• Kristy Shen and Bryce Leung quit their jobs in 2015 and retired in their 30s.
• However, their financial independence journey began with "a lot of face-planting."
• After failed side hustles, they pivoted to basic FIRE principles: save most of your income and invest in index funds.

For years, Kristy Shen and her husband, Bryce Leung, chased the dream of homeownership.

"We were desperately trying to buy a house," Shen told Business Insider.

Having grown up in poverty in China, she was initially more comfortable putting money into a home than into the stock market.

"My thinking was, 'The stock market is scary.' Everyone tells us, especially our parents, that houses are safe."

While real estate may have felt safer, the barrier to entry was much higher. Despite both working in tech and earning good salaries, homeownership in Toronto still felt out of reach.

"It just seemed like every time we saved money, it was for nothing," Shen said. "Housing prices would just go up."

Entrepreneurship did not initially do much to improve their finances, either.

"We tried so many different entrepreneurial pursuits," Shen said. "We tried starting a software business, which is actually our wheelhouse. We're coders, so we thought, let's try to make an app and see if we can make money from that."

They tried other ideas, too, including a bartering side hustle called Swap It and an Amazon business. They also tried to make money through writing. Nothing took off.

"When you're an entrepreneur, you have to be the marketer, you have to understand how to troubleshoot the code, you have to network with other people and collaborate," Shen said, adding: "There was a lot of face-planting over and over again."

Keeping it simple: saving most of their income and investing in index funds

The answer to the couple's search for financial stability turned out to be far simpler: save most of their income and stash it in index funds.

"Super saving" and index fund investing are core principles of the financial independence, retire early, or FIRE, movement, which they discovered online while looking for alternative ways to use the down payment money they had saved but could not put toward a home.

"FIRE was the only thing that actually worked," Leung said. "FIRE really is just a recognition of, this is how the math works, and if you save up this amount, then you're done."

The couple used the 4% rule, a common FIRE guideline that says you can withdraw about 4% of your portfolio each year in retirement. That means you need roughly 25 times your annual expenses invested. They were spending about 40,000 Canadian dollars a year, which put their FIRE number at 1 million Canadian dollars.

They saved up to 70% of their income by avoiding lifestyle creep and keeping the "big three" expenses — housing, transportation, and food — under control. Then, they invested most of those savings in low-cost index funds, including VTI and IEFA.

In 2015, a few years after they began investing diligently and consistently, they hit their FIRE number, quit their jobs, and began traveling the world. They were 31 and 32 at the time, and have been living off their portfolio ever since.

The basic FIRE principles felt far more controllable and manageable than entrepreneurship or buying real estate.

"It is the only thing that really does consistently work because it doesn't require market conditions to be right or having the right product or having the right team," Leung said. "Entrepreneurship requires a lot of factors that are outside your control."

FIRE, on the other hand, is mostly within your control, with the biggest levers being how much you spend and how you invest.

"You can change how you spend," he said, "and you can change how you invest."

• Apple's $599 M4 Mac Mini has sold out, with delays on models with higher memory configurations.
• AI tools, like OpenClaw, have driven up demand for the device.
• Growing demand for memory chips has also affected the broader consumer electronics market.

Apple appears to be running out of Mac Minis.

The $599 base model has sold out on the Apple website in the US. As of Thursday afternoon, any memory configuration of the M4 chip Mac Mini with the standard 256 gigabytes of storage was unavailable when Business Insider checked. Other models weren't faring much better, with options for more storage quoting wait times of over one month.

Of course, custom and higher-capacity configurations often take longer to ship.

Apple did not respond to a request for comment.

Availability was hit-or-miss with third-party retailers. On Amazon, Business Insider found M4 Pro Mac Minis starting with 512 gigabytes of storage for $1,369, with a wait of less than a month. On Best Buy's website, all Mac Mini models appeared to be unavailable or sold out. On eBay, some pre-owned models were listed for $200 above retail price.

The dwindling supply comes as artificial intelligence companies demand more memory chips, which is also affecting the consumer electronics market. It's driving up costs in some cases and limiting availability in others. Outgoing CEO Tim Cook fielded questions from analysts about increasing memory prices during a January earnings call.

The Mac Mini could also be suffering from its own success. Tech enthusiasts have been all about OpenClaw, a rapidly evolving, open-source AI tool that can run locally on a computer, fueling demand for higher-memory devices. Some people have been snapping up Apple's 5-by-5-inch computer to run OpenClaw.

Google Trends data shows searches for Mac mini have increased in the last year, with a recent peak during April.

When Business Insider previously checked in February, Apple estimated weekslong wait times on its website for options with 24 gigabytes and 32 gigabytes of memory.

There could be other reasons for the shrinking inventory. Apple may be gearing up to launch an updated Mac Mini this year, as Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported in February. The last iteration, the M4, came out in 2024.

With hardware engineering exec John Ternus set to take the helm as CEO in September, Apple's product road map is unclear, but coming into focus, Bloomberg reported Cook told staff on Tuesday.

• MRB Partners is warning of weak future returns for stocks.
• Peter Perkins, the firm's global strategist, said high profits would be difficult to sustain.
• Stock returns over the last 10 years also show a likely slowdown in gains, he said.

High stock market valuations have sparked plenty of "lost decade" warnings over the last couple of years, but a new report from market research firm MRB Partners shows there may be a few more reasons to fear poor returns ahead.

"Our base-case forecast is that U.S. equity prices adjusted for inflation will be broadly flat over the next 10 years, which would be consistent with past cyclical performance," wrote Peter Perkins, the firm's global strategist, in a note to clients on Thursday.

In addition to citing valuation metrics like the S&P 500's trailing 12-month price-to-earnings ratio, its Shiller PE ratio, and total stock-market capitalization-to-GDP, Perkins laid out a few other measures that he thinks point to a rough patch of returns on the horizon.

First, he cited a rolling average of the S&P 500's 10-year compound-annual growth rate. The benchmark index has averaged about 10% annual returns over the last decade, near highs going back to at least 1880.

While earnings growth is what will drive future performance, Perkins pointed out that prices have been flat or negative over the next decade after such strong returns.

Second, he highlighted surging US corporate profit growth, especially after taxes, over the last 40 years. He said the growth would be difficult to sustain or replicate, given how far corporate taxes have fallen.

"While after-tax margins may still have some upside in the future, the magnitude of any increase is unlikely to match that of the past four decades and, in fact, may be more likely to decline significantly rather than rise significantly," Perkins said.

And third is return on equity, or ROE, which is another way investors measure profitability. The metric compares overall corporate profits relative to market cap.

The market's 12-month trailing ROE is currently at 20%, one of its highest levels ever and well above its mean of around 14.5% over roughly the past 40 years.

High ROE levels are a good thing — they indicate companies are generating cash and are financially stable. However, since the metric is near an all-time high, it's unlikely things can get much better from here, Perkins argues.

The elephant in the room, of course, is AI. The technology promises increased productivity with fewer workers, translating into higher profits. It could be the panacea that keeps the party going for all of the above metrics, but the degree to which AI ultimately reshapes the economy remains to be seen.

For now, Perkins argues that history shows investors are set up for a disappointing decade ahead.

"The very strong performance of U.S. stocks over the past four decades is the result of unique events/circumstances that almost certainly will not be repeated over the next few years and decades," he wrote. "Buyer beware."

• Mandy Appleyard worked in the rat race as a national and international journalist for 37 years.
• Her mother had a stroke, and she left her career to care for her before she died two years later.
• The life-changing experience, together with her time in the media, led Appleyard to help mourners.

This interview is based on a conversation with Mandy Appleyard, 65, from Yorkshire, England, a celebrant specializing in funerals. It has been edited for length and clarity.

In May 2019, my life was turned upside down when I received a call at work saying my active, 81-year-old mom was in the hospital.

She had a massive stroke without any warning and, when she was discharged three months later, was still unable to move or really speak.

There was absolutely no question in my mind that I would leave my job as a lecturer in journalism and freelance writer to become her primary caregiver.

As a caregiver, I felt as if my life no longer belonged to me

My mother ended up moving into my home. My younger sister and a team of paid carers were involved, but it was incredibly challenging.

Mom was miserable about her situation because she couldn't do the things she loved, like dancing and socializing with friends. It was heartbreaking to witness her suffering.

Meanwhile, as someone who has never married or had kids, I'd valued my freedom above anything else. It was hard to deal with the feeling that my life no longer belonged to me.

Then COVID happened, which brought us closer. I bought a huge television, and every afternoon we'd watch an old movie together, like "Cabaret" or anything starring Gene Kelly.

After 37 years of high-pressure journalism in the US, Asia, and the UK— which included 70-hour workweeks — I appreciated the quieter pace.

Mom died in February 2021, and I thought about returning to the workplace. I knew I wanted to interact with people again.

I like to think I'm an empathetic person, especially because my writing career was built around talking with and encouraging strangers to share their personal stories.

Besides, I think spending all that time as my mother's carer has helped me better understand others' feelings and needs.

The celebrant who conducted my dad's funeral had a light touch

Journalism no longer appealed to me, as I was past the stage of networking or meeting tight deadlines. I needed to change course and try something different.

I remembered the time my dad, an atheist, died in 2014. When it came to arranging his funeral, my mom said, "He wouldn't want a vicar. We should see what other options there are."

She hired a celebrant who conducted his cremation service with a light touch, including humor. He was very good at putting us at ease.

I started to think about all those times I'd sat in people's living rooms as a journalist, interviewing them about themselves or a member of their family who'd died.

Those personal skills seemed transferable to celebrancy. I paid £3,000, roughly $4,000 USD, for a weeklong residential course with the International College of Professional Celebrants, then did a year of remote training.

I launched my business, A Perfect Ceremony, in January 2023. I charge £240, around $325 USD, for my services. They include spending time interviewing the bereaved family, writing a script, and speaking, usually at a crematorium.

Sometimes, there will be 400 people in the room. Or, it might be as few as four.

Still, my job isn't so much about the event itself. There is a lot of focus on the lead-up to the ceremony, especially after an older person has been ill and the family has cared for them.

I relate to people who've lost a loved one after a long illness

I've found, over the years, that a significant number had dementia, which took its toll on their relatives, too.

My mom didn't have dementia, but I had a ringside seat to watching a real force being brought down. Living with her infirmity gave me insight into what it's like to lead a diminished, slow, disabled life.

Those last years with my mom were an incredibly useful chapter when it came to relating to clients who lost someone they cherish.

I never imagined my career would take this direction, but I'm delighted that I stumbled across it and feel blessed.

Did you pivot to a different career in midlife? Please send details to Jane Ridley at jridley@insider.com if you'd like to share your experience with Business Insider.

• This year is shaping up to be a big one for retail CEO transitions.
• Roughly 45 retailers also said they plan to change leadership in 2025, up from about 32 the year before.
• Here are some of the major retail chains that are appointing new CEOs.

Retail is in a moment of sweeping leadership change.

The longtime CEOs at two of the largest chains, Walmart and Target, handed the reins to their proteges this year — and dozens of others are shaking up the C-suite.

The transitions come as challenges, including a global trade rebalancing, accelerated adoption of AI, and increasingly stretched US household budgets, demand new solutions.

Fresh legs might be a welcome addition in this race.

Leadership consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas found that 43 retail companies announced CEO exits in the first 10 months of 2025, up from 32 in the same period last year. Quite a few more have come through since then.

Here are some of the major retail chains that have gotten — or expect to get — a new CEO this year.

Walmart — John Furner

Walmart's former head of its US division, John Furner, became president and CEO of the company on February 1.

Like former CEO Doug McMillon, Furner has been with Walmart for decades, starting as an hourly associate and working his way up through the ranks.

Target — Michael Fiddelke

Target's former chief operating officer, Michael Fiddelke, succeeded Brian Cornell as CEO on February 1, with Cornell remaining on the board as executive chair.

Fiddelke has been with the company for 20 years, starting as a finance intern and moving through roles in merchandising, finance, operations, and human resources.

Best Buy — Jason Bonfig

Best Buy said CEO Corie Barry would step down at the end of October and be replaced by Jason Bonfig, who has overseen the rise of two key areas: retail media, which is industry speak for advertising, and its online marketplace.

Jefferies analysts said in April that the appointment prioritizes those "needle-moving profit engines" at the otherwise challenged electronics retail business.

Kroger — Greg Foran

Kroger said in February that it had named Greg Foran as its new CEO, citing his track record of disciplined execution at large companies.

While Foran most recently served as CEO of Air New Zealand, he spent much of his career at Walmart, where he ultimately reached the role of Walmart US CEO until 2019.

Lululemon — Heidi O'Neill

Athleisure brand Lululemon said former Nike executive Heidi O'Neill would take over as CEO in September, citing her three decades of experience leading in performance apparel, footwear, and sport categories. Her most recent role was president of Nike's consumer and marketplace division.

The company parted ways with CEO Calvin McDonald on January 31 and is led in the interim by CFO Meghan Frank and chief commercial officer André Maestrini.

L.L.Bean — Greg Elder

Outdoor lifestyle brand L.L.Bean in January promoted its chief retail officer, Greg Elder, to take over the top job at the 114-year-old company.

Elder previously worked at Eddie Bauer and the Dayton Hudson Corporation (now Target), and has been with L.L.Bean for almost 20 years. His most recent portfolio included managing stores, wholesale, international, and direct-to-business for the storied brand.

Kraft Heinz — Steve Cahillane

Kraft Heinz snagged former Kellanova CEO Steve Cahillane to take over from Carlos Abrams-Rivera on January 1.

The company had planned to split this year into two publicly traded businesses, but scrapped that plan. Cahillane said at a February conference that the prospect of dividing the company and also turning around the declining businesses was not manageable.

Cahillane has a long career leading consumer products companies like The Nature's Bounty Co. and Coca-Cola's Americas division. He also spent eight years with AB InBev.

Saks — Geoffroy van Raemdonck

Saks Global in January appointed former Neiman Marcus Group CEO Geoffroy van Raemdonck as its new chief as the struggling retailer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Van Raemdonck replaced Richard Baker, Saks Global's former interim CEO and executive chairman, who was largely responsible for the retailer's acquisition of Neiman Marcus.

7-Eleven — Stan Reynolds and Doug Rosencrans

The CEO of 7-Eleven's parent company, Seven & i Holdings, Joe DePinto, retired at the end of last year. The company's former president, Stan Reynolds, and chief operating officer, Doug Rosencrans, are serving as co-CEOs until a permanent successor is hired.

Camping World — Matthew Wagner

RV dealer Camping World founder Marcus Lemonis stepped down as CEO on January 1, with company president Matthew Wagner taking over.

Wagner has been with Camping World since 2007, serving in numerous leadership roles before being appointed chief operating officer in 2023 and president in 2024.

• Many developers are dedicating hours a week to experimenting with AI tools and taking new courses.
• Software engineers told Business Insider that upskilling is required to stay relevant in the AI era.
• Some said they spend around 20 hours weekly learning new AI-related topics.

Software engineers are in the midst of a sweeping industry shift — and they've picked up a second job along the way: upskilling.

Some developers are deliberately pivoting into AI-focused roles at the cutting edge of the technology. However, even those who remain in traditional engineering roles say keeping up with the pace of change can feel daunting.

"In order to keep up with everything that's coming out right now, you have to have no job," Jason Grad, the cofounder and CEO of tech startup Massive.

He told Business Insider that he spends roughly 20% of his time learning, reading, and testing out new things.

In conversations with Business Insider, four other developers and three tech leaders described carving out anywhere from an extra hour each day to as much as 20+ hours a week to learn new tools and adapt to rapidly changing demands.

While the amount of time dedicated to upskilling varied among engineers, the pressure they all described feeling was the same: Get on board or fall behind.

A new requirement

In addition to constantly learning on the job, Pratiksha Patnaik, a 30-year-old infrastructure engineer at Google, said AI has changed the scope of her work, shifting from networking security and infrastructure to helping customers adopt generative AI products and solutions. She spends a couple of hours a week learning new AI concepts and said she'd "be left behind" if she didn't.

"It is required as part of my role," Patnaik told Business Insider.

Maahir Sharma, a 24-year-old software engineer, has spent over a decade refining his coding skills, and said he initially felt concerned about AI taking his job, as the models rapidly improved a few months ago.

However, he said he now feels optimistic about his future as a developer because he's spending time learning about new concepts and educating himself on AI.

"Backend engineering is now going to transition into AI engineering," Sharma, who said he spends about 20 hours a week upskilling, told Business Insider.

In addition to experimenting with tools, Sharma said he's been taking online courses about topics like prompt engineering, building out multi-orchestration AI agents, and how model context protocol servers work.

Marc Kriguer, a lead software engineer at an insurance company, told Business Insider that he spends between 30 minutes and an hour each day after work keeping up with new tools.

He said he uses CodeSignal, an AI-powered platform that offers one free token every 24 hours. That token allows him to practice Go, a programming language, he said. He has also spent time taking AI courses and improving his prompting skills.

Beyond hands-on experimentation and courses, part of the challenge is figuring out what's next. Feneel Doshi, a 27-year-old software engineer at a Jersey City startup, said he spends four to five hours a week experimenting with tools. He starts his weekday mornings by reading newsletters like TLDR and Flipboard, and developer blogs from OpenAI and Anthropic, to keep tabs on what's new in the industry.

Individual contributors aren't alone in the scramble. Tech leaders who are expected to lead the charge on AI adoption have also said they're carving out extra hours each day to keep pace with the change.

Google VP and general manager Keith Ballinger told Business Insider that he sends out weekly email tracking what he's been working on to keep himself accountable. He said he spends over 20 hours a week experimenting with tools.

The joy of experimentation

Learning new skills doesn't always feel like a grind, several engineers said.

"Once you actually see something going live in production and you see the results of it, it kind of becomes addictive at that point," Sharma told Business Insider.

Sharma added that building projects for monetary gain doesn't feel as rewarding, and part of the fun is that AI experiments done in your own time.

Ballinger similarly said he loves the new era of AI engineering and feels there's never been a better time to be a developer. He said he doesn't spend 20+ hours a week experimenting with AI because he has to. He does it because he enjoys it so much.

There's always the possibility you could be creating the next big tool or feature.

Emrick Donadei, a 32-year-old software engineer at Google who transitioned into an AI role, said part of his excitement in participating in a hackathon was the possibility that what he was building could become a real feature.

Sharma pointed out that tools like OpenClaw were built in one month and went viral. That's something that he feels "optimistic" about when he builds, he said.

• Baylee Frankovich attended trade school to work in HVAC after high school in 2021.
• She says being a service technician gives her freedom and fulfillment, and every day is different.
• Frankovich says networking and a willingness to make mistakes are key for working in the trades.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Baylee Frankovich, a 23-year-old HVAC service technician based in Reno, Nevada. It's been edited for length and clarity.

As I was preparing to graduate from high school with no official career plan, I got a phone call from my dad: "If you want to join the family HVAC business, now is your time."

Working in HVAC wasn't on my radar as a career path, so I hesitated. I questioned if I'd be strong enough, able to hold my own among the men, or if I'd even want to commit my life to it. Then I thought, "How will I know unless I try?"

That summer, about four years ago, I started working for my father and enrolled in a 9-month trade school program. Now, I work full-time as an HVAC service technician, and it's amazing.

I feel more empowered by not going to a 4-year university

Trade school was far more affordable than a traditional four-year college degree — it cost about $15,000 and took nine months. My classes were from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., so I was even able to maintain a full-time job working for my family business and another HVAC company.

The greatest thing for me was being able to learn on the job while in school. I was able to use my hands, look at the systems, and solve problems in real time.

I had moments of self-doubt as the only woman in my trade school class

As the only woman in my class, I had some moments where I wondered if I'd be able to do the job. I'm quite small: 5'2" and about 100 pounds, so I'm not able to lift all of the equipment.

When I first started, I'd have to say, "Hey, I can't lift this yet. Can you help me?" Now I lift 60-pound compressors.

Unfortunately, sometimes I felt like one of my instructors would shut down my thoughts and opinions and take over when I was asked for help. I learned to just sit back and let him do what he wanted, because at the end of the day, I was going to prevail and keep learning.

The students were so welcoming, and we all had fun together.

I got my first job from a connection, and I see networking as necessary

Almost immediately after graduating from trade school, I started looking for other businesses to work at because the duct-cleaning focus of my family's business wasn't what I wanted to do. I wanted to do service, a job that would allow me to really use my brain.

Luckily, I had previously connected with someone on a job site while working for my dad. When I applied at the company he worked for, my connection got me a foot in the door to get hired. Making connections is really big in this industry because if you know somebody, they may be able to help you out.

As for salary progression, the sky is the limit. My starting salary was $35,000, and now it's about $60,000. My plan is to stay in a service role, but I'd go back to the family business in case of an emergency.

Every day looks different, and I get a lot of freedom working in HVAC

A lot of women are really nervous to join the trades because it's a male-dominated industry, but for the most part, everyone I've worked with has been super welcoming.

On a typical day, I get to my first job site at 8 a.m. I might only have two calls in a day, or I could have five.

Every day comes with new problems to solve. One day, I was working on a very large industrial warehouse, but the next day I was working on residential houses. One thing I love about this job is being able to walk onto a roof and have the freedom to step back for a minute and enjoy the landscape.

I have a lot of outdoor hobbies, so if I get off work before sundown, I like to ride dirt bikes or go fishing. And when I get home, I'm able to enjoy time with my family and not have to worry about the phone ringing with more work.

There are a couple of struggles in the job

The only things I don't love about HVAC are the tight spots I have to navigate, like crawl spaces and attics. Attics can get up to 135 degrees in the summer, so it can be really brutal, but if you have the proper equipment, it'll be OK.

Roofs can also get really hot because UV rays kind of bounce off them and hit you. It can also be very cold, and sometimes I have to work in the rain or snow.

It's our slow season right now, so I'm working about 40 hours a week, but when it picks up in June, I'll be working a lot of overtime — about 60 hours a week — and it's definitely worth it.

I don't have to worry about things like AI taking my job or gas prices

I know a lot of people have been worried about AI taking their jobs, but this is one job I think AI could never take. AI could never walk into someone's home, look at their air conditioning, and figure out everything that's going on with it.

Another thing that a lot of people are afraid of right now is gas prices, but I have my own company vehicle, so thankfully, my gas gets paid for.

My company is very lax: if I need to stop by somewhere on my way home, like the grocery store, I'm more than welcome to. Plus, if I'm short on hours, I can stop by the car wash and get paid while I wash my car.

My advice for getting into HVAC

If you want to get into the trades, network as much as possible. Even if it's just talking to someone at your local Home Depot or joining Facebook groups. Networking can help you make that one connection that gets you a job.

Also, don't be afraid to make mistakes. Messing up on the job is part of being in the trades. If you show up every day with a positive attitude, that's all you need.

Do you have a story to share about working in the trades? If so, please reach out to the reporter at tmartinelli@businessinsider.com.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Dr. Jason Wersland, the founder and Chief Wellness Officer of Therabody, who lives in Los Angeles. This story has been edited for length and clarity.

On October 17, 2007, I was on the freeway, splitting traffic on my motorcycle. A car came out of nowhere, and I T-boned the side of a Volkswagen Jetta. I woke up on the road.

I had a lot of nerve damage in my neck that caused a ton of pain — so much that I couldn't move for two months. The next January, I fell asleep on a plane and couldn't move my neck, so the airline had to call an ambulance.

Examining my own pain, I came up with the idea for the Theragun: a device that delivers rapid pulses for a deep-tissue massage at home. By February 2008 — four months after my accident — I developed my first Theragun prototype.

Being a chiropractor, I asked around my network. I realized no one had ever created a handheld percussive therapy device like this before. It took another eight years to fully launch the product.

In 2020, we rebranded from Theragun to Therabody to incorporate other products.

Now, Therabody is a global brand in about 70 countries. We've worked with the Olympics and maintain relationships with celebrity athletes and top sports teams. We aim to make Therabody available to anyone who wants to feel better.

I live in Manhattan Beach, California, with my wife, but travel at least once a month for work. Here's a day in my life.

I start with a morning mantra and fresh spring water

I try to only set an alarm if it's crucial. Otherwise, I wake up around 6:15 a.m.

I have a mantra I repeat to myself as I roll my eyes and raise my eyebrows. I like to imagine the things that I want in my life and be grateful for what I have.

Once I get up, I drink eight ounces of water. I buy Alive Water, which is fresh, natural spring water delivered in reusable glass jugs. I can taste the difference.

My morning workouts include HIIT sessions and beachside runs

I like to get a really crazy workout in. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and sometimes Fridays, I do a HIIT workout with a personal trainer. It's usually an hour and 10 minutes.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I might do a home movement class, play tennis with my wife in the morning, or run sprint intervals on the beach. It's a good mix. Growing up, I never wanted to be stuck in one sport.

If I'm on the road, I usually know someone who can get me access to a gym or wellness space for a workout. Otherwise, I improvise. If I'm in Italy, I know there are lots of stairs, so I'll crank out a bunch of climbs on my way to the gym.

Meditation is a huge part of my routine

I usually end my workouts with about 30 minutes of meditation and breathwork.

Meditation has really helped me shut down the voices. Sometimes, we close our eyes, and the voices start coming: "You don't deserve that." Understanding that those voices aren't helping, that they're probably lying to you, has also helped a lot in being more intentional in my life.

Breakfast is a burrito, my favorite coffee, and my supplement stack

When I'm home, I usually have a breakfast burrito and coffee from a local coffee shop called the Two Guns Espresso.

If I'm in the office, I'll sometimes have a Perfect Bar. Then I take a handful of vitamins, including creatine, NAD+, omega, magnesium, and vitamins B and C.

I spend most of my time building the brand

I don't think I ever stop working.

We have multiple weekly meetings: one for design, one for innovation, and our executive meeting, which I always prepare for. In between, I'm catching up on emails and communicating with our science and education team.

I work with a lot of athletes, so that might look like getting NFL players ready for next season or building a Therabody recovery room for one of Europe's top soccer teams.

For lunch, protein comes first for me. Yellow curry chicken is my go-to at the office.

Scheduling walks to 'sharpen the saw'

I schedule time for myself to go for a walk at least once a day, for at least an hour and a half. Stephen Covey, who wrote "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People," talks about "sharpening the saw."

For me, that means walking along the Strand running alongside Manhattan Beach. My son lives close by. Sometimes, I'll call him to meet me.

One of the biggest things I've learned is not to beat myself up about having downtime or slow days at work. There are days when you feel like you've conquered everything. Then all of a sudden, something happens to your car, and now you can't get to work. I think people think that's an obstacle to get over, but if you stop, you realize the universe is slowing you down for a reason.

When the universe needs a minute to catch up with me, I go to the spa and get massages. I like taking care of myself.

I unwind with my wife, sans phone

I end my day on the couch, sitting next to my wife, sometime around 8:30 or 9 p.m. I'm not on my phone. We're watching something like "The 'Burbs" or "Industry," we're catching up, and we're talking about what our days were like.

Conversations where you're not rushed and don't have an endpoint are really important to me. I have a great relationship with my parents; I'm on the phone with them at least once a week. These relationships make my life feel fulfilled, so I don't feel super lopsided.

I have a 3-second trick to fall asleep

I think it's really important to have a consistent sleep routine.

When I'm in town, I'm with my wife until around 10 p.m. Then I go to my bedroom and get the things I need, walk back, and kiss my wife.

I do some light breathing and gratitude exercises, like a big breath in. I'm thankful my kids are healthy and happy. Big breath out.

I have a process I use to help me fall asleep. I take a deep breath and let my heart rate slowly come down. I usually joke and tell my wife, "Babe, 3, 2, 1 — I'm about ready to go to sleep, if you have any last words."

• Attendees at On Aging 2026 debated AI's role in the lives of older adults.
• I saw VR technology, AI prompting demonstrations, and assistive tech showcases.
• With age tech expected to be worth well into the billions of dollars, more eyes are on AI and aging.

Can a VR headset serve as a companion to someone in a nursing home? Can an AI-powered robot care for a disabled 80-year-old? And, if so, who pays?

These are some of the questions we're going to have to answer as a society — and some of them, pretty soon, attendees at the On Aging 2026 conference in Atlanta said this week. I was there, and at 25, I was one of the youngest in the audience.

Opinions, of course, varied. Some spoke positively about the new frontier of technology that could help care for older people. Others weren't sure that a robot companion or smart home sensors would do anything other than isolate older people from their families and neighbors. In nearly every panel I attended, tech sparked debate. How should age tech be integrated in rural communities? What should AI governance look like? Can caregivers benefit from tech?

Not every session was dominated by AI. Social connection, belonging, equity, and justice came up again and again. Attendees brainstormed how to foster intergenerational connections. Many wanted to combat ageism, achieve better mental health outcomes, and work toward more equitable health solutions. Here are some of my main takeaways.

Older adults want to use AI and technology

In every time block, there was at least one session that directly addressed age tech, AI, wearables, and innovation. A recurring theme among the panels was that older people want to use AI, but many don't know what options are available. AARP has found that tech use has surged among older people in the US in recent years, with 90% owning a smartphone and 30% using AI. While many are still hesitant about using new tech, plenty are interested but don't yet know how to apply the tech to their lives.

Many panels, such as "Bridging the Gap: Addressing Ageism in Age Tech," highlighted gaps in AI training data that are often skewed by stereotypes, surveillance concerns, and designs driven by what developers sometimes incorrectly think older people want.

Panelists across the conference argued that age-inclusive design should integrate autonomy, flexibility, and an accurate assessment of older people's needs. For instance, some robotics technology, like ElliQ, was developed with insights from older people, such as serving as a companion that encourages human interaction.

AI is helping older people in often invisible ways

In addition to working on tech adoption, the conference also focused on creative AI solutions for older people.

In sessions like "Beyond the Panic Button," researchers highlighted the prevalence of AI-powered predictive analytics in reshaping care. Some startups have begun using predictive tech to flag risks before an emergency occurs. As Chia-Lin Simmons, CEO of medical alert devices company LogicMark, said, most tech is built around "waiting for something to go wrong, then responding."

For instance, one of the sessions highlighted how age-tech innovators are using AI for early detection of Alzheimer's, which is expected to affect 13 million people by 2050 — most of whom are diagnosed too late to take action. Misfolded proteins, a signature of the disease, can show up 20 years before symptoms emerge, and certain speech features can predict Alzheimer's up to 15 years before diagnosis. Companies are developing AI to detect early warning signs, helping older people get ahead of a diagnosis.

A few sessions focused on assistive technology like wearables, AI solutions such as fraud detection, automated medicine boxes for older adults, and tech solutions for rural people in the US without broadband access.

We are in a caregiving crisis

Many panels, including the opening session, highlighted how the US is in a caregiving crisis — and has been for some time. AARP found that 63 million people in the US serve as family caregivers, nearly 48 million of whom are unpaid. In a recent national caregiving survey, 61% of respondents said their work lives were affected by caregiving responsibilities. Two-thirds of caregivers regularly help with health management, errands, and personal care. Just one in five have training for more complex caregiving tasks like changing a breathing tube.

Many panelists stressed that the caregiving crisis needs more attention. Many jobs don't offer employees with caregiving duties benefits and workplace flexibility, while younger caregivers — including teenagers — are often invisible. Some panelists advocated for paid caregiving, while others have established peer communities for family caregivers.

