Free ChatGPT Users Will Get a Huge Upgrade Next Week

There are 8.3 billion people on this planet, and roughly an eighth of them use ChatGPT. OpenAI confirmed that its infamous AI chatbot now has over one billion weekly active users, a staggering number given that ChatGPT is only three and a half years old. (For reference, that's on par with global Windows users.) Love it or hate it, there's no denying that ChatGPT—and generative AI as a whole—is firmly a part of modern life.

While there are surely many paying ChatGPT customers, the vast majority are using it for free. Though it may be exciting for paid users to try out the company's latest and greatest models, the biggest impact happens whenever OpenAI makes features available free of charge. As it happens, next week, free users are getting perhaps the biggest ChatGPT update in years.

Free ChatGPT users are getting unlimited text chats

Starting next week, you'll no longer hit a wall when simply texting with ChatGPT. OpenAI says that both free and Go users now have unlimited text chats, which should mean you can send as many text-based messages as you want without running into cooldown periods. Of course, the emphasis here is on "texts." There are absolutely still limits on other ChatGPT features, including messages with files and images, as well as Voice mode and image generation. But for users who primarily use ChatGPT with text-based messages, this update should be more than welcome.

In addition, OpenAI is switching free and Go users to the company's new GPT-5.6 Luna model, which is designed for "cost-sensitive, high-volume workloads." As such, this model likely won't be as capable as OpenAI's more powerful models available to Pro users, but free users aren't totally left in the lurch: OpenAI says there's a new "Think" button that lets you push Luna further for more complex requests. The experience is much changed from the days when users could jump between different models for free, but perhaps the unlimited text chats will make up for it for most users.

ChatGPT Pro users are getting some new perks too

OpenAI says that Plus and Pro users are also getting some updates. The company says that its GPT-5.6 Sol model now delivers "more focused" responses, and may issue corrections instead of simply agreeing with the user when they're wrong. It also does away with some of the formatting we've come to expect from AI: Your answer may be more succinct in paragraph form, rather than expansive with bullet points. OpenAI says that Sol makes "fewer mistakes" too, but remember: all AI models hallucinate.

There's also a new slider to push the model from "Instant" to higher effort. The idea is to give users a sliding scale of power, rather than have them switch from distinct models. The more intense you push the model, the longer the responses may take, so OpenAI positions the slider as an option for users to tailor the model to their needs: If you need a quick answer, keep the slider towards the less intense side.

This Blink Wireless 2K Floodlight Camera Is 40% Off Right Now

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The Blink Outdoor 2K+ Wireless Floodlight Camera is down to $77.99 from $129.99 on Amazon, and price trackers show that this is its lowest price so far. For that, you're getting a battery-powered outdoor camera with a motion-activated floodlight in one package without having to run wiring through an exterior wall. The camera records at up to 2K resolution and covers a 135-degree field of view, while the floodlight adds 700 lumens when motion is detected. That combination should work well over a driveway, side entrance, or backyard where you want both visibility and a recording of whoever triggered the light. Blink also includes the Sync Module Core, two AA lithium batteries for the camera, four D-cell batteries for the floodlight, and the mounting hardware, so the basic setup is covered out of the box.

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In everyday use, the Outdoor 2K+ handles the basics you would expect from an outdoor security camera, including motion alerts, night vision, two-way audio, and Alexa support. Its sharper 2K resolution also gives you a better chance of making out a face, package, or license plate than Blink’s older 1080p cameras, and because the setup is wire-free, you are not limited to spots near an outlet. That said, while it works with Alexa and IFTTT, Apple HomeKit or Google Assistant ecosystems are not supported, which makes it a less natural fit outside an Alexa-based smart home. Blink advertises the battery life of this floodlight camera at up to two years, though your actual results will depend on how often it records and how you use it.

