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ESA Releases Plan to Plunge Spacecraft Into Venus' Frightening Atmosphere


ESA Releases Plan to Plunge Spacecraft Into Venus' Frightening Atmosphere

In the early 2030s, the European Space Agency intends to plant a probe deep within the crushing atmosphere of Venus – a brutal planet that constantly burns at a blistering 864 degrees Fahrenheit (462 degrees Celsius), holds basically zero water vapor and exudes a gravitational force 90% of Earth's. 

Or as NASAputs it, "Venus today is a hellish world."

This brings up a bit of a dilemma: How do you get a human-made spacecraft not only to withstand the incomprehensible perils of Venus, but also to surf its lower atmosphere and collect valuable information while remaining unscathed? Well, according to the agency's newly released game plan for its mission, dubbed EnVision, the key is "aerobraking."

"Flying on an [Ariane 6 rocket], we cannot afford all the extra propellant it would take to lower our orbit," EnVision study manager Thomas Voirin said in a statement on Friday.

Here's what will go down instead.

First, the spacecraft will be injected into Venus' orbit at a very high altitude, approximately 155,343 miles (250,000 km), Voiron explained. Then, to get that craft to its ultimate destination of just 81 miles (130 km) from the planet's surface, the vessel will steadily slow down over about two years with thousands of repeated passes through the Venusian upper atmosphere. 

Eventually, the EnVision probe will be situated in its final orbit, where it will image and map out this toxic world with unprecedented precision. Plus, ESA says, it will be taking science measurements incrementally as it descends – such as around a 500 km altitude polar orbit. 

Against a black background, a white disc is seen attached to a box about the same size. On the left and right of this box are solar panels spread out like wings.

An artist's impression of ESA's EnVision mission spacecraft.

 ESA/VR2Planets/Damia Bouic

ESA's aerobraking concept has been tested before, such as with the agency's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter mission. Near the red planet, it was a success. 

However, "aerobraking around Venus is going to be much more challenging," Voirin said. "The gravity of Venus is about 10 times higher than that of Mars. This means velocities about twice as high as for TGO will be experienced by the spacecraft when passing through the atmosphere."

Beyond this, there will also be the hurdle of battling Venus' giant concentration of highly reactive atmospheric atomic oxygen, which can damage the craft, as well as an extreme amount of heat engulfing the probe, because heat is generated exponentially alongside velocity. 

"We want to check that these parts are resistant to being eroded, and also maintain their optical properties – meaning they do not degrade or darken – which might have knock-on effects in terms of their thermal behavior, because we have delicate scientific instruments that must maintain a set temperature," Voirin said. "We also need to avoid flaking or outgassing, which leads to contamination." Where EnVision is going, even lead turns to liquid.

Several circles of different materials are seen exposed to reddish beams of light which take up the whole left side of the image.

EnVision candidate materials exposed to atomic oxygen in the laboratory.

 ESA

Notably, ESA also tried aerobraking with its previous Venus mission, called Venus Express – but employed the mechanism toward the spacecraft's end-of-life sequence. It just burned up and died.

That can't quite happen with EnVision.

With the proposed mission, ESA's hope is to sustain a spacecraft in deep Venusian orbit, so it can aid in addressing longstanding questions surrounding the pale yellow realm. This includes things like whether Venus could've once hosted an ocean, or maybe sustained life. 

As a matter of fact, for many years a wealth of other space probes have tried to solve these mysteries – ESA's own Venus Express, of course, but also many of NASA's missions, which have taken layovers near Venus on the way to their primary destinations. 

In the coming years, NASA also has two Venus-specific missions planned called Davinci and Veritas. With some successful aerobraking, EnVision will complete this modern trio of Venus explorers.

There's also one super striking question raised by Venus that EnVision could help answer. It's the timely worry of whether this derelict world offers us a glimpse of Earth's future demise. 

The EnVision spacecraft is seen in front of the Earth and Venus, which overlap one another like Venn diagram circles.

Venus is so much like Earth, yet so, so different.

 NASA/JAXA/ISAS/DARTS/Damia Bouic/VR2Planets

"Many of the same tools we use to model climate change on Earth can be adapted to study climates on other planets, both past and present," Michael Way, a researcher at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, said in a statement. "These results show ancient Venus may have been a very different place than it is today."

Though Venus is considered absolutely miserable now – with a carbon dioxide-dominated, suffocatingly thick atmosphere and shockingly high temperatures – many experts believe it formed out of ingredients similar to Earth's as our solar system came together. Venus might've had a thin atmosphere and a few bodies of water, and generally appear to be our planet's cosmic twin. 

But due to what's called a "runaway greenhouse effect" on the planet, things changed. 

Simply, the runaway greenhouse effect refers to the idea that Venus' oceans evaporated over time, dumping water vapor into the atmosphere, which trapped way too much heat. All that heat led to more ocean evaporation, which trapped more atmospheric heat… and… 

Yeah.

Could this be what happens to Earth one day, too? Especially given the fact that climate change is ramping up due to human activities like burning coal and shoveling CO2 into the atmosphere?

"Venus will help us understand what happens when the greenhouse effect is really extreme," Hakan Svedhem, project scientist for ESA's Venus Express mission, said in a statement. "However, it's not a good example of what will happen to Earth due to human activities. Life on Earth would disappear due to the extreme temperatures much before reaching even half of the concentrations of carbon dioxide on Venus!" 

But hopefully, we won't even get close to 30% of Venus' frightening levels. 

