Thor: Love and Thunder Hits Disney Plus on Sept. 8
Thor: Love and Thunder Hits Disney Plus on Sept. 8
Thor: Love and Thunder will land on Disney Plus on Thursday, Sept. 8, Disney said Monday, giving fans a chance to analyze those two post-credits scenes even more. The 29th Marvel Cinematic Universe movie came to theaters in July, and its streaming debut will be accompanied by a behind the scenes "Assembled" documentary.
Also coming to Disney's streaming service that day is episode 4 of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, the eighth Disney Plus MCU TV series, so Marvel fans might want to budget a few hours.
Sept. 8 is Disney Plus Day, an annual virtual event where the company typically announces upcoming content.
Other notable additions that day include Obi-Wan Kenobi: A Jedi's Return, a behind-the-scenes documentary about the Star Wars series that finished up in June, a live-action remake of Pinocchio (not to be confused with the Guillermo del Toro stop-motion one coming to Netflix) and sing-along versions of Frozen and Frozen 2 (in case you and any kids around don't already know every lyric).
Also coming to the streaming service on Sept. 8 are Remembering, a short movie about a writer (played Captain Marvel's Brie Larson) who loses an idea; a new Simpsons short about Lisa; a Dancing with the Stars: The Pros' Most Memorable Dances clip show; and Tierra Incógnita (a series about teen whose parents vanish in a horror theme park).
We're getting Cars on the Road (a spinoff TV show based on the Pixar movies), the coming-of-age docu-series Growing Up and the National Geographic series Epic Adventures with Bertie Gregory.
Disney Plus subscribers who visit California's Disneyland, Florida's Disney World or Disneyland Paris will be able to get into those parks 30 minutes before regular opening, the company noted, so you can beat the lines for popular rides. You might be asked to prove that you're a subscriber by displaying the service's logged-in home screen on the app on your phone, so have it ready.
From Sept. 8 to 19, some AMC theaters will have $5 Disney Plus Day screenings of movies like Encanto, Rogue One, Thor: Ragnarok, Cars and Newsies, and you'll get a free poster for attending.
Meta's Next VR Headset Is Coming In October: What We Know About Meta Cambria, aka Quest Pro
Meta's Next VR Headset Is Coming In October: What We Know About Meta Cambria, aka Quest Pro
The Oculus Quest 2 (now called Meta Quest 2) has become a surprisingly successful virtual reality headset and remains our favorite VR device despite being two years old and suddenly more expensive. What will Meta, the former Facebook, do for its encore? The company is expected to release four new headsets over the next few years, but the next on deck is coming this October, according to an interview with Meta head Mark Zuckerberg on Joe Rogan's podcast.
The headset, called "Project Cambria," was announced last year. Don't expect it to be a true sequel to the Quest 2, though. Instead, it should be a Quest Pro much like what Mark Zuckerberg told CNET back in 2021.
Project Cambria looks to be a far more expensive and advanced sort of AR/VR hybrid headset, a bridge device that could be an amazing VR device, but could also enable mixed reality combining video from the real world with VR via improved cameras.
Cambria will also add new sensor technology (notably, eye tracking and face tracking) that could introduce new possibilities for interacting in VR and animating your avatar. But that eye tracking brings questions about data privacy, too.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg showing a brief glimpse of the next-gen headset via Facebook.
Facebook
Stand-alone, like the Quest 2
Yes, Cambria looks to be a stand-alone device like Quest 2. But, also like Quest 2, expect it to optionally connect to PCs and, to some extent, phones. Early reported design mockups show a design that seems smaller than the Quest 2, but a larger battery could mean more weight. Meta has already confirmed the headset will be more compact where the lenses meet the face, using "pancake lenses" that can compress the distance needed to create convincing 3D effects.
The larger battery seems like it could sit on the back of the headset, creating a design that looks more like Microsoft's Hololens 2, an augmented reality headset, than Meta's existing Oculus VR goggles. VR devices like the HTC Vive Focus 3 (and Meta's own battery strap accessory for Quest 2) put batteries on the back of the headset, too.