Beyond basic motion alerts, the camera can identify people and vehicles and generate AI descriptions of motion events, but some of those features require a paid plan—the purchase includes a free 30-day trial, after which Blink’s Basic plan costs $3.99 per month or $39.99 per year for one device. You can skip the subscription and save footage locally, but the included Sync Module Core does not support local storage. That means buying a Sync Module XR ($73.53) and microSD card ($29.99), so it's worth factoring that extra cost in before deciding whether this $78 deal works for you.

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How to Watch Made by Google 2026: The Pixel Event's Start Time and What to Expect

It's nearly time for another Google keynote. Back in May, the company hosted Google I/O, its annual developers conference, where it announced a series of new software features and AI updates. On the flip side, "Made by Google" is all about the hardware that will run those new software updates. If you're curious about Google's next generation of devices, you'll want to tune into this presentation.

When is Made by Google 2026?

Usually, tech events—especially in the U.S.—are in the morning for West Coasters (and, as such, in the early afternoon for East Coasters). Many companies like Google are based in California, so a 10 a.m. PT start time is pretty common. As I'm on the East Coast, I'm quite used to starting coverage around 1 p.m. for most tech events.

This year is much different. Made by Google officially kicks off at 3 p.m. PT on Wednesday, Aug. 12. That means a 6 p.m. start time for those of us on the East Coast.

Where can you watch Made by Google 2026?

If you didn't get an invite to watch Made by Google in person, no worries: The company hosts a livestream for anyone to watch from home. Most companies run a livestream through YouTube, and as Google owns the video platform, it makes sense for its official livestream to live there, too. Even though the event doesn't start until next week, Google already has the livestream video open. You can watch from the feed below, or from the link here.

What will Google announce at Made by Google 2026?

While most companies officially keep their product announcements under wraps prior to an event, these days leaks and rumors typically spill the beans long before it kicks off. Perhaps that's why Google has gone ahead and spoiled the biggest announcements ahead of time: The company has already posted teasers for both the Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro Fold on social media. While even those reveals were hardly a surprise to anyone following the Google rumors, it is funny to have confirmation about two products ahead of time.

In addition to new Pixel smartphones, rumors suggest that we'll also see the new Pixel Watch 5 on Wednesday. Perhaps the company will even announce the Google Pixel Tag, which would mark Google's first attempt at an AirTag-like product. For a full account of the leaks and rumors going into Made by Google 2026, check out our explainer here.

Is It Good or Bad to Stretch Before a Workout?

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Should you stretch before a workout? There was a time when stretching felt mandatory, and I felt the need to tell you guys that it’s OK not to. But the pendulum has now swung the other way, and influencers are telling you that stretching will kill your gains—but that’s not really true either. Let’s break down the pros and cons of stretching before a workout, so you can figure out what you should actually do next time you go to the gym. 

Stretching can increase your range of motion temporarily

The best reason to stretch before a workout is to prepare yourself for that specific workout. For example, many people have trouble squatting as deeply as they would like, and the reason is often that they need better ankle mobility so they can bend their knees while their feet are flat on the floor. If this sounds familiar, some stretches for your calves and Achilles tendons will make a big difference. Do these before you squat, and your squats will go a lot better.

Stretching increases your short-term range of motion, as you’ll notice if you try to touch your toes 10 times in a row. Your first attempt might not get your hands very far toward the ground, but by the 10th you’ll be reaching a lot lower than you did at first. 

That effect doesn’t last very long. Later today, you’ll be stiff again. But that’s exactly why it’s good to do these stretches right before your workout. Get the increased mobility, then use it while you have it. More flexible ankles will let you squat better, which means your legs will get a much better workout than if you hadn’t stretched.

You can also increase your long-term range of motion by stretching. Your pre-workout stretches can contribute to that, although it’s good to also do some stretching and other flexibility work after your workout (or as its own workout) if that’s your goal. 

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Stretching can slightly decrease strength in the short term

All that said, it is possible to stretch too much before a workout. Let’s keep the example of a workout where you plan to do squats. Ankle stretches are great, since they’ll help you get into a deeper squat position. But you wouldn’t want to stretch your quads (the muscles on the front of your thighs) because those are the muscles that will need to work the hardest during your squats. 

