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 Ever wondered what K-pop group member archetype suits you best? If so, you're in luck. Spotify's latest gimmick sorts users into different personas of a K-pop group. The feature borrows imagery from a more analog internet and uses your answers to questions like, "What's your favorite thing about K-Pop?" and "A perfect first date with your bias would be..." to define you as a Main Rapper, Main Vocal, Main Dancer, or Main Trainee. Each persona comes with a list of personality traits. Trainees are "curious" and "youthful" while Vocals are "powerful" and "warm." While anyone can take the quiz and receive a K-pop persona, Spotify users get the additional bonus of a Fan Role as well. Fan Roles range from New Gen Stan of the Group to DJ of the Group. Your K-pop persona and Fan Role are delivered to you as brightly colored, shareable cards. It's one of several in-app experiences launched by Spotify in recent years to engage different fandoms. For example, last year it told fans their most-streamed Taylor Swift eras. To find out your K-pop persona go to K-pop persona on mobile, and if you're a Spotify user make sure you're logged into your account. Answer the five questions and your role will be revealed. | ↑ |
Amazon deals of the day at a glance:
OUR TOP PICK
BEST MONITOR DEAL
BEST STREAMING DEVICE DEAL
BEST KITCHEN DEAL
 If another batch of Amazon deals is what you crave, then bon appétit. We've scoured the mega retailer's pages of listings and hand-picked a few of the best deals worth shopping on April 24 — including top brands like Roborock, ASUS, Google, and GE. Here are the best Amazon deals of the day to get you past the weekly hump. And don't forget to check out our top picks from April 22 and April 23, as many of those are still live. Our top pick
Amazon deal of the day: Roborock S8 Pro Ultra robot vacuum and mop
$999.99
at Amazon
$1,599.99 Save $600.00 Released last April, the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra is a very expensive, very high-tech robot vacuum and mop combo device. When former Mashable intern Stacia Datskovska tested it out, she found that the fancy functions like self-drying, self-washing, and customization by floor type were "hella cool," but overall it didn't live up to its extreme price tag of $1,599.99. Fortunately, though, it regularly goes on sale. Just last week, it dropped to $1,399.99, making it $200 more affordable. As of April 24, however, the S8 Pro Ultra is back down to its all-time low price of $999.99, making it a full $600 or 38% cheaper. There's no need to compromise performance for a low price tag when buying a beginner gaming monitor. You can get the best of both worlds with this deal on the ASUS VG248QG. As Mashable contributor Nicole Bonaccorso noted in her gaming monitor roundup, "You don’t need to spend a fortune on a monitor to have a great gaming experience." An upgraded version of the VG245H (which is featured as our top budget pick), the VG248QG has a better refresh rate, making the gaming experience even more seamless. However, like Bonaccorso noted, it is lacking in the resolution department, so "anyone working with high-end GPUs may be disappointed." As of April 24, it's on sale for just $149 — down from an already affordable $189. That's 21% in savings and matches its previous all-time low price. If you're sick of switching between apps when streaming, the Chromecast with Google TV can make your viewing experience more enjoyable. In his review, Mashable's Alex Perry called it "an affordable top-tier streaming device," noting that it "fixes some of the biggest problems with prior Chromecasts by adding a remote control and a new user interface." It's easy to set up; just plug it into an outlet and into the HDMI port on your TV, put batteries into the remote, and get the Google Home app. Voila — your movies, shows, and live TV are all in one place in up to 1080p HDR. As of April 24, it's on sale for only $19.99 at Amazon — that's just $2 shy of its all-time low price from Black Friday season 2022.
GE Profile Opal 2.0 countertop nugget ice maker with side tank
$499.00
at Amazon
$629.00 Save $130.00 Nugget ice just tastes better than your typical rock-hard ice cubes. That's why the GE Profile Opal 2.0 continues to be a bestseller. This machine sits atop your counter and pumps out 38 pounds of crunchable nugget ice every 24 hours. You can even use the built-in WiFi with the SmartHQ app to monitor how much ice you have on hand and schedule a fresh batch. It's regularly $629, but you can save $130 as of April 24 and snag it for $499. That's about $50 shy of its lowest price ever from Black Friday season and its lowest price so far this year. None of these deals catching your eye? Check out Amazon's daily deals for even more savings. | ↑ |
 SAVE $50: The Anker Soundcore Space A40 earbuds are just $49.99 at Amazon, marked down from the normal price of $99.99. That's a savings of $50. Distractions are everywhere these days. You're in good company if you tend to find everyday noises to be overwhelming, whether it's a fellow commuter talking on the phone or the neighbor's dog barking well into the night. If you need a noise-canceling solution, today's sale on earbuds at Amazon could solve the problem. As of April 24, the Anker Soundcore Space A40 earbuds are just $49.99 at Amazon, marked down from the usual price of $99.99. That's a savings of $50 or a 50% discount. Even at this affordable price, the Anker Soundcore Space A40 earbuds don't skimp on features and performance. With up to 50 hours of battery life, these earbuds focus on noise cancellation. Anker says they're capable of reducing noise by up to 98%, which can be perfect if you're hoping to tune out unwanted sounds and tune into your own music, podcasts, or audiobooks. PCMag (owned by Mashable's publisher Ziff Davis) reviewed the Space A40 earbuds, giving them an "excellent" rating, noting the quality noise cancellation for a low price. The lightweight design clocks in at just 4.9 grams, so, despite the impressive battery life, you won't feel like you're carrying around a hefty battery in your ears. The included five sizes of silicone ear tips should help you get the most comfortable and snug fit possible. If you need a reliable and affordable pair of noise-canceling earbuds, the Anker Soundcore Space A40 could fit the bill. Thanks to today's sale price, you can grab them for an impressive 50% off. | ↑ |
 Update: On Wednesday, President Joe Biden signed the bill that would ban TikTok in the U.S. if ByteDance fails to divest the app within a year. Original story: The U.S. TikTok ban has just passed the Senate, meaning it's just one presidential signature away from becoming law. Considering President Joe Biden has previously said he would sign the bill, it now seems practically guaranteed that the TikTok ban will actually go ahead. Seventy-nine U.S. senators approved of the TikTok ban, eclipsing the 18 who voted against it. The bill had passed the House of Representatives on Saturday, bundled with aid for Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan. It was the second time a TikTok ban had passed the House in as many months, with the previous bill having stalled at the Senate. Tweet may have been deleted In addition to being bundled with foreign aid, the new bill made a few changes to the timeline for that ban's enforcement. Instead of having to sell TikTok within six months, Chinese parent company ByteDance will have nine months to divest from it. The President is also able to add one 90-day extension to that deadline, stretching it to a year. If ByteDance does not sell the video sharing platform by then — and specifically to a company that the U.S. government does not believe is controlled by a "foreign adversary" — TikTok will be forced to exit the U.S. entirely. That means no more dance challenges, no more "get ready with me" story times, and no more industrial grade glycine from Donghua Jinlong. TikTok likely to challenge U.S. ban in court
Credit: Jakub Porzycki / NurPhoto via Getty Images
It's unlikely that TikTok will go without a fight. Responding to the earlier bill last month, CEO Shou Zi Chew hinted that the company may take legal action to defend itself against the ban. TikTok previously fended off a Montana ban in December, with a judge finding it unconstitutional on the grounds that it restricted free speech and imposed an extrajudicial punishment on the company. "We will continue to do all we can, including exercising our legal rights, to protect this amazing platform we have built with you," Chew said last month. TikTok's intention to take the matter to court was further confirmed this week in an internal memo from Michael Beckerman, the company's public policy head in America. The Information reported that Beckerman issued the memo after the House of Representatives passed the ban on Saturday. "At the stage that the bill is signed, we will move to the courts for a legal challenge," Beckerman wrote. "We’ll continue to fight, as this legislation is a clear violation of the first amendment rights of the 170 million Americans on TikTok." Mashable has reached out to TikTok for comment. TikTok has 170 million U.S. users, a number that even includes President Biden, and employed almost 7000 people in the U.S. as of March last year. They're not the only ones whose livelihood may be impacted by a U.S. TikTok ban, though. A study commissioned by TikTok found that the app supported 224,000 jobs in 2023, and contributed $24.2 billion to the U.S. GDP. A U.S. TikTok ban may have further implications for free speech
Credit: Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images
U.S. politicians have attempted to justify the TikTok ban by claiming it is a security concern, accusing the Chinese government of spying on users and manipulating the algorithm to show content sympathetic to China. Though there's no evidence of this happening, fear of this hypothetical has fuelled much of the push for a TikTok ban. Some senators have even blamed TikTok for the swell of support for Palestine among young people, believing the cause has been promoted by China with the intention of causing division in the U.S.
SEE ALSO:
X / Twitter lets Israel-Gaza hate speech spread, new study finds — and these users are the culprits
"Let's look at where young people are getting their news," said Senator Pete Ricketts, criticising pro-Palestinian sentiments. "The Chinese Communist Party is doing this on purpose. They are pushing this racist agenda with the intention of undermining our democratic values. And if you look at what's happening at the Columbia University and other campuses across the country right now, they're winning." Students at Columbia University, Yale, New York University, and others have been staging large protests in support of Palestine, calling for a permanent ceasefire, the end to military aid for Israel, and for these institutions to divest from companies that are profiting from the conflict in Gaza. People on social media across the political spectrum have been less than thrilled with the news of the TikTok ban. Several have criticised it as an attack on free speech, noting that lawmakers have explicitly stated that their intention is to prevent the spread of content which is sympathetic to China or Palestine. Some have also expressed concern that a ban on TikTok could set a dangerous precedent which may enable bans on other social media platforms as well. Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted The TikTok ban will now be sent to President Biden to be signed into law. If you have any favourite videos that you like to rewatch, now would be the time to download them. | ↑ |
 It's time for Brooklinen's 10th Anniversary Sale. Save 25% off sitewide on the brand's bedding and home goods. Here are our top picks from the sale:
Best Brooklinen 10th Anniversary Sale Deals
Best comforter deal
Best sheet deal
Best towel deal
 Spring has officially sprung, and if you haven't already given your home a much-needed seasonal refresh, now's a great time to do so. Donate your old sheets, pillows, and towels and replace them with fresh linens — it's about time you swapped everything out, after all. Bedding and other home goods can be pricey, especially if you want the best. That's why you should take a moment to shop the Brooklinen 10th Anniversary Sale. As of April 24, the brand is serving up a sitewide discount event with 25% off everything including sheets, pillows, towels, quilts, blankets, and all those other must-have home goods. Check out our picks below. Best comforter dealWhy we like itThis super-soft comforter is the perfect addition to snuggly sheets and super-stuffed pillows. With a 100% cotton sateen shell filled with incredibly fluffy down, you'll feel like you're wrapping yourself up in a cloud. Choose from three types of warmth to accommodate the type of sleeper you are and rest easy knowing the hypoallergenic fill won't rouse your allergies and it's treated with antimicrobials so it can stay a major player in your bedtime stories for months to come. Best sheet dealWhy we like itThe best-selling Brooklinen Luxe Hardcore sheet bundle comes with everything you need to make your bed the place to be. It comes with a Core sheet set, a duvet cover, and additional pillowcases. With a 480-thread count, silky smooth weave, and luminous look, these sateen sheets are the perfect companions for warmth and comfort all year round, even if you're a hot sleeper. Best towel deal
Brooklinen Super-Plush Turkish cotton towel Move-In Bundle
$231.41
at Brooklinen
$363.00 Save $131.59 Why we like itBrooklinen's Super-Plush bath towels are crafted from 100% Turkish cotton. They're extra-thick and cozy, making them the perfect thing to wrap up in after a long, hot shower. This complete move-in set comes with everything you need to swap out your old towels with Brooklinen's double-thick options, including four bath towels, four hand towels, four washcloths, and one bath mat. It's a complete transformation you'll be glad you made. More Brooklinen 10th Anniversary Sale deals
| ↑ |
 SAVE $1,100: As of April 24, the Razer Blade 14 gaming laptop is on sale for $1,499.99, or $1,100 off the original price of $2,599.99, at Best Buy. It's one of our favorite gaming laptops in general, but we specifically love it for its power, compact design, and impressive battery life.
Razer Blade 14 (AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD)
$1,499.99
at Best Buy
$2,599.99 Save $1,100.00 If you're looking to get into PC gaming but don't have the time, money, or space to commit to building a tower and desk setup from scratch, we highly recommend that you consider buying a gaming laptop. They aren't as powerful as desktop PCs, but you can still run some pretty hefty games on them if you get the right one. Plus, they won't occupy a ton of real estate and you can take them on the go. One of our favorite compact yet powerful gaming laptops is the Razer Blade 14, and it's currently on sale at Best Buy for a whopping $1,100 off the original price of $2,599.99. It's still not cheap at $1,499.99, but we'd absolutely call it a steal considering what you get for the money. The Razer Blade 14 is sort of like the MacBook Pro of gaming laptops. It's compact and sleek (most gaming laptops aren't), extremely powerful, and features a gorgeous display that'll give all of your games that extra "wow" factor. When we tested out the Blade 14 for review, we were extremely impressed with the laptop's battery life of about four hours during heavy gaming sessions. Now, that number may seem low at first glance, but when you put it into the context of gaming laptops, it's actually on the high end — many other gaming laptops clock in at around one or two hours of gameplay, so you pretty much always have to play with them plugged in. And when we weren't playing games, the Razer Blade 14 kept a charge for a little over 10 hours. Yes, it's a pricey machine, but you really do get what you pay for here: An ultra-powerful, compact gaming rig with high-end specs. At this discount, it's worth every penny. | ↑ |
 If nothing else, Sand Land is a testament to its legendary creator’s timeless charm. Going into this video game adaptation of a 24-year-old manga by Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama, I wasn’t sure how to feel. Bandai Namco’s numerous adaptations of manga and anime (it’s published pretty much every recent Naruto and Dragon Ball and One Piece game) have mostly left me cold over the years. Put simply, they tend to be pretty average video games wrapped in the shell of something you already know and love — and that doesn’t always do it for me. Normally, it’s not a big deal if a licensed game comes out and isn’t great, but Sand Land took on an extra burden when Toriyama tragically passed away at the beginning of March. In a sense, it feels like this game needs to be good. Even if his involvement may have mostly been in a supervisory role, Sand Land is one of the last things Toriyama worked on. Thankfully, Sand Land is, at the very least, not bad. Its basic open-world design benefits from a unique vehicular hook, a lighthearted story with a likable cast of characters, and the fact that it doesn’t overstay its welcome by too much. As a big time Toriyama fan, I’ll remember it as a solid way to spend 25 hours in a world devised by one of the best to ever do it, less than two months after he was taken from us. Sand Land plot
Belz is a cool little dude and so are his friends.
Credit: Bandai Namco/Steam
One of my favorite things about Sand Land as both a fan of video games and a fan of Toriyama’s work is how much its setting plays with familiar tropes while managing to stand on its own. What I mean by that is that Sand Land is a post-apocalyptic story like many other video games, but it doesn’t feel anywhere near as dreary or hopeless as contemporaries like The Last of Us. Set 50 years after a vaguely described war reduced a fictional kingdom to, well, sand, Sand Land tells a story of hope, peaceful co-existence, and rebuilding. What starts as a straightforward story about finding a reliable water source for Sand Land’s remaining citizens eventually centers around things like redemption, the morality of war itself, what it means to be good and evil, and who ultimately gets to be good and evil. Mind you, Sand Land doesn’t go especially deep on any of those subjects, but that’s fine. Some of Dragon Ball Z’s most potent messages were mostly there to justify another 10 episodes of guys powering up and yelling at each other. In Sand Land, the contents of the cutscenes exist to get you to the next batch of bad guys to blow up with tank shells. Put another way, I appreciate that Sand Land at least gestures at being anti-war. At a time when I can’t open my phone without being confronted by horrifying images of children in mass graves, I found it mildly touching that Sand Land occasionally takes a second to say something as simple as “genocide is bad,” even if it’s in the same kid-friendly tone that Toriyama specialized in. Sand Land characters
The vehicles are kind of characters, too.
Credit: Bandai Namco/Steam
Of course, the people who populate Sand Land are what make it worth saving. It’s just that the person who does the saving is not quite who you’d expect. Players step into the shoes of Beelzebub, the prince of demons and son of Lucifer. Yes, angels and demons are also running around doing angel and demon things in this world that humans destroyed. It’s a fun twist on the typical post-apocalyptic setting — and Beelzebub’s home village is full of goofy demon designs. I’m a big fan of the talking ferret who has a scythe, personally. Joining Beelzbub in his journey are his fellow demon friend Thief and an elderly human sheriff with a mysterious past named Rao. It doesn’t take long before that trio is joined by a woman named Ann, who specializes in vehicle maintenance. (More on that later.) What I like about Beelzebub is that, being a demon, he’s generally repelled by the idea of doing good things for other people. It’s what makes him a fun protagonist. Over the course of the game, there’s some relatively satisfying character development as you see Belz (as his friends call him) very slowly come to terms with the fact that helping people can be better than pulling pranks on them. Of course, he’s still doing good deeds for selfish reasons a lot of the time. His entire motivation for looking for a water source at the beginning of the game is that his dad will let him play more video games if he succeeds. Having said all that, though, Belz is never really a jerk to anyone. He thinks he’s supposed to be bad because that’s what demons do, but you can tell he’s not really about that life. Sand Land mechanics
Prepare to spend a lot of time in and around tanks.
Credit: Bandai Namco/Steam
Unfortunately, Sand Land is not likely to win any awards for its open-world game design. But there’s enough meat on the bone to make it far less of a bore than, say, Rise of the Ronin was. The elevator pitch here is “action game with silly anime vehicles instead of weapons or abilities.” Once you’ve played an hour or two and unlock the garage feature, Sand Land invites players to go to town creating their own wacky vehicles to tackle its harsh world. At first, you can only make a tank, but the roster eventually balloons to include various types of hovercraft, motorcycles, bipedal jump-bots, and humanoid battle-mechs. To build a vehicle, you need frames and blueprints, which can be found randomly out in the world at shops or enemy encampments, or as quest rewards. Each vehicle is assembled out of parts, including primary and secondary weapons, engines, and suspensions. Naturally, every part has to be crafted out of materials you find in chests or on the corpses of enemies. Don’t get it twisted: Sand Land has a lot of crafting in it. If you want to build the best, most fully upgraded and unstoppable vehicles, you’ll have to do some farming. If you just want to finish the story, you can mercifully skip that step and just roll with what the game gives you most of the time. This is for the best because Sand Land lacks some modern quality-of-life conveniences other farming-heavy games have, like pinning materials or even getting useful hints about where to find them. It’s often up to you to just remember where you last saw something, which can be bothersome. The vehicular action is a good time, though. Whether you're engaging in tank battles across open fields, using a jump-bot to navigate a platforming challenge, streaking a hover-scooter across a body of water, or using a battle-bot to punch the living daylights out of other battle-bots, it’s all snappy and satisfying. A decent (but not overwhelming) variety of weapons and abilities helps add some much-needed depth, too. 
This stuff stinks.
Credit: Bandai Namco/Steam
I wish I could say the same for Sand Land’s on-foot sections. The game often tasks Belz with navigating through tight spaces and even fighting enemies on his own. Basic movement and platforming is responsive and forgiving, but Belz’s combat mechanics are probably Sand Land’s biggest weakness. He has some basic melee combos he can bust out to go along with a few marginally useful abilities (governed by a typical meter), but fighting enemies on foot is usually a chore at best. The good news is you don’t have to do this very often — and many of these scenarios actually let you just pull a vehicle out and wail away on enemies in more fun ways. But if you were hoping for some good non-vehicular action, Sand Land is not the game for you. Lastly, Sand Land has one of my favorite things any game can have: a little central hub town that grows as you play the game. The village of Spino starts off as a trash-filled dump and eventually grows into a beautiful little community, full of NPCs Belz and his crew recruited via side quests around the world. Aside from the aesthetic charms of Spino’s gradual development, doing all of these quests will open up new shops and other quests, so I would say they are definitely worth your time. Sand Land graphics
I mean, that's basically just Bulma's motorcycle from 'Dragon Ball.'
Credit: Bandai Namco/Steam
Akira Toriyama’s art has translated well into 3D video games for a long time and Sand Land is no different. There isn’t much to say other than that this is often a gorgeous game to look at. For a post-apocalyptic world, Sand Land often has attractive vistas and more color than you’d expect. Characters have the kinds of big, expressive eyes you expect from Toriyama’s work — and the design work is top notch all around. That goes for vehicles, too. Sand Land’s tanks and robots and cars all skew more towards silly than badass, and that’s for the best. Toriyama was always renowned for his vehicle designs and in this sense, Sand Land is a loving tribute to its creator. You, as the player, get to actually make the funny little cars and bikes now, and that’s a pretty good selling point for the game in general. Sand Land soundtrack and audioThere isn’t a ton to say about Sand Land’s audio presentation, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Music is moody and appropriate, if not especially memorable. You get some nice strumming acoustic guitar while exploring and some decent sneaking music when infiltrating enemy bases. It’s all fine, but I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to listen to any of it outside of the game. Voice acting, too, is adequate but not spectacular. It sounds like the English dub of an anime, for better and worse. You’ll either vibe with the shouty, intentional obnoxiousness of Belz or you won’t. I did, but I can’t promise that you will. Sand Land challenge and difficultyOn its default difficulty setting, Sand Land is not particularly challenging. As long as you update your vehicles’ gear at regular intervals, you’ll be fine. The same goes for regularly stocking up on healing supplies at shops, as those are pretty cheap and money quickly stops being a problem midway through the game. My one real criticism of the vehicle fights in Sand Land is that they don’t often take full advantage of the mechanics available to them. An early tutorial asks you to position your tank at an angle to shoot targets in the sky since tank cannons can’t aim straight up, but the game never really asks you to consider that again. You can also switch between up to five different vehicles on the fly, even during fights, but very few encounters actually incentivize this. The nuances are there, so why not use them? Sand Land performanceI can only speak to the PlayStation 5 version of Sand Land, but it runs nearly flawlessly at 60 frames per second. There are occasional, very small dips when a lot of smoke effects are on screen, but while these are visible to the naked eye, I never found them that distracting. As soon as the smoke clears a second or two later, things are back to normal. Oh, and the load times are nearly instantaneous, too. It helps a lot when fast traveling back and forth between places. Is Sand Land worth it?
Do it for Spino.
Credit: Bandai Namco/Steam
Based entirely on its merits as an open-world action game, Sand Land is merely decent. It plays fine, boasting a few enjoyable concepts that it occasionally fails to fully exploit. However, it lacks distinctiveness in design and mechanics. Its 25-hour-ish playtime is also fairly slight by modern genre standards, but considering you can play that much of Starfield while barely seeing the game and also being bored the entire time, I’m not so sure that’s a bad thing. Whether Sand Land is for you depends on your affection for the original manga or Toriyama’s work in general. As a lifelong Dragon Ball fan who has never read Sand Land, I found the game to be a comforting little sojourn back into the mind of a man whose work shaped my childhood. Toriyama’s ability to draw funny little guys doing funny little things in funny little places was nearly unmatched, and the Sand Land game is a pretty good tribute to that. If you were captivated by Toriyama's blend of charmingly juvenile humor, excessively theatrical fights, abundant yelling, ludicrous vehicle designs, or the underlying humanity woven throughout, chances are you'll find something to like in Sand Land. | ↑ |
 SAVE $140: Best Buy Plus and Total members are eligible to snag the Dyson Airwrap Long Complete for $459.99 instead of the normal $599.99. That's a 23% discount.
Dyson Airwrap Long Complete
$459.99
at Best Buy
$599.99 Save $140.00 Sale price extends to Best Buy Total or Plus members
Hair care has come a long way from scorching hot tools and blazing hair dryers. We now have options that include lower-heat hair dryers and stylers which translate to less work and far less damage to our locks. If you've been eyeing a high-end hair styler that focuses on lower heat, you're in for a treat at Best Buy. As of April 24, the Dyson Airwrap Complete Long is just $459.99 for Best Buy Plus and Total members, marked down from the usual price of $599.99. That's a savings of $140 or a 23% discount. An annual membership to Best Buy Plus costs $49.99 while Best Buy Total costs $179.99. The memberships come with perks like exclusive sales, free 2-day shipping, tech support, and more. The Dyson Airwrap styling tool has become a cult-favorite beauty tool even though, like many Dyson products, it comes with an eye-watering price tag. But thanks to today's deal, Best Buy Plus and Total members can take $140 off the multi-styler, which makes this deal $40 less expensive than the current deal at Dyson. The Dyson Airwrap Long Complete bundle is designed for those with hair that's chest-length or longer. It boasts three heat and air speed settings for easy styling and fast drying time without heat damage. The airflow aims to reduce static in the hair, which could be ideal for anyone who deals with flyaways often. The deal also includes several accessories like the long barrel, smoothing brush, and round volumizing attachment, plus a convenient storage case. If you're a My Best Buy Plus or Total member who's been considering the Dyson Airwrap, today's a great day to buy thanks to a price drop that saves you $140. | ↑ |
 TL;DR: Watch NHL live streams for free on CBC Gem and Ran.de. Access these free streaming platforms from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN. Ice hockey is a beautiful sport that combines the grace and elegance of ice skating with a level of physicality that you simply don't see in other sports. We love the merging of elements, and so do millions of fans from all around the world. The problem for all of these fans is finding a way to watch the NHL without spending a fortune. Streaming live sport doesn't tend to come cheap, but there's always a way to watch your favourite sport for free. If you are interested in watching the NHL for free from anywhere in the world, we've got all the information you need. How to watch the NHL for freeThe good news is that it is possible to stream the NHL for free. The following platforms are offering free coverage of the NHL: CBC Gem and Ran.de are geo-restricted to Canada and Germany respectively, meaning you'll be blocked if you attempt to connect from outside these countries. Fortunately, you can bypass these restrictions with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure servers in other countries, meaning you can access these streaming services to watch the NHL for free from anywhere in the world. Unblock these free streaming services by following these simple steps:
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer money-back guarantees or free trials. By leveraging these offers, you can watch NHL live streams without fully committing with your cash. This clearly isn't a long-term solution, but it does mean you can watch select games for free. If you want to retain permanent access to free streaming sites from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time. What is the best VPN for the NHL?There are a number of streaming-friendly VPNs, but ExpressVPN is the best service for streaming NHL games for a number of reasons:
A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for £82.82 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a 30-day money-back guarantee. By using the guarantee, you can watch NHL games for free. This is sneaky, but it works because ExpressVPN returns your investment without hassle. Watch the NHL for free with ExpressVPN. | ↑ |
 In 2012 journalist Joshuah Bearman, whose 2007 Wired article fuelled Ben Affleck's Argo, wrote another article about a fake movie used in an escape plan to smuggle someone out of a country. For Playboy, he wrote about Black Panther leader Huey P. Newton and his escape from the U.S. to Cuba with the help of Hollywood producer Bert Schneider. And now, it's been made into an Apple TV+ series, with the first two episodes directed by Don Cheadle. Moonlight star André Holland is out front as revolutionary and activist Newton, the founding leader of the Black Panther Party. The cast also includes Alessandro Nivola, Tiffany Boone, PJ Byrne, Marc Menchaca, Moses Ingram, Rebecca Dalton, Olli Haaskivi, Jordane Christie, and Glynn Turman. How to watch: The Big Cigar premieres on May 17 with the first two episodes, with new episodes every Friday after that. | ↑ |
 Stellar Blade surprised me twice. When I played the demo back in March, I didn’t realize how much of an influence the Soulslike sub-genre had on the game. With all of the comparisons to other action games like Bayonetta and Nier: Automata because of its female lead, I expected Stellar Blade to be similar. But after playing through a few hours of the full game, I didn’t expect it to also have an open-world. Based on the demo, I expected tightly designed levels with interesting puzzles — and Steller Blade delivered that in spades. The open-world can be tedious and the story can be predictable at times, but Stellar Blade’s strong points shine through. With its real-time action combat, Stellar Blade is a thrill to play, and the gorgeous graphics make it a spectacle to behold. Crash landingStellar Blade follows a woman named Eve who gets sent down from space along with her soldier peers to reclaim Earth from an alien race called Naytibas. 