The government can do more to help older adults

Many agreed that 2026 has been more promising than last year, when deep cuts to Medicaid funding were central to the national fiscal debate. Still, this year alone, some states had funding for programs like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families temporarily held, while other states had some Medicaid funding frozen. Panelists also discussed how the elimination of some smaller programs continues to impact older people.

Panelists and attendees have called for strengthening Social Security, expanding Medicare coverage, adding tax credits for caregivers, and advancing intergenerational programs and elder rights protections.

Aging isn't just about older people

While attending panels, I felt comfortable sharing my perspectives on the future of aging because, as most attendees I spoke with agreed, aging doesn't start at 65. Some panelists stressed that aging begins at birth and that people need to start thinking about it earlier in their lives. I noticed that in many panels, the crowd had a diverse age range, and many college students presented their research on aging and social belonging.

As I've written about in my 80 Over 80 series, I have learned a great deal about how I will approach getting older from speaking with hundreds of people in the US in their 80s and beyond. But many younger people feel that because retirement and "old age" are many years away, they don't need to think about those things now. However, panelists said it is never too early to save for long-term care and retirement, and to factor in caregiving in future planning.

• A new startup boom is emerging, with business applications near record highs.
• AI is creating new opportunities as layoffs and RTO push workers toward entrepreneurship.
• Six former Big Tech workers share why they started businesses despite the risks.

Last year, Nicole Landis Ferragonio and Joe Luchs decided to leave Amazon and launch an AI startup.

They'd been planning the transition for months, but for Ferragonio, the tipping point was Amazon's five-day return-to-office mandate in January 2025.

"It raised some questions about how much agency you really have in Big Tech and what would be possible on our own," she said.

Luchs pointed to the rapid rise of "game-changing" AI technologies, which he felt there was a limited window to capitalize on. By September, they'd both resigned and started an AI data refinery company.

Over the past year, I've interviewed more than a dozen Americans who recently launched businesses, sometimes quitting their jobs to pursue them full-time. Their experiences reflect a broader spike in entrepreneurship: For the latest full year of data, through March, Americans filed nearly six million new-business applications — the highest total for any 12-month period since data collection began in 2004. But unlike the pandemic-era startup boom, this wave is being shaped by a different set of forces, including the rapid rise of AI, return-to-office mandates, and a tougher job market.

The forces driving Americans into entrepreneurship

For some workers, entrepreneurship has become a way to chase opportunity — particularly in the AI space, where rapid advances are opening doors for new business ventures.

In 2024, after eight years at Google as a tech lead, Jason White decided he wanted to lean more into AI. Later that year, he accepted an AI machine learning engineer role at Meta. But in 2025, he considered going even further: launching an AI startup to help households manage their finances. He resigned from Meta in September.

For others, the appeal is more about reassessing corporate life. A slowdown in hiring and promotions, as well as high-profile layoffs in industries like tech, has made entrepreneurship feel less risky.

Last June, Taylor M. LaSane faced a career crossroads: stay in her six-figure manager role at Google, or take a buyout and go all-in on her career coaching business. She said uncertainty about her job security at Google made it easier to choose the latter.

"Big Tech layoffs are happening everywhere, so it wasn't like staying there was necessarily any more stable than leaving," she said.

After joining Microsoft as a senior software engineer in 2022, David Chong struggled to get promoted. By 2025, he was still in the same role and felt greater demands on productivity and working from the office.

"The message from leadership seemed to be that we needed to ramp up and adjust because times were changing," he said.

Chong resigned from Microsoft in September to start an AI sales agent business.

While some entrepreneurs have left their corporate gigs, others have started businesses out of necessity, after frustrating job searches. As of March, more than a quarter of unemployed Americans had been looking for work for 27 weeks or more, up from about 18% three years earlier.

Since being laid off by Wells Fargo in April 2025, Robin Peppers Daniel has struggled to secure full-time employment. She said she's now spending less time applying for jobs and more time building her web design and skincare businesses.

More workers are going solo — but it's not without risks

The entrepreneurship boom underscores the trade-offs of self-employment: greater flexibility and autonomy, but also greater financial uncertainty.

Last year's American Job Quality study found that 46% of self-employed workers — who account for 14% of the US workforce — had "quality jobs," compared to 39% of employed workers. The report defined "quality jobs" as "those offering fair pay and benefits, safe and respectful workplaces, opportunities for growth, a voice in decisions, and sustainable schedules." The findings were based on a Gallup survey of more than 18,000 US adults conducted in early 2025.

Alyson Isaacs is familiar with the appeal of entrepreneurship. After earning her bachelor's degree in 2021, she "completely drained" her savings on a startup that didn't work out for her. She went on to join Meta as a product manager in 2022, but never gave up on her entrepreneurial ambitions. Last July, she resigned from Meta to focus full-time on her new startup, an "agentic AI solution for personal wellness."

"There are ways you can be entrepreneurial," Isaacs said of working in Big Tech, "but it's very much not the same."

Starting a new business is risky. Only a third of private-sector US businesses created in March 2013 were still operating a decade later, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Many entrepreneurs aren't blind to these risks — and took steps to prepare their finances before starting their businesses.

Before leaving Meta, Jason White said he saved enough to cover a year of expenses. Chong said he felt comfortable leaving Microsoft because he had several years' worth of savings and no dependents to support. Isaacs said she lived well below her means — including living in a less expensive area — to build a financial cushion.

White said that his Meta colleagues reacted to his leaving with a mix of surprise, support, and jealousy. He said some had considered starting their own businesses but hadn't, citing the financial risks. But White didn't want to let those concerns hold him back.

"At the end of the day, I want to take the swing," he said.

• Texas power demand could quadruple by 2032 due to data center growth.
• Midwest states also expect power demand to rise, fueled by major data center projects.
• Texas could surpass Virginia as data center capital by 2030, driving up power demand.

Everything is bigger in Texas — and that includes the data center demand straining its power grid.

Texas data center development has become so rampant that the state is on track to become the world's data center capital by 2030, surpassing Virginia.

Just last week, Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the Lone Star State's grid operator, told state regulators that power demand is on track to quadruple by 2032, driven by an unprecedented surge in large data center projects seeking to connect to the grid.

ERCOT isn't the only grid operator facing outsize power demand amid the data center construction boom.

The Midcontinent Independent System Operator, which operates the grid for 15 states across the Midwest, South, and Mountain West, expects demand to increase by 35% by 2035 — again, largely driven by data centers.

MISO said demand growth was concentrated in its central region, which includes Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois.

All three states are home to massive data center projects from the likes of Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Meta, OpenAI, and Oracle.

The 35% jump represents a historic increase for regional grid operators, though it is far less extreme than the surge Texas faces.

Texas data centers may have to wait for power

ERCOT's existing power plants and transmission lines don't have the capacity to serve the record growth, and as a result, data centers in Texas face up to several years of wait time to power up.

Some data center developers in Texas have given up on the grid altogether and are building their own on-site, "behind-the-meter" power plants. Most of those projects, like Oracle and OpenAI's Stargate data centers in Abilene and Shackelford County, use natural gas.

It's possible that not all of the data centers that requested grid connections in Texas will ultimately be built, and Texas's quadrupled demand forecast may not materialize.

ERCOT "has concerns" with the accuracy of the forecast and seeks to consult with regulators" to evaluate whether it is appropriate to seek an adjustment," the grid operator said last week in a filing with the Public Utility Commission of Texas.

In addition to power, some data centers have also struggled to find funding for construction.

• There's a new office rivalry brewing around who can rack up the most AI tokens.
• JPMorgan, Disney, and others are tracking AI usage and ranking their employees on leaderboards.
• We want to hear about your AI leaderboards and whether you're a "tokenmaxxer."

White-collar workers are jostling to climb rankings on AI leaderboards in a new kind of workplace competition known as "tokenmaxxing."

The trend is separating AI power users and laggards at large companies, including JPMorgan, Disney, and Meta.

At JPMorgan, dashboards categorize employees as "non," "light," or "heavy" users, Business Insider reported. A Disney "AI Adoption Dashboard" shows one employee invoking Claude 460,000 times in nine days — likely with the help of automated agents, BI found. At Meta, engineers can earn titles like "Token Legend" for their usage of tokens, a measurement of data used by AI models, The Information reported.

We want to understand how this is changing office dynamics. Tell us: Does your company track your AI usage? Do you think AI leaderboards brew healthy competition — or reward volume over value? Are you envious of the AI legends around your office? Or skeptical of what they're doing with all those tokens?

Fill out this quick survey.

• Ukraine has been using an old turboprop plane to shoot down Shahed drones in flight.
• Now, it's launching its interceptor drones from the plane, turning it into an airborne carrier.
• Videos show several interceptors being launched in combat from under the wing of an Antonov An-28.

Ukrainian troops have used an Antonov An-28 turboprop aircraft to launch several interceptor drones in combat, turning the civilian plane into an airborne carrier for Shahed-killing quadcopters.

Tymur Fatkullin, a Ukrainian pilot, posted footage on social media of the drones launched from under the wings of an An-28.

"You could call it a cheap air-to-air missile. For us, it is also a step toward technology that will allow drones to operate in zero visibility," Fatkullin wrote in a caption for his Thursday post.

The videos appear to show multiple P1-Sun interceptors, developed by the Ukrainian firm Skyfall, being launched individually from the An-28's wings. Each one is seen tracking down and destroying a Shahed.

Fatkullin's montage included a brief clip of the US-made Merops system firing an AS-3 Surveyor, a winged interceptor drone, from the An-28 during a training mission.

The Wild Hornets, another Ukrainian drone maker, also said that its Sting interceptor drone was recently launched from an An-28 during a combat mission, posting footage of a daytime launch. Earlier this week, it said it had taken part in the world's first interceptor combat launch from an uncrewed surface vessel.

The An-28's modified configuration appears to feature pylons under its wings, allowing the plane to carry at least three interceptor drones per wing.

The light transport turboprop plane, which first flew in 1968, is fast emerging as one of Ukraine's low-cost solutions to Russia's frequent waves of Shahed attack drones. Ukrainian An-28 crews would typically use the plane to position near a flying Shahed, firing a machine gun from a side door to destroy the loitering munition.

Dozens of drone kills with this tactic have now given the An-28, originally intended as a transport or passenger aircraft, a new colloquial reputation as a "Shahed hunter" in Ukraine.

As a platform for interceptor drones, it offers several other advantages that could further extend Ukraine's cheaper air defense.

First, the airborne platform allows an interceptor crew to maneuver into range of Shaheds more quickly; a typical Ukrainian crew, which includes the drone pilot and radar operator, travels in cars or trucks to reach the threat or a designated area of responsibility. The plane is also designed for short take-offs and landings, meaning it doesn't need a conventional airstrip.

Meanwhile, the An-28 can cruise at about 208 mph, which would also allow an interceptor drone to launch at a higher velocity if both aircraft fly in the same direction, making it easier for the drone to catch up to a Shahed.

Some of Ukraine's fastest interceptor drones can fly above 200 mph, with its defense ministry saying one of its small drones set a record speed of 248.5 mph in December.

Local firms continue to upgrade the speeds of these small drones, though there are theoretical limits to their most common designs, which often rely on four propellers and a tear-shaped aerodynamic frame.

The effort to push the speeds of these interceptors comes as Ukraine has warned that Russia is developing arsenals of newer types of loitering munitions that fly much faster. Some, such as the turbojet-powered Geran-3 and Geran-5, can reportedly fly at up to 235 mph or 370 mph.

The Geran-2, the Russian-made version of Iran's Shahed-136, is known to fly at about 115 mph.

• Claude Code's head of product said that AI release frequency is causing user FOMO.
• AI labs are shipping new features rapidly, causing user overwhelm and product overlaps.
• This month, Claude Code faced user criticism for lower-quality output.

Claude Code's head of product said she knows the frequency of AI releases is stressing people out.

On an episode of "Lenny's" podcast published on Thursday, Cat Wu, the head of product for Claude Code and Cowork at Anthropic, said that users are experiencing the fear of missing out on new AI products.

"With these agentic tools, not just Claude Code and Cowork, but across the whole ecosystem, people feel this need to like check Twitter every single day to see what the absolute latest thing is," Wu said. "There's more we can do to help people feel less like they're on this ever increasingly fast treadmill."

Wu, who joined the AI lab in 2024, said that companies usually ship a feature every month or quarter, making it easy for users to check in once a month and stay up to date.

But in the race to build the best AI tools, labs, Big Tech, and startups are shipping faster than ever — and in increasingly overlapping areas.

Wu said she wants to see products that will reduce some of this overwhelm.

"I would love people to feel like they can just open these tools. The tools will educate or teach them what they want to know and that they can just feel more brought along," she said.

On Thursday's podcast, the head of product added that the industry's pace is affecting Anthropic.

"With AI moving so quickly and with so many ideas that we need to test out, we do sometimes have features that overlap with each other," she said.

Over the past few months, the frontier model lab has pushed to strengthen its position in AI coding, with a stream of model releases and product updates to Claude Code and more "agent"- style workflows. Claude Code, which launched in February 2025, started off as a terminal-based coding assistant and has evolved into an AI-powered workspace with features such as plugins, memory, and multiple agents.

A tech blog that tabulates Anthropic's launches said the company shipped over 45 new features in the first three months of the year.

This string of new releases has come with hiccups.

In the last few weeks, users complained that Claude Code's responses had severely deteriorated. The company denied that it had intentionally degraded the tool and said that it identified a trio of issues likely contributing to a worse user experience.

The Anthropic tool competes with Cursor and Codex, made by chief rival OpenAI. It also shares the AI-assisted coding market with startups like Lovable, Bolt, and Emergent.

• Barbara Corcoran, 77, says she became more confident by changing one bad habit.
• Instead of reinforcing her negative thoughts, she worked to reframe how she spoke to herself.
• "By the time I got to be 50, I pretty much believed it, maybe, you know, but it's hard to shake it," she said.

Barbara Corcoran, 77, says she overcame years of self-doubt by changing one bad habit.

On Thursday's episode of "The Burnouts" podcast, Corcoran told hosts Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni that it took her a long time to learn to believe in herself.

"It's just funny what your head can do for you. Most of everything, I think, plays out in your head," Corcoran said. "You know, I wish I told myself as a younger woman, you're a lot more capable than you think you are. But it took years to really learn that."

She founded the Corcoran Group, a real estate brokerage in New York City, in 1973, before selling the company for $66 million in 2001. She has also been an investor on "Shark Tank" since the show's debut in 2009.

Corcoran said she prepares extensively before business meetings, making sure she knows everything inside and out so she can stay in "total control."

"And yet when I walk in, I think that everybody's smarter than me," she said, adding that the feeling stems from her experience as a student who struggled in school.

However, she was determined to push back against those memories, she said.

"In fact, probably till I was, I think, 35, I would have a self-tape that I had to consciously really change. My tape would say, 'Hey, Barb, you should have never been here. You didn't need to come to this meeting. You're better off with your salespeople at home. You'd get more done. You motivate them,'" Corcoran said, recalling her negative self-talk.

Corcoran said she would often tell herself that being in those group settings was a mistake and that she shouldn't have gone.

"And then when I was about 35, I realized that tape was pulling me back. It was old tape, so then I replaced it. I said, 'Barbara, you're a genius. Fuck them all. You're great," she said.

Even though she didn't believe it at first, repeating it eventually helped her internalize it.

"By running it all the time, 35 to 40 to 45. By the time I got to be 50, I pretty much believed it, maybe, you know, but it's hard to shake it," Corcoran said.

Corcoran isn't alone. Other celebrities have also spoken about the role self-talk plays in shaping confidence.

Elizabeth Banks has said that treating herself kindly is key to aging well.

"It's your attitude. Getting rid of negative self-talk and just being positive about how you feel about yourself," Banks said.

Some have also pointed out that those habits can extend beyond themselves.

Zooey Deschanel has said she doesn't let her two kids see her insecure.

"I always want them to think I'm happy with myself and, like, because they get their self-esteem from their parents, you know. So yeah, it's important to me to, like, show up with confidence," she said.

Similarly, Kylie Kelce has said she tries to model self-love in front of her kids.

"I really try my best to make sure that I speak positively about myself, even on the days that I don't necessarily feel it," Kelce said.

• The Iran war has affected businesses across sectors, from retail to advertising.
• Its impacts are starting to show up in earnings calls.
• Here's what top CEOs and execs are saying about the impact of the Iran war on the business world.

More than six weeks have passed since the Iran war began, and the impact of the conflict on businesses is becoming more evident.

The impacts of surging oil prices, supply chain issues, and lower demand from the Middle East are starting to show up in Q1 earnings.

In some sectors, such as investment banking, executives say business activity is in good shape overall.

However, for industries such as luxury goods, which have a strong retail presence in the Middle East, there are concerns about how the ongoing conflict will affect business.

David Solomon, CEO of Goldman Sachs

David Solomon, CEO of Goldman Sachs, said in the company's first-quarter earnings call on April 13 that "the environment for investment banking activity continues to be incredibly robust, particularly M&A activity."

Solomon said that while leaders are "watching what's going on geopolitically," they are also looking at the opportunities that artificial intelligence could bring.

"They are focused on that, and that candidly trumps some of the geopolitical risk," Solomon added.

Arthur Sadoun, CEO of Publicis Groupe

The French advertising giant said on its first-quarter earnings call on April 14 that the conflict in the Middle East had led some clients to delay "large transformation capex projects" due to uncertainty over how the situation might unfold.

CEO Arthur Sadoun said on the call that clients had become resilient in navigating uncertainty, after other major events, including COVID, the war in Ukraine, tariffs, and inflation. Publicis said it hadn't seen brands making significant reductions in their marketing budgets in the first quarter.

"They know that if they cut marketing spend, they will lose market share," Sadoun said. "That will be very expensive and very difficult to win back."

Publicis' Middle East and Africa business posted a 5.1% decline in organic revenue in the quarter, with the United Arab Emirates and Israel most affected, the company said.

Cécile Cabanis, CFO of LVMH

LVMH said in its earnings call on April 13 that its first-quarter performance was negatively affected by the war in Iran.

Cécile Cabanis, CFO of the French luxury conglomerate, said that "demand is very much down" in the Middle East, particularly citing lower foot traffic to malls.

Cabanis said Sephora, one of LVMH's companies, has been able to resist this downward trend better because of its large presence in Saudi Arabia, which she said has been "more resilient" during the conflict.

"What we have not seen yet is repatriation. And what we know is that the wealth has not evaporated," Cabanis said.

She added that if the conflict persists and wealthy people leave the region, they will ensure that they are "there to serve the clients."

Bernard Arnault, CEO of LVMH

Bernard Arnault, LVMH's CEO, said at an April meeting in Paris that there could be a "world catastrophe" if the Iran conflict continues.

The billionaire told shareholders at the company's annual general meeting that "the world is now in a pretty serious crisis in the Middle East" — one that affected demand for LVMH's products in the first quarter.

"Either it'll be a world catastrophe with very serious and very negative economic impact — in which case, who can say how 2026 will unfold," Arnault said. "Or it will be resolved more rapidly in some shape or form that we all hope for, even if it doesn't seem to be easy, in which case, business will recover and resume their normal course."

Armelle Poulou, CFO of Kering

Gucci parent company Kering said during its first-quarter earnings call on April 14 that geopolitical tensions in the Middle East weighed on its traffic and performance.

"Since the end of February, the situation in the region has remained an area of heightened attention for the group," CFO Armelle Poulou said.

It saw an 11% decline in retail revenue in the region during Q1, which dragged on the overall retail segment.

The Middle East accounts for about 5% of the luxury conglomerate's retail revenue, with about 1,100 employees and 79 stores, the company said. Despite some recent disruptions, it said stores are fully open.

Kering is also feeling the impact of the Iran war on sales outside of the Middle East. Its sales were down 7% in Western Europe in Q1, where "trends remain challenging, particularly due to softer tourist flows, notably from Asia and Middle East," Poulou said.

Eric du Halgouët, CFO of Hermes

Luxury brand Hermes said its sales in the Middle East fell 6% in the first quarter as the conflict in Iran kicked off.

The company also saw its sales in France take a hit, with a "strong decrease" in Middle East customers shopping for its products.

"The impact of the slowdown because of the Middle East is not significant on profitability," its CFO Eric du Halgouët said during the company's earnings call on April 15.

"It remains to be seen whether the events continue for a month or two, but if it's just two months, I think that we can absorb this impact without too many difficulties," he added.

Wendell Huang, CFO of TSMC

Semiconductor powerhouse TSMC reported record profit for the first quarter — but warned that the war in Iran could affect its finances.

Speaking on TSMC's earnings call, CFO Wendell Huang told investors that the prices of certain chemicals and gases the Taiwanese company uses to make chips would likely increase due to the situation in the Middle East.

Huang said that the disruption could impact TSMC's profitability, but told investors the company had sufficient reserves of hydrogen and helium to ride out any shortages.

Helium plays a critical role in semiconductor production. Around one-third of the world's supply is produced by Qatar, and the Iran war has sparked a global shortage of the odorless gas.

Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock

Larry Fink, the CEO of BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, said that his firm has "not seen any changes in behavior" in the investment appetite of massive Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds. Fink, who said he was due to meet two finance ministers in the region this week, hasn't seen any withdrawals from its sovereign wealth funds, and the money keeps flowing. However, so do the questions.

"Our dialogues are probably a little more constant, a little more talking about how they should play all of this and what should they do?" Fink said.

He did warn that "prolonged" uncertainty or violence could change this, but for now, the firm was confident there were still "huge opportunities" and would continue to build out offices across the region.

Rising energy prices could even provide an opportunity for public-private infrastructure investments in parts of Europe and Asia most affected. Their deficits are likely to rise as governments absorb these costs, he said, presenting "bigger and better opportunities."

Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said the economy is resilient but warned of an "increasingly complex set of risks," including geopolitical tensions, in a press release. On a call with analysts, CFO Jeremy Barnum said that war in the Middle East could negatively impact the deals pipeline, which has so far been "surprisingly resilient."

Dimon added that, if things in the region begin to get "derailed," he would expect to see an "impact on sentiment and on deal decision-making."

Elena Mariani, head of strategic planning and investor relations at Moncler

Italian luxury fashion brand Moncler said its Middle East sales were down 50% in March.

However, Elena Mariani, head of strategic planning and investor relations at Moncler, said this drop did not have "a meaningful direct impact on the business" on the company's earnings call on April 21.

Moncler, best known for its down-filled puffa jackets, has less exposure to the Middle East than other luxury brands, with the region accounting for less than 2% of sales.

Overall, EMEA revenue was down 1% for the first quarter of 2026.

This dip "was more related to incoming tourism from overseas customers into Europe that was worse in March compared to the previous two months," Mariani said.

Luciano Santel, executive director of Moncler, said that "there was a significant decline in traffic coming from outside the region in Europe due to a decline in flights."

• Donald Trump is considering federal support for Spirit Airlines amid ongoing financial struggles.
• Analysts and aviation experts see market risks in government intervention.
• Senators Warren and Cruz expressed skepticism over a taxpayer-funded bailout for Spirit Airlines.

President Donald Trump signaled openness to the government having a stake in Spirit Airlines, and people have thoughts.

Speaking to CNBC on Monday, Trump said, "Maybe the federal government should help that one out," adding that he had raised the idea to his team.

The struggling budget carrier has spent the past two years grappling with bankruptcy and a failed merger with JetBlue that collapsed after a federal judge blocked the deal on antitrust grounds. Since then, Spirit has struggled to return to profitability.

Here's what politicians, analysts, and some of the industry's smartest people are saying about a potential bailout.

Jamie Baker

Jamie Baker, a JPMorgan analyst specializing in aviation, wrote in an analyst note on April 16 that he hopes a government takeover of Spirit is a "low-probability scenario," because airline investors already have "their share of headaches to contend with."

"Spirit's bankruptcies were not driven by higher oil, nor has the company claimed as much," Baker wrote. "Should the administration afford any sort of cash infusion, we believe JetBlue and Frontier would be inclined to quickly follow Spirit's lead."

"Were that to happen, would American be far behind?" Baker added.

In an April 23 analyst note, Baker said that an avenue "worth exploring" is for the administration to step in and wind down Spirit in an orderly manner that would minimize passenger disruption and to "influence the reallocation of its remaining fleet and assets."

Elizabeth Warren

Sen. Elizabeth Warren questioned whether taxpayers would benefit from a bailout in a post on X on April 22.

"Donald Trump's war with Iran caused the sky-high fuel prices that finally did Spirit Airlines in," Warren wrote.

"What do the American people get out of this taxpayer bailout?" she added. "Will the failed airline executives be held accountable?"

Scott Kirby

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said during the company's April 22 earnings call that he is not concerned about Spirit affecting United and that United does not need a federal bailout.

"Well-run airlines are still solidly profitable, even in this environment," said Kirby. "Whether Spirit fails or keeps flying, I don't think it has much effect on United, one way or another, to be honest."

"I feel bad for the people of Spirit, but it's been pretty obvious that Spirit's business model was fundamentally flawed, and the airline was not going to be able to make it or recover their cash operating costs," Kirby added.

Gary Leff

Gary Leff, a travel and points expert who is the main writer behind View From the Wing, wrote on April 20 that fuel prices aren't the issue.

"This is being framed as an emergency due to the cost of fuel. But this is not because of fuel," Leff wrote. "And the Trump administration isn't going to want to see an airline go under because of its military operation in Iran."

Leff said that he doesn't think fuel is to blame because Spirit spent most of the last two years in bankruptcy, doesn't have a clearly viable business model, and has "a terrible brand with consumers."

"The economy as a whole doesn't benefit when investment decisions get made politically," Leff added. "Socializing losses and privatizing gains doesn't just lead to a cronyist economy, it leads to too much risk-taking because owners don't really risk loss themselves."

Ted Cruz

Sen. Ted Cruz called bailing out Spirit Airlines an "absolutely terrible idea" in a post on X on April 22.

"The TARP corporate bailouts were a huge mistake & the government doesn't know a damn thing about running a failed budget airline (that the Biden admin killed)," Cruz wrote.

Ben Schlappig

Ben Schlappig, a travel blogger, consultant, and points expert who founded the One Mile at a Time aviation blog, wrote in an April 21 article that the government taking a stake in individual airlines "seems like a bad idea for competition."

"I don't want to be unsympathetic, but I don't think taxpayer money should go toward keeping one struggling airline alive, essentially just subsidizing airfare for a matter of months," Schlappig wrote.

"The topic of broader industry support is also one that I think will be discussed more in the coming weeks," Schlappig added. "If oil prices stay very high, even the world's most profitable airlines will be losing money, and the industry could be radically reshaped in a short period of time."

Sara Nelson

Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, which represents 55,000 flight attendants across 20 airlines, wrote on X on that the union had supported the failed JetBlue-Spirit merger and that the benefits of airline workers should be kept in mind if there is a bailout.

"Now, thousands of Flight Attendants and other frontline workers have their lives, paychecks, healthcare, homes, and retirement hanging in the balance," Nelson said in the April 22 post.

"Let's remember real people are hoping and praying for a lifeline. And no doubt they deserve it!" Nelson added. "But if nothing else, they especially deserve consideration and kindness."

• Trisha Soo is a special ed teacher and small art business owner in Singapore.
• After logging off at 6 p.m., she gears up to work on her art from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. daily.
• It gives her a creative outlet and a second income stream.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Trisha Soo, a 32-year-old teacher and artist from Singapore. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I've been doing calligraphy since I was 10 years old.

I started learning from YouTube tutorials and making cards and calligraphy pieces for friends and family. It started as a hobby and a creative outlet.

Now, it's become a strong financial pillar for me. Still, it comes with many late nights.

After graduation, I worked at a special needs center as a therapist and moved up into a leadership position. But I found that role and the workload intensely stressful.

The last straw was finding myself checking my phone first thing in the morning. I started to have panic attacks because I dreaded waking up and finding out what fires I would have to fight that day.

I quit the job after the pandemic, then took a one-year gap from work to try to monetize my art, selling stickers, calligraphy prints, and stationery, and by offering lettering services for weddings and corporate clients. In December 2022, I officially launched my art business, calling it "Fully Scripted."

12-hour hustle

I've gone back to teaching, which I actually enjoy. I work on my art side hustle at night after my day job as a special education teacher.

I work four days a week for around four to six hours daily — usually starting around noon and ending at 6 p.m. I'm paid 50 Singapore dollars hourly, or around $40.

After wrapping up my work at the center, I come home and walk my dogs, then settle in for the second part of my daily hustle — working on "Fully Scripted."

I start around 9 p.m., either sketching new product ideas on my iPad with Procreate or working on corporate orders. I used to work with pen and paper, but it was too hard and time-consuming to digitize and redraw the lines. So I use Procreate right now for everything except for live calligraphy orders.

I've just landed an order to make 45 hand-foiled purses for a company in a week. Each piece has to be painstakingly measured, its lettering written and rewritten multiple times, and then heat-pressed to bind the gold foil to the fabric.

I value the quiet time I have alone — it's why I'm working in the middle of the night when everyone else is sleeping. Most days, I work until 3 a.m. on my art. This doesn't include weekends, when I often set up booths in art markets around Singapore.

The work is long, and I have a lot more gray hairs than when I started, but it's a different kind of stress compared to my first job. I'm working with my hands and running my own business, rather than sitting at a computer looking at numbers and growth charts.

I've earned about SG$16,500, or about $13,000, a year from my side hustle since I started in 2022, selling on my website, at art markets, and at conventions. The income is quite unpredictable, and I have some slow months.

Trial and error, and being demoralized, are normal

The worst part of the side hustle is the stress of not knowing whether the business will do well. It's only me running it, and I'm not well-versed in business.

I test new products by making 10 pieces of them. For a sticker book I made recently, I couldn't even sell out the 10. I knew I either had to redesign it or maybe it's just too niche.

So I'm figuring things out as I go, like how to launch new products. Sometimes they hit, sometimes they miss, and when they miss, it can be quite demoralizing.

I do wish to do art as a full-time job, hire a team to handle logistics and inventory, and move from my home studio into an actual office space. I'm not there yet.

My advice to anyone starting an art side hustle now: Marketing is everything now, and social media is the key.

The algorithm is very tricky, and each platform has its own, but practice makes perfect. Even if something that you make isn't perfect, don't be afraid to post it.

As artists, we often search for perfection. We make sure that everything looks great before we show the world. But don't be afraid of showing that more vulnerable side.

• Tech job cut announcements have picked up again recently.
• Some factors pressuring tech jobs could be temporary, while others may be permanent.
• How long will this "AI air pocket" for tech jobs last?

Multiple forces have converged to trigger a wave of job cuts across the tech industry. Some of these changes could be temporary, while others could stick and change the character of tech work forever.

The latest news feels bad. Meta is cutting another 8,000 jobs. Microsoft offered buyouts to long-term employees. Oracle shed thousands of roles. Block chopped 40% of staff.

These cuts are painful and stressful for the people involved. However, it pays to put recent numbers in context, gauge how much AI is to blame, and consider how permanent this situation might be.

