It’s in everything. It was in your baby bottles, the sneakers you took your first steps in, your elementary school lunchbox, the pens you chewed during high school exams. One study even reports there’s as much as 5g in our cerebral organs.

The average kitchen contains a lot more than 5g of the stuff. Take a look at your kitchen appliances: which are constructed entirely from plastic, and which are metal or glass? Refrigerators, air fryers, blenders, coffee machines — they’re all plastic.

Slowly but surely, though, the attitude towards plastics is changing. According to Google Trends, 2026 alone has seen a 5,000% increase in searches for “plastic-free coffee maker”. To put this into perspective, let’s compare: an increase of 5,000 is the size difference between a mouse (7cm long) and the Eiffel Tower (33,000cm tall).

So what’s causing this shift, and why? I spoke to Moccamaster, a leading coffee maker brand, and Beth Gardiner, author of Plastic Inc., to find out.

What is plastic?

Beth Gardiner describes plastic as an “incredibly complicated petrochemical, meaning it's a chemical that comes from petroleum products.”

“The raw ingredients of plastic are basically derivatives and byproducts of oil and gas. We use the word plastic as a singular, but there are many different kinds of plastics.”

“What you end up with is a petrochemical.”

Essentially, plastic is fossil fuels that have been heated, pressurized, had molecules reconfigured via a series of highly complex chemical processes, and been added to.

Despite this, plastic isn’t inherently evil. In some cases, it’s the only plausible material — single-use medical equipment, for example.

What’s a microplastic?

Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic. Anything from 5mm to 1 nanometer counts as microplastic. Most microplastics are invisible to the naked eye — 1 nanometer is 10 million times smaller than a centimeter (25.4 million times smaller than an inch).

Contrary to popular belief, microplastics can shed from any type of plastic. Even proudly BPA-free or PFAS-free plastics can degrade, eventually becoming microscopic microplastics. And when you introduce hot water or heating elements into the equation? BPA-free, virgin plastics might not leach carcinogenic compounds into the water, but they will degrade over time.

While researching for this article, I discovered my trusty tea bags leach billions of nanoplastics and microplastics, according to a 2019 study at McGill University. Honestly, I’m still reeling. How many microplastics are floating around inside me thanks to my English Breakfast tea addiction?

I’ll have my coffee with creamer, sugar, and… plastic?

How many cups of coffee have you consumed today? Four? Five? Do you know how many microplastics were in each one? No, of course not. But that doesn't mean plastic coffee makers are inherently wrong.

Take Moccamaster, for example. If Moccamaster were to make a glass brewer, I’m guessing shipping costs from production in the Netherlands would be astronomical. Plastic is light, durable, and cheap. Glass is heavy, delicate, and expensive. Would the average person be able to afford it?

Even so, other brands are offering low-plastic machines. Simply Good Coffee, Aarke, and Ratio are brands already whetting the appetite of the anti-plastic brigade, and I don’t blame them.

As evidenced, the general hunger for “plastic-free coffee maker” is experiencing the highest spike.

Even though consumers seemingly want plastic-free products, the onus shouldn’t be on consumers to reduce plastic usage. We’re not asking for plastic in all our appliances — we’re served it. “Plastic is being pushed into markets,” says Beth Gardiner, author of Plastic Inc. “If you go to the supermarket to buy some bananas, they're wrapped in a plastic bag, and you buy them.

Economically speaking, you did not demand a plastic bag. Your economic demand was for bananas.”

Of course, consumers can find completely plastic-free bananas, but this produce is often double, triple, or quadruple the price and much less convenient.

“The reason why plastic is in such wide use, particularly in terms of packaging and cheap products, like toys and appliances, is that it is super, super cheap.”

Moccamaster isn’t shying away from using plastic, though. Will Etherington, Director of Sales at Moccamaster, says that the “plastic components in the coffee and water-brew path comply with European food-contact requirements, including EU Regulation 10/2011.”

This means that all the virgin plastics used in Moccamaster’s line — including my favorite drip brewer, the KBGV Select — are “evaluated for chemical and material migration under repeated boiling-water-use conditions, using standardized tests designed to represent, and, where applicable, exceed, the time and temperature encountered during daily brewing."

So what are we supposed to do?

Unfortunately, as consumers, there’s very little we can do. If we want a coffee maker, we go and buy one. More often than not, we’re restricted by how much we can spend on said coffee maker.

“Moccamaster does not introduce products simply to follow trends,” says Will Etherington. This comes in light of the huge uptick in plastic-free brewers released recently — the aforementioned Ratio Four (Series 2, 2025), Simply Good Coffee Plastic-Free Brewer (2026), and the low-plastic Aarke Coffee Maker (released in 2024).

“The current narrative can sometimes suggest that any product containing plastic is inherently harmful, unsafe, or poorly made, but that is simply not the case," says Etherington.

"What matters is how the material is selected, where it is used, whether it complies with applicable food-safety standards, and how it contributes to the product’s performance, durability, and longevity.”

Gardiner corroborates this, stating that the fundamental problem is disposability. “Disposability in the broad sense, not just throwaway cups and packages, but also the sort of approach to consumerism where goods are so short-lived and so incredibly abundant.”

“If you're substituting wooden forks instead of plastic forks, pretty quickly you're chopping down forests to make more wooden forks.”

“Why not use a metal fork and wash it and use it a thousand times?”

Simply put, why not buy something once and use it over and over?

I believe that plastic coffee machines aren’t any worse than all the plastic most of us ingest every day. Take Moccamaster, for example: The plastic carafe is replaceable. On top of that, the Moccamaster is produced in the EU, which has extremely tight health regulations.

My takeaway

First things first, I’m going to look into my teabags. That statistic has made me feel nauseous. Am I inviting billions of microplastics into my precious body just by drinking tea?

I’ve already replaced most of my food storage boxes with glass. I bought a 10-pack of glass containers in July and now shudder whenever I remember my old predilection for heating soup in plastic bowls.

The bottom line is this: to be as safe as possible, you should buy plastic-free products, especially if those products involve heating. However, plastic isn’t inherently evil. It’s how it’s used and maintained.

I put petrol-derived Aquaphor on my lips every single day. There’s no such thing as a plastic-free world anymore. At this point, everything we do is merely harm reduction. And investing in a well-made, durable product is the best thing you can do for yourself. Whether that’s the lifetime-repair-warranty Moccamaster or the plastic-free Ratio Four is up to you.

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Despite being the exercise you might think of first when you hear the words "ab workout," crunches aren’t actually the best way to target your abdominal muscles. Plus, if you’re like me and you suffer from sciatica or lower back pain, they can actually do more harm than good.

I swear by Pilates for building a strong and stable core, and it turns out Jennifer Aniston’s trainer does too. Dani Coleman, VP of training at Pvolve, frequently shares workouts on her Instagram, and one of her recent 10-minute core blasts featured a dead bug variation that completely torched my core — read on to find out more.

As a reminder, if you’re a complete beginner, pregnant or postpartum, or recovering from an injury, this might not be the best exercise for you and your body. Always seek personalized advice from a qualified professional before trying something new.

What is the exercise?

The elevated dead bug exercise featured in one of Coleman’s “mini-meltdown” workouts on her Instagram. All you need is your bodyweight and a Pilates ball — Coleman uses the Pvolve ball, but you can grab a similar Pilates ball on Amazon for less than $10. Here’s how to do an elevated dead bug with good form:

• Lie on your exercise mat with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
• Place the Pilates ball under your glutes — the ball doesn’t need to be fully inflated for this exercise.
• Raise both legs into tabletop position, keeping a 90-degree bend in your knees.
• Engage your core, squeezing your belly button into your spine.
• For this variation, Coleman works the same side of the body at one time. Moving slowly and with control, extend your left arm and leg away from your body, pointing your toes and reaching your arm away from your torso. At the same time, place your right hand on the thigh of your bent right leg.
• Bring your left arm and leg back to your starting position, and repeat on the right side. Keep alternating sides until you’ve completed 15 reps on each side.

For the elevated dead bug, the key is to move slowly and with complete control — the slower you move, the harder your core has to work. Another alternative is to extend the opposite arm and leg like a traditional dead bug while balancing on the ball.

What are the benefits?

I swapped this exercise into my core routine for a week and immediately felt the benefits. Here’s why:

It targets your deep core

In a bodyweight dead bug, it’s easy to rush, which tends to mean your lower back peels off the floor and your deep core muscles aren’t working as hard. By balancing on the ball, you have to keep your core engaged or you’ll wobble off. This balance fires up the transverse abdominis, the deepest layer of your abdominals and your body’s natural corset.

Your non-working side is working harder

Again, compared to a normal dead bug where your static limbs won’t be working, in this variation they are under constant, dynamic tension. To increase this, rather than resting the non-working hand on your leg, keep light pressure by pushing into your thigh. This isometric squeeze keeps your core working.

You’ll be testing your coordination

Especially if you opt for the classic dead bug, the cross-body stabilization needed to extend your opposite arm and leg while remaining balanced on the ball is high. I felt this in my core after a few reps, and I had to keep resetting and focusing on squeezing my core to stay balanced on the ball.

What are you waiting for? I can’t promise this will give you abs like Jen (a girl can only dream), but if you’re looking for a quick ab blast, add this to your next finisher.

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I’ve tested every model of the Apple Watch to date, and ever since they updated the sensor on the Apple Watch Series 4, I’ve found that it has been one of the best smartwatches for heart rate accuracy during workouts.

The latest models — the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 — now promise the most accurate heart rate sensor on the market, based on an in-house Apple study comparing the Series 12 to other wearables and using the Polar H10 chest strap as a reference.

I was keen to put these claims to the test myself, and along with racing a half marathon while wearing both watches and a chest strap, I’ve done a variety of workouts with the Apple Watch Series 12, comparing its heart rate readings to a Garmin HRM 600 chest strap.

How I tested the Apple Watch 12’s heart rate accuracy

My main sport is running, and I’ve logged over 100 miles with the Apple Watch 12 while also wearing a chest strap. I’ve also done two strength workouts with weights, a bodyweight HIIT session, and an indoor bike ride.

For each test, I paired the Garmin HRM 600 chest strap to the Coros Pace 4 Pro on one wrist and wore the Apple Watch 12 on the other, then checked the graphs of their readings using the DC Rainmaker Analyzer.

I used the Apple Watch 12 with both the silicone and nylon sports bands, and it was similarly accurate with both, but mostly, I used the nylon sport loop as I find it more comfortable and easier to tighten quickly for a snug fit for heart rate readings.

Chest straps are the gold standard for consumers seeking accurate heart rate data because they measure electrical signals directly from the heart, rather than using lights to measure your pulse at the wrist like optical sensors in watches. They're generally more accurate and faster to respond to changes in heart rate as a result.

However, most people find just wearing a watch more comfortable and convenient than putting on a chest strap — especially in winter when putting a cold strap on your chest is no fun, trust me. So if a watch proves to be just as good, it’s a better option for most people.

Let’s dive into the results, starting with how the Apple Watch 12 fared on the run.

Apple Watch 12 heart rate accuracy test: Running

I’ve got a lot of data from my runs with the Apple Watch 12, and the vast majority of it shows the watch to be very accurate with regard to heart rate accuracy during those runs.

One common problem is that the watch would gray out the heart rate reading at the start of a run if it lacked confidence in the reading.

These periods without readings were always short and show on the graphs below as straight lines between readings the watch did take.

As an aside, the Apple Watch 12 has been better than the Apple Watch Ultra 4, which has often grayed out its readings for long stretches of my runs during testing.

Once locked on, the Apple Watch 12’s heart rate sensor has stuck closely in line with the reading from the chest strap on all my outdoor runs, including a lot of easy miles, a half marathon race, and several challenging workouts in training.

I also did one treadmill run comparing it to a chest strap, which did feature a few more minor errors from the Apple Watch 12 that results in a slightly higher average heart rate reading from the watch by the end of the run.

It hasn’t been perfect, with the odd erroneous dip or spike, and it doesn’t respond to fast changes in heart rate quite as quickly as the chest strap, which is common for optical readings, but the Apple Watch 12 impressed me overall during my runs.

It could certainly be used to judge my training based on heart rate, which is the main benefit of it being accurate, in my mind.

Apple Watch 12 heart rate accuracy test: Indoor cycling

I did one indoor bike ride testing the Apple Watch 12 against the Garmin HRM 600 chest strap, cycling for just over 40 minutes total, with most of that done at an easy effort.

To put the Apple Watch 12’s sensor through its paces, I did 30-second sprint efforts every five minutes during the cycle to spike my heart rate quickly — something that can be very hard for optical sensors to track as quickly as a chest strap.

The Apple Watch 12 performed brilliantly during this test, responding rapidly to these spikes and drops in effort and ending up with an average heart rate of 109.97 compared to 109.89 for the chest strap.

While the graph shows it lagged a tiny fraction behind the chest strap when I started an interval — something I could see when looking at the watches during these efforts — the Series 12 captured each and every sprint well, and should be a reliable option if you love spinning sessions.

Apple Watch 12 heart rate accuracy test: Strength and HIIT workouts

In my experience, the hardest test for an optical sensor is gym workouts, because unlike sports like running and cycling, you don’t move in a predictable, consistent way when lifting weights or doing HIIT, which means the watch has more random noise to filter out when trying to detect your heart rate.

It’s such a challenge for watches that when you select a HIIT workout on the Apple Watch 12, a message actually pops up saying you can connect a chest strap to the watch via Bluetooth if you’re not getting consistent heart rate readings from the watch.

I did two strength sessions lifting weights with the watch, where my heart rate was mostly quite low, and a bodyweight HIIT session doing circuits of five exercises, three of which were jumping moves like burpees that get the heart pumping.

In both strength workouts, you can see the heart rate readings from the watch largely rose and fell in line with the chest strap but lagged and were rarely in line. The watch also missed one small jump in heart rate during one of the workouts.

The average heart rate reading was only a couple of beats off from the chest strap overall, though, and most spikes in effort were spotted and logged by the watch, even if it was a few seconds behind the strap.

It was a similar story with the HIIT workout, where I was actually pretty impressed with the Apple Watch 12’s readings. It lagged behind the chest strap, but did catch each of my intervals and rise to the right level.

It did also add in a couple of erroneous spikes, though, and for both HIIT and strength workouts I’d say a chest strap, or even an armband, will still deliver better results than a watch.

Apple Watch 12 heart rate accuracy test: Verdict

The Apple Watch 12 performed well overall in my testing, but I wouldn’t say it’s a marked improvement over other watches I’ve used for heart rate accuracy.

I typically wear a Garmin watch for training and have found the latest Garmin models like the Forerunner 970 that use the brand’s Elevate v5 heart rate sensor very reliable for heart rate accuracy; at least as good as the Apple Watch 12.

I’d say the Apple Watch 12’s heart rate accuracy is up there with the best wearables for me, but if you are relying on heart rate to judge your training, especially in HIIT or strength sessions, a chest strap might still be a worthwhile investment.

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Most of the time, ChatGPT gives you an answer you can use. But when it misses the mark, you can end up spending more time fixing the response than you expected to spend on the task itself.

Before you start a new chat and explain your budget, preferences and schedule all over again, try telling ChatGPT exactly what it got wrong. “Try again” leaves it guessing, while “keep this within my original budget and include all the costs” gives it a specific problem to fix.

Here are seven follow-ups you can copy into your current conversation to help get the answer you wanted.

1. Utilize the details

Those generic answers are especially frustrating when you’ve already explained your situation. You ask for help getting your house ready for guests in 30 minutes and receive a cleaning schedule that includes organizing closets.

Try this prompt: Use the details I gave you, rather than giving me general advice. I have 30 minutes before guests arrive. Prioritize what they’ll actually see and skip anything that can wait.

This directs ChatGPT back to the practical limits of your request. The same approach works when a meal plan ignores what’s in your fridge or a suggested itinerary overlooks the ages of your children.

If it keeps missing one important detail, repeat that detail in the correction. You don’t need to paste your entire original prompt again to make clear that you have half an hour and absolutely no intention of reorganizing the pantry. Just clarify.

2. Sound human

An email to your coworker or a text to a neighbor shouldn’t sound stiff or insincere. ChatGPT can produce grammatically polished writing yet, still come off completely wrong. But you can avoid that.

Try this prompt: Make this sound like something I’d actually say out loud. Use everyday language, remove the formal opening and keep it friendly without being overly enthusiastic.

For a better match, add a sentence you’ve written yourself or point to the wording that bothers you. “I would never say ‘I hope this message finds you well’” gives it a more concrete direction than simply asking it to sound human.

Read the revision aloud before sending it. If a phrase still feels awkward coming out of your mouth, ask ChatGPT to change that phrase specifically.

3. Skip to the answer

Sometimes you need a decision and ChatGPT gives you a three-paragraph essay. Asking whether to repair an old appliance can turn into a much longer conversation than you hoped.

Try this prompt: Give me the answer first, then only the explanation I need. Keep it under 150 words and include any detail that could change your recommendation.

The final instruction helps to shorten the answer but doesn't just strip everything out. In other words, this prompt helps to tighten the response, so you only get what you need.

You can also specify the format: one recommendation, three reasons and one next step. That makes it easier to see whether the answer actually helps you decide.

4. Devil's advocate

An enthusiastic response can feel reassuring when you’ve already made up your mind. It’s much less useful if you’re trying to work out whether your plan has a flaw.

Try this prompt: What’s the strongest argument against my idea? Focus on practical drawbacks, costs I may have overlooked and what would make this a poor choice for me.

Say you’re considering canceling your streaming subscriptions and rotating between services each month. The useful criticism might concern overlapping billing dates, annual discounts you’d lose or whether anyone else in your household will follow the schedule.

Ask it to finish by explaining which objections matter most given your circumstances. Otherwise, you could end up with a long list of hypothetical problems that barely apply to you.

5. Find red flags

Maybe you have a great idea or a plan in place but missed a few details. For example, a $150 birthday party might suddenly become a $250 birthday party if there were inconsistencies in your budget. Sometimes a second opinion that can spot patterns before they turn into problems can be helpful.

Try the prompt: Redo this using my original limits: $150 total, 10 children and three hours. Include every cost you’ve accounted for and flag anything you can’t fit within those limits.

Repeating the nonnegotiable details makes the correction easy to follow. You can use the same wording for a trip with a fixed departure time, a recipe with ingredients you need to avoid or a workout that must fit into 20 minutes.

Check the revised totals yourself. Asking ChatGPT to show its accounting makes mistakes easier to spot, but it doesn’t guarantee the math or estimated prices are correct.

6. Fact check and verify

Speaking of sounding correct, AI is known for being exceptionally confident. Sometimes that wording is a little too convincing. To keep facts in check, you'll want to ask ChatGPT to verify.

Try this prompt: Which parts of this answer can you verify, and which are assumptions? Check current sources where available, link to them and say clearly what you couldn’t confirm.

This is a useful follow-up when ChatGPT recommends a product based on a feature you can’t find or gives you opening hours without identifying a source.

Treat the revision as something to check, too. Open the links and confirm that they support the claims beside them. If ChatGPT cannot access current information in that conversation, asking for verification won’t give it that access.

7. Understanding the next step

Sometimes the answer is reasonable, but it asks more of you than you can manage right now. You wanted help tackling an overflowing inbox and received a complete system involving folders, filters and a weekly review.

Try this prompt: What’s the smallest useful step I can take in the next 10 minutes? Give me one action using what I already have, without setup or a new app.

This turns a broad plan into something you can begin. For an inbox, that might mean finding messages that need a reply today. For a messy room, it might mean clearing the floor before touching drawers or shelves.

You can ask for the next step once you’ve finished. There’s no need to take on the entire plan just because ChatGPT generated it.

The takeaway

A bad answer doesn’t always require a longer prompt or even opening a new chat. Often, the useful follow-up is a sentence explaining exactly what needs to change: the tone, the length, the assumptions or the limits it overlooked.

Keeping the conversation going lets you refer to the answer in front of you and refine the part that failed. If repeated corrections still leave you with the same problem, a fresh chat may be worth trying. But before you start over, give ChatGPT one clear thing to fix.

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Ever since Apple unveiled the iPhone Duo last month, just about everyone who’s seen and held it hasn’t stopped raving about the hardware. Between its thin profile and that seamless-looking inner display, the iPhone Duo could really be the one to convince people to make the upgrade to a foldable phone.

Yet, there’s one particular characteristic that has been stealing the conversation: the nano-texture coating on its 7.6-inch main display. I’ve watched enough videos in the past couple of weeks to know that its visibility can wash out, or appear unviewable, if it’s slightly off-axis. On camera, it looks like a catastrophic design flaw for a premium device.

I was concerned at first, but the more I thought about this intentional design, the less worried I became. Here’s why.

Reflection versus diffusion

The matte versus glossy conversation has been around for ages, but considering how the best phones are practically all fashioned with glossy panels, coming across one that has a matte display undoubtedly evokes surprise. But honestly, it boils down to how each handles ambient light: reflection versus diffusion.

Glossy displays, like the Super AMOLED panel Samsung’s leaned on for years with its phones, offer outstanding contrast, punchy colors, ultra-wide viewing angles, and most notably deep blacks, making it hard to tell if the panel’s on or not.

While they’re certainly vibrant, the major drawback is their reflectivity. Like a mirror, glossy glass bounces light sources and causes harsh glare under direct sunlight or overhead light fixtures.

Matte screens, by contrast, incorporate a textured or chemically treated surface designed to break up incoming light rays and diffuse them.

Obviously, the immediate benefit of matte displays is glare reduction — which inherently reduces eye strain in bright environments. The trade-off is that there can be a subtle loss of contrast, slightly raised black levels in bright rooms, and reduced clarity or color pop when viewed off-axis.

It’s a proven tech

While seeing a matte finish on a flagship smartphone feels novel, this isn't Apple experimenting with a piece of new tech just to see if it works.

In fact, Apple has refined its nano-texture displays across its hardware lineup for years now, consistently proving that it can mitigate reflections far better than glossy screens — all without sacrificing display performance.

For example, my colleagues tested the nano-texture option on the M4 MacBook Pro, and it proved to be an absolute game-changer, especially under direct sunlight. Just look at the side-by-side of the two competing display technologies above. When you’re interacting directly with these devices, your vantage point is of the utmost importance — not someone’s way off to your side.

We’ve seen similar payoffs across other Apple devices, like the premium Studio Display and high-end configurations of the iPad Pro. In just about every implementation, Apple has demonstrated that its nano-texture process avoids the muddy, low-contrast haziness typical of cheap matte films.

