The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you frequent your local deli.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games 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 today'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.

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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.

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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 categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Deli order

• Green: Reason

• Blue: iPhone features

• Purple: Jam

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Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Long sandwich

• Green: Pretext

• Blue: Smartphone photo editing options

• Purple: Jelly ___

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 today's Connections #1067 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Long sandwich: GRINDER, HERO, HOAGIE, SUB

• Pretext: ARGUMENT, BASIS, CAUSE, GROUNDS

• Smartphone photo editing options: ADJUST, CROP, FILTERS, MARKUP

• Jelly ___: BEAN, BELLY, DONUT, ROLL

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.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you're courageous.

Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: You've got...

The words are related to determination.

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Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe courage.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is What It Takes.

NYT Strands word list for May 13

• Nerve

• Spunk

• Gumption

• What It Takes

• Pluck

• Grit

• Fiber

• Heart

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Strands.

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you don't keep up with the latest trends.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today'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.

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 was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

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:

Drab.

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Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

The letter D appears twice.

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter D.

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 today's Wordle is...

DOWDY

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. Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Wordle.

We knew Elon Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI's co-founders would cause fireworks when it came to trial. When Sam Altman took the stand, as the OpenAI CEO did Tuesday at the federal courthouse in Oakland, California, we knew he'd face allegations of being less than truthful.

We didn't know, however, that Altman would deploy a memory of Elon Musk showing off his favorite memes, to surprisingly strategic effect. Or that a "crossed fingers" emoji would gain new meaning.

Or, in probably the most dramatic moment of the trial, Altman would be confronted over whether he lied to the Senate when he said he had no financial stake in OpenAI.

Here are the four most memorable claims in a most consequential day in court:

1. Musk 'demotivated' OpenAI — and wanted it for himself

Altman first faced friendly questioning from OpenAI's lawyers, which allowed him to present his side of the narrative. This was his opportunity to tell the story of the ChatGPT maker's crucial early years, and how Musk contributed — which is to say, how much of a threat Musk's participation was to the nascent nonprofit.

"I don't think Mr. Musk understood how to run a good research lab," Altman said. "He had demotivated some of our most key researchers." How? By getting his co-founders to rank them by their accomplishments — known in Silicon Valley as "stack ranking" — then taking "a chainsaw" to the lower-ranked researchers.

In other words, the same play Musk used at Twitter, before it was X, in 2023, and at DOGE in 2025 — a practice so linked to him, he was literally presented with a chainsaw. "That did huge damage for a long time to the culture of the organization," Altman added.

Despite Musk being a "fairly mercurial" co-founder, Altman said, he was also interested in securing OpenAI for himself — or his heirs. In one "hair-raising moment," Altman said, Musk mused on whether "maybe OpenAI should pass to my children" if he died.

2. Musk was more interested in 'memes' than OpenAI's future

Altman then testified that he kept Musk fully updated on the company even after Musk left in 2018. But Musk was far from concerned about how OpenAI would fund the massive compute required, Altman said.

Altman described a 2018 meeting with Musk about the Microsoft funding Musk now says he abhors. But at the time, Musk was unusually full of "good vibes," Altman said, and had "a long, long conversation showing us memes on his phone."

The court's stenographer evidently had a hard time understanding Altman's use of "memes," which led to one of the most unintentionally humorous moments of the trial:

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The aforementioned emoji followed shortly after, and it too has a surprising amount of bearing on this case.

Altman narrated an email he'd written to Shivon Zillis, a former OpenAI employee with whom Musk has a romantic relationship and two children, that shows he was concerned how Musk would receive the Microsoft investment.

"Hopefully it's easy," he told Zillis, adding "crossed fingers emoji" for emphasis. And if Altman is to be believed, it was.

But therein lies the question that dominated the afternoon in court: is Altman to be believed?

3. 'Are you completely trustworthy?'

That was how Steven Molo, Musk's attorney, opened his cross examination of Altman. "I believe I'm a truthful person," Altman responded.

Molo tried to nail Altman down on the objective truth of his trustworthiness. But Altman wasn't biting, sticking only to what he said he "believes" about his own statements.

Molo also tried to get Altman on the record about a devastating profile of him, written by Ronan Farrow in the New Yorker, the gist of which is that Altman is a serial liar who was fired by OpenAI's board in 2023 for that reason.

But Altman's lawyer objected, the judge sustained the objection, and Molo was only able to alert the jury to the article's existence.

4. Altman's OpenAI stake under scrutiny

Molo was more successful when he suggested that Altman was being slippery about his financial stake — and not just in OpenAI.

Musk's attorney showed a slide with a list of companies that OpenAI does business with and that Altman had investments in, including Reddit. Some of the companies were acquired by OpenAI.

But that suggestion of self-dealing paled next to what Altman admitted next, for the first time ever: he has equity in OpenAI, albeit an indirect stake via the Silicon Valley startup incubator he used to run, YCombinator.

As Molo and online observers were quick to note, that appears to contradict Altman's sworn testimony in the U.S. Senate in 2023. "I have no equity in OpenAI," Altman told GOP Senator John Kennedy, insisting that he was only "paid enough for health insurance."

At the time, Kennedy offered some friendly advice to help the apparently selfless OpenAI chief get his due. "You need a lawyer," he told Altman.

Given that GOP members of the House Oversight Committee just launched a probe into Altman's financial dealings, Kennedy's advice hits different in 2026. Even after this trial is over, Altman's lawyers will have their work cut out for them.

The Department of War (DOW) and the ODNI have begun a historic effort to review and release tens of millions of records regarding Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP). Watch the newly released videos of unidentified flying objects.

TL;DR: SignIt’s lifetime subscription is available for $79 (reg. $819), offering unlimited document signing, AI-powered field detection, and secure e-signature tools with no recurring fees.

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If you’ve explored e-signature platforms, you know subscription costs can add up fast. SignIt aims to stand out as a budget-friendly alternative to brands like DocuSign, and with this lifetime deal, you can get a lifetime SignIt subscription for $79 (reg. $819).

SignIt is built for anyone who frequently sends contracts, onboarding forms, agreements, or other paperwork that requires signatures. Instead of monthly fees just to keep workflows moving, this one-time purchase unlocks unlimited document signing and unlimited signers — no recurring payments required.

One of the more useful features is the built-in AI assistant, Nova, which automatically detects where signatures, initials, and dates should go within a document. That cuts down on the manual setup involved in preparing paperwork, especially if you’re handling a larger volume of files. It also helps simplify the signing process for recipients. Guided signing flows walk users through each required step, reducing missed fields and unnecessary back-and-forth.

SignIt goes beyond signatures with tools for creating reusable templates and customizable fillable forms. Drop in checkboxes, dates, or images, and let automated reminders nudge signers so files don’t gather dust in inboxes. Bulk sending and team permissions make it a smart pick for businesses and collaborative teams.

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Keeping projects in order across spreadsheets, chat apps, calendars, and task boards can get disorganized and cluttered fast — especially as deadlines creep up. Lyra Project Management is a tool that brings all of that together in one place, so teams can plan, track, and collaborate all in one place.

Right now, the Lyra Project Management Unlimited Plan is available for $99 (reg. $1,054). The lifetime subscription covers up to 10 users and supports unlimited projects, making it appealing to startups, agencies, freelancers, and growing teams looking to avoid another monthly software bill.

Lyra includes several ways to manage projects depending on how your team likes to work. You can organize tasks with Kanban boards, Gantt charts, calendars, spreadsheet-style layouts, or traditional lists. The platform also supports cycles and sprint planning, which are among its biggest differentiators for development teams and structured project timelines.

Beyond task management, Lyra includes built-in documentation pages, issue tracking, intake queues, and real-time syncing across users. Integrations with Slack, GitHub, and webhooks help connect existing systems instead of forcing teams to rebuild their entire setup from square one.

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Rather than charging per month or adding costs as your team grows, Lyra’s lifetime plan gives up to 10 users long-term access. For smaller companies or independent teams, that could add up to significant savings over time.

If your current project management setup feels scattered, or you’re tired of paying recurring fees, Lyra Project Management is available for $99 (reg. $1,054) with lifetime access.

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Updated at 3:57 p.m. CT: Spotify has confirmed the outage is resolved. The @SpotifyStatus account on X shared an update on Tuesday afternoon, stating that the service is all clear and thanking users for their patience. The company didn't explain what caused the outage, but directed users still experiencing issues to contact community support through email.

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You can read our original report below.

Spotify is down, and the company has confirmed it's working on the problem — though it hasn't said much beyond that.

According to the Spotify Status account on X, the music streaming service acknowledged user complaints about an app outage on Tuesday and said it was looking into the issue. Users reaching out to Spotify on X report login issues, long loading times, and black screens.

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Per DownDetector (which is owned by Mashable parent company Ziff Davis), Spotify outage reports began climbing around 12 p.m. CT before peaking roughly half an hour later at 12:35 p.m. CT.

No timetable has been given for when the app will be fully back up. We'll update this story as more information becomes available.

The timing for Spotify isn't ideal, as the company launched a new "Party of the Year(s)" feature on Tuesday morning. The wrap-up feature is part of the Spotify 20-year anniversary celebrations, and it presents users with their first-ever Spotify listen and other nostalgic highlights from their listening history.

This is a developing story...

TL;DR: Live stream Lazio vs. Inter in the Coppa Italia final for free on Mediaset Infinity. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Inter are fresh from securing another Serie A title, and now the attention turns to a potential double.

They face Lazio in the final of the Coppa Italia, a team they just beat 3-0 at the Stadio Olimpico. These teams will come together at the same stadium to fight it out for the trophy. It's going to be a fascinating contest between two talented squads.

If you want to watch Lazio vs. Inter in the Coppa Italia from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Lazio vs. Inter?

Lazio vs. Inter in the Coppa Italia final kicks off at 3 p.m. ET on May 13. This fixture takes place at the Stadio Olimpico.

How to watch Lazio vs. Inter for free

Lazio vs. Inter in the Coppa Italia final is available to live stream for free on Mediaset Infinity.

Mediaset Infinity is geo-restricted to Italy, 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 Italy, meaning you can unblock Mediaset Infinity to live stream the Coppa Italia for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Lazio vs. Inter in the Coppa Italia for free by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Italy

4. Visit Mediaset Infinity

5. Watch Lazio vs. Inter for free from anywhere in the world

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Credit: ExpressVPN

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The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the Coppa Italia without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Lazio vs. Inter in the Coppa Italia before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for Mediaset Infinity?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on Mediaset Infinity, for a number of reasons:

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A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream Lazio vs. Inter in the Coppa Italia final for free with ExpressVPN.

Amazon has long been known for fast delivery speeds, but for certain products in certain cities, that speed just got a lot faster.

On Tuesday, Amazon announced a wide rollout for Amazon Now, a new service that aims to get products to consumers in 30 minutes or less. Right now, Amazon Now is widely available in four metro areas: Seattle, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Dallas-Fort Worth. By the end of the year, Amazon plans to expand service to "dozens" more markets, including Minneapolis, Orlando, and Phoenix.

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"Amazon Now is for when you need or want the convenience of getting your Amazon order delivered in 30 minutes or less,” Amazon executive Udit Madan said in the press release. “With thousands of items available for ultra-fast delivery, you can get everything from groceries for dinner, to AirPods before a flight, to household essentials like laundry detergent or toothpaste delivered right to your door.”