A recent report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas found that US tech layoffs were worse in 2023, only three years ago. Compared to the Great Recession of 2008 and 2009, this feels like a blip. I remember. I was there. It was terrifying.

Here are some potentially temporary sources of pressure on tech jobs, along with others that could be permanent.

Temporary pressure points

• Tech companies dramatically over-hired in 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic boom. They are still adjusting. Once that process is complete, job cuts could slow or even reverse. There's still demand for tech workers. Job postings for software development roles have risen sharply this year and have been climbing since late 2022, when ChatGPT launched. The supply of software engineers has risen dramatically, though, making the current situation feel worse, especially for some new graduates.
• Some tech giants are investing heavily in data centers and other AI infrastructure to develop new models and related services. That AI capex boom could peak around 2028, according to analyst projections. After that, some of these companies may have more financial flexibility, which could support a pickup in hiring.
• There is also what I'd call a potential "AI air pocket." Companies are experimenting with automation tools and pausing hiring as they evaluate their effectiveness. While AI has been blamed for job losses, it accounted for only about a quarter of cuts this year, according to Challenger estimates. As experiments conclude, some roles could return, especially where automation proves imperfect.
• Tech job losses are "not a result necessarily of AI successes," Gartner senior director analyst Kathy Ross said. "Instead, the layoffs seem to be part of a broader strategy to reinvest funds in AI, hoping for success down the line."

Permanent job market changes

• Some types of jobs could disappear for good, particularly in areas like customer service, where AI systems can handle routine tasks more cheaply and efficiently. If you handled horses when the automobile arrived, then you probably lost your job. Should we have all kept riding horses instead of using cars and continued moving around slowly? Probably not.
• AI also increasingly rewards employees who build, create, and sell, rather than those focused on process and oversight. In Silicon Valley, that shift is showing up in flatter organizations, fewer middle managers, and a growing preference for employees who identify as "builders." AI tools can handle some routine work — analyzing internal data, coordinating workflows, or managing repetitive tasks — reducing the need for roles centered on supervision or process maintenance. By contrast, workers who produce tangible output can potentially use AI to get more things done more quickly. Comfortable roles that relied on maintaining and repeating established processes are being exposed as less essential.
• New kinds of tech jobs will emerge, and some of these may become long-term professions. AI tools like Claude Code are enabling a new "Design Producer" role in Silicon Valley, where senior individual contributors focus on creating, guiding, and elevating work, using judgment and taste to amplify team output, rather than managing people through traditional hierarchies. Then there are "robot wranglers," who move, fix, and train AI-powered robots.

Sign up for BI's Tech Memo newsletter here. Reach out to me via email at abarr@businessinsider.com.

• Companies such as Meta, Amazon, and Oracle have said they're trimming staff this year.
• Pinterest, for one, cited AI as a factor in its decision to shed less than 15% of its workforce.
• See the list of companies letting workers go in 2026.

The first quarter of 2026 is through, and layoffs are well underway.

Companies, including Block and the popular web tool Tailwind, have cut staff, citing the impact of artificial intelligence among the reasons for the layoffs.

Target, meanwhile, is shifting resources from its supply chain into stores as part of the new CEO's turnaround strategy to improve the shopping experience and return to growth.

More than 100 other companies, from Amazon to Nike to Verizon, have filed legally mandated WARN notices about job cuts to come in 2026, according to WARN Tracker. Some of the cuts are part of previously announced reductions.

This year's cuts follow three years of significant workforce reductions across a broad range of industries, including tech, media, finance, and retail.

The moves come as artificial intelligence, public policy, and broader economic conditions are driving sweeping changes in the business landscape.

A World Economic Forum survey last year found that some 41% of companies worldwide expected to reduce their workforces in the next five years because of the rise of artificial intelligence. The survey also found that jobs in big data, fintech, and AI are expected to double by 2030.

Last year, Business Insider tracked layoffs at around 65 major companies, such as Amazon, Meta, Paramount, and Starbucks. In 2026, we'll continue to track additional job cuts based on company announcements, WARN notices, and our own reporting.

Here are the companies with job cuts underway in 2026, listed in alphabetical order.

Amazon is laying off thousands of employees

Amazon said in January that it is eliminating around 16,000 corporate roles globally.

This marks its second round of mass layoffs since October, when the tech and retail giant shed 14,000 roles.

Beth Galetti, senior vice president of people experience and technology, described the move in a company memo as part of broader efforts to cut back on bureaucracy inside the company.

Angi is cutting 350 jobs

Angi, the popular contractor listing site once known as Angie's List, said in January that it was cutting around 350 jobs "to reduce operating expenses and optimize the organizational structure in support of long-term growth." The company also said it's making the cuts "in light of AI-driven efficiency improvements."

In a January 7 SEC filing, Angi said that the cuts would save between $70 million and $80 million in annual spending. The layoffs will cost the company between $22 million and $30 million, according to the filing.

Atlassian is cutting 1,600 employees

Atlassian, the enterprise software company and maker of Confluence, said on March 11 that it will be cutting about 10% of its workforce as it invests in AI to reshape its organization.

CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes said in a statement that about 1,600 employees will be affected by the cuts.

"We fundamentally believe people and AI create the best outcomes. Our approach is not 'AI replaces people,'" Cannon-Brookes said. "But it would be disingenuous to pretend AI doesn't change the mix of skills we need or the number of roles required in certain areas. It does."

The company expects to incur $225 million and $236 million in restructuring charges, according to an SEC filing.

Citi's job cuts continue this year

Citi will cut more jobs this year as part of its plan to reduce its workforce by 10%, or 20,000 employees.

In a statement on January 13, the bank said that it will continue to reduce head count in 2026.

"These changes reflect adjustments we're making to ensure our staffing levels, locations and expertise align with current business needs," a spokesperson for Citi said.

The plan was detailed in the company's January 2024 earnings report and could save the bank as much as $2.5 billion.

Crypto.com laid off 12% of its workforce

Crypto.com CEO Kris Marszalek said in March that the company laid off 12% of its workforce, including "roles that do not adapt in our new world."

"Companies that move immediately and pair the best AI tools with top-performers will achieve a level of scale and precision that was previously impossible," Marszalek wrote in a post on X. "This is where we must go."

Dell cut 10% of its workforce

Dell cut its workforce by 10% for the third year in a row, the company said in its annual filing with the SEC.

As of January 31, 2026, the company had 97,000 employees, down 11,000 from the same time last year. The decline includes both layoffs and attrition, Business Insider reported.

eBay is expected to lay off 6% of its employees

eBay is set to eliminate about 800 jobs globally, making up 6% of its workforce. The company told Business Insider that it's taking steps to better align with its strategic priorities.

"We are grateful for the contributions of the employees impacted and are committed to supporting them with care and respect," a company spokesperson said in a statement.

Epic Games is cutting 20% of its workforce

Epic Games, the company behind Fortnite, said in March that it would lay off more than 1,000 people — about 20% of its workforce — as engagement with the game declined.

CEO Tim Sweeney said in a memo that the layoffs "aren't related to AI."

"To the extent it improves productivity, we want to have as many awesome developers developing great content and tech as we can," Sweeney said.

Expedia laid off some employees

Expedia confirmed to Business Insider that it had laid off some employees on January 26 and had also posted new job openings. It's unclear how many of its workers were affected by the cuts.

"We are eliminating roles as well as opening some new roles as we remain disciplined about assessing the skills we need for the future," an Expedia Group spokesperson said in a statement. "We are also simplifying our structure and reducing organizational layers to move faster and with more accountability. These are not easy decisions, and we are grateful for the contributions of our colleagues who are impacted."

GoPro is laying off 145 employees

On April 7, GoPro said it would lay off about 145 employees as it tries to cut operating costs and restructure operations.

The layoffs make up 23% of its global headcount of 631 employees, the camera maker said in a regulatory filing.

The cuts will start in the second quarter of the year and will largely be completed by the end of 2026. The restructuring is expected to result in a charge of $11.5 million to $15 million.

The company cut about 15% of its staff in August 2024 to cut costs.

Heineken has a multi-year plan to reduce its workforce

Heineken is cutting 5,000 to 6,000 roles over the next two years to boost productivity and bring down costs, according to its latest full-year earnings report.

The company told Business Insider that the divisions and regions where the layoffs are due to take place are yet to be confirmed.

Heineken said in its 2025 report that it faced "subdued consumer sentiment" in the Americas, alongside a "challenging year" for brewers in Europe.

Kenvue cuts 3.5% of workforce

Consumer healthcare brand Kenvue, which produces Tylenol, plans to cut 3.5% of its staff. Kenvue had about 22,000 employees globally, per its latest annual report.

The company wrote in a mid-February SEC filing that its board aimed to reduce complexity and drive operational efficiencies.

The company's layoffs and restructuring efforts are expected to cost $250 million in 2026, per the filing.

Lululemon laid off 100 part-time employees at its customer service center

The athleisure giant said it laid off 100 part-time employees to "strengthen the business." The affected roles are in the company's North American contact center.

"After careful consideration, we have made the decision to transition our North America GEC to a full-time employee staffing model. As a result, approximately 100 part-time positions in our GEC have been impacted," a Lululemon spokesperson said.

Meta lays off workers at Reality Labs and other divisions

Meta began laying off employees across multiple teams on March 25, including Reality Labs, Facebook, recruiting, sales, and global operations.

The cuts come as the company ramps up spending on AI infrastructure and talent, alongside broader cost-cutting efforts. Meta said the changes are part of ongoing restructuring to better align teams with company goals, while exploring other roles for affected employees where possible.

Meta first began preparing to slash jobs within its Reality Labs division, the unit responsible for Mark Zuckerberg's metaverse ambitions, in January, three people familiar with the matter told Business Insider at the time.

Two employees said that teams working on virtual reality headsets and Horizon Worlds, the company's VR social network, would be disproportionately affected.

Meta has shifted away from virtual reality in recent years in favor of spending hundreds of billions of dollars on beefing up its AI capabilities.

Nike sees a two rounds of layoffs

Nike is cutting roughly 1,400 jobs, mostly from tech, as part of a broader push to streamline operations and revive growth.

In a memo to staff on April 23 obtained by Business Insider, Chief Operating Officer Venkatesh Alagirisamy said the layoffs are tied to the company's "win now" turnaround plan, which focuses on improving culture, product, marketing, marketplace strategy, and in-person retail. He described the effort as entering its "final stretch."

This is Nike's second layoff in 2026. Nike said on January 26 that it planned to lay off 775 employees across Tennessee and Mississippi, citing efforts to "streamline" its distribution center operations.

"We are sharpening our supply chain footprint, accelerating the use of advanced technology and automation, and investing in the skills our teams need for the future," Nike said in a statement to Business Insider.

Oracle is making cuts across regions

Oracle started laying off employees on March 31. The cuts appear to affect employees worldwide.

The company employed around 162,000 full-time employees as of May 2025, according to its most recent 10-K filing.

"After careful consideration of Oracle's current business needs, we have made the decision to eliminate your role as part of a broader organizational change. As a result, today is your last working day," the company said in an email to affected employees.

Pinterest is expected to lay off 15% of its workforce

Pinterest announced a global restructuring plan that includes layoffs affecting less than 15% of its workforce, according to a January securities filing. The cuts come with reductions in office space.

"We are making organizational changes to further deliver on our AI-forward strategy, which includes hiring AI-proficient talent," a Pinterest spokesperson said.

"As a result, we've made the difficult decision to say goodbye to some of our team members. We are grateful for their service and supporting them with separation packages and benefits," they added.

Saks said it will lay off 74 employees

Saks will be shutting down a facility in Miramar, Florida, according to a WARN letter. As a result, at least 74 positions will be affected by the closure, per the letter.

Affected employees are expected to be laid off between March 27 and April 30. Saks filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January.

"Saks Global made the strategic decision to close operations at the Southeast Service Center (SESC) and shift current SESC capabilities to our stores and alternate Saks Global fulfillment centers, which are well-equipped to manage this additional work," Saks said in a statement to Business Insider.

T-Mobile cut some jobs

T-Mobile cut some staff in early 2026, though the scope of the layoffs is unclear. Some workers posted on LinkedIn saying they'd been affected by the changes in January.

"As the next step in our evolution, we're making some changes while continuing to hire to ensure we have the right focus, structure, and momentum to keep changing the industry through innovation and our long-standing focus on customers," T-Mobile told Business Insider in a statement.

Tailwind cut 3 of its 4 engineers

Tailwind, a popular web tool, said it cut three of its four engineers in January, citing an AI-driven decline in revenue.

"75% of the people on our engineering team lost their jobs here yesterday because of the brutal impact AI has had on our business," CEO Adam Wathan wrote in a GitHub comment on January 6 that made waves in the tech community.

Target is cutting 500 roles from its distribution and regional offices

Target confirmed to Business Insider in February that it would cut 100 district office roles and 400 supply chain positions. It plans to invest instead in additional labor hours at stores to improve the shopping experience and return to growth.

The store improvement effort is a signature priority of the retailer's new CEO, Michael Fiddelke, who started on February 1.

In November, Fiddelke said the company intends to invest an additional $1 billion in capital expenditures for 2026, an increase of 25% from 2025.

UPS said it will eliminate 30,000 jobs

UPS CEO Brian Dykes told analysts during the company's fourth-quarter earnings call that the company plans to reduce its operational workforce by 30,000 in 2026.

"This will be accomplished through attrition, and we expect to offer a second voluntary separation program for full-time drivers," Dykes said.

He told analysts that the company has identified 24 buildings for closure in the first half of 2026 and will continue to evaluate additional buildings for closure.

WiseTech is cutting 30% of its workforce

Logistics software maker Wisetech is cutting 2,000 jobs, or 30% of its staff, citing AI-driven efficiency gains.

In a conference call on February 25, CEO Zubin Appoo embraced AI and said that it means more productivity, in less time, and from fewer employees. The Sydney-based company employed about 7,000 people, according to its annual report released in October.

"I am prepared to say this clearly: the era of manually writing code as the core act of engineering is over," Appoo said. AI is "unlocking levels of efficiency gains across WiseTech that were previously out of reach."

Workday is cutting jobs

Workday is cutting about 400 jobs, and said on February 4 that the move will help the enterprise software company redirect resources toward priority areas.

The layoffs will primarily affect customer-facing roles that are "non-revenue generating," Workday said in a regulatory filing.

The cuts represent roughly 2% of its workforce and are expected to result in about $135 million in charges in the fiscal fourth quarter, which ended in January.

Workday announced a larger round of layoffs about a year ago, citing the need to invest more heavily in strategic areas such as AI. The company reported about 20,600 employees as of late October.

Papa Johns is restructuring

Papa Johns said it is laying off 7% of its corporate staff amid a broader restructuring.

The pizza chain said it will also close 300 locations in North America through 2027, starting with 200 this year.

"Optimizing our restaurant portfolio and strategically closing underperforming restaurants are among the most impactful actions we can take to improve restaurant profitability and fleet health," Papa Johns CFO Ravi Thanawala said during the company's fourth quarter earnings call on February 26.

Is your company conducting layoffs? Got a tip?

Update: After searching for Abercrombie promo codes and testing various listed options, we've been unable to find any active coupons at the time of writing. We'll continue to hunt for potential coupons and keep this page updated as we find them. In the meantime, you can browse other Abercrombie deals below or return to your cart.

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Our style editors have tested a wide range of Abercrombie jeans over the years, evaluating fit, comfort, and construction, and the brand consistently ranks among our top denim picks — including in our guide to the best jeans for tall women. Whether you prefer straight-leg, relaxed, flare, or high-rise silhouettes, Abercrombie denim delivers a reliable mix of trend-forward design and everyday wearability. For more details on sizing and how each style fits, check out our full Abercrombie jeans review.

Abercrombie discount codes aren't always available, but they're worth watching for—especially since some can stack with sale prices for bigger savings. To make shopping easier, we've rounded up the best Abercrombie promo codes and current deals below so you can get the lowest price on your next haul.

Today's best Abercrombie promo codes

Previous Abercrombie discount codes

Are there any other Abercrombie sales running at the moment?

You can find a full list of sales and markdowns any time on Abercrombie's "Sale" page. As of the time of writing, Abercrombie is running the following promotions.

• Follow our Instagram page and WhatsApp channel for more deals and buying guides

How to use Abercrombie discount codes

Start by adding qualifying items to your cart. Once you're on the "Shopping Bag" page, you can apply a promo code by clicking the "Promotions" dropdown, pasting the code into the "Promo Code" text box, and clicking "Apply." From there, continue to checkout to enter your shipping and billing information.

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Abercrombie does not allow discount codes to be stacked together. Only one code may be applied per purchase.

Abercrombie discount code frequently asked questions

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At this time, Abercrombie does not offer special discounts for students, teachers, or the military, so your best bet is to take advantage of their other coupons and deals.

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Abercrombie discount codes can be used both online and in-store. To use one in person, simply show the cashier the promotion offer on Abercrombie's website.

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Shoppers can return items in-store or by mail within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. VIP members of the myAbercrombie rewards program can return items for a full refund within 60 days of delivery. Learn more about how to make returns and exchanges on Abercrombie's website.

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• US Army soldier Gannon Ken Van Dyke was involved in the planning of US action in Venezuela.
• Prosecutors say he used classified information to place trades on Polymarket and win over $400,000.
• Prosecutors announced his indictment on Thursday.

A US Army soldier was indicted Thursday on charges he used classified military information to make bets on the prediction market platform Polymarket, winning more than $400,000.

Gannon Ken Van Dyke, a Special Forces master sergeant who worked out of Fort Bragg in North Carolina, was charged with felonies including wire fraud and violating the Commodity Exchange Act, federal prosecutors in Manhattan announced.

Van Dyke, prosecutors said in a statement, "was involved in the planning and execution of Operation Absolute Resolve," the military operation to capture Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro, "and had access to sensitive, nonpublic, classified information about that operation."

Prosecutors say he used that information to place 13 bets between December 27, 2025, and January 2, 2026 — wagering more than $33,000 — in which he had an affirmative position on the question of whether the US would take action in Venezuela or against Maduro.

He withdrew his winnings — a profit of $409,881 — the day of the US raid on Venezuela and deposited them first in a foreign cryptocurrency vault and then an online brokerage account, the indictment alleges. The feds say he also took steps to conceal his identity after speculation about the large, curiously timed trades began circulating, and asked Polymarket to delete his account using a phony excuse.

Asked by a reporter if he was concerned about federal employees betting on prediction markets, President Donald Trump asked if Van Dyke had wagered that the US would get Maduro. When told that was the case, Trump said, "That's like Pete Rose betting on his own team," referring to the Cincinnati Reds manager who was banned from baseball for gambling. "If he bet against his team, that would be no good."

No attorney for Van Dyke, 37, who has been an active-duty soldier since 2008, was listed in the court docket. A family member did not respond to a request for comment.

In a post on X, Polymarket said it tipped off the feds to Van Dyke's trades.

"Last month, we published our enhanced market integrity rules to combat insider trading. When we identified a user trading on classified government information, we referred the matter to the DOJ & cooperated with their investigation," the company wrote. "Insider trading has no place on Polymarket. Today's arrest is proof the system works."

Insider trading is a major issue for prediction markets, which allow people to buy and sell contracts —in other words, trade — on the outcome of real-world events.

On Wednesday, Polymarket rival Kalshi said it had suspended and fined three candidates for political office for making trades related to their own elections. In February, Kalshi banned and fined a MrBeast editor, who it said had traded on markets related to YouTube streaming.

Van Dyke faces a far harsher penalty if convicted: The most serious charge against him, wire fraud, carries up to 20 years in prison.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which regulates prediction markets, filed a civil complaint against Van Dyke in federal court.

"I have been crystal clear that anyone who engages in fraud, manipulation, or insider trading in any of our markets will face the full force of the law," Chairman Michael Selig said in a statement. "The defendant was entrusted with confidential information about US operations and yet took action that endangered US national security and put the lives of American service members in harm's way."

Selig has defended prediction markets, saying in February, "It's something that I think is valuable to society."

• Nike said it's cutting 1,400 roles in its global operations team, primarily in technology.
• Chief operating officer Venkatesh Alagirisamy announced the cuts in a memo on Thursday.
• The layoffs come as Nike's turnaround plan has taken longer than the company expected.

Nike is benching some of its employees.

The sportswear giant said Thursday that it is cutting about 1,400 roles in its global operations division, mainly in technology. Venkatesh Alagirisamy, who became chief operating officer in December, announced the reductions in a memo to staff detailing several changes "in the coming weeks."

Alagirisamy wrote that the company is in the "final stretch" of the turnaround plan, dubbed its "win now" actions, which focuses on five key areas: culture, product, marketing, marketplace, and in-person presence.

The changes include modernizing manufacturing, reallocating resources, and reshaping Nike's tech team, according to the memo.

The cuts mark Nike's second round of cuts in 2026, following the elimination of 775 distribution center jobs.

CEO Elliott Hill told analysts in a March earnings call that the turnaround plan is taking "longer than I would like."

Read the full memo below:

Team,

NIKE, Inc. is in the final stretch of our Win Now action plan.

Across the company, we have been taking deliberate steps to strengthen our foundation, sharpen how we compete, and build a model designed to deliver long-term profitable growth. Global Operations is critical to that effort.

Today, I am sharing the next phase of that work and doing so with the entire company because of the scope and importance to our collective future.

Over the coming months, we will continue evolving Global Operations to better serve athletes and the business with more speed, simplicity, and precision. Some of that work is happening now and more will continue over time as we align our teams, capabilities, and footprint to the future needs of the company.

This is not a new direction. It is the next phase of the work already underway.

Earlier this year, I outlined four actions we're taking across Operations to help make NIKE, Inc. a more responsive, resilient, responsible, and efficient company: optimizing our supply chain footprint, accelerating technology deployment, investing in upskilling our teams, and strengthening our partner and supplier relationships. The changes we are making now build on that work.

At its core, these shifts are about building a Global Operations organization that is more focused, more integrated with the business, and better built for the pace of sport.

In the coming weeks, several significant changes will take effect across Global Operations. These actions will result in changes to some team structures, work locations, and headcount.

• Technology Modernization. We're reshaping our Technology team to sharpen alignment with the business, build leaner teams, and accelerate what matters most. This means consolidating our technology footprint, streamlining our structure to move with greater speed and focus, and doubling down on the locations where our work gets done with a focus on two strategically important hubs — Philip H. Knight Campus and our Nike India Technology Center. These are deliberate moves to build a leaner, faster, more connected Technology organization — one built to deliver for the consumer, the athlete, and the business.
• Air Manufacturing Modernization. We are modernizing how work gets done across our Air Manufacturing Innovation (Air MI) facilities in Beaverton, Ore.; St. Louis; and Vietnam by increasing resiliency, streamlining processes, and adjusting staffing to match the needs of the business. The changes will help us stay flexible as demand changes, accelerate future innovations and continue to deliver the product quality athletes expect from Nike.
• Converse Ground Game. We are moving some Converse Footwear Manufacturing and Engineering resources closer to our factory partners to enable stronger real-time collaboration and to better support the brand's needs going forward.
• Materials Supply Chain Integration. We are bringing our Materials Supply Chain work more directly into our Footwear and Apparel Supply Chain teams while continuing to build on the valuable capabilities already in place. This strengthens how we operate from raw materials through finished product, enabling faster more synchronized decisions and ground-breaking innovations across our best-in-class manufacturing network.

Collectively, these changes will result in a reduction of approximately 1,400 roles in Global Operations, with the majority in Technology. These reductions are very hard for the teammates directly affected and for the teams around them, too.

Part of doing the right thing is being direct. Another part is making sure people are treated with care. Teammates whose roles are impacted will hear directly from their leaders and HR partners starting today, and we will work to make sure they have clear information and support through this transition.

To teammates whose roles are impacted, thank you. Your contributions have helped build this company, and we are grateful for the work, commitment, and care you have brought to Nike.

To the broader team, moments like this require professionalism, empathy, and a shared commitment to one another. These changes are meant to make the company less complex and more responsive. As we look ahead, that means simplifying parts of how we operate, using more advanced automation where it helps us work better, and building an even stronger end-to-end foundation for future growth. I expect these efforts to continue beyond our Win Now action plan.

The Operations team has played, is playing, and will play an important role in helping NIKE, Inc. strengthen its foundation and it will continue to play a critical role in the company's comeback.

Thank you for your leadership, your dedication to the athletes, and your dedication to each other.

Venkatesh Alagirisamy
EVP, Chief Operating Officer

• Anthropic found issues with Claude Code after complaints that the popular tool had gotten worse.
• The company denied "nerfing" or intentionally degrading the model.
• Users had been complaining for weeks that Claude Code was giving worse responses.

If you were one of the users complaining that Claude Code has sucked lately, Anthropic just confirmed it wasn't all in your head.

The company wrote in a lengthy blog post that after reviewing user complaints about the quality of Claude Code, one of its most popular products, it identified three issues likely contributing to a worse user experience.

"We take reports about degradation very seriously. We never intentionally degrade our models," the Thursday post read. It said the underlying model was not affected; the issues were tweaks made at the product level.

As of April 20, Anthropic said, those issues were fixed and that it had taken steps to avoid similar problems in the future.

The post came after weeks of user complaints that Claude Code's responses had deteriorated. The complaints followed a series of wins for Anthropic, which has been praised for the technical abilities of its tools and earned a $1 trillion valuation on secondary markets.

The issues led some users to speculate that Anthropic had intentionally degraded or "nerfed" the tool, which the company flatly denied.

"Claude has regressed to the point it cannot be trusted to perform complex engineering," a GitHub user identified as Stella Laurenzo, senior director of chipmaker AMD's AI group, wrote in a post from early April.

Similar complaints were shared on Reddit, where one user said Claude Code had become "lazy," "ignorant," and "degraded and myopic."

"Over the past month, some of you reported Claude Code's quality had slipped," Anthropic's developers said in an X post on Thursday. "We investigated, and published a post-mortem on the three issues we found."

The company detailed product changes that led to the reported problems: a change to Claude Code's default thinking level, a cache-optimization tweak that introduced a bug, and a system prompt meant to make the tool less verbose.

Steps taken to solve the problem include having a larger share of staff use the public build of Claude Code, improving its code review tool, and adding tighter controls to system prompt changes.

The company thanked users who submitted feedback and said it is resetting usage limits for all subscribers as of Thursday.

Some Claude users expressed feeling validated after Anthropic's announcement.

"I can't believe we were right," popular X user @levelsio wrote. "Claude was dumbified on March 4, just when we noticed!"

The user reshared their March 4 post — the day Anthropic said it had changed the default thinking level — that said, "Claude Code with Opus 4.6 was so dumb today I finally had to write my own code again."

Anthropic also received some scrutiny on Tuesday when it said it was experimenting with removing Claude Code from the Pro plan, its lower-tier paid subscription. The company said it was a test that affected around 2% of new users.

At this point, I have zero patience for bras that aren't comfortable. At some point in my 30s, my priorities changed: the lift and structure I used to care most about started mattering less than softness, flexibility, and all-day ease. The underwire bras that once felt nonnegotiable now mostly sit untouched, while stretchy bralettes have become the pairs I reach for most.

That said, finding a great bralette is more complicated because I wear a DD cup. There's a reason underwire has long been the default, and most bralettes simply aren't designed to offer the same level of support. I've tested plenty that seemed promising at first but lost me within an hour.

Still, after trying enough of them, I've learned what separates the good ones from the ones that don't make the cut. The best bralettes tend to have the same essentials: a wide, supportive band, adjustable straps, cups with enough depth to prevent spillover, and fabric that offers real hold instead of just stretch. When those elements come together, the result is the sweet spot — a bra that feels barely there but still delivers the support I need.

For more of our recommendations for folks with larger chests, see our articles on the best swimsuits for large busts.

Best overall: Evelyn & Bobbie Evelyn Bra

Executive Editor Sally Kaplan is deeply passionate about Evelyn & Bobbie's smoothing bralettes. We've featured the V-neck Evelyn Bra above, but she loves the whole collection — the Bobbie scoop-neck, the Beyond bra  and the Defy bra. 

"Evelyn & Bobbie's wireless bras are legitimately the most comfortable I've ever worn. They're supportive, structured, not too constrictive, and they actively take weight off my shoulders," says Sally. To hear her full thoughts, see our Evelyn & Bobbie review.

The comfort of the bralettes is down to a support feature called the "EB Core," a patented technology that helps maintain the bra's shape while preventing "pancaking." The bralettes also feature thicker straps that help distribute weight.

The Evelyn Bra, in particular, is fantastic for wearing under lower-cut tops because of the V-neck design. It's smoothing on your back while giving your breasts a lift that doesn't sacrifice comfort. 

Runner-up: Honeylove CrossOver Bra

The Honeylove Crossover Bra has it all: adjustable straps, a smoothing back, and a bonded cradle that offers strong support without uncomfortable wires. The straps can also be crisscrossed, making it versatile enough to pair with a variety of tops and dresses. I especially appreciate the adjustable band — a feature many bralettes still lack.

To be honest, there's not much I don't like about this bralette. It even features removable cups for occasions when I need a little extra coverage — and the mesh and lace detailing add some unexpected sex appeal.

"The bonded underband lifts the bust without the wires for a perky loo, and the rounded shape makes this a great non-wired t-shirt bra," says Katie Weir, the bra fitting expert and founder of Curvy Kate.

See more of our favorite Honeylove products and hear more about the Crossover bra in our Honeylove review.

Best budget: INLYRIC Women's Inbarely Bralette

I bought this bralette on a whim when I was looking for comfy underthings to sleep in — and I'm so glad I did. In fact, I ended up ordering it in several more colors — and luckily, there are a whopping 21 options to choose from. It's lightweight, seamless, incredibly stretchy, and my go-to for lazy Sundays and Friday nights in.

This Amazon-favorite bralette boasts a barely there feel, making it ideal for warmer months since. That said, it is worth noting that because the fabric is so thin and there's no padding, you may want to use nipple covers if you wear it out. (Or don't, you do you!)

I also appreciate that the straps are adjustable on this one. Since the band isn't adjustable, however, size down if you're between sizes to ensure adequate support.

Best triangle cut: Harper Wilde Bliss Triangle Bralette

Despite the fact that this bralette has no cups, underwire, padding, or foam, it offers remarkable lift and separation. Best of all, it's available up to size 6XL, so it accommodates larger band sizes.

"I love the wide back band, and the fact that [larger sizes] have a higher center gore in front to ensure less spillage," says Weir.

The v-neckline gives this bralette some extra points in the versatility department, and the front-adjusting straps make finding your perfect fit so much easier. Did I mention that the fabric feels as soft as silk?

Best with specific sizing: Montelle Intimates Cup-sized Bralette

Buying a bralette in alpha sizing is almost impossible if you have larger breasts. The band is always too tight or too loose, and the cups can create an unflattering squishing effect.

This bralette solves those issues by offering two cup sizes specifically for those with larger breasts: D/E and F/G. In addition, the pieces come in band sizes from 30 to 42.

The Cup-Sized Lace Bralette also has convertible straps and, unlike most bralettes, a hook-and-eye closure at the back. This means that you can keep using the piece even as the elastic stretches over time.