While recent reports like those from The Information call Cambria a "laptop for your face," suggesting more self-contained power, expect the headset to connect with computers for more powerful applications much like the Quest 2 can do right now.
More sensors
Mark Zuckerberg, in a conversation with CNET last year, told me that a pro version of the Quest would focus on more sensor technology. Eye and face tracking are already known, but it's possible that Cambria will allow for more health and fitness tracking. Fitness has been a major focus for Meta's VR platforms, and the company's already acquired a subscription fitness service that measures heart rate through a paired Apple Watch. (The Oculus Move app syncs with Apple Health.) Meta is also reportedly working on its own smartwatch.
How will it mix reality?
Project Cambria's improved external cameras will capture passthrough color video, showing it on the headset's internal display. The Quest 2 can "see through" and show the outside world, too, but in a grainy black and white video feed. The Quest 2 overlays some VR with this feed, like room boundaries, creating a type of mixed reality. Expect Meta Cambria to do this far more realistically.
Mark Zuckerberg gave a brief demo of the headset's possibilities back in May via Facebook.
I've already tried one example of this tech on a very high-end VR headset made by a Finnish company called Varjo. The Varjo XR-3 uses lidar and cameras to scan the real world; it then layers VR into it in a way that can look almost as convincing as the effects in AR headsets made by Microsoft and Magic Leap. I'd expect Meta Cambria to try for something very similar.
Meta's aspirations for future AR glasses haven't been realized yet, but the Cambria could end up being a toolkit for developers to make AR-type experiences that could also use hand (and eye) tracking.
Facebook's next VR headset will have face tracking and eye tracking.
Facebook
How will eye tracking work?
We don't know the specifics, but most eye tracking in VR works in a similar way: Infrared cameras measure eye movement, while some trackers also capture images of your eye. Eye tracking does a few pretty useful things: Foveated rendering can create better graphics with less processing power by only showing the highest-res details where the fovea of your eyes is looking, potentially meaning better battery life or performance in a smaller headset.
Eye tracking can also be used to create more realistic eye contact for avatars, and to combine with hand tracking and controllers to improve control accuracy. It could even mean better accessibility for people who don't have full mobility, using only eye controls to operate the VR interface.
Meta looks to be adding face tracking cameras as well as eye tracking, which could be used to map emotions and facial expressions into avatars. But all of this tracking comes with additional privacy questions. While Meta has promised transparency and limits to how tracking data is used, Facebook's history of userdata abuse leaves a lot of concerns.
Mark Zuckerberg promises new avatars coming soon: will they be be more expressive, or more awkward?
Meta
Better avatars, maybe?
Zuckerberg promises that this headset will animate avatars more realistically, and could come along with upgraded Meta avatars. Mark Zuckerberg's latest cartoonish avatar in Horizon Worlds became a widely mockedmeme, but will eye tracking and better graphics make interactions feel better than what's currently possible? Meta's going to make this a big part of Cambria's efforts, but how the next headset's upgraded avatar controls interface with the rest of Quest 2 owners isn't clear.
Odds are, it won't be as much of a game console
If the Cambria headset is more than $800, there's no way it will be as popular as the Quest 2 is now. Meta seems to be hinting that's not the point of Cambria, which means that game developers may not be as focused on the new hardware.
Facebook has a history of funding lots of gaming and art projects on its VR platforms, but it sounds like Cambria may not be about debuting new games. Instead, Meta will likely focus on a wide range of business, training, fitness and AR-crossover apps to help build its metaverse visions. In that sense, current Quest 2 owners might already have the best VR game console for a while (until the PlayStation VR 2 arrives in 2023, at least).
The Information's latest report on the Meta Cambria reinforces that this headset's greatest strengths -- better display resolution, eye tracking, passthrough mixed reality -- will be tools to advance Meta's vision for work and the future of VR. Look to competing high-end VR and AR products like the Vive Focus 3, Hololens 2 and Varjo's headsets, where professional uses are the clear goal. Meta's had great success appealing to gamers, but it'll have a harder time convincing workplaces to adopt its tech.
