Apple boosted iOS security today with the release of its 16.3 software update. For the first time, iOS users can use physical security keys for two-factor authentication (2FA) of their Apple ID. This new measure, announced by the company last year, adds a layer of protection for those facing unusual security threats — people like celebrities, journalists and government employees.

Physical key support should help prevent phishing scams, which can trick users into allowing an intruder access through 2FA. Using a device like the YubiKey means only those with access to the physical key can get into your account. Although some security keys plug into the iPhone’s Lightning port, most use USB. However, NFC and Bluetooth keys should work with the iPhone, and you can plug a USB one into Apple’s Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter.

iOS 16.3 also includes updates to Emergency SOS controls. You’ll still be able to call emergency services by holding down the power and volume-up buttons, but now, it won't call 911 until you release them. This allows you to cancel before emergency services are notified.

The update also adds bug fixes for issues like strokes not appearing on shared boards in the Freeform app, horizontal lines appearing on the iPhone 14 Pro Max after waking and a bug that prevented the Home lock screen widget from showing the Home app's status. Finally, it adds support for the new second-generation HomePod.

If you own a compatible device, you can install the update by heading to Settings > General > Software Update.

The native iOS and macOS versions of Fortnite are about to become even more limited. Since the start of its legal feud with Apple back in the summer of 2020, Epic Games has allowed players who had Fortnite installed on their devices prior to the game's removal from the App Store to continue playing. However, due to the removal, Epic hasn’t updated those versions of the game, meaning they’ve been stuck on Fortnite’s 13.40 release for more than two years. Effectively, that meant they’ve existed in a sort of limbo. All of the gameplay changes Epic has made to Fortnite since then (and there have been many), as well as all new cosmetics and seasonal passes the company has introduced, haven’t made their way over to the native iOS and macOS releases. Now those versions are about to become even more restrictive.

Starting on January 30th, Epic won’t allow you to spend Fortnite’s V-Bucks currency within the game’s iOS, Mac and Google Play versions. You’ll also need to be over the age of 18 to play. “We want all versions of our games to use the current suite of Epic Online Services including parental controls, purchasing defaults, and parental verification features,” Epic said on Twitter. “We are not able to update the app on these platforms given Apple and Google’s restrictions on Fortnite.”

In December, the company introduced new accounts designed specifically for younger players. They prevent kids from spending money in Fortnite’s in-game store and using voice chat without a parent’s consent. That same month, the Federal Trade Commission announced Epic had agreed to pay $520 million to settle allegations it had violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act and “tricked millions of players into making unintentional purchases."

Most players won’t be affected by the restriction since there are ways to access Fortnite without going through the App Store or Google Play Store. On iOS and macOS, for instance, you can play the game through GeForce Now. On Android, meanwhile, it’s possible to download the native version of Fortnite directly from Epic’s website.

Microsoft is once again pouring money into OpenAI as part of an expanded partnership. The tech giant is making a "multibillion dollar" investment that will lead to wider uses of OpenAI's technology, as well as stronger behind-the-scenes support. While the two companies are short on specifics, Microsoft says you can expect "new categories of digital experiences" that include both consumer-facing and business products. The developer-focused Azure OpenAI Service will play a role.

The continued union will also see Microsoft boost its investments in supercomputers that accelerate OpenAI's research. Azure will remain OpenAI's sole cloud provider for products, research and services. The exact size of the financial contribution isn't known, but a Bloombergsource claims Microsoft is investing $10 billion over "multiple years."

Microsoft first backed OpenAI in 2019, and returned in 2021. The New York Times notes it "quietly" invested an extra $2 billion since that initial round. The companies have grown closer since their collaboration began. On top of the Azure service, Microsoft has launched OpenAI-powered features that include natural language programming and a DALL-E 2 graphic design tool. OpenAI uses Microsoft's infrastructure to train its best-known systems, including DALL-E 2 and the popular ChatGPT bot. ChatGPT is coming to Azure soon.

There's no mention of some rumored developments, such as building ChatGPT into Bing. However, this expansion may help Microsoft seize a competitive advantage. Google reportedly sees ChatGPT as a threat to its search business, and is believed to be devoting much of its attention to a search chatbot and other AI products despite a reluctance to fully embrace the technology over concerns about copyright. Even if the deeper OpenAI partnership doesn't improve Bing, Microsoft may benefit by forcing rivals like Google to change course.