Best lace: Cosabella Paradiso Curvy Bralette

If you're looking for a bralette that's anything but basic, your search is over. This gorgeous little number proves that lingerie doesn't have to be uncomfortable: it's wireless, has plenty of stretch, and offers plenty of support thanks to the longline cut and wide straps. 

This is a great option for larger busts because both the straps and the band are adjustable, making it easier to achieve the perfect fit. Admittedly, it can take some time to fasten all the hook and eye closures in the back, but I like that there are three rows so I can tighten or loosen the band as needed. 

It's the details, though, that really make this bralette stand out — like the scalloped edge tricolor lace and multi-dimensional floral design.

Best cotton: SKIMS Fits Everybody Scoop Bralette

Like so many other SKIMS bralettes, this one is made with buttery soft fabric that's so comfortable you might even forget you're wearing it. I love that it comes in such a wide range of neutrals to accommodate every skin tone, and since it's so lightweight and breathable, you won't have to worry much about that dreaded underboob sweat.

The only caveat is that you can't adjust the band, and as many reviewers noted, it does run a little small.

Best for smaller band sizes: Aerie SMOOTHER Bra-ish Wireless Bralette

As someone with a 32DD bra size, it's supremely difficult to find bralettes that fit just right because most of them don't cup in band/cup sizes. If I buy a size small, the band fits perfectly but I'm spilling out of the cups. If I buy a medium, the cups fit fine but the band is way too big to offer adequate support. So, I was thrilled when I discovered that every size in this bralette (XXS-XXL) comes in a D/DD cup size option. 

But that's not all there is to love about this bra: it feels super soft against the skin, has adjustable straps, and features a four-row hook and eye closure for max adjustability. Not only that, but the floating cups are designed to mold to your unique bust size and shape.

And apparently, I'm not the only one who's a big fan — because this best-selling bralette has garnered hundreds of five-star reviews.

Best on Amazon: Parfait Dalis Bralette

Parfait is a lingerie line that specializes in accommodating larger bust sizes — I've owned several of their bras, and the quality speaks for itself: all of them have lasted at least a couple of years. 

Kaitlin Vachon, a bra fitting expert and founder of Bra Emporium, says this is one of her favorite bralettes for large busts in part because it's available in traditional cup and band sizes. She also notes that the wide band and thick adjustable straps offer ample support, and it's super size-inclusive — in fact, it's available up to a size 42K.

While it doesn't have any underwire in the cups, it does feature some side boning for a bit more structure than many other bralettes. Another perk? It can easily be converted into a racerback style, thanks to the J-hook in the back.

Most comfortable: Negative Underwear The Sieve Non-Wire

I've been enamored with Negative Underwear for a while now — not only because of the minimalist designs, but also because of the brand's focus on sustainability: they only use high-quality fabrics that are free of harmful chemicals, and sourced from OEKO-TEX certified mills.

The Sieve Non-Wire is arguably the line's most supportive bralette, thanks in part to the Belgian micromesh that holds you up like a firm hug. In her Negative Underwear review, Insider Reviews Executive Editor Sally Kaplan raved about this one.

"Bralettes like these are really hard to get right for larger chest sizes, but this one worked incredibly well for my DDs (which are sometimes DDDs depending on the time of the month)," she said. "Of all the bralettes I've tested in my many years covering women's basics for Insider Reviews, this is my favorite. It lifts them up without separating too much or squishing together — plus, it's the perfect silhouette for V-neck sweaters or shirts."

Best everyday: Bombas Ribbed Seamless Bralette

Did you know that a majority of a bra's support comes from the band? I learned this during a bra fitting years ago, and it really stuck with me — I'd always assumed it was the straps or the cups that were holding my girls up. That's what made this Bombas bralette stick out for me: the ribbed band is wider than most, lending ample support and lift without the wires. In fact, it can accommodate up to an F cup size. It's also thoughtfully designed with a tighter knit in the center and around the sides for added support.

I often wear this bra to sleep because the fabric is super stretchy, seamless, and breathable — but it's also great for lounging around the house or running casual errands. Note that this bralette will feel pretty snug when you first put it on, but it stretches out a teeny bit with time.

FAQs

Can bralettes actually support a large bust?

Yes — but with caveats. Traditional bralettes are designed for light support, so not all styles work well for fuller busts. The best options for larger busts include wide bands, structured cups, and supportive fabrics that combine comfort with reliable hold — especially for everyday wear.

How should a bralette fit on a larger bust?

A well-fitting bralette should feel snug around the band without squeezing, and your breasts should feel supported without bulging out of the top or sides. If the band rides up or the straps dig in, it's probably not the right fit.

What should I look for in a bralette if I have a large bust?

Focus on support features:

• Wide, adjustable straps that help distribute weight
• A firm, wide underband for stability
• Structured cups or light molding to prevent spillage
• Side support panels or underwire, if you want extra lift

Do bralettes reduce bounce during exercise?

Most bralettes won't replace a proper sports bra for high-impact workouts. However, some structured bralette styles with strong bands and supportive fabrics can work for low-impact activities like yoga or walking. For running or HIIT, stick with a dedicated sports bra.

• JPMorgan elevated a class of global executives to the rank of managing director this week.
• Among them were 135 people in global banking and markets who handle trading and dealmaking.
• Business Insider obtained the list of execs who got the bump to MD in those groups — see it below.

A small circle of JPMorgan employees is likely having a very, very good week.

JPMorgan Chase promoted a large swathe of executives to managing director, the highest title at the firm outside the C-suite, according to screenshots of the company's intranet announcement seen by Business Insider.

The group spans dealmaking, wealth management, technology, and support roles, reflecting the diverse businesses inside America's biggest bank by assets. The promotions were global, with employees from Switzerland and Luxembourg to Singapore and Hong Kong receiving new titles. JPMorgan declined to comment.

Within the divisions housing the firm's M&A and IPO bankers, as well as the traders who run its high-profile markets business, 135 people scored the bump to MD.

This year's class is larger than last year's, when JPMorgan promoted 118 employees in global banking and markets to MD, as part of its annual springtime promotion ritual.

JPMorgan reported $16.5 billion in net income for the first quarter, up 13% year-over-year. Its commercial and investment bank generated about $9 billion in net income, up 30%, as dealmaking improved across Wall Street. The stronger backdrop comes as the firm names a larger class of managing directors this year, though executives, including CEO Jamie Dimon, warned about the effects of ongoing instability.

Business Insider obtained the list of the 135 new managing directors in global banking and markets — their names are below.

Have a tip? Contact these reporters via email at ralexander@businessinsider.com or SMS/Signal at 561-247-5758 or atecotzky@insider.com or Signal at alicetecotzky.05. Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

See the names of the 135 newly promoted banking and markets execs who made the cut.

1. Anand Agarwal — Global Investment Banking
2. Tamo Arends — Global Investment Banking
3. Carlos Aspillaga — Global Corporate Banking
4. Ali Bach — Global Investment Banking
5. Kelly Becker — Global Investment Banking
6. Varun Behl — Global Investment Banking
7. Jeremy Berntsen — Global Investment Banking
8. Hunter Bollman — Global Investment Banking
9. Alessandro Caramanica — Global Investment Banking
10. Anthony Carpentieri — Commercial Banking
11. Chris Cassidy — Commercial Banking
12. Glenn Chernyak — Commercial Banking
13. Casey Chopek — Global Investment Banking
14. Robby Cohenour — Commercial Banking
15. Ryan Conlon — Global Corporate Banking
16. Tim Cornelius — Global Investment Banking
17. Nick Cribb — Global Investment Banking
18. Courtney Culliton — Commercial Banking
19. Kevin Curtin — Global Investment Banking
20. Bridget Dalton — Global Investment Banking
21. Juan De Yeregui Guillen — Global Corporate Banking
22. Michael Esposito — Commercial Banking
23. Julie Farrell — Commercial Banking
24. Khalid Fayez — Global Corporate Banking
25. Joe Ferraiolo — Global Investment Banking
26. Miguel Fornies — Global Investment Banking
27. Atul Garg — Global Investment Banking
28. Derek Robert Garman — Global Corporate Banking
29. Christine Gay — Global Services
30. Raphael Gindre — Global Investment Banking
31. Brandt Matthew Grobeis — Global Corporate Banking
32. Susan Grossman — Global Services
33. Mike Guttilla — Commercial Banking
34. Sam Hallowell — Commercial Banking
35. Boy Hartsuiker — Global Corporate Banking
36. Hiroshi Hattori — Global Corporate Banking
37. Becca Hesser — Global Services
38. Steven Matthew Hodapp — Commercial Banking
39. Will Holyoak — Global Investment Banking
40. Benoit Hourdain — Global Corporate Banking
41. Juan Huertas — Global Investment Banking
42. Michael Janik — Global Investment Banking
43. Henrik Jansen — Global Investment Banking
44. Shawn Jiang — Global Investment Banking
45. Sam Johnson — Global Investment Banking
46. Rohit Kumar — Global Corporate Banking
47. Nigel Kwok — Global Investment Banking
48. Eduardo Landaburu — Global Investment Banking
49. Steven Lau — Product & Experience
50. Jack Levendoski — Global Investment Banking
51. Gissell Lopez E — Global Investment Banking
52. Sherrill Lu — Global Investment Banking
53. Joseph Luna — Commercial Banking
54. Sean MacGregor — Global Investment Banking
55. Mike Manna — Commercial Banking
56. Javier Martinez — Global Investment Banking
57. Natasha Masand — Commercial Banking
58. Georges Massoud — Global Investment Banking
59. Jeff McCullough — Global Services
60. Andrew McEvoy — Commercial Banking
61. Maximilian Meyer — Global Investment Banking
62. Yuval Millet — Global Investment Banking
63. Maryna Muntian — Global Investment Banking
64. Chris Ng — Global Investment Banking
65. Hiroki Ochiai — Global Investment Banking
66. ByungKyu Park — Global Investment Banking
67. Joe Peddicord — Commercial Banking
68. Carlos Perez — Commercial Banking
69. Miles Perkins — Global Investment Banking
70. Florian Plath — Global Investment Banking
71. Jenn Plominski — Commercial Banking
72. Nathalia Ramos — Global Corporate Banking
73. Dennis Regalado — Commercial Banking
74. Dan Rufo — Global Investment Banking
75. Tomiwa Sadipe — Global Investment Banking
76. Anna San Juan — Commercial Banking
77. Michael Schwandt — Global Corporate Banking
78. Antoine Sellam — Global Investment Banking
79. John Shane — Commercial Banking
80. Jeremy Sipzner — Global Investment Banking
81. Brandon Speck — Global Investment Banking
82. Guido Starna — Global Investment Banking
83. Seitaro Tahara — Global Corporate Banking
84. Jon Tarnow — Commercial Banking
85. Raphael Taubenfeld — Global Investment Banking
86. Brad Taylor — Global Investment Banking
87. Michael Tham — Global Investment Banking
88. Stephanie Tubiello — Commercial Banking
89. John Ulrich — Global Investment Banking
90. Bram van Aalten — Global Investment Banking
91. Allie Veselka — Global Corporate Banking
92. Mario Vivancos — Global Investment Banking
93. Ian Walsh — Commercial Banking
94. Connor Wiginton — Commercial Banking
95. Alan Wong — Global Corporate Banking
96. Stella Wong - Global Corporate Banking
97. Angela Wu - Global Investment Banking
98. Ye Xia - Global Investment Banking
99. Melissa Yan - Global Investment Banking
100. Ned Yetten - Commercial Banking

Markets

1. Steve Baker
2. Mohit Bhargava
3. Simon Burce
4. Michael Captain
5. Angelo Carnevali
6. Robert Chambers
7. George Deves
8. Brian Dunlap
9. Drew Engelhardt
10. Valerio Gaspari
11. Elie Gittler
12. Peter Grant
13. Anuj Gupta
14. Terry Harcott
15. Mohamed Hemissi
16. Pierre Jonathan
17. Elie Khalfa
18. Raj Kothari
19. Chun Li
20. Vivian Li
21. Marie Linehan
22. Lily McGettigan
23. James Millard
24. Sam Nian
25. Mark O'Sullivan
26. Rob Palladino
27. Triyog Pandya
28. Kevin Plunkett
29. Ioannis Rallis
30. David Ruso
31. Frederick Salt
32. Jonas Troeber
33. Jonathan Tucker
34. Andrew Wright
35. Peter Yip

The multi-day NFL Draft returns for 2026. We've gathered everything you need to know about where to watch NFL Draft live streams, including global viewing options.

If you don't want to read any further, you can live stream the 2026 NFL Draft through several US streaming services. Our top recommendations include ESPN Unlimited, which costs $30 a month; DirecTV MySports, where you can get $20 a month off your first two months; and Fubo Sports + News, where you can get $10 off your first month. Most other countries (including the UK and Australia) will live stream the event through DAZN's NFL Game Pass.

The three-day NFL Draft event takes place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and will see more than 250 players get drafted to NFL teams. The top prospects for this year's draft include quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who helped lead the Indiana Hoosiers to the National Championship earlier this year, along with Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love, Ohio State's Arvell Reese, and others. The Las Vegas Raiders get the first pick this year, followed by the New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals, Tennessee Titans, and New York Giants.

Where to watch NFL Draft in the US

The NFL Draft will air across ABC, ESPN, and the NFL Network in the US. American cord-cutters have several live streaming services to choose from. ESPN's direct streaming counterpart, ESPN Unlimited, costs $30 a month and offers total live streams of all channels from the ESPN family of networks.

If you'd prefer to go the live TV channel package route, DirecTV and Fubo are two of the best live TV streaming services we've tested. DirecTV MySports offers ESPN, ABC, the NFL Network, and around 20 other sports-centric channels in its lineup. The streamer also unlocks access to ESPN Unlimited at no extra cost. Subscriptions cost $65 a month, but new users can get $20 off their first two months of service after a five-day free trial.

Fubo Sports + News operates in a similar manner. The streamer carries ESPN, ABC, and the NFL Network, along with around 25 other live channels. New customers can get $10 off their first month of service after a five-day free trial.

If you're looking for an ultra-budget-friendly option, you can also live-stream the NFL Draft via NFL Plus. Plans start at just $7 a month, but you can upgrade to Premium for $15 a month (both tiers carry NFL Network coverage of the draft). There's a special deal when you opt for an annual plan. You can get one year of NFL Plus for $30 (compared to the standard $50 rate) or one year of NFL Plus Premium for $60 (compared to the standard $100 rate). There's also an option to bundle ESPN Unlimited and NFL Plus Premium together for $40 a month.

Where to watch the NFL Draft in the UK and other regions

DAZN's NFL Game Pass hosts every NFL game and the NFL Draft in most regions outside the US and China. Prices vary based on your location, but in the UK at least, it looks like draft coverage should be available for free as long as you create an account. Several countries also have TV broadcast agreements for the NFL Draft. The UK, for example, will also show the draft on Sky Sports, which is available to watch through a Sky TV plan or stream on a Now Sports plan.

How to watch NFL Draft from anywhere

If you're traveling abroad and still hoping to keep up with your usual watch options, you can do so with the help of a VPN. VPNs, or virtual private networks, are easy-to-use cybersecurity tools that let you temporarily alter your virtual location, so your favorite websites and apps will work from anywhere in the world. They also instantly boost online privacy and security. The services we've recommended require country-specific payment methods, so this option will work best for those who are just traveling away from home right now.

NordVPN is one of the best VPNs on the market. It's user-friendly and has a 30-day money-back guarantee. You can learn more about the service in our official NordVPN review.

Note: The use of VPNs is illegal in certain countries, and using VPNs to access region-locked streaming content might constitute a breach of the terms of use for certain services. Business Insider does not endorse or condone the illegal use of VPNs.

Apple Music is one of the best music streaming services available, especially if you're someone who uses an iPhone and other Apple products. Right now, new members can get their first six months of Apple Music for free from Best Buy. That's double the regular trial period that Apple gives subscribers directly.

The service offers access to over 75 million songs, hundreds of curated playlists, radio shows, and more. You can use it to download songs for offline listening, stream music across all your devices, and even find occasional album exclusives. Apple Music usually costs $10 a month for ad-free streaming with advanced features like lossless audio and Dolby Atmos, but eligible college students and Siri users can get specific plans for as little as $5 a month.

If you're new to the service, there's no better way to start than with six free months. We've outlined how to snag your own Apple Music trial, below.

Read more about how the Insider Reviews team evaluates deals and why you should trust us.

How to get 6 free months of Apple Music

1. Go to Best Buy's website and sign up for an account with the store.
2. Add the "Free Apple Music for six months" digital download to your cart.
3. Go to your cart and check out.
4. Wait for a digital code to be sent to the email address linked to your Best Buy account.

Once your trial ends, your Apple Music subscription will auto-renew for $10 a month, which can be cancelled anytime. This deal is only good for new Apple Music members.

It's not clear how long Best Buy's promotion will be available. It started in May 2021, and is still running now. 

• Amazon offers two streaming options: Prime Music and Music Unlimited. 
• Amazon Prime Music is free and included with Prime memberships, while Amazon Music Unlimited is a premium service that costs $7.99 a month for existing Prime members (or $9.99 a month for those who aren't Prime members).
• The main difference is that Prime music has around 2 million songs, whereas Amazon Music Unlimited has over 50 million. If you like to listen to an artist's full album, you'll want Unlimited.
• Right now, as an early Prime Day deal, you can sign up for four months of Amazon Music Unlimited (a service that usually costs $7.99 a month for Prime members) for just $1.

I love listening to music, so I was surprised that it took me so long to discover Amazon Prime's music offerings. I had heard that Amazon had a music selection, but I really never took the time to check it out until a few weeks ago. If you have Amazon Prime, you may already know about Prime Music — a limited but free streaming service that comes with your membership. Then there's Amazon Music Unlimited, the premium streaming service that Prime members can get at a discounted rate of $7.99 a month ($9.99 if you don't have Prime). 

Prime Music and Music Unlimited share many features, so it can be a little confusing to understand what each really offers. To make it easy for you, we're going to give you a quick breakdown of their similarities and differences.

Amazon Music Unlimited vs. Prime Music

Similarities

Amazon Music Unlimited is the souped-up version of Prime Music. But, at the core of it, both of the services share a variety of features.

• Ad-free listening: Whether you have the free version or pay for the premium upgrade, Amazon will always let you listen without ads.
• On demand: Many "freemium" streaming services don't let you listen on demand unless you pay for the service. That means you have to listen in shuffle mode and can only skip a number of songs a day. With both Amazon services, you can skip an unlimited number of songs and listen for as many hours as you'd like. 
• Interface: The interface is the same across both services. You'll find thousands of curated playlists and personalized stations based on your listening history in both models. 
• Alexa interaction: You can use your voice to control music playback through Alexa with both services.
• Offline listening: Both services let you stream music when you're offline, except for the Music Unlimited single-device plan, which is the lowest-cost option that works solely with one Alexa-enabled device — this is understandable as you need internet to power your Alexa device. 

Differences 

• Selection: The most notable difference, in my opinion, is the selection. Prime Music's 2 million songs may sound like a lot, but most streaming services offer tens of millions of songs — making 2 million look pretty meager. Prime Music has a variety of artists, but many of my favorite artists only had one song on the platform. With 50 million songs, Music Unlimited fills all the holes. I was impressed by the selection and did not feel that it was lacking in any way.
• Price: Prime Music is free if you have Amazon Prime. If you're not, this unfortunately isn't a service you can opt into — rather, it's a nice free perk for Prime members. Music Unlimited is $7.99 a month for Prime Members, or $79 a year, a pretty affordable price when it comes to streaming services. If you don't have a Prime membership, Music Unlimited will cost you $9.99 a month, which is around the industry standard. Music Unlimited also offers student discounts and family plans. 
• Voice commands: If you love your Alexa device, Music Unlimited offers even more voice commands. You can ask Alexa to play a specific song or just give a vague request like "Alexa, play upbeat country music" and see what she picks. 
• Exclusive content: Music Unlimited lets you pull back the curtains and go behind the scenes of some of your favorite songs. Side-by-sides, as they're called, offer exclusive artist commentary on their own songs and albums. 

Bottom line

If you have Amazon Prime, congrats — you already have Prime Music. This is definitely a nice added perk to the Prime membership, especially since it's at no extra cost to you. If you like listening to music in discovery mode, and aren't too particular about what you're listening too, then Prime Music may be enough for you. But, if you like to listen to the songs you want, when you want them, you may feel let down by Prime Music's small selection. 

Amazon Music Unlimited comes at an added cost, but it may be worth it for some listeners. If you're someone who loves to use your Alexa devices, and are particularly involved in the Amazon sphere, a service like Music Unlimited will probably serve you well — it has a large catalog of songs, integrates well with Alexa, and account management and payments are simplified with your existing Amazon login. If you already have Amazon Prime, this is one of the most affordable streaming services around. If you don't, you can try the service for free for 30 days. 

If you don't have Amazon Prime already, sign up for a free trial now so you can experience Prime Music. 

If you have Amazon Prime, listen to Prime Music for free now

Try Amazon Music Unlimited free for 30 days (then pay $9.99 a month, or $7.99 a month with Prime)

• According to the FBI, property crimes rates have steadily decreased over the last 15 years, but burglaries still account for more than $15 billion in losses per year.
• A good home security system will not stop a determined burglar, but it does an excellent job of scaring away the vast majority of thieves.
• SimpliSafe is considered one of the best home security systems by experts and buyers alike. Many reviews highlight its easy installation, endless customization options, and 24/7 professional monitoring.
• Starting at $221 on SimpliSafe for the home protection system plus $14.99 per month for monitoring and police dispatch, SimpliSafe is relatively inexpensive and doesn't require you to sign a contract.
• Based on my experience, the third-generation of SimpliSafe's wireless home security system is everything it claims to be. I strongly recommend it for monitoring your home.

I live in Lansing, Michigan. My city has some of the highest violent and property crime rates in the United States. And, my neighborhood is among the worst in town. All of my neighbors have a story or three of someone breaking into their house and stealing whatever valuables they could grab quickly. In fact, a neighbor tells me that before I moved in, there were several burglaries in my house.

So, when I came to town five months ago, I knew I'd need to take some protective measures to scare off ne'er-do-wells. Fortunately, SimpliSafe was game to send me a review unit of their all-new third-generation home security system to test out. Below are my experiences with it.

My first experiences with SimpliSafe

SimpliSafe's system uses Wi-Fi and cellular connections to send alerts. Each of the devices is also powered by batteries. This means that if the power is knocked out or your landline is cut, the monitoring stations will still get your signal. They have even made the keypad and base station "smash safe."

The review set included 10 pieces of security equipment:

• Base station — This is the brains of the operation. It also features the on-location siren that will hopefully chase off intruders. The base station communicates with all of the sensors, your smartphone, and the professional monitoring. SimpliSafe recommends installing this in a central spot in your home.
• Keypad — The keypad is installed next to your main entrance so you can easily enter your PIN to turn it off when you get home. It also tells you if the alarm has been triggered and if there are any software updates.
• Entry sensors (3) — These two-piece units go on doors and windows. They let you know when a potential point of entry is opened or closed.
• Motion sensor — This uses infrared technology to tell if someone enters a room.
• Glassbreak sensor — Installed on a wall or shelf within 30 feet of windows that are most likely to be broken into, the glassbreak sensor is triggered when it "hears" the specific frequency of glass breaking.
• Panic button — I put this by my bed — you just push it if there is a threat that the other sensors didn't pick up.
• Freeze sensor — This sensor monitors the temperature in your house and sends an alert if it gets too cold or too hot.
• Water sensor — If your basement is flooding, you want to know right away. The water sensor will alert you.

Installation of these units took a total of 45 minutes. This included reading the manual, installing the app, installing the sensors, and testing. There were no tools needed. All of the devices have adhesives on them that make it easy to stick them to the walls. They also come with screws if you want to mount them that way.

Read more: The best security cameras you can buy for your home

How SimpliSafe performed

With SimpliSafe, you can self-monitor or pay $14.99 per month (no contract required) for 24/7 professional monitoring. If you choose to self-monitor, the onus is on you to assess the threat and contact the police when you receive an alert. Self-monitoring fails when you are in a compromised position and cannot contact the police.

With SimpliSafe's professional monitoring and police dispatch, they call you when the alarm is triggered. If you don't answer, they contact the backup number. If the secondary contact doesn't answer, then a SimpliSafe representative calls 911. Because of false alarms tying up police resources, different municipalities have different processes for these calls. For instance, in order for a third-party to contact police on your behalf, some cities require you to register your security system and also provide some sort of audio or video proof of a crime in progress.

I set off the alarm a couple of times. Within about 10 minutes of leaving the house after first arming the system, I got a call from SimpliSafe asking if I had an emergency event because the motion sensor had been triggered by my dog. I gave the representative my safe word, and there was no need for a police dispatch.

The setup guide directs you on how to place the motion sensor if you have cats or dogs but not both. I have two cats and a dog. I emailed SimpliSafe's customer service on a Sunday evening for help on the correct placement of the motion sensor, and they got back to me the next morning. The service rep recommended installing the motion sensor upside down about four feet above the floor. This is because the sensor doesn't monitor upwards. So, people four feet tall and taller will set it off. Four-legged creatures will not. Once I resolved this, I didn't have any other false alarms from the motion sensor.

The app is incredibly easy to use and makes it effortless to customize your experience. You can choose to get push notifications, SMS texts, or emails when any of your sensors are triggered. There is also an option to instantly sound the alarm. I set this up for when the glassbreak sensor is triggered.

Read more: The best home security products you can buy

Some concerns about the home security system

At 95 decibels, the alarm is quite loud, but it may not reach all parts of your home. SimpliSafe instructs you to install the base station in a central location in your home. At first, we figured that would be the second floor of our three-story home. But, from the first floor, where intruders will likely enter, the sound of the siren was not as intense as we would have liked. So, we moved the siren to the first floor. It would be nice if SimpliSafe offered a few sirens throughout the home. For $60, SimpliSafe offer an extra-loud 105-decibel siren that can be used inside the home or outside to alert neighbors.

I wanted to keep the key fob on my keychain for easy access, but I accidentally armed the system while it was in my pocket. At the time, I was next door talking to my neighbor and didn't have my phone on me. I faintly heard an alarm-like sound, but I assumed it was coming from elsewhere. Well, it turns out it was our system and my wife got a call from the SimpliSafe rep. Now, I just keep the key fob next to my bed to arm the system when I go to bed. I use the keypad when leaving the house.

Lastly, there's a reported hack that can disarm the second-generation SimpliSafe system. The signals for the new third-gen system are encrypted and should protect against this hack. If you are concerned about this, I recommend not advertising that you are using a SimpliSafe system. Instead, consider purchasing generic signs off Amazon or elsewhere. Either way, it's important that you advertise that you have a security system. That should be enough to deter most scofflaws.

The bottom line

Even the best security system won't stop a determined burglar. But, when it comes to opportunistic crimes, a security system should be enough to ward off most criminals. In the five months we've lived here, we haven't had any security issues. And, my wife and I sleep easier at night knowing that our home is being monitored 24/7.

Based on my experience, the third-generation of SimpliSafe's wireless home security system is everything it claims to be. I strongly recommend it for safeguarding your home.

Buy The Essentials 6-piece SimpliSafe Wireless Home Security System for $221 on SimpliSafe

Buy the SimpliSafe Wireless Home Security System starting at $249.99 on Amazon

Update 10/30/18: After this review was published, SimpliSafe contacted us to let us know about their video alarm verification. If you have the SimpliSafe Camera, the monitoring center will receive a short clip of what triggered the alarm and use it to verify the alarm for the police. They never have access to your camera so your privacy is protected. SimpliSafe says this reduces false alarms and often leads to faster dispatch and higher arrest rates.

• The Sega Genesis Mini 2 launched on October 27 exclusively at Amazon.
• The retro gaming console features 60 games from the Sega Genesis and Sega CD.
• Consoles are now available for $100, plus an extra $22.30 delivery fee for orders shipping to the US.

The Sega Genesis Mini 2, a miniature replica of the classic gaming console, launched on October 27. The system is currently exclusive to Amazon and costs $100 plus $22.30 for shipping to the US. The console ships from Japan, and unfortunately a Prime delivery option isn't available.

The first Genesis Mini model was released in 2019 for $80, and this new edition offers a completely different set of games and an upgraded controller.

Like the earlier model, the Genesis Mini 2 is designed to let buyers play retro Sega games on their TV. Sixty games come installed on the system, including titles that were originally released on the Sega CD.

What's different about the Genesis Mini 2?

The Sega Genesis Mini 2 is a miniature replica of the second Genesis model that was released in 1993, while the first Genesis Mini was a replica of the console's original design from 1988. The Mini 2 also comes with a new version of the six-button gamepad that eventually became the Genesis standard, while the original Genesis Mini came with a three-button controller.

The Genesis Mini 2 has 60 games, while the original Genesis Mini had 42. Like the earlier model, the new Mini 2 also incorporates features like save states and widescreen support.

You can check out our impressions of the original Genesis Mini for more info on the console.

What games are available on Sega Genesis Mini 2?

Sega has released the full list of games that are available on the Genesis Mini 2, along with a trailer showcasing gameplay footage from the catalog. You can find cover art for each game on Sega's official website.

Here's the full list of games on Sega Genesis Mini 2:

• Mansion of Hidden Souls (Sega CD)
• Night Striker (Sega CD)
• The Ninja Warriors (Sega CD)
• Echo the Dolphin (Sega CD)
• Ecco The Tides of Time (Sega CD)
• Final Fight (Sega CD)
• Night Trap (Sega CD)
• Robo Aleste (Sega CD)
• Shining Force CD (Sega CD)
• Silpheed (Sega CD)
• Sonic CD (Sega CD)
• The Ninja Warriors (Sega CD)
• Alien Soldier
• After Burner II
• Atomic Runner
• Bonanza Brothers
• ClayFighter
• Crusader of Centy
• Desert Strike
• Earthworm Jim 2
• Elemental Master
• Fatal Fury 2
• Gain Ground
• Golden Axe II
• Granada
• Hellfire
• Herzon Zwei
• Lightening Force
• Midnight Resistance
• OutRun
• OutRunners
• Phantasy Star II
• Populous
• Rainbow Islands Extra
• Ranger X
• Ristar
• Rolling Thunder 2
• Shadow Dancer
• Shining Force II
• Shining in the Darkness
• Sonic 3D Blast
• Splatterhouse 2
• Streets of Rage 3
• Super Hang On
• Super Street Fighter II
• The Ooze
• The Revenge of Shinobi
• Toe Jam and Earl in Panic on Funkotron
• Truxton
• Vectorman 2
• Viewpoint
• Virtua Racing
• Warsong
• Fantasy Zone
• Star Mobile
• Spatter
• Super Locomotive
• Devi & Pii
• Puyo Puyo Sun
• Space Harrier II

The game list varies greatly from the original Genesis Mini, incorporating more sequels and games that were released later in the Genesis' lifespan. Classics from the first Genesis Mini, like Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Street Fighter II: Champion Edition, are replaced by sequels like Sonic CD and Super Street Fighter II. 

While Genesis Mini 2 features more games and doesn't rehash titles from the first Genesis Mini, gamers who missed out on the original mini console might be disappointed by the new model's more eclectic catalog.