The Quest 2, released in 2020, is still one of our favorite headsets. It may not get replaced until 2023.
Scott Stein/CNET
Should you buy a Quest 2 now or wait for Cambria (or a future Quest 3)?
A true successor to the Quest 2 may not happen until 2023, based on recent reports. That Quest 3 is expected to be a headset that would compete at the same price as the Quest 2, and possibly replace it, but not this year. Cambria, however, is not expected to be that headset. If the Cambria headset is as high-priced as Meta says it is, it probably won't even be competing with the Quest 2 for most shoppers. Instead, it may be more about pushing more advanced features (eye tracking, mixed reality, better display quality) that could eventually trickle down into more affordable products later.
Keep the concepts of "Cambria" and "Quest 3" separate in your head, and it'll help you plan your buying decisions. Cambria may only end up appealing to enthusiast and pro users with money to spend. I don't expect any VR headset to be able to compete with Quest 2's $400 price anytime soon, except for maybe Tiktok parent company ByteDance's upcoming Pico headset.
The Quest 2 is still a fantastic headset for its price, and Meta keeps updating the software with new features regularly. Unless you're a professional eager for a top-end headset at any price, you probably don't need to wait for whatever Cambria ends up becoming later this year. However, if you have a PlayStation 5, you might want to wait and see what the PlayStation VR 2 is like.
Polar's Pacer Pro Running Watch Wants to Make Your Runs Suck Less
Polar's Pacer Pro Running Watch Wants to Make Your Runs Suck Less
Running is an activity you either love or hate, but whichever camp you're in, Polar's new Pacer and Pacer Pro watches want to improve your performance -- even if you're a total beginner.
These lightweight watches have built-in GPS and depending on the model, a running or walking performance test that helps determine your overall fitness level using VO2 max. On paper, this sounds like it could be a more useful way of interpreting VO2 max levels rather than just presenting a number on screen like other smartwatches. Then, you can plan workouts based on heart rate, speed or time goals. There are also specific profiles for trail running, track and field or indoor runs.
After each run you'll see a score that's calculated by looking at your heart rate and speed, to help measure your performance over time. Recovery also plays a part in performance, so sleep tracking and 24/7 heart-rate monitoring is on both watches. Like other Polar devices, you'll be able to see a nightly recharge measurement that shows how well your body has recovered from the day.
The Pacer Pro is the more advanced of the two, with an aluminum bezel and barometer that lets you monitor power levels in watts from your wrist. This could help you avoid burning out too early, or push the intensity a little more to finish your workout strong. Both have a memory-in-pixel color screen with Gorilla Glass 3, textured buttons and music controls, and they can get notifications from your iOS or Android phone.
These are the main features of each watch.
Polar Pacer Pro
Built-in GPS, barometer, magnetometer
Turn-by-turn navigation and routes
Running test
10 LEDs for optical heart-rate readings that cover a range of wavelengths
Weighs 1.44 ounces (41g)
Up to 7 days battery life in power save mode, 35 hours with full GPS and heart rate, up to 100 hours training time
Available in gray, white, blue, maroon and green
$299 (or 299 euros, which is about £250 or AU$435), available now
Polar Pacer
Built-in GPS
Guided fitness programs
Walking test
Weighs 1.41 ounces (40g)
Up to 7 days battery life in power save mode, 35 hours with full GPS and heart-rate
Available in black, white, teal, dusk
$199 (or 199 euros, which is about £165 or AU$290), shipping in May
We tried on Lenovo's bendable phone that you can wear like a watch
We tried on Lenovo's bendable phone that you can wear like a watch
Forget curved phones! Lenovo's new concept smartphone uses a flexible screen and segmented body to deftly convert from watchband to handset and back again.