With its last batch of MacBook Pros, Apple gave its more demanding fans everything they wanted: Tons of ports, lots of power, and genuinely great screens. As usual, the company is following up that major redesign with a straightforward chip upgrade, featuring the new M2 Pro and M2 Max. They're faster, as you'd expect, but they also deliver a few features power users may appreciate, like 8K video output and support for WiFi 6E.

Once Apple locks in a redesign, it typically doesn't mess with a good thing (save for complete disasters like the trashcan Mac Pro). So it's no surprise to see that this year's MacBook Pro 14 doesn't look any different than the 2021 model. It still boasts a gorgeous 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display with ProMotion support and a prominent notch housing a 1080p webcam. It has all of the ports you'd actually want, including a MagSafe power connection, three Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, HDMI, a headphone jack and a full-sized SD card slot. And the overall shape of the computer remains relatively flat, an evolution of the long-lived unibody MacBook Pro design.

Under the hood, though, the MacBook Pro 14 has been dramatically upgraded. It can be equipped with Apple's new M2 Pro chip, which offers up to a 12-core CPU and 19-core GPU, or the M2 Max, which squeezes in a 12-core CPU and 38-core GPU. Much like Intel's new hybrid processors, as well as mobile chips from Qualcomm, Apple relies on a combination of core speeds for its CPUs (the 12-core chips, for example, have eight performance cores and four efficiency cores). The previous M1 Pro and M1 Max topped out with 10 CPU cores and 16 or 32 GPU cores, respectively.

Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

Apple claims the M2 Pro is around 20 percent faster than its predecessor in CPU speeds, and up to 30 percent faster when it comes to graphics. The M2 Max, meanwhile, is up to 30 percent faster than the M1 Max in terms of graphics. We tested the fully-upgraded $3,299 MacBook Pro, which was equipped with the M2 Max chip with 38 GPU cores and 64GB of RAM. It scored around 2,600 points (19 percent) faster in the GeekBench 5 multitasking CPU benchmark, compared to the M1 Max-equipped MacBook Pro 16. It was also 18 percent faster in the GPU-powered GeekBench 5 Compute test and a whopping 60 percent faster than the M1 Max Mac Studio in the 3DMark Wildlife Extreme benchmark.

These are phenomenal results if you're planning to use the MacBook Pro to its full potential. But I'll admit, during everyday usage, I didn't notice any major performance benefits over the previous models. That's not really a knock against the new computer, it's more a testament to how much Apple got right last time. Unlike PCs, you probably won't be gaming too much with your Mac, either, so there's less of a reason to chase frequent upgrades. On that note, it's nice to see some modern games with native Mac support. Resident Evil Village easily hits 60fps on the MacBook Pro at full resolution, but I wouldn't be surprised if the same was true for the M1 models.

If you're among the folks dealing with large video encoding or high compute jobs daily, though, it may be worth moving up from the last MacBook Pro. It took me 31 seconds to transcode a minute-long 4K clip into 1080p using Handbrake — but the M1 Max MacBook Pro 16 took a full 10 seconds longer. Extrapolate that to longer jobs and you could be saving yourself some serious time. And if you've managed to hold out with an Intel MBP until now, it's definitely time to upgrade — you'll easily see a night and day difference in speed.

Aside from its performance, the MacBook Pro 14 remains a wonderful workhorse to live with. The MiniLED Liquid Retina display looks fantastically bright, especially when viewing HDR content. Mostly, though, I appreciated the smooth scrolling thanks to Apple's 120Hz ProMotion refresh rate. The six speaker sound system remains excellent, with crisp and punchy audio that's leagues ahead of most other laptops. And I remain impressed with the MacBook Pro's built-in three-mic array. It's no replacement for a dedicated USB microphone, but it sounds great during video calls.

Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

The MacBook Pro's keyboard is certainly better than the old butterfly models, but I wish Apple was able to deliver more key travel. It's still great to type on, to be clear, I'm just feeling a bit spoiled from the mechanical keyboards I've seen in some gaming laptops. The Pro's trackpad remains best in class though, with a large surface area and responsive performance. After testing the XPS 13 Plus last year, which featured an attractive yet hard to use trackpad hidden in the wrist rest, I'm even more appreciative of Apple's clean design. It turns out that being able to feel the difference between the trackpad and the wrist rest is pretty helpful!

Apple is touting better battery life as another major benefit of the M2 Pro and Max chips, and I definitely noticed an improvement. The previous MacBook Pro lasted 12 hours and 36 minutes during our testing, but the new model made it to 15 hours and 10 minutes. That's a healthy step up, especially if you find yourself stuck on a long flight without any working outlets. Apple says that the new MacBook Pros can reach up to 22 hours of battery life, but take note that figure only refers to the 16-inch model.

Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

Just like last time, the 14-inch MacBook Pro starts at $1,999 — a huge leap from the $1,299 13-inch model. I'm still a bit baffled by that MacBook Pro, though. Most mainstream shoppers would be better off with the revamped M2 MacBook Air, while power users might as well bump up to this more powerful 14-inch model. If you're aiming for something bigger, the 16-inch MacBook Pro starts at $2,499. New gear also means the old models will inevitably go on sale, so it's worth keeping an eye on the M1 Pro and Max machines if you're aiming to save some money. Sure, they're a bit slower, but you could put that extra money towards buying more RAM or storage.

It's no wonder Apple announced the new MacBook Pros without much fanfare. It's just a simple spec bump, not the sort of thing most buyers would get too excited about. But for the creative professionals who need the most power possible, it's another reason to stick with Apple instead of jumping to a PC.

Microsoft's best Xbox One and Xbox series wireless controller is the Xbox Elite Series 2, and the white Core version is now available at the lowest price we've seen yet. You can pick one up at Amazon-owned Woot for just $100, or $30 off the regular price. 

The Elite Series 2 Core gives you the same exact controller as the Elite Series 2, without the additional accessories. It's designed with competitive gamers in mind, offering a wrap-around rubberized grip, shorter hair trigger locks and 40 hours of battery life. It feels and plays just as well as the Elite, offering Xbox wireless connection with the Xbox One and Series S/X consoles, reducing latency and letting you use the headphone jack. You can also connect it to a PC via Bluetooth. The Xbox Accessories app provides customization options like button remapping, sensitivity curve adjustments, dead zones, vibration intensity tweaking and LED colors. 

If you decide you want the normal Elite Series 2 accessories after all, that's no problem — just purchase the $60 Complete Component Pack separately. That gives you everything missing from the Core model, including a carrying case, a thumbstick-adjustment tool, a charging dock, two classic thumbsticks, one tall thumbstick, one dome thumbstick, one cross-shaped D-pad, two medium and two mini paddles, as well as a USB-C cable. 

With the sale, you could buy the component pack and Elite Series 2 Core controller and still save over purchasing the regular Elite Series 2 model. Just remember that Woot's return policy isn't quite as generous as its parent Amazon. 

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With this week’s return of the HomePod, you might think it would make sense for Apple to start working on a new HomePod mini. After all, the company hasn’t announced a hardware refresh for the device since its introduction in 2020, and the smart speaker market is one of the most competitive in tech. However, it appears no such update is in the works.

In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman says he believes the company is not “actively working” on a new HomePod mini. Pointing to the second-generation HomePod, he notes it “doesn’t include any major new functions that aren’t already in the $99 mini, so there isn’t an obvious reason to update the model.” Gurman suggests Apple is more likely to improve the mini by releasing software updates that address shortcomings involving Siri and app integration because that’s where “real improvements probably need to be made.”

To that point, Apple recently updated the HomePod mini’s software to activate a temperature and humidity sensor that had been lying dormant in the device since release. As Gurman points out, the newly reintroduced HomePod adds features previously exclusive to the HomePod mini, including ultra-wideband support and Thread connectivity.

While a new HomePod mini could be years away, Apple likely has other smart home products on the horizon. In August, Gurman reported the company was working on a smart display, as well as a device that combines the functionality of an Apple TV, camera and HomePod into a single offering. At the time, he said those could arrive by early 2024.

