Author Archives: Carol Edwards

The percentage of kids who have a smartphone grows by the year: As of Oct. 2019, over half of kids have their own phones by age 11 (compared to ages 13 and 14 over the past few years). Kids seem to start begging for their own phone as soon as they can talk (or at least it probably feels that way to parents who are always handing their phone over to provide entertainment). In some ways, your child having a phone on them at all times can alleviate some serious worries about location and communication, and educational TV shows on a tablet are a handy distraction when parents need some peace and quiet.

But though parental control software exists for this exact purpose, a parent’s worries about internet safety, cyberbullying, and screen time might outnumber the reasons for a young child to have a cell phone or tablet.

But just because your kiddo isn’t ready for a phone or iPad doesn’t mean they can’t have any tech. Kid-friendly smartwatches let parents stay in touch with kids while they’re away from home, and most are equipped with GPS to keep tabs on a kid’s whereabouts without having to send a “Where are you?” message. Unlike smartwatches for adults, kids’ smartwatches don’t promote social media sharing and usually don’t have the option to get on the internet at all, so screen time isn’t as much of a concern.

For kids, the freedom that comes with having their very own connected device — and potentially more leniency when it comes to doing things unsupervised — is pretty priceless. The fact that they can flex their Apple Watch-like bling around their friends is an obvious bonus.

Some kid watches are also great tools for establishing a daily chore, homework, or bedtime routine. Parents can use the app to set daily reminders like “brush teeth for two minutes” or “read for 15 minutes before bedtime,” then sprinkle in some leverage by scheduling a reward after. Kids can cross stuff off the list with the help of a built-in stopwatch or by setting their own alarms. Activities that are typically mundane are suddenly a lot more fun when an animated celebration, badges, or sibling leaderboard competition are involved (and when a parent isn’t doing the nagging). When healthy habits are established early, they can carry over into adulthood (when deep-rooted bad habits are typically harder to kick).

What to look for in a smartwatch for a kid

GPS will be the biggest deciding factor for parents looking into smartwatches specifically to keep track of kids with busy schedules. True smartwatches (like the Verizon Gizmo) act more like a cell phone in the sense that parents have a live tab of a kid’s location and the ability to text and call. Wearables focused more on fitness tracking (like the Fitbit Ace 2) may skip location services altogether, as well as the option for any two-way communication. Don’t feel like messing with an app at all? There are standalone smartwatches that are ready to go without any invested setup.

Letting kids know that you can see their location can foster mutual respect and help with parental boundaries.

Watches focused on physical activity do have their advantages, though. Parents worried about screen time will appreciate the way that smart fitness trackers are not only a less web-based device than a smartphone, but that they actually encourage kids to get up and moving. Kids can check their step count for the day or get a reminder to stand up for a few minutes, but the most fun part is easily the on-screen celebration when a daily activity or sleep goal is met. Settings can be tweaked in the parent app, but having a kid set their own alarms or follow their own activity rules could be a great way to assume some responsibility.

A smartwatch might be replacing the need for a whole phone or tablet, but that doesn’t mean entertainment is completely off the table. Some watches geared toward younger children have games from math and numbers challenges to augmented reality mysteries, and a camera with funny face filters might pop up, too. For such a small screen, the resolution is surprisingly clear and more than enough to keep kids busy in line at the store, in the waiting room, or in the car.

Things will go a lot smoother when your kid is in on the plan. If you do end up opting for a watch with location tracking or GPS boundaries, letting them know that you can see their location can foster mutual respect — even if that respect is unspoken and initially met with opposition.

Here are the best smartwatches for kids in 2022:

The cast of Halo talks about how the series expands on the lore of the video game.

Why would anyone want to purchase a smartphone outright when they could instead just rent it indefinitely?

That seems to be the thinking of Apple, which is reportedly working on a hardware subscription service that would allow customers to pay recurring fees in exchange for access to the latest iPhone. So notes Bloomberg in a report that, while admittedly light on specifics, suggests Apple is eyeing a future in which owning an iPhone isn’t a prerequisite to getting locked into the Apple apps and services ecosystem.

We reached out to Apple in an attempt to confirm Bloomberg’s reporting, as well as with a host of questions about the company’s timeline and plans. A company spokesperson declined to comment.