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10 Road Trip Essentials for Summer Travel


10 Road Trip Essentials for Summer Travel

Road trips are awesome: Endless highways let you go anywhere and just about everywhere. From the oceans to the mountains, and every variation of flat farmland, rocky valley and scenic vista along the way, it can be all kinds of grand adventure. 

Whether you're planning on a few days, a few weeks or multiple months, the right road trip gear can make or break a trip. What follows isn't a list of gadgets, though there are a few. Instead, it's a mix of easy-to-find items, some essential apps and services and a handful of tips that will make your trip go a lot smoother. It's also mostly focused on the "road" part of "road trip," though some of these summer road trip essentials will work just fine if you're jetsetting. I hope you've got your camping and hiking gear sorted already, if that's your thing.

And who am I to offer advice? A lover of road trips. Last year I did a 10-week, 10,000-mile road trip around the US. This year, a 9,900-mile adventure that hit nine national parks. Before that, I took multiple trips across and around the US, Europe, Australia and more. Yeah. I love road trips.  

Understandably, there will be variations on what you need depending how long you're going, where you're going, your mode of travel and how many people are with you. I don't expect everyone to drive for 10 weeks in a Miata, though if you have the chance, I'd highly recommend it.

Geoffrey Morrison/CNET

Download maps for use offline

I think it's fair to say most of us take for granted that we'll have mobile data wherever we go. Depending where your road trip takes you, you might not. If you stick to the interstates, you're probably fine. But if you want to take some incredible two-lane backroads, perhaps not. 

It's easy to download Google Maps so you can still figure out where you're going, even if you don't have data. Simply search for where you're going such as "Wrangell-St, Elias National Park." Swipe up twice so the location info fills the screen. Tap the triple vertical dots in the upper right and select download offline map. Then select the area you'll be covering on your drive. 

GPS location info doesn't require a data connection, only a reasonably clear view of the sky. As long as the maps are already loaded, you can navigate on roads and even from many trails.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Consider an unlimited data upgrade

If you're usually within Wi-Fi range, you probably don't realize how quickly certain activities can eat up your data. Music, for instance, is only a fraction of the data required for video, but listening nonstop for six hours each day during a drive can quickly nuke your plan's included data. 

If your provider has an unlimited option, it's worth considering. Some, like Google Fi, let you swap to an unlimited plan any month you want. I also like Google Fi because it has no international roaming in case your road trip is really epic. Check your current provider if you don't already have unlimited data.

Alternately, consider downloading music/podcasts/audiobooks when you're on Wi-Fi and then turn off your data connection in the car (though make sure you download the maps first!).

We've rounded up the best unlimited data plan options for the three major US carriers.

Check out Best Unlimited Data Plans for 2022 for more..

Scosche/CNET

Cars have come with USB plugs for years now, but you've probably noticed they don't recharge your phone very quickly. Some do, in which case you can probably ignore this gadget. If yours doesn't, or if you have more devices than charge ports, consider a separate USB plug for your "cigarette lighter" outlet. The better ones, like the Anker PowerDrive Speed Plus and Scosche CPDCA38 can output enough power to rapidly charge your devices. I've had an older, slower version of the latter and it's worked great for years.

If your car has Android or Apple Auto, these typically require a physical connection between the car and the phone, which precludes the use of a cigarette adapter.

Amazon

This isn't strictly a "road" essential, but I recommend one for any kind of travel. A reasonably-sized USB battery, say 10,000 mAh or so, that can fast charge your phone or other devices can be handy in many situations and a lifesaver in others. 

There are infinite sizes, shapes and colors. I don't recommend the smallest ones because they're more for emergencies and usually only give you a partial charge. I also don't recommend really massive ones as they're just heavy to lug around. A 10,000-mAh battery can charge your phone from empty multiple times. There's no "perfect" size, but it's worth starting there to figure out what you need.

I've traveled with various batteries for years. My current pick is the Anker PowerCore 10000 PD Redux because it's small, but has high capacity and charges my phone rapidly via USB-C. 

Windex/CNET

These were the MVP of my road trip last year: They're wet wipes, but for windows. Why are they on a list of essentials? Because there's only so much windshield wipers can do: Some bugs and grime are just too much for them to handle. These work great on even the most gruesome bug guts. 

The package is resealable too, so you can keep them tucked beside your seat for when they're needed.

Geoffrey Morrison/CNET

The majority of Americans live within a road trip's distance of at least one national park, often several. No matter where your road trip is headed, check if it passes near one. They're all good and worth a visit. 

Some are free, but most have an entry fee around $30 or so. Or you can get the annual National Park pass, also called the America the Beautiful or Interagency pass. This gets you in over 2,000 federal lands. Three visits to any park should let it pay for itself. 

You can get them at the park's entrance or on the USGS and REI websites.

If you are considering visiting a national park this year, check out top tips for visiting them.

Hope for the best, plan for the worst? If you have room for it, some kind of roadside emergency kit is probably a good idea. I say "probably" since the better option for most people is a AAA membership, so your phone and a USB battery pack will keep you covered. I mean, does your car even have a spare tire? Mine doesn't. It comes with wishful thinking and a phone number.

But it's possible your adventure will take you away from cell coverage, and that's a bad place to get a flat or have a breakdown. The Lifeline kit linked here is decent, for what it is. To be honest, though, I'm not sure how useful these really are. None of the items in this kit are a bad idea, per se, but will you use them even if you do break down? You can get a first aid kit separately (and you should). Same for a tire inflator. But is there anyone out there that knows enough about car repair to need a crappy screwdriver and wrench set? If so, wouldn't they already have quality tools? Do you know how to safely connect jumper cables so you don't accidentally blow up a car battery? If you said "positive to positive, negative to negative," don't buy jumper cables. Call for help.