Now that Twitter has confirmed it's banning third-party clients, some of the most prominent alternatives are going away. Tapbots has shut down work on Tweetbot, one of the more popular iOS apps, as Twitter rendered it non-functional "in a blink of an eye." The developer is instead pivoting to Ivory, an app for the open social platform Mastodon. While it's limited to an invitation-only test for now, Tapbots hopes to make the software "better than Tweetbot ever could be."

This isn't the only major Twitter app developer calling it quits. The Iconfactory has pulled Twitterrific from the iOS and macOS App Stores, and blasted the Musk-era Twitter as a company it "no longer recognize[s] as trustworthy." Android users, meanwhile, can't count on apps like Matteo Villa's Fenix (it's no longer available on Google Play) or Luke Klinker's Talon (which the creator warns "will cease to work").

The shutdowns follow roughly a week of disruption and unclear messaging. Numerous third-party apps suddenly stopped working around the evening of January 12th, with leaks suggesting it was intentional. Twitter later acknowledged it was breaking these apps, allegedly to enforce "long-standing" developer rules. The social media giant then quietly updated its developer agreement to formally ban unofficial clients.

Third-party Twitter clients generally haven't played a major role in recent years. In 2018, Sensor Tower determined that 6 million users had installed alternatives versus 560 million for the official Android and iOS apps. However, the ban doesn't help Twitter's bid to keep users and protect its bottom line. Third-party app users downloaded their software of choice precisely because they're active and want features that the official apps don't offer (such as more powerful media previews and searches). Twitter's policy risks alienating those users who hate the first-party app.

This week, Apple announced and set the release date for the new MacBook Pros and both Amazon and Best Buy rushed to offer a slight discount on pre orders. Amazon also knocked a hefty 40 percent off many of their Fire Tablets, including the new Fire HD 8. Bose's QC II earbuds are back down to $250, and a couple robot vacuums are on sale, including the best budget vac we've tried, iRobot's Roomba 694. We also found a few deals on SSD cards from both Samsung and Crucial, plus a tidy 32 percent discount on one of our favorite tiny Bluetooth speakers. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.

Amazon Fire HD 8 tablet

Amazon's own tablets are already among the most affordable out there but right now, you can grab the latest eight-inch HD model for just $60. That's a 40 percent discount off the usual $100 price tag and while it's not quite the all-time low we saw for Black Friday, it's still an extremely low price for a tablet. For a moderate upgrade the Fire HD 8 Plus adds an extra gigabyte of ram, wireless charging and improved cameras. Right now it's 33 percent off, for a sale price of $80. You can save a larger percentage on the 10-inch models like the Fire HD 10. It's down to $85, or 43 percent off the list price. It's important to note that these are all ad-supported models, meaning you'll see ads from Amazon on your lock screen. The non-ad-supported models are currently full price.

While Fire tablets don't have the level of processing power or performance that you'd get from a more expensive iPad or Galaxy Tab, they're decent options for casual web browsing, e-reading and video streaming. The Fire HD 10 Kids Pro is what we recommend for kids in our latest tablet guide and the sale brings it down to $140 or $60 off the list price. Fire tablets for kids don't have ad-supported versions and include a year of Amazon Kids+ which offers thousands of kid-oriented games, apps and videos. Plus it comes with a protective case with a handle that doubles as a kickstand.

Amazon Kindle Kids

It was just released back in September, but the new 2022 Kindle Kids just got its first discount at Amazon. The kid-focused e-reader is $85 right now, which is $35 less than its usual $120. The Kindle Paperwhite for Kids is also on sale for $110, or $50 off the usual price. The Paperwhite edition adds waterproofing, adjustable warm light, and a slightly larger screen (6.8 inches vs the Kindle Kids' 6-inch screen). The deal isn't the lowest we've seen, but it's only $5 more than its all-time low during last year's holiday sales. 

Both kid-focused Kindles include a year subscription to Amazon Kids+, which grants access to thousands of age-appropriate e-books and audiobooks. They also have a Parent Dashboard to set age filters and device time limits. The new Kindle Kids ups the storage capacity to 16GB, while the Paperwhite is available in either an 8GB size or a 16GB size. You can also snag the same deals on the Kindle Kids at Best Buy or Target if you prefer.   