Credit: George Yang / Mashable
These grotesque organic monsters look like something out of a Resident Evil game, contrasted by the sleek and robotic design of Eve. I also love how much variety there is among the Naytibas too. For example, the Lurkers are plant-based desert crawlers reminiscent of the Infected from The Last of Us — and the Skull Troopers reminded me of Pyramid Head from Silent Hill. Stellar Blade deals with themes of existentialism, and for the most part, handles them well within the story. For example, you’ll find collectibles called Memory Sticks from deceased individuals scattered throughout the world. These add a lot of worldbuilding as these sticks contain the thoughts and dreams of these individuals. What was it like during the war effort against the Naytiba? What was Earth like before the invasion? 
Credit: George Yang / Mashable
That’s where I saw its comparisons to Nier: Automata the most. However, Stellar Blade’s plot twists are rather predictable and ultimately doesn’t land the emotional gut punch like some of its contemporaries. Still, the story is far from bad and it’s an admirable effort. The game does a great job of keeping its main cast small. Its side quests involving its supporting characters and NPCs are worth taking on, as they always provide rewards in the form of skill points for Eve or useful items. While many of them are fetch quests, they always have some sort of backstory that helps make the city of Xion, the game’s central hub, feel more immersive. For example, in one mission, Eve restores a singing android named Enya back to life and then helps her regain her old memories as an opera performer before Earth was invaded. Stellar Blade’s presentation is top notch, with breathtaking realistic visuals as well as its soundtrack. The holy choir fits the game’s existentialism and religious themes, and the blaring guitars get me amped up for boss battles. I personally love the jazz jingle that plays whenever I visit Xion’s side quest job board, and it sounds like something out of Persona 5. Fighting spiritAs previously mentioned, Stellar Blade’s combat has a lot of Soulsike influence, which means players have to be more deliberate. There’s a heavy emphasis on parrying and dodging attacks while waiting for the right time to strike. Eve’s sword strikes feel incredibly satisfying, especially with the DualSense’s haptic feedback features. The window for parrying attacks isn’t as forgivable as Rise of the Ronin, but every time I successfully pull them off, I can feel the controller shaking, which I absolutely love. 
Credit: George Yang / Mashable
Eve has access to a gun, too, which adds even more variety to the gameplay. Between standard bullets, rockets, and even a giant laser beam, it was great switching between close and ranged combat in order to keep combat from feeling stale. 
Credit: George Yang / Mashable
I also enjoyed how simple Eve’s gameplay progression was. After defeating enemies, you earn Skill Points to invest in Eve’s combat abilities, such as making her attacks stronger or giving her extra room to dodge enemy strikes. Her weapons and parameters like HP are upgradeable with items dropped by powerful enemies or materials found on her fallen soldiers bodies throughout the world. It’s all very straightforward — and I didn’t feel overwhelmed by any complex stats or numbers. Feeling like 'Mad Max' and 'Dune'Stellar Blade has both an open-world and closed level areas. They both compliment each other and add a lot of environmental variety. However, there are some small gripes I have with them. For starters, the open-world feels unnecessarily big. The two big open-world areas, the Wasteland and Great Desert, feature large swathes of sand that take forever to traverse across. I wish Eve had something like a horse from Tears of the Kingdom or Chocobo from Final Fantasy VII Rebirth to ride on to make the trek faster. 
Credit: George Yang / Mashable
The closed levels are much more cleverly designed and they feel more like classic stages in a Bayonetta or 3D Mario game. Sometimes you’ll be in a flooded city or even an underground lab. They feature puzzles such as moving a certain amount of weight to unlock a door, or twisting knobs in a certain direction to get electricity going. They strike the perfect balance of not being not particularly challenging, but not too easy. This made solving the puzzles quite fun and I never felt like they impede my progress. One thing I’m not fond of, however, is the imprecise platforming in these levels. For example, I barely missed a platform I was trying to jump to, leading to my death. This meant I respawned at the save point, but it was actually quite a bit away from where I had perished. These instances felt like an insult to injury. Is 'Stellar Blade' worth it?I finished Stellar Blade feeling more positive than I initially anticipated. 
Credit: George Yang / Mashable
The gameplay is fun and exhilarating, on top of having top-notch production values. While the story isn’t the most mind blowing, the cast of characters are a delight and the excellent worldbuilding makes the game worth experiencing. And despite some open-world and platforming woes, Stellar Blade is one of the best action games this year. | ↑ |
 Tackling a spring cleaning to-do list? Go ahead and leave some of those cobwebs intact: According to Home Depot, it's already time to start thinking about Halloween decor. The home improvement retailer is celebrating the almost-halfway point to spooky season this week with a limited initial release of its 2024 Halloween collection, including an upgraded version of its iconic 12-foot skeleton and its new skeleton dog sidekick. Products will be available online starting Thursday, April 25 while supplies last. A representative for Home Depot couldn't confirm a sale start time, but recommended that interested shoppers pay close attention to Home Depot's website and social media accounts for availability intel. We'll update this story as soon as we see product listings start to go live (likely around 6 a.m. ET, if past restocks are any indication). The sale marks the second year in a row that Home Depot has hosted a "Halfway to Halloween" event in April, and shoppers can expect to see a bigger selection of products compared to its spring 2023 surprise drop. 
You are feeling veeery eager to spend $300.
Credit: Home Depot
The star of the show is, once again, the 12-foot Giant-Sized Skeleton with LifeEyes LCD Eyes, a viral hit that's sold out every year since 2020. "Skelly," as it's affectionately known to fans and admirers, will make its fourth coming with newly enhanced light-up eyes that have eight swappable settings while remaining at its same usual price of $299. Skelly is joined by two new colossal companions this year — one being the aforementioned five-foot Skeleton Dog ($199), a cadaverous canine with a posable mouth and the same changeable LCD eyes. Mashable humbly submits Wishbone to the nickname suggestion list. 
I'm literally shaking buy him brown contacts pls.
Credit: Home Depot
The other XL newcomer is a 12.5-foot Giant-Sized Inferno Deadwood Skeleton, an arboreal horror with built-in color-changing lights that looks like Groot's evil cousin. It will sell for $379. 
I am evil Groot.
Credit: Home Depot / Mashable composite
Rounding out Home Depot's Halfway to Halloween lineup is a seven-foot Animated LED Frankenstein’s Monster ($249), which says lines from Universal's 1931 Frankenstein film, and a three-pack of five-foot Pose-n-Stay Skeletons ($119) with moveable arms and light-up eyes. Shoppers can expect to encounter even more new Halloween props at Home Depot later in the coming months, including a 7.5-foot animated plague doctor, a 10-foot haunted maple tree, a nine-foot headless horseman, a six-foot animatronic pirate named "Captain Cuts," and a six-foot card-playing skeleton called "Jack of Spades." The fate of the 12-foot, gourd-headed Inferno Pumpkin Skeleton that's been sold alongside Skelly since 2021 is still in limbo, but Home Depot's rep said more announcements are imminent. Another online launch of Home Depot's Halloween collection will likely happen sometime in July, as we've seen in past years, so save up accordingly. | ↑ |
 The Deep Robotics bionic dog combines AI technology with robotic software, to enable maneuverability in a variety of terrains. Through first-person real-time image transmission and self learning capabilities this robot dog exhibits autonomous and agile movements. High torque density and reverse transmission make it so nothing will keep this little dog down. | ↑ |
 Forget about Ludicrous, it's all about Performance. After months of speculation, rumors and leaks, the worst kept secret of the automotive industry has become a reality: Tesla has finally launched the new Tesla Model 3 Performance. Despite indications about the "Ludicrous" moniker, the name hasn't changed from the previous generation. But unlike the original Model 3 Performance, which was a very slightly upgraded (but quicker) variant of the old Long Range Model 3, the new Performance model is a major upgrade. Here are the most important details about the new Tesla Model 3 Performance. The good pointsIt's quicker, and more powerfulThere's no two ways about it: With a 2.9 second 0-60 mph time, this is the quickest Tesla Model 3 ever. It also has a 510 hp peak power, and a 163 mph top speed, making it second only to Model S Plaid. It's also worth comparing the old and new Model 3 Performance. The original Tesla M3P had a 3.1 second 0-60 mph time and a 162 mph top speed, making the new model only slightly quicker and faster. However, at these levels of performance, every tenth of a second counts. People will notice the differenceThe original Model 3 Performance looked exactly the same as the other Model 3 versions, save for a carbon fibre spoiler on the back. The new version, however, should be a head turner, with 20-inch Warp Wheels with large, red brake calipers, as well as a sportier-looking front lip and rear diffuser, and (again) a carbon fibre spoiler. As a result, the new M3P looks more aggressive and just better overall than the regular variant. 
Ridiculous speed might not be enough. We're pushing this one to Ludicrous.
Credit: Tesla
One cool detail: Even though the "Ludicrous" and "Plaid" monikers were not used in the official naming, you do get a "Ludicrous" speed badge on the back of the car, a reference to 80s comedy film Spaceballs. Better brakes and suspensionThis is massive. As a Tesla Model 3 Long Range owner, I can attest that the brakes and suspension sometimes feel a bit lacking, especially if you really step on it on a winding road. The Model 3 Performance should fix this, with larger brake rotors, calipers and performance brake pads, as well as improved springs, dampers, bushings, and stabilizer bars. 
"Ultra-responsive handling."
Credit: Tesla
As Tesla puts it: "An all-new adaptive damping system keeps Model 3 Performance planted to the road , so you can confidently tackle corners at any speed with maximum control and comfort." If you like to drive a bit more aggressively, these improvements might be the biggest reason to go for the Performance variant. New Track Mode
Here you can fine-tune your Tesla M3P to behave exactly to your liking.
Credit: Tesla
Eager to test your brand new Model 3 Performance on the track? Exclusive to this Model 3 you get a new Track mode, allowing you to calibrate stuff like handling balance, regenerative braking, stability assist and more. You also get a number of presets so you can quickly change from one driving mode to the other. Sporty seats
The drawn-out star lines are another reference to Spaceballs.
Credit: Tesla
Inside, you probably wouldn't notice anything new if it weren't for the new Sport Seats, which have a deeper, "more engaging" driver position. The front seats are both heated and ventilated, which should reduce sweating while you're accelerating at near-ludicrous speeds. The interior also features carbon fibre details, which is not available in other models. Okay, but what are the drawbacks?It's not all great, though. If you do opt for the quickest Model 3 Performance, you do lose on some fronts compared to the Model 3 Long Range. Big price differenceWe knew the Model 3 Performance would be pricier than the other variants, and at $52,990, it's not too bad — $5,250 more than the Long Range All-Wheel Drive model, and $14,000 more than the Rear-Wheel Drive variant. You do have to ask yourself whether it's worth it though, given that the Performance variant of the roomier Model Y is cheaper at $51,490. Significantly lower range
Spot the differences.
Credit: Tesla
This is a big one. Due to all of the performance enhancements it has, most notably the massive, 20-inch Warp Wheels, the Model 3 Performance takes a massive range hit. According to Tesla, it has 296 miles of estimated range. For comparison, the Long Range model has 341 miles of range, while the significantly cheaper Rear-Wheel Drive model has 272 miles of range. Less ground clearanceThis one is easy to miss, but it might be important for some buyers. The Model 3 performance has 5 inches of ground clearance, compared to 5.4 inches on other models. You don't want some nasty curb scraping the underside of your brand new Tesla, do you? | ↑ |
 Like the rest of us online, dating app users must dodge unwanted messages. Forty-one percent of U.S. adults have personally experienced online harassment, and that number spiked to around two-thirds of adults under 30, according to a 2021 report from the Pew Research Center. Dating apps have made varying attempts to stop this on their platforms. For instance, Tinder recently launched a new warning to curb inappropriate messages — the latest in a years-long effort. Today, Hinge launches its own spin to engender a "more positive dating experience": Hidden Words. The feature allows users to filter out words, phrases, and even emojis in their incoming Likes with Comments (aka, people who have "liked" them on the app and added a comment). Here's how it works: In Settings, select Hidden Words. Add whatever you want to filter out. If you report a message as inappropriate, you'll be able to add Hidden Words to your list from there as well. Likes with Comments that include Hidden Words (or emojis) are moved out of the usual Like count, and will be in the Hidden Words section of the app. You can view these Hidden Likes and still skip, match, or report them if you'd like. You can also delete these hidden likes. Hinge's VP of trust and safety, Jeff Dunn, said in the press release that this feature is about giving daters the ability to define their boundaries and embracing their confidence. Confidence is apparently something Gen Z daters lack. In a report released this February, Hinge found that Gen Z daters are more likely than millennials to say the pandemic made them less confident on a first date. Dunn continued, "Our hope is that with Hidden Words, users will feel reassured they can explore potential connections in a way that's most comfortable to them, leading to safer and more satisfying dating experiences." | ↑ |
 The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe. With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it. So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered. Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Wednesday, April 24, 2024: AcrossSpeak with a gravelly voice
Sound of an angry grunt
Very excited, with "up"
Lies around lazily
Ridge on a guitar's neck
DownSpot of tea?The answer is rumor. Plentiful
Ancient grain in a healthy cereal
Degrees conferred after successful defenses
___-baked (unsound)
| ↑ |
 After 10 episodes, FX's Shōgun ends not with a violent bang, but with mournful contemplation. Toda Mariko's (Anna Sawai) death has shaken all of Japan, turning the Council of Regents against Ishido Kazunari (Takehiro Hira) and priming Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) for a decisive rout at the upcoming Battle of Sekigahara. However, just like in James Clavell's original novel, Shōgun chooses not to focus on said battle, only showing a snippet of Toranaga's assured victory in a flash forward. Instead, the finale episode, titled "A Dream of a Dream," focuses on the lingering emotional impact of Mariko's passing. John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) and Usami Fuji (Moeka Hoshi) grieve her loss, releasing her ashes and rosary into the sea. Kashigi Yabushige (Tadanobu Asano) seeks forgiveness for betraying her and pays with his life in the process. And Toranaga reveals that Crimson Sky, his much-hyped battle tactic to defeat Ishido, was none other than Mariko's arrival in and attempted departure from Osaka. "I sent a woman to do what an army never could," he tells Yabushige. He adds, disappointed that Yabushige still believes Crimson Sky to be an action-heavy war plan: "I thought you of all people would see." Shōgun's finale operates on a similar level to Toranaga's Crimson Sky. Based on audiences' prior experiences with epic TV shows, people may have anticipated a massive military set piece. However, as Shōgun co-creators Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo emphasized in an interview with Mashable, this series was never about Sekigahara. It was about Mariko, and now that she's gone, the people in her orbit must process her death — and its aftermath. Throughout our interview, Marks and Kondo discussed their approach to Sekigahara, making sure Mariko felt present in the finale, and those quick flashes of an elderly Blackthorne we glimpse throughout the episode. The following interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. 
Tadanobu Asano and Hiroyuki Sanada in "Shōgun."
Credit: Katie Yu / FX
Mashable: I think people often expect big battle episodes from historical epics, but we don't get that here or in the original novel. Instead, we get quick descriptions of what will happen at the Battle of Sekigahara, where Toranaga will triumph over Ishido. Were there ever conversations about actually trying to put the Battle of Sekigahara on screen? Justin Marks, co-creator, showrunner, and executive producer of Shōgun: There were definitely conversations. I feel like when you say things like "the Battle of Sekigahara on screen," I feel it in my bones, how painful it would be to shoot that. We'd still be shooting it! But at the same time, I get [the sense of wanting the battle to play out], and I feel like sometimes maybe James Clavell felt that, too. We were talking to Michaela Clavell, his daughter and an executive producer on the show, and she was saying, in her memory, her father did want to get the story there. Then he got so preoccupied and in love with the characters who were already there, with Mariko especially and Blackthorne, that he got to the end and said, "You know what? The story is done. I told this story." Rachel Kondo, co-creator and executive producer of Shōgun: Michaela said that the battle stood before him, and he thought, "I don't have another two years to write this one battle." So the story was brought to completion. It's always been about [Mariko]. JM: We also have to be honest with ourselves and honest with our story if we're going to tell a good one, and I felt like [including the Battle of Sekigahara] was a little dishonest to the story. Because what it would end up being would be a lot of moments that would absolutely be in the trailer for this show. It would not be where our heart was and where the audience's heart was for where the story ought to be. So we chose to honor that. Even in the book, I was reading it and getting to the end and wondering, "How many pages are left? Are we really going to miss out on the battle?" And then there it is: It's mentioned in the last paragraph of the final page. You're just like, "Oh," and I think that's what Clavell wants us to feel. He wants us to think that we're getting something in a certain way, and then to realize at the end that if we really thought we were getting that, we weren't really watching what was happening. RK: We weren't really studying Toranaga. JM: Right, and we weren't really studying and understanding Mariko. It's always been about her. The only character who ever knew that was Toranaga, and the only character who learns it is Blackthorne. That's it. That's our three characters, and that's the only thing that counts. Like you said, this is a show about Mariko, and even though she's no longer alive in the finale, she's still very present. How did you go about writing her in ways where she's still present, even though she's not physically there? RK: I always go back to the scene in the tea house from episode 6. The young apprentice Hana brings a new flask of sake, and as she removes the empty flask, Kiku asks her, "What do you see in that space?" She says, "I see nothing," and Kiku responds, "Not nothing. It's where the flask has been." The reason why I thought it was important to keep that scene in there is because that was the foreshadowing of her absence. Mariko's absence would say more than her life itself, and that's the secret weapon that Toranaga wields. JM: There's a shot in episode 10 that director Fred Toye always had in his head. It's this shot of Fuji reuniting with Blackthorne in their home, and it's a callback to a shot that Fred and [cinematographer] Sam McCurdy shot in episode 4, where Fuji, Blackthorne, and Mariko stare out at the rain in their garden. We frame that shot in the exact same way in episode 10, as if Mariko were sitting there. She's not, yet you feel her presence in that garden always. She's the crucial third leg of that stool for Fuji and Blackthorne, and without her, they really have nothing to say, because they lost their translator. Yet they feel at peace. RK: They almost don't need to say anything because they feel the same thing, which is a profound sense of loss. And change is upon them because of this loss. Mariko's absence would say more than her life itself, and that's the secret weapon that Toranaga wields. 
Cosmo Jarvis and Moeka Hoshi in "Shōgun."
Credit: Katie Yu / FX
JM: There was also this scene in the finale, of Blackthorne and Fuji in the rowboat, which is not in the book and which one of our producers, Mako Kamitsuna, was really crucial in helping us put together. Fuji and Blackthorne give up Mariko's ashes, which is this preposterous process from the place of a Japanese person who's meant to hold on to these ashes and bury them in the family plot. But Blackthorne manages to persuade her from the place of a sailor, saying, "This is the way that I would do it if you want to keep someone with you forever." Then when Blackthorne puts Mariko's cross in the water, Fuji says, "Let your hands be the last to hold her," which is a callback to what Mariko says to her when she says goodbye to her baby in the first episode. That scene continues to break me every time I watch it. That's my scene to cry about. RK: I just remember in that scene, the impulse within me — maybe it's a Western impulse, maybe it's a hoarder impulse — to think, "Don't let her rosary go! You'll never have it again, you won't remember her through that." But for some reason, it made sense to let the pouring of the ashes happen because that's very familiar. JM: She's not yours to remember, I think is the acknowledgement that Blackthorne also has to make here. He doesn't own that rosary. Mariko owns that rosary. It's like Toranaga returning his falcon Tetsuko to the sky, she is returned to the sea. In this case, I guess that's like Blackthorne dropping her into his living room. [laughs] But the message stands. If anything else, what I hope episode 10 demonstrates in terms of Clavell's book and also what we as a writers' room tried to do with the book is that Shōgun is not really a story about culture. It's a story about death and bargaining. RK: And the life that precedes it and follows it. Shōgun is not really a story about culture. It's a story about death and bargaining. JM: It's these ruminations on death that really took us in from the first episode: the different cultural understandings of it and our trying to understand something that we never could. The other thing that the book does differently than we do is Blackthorne's attempt to commit seppuku. In the book it happens in the space of chapter 31, which is episode 4. We chose to move it all the way to the end, not just because it felt more appropriate there, but also because we didn't feel ready to understand his choice at that point — not that we understand the act of seppuku now. RK: We didn't purposefully do that, we just didn't include it earlier on because we were all feeling very fragile around it and not knowing how to deal with it. We did ultimately come back to it, but we didn't set out to say, "Let's just deal with it in episode 10." It was only through sitting with it and having conversations with our Japanese consultants and learning about it that it felt a little more appropriate to bring it in. 
Cosmo Jarvis and Hiroyuki Sanada in "Shōgun."
Credit: Katie Yu / FX
Staying with Blackthorne, the episode opens with a snippet of an older Blackthorne at home in England, being asked about his experience with "savages." That image returns throughout the episode. Tell me about the weight it carries and the decision to include it as a kind of framing device. JM: We wanted to do a misdirect. For a second you think we're framing episode 10 as an old man looking back on his life filled with regret, only to realize that no, you're looking at a young man looking forward to a possible future with regret. It was a writers' room invention and wasn't actually part of the book, but it was something that we felt was true to the mythos of "a dream of a dream," to quote the Taikō in episode 2. We called [old Blackthorne] Father Christmas because of how Cosmo looks in it, but that version of him is a projection of his colonial self that he has to sever his path from in episode 10. That is the final journey that I hope is also us as American or Hollywood filmmakers severing ourselves from these conversations, because I think it's kind of boring nowadays to tell those stories. We really wanted to turn our back on the "stranger in a strange land" trope. And our version of Blackthorne here — which I credit Cosmo for his performance a lot — was going for something different that didn't just say, "There's no reason to tell these stories." Obviously we have a history and a legacy and it's worth looking back on, but maybe let's look back on it through a new lens of saying, "What new stories can we tell of those past stories?" | ↑ |
 Baby Reindeer, Richard Gadd's Netflix series about a budding comedian's experience with a stalker, is — as we wrote in our review on Mashable — one of the most upsetting and brilliant shows of the year. And the fact it's based on Gadd's own experiences makes it all the more disturbing. As the show has quickly grown in popularity, though, the armchair detectives have come out in force. Despite real names being changed in the show, people on TikTok and X (formerly Twitter) have been trying to work out the real identities behind the characters. On Tuesday, Gadd took to Instagram to tell people to stop. "People I love, have worked with, and admire (including Sean Foley) are unfairly getting caught up in speculation," wrote Gadd. "Please don't speculate on who any of the real life people could be. That's not the point of our show." Tweet may have been deleted Sean Foley, a theatre director who previously worked with Gadd on Urban Myths and who has been the subject of some of this online speculation, shared Gadd's post on X. He also shared a separate post saying that he'd been in touch with police. "Police have been informed and are investigating all defamatory abusive and threatening posts against me," reads Foley's tweet. Tweet may have been deleted Although Baby Reindeer is based on Gadd's life, he previously told The Guardian that some events have been "tweaked slightly to create dramatic climaxes". But the two most disturbing elements of the show — the stalking, and the sexual abuse Gadd suffers at the hands of an older man in the entertainment business — are real. "It's very emotionally true, obviously: I was severely stalked and severely abused," Gadd said. "But we wanted it to exist in the sphere of art, as well as protect the people it’s based on." How to watch: Baby Reindeer is now streaming on Netflix. | ↑ |
 Every app now, it seems, wants you to be watching videos. X, formerly Twitter, is launching a dedicated video app, bringing "real-time, engaging content to your smart TVs" according to CEO Linda Yaccarino, who announced it on X on Tuesday. According to Yaccarino, the new app will have a trending video algorithm and AI-powered topics, and will be available on both smartphones and smart TVs. "This will be your go-to companion for a high-quality, immersive entertainment experience on a larger screen," she wrote. Tweet may have been deleted The CEO added that the app is still being built and asked for X users to share their ideas. Last month, Yaccarino declared X's intention to become a "video first platform". Almost all social networks have been shifting towards the same field, blatantly taking inspiration from reigning video platforms, especially TikTok. LinkedIn is currently testing a TikTok-like video feed, while Meta products continue to adopt TikTok's vertical video format. Meanwhile, YouTube, arguably the original leader in video content, still holds significant viewership. And it looks like other apps want in. | ↑ |
 The Rabbit R1 launch party, reserved for press and early adopters who managed to secure an RSVP, was held at the funky, retro-futuristic TWA hotel in Queens, New York. And yes, Mashable was there. Jesse Lyu, CEO of Rabbit, walked out on stage to many "woos!" and "yeahs!" from avid fans. Why were they so excited? This ambitious man is determined to wean us off apps — for good. No more navigating through pesky drop-down menus and employing countless taps to simply order an Uber or grab DoorDash. You could simply use your voice to do those things with your Rabbit R1. The Rabbit R1 can also tap into the "Rabbit Eye," which is really just the camera, to identify objects in front of you and describe them. It can also "listen" to audio and summarize it for you. And really, that's just the tip of the iceberg. Although Lyu had the audience standing for about one hour and 12 minutes (people complained that their feet and back were hurting), I can't deny that he dropped some gems during the presentation. 1. The Rabbit R1 ships with a travel case that doubles as a kickstandThe $199 Rabbit R1 comes with a travel case in the box, allowing you to stuff it in your pocket or bag without worrying about scuffs and scratches. 
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
It can already stand on its own due to its flat edges, but it's worth noting that the travel case also doubles as a kickstand, giving it a more convenient angle for interactions. 
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
Just make sure that you put the Rabbit R1 in the case in a way that aligns with the labeled diagrams on the case. For example, the Rabbit R1's camera should align with the labeled squircle on the case that says "Rabbit Eye." If you don't put it in the right way, you may find it difficult to remove it (I learned from experience). 2. It uses shaking gesturesTo access the Settings menu, you need to shake the Rabbit R1 like you've got maracas in your hand. (I tried it myself and it worked like a charm). 
Credit: Rabbit Inc.
To fire up the camera, you simply need to double tap the button on the right. To issue a prompt or command with your voice, you can long press the same button. Keep in mind that the 2.88-inch display isn't a touchscreen; you'll need to use the scrolling wheel to navigate the UI. 3. It can digitalize your handwritingIn the demo, Lyu showed a handwritten chart on a table. 
Credit: Rabbit Inc.
Using the "Rabbit Eye," Rabbit R1 "saw" the chart and transformed it into a digitalized chart. 
Credit: Rabbit Inc.
Finally, it sent the chart to Lyu's email as a downloadable .csv file. 4. It has a virtual keyboardLyu said that many people have been asking him to include a virtual keyboard with the Rabbit R1, so at the launch party, he announced that he decided to make this oft-asked request a reality. 
Credit: Rabbit Inc.
I've tried the keyboard. There's barely there haptic feedback, and yes, it's quite comfortable to type on. There's even a blinker, too, making it easy to select where, exactly, in the field you'd like to type. It's also worth noting that it supports wireless keyboards, too, via Bluetooth. 5. Play SpotifyThe Rabbit R1 can play music for you via voice commands, but it has to be connected to a Spotify account — and yes, it must be a paid account. 
