This story is part of Making the Metaverse, CNET's exploration of the next stage in the internet's evolution.

At Meta's first store, I enter a well-decorated room to try out a portable video chat device known as the Portal Go.

On the device's screen, a friendly worker -- he calls himself Casey, a name many of the store attendants have used -- walks me through everything you can do with a Portal Go. He describes the device's smart camera, which pans and zooms as you move. He reads an augmented reality-enhanced version of a Dr. Seuss book as if he's a traveling parent saying goodnight to his children. 

I pull out my phone to record a video of my video call with him. He flashes me the peace sign. 

It was all very meta.

Portal Go is just one of the devices you can try out at the Meta Store. Located at Meta's campus in Burlingame, California, the shop also displays virtual reality headsets and smart glasses. The campus is where Meta employees are working on the company's vision for the metaverse, the virtual worlds in which people will be able to work, play and socialize. Meta, formerly known as Facebook, gave reporters a peek this week before the store opens to the public on Monday. 

The 1,550-square-foot space underscores that Meta is getting increasingly serious about creating consumer hardware. The company is following a path of opening physical stores that Apple has made a success. Google and Samsung are also trying the approach, as have other companies. 

Still, Meta has an uphill battle when it comes to turning its vision of the metaverse into reality. Products such as smart glasses and VR headsets aren't as popular as smartphones and laptops. Facebook is well known for creating the world's largest social network, but some people don't even know the company also makes consumer hardware.

Meta hopes that as more people try out these gadgets in the store, they'll understand why CEO Mark Zuckerberg thinks the metaverse is the successor to the mobile internet. 

"Once people experience the technology, they can gain a better appreciation for it," Martin Gilliard, head of the Meta Store, said in a statement. "If we did our job right, people should leave and tell their friends, 'You've got to go check out the Meta Store.'"

The way it's tucked away between reflective buildings, you might pass right by the Meta Store if you aren't paying attention. It doesn't look like a traditional storefront, and it isn't in a shopping center. A blue-and-white sign for the Meta Store sticks out among the futuristic-looking vertical fins that line the building. Inside, the space is filled with earthy tones, beige pottery, plants and tranquil music. The industrial ceiling looks intentionally unfinished. Crane your neck up, and you can see white pipes.

Lining the wall on one side of the store is a shelf of Ray-Ban Stories, smart glasses that allow you to snap photos, record video and listen to music. You can try out different pairs, but you won't be able to buy any at the store. They're only available for purchase directly from Ray-Ban.com. A worker pulls out the charging case and a pair of glasses, showing me how to use the smart glasses. 

Meta's Portal video chat devices and Quest 2 headsets are available to buy in the store. 

On another side, a wall-to-wall curved LED screen displays what you're seeing in virtual reality when you place the VR headset Quest 2 over your head. You can play games such as Beat Saber, Golf Plus, Real VR Fishing and Supernatural on the device. 

Retail workers, dressed in dark blue shirts with Meta's infinity sign logo, also seemed ready to answer questions customers could throw at them. Worried about privacy? Portal's video chat device has a camera cover as well as a way to switch off the microphone and camera. Too expensive? There are different options for different budgets.

The Meta Store will be open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

For years now, the Honda Gold Wing has been seen as the sole province of dads in middle management who want to cut loose and feel the wind in their faces, but only a little. It's always been a big, impossibly heavy and carlike motorcycle, which limits its appeal to riders like me.

Fast-forward to 2019, and my friend Davey starts raving about the new Gold Wing DCT like a maniac. It's the best thing ever, he says. He's going to sell his other bikes, he claims. Of course, at the time, I didn't believe him because how good could it really be, right? Well, Davey certainly was a maniac, but it seems history has proven him right. After spending a few weeks with the 2020 version, I'm also a convert. It's one of the most astounding motorcycles I've ever ridden.

Let's start by talking about the Gold Wing's 1.8-liter flat-six engine. Yes, you read that correctly, flat-six, just like a Porsche 911. And as in the 911, the engine configuration provides some serious benefits for the 'Wing. Namely, this six-pot helps to lower the center of gravity, which on a bike as heavy as the Gold Wing -- my tester clocks in at a porcine 800 pounds -- is important. Hell, it even sounds like a 911 when you get to the end of the rev range.

