Inside the quest to make supersonic flights a reality (again)

PLUS: The Best Cheap Phones for Almost Every Budget, and more

View this email in your browser  |  Manage newsletter subscriptions 12.25.21   BUYING GUIDE | 11-MINUTE READ The Best Cheap Phones for Almost Every Budget BY JULIAN CHOKKATTU There's little reason to pay top dollar for a phone these days. These are our favorite Android devices and iPhones from $200 to $500.   STAR-LORD | 8-MINUTE READ This Marvel Game Soundtrack Has an Epic Origin Story BY MAT OMBLER Guardians of the Galaxy has one of the 2021's most ambitious video game scores. An MCU-obsessed composer and a made-up metal band brought it to life.   MELT WITH YOU | 5-MINUTE READ Hints of New Life in the Shadows of Venezuela's Last Glacier BY JONATHAN MOENS When ice goes, lichens and mosses move in and an entirely new ecosystem starts to take shape.   UP AND AWAY | 14-MINUTE READ Boom's Quest to Make Supersonic Flights a Reality (Again) BY TOM VANDERBILT Denver-based startup Boom already has orders for its commercial supersonic planes. But is supersonic travel really the future, or best left to nostalgia? GET WIRED HOLIDAY SALE! Get WIRED for just $10 $5. Get the print edition and exclusive subscriber-only stories. Give yourself the gift of information. Subscribe now.   BEST OF 2021 SCROLL LESS | 5-MINUTE READ I Used Facebook Without the Algorithm, and You Can Too BY BRIAN BARRETT Making your News Feed chronological is an enlightening look at what's really happening on the platform.   #NOOB | 8-MINUTE READ How to Use Discord: A Beginner's Guide BY BOONE ASHWORTH Confused by the buzzy social platform? Here's everything you need to know.   GAME ON! | 3-MINUTE READ How to Set Up Your New Xbox Series X/S BY ERIC RAVENSCRAFT There are a few things you'll need to do before you can jump right into Halo: Infinite.   HOW-TO | 4-MINUTE READ How to Set Up Your PS5 BY ERIC RAVENSCRAFT Here's how to transfer your data from a PS4, log into a PSN account, set up multiple accounts, and make the most of your new console.     Have questions or comments? Reply to this email.   This e-mail was sent to you by WIRED. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, wired@newsletters.wired.com, to your address book.   View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe or Manage your newsletter subscriptions   Copyright © Condé Nast 2021. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.