So yeah, I feel like a USB battery pack and a AAA membership are far more useful for most people for most road trips. But hey, if you know you're going to be driving into the unknown, it's worth considering… but if you're that advanced I'd assume you already have the right gear. 

If you want some other options, check out our best emergency kits for cars.

AAA

There's one annual bill that's permanently on my "always renew" list: my AAA membership. I've only had to use it a handful of times, but it's a peace of mind that's easily worth its cost. And it's not even that expensive. Get towed once and you've paid for your membership for several years. 

And it's not just towing. They'll help you change a flat, give your car a jump and more. This is a no-brainer.

There are a ton of choices for cameras, and for most people I'd actually say your phone is fine. An expensive camera isn't going to take better pictures if you don't know how to use it. Also, you can take great photos with your phone.

If you have an older phone or want something more for rugged travel, a GoPro can take great photos and videos and doesn't cost a ton. The Hero 9 and 10 are very similar, though the 10 is a little easier to use as it has a faster processor. I used the 9 on my trip last year, and the 10 on my trip this year, and the 10 annoyed me way less and didn't lock up as much.

I actually did a whole article about this topic: Best Camera Gear for Your Next Road Trip.

Geoff Morrison/CNET

This is a bit tricky as your car and needs are probably different from mine. If you do get a GoPro, having somewhere to mount it in the car can get you some epic shots. There are a bunch of options. A suction cup mount is a good place to start. I like this one as it's inexpensive, but can pivot and swivel in just about any direction.

I also have an antenna mount I like a lot. You can see it with a long selfie stick attached with a 360 camera on top in the image above. It's from CravenSpeed and for the Miata, but they might have a version that fits your car.

As well as covering TV and other display tech, Geoff does photo tours of cool museums and locations around the world, including nuclear submarines, massive aircraft carriers, medieval castles, epic 10,000 mile road trips, and more. Check out Tech Treks for all his tours and adventures.

He wrote a bestselling sci-fi novel about city-size submarines, along with a sequel. You can follow his adventures on Instagram and his YouTube channel.

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Your Teflon Cookware Could Be Toxic. Here's How to Tell


Your Teflon Cookware Could Be Toxic. Here's How to Tell

This story is part of Home Tips, CNET's collection of practical advice for getting the most out of your home, inside and out.

Teflon is one cookware surface with a good deal of fuzziness around it. Many folks I talk to want to know if nonstick and Teflon-coated cookware is safe to use. The answer is mostly yes, these days, but it's not quite that simple. 

CNET Home Tips logo

Nonstick coating is a popular choice, especially for frying pans and skillets. But there are also Teflon-coated pots, bakeware, air fryer baskets and plenty more. The big draw is, of course, that food won't stick to it the way it does to other metal materials so it's easy to flip a pancake or extract an egg. It also makes cleanup a snap.

One downside is that nonstick cookware doesn't impart a ton of direct surface heat hot, so you won't be able to sear meat well and get that coveted crispy crust or seal in flavor. It's also sensitive, and the nonstick coating will chip off and wear out over time. But the biggest worry people have when it comes to Teflon and nonstick cookware is whether or not it's safe to use or potentially toxic. 

Here's what you should know about Teflon, and how to tell if your nonstick pan is good to go or needs to be replaced.

Read more: A Guide to Nonstick Cookware

What is Teflon, and is it safe to cook with?

Teflon is a brand name for a synthetic chemical called polytetrafluoroethylene that's used in many household products from wire coatings to fabric protectors and kitchen cookware, too. The knock on Teflon is that it's unsafe if consumed or absorbed into the body and can increase the chances of cancer and other diseases. While studies have shown some connections (more on that below), Teflon still exists and is used to make cookware, but the safety concerns around Teflon are mostly a thing of the past. 

And I stress mostly. Here's why…

While the brand Teflon may be associated with a risk of cancer, it's actually a chemical formerly used in the making of Teflon called PFOA that's to blame. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, is a manufactured perfluorochemical developed in the 1930s and used to make fluoropolymer coatings and products that resist heat, oil, stains, grease and water. 

j1400664-nonstick-outdoor-grill-basket-alt1.png

Thanks to a federal ban, all Teflon and nonstick cookware made after 2013 should be free of harmful PFOA. Europe enacted the same ban in 2008.

 Home and Cook

What are the negative effects of PFOA?

In some studies, PFOA has been linked to cancer, immune deficiency and a host of other medical problems. It has also been shown to affect growth and development, and injure the liver in laboratory animals.

As recently as 2017, chemical giant Dupont settled a lawsuit for more than $670 million for its role in contaminating drinking water with PFOA (also referred to as C-8) in the mid-Ohio Valley. A previous class-action suit from 2004 in the same area led to a study that found PFOA was linked to cancer and compromised immune function, even in small doses. 

Teflon cookware made before 2013 may be toxic

All that was enough for most manufacturers to halt the production of nonstick coatings using PFOA around 2002. But Teflon using PFOA wasn't officially banned in the United States until 2014. Europe banned it in 2008. That means if you own Teflon nonstick cookware from 2013 or earlier, there's a chance it contains PFOA. Nine years is typically longer than the average lifespan of a nonstick pan, but if you're not sure, it's probably best to replace any Teflon-coated pots or pans. 