As with many touring motorcycles, the Gold Wing's engine is focused more on the production of smooth, effortless torque than on outright horsepower. Yet it still manages a respectable 98 horsepower at the rear wheel and 108.4 pound-feet of torque, according to Cycle World's in-house dyno (Honda USA doesn't publish power figures for its bikes). These numbers, paired with the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, make the Gold Wing feel much more athletic than it looks.

Speaking of the DCT, Honda now offers it on several models, including the Africa Twin and the NC750X, and while I can't yet speak to how it feels on those motorcycles, I can say that it suits the Gold Wing perfectly. The closely spaced gears and surprisingly smooth shifts make for quick trips down freeway on-ramps, and the system's willingness to drop gears or work in manual mode makes passing on the freeway a breeze too.

Something that I found particularly interesting about the DCT is that you can feel and hear it working inside the motorcycle. You can feel the little sniks and clunks as it works its way through the gears. It's not an unpleasant sensation either. I find the noises make the motorcycle feel more involved, in a way.

Another piece of standout engineering on the Gold Wing since its 2018 relaunch is the Hossack-style front end. What's a Hossack-style front end? Well, it's an alternative style of front suspension for motorcycles that ditches the traditional fork legs, and instead uses a double-wishbone setup with a single shock and a rigid steering fork. It was designed by a guy named Norman Hossack, and on the Gold Wing, it's brilliant.

One of the main advantages to the Hossack-style front end (and in systems like BMW'sTelelever front end) is that suspension designers are much more able to cope with a heavy bike's tendency to dive under hard braking. This would be especially problematic on the Gold Wing, which wears so much of its mass in front of the rider. The system works beautifully, adding to the 'Wing's feeling of nimbleness. If you step up to the Tour model (a $3,500 premium), you also get an electronically adjustable suspension with presets for all combinations of rider, passengers and baggage.

Having a powerful and agile bike is one thing, but stopping nearly half a ton of bike is another, so Honda's designers decided to fit the Gold Wing with a serious braking system. The front features dual 320-millimeter discs and the rear clamps on a 316mm disc.

Typically, there's a much more significant size discrepancy between the front and rear brakes to help keep the rear from locking up, but on the Gold Wing, the brakes are linked. This works a lot like it sounds. If you grab the front brake lever, it also acts proportionately and automatically on the rear brake. This makes for a confidence-inspiring setup, even under repeated hard stops. The feel at the brake lever is also great, with a firm pull and excellent initial bite.

Also unique to the DCT Gold Wing is the addition of a parking brake, the lever sitting down near the rider's left knee. Unlike a manual motorcycle, you can't leave the DCT in gear when the bike is off. It's a weird thing to get used to, and I'm guilty of leaving it on once or twice and trying to ride off. Beyond that, the Wing has a very competent antilock-braking system, which adds further confidence.

When it comes to electronics, it's clear the Gold Wing has more than its fair share. This bike packs the aforementioned ABS, as well as traction control, cruise control and four user-selectable rider modes (Sport, Tour, Rain and Econ) that can be changed while riding, provided the throttle is closed. It being a Honda, everything works as you'd expect, though I did find the Sport mode a little aggressive for riding in traffic.

The 'Wing lost a chunk of cruising range during the 2018 model change, and that hasn't returned in the intervening years, but it's not that big a deal. The bike is pretty efficient for its size, and with a tank that still holds 5.5 gallons, you're not going to need to stop for fuel all that often. I was able to go around 200 miles on a tank comfortably, and that's with plenty of manual-shift-mode blasts to redline just to hear the engine's little Porsche-adjacent howl.

The reach to the Gold Wing's unique cast aluminum handlebars is easy, and all of the controls -- both on the bars and on the bike itself -- are logically placed and clearly labeled. The adjustable windscreen means that the odds are good that anyone will be able to find the right amount of wind protection on the freeway, and the instrument panel and infotainment screen are both highly legible both in bright sunlight and at night and are great to use.

The Gold Wing's real party piece is its infotainment system. Honda is currently the only motorcycle manufacturer to equip its bikes with Apple CarPlay, and of all Honda's bikes, the Gold Wing got it first. Except for the pairing process between your iPhone ($500 at Best Buy) (which needs to be plugged into the bike's built-in USB port), the motorcycle and your personal helmet communication system (which needs to be connected to the bike via Bluetooth), CarPlay functions exactly like you'd expect it to in any four-wheeled application. It's brilliant.