By bringing what it has developed and refined over the years to the iPhone Duo, Apple isn’t taking an experimental gamble.

iPhone Duo will still be a test

Apple faces a steep hurdle with the iPhone Duo because it needs to convince loyalists that a matte finish is an upgrade — not a downgrade.

For nearly two decades, every iPhone has relied on glossy glass to deliver the vibrant saturation, deep blacks, and eye-popping contrast users associate with Apple's Retina displays.

I completely understand the decision Apple made here. User visibility is paramount under harsh lighting conditions, especially when there’s far more screen real estate prone to glare and reflections.

By choosing a nano-texture display, Apple ensures that visibility won’t be an issue for anyone using its upcoming foldable. That’s a big reason why I appreciate gadgets with matte screens, like TCL’s NXTPAPER 70 Pro and NXTPAPER 14 tablet.

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I’ve always loved horror, but October is when I really get to indulge in it. I love the colder weather, the darker evenings and, obviously, the fact that Halloween is just around the corner. There’s something about this time of year that makes watching horror movies feel even better. Give me a dark room, a blanket and a genuinely creepy movie and I’m pretty much sorted.

So this year, I’m taking my love of horror a little further. I’m challenging myself to watch one horror movie every day for 31 days, taking me from October 1 all the way through Halloween. Some of these are old favorites I haven’t watched in years and desperately need a refresher on, while others are films I’ve somehow never seen before.

For day two, I’m watching “Oculus,” the supernatural horror film written and directed by Mike Flanagan, who has described the movie as being built around distortion and disorientation. I’ve recorded my reaction and thoughts after watching it, so you can follow along with my 31-day horror challenge below (along with a transcript of my video). Will I make it through the month? There’s only one way to find out.

What is ‘Oculus’ about?

After spending 11 years in a psychiatric facility, Tim Russell (Brenton Thwaites) is finally released and hopes to move on from the events that destroyed his family. When he was a child, his father was killed and Tim was convicted of the murder, while his older sister Kaylie (Karen Gillan) was placed in foster care.

Now an adult, Kaylie is convinced that an antique mirror called the Lasser Glass was responsible for what happened to their parents. She tracks down the mirror and brings it back to the family home, determined to prove that it caused their deaths and clear her brother's name.

Kaylie sets up cameras, alarms and other precautions around the mirror, documenting everything that happens while Tim remains skeptical of her claims. As the siblings spend more time with the mirror, strange incidents begin occurring around them, forcing Tim to reconsider what he remembers from his childhood.

My thoughts after watching ‘Oculus’

One of my favorite things about “Oculus” is that it doesn’t immediately explain everything that’s happening. Instead, it gives you just enough information to start piecing things together yourself, which makes the whole experience feel much more unsettling. I also really miss horror movies like this that trust the audience and rely on psychological suspense and visceral storytelling rather than spelling everything out.

The way the movie moves between the past and present is another thing I really liked. We see how Kaylie and Tim’s parents dealt with the mirror years earlier, while their grown-up children are now determined to finally prove it’s demonic. What’s particularly impressive is how smoothly those two timelines are woven together. There’s no need for constant flashback cues or reminders because the movie makes it easy to follow both stories as they unfold.

“Oculus” is even more interesting because it never feels like it’s simply a story about a haunted mirror. You’re constantly left wondering whether Kaylie and Tim are experiencing something genuinely supernatural or whether the mirror is making them question their own reality. That uncertainty gives the movie the feel of an old-fashioned ghost story, while its psychological side makes it much more disturbing.

My biggest issue, though, is the logic. Kaylie has spent years researching the mirror and supposedly knows exactly how dangerous it is, yet she still puts herself and Tim in situations where they’re incredibly vulnerable to it. At times, it feels like the characters have to make questionable decisions simply to keep the story moving.

The other problem is that the movie never establishes completely consistent rules for what the mirror can and can’t do. As things progress, some of its abilities become so broad that it starts to feel like the mirror can essentially do whatever the plot requires. That took me out of the movie a little bit, especially towards the end.

Even with those issues, “Oculus” delivers a really intense descent into madness and fear. The constant back-and-forth between the two timelines makes it even harder to know what you can trust, while leaving you wondering just how much control the mirror really has.

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It almost feels like blasphemy to play Gears of War: E-Day on PC — and to top it off, on Steam — rather than its natural home on Xbox. Almost. But after cranking up settings to Ultra, bumping up frame rates with Nvidia's DLSS 4.5 trickery and basking in ray-traced lighting, it was easy to take Marcus Fenix and his merry band of absolutely ripped soldiers beyond its console roots.

Developers The Coalition and People Can Fly are bringing the iconic third-person shooter back to the beginning: Emergence Day. That's when the gruesome Locust Horde army first emerged from the ground to cause chaos for the humans above, and that perfectly sets the stage for beautifully rendered mayhem and destruction.

After flanking and sawing my way through Locust (scum) for over 12 hours, I can say Gears of War: E-Day is the best the franchise has ever looked, and it's excellently optimized for PC gaming. From its highly detailed gore and destruction to its accurate lighting and shadows with RTX Mega Geometry, it nails the visual horrors of war and the smooth performance of its brutal, cover-based combat.

Even better, there's a huge variety of graphics settings to tinker with to get the right performance for your PC setup. It even includes a "Ludicrous" preset for power-hungry gaming rigs! So, is Gears of War: E-Day worth playing on PC? Yes, and for the reasons why, I've got you covered below.

Gears of War: E-Day PC Requirements

Gears of War: E-Day can be a demanding title to run, but it can also be as performance-driven and as light on your system as you need it to be, thanks to the lengthy list of graphics options and upscaling methods you can adjust.

While the developers are sure to have E-Day optimized for Xbox Series X/S, they've made sure to give the PC port some extra care so it can run on a majority of systems. That includes the best PC handhelds like the ROG Xbox Ally X.

While you won't need the best graphics cards to run the latest Gears of War installment, know that you will need a "hardware ray tracing-capable GPU," as the developers note. You'll also need a lot of space, so make sure you have enough storage.

Here are the official requirements, along with the PC specs I used.

Geared up for PC

Now, being made in Unreal Engine 5 (as many games have been recently) can be hit or miss, depending on the title. E-Day has been specifically rebuilt in Unreal Engine 5, but don't fret; it's a hit.

By taking Gears back to the devastating events of Emergence Day, the game has a lot of carnage to take advantage of. From massive locusts erupting from roads to the warm lights of a city at night disrupted by raging fires on exploded cars, E-Day knows how to showcase the atrocities of a sudden invasion by an unknown threat, and it's visually stunning.

That was all shown off in striking detail on a gaming PC that isn't exactly a beast of a rig, either. I played Gears of War: E-Day on the Quoted Tech Frontier gaming PC, with an AMD Ryzen 7 9700X CPU, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 GPU and 32GB of RAM. I was able to play in 4K and get a respectable 50 FPS on High settings, and I was still bursting Locust heads with smooth gameplay despite it being taxing on my system (there was a warning sign to say 4K would be a little much).

But that was without the boost from Nvidia's DLSS 4.5 Dynamic Frame Generation or Dynamic Upscaling Quality. With these toggled on, and even bumping up ray-traced shadows, reflections and geometry to Ultra, I was seeing Marcus, Dom and the rest of the team charging their way through hordes in crisp detail at a smoother 115 FPS. That's a green flag for PC optimization.

Now, this was the case in the more linear sections of the game. During a semi-open area I encountered, I noticed a few minor sudden dips in frames, cutting down by 15 to 20 FPS. That, and some pop-in artifacts every now and again. A deal-breaker? Not in the slightest, and something I could remedy myself.

Scaling back to 1440p resolution and switching to Performance upscaling gave me far smoother gameplay, and with frame generation at 6x? I was going well past 200 FPS, and my aging gaming monitor doesn't even go that high.

Being able to tinker with an assortment of settings to get the right balance of image quality and performance is always welcome, and Gears of War: E-Day has it in spades.

Lighting is on point

From the soft hum of street lamps lighting up a crumbling street in ruins to the tight, horror-like spaces in buildings being lit up with the glow from neon signs and TVs, E-Day shows that Gears of War has come very far from the gritty, desaturated browns that plagued late-2000s games. And it's only elevated further on PC with Nvidia's latest tools.

E-Day marks the first title to ray trace Nanite geometry, thanks to the added RTX Mega Geometry. Essentially, this means more realistic details in ray tracing, solving issues like missing or incorrect shadows, improved reflection quality, better stability for moving silhouettes and overall more geometry on objects to play with.

This isn't immediately noticeable, of course. Not when there's a mass of Locusts emerging from collapsing holes, charging at you with shotguns! But during the quieter moments exploring abandoned grocery stores, ravaged police stations and more, it's the ray-traced lighting and relfections that captures the atmosphere.

Switching RTX Mega Geometry on, the smaller details like the florescent lighting in the frozen section of a store bouncing off the floor, or the clear reflections of debris lying around on a blood-smeared window, are striking to look at. And having this on didn't appear to affect the performance of my gameplay, either.

This is subtle realism to make the surroundings of Marcus and his team feel more lived-in, which makes the war-torn city of Kalona far more engaging.

Optimized for destruction

As anyone playing games on the Xbox app, Steam or other clients will tell you, PC optimization is an important aspect of bringing any title to PC. Fortunately, we've seen many standout hits this year alone, and now this iconic Xbox franchise joins those ranks. Gears of War: E-Day is one of the best-looking PC games I've played in 2026, and that says a lot considering we've seen the likes of Control Resonant, Pragmata and Resident Evil Requiem arrive and impress.

While targeting 4K at 60 FPS on Xbox is already enough to show all the glorious, gory visuals E-Day has in store, playing the origins of the Gears of War saga on PC allows it to take advantage of the latest in graphics. I mean, cranking up the destructive details with 100+ FPS, along with scene-defining lighting and crisp reflections, is a treat for the eyes.

If this is the way AAA games are being treated on PC, I have high hopes for everything else to come (especially for the upcoming GTA VI).

For a closer look at our thoughts, be sure to check out our full Gears of War: E-Day review.

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Apple has emphasized that they are prioritizing safety over almost everything, including AI. That's becoming even more important with Siri AI, which can now search across your messages, emails, photos and other information to answer questions based on your personal context.

However, a newly revealed forensic tool shows why protecting all that information doesn't end with securing the AI that uses it.

Magnet Forensics, the company behind the GrayKey phone-forensics tool used by law enforcement, claims it has developed a way to get around an iPhone security measure designed to make data significantly harder to extract from a seized device.

According to a leaked Magnet Forensics video obtained by 404 Media, a new device known as GrayKey Preserve and a feature called Evidence Preservation Mode can keep an iPhone in a more accessible state even after the phone would ordinarily reboot. Magnet itself says its new GrayKey preservation capabilities were developed to address the iOS reboot timer and can preserve data on iOS devices indefinitely.

That's potentially a big deal for iPhone privacy — and the timing couldn't be more interesting.

The iPhone protection you probably didn't know existed

Apple quietly added something called "inactivity reboot" to iOS in 2024. If an iPhone hasn't been unlocked for 72 hours, it automatically reboots. That isn't just an annoying restart, it actually changes the security state of the phone.

Once you've unlocked an iPhone after a reboot, it enters what's known as After First Unlock or AFU. Some encryption keys become available so apps and services can work normally.

Restart the phone and leave it locked, and it goes back to Before First Unlock, or BFU, where more sensitive data remains encrypted and is harder for forensic tools to reach.

That's why the 72-hour timer can make a difference. Leave a seized iPhone untouched for too long and it can reboot on its own, locking down more of its data. Magnet claims it has found a way around that.

According to the leaked video obtained by 404 Media, GrayKey Preserve can capture the AFU state and keep it available even if the iPhone later reboots or loses power. Magnet also claims it can preserve data that would normally disappear over time, including cached locations, recently deleted photos and recently deleted iMessages. Magnet's own explanation says its new GrayKey capabilities can preserve that data indefinitely.

Exactly how it works isn't clear. Security researcher Jiska Classen told 404 Media that Magnet could be manipulating the iPhone's clock or interfering with the processes that expire data, but for now that's only a theory.

Then there's Siri AI

Siri AI can use what Apple calls "personal context understanding" to find information scattered across your iPhone. Ask it to find an old photo, track down a recommendation buried in a message or pull information from an email or calendar entry, and Siri can go looking for it. It also has onscreen awareness and can take actions across apps.

That's a big part of what makes the new Siri useful, but it also means the assistant is working with some of the most personal information on your phone.

Apple has put a lot of emphasis on keeping that information private. Much of Apple Intelligence runs on device, while more complicated requests can go through Private Cloud Compute. Apple says data sent there isn't stored or made accessible to the company.

GrayKey raises a different issue. It isn't reportedly breaking Siri AI or Private Cloud Compute. It's going after the iPhone itself.

And that's where the distinction matters. Apple can lock down how its AI processes your information, but the messages, photos, emails and location data Siri relies on still have to live somewhere. If someone gains physical access to the phone, protecting that underlying data becomes just as important as protecting the AI using it.

What this means for your iPhone

There are still plenty of unknowns. We don't know exactly how Magnet's technique works, which versions of iOS it works on or whether Apple has already closed the door on it. The leaked Magnet video also appears to date from early 2025, even though it only surfaced now.

And this isn't a case of plugging any iPhone into GrayKey Preserve and instantly seeing everything on it. Magnet's claim is more specific: its technology can prevent an iPhone from moving into the more restrictive security state that normally kicks in after prolonged inactivity.

Still, the timing is hard to ignore. Apple is asking Siri to understand more about you while promising that the information behind those personalized answers stays private. On-device processing and Private Cloud Compute protect how Apple Intelligence handles that data, but they don't eliminate the need to protect what's sitting on the iPhone itself.

As Siri gets more personal, keeping the data it relies on secure has become even more important.

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You may have heard of animal flow and primal movement; this popular exercise form combines bodyweight exercises into a sequence or flow, a bit like strength training meets yoga.

And getting adults to exercise more like animals is proving pretty popular as a way to improve mobility and build functional strength, which means it's also good for your bones, joints and ligaments.

And all you need is your body and the ground to give it a go. You could also use one of the best yoga mats, but this is optional. Read on to find out more, plus three must-try moves you can do yourself.

What is animal flow?

Animal Flow involves a floor-based style of bodyweight training that mimics animal poses and how they move, like crawling, pouncing and squatting.

There are multiple layers to official animal flow routines, including wrist mobilizations, "activations" (a bit like a warm-up), form-specific stretches (for mobility and flexibility), "traveling forms," which include animal locomotive movements, and switches or transitions that allow you to develop a flow.

Why strength coaches are making adults exercise like animals

True animal flow is a bit like an art form, but many strength coaches are drawing inspiration from the style to inform their clients' programs and improve how well they move.

It’s the definition of functional training because it helps improve flexibility, functional strength, movement quality and mobility, all while making your body more injury-resistant.

Moving in a primal way also reconnects you with a sense of grounding, improving connection with body, breath and mind and accessing the inner animal that exists within everyone. In other words, it looks and feels natural and innate. This can also act as a form of mindfulness through finding a flow state. And most importantly, it's fun.

Being in contact with the ground and continuously moving means you also increase balance, coordination, stability, range of motion and proprioception in all planes of motion.

Over time, adding primal movement into your routine, whether that's as a workout or a warm-up routine, should help you build better strength and control.

A study by Animal Flow and Dr. Jeffrey Buxton looked at the effects of a "quadrupedal movement" training (QMT) program on functional movement, range of motion, muscular strength and endurance. QMT is a bodyweight training program that incorporates animal poses, transitions, and crawling patterns. Researchers found improvements in whole-body stabilization, flexibility and range of motion.

One study even found improvements in cognitive function and working memory following meditative movement. Rhythmic motion can be therapeutic for the nervous system, helping relieve stress.

3 moves to try

• Loaded beast: The move targets your hips, glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves, arms, shoulders, chest and core as you move forward and backward horizontally. It also develops lower-body mobility, targeting the hips, knees and ankles, and testing range of motion and shoulder stability. Think of a coil ready to spring as you sit your butt back, allowing you to load power.
• Cat crawl: Crawling develops reflexive strength and coordination, teaching your body to recruit both sides and your upper and lower body to work together. Your core will be working hard throughout.
• The frog: Frog builds upper-body strength and foundational pushing power. It will improve hip mobility, improve control and help you develop the skills needed for yoga poses like handstand and crow.

Follow Tom's Guide fitness on Instagram for more workouts, routines, tips, and tricks.

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As a ChatGPT power user, one of my biggest complaints is that it doesn't always give me an answer in the way I want. For example, I might ask it to edit a paragraph and remove all serial commas or for feedback on an idea. But once it responds to what I thought was a straightforward command, it seems to have gotten confused. Then, I'm suddenly given a five-part explainer that I never asked for. Or, I've recently asked ChatGPT to help with something and it's just responded with "Yes."

If this happens to you, stop trying to solve the issue by adding more instructions and prompts. Instead, try doing something much simpler by adding a slash.

When you type a slash command such as /human and /critic at the beginning of your prompt, you'll get a response that's much more accurate to what you're actually looking for.

To be clear, these ChatGPT commands aren't the secret to unlocking a hidden OpenAI setting. In fact, you can use them with any chatbot including Gemini, Claude or Muse.

Here are the 10 I've found most useful.

1. /human

This is a command you've probably seen a lot lately. It's a viral command that helps change the tone of AI-generated writing.

Try this prompt: /human Rewrite this so it sounds like something a person would actually say: [paste text]

I use it to get rid of canned transitions, excessive explanation, repetitive sentence structures and the strangely polished tone AI tends to fall into before sending an email or drafting a presentation. This is especially useful if you write a draft and then use AI to edit. All too often the chatbot will completely change what I've written. By asking it to "/human only make minor edits on my human-written draft," you should see much better results.

For more control, you can define /human in your ChatGPT instructions with the specific habits you want it to avoid.

2. /critic

Chatbots can be annoyingly nice and people pleasing. Give ChatGPT an idea and it will often find something encouraging to say about it before getting anywhere near the problems. That's useful when you want support. It's less useful when you're trying to decide whether an idea is actually good.

That's when I use /critic.

Try this prompt: /critic I'm thinking about buying an expensive espresso machine even though I only make coffee twice a week. Assess the idea.

The point is to signal that you're not looking for validation. You want weaknesses, risks and things you haven't considered.

It's particularly useful for pitches, plans, purchases and anything you've become a little too attached to.

3. /tldr

Sometimes I don't need the background. I need the answer.

Try this prompt: /tldr Explain what's actually changing in this announcement: [paste text]

The familiar internet shorthand already carries a lot of meaning, so ChatGPT generally understands exactly what you're asking for: compress this.

I find this especially useful for long emails, press releases, documentation and articles where I want the takeaway before deciding whether the rest is worth reading.

4. /senior

There are also times when ChatGPT explains far too much.

If you already know a subject, getting three paragraphs of background before the useful part can be maddening. /senior is my shorthand for skipping the 101 material.

Try this prompt: /senior Review this AI agent architecture. Assume I understand LLMs, tool calling, MCP and context windows: [paste details]

This one benefits from a little context because "senior" can mean different things depending on what you're discussing. Tell ChatGPT the expertise it should assume, and it can jump much closer to the level you need.

5. /diff

This is one of my favorites for editing. If I give ChatGPT 800 words and ask it to make three changes, I don't just want another 800 words back. I want to know what changed.

Try this prompt: /diff Tighten this paragraph without changing my argument: [paste text]

You can also be more explicit: /diff Show me only the sentences you would change and the replacements.

It's useful for writing, but the same idea works with code, prompts and other documents where comparing two nearly identical versions is more work than the edit itself.

6. /bullets

ChatGPT loves prose. Sometimes prose is exactly what I don't want.

Try this prompt: /bullets Give me the biggest reasons not to buy a new phone if mine is only two years old.

This is a tiny command, but it immediately tells the model what kind of answer will be easiest for me to scan.

I use it for meeting prep, pros and cons, shopping decisions, brainstorming and any situation where I'm looking for information rather than a beautifully constructed explanation.

7. /table

This command does the same thing for comparisons.

Try this prompt: /table Compare ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini for writing, research, coding and everyday use.

Instead of asking ChatGPT to "put this into a table with columns for..." every time, /table gives it the general idea.

You'll still want to specify the categories of course, but for quick comparisons this can turn a messy wall of text into something you can understand at a glance.

8. /devilsadvocate

This is the command I use when I think I've already made up my mind.

Try this prompt: /devilsadvocate I think cancelling all my streaming subscriptions and switching between one service each month will save me money. What's wrong with this plan?

Rather than asking ChatGPT whether it agrees, you're explicitly asking it to construct the strongest case against you.

That makes it useful for decisions where confirmation bias is the real problem. If the counterargument doesn't change your mind, you can at least make the decision knowing you've considered the other side.

9. /rubberduck

This one comes from the programming idea of rubber duck debugging: explaining a problem out loud can help you discover what's actually wrong.

You can make ChatGPT play the duck.

Try this prompt: /rubberduck Don't solve this for me yet. Ask me one question at a time to help me figure out why my morning routine keeps taking too long.

I like this because it changes ChatGPT from answer machine to thinking partner, which is always great to avoid brain rot from using AI too much.

Instead of immediately generating a 10-step solution based on incomplete information, you're telling it to interrogate the problem first. That can be useful for debugging code, working through a decision, planning a project or figuring out why something you're doing isn't working.

Try making your own slash commands

This is a useful trick that a lot of people don't know they can do. Because, maybe you like a few of mine, but want commands tailored to you.

You can create /short for answers under 100 words, /pitch for turning an idea into a specific format you use at work, /kids for explaining something to a child or /verify for forcing an answer to separate established facts from assumptions.

The slash itself isn't magic. It's just the easiest way to create a recognizable trigger. For commands where you want consistent behavior, define them in ChatGPT's instructions. You could add something like:

When I begin a prompt with /critic, skip praise and focus on weaknesses, factual vulnerabilities and missing information. When I use /human, rewrite the text with natural sentence variation and remove canned AI language and unnecessary transitions.

After that, /critic isn't merely something you hope ChatGPT interprets correctly. You've told it exactly what the shortcut means.

And that's why I've stuck with slash commands. One character and a word gets me there faster.

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I’ve always loved horror, but October is when I really get to indulge in it. I love the colder weather, the darker evenings and, obviously, the fact that Halloween is just around the corner. There’s something about this time of year that makes watching horror movies feel even better. Give me a dark room, a blanket and a genuinely creepy movie and I’m pretty much sorted.

So this year, I’m taking my love of horror a little further. I’m challenging myself to watch one horror movie every day for 31 days, taking me from October 1 all the way through Halloween. Some of these are old favorites I haven’t watched in years and desperately need a refresher on, while others are films I’ve somehow never seen before.

