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The ruling Taliban in Afghanistan issued a sweeping morality law in August. Among other things, it bans women's voices outside the home: no laughing, speaking loudly or singing. Afghan women outside the country are protesting the restriction by posting videos of themselves singing. We hear from some of them.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is proposing new regulations for vehicle design intended to protect pedestrians in response to the rising number of fatalities on U.S. roads.

(Image credit: Brandon Bell)

CNET's Bridget Carey, Scott Stein and Abrar Al-Heeti digest Tim Cook's Apple keynote after the new iPhone 16, AirPods 4, Apple Watch Series 10 and Apple Intelligence capabilities were announced.

Apple has announced the Apple Watch Series 10 at its iPhone 16 event, and there’s a lot about it that I really, really like, including the new larger screen, thinner body, and lighter weight. I’m also itching to try the improvements made possible by the new S10 chipset, such as improved call clarity and the Translate app, while the new Jet Black colorway looks awesome. 

As a keen surfer, the Tides app is also guaranteed to be a game-changer for me: my go-to app was always the now-defunct Magic Seaweed, which was bought out by Surfline, and a dedicated Apple replacement on my wrist seems too good to be true.

However, for many people, the new sleep apnea detection functionality, Breathing Disturbances, could have been the biggest game changer. Breathing Disturbances, a feature reportedly soon-to-be FCC certified, checks across 30 days of sleep tracking for signs of sleep apnea and presents the information in a report to be read by your doctor. It could help millions of undiagnosed sleep apnea sufferers.

Along with the new Vitals app from watchOS 11, Apple seems to be doubling down on sleep and sleep tracking data. 

However, for these new features to be able to work effectively, users need to be able to wear their Watch overnight, and there's still a big obstacle here: battery life. With no changes advertised at this point, it's almost certainly still going to be a measly 18 hours."

(Image credit: Apple)

The Apple Watch Series 10 did make strides in the battery department this year, with the introduction of the fastest-ever charging capabilities in an Apple Watch to date. It can reportedly reach 80% battery capacity in just 30 minutes of charge thanks to the new “innovative” metal back design. Theoretically, it’s not a problem at all to dap it on a charger for 30 minutes before bed time.

However, if you were to charge it to full capacity at 9pm, the watch would be theoretically dead again by 5pm the following day. You’d have to charge it again in the middle of the day, and if you don’t have a cable or 30 minutes to hand, you’re left with a useless piece of aluminum on your wrist. If you charge it first thing in the morning, it may even die overnight. I know Apple’s battery life tends to exceed the stated value, but it’s still ludicrously short. If you forget to charge it, or you’re out and about for most of the day, you’re left with a new 50mm black mirror on your wrist.

Samsung, which made a similar investment in sleep features this year, has its watch batteries cap out at 40 hours. Even the Google Pixel Watch 3 manages 24 hours with the always-on display mode active.

I believe Apple would get far more people using the new Breathing Disturbances and Vitals features on their watches, as it so clearly wants people to do, if it could extend the battery life to just 24 hours. If the Apple Watch Ultra 2 can manage 36 hours, what’s the holdup?

You might also like

• Apple Intelligence has an official release date – but it won't be on your new iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Pro at launch
• Two Apple AirPods 4 models launch
• Apple Watch Series 10 announced with biggest screen yet

Commentary: Companies used to fight over who had the most megapixels in their cameras. Now it's all about who has the best AI.

Apple unveiled new capabilities and devices on Monday, including the iPhone 16, Apple Watch Series 10, Apple Watch Ultra 2​, AirPods 4 and updated AirPods Max​.

Beats moves beyond the ears with a colorful lineup of cases for the iPhone 16.

Sleep apnea affects millions of people worldwide. If you suspect you have this disorder, here's what to know.

NPR's coverage of their effort to invent an mRNA vaccine that would be free for all countries to manufacture brought them an award for altruism in health. We checked in on their progress.

(Image credit: Ian Cheibub for NPR)

Snoring isn't the only sign of sleep apnea you should be aware of. Read on to learn everything you should know about this common sleep disorder.

YouTube is continuing to tapdance ahead of the rush of AI-produced content popping up on the platform with a new set of tools to spot when AI-generated people, voices, and even music appear in videos. The newly upgraded Content ID system is expanding from looking for copyright infringement to looking for synthetic voices performing songs. There are also new ways to spot when deepfake faces are popping up in videos.

The "synthetic singing" voice identification tool for the Content ID system is fairly straightforward. The AI will automatically detect and manage AI-generated imitations of singing voices and alert users of the tool. Google plans to roll out a pilot version of this system early next year before a broader release. 