If confirmed, Apple wouldn’t be the first tech company to push toward a subscription model. Way back in 2013, Adobe, the maker of the widely popular photo-editing software Photoshop, ceased selling its software outright and began requiring customers to pay a monthly access fee.

Now, it’s important to note that nowhere in Bloomberg’s reporting does it claim Apple would stop selling phones. Even so, reactions were swift.

“So bringing back iPhone upgrade program? I tried that once and I *hated* paying monthly for my phone and vowed to never do it again,” wrote Karissa Bell, a senior editor at Engadget.

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Others merely bemoaned the general trend away from actual device ownership, which brings with it all sorts of implied right-to-repair issues.

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Apple’s exact hardware subscription plans remain a mystery at this point. But perhaps in the face of a viscerally negative customer response, Apple will show some courage and go ahead with it anyway.

Debates over whether or not video games can be considered art feel like a thing of the distant past. Yet it took until 2022 for Peabody — one of the most prestigious curators of excellent storytelling in entertainment, documentary, journalism, podcasting, arts, and more — to begin officially recognizing the medium through its own designated category.

“As an institution, Peabody probably should have done this a decade ago,” said executive director Jeffrey Jones of the first-ever Digital and Interactive Storytelling Peabody award winners announced March 24. “But we needed to set up the proper framework.”

In the past, Peabody made some scattered efforts to honor boundary-pushing stories through its established, traditional structures. Aside from awarding buzzy VR documentaries, like The New York Times’ Snow Fall and the Canadian Film Board’s High Rise, it even honored a website called Transom.org. all the way back in 2003. Then in 2015, Jones helped organize a Futures of Media Peabody award co-sponsored by Facebook, hoping it might serve as a beta for formalizing exactly the kind of award category it debuted today

“As an institution, Peabody probably should have done this a decade ago.”

“This is a much more intentional effort to signal that we, as an institution, believe that stories in this space have always mattered, that you haven’t needed the confines of traditional broadcast media to tell amazingly powerful stories,” said Jones. “We just weren’t able to recognize them until now.” 

Dedicating its inaugural year to long-overdue recognition, Peabody’s new board of venerated jurors with eclectic backgrounds in digital media unanimously chose to honor a total of 12 legacy projects. The winners (which you can explore on Peabody’s interactive website) capture a wide breadth of seminal yet also surprising turning points in tech-forward storytelling. There are video games like Journey and Papers, Please; experiments in digital journalism like Phil Yu’s 2011 Angry Asian Man blog and The Washington Post‘s interactive police shootings database “Fatal Force”; MIT’s groundbreaking ELIZA computer program; the crowd-sourced, fan-made shot-for-shot re-creation project that became Star Wars Uncut, and even obscurities like The Beast, the online marketing campaign for Spielberg’s 2001 A.I. movie that accidentally invented the alternate-reality game. 

While the novel 14-member Interactive Peabody Board is separate from the jurors who select its more traditional media categories, the institution’s same high standards still apply.

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“No matter what, it’s a Peabody. Therefore our North Star is Peabody’s North Star: Stories that matter,” said Diana Williams, chairwoman of the Interactive Board and co-founder of Kinetic Energy Entertainment. “But our Northeast Star, shall we say, is to look for projects, practitioners, artists who find ways to meld technology and storytelling. It’s about how the technology pushes story, and how the story pushes technology.”

With interactivity, the question isn’t just whether the story matters. You must also evaluate how meaningfully it engages with the audience, and how well the technological form fits its contents.

“Creators need to figure out how to best make that tech work for the story, rather than the other way around,” Williams said.

In these digital mediums’ relatively short histories, terms like “interactive” and “transmedia storytelling” have too often been co-opted by gimmicks and commerce. You can be sure, for example, that somewhere in a pitch meeting, some marketing bro sold the cross-promo of Marvel superhero skins in Fortnite as a way audiences can “interact” with the IP through “transmedia storytelling.” So curating a legacy that’s truly representative of the expansive category was a challenge in more ways than one. 

Merely regaining access to some of these groundbreaking interactive stories was a challenge compared to the passive consumption of traditional mediums. On more than one occasion, Williams said, the jury needed to hunt down long-forgotten floppy disks. Technology’s ephemerality forced the jurors to rely almost exclusively on institutional and muscle memory alone, as folks who watched entire genres of this storytelling be born out of thin air — then disappear into obsolescence. 