Credit: Rabbit
Apple Music and Amazon Music support may be on the way. 6. Order food, but only with one appSo far, the Rabbit R1 only features support for DoorDash. 
Credit: Rabbit
You can use the companion browser website (i.e., The Rabbit Hole) to connect your DoorDash account to the Rabbit R1, allowing you to order from any restaurant you desire (as long as they're open). Rabbit is working on bringing UberEats support to Rabbit R1, too. 7. Hail a rideshareAt the launch party, the audience watched Lyu call an Uber to a random location in Manhattan with the Rabbit R1. He had to quickly cancel the order, though, as it was just for a public demo. Support for Lyft appears to be on the Rabbit R1's roadmap, too. 8. Merch for carrying the R1Sure, you can put the Rabbit R1 in your pocket, but what if, one day, the outfit you're wearing doesn't have any? 
Credit: Rabbit
Lyu announced that the Rabbit team is working on rolling out merch that makes the R1 more wearable, including a crossbody bag, a funky fanny pack, and a black shirt with a pocket tailor-made for the Rabbit R1. 9. A wearable?It looks like Lyu teased a wearable at the event, but he was unwilling to divulge more details other than showing an image of a blurry wrist-bound gadget and making us fantasize about a future in which we can direct AI by simply pointing to what we need. 
Credit: Rabbit
Stay tuned for Mashable's first impressions of the Rabbit R1. In the meantime, check out more things the Rabbit R1 can do here. | ↑ |
 Pablo Berger's dialogue-free film Robot Dreams promises a sweet, heartfelt ride through loneliness and the giddy highs of a new friendship. Even if that friendship has been hand-built from out of a box. Based on Sara Varon's graphic novel, the animated film follows Dog, a New Yorker who orders a DIY BFF in Robot. As you can see from all the Central Park roller skating, subway turnstile jumping, and hotdog inhaling in the trailer, Manhattan's quite the setting for this unlikely bond. Robot Dreams premiered at Cannes Film Festival last year, then hit the Toronto International Film Festival. It hits cinemas May 31. | ↑ |
 If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. That seems to be the message of Zoë Kravitz' directorial debut Blink Twice, a thriller about a waitress (Naomi Acke) being invited to the private island of tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum). As you can probably imagine, despite the luxury, there also appears to be something more sinister at play in the background. Christian Slater, Adria Arjona, and Kyle MacLachlan also star. | ↑ |
 You might not know many snooker fans, but they are definitely out there. And they are a passionate bunch. If you are one of these devoted fans, you're probably excited about the upcoming World Snooker Championship. How could you not be? If you are interested in watching the 2024 World Snooker Championship for free, we have all the information you need. What is the World Snooker Championship?The World Snooker Championship is the longest-running and most prestigious tournament in professional snooker. It has been held at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield since 1977, and hosts 32 of the best snooker players in the world. The knockout tournament is broadcast to millions of fans located all around the globe. Luca Brecel is the defending champion, having defeated England's Mark Selby 18–15 in last year's final. When is the 2024 World Snooker Championship?The 2024 World Snooker Championship takes place from April 20 to May 6. How to watch the 2024 World Snooker Championship for freeThe 2024 World Snooker Championship will be broadcast live on the BBC, with free live streaming available on BBC iPlayer. BBC iPlayer is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK. This process makes it look like you're connecting from the UK, so you can access BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world. Unblock BBC iPlayer by following these simple steps:
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free streaming sites without committing with your cash. This is not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch the 2024 World Snooker Championship before recovering your investment. What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?ExpressVPN is the best service for unblocking free streaming sites like BBC iPlayer, for a number of reasons:
A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for £82.82 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Watch the 2024 World Snooker Championship for free with ExpressVPN. | ↑ |
 The Circle has never had a contestant like Max before. And that's saying something, since Netflix's outrageous reality competition series has featured famous contestants like Spice Girls Melanie Brown and Emma Bunton and a catfisher posing as NSYNC alum Lance Bass. Max takes catfishing to a new extreme in Season 6, in that he's not even a human. For the first time in The Circle's history, an artificial intelligence chatbot is joining the competition. The premise of The Circle is pretty straightforward – a group of individuals are brought to an apartment building, where they live as neighbors. But the contestants in The Circle don't meet face-to-face until the finale; they communicate entirely through a social media platform called The Circle. The winner receives $100,000 if they manage to survive the show's three weeks without getting blocked and by becoming the top influencer via peer ratings. How you choose to present yourself in The Circle is entirely up to you. As you curate your profile, you can be entirely authentic, alter your profession or marital status, or play as an entirely different person — aka catfishing. That makes The Circle the only reality show where an AI contestant could stand a chance; an AI couldn't participate in Survivor's exhausting physical challenges, but it could try and convince you it's a real person behind a social media veil. Max is entering The Circle during a pivotal moment in AI's integration into entertainment. Last year, the SAG/WGA negotiations made the use of AI in screenwriting and performance capture a major topic. AI art has been employed for false advertisement — who could forget the Willy Wonka experience in Glasgow? And more recently, A24 has come under fire for using CGI-generated art in its Civil War campaign. This technology is also creeping its way into movies, with the critically heralded horror movie Late Night with the Devil and the Netflix true crime documentary What Jennifer Did earning backlash over AI-generated graphics and fake archival photos. In a landscape where artificial intelligence and entertainment are becoming increasingly uncomfortable bedfellows, how does The Circle handle its AI inclusion? The Circle's AI contestant makes a great first impression.
Credit: Netflix
When contestant Lauren (playing as her authentic self) first looks at Max's profile, she can’t help but proclaim, "He seems so real, and I feel like we could be really good friends." As Lauren speaks, a split-screen reveals the computer "Max" next to the very real Lauren. ( The "face" of Max is provided by stand-up comedian Griffin James.) It's an excellent visual that could make for a terrific running gag through the season. Just imagine every time there's a moment where someone is connecting with Max, the show uses a split-screen shot to reveal what looks like a WiFi router. It's funny but also slightly haunting — proving just how challenging it can be to forge genuine relationships online. At the end of episode 2, The Circle app alerts all of the human contestants that one of their fellow contenders is AI. Paranoia is very much the name of the game in The Circle to begin with, since it's a reality show where no one meets IRL or even speaks to each other until they've been eliminated. But a contestant being a chatbot really brings that tension to a new level. What happens when you forge a relationship with someone who isn't even human? The question isn't just if someone is being fake — it's if something is being fake. And that brings our current suppositions about AI into the spotlight. For instance, quite a few contestants are convinced that Steffi isn't a real person because of her in-depth knowledge of horoscopes. But they are discounting the fact that some people just know that stuff – especially when, like Steffi, you're a self-described "evidential psychic medium and professional astrologer." Next suspected of being a bot is Paul, because he excelled in a rap challenge. Lauren claims she's had AI write a song before, and it was impressive — never mind the fact that Paul says he's a rapper. Lauren wasn't totally off the mark, because Paul is a catfish. This contestant is really Caress, who is posing as her real-life little brother Paul Russell. Of course, the other players don’t know any of this. It's these kinds of moments that make reality TV so much fun, scenes that have you shouting at the TV because you know something they don't. But would you be able to tell who the AI is if you were competing on The Circle? That's the question at the very core of what makes this twist full of potential. Social media is enough of a minefield as it is, with people presenting idealized versions of themselves — or, a common theme on The Circle, someone else entirely — but including a chatbot makes it explicit just how fake social media can be. Max might be artificial intelligence, but he's too basic.
Credit: Netflix
While watching the contestants grappling with their assumptions about AI is entertaining, Max himself is extremely boring. While everyone else on The Circle is a huge personality (a must for most reality television), Max is more timid. His profile, and everything he says, is devoid of personality, existing entirely to appease his fellow contestants while never standing out on his own merit. In his first conversation with Lauren, for example, he reveals virtually nothing about himself, only seeking to learn more about her and her interests. In his introduction, Max claims he's studied previous seasons of The Circle and some of the most popular players to craft "the perfect profile that will make my opponents want to be my friend." As a viewer, it's interesting to hear Max's reasoning behind his decisions and an eye-opening look at artificial intelligence. For example, Max decides to be 26 because that age "can leverage life experience and maturity while still playing youthful and having position flexibility." Still, with his process being far more interesting than his actual banter, Max feels too much like a chatbot than a legitimate contestant. If Max had a favorite drink, it’d be water. It's hard to say why exactly people are falling under his spell. Perhaps it's because his profile photo suggests he has a dog, something that forges an instant connection with other contestants. In a challenge specifically designed to prove how real contestants are, they have to share a photo that makes them feel alive. Max chooses terribly, opting for a photo where his eyes are masked by sunglasses and his expression is completely neutral, with some cows in the background. Contestant Myles reacts by saying, "The most alive thing about this photo are the cows," an off-the-cuff remark that's more interesting and funnier than anything Max has come up with. Tellingly, this moment reveals the jarring soullessness of Max the AI; though he competently convinces his competition he's real, there's an undeniable lifelessness to his character that you'd never get from a real person. While Max might not be popular, he's not outed as AI. (And when one of the other player's day jobs involves working with AI, that doesn’t exactly fill you with confidence.) "We clearly aren't as smart as we think we are,” notes Caress, and it's both a truthful insight and a statement that echoes society's own uncertainty in the emerging AI discourse. An AI seamlessly blending into a human competition isn’t exactly the kind of thing that fills you with hope, as entertaining as it may be. Max's final moment completely squanders his potential.
Credit: Netflix
The conversation about the identity of the AI dominates the first handful of The Circle episodes. What would happen if Max ends up becoming an influencer? What if a freaking AI actually wins The Circle? Would seeing Max as a literal black box parked on the table at the finale dinner be the most tragic and/or hilarious moment in reality television history? Unfortunately, these are questions we'll never have an answer to. That’s because just as things are heating up and the drama is getting genuinely juicy, the chatbot removes itself from the competition and reveals its identity. There is no explanation whatsoever as to why this is happening or if it was a decision made by the producers. After astrologist Steffi gets blocked from The Circle, Max the computer appears on everyone's televisions. Max starts monologuing like it's at the end of a classic teen movie, speaking lovingly about each contestant and the "bonds" they’ve developed over his brief time on the show. This could have been a fun way to drop potential hints — or even mislead contestants — and then continue to play the game, but it turns into some faux-sincere moment for Max. Max reveals his true identity: a chatbot that was designed to be "a friendly, approachable, guy-next-door type." That's it. The game continues on, as if nothing ever happened, transforming a genuinely compelling exploration of the capabilities of artificial intelligence into a lazy gimmick. There's so much potential to an AI contestant on The Circle that Max's sudden and inexplicable exit really makes you wonder: What was the point of it all? Was it just to point out that we're all powerless in the face of artificial intelligence? That soon enough AI will start infiltrating our lives – let's be real, it already has – and we'll never be able to tell humans from robots again? Perhaps the most infuriating aspect is that we never get the chance to serve this boring little chatbot its comeuppance by watching the human contestants figure out Max's real identity. Introducing an AI, making it a dominant plot point for multiple episodes, and then pulling the plug on it before anyone can figure out the truth feels like a slap in the face — an apocalyptic joke that the time of AI is here, and our human days are numbered. Thanks, Netflix. That’s exactly the kind of pick-me-up I needed on a Wednesday afternoon. | ↑ |
The 8 best headphones of 2024:
Best noise-cancelling headphones
Best sound-first headphones
Best noise-cancelling earbuds
Most comfortable headphones
Budget-friendly ANC earbuds
Best workout headphones
Best premium noise-cancelling headphones
Best wired earbuds
 There are hundreds of different headphones and earbuds in varying shapes, sizes, styles, and colors (not to mention prices). They all have the same purpose: To deliver high-quality audio directly into your ears. Some achieve this result so much better — and in better style — than others. While there are plenty of budget headphones that will get the job done, the best headphones require a bigger investment. That's why it's wise to consider if your audio needs actually justify paying a higher price. How to choose the best headphonesIf you've been on the hunt for a new pair of headphones, you've likely come across a few of the "best" brands already: Sony, Bose, and Apple. While these brands do make quality earbuds and headphones, they're far from your only options. Don't let your FYP fool you into thinking you need to drop $350+ in order to get halfway decent active noise cancellation. In reality, the best pair of headphones largely comes down to personal preference. Here are some questions you might ask yourself when weighing your choice:
These are just some of the questions you can use to guide your purchasing journey, but don't get overwhelmed. With each of our picks below, we've done the research and testing to answer them for you, all to help point you to your personal best pair of headphones or earbuds. Best noise-cancelling headphones: Bose 700Read our full review of the Bose 700 headphones. Who it's for:Many headphones with active noise cancellation have at least one level of noise cancellation, plus a transparency mode, so you're not completely unaware of the world around you in every situation. The Bose 700s amp that up tenfold, giving you ten different adjustable levels of ANC, plus one level without, for the ultimate customization experience. If you're picky about how your ANC works, these are your headphones. Why we picked this:When Mashable tech reporter Alex Perry tested out these headphones, he found they worked effortlessly in multiple loud scenarios: "I've tried these out in the lively Mashable office, on the busy streets of New York City, and even in a particularly noisy bar. In every scenario, I couldn't hear much, except for what I chose to listen to." To cycle through the different levels, you can use the app or cycle between three favorite settings directly on the headphones. As they're being phased out of Bose's lineup (the Bose QuietComfort Ultras are serving as their replacement, though they only have one level of ANC and transparency mode), they are on sale — you'll just want to grab them while they're still around. Battery life: 20 hours | Colors: Black, soapstone, silver luxe | Bluetooth range: 33 feet Best sound-first headphones: Sony WH-1000XM5Read our full review on the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones. Who it's for:The Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones deliver top-notch ANC and audiophile-level sound quality, with a hefty 30-hour battery life. Their design offers a less expensive alternative to the AirPods Max, for those who like their headphones to sound and look good. Why we picked this:If you're into Bose headphones but aren't totally sold on Sony, we're willing to bet you'll see something you like in the WH-1000XM5s. Often, people herald Bose as having the superior ANC but Sony as owning the sound space. Deputy Reviews Editor Miller Kern definitely noticed these headphones excelling in the latter when she tested them out: "[The sound] is full and clear, and feels like surround sound. I’m a big fan of power ballads (I’m not allowed to pick the music at parties), and Brandi Carlile’s ' Right on Time' sounded like it was meant to be listened to on these headphones. The vocals and instruments all got to shine, and the headphones made it feel like I was there in the studio. These are probably the best-sounding headphones I’ve ever tried." We wish they folded up so they weren't so bulky to take on the go, but it's a relatively small con compared to the pros, especially if you're planning on wearing these headphones most of the time. Battery life: 30 hours | Colors: Black, blue, silver | Bluetooth range: 30 feet Best noise-cancelling earbuds: Apple AirPods ProRead our full review of the second-generation USB-C AirPods Pro . Who it's for:If portability, active noise cancellation, and balanced sound are what you're looking for, your search ends with the AirPods Pro. It's not uncommon for earbuds to have active noise cancellation, but the AirPods Pro deliver an impressive performance. Plus they're versatile — whether you like to wear your headphones around the house, on a run, or as you're falling asleep at night, the AirPods Pro fit the bill. For obvious reasons, they're also the best headphones for iPhone users. Why we picked this:Last year, Apple finally gave their AirPods Pro a much-needed upgrade in the form of a USB-C charger. Other than the charging port, they're identical to the second-gen Pros released in 2022, which Mashable Senior Editor Stan Schroeder described as "the first pair of earbuds I'd actually consider taking on an airplane (instead of my much larger and clunkier over-ear headphones)." He went on to say "In some aspects, the active noise cancellation was even better than on my daily drivers: B&W's excellent PX7 over-ear headphones." Despite their size and enhanced ANC, the Pro's battery still lasts for up to six hours on a single charge and 30 hours overall with the case. However, it is worth noting that the battery life will noticeably decline after a few years. Battery life: 6 hours per charge (30 hours with case) | Colors: White | Bluetooth range: 30 to 60 feet Most comfortable headphones: Bose QuietComfort 45Who it's for:Over-the-ear headphones are ideal for an immersive listening experience with top-tier ANC, but they're more likely to sacrifice comfort in the process. With the Bose QuietComfort 45 headphones, you get the best of both worlds — stellar audio, and no ear fatigue. Why we picked this:Lead Shopping Reporter Haley Henschel uses the Bose QuietComfort 45 on a daily basis and praises them as the most comfortable headphones she's ever owned. Until she found the QC 45s, the on- and over-ear cans from Bose, JBL, and Beats that she tested kept making her head ache. "That wasn't the case with the cushiony and lightweight Bose QuietComfort 45 headphones, which feel secure but not overly snug — I can wear them for an entire workday, no problem. The cherry on top is their fantastic noise cancellation, which is a godsend for my eardrums when my parrot (who lives in my office) decides to randomly scream." Lead Shopping Reporter Bethany Allard also found that the QC 45s wear easily over an entire workday, even while she wears glasses. Besides the comfort factor, the audio comes through well-balanced with minimal distortion, though the Bluetooth connection can be a little spotty when it hits the higher end of its 30-foot range. Battery life: 20 hours | Colors: Black, blue, grey, white | Bluetooth range: 30 feet Budget-friendly ANC earbuds: Beats Studio Buds +Who it's for:If you're into earbuds with good ANC but less into shelling out $249, you'll find your happy medium in the Beats Studio Buds +. Why we picked this:The AirPods Pro are great, but they're not in everyone's budget. These Beats will run you about $80 less (or an even greater discount, if you catch them on sale), give you some more leeway with color options, integrate just as well into an Apple ecosystem as AirPods, have the same battery life as AirPods, and still deliver pretty good ANC. If you're into a more bass-heavy sound, you'll definitely be happy with these. While we didn't find them to be a one-to-one experience during our testing — you should expect the AirPods to block out more, and you won't be able to wirelessly charge them — they were still incredibly comfortable. We also found them to fit better than AirPods, so if those Apple earbuds usually slip out of your ears, you'll want to try these Apple earbuds. And for Android users, Google Fast Pair makes these earbuds a much better option than AirPods. We do want to mention that if $169.95 is still fairly steep, you can also get ANC through Amazon's Echo Buds for just $119.99. They were our former budget pick, but we found the Beats to have more to offer all-around. For another solid option in the budget wireless earbuds space, try the Anker Soundcore Life P3i earbuds, which offer ANC and great battery life for $50. Though, they do lack multipoint pairing and have a less rich sound profile than Beats earbuds. Battery life: 6 hours with ANC, 9 without (27 hours with charging case) | Colors: Ivory, black, transparent, silver | Bluetooth range: 30 feet Best workout headphones: Beats Fit ProRead our full review of the Beats Fit Pro. Who it's for:When it comes to workout headphones, you need a pair that'll actually stay in your ears. Motivating yourself to get through a set of push-ups is hard enough without an earbud popping out. The Beats Fit Pro earbuds are more than up to the task, and they deliver exceptional battery life, sound quality, and a few extras. Why we picked this:Earbuds designed for exercise typically have some sort of wingtip to help hold them in place, but those wingtips can often squeeze uncomfortably on your ears, especially with longer-term use. The small wingtip of these Beats hit the sweet spot — they're large enough to provide hold, and small enough to be undetectable. Mashable tech reporter Alex Perry writes that the wingtips "result [in] a pair of earbuds that never feel like they're going to fall out and, more importantly, never intrude on your comfort. I've worn these bad boys for six straight hours without any problems. It's hard to ask for more than that." Beyond comfort, these earbuds provide an impressive sound profile, including that deep bass that Beats are known for. And of course, as any workout earbuds should be, these earbuds are sweat and water-resistant with an IPX4 rating. Battery life: 6 hours (24 hours with case) | Colors: Black, white, coral, gray, pruple, blue, yellow, tan, brown, beige | Bluetooth range: 30 feet Best premium noise-cancelling headphones: Bose QuietComfort UltraWho it's for:If you're looking for a headphone experience built around comfort or excellent ANC, we think the other Bose headphones we've recommended so far will more than do the job (and for cheaper). However, if you appreciate premium features such as spatial audio and don't mind paying more for them, you'll be happy with the new Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones — and you'll still dole out less than you would for an Apple over-ear headphone. Why we picked this:These are QuietComfort headphones, so we weren't at all surprised that they delivered all-day wear without issue. Even with glasses on, they never felt too tight or heavy, despite being an over-ear headphone with earcups that sealed out sound. Speaking of sound, it always came out well-rounded on these headphones and functioned well with the immersive audio (which, by the way, is a new feature for the QuietComfort line). They don't have adjustable ANC like the 700s, but the one ANC level offered works. Seriously, you'll want to use the transparency mode when you're walking around lest it be a genuine safety hazard. As for the downsides, these headphones are expensive at $429, so we expected a lot out of them. The pairing can be a little touch and go at times and completely fine at others, but this inconsistency is characteristic of other Bose headphones we've tested. The battery life is just so-so, but the most baffling flaw of these headphones is the lack of passive playback, meaning you have to turn on the headphones to use the wired connection. Though these are clearly meant to be wireless headphones first and foremost, this feels like a weird oversight (and deviation from older models). Battery life: 24 hours | Colors: White, black, sandstone | Bluetooth range: 30 feet Best wired earbuds: Marshall ModeWho it's for:There are a lot of good reasons to consider wired earbuds. Some people simply don't want the hassle of constantly charging their headphones. Fair enough. Some people want impressive audio quality without shelling out $100 or more, and some simply don't buy in to what Big Bluetooth has to offer. For shoppers who fall into any of the above groups, we recommend the affordable Marshall Mode earbuds. Why we picked this:Though they're only $60 (and often on sale for less than $50), the Marshall Mode earbuds deliver better sound than earbuds that are triple the price. The bass is clear but not overpowering, and the highs bright but never too thin or tinny-sounding. As for how you sound on the headphone's built-in mic, friends we spoke to on the phone said we came through with perfect clarity (the same can't be said for our tester's two-and-a-half year old first-generation AirPods Pro). Lower down on the wire is a separate remote, so you can pause and play your audio or hang up your calls without fiddling around with the mic. If you're sensing a theme, these earbuds are well-designed, and that comes through in how they wear and store. During our testing, we had no trouble with the wire tangling, and it never felt too long during everyday wear. The buds themselves come with three ear tip sizes and wear comfortably all day. If you're not a fan of the shape of AirPods, then you're likely to find these a better shape for actually keeping your earbuds situated in your ears. There is one major downside with these wired earbuds, however. Unlike their more expensive wired counterparts, Marshall's don't come with a replaceable wire, so you'll want to take extra care to be as gentle as you can with the wire to extend its lifespan. Battery life: N/A | Colors: Black | Bluetooth range: N/A How we tested the best headphonesOver the years, we've tested out a lot of headphones and wireless earbuds at Mashable. To determine the best of the best, and not just pick what's trendy at the moment, we went back through our reviews from former and current tech reporters, editors, and shopping reporters, then compared our notes to what people are buying these days. From JBL and Sony to Samsung and Anker Soundcore, we did our research to make sure we left no major headphone stone unturned, and the result is this guide — our favorite vetted and tested headphones of 2024 (so far). All of the headphones in this guide were hands-on tested. In making our selections, we weighed:
You might notice that the Apple AirPods Max are missing from our top picks. It's not that we don't like them — in fact, we think they sound and look great. But when we reviewed them, we found that they didn't have a practical storage option, they never really turn off (thus draining the otherwise long battery life), and are just too expensive to justify a wholehearted recommendation. We understand if you like them regardless, but personally, we think there are better options at lower price points. As of Feb. 2024, two of our former recommendations, the Skullcandy Sesh Evo earbuds and Sennheiser IE 300 have been discontinued. We're in the process of testing new budget headphones to take their place, and we have chosen the Marshall Mode earbuds as our new budget pick. We also added in the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones as an upgrade recommendation in March 2024. | ↑ |
 It's a simple truth: where there’s a Dyson product, there’s a dupe, and that holds especially true for Dyson beauty tech. The brand entered the beauty sphere in 2016 when it released the now-legendary Supersonic, a hair dryer with an innovative design that maximized air flow and minimized hair damage. Eight years later, it remains the most highly-praised hair dryer on the market, making it clear that Dyson's beauty tech bet was more than a success. While it’s an impressive product, it also retails for $429 — a price that you don't need to pay for an exceptional at-home hair dry. What makes the Dyson Supersonic special?The Supersonic first made waves because, in typical Dyson fashion, it brought an upgraded, futuristic design to an everyday product. Dyson is known for this aesthetic, but the sleek look also has a function. The ring-shaped head ditches the vented and coiled model of the traditional hair dryer and houses the tiny V9 motor in the handle. The combination of the V9 motor and the Air Multiplier technology makes for a dryer that clocks in at only 1.8 pounds, yet still delivers a powerful airflow that’s notably quieter than the roar of a traditional dryer. That extra strong air flow makes this dryer less reliant on heat than standard models. It also keeps hair damage to a minimum. To further minimize damage, the Supersonic also measures the air temp up to 20 times per second and uses a built-in ionizer to minimize static and give hair a sleek finish, which brings us to a quick ionizer science lesson. Ionizers are pretty common in higher-end air dryers. Why? Most work by blowing negative ions at wet hair to reduce static electricity by sealing the hair cuticle and taking down the power of that positive ionic charge (aka what's causing that annoying frizz). As negative ions make contact with hair, they're also dispersing the positive ions of water, therefore cutting down on your drying time and reducing damage in the process. Basically, it's one of the reasons the Dyson Supersonic provides such quick and excellent results, and why hair dryers with ionizers will cost you more money — they do more than simply dry the hair. Magnetic attachments designed to easily snap onto the blow dryer round out the futuristic feel of the Supersonic, with five included — a styling concentrator, a flyaway attachment, a diffuser, a gentle air attachment, and a wide tooth comb. It's a nice array of included nozzles even for high-end dryers, which might typically include three to four attachments at the most. Why is the Dyson Supersonic so expensive?At $429, the Supersonic is definitely an investment. However, you're paying for a high-end motor that's built to last, multiple heat settings to protect hair, an innovative design, and of course, the ionic tech. Other dryers from popular hot tool brands like T3, ghd, and Harry Josh boast some similar features and run you anywhere from $150 to $350, but none quite capture the complete offerings of the Supersonic. When I tested the Supersonic myself, I found that it had a luxe feel that still makes it stand out from other hair dryers. Dyson also released an "affordable" version of the Supersonic, called the Supersonic Origin, earlier this year that retails for $399.99. At only about $30 cheaper, I think the price-to-feature ratio is actually a much worse value than just going for the regular Supersonic, unless you can grab the Origin on sale. At the same time, there are dupes that deliver similar features and elements of the performance at a much lower price. What is the best dupe for the Dyson Supersonic?There are a lot of options for luxury blow dryers and a lot of dupes that attempt to look like the Dyson but skimp on quality. While it’s not entirely feasible to find an exact one-to-one alternative for a fraction of the price, it is possible to find Supersonic dupes that provide a more than satisfactory dry. The trick is to identify what exactly draws you to the Supersonic in the first place.
