Technology

Streaming video service recommendations still tend to be simplistic unless you're using platform-specific tools like Google's Gemini for TV, but that's finally changing. Tubi has launched ChatGPT's first-ever native streaming service app, making it easier to find movies and shows on Fox's free-to-watch service using more natural-sounding requests.

MINI has always leaned into the idea that no two of its cars should be exactly alike. From the factory, you can usually pick your roof color, mirror caps, and hood stripes. But for one longtime MINI enthusiast here in the United States, the standard online configuration tool wasn't going to cut it.

How to choose the best headphones

We won't beat around the bush: There's no definitive "best" product here. Sure, elite audio brands put out high-quality products across the board, but even within each of those brands, you'll find different tiers of products. Some will deliver better value, and some will deliver better hardware and active noise cancellation.

All this to say, the best pair of earbuds or headphones largely comes down to personal preference and how you plan to use them. Some listeners swear by over-ear headphones, while others prefer the minimalism of earbuds — one is not necessarily better than the other. Athletes who like to use headphones at the gym will appreciate waterproof materials and the best open earbuds, while frequent fliers will prefer devices with long battery life, comfort, and portability. Finally, music lovers and audiophiles will want to invest in premium features like a custom equalizer, spatial audio, or best-in-class active noise cancellation.

To help you pick your pair, we tested all of the headphones in this guide (and a lot that didn't make the cut). Here, you'll find the top headphones of 2026 for noise cancellation, music, price, and wired connections.

What about wired headphones?

We focused primarily on the best wireless headphones for this guide. While wired headphones have their fans, wireless headphones are just more convenient for most of us. If we had to pick, we'd recommend the Marshall Mode earbuds as our top wired pick. Some of us are also fans of Apple's EarPods.

Other headphones we've tested

Most recently, we tested the Marshall Monitor III, JBL Tour One M3 headphones and the Skullcandy Method 360 ANC, and though they had their merits, fell short of winning the best of the best spot on this guide.

We've also tested the Sonos Ace headphones and Dyson OnTrac headphones. And while we loved them both for sound quality and noise cancellation, they fare in the way of AirPods Max — left out of our recommendations for their high price points.

In the testing pipeline

For our future updates, we're testing out more budget noise-cancelling earbuds and headphones.

Recent updates to this guide

• March 2025: We've designated the Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2 earbuds as the most comfortable ANC earbuds and crowned the Sony XM6 earbuds as the new best noise cancelling earbuds.

• December 2025: We replaced the Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 earbuds, which are no longer available, with the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 sports earbuds.

• December 2025: We removed the Marshall Mode wired earbuds, as they're frequently out of stock.

• December 2025: We added the Sony WH-CH720N Noise-Canceling Headphones as the best headphones under $100.

• December 2025: We added the Sony XM5 headphones, originally released in 2022, as our new honorable mention pick.

Who is the real human behind Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonym for the still-anonymous creator of Bitcoin?

The question is more than just academic, and it's not about who controls the currency. If Satoshi (as he is universally known) is still alive, he's spent years sitting on about $68 billion worth of Bitcoin. It was worth about twice that at its peak in October 2025; crypto has had a bad six months. There may be worse to come, according to Google, now that quantum computers could unlock every Bitcoin. Spend it while you can, Satoshi!

The "Who is Satoshi?" parlor game has been going for more than a decade. We've seen more than a few con artists claim to be the Banksy of Bitcoin. We've even seen a Satoshi memoir announced (likely fake — whomever Satoshi is, he hasn't written anything under that name since 2011). A recent HBO documentary made its own case for Satoshi's secret identity.

So it was a big deal when a New York Times investigation pointed the finger at British cryptography expert Adam Back, a veteran bitcoin miner active in the crypto community around the time Satoshi was posting. This investigation is especially notable, as the reporter behind the story, John Carreyrou, is known for uncovering a lot of Elizabeth Holmes's infamous fraud at Theranos.

And it was a poke in the eye for the Times when Back calmly and clearly denied the claim in multiple social media posts.

The TL;DR of Back's denial: Damn, I wish.