In addition to the motorcycle's ability to play music or whatever through your communication system, the Gold Wing has a pretty bangin' stereo with AM/FM and satellite radio. It'sthe perfect bike to let all of Los Angeles know just how much you love the Orville Peck record, for example.

Other mod-cons include five-stage heated grips and an electronically height-adjustable windscreen. Another uniquely Gold Wing feature is the electric reverse and "walking" mode that now ditches motivation from the starter motor for an additional gear set in the transmission. This makes maneuvering the big Honda into and out of parking spaces extremely easy and should be a more common feature on heavy touring bikes and baggers.

Speaking of bags, my test bike comes equipped with two electronically operated panniers built into the bike. The bags themselves are tucked pretty tightly against the side of the motorcycle, which means that some capacity is sacrificed. Still, I was able to haul around a couple of bags of groceries and other assorted shopping without too much trouble. I would say that if you're considering the Gold Wing, definitely opt for the Tour version, which adds a sizable top box to the mix, if only so you have a convenient place to put your helmet when you're not on the bike.

At the beginning of this review, I told you that the 2020 Gold Wing is one of the most astounding motorcycles I've ever ridden, but what does that mean? How does all of the 'Wing's clever engineering come together to offer that riding experience?

Undoubtedly, some of my initial reaction to riding the Gold Wing comes down to starting with low expectations. If you think something is going to be less than impressive, and that turns out not to be the case, then you can feel more positive about it than you would have otherwise, right? But my desire to get out and put miles on the bike hasn't waned with time. If anything, I find I want to spend even more time with it.

A lot of that has to do with the way that the Gold Wing hides its weight. The flat-six engine keeps the bike's bulk low in the chassis, which helps the bike lean more easily and feel more stable in a corner. The brilliant front suspension adds a considerable measure of stability, both in corners and under braking, thus increasing confidence on curvy roads.

Furthermore, the connection between the throttle and the engine feels flawless. The Gold Wing suffers from none of the fueling woes of other modern motorcycles trying to meet emissions standards through ever-leaning air-fuel ratios. The engine's power is always there when you ask for it, and that's also reassuring.

The DCT transmission is fantastic because it gets out of the way. If left to its own devices -- in heavy traffic, say -- it offers a much less fatiguing and more pleasant riding experience than a bike with a clutch. When you want to manage your own shifts, the trigger/button setup on the left handlebar control works well and generally does what you ask it to. Does the DCT add weight? Sure, but at 800 pounds already, who cares?

So, the Gold Wing is way more fun to ride than it should be, but when it comes to these kinds of motorcycles, comfort is king. Does this Honda have it where it counts? Absolutely. The seat is perfectly padded, though its shape does force the rider into a single position, which can be fatiguing at times. The seat height is relatively low at 29.3 inches, which means that someone who is short of leg can still get in on the fun.

The Gold Wing experience is all about being relaxed, but that's more involved than just being physically comfortable. The bike is relaxing because it does what you ask of it, when you ask it, with no complaints and no histrionics. It's a motorcycle that takes care of you, and it feels as eager to devour miles as you are, even if you're my friend Davey -- the kind of person who would ride a thousand miles at a go on a whim.

Sure, the Gold Wing is expensive -- my tester has an asking price of $25,000 -- but it's always been expensive, and there have always been (and will always be) people who value what the Gold Wing offers. I just never expected that I'd end up being one of them.

Nothing makes your home truly feel yours like making that final mortgage payment. If you have the money, it can be tempting to make your final payment early so you no longer have those monthly payments on your ledger. But, though doing so can save you interest charges, there are a number of points to consider before deciding to pay off your mortgage early.