Microsoft Surface Pro 9

Microsoft’s Surface Pro 9 usually retails for $1,100, but right now it's $ 929, which is cheaper than it's been since its release back in October. The slab is our current favorite Windows tablet thanks to its laptop-like capabilities with a slim tablet design. With Windows 11 and a 12th-gen Intel Evo i5 processor, the tablet is built for productivity. You also get a beautiful display with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate and improved stereo speakers. There's a front-facing camera that allows for facial recognition for easier log-ins. Unlike many tablets, you can access and upgrade the SSD as needed. The larger app icons and touch-friendly controls in Windows 11 make it easy to use as a tablet, or you can add a keyboard and mouse for a full laptop-like experience. 

Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II

If you want to shut out the world, we recommend going with Bose's QuietComfort Earbuds II. They usually sell for $300, but right now at Amazon the earbuds are down to $250. We've seen the buds dip to this price a few times in the past, and it matches their sale price for Black Friday last year. While $250 still isn't cheap, if you're ready to invest in a set of earbuds with the best noise cancellation we've tried, saving $50 could help. We gave them a score of 87 in our review, giving them kudos for their sound quality, comfort and ambient (transparent) sound — in addition to the phenomenal ANC. 

Apple M2 MacBook Pro Laptop 

The latest Apple laptops haven't even been released, yet the base configuration of the new MacBook Pro with the brand's fastest M2 Pro processor chip is seeing its first discount both on Amazon, which has it for $50 off, and Best Buy, where members can get a $100 gift card along with a pre-order. It's rare for new Apple products to get discounts this early, but the two retailers are hoping the savings will help you click Add to Cart through their sites. Announced earlier this week, the new computers have the new, faster M2 Pro chip, plus support for WiFi 6E and an HDMI port that supports 8K up to 60Hz and 4K displays up to 240Hz. Battery life has also been upgraded with lifespans of up to 22 hours, the longest ever on a Mac, according to Apple. 

Note that Amazon's $50 discount applies to the space gray colorway in the base configurations of the 14- or 16-inch models. The 14-inch base model has a 10-core CPU, 16‑core GPU and 16GB RAM and a 512GB SSD. The 16-inch model has 12-core CPU, a 19-Core GPU, 16GB RAM and 12GB of SSD storage. The Best Buy gift card offer applies to more configurations, but is only available to TotalTech members, a $200-per-year membership that you can sign up for with your pre-order. Compared to the list price of $2,000 for the 14-inch base model, these aren't huge discounts, but if you were planning on getting Apple's latest release anyway, you may as well save yourself a little cash. The computers will release next Tuesday, January 24th. 

Sony X95K Series Bravia XR Mini LED TV

Sony's 65-inch X95K Bravia mini LED TV is $1,000 off right now, bringing the price down to $1,798. That's the lowest price the set has gone for since its release last May. If you want a bigger screen, the 75-inch model is $500 off, bringing that one down to $2,498. Amazon is offering other Sony sets at a discount as well, including some high-end OLED and 4K LED sets like the 55-inch Sony Bravia XR A80K Series 4K Ultra HD TV, which is 35 percent off or $1,298. 

A slightly more affordable TV, Sony's Sony 65 Inch 4K Ultra HD TV is 30 percent off its usual $1,000 price tag, bringing that set down to $698. All the sets come with Google's smart TV OS, Google TV, which we liked for its super simple streaming interface. And since Sony also makes the PlayStation, many of these sets include bonus features designed to enhance the look of your PS5 gaming. With the Super Bowl in the US around the corner, this might be a good week to upgrade if you've had your eye on a Sony. 

Samsung 980 Pro SSD 2TB

When your PC or console edges close to its storage limits, it might be time to grab an SSD or memory card. Right now Amazon is hosing a sale on Samsung storage options, including the 980 Pro SSD in the 2TB capacity. We named it the best SSD for your PS5 in our guide (and included instructions on how to install it). Right now it's a steep 53 percent off, bringing it down to just $180. It's a fast PCIe Gen4 NVMe drive with read speeds up to 7,000MB/s, but it also has a reputation for reliability. Also on sale is the 256GB Evo Select microSD card for just $20, that's a 52 percent discount on a card that'll expand the storage of a tablet, Android phone or a Nintendo Switch. 

