Apple is promising more eco-friendly batteries ahead of Earth Day. The company has committed to using 100 percent recycled cobalt in all Apple-designed batteries by 2025. It also expects to use completely recycled rare earth elements in its magnets by that point, and all in-house circuit board designs will use fully recycled gold plating and tin soldering.

Only 25 percent of the cobalt Apple used last year was recycled. While thats's up from 13 percent in 2021, that makes the new target more ambitious than others. Apple already uses 73 percent recycled rare earth elements and 38 percent recycled tin. Apple has custom battery designs in most of its portable products, including the iPhone, iPad and MacBook lines.

The company eventually hopes to make all products exclusively with recycled and renewable materials. It expects its products to be carbon neutral by 2030. As of 2022, just 20 percent of the material in Apple hardware was recycled or renewed.

Yes, this is partly about burnishing the company's image. You may be more likely to buy an iPhone or Apple Watch if you believe it's relatively gentle on the planet. However, the cobalt goal may be more significant than most. Cobalt is widely used in batteries, including in electric vehicles, but it also has significant environmental and social problems. The mining process contaminates the air, earth and water, and can lead to health issues for both miners and the general population. There are also concerns about miner exploitation in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Companies have been developing cobalt-free batteries that could lessen the environmental impact across the tech industry. For now, though, efforts like Apple's could reduce the demand for additional cobalt and the associated mining.

LED light bulbs are already supposed to be energy-efficient, but Signifiy thinks it can improve on the formula. The company has released Philips Ultra Efficient LED bulbs that, as the name implies, use 40 percent less energy than the brand's usual LED options. The "advanced" LEDs and optics reduce the yearly energy cost to between 55 cents and $1.03 per bulb, Signify claims. For context, a Philips Ultra Definition 60W bulb uses an estimated 97 cents each year.

The new lights might also be helpful if you're trying to minimize waste. Signify estimates that the Ultra Efficient line has an average lifespan of 50 years, or more than three times the usage of Philips' standard LED bulbs. There's a real chance this lighting might outlive you.

The Philips range is available now as a Walmart exclusive. It starts at $10 for a 60W-equivalent A19 bulb ($17 for two) in soft white and daylight variants. A 65W BR30 bulb costs $11, while a 100W A21 light is $15. You're paying considerably more than you would for standard LEDs — a four-pack of Philips Ultra Definition 60W bulbs costs $14. However, Signify is clearly betting that the lower energy costs and increased longevity will ultimately save you money on top of being kinder to the environment.

The catch, of course, is that these aren't smart bulbs. You'll need to live with higher energy consumption if you insist on Philips Hue and don't want to use smart plugs. If that isn't an obstacle, though, you may see your energy bills shrink if you replace enough bulbs around your home.

You no longer have to be a developer to see the benefit of an Android 14 preview. Google has released the first Android 14 beta, and there are a few slight but meaningful improvements for early adopters. Apps can now add custom actions and shortcuts to Android's share sheets. In other words, cross-app functionality should be considerably more powerful once enough software takes advantage of the feature.

You'll also see a "more prominent" back arrow in the gesture-based navigation interface. The arrow also complements your device theme or wallpaper. It's a minor touch, but it theoretically helps users understand how gestures work.

Additional upgrades are behind the scenes. Apps can now limit accessibility services' ability to see sensitive data. This prevents malicious services from peeking at information, and reduces the chances of performing critical actions by mistake. Android 14 Beta 1 also supports new vector-based visual effects in apps, such as interpolation and morphing.

Earlier Android 14 previews improved accessibility, battery life and security. There's also stronger support for foldable phones and tablets as well as regional personalization on a per-app basis.

You'll still need either Android Studio's emulator or a recent-enough Pixel device (the Pixel 4a and newer) to try the Android 14 beta. It's easier to install, however, as you now just have to enroll your Pixel in the Android Beta Program to download this and future updates. We still wouldn't use the beta on a mission-critical phone, but it's now reliable enough that you might want to try it on a secondary handset where glitches are tolerable.

Google may not have revealed everything there is to know about Android 14. It typically waits until its I/O conference in the spring to share the major feature sets for upcoming Android launches, and you won't see the first release candidates until June. The completed OS is likely to arrive late in the summer. Think of this as Google slowly drawing a curtain open — it's not quite ready for the full reveal.

