Category: Money

Business Insider 

Fans have connected some of Taylor Swift’s Met Gala looks to her music.

Dimitrios Kambouris/Taylor Hill/Contributor/Getty Images

Taylor Swift has attended six Met Galas since 2008.Some of her Met Gala looks have fallen flat, while others solidified her fashionista status.Her 2016 look was her most iconic to date, particularly because of its significance in her music.

The fashion world is abuzz as the 2024 Met Gala is swiftly approaching.

On May 6 — the first Monday in May — stars will gather at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City for the “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” gala.

The Met Gala red carpet is always exciting as celebrities reveal their interpretations of the event’s dress code, which is “The Garden of Time” for 2024.

But it’s also thrilling to see which stars ultimately attend the event since the guest list is kept under wraps. For instance, there have been conflicting reports on whether Taylor Swift will attend the gala after releasing her record-breaking album “The Tortured Poets Department.”

But whether she attends in 2024 or not, Swift’s legacy at the Met Gala looms large. Take a look back at all the looks she’s worn to the event, ranked from least to most iconic.

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TheStreet 

[[{“value”:”

Daniel Loeb, the 62-year-old chief executive of Third Point, represents one of his era’s top hedge fund managers.

Third Point, founded by Loeb in 1995, managed $11.5 billion as of March 31. He began his career as a junk bond salesman, and his customers included hedge fund heavyweight David Tepper, now owner of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers.

Loeb’s big bets on stocks and debt securities have paid off. Despite a few stumbles over the years, Third Point has generated a stellar average annualized return of 16% after fees over the 28 years that ended in September, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Before fees, the S&P 500 had annualized returns of 10% over the 28 years through Dec. 31.

His success suggests investors might want to follow in Loeb’s footsteps. What’s he like now? Tech stocks. Especially AI stocks.

He wrote in a letter to Third Point shareholders on April 30, “AI’s transformational potential is a key element of the thesis for nearly half of our equity positions today.”

Hedge fund titan Daniel Loeb, CEO of Third Point, likes AI stocks. 

SAUL LOEB/Getty Images

“Unlike in past periods of technological paradigm shifts, this new technology favors incumbents who are deploying their financial and intellectual war chests to win the AI arms race.”

In particular, he cites Microsoft  (MSFT)  and Amazon  (AMZN) , both of which Third Point owns. They are among “the best-run legacy companies, which have built enormous competitive advantages and seen their growth vectors accelerate.”

Alphabet’s Artificial Intelligence activity

Another company taking full advantage of the AI craze is Google’s parent company, Alphabet  (GOOG) . Thanks to AI demand, the company’s Google Cloud division saw revenue soar 28% in the first quarter.

Many young AI companies are led by former Alphabet employees, leading them to use Google Cloud for their computing services, Bloomberg points out.

Related: Analyst revamps Nvidia stock price target ahead of earnings

With its initial foray into AI, Google had some setbacks, such as glitches in its Gemini chatbot. But it now seems to have found its footing.

The company has restructured several times to train and launch AI offerings more quickly. To drive future search traffic, it is pivoting to large language models (LLMs) like Gemini. 

An LLM is an AI program that recognizes and generates text. OpenAI’s ChatGPT was the first of these generative AI programs to gain widespread adoption because it can quickly search, parse, and create content.

Alphabet remains dominant in Internet search, with search advertising revenue jumping 14% in the first quarter. However, it has been under pressure to maintain its market share since Microsoft incorporated ChatGPT into its Bing search engine last year.

Loeb likes Alphabet, saying in his letter that he made a “substantial investment” in the company during the first quarter.

“We have long admired its exceptional business model and its proven ability to maintain a leading position across an array of pre-eminent products such as Search, Gmail, Android, GCP [Google Cloud Platform], and YouTube,” Loeb wrote.

Related: Analysts unveil Google parent Alphabet stock price targets after earnings

Alphabet’s critics aren’t know-nothings, Loeb said. It’s legitimate to worry that in “an AI world, changes in the way consumers interact with their personal devices and with the Internet can [threaten] Alphabet’s core search business.”

Why Daniel Loeb likes Alphabet

But on the plus side, “Alphabet has a substantial distribution and technology advantage over competitors,” he said. “And it’s positioned to use its AI capabilities to unify, enhance, and better monetize the entire suite of its products.”

Alphabet’s AI boo-boos have actually created a good buying opportunity for the stock, Loeb said. “Gemini’s initial blunders further contributed to the narrative that Alphabet will end up an AI loser,” he said.

“Assigning primacy to a small operational misstep while demoting the fact that the company has been building world-class capabilities in AI for over a decade, created an attractive entry point for a long-term investor.” That likely means Loeb.

