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MacworldIn just a couple of weeks, Severance, Apples most popular show not named Ted Lasso will begin its long-awaited second season. And Apple is so excited to mark the occasion, it wants to make sure everyone is caught up on the first season.This weekend, January 4-5, Apple is making Apple TV+ free for everyone. That means you can watch as many shows and movies as you can handle in a 48-hour period, beginning at midnight on Saturday and continuing to 11:59pm on Sunday.You can access Apple TV+ through the Apple TV app on all Apple devices, Roku, Google TV Streamer, and most smart TVs, including Samsung and LG.Apple has already received several Golden Globe nominations, including Best Drama for Slow Horses and Best Limited Series for Disclaimer. Other critically acclaimed shows airing in 2024 are Shrinking starring Harrison Ford and Presumed Innocent led by Jake Gyllenhaal.Apple TV+ normally costs $9.99 a month with a seven-day free trial for new subscribers. Additionally, customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, or Mac get three months of Apple TV+ for free.

MacworldYouve gotta love these court cases against major tech companies if only for the discovery and testimony that come out because of them.Turns out Eddy Cue still works at Apple. A few years of not seeing a guy dance onstage at a keynote can make you forget.Eddy Cue reveals the three reasons Apple wont build a search engineOf course, Apples not going to build a search engine! We wouldnt build one if you gave us $20 billion! Which, uh, is what Google gives us every year to not build a search engine.Cues comments come as the result of the U.S. Department of Justices suit against Google which accuses the company of holding a monopoly in online search, something it says Apple aids and abetts through the afore-joked deal. The court believes that, without the deal, Apple might develop its own search engine. Possibly called Ping. Can neither confirm nor deny.Cue has three reasons why it wouldnt, which the Macalope will summarize for you:Apple is a busy company! It has no time to develop a search business! Its too busy rolling around in piles of cash!Search seems like a lousy business to get into right now what with the AI and such.Advertising is only a hobby for Apple, not a core business! Also we hate advertising because it inevitably leads to privacy violations. Wed prefer to just do a little advertising and let others do the big-time privacy violatin.None of these seem super convincing. Naturally, Apple would just rather have the $20 billion. That seems obvious. So, yeah, the company doesnt want to make a search engine. Would you rather go find a job digging ditches or win the lottery? Seems like if you won the lottery you could get the satisfaction of digging a few ditches on your own time.The AI argument isnt a terrible one, but the company certainly could build a search engine if it wanted to, if only by acquiring an existing one to build on which surprise! it was looking into just a few years ago. Its worth pointing out that Apple didnt have mapping capabilities, either, and it managed to create one, albeit not without some pains along the way. Is Maps a core business? Hardly. For that matter, is TV? Or weather? Apple bought Dark Sky. Internet search certainly seems just as core to iOS as weather does, even if the former comes with the ickiness of advertising.IDGMeanwhile, in the DOJs suit against Apple, the government contends that Apples deal with Google puts the lie to the companys assertions that it cares about its customers privacy. How could Apple care about privacy, the argument goes, if it uses Google which does not care at all about privacy as the default search engine?Quod! Erat! Demonstrandum!Its not an argument devoid of any logic but, while Apple certainly isnt a victim here No. Please. Stop throwing money at us. Oh, my, this is truly a horrible turn of events. Google is literally the name that is synonymous with online search. Apple could use Bing or DuckDuckGo as the default, but most consumers, for better or worse, expect Google and would likely say What the heck is this nonsense? if Apple set the default to anything but.But to Cues point, if Apple made its own search engine, it would be doing the privacy-violating instead of Google. If search must include advertising, then it is probably better to not do it yourself. Like, if U.S. foreign policy has to involve murder, the Macalopes not moving out of the country, but hes also not running out to join a CIA hit squad.He doesnt know what youve heard.The horny one supposes its probably naive to suggest a search engine not be run with ads and maybe just delivers the best results possible without 3-10 things at the top someone paid to put there.Yeah, thats probably naive, when theres all that money to be made.The obvious answer is to simply not have a default at all; just pop up a dialog box asking people to pick their favorite search engine on setup. But Google doesnt like that answer because iOS is such a big part of its search business and Apple doesnt like that answer because it wouldnt get that sweet $20 billion. Plus, most people would probably just pick Google out of habit anyway, even though its increasingly just not a good user experience.It seems Cue doth protest too much. All the way to the bank.

