In the AI chatbot world, ubiquity is everything. Companies have raced to build desktop and mobile apps for their bots, in order to both give them new capabilities but also to make sure they’re right in front of your face as often as possible. 

There’s no better example of that than Google’s new Gemini app for iPhone, which quietly hit the App Store around the world this week. The free app is simple and straightforward: it’s just a chat window and a list of your previous chats. You can query the bot with text, voice, or your camera, and it’ll give you answers. It’s effectively identical to the Gemini section of the Google app, or what you’d get by opening a browser and going to the Gemini website. 

The Gemini app does have one newish feature: access to Gemini Live, the bot’s more interactive and conversational chat mode that is similar to ChatGPT’s voice mode. Gemini Live has been available on Android for a few weeks, but this is the first place it has been usable for iPhone owners. In my short tests so far it works really well, and when you’re using Live it shows up both in the iPhone’s Dynamic Island and on your lockscreen.

But Live will eventually be everywhere. Whenever the next version of Gemini comes out, that will be too. The whole point of the Gemini app is to put the icon on your homescreen, and give you something to assign to the Action Button or one of the other quick-access spots on your phone. With one tap and half a second, you can be chatting with the bot. That access, and the muscle memory it helps build, are crucial for any company that wants users to make a habit out of chatting with bots.

Like all the other non-Siri chatbots, Gemini has some big limitations on your phone. It can’t change settings or access other apps. But it can access other Google apps, which continues to be Gemini’s big advantage. You can ask Gemini to play music, and it’ll fire up YouTube Music. You can ask it for directions and it’ll send you to Google Maps. It’s a tiny glimpse of what Gemini hopes to be on Android, and what Apple’s trying to do with Siri: use AI to make everything on your phone a littler more interactive and accessible. But none of that matters if people don’t use the bots — and so the race for your homescreen is on.

Scientists say they have found the world’s largest coral near the Pacific’s Solomon Islands, announcing Thursday a major discovery “pulsing with life and color.” The coral is so immense that researchers sailing the crystal waters of the Solomon archipelago initially thought they’d stumbled across a hulking shipwreck.

“Just when we think there is nothing left to discover on planet Earth, we find a massive coral made of nearly one billion little polyps, pulsing with life and color,” marine ecologist Enric Sala said.

The standalone structure, formed from a “complex network” of tiny coral polyps, has likely been growing for 300 years or more, the researchers said.

At about 111 feet wide and 104 feet long, the team said the “mega coral” was three times bigger than the previous record holder — a coral dubbed “Big Momma” in American Samoa. The massive coral is not a coral reef, structures that can be far larger but are comprised of many distinct coral colonies, they explained.

“While Big Momma looked like a huge scoop of ice cream plopped down on the reef, this newly discovered coral is as if the ice cream started to melt, spreading forever along the seafloor,” said lead scientist Molly Timmers.

It’s longer than a blue whale and thought to be “so colossal” that it could be seen from space.

The coral was discovered at the southeastern tip of the Solomon Islands, in an area known as the Three Sisters. It was spotted by a National Geographic team embarking on a scientific expedition in the region.

Hotter and more acidic oceans have drained the life from corals in many of the region’s tropical waters, a process called bleaching, including Australia’s famed Great Barrier Reef. But this latest discovery offered a small glimmer of hope, the research team said.

“While the nearby shallow reefs were degraded due to warmer seas, witnessing this large healthy coral oasis in slightly deeper waters is a beacon of hope,” said coral scientist Eric Brown.

The lush rainforests and pristine waters of the Solomon Islands have long been celebrated for their ecological diversity. Wildlife observations made in the area in the 1920s helped prove a key part of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.

“There is so much to learn about the richness of marine life and the ocean ecosystem, but this finding opens doors of knowledge,” said top Solomon Islands official Collin Beck. “More scientific research is needed to better understand our rich biodiversity and our planet.”

The discovery was announced as representatives from around the world meet in Baku, Azerbaijan for the COP29 United Nations summit on climate change.

The Solomon Islands national climate minister, Trevor Manemahaga, told CBS News’ partner network BBC News at the summit that his nation was proud to be the home of the massive, newly discovered coral.