We finally got our wrists under this bendable marvel, which was trapped beneath glass for most of the day before Lenovo let a spokesperson carefully wrap it around our wrists. It's officially known as the CPlus -- "Don't ask me why it's called that," Lenovo's CTO, Peter Hortensius, said at a press briefing later -- and it'll come in two sizes, large and small. CNET was able to try on the large size on three editors' wrists. It was definitely too loose for the smaller ones.
The CPlus, which is not in production, sports a 4.26-inch flexible display, runs the Android operating system and will come in a choice of 12 different colors.
Lenovo knows that an unusual device like this articulated phone requires different thinking. One time a spokesperson bent the CPlus and the interface "cracked" like shattered glass, a behavior you'd expect from bending your typical phone (remember Bendgate, or is that too soon?).
CNET tries on Lenovo's bendy CPlus concept phone.
Jessica Dolcourt/CNET
This isn't the first time we've seen concept devices with flexible displays and chassis. Samsung, LG and Nokia have also worked with twistable, bendable devices, though none have yet come to market.
Placing traditionally inflexible components, like batteries, in bendable items has been a formidable challenge, but with any luck Lenovo will buck the trend and have better success.
For all the news from Lenovo Tech World check out our live, in-person coverage of the event.
2022 Zero FXE Review: Here For a Good Time, Not a Long Time
2022 Zero FXE Review: Here For a Good Time, Not a Long Time
Choice is good, and when it comes to electrified modes of transportation, we're swimming in great options. That's especially true when it comes to cars, with nearly every major manufacturer now fielding at least one EV option at dealerships, but even in the two-wheeled game, we're flush with choice. Zero Motorcycles alone now offers a whopping eight models, and you're looking at its latest, the FXE. It's a sort of on-road supermoto take on Zero's trail-focused FX, with a completely new look and a fun, engaging ride that stands apart from the company's other offerings.
Let's get the numbers out of the way first. The centrally mounted battery pack offers a max capacity of 7.2 kilowatt hours, but Zero says nominal capacity is more like 6.3. That's paired with a single electric motor, belt-driving the rear wheel with 46 horsepower and 78 pound-feet of torque. That may not sound like a lot of power, but it is a healthy dose of torque, and with the FXE weighing in at just 298 pounds, it's plenty.
OK, 298 pounds isn't particularly lithe for a smaller bike, but it's over 100 pounds lighter than the Zero SR I reviewed a few years back and more than 200 less than the Zero SR/S we reviewed in 2020. It's even lighter than something like a Husqvarna Svartpilen.
But that weight comes with a penalty: range. Zero says the FXE can get up to 100 miles in the city, with highway ratings dropping to 60 miles at 55 mph or just 40 miles at 70 mph. In my testing, I have to say those figures seem awfully optimistic. In fact, the bike would often show me just 40-odd miles of estimated range, even at a full charge, even when I was in Eco mode. That figure was usually pretty accurate.
Like all the Zeros, the FXE has all sorts of torque available right off the line, which makes zipping around an addictive experience. In the quicker Sport mode, which sharpens up the throttle response, the FXE is an absolute blast. Use that torque, though, and the range drops precipitously. In Eco mode, just cruising around town, I struggled to ever get more than 50 miles from a charge. That's barely enough to cover the average US daily commute of 41 miles.
So it's not going to be your go-to bike for long weekend getaways, but what range it offers is a real joy. The relatively small, 17-inch wheels and Pirelli Diablo Rosso II tires give the bike quick reflexes, diving into corners with just a little nudge on the outside grip. But it isn't nervous. In fact, it's a confidence-inspiring bike.
That's especially true when accelerating away from traffic lights or, indeed, just accelerating in traffic. The torque will stretch out your arms at full power yet it's remarkably easy to creep along at a walking pace thanks to a perfectly tuned throttle curve. After just a few minutes in the saddle of this thing you'll feel like you're ready to enter a MotoTrials competition.
The frosted silver with red highlights offers a clean, modern take on how a motorcycle should look.
