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Trump said he would delay imposing tariffs on Mexico for at least a month. In exchange, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum promised to send the country's National Guard to reinforce the border.
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The CMF Watch Pro 2 is undoubtedly one of the best cheap smartwatches you can buy right now, if not the absolute best pick, and it wins huge points purely for its incredibly affordable price tag.
Despite the cost-saving efforts, it has an impressive design and build and comes with plenty of features that make it a perfect beginner smartwatch for anyone new to the form factor. The screen is perfectly adequate, the software works well enough, and there are myriad smartwatch features including workout tracking, sleep monitoring, GPS, and more.
However, it lacks a couple of key features, including NFC payments, and it can't really be used in water. Also, some of its features, like raise and tap to wake, as well as workout detection, are a little temperamental. Perhaps my biggest issue with it is that I prefer the larger, squircle shape of the previous model, but I've reviewed it here on its own merits.
Nothing still sells both, and it's a big departure from what I believe is the ultimate smartwatch success formula. However, it does deliver some good upgrades, including a better display and more watch faces.
CMF Watch Pro 2: Specifications CMF Watch Pro 2: Price and Availability (Image credit: Future)The CMF Watch Pro 2 is available now in two colors from Nothing's website as well as from retailers like Amazon. It costs $69 / £69 / AU$99 but does occasionally see discounts of up to 25%.
There's only one size, the 42mm watch face, available in four colors: Blue, Ash Grey, Orange, and Dark Grey pictured here.
Pound for pound, this has to be the best-value smartwatch you can buy on the market right now, considering it's compatible with both iPhone and Android and it has an impressive feature set. It only gets a 5/5 because I can't award a higher score.
You're going to hear a lot of "for a $69 watch" in the next few minutes. But honestly, for a $69 Watch, the CMF Watch Pro 2 is a really impressive piece of design.
Nothing is famous for making cool-looking tech gadgets, and the CMF Watch Pro 2 is no different. However, we need to talk about the elephant in the room. I'm very much team "smartwatches should be squircle," but the CMF Watch Pro 2 eschews the design of the first CMF Watch Pro in favor of a completely circular design more akin to the Google Pixel Watch 3. It's a big change, and one fans of the first watch might not like. The 42mm display is housed in a 45mm chassis, and the rather thick bezel is tapered towards the middle to create a unique bowl effect.
While the styling is divisive, it's certainly not generic. The digital crown is also premium and feels nice and responsive to use. My only build gripe is the liquid silicon strap, which is pretty thin and not very premium-feeling. That being said, it is comfortable, and I didn't experience much in the way of wrist fatigue during any of my testing.
The bezel is interchangeable, so you can pop it off and replace it with a purchased alternative to change up the style and color of your watch pretty quickly. This is another fairly unique feature that you won't really find on other smartwatches.
(Image credit: Future)The display is a 1.32-inch AMOLED measuring 466x466. It's a slight upgrade on the previous generation, now putting out 620 nits of peak brightness with a 60fps refresh rate, vs 58Hz and 600 nits in the old one. The display is considerably smaller than the previous model, another divisive change. However, the overall shift makes the watch much smaller in profile, so people with smaller wrists or those who want a more unintrusive experience will prefer this.
The screen has a new auto-brightness feature, as well as five levels you can manually select from. At 620 nits peak, it's not exactly a looker (even the Apple Watch SE 2 puts out 1,000 nits) but it's perfectly adequate. In fact, for a $69 watch, it's definitely a decent display.
Some colors look a little washed out, like the temperature dials on my multifunction face. But colorful faces like the Prismatic Time face definitely have some pop to them. There are some weird pixel-shifting issues I've seen on some of the interfaces, lines that should be straight are wonky in places, but I can't tell if this is a hardware or a software issue. At a glance, it's not really that noticeable.
Durability-wise, the CMF Watch Pro 2 comes with an IP68 water rating. That means it's dustproof and can withstand immersion in up to 1.5 meters of water for 30 minutes. However, Nothing says the Watch Pro isn't suitable for use while swimming, in the shower, saunas, steam rooms, or any kind of water sports or activity. Basically, water is a no-go, which is definitely a key weak spot.
For a $69 watch (I won't stop), there's an awful lot going on here. The CMF Watch Pro 2 offers a myriad of features you'd expect to find in a smartwatch, with a couple of key missing features reflective of the price.