Are there other ways to play classic Sega Genesis games?

If you're looking to play Genesis games without investing in a retro console, you should check out the Sega Genesis Classics Collection, which features more than 50 Genesis games on Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

The Nintendo Switch Online service also offers more than 30 Sega Genesis games if you buy an expansion pack, which costs $80 per year and can only be purchased annually.

• Apple has released a more affordable, smaller version of its flagship smart speaker known as the HomePod Mini.
• The HomePod Mini brings all of the features from its larger predecessor into a smaller frame that looks a lot like the latest Amazon Echo for just $99.00.
• The speaker was released to the public on November 16, and you can order it now from Apple, Best Buy, and other retailers.
• You can read our full HomePod Mini review here.

Not one to go down without a fight, Apple has revealed its second smart speaker to date in order to draw you away from the Echoes and Nest speakers of the world: HomePod Mini. Naturally, this HomePod is much smaller and more affordable than Apple's first HomePod speaker.

That said, it doesn't appear to lose any of the features found within the previous version, coming with full Siri digital assistant integration, smart home control, Find My, and voice-based web search to name a few.

The speaker also brings with it some new features, however, namely a new intercom feature that allows users to speak to one another through multiple HomePod units as well from a HomePod to an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods, or CarPlay device. Finally, the speaker sports an admittedly gorgeous, colorful touch display up top for physical playback and Siri controls.

Apple HomePod Mini release date and price

Apple made the HomePod Mini available for preorder on November 6, with a full release following 10 days later on November 16. Again, the speaker costs $99.00, making it awfully competitive with the leading smart speakers out there.

For instance, the latest Amazon Echo (4th Gen) goes for the exact same price: $99.99 – and Apple's speaker just so happens to look a whole lot like it. Meanwhile, the Google Nest Audio announced this year also asks for $99.99. No longer is Apple HomePod limited by its previously unapproachable price.

How to buy Apple HomePod Mini

Preorders for Apple HomePod Mini began on November 6 on Apple's retail website, and the device is now available for shipment. With that said, current orders are not estimated to arrive until December 9 at the earliest.

The HomePod Mini is also available through other retailers, including Best Buy. 

For detailed impressions on the HomePod Mini, be sure to read our full HomePod Mini review here.

• The Dynamic Island is an interactive notch that surrounds the iPhone's front camera and FaceID sensor. 
• It doubles as a hub for alerts, notifications, and app shortcuts, and can change in appearance. 
• Dynamic Island is exclusive to the iPhone 14 Pro models. 

Among several new and notable features Apple announced during the iPhone 14 Pro unveil is the Dynamic Island. 

Calling it a redesigned notch wouldn't be accurate, but it is a new and creative way for the space at the top of the iPhone's screen to be used. The feature is exclusive to the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.

"Dynamic" refers to its interactive nature. Unlike the notch, which is static and takes up space, the Dynamic Island can not only display basic information and notifications, but it can also appear to expand in size to show more information. Users can tap on it, giving them a new way to interact with their iPhone. 

Here's everything to know about Apple's Dynamic Island. 

What is Apple's Dynamic Island?

Dynamic Island is Apple's newly designed "notch" for the iPhone Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. The oval-shaped cutout sits at the top of the screen, and hides the front camera and FaceID sensors. Instead of a "dead space" at the top of the device, the Dynamic Island can show notifications, alerts, or real-time information. 

The Dynamic Island appears whenever your phone is unlocked. Through on-screen animations, the cutout appears to expand and shrink, depending on whatever information it's displaying. It also serves as a hub for shortcuts you can tap to bring you directly to apps you're using running in the background, like a music-streaming app and a timer.  

It shows when your iPhone 14 Pro is locked or unlocked

By expanding slightly and showing a simple lock/unlock animation, the Dynamic Island lets you know that your phone has unlocked. 

It displays the charging status of your iPhone

When you plug your iPhone in to charge, the Dynamic Island expands to offer a subtle notification that you're charging your phone and shows your battery level.

You can control phone calls

You'll get a typical notification on the Dynamic Island when you're receiving a call, which lets you hang up or pick up. The Dynamic Island makes it easier to disconnect a call after you're done, as you simply need to tap the Island and tap the hang-up button without switching away from an app you're using. In the past, you had to tap the phone call alert on the top left of the screen to return to the phone call screen to hang up. 

It shows you when you connect to AirPods

The connected AirPods notification is moving to the Dynamic Island, which has become a central hub for alerts and notifications rather than freestanding notifications that appeared in different places in iOS. Tapping on the Dynamic Island shows you which pair of AirPods are connected, as well as the battery percentage.

It can display music you're listening to and media controls

Album art displays on the Dynamic Island while you're playing music, and you can tap on the Dynamic Island to bring up music controls, like play/pause/previous/next. It also includes the option for enabling AirPlay. 

It means you don't need to reopen your music streaming app, or swipe from the top-right of the screen to open the control center, for basic audio controls. And if you use a widget for music controls now, the Dynamic Island lets you reclaim that screen space. 

You can get travel alerts 

Useful, dynamic info and updates from apps can be shown on the Dynamic Island instead of a notification that leads you to the app itself. Tapping on the Dynamic Island for travel information expands the notification to show you the flight number, whether the flight is on time, and how many bags the traveler has checked in. 

It can give you turn-by-turn directions 

To further centralize where you'll find useful information, you'll get an alert for an upcoming driving direction step from the Dynamic Island when the Maps app is in the background. The alert will expand when it comes time to take the next step, which helps catch your attention.

It shows you AirDrop notifications and status

The new AirDrop notification on the Dynamic Island shows you the progress of the download or upload. You can tap the Dynamic Island to get a bigger and clearer view of the AirDrop's progress. 

It shows the status of ride share services like Lyft

The Dynamic Island will persistently show you how many minutes your ride share car will take to get to you. You can tap on the Island to get more information, like the name and photo of the driver, the driver rating, make of the car, and the license plate information. 

It shows when FaceID is being used

The FaceID animation expands from the Dynamic Island in a move that further consolidates alerts and notifications to the top of the iPhone.

It can show you multiple shortcuts for things you're doing on your iPhone

The Dynamic Island can show you what's running in the background, and you can tap on the relevant icons as a shortcut that brings you straight to the relevant app.

For example, the Island will show a timer icon when you have a timer going alongside playing music. Tapping on either icon will bring you to their apps.

Sony and Microsoft have both invested heavily in gaming subscription services for their PS5 and Xbox consoles. These Netflix-style memberships bring more value to customers, letting players pay a monthly fee to gain access to hundreds of games.

Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass is available on Xbox consoles and PC, and even has an option to stream games to mobile devices. Members get access to tons of popular titles, including all of Microsoft Studio's brand-new games the same day they hit stores. Sony's PlayStation Plus service offers similar features for PlayStation console owners, but lacks consistent day-one releases and mobile streaming support.

Gamers playing directly on either console can only use the service that matches their machine, but PC owners can use either service's cloud gaming feature to stream titles. If you're torn between a PlayStation or Xbox system, understanding the pros and cons of each service might help steer you toward one or the other. Here's how Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus stack up when it comes to plans, pricing, and features.

Xbox Game Pass vs. PlayStation Plus: Pricing and plans

Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus both have multiple tiers of service, with plans starting at $10 a month. 

Plan	Price
Xbox Game Pass Core	$10 a month, $60 per year
Xbox Game Pass for Console	$11 a month
Xbox Game Pass for PC	$10 a month
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate	$17 a month
PlayStation Plus Essential	$10 a month, $25 quarterly, $60 per year
PlayStation Plus Extra	$15 a month, $40 quarterly, $100 a year
PlayStation Plus Premium	$18 a month, $50 quarterly, $120 a year

Xbox Games Pass currently offers Console, PC, and Ultimate plans. A new entry-level plan, called "Xbox Game Pass Core," launches on September 14.

Xbox Game Pass Core will replace a separate service called Xbox Live Gold, and will give members access to online multiplayer on Xbox consoles along with a library of about 25 games. Xbox Game Pass Core will cost $10 a month or $60 per year, and existing Xbox Live Gold members will automatically be enrolled in the service.

Xbox Game Pass plans for Console or PC let members download hundreds of Game Pass titles to play on each respective platform. PC Game Pass is $10 a month while Game Pass for Console is $11 a month.

For $17 a month, the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate plan combines Xbox Live Core with the PC and Console memberships, and adds the option to stream many Game Pass titles to your console, PC, mobile device, and even some of the best Samsung TVs. 

PlayStation Plus, meanwhile, has three pricing tiers, but unlike Game Pass, every plan includes online multiplayer support. PlayStation Plus Essential is the entry-level tier which lets members claim a small selection of games every month for $10 a month. This selection typically includes three titles per month. 

PlayStation Plus Extra costs $15 a month, and adds access to a library of more than 400 downloadable PS5 and PS4 games. The top tier, PlayStation Plus Premium, costs $18 a month, and adds game streaming support for PlayStation consoles and PCs. Premium also includes access to a collection of retro PlayStation games going back to the PS1, PS2, PS3, and PSP.

In addition to monthly pricing options, PlayStation Plus offers big discounts if you're willing to pay for an annual or quarterly membership. The more expensive tiers of Game Pass, however, don't offer multi-month discounts, unless you can find a specific retailer deal.

Xbox Game Pass vs. PlayStation Plus: Online multiplayer and saves

All PlayStation Plus memberships include support for online multiplayer, while Xbox requires Xbox Game Pass Core or the highest tier, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, to get online play.

PlayStation Plus plans also unlock support for backing up PlayStation game saves to the cloud. Meanwhile, cloud saving support is actually included for free for all Xbox owners, so you don't need Game Pass or any other subscription to use that feature.

Unlike Xbox Game Pass, all PlayStation Plus members also get the ability to share their screen with other PlayStation console owners online with a feature called Share Play. This lets you play multiplayer games as if you were playing offline, and share games with friends who may not have their own copy.

Xbox Game Pass vs. PlayStation Plus: Games

The main draw of Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus is their Netflix-style library of downloadable games. Both platforms include access to hundreds of titles, but they each take different approaches with their catalogs, especially when it comes to new releases.

Microsoft has committed to adding every new Xbox Studios game to Game Pass the same day they're released in stores, while Sony waits several months to add its own high-profile releases, like Horizon: Forbidden West and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, to PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium.

Xbox Game Pass' recent day-one releases include the cooperative shooter Redfall, and the rhythm-based action game Hi-Fi Rush. PlayStation Plus has started to add a few indie games to its catalog the same day they're released, like Tchia and Meet Your Maker, but there are fewer brand-new titles coming to the service.

Because Game Pass is also available on Windows PCs, certain games offer cross-platform play and shared cloud saves. But, there are a handful of Game Pass titles that are only available on console or PC, not both.

Both PlayStation Plus and Game Pass have partnerships with other industry publishers. Game Pass Ultimate and Game Pass PC subscribers get access to EA Play, a subscription from Electronic Arts that includes franchises like Madden 23, Need for Speed, The Sims, and Star Wars. Game Pass also gives benefits to fans of Riot Games, like unlocking all of the champions in the popular PC game League of Legends.

Meanwhile, PlayStation Plus members have access to the Ubisoft+ Classics catalog, a subscription service that includes games from the Assassin's Creed series, Far Cry, and the Tom Clancy franchise.

Games will occasionally leave the Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus catalogs, but the amount of time they're available depends on the publisher. First-party games published by Microsoft and PlayStation tend to remain in the subscription library permanently, while games published by third-party developers, like Square Enix and 2K Games, are more likely to rotate out. 

Classic titles from older consoles are rarely removed from either collection, while newer releases usually have a set timeframe before they leave. In general, most games will be on Game Pass for at least six months before you have to worry about them being removed. PlayStation Plus hasn't had many games leave the collection so far, but Sony only launched the full library in 2022.

Game Pass members get a 10% discount when buying games that are already on Game Pass, so you can always get a deal before a game leaves the service entirely. That 10% discount also applies to downloadable content and add-ons for Game Pass games, which aren't always included with the base version.

Xbox Game Pass vs. PlayStation Plus: Cloud gaming

Cloud gaming support is included with the top tiers of Game Pass and PlayStation Plus. If you have a good internet connection, this feature lets you stream games to other devices so you can play select titles even if you don't own an actual Xbox or PlayStation console. 

Of the two platforms, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate offers a much more robust streaming experience with the option to stream games to Xbox consoles, PCs, phones, tablets, and even some Samsung smart TVs. Many games on mobile also offer touch controls, so you don't need to worry about carrying a controller on the go.

On the other hand, PlayStation Plus Premium offers streaming directly to PS4 and PS5 consoles or PCs, but there's no feature to stream your collection to mobile devices or smart TVs. Furthermore, you need a PlayStation 4 controller to stream games, and games designed for PlayStation 5 can't be streamed yet.

If you're planning to take advantage of either service's cloud gaming feature to stream games on a computer, be sure to check out our guides to the best gaming laptops, best gaming PCs, and best PC controller for gaming to see some of our top gaming gear recommendations.

Xbox Game Pass vs. PlayStation Plus benefits at a glance

Features and benefits	PlayStation Plus	Xbox Game Pass
Library of downloadable games	Yes	Yes
Online multiplayer	Yes (all plans)	Yes, (Game Pass Core or Game Pass Ultimate only)
New first-party games on release day	No	All Xbox Game Studios releases and more with Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, and Game Pass for Console
Free monthly games	Yes (all plans)	Only with Game Pass Ultimate (Program ends September 1)
Cloud gaming device support	PC, PS4, and PS5 (PlayStation Plus Premium)	Xbox, PC, phones, tablets, Samsung TVs (Game Pass Ultimate)
Member deals and discounts	Extra savings in PlayStation Store	10% off Xbox Game Pass games and DLC, offers from partners like Disney Plus, Discord, and Riot Games
Partner memberships	Ubisoft+ Classics (PS Plus Extra or Premium)	Riot Games and EA Play (Game Pass Ultimate or PC)
Cloud saving	Yes	Available for free
Share-play (Online screen sharing)	Yes	Not available

The bottom line

PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass both bring tons of value to their respective consoles, and even have benefits for gamers who don't own an Xbox or PlayStation. However, Xbox Game Pass has had more time to develop a better overall experience for its members.

Game Pass offers more new games than PlayStation Plus, gives members discounts when buying games or investing in DLC add-ons, and works across both console and PC with few hassles.

From a technological standpoint, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate's cloud streaming and accessibility go beyond what PlayStation Plus Premium offers for members. Mobile streaming support even makes Game Pass a viable service for customers who just want to play games on their phones.

PlayStation Plus does include lots of critically acclaimed exclusive titles and an impressive catalog of classic games, but it still needs to expand its offerings and device support if it hopes to match the value of Xbox Game Pass in the future.

For now, Sony's gaming service shows promise, but Microsoft's membership is still the gold standard.

FAQs

How can I get a discount on Xbox Game Pass or PlayStation Plus?

Sony occasionally offers deals on quarterly and annual PlayStation Plus subscriptions in the PlayStation store, while discounts on Game Pass are sometimes available at separate retailers through sales on three-month subscriptions.

Is buying an annual subscription to Game Pass or PlayStation Plus worth it?

PlayStation Plus is discounted by up to 50% if you're willing to pay for a year of the service upfront, which makes an annual plan the best value for your money. Xbox Game Pass only offers monthly subscriptions for the console, PC, and Ultimate plans at the moment, but some retailers occasionally sell gift cards for three-months of Game Pass Ultimate at a discount. However, Xbox Game Pass Core will be available for $60 a year when it launches on September 14, which means you can get a 50% discount if you pay for an annual membership versus going with a monthly plan.

In recent years, Sony has made and continues to make a splash with its Alpha full-frame mirrorless cameras that are geared toward advanced and professional photographers. But, it also makes a line of terrific APS-C cropped-sensor mirrorless cameras that deserve just as much praise. Compact and lightweight, they are designed with travel, amateur, and other photographers who don't need the power and feature set of Sony's higher-end options. However, Sony's APS-C cameras aren't any lesser of a product.

With Sony's A6400 mirrorless digital camera — its latest APS-C model — reviewing it is less about why it's an ideal camera specifically and more about why it's a good choice among a sea of good choices. For the sake of this review, I look at it stemming from the basis of one question: "Is this a good camera for the average person looking to use more than their cell phone?"

Design

Sony took pointers from its higher-end cameras when they designed the A6400, and that's most obvious in the physical button arrangement and interface. If you were to go from the A6400 and jump immediately to its highest-end professional camera, you would know exactly how to operate it.

The only other company that has successfully done this repeatedly is Canon, and there is a reason they dominated the DSLR market for years. Having a single straightforward and simple system resonates with users. 

The A6400 is also small without feeling like it's fragile. Sony has always done a good job of keeping its cameras compact, and the A6400 is no exception. That said, if you have larger hands you might find the camera too small to hold comfortably.

When downsizing, many camera manufacturers will sacrifice a command dial, which is a knob that controls either shutter speed or aperture and can also be used in other menus to navigate.

Sony maintains the professional photographer's necessity for a minimum of two command dials on the A6400, meaning if you eventually choose to push the A6400 beyond beginner Program limits, you will not find controlling multiple functions difficult. This is in contrast to other consumer-level cameras that try and compress all functions into one dial, which can be slow and very frustrating to operate.

One command dial is unlabeled and lives on the top of the camera, on the far right. The other is on the rear of the camera, below the Fn button, and also includes multi-directional input.

Part of compacting the camera so small involved finding a place for everything, and the A6400 makes use of every nook and cranny pretty effectively. On the left side of the camera you will find a compartment that houses the charging port, microphone jack and HDMI. The SD card port shares the same bottom compartment as the battery.

The only downside when it comes to usability is the menu system used to access most of the A6400's features, and all of its advanced functionality. In short, it's not very good. Confusing, clunky, poorly organized and badly labeled in many places, Sony's menu is one of the more frustrating on the market.

Unfortunately, this is a problem Sony has had with its cameras for years and is proving a challenge for it to address. So while Sony have done a very good job synchronizing its interfaces across cameras, that comes with the downside of that menu coming along for that ride.

Gratefully, once you set the camera up the first time, it is unlikely you need to spend much time in the convoluted menu. So as much of a pain as it is, I am willing to look past it since most won't encounter it for more than the first hour of use.

Viewfinder and LCD

Likely to keep the price of the A6400 approachable, the electronic viewfinder, or EVF, isn't anything to write home about as far as resolution and image quality. It's certainly just fine for everyday use, just don't expect images to look super sharp or have a realistic level of contrast. 

Conversely, the rear LCD is great. Not only do images look great on it, it is a tilt-screen design, and can even flip fully upwards to act as a "selfie" screen, if that's something you're into. For me, I like it more for shooting at unconventional angles, such as close to the ground or if I choose to lift the camera above my head. 

The rear LCD is also technically a touch screen, but Sony still has not added full touch support to any of its cameras, the A6400 included. 

There are features that require touch in order to use (such as autofocus tracking, specifically in video), but many other features that cannot utilize touch no matter what (such as navigating the menu). It is honestly the strangest implementation of touch out there, and is as if Sony wasn't sure if it really wanted to offer it but felt simultaneously like it had to, giving us this kind of half-baked touch experience. If a touch screen is an absolute must for you as a shooter, you're going to be disappointed with the A6400, unfortunately. 

Performance and features

Part of what makes Sony cameras so great despite the few niggling details I've mentioned is that the actual shooting experience with any Sony camera is just top-tier, outstanding, and honestly unmatched. Sony's autofocus system is the best on the market, and the feedback to you as the shooter is constant and supportive in ways no one else has managed to match. 

Starting with autofocus, the A6400 uses what is known as a "hybrid" autofocus system, which is a combination of two technologies: phase detection and contrast detection. I won't go too deep into the weeds on this, only stating that the result is 425 autofocus points that cover 84% of the image frame. Trust me when I say that is exceedingly impressive, especially for a camera at this price point. Each of those points is capable of working with each other to follow and track moving objects, people and animals. 

Using AI, Sony is able to latch on to the eye of any person as well as certain animals like birds, dogs and cats. When using this technology, called Eye-AF, the camera all but assures that the most important part of a photo, the eye, is always perfectly sharp. Many manufacturers have made some kind of eye autofocus technology, but Sony's is far and away the most accurate and reliable. 

Thanks to Eye-AF, you can always be sure that your photos will be crisply in focus.

Building on top of that technology, Sony also has created an Object Detection algorithm. So in addition to being able to track faces and eyes, the camera can latch on to a specific object and track it if eyes or faces are not available. This kind of object recognition and tracking is unique to Sony right now and it is capable of working both in still and photo mode.

The best part of the experience, however, is when both these technologies are working together and in tandem. The A6400 can track faces, eyes, and bodies all at the same time and back and forth, allowing you to follow a person as they look at the camera, turn its head, and even if they move in between objects with its back facing the camera. It's a truly masterful autofocus experience that is thus far unmatched. 

If all that sounds way too complicated, the standard wide autofocus is also excellent. No matter what, the camera will tell you what it is focused on, with how many points, and in what way the entire time you are looking through the viewfinder. Using green squares that are constantly blinking and locking focus tells you, the photographer, what the camera is seeing and how it plans to capture an image. It is an extremely gratifying shooting experience that feels like the camera is working together with you as a unit, instead of just being a tool you happen to be holding. 

The A6400 battery is the only real negative I can mention about the shooting experience: it's not very good. It's by no means bad, but it you can't expect to be shooting for a full day on one battery. Shooting video especially will quickly drain the battery. Additionally, the A6400 doesn't come with an external charger, which means even if you could swap to a second battery, you can't keep using the camera while trying to charge the first without buying an additional battery charger. To charge the battery, you have to plug the entire camera into a wall.

Image quality

I think, in the end, the one thing that really matters above all else is how the photos look. I'm happy to report that Sony's 24.2-megapixel (MP) APS-C image sensor is very nice, and is able to capture a wide range of photos with excellent color fidelity and detail.

Even using what would be considered by most photographers as a "low-end" lens, the 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6, images look excellent. Colors pop and details are sharp. It's hard to ask for more. 

Because the camera is so compact, it's easy to take the A6400 with you everywhere. 

24.2MP is a lot to work with, more than enough for online sharing and plenty even if you plan to print the photos. 

Greens are especially beautiful with Sony cameras, with a realistic vibrancy that jumps off the screen.

Low-light images, if you're using above ISO 1600, can start to look a bit noisy/grainy, so try and keep your ISO lower if possible. You can either set it manually, or from the menu you can set a limit of how high the Auto ISO will go. ISO 2000 is about the limits of where I am happy with the noise level, but you may find that up to ISO 6400 is useable.

If you stay around ISO 100 to 800, you'll get the best image quality this camera is capable of producing. The first photo above of the flower is one of the most vibrant and colorful I've ever captured, and that was shot at ISO 640.

The Sony A6400 doesn't have any kind of on-sensor image stabilization, which is a bit of a bummer since Sony was one of the first companies to put stabilization into most of its cameras. Likely in a bid to lower the cost of the A6400, it was left out. This makes shooting in low light harder, and video will be shakier. This isn't a deal-breaker, but it is disappointing.

The bottom line

When I look at the A6400, I see a camera that can be nearly anything to anyone who wants to capture photos and videos. It can shoot up to 4K video with high-end options like S-Log and slow motion in Full HD. It can also shoot up to 11 frames per second with autofocus tracking, which means it's actually quite a competent sports camera, or a camera capable of freezing important action.

When you look at its capabilities in full, the A6400 will work just as well for a family looking to photograph its children as it would be a workhorse of a camera for any small business looking to generate content for distribution online. It really can do just about anything for anyone, and that's what makes it so valuable in today's crowded camera market.

Pros: Great image quality and high-resolution video capture, 11 frames per second photo capture and up to 120 frames per second slow motion video, compact size, compatible with all Sony E-mount lenses, affordable especially given the feature set

Cons: Doesn't come with an external battery charger (you have to charge it plugged in), battery life is mediocre at best, doesn't have any image stabilization on the sensor

• Oculus Link lets you connect your Meta Quest 2 to a PC to run PC VR apps and games.
• For best results, use a USB 3 cable, though Oculus Link should also work with slower USB 2 cables.
• For a fully wireless experience, you can use the Oculus Air Link setting as well

Oculus Link is a feature built into Quest 2, the Meta VR headset that allows you to connect your Quest to a PC. While the Meta Quest 2 is a completely self-contained wireless VR headset that can run games and apps from the large Quest library, Oculus Link adds an additional dimension, letting you use your computer's substantially higher processing power to run more complex PC VR games. 

Here is what you need to know about Oculus Link, including how to use it with the Meta Quest 2.

Is Oculus Link worth it?

Most VR headsets are either standalone devices that run their own software or tethered to a PC and able to run a library of more powerful VR apps. Oculus Link lets you do either or both. That means that Oculus Link gives you, as a Meta Quest 2 user, a set of tools and capabilities unlike any other VR headset for almost no cost beyond the investment in the headset. 

While Oculus Link is an entirely optional part of the Quest VR experience, if your computer is powerful enough, using it can give you access to far more engaging VR apps with better graphics, more realistic physics, and dramatically richer gameplay or simulations. Essentially, that means you get the best of both worlds. And because you might already have the only accessory you need to run Oculus Link — a USB-C cable — that means it's definitely worth it. 

Is Oculus Link just USB-C?

You should be able to use most USB-C cables with Oculus Link to connect your headset to a PC. Oculus sells its own Link Cable, a 16-foot cable with a USB-C connection at both ends. It costs $80 and should deliver the best, smoothest, and most reliable connection. 

Even so, you can find other high-quality USB-C cables at a significantly lower cost. There's no harm in trying alternative cables and seeing if they get the job done. For best results, use a USB 3.0 cable, which features USB-C connectors at both ends. The Quest headset is also compatible with USB 2.0 cables as well — though performance may not be as good. 

All that said, you might not need to use a USB-C cable at all. The Quest 2 also supports Oculus Air Link, which lets you connect your Quest 2 headset to your PC wirelessly. Like any wireless technology, you might find some latency, hiccups, and stuttery video, which can add up to a bad VR experience. You can try Air Link and revert to a Link Cable instead if it doesn't meet your needs. 

How to get started with Oculus Link

Using Oculus Link is pretty straightforward. Follow these steps:

1. To begin, ensure you have a USB-C cable. You can try the wireless Oculus Air Link, but if you have any difficulties, start with the USB-C cable setup. 
2. Install the Oculus desktop app onto your PC. Log in with your Meta account credentials.   
3. Start the Oculus desktop app and turn on your Quest 2 headset. 
4. Connect your Oculus Link cable to the headset and a USB port on your PC. 
5. If you see a message requesting access to data inside the headset, choose Deny.
6. Within the headset, start Settings and choose System.
7. Choose Quest Link.
8. On the Quest Link page, make sure Quest Link is enabled (the button should be swiped to the right) and then choose Launch Quest Link. 
9. If you want to try the Air Link wireless option, turn on Use Air Link. Otherwise, make sure it's disabled and then choose Launch. 

What are the requirements for Oculus Link?

Depending on what processor and video card you have, you might find that your PC doesn't meet the requirements to run Oculus Link — for example, does an NVidia RTX 3050 work with Oculus Link? While the supported CPU and graphics cards might change over time as Meta updates the software, here is what you need to run an Oculus Link connection right now:

• CPU: Intel i5-4590 / AMD Ryzen 5 1500X or greater
• Memory: 8GB or more
• Operating system: Windows 10 or higher
• Graphics Card – the following graphics cards are supported:
• NVIDIA Titan X
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Super
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 TI
• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 20-series
• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30-series
• AMD 400 Series
• AMD 500 Series
• AMD 5000 Series
• AMD 6000 Series (except the Radeon RX 6500)
• AMD Vega Series
• Graphics Cards – the following cards are not supported at this time:

• NVIDIA  3050ti
• NVIDIA 3050 (laptop) 
• NVIDIA Titan Z
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Desktop
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060M
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650
• AMD 200 Series
• AMD 300 Series

Do I need the Oculus app for Oculus Link?

You don't need the Meta Quest app on a mobile device, but in order to use Oculus Link with your PC, you do need to install and set up the Windows desktop Oculus app. When you enable Oculus Link, the app communicates with your headset.

With prices ranging from $200 to $500, buying a new video game system is an investment, and figuring out which platform to go with can be tricky. The best gaming consoles all deliver a fun experience, but they each offer a different assortment of exclusive games, and they can vary a lot when it comes to price and multimedia capabilities.

If you're looking for blockbuster exclusives and top-notch visuals, the Sony PS5 is our pick for the best gaming console overall. But if you grew up with classic games like Super Mario and the Legend of Zelda, the portable Nintendo Switch might be a better option. And if you want extensive media features and the option to try a bunch of new games for a monthly fee, an Xbox Series X could be a game changer.

I've had years of experience with all of the latest consoles and have been testing them all since their releases. Below, I've detailed what each of the major systems is best at to help you decide which gaming console is the right fit for you.

Our top picks for the best gaming consoles

Best overall: PlayStation 5 - See at Amazon
The PS5's library of blockbuster-exclusive games and unique DualSense controller make it the best gaming console for most gamers.

Best portable system: Nintendo Switch OLED - See at Amazon
The Switch's ability to seamlessly transition between handheld and docked gameplay remains impressive, and its lower price makes it a great choice for casual players.

Best for multimedia: Xbox Series X - See at Amazon
Microsoft's Xbox Series X is the ideal centerpiece for any home entertainment setup, slightly besting the PS5 in power while offering extra media features and cool perks like Xbox Game Pass.

Best on a budget: Xbox Series S - See at Amazon
The Xbox Series S is an excellent console for its price point, but it does lack a disc drive and can't match the graphical capabilities of the Series X or PS5.

Best overall: PS5

PS5 Slim (With Disc Drive)

PS5 Slim (Digital Edition)

Pros: Fast solid-state drive, powerful graphics, unique DualSense controller, lots of popular exclusive games

Cons: Even newer slim models are big, PlayStation Plus lags behind Xbox Game Pass

Released in November 2020, the PS5 helped set a new standard for video game consoles with its speedy M.2 solid-state drive (SSD), DualSense controller, and support for 4K at a 120Hz refresh rate. In 2023, Sony refreshed the console's design with a slimmer form factor that takes up 30% less space and has a slightly larger 1TB SSD. 

The PlayStation 5 now comes in two versions: the standard PS5 slim ($500) and the digital-edition PS5 slim ($450). The digital edition doesn't include a 4K Blu-ray drive, but the consoles otherwise offer the same performance. We recommend picking up a PS5 with a disc drive if you want to buy and borrow physical PS5 games or if you have a collection of old PS4 discs. However, the slim digital-edition PS5 does allow you to add a disc drive later on for $80. You can learn more about how the two models stack up in our PS5 digital vs. disc comparison. 

The PS5's popularity is largely fueled by PlayStation's exclusive game franchises like Spider-Man, God of War, Ratchet and Clank, The Last of Us, and Gran Turismo. Many of these exclusives use the unique features of the console's DualSense controller, like haptic vibration feedback, adaptive triggers, and a built-in microphone. These hit games and controller features help give the PS5 a slight edge over the Xbox Series X and make the console hard to skip for gamers who want to play the latest blockbuster releases. 