Look for PFOA-free cookware

Because of the ban, all nonstick cookware made in the US should be PFOA-free, but you'd be wise to make sure. Be extra cautious about buying cheap or off-brand cookware, especially if it's not produced in a country with an active PFOA ban. PFOA is still produced elsewhere, largely in China, and used to make consumer products. 

The good news is PFOA-free nonstick cookware is cheap, so there's no reason to risk it with anything that might contain the chemical. You can nab a 10-inch skillet from a trusted cookware brand like Tramontina for around $20. All-Clad makes a two-piece nonstick cookware set for $50. Definitely worth it for peace of mind. 

Read more: Best Nonstick Frying Pans, Tested and Reviewed

always-pan.png

The Always Pan is a nonstick ceramic alternative to Teflon cookware.

 Our Place

The best natural nonstick cookware alternatives

If you're ready to ditch Teflon and chemical-based nonstick pots and pans altogether, there are plenty of more natural nonstick alternatives. 

The most nonstick of the bunch is ceramic cookware, which has seen a boom in popularity since concerns about Teflon first surfaced. A few popular ceramic cookware options include The Always Pan (read my full review here), Caraway and Greenpan.

Cast iron is another cookware material that develops a natural nonstick coating over time, especially if you season it well and care for it properly. It won't likely ever become as nonstick as Teflon, but cast iron has loads of other culinary benefits that are worthy of a few extra seconds scrubbing in the sink after use. Lodge is a tried-and-true cast-iron cookware producer: You can scoop up a 10-inch skillet for as little as $24.

food-breakfast-eggs-1278

Cast iron develops a nonstick patina over time and is a natural alternative to Teflon. 

 Angela Lang/CNET

Carbon steel is yet another option and functions similarly to cast-iron cookware, although it's not quite as heavy, slightly more sensitive to corrosion and typically more expensive. Carbon steel hasn't really popped off here in the US but is a favorite of professional chefs, as well as yours truly. Cookware startup Made In produces an excellent blue carbon steel skillet for around $80, but there are cheaper options out there.

More helpful kitchen tips

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See If You Qualify for a Piece of Noom's $56 Million Class Action Settlement


See If You Qualify for a Piece of Noom's $56 Million Class Action Settlement

If you subscribed to the popular weight-management app Noom, you may be eligible for part of a $56 million class-action settlement regarding its automatic renewal and its cancellation policies.

Plaintiffs in the case accused Noom of violating consumer protection laws by getting customers to sign up for a free trial period without clearly disclosing its auto-renewal terms.

Founders Saeju Jeong and Artem Petakov did not acknowledge wrongdoing as part of the settlement, which they agreed to in February. 

Read More: You Might Be Owed Part of Apple's $14.8 Million Class-Action  Settlement

Noom did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but Petakov and Jeong said in a February blog post that settlement was "the best path forward as it allows us to focus our energy on delivering the best possible health outcomes for our Noomers."

Here's what you need to know about the Noom settlement, including how to find out if you're eligible, how you'll be paid and how much you can expect to receive.

What is Noom?

Noom is a subscription-based app to track food intake and exercise habits to encourage weight loss. The company emphasizes behavioral changes and users' emotions related to food instead of calorie counting or other techniques. It incorporates support groups and personal coaches.

Noom

A class-action suit claims Noom lured users in with a free trial but made it difficult to cancel when the trial was over.

 Noom

What is Noom accused of doing?

A 2020 lawsuit claimed the weight-loss app, which was valued at about $3.7 billion in May 2021, misled customers with a "risk-free" trial without providing a straightforward way to cancel after the trial period ended. 

Subscribers were instead sucked into automatic renewals, plaintiffs in Nichols v. Noom alleged, which charged them for up to eight months of nonrefundable payments totaling as much as $199, according to Reuters.

What was the settlement Noom agreed to?

Noom has agreed to pay out a total of $56 million to subscribers and provide an additional $6 million in subscription credits.

Who is eligible to receive a payment?

Anyone who subscribed to the Noom Healthy Weight program online or via the company's app between May 12, 2016, and Oct. 6, 2020, and did not receive a full refund or chargeback is eligible to receive a portion of the settlement.

No proof of purchase is necessary. But if you purchased a Noom subscription through iTunes or Google Play, you are not considered an eligible recipient, or "class member."

Class members may have been notified about the settlement via email or social media. If you think you qualify but didn't receive a notice, visit the Noom Class Action Settlement site or call 844-999-2466.

How much will class members receive?

A court must still sign off on the deal, but the settlement groups have been broken into two categories: Subclass A and B.

Subclass A members can expect an approximate payment of $167. They include:

  • Individuals who never completed their Noom enrollment but were charged anyway.
  • People who enrolled but can prove they never used Noom after the trial period.
  • Those who used Noom two times or fewer after the trial period.
  • People who stopped using Noom after day 58 of the subscription.         
  • Customers who received a partial refund for a Healthy Weight Subscription.
  • Individuals who were California residents when they signed up for the Healthy Weight Subscription.

Class members who don't fit any of those definitions are considered part of Subclass B and will receive approximately $30.

In addition, the first 100,000 Subclass B Members who file a valid claim form can also receive a free month's subscription to Noom's Healthy Weight program, independent of any cash reward. 

When is the deadline to file a claim?

Class members must file their claims by June 24, 2022. That is also the deadline to exclude yourself from the settlement and retain your right to sue Noom regarding the issues in the case.

If you do that, you can request to speak at the final approval hearing on July 11, but your notice of intent to appear must be postmarked no later than July 5, 2022.