In part, Williams hopes that the Legacy Awards will not only serve as an archive, but also as an industry-wide wake-up call on the importance of preserving even the most outdated of digital narratives.

“We need more thought around the question of where our history can even be housed.”

More than anything, though, Peabody’s embrace feels like a definitive declaration of legitimacy for some of society’s youngest mediums. 

“Across its 82 years, Peabody recognizes a really strong cannon of deeply meaningful storytelling. So to be able to put video games or interactive documentary, or maybe even social video alongside winners like Norman Lear, Rita Moreno, Carol Burnett, Sam Pollard, it says that the producers behind these mediums aren’t frivolous. That it’s not just about commerce,” said Jones. “From an institutional perspective, it’s sending a message that this media has long since arrived. So it’s up to us, as citizens, to discover the power that’s already been there. That’s what Peabody does so well: We spend a lot of time and money deliberating, face to face, to unanimously decide on the stories that we as citizens should be paying attention to. And it doesn’t make any difference if it’s a damn video game.”

“We spend a lot of time and money deliberating…on the stories that we as citizens should be paying attention to. And it doesn’t make any difference if it’s a damn video game.”

What was once seen as disqualifying — like the fact that digital media tends to be predominantly made for and vociferously consumed by young people — can now be seen as a testament to its importance. With each passing year, interactive storytelling continues to expand its impact and richness. And now that Peabody is throwing the full weight of its gravitas behind recognizing excellence in the field, the hope is that even more pioneers will be inspired to meet the institution’s high standards. 

“The thrust of the Legacy Award is to show people just how much was built in the dark before us, and that we now have the chance to honor that and to build from it,” said Williams. “These people were tinkering by themselves with nothing but pieces of tech and stories to tell. And they were pushing it out when sometimes the market wasn’t even ready, when the tech wasn’t ready, when audience weren’t there.”

But today, Peabody is at long last more than ready to recognize them all.

Moving into 2023 and beyond, the Interactive Board will switch to selecting contemporary annual awards just like every other Peabody category. Starting as soon as June 2022, creators will be able to submit projects in interactive, immersive, and digital storytelling from the past year for consideration.

While jurors likely won’t need to hunt for floppy disks ever again, the future of this curation process comes with its own unique obstacles, too. The Legacy Awards allowed the Interactive Board to choose the cream of the crop from decades-worth of history-makers, with the benefit of hindsight to guide them toward the truly innovative titles with lasting influence.

“We are now stepping into the known unknown,” Jones acknowledged. “But I’m optimistic. I like to improvise and we’ll make it up as we go along.”

Apple just took another step on its one device quest.

The tech giant announced Wednesday that, starting immediately, iPhone owners in Arizona will be able to add their government-issued IDs or driver’s licenses to their Apple Wallets and use the digital copies in lieu of a physical one with TSA officials at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Arizona is just the first state of many that Apple said it has queued up for its digital IDs — a promise that brings with it its own set of potential privacy concerns.

“We’re thrilled to bring the first driver’s license and state ID in Wallet to Arizona today, and provide Arizonans with an easy, secure, and private way to present their ID when traveling, through just a tap of their iPhone or Apple Watch,” Jennifer Bailey, Apple’s vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet, is quoted as saying in the press release. “We look forward to working with many more states and the TSA to bring IDs in Wallet to users across the US.”

Up next, according to Apple, are Colorado, Hawaii, Mississippi, Ohio, Puerto Rico, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Utah.

Alexis Hancock, the director of engineering at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, expressed reservations about Apple’s plans.

“The main privacy concern I have is how ‘digital first’ will overlook the scenarios in the near future where people don’t want to tie identity documentation to their devices if they do not wish to,” she explained over email. “Convenience value is certainly provable here,” she conceded, but she worried that the TSA or other enforcement entities “may overstep with this technology.”

Notably, Apple first shared its plans to let iPhone owners store their IDs inside the iOS Wallet app way back in June of 2021. In September of that same year, the company said state ID’s from Arizona and Georgia would be the first to be accepted by the Wallet app. Wednesday’s announcement makes clear that the corporate push away from physical IDs is moving forward, and that the TSA will actually accept the Apple Wallet ID (at least in Arizona).