Tim Stevens/CNET
Augmenting the power is a set of 320-millimeter brake discs up front and a single 240-millimeter disc at the rear from J. Juan, paired with a Bosch antilock braking system front and rear. A Showa suspension at both ends is adjustable for preload, compression and rebound. I found the stock setup a little stiff for me, the Zero FXE taking every bump too firmly up front, but with the help of a flathead screwdriver and a few minutes fiddling I was able to quickly dial it in to my liking.
In fact, just about everything to do with this bike was to my liking, including the new styling with the duck-bill front fender and the frosted gray hue paired with red highlights. Even charging is as easy as can be: Just run an extension cord into the three-prong receptacle found just behind the front forks. That'll take about 9 hours to full from empty, but the $640 optional quick charger could bring that time down closer to two hours.
I just wish I didn't have to rely on that charging quite so often. Still, Zero's bikes just keep getting better, and the FXE's $12,195 manufacturer suggested retail price is palatable. Yeah, that's a healthy premium over a comparable gas-powered ride, but then this experience feels premium, too.
WWE Clash of Champions 2020: How to watch, start time, full card and WWE Network
WWE Clash of Champions 2020: How to watch, start time, full card and WWE Network
Is Drew McIntyre's reign as WWE Champion coming to an end? We'll find out on Sunday, as he defends his title against Randy Orton in an ambulance match at Clash of Champions. McIntyre has been champion since WrestleMania, and beat Orton back at SummerSlam. But Orton is riding a career high, and seems poised to become a 15-time champion.
That could cap off a night in which a lot of gold changes hands, as every title is on the line. The other headlining match pits Universal Champion Romain Reigns against his cousin, Jey Uso. Jeff Hardy will also defend his Intercontinental Championship in a triple threat ladder match featuring Sami Zayn and AJ Styles, which should totally rock.
Start times
Unlike every PPV between March and August, Clash of Champions won't take place in WWE's Performance Center. As with Raw and SmackDown, it'll air from Orlando's Amway Center, known as WWE's "ThunderDome." The main card starts both days at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. If you're a paid WWE Network subscriber -- at $9.99 a month -- you can watch Clash of Champions live for no extra cost. Otherwise, you'll need to contact your local cable provider.
Viewers in the UK will have to stay up late to watch Clash of Champions, as the show starts midnight Sunday UK time. Clash of Champions starts for Australians at 9 a.m. AEST on Monday.
Match card
WWE Championship Ambulance match: Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Randy Orton.
Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jey Uso.
Intercontinental Championship ladder match: Jeff Hardy (c) vs. Sami Zayn vs. AJ Styles.
United States Championship: Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Apollo Crews.
SmackDown Women's Championship: Bayley (c) vs. Nikki Cross.
Women's Tag Team Championships: Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax (c) vs. The Riott Squad.
Raw Tag Team Championships: The Street Profits (c) vs. Andrade and Angel Garza.
SmackDown Tag Team Championships: Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Lucha House Party.
Raw Women's Championship (Kickoff Show): Asuka (c) vs. Zelina Vega.
How to watch: WWE Network
You can start (or restart) a subscription to the WWE Network here:
The monthly price is $9.99 (US) or £9.99 (UK). New subscribers used to get a free month, but that's no longer the case now that there's a free tier (which pay-per-view events aren't covered by, sadly).
The WWE Network app is available on Roku, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Kindle Fire, Apple TV, iOS and Android.
Google announced today it is instituting a malware warning system on its search results page to alert users to the possibility that their computer is infected.
The Internet giant said it took the action after discovering unusual patterns of activity on the Web that it identified as a strain of malware that causes infected computers to send traffic to Google through proxy servers.
"Recently, we found some unusual search traffic while performing routine maintenance on one of our data centers," Damian Menscher, a Google security engineer, said in a Google blog post. "After collaborating with security engineers at several companies that were sending this modified traffic, we determined that the computers exhibiting this behavior were infected with a particular strain of malicious software, or 'malware.'"