“We want the world to know, that this is a special place, and it needs to be protected,” he told the BBC. “We rely mostly on marine resources for economic survival, so coral is very, very important.”

Small, low-lying island nations such as the Solomons are among the most vulnerable to the increasing effects of climate change and sea-level rise.

• Hacker found selling a database of 180+million emails on the dark web
• The archive was stolen from a data broker
• The data broker confirmed the information was scraped from public sources

A hacker is selling a database containing 183 million records of people’s contact details, including email addresses, stolen from a data broker who, in turn, generated it by scraping publicly available data.

One might say, no harm – no foul, but still, whoever buys this database will get the chance to annoy millions of people with spam, and possibly even target them with phishing, malware, and business email compromise (BEC).

Amazon has launched a new outlet called Haul which caps the price of products on sale at $20 (£15.79), in an effort to take on low-cost retailers Temu and Shein.

The online shopping giant unveiled Haul as a mobile-only experience available in its Shopping app for US customers on Wednesday.

It says shoppers can expect “crazy low prices” on Haul products that are “worth the wait” of up to two weeks for delivery.

It marks the platform’s long-awaited foray into the sale cheaper goods with lengthier shipping times – a business model which has spurred the rise of Chinese-owned e-commerce apps.

Bloomberg journalist Amanda Mull told the BBC in July that positioning itself as a competitor to the likes of Temu would be a near-term priority for Amazon.

She said Amazon has “created the spending habits” of western consumers by acting as a trustworthy middleman between them and manufacturers.

But shifting away from its speedy delivery and returns options to echo the practices of increasingly popular Temu and Shein apps would allow them to follow in their footsteps by cutting prices, she said.

Amazon has said most of the products on Haul will cost less than $10 (£7.90).

It cited examples such as a three-piece razor set and an “elegant necklace, bracelet, and earring set” available at just under three dollars each in a press release about the launch.

Free delivery will also be available for orders of $25 or over with one to two week delivery.

But the mass production of cheap products has come under criticism due to concerns about the impact of their shipping and disposal on the environment.

“Finding great products at very low prices is important to customers, and we continue to explore ways that we can work with our selling partners so they can offer products at ultra-low prices,” said Dharmesh Mehta, Amazon’s vice president of worldwide selling partner services.

The company says the “beta” Haul shopping experience will see all products sold backed by its product guarantees to provide confidence about their safety.

Mr Mehta said it was still “early days” for its new shopping vertical, and customer feedback would be listened to in order to “refine and expand it in the weeks and months to come”.

The BBC has asked Amazon if, and when, the service will be launched in the UK.

This year’s iPhone 16 models represent a whole new ballgame for Apple’s iPhone lineup, with the standard iPhone 16 drawing closer than ever to the flagship iPhone 16 Pro. For the first time in three years, Apple isn’t leaving any of its iPhones behind on an older A-series chip, and all the latest bells and whistles, like the new Camera Control, are available across the board.

However, getting the latest iPhone is just the start. You’ll also want to — and in some cases need to — accessorize it. For most folks, the first step is protecting it in a good case. The new Camera Control button makes that trickier than usual, but the good news is that some case makers are already on it.

You’ll find a vibrant ecosystem of iPhone accessories beyond cases, updated for the 2024 models to give you faster wireless charging, high-quality audio on the go, keep you fit and connected, or even just help you keep track of your stuff. Here are our top picks for accessories that will complement any of Apple’s iPhone 16 models, from the 6.1-inch iPhone 16 to the powerful 6.9-inch iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Anker 523 Nano Charger

The best wall charger for iPhone 16

By now it probably shouldn’t come as a surprise that you won’t get a wall charger in the box with your new iPhone 16. However, while you can keep on using nearly any USB-C charger you have available, you might want to consider upgrading this year if you’re going with an iPhone 16 Pro or iPhone 16 Pro Max. Apple has boosted the wired charging speeds of its Pro models, and while they didn’t get the rumored 45W speeds, independent tests have confirmed that they can hit around 31W. That works out to a 20% increase in charging speeds with a charger that can supply enough power.