Apple took pains to insist that it had, in fact, thought through any and all privacy concerns associated with turning one’s phone — the same device which contains banking details, personal email and texts, photos, health data, physical location data, and internet browsing history — into one’s form of ID.

For example, to users who may not want to hand over their unlocked phone to officials, Apple assured readers no hand-off would be required.

“On their iPhone or Apple Watch, users will be shown which information is requested by the TSA, and can consent to provide it with Face ID or Touch ID, without having to unlock their iPhone or show their ID card,” read the announcement. “All information is shared digitally, so users do not need to show or hand over their device to present their ID.”

This assumes every official demanding to see someone’s ID is acting in good faith, and, that even if they are, somehow sharing the contents of one’s smartphone with that official is anything other than a risky proposition.

“Apple made a way where you don’t have to unlock your phone, which is an ideal privacy-preserving feature,” added Hancock. But she pointed to worrying situations like, “being forced to unlock your phone, having your phone taken, or [being] coerced into tapping your device and prove your identity,” as potential future vulnerabilities.

If the use cases for putting government ID into Apple’s Wallet app ever expand, iPhone owners trying to tell a police officer that, no, they don’t need to hand over their smartphone because Apple developed a process for securely and remotely sharing credentials digitally may find themselves in a tight spot.

And law enforcement is, of course, able to access the contents of many locked iPhones.

“I want people to have nice things,” concluded Hancock. “But there’s a lot of factors in a digital first world we have to consider at each step.”

Apple is asking users to trust that it has, in fact, done all the considering that is necessary.

UPDATE: Mar. 23, 2022, 5:05 p.m. EDT This story has been updated with the latest 4K TV deals, including a 70-inch LG TV for $350 off. (It was $200 off last week.)

• The Samsung 85-inch Q70A Series QLED TV pulls vibrant Quantum Dot technology across a huge screen for an immersive theater experience —  $1,999.99 $2,699.99 (save $700)

• The Sony 85-inch X91J 4K TV is your most affordable path to Sony’s full-array LED panel (plus, it’s massive) — $1,999.99 $2,799.99 (save $800)

• The TCL 65-inch 4-Series TV is a solid big screen option for under $500 — $449.99 $699.99 (save $250)

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Large 4K TVs no longer have to cost an exorbitant amount of money. These high-quality TVs featuring punchy colors, decipherable shadows, and smooth transitions are actually affordable for regular consumers. And to make them even more budget-friendly, we’ve gathered up the best deals on 4K and QLED TVs from top brands like Samsung, LG, Sony, and more.

Samsung TV deals

Why we love it

You know when you’re in the movie theater and the audio sounds like it’s coming from the direction of the action on screen? The Samsung Neo QLED TV does that, too. On top of Object Tracking Sound, the QN800 has 8K resolution (double the pixels of 4K) and super thin bezels to seal in that immersive theater feel.

More Samsung TVs on sale

• Samsung 43-inch 8000 Series 4K TV — $349.99 $449.99 (save $100)

• Samsung 43-inch The Sero Rotating QLED TV — $1,499.99 $1,999.99 (save $500)

• Samsung 50-inch 7 Series 4K TV — $379.99 $479.99 (save $100)

• Samsung 55-inch Q60A Series QLED TV — $649.99 $849.99 (save $200)

• Samsung 55-inch Q70A Series QLED TV — $849.99 $1,099.99 (save $250)

• Samsung 65-inch TU8300 Curved 4K TV — $649.99 $799.99 (save $150)

• Samsung 65-inch The Frame QLED TV — $1,799.99 $1,999.99 (save $200)

• Samsung 75-inch Q70A Series QLED TV — $1,599.99 $2,299.99 (save $700)

• Samsung 75-inch QN8000 Neo QLED 8K TV — $2,999.99 $3,499.99 (save $500)

• Samsung 85-inch Q70A Series QLED TV —  $1,999.99 $2,699.99 (save $700)

• Samsung 85-inch QN8000 Neo QLED 8K TV — $3,999.99 $4,999.99 (save $1,000)

LG TV deals

Why we love it

In 2021, LG dropped a mid-range line of 4K TVs featuring its NanoCell technology, which amps up color depth using an extra light filter. In 2022, that line is becoming more affordable.

