Everything Apple Announced During Its ‘Awe Dropping’ Event

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Apple’s “Awe Dropping” event might not have been the company’s most groundbreaking keynote, but it sure did pack a lot of announcements into roughly 75 minutes. The company revealed new products in its lineup across a number of categories, including updated AirPods, Apple Watches, and iPhones. And it might not come as much of a surprise to say that the biggest announcement of the day was an iPhone—but not the iPhone 17.

AirPods Pro 3

Credit: Apple

Apple kicked off its keynote by introducing the AirPods Pro 3, the first new AirPods Pro in three years. The updated earbuds have a new “multi-port acoustic architecture,” which Apple said improves the air flow that sends sounds into your ears. They also come with new foam-infused tips the company promises will help the earbuds deliver two times better active noise cancelling (ANC) than AirPods Pro 2, and four times better ANC than the original AirPods Pro.

There are two huge features new to AirPods Pro 3 this year. The first is live translation, which can translate conversations you have with other people in real time. You hear the translations in your ears, while the other person can see the translation of what you say on your iPhone’s display. This isn’t a unique feature, as Google’s earbuds can do the same thing, but it is a fantastic addition nonetheless.

The other big feature is a heart rate sensor that gives your AirPods Pro some of the functionality of an Apple Watch, letting you track up to 50 different workout types. You may also notice that Apple has slightly redesigned these buds: They’re now a bit smaller, and include five sizes for the new foam tips. The AirPods Pro 3 are IP57 rated for water and sweat resistance. Apple also says the earbuds will offer have eight hours of ANC and 10 hours of Transparency before you’ll need to stick them back in the charging case.

What hasn’t changed is the price of the buds: They still start at $249, and are available for preorder today. They’ll start shipping Sept. 19.

Apple Watch

There were few surprises when it came to the Apple Watch this year. As the rumors suggested, Applelaunched three new watch models, each receiving some substantial upgrades over previous devices. While none may tempt you to upgrade if your watch is relatively new, there are some great additions here, especially on the more affordable SE.

Here’s what’s new:

Apple Watch Series 11

Credit: Apple

Apple launched the Apple Watch segment of the event with the Series 11. The watch looks just about the same as the Series 10 before it, though it now comes with support for 5G. If your carrier supports it—which Apple says most do—you’ll be able to access faster speeds if you pick up a cellular Series 11.

The Series 11 also introduces a blood pressure monitoring system for the first time on an Apple Watch. While the feature cannot detect all hypertension, it will analyze your blood stream and send you an alert if it thinks you experiencing chronic high blood pressure. The company expects FDA clearance to come soon.

The Series 11 also comes with a sleep score for the first time on Apple Watch. Other smartwatches and fitness trackers have this feature, but Apple says the Series 11 can analyze your sleep cycles and time asleep to determine an overall sleep score, and help advise you on better ways to sleep.

Series 11 has 24 hours of battery life. The watch comes in Jet Black, Silver, Rose Gold, and Space Gray in aluminum, and Natural, Gold, and Slate in polished cases.

The Series 11 starts at $399, and is available to preorder today. The watch will be available starting Sept. 19.

Apple Watch SE 3

Credit: Apple

The Apple Watch SE is Apple’s “affordable” Apple Watch line. If all you want is an essential Apple Watch experience without needing to paying $399 or more, the SE tends to be the best pick.

This year, however, the SE 3 seems like a great deal. It comes with the S10 chip, the same one found in last year’s Series 10. It also has an Always-On display and support gesture controls, two firsts for the SE line. Apple is also adding a wrist temperature sensor to this watch, sleep apnea detection, and the new sleep score from the Series 11. Speaking of the Series 11, the SE 3 also supports 5G.

It even has a built-in speaker, something usually reserved for Apple’s more expensive watches. The SE 3 has 18 hours of battery life, and supports fast charging: 15 minutes of charging gets you eight hours of use.

It comes in Starlight and Midnight. The SE 3 starts at $249, and will be available Sept. 19. You can preorder it today.

Apple Watch Ultra 3

Credit: Apple

Finally, there’s the Apple Watch Ultra 3. This new Ultra is playing a catch-up a bit, as the Ultra 2 is missing features release on the Series 10. As such, the Ultra 3 now has a wide-angle OLED display with LTPO 3. That enables the Always-On display to refresh faster, so you can actually see the second hand changing. The screen is also a bit larger this year, without Apple having to adjust the size of the watch itself. Win-win.

The Ultra 3 also supports satellite connectivity for the first ever in a smartphone. Like certain iPhones, the watch can now message via satellite whenever a cellular connection isn’t available. To enable this feature, Apple says the Ultra 3’s radio is now double the signal strength of the Ultra 2.

The Ultra 3 can now run up to 42 hours on a charge. It also comes with 5G support, hypertension notifications, sleep score, and gesture controls. Apple doesn’t necessarily market the Ultra as its “pro” or “best” Apple Watch, but since it’s the most expensive model by far, you’d expect it to have all of the latest and greatest features.

