Technologies

Memorial Day Deals: Grab Noise-Canceling Sony Wireless Headphones For $88

Shop these Sony active noise-canceling headphones for a massive discount before it’s too late.

Nothing beats a pair of noise-canceling headphones, whether you’re rocking out or just want to be able to hear your audiobook in a noisy office. You don’t always have to spend a lot for a pair, either, and this Memorial Day deal on Sony WH-CH720N headphones is the perfect example of that. They normally sell for around $150, but Amazon slashed that to just $88 if you choose the black finish. You may not see the discount initially, but the new price will be reflected when you add your new headphones to your cart. This is a limited-time deal, so order soon before you risk missing out on this massive discount.

These headphones don’t have as many features as the more powerful Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones, but they still have a lot going for them, especially at their more affordable price. In addition to good sound quality, these headphones have 30mm drivers and come equipped with Sony’s V1 chip for solid active noise cancellation. These wireless headphones also have an ambient sound mode and robust EQ settings, which you can customize to your taste.

Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money.

Another feature these headphones offer is multipoint connectivity, which means you can connect to your computer or phone at the same time. They are a smart option for making voice calls as well. They also come with Alexa built-in, making it much easy to ask for a specific song, control compatible smart home devices and more. As for battery life, you should get up to 35 hours per charge or as much as 50 hours if you have noise cancellation turned off.

In his review, CNET’s David Carnoy noted the Sony WH-CH720N headphones offer «the appealing combination of a lightweight, comfortable design with respectable performance,» which makes this Memorial Day sale perfect for those folks who don’t want to splurge on a premium headset costing upward of $300. For other budget-friendly listening options, check out our roundup of the best headphone and earbud deals.

HEADPHONE DEALS OF THE WEEK

Apple AirPods Max ANC Wireless Headphones (USB-C Charging, Starlight):

$480 (save $70)
Soundcore Life Q20 Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling Headphones (Black):

$40 (save $21)
Beats Studio Pro Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones (Black):

$200 (save $151)
Bose QuietComfort Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones:

$229 (save $120)
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones (Black):

$298 (save $102)

Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.

Why this deal matters

We’re big fans of ANC headphones because they are so handy in a variety of ways. Whether you’re commuting and want to block out the noise or you need to focus in a noisy office, ANC headphones can drown out the din of sound wherever you’re using them. There are plenty of relatively inexpensive headphones with similar features to the Sony WH-CH720N headphones, but very few are from a brand that’s so well-known for the quality of its personal audio gear.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Friday, Jan. 23

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Jan. 23.

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? Hope you’re familiar with a certain blond actor (8-Across)! 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.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Attach, as one plant to another
Answer: GRAFT

6A clue: Email button with a backward-facing arrow
Answer: REPLY

7A clue: Make very excited
Answer: AMPUP

8A clue: Two-time Best Actor nominee Nick
Answer: NOLTE

9A clue: Total dork
Answer: DWEEB

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Word that can precede piano, total or staircase
Answer: GRAND

2D clue: Cut again, as a lawn
Answer: REMOW

3D clue: Company whose logo has a bite taken out of it
Answer: APPLE

4D clue: Champagne glass
Answer: FLUTE

5D clue: Laid-back kind of personality
Answer: TYPEB

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Technologies

‘Is Microsoft Down?’ Outlook and Teams Go Dark in Widespread Outage

It’s not just you: Numerous Microsoft services weren’t working most of Thursday, and the outage is continuing.

Thursday has been a tough work day for many — or maybe, a great one, depending on how eager you are to access work-related programs. Microsoft services, including Outlook, Teams and Microsoft 365 are experiencing a significant outage that’s still going on as of early evening, Pacific time. Microsoft hasn’t announced an expected time when everything will be back up and running.

You can follow the official Microsoft 365 Status account on the social-media platform X, which has been regularly posting updates about the outage.

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The first post there, from 11:37 a.m. PT, said that the company was «investigating a potential issue impacting multiple Microsoft 365 services, including Outlook, Microsoft Defender and Microsoft Purview. Further information can be found in the admin center under MO1221364.»

The admin center is the dashboard for IT admins managing Microsoft 365 services.

You can also monitor Microsoft’s Service Health Status page. That page is noting that «users may be seeing degraded service functionality or be unable to access multiple Microsoft 365 services.»

A representative for Microsoft didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Technologies

Ring’s Latest Feature Lets You Verify Shared Security Videos

With so many fake videos out there, the home-security company is adding a level of protection.

Popular home security brand Ring announced that videos shared from its devices can now be verified, so customers know they’re watching an authentic, unaltered video. Ring says the new verification process is similar to a security seal on a package or medicine bottle, indicating that no one has tampered with it.

The new feature is available starting Thursday, and it doesn’t matter which Ring device recorded the video. All videos downloaded directly from the Ring app are automatically verified and include a security seal for authenticity.

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When someone sends you a Ring video, you can now visit Ring’s verification page, paste the video link, and determine immediately whether the video is verified. The website doesn’t send your video anywhere. It stays locally on your device, and all verification checks happen within your browser. The verification website only accepts MP4 files, the format Ring videos are saved.

Videos downloaded before December 2025 or edited videos cannot be verified. Ring says that even minor adjustments, such as shaving a couple of seconds off the beginning or end of a video, or even adjusting brightness levels, will render it unverifiable.