As of right now, Amazon Now is mostly focused on things that people might need in a hurry. This includes produce, dairy, and eggs, baby supplies, and even alcohol "where permitted." The service is also available 24 hours a day in most markets. And while you don't need a Prime membership to use Amazon Now, it's heavily geared toward Prime members. Prime users pay only a $3.99 delivery fee, while non-Prime members pay $13.99.

Amazon tested an early version of Amazon Now in the Seattle and Philadelphia markets late last year. Apparently, the company was encouraged enough by both customer response and the effectiveness of its infrastructure to make this more widely available. It will be interesting to see how dedicated grocery delivery services like Instacart respond to this.

Meta made millions off of scam ads specifically targeting seniors, according to a new report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH).

The tech watchdog found that Meta was failing to curb malicious Medicare-related advertisements, which earned the platform $14.3 million in ad revenue in 2025. Such advertisements included false promises of "free benefits" for Medicare recipients, AI-generated celebrity deepfakes, and fake enrollment deadlines. They predominantly targeted Facebook users aged 65 or older, primarily in Texas and Florida.

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CCDH looked at 90,000 ads in Meta's ad library taken out by 30 known Medicare scammers, resulting in 215 million impressions across Facebook. According to the company, this figure is "six times the reach of all previous years on record combined." Scammer accounts had, on average, 151 ads removed by Meta. According to CCDH, "By the time those ads were removed, they had already generated 72 million impressions and earned Meta $3.7 million. Removed ads were replaced with near identical copies. Disabled accounts launched new ones."

"Scammers are determined criminals who use increasingly sophisticated tactics to defraud people and evade detection on our platforms and across the internet," Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said in a statement to NBC News.

"We aggressively fight scams on and off our platforms because they’re not good for us or the people and businesses that rely on our services. We removed over 159 million scam ads last year alone — 92 percent of which we took down before anyone reported them — launched new tools to protect people, and partnered with law enforcement around the globe to disrupt these criminals."

Over the last year, Americans have reported losing billions to fake scam ads across the larger internet. The FTC reported that 30 percent of Americans who fell victim to financial scams were targeted on social media, resulting in $2.1 billion in losses in 2025.

A recent report by Reuters found that Meta was earning around $7 billion in annualized revenue from scam ads, often referred to as "high risk" advertising. Internal documents showed the company expected to earn 10 percent of its 2024 ad revenue — or $16 billion — from "ads for scams and banned goods."

A class-action lawsuit based on the Reuters investigation was filed against Meta in April. The complaint alleges Meta intentionally charged "high risk" advertisers more money, and thus earned more profit, while failing to address user fraud reports and relying on ineffectual scam-fighting tools.

"These allegations misrepresent the reality of our work and we will fight them," Meta said in a statement to Mashable at the time.

Google I/O 2026 takes place on May 19, but today, Google hosted a livestreamed warm-up event called The Android Show: I/O Edition. As you might have guessed, it's mostly focused on Android news.

In the past, Google I/O was focused on new Android developments. Now, Google gets that stuff out of the way a week in advance, clearing the decks for Gemini and artificial intelligence to take center stage at I/O.

Much of what was shared at The Android Show was fairly small and incremental, but between a new Google laptop brand and some useful-sounding Gemini features, there's some meat to chew on here. So, let's dig into everything we learned at The Android Show.

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The Android Show: I/O Edition's biggest announcements

Here's what stood out the most from The Android Show.

Meet the Googlebook

Here it is. Credit: Google

Certainly, the biggest announcement of the show was Googlebook, a new class of laptops from Google and its hardware partners, including Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Acer. We got only the briefest glimpse of the hardware itself, and Google opted not to share release windows or price points at The Android Show. At its core, Googlebook seems like Chromebook for the Gemini generation.

Google's big innovation with Googlebook is Magic Pointer, a new AI-powered mouse cursor. If you hover over something with Magic Pointer on a Googlebook, it'll suggest contextual AI actions for whatever you're pointing at. One example Google gave was the ability to hover over a date in an email and set up a meeting. You know, stuff you normally do with AI, but now built into your mouse cursor.

'Googlebook' rolls right off the tongue. Credit: Google

Credit: Google

Another neat feature is the ability to use apps installed on your Android phone right from the Googlebook itself. According to Google, this won't require any extra downloads or bad touchscreen controls, like Android apps on Chromebooks sometimes have in the past. That's nice.

Design-wise, the Googlebook will have a thin "Glowbar" on the back cover, which will light up with Google's logo colors.

Android Auto gets some improvements

Looks good! Credit: Google

If you have a modern car that's Android Auto-compatible, Google has built some swanky improvements into the experience for you. For starters, the Material 3 Expressive design language from your Pixel phone can now carry over to Android Auto, bringing your personalized color scheme and font choices with it, if you so choose. Users can also set custom widgets on the display to check the weather or open the garage door.

Beyond that, Google has updated Google Maps within Android Auto to give it a more three-dimensional view of the area around you. It can even tell which lane you're in, which could be handy. Google has also added full HD, 60 frames per second video support via YouTube to supported vehicles. Like other cars with video functionality, this only works while parked. Videos will automatically transition to audio-only once the car is set to drive.

Lastly, Google has brought some helpful contextual Gemini features to Android Auto. You can use voice commands to order food through DoorDash, use the Magic Cue feature from recent Pixel phones to draw in relevant information when someone asks you a question via text message, and more.

Gemini Intelligence comes to Android

Over the course of the rest of 2026, Google will roll out some new "Gemini Intelligence" features, which are meant for "the latest Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel" devices coming this summer. Other devices, like cars, watches, laptops, and smart glasses will also get these features as the year rolls on.

Gemini Intelligence features largely seem to streamline things you could already sort of do with AI, giving the AI even more power to automate multi-step tasks and understand context. For instance, you can use Gemini Intelligence to automatically find a good spot in an upcoming spin class or find a tour on Expedia based simply on a photo of a travel brochure you showed the AI agent.

Other nuggets include Rambler, a new speech-to-text tool that removes filler words like "um" and "like" from your prompt. Google says it can even handle switching languages mid-sentence. This should allow users to speak more conversationally when talking to Gemini. Another new feature is the ability to have Gemini automatically fill out long forms for the user on mobile.

Last but not least for Gemini Intelligence is the ability to build custom widgets using Create My Widget. Google claims you can use natural language voice prompts to have Gemini build a custom on-screen widget with the information you want. This will be fascinating to test out as new Pixel devices roll out this summer.

Pause Point gives you time to reflect

Take a pause. Credit: Google

One small but potentially meaningful new Android feature is Pause Point. How this works is that you mark apps that you find yourself using too much as distracting, and when you try to open them, Pause Point will stop you for 10 seconds. During that time, you can reconsider opening the app, and Pause Point will even suggest other, more productive apps you could open instead. This should automatically be turned on for all social media apps.

New tools for creators

Later this year, Pixel devices will get a new creator-focused feature called Screen Reactions. It records your face and what's on your screen, so you can react to whatever you're looking at without having to do any video editing at all. Instagram is also adding features exclusive to new Android devices. You can capture and play back content in Ultra HDR, and videos have built-in stabilization tools now, too.

The Instagram Edits app for Android is also getting a boost. You can use AI to automatically upscale content and use sound separation tools to weed out any unwanted background noises from your videos. Last but not least for creators, Adobe Premiere is coming to Android later this year, complete with exclusive templates for YouTube Shorts.

Chrome for Android gets a boost

Finally, Google is adding some more Gemini support to the Chrome app for Android mobile devices. This includes Nano Banana support built right into the browser for image generation, so if you're studying for an exam and you want to turn a page you're reading into a more visually appealing infographic, you can do that, at least in theory.

Google says you can also use SpotHero to automatically find a parking spot based on a ticket for a show you've bought, and use the Gemini icon in the upper right corner of a webpage to summarize the page.

Want to learn more about getting the best out of your tech? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories and Deals newsletters today.

UPDATE: May. 12, 2026, 2:26 p.m. EDT This article has been updated with additional news from The Android Show event.

eBay's board of directors has formally rejected GameStop's unsolicited bid to acquire the e-commerce company, bringing an unceremonious end to one of the stranger corporate stories of the year.

In a press release issued Tuesday morning, eBay's board called the proposal from GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen "neither credible nor attractive," citing concerns about GameStop's financing plan, the operational risks of a combined company, and questions about GameStop's own governance and executive incentives.

The rejection letter, signed by eBay board chairman Paul Pressler, was unambiguous. The board said it had considered eBay's standalone prospects and concluded that the company was better positioned on its own, with a clear strategy and management team already in place.

For anyone who has been following this saga, eBay's skepticism was entirely predictable.

GameStop, the mall-based video game retailer that became a legendary meme stock after a Reddit-fueled short squeeze in 2021, announced on May 3 that it was making a surprise bid to acquire eBay at $125 per share — a 46 percent premium over eBay's closing price on Feb. 4 — valuing the deal at approximately $55.5 billion.

GameStop's answer to acquiring a company worth nearly five times as much involved a combination of its $9.4 billion in cash and liquid assets, up to $20 billion in third-party financing from TD Securities, and GameStop common stock for the remaining balance. The company had also quietly accumulated a 5 percent stake in eBay in the months prior to the announcement.

The financing math left analysts unconvinced, and CEO Ryan Cohen did little to help matters. In a now-viral CNBC interview, Cohen was repeatedly pressed on how GameStop would get to $55 billion and repeatedly said he didn't understand the question.

When Mashable reached out to GameStop for clarification, the company responded by sending a link to Cohen's pinned post on X, in which he wrote, "selling stuff on eBay to pay for eBay." He subsequently posted that his personal eBay account had hit its $50,000 monthly listing limit and had been permanently suspended, at which point he announced on X that he was on the phone with customer support. It was, in the words of our own reporting, leaning into the spin.

As for what GameStop planned to do with eBay if it actually got it, the pitch centered on using GameStop's roughly 1,600 remaining retail locations as physical hubs for authentication, intake, and order fulfillment. Which is plain terms, means trying to compete with Amazon. A tactic eBay had already tried to do a decade prior. Part of the company's recent resurgence has been its shift back to being an online marketplace for buying collectibles and antiques.

eBay, for its part, had no prior contact with GameStop before receiving the unsolicited proposal and had indicated it would review whether the bid constituted an actionable offer. As of this morning, the board has made its answer clear.

Welcome to the world, Googlebook. Google announced the new eponymous category of AI laptops at the Android Show: I/O Edition on Tuesday. Think of it as the lovechild of a Chromebook and a Copilot+ PC, Microsoft's term for AI-designed Windows laptops.

"Over 15 years ago, we introduced the Chromebook, a laptop built for a cloud-first world," Google Senior Director Alex Kuscher said in a blog post. "Now, as computing shifts from an operating system to an intelligence system, we see an opportunity to rethink laptops again."

When the first models are released in the fall, Googlebooks will run Android apps like Chromebooks, but they'll place a heavier emphasis on features powered by Gemini, Google's AI assistant. Kuscher said Googlebooks are "the first laptops designed from the ground up for Gemini Intelligence."

The Googlebook will let users create their own widgets with AI. Credit: Google

It also sounds like Googlebooks will have a different operating system, one that's not ChromeOS. Google hasn't specified which one, just that it'll be "a modern OS that’s designed for Intelligence," wrote Kuscher. He's almost certainly talking about Project Aluminum, Google's rumored ChromeOS x Android mashup.

Chromebooks have been gaining more integrated AI tools in recent years, so it makes sense that Google is finally going full-send on proper AI PCs. Whether consumers actually want them is another story.