Let's start with what you do get. Underpinning most of the best smartwatches these days is health and fitness, and the CMF Watch Pro 2 offers 120 sport modes, as well as five smart recognition activities that can detect your workouts without manual input (I'll get to whether this works in the Performance section). Some exercises even have a warm-up option that triggers a quick slew of animated warm-up stretches and movements before you work out, something you won't even find on any of the best Apple Watches.
Health tracking delivers an Active Score, round-the-clock heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring, sleep tracking, menstrual cycle tracking, step count, calories, resting heart rate, and alerts for abnormal heart rate and blood oxygen.
You also get key features like reminders, music controls, a remote camera control, a calendar, a calculator, and alarms. The Watch Pro 2 works with both iOS (13 and above) or Android (8.0 and above), so you should get plenty of cross-compatibility and synchronization between features like reminders and alarms on your watch and whichever smartphone you use.
You'll also get a Find My Phone feature, flashlight, and a voice assistant functionality, although I found the latter one is a bit of a gimmick, it's supposed to trigger your phone's voice assistant, and while I could see the watch waking up Siri on my iPhone, I couldn't actually ask questions or use it for anything.
Crucially, the Watch Pro 2 lacks NFC, so can't be used to make mobile payments from your wrist, which might be a deal breaker for some.
I'll start with the performance positives because there are a couple of quirks with the CMF Watch Pro 2 you should be aware of.
I generally found workout tracking to be consistent. A direct test with my Apple Watch Series 10 for an indoor run measured almost identical readings for distance traveled. The average heart rate was just one bpm off, and the range was pretty much spot-on. As far as workout tracking on a smartwatch can be accurate (the jury is out on just how useful it is generally), I'd say the CMF Watch Pro 2 delivers pretty reasonable accuracy across the board.
I've seen other reviews comment on GPS quirks, but I didn't experience any issues with it. Battery life on the Watch Pro 2 is pretty impressive, rated for up to 11 days of typical use, 9 days of heavy use, or 25 hours using GPS. I've found that generally to hold true in testing, and the battery life is definitely one of the positives.
(Image credit: Future)While syncing with iOS and my iPhone was generally seamless, it doesn't play nice with Apple's notifications because these are restricted for third-party hardware. As such, iOS Focus modes don't work, one consideration for iPhone users. Notifications are pretty limited in use also, whereas you can respond to them in watchOS on devices like the Apple Watch or Wear OS, all you can do is read and dismiss them here.
As you might have picked up, the CMF Watch Pro 2 runs Nothing's proprietary smartwatch software rather than Wear OS. I actually prefer the look and feel over Wear OS, but like Wear OS, some elements of the UI remain poorly optimized for the circular display. Scrolling and swiping were very snappy overall, and I never experienced any performance lags. In fact, the Watch Pro 2 is noticeably snappier than even the Garmin Instinct 3 I was recently hands-on with.
Throughout my testing, I couldn't get 'raise to wake' to work at all. I even wrote this portion of the review, describing it as the CMF Watch Pro 2's biggest flaw and one that really hobbled the user experience. Then, out of nowhere, the feature began to work perfectly.
Now, whenever I lift my wrist, the watch immediately springs into life. Tap to wake is less reliable, and I've seen other reviews flag that raise to wake is an issue. So while I can no longer say it doesn't work full stop, it is definitely quirky and a problem to watch out for.
Workout detection does work, sort of. While out walking, my watch notified me that I was doing exactly that and asked if I'd like to track the experience. I tapped yes, but the tracker started from zero. Workout detection on Apple Watch is always running in the background, so if you get a detection notice after 10 minutes of walking, that 10 minutes of activity is included in your metrics. The Watch Pro 2 starts from scratch, which isn't exactly how I'd expect workout detection to function. Basically, it's handy if you forget to start your workout and need a reminder.
One final flaw, the vibration motor isn't nice. It resonates at just the wrong frequency and shakes the whole watch with an annoying, high-pitched buzz, it's the only part of the experience that feels cheap.
You've never had a smartwatch before
This is a perfect beginner smartwatch, an easy investment to see if using one is for you.
You're on a budget
You'll struggle to find a better smartwatch at this price.
Don't buy it if...You like water
Nothing warns against use in any kind of water, so this is not the pick if you want a watch you never have to take off.
You want true software synchronization
Both Apple Watch or Wear OS models are going to offer better integration with their respective operating systems
CMF Watch Pro 2: How we testedI used the CMF Watch Pro 2 over a number of weeks, as a daily smartwatch, during workouts, and more. I tested all of its main features and it was connected to an iPhone for the duration of testing.