What to consider before paying off your mortgage early

Before paying off your mortgage ahead of time, check the status of your finances, the terms of your loan and the state of the market. Here are some things to consider:

• Prepayment penalty: One thing to look out for before paying off your mortgage early is a mortgage prepayment penalty. These are sometimes put in place by your lender to discourage you from selling, refinancing or paying off your mortgage too quickly after entering into the loan. These penalties typically go into effect if you pay off your mortgage in the first three to five years. Not all lenders will penalize you, and few mortgages carry these penalties outside the first five years. Regardless, it's worth checking with your lender or reviewing your monthly billing statement first.
• Tradeoff of other investments: Paying off your mortgage early requires putting more of your money toward your mortgage payments rather than other investments, yet those other investments might produce a better overall return. What you save on interest payments by paying off the mortgage early may not outweigh what you could earn if you invested that money elsewhere. 
• Paying off other loans: Mortgages typically offer lower interest rates than most loans, so while they're a long-term commitment, they're also a useful tool for allowing you to do more with your money. Consider paying off any higher-interest loans or credit card balances you have first. It could be helpful to solidify your overall financial picture before choosing to pay down your mortgage early.
• Cash and savings situation: Make sure you have enough money available for emergency spending, as well as sufficient contributions to your retirement plan before you make the decision to spend that money elsewhere.
• Inflation: If inflation rates are higher than your mortgage interest rate, then you are actually coming out on top by having an active mortgage. While the value of the dollar depreciates, your payments are fixed and your house presumably continues to appreciate in value.
• Tax benefits: There are a number of tax incentives for homeowners, and one of them is the ability to claim your mortgage interest as a deduction, lowering your taxable income. You won't be able to benefit from this tax credit if you pay off your mortgage early, though you will ultimately pay less overall in interest.
• Credit score: One small factor to consider is the fact that paying off your mortgage early could cause your credit score to dip. Making on-time payments on your mortgage every month is one of the factors used to calculate your credit score, so without these payments, your credit may experience a small hit. Perhaps more importantly, when this loan account is closed, it will also no longer be counted toward your average age of open accounts. If your mortgage has been in existence for longer than most of your other open credit accounts, including credit cards and other loans, you will likely experience a notable drop in your credit score. That said, this could also happen when you pay your mortgage off on time -- it's just a factor to be aware of.

Methods for paying off your mortgage early

There are a number of methods for paying off your mortgage early. Review your financial circumstances carefully to determine which works best for you.

• Make extra mortgage payments: The easiest way to pay off your mortgage early is by making extra payments, ideally toward the principal loan amount. This will help you pay down your mortgage faster. Inform your lender if you want to make additional payments and set them up on a convenient schedule, either biweekly or monthly. If you pay your mortgage online, many lenders offer an option to pay additional principal payments via your regular payment portal.
• Refinance to a shorter term length: The most common path for paying back a mortgage early is by refinancing. This is particularly useful if interest rates decline and you're able to secure a lower rate for the remainder of your mortgage. You can also change the term of the loan, allowing you to complete it ahead of schedule for your original loan. When you refinance, you're taking on a new mortgage that will pay off your old one, so you'll need to plan for fees like closing costs.
• Recast mortgage: A mortgage recast allows you to make a lump-sum payment toward the principal balance of your loan. Once you do this, your lender will reamortize your mortgage, creating a new schedule with a lower balance based on the additional payment. The term and interest rate of your loan will remain the same through this method, but you'll lessen your monthly payments. Not all lenders offer this option, but if yours does you must contact the lender to request a recast.
• $1 a month strategy: One strategy for paying off your mortgage early while limiting the impact on your budget is the $1 a month strategy. As the name suggests, you simply pay $1 a month more each month compared to the last. This is a small change for you each month, but can significantly shorten the time you need to pay your mortgage in full. 

Final steps to paying off your mortgage early

Once you've made your final mortgage payment, you'll have to finalize everything so you can put the loan behind you and enjoy your fully paid-off home. 

• Request your mortgage payoff statement: Your job isn't done after you make your final mortgage payment, as you'll have to request your mortgage payoff statement from your lender. This document shows that you no longer owe anything on your mortgage.
• Inform your city of ownership status: Either you or your lender will have to inform the city or municipality where your home is located that you are the official owner of the property. In many cases, you can do this online or request your lender do it for you. Remember, most mortgages pay your property taxes on your behalf from your escrow balance -- once your mortgage is paid off, that becomes your job.
• Inform your insurance company: Now that your home is in your name, you'll also be responsible for paying your insurance provider directly. Inform your insurance provider that you own the home and will be making payments going forward.
• Inquire about escrow funds: When you're paying off your mortgage, your lender may keep funds for homeowners insurance and property taxes in an escrow account for you. Once you've paid off your mortgage, you can ask your lender to transfer any remaining escrow balance back to you. 