On the visual content front, YouTube is testing a way for content creators to detect AI-generated videos that have their faces without their approval. The idea is to give artists and public figures more control over how AI versions of their faces are deployed, particularly on the video platform. Ideally, this would stop deepfakes or unauthorized manipulations from spreading.

Both features build on the policy quietly added to YouTube's terms and conditions in July to address AI-generated mimicry. Affected individuals can request the removal of videos with deepfake aspects of themselves through YouTube's privacy request process. That was a big shift from simply labeling the video as AI or as misleading content. It enhanced the takedown policy to address AI.

"These two new capabilities build on our track record of developing technology-driven approaches to tackling rights issues at scale," YouTube Vice President of Creator Products Amjad Hanif wrote in a blog post. "We're committed to bringing this same level of protection and empowerment into the AI age."

YouTube's AI Infusion

The flip side of the AI detection tools is for creators who have seen their videos scraped to train AI models without their permission. Some YouTube videomakers have been annoyed about how their work is picked up for training by OpenAI, Apple, Nvidia, and Google itself for training without any requests or compensation. The exact plan is still in early development but presumably will deal at least with the Google scraping.

"We’ll continue to employ measures to ensure that third parties respect [YouTube's terms and conditions], including ongoing investments in the systems that detect and prevent unauthorized access, up to and including blocking access from those who scrape," Hanif wrote. "That said, as the generative AI landscape continues to evolve, we recognize creators may want more control over how they collaborate with third-party companies to develop AI tools. That's why we're developing new ways to give YouTube creators choice over how third parties might use their content on our platform."

The announcements are part and parcel of YouTube’s moves to make AI both a deeply integrated part of the platform and one that people trust. That's why these kinds of protection announcements often come right before or after plans like YouTube's Brainstorm with Gemini tool for coming up with inspiration for a new video. Not to mention anticipated features like an AI music generator, which in turn pairs well with the new tool for removing copyrighted music from your video without taking it down completely. 

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• You can start asking AI for your next YouTube video idea
• Investigation finds companies are training AI models with YouTube content without permission
• YouTube will now take down AI deepfakes of you if you ask

All the new hardware was unveiled at a splashy media event at the company’s headquarters in Cupertino, California. The new iPhone was the star of the show.

So when it comes to the iPhone 16 release date and the iPhone 16 Pro release date , it's all very easy: all four models of next-generation Apple phone will be released on September 20. 

And if you can't wait until then, you can pre-order the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max from September 13; check out our guide on iPhone 16 pre-orders. 

The phones were revealed at the 'Glowtime' Apple event and, if you read our iPhone 16 launch live blog, you'll note that while these new iPhones look similar to their predecessors, they have a whole suite of upgrades that not only make them more powerful but also a fair bit smarter. I reckon if you have an iPhone 14 you might want to consider an upgrade. And all models will support Apple Intelligence smart features. 

Same price, more of nearly everything 

(Image credit: Apple)

In terms of how much that'll cost you, well the iPhone 16 starts at $799 / £799 / AU$1,399, the iPhone 16 Plus starts at $899 / £899 / AU$1,599, the iPhone 16 Pro starts at $999 / £999 / AU$1,799, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max starts at $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,149.

I'm rather surprised Apple hasn't ramped up the price of its new iPhones given the power the Pro models offer with the new A18 Pro chip, and how all the phones get a new Camera Control button that can detect certain gestures to trigger camera modes and shooting options without needing to tap at a screen. And the standard and Plus modes also get the Action button that was previously reserved for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

In fact, given the upgrades and I think all of the iPhone 16 models now offer a fair bit for the money. They are sure to be contenders for spots on our best phones list, so I'd low-key suggest getting a pre-order in if you're hyped for them.

Also once the new phones are put in the wild, I'd recommend taking a look at our iPhone 16 deals page, as there are carrier who could offer some compelling phone and network deals worth your attention.

More Apple September event news

• Apple Intelligence has an official release date – but it won't be on your new iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Pro at launch
• Two Apple AirPods 4 models launch
• Apple Watch Series 10 announced with biggest screen yet

If you're in the market for a new OLED TV, these deals on refurbished LG TVs at Woot can help you save quite a bit.

Launched at IFA 2024, the Ulefone Armor 28 Ultra is a rugged Android smartphone loaded with the MediaTek Dimensity 9300+ chip. I went hands-on with the device, to get a feel for the company’s latest ruggedized phone.

Ulefone make some of the best rugged phones we’ve tested – well-built, well-designed, and reliably durable. And while performance isn’t always the fastest, the company’s phones and rugged tablets have survived all the shock and drop tests we’ve thrown at them. 