CMF Watch Pro 2: Also considerThe original CMF Watch Pro is still fantastic, similarly priced, bigger, and has more battery life. It's a great alternative, as there aren't a ton of improvements in the new one.
Read our full CMF Watch Pro Review
For exactly the same price, this Amazfit offers a similar experience with a more Apple Watch-esque design. It's GPS is impressive and it's light and comfortable, but you won't get the same build quality or workout tracking accuracy. Really, consider this pick vindication that Nothing is king of the cheap smartwatch.
Read our full Amazfit Bip 3 Pro Review
First reviewed: February 2025
OM System just doubled down on its retro appeal with a new OM-3 mirrorless camera. It's a stunning take on the original Olympus OM-1 film SLR from the 1970s, and the closest fans are getting to a reboot of 2016's popular digital Olympus Pen-F.
Costing £1,699 body-only, or £1,999 with the 12-45mm F4 Pro lens (US and Australia pricing to follow), the OM-3 sits between the flagship OM-1 II and the enthusiast-level OM-5. It delivers OM System features we already know; the same stacked 20MP micro four thirds sensor and TruePic X processor as the OM-1 II, together with class-leading in-body image stabilization rated up to 7.5EV and quad-pixel autofocus with AI-subject detection, wrapped in a robust IP53-rated weatherproof body.
The OM-3 also features a creative dial à la Pen-F. Olympus was ahead of the curve with the Pen-F, since we now see the likes of the Fujifilm X-T50 and Panasonic Lumix S9 capitalizing on the interest in custom color profiles with dedicated controls providing quick access to a catalog of custom looks.
In the OM-3, we get a creative dial with four modes; color profile, monochome profile, Art Filters plus Color Creator. Color profile has four customizable settings that emulate film looks, as does the Monochrome profile with its four black-and-white looks.
There's much to like about the OM-3. It packs the same power as the pricier OM-1 II into a more affordable, retro body with direct access to key features. This is a camera that OM System fans in particular have been waiting for, and a compelling Fujifilm alternative.
(Image credit: OM System) More than a pretty faceThe OM-3 is a stunner that weighs under 500g and is smaller than the OM-1 II, but its appeal isn't just surface-deep. It's a highly robust metal camera that's dustproof, splashproof and freezeproof, plus it has a well thought-out design with direct access to many of its powerful, modern features.
There's a new dial for photo, video, or slow and quick motion options, with slow motion recording up to 60fps in 4K and up to 120fps in Full HD. OM System has introduced new Cinema modes with Log color profiles for video that maximize the dynamic range of the camera for grading clips later.
There's also a new button to access computational photography features directly, with OM System's full suite of modes to hand; Live ND filters with six levels of strength from ND2 to ND64, the graduated ND filter effect introduced in the OM-1 II, live composite for light trails, together with a High Res Shot mode to increase resolution up to 80MP, plus a focus stacking mode. These are clever features that minimize the accessories you need and time spent editing at a computer.
Price-wise, the OM-3 is pitted against the likes of the Fujifilm X-T5, despite its lower pixel count and smaller sensor size, which will always be a strike for some. However, I can't think of a faster camera for the money – this 120fps-shooting stunner could be the ultimate travel and outdoors camera, especially for those with an eye for design. OM System also launched mark II versions of three of its lenses alongside the camera, all of which add weather-sealing to the original versions; the M.Zuiko Digital 17mm F1.8 II, the 25mm F1.8 II and the ED 100-400mm F5.0-6.3 IS II. I can see the 17mm lens being a lovely pairing with the OM-3 in particular for street photography. We're currently conducting a full OM-3 review, coming soon.
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TikTok parent company, ByteDance, is showing off a new AI video creator that can produce vivid videos of people talking, singing, and moving around from a single photograph. The new OmniHuman model can bring an image to life with eerily accurate body movements, facial expressions, and gestures.
OmniHuman’s breakthrough involved training on more than 18,700 hours of video. The AI can now mimic how humans move, speak, and interact in videos. Notably, this AI can create fully moving characters rather than just animating a face or upper body. That means a single picture can be turned into a video of someone giving a speech, dancing, or even playing an instrument.
The result is a very realistic video, whether the character is a human from a photograph or one from a more stylized painting. You can see examples below.
OmniHuman everywhereIf and when ByteDance does make OmniHuman available, it's easy to imagine it blowing up on TikTok. The company already offers an AI video-maker named Jimeng on the platform, and something like OmniHuman could entice many more people to play with TikTok and its other features.
