Technologies

Get $300 Back in Your Pocket With a Brand-New Pixel 10. Here’s How

Amazon and Best Buy are both offering up to $300 in gift cards when you buy a phone from the Pixel 10 lineup.

Google revealed its newest phone lineup during this week’s Made by Google event: the Pixel 10 series. We loved the previous Pixel 9 series, and this one is primed to be even better. Though you can’t get one in your hands for another week, you can preorder the phone and score a nice freebie.

The Pixel 10 series consists of the Pixel 10, 10 Pro, 10 Pro XL and 10 Pro Fold. It has a similar build to the Pixel 9 series, with a glass back, shiny edge and pill-shaped camera bar. The phone is made with a Tensor G5 processor and 16GB of RAM.

Amazon and Best Buy are both offering up to $300 in gift cards when you purchase a phone from the lineup. Since the phone has been revealed but not released, orders will start shipping on Aug. 28.

You’ll get a free gift card with the purchase of a Pixel 10 series phone at Amazon. The exact amount depends on the phone you choose, with the base Pixel 10 landing a $100 credit. The dual-screen Pixel 10 Pro Fold gives you $300 back. If you want something in between, the Pixel 10 Pro comes with a $200 gift card. Keep in mind that if you return the phone, you must return the gift card too, or you’ll be charged for it.

You can also get a gift card worth up to $300 with the purchase of a Pixel 10 series phone at Best Buy. Like at Amazon, the exact amount depends on the phone you choose. It matches Amazon’s deal range, with the Pixel 10 offering $100 in value, the 10 Pro offering $200, and the Pixel 10 Pro Fold offering $300 in value back.

You can also get an extra $100 off when you connect to Verizon or AT&T. Finally, Best Buy also has a trade-in program, where you can get up to $575 off the Pixel 10 or 10 Pro when you trade in an eligible device. For the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, you can get a $350 gift card and up to $760 back when you trade in.

MOBILE DEALS OF THE WEEK

Samsung Galaxy A36 5G 128GB Unlocked Phone (Awesome Black):

$350 (save $50)
Samsung Galaxy S24 FE 128GB Unlocked AI Phone (Gray):

$525 (save $125)
Moto G Stylus 5G 256GB Unlocked Phone(2024 Model, Caramel Latte):

$300 (save $100)
Apple iPhone 14 128GB Unlocked Phone (Refurbished, Midnight):

$334 (save $295)

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

Why this deal matters

The Pixel 10 series isn’t even shipping yet, and we’re already seeing some great preorder offers. A gift card of up to $350 can be a big help when buying a new phone, as those don’t come cheap. Take advantage of these offers before it’s too late.

How much does the Pixel 10 series cost?

Pricing on the new models is similar to the Pixel 9 lineup. The base Pixel 10 costs $799, the Pixel 10 Pro costs $999 and the premium Pixel 10 Pro XL costs $1,199. There’s also the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, which starts at $1,799 and will be available on Oct. 9.

Deals are showing up at multiple retailers and carriers, helping you save on the latest flagship devices.

When will the Pixel 10 series be available for purchase?

The Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro XL will be available for purchase online and in stores on Aug. 28. However, if you want the Pixel 10 Pro Fold or the Pixel Watch 4, you’re going to have to wait a bit longer. Those won’t be available online or in store until Oct. 9.

Technologies

With Apple’s Siri AI Overhaul Delayed, Google Might Help It Catch Up

Siri’s long-delayed overhaul could end up powered by Google’s Gemini AI, a move that shows how urgently Apple is trying to close the gap with rivals.

Apple is reportedly weighing up a potentially major change to its digital assistant: powering a revamped Siri with Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence tool.

According to Bloomberg, the companies are in early discussions about a partnership that could reshape Apple’s AI strategy for the iPhone, iPad and Apple’s other products. While no agreement is in place, the talks signal Apple’s growing urgency to keep up in the generative AI race.

Siri, once a pioneer, has lagged behind its voice assistant rivals. Apple had planned to roll out a smarter, AI-driven Siri in 2025 as part of its Apple Intelligence initiative, but executives delayed the launch until spring 2026, admitting the early version wasn’t reliable enough to ship. That setback has left Apple at a disadvantage while Samsung, Microsoft and Amazon push ahead with AI assistants that are more conversational and capable.

Apple has long prided itself on controlling the technologies that make its products distinct, but generative AI has proven harder to master internally. To bridge the gap, Apple has leaned on partners: today’s Siri can already route certain requests to OpenAI’s ChatGPT when its own models fall short, and later this year, Apple Intelligence is set to upgrade that integration with GPT-5. You’ll be able to call on ChatGPT for writing help, image understanding and complex questions directly through Siri, Writing Tools and Visual Intelligence.

That reliance underscores the fact that Apple’s own models aren’t yet competitive at the same scale as its rivals.

Apple is reportedly exploring additional options, including Anthropic’s Claude and, most prominently, Google’s Gemini. A deal with Google wouldn’t just inject advanced capabilities into Siri, it would echo a long-running partnership between the two companies. Google already pays billions annually to remain the default search engine on Safari, and a Gemini deal could extend that relationship into Apple’s core AI experience.

If the talks advance, we may see a very different Siri emerge in the coming years: one less constrained, more conversational and powered by the same AI that underpins Google’s own products.

Apple and Google didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against ChatGPT maker OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)

Technologies

US Government Makes $8.9B Investment to Take 10% Stake in Intel

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Aug. 23, #804

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Aug. 23, #804.

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

The NYT Connections puzzle is often tough, but today’s is next-level tough. The blue category went wild with long, almost archaic vocabulary. See my rant below when I spoil the blue category for you. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Cars get thirsty too.

Green group hint: Place to play.

Blue group hint: Trickery.

Purple group hint: Who thought of that?

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Liquids you put into cars.

Green group: Arena.

Blue group: Skulduggery.

Purple group: Modern inventions.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is liquids you put into cars. The four answers are brake fluid, coolant, fuel and oil.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is arena. The four answers are bowl, coliseum, hippodrome and stadium.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is skulduggery. The four answers are chicanery, deceit, legerdemain and subterfuge.

OK, first, «skulduggery» is one heck of a word, but then … legerdemain? Seriously? The dictionary defines that as «skillful use of one’s hands when performing conjuring tricks.» New one on me.