Samsung's Unpacked event is set for Aug. 10, and we're on the lookout for several new devices today. The event is expected to bring new versions of the company's foldable phones, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4, as well as the successor to the Galaxy Watch 4. 

Rumored to be called the Galaxy Watch 5, the upcoming smartwatch may feature the newest version of the Wear OS software that Samsung and Google created together. If the rumors are turn out to be accurate, the Galaxy Watch 5 could also address a major shortcoming: battery life. 

Read more: Samsung Unpacked Live Blog: Galaxy Z Fold 4, Z Flip 4 Reveals To Come

I'm hoping to see Samsung commit more fully to Google's software and services. The Galaxy Watch 4 currently feels caught between Google and Samsung's ecosystems, as my colleague Scott Stein wrote in his review. That watch eventually received Google Assistant, among other Google services, but it took several months after launch for these to appear.

Samsung hasn't said a word about plans for its next smartwatch, although the company typically debuts new wearables in August. We do expect new foldable phones to be announced however. In fact, to encourage people to reserve their phones early, from July 19 until Aug. 10, Samsung is offering an extensive list of discounts based on different bundles, from a maximum of $200 off for those reserving a Galaxy phone, watch, and buds down to a minimum of $30 off for just reserving Galaxy buds. While this could be a hint at what's coming at Unpacked, the savings could apply to older Galaxy Watch or Galaxy Buds models.

Here's our best guess at what Samsung might be planning, based on leaks and the company's previous launches.

A possible August announcement

Only Samsung knows when the next Galaxy Watch will arrive. But the company has a history of launching new wearables in August alongside other new products. For example, the Galaxy Watch 4 debuted in August last year, while the Galaxy Watch 3 arrived in August 2020. Samsung has already launched a passel of new gadgets in 2022, from the Galaxy S22 lineup to the cheaper Galaxy S21 FE, new laptops and tablets. The one thing we haven't heard about yet is smartwatches, so there's a chance Samsung could be saving this for its typical August Unpacked event. 

A faster charger

The Galaxy Watch 5 might come with a faster 10W charger, up from the 5W charger that has shipped with previous Samsung watches. An image of an alleged 10W Galaxy Watch 5 charger popped up on the SnoopyTech Twitter account on Aug. 1 (h/t BGR), and it reportedly can reach a 45% charge in 30 minutes. 

Faster charging has become a highlight feature across several smartwatches, including on the Apple Watch Series 7 and the Fossil Gen 6. This is of particular importance as watches have also become sleep tracking tools, and earlier this year Samsung debuted its Sleep Animals system for rating quality of sleep while wearing the Galaxy Watch 4.

A larger battery than the Galaxy Watch 4

One of the Galaxy Watch 4's drawbacks is its relatively short battery life, which typically lasts for between one and two days. There's a chance that might change with the Galaxy Watch 5. Tech blog Sam Mobile claims it's found a regulatory filing indicating that the 40-millimeter size of the Galaxy Watch 5 will have a slightly higher battery capacity than the Galaxy Watch 4. Samsung declined to comment on the report. 

Longer battery life would make the Galaxy Watch 5 a more capable sleep tracker, since you might not have to charge it every night. It would also help Samsung catch up to Fitbit in that regard, since its Sense and Versa 3 watches can last for multiple days on a single charge. Battery life was one of the Galaxy Watch 4's biggest shortcomings during CNET's testing, so an improvement would be a welcome change. 

It might be able to measure your temperature

The Galaxy Watch 4 can already monitor metrics like your body composition, blood oxygen levels and heart rate. Samsung might further its health ambitions by adding the ability to measure body temperature to the Galaxy Watch 5, according to Korean news outlet ETNews. The report doesn't provide much detail, other than to say that Samsung has "devised a technology that can measure body temperature as accurately as possible." Samsung declined to comment on ETNews' report.  

But TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who is well-known for his Apple product predictions, has cast doubt on this development. He suggested "algorithm limitations" could hold Samsung back from bringing this feature to the Galaxy Watch 5.  