The Ultra 3 starts at $799, and is available to preorder today. It’ll be available in stores Sept. 19.

iPhone

Finally, we have Apple’s iPhone segment. Tim Cook really amped up this part of the show, saying that one of these models was, “unlike anything we’ve ever created.” The presentation kicked off with the simplest iPhone in the lineup:

iPhone 17

Credit: Apple

The iPhone 17 looks about what you’d expect from an entry-level iPhone. It has a 6.3-inch display, with some major upgrades: It now supports 120Hz, which was previously only available on Pro iPhones—despite many Android phones having offered high refresh rate displays on cheaper models. Said display uses the new Ceramic Shield 2, which Apple says has three times better scratch resistance. It also can reach 3,000 nits of brightness, so you shouldn’t have trouble using it outside.

The iPhone 17 is powered by the new A19 chip, which has an upgraded display engine to power that new screen. It also has an improved neural engine, six-core CPU, and five-core GPU. Apple says the phone has “all-day battery life,” which apparently means eight more hours of video playback compared to the iPhone 16. With the right power adapter, you can charge up to 50% in 20 minutes, while 10 minutes of charging will get you eight hours of video playback.

Let’s turn to those cameras. The bottom camera is a “Fusion” camera; that means you get a 48MP main camera with a 26mm focal length, and a 12MP 2x Telephoto lens with 52mm focal length out of one camera. The ultra-wide angle is also a Fusion lens, offering a 48MP ultra-wide at 13mm, and 12MP 1x macro lens at 26mm.

The selfie camera also gets some huge upgrades this year. Apple is calling the new lens the Center Stage front camera. It has a wide field of view and a large, square sensor. It can take selfies up to 18MP with stabilization, More importantly, the shape of the sensor means you can take selfies in a variety of different orientations, and you can take landscape selfies in portrait mode—no more turning your iPhone sideways to fit more people in the frame. Video calls will be more stabilized as well.

iPhone 17 starts at 256GB for $799, and is now available to preorder Sept. 12. Apple will start selling it Sept. 19.

iPhone Air

Credit: Apple

The biggest announcement of the day was the iPhone Air. This is Apple’s thinnest iPhone ever, but you don’t need to read the tech specs to know that. Just from the photos and videos, you can tell, this is thin.

Like the iPhone 17, the Air comes with Ceramic Shield 2, but this time, it’s on both side of the phone. It also comes with a 6.5-inch, high-refresh rate display with up to 3,000 nits of brightness. It’s also made of titanium.

Apple put the new A19 Pro in the Air, with a six-core CPU and five-core GPU. Apple put “Neural Accelerators” in each GPU core, saying it enables “MacBook Pro levels of compute in an iPhone.” There are also new connectivity components here too, including N1, which enables Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread, and the new C1X modem, which improves upon Apple’s first custom modem. Apple says its up to two times faster than C1.

You may notice that iPhone Air only has one camera, even though it seems positioned to be more advanced than the iPhone 17. Apple says that single camera is a 48MP Fusion camera system, and works like “multiple advanced cameras in one.” Like the iPhone 17, that Fusion camera can shoot 2x telephoto shots at 12MP. Because of the size of the sensor, you can choose between 26mm, 28mm, 35mm, and 52mm lenses for different crop sizes.

Like the iPhone 17, the Air comes with the new Center Stage selfie camera. But the Air can capture video from both the front and rear cameras at once. All iPhone Airs come with eSIM, even in countries that still use physical SIMs. The company says the iPhone Air has all-day battery life, but it hasn’t published true stats yet. That said, the company says with the new MagSafe battery pack, you can get up to 40 hours of video playback. That tells me without that battery pack, the Air struggles a bit with battery.

Apple is rolling out new accessories for the Air, including a bumper case that matches the iPhone Air’s colors: Space Black, Cloud White, Light Gold, and Sky Blue. There’s even a lanyard that connects to the phone that lets you wear it on your body.

The iPhone Air starts at $999 for 256GB, and is available for preorder Sept. 12. You can buy one Sept. 19.

iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max

Credit: Apple

The last announcement of the day was the iPhone 17 Pro, and, true to its name, this is the iPhone with the most “new” features. First off, this is Apple’s first iPhone with a unibody design, similar to its MacBooks. You’ll immediately notice the new pro camera system, which is now shaped like a bar on the back of the phone. Don’t call it that, though: Apple calls this the plateau. (It does the same for the iPhone Air’s.)

One interesting “pro” feature is the new thermal cooling system: Apple places water inside the vapor chamber, and laser-welds in into place. This system helps dissipate heat generated by the A19 Pro chip, which comes with six CPU cores and six GPU cores. There’s less glass on the back of this iPhone than usual, but the glass you see is actually Ceramic Shield 2. The eSIM models, which you’ll find in the US, have larger batteries compared to physical SIM models, and can play video for up to 39 hours.

As you might expect both the 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max come with the new Center Stage camera. This year, all three rear cameras are 48MP Fusion cameras. That means the telephoto lens gets you the longest optical zoom of any iPhone: 4x zoom at 100mm, and 8x zoom at 200mm.

