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How to Use Emojis in Google Docs: It Just Got Easier
How to Use Emojis in Google Docs: It Just Got Easier
Inserting emojis in Google Docs is now much more streamlined thanks to a new update that allows people immediately search and insert the popular smileys when typing, Google said in a blog post Monday.
Inserting an emoji requires typing the "@" followed by relevant text, such as "smile" or "dog." A dropdown menu will appear, allowing for quick selection.
Here's how Google Docs' new emoji insertion feature works.
Google
Google didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
The search giant introduced emojis in Google Docs earlier this year. The company said it added the characters after receiving feedback on providing less formal ways of expressing opinions.
Docs, along with Chrome, Drive and Gmail, are part of the company's large suite of mostly free products. Offering powerful tools helps keep people engaged with the Google ecosystem. It's why Chrome remains the world's most popular web browser, retaining 66% of the desktop browser market share. Chrome, along with Search, helps feed Google's main revenue driver, online ad sales. Google parent Alphabet brought in $69.7 billion in revenue last quarter, just shy of its $70 billion target. Advertising made up $56.3 billion of that total.
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Save Big On Refurbished Samsung Galaxy Watches With Prices Starting As Low As $50
Save Big On Refurbished Samsung Galaxy Watches With Prices Starting As Low As $50
A smartwatch is a wearable that can add convenience to your daily life. It can keep track of your fitness, check the time and send notifications.
Right now you can snag factory reconditioned Samsung Galaxy watches for as low as $50. These deals expire tonight and some models have already sold out, so we advise placing your order as soon as possible if you see a model you want.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is one of our favorite smartwatches, but with the pending release of the Galaxy Watch 5 -- which comes with a bigger battery, a more durable design and additional features -- it's just been dethroned. All of those advancements can be costly, though. If you don't want to drop big bucks on the latest model, Woot has some great older Galaxy smartwatches that can get you a lot of great features at a fraction of the price.
The Galaxy Watch Active 2 is a great option that's "a better value than the Galaxy Watch 3" according to our review and won an Editors' Choice award. It has the connectivity that makes smartwatches so convenient, like being able to text and call from your wrist, along with many of the health and fitness features most people want from their wearables, including an FDA-cleared electrocardiogram to measure blood oxygen levels, fall detection, sleep tracking and more.
The 40mm Bluetooth model in rose gold is available for $70 right now, while the 40mm LTE in silver is just $20 more, giving you more freedom to roam without having to carry your phone with you. However, if you want a larger screen, the 44mm Bluetooth model is available in several colors for $80 and the 44mm LTE Active 2 is available for $90.
If you're just looking for the basics and want to be as thrifty as possible, you can also grab the first iteration of the 40mm Active for $60 or snag a first-gen 42mm Galaxy watch for as low as $50 -- but keep in mind that these devices lack some of the features of the more updated models.
According to Woot, a factory reconditioned product has been inspected and restored to fully working condition. There may be cosmetic blemishes, as these used products may show slight wear and tear, but they'll function well, giving you an opportunity to save on a smartwatch if you're budget-conscious.
Keep in mind, however, that these models are no longer guaranteed to receive security updates going forward. However, all watches in this sale are backed by a 90-day Samsung warranty so you can have some peace of mind about your purchase.
Read more: The Most Exciting Samsung Gadgets We Want in 2022 and Beyond
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iPad Air 2020 review: The budget iPad Pro
iPad Air 2020 review: The budget iPad Pro
It's hard to keep track of iPads. Apple's tablets are pretty fantastic and versatile, but also blend together across a wide spectrum of sizes and prices. Knowing which one to get is usually a matter of weighing what you're willing to spend and how much you're planning to do.
All iPads, right now, can do similar things. They all support Pencil sketching, keyboards and trackpads and all current models have pretty new processors. So the redesigned iPad Air, starting at $599 (£579, AU$899), is either one of two things: a fancier everyday iPad for you, or a cheaper iPad Pro. And the price, based on how you configure and deck it out in accessories, can vary widely.
After using it for weeks now, it's become my favorite iPad. In fact, I've mostly forgotten about the iPad Pro. The Air is basically as good, for less. And if you're really, really interested in a Pro, which was last updated back in March, I'd consider just waiting till next year to see what else gets introduced -- like a mini LED display, perhaps. The more I've used the Air, the more I've appreciated that Apple has really made an affordable Pro that strips out a few features you probably were never likely to use.
