World News: Talking Tech: An iPhone on a budget, plus a new Wordle alternative

Thursday, March 10

Happy Thursday, Talking Tech readers, as we inch closer to spring. It's Brett Molina back with another helping of tech headlines.

Usually when you think Apple, "affordable" and "budget friendly" don't always come to mind. Look, they make really good products but they are not always cheap.

But there have been some notable exceptions, like the iPhone SE. Earlier this week, Apple introduced the latest version of its budget iPhone, which starts at $429.

At that price, you appear to get a pretty good package: 64 GB of storage, the same processing chip as Apple's iPhone 13 and support for 5G.

What you don't get: the larger screen (SE is 4.7 inches), a complex camera system (one in front and one on the back), or fun features like Face ID. Instead, it has an old-school home button.

But you save more than $350 compared to buying an iPhone 13. That's not bad.

What else happened in tech?

EVEN MORE APPLE DEVICES. The company also unveiled a new iPad Air, plus the top-of-the-line Mac Studio desktop computer and Mac Studio Display. Fun fact: if you get both the desktop computer and display with all the bells and whistles, you will spend more than $10,000. Certainly not for the budget conscious.

DONATING TO UKRAINE CAUSES? Here's how to make sure your donation goes to the right source.

MUSIC TO YOUR EARS. Another week, another spinoff of 2022 hit game Wordle. This time, it's Heardle, where you have to guess a song in six tries. The twist? You only get to hear one snippet at a time lasting a couple seconds.

RISING GAS PRICES. Some drivers for services like DoorDash wonder whether it's worth it to deliver with gas prices continuing to soar.

Thursday's tech tip

Do you keep charging your phone to 100%, or continually close out apps yourself if you're not using them? These are among the bad smartphone habits you need to drop right now.

This week on Talking Tech

On the Talking Tech podcast, we discuss Apple, how to find charging stations for your electric car and keyboard shortcuts.

Thanks for reading! Catch you next Thursday.

Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.

The new Apple iPhone SE will be available for pre-order March 11, with availability beginning Friday, March 18.

Apple event recap: New iPhone SE, iPad Air unveiled

Apple introduced several products during its spring event Tuesday, including a budget iPhone and a new iPad, Apple Studio Display and Green iPhone 13.