New Gadgets

HBO Max, the HBO-anchored streaming service launching May 27, has a lot in common with rivals like Disney Plus, Peacock and Netflix. Like them, HBO Max will have a sprawling catalog of hit shows and movies, plus a big-budget slate of exclusive originals packed with stars.

One difference: HBO Max is going to exclusively stream the mythical "Snyder cut" of the movie Justice League next year, the company said Wednesday. This alternate edit of the 2017 DC movie by director Zack Snyder will stream on the service in 2021. Also Wednesay, HBO Max announced more pay-TV customers who will get HBO Max as a free upgrade if they already subscribe to HBO.

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As the sequel to Apple's 2016 sleeper-hit iPhone of the same name, the new iPhone SE starts at $399, £419 or AU$749. With that price tag, the phone aims to court budget-minded users who may not be able to splurge on $1,000 handsets like the iPhone 11 Pro or Galaxy S20. While that does mean some cuts in hardware (the phone has a smaller 4.7-inch display and a single rear camera, for example) the iPhone SE does include some modern fixings, such as the same A13 processor as the iPhone 11 phones.

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In a bid to lure budget-minded iPhone fans, Apple debuted its new iPhone SE for 2020 for $399 (£419, AU$749). The iPhone SE's specs and looks are similar to the iPhone 8 from three years ago, which is likely the reason why the tech company announced it would discontinue its 2017 flagship on the same day.
When it first launched, the iPhone 8 cost $699, but the price lowered to $449 before Apple pulled the plug on it. These days, you can still get the phone from third-party retailers for even less (Walmart, for example, is selling it new for $349 on Straight Talk). But if you're thinking of buying the iPhone 8 over the iPhone SE 2020 at that price, don't. The iPhone SE may share many of the iPhone 8's specs, but for $50 more you'll get more mileage out of a phone that isn't going to be three years old out-of-the-box. (And if $399 is absolutely out of your budget, consider shopping for even cheaper phones.)

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Speck Your phone is in a case, right? Carrying a naked phone around is tempting fate, as Cheapskate Rick found out firsthand recently when he dropped his unprotected phone "for the first time, ever." You can hear him relate that story in this week's Cheapskate Show podcast, embedded below this article. But I digress. I recently told you about a handful of cheap ways to encase your AirPods case, and now I have a 25% discount to share on all manner of phone cases. From now through the weekend, you can save 25% on almost anything at phone case retailer Speck.

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Facebook With Messenger Rooms, Facebook users can create a video chat room via Facebook or the Messenger app and invite up to 50 people to join a video call -- even if they don't have a Facebook account. It's free, and there's no time limit on calls. You can use the feature from the Messenger app on your phone or desktop, or certain browsers (including Google Chrome).

Create a room by opening the Messenger app, tapping the People tab at the bottom right of the screen, and tapping Create a room. Then you'll select the people you want to invite to your room.
Whereas Zoom was originally targeted to business customers but picked up by consumers during the pandemic, Messenger Rooms is firmly aimed at consumers and meant for connecting with friends and family. But you can still share a screen or schedule a meeting ahead of time, and see everyone in a grid view. You can also leave a room open to a certain group of people, or your whole friend list, so anyone can drop in at any time.

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Taking place June 25 to 28, Electric Blockaloo is Minecraft's first virtual music festival, featuring a whopping 850 performers on 65 stages. Just like a real festival, you can design your own campsite -- and then there are a bunch of features that are very much not like a real festival, taking advantage of the crazy virtual world of Minecraft.

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Yours for 99 cents when you sign up for at least one month of Amazon Music Unlimited.

Amazon Proof positive that Amazon is willing to more or less give away Echo Dot smart speakers, the company just resurrected a popular deal from last year: You can once again get a 3rd-generation Echo Dot for 99 cents when you sign up for one month of Amazon Music Unlimited.

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Twitter now lets you tweet with your voice.
Angela Lang/CNET Twitter is testing out a new feature that lets people record and share short audio clips, what the company is calling "tweeting with your voice."

"Sometimes 280 characters aren't enough and some conversational nuances are lost in translation," wrote Twitter product designer Maya Patterson and senior software engineer Rémy Bourgoin in a blog post. "So starting today, we're testing a new feature that will add a more human touch to the way we use Twitter -- your very own voice."

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Today Apple will hold its opening keynote for WWDC 2020, its annual Worldwide Developers Conference. The company is expected to discuss iOS 14 for the iPhone and iPad, as well as new WatchOS and MacOS software to power its Apple Watch, MacBooks, iMacs and Mac Pros, too. But the biggest change may not be about the look of Apple's Macs or a new feature for the iPhone. Apple is expected to announce that the chips powering its Mac computers will change, shifting from chips made by Intel to new ARM-based ones similar to those built for the iPhone instead.

Óscar Gutiérrez/CNET The move has been rumored for years, most recently in a report by Bloomberg citing anonymous sources familiar with the company's plans. The move may allow Apple to make thinner laptops with better battery life and potentially quieter cooling fans. But the transition will likely take a year or more, and new computers with the chips inside likely won't arrive immediately.

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Screenshot from Apple Apple on Monday introduced the new Big Sur version of its MacOS operating system for its laptops and desktops, with a big focus on updating the Safari web browser. The announcement came during Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, which for the first time took place as a virtual event due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Apple's MacOS, first released in 2001, powers the company's computers like the MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and iMac. The hardware giant billed the Big Sur update as its biggest design change since OS X first came out nearly 20 years ago, with tweaks to the curves of the window corners, dock icons and colors of the operating system.

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