Last Call: Save Up to $1,000 on Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 Preorders Today Only
Last Call: Save Up to $1,000 on Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 Preorders Today Only
Samsung's latest foldable phones are about to hit the market. The recently unveiled Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 will hit store shelves and customers' doorsteps on Friday, Aug. 26, which means the preorder deals that are currently available will expire on that date. If you fancy slipping one of Samsung's flagship phones into your pocket at a discount, you can't afford to wait around.
Among the best Galaxy Z Fold 4 deals and Z Flip 4 sales are some stellar offers available direct at Samsung, where you can get as much as $1,000 off your next upgrade by handing over your old phone. It's also offering a free storage upgrade for those who preorder, free Samsung store credit, as well as some tempting bundle deals that include other new Samsung products like the Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. Carriers and third-party retailers have some attractive deals, too.
More Galaxy Z Fold 4 deals
More Galaxy Z Flip 4 deals
Once you've locked in your preorder discount, your next purchase ought to be some protection for your shiny new device. We've already put together lists of the best Galaxy Z Fold 4 cases and Galaxy Z Flip 4 cases to make things easy for you.
Lincoln's New Star EV Concept Is Like a Luxury Spa on Wheels
Lincoln's New Star EV Concept Is Like a Luxury Spa on Wheels
Like pretty much every other luxury brand, Lincoln is looking towards a fully electric future, and its new concept car is a preview of what's to come. Called the Lincoln Star, this electric luxury SUV debuts a new Quiet Flight design language that will be found on three production EVs the brand will debut by 2025, with a fourth to come in 2026.
The Star takes the form of an Aviator-like crossover with a dramatically raked roofline, beautiful surfacing and unique proportions. It's got a much shorter nose than Lincoln's current rear-wheel-drive-based SUVs but a long rear overhang, with the rear glass and lower half of the hatch coming to a sharp point. The Star's front end features a redesigned Lincoln logo set into a grille-less fascia containing dozens of smaller, lit-up emblem shapes, topped by a slim light bar that wraps onto the fenders with crosshatched lines that fade into the black borders of the see-through hood.
This new face will appear on production Lincolns.
Lincoln
The interesting light elements don't stop there. As on other Lincoln models the taillights are a continuous light bar, but on the Star the housing turns down at the edges and contains more of that lattice pattern. The rear Lincoln script is illuminated, and the hatch contains the same repeating emblem pattern as the front end. The front fenders have illuminated Lincoln logos, and each wheel arch has an LED strip following the contour of the opening. The Range Rover-style black roof has a light strip around the entire edge where the roof meets the pillars, and the lidar sensors, door buttons and mirror cameras have small lights as well.
One of Lincoln's most iconic design features are the suicide doors made famous by the 1961 Continental, and the Star concept takes that idea a few steps further with one of the craziest frunk and hatch setups I've ever seen. The front fascia slides forward like a desk drawer -- something Lincoln has played with in past concepts -- while the hood opens vertically up and back. That drawer section stows under the frunk's main floor, with both surfaces featuring light-up lines, and there's enough space above it for multiple pieces of luggage. The hood uses electrochromic glass that can become opaque at the touch of a button, letting light in when the car is in motion but hiding valuables when parked. At the rear, the glass opens up and the hatch folds down to reveal a lounge seat that's perfect for fancy picnics.
That's a big screen.
Lincoln
A massive curved screen spans the entire dash, which is inspired by airplane wings. There's a smaller secondary control screen below the dashboard, along with the gear selector buttons, and a center console between the seats contains a rotary control knob and door buttons. The interior uses a maroon and white color scheme and is covered in gorgeous materials like glass, leather-alternative textiles and gold-colored metals, and there's tons of illuminated Lincoln logos and lattice patterns throughout. The A- and D-pillars use a 3D-printed metal structure with a lattice pattern that allows them to be see-through from the inside of the car, adding to the sense of airiness.