However, Sony still has work to do to make the PS5's PlayStation Plus gaming subscription service a true rival to Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass. PlayStation Plus Premium launched in June 2022 and lets players subscribe to a library of about 400 downloadable games, but it doesn't include newly released games the way Microsoft's service does. 

The standard PS5 can also work well as a media device thanks to its 4K Blu-ray drive and support for most streaming apps. However, if you think you'll be using your console a lot as a media center, you might want to consider the Xbox Series X instead since it has a true digital movie store and Dolby Vision streaming support. The PS5 is limited to HDR10 streaming, and its store only lets you buy movies produced by Sony.

But when judged purely as a gaming console, we think the PS5 simply has the stronger lineup of exclusive games right now. Especially since most high-profile Xbox releases can also be played on a gaming PC.  

Read our PS5 review.

Note: Current slim PS5 bundles include a copy of Spider-Man 2 for no extra cost. 

Best portable system: Nintendo Switch OLED

Nintendo Switch OLED

Nintendo Switch

Pros: Great value, includes two Joy-Cons controllers out of the box, popular Nintendo titles, portable and docked modes

Cons: Online play is limited compared to Xbox and PlayStation, Joy-Con drift issues, aging hardware

The Nintendo Switch's hybrid portable design has made it wildly popular; you can take it on the go and play games in 720p on the small screen or connect it to your TV with the included dock for a full 1080p experience. The $350 Switch OLED is the latest version of the console, incorporating a larger, high-contrast OLED screen, an improved kickstand, and slightly better audio for $50 more than the original device. Check out our Nintendo Switch vs. Switch OLED comparison for full details on how they stack up. 

Both Switch OLED and the $300 standard Switch come with two removable Joy-Cons that can be used as individual motion controllers, making it ideal for playing with a friend while on the go. Nintendo Switch games come in durable cartridges rather than on Blu-ray discs, making them easy to store and travel with. The console also has expandable storage via a MicroSD slot, so you can boost the fairly small 64GB (OLED) or 32GB (standard model) internal storage by up to 2TB to hold more digital games.

If you don't care about playing on your TV, there's also the $200 Switch Lite to consider. This option is ideal for solo portable play, but it can't be docked and doesn't have removable Joy-Con controllers. The portable screen is only 13% smaller than the standard Switch, and the Lite is thinner and easier to hold. The Switch Lite battery lasts about seven hours, while the standard and OLED Switch models can last up to nine hours.

Though the Switch's hardware is showing its age and pales in comparison to the capabilities of the PS5 and Xbox Series X, it remains a capable console with a large library that's especially great for families. Popular franchises, like Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, and Pokémon, can only be found on the Switch, and lots of classic games have been remastered for Nintendo's system.

Thanks to its incredible game library and overall value, the Switch is still the best gaming console you can buy for portability.

Read our Nintendo Switch review, Nintendo Switch Lite review, and Nintendo Switch OLED review.

Best for multimedia: Xbox Series X

Pros: Powerful gaming hardware, Dolby Vision HDR for streaming, digital movie and TV store, supports Game Pass for tons of downloadable titles

Cons: Dolby Vision doesn't work with Blu-ray discs, controller lacks haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, most games are also available on PC

The Xbox Series X is a multimedia powerhouse, with support for 4K Blu-rays and many of the best streaming services. And unlike the PS5, the Series X offers movies and TV shows from every popular studio through Microsoft's digital storefront, and you can stream and share media with Windows PCs.

Xbox Series X also supports Dolby Vision, an advanced high dynamic range (HDR) format that helps compatible TVs enhance image quality with improved color accuracy and contrast. The feature can be used with video games as well as streaming apps like Disney Plus. Unfortunately, Blu-ray discs played on the Xbox Series X can't use Dolby Vision but can use the more common HDR10 format, which the PS5 also supports. 

The Xbox Series X is arguably more powerful than the PS5 in terms of performance because of its slightly faster CPU and stronger graphics processor. However, in practice, Series X games haven't shown big visual benefits over PS5 titles. On the downside, the Xbox controller lacks the PS5 DualSense's haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, which can add an extra sense of immersion to gameplay. 

The Series X has a handful of excellent exclusive releases like Starfield, Forza Motorsport, and Halo Infinite, but these titles are all available on PC as well. As it stands, we think the PS5's exclusive library is just a bit more substantial. However, this comes down to personal preference, so some gamers may be more drawn to Microsoft's catalog. 

But no matter how you look at it, the Xbox Series X is an excellent centerpiece for any home entertainment setup and can deliver an incredible experience for games and movies. The console is a no-brainer if you're a big fan of Microsoft's exclusive franchises. Its value also grows greatly if you sign up for an Xbox Game Pass membership, which gives you access to a big library of titles that you can download for a monthly fee. And unlike the PS5's competing service, Game Pass even offers access to many brand-new games on the same day they hit stores. 

Read our Xbox Series X review.

Best on a budget: Xbox Series S

Xbox Series S (Carbon Black, 1TB)

Xbox Series S (White, 512GB)

Pros: Great price for current hardware, support for Xbox Game Pass

Cons: No disc drive for games or Blu-rays, not as powerful as Series X or PS5 

This more budget-friendly Xbox console can play all the same games as the more powerful Xbox Series X but with a few significant trade-offs. For starters, the Series S doesn't have a Blu-ray disc drive, so you're limited to digital games on the console's solid-state storage. And its hardware is less powerful than Series X, so games are designed with 1080p or 1440p in mind rather than 4K.

The original white Xbox Series S model released in 2020 came with a 512GB drive, which we felt was limited considering that many popular games like Call of Duty" and NBA 2K can take up as much as 150 GB. Thankfully, Microsoft released a new carbon black Xbox Series S in September 2023 that has a more satisfying 1TB drive, but it costs a bit more than the original.

Some retailers have dropped the price of the 512GB Series S to $250 until the current stock runs out. Meanwhile, the 1TB Series S costs $350. It's possible to increase the Xbox Series S storage space with an expansion card, but they're pricey at about $150 for 1TB.

The carbon black Xbox Series S and Switch OLED share the same price, but budget-focused gamers will get more value out of the Xbox's multimedia features and other benefits, particularly Xbox Game Pass. For $10 a month, Game Pass gives subscribers a library of more than 100 games, including access to new Microsoft releases, like Halo: Infinite and Starfield, the same day they're released.

The Xbox Series S doesn't have the same level of graphics performance as the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X, so it's best to save for those consoles if you're worried you won't have the best visual quality. But if you want to play high-profile games on a budget, the Series S is the best gaming console for your needs.

Read our review of the Xbox Series S (512GB) review.

Gaming console FAQs

Which is better, PS5 or Xbox Series X?

The PS5 and Xbox Series X are direct competitors and two of the best gaming consoles you can buy, but the better choice largely comes down to personal preference. The two consoles offer similar performance in terms of hardware; the biggest differences come with the game libraries and overall user experience.

We feel that the PS5 has a more impressive library of exclusive games so far, and its unique DualSense controller can make gameplay more immersive. However, Xbox owners can benefit from a better ecosystem that includes Xbox Game Pass and more multimedia support. Check out our PS5 vs. Xbox Series X comparison for more details on how the two consoles stack up. 

Is Sony working on a PS5 Pro?

Sony hasn't indicated directly that a more powerful PlayStation 5 console is on the way. The updated slim PS5 released in 2023 matches the original's specs, but at least one report suggests that a PS5 Pro or similarly updated hardware could launch in late 2024.

Is there an update coming to the Xbox Series X?

Leaked documents revealed that Microsoft is working on an update to the Xbox Series X console in the future. The leaks show that the new console will be all digital like the Xbox Series S, so it won't have a Blu-ray drive, but it will have 2TB of internal storage and other improvements. The console, codenamed Brooklin, would have a new controller that's closer to the PS5's DualSense. A potential update to the Xbox Series S was leaked as well.

The documents showed that the updated Xbox Series X could launch as soon as November of 2024, but there's no guarantee that Microsoft will meet that timeline. Microsoft acknowledged the leaks in a public statement and said the documents were more than a year old, so plans for the updated consoles could shift dramatically.

Is Nintendo working on a new Switch?

The Switch is the oldest of our picks for the best gaming console, leading to constant speculation that an updated model is on the way. Nintendo has denied rumors, but there have been several reports that developers have been shown an early version of new Switch hardware, and it will likely launch in late 2024 or beyond.

That said, there's no guarantee that it's a completely new console or just a more powerful version of the current Switch.

• Lego Education has officially rolled out Spike Prime, a STEAM-based teaching tool that combines Lego bricks with coding.
• After students build their projects, they can then use a drag-and-drop coding app to program their toys to perform a variety of functions.
• Lego's education division is celebrating its 40th birthday. Spike Prime continues the company's education endeavors for the 21st-century classroom.
• It costs $329.95 and is available to buy now from Lego.

Lego bricks are fun to play with, making them a favorite toy among kids as well as adults. But they are also educational and can help develop a child's motor skills, analytical thinking, and creative expression. Lego has been aware of this, establishing its Lego Education division to bring its products into the classroom. To celebrate its 40th year, Lego Education launched its latest product, Spike Prime, which bridges Lego's analog brick with digital STEAM education.

Spike Prime takes Lego's traditional product into today's classrooms (it's designed for grades six to eight, or middle school), which center around STEAM learning — short for science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics. A big component to STEAM is a drag-and-drop, computer-based coding language, which forms the backbone of Spike Prime. In addition to building objects and robots with bricks, students can then program their creations to perform a variety of functions.

Announced last year in April but now officially available to both schools and consumers ($329.95), Lego Education provided us a follow-up demo during CES 2020 (Lego was not an official exhibitor but was in town to demo the product to the media). Here's a look at what it is, how it works, and our first impressions.

What is Spike Prime?

Spike Prime is a STEAM-based education tool from Lego that involves a kit of 528 Lego and Technic bricks — most will be familiar to Lego fans, while others are custom to Spike Prime, including sensors, motors, and wires. At the heart of everything is the Hub, a programmable control box that the user attaches all the bricks and wires onto. With the hub, you can create a break-dancing robot, a weather station, a hopping frog, or any of the other projects — there are 32 of them at launch. All components come in a box with dedicated compartments for easy sorting; ensuring the pieces go back in the right place is also an educational lesson, as it teaches organization.

To program the Hub and the accompanying motors and sensors, you'd need to launch the Spike Prime app on a Mac, Windows, or Chromebook laptop, or an iOS or Android device; the Hub connects wirelessly using Bluetooth. At first launch, the app has a quick tutorial that guides you through the basics. The programming language is based on the Scratch coding platform, which is already taught in schools

The 32 lessons start with something as simple as programming an emoji on the Hub's display, to more sophisticated builds like the aforementioned breakdancing robot. Each lesson guides you through the build — similar to the instruction booklet that comes with a Lego set. However, should the user get stuck, there is a troubleshoot panel.

After the build, you can start programming. Scratch is a drag-and-drop system that lets you build a set of instructions. For example, you can determine how long and how fast to spin a motor that's connected to a particular port. Students who have experience with this type of coding will find it familiar and a breeze, while teachers and parents may need to spend some time getting acquainted. Yes, Spike Prime isn't just an educational tool for kids, but it can also teach adults about STEAM concepts.

Playing with Spike Prime

Admittedly, I don't have extensive experience with drag-and-drop coding platforms, but after an hour of tinkering and creating a couple builds, I got the hang of it. While the hunting-and-pecking for parts is part of the Lego building experience, I appreciate that the Spike Prime components are easy to find in their respective bins — that is, if they were put back correctly. The reason Lego created this organization system is to be mindful of classroom time, since some projects can last around 45 minutes, depending on the student.

I will be experimenting more with Spike Prime in the coming weeks and will update this review accordingly, but through the tutorials, I was able to get my mind around it quickly within an hour. Building the projects is straightforward for anyone who's played with Legos, but that's just half the "fun", since you'd still need to program it. Unlike computer programming languages that I grew up with, such as BASIC, CSS, and HTML, the drag-and-drop is much easier to grasp; although it can get complex, as I am looking forward to learning with more difficult projects down the line (note: you don't need prior experience with coding). And, it's fun to see your creations come alive.

Because Spike Prime utilizes existing Lego and Technics blocks, I can imagine kids, after they've exhausted the projects, branching out on their own with new creations. In fact, Lego Education even offers an expansion pack ($99.95) of 603 additional components that are designed to prepare kids for robotics competitions, like the First Lego League and World Robot Olympiad. Everything starts with the Hub, but you can easily build on top of it by using your own bricks. As I continue my STEAM education, I am interested in seeing how open the coding platform is for new creations.

Continuing education

Although Spike Prime's target audience is middle school kids, it's also a great tool for parents to become involved with their children's curriculum and learn a bit about coding and STEAM education. I can also see Spike Prime being a fun toy for geeks, Lego fans, or anyone who likes to tinker with tech. It's expensive, which is why Lego Education considers Spike Prime a classroom tool rather than a consumer product.

Spike Prime isn't Lego Education's first STEAM or robotics toy, but it's definitely the first that taps into today's classrooms. It also bridges education and fun, and judging from the kids' reactions I saw during Spike Prime's announcement last year, kids will be naturally drawn to it.

• Playdate is a handheld gaming console with a retro aesthetic and a unique control style.
• The console uses a metal crank as an additional control method, opening up lots of new ways to play.
• While relatively pricey at $180, that includes a "season" of original games by independent developers.

As a life-long fan of video games and game design, I've purchased — or at least played with — just about every game console out there of the past 40 years. I've also been reviewing games and gaming hardware for a decade now. With this new handheld game console known as Playdate, playing games finally feels like something truly new and unique again.

Playdate, available now for preorder at $180, is a retro-themed handheld that fits in the palm of your hand with classic-style, black-and-white pixel graphics. However, this product focuses around a unique control method used by game creators with a shocking amount of ingenuity and a knack for fun.

The metal crank featured on the right side (which also supports left-handers by using an "upside down" mode) does not charge the console, but instead is used as part of its controls.

I liken the crank, a control method I've only seen before on fishing game controllers, to the Nintendo Wii remote controller in its level of inspiration for new, more interesting kinds of gameplay. 

The first game I played on the Playdate just so happens to be my favorite of the lineup: Whitewater Wipeout. It's a surfing game that tasks you with stringing a combo of sweet spinning jumps off a wave that's consistently pushing you to the left, using the crank almost like a rudder to steer the surfer and pull off those spins.

 Perhaps it's a gimmick, but it hasn't worn off on me yet after a few weeks of testing the console. There are more games like this that are also entertaining, like Lost Your Marbles, a physics puzzle game with a hilarious premise and plot that has you guiding a marble across various stages using the crank to rotate the stage's position.

However, not every game is beholden to this new control mechanism, and some games that ignore it entirely are just as fun.

One such game is Saturday Edition, which blends a detective noir aesthetic with a plot all about alien abductions in a fictional '80s US city as a point-and-click adventure game. Having been a fan of the mystery point-and-click genre since the days of games like The Secret of Monkey Island and Myst, this game was particularly engrossing. 

Another hit in a similar story-focused vein is DemonQuest '85, which crosses a friendship/romance simulator with a tale of summoning demons from an ancient tome.

In fact, I find the Playdate hard to put down, and have barely picked up my Nintendo Switch OLED in the past few weeks.

When the Playdate arrived at my home, I had been progressing through the sublime Pokemon Legends: Arceus. That Switch game has been an absolute breath of fresh air for a lapsed lover of the Pokemon franchise, but the Playdate is just so interesting and engrossing that I basically forgot about my pocket monster adventure. 

This may have been helped by the way in which I received games to the console over those two weeks.

Playdate doesn't use cartridges, but instead will wirelessly receive new games on a weekly basis, as part of what are known as 'seasons', through a Wi-Fi connection.

For the general public, these games will be delivered to consoles for no additional cost. The first "season" will feature two games issued per week for a total of 12 weeks and 24 games. It's unknown what plans Panic — the console's independent creator and distributor — has for its second season.

The press, however, received two new games each day over 12 days, so as to be able to evaluate everything the console has to offer in its first season in time for a review. If I weren't able to receive these games in such quick succession, would it have engrossed me in the same way? Perhaps not, but I will say that I have spent the majority of my time with Playdate improving my skills in Whitewater Wipeout, so that point may be moot.

To fill in the gaps between seasons, Playdate's browser-based game development tools are available to everyone, and sharing or side-loading those homemade games is easy.

Pulp, Panic's browser-based game development engine and interface, is available for anyone to use. The development software features "drawing tools, animation, [a] level editor, custom font, chip tune music, and sound effects" for easier use, but direct coding access is also available.

Users can then export games they've made to either their own Playdate console, via its USB-C port connected to a computer, or to a friend by sharing their game files digitally.

How widely will these features be used? It's tough to say, but if Panic is able to somehow curate and list these independently made games within the console's interface, it could have success similar to what's been seen in recent developer tools disguised as games, such as the Mario Maker and LittleBig Planet game series.

As for the Playdate hardware's other particulars, I'm generally impressed with its sound from such a tiny speaker, and the console has decent battery life.

The Playdate is rated for up to eight hours of battery life in use and 14 days of standby battery life. That generally checked out in my experience over the past few weeks, and it charges awfully quickly, like from near-zero to full in less than an hour.

Being a retro-themed device, the speaker does well to play the familiar bleeps and bloops arranged into music similar to that of classic games. The main Whitewater Wipeout theme is particularly catchy.

However, the Playdate's screen is going to be a make-or-break aspect of the device for potential buyers.

I'll be upfront: the Playdate's 400 x 240-pixel, 1-bit resolution display is neither backlit nor frontlit. Like the Game Boy that so clearly inspired the console, albeit released in 1989, the Playdate needs to be played under a source of light.

Yes, the screen is basically the Game Boy taken to its logical conclusion in terms of sharpness and coloration, but that might not be enough for some players at a $180 price. Both my wife and my nephew scoffed at having to angle the device just-so to be able to play the games when I showed it to them. (That said, my nephew thoroughly enjoyed his time with it, asking his mother for one short after.)

Personally, I don't mind the screen all that much, as I find the display to be quite forgiving in its viewability under limited lighting. Unlike my Game Boy as a kid, I won't be seeking out some sort of "worm light" accessory for the Playdate.

The bottom line

At $180, just $20 shy of a Nintendo Switch Lite, the Playdate is quite pricey for what it is ultimately: a niche product for particularly deep fans of video games.

As someone who owns far too many retro-revival game consoles — from the Super Nintendo Classic Mini to the TurboGrafx-16 Mini — I'm more than willing to pay the asking price for such an interesting product. I've been deeply into video games since the early '90s, and so I'm part of Playdate's target audience.

The group that the Playdate is not for is those simply looking for either their first handheld game console ever or their first in a long time. The Playdate is for intense fans of the hobby who are either into the retro aesthetic (or classic games in general) or lovers of independent (i.e. "indie") games. Being one of them, I'm excited to see where Playdate goes in its second season and beyond.

Unfortunately, Playdate preorders made right now will not be fulfilled until 2023, as demand appears to have outstripped Panic's supply and its ability to keep up with orders. However, something this unique and entertaining, for the retro and indie gaming nuts out there, is well worth the wait.

• Madden NFL 23 will be available on August 19 for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC platforms.
• Customers who preorder the All Madden Edition ($100) get access to the game three days early.
• Additions to this year's game include an overhauled passing system and Face of the Franchise mode.

Madden NFL 23, the latest entry in the long-running football video game series, will arrive on August 19 for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC platforms. Madden is an annual bestseller, with a player base that steadily increases. 

Madden 23 is the first game in the series to launch after the death of its namesake, John Madden, in late 2021. The Hall of Fame coach and broadcaster is celebrated on the cover of the new game. Madden last provided color commentary for the series in 2009. He was replaced by Sunday Night Football commentator Cris Collinsworth both in-game and in the broadcast booth.

Like last year's Madden, Madden 23 will feature an upgraded AI and physics engine called FieldSense on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. FieldSense impacts nearly every on-field interaction, from tackles and collisions at the line of scrimmage, to touch passes and matchups between receivers and defensive backs.

The Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC versions of the game won't use field sense, but will benefit from quality of life changes to the game's AI, animations, and playbooks.

Madden 23 release date and price

Madden 23 will be released on August 19 and you can preorder it now. PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S editions are priced at $70. PS4, Xbox One, and PC editions cost $60. Players who buy the Xbox One or PS4 editions can upgrade to the current-gen version for $10 after purchase.

How to get early access to Madden 23 with the All Madden Edition

A special digital version of Madden 23, called the All Madden Edition, is available to preorder for $100 and includes dual entitlement for both the current- and last-gen versions of the game. 

All Madden Edition preorders also include three days of early access, meaning you can start playing the game on August 16 instead of waiting for the official release date. The All Madden Edition also includes 4,600 Madden points to spend on customizing your avatar or Ultimate Team mode.

Are there other preorder bonuses with Madden 23?

Customers who preorder Madden 23 can get a few bonuses for buying the game early. Preorders for both the standard and All Madden Editions of the game include All Madden Gear to outfit your avatar, a Madden Strategy item for use in the Ultimate Team mode, and two elite Ultimate Team players from your favorite NFL squad.

Walmart is also offering an exclusive steelbook case to players who preorder.

• Amazon's Halo fitness tracker can analyze the tone of your voice and measure body fat percentage.
• But it's difficult to put this data into context to make actionable changes.
• You also have to pay $3.99 per month to get the Halo's best features.
• Visit Insider Reviews for more reviews, buying guides, and deals.

Like many people, the list of things I check when picking up my phone throughout the day has become pretty long. Email, Slack, Twitter, and Instagram are just a few of the apps I find myself compulsively refreshing out of habit. 

I recently added another metric to that list: the way my voice sounds. That's because I've been wearing Amazon's Halo band, a fitness tracker that analyzes the tone of your voice in addition to gathering other more traditional health data points. The Halo band includes a microphone for listening to your voice and uses machine learning to assess whether you sound positive, energetic, tired, or annoyed among other moods.  

It's interesting to see a company like Amazon bring something new to the health and fitness space. And there are plenty of things Amazon gets right with the Halo when it comes to basic fitness tracking. But the features it developed to differentiate its fitness offering from those made by rivals like Apple and Fitbit — such as the tone analysis function — make me feel insecure rather than motivated.

You can always choose not to use the voice analysis feature and just wear the Halo as a regular fitness tracker, of course. But that doesn't address the Halo's biggest drawback, in my opinion, which is that you need to pay $3.99 per month after your first six months to get most of the Halo's features.That makes it hard to recommend over trackers like the Fitbit Inspire 2, which is less expensive and in some ways offers more functionality. 

Here's a closer look at what it's been like to use the Amazon Halo.

Tone

One of the Amazon Halo's marquee features is its ability to analyze the tone of your voice. The capability, appropriately called Tone, can passively listen to your speech throughout the day and flag any notable moments at which you sounded particularly positive or negative. 

You can also choose to have it evaluate your voice in real time, or turn the feature off entirely by shutting off the band's microphone. Tone is designed to only recognize your voice and not those of the people around you. And you must set up the feature before using it, so it's completely voluntary. 

During the course of my review, I left the microphone on and allowed the band to monitor the tone of my voice throughout the day. Since the Halo band doesn't have a screen, the app serves as your window into your health metrics, including how you sound. The app's home screen greets you with a dashboard showing tiles for activity progress, sleep data, your tone, and body fat measurements. 

Tapping into those tiles lets you view more information about that metric, such as notable moments at which you sounded particularly positive or energetic as it applies to Tone. While it was insightful on some level to see how I sounded during different conversations, it also made me a bit paranoid. 

Now that I've been wearing the Halo, I often find myself checking the app after a work meeting or a social call with friends to see how I came across during the conversation. Apparently, I tend to sound more positive and energetic during work meetings (Halo uses words like "warm," "appreciative," and "proud" to describe my tone), while at times I sound irritated or dismissive in other conversations with friends or my husband.

I couldn't help but question any interaction that Amazon had labeled as sounding irritated or tired. Who was I speaking to? What were we talking about? Is that what people think I sound like?

Amazon says the point behind Tone is to help you be more mindful in how you sound when speaking to others to improve your personal relationships. Dr. Don Cole, clinical director for The Gottman Institute, which specializes in research-based relationship counseling, says there's value in understanding how you sound to others if there's something to be learned from it. 

The first three minutes of a conversation are especially important because they often dictate how the rest of the conversation could play out, Dr. Cole said to Insider. As such, understanding how your tone comes across in the beginning of a conversation could be helpful, especially for couples going through conflict, according to Dr. Cole. 

But it's important not to get too hung up on the results. Doing so could make it hard to establish a personal connection in the moment. "I think you can spend a lot of time worrying about, or thinking about, those moments rather than just experiencing the interactions," Dr. Cole said. "And I think when we take ourselves out of the moment, sometimes there's loss there."   

Amazon also has wellness programs and workouts that can help you improve certain metrics and stay healthy. For the Tone metric, it has corresponding video programs that are meant to help you improve conversation and listening skills. 

But for me, it was unclear how watching a short seminar on how to be a better listener would help me sound more positive and less irritated during conversations when I don't even know why my voice sounded that way to begin with. 

Body fat

The Halo's other headlining feature is its ability to measure and track your body fat. Amazon does this by taking a scan of your body through your smartphone's camera and then generating a 3D avatar of your body and a body fat percentage through machine learning and computer vision. 

Amazon says it's nearly twice as accurate as leading smart home scales and comparable to methods a doctor would use in terms of accuracy.

To take a scan, you must first change into minimal clothing. And by minimal clothing. I mean practically nothing. For women, Amazon suggests wearing a bikini top and bottom or compression shorts with a bra or sports bra. After positioning the camera in the right place, the app will tell you to turn around a few times so that it can capture your full body.

Once the scan is complete, Amazon generates a percentage and 3D avatar in seconds. For privacy purposes, Amazon deletes body scans from the cloud by default after they've been processed unless you choose to save them. You can also delete body scan data anytime on the Settings menu (which I did immediately). 

The ability to take a body fat scan from home on your smartphone is useful because it makes it easy to monitor changes in your body on a regular basis. That's according to Dr. Amy Lee, head of nutrition at dietary supplement maker Nucific, who specializes in weight control methods and recently spoke to Insider about the Halo's body scan technology.  

But Dr. Lee also said Halo users should take the results with a grain of salt, especially since it can be difficult for a system like this to fully understand nuanced differences in body composition. 

The results also depend on how carefully the user follows Amazon's directions when taking the scans. And data like this is only helpful if the user understands that it should be factored in with other data points, research, and conversations with your doctor, according to Dr. Lee.

In other words, don't read too deeply into the single body fat percentage number that Amazon provides.

"If you're doing this at home, and you have no baseline and education in nutrition, and you're focusing everything you're doing for the past week on the change of a number . . . you might find yourself going down [a] rabbit hole," Dr. Lee said. 

I'm exactly the type of person Dr. Lee described. When I saw my scan results, I immediately panicked and wondered why my doctor had never flagged my weight or body fat percentage to me as being problematic in the past. 

I became fixated on the results, which was frustrating because I felt totally fine about my personal progress when it came to eating healthy and exercising regularly before taking the scan. Overall, the body fat percentage scan and Tone features left me feeling somewhat paranoid and a little insecure instead of motivating me. 

As long as you're paying for the subscription, there are tools in the app to help you manage your exercise, diet, and mental wellbeing. But maintaining a healthy body weight and fat percentage is a complex task. 

And without more guidance about which programs to start with and how to contextualize these results, it's hard to find this data to be useful or actionable. 

For example, what I've learned from wearing the Halo is that I'm not in the healthy range of body fat percentage, but I'm a highly active person based on my Activity Score (more on that below). That felt like a confusing message to me, so I wish I had more information about why that might be the case or what to do next.  

Fitness tracking and other features

There is one way Amazon has improved the fitness tracking experience: the way it tallies activity points. Rather than setting goals on a daily basis for calories burned, the Halo monitors your activity on a weekly basis. You earn points for every minute you move, with intense activity counting for two points per minute while moderate and light activity will get you one point per minute. It also deducts points when you're too sedentary for long periods of time. 

The weekly goal is set at 150 activity points, which Amazon says is the right range for maintaining a healthy heart citing the American Heart Association. If you hit 300 points, you're considered to be very active. 

I like this system because in some ways, it feels more encouraging than living by daily goals. I'm usually a religious Apple Watch wearer, and it's made me obsessed with closing at least two of my rings every day if not all three. If I don't have time for a full workout, sometimes I find that I won't be active at all because I know that any hope of closing my Move Ring — the circular meter that fills up with calories burned from daily activity — is totally gone. 

But the Halo's weekly goals motivate me to move at least a little bit every day even when I'm not committing to a full workout. Taking a brisk 20-minute walk feels more productive when I know it's going to contribute to my weekly goal compared to the Apple Watch, where it feels like that activity just falls into a black hole if it doesn't get me to my daily goal.

The Halo also works well as a sleep tracker since it's light and comfortable enough to wear overnight. But more importantly, it provides a relatively comprehensive set of data about your sleep, even scoring the quality of your sleep much like Fitbit does. 

After wearing the watch to bed, the Halo app will issue a score that indicates the quality of your sleep as well as how much time you spent asleep, how long it took you to fall asleep, the time you spent awake, and how much time you spent in REM, light, and deep sleep. That's much more thorough than the Apple Watch's sleep metrics, which basically just tell you the duration of your sleep. 

Amazon also offers a series of health programs under the Discover tab on the Halo app, which features videos based on partnerships with Exhale, Orangetheory, and many others that make it easy to jump into a workout or wellness exercise straight from your phone. You can filter these videos based on the type of workout, duration, difficulty, and the content provider. Unfortunately, though, you can't filter these workouts by whether or not they require equipment, which is particularly important now that many people are exercising at home. 

And since Amazon encrypts your health data, which is great for privacy, you must factory reset and re-pair your band with a new device anytime you want to access your account elsewhere. While I'm glad Amazon is taking the appropriate steps to secure your health data, this also makes it difficult to access these workout videos since I need to re-pair my band with a different device each time I want to view a workout on a larger screen. 

Instead, I wish Amazon would at least make its Discover programs accessible on other devices upon logging in without carrying over the rest of your health data. Amazon suggests wirelessly casting workouts to a larger screen from your phone via AirPlay as a workaround. 

But most of these features require Amazon's $3.99 monthly subscription. Without that, you only get access to features like steps, heart rate data, calories burned, and the ability to log activity through the activity sessions feature. You also only get basic sleep data like the time you've spent asleep and awake, and your temperature while sleeping. 

You lose the Activity Score, which was one of my favorite things about the Halo, as well as features like Tone, Body Fat, Activity Intensity (which rates the intensity of your activity), Sleep Score, Sleep Stages, and Insights, which highlight trends and patterns in your health and fitness data over time. Discover programs are also limited without a subscription. 

There's also no way to manage or cancel your membership from within the app. Instead, the app says you should visit the Your Membership & Subscriptions section of the Amazon app. A company spokesperson told Insider in February when this review was originally published that it planned to add a link that takes customers to the appropriate page for managing their membership.