Of course, ByteDance won't enter the space without competition. OpenAI's Sora has drawn accolades and is a big name in the AI video space, but there are plenty of others, such as Pika, Runway, Pollo, and Luma Labs' Dream Machine.
There's a lot of potential use for ByteDance's model, whether recreating actors of the past for more movies or teaching students history from the simulated mouths of historical figures. Even digital avatars for social media and gaming could become more lifelike, adapting in real-time based on user input.
OmniHuman is still a research project for now, but the fact that ByteDance is already showcasing its capabilities suggests that practical applications aren’t far behind. The AI character below could be the next face of a video trend on TikTok.
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If you’re looking for the most immersive visual and sound experience when watching Super Bowl LXI, you might be very thankful for subscribing to Comcast or wish you had this Sunday, February 9, 2025. Comcast is scoring a touchdown as, for the first time, the provider will broadcast Super Bowl LIX with Dolby Atmos sound.
Best of all, it’s alongside Dolby Vision, which isn’t a first, but it’s kind of the perfect pairing and made possible by a partnership between Comcast and Dolby. You’ll need to be subscribed to Xfinity X1 to enjoy this ‘Enhanced 4K’ presentation, which Comcast describes as “an unmatched viewing experience with the best picture and audio quality delivered to the home in the fastest way possible so the action customers see in their living room is only seconds behind the game unfolding in New Orleans.”
That feed will end up on the big screen through a Comcast X1 equipment box or the Xfinity Stream app running on one of the best streaming boxes or sticks. The app is also compatible with iOS and Android, so you can watch it on your phone or tablet.
A look at the Comcast Xfinity X1 interface on a TV from one of the X1 cable boxes. (Image credit: Comcast)Even so, the best way to experience the Super Bowl in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos would be on a big screen – like one of TechRadar’s picks for the best TV – and with one of the best soundbars or home theater setups. This way, you can feel the immersion as the audio from the game gets presented in a full Dolby Atmos mix.
Paired with a big, crisp 4K TV, you’ll likely get the feel you’re inside the Superdome in New Orleans. Of course, Fox Sports will still present the game in 4K through Comcast and other providers, including for free on Tubi. You’ll also want your TV – and streaming box – to support the Dolby Vision visual format and the Dolby Atmos audio format. So yes, some specific hardware beyond being an X1 subscriber is required. You'll need either the Xi6, XiOne, or XG1v4 Comcast box, but with the latter Dolby Vision isn't yet supported.
The whole idea with Comcast’s Enhanced 4K product, though, is the best possible resolution – aka 4K – delivered with super low latency in both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. Previous Super Bowls streamed on X1 were broadcast with Dolby Vision, but Dolby Atmos at the 2024 Paris Olympics checked off all the Dolby boxes. This won’t be the first sport presented in Dolby Atmos either; Apple also regularly streams all MLS Season Pass matches on Apple TV Plus with a Dolby Atmos mix.
Still, this is an exciting test for Comcast’s Enhanced 4K product, as the Super Bowl will be one of the most-watched events of the year. And if you have the proper setup at home, you’ll be in for a treat as the Kansas City Chiefs face the Philidelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX.
And if you're looking to upgrade your home entertainment setup before the big game, check out the best Super Bowl TV deals here.
You might also likeGigabyte, through its subsidiary Giga Computing, is offering qualified individuals and organizations the opportunity to test one of the world’s most advanced supercomputers, the Gigabyte G383-R80 server powered by AMD MI300A APUs for free.
There's a catch; after the seven-day trial period, the configured price of this high-performance system is $304,207.
The price isn't the only thing that might ward you off; in addition to it being a strict time-bound trial period, distributors aren't eligible to apply, and users must have a clear project in mind to qualify.
Claiming Gigabyte's G383-R80 offerTo participate, applicants must fill out a form on the Gigabyte Launchpad website. Giga Computing will then review the application based on the commercial value or innovative potential of the proposed project.
If approved, the company will contact the applicant within three business days to confirm details. The trial period lasts for seven days, though extensions of up to two weeks can be requested through a sales representative or via email. Access to the server will be granted within two weeks, and users must initiate their project within three days of receiving the access link.
The Gigabyte G383-R80 server is designed for demanding workloads such as AI training, AI inference, and high-performance computing (HPC). It features a 3U rack-mount chassis and supports up to four AMD Instinct MI300A APUs, which combine CPU and GPU cores for accelerated computing.