If you don't file a claim or indicate your desire to exclude yourself from the settlement by June 24, you waive any right to payment or to sue Noom.

Has Noom changed any policies since the suit was filed?

Saeju Jeong, co-founder and CEO of Noom

Saeju Jeong, co-founder and CEO of Noom

 Sam Barnes/Sportsfile for Web Summit via Getty Images

As part of the settlement, Noom agreed to alter certain practices. In the February blog post, Petakov and Jeong said they have added a self-service cancellation option on both the Noom app and website.

In addition, they indicated Noom has increased support staff, added more phone and online chat options, simplified pricing and made subscription details "even clearer and more readily available for Noomers to refer back to."

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How to set up Ring's Halloween-themed chimes and quick replies — CNET


How to set up Ring's Halloween-themed chimes and quick replies — CNET

Halloween is right around the corner. That means it's time to cue up the Netflix Halloween flicks, and dress up your fur buddies and kids (some Disney costumes are on sale now). Sure, you can always hang plastic spiders and drape cotton-ball cobwebs around the house to spice up your Halloween decor, but if you really want to get into the spooky spirit, try these new features from Amazon.

This year, you can use your Amazon and Ring devices to greet guests with creepy or nostalgic Hocus Pocus quick replies. Or play spooky sounds from your Echo-enabled device. You can even add a few hardware accessories to your video doorbell or Echo Show. 

We'll show you how to enable Halloween-themed Alexa skills and other spooky tricks. Here are the latest Amazon features that were announced just in time for the holidays. Plus, you may be able to save on a new Echo Show or Ring Video Doorbell with Amazon's Black Friday-worthy deals. This story was recently updated. 

Update your doorbell's Quick Replies 

With Ring's Quick Reply feature, you can select an automated response to greet your guest if you can't answer. Your doorbell can say, "We can't answer the door right now, but if you'd like to leave a message, you can do it now," and "Please leave the package outside. If you'd like to leave a message, you can do it now." There are four other regular replies to choose from. 

With all Quick Replies, you can watch your visitor leave a message in Live View or in your event history if you're a Ring Protect subscriber. But for Halloween, you can add quick replies from Hocus Pocus or other spooktacular replies. Here are a few we like:

  • "Tell us what brings you here... or we'll put a spell on you!"
  • "Boo! Leave us a message if you dare [evil laugh]."
  • "Just a minute! Feel free to park your broom."
  • "Please leave the package (and any hocus pocus) outside."

Here's how to set up Quick Replies and add Halloween ones: 

  • Open the Ring app.
  • Tap the three lines on the top left.
  • Tap Devices.
  • Select the doorbell that you want to set up.
  • Tap the Smart Assistant tile below the doorbell image.
  • Tap Quick Replies.
  • Tap the blue Enable Autoreply button on the bottom of the screen.
  • Select your preferred default message from the list.
  • Set your message delay time from Right away to 20 seconds.
  • Tap Got It! to complete the setup.

Add Halloween chimes to your Ring doorbell 

For Halloween, you can choose from a new set of holiday chimes. Options include bats, ghosts, howl, scream, spooky organ tones, a creepy laugh, a screeching cat and a creaky door.

To change your Ring Chime Tone: 

  • Open the Ring app.
  • Tap the three lines on the top left.
  • Tap Devices.
  • Select the doorbell that you want to set up.
  • Tap the Device Settings.
  • Tap Notification Settings.
  • Tap App Alert Tones.
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Ring can help take your spooky porch decor to the next level.

 Ring

Give your doorbell a spooky faceplate

If you're really in the Halloween spirit, you can put a holiday faceplate on your Ring doorbell. 

A bat design and a spiderweb design are available for the Ring Video Doorbell 2.

There are also faceplate options for the Video Doorbell 3, Video Doorbell 3 Plus, and Video Doorbell 4. Faceplates for all models cost $15 on Ring's website. There are even a few for the holiday season. 


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Apple Watch 7 will feature a full keyboard


Apple Watch 7 will feature a full keyboard

The latest generation of the Apple Watch will feature a full keyboard, the company said Tuesday, offering a new way to input text on the device. 

Apple Watch 7 owners will have the option of tapping on the letters or sliding from letter to letter to type, and machine learning will predict the word. The company announced the news at its iPhone 13 event. 

The Apple Watch 7 will also come with redesigned and enlarged buttons, making them easier to tap, particularly for alarms and stopwatch activity. It will also be able to fit 50% more text on screen than the previous model. 

The first Apple Watch launched in 2015. Since then, it's become one of the iPhone's most important companion products. Although the company doesn't break out sales figures for the watch, the device reportedly sells better than the entire Swiss watch industry combined. 

CNET's Ian Sherr contributed to this report.

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IMDb's New App Helps You Decide What to Watch


IMDb's New App Helps You Decide What to Watch

Tired from a long day? Want to relax on the couch in front of the TV, but don't want to endlessly scroll through shows to find something to watch? IMDb has an app for that. What To Watch is a new, free app meant to help Fire TV users decide -- you guessed it -- what to watch.

The app uses a series of mini games to help make that decision fun instead of stressful. Once you've finished a game, the app generates a list of recommendations, along with IMDb user ratings and runtimes for each title, to help you decide.

You can play Quick Draw, a game that shuffles through virtual "playing cards" with TV series and movie options. Or you can play This or That, where you'll answer questions to help narrow down recommendations. IMDb plans to launch more mini games in the app, too.

"The new IMDb What to Watch app for Fire TV makes it easy, fun, and fast for customers to discover trending titles and hidden gems," Nikki Santoro, IMDb chief operating officer said in a release on Thursday. 

