Technologies

Prime Day Deal: Everyone Should Have Exactly Three Pairs of Headphones. Two of My Picks Are on Sale Today

Different situations call for different features. My favorite headphones for everyday use and for exercising are seeing impressive discounts right now.

Amazon Prime Day deal: The OnePlus Buds 3, my top choice for everyday earbuds, are 12% off for Prime Day, dropping the price to $88 from their usual list price of $100. The Beats Powerbeats Pro 2, my go-to for running, are seeing a whopping 28% discount on Amazon. That brings them down to an all-time low price of $180.

When most people ask you what your «big three» are, they’re likely inquiring about your sun, moon and rising signs. But when I ask you the same question, I’m not trying to determine your horoscope. Instead, I’m curious what your headphones and earbuds collection looks like.

After more than a decade working as a technology journalist, I’m in the fortunate position of having what most people would consider to be too much tech in my house. I make a real effort to keep it to a minimum and try not to accumulate any superfluous gadgets. But with headphones, I’ve reached the conclusion that everyone needs at least three pairs. No matter how hard I’ve tried, I can’t pare this number.

See also: Best Earbud and Headphone Deals: Bag Big Savings on Models From Apple, Sony and Others

First, there are the everyday earbuds. These are the ones that can slide into your smallest bag or your pocket and travel everywhere with you — on your commute, on your errands and on shopping trips.

Second, there are the over-ear, luxury headphones. These need to have that heady combo of great noise cancellation, audio quality and battery life, combined with a level of comfort that means you could easily wear them for an entire long-haul travel day.

Finally, if you’re serious about fitness, you need dedicated workout headphones. Could you wear either of the above pairs to go on a long run? Sure, and plenty of people do. But for the sake of longevity and your sanity, having a sweat-proof, durable pair of headphones that won’t budge may save your sanity in the short term and save you money in the long run.

If you’re trying to make one pair of headphones work in every scenario, you might feel frustrated that none are able to truly deliver the experience you want across the board. This is where my theory comes into play. It really doesn’t matter which headphones you choose for each of these purposes but I do believe they are distinct categories with little crossover.

And what are my big three? They may not be the same as yours but these are the headphones I absolutely can’t live without right now.

My everyday earbuds: OnePlus Buds 3

I will die on the hill that you shouldn’t spend more than $100 on your everyday earbuds — the kind that you will drop, accidentally bash and at some point, inevitably, lose. So much about buds comes down to personal preference on how they actually feel when tucked inside your ears.

Personally, I’ve settled on the OnePlus Buds 3, which list right at $100. They’re aesthetically pleasing in a pale blue that matches my preferred fashion color palette, and I find them to be supremely comfortable. I’ve been using them for a good six months and I don’t have any of the usual niggles I have with earbuds — by which I mean they don’t fall out of my ears or have any random, weird sound glitches.

Soundwise, I enjoy the heavy bass and find the ANC to suit my needs as a frequent traveler on public transportation. With 10 hours of battery life, plus an additional 44 in the case, these buds have never let me down. They’re not necessarily anything special but I keep reaching for them even though I have other options at my disposal.

My luxury over-ear headphones: Dali IO-8

At the other end of the spectrum, my favorite luxury headphones have transformed my longest travel days into periods of prolonged sonic bliss. I wear the Dali IO-8 headphones through airports, on plane journeys, all the way through to checking into my hotel. They also come with me on my daily hot girl walks.

With 30 hours of battery life and decent ANC, they allow me to move through the world in my own little bubble. Not only are they truly the most luxurious and comfortable headphones I’ve ever used, they also provide me with glorious sound.

You can switch between two modes: hi-fi and bass. I usually stick with the former. No matter whether I’m immersed in an audiobook, bopping away to Paramore, spacing out to Sigur Ros or getting lost once again in the depths of Taylor Swift’s back catalog, the $1,100 Dali IO-8s deliver.

My workout headphones: Beats Powerbeats Pro 2

There’s no two ways about it: I’ve tried other workout headphones and I keep coming back to Beats. I’ve been known to tie up my running shoes and be halfway out the door, then calling the whole run off because I can’t find my Powerbeats.