More LG TVs on sale

• LG 43-inch UN6955 4K TV — $295 $348 (save $53)

• LG 50-inch UP8000 Series 4K TV — $399.99 $479.99 (save $80)

• LG 55-inch NanoCell 80 4K TV — $499.99 $599.99 (save $100)

• LG 55-inch NanoCell 80 4K TV — $596.99 $799.99 (save $203)

• LG 55-inch C1 Series OLED TV — $1,199.99 $1,499.99 (save $300)

• LG 65-inch B1 Series OLED TV — $1,596.99 $1,796.99 (save $200)

• LG 65-inch A1 Series OLED TV — $1,349.99 $1,599.99 (save $250)

• LG 65-inch C1 Series OLED TV — $1,746.99 $2,499.99 (save $753)

• LG 75-inch NanoCell 75 4K TV — $899.99 $1,099.99 (save $200)

• LG 75-inch 99 Series QNED TV — $2,996.99 $3,496.99 (save $500)

• LG 83-inch C1 Series OLED TV — $4,799.99 $5,299.99 (save $500)

• LG 86-inch 90 Series QNED Mini LED TV — $2,699.99 $3,299.99 (save $600)

Sony TV deals

Why we love it

Opting for the X91J over the X85J (the most affordable TV in Sony’s 2021 lineup) means you’ll get full-array local dimming, which means there is a stretch of individual LEDs behind every point of the LCD panel. This adds precision, vivid color, and deeper shadows to the focal point of each scene rather than relying on LEDs around the edges.

More Sony TVs on sale

• Sony 43-inch X80J 4K TV — $449.99 $599.99 (save $150)

• Sony 50-inch X85J 4K TV — $649.99 $799.99 (save $150)

• Sony 55-inch X85J 4K TV — $748 $999.99 (save $250.99)

• Sony 55-inch X80J OLED TV — $1,398 $1,699.99 (save $301.99)

• Sony 55-inch A90J OLED TV — $2,199.99 $2,799.99 (save $600)

• Sony 65-inch X85J 4K TV — $898 $1,199.99 (save $301.99)

• Sony 65-inch X80J OLED TV — $1,798 $2,199.99 (save $401.99)

• Sony 65-inch A90J OLED TV — $2,999.99 $3,799.99 (save $800)

• Sony 75-inch X80J 4K TV — $949.99 $1,099.99 (save $150)

• Sony 75-inch X95J QLED TV — $2,199.99 $2,999.99 (save $800)

• Sony 85-inch X85J 4K TV — $1,799.99 $2,199.99 (save $400)

Other TV deals from TCL, Vizio, and more

Why we love it

Peak moving season is here. TCL’s 4 Series is solid, affordable model for your new place — especially if you’re looking to upgrade to something bigger than 55 inches. Its brightness levels and pops of colors are great for binge-watching, though picture might get laggy during high-graphics gaming. Your purchase comes with three free months of Apple TV+.

More TVs from TCL, Vizio, and more

• Amazon 50-inch 4-Series 4K Fire TV — $319.99 $469.99 (save $150)

• TCL 50-inch 5-Series QLED TV — $429.99 $599.99 (save $170)

• Vizio 50-inch M7 Quantum Series 4K TV — $499.99 $699.99 (save $200)

• TCL 55-inch 4-Series 4K TV — $359.99 $499.99 (save $140)

• Amazon 55-inch 4 Series 4K Fire TV — $349.99 $519.99 (save $170)

• Hisense 55-inch U7G ULED TV — $649.99 $849.99 (save $200)

• TCL 55-inch 6-Series Mini LED QLED TV — $699.99 $949.99 (save $250)

• Hisense 60-inch A6G Series 4K TV — $399.99 $499.99 (save $100)

• Vizio 58-inch V-Series 4K TV — $399.99 $529.99 (save $130)

• Hisense 65-inch A6G 4K TV — $449.86 $599.99 (save $150.03)

• Amazon 65-inch Omni Series 4K Fire TV – $499.99 $829.99 (save $330)

• Hisense 65-inch H9G ULED TV — $898 $1,499.99 (save $401.99)

• Vizio 70-inch V-Series 4K TV — $599.99 $699.99 (save $100)

• Hisense 75-inch U7G ULED TV — $1,099.99 $1,499.99 (save $400)

Explore related content:

• The best 4K TVs: For gamers, Netflix binge-watchers, and everyone else

• Side sleepers (and binge-watchers) should ditch their flat pillow for one of these

• These are the best robot vacuums for carpet and rugs

Rolls-Royce’s electric plane, the Spirit of Innovation, set two new world records for speed, reaching a maximum speed of 555.9 km/h over three kilometers and 532.1 km/h over 15 kilometers above a test site in Wiltshire, England.

