to file a Schedule C form if you have business income, but it complicates your return and can make you more likely to be contacted by the IRS.

Greene-Lewis encourages taxpayers to claim every deduction they're legitimately entitled to. But, she adds, you have to be extremely diligent in justifying those deductions, providing details and supporting paperwork.

The IRS' computer system is looking for deductions that are outside the norm for people in your profession.

Angela Lang/CNET

By and large, the IRS algorithm is looking for deductions that are outside the norm for people in your profession: If you're a patent attorney but your travel expenses are three times what other patent attorneys claim, it could lead to closer inspection.

And If you've taken a loss on your business for several years in a row, the IRS might want to make sure your business is above board.

According to Thomas Scott, a tax partner at Aprio, small business owners who keep sloppy records often make "frivolous business deductions."

"When the business owner makes up expenses and deductions, they tend to stick out," Scott told CNET. "Under an audit, the IRS will require support and proof of deductions and if not provided these deductions will be disallowed."

On a similar note, Scott added, "businesses that try to take incentives and credits that they don't qualify for may cause a red flag."

6. Your charitable deductions are outsized

If you itemize your deductions, you can claim cash donations to recognized charities -- as well as the value of a donated car, clothes or other property. But the IRS notices if these donations "seem out of whack with your income," says Greene-Lewis. The agency's computer system, called Discriminant Information Function, continuously scans tax returns for anomalies.

"If you say your salary was $50,000 last year, but you claimed a charitable deduction that's, like, half your income, it's going to catch their eye," Greene-Lewis told CNET.

For the 2021 tax year, the IRS actually suspended the typical limits on charitable contributions: Individuals are allowed to deduct charitable contributions worth up to 100% of their adjusted gross income.

But doing so is likely to draw scrutiny, so you better have all your paperwork in order.

7. You have undeclared income

This is the big one: Employers are required to file a W-2 with the IRS that reflects your earnings, or 1099s in the case of freelancers and contractors who earn more than $600.

The agency's computer automatically checks to see that your reported income matches up to what your boss submitted. 

It also gets notified of interest or earnings from savings accounts, investments and stock trades, too -- as well as large gambling wins, inheritances and almost any other kind of income. If you fail to report capital gains on cryptocurrency trades, it could trigger an audit.

Even if you work in a cash business -- say, as a waiter or babysitter -- unclaimed income can catch up to you.

"If someone is bringing their child to you to care for, they're probably claiming your service on their taxes. So you need to make sure it all aligns," says Willetts. "Even a small business like a house painter will require you to be bonded. That will eventually cross the IRS's desk." 

For instance, if you declare $20,000 in income on your tax return, but when you apply for a home loan backed by the Federal Housing Administration, you put down $80,000. "These departments talk to each other and eventually it's going to get you caught," Willetts added.

According to Aprio's Thomas Scott, small-business owners who don't keep good records also tend to underreport -- a major audit risk.

"Because the business owner hasn't kept up with their income for the entire year, when it's time to file their taxes they tend to estimate," Scott says. "The problem with this approach shows up because most of the income earned has been reported to the IRS on a Form 1099. The IRS can match the income reported on the owner's return to the income reported on Form 1099s."

The IRS also accepts tips from concerned citizens: Your disgruntled co-worker or aggrieved in-law may be only too happy to report you for tax fraud, especially since the agency's 2006 Whistleblower Program increased incentives to potentially between 15% and 30% of the proceeds the IRS collects.

The three kinds of 'audits'

Typically, the IRS sends three different kinds of notifications: Adjustment letters, correspondent audits and examination audits.

Adjustment letters simply let taxpayers know they owe additional money or that there is a change in their refund amount, typically because of a miscalculation. 

"People get a letter from the IRS and they automatically freak out and think it's an audit, but it's really just an adjustment letter," said Greene-Lewis.

A correspondence audit is a bit more involved: It lets the taxpayer know additional documentation is needed to complete their return. The IRS might ask for receipts, bills, employment documents, canceled checks, legal papers, loan agreements, shareholder reports or even ticket stubs.

An examination audit is what people are really scared of, but less than 1% of Americans are audited in a given tax year, said Willetts. "Generally the IRS says 'If you have the documents, send them to us.'" 

If you do receive a letter indicating the IRS is conducting an examination audit, you might want to solicit a professional, she added.

The process may be conducted through the mail, or more rarely, in person. (In March 2020, the IRS suspended face-to-face examinations because of the COVID-19 pandemic.)

When the audit is completed, your IRS auditor will determine what's required to rectify the situation. If you disagree, there is an appeals process.

Some of the things that get flagged by the agency are no big deal, Willetts said, "and the IRS is not always right -- or not fully right." In 2018, 30,000 of the million or so audits conducted resulted in taxpayers getting additional money back. 

"It's always a pleasure to resolve an issue with the IRS when it's the taxpayer's favor," said Willetts.

How far back can the IRS go to audit a return?

Generally, the IRS will include returns filed within the last three years in an audit, with most audits of returns from the last two.

"If we identify a substantial error, we may add additional years," according to the agency's website, which adds it doesn't usually don't go back more than the last six years.

If an audit is not resolved, the IRS may request extending the statute of limitations for assessing additional taxes and fees, which is usually three years after a return was due or was filed, whichever is later.