Temperature sensing isn't new to wearables. Oura's wellness ring of the same name can measure temperature from your finger to help detect changes that might be happening in your body. Fitbit devices like the Sense and Versa 3 can also detect temperature. 

If Samsung does add temperature sensing to its next smartwatch, it would be another sign that wearables have become comprehensive health and wellness devices. Metrics like blood oxygen saturation measurements are now relatively common on wearables from Apple, Fitbit, Samsung and Garmin. 

Samsung might ditch the Classic model

The Galaxy Watch 4 comes in standard and Classic versions, but that could change with the Galaxy Watch 5. Instead, Samsung will launch the Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, according to Sam Mobile. The regular Galaxy Watch 5 will reportedly come in two sizes, while the Pro version might be limited to one size. It's also unclear whether Samsung would bring the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic's rotating bezel to the Galaxy Watch 5 or 5 Pro, the report said. While the blog didn't share additional details on what to expect from the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro specifically, it's possible the new branding could indicate a significant update that's more than just a refresh. 

Prominent leaker Evan Blass also suggested Samsung's next watch will come in a standard and "pro" model. He referred to the new watches as the Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro when sharing what he claims are official renders of the device on the tech blog 91Mobiles. 

A similar design as the Galaxy Watch 4

The Galaxy Watch 5 is expected to have a circular design that similar to the Galaxy Watch 4, according to the leaks from Blass and 91Mobiles. Blass said the Pro model will be available in black or gray titanium, while Samsung will reportedly offer a broader lineup of colors for the standard version. The 91Mobiles leak shows the supposed Galaxy Watch 5 Pro in black and titanium gray and the alleged Watch 5 in white, blue and black. 

It'll likely run Wear OS 

Samsung hasn't announced any details about its next smartwatch yet. But since the Galaxy Watch 4 runs on Wear OS, it seems plausible that its successor will too. Google and Samsung collaborated to develop the new Wear OS, which means Samsung is likely committed to using that software for its future smartwatches. Sam Mobile's report also said the watch will have a new version of One UI, Samsung's customized version of Google's software for watches. 

Samsung was the first to launch a smartwatch that runs on Google's new Wear OS. But the landscape will get more competitive soon with the new Wear OS expected to arrive on watches from other companies such as TicWatch, Fossil and Google's Fitbit brand. Google's Pixel Watch will also be arriving this fall. 

Read more: Here's One Feature Samsung Could Use to One-Up Apple

What we want from the Galaxy Watch 5

Longer battery life and new health-tracking features are always appreciated. But what we really want from the Galaxy Watch 5 is software that makes it feel more wholly part of Google's ecosystem. The Galaxy Watch 4 feels torn between Google and Samsung. Yes, it has the Google Play app store and other Google apps. But the setup process and health tracking still largely rely on Samsung's apps.

The company is addressing that to some extent by bringing Google Assistant to its watch. But we're hoping to see closer Google integration in the next version that will truly make the Galaxy Watch 5 feel like the ultimate Android smartwatch. 

For more, check out all the rumors we've heard about the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 4. Plus, the best smartwatches you can buy this year and our foldable phone wish list. 

The new fifth-gen iPad Air hit shelves back in March, which means that we're starting to see some big discounts on fourth-gen models. Best Buy is currently offering $200 off all colors and configurations of this previous-gen tablet, dropping the price down to $400 for the 64GB model and $550 for the 256GB model. There's no clear-cut expiration on this deal, but even older Apple devices rarely stay on sale for long. We'd recommend getting your order in sooner rather than later if you're hoping to snag one at this price. 

The fourth-gen iPad Air from 2020 doesn't have an M1 processor like its successor, but unless you plan on using it for lots of particularly demanding tasks like video editing and intensive gaming, this older model should be more than enough. It's equipped with 4GB of RAM and an A14 Bionic processor, as well as Wi-Fi 6 support for fast performance and load times. It has a stunning 10.9-inch Retina display, as well as a 12-megapixel back camera and a 7-megapixel front camera. This tablet isn't going to replace your laptop, but it's great for browsing the web, scrolling through social media, streaming shows and movies, video chatting and more.

For more great bargains, check out our roundup of all the best iPad deals that you can shop right now. 

You only have a few hours left to fill out your NCAA Tournament brackets. Microsoft thinks it can help.

