The Brick isn’t a traditional screentime p. It’s a physical magnet that’s the key to blocking certain ps on your phone.

Jeffrey Hazelwood/Anna Gragert/CNET; Brick/GettyImages

My forever goal is to spend less time on my iPhone to protect my mental health. However, as a wellness writer whose job is to keep up with the latest health tech trends and news, it can be tough for me to decrease my screentime. Plus, iPhone and in-pscreentime limits don’t work for me, as I find they’re easy to disable in seconds with just a few ts.

Perhs theover 1 billion peoplewho spent at least three hours a day scrolling social media in 2020 can relate, especially considering that the pandemic years supercharged our scrolling and created poor digital hygiene habits many of us still haven’t recovered from.

Yet, since its launch in 2023, a palm-sized device called the Brick has gained popularity for its ability to prevent people from endlessly scrolling on their phones. It’s a $59 square magnet “powered by an NFC [near-field communication] chip embedded in the device,”TJ Driver, the Brick’s co-founder, tells CNET.

“Instead of relying on batteries or an external power source, it draws power directly from your smartphone’s NFC reader when you t it,” he says. “That communicates with your Brick p to lock (or unlock) your selected ps, putting real friction between you and your screentime.”

In other words, you have to physically t your phone on the Brick to activate or deactivate the lock, so you can’t simply t it away like you would a screentime alert or p on your phone.

To find out if the Brick is the key tocutting ties with doomscrolling, I spent months tping my phone on the surface of that unassuming gray square.

Your purchase of the Brick includes the physical Brick and access to the Brick p, no subscription necessary. Inside the box, there’s a QR code that takes you to a webpage where you can download the p for iOS or Android.

For the iOS p, ple requires an iPhone passcode, but you can remove it after you use the Brick for the first time. As for Android users, the Brick will also direct you to your device’s settings to allow the Brick p, alarms and reminders and notification access.

One Brick can be used with multiple phones, and a single phone can be used with multiple Bricks if you want to keep them in different locations, such as at home and at work.

The Brick magnetized to my fridge.

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Once you create an account, you’ll need to grant the p access to your phone’s screentime tracker. Then you create your first mode, name it and select the ps and websites you want to block or allow when enabled. You can create up to 10 modes for different occasions, such as work, studying, family dinner and personal time.

All blocking information is stored locally on your phone, and the Brick can’t see what you block.

When you want to start or end a Brick session, you simply press the “t or hold to Brick” button on the p’s home screen and then physically t your phone to the Brick. You can also hold down the button for 5 seconds to “brick” your phone, but you’ll need the physical Brick to “unbrick” it.

You can even create a schedule for when your modes are enabled. It’ll start at a specific time on selected days and either conclude at a set time or when you t the Brick with your device.

The Brick p homescreen where you can t or hold that button to “brick” your device.

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In settings, you can enable the following when your Brick is active:

In addition to being magnetic for refrigerators, lockers and the like, the Brick has an anti-slip silicone bottom that keeps it in place on any surface.

There are various customizations you can make to your Brick sessions to prevent doomscrolling.

Anna Gragert/CNET

After setting up the Brick p, I placed the physical square on my fridge. My thought process was that I tend to doomscroll on my couch, and my fridge is far enough away that I have to think twice before getting up to walk through my living room and kitchen to t the Brick.

I created one mode called “Mindful Mode,” which I programmed to block all social media ps and websites I tend to use: TikTok, YouTube and Instagram.

Unlike screentime limits that only work on your phone, I love that the Brick requires an extra step, allowing you to get away from your phone’s influence and take a moment to ask yourself: Do I really want to spend more time on my phone right now?

When you have the space to actually think about all of the other activities available to you during your free time, suddenly staring at a screen doesn’t seem so pealing. Personally, I’d rather spend time with loved ones, read on my balcony, birdwatch at a local park or go for a walk. From FOMO to NO-MO.

What it looks like when you try to access one of your bricked ps.

Anna Gragert/CNET

As of right now, my longest Brick session was 6 hours and 45 minutes. In total, I’ve spent 35 hours with my phone bricked. That feels really good.

Numbers aside, I genuinely believe that the Brick has helped me spend less time on my phone. Social media isdesigned to be addictive, so having a physical barrier like the Brick helps break the cycle and remind you that there are more important things in life than your devices.

A weekly rec email I received from the Brick.

Anna Gragert/CNET

The Brick is $59, but that doesn’t include shipping, which will vary by location. However, it is HSA/FSA- eligible with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

For $12, Brick also sells a mount with adhesive backing so you can secure it to any surface. A magnetic interior allows the Brick to sn in place. I wouldn’t recommend paying the extra cost unless you’re planning to stick the Brick to the wall and don’t want to use a Command strip.

For those who are especially thrifty, you can buy your ownNFC tags($13 for a 50-pack) or print a QR code. Then use the free, open-sourceFoqos pto block ps and websites.

All that said, while I wish the Brick were more affordable, I do love it and think it’s worth it compared to a wallet-sized card or tag that requires a subscription. I like having it magnetized to my fridge and preciate all the different customization options available in the p.