More AI Stocks:

Analyst unveils eye-popping Palantir stock price target after Oracle dealVeteran analyst delivers blunt warning about Nvidia’s stockAnalysts revamp Microsoft stock price target amid OpenAI reports

Alphabet traded at $167.65 on May 1, up 26% from March 6.

“We believe the moment when Gemini takes a seat at the economic table is approaching,” Loeb said.

And Google Search isn’t going away, he maintained. “We envision a world of greatly reduced content creation costs and a proliferation of information, a lot of it in the form of ad-supported content full of AI fakes,” Loeb said.

“Against that backdrop, Google Search will be increasingly important as a source of truth.” 

Related: Veteran fund manager picks favorite stocks for 2024

The author of this story owns shares of Amazon, Microsoft and Alphabet.

“}]]

Read More 

TheStreet 

For decades cruise ships and Las Vegas shared the notion that people loved eating at buffets. On land, a buffet was a way for a resort casino to offer a free meal to lower-level players that they would enjoy and appreciate that would not keep them off the gaming floor long.

On cruise ships, buffets offer an easy way to serve a lot of people quickly while making sure nobody leaves without finding some food they enjoy. For Royal Caribbean, the Windjammer Buffet has been a key part of the cruise line’s offerings for decades.

Related: Carnival Cruise Line speaks out on elevator controversy

The Windjammer, like Carnival’s Lido Marketplace, can get very crowded, especially during lunch on sea and embarkation days. During those times, passengers often opt for other free venues. On Carnival Cruise Line (CCL) , that includes Guy Fieri’s Burger Joint, Shaquille Oneal’s Big Chicken, and the Blue Iguana Mexican Cantina.

Royal Caribbean customers get El Loco Fresh, a casual Mexican spot, on many ships while others offer a poolside hamburger concept. Oasis Class ships, on sea days and embarkation day, have a secondary buffet, the Solarium Bistro, which usually has somewhat healthier fare and more available seats than Windjammer.   

After 6 p.m., however, Royal Caribbean (RCL) has fewer free options outside of its main dining rooms. Passengers get access to pizza at Sorrento’s as well as snacks and sandwiches at Cafe Promenade, and on some Oasis-class ships Boardwalk Doghouse opens late offering basic hot dogs.

You can, of course, order room service, but Royal Caribbean has added something even better to its newest ship, Icon of the Seas, which borrows heavily from a concept becoming more popular on the Las Vegas Strip that’s also used by Virgin Voyages.

AquaDome Marketplace offers five restaurants that are all included in your cruise fare.

Image source: Daniel Kline/TheStreet

Royal Caribbean adds a food hall

Icon of the Seas has many innovations including bringing the cruise line’s signature Aqua Theater indoors. The theater now sits in a new area that also houses Hooked, a seafood restaurant, and Rye & Bean, a coffee bar that serves both alcoholic and non-alcoholic coffees and teas.

Adjacent to the Aqua Theater the cruise line has also added its first-ever food hall. A concept that’s quickly replacing the traditional buffet on the Las Vegas Strip, food halls group a number of restaurants under the same roof. 

Generally, it’s set up so people sharing a table may not all eat food from the same restaurant while some people may order courses from a variety of places. In Las Vegas, the food hall at Resorts World allows visitors to order via an app and then go collect their food when it’s ready.

Unlike a buffet, you pay for what you eat, but food halls (at least the one at Resorts World) often have higher-end options made with better quality ingredients than buffets offer. In the case of AquaDome Marketplace, Royal Caribbean’s first-ever food hall, all five restaurants are included, and they’re open into the later hours of the night (hours may vary by sailing).  

Royal Caribbean solves a dining problem

AquaDome Marketplace gives Royal Caribbean another included dining option that’s open from lunch into the later parts of the evening. That takes pressure off the buffet during meals and also gives passengers a choice that’s better than pizza

“Five unique food stands serve up a smorgasbord with a side of awe-inspiring views. Mix up fresh pitas and bowls at Feta Mediterranean. Mac’s remixes cheesy goodness with toppings like hearty, slow-simmered chili and aged white cheddar. For a feel-good fix, head to Toast and Garden for sandwiches and salads. Plus Asian faves like chicken teriyaki with snow peas at GNGR. And say yes to the press at Crème de la Crepe with sweet crepes,” the cruise line shared on its website.

Lines can be somewhat long at the five mini restaurants, but most items are already prepared so the line moves quickly. In most cases, people can customize their order as it’s assembled but many of the ingredients are already cooked. 

Virgin Voyages offers a similar food hall on its ships albeit with more included restaurants. The Virgin version allows passengers to either order at the various counters or pull up the menus via QR code and place your order with a waiter. 

Unlike Royal Caribbean. however, where the AquaDome Marketplace is an added concept, Virgin’s version takes the place of a traditional buffet. 

Read More 

TheStreet 

For decades cruise ships and Las Vegas shared the notion that people loved eating at buffets. On land, a buffet was a way for a resort casino to offer a free meal to lower-level players that they would enjoy and appreciate that would not keep them off the gaming floor long.

