​It’s that time when new phone models start appearing — just the last few weeks have brought the Apple iPhone 17E, Samsung Galaxy S26 and Google Pixel 10A, for example — so it’s natural to also think about whether your current phone carrier is working for you.. The T-Mobile Essentials Saver plan offers unlimited data usage and includes 50GB of “Premium” data, which is the fastest-capable 5G rate available in your area. After 50GB, speeds are reduced to 3G levels for the remainder of the month. However, that Premium may not always be so premium: T-Mobile notes in the fine print that “Essentials customers may notice speeds lower than other customers and further reduction if using >50GB/month, due to data prioritization.”. Jump to details. Pros. T-Mobile’s 5G network is generally robust. Plan includes 50GB of high-speed data in the US. Phone can be used as a hotspot. Unlimited calls, texts and data in Canada and Mexico. Cons. Data in Canada and Mexico limited to very slow 2G speeds. Hotspot is limited to 3G speeds. No five-year price guarantee. Everyone must be on the same plan. Taxes and fees aren’t included in monthly cost. With the three major carriers in the US, you’re using their infrastructure, and if there aren’t any high-speed towers in your area, you’re out of luck. By contrast, US Mobile calls itself a Super Carrier because, without a network of its own, it rides those three networks. They’re given special names — no doubt to avoid advertising for the competition — and they break down like this: Dark Star is AT&T, Warp is Verizon and Light Speed is T-Mobile.. Jump to details. Pros. Runs on Verizon’s network for “Warp” service, AT&T’s for its “Dark Star” or T-Mobile’s for “Light Speed”. 10GB high-speed data, then unlimited at slower speed. Taxes and fees are included in the sticker price. 5GB of hotspot data. Cons. Limited times you can switch networks for free. The Multi-Network add-on is available only in the Unlimited Premium plan. Phone data slows to 1Mbps after high-speed data is used up. Cheapest rate requires annual purchase. If you compare the specifics of T-Mobile’s Essentials and Essentials Saver plans, you might think the company forgot to update one or the other — they’re Essential-ly the same. With both, you get 50GB of fast Premium 5G data (depending on the network capabilities in your area), which drops to 3G speeds of still-unlimited data after that allotment is used up. You can use your phone as a mobile hotspot with unlimited data, but only at 3G speeds and restricted to paltry 2G speeds when you’re in Canada or Mexico. In those two countries, calls, text and data are unlimited, while calls made from around 215 other countries are charged at 25 cents a minute.. Jump to details. Pros. T-Mobile’s 5G network is generally robust. Plan includes 50GB of high-speed data in the US. Phone can be used as a hotspot. Unlimited calls, texts and data in Canada and Mexico. Can have up to six lines on an account. Third line fr  

​There’s a lot to love about popcorn: the crunch, its customizable nature and especially the fact that it’s a great source of fiber. Plus, it’s even healthier if you air-pop it without using any oil. But if you, like me and don’t have a popcorn maker, you’re likely to make it in a pot on the stove.. However, the last time I made popcorn, I looked over at my air fryer and wondered if I could pop popcorn in it. When I went online to search for an answer, I couldn’t find a conclusive response, so I decided to reach out to an air fryer manufacturer and professional chefs for their expert advice.. Experts weigh in on air fryer popcorn. I reached out to Ninja, makers of the Ninja Crispi, CNET’s pick for the best air fryer overall. While the air fryer is a versatile appliance that can even roast a whole chicken, it can’t pop popcorn — yet.. Well, technically it can, but that doesn’t mean it should.. “At Ninja, we’re always testing the boundaries of what our technology can do, and popcorn in an air fryer is something our culinary and product development teams have explored. However, we advise against trying to make popcorn in an air fryer,” a Ninja Kitchen representative tells CNET. “Air fryers circulate heat differently than traditional popcorn makers, which means kernels don’t reach the sustained heat needed in the required time.”. Because popcorn is lightweight, Sharniquia White, chef and registered dietitian, explains that if you try to make it in an air fryer, it can fly up into the device’s heating element, get stuck near the fan, burn from uneven airflow and leave you with a frustrating amount of unpopped kernels. All cons, no pros.. Given the safety hazards and unsatisfying results, you’ll want to avoid using an air fryer for popcorn. At least until the technology catches up.. While air fryers such as the Ninja Crispi Pro can roast an entire chicken, they can’t pop popcorn just yet. Ninja. Pro chefs on the best way to make popcorn. Since the air fryer is out for popcorn, I asked my chef sources for their recommendations on making the best popcorn.. White says that the stovetop wins every time if you want a fluffy texture, rich flavor and full expansion of your kernels. She provides these handy instructions for getting the best results:. Heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil in a large, heavy-bottom pot over medium heat.. Add 2-3 kernels to test if the oil is hot enough. When they pop, add ½ cup kernels.. Cover and gently shake the pot occasionally.. Remove from heat when popping slows.. You control the oil, the salt and the outcome.. However, if you make popcorn all the time, plant-based chef Shauna McQueen, MS, RD, founder of Food School, recommends purchasing a low-cost pan with a lid you can crank to move the popcorn kernels around.. “The other option is automatic and will self-stir the kernels,” McQueen adds. “I’ve used both and have had to replace both within a few years of use, but find the automatic one most convenient.”. As  