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Some of the mini games available through the What to Watch app.

 IMDb

IMDb, which is owned by Amazon, recently rebranded its IMDb TV streaming service as Amazon Freevee. The streaming service plans to add 70% more original content this year to its platform. 

"Customers are increasingly shifting to streaming ad-supported premium content, and we have developed Freevee to deliver them highly sought content with half the commercials of traditional TV," Freevee director Ashraf Alkarmi said.

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WWE Clash of Champions: Results, new champions, match rankings and full recap


WWE Clash of Champions: Results, new champions, match rankings and full recap

Emanating out of Charlotte, North Carolina, WWE's Clash of Champions pay-per-view was OK. It wasn't bad, per se, but there was nothing on the show that was truly exceptional, with most of the event being average to good. Seth Rollins was the MVP of the night, being a key part of the strong open and closing matches. Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks was on its way to being a standout match but was stymied by a poor finish.

Here's a quick rundown of highlights:

  • Seth Rollins is still Universal Champion, but he and Braun Strowman lost the Raw Tag Team Championships to Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler. Not that it'll end up meaning anything, but Rollins was pinned fairly cleanly by Roode.
  • AJ Styles vs. Cedric Alexander was on the preshow, for some reason.
  • Becky Lynch retained her Raw Women's Championship via DQ, lengthening her feud with Sasha Banks.
  • Roman Reigns vs. Erick Rowan was a waste of time -- until Luke Harper returned.

Below you'll find all the results of the night, as well as match recaps and ratings. See you next month for WWE's Hell in a Cell event, which will be headlined by Seth Rollins vs. Bray Wyatt. 

Seth Rollins retains his Universal Championship

Hot start, with Strowman bulldozing Rollins and going for his powerslam finish. Rollins escapes, works over Strowman's legs and hits three superkicks followed by a frogsplash. Rollins is so good. Two count. 

Good action, with Rollins springboarding all over the place and Strowman showing great intensity. The crowd is quiet, tired from a long and only OK show. Strowman hits his running shoulder tackle on the outside twice, but Rollins sidesteps him on the third one. Strowman crashes through an announce table, and Rollins hits dual suicide dives. The two end up fighting on the turnbuckle, and Strowman eventually hits a frogsplash from the top. Props.

We get a light, polite "this is awesome" chant. Rollins locks in a sleeper hold but Strowman rolls out. Rollins hits a curbstomp for a one count. He hits another for a two count. A third stomp for another two count. Rollins goes for a fourth but Strowman counters, hoisting him up for a powerslam. Strowman's leg gives out, Rollins nails a pedigree and then a final curbstomp for the pin.

After the match Rollins is attacked by Bray Wyatt, aka The Fiend. They'll wrestle next month at Hell in a Cell.

Rating: 3.5 stars. Very similar to SummerSlam's main event between Rollins and Brock Lesnar, but not as good. Suffered from a flat crowd, but still a solid main event. 

Erick Rowan beats Roman Reigns (!) 

Not much to this match. It's no DQ, so it's just a bunch of brawling outside the ring. Rowan has improved his intensity a great deal, but the crowd doesn't buy him as a threat to Reigns. Which is a shame, because the match was just Rowan beating down Reigns, trying to convince the audience he's a threat to Reigns.

One moment did impress the crowd. On the outside, Reigns jumps from the steel stairs for an elevated Superman Punch, but Rowan counters by grabbing him by the throat and pulling him up for a huge powerbomb through an announcer's table. This gets Rowan a 2 count. 

Match ends when a returning Luke Harper blocks a spear attempt from Reigns. Harper and Rowan double team Reigns. Rowan gets the win.

Rating: 1.5 star. Cool powerbomb spot and it's awesome that Luke Harper, who is awesome, is back. Other than that, this was not good. 

Kofi Kingston retains his WWE Championship

Orton and Kingston start slow. This is likely because they're following a hot match and want to restart the crowd, but it's also vintage Orton. 

The wrestling here is actually very tight. The two exchange snug shots, and Orton ends up bumping Kingston out of the ring. He then follows up with suplexes all around the outside area, including two on the announce table.

The pace slows down though as Orton picks apart Kingston. Eventually Kingston mounts a comeback, but it's not a particularly vigorous one. He goes for a Trouble in Paradise, but Orton counters with a nice neckbreaker. Kingston gets some of that missing fire, though, with a huge over-the-top-rope dive.

Orton regains control and there's more slow-paced dissection. He sets up an RKO but Kingston counters into a rollup. Kingston starts a comeback but is cut off with an RKO outta' nowhere. Kingston gets a foot on the rope at 2. Orton goes for his infamous punt but Kingston dodges and nails a Trouble in Paradise to retain.

Rating: 3 stars. A lot of nice wrestling here, but nothing remarkable. 

Sasha Banks beats Becky Lynch via DQ

Crowd reacts big to Lynch, and is more into this match than the last few. Lynch starts out on top, but once Banks gets control the crowd breaks out into loud "Let's go Sasha!/Let's go Becky!" dueling chants.

After Banks worked over Lynch for some heat, Lynch mounts a comeback. She gets cut off in spectacular fashion though, with Banks countering a flying clothesline with a Banks Statement submission. Lynch powers out and hits an exploder suplex. Crowd has been more quiet, but wakes up with more dueling chants.

The two women trade submissions in the center of the ring, Banks going for the Banks Statement and Lynch the Disarmer armbar. Lynch ends up on top, getting her submission, but Banks gets her foot on the rope. Good stuff here. Banks nails double backstabbers and rolls Lynch into a Banks Statement for an intense false finish, but Lynch gets the rope break.

