Technologies

Dress Up Your New iPhone 17 With Up to 30% Off OtterBox Cases and Accessories

OtterBox has everything you need to customize and protect your iPhone, and it’s all on sale for Amazon’s October Prime Day.

We’re huge fans of OtterBox cases. The brand regularly makes our list of top phone accessories and cases, including the best iPhone 17 cases. OtterBox cases offer excellent protection and unique designs that set your phone apart. With Amazon’s upcoming October Prime Day event, you can snag OtterBox cases and other accessories at up to 30% off.

Whether you’re looking for a tough and rugged case for heavy-duty protection or you want to maintain the thinness of your phone with something minimal, there’s an OtterBox case available.

The Symmetry Series is ultra-slim with tons of gorgeous designs. These cases typically retail for $60, but you can snag one for only $42, which saves you 30%. This series has options for all the new iPhone models, including the iPhone Air. We’re also fans of the Profile Series, which is similar to Apple’s bumper-style case. You can choose from rose crystal pink or black crystal colors. These have a clear back so you can still show off the color of your iPhone while keeping it safe from drops and dings. If you don’t want to go clear, there’s a plain black option. All colors are MagSafe-compatible and on sale for $28.

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OtterBox also has a host of other deeply discounted accessories for all iPhones. We’re seeing everything from chargers to screen protectors. This wireless charging stand would make a great addition to any desk setup or nightstand. It’s currently on sale for $42, down from its usual $60 price.

If you’re looking for a car charger, OtterBox’s USB-C option offers fast charging, dual ports and 50 watts of combined power. This Prime Day deal is selling quickly at 40% off — it’ll cost you $18. You can also grab screen protectors for as low as $8 and a trio of camera lens protectors for $17.

Now, if you’re not a fan of OtterBox accessories or you just want more options, consider browsing our roundup of the best Prime Day Anker deals. If more savings are what you’re after, we’ve also got growing lists of the best Prime Day deals under $100 and the best Prime Day deals under $25.

Why this deal matters

OtterBox makes excellent cases and accessories but they can be expensive. Amazon’s upcoming Prime Day event offers the perfect opportunity to grab cases and other accessories at a significantly lower price. And it’s always a good idea to invest in a case to protect your beautiful new phone from catastrophe.

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, Oct. 14

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Oct. 14.

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.

Today’s Mini Crossword has an odd vertical shape, with an extra Across clue, and only four Down clues. The clues are not terribly difficult, but one or two could be tricky. Read on if you need 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: Smokes, informally
Answer: CIGS

5A clue: «Don’t have ___, man!» (Bart Simpson catchphrase)
Answer: ACOW

6A clue: What the vehicle in «lane one» of this crossword is winning?
Answer: RACE

7A clue: Pitt of Hollywood
Answer: BRAD

8A clue: «Yeah, whatever»
Answer: SURE

9A clue: Rd. crossers
Answer: STS

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Things to «load» before a marathon
Answer: CARBS

2D clue: Mythical figure who inspired the idiom «fly too close to the sun»
Answer: ICARUS

3D clue: Zoomer around a small track
Answer: GOCART

4D clue: Neighbors of Norwegians
Answer: SWEDES

Technologies

Watch SpaceX’s Starship Flight Test 11

Technologies

New California Law Wants Companion Chatbots to Tell Kids to Take Breaks

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the new requirements on AI companions into law on Monday.

AI companion chatbots will have to remind users in California that they’re not human under a new law signed Monday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The law, SB 243, also requires companion chatbot companies to maintain protocols for identifying and addressing cases in which users express suicidal ideation or self-harm. For users under 18, chatbots will have to provide a notification at least every three hours that reminds users to take a break and that the bot is not human.

It’s one of several bills Newsom has signed in recent weeks dealing with social media, artificial intelligence and other consumer technology issues. Another bill signed Monday, AB 56, requires warning labels on social media platforms, similar to those required for tobacco products. Last week, Newsom signed measures requiring internet browsers to make it easy for people to tell websites they don’t want them to sell their data and banning loud advertisements on streaming platforms.

AI companion chatbots have drawn particular scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators in recent months. The Federal Trade Commission launched an investigation into several companies in response to complaints by consumer groups and parents that the bots were harming children’s mental health. OpenAI introduced new parental controls and other guardrails in its popular ChatGPT platform after the company was sued by parents who allege ChatGPT contributed to their teen son’s suicide.

«We’ve seen some truly horrific and tragic examples of young people harmed by unregulated tech, and we won’t stand by while companies continue without necessary limits and accountability,» Newsom said in a statement.

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One AI companion developer, Replika, told CNET that it already has protocols to detect self-harm as required by the new law, and that it is working with regulators and others to comply with requirements and protect consumers.

«As one of the pioneers in AI companionship, we recognize our profound responsibility to lead on safety,» Replika’s Minju Song said in an emailed statement. Song said Replika uses content-filtering systems, community guidelines and safety systems that refer users to crisis resources when needed.

A Character.ai spokesperson said the company «welcomes working with regulators and lawmakers as they develop regulations and legislation for this emerging space, and will comply with laws, including SB 243.» OpenAI spokesperson Jamie Radice called the bill a «meaningful move forward» for AI safety. «By setting clear guardrails, California is helping shape a more responsible approach to AI development and deployment across the country,» Radice said in an email.

One bill Newsom has yet to sign, AB 1064, would go further by prohibiting developers from making companion chatbots available to children unless the AI companion is «not foreseeably capable of» encouraging harmful activities or engaging in sexually explicit interactions, among other things.