The malware only affects computers running the Windows operating system, according to a post by Google engineer Matt Cutts. Systems can be tested by running a Web search for any word, he said.
Google said that as a result of its discovery, some users who come to Google through these specific intermediary servers will see a prominent notification at the top of their Google Web search results warning them of a possible infection.
"We hope that by taking steps to notify users whose traffic is coming through these proxies, we can help them update their antivirus software and remove the infections," Menscher said.
Google's Help Center also offers tips for scanning systems for malware and how to remove infections. Malware is often designed to disrupt normal computer operations or gather private information about the user.
The best Cyber Monday kitchen deals still on: Henckels, AeroGarden, SodaStream and more
The best Cyber Monday kitchen deals still on: Henckels, AeroGarden, SodaStream and more
This story is part of Gift Guide, our year-round collection of the best gift ideas.
The big shopping holidays may be history but there are still lingering Cyber Monday deals for the home and kitchen. All you Johnny-come-latelies aren't out of luck just yet. Still today, we're seeing major price drops and sitewide sales on blenders, Dutch ovens, air fryers and more.
These top remaining Cyber Monday kitchen and home sales make good holiday gifts, with unique kitchen accessories at a discount, including Coravin's ingenious wine preserver, Henckels steak knives or a tasty tea or coffee subscription for a fraction of the normal price.
To find the best Cyber Monday kitchen deals, we've scoured the top retailers including Amazon, Best Buy, Target, Walmart and Macy's to show you the deals that are worth pouncing on. We've noted any that are at or near an all-time low price. And because new deals are dropping all the time, check back often as we update this post regularly.
Best kitchen deals
Right now, many of AeroGarden's popular indoor smart gardens are as much as 50% off when you use code HOLIDAY20 at checkout. That includes the popular Harvest Elite down to $90, the sleek three-pod Sprout for $50 and a microgreens garden kit for just $32.
While all of these are excellent deals, my pick goes to the hefty AeroGarden Bounty Basic, which has enough room to grow nine plants. It's down to just $140 right now (originally $300). See some top picks below and shop the full inventory of smart garden deals here.
Instant Pot
This lid turns your 6-quart Instant Pot into a powerful air fryer. I've tested dozens of air fryers and this unit blasts food into crispy goodness as well as any of them. Plus, it's a big space saver if you already have an Instant Pot.
It's currently down to the lowest price we've ever seen it.
Brewvana
Trying to find a great gift for a beer lover? Brewvana is an excellent beer subscription service, but you can order one-time boxes including the 12 Beers of Christmas Box. It's normally $95 for 12 handpicked brews from microbreweries around the US, but nab two or more and you'll get 10% off your order with code HOLIDAY10.
The Christmas beer box ships on or around Dec. 15 and will likely sell out.
Instant pot
Note, the larger 8-quart Duo Crisp goes on sale for $99 at Walmart on Tuesday, Nov. 22. That will be an incredible deal and an all-time low but it's a rather big Instant Pot. If you want the more standard 6-quart version, read on for a solid deal on the hybrid appliance.
Should you desire an Instant Pot pressure cooker and an air fryer this is a solid price for the bundle. It's the popular 6-quart pot model and acts as a pressure cooker, air fryer, slow cooker, steamer, sauté pan, food warmer, sous vide, roaster, broiler and dehydrator.
Wondering how the air fryer lid works? Check out the air-fried chicken I made in my Duo Crisp a few weeks back. It's hard to fathom a kitchen appliance that does more than this one and you likely won't find it cheaper than it is today. And for reference, the air fryer lid alone usually sells for $89.
Best sitewide sales
Ooni
We tested the Ooni ovens and they are super simple to operate, churning out excellent Neapolitan-style pizzas in a couple of minutes. Right now you can bag 20% off most Ooni Pizza Ovens through Dec. 1. Some exclusions include the Karu 16 model and gift cards.
