Technologies

My In-Laws Helped Me Put Apple’s Live Translation to the Ultimate Test

It’s fun to be nosey in conversations, but it doesn’t always get the translation right.

Right around the time Apple added live language translation to its AirPods, my Spanish-speaking mother-in-law flew in to visit. The timing was perfect to put this new feature to the test. I got an A in Spanish 2 in high school, but hardly speak enough to keep up in conversation.

Live language translation, in which Siri feeds a delayed translation of what’s being said into your earbuds, works on the new AirPods Pro 3 along with last year’s AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4. You also need to have them paired to an iPhone running the latest iOS 26 software with Apple Intelligence.

My mother-in-law is bilingual and speaks English perfectly, but Spanish is her preferred language. She’ll often jump into Spanish first when speaking to my husband — and that meant this was my big moment! I would be in the dark no longer!

I just had to set the Apple Translate app on my iPhone to convert Spanish to English, but it can also translate between Portuguese, French and German. With a press of the AirPod stems, Siri was, in real time, filling me in on everything they said in Spanish.

Well, almost everything. Depending on how clearly words are spoken, or if someone is using an uncommon word, or if there is more than one person speaking — sometimes Siri gets it wrong. Very wrong. In my experience, Siri might just put swear words where they don’t belong (this happened more than once), or botch some descriptive words. And I had to be very close to their conversation for it to work.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

Apple does call it a «beta» product, so I know there are kinks to work out. But even with these flaws, this experience showed me that orange iPhones are not the most important tech story this month.

In this episode of One More Thing, which you can watch embedded above, I go into what I learned from the experience, along with my first impressions of using the new AirPods Pro 3.

I also share some tricks I learned with the latest software updates when it’s paired to an iPhone — like having the system automatically play music if it detects you’re walking, or how you can summon «Workout Buddy» peppy voices cheer you on for doing barely any activity at all.

I look forward to continued tests of the translation feature, and I’m curious to see how it compares to similar translation services from competitors like Google. But Apple doesn’t need to be perfect to make this a hit product. It will be big because AirPods are already so popular — and that means for many consumers, it will be their first experience using live language translation, no screen required.

If you’re looking for more One More Thing, subscribe to our YouTube page to catch Bridget Carey breaking down the latest Apple news and issues every Friday.

Technologies

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 Might Come in 5G and 4G Cellular Models

If the rumor proves true, the 5G Galaxy Watch Ultra would rival the 5G-enabled $799 Apple Watch Ultra 3 that debuted last fall.

Samsung’s next high-end Galaxy Watch could support faster 5G speeds, but if this leak is true, it will depend on where you live. The rumored Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 might come in 5G and 4G cellular models, with availability for each smartwatch depending on the country.

According to the Dutch website Galaxy Club (and spotted by SamMobile), Samsung’s servers may have revealed a series of model numbers that point to 5G, 4G and Wi-Fi-enabled editions of the next Galaxy Watch Ultra, which would succeed the original model that debuted in 2024.

A representative for Samsung did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Galaxy Club website speculates that the 5G edition would be sold in the US and Korean markets, while the 4G edition would sell in the rest of the world. In the US, a 5G version of the Galaxy Watch Ultra would rival the 5G-enabled $799 Apple Watch Ultra 3, which debuted last fall. The 4G edition would have broader compatibility worldwide, since the earlier network is far more established.

It will likely be a few months until we hear anything official about the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2. Samsung typically unveils its new watches in the summer alongside its Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip foldable phones. Last year, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Watch 8 and the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, but otherwise left the prior 2024 Ultra in the lineup for those looking for a larger 47mm smartwatch.

Technologies

2 Cases Show Supreme Court Isn’t Holding ISPs Responsible for Piracy

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for April 8, #1032

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for April 8, No. 1032.

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.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle is kind of tough. The purple category is a fun one, once you see the connection. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times 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 the 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: In the group.

Green group hint: Appearance details.

Blue group hint: Often found in gyms.

Purple group hint: They help you see.