Technologies
Best Cheap iPhone 16 Case? These Two $10 Transparent MagSafe Cases Stand Out
If you don’t want to spend a lot on a new iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Pro case, these cases from Caseology and ESR are among the best budget cases I’ve tested.

Thanks to the fluid situation with tariffs and the uncertainty about future iPhone pricing, a lot of folks have been rushing out to buy new iPhone 16 models lately, including my father, who picked up an iPhone 16 Pro Max this past weekend. With that in mind, I recently updated our list of best iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro cases and saw that one of my favorite budget iPhone 16 cases, the Caseology Capella Mag Kickstand, was on sale for $10 or 33% off its list price of $15.
Read more: Best iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro cases of 2025
Caseology makes a few decent budget cases that cost $10, including the Athlex Mag
, Nano Pop Mag, Nano Pop Kickstand and Capella Mag. Its Capella Mag Kickstand is one of the cheaper transparent MagSafe cases I’ve seen, with a built-in kickstand that retracts into the case when not in use so you can attach MagSafe accessories. The case is available for the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max but isn’t available for the standard iPhone 16. However, the Capella Mag (without an integrated kickstand) is available for the iPhone 16 for $10.
Another good budget iPhone 16 case option is ESR’s transparent Classic Hybrid case, which is also on sale for less than $10. I like ESR’s Stash Stand case ($21), which features a built-in retractable camera protection ring that turns into a kickstand. But the more basic Classic Hybrid costs less than half the price. I should note the case has an integrated touch-sensitive cover for the iPhone 16’s camera control button. The Caselogy Capella Mag Kickstand has a cutout in the case that exposes the button. I tend to prefer the touch-sensitive cover.
There’s nothing fancy or terribly unique about these sub-$10 cases, but they’re slim and offer decent protection. True, more premium brands like Otterbox and Speck may hold up better over time (these budget transparent cases now have anti-yellowing UV protection, though I find it isn’t always effective). That said, some people have a hard time spending $40 to $50 on a case — and I don’t blame them.
Technologies
Microsoft Just Dropped a Free AI Video Tool, and It’s Wildly Easy to Use
Bing Video Creator is live on mobile now, but desktop and Copilot Search support is coming soon.

Microsoft has a new, free tool that lets you create AI-generated videos: the Bing Video Creator.
If you’ve ever wanted to turn a quick idea into a video without touching editing software, Microsoft’s new AI tool might be your next favorite trick. The company just rolled out Bing Video Creator, a free feature that lets you generate short videos from nothing but a text prompt. No fancy skills or timeline scrubbing required. Just type in your idea and let the AI do the rest.
When I gave it a spin, it took less than a minute to churn out a five-second clip of the Bing logo bobbing in a pool alongside a flamingo and donut floatie. It’s weird, fun, and kind of impressive, especially for a free tool that lives right inside your browser. If you’re curious about what this AI video generator can do (or just want to make a goofy summer-themed clip), here’s how it works and what to expect.
The feature is only available on the Bing Search mobile app right now but it will be coming to Windows desktops and Copilot Search, according to the company, and is powered by OpenAI’s Sora video technology. Bing Video Creator joins other major AI-driven video creation tools, including Sora from ChatGPT, Adobe Firefly, Google Veo, Runway and Meta Movie Gen.
You can check out what Google’s latest Veo 3 feature can do for those willing to pay for Gemini Ultra. The technology is moving quickly, with more options now available, some free and others for a fee or purchasing them in AI service subscriptions.
How to use Bing Video Creator
Finding or using the Bing Video Creator isn’t instantly intuitive, especially if you’re not already using the Bing Search app. In the Bing Search app, I accessed the feature by clicking on the box on the bottom right of the home screen.
That brings up lots of apps within the app. Look for Video Creator on the bottom left. There, you can create a still image or video by typing in a text prompt. Using the Fast option, which is the default, should generate the short video in moments.
You can also type «Create a video of…» directly in the app’s main search bar if you don’t want to hunt for the feature. You can download and share the video.
When I tried it out, I found the video was not very high quality and was not easy to download directly from the app. Sharing a link to the video creation and viewing it outside the app offers an option to download the full video.
Microsoft says it will keep your video creations available for 90 days.
Choice of AI video generators
Microsoft’s entry into AI video making is giving people another free option that seems geared toward casual users.
Many who work in AI businesses, such as Matt Psencik, director of security and product design research at Tanium, are following the rollout of these products, led by Sora last year. Psencik says one of them has been most impressive.
«Google’s launch of Veo 3 for Gemini is a standout,» he tells me, «in object permanence, realistic physics and overall visual fidelity. These developments are beginning to erase the line between ‘clearly AI-generated’ and ‘convincingly real.’ «
The risks, Psencik says, is that realistic video generation could be exploited with deepfakes or used to attempt to hijack someone else’s identity. Most of the AI video generators have guardrails or filters on what kind of content users can request to generate, whether it’s to avoid copyright issues or to prevent hate speech and propaganda.