The front bucket seats have screens on their backs for rear-seat passengers, and they can swivel around to face the fixed second row when the car goes into autonomous driving mode and the steering wheel is stowed away. The sculpted, reclined rear seats have an integrated champagne fridge with glasses, extendable footrests with storage compartments for slippers, additional glass controls and tray tables. There's also the Lincoln Attache, secret storage compartments in the rear doors that can hold devices like laptops and tablets, wirelessly charge them and receive data.
This is nicer than my apartment.
Lincoln
Lincoln says the Star has different "rejuvenation modes" that turn the car into an immersive digital sanctuary by using three of the senses: sight, sound and smell. Coastal Morning mixes sounds of the ocean with the smell of sea mist and dynamic lighting that mimics a walk along the beach at sunrise, Mindful Vitality uses uptempo music with flowery perfume and soft lighting, and Evening Chill pairs an evergreen scent with videos of the night sky and calming sounds. Each mode was designed around the human body's "natural circadian rhythm" of the day's cycle, and it all does sound very nice, but there's one major problem: Lincoln doesn't say anything about whether the Star concept has massaging seats. If it doesn't, that's a huge miss.
Most of the Star concept's coolest design flourishes are pure fantasy, but it's easy to see how its styling will translate to tangible Lincoln production cars. The Star's new face, specifically, will make its way across the lineup, and Chinese-market cars like the Zephyr are already using full-width interior screens. Lincoln says over half of its global production will be EVs by 2025, with that number only to grow from there. While Lincoln says it will introduce three new EVs by 2025, previous reports said the brand would come out with five, all of which will be SUVs. The first is likely to be an Aviator-size crossover -- likely directly previewed by the Star -- that will begin production in Canada in 2024.
Stop Pouring Vinegar Into Your Dishwasher. Here's Why
Stop Pouring Vinegar Into Your Dishwasher. Here's Why
You've likely had someone tell you that putting vinegar into your dishwasher's rinse aid or detergent compartment was good for keeping your dishes spotless. While it can keep the water spots at bay and give your glasses that desired sparkle, white vinegar can ruin your dishwasher.
Yes, we understand vinegar is just a fraction of the cost of rinse aid. However, do you really want to drop $800 instead when your dishwasher no longer works?
We'll explain below why you shouldn't use vinegar as a rinse aid. If you're set on using it anyway, we'll tell you the best method so you won't ruin your dishwasher.
White vinegar can destroy your dishwasher
White vinegar is great for your everyday cleaning, from unclogging your kitchen sink to cleaning your showerhead. It's also great at removing hard water spots on your dishes. But there are some places it just doesn't belong, and your dishwasher rinse aid compartment is one of them.
White distilled vinegar is an acid with a pH of around 2 to 3. In comparison, sulfuric acid -- which destroys many substances it comes in contact with -- has a pH of around 1.
So, be aware that vinegar can break down the rubber gaskets and hoses in your dishwasher, leading to costly damage. On top of that, if vinegar mixes with salt that's been left on your dishes, it can discolor metal pans, flatware and mixing bowls.
The bottom line: We recommend using rinse aids that are designed to be used in a dishwasher -- for instance, Finish or Cascade. While they too can contain vinegar, the acidity is low enough to not damage your dishwasher or dishes.
If you must use vinegar, do this
If you're still set on using vinegar in your dishwasher, you can -- just don't put it in the rinse aid dispenser. Instead, follow these rules for cleaning your dishes in the dishwasher with vinegar to cause as little damage as possible.
Use white vinegar with the lowest acidity possible. Most come with 6% acidity but if you can, try to find 5%. This is the lowest concentration of acidity for household white vinegar and will cause the least amount of damage.
Pour the vinegar into the bottom of your dishwasher during the rinse cycle so it's diluted with water.
Even better, pour a cup of vinegar into a bowl and place it on the bottom rack of your dishwasher.
How to prevent water spots on your dishes
If you're using a rinse aid -- or vinegar -- and still notice water spots or other heavy buildup on your dishes, there's another problem. Chances are you have hard water and will need to invest in a water softening system to prevent these spots.