MacworldAt a glanceExpert's RatingProsVery comfortable to wearLightweightOpen, stress-free soundConsMicrophones distortOur Verdict The Openfit Air lives up to its name and convinces as good sports headphones. The sound is stress-free and suits the application, as does the wearing comfort. If you want a party in your head, youre in the wrong place, but if you dont want to spend a lot of money, you should give them a listen.Price When ReviewedThis value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefinedBest Pricing TodayPrice When Reviewed129,90 EuroBest Prices Today: Shokz OpenFit AirRetailerPrice109,00 View Deal109,00 View Deal119,99 View Deal139,00 View Deal144,41 View DealPrice comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwideView more pricesProductPricePrice comparison from BackmarketOpen-ear earphones dont have a seal between your ears and the device, allowing outside sounds to be heard. That might be preferable in some instances, like if youre running or riding a bike alongside traffic or on a trail where you want to be aware of whats around you. Also, the fit of an open-ear earphone might be more comfortable.The Shokz Openfit Air has an open-ear design. It uses a well-shaped ear hook made of a nickel-titanium alloy to ensure an ideal fit on the ear. It is covered with soft silicone so that it is also comfortable to wear during sporting activity. They look big, but they weigh just 8.7 grams and are correspondingly light to wear. As with all headphones with ear hooks, people who wear glasses can also have problems with the Openfit Air, though I didnt have any problems. Otherwise, the wearing comfort is good, which is also due to the soft earhook. Certified to IP54, it is resistant to water and sweat.Shokz offers a lineup of bone-conduction earphones, but the Openfit Air isnt one of them. It uses a conventional mini loudspeaker with Shokzs own Directpitch and Openbass technology that should ensure a full sound. While using the Openfit Air to listen to my favorite music while running, the earphones produced no abysmal bass and a pleasant sound without stress. The sound is right, with a tuning that is more on the airy side. Its also nice that the vocals arent too harsh and the bass has enough depth for a well-rounded sound.Four integrated microphones can track your voice precisely thanks to their adaptive beamformer. However, I found phone calls and voice recordings muffled and distorted.The Openfit Air connects via Bluetooth 5.2 with multipoint pairing, which means that it can be paired with two devices at the same time. The built-in battery lasts for around six hours, which Shokz claims can be extended to a maximum of 28 hours with the charging boxthats what we experienced in our testing. A ten-minute quick charge is enough for a maximum of two hours of music enjoyment.A charging box with USB-C connection is included. The charging box is a real hand flatterer, both in terms of the curves and the soft-touch surface. The charging box cannot be recharged inductively. Shokz offers the Openfit Air in black, white, and pink.The Shokz app can be used to set the buttons or update the firmware. You can select one of the four presets in the equalizer in the app, activate multipoint pairing, or check the battery status of the earphones and charging box. The app is clear, but it cannot adopt the system language of the iPhone when it is first started and the user has to do this manually.Should you buy the Shokz Openfit Air?The Openfit Air lives up to its name and convinces as good sports headphones. The sound is stress-free and suits the application, as does the wearing comfort. If you want a party in your head, youre in the wrong place, but if you dont want to spend a lot of money, you should give them a listen.

Microsoft is a little sneaky. Sure, theres just one big update for Windows 11 each year. But Microsofts Windows team is always working on something, and new Windows 11 features are arriving on PCs every month even outside of those high-profile updates.So as we arrive at the end of 2024, lets review the most interesting and useful new features that have shown up on Windows 11 in the past year. I bet youll find at least a few features you havent yet discovered!And be sure to sign up for my free Windows Intelligence newsletter for even more useful knowledge. Ill keep you up to date on all the interesting new features you can find and explore as we get into the new year.New Windows 11 features #13: Phone integration powersUse an Android phone as a webcam, wirelesslyWindows now lets you use your Android phone as a webcam. It all happens entirely wirelessly, if you like no cables! The setup process is quick, and its particularly useful if youre not a big fan of your PCs on-board webcam quality.Get PC notifications when you take new photos or screenshots on AndroidWindows can now pop up a notification whenever you take a new photo or screenshot on your Android phone. Then you can click that notification to immediately transfer the photo and open it for viewing, editing, or sharing on your PC.Transfer files to and from Android phones, wirelesslyOnce youve connected your Android phone to your PC for the above wireless features, youll also see your phone pop up in File Explorer. You can transfer files to and from your Android phone right from File Explorer wirelessly!New Windows 11 features #45: Windows taming tricksWhy Widgets on Windows 11 are finally worth usingWindows 11s built-in Widgets menu got some big updates in 2024. Its worth giving it a second chance now that you can tweak various options to hide the viral article feed and customize it further.Remove stocks and sports from your PCs lock screenWindows now shows stock prices and sports updates alongside the weather on your lock screen its a recent update, too! (That said, many people wont be fans of this.)New Windows 11 features #68: New Microsoft appsTry the new Sticky Notes appOut with the old and in with the new! Windows has a new Sticky Notes app thats more closely integrated with OneNote.The ultimate Windows app launcherMicrosofts PowerToys package isnt included with Windows, but its an honorary part of the operating system as far as Im concerned. In 2024, Microsoft released an especially powerful application-launcher-and-arranger named PowerToys Workspaces. Its a big productivity upgrade for many people.Activate and use the PowerToys New+ menuSpeaking of PowerToys, Microsoft also launched an even more powerful and flexible New+ menu that lets you quickly create new files and folders from templates right in File Explorer. Im already putting this one to good use myself.New Windows 11 features #912: AI grab bagErase objects from photos with AI on your PCMicrosofts Photos app includes a new Generative Erase feature that works on all Windows 11 PCs and on Windows 10 PCs, too! You can select objects in photos and use this AI-powered erase to get rid of them.Microsoft wants Copilot to be your new AI best friendWindows got a brand-spanking-new Copilot app this year. Beyond productivity, Copilot now wants to be your best buddy!5 Copilot+ PC AI features you can use at launchSome of the newest PCs are branded Copilot+ PCs, and they have access to new AI-based Windows features. Again, these dont work on most Windows 11 PCs these need a new Copilot+ PC. Here are the AI features you can use on those PCs.Hands on with Microsofts Windows RecallRecall is the most controversial Windows feature of the year. Its still available only in testing form right now but Im experimenting with it, and you can see how it works.Bonus: More Windows AI features10 Windows 11 AI features you can use todayOkay technically this one is from December 2023, but whos counting? All Windows 11 PCs include AI features, even if they arent Copilot+ PCs. This guide reveals what you can use today on any Windows 11 PC.Stay tuned: 2025 promises to be even more of a busy year when it comes to Windows development. Well explore it all together, every step of the way.Dont wait for next years December review! Sign up for my free Windows Intelligence newsletter now, and Ill send you three new things to know and try every single Friday.