Anker’s 47W Nano Charger will easily have you covered, thanks to its ability to deliver 45W of power to a single device. With a second USB-C port, you can also keep another device powered up along with your iPhone 16, although in that case the power is shared with 27W going to one port and 20W going to the other. That’s still enough to get your iPhone from dead to 50% in about 30 minutes while also juicing up an Apple Watch or a set of AirPods. As the name suggests, this little adapter is also surprisingly compact for the amount of power it puts out, thanks to Anker’s use of advanced gallium-nitride (GaN) technology.

Anker 523 Nano Charger

The best wall charger for iPhone 16

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Apple MagSafe Charger

The best wireless charger for iPhone 16

Even though it didn’t say anything official about faster wired charging, Apple is giving the iPhone 16 a boost in wireless charging speeds this year, supporting up to 25W charging over MagSafe. That’s a healthy boost over the 15W of previous models, and will let you charge any iPhone 16 wirelessly to 50% in about 30 minutes — provided you’re using the right charger and power adapter.

Sadly, there aren’t too many options yet other than Apple’s official MagSafe Charger, which has been re-released by the company in a 25W version. The good news is that it’s the same size as the older one, so you’ll have no problem finding any number of affordable stands, mounts, and other accessories made to fit the charging puck.

Just keep in mind that it’s hard to tell the new 25W MagSafe Charger apart at from the older 15W at a glance. Unless a MagSafe charger is explicitly labelled as 25W, it’s best to assume it’s using the older 15W speeds. That’s not a big problem, as the iPhone 16 is still compatible with all older MagSafe accessories, but you won’t get the fastest possible charging unless you’re using the newest MagSafe standard. You’ll also need to make sure it’s plugged into a USB-C power adapter than can deliver at least 30W.

Apple MagSafe Charger

The best wireless charger for iPhone 16

Apple AirTag

The best item tracker for iPhone 16

Apple’s robust Find My Network offers support for a variety of different item-tracking tags and other accessories, but it’s no surprise that the company’s own AirTag is among the best. If the iPhone 16 is your first foray into the Apple ecosystem, consider picking up some of these to keep tabs on your keys, laptop bag, luggage, and more. A lost AirTag can report its location through any nearby iPhone or iPad that happens across it, and with a billion such devices roaming the world, it’s the largest crowdsourced item tracking network on the planet, making it much more likely your lost items will turn up.

However, AirTags aren’t just for things you may have left behind. Thanks to Apple’s Precision Finding feature, you can get specific directions to where a lost item is hiding in your home or office, so you’ll never again need to worry about losing your keys in the cushions of your couch. AirTags are available in single units or four-packs at a discount, and are powered by a single coin battery that lasts about a year. Thanks to their popularity, there’s also no shortage of ways to accessorize this accessory.

Apple AirTag

The best item tracker for iPhone 16

Apple Watch Series 10

The best smartwatch for iPhone 16

Whether you’re looking to keep track of your health and fitness or you just want an easier way to stay connected, the Apple Watch Series 10 is the perfect companion to your iPhone 16. While it wasn’t the 10th anniversary spectacular update that some predicted, Apple has still managed to give it a larger screen and make it significantly thinner and lighter than last year’s model.

This makes it more comfortable to wear and easier to read — especially from off-center, where it’s 40% brighter thanks to the new wide-angle OLED display — plus you’ll be able to see even more of your email and text message notifications and quickly respond with a few taps on the on-screen keyboard. The comprehensive array of health and fitness features are joined this year by a new sleep apnea detection algorithm that uses the accelerometer to monitor your sleep patterns and alerts you to this often-undiagnosed condition. Plus, while the Apple Watch is already great for a broad range of activities from running and hiking to swimming and skiing, this year’s model gets new Depth and Tides apps to make it even more useful for snorkeling, surfing, kayaking, and other shallow-water activities.

Apple Watch Series 10

The best smartwatch for iPhone 16

Apple Watch Ultra 2

The best extreme smartwatch for iPhone 16

Although the Apple Watch Ultra 2 didn’t get any meaningful hardware updates this year (unless you count its stunning new black titanium finish), that’s not a big problem as it’s still the best extreme sports smartwatch available. Plus, watchOS 11 brings some new goodies that put it almost on par with Apple’s new Series 10, while continuing to exceed it in ways that outdoor adventure enthusiasts will appreciate.