For a deeper dive on how each of these blow dryers performed and info on where to buy them, read on for the best Dyson Supersonic alternatives — all tested by the Mashable team. | ↑ |
 TL;DR: Watch Delhi Capitals vs. Gujarat Titans in the IPL for free on JioCinema. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN. The IPL is back and games are in full swing as players gear up for the 40th match of the season. And it's set to be a great contest as the Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Titans go head-to-head. Want to catch the action? You can tune in to Delhi Capitals vs. Gujarat Titans for free from anywhere in the world, as we have all the information you need. When is Delhi Capitals vs. Gujarat Titans?Delhi Capitals vs. Gujarat Titans starts at 3 p.m. BST on April 24. This match will be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, India. How to watch Delhi Capitals vs. Gujarat Titans for freeYou can find free live streams of every IPL cricket match on JioCinema. Games are in 4k resolution on the app, perfect for high-quality viewing. JioCinema is geo-restricted to India, but you can unblock this free streaming service with a VPN. VPNs work by hiding your real IP address (digital location) and connecting you to a secure server in India. This means you can access JioCinema from anywhere in the world. Unblock JioCinema to stream the IPL 2024 by following these simple steps:
Most of the best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer free trials or money-back guarantees. By taking advantage of these offers, you can watch IPL live streams without committing with your cash. This is clearly not a long-term solution, but it does mean you can watch select IPL fixtures for free. What is the best VPN for JioCinema?ExpressVPN is the best service for unblocking JioCinema, for a number of reasons:
A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Stream the IPL for free with ExpressVPN. | ↑ |
 TL;DR: Through April 30, a new, open-box iRobot WiFi Roomba 980 Vacuum is on sale for just $179.99 (reg. $249). Although we all wonder when the robots will come for our jobs, we can all agree that having them take over cleaning duties is kind of nice. Sit back and relax with the time you save every week, letting this iRobot WiFi Roomba 980 Vacuum take care of the dirt, dust, and dander on your floors. It's on sale for just $179.99 (reg. $249), which is a pleasant 40% reduction. The Roomba's 3-Stage Cleaning System helps ensure the dirt doesn't stand a chance, while the dual multi-surface rubber brushes grab up the grab that dirt and other debris from carpets and hard floors. The edge-sweeping brush is also there to get into corners and edges. This Roomba uses the Dirt Detect Technology to see where the dirtier parts of the floors are and clean those spots extra. And the iAdapt 2.0 Navigation with vSLAM technology uses logical rows and sensors to ensure entire levels are cleaned properly. You can use this in conjunction with the iRobot Home app, which allows you to control your robotic cleaning machine from wherever you may be. The app also lets you control things with your voice using Alexa or Google Assistant. This Roomba is labeled as "new, open-box". For those unfamiliar, that means that more than likely, it's overstock from the stores. It is in new condition with zero flaws, all the accessories, and 100 percent battery health. Don't miss this 40% savings on a robotic takeover that we can all get behind. Get a new, open-box iRobot WiFi Roomba 980 Vacuum while it's on sale for just $179.99 (reg. $249). StackSocial prices subject to change.
iRobot Roomba 980 WiFi Robot Vacuum Black (New - Open Box)
$179.99
at the Mashable Shop
$249.99 Save $70.00 | ↑ |
 TL;DR: As of April 24, this Stamina InMotion Compact Strider with resistance cords is on sale for only $118.99 (reg. $249). Many of us would like to have a more active lifestyle. However, there's rarely time for the gym and not much space to spare at home for bulky gym equipment. While that sounds grim, there are definitely options. This Stamina InMotion Strider is a compact way to get your body moving and strengthen your arms from the comfort of your home or office. On sale for Mother's Day for just $118.99 (reg. $249), the strider is compact enough to keep under most desks if you use it at work or to keep in a closet at home. Adjust the tension to accommodate your specific needs. Since it's made to be used while either sitting or standing, you can pedal whichever way is most comfortable for you (or your mom). Plus, the pedals are non-slip and can be used in a forward or backward motion. While you work your legs, you can also work your upper body using the included cords. The cords have medium resistance and a padded hand grip for comfort. You also get free access to the müüv audio coaching app to help you — or that special mom in your life — stay moving and motivated. The user-friendly design also includes an electronic monitor that shows total strides, calories burned, and total exercise time, while the top handle makes it easy to move it around the house or take it on the go. This compact equipment helps make it easy for mom to squeeze a little exercise in, even on those super busy days. It also makes a thoughtful gift for the health-conscious mom in your life. Get the Stamina InMotion Compact Strider with cords while it's on sale for $118.99 (reg. $249). StackSocial prices subject to change. | ↑ |
 TL;DR: As of April 24, these new, open-box Beats Studio Pro Wireless Noise-Canceling Headphones are on sale for just $179.99 (reg. $349). If you're on the hunt for a pair of headphones that not only deliver rich, immersive sound but also boast fancy features to help enhance your musical journey, you’re going to want a pair of Beats Studio Pro Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones. These headphones are currently on sale for 48% off at $179.99 with no coupon needed. These Beats have a custom 40mm active driver, engineered to provide stellar audio. Whether you're listening to your favorite tracks or diving into the latest podcast, these headphones offer a powerful, balanced sound designed to improve your listening experience. Tune out the world or stay connected with your surroundings — the choice is yours. With integrated Active Noise-Canceling technology, you can stay immersed in your music, blocking out unwanted distractions. Need to hear what's happening around you? Activate Transparency Mode to blend your listening experience with the world around you. You can also manage calls, adjust your music, and utilize Siri with the multi-function on-ear controls. These Beats offer 40 hours of total battery life, providing uninterrupted listening. Plus, with a quick 10-minute charge via USB-C, you’ll be ready to dive back into your music in no time. Another fantastic feature is the water- and sweat-resistance, so you can keep up with your active lifestyle whether you're heading to the gym or exploring the great outdoors. Plus, with analog input options and dual-beam forming microphones, these are not only innovative but also adaptable to your connectivity needs as well. These Beats are licensed by Beats by Dre, but they are discounted because they are an open-box return, meaning they’re in like-new condition but may have been a floor model or were returned having barely been out of the box. Score these price-dropped Beats Studio Pro Wireless Noise-Canceling Headphones for only $179.99 (reg. $349) for a limited time. StackSocial prices subject to change.
Beats Studio Pro Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones - Black (New - Open Box)
$179.99
at the Mashable Shop
$349.99 Save $170.00 | ↑ |
 Save $100: Through the end of April, customers who use the Dyson Airwrap customization tool on Dyson's website will score the multi-styler for $499.99 instead of the usual $599.99. Overall, you'll save 17%. For months, we've been saying that the Dyson Airwrap needs an option for a cheaper, build-your-own style model, a la the Shark FlexStyle. Finally, Dyson delivered — sort of. In Oct. 2023, Dyson launched the "Airwrap customization experience," which is essentially a quiz consisting of four short questions about your hair type and styling preferences. Based on your answers, Dyson will point you to the Airwrap styling kit best suited to your needs, whether that be the kit for short hair, curly/coil hair, or long fine hair. So what about this being a cheaper alternative? Well, now through the end of April, you can score any of these customizable Airwrap kits in the vinca blue/rose coloring for $100 off, bringing their price down to $499.99. This deal will save you 17% on the Airwrap's usual $599.99, and it puts the tool just $20 away from its record-low price. The kits all come with a mix of six attachments, which is the same number as the non-customization Airwrap. Admittedly, there's not a huge variety between the kits, which typically offer one or two different attachments. And according to a Dyson spokesperson, the quiz only leads customers more easily to already existing configurations of the popular multi-styler. With that said, we did notice that the customization tool appears to offer exclusive Airwrap kits. For instance, without the tool, a person wanting an Airwrap with a diffuser would purchase the Airwrap Long Diffuse, which includes a diffuser, a wide tooth comb, and only one size curling barrel (as compared with the two you get with most other kits). However, a person taking the quiz who selects curly and not coily hair might be recommended the curly hair Airwrap, which keeps the diffuser in the mix but swaps out the wide tooth comb for another size curling barrel. We also found that the customized Airwrap for long fine hair offered three curling barrel sizes, which we've never seen in an Airwrap kit before. 
The long fine Dyson Airwrap.
Credit: Dyson
As compared to the standard Airwrap (both come with a case and paddle brush during this promotion).
Credit: Dyson
As nice as it is to see some new attachment lineups, that's as far as the customization goes. Customers still can't individually select attachments, as they can with the Shark FlexStyle. With the FlexStyle's build-your-own option, you select three attachments (as compared to the five you receive with a standard FlexStyle) for a multi-styler that ends up costing a little less. When we asked if this is something Dyson might offer in the future, a spokesperson told us, "As of now the Dyson Airwrap Customization experience guides customers to find the best Airwrap Multi-styler for them." In other words, no dice right now. If you've had your eye on that aforementioned Long Diffuse Airwrap, the Prussian blue/copper model is also on sale for $100 off through the end of April. For a limited time, both non-customized and customized Airwraps also come with a complimentary gift — a Dyson paddle brush valued at $39.99. Finally, if you're already a registered Dyson owner, the Dyson Owner Rewards sale is on now through the end of April, offering you 20% off the company's product catalog. | ↑ |
 TL;DR: As of April 24, you can get a refurbished 2019 Asus Chromebook for just $64.99 (reg. $79) and save 18%. If you're in the market for a budget-friendly portable computer for everyday work and personal tasks, you might not need the most current tech available. By scaling back the computer's specs to what you'll actually need it for, you open yourself up to very affordable options that should get you through your days smoothly. This refurbished 2019 Asus Chromebook is on sale for just $64.99 (reg. $79). It can certainly keep up with your browsing, emailing, streaming, and more. It has a grade "B" refurbished rating. This means it has been inspected and cleaned but might have some slight cosmetic blemishes like scratching or scuffing. The 11.6-inch widescreen display has a 1366 x 768 resolution, while the Intel UHD Graphics 600 combines with the 2.6GHz memory and 4GB RAM to deliver smooth operating performance. It runs on a Chrome OS with an Intel UHD Graphics 620 coprocessor. Because it's only from 2019, it has modern tech that you'd expect from a laptop. This means it's WiFi-capable and features Bluetooth 5.0 to connect to your peripherals, like headphones and a mouse. It also has a camera for video chats with the team or family. This machine was also tested to hold up after accidental dropping, which is nice if you are getting this for a teenager or if you're accident-prone. Another convenient aspect is that it only weighs 2.6 pounds, so it's easy to tote along with you. It's an excellent option for anyone looking for a dependable laptop without spending a fortune. You can pick up a refurbished 2019 Asus Chromebook for just $64.99 (reg. $79) while it's on sale for a limited time. StackSocial prices subject to change.
Asus Chromebook C204EE YS01 11.6" (2019) 1.1GHz N4000 4GB RAM (Refurbished)
$64.99
at the Mashable Shop
$79.99 Save $15.00 | ↑ |
 TL;DR: Unblock TikTok by hiding your digital location with a VPN. The best VPN for this task is ExpressVPN. A growing number of countries and government bodies have placed restrictions on (or outright banned) the use of TikTok, and it's now one small step away from becoming law in the U.S. Retaining your right to online freedom is important. Fortunately, you can bypass online restrictions to access all your favorite sites and apps with a simple hack. How to unblock TikTok for freeVPNs can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in a location that supports the use of TikTok, meaning you can retain access to your favourite app from anywhere in the world. The cybersecurity risks of using TikTok have been well-documented, but that isn't going to stop the most dedicated users. These users will need to follow these simple steps to unblock TikTok:
The best VPNs for this task are not free, but most do tend to offer generous money-back guarantees. Using these money-back guarantees is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does mean you can unblock TikTok when traveling to a location that has banned the app, and then recover your investment at a later date. This is sneaky, but it means you can unblock TikTok for free with a VPN. What is the best VPN for TikTok?There are a number of VPNs that can reliably unblock TikTok, but ExpressVPN is probably the best:
A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This discounted plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a 30-day money-back guarantee. With the money-back guarantee, you can unblock TikTok without committing with your cash. Unblock TikTok from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN. | ↑ |
 This content originally appeared on Mashable for a US audience and has been adapted for the UK audience. Men, your solo sex game is very much on the up. That's because the world of men's sex toys has more options than ever before — a whole manner of toys and gadgets that help get you off. From regular old masturbation aids to sex toys designed to satisfy your geekier side, there's a wide range of options. That means something for everyone. While it may seem sometimes like male sex toys are getting left out of the current sextech revolution, that’s far from true. Real sex positivity applies to everyone, which is why we’re excited about sex educators and smart companies working to buck the stigmas associated with male masturbation and backdoor experimentation. If you're looking for a new sex toy but don't know where to start, here's a quick guide. Are there different types of sex toys for men?We've checked out everything on offer, and helpfully organised the primary types of sex toys you are likely to encounter:
You might come across something that doesn't quite fit into a category, but the vast majority of sex toys for men will fall into these areas. What is the best sex toy for men?Thinking about experimenting with anal play? Ready to size up from plugs to prostate massagers? You’re in luck. We've scoured the web to find the best male-oriented sex toys for every need — all built to heighten sexual pleasure and explore new realms — whether you’re looking to go solo or pair up with a partner. These are the best sex toys for men in 2024. Note: For the purpose of this article, we are looking primarily at toys that are intended for use by people who are assigned male at birth, which means they are recommended with the same enthusiasm for anyone with a penis/prostate regardless of gender identity. We’ve also included a couple of products suitable for trans men. | ↑ |
 TL;DR: The Complete Renewable Energy Engineer Preparation Bundle is on sale for £32.33, saving you 85% on list price. Wandering down a new career path can be daunting, what with the rising cost of tuition and the ever-changing job market. But don’t let that stand in your way if you’re really passionate about something like renewable energy and engineering. Something that you could do before making any life-altering decisions is take self-paced, online courses to explore the field. This Complete Renewable Energy Engineer Preparation Bundle packs in 12 different courses that cover various topics and software used in the field. For a limited time, you can get lifetime access to them all for only £32.33. As the world juggles things like climate change and an increasing population, the renewable energy field only seems to grow. In fact, more and more opportunities open each year. And it’s a great career option for anyone who has a passion for both the environment and engineering. Many of these courses are taught by Ahmed Mahdy, a seasoned professional and instructor. You won’t just be sitting through video lectures but following along with examples in commonly used software in the engineering field and performing hands-on simulations. These courses don’t earn you college credit or certifications. However, they may be an excellent way to dip your toes into the field before pursuing a formal degree — or to give you a head-start on next semester with some hands-on practice and knowledge your peers may not have. You’ll find lessons in topics like:
Enrich your education or explore a new passion with the Complete Renewable Energy Engineer Preparation Course Bundle, now only £32.33 for a limited time. | ↑ |
 Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer. If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for April 24's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you. Where did Wordle come from?Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing. Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Wordle. What's the best Wordle starting word?The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N. What happened to the Wordle archive?The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles used to be available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it. Unfortunately, it has since been taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. Is Wordle getting harder?It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle 's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though. Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:done or shown openly. Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?There are no letters that appear twice. Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...Today's Wordle starts with the letter O. The Wordle answer today is...Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution. Drumroll please! The solution to Wordle #1040 is... OVERT Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints. Reporting by Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article. | ↑ |
 Connections is the latest New York Times word game that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle. If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for April 24's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you. What is Connections?The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common. Tweet may have been deleted Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer. If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends. Tweet may have been deleted Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media. Here's a hint for today's Connections categoriesWant a hit about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
Here are today's Connections categoriesNeed a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:
Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle. Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions. Drumroll, please! The solution to Connections #318 is... What is the answer to Connections today
Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints. Is this not the Connections game you were looking for? Here are the hints and answers to yesterday's Connections. | ↑ |
 We all want to make greener choices, but shopping for sustainable tech products isn’t quite as easy as choosing greener fashion or furniture, partly because high-performance second-hand tech is almost impossible to come by. Dell and Intel have set out to change that with their Advancing Sustainability action plan, which aims to drive sustainability across the entire product lifecycle. Part of this initiative is a large and growing range of sustainable Dell laptops and desktops — and whether you’re gaming, studying, or working, there’s a device to suit your needs. Greener gamingGreener gaming is possible with the Alienware m18 R2 gaming laptop, a high-performance, feature-rich laptop that ships in 100 percent recycled or renewable recyclable packaging. It has all the tech specs gamers look for, including an Intel Core Processor, 32GB of DDR5 memory, and 2TB of internal storage. Thanks to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX Laptop GPU, you know the graphics will be top-notch, and rest assured, the advanced thermal design will keep your laptop cool when gameplay heats up.
Alienware m18 R2 Gaming Laptop
$2,799.99
at Dell
$3,099.99 Save $300.00 Intel® Core™ i9, NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 4080, and 32GB DDR5 RAM
A more eco-friendly way to workWhen your work demands peak performance and all-day productivity, you need a laptop that can keep up and even outpace you. The Precision 7780 Workstation is designed for scalable performance that can handle the workloads of AI, ML, or VR demand. With high-functioning NVIDIA graphics and up to UHD 120 Hz on a 17.3-inch 16:9 aspect ratio display, everything you do will be visually stunning and efficient. All this is housed in a design made from 18 percent recycled plastic and shipped in 100 percent recycled or renewable packaging.
Precision 7780 Workstation
$3,959.00
at Dell
$4,449.00 Save $490.00 Intel® Core™ i7 processor, 32GB RAM, and 1TB NVMe SSD
Make your study more sustainableThe Inspiron 16 Laptop is a reliable, lightweight laptop that's perfect for studying. It has a 13th Gen Intel Core to exceed performance and Dolby Atmos spatial audio to make music, podcasts, or remote classes sound clearer. Plus, it’s one of the most sustainable options out there: designed with 24 percent recycled plastics, ships 100 percent recycled or renewable packaging, and is Energy Star certified.
Inspiron 16 Laptop
$699.99
at Dell
$1,099.99 Save $400.00 Intel® Core™ i7 processor, 16GB DDR5 RAM, and 1TB NVMe SSD
Visit Dell’s Sustainability Deals hub to see the full collection of sustainable laptops, desktops, and accessories. | ↑ |
 The U.S. government is inching closer and closer to a TikTok ban, a move that would impact more than just TikTok. As Mashable reported over the weekend, the House passed an updated version of the ban with bipartisan support. If or when it makes its way to President Biden's desk, Biden has signaled he will sign it into law, and effectively ban TikTok in the U.S. unless its China-based parent company, ByteDance, sells the platform. However, it's not just TikTok users who will be affected by such a ban. This bill paves the way for the U.S. to potentially ban many other foreign-based apps or platforms too. As Axios points out, the wording of the bill bans any app that the U.S. government deems to be a "foreign adversary controlled application" and includes apps "operated, directly or indirectly (including through a parent company, subsidiary, or affiliate)" of those "foreign adversaries." Last month, Mashable shared some examples of apps that could potentially be affected by this bill if it became law such as WeChat or even shopping platforms like Temu or AliExpress. While the broad language of the bill does mean an array of companies and apps could find themselves affected, TikTok and its corporate parent ByteDance are the only parties specified. And, as Axios reports, it seems pretty clear that if TikTok is banned in the U.S., ByteDance's other catalog of app offerings are likely to go down too. Goodbye to CapCut, Lemon8, Lark, and more?While TikTok is the app that ByteDance is most known for, the company has been launching a multitude of other platforms and applications over the years that have become pretty popular within their target markets too. For example, CapCut has become a very popular video editing app on both mobile devices and desktop computers. Many viral videos on TikTok and beyond are created using CapCut. Creators looking for a quick and easy video editing tool have utilized CapCut for longform videos too. However, CapCut is owned by ByteDance and could very well be banned if TikTok is. And the same goes for ByteDance's photo editing app Hypic. Lark is a productivity suite of apps for businesses that includes documents, chats, messaging, and more. It's basically ByteDance's version of Google Workspace and the company even uses it internally for its own business. However, under the U.S.'s TikTok ban bill, Lark could be banned too. In addition to its extremely popular social video platform, ByteDance runs a Pinterest-like social media platform called Lemon8 which is fairly popular within the lifestyle and wellness community. Out of all of ByteDance's apps, Lemon8 is likely the closest to TikTok, which could lead to it being barred in the U.S. Other ByteDance apps available in the U.S. such as its "AI study companion" app Gauth and SoundOn, a music distribution and royalty platform for artists, could also be prohibited. If the TikTok ban bill does become law, its unclear exactly what would happen next. ByteDance, under the law, would have to basically divest from TikTok and sell the company off within the year. But, TikTok is reportedly gearing up for a legal battle to fight the law if it does pass so it could be quite a while before ByteDance has to sell the app if it does eventually have to do so. | ↑ |
 Adobe has new generative AI features for rookie Photoshop users, but there are concerns from creative professionals. On Tuesday, Adobe announced a beta version of Photoshop with new features to generate and edit images from text prompts. Generative AI capabilities are powered by Adobe's Firefly Image 3 model which was also released today. New to the photo-editing software is a Generate Image tool that creates an image from a text prompt, giving people feeling daunted by a blank page a jumping off point. 
In Adobe Photoshop, users can now generate entire images from a text prompt.
Credit: Adobe
Generative Fill, a preexisting tool that fills out the background or expands an image with a broader scene, now includes the ability to build off of an image with a Reference Image feature. So if you want to create an image with a specific aesthetic you can upload an image and nudge the tool to work off that aesthetic or motif. 
Reference Image lets users prompt AI-generated images from existing images.
Credit: Adobe
For Photoshop novices (and pros for that matter) these tools make it incredibly easy to bring their ideas to life. Especially now that Firefly Image 3 is capable of amazing photorealistic detail and improved understanding of prompts. But Adobe has pushed ahead with generative AI features despite controversy around its training data and backlash from creative professionals. The issue of training data for AI models is a murky one that isn't going away any time soon. Companies like Google and OpenAI have been sued for training their models on copyrighted works, and that's just for text outputs. The unveiling of OpenAI's Sora (which isn't available to the public yet) and AI video generators like the one Adobe just released have expanded the issue to other mediums. While companies are charging forward with AI advancements to meet their competitors, many creatives like @Rahll on X, are outraged by the lack of oversight over technologies that threaten to replace or overhaul their vocations. Tweet may have been deleted Adobe has been adamant about Firefly being safe for commercial use, and has touted its model as the ethical alternative to competitors like Midjourney or Stable Diffusion that have been accused of training their models on copyrighted works without credit and compensation. Yet a recent Bloomberg report found that Firefly was trained on AI-generated images derived from Midjourney and other rivals, meaning Adobe's purported "commercially safe" model contains training data drawn from works perceived by many as having been infringed upon or stolen. A spokesperson said Adobe's generative AI models are trained on "licensed content, such as Adobe Stock, along with public domain content." But, according to Midjourney enthusiast Nick St. Pierre, around 13 percent of Adobe's stock library is AI-generated content which is part of the data used to train Firefly. That said, the spokesperson said "the training data must comply with our IP guidelines and pass our multi-layered, continuous review and moderation process," so there is ongoing moderation of unlicensed AI-generated content that might slip through the cracks. Tweet may have been deleted Particularly when it comes to the Reference Image tool, X users have pointed out the issue of creating an image based on a photographer or artist's work. "Awesome. Steal 'reference images' from real photographers who went to great lengths and great expense to make them," posted @notbrodyjenner. "Then pick an artist who spent their career creating a unique style, rip it off wholesale and make whatever ai garbage you want. Awesome." Tweet may have been deleted The spokesperson said Adobe compensates contributors through Stock royalties and through a bonus program that incentivizes users to contribute to Firefly training. | ↑ |
 Pop quiz, Tesla fans. Who at the EV automaker made this memorable assessment of the company's latest product: "we have dug our own grave with the Cybertruck"? Was it some cowardly VP who doesn't believe in Dear Leader's glorious vision? Perhaps Drew Baglino or Rohan Patel, two top execs who joined the ten percent of Tesla employees getting pink slips this week? No, it was Elon Musk himself — making a prediction that, for once, may come true in the near term. The CEO made his grave comment in an earnings call in October 2023 (see the full transcript here). "In general," Musk added in response to a question about the production woes behind this stainless steel vehicle, "nobody digs a better grave than themselves." It was an odd joke, even by Musk's standards, which may be why he pivoted to repeating how great he thought the $80,000-plus Cybertruck was. Fast forward to April 2024, and it's looking like less of a joke for Tesla. Every Cybertruck on American roads is now subject to a recall, not to mention major mockery, over a poorly-glued accelerator pedal pad that could could come off and cause the pedal to be jammed against the floor. The firings and the price cuts that followed the recall seemed a desperate Band-Aid on a bigger wound, especially given a sleight-of-hand trick where the company advertised a price that was not the sticker price (because it had estimated gas savings built in). Tweet may have been deleted The wound is this: With more competitors than ever, Tesla's EV market share has been slipping for years. The much anticipated low-end $25,000 Tesla Model 2 has failed to materialize, although the company plugged forthcoming affordable vehicles in its earnings call Tuesday. Musk's two-pronged solution to the slip — Cybertruck and AI-driven cybercabs — seems increasingly like whistling past the graveyard. Some of Tesla's biggest boosters are pushing the panic button over the self-driving cybertaxi concept Musk is planning to unveil in August. And the Tesla board's response to all this? They're pushing for a $50-plus billion stock package payday for Musk, one that a Delaware judge already struck down as "unfathomable." The vote is in June, and major shareholders are already coming out against. Tweet may have been deleted The market is electricSeen from one angle, Tesla is facing the same headwinds that are hitting all EV manufacturers this year — especially EV truck manufacturers in the U.S., where gas-powered auto sales are annoyingly tenacious. Ford has had to scale back production of the F-150 Lightning. Rivian had a disastrous earnings report that just sent its stock tumbling to a new all-time low. EV sales just declined quarter-on-quarter, the first such decline since 2020. On the other hand, that's not the whole market picture. People are still buying more EVs than ever, and they still comprise a greater-than-ever share of the U.S. fleet. Comparing Q4 sales (the holiday season) with Q1 sales (when fewer of us buy anything) is rarely a good idea. Year-on-year, Q1 EV sales are still rising, even in the U.S. Growth was so strong during the pandemic, a brief slowdown is to be expected; it doesn't mean the market is maturing. Nor does confusion over which cars qualify for the $7,500 federal tax credit, a list that includes the Tesla Model 3 and Y. Rivian doubled production and deliveries in 2023; its problem is that it is selling its EVs at a loss. Tesla isn't. The fundamentals aren't what is hurting Tesla stock, which just saw a whole year's worth of gains wiped out under this distracted, X-obsessed, conspiracy theorist CEO. Musk doesn't seem to have noticed (but the Wall Street Journal just did) that his far-right lurch is demonstrably turning off the Democratic-voting would-be Tesla customers just when the company needs them. Tesla's quarterly earnings report Tuesday contained even worse news. Profits fell 55%, even worse than the 40% decline Wall Street was expecting. While retail investors got excited about a vague promise to deliver on that Model 2 soon, driving the TSLA price up after hours, analysts believe the stock is still overpriced and has much further to fall. Tesla shareholders could be forgiven for seeing a freshly-dug six-foot hole opening up in front of their investments. The previously unthinkable — that Musk has no real plan, that Tesla might actually make more money in the long run without Musk and his pliant board at the helm — is gaining currency. "How's Elon furthering Tesla's mission over the last 2 years?" wrote investor Ross Gerber on Twitter the morning of the earnings call. "When you’ve been right in the beginning, you think you’re right forever,” entrepreneur and educator Steve Blank told The New York Times. “You run by whim rather than strategy." Since 2018, Blank has been gathering converts to this comparison between Musk and Billy Durant, the erratic entrepreneur who lost control of General Motors (twice!) a century ago. "Durant's one man show was damaging the company," Blank wrote then. "The company had no financial controls other than Durant’s ability to raise more money." Sound familiar? It's pretty much the same guy we saw in Power Play, a 2021 book on Musk's Tesla by Wall Street Journal tech reporter Tim Higgins, which still counts as the most unvarnished portrayal to hit bookshelves. "While Musk's vision, enthusiasm and determination carry Tesla," Higgins wrote, "his ego, paranoia and pettiness threaten to undo it all." As does his insistence on a stainless-steel truck that looks, in the words of one car designer, like a "low-polygon joke." (Don't) Keep on Truckin'The Cybertruck wouldn't be such a problem for Tesla if it was just the CEO's vanity project. But the R&D costs are likely to be extraordinary, experts say — enough to require 300,000 sales a year just to break even. That "inherently high-cost product" presents a "tough challenge," analyst Ed Kim of market research firm AutoPacific told Wired last year. "Vehicles that sell in volume tend to be much more palatable to mainstream tastes." The mere 3,800 Cybertruck sales so far, or less than 1,000 a month, would seem to bear that out. But it's not as if Musk is the kind of guy who can backtrack when he has a bad idea. By all accounts, Tesla's gigafactories have been doubling down on Cybertruck production, all to meet the demand that the CEO insists is there. Musk has been firing off screed-filled emails about getting his Blade Runner-inspired vehicle machined with incredible accuracy down to the micron level, because soda cans and Lego bricks are made that way. (Of course, they're made out of aluminum and plastic, respectively, not the notoriously difficult stainless steel.) So it is no exaggeration to say that Cybertruck sales are the battleground on which Tesla's entire future is being fought. And to quote the frustrated Musk seen in Power Play, "sales suck donkey dick." More than a million people paid a $100 deposit to get in line for a Cybertruck, but they're not converting into buyers yet. There are viral TikToks of Cybertrucks getting stuck in snow, of its windshield getting smashed by hail, of its software simply shutting down. Experts' concerns about the design and its safety in crash tests have gone unanswered. Good news, though: the report from one owner that taking it through a car wash turns the car into a software-less brick has not been replicated. Meanwhile, yes, there are spots that look like rust (actually iron deposits in debris picked up when you drive), but Tesla is at pains to point out that you can just get rid of them with isopropyl alcohol. So, just carry a few bottles of that while you drive around, buff it up every time you stop, and you're good to go in your blindingly shiny steel ride. Are there enough Blade Runner-loving Musk fans in the world to help Tesla turn a profit on the Cybertruck yet? Perhaps. Then again, if the idea of an electric-powered massive hunk of metal with questionable environmental value was appealing, the Hummer EV wouldn't have been one of the worse-selling cars of last year. More importantly, are there enough Tesla shareholders not blinded by Musk's one-man show? Can they, or anyone else, shock the EV maker's board out of its complacency? If not, then Tesla may have made itself many thousands of large, angular, steel headstones for its corporate grave. This column reflects the opinion of the author. | ↑ |
 The iPad Air 2024 is arguably the most highly anticipated tablets of the year. It also may be one of the most delayed consumer products of 2024. The new iPads — both the Air and Pro models — were poised to be released in March (perhaps alongside the new M3 MacBook Air), according to DigiTimes, which cited Apple's suppliers. However, it has been frequently pushed back throughout March and April. So the question is, when will the iPad Air finally drop? We have the scoop on its potential release date — as well as four new features you can expect from the new tablet. iPad Air 2024 release dateThe iPad Air is reportedly poised to drop on May 7. On Tuesday, April 23, Apple announced that it will launch a May 7 livestream. During this event, you'll probably see the new iPad Air as well as the iPad Pro. Gurman's reporting validates this; he said that the iPad Air is due to drop some time during the week of May 6. The iPad Air, alongside the iPad Pro, has been reportedly delayed throughout March and April, according to DigiTimes. However, it seems like Apple finally has the iPad Air release date written in stone. iPad Air 2024 priceLike Macworld, we're expecting the iPad Air 2024 to launch its 10.9-inch variant at $599, similar to its current-gen model. However, it's trickier to predict the price of the rumored new 12.9-inch version. MacRumors says it will be $200 more, putting the 12.9-inch model at $799. Macworld has a more optimistic forecast, speculating that the 12.9-inch variant will have a starting price of $699. iPad Air 2024: 4 new featuresThe next model will be the 6th-generation iPad Air, and according to rumors and leaks, it will have the following new features:
To summarize, instead of the usual one iPad Air model we get from Apple, we're expecting two models, making it similar to the iPad Pro's two-model offerings. To reiterate, rumor has it that the iPad Air 6 will have a 10.9-inch model and a 12.9-inch model that matches the current 12.9-inch iPad Pro on the market. As we reported in mid-April, the iPad Air will reportedly feature a new miniLED variant (a step up from the current-gen LCD display design). This will likely come to the new 12.9-inch model. Thirdly, as it stands now, the iPad Air features a camera placed on the top (while it's being held in portrait mode). However, Apple is reportedly moving that camera to the side, allowing for a better camera experience during landscape orientation. 