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Googlebook features

The Googlebook's 'Magic Pointer' in action. Credit: Google

Googlebooks will support a "Magic Pointer" cursor feature that uses Gemini to understand and act upon onscreen content. You can activate it just by wiggling your cursor. "Point at a date in an email to set up a meeting, or select two images — like your living room and a new couch — to instantly visualize them together," said Kuscher, describing two hypothetical use cases.

Googlebooks will also have a "Create your Widget" tool that lets the user make custom widgets with Gemini prompts.

Google said the new laptops will integrate seamlessly with Android phones. While they can run Android apps themselves, you can also cast apps onto them from mobile devices without needing to download anything. Additionally, a "Quick Access" feature lets you view and search files on your phone right from a Googlebook.

Stay tuned for Googlebook hardware deets

A Touch ID-like key on an unreleased Googlebook laptop. Credit: Google

Google is just teasing Googlebooks for now, so we don't have any concrete spec details or launch dates. But we do know they'll have a characteristic "glowbar" lightstrip on their lids, and that the first models will be made by Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, and Lenovo, per the announcement blog post. Kuscher goes on to note that "Every Googlebook will be built with premium craftsmanship and materials, coming in a variety of shapes and sizes."

Credit: Google

Credit: Google

Google's press materials also describe Googlebooks as having a "Featherweight Design" with "Heavyweight Power," so I'm thinking they'll be mid- to upper-range ultraportables.

Googlebooks will almost certainly be more expensive than most Chromebooks, which themselves have evolved from budget devices to more premium machines in recent years. The highest-end Chromebooks now sit between $750 and $1,000.

UPDATE: May. 12, 2026, 1:07 p.m. EDT This story has been updated with additional photos.

SAVE $50: As of May 12, the Shark TurboBlade bladeless tower fan is on sale for $199.99 at Amazon. That's a 20 percent drop from its usual $249.99, marking a new record-low sale price.

Shark TurboBlade Fan

$199.99 at Amazon
$249.99 Save $50

 

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Think back to last summer: Did you have trouble sleeping, working from home, or simply existing because it was too damn hot? Don't wait for the next heat wave to find a solution. Just grab the beloved Shark TurboBlade tower fan while it's on sale for $199.99 at Amazon. That's its lowest sale price to date.

For what it's worth, we'd be recommending the TurboBlade even at full price — it didn't receive a Special Mention in Time's Best Inventions of 2025 award list for nothing. The TurboBlade fan doesn't just oscillate a few inches to the left and right like your average tower fan. Its claim to fame is the ability to swivel 180 degrees horizontally and vertically to customize the perfect airflow angle (perhaps you'd want it horizontal over your bed at night and vertical in a hot kitchen while you're cooking). Airflow from the vent at the end of each arm can also be adjusted independently of each other. Choose from 10 speeds and noise levels with the tiny magnetic remote that sticks on the fan itself.

Mashable contributor Lauren Allain got a ton of use out of the TurboBlade at home: "I hate a hot room when working out, but it’s not worth turning down the central heating for my 30-minute rowing session since that would cool the entire house. Instead, I carried the TurboBlade Cool + Heat with me, positioned it in front of the rower, and took off on my workout in cooling bliss.

Plus, the wind made my stationary rowing machine feel a lot more like I was actually out on the water and not stuck working out inside, thanks to December rain."

Note that the model on sale today is the TurboBlade fan without the heat setting that Lauren tested, though their physical designs are nearly identical. Skipping the heater part will save you $180 over the TurboBlade Cool + Heat, which is currently going for $379.99 at Amazon. You could also buy two Shark TurboBlades for the same price as Dyson's cheapest bladeless fan.

SAVE $34.99: Pre-order the Google Fitbit Air at Amazon for its list price of $99.99 and get the Active Band for free, which usually costs $34.99. The release date is set for May 26.

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Credit: Google

Fitbit Air + Active Band

$99.99 at Amazon
$134.98 Save $34.99

 

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Last week, Google introduced us to the Fitbit Air, the latest in the lineup of Fitbits. But this one focuses on being lightweight and unnoticeable to wear. It even has a screen-less design. The watch it set to release on May 26 and pre-orders at Amazon are in for a special treat.

As of May 12, pre-orders at Amazon for the Google Fitbit Air come with a free Active Band which usually sells for $34.99.

If you've been thinking about getting a new fitness tracker, consider getting the latest release from Fitbit. It's the brand's first screen-less tracker (think Whoop design) and it comes with plenty of great features. Maybe best of all, it's under $100, which is nearly unheard of in the world of fitness trackers.

Thanks to Amazon's preorder offering, you can get the Fitbit Air with its included band and get a free silicone Active Band. This band will be ideal for workouts, swimming, or showering with the watch on since it's waterproof. Keep in mind this deal gives a free Active Band in a small size which is designed to fit wrists with a circumference of 130 to 175 mm.

If you'll need the larger size, consider pre-ordering from Google. You can buy the watch for the normal $99.99 price and Google will toss in a free $35 Google Store credit which you can use to purchase an additional band.

Before the watch launches on May 26, pre-order with the benefit of getting a free Active Band. It'll be a great start to life with a new fitness tracker.

SAVE $300: As of May 12, get the Acer Predator Helios Neo 18 gaming laptop for $2,399.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $2,699.99. That's a discount of 11%.

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Credit: Amazon

Acer Predator Helios Neo 18 gaming laptop

$2,399.99 at Amazon
$2,699.99 Save $300

 

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Building a gaming PC these days can be expensive. If you need an upgrade to enjoy some of the bigger titles coming out in the second half of 2026, you might want to turn to a gaming laptop instead. And we've found a fantastic option that's on sale right now if you're ready to dive in.

As of May 12, get the Acer Predator Helios Neo 18 gaming laptop for $2,399.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $2,699.99. That's $300 off and a discount of 11%.

This laptop is powered by an Intel Core Ultra 9 processor and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPU, so it's primed and ready for you to jump in and play the latest games. It has 32GB of DDR5 RAM, a 2TB Gen 4 SSD, and an 18-inch screen that's large and in charge with a 16:10 aspect ratio and 240Hz G-Sync ability. In short, it's a bad boy that you'll be able to rely on to play new and old favorites.

These specs offer desktop-level performance in a compact package. It's AI-ready, and DLSS 4 compatible, with ray tracing support powered by the RTX 50 series. It supports Wi-Fi 6E so you can stay connected when it counts, and it has a customizable complete LED keyboard with a numpad to help make it feel like "yours".

This is a powerful laptop that's well worth picking up, even without the discount, so grab it while the deal is sweetened and you'll be ready to game all this summer and beyond.

A quick look at deals from Home Depot's Decor Days sale

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Mattress deals

save up to 50%

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Patio furniture and fire pit deals

save up to 30%

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Mirror and wall decor deals

save up to 50%

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Area rug deals

save up to 50%

Shop Now

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Outdoor power tools

save up to 50%

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We must prioritize giving ourselves something to look forward to in Times Like These — even if that "something" is a squiggly wall mirror or desperately-needed new patio furniture. Home Depot's Decor Days sale is live through May 13 for your spring home refresh urges, offering up to 50% off in nearly every home category you can think of.

• Tableware and barware — up to 25% off

• Closet organizers — up to 30% off

• Patio furniture and outdoor fireplaces — up to 35% off

• Living room furniture — up to 40% off

• Area rugs, including washable rugs and outdoor rugs — up to 50% off

• Artificial plants — up to 50% off

• Bedding — up to 50% off

• Mattresses — up to 50% off

While not officially part of the Decor Days sale, there are a ton of deals on power tools live through the end of May 12.

One thing that jumped out at us: If the Netflix documentary about microplastics freaked you out, there are a ton of non-toxic home swaps baked into these Home Depot deals. We found 100% cotton sheets and comforters, affordable natural fiber rugs, and a big stainless steel cookware set on sale.

We have a feeling you'll end up finding inspo for more rooms than originally planned, so good thing just about everything has free delivery.

SAVE $7: As of May 12, get the Acer Wireless Gaming Headset for $35.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $42.99. That's a discount of 16%.

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Credit: Amazon

Acer Wireless Gaming Headset

$35.99 at Amazon
$42.99 Save $7

 

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If you play a lot of online games, a headset is essential. You'll want to make sure you're able to answer and chat with your teammates, no matter whether you're in a co-op adventure or a deathmatch. We found one that's not only affordable, but features great sound and microphones for chatting with the folks you're playing with from Acer.

As of May 12, get the Acer Wireless Gaming Headset for $35.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $42.99. That's $7 off and a discount of 16%.

This gaming headset comes with 2.4GHz wireless connectivity for seamless, low-latency audio under 15ms. You'll get 3D stereo, precise sound field positioning, and more all in a modest package, all for under $50.

It features 50mm dynamic drivers for deep bass and satisfying sound with a 20Hz - 20kHz range, with immersive audio to make you feel like you're really inside of your favorite game. That can help you pinpoint audio from enemies or teammates who think they're flying under the radar.

Its noise-canceling microphone can cut out noise from wherever you are and whatever you have going on in the background, with a 270-degree adjustable boom and one-tap mute button. Plus, you can leave it on and keep gaming as long as you want with up to 100 hours of battery life, and a 10-minute charge offering a 3-hour top-up.

If you've been looking for an affordable new headset, this is an excellent option to go with. Be sure to grab yours while it's still on sale.

The price hike on the Nintendo Switch 2 we all anticipated was made official earlier this month. Customers in the U.S. will now pay $50 more for the console ($499.99 instead of $449.99) starting later this year. So, if you're already going to have to dish out more money, you might as well get a free game out of it, right?

Launching in early June, participating retailers will be offering a new Nintendo Switch 2: Choose Your Game Bundle for $499.99 (the same price as the console alone will soon be). The bundle includes the Nintendo Switch 2 system along with a download code for your choice of one of these titles: Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, or Pokémon Pokopia. These games cost $79.99, $69.99, and $69.99 respectively.

Nintendo says you'll be saving up to $30 on these games by snagging the bundle, but after the price hike goes into effect, you'd essentially be getting a game of your choice for free. This could be the perfect way for you to finally play the Switch 2 game that you can't stop thinking about (it's Pokopia, isn't it?).

Folks on Reddit are calling the bundle a "smart move" by Nintendo to ease the blow of the price hike. And I can't say they're wrong.

"Offer start date and end date varies by retailer," Nintendo said in the press release. The only details we have are that the bundle will launch in early June and be available for a "limited time" from participating retailers. We'll certainly be keeping an eye out for it in the next few weeks.

Crisis averted?

Edtech giant Instructure, maker of the popular learning management system (LMS) Canvas, announced that it made a deal with the hacking collective known as ShinyHunters to safeguard the user data the group stole during the recent Instructure data breach.

According to Instructure CEO Steve Daly, ShinyHunters has agreed not to release the stolen data taken in the breach and will not extort any of Canvas's users.

Instructure had its systems breached not once but twice by the hacking collective known as ShinyHunters over the past two weeks. On April 30, the cybercriminals said they were able to extract data belonging to 275 million Canvas users at nearly 9,000 schools worldwide. The affected users included students, teachers, and staff, and the data included usernames, email addresses, student IDs, and private messages exchanged on the platform. Some of Instructure's impacted users are underage students.

Then, in a second incident last week, ShinyHunters defaced the Canvas login pages for numerous schools due to a weakness in the platform's Free-For-Teacher accounts. 