On cruise ships, buffets offer an easy way to serve a lot of people quickly while making sure nobody leaves without finding some food they enjoy. For Royal Caribbean, the Windjammer Buffet has been a key part of the cruise line’s offerings for decades.

Related: Carnival Cruise Line speaks out on elevator controversy

The Windjammer, like Carnival’s Lido Marketplace, can get very crowded, especially during lunch on sea and embarkation days. During those times, passengers often opt for other free venues. On Carnival Cruise Line (CCL) , that includes Guy Fieri’s Burger Joint, Shaquille Oneal’s Big Chicken, and the Blue Iguana Mexican Cantina.

Royal Caribbean customers get El Loco Fresh, a casual Mexican spot, on many ships while others offer a poolside hamburger concept. Oasis Class ships, on sea days and embarkation day, have a secondary buffet, the Solarium Bistro, which usually has somewhat healthier fare and more available seats than Windjammer.   

After 6 p.m., however, Royal Caribbean (RCL) has fewer free options outside of its main dining rooms. Passengers get access to pizza at Sorrento’s as well as snacks and sandwiches at Cafe Promenade, and on some Oasis-class ships Boardwalk Doghouse opens late offering basic hot dogs.

You can, of course, order room service, but Royal Caribbean has added something even better to its newest ship, Icon of the Seas, which borrows heavily from a concept becoming more popular on the Las Vegas Strip that’s also used by Virgin Voyages.

AquaDome Marketplace offers five restaurants that are all included in your cruise fare.

Image source: Daniel Kline/TheStreet

Royal Caribbean adds a food hall

Icon of the Seas has many innovations including bringing the cruise line’s signature Aqua Theater indoors. The theater now sits in a new area that also houses Hooked, a seafood restaurant, and Rye & Bean, a coffee bar that serves both alcoholic and non-alcoholic coffees and teas.

Adjacent to the Aqua Theater the cruise line has also added its first-ever food hall. A concept that’s quickly replacing the traditional buffet on the Las Vegas Strip, food halls group a number of restaurants under the same roof. 

Generally, it’s set up so people sharing a table may not all eat food from the same restaurant while some people may order courses from a variety of places. In Las Vegas, the food hall at Resorts World allows visitors to order via an app and then go collect their food when it’s ready.

Unlike a buffet, you pay for what you eat, but food halls (at least the one at Resorts World) often have higher-end options made with better quality ingredients than buffets offer. In the case of AquaDome Marketplace, Royal Caribbean’s first-ever food hall, all five restaurants are included, and they’re open into the later hours of the night (hours may vary by sailing).  

Royal Caribbean solves a dining problem

AquaDome Marketplace gives Royal Caribbean another included dining option that’s open from lunch into the later parts of the evening. That takes pressure off the buffet during meals and also gives passengers a choice that’s better than pizza

“Five unique food stands serve up a smorgasbord with a side of awe-inspiring views. Mix up fresh pitas and bowls at Feta Mediterranean. Mac’s remixes cheesy goodness with toppings like hearty, slow-simmered chili and aged white cheddar. For a feel-good fix, head to Toast and Garden for sandwiches and salads. Plus Asian faves like chicken teriyaki with snow peas at GNGR. And say yes to the press at Crème de la Crepe with sweet crepes,” the cruise line shared on its website.

Lines can be somewhat long at the five mini restaurants, but most items are already prepared so the line moves quickly. In most cases, people can customize their order as it’s assembled but many of the ingredients are already cooked. 

Virgin Voyages offers a similar food hall on its ships albeit with more included restaurants. The Virgin version allows passengers to either order at the various counters or pull up the menus via QR code and place your order with a waiter. 

Unlike Royal Caribbean. however, where the AquaDome Marketplace is an added concept, Virgin’s version takes the place of a traditional buffet. 

Read More 

TheStreet 

Every retailer has rules that it enforces with customers and, in some cases, vendors. Walmart, for example, often checks receipts when people leave its stores.

That’s a controversial practice designed to cut down on theft that also essentially labels its customers as thieves. That has included bringing back its famed Szechuan Sauce, a product first created to promote the movie “Mulan,” when “Rick and Morty” made it a plot point in 2017.

Related: Forget Kid Rock, Bud Light gains a new ally it may not want

In addition, the chain has promoted “As Featured In,” meals globally. These are McDonald’s orders from movies and TV shows that the chain promotes in its stores. 

That’s what the fast-food giant did for Walt Disney’s “Loki,” in order to promote its second season.

“For a limited time, fans can relive the magic of their favorite characters and artists with one of three main menu items and sides – all famously featured. The meal varies globally but will include a choice of 10-piece Chicken McNuggets, Quarter Pounder with Cheese or Big Mac Sandwich along with Medium World Famous Fries, the newly-branded Sweet ‘N Sour Sauce – inspired by Marvel Studios’ “Loki” Season 2,” the chain shared on its website.