For day one, I’m watching “The Blair Witch Project,” the found footage horror classic that became a phenomenon when it was released in 1999. I’ve recorded my reaction and thoughts after watching it, so you can follow along with my 31-day horror challenge below (along with a transcript of my video). Will I make it through the month? There’s only one way to find out.

What is ‘The Blair Witch Project’ about?

“The Blair Witch Project” follows three film students, Heather (Heather Donahue), Mike (Michael C. Williams) and Josh (Joshua Leonard), who travel to Burkittsville, Maryland, to make a documentary about the local legend of the Blair Witch. They interview residents about the mysterious figure and several disturbing incidents associated with the surrounding woods before setting off into the Black Hills Forest to investigate for themselves.

After hiking deeper into the forest, the trio struggles to find their way back to their car. Their situation becomes increasingly difficult as they encounter strange piles of stones, mysterious stick figures and unexplained noises around their campsite. Arguments begin to break out as they realize they are lost and have no clear way home.

My thoughts after watching ‘The Blair Witch Project’

It’s been a while since I last watched “The Blair Witch Project,” so I definitely needed that refresh, and honestly, I think I enjoyed it even more this time around. As someone who loves found footage, I found this particularly immersive because of the way it was filmed. The whole movie feels like you’re experiencing everything alongside these characters rather than simply watching a horror movie unfold.

And the marketing for this back in 1999 was pretty insane. Sadly, I wasn’t born yet to experience it, but the filmmakers went all in on making people believe this was genuine. Even the opening note tells us that this is recovered footage, and essentially everything we’re seeing is raw footage from these three characters. Because if this really was recovered footage, they obviously wouldn’t have had the chance to edit it.

I also think the three central performances are really believable and genuinely haunting. And I love that you never actually see the Blair Witch. We’re experiencing these strange events alongside Heather, Mike and Josh, as they slowly descend into paranoia and madness while they’re lost in the woods and seemingly being taunted by something they can’t see.

I was actually surprised to find out this got some pretty polarizing reviews, with people calling it boring, overhyped, or criticizing the ending for being unsatisfying. Personally, I don’t really agree with those takes. I think “The Blair Witch Project” is designed to be a suspenseful experience that leaves you with questions and gives your imagination room to come up with your own theories.

Even those interviews with the townspeople at the beginning aren’t there for no reason. If you go back and listen to what they’re saying, there are actually some pretty interesting hints about what’s eventually going to happen.

Overall, “The Blair Witch Project” is a really clever film that clearly made a huge impact on the found footage genre. It’s still an incredibly influential movie, and I found it to be a genuinely unsettling watch. And now I’m really curious to see how they’re going to approach the new “Blair Witch” reboot coming in 2027.

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There are more than 120 species of coffee plant, but only two dominate the market: arabica and robusta. Spend a few minutes perusing the coffee aisle in your local store, however, and you’ll observe that only one is worn as a badge of pride.

Many brands proudly proclaim their 100% arabica origin. By contrast, robusta is conspicuous by its absence; a term relegated to shadowy small print, if at all.

Let's dive into the differences and explain a little bit about this ongoing debate across the coffee community.

Is arabica inherently better than robusta?

Traditionally, the two were deemed to be yin and yang. Arabica became shorthand for fancy coffee. Robusta for the cheap stuff. Historically, that stuck — of the two species, arabica has always been considered to be the more refined option of the two.

But as the two names became a differentiator of quality, a vicious circle emerged: producers simply put less effort into the cultivation of robusta and so its tastier talents were never truly appreciated. It was mass-produced, quality control was low and the end product was relegated to jars of instant coffee — or blended with arabica beans to cut costs.

And it does taste different: whereas arabica can produce a wide spectrum of wonderfully sweet, floral and complex fruit flavours, robusta tends towards more intense flavours. Think huge, thick, smoky, dark chocolate nuttiness. But with the right soil, careful farming and judicious roasting, be in no doubt: it can be every bit as satisfying as a top-class arabica.

The reality is that growing great quality coffee takes time, care and effort – skimp on any of these factors, and any species of coffee will fail to reach its potential. And both species can taste terrible: work your way through that supermarket shelf and you’ll find bags of both arabica and robusta beans which, if the tasting notes were honest, would feature descriptors such as “bottom of the ashtray” or “soggy bonfire”.

Why is robusta becoming popular again?

Its name provides a clue. Discovered in the 1800s, it earned its name because of its resilience to both climate and pests. It’s a plant that also thrives at lower altitudes; a complete contrast to the mountain-loving arabica varieties. In today’s shifting climate, that explains why producers in some parts of the world are beginning to shift their crops to hardier robusta plants. They can grow in lower altitude fields that are easier to access, and the crops are less liable to fail when the weather goes bad — or when pests and fungus attack.

Naturally, the bulk of that crop still goes towards mass-produced blends and instant coffee. However, the steady increase in production means that an increasing number of artisanal coffee roasters are beginning to rehabilitate its reputation by producing coffees from the increased supply of high-quality robusta beans. You can identify these by looking for the terms Fine Robusta or Super Fine Robusta. These are the beans that have been selected for professional grading by the producers.

The process is rigorous. A certified grader from the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) inspects the green, unroasted beans for defects such as mould, stones or sour fruit — if it passes that stage, the beans are lightly roasted, brewed and taste-tested to a specific range of scored criteria. Depending on the final tally, the highest scoring beans will be designated as "Fine Robusta" — and the exceptional as "Super Fine Robusta". In short, if you see those terms on a bag, or featured in a roaster’s marketing spiel, you know you’re looking at the good stuff.

How do I find the best quality robusta coffee?

Ultimately, the key to buying good coffee is far less about species and much more about where you buy your coffee. In the main, that means abandoning your chain stores entirely. Seek out your local coffee roasters, or take your search online, and find the roasteries that take time and care to select great quality beans and roast them to perfection.

There’s a simple test: if a bag of coffee is inscribed with a roasting date, then it’s probably good coffee — and it means that the roaster cares enough about coffee to tell you exactly how fresh it is. If a packet has nothing more than a best before, then you best beware — as it means the producer doesn’t want to admit how stale it is. In all likelihood, it could be months old and well past its prime.

So don’t make that mistake: start every cup with coffee that’s been grown, graded and roasted with care, and you’re already on the path to a better-tasting cup. And if you like the idea of a big, creamy, chocolatey espresso-style kick, then add a good-quality robusta in your next order — you might be pleasantly surprised.

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We've all experienced that bleary-eyed panic of suddenly waking up and thinking you've missed your alarm — only to discover that it's 5 a.m. and you don't need to get up until another two hours.

But for the past few weeks I've waking up hours before my sunrise alarm most mornings, usually between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m., leaving me crawling through each day in an exhausted fog.

I was at a loss as to why this kept happening, until a new study revealed the culprit. Here's the surprisingly small thing that kept waking me up way too early, plus the cheap, easy fix that helps me stay asleep all night.

Key takeaways from the new study:

• Researchers at Tulane University have found that light exposure (over 3 lux) from electronic products such as chargers and stand-by lights can cause shorter, disrupted sleep and body clock changes.
• People with the brightest bedrooms at night slept about 48 minutes less each night (6.9 hours) compared to people who slept in total darkness (7.7 hours).
• This shorter sleep duration can change the way the heart functions, leading to cardiovascular damage over time.
• To limit nighttime light exposure, experts recommend covering lights from electronics with LED light-blocking stickers, using blackout curtains, and wearing eye masks.

Why I kept waking up hours before my alarm

According to a new study conducted by researchers at Tulane University, exposure to light at night can shorten our overall sleep duration.

This reduced sleep duration over a long period of time can lead to impaired heart health, say scientists — and 50% of that cardiovascular damage is caused by light exposure cutting sleep prematurely short.

The study also found that people with the brightest bedrooms at night slept about 48 minutes less each night (6.9 hours) compared to people who slept in total darkness (7.7 hours).

When I first read the results of this study, I found them fascinating — but couldn't see how they were applicable to me. After all, I keep my blinds closed, I don't use a night light, and I put my phone on Sleep Mode so my phone doesn't light up with notifications throughout the night.

However, when I found myself waking up at 5 a.m. again, I looked around the room and spotted the culprit: the light from my laptop charger, making my room look as if it were bathed in blue light.

I must not have spotted the charger's glow when I first turned off the bedroom light, but I could now see the charger light's full disruptive impact once my eyes adjusted to the dark.

How does bedroom light affect sleep and health?

The same study also found that the cardiovascular damage caused by nocturnal light exposure also stems directly from the artificial light disrupting the body's circadian rhythm.

However, the main ramification of light exposure remains shorter sleep, with exposure to light at night (>3 lux) suppresses melatonin, resulting in shorter sleep duration which in turn leads to "cardiac remodelling".

“This is the first study of its kind, and it shows that exposure to higher levels of light at nighttime is linked to cardiac remodelling," says Professor Lu Qi, who led the groundbreaking study.

"Cardiac remodelling" is where the structure and function of the heart changes in response to stress.

"It’s our body’s way of adapting to that stress, but ultimately it weakens the heart and can lead to heart failure.," explains Professor Li.

Of course, this isn't the first piece of research to examine how light exposure during sleep can cause nighttime awakenings.

One 2020 study discovered that those living with heavy light pollution tend to get much less sleep, while a 2021 study found that sleeping in a room with even a small amount of light elevates heart rate throughout the night and lead to disrupted sleep.

How I fixed my nighttime light exposure with this genius $5 product

Fortunately, the study's accompanying editorial provides some guidance on combating nighttime light exposure, and it's pretty simple.

"The advice is simple and inexpensive: blackout curtains, warm-coloured bedside lighting, and covering the small standby LEDs on household electronics," writes Professor Thomas Münzel in the commentary.

So, the first thing I did was order something that would block the charging light on electronics. I stumbled upon these Light Blocking Stickers, now $4.98 (were $8.99) at Amazon, which promise to dim up to 100% of electronic light.

I was sceptical, but to my surprise, this $5 product effectively blocks light from my computer monitor, laptop charger, and extension lead switch. I simply choose a sticker (they come in various shapes and sizes) that can effectively cover the light source, stick it down, and then the problem is fixed.

Now, my early morning awakenings have come to a halt — just in time to try out the best sunrise alarm clocks.

3 top-rated products to help block out sleep-disrupting light

When the holidays rolled around in 2024 and 2025, I’m sure most folks flipped through the channels and caught sight of Coca-Cola’s latest takes on their annual Christmas commercials.

But to their shock and horror, their eyes were greeted with an overabundance of AI-generated visuals that put the beverage company in a bad light. Even after disgruntled customers roasted Coca-Cola, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them try it again this year to let everyone know the holidays are coming.

Coca-Cola isn’t the only company indulging in AI-created content, however. According to the Interactive Advertising Bureau, 83% of ad executives said their company now uses AI in the creative process, up from 60% in 2024. As for the audiences that have been treated to AI-generated ads, only 45% of Gen Z and Millennials have a positive opinion about them.

Lindsay Brillson, who is the Head of Brand and Content at Pika, one of the first AI video companies, spoke with us about Coca-Cola’s AI aid snafu, how a major brand like them could survive such negative blowback while most smaller companies can’t, why cheap-looking ads make people question the product itself and more.

More from Tom’s Guide

• This hiring expert says AI could finally fix one of the most frustrating parts of job hunting
• Why Siri never worked like ChatGPT — former Siri AI researcher explains what Apple had to change
• ‘You cannot govern what you cannot see’: security expert warns of the risks of shadow AI and autonomous agents

There are certainly worse ways to test new bakeware than standing in a kitchen next to Nancy Silverton making her “life-changing” peanut butter cookies.

Yet that’s exactly how I got my first look at HexClad’s new Hybrid Bakeware collection. The $399 6-piece set, available as of October 1, is the brand’s first attempt at transferring the same stainless steel-meets-nonstick technology from its very recognizable frying pans to the oven.

The new 6-piece Hybrid Bakeware Set includes a 10 x 15-inch medium baking sheet, a 9 x 13-inch rectangular pan, an 8 x 8-inch square pan, two 9-inch round cake pans and a stainless steel cooling rack.

Look, this is not casual bakeware. And I am, at best, a casual baker. So I wanted to know whether HexClad’s hybrid construction actually makes a noticeable difference in the oven — and, more importantly, whether it feels worth the premium.

What makes HexClad bakeware different?

HexClad Bakeware uses the same general hybrid concept popularized by the brand’s high-heat pans, featuring stainless steel peaks sitting above nonstick valleys. (Although the bakeware has a medium-gray finish rather than the distinct darker surface used on HexClad’s cookware.)

As with the cookware, you can use metal baking tools directly on the surface without worrying about scratching the pan, but HexClad says they also lift food ever so slightly off the surface. The idea is that this creates a tiny amount of airflow underneath whatever you’re baking, helping heat circulate more evenly and reducing the chance of scorched bottoms.

The tri-ply construction also gives the pans a nice heft, while the curved handles are designed to be gripped more comfortably while wearing oven mitts. In other words, these do not feel like the flimsy sheet pans you accidentally bend and warp while pulling them out of a jam-packed kitchen cabinet.

And these pans can take some heat. They’re oven-safe up to 900°F, which is obviously far beyond anything you’d need for cookies, but does make them useful for everything from cakes to high-heat roasting and focaccia.

Putting HexClad Bakeware to the test with Nancy Silverton

A lot of the use-case suggestions came from Nancy Silverton during our demo session. The chef, baker, restaurateur and frequent Top Chef guest judge (which I only mention as it is my all-time favorite reality TV show) released her cookbook The Cookie That Changed My Life in 2023 inspired by the very peanut butter cookie we baked on HexClad's sheet pan.

The cookies came out evenly golden across the batch, including on the bottoms, with nicely baked edges and soft centers.

Although the taste is, quite arguably, life-changing, what impressed me even more was how easily they came off the pan. Cleanup was equally painless.

HexClad specifically said not to use PAM or other aerosol cooking sprays on its bakeware. Those sprays can build up a residue and compromise the nonstick performance. If you do need to grease the pan, HexClad said to use a stick with butter or a neutral oil instead.

Is HexClad bakeware worth $399?

There's no doubt that this is expensive bakeware. So if you bake twice a year and your current sheet pan is doing just fine, I don’t think you suddenly upgrade your gear.

But I can see the appeal for someone who bakes or entertains often and is tired of buying pans that warp, scratch or lose their nonstick coating with regular use. Furthermore, if I were making any kind of gift registry, I'd add this immediately.

The whole collection feels substantial and extremely well made, and the combination of easy release, metal-utensil compatibility and HexClad’s lifetime warranty gives it a much stronger longevity argument than your average nonstick baking set. After actually baking with it, I understand the appeal more than I expected to.

HexClad says it plans to expand the collection, too. There’s no Bundt pan on the roadmap right now, but personally, I think that needs to change.

More from Tom's Guide

• I cooked every meal over an open fire for 2 days with Hexclad pans
• My honest verdict on HexClad pans after 3 years of use
• Cast iron versus carbon steel cookware: Everything you need to know

Out of all household chores, removing mold remains a persistent challenge at the best of times. And as temperatures plunge and it gets wetter, this offers the prime conditions for fall mold (yes, there’s such a thing).

But while many assume damp issues come from outdoors, much of the humidity is actually generated inside our homes. According to an expert, our common cleaning habits could be the culprit, worsening our damp and condensation problems. In addition, cranking up the heat in our rooms doesn’t help either.

Luckily, there are some quick and easy adjustments to our cleaning routine that can help prevent unwanted dampness while maintaining clean, crisp air throughout the home this season.

“When it comes to cleaning routines, small adjustments can make a noticeable difference to how a home feels once the heating goes on properly,” states Laura Bradbury, indoor living specialist at Vonhaus.

So if you want a mold-free home, don’t make these common cleaning mistakes.

Don’t mop floors with too much water

If there is one thing that bothers me, it’s dirty or marked flooring — particularly if your home features mostly hard surfaces. Typically, when mopping, many people tend to saturate the floor to banish those stubborn stains.

However, all the excess water needs to evaporate somewhere — which directly adds to the humidity already in the room.

"Wringing the mop out properly before it touches the floor makes a bigger difference than people expect," says Bradbury. "A floor that dries within a few minutes releases far less moisture than one left glistening for an hour."

“Opening a door or window for the short time a floor takes to dry gives that moisture somewhere to go.”

Alternatively, you could invest in a wet floor cleaner that auto-adjusts the water levels to suit your dirt levels and floor type. Since I got my Roborock F25, I’ve actually ditched my mop and bucket (and haven’t looked back.

Cleaning several rooms at one time

If, like me, you have a dedicated cleaning day, tackling the entire house or a few rooms at one time can seem more efficient. However, it turns out that we might actually worsen dampness and condensation problems.

“It means several sources of moisture, from mopped floors to steamed-up mirrors, release water vapour at the same time,” adds Bradley. “With windows shut against the cold, that moisture has nowhere to disperse and settles on the coldest surfaces, usually windows and external walls.

“Spacing out cleaning tasks and airing each room briefly before moving on gives moisture time to clear rather than building up room by room.”

Alternatively, you could invest in one of the best dehumidifiers to extract excess humidity fast and ensure clean air throughout your space. This is also great for tackling humid bathrooms, kitchens and damp basements.

Covering your sofa before it dries

Admittedly, I’m guilty of this one mistake. After washing my upholstered sofa, I rarely wait for the material to dry completely before putting the cushions back on (it’s all about the aesthetic!)

In doing so, however, these fabrics can trap excess moisture, creating the perfect breeding ground for mold alongside a musty scent. To prevent dampness from taking hold, ensure your soft furnishings are fully dried first.

“Replacing cushions, throws or covers onto furniture that has just been cleaned traps whatever moisture remains in the fabric underneath, which can lead to a musty smell and, in cases of prolonged dampness, mould within the upholstery.

"This is a particular risk with sofas and mattresses cleaned with steam or shampoo, where drying time is longer than it appears.”

What’s more, it’s always best to leave a window open for adequate ventilation and release some of the moisture outside.

“Leaving cleaned upholstery uncovered until properly dry, with a window open or a fan directed at it, reduces the chance of moisture becoming trapped out of sight.”

With these small changes, you can reduce the risk of mold spores and condensation this fall.

Plus, I’ve been encouraging mold in my shower with this one daily habit — here’s what I've been doing wrong.

More from Tom's Guide

• Why does mold keep coming back? It turns out it’s not just about how well I clean
• How to clean mold from bathroom caulk permanently — without using household bleach
• 5 tell-tale signs that you need a dehumidifier right now

I’ll let you in on a secret — I really hate sit-ups and crunches. I don’t really feel them in my core; they hurt my lower back, and according to just about every personal trainer out there, they’re not even the best way to target your abdominal muscles.

With that in mind, as I gear up for my seventh marathon in a few weeks, I’ve been looking for better ways to build functional core strength. Our resident personal trainer, Sam Hopes, told me to try the suitcase carry, so I grabbed a set of the best adjustable dumbbells and did just that. Read on to find out more.

As a reminder, if you’re a complete beginner, pregnant or postpartum, or currently recovering from an injury, this might not be the best exercise for you and your body. Always seek personalized advice from a qualified professional if you are unsure.

How to do the suitcase carry

All you’ll need is one heavy weight and your body weight. Here’s how to do the suitcase carry with good form:

• Stand next to a heavy dumbbell and hinge at your hips to lift the weight with a flat back. Make sure your feet are shoulder-width apart.
• Stand tall and engage your core, lowering your shoulders down and back from your ears. Your torso should be completely upright.
• Walk forward in a smooth, straight line. Keep your gaze ahead and hold the weight loosely beside your thigh.
• Keep your shoulders and hips completely square — you don’t want your body to lean to the side. One way to do this is to imagine you’re holding an invisible weight in your opposite hand.
• Once you’ve reached your distance or time goal, lower the weight to the floor and repeat on the other side.

As a reminder, the right weight will feel challenging, but not impossible, by the final few reps. If you find it difficult to stop your torso from leaning or your leg keeps brushing the dumbbell as you walk, it’s too heavy. Reduce the weight and keep going. Moving with improper form can put your spine at risk of injury.

I did suitcase carries for a week — here’s what happened

I had to really think about keeping my core engaged

Compared to a farmer’s carry, where you’re holding a dumbbell in both hands, the difficulty with the suitcase carry is that all of the weight is loaded to one side. As a mom, this felt very apt, as I often cart my toddler around on one hip, but the key to this functional move is to really engage your core. I had to think about sucking my belly button into my spine and standing tall with every step.

The good news is, this simple-looking exercise gets you a lot of bang for your buck. When done correctly, you’ll be working your obliques, transverse abdominis and QL (the stabilizing muscle that runs along your spine) to prevent you from leaning. This builds deep rotational stability in the core.

It’s a good one for runners

Although, at times, this felt like walking up and down my living room with a weight (I opted to do a minute on each side), this ab move might actually help my form at my next marathon. By nature, the move is challenging your single-side stability. Running is a single-leg sport, so by strengthening the gluteus medius and helping you work on stabilizing your hips as you step, this exercise can actually make you run more efficiently.

My grip strength needs work

Holding a heavy dumbbell for 60 seconds isn’t something I do all that often — my reps tend to be shorter and lighter, and this exercise taught me my grip strength needs some work.

This sneaky move felt like a full-body workout in itself, as I felt it in my shoulders and forearms as much as my abs, but it’s one I’ll be keeping in my strength sessions going forward. What are you waiting for? Grab a heavy dumbbell and get carrying.

More from Tom's Guide

• I'm a personal trainer who works with clients over 50 — these are the 3 mobility exercises I never skip
• After 60, this is the 10-minute routine I use with my clients to stay strong, mobile and independent
• 'I’m a Pilates instructor, and I recommend these 5 core exercises to help older clients build strength and improve posture'

As soon as October begins, you may think you can relax and forget about your grass, but lawn experts say it’s the worst time to be complacent.

Instead, as we move into fall, October is a key time in the lawn care calendar, and it all comes down to encouraging a strong root system for healthy growth next year.

It's all about the roots

“For cool-season grasses, the soil is still holding onto some summer warmth, but the air is crisp and cool. That combo is the sweet spot,” says Zack Nienaber at Nienaber And Sons Lawn Care. “The grass stops pushing all its energy into top growth and starts sending it straight down into the roots, which is exactly how it builds the resilience it needs to survive the winter.”

Allison Koenig, lawn and garden expert at Tractor Supply, agrees that it’s an important time for root growth to ensure the lawn bounces back quickly in the spring. “If you skip the fall lawn care work, you’re asking a weaker lawn to survive winter stress and then somehow come back lush and green in the spring,” she says.