Apple spent some time talking about the new pros’ video recording capabilities, as well. In fact, the entire event was shot on iPhone 17 Pros—though Apple is undoubtedly using some expensive equipment to facilitate that. The 17 Pro supports ProRes RAW capture, a standard that lets you edit image data directly from the camera sensor. The phones support Final Cut Camera, Blackmagic Camera, and Genlock, which supports multi-camera setups for effects like time splicing and bullet time.

Apple also announced new accessories here: There are clear and silicone cases, as well the new TechWoven case, which stitches together multiple yarn colors. The Pros also have their own lanyard you can use, like the Air.

The Pros come in Silver, Deep Blue, and Cosmic Orange. The iPhone 17 Pro starts at $1,099 for 256GB, while the iPhone 17 Pro Max starts at $1,199 for 256GB. You can preorder them starting Sept. 12, and pick them up Sept. 19.

The iPhone 17 Center Stage Camera Will Make Selfies a Whole Lot Easier

All four iPhone models unveiled at Apple’s September 2025 event got an interesting new camera upgrade: The iPhone 17, iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max have a brand new 18-megapixel Center Stage selfie camera. I don’t care much for megapixel counts, but I do care about quality-of-life upgrades, and the Center Stage camera lets you take different types of selfies without rotating your iPhone.

Apple eliminated the standard 4:3 sensor for the iPhone’s front camera. Instead, the Center Stage camera has a square sensor—a first for iPhones—that offers a higher resolution and wider field of view. The result is that you can hold your iPhone vertically and take photos and videos in portrait or landscape mode, whatever your preference. Apple says you’ll be able to capture photos in four different compositions, all without rotating your phone.

The four different compositions of Center Stage.

Credit: Apple

During the iPhone 17 launch event, Apple showed a pre-recorded demo of a group of people taking selfies with the Center Stage camera. It starts with one person clicking a selfie, and more people join the frame later. The demo shows the Camera app automatically detecting people’s faces and expanding the frame without any user input, and if it works as advertised, it’ll reduce the effort needed for group selfies.

Personally, I’ve always hated taking group selfies because it’s so difficult to hold my heavy Pro Max iPhone in landscape mode. In portrait, my grip on the phone is more natural, and I can easily press the volume buttons to take photos. The iPhone 17 models should let me do just that, but I can have pictures in landscape.

The new iPhone 17 front camera also takes better videos. Apple says the Center Stage front camera enables ultra-stabilized video in 4K HDR, which means that you’ll get less shaky videos even from the front camera, including in video calls via FaceTime or other apps where Center Stage is meant to keep you more stable and in the frame. An added benefit of the new sensor is Dual Capture, a new mode that lets you record the front and rear camera simultaneously, which may appeal to content creators in particular.

The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max Are Here, With New Chips and a More Powerful Zoom

Apple launched the iPhone 17 Pro and the 17 Pro Max at its “Awe-dropping” event today. These were the last two phones to be revealed during the presentation, and the biggest changes are to the cameras and battery life. Apple said the iPhone 17 Pro Max has the best battery life ever on an iPhone, and that both models have 48-megapixel sensors for all three rear cameras, which is also a big boost. Other than this, the iPhone 17 Pro series features improved vapor chamber heat dissipation, which allows it to offer sustained high performance for longer periods using the new A19 Pro chip, Apple said. Here’s everything that’s new in the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max.

iPhone 17 Pro body and display

Credit: Apple

The back of the iPhone 17 Pro series no longer uses glass, and has instead opted for a “Ceramic Shield.” Compared to glass, the Ceramic Shield offers four times more resistance to cracks, at least according to Apple. The iPhone 17 Pro’s display gets a Ceramic Shield 2 front cover, as well, which Apple said is three times more resistant to scratches compared to its predecessor.

Both iPhone 17 Pro models feature the Super Retina XDR display, in 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch sizes, respectively. With this, you get ProMotion up to 120Hz, Always-On Display support, and better anti-reflection to reduce glare. It also has 3,000 nits of peak outdoor brightness, which should make it easier to see what’s on your iPhone 17 Pro’s screen when you’re in a place with bright sunlight.

Apple claims the iPhone 17 Pro series features a new aluminum unibody design, which delivers the “best-ever thermal performance in an iPhone.” As someone who lives in a hot and humid city (Mumbai, India), this part of the announcement caught my eye. Apple also says it has integrated the antennas around the perimeter for better performance, which means that the iPhone 17 Pro should expend less energy looking for a cellphone signal. Finally for cooling, there’s a vapor chamber in these models to improve heat dissipation. With these improvements, Apple’s promised that the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max can deliver sustained high performance while still being comfortable to hold.

iPhone 17 Pro’s new A19 Pro chip

All the new features in the iPhone 17 Pro.