Adding USB-C, a crisp larger display and fast performance, plus support for the Magic Keyboard and Pencil 2, make it feel pretty great. And it's the same size as what was previously my favorite iPad, the 11-inch iPad Pro.
But that doesn't mean the Air is necessarily the best iPad for you. For its price, the standard eighth-gen iPad remains the better deal, and the go-to for most people (especially kids). Consider the eighth-gen iPad this way: basically last year's iPad Air at a lower price.
The perfect size, with one new Touch ID button
The 11-inch iPad Pro has been my favorite size for a while. This new fourth-gen iPad Air is exactly the same size and fits the 11-inch Pro's cases and keyboards, too. It feels identical, with one exception: It has Touch ID on the top power button, instead of Face ID.
So I slapped the old Smart Keyboard from the iPad Pro 11 on and things felt almost exactly the same. iPad Pro who?
The display is basically the same as the 11-inch Pro, but not exactly. It's weird. The 11-inch Pro has an 11-inch, 2,388x1,668-pixel LCD with 600 nits max brightness. The Air has a 10.9-inch, 2,360x1,640-pixel LCD with 500 nits max brightness. I never noticed the difference. The side bezels seem a hair bigger on the Air. The iPad Pro also has smoother ProMotion screen refresh, at up to 120Hz, versus the iPad's more normal feel. ProMotion is lovely, but I'm also fine without it.
Touch ID is right there, on the power button.
Scott Stein/CNET
What about the new Touch ID button, though? The Air doesn't have Face ID, which the Pros and iPhones have. The Face ID camera is cleverly hidden around the black bezel of the Pro and works at nearly any orientation. Meanwhile, the Air is Apple's first device with a fingerprint sensor on the small power button on its edge, instead of the circular home button (which this iPad doesn't have).
You have to remember which direction your iPad is facing, because that Touch ID could end up just about anywhere. Luckily, a pop-up on-screen indicator lets you know where it is when Touch ID is needed. But the orientation sometimes works for my left forefinger, sometimes for my right. I registered two fingers for practical comfort in landscape and portrait. The new Touch ID button seems to work reliably so far and there's no reason why future iPhones (or even the Apple Watch) couldn't get these little Touch ID buttons, too.
Compared to the 2019 iPad Air, the 2020 version gets a big chip boost and Pro-like extras (USB-C).
Scott Stein/CNET
How fast is it?
The new A14 chip, also in the iPhones 12, is in the Air. It sounds faster than any other iPad and that's half-true. The A14 is certainly faster than the A12 on the iPad and iPad Mini, based on benchmarks in Geekbench 5 and even in everyday use (initial runs show a score of 1,118, and a multicore score of 4,675 -- higher is better). But the iPad Pro's A12Z is faster in multitasking, while the Air beats it in single-core speed. Which is weird. The A12Z has more graphics power in its chip. But if you really wanted an iPad Pro, it would make me want to wait for a Pro with a possible A14Z chip next year.
The front camera is fine, but still not great for Zoom
We're all in video chats now. The iPad Air hasn't solved the iPad's biggest video chat problem, which is that the front camera ends up on the side in landscape mode. You'll look like you're staring off-screen in Zooms. The 7-megapixel camera is better than the entry-level iPad's, but I would have preferred something more centered for video chats.
Magic Keyboard and Pencil: not included.
Scott Stein/CNET
Accessories will cost you
Apple's iPad pricing slope starts seemingly affordable ($329, often on sale for $299 or less) and climbs up from there with storage tiers, models with extra features and pricey but useful accessories. It's a lot like car shopping -- suddenly you're getting the all-leather interior and deluxe extras.
The Air is a semiexpensive midrange model in that analogy, and those fancy extras can add up fast. The base 64GB $599 (£579, AU$899) iPad Air doesn't feel like enough storage for an iPad made to last years. But there's no 128GB model, so the 256GB version bumps to $749. (Skip the cellular add-on unless your office is paying.)
And then, the Pencil and keyboards. The Air supports all the newest Apple accessories like the snap-on magnetic Pencil 2 and the Magic Keyboard with trackpad. The Pencil 2 is $129 and the Magic Keyboard is $299, which is half the price of the iPad Air itself. You end up climbing to over $1,000 and now this is hardly a budget iPad anymore. No, it's not compatible with the first-gen Pencil, either.