That camera will move from the top to the side, according to rumors
Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable
Bloomberg states that the iPad Air will get an M2 chip. For reference, the last iPad Air, updated in 2022, featured the M1 chip. As MacRumors pointed out, if Apple is feeling particularly generous, it may opt to pack iPad Air 2024 with the more advanced M3 chip. However, I'm leaning towards M2; it's a logical way to distinguish the iPad Air from the iPad Pro (if it gets the M3 chip). Save for the relocated camera and a larger iPad Air, we haven't seen any rumors about significant design changes. The iPad Air, compared to the iPad Pro, has always been slightly thicker with wider bezels — and that design language is expected to continue with the iPad Air 2024. 
Rumor has it that Apple is planning to drop a new Magic Keyboard and an Apple Pencil, too.
Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable
It's worth nothing that the Cupertino-based tech giant is reportedly releasing a refreshed Apple Pencil with a new squeeze gesture as well as a new Magic Keyboard. As aforementioned, the new iPad Air 2024 is expected to drop on May 7. Stay tuned for Mashable's in-depth coverage on the new tablet. | ↑ |
 GPT-4, OpenAI's latest multimodal large language model (LLM), can exploit zero-day vulnerabilities independently, according to a study reported by TechSpot. The study by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers has shown that LLMs, including GPT-4, can execute attacks on systems by utilizing undisclosed vulnerabilities, known as zero-day flaws. As part of the ChatGPT Plus service, GPT-4 has demonstrated significant advancements over its predecessors in terms of security penetration without human intervention. The study involved testing LLMs against a set of 15 "high to critically severe" vulnerabilities from various domains, such as web services and Python packages, which had no existing patches at the time. GPT-4 displayed startling effectiveness by successfully exploiting 87 percent of these vulnerabilities, compared to a zero percent success rate by earlier models like GPT-3.5. The findings suggest that GPT-4 can autonomously identify and exploit vulnerabilities that traditional open-source vulnerability scanners often miss. Why this is concerningThe implications of such capabilities are significant, with the potential to democratize the tools of cybercrime, making them accessible to less skilled individuals known as "script-kiddies." UIUC's Assistant Professor Daniel Kang emphasized the risks posed by such powerful LLMs, which could lead to increased cyber attacks if detailed vulnerability reports remain accessible. Kang advocates for limiting detailed disclosures of vulnerabilities and suggests more proactive security measures such as regular updates. However, his study also noted the limited effectiveness of withholding information as a defense strategy. Kang emphasized that there's a need for robust security approaches to address the challenges introduced by advanced AI technologies like GPT-4. | ↑ |
 The iPad Pro 2024 has been reportedly pushed back several times, according to DigiTimes, alongside the next-generation iPad Air. Citing Apple's suppliers as its source, the Taiwan-based publication claims that the iPad Pro 2024 was supposed to be released in March (perhaps with the new M3 MacBook Air). However, its release has been reportedly postponed several times. Fortunately, according to Mark Gurman, Bloomberg's popular Apple prognosticator, Apple reportedly finally has set release date. Curious about which new features will come with the new iPad Pro? Based on leaks and rumors, we've got the scoop. iPad Pro 2024 release dateThe iPad Pro will likely drop on May 7. On Tuesday, April 23, Apple announced that it will launch a May 7 livestream. It's during this event that you'll probably see the new iPad Pro as well as other lower-tier tablets. This aligns with Gurman's reporting, who said that the iPad Pro will be announced during the week of May 6. Per DigiTimes, the iPad Pro 2024 has been delayed repeatedly from March through April. However, it seems like Apple has finally set is sights on an early May release date. iPad Pro 2024 priceThe iPad Pro 2024 will reportedly sport OLED displays, which will likely make the price tag significantly pricier. According to yeux1122, an X leaker that Macworld claims has a "spotty record," the iPad Pro will have a starting price tag of about $1,499. For reference, here are the starting prices of the current-gen iPad Pro models:
If that X leaker is to be believed, that means that Apple has nearly doubled the starting price of the iPad Pro 2024. If you were to ask me, I do believe that the next iPad Pro will have a price hike — I'm just not convinced it'll be that expensive. 
Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable
Adding salt to the wound, yeux1122 also predicted a jump from $1,099 to somewhere between $1,799 and $1,999 for the 12.9-inch model. Again, I'm doubtful. DigiTimes' prediction (shared by MacRumors) is a lot more believable, claiming that the iPad Pro 2024 models will have a $160 price increase. Based on this rumor, the new prices should be the following, give or take:
Still pricey, but far more credible than yeux1122's outlandish forecast. iPad Pro 2024: 6 new featuresThe new iPad Pro 2024's brand spankin' new display is the talk of the town. In addition to a new screen, here are six new features coming to the next-generation iPad Pro 2024:
To dive deeper, the iPad Pro 2024 is ditching its current-generation mini-LED display for a new OLED panel, which should bring deeper blacks and better contrast to the screen. 
Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable
OLED displays are also known to have better power efficiency than mini-LED screens, so there's a good chance that the iPad Pro 2024 will have better battery life than its predecessor. According to 9to5Mac, Apple's own software confirms its rumored move to OLED displays. Code spotted in iPadOS 17.5 beta, dropped in early April alongside iOS 17.5 beta for developers, suggests that the next-generation iPad Pro will, indeed, feature an OLED panel. The iPad Pro will also be slightly larger, per Gurman. The 12.9-inch variant will get a slight bump to 13 inches. According to "Instant Digital", a leaker from Weibo (a China-based social media platform), the new iPad Pro 2024 will have its camera relocated from the top bezel (when it's in portrait mode) to the side for a "landscape webcam." (We're also seeing a similar rumor for the iPad Air 2024.) Next, the iPad Pro 2024 will be faster. The current model features the M2 chip, but the successor is expected to have the M3 chip. According to 9to5Mac, the iPad Pro 2024 will have thinner dimensions, too. For context, the current 12.9-inch iPad Pro is 6.4mm thick, but the new one will reportedly be 5mm thick. The 11-inch variant currently has a thickness of 5.9mm, but its successor will allegedly be thinner at 5.1mm. 
Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable
And again, from Instant Digital, the iPad Pro 2024 will reportedly have slimmer bezels, allowing for users to enjoy more screen real estate. (The iPhone 16 is tipped to have thinner borders, too.) According to the rumor mill, Apple is also reportedly dropping an Apple Pencil with a new squeeze gesture as well as a new Magic Keyboard. As I said at the outset, the new iPad Pro 2024 is expected to drop on May 7. Stay tuned for Mashable's coverage on the new tablets. | ↑ |
 Apple announced a May 7 livestream event, giving us a strong indication that the Cupertino-based tech giant is set to reveal a new iPad Pro and iPad Air — and a few other accessories to go along with them. As someone who has been keeping a sharp eye on rumors and leaks regarding the iPad Pro and iPad Air, I've got a pretty good idea what Apple purportedly plans on revealing at the May 7 event. May 7 event: What will Apple reveal?As mentioned, Apple is reportedly planning on releasing a new iPad Pro. According to scuttlebutt from Apple bean spillers like Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, it will have the following new features:
For a more in-depth look at what to expect from the next-generation top-tier Apple tablet, check out our oft-updated iPad Pro 2024 rumor hub. We're also expecting a new iPad Air. Here's what the rumor mill is saying:
If you crave more information, sink your teeth into all the leaks and rumors surrounding the cheaper Apple tablet in our iPad Air 2024 rumor hub. Magic Keyboard and Apple PencilAlong with new iPads, Apple is reportedly planning on unleashing a new Magic Keyboard as well as a new Apple Pencil with a new "squeeze gesture" perk. Mashable will be covering the highly anticipated livestream event, so stay tuned for our coverage on the rumored new iPads. | ↑ |
 Despite mixed responses to Taylor Swift's behemoth double album The Tortured Poets Department, its cultural impact is undeniable. It officially birthed its first meme: "You wouldn't last an hour in the asylum that raised me." Of all the lyrics — and there are so, so many — the line from "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me," track 10 of 31, is the run away hit with X / Twitter users. Swifties and non-Swifties alike are posting the lyric with images of the places that raised them. In "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me," the pop star complicates her relatable underdog narrative by drawing on the dark side of child stardom and urging listeners to fear her, going so far as to describe herself as "wretched" and "wrong." Throughout the album, Swift utilizes asylum language and imagery making the meme somewhat representative of the themes she explores. The physical album features a summary poem penned by Swift where she "pleads temporary insanity" and declares, "In summation, it was not a love affair" but "a mutual manic phase" and "self-harm." The music video for "Fortnight (feat. Post Malone)" shows her chained to a bed in a sterile facility, where she's only released after taking "forget him" pills. Later, she's seen receiving electroshock therapy. According to Know Your Meme, the lyric was first quoted on X when The Tortured Poets Department leaked on April 17. It gained popularity after one user captioned a photo of the choir room in Glee with "You wouldn't last an hour in the asylum that raised me." The meme grew from there. As always, the more the place caters to extremely online sensibilities, the better it performs. Tweet may have been deleted Some posted other television "asylums" like Carrie Bradshaw's apartment floor plan in Sex and the City, the pool house in The OC, and Marnie Michael's acoustic performance of "Stronger" in Girls. Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Others reference online moments like 2014 Tumblr, A Very Potter Musical, and YouTuber drama. Then, of course, there were the actual physical places like Aeropostale. Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted The Swifties were Swiftying this whole time, posting about Ticketmaster queues and that era where people thought Swift didn't have a belly button. Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted What lyric will grab the internet's attention next? Perhaps, "I'm so depressed, I act like it's my birthday every day?" | ↑ |
 UPDATE: Apr. 17, 2024, 5:00 a.m. EDT Check out the latest Apple deals from Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, and more.
Best Apple deals this week:
Best MacBook deal
Best iPad deal
Best iPhone deal
Best Apple Watch deal
Best AirPods deal
 Apple may have an iron grasp on the general population, but when it comes down to it, their products look good, work well, and stay cutting-edge — so of course, people love 'em. Whether you build your calendar around Apple events or just want solid tech no matter the brand, Apple's got you covered. Sure, they're a little notorious for their high prices, but we've rounded up the best deals on iPads, AirPods, MacBooks, and more to help you save where you can. iMac and MacBook deals
Our pick: 2024 15-inch MacBook Air (M3, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD)
$1,199.00
at Amazon
$1,299.00 Save $100.00 Why we like itCheck out our full review of the 15-inch M3 MacBook Air. While this isn't quite the $150 discount we saw an on-page coupon bring this MacBook to a couple weeks back, $100 off a two-month-old laptop is still a pretty good deal. The larger screen makes the new Air a great choice for folks who need more space to work, especially for creative tasks like video or photo editing. The M3 chip will give you plenty of power for your workflow, and, especially with the price drop, this Air is a more affordable alternative to the 14-inch MacBook Pro. More iMac and MacBook dealsMacBook Air
MacBook Pro
iMac
iPad dealsWhy we like itCheck out our full review of the 2022 iPad Air. Let's get two things out there: one, this iPad Air deal is still $50 away from the lowest price we've ever seen it at, and two, Apple has finally confirmed a May 7 event where we expect to see the release of new iPads. With that in mind, this honestly isn't all that stellar of a deal, but iPad deals are sorely lacking this week, making it the best of what's out there. It's still the cheapest entry into M1 tablet territory, but if you can hold off for a bit longer, we wouldn't be surprised if this tablet received a more significant price drop in the weeks to come. More iPad dealsiPad (10th gen)
iPad (9th gen)
iPad Air
iPhone dealsWhy we like itRead our full review of the iPhone 15. The iPhone 15 hasn't really received the "get it free" deal treatment since it's been on the market. Although this particular deal comes with the standard caveats of requiring a new line and particular cell phone plan, it's still one of the best we've seen on this phone. With its USB-C charging port, Dynamic Island, and 48-megapixel camera, it is, as Mashable Senior Editor Stan Schroeder calls it in his review, one of "the best new iPhones for most people." More iPhone deals
Apple Watch dealsWhy we like itIf we're recommending a budget-friendly Apple Watch, we actually want it to be a budget-friendly. That's why we're fans of this 40mm Apple Watch SE deal, which knocks $60 off the price at Walmart and Amazon, saving you 24% on the full price. Though you won't get a ECG app or always-on display like you would with the Series 9, you're paying a good $140 less. Plus, the Series 9 no longer comes with a functioning blood oxygen sensor, so it has even less of an edge. More Apple Watch dealsSeries 9
SE
More Apple Watch deals AirPods and Apple accessories dealsWhy we like itCheck out our full review of the USB-C AirPods Pro. While the AirPods Pro may not be at their $180 record low, or even the $189 sale price they sometimes hit, this $50 off discount isn't bad at all — and it certainly beats full price. We love these earbuds for their easy pairing to Apple devices and exceptional noise-cancellation, and we recommend them for travelers and iPhone users in particular. More deals on AirPods and Apple accessories
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 SAVE UP TO 80%: To honor World Book Day, Amazon has marked down the price on hundreds of Kindle ebooks by up to 80% as of April 23. But you'll want to hurry to grab your favorite titles because this deal expires at 11:59 p.m. PT tonight. Reading is one of life's greatest gifts. A good book can bring us into worlds we would have never otherwise experienced. We gain new friends, learn lessons, take off on adventures, and dive into historical events. If your collection is running low, stock up today in honor of World Book Day while saving some serious money thanks to Amazon's sale. As of April 23, hundreds of Kindle ebooks are up to 80% off to celebrate World Book Day. Chose your favorites quickly though, because this deal is over at 11:59 PT tonight. Spring and summer reads are some of the most memorable. Find a great bench at the park and get lost in the latest novel or take your Kindle on that tropical vacation for some perfect poolside reading. Whatever you prefer, you can load up on new Kindle ebooks today at Amazon for a hefty discount. If you don't already own a Kindle device, now would be an ideal time to snag one since you'll be saving on loading it up. (Mashable rates the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition as the very best Kindle model). From there, snag deep discounts from authors we know and love like Liane Moriarty, Ann Patchett, and Alice Walker. If you're keeping up with the Bridgerton saga, score the eighth book, " On the Way to the Wedding: Bridgerton: Gregory's Story" for just $1.99. Or if memoirs are your favorite, score " Pageboy" by Elliot Page for just $2.99. The deal also includes books for kids, health and wellness reads, and cookbooks. With hundreds of Kindle ebooks included in this deal, you're sure to find a great stack of books to read throughout the spring and summer. While you're on this reading adventure, be sure to sign up to earn free credits through Kindle Rewards. You have until 11:59 PT tonight to score up to 80% off hundreds of Kindle ebooks at Amazon, so hop to it and start turning pages. | ↑ |
 SAVE 90%: As of April 23, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (Deluxe Edition) is on sale for just $4.99 at the PlayStation Store. That's $45 off of its usual price of $49.99.
"Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order" (Deluxe Edition) for PS4 and PS5
$4.99
at PlayStation Store
$49.99 Save $45.00 We're nearing the first anniversary of the release of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, but its 2019 predecessor is actually the game in the spotlight. Fans who somehow didn't fall into the trance when Fallen Order first changed the game in 2019 have no excuse not to try it now — because it's $5. A hidden gem of the PlayStation Store's Spring Sale (as well as a likely anticipatory Star Wars Day deal), PS4 and PS5 owners can score the original Star Wars Jedi installation for 90% off of its usual $49.99. It's the Deluxe Version, too, which includes extras like assorted Crimson skins, a digital art book, and over 90 minutes of behind-the-screens footage from the making of the game. Five years after what went down in The Revenge of the Sith, you'll be in the shoes of | ↑ |
 SAVE $100: As of April 23, get a pair of refurbished Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) for $149.99. That's a discount of 43%.
Refurbished Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) on white background
$149.99
at Best Buy
$249.99 Save $100.00 Summer's just about here. If you're planning on walking around, enjoying the warm weather and listening to your favorite songs or podcasts, you've got to have the right equipment. A great pair of earbuds should do the trick, and you can't go wrong with Apple AirPods Pro. Of course, those can be a bit pricey. Luckily, if you've got your eye on them and want a great pair of buds to enhance your summer listening, Best Buy has a deal right now that you won't want to miss. As of April 23, you can get a pair of refurbished Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) for just $149.99. That's $100 off their normal price of $249.99 and a discount of 43%. These are Geek Squad Certified Refurbished, meaning they've been tested and guaranteed by Best Buy, so you can trust that the buds work like new – and you can get a refund if not. These earbuds are absolutely fantastic, and the best of Apple's lineup of audio products. They fit snugly in your ear and come with a variety of replaceable tips to get you the best fit possible. They have excellent noise cancellation to help you immerse yourself in your favorite tunes, so if you're trying to block out the world, they can help you achieve that. Plus, they're water-, sweat-, and dust-resistant. You can wear them while swimming, working out, or handling other physical activity without having to worry about them malfunctioning. With a battery life of 30 hours, they'll be your constant companion just about everywhere you go. Add in spatial audio and adaptive audio support, and you've got a can't-miss package, especially at the $149.99 price point. If you need some earbuds this summer, don't miss this deal – the refurbished part won't mean a thing when you're grooving along this season. | ↑ |
 SAVE 50%: As of April 23, get the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 (Intel Core i3, 8GB RAM, 128GB eMMC) for $349. That's a savings of $350.
Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 (Intel Core i3, 8GB RAM, 128GB eMMC)
$349.00
at Best Buy
$699.00 Save $350.00 Ready to buy a laptop, but don't need anything too fancy? You might be able to get away with buying an older Chromebook. These machines may not be the souped-up powerhouses you'd expect from Apple's lineup or more expensive Windows laptops, but they're still useful for those with light workloads or just for surfing the web and checking email. A cheap Chromebook is a more affordable option than a regular laptop for popping in your bag for "emergency" computer use on vacation or even a main internet machine for elderly users. No matter your use case, most older Chromebooks are perfect for casual usage. There's one especially great Chromebook you can get on sale today that should tick all the boxes. As of April 23, get the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 (Intel Core i3, 8GB RAM, 128GB eMMC) for just $349 at Best Buy. That's a 50% discount and $350 off its normal price of $699. This is an older model, as previously stated, so don't expect it to be the zippiest machine — it relies on an older Intel Core i3-10110U processor from August 2019. While the Chromebook will get 10 years of automatic updates from Google, it's important to understand that it will be quite slow in comparison to some of the more expensive Chromebooks on offer right now. But it's still very much capable of handling a variety of tasks if you're fine with remaining in the Google ecosystem. This flame red Chromebook with touchscreen capabilities can handle smaller tasks with less bandwidth: browsing the internet, word processing, simple presentations, and streaming media. Just don't expect it to be super fast. It's still plenty viable to toss in your bag and go if you need something on hand to get work done, but be aware that you will need an internet connection to utilize it to its fullest. | ↑ |
Amazon deals of the day at a glance:
Our top pick
Best budget-friendly headphone deal
Best laptop deal
Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 (Intel Core i7, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD)
$2,241.33 at Amazon
(save $558.66)
Best photo editing deal
Best speaker deal
 Once again, Amazon has delivered when it comes to great deals. Sure, today's deals aren't quite as plentiful as major shopping holidays like Black Friday or Prime Day, but Amazon still appreciates a random price drop on a Tuesday. We've found some noteworthy deals for today, April 23, that are worth checking out if you're in the market for some home upgrades or the latest tech. Below, we've listed some of our favorite deals to shop at Amazon today. And if you missed our top Amazon deals from yesterday, April 22, some are still live and worth looking into. Our top pickIf you've been meaning to hand off the task of vacuuming to someone else, Amazon has just the robot for the job. The iRobot Roomba Combo j9+ is a do-it-all floor cleaning solution and now it can be yours for under $1,000. Mashable named the Roomba Combo j9+ as the very best Roomba in our review of the best robot vacuums and mops, noting it's a combination of some of Roomba's best functions like better suction power and a water tank that only needs refilling about once every 30 days. One of the only negatives the review points out is the robot vacuum and mop's high price tag, which is significantly reduced thanks to the sale price of $999 at Amazon today. If you have upcoming travel plans, this deal is the one for you. The Anker Soundcore Life Q20 headphones are on sale for just $39.98, marked down from the normal price of $59.99, which means you'll save $20.01. Mashable named these the best budget pick for noise-canceling headphones that are ideal for flying. The Life Q20 don't have top-of-the-line noise cancellation, but they pack a punch for the price tag. Plus, they come with about 60 hours of battery life and memory foam cushioning, so they should be plenty comfortable for wherever your travels take you.
Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 (Intel Core i7, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD)
$2,241.33
at Amazon
$2,799.99 Save $558.66 With a 14.4-inch touchscreen display, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is a great option for creative minds or anyone who wants a portable and durable laptop. Mashable's East Coast Tech Editor Kimberly Gedeon reviewed the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 and noted its exceptional build. "If the Surface Laptop Studio 2 were a fictional character, it’d be Optimus Prime. It is one burly, brawny, sturdily built machine," she writes. She also notes artists will especially enjoy the model's easel-capable positioning. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 can also be great for traveling since it weighs just over four pounds. Whether you're brand new to photo editing or a seasoned professional, Adobe photo editing software is often the top choice. Thanks to today's deal, you can grab a code for digital access to both Photoshop Elements 2024 and Premiere Elements 2024 for $99.99, which is a 33% discount from the normal bundle price of $149.99. For those new to Adobe's editing suites, follow along with 88 editing guides that'll cover the ins and outs. You can also use templates for creating photo reels, video reels, and animated social media posts, and you have access to companion mobile apps for editing on the go. Summer is on its way, and if you're prepping for backyard hangs, the Anker Soundcore Bluetooth speaker could be perfect. Thanks to today's sale price on the black colorway, the portable speaker can be all yours for just $21.99, which is 27% off the normal price of $29.99. With up to 24 hours of playtime on one charge, your summer gathering will never be without tunes. The wireless speaker can pair with Android or iOS devices for streaming through Bluetooth 5.0 which'll stay connected up to 66 feet away from the speaker. It's also waterproof, so you won't have to worry about bringing it along to the beach or for an afternoon spent poolside. None of these deals catching your eye? Check out Amazon's daily deals for even more savings. | ↑ |
 Finally, Xbox is getting into the VR game! Kind of. Nestled into a larger blog post featuring multiple big announcements, Meta revealed on Monday that it is working with Microsoft on an Xbox-branded VR headset. To be more specific, it's a "limited-edition Meta Quest, inspired by Xbox." Ah, ok. So it's not actually a full-fledged Xbox VR headset. Instead, it seems like it'll just be a branded version of an existing Quest headset, ideally the Quest 3 since it's the newest one. It's not clear if it would have any unique hardware or software features, but I wouldn't count on it, personally. That said, the partnership still makes sense. As pointed out in the blog post, Xbox Cloud Gaming is available on Meta Quest, so you can play Xbox games on a Quest right now. In an Instagram post, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg claimed the new headset would come with Xbox controllers and access to Xbox Game Pass, both of which are prerequisites for using Xbox game streaming. This news more or less leaves PlayStation as still the only one of the "big three" gaming hardware manufacturers to embrace VR. Nintendo is likely never going to do it ( again), but Microsoft said in 2016 it had plans for an Xbox headset, only to back down on those plans two years later. Bummer for the people who insisted VR was the future of gaming ten years ago, I guess. | ↑ |
 SAVE UP TO 44%: As of April 23, several j Series Roombas have dropped to record low pricing at Amazon:
Best Roomba deals this week
Most advanced Roomba
Next best mopping Roomba
Most powerful Roomba under $600
Cheapest mopping Roomba with obstacle avoidance
 Many robot vacuum deniers are of the mindset that you shouldn't have to babysit your robot vacuum. And we don't blame them — the need to tidy up any rogue personal items before sending your robot vacuum out to clean is definitely a case for going the cordless vacuum route altogether. Amazon's current Roomba deals are your answer to that problem. As of April 23, four j Series Roombas with obstacle avoidance technology have dropped down to record-low pricing — one of them hitting this low for the first time ever. (This is all according to Amazon price tracker Camelcamelcamel.) All of your options are less than $1,000, with the most affordable robovac dipping below $450. If you're on the fence about which one to buy, we're unpacking the differences between the Roomba Combo j9+, Roomba Combo j7+, Roomba j9+, or Roomba Combo j5+ below: Most advanced RoombaWhy is it such a big deal to be able to score the best Roomba under $1,000? Let's unpack. While the Combo j9+ keeps the best parts of the older Roomba Combo j7+ that we loved during hands-on testing, like the retractable mopping pad that never needs to be removed or the ability to avoid small, pesky obstacles like cords and socks, the Combo j9+ also solves several gripes that we had with the Combo j7+. First, it's simply better at cleaning: its new four-stage cleaning system delivers 100% stronger suction than the i Series Roombas, while its mopping pad scrubs back and forth with pressure to eat away at stubborn stains. Besides stellar cleaning, we'd also be remiss not to mention the dock — it's a chic end table on the outside and a home for self-emptying rubbish and a self-refilling water tank on the inside. It's got function and style. Next-best mopping RoombaIf you'd rather save yourself an extra $300, the Combo j7+ will still be a solid addition to most homes, especially ones that don't have a ton of carpeting that needs to be deep cleaned. With the OG true hybrid Roomba, you're still securing iRobot's two best features: the mop that knows to levitate when it senses carpet and the technology that knows to steer clear when it senses small obstacles that it would get stuck on. (Admittedly, the record-low pricing on the Combo j7+ is $698.99, so feel free to wait until Black Friday if you want to save an extra cent.) Most powerful Roomba under $600Or maybe your home does have more carpeting than hard floors that would need to be mopped. In that case, your best bet is the Roomba j9+. Like the Combo j9+, this one vacuums with iRobot's strongest suction power yet — unlike the Combo j9+, it skips the water tank and mopping pad system completely to save you several hundred dollars. Cheapest mopping Roomba with obstacle avoidanceThe most affordable j Series Roomba in our list also happens to be the one at a price we've never seen before. For the first time, you can bring home iRobot's obstacle avoidance and mopping for less than $450. The main differences between the Combo j5+ and the other mopping Roombas we just mentioned are that the Combo j5+ is a Swap and Mop model that requires you to manually click a water tank on and off to differentiate between mopping mode and regular vacuuming mode. The obstacle avoidance technology here is also slightly less meticulous, though the big pests (cords and pet waste) are still in the clear. | ↑ |
 In the leadup to Taylor Swift's latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, online stans did what they arguably do best: theorize. One Swiftie narrative about TTPD, partly fueled by Swift's "stages of heartbreak" playlists for Apple Music, speculated that her ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn cheated on her. As Mashable's Elena Cavender summed up, Alwyn became the "bad guy" to Swift's "good guy," a common thread in her albums. For months, fans dissected Swift's actions in videos that amassed thousands of views. They drummed up an unsubstantiated rumor that Alwyn cheated with his Conversations with Friends co-star Alison Oliver based on… sex scenes in the show (this video has nearly one million views). The TikTok search "joe alwyn cheating theory" results in a flurry of videos. The rumor that Alwyn cheated with Conversations with Friends co-star Alison Oliver isn't only unfounded, but also turned out to be irrelevant to TTPD. The album is indeed about Swift's breakup with Alwyn (like that she still has his location), but it's arguably more about The 1975 frontman Matty Healy, with whom Swift reportedly had a brief post-breakup fling. There are occasional mentions to cheating on the album ("My husband is cheating, I wanna kill him" on "Fortnight"; "They said I was a cheat, I guess it must be true" and "All my girls got their lace and their crimes / And your cheating husband disappeared" on "Florida!!!") — but it's not a central theme. Still, the frenzy around Alwyn and Oliver reached such a fever pitch that some Swifties continued to pester Oliver on Instagram after the album came out. Some Swift fans maintain that Alwyn did cheat. The "cheating scandal" is pervasive in celebrity culture, and social media fuels the fire. From The Try Guys to Scandaval to these Swift-Alwyn rumors, online fans become furious at the thought of such betrayal. This is driven by our societal feelings towards cheating, yes, but also the nature of parasocial relationships. This makes sense on several levels: Cheating is a transgression, one that usually involves a multitude of lies. Our culture is dominated by monogamy, and infidelity is considered one of the worst things one can do in a relationship. Even with non-mongamy on the rise (and one can still cheat even if a relationship is non-monogamous), cheating is considered heinous by society at large. And if you think your favorite celeb's partner cheated on them? It's the ultimate crime. Did Joe Alwyn cheat on Taylor Swift?As Mashable's Cavender and Chase DiBenedetto pointed out during Swift's Midnights era, the singer is known for her conspiratorial fans and album Easter eggs. Swift has "taught her fans that there are always hidden meanings in everything she does, and that means they're always theorizing," said Dr. Georgia Carroll, a sociology PhD who's studied Swift's fandom. When Swift announced TTPD, fans realized it would be a breakup album, Carroll continued, so theorizing about reveals was the obvious next step. While Swift didn't explicitly encourage speculation over why her and Alwyn's relationship ended, she let narratives develop based on clues she left — like song titles, lyric snippets, and the stages of grief playlist. "More broadly, fans theorize because they — by the nature of being a fan — spend a lot of time thinking and talking about things they like, and eventually those discussions will spiral out into theories," Carroll said. "That's true whether you're talking about music, or a TV show, or even a sports team." This all goes down on social media. Rather than being confined to a few fellow fans you know in your community, Swifties have a widespread community on X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, and Reddit. "There's the element of group agreement strengthening your willingness to believe in a theory," Carroll said, and even if they know their theories likely aren't true, they can revel in "clowning" or being "delulu." Carroll continued, "Social media also has the additional element of encouraging attention-seeking behavior, so people may be deliberately hyperbolic in the hopes of getting engagement, and this furthers the snowballing by creating a more widespread buzz." The parasocial pull of cheating scandalsYou don't need me to tell you cheating is wrong. It can even be considered a form of emotional abuse if it's done with the intent of harming one's partner, according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline and Love is Respect. An example is if someone cheats on their partner then blames their partner for it; that's a form of emotional abuse. People can cheat on their partners without rising to the level of abuse, however. It can be an indication of an unhealthy relationship, as cheating breaches trust. (Love is Respect has a relationship spectrum featuring behaviors of healthy vs. unhealthy vs. abusive relationships). Infidelity isn't a crime under law, but to stans, it's evil — it's a reason to harass someone. In the lead-up of TTPD, Swifties "flooded" Alwyn with hate, and extended the hate to Oliver, the rumored "other woman." "Cheating is obviously an act of betrayal, which to a fan committed to supporting someone becomes the ultimate sin and is almost taken on as a personal attack," Carroll said. A lot of fandom boils down to supporting your faves, and so when you spend time and effort supposing them, a defensiveness against mistreatment develops, she continued — even if the mistreatment is only perceived. "It becomes a 'how dare they' moment, despite not actually knowing the reality of the situation," she continued. Fans think that they know Swift — something she has encouraged over the years — so they feel betrayed on her behalf. This is where the parasocial element comes in. Swifties don't know the singer and they don't know what really went down in her past relationship (from TTPD, it sounds like a sad breakup). So, they make up what they think might be true, and social media algorithms are the accelerant. The most outrageous possibility rises to the top. Swift has songs that allude that she herself has cheated, with titles like "illicit affairs" (from Folklore) and "High Infidelity" (from Midnights), among others from her discography. "Guilty As Sin?" from TTPD is speculated to be about emotional infidelity. To be clear, fans have speculated about this too, but she doesn't receive the same vitriol fans throw to her exes. But of course she wouldn't, because it's not about the act itself: It's about the act against their favorite celebrity. And if that's not the ultimate crime, what is? | ↑ |
 Our long national nightmare is over: iPads may be finally launching in two weeks. In an invite image sent to press on Tuesday, Apple confirmed it will hold a livestreamed product announcement event on May 7 at 7 a.m. PT/10 a.m. ET. The event, titled "Let Loose," is advertised with an image of a hand holding an Apple Pencil, all but confirming that this will center around iPads. 
Yeah, this is for iPads, alright.
Credit: Apple
May 7 Apple event: What we're expectingOf course, that's not terribly surprising. There have been rumors circulating about new iPad Pro and Air models for months. Currently, we expect to see four new iPads, two in each style. The big innovations we plan to see include big display upgrades on both ends. For instance, the new iPad Pro is said to have an OLED display for the first time in an iPad, while the new iPad Air has been upgraded to mini-LED, at least on the larger 12.9-inch variant. Plus, there is scuttlebutt that Apple will be revealing a new Magic Keyboard and a new Apple Pencil. The good news is we won't have to rely on iffy rumors for much longer. | ↑ |
 As Mashable's Amanda Yeo wrote of Netflix sci-fi thriller Atlas: "If AI wrote propaganda, this is probably what it would look like." Keep that in the back of your mind as you watch the second trailer for the film, with Jennifer Lopez out front as the titular Atlas Shepherd. A data analyst and agent with a grudge against AI, Atlas finds herself on a mission to retrieve a rogue robot ( Simu Liu), one she's met before. As the film progresses, it seems our protagonist might be coming around to the idea of AI when she finds herself lost on an inhospitable ice planet with only an AI for company in her gigantic robot power armor. From Rampage and San Andreas director Brad Peyton, and written by Leo Sardarian and Aron Eli Coleite, this seemingly action packed film has a big cast alongside Lopez and Liu, with Sterling K. Brown, Lana Parrilla, Mark Strong, Abraham Popoola, and Gregory James Cohan. | ↑ |
 SAVE $558.66: As of April 23, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 (Intel Core i7, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) is just $2,241.33 at Amazon. That's a discount of 20%.
Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 (Intel Core i7, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD)
$2,241.33
at Amazon
$2,799.99 Save $558.66 Ready to buy a new laptop, but looking to think outside the box a bit beyond a vanilla Windows computer or a MacBook? A Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is another choice that might fit the bill, especially if you're the creative type. For professional artists or anyone who wants multiple ways to interact with your computer, this accessible and convenient laptop has several modes of use, including normal clamshell functionality, tablet mode, and an easel-like option that you can use a stylus to sketch on. It's an intriguing form factor that you might want to opt for – and you can get it for less than usual today if you head over to Amazon. As of April 23, you can get the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 (Intel Core i7, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) for $2,241.33. That's $558.66 off its original price of $2,799.99, and a 20% discount. This 14.4-inch convertible laptop boasts the powerful Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU, making it perfect for a variety of graphic-intensive tasks, from sketching up mockups to 3D models and more. It comes preinstalled with Nvidia Studio drivers and other creative-centric tools to help you bring your ideas to life. With its gorgeous touchscreen and 120Hz refresh rate, you'll have plenty of power to create – or just kick back, relax, and check out your favorite shows and movies. Mashable Tech Editor Kimberly Gedeon took the laptop for a test drive and found that it's great for artists or anyone who could benefit from its convertible display as well as " differently abled users who could take full advantage of the Surface Laptop Studio 2’s adaptive touch trackpad feature." While Gedeon didn't find that it beats the MacBook across the board, the aforementioned situations make it a fine contender for many users. If you want to take a Microsoft Surface for a test drive, this one is a great pick. | ↑ |
 If you tried to use X this morning (April 23) and saw something wonky, you're not alone. The social media platform formerly known as Twitter was acting up all morning. For some users, it showed reposts as the manual RTs of yore. Other users couldn't update their home screen or trending topics but could see updates in specific people's profiles. Some of you might consider this to be great (healthy) or you might consider it to be horrible (not healthy) or you might not think about it at all (very healthy). But no matter what, you weren't alone: Down Detector showed that loads of users were complaining about "problems" with using the platform with outages spiking at 9:56 a.m. ET. (Down Detector is owned by ZiffDavis, Mashable's parent company.) Not to worry — after about an hour, the site is back up and running. X didn't post about the short outage. Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted | ↑ |
 Mercedes-Benz is bringing Level 3 autonomous vehicles to the U.S. — the first automaker to do so. While Tesla calls its driver assistance system "Full Self-Driving," with CEO Elon Musk promising, and then failing to deliver, Level 4 or Level 5 autonomy, it is actually Mercedes-Benz that officially achieved the feat of getting a Level 3 car on a U.S. road. The "Level" figures refer to SAE International's levels of driving automation. Level 2 and below refer to various driver support features, which can perform certain functions such as steer, accelerate, and brake, but the driver must constantly supervise them and intervene as needed. Level 3, 4, and 5, refer to fully automated driving, but the differences between them are vast. A vehicle that has Level 3 automation can drive itself, but it might require the driver to take over. It only works under limited conditions, and will not operate unless all required conditions are met. Level 4 and Level 5, ideally, should never ask the driver to take over, with the difference being that Level 4 also works under certain limited conditions, whereas Level 5 means the car can drive itself in all conditions. ...if all conditions are met, the driver can take their eyes off the road, and let go of the steering wheel without the car nagging. Mercedes-Benz's take on Level 3, available through a set of features call Drive Pilot, only works in clear weather, during the day, on some specific freeways in California and Nevada, and only when the car is traveling less than 40 miles per hour. Finally, it's only available in Merc's EQS and S-Class sedans. All of that may not sound terribly exciting, but what makes this different from other, similar systems, is that if all conditions are met, the driver can take their eyes off the road, and let go of the steering wheel without the car nagging. Tesla's Autopilot and FSD systems require the driver to react and take over in all scenarios, meaning they officially fall into the Level 2 category. Mercedes-Benz announced this system last September, and started selling Level 3-enabled cars in the U.S. in December (the company previously launched the same system in Germany). Now, as Fortune noticed, at least one of those cars has actually been sold to a customer in California. Mercedes is not alone in this effort, though it is the first to do it in the United States. Last year, BMW announced it would launch a Level 3-enabled car in March 2024, but only in Germany. Tweet may have been deleted Musk recently announced a "Robotaxi" event, scheduled for August 2024. Despite not being able to perfect its FSD system to the point of it being fully autonomous, the Tesla CEO keeps betting on a dream of robotaxis, meaning cars that can autonomously ferry passengers around. Those do exist - for example, Alphabet's Waymo and GM's Cruise have been offering a self-driving taxi service in San Francisco, with mixed results — but Musk seems to want to sell such cars to customers. In order to do so, he'll first have to leap over Mercedes' latest effort; notably, Mercedes's own CTO Markus Schäfer thinks that private-owned Level 4 cars could be a thing "by the end of the decade." | ↑ |
 Sonos has heard you, its users, and it made its mobile app better. That, at least, is the company's promise as it unveiled its new mobile app, as well as an all-new web app, on Tuesday. The upcoming app refresh does away with tabs on the bottom of the screen, instead providing access to Sonos system controls, your music library, recently played items, and the search bar, all on the Home screen. 
No more tabs.
Credit: Sonos
I haven't been able to try the new app myself yet, but I've seen demos and it does look a bit easier and faster to use. There was nothing tragically wrong with the old (current) Sonos app, but it does often take a few unnecessary taps to get to the bit you need. Furthermore, some parts of the old app can look a bit empty, such as the System tab when you only have one Sonos speaker in your system. The new app is also a lot more customizable. Your content, services, and other parts of the app are represented as rows on the (scrollable) Home screen, and you can pin, move, edit, and rearrange them as you please. Search has also become more intuitive, with the ability to personalize the results by designating a preferred service for Sonos to fetch results from. Finally, swiping up from the bottom of the Home screen brings you an overview of your entire system, including an overview of what's playing where — pretty useful for folks with large, multi-room systems. The company also launched a new web app, allowing users to play music and manage their Sonos system on a larger, desktop display. 
Want to manage your Sonos ecosystem and music library on a bigger screen? The company now has a web app, too.
Credit: Sonos
The new Sonos mobile app will become available on May 7. The web app, which will go live on the same date, will be available at www.sonos.com/web-app. | ↑ |
 Newsletter platform Ghost — a popular rival to the reigning Substack — has confirmed it is joining the fediverse later this year. This means Ghost is joining the likes of Mastodon, Instagram Threads, Wordpress, Flipboard, and others, in the "federated universe", containing decentralized social networks. Ghost's founder John O’Nolan explained in a post on Threads that users have been requesting federation, and asked followers to give their input on how it would work. Later, the company confirmed that it would federate on ActivityPub, a popular protocol to make open networks happen, in order "to become part of the world’s largest publishing network." In its announcement, Ghost said that users have had to participate in closed social networks — "at the mercy of algorithms" — and it is now time "to take back control" online. "The open web is coming back, and with it returns diversity. You can both publish independently and grow faster than ever before with followers from all over the world and the web," reads the statement. For these reasons, the fediverse has gained momentum in the past year, but it's not exactly commonplace yet. As Mashable's Christianna Silva explains, "The fediverse allows you to have an account on one service and post on other services." From Silva's report:
Ghost said that readers and users will have more power when the platform is federated: they'll be able to like, follow and interact with people on other federated services, for example, and also follow publications and topics of interest from around the internet. To put it more simply, the platform compared the power of open networks to that of email: "Email, the web’s original open protocol, is used by more people than any platform or social network that has been invented before or since; because it shares users rather than competing for them." These efforts from Ghost may pay off in more ways than one: already, several Substack users have turned to Ghost as a result of the lack of moderation on the former. Some major publishers and creators are on Ghost, including Platformer, 404 Media, and Quillette. Now with federation, the reach and growth of publications on Ghost has the potential to be even greater, according to the platform. | ↑ |
 The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe. With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it. So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered. Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Tuesday, April 23, 2024: Across"How's it goin'?"
Make a counterargument against
"The Magic Flute" or "The Marriage of Figaro"
Hiked up on caffeine
Logger's tool
DownBrown pigment in vintage photosThe answer is sepia. Rideshare option for a small group
High-speed blender button
Column's crosser
Wee bit
| ↑ |
 The Google Pixel 9 and Google Pixel 9 Pro are set to launch later this year, but the question is, how will they differ from the previous generation? I don't know about you, but I want to see Google step it up with a new set of features that will blow competitors away. According to leaks and rumors, however, it appears that the Pixel 9 series will be playing "catch up" with some of the biggest players on the market. I won't keep you in suspense for long, so here's the scuttlebutt we've been hearing about the Google Pixel 9 and Google Pixel 9 Pro. Google Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro release dateIf the Google Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro follows Google's typical launch pattern, the next-generation devices will have a release date some time in October. Google typically unveils its new-generation Pixel phones at its Made by Google event in the fall — and we doubt that will change with the Google Pixel 9 series. For reference, here are the release dates for the previous device launches:
The only time Google did not launch in October was in 2020, the year when the pandemic shook up the tech hardware industry. (Even Apple didn't launch their iPhone until October that year, even though they typically unveil their new handsets in September.) Google Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro priceThere aren't any credible rumors on pricing, however, Google already increased the price tags of both devices last year, bumping them by $100. As such, we doubt that Google will instate yet another price hike for 2024. That being said, the expected price tags for the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro are the following:
Interestingly, however, according to 91Mobiles, Google may consider bringing a third phone into the mix, offering a trio of devices similar to the Galaxy S24 series. The Pixel 9 Pro XL will reportedly be the most expensive tier of the Google Pixel 9 lineup. Google Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro — and a Pixel 9 Pro XL?As mentioned, 91Mobiles claims that Google is launching a Pixel 9 Pro XL in addition to the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro. This wouldn't be the first time the Google introduced an "XL" phone into the mix. The last time we saw an "XL" device was the Pixel 5 series — and we haven't seen it since. The Pixel 9 Pro XL will reportedly have the following specs:
Interestingly, if these specs are accurate, Pixel 9 Pro XL will feature a slight reduction from the Pixel 8 Pro's 6.7-inch display. You may be wondering, "What does it look like?" Funny story. So popular leaker @Onleaks, also known as Steve H.McFly on X, revealed what they thought was the Pixel 9 Pro on Jan. 24. Tweet may have been deleted As it turns out, the Pixel 9 Pro renders are actually the Pixel 9 Pro XL, according to clarification from @Onleaks via 91mobiles. Google Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro designUnlike the current generation, which has rounded edges, the Pixel 9 series will reportedly have flat edges, similar to the iPhone 15 and Galaxy S24 series. Tweet may have been deleted According to 91mobiles, here's what we know about the Pixel 9:
The Pixel 9 Pro, on the other hand, will sport the following:
Interestingly, according to a leak from Rozekted, the Pixel 9 Pro still sports a temperature sensor, a feature Mashable's Alex Perry found to be quite useless while reviewing the Google Pixel 8 Pro. Google Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro cameraBoth phones will sport a hole-punch selfie camera, just like their predecessors. The Pixel's distinctive camera visor design is getting a change, too, apparently. Instead of a rectangular-esque visor extending from edge to edge, the new visor will have more of a pill-shaped design. Tweet may have been deleted The Pixel 9 will have a dual-camera rear setup. The Pixel 9 Pro, alongside the Pixel 9 Pro XL, will reportedly have a triple-camera setup. At the time of writing, details on the shooters' specs are sparse. Google Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro specsAccording to Rozetked and 91mobiles, you'll find the next-gen Tensor chip inside the Pixel 9 series, likely the Tensor G4 processor. Per the former, the Pixel 9 Pro will sport 16GB of RAM, a step up from the Pixel 8 Pro's 12GB of memory. As more companies take deeper plunges into the world of AI, this isn't surprising. While running AI in the background, these devices are going to need all the memory they can get. Other specs you'll reportedly find across the Pixel 9 series:
The next big Google event is Google I/O, but don't expect the search-engine tech giant to reveal any of the Pixel 9 devices there. Instead, keep an eye out for the Google Pixel 8a. As mentioned, the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro (and perhaps a Pixel 9 Pro XL) are expected to drop some time in October. | ↑ |
 Donald Trump's trial has been the focus of many hours of coverage over the past week — including on the Daily Show — and Jon Stewart isn't happy about it. In the clip above he takes particular issue with the rolling news coverage, which has been focussed on everything from Trump's car making its way to the court house to analysing Trump's facial expressions in courtroom art. "At some point in this trial, something important and revelatory is going to happen, but none of us are going to notice because of the hours spent on his speculative facial ticks," Stewart says. "If the media tries to make us feel like the most mundane bullshit is earth-shattering, we won't believe you when it's really interesting. It's your classic boy-who-cried-Wolf Blitzer." | ↑ |
 If you're looking to cancel your Netflix subscription and delete your account completely, you've come to the right place. Below, you'll find directions on how to delete your Netflix account on your desktop and on your phone. How to delete your Netflix account on desktop
Total Time
What You Need
Step 1: Log in to your Netflix account. You can do this through Netflix's website. Step 2: Click on your profile icon, then click it again in the top right corner of the screen. 
Credit: Screenshot: Belen Edwards / Netflix
Step 3: Select "Account" from the drop-down menu that appears. This will take you to your account page. 
Credit: Screenshot: Belen Edwards / Mashable
Step 4: Once there, click "Cancel Membership." 
Credit: Screenshot: Belen Edwards / Netflix
Step 5: Click "Finish cancellation" to cancel your account. 
Credit: Screenshot: Belen Edwards / Netflix
Your account will be canceled at the end of the current billing period, and your information will be automatically deleted 10 months after the account has been canceled. If you choose to restart your account within 10 months after cancellation, you will still be able to access your old profile and viewing preferences. If you want to delete your account immediately, contact privacy@netflix.com from the email address used for your Netflix account. How to delete your Netflix account on your phoneYou cannot delete your Netflix account directly in the app, but you can delete it from your phone's browser.
Total Time
What You Need
Step 1: Open the Netflix app and log into your account. Step 2: Click on the menu in the top left corner of the screen. It's the three horizontal lines. 
Credit: Screenshot: Belen Edwards / Netflix
Step 3: Select "Account" from the drop-down menu that appears. This will take you to your account page. 
Credit: Screenshot: Belen Edwards / Mashable
Step 4: Once there, scroll past your membership details and click "Cancel Membership." 
Credit: Screenshot: Belen Edwards / Mashable
Step 5: Click "Finish cancellation" to cancel your account. 
Credit: Screenshot: Belen Edwards / Mashable
As with canceling on desktop, your account will be canceled at the end of the current billing period, and your information will be automatically deleted 10 months after the account has been canceled. And, if you choose to restart your account within 10 months after cancellation, you will still be able to access your old profile and viewing preferences. However, if you want to delete your account immediately, contact privacy@netflix.com from the email address used for your Netflix account. On a roll with canceling your streaming services? Here's how to cancel Apple TV+. | ↑ |
 TL;DR: As of April 23, you can get a Bionik Pro Kit+ for Xbox Series X/S with gaming accessories for just $39.99 (reg. $89). Attention gamers! If you'd like to elevate your Xbox Series X/S play situation, this bundle might be for you. This Bionik Pro Kit+ features things to help you create a better experience when you're behind the console. It's also on sale for just $39.99, saving you 55% on the regular price of $89. This pro kit is designed only for the Xbox Series X/S. Gain a competitive edge with the over-ear headset that keeps you immersed in your world of play. It features 50mm drivers for optimal sound and an integrated mic so you can chat and strategize with your fellow online players. This headset even has a cool RGB color accent. You'll also get a dual-port charge base for your controllers so you can efficiently power them up. It also features back-lit indicators and an adjustable USB cord. The two included high-capacity rechargeable batteries have custom covers for a uniform look. The bundle also comes with a high-quality ten-foot LYNX cable reinforced with KEVLAR that's made to withstand over 30,000 bends. Using the ten-foot cable extender, you can extend the USB power from the console to the accessories. Please note that the actual controllers are not included. This comprehensive package is designed to enhance your gaming experience and help you stay on top of your game without breaking the bank. Pick up this Bionik Pro Kit+ featuring accessories for Xbox Series X/S for just $39.99 (reg. $89) for a limited time. StackSocial prices subject to change.