But, Psencik tells me, that’s not stopping AI bots from posting fake videos online that many people can’t tell apart from reality.
«As AI-generated video becomes nearly indistinguishable from reality, it’s only a matter of time before these tools are regularly weaponized to impersonate real people at scale,» he says.
Technologies
Biggest Apple Announcements From WWDC 2025: Liquid Glass, iOS 26, New Camera App Look and Much More
Apple’s annual developers conference brought us a new Liquid Glass design, updated operating systems for all the Apple devices, new options for text messages and AI visual search.

Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) acts as its annual showcase for everything new the company plans to include in its software for the next year, providing developers lead time (and incentive) to integrate imminent features and capabilities for iPhones, iPads, Macbooks, Apple Vision Pro, Apple Watch and Apple TV in their upcoming releases.
Today’s event brought us a Liquid Glass redesign across operating systems, unified version numbers for the OSes (all ending in 26, e.g., iOS 26), except MacOS Tahoe 26, which still incorporates a tourist destination. Plus, the new Gaming app — which is mostly a hub but with some group features — which we’ve been waiting for.
Apple prepped buzz for the event by releasing new retro merchandise for the nostalgic among us.
The event began with a buzz video of Craig Federighi, senior VP of software engineering, racing in an F1 car to promote the F1 movie produced by Apple for its Apple TV Plus streaming service.
If you’re more the «moment-by-moment» type, you can check out our archived live blog. Or just skip to the memes inspired by the closing song. Or just go straight to the part where you complain it bored you.
Public betas of the new operating systems will be available in July, and the first developer beta for iOS 26 is available right now.
Liquid Glass redesign stole the show
Apple’s «gorgeous new design,» for all its platforms the first overhaul since iOS 7, made possible by better displays and more powerful components.
Apple’s vision for its next operating systems’ interfaces is almost literally that: It’s inspired by VisionOS. The new design system is called Liquid Glass, and brings a return to more pervasive translucency for the OS elements — the same aesthetic that informs the software for its Vision Pro VR/AR headset. That means more lens-like appearance, with specular highlights and dynamic movement as you change viewing angle. Navigation behavior changes as well.
iOS 26: The new operating system (and naming) is official
Liquid Glass will probably make the most impact on Apple’s most popular device. But in addition, there’s a new unified layout for communications, integrating Phone and FaceTime. Call Screening will wait until someone begins to talk and tell you who it is before ringing through, while Hold Assist will keep the call connected in the background and ring you when someone answers. Across the apps, there are lots of interface elements floating and more features just a tap away.
The long-rumored «new destination» for gaming, Apple introduced the Games app. There’s a hug for Arcade, and it shows events and your entire game library in a single place. There’s Play Together for managing co-op and group challenges. Developers can use that for turning single-player games into group challenges.
And it works with a controller. Heck yeah.
Messages gets a customizable background that’s shared across a chat, group chats can host polls, and you can request or receive Apple Cash in group chats. You’ll be able to filter messages out from recent and unknown senders out of notifications. Emoji generation gets smarter by letting you combine and modify Genmoji to more accurately reflect what you want to convey. New ChatGPT styles include things like oil painting, or the ability to ask for a specific style that’s not a preset.
Live Translation is now live in the communications apps with this version of the OS, and will work when you call someone who’s not on an iPhone.
In addition to the new look, which includes things like dynamic scaling of widgets based on the photo on the lock screen, can automatically make the photo 2.5D and animated artwork for what’s playing. There’s lyrics, live lyric transliteration, mixing via the new AutoMix feature and music pins in your library.
The camera makes it more streamlined to access the basic photo and video modes, plus all the options have been made a quick gesture away. Library and Collections tabs are back in Photos. Apple opens Visual Intelligence to not only screenshot search, but can use it across apps or call up ChatGPT.
Maps can learn your preferred routes and take them into account, gives you travel time estimates and remembers where you’ve been for a visited-location history.
Apple Wallet will offer passport info for digital IDs (for everything but flying). Pay will offer in-person redemption of Rewards and use of Installments.
iPadOS 26 gets more Mac-like every year
Though probably not the most popular updates people care about, iPadOS 26 did get a lot more architectural changes aside from more Liquid Glass prettiness and the Live Translation, communication and AI features from other devices.
The substantive changes include a new windowing system to improve multitasking. There’s a grab handle to resize full-screen apps to windows, using the flick gesture to tile — it works with a trackpad as well as touch. It looks very similar to MacOS.
Expose brings up thumbnails of open windows so you can select the one you want. There’s also a persistent menu bar at the top of the screen, like a desktop OS. Heck yeah. And it doesn’t require a specific high-performing iPad; it works with Stage Manager and on multiple displays. Of course, some people are wondering (dreading?) what it will be like to use on an iPad Mini.