It's not unusual for companies to put some fitness tracking features behind a subscription paywall. Fitbit does this too through its Fitbit Premium service. But Fitbit still offers analysis of sleep and REM sleep in its free tier, and it just recently made its Health Metrics dashboard available to non-Premium subscribers. And since Fitbit's trackers include a screen and can deliver smartphone notifications, they still offer more functionality for the price comparatively. 

Ease of use and battery life

The Amazon Halo is easy to get started with, and the setup process is very similar to that of other smartwatches and fitness bands. Just download the Halo app, put the band on its charger, and follow the instructions.

My biggest concern about the Halo's usability is the intentional design decision Amazon made to not include a screen on its fitness band. Amazon says this to prevent the band from becoming a distraction and taking away from the Halo's primary purpose of serving as a discrete, comfortable health monitoring device. 

But I feel like Amazon could have achieved this goal without omitting a screen entirely. Wearing a device on your wrist that doesn't even tell the time feels like a missed opportunity. I would have preferred if the Halo had a small screen that only displayed the time and how many activity points you've achieved for the week without any notifications. 

I'd even argue that requiring me to check my phone to see my stats is more distracting, since I'm likely to fall down the rabbit hole of check email and Twitter when picking up my phone.

Amazon does have an alternative if you don't want to check your phone: Just ask Alexa. The company launched Alexa integration for the Halo in March, meaning you can ask Amazon's digital helper for information about your activity, tone, sleep, and more. The feature is off by default, and you can choose to protect any health-related questions with a PIN.

Alexa's usefulness depends on how comfortable you are with Amazon's virtual assistant having access to your health data. But Amazon isn't the only tech giant offering this type of integration; the Google Assistant on Google's new sleep-sensing Nest Hub can also tell you information about your sleep when asked.

I've used Alexa to check in on my activity progress for the day. But I'd much rather have Alexa built into the band itself so that I could use it to set timers and alarms during workouts like I do with the Apple Watch. 

Amazon's fitness tracker can last for a decently long time on a single charge, which makes it great for sleep tracking. I got a little more than two days worth of battery life out of the Halo, but it would probably last longer if you have the microphone turned off and aren't using the Tone feature.

Should you buy it?

Regardless of your opinion on the Halo's Tone feature and its body fat measurements, there are more capable options out there for those in search of a simple and affordable fitness tracker. Although I like Amazon's approach to activity tracking and appreciate the Halo's comprehensive sleep tracking capabilities, there are too many drawbacks to consider. 

The Halo's lack of a screen and the fact that you have to pay $3.99 per month after the first six months to get the best features, like Activity Score, make it tough to recommend. Yes, Fitbit also requires a subscription to access advanced features, but it still offers more detailed sleep data in its free tier compared to Amazon. 

What are your alternatives?

Fitbit's Inspire 2, which is currently available for $69.95, is a solid choice if you're looking for an inexpensive and basic fitness tracker. It monitors metrics like sleep, calorie burn, activity, and heart rate, lasts for more than a week on a single charge, and reminds you to move when you're too sedentary. 

It also comes with a free one-year trial for Fitbit Premium, whereas the Amazon Halo only comes with a six-month trial. But if you choose to stick with Premium, you should note that Fitbit's service is noticeably more expensive than Amazon's at $9.99 per month. 

If you're more interested in training and recovery, the Whoop band is a screen-free fitness tracker that focuses on how your body recovers from workouts, in addition to other metrics. It's gotten positive reviews from critics at CNET and PCMag, but it's pricey at $30 per month. 

The bottom line

Amazon tried to do something different with the Halo by making a simple, distraction-free fitness band that still manages to offer deeper health and wellness insights through a subscription. 

The problem, though, is that I didn't feel like the Halo's most unique features — its ability to analyze the tone of your voice and calculate body fat percentage — were all that helpful. Instead, they just made me feel paranoid and insecure. 

The one aspect of the Halo that I benefited from the most, its Activity Score, successfully motivated me to get moving every single day, regardless of my schedule. But that feature alone isn't enough to justify a $3.99 monthly subscription on top of the $99.99 price.  

Pros: Weekly activity goals are helpful, long battery life, works well as a sleep tracker

Cons: Features like Tone and Body Fat aren't helpful, many features require a subscription, no screen for even telling the time

• I'm a huge board game fan with a collection in the dozens, but I always come back to Carcassonne.
• It's one of those board games that's simple to learn while being a fun challenge to master.
• Even when not on sale, Carcassonne should be a staple on your shelf aside Monopoly and Scrabble.

If you're really into board games, I'm probably preaching to the choir on this one, but for the uninitiated, Carcassonne is an instant recommendation if you're looking for something innovative. It's an incredibly simple game to get into and master, but feels fresh with every play session.

Carcassonne is ideal for folks who aren't into board games, or find the family room staples of Monopoly and Scrabble monotonous.

This territory-building, tile-based game with a French medieval theme has players competing to expand their landholdings. Carcassonne isn't new: While it has sold more than 12 million copies since its first release 21 years ago, it remains relatively unknown.

Carcassonne is one of those quirky European games with the multicolor pieces and strangely-shaped game boards, like the popular Catan.

However, in my opinion this is far easier to get into than Catan and more immediately interesting when play begins. The instructions are admittedly a little daunting, more so than most board games I've played. However, the rules and systems reveal themselves to be incredibly simple as you play.

The game requires at least two players to play, up to five.

There is no elimination mechanic in Carcassonne, meaning that every player is in the game until the end when scoring is tallied. 

There are no elements of chance, either, with no dice or goofy spinners – only the five colored groups of "meeples".

Meeples are tiny, person-shaped wooden figurines that represent each player's citizens, who are in service of carving out territories in the historical-fictional founding of the ancient French city of Carcassonne — a real place that still exists.

Even more interesting, you'll quickly notice there is no traditional game board.

This is because you build the game board as you go from a randomized set of tiles featuring illustrations of country roads, castle cities, and green fields, drawing one at the start of each player's turn. (There is a scoring board that's separated from the main game area to track players' scores.)

However, the board tiles can only be placed against other tiles and in such a way that makes sense next to the tile you intend to place it down against.

For instance, you cannot place the imagery of a field on a tile directly against the interior of a city.

This is where the core strategy and the object of the game comes into play.

During a player's next round, they can lay another tile or place one meeple on the tile that was last placed, provided that the tile has an image of a road or city; this is how a player builds control of a territory.

As turns pass, you can build out that road or city with tile placements that make sense.

Once complete, you'll earn points for the amount of tiles used: roads are worth one point per tile, cities are worth two (cities with a crest icon are worth four), and fields are worth no points.

Here's where things get challenging: All players have the option of placing their own drawn tiles next to tiles other players have already claimed.

This action contests the other player's claim for either a city or a road. The winner of the tile points is the player with the most meeples on the city or road being scored.

This, of course, drives the strategy of the game, and I've seen many archetypes of players since playing Carcassonne for at least five years now.

There are aggressive players who try to challenge every territory feature in progress that they come across. There are passive players who just try to complete their little fiefdoms unnoticed — and there are players, like myself, who go for massive wins with multi-tile mega-structures.

The game ends when there are no more board tiles to be drawn.

The remaining road and city tiles still in progress are scored to determine the winner.

What I love about Carcassonne is how fresh every game session feels, thanks to the randomized board.

I also enjoy how many options are available in each turn just from two actions, drawing a tile and placing a meeple, and all of the strategic decisions that are possible with just those two options per turn.

Even better is that the core game box includes an expansion set of tiles that include a river feature that narrows the game's strategy in on the river tiles.

This enhanced element mixes up the decisions players can make as they now have to consider this river. Then, when you get bored of that, you can purchase additional expansion sets that build upon the core game, such as The Princess and the Dragon, which sees players staving off a dragon attack and rescuing a princess.

There is indisputably an incredible amount of game here that should make a convert out of anyone who plays with an open mind. Carcassonne is available at the time of writing for just $26.99 on Amazon, but normally retails for $40.

• Fujifilm's Instax Square SQ1 is its new analog instant camera with square-format film.
• On the SQ1, Fujifilm removed some of the manual controls found on the previous model, the SQ6, and created a point-and-shoot instant camera that's super easy to use.
• Although the controls are more limited, the improved auto-exposure system in the new Instax Square SQ1 delivers better-looking instant photos than the previous model.
• Despite some drawbacks, the Instax SQ1 is a fun camera to use, and we enjoyed taking pictures with it for our tests.
• It's a great instant camera for anyone who enjoys instant film photography and wants a fool-proof camera that's user friendly.
• The camera goes on sale in the US in mid-October, for $120. 

The Fujifilm Instax Square SQ1 is the newest member of the wildly popular Instax family of instant film products. Like all Instax cameras, this analog point-and-shoot is fun to use and comes in bright colors. It also uses the square variant of Instax instant film, which has a larger image area that lets you capture more in the shot, whether it's landscapes or group selfies. 

What's notable with the SQ1 is that it's entirely automatic. Unlike its predecessor, there are no modes to choose — just press the shutter button and out pops the photo. To compensate, the auto-exposure system has been improved, delivering better-looking images, no adjustments needed.

Easier to use, better exposure

The Instax SQ1 is the second Instax analog camera that uses square film, after the SQ6. In comparison, the SQ1 and SQ6 share a nearly identical boxy form-factor, but the SQ1 is slightly thicker. The SQ1 comes in white, blue, and orange. Some people may prefer these fun colors to the darker metallic options used in the SQ6.

Fujifilm removed the on/off switch and powered retractable lens mechanism of the SQ6 in favor of a manual process on its new camera. To power on the SQ1, you simply rotate the outer part of the lens.

The SQ6 is already easy to use, but Fujifilm made the SQ1 fool-proof. It's completely automatic. With the SQ6, you could select the mode setting — selfie, macro, and landscape. The SQ1 streamlines the process: Rotate the lens once for normal shooting, turn it again for selfies and close-up (macro) photography.

Like the SQ6, the camera exposes automatically, and the flash is enabled always. To frame a shot, there's a small viewfinder; for selfies, there's a small mirror on the front. The film cartridge is easy to load, and there is a counter that shows you how much film is left.

Although Fujifilm's instant film technology hasn't changed, the company does tweak its auto-exposure system with each new camera, to deliver improved picture quality while using the same film.

I've always liked the richer colors of Instax, and while I wouldn't say the SQ1's image quality is dramatically different than the SQ6's in terms of coloring, the SQ1 does deliver more details and contrast. Photos aren't as overexposed, which could result in darker areas depending on the lighting situation. The SQ1 does shoot surprisingly decent photos in low light.

In terms of use, I like the simplicity of having to just press the button. I appreciate the new bump on the front, which provides a better grip on the camera, especially when taking a selfie. It's still not the most comfortable camera to hold, however. I recommend using the included hand strap if you're prone to dropping things.

For power, the SQ1 uses two CR2 disposable lithium batteries (included). It's not a common battery type, but it has a longer lifespan than alkaline AA or AAA. For reference, I'm using the same CR2 batteries that came with my SQ6, which I received in 2018.

Some drawbacks

The improved autoexposure system, ease of use, and ergonomics make the SQ1 a fun camera to use, but because I like having some manual controls, I miss some of the features from the SQ6. While I usually keep the SQ6 in Auto mode, I enjoy the double-exposure function as well as the ability to decrease or increase the exposure.

With the SQ6, I also liked the option of disabling the flash for bright conditions (although the flash is useful for bringing out details in portraits, even when it's very sunny) and a self-timer. Also missing in the SQ1 is a tripod mount, although honestly, I rarely used it with the SQ6, but it is handy when using the self-timer.

The SQ1's build quality is about the same as the SQ6: It's plastic, and it's highly likely it could break if dropped from high up. Fujifilm's products tend to be well-made, although this is not an experiment I intend to try. The battery cover also seems more flimsy than the SQ6's.

My biggest complaint about the SQ1 is its shutter button. Its soft press makes it too easy to accidentally fire a shot, which I did many times. Remember, this is film photography and there are only 10 shots per Instax cartridge, so you need to put some thought into the shot before shooting. The SQ6's shutter button requires a hard press, which prevents any misfires.

Pricing and availability

The Instax SQ1 will be available in mid-October 2020 for $120, in Terracotta Orange, Glacier Blue, and Chalk White. Note that the SQ6 can be found for less than $100, which suggests it's being phased out.

It's hip to be square

The more common Instax instant film you'll see is the Instax Mini, which measures 2.1 by 3.4 inches — roughly the size of a standard business card — with an image area of 1.8 by 2.4 inches, and is used by most Instax cameras.

However, in 2017, Fujifilm launched its first square film, measuring 2.8 by 3.4 inches with an image area of 2.4 by 2.4 inches. While the instant technology is the same, the square film lets you capture more in the picture and create more background blur. It is also reminiscent of Polaroid instant film, albeit smaller (Polaroid is 3 by 3 inches). In my opinion, the square film looks better when framed or stuck to a wall.

The SQ1 is the fourth Instax camera to use the square film (besides the SQ6, there are two digital-analog hybrid models, the SQ10 and SQ20). Despite the larger dimensions of the film, the overall size of the camera isn't that much bigger than Instax Mini cameras.

With the launch of the SQ1, Fujifilm is introducing two new film options, one with a rainbow border and a monochrome film. If you're into black-and-white photography, the monochrome film is one to watch. Unfortunately, it wasn't available during my review period.

Film is where things get costly. A twin-pack of 10 Instax square film is approximately $20, while specialty film cost around $15 for just 10. Instant photography is fun, but there is a high cost of ownership if you're trigger-happy.

It's not a nostalgia product

The first consumer instant camera dates back to the late 1940s, with the introduction of Polaroid's Land Camera. While instant photography has often been thought of as legacy technology from a bygone era, the Instax SQ1 — and most Instax cameras from the past few years —is actually designed to be a new product for millennials and Gen-Z in particular.

Fujifilm has had success with Instax thanks to newfound interest from the millennial generation. Like vinyl records, analog instant photography is decidedly "new," original, physically shareable, and cool, as compared to the sameness of digital photography and social media. This is also attributed to the success of Zink instant film technology and the revival of the original Polaroid.

In fact, Fujifilm's Instax business has become more profitable than its digital cameras, thanks to the company's early reinvestment in the technology and marketing it as a toy camera for a new generation. Fujifilm claims Instax sales in 2019 were strong, and it's now looking to capture the Gen-Z market.

This is evident in the SQ1's colors. As mentioned earlier, the body colors pop and are more expressive, and it's as easy to use as a smartphone camera. In comparison, the previous SQ6 comes in darker, metallic colors that can be considered more sophisticated and, perhaps, adult.

The bottom line

The SQ1 may be targeted toward younger generations, but it's also a fun camera for anyone who appreciates film photography. Those of us who grew up with a Polaroid camera probably remember the thrill of taking pictures and seeing them developed in front of our eyes. The SQ1 certainly brings back some of that nostalgia while introducing the medium to a new group of users.

Although I wish Fujifilm retained some of the user-adjustable settings, the improved autoexposure system and ease of use are big improvements over the previous SQ6.

Should you buy it

For what it is, it's a pricey camera that's also costly to maintain in terms of film. But it's unique and offers a more intimate experience that your smartphone can't produce. It lets you share photos physically, and it forces you to offload a photo rather than hiding it away in some digital graveyard. Whether you buy it will depend on your photography needs, but it does make a fun gift.

If price is a concern, check out the older SQ6. You won't get the improved autoexposure system, but it's just as easy to use and you'll get some useful settings not found in the SQ1.

What are your alternatives?

Polaroid is back and its newest instant camera is the Polaroid Now i-Type ($99). This modern remake of a classic is just as fun as the SQ1, but it offers a rechargeable battery, self-timer, and double-exposure mode. The film is also larger and while image quality is good, I prefer the exposure and colors produced with Instax. Polaroid film is also thicker than Instax, and they take slightly longer to expose. If capturing a moment is more important to you than image quality, put the i-Type on your shortlist.

If you like the concept of instant photography but are digital at heart, check out Fujifilm's Instax Share SP-3 printer ($160-$200). Designed to pair with smartphones, the SP-3 lets you print your digital photos onto Instax square film. Unlike the Instax analog cameras, the SP-3 uses a different print engine, and what you get are photos with superb image quality on the same instant film. Through the Instax app, you can also create borders or write notes.

And if square prints don't matter to you, but sharing physical prints does, you may like the new Instax Mini 11 ($70). It's similar to the SQ1 but it uses the smaller Instax Mini film.

Pros: Easy and fun to use, good autoexposure system, nice-quality prints, selfie mirror

Cons: Pricey to maintain, shutter button too easy to press, no user-adjustable settings, flimsy battery door

• Apple now sells a $19 polishing cloth to clean your Apple device screens.
• It's not necessary for most Apple devices, except for those with nano-texture glass screens.
• For most of your Apple devices, including iPhones, iPads, and even Mac laptop screens, a good and inexpensive microfiber cloth will do just fine.

When Apple launched its new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, it also quietly added a new product in its accessories lineup — a $19 polishing cloth.

Apple says the polishing cloth is "made with soft, nonabrasive material," and it "cleans any Apple display, including nano-texture glass, safely and effectively." Somewhat comically, it also shows a list of "compatible devices," which includes anything with a screen that Apple makes or has made in the last few years. 

For the majority of Apple devices like iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and Mac laptops and screens, a suitable and significantly cheaper microfiber cloth will do just fine. In fact, you can get a 24-pack of microfiber cloth pads for less than Apple's.

Indeed, I've used a variety of microfiber cloths, paper towels, t-shirts, and even my jeans to wipe the iPhone 12 Pro Max's screen, and the phone's ceramic glass has held up without any sign of scratches. And that's without a screen protector. 

I'm more careful with my MacBook Pro's screen, however, and I limit cleaning duties to one of the dozens of microfiber cloths I have laying around. So far, so good. 

The company is known for making expensive products, including mundane accessories like the cloth itself, or the $700 Mac Pro wheel kit.

However, Apple's polishing cloth is actually a requirement for certain devices, including the company's $6,000 nano-texture glass Pro Display XDR or 27-inch iMacs with the optional $500 nano-texture glass upgrade.

Apple's special polishing cloth comes included with these nano-texture glassed devices, and the company strongly warns against using anything else. Presumably, cleaning a nano-texture glass device with a standard microfiber cloth could damage or negatively affect the glare-reducing properties of Apple's nano-scale etching on the glass.

Apple urged owners of these nano-texture glass devices to buy a replacement polishing cloth in the past if it was lost, but the price of the replacement cloth was never disclosed. Now, we know it costs $19.

• HBO Max is an on-demand streaming service with access to HBO original series, newly released Warner Bros films, and a growing collection of additional WarnerMedia titles.
• The service costs $15 a month, and people who already subscribe to the HBO cable channel might be eligible for free access to the app.
• HBO Max is a bit expensive, but it has one of the best movie libraries of any streaming platform, and the added perk of newly released Warner Bros. films makes it a must-have for moviegoers.

HBO Max is the latest contender in a growing field of on-demand video streaming services, combining the HBO cable channel's prestige television with a vast collection of movies and shows from WarnerMedia. The new service launched on May 27, effectively replacing HBO's previous streaming platform, HBO Now, at the same $15 per month price.

Like Netflix and Hulu, HBO Max offers more than 10,000 hours worth of TV and movies. WarnerMedia has spent years preparing the service for launch by acquiring the exclusive streaming rights to popular shows, like "Friends" and "South Park," and developing a slate of new original series for HBO Max. The platform will even offer access to several new Warner Bros. movies at the same time they debut in theaters. 

Streaming was once considered an alternative to costly and confusing cable packages, but the proliferation of different streaming options, like HBO Max, Disney Plus, and Peacock, is forcing viewers to consider which subscriptions they want to keep for the long term.

We spent a week checking out HBO Max to see what it has to offer when compared to the competition.

Updated on 1/4/2021 by Kevin Webb: We've updated this review to reflect HBO Max's improvements since its launch in May 2020.

HBO Max shows and movies

HBO Max's greatest strength is its library — the service supplements HBO's highly regarded prestige TV series with more than 1,300 movies and popular TV comfort food for binge watchers. This means you'll find shows like "Friends," "Big Bang Theory," and "Rick and Morty" alongside HBO's "Westworld" and "Game of Thrones."

The movie catalog includes blockbuster franchises, like "The Lord of the Rings," as well as critically acclaimed classics from the Criterion collection and Turner Classic movies. There's also a selection of films from Japan's Studio Ghibli, which are available for streaming for the first time in the US, along with specialty collections from Adult Swim, DC Comics and the Crunchyroll anime streaming service.

If you have kids or just want to get nostalgic, HBO Max has decades' worth of Sesame Street, Scooby Doo, and Cartoon Network shows at the ready as well.

A casual scroll through Netflix will bring up dozens of lesser known films, but nearly every movie in the HBO Max selection will be recognizable to cinephiles.

It would appear that HBO also wants to generate interest by cycling the platform's titles relatively quickly. There's a "Last Chance" section on HBO Max showing movies that will leave the service soon, and a "Coming Soon" section for new movies and premieres arriving in the next few weeks. 

While other services, like Netflix, regularly refresh their film lineups as well, seeing highly touted HBO Max exclusive movies, like "Wonder Woman 1984," cycling out of the library after a month is a bit disappointing.

HBO Max exclusives and originals

HBO Max will be the exclusive home to more than a dozen newly released movies from Warner Bros in 2021, and subscribers will be able to stream them the same day they hit theaters. That includes films like "Wonder Woman 1984," "Tom & Jerry," and "The Matrix 4." However, these movies will only be available to HBO Max subscribers for one month after they're released.

HBO Max also features a mixed bag of exclusive shows, including the Anna Kendrick-led anthology series "Love Life" and the sci-fi show "Raised by Wolves." There's also "On the Record," a feature-length documentary about the sexual assault allegations against hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, and an all-ages late-night show starring Elmo from Sesame Street.

"Craftopia" is a children's crafting competition hosted by YouTube star LaurDIY, while "Legendary" is an adult voguing competition show focused on members of the Black and Latinx LGBTQ community with celebrity hosts Law Roach, Megan Thee Stallion, Jameela Jamil, and Leiomy Maldonado. A reboot of the short-form "Looney Tunes Cartoons" can also be found on HBO Max, with 10 episodes that run about 12 minutes each.

The original series available so far all seem to be targeted towards very different audiences with a mix of scripted and reality programming, making it hard to judge the overall direction of HBO Max's content. While these HBO Max originals offer some value to their respective crowds, they mostly feel like window dressing designed to add something fresh to the platform's massive library of classic shows and movies.

Pricing and plans

HBO Max offers a single monthly subscription plan for $15 a month, and you can stream ad-free on up to three devices at the same time with a single account. The service is effectively an upgrade and replacement for the older HBO Now and HBO Go apps. HBO Max offers a ton of iconic shows and movies for a relatively low price, but it's a bit more expensive than its primary competitors.

In comparison, Disney Plus costs $7 per month with support for up to four devices and no extra cost for 4K (Ultra HD) playback. Hulu's basic streaming package costs $6 for a single device, with no additional charge for 4K, and ad-free Hulu costs $12.

Meanwhile, Netflix's basic plan costs $9 per month for standard definition streaming on a single device. With that said, a premium Netflix subscription actually costs a bit more than HBO Max, coming in at $18 per month for viewing on four devices and support for 4K quality.

If you already subscribe to the HBO cable channel via AT&T TV, DirecTV, AT&T U-Verse, Hulu, Comcast, or Spectrum you can get access to HBO Max for no extra cost. AT&T is working to offer HBO Max to HBO subscribers using other cable providers in the future. You can view a full list of providers that are eligible for HBO Max here.

For a limited time, new and returning HBO Max subscribers can save over 20% when they prepay for six months of service. This brings the price down to $70 for six months versus the full cost of $90. The discount will be available until January 15.

Setup

HBO Max is easy to access via the official website and a variety of devices. You can find the HBO Max app on Apple and Android mobile devices, Roku, Android TV, Fire TV, Apple TV, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Chromecast, and Samsung smart TVs.

When visiting the HBO Max website or opening the app, you'll be able to browse the streaming selection immediately, but once you choose something to watch you'll be prompted to sign in to an account or create an HBO login. If you've used HBO Now or HBO Go in the past, you can sign in with your existing account. Once your account and subscription are active, you'll be able to watch the full HBO Max catalog and start building your own watch list.

As an upgrade from HBO Now, account holders can create up to five different viewer profiles for different family members on HBO Max. Each profile can create their own personal watch list that will carry over between multiple devices.

Adults can create kid profiles with age-based content restrictions for different children in the household too. Parents can choose appropriate movie and TV ratings for kid profiles and children will need to enter a pin number if they want to switch to an adult profile while viewing.

Unsurprisingly, setup seems to be easiest on a computer, but you can download HBO Max and sign up through the app on your mobile device too.

Interface

The HBO Max interface is similar across all devices, giving you a large listing of movies and shows to choose from with a sidebar containing categories. In addition to categories for each genre, HBO Max has several different hubs for high profile collections, like HBO originals, Turner Classic Movies, Studio Ghibli films from Japan, and DC Comics productions. Blockbuster movie series, like "Godzilla" and "The Lord of the Rings," are grouped together as well, highlighting HBO Max's focus on movie franchises.

The large thumbnails and clean design make the app easy to browse. Managing the watch list is straightforward too, allowing you to add individual episodes from your favorite TV shows and edit the list on the fly within the HBO Max app. When viewing on a mobile device, you can store up to 30 downloads to view while offline. However, downloads expire within 30 days, and only last for 48 hours after you've started watching. After that, you'll have to re-download a title.

The interface is largely the same between the iPad app, the website, and the Xbox One app, and I had no issues downloading episodes or organizing multiple profiles.

Performance and features

HBO Max is a bit behind the competition when it comes to video quality, as it lacks the robust 4K playback and high dynamic range (HDR) support offered by Netflix, Disney Plus, and Amazon Prime Video. You need a compatible TV to make the most of those visual features, but so far "Wonder Woman 1984" is the only movie on HBO Max with 4K HDR support.

The lack of 4K HDR is a shame, especially given the number of big blockbuster movies that are available in 4K HDR on Blu-ray, like "Joker," "La La Land," and "Hobbs & Shaw." Disney Plus' support for 4K has made it the premium choice for streaming several big franchises, like "Star Wars" and "Avengers," but fans of "The Dark Knight" will have to invest in a 4K Blu-ray or 4K digital purchase for the best possible resolution, since HBO Max's stream is limited to 1080p.

In terms of audio, HBO Max offers Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound and Dolby Digital Plus on supported devices. "Wonder Woman 1984" also supports Dolby Atmos through compatible devices, but it's the only HBO Max movie so far with that feature. Netflix, Disney Plus, and Amazon Prime Video all offer Dolby Atmos audio on a larger selection of titles. Dolby Atmos enables expanded surround sound performance with overhead audio effects on compatible home theater systems. 

Though HBO Max's 1080p video playback and Dolby Digital audio will satisfy most casual streaming fans, enthusiasts may be a bit disappointed by the platform's streaming quality compared to some of the competition. 

The bottom line

Though there's a lot to like about HBO Max's lineup and interface, the service is more expensive than most competing streaming platforms. With the exception of one 4K  movie, it's also limited to 1080p quality. These factors all make it hard to recommend as a first choice when compared to a more flexible or cheaper service, like Hulu or Disney Plus.

Given more than year of buildup to the launch of HBO Max and the known limits of the HBO Now app, it's disappointing that WarnerMedia is still behind the competition in terms of technology.

However, HBO Max does have one of the most robust collections of movies I've seen on a streaming platform to date, and that collection will only improve as more brand-new Warner Bros. movies debut on the service throughout 2021. If your streaming habits lean more towards movies than binge watching TV, HBO Max could offer more value than the competition. 

Even if you're simply a fan of "Friends" or "The Big Bang Theory," and you're signing up just to binge your favorite show, there will still be plenty of other content to watch on HBO Max if you do ever get bored.

Ultimately, HBO Max has built a strong foundation with its current library of hits, and the promise of upcoming blockbuster films add a ton of value for subscribers. But as a competitor to Netflix, Hulu, and Disney Plus, HBO Max's lack of 4K support, limited app features, and handful of Max Originals make the $15 price feel a bit steep

Pros: Impressive catalog of films and HBO original series, new movies from WarnerMedia, tons of kids content, easy to navigate app

Cons: A bit more expensive than other streaming services, lack of 4K playback is disappointing for new releases, only a small assortment of Max Originals so far

• The Google Nest Hub Max is the larger version of the second-generation Nest Hub. 
• The smart display's 6.5-megapixel camera can act like a remote home security camera.
• The Nest Hub Max also offers the best sound out of any smart display on the market.

The Google Nest Hub Max is an excellent smart display that should be even more enticing if you're already familiar with Google's smart-home ecosystem.

The camera-equipped smart display offers access to everything you'd expect from a Google device, including smart home device control and access to apps like Spotify and Netflix. Because of its built-in camera, the Max has a few other tricks up its sleeve, like remote video monitoring, Face Match, and gestures. 

Although we find the camera quality lacking overall, the sizable display and souped-up sound quality make the Google Hub Max a worthy miniature entertainment center for the kitchen or wherever families congregate. And if home monitoring is important to you, the Max offers plenty of bang for your buck.

A large display for many uses 

The Nest Hub Max offers a spacious 10-inch LCD touchscreen, which is much larger than the 7-inch screen of the second-gen Nest Hub. Even though the display's 1200x800 resolution won't blow you away (most smartphones have higher resolution these days), the large size increases the overall practicality of the device.

The Nest Hub Max's 10-inch screen size makes it a good fit for streaming video, where your options include YouTube, TikTok, Google TV, and Netflix. It's also better than the second-gen Nest Hub when it comes to following recipes. The increased screen size means you can view more recipe steps at once without squinting to see things clearly. 

The sizable display provides a better view of home controls, calendar alerts, and media. And, at its size, it makes an especially great digital photo frame thanks to seamless integration with Google Photos. You can easily add photos from your desktop or your phone via the Google Photos app. 

At 9.85 inches wide, 7.19 inches in height, and 3.99 inches in depth, the Max is compact enough to fit almost anywhere, but it's a most convenient assistant in the kitchen. Like other Google devices, the Hub Max is compatible with thousands of smart devices, including kitchen appliances from brands like Anova, LG, Frigidaire, and more.

Lastly, Google's AmbientEQ light sensor feature also stands out as an excellent display feature. It automatically adjusts the screen's brightness and color levels so everything always looks clear. At night, when you dim or shut off the kitchen lights, the screen does the same.

Improved sound quality thanks to a new subwoofer 

A pair of 0.7-inch tweeters and a 3-inch subwoofer at the back of the Google Hub Max provide better sound quality than other smart displays. In testing, we appreciated the ability to crank out quality, room-filling sound from Spotify and YouTube playlists. 

Two fair-field microphones mean the Max can hear you when you talk to it, whether you're right nearby or across the room. And during video calls, people had no trouble hearing us on the other end. Another neat feature is the ability to talk to whoever is in the room via the Nest app. Even when miles away, people still at home could clearly hear us from afar.

We did experience some intermittent garbled sound issues and connectivity cut-outs. However, this isn't a widespread complaint among Hub users, so it's possible it was an iPhone or app issue.