Credit: Apple

The iPhone 17 Pro series ships with the new A19 Pro chip, which has improved thermal performance. This should have a positive impact on battery life, and it appears that the company has used every available bit of space to let you use the iPhone 17 Pro for longer without charging. Moving the cameras to the protruding camera bar (which Apple calls a “plateau”) has freed up some space for the battery, and Apple even said that in the eSIM-only models of this phone, you’ll get an additional two hours of extra battery life thanks to an even larger battery. Both iPhone 17 Pro models charge from zero to 50 percent in 20 minutes, the company claims.

As for power, the A19 Pro chip has a six-core CPU and a six-core GPU. Apple’s also built neural accelerators into each GPU core, and it claims that the GPU works with the new 16-core neural engine to power AI models and deliver better graphics while gaming. The real advancement is in doing this without overheating, which is what Apple seems to be promising. The iPhone 17 Pro line also features a new N1 chip for wireless networking, which enables support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, which is good to have as accessories start to capitalize on these new connectivity protocols. Apple says the N1 chip also improves the reliability of AirDrop and your iPhone’s hotspot feature.

iPhone 17 Pro cameras

A close-up photo of the iPhone 17 Pro's cameras.

Credit: Apple

Let’s start with the front camera first. There’s an improved 18-megapixel sensor in the front camera, which Apple calls the Center Stage camera. It’s named this way because it supports different aspect ratios, which means that you no longer have to rotate your iPhone to take landscape selfies. Apple also says the iPhone 17 Pro uses AI to automatically expand the field of view for group selfies, which may reduce the need for the person with the longest arms to take those photos now. On the video front, the Center Stage camera can capture ultra-stabilized video in 4K HDR, and it allows you to record using the front and rear cameras simultaneously in a new mode called Dual Capture.

The iPhone 17 Pro and the 17 Pro Max have three rear cameras with 48-megapixel sensors. The upgraded one is the 48-megapixel telephoto lens, which now supports up to an 8x optical zoom, which is far more than the 5x that shipped with the iPhone 16 Pro. This will provide clearer photos of objects at a distance, such as birds or other animals that don’t always come near you. There’s up to a 40x digital zoom as well, which is nice to have in a pinch, but will start to crunch your resolution beyond a certain point. The other two cameras are the main camera and an ultrawide lens. This basically means that the iPhone 17 Pro can shoot from macro and 0.5x ultrawide to 8x, which is an impressive range.

These phones have also upgraded their video recording capabilities, with support for ProRes RAW capture. This format is supported by the Final Cut Camera and Blackmagic Camera apps at the moment. The iPhone 17 Pro series also supports genlock, which lets you precisely sync videos across multiple cameras and inputs. Professional videographers use genlock to avoid wasting time manually aligning footage from different sources. Apple says Genlock is supported by the new Blackmagic Design Camera ProDock accessory, which is sold separately.

iPhone 17 Pro price and availability

The Center Stage front camera on the iPhone 17 Pro.

Credit: Apple

The iPhone 17 Pro series is available in three colors: deep blue, cosmic orange, and silver. Here’s the pricing for all iPhone 17 Pro models:

iPhone 17 Pro 256GB: $1,099
iPhone 17 Pro 512GB: $1,299
iPhone 17 Pro 1TB: $1,499
iPhone 17 Pro Max 256GB: $1,199
iPhone 17 Pro Max 512GB: $1,399
iPhone 17 Pro Max 1TB: $1,599
iPhone 17 Pro Max 2TB: $1,999

You can pre-order the iPhone 17 Pro and the iPhone 17 Pro Max starting Friday, September 12. Both phones will be available a week later, on September 19. While other regions will get a model with eSIM and a physical SIM card slot (or only physical SIM in the case of China), the eSIM-only models of iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will be available in the following regions:

Bahrain
Canada
Guam
Japan
Kuwait
Mexico
Oman
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
UAE
United States
U.S. Virgin Islands

iPhone 17 Pro accessories

Credit: Apple

Apple has also launched a bunch of accessories for the iPhone 17 Pro series, which includes a new “TechWoven” case. This is the successor to the much-maligned FineWoven case, which has already been discontinued. Apple says TechWoven is more resistant to scratches and stains, but I’ll wait for reviews before I believe these claims. The TechWoven case with MagSafe will cost $59.

The company also launched clear cases ($49), silicone cases with MagSafe ($49), and a Crossbody strap ($59) to let you wear your iPhone around your neck. The strap is compatible with the TechWoven cases.

Separately, Apple has also promised a 40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max for $39, and a 25W Qi2 certified MagSafe charger for $39 (1-meter length) and $49 (2 meters).

MAHA Commission Unveils Sweeping Strategy to Make Our Children Healthy Again

(Washington, September 9, 2025) – The Make America Healthy Again Commission today released the Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy, a sweeping plan with more than 120 initiatives to reverse the failed policies that fueled America’s childhood chronic disease epidemic. The strategy outlines targeted executive actions to advance gold-standard science, realign incentives, increase public awareness, and strengthen private-sector collaboration.

If You Have a Mini-LED TV, You Need to Enable This Setting

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I reviewed the TCL QM7 a year ago, and I’m still impressed at the quality and value for the money offered by this mid-tier QLED TV. Along with Hisense, TCL has raised the bar for QLED TVs, with both brands battling it out to become the go-to for the best value QLED TV.