You could even end up talking yourself into the iPad Pro at that point: the 128GB 11-inch Pro is $799, $50 more than the 256GB Air. And so it goes.
With a keyboard, still great for writing.
Scott Stein/CNET
It multitasks, but iPads are still not the same as laptops
A word, once again, on the promises and limits of iPads as true computer replacements. iPads are shockingly versatile and with a keyboard case slapped on, I can find myself suddenly using it like a laptop for hours on end. That's the great thing about iPads and iPadOS. The 10.9-inch screen is big enough to split two apps reasonably well and monitor different things at once, too.
Apple's also made a lot of strides in iPadOS 14 to enable file storage, drag-and-drop between multitasked apps, plus trackpad and mouse support and better Pencil support for scribbling and annotating on the iPad more easily. But, it still doesn't feel exactly like a laptop. File storage can get weird. Browser support is better but not perfect. And when I tried split-screening Zoom and Gmail and discovered that my camera was cut off in multitasking mode, I realized that there are some limits that have real impacts right now.
The iPad Air, between the 2020 iPad (left) and iPad Pro (right). The Air is Pro-like, but the basic iPad is as good as last year's Air.
Scott Stein/CNET
A more affordable fancy iPad, but do you need it?
For my tastes, I prefer the new iPad Air over any other current iPad. And I'd want the Magic Keyboard, too, plus the extra storage. But that places me at $1,100 or so after tax, and that's a pretty fancy iPad setup indeed.
And much like a lot of Apple's product lineups, that's the key: knowing where you should land on pricing and upgrades. The odds that you'll just use the base 64GB iPad out of the box with no extras is pretty slim, unless you already have some 11-inch iPad Pro accessories lying around.
Just know that this Air really does feel like it's left off some less essential iPad Pro features and offered up a more affordable device in return. It's like when the iPhone XR arrived after the iPhone X. Not exactly the same, but in a lot of ways more than good enough.
It's great that Apple upgraded the Air so much since last year. But also remember that last year's perfectly capable iPad Air is still around: It's just basically been turned into the entry-level iPad and it's more affordable than ever.
Update, Nov. 24: Adds CNET Editors' Choice award. First published Oct. 21.
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What Is Home Equity?
Most homeowners now have more equity in their homes than they did two years ago, thanks to surging home values during the pandemic. That means right now is a good time to consider tapping into your home equity if you're looking to borrow money at a lower interest rate than you might get with other types of loans such as personal loans. Home equity is the difference between what you owe on your mortgage and the current market value of your home.
You build equity in your home by consistently making mortgage payments over the years. Equity is valuable because it allows you to borrow money against your home at lower interest rates than other types of financing. Once you have enough equity built up in your home, lenders and banks will allow you to borrow against it. Some of the most common reasons to borrow against your equity are to pay for life expenses such as home improvements, higher education costs such as tuition, or to pay off high-interest credit card debt.
Most lenders want to see that you've built up at least 15% to 20% in equity in order to let you borrow money against your house in the form of refinancing or other kinds of home equity loans. One of the simplest ways to ensure you have a good chunk of equity in your home is to make a large down payment if you are able to.
For a typical homeowner with a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, building up 15% to 20% usually takes about 5 to 10 years. Even if you paid less for your home when you bought it years ago, your equity is based on the present-day value of your house. If, for example, your home is currently worth $500,000 and you have $400,000 left to pay on your mortgage, you would have $100,000 of equity in your home.
Here's what you need to know about home equity, what it is, how to calculate it and why it's important to homeowners.
How do you calculate home equity?
To calculate your home equity, simply subtract your remaining mortgage balance from the current market value of your home. So if you owe $400,000 on your mortgage and your house is worth $500,000, you have $100,000, or 20% equity in your home. You may need to work with an appraiser or real estate agent in order to get an accurate evaluation of your home's fair market value, especially since home values have risen by record-breaking amounts since the beginning of the pandemic.
Ways to borrow against home equity
There are various ways to access the equity in your home. Some of the most common equity financing options are home equity loans, home equity lines of credit (or HELOCs) and reverse mortgages. It's important, however, to keep in mind that all of these options require you to put up your home as collateral to secure the loan, so it's critical to understand that there's a risk of losing your home to foreclosure if you miss payments or default on your loan for any reason.