So, I was curious to see what the new Ulefone Armor 28 Ultra felt like in hand. And in short, it feels like a thoughtfully designed beast. Swipe through the gallery below for more close-up photos. 

Hard knocks

The Armor 28 Ultra sports all the specs you’d expect from a phone built for extreme conditions and hostile environments. Alongside the better-performing Dimensity 9300+ processor, the 5G-capable device comes equipped with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage. The 10600mAh battery supports wired and wireless charging. Performance-wise, the Android 14 phone was snappy, although there was no opportunity to really push the demo unit to the max. It will be interesting to find out whether it resolves the issues of sluggish software on rugged phones. 

Measuring 6.86x3.29x0.76in, in my hand it was pleasingly chunky with a good weight behind it. The casing is hardened, machined, contoured, and reinforced. On the durability front, it has MIL-STD 810H, IP68, and IP69K ratings, making it resistant to dust, water, and it should survive up to two-meter drops. Rubberized port coverings for the USB-C charging and audio jack are a snug fit, firmly closing and – with what little time I had with the unit – feeling as if they will reliably stay-put and protect the device. 

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The AMOLED display is a good-sized 6.67in with Full HD+ (1080 x 2400) resolution and 120hz refresh rate. Under exhibition hall lights, this looked crisp, clear, and bright. Expect to see similar results outdoors, especially with the device’s 2200nits peak luminance. 

Flip over the phone to find the camera array. The device features both front-facing 50MP  camera, 50MP camera ultrawide with thermal imaging, and a 64MP night-vision camera. We’re keen to see how these play out under real-world tests – night-vision is notoriously difficult to capture in the well-lit Messe Berlin. Those rear cameras are housed within a frame not dissimilar to a gentleman’s timepiece. Fittingly, at the heart of the optical array is a small screen displaying an analog clock. Users can swipe over that mini screen for additional quick-view apps without unlocking the phone, and all the distractions of the home screen. It’s an elegant touch and a thoughtful design element that marks the model out from others on the market. 

So, some impressive specs for working on-site and in the field, if not the best-of-the-best. Overall, there is a chunkiness to the Armor 28 Ultra, and those with particularly small hands may struggle to get a full and tight grip on it. But that’s part of the appeal of a phone like this. It’s supposed to be built like a tank – and feel like it, too. 

As yet, the company hasn’t revealed the cost of the Ulefone Armor 28 Ultra. Users won’t even see pre-orders available until November, but we’re hoping that Ulefone continues its trend for reasonably priced devices offering a fair amount of bang for the buck. 

More from TechRadar Pro

• Check out the best rugged laptops for staying protected and productive
• Best of IFA 2024 awards – our 12 favorite tech reveals at the show
• Cheapest smartphone with thermal and IR night vision sensors goes on sale for less than $300 — Ulefone Armor 25T Pro promises to be a superb rugged handset and we've called in one for a review

New AirPods Max 2 were heavily rumored for Apple's iPhone 16 event – but it turns out we'll have to make do with some quality-of-life updates to the existing AirPods Max instead.

Perhaps the audio industry’s worst-kept secret, major updates to Apple’s AirPods line were heavily touted earlier this year and, true to form, Apple announced the new AirPods 4 and some decent updates to the AirPods Pro 2. But as the oldest headphones in Apple’s stable – they were released back in 2020 – the AirPods Max were the most in need of an upgrade.

However, if you were expecting a tranche of new features, you should temper your expectations – the updates we’ve seen to the AirPods Max are modest to say the least, making just a couple of minor changes to bring them more in line with their stablemates. 

So, if like us, you were waiting with bated breath for a significant upgrade to Apple’s premium over-ear cans, you might have to wait a little longer.

AirPods Max: the updates you need to know about

Given this is the first update the AirPods Max have received in four years, there have been many rumors on the kinds of features expected from this new version. But as mentioned above, Apple has only introduced scant upgrades.

In a change that everyone knew would be coming, that Lightning port is gone, replaced with the more universal USB-C. Given this has been mandated by EU regulators, this was entirely inevitable but still it’s a welcome upgrade. The AirPods Max were the last Apple device to still be using Lightning, so it will be nice to finally ditch the separate cables and be able to charge your laptop, phone or headphones all with the same charging cord.

In terms of the design, the AirPods Max have only had a purely cosmetic refresh, with a whole new swathe of colorways coming to the market. The new shades available are Midnight, Orange, Starlight, Blue and, our personal favorite, Purple. Looks like we’re finally getting that purple colorway Apple originally planned for the AirPods.

But, unfortunately, that’s it. While we would argue this is a real missed opportunity for Apple to justify the AirPods Max’s premium price point – with new features like lossless audio, weatherproofing and the new AirPods 4 Conversation Awareness feeling like particular oversight – it seems like we’ll have to just wait a while longer for the AirPods Max 2.