I’ve been a fan since the earliest Powerbeats model but the latest Powerbeats Pro 2, priced at $249, are my favorite workout headphones yet. Once in, they simultaneously feel glued to my head with a tight seal in my ear, while also being so light and comfortable I forget they’re there. This is an essential combination when you’re exercising, as the last thing you want to do is deal with any discomfort or annoyance that might distract from your workout.

CNET’s resident audio expert, David Carnoy, rated the Powerbeats Pro 2 an 8.8 out of 10, noting the improved sound quality and good noise canceling. As someone who’s long been a fan of this line, I have to agree and I’d go so far as to say this latest upgrade has made running to my favorite high-energy tracks more enjoyable than ever.

Technologies

4 Reasons Why You Should Always Leave Your Phone Face Down

It’s not you, it’s your phone — here’s why it’s better to hide the screen when it’s on the table.

You’re catching up with a friend you haven’t seen in ages. It feels good to be spending time with them in person, clinking glasses and laughing at old jokes. Then there’s a lull in the conversation, and your friend picks up their smartphone.

At some point, we’ve all been phone-snubbed. That’s what happens when the person you’re hanging out with seems more interested in their phone than you. You might be sitting right across from someone, but when they’re laughing at a video or meme only they can see, it feels like they’re a million miles away.

I’ve been guilty of paying more attention to my screen than my companion and felt bad about it afterward. There’s nothing wrong with replying to an urgent Slack message or pulling up a funny TikTok to share. But I know I probably spend too much time staring at screens, and a lot of that time is unhealthy doomscrolling. These days, when I’m not using my phone, I try to be more deliberate about keeping it out of sight and out of mind. If I do need to keep my phone at hand, I always have it face down.

It can protect your phone screen

I have a few reasons for making sure my phone screen is turned away. The first one is practical: When my phone isn’t in my pocket, it’s probably sitting on a desk or table — which means it’s probably not far from a glass of water or mug of coffee.

As a somewhat clumsy person, I’ve spilled beverages on my phone plenty of times. And even though most modern phones are water-resistant, why take chances? With my screen hidden, I can keep the most important part of my phone protected from splashes and other mishaps.

For extra protection, I have a phone case with raised edges. This helps prevent the screen from coming in direct contact with crumbs and debris that might be left on the table.

My colleague David Carnoy told me about an incident where he was charging his phone on his kitchen counter with the screen face up. Someone dropped a mug on top of it and cracked the screen. Unfortunately, he didn’t have a screen protector on this device (he knows better now).

It could help save your phone battery

Another good reason to keep my phone face down is that it won’t turn on each time I get a notification. That means I can save a little bit of battery charge.

A single notification won’t mean the difference between my phone lasting the whole day or dying in the afternoon but notifications can add up, especially if I’ve enabled them across all of my apps. If I’m in a lot of group chats, my screen might end up turning on dozens of times throughout the day (and that’s on the low side — many teenagers have hundreds of notifications a day).

It also shows that you pay attention

Keeping my phone face down is also a good rule of social etiquette: If I’m hanging out with someone, I keep my screen hidden from view as a subtle way of showing that I won’t be distracted by it. I don’t want incoming notifications to light up my screen every few seconds, especially if I’m in a bar or other dimly lit setting. I want to keep my eyes on the person I’m talking to.

«Eye contact is one of the most powerful forms of human connection. Neuroscience research indicates that when two people make direct eye contact, their brain activity begins to synchronize, supporting more effective communication and increasing empathy. This synchrony can be disrupted when attention shifts to a phone, even briefly,» says Michelle Davis, clinical psychologist at Headspace.

When I’m with the people I’ve chosen to spend time with, I want to be fully present with them. A sudden notification will tempt me to glance at, or worse, pick up my phone in the middle of a conversation.

It minimizes your phone’s presence

I also have a more personal reason for keeping my phone face down and I suspect that other people have had this same thought: My phone takes up too much space in my life.

I mean that quite literally. My phone is bigger than it needs to be. That’s been especially true since I upgraded from my iPhone Mini to a «normal-sized» iPhone. Yes, I got a much needed boost in battery life but I also got a screen with more pixels to lure me into the next news headline or autoplaying Instagram reel.