Home equity loan
A home equity loan lets you borrow money against the equity you've built in your home and provides you with a lump sum of cash at a fixed interest rate. Lenders typically want to see that you have at least 15% to 20% in your home to approve you for a home equity loan. A home equity loan doesn't replace your mortgage like a refinance, rather, it's an entirely new loan that you'll repay monthly along with your existing mortgage payment. But just like a mortgage, with a home equity loan, your interest rate never changes and your monthly payments are fixed, too.
HELOCs
A home equity line of credit, or HELOC, is a type of loan that lets you borrow against the equity you've built up in your home and functions like a credit card. It provides you with an open line of credit that you can access for a certain amount of time, typically 10 years, followed by a set repayment period, which is usually 20 years. Lenders also generally want you to have at least 15% to 20% in your home for HELOC approval. With a HELOC, you don't have to take all of your funds out at once, and you can withdraw money repeatedly from your HELOC over the 10-year period, once previously borrowed sums are paid back.
"A HELOC offers more flexibility than a home equity loan -- you can't withdraw money from a home equity loan like you can with a HELOC, and a HELOC allows you to receive replenished funds as you pay your outstanding balance," said Robert Heck, VP of Mortgage at Morty, an online mortgage marketplace.
HELOCs have variable interest rates however, so it's important to make sure you can afford higher monthly payments if your rate goes up once your introductory interest rate expires, especially in the current economic climate.
Reverse mortgage
You must be 62 years or older to access a reverse mortgage and have either paid off your home or have significant equity accumulated, usually at least 50%. With a reverse mortgage, you do not have to make monthly mortgage payments and the bank or lender actually makes payments to you. You must still pay your property taxes and homeowners insurance and continue to live in the house, however. A reverse mortgage allows you to access the equity in your home and not pay back the funds for an extended period of time while using them for other expenses during retirement. It's important to keep in mind that you are building a mortgage balance back up as you borrow against your equity, and your estate will eventually have to pay off your loan. A common way to repay this loan is to sell your house.
The bottom line
Unlocking the equity in your home can be a valuable way to access financing to cover other life expenses. It's important to understand the differences between the kinds of equity loans available to secure the best one for your particular financial situation. When comparing ways to access equity, always take into account the interest rate, additional lender costs and fees, and the size of the loan and how it will be disbursed to you, as well as the amount of time you have to pay it back, before you enter into an agreement to borrow against the equity in your home.
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Facebook reportedly exempted high-profile users from its rules
Facebook reportedly exempted high-profile users from its rules
Facebook reportedly exempted millions of high-profile users, including celebrities and politicians, from some or all of its community standards, apparently contradicting the social network's public statements that its rules apply to everyone.
The Wall Street Journal, citing internal documents, reported Monday that the world's largest social network created a program known as Cross Check, or XCheck, that shielded public figures from the company's rules against harassment and incitement to violence. The documents, for example, revealed that Facebook allowed Brazilian soccer player Neymar da Silva Santos Jr. to post nude photos of a woman who accused him of rape before it pulled down the content, according to the report. Some high-profile users who were exempted from content moderation enforcement shared false claims, including about vaccines.
An internal review of Facebook's practices from 2019 stated the company "was not actually doing what we say we do publicly." The XCheck program also included most government officials but not all candidates running for office, according to the report. In 2020, at least 5.8 million users were reportedly part of XCheck.
Facebook has faced criticism from both Democrats and Republicans about what content it leaves up or pulls down. The documents will likely raise concerns again about whether the social network is fairly enforcing its rules. The company formed a content oversight board to review some of its toughest decisions.
Citing a post from 2018, Facebook spokesman Andy Stone said in a tweet on Monday that the program was meant to give certain Facebook pages and profiles a "second layer of review to make sure we've applied our policies correctly."
"There aren't two systems of justice; it's an attempted safeguard against mistakes," he said in the tweet.
Facebook's oversight board said in a tweet it recommended that the company "be far more transparent in general, including about its management of high-profile accounts, while ensuring that its policies treat all users fairly."
Advocacy groups and some of Facebook's most vocal critics called for more oversight over the social network.
"Urgent government regulation is needed to ensure the online world is one in which human rights are effectively protected. These disclosures underscore the fact that we simply cannot rely on companies to self-regulate," said Agnès Callamard, secretary general of Amnesty International, in a statement.