"[Of course I'm] kicking myself for not [bitcoin] mining in anger in 2009," Back told one user on X. "Hindsight is always 20:20 in trading, so I'm relaxed about that could-have should-have."

This isn't the first time Back's name has been mentioned as the real identity of Satoshi. Carreyrou says he grew suspicious of Back after seeing his body language in the HBO documentary on this subject, which listed Back as a possible Satoshi.

The Times claim relies in part on an AI examination of early cryptography listservs where Satoshi was active; the AI noted that both Back and Satoshi mixed up their "its" and "it's" and shared a common vocabulary. Back said he told Carreyrou there was a form of "cognitive bias" at work in the fact that he simply posted on a lot of the same topics at Satoshi.

And of course, as Back didn't need to mention, AI is inherently and increasingly prone to hallucination.

"I also don't know who Satoshi is," Back wrote, "and I think it is good for bitcoin that this is the case, as it helps bitcoin be viewed a new asset class, the mathematically scarce digital commodity."

Back also tweeted an image he'd sent years earlier, one that emphasized the decentralized nature of Bitcoin: "we are all Satoshi."

Vinyl enthusiasm seems to go on unabated, and I certainly could never have predicted when we threw out our last record player that anyone but a few hardcore adherents would ever care about these PVC discs again. Yet here we are.

As a voracious fan of Jason Bateman, I’m always captivated by his work. Whether it’s absurdly funny, seriously creepy, or intensely harrowing, he always knocks performances out of the park while bringing a rare distinctiveness to every role he embodies. Starting out as a teen star in the 1980s, Bateman went on to headline some of the best and most influential shows of the 21st century as an adult, delivering exceptional performances.

Vibe coding has taken the development world by storm—and it truly is a modern marvel to behold. The problem is, the vibe coding rush is going to leave a lot of apps broken in its wake once people move on to the next craze. At the end of the day, many of us are going to be left with apps that are broken with no fixes in sight.

We’re now in an era where fancy rendering techniques like ray tracing and even full path tracing tend to steal the show. I get it—they look incredible in screenshots, tech demos, and gameplay videos on high-end machines, but in practice, they bring even the most powerful systems to their knees.

SAVE $500.03: As of April 8, get the 100-inch Hisense Class U6 Series Mini-LED 4K TV for $1,497.96 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $1,997.99. That's a discount of 25% and the lowest price we've seen.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon 100-inch Hisense Class U6 Series Mini-LED 4K TV $1,497.96 at Amazon
$1,997.99 Save $500.03   Get Deal

There's never a bad time to get a new TV. And it's an especially great time right now to add one to your living room, especially one at this price: a massive, 100-inch display that's ready to turn your home into an entertainment center.

As of April 8, get the 100-inch Hisense Class U6 Series Mini-LED 4K TV for $1,497.96 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $1,997.99. That's a discount of 25% and the lowest price we've seen.

SEE ALSO: There are huge deals on Hisense TVs in the Amazon Spring Sale — score $500 off a 100-inch monster

The Hisense Class U6 Series QLED 4K TV has bright, crisp colors, a peak brightness of up to 1,000 nits with 600 dimming zones, 144Hz, HDR10+, and Dolby Visio IQ.

In the realm of audio, it has Dolby Atmos as well, for excellent sound regardless if you add a soundbar or other device. And if you're a gamer, it has a 144Hz native refresh rate with a special Game Mode Pro option to smooth lag while you're playing fast-paced games.

If you're planning on using it to catch up with your favorite shows and movies, it has built-in Alexa support with its Fire TV integration. That means you can watch a variety of live TV channels, stream content, and more all without having to add a streaming stick.

This is your chance to bring home a massive TV that has all the bells and whistles of a model twice its price. If you're ready to go all in on your entertainment setup, now's the time to head to Amazon.

We compare AirPods Pro, Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro, Nothing Ear (a) and SoundPEATS C30 in everyday use. The focus is on how they handle sound, comfort, and workouts in real-world conditions, and whether any of these lower-priced options can realistically replace a premium pair.