To get your lawn ready to survive winter, here are 7 tasks lawn care experts recommend this month.

7 lawncare tasks for October

1. Clear the leaves

Get to work clearing leaves, as fallen leaves, twigs and other debris will block sunlight, trap moisture and invite fungus, leading to snow mold and brown patches.

Piles of damp leaves and debris can also attract unwanted pests, including insects and rodents, that can damage your yard. Uncleared debris can also block drains and prevent proper runoff, leading to waterlogging.

If you have a large expanse of lawn and a normal leaf rake isn’t up to the job, you could try a leaf blower.

2. Lower the mower height

It’s not time to stop mowing your lawn yet, but you can start lowering your mower blades. Nienaber recommends lowering the blades gradually during the month rather than making one big adjustment.

So why is it a good time to give your lawn a shorter cut? “If you leave it too long, it mats down under frost and rots,” he says, though he warns against mowing it too short, as it can stress the crown.

The sweet spot for cool-season turf is around 2.5 to 3 inches.

3. Check the soil

It’s a good time to check the soil to see if it’s compacted. If so, Koenig explains it can impact how well air, water and nutrients reach the roots. The solution is to aerate your lawn.

As well as increasing air circulation, loosening the soil can help drainage and prevent a waterlogged lawn, which is likely in fall if the rains are heavy.

Nienaber also advises checking the lawn to see if water is pooling. It could be a sign that the soil is waterlogged, which can lead to root rot.

4. Keep watering

“Don’t stop watering just because the weather feels cooler,” says Nienaber, “Unless the ground is literally frozen, lawns still need about an inch of water a week.”

Then, once the ground does start to freeze, Koenig advises draining any sprinklers or hoses and storing them before the first frost catches you off guard.

5. Overseed bare patches

“Fall is the perfect time to fertilize and repair thin or bare patches with new seed,” says Koenig, as even a well-maintained lawn can become patchy over time from weather stress and foot traffic

Overseeding your lawn will help revitalize its appearance and fill in the sparse patches.

6. Give your lawn a feed

While you’re overseeding your lawn, Koenig also recommends feeding it.

“Applying fertilizer while the lawn is still actively growing helps strengthen the root system, improve winter hardiness, and encourage healthier growth once spring arrives,” she adds.

Just be sure to follow product recommendations and apply the fertilizer before the ground freezes.

7. Watch your step

Once the frost visits us in the morning, Nienaber recommends staying off your lawn. “If you walk across frozen grass blades, they literally snap clean off, and you’ll be stuck staring at brown footprints for weeks until the turf can recover.”

When the grass goes into dormancy, it can’t repair itself, and broken blades can let in fungi and bacteria. So, if you need to walk on your grass, wait until later in the day, after the frost melts.

More from Tom's Guide

• 5 things you need to know before buying a leaf blower
• How to aerate a lawn and when to do it
• Stop mowing your lawn this way — an expert says you could be killing your grass

Sleeping for a full eight hours, only to wake up feeling groggy and exhausted, is one of the most frustrating ways to start the day. As darker fall mornings set in, I recently found myself trapped in this exact cycle: waking up exhausted, feeling disoriented and scrambling to get out the door on time.

I thought it was because I wasn't getting enough sleep, but then I learnt my iPhone alarm was actually to blame. According to a human biologist, the loud, abrupt blare of a smartphone alarm causes an immediate spike in stress hormones, shocking your nervous system out of deep sleep and leaving you feeling tired and wired.

To break the cycle, I ditched my phone alarm and upgraded my nightstand with the brand new Hatch Sleep Clock. Here's how swapping a jarring iPhone alarm for sunlight simulation reset my body clock, boosted my morning energy, and completely transformed how I wake up after 30 days...

The iPhone snooze button trap

While there are benefits to using one of the best sunrise alarm clocks all year round, I relied on natural sunlight to wake me up this summer, with a little push from my iPhone alarm.

However, as the season changed, the sunlight I had relied on to wake me up started showing up later. Being jolted awake by my phone in darkness came with problems.

I felt disorientated, groggy, and was constantly hitting snooze every morning, which are all classic symptoms of sleep inertia.

Then, when I eventually opened my eyes, my hand would instinctively reach for my phone to check notifications. The next thing, I found myself scrolling on my phone instead of getting on with my day.

As a morning lark, the morning is when my energy levels are usually at their highest and I’m most productive. However, hitting snooze and losing myself to social media left me feeling sluggish and unmotivated. So I knew I needed to make a change.

How a sunrise alarm boosted my morning energy levels

30 days later, I'm thankfully noticing improvements, and I've reached out to human biologist and longevity expert Gary Brecka to get the run down on the science behind why a sunrise alarm clock is such a good investment at this time of year.

1. No more morning grogginess

Dragging yourself out of bed when it's dark outside is difficult, and that’s down to the science that dictates you need a light source to shift your body into an awake state.

Light exposure helps transition your body from deep sleep to light sleep as it suppresses hormones that make you feel sleepy (more on these below). Essentially, "As the days darken your body produces more melatonin and less serotonin, which is why people feel sluggish and oversleep," says Brecka.

You want to be in a light sleep stage with less melatonin present just before your alarm sounds for a easy transition from slumber to wakefulness. When natural light isn't available during autumn and winter months, a sunrise alarm clock gradually lights up your bedroom, suppressing melatonin.

Now I've swapped my jarring alarm sound for sunlight simulation and a gentle tune, I'm rising more gradually rather than rudely interrupting a deep sleep cycle.

The gentle wake up call helps reduce sleep inertia (the state between sleep and wake), fighting off grogginess and the temptation to hit snooze.

2. Simulated sunrise helps me feel alert

It turns out exposure to sunlight, be it the real deal or simulated, through closed eyelids or open, prompts the body to produce hormones that help you feel alert upon waking. The hormones in question? That's serotonin and cortisol.

Brecka explains: "When your eyes register natural light within the first hour of waking, you send a signal to your brain to suppress melatonin, your sleep hormone, and start producing cortisol, your energy hormone."

You may associate cortisol with stress but it also has a role in regulating energy levels. Brecka, who founded The Ultimate Human podcast, says "cortisol gets a bad rap" but "in the morning it's exactly what you want." That's because it promotes alertness, helping you feel energised upon waking.

With my Hatch Sleep Clock helping to raise my cortisol levels over a 30 minute time span prior to waking, my body is more prepared to wake up by the time the alarm rings.

Instead of hitting that snooze button, I'm waking up feeling more 'with it' and have time to fit in a morning run – trust me, my mood is all the more better for it.

3. I’m finally getting the sleep I need

"Light is the biggest trigger for setting your body clock," says Brecka, aka your circadian rhythm, which runs on a 24 hour cycle. "We actually have a clock in the brain. It's called the suprachiasmatic nucleus, which is a very sophisticated name for basically the puppeteer that sets your circadian rhythm."

Therefore, "Your morning determines your night," explains the biohacker. "So natural sunlight in the morning suppresses melatonin and raises cortisol. Then 12 to 16 hours later your body starts making melatonin again so you can fall asleep."

A sunrise alarm clock can reinforce this regular sleep-wake pattern. In the Hatch app, I've set a specific bed time and wake time so my alarm clock turns on sundown mode and sunrise mode at the same time night in, night out.

This holds me accountable around sticking to consistent bedtimes (the golden sleep rule if you want to improve longevity, according to new studies).

Notably, I'm falling asleep quicker and waking up easier as my body is in tune, anticipating sleep at regular times. Bonus, I'm getting the recommended seven to eight hours, steering clear of a sleep deficit.

4. I have healthier scrolling habits

Honestly, I'm a self-confessed doomscroller. I've lost count of how many times I've vowed to read before bed and ended up scrolling reels instead. Again, my sunrise alarm clock has been a life saver here.

Without being reliant on it to wake me up in the morning, I'm making a conscious effort to leave my phone outside my bedroom. This way, I'm actually reading instead of scrolling before bed.

With my phone out of the bedroom, I'm not able to reach for the time-sucking device first thing in the morning, wasting vital minutes of the day sucked into a screen instead of getting natural light. Instead, I'm immediately getting up and ready for the day.

Bombarding your brain with social media notifications, messages, and news headlines as soon as you wake up can certainly drain your energy levels and enthusiasm. That snippet of screen-free time in the morning has truly made a difference to both my energy and mood the last month.

Swapping my iPhone for a sunrise alarm — pros and cons

What worked…

The sunrise alarm clock helps banish morning grogginess: Gradually pulling me from sleep, simulated sunlight has helped me feel more alert upon waking.

It encourages consistent sleep routine: Reinforcing bed time as well as wake up time, a sunrise alarm clock has forced me to stick to my good sleep intentions, making sure I get the rest my body needs.
I've improved my screen time habits: Allowing me to remove screens from the bedroom, my sunrise alarm clock has done wonders for reducing my screen time around bed time and first thing – hallelujah.

It's gentler on my nervous system: Nobody likes an iPhone alarm tone, including your nervous system. A loud, sudden noise jolts you from sleep, raising stress; whereas gradual light promotes a gentle transition from sleep to wake.

What irked…

Sleep divorce pending: If you share a bedroom with someone with a different sleep schedule lighting up the room may be problematic. Once the light hits, they are likely to feel alert too even if its too early for their liking.

Final verdict

When your bedroom is dark, a shrill alarm sound tends to wrench you out of deep rather than light sleep. This leads to sleep inertia, which is the groggy, disoriented feeling you experience when you wake from deep sleep.

Replacing that audio alarm with simulated sunrise has transformed my mornings over the past month. Waking up feels more natural, like my body is genuinely ready to start the day, instead of hitting snooze for up to an hour.

I took natural sunlight for granted through the summer months and once the sun started rising that little bit later, my usual wake up routine went haywire. Now, thanks to my Hatch Sleep Clock, I'm enjoying morning workouts again and generally finding it easier to power through the day.

The AI world spent this week announcing agents that can live on their own computers and keep working after you leave. OpenAI debuted its Dots at DevDay on Tuesday, while Meta launched Muse earlier this month.

The biggest difference between an AI chatbot and an AI agent is how it handles various tasks when left alone. So while a chatbot answers a question, an agent actually does a job such as checking something, keeping track of information, working across tools or coming back when something changes.

And some of the best jobs to give an agent are the ones that humans find incredibly boring.

Here are seven I would happily hand over — and a few I wouldn't.

1. Triage your inbox

The job: Instead of opening your inbox and working through everything yourself, have an AI sort out what actually deserves your attention.

It can summarize new messages, separate FYIs from emails that require action and prepare drafts for routine responses. You still approve anything before it goes out.

Try this prompt: Go through my unread emails from the last 24 hours. Give me a one-line summary of each, flag anything that needs my attention today and draft responses to the routine messages. Don't send anything without my approval.

This is also a good example of where connected AI becomes more useful than simply pasting an email into ChatGPT. So you'll want to connect your agent such as Gemini, ChatGPT or Muse to access your inbox, from there, the job becomes something it can actually help manage so you don't have to manually do it.

2. Watch a price so you don't have to

The job: This is one of my favorites because I'm always looking to save money for my family of five, but I don't have time to sit and watch prices drop. Give an agent a flight, hotel or product you're considering, tell it the price you're willing to pay and have it keep checking. Instead of opening the same page every morning, you hear about it when something actually changes.

Try this prompt: Check the price of [product/flight/hotel] regularly. Let me know if it drops below $[X] or if you find a comparable option for less.

This is where persistent agents start to feel wildly different from chatbots. The useful part is giving the AI responsibility for checking again later.

3. Prepare you for tomorrow

The job: Give AI the tedious Sunday-night task of figuring out what tomorrow looks like. An agent with access to your calendar and other connected information can potentially identify your meetings, pull together relevant background and give you a short briefing on what deserves your attention.

Try this prompt: Look at my calendar for tomorrow. For each meeting, tell me what it's about, what I should know beforehand and anything I need to prepare. Finish with the three things I need to prioritize tomorrow.

You can do a simpler version by pasting your calendar into a chatbot, but an agent becomes much more useful when it can gather the information itself.

4. Keep track of the things you always forget

The job: Subscription renewals. School deadlines. Appointments. Packages. Forms that need to be returned. That thing you said you'd remember three weeks ago and absolutely did not remember. These are terrible jobs for humans because none of them are particularly difficult not to mention, there are just too many of them.

Try this prompt: Help me keep track of the deadlines, appointments and renewals I give you. Tell me what's coming up this week and remind me before anything needs action.

5. Do the research you've been avoiding

The job: Don't ask AI to simply recommend a hotel. Give it the tedious comparison work. Tell an agent what you're looking for, give it your constraints and have it research the options before coming back with a shortlist.

Try this prompt: I'm planning a four-day trip to [city] with a $2,000 budget. Compare flight and hotel options based on total price, location and reviews. Give me your three best combinations, explain the trade-offs and tell me which one you'd choose. Don't book anything.

I've tried this same approach for buying a laptop, finding summer camps, comparing internet plans and literally researching almost any purchase that would normally leave me with 40 browser tabs open.

6. Run the household admin nobody wants to run

The job: Every household has a constantly changing list of things that need to happen: groceries, appointments, things to buy, forms to complete, activities to schedule and random tasks someone needs to remember. Instead of rebuilding that list in your head every day, let AI maintain it.

Try this prompt: Be my household admin. Keep a running list of the tasks, appointments, purchases and errands I give you. Organize them by urgency and tell me what needs to happen today, this week and later.

This doesn't mean giving an agent permission to buy things or make important decisions by itself. The useful part is offloading the organizational work while keeping yourself in control of the actions.

7. Give yourself a briefing instead of another feed

The job: Pick something you genuinely want to follow and have AI turn it into a short recurring briefing. It could be news, your favorite sports team, a company you're following for a job interview, an upcoming vacation destination or a subject you're trying to learn.

Try this prompt: Every morning at 8, give me a five-minute briefing on [topic]. Tell me what's new, why it matters and what changed since yesterday. Skip anything you've already told me unless there's an update.

The important part is that you shouldn't have to remember to ask. A persistent agent can turn the prompt into an ongoing job rather than another conversation you have to start yourself.

The easiest way to tell whether you actually need an agent

If you can accomplish the job with one prompt and one answer, you probably don't need an AI agent. For example, asking ChatGPT to create a meal plan isn't particularly agentic. Neither is asking it to rewrite your résumé or explain the stock market.

Agents become interesting when the job continues after the conversation does.

"Find me a cheap flight" is a chatbot prompt but "Keep checking this flight and tell me when it falls below $300" is an agent job.

OpenAI's newly announced Dots push this idea much further. Each Dot gets its own cloud computer and browser and is designed to continue working after you leave. That opens the door to much more ambitious jobs, particularly ones that involve research, multiple steps or ongoing work.

But I wouldn't rush out and upgrade solely because you suddenly feel like you need an autonomous AI worker.

Most people should start by figuring out which repetitive jobs they actually want AI to handle. You can already experiment with many of the ideas above using the AI tools you have now, even if some of the checking and follow-up still requires you to come back manually.

Once you find yourself wishing the AI would continue the job without you, that's when an always-on agent starts making sense. And you can start small with free agents like Meta Muse. Other options that are less expensive than ChatGPT Dots are ChatGPT Work or Gemini Spark, both available for $20/month or less.

What I would never hand over to an AI agent

Giving AI more autonomy also means being much more careful about where that autonomy ends.

I wouldn't give an agent passwords or 2FA codes, unrestricted permission to move money or the final say over medical decisions. I also wouldn't let one independently sign contracts, submit legal documents or publish something publicly in my name.

And for anything involving purchases, messages or consequential account changes, I want a human approval step before the action happens. The goal isn't to give AI control of your life, just the boring parts.

How do you use AI agents? What's your favorite? Let me know in the comments.

More from Tom's Guide

• Claude Sonnet 5.5 just launched — here's why it's about to become your daily driver
• Meta Muse vs ChatGPT Dots — I compared the new AI agents, and they’re not as similar as they look
• Why Siri never worked like ChatGPT — former Siri AI researcher explains what Apple had to change

If you blinked this month, you might think Meta and OpenAI launched essentially the same AI agent three weeks apart.

On September 8, Meta launched Muse, a personal AI agent that gets its own dedicated cloud computer and keeps working on your tasks after you close the app. Twenty-one days later, OpenAI took the stage at DevDay 2026 in San Francisco and unveiled Dots — always-on AI agents inside ChatGPT, each running on its own cloud computer and browser.

And while they sound remarkably similar, with reports across the internet comparing them because of a few similarities like the fact that both get their own cloud computer, work after you leave, and can connect to outside services, that's about where the comparisons stop.

Muse and Dots are not interchangeable. These are different companies, different models and very different products. Most importantly for your wallet, they're aimed at different customers. Muse is free to start and was built for everyday people and small businesses. Dots starts with a $100-a-month Pro plan and is clearly aimed at professionals and developer teams.

Here's what you actually need to know about each one, where they overlap and which one matters to you right now.

Muse vs Dots at a glance

Meta Muse: A personal agent powered by Muse Spark and runs inside its own Muse Secure VM, giving it a dedicated cloud computer and browser where it can continue working after you leave. Muse is available in the U.S. and Canada with a free tier, alongside $20 and $100 monthly plans. You can use it on iOS, Android and the web, while Meta has expanded Muse with Mac app control, its own email address, AI glasses support and the Muse Charm companion device. Its Sentinel permissions system separates read and write access, and Muse can connect to services including Asana, Slack, Shopify, Stripe, Zoom, QuickBooks and Notion, as well as Facebook and Instagram business accounts.

ChatGPT Dots: Each dot is powered by GPT-6 Astra and gets its own dedicated cloud computer and browser, allowing it to continue working in the background after you leave ChatGPT. Dots are available to eligible ChatGPT Pro and Business Premium subscribers, with Enterprise, Edu and Healthcare access through an admin-enabled beta. You can interact with a dot through ChatGPT on the web, desktop and mobile, as well as Slack and Microsoft Teams, with voice calling available and texting in beta. Dots can connect to more than 4,000 apps through ChatGPT's plugin ecosystem and use custom rules, approval requirements and auto-review to govern what they're allowed to do. For now, users get one primary dot, although OpenAI has previewed specialist dots and a future where multiple dots can work together.

Both tools update you asynchronously and come back for approval before doing anything consequential. The idea that an autonomous agent shouldn't be able to send, spend or make sensitive changes without you is quickly becoming table stakes for this category.

What Meta Muse is

Muse is Meta's version for a personal AI agent, and the company made one huge bet that OpenAI hasn't: making it free to start.

The product is goal-first rather than chat-first. You give Muse something to accomplish — running parts of your business, finding new customers or handling logistics, for example — and it builds a plan, continues working after you close the app and returns when something changes or requires your approval.

Muse runs inside what Meta calls the Muse Secure VM, a dedicated cloud environment with its own browser that holds the agent and your data. You can set its name, avatar and communication style, watch its browser work and govern what it can touch through Sentinel, Meta's permissions system separating read access from write access.

Meta has gradually been expanding where Muse can operate. It now includes macOS app control, an email address of the agent's own and support for interacting with it through Meta's smart glasses. Meta has also announced integrations and commerce partnerships spanning services including Stripe, Shopify, Walmart, Expedia and Instacart.

Muse for Small Business pushes that further with third-party app connectors including Asana, Box, Canva, Dropbox, Figma, QuickBooks, Notion, Shopify, Slack, Stripe and Zoom, alongside access to Facebook and Instagram business accounts. These aren't a separate agent but additional capabilities inside Muse.

Muse has already faced scrutiny over what can happen when users grant an agent broad permissions. Recent reports about a Marketplace interaction involving Muse are a useful reminder that the convenience of an autonomous agent also depends heavily on exactly what you've authorized it to do.

What ChatGPT Dots are

Dots take the same basic always-on agent architecture in a very different direction.

CEO Sam Altman described them as "remarkably capable, always-on agents" during OpenAI's DevDay presentation and said the company's ambitions for Dots extend beyond ChatGPT itself.

Each dot runs on GPT-6 Astra, gets its own cloud computer and browser and can connect to more than 4,000 apps through ChatGPT's plugin ecosystem.

You give it a goal — monitoring a pipeline, managing a recurring workflow or researching something over several days — and the dot can continue pursuing it around the clock, sending updates and asking for your input when it reaches a boundary.

Dots can learn preferences over time and use read-only tools for some proactive background research. OpenAI also keeps particularly sensitive actions, including changing passwords, in human hands.

At launch, each person gets one primary dot they can name and customize with an avatar. OpenAI has also previewed "specialist dots" for companies and is working with Microsoft to bring the agents under Agent 365's management and security controls. The longer-term vision is effectively a team of specialized agents working alongside people.

Once set up, a dot can be reached through ChatGPT on mobile and web as well as services including Slack and Microsoft Teams. ChatGPT Space provides a shared environment where teammates and dots can work together on projects.

But there's a major catch: most ChatGPT users can't try one.

Dots are rolling out to ChatGPT Pro and Business Premium subscribers, while Enterprise, Edu and Healthcare workspaces get an admin-enabled beta. Free and Plus subscribers are locked out for now.

Pro 100, at $100 per month, is the entry point. OpenAI also offers Pro 200 and Pro 500 tiers, while Business Premium costs $125 per user each month. Pro subscribers in the EEA, Switzerland and UK also can't use Dots yet.

The biggest difference isn't the model — it's the customer

Put the technical similarities aside and the biggest distinction becomes obvious.

Muse starts at $0. Dots start at $100 a month. This alone tells you who Meta and OpenAI expect to use these products.

Meta is trying to put an autonomous agent in the hands of ordinary consumers and small businesses. OpenAI is starting with professionals, teams and organizations already willing to spend significantly more on AI.

That difference runs through almost every other decision the companies have made.

Muse is a standalone product built around the agent itself. It has a personality you shape, a Feed and Goals you can check, mobile apps, the palm-sized Muse Charm and integration with Meta's glasses. It feels like Meta is asking what happens when an AI agent becomes another personal device or service in your life.

OpenAI built Dots into ChatGPT. The agent is another capability of a platform professionals and businesses may already use, and OpenAI is putting it in places where work already happens, including Slack and Teams. ChatGPT Space and the planned specialist dots push the concept even further toward people and agents sharing the same workplace.

The underlying idea may be similar. The products built around it aren't.

Which should you use?

If you want to experiment with an AI agent today without adding another expensive subscription, Muse wins almost by default.

It's free to start, built around individual users and now has enough small-business integrations to make it useful beyond simple personal tasks. The trade-off is that giving an autonomous agent access to accounts, communications and other services requires paying close attention to its permissions, particularly given the early scrutiny around Muse.

