Technologies

Mint Mobile’s Latest New User Deal Offers Unlimited $15 Per Month Plan for 3 Months

All of the company’s plans are now priced the same as their cheapest — but the deal only lasts for a few months.

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Mint Mobile, the prepaid wireless carrierpartly owned by actor Ryan Reynolds, announced on Monday that for a limited time, you can sign up for any of the company’s plans for just $15 per month as a new customer.

The company already charges that price for its cheapest 5GB plan. But now, new customers (or former customers who haven’t had the service for at least 90 days) can choose plans that offer 15GB, 20GB or unlimited data and still pay just $15 a month. Like Cinderella’s coach at midnight, the price reverts back to each plan’s usual cost after three months: $20 for 15GB, $25 for 20GB, and $30 a month for the unlimited data plan.

The unlimited plan includes unlimited nationwide talk and text, a 10GB mobile hotspot, Wi-Fi calling and text, and free international calls to Mexico and Canada. Data speeds reduce after 40GB, but data is unlimited. If you want to sign up, you can bring your own unlocked eligible phone and keep your current phone number.

Of course, it’s a limited-time offer, good for only a few months.

Wireless carrier T-Mobile announced in March that it would buy Mint Mobile in a dealpotentially valued at $1.35 billion. T-Mobile will acquire Ka’ena Corporation, the parent company of Mint Mobile and Ultra Mobile, as well as wireless wholesaler Plum. T-Mobile says it expects the deal to close later this year.

Reynolds, who purchased an ownership stake in Mint Mobile in November 2019, is still appearing in Mint Mobile’s commercials for now. He posted a short video on social media on Monday in which a «reverse auctioneer» lowers the unlimited-plan price.

«What brand of coffee do you drink?» Reynolds jokes to the fast-talking auctioneer.

Unlimited for $15/mo…going once…actually it’s probably going to a lot of people. https://t.co/fVQJSfEcXg pic.twitter.com/nOoAio2bga

— Mint Mobile (@Mintmobile) June 12, 2023

If you’re looking for a new mobile plan, check out CNET’s list of the best prepaid phone plans and best unlimited data phone plans available — and if you’re in the market for a new phone, here’s a list of the best phones of 2023.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, Oct. 14

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Oct. 14.

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.

Today’s Mini Crossword has an odd vertical shape, with an extra Across clue, and only four Down clues. The clues are not terribly difficult, but one or two could be tricky. Read on if you need 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.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Smokes, informally
Answer: CIGS

5A clue: «Don’t have ___, man!» (Bart Simpson catchphrase)
Answer: ACOW

6A clue: What the vehicle in «lane one» of this crossword is winning?
Answer: RACE

7A clue: Pitt of Hollywood
Answer: BRAD

8A clue: «Yeah, whatever»
Answer: SURE

9A clue: Rd. crossers
Answer: STS

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Things to «load» before a marathon
Answer: CARBS

2D clue: Mythical figure who inspired the idiom «fly too close to the sun»
Answer: ICARUS

3D clue: Zoomer around a small track
Answer: GOCART

4D clue: Neighbors of Norwegians
Answer: SWEDES

Technologies

Watch SpaceX’s Starship Flight Test 11

Technologies

New California Law Wants Companion Chatbots to Tell Kids to Take Breaks

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the new requirements on AI companions into law on Monday.

AI companion chatbots will have to remind users in California that they’re not human under a new law signed Monday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The law, SB 243, also requires companion chatbot companies to maintain protocols for identifying and addressing cases in which users express suicidal ideation or self-harm. For users under 18, chatbots will have to provide a notification at least every three hours that reminds users to take a break and that the bot is not human.

It’s one of several bills Newsom has signed in recent weeks dealing with social media, artificial intelligence and other consumer technology issues. Another bill signed Monday, AB 56, requires warning labels on social media platforms, similar to those required for tobacco products. Last week, Newsom signed measures requiring internet browsers to make it easy for people to tell websites they don’t want them to sell their data and banning loud advertisements on streaming platforms.

AI companion chatbots have drawn particular scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators in recent months. The Federal Trade Commission launched an investigation into several companies in response to complaints by consumer groups and parents that the bots were harming children’s mental health. OpenAI introduced new parental controls and other guardrails in its popular ChatGPT platform after the company was sued by parents who allege ChatGPT contributed to their teen son’s suicide.

«We’ve seen some truly horrific and tragic examples of young people harmed by unregulated tech, and we won’t stand by while companies continue without necessary limits and accountability,» Newsom said in a statement.

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One AI companion developer, Replika, told CNET that it already has protocols to detect self-harm as required by the new law, and that it is working with regulators and others to comply with requirements and protect consumers.

«As one of the pioneers in AI companionship, we recognize our profound responsibility to lead on safety,» Replika’s Minju Song said in an emailed statement. Song said Replika uses content-filtering systems, community guidelines and safety systems that refer users to crisis resources when needed.

A Character.ai spokesperson said the company «welcomes working with regulators and lawmakers as they develop regulations and legislation for this emerging space, and will comply with laws, including SB 243.» OpenAI spokesperson Jamie Radice called the bill a «meaningful move forward» for AI safety. «By setting clear guardrails, California is helping shape a more responsible approach to AI development and deployment across the country,» Radice said in an email.

One bill Newsom has yet to sign, AB 1064, would go further by prohibiting developers from making companion chatbots available to children unless the AI companion is «not foreseeably capable of» encouraging harmful activities or engaging in sexually explicit interactions, among other things.