Water is considered "hard" if it has high levels of dissolved compounds of magnesium and calcium, which causes mineral buildup on your dishes, faucets and bathtub. Water softeners are systems that remove the calcium and magnesium ions that cause the water to be considered hard. Once the water is "softened," it won't leave spots on your dishware and you'll hopefully never need to use vinegar in your dishwasher again.
For more cleaning tips, check out this hack that quickly unclogs your showerhead. Also, here's how to unclog your toilet without a plunger.
Xiaomi, accused of tracking 'private' phone use, defends data practices
Xiaomi, accused of tracking 'private' phone use, defends data practices
Xiaomi is defending itself against accusations that it's been collecting private data from people who use its phones and web browser apps. This follows a report Thursday from Forbes that raised concerns the Chinese phone maker is collecting private data on the websites users visit as well as granular information about apps used and files opened on devices.
In a blog post Friday, Xiaomi laid out some of its data practices, saying it collects aggregated usage statistics on things like responsiveness and performance that can't be used to identify individuals. The company also said it syncs web browsing history if people have the feature turned on in their settings. It denied any wrongdoing and said Forbes misunderstood its data privacy principles and policy.
"At Xiaomi, our users' privacy and security are of top priority," the company said in its post. "We strictly follow and are fully compliant with user privacy protection laws and regulations around the world."
On Thursday, Forbes cited multiple security researchers who said the company was collecting web history as well as phone data such as "unique numbers for identifying the specific device and Android version" that could be connected to the person using the device. The combination of the data and the identifying numbers could let Xiaomi associate all the data it collects with individuals, which security researcher Gabi Cirlig told Forbes was the most concerning aspect of his findings.
Cirlig told the publication that when using the default Xiaomi browser on his Redmi Note 8, it "recorded all the sites he visited, including search engine queries" and "every item viewed on a news feed feature of the Xiaomi software." Cirlig said this tracking appeared to happen even when browsing in incognito or private mode, according to Forbes.
The phone also reportedly recorded things like folders that were opened and screen swipes. Cirlig told Forbes that the data was sent to remote servers hosted by Chinese tech giant Alibaba, which were rented by Xiaomi.
Other browsers, such as Chrome (made by Google) and Firefox (made by Mozilla), also collect aggregated user information about sites visited. However, these browser makers also offer detailed information about how the data is protected. Google says that Chrome collects "anonymous, randomized data" about usage that isn't associated with user identifiers. In 2017, Mozilla launched a program to collect usage data from Firefox users, protected with a process called differential privacy that makes it very difficult to see if a given individual's data is included.
Phones that run Apple's iOS or Google's Android operating systems come with their share of privacy concerns, and researchers often have to delve deep into the devices to see what kinds of location and app usage data third party apps are collecting and sending to advertisers. But this is different from the phone maker itself collecting user data, which Apple says it tries to limit as much as possible by processing user data on the phone and leaving it there.
Google also processes data on the phone when possible, and both companies have developed differential privacy methods for analyzing their aggregate data collections. In addition, Google has developed federated learning programs, which let computer programs analyze data with machine learning on users' devices. The insights from the data are removed from the phone, instead of the data itself.
In response to a question on whether it uses differential privacy or other protections on user data, Xiaomi said it has used the technology in a limited way for beta testers in China. "We have plans to expand the technology further to our products and users globally," the company said in its statement, "and will continue to improve and implement even more stringent privacy measures to ensure the internet security of our users."
12 keyboard shortcuts every Chromebook owner needs to know
12 keyboard shortcuts every Chromebook owner needs to know
Chrome OS is a blissfully streamlined operating system that is easy to use. Keyboard shortcuts, however, can make navigating your Chromebook even easier. Here are the top dozen shortcuts.
1. Alt + Search
One of the first things you'll notice about a Chromebook's keyboard is the caps-lock key has a magnifying glass on it. Instead of locking caps, this key calls up Chrome OS's search window. You can still do caps lock, however, by hitting the search key while holding down the Alt key.
2. Shift + Escape
This is the Chrome OS equivalent of Windows' Ctrl-Alt-Delete. Shift-Esc calls up Chrome's Task Manager where you can see which apps are using the most system resources and force quit an unresponsive app. This keyboard shortcut only works when Chrome is your active window; it won't work if you have an app as its own window as your top-most, active window.