Google changed how you interact with Android, ditching the old navigation bar for a new, edge-to-edge gesture system. The industry buzz was that buttons were an old, somewhat clunky feature, meant for replacement by the more fluid, intuitive motions of a swipe.

TL;DR: Live stream PSG vs. Liverpool in the Champions League for free on RTÉ Player. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The Champions League is showcasing some huge quarter-final matchups this week, and it doesn't get much bigger than the defending champions hosting Liverpool. PSG will be expected to advance to the next round, but Liverpool possess the talent to upset the odds. They've not been at their best this season, but they could turn things around at the Parc des Princes.

Expect big performances from the likes of Doué, Dembélé, and Kvaratskhelia as PSG look to build a lead to take to Anfield.

If you want to watch PSG vs. Liverpool in the Champions League from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is PSG vs. Liverpool?

PSG vs. Liverpool in the Champions League kicks off at 3 p.m. ET on April 8. This fixture takes place at the Parc des Princes.

How to watch PSG vs. Liverpool for free

PSG vs. Liverpool is available to live stream for free on RTÉ Player.

RTÉ Player is geo-restricted to Ireland, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Ireland, meaning you can unblock RTÉ Player to stream the Champions League for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream PSG vs. Liverpool for free by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Ireland

4. Visit RTÉ Player

5. Watch PSG vs. Liverpool for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the Champions League without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream PSG vs. Liverpool (plus more Champions League fixtures) before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming services from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPn for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for RTÉ Player?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on RTÉ Player, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Ireland

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream PSG vs. Liverpool in the Champions League for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Live stream Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid in the Champions League for free on Virgin Media Player. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The next round of Champions League fixtures continues with Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid. This is arguably the toughest contest to predict from the quarter-final stage, but you can be sure of big performances from the likes of Lamine Yamal and Julián Alvarez as these rivals battle it out at the Camp Nou.

They've already met a few times this season, most recently in a dramatic 2-1 win for Barcelona in La Liga. Atletico Madrid did knock Barcelona out of the Copa del Rey earlier this season, so they know how to beat Barcelona over two legs.

If you want to watch Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid in the Champions League for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid?

Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid in the Champions League kicks off at 3 p.m. ET on April 8. This fixture takes place at the Camp Nou.

How to watch Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid for free

Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid is available to live stream for free on Virgin Media Player.

Virgin Media Player is geo-restricted to Ireland, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Ireland, meaning you can unblock Virgin Media Player to stream the Champions League for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid for free by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Ireland

4. Visit Virgin Media Player

5. Watch Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid without committing with your cash. This isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream select Champions League fixtures before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for Virgin Media Player?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on Virgin Media Player, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Ireland

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Watch Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid in the Champions League for free with ExpressVPN.

SAVE 50%: As of April 8, you can get the Eufy Robot Vacuum 11S MAX for $139.99, down from $279.99, at Amazon. That's a 50% discount or $140 savings.

Eufy Robot Vacuum 11S MAX $139.99 at Amazon
$279.99 Save $140   Get Deal at Amazon Get Deal at Amazon

Vacuuming is one of those necessary evils that you just have to do. (I mean, I guess you could boycott vacuuming, but that would most likely make your living space a nightmare). But there is a loophole: The robot vacuum cleaner, and right now you can get one of Amazon's top-rated models for 50% off.

As of April 8, you can get the Eufy Robot Vacuum 11S MAX for $139.99 at Amazon, down from $279.99. That's a 50% discount or $140 savings.

SEE ALSO: I found the best robot vacuums for every floor, budget, and level of laziness

This super-slim robovac is ideal for anyone with low-clearance furniture. It'll run for 100 minutes on a single charge, which should be long enough to clean your entire apartment or the main floor of your house (unless you live in a palace). It's also super quiet (it operates at about the same noise level as a microwave).

My favorite feature of this robot vac is more of a non-feature. It doesn't connect to WiFi or an app. All operations are done using the included remote control. If you're sick of downloading a new app for every single thing in your house (why do I need an app for my washing machine or stove?), this is the best robot vacuum you can get.