That’s a mix of the film and TV world and the real world, and now McDonald’s  (MCD)  plans to take a fictional product from its WcDonald’s anime alter-ego and bring it into its restaurants all around the world.

McDonald’s is bringing a sauce from the anime world into reality.

Image source: Shutterstock

McDonald’s has an anime alter-ego

While rivals like Wendy’s have been trying to get a foothold in the metaverse, McDonald’s has an established presence in anime and manga. Using the name WcDonald’s, the fast-food giant has built a world around variations of some of its McDonaldland favorites as well as original characters.    

The alter-ego chain has popped up in countless shows, standing in for the original, in the way “The Simpsons” has Krusty Burger and rarely references any real-world fast-food chains. It’s a sort of clever way to embrace the medium and now McDonald’s plans to bring a piece of its anime menu into the real world all around the globe.

“It’s an exciting time in the WcDonald’s universe as the Savory Chili WcDonald’s Sauce arrives! Whether it’s a thrilling race or a portal to another world, our heroes will do whatever it takes to savor the mythical sauce to complement their WcNuggets,” the chain shared on the WcDonald’s website.

The release of the sauce will coincide with a four-episode anime series that McDonald’s will begin posting on Feb. 26, releasing one episode each week.

“The new Savory Chili WcDonald’s (pronounced Wick-DONALDS) Sauce features the unmistakable aroma and fiery warmth of ginger, lingering umami from garlic and soy sauce, and a little punch of heat from chili flakes,” Fast Food Post reported.

The new Savory Chili WcDonald’s Sauce will be offered as a dipping sauce option for Chicken McNuggets (WcNuggets), but it can also be ordered separately.

McDonald’s believes in digital

Going into anime is part of a broader plan for McDonald’s to embrace younger customers. The company has been well ahead of its rivals, not just in where it’s reaching out to potential diners, but also in how it allows people to order.

The chain has been a digital pioneer that has invested heavily in its digital ecosystem. That’s something CFO Ian Borden spoke about during the company’s third-quarter earnings call.

“In our top six markets, digital sales represented more than 40% of system-wide sales, or nearly $9 billion for the third quarter. We now have over 57 million 90-day active members across these top markets, and our relationship with them continues to grow,” he shared.

Digital customers give the company the ability to make changes based on purchasing patterns.

“We’re learning when they visit, how they visit, and what they buy, with more and more of our sales coming through identified channels than ever before,” he added.

“In fact, in our top six markets, digital sales represented more than 40% of system-wide sales, or nearly $9 billion for the third quarter. We now have over 57 million 90-day active members across these top markets, and our relationship with them continues to grow. We’re learning when they visit, how they visit, and what they buy, with more and more of our sales coming through identified channels than ever before.”

Read More 

TheStreet 

Every retailer has rules that it enforces with customers and, in some cases, vendors. Walmart, for example, often checks receipts when people leave its stores.

That’s a controversial practice designed to cut down on theft that also essentially labels its customers as thieves. That has included bringing back its famed Szechuan Sauce, a product first created to promote the movie “Mulan,” when “Rick and Morty” made it a plot point in 2017.

Related: Forget Kid Rock, Bud Light gains a new ally it may not want

In addition, the chain has promoted “As Featured In,” meals globally. These are McDonald’s orders from movies and TV shows that the chain promotes in its stores. 

That’s what the fast-food giant did for Walt Disney’s “Loki,” in order to promote its second season.

“For a limited time, fans can relive the magic of their favorite characters and artists with one of three main menu items and sides – all famously featured. The meal varies globally but will include a choice of 10-piece Chicken McNuggets, Quarter Pounder with Cheese or Big Mac Sandwich along with Medium World Famous Fries, the newly-branded Sweet ‘N Sour Sauce – inspired by Marvel Studios’ “Loki” Season 2,” the chain shared on its website.

That’s a mix of the film and TV world and the real world, and now McDonald’s  (MCD)  plans to take a fictional product from its WcDonald’s anime alter-ego and bring it into its restaurants all around the world.

McDonald’s is bringing a sauce from the anime world into reality.

Image source: Shutterstock

McDonald’s has an anime alter-ego

While rivals like Wendy’s have been trying to get a foothold in the metaverse, McDonald’s has an established presence in anime and manga. Using the name WcDonald’s, the fast-food giant has built a world around variations of some of its McDonaldland favorites as well as original characters.    

The alter-ego chain has popped up in countless shows, standing in for the original, in the way “The Simpsons” has Krusty Burger and rarely references any real-world fast-food chains. It’s a sort of clever way to embrace the medium and now McDonald’s plans to bring a piece of its anime menu into the real world all around the globe.