Banks villains it up, tossing in a chair to distract the ref and then, while the ref isn't looking, hitting Banks in the torso with another chair. She follows up with a shining wizard for a two count. The ref accosts Banks for using a chair and then Lynch takes a chair herself and swings for Banks, but Banks ducks and Lynch hits the ref. 

The two then brawl into the crowd. Lynch uses the stair rails to put Banks in a Disarmer armbar, which was gnarly. Banks and Lynch brawl into the backstage area, where Lynch smears Banks with mustard, and eventually come back to the ring. We're told by Michael Cole that Lynch has been disqualified for hitting the ref. Cool. Inside the ring Lynch destroys Banks with a chair.

Rating: 3.5 stars. A very good match with a weak finish. In fairness, Lynch looked like a badass babyface tearing apart Banks and leaving as a defiant champion, but that's in spite of an uninspired ending.

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Still the champ.

 WWE

Shinsuke Nakamura retains the Intercontinental Championship

After The Miz' entrance, Sami Zayn comes out to berate the audience, talk smack about The Undertaker and to introduce Shinsuke Nakamura. It sucks that Zayn is a manager, because he's such a terrific wrestler, but he is a fantastic manager. 

Nakamura and The Miz open with some chain wrestling. Zayn immediately takes the mic and starts commentating from the side. After about 30 seconds of amazing commentating, Zayn's mic gets cut off. 

Miz works over Nakamura's leg throughout the match, leading up to a Figure Four submission that gets a nice pop thanks to this being Charlotte, North Carolina, aka Flair Country. Nakamura grabs the ropes to break up the pin. Zayn distracts Miz, allowing Nakamura to his a modified Kinshasa to the back of Miz' head for a 2 count. Miz regains control and nails a Skill Crushing Finale, but Zayn distracts the ref.

Ending comes as Miz chases Zayn around the ring. Nakamura cuts him off, then hits a Kinsasha in the ring for the win.

Rating: 3.25 stars. This match had a slow start, got very good towards the end but had a finish that made The Miz look dumb. Miz's offense also looked weak at points. 

Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss retain Women's Tag Titles

Alexa Bliss comes out with a Harley Quinn-inspired look tonight.

Nikki Cross starts the match with Mandy Rose, who after some taunting from Cross tags in Sonya Deville. Eventually Rose is back in the ring against Bliss. Some sloppy stuff here, some of Bliss' forearms and slaps look great but there was some conspicuous mishaps too. The two were at some points a second or two out of sync. 

R-Truth runs into the ring and is chased by the 24/7 Championship crowd for a quick distraction. Bliss tries to rollup Truth, but he kicks out and runs into the crowd. This sentence must be completely incomprehensible to someone who doesn't regularly watch Raw.

Deville and Rose hit a double-team move on Bliss, but the pin was broken up by Cross. Bliss tags in Cross, Cross scores the pin on Rose after a top-rope neckbreaker. 

Rating: 2 stars. Not bad, a well laid out match (except for the 24/7 distraction), but there was a lot of sloppy wrestling here and the crowd wasn't particularly interested.

The Revival defeats The New Day

The Revival are awesome and The New Day very good, but these teams are struggling to get the crowd alive. The New Day dominate until The Revival out Xavier Woods and double team Big E. The crowd did wake up when Big E, after around 5 minutes of being beaten down, tagged in Woods. 

Woods runs wild on The Revival, but is cut off when he gets kicked in his injured leg. Big E comes in for a nice sequence that ends up with The Revival hitting a Shatter Machine on the outside. Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder then pick apart Woods in the ring and nail him with a Shatter Machine. They could go for a pin but decide to work over Woods' leg more.

Dawson puts Woods in a submission lock and Woods taps out.

Rating: 2.75 stars. Some nice wrestling here, but the middle section of the match felt plodding and the crowd, though sporadically invested, on the whole wasn't super into it. 

Bayley retains her SmackDown Women's Championship

Flair opens hot with a big boot to Bayley, who then retreats out of the ring. Flair chases Bayley around and, back in the ring, hits her with some chops and some snug-looking strikes. Outside the ring Flair throws Bayley into the ringside barricades. Pretty gnarly looking. Here the crowd pipes up with a "Let's go Charlotte!" chant. 

Flair starts working over Bayley's leg. The story of the match so far is that Flair is murdering Bayley. Bayley reteats to the corner and the ref stops Flair from keeping the offense up. Bayley takes the bottom turnbuckle padding off, pulls Charlotte into it in an illegal move and, surprisingly, gets the 1-2-3. 

After the match Bayley legs it to the back.

Rating: 2.5 stars. This match actually told a coherent story. Flair was killing Bayley, who blatantly cheated to retain her title. The hero looks strong, the villain looks evil. It was too short to be a great or even good match, but was solid for what it was.

Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler are Raw Tag Champions

Good opening match here. It opens with Strowman dominating both Roode and Ziggler, then tagging in Rollins. Ziggler turns the tide with a wicked DDT on Rollins outside the ring. The crowd was a little quiet at the beginning, but really got into the match as the bad guys kept cutting off Rollins from tagging in Strowman. 

Big pop when Strowman gets tagged in. He runs wild -- literally running Ziggler and Roode down on the outside -- but Ziggler rakes his eyes and double teams him with Roode. Eventually Strowman tags in Rollins. Amazing hot tag. This guy was flying all over the place, springboards inside the ring, suicide dives outside, more springboards inside. 