Crucial MX500 SSD

Storage from Crucial is also on sale at Amazon right now, with the 1TB option down to $62, which beats its Black Friday price. The MX500 SSD is a good option for adding extra storage to a computer that's nearing capacity, either extending the life of an older device or simply upgrading what you've recently picked up. The 2.5-inch design should fit most laptops and desktops, and it supports read speeds up to 560MB/s and write speeds up to 510MB/s. AES 256-bit hardware encryption is built in and also comes with power loss immunity to protect your saved data it the power goes out. We also appreciate that the MX500 comes in a number of capacity options. The 1TB is arguably best for most people, but you can get it as low as 250GB or as high as 4TB — and all configurations are discounted right now.

iRobot Roomba 694

This turned out to be a great week for anyone looking to dive into automated cleaning for their floors. Our current "best overall" pick in our budget robot vacuum guide is just $174 at Amazon right now. That's $95 off its usual price and just $4 more than it was for Black Friday. We like iRobot's Roomba 694 machine for its good cleaning power and simple app. We think iRobot's app is great, and even those new to robot vacuums will feel comfortable setting schedules for a mostly hands-free experience (you'll still need to empty the vac once its full).  

iRobot Roomba Combo j7+

We had a chance to try the iRobot Roomba Combo j7+ a couple of months ago and liked the way it worked its way into a daily cleaning routine with minimal fuss (after contending with the initial mapping of the floor plan). The unit self-empties into the base and the app is "beautifully simple." We feel that the water reservoir might need refilling to get a full clean in larger homes, but the fact that it lifts up the mop pad when not in use to avoid dripping on your carpet is a nice touch. The price is steep, usually going for $1,100, but right now both Wellbots and Amazon are knocking $200 off the list price, making it a slightly more manageable $900.  

Logitech Pebble Wireless Mouse

One of our favorite mice for general productivity is the Pebble mouse from Logitech and right now, the blue and tan colorways are down to $22. We liked the mobile mouse for its slim portability that still had enough heft to feel reassuring in the hand. It's got a simple, two button plus a wheel configuration and can connect via Bluetooth or with the included USB dongle (which conveniently stores in the battery compartment). The long battery life can get up to 18 months on a single AA and while it might not be the most comfortable for extended use, you can't beat the price for an on-the-go mouse. 

Tribit StormBox Micro 2

A carryover that's still going strong this week, Tribit's StormBox Micro 2 is down to $48 from its usual $70 at Amazon right now. It's one of of the Bluetooth speakers we recommend in the sub-$200 range thanks to its compact size that manages to pump out decent volume. It'll get up to 12 hours of play time on a charge and you can even use the unit as a USB-C power bank to charge your phone. Pair up two of them for stereo sound and is waterproof enough to handle a dunk into water. 

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Now is around the time of year when we start to see price drops on last year's TVs, after most brands introduce their sets for the forthcoming year at events like CES and subsequently need to clear out inventory on their older, but often still worthwhile, models. Sony is one manufacturer that hasn't revealed its 2023 lineup just yet, but even still, a number of the company's 2022 TVs are currently discounted across multiple retailers.

The highlight of the bunch is Sony's X95K, which is down to $1,798 for a 65-inch model and $2,498 for a 75-inch set. Neither deal is exactly cheap, but both prices represent new all-time lows, coming in about $200 and $500 below the two models' respective street prices in recent months. 

While we don't review many TVs here at Engadget, the X95K has received strong reviews from our peers at Rtings, Tom's Guide and the like. It's a Mini LED display, which generally gives it greater contrast than most traditional LED panels and higher brightness than a typical OLED TV. This should help it perform well with HDR content in particular, though you might see a blooming effect around particularly bright objects. Beyond that, it has four HDMI ports, two of which are HDMI 2.1 and can output a 4K resolution at up to 120 Hz. For gaming, it also supports variable refresh rate, and the whole thing runs on the Google TV interface.