The data breaches resulted in Canvas being taken offline multiple times. What's worse, these incidents happened to coincide with finals week for many schools, and the platform downtime resulted in some educational institutions having to reschedule tests and coursework. 

ShinyHunters had threatened to release the stolen data if Instructure did not "negotiate a settlement" and pay a ransom by May 12.

Instructure and ShinyHackers strike a deal

On Monday, Instructure announced that it had struck a deal with ShinyHunters, seemingly giving in to at least some of the hackers' demands.

"We know that concerns about the potential publication of data related to this incident remain top of mind for many customers," Daly said in a statement posted to the Instructure website. "We understand how unsettling situations like this can be, and protecting our community remains our top priority. With that responsibility in mind, Instructure reached an agreement with the unauthorized actor involved in this incident."

Instructure said the agreement with ShinyHunters required that the hackers return the stolen data. The company also said that it received "digital confirmation of data destruction" in the form of shred logs. 

Finally, the company says it received an agreement from ShinyHunters that individual customers will not be extorted with the stolen data from the Instructure breach. The Canvas-maker says that the agreement that the company made with the hackers "covers all impacted Instructure customers."

"There is no need for individual customers to attempt to engage with the unauthorized actor," Instructure said in its statement.

Instructure didn't share details regarding any sort of monetary arrangement with ShinyHunters. The company also acknowledged that the deal was struck with a party that cannot necessarily be trusted and may not hold up their end of the deal.

"While there is never complete certainty when dealing with cyber criminals, we believe it was important to take every step within our control to give customers additional peace of mind, to the extent possible," Daly said. "We continue to work with expert vendors to support our forensic analysis, further harden our environment, and conduct a comprehensive review of the data involved. We will continue to provide updates as that work progresses."

Instructure says that students, teachers, and other customers affected by the breach can visit the incident response page for further updates.

SAVE $209.65: The DJI Osmo 360 Essential Combo is on sale at Amazon for $389.35, down from the list price of $599 at DJI. That's a 35% discount that matches the lowest we've seen at Amazon.

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Credit: DJI

DJI Osmo 360 Essential Combo

$389.35 at Amazon
$599 Save $209.65

 

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The best time to start something new is right now. Today will never return and if you've been thinking about getting creative with capturing content, filming a project today is a great way to jump in. Of course, tomorrow is also an option. To give you an extra push, check out this creator-friendly deal at Amazon.

As of May 12, the DJI Osmo 360 Essential Combo is on sale at Amazon for $389.35, marked down from the list price of $599 at DJI. That's savings of $209.65 from a nice 35% discount that matches the lowest we've seen at Amazon.

DJI has long been a creator-favorite brand and the DJI Osmo 360 camera has impressive performance. It can film in full 360-degree footage with 8K resolution. It weighs only 183 grams which works out to about half a pound, so it's highly portable. Inside, it has 105GB of built-in storage and it can record for up to 190 minutes before needing a recharge.

DJI worked to make this model especially good for filming at night or in low-light situations. SuperNight mode activates a 1.9 aperture for better footage in dim conditions.

The Essential Combo comes with the camera itself, a carrying case, two batteries, an invisible selfie stick, and more.

Before the record-low sale price vanishes, snatch up the DJI Osmo 360 Essential Combo. Amazon lists this as a limited-time offer so it could jump back to full price at any time. Get it while it's on sale and you'll have a new toy for summer fun.

SAVE $100: As of May 12, the Acer Nitro V 15 gaming laptop with and Intel Core i5-13420H processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 graphics, 8GB RAM, and 512GB SSD is on sale for just $699.99. That's 13% off its list price of $799.99.

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Credit: Acer

Acer Nitro V 15 (Intel Core i5-13420H, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD)

$699.99 at Amazon
$799.99 Save $100

 

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Looking for a gaming laptop that performs well, but won't cost over $1,000? Your search ends with this Acer Nitro V 15 deal.

As of May 12, the 2025 Acer Nitro V 15 gaming laptop with 8GB RAM and 512GB of storage is still on sale for just $699.99 at Amazon. That's $100 off its list price (about 13% in savings) and it includes a free month of Xbox Game Pass. While it's been chilling at this sale price for a week or so, it won't stick around forever. So if you're in the market, we recommend grabbing it sooner rather than later.

Consider this laptop your gateway into gaming. It's not a premium machine, but it handles the basics well at a budget-friendly price. It packs a 15.6-inch FHD IPS panel with a 16:9 ratio and speedy 165Hz refresh rate, as well as plenty of ports for your gaming accessories (HDMI 2.1, USB-C Thunderbolt 4, USB 3.2, Ethernet E2600). Under the hood, you'll find a Intel Core i5-13420H processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 graphics card, 8GB of DDR5 RAM, and 512GB of solid-state storage.

While it won't win any major awards, it's a great beginner-friendly option for those just getting their feet wet in the gaming world or a solid on-the-go setup for those on a budget. Mashable tested the previous iteration of this laptop and called it "arguably one of the best cheap gaming laptops you can get." Grabbing it for $100 cheaper than usual is honestly a steal.

SAVE $2,504.01: The Anker Solix F3800 Plus portable power station is on sale at Amazon for $2,294.99, down from the list price at Anker of $4,799. That's a 52% discount.

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Credit: Anker

Anker Solix F3800 Plus

$2,294.99 at Amazon
$4,799 Save $2,504.01

 

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Summer fun is just around the corner. Soon we'll be barbecuing in the backyard, spending the day at the beach, and going on hikes in the wildflowers. But if you live in an area that's prone to summer storms, you might be dreading the inevitable power outages. Instead of dealing with going off grid, upgrade your home's system with a portable power station. There's a major sale on a huge model today.

As of May 12, the Anker Solix F3800 Plus portable power station is on sale at Amazon for $2,294.99, down from the list price at Anker of $4,799. That's a 52% discount that saves shoppers a massive $2,504.01.

The Anker Solix F3800 Plus does not mess around with power. It comes with 3,840Wh of battery capacity and the ability to support a 6,000W output. Anker says this capacity is ideal for keeping the house on-grid for a day. If you're looking for more power, you can add up to six Anker Solix BP3800 expansion batteries to the mix which will keep things powered up for nearly one week.

If your home has solar panels, the Solix F3800 Plus is capable of connecting with up to 3,200W of solar power for recharging. That'll be excellent for summer storms that end with bright sunlight. The dual voltage 120V/240V means there are no limitations to what the power station can run in your house, from the refrigerator to the dryer.

Before this sale price disappears, get support for power outages with the Solix F3800 Plus. You'll be saving over $2,500 thanks to today's deal at Amazon.

SAVE $35.70: As of May 12, get the Magic: The Gathering Edge of Eternities - Play Booster Box for $129 at Amazon, down from is usual price of $164.70. That's a discount of 22%.

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Credit: Amazon

Magic: The Gathering Edge of Eternities - Play Booster Box

$129 at Amazon
$164.70 Save $35.70

 

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Looking for a way to add tons of new cards to your Magic: The Gathering collection, or need a quick way to build a deck? A booster box is where it's at. Right now, you can save big on one of the game's more recent expansions if you head to Amazon.

As of May 12, get the Magic: The Gathering Edge of Eternities - Play Booster Box for $129 at Amazon, down from is usual price of $164.70. That's $35.70 off and a discount of 22%.

This booster box contains 30 booster packs from the intergalactic Edge of Eternities collection, which marks the game's first space-centric set. It features a wide variety of spaceships, planets, exploration cards, and much more with gorgeous art you'll love straight out of a sci-fi novel.

Not only is the artwork based on jaw-dropping interplanetary ships and space-centric content, but this expansion adds four new mechanics to the game: Station, Warp, Landers, and the Void. Each Play booster comes with 1-4 cards of rarity Rare or higher, including a shining Traditional Foil card of any rarity in every pack.

So if you're looking for an economical way to add a mass of new cards to your stash or you want to build a new deck from scratch from a different expansion than, now's the time to jump on this deal. You never know when Magic cards are going to go on sale these days, and it's best to act quickly when they do.

Once again, Google is hosting a dedicated Android event ahead of its annual developers conference, Google I/O.

Google I/O 2026 is scheduled for Tuesday, May 19, but you can watch "The Android Show" livestream today at 10 a.m. PT. You can catch the action on YouTube.

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Vote for your favorite creator today!

In past years, the latest Android operating system updates were a major focus at Google I/O. But in the artificial intelligence era, Gemini and Google's other AI projects have taken center stage.

At last year's Android event, Google debuted Android 16 and its new Material 3 Expressive design language. It also showed off Wear OS 6, various Gemini device integrations, and introduced the Find Hub for finding misplaced items.

What's in store this year? Watch the livestream at 10 a.m. PT to find out. Mashable will be covering all of the biggest announcements, so come back for a breakdown on the latest Android news.

Want to learn more about getting the best out of your tech? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories and Deals newsletters today.

Project Hail Mary is the first movie to bring me to the theaters in an embarrassing amount of time. So long I'm not willing to disclose it on the internet. But I am so glad it's the film that brought be back to the theater because it was So. Dang. Good.

How to watch 'Project Hail Mary' at a glance:

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Rent or buy 'Project Hail Mary' on Prime Video

$19.99 or $24.99

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Watch now

Rent or buy 'Project Hail Mary' on Apple TV

$19.99 or $24.99

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---

Watch now

Rent or buy 'Project Hail Mary' on Fandango at Home

$19.99 or $24.99

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---

Watch later (potentially)

Amazon Prime trial

free for 30 days (save $14.99)

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Watch later (potentially)

MGM+ trial

Free for 7 days, then $7.99/month

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The book was a masterpiece and I'm happy to report that Drew Goddard's adaptation of Andy Weir's novel (of the same name) does it justice. Sure, it took some liberties with the story, but it makes for a faster-paced, more emotional journey. Plus, I'm not mad about a lot of the science babble getting cut.

It stars a witty, impeccably dressed Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace and an adorable rock spider alien named Rocky (voiced by James Oritz).

Project Hail Mary made its theatrical debut on March 20, 2026 and can still be seen in theaters across the country, but now the film is expanding its horizons and giving you another way to tune in. Here's everything you need to know in order to watch Grace and Rocky at home.

What is Project Hail Mary about?

Middle school science teacher Ryland Grace (Gosling) wakes up from a coma on a spacecraft (the Hail Mary) with no memory of who he is or why he's there. As his memory slowly returns, he realizes he's the sole survivor of a crew on a suicide mission to save Earth from alien microorganisms (astrophage) that are eating the sun's energy. Can his science skills and perseverance help him to save humanity?

Check out the official trailer below:

When will Project Hail Mary be streaming?

Amazon MGM Studios announced in mid-April that it was delaying the streaming release for Project Hail Mary and extending its theatrical run. The film even returned to IMAX theaters for a week to give audiences a chance to see the film in the way it was originally intended.

"We announced yesterday that MGM is extending the exclusive theatrical window for Project Hail Mary, so it won’t be on streaming anytime soon," Co-director Christopher Miller said in a post on X. "This is a movie that needs to be seen on a big screen...make plans to see it in a theater now! Bring friends and loved ones. It’s an experience to share with others."

It's not following the same theater-to-streaming trajectory as other Amazon MGM films, but I can see why. This is also completely new territory for the studio. The highest-grossing film for Amazon MGM ever and the second highest earner for 2026 as a whole, it appears the studio is waiting as long as possible before debuting it on streaming.

However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. While it won't be hitting streaming services quite yet, you will be able to watch it at home if you purchase or rent it on digital.