The success of the test flight marks an important milestone in the transition to electric transportation.

UPDATE: Mar. 23, 2022, 2:20 p.m. EDT This story has been updated to reflect current sale prices and availability.

We’ve compiled the best deals on robot vacuums from brands like iRobot, Shark, and Ecovacs. Here are the ones to grab as of March 23:

• BEST ROOMBA DEAL: The iRobot Roomba 692 can provide daily upkeep of your hard floors — $229.99 $299.99 (save $70)

• BUDGET SELF-EMPTYING PICK: This Shark IQ vacuum maps faster than the preceding model, and its dock holds 45 days of debris — $408.98 $599.99 (save $191.01)

• BEST ROBOT VACUUM/MOP DEAL: The Ecovacs Deebot N8+ uses LiDAR to vacuum and mop, then empties the mess on its own — $429.99 $599.99 (save $170)

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Only three things are certain in life: Death, taxes, and a few days each month when you need to vacuum but just don’t have time. Whether you detest the chore or get a little bummed when you can’t have that satisfying dance with your Dyson, a robot vacuum is a lifesaver. Shop models on sale below.

Robot vacuums under $200

Why we like it

Roborock’s baseline vac, the e4, brings precise, wide-spanning coverage to your floors for less than $200. The e4 uses motion tracking to create an effective route and track where it has already gone. It can clean for up to 200 minutes before returning to its dock to charge.

More robot vacuums under $200

• ionvac Smart Clean 2000 — $97 $179.88 (save $82.88)

• Eufy 25C — $129 $249.99 (save $120.99)

• Eufy 11s Max — $199.99 $249.99 (save $50)

• ILIFE A9 — $194.99 $299.99 (save $105)

Robot vacuums under $500

Why we like it

Opting for a robot vacuum with LiDAR mapping is a smart move for floor plans more complicated than a one or two bedroom apartment. For barely over $300, the Roborock S4 Max solves bumbling navigation woes by remembering the layout of each floor of your home and steering clear of the virtual boundaries you set.

More robot vacuums under $500

• iRobot Roomba 692 — $229.99 $299.99 (save $70)

• iRobot Roomba i3 — $299.99 $349.99 (save $50)

• Shark IQ XL —  $408.98 $599.99 (save $191.01)

• Neato Robotics D8 — $429.98 $599.99 (save $170.01)

• Shark AI RV2502AE — $499.99 $649.99 (save $150)

Robot vacuum and mop hybrids and dedicated robot mops

Why we like it:

The Deebot N8+ includes fundamental smart upgrades like LiDAR mapping and virtual boundaries for customizing its cleaning path down to specific rooms or areas. It also has sensors that avoid carpets while mopping.

More hybrids and robot mops on sale

• Roborock E4 — $239.99 $379.99 (save $140)

• Bissell SpinWave — $299.99 $399.99 (save $100)

• Shark VacMop AV2001WD — $395.99 $479.99 (save $84)

• Roborock S6 Pure— $379.99 $599.99 (save $220)

• Dreametech L10 Pro — $398.99 $588.99 (save $190)

• Dreametech Z10 Pro with Self Empty — $479.14 $598.98 (save $119.85)

• Ecovacs T8 Aivi — $499.99 $799.99 (save $300)

Are robot vacuums worth it?

The control of an upright vacuum comes with its own type of satisfaction. But if you’re not one to classify cleaning as cathartic, a robot vacuum could erase that huge, agonizing task from of your chore list. (And did we mention the joy of having “first day clean” floors all the time?)

But whether robot vacuums are worth it or not comes with a caveat: It can’t be just any robot vacuum. A cheap robovac that doesn’t do the job right — scattering dust, bumping into walls, getting stuck on area rugs — might actually create more work for you.

What to consider when buying a robot vacuum

• Suction power: A vacuum is the one purchase that you hope sucks a lot. Suction power is typically measured in Pascals (Pa), with most current vacs ranging between 1,500 Pa and 3,000 Pa. Stronger sucking will be needed to pick up heavier pieces of debris (be sure to set a no-go zone around Legos) and to pull matted-down pet hair from rugs.