For example, you still get an incredibly bright display, with 3,000 nits that should make it easy to see even while hiking up a sunny mountainside, plus battery life that can run for up 72 hours between charges if you put it in low power mode. However, the best news is that it’s gaining Apple’s new sleep apnea detection, which won’t be exclusive to this year’s model — it’s coming to both of Apple’s 2023 wearables as part of watchOS 11. That means you don’t need to choose between this year’s elegant design or last year’s more rugged model to get the best sleep tracking available. The Apple Watch Ultra has also supported a Depth gauge since its inception, which makes sense as it’s one of the few dive-certified smartwatches on the market, so the addition of the Tides app in watchOS 11 just completes the set of water sports features.

Apple Watch Ultra 2

The best extreme smartwatch for iPhone 16

AirPods Pro 2

The best earbuds for iPhone 16

Apple’s AirPods 2 may be two years old now, but they’re still going strong. They’re among the best wireless earbuds on the market, and their tight integration with iOS 18 make them the go-to choice for wireless earbuds for your new iPhone 16. You’ll not only get best-in-class active noise cancellation (ANC) and excellent transparency features but with recent updates you’ll be able to use adaptive noise cancellation that can automatically adjust to your surroundings, conversation awareness that will lower the volume of your music when you’re talking to someone, plus voice isolation to let you carry on a conversation in a noisy environment. There are even new gestures in iOS 18 that will let you answer or decline incoming phone calls simply by nodding or shaking your head.

Plus, Apple has another trick up its sleeve for its AirPods. Apple has embraced new regulations by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that have opened up the field to over-the-counter hearing aids. As long as you’re running at least iOS 18.1 on your iPhone, you’ll be able to use them to take a hearing test and even have them double as hearing aids, in the U.S. at least. Like many health features, the situation is a bit murkier in other countries as Apple awaits approval by government regulators.

AirPods Pro 2

The best earbuds for iPhone 16

Apple AirPods 4

The best budget earbuds for iPhone 16

This year Apple introduced two new sets of its fourth-generation AirPods, differentiated only by the presence of active noise cancellation (ANC) on the higher-end version. However, we think the $129 AirPods 4 are the real sweet spot here, as they effectively replace the five-year-old AirPods 2 that were previously in that slot with something that’s fully modern with support for all the latest iOS 18 features.

Both sets of AirPods 4 get Apple’s latest H2 chip — the same one used in the AirPods Pro — which means they can support features like Siri head gestures for answering and ending calls and personalized spatial audio with head tracking, and voice isolation on phone calls. Naturally, the sound quality has been significantly improved overall, with richer bass and clearer highs, and Apple also promises that these are the most comfortable AirPods it’s made, thanks to a new design refined through the use of 3D photogrammetry and laser topography that mapped and analyzed thousands of ear shapes to create the ideal fit for most people.

Apple AirPods 4

The best budget earbuds for iPhone 16

iPhone 16 Silicone Case with MagSafe

The best case for iPhone 16

One of the biggest changes in this year’s iPhone 16 lineup is the new Camera Control, a capacitative touch-sensitive button on the right side of the iPhone that lets you quickly open the camera app to start snapping photos and videos and even adjust a whole range of settings by sliding your finger across it. It’s also a feature that’s required case makers to adapt to avoid blocking the new button.

While most cases simply leave a cutout for the Camera Control, Apple has taken a different approach by adding a sapphire crystal and a conductive layer that passes your finger movements through to the button on the iPhone. This not only offers more protection for that area of your iPhone 16 but it looks cooler too. Like Apple’s past MagSafe cases, it attaches magnetically with fun color-matched animations and supports full-speed MagSafe wireless charging. It’s also available in eight vibrant colors to complement the new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro finishes.

iPhone 16 Silicone Case with MagSafe

The best case for iPhone 16

Anker 633 Magnetic Battery

The best power bank for iPhone 16

This year’s iPhone 16 models have better battery life than ever, but it’s always a good idea to have a spare tank, especially if you’re someone who’s always on the go. Anker’s 633 Magnetic Battery is one of the most popular battery packs available for the iPhone, and for a good reason. With 10,000mAh of capacity, there’s enough to juice up even an iPhone 16 Pro Max with power to spare, and the strong magnetic connection and integrated kickstand let you prop your iPhone up for watching videos or joining FaceTime calls even while it’s still charging.