To be clear, this is a crowded market, and the X95K isn't the best choice for everyone. Samsung's S95B OLED TV has been widelypraised for offering an OLED panel that offers typically excellent contrast without sacrificing as much in the way of peak brightness. A 65-inch model of that set is currently available for $200 more, though it's worth noting that it lacks 75-inch variant and Dolby Vision support.

LG's C2 TV isn't as well-suited to bright rooms, but it should still be a great option for those who'd prefer an OLED panel, and its 65-inch set is currently $100 less than the X95K's equivalent. Hisense's U8H looks to offer similar Mini LED performance at a lower price, too. And if you don't need a new set right now, many of the TVs announced for later this year are focusing onimproved brightness, and we'll likely see prices on last year's models drop further over the next couple of months.

Nevertheless, if brightness is your main concern and you've had your eye on Sony's set in particular, this is as cheap as we've seen it. Besides the X95K, other deals of note from the sale include the high-end A95K OLED TV back down to $2,498 and the mid-range X90K available for $898. We've seen those deals before, but both match the lowest prices we've seen. Lower-tier models like the X80K and X85K are also discounted, though those are harder to recommend since they lack local dimming.

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It seems Google is feeling the heat from OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The artificial intelligence-powered chatbot has taken the tech world by storm over the last couple months, as it can provide users with information they're looking for in an easy-to-understand format. Google sees ChatGPT as a threat to its search business and has shifted plans accordingly over the last several weeks, according to The New York Times.

The report claims CEO Sundar Pichai has declared a "code red" and accelerated AI development. Google is reportedly preparing to show off at least 20 AI-powered products and a chatbot for its search engine this year, with at least some set to debut at its I/O conference in May.

According to a slide deck viewed by the Times, among the AI projects Google is working on are an image generation tool, an upgraded version of AI Test Kitchen (an app used to test prototypes), a TikTok-style green screen mode for YouTube and a tool that can generate videos to summarize other clips. Also in the pipeline are a feature titled Shopping Try-on (perhaps akin to one Amazon has been developing), a wallpaper creator for Pixel phones and AI-driven tools that could make it easier for developers to create Android apps.

Pichai reportedly brought in Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin last month to meet with current leaders, review AI plans and offer input. The duo hasn't had much day-to-day involvement with the company since 2019, as they're focusing on other projects.

Google has attempted to speed up product approval processes, including checks to ensure that AI-driven tech is fair and ethical, it's claimed. In addition, the company is said to be adjusting the risk levels it's prepared to take on as it rolls out such tech. Priorities for a demo of the search chatbot seemingly include safety, accuracy and blocking out misinformation. However, for the other products and tools Google is working on, it has "a lower bar and will try to curb issues relating to hate and toxicity, danger and misinformation rather than preventing them," the Times reported.

Of late, Google has exercised some caution when it comes to unveiling new products. The slide deck reportedly mentioned "copyright, privacy and antitrust" as the main risks of AI tech. It's said to have noted that solutions were needed to keep out copyrighted material and prevent personally identifiable information from being shared.

Over the last few years, there has been a backlash against Google's handling of AI ethics. Timnit Gebru and Margaret Mitchell, two leading AI ethics researchers, said Google fired them. Gebru and Mitchell accused Google of censoring research that criticizes AI language-learning models, including concerns that they encode biases found in training data. That can result "in models that encode stereotypical and derogatory associations along gender, race, ethnicity, and disability status," the researchers wrote in a paper. Training datasets can include false information as well. Two other prominent ethics researchers left Google early last year, after Gebru and Mitchell's departures.

It's not difficult to understand why Google is said to be in panic mode over ChatGPT. For one thing, earlier this month, reports suggested that Microsoft (an OpenAI investor) plans to incorporate some of the tech powering ChatGPT into Bing. The company said this week that it will soon integrate ChatGPT into the Azure OpenAI Service.

The latest report over Google's response to ChatGPT comes just after the company announced it's laying off 12,000 people. "I am confident about the huge opportunity in front of us thanks to the strength of our mission, the value of our products and services, and our early investments in AI," Pichai wrote in a memo to staff. "To fully capture it, we’ll need to make tough choices."

The CEO added that the company is preparing to unveil "some entirely new experiences for users, developers and businesses. We have a substantial opportunity in front of us with AI across our products and are prepared to approach it boldly and responsibly."