Files finally grows up, like a detailed list view with the ability to resize columns, the ability to drag a folder to the Dock and more.
Preview comes to the iPad, and the OS adds support for selecting a mic and providing a noise-isolation option across apps. There are also more tools for creators, such as local capture via video conferencing apps, with mic options for better sound.
Background tasks — yes! — will show up as live activities, so you don’t have to put it down and walk away for a render.
MacOS Tahoe… 26
This year’s location name is Tahoe, and the update includes the same communications appearance updates as iOS 26. MacOS Tahoe incorporates the Liquid Glass design, too. You can add a new set of controls to the control center, change colors or add emoji to folders.
Continuity gets Live Activities, like on the iPhone, and the Phone app comes to the Mac with shared history and the other new AI features.
Shortcuts now have intelligent actions, like summarizing text or comparing things. Spotlight adds some of the annoying features of Windows search, like mixing results across types you don’t want. Quick Keys are two-letter shortcuts for apps and actions, along with suggestions. It keeps a clipboard history, which should make a lot of folks happy.
The Games app on Tahoe has the same features as the app on iPhone, plus an in-game overlay. Updates to Apple’s Metal graphics framework, Metal 4, add frame interpolation, denoising and more for potentially better game performance and quality. Upcoming games include Crimson Desert and Inzoi.
Workout Buddy makes its debut in WatchOS
The Apple Watch OS incorporates AI in a new Workout Buddy, which keeps your fitness history and offers vocal coaching (ugh, pep talks) with a summary of your workout stats at the end. Workout has a new layout and custom workouts.
Smart Stack uses more data to prioritize and predict which features you’ll want soon. It’s smarter about notifications, basing the volume on the ambient noise in your environment, and adds a Wrist Flick gesture for things like dismissing notifications.
The new design also permeates Apple TV Plus and TVOS. Apple also announced some new upcoming originals and new seasons of existing shows like Slow Horses and Foundation.
TVOS will let you jump back into shows more quickly and get into karaoke with your iPhone as the mic.
VisionOS 26 adds more for business
This operating system already had the look, but Apple’s taken VisionOS 26 deeper and more into-the-real-world. Widgets can be personalized and persistently overlaid. The OS will remember window placement. Photos can also create spatial views of photos and automatically convert images in articles, for instance. Personas will potentially look more accurate.
Collaborative Pro usage got a co-op game callout, but it’s for business. If you’re using a shared team device, you can save your settings on your iPhone. There’s also a new Eyes Only mode for privacy. Logitech Muse 3D stylus and PSVR hand controllers are two of the interesting new accessories for it.
You’ll be able to edit Premiere Pro video and playback native 360-degree playback for popular action cams.
Technologies
Act Fast to Score Gaming Accessories for Up to a Door-Busting 87% Off at Woot
Level up your gaming setup on the cheap with these limited-time deals from Woot.

Gaming is an addictive hobby, and today’s devices allow you to do it in multiple ways: from your PC, phone, a classic console, handheld and more. That being said, if this is your main hobby, it’s understandable that you want to have an arsenal of accessories that’ll secure your winning strategies. Right now we’ve spotted gaming accessories at Woot for as high as 87% off until June 14. Now is the perfect chance to score controllers, cables, chargers and even select video games that would make a great Father’s Day or graduation gift — all without having to pay full price.
Woot has plenty of deals on offer for every type of gamer. These include games such as Star Wars Outlaws for Xbox Series X for just $25, saving you $45 over its usual asking price. Other selections include Final Fantasy VII Rebirth for PS5 for $35, which is half off. For people who enjoy piloting and aviation, the Microsoft Flight Simulator (2024) is 50% off, bringing it down to $65.
A new Nintendo Joy-Con can now be had for just $65, saving you $15 off its regular price of $80 for a limited time. Other cool accessories include this Neat Bumblebee II USB microphone for just $17, down from its usual price of $100 and a full 83% off.
Large items are also on sale, such as this Puma Playseat active gaming chair for just $60, which is $110 off the usual asking price. Other gaming necessities such as this Razer Kaira Pro headset are down to just $90, saving you $60 over the usual price. The entire catalog of items is worth looking through, as it includes accessories for Xbox, PlayStation, Meta Quest and more.
Amazon Prime members get free shipping on all Woot orders, which means you can save a bit more. We also have a list of the best gaming PC deals in case you want look through other gaming goods.
CHEAP GAMING LAPTOP DEALS OF THE WEEK
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$720 (save $380)
Why this deal matters
Many of the headsets, chargers, games and accessories available at Woot right now cost up to 87% more when bought elsewhere. However, buying these accessories now could save you money in the long run if you’ve already been looking for better ways to play. Keep in mind that these deals are live until June 14, so if you’ve got your eye on something, you’ll want to act fast.
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