A small smartphone isn’t something that really exists anymore. My phone is bigger and better at grabbing my attention. It competes against my friends and family, books and movies, the entire world outside of its 6-inch screen. It often wins. But there’s still one small thing I can do to minimize its presence: I can keep the screen turned away from me whenever possible.

It can sometimes feel like there’s no escaping from my phone. Whether that ever changes, or phones evolve into some new form factor, I can’t say. I can’t control everything about my phone but I can control whether the screen stares at me when I’m not staring at it.

Technologies

This Massive AT&T Data Breach Settlement Could Pay $5K to Some: Find Out if You’re Eligible

Claims will open later in the summer for the settlement AT&T is paying to resolve two major data breaches.

It’s a tough time for AT&T — especially with the recent conference call troubles for Donald Trump — but their struggles could be your gain thanks to the $177 million settlement it’s agreed to pay to customers that fell victim to data breaches in 2019 and 2024.

On Friday, June 20, US District Judge Ada Brown granted preliminary approval to the terms of a proposed settlement from AT&T that would resolve two lawsuits related to the data breaches. The current settlement would see AT&T pay $177 million to customers adversely affected by at least one of the two data breaches.

The settlement will prioritize larger payments to customers who suffered damages that are «fairly traceable» to the data leaks. It will also provide bigger payments to those affected by the larger of the two leaks, which began in 2019. While the company is working toward a settlement, it has continued to deny that it was «responsible for these criminal acts.»

For all the details we have about the settlement right now, keep reading, and for more info about other recent settlements, find out how to claim Apple’s Siri privacy settlement and see if you’re eligible for 23andMe’s privacy breach settlement.

What happened with these AT&T data breaches?

AT&T confirmed the two data breaches last year, announcing an investigation into the first in March before confirming it in May and confirming the second in July.

The first of the confirmed breaches began in 2019. The company revealed that about 7.6 million current and 65.4 million former account holders had their data exposed to hackers, including names, Social Security numbers and dates of birth. The company began investigating the situation last year after it reported that customer data had appeared on the dark web.

The second breach began in April of 2024, when a hacker broke into AT&T cloud storage provider Snowflake and accessed 2022 call and text records for almost all of the company’s US customers, about 109 million in all. The company stressed that no names were attached to the stolen data. Two individuals were arrested in connection with the breach.

Both of these incidents sparked a wave of class action lawsuits alleging corporate neglect on the part of AT&T in failing to sufficiently protect its customers.

Who is eligible to file a claim for the AT&T data breach settlement?

As of now, we know that the settlement will pay out to any current or former AT&T customer whose data was accessed in one of these data breaches, with higher payments reserved for those who can provide documented proof that they suffered damages directly resulting from their data being stolen.

If you’re eligible, you should receive a notice about it, either by email or a physical letter in the mail, sometime in the coming months. The company expects that the claims process will begin on Aug. 4, 2025.

How much will the AT&T data breach payments be?

You’ll have to «reasonably» prove damages caused by these data breaches to be eligible for the highest and most prioritized payouts. For the 2019 breach, those claimants can receive up to $5,000. For the Snowflake breach in 2024, the max payout will be $2,500. It’s not clear at this time how the company might be handling customers who’ve been affected by both breaches.

AT&T will focus on making those payments first, and whatever’s left of the $177 million settlement total will be disbursed to anyone whose data was accessed, even without proof of damages. Because these payouts depend on how many people get the higher amounts first, we can’t say definitively how much they will be.

When could I get paid from the AT&T data breach settlement?

AT&T expects that payments will start to go out sometime in early 2026. Exact dates aren’t available but the recent court order approving the settlement lists a notification schedule of Aug. 4, to Oct. 17, 2025.

The deadline for submitting a claim is currently set at Nov. 18, 2025. The final approval of the settlement needs to be given at a Dec. 3, 2025, court hearing for payments to begin.

Stay tuned to this piece in the coming months to get all the new details as they emerge.

For more money help, check out CNET’s daily tariff price impact tracker.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Saturday, July 12

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for July 12.

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? It’s one of those long Saturday puzzles, and a few clues are tricky. Read on for the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. 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.