Match ends when Roode sets up a Glorious DDT and Strowman bumps Roode into Rollins. Strowman and Ziggler take a tumble outside, and Roode hits a DDT on Rollins for the win. 

Robert Roode, bottom of the card a month ago, pins the Universal Champion.

Rating: 3.5 stars. Slow start, but ultimately a solid match with a very good final few minutes. 

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Your new tag champs. 

 WWE

Preshow results

AJ Styles defeats Cedric Alexander in a United States Championship match: The first surprise of the night is that this match was on the preshow. Styles beats Alexander in a 5-minute match.

Drew Gulak retains the Cruiserweight Championship: Gulak beats Humberto Carrillo and Lince Dorado in a triple-threat match.

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Try This Surprisingly Smart Lightbulb Tip (Your Uber Driver Will Thank You)


Try This Surprisingly Smart Lightbulb Tip (Your Uber Driver Will Thank You)

This story is part of Home Tips, CNET's collection of practical advice for getting the most out of your home, inside and out.

Light bulbs that change colors on command are a smart home staple, but there aren't a lot of obvious ways to make them a practical part of your day-to-day. Sure, they're lots of fun for a kids room, and useful to have at Halloween or when you're throwing a party, but how often have those colors actually come in handy?

The truth about color-changing smart bulbs is that it's all about how -- and where -- you use them. If you've been looking for new ways to put them to work, there's one spot at home you might not have considered, and I'm confident that it's a place where you'll get plenty of practical use out of those automated color changes.

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See that blue light on the porch? So can your delivery driver -- and in a multiunit home like this one, it's a great way to help them find the right door.

 Ry Crist/CNET

Stick a multicolor smart bulb on your front porch

Or your stoop. Or your front window. Or the light in the yard -- wherever, just so long as you've got a color-changing bulb that people can see from the street. That last bit's important, because we're going to use this thing as a signal that helps people find your house -- specifically, the rideshare and delivery drivers trying to earn a living by bringing meals, groceries and other home goods to your doorstep.

With Americans staying home more than ever during the past two years, delivery services like those have seen massive growth. If you're anything like me, you've come to appreciate the occasional (OK, more than occasional) convenience of a well-timed burrito delivery in the middle of your remote workday. With a color-changing smart bulb outside your home, it's easy to help those drivers find your address -- just change the color to something distinctive when you order and make a note to your driver to look for the colored light. You'll be doing your driver a solid, and helping ensure that your food gets to the right place, too.

Along with deliveries and pickups, it's also a useful trick when you're having people over for a social visit. And, even when you aren't using it to help people find your place, a bulb on your porch that you can set to turn on automatically whenever the sun goes down is great to have on hand, not to mention the fact that you'll have a nice head start on the Halloween decorations. Here's how to get it set up.

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Just about any color-changing smart bulb will work -- and if you don't want your bulb to be smart, a nonconnected color-changing bulb with a remote like this one from GE will do the job, too.

 Chris Monroe/CNET

Step 1: Pick out a bulb

You've got no shortage of options here. Big names like Philips Hue and Lifx will get the job done, but less expensive bulbs from Sengled, GE Cync, Wyze, TP-Link Kasa, Govee and others will work, too, so in most cases you won't need to spend more than $15 per bulb or so. If you need a floodlight instead of a standard, A-shaped bulb, you'll find lots of options, as well: Cree, Feit Electric, Lifx, Philips Hue, Sengled, Wiz and others all sell them, and most cost less than $20.

Any color-changing bulb will do, but you'll want to put some thought into how you plan to control the thing. All of them should let you change the color from your phone, using an app, but if you already use voice assistants or home automation platforms in your house -- Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, SmartThings -- you'll want to make sure to pick a bulb that works with your setup. Later this year, smart bulbs that support Matter, a new universal smart home standard that works with all of those other platforms, should start hitting the market, too.

And, if you aren't interested in smart bulbs that you can control with your voice or with an app, that's fine: Just look for nonsmart color-changing bulbs that come with a remote, like this one from GE. Again, you shouldn't need to spend much more than $10.

Step 2: Pair with your bulb

This part's easy -- just screw the bulb in where it needs to go, turn it on, download the app to your Android or iOS device, and follow the instructions to pair it with your phone. 

Keep in mind that different bulbs connect in different ways. If it's a Wi-Fi bulb, it'll pair directly with your home network via your router. If it's a Bluetooth bulb, it'll pair directly with your phone whenever it's within Bluetooth range. Zigbee bulbs need a Zigbee hub on your network that's capable of receiving the signal and translating it into something your router can work with.

Once you've connected, you can use the bulb's app to change the color yourself whenever you're expecting a delivery. If your bulb supports voice commands via Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri -- and just about all of them do at this point -- the app should offer instructions on how to set that up, as well.

Most meal delivery apps have a field where you can leave instructions for your driver at checkout. This is where you want to tell them to look for the light.

 Screenshot by Ry Crist/CNET

Step 3: Give your driver a heads up

Don't forget to loop your driver in on the plan. Before you place your order or request a ride pickup, look for a field where you can leave special instructions for your driver -- tell them to "look for the blue light," and you'll be all set. Same goes for pizza delivery if you're ordering online, or via the brand's app.

And that should do it -- a color-changing bulb on the porch that'll help delivery drivers find your front door each and every time you order. It's novelty meets practicality, all without costing very much, and a great way to put those colors to work.

For more tips, check out five inexpensive ways to tech out your patio, and which appliances you should unplug at home to save money.

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