The Brick can easily fit in your palm, but has the power to change how you use your phone.

Anna Gragert/CNET

I found the Brick to be thoughtfully designed, and it’s a helpful reminder that if you want to get away from your phone, you sometimes have to physically move away from it to clear your head. This leaves room for so many possibilities in how you can use your free time.

Even though I still enjoy using the Brick, I find that I’m even starting to spend less time doomscrolling without it. It’s like all I needed was a square gray magnet to break the screentime spell I was under. Who would’ve guessed? Certainly not me, especially while I was more focused on the images and videos that endlessly peared right before my eyes.

Following the initial tease of its Thus AI chip, Anker announced the first earbuds with the component during its Anker Day event. The Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and Liberty 5 Pro Max both utilize the chip for what the company calls Whisper Clear voice performance. Of course, the usual earbud features are here — active noise cancellation (ANC), voice controls and personalized sound — but there are some unique tools available on these models as well. Those include an AI Note-Taker on the Liberty 5 Pro Max and touchscreen charging cases for both.

Let’s start with what the Thus chip does on both sets of Liberty 5 Pro earbuds. The silicon is used alongside eight microphones and two bone conduction sensors to ensure optimal voice performance in noisy locations. By also employing an AI model, the system separates the speaker’s voice from background noise so they’re heard clearly on the other end of calls. Anker says the bone conduction sensors allow the setup to cture the user’s voice a lower volumes, so long as they’re in “moderately quieter settings.” The Thus chip also powers voice commands, offering 20 options for various controls and tasks, with Anker claiming a response time of under a second.

Both the Liberty 5 Pro and Liberty 5 Pro Max have Soundcore’s Adtive ANC 4.0 that uses those eight mics to process audio data at up to 384,000 times per second. This action continuously monitors both external noise and any sounds that may enter the ear canal before adjusting the ANC in real time. Anker says its noise-canceling algorithm can combat a broad range of noises — including human voices. What’s more, the company claims the ANC performance on its new earbuds is up to 2x more effective than the Liberty 4 Pro.

Anker

To customize the sound to your ears, both sets of earbuds offer HearID 5.0. This feature creates a personalized EQ based on a brief hearing test. With the help of AI Sound Enhancement, the earbuds provide audio restoration that can recover up to 65 percent of “the quality” that’s typically lost to Bluetooth compression.

In terms of battery life, both the Liberty 5 Pro and Pro Max will last up to 6.5 hours on a charge with ANC enabled. When you factor in the charging cases, the total use time is 28 hours for each model. Multipoint Bluetooth connectivity is also onboard both, as is Bluetooth 6.1, ple Find My and Google Fast Pair compatibility. Plus, both sets of earbuds are IP55 rated for dust and water resistance.

There is one main area where the two new models differ istheir smart cases. The Liberty 5 Pro case has a 0.96-inch TFT touchscreen on its front edge while the Liberty 5 Pro Max case has a much larger 1.78-inch AMOLED display. The Pro Max is also equipped with an AI Note-Taker that’s cable of generating transcripts, including identifying speakers and action items, after meetings in the Soundcore p. This feature isn’t available on the Liberty 5 Pro, but Anker does offer AI-based translation on both models. Translation is available on the earbuds with the Liberty 5 Pro, and it’s available on both the earbuds and the case with the Liberty 5 Pro Max.

Both the Liberty 5 Pro and Liberty 5 Pro Max are available today for $170 and $230 respectively. The Liberty 5 Pro is available in black, blue, pink and white while the Pro Max will come in either black or gold.

Most users can start generating slides with AI today.

If you’re someone who believes AI should stay out of the arts, and especially your earbuds, you might want to sit down for this news. On Thursday, Spotify announced a partnership with Universal Music Group that will allow you to use AI tools to create cover songs and remixeson the streaming platform.

So imagine At Last by Etta James mixed with the 2010 hit Baby by Justin Bieber, or even mashed up as a country or folk version.

The AI-powered tool will not be included in Spotify memberships by default. Instead, it will be a paid add-on option for Spotify Premium members, the music streaming service said. A launch date has yet to be announced.

It’s unclear whether music artists will have any control over their music being used in fan edits, but we can make an educated guess that artists who own their music outright, such as Taylor Swift and Beyoncé, will have the most say.

Lucian Grainge, CEO of UMG, said in a statement that the initiative is “designed to support human artistry, deepen fan relationships, and create additional revenue opportunities for artists and songwriters.”

Alex Norström, co-CEO of Spotify, said: “What we’re building is grounded in consent, credit, and compensation for the artists and songwriters that take part.”

Recently, numerous music artists have spoken out against the intersection of AI and music creation, includingBilly Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins,Billie Eilish, Jon Bon Joviand more.

In addition to this partnership, the streaming service also announced Reserved, a new ticket initiative that reserves two tickets for top Spotify Premium subscribers, allowing them to buy tickets for select artists a day before they go on sale to the general public.