If you're already paying for ChatGPT Pro or you're choosing an agent for a business, you've probably already found a use for Dots. OpenAI has made its professional and enterprise ambitions pretty clear.

For everyone else, there's little reason to pay $100 a month just to get Dots right now, particularly when OpenAI hasn't made them available to Plus subscribers. Muse wants to become your personal AI helper. Dots wants to become an always-on member of your team.

They may have arrived three weeks apart with remarkably similar technology underneath, but they're not really fighting for the same user — at least not yet.

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• 'Surveillance Tamagotchi': Tom's Guide readers weigh in on Meta's new Muse Charm

If you've ever asked Siri AI a follow-up question only to have it seemingly forget what you were talking about, the problem wasn't necessarily that Siri couldn't hear you.

It was that the assistant was built for a very different era of AI.

That's according to Nikola Mrkšić, CEO and co-founder of conversational AI company PolyAI, who previously worked on the technology behind Siri. I asked him why Apple's assistant has historically struggled with the kind of natural, back-and-forth conversation that now feels routine with ChatGPT and Gemini.

His answer comes down to a fundamental difference in how the technology works.

"The old Siri worked off enumerated intents: every path a conversation could take had to be mapped out in advance," Mrkšić tells Tom's Guide. "The moment you deviated from the script, the system got stuck."

That explains a lot about the Siri we've spent the past decade talking to.

Old Siri was essentially following a script

When Siri was built, developers couldn't simply give an AI model a conversation and let it figure out what the user wanted. Instead, engineers had to anticipate what people might ask and build flows capable of handling those requests.

Setting an alarm was one flow. Playing music was another. Sending a text was another. The problem appeared when humans, well, behaved like humans.

Change your mind halfway through a request, refer back to something you said earlier or phrase a question in an unexpected way and suddenly the carefully constructed path could fall apart.

"It looked like the assistant had forgotten what it was doing, but really it was just cornered," Mrkšić said.

One particularly difficult problem was disambiguation. If you asked Siri to contact someone whose name sounded similar to another person in your contacts, engineers had to build systems capable of working out which person you meant. I actually ran into this myself when my daughter was born. Because the spelling of her name is different than the typical spelling and I was asking Siri to share pictures of her with family and friends, I actually had to put her name into my contacts at birth.

Mrkšić described the process as building an "ontology of a conversation": mapping the different directions an interaction might go and trying to make common tasks hold up within that structure.

Rather than engineers trying to predict every possible conversational path, an LLM like ChatGPT or Gemini can consider the conversation itself as context and determine how to respond.

That's why talking to Gemini Live or ChatGPT Voice can feel fundamentally different from talking to the Siri many of us grew accustomed to.

Why Siri couldn't simply be upgraded into ChatGPT

That raises an obvious question: couldn't Apple have simply upgraded the Siri it already had? Not really, according to Mrkšić.

"Not into something like ChatGPT," he said.

Part of the problem was technological. Before modern LLMs, the ability to have genuinely free-flowing conversations simply wasn't there.

But Mrkšić argues there was another limitation: risk.

"Siri never set out to be a ChatGPT-style assistant," he said. "Apple's leadership has always run a low risk appetite, so any Siri response that could be misread as offensive or wrong got treated as a real risk."

The safer option was to tightly define what Siri could do.

Ask it to set an alarm, play a song or add something to your calendar and Apple could reasonably predict what would happen. Give an AI far more freedom to interpret what someone means and suddenly its behavior becomes much harder to control.

That tension hasn't disappeared just because the models have improved.

AI has largely solved Siri's short-term memory problem

One of the most frustrating things about traditional voice assistants is how easily they lose the thread of a conversation.

Mrkšić says remembering what someone said earlier in the same conversation is "largely solved at the model level." Current models can process enormous amounts of context, giving them far more room than necessary to keep track of an ordinary conversation.

So, if an assistant suddenly appears to forget what you said, the model itself may not always be the problem.

Companies still place rules and structures around models to control what they can do. According to Mrkšić, those constraints can sometimes create the impression that an assistant has lost the conversation when it has actually run into the boundaries placed around it.

There's also a much harder kind of memory to solve: knowing you. An assistant that remembers what you said five minutes ago is useful. An assistant that understands the people in your life, your routines, your emails and the things you're working on could be far more useful.

And that's where Apple faces an interesting trade-off.

Apple's biggest Siri advantage could also be its biggest challenge

Apple potentially has something ChatGPT and other standalone AI apps don't automatically have: deep access to the operating system. Your iPhone contains messages, emails, photos, contacts and other personal information that could provide an AI assistant with the context it needs to understand what you're actually asking.

"In theory, yes," Mrkšić said when I asked whether that gives Siri an advantage. "OS-level access to email, messages, photos, whatever's on your screen, is exactly the context that makes an AI assistant useful, more than any app-based chatbot can get without additional connectors."

The catch is privacy and trust. Apple has spent years positioning privacy as one of the iPhone's defining features. Giving an AI assistant enough personal context to become genuinely useful therefore requires Apple to walk a much narrower line than simply building a chatbot that knows more about you.

Mrkšić argues that Apple's privacy approach has historically limited the amount of user data available to its systems compared with some competitors.

"Voice agents become more useful the more they know about you," he said.

That may ultimately be the real test for Siri: not whether Apple can build an intelligent model, but how much personal context it is willing to let that model use.

Even the way you say something matters

There's another reason talking is harder than typing: humans are messy speakers. We pause. We interrupt ourselves. We change our minds in the middle of sentences.

Imagine saying, "Make the appointment for 2 ... 3 PM."

A human listener can hear the pause and change in your voice and understand that you corrected yourself. A system that converts your speech into text before reasoning over it may only have the transcript to work with.

That can strip away information carried in your tone, timing and delivery. Newer audio-native AI models are designed to reason over audio directly rather than relying entirely on a transcript. Mrkšić points to PolyAI's own Dialog-RSN-1 as an example of that approach.

For an assistant like Siri, understanding those cues could eventually make conversations feel much less like issuing commands to a computer and much more like simply talking.

What Siri still needs to get right

The surprising part of Mrkšić's assessment is that the underlying AI may no longer be the hardest part.

The technology already exists for voice agents to hold long, natural conversations. PolyAI, for example, deploys conversational agents for businesses in industries including banking, hospitality and healthcare.

The bigger question for Apple is what it is willing to let Siri do.

"What's missing is Apple's willingness to loosen its constraints somewhat so that Siri can truly help you get things done," Mrkšić said.

The next generation of voice assistants won't be defined simply by whether they can answer a follow-up question or remember what you said three sentences ago. ChatGPT, Gemini and other modern AI systems have already changed expectations around that. The bigger leap comes when an assistant understands enough about you and has enough access to actually act on what you're saying.

Apple has an enormous advantage because Siri already lives on the devices where much of our digital lives happen. But taking advantage of that position means solving a problem that's as much about trust and product philosophy as it is about AI.

The technology that made the old Siri feel like it was constantly forgetting you is disappearing. Now Apple has to decide how much it wants the new Siri to remember.

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Until our stride starts to feel slower, shorter, or less steady, it’s easy to take walking for granted. While some changes in walking speed are a normal part of aging, maintaining strength, balance and mobility can help us keep moving confidently and comfortably as the years go by.

Walking speed is also closely tied to how well we can keep up with our everyday activities. Whether it’s crossing the road, climbing stairs, or catching up with friends on a walk, having a strong, stable stride can make a big difference to how independent and active you feel.

But which muscles should we be working to keep our walking speed up? I asked Dr. Matthew Cifelli, physical therapist and strength and conditioning specialist at Attain Physical Therapy, to share four exercises that can help support a stronger stride. And the good news is that these moves are simple enough to do on a daily basis — no complicated gym equipment required.

Here are the four exercises Dr. Cifelli recommends for maintaining walking speed as you age.

1. 1. Sit-to-Stand

“The sit-to-stand exercise helps strengthen the quadriceps and glutes, which are the primary muscles responsible for forward propulsion during walking,” Cifelli explains. “By improving our strength in this area, we increase our stride power and reduce the ‘shuffling gait’ common with age-related weakness.”

• Sit on a sturdy chair with your feet hip-width apart.
• Lean your chest slightly forward.
• Press through your heels and rise to standing.
• Slowly lower back down with control.
• Aim to complete 2 sets of 8-12 repetitions.

2. Heel raises

Calf strength – which is what heel raises help to create – is directly tied to push-off power, which in turn determines our stride length and walking speed. “That’s why stronger calves help us walk with more confidence and reduce the feeling of heavy legs,” Cifelli says.

• Standing behind a counter or chair for support, rise up onto your toes slowly.
• Pause for 1-2 seconds.
• Lower your heels back down with control.
• Aim to complete 2-3 sets of 10-15 repetitions.

3. Standing side leg raises

Engaging the stabilizing muscles in our hips is key for maintaining walking speed, as these help prevent swaying and unsteadiness. As Cifelli puts it: “Better hip stability improves balance, reduces fall risk, and allows for a smoother, faster walking pattern.”

• Stand tall holding a counter or chair for support.
• Lift one leg out to the side, without leaning.
• Lower back down with control.
• Aim to complete 2-3 sets of 8-12 repetitions per side.

4. Wall sit

Wall sits can be tough, but they’re great for building endurance in the quads and glutes. “They’re one of the best exercises for maintaining walking speed over longer distances without fatigue or having to slow down,” Cifelli advocates.

• Stand with your back against a wall.
• Slide down until your knees are slightly bent, or if you can, until they’re at a right angle. Your back should be pressed firmly against the wall.
• Hold for 10-20 seconds.
• Rest and repeat 3-4 times.

Why is it important to maintain walking speed as we age?

Walking relies on a combination of leg strength, balance, coordination and joint mobility, so changes in any of these areas can affect how efficiently we move.

And while it is natural for walking speed to slow down as we get older, maintaining a steady pace is important if we want to stay independent. Everyday activities like climbing the stairs and getting groceries become easier if we can walk easily, which is why training the right muscles helps. A few simple exercises, performed on a regular basis, can go a long way in maintaining the strength and stability needed for a confident stride.

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For the AI-savvy folks reading this right now, I’m sure you’ve come across a flood of tweets and Reddit threads full of people bragging about the greatness that is Meta’s Muse AI assistant.

Ever since it launched as a mobile app, users have put it to work to actually make a difference in their everyday lives. For me, it’s performed admirably well whenever I asked it for severe weather reports, used it to find sweet deals on products I’ve been itching to buy, advised it to give me worthwhile productivity hacks and turned it into a curator that produces legit recommendations for podcasts I’d probably enjoy.

But in the case of other Meta Muse aficionados, they’ve detailed just how helpful it has been when tasked with solving their financial issues, handling the annoying part of the job application process, building them a website for their online shop and more.

After combing through a bunch of Reddit threads and tweets, I found 10 cases of Meta Muse AI users being highly impressed and thankful after putting their new favorite chatbot to use. And their stories could inspire you to try them out for yourself.

1. Muse handled someone's home insurance customer service call and got them in touch with an actual human

This first Reddit post from user “ExaminationAny9939” highlights a moment where they used Muse to handle a home insurance customer service call. The user was more than satisfied after their AI helper actually got a human representative on the phone. Here’s that user’s triumphant testimony:

“Had to alter stuff with my home insurance but had to go through bunch of b******t customer service robo call shit of pressing 1, pressing 2 and going nowhere with it. Enter Muse! Told it to call the toll free number, get a human representative on chat and once you have him/her, call me on my phone! And it actually did that! What the actuall f*******k! Then it was a breeze to talk to the human and do what I needed to do. But post the call, I was like what just happened! No more of this annoying wait to get to a customer care representative. Muse does it for you! What a product! This is how AI helps us!”

When asked how they specifically put Muse up to the phone calling task, this is how the use broke it all down: “Ah! So I basically told muse to call my insurance company on my behalf and then hand over the call to me once it finds a human representative. It basically has a human voice (you can choose male or female) it will use to talk when placing the call on your behalf. Maybe ask muse to do the call on your behalf, give it your task and maybe it will do the task for you.”

2. Muse cancelled someone's Verizon internet plan and got them back $75

From that same aforementioned Reddit thread, another user by the name of “Embarrassed_Clerk458” was pretty pleased about Muse canceling their home internet plan and getting them an inconvenience fee payment in the process: “I love Muse too; I was able to cancel Verizon home internet without talking to anyone, and it got me 75 bucks from them as well because of an inconvenience fee. Edit: online chat w verizon (havent tried the call feature).”

3. Muse automated someone's job applications

The next Reddit thread comes from a user named “Kooky_Sheepherder_84,” who was shocked at how useful Muse could be in helping them take much of the stress away from the job application process. Meta’s AI tool ended up automating their job applications with ease:

“Guys. I set up Muse's automated job application engine on Sept 14 and it has been working its little robot heart out ever since!! Every weekday morning it hunts down roles matching my ops/facilities background, tailors my resume to EACH posting, fills out the applications, and SUBMITS them. Like, actually submits them. Srsly!! ChatGPT and Claude haven't seemed to be into all the automations I keep creating. Neither of them does actual autonomous work across real websites while I sleep. Not even close. AMAZEBALLS!!! Applying for jobs is a pain in the a** and Muse does all the hard parts. I just show up for a call or at an interview with a crib sheet. It's been pretty successful all week.”

4. Muse built someone a website and an online store

The last Reddit thread I came across highlights another user named “jinkstr86.” And this time, Muse came to their rescue by building them a website after using it to work in conjunction with their Gmail and Squarespace accounts. At the end of their Muse experience, they were proud to say that it developed a blog alongside an online retail store:

“I have to admit I was very skeptical, but after only two days using Muse, I can confidently say this a great AI assistant and my favorite! So far I have integrated it with my Gmail and Squarespace. It’s helped me in building out and coding my site and it gave me good suggestions for things I could fix. I was impressed that it actually will do the task, in my case it built out my new blog page and merch shop. I still had to come in behind to fine tune, but for the most part it did a great job! I love how you can see it working and navigating the site and can even take over."

5. Muse helped someone saving $3500 a year on their auto insurance

After doing the rounds on Reddit for Meta Muse AI user triumphs, I found even more of them as I did some digging on X. Joe Devoy, the founder of an AI company called Tempo, delved into a story about Muse saving him $3500 a year on his annual auto insurance policy after he asked the chatbot to find him a better rate with a similar coverage plan.

6. Muse saved someone money on their Verizon bill

Todd Saunders, CEO of another AI company called Dalton Mills, tweeted about Muse going straight to Verizon’s online customer service, going back & forth with an agent and winning in the end by getting him a better deal & saving him $180 a year.

7. Muse rebooked someone's flight and handled their delayed-flight compensation claim

The next tweet I came across focused on a user named @cryptopunk7213, who used Muse to book themselves a new flight after being delayed for seven hours. At the end of their experience using Meta’s multipurpose AI assistant, the user was led to an alternative flight and ended up with an extra $250 in Delta credit after asking Muse to file for compensation on their behalf.

8. Muse handled four errands in one day and saved a user $200 by canceling subscriptions and services he no longer needed

Nicolas Bustamante, who is at the forefront of a team that builds proactive ia agents at Microsoft, detailed how Muse got access to his email, calendar, DoorDash, Amazon and other accounts to perform several helpful tasks. Those jobs included purchasing socks, ordering groceries from Whole Foods, booking a cleaning service, getting him a burger for dinner and saving him $200 by canceling subscriptions and services he no longer required.

9. Muse completed a bunch of assorted tasks while their user was sleeping

An AI engineer tweeted about Muse working on his behalf to get an assortment of jobs done while he took a quick afternoon nap. His little digital assistant cleaned out his Hotmail inbox, nabbed him a refund from his old internet provider and booked an HVAC tune-up while he slumbered.

10. Muse helped someone buy the sneakers they've been looking everywhere for

Harley Finkelstein, the president of Shopify, was pleased with Muse's ability to help him do some online shopping. By the end of his time spent looking for a pair of sneakers with Meta's AI tool, he found the ones he wanted and paid for them all in one fell swoop while still inside the Muse app.

Final thoughts

Muse and its signature cutesy avatar have taken the AI world by storm. Coming across so many instances of AI advocates and doubters being shocked at how functional Meta’s AI tool can be when tasked with handling all manner of issues concerning money and work-related assignments.

Everyone loves saving themselves a few bucks here and there — having an AI assistant achieve such a goal has been a reality for a good while now and it’s certainly been practical with Muse in the driver’s seat for its users. And with its added ability to assist professionals with their workflow and even help unemployed folks apply for jobs, Muse has even more going for it as everyone’s latest go-to AI assistant.

The success stories that I’ve come across on Reddit and X showcase plenty of examples of Muse’s worthiness as the latest AI tool you should try out for yourself. And with this extra example of Muse helping someone build their business from the ground up, Meta’s usefulness seems to be limitless.

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• I tested Meta Muse vs ChatGPT-6 with 5 prompts — OpenAI just lost
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Now that I’ve been making the most out of the iPhone 18 Pro Max’s variable aperture camera, it’s pushing me to explore creative shots I wouldn’t otherwise think of capturing. While handheld shooting remains the de facto method, there are plenty of situations where I need to keep the device dead still — or angle it just right to nail the composition.

That’s why I’ve been using the SmallRig FS-C1 Magnetic Phone Tripod for a couple of weeks with both the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max. Unlike conventional phone tripods with clumsy clamps you have to fiddle with, the FS-C1 relies on a snappy MagSafe connection and foldable legs that make dialing in micro-adjustments a breeze. Best of all, it slips right into a pocket and costs less than $22.

When I'm commuting or traveling, I like to pack as light as possible — which is why I care so much about multifunctional gadgets. The SmallRig FS-C1 folds down completely flush, making it compact enough to slide into a pants pocket. This level of portability cannot be overstated, especially since it spares me from hauling my old selfie-stick tripod and a separate phone clamp.

By pulling apart the legs and attaching the magnetic ring to my iPhone, I can adjust the phone to just about any angle imaginable. While it can become a balancing act if the setup is front-heavy, dialing in that sweet spot lets me do things most phone tripods can't handle — like pointing straight up at the sky for nighttime astrophotography.

That matters because most compact options, like the Peak Design Mobile Tripod, simply tip over when tilted to an extreme. Because the SmallRig FS-C1 lets me articulate both the legs and the body, that stability issue disappears. With the phone held completely steady, I can pull off clean long exposures where my stationary subject remains tack-sharp while moving elements blur.

Another smart touch is the auxiliary clip concealed in one of the legs, which comes in handy for overhead shots. While it doesn't match the wrap-around flexibility of a Joby GorillaPod, it’s a lifesaver in a pinch. Finally, the built-in carabiner clip lets me snap it directly onto a backpack strap or keychain, keeping it within reach at a moment’s notice.

The aluminum alloy build strikes a great balance, feeling solid without adding noticeable weight. Beyond shooting photos, it easily doubles as a tabletop stand for watching videos during lunch or finding the right angle for a video call.

At under $22, the SmallRig FS-C1 has quickly become one of the most useful everyday-carry tools in my bag.

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You just need five moves and 15 minutes to complete this 5-4-3-2-1 bodyweight ladder workout. This is one of my favorite workouts when I have no time or equipment, and it improves functional, relative strength all over.

You can do the ladder workout as an AMRAP, meaning you’ll do as many rounds as possible, or you can go up and down the ladder once and stop.

I originally designed this bodyweight workout as a full-body finisher because it can fatigue muscles as a “burnout" set at the end of your routine. But it actually stands alone as a workout, too. Get ready to feel the burn.

This five-move ladder workout builds foundational strength all over — without weights 

I categorize it as another functional bodyweight workout using five simple compound exercises, hitting multiple muscle groups at the same time. You can scale each move according to your ability, and I provide some helpful tips below for doing so.

Perform exercises back-to-back, taking a quick rest here and there if you need it. I would rest after a round of exercises is complete rather than stopping between movements.

Start with five reps of each move, then drop to four and so on. Once you finish one rep of each move, go back up the ladder to five reps. You could continue this and set a 15-minute timer, or simply move once up and down the ladder.

And if you're trying to figure out whether or not using just your bodyweight can benefit you, I assure you it can. According to research, benefits of bodyweight training include muscle growth and joint stability, increased strength and endurance, and better flexibility. Grab one of the best yoga mats and hit save.

1. V-sits

Lie on your back with your arms and legs extended. Engage your core. Lift your upper body and legs away from the mat to touch overhead. Lower down to the ground again. Try to imagine a book opening and closing, with the spine of the book mimicking your own spine. Draw up through your abdomen and reach toward your toes.

You can bend your knees to make this easier or point your toes to make it harder, keeping your legs pressed together.

2. Reverse burpees

Lie on your back with your legs extended down the mat. Engage your core. Bend your knees, draw them toward your chest, then shoot them into the air overhead, slightly lifting through your tailbone as you extend.

Reverse the movement to extend your legs away from you just above the mat without dropping them, and continue for reps.

3. Sprawls

Start in a plank position. Jump your feet to the outside of your hands, then lift your hands so that you're sitting in a low squat. Place your hands down, then jump back into a plank and lower your chest to the ground. Press up to the plank position and repeat.

You don't need to bring your chest all the way to the ground as a beginner. For a more advanced variation, bring your chest down and use your core to explosively press up.

4. Deficit push-ups

You can place your hands on anything that elevates them; I like to use yoga blocks or push-up bars. Start in a high plank position with your shoulders stacked over your wrists.

Bend your elbows and lower your chest to the ground, keeping your arms close to your ribcage. Press upward as you exhale, ensuring your hips and chest move as one unit, and you don't leave them behind.

Bring your knees down or shoot for regular push-ups if creating a deficit feels too difficult.

5. Cossack squats

Start with your feet wide and toes pointed out. Bend into one leg and send your weight over to the side, sitting your butt as low as you can, keeping your chest proud and back straight. Your heel should stay planted.

Press upward to stand and sweep straight over to the other side.

Follow Tom's Guide fitness on Instagram for more workouts, routines, tips, and tricks.

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OpenAI's Dots essentially give ChatGPT a job rather than another prompt. Each Dot gets its own computer and browser in the cloud, can connect to the apps you already use and can keep working toward your goals even when you're no longer sitting in front of ChatGPT.

As someone who spends a lot of time testing AI agents, I immediately wanted to see what one could actually do.

There's just one problem: I can't use Dots on my ChatGPT Plus account. And neither can most ChatGPT users.

OpenAI is initially rolling out Dots to ChatGPT Pro and Business Premium users in eligible markets. Enterprise users, including those on Edu and Healthcare plans, can also try the beta if their workspace administrator enables it.

OpenAI says it plans to expand Dots to more users "soon," but there's no date for when Plus, Go or Free users might get access.