“It’s an exciting time in the WcDonald’s universe as the Savory Chili WcDonald’s Sauce arrives! Whether it’s a thrilling race or a portal to another world, our heroes will do whatever it takes to savor the mythical sauce to complement their WcNuggets,” the chain shared on the WcDonald’s website.

The release of the sauce will coincide with a four-episode anime series that McDonald’s will begin posting on Feb. 26, releasing one episode each week.

“The new Savory Chili WcDonald’s (pronounced Wick-DONALDS) Sauce features the unmistakable aroma and fiery warmth of ginger, lingering umami from garlic and soy sauce, and a little punch of heat from chili flakes,” Fast Food Post reported.

The new Savory Chili WcDonald’s Sauce will be offered as a dipping sauce option for Chicken McNuggets (WcNuggets), but it can also be ordered separately.

McDonald’s believes in digital

Going into anime is part of a broader plan for McDonald’s to embrace younger customers. The company has been well ahead of its rivals, not just in where it’s reaching out to potential diners, but also in how it allows people to order.

The chain has been a digital pioneer that has invested heavily in its digital ecosystem. That’s something CFO Ian Borden spoke about during the company’s third-quarter earnings call.

“In our top six markets, digital sales represented more than 40% of system-wide sales, or nearly $9 billion for the third quarter. We now have over 57 million 90-day active members across these top markets, and our relationship with them continues to grow,” he shared.

Digital customers give the company the ability to make changes based on purchasing patterns.

“We’re learning when they visit, how they visit, and what they buy, with more and more of our sales coming through identified channels than ever before,” he added.

“In fact, in our top six markets, digital sales represented more than 40% of system-wide sales, or nearly $9 billion for the third quarter. We now have over 57 million 90-day active members across these top markets, and our relationship with them continues to grow. We’re learning when they visit, how they visit, and what they buy, with more and more of our sales coming through identified channels than ever before.”

Read More 

Business Insider 

When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

The Garmin Venu 3S is a great premium smartwatch option for folks with narrower wrists or those who prefer smaller wearables.

Shannon Ullman/Insider

With the release of the Venu 3S, Garmin fans looking for a smaller wearable now have a more attractive option compared to the brand’s other watches like the Venu 2, Epix Pro, or Fenix 7 Pro. While those comprise some of the best Garmin watches you can buy, the Venu 3S slots in as a similarly quality smartwatch with a more compact design.

Like the standard Venu 3, the 3S offers a variety of advanced features, such as a built-in speaker and microphone to take calls, the ability to download and store music, and plenty of health and fitness tools. It’s a solid combination of an effective activity tracker and a multi-featured smartwatch.

I’ve tested a variety of the best smartwatches, including the Apple Watch Series 9, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, and the Fitbit Sense 2. While the Venu 3S has a steeper learning curve than those, it’s a quality smartwatch that offers some of the best health and fitness tracking capabilities among anything I’ve reviewed.

The Venu 3S is smaller and lighter than the standard Venu 3 and is perfect for folks with narrow wrists

Shannon Ullman/Business Insider

When comparing the Venu 3S to the standard Venu 3, the size difference is obvious. While the Venu 3 measures 1.8 inches in diameter, the 3S sits at 1.6 inches. The 3S also weighs less than the 3, which is a small but welcome change for those with narrow wrists who prefer wearing lighter accessories.

The smaller Venu 3S watch face is a considerable improvement from the bulky, uncomfortable Venu 2 model. The Venu 3S is 0.3 oz lighter than both the Venu 2 and the Venu 3, which may sound insignificant but I did find it to make a noticeable difference, especially during workouts or when I wore it to sleep.

The Venu 3S also has a thinner silicone strap than the Venu 3 and it comes in five color options: French Gray, Pebble Gray, Sage Gray, Dust Rose, and Ivory. Like Garmin’s other Venu models, wearers can further customize their watch with add-ons from a pool of over 15 strap colors.

Another benefit of the Venu 3S design is that it complements and enhances outfits rather than drawing attention away from styling. That’s not true for many of the wide, techy-looking smartwatches currently on the market.

Garmin’s advanced fitness tracking ecosystem is great for beginners and advanced athletes alike

Shannon Ullman/Business Insider

The Venu 3S stays true to the classic fitness tracking features you’d expect from Garmin. Like the Venu 2, it has a focus on rest and recovery, which helped identify when I needed to either take it easy one day or when I could up the intensity of my workouts. I also enjoyed its easy workout customization, the animated on-screen workout functionality, and the running-specific features that tracked my running power, stride length, cadence, etc.

The Venu 3S syncs with the Garmin Connect app which centralizes all tracked health and fitness data. This provided an easy way for me to access all my tracking metrics, and its calendar function is a fun way to track progress from week to week.