June Oven
June just may be the smartest oven ever. The brand is offering 25% off its Premium ($1,000) or Plus ($849) ovens starting Nov. 26 through Nov. 29 and 15% off from Nov. 30 through Dec. 4.
Upgrade to Apple's Latest 10.2-Inch iPad and Save $50 Right Now
Upgrade to Apple's Latest 10.2-Inch iPad and Save $50 Right Now
The latest ninth-gen iPad is a solid iPad options out there if you're looking for a portable tablet that can help you be productive on the go (or from your comfortable couch). Whether you want to work, play, stay connected, create, explore or stream entertainment online, it will be easy to do with the iPad's upgraded CPU and Neural Engine, which offer a faster and more powerful performance compared to previous models.
Right now you can save $50 on 2021 iPad (64GB) with Wi-Fi on Amazon, bringing the price to just $280. Note you only save that much on the space gray model, not the silver one.
Apple's 10.2-inch tablet comes with an A13 Bionic chip, an 8-megapixel wide-angle rear camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide front camera with Center Stage technology and more. The Retina display has been upgraded from previous models and now has True Tone technology, which adjusts the screen for comfortable viewing in any light.
It also features a Lightning connector and gets up to 10 hours of battery life per charge. Plus, the 2021 iPad supports the first-gen Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard, which are sold separately, but can help you create and work with ease and may be worth the investment.
And if you are worried that 64GB of storage may not be enough for your pictures, videos or other projects or media, remember that Apple offers plenty of ways to increase your storage if you are willing to use cloud services like the company's own iCloud option or apps like Dropbox and Google Drive, so that storage size shouldn't limit what you can do on your iPad. And springing for the smaller size will save you a lot of money down when compared to the larger 256GB model, which starts at $479 at the Apple Store.
CNET's Scott Stein wrapped up his review of this iPad by saying, "I think the basic unexciting iPad wins out. Especially for the price." He awarded it an Editors' Choice.
WrestleMania on Peacock: What to know about switching from WWE Network
WrestleMania on Peacock: What to know about switching from WWE Network
WrestleMania 30 kicked off the digital era for the WWE, being the first pay-per-view to stream on the WWE Network. That era has ended, as now NBC's Peacock is the place to stream WWE content. The WWE Network has "gone dark" in the US, which means WWE fans will need a Peacock subscription to watch WrestleMania and all other live WWE pay-per-views from this point on.
WWE Fastlane, which aired on March 21, was the trial run. The event was broadcasted on both the WWE Network and Peacock. On April 4, the WWE Network was effectively deactivated for US users. The Hall of Fame and NXT TakeOver: Stand and Deliver were both on Peacock too. But WrestleMania 37 is certainly the big one.
All of the Network's content -- which is a lot of content -- will transition to Peacock by the end of August, and Peacock is now the place to watch all live WWE pay-per-view events. Again: All of this is for US viewers only. For everyone else, it's WWE Network as usual.
Can I transfer my WWE Network subscription to Peacock?
Sadly, there will be no automatic transferal of subscription, so you're going to have to do this the old-fashioned way: By taking 45 seconds to sign up to a new streaming service.
Peacock has three tiers: Free, Premium ($5) and Premium Plus ($10). For WWE pay-per-views, you'll have to buy in to a Premium account. That's some good news, as you'll notice such a subscription is half the monthly cost of the WWE Network. For the time being there's some even better news, as NBC is offering Premium at half price ($2.50 a month) specifically for WWE Network subscribers.
Some WWE content is coming to Peacock Free, too. That includes reality shows like Total Divas, Total Bellas and Miz and Mrs., as well as Raw Talk and The Bump talk shows. NBC notes that "recent in-ring content" will also come to Peacock's Free tier, but it's unclear what that means at this point.
WWE will have its own tab on Peacock.
NBC
What's the WrestleMania week schedule?
WWE put out an extensive list of everything that'll air on Peacock between April 5 and April 11, which is when WrestleMania Night 2 airs. You can read that here, but below is a schedule of the important events.