3. Search + L
Hit this combo when you get up from your Chromebook to lock it. You'll need to enter you password upon your return to unlock it.
4. Ctrl + Shift + Q(x2)
Hold down Ctrl and Shift and hit the Q key twice to log out of your Chromebook.
5. Alt + 1-9
If you have pinned your favorite apps to Chrome OS's shelf, then you can use these shortcuts to open them. Alt-1 opens the leftmost app pinned to the shelf, for example, while Alt-9 opens the rightmost app.
7. Alt + [ or ]
These two shortcuts are great for multitasking. The left bracket combo docks the active window to the left side of your screen, and the right bracket does the opposite, letting you quickly set up side-by-side windows.
8. Alt + -
Alt plus the minus-sign key minimizes your active window. With your desktop clear, this combo will the restore the last window you minimized.
9. Alt + =
Alt plus the equals key stretches your current active window across your desktop. It's not quite full-screen mode because it leaves the header at the top of the window. You can use the full-screen key (found in the F4 spot) to go full screen.
10. Alt + backspace
The backspace key deletes the character to the left of your cursor. Windows PCs, however, have a separate delete key that deletes characters to the right of the cursor. To get this Windows delete-key functionality on a Chromebook, just hold down the Alt key when you backspace.
11. Ctrl + 'switch window' key
The switch window key is usually found in the F5 spot on a Chromebook keyboard. Combined with the Ctrl key, it takes a screenshot of your entire desktop and saves it to your Downloads folder. To take a screenshot of only a portion of your desktop, use Ctrl + Shift + switch window key.
12. Ctrl + Alt + /
It's easier to think of this combo as using the ? symbol, which is the shifted version of the forward-slash. If you have a question about keyboard shortcuts, this combo calls up a keyboard overlay to show you the various keyboard shortcuts available for Chrome OS.
Biden will order FTC to make rules on right-to-repair
Biden will order FTC to make rules on right-to-repair
Right-to-repair is a hot topic in tech, auto and other industries, with some manufacturers making it difficult for third parties to access information needed to fix devices. While focused on the agriculture industry, an upcoming executive order from President Joe Biden might also have an impact on the devices and gadgets we use every day.
In a press briefing Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Biden will issue an executive order soon focusing on competition, including giving farmers the right to repair their own equipment. This has been an issue in the agricultural industry with some farmers having to hack their own tractors in order to fix them.
The order will encourage the Federal Trade Commission to create new rules that prevent companies from limiting customers from repairing their own products or having it done at a third-party shop. The agency will decide the scope of the rules, according to Bloomberg, though the president's order is expected to mention phone manufacturers.
Tech companies have long opposed efforts and legislation that seek to make it easier for consumers to fix broken electronics, often citing the need to protect against intellectual property theft.
Biden's order is expected to be released in the coming days, according to Bloomberg.
Apple's Health app keeps evolving, with aspirations to be a complete combination personal data archive, medical liaison and insight engine. But the goals, while ambitious, aren't fully realized yet. iOS 16 and WatchOS 9 are adding medication management and multistage sleep tracking to a growing list of features. But what comes next, and will it start to become a tool that interfaces with doctors even more than it has?
Apple just published a multipage health report (PDF), which aims to detail where the company sees its health focus heading on the iPhone and the Apple Watch. The report covers the app, research studies and initiatives with medical organizations.
As Google prepares to release a Pixel Watch that will connect to Fitbit's features and services, Apple looks to be strengthening its position by expanding beyond the watch to a larger spectrum of health services. Already, Apple Health and Fitness Plus are evolving into services you don't need an Apple Watch to use.
When will Health start to become an extension of how I connect with my own doctors? Will sleep tracking offer a doorway to other health insights? And why doesn't Apple have its own equivalent of the "readiness score" used by Fitbit and Oura?