At first, keeping one of DevDay's biggest announcements away from most ChatGPT users seems like an odd decision. But the more you look at what Dots are capable of — and particularly the safeguards OpenAI has built around them — the more the cautious rollout starts to make sense.

Dots aren't just another version of ChatGPT

The important difference between Dots and the ChatGPT most of us use today isn't how smart the AI is. It's what happens when you stop talking to it. ChatGPT generally waits for you to tell it what to do next. A Dot is designed to keep going.

Powered by GPT-6 Astra, Dots can work on several projects at once, learn from your feedback and continue working toward your goals 24/7. OpenAI says they can connect to more than 4,000 apps through its plugin ecosystem, and you can reach your Dot through ChatGPT, Slack or Teams.

More importantly, a Dot can look for useful work even when you haven't explicitly given it another prompt.

OpenAI calls this "proactive research." One early tester's Dot, for example, noticed that he'd forgotten to invoice a publication, prepared the invoice and sent it after receiving his approval.

Instead of opening ChatGPT because you need something, OpenAI wants Dots to notice that something needs doing and bring it to you. It's also where things get considerably more complicated.

Giving AI more freedom creates a bigger problem

If ChatGPT misunderstands a prompt, you might get a bad answer. If an AI agent misunderstands what you wanted while it has access to your apps, browser and potentially your computer, the stakes are higher.

OpenAI appears well aware of that, because Dots come with a surprisingly extensive set of restrictions around what they can do without you.

When a Dot is performing proactive research in the background, for example, its connected-app tools are restricted to read-only access. That means it can't independently send messages, modify content inside an app or control your browser or computer while looking for something useful to do.

You also choose which apps a Dot can access, while Custom Rules can determine which actions it can take independently, which require your approval and which are blocked.

Then there's auto-review. Actions that could affect your accounts or share information are checked against your instructions and OpenAI's safety requirements before they're allowed to proceed. Some particularly sensitive jobs, such as changing a password, always stay with you.

As you can immediately see, these aren't the kinds of guardrails you need when you're asking ChatGPT to write an email or plan dinner. They are what you need when an AI can actually do things.

OpenAI's own testing shows how difficult that can get

OpenAI's safety testing also gives us a clue as to why Dots may be getting a more limited rollout. One of the challenges with an always-on agent is keeping track of exactly what you've authorized it to do as it moves between tasks.

Giving an AI permission to take an action in one situation doesn't necessarily mean you want it taking the same action later. And the more jobs an agent is juggling, the more complicated those boundaries become.

That's particularly important with GPT-6 Astra, the model powering Dots. OpenAI's broader Astra testing found that the model was considerably better at staying within its authorized scope than previous models, but it wasn't perfect. In simulated work environments using the confirmation policy that users receive by default, Astra still produced a 3% overall rate of outcomes OpenAI classified as misaligned. That was nevertheless substantially lower than the 8% recorded by GPT-5.6 Sol under the same conditions.

That doesn't mean your Dot has a 3% chance of going rogue every time you give it something to do. These are deliberately difficult evaluations designed to expose potential problems, not a prediction of how often something will go wrong in everyday use. But they demonstrate the problem OpenAI is trying to solve.

Building an AI capable of doing more on its own is one thing. Making sure it consistently understands where its authority ends is another.

Dots may also be expensive to run

There's another potential reason OpenAI isn't immediately handing Dots to every ChatGPT user: all that work requires computing power. OpenAI hasn't said cost is why Dots aren't available on Plus, Go or Free, so we can't know for sure whether that was part of the decision.

But the way Dots are being packaged is interesting. Pro and Business Premium subscribers get their first Dot as part of their existing plan, and OpenAI says conversations with it won't count toward normal ChatGPT usage limits. The plan also comes with an allowance for what OpenAI calls "deeper work."

Eventually, OpenAI says users will be able to add more Dots and increase either how quickly a Dot works or the total amount of work it can perform each month.

That's a pretty strong indication that there's a meaningful cost attached to having an AI agent working for you around the clock, even if OpenAI isn't saying that's why access is limited today.

And it raises an interesting question about what Dots might eventually look like on cheaper ChatGPT plans.

A future Plus version could conceivably come with tighter limits on background work, fewer resources or additional charges once you hit a certain amount of usage. For now, though, OpenAI hasn't announced how access will work beyond saying more users are coming "soon."

What can you use instead of Dots?

The good news is that you don't necessarily have to wait for Dots to start handing some of your work over to ChatGPT.

The closest option is ChatGPT Work. While it isn't an always-on personal assistant in quite the same way as a Dot, Work can take a larger job and carry it through multiple steps for you, including researching information, working across files and apps and navigating web-based tasks.

That's useful when you want to hand ChatGPT a job rather than sit there prompting it through every individual step.

Scheduled tasks cover another piece of the Dots experience. You can have ChatGPT run something later or on a recurring schedule, which works well for things like regular briefings, reminders or checking something periodically.

Neither gives you the full experience OpenAI is promising with Dots, but it's a start.

Meta's Muse is another option if the always-on assistant part is what interests you most. Muse takes a similarly agentic approach and offers a useful glimpse at where this category of AI assistant is heading.

There just isn't a true one-for-one replacement for Dots yet.

Bottom line: I'm waiting for Dots to come to Plus

For now, OpenAI hasn't given us a date for when that will happen. The company says only that it is beginning with Pro, Business Premium and Enterprise and plans to expand Dots to more users soon.

Still, the limited rollout may be one of the most interesting things about Dots. Typically, most major ChatGPT upgrades have been about giving us a smarter model, a new tool or another way to ask AI for something. But Dots changes that completely. Now, OpenAI is building an AI that can continue working when you're gone, notice things you haven't asked about yet and potentially take action on your behalf.

So, while I'd like a Dot on my Plus account right now, I can understand why OpenAI isn't handing one to everyone on day one. The real test will come when it does.

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It’s been pretty wild to watch how hard sitting President Donald J. Trump has been backing AI, even with so many instances of AI tools going rogue and gaining unauthorized access to online institutions.

Even with all the warnings dished out by politicians on both sides of the aisle concerning AI, the current president has gone full steam ahead with his support of the rapidly evolving tech. So much so that he’s recognized it as a huge potential driver of economic growth and a tool that can be used to modernize government operations. With that second instance, a practical AI tool just launched with the intent of simplifying Americans’ access to the wealth of information and services scattered across government agency sites.

America.gov is now recognized as the Trump administration’s new chatbot that’s prepared to answer your inquiries about the information you’re looking for through official government sites. And with the power of Google’s Gemini and Elon Musk’s Grok backing it, the current administration’s AI tool promises to offer less of a headache when it’s time to find public resources.

My duties as an AI writer task me with testing chatbots every day, so of course I was chosen to see if America.gov is as amazing as it's touted to be. To be quite honest, it does exactly what it’s been promised to do.

Prompts that’ll get you shockingly productive results

I had to tag in ChatGPT to assist me with coming up with the proper questions to bring to the newly released, government-approved chatbot. These are the seven prompts that OpenAI’s chatbot gave me, which I went ahead and tried out myself:

• I’m a [number]-year-old American citizen living in [state]. Give me a list of federal benefits, tax credits, programs and services I might qualify for, and explain what I need to do to apply for each one. Ask me follow-up questions if you need more information.
• My passport expires in [number] months and I’m planning an international trip. Walk me through exactly what I need to do to renew it, how much it will cost, what documents I need, how long it normally takes and where I should apply.
• I want to make sure I’m not missing any federal tax credits, rebates or financial assistance programs I could potentially qualify for. Ask me the questions you need to determine which programs are relevant to me, then give me a personalized checklist.
• I’m considering buying my first home. Ask me questions about my income, location, household, military status, credit situation and other relevant circumstances, then identify federal programs, grants, loans, tax benefits or other government resources that I may be eligible for. Explain the requirements and how I can verify my eligibility.
• I’m trying to understand my Social Security options. Ask me the relevant questions about my age, work history, marital status and other circumstances, then explain which Social Security benefits or claiming options may apply to me, what the basic eligibility requirements are, and what steps I would need to take to apply.

With every one of these prompts, America.gov laid out applicable online resources I could go to find exact answers for whatever I was searching for.

For example, the second prompt resulted in me being presented with links to official guidance about renewing my passport, my eligibility for handling the renewal process through mail or secure online services, the documents I would need to perform either of those two processes, the full gamut of passport processing fees, etc. Then I was shown follow-up questions I should ask, such as “How do I track my passport status?”, “What are the photo requirements for a passport?” and “How do I apply in person if I am not eligible to renew by mail?”

And in the case of the last three prompts, America.gov did exactly what it needed to do by asking the appropriate questions it needed to get the information it required to help me even further. To give you a heads-up about the sort of questions that’ll come your way if you use the fourth prompt, here’s what I was asked:

• Location: Which state and city (not street address)? Urban, suburban, or rural?
• Household: Household size? First-time buyer (no principal residence in the last 3 years is a common definition for some programs)?
• Income: Approximate household income range (for example under/over area median)? Steady employment?
• Military: Veteran, active duty, surviving spouse, or National Guard/Reserve?
• Credit: Rough credit-score range (for example under 580, 580–660, 660+), or little/no credit?
• Other: Native American/Alaska Native? Public housing or HUD-assisted renter? Teacher, law enforcement, firefighter, or EMT? Disability related to service? Buying a manufactured home?

The takeaway

Suffice to say, America.gov gets the job done when you’re looking for a clue about the government services you need. Sadly, it won’t give you an overview of Area 51, tell you where the cheapest gas in your state is or give you a source-based summary of every major controversy surrounding the current president (trust me, I tried!).

But the government’s officially backed AI tool certainly gets the job done when it's time to look into your eligibility status for state/federal benefits, how to renew your passport and more.

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There’s little that’s more frustrating than being desperate for a good night’s sleep, only to find yourself wide awake at 3 a.m. If you’re feeling stressed, you might find yourself assuming cortisol is to blame.

After all, stress causes cortisol levels to rise in the body and if this disrupts your internal body clock, it can lead to interrupted sleep. But, it's not the only cause of nighttime wake-ups.

We’ve spoken to Dr. Shelby Harris, behavioral sleep medicine specialist and psychologist with BetterSleep, who has explained that there are actually a number of ways your habits in the lead-up to bedtime might be preventing you from sleeping through the night, from what you consume to how you move.

Plus, we’ve got easy fixes for these ‘bad’ habits that should help you get an uninterrupted rest.

4 nighttime habits ruining your sleep

What we do before bedtime can significantly impact our sleep and even cause those dreaded 3 a.m. wakeups. Dr. Harris shares the nighttime habits that may be disrupting your sleep and what you can do instead to help you sleep through the night.

1. Drinking alcohol (especially late at night)

"While alcohol can make you feel sleepy initially, it can disrupt the quality of your sleep as it wears off during the night," Dr. Harris says. "This can lead to lighter, more fragmented sleep and more frequent wakeups, especially in the second half of the night.

Research has shown that this is caused by alcohol metabolizing in your body, causing "sympathetic activation, increased arousability, and sleep fragmentation" — which means waking up more often and for longer.

Plus, the effects of alcohol on sleep were found to more noticeable when it was consumed closer to bedtime. And while you may think a glass of wine or two won't hurt your sleep, one 2024 study found that even light consumption of alcohol can impact sleep health.

The fix

"If you’re drinking, try to avoid having alcohol too close to bedtime and drink water alongside it," says Dr. Harris.

Another option is to try one of these five sleep inducing non-alcoholic drinks — including TikTok favorite, the Sleepy Girl Mocktail. With ingredients including tart cherry juice (which contains melatonin) and magnesium powder (magnesium has been linked to better sleep quality), this popular mocktail is doctor-approved.

2. Eating a large or heavy meal too close to bedtime

We've all been there, a busy day pushes your evening meal later. And as the colder weather sets in, it's more likely you'll be swapping light summer dishes for heavier, richer foods.

But that combination can wreak havoc on your sleep. "Going to bed immediately after a large meal can make it harder to sleep comfortably. Digestion can contribute to discomfort or reflux, and particularly rich, spicy, or fatty foods may worsen those issues and potentially disrupt sleep," says Dr. Harris.

Aside from those issues, the activation of digestion and increase in core body temperature that come with eating a big meal can both "delay sleep onset and lead to more nighttime awakenings," clinical psychologist Dr. Leah Kaylor previously explained to us.

One study found that eating within three hours of bedtime was associated with waking up during the night, while another study reported that people who ate or drank within an hour of bedtime with more likely to wake during the night compared to those who didn't eat or drink during that timeframe.

The fix

Dr. Harris advises that, "When possible, aim to finish dinner a few hours before bed. If you're genuinely hungry later, a small, balanced snack is a better option than going to bed overly full."

Our guide to six healthy nighttime snacks to help you sleep better features nutritionist-approved foods such as cherries and almonds, as well as tips on what to skip if you want to sleep well (spoiler alert — chocolate and spicy foods are best avoided).

You might also want to consider adding a little more protein to your diet, as it contains tryptophan, an amino acid that is involved in the production of melatonin (the sleepy hormone).

3. Consuming caffeine too late in the day

Dr. Harris explains that "caffeine has a relatively long half-life, meaning some of it can remain in your system for hours after you drink it."

The half-life of caffeine around 4-6 hours, which means it takes that long for your body to metabolize half of what you've consumed. So, drinking coffee, matcha tea or even eating a bar of dark chocolate, too late in the day can mean there's still plenty of caffeine in your system come bedtime.

Plus, new research shows that "even if you can fall asleep after an afternoon coffee, caffeine can reduce sleep quality and contribute to more fragmented sleep for some people," the psychologist explains.

One meta-analysis of research into the effects of caffeine on sleep found that consuming it led to an increase of 12 minutes in time awake after sleep onset (essentially the length time you wake up at night after falling asleep initially), as well as leading to more light sleep and less deep sleep.

The fix

"Instead, you can set a personal caffeine cut off earlier in the day," Dr. Harris suggests.

The research above advised that you should stop consuming caffeine around nine hours before you intend to sleep — for example, a 1pm cut off time if you plan to go to bed at 10pm.

"If you want a warm beverage in the evening, choose something caffeine-free such as herbal tea," the sleep specialist adds. Chamomile tea is a great option, as it has been shown in studies to help improve sleep quality.

4. Exercising too close to bedtime

There's plenty of research to indicate that exercise improves sleep, but as Dr. Harris explains, "intense exercise right before bed can leave your body feeling energized when it should be winding down."

"Exercise temporarily raises your heart rate, body temperature, and alertness, which can make it harder to fall asleep and, for some people, may contribute to waking up during the night," she says.

One small study found that intense aerobic exercise in the evening led to participants experiencing sleep issues, including increasing the time it took to fall asleep and the number of nighttime awakenings.

And, a meta-analysis of research into morning vs. evening exercise found that workouts in the evening or at nighttime were associated with waking up more at night.

The fix

"If you prefer exercising at night, gentler activities like stretching, walking, or yoga may be less disruptive," advises Dr. Harris.

Certain gentle exercise might even help prevent nighttime wakeups. A review of studies found that yoga, walking and Tai Chi were among the most effective at improving sleep for those with insomnia.

Alternatively, these seven stretches to do before bed include simple poses like a forward fold and child's pose, and can help relax you by activating the parasympathetic nervous system. They shouldn't cause any sleep disruptions!

How important are healthy habits in the lead-up to bedtime?

We've explored the nighttime habits that can be disruptive for sleep, but Dr. Harris explains that "healthy habits in the hours before bedtime play an important role in helping you sleep through the night."

"Sleep depends not only on how tired you are but also on your stress levels, evening routines, and environment," she adds.

The sleep expert suggests sticking to a consistent bedtime, making sure you have a relaxing nighttime routine to allow you to wind down, and limiting activities that will stimulate your brain (think scrolling on your phone or staying up late watching TV). These are all effective ways to signal to your body that it's time to rest.

And though she notes that healthy habits can't prevent nighttime wakeups altogether, "they can support more restful, uninterrupted sleep by making it easier to fall asleep and return to sleep if you do wake up."

How to tell if it is cortisol waking you up at night

If you're not sure whether cortisol is behind your nighttime awakenings, it may be useful to understand how stress impacts cortisol in the body.

Dr. Harris explains that stress "can interfere with sleep by activating the body's stress response, which involves hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline," adding that the brain stays more alert when we're stressed, which makes it harder to maintain the deeper, restorative stages of sleep.

"Although cortisol naturally fluctuates throughout the day and is generally lower at night, ongoing stress can disrupt these patterns and contribute to nighttime awakenings," she says.

As Tom's Guide sleep editor Nicola Appleton recently discovered, cortisol naturally rises from about 3 a.m. as part of our normal circadian rhythm, but if stress has raised your cortisol levels above a typical baseline level, this increase can actually wake you up.

While Dr. Harris says "it can be difficult to determine whether stress or cortisol directly causes nighttime awakenings," she adds that there are patterns people might notice that can suggest stress is contributing to disrupted sleep.

These include waking up with racing thoughts, feeling mentally alert despite being tired, experiencing muscle tension, or noticing that your heart is beating faster than usual. The psychologist adds that "consistently waking up during particularly stressful periods, such as before a major deadline or during a difficult life event, can also be a clue."

However, she points out that waking up at night can also be caused by "uncomfortable sleep environment, alcohol, caffeine, medications, or underlying sleep conditions, so these symptoms alone do not confirm that cortisol is the cause."

Here are Dr. Harris' tips for helping to prevent stress — and therefore cortisol — waking you up at night:

• "Establish a calming, consistent wind-down routine before bed. People can set aside 30 to 60 minutes to transition away from work, limit stimulating screen time, practice deep breathing or gentle stretching, and write down worries or next-day tasks to help clear their minds."
• "Maintaining a regular sleep schedule and creating a cool, dark, and comfortable bedroom can also support more restful sleep."
• "If someone wakes up with racing thoughts, instead of checking the clock or getting frustrated about being awake, they can try slow, steady breathing and gently redirect their attention to the present moment."

I run every day and listen to music or podcasts on almost all my runs, but I very rarely use over-ear or on-ear headphones for this. For the most part I prefer open earbuds that clip on or hook over my ear, which have smaller, sweatproof designs.

However, the new Beats 360 over-ear headphones are touted as great for workouts thanks to their swappable pads and sweat-resistant build, so I was curious to see how they actually felt on a 10-mile long run.

I was pleasantly surprised at their performance. There are drawbacks to the bulkier design, which does get hotter and sweatier than earbuds, but if you prefer to use over-ear cans for everything then I’d say the Beats 360 are the best running headphones you can get.

The Beats 360 were comfortable and secure throughout the run

Over-ear headphones are bigger and heavier than the buds I normally use and I worried the Beats 360 would either be loose and slide around during the run, or have such a tight fit to avoid this that they became uncomfortable after a few miles.

I needn’t have worried. The fit on the Beats 360 is spot on and they stayed securely in place throughout my run without ever putting undue pressure on my ears.

Even when running downhill (which can make headphones bounce around), they didn’t budge, and they never actually felt too heavy or bulky.

I will give one caveat on comfort though, which when wearing traditional glasses or sunglasses I do get a bit of pressure where the arms are pushed in by the headphones. On the run I used Ombraz Teton glasses that have a cord rather than arms, and didn’t get this pressure.

My ears did get hot, and the cushions take some time to dry afterwards

No matter how well-designed over-ear headphones are, they’re going to make your ears hotter and sweatier during workouts than smaller earbuds, and the pads on the Beats 360 were damp with sweat by the end of my 10-miler.

It was a pretty cool day and I didn’t find that this was uncomfortable during the run, but it took the performance knit cushions around five hours to fully dry afterwards.

Having a couple of sets of the swappable cushion kits are a must if you plan to use the headphones for workouts. It’s very quick and easy to take the cushions off and mix up the look and feel of the headphones.

That said, the fabric covering the driver also felt a little sweaty after my run, and though it dried quickly, I’m a little concerned about how long-term workout use might affect the headphones, which are only IPX4-rated.

This means they are water and sweat resistant and usually I’ve found that this is a high enough rating for workouts and runs with earbuds, but the extra sweat produced by wearing over-ear headphones might be more of a stretch.

The sound quality is great, and the transparency mode keeps you aware

The benefit of the Beats 360 compared with in-ear and open-ear buds is the great sound quality and active noise cancellation you get from the design, which is even more apparent outside of workouts.

During my run I used them in their transparency mode to stay aware of my surroundings — I was mostly on traffic-free paths in a forest, but had a couple of short stints on roads.

If you turn the volume down and use transparency I do think you get enough awareness, though not as much as with open headphones of course.

Then you can lock in and use ANC when it’s safe to do so, like when training in the gym or traveling.

One thing I did notice with the Beats 360 is that they don’t filter out the sound of the wind well when I was running outdoors with the transparency mode on, so they can sound a little gusty when you hit a headwind.

The best over-ear cans I’ve run with, but I’m still going back to earbuds

I was impressed by the Beats 360 and if you love over-ear headphones, these are the best for running I’ve tried. I’d happily use them regularly, but I still do prefer the fit and feel of smaller buds myself, especially those with an open design.

The Apple AirPods 5 and Shokz OpenDots 2 are my favorite running headphones at the moment and they offer more awareness and a less sweaty fit. If you don't need the open design, then the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 are a strong pick for workouts and runs thanks to their earhook.

More from Tom's Guide

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Anthropic released Claude Sonnet 5.5 on Monday, six days after launching Opus 5.5, and for most people the smaller model may turn out to be the more important release of the two.

Sonnet is the model built for the work people bring to Claude every day, like rewriting an email, summarizing a long document, turning messy notes into something usable or building a slide deck.

Anthropic says Sonnet 5.5 generates responses more than 30% faster than Sonnet 5, writes more clearly and handles well-defined everyday tasks better than its predecessor. On one of the benchmarks that best reflects that kind of work, it scores almost exactly the same as Opus 5.5.

That combination has me rethinking which Claude model I start with.

Why speed matters for everyday Claude use

Most of my time with Claude isn't spent on hard problems. I might ask it to summarize something, explain a complicated topic, help plan a project or work through a problem, and then follow up as the answer takes shape.

That back-and-forth is where a faster model earns its keep, because a few extra seconds of waiting on every response can quickly add up when you're having a longer conversation.

The speed boost comes with an efficiency gain as well. Anthropic says Sonnet 5.5 needs far fewer tokens to finish the same job, so while developers pay the same $2 per million input tokens and $10 per million output tokens as they did for Sonnet 5, the company says the cost of a typical task drops by up to 30%. Opus 5.5 costs twice as much per token.