How to watch Project Hail Mary at home

Credit: Amazon MGM Studios

Buy or rent it on digital

Project Hail Mary officially made its at-home debut on digital retail sites like Prime Video and Fandango at Home on May 12, 2026. You can rent it for a slightly lower cost or buy it forever for a little more at any of the retailers below. With rentals, you'll have 30 days to watch and just 48 hours to finish watching once you begin.

• Prime Video — buy for $24.99, rent for $19.99

• Apple TV — buy for $24.99, rent for $19.99

• Fandango at Home — buy for $24.99, rent for $19.99

• Google Play — buy for $24.99, rent for $19.99

• YouTube — buy for $24.99, rent for $19.99

Stream it on Prime Video or MGM+ (at a later date)

When Project Hail Mary finally does arrive on streaming is anyone's guess, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say it could arrive in mid June (at the earliest). However, like I noted above, this is unprecedented territory. The streaming release could be pushed back even further. We'll update this story when we find out more.

Another thing to note is that it could make its streaming debut on either MGM+ or Prime Video. Previous Amazon MGM Studios films like Challengers and Blink Twice graced MGM+ first before finally expanding to Prime Video. It seems unlikely that Amazon would choose to debut its biggest movie ever on its smaller, niche streaming service, but we wanted to give you fair warning that it is possible.

The good news is that both Prime Video and MGM+ offer free trials if you're a new subscriber. If you're not currently a Prime Video or Prime subscriber, then you can sign up for a 30-day free trial to Amazon Prime. That goes for brand new subscribers and those returning to Prime after some time away. MGM+ offers users a free seven-day trial to kick things off, then goes for $7.99 per month or $5.17 per month if you sign up for a whole year.

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Credit: Prime Video

Amazon Prime monthly subscription

free 30-day trial, then $14.99 per month

Get Deal

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Credit: MGM+

MGM+

Free 7-day trial, then $7.99 per month

Get Deal

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Credit: MGM+

MGM+ add-on via Prime Video

Free 7-day trial, then $7.99 per month

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OnlyFans performer Lily Phillips exploded online after posting her pornographic video of sleeping with 101 men in one day and starring in a subsequent YouTube documentary about the stunt in 2024. Now, Phillips is a tabloid sensation, making headlines about faking a pregnancy and getting a boyfriend like any other influencer would. Between late Nov. and Dec. 2024, her name was Googled 6.4 million times, according to Google Trends.

Being an adult creator mixes something she really enjoys — sex — with creativity, Phillips told Mashable in an interview. "It was something I just really wanted to do," she said. "I knew it was something that was just for me." 

And she makes money from it. A lot of it. 

While Phillips was tight-lipped about a typical month's earnings, she did share that her biggest month pulled her in $800,000 following the shoot with 101 men.

"What's not to love?" she asked.

Phillips's profile has risen at the same time as a moral panic against porn, both stateside and in the UK, where she resides. 

For years, adult content creators like Phillips have been pushed off mainstream social media platforms. More recently, with the enactment of age-verification laws in many states and in the UK, access to explicit content has become more restricted; if a porn site complies, visitors must submit proof of age, be it a government ID or a facial scan. This has also occurred with content that's not at all explicit but deemed potentially harmful to minors, like a Reddit forum to help people stop smoking. 

For Phillips, who mainly uploads content on her OnlyFans account, porn allows her to be creative and make the content she wants (within the OnlyFans guidelines, of course). 

"For me, I see it as a real art," she said. "And it sounds silly, but I really…get to create my own art every day."

"I wasn't very good at school. I'm not great academically or anything like that. So to find something that I excel in feels amazing," she continued.

What people get wrong about Lily Phillips

There are many misconceptions about sex workers out there. The ones Phillips has heard about herself include that she's money-hungry ("No, I just do something that I enjoy and love") and that she has an "evil demeanor" ("No, none of this is evil or necessarily wrong…I'm just putting my art out there for people to also enjoy").

She also sees how she's treated differently from men in the adult industry. One of the most-asked questions she received is what her parents think. "And if the male porn star [were sitting] here," she said, "is that the first question you would ask him?"

There's an idea of "ownership" when it comes to women, Phillips said, like her parents somehow own her. "No, this was just a choice I made on my own when I was an adult," she said. 

She herself is open-minded about other people's perspectives, so she finds it sad that others aren't the same way. "When someone's made their mind up, and they think they know everything about you and your job, it can be quite frustrating."

She'd love to sit down with someone who is anti-porn and hear why they're against it, and destigmatize the industry for them.

Phillips is also a supporter of the Online Safety Act, the UK's age-verification law that went into effect in July 2025. 

"There's nothing worse than…someone underage seeing my porn," she said. She first saw porn at 11 years old, and thinks the thought of someone underage seeing it is gross. 

Early studies about age-verification laws, however, suggest that they don't work to keep minors off porn sites due to software like VPNs and non-compliant websites. Many instead urge for device-level filters, which free speech advocates say don't infringe on adults' rights. Last week, Pornhub announced it's live in the UK again following the implementation of such a filter on iOS 26.4 devices; it previously blocked itself due to the Online Safety Act.

Phillips is also a proponent of more sex education and media literacy in schools. She mentioned that young men could watch porn and think that sex is like this in real life. As an adult, you come to learn that porn isn't like how everyone has sex, but that's not the case when you first become sexually active, she said. (Though some adults likely don't know this, either.)

Phillips told Mashable she hasn't seen her income impacted by the Online Safety Act at all. That could be because OnlyFans requires a credit card to create an account, which is a form of age verification. But a preliminary study shows that other adult creators have experienced income losses due to these restrictions.

A typical day for Lily Phillips

Every day is "super different," Phillips said, but she gave an example of what she was up to the day of her Mashable interview. That morning, she walked her dog and filmed custom content for clients and social media content. 

After the interview, she said she had other calls scheduled, including video calls with clients. Then, she was going to wind down for the evening.

"Most people think it's a huge amount of sex, but I probably only really have sex with other creators once a week," she revealed. "People probably think I'm banging out every single day, but [I'm] really not."

As for porn studios, Phillips said she only works with them around once a month. She prefers her content to be exclusive to her OnlyFans, as she owns it herself. When she makes a video with a studio, "You sign that contract and they can sell [the video] when you're dead." Plus, studios don't pay as well. An industry professional told Mashable that the typical heterosexual scene pays around $1,200-1,600 for women and $700-1,000 for men. This can increase for specialized scenes or higher-profile performers.

Especially with OnlyFans, marketing and advertising are a huge part of getting an audience. OnlyFans itself doesn't have discovery functions, so creators need to go elsewhere, like social media, to find customers. So a lot of her time is spent creating social media content.

And it just so happened that days before Phillips spoke to Mashable, her Instagram account disappeared.

What happened to Lily Phillips's Instagram?

Phillips and her team confirmed to Mashable that her Instagram account was removed in early May. A Meta spokesperson told Mashable on May 11 that the account was removed in error and has been restored.

"A huge amount of industry girls are being deleted at the minute," Phillips told Mashable while the account was still down. This isn't too surprising, as more and more sex-related, LGBTQ, and reproductive health accounts are reporting that Meta is censoring them.

"We're really being discriminated against," Phillips said. "All my content is always in the guidelines. I really don't even show my ass cheeks or anything like that. I'm pretty strict."

Instagram is one of her biggest platforms that brings in OnlyFans subscribers, so if it remained down, it would've impacted her financially, she said. Her vlogging Instagram account with over 110,000 followers remained active while the main account, @lilyphillip_s, was down, but that's a small fraction of the 1.6 million following on her other account.

What's next for Lily Phillips?

In the immediate future, Phillips is appearing on the new Australian reality series Turned On: Dirty Sexy Money, which premieres at the end of May. 

Phillips sees herself as a workaholic, saying she sometimes doesn't sit back and take in how much she's made or the recognition she's received. But as the nature of content creators, adult and not, you can't just sit back on your laurels once you have an $800,000 month. If you want that to happen again, you have to work for it.

"Sustaining that can be quite hard," she said. Once you have a viral moment like Phillips did with 100 Men, she thinks about how she can top herself (figuratively) and keep doing better.

TL;DR: Amazon has the Magic: The Gathering Lorwyn Eclipsed Play Booster Box on sale for $119.95, down from its $164.70 list price. That saves you $44.75 on a 30-pack display, with each Play Booster including 14 Magic cards and one guaranteed traditional foil.

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Credit: Magic: The Gathering

Magic: The Gathering Lorwyn Eclipsed Play Booster Box

$119.95 at Amazon
$164.70 Save $44.75

 

Get Deal

Boxes for Magic: The Gathering expansions like Lorwyn Eclipsed have been bouncing around in the trading card market lately, but Amazon has dropped the 30-pack Play Booster Box back under $120. 

As of May 12, the Magic: The Gathering Lorwyn Eclipsed Play Booster Box is listed at $119.95, which comes out to just under $4 per pack. That’s 27% off its standard $164.70 list price, and these boxes are shipped and sold by Amazon directly.

If you don’t mind exchanging the convenience of Amazon for a few dollars in savings, you can get lower prices elsewhere. Walmart currently has the same box at $119.95, but TCGplayer is even cheaper with unopened listings as low as $108.95 shipped. 

This Lorwyn Eclipsed display includes 30 Play Booster packs. Each pack contains 14 Magic: The Gathering cards, with one to four cards of rare or higher rarity, three to five uncommons, six to nine commons, and one land. Every pack also includes a traditional foil card of any rarity, with a foil borderless mythic rare appearing in less than 1% of boosters.

Lorwyn Eclipsed sends Magic back to the plane of Lorwyn and Shadowmoor, splitting the set between eternal day and forever night. Expect Kithkin, boggarts, merrow, Elves, creature synergies, new and returning mechanics, and art that leans into the whimsical side of classic MTG.

Among other sets, Magic: The Gathering’s Strixhaven Play Booster Box is still on sale for below $140. For more fantasy-focused MTG, you can pre-order the Magic: The Gathering The Hobbit Play Booster Box for just under $210.

If you’re a Pokémon TCG fan, the newly-announced Pitch Black expansion — Booster Packs, ETBs, Display Boxes, and Booster Bundles — is available to pre-order at TCGplayer.

Want to learn more about getting the best out of your tech? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories and Deals newsletters today.

Spotify has just turned 20, and the company has a gift for you.

On Tuesday, the company launched a new feature called "Party of the Year(s)," an experience that gives you a quick trip down memory lane.

We won't spoil the surprise, but it's very similar to Spotify Wrapped, the biggest difference being that it spans your entire history on Spotify. At the end of it, you'll get a playlist featuring your all-time favorite songs on the service.

To check it out, go here and scan the QR code with your mobile device, or just go to spotify.com/20 on your phone.

By the way, we checked, and it isn't exactly Spotify's 20th today, at least not if we're talking about the music streaming service that launched in 2008. Spotify, the company, was however founded in April 2006, roughly 20 years ago.

Windows laptops aren't the only computers getting more expensive amid the global RAM shortage. Two PC makers just quietly raised the prices of their premium Chromebooks as well.

As of mid-May, two configurations of the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 and one variant of the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 were up to $250 pricier than they were at launch last year:

• Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 (MediaTek Kompanio Ultra 910, 16GB RAM, 256GB UFS) — was $749.99, now $999

• Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 (MediaTek Kompanio Ultra 910, 12GB RAM, 128GB UFS) — was $649.99, now $829.99 (but sold out)

• Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 (MediaTek Kompanio Ultra 910, 12GB RAM, 256GB UFS) — was $699.99, now $749

A second configuration of the Acer model has remained steady at $799.99 since its release in September 2025, though it was out of stock at the time of writing.