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'The Sandman' Hits Netflix Today: 9 TV Tips to Get the Best Watching Experience
'The Sandman' Hits Netflix Today: 9 TV Tips to Get the Best Watching Experience
What's happening
Picture settings on your new TV might not be ideal right out of the box.
Why it matters
Getting the best image possible out of your TV will make all your shows and movies pop.
What's next
We break down all the settings you'll need to adjust to get the best picture quality.
Netflix's adaptation of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman comes out today. But before you get too cozy on the couch watching the king of dreams, there are a few TV picture settings you'll want to change to get the best possible viewing experience.
Believe it or not, your TV doesn't always come looking its best right out of the box. It may be surprising, but the default settings that your TV uses before you make any changes don't always deliver optimal performance. If you want the best out of your TV, especially as you prepare to watch this fantasy series based on the popular DC comic, you'll likely need to make a few adjustments to your picture settings.
That's exactly what we do here at CNET as part of our TV review process. We immediately dig into the menus to adjust the picture settings to make sure the televisions we're testing have optimal picture quality.
Fortunately, you don't have to be an expert to get your TV looking great. Every TV has numerous adjustment options, including different picture modes and controls for brightness, backlight, sharpness, smoothing and more, that you can change to improve the TV shows, movies and video games you watch every day.
We've broken down all the settings you might need to tweak to get the best picture out of your TV. Just keep in mind that picture setting names can vary from one manufacturer to another. A setting that one TV company calls "brightness," for example, could control something totally different on another television. We tackle a lot of the variations below, but we can't account for every TV maker, especially when it comes to older models.
Start with the right picture mode
Your TV's picture mode has the largest effect on overall picture quality. This one setting controls multiple other settings to change the overall "look" of your TV. If you've never changed this setting it's probably still the default mode, typically labeled Standard, Vivid, Dynamic, Bright or something similar. The TV is usually at its least accurate in this mode, with typically blown-out colors and image "enhancing" features that might catch the eye on a shelf in a store, but at home might make the TV look worse than it could.
The easiest way to get accurate color? Put your TV in Movie or Cinema mode.
Sarah Tew/CNET
A place to start is switching to the mode called Cinema, Movie, Calibrated or Filmmaker. These will dial back some of the picture's more garish aspects. At first, the TV might even look soft or too warm ("reddish"). We'll discuss below why that is, but for now trust that you're actually seeing more fine detail, and the image is more lifelike.
Read more: What's the Best Picture Mode?
Let's move on to some specific controls.
Backlight or OLED light
Controls the light intensity of the entire display
Too high and it can cause headaches or eye strain, waste energy and, in some cases, cause premature wear on the TV
Too low and the image is too dim and difficult to see
Nearly all TVs will have some control that adjusts the overall light output of the TV. It's usually labeled as the backlight control, or OLED light, or something similar. On newer Sony TVs this setting is labeled Brightness, and on Roku TVs there are five settings (Brightest to Darkest) in addition to a backlight control. Whatever the label, this setting is the actual brightness, which is generally separate from the control labeled "Brightness" (see below).
You should adjust this setting based on room lighting and personal preference. Brighter rooms and daylight viewing will call for a higher setting, while home theater or nighttime viewing often looks better at a lower setting. On an LCD TV, a bright backlight can wash out the image somewhat and reduce contrast and pop, especially on models that lack full array local dimming.
The brighter the TV is, the more energy it will consume, if you're concerned about how much electricity you use. Higher brightness also makes OLED TVs somewhat more susceptible to image retention and burn-in -- although that's unlikely with typical viewing habits, even at maximum brightness.
Read more: OLED Screen Burn-In: What You Need to Know in 2022
Contrast
On the left, what the image of some friendly beachside 'roos should look like. On the right, when the contrast control is set too high. Notice the lack of detail in the sand and how the clouds are blown out.
Geoffrey Morrison/CNET
Controls the white or bright parts of an image
Too high will erase detail from clouds, snow and other bright objects
Too low will look dim and flat
The contrast control adjusts how bright the bright parts of the image are. There is an upper limit, however. If you set the control too high, it "clips" the whites, making near-white details totally white. This effectively erases any detail in bright objects like clouds without making the image actually brighter.
