Eliana Willis

Maria Diaz/ZDNETiPhone 13 owners will now be able to take advantage of any satellite-based service offered by their carrier. This capability comes courtesy of iOS 18.5, which Apple released on Monday.Thanks to the new support, any iPhone 13 (iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, or iPhone 13 Pro Max) can hop onto a carrier-provided satellite network. As such, owners will be able to send and receive text messages via the satellite service when conventional terrestrial network access is unavailable.Also: 3 Apple devices you definitely shouldn’t buy this month (and 9 to get instead)For now, this feature covers only T-Mobile’s Startlink service, which is currently in beta testing and free until July. As more carriers expand their satellite offerings, the iPhone 13 will be able to join the party. However, this doesn’t mean that iPhone 13 owners will be able to use Apple’s built-in Emergency SOS satellite service, which is still limited to the iPhone 14 and later models.iOS 18.5 includes a few other noteworthy changes. More

Jack Wallen/ZDNETBack in 2024, Opera added Spotify as an app that can be pinned and opened from the browser’s sidebar. This feature worked very similarly to the messaging and AI apps (such as Messenger, Slack, and Aira). With a recent update, the Spotify app has been improved to be sleeker and more user-friendly. New features for the Spotify inMusic Player include the ability to detach the player and move it around the browser so it’s in the perfect position for your needs. A floating mini player also helps you pause, play, skip, and switch music. Music is also automatically muted and resumed when you load a web page that plays audio.Also: Opera’s Android browser just got a major tab management upgradeIt gets better.With the latest version of Opera, you can enjoy three months free of Spotify Premium. To to be eligible for the three-month trial subscription, you have to be new to Spotify Premium and must reside in one of the following countries: Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, the UK, the US, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Turkey, or Vietnam. To claim the trial, open the Opera Music Player from the sidebar and click on the available offer. You’ll be redirected to the Spotify page, where the code will automatically be applied. More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Amazfit Active 2 is available starting at $99, depending on the band. The watch is small, lasts up to 10 days, has a brilliant AMOLED display, measures an extensive amount of data, and is inexpensive The small size is great for many people, but may also not be the right […] More

Adam Breeden/ZDNETThese days, internet and Wi-Fi connectivity seem to be virtually ubiquitous. In the US, at least, there is a societal expectation that you can connect your devices to the web wherever you go. After all, connectivity is essential for many devices to function. But sometimes that connectivity fails — and what can you do if you want to watch TV without the internet?Here’s what you can do: use a USB flash drive.Also: Change these 5 settings on your TV for a quick and easy way to improve its picture qualityMost modern smart TVs have built-in media players that read content from USB devices. The range of benefits for using a USB drive is abundant. You can play your selected media files without streaming or connecting with multiple devices. Using a drive is cost-effective; you can store a large library of content on a USB stick and avoid monthly streaming subscriptionsn. And you have increased flexibility because you can use the USB stick to play content on pretty much any TV manufactured since 2001. More

HP Gaming desktops can get pretty expensive, but right now you can snag the HP Victus 15L<!–> direct from HP.com for 35% off with this site-exclusive sale. And just because this PC is under $1,000 doesn’t mean it skimps on quality components. This configuration is built with a 12th gen Intel Core i5 processor, 16GB […] More

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