Whether you depend on your own knowledge, the endless television analysis or the wisdom of fellow fans, picking the perfect bracket is nerve racking. So many things -- as when No. 14 seed University of Alabama-Birmingham upset No. 3 seed Iowa State -- can go wrong.

Microsoft says its Bing search engine's Predict tool can help even the savviest bracket pickers. The tool includes millions of data points, including the frequency of related search terms and social media mentions, that make sense of the 9 quintillion possible tourney outcomes.Want an idea of how complicated that is? 9 quintillion looks like this: 9,000,000,000,000,000,000.

The Redmond, Washington, software giant says it's already learned a lot from its experience with last year's NCAA Tournament, when Bing performed better than 70 percent of the brackets in ESPN.com's competition. Now Microsoft is NCAA.com's official "bracketologist," a fancy term for a predictor the field of 68 teams in the tournament.

"We try to provide a little extra knowledge," said Walter Sun, a top data scientist for Bing Predicts.

Microsoft's role in the tournament is the latest example of computing power being directed at the art and science of bracketology. Michigan-based iDashboard has created a simple interface that lines up stats of the tournament's teams to help fans pick a winner. The projected bracket from Whatifsports.com includes results from more than 1,000 simulations of the entire tourney.

The reason for all the analytics: March Madness is one of the most widely followed sporting events in the country. Nearly 51 million workers will likely participate in an office pool, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

The stakes can be high. Two years ago, investor Warren Buffett offered $1 billion to anybody who picked all the winners. No one did. This year, he's offering employees of his Berkshire Hathaway investment company $1 million a year for life if they pick a perfect bracket up to the quarterfinals, known as the Sweet 16.

Last year, someone picked all 32 winners of the first round in sports network ESPN's tournament, the largest in the country. This year, a record 13 million people entered the network's Tournament Challenge online, shattering the 11.6 million mark set just last year.

"The bracket is a social phenomenon," said Kevin Ota, an ESPN spokesman. "Anybody has just as much of a chance to win as anybody else."

This year, roughly 20 teams stand a chance to win it all, according to Jay Rood, vice president of race and sports books at MGM Resorts International in Las Vegas. He estimates $150 million will be gambled on the tournament in Nevada, more than the $132 million bet on last month's Super Bowl.

"The fact that we have so many teams with a legitimate shot, the more fans will be passionate about their team having a chance," he said. "This tournament is wide open."

That's where big data could come in.

Microsoft dumped 10 seasons of data into its computers when it became the NCAA's official bracketologist. That data includes not only statistics about teams and its players, but intangibles including their coaches, mascots and crowd sentiment about them on Facebook and Twitter.

"We've learned that with 'the wisdom of the crowd,' there's a 5 percent increase in accuracy over some traditional statistical models with some sports," Sun said. "If a key player is injured, the crowd will talk about the loss and its impact. We have a sentiment analyzer that feeds this into the prediction."

Certain statistics have more importance than others. Some teams that are skilled at shooting 3-pointers are regarded as "bracket-busters," potential winners, Sun said. Teams that struggle shooting free throws, especially down the stretch, are ripe for an upset, Sun added.

"The average fan knows about five teams really well. This is a 68-team tournament," Sun said. "We all need a little help knowing something about the other 63 teams playing."

For what it's worth, Bing sees Kansas, North Carolina, Duke and Michigan State making the Final Four. The search engine gives Kansas, the overall top seed, a 55 percent chance of beating Carolina for the national championship.

But take that with a grain of salt. Last year, Bing picked Kentucky to win. The trophy went to Duke instead.

If you're a fitness fiend or working to improve your health, you're probably always looking for ways to run faster and farther, train harder and push your limits. You might even already track a number of fitness markers -- heart rate, calories burned, steps walked. You might even know your basal metabolic rate. But there's another key fitness metric you might not know yet: Your VO2 max. 

VO2 max can give you important insights about your cardiorespiratory fitness, such as how long you can sustain a certain intensity of exercise, which relates to fitness hallmarks like your mile run time. Follow along to learn what exactly VO2 max is, how to measure it and how to improve yours. 

Read more:  Most People Aren't Tracking This Key Health Metric (and They Should Be)

What is VO2 max?