Since the Anker 633 isn’t MagSafe-certified, your charging speeds will be capped at the standard 7.5W of any Qi charger. However, that’s only a concern if you plan to use it in wireless mode. No magnetic battery pack offers fast wireless charging; even Apple’s own MagSafe Battery Pack only provides 5W of charging power when used as a standalone battery. However, Anker has another useful trick up its sleeve: if you’re in a hurry, you can use a standard USB-C cable to top up your iPhone at full 20W wired charging speeds, which should get you up to 50% in under 30 minutes in a pinch.

Anker 633 Magnetic Battery

The best power bank for iPhone 16

Satechi Magnetic Wallet Stand

Satechi’s Magnetic Wallet Stand is the ideal solution for someone who still needs to carry a few cards while being able to prop their iPhone up on the go. Using MagSafe-compatible magnets, it can be attached directly to the back of your iPhone 16 or through a MagSafe case. It folds flat when not in use, adding minimal bulk to your iPhone, and since it attaches magnetically, you can easily pop it off if it gets in the way.

However, where it really comes in handy is letting you prop up your iPhone in nearly any position in either portrait or landscape mode. The wallet hinge will open up to a 160-degree angle, letting you participate in FaceTime or Zoom calls, browse the web, or just enjoy your favorite YouTube videos or Netflix shows.

Satechi Magnetic Wallet Stand

The Vivo X200 Ultra is the company’s upcoming flagship smartphone, and based on a new rumor, it could ditch its predecessor’s 1-inch camera sensor. Its predecessor, the Vivo X100 Ultra used the Sony LYT-900 camera sensor.

The Vivo X200 Ultra could ditch its predecessor’s 1-inch main camera sensor

This information comes from Digital Chat Station, one of the best-known tipsters out there. He’s rarely wrong about such information, so we have no reason to doubt this info. It was published on Weibo, by the way.

The Vivo X200 Ultra will replace the 50-megapixel Sony LYT-900 1-inch main camera with a 50-megapixel 1/1.3-inch camera sensor. We’re not sure which one just yet, but it could be the same one the Vivo X200 Pro is using.

The Vivo X200 Pro is equipped with a 50-megapixel 1/1.28-inch Sony LYT-818 sensor. Now, that may seem like a downgrade, but that’s not necessarily the case. This is a newer sensor and it has its perks, it’s not all about the sensor size. Besides, the Vivo X200 Pro sits side by side with the Vivo X100 Ultra in terms of image quality, based on what we’ve seen.

We do expect Vivo to make a difference between the Vivo X200 Pro and Vivo X200 Ultra main cameras, however. So, this camera sensor could include variable aperture, or perhaps Vivo has some other sensor in mind completely. We’ll have to wait and see. Chances are we won’t get the same experience on the two phones, though.

The periscope camera will seemingly use the same camera sensor as the Vivo X100 Ultra

Digital Chat Station also mentioned the periscope telephoto camera that will be included on the phone. The Vivo X200 Ultra will include a 200-megapixel 1/1.4-inch camera sensor for its periscope telephoto camera.

That is the sensor size of both the Vivo X100 Ultra and Vivo X200 Pro periscope telephoto camera. So… that one could remain unchanged too, at least as far as the sensor itself is concerned.

The Vivo X100 Ultra is still lauded as one of the best, if not the best camera smartphone on the market, at least as far as photos are concerned. So we have high hopes for the Vivo X200 Ultra. The VIvo X200 Pro will arrive to global markets soon, at which point we’ll be able to test it ourselves and see what’s the deal. The Vivo X200 Ultra is not expected until Q2 2025, unless Vivo changes its release cycle.