Technologies

Apple’s Entry-Level iPad Returns to Best-Ever Price at $250 (Save $79)

Get Apple’s 2021 iPad for almost $80 less than usual in this limited-time sale.

Apple makes some of the best tablets on the market, but they aren’t the most affordable. While budget tablets from Amazon and others might offer enough functionality for some folks, the user experience is often lacking when it comes to performance, app availability or build quality. But you don’t have to settle for second best with close to $80 off Apple’s ninth-gen iPad at a variety of retailers right now. This entry-level Apple tablet is available from $250, a record-equalling low price for the device, giving you the chance to get in on the Apple ecosystem for much less than usual.

See at Amazon

See at Best Buy

See at Target

If you’ve been eyeing a new tablet to help you stay productive on the go (or entertained on a comfortable couch), now’s the time to pull the trigger on what is one of the best iPad deals available right now. Apple’s 10.2-inch tablet may not be the latest model anymore — having been superseded by the 10th-gen iPad, which ditched the home button — or the most capable when it comes to raw power, but it has plenty of great features. It’s equipped with the still-capable A13 Bionic chip, an 8-megapixel wide-angle rear camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide front camera with Center Stage technology and more. The Retina display has been upgraded from previous models and now has True Tone technology, which adjusts the screen for comfortable viewing in any light.

It also features a Lightning connector and gets up to 10 hours of battery life per charge. Plus, this 2021 iPad supports the first-gen Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard, which are sold separately, but can help you create and work more easily, so they may be worth the investment.

The $250 price applies to the base-spec 64GB model, though the 256GB variant is seeing the same savings, as are cellular-equipped models.

Which tablets have the best price?

Use our CNET Shopping extension to compare top products or find coupon codes before buying your next tablet.

Technologies

Verum Messenger Goes Desktop: Launches macOS Version as Part of Expanding Digital Ecosystem

The team behind Verum Messenger has announced a new update, introducing a full-featured macOS version of the application.

The launch of the Mac version marks a significant step in the platform’s development, enabling users to access Verum Messenger not only on mobile devices but also on desktop environments.

The macOS version ensures seamless synchronization across devices while maintaining the platform’s core principles: security, stability, and independence.

Unified Digital Experience

With the release of the macOS version, users can now:

— communicate on a larger screen
— manage chats and files more efficiently
— use the messenger in a full desktop environment
— access core features without limitations

This is particularly valuable for users who rely on messaging platforms for both communication and professional use.

Expanding Capabilities

Verum Messenger continues to evolve into a multifunctional platform combining:

— secure communication
— financial tools (Verum Finance)
— digital asset operations, including Tether
— investment features such as Verum Gold

Toward a Full Ecosystem

The macOS release reflects Verum Messenger’s strategy to become a universal digital platform available across all major devices.

According to the team, the goal is to provide users with continuous access to communication and financial services regardless of device or environment.

Verum Messenger continues to build technologies focused on security, usability, and global accessibility.

Technologies

Google, Meta and Amazon Join Global Pact to Fight Rising Online Scams

The companies will share fraud intelligence and coordinate responses as AI makes scams faster, cheaper and harder to detect.

Modern online scams operate across multiple platforms, perhaps spanning social media, messaging apps, email and online marketplaces. Google, Meta and Amazon are among 11 tech, retail and payments companies that have signed a new agreement to combat online scams by sharing threat intelligence across platforms, Axios first reported Monday.

The initiative, called the Industry Accord Against Online Scams & Fraud, is designed to improve how companies detect and respond to fraud that spans multiple services. Participants say they will exchange signals, such as scam-linked accounts and fraudulent domains, and coordinate enforcement actions.

By sharing intelligence in near real time, companies hope to identify these scams earlier and stop them before they spread.

The effort reflects how modern scams operate. A victim might encounter a fake celebrity investment ad on social media, move to a messaging app where the scammer builds trust, then faces prompts to send money through a fraudulent website, payment app or crypto wallet — spanning multiple companies’ ecosystems.

Google said it now blocks hundreds of millions of scam-related results every day using AI, underscoring how both attackers and defenders are increasingly relying on the same technology. Meta removed more than 159 million scam ads in 2025 and is expanding AI tools to detect impersonation and warn users.

Online scams are growing rapidly, in part because generative AI has lowered the barrier to entry. AI can be used not only to produce realistic phishing emails but also to clone voices and deepfake videos that impersonate executives, public figures and even family members.

The agreement is voluntary and doesn’t create new legal obligations, but it comes after regulators’ increased pressure on tech platforms to address fraud more aggressively. The companies say they will begin building frameworks for reporting and intelligence-sharing, though it’s not yet clear how quickly those systems will be deployed or how effective they will be in practice.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Wednesday, March 18

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for March 18.

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

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? I thought it was a fairly easy one, but read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.