Sweet Internet Finds | Best Product Finds

 The iPhone SE isn’t really made for power users, and that shows in the battery life. It’ll get you through a day if you’re making phone calls and surfing the web, but don’t expect it to last all day if you’re doing a ton of gaming or more processor-intensive tasks. It looks the same as the iPhone SE from 2020, which looked the same as the iPhone 8 from 2017. It does look dated, and there are lots of phones with nicer screens that reach the top and bottom of the phone. The screen is adequate, but won’t wow you like the brighter and faster screens on Apple’s more expensive phones.

 Finally, while it’s not as water-resistant as Apple’s other iPhones, it can still survive a dunk in the bath or a spill without any worry, and has the same strong glass as other iPhones to help prevent shattering if you drop it. It doesn’t feel cheap like some low-cost Android phones, which often use plastic instead of glass and metal.

 We got our first look at games like Aliens Dark Descent, Fort Solis, Routine, Stormgate, Goat Simulator 3, Midnight Fight Express, One Piece Odyssey, Honkai Starrail and several others. Though many of these games are of the indie variety, it's good to see we're getting some new titles in what has been an otherwise dry year for gaming. While Summer Game Fest 2022 had its fair share of commercials (did we really need to see a trailer for Black Adam during a games show?), the ads didn't feel as blatant as they have in years past. Most of the focus was on game trailers and announcements. And even obvious commercials like the one for Mario Strikers: Battle League were tolerable since they at least announced new games or add-ons.

 On the fintech side, however, Apple is building a foundation to provide a boost to its payments business by layering more functions into Apply Pay and Wallet beyond just using your iPhone, instead of your credit card, to pay for things. And because of Apple’s scale with more than a billion devices in use, a lot more people are about to be exposed to these products. Apple recently announced its new iPhone software, iOS 16, during its developers conference. The new lock screen customization options suggest that at least one of this year’s new iPhones will get a feature Android phones have had for years: an always-on display.

 This project is an ever-expanding look at what kinds of opportunities are available today, and how to best prepare for what is coming tomorrow. We hope you find it useful. Whether you're new to computer science or an experienced coder, there’s something for you here in Google’s Tech Dev Guide. We’ve carefully curated materials from various sources, including some made by Google, that you can use to grow your technical skills, supplement your coursework, and prepare for interviews.

 It’s got the same body design as the iPhone 8 from 2017, which looks a bit out of date but also means it’s the only iPhone you can still buy with a fingerprint-reading home button instead of Apple’s Face ID unlock system, which is only now getting support for face masks. I love the size. I normally carry Apple’s much bigger iPhone 13 Pro Max, which feels a bit like a brick next to the iPhone SE. I’d turn to the iPhone SE to toss in my pocket for a run, and it was a lot easier to use to watch movies with one hand while lying down without worrying about it dropping on my face. The stereo speakers are good, too. But if you have the budget, the iPhone 13 Mini is the same size with a way better screen, slightly longer battery life, and nicer cameras.

 The key to the transition was Apple’s move to dump Intel chips for its own silicon. Apple has succeeded here — I do not recommend Macs with an Intel processor, such as the Mac Pro or some Mac Mini models, because they are getting dated and won’t last as long. The Mac Studio is a new slot in Apple’s lineup for creative pros who are charging the computer to their company, or for people who want the fastest Mac available and don’t care how much it costs. Reminder, you’re spending $1,999 before you even add in the $1,599 screen. Combined, you’re spending $3,598 before taxes. But you know what you’re getting if you spend that much, and I think you’ll like it.