Mark Zuckerberg announced Wednesday that Meta Superintelligence Labs has reached its first major milestone: a new family of AI models called Muse, with the debut model, Spark, available now. In a Facebook post, Zuckerberg said that Muse Spark now powers an updated version of Meta AI, which users can access online at meta.ai or in the Meta AI app.

"Muse Spark is the first step on our scaling ladder and the first product of a ground-up overhaul of our AI efforts," a Meta announcement stated.

Spark is designed to be particularly capable in areas tied to everyday personal use — tasks like visual understanding, health, shopping, and social content. Looking ahead, Zuckerberg said Meta is building products that go beyond answering questions, toward AI that acts as agents "that do things for you."

Future AI models in the Muse lineup will also include new open-source releases.

Muse Spark is the first big product from Meta Superintelligence Labs

The announcement marks the public debut of work that has been underway — and at times turbulent — since last summer. When Zuckerberg first laid out his vision for "personal superintelligence" in a July 2025 manifesto, the ambition was an AI that helps people pursue their own goals rather than one controlled from the top down.

To build it, Meta went on one of the most aggressive hiring sprees in recent memory, personally recruiting more than 50 researchers from rivals including OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google, and bringing in former Scale AI chief Alexandr Wang to lead its new superintelligence research group.

Then, just as quickly, Meta froze hiring altogether — citing routine budget planning — and restructured the team into four smaller units focused on research, superintelligence development, products, and infrastructure. Zuckerberg explained the pivot by saying he believes breakthrough AI work is best done by compact teams who can hold the full picture in their heads, rather than sprawling organizations.

The whiplash raised eyebrows amid broader market jitters about whether the AI boom is sustainable. An MIT study circulating at the time found the vast majority of companies deploying AI were seeing no financial return.

In his original manifesto, Zuckerberg drew a sharp philosophical line between Meta and its competitors, arguing that some AI labs want to concentrate superintelligence and pipe its output to humanity like a utility. Meta sees it differently, he said.

In Wednesday's Muse Spark announcement post, he once again framed the lab's founding goal as "putting personal superintelligence in everyone's hands" — with the underlying belief that empowering individuals, not centralizing intelligence, is how humanity moves forward.

Wednesday's Muse announcement will be the first concrete product to emerge from these multi-billion-dollar investments. (Meta allocated $72 billion in AI development in 2025 and is expected to spend up to $135 billion in 2026.)

Muse Spark: Benchmark performance

So far, Meta's Llama family of AI models has lagged far behind its rivals on AI leaderboards. Whether Spark lives up to the superintelligence branding remains to be seen, but after months of hiring drama, restructuring, and big-picture theorizing, Meta has finally put something on the table.

As Zuckerberg put it: "I'm looking forward to sharing more soon."

As part of its Muse Spark announcement, Meta Superintelligence Labs released its scores on popular AI benchmark tests such as Humanity's Last Exam (HLE), ARC AGI 2, and GPQA Diamond. These scores could not be independently verified at this time, but Meta did release information on its testing methodology for Muse Spark.

Overall, Meta reported mixed results when comparing Muse Spark to frontier models such as Claude Opus 4.6 Max, Gemini 3.1 Pro High, GPT 5.4 Xhigh, and Grok 4.2, with Muse Spark outperforming on some benchmarks and underperforming on others.

Meta released a table comparing benchmark performance for Muse Spark.

Meta released this benchmark comparison table. Credit: Meta How to try Muse Spark from Meta

Muse Spark is available online now. Desktop users can access the new AI model online at meta.ai. Mobile users can also try Muse Spark in the Meta AI app. Additionally, Meta said that select users will be able to access a private API preview.

To compete with reasoning models from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google, Meta is also releasing a "Contemplating" mode for Muse Spark, "which orchestrates multiple agents that reason in parallel."

"This allows Muse Spark to compete with the extreme reasoning modes of frontier models such as Gemini Deep Think and GPT Pro. Contemplating mode provides significant capability improvements in challenging tasks, achieving 58% in Humanity’s Last Exam and 38% in FrontierScience Research."