Garmin updated the Venu 3S with a microphone and speaker, both of which were missing from the Venu 2 and 2S, and this feature is a particular standout. This allows for audio prompts and coaching techniques that did a good job of keeping me accountable in the first few weeks of wearing the watch. I enjoyed using these features on days when I had trouble getting going on my own. It also helps out during activities as you can set tracking alerts during, say, cycling or swimming that can incentivize you to adjust your goals or extend your exercise time in future workouts.

Garmin watches tend to lean more toward advanced users but the 3S does a good job of catering to first-time wearers and beginners, too. The watch offers beginner tracking features for those who just want to monitor basics like steps taken, calories burned, and sleep time.

One of the Venu’s biggest selling points is helping you better understand certain health markers

Shannon Ullman/Business Insider

Garmin’s Venu 3S allows you to glean detailed insights into your health. This includes unique information regarding sleep patterns, nervous system regulation, menstruation, and pregnancy.

For the sleep tracking, the watch monitors movement during normal sleeping hours. It can then report back on the total hours of sleep, sleep movement, and sleep stages I encountered throughout the night.

The stress tracking feature is also a helpful function that offers useful info about how my body handles stress each day. This works by monitoring my heart rate data and comparing it to my normal levels throughout the day over time, including while sleeping. I could then see at what time throughout the day my stress levels were the highest and could choose to take a walk during those times, or simply sit and meditate.

The menstruation tracking feature needs a bit more manual operation than sleep or stress tracking as it requires me to personally track things like my physical and emotional symptoms, the dates my cycle started and ended, and any supplemental health and nutrition information. Over time, however, the watch uses that data to predict period and fertility timing.

A minor annoyance of the Venu 3S was the inconvenience of having to wait for the watch to learn the “real me.” It took a few days of logging my health and fitness data for the watch to truly start adapting to my body’s rhythms. This is ultimately fine since the watch needs to go through these processes but I couldn’t help being a bit impatient.

Solid smartwatch functionality and downloadable music are a huge plus

The Venu 3S is comparable to other Venu models in that I was able to download music to the watch without having to whip out my phone when I wanted to skip a song. All it takes is a simple tap on the watch’s screen and I can navigate through my playlists easily.

Being able to simultaneously take phone calls and check emails while tracking my steps and hydration levels helped take some of the pressure off my hands, wrists, and fingers—a beacon when you’re on the computer for hours in the day typing, leaning forward, and sitting still. These are the hallmarks of modern smartwatches, and the Venu 3S nails this aspect.

One slight annoyance I had with the Venu 3S is not being able to view photos or respond to texts on the watch. I use an iPhone and these features are only available to Android users (similar to other Garmin watches).

The Venu 3S offers up to 10 days of battery life and charges to 100% in an hour

Shannon Ullman/Business Insider

The Venu 3S’s 10-day battery life (in smartwatch mode) is shorter than Venu 3’s 14-day lifespan, but this was a tradeoff I was happy to accommodate once I started fiddling with my Venu 3S and gave it time to learn my habits. That battery life does take a bit of a hit with the Always On Display, as I got roughly five days with it. The watch charges relatively quickly, too, needing around an hour before being at 100%.

I did find that constantly checking notifications, playing music, using the GPS, and tracking activities drain the battery quite quickly. However, there is a battery-saver mode that strips back most of these features but does give the watch 20 days of usage. As a camper and hiker, this came in handy on several multi-day trips I went on while wearing the watch.

Should you buy it?

The Venu 3S is a worthy investment if you’re eager to find a premium smartwatch that’s fashionable and lightweight with a deep well of health and fitness tracking tools. It’s capable of suiting a wide range of users, from beginners to advanced athletes, and is a great bridge between Garmin’s entry-level watches and its high-end outdoor wearables.

But what makes the Venu 3S even more attractive is its smaller size. Folks with narrower wrists will likely be drawn to the wearable’s compact design — I know I was.

Read More 

Business Insider 

When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

The Garmin Venu 3S is a great premium smartwatch option for folks with narrower wrists or those who prefer smaller wearables.

Shannon Ullman/Insider

With the release of the Venu 3S, Garmin fans looking for a smaller wearable now have a more attractive option compared to the brand’s other watches like the Venu 2, Epix Pro, or Fenix 7 Pro. While those comprise some of the best Garmin watches you can buy, the Venu 3S slots in as a similarly quality smartwatch with a more compact design.

Like the standard Venu 3, the 3S offers a variety of advanced features, such as a built-in speaker and microphone to take calls, the ability to download and store music, and plenty of health and fitness tools. It’s a solid combination of an effective activity tracker and a multi-featured smartwatch.

I’ve tested a variety of the best smartwatches, including the Apple Watch Series 9, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, and the Fitbit Sense 2. While the Venu 3S has a steeper learning curve than those, it’s a quality smartwatch that offers some of the best health and fitness tracking capabilities among anything I’ve reviewed.