As I’ve discussed before, stretching does have a small, temporary effect where it decreases the amount of power you can get out of the muscle that was stretched. But, to be clear, this requires you to do some pretty deep stretching of the exact muscle the strength exercise will work, and to do it right before the strength work. If you do that, yeah, you might notice you can’t lift quite as much. 

But it’s important to remember two things: One is that you’re probably not stretching super deeply, immediately before your strength exercises. (If you are, I’d argue you might want to stop.) But the other is that the decrease in performance is very small. Even if you are stretching your quads right before you squat, it’s not like you’re canceling out the effects of your squats. I like to do targeted stretches before a workout (just the ankles, in our example) and save the full-body stretching for afterward.

Stretching isn’t necessary to prevent injury

There’s an old myth that stretching prevents injury. It’s been pretty thoroughly debunked, so if you’re only stretching before workouts because you think it’s necessary to stay safe and healthy, you can skip this part. We all have limited time in the gym, so it’s probably better to use this time for a few stretches that help prepare you for your workout, and then get on with the rest of the day’s training. 

Stretching by itself doesn’t warm you up

Moving your body to get into position for your favorite stretches is arguably a good way to get warmed up. But that’s because any movement helps, not because stretching is the best way to warm up your muscles and get your joints moving smoothly. 

Instead, try dynamic stretches. I’m secretly convinced the benefit of these is just that they get you moving, not that they incorporate a stretch. Jogging with high knees and butt kicks is a dynamic stretch, but regular jogging is probably almost as good. You can also do any other kind of gentle movement that helps you feel less stiff. A yoga flow, like a sun salutation, is a good way to run through warmup movements for all your body parts.

What to do before a workout

I’ve written a guide to figuring out what you need in your warmup—and it’s not necessarily going to be the same thing for every workout. Before a workout with overhead lifts, I’ll do some shoulder stretches. Before a squat workout, someone who struggles with squatting deeply enough should probably do some calf and ankle stretches, and maybe some stretches for the hips.

So, figure out if there are movements that could benefit from some extra range of motion in a given body part. Some workouts might not need mobility work, and that’s OK—for example, if you’re doing bench press and bicep curls, you might be fine without any stretches in the warmup. (That said, some stretches for your back might help you get a stronger position in the bench press, which in turn stabilizes your shoulders. Just saying.) 

For these workout-specific stretches, it’s okay to do static stretching (in which you hold a position for several seconds). It’s also fine to do dynamic stretches if you feel those work better for you, or even to foam roll for mobility. Figure out what works for you.

This Anker Portable Projector With Google TV Is Over $70 Off Right Now

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Anker’s Nebula P1i Portable Projector is down to $295 on Amazon from its usual $369, and according to price -rackers, that’s the lowest it has gone so far. That makes it one of the more affordable ways to get a full HD projector with built-in streaming. The P1i is designed around convenience—it runs Google TV out of the box, so you can jump straight into apps like Netflix without plugging in a streaming stick. Setup is also simple: Anker’s Smart Instant Setup handles autofocus, keystone correction, and screen alignment, so you can place it down and get a usable image in seconds.

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At just under five pounds, it's also easy to move, although that light build comes with a small downside. If the projector gets nudged, the image can shift, which means you may need to readjust it. Using a tripod helps, especially if you’re setting it up outdoors or want something more stable at home. In terms of connections, it keeps things simple with one HDMI port, a USB-A slot, and a headphone jack. You can hook up a console or streaming device if you want, but the built-in interface already covers most use cases. The Nebula P1i can accept a 4K signal but scales it down to 1080p, which is fine for movies and casual viewing.