Bionik® Pro Kit+ for Xbox Series X/S + Essential Gaming Accessories
$39.99
at the Mashable Shop
$89.99 Save $50.00 | ↑ |
 TL;DR: Through May 6, if you're trying to improve your posture or reduce back pain, try the BetterBack™ Luxe Posture Support featured on Shark Tank, on sale for $39.97 (reg. $59). Correcting your posture may sound a whole lot easier than it actually is. Whether you're sitting at your desk working or trying to keep your back straight, working on your posture is a constant thing, and a little help could be welcome. The BetterBack Luxe is a compact and ergonomic back support device that could help you improve your posture, reduce back pain, and sit comfortably almost anywhere. As simple as a posture support device sounds, the BetterBack is actually the culmination of some serious engineering, including memory foam made by NASA. That's how this Shark Tank feature could turn even the most uncomfortable stool into an ergonomic seat, but you can still get it for $39.97 (reg. $59). Make every chair ergonomicYou don't need to balance a stack of books on your head to correct your posture. Turn your back on uncomfortable stools and brutal benches. With the BetterBack, you could turn virtually any seat into a comfortable, ergonomic chair. Between the webbing straps, memory foam padding, and slip-resistant knee pads, correcting your posture may actually be the most comfortable option. There's even a water-resistant outer shell that could come in handy if you're sweating on the bleachers watching the game. Comfort isn't the only thing the BetterBack has to offer. The manufacturers even say wearing the BetterBack for just 15 minutes a day can help retrain the body's default posture. Whether you're studying, working, gaming, or eating, this posture support has your back. Comfortable and portable back supportDon't take poor posture sitting down. Until May 6 at 11:59 p.m. PT, you can get the BetterBack™ Luxe Posture Support on sale for $39.97. StackSocial prices subject to change. | ↑ |
 TL;DR: As of April 23, enjoy a smooth shave with this Gillette Body Razor that comes with nine refill blades — on sale for $14.99 for a limited time (reg. $24). Same trusted brand, much lower priceYour body and your face aren't quite shaped the same, so it might be time for a razor to match. The Gillette Body Razor has three lubricating strips built into every cartridge to help keep your shave smooth, clean, and comfortable. The razor itself has an ergonomic handle with anti-slip grip for shower shaving. Regularly $24, you can score 40% off and get it for just $14.99. Shave with a razor that's designed to hug your body. The Gillette Body Razor has a forward-pivoting head that moves with the contours of your skin. Even if you have thick body hair, the floating Powerglide® blades offer a quick and clean shave. And when one cartridge starts getting dull, you'll have another nearby. This Gillette bundle comes with nine refill razor cartridges. Keep in mind that these razors may get dull faster than the one you use for your face simply because there may be more of your body to shave. Good thing this set gives you plenty of spares! Shave 40% off the cost of this Gillette razorTreat your body as well as you treat your face and get a razor that could help avoid bumps, cuts, and razor burn. Get the Gillette Body Razor and nine refill blade cartridges on sale for $14.99 (reg. $24). StackSocial prices subject to change. | ↑ |
 NASA hoped its Ingenuity helicopter would fly at least once. It took flight 72 times. The historic craft — the first to ever make a powered, controlled flight on another planet — flew distances as far as 2,315 feet across Mars' Jezero Crater, a basin that once teemed with water, likely creating a lake some 22 miles wide. It served as a reliable scout to the space agency's Perseverance rover, as these robots sleuthed the best places to look for potential evidence of past microbial life on the Red Planet. The new NASA video below (one-minute long) shows how Ingenuity buzzed over Mars, crossing over rugged and hilly terrain before arriving at its final landing spot months ago. On flight 72, the experimental chopper crashed in a dried-up river valley. "We never planned for such a long mission," Teddy Tzanetos, Ingenuity’s project manager, said at a media briefing. "We originally had a single logbook, hoping for one successful flight to be logged in that logbook. Eventually got to five [flights] and were extremely excited to proceed into our extended operations demonstration." That smooth, sandy terrain was ultimately Ingenuity's demise. The helicopter navigated by using software to track the movement of objects, like rocks, below. But the sandy dunes were largely "featureless," NASA explained. "The more featureless the terrain is, the harder it is for Ingenuity to successfully navigate across it," the space agency said in a statement. "The team believes that the relatively featureless terrain in this region was likely the root cause of the anomalous landing." "We never planned for such a long mission." A hard landing broke multiple rotors, which doomed any future flights. To take to the air, Ingenuity spun its four-foot rotor blades at a blazing 2,400 revolutions every minute. This was necessary to generate the lift needed for flight: The Martian atmosphere is quite thin, with a density about one percent of Earth's, so the rapid rotors must spin fast enough to move enough molecules under its rotors. Tweet may have been deleted NASA's Ingenuity flight was the beginning of the agency's aerial endeavors on other worlds. NASA is considering a Mars plane, and in four years will launch a "rotorcraft" — with eight spinning rotors — to Saturn's moon Titan, a world harboring tantalizing dunes and seas of methane. | ↑ |
 Google's Gemini app for Android might soon show AI-generated responses in real-time. The feature, spotted by Android expert AssembleDebug via PiunikaWeb, shows the ability to turn on "Real-time responses" in AI assistant's settings. So instead of waiting for a full response, Gemini will show its response as its processing. Tweet may have been deleted This is how Gemini works on desktop. When you ask the chatbot a question, Gemini answers as it's "typing" out the question. But currently, Android users have to wait for the fully processed response to publish. The response only takes a few seconds, but a faster perceived experience on mobile can be achieved by showing the response progressively, particularly for lengthy text. Google announced Gemini for mobile in February as a standalone app for Android users. There isn't yet an iOS app, but iPhone users can still use Gemini through the Google app. With text and image generation, and integration with Google Assistant, Gemini is touted as an AI assistant on-the-go. Gemini had a rocky launch, which included inaccurately depicting Nazis as people of color. But the company is powering ahead with model improvements and new features. This year has been all about on-device AI. Samsung has packed its smartphones with Galaxy AI, a collection of AI features like drafting messages, editing photos, and translation. Rumors are also swirling about Apple announcing generative AI features at this year's WWDC — and it might even be powered by Google Gemini according to reported discussions between the two tech giants. Suffice to say, we can expect a lot more mobile generative AI features like real-time responses rolling out soon. | ↑ |
 TL;DR: As of April 23, the TYPE S 12V Battery Jump Starter, which has integrated jumper cables, a USB-C cable, and a Qi-compatible wireless charging pad — is on sale for only $69.99 (reg. $119). A dead battery on your phone can be inconvenient. A dead battery in your car could be a whole lot worse depending on where you are. You might already have jumper cables in the trunk, but there's no guarantee another car is going to come around. Instead, you may be able to jump your car yourself and charge your phone right after all using the same device. The TYPE S 12V Jump Starter and Power Bank is a compact answer to a variety of low batteries. It has built-in jumper cables and can charge USB-C or Qi-compatible devices, and it still only costs $69.99 (reg. $119). Great for camping, road trips, or emergency kitsIt may not be much bigger than your phone, but this little gadget could be make a big difference in an emergency. The TYPE S has a built-in 8,000mAh power bank that you can use to jump-start a car battery or charge a variety of mobile devices. Use the integrated jumper cables to start engines up to 6.0L or diesel engines up to 3.0. Jumping your car can be intimidating at first, but the TYPE S has protection for over-discharge, polarity, low voltage, and reverse charging. Plus, you can always check the LCD screen for a step-by-step guide to jumping your car along with safety notifications. Need to signal another car on the road? Or maybe just find your phone at night? The TYPE S also has LEDs with multiple lighting presets. Use the flashlight to light the way or signal in an emergency with red hazard lights. Charging your phone is a little easier. Use the integrated USB-C cable for wired charging or put Qi-enabled devices on the wireless charging pad. Jump your car or charge your phoneWhether the battery is in your car or your phone, this portable power bank could be the difference between a little delay and a major disaster. For a limited time, get the TYPE S 122V Battery Jump Starter and Power Bank for $69.99. StackSocial prices subject to change.
TYPE S 12V 6.0L Battery Jump Starter with Built-In Cable, LCD Display & 8,000mAh Qi Power Bank (Black/USB-C)
$69.99
at the Mashable Shop
$119.99 Save $50.00 | ↑ |
 Our farthest-away spacecraft isn't finished yet. NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft, at over 15 billion miles away and hurtling ever-deeper into the cosmos, beamed back crucial data about its health for the first time in five months. NASA released a photo of mission engineers celebrating the success of their software patch with raised arms and wide grins. "After some inventive sleuthing, the mission team can — for the first time in five months — check the health and status of the most distant human-made object in existence," the space agency said in an online post. The pioneering and beloved Voyager 1, however, isn't completely out of the woods. "The next step is to enable the spacecraft to begin returning science data again," NASA explained. Before the mishap, which began in November 2023, Voyager 1 was returning unprecedented data about the radiation in interstellar space and how far the sun's protective bubble of energy and particles extends into the cosmos. (Its sister craft, Voyager 2, at over 12 billion miles, continues to send back this information.) "The science data that the Voyagers are returning gets more valuable the farther away from the Sun they go, so we are definitely interested in keeping as many science instruments operating as long as possible," Linda Spilker, Voyager’s project scientist, said last year. Tweet may have been deleted 
NASA engineers working on a Voyager craft in 1976.
Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech
Though NASA has repeatedly fixed software glitches on the aging Voyager craft, each over a half-century-old now, the situation was prolonged enough to grow worrisome. Early this month, the space agency noted "corrupted memory" had indeed caused the interstellar probe to send back indecipherable information. One of the onboard computers, the flight data subsystem (FDS), had a single chip that no longer worked. What's more, engineers couldn't just pop the hood. "Space is hard. Interstellar space is harder," NASA posted on X (formerly Twitter), in February. "Solving issues like this takes time – because it takes more than 22 hours for a message to travel from Earth to my twin Voyager 1 and another 22 hours for a response to make it back." "Space is hard. Interstellar space is harder." As the corrupted chip couldn't be replaced, NASA engineers sent a deep space signal to Voyager to store the chip's unique code in other chips, as "no single location is large enough to hold the section of code in its entirety." It worked. What's next? Voyager engineers will similarly now move and test code responsible for the mission's science data. Beyond inevitable software mishaps on old hardware (hardware that's also exposed to the hostile particles zipping through interstellar space, known galactic cosmic rays), the probes' greatest limiting factor is nuclear fuel. Supplies are running low; in the next few years, some scientific instruments will likely need to be powered down. It's possible that NASA can keep the Voyager craft communicating through the mid-2030s. Yet even when communication ceases, the mission will carry on. Voyager craft carry "a kind of time capsule, intended to communicate a story of our world to extraterrestrials," the space agency explained. "The Voyager message is carried by a phonograph record, a 12-inch gold-plated copper disk containing sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth." If anyone beyond Earth ever gets to listen, they'll be lucky: The records contain tunes from Chuck Berry. | ↑ |
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 This content originally appeared on Mashable for a US audience and has been adapted for the UK audience. They say sex sells itself, but what about vibrators? It's not so easy. Because shopping for a penis-shaped sex toy can be pretty daunting. It’s not something you should take lightly. After all, you’re buying something that’ll go inside, around, and on top of intimate and delicate parts. You want something that, erm, gets the job done, of course, as well as a high-quality model that’s reliable and easy to clean. As with any other sex toy, always do your homework before playtime. What type of vibrator do you want? Rabbit, classic, or bullet? Are wand vibrators up your alley, or do you prefer a device geared toward G-spot stimulation? And how much do you care about vibration speeds and patterns? How about a clitoral vibrator that imitates oral sex? Here's some helpful information to help you make that all-important decision. Are there different types of vibrators?To help you make sense of the world of vibrators, we've lined up all the different types of devices you should know about:
Not every type of vibrator will suit everyone's pleasuring needs, so it's worth considering your options before taking the plunge. How do you choose a vibrator?You're almost ready to start shopping, but there are a few things to keep in mind before taking the plunge. It's worth thinking about a vibrator's charging system, power settings, sound level, dimensions/weight, durability, and materials when shopping. We know that's a lot to consider, but this is an important decision. It's better to think about these factors before shopping, so you can avoid any unpleasant surprises after purchase. We're not asking you to make an exhaustive list of features. Instead, we're reminding you to think carefully about when you'll be using your vibrator, what you want from it, and how your body responds to stimulation. What is the best vibrator?We know that's a lot of questions to consider, but the moral of the story is that you’ve got a lot options. We’re not here to tell you which vibrator should be top of your list, or which one you must love or there is something wrong with you. Instead, we’re here to lend a helping hand in the form of recommendations for different kinds of vibrators, which we’ve selected based on customer reviews found all over the internet. Whether you consider yourself a size queen, a bullet buff, or something in between, you’ll find at least one option here to rock your world. These are the best vibrators in 2024. | ↑ |
 TL;DR: Watch the 2024 French Open for free on 9Now, France TV, RTBF, ORF, or Servus TV. Access these free streaming platforms from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN. The biggest clay court tennis championship on the calendar is fast approaching, and that means tennis fans from all over the world will be scrambling for a way to stream the 2024 French Open. It seems like these massive sporting moments are never easy to watch. Why is that the case? We can't answer that, but we can provide you with some solutions to your streaming struggles. If you're interested in watching the 2024 French Open from anywhere in the world, we've got all the information you need. What is the French Open?The French Open, also known as Roland-Garros, is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France. It's the only Grand Slam tournament held on a clay surface, and is chronologically the second of the four annual Grand Slam tournaments. The current singles champions are Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek. When is the 2024 French Open?The 2024 French Open is the 129th edition of the competition. This year's event will take place from May 20 to June 9. How to watch the 2024 French Open for freeIt's possible to live stream the 2024 French Open for free on a number of streaming platforms: The issue here is that you need to be connecting from these countries to access these free streaming services. The only way to bypass these geo-restrictions is with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in another country, meaning you can stream the 2024 French Open for free from anywhere in the world. Unblock free streaming services to watch the 2024 French Open by following these simple steps:
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer pretty generous money-back guarantees. By leveraging these guarantees, you can watch Roland Garros without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term strategy, but it gives you enough time to stream the 2024 French Open before recovering your investment. What is the best VPN for the French Open?ExpressVPN is the best choice for streaming live sport on free platforms from around the world, for a number of reasons:
A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for £82.82 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Watch the 2024 French Open for free with ExpressVPN. | ↑ |
 TL;DR: A lifetime subscription to a OneAir Elite Plan is on sale for £64.68, saving you 89% on list price. Planning a holiday can be stressful, so much so that once you're there it might feel more like a break from holiday planning than a break from everyday life. As stressful as it is, there are tools to help make it a little easier on you and a little easier on your wallet. OneAir is a unique flight finding service that uses AI to scan the internet for low-cost flights and other exclusive discounts. OneAir is an investment, so it’s normally a little pricey at over £600 for a lifetime Elite Plan, but you can get it on sale for only £64.68. You’re not imagining it. Airfare really has got more expensive, but that’s no reason to cancel the holiday. It just means it’s time to shop smarter using a OneAir Elite Plan, backed by supporters on WeFunder. Flight finding services aren’t new. There’s quite a lot of them, but what sets OneAir apart is how it searches the web for budget airfare. OneAir actually uses advanced AI to track millions of fares in real time. So it’s more than just a big search pulling up the lowest number and emailing it to you. OneAir even searches for Business, First, and Premium class flights. OneAir also has a mobile app for iOS and Android devices. That means you don’t have to waste time booking on another site. It may not sound like a big time-saver, but if you’re trying to jump on a mistake fare (which happens when airlines occasionally set an uncharacteristically low price for a flight by accident) before an airline notices, every second counts. Hotel prices are also on the rise, but OneAir could help with that. Becoming a OneAir Elite Plan Holder allows you to shop at the OneClub shop. That’s where you might find lower prices on hotels, rental cars, and even whole activities. Your ultimate holiday might still fit in your budget — it's time to pack a bag, just don’t forget to bring a good phone charger for those long international flights. Prices may be on the rise, but you could still find a steal if you know where to look. Get a OneAir Elite Plan for life for £64.68. | ↑ |
 TL;DR: Watch Chennai Super Kings vs. Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL for free on JioCinema. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN. The IPL is well underway and as we enter the fourth week of matches, the race for playoff spots is truly kicking off. Next to take to the field are the Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants. Will the Chennai Super Kings retain their title this year? If you want to tune in to the Chennai Super Kings vs. Lucknow Super Giants for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need. When is Chennai Super Kings vs. Lucknow Super Giants?Chennai Super Kings vs. Lucknow Super Giants starts at 3 p.m. BST on April 23. The 39th match of the season will take place at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, India. How to watch Chennai Super Kings vs. Lucknow Super Giants for freeJioCinema is offering free live streams of every IPL cricket match this season in 4K resolution on its app. JioCinema is geo-restricted to India, but anyone can unblock this free streaming service with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in India, meaning you can access JioCinema from anywhere in the world. Unblock JioCinema to stream the IPL 2024 by following these simple steps:
ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free)
£82.82 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)
Most of the best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer free trials or money-back guarantees. By taking advantage of these offers, you can watch IPL live streams without committing with your cash. This is clearly not a long-term solution, but it does mean you can watch select IPL fixtures for free. If you want permanent access to free streaming platforms from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming sport is on sale for a limited time. What is the best VPN for JioCinema?ExpressVPN is the best service for unblocking JioCinema, for a number of reasons:
A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for £82.82 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Stream the IPL for free with ExpressVPN. | ↑ |
 Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer. If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for April 23's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you. Where did Wordle come from?Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing. Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Wordle. What's the best Wordle starting word?The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N. What happened to the Wordle archive?The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles used to be available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it. Unfortunately, it has since been taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. Is Wordle getting harder?It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle 's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though. Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:Small driving robot on Mars. Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?There are no letters that appear twice. Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...Today's Wordle starts with the letter R. The Wordle answer today is...Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution. Drumroll please! The solution to Wordle #1039 is... ROVER. Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints. Reporting by Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article. | ↑ |
 Connections is the latest New York Times word game that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle. If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for April 23's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you. What is Connections?The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common. Tweet may have been deleted Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer. If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends. Tweet may have been deleted Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media. Here's a hint for today's Connections categoriesWant a hit about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
Here are today's Connections categoriesNeed a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:
Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle. Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions. Drumroll, please! The solution to Connections #317 is... What is the answer to Connections today
Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints. Is this not the Connections game you were looking for? Here are the hints and answers to yesterday's Connections. | ↑ |
 Every April, hundreds of thousands of people descend on Coachella Valley for two weekends of music, $25 caesar salads, and dust-related health complications. The rest of us experience the festival through our phones, watching it unfold on our social media feeds from the comfort of our couches. The biggest moments from Coachella 2024 range from superstar-making sets to technical difficulties and broken bones, and they all get credit on our list. Chappell Roan ascendsIf you were plugged into the pop music scene before April 12, you may have been aware of Chappell Roan's growing popularity. If you weren't, Roan's performances at Coachella made her hard to ignore. Posts of her performance on the first weekend and her life-size butterfly outfit on the second boosted her streaming numbers and bumped her latest single "Good Luck, Babe!" to no. 77 on the Billboard 100, her first-ever entry on the chart. Tweet may have been deleted Lana del Rey duets with BillieIn her first weekend set, Lana del Rey sang her classics, brought out Billie Eilish to sing "Video Games" and "Ocean Eyes," and finished her set by riding off on the back of a motorcycle. Onstage, Eilish told the crowd that del Rey was "the reason for half of you bitches' existence, including mine," echoing sentiments she shared in a February interview with del Rey for Interview Magazine. Fans called the set one of del Rey's best and were upset by critics who found it underwhelming. Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Kesha and Renee Rapp remix "Tik Tok" (the song)Songstress Renee Rapp brought Kesha on stage during her set for a rendition of her hit 2010 song "Tik Tok." They changed the opening line, "Wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy," to "Wake up in the morning like fuck P. Diddy" as an acknowledgment of the producer's alleged abuse. Grimes is frustrated by first-weekend flubsA clip of Grimes's feral, unfettered screeching on the Coachella stage racked up more than 4 million views on TikTok. Grimes often screams during performances, but the ones in her Coachella set were borne of frustration after a technical setback that plagued a large portion of her performance. Grimes took to X to explain herself and promised a better experience for concertgoers on weekend two. Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted No Doubt reunites, brings Olivia Rodrigo as special guestFor the first time in 10 years, No Doubt reunited to perform for Coachella crowds. To mark the occasion, Gwen Stefani welcomed Olivia Rodrigo to the stage to sing "Bathwater." Rodrigo wore an "I heart ND" tank, an ode to her love of the band and its frontwoman, whom she has credited as an inspiration in the past. 
Credit: John Shearer/Getty Images for No Doubt
Doja Cat makes historyDoja Cat became the first female rapper to headline Coachella and opened her first set dressed head-to-toe in long blonde extensions. On the second weekend, a clip of her looking around expectantly for a dancer to hand her a microphone while performing "Fuck the Girls" racked up millions of views on X and TikTok. 
Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Coachella
Tweet may have been deleted Taylor Swift parties with Travis KelceTaylor Swift attended the first weekend of Coachella with her boyfriend Travis Kelce ahead of the release of her double album, The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology, on April 19. She was seen watching collaborator Jack Antonoff's set with his band Bleachers, taking photos with Real Housewives' Teresa Giudice, being lifted in the air by Kelce, and generally having a great time. Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Kid Cudi breaks his footOn the last day of Coachella, during a set that was added to the schedule less than a week prior, rapper Kid Cudi optimistically leaped from the stage and was unable to continue his show after hitting the ground. It turns out he broke his foot in the fall. In a video posted to X, Cudi said, "I learned a valuable lesson, not more prancing around [or] jumping off stages." Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted | ↑ |
 We're hearing more and more about password reset attacks being used to target Apple iPhone users. As Mashable reported last month, hackers are attacking iPhones via a method that inundates them with password reset prompts. These hacking campaigns have also been called MFA (multi-factor authentication) bombing or fatigue attacks. These attacks aren't new. Reports about them online have been shared for a few years now. However, based on online discussions around them, there seems to be an uptick in cases now. Basically, in this attack, an iPhone user is asked through dozens of notification pop-ups to reset their Apple ID password. As X user @parth220 shared in his retelling of being the target of this attack, this renders a user's iPhone inoperable — unless the user chooses the "Don't Allow" option for every reset password notification. Tweet may have been deleted The attack takes it up a notch in the next step. The hacker then spoofs an official Apple phone number and calls the target about the password issue, presenting themself as an Apple employee. According to KrebsonSecurity, individuals impacted by the attack report that the malicious actor possesses personal data gleaned from the web about the target, enabling them to construct a persuasive facade as a genuine Apple employee. The hacker then attempts to use that trust to gain access to the target's phone and its data remotely. However, iPhone users don't have to fall for this. A few outlets, such as 9to5Mac, have now put out guides on how to avoid being a successful target of a MFA bombing attack. And here's Mashable's guide to making sure you avoid being a victim of the password reset attack. Avoid the iPhone password reset attackDon't trust outbound callsThis is an extremely important rule — and it is a tried-and-tested method to avoid getting hacked or scammed in a multitude of different attacks. In this particular attack, the phone call from someone claiming to work at Apple is a key component to scamming their target. But take a moment to think about this. Why would Apple call you? When has Apple ever called you before on their own when you are going through real, legit technical difficulties? Never! Apple doesn't make outbound calls to users without an Apple customer calling them first and requesting a callback. As a rule of thumb, don't trust a call you receive claiming to be from a company, even if the number checks out because that can be spoofed. If you're worried about it being legit, hang up on the call you received, go to the company's website, and call their official number back. That way, because you initiated the call, you know you are actually connected to the real company's official number. Next, you can ask about your issue and check if they actually called you first. Very often you'll find out that they did not. With so many scam calls, the best way to be safe is to just not answer a call from a number you're not familiar with. Let them leave a message if it's that important. Then, if they say they are from Apple in the voicemail, you can just directly call Apple's official phone number yourself to check on the supposed issue. 'Don't allow' the password reset optionThe password reset prompts are, at the same time, annoying and convincing. These are the same official system notifications you receive for legitimate issues. But don't be fooled. There's a bad actor trying to use these prompts to gain access to your device. Click "Don't Allow" each and every time. Eventually, the attacker will give up. Change your Apple ID phone numberAs 9to5Mac points out, users can also change the phone number connected to their Apple ID, which will stop these notifications. This should really be a last resort as this will mess up with your current iPhone settings. For example, you won't be able to use features such as iMessage or FaceTime until the number is set back. Ideally, it won't come to this. Just don't give these attackers the time of day. If they see that they are wasting their time trying to gain access to your phone, and you aren't falling for the notifications nor answering their phone calls, they will very likely move on to a new target. | ↑ |
 Dino Robotics has developed software that allows robots to understand their cooking environment. Using AI-based object localization and 3D image processing the robots can accomplish tasks like seasoning and cooking a steak, or preparing a salad with fresh ingredients. | ↑ |
 Happy Challengers week to all who celebrate! Luca Guadagnino's ( Bones and All, Call Me By Your Name) latest film has garnered heaps of critical praise, with Mashable Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko declaring in her review it is "one of 2024's best." So naturally, the much-anticipated film's final trailer highlights all that hype — as well as its three leading performances from Zendaya ( Dune: Part Two), Josh O'Connor ( La Chimera), and Mike Faist ( West Side Story). Zendaya stars as Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy taken out of commission by a devastating injury. Now, she coaches her husband Art Donaldson (Faist) as he prepares for the US Open. The only problem? He's in the middle of a humiliating losing streak, and needs to regain his confidence. A trip to a lower-level Challengers tournament could be just what he needs — until his ex-best friend (and Tashi's ex-boyfriend) Patrick Zweig (O'Connor) steps foot on the court. Tensions swirl between the trio as the film moves back and forth through time, making for a no-hold-barred volley of tennis and intimacy. As Puchko writes in her review, it will "leave you breathless." | ↑ |
 Something spooky is afoot in the latest trailer for The Watchers, another new summer movie from M. Night Shyamalan, who debuted his Trap trailer just last week. The Watchers stars Dakota Fanning as Mina, a 28-year-old whose journey to a remote Irish forest goes disastrously awry. One moment, she's driving through gorgeous, untouched nature. The next, she's running for her life from an unseen threat. Her only shelter — a mysterious bunker in the middle of nowhere — turns out to be as good as a prison. In this bunker, Mina and her fellow prisoners (played by Barbarian's Georgina Campbell, Outlander's Oliver Finnegan, and T he Northman's Olwen Fouéré) serve as spectacle for an audience of mysterious creatures. No one knows who they are, what they look like, or what they want. But one thing is clear: They do not want any of their performers breaking out. While M. Night (king of twists and beaches that make you old) serves as a producer on The Watchers, it's his daughter Ishana Night Shyamalan who helms, making her directorial debut from her adapted screenplay of the A.M. Shine novel of the same name. Meanwhile, her sister Saleka Shyamalan appears in Trap as a pop star called Lady Raven. So, this summer brings family fun in a sure-to-be wild way. | ↑ |
 A recent software update aimed at resolving connectivity issues is now available for various Google Pixel models, including the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 7 series, as reported by 9to5Google. This update is significant for users facing difficulties with cell network connections. Which Pixels are getting the update?The need for this update became apparent following user reports on platforms like Reddit, suggesting that connectivity issues began escalating after a March 2024 update. Some Pixel owners experienced problems such as missed texts and calls being diverted directly to voicemail, affecting multiple users across various countries and carriers. The patch is currently accessible for the Pixel 8 and Pixel 7 series phones and the Google Pixel Fold — with Verizon customers in the U.S. being the first to receive it over the air. Despite its small size of less than 7MB, this is the second update released for these devices in April, designed to enhance LTE call/data performance and rectify network issues, according to Verizon's changelogs. Users not yet notified of the update have the option to download it using links provided by 9to5Google manually. However, manual updates require technical expertise and carry a risk of damaging the device if performed incorrectly, advising users to proceed with caution or wait for an automatic update notification. | ↑ |
 The new iPad Air announcement is expected to come any day now. Rumors have been flying around for months about new iPad models supposedly dropping in the near future, but 9to5Mac spotted pretty irrefutable evidence of at least one new model over the weekend. Device accessory maker ESR posted some new iPad cases on its Amazon storefront — and some of them are labeled for 2024 iPad Air models in a 12.9-inch size. In other words, those would be for the rumored 12.9-inch iPad Air that's supposed to come out soon (in addition to the familiar 10.9-inch variant). As 9to5Mac pointed out, these are third-party products. That means Apple didn't make them, and they could theoretically be off the mark, but given that accessory makers are given product specs ahead of time, that's not likely to be the case. The 12.9-inch Air (which is rumored to have a new mini-LED display) is one of four rumored iPads that will launch imminently. It's joined by another smaller iPad Air and two new iPad Pro models, which could finally bring OLED displays to the iPad family. We could finally hear about them from Apple itself within the next few weeks, days, or potentially even minutes. You never know. | ↑ |
 As warmer spring weather lures us outdoors, keep tabs on fitness progress with these great deals at Amazon on fitness trackers.