The gap with Opus has nearly closed on paper

The number that really caught my attention comes from a test designed to see how well AI models handle the kinds of work people do in the real world. It covers tasks from 44 different occupations, so rather than testing obscure trivia or math problems, it’s meant to give us a better idea of how useful these models might actually be at work.

Sonnet 5.5 scored 1,844. Opus 5.5, Anthropic’s more powerful model, scored 1,846. That’s just two points separating them. The previous version of Sonnet scored 1,449, so this is a pretty big jump. On this particular test, at least, the cheaper Sonnet has gone from trailing Opus by a wide margin to essentially tying it.

Sonnet 5.5 even came out ahead on one coding test, although Opus still won on others. That doesn’t mean Sonnet is suddenly the better model across the board, and Anthropic isn’t claiming that it is.

Opus 5.5 is still designed for the really difficult stuff: complicated projects, ambiguous problems and work that requires the model to keep track of a lot of moving pieces over a long period of time.

But most people aren’t asking Claude to solve those kinds of problems every day. And these results suggest that for the more ordinary things we use AI for, choosing Sonnet may no longer feel like much of a compromise.

When I'd still reach for Opus 5.5

Opus 5.5 is still the top model in the Claude 5.5 family, and I'd switch to it for a sprawling coding project, a tricky analysis or anything where Claude needs to keep track of a lot of interconnected information over a long session. For drafting an email, analyzing a document, brainstorming, working through research or building a presentation, I'd start with Sonnet 5.5.

That flips the way I've usually approached Claude. I used to wonder whether Sonnet was capable enough for a given task, and now I'd assume it is and only move up to Opus when a prompt proves otherwise.

How to get Claude Sonnet 5.5

Sonnet 5.5 is available now across Anthropic’s platforms, including the Claude API under the model name claude-sonnet-5-5, as well as through Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure.

It’s available across Claude’s plans and replaces Sonnet 5 as the default model for Free and Pro users. In the Claude apps and Claude Code, it runs at Medium effort by default, which favors faster responses and lower token use, while developers using the Claude Platform get High effort by default.

Anthropic says a smaller Haiku 5.5 model, designed for high-volume and cost-sensitive tasks, will follow in the coming weeks.

5 prompts to try now

Here are five ways to get started with Claude Sonnet 5.5 now. You can tweak these prompts to fit your needs, just adjust what I've highlighted in bold:

Messy email: Rewrite this email so it sounds friendly but professional. Keep it under 120 words and don't make it sound overly formal: "Hi, just checking in because I sent this over last week and haven't heard anything. I know you're probably busy but I need to know where things stand because I have to make a decision by Friday. Can you let me know either way? Thanks."

Planning with real constraints: Plan a Saturday in New York City for a family of five with kids ages 5, 9 and 12. We have $200 to spend from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., not including transportation. Include at least one indoor activity, somewhere casual for lunch and enough downtime that the day doesn't feel exhausting.

Explain something complicated simply: Explain why mortgage rates can stay high even after the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates. Assume I know nothing about economics. Keep it conversational, avoid jargon and give me one simple analogy that makes it easier to understand.

Make a decision rather than just list options: I'm buying a laptop mostly for web browsing, email, streaming, video calls and occasional photo editing. I tend to keep my computers for at least five years. Should I spend $700 on a basic model or $1,200 on a more powerful one? Walk me through the tradeoffs, then make a recommendation instead of telling me "it depends."

Handle an everyday problem with judgment: I have 45 minutes before guests arrive. My kitchen is messy, there are toys all over the living room, the bathroom needs cleaning, laundry is sitting on the couch and I haven't taken out the trash. Give me a realistic 45-minute plan. Prioritize what guests will actually notice and tell me what I should ignore until later.

Bottom line

The most powerful AI model isn't always the one I want to use. Most of my conversations with Claude aren't especially complicated. I want a good answer, I want it quickly and I want the model to understand what I'm asking without making me work for it. Sonnet 5.5 seems built for that kind of everyday use.

I still want to spend more time testing it side by side with Opus 5.5 before deciding just how close the two really are. But based on what I've seen so far, Sonnet 5.5 is probably the Claude model I'd reach for first.

More from Tom's Guide

• I tested Meta Muse vs ChatGPT-6 with 5 prompts — OpenAI just lost
• I used Siri AI to plan my entire weekend — and it did way more than I expected
• 'Surveillance Tamagotchi': Tom's Guide readers weigh in on Meta's new Muse Charm

On average, I drive about 300 miles a week testing new vehicles. But while I’m constantly switching cars from week to week, one thing has remained constant: Google Maps. I’ve tested Apple Maps, Waze, and even TomTom over the past year alone while reviewing many of the best electric cars, but I always find myself going back to Google.

The arrival of Google Maps Immersive Navigation is further proof that it delivers the most comprehensive navigation experience around — especially now that it’s available on both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. After putting it through my daily commutes for the past two weeks, I can tell you it finally solves one of driving's biggest headaches: making confusing, split-second freeway exits effortless to navigate.

Real depth for tricky exits

Driving rarely stresses me out, but navigating unfamiliar roads during complex traffic conditions certainly puts me on high alert. That's especially true when approaching multi-lane highway splits and sudden off-ramps. Even local freeways I travel regularly, like the Garden State Parkway and the New Jersey Turnpike, can become overwhelming in congested areas — yet Immersive Navigation noticeably cuts through the chaos.

First and foremost, the updated 3D map view renders the surrounding environment with true depth and elevation. I'm not just talking about roadside buildings and trees, either. The roadways themselves now reflect actual depth, making it much easier to distinguish overpasses and elevated flyover ramps. Multi-level highways are notoriously tricky on a flat 2D screen, but Immersive Navigation makes it instantly clear whether I'm traveling above or below an overlapping route.

In the screenshots above that show Google Maps Immersive Navigation with CarPlay, you can clearly see how perpendicular overpasses crossing my path demonstrate the visible separation and depth between the elevated roadway and the lanes below.

Smart zoom dynamically frames the road ahead

The first few times I tested Immersive Navigation on my commute into New York City, I genuinely thought Android Auto was glitching whenever the display shifted unexpectedly. I quickly realized, though, that these dynamic adjustments were deliberate — cleverly engineered to provide me with more immediate context for what's ahead.

Most in-car navigation displays maintain a relatively static view, but Google’s "smart zooms" kick in contextually to deliver the ideal perspective. For instance, when I'm cruising along an open 10-mile stretch of the New Jersey Turnpike, the camera smoothly pulls back to reveal the highway far ahead. That bird's-eye vantage gives me ample warning if a route suddenly flips from blue to red, so I have plenty of time to consider alternate routes.

Just as impressively, the camera punches in close whenever precision matters — such as approaching a multi-lane merge or an intricate off-ramp. That tighter frame takes the panic out of lane positioning, ensuring I don't overshoot an exit. Whether I'm navigating gridlock or fast-moving traffic, smart zoom makes it significantly easier to anticipate my next move.

Comprehensive experience

At this point, I can’t see myself using anything other than Google Maps — Immersive Navigation has been an absolute game-changer. Yet while the visual overhaul is welcome, the visual makeover means very little if the underlying navigation data falls short. That reliable foundation is ultimately why Google Maps remains my default choice for turn-by-turn directions.

Its real-time traffic engine consistently proves its worth on my commutes, actively saving me time by spotting gridlock early and rerouting on the fly. Factor in dependable speed-trap notifications and community-driven hazard alerts, and the driving experience remains second to none.

Best of all, Immersive Navigation isn't restricted to a single ecosystem because it works seamlessly across Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and the standalone Google Maps app. Whether I'm plugging in an iPhone one week or an Android device the next, that cross-platform flexibility guarantees that smarter, stress-free navigation is along for every ride.

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I can’t remember listening to my first podcast or even when the term itself became mainstream. But what I do know is that I’ve been addicted to podcasts and can’t imagine my mornings and afternoon work breaks without them.

Turns out there’s a holiday that’s all about rejoicing over the podcast medium itself and the wealth of independent creators that millions of people listen to for their perspective on a myriad of topics. As for myself, I tend to hunker down and listen intently as my favorite podcasters shower praise and vehemently lambast the many happenings within the realms of gaming, pro wrestling, current events, music, etc.

With International Podcast Day now in our midst, I wanted to celebrate such an occasion by giving my attention to a host of podcasts I may have never even heard of. With that goal in mind, I presented my favorite podcasts to four chatbots and tasked them with finding me comparable selections that match my listening needs.

ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Muse laid out a strong selection of podcasts that surprised me, due to how much they fulfill my tastes as a listener. Here’s how this successful AI recommendation experiment led me to my latest listens.

AI finds my favorites

To get a good idea of the podcasts I regularly listen to, I presented this request to all four chatbots:

“My favorite podcasts are the Weapon Wheel Podcast, The Brilliant Idiots, Joe Budden Podcast, Solomonster Sounds Off, The Midnight Boys, Double Tap - The Fighting Games Community Podcast and We Might Be Drunk Podcast. Based on each of those picks, recommend another podcast I might like.”

ChatGPT did a great job of fulfilling my needs to find a gaming podcast that features a panel of passionate gamers who aren’t afraid to let a few colorful words flow as they get into heated debates. It also found a podcast that features two best friends diving into the most trending topics and adding their hilarious two cents on every one of them.

Here are the two recommendations it gave me that ended up on my list of must-listens:

• Your pick: Weapon Wheel Podcast. Try this next: SpawnCast. Why I think it fits: Both are built around passionate gaming discussion, news, industry happenings and personalities rather than just straightforward game reviews. SpawnCast also shows up among the podcasts listeners of Weapon Wheel tend to subscribe to.
• Your pick: The Brilliant Idiots. Try this next: Bad Friends. Why I think it fits: This is probably the easiest recommendation on the entire list. If you like Charlamagne and Andrew Schulz bouncing between serious conversations, ridiculous tangents and offensive jokes, Bobby Lee and Andrew Santino should work extremely well for you. Podchaser also lists Bad Friends among shows similar to The Brilliant Idiots.

When it came time for Gemini to expand my choices of podcasts to listen to, it listed three picks that piqued my interest based on their AI-generated descriptions. One of them was another gaming-themed podcast that matched my love for uncut discussions, the second one gave me another podcast all about pop-culture deep dives and the final recommendation catered to my love for comedians having hilarious conversations about anything that comes to mind:

• For Weapon Wheel Podcast - Recommended: Castle Super Beast. Why it fits: Weapon Wheel is known for raw, unfiltered, long-form gaming industry talk with a distinct culture and zero corporate spin. Castle Super Beast (hosted by Woolie Versus and Pat Stares Back) brings that same candid, high-energy gaming banter, combining deep technical industry takes with hilarious, off-the-cuff humor.
• For The Midnight Boys - Recommended: The Big Picture. Why it fits: Hosted by Van Lathan and the Ringer squad, The Midnight Boys brings high-energy fandom, banter, and nerd culture debates. Staying within The Ringer network, The Big Picture (hosted by Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins) offers top-tier pop culture, movie drafts, and deep-dive media discussions delivered with sharp chemistry.
• For We Might Be Drunk Podcast - Recommended: Tuesdays with Stories. Why it fits: We Might Be Drunk thrives on relaxed, hangout-style comic talk over drinks. Tuesdays with Stories, hosted by Mark Normand alongside Joe List, delivers that same loose, effortlessly funny stand-up comedian banter filled with touring stories, life observations, and unscripted comedy.

Claude’s suggestions highlighted a bunch of podcasts I already listen to. But there was one pick on its list that stood out as another quality production that resonated with my love for comedy and the comedians who uphold the off-the-cuff hilarity that comes with it in a podcast setting:

• We Might Be Drunk → Two Bears, One Cave. Comedians trading stories and roasting each other, with a similar loose feel.

For my final pick, I gave Meta’s newly released Muse chatbot a shot at pushing me in the right direction toward a potential new favorite podcast. And this time, it ended up dropping another podcast in my lap that centered around my adoration for smart commentary about sci-fi, fantasy, and nerd culture:

• The Midnight Boys → The House of R. Mallory Rubin and Joanna Robinson go just as deep on Marvel, Star Wars, and fantasy nerd stuff.

I have to shout out ChatGPT’s overall observation of my tastes in podcasts, which described me perfectly:

And there's an interesting pattern here: you seem to prefer podcasts where the hosts' personalities are almost as important as the subject matter. That's why I'd steer you toward shows with a strong chemistry between recurring hosts rather than highly produced, documentary-style podcasts.

The takeaway

Even though ChatGPT has earned a spot on my AI tool list as one of the best chatbots for recommendations, Gemini, Claude and Muse also excelled at gifting me a lineup of podcasts that match the quality selections OpenAI’s AI assistant sent my way.

After listening to a few episodes from each of those chatbots’ podcast proposals, I ended up with a YouTube and Apple Podcasts playlist full of podcast material that will stave off those dreaded moments of boredom in the near future. I implore everyone reading this to present my prompt to their preferred chatbot, fill in the blanks with your top picks and see just how good AI is at selecting podcasts you just may fall in love with.

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• I used ChatGPT and Gemini to build my Oktoberfest bucket list — these are the 5 celebrations that made the cut
• ChatGPT is now my go-to for recommendations — 7 prompts I use to find new movies, music, games and more
• I asked ChatGPT and Gemini to build a movie marathon based on one oddly specific theme — here are the 7 recommended films I loved the most

Meta had plenty to announce at Meta Connect, but Mark Zuckerberg saved one of the biggest surprises for the end: the Muse Charm, a small wearable device built specifically around the company's new Muse AI agent.

The Charm is designed to give Muse a physical presence outside your phone or computer. Rather than pulling out an app every time you want to interact with Meta's AI, the idea is that Muse can stay with you throughout the day, giving the agent access to more of the context surrounding whatever you're doing.

It's an ambitious idea, particularly as AI companies all seem to have something similar in the works as they race to figure out what comes after the chatbot. But if Meta was hoping people would immediately embrace the prospect of carrying around a dedicated Muse device, Tom's Guide readers have thoughts.

We shared the Muse Charm announcement on Instagram, and more than 400 comments later, I went through the responses to see what people are saying.

The short version? Let's call the reception frosty.

Readers immediately saw a surveillance device

The most-liked response managed to sum up much of the reaction in only two words: "Surveillance Tamagotchi."

That comment picked up 537 likes, considerably more than any other response I found, and variations on the same idea appeared throughout the comments.

"People clapping for an AI Tamagotchi ," wrote one commenter, picking up 267 likes.

Another reader called it "an AI ankle monitor without a court order!", earning 191 likes, while another wrote, "Great another spy wearable solution for Meta!" That one received 102 likes.

Then there was perhaps the most elaborate version:

"Hey another cute mass surveillance tool for the tyrannical state that you pay for with your own money. Genius." It received another 39 likes.

We don't know Muse Charm presents a greater privacy risk than other devices people already carry around every day, such as Looki, Bee from Amazon, and the now defunct Humane Pin. And it's worth separating people's perception of a product from what the hardware actually does.

But perception matters when you're trying to convince people to wear something powered by AI, and our readers clearly aren't giving Meta the benefit of the doubt.

Combined with "Surveillance Tamagotchi," it's probably safe to say Meta has an unofficial nickname for its new hardware whether it wanted one or not.

There's something revealing about the comparison, too. Tamagotchis were designed to demand your attention throughout the day. Muse Charm is obviously a very different product, but Meta's pitch similarly imagines an AI that becomes a persistent presence rather than something you deliberately open, use and close.

For some readers, apparently, that's slightly unsettling. And then there's the ghost of the Humane AI Pin

Anyone who followed the short-lived AI hardware boom probably knew this comparison was coming.

"Isn't this what the ex apple guy launched and it was a flop and the company closed down? Humane AI pin?" one reader asked. The comment received 60 likes.

It's not an unreasonable connection...

The Humane AI Pin was one of the highest-profile attempts to create dedicated consumer AI hardware rather than simply putting AI into a smartphone. Its failure has subsequently become something of a warning for every company attempting the same basic proposition: convincing consumers that AI is compelling enough to justify another device.

One reader was even less optimistic about Meta's chances, writing:

"Will be as successful as the Metaverse." That one received 44 likes. Ouch.

Some people actually like it

Scrolling through hundreds of responses wasn't entirely an exercise in finding creative ways to call Muse Charm surveillance hardware.

There were people who seemed genuinely excited.

"BEST THING EVER ," wrote one. Could be sarcasm though.

Another offered "looks cool ," while a third went with a simple "Good."

And...that's pretty much the gist of the positive comments I found.

It's obviously impossible to extrapolate overall consumer demand from the comments beneath a single Instagram post. People who dislike a product may also be considerably more motivated to comment than someone who thinks it looks interesting.

Still, the contrast was hard to miss. The negative responses weren't just more numerous; readers were writing paragraphs explaining why they didn't want this thing.

Bottom line: Meta may have a bigger challenge ahead

What stood out most after reading through more than 400 comments is that readers were debating whether they want an always-available Meta AI device around them in the first place. That's a much harder objection to solve with better specs like battery life.

Muse Charm isn't even on sale yet, so there's plenty we still don't know about how useful it will be in everyday life or even how much it costs. Meta could ultimately demonstrate that a dedicated Muse device offers something genuinely different from pulling out a phone and opening an AI app.

For now, though, Tom's Guide readers have delivered their first verdict. And "Surveillance Tamagotchi" is going to be awfully hard to beat.

What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments.

More from Tom's Guide

• I tested Meta Muse vs ChatGPT-6 with 5 prompts — OpenAI just lost
• I used Siri AI to plan my entire weekend — and it did way more than I expected
• I tried the viral '/human' ChatGPT trick and it actually fixed robotic writing

Harrison Ford has to be one of the biggest movie stars of the 1980s, starring in some of the most iconic films of the decade. From playing Han Solo in “Star Wars” to cracking the whip as Indiana Jones, Ford had a pretty impressive run throughout the decade. He also took on very different roles in movies such as “Blade Runner,” “Witness,” “The Mosquito Coast” and “Working Girl.”

But how well do you remember his biggest movies from the 1980s? I’ve put together 10 questions covering some of Ford’s most memorable movies from the decade. You’ll need to remember everything from his characters and co-stars to some of the key details from these classic movies. So, whether you grew up watching these films or you’ve discovered them more recently, it’s time to put your Harrison Ford knowledge to the test. How many can you get right out of 10?

If you’re still in the mood for a movie challenge, there’s plenty more to test your knowledge on. Try my classic movie quiz next, or see if you can remember these iconic ‘90s action movies, from “Mission: Impossible” to “Die Hard.”

If you enjoyed this quiz, then please bookmark our Quiz section and visit our Polls page to have your say on all manner of topics, from the best Hollywood movies to the latest Apple releases.

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There are plenty of supposed ChatGPT “tricks” floating around online, and I tend to approach most of them with a healthy dose of skepticism. If you've used ChatGPT for any length of time, you know that it’s getting better at sounding less robotic, but it still struggles with the overuse of words and phrases like, “that distinction matters,” “increasingly” and the overuse of patterns like “if x than y.”

But for those who spend a lot of time writing emails or corporate notes and use ChatGPT has a faster way to get the job done, than you might be interested in this viral trick. By simply adding /human before your prompt, you can get ChatGPT to ditch its telltale AI writing habits and respond more like a real person might.

To understand the reasoning behind this trick, it’s important to know how large language models respond to context. A single instruction like /human can sometimes steer an answer in a way that you’d expect and less like AI.

To test this trick, I gave ChatGPT five everyday writing tasks, from drafting an awkward email to writing a LinkedIn post that's practically begging for AI clichés. Here’s what happened.

1. The awkward work email

Prompt: Write an email telling my boss I won't finish a project by Friday and need until Monday. I don't want to make excuses, but I also don't want to sound careless.

After running the identical prompt with /human, the biggest difference is that it removed what sounds like a carefully engineered “professional email” and more like a person giving their boss an early, straightforward heads-up. It actually sounded like something a real human might send.

2. The birthday text

Prompt: Write a birthday text for my best friend of 20 years. Make it warm and funny without getting overly sentimental.

You’ll notice the /human version changed mostly the cadence and specificity, not the message itself. It made the message messy in a deliberate way. And, it uses more conversational rhythm: short sentence > joke > longer thought > joke > affection > done. It’s not overly polished in the way ChatGPT usually responds. There are also far less generic sentiments.

3. The recommendation

Prompt: Recommend a coffee maker for someone who drinks two cups every morning, hates complicated appliances and has a budget of $150. Explain your recommendation in about 150 words.

Adding /human made the text sound more like a person answering the question from experience. The original sounds like a product recommendation from the actual company, which makes it sound less sincere. The human version also made fewer transitions. It removed obvious AI phrases like, “more importantly” and “for your needs,” which are typical AI fluff.

4. The personal story

Prompt: Write 150 words about the moment you realize your oldest child is growing up faster than you expected. Make it emotional without being overly sentimental.

The /human version feels less polished and more conversational, replacing carefully constructed imagery and symmetrical phrasing with messier, more specific observations. It also avoids neatly explaining the emotion, letting humor, uncertainty and slightly imperfect phrasing make the moment feel more natural. It shows rather than tells, which is what human writing often does.

5. The LinkedIn post

Prompt: Write a LinkedIn post announcing that I'm starting a new job. I'm excited about the opportunity, but I don't want it to sound like every other LinkedIn announcement.

The /human version drops the LinkedIn cliches and replaces them with more specific, slightly messy thoughts like nerves, self-doubt and worrying about a first-day outfit. The sentence structure is also looser and more conversational, so it reads more like someone sharing news than crafting a professional announcement. This test definitely felt like the final boss of AI writing.

Final thoughts

It’s clear that this viral trick definitely works, even with the latest version of ChatGPT, which already claims to cut the fluff. But even by adding /human to the prompt, AI writing is still AI writing. No matter how much you try to adjust a draft written by AI, it’s always better to start with a human draft and then ask AI to help you edit. Once you start with an AI draft, it’s very hard to compose it into something that doesn’t sound completely robotic.

Give this trick a try and let me know what you think in the comments. Have you tried another viral hack? Share your thoughts and start the conversation.

More from Tom's Guide

• I asked ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Muse to predict how bad the Nor'easter is going to be this weekend — here's what they say
• ChatGPT-6 or Claude Opus 5.5? Here’s which AI I'd use for writing, planning and 5 other everyday tasks
• I tested ChatGPT-6 vs Claude Opus 5.5 with 5 everyday prompts — it wasn’t even close

The best hip mobility exercise doesn't exist. You ideally need a combination of exercises that move your pelvis through different planes of motion, including internal and external rotation.

It can be confusing to know what does and doesn't help, which is why I regularly test hip mobility exercises and share the ones I swear by as a trainer.