While the image looks good in the center with colors that come across as fairly natural, the edges soften a bit if you’re projecting at an angle. Brightness is another constraint, so it performs best at night or in a dark room—daytime viewing with ambient light washes out a lot of detail. Also, while its fold-out speakers are loud enough for a small gathering and make voices easy to follow, they lack depth, so movies do not feel as full as they should. You can pair Bluetooth speakers for better audio, but that adds to both cost and setup. There’s also no built-in battery, so it needs to stay plugged in, which takes away some of the flexibility you might expect from a portable projector.

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Here's When Google Assistant Is Leaving Android

For the longest time, Google Assistant was the bot to beat. While those of us in the Apple ecosystem have struggled to get Siri to follow our commands, Google Assistant could answer almost any query you had. It led the charge on conversational AI, which let you ask a follow-up without needing to restate the original question in full. I've never been one to rely much on assistants, but I'll admit that I've wished Siri could be a bit more like Google Assistant over the years.

Of course, Google Assistant isn't Google's assistant of choice these days. Since March of 2024, the company has let users swap out Google Assistant for Gemini, Google's flagship AI platform. Then, just one year later, the company officially replaced its popular bot with Gemini across its platforms and services. Google didn't outright kill off Google Assistant then and there; you've been able to use it if you wish, but it did say it would require Google Assistant at some point in 2025. 2025 has come and gone, and Google Assistant is still here, but that won't be the case for long.

Google Assistant has an official end-of-life date

As reported by 9to5Google, Google Assistant will officially begin shutting down on Friday, Sept. 4. The company alerted some Google Assistant users via email, letting them know that Google Assistant is being discontinued, and Gemini, "our next-generation AI-powered assistant," is now the official Android assistant. On that date, Google says it will begin removing access to Google Assistant from devices, though it may take "a few weeks to reach everyone." That means you may still have access to Google Assistant through the third week in September, though you could lose access at any point.

This Google Assistant end-of-life doesn't just apply to Android smartphones and tablets. Google says it will also revoke its legacy assistant from Wear OS watches, headphones, and Android Auto—at least when the feature is powered by the user's smartphone. Google says that "Google built-in" cars will still be able to use Google Assistant after Sept. 4.

Which devices will Google Assistant still work with?

At this time, Google TV devices and Google Home speakers and smart displays still have access to Google Assistant. However, in some cases, it seems you cannot revert back to Google Assistant if you choose to use Gemini on your device.

This Tiny Waterproof GoPro (With a Built-In Light) Is Almost $50 Off Right Now

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The GoPro Lit Hero is down to $224.02, a sizable drop from its $269.99 launch price in October 2025 and the lowest price recorded by price-trackers so far. The main reason someone would buy the Lit Hero is portability. At just 3.3 ounces, it’s genuinely tiny—small enough to slip into a jacket pocket or stay clipped to a bike helmet without becoming annoying to carry around all day.

It records up to 4K at 60fps, captures 12MP photos, and is waterproof down to 16 feet without needing extra housing, which makes it practical for casual travel, cycling, beach trips, or quick vacation clips. Startup speeds are fast, autofocus works reliably most of the time, and the battery lasts around 90 minutes of continuous shooting, which is decent considering the battery is sealed and cannot be swapped out mid-day. The built-in LED light is also brighter than expected for a camera this small, although it feels more useful underwater or during emergencies than for everyday clips.

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On the minus side, its 1.76-inch touchscreen is extremely small, and navigating menus can become annoying fast, especially if you're outdoors or have wet hands. And because there are barely any physical controls, almost everything depends on tapping through menus on that tiny display. There’s also no built-in image stabilization. Instead, you have to transfer footage into the GoPro Quik app and apply stabilization afterward, which adds an extra step. And while the image quality is decent in bright conditions, its small 1/2.8-inch sensor struggles once lighting drops, producing softer footage with visible noise. People who like color grading or tweaking footage later won’t get much flexibility here either, since there’s no log mode or meaningful manual control to work with.

Overall, the Lit Hero feels less like a smaller Hero Black and more like a compact point-and-shoot action camera for beginners who care more about convenience and size than image quality.

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