Technologies

iOS 16.2 on Your iPhone: Every New Feature, Tool and More

See what Apple’s latest update brings to your iPhone.

If you haven’t downloaded Apple’s iOS 16.2, there are several reasons you’ll want to do so. The latest iPhone update arrived Tuesday and brings a new Apple productivity tool, a karaoke mode for Apple Music and other new features to your iPhone. The update was released alongside iPadOS 16.2, Watch iOS 9.2 and MacOS Ventura 13.1, according to an Apple support page.

The highlight of the update is the new app Freeform, a shared whiteboarding tool designed for «working creatively with friends or colleagues on Mac, iPad and iPhone.»

Other new features of the iOS 16.2 update include Apple Music Sing, a singalong-focused upgrade to the Apple Music app, and new lock screen functions. After downloading the update, you’ll be able to hide wallpaper or notifications when Always-On display is enabled on iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. There’s also the Sleep widget, which keeps you informed of your sleep data, and the Medications widget to send you reminders of when to take your medicine.

Speaking of widgets, the Activity widget now lets you see what games your friends are playing from your Home Screen. Additionally, the update includes SharePlay support for multiplayer games in Game Center, enabling you to play with people you’re on a FaceTime call with.

The update also enhances iCloud security by increasing the number of data categories that are protected using end-to-end encryption. And, like with any good software update, there are a few random bug fixes and other minor improvements.

For more things to do on your iPhone, check out the 22 setting changes that can optimize your phone and every hidden feature you’ve probably haven’t tried out yet.

Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Technologies

Speediance Unveils New Compact Resistance Trainer and Wearable

Speediance is aiming to make strength training more portable with a wearable unveiled at CES.

Speediance unveiled its new Gym Nano and Speediance Strap products this week at CES 2026. The smart fitness equipment manufacturer, which previously developed its own smart home gym, the Gym Monster 2, designed the Gym Nano and Speediance Strap to complement its current equipment ecosystem.

«Rather than developing products in isolation, we’re building a comprehensive training and health ecosystem that adapts to users’ real lives and empowers better decision-making over time,» Speediance founder and CEO Liu Tao said in a statement.

Speediance used the consumer tech expo in Las Vegas to demonstrate the Gym Nano, a portable, motor-driven cable resistance training system designed to occupy minimal space for those who prefer to work out at home. The strap is a prototype wearable device designed to read your health data and provide training recommendations based on this insight.

CNET previously tested Speediance’s VeloNix AI Smart Bike and named it the best AI-powered exercise bike.

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Gym Nano

The Gym Nano is a compact digital cable resistance machine trainer that fits any space and delivers full-body workouts. It’s meant to make strength training at home easier if you have limited space and can’t commit to larger home gym equipment.

The Gym Nano offers up to 220 pounds of resistance through adjustable 1-pound increments. It also has five dynamic weight modes: Eccentric, Chain, Standard, Fixed Speed and Sled.

Speediance Strap

The strap can be used for both endurance and strength training activities and recognizes various types of exercises, movement patterns, training volume and other insights that can help you learn how well your body is responding to your training.

The Speediance Strap is a screen-free wearable that collects data related to your sleep, training and core body temperature. It then uploads and shares this data to the Speediance Wellness Plus app, where it makes suggestions for your daily training and recovery based on this information. Similar to other wearables, the Speediance Strap assesses your readiness each day and can detect stress factors to determine if you should focus more on recovery on that day.

«With Speediance Strap, we are exploring how wearable data can function as part of a decision-support layer within a connected fitness system, rather than existing as isolated metrics,» Tao said in a statement.

Additionally, everyday insights (like core and recovery data) will be free to you unless you want to upgrade to the Wellness Plus access, which will come at an additional cost to receive long-term insights and AI planning.

It’s unclear when the Gym Nano will be available for purchase, but the Speediance Strap is expected to launch through a Kickstarter campaign in spring 2026.

Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for Jan. 8, #1664

Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle for Jan. 8, No. 1,664.

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

Today’s Wordle puzzle has only one vowel, so if you always guess ADIEU or AUDIO first, maybe rethink that decision. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.

Today’s Wordle hints

Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.

Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats

Today’s Wordle answer has no repeated letters.

Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels

Today’s Wordle answer has one vowel.

Wordle hint No. 3: First letter

Today’s Wordle answer begins with B.

Wordle hint No. 4: Last letter

Today’s Wordle answer ends with T.

Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning

Today’s Wordle answer can refer to blowing something up with an explosion.

TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER

Today’s Wordle answer is BLAST.

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle answer, Jan. 7, No. 1663 was PECAN.

Recent Wordle answers

Jan. 3, No. 1659: SITAR

Jan. 4, No. 1660: POSSE

Jan. 5, No. 1661: FILLY

Jan. 6, No. 1662: OOMPH

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Technologies

Sony Reveals Hyperpop Collection for PS5

The new collection features brightly colored consoles and controller covers and will be available for preorder later this month.

Sony has unveiled its newly designed DualSense wireless controllers and PlayStation 5 console covers for its PS5 consoles. The new colors in the Hyperpop Collection are red, green and blue, and they feature a gradient effect that shifts from black to bright neon.

«A seamless gradient wraps around the front and back of the DualSense, finished in a high-gloss coat that makes the colors pop more than ever,» Sae Kobayashi, a member of Sony’s Color, Material and Finish design team, said in a release about the launch on Wednesday. «The console covers are also getting the same glow-up, featuring a subtle hint of transparency.»

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The colors have been officially named Techno Red, Remix Green and Rhythm Blue. According to Leo Cardoso, another member of the Color, Material, and Finish design team, the colors were «inspired by the glow of the RGB lights of your impressive gaming setups.»

Preorders begin on Jan. 16, with the collection officially launching on March 12.