While I encourage strength training to maintain as much strength and muscle as possible, surprisingly, I'm more passionate about encouraging regular mobility training, and I encourage it even more strongly after 50.

For many of my clients, I recommend the same exercises at any age, but how we approach them might differ from person to person. For me, this move always stands out.

If you experience pain at any time, stop and rest. If you're working with an injury or health condition, I recommend seeking advice before starting these exercises.

Watch: Internal rotation hip exercise

When you think of warming up, you might think of hip rolls that externally rotate and open the hips, or leg swings that stretch the hip flexors, using a forward-back motion. How often do you think about internal hip rotation?

In this instance, I mean drawing the knee toward your midline, rotating the hip inward. Strong, healthy hips should be able to move in all directions, so picking exercises that strengthen your hips in multiple ways is a great place to start.

I'd pick this move, as you can do it anywhere using your bodyweight, gradually increasing your range of motion as you improve.

I recommend 8-12 reps per side and 3 sets. Focus on the quality of your reps rather than speed.

What are the benefits?

Internal rotation helps build mobility, control and strength around the pelvis, offering a deep stretch at the same time. Increasing hip internal rotation translates to better movement and range of motion, too.

You’ll feel the stretch primarily in your glutes, hips and groin, but more generally, improving your internal rotation abilities will target the gluteus minimus, medius, adductors, hip flexors and tensor fascia latae, to name a few muscle groups.

• Follow Tom's Guide fitness on Instagram for more workouts, routines, tips, and tricks.

To modify this exercise, move slowly and don't reach as far into the stretch; pause for a moment, then release. You might choose fewer sets or reps, or play around with the equipment you use.

If you find this exercise hurts your knees, stop immediately. Try to keep a soft bend in your standing leg, square your hips and lean your weight slightly forward while keeping your back straight; this will improve balance and glute activation.

Remember, while you are trying to draw your raised knee toward you, you're not twisting over to the side, as this will take away from the range you can achieve during the exercise. Instead, consider placing a hand on your hip as you rotate so that you can feel your pelvis doing the work.

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I have to give Meta’s Muse AI its flowers—alongside asking it everyday questions and giving it the standard commands that work with competing chatbots, Meta’s digital assistant also has the capacity to automate multi-step real-world tasks and manage a bevy of busywork across my apps and even my phone calls.

I’ve already seen how useful it can be whenever I’m in shopping mode, so I wanted to deviate from my online retail deal hunting with Muse AI and go a different route. I’m always on the lookout for the sort of beneficial practices that go hand in hand with boosting my productivity. And since I’ve already done that with ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity, I figured it was time to see what Meta AI could suggest as well.

My never-ending journey to find the best productivity hacks led me to make a simple request of Muse AI: “Give me 7 of the most unconventional methods I can use with you to boost my productivity.” After seeing its initial lineup, I was impressed but wanted even more recommendations on the topic at hand.

Meta’s cute AI avatar went the extra mile and did just that, as well as give me the proper prompts I needed to use to make great use of its seven best productivity enhancers.

The productivity hacks that Meta’s Muse AI brought to my attention

My very own "Amani" put its thinking cap on to produce a wide range of techniques I could utilize with it to increase my productivity. These are the seven ideas that I thought were worth remembering for later use:

• Inbox firewall — Paste in a messy email or Slack thread and have me draft the blunt reply you actually want to send, then the diplomatic version you’ll actually send. Two passes, one prompt.
• Scheduled ambushes — Set a cron with me to check on a goal at an inconvenient time (Friday 4pm is brutal). I’ll ask what actually got done. Accountability works best when you can’t snooze it.
• Template factory — Notice you type the same thing twice? Send it to me once. I’ll turn it into a reusable template with fill-in-the-blanks you can copy-paste forever.
• Reading triage — Paste a long article or doc and I’ll give you the one-paragraph version plus a verdict: read it fully, skim it, or skip it entirely. Saves you from 2,000 words that didn’t need reading.
• Meeting pre-game — Tell me who’s in the meeting and what they care about. I’ll write you three questions to ask that make you look prepared and keep the discussion on track.
• Procrastination drill — When you’re stalling, tell me the task and give me 5 minutes. I’ll break it into steps so small the first one takes under two minutes. Starting is the whole battle.
• End-of-day download — Before you sign off, tell me what happened today in plain words. I’ll turn it into a clean log, pull out tomorrow’s top three, and remind you of anything that slipped.

Muse AI gave me 14 productivity hacks in total, but these seven in particular really appealed to me since they go hand in hand with my daily duties.

Inputting a confusing email or lengthy Slack message so my mobile assistant can draft up two types of responses that I can then edit to match my voice sounds like one of the best uses of Muse AI. And setting it up to activate a notification on my phone that checks in to see if I completed my writing assignments by a certain time stood out as an equally reliable Muse AI productivity hack worth utilizing.

Alongside those two proposals, creating reusable prompt templates, summarizing long documents, preparing me to ask the right questions before an important meeting, breaking up the steps needed to complete an annoying task and brain-dumping everything into my AI assistant in preparation for the day ahead are standout ideas worth keeping. Someday soon, I’ll be sure to use that “scheduled ambushes” prompt to command Muse AI to keep me in check and see if I actually completed my weekend workouts as scheduled.

And the prompts that put those hacks into motion

After asking Meta AI for the proper prompts I should input to get it to put my preferred productivity hacks into action, it answered back with these usable requests:

• Draft two replies to this: [paste message]. First, the blunt version of what I really think. Second, the professional version I’d actually send.
• Set a recurring check-in every [day/time] asking me what I got done on [goal]. Be direct — don’t let me off the hook.
• I keep writing this same kind of [message/email/response]: [paste example]. Turn it into a reusable template with [brackets] for the parts that change.
• Summarize this in one paragraph and give me a verdict — read fully, skim, or skip — and why: [paste text or link].
• I have a meeting with [names/roles] about [topic]. They care about [priorities]. Give me three sharp questions to ask that steer it well.
• I keep avoiding [task]. Break it into steps so small that the first one takes under two minutes, then order them by momentum.
• Today I: [brain dump]. Turn this into a clean log, pull out my top 3 for tomorrow, and flag anything I mentioned but didn’t finish.

The takeaway

Muse AI is quickly morphing into one of my favorite AI tools—since it’s sitting on my phone as a go-to app that hits me with notifications whenever it completes the assorted tasks I hand off to it, I’ll always know when it’s hard at work. Using it as a tool to prepare for in-person/digital meetings, get the finer points on a lengthy document, prep a proper response for my colleagues, etc., has now become a part of the many ways I’ll make great use of Muse AI’s digital utility box.

More from Tom’s Guide

• OpenAI is paying influencers to convince you to use ChatGPT — here’s what we know
• Google is sending an AI data center into space — with help from Elon Musk’s SpaceX
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It’s always interesting to take note of behaviors that cause the people I know to remain in a positive state of mind and the ones that tamper with their well-being.

Clearly, staying out all night before a workday, ordering Uber Eats every night and constantly getting fooled by AI videos that are clearly meant to infuriate have taken a toll on some of the people I know. But there are a few friends and family members I’ve come across lately that seem to be in good spirits, thanks to daily workouts, analog activities and conversations with equally positive people.

I’m usually in a good mood thanks to the habits I’ve built up over the years, but I know there’s always room for improvement. That goal pushed me to ask ChatGPT for a list of the best prompts that push it to help anyone develop the sort of tendencies that will steadily improve their lives.

ChatGPT recognized my intention of converting it into my personal habit coach, generated some super useful prompts and helped me attach three new handy habits to my lifestyle pattern in the process.

The 7 prompts that can turn ChatGPT into your digital practical habit coach

After simply asking ChatGPT, “Give me 7 of the best ChatGPT prompts anyone can use to help them build healthier habits,” it got right to work coming up with the following collection of commands that help it deliver positive habit-building practices:

• The Habit Audit: Act as my habit coach. I want to build a healthier lifestyle without completely changing my routine. Ask me 10 questions about my sleep, diet, exercise, stress, screen time and daily schedule. Based on my answers, identify the 3 habits that would likely give me the biggest improvement with the least effort. For each one, give me a simple way to start today and a realistic way to maintain it.
• The Tiny Habits Prompt: Help me build healthier habits using the smallest possible steps. Choose 5 areas of my life that could benefit from a healthier habit and give me a version of each habit that takes less than 2 minutes to complete. Then show me how I can gradually increase each habit over 30 days without making the changes feel overwhelming.
• The Habit Stacking Prompt: Ask me about the things I already do every day, such as waking up, brushing my teeth, making coffee, eating meals and going to bed. Then find opportunities to attach one healthy habit to each existing routine. Give me 7 habit-stacking ideas, explain why each pairing makes sense, and rank them from easiest to hardest.
• The Bad-Habit Replacement Prompt: Help me replace my unhealthy habits rather than simply telling me to stop them. Ask me about 5 habits I want to change and what usually triggers them. For each habit, identify the underlying need I'm trying to satisfy and suggest 3 healthier replacements that provide a similar reward. Make the replacements realistic enough that I could actually use them in everyday life.
• The 30-Day Habit Challenge: Create a 30-day challenge designed to help me become healthier without requiring a gym membership, expensive products or a complete lifestyle overhaul. Give me one small task per day involving movement, nutrition, sleep, hydration, stress management or reducing sedentary time. Make the tasks gradually more challenging, but keep every individual task realistic for a busy person.
• The Habit Failure Investigator: I keep trying to build healthy habits but eventually fall off track. Act like a habit detective. Ask me questions about when I usually fail, what triggers it, what my environment looks like, how much time I have and what I expect from myself. Then identify the most likely reasons I'm failing and redesign my habits around those obstacles. Don't tell me to simply “have more discipline.”
• The Personal Health Routine: Help me design a simple daily routine that supports better health without taking over my life. First ask me about my schedule, current habits, sleep, meals, activity level, stress and the health goals I care about. Then create a morning, daytime and evening routine with no more than 3 habits in each section. Prioritize habits that are inexpensive, sustainable and easy to measure. Include a backup version for days when I have almost no time or motivation.

Using the first prompt to adopt three new daily rituals that will benefit me the most

Since I was open to participating in a ChatGPT-led Q&A, I put the first prompt into action.

The 10 questions the chatbot shot back at me covered the following topics in relation to my daily habits: sleep, sleep quality, breakfast, typical diet, exercise, daily movement, stress, screen time, schedule and the easy-win question. I answered them as honestly as I could (and was a little bit embarrassed about a few of them, to be quite honest).

Scarfing down some chocolate Teddy Grahams & orange juice in the morning (the breakfast of champions, if you ask me!), sitting for hours while I type for hours on end during the work week and getting stressed out whenever writer’s block hits me like a brick stood out as some of my worst tendencies. ChatGPT wasn’t too harsh in its overall response—it noted that I already have a solid foundation due to my respectable sleep schedule, my daily water consumption, my regular walks, moving around during my breaks and doing exercises I actually enjoy.

While it didn’t suggest I perform a lifestyle overhaul, it offered up these three major habits that could bring even more prosperity to my physical and mental health:

• Turn your existing exercise into a simple strength routine: This directly addresses the one area you identified yourself, while building on exercises you already enjoy. You don't need to suddenly become a 5-day-a-week gym person. Do a 20-minute strength session 2 days a week. Keep it extremely simple. Pick two recurring days—say Tuesday and Saturday—and treat those as your "gym days." If you miss one, don't compensate by doubling up. Just resume at the next opportunity.
• Upgrade your breakfast without making breakfast a project: Your current breakfast is essentially a quick hit of refined carbohydrates and sugar. Since you also wake up somewhat tired, breakfast is an easy place to make a small nutritional improvement without changing the rest of your diet. Keep the Teddy Grahams and orange juice if you enjoy them, but add one protein-rich food. A protein shake or Greek yogurt counts.
• Create an afternoon screen-time boundary: This is probably the easiest place to reclaim some time without sacrificing the hobbies that help you decompress. You specifically said your screen use peaks in the afternoon, while your evenings contain activities you genuinely enjoy. I wouldn't tell you to "stop watching TV" or "use your phone less." Instead, create one screen-free block during the afternoon. This could also be useful when you're struggling to come up with article ideas: instead of immediately reaching for another screen, take a walk or listen to music and let your brain disengage.

The takeaway

Reading through ChatGPT’s selection of better habits that I should execute inspired me to do just that.

Locking in to do three sets of 10 push-ups, squats and sit-ups alongside five minutes of stretching before leaving the house gets the blood flowing even more once the sun rises. Eating some pistachios or cashews and drinking a protein shake became a part of my new go-to morning ritual. And taking the time to get into brainstorming mode just by walking around my neighborhood or outside my workplace without my phone in hand led to more lightbulb moments of creativity.

ChatGPT’s positive habit-building tips worked a lot better than I expected.

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A personal training client of mine recently asked why squats are a good exercise. It was an easy question to answer: they’re a functional movement that requires effort from multiple muscle groups at once, and doing them regularly can lead to stronger quads, glutes, hamstrings, and even abdominals.

Squats are definitely one of my favorite exercises, but what they don’t do is train each of your legs separately from the other. That means your stronger leg will inherently do more of the work in a squat without you even realizing it. In order to address any strength deficits between your left and right legs, you’ll need to do exercises that train them independently.

I include the following three exercises in my routine to ensure that both of my legs are getting stronger equally, and it’s led to heavier squats, faster runs, and better balance. If you have similar goals, or if you’re looking to add variety to your lower body workouts, pick up some dumbbells and give them a try.

How to do the three exercises

Before starting any new activity or exercise program, consult with your medical team. They may suggest alternatives or avoidance based on your history.

Beginners should consider meeting with a certified personal trainer or physical therapist to learn how to do these exercises properly. Performing them with improper form can lead to injury. A trainer or therapist can provide modifications for exercises when necessary, and progression options when you’re ready to advance.

You’ll need a set of moderately heavy dumbbells and a raised platform, like a stair or aerobic stepper. A good dumbbell weight will allow you to get through all reps in a set without needing to rest, but will leave you feeling fatigued. Adjust your dumbbell weight as needed, keeping in mind that you may need different weights for different exercises.

Start by doing one set of 10 reps for each exercise. Do the step-ups and the lateral lunges unweighted at first. As you get stronger, increase your reps to 12, add an additional set, and pick up dumbbells for the step-ups and lateral lunges. Work your way up to 3 sets of 12 reps.

These exercises can be done as their own workout, or you can add them to your current lower body workout. Here’s how to do them:

1. Step up to balance

• Stand in front of a raised platform, like a stair step or aerobic stepper.
• Engage your core muscles.
• Place your left foot on the step.
• Push into your left foot and come to a standing position on the step.
• Bring your right knee to a 90-degree angle in front of you.
• Pause briefly.
• Lower your right foot back down to the floor.
• Continue for 10-12 reps, then repeat on the other side.
• After you’ve built up strength, consider holding a dumbbell in one or both hands while performing this exercise.

2. Lateral lunge to balance

• Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart.
• Engage your core muscles.
• Step your right foot to the right, keeping your toes pointed forward.
• Bend your right knee and lower your hips towards the ground, keeping your left leg straight.
• Push off your right foot and bring your right knee to a 90-degree angle in front of you.
• Pause briefly.
• Continue for 10-12 reps, then repeat on the other side.
• After you’ve built up strength, consider holding a dumbbell in one or both hands while performing this exercise.

3. Single-leg Romanian deadlift

• Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart.
• Hold a dumbbell in each hand.
• Engage your core muscles.
• Bend your right knee slightly and bring your torso forward, lowering the dumbbells towards the floor and lifting your left leg behind you.
• Pause briefly.
• Return to a standing position.
• Continue for 10-12 reps, then repeat on the other side.

Benefits of the three exercises

It’s common for one side of our bodies to be stronger than the other (it’s usually, but not always, our dominant side). While strength deficits between our left and right sides are common, it can lead to muscle imbalances, pain and stiffness, and ultimately, injury.

The three exercises in this workout strengthen your left leg and right leg independently. You may notice these exercises feel easier on one side and much harder on the other, which signifies a strength deficit. The more you do these exercises, the more your “weaker” side will catch up so that both legs have a sufficient amount of strength, stability, and power.

These moves work the quads, hamstrings, hip abductors and adductors, and glutes. Additionally, the “balance” element of all exercises forces our deep core muscles to stabilize our bodies as we move.

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I’ve spent the last couple of weeks testing both the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, which revealed some of their biggest upgrades — like the class-leading performance of the A20 Pro chip and improved battery life. But with the launch of the iPhone Duo right around the corner, plenty of people are likely still undecided about which one they should buy.

The fact that the Duo is Apple’s first-ever foldable device is appealing all on its own. Who wouldn’t want the novelty of having an expansive 7.6-inch canvas to multitask and watch videos on the go? However, the price gap certainly gives reason to pause. With a starting price of $1,999, the iPhone Duo commands a massive premium over the $1,299 iPhone 18 Pro Max.

Paying significantly more for the Duo doesn't just mean a lighter wallet — it comes with the reality of accepting some real compromises. And I'm not just talking about potential iPhone Duo dealbreakers we've already covered, like the lack of telephoto zoom and Face ID. After testing the 18 Pro lineup, these are the 7 features you’re giving up if you choose the iPhone Duo over the iPhone 18 Pro Max.

Proper MagSafe compatibility

MagSafe is no longer just an option for me — it’s a necessity given the utility it offers. While the iPhone Duo does include a magnetic ring, I won’t be able to use my favorite MagSafe accessories nearly as smoothly as I do on the iPhone 18 Pro Max.

That's because the Duo's folding design shifts internal components and cuts into rear real estate. Meaning, standard-sized MagSafe accessories don't sit flush against the back. A perfect example is the MagSafe wallets I've tested, which would overhang past the bottom edge of the frame. Sure, they might still technically stick — but you lose the seamless feel that makes the ecosystem so good in the first place.

Variable aperture

Even now, I’m constantly impressed watching the mechanical aperture blades over the main camera open and close on the iPhone 18 Pro series. This new system finally brings true optical versatility, letting me stop down to keep expansive landscapes in razor-sharp focus or open wide to produce authentic background blur in portraits.

I won’t have that mechanical control on the iPhone Duo, leaving me entirely at the mercy of digital post-processing and simulated depth maps. Missing out on the iPhone 18 Pro Max's physical aperture also means losing creative flexibility in other shooting scenarios — like intentionally adding motion blur with moving subjects.

Action Button

Whether you stick with its default setting or customize it, the Action button on the iPhone 18 Pro Max offers genuine utility and granular control over how the phone behaves.

I rely on it daily for tactile access to my flashlight, camera presets, and favorite Shortcuts — a luxury the iPhone Duo simply won't have. That absence stings even more on a foldable, where a programmable physical key could have effortlessly launched two apps side by side with a single click.

ProRAW/ProRES

For serious shooters like myself, Apple ProRAW and ProRes on the iPhone 18 Pro Max provide an essential layer of control in the editing room. ProRAW captures uncompressed files with full sensor readout, giving me the ability to recover highlights, lift shadows, and fine-tune white balance. Pair that with ProRes video — which preserves 10-bit color depth and low compression for smooth scrubbing — and the 18 Pro Max can easily double as an A-cam when I can't use my professional setup.

With the iPhone Duo, though, you’re limited to standard HEIF and JPEG photos alongside heavily compressed video. While those are perfectly fine for quick social shares, they strip away the post-production editing workflow that lets me get the most out of the cameras.

Log recording

Another video-centric feature that delivers noticeable quality gains is Apple Log on the iPhone 18 Pro Max. While the unedited footage looks flat and desaturated straight out of camera, the Log profile preserves maximum dynamic range in the highlights and shadows — giving me far more control when color grading. That becomes especially crucial whenever I need to match mobile clips to footage shot on dedicated mirrorless cameras.

Because Log recording isn’t available on the iPhone Duo, I’d be stuck with Apple’s baked-in color science and contrast. That’s more than fine for casual social clips, but if you rely on your phone as a reliable B-cam, losing Log support makes the Duo a tough sell for serious video workflows.

Spatial photos and videos

Even if it isn't an everyday shooting mode for most people, the ability to capture spatial photos and videos has real perks. The iPhone 18 Pro Max has the calibrated sensor array required to record lifelike stereoscopic media ready for playback on Apple Vision Pro — while letting you preview that parallax effect right inside the Photos app.

Because the iPhone Duo lacks a LiDAR scanner and the necessary lens alignment, spatial capture isn't an option. That's a miss in my book, especially given how much more pronounced and lifelike the 3D depth feels with static shots. It's way more genuine than the AI-assisted generation of Reframe.

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I've enjoyed photography ever since I was a kid; my mom was into it when I was growing up, and my dad even built her a darkroom in our basement. I spent many hours down there developing film from my Canon AE-1, and watching the images magically appear before my eyes.

I want to pass my love of photography on to my own daughter, so a couple years ago, I bought her a cheap digital camera off of Amazon for $30, so she could take pictures when we went on trips or out for a hike.

It's nothing fancy — it takes mediocre photos, but it has a small display on the back, and you can add fun filters, stickers and faces to the pictures you take.

However, a problem arose when she discovered that the camera also had games. There's only three on the camera (Tetris, Snake, and Pushbox), but once she found them, she stopped using the camera for its intended purpose. Now, when we went out on walks, I'd find her stumbling along, her eyes fixated on the screen, rather than looking at nature around her.

Now, I'm not against letting kids play games (to an extent), but when it comes at the expense of tuning out the world around you, then I have a problem.

It got to the point where we had to actually take the camera away, as all she was doing was playing games. But I was still left with a dilemma — I want to get her as hooked on photography as I am.

So, I turned to our trusty reviews team, who has tested far more cameras than I have. Of course, I scoured our list of the best cheap cameras, because I was looking for something that was small and inexpensive. Here's what they came back with, and what I ultimately chose.

Yashica Funtastic

The first camera I looked at — and what sent me down this rabbit hole to begin with — is the recently announced Yashica Funtastic Keychain camera. As a Peanuts fan, I love the Snoopy-themed design (though there's also a Hello Kitty model) and the flip-up screen make it better suited for selfies. If my kid doesn't like this model, I may just keep it for myself.

Kodak Charmera

Nikita Achanta, who's reviewed dozens of cameras, immediately mentioned the Kodak Charmera, which she rated at 4 stars in her review. "It's quite nice and fun and VERY cheap. I think it's perfect for kids," she said. "If you want something that takes better photos (Charmera is only 1.6MP), I'd go for the Kodak PIXPRO FZ45 ($99 at Amazon). The PIXPRO C1 ($99 at Amazon) has a flip-up selfie screen so it's more versatile."

Lola Miffy