Tuesday, April 6: Hall of Fame 2020 and 2021 Induction Ceremonies (5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET)
Wednesday, April 7: NXT TakeOver: Stand and Deliver Night 1 (5 p.m PT/8 p.m. ET)
Thursday, April 8: NXT TakeOver: Stand and Deliver Night 2 (5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET)
Saturday, April 10: WrestleMania 37 Night 1 (5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET)
Sunday, April 11: WrestleMania 37 Night 2 (5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET)
Sunday, April 11: Steve Austin's Broken Skull Sessions with AEW's Chris Jericho (following WrestleMania night 2)
WWE
Will the entire WWE Network come to Peacock
Yes, but not at first. WWE Network content filtered onto Peacock on March 18, with more to be added. Starting on March 18, Peacock has:
Every pay-per-view event in the last calendar year.
Episodes of NXT the day after TV broadcast, episodes of Raw and SmackDown 30 days after TV broadcast.
Recent episodes of Steve Austin's Broken Skull Sessions, as well as WWE Chronicle and WWE Icons.
Select documentaries, including Undertaker: The Last Ride and episodes of WWE 24 and WWE Untold.
Every past WrestleMania.
NBC promises to get the rest of the WWE Network's content by SummerSlam, so by the end of August.
What if I don't live in the US?
You don't have to worry! For now, at least, the move only effects users in the US. We'll have to see if WWE seeks similar deals -- NBC is reportedly paying WWE $1 billion for Network content -- in other countries.
Intriguing New UFO Footage Revealed by US Military at Historic Hearing
Intriguing New UFO Footage Revealed by US Military at Historic Hearing
US military officials unveiled new footage of UFOs -- or what they're now calling unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAP -- during a 90-minute committee hearing in the US House of Representatives on Tuesday morning.
Deputy Director of Navy Intelligence Scott Bray shared clips recorded by military personnel with the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence during the first public hearing on the topic in over 50 years.
Don't worry, it's probably just a drone turned triangular by tech.
US Department of Defense
One of the videos taken in 2019 from a US Navy ship through night vision goggles shows an unidentified triangular object. Bray then shared another clip of the same phenomenon observed at a later date from a different location. He explained that analysts suspect the object was actually an optical effect "correlated with unmanned aerial systems in the area."
That is, something that's likely a drone appears as a triangle because of the effect of light from the object passing through the goggles and then through the lenses of the SLR camera that recorded the clip.
Bray also shared another short video, taken in 2021, from the cockpit of a military jet appearing to show a spherical object for a fraction of a second.
Look closely - it zips to the right at the end of the clip.
US Department of Defense
"In many other cases we have far less than this," Bray said, adding later that there is currently no explanation for the object. "There are a small handful [of sightings] in which there are flight characteristics or signature management we can't explain with the data that we have."
The hearing comes 11 months after the release of a brief report from the director of national intelligence on UAP that led to the creation of a task force to investigate the issue. A defense spending bill signed by President Biden in December requires regular reports and briefings to Congress on the topic.
Bray said the task force now has a database of over 400 UAP reports.
Ronald Moultrie, undersecretary of defense for intelligence and security, told the committee that the task force aims to eliminate the cultural stigma around UAP and that the newly formed Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group will facilitate identification of UAP "in a methodical, logical and standardized manner."
In a lighter moment, Moultrie also said he identifies as a fan of the wider sci-fi subculture that often connects UFOs with potential extraterrestrial intelligence.
"I have gone to [science fiction] conventions. There's nothing wrong with that," he said. "[I] don't necessarily dress up."
But there were no disclosures of any contact with E.T. or evidence of aliens during the hearing.
Bray also said that the military has never communicated with, fired upon or collided with a UAP, although there have been 11 documented near misses, as mentioned in last year's unclassified report from the director of national intelligence.
All in all, there was little new information revealed during the session, aside from the new footage, but that was enough to make it one of the most intriguing congressional committee hearings in many months.
