Technologies

Microsoft Tests New Bing AI Personalities as It Allows Longer Chats

Microsoft had restricted exchanges earlier after a series of news articles and social media posts about strange responses in long conversations.

Microsoft said it’s expanding the lengths of chats people can have with the test version of its Bing AI, while the company’s also begun testing different «tone» personalities for more precise or more creative responses. The company’s moves follow efforts to restrict access to the technology after media coverage of the artificial intelligence chatting app going off the rails went viral last week.

Bing Chat can now respond to up to six questions or statements in a row per conversation, after which people will need to start a new topic, the company said in a blog post Tuesday. Microsoft had previously imposed a conversation limit of five responses, with a maximum of 50 total interactions per day. Microsoft said it will now allow 60 total interactions per day and plans to increase that total to 100 «soon.»

Microsoft also said it’s testing options for people to choose the tone of their conversations, whether they prefer Bing to be more precise in its responses, more creative or somewhere between the two.

Ultimately, the tech giant said it hopes to allow longer and more intricate conversations over time but wants to do so «responsibly.»

«The very reason we are testing the new Bing in the open with a limitedset of preview testers is precisely to find these atypical use casesfrom which we can learn and improve the product,» the company said in a statement.

Microsoft’s moves mark the latest twist for its Bing AI chatbot, which made a splash when it was announced earlier this month. The technology combines Microsoft’s less-popular Bing search engine with technology from startup OpenAI, whose ChatGPT responds to prompts for everything from being asked to write a poem to helping write code and even everyday math to figure out how many bags can fit in a car.

Experts believe this new type of technology, called «generative AI,» has the potential to remake the way we interact with technology. Microsoft, for example, demonstrated how its Bing AI could help someone plan a vacation day by day with relative ease.

Last week, though, critics raised concerns that Microsoft’s Bing AI may not be ready for prime time. People with early access began posting bizarre responses the system was giving them, including Bing telling a New York Times columnist to abandon his marriage, and the AI demanding an apology from a Reddit user over whether we’re in 2022 or 2023.

Microsoft said that the «long and intricate» chat sessions that prompted many of the unusual responses were «not something we would typically find with internal testing.» But it hopes that improvements to the program, including its potential new choice of tone for responses, will help give people «more control on the type of chat behavior to best meet» their needs.

More on AI chatbots

Technologies

I Love One Thing About the New Nike Special Edition Powerbeats Pro 2 Earbuds

Beats and Nike have collaborated to bring us the Powerbeats Pro 2 — Nike Special Edition. I go hands-on with them.

Beats has released plenty of special edition products in the past, «collaborating» with various celebrities, including Kim Kardashian. But the new Powerbeats Pro 2 Nike Special Edition is the first time it’s linked up with Nike. The buds have the Nike Swoosh on the right bud and the Beats «b» on the left, as well as Nike’s two-tone black and yellow colors and its «Just Do it» slogan printed inside the lid. They’re available via an early-access lottery today on SNKRS, then they’ll launch globally on March 20 for $250.

Read more: Best wireless earbuds of 2026

The Nike x Powerbeats Pro 2 have all the same features as the standard Powerbeats Pro 2, including built-in heart rate monitoring that syncs with Apple’s Fitness app and Nike Run Club1. Perhaps the coolest things about them is the Volt-speckled charging case, which has a bit of texture to it and is slightly easier to grip than the standard Powerbeats Pro 2’s case, which has a smooth matte finish.

The collaboration makes sense given that the Powerbeats Pro 2 are sports buds with an ear hook design that are popular among hardcore and recreational athletes. They’re fairly pricey, though: The standard Powerbeats Pro 2 also list for $250 but sometimes get discounted to closer to $200 online. You can read my full review here.

Beats has recruited longtime brand ambassador LeBron James for the launch, which isn’t a surprise. But he’s not promoting the buds playing basketball, but golf. In the promo video, James shows off his «less-than-elite» skills on the links while using the Powerbeats Pro 2 to tune out a trio of critics, played by professional golfer Tom Kim and actors Lionel Boyce and Travis «Taco» Bennett. He’s «embracing the game on his own terms.»

Technologies

Samsung Halts Galaxy Z TriFold Sales After Just Three Months

The 10-inch device cost nearly $3,000 and will no longer be available to buy in the US or South Korea.

If you haven’t yet shelled out nearly $3,000 for a Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold, you might have missed your chance. The company is winding down sales of the phone after it’s been on the market in the US for less than two months, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.

Samsung will begin the phase-out by first ending sales in its home market of South Korea, and will then stop selling the phone in the US after all inventory has been depleted, Bloomberg said, citing a company spokesperson. In the US, the only way to buy a TriFold is on the Samsung website or at one of its seven Experience Stores across the country.

Samsung didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

A quick check on the Samsung website did not show any TriFold phones for sale, although Bloomberg said people have reported being able to buy the phone over the past few days at Experience Stores in Frisco, Texas, and Queens, New York. On a Galaxy Z TriFold subreddit, some customers have reported being able to get their hands on one.

The Galaxy Z TriFold was announced on Dec. 1, 2025, made its debut in South Korea on Dec. 12 and went on sale in the US on Jan. 30. The phone has a 6.5-inch cover screen and two hinges that enable it to be unfurled into a 10-inch main screen. The sale price is $2,899.

We liked the Galaxy Z TriFold when it was unveiled earlier this year in the US, and apparently so did many Americans — it sold out in minutes on its first day in the US.

CNET Senior Writer Abrar Al-Heeti spent two weeks with the foldable and called it «versatile, innovative and practical,» although ultimately a niche device that’s «not for everyone.»

Will the phone return? Bloomberg reported that Won-Joon Choi, chief operating officer of Samsung’s Mobile Experience Business, said in an interview last month that the company had not decided yet if it will bring the device — or an updated version — to a wider market.

If you’re interested in alternative trifold phones, be sure to also check out the Huawei Mate XT Ultimate (not sold in the US) and Tecno’s Phantom Ultimate G, which the company showed at MWC 2026 as a concept.

Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for March 17, #1732

Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle for March 17, No. 1,732.

Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Wordle puzzle is fairly common word, with a mix of common and rare letters. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.

Today’s Wordle hints

Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.

Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats

Today’s Wordle answer has no repeated letters.

Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels

Today’s Wordle answer has one vowel.

Wordle hint No. 3: First letter

Today’s Wordle answer begins with C.

Wordle hint No. 4: Last letter

Today’s Wordle answer ends with P.

Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning

Today’s Wordle answer can refer to a small device with interlocking pieces that fastens a necklace or bracelet.

TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER

Today’s Wordle answer is CLASP.

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle answer, March 16, No. 1731, was DRAMA.

Recent Wordle answers

March 12, No. 1727: SMELL

March 13, No. 1728: EATEN

March 14, No. 1729: ANKLE

March 15, No. 1730: GRADE

What’s the best Wordle starting word?

Don’t be afraid to use our tip sheet ranking all the letters in the alphabet by frequency of uses. In short, you want starter words that lean heavy on E, A and R, and don’t contain Z, J and Q.

Some solid starter words to try:

ADIEU

TRAIN

STARE

NOISE