Lenovo and Acer haven't formally announced these price changes, which were first reported by the tech site Chrome Unboxed. Mashable reached out to both companies and will update this story if we hear back.

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Both Chromebooks are best-in-class machines (we've tested them), but they were already costly at their original MSRPs. The now-$999 Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14, in particular, is impossible for me to recommend at full price despite its beautiful OLED display and peppy processor. An on-sale M5 MacBook Air is a vastly smarter buy.

If nothing else, these Chromebooks make Apple's new budget laptop, the Mashable Choice Award-winning MacBook Neo, look like even more of a bargain at $599 (or $499 for education buyers). But it might not be available at that price for much longer.

The Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 is a really nice Chromebook — but for $999, just get an on-sale MacBook Air. Credit: Sarah Chaney / Mashable

A surge in RAM and SSD demand for AI data center construction has led to a shortage of those components, driving up prices for the chips themselves and, by effect, the consumer electronics that require them. The RAM crisis has gotten so dire lately that scammers have started selling fake RAM modules, and it's expected to get worse next year.

In April, Microsoft announced price hikes of up to $500 for its Surface Laptops and Surface Pro convertibles, blaming "recent increases in memory and component costs" in a statement to Windows Central. Meanwhile, the modular PC maker Framework has adjusted its RAM and SSD prices every month since December. Most recently, it told customers that it's seen some stability this spring, but cautioned that it's likely just "a temporary reprieve."

For its part, Apple has been largely immune to "RAMageddon" so far, though it discontinued the cheapest configuration of its Mac mini desktop computer earlier this month. The base MacBook Neo might soon suffer the same fate, according to tech analyst Tim Culpan.

SAVE OVER $800: As of May 12, the LG 39-inch Ultragear WQHD OLED curved gaming monitor is on sale for $749.99 at Amazon, marking a new low price at the retailer.

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Credit: LG

LG 39-inch Ultragear WQHD OLED Curved Gaming Monitor

$749.99 at Amazon
$1,599.99 Save $850

 

Get Deal

Have you been thinking about upgrading to a new gaming monitor for your PC setup? Amazon is the place to look. The retailer has quite a few excellent deals available at the moment, including one standout offer on the sleek LG 39-inch Ultragear WQHD OLED curved gaming monitor.

As of May 12, Amazon has dropped the price of this LG Ultragear gaming monitor from $1,599.99 to $749.99. This is a massive 53% discount, and also marks a brand new low price for this monitor at the retailer. What better time to grab it?

And what an upgrade this 39-inch LG Ultragear gaming monitor is. It boasts a WQHD OLED display, which offers vibrant colors and contrast that makes your favorite games pop with astonishing picture quality, alongside an 800R curve to help you feel truly immersed in what you play. Plus, the screen has an anti-glare surface, so outside light and reflections won't get in the way of the action.

On top of that, it's also incredibly responsive, offering a 240Hz refresh rate and 0.03ms response time. It's also compatible with AMD FreeSync Premium and NVIDIA G-SYNC, so you won't have to worry about screen tearing while you play.

Amazon currently has it marked as a limited time deal, so this offer won't be live for long. Act fast to save big on the LG 39-inch Ultragear WQHD OLED curved gaming monitor.

Want to learn more about getting the best out of your tech? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories and Deals newsletters today.

TL;DR: Amazon has the Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Perfect Order Elite Trainer Box listed for $69.69, down from $84.99. That’s an 18% discount and puts the sold-by-Amazon listing back under $70.

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Credit: The Pokémon Company

Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Perfect Order Elite Trainer Box

$69.69 at Amazon
$84.99 Save $15.30

 

Get Deal

The Perfect Order ETB has been going up and down in price over the last few weeks, but ahead of Chaos Rising and Pitch Black dropping, more Pokémon sellers are listing product for under $70. 

As of May 12, Amazon has the Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Perfect Order Elite Trainer Box on sale for $69.69, down from its $84.99 list price. It’s sold and shipped by Amazon directly, with free delivery and Prime delivery depending on your location. That puts Amazon back in the sub-$70 bracket after briefly creeping higher.

Walmart is currently listing the same Perfect Order ETB for $68.95, which is technically a little cheaper. Over on TCGplayer, the main unopened shipped listing is $74, with a $74.77 market price and a $79.45 listed median. There are cheaper listings around, but some come with caveats, including one without booster packs.

Inside the ETB, you’re getting nine Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Perfect Order booster packs, one full-art foil Tyrunt promo card, 65 card sleeves, 40 Energy cards, a player’s guide, damage-counter dice, a coin-flip die, a plastic coin, a collector’s box with dividers, and a code card for Pokémon TCG Live.

Perfect Order is still the most affordable expansion compared to Ascended Heroes and Chaos Rising. If you want a 120+ card set well below $100, this is the best go-to available. 

If you are dead set on stocking up on all the latest Pokémon expansions, the Chaos Rising Elite Trainer Box is still available to preorder for under $120. Meanwhile, individual Perfect Order Booster Packs are also on sale at 13% off on Amazon. 

Although currently not available on Amazon, the Pokémon TCG’s newly announced Pitch Black expansion Booster Packs, ETBs, Display Boxes, and Booster Bundles are available to pre-order at TCGplayer.

Want to learn more about getting the best out of your tech? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories and Deals newsletters today.

The best wireless earbuds range anywhere from $10 to $1,000, especially if you're going for professional-grade studio earphones. And if you care about active noise cancellation, you can easily spend $300 — that's the price of peace and quiet. You can also get hyperspecialized models like sleep earbuds, bone-conduction earbuds for working out, and open earbuds for transparency.

In 2026, our top picks for earbuds are the Sony WF-1000XM6, Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd gen), and Panasonic Technics AZ100s, which provide outstanding sound quality and ANC. But keep in mind that these models will run you $299 to $329. While we stand by the value of everything on this list, we know that spending over $300 on a pair of earbuds is a lot to stomach. That's why we've also included more budget-friendly wireless earbuds under $100 that still deliver excellent performance.

Ready to start shopping now? Here are our favorite wireless and noise-cancelling earbuds as of May 2026.

Types of earbuds

There are two types of earbuds: wireless and wired. While those descriptors are self-explanatory, let's get into the specifics of both.

Wireless

Wireless earbuds connect to devices via Bluetooth for cordless usage. These earbuds range from $20 budget models to high-end models with active noise cancellation. While they don't require a wire to connect to a device, some wireless earbuds still have a wire that might go around the back of the neck to connect the buds.

While earbuds traditionally don't provide the passive noise cancellation of over-the-ear headphones, wireless models often feature ANC, which electronically blocks out background noise. With wireless headphones, you need to consider the battery life. Most models should have an eight-hour or more battery life before they need to be recharged.

Wired

Wired earbuds are the original model: two buds connected by a wire to your audio source. While they once felt high tech, they're pretty basic now. Wired earbuds with active noise cancellation are basically non-existent, and you won't find any on our list.

The biggest positive to wired headphones is that they don't need to be charged. They're a great backup option to keep in your bag in case your usual wireless headphones or earbuds run out of charge.

New additions to this guide

After extensive testing, Mashable Lead Shopping Reporter Bethany Allard rounded up the best sleep earbuds. You can read her full guide, but as of February 2026, we've added the Anker Soundcore Sleep A30 Special to this guide, which Allard says are the best sleep earbuds for most people. Also in February 2026, we added the Sony WF-1000XM6 earbuds as our top pick for the best overall earbud, and removed the previous generation, the WF-1000XM5, as the best Sony earbud.

As of August 2025, we also updated the best earbuds for working out to the Powerbeats Pro 2 and added the Shokz OpenDots One as the best open earbuds.

What are the best wireless Bluetooth earbuds?

If you're just looking for a pair of everyday wireless earbuds, all but one of the models in this guide will check that box. (We formerly included the Marshall Mode earbuds for folks who preferred a wired option, but have since removed them from our guide as the version we tested is difficult to find in stock these days.)

If you're looking for the highest quality wireless earbuds, you can't go wrong with the Sony WF-1000XM6, Bose QuietComfort Ultra, Apple AirPods Pro 3, and Panasonic Technics EAH-AZ100 earbuds, our most recent recommendation in 2026. Both of these wireless earbuds feature elite noise-cancellation, stellar sound, long battery life, and a comfortable fit for extended wear.

Still, this guide includes several other earbuds we stand behind. Apple users may prefer the AirPods Pro, while shoppers on a budget may prefer buds from Marshall or Anker Soundcore. If you need help picking the perfect pair, read on.

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you're stylish.

Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Quite the pair

The words are related to fashion.

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Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe an article of clothing.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Fancy Pants.

NYT Strands word list for May 12

• Gaucho

• Harem

• Palazzo

• Fancy Pants

• Toreador

• Sailor

• Tuxedo

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Strands.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you're an avid reader.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games 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 today'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.

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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.

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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 categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Large text

• Green: Religious sites

• Blue: Lengthy

• Purple: Money

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Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Substantial book

• Green: "Saint" cities

• Blue: "Long" things

• Purple: Currencies plus a letter

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 today's Connections #1066 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Substantial book: OPUS, TOME, VOLUME, WORK

• "Saint" cities: MONICA, PAULO, PETERSBURG, SALVADOR

• "Long" things: DISTANCE, DIVISION, JOHNS, WEEKEND

• Currencies plus a letter: FRANCI, RANDO, REALM, WONK

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.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Connections.

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you're never late.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today'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.

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 was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

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:

Tells time.

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Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

The letter C appears twice.

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter C.

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 today's Wordle is...

CLOCK

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. Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Wordle.

TL;DR: Amazon has the Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Chaos Rising Elite Trainer Box up for preorder at $119.45, putting it under $120 and about $15 over TCGplayer's current market price of $103.78. Walmart is also cheaper right now at $113.97.

Opens in a new window

Credit: The Pokémon Company

Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Chaos Rising Elite Trainer Box

$119.45 at Amazon

 

Pre-order Here

The Pokémon TCG Chaos Rising expansion has seen price fluctuations matching the likes of Ascended Heroes, but you can thankfully still secure the Elite Trainer Box at leading retailers for under $120. 

As of May 12, Amazon has the Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Chaos Rising Elite Trainer Box listed from $119.45, with free delivery shown for May 27-28. That lowest preorder is sold and shipped by Kings Games. BetterShopping4You has a $119.45 listing with free delivery shown for Saturday, May 30. 

Amazon comes with a premium compared to the two other key retailers in the space, but it is still a worthwhile price if you prefer sticking with Amazon for your trading card needs.  Walmart has the Chaos Rising Elite Trainer Box listed for $113.97 with free shipping, while TCGplayer's unopened presale listings start at $103.75

No matter where you buy from, the Pokémon TCG Chaos Rising Elite Trainer Box includes the following:

• Nine Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Chaos Rising booster packs

• One full-art foil promo card featuring Fennekin

• 65 card sleeves

• 40 Pokémon TCG Energy cards

• A player's guide

• Six damage-counter dice

• One competition-legal coin-flip die

• One plastic coin

• A collector's box with six dividers

• One Pokémon TCG Live code card

Launching May 22, Chaos Rising heads back to Lumiose City, where Mega Floette ex is turning the city into a disaster zone. Mega Greninja ex, Mega Pyroar ex, and Mega Dragalge ex are among the Mega Evolution Pokémon ex featured, giving collectors another Legends: Z-A-flavored expansion to chase. 