One of the highlights of the QM7 is its incredible brightness—up to 2,400 nits, thanks to the mini-LED backlight for the display. But this can actually be overwhelming when watching TV at night in a dark bedroom, especially if you’re getting ready to go to sleep (or if someone else in the room is already trying to sleep). But I found a setting that allows me (and my wife) to coexist with this TV in our bedroom—and your QLED TV likely has it too.

TCL 75” Class QM7

4K UHD HDR QD Mini-LED Smart TV with Google TV

$1,079.99
at Walmart

$1,079.99
at Walmart

Turn on adaptive-brightness

Having to manually lower the TV brightness every night got old pretty quickly (despite the “quick settings” button on the remote that took me directly to the brightness settings), so I started looking for a way to handle it automatically. Lucky for me, my TCL set has a setting for that—and it’s likely yours does too.

Most modern smart TVs will have a setting with a name like “Adaptive Brightness” that will allow it to auto-adjust the screen brightness based on the light in your environment. That’s the setting you need to turn on so you won’t blind yourself if you want to watch some TV before going to bed.

Here is how to turn it on for the QM7; the process is likely similar for other models and brands:

Press the Settings button (gear icon) on your TCL remote.
Navigate to Settings and select Display & Sound.
Choose Intelligent Settings.
In the Intelligent Settings menu, find Intelligent Picture.
Turn on the setting called Adaptive Brightness.

The QM7 has a light sensor that detects the light in your room, which it then uses to change your TV’s brightness. My set also offers Adaptive Content, which will automatically adjust your picture settings depending on what’s onscreen. For example, during dark scenes, the TV will dim to preserve shadow detail, and during bright scenes, it will increase highlights to make the picture pop more.

Not every QLED set will offer these exact settings, but most have something similar. Hunt around in the menus and try enabling them if you sometimes find your super-bright screen can be a little overwhelming.

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This Is the Minimum Amount of Training Necessary to Run a Marathon

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Training for a marathon can be a massive commitment, but not every marathon runner can rework their entire life around a training plan. There are physical roadblocks like injury and illness (which can be difficult to handle, but which aren’t insurmountable). But you’ll also face mental obstacles, like the difficulty of giving up your precious free time. (I skipped a run last week because of a surprise FaceTime from an old friend. I’m happy to have heard from her. I’m stressed to have missed a run.)

After running six marathons, I know that training for a race requires careful planning and execution—and the ability to make the most of your limitations. If you’re struggling with that latter part, consider me an authority as the laziest marathon runner you know. It turns out you can be irresponsibly busy, maybe a little lazy, and terrible at sticking to plans, yet still run a marathon without injuring yourself.

Here are my mental hacks to strategize a running plan when you’re short on both time and motivation.

The basics of a marathon training plan

The general consensus is you should follow at least a 14- to 16-week training plan, with 18 to 20 weeks being preferable.

Even if you need to deviate from your training plan, or you need to skip straight to week four to cram everything in, you still need to have a plan in the first place. Here’s my guide to properly choosing a training plan suited to your lifestyle, running experience, job commitments, and race goals. But after picking your plan comes the hard part: Sticking to it, even when nothing is going right.

Even once you have a plan, how can you run a marathon with minimal training? It depends—how do you feel about being too sore to sit down the next day? If you’re determined to do it, here’s the least you can get away with without seriously risking injury.

Start with a base. You should be able to run 3 to 5 miles comfortably before beginning a plan. If you can’t, spend a month building up to this level. You can try jumping into a training plan weeks ahead of your current fitness level, but then you might hurt yourself or burn out before making it to the marathon starting line.
Prioritize long runs. Your weekly long run is non-negotiable. If you aren’t able to run at least 16 miles at least two weeks beforehand, I wouldn’t even bother trying to run a marathon.
Squeeze in training runs whenever you can. Aim for two more runs per week at a minimum. One should be a medium-long run (starting at 4 to 5 miles and building up to 8 to 10), and one can be an easy 3 to 4 miler.

That’s it: the absolute barebones of marathon training. Now, here’s how you can build on that to further prepare yourself without going all-in.

Invest in proper running gear

If you’re going to try to eke out a marathon, you don’t want to sabotage yourself with worn-down shoes or chafing-related setbacks. Here’s the basic gear you’ll need to help be the laziest marathon runner possible:

Proper running shoes. Think trusted brands like Hoka and Nike. Personally, I’ve been rotating shoes between the Saucony Endorphin Speed 5 and Brooks Ghost Max 3, so that I don’t risk a single blister before race day.
A running belt. You’ll have a more enjoyable run if you’re not stuck holding your phone or listening to your keys jangle. The two big names in running belts are the SPIbelt and FlipBelt, and you can’t go wrong with either one.
A fitness trackers or GPS watch. I’ve run plenty of races without a smartwatch, but during training, they can make a world of a difference—particularly when it comes to pacing myself. Serious runners benefit from advanced metrics in $300+ GPS watches, casual runners can opt for a no-nonsense budget option like the Garmin Forerunner 55.