To set contrast by eye, you'll need something with a lot of bright areas of the image. Baseball works pretty well for this -- a fly ball, pop fly, home runs, something with shots of the sky -- or skiing (depending on season, clearly) or something with clouds. What you're looking for is a bright image, but still with highlight detail. In other words, the bright areas of the image still have detail, and aren't just awash in white.
Once you've found something you think will work, turn the contrast control up until you start losing detail. Clouds will cease being clouds, snow will just be glare. Now turn the control back down till you see detail again. Somewhere in this range will be ideal. Since all content is a little different you might need to tweak it a bit as you watch other shows/movies.
Don't want to mess with all that? Just leave it at the default for the Movie or Cinema setting.
Brightness or black level
On the left, what the teahouse should look like. On the right, when the brightness control is set too low. Notice how the shadows disappear completely.
Geoffrey Morrison/CNET
Controls the black or dark parts of an image
Too high will look flat and washed out
Too low will erase detail in shadows and dark areas of the image
On most TVs, the brightness control doesn't actually control the TV's "brightness." Instead, it adjusts how dark the darkest parts of the image are. Like with contrast, there's a fine line between too high and too low. In this case, too high and the image will appear washed out. Too low and all shadows will disappear into black. (On newer Sony TVs, this control is labeled Black Level.)
A closeup from the image above. Notice how you can't see anything in the shadows in the image on the right.
Geoffrey Morrison/CNET
To set brightness, you're looking for the opposite type of content from contrast. Dark movies, like Aliens or The Dark Knight, are perfect for this. Some famously dark TV episodes might be too dark to use for this.
Turn the Brightness control down until everything disappears into blackness (or something close). From there, turn it back up so you can see detail in everything, but the image doesn't look washed out. Another test for this is a darker scene with someone with long hair. The underside of their hair (I don't know what people with hair call it) away from the light can be a good place to spot shadow detail -- also dark coats at night. Again, you might need to try a few different shows or movies to get it right.
Sharpness
On the left, the original image of the walls of Tallinn. On the right, what it could look like if you set the sharpness control too high.
Geoffrey Morrison/CNET
Controls artificial edge enhancement, not image sharpness
Too high erases image detail, adds a halo to fine lines
Depending on the TV, set to 0 there's no effect, or a slight softening
Believe it or not, the sharpness control doesn't really improve sharpness. In a way it improves apparent sharpness, but at the expense of actual fine detail and usually with additional noise. On nearly all TVs the sharpness control adds "edge enhancement," artificially accentuating any edges the TV finds in the image. The problem is, doing this hides the actual detail in the image, so the result looks more artificial with less actual detail.
A close-up of the example above. Note the extra noise and artificial "halo" around the spires on the right.
Geoffrey Morrison/CNET
So it may seem counterintuitive, but you should turn the sharpness control down, way down. Some TVs look best with the control at 0. Others look best within the first 10% or so of this control's range. If you're used to how your TV looks with the sharpness control way up, as it typically is in the Dynamic or Vivid modes, it might appear soft at first when you turn it down. Find some high-quality 4K content and you might be surprised how detailed it now looks. You should be able to find the sweet spot on your TV looking closely for textures in clothing, wrinkles in faces, hair and beards, that kind of thing.
Read more: Why You Need to Turn Down Your TV's Sharpness Control
Color and tint
Controls color saturation and red-green shift
A holdover from the analog TV days
Generally will be correct, or close enough, out of the box
Generally, the color and tint controls will be reasonably close to correct out of the box, especially in Cinema or Movie mode. You can experiment with their effects, but it's rare they're off by more than one or two steps in either direction.
At the top, the color temperature is set too low, or warm. At the bottom, it's set too high, or cool.
Geoffrey Morrison/CNET
Color temperature or white balance
Controls how warm or cool the image looks
Too high and the image will be too blue
Too low and the image will be too red
Color temperature is a difficult one. Your brain gets used to the color temp of your TV, so if you change it, it's going to seem "wrong." In fact, this is probably the first thing you'll notice if you switch to the Cinema or Movie mode. It's going to look too warm or "reddish." On most TVs, this is actually the most accurate and lifelike. Your TV has been lying to you for years!
Switch to your TV's warm color temperature mode and watch it for a few days. If it still seems off to you, try the standard mode. I promise the cool mode will look far too blue once you get used to warm.
Check out my article on color temp and why it matters for more info.