For storage, it has eight 2.5-inch NVMe Gen5/SATA/SAS hot-swap drive bays, 12 PCIe Gen5 x16 slots, and a variety of storage options, including M.2 NVMe SSDs and U.2/U.3 NVMe SSDs with capacities ranging from 400GB to 61.44TB.
Networking capabilities include onboard 10Gb/s Ethernet ports and support for PCIe expansion cards like RJ45, SFP+, QSFP28, and QSFP56.
You may also likeA team of researchers at the University of Hong Kong has designed and tested an advanced aerial robot capable of navigating complex environments at high speeds of up to 20 meters per second while maintaining precise control.
Named SUPER, the quadcopter drone uses cutting-edge LiDAR technology to detect and avoid obstacles, even thin wires that have posed challenges for traditional drones.
In research published on Science Robotics (via Techxplore), the team noted while SUPER has potential applications in search and rescue, its ability to operate autonomously in unknown environments suggests it could also be used for law enforcement and military reconnaissance.
The power of LiDAR for precision flightUnlike conventional aerial robots that rely on cameras and sensors, SUPER uses 3D light detection and ranging (LiDAR) to map its surroundings and process spatial data in real time, allowing it to function in low-light conditions.
With a detection range of up to 70 meters, the LiDAR system feeds data to an onboard computer that continuously analyzes the environment.
This system enables SUPER to chart two distinct flight paths, one prioritizing safety and another allowing for exploratory movement.
To demonstrate its capabilities, the research team tested SUPER against a commercial drone, the DJI Mavic 3.
While the DJI model avoided larger obstacles, it struggled to detect thin wires of smaller diameters. In contrast, SUPER successfully avoided all obstacles, including 2.5-mm thin wires, thanks to its high-resolution point cloud processing.
The test result also reveals the drone glided through dense forests, tracking moving targets without colliding with trees or branches.
You may also likeGoogle has dropped a major upgrade to the Gemini app with the release of the Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental model, among others. This combines the speed of the original 2.0 model with improved reasoning abilities. So, it can think fast but will think things through before it speaks. For anyone who has ever wished their AI assistant could process more complex ideas without slowing its response time, this update is a promising step forward.
Gemini 2.0 Flash was originally designed as a high-efficiency workhorse for those who wanted rapid AI responses without sacrificing too much in terms of accuracy. Earlier this year, Google updated it in AI Studio to enhance its ability to reason through tougher problems, calling it the Thinking Experimental. Now, it’s being made widely available in the Gemini app for everyday users. Whether you’re brainstorming a project, tackling a math problem, or just trying to figure out what to cook with the three random ingredients left in your fridge, Flash Thinking Experimental is ready to help.
Beyond the Thinking Experimental, the Gemini app is getting additional models. The Gemini 2.0 Pro Experimental is an even more powerful one, albeit a somewhat more cumbersome version of Gemini. It's aimed at coding and handling complex prompts. It’s already been available in Google AI Studio and Vertex AI.
Now, you can get it in the Gemini app, too, but only if you subscribe to Gemini Advanced. With a context window of two million tokens, this model can simultaneously digest and process massive amounts of information, making it ideal for research, programming, or rather ridiculously complicated questions. The model can also utilize other Google tools like Search if necessary.
Lite speedGemini is also augmenting its app with a slimmer model called Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite. This model is built to improve on its predecessor, 1.5 Flash. It retains the speed that made the original Flash models popular while performing better on quality benchmarks. In a real-world example, Google says it can generate relevant captions for around 40,000 unique photos for less than a dollar, making it a potentially fantastic resource for content creators on a budget.
Beyond just making AI faster or more affordable, Google is pushing for broader accessibility by ensuring all these models support multimodal input. Currently, the AI only produces text-based output, but additional capabilities are expected in the coming months. That means users will eventually be able to interact with Gemini in more ways, whether through voice, images, or other formats.
What makes all of this particularly significant is how AI models like Gemini 2.0 are shaping the way people interact with technology. AI is no longer just a tool that spits out basic answers; it’s evolving into something that can reason, assist in creative processes, and handle deeply complex requests.
How people use the Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental model and other updates could show a glimpse into the future of AI-assisted thinking. It continues Google's dream of incorporating Gemini into every aspect of your life by offering streamlined access to a relatively powerful yet lightweight AI model.
Whether that means solving complex problems, generating code, or just having an AI that doesn’t freeze up when asked something a little tricky, it’s a step toward AI that feels less like a gimmick and more like a true assistant. With additional models catering to both high-performance and cost-conscious users, Google is likely hoping to have an answer for anyone's AI requests.
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