• Floor type: Carpeting and high pile rugs will probably require stronger suction than hard floors, as well as special features like an extra-wide or self-cleaning brush roll to prevent hair from wrapping and clogging. Folks in homes with multiple floor types might consider a bigger, sturdier robot vacuum that can hurl itself and its wheels over mats, rugs, and transitions from carpet to hard floors.

• Automatic emptying: Because robot vacuums are typically under four inches tall, their onboard dust bins are also small — which means they frequently require emptying. (Dustbins fill up particularly quickly in homes with pets.) A self-emptying vacuum takes that job out of your hands, emptying itself into a larger dustbin in its charging dock. These larger bins can typically hold weeks of dirt without needing to be cleaned or dumped out.

• Home layout: Every robot vacuum is equipped with sensors and drop detection. But if your home has lots of rooms, lots of turns, or lots of close-together furniture, you’ll have fewer navigation issues with an advanced model that uses intelligent mapping to remember exactly how your home is laid out, including labeling of specific rooms, mental notes of staircases, and ability to deploy zone cleaning.

• Low-profile furniture: No one should have to be scared about what’s accumulated under their couch over the past year. A robot vacuum measuring three inches or less in height should be able to scoot under most low-hanging couches and beds.

• Battery life and square footage: One of the main complaints people have about their robot vacuum is that it craps out in the middle of the floor. Larger spaces require more time to clean, and it all depends on how annoyed you’ll be if it only finishes a few rooms at a time. Average run times for the list below range between 90 and 200 minutes, which translate to about 500 and 2,800 square feet covered on one charge.

• App control: WiFi-enabled robot vacuums can be synced with a smartphone app to control scheduling, manual start, cleaning settings, as well as telling your vac to make its rounds when you’re not home. Low-end models that don’t connect to WiFi will usually come with a separate remote. If you’re used to asking Alexa or Google to turn off the lights or tell you the weather, a model with voice integration will blend in nicely.

Explore related content:

• The best robot vacuums for every budget

• Samsung’s Jet Bot AI+ robot vacuum is a must-have for pet owners

• The ILIFE V3s Pro is a cheap robot vacuum for hands-off spot cleaning

Six years after switching from a chronological feed to an algorithm, Instagram has unveiled the option for users to control what is shown in their feed.

Now you can use the default algorithm that includes suggested posts, or you can choose between a chronological feed with posts by all accounts you follow. Separately, you can also choose to see posts from 50 of your favorite accounts. Adding accounts to your favorites list will also prioritize them on your algorithm controlled feed.

We will walk you through how to change your feed preferences.

How to change your Instagram algorithm to a chronological feed:

1. Open Instagram

2. Tap “Home” in the upper left hand corner

3. Select “Following”

When you close the Instagram app and open it up again, it will default to the “Home” feed, so you need do this every time you want to see a chronological feed.

How to add someone to your Favorites list:

1. Open Instagram

2. Tap “Home” in the upper left hand corner

3. Select “Manage favorites”

4. Select the 50 people you want on your Favorites list

Once an account is on your Favorites it will appear here.

How to see your Favorites feed

1. Open Instagram

2. Tap “Home in the upper left hand corner

3. Select “Favorites”

Happy scrolling!

Nothing new is coming to Netflix in April. Just kidding — April Fools’! The streaming service has plenty of new movies and shows to check out.

Russian Doll returns, while Ozark and Grace and Frankie are set to release their final episodes April 29. New shows to check out include Anatomy of a Scandal and the bonkers-sounding dating show The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On. Netflix is also adding a ton of movies to its catalogue, including Inception, A Cinderella Story, Blade, and Love Actually.

Here’s everything coming to Netflix in April 2022.

Top pick: The Bubble

Sometimes you just need to watch a ridiculous comedy with a ridiculously star-studded cast. The Bubble promises to be just that.

Judd Apatow’s latest follows an action movie — the tragically fake Cliff Beasts 6 — being filmed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cast and crew alike struggle with isolation, testing protocol, and more as the shoot devolves into pandemonium.