Garmin Forerunner 55 GPS Running Watch

Follow the “I’m busy and inconsistent” strategy

I would love to be a running influencer who can afford to orient my decisions around long runs, but that’s simply not the life I lead. (Yet—Nike, if you’re reading this, shoot me an email.) Until then, the “I’m busy and inconsistent” approach is all about honesty and self acceptance. Follow these tenants whenever you’re training for a marathon on the bare minimum.

Keep prioritizing long runs. If you’re going to skip some runs, you cannot afford to skip your long run.
Be flexible. Some runners are rigid about which days of the week correspond to how far they run. Personally, I look at my weekly schedule and work backwards from there. This means that sometimes my classic Sunday long run is actually a Tuesday long run. The exact day or order of your runs won’t matter as much as getting the runs in.
Focus on time over distance. On busy weeks, focus on time spent running rather than distance. A 30-minute run is better than no run at all. Thinking “time over distance” will help you strategize runs across the board, especially when you have to shorten individual runs to squeeze
Something is better than nothing. Can’t fit in a full run? Do a 10-minute jog when you can—or even multiple mini-runs throughout the day. It’s not ideal, but it’s better than nothing.
Don’t overdo it. While you need to prioritize your weekly long runs, it’s still unwise to increase your weekly mileage by more than 10% at a time. If you have to skip a long run, you may want to shuffle long runs around so you aren’t jumping from 10 to 18 miles (for example) on back-to-back weekends.

A final piece of advice

Remember, everything above is about doing the bare minimum. Most marathon runners are not “bare minimum” people. You’ll be more comfortable and less likely to injure yourself if you can fit in more training. But if life gets in the way and you need to cut corners, focus on gradually building your long run and getting in at least two other runs or cross-training sessions per week.

Even if you had planned to stick to an ambitious training plan, sometimes the bare minimum is all you can manage. If so, don’t sweat it. Listen to your body. If you’re feeling pain (not just normal soreness), take a break. It’s better to arrive at the starting line slightly undertrained than injured. Now lace up those shoes and get moving. Or don’t—there’s always tomorrow, right?

Whistleblowers Claim Meta Suppressed Research on Kids’ Safety in VR

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A group of current and former Meta employees are accusing the company of suppressing its own research on child safety in virtual reality. According to two current and two former Meta employees, Meta’s lawyers are screening, editing, and vetoing internal studies about youth safety in virtual reality in order to minimize the risk of bad press, legal actions, and government regulation.

To back up the accusations, the group has presented a trove of internal documents to members of a Senate Judiciary Committee, ahead of hearings on the issue to be held on Tuesday. First obtained by The Washington Post, the documents include thousands of pages of internal messages, presentations, and memos that the group says detail a years-long strategy, led by Meta’s legal team, to shape research on “sensitive topics.”

Meta denies the accusations. In a statement to The Washington Post, company spokesperson Dani Lever categorized the accusations as a “few examples…stitched together to fit a predetermined and false narrative; in reality since the start of 2022, Meta has approved nearly 180 Reality Labs-related studies on social issues, including youth safety and well-being.”

Meta and child safety

Internally, it appears Meta has long been aware of questions related to child safety and virtual reality. An internal message board post from 2017 included in the trove is titled, “We have a child problem and it’s probably time to talk about it.” In it, an unnamed Meta employee writes, “These children are very obviously under our 13-year-old age limit…” and goes on to estimate that 80 to 90 percent of users were underage in some virtual reality spaces.

After leaked Meta studies led to congressional hearings in 2021, the company strongly reiterated the importance of transparency, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg writing, “If we wanted to hide our results, why would we have established an industry-leading standard for transparency and reporting on what we’re doing?”

But according to the whistleblowers, behind-the-scenes, Meta’s legal team began screening, editing, and even vetoing research about youth safety to “establish plausible deniability,” detailing potential strategies to “mitigate the risk” of conducting sensitive research. In a November 2021 slide presentation, Meta’s lawyers suggested researchers could “conduct highly-sensitive research under attorney-client privilege,” and have all highly sensitive studies reviewed by lawyers and shared only on a “need-to-know” basis.

Another strategy from the slide suggests researchers “be mindful” of how studies are framed, avoid using terms like “illegal” or “not compliant,” and avoid saying anything violates a specific law, in favor of leaving legal conclusions to attorneys.

An example of Meta’s policy in practice is given in the documents, and involves conversations between Meta researchers and a German woman. The unnamed mother reported that she did not allow her sons to interact with strangers in Meta’s virtual reality, but her teenage son interrupted to say that adults had sexually propositioned his brother, who was younger than 10, numerous times.

According to one of the researchers and Jason Sattizahn, then one of Meta’s specialists in studying children and technology, higher-ups at Meta ordered that the recording of the teen’s comments should be deleted, and that no mention of it should be made in the company’s report. Sattizahn says he was eventually fired from Meta after disputes with managers about restrictions on research.