 If you've recently joined the ranks of Apple fandom, make sure to take advantage of all the intricacies of your Macbook Pro, iMac, or Mac Mini with these tutorials on new Apple features and connecting to USD's network: What if you prefer your Apple products a little more mobile? Here are a few basic tutorials to make sure you have full network connectivity on your Apple mobile device, and a few others to help you make the most of these amazing pieces of technology: As appreciators of diversity, we recognize that not all mobile devices are the same, which is why we've included a series of tutorials and FAQs for Android and other non-Apple mobile devices. If you're one of the many who values the customization, versatility, and cost-efficiency of Android mobile devices, these tutorials will help you both with connecting to USD's network and acclimating to the learning curve of Android:

 But the selling point for Mac Studio is not its design: It’s the speed, and in particular, the performance of its Apple silicon chip. I tested a $3,199 version of the Mac Studio with 64 gigabytes of RAM and 2 terabytes of storage space powered by an M1 Max processor with a 10-core CPU and a 32-core GPU. Upgraded versions can include an even more powerful M1 Ultra chip. I was able to load and edit high-resolution video in Final Cut Pro quickly and could instantly batch edit dozens of photos in Lightroom. It can render complicated 3D environments and images, in professional apps such as Houdini FX, which requires more performance than 2D video. Everything was speedy, and I’m confident the chip can perform this kind of work for years.

 Amp allows users to launch their own live show, where callers can join and request to speak. Hosts can play music in real time with their audience, as well as preplan and schedule their shows. DJs can choose from a library of millions of songs licensed by Amazon. The company said in a blog post that Amp gives users the chance to “reimagine radio.” “Amp infuses what listeners love about radio with what’s made possible by today’s technology,” John Ciancutti, vice president of Amp, said in the post. “People are looking for an evolution in how they discover and share music; Amp is reinventing how fans can go deeper into the experience of live audio, while giving the millions of people creating and sharing playlists today a new way to turn their love of music into live shows.”

 The M1 chip gives you the option to do a lot more than you can with the regular iPad. You can edit photos and videos faster in apps such as Adobe Photoshop or LumaFusion or play all of the latest games, including some that don’t run on the regular iPad, such as “Divinity: Original Sin 2.” I own the regular iPad Pro and didn’t notice any performance difference in using the more affordable iPad Air. I think of the M1 chip as future-proofing more than anything else, though, since there’s enough power here to run the latest apps for years. Center Stage was first introduced on the iPad Pro last year and has since made its way to the regular iPad, but it’s one of my favorite new features in Apple’s tablets. It helps keep you in the frame during video calls, which means you can move back and forth around the room while chatting on FaceTime and the camera will follow you. I love using it for video chats with my toddler and his grandparents because it helps keep him in the frame as he bounces around the room.

 Apple’s iPad sales were down 14% year-over-year during the holiday quarter, generating $7.25 billion in revenue, while Mac sales soared 25% during the same period to $10.85 billion. Apple had some supply constraints, but also spent much of the last year hyping up its new M1-powered Macs, which helped drive sales in that segment. That M1 chip has been available in Apple’s more expensive iPad Pro. Now it comes to the iPad Air, giving Apple’s midrange tablet the same power as some Macs and more expensive iPads.

 The 5G works well, too. It doesn’t support some of the fastest mmWave networks that other iPhone and Android devices can, but those networks aren’t widely available anyway. More importantly, it does support the new C-band networks that are being rolled out by Verizon and AT&T, as well as T-Mobile’s solid nationwide 5G network. So, while 5G still isn’t a must-have for most people, it’s great if you need to download a big playlist or a couple of TV shows before you hop on a flight. In my tests, T-Mobile’s 5G network hit about 300Mbps at home, which was faster than my Wi-Fi in parts of my house.