The auditee doesn't have to agree to the extension of the statute of limitations date, according to the IRS. "However if you don't agree, the auditor will be forced to make a determination based upon the information provided."

How long should you hold onto your old tax records? 

Since the IRS typically looks at returns from the past three years, it's a good rule of thumb to hold onto your records for at least that long.

Six or seven years is fine if you really want to cover your bases. The agency itself says it won't go back further than that.

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TVs in 2022 look pretty exciting: A buyers guide

TVs in 2022 look pretty exciting: A buyers guide

This story is part of The Year Ahead, CNET's look at how the world will continue to evolve starting in 2022 and beyond.

CES 2022  has come to a close, and the important news about new TVs is out of the bag. Most major TV-makers have introduced their biggest and best screens, talked up improved picture quality and dropped buzzwords like HDMI 2.1, mini-LED and 8K resolution. Most will be familiar to TV shoppers, while some that are actually new, like QD-OLED, are mashups of existing terms that still require lengthy explanation.

As CNET's resident TV reviewer, I can link you to plenty of places to readthoselengthyexplanations, but this article isn't one of them. Instead you'll find my best advice on what those new introductions mean and how, when and even if it's worth buying a new TV. Let's dive in.

Do you need a new TV in 2022?

Unless your current TV is broken, no you don't. But if you want a TV in another room, or your current TV feels like it's getting long in the tooth, its screen is too small or you want better picture quality or a better smart TV system, you might want a new TV. And if you've saved a bunch of money during the pandemic by not traveling or commuting to work or eating out, maybe you have a little extra to indulge that want.

Depending on how old your current TV is, a new model -- whether one released in the last year or a new TV just announced at CES -- could be a sweet upgrade you'll appreciate every time you watch. 

What's the best time of year to buy a TV?

Starting in the fall . New models like the TVs introduced at CES 2022 appear in spring and their prices are highest then. Significant discounts start in November and go through Black Friday and the holiday season. Around the beginning of the new year after CES (i.e. now) they'll remain affordable, and sometimes the Super Bowl in February has the best deals on last year's TVs. Soon those will start to disappear and be replaced by the new models in spring again.

Buy a 2021 TV now or wait for a 2022 model?

It all depends on how long you can wait. If you want the latest and greatest technology, you're probably already set on a 2022 model. But if you want the best value, without missing much, a better move is to buy a 2021 TV now, before they disappear later this spring and summer. A 2021 TV at a given size or price will generally have very similar picture quality and features compared to its 2022 counterpart. 

If you can't decide, and you're not in a hurry, just wait until fall to get the best price on a 2022 TV.

What new CES 2022 TVs and features stand out?

Here's a short list of my favorites so far, based on prior experience and information the manufacturer provided. Reminder: I did not attend the show and haven't seen any of these, with the exception of LG, in person.

The 42-inch LG C2 is the smallest OLED TV yet.

David Katzmaier/CNET

LG C2 OLED TV : As the successor to my Editors' Choice TV for the last two years, the latest version is the odds-on favorite to win again. The fact that it comes in a new 42-inch size is great news for people who couldn't fit bigger OLEDs into their rooms, but I'm excited to see how low the price will fall on the 77-inch version.

Sony X95K Mini-LED TV : Last year the Samsung QN90A earned my respect as the best high-end alternative to OLED, but Samsung has yet to announce any specific 2022 QLED models, so this Sony is my pick for now. Sony has an excellent track record with full-array local dimming and this is its least expensive model with mini-LED. It won't be cheap, however.

QD-OLED: The first Sony and Samsung TVs featuring a new OLED panel by Samsung Display are going to be expensive, and I probably won't recommend most people buy over more-affordable OLEDs like the C2, but I can't wait to see them in person.

Sony's remote finder: This isn't a reason to buy an expensive TV, but it sure is cool and I hope every TV maker adopts it soon. It allows the remote to emit a sound so you can find it under the couch cushions or wherever you lost it.

Samsung's gaming hub : I'm not into cloud gaming, but I love the idea of consolidating all the game-related stuff, including game mode settings and access to consoles, in one place. There's also the ability to split-screen YouTube videos and your game at the same time. LG's game optimizer was my favorite last year, and still seems to offer more options, but so far Samsung's gaming features look easier to use.

Samsung's new gaming hub for 2022 TVs offers one-stop access to cloud and console games.

Samsung

What else does a 2022 TV buyer need to know?

Basically, it's early. CES is the beginning of what we know about new TVs this year, not the end. 

Brands I've lauded as the best TV values in the past, namely TCL and Vizio, haven't unveiled their bread-and-butter 2022 models yet. Both are still selling their older TVs, including models I still highly recommend like the TCL 6-Series Roku TV and the Vizio MQ7 series.

And if you're looking for an inexpensive TV, something you can put in a kid's bedroom or guest room and stream smart TV apps with ease, my top pick is still TCL's 4-Series Roku TV. This venerable workhorse hasn't changed much in the last couple years, and I don't expect any major differences when the new version is inevitably announced soon. Maybe it will get Google TV, but the safe bet is still Roku in my book.

My buying advice will continue to evolve as prices are announced, new models appear and I get the chance to review them in person. Stay tuned to CNET throughout the year for updates.

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