This may be a good time to be a fan of Bethesda's game lineup. Sony has detailed the PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium game catalog additions for April, and more than a few of them come from Bethesda studios like id Software and Arkane. Most notably, you'll find Doom Eternal and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus. These are no longer fresh games, but they're still some of the better-known first-person shooters in recent memory.

Other Bethesda titles bundled with the subscriptions include Wolfenstein: The Old Blood and the horror game The Evil Within. Not that you're stuck playing one publisher's games. The Pixar-like Kena: Bridge of Spirits is now available, as is the card battler/roguelike hybrid Slay the Spire and Ubisoft's extreme sports title Riders Republic. Sackboy: A Big Adventure is part of the package as well, although it's also available to Essential members.

PS Plus Premium members mostly get access to Bethesda classics. The first three Doom games and Doom 64 are included, as is Dishonored: Definitive Edition.

It's not all good news, unfortunately. Sony warns that Spider-Man, Resident Evil and NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 are some of the games departing the catalog by May 15th. As much as PS Plus' library of games has expanded since Extra and Premium became available, the additions aren't always permanent.

Don't expect a blistering frame rate on your Xbox when Redfall arrives on May 2nd. Arkane Studios has revealed that the vampire-slaying shooter will be limited to the 30 frames per second "Quality" mode on Xbox Series X and S at launch. You'll have to wait for an update at an unspecified point in time to use a 60 fps "Performance" option.

The developers haven't explained why the 60 fps mode will have to wait. We've asked Arkane and Bethesda for comment. The 30 fps mode runs at 4K on Xbox Series X, and 1440p on Series S. PC players' frame rates are dictated by their hardware.

Typically, 60 fps modes in games require compromises in visual detail. You may have to run a title at a lower resolution, accept lower-quality effects or settle for fewer on-screen characters. It's not necessarily a simple matter of changing a few parameters — developers may have to verify that they aren't breaking the experience.

Whatever the reasons, this isn't thrilling news for Xbox gamers. Redfall is a fast-paced game that can benefit from the added responsiveness of a 60 fps mode. Its temporary absence won't necessarily detract from the core gameplay, but might prove disappointing if you're the sort who happily sacrifices lush graphics in the name of a smoother experience.

Don't worry if you were put off by the initially high price of the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Amazon is running a sale on Samsung's latest flagship phones, and the base S23 Ultra with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage is down to $1,000, or $200 off. You'll find a comparable discount for the upgraded version with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, too, and the savings apply regardless of color.

You don't have to buy the Ultra to find some good bargains. The 512GB Galaxy S23+ has dropped to $970 (normally $1,120), while the standard S23 with 256GB is available for $760. Lower-capacity editions are also on sale. The discounts may be very helpful if you're planning to take plenty of springtime photos, or just need extra space for your apps and media.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra is ultimately a refinement of its predecessor, but the improvements are in areas that count — this remains the best Android phone you can buy. The 200MP main sensor allows for exceptional detail in some scenarios, and there are upgrades to selfies and video recording. The customized Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip is speedier, and the battery life is strong enough to last all day even in heavy use. While $1,000 still isn't trivial, you're getting a lot for your money.

The Galaxy S23+ and S23 are subtler updates, but that still makes them fine choices if you're replacing a years-old phone. They boast improved battery life and tangibly faster performance than their predecessors. They just don't offer major camera upgrades — the Ultra and rivals like the Pixel 7 series are better at low-light photography, for instance. If you're just looking for Samsung's fastest hardware at the lowest possible price, you'll be happy.

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True to the leaks, NVIDIA has unveiled the standard GeForce RTX 4070 — and it might hit the sweet spot, provided you're willing to accept the price hikes that have defined the RTX 40 lineup. The $599 desktop GPU is considered a successor to the RTX 3070 Ti and offers a similar 5,888 CUDA cores, but adds more RAM (12GB instead of 8GB), higher clock speeds (1.92GHz base versus 1.58GHz), more level 2 cache (36MB compared to 4MB) and greater floating point computing power (29 teraflops versus 22). At the same time, it reduces the typical gaming power consumption from 290W to 200W. Some games quickly ran into the 8GB ceiling of RTX 3070 variants, so the extra memory alone may have a significant effect.

NVIDIA pitches the RTX 4070 as ideal for 1440p gaming at over 100 frames per second with ray tracing turned on, although you'll have to enable DLSS3 upscaling to hit that target. While many games don't support the feature yet (over 50 do so far), this might make it feasible to play big titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Spider-Man: Miles Morales at maximum visual detail without compromising on frame rates.