Contemplating mode is not yet available; Meta said it will be released gradually at meta.ai, but did not provide a timeline for its release.

We’re living in an exciting time for cars. Even entry-level models now pack tech and features that used to be luxury-only.

SAVE $80: The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless Multi-System Gaming Headset is on sale at Amazon for $299.99, down from the list price of $379.99. That's a 21% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: SteelSeries SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless Multi-System Gaming Headset $299.99 at Amazon
$379.99 Save $80   Get Deal

A great gaming monitor can change your experience but there's something espeically immersive about a great gaming headset. If you could use an upgrade, check out this nice deal at Amazon on a splurge-worthy pair.

As of April 8, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless Multi-System Gaming Headset is on sale at Amazon for $299.99, marked down from the standard price of $379.99. That's a 21% discount that takes $80 off the normal price.

If you're looking for a "treat yourself" moment when it comes to gaming, it might not get much better than upgrading to the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro headset. Contributor Ben Williams reviewed the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro and wrote, "Its price is still rather high, even when discounted. That said, the experience is well and truly worth the cost — especially if you want the absolute best level of gaming audio you can get on any platform at home and beyond."

SEE ALSO: This curved 27-inch ASUS TUF gaming monitor is now at its best-ever price on Amazon — save $70

Williams also commended the SteelSeries for "brilliant audio performance and connectivity," in addition to mentioning the headset's comfort. Another nice feature is the headset's noise cancellation. While it's not gonna get Sony XM6 levels of impressive, it should do just fine for keeping distractions away from your gaming sessions.

SteelSeries also uses a dual battery system on the Arctis Nova Pro headset. While one battery is keeping the headset powered on for up to 20 hours, the other battery can be charging on the base station. When one battery dies, swap it out for the other fully-charged battery to get another 20 hours of gaming.

Before this sale price disappears, up your gaming sessions with the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless Multi-System Gaming Headset. You'll be equipped with a pro-level gaming headset for under $300.

Spring cleaning your phone goes beyond just wiping down the screen. Iyaz walks through how to safely clean and disinfect your phone and earbuds to remove built-up grime and bacteria, while also showing how to clean inside your device by clearing unused apps and using built-in Android and iOS tools to free up space and improve performance.

One aspect of mobile gaming that has consistently lagged behind is controller support that actually works the way you want it to. It’s a maddening experience to find out that jump is on X, dodge is mapped to the wrong trigger, or when the game doesn’t let you change any of it. Fortunately, Google is finally addressing this pain point in Android 17 Beta 2, and it works exactly the way mobile gamers have wanted it.

London's cybercrime unit is investigating a former Meta employee who allegedly downloaded more than 30,000 private user images from personal Facebook pages.

Police say the employee, a company engineer, allegedly designed a script that allowed his activity to go undetected by internal security systems, according to court documents reviewed by The Guardian.

SEE ALSO: Anthropic limits access to AI that finds security flaws, realizing hackers may use it for exactly that

The incident was discovered by the company over a year ago, Meta explained in a statement to the BBC. In addition to terminating the employee, Meta notified affected Facebook users and updated its security protocols. Meta then referred the case to the UK police, and authorities arrested the man in November.

"After discovering improper access by an employee over a year ago, we immediately terminated the individual, notified users, referred the matter to law enforcement and enhanced our security measures," the company said to the press. "We are co-operating with the ongoing investigation."

Meta has previously been accused of failing to appropriately notify users of privacy policies and how their data is accessed by the company, including recent concerns about Meta AI chatbot prompts being made visible to the public.

Last month, an investigation found that offshore Meta workers in Kenya were being forced to review personal recordings taken by Meta Ray-Ban glasses wearers — videos that were being shared unbeknownst to users to train the company's AI. In January, a group of international plaintiffs and whistleblowers filed a lawsuit against Meta, alleging that private WhatsApp conversations, which are end-to-end encrypted, were being accessed and analyzed by Meta employees. The company has denied the allegation.

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