How many children are actually using Meta’s virtual reality?

Unfortunately, it’s impossible to know exactly how many kids are actively using Meta’s VR platforms. Anecdotally, I’ve spent enough time in virtual reality to believe there are a lot of people under 13 in just about every virtual reality space, including (and especially) Meta’s own “Horizon Worlds.” I can’t say for certain that the people behind the avatars are children, but it sure seems like a lot of kids to me, a conclusion suggested by documents in the trove. One report indicates that only 41 percent of users gave the same date of birth they’d used previously when asked. “These findings show that many users may be unwilling to provide us with their true DOB,” the analysis says.

Maintaining that “gray area” of not really knowing (or publicly acknowledging) the ages of users of the service may be in Meta’s best interest. According to a document included in the trove, one of Meta’s lawyers wrote, “In general, the context is that we should avoid collection of research data that indicates that there are U13s present in VR or in VR apps (or U18 currently in the context of Horizon) due to regulatory concerns.”

The combination of the documents and Meta’s response indicate a company walking a thin line—publicly promising transparency and safety, while privately managing its research process to limit blowback in the form of liability and regulators’ attention. Whether Meta is suppressing damaging information or exercising understandable legal caution is an open question, but hopefully these congressional hearings (as messy as they’re likely to be) get us closer to the real goal of protecting children in immersive spaces.

Amazon Will Double Your Storage on a New Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 for Free

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Samsung’s newest tablet, the Galaxy Tab S11, just released this month, and you can already score a deal when buying one. Right now, Amazon is selling it with a free storage upgrade (from 128GB to 256GB) for $799.99 (originally $859.99).

At its latest Galaxy Event, the company unveiled three other devices alongside the Galaxy Tab S11: the Galaxy Buds 3 FE, the Galaxy Tab S10 Lite, and the Galaxy S25 FE phone. All of these devices are seeing similar deals right now.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 (256 GB)

High Performance, Long Battery Life, S Pen for Note-Taking, AI Assist.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 comes in two models: the Galaxy Tab S11, which is the one available with a free storage upgrade; and the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra, which starts at $1,200. Both come with 12GB of RAM, but the Ultra has a giant 14.6-inch screen, while the Galaxy Tab S11 is a more portable 11 inches, replacing the Plus model from previous generations.

You can add more storage with the microSD slot (up to 2TB), but you might not need it with the free upgrade to 256GB. The 8,400 mAh battery should last about 18 hours, depending on use, which is on par with other Tab devices since the Tab S9. The front camera has a 12-MP Ultrawide lens, while the rear camera is a 13-MP. The Mediatek Dimensity 9400 Plus processor is about 25% faster than the previous model’s, so you should notice AI tools and apps running a little more smoothly.

The S Pen is included with the tablet, which is fair considering you need it to get the most out of the device. It comes with Samsung’s DeX mode, so you can hook it up to a screen, making it a pseudo computer with the addition of a keyboard. You can read more about the tablet on CNET’s first-look.

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Everything We Know About the Apple Watch Ultra 3

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Apple’s “Awe Dropping” event kicks off tomorrow, Sept. 9, and all of the tech world is focused on the iPhone 17. But new iPhones aren’t the only upgrades Apple is set to unveil tomorrow. If rumors are to be believed, we’ll also get a look at the company’s upcoming Apple Watches, including the Apple Watch Ultra 3.

This device would mark the first new “Ultra” since 2023’s Ultra 2. The Ultras are Apple’s “pro” watch line, focused on durability and lengthy battery life. They tend to be pricier than other Apple Watches, but they also come with unique features, including Apple’s largest and brightest watch display. Based on what we know, the Ultra 3 won’t be a reinvention, but it should offer some interesting upgrades that might entice customers (provided they are OK with spending $800 on an Apple Watch).

Here’s what the rumors suggest we’ll see tomorrow.

An upgraded processor

Apple frequently introduces a new processor, or chip, with new Apple Watches. The Ultra 2 uses the S9, while the Series 10 uses the S10. As such, the rumor mill has been back and forth on whether the Ultra 3 will adopt the Series 10’s S10 chip, or ship with a brand new one.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, signs point to the latter. Gurman believes Apple’s newest Ultra watch will introduce the S11 chip. Not only that, but it seems possible Apple’s other new smartwatches, the Series 11 and the new SE, will also feature the S11.

That doesn’t mean these watches will wildly outperform the company’s previous chips. MacRumors analyzed the S11’s leaked architecture, and found the S9 and S10 chips have the same underlying tech as the new S11. That’s still a high-performing chip: The S9, S10, and, presumably, S11, are all 64-bit dual-core processors with a quad-core Neural Engine, with second-gen Ultra Wideband and 64GB of internal storage. However, this does suggest that speed upgrades might not be the reason to pick up any of Apple’s newest watches this year. We’ll have to see what the company announces tomorrow.