VO2 max refers to the maximum amount of oxygen you can utilize during exercise. It's commonly used to test the aerobic endurance or cardiovascular fitness of athletes before and at the end of a training cycle. VO2 max is measured in milliliters of oxygen consumed in one minute, per kilogram of body weight (mL/kg/min). 

It's not the same thing as heart rate, though it can be just as effective, if not more so, to measure and track your fitness progress. VO2 isn't excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), which refers to the increase in oxygen your body uses after a workout, not during. 

But don't confuse VO2 max with the lactate threshold, the point during exercise where lactate builds up in your bloodstream faster than your body can expel it. When you reach your lactate threshold, you get that familiar burning or cramping feeling. You reach your lactate threshold at about 50 to 80% of your VO2 max.

How do you test VO2 max?

Although VO2 max is a good marker of fitness, it does present some downfalls. You can't really get an accurate measure of it except in a lab with expensive clinical equipment which is why VO2 max is usually a fitness marker reserved for elite and professional athletes. 

However, some gyms and holistic health clinics offer VO2 max testing for their members or patients. For instance, TriFitLA, a studio gym in Los Angeles, offers VO2 max testing along with several different performance and health tests. If you're really interested, your best bet is to search "VO2 max testing near me" on Google.

To measure VO2 max, you wear a mask and heart rate monitor hooked up to a treadmill or stationary bike. The mask is connected to a machine that collects and measures the volume of oxygen you inhale, and the amount of air you exhale. You'll slowly increase exercise intensity on the treadmill or bike -- getting faster and/or adding more resistance -- until your oxygen consumption remains steady despite an increase in intensity. 

Once you reach that plateau, your body moves from aerobic metabolism to anaerobic metabolism -- that is, your body stops using oxygen to fuel the breakdown of carbohydrates, amino acids, and fats because there isn't enough oxygen there. 

Shortly after you reach that switch, your potential workload plateaus and muscle fatigue sets in. You have to return to an aerobic state of movement to keep going. 

What should my VO2 max be?

Like heart rate, there's no one "good" VO2 max. Your VO2 max will differ from someone else's based on age, gender, fitness level and outside factors like altitude. For example:

• The average sedentary (inactive) male achieves a VO2 max of about 35 to 40 mL/kg/min, and the average sedentary female scores approximately 27 to 30 mL/kg/min.
• Elite male runners have shown VO2 maxes of up to 85 mL/kg/min, and elite female runners have scored up to 77 mL/kg/min.
• A good VO2 max for a 25-year-old male is 42.5-46.4 mL/kg/min, while a good value for a 25-year-old female is 33.0-36.9 mL/kg/min.

Until recently, the highest VO2 max ever measured was that of Bjørn Dæhlie, an Olympic skier who reportedly achieved a VO2 max of 96 ml/kg/min in the 1990s. A young cyclist from Norway reportedly ousted Dæhlie with a VO2 max of 97.5 ml/kg/min, though scientists are still trying to figure out if that reading was accurate. 

How to increase your VO2 max

If you ever do get around to visiting a sports performance lab and getting your VO2 max tested, it'd be worth it to act on that number. Increasing your body's capacity to utilize oxygen is one surefire way to get you closer to your endurance-related goals -- a higher VO2 max essentially extends your breaking point.

You might not be too surprised to learn that high-intensity interval training is one of the best ways to improve your VO2 max. It works because you train your body to work at incredibly high levels for a period of time just long enough to push or surpass your anaerobic threshold before returning to a steadier, aerobic state. 

In a theoretical sense, any exercise that pushes your limits can increase your VO2 max. Think of it like building muscle: Muscles won't grow unless they're exposed to workloads that challenge them. If you never increase your weight on the barbell, you'll never get stronger. 

The same goes for VO2 max -- it's like a muscle of its own. If you run at the same easy pace for the same amount of time every day, you won't get faster or better at running. 

Instead, try adding intervals to your run. For example: 

• Run fast for one minute
• Jog slowly for two minutes
• Sprint for 30 seconds
• Jog slowly for two minutes
• And so forth

If running isn't your thing, you can apply the same principles to swimming, cycling, rowing, or any cross-training activity. 

Ready to start working on your VO2 max? Check out Peloton, Daily Burn and more — 8 of the best fitness subscription apps available.

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The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.