The Venu 3S is smaller and lighter than the standard Venu 3 and is perfect for folks with narrow wrists

Shannon Ullman/Business Insider

When comparing the Venu 3S to the standard Venu 3, the size difference is obvious. While the Venu 3 measures 1.8 inches in diameter, the 3S sits at 1.6 inches. The 3S also weighs less than the 3, which is a small but welcome change for those with narrow wrists who prefer wearing lighter accessories.

The smaller Venu 3S watch face is a considerable improvement from the bulky, uncomfortable Venu 2 model. The Venu 3S is 0.3 oz lighter than both the Venu 2 and the Venu 3, which may sound insignificant but I did find it to make a noticeable difference, especially during workouts or when I wore it to sleep.

The Venu 3S also has a thinner silicone strap than the Venu 3 and it comes in five color options: French Gray, Pebble Gray, Sage Gray, Dust Rose, and Ivory. Like Garmin’s other Venu models, wearers can further customize their watch with add-ons from a pool of over 15 strap colors.

Another benefit of the Venu 3S design is that it complements and enhances outfits rather than drawing attention away from styling. That’s not true for many of the wide, techy-looking smartwatches currently on the market.

Garmin’s advanced fitness tracking ecosystem is great for beginners and advanced athletes alike

Shannon Ullman/Business Insider

The Venu 3S stays true to the classic fitness tracking features you’d expect from Garmin. Like the Venu 2, it has a focus on rest and recovery, which helped identify when I needed to either take it easy one day or when I could up the intensity of my workouts. I also enjoyed its easy workout customization, the animated on-screen workout functionality, and the running-specific features that tracked my running power, stride length, cadence, etc.

The Venu 3S syncs with the Garmin Connect app which centralizes all tracked health and fitness data. This provided an easy way for me to access all my tracking metrics, and its calendar function is a fun way to track progress from week to week.

Garmin updated the Venu 3S with a microphone and speaker, both of which were missing from the Venu 2 and 2S, and this feature is a particular standout. This allows for audio prompts and coaching techniques that did a good job of keeping me accountable in the first few weeks of wearing the watch. I enjoyed using these features on days when I had trouble getting going on my own. It also helps out during activities as you can set tracking alerts during, say, cycling or swimming that can incentivize you to adjust your goals or extend your exercise time in future workouts.

Garmin watches tend to lean more toward advanced users but the 3S does a good job of catering to first-time wearers and beginners, too. The watch offers beginner tracking features for those who just want to monitor basics like steps taken, calories burned, and sleep time.

One of the Venu’s biggest selling points is helping you better understand certain health markers

Shannon Ullman/Business Insider

Garmin’s Venu 3S allows you to glean detailed insights into your health. This includes unique information regarding sleep patterns, nervous system regulation, menstruation, and pregnancy.

For the sleep tracking, the watch monitors movement during normal sleeping hours. It can then report back on the total hours of sleep, sleep movement, and sleep stages I encountered throughout the night.

The stress tracking feature is also a helpful function that offers useful info about how my body handles stress each day. This works by monitoring my heart rate data and comparing it to my normal levels throughout the day over time, including while sleeping. I could then see at what time throughout the day my stress levels were the highest and could choose to take a walk during those times, or simply sit and meditate.

The menstruation tracking feature needs a bit more manual operation than sleep or stress tracking as it requires me to personally track things like my physical and emotional symptoms, the dates my cycle started and ended, and any supplemental health and nutrition information. Over time, however, the watch uses that data to predict period and fertility timing.

A minor annoyance of the Venu 3S was the inconvenience of having to wait for the watch to learn the “real me.” It took a few days of logging my health and fitness data for the watch to truly start adapting to my body’s rhythms. This is ultimately fine since the watch needs to go through these processes but I couldn’t help being a bit impatient.

Solid smartwatch functionality and downloadable music are a huge plus

The Venu 3S is comparable to other Venu models in that I was able to download music to the watch without having to whip out my phone when I wanted to skip a song. All it takes is a simple tap on the watch’s screen and I can navigate through my playlists easily.

Being able to simultaneously take phone calls and check emails while tracking my steps and hydration levels helped take some of the pressure off my hands, wrists, and fingers—a beacon when you’re on the computer for hours in the day typing, leaning forward, and sitting still. These are the hallmarks of modern smartwatches, and the Venu 3S nails this aspect.

One slight annoyance I had with the Venu 3S is not being able to view photos or respond to texts on the watch. I use an iPhone and these features are only available to Android users (similar to other Garmin watches).

The Venu 3S offers up to 10 days of battery life and charges to 100% in an hour

Shannon Ullman/Business Insider

The Venu 3S’s 10-day battery life (in smartwatch mode) is shorter than Venu 3’s 14-day lifespan, but this was a tradeoff I was happy to accommodate once I started fiddling with my Venu 3S and gave it time to learn my habits. That battery life does take a bit of a hit with the Always On Display, as I got roughly five days with it. The watch charges relatively quickly, too, needing around an hour before being at 100%.