To make sure you’re stocked up after release, you can still preorder individual Pokémon TCG Chaos Rising Booster Packs for $12.99. As for currently available ETBs in the Pokémon TCG, the Perfect Order Elite Trainer Box is still on sale for under $70. 

Although currently not available on Amazon, the Pokémon TCG’s newly announced Pitch Black expansion Booster Packs, ETBs, Display Boxes, and Booster Bundles are available to preorder at TCGplayer.

Want to learn more about getting the best out of your tech? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories and Deals newsletters today.

Donald Trump's newly released UFO files not only glow with distracting X-Files energy but also the power of Céline Dion, according to Stephen Colbert.

The Late Show host unpacked the U.S. government's recent drop of "new, never-before-seen files" on unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs), a term Colbert described as "also my pre-show warm-up."

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"So, what's in these mysterious, top secret, super cool files?" asked the host. "For example, one of the astronauts [Alan Bean] from Apollo 12 reported 'flashes of light.' And we actually have footage of the astronaut describing what they saw."

Cut to the music video for Dion's eternal power ballad "It's All Coming Back to Me Now." "Thank you, Commander Dion," says Colbert.

And the Céline reaction videos do not stop there.

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Stephen Colbert's Late Show is coming to a close, and the guests appear to be getting more entertainingly chaotic every day.

Last week we had leg wrestling with John Krasinski, and on Monday we had Colbert interviewing all four other late night hosts that were in the Strike Force Five podcast — Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver — at the same time.

The result is as hilarious and ridiculous as you'd expect, with jokes and anecdotes gradually leading on to a game in which the hosts hold up paddles to vote for which one of them is most likely to do various things. Fallon and Colbert even share a brief kiss.

If you want to know when the last episode of the Late Show will air and how to watch it, we've got you covered.

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SAVE $350: As of May 12, the Roborock Qrevo S5V is on sale for $549.99 at Amazon. That's a 39% discount on the list price.

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Roborock Qrevo S5V

$549.99 at Amazon
$899.99 Save $350

 

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The Roborock Qrevo S5V is back on sale at Amazon. As of May 11, you can save $350 on this impressive model. It vacuums, it mops, and it navigates your home all by itself. Buy now for just $549.99 (down from $899.99).

This robot vacuum has a 12,000Pa HyperForce suction powered by a brushless motor. It can pick up dirt from all floor types, even stubborn dirt and pet hair. It includes a rubberised floating main brush and an arc-shaped side brush as part of an SGS-certified zero-tangle system intended to reduce hair getting stuck. It also uses a FlexiArm design with dual spinning mop pads rotating at 200 RPM, alongside a 10 mm mop lift to help prevent your carpets from getting wet.

It also comes with an all-in-one docking station where it empties dust into a 10-week storage bin. Here it also takes care of self-washing the mops, drying them, and automatically filling the water tank.

And you don't even need to tell it where to go. This robot vacuum uses structured light sensors to navigate around items like cables and furniture legs as well as the PreciSense LiDAR navigation which creates maps of your floorplan.

You can even choose between two colors, black and white, to better match your space. Get this robot vacuum deal at Amazon now.

SAVE $50: As of May 12, the Garmin Forerunner 165 is on sale for $199.99 at Amazon. That's a 20% discount on the list price.

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Garmin Forerunner 165

$199.99 at Amazon
$249.99 Save $50

 

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A good fitness tracker can make your runs feel easier and recovery feel more valuable. If you've been in the market for an upgrade, there's a great deal on the Garmin Forerunner 165 live right now at Amazon. As of May 12, you'll save $50 with the new price of $199.99 on both the black and whitestone colors.

As the name suggests, the Forerunner 165 is designed for runners. It includes many helpful features, including built-in GPS for tracking pace and distance, wrist-based heart rate monitoring, and much more. The 43mm screen is AMOLED, so the display is always bright and colorful. It's also controlled both by a touchscreen and the traditional button controls.

The battery life is great and ideal if you're wanting to hit longer distances. You'll get up to 11 days in smartwatch mode or up to 19 hours in GPS mode. And it's not just suited for running — there are more than 25 built-in sports tracking modes, including swimming, cycling, HIIT, and strength training.

This smartwatch also gives you a morning report with information such as how well you slept, your recovery time, training outlook, weather, and more.

Get this Garmin deal online at Amazon right now.

SAVE $70: As of May 12, the Roku 65-inch Smart TV is on sale for $379.99 at Amazon. That's a 16% discount on the list price.

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Roku 65-inch smart TV

$379.99 at Amazon
$449.99 Save $70

 

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The Roku 65-inch Smart TV is back on sale at Amazon, and this time it's down to its lowest-ever price. As of May 12, it's $70 off. That drops the price down from $449.99 to $379.99.

This smart TV has a QLED display and HDR10 support for enhanced color. It benefits from smart features like the Roku Smart Picture which automatically adjusts incoming signals and picture settings. The TV also includes access to Roku’s streaming platform, with over 500 free TV channels giving you live shows, movies, news, weather, and Roku Originals.

Not to mention, you'll also have easy access to a wide range of streaming platforms like Netflix and Prime Video. You can even personalize the home screen through customized app placements, making everyday use much easier.

It also supports voice control through Roku Voice, Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant. Just use the advanced voice remote which lets you use your voice to search through multiple apps at once and research queries online. It also has a lost remote finder function which lets you track its location in the Roku app.

You can find this TV deal at Amazon right now.

SAVE OVER $1,000: As of May 12, the Jackery HomePower 3600 Plus is on sale for $2,299.99 at Amazon. That's a 38% discount on the list price.

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Credit: Jackery

Jackery HomePower 3600 Plus

$2,299.99 at Amazon
$3,699 Save $1,399.01

 

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The Jackery HomePower 3600 Plus is back on sale at Amazon, this time with more than $1,000 off the list price.

If you're looking for a seriously reliable power unit that will see you through not just days, but weeks, don't miss out. As of May 12, this portable power station is currently down to $2,299.99 from the $3,699 list price. That's a 38% discount. The unit comes with two 200W solar panels, so you'll be able to keep it charged using solar power while off-grid.

The Jackery HomePower 3600 Plus is a portable power station with a 3,600W output. It supports dual voltage output of 120V and 240V in parallel and has a 3,584Wh capacity that can be expanded up to 21kWh per unit or 43kWh by adding multiple units.

It's a big purchase, but one that will last you many years. In fact, Jackery states it is rated for 6,000 charge cycles and a lifespan of up to 10 years, thanks to its high-temperature resistant ceramic membrane battery cells. It can cope with harsh conditions too, and has even been passed to operate in temperatures as low as -4°F.

This is a limited-time deal on the Jackery HomePower 3600 Plus at Amazon. Act fast to save big.

TL;DR: Unblock Pornhub for free with a VPN. The best services for unblocking porn sites from Australia are ExpressVPN and ProtonVPN.

The world of porn continues to be impacted by age-verification laws. Back in early 2025, more than a third of U.S. states introduced age verification laws for online adult content. Pornhub hit back by blocking users from those locations. A similar situation took place France and the UK, and now Australians are facing the same set of challenges.

The porn blocks arrived just days before new online safety codes came into effect, requiring organisations to verify the ages of users. It's the same story we've seen before, with the same straightforward workaround.

If you want to unblock porn sites like Pornhub for free from Australia, we have all the information you need.

How to unblock Pornhub for free in Australia

VPNs are tools that can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure servers in other locations. This process bypasses geo-restrictions so you can access sites like Pornhub from anywhere in the world.

Unblock Pornhub from Australia by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN or ProtonVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in a location that supports access to Pornhub

4. Visit Pornhub

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ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

$12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)

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Proton VPN (1-Month Plan)

$10.81 only at Proton VPN (with money-back guarantee)

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The best VPNs for unblocking porn sites are not free, but most do offer free-trial peiods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can unblock porn sites like Pornhub without spending anything. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you the opportunity to temporarily retain access to Pornhub before recovering your investment. The situation may have changed before the free-trial period comes to an end.

If you want to retain permanent access to sites like Pornhub, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for bypassing content restrictions is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for Pornhub?

ExpressVPN and ProtonVPN are the top choices for unblocking porn sites like Pornhub, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in locations all around the world

• Easy-to-use apps available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policies so your data is always secure

• Fast streaming speeds free from throttling

• Multiple simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantees

Unblock Pornhub for free in Australia with ExpressVPN or ProtonVPN.

TL;DR: The iPhone 17 is free right now with T-Mobile. To claim yours, simply switch and bring your number on an Experience Beyond or Better Value plan.

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T-Mobile: Apple iPhone 17 for free

 

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Leading mobile carriers are battling it out to offer you the most tempting deals. They all want you to make the switch, but right now, T-Mobile has gained the upper hand on the likes of Verizon and AT&T by dropping a free iPhone deal that doesn't require a trade-in.

For a limited time, you can claim the Apple Phone 17 for free when switching to T-Mobile and bringing your number on an Experience Beyond or Better Value plan. It's a straightforward offer that removes the trade-in barrier associated with a lot of these "free deals."

The iPhone 17e is also available for free with any T-Mobile plan (without a trade-in). For power users, the iPhone 17 Pro could be yours if you trade in your eligible phone in any condition on an Experience Beyond or Go5G Next plan. For all of these deals, you do need to pay taxes and a $35 device connection fee. There's the catch, but it's a small price to pay for a free iPhone.

The iPhone 17 is primed and ready to handle Apple’s most advanced AI features. In Mashable's review, Stan Schroeder said it's an "excellent phone that matches the iPhone Pro models in many ways that matter." According to our review, the camera is "almost as good as the one on the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max."

iPhone 18 announcements are still months away, so this limited-time T-Mobile offer is your best means of securing the latest iPhone tech at a low price.

Score the Apple iPhone 17 for free from T-Mobile.

Vacuum-turned-everything brand Dreame has dropped its version of a hack for living without a garbage disposal. That's how I'm framing electric countertop "composter alternatives" that are just drying and condensing food, not making actual compost. That doesn't mean these appliances are pointless — they're still a brilliant way to keep your kitchen from reeking of old food rotting in the trash. That's an especially big deal in a small space like my apartment, where I put use of my beloved Mill food recycling bin on hold to test the Dreame S25P Food Waste Disposer for two weeks.

Design and price: Smaller footprint, lower price than others

The Dreame food waste disposer is incredibly slim and delightfully chic. Not that competitors like the Lomi 3 or Food Cycler are eyesores — they're cute enough, but very much scream "I'm an appliance with a bucket inside." Dreame's machine is literally just a beige rectangle. I could see this minimalist color and shape combo alone being the deciding factor for aesthetic-minded shoppers who prefer countertop appliances to be as subtle as possible.

I played around with the Dreame disposer's placement to test its versatility in the wild. I originally set it up on the end of my kitchen credenza that sits opposite the wall of cabinets and appliances, then moved it to my last free slab of countertop.

I put a glass cutting board underneath to protect the wood. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

You need around 20 inches of clearance for the lid to fully flip open. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

For being an appliance, the Dreame disposer doesn't look obnoxiously appliance-y among the rest of my decor. If you're fully maxed out on counter real estate, it certainly has the curb appeal to chill in harmony on another more styled flat surface near the kitchen.

Overall, Dreame's design has a negligibly smaller footprint in cubic inches than the Lomi 3. But the unique way that the Dreame disposer is oriented makes it better suited for a tight squeeze. It's less than eight inches wide with an oblong design that runs perpendicularly to the counter, very similar to how a Ninja Slushi sits.