Apple's vice president of health, Dr. Sumbul Desai, spoke with CNET about the goals of Apple Health and where goals are being set next. She sees the blend of lifestyle with clinical data, medication data and an increasing number of metrics in one place as helping future insights in other health measurements over time.
"You have to do it in a really thoughtful and meaningful way," Desai said. "Because there are also correlations you can make that are incorrect. That's where the work is, making sure that when you make those connections that they are correct, grounded in the science and make sense to the user."
Medication tracking on iOS 16 looks like another step to bring medical histories onto Health.
Apple
Where does Apple Health meet your doctor?
As I've found over the last few months, over several surgeries and doctor visits, my own medical care doesn't often connect with my wearable and phone apps. Apple's been aiming to make strides to connect Apple Health with medical providers, but the framework isn't fully there yet for digital health platforms. A lot of Apple's promised benefits are in identifying long-term data patterns and insights.
"I do think how they interact with each other is really important," said Desai, who points to the new tracking of atrial fibrillation patterns over time in Watch OS 9. "We are actually taking how much time you're in AFib and correlating it to your lifestyle. How much you're sleeping. How much you're moving, you'll see the changes in AFib. If you're using Mindful Minutes, do you see a change."
Apple has tried making data sharing easier with doctors, but right now it still doesn't go far enough. At the medical group where I'm a patient, for instance, there's no obvious way to share the data I'm collecting in Apple Health through the patient portal.
Sleep tracking is gaining sleep stages in WatchOS 9. Will that bring a wave of other health insights down the road?
Apple
Sleep as the next frontier?
Apple's addition of sleep stage-based sleep tracking in the upcoming Watch OS 9 looks to close the gap on other fitness trackers like those from Fitbit, Samsung and Oura. Apple's been pulling new features for the Apple Watch from work in some of the company's ongoing heart research studies, and sleep could end up being a place that evolves next.
"What I'm really excited to learn from a scientific standpoint is, does the amount of sleep that you're getting in certain stages, like core [replenishing sleep], does that actually translate to benefit during the day when you're moving?" Desai said. "Are there certain phenotypes of certain people who have more benefit versus others? There's so much to tackle from a research standpoint there. We would never put anything out until we knew we kind of had some scientific grounding. The whole causation-correlation thing can get very tricky."
Desai suggested future research combining sleep stage data with Apple's ongoing heart and move data from its ongoing study will possibly provide more insights, "but we're still a ways away from that."
Could Apple ever develop its own readiness score?
One thing Apple's evolving and elaborate set of Health insights currently doesn't have is any sort of attempt at a distilled score, or personal health rating. Fitbit, Oura, and a number of other wearables have daily personal scores derived from a variety of individual metrics. I asked Desai whether Apple might pursue a similar idea anytime soon. While it sounds like a direction Apple Health could head in, it also seems like Apple is still trying to lock down the best path to get there.
"It's a really good question. I think the answer is, to be honest, is we don't have a firm POV yet," Desai said. "We want to understand the science behind that, and what can we understand and glean from a scientific standpoint."
Desai suggests that the health measurements, and their meanings, can vary. "HRV [heart rate variability] is a great metric. I'm super fascinated by HRV. But HRV can be changed based on multiple reasons." She suggested that Apple's eventual evolution of its insights will need to come with clear guidance, too.
"I think for us, we want to be able to provide actionable information. So to understand to do that, you actually have to be able to draw it back to, what we think is actually causing that? We are really trying to understand the science behind all of these different metrics and focus on how we provide insights that we know we can back up."
On whether Apple Health could come to other non-Apple devices
Apple's aiming for Health to be a comprehensive, secure system for anyone to use, but it still flows through Apple hardware, which means a portion of the population will always be left out. I asked Desai whether Apple Health might ever be available beyond iPhones.
"We're always looking at ways to support the ecosystem. We just want to make sure we can support that in a private and secure way. That's fundamentally what drives our decision making," Desai said. "We have a ton of things in the App Store ecosystem that are super interesting that people are doing, and we're very supportive of supporting that work.
"Honestly, we make a lot of decisions driven by privacy. And there's a lot of things we choose not to do and choose to do, based upon that."
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.