A bigger, better display

The Ultra series has the largest display you can get on an Apple Watch, and according to rumors, the Ultra 3 could have an even larger screen. MacRumors says the new watch could bump up the display resolution from 410 x 502 to 422 x 514. That wouldn’t be a dramatic increase, but it would make it the largest watch screen Apple has ever made.

The Ultra 3 will likely also borrow from the Series 10’s display technology: The latter’s LPTO3 OLED display allows the watch to refresh its display faster than the Ultra 2, which would enable Always-On watch faces with a moving second hand. The Series 10 also comes with a wide-angle OLED display, which increases the brightness of the display when viewed at an angle. The Ultra 3 could follow suit.

Satellite connectivity

Ever since the Series 3, Apple has offered customers the option to buy a watch that supports cellular connectivity, but the Ultra 3 could be Apple’s first smartwatch to support satellite connectivity. What this means is, whenever your watch is out of range of a cellular signal, it would be able to connect to a satellite instead. This type of connection is usually much slower than a traditional cellular connection, but it does work, and would allow you to contact friends, family, or emergency services when you have no service. Suddenly, there are no more “dead zones.”

This isn’t coming out of the blue. Satellite connectivity is all the rage: Apple has offered it on the iPhone for years now, first for simple messages to emergency services, then later expanding support to include standard text messages. In addition, T-Mobile officially rolled out its satellite service for customers this year, so it’d be fitting to have a cellular Apple Watch offer similar satellite capabilities.

Faster cellular connections

But the connectivity improvements aren’t limited to areas without cell service. The Ultra 3 may also be the first Apple Watch to support 5G, as Apple may tap MediaTek for the device’s embedded modem. Cellular-enabled Apple Watches only support 4G LTE, so users upgrading to a theoretical 5G Ultra 3 would improve speeds in areas with 5G connections.

Quick charging

MacRumors believes the Ultra 3 could introduce a faster charging experience, following in the footsteps of the Series 10. That watch can charge to 80% in 30 minutes, while the Ultra 2 needs 60 minutes to charge to 80%. MacRumors highlights that the difference comes down to the material the watches are made out of: The Series 10 has a metal casing with a larger charging coil, while the Ultra 2 uses the usual crystal casing most all other Apple Watches have used.

A blood pressure monitor

The Ultra 3 could also introduce a blood pressure monitor for the first time in an Apple Watch. This is something Apple has reportedly been working on for some time, and the Ultra 3 could be its debut. That said, Gurman suggests that Apple has run into “regulatory and engineering” issues with the feature, so it’s possible we won’t see it until the launch of the Ultra 4 or Series 12.

It’s interesting timing, as Apple just got the all-clear to bring back the Apple Watch’s blood oxygen sensor. The company was forced to disable the feature for Series 9 and Ultra 2 devices following a lawsuit, though a subsequent case allowed the company to reinstate the feature. (Older watches with the blood oxygen sensor never saw it disabled.)

Scammers Are Exploiting Apple Calendar to Send Phishing Emails (Again)

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Apple Calendar spam isn’t new: iCloud users began reporting an influx of junk invites nearly a decade ago, and scammers have returned to this tactic over the years to proliferate malicious links to phishing sites. The folks over at 9to5Mac recently reported receiving a recent rash of spam invites containing malicious links that lead to cryptocurrency scams.

Bad actors are also abusing Calendar invites to send phishing emails that look like PayPal purchase notifications—and because the messages come from Apple’s mail server, they can slip past security measures and find their way into your inbox.

Scammers are using Calendar to send callback phishing emails

This latest scam, detailed by BleepingComputer, is a form of callback phishing, which aims to get targets on the phone in order to collect sensitive information or connect to users’ devices.

The scheme begins with a calendar invite to an event titled “Purchase Invoice.” The notes for the event state that the recipient’s PayPal account has been billed for a large sum of money and directs the user to call a support number to discuss, make changes to, or cancel the payment. The hope is that you will be scared into believing your PayPal account has been compromised. If you call, the scammer on the other end will likely try to extract sensitive information or direct you to download and install malware to your device under the guise of issuing a refund.

On closer inspection, you’ll find that the message originated from noreply@email.apple.com, a legitimate Apple mail server, which allowed it to get through security checks and spam filters. As BleepingComputer describes, anyone can create an iCloud Calendar event and add others to initiate email invitations from Apple’s servers.

In this case, scammers also appear to be using a Microsoft 365 email address that is actually a mailing list, which forwards messages to recipients added to the group—the targets for this scam. Threat actors used a similar tactic earlier this year to send emails that appeared to be from service@paypal.com.

How to combat fake calendar invites

Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do to prevent fraudulent iCloud Calendar invites from ever reaching your inbox, and declining them may actually make the problem worse. You can transfer spam events to a separate calendar and delete calendars entirely, but when it comes to the notification emails and any directions listed within, the best thing to do is not engage.

Always proceed with an abundance of caution with calendar invites you weren’t expecting, and watch out for scam hallmarks like a sense of urgency related to payment or account security issues. Never call phone numbers listed in these messages—if you’re concerned about your account, log in via the legitimate website or app to check activity and reach out to the company using contact information found there.