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But the smartest part of the design is that the control panel is on top at the front instead of on the side like the Lomi. If your only free counter space was a sliver beside your coffee maker or blender, you'd still have front-facing access to the button that opens the lid or starts a cycle. If you have empty space in a cabinet or pantry, you could technically store the Dreame disposer away until you need to use it. It obviously wouldn't be instantly accessible, so you'd have to remember to get it out before you're ready to dump something in it.

The temperature monitor switches to a countdown timer when a cycle is running. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

Sansa says, "Look how skinny this thing is! I barely fit!" Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

Speaking of remembering to open the lid before your hands are full, the Dreame SF25's lid opening process is oddly impractical. It goes into standby mode after a few minutes of no interaction, so you actually have to tap twice to open the lid: once to wake the device up, and then once to open the lid. The buttons are more like a touchscreen than physical, pressable buttons, and more often than not, I don't have a free finger. I'm either waiting to push plate scrapings in with a fork or am carrying a sink strainer full of soggy food, using the other hand to keep the juice from dripping on the floor. I really miss my Mill's presser foot in times like these.

I could also really do without the voice assistant narration between each step. For an appliance that claims to be "whisper quiet," which it genuinely is when running a cycle, it feels counterintuitive to loudly announce that "the device is now in standby mode," "the door is opening," and "the door is closed," every single time. I hope there's a way to disable that and I just haven't found it yet.

What can go in the Dreame food waste disposer?

Dreame's list of acceptable food waste includes fruits and vegetables, meat and fish, eggshells, nuts and grains, small bones, and fibrous foods. That's a pretty standard lineup for indoor food waste bins. I found it odd that Dreame doesn't officially green-light dairy in the list. I throw cheese in there, and it's been fine. It's probably milk or globs of yogurt that would mess with the bucket's interior mechanism.

This cycle had a mix of old fruits and veggies, stale chips, eggshells, and rice. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The end result looks like soil with some chunks sprinkled in. No, it doesn't stink. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

When thinking about who should buy one of these devices, residents of cities with mandatory food separation rules (like San Francisco, Seattle, and New York City) come to mind. The Dreame disposer would make the separation of daily food scraps a much less gross process, and again, its compact build feels ideal for small apartment living. When I lived in Brooklyn years ago and was trudging to a local compost drop-off with a dripping bag of melting frozen food scraps, I could have really used this damn Dreame machine.

If you are using an electric food waste condenser for collected curbside or community compost, you still have to follow the organization's rules of what can and can't go in. While NYC residents are allowed to toss meat, bones, and dairy into their curbside compost bins, many smaller community compost groups don't allow meat or dairy — the fat and protein in animal products attract pests to outdoor compost piles. That still applies to food waste in dried dirt form.

You'll barely know this thing is running

When enough scraps have piled up in the Dreame bucket, running a cycle is as easy as hitting start (there's just one setting). The stirring, drying, and grinding mechanism inside is legitimately inaudible, and shouldn't take more than six hours. At the end, you're left with a pile of dirt that's significantly smaller than the stack of food you started with. You can throw it in the trash if that's your only option. It'll take up less room and keep the bag smelling much fresher.

The bucket's spiral blades spin to stir and grind food scraps. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The charcoal filter neutralizes odor from the food sitting inside. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

My household of three took a few days to completely fill the bucket up the first time. The 2.5-liter capacity is smaller than most competing countertop devices, but not by an inconvenient amount. I've been inclined to run a cycle before the bucket is full, anyway. You can't smell a thing when the lid is closed, but things can get diabolical when it's opened.

One of my only bones to pick with this product is the fact that its Amazon listing calls it an electric composter. It's not. No microbes are involved, so no, it's not creating fertilizer for your garden. (Dreame's website does refer to the SF25 as a food waste disposer with an end result that is "suitable for direct compost.") But why try to be something it's not? Marketing it as a device that downsizes your kitchen trash could strike a chord with a whole new group of people who don't care about composting. I have hope in the "buying a food waste disposer for convenience purposes" to "giving a shit about the United States' serious food waste problem" pipeline.

Dreame SF25 Food Waste Disposer

$199.99 at Amazon
$229.99 Save $30

 

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Having spent time both in front of and behind the camera, Kelsey Impicciche has long perfected her content creation set-up.

The gamer and YouTube creator has amassed a following that numbers in the millions, having spent the past 12 years posting videos of herself playing The Sims, Animal Crossing, and more life simulator games to her channel under the handle @kelseydangerous.

Impicciche also worked at BuzzFeed for several years, where her breakout video on BuzzFeed's Multiplayer channel, "Single Girl Tries The 100 Baby Challenge In The Sims 4," has garnered 24 million views since it debuted in 2018. This past year, she added "author" to her resume thanks to the 2026 release of her debut novel, The Voice of the Ocean.

Impicciche's dreamy set-up includes two Alienware monitors. Credit: Kelsey Impicciche

To record audio, she uses a Shure mic pluged into a Zoom H6 audio recorder. Credit: Kelsey Impicciche

While she may have her go-to filming and streaming set-up now, that wasn't always the case.

"You don't have to know it perfect at the beginning. You learn by doing," says Impicciche.

Credit: Zooey Liao/Mashable/Amazon/Kelsey Impicciche

We chatted with Impicciche at BookCon to get a full rundown on her filming essentials, including the tech that can handle the heft of all her gaming needs.

Cyberpower PCs and Alienware monitors

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Cyberpower PC

From $903

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Alienware Gaming Monitor

$349.99 at Dell

 

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Before cameras, mics, and lights even come into the picture, Impicciche needs a PC.

"I need one that can handle The Sims, because it's a huge game," says Impicciche.

She uses two Cyberpower PC towers, which she mentions can be custom built online (her specific models are no longer available.) Also crucial to her streaming endeavors are Elgato capture cards.

For monitors, Impicciche uses two Alienware monitors, one standard and one curved.

Wired headphones

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HyperX Cloud III Headphones

$79.99 at Best Buy
$99.99 Save $20

 

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Logitech G735 Headphones

$149.99 at Amazon
$259.99 Save $110

 

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For simultaneously filming and gaming, a good pair of headphones is essential. Impicciche likes both the HyperX Cloud and Logitech G735 headphones.

Canon C100

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Canon C100 (Used)

$698.95 at B&H Photo and Video

 

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Whether she's streaming or filming, Impicciche uses the Canon C100 with a 24-70mm lens.

"This camera connects directly to my PC using another Elgato capture card and it's HDMI output," says Impicciche.

The C100 is no longer sold new, but it remains a widely beloved video camera and can be purchased used.

Zoom recorder and Shure SM7B Microphone

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Zoom H6 Essential Handheld Recorder

$329.99 at Amazon

 

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Shure SM7B Microphone

$395 at Amazon
$439 Save $44

 

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Impicciche's audio set-up includes a Shure SM7B microphone and a Zoom H6 audio recorder.

"My microphone is on a splitter so it feeds into the Zoom H6 for recording sound for video, but it also feeds into my audio mixer so I can use it for streaming."

Her audio mixer also connects to her streaming PC so she can adjust the sound of her game, personal audio, and music all on the same device. Currently, she uses the TC-Helicon GoXLR but wouldn't recommend it as the company is no longer supporting updates on the tech.

She also keeps a back-up microphone attached to her camera on the off chance her main microphone runs out of storage.

Elgato lights

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Elgato Key Lights

$359.98 at B&H Photo and Video

 

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Lighting is crucial for all content creators. While Impicciche thinks the best light for filming any type of content is a window with really good natural light, sometimes you have to fake it. For filming for YouTube or streaming, her set-up includes two key lights from Elgato.

Rode mic

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Credit: Rode

Rode VideoMic Me-C+

$79

 

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Not all of Impicciche's content requires the full set-up. For filming TikTok content, she gets it done with her iPhone and a Rode mic. The Rode VideoMic Me-C+ plugs directly into her phone so she doesn't have to worry about connecting wireless mics on the go.

The Milky Way's core doesn't look like the ancient stellar graveyard many astronomers once thought it was.

At the heart of a massive new survey from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers are mapping one of the most crowded regions in our galaxy. Early results from the project may help address a long-running debate about the age of the Milky Way's central bulge — the tightly packed region of space surrounding the galaxy's core.

For decades, many astronomers treated the bulge as a relic from the Milky Way's earliest years. Previous studies of star brightness and color placed most of its formation around 10 billion years ago. By comparison, our solar system formed just 4.6 billion years ago.

But newer research has complicated that picture. Some studies suggest a noticeable share of stars near the galactic center may be much younger — perhaps only 5 billion to 8 billion years old. If true, that would mean the Milky Way kept developing its central region far later than some scientists had ever imagined. If astronomers can determine when the bulge's stars formed, they can reconstruct how the galaxy itself grew and changed over time.

The Hubble survey will build a catalog of 20 to 30 million objects in this dense region, said Sean Terry, an assistant research scientist at the University of Maryland and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The team has published a paper on the Hubble survey in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Researchers designed the Hubble program to support the upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which will search the same region for planets using gravitational microlensing, a technique that detects distant objects by measuring how their gravity bends and brightens starlight. The Roman mission could launch as early as this fall. 

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"The main goal of these observations is to be able to identify objects that participate in lensing events during the Roman survey, catching them before they undergo the lensing event," said Jay Anderson, a co-author based at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Maryland, in a statement. "When, in a couple of years, an event happens during Roman's long stare at the field, we can go back and say, 'This was a red star, this was a blue star, and the event happened when the red star went in front of the blue star.'"

But the Hubble survey also stands on its own. It delivers one of the sharpest wide-area views ever captured of the Milky Way's crowded core, where dust clouds block much of the light and stars are so tightly packed that their images often overlap. By distinguishing those stars more cleanly, the survey allows astronomers to assemble a consistent catalog across 354 fields near the galactic center. 

Even so, conditions vary sharply throughout the region. In some fields, astronomers match thousands of stars to measurements from the Gaia spacecraft, a mission that tracked star positions and their motion across the sky. In others, dense dust blots out so much light that only a few hundred stars appear clearly enough for comparison.

The variation itself helps map the inner galaxy. It shows where dust obscures the view and where starlight passes through more easily. While Hubble sharpens the view of crowded stars, it cannot remove the effects of dust. That means there are still some patchy areas of the Milky Way's interior.

The Hubble Space Telescope reveals the Milky Way's crowded core in this 2018 image of the galactic bulge. Credit: NASA / ESA / Thomas Brown

Researchers expect future work from the survey to produce detailed maps of the interstellar dust in the galactic center, showing where starlight is blocked and where it shines. That will help astronomers trace how stars are distributed.

The Roman telescope will repeatedly monitor the same region and track changes in how stars move and brighten over time across millions of objects. By collecting Hubble images years earlier, astronomers effectively created a "before" snapshot of the galactic bulge.

That long time gap could help scientists measure how fast stars drift across the sky with unusual precision. It may also help them identify faint or otherwise hidden objects through their gravitational effects.

TL;DR: Get a lifetime subscription to Voibe for $49.99 (reg. $199) and turn your voice into text with fast, offline AI dictation

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Credit: Essence AI

Voibe Lifetime Subscription

$49.99
$199 Save $149.01

 

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Typing all day can drain your momentum, especially when you’re going from emails, notes, feedback, and long-form drafts. Ever wish your ideas could hit the screen as fast as you think them? That’s where Voibe comes in.