The Bubble stars Karen Gillan, Iris Apatow, Fred Armisen, Maria Bakalova, David Duchovny, Keegan-Michael Key, Leslie Mann, Pedro Pascal, Kate McKinnon, and more.

How to watch: The Bubble is streaming on Netflix April 1.

Movies

A Cinderella Story (4/1)

Along for the Ride (4/22)

Any Given Sunday (4/1)

Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood (4/1)

Argo (4/1)

Battle: Freestyle (4/1)

Big Eyes (4/25)

Blade (4/1)

Blade II (4/1)

Blade: Trinity (4/1)

Blow (4/1)

Bonnie and Clyde (1967) (4/1)

Bubble (4/28)

Captain Nova (4/1)

Catch and Release (4/1)

Celeb Five: Behind the Curtain (4/1)

Choose or Die (4/15)

Dancing on Glass (4/8)

Delta Farce (4/1)

Eagle Eye (4/1)

Forever Out of My League (4/1)

Four Brothers (4/1)

Furioza (4/6)

Full Metal Jacket (4/1)

Grown Ups (4/1)

Her (4/1)

Honeymoon with My Mother (4/29)

How to Train Your Dragon (4/1)

Inception (4/1)

Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story (4/6)

Love Actually (4/1)

Man of God (4/16)

Metal Lords (4/8)

Molly’s Game (4/1)

Monster-in-Law (4/1)

New York Minute (4/1)

Nightcrawler (4/10)

One Piece Film Z (4/15)

Ouija: Origin of Evil (4/16)

Puss in Boots (4/1)

Return to Space (4/7)

Rumor Has It… (4/1)

Rumspringa (4/29)

Saving Private Ryan (4/1)

Sherlock Holmes (4/1)

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (4/1)

Shrek Forever After (4/1)

Silverton Siege (4/27)

Something’s Gotta Give (4/1)

The Blind Side (4/1)

The Bubble (4/1)

The Call (4/10)

The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes (4/27)

The Nut Job (4/1)

The Rental (4/1)

The Ring (4/1)

The Taming of the Shrew (TBD)

The Turning Point (4/20)

Today We Fix the World (4/13)

Tomorrow (4/1)

We The Animals (4/1)

Yaksha: Ruthless Operations (4/8)

YOUTH v GOV (4/29)

TV

Abby Hatcher Season 2 (4/1)

Almost Happy Season 2 (4/13)

Anatomy of a Scandal (4/15)

Barbie: It Takes Two Season 1 (4/8)

Battle Kitty (4/19)

Better Call Saul Season 5 (4/4)

Bullsh*t The Game Show (4/27)

CoComelon Season 5 (4/1)

Dirty Lines (4/8)

Elite Season 5 (4/8)

Get Organized with The Home Edit Season 2 (4/1)

Grace and Frankie Season 7 – The Final Episodes (4/29)

Green Eggs and Ham Season 2 (4/8)

Green Mothers’ Club (4/6)

Hard Cell (4/12)

He’s Expecting (4/21)

Heartland Season 14 (4/1)

Heartstopper (4/22)

Heirs to the Land (4/15)

Hold Tight (TBD)

LEGO Friends: Girls on a Mission Seasons 1-4 (4/16)

Mai (4/15)

My Liberation Notes (4/9)

Our Blues (4/9)

Our Great National Parks (4/13)

Ozark Season 4 Part 2

Pacific Rim: The Black Season 2 (4/19)

Polly Pocket Season 4: Part 1: Summer of Fun (4/1)

Queen of the South Season 5 (4/7)

Russian Doll Season 2 (4/20)

Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles (4/28)

Selling Sunset Season 5 (4/22)

Senzo: Murder of a Soccer Star (4/7)

Smother-in-Law (4/13)

Strawberry Shortcake Berry in the Big City Season 1 (4/15)

Tiger & Bunny Season 2 (4/8)

The Creature Cases (4/12)

The Last Bus (4/1)

The Marked Heart (4/20)

The Seven Lives of Lea (4/22)

The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On (4/6)

Trivia Quest (4/1)

Ultraman Season 2 (4/14)

Van Helsing Season (4/16)

White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch (4/19)

Yakamoz S-245 (4/20)

Specials

All About Gila (4/21)

David Spade: Nothing Personal (4/26)

Michela Giraud: the Truth, I Swear! (4/6)

Ronny Chieng: Speakeasy (4/5)