​Formula One racing has a new home on Apple TV, with the 2026 season launching its five-year broadcast run for US viewers. Eyes will be on McLaren’s reigning champion Lando Norris, Mercedes’ George Russell, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and the high-power combo of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc of Ferrari coming into this year’s heated competition. If you’re a fan, you probably have your own predictions for who’s bound to dominate.. Cadillac is joining the global racing lineup as a newcomer, fielding its own team of drivers, including Valtteri Bottas and Sergio “Checo” Perez. The American brand will make its debut with a sleek, metallic black-and-white, Ferrari-powered car. New regulations and new tech will change what you see on the asphalt this season — and beyond — but Apple aims to boost the F1 fan experience through Apple TV’s pool of features and offerings across the Apple app spectrum.. F1 races are scheduled to take place in over a dozen countries around the globe, including Spain, the UK, Japan and the US. Though the season kicks off this weekend with the Australian Grand Prix, safety concerns have been heightened amid war across the Middle East, with Grands Prix in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia scheduled for April. Mohammed Ben Sulayem, president of F1’s governing body, the FIA, issued a statement via Instagram regarding recent events.. “We continue to monitor developments on the ground, and safety and well-being will guide our decisions across forthcoming events,” he wrote. Ben Sulayem noted that the organization will assess upcoming events for F1 and the World Endurance Championship.. A general guide to this year’s F1 events follows below, but visit the FIA site for up-to-date changes in light of the current situation.. When and where to watch F1 2026 races. Apple TV subscribers in the US can livestream every race this season, but the company plans to share the streaming bounty with other platforms such as Netflix, Prime Video and Tubi. Details are forthcoming on additional streaming partners, but keep an eye out for F1 on Imax, and in the US, Netflix subscribers can stream the Canadian Grand Prix starting May 22.. Races will also stream on F1 TV Pro, a platform that’s included with your Apple TV subscription at no extra cost. You’ll find the full schedule for main-event races at the end of this article, but here’s the lineup for March.. Round 1: Australian Grand Prix, March 6-8.. Round 2: Chinese Grand Prix, March 12-15.. Round 3: Japanese Grand Prix, March 27-29.. See at Apple TV. F1 hub, multiview, immersive shots help amplify viewing. When you open the Apple TV app, you’ll notice a Formula One hub, and with a click of a button, you can choose to follow F1 for all the latest and upcoming content. Sprints, warm-ups, practices and races are shown on the screen, and if it’s a live event, the corresponding air dates are provided. Viewers will see that the Continue Watching row will automatically update with upcoming events.. There’s also a  

​Cole Kan/CNET/Getty. Filing taxes is painful enough that many people would happily hand the job to a robot. In the age of generative AI, where chatbots can crank out a decent-sounding school essay in under a minute, it’s tempting to think your tax return could be next.. There’s just one small problem. The Internal Revenue Service expects financial data to be accurate, not just “close enough.”. I asked some tax experts whether you should have a general-purpose AI chatbot like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Perplexity do your taxes for you. The answer was clear.. “I don’t recommend that at all,” said Travis Thompson, a tax attorney and director in the business and finance group at the firm Fennemore.. “My advice would be no,” said Sterling Raskie, senior lecturer of finance at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.. Tax season makes everyone look for shortcuts. Federal income tax returns are nightmarish and complicated — and that’s exactly what makes them unsuited for a chatbot. AI is very good at sounding right even when it’s wrong.. Still, if you can’t afford to hire a trusted, trained human to help with your taxes, there are some things generative AI can be useful for during tax season.. You can’t trust AI to be accurate. The capabilities of a generative AI model are impressive. But let’s remember that, at their core, these educated-guess machines are simply finding patterns and offering plausible results. They can’t distinguish approximation from the truth.. The numbers on your tax forms are expected to be correct, not simply ballpark. That’s why doing your taxes is such a pain, and also why we’re not supposed to take shortcuts. Mistakes can be costly to your refund, or you could face expensive repayments and fines, or worse.. “It’s important to keep in mind that if an AI chatbot provides incorrect guidance and a person uses it to file an incorrect tax return, they (the person) are responsible for infractions or violations, which could include penalties, interest, and lost refunds,” said Chris Linderwell, vice president of consumer tax products at H&R Block.. Some tax-specific AI tools are trained on and rely specifically on information about the tax code. But the generic one you use for menu planning or travel research is not one of those.. Read more: Tax Season 2026: Which Documents and Info Do You Need to File Income Taxes?. You can’t trust AI with sensitive documents. Highly personal information, such as your Social Security number and financial statements, should be kept safe — or at least as safe as possible in today’s digital world, where data collection through email and social media is ubiquitous, and data breaches are common.. Chatbots manage data in the cloud, which is just a computer owned by a private company. They have “memory” features that can regurgitate information in unexpected ways. You may find yourself asking a totally unrelated question down the line and get a response that pulls from data in your tax documents. You p  

​Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.. Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? It’s a long one, as always on Saturday. Read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.. Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword. Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.. The completed NYT Mini Crossword puzzle for March 7, 2026. NYT/Screenshot by CNET. Mini across clues and answers. 1A clue: Bird with keen eyesight. Answer: HAWK. 5A clue: With 8-Across, helpful comment to an oblivious video call participant. Answer: YOURE. 6A clue: Scooby-Doo or Air Bud. Answer: PETDOG. 7A clue: Sticky notes. Answer: POSTITS. 8A clue: See 5-Across. Answer: ONMUTE. 9A clue: Protective layers over skin wounds. Answer: SCABS. 10A clue: Roosters’ mates. Answer: HENS. Mini down clues and answers. 1D clue: Places to find some small jets. Answer: HOTTUBS. 2D clue: Reviews, as taxes. Answer: AUDITS. 3D clue: Texted or emailed, e.g.. Answer: WROTE. 4D clue: Barrels of beer. Answer: KEGS. 5D clue: Overagreeable underling. Answer: YESMAN. 6D clue: Spanish conquistador ___ de León. Answer: PONCE. 7D clue: Swanky, like a certain Spice Girl. Answer: POSH