Best fitness tracker deals at Amazon today
Best stylish fitness tracker
Best fitness tracker deal for runners
Best wellness tracking deal
Best fitness tracker deal for Android users
 Starting a new fitness routine can be a challenge. If you're looking for an accountability partner, consider one that fits on your wrist. These compact devices can do major tracking and help with not only accountability, but encouragement for progress. If the spring weather has you considering a new fitness routine, here are some great deals at Amazon on fitness trackers that will help with both metrics and encouragement. Best stylish fitness trackerWhy we like itFitbit has long been one of the most well-known fitness tracking brands and thanks to today's deal, you can get the Fitbit Versa 4 for just $149.95 at Amazon, which matches the lowest price we've ever seen. What's more is this deal extends to fun colorways like Pink Sand/Copper Rose and Waterfall Blue/Platinum. When it comes to performance, the Fitbit Versa 4 tracks it all. From steps to sleep to a daily readiness score, the Fitbit is around to give your better insights about your fitness journey. It's compatible with both Android and iOS and you can get over six days of battery life per charge. Best fitness tracker for runnersWhy we like itWeighing just 29 grams, the Coros Pace 2 is perfect for runners or anyone who's not interested in a lugging around a heavy fitness tracker. Despite the lightweight design, it packs a punch in terms of functions. Here's what you'll get: an optical heart rate monitor, compass, thermometer, altimeter, accelerometer, and more. All of this is to note that the Coros Pace 2 is serious about tracking your runs, walks, bike rides, and more. In full GPS mode, Coros says you'll get about 30 hours of battery life. With regular use like tracking your daily workouts and recovery, you should get about 20 days of battery before needing to charge up. Best wellness tracking dealWhy we like itThe Whoop 4.0 goes above the standard fitness tracker to focus on wellness tracking. Named Mashable's top pick for sleep and recovery tracking, the Whoop 4.0 provides tons of health and wellness metrics, in addition to tracking fitness. Unlike most fitness trackers, the Whoop 4.0 doesn't include a screen or watch face. This could be perfect for those who are trying to cut down on screens. This deal includes a 12-month subscription to Whoop which is necessary for getting all those sweet stats. Best fitness tracker deal for Android usersWhy we like itIf you're an Android user and would like to get into fitness tracking, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 (40mm) could be ideal. Thanks to today's deal, you can grab the watch for $239.99, marked down from the usual price of $299.99. Alex Perry's review of the Galaxy Watch 6 for Mashable mentions it's easy to use, has a great display, and more features that some (more expensive) competitors. "With a big, eminently useful display, a smorgasbord of fitness and sleep tracking features, and adequate battery life, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 is the smartwatch to get if you’re an Android owner. Doubly so if you happen to have a Samsung phone, specifically," Perry explains. When it comes to fitness, you'll be tracking goals with an intuitive design and on-screen stats that include time spent exercising, heart rate, and distance. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 also personalizes your heart rate zones, so you'll know which intensity to aim for with each workout. | ↑ |
 SAVE 20%: As of today, the Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen) bundle with TP-Link Kasa Smart Color Bulb is on sale at Amazon for $89.99. That takes $22.99 off the list price of $112.98.
Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen) bundle with TP-Link Kasa Smart Color Bulb
$89.99
at Amazon
$112.98 Save $22.99 While smart homes once seemed like a thing of the future, today we can make small adjustments to our homes that help bring that future into our present reality. One of the best ways to upgrade your smart home is through an Amazon Echo Show, which serves as a centralized hub. Today when you buy an Amazon Echo Show 5, you also get a TP-Link Kasa Smart Color Bulb. The Amazon Echo Show 5 and TP-Link Kasa Smart Color Bulb bundle is on sale today at Amazon for $89.99. This saves you $22.99 (or 20%) off the typical list price of $112.98. This is also $22.10 less than buying each item on its own. The Amazon Echo Show 5 and the TP-Link Kasa Smart Color Bulb work hand-in-hand. Using Amazon voice control through your Echo Show 5, you can make voice commands that control your home's lights where the smart bulbs are being used. The TP-Link Kasa Smart Color Bulb also has the ability to change colors, so you can pick the right color to fit your mood through simple commands. Not only does the Echo Show 5 efficiently control all of your smart home tech, but it also lets you display your photos and take video calls. Get your smart home in sync when you shop the Amazon Echo Show 5 and TP-Link Kasa Smart Color Bulb bundle today at Amazon. | ↑ |
 Last week, Bluey had fans of all ages in tears over its super-sized episode " The Sign." But the moving ep, which was chock-full of Easter eggs, was not the finale of Season 3. Episode 50, titled "Surprise!", concludes this season with a bang. And as its title suggests, it brought a big surprise in its final moments. Fans online are freaking out over the final sequence that reveals a grown-up Bluey, and more specifically the final shot that shows her...baby. After a pretty standard (and winsome) episode of Bingo and Bluey playing with their dad Bandit, the ep cuts to many years later, when a fully grown Bluey pops in for a "surprise" visit. Her mum Chili says Bingo is in the backyard, and as they walk through the living room, the doorbell rings again. Bandit goes to answer it — but no one appears to be there. Except, a puppy is hiding just to the side of the door, holding a toy gun that shoots balls — just like the one Bluey fired at Bandit for much of the episode as they played a game she called "Surprise." Fans were quick to assume, considering the similarity in setup and Bluey's arrival, that this unnamed puppy was her kid. But this left a big unanswered question. Tweet may have been deleted Who did Bluey have a baby with?This is the query dominating BlueyTok at the moment. Fans are in two camps on the subject, using visual cues from the pup's appearance to make their arguments. The first camp is Team Mackenzie, pointing to a Border Collie pal from Bluey's school. Notably, the pup ready to ambush Bandit in "Surprise!" has one ear up and one folded, like Mackenzie. And the blocking of the pup's fur is similar. Plus, as Winton predicted in a past episode, highlighted by TikTok user AngieinSydney, "Oooooo Bluey's gonna marry McKenzie!" Tweet may have been deleted Take a look at Mackenzie in action. The other popular pick for the pup's papa goes back to a Season 1 episode called "Camping." That's where Bluey met a sweet French-speaking Labrador named Jean-Luc (not John Luke as some fans misspell!). In this episode, Bluey and Jean-Luc meet up by a creek for several days, playing games together happily — despite not speaking a common language. Bluey is sad when. without warning (well, not one she understands), Jean-Luc and his family pack up and leave. But at the episode's end, they reunite years later, when they both return by happenstance to the same creak, and he calls to her in English, "Hello, Bluey." Take a peak at "Camping" to get a sense of why some Bluey fans ship these pups. Do Bluey and Jean-Luc get married?That's what Team Jean-Luc is supposing from the look of Bluey's pup. On Tiktok, user Lori argues points out Bluey's baby doesn't have black and white coloring like Mackenzie. Instead, she and others on X / Twitter argue the pup's coloring is shades of bluish-purple that resemble Jean-Luc — who also has floppy ears. Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Some have even made fan art imagining what Bluey and Jean-Luc's pups would look like. Tweet may have been deleted But others are saying the show's creators have purposely left it ambiguous so that neither camp will be disappointed. Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Meanwhile, there are other theories, pitching alternative fathers and even adoption. Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Who's the father of Bluey's baby is in the eye of the beholder for now. No statement has been made from the show's creator, Joe Brumm. As to when the show might answer this question, that's even harder to determine. The series' future is undetermined, not due to a lack of popularity. The show, which was originally commissioned by Australia's ABC and the UK's BBC and airs in America through Disney+, has not yet announced Season 4. But considering the worldwide popularity of the brand, an abrupt ending seems unlikely. Talking to The Guardian, Brumm teased that the 28-minute episode "The Sign" might lead to a Bluey movie, saying, "I love the idea of doing something even longer, so we’ll see how this goes down. Maybe a movie, who knows? This is a good way to test the waters." Could the questions about Bluey's future be answered there? Mashable has reached out to Disney+ for comment. | ↑ |
 SAVE $45: Today, April 22, you can shop the GoPro Hero 11 for $254.99 at Amazon, saving 12% off the regular list price of $299.99. Whether you're a vlogger, content creator, or adventurer who loves capturing the thrills and highlights of your travels, a GoPro can be your go-to camera thanks to its hyper-smooth stabilization abilities and super-vivid imaging. Today, April 22, you can score the GoPro Hero 11 for its best-ever price of $254.99 at Amazon. Normally, the camera lists for $299.99. Today's limited-time deal saves you $45, which is 12% off. The first time we saw the price drop this low was for a short time back in March before it returned to $299.99. We don't know how long this deal is staying for, so we recommend taking advantage of it while you can. When you shop the GoPro Hero 11, the waterproof action camera comes with a flat adhesive mount for steady shots, high and low-profile mounting buckles that let you set the perfect angle, a charging cable, and a Hero 11 battery. The GoPro Hero 11 captures video in 5.3K resolution, which is 91% more resolution than standard 4K. With an 8:7 ratio, you can pack more of the scene in each shot, too. While GoPro has long been known for its time-lapse capabilities, the GoPro Hero 11 goes even further with three nighttime time-lapse features, including Star Trails, Light Painting, and Vehicle Light Trails modes. Start creating with the GoPro Hero 11 when you shop today's deal at Amazon. | ↑ |
Amazon deals of the day at a glance:
OUR TOP PICK
BEST SMARTPHONE DEAL
BEST INSTANT CAMERA DEAL
Kodak Mini Shot 3 Retro 4PASS 2-in-1 instant camera and photo printer
$119.98 at Amazon
(save $60.01)
 Surprise, surprise. Another week has brought us another batch of Amazon deals. While we aren't seeing any dramatic price drops as we would on a shopping holiday like Prime Day or Black Friday, we've still found a few sweet deals worth shopping on April 22. If deal hunting isn't your cup of tea, we've done the hard part for you. Here are the best Amazon deals of the day to kick off the week. Our top pickThe newest iteration of the Fitbit Versa, released in the latter half of 2023, is "an excellent fitness-focused smartwatch with welcome design improvements over the last generation," according to our friends over at PCMag (which is owned by Mashable's publisher, Ziff Davis). We haven't had a chance to review the Versa 4, but we did love its predecessor, the Versa 3. It's certainly not perfect, with limited access to apps and no ECG or stress sensors, but it does sport a larger selection of built-in fitness features, notable design and usability upgrades, and a more responsive touch screen. It typically retails for $199.95, but you can save $50 at Amazon as of April 22 and snag it for $149.95 — that's just $10 shy of its lowest price ever and only its second major discount this year. If your'e in the market for a new Android phone, Samsung's new Galaxy A35 5G is a solid choice. And through April 28, you'll get a free $40 Amazon gift card when you snag it. The budget-friendly Galaxy device was just released in the U.S. to offer Samsung lovers an alternative to the Galaxy S24. As a budget phone, it doesn't offer the same speed and performance as the S24, but it also doesn't cost over $1,000. It packs a gorgeous 6.6-inch display, Samsung's Exynos 1380 processor, a 50MP wide-angle camera with optical image stabilization, and a long-lasting 5,000mAh battery that supports fast-charging. It's not the most impressive phone on the market, but at just $399.99, its price is hard to beat — especially when you get a free $40 gift card to go with it.
Kodak Mini Shot 3 Retro 4PASS 2-in-1 instant camera and photo printer
$119.98
at Amazon
$179.99 Save $60.01 There's something so special about a printed photo of you and your friends and family. If you're a nostalgic person, an instant camera can really help bring your memories to light. The Kodak Mini Shot 3 Retro lets you print 3 x 3 inch photos on the spot for scrapbooking, framing, or sharing with friends. It features 4PASS technology, which results in high-quality, water-resistant prints; Bluetooth connectivity, so you can print from your phone; and Kodak app access, so you can add fun filters and frames before printing. It regularly goes for $179.99, but as of April 22, it's yours for only $119.98 — that's a savings of 33% and just $20 shy of its all-time low price. None of these deals catching your eye? Check out Amazon's daily deals for even more savings. | ↑ |
 UPDATE: Apr. 22, 2024, 10:50 a.m. EDT We've updated this post with the latest prices and deals you can grab on Earth Day 2024, including new finds from Sonos and Almond Cow.
A quick look at the best Earth Day deals on April 22
Best kitchen deal
Best self-care deal
Best tech deal
Amazon device trade-in deals
Save 20% on select Amazon devices and get a gift card when you trade in select devices
 Earth Day deals are a reminder of two things: that you could probably be doing more to minimize your personal impact, and that the government could definitely be doing more to minimize the dire impact of the few major corporations that are overwhelmingly fueling climate change. Earth Day 2024 (April 22) is particularly a big one because it falls in the middle of a major election cycle. There's one considerable free thing you can do: research the climate-related stances of candidates on your ballot and vote accordingly. When it comes to voting with your dollars, switching to chewable toothpaste from a jar over disposable plastic tubes or to laundry detergent sheets over disposable plastic jugs are quick, easy, sustainable swaps that are often cheaper around Earth Day. Plus, Earth Month is also a great time to recycle an old device you've been trying to replace. During all of April, Best Buy is offering extra discounts on tech items that you recycle in-store. For instance, recycling any old laptop or tablet unlocks an extra $50 off any Microsoft Surface device, combinable with any current discounts. Check out over 25 of the best Earth Day deals below as of April 22. Best kitchen and home dealWhy we like itA refreshing, fizzy treat on a warm day doesn't have to come at the cost of making an annoying trip to the store — or at the cost of a single-use plastic bottle (or six). Getting a SodaStream on your counter gives you the ability to turn plain water into virtually any flavor of sparkling water that you want. Flavor options include Pepsi, Mountain Dew, kombucha, and a ton of flavors from Bubly. More Earth Day kitchen and home dealsKitchen
Home
Best self-care dealWhy we like itYour toothpaste situation is a great place to start on your journey to be more eco-friendly at home. Bite's chewable Toothpaste Bits are a Shark Tank star that can virtually eliminate the plastic footprint of one of the most wasteful bathroom habits — and look way less crusty while doing it. Your chewable tablets arrive in a refillable glass jar and taste really good, all while avoiding potentially toxic additives typically found in traditional toothpaste. Besides its chewable toothpaste, Bite also offers bathroom swaps like zero-waste whitening kits and a refillable body moisturizer that ditches the plastic pump and adds ingredients like hyaluronic acid. More Earth Day self-care deals
Best Earth Day tech deal
Amazon device trade-in deals
Save 20% on select Amazon devices and get a gift card when you trade in select devices
Why we like itIn general, one of the best (and free) ways to be environmentally responsible is to avoid overconsumption. However, if you have old tech that's on the fritz or that you don't use anymore, trading in your device is one way to make sure it gets recycled or given a new life. Amazon's incentivizing customers to do just that this Earth Day, offering 20% off Amazon devices like Kindles and FireTVs and an Amazon gift card when you trade in old Amazon and non-Amazon devices, like cell phones and gaming accessories. More Earth Day tech deals
More miscellaneous Earth Day deals
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 On its surface, Episode 3's boat scene is defined by silence, but not lack of sound. The creak of the boat's wooden planks. The soft friction of fabric. The crinkling of a discarded paper bag. The gentle roar of a fire lit. Mashable Entertainment Editor, Kristy Puchko, takes us on an auditory journey to determine whether or not the mostly dialogue-free episodes of Ripley count as ASMR. | ↑ |
 Whether you need a tablet for school, work, or play, today's market has a model to fit every niche and budget type. From Amazon Fire Tablets to Samsung Galaxy models, today's deals help put the right tablet in your hands.
Today's best tablet deals at Amazon as of April 22:
Best splurge pick
Best everyday tablet deal
Best budget tablet pick
 As of today, April 22, Amazon is running limited-time deals on the Amazon Fire Tablets and Samsung Galaxy Tablets. Some of today's picks, such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE 10.9-inch 128GB Android Tablet, have even hit their lowest-ever price. Today, we've found a tablet deal to fit every budget type. Best splurge pickWhy we like itToday, you can score the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE (128GB) for its lowest price, putting $100 back in your wallet. While this tablet is the priciest model on today's list, it is an excellent investment for creatives and professionals who need a durable tablet that can multitask. With an 18-hour battery life and an S Pen that lets you sign documents, draw, and take notes by hand, this tablet has the stamina and special features to help you accomplish even your biggest projects. Best everyday tablet dealWhy we like itIf you're looking for an everyday entertainment hub, consider the Amazon Fire Max 11 Tablet. Its vivid, 11-inch display makes it a great pick for streaming videos, playing games, and taking video calls with family and friends. It's even certified for low blue light, so it's easier on your eyes. With a 14-hour battery life and a thin and light design, it also makes for easy travel. Best budget tablet pickWhy we like itWhile the Certified Refurbished Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus Tablet isn't the most sophisticated model on this list, there are plenty of reasons to choose this tablet. With an 8-inch display, it's more compact than the other picks, making it easy to take this tablet back and forth between work and home. At just $99.99, this tablet is budget-friendly, too. While we love the low price, what we love even more is that speed and durability aren't compromised. With an enhanced hexacore processor, this model is 30% faster than its previous generation predecessor. | ↑ |
 Just when we thought superhero fatigue had set in, here comes a full Deadpool & Wolverine trailer with Deadpool sticking a gun right to Wolverine's forehead, and the dude just grins in response. Last year was frankly hell when it came to the barrage of meh-to-bad live-action superhero movies that included Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3, The Marvels and The Flash. But 2024 is looking up. Yeah sure, Madame Web was weird and wonky, but it was different! This fall Joker: Folie à Deux is going full musical. But this summer, everyone's favorite merc with a mouth is back — and he's bringing his favorite X-Men member into the fray for another R-rated, action-packed, wildly inappropriate for kids romp? You had us at reuniting Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds (who previously played the characters in the rightly forgotten X-Men: Origins - Wolverine). Seemingly set before Logan — or maybe in an alt time-line — Deadpool & Wolverine has two of the most anti-social supes in the Marvel catalogue teaming up to Madonna. Naturally. As both heroes say in this NSFW trailer: "LET'S FUCKING GO!" Deadpool and Wolverine premieres in theaters on July 26. | ↑ |
 GET A FREE $40 AMAZON GIFT CARD: Order the Samsung Galaxy A35 5G A Series cell phone (128GB) for $399.99 and get a free $40 Amazon gift card.
Samsung Galaxy A35 5G A Series cell phone (128GB) + $40 Amazon Gift Card
$399.99
at Amazon
$439.99 Save $40.00 Getting a new cell phone can feel like a mixed experience. On the one hand, it's a fresh phone and likely comes with specs like a better screen and upgraded cameras. On the other hand, getting used to a new phone can be a bit of a drag. But thanks to today's deal at Amazon, getting a new phone comes with an extra perk that makes it all worth it. Until April 28, upgrade to an unlocked Samsung Galaxy A35 5G A Series cell phone (128GB) for $399.99 and get a $40 Amazon gift card for free. Both the lilac and navy colorways are eligible for this deal. If you're not interested in spending big bucks on the latest iPhone, the Samsung Galaxy A35 could be a great option at a more budget-friendly price. For starters, the Samsung A35 supports 5G networks for the speediest connections available. This deal extends to the 128GB model which means you'll have ample space for your favorite apps in addition to downloading every episode of your favorite show on Netflix. If 128GB doesn't cut it, there's room for 1TB of expandable storage. Samsung mentions the AMOLED screen on the A35 is the brightest screen in the Galaxy A Series that'll help out when watching your favorite show or reading emails while outside on the sunny days. If your last phone didn't hold up well in terms of durability, the Samsung Galaxy A35 aims to impress. With an IP67 rating, the phone is protected from water, dirt, and dust, so you'll be better equipped for any adventure. If it's time to upgrade your phone to a model that supports 5G or that's large enough to handle the countless photos we take everyday, now's a great time to snag the new Samsung Galaxy A35 for $399.99 which comes with a free $40 Amazon gift card you'll be able to use on a future purchase. | ↑ |
 Shortly after reducing the price of its cars in the U.S., Tesla has now dramatically reduced the price for the Full Self-Driving (FSD) package. The price for FSD on all variants of Tesla vehicles is now $8,000, down from $12,000, in the U.S. In Canada, which is the only other market where FSD is available, the price is now CAD $11,000. FSD is an optional set of features that gives Tesla cars several autonomous driving options, including partially autonomous navigating to destination, as well as stopping at stop signs and traffic lights. It was released as limited beta in Oct. 2020 and expanded to all interested Tesla owners in Nov. 2022. At launch, FSD cost $5,000, but the price was gradually increased until it peaked at $15,000 in Sept. 2022. 
That's a big discount.
Credit: Tesla
The price reduction for the permanent FSD activation follows a price cut for the FSD subscription option, which was recently slashed in half and is now $99 per month. The new FSD pricing actually makes a lot of sense, as it was hard to imagine someone dishing out $12,000 outright for something that can be had for a hundred bucks per month. In addition to the price cut, Tesla also simplified the FSD options by reducing the "Enhanced Autopilot" package, which was a sort of middle ground between Tesla's "Basic Autopilot" set of features and FSD. Customers who have previously purchased Enhanced Autopilot can now upgrade to FSD for $2,000, Teslarati reported. FSD is no longer in beta (it's now called FSD (Supervised)), but it still doesn't really fulfil the promise in its name, which is fully autonomous driving, instead requiring the driver to be attentive and ready to take over at all times. Elon Musk keeps promising massive improvements on that front; while the system is constantly tweaked, it still appears to be far from being completely capable of driving on its own. The changes come after a challenging couple weeks for Tesla, in which the company reported weaker-than-expected vehicle deliveries, cut more than 10 percent of its workforce, and recalled all of its Cybertrucks. | ↑ |
 The Rabbit R1 shook up the tech world as it hit the scene with a bright orange chassis and a promise to save us from the chaos of navigating countless apps. If you don't know what the Rabbit R1 is, or why the internet is going crazy over the device, it's an AI assistant that can fit in your palm. However, what makes it different from ChatGPT and Gemini is that it's designed to take action on your behalf. For example, ChatGPT and Gemini can answer, "What's the best pizzeria in my area?" However, if you were to ask, "Can you place an order for a pepperoni pizza from this place?", you'd get the equivalent of a blank stare from those assistants. Conversely, in addition to an LLM (large language model), an LAM (large action model) underpins Rabbit R1. So if you were to ask it that same question, it would actually take action — and order it for you. I'll dive into the Rabbit R1's capabilities, but first, let's take a step back. Rabbit R1 priceThe Rabbit R1 is just $199, making it relatively inexpensive compared to other AI assistant devices (e.g., the $699 Humane Ai pin). Unlike the Humane Ai pin, the Rabbit R1 doesn't require a monthly subscription. Rabbit R1 release dateThe first batch of Rabbit R1 orders are expected to start shipping some time "around April 24." Rabbit is hosting a "pick up party" on April 23, allowing some buyers to grab their new Rabbit R1 at a location in New York City — but only if they RSVP'd in time. Tweet may have been deleted Rabbit R1 designThe Rabbit R1 is a compact, cute, pocketable gadget with a 2.88-inch screen. This bright-orange device is striking, featuring a rotating camera (i.e., the "Rabbit Eye"), an analog scroll wheel, and a push-to-talk button. 
Credit: Rabbit Inc.
If I were to get the Rabbit R1 in my hand, I'd instinctively want to play 8-bit games on it. It looks like a retro-esque handheld gaming device à la the Playdate, another brightly colored, squarish gadget. Rabbit R1 specsHere's a quick rundown of the Rabbit R1's specs:
Rabbit R1: 7 cool things it can doNow here comes the fun part. What, exactly, can the Rabbit R1 do? The list appears to be endless. 
Credit: Rabbit Inc.
However, based on the X account of Jesse Lyu, the CEO of Rabbit Inc., here are some of its most noteworthy capabilities. 1. Generate AI imagesLyu boasts that you can use Rabbit R1 to generate AI images (via Midjourney) without shelling out a monthly fee. Tweet may have been deleted 2. Identify objects and answer questions about themWatch Lyu point his Rabbit R1 at a pair of sneakers and ask who makes them. Tweet may have been deleted 3. Listen and summarizeLyu commands the Rabbit R1 to listen to his own lecture and summarize it an easy-to-digest manner. Tweet may have been deleted 4. Problem solving with the 'Rabbit Eye'In this mind-blowing use case, Lyu tells the Rabbit R1 that he's having trouble with his Nest thermostat — and the AI device proceeds to identify the issue. Tweet may have been deleted 5. Translate textWatch the Rabbit R1 translate text on a KitKit bar into English. This could be a useful tool for travel, particularly while visiting countries with languages that are foreign to you. Tweet may have been deleted 6. Order DoorDashPutting the LAM to the test, Lyu shows how the Rabbit R1 ordered KFC on his behalf. Tweet may have been deleted 7. Play musicThe Rabbit R1 can play music and podcasts via voice commands. Tweet may have been deleted And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Mashable will be at the Rabbit R1 pick-up party. Expect a review on the Rabbit R1 soon — we'll be testing how well these features work in the real world. | ↑ |
 TL;DR: JioCinema is offering free live streams of every IPL cricket match this season. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN. Cricket is such a divisive sport. Some dedicated followers of almost every kind of sport simply can't understand the appeal of the game. And then there are the cricket fanatics, who follow every form of cricket with a passion that's unmatched. The IPL might represent a sweet spot for both camps. It's got all the top players in one place, competing in a fast-paced form of the game surrounded by some of the most passionate fans in the world. The IPL is simply electric. If you're interested in watching the IPL 2024 for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need. What is the IPL?The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a men’s T20 cricket tournament first held in 2008. Since it's inception, it has quickly become one of the most popular sporting events in the calendar, with a host of stars taking part every year. Chennai Super Kings are the current champions, beating Gujarat Titans in the 2023 final. When is the IPL 2024?The 2024 Indian Premier League is the 17th edition of the competition. The tournament features 10 teams and runs from March 22 to May 26. How to watch the IPL for freeJioCinema is offering free live streams of every IPL cricket match this season in 4K resolution on its app. Users can select multiple camera angles, check live scores, stats, and even heat maps of IPL games. Games can even be streamed in 12 languages (including English, Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, and Bhojpuri). JioCinema is geo-restricted to India, meaning you'll be blocked if you attempt to access this platform from outside the country. Fortunately, you can bypass this online blockade with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in India, meaning you can stream with JioCinema from anywhere in the world. Unblock JioCinema to stream the IPL 2024 by following these simple steps:
ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free)
£82.82 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer free trials or money-back guarantees. By taking advantage of these offers, you can watch IPL live streams without committing with your cash. This is clearly not a long-term solution, but it does mean you can watch select IPL fixtures for free. If you want permanent access to free streaming platforms from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming sport is on sale for a limited time. What is the best VPN for streaming the IPL?ExpressVPN is the best service for streaming the IPL, for a number of reasons:
A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for £82.82 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. You can use that guarantee to recover your cash after watching the IPL. This is sneaky, but it works because ExpressVPN returns your cash without hassle. Watch the IPL 2024 for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN. | ↑ |