I did find that constantly checking notifications, playing music, using the GPS, and tracking activities drain the battery quite quickly. However, there is a battery-saver mode that strips back most of these features but does give the watch 20 days of usage. As a camper and hiker, this came in handy on several multi-day trips I went on while wearing the watch.

Should you buy it?

The Venu 3S is a worthy investment if you’re eager to find a premium smartwatch that’s fashionable and lightweight with a deep well of health and fitness tracking tools. It’s capable of suiting a wide range of users, from beginners to advanced athletes, and is a great bridge between Garmin’s entry-level watches and its high-end outdoor wearables.

But what makes the Venu 3S even more attractive is its smaller size. Folks with narrower wrists will likely be drawn to the wearable’s compact design — I know I was.

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FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried is questioned by defense lawyer Mark Cohen during his fraud trial.

REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg

US District Judge allows Sam Bankman-Fried to retain new attorneys despite conflict of interest.Marc Mukasey and Torrey Young also represent the former CEO of Celsius Network, which lent to Alameda Research.Bankman-Fried was found guilty of seven counts of fraud and conspiracy and is expected to appeal.

US District Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled that Sam Bankman-Fried could retain his new lawyers despite a noted conflict of interest.

In Manhattan federal court on Wednesday, Bankman-Fried assured Kaplan he was of sound mind as he sat flanked by the attorneys in question, Marc Mukasey and Torrey Young.

Questioned thoroughly by Kaplan, Bankman-Fried affirmed that he wanted to keep his new attorneys, waiving his right to “conflict-free representation,” as Kaplan put it.

True to form, Bankman-Fried answered Kaplan’s various questions with “yep,” “yeah,” and “nope” as he sat in a brown inmate’s uniform with his distinct curly hair.

Mukasey and Young joined Bankman-Fried’s defense team on January 9, according to the court docket.

They’re expected to help Bankman-Fried with his sentencing hearing, scheduled for late March. His legal team must also submit a sentencing memo — where they are expected to argue for a far lower sentence than the potential century he could face in prison — by February 26.

Justice Department Prosecutors flagged a potential conflict of interest in early February, noting that Mukasey and Young also represent Alex Mashinsky, the former CEO of the now-defunct cryptocurrency lender Celsius Network.

In November, a jury found Bankman-Fried guilty of seven counts of fraud and conspiracy after a monthlong trial.

Some of those counts involved defrauding lenders, including Celsius, which lent money to his cryptocurrency fund Alameda Research. Bankman-Fried and his co-conspirator Caroline Ellison prepared false and misleading documents making it appear that Alameda Research was financially healthy enough to repay the loans, even though it was in reality propped up by funds from customers of FTX, the cryptocurrency exchange Bankman-Fried also controlled. Bankman-Fried is expected to appeal the verdict.

Prosecutors brought a separate set of charges against Mashinsky in July, similarly accusing him of misrepresenting Celsius’s finances to investors and customers and artificially inflating the company’s value by rigging the price of its proprietary cryptocurrency token. Mashinsky pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, and a trial is scheduled for September.

In their February letter, prosecutors said Kaplan should hold a Curcio hearing, where the judge could ask Bankman-Fried and his lawyers questions to determine whether a legitimate conflict of interest exists and whether they would waive it for the sentencing hearing. Prosecutors said Celsius was a victim of Bankman-Fried’s fraud and was entitled to restitution as part of the sentencing.

“At sentencing, the Government will argue that Alameda Research’s lenders, including Celsius, were victims of the fraud, and that lenders are entitled to restitution. This has the potential to create a conflict in the representation of Bankman-Fried and Mashinsky,” prosecutors wrote in the letter. “Bankman-Fried may wish to argue at sentencing or in the event of an appeal that Celsius and similar lenders were not defrauded and are not entitled to restitution. Celsius, and potentially Mashinsky, may take a contrary position.”

Mukasey brought a heftier pedigree to Bankman-Fried’s defense team. He is the son of Michael Mukasey, a former Manhattan federal judge and US attorney general during the George W. Bush administration. Marc Mukasey also previously represented ex-Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher during his murder trial, Eric Trump in the New York attorney general investigation into the Trump Organization’s finances, and Matt Gaetz during his sex trafficking investigation.

Prior to leaving the courtroom on Wednesday, Bankman-Fried turned to face the pews of reporters and observers behind him, including another attorney of his, Alexandra Shapiro. After he left, Shapiro briefly chatted with Mukasey, Young, and Assistant US Attorney Nicolas Roos.

The hearing lasted all of 20 minutes. As Bankman-Fried left the courtroom, the rattle of his ankle cuffs followed him.

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