A home security camera in a pinch

Perhaps the biggest draw of the Google Nest Hub Max is the built-in Nest Cam that allows you to keep an eye on your home remotely using the Nest app. While you can use the Hub as a solo indoor security camera, you can also purchase bundles that include compatible Nest doorbells and cameras to create a home monitoring system, using the Hub as a security dashboard.

The 127-degree wide field view camera provides a decent view of a room, but placement can be an issue. In testing, placing the Nest Hub Max next to the stove made it a handy sous-chef but impossible to see the entire room when away. If you're purchasing the Max primarily for remote monitoring, ensure you have a plug in the optimal placement area. 

While it's a great option for monitoring pets when away, it's not a replacement for a security camera because of pitfalls like placement and lack of night vision capabilities. And keep in mind that you'll need a Nest Aware subscription (starting at $6 a month) for features like continuous video recording, video storage, and face alerts.

The multipurpose camera shows the device's age

The 6.5-megapixel wide-field camera comes with some features that may have been impressive a few years ago, but not so much today. For one, the video quality is OK for video calls, but it's not on par with competitors like the Amazon Echo 8, which has a more impressive 13-megapixel camera. 

We do, however, appreciate the auto framing feature, which tracks your movement and automatically pans and zooms to keep you within center view. While you can use the Google Hub Max for Zoom calls, the wide field view isn't ideal for maintaining privacy during remote work meetings.

Aside from remote monitoring, the device's camera-specific features leave something to be desired. Face Match, which uses the camera to detect your face and display personalized content, was unreliable in testing. Google also points out that it's not a security feature, so the device may not always be able to tell the difference between your face (or a photo of your face) and others in your household.

The device's Face Match technology also powers the Look and Talk feature, which allows you to command the device with just a glance and without the typically required "Hey Google or OK Google" preamble. But you need to be very close to the camera to use this feature, and more often than not, it doesn't work at all. 

There's another area where the camera falls short. The Max utilizes the camera to detect gestures, whereas the newer second-gen Nest Hub uses Google's Soli chip. The Soli sensor can detect objects and estimate their distance and size using radar technology. Soli tech powers the second-gen Nest Hub's Motion Sense features like Gestures and Sleep Sensing. 

Unfortunately, the Nest Hub Max's camera is incredibly bad at detecting gestures, even when up close and personal. And, oddly, the camera-ready hub is only capable of recognizing a single gesture (raising your hand) to pause and play media, stop an alarm, or get the assistant to stop talking.

A quick note on camera privacy: You don't have to have the camera turned on at all times (a small green light lets you know it's on). You can adjust privacy controls within the Google Home and Nest apps. And there's a switch on the hardware itself that turns off both the camera and mic.

Should you buy the Google Nest Hub Max?

It's been almost three years since the Google Nest Hub Max launched, and there's a chance that Google could be gearing up for some updates this year. So it may make sense to wait to see what Google has in store for 2023.  

Still, the Google Nest Hub Max offers a solid experience with its built-in Nest Cam and trio of speakers, making it worth the price tag. For those who want a multitasking assistant with the perk of remote home monitoring, the Max is a worthy option among a sea of largely subpar competitors. 

But if home monitoring isn't a huge priority for you, the price bump over the second-gen Nest Hub might not be worth the slightly bigger screen size. If you're looking for a smart display for more casual use and as a smart-home hub, the Nest Hub is a better choice.

There are a lot of excuses for not learning a second language, especially as an adult. Many of us know the oft-repeated adage that children under the age of 7 are best-equipped to pick up a new one.

But before you lead your whole life believing that you’ve missed your window, you might want to take a glance at the 2010 study that found adults were, in fact, the superior language learners. And after watching multiple TED talks given by polyglots on language learning, it seems most of the road blocks in the way of learning are mental.

The resounding advice is simple: Approach learning with a playful, fun state of mind (like a child), make mistakes, and try to really live the language — listen to music, watch foreign movies, play video games.

Just like with anything, making a habit out of it certainly helps. If you can spend as little as 30 minutes a day (which we all have — on the subway, waiting on line, before bed) you’ll make great headway. Like Matthew Youlden, a polyglot and Babbel language ambassador, explained in his TED talk, almost no one who speaks English knows all of the words in the English Oxford Dictionary. Fit the language to your life, and make it relevant to you.

Polyglot Benny Lewis said he never successfully learned a second language, even after six months in Spain, until he approached learning like a passionate, fun project. Most speakers agree on this. 

The fact of the matter is that unless you experience some miracle, you could very easily live your whole life without ever learning another language unless you make the decision to. It’s not something you’re likely to learn just by switching your iPhone’s language to Spanish or labeling your kitchen appliances with translations, so you might need (and want) supplements like language apps or the well-trusted Rosetta Stone set.

This article was originally published on 8/8/2017.

Below are eight ways to learn a new language that incorporate a fun mentality:

Watch a film with subtitles

One way to make the language fun, naturally integrated, and let you "live it" is by listening to it in a movie with or without subtitles of your native language. You'll get a feel for the sounds, patterns, and rhythms of the language as well as learn something about the culture, or, at the very least, a couple directors. It's a nice way to turn a relaxing activity into a broadening of horizons and vocabulary. 

Amélie, multi-format, $7.99

Download a really fun app

There's a reason this was Apple's iPhone App of the Year. It makes language learning fun, and many features are free (even though there are in-app purchases). I personally use this app (it alone helped prepare me for a semester abroad), and I love that I've found a productive and low-key way to pass spare time that I might otherwise do nothing useful with. 

Duolingo, free to download

Play a game

Learning should be fun. This popular game will help you learn Spanish in a setting that encourages mistakes and engagement. Studying isn't always exciting, but besting your friends in KLOO might be much more appealing. 

KLOO's Learn to Speak Spanish Language Card Games Pack 1 (Decks 1 & 2), $18.99

Learn by watching music videos, movie trailers, and more

Speaking of fun — here's how you can learn a language with music videos, movie trailers, news, and inspiring talks.

FluentU, free to download

Cook with recipes in the second language

Find a new, engaging way to learn and get acquainted with the cuisine by picking up a cookbook entirely in a new language. The compilation of images, repeated words, and active engagement will likely be a memorable experience.

Cocina en casa con chef James: Ingredientes simples para una cocina extraordinaria (Spanish Edition), $15.53

Use labels to naturally integrate new vocabulary into your everyday life

Even though it's likely not enough on its own, I've always found labeling objects in my house (or car) with new vocabulary words has helped to more naturally integrate a new language into my life. 

Avery Removable Writable Rectangular Labels, $8.47

Use apps with speech comparisons

Babbel will help you to focus on relevant aspects of the language — not the entire dictionary. Interactive dialogues will give you the feedback you don't get with a lot of other apps/methods, and their speech recognition technology will help keep you on track, so you don't learn how to read but neglect speech or pronunciation. 

Many of the TED talks I watched in preparation emphasized the importance of finding an honest, detailed critic to continuously point out when we mispronounce/speak. After all, that is one reason people think adults can't learn languages as well (there's an unnecessary component of embarrassment to being corrected as an adult). Since many of us are limited, then, to our bilingual friends' help or being outgoing enough to attend bilingual meetings, it's crucial that an app can accurately correct your speech.

Babbel, $6.95 - $12.95/month

Grab a comprehensive, tried-and-true language set

Another great source for speech correction, Rosetta Stone is a household name when it comes to language learning for a reason.

Proprietary speech-recognition technology compares your voice to a native speaker 100 times per second. If you're still afraid of making mistakes with native speakers, this is one way to start without the hangups. And unlike some of your other options, you can add access for up to five family members, which helps offset the high cost. 

You'll also get access to their award-winning mobile app for three months when you get the set. If you only want the app, you can download it here. It's free for download, but similar rates as the boxed set apply within the app itself. 

Rosetta Stone app, free to download

Rosetta Stone Language Set, various languages, $249

• Genderless body care line Nécessaire makes daily necessities, like body wash and body lotion, that appeal to everyone of every gender. They're fragrance-free, feature gender-neutral packaging, and just plain work.
• Nécessaire wants you to "treat your body like your face," so its formulas are filled with nourishing ingredients that are usually found in facial-care products like peptides, hyaluronic acid, and marula oil.
• The brand doesn't formulate with harmful ingredients like parabens, sulfates, or phthalates — so you can feel good about what you're putting on your body.

Years ago, as my husband and I unpacked in our new shared apartment, I thought the box he'd marked "bathroom" felt suspiciously light — which is how I discovered he didn't own a single skincare product. Not even a cleanser! He used the same bar of soap on his body and his face (oh, the horror). In contrast, my bathroom cabinet held at least 50 products with various beautifying benefits. Opposites attract, I guess.

Over the years, we've rubbed off on each other: He's realized the importance of taking care of his skin, I've realized most of my "essentials" are anything but, and we've both realized that self-care has nothing to do with gender. In fact, the personal-care products that now dominate our bathrooms are largely unisex (or genderless, or agender, or gender-neutral),  including the one body care line we can't stop fighting over — Nécessaire.

"We didn't set out to be genderless," Nick Axelrod, the co-founder of both Nécessaire and iconic beauty site Into the Gloss, tells Business Insider. "We set out to create a brand and conversation that everyone can join." After all, regardless of gender, everyone needs to get clean. "I like the idea [of creating] a movement around even the most mundane daily essentials," he says. 

Founded on the idea that you should "treat your body like your face," you'll find its main products, The Body Wash ($25) and The Body Lotion ($25), packed with skincare-level actives like hydrating hyaluronic acid and skin-strengthening peptides.

Read more: The skincare industry often treats body products as an afterthought — this startup is out to change that

"We started with body care because [the] body has historically been an afterthought, never the first thought," Randi Christiansen, the brand's co-founder and a former Estée Lauder Companies executive, tells Business Insider. "Body products go on our largest organ — the skin — and I guess, put simply, I felt I could design a better product than what is offered today."

Let me just say: She totally did.

What Nécessaire products are like to use

The Body Wash in Sandalwood (my personal favorite scent, but there's also a fragrance-free option and a more energizing Eucalyptus version) is the sudsy-but-not-too-sudsy body wash dreams are made of. "We wanted to create a gel-oil hybrid texture to deliver skin-beneficial ingredients like niacinamide and antioxidants to the skin," Christiansen says. "The texture feels rich and it's non-drying and non-irritating." It feels so luxe, I even use this in place of my usual bubble bath. It delivers all the bubbles I need with plant-based surfactants and leaves my skin feeling silky-smooth, not stripped.

Then there's The Body Lotion, which is Christiansen's favorite product in the line. It's nothing short of perfect. It sinks right in and keeps my dry elbows moisturized all day long — like a lightweight moisturizer that just happens to be used all over your skin. "It's like a daily multi-vitamin for skin health," she says. "There are several vitamins and nutrients coming from the three oils we're using in the formula: marula, cacay, and meadowfoam oil."

Despite the inclusion of oils, the product absorbs almost instantly. You know how you usually have to wait 15 minutes between slathering on a typical body lotion and pulling on your skinny jeans? (Just me?) There's zero downtime with Nécessaire.

The Body Lotion also features a healthy dose of skin-strengthening peptides, which skincare enthusiasts will recognize as a facial-care ingredient. "Peptides are predominantly used in facial skincare," Christiansen agrees, "but we felt it was worth it. They firm and tone skin over time." And firm, toned skin is something everyone — male, female, and beyond — can appreciate.

A focus on safe, sustainable products

Nécessaire's other admirable mission is making sure its products are 100% safe to use — which, I admit, seems like it should be a no-brainer, right? But since the personal-care industry isn't regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration, products are often made with probable or proven carcinogens (like phthalates and formaldehyde) and "endocrine disruptors," which are known to interfere with hormone production (like pesticides and the preservative BHA).

"We speak a lot about being clean, which is a fancy word for non-toxic ingredients that we deliver with our No List," Christiansen explains. The No List is essentially the brand's public call-out of potentially toxic ingredients it vows to never use in its products, including common offenders like parabens, sulfates, and silicones. 

Read more: The best moisturizers you can buy to keep your skin happy and healthy

"We say 'no' to synthetic fragrance of any kind," she adds. Besides typically being gender-specific (why do all women's body washes smell of flowers and candy while men's products boast scent names like "Steel" and "Anarchy"?), fragrance can also irritate the skin. "We offer a scent-free option for those of us with sensitive skin or for those who simply prefer to layer on their own scent," Christiansen says. "I am a scent-free girl, so this option is personal to me."

Of course, we can't talk about a skincare product without talking about #shelfie appeal. It was, after all, the packaging that convinced my husband to give the products a try in the first place. But what's even better? The packaging is sustainable too.

"We set out to reimagine personal care using clean, effective ingredients and with transparency and sustainability at our core — that is our mission," Christiansen states. To this end, Nécessaire's shipping materials include boxes made from 85% post-consumer waste and paper that's 100% recyclable. The company works with Forest Stewardship Council-certified vendors and doesn't use virgin forest materials.

The co-founders acknowledge that there's always room for improvement when it comes to environmental responsibility, which is why they foster open conversation with customers around the company's eco-friendly practices and keep the community updated with improvements. For example, Axelrod and Christiansen note that one of Nécessaire's future goals is sourcing primary packaging that's 100% repurposed; in other words, no virgin plastic.  

As a consumer, I appreciate this transparency. It's something there's not enough of in the beauty industry. So many brands tend to exaggerate their highs and hide their lows, but with Nécessaire, there's none of that. There's no marketing hype. The ingredients are safe. The bottles are chic. The products are good. So good that they're worth fighting my husband for.

Shop all  Nécessaire products here.

• Old gadgets you don't use anymore can be worth some money or trade in credit at a store.
• I never throw away old tech I don't use anymore in the trash because it's bad for the environment.
• If my old tech isn't worth anything, I donate it, or dispose of it properly at e-waste facilities.

Old tech that's been replaced with new models or simply not used anymore might actually be worth some decent money. And the longer you wait to do something about it, the less valuable it becomes.

Dated gadgets can be pretty much anything that runs on power and has processing chips. The list includes, phones, tablets, computers, monitors, TVs, printers, audio devices, smart home devices, cameras, gaming consoles and accessories, etcetera and so on. 

As I write this, there are three old Mac laptops cluttering my home — that's probably a few hundred dollars just collecting dust. One of them is literally on my desk, taking up actual valuable space. And if no one wants to pay for them, so be it! While they may not perform well enough for me, they still work, and I guarantee that someone out there can get much better use out of them. 

Having reviewed technology for eight years, I have found five ways you can get rid of older tech to make some cash or simply declutter. However, I want to start with the one thing you shouldn't do.

Don't throw out your old tech in the trash!

I like the Earth, and throwing away old tech in the trash is a sure way to pollute it. 

Electronics are full of toxic materials that are harmful to the environment and have no place in a landfill, where those toxins can leach into the surrounding nature.

You can make money from your old tech by selling it.

There's always the chance that someone out there may actually want your old tech, no matter how ancient or defunct it may seem to you. The easiest way to reach those people is online via online marketplaces like Decluttr, Sella, or Gazelle.

You could also try selling your old tech through eBay, Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist, where you'll be negotiating directly with a buyer. There's a possibility that you might get a little more money this way, but it can involve more work and time on your part, like compiling the listing, taking photos for the listing, and shipping or meeting up with the person, whereas the options above are quick and hassle-free.

I haven't tried selling on Decluttr, Sella, or Gazelle, but I used to sell my old gadgets I didn't need anymore on eBay and Craigslist quite often. Nowadays, I'd personally rather do the following.

Trade in your old tech to get store credit and help pay for shiny new tech.

Trading in old devices has boomed in popularity recently, as popular companies like Amazon, Apple, Samsung, and Best Buy have developed their trade-in programs. Your mobile carrier also offers trade-ins, but their programs are likely limited to phones and tablets. Trading in is even easier than listing your old tech on online marketplaces.

The caveat is that you usually get store credit for the specific store you trade in with, so it's a good idea to trade in your old tech with a store you usually shop at. Trading in might also mean that trade-in credit can only be applied directly to a newer model of the device you're selling, which can either be limiting or exactly what you're after.

The other caveat is that you might not get as much as selling a device yourself — you're basically sacrificing a little profit for the convenience of trading in. I've personally opted for trading in for the convenience factor. 

Turn your old tech into art.

If you've held on to old tech for nostalgic reasons, you can pay them homage by turning them into art rather than collecting dust in storage. A company called Xreart sells kits to disassemble your old tech, tastefully lay out individual components, and frame them into beautiful, nerdy pieces of art. 

This can also be a great gift idea. The Xreart's $60 DIY kits cover the very first iPhone to the iPhone X, the Nintendo Gameboys, and Apple Watches.

I haven't tried this yet, but it looks like a fun option regardless. I have some old iPhones and other devices laying around that I plan on testing this out with.

Donate your old tech if you can't get money from it, as long as it still works.

As long as it's still functional, old tech that doesn't meet your demands can meet the needs of those who are less fortunate or incapable of buying tech. Some older devices that aren't worth any money or trade-in value that can still perform simple-yet-essential tasks like web browsing are good for donating. 

For example, a local organization in my area had a donation drive specifically for old functional tech to give to senior citizens. The organization would refurbish the devices and repair them if needed or possible, and it would teach its beneficiaries how to use them. I plan on donating a first-generation iPad that's not worth much money or trade-in value to the organization during its next drive. While some apps may not be compatible with it anymore, it can still connect to the internet and browse the web. 

And don't forget your own family and friends, too. Ask them if they want an older phone, tablet, TV, computer, or anything else with chips inside of it.

Recycle your old, broken tech that won't get you any sort of compensation.

If it's clearly broken, and it's not worth anything in marketplaces or for trade-in, the best thing to do is dispose of it properly. You can find local places online that will take in your e-waste for free, and some organizations even offer pickup. 

My local waste facility, affectionately known as "the dump," has an e-waste program that I can go to any day of the week.

Your local Best Buy will also gladly take in most common gadgets for responsible disposal or recycling free of charge.

There's one very important thing you should do before selling, donating, or disposing of your old gadgets.

If possible, perform a factory reset before selling, donating, or disposing of your old tech to wipe the devices' storage. That applies especially to devices like phones, tablets, and computers. The storage of those devices needs to be completely erased to prevent anyone else from accessing your personal or professional data that you've stored during your ownership of the device. 

If your device is broken and you can't perform a factory reset, you might consider bringing the device to a local tech repair shop, like uBreakiFix, that might be able to help you erase your data before you dispose of it properly.  

• How you plan to use your computer mouse will dictate which one you should buy.
• At higher prices, you can find mice with programmable buttons and different speed settings.
• Using a mouse for long hours can fatigue your wrist, so you may want an ergonomic choice.

The best computer mice do more than point and click; they offer accurate, quick cursor movement without creating wrist strain. Logitech, Razer, SteelSeries, and Anker produce some of the most recommended mice.

"The number one thing to consider when buying any computer hardware is 'What will you be using the device for?'" says Tom Gilmore, the technology education coordinator at Free Geek, a nonprofit that refurbishes computer hardware. "This single question dictates exactly what you need and can help guide you to either cheaper or more premium options, and help you to narrow down the vast number of options to just a few."

A poorly designed mouse can increase the strain on your wrist and hands. Weak connectivity can lead to slow performance (and losing that computer game). Some won't roll over rugged surfaces.

As a freelance writer and photographer for nearly a decade, I've been working from home since before 2020 made it the norm. I consulted a certified ergonomics expert and spent hours digging through expert mouse reviews. I've rounded up nine of the most recommended computer mice, from budget options to fully-featured stand-out products. 

Here are the best computer mice you can buy

• Best computer mouse overall: Logitech MX Master 3
• Best mouse for precision use: Razer Pro Click
• Best ergonomic mouse: Logitech MX Ergo
• Best budget ergonomic mouse: Logitech Ergo M575
• Best portable mouse: Logitech MX Anywhere 3
• Best budget portable mouse: Microsoft Surface Mobile Mouse
• Best gaming mouse: Razer DeathAdder V2
• Best customizable gaming mouse: SteelSeries Rival 600
• Best budget gaming mouse: Logitech G502 Hero

The best computer mouse overall

The Logitech MX Master 3 is great for professionals who spend a lot of time mousing and need both comfort and superior performance.

With reviewer nods from Wirecutter to PC Mag, the Logitech MX Master 3 is lauded for its large but ergonomic shape. The mouse has a curve designed to fit your right hand, with a wheel and gesture pad near the thumb. A scroll wheel and forward and back buttons are also built into the mouse.

The control scheme offers app-specific shortcuts for programs from Zoom to Photoshop. Using controls built into the mouse may mean less back and forth between the mouse and keyboard.

That scroll wheel is capable of rolling through 1,000 lines per second, Logitech says. Slow the spin, and the wheel goes from line-to-line for more precision. The laser mouse offers 4,000 DPI for more sensitivity and is capable of tracking on difficult surfaces such as glass. (Higher DPI, like the Razer Pro Click's, make for a faster mouse.) The downside? It's pricey. The $100 price tag makes the mouse best for power users that are using a mouse for several hours a day.

The best mouse for precision use

With a 16,000 DPI optical sensor, the Razer Pro Click is ideal for long-haul users that need the most precision for detailed mousing.

The Razer Pro Click has one of the best optical sensors for a mouse, with four times more dots per inch than the Logitech MX 3. That superior sensor combined with the optical design (that doesn't fall victim to the occasional jitter of a laser) makes the mouse good for detailed work, such as precise adjustments in Photoshop.

The mouse is designed with a large curve that Razer says prevents your wrist from resting on the desk. TechRadar's review says that the mouse is so well designed that "you'll barely notice you're using a mouse at all." The curve does prevent left-handed use, however. 

The mouse houses eight different buttons that you can customize to your liking. The mouse can connect to multiple devices through wireless. For twice the battery life at 400 hours, it also connects through Bluetooth. The charger isn't the more modern USB-C, however.

The best ergonomic mouse

For power users that need to reduce wrist pain, the Logitech MX Ergo's trackball design means your hand rests comfortably in one spot.

The Logitech MX Ergo offers a custom tilt angle designed to better fit the shape of your hand, plus a lot of other features geared towards minimizing wrist strain. It's a trackball mouse, which means you can keep your wrist in one position and use the trackball that sits near the thumb to navigate, instead. Trackball mice are not for everyone — using one requires reprogramming years of using a traditional mouse — but they can be more comfortable.

The MX Ergo's plentiful buttons can also be programmed for different functions based on what app you are using. A mode button near the trackball allows you to switch between fast or more precise tracking. The mouse requires little power; Logitech says it lasts 70 days on a full charge, and plugging it in for just a minute will power another 24 hours of use.

Trackball mice are innately different, and not everyone will love this pricey option. The MX Ergo is also not made for lefties.

The best budget ergonomic mouse

The Logitech Ergo M575 is for everyday users who want a comfortable trackball mouse but don't need the extra buttons and custom tilt of pricier models.

The Logitech Ergo M575 is a good compromise when the $100 Logitech MX Ergo is too much. While the M575 lacks the custom tilt, extra buttons, and precision mode switch of the MX Ergo, it still offers some of the same ergonomic features. Despite selling for about $50, the M575 still has a custom DPI from 400 to 2,000.

The Ergo M575 is a trackball mouse; you don't move the mouse around the desk, you move a trackball with your thumb. That design will take some getting used to, but keeping your hand in a stationary position is much more friendly on the wrist. The mouse is curved to fit better in the right hand.

Besides the typical mouse buttons, scroll wheel, and trackball, the mouse also houses back and forward buttons that you can reprogram with Logitech's software. Connecting with Bluetooth, the mouse can run up to twenty months on one AA battery, according to Logitech. Used as a wireless mouse with the USB dongle, the battery life bumps up to two years.

The best portable mouse

Logitech's MX Anywhere 3 is geared towards on-the-go computer users that demand more from a mouse. It's also good for those with smaller hands.

The Logitech MX Anywhere 3 takes some of the features in the flagship MX Master 3 and adapts them to mobile users. The Mac version can even be used on iPads. The mouse still offers customizable buttons but in a travel-friendly size.

Logitech says that the mouse has a quick, 1,000-lines-per-minute scroll wheel with the ability to get down to pixel-level details. It's made to withstand the typical bumps from riding in a laptop bag. Despite the smaller size, there is a slight curve made for a better fit in your hand.

The fast scrolling and 200 to 4,000 DPI sensitivity range mean the MX Anywhere 3 isn't a budget travel mouse. A full charge will last 70 days, which is good but not as good as the Microsoft Surface Mobile.

The best budget portable mouse

Laptop users who want a portable, ambidextrous mouse for not much cash may want to consider the $35 Microsoft Surface Mobile Mouse.

Designed specifically for laptops, the Microsoft Surface Mobile Mouse is made for portability. The mouse uses a slimmer design that's easy to tuck into a laptop bag. The Bluetooth mouse lasts up to a year on one charge, so you shouldn't need to bring the charger with you.

The Surface Mobile has a symmetrical shape that's suitable for left or right-handed users. But besides being lefty friendly, the symmetrical shape means you can use either hand to reduce strain on a single wrist. The base isn't smaller than a typical mouse, and PC Magazine's review says it tends to be more comfortable than smaller travel mice. 

The portable design doesn't curve to the shape of your hands as well as with ergonomically-focused mice, however. At around $35, it also won't deliver the extreme speed and precision of a high-end mouse.

The best gaming mouse

Gamers who prioritize comfort, as well as speed and accuracy, will appreciate what the Razer DeathAdder V2 has to offer. 

The Razer DeathAdder V2 is a favorite among gamers because the computer mouse offers speed, precision, and a comfortable grip. With up to 20,000 DPI, the wired customizable gaming mouse has plenty of speed and accuracy.

Beyond just the high-precision hardware, the mouse has a large arched grip and a comfortable thumb rest, which earned it a recommendation from The Verge. The mouse is also outfitted with several different buttons. Both the buttons and DPI settings can be adjusted using Razer's software. A switch on the bottom allows the mouse to store up to five different setting combinations, which is ideal for different games or moving from gaming to web browsing.

While the $70 mouse is fast, some of that speed comes from the fact that it's wired. That's preferred by many gamers but can still be an inconvenience.

The best customizable gaming mouse

The SteelSeries Rival 600 has two sensors and custom weights for gamers that want ultimate customization, all for an affordable price.

The SteelSeries Rival 600 has two optical sensors that create a mouse with excellent tracking, including detecting when you pick it up. While SteelSeries says the mouse is best for esports, Tom's Guide calls it one of the best all-purpose gaming mice.

The 12,000-DPI mouse offers custom sensitivity settings as well as custom weights. Four weights can be configured into slots on both sides of the mouse to customize the feel and balance. The lift-off distance can also be configured between 0.5 and 2 mm.

The mouse is made from reinforced plastic and has seven buttons. The buttons use mechanical switches that have been tested to 60 million clicks. The downside is that the button placement isn't quite perfect, according to PC Gamer.

The best budget gaming mouse

The Logitech G502 Hero is good for gamers that balk at the higher price points of most gaming mice.

Gaming mice tend to be higher in price, but the Logitech G502 Hero is around $50 and still offers the features most gamers look for. 

The Logitech G502 allows gamers to customize the weights as well as the RGB lights. With DPI from 100 to 16,000, the mouse can easily be customized depending on if speed or accuracy is most important to the game. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Wirecutter's biggest complaint is that the many buttons can limit where you place your hand.

 The G502 is a wired mouse, which is better for speed, but it is also available in wireless as the pricier Logitech G502 Hero Lightspeed.

How to find the best computer mouse for you

Buying computer peripherals is seldom a one-size-fits-all scenario. Both the shape of your hand and your primary use will change your definition of a great mouse. When choosing a computer mouse, consider the following:

Optical or Laser? Optical and laser mice are quite similar, says Free Geek's Gilmore. Both use a camera-like sensor to look for changes in the surface to tell the computer how to move the cursor. A laser mouse uses a laser to light that sensor and tends to do a bit better on glossy surfaces. Some can even work on glass. But on a typical wood desk, most users won't notice a difference.

DPI or CPI: The dots-per-inch (or counts-per-inch) specification on a mouse is similar to the resolution of the sensor. A higher DPI means a faster mouse, Gilmore says, which is even more important when using a high-resolution monitor. A lower DPI mouse can be more precise. Some high-end mice allow you to choose different DPI settings, so you can switch based on whether you want speed or precision.

Connectivity: A wireless mouse eliminates the cord but uses a USB dongle to connect to the computer. A Bluetooth mouse is similarly wireless but doesn't need that dongle to connect with a Bluetooth-compatible device. You might want to consider that option if you have limited ports. Take a look at wireless and Bluetooth mice's battery lives so you'll get a sense of how often you'll be charging them. Wired mice still have their place, particularly for gaming. Wireless and Bluetooth mice may introduce some lag that's noticeable in fast-paced games.

Weight: Lighter mice are typically easier to move around. Fast-paced gamers tend to consider the weight of a mouse.

Comfort: How a computer mouse feels will depend on the size of your hand, says Kevin Weaver, a clinical assistant professor of physical therapy at New York University. He is also certified by the Board of Certified Professional Ergonomists and the Oxford Institute.

He suggests using both hands with an ambidextrous mouse to halve the time spent on a mouse. "As best as you can, centralize your mouse," he said. "If you look at most laptops, the touchpad is built into the base, right under the space key, in a centralized position. That's a best-case scenario because you can use your left or your right and have half the frequency."

If using your non-dominant hand feels too odd, he suggests choosing a contoured mouse that fits with your dominant hand. "[I]t's important to go test these out in a showroom or store. One size does not fit all, one rule does not fit all," he said.

What else we considered

We like the Anker Ergonomic Vertical Mouse and the Logitech M720 Triathlon, but both are being discontinued by their respective manufacturers. You can still find the Anker model for around $21 and the Logitech for about $39.

What we're currently testing

While the mice above come with excellent reviews from reputable publications, we're testing all the mice to determine what's the best for different applications. In addition to the mice above, we're also testing two more.

The Logitech MX Vertical: This vertical mouse is recommended by several publications. Using a vertical mouse takes some getting used to. We'll try it out to see if that learning curve may be worth the effort for users with wrist pain.

The Apple Magic Mouse 2: Apple's mouse uses gesture controls on the surface, much like the trackpad on a MacBook. The mouse is slimmer, however, and doesn't fit into your hand like a contoured mouse.

Working from home? Check out our other home office guides

The best standing desks

So many jobs involve sitting at a desk for hours each day, and it can be hard to break away to incorporate more standing without sacrificing productivity. If you have a standing desk, you can convert your space to a much more active one, improving your health and energy levels. These are the best standing desks.

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The best active seating for your office

Active seating promotes movement, improves posture, and activates your core while sitting, and some models can work in tandem with a standing desk, so you can find the perfect combination of sitting and standing throughout the day. These are our top picks for the best active seating.

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The best office chairs

If you spend the majority of your day parked in your office chair, you owe it to your body to choose a chair that gets an A+ for ergonomics. Our top picks will help improve your posture and may even help relieve back pain.

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The best desk lamps for your office

If you have a home office, it's important to have good lighting so you don't strain your eyes while typing away on your computer or going over documents. There are dozens of different desk lamps to choose from in all kinds of styles. These are the best desk lamps you can buy to light up your workspace in style.