 But the festivities aren't done yet! Upcoming summer events include Devolver Digital's "Marketing Countdown to Marketing" show, Netflix's Geeked Week gaming presentation, the Tribeca Games Spotlight, the Xbox + Bethesda Showcase, the PC Gaming Show, the Capcom Showcase and the MultiVersus Pro Player Showcase. A busy summer awaits. Did you just make the upgrade to a computer with Windows 10? If you're used to Windows XP, 7, or 8, you might find the new menus and gestures take some getting used to. Here are a few tutorials available to familiarize you with the new layout and get you connected to USD's network:

 You also don’t get Face ID like you do on the iPad Pro. Instead, you unlock the iPad with a fingerprint reader hidden in the power button. It works fine, but I like that the iPad Pro just unlocks right when I start using it.Many Apple services, including the App Store, Apple Arcade, Music, iMessage and Maps experienced outages on Monday. Service was restored by about 3:45 p.m. ET. The outage impacted some apps and people differently. In some cases, an app like the App Store would load but would hang or wouldn’t let you download an app. In other cases, the app won’t load altogether. It’s not clear what caused the outage and an Apple spokesperson declined to comment. Bloomberg said the outage impacted Apple’s internal services for corporate and retail employees, too, and had “hindered product repairs, swaps and item pickups.”

 The company announced several new features for the iPhone’s Wallet app at its developers conference Monday that directly compete with products from other fintech companies such as Affirm and PayPal. The big one: a buy now, pay later service called Apple Pay Later. That announcement sent Affirm shares down more than 5% Monday, and they were down an additional 4% as of Tuesday morning. Apple will also launch a new payments system later this month that lets you pay someone by tapping your iPhone against theirs. It’s a direct competitor to Block’s Square. And Wallet in iOS 16 will let you track online orders you buy through Apple Pay.

 It also means any upgrades you want have to be made at the time of purchase, including $400 for additional RAM and as much as $2,400 for 8 terabytes of storage. Those are pricey additions to an already expensive computer. There’s a headphone jack on the back of the Mac Studio, but it’d be more convenient if it was right on the front alongside the USB ports. And while there’s plenty of graphics power for editing videos and photos, gamers who want the latest titles should consider a Windows gaming PC instead, since most new games that take advantage of beefy CPUs and GPUs, such as the recent hit “Elden Ring,” simply aren’t available for the Mac.

 Apple’s new rivals in the buy now, pay later space have struggled in recent months as consumer spending shifts from goods to services. Other fintech and crypto companies such as Robinhood, PayPal and Coinbase have struggled this year as well. Read more about tech and crypto from CNBC Pro

 The picture quality on the Studio Display is good, but it won’t blow you away. I like that text is nice and sharp thanks to the extra pixels, so people who read on their computer for hours per day might want to consider it. And while it might seem expensive, it’s a lot less than the Pro Display XDR Apple also sells, which costs $4,999 before you add in the $1,000 stand. That’s for video professionals who need a bigger, brighter, 32-inch screen and more accurate colors for work.

Best Product Finds

 5G is nice to have if you care about using your iPad outside of a Wi-Fi network, like on the bus or the train. I usually buy the cellular model because I like having that option. But 5G doesn’t offer consumers all that much yet over the older 4G LTE networks, other than faster downloads, which might be useful if you need to quickly download some movies before hopping on a flight. Just expect to pay about $150 more for the cellular version.

 The Mac Studio has an excellent, compact design. It’s focused on practicality with plenty of ports to plug anything in. It’s shaped like an aluminum brick, measuring about 8 inches per side and 4 inches tall, elegantly elevated a few millimeters off the desktop for ventilation. I tested the model with Apple’s M1 Max chip, the second-fastest processor Apple makes. Unlike Apple’s laptops before last year’s models, it has plenty of practical ports: two USB-C ports and a reader for SD memory cards like cameras use on the front, and four USB-C ports, two USB-A ports, and an Ethernet and HDMI port on the back. Most people will be able to connect anything to it without a dongle.

 The iPhone SE is $30 more than the identically named model that launched in 2020 for $399. It offers more than that model, including support for faster 5G cellular, stronger glass, and the same high-speed processor that appears in the more expensive iPhone 13 (which starts at $699 for the Mini model). But it seems inflation and supply chain constraints could also be playing a role. I think Apple could really have boosted the appeal by dropping the price a bit, considering consumers are getting squeezed everywhere else right now, from the grocery store to the gas pump.