You may also like

• Not tied to Apple? See our pick of the best earbuds you can currently buy
• See our roundup of the best AirPods on the market right now
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U.S. prosecutors allege the pastor illegally funneled money to his church in the Philippines. They also say he victimized minors and young women, requiring them to perform "night duty."

Apple has just confirmed that iPhone 16 preorders will go live this Friday worldwide, so there's not long to wait to get your hands on the latest premium flagships from the brand.

The new devices are, as expected, the Apple iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. All four carry significant new upgrades to the chipset, cameras, and a host of new AI features that the brand is calling 'Apple Intelligence'. Overall, Apple has put a massive focus on not only internal hardware improvements but also on software with these devices, although you'll still see new colors and fresh design tweaks like the new Camera Control button.

The devices will debut at the same starting price as last year ($799), and preorders will start at 5:00 AM PDT / 8:00 AM ET / 1:00 PM GMT. The devices are due to ship by Sept. 20 so there will be a short wait time before the iPhone 16 range is officially released.

What promotions will there be?

• Trade-in rebates confirmed for both US and UK
• Up to $650 off at Apple
• Up to £645 off at Apple UK
• Up to $1,000 off at major carriers

While preorders aren't live just yet, Apple has already confirmed several of the trade-in rebates that will be available from Friday. As expected, Apple itself has a rebate of up to $650 / £645 off for unlocked devices across the entire range, which is exactly the same discount that's been available at the official store for a few months now.

Apple's keynote event also mentioned trade-in rebates of up to $1,000 off in the US, which will almost certainly be from AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. No deals have been listed on the Apple site just yet so we'll have to wait until Friday for official confirmation in regard to specifics. Similarly, contract deals at the major networks in the UK won't be going live until Friday so we can't list pricing just yet.

Our standalone iPhone 16 deals page will be covering launch promotions in more detail over the next few days, including recommendations for the best savings this Friday. 

What's new with the iPhone 16?

(Image credit: Aplpe)

• New A18 and A18 Pro chips
• Massive focus on new AI-integrated features
• 48MP "Fusion" camera
• Physical camera control function

Both the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro represent fairly substantial upgrades compared to the previous models. From the new A18 series chips built from the ground up for AI integration to the improved cameras, these devices offer plenty of enticing new features. 

First up, the A18 Series chipsets come with the debut of 'Apple Intelligence', which, as the name suggests, is a whole suite of new AI features across the entire range of existing Apple apps. Think ChatGPT-like language models for texts or emails, image and emoji generators, and a new 'Visual Intelligence' app that is just like Google Lens. 

In terms of hardware, the iPhone 16 series not only features new chipsets but also an improved camera with a new physical camera control button that directly interacts with the camera app. Apple is calling the new 48MP main camera the 'Fusion camera' since it can seamlessly switch between high-resolution images and more storage-friendly images, plus Stereoscopic capture for Apple Vision Pro. 

The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max feature slightly bigger 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch displays with slimmer bezels versus their predecessors. The main upgrades for the Pro models this year include the option for 4K video at 120FPS (perfect for slow motion) as well as the usual 48MP wide angle lens and 5x telephoto (12MP and 2x on the standard iPhone 16).

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Apple Intelligence, the brand-new AI feature suite coming to the best iPhones, now has an official release window – and we don't have long to wait.

Releasing in October as part of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1, Apple Intelligence will be available in beta, with more features arriving throughout this year and into 2025.

Apple officially announced the arrival of Apple Intelligence at its Glowtime' event alongside the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. You can catch up with everything Apple announced at our iPhone 16 event live blog.

The new iPhones are available to preorder from Friday, and will start shipping on September 20, albeit without Apple Intelligence.

When Apple Intelligence launches next month it will bring writing tools such as proofreading, Mail and notification summaries, improvements to Siri, and Clean Up for photo editing, to name just a few of the AI features. The initial launch, however, will only support US English, with localized English in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the UK arriving in December.

The new iPhone's Visual Intelligence feature won't arrive until later this year alongside other previously announced Apple Intelligence features such as Image Playground and Genmoji.

No Apple Intelligence at launch

During the Apple event, Tim Cook said the iPhone 16s are the "first iPhones designed from the ground up for Apple Intelligence" but you'll also be able to use the AI features on last year's iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max too.

Some features, such as the new Visual Intelligence will be exclusive to this year's models, however, so if you want the best Apple Intelligence has to offer you'll need to upgrade.

You might also like

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• Apple Watch Series 10 announced with biggest screen yet
• Will there still be an iPhone Ultra?