Motion interpolation or smoothing (the soap opera effect)
David Katzmaier/CNET
Controls how "smooth" motion is by artificially creating new frames of video
Too high, or even enabled at all, it can be annoying to some
Too low and the TV might appear soft with motion, such as sports
As TV settings go, motion interpolation is a rather controversial topic. Many people, including film purists and pretty much everyone who works in Hollywood, hate it. It makes movies look like a cheap soap opera or a video you'd shoot on your phone. If you've ever looked at a new TV and just felt something was off, or the image just didn't look real, it's probably this. Some people like it, but a lot of people don't. Your new TV almost certainly has this feature turned on in non-Cinema or Movie modes. Turning it off might change how you feel about your purchase.
Read more: Tom Cruise Wants You to Turn Off Soap Opera Effect. Here's How
Game mode
Reduces input lag, or how long it takes for your input to register onscreen
Usually disables features that might make the image better
Useful for any game that requires timing or aiming, especially online multiplayer
Input lag is how long it takes for you to press a button on a game controller and then to have an onscreen effect in the game. For many people this delay, measured in milliseconds, isn't noticeable. For others, especially with certain types of games, it can make a massive difference. From jumping puzzles to pixel-perfect aim in a first-person shooter, getting the timing right in many games is crucial.
Minimizing input lag, usually via a feature called game mode, can make a significant difference. If you've bought a new TV and suddenly your scores and rankings have dropped, this might be why. It's not something you want to leave enabled all the time, since it usually disables processing features that can improve the TV's picture quality.
Some TVs and consoles now support switching to this mode automatically.
Further steps
As mentioned above, the next step to fine-tuning your TV to perfection is getting a setup disc. The Spears & Munsil disc is a great option because it gets you right to the patterns without any extraneous fluff. If you just want someone else to do it, ideally with specialized test equipment, see if there are any TV calibrators in your area.
Lastly, make sure any sources you have, like a streaming stick or a cable or satellite box, are set to your TV's resolution (4K for 4K TVs, etc). Generally speaking they should do this automatically, but it's worth digging into the settings to be sure. Your 4K TV won't look its best without 4K content. You might need to pay for a higher tier to get that, depending on the service.
Lastly, HDMI. Chances are whatever HDMI cables you have are fine. If you try to send 4K from a media streamer and it doesn't work, it's possible your HDMI cables can't handle the additional resolution. But new HDMI cables are cheap. If your TV is getting the resolution you want from your sources, new HDMI cables won't make the image look or sound better, so you can save your money.
For more, check out CNET's lists of the best 55-inch, 65-inch and 75-inch TVs you can buy. You can also take a look at the best 4K TVs available.
As well as covering TV and other display tech, Geoff does photo tours of cool museums and locations around the world, including nuclear submarines, massive aircraft carriers, medieval castles, airplane graveyards and more.
You can follow his exploits on Instagram and YouTube, and on his travel blog, BaldNomad. He also wrote a bestselling sci-fi novel about city-size submarines, along with a sequel.
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Social Security Numbers Stolen in Flagstar Bank Data Breach
Social Security Numbers Stolen in Flagstar Bank Data Breach
The personal information, including Social Security numbers, of more than 1.5 million Flagstar Bank customers was compromised in a data breach late last year, but the bank didn't start informing those affected until earlier this month after it completed its investigation.
The Michigan-based bank, which operates 150 branches and is one of the country's largest mortgage lenders, said in a disclosure to the state of Maine that its systems were hacked between Dec. 3 and 4 of last year. In a Thursday statement to CNET, Flagstar said that the intrusion was detected and contained right away, but that it held off disclosing the breach so it could investigate.
"Now that the extensive forensic investigation is complete, we are in the process of notifying individuals who may have been impacted directly via US mail," the company said.
The compromised information includes customer names or other identifiers in combination with Social Security number, which are considered to be one of a person's most critical pieces of personal information. If a person's Social Security number is stolen, it puts them at increased risk of identity theft, because the numbers are used to apply for credit cards or loans, as well as to file tax returns.
Flagstar said there's no evidence yet that the stolen customer information has been misused, but as a precaution it'll provide free identity theft monitoring for two years to those affected.
In addition, cybersecurity experts recommend that people freeze their credit if they suspect that their SSN has been compromised. That will prevent cybercriminals from using it to open up new lines of credit in their name.