The RTX 4070 will be available tomorrow, April 13th, and will include a Founders Edition card from NVIDIA itself. In other words, the $599 price is more likely to reflect what you can actually buy. You might not have to pay extra for a vendor's factory-overclocked board or otherwise accept artificial markups.

Whether or not the new GPU is a good deal depends on your perspective. NVIDIA sees the RTX 4070 as an upgrade path for users coming from a GTX 1080 or RTX 2070. You're paying similar money for a major leap in performance. It's also decidedly more affordable than the $799 RTX 4070 Ti. However, the new model still costs $100 more than the base 3070. Like it or not, the days of sub-$500 upper mid-range cards appear to be over in NVIDIA's world.

The Playdate's Catalog games store has received its first update since its launch last month, and it's a small but eclectic five-title mix that even includes a productivity app. The official headliner, Core Fault, is a survival game that has you piloting a mining droid as it collects resources and dodges unhappy aliens. However, the real star might be Crankulator. Yes, it's exactly what it sounds like — it's a calculator that uses the handheld's crank to enter values. It can even use a synthetic voice to relay calculations like a modern-day Speak & Math.

Other additions include the physics-driven flight game Gravity Express, the mahjong adaptation Sparrow Solitaire and the spooky puzzle solver Life's Too Short. The prices range from just $1 for Life's Too Short through to $10 for Gravity Express and Sparrow Solitaire. As with the initial game batch, these are effectively impulse buys.

The Catalog selection is still tiny at 21 titles. For comparison, the first "season" included with the Playdate provides 24 games. However, this first expansion might give an idea of what to expect — namely, a modest but steady stream of quirky experiences built around the console's black-and-white display and unusual controls. They likely won't replace epics like the latest Legend of Zelda game, but they're not meant that way. These are quick fixes you can play while you're waiting for the bus or taking a work break.

American officials are taking further steps to set rules for AI systems like ChatGPT. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is asking for public comments on possible regulations that hold AI creators accountable. The measures will ideally help the Biden administration ensure that these models work as promised "without causing harm," the NTIA says.

While the request is open-ended, the NTIA suggests input on areas like incentives for trustworthy AI, safety testing methods and the amount of data access needed to assess systems. The agency is also wondering if different strategies might be necessary for certain fields, such as healthcare.

Comments are open on the AI accountability measure until June 10th. The NTIA sees rulemaking as potentially vital. There's already a "growing number of incidents" where AI has done damage, the overseer says. Rules could not only prevent repeats of those incidents, but minimize the risks from threats that might only be theoretical.

ChatGPT and similar generative AI models have already been tied to sensitive data leaks and copyright violations, and have prompted fears of automated disinformation and malware campaigns. There are also basic concerns about accuracy and bias. While developers are tackling these issues with more advanced systems, researchers and tech leaders have been worried enough to call for a six-month pause on AI development to improve safety and address ethical questions.

The Biden administration hasn't taken a definitive stance on the risks associated with AI. President Biden discussed the topic with advisors last week, but said it was too soon to know if the technology was dangerous. With the NTIA move, the government is closer to a firm position — whether or not it believes AI is a major problem.

After a teaser last year, Google is ready to help you save space on your phone by shelving unused apps. The company is rolling out an auto-archive feature that removes key parts of apps without erasing personal data. So long as an app is still available on the Play Store, you just have to tap its icon to re-download the missing pieces. This can free as much as 60 percent of an app's space, Google says.

You'll get the auto-archive option if you try to install an app when your device doesn't have enough remaining storage. If you want to look for unused apps, you can visit the Apps section of settings. The software will typically say that it hasn't been opened for more than a few months. Developers have to publish their apps using the App Bundle format for the feature to work, but that shouldn't be an issue as it's been required since 2021.

The concept isn't new. Apple has offered custom recommendations to pull unused apps since iOS 11's release in 2017. However, the addition may be particularly helpful on Android, which powers a wider range of phones, including low-end models. You may not feel as much pressure to upgrade a budget handset if you know you can simply archive apps until you're ready to use them.

Google adds that this could help developers. If users can auto-archive apps, they're less likely to completely uninstall those apps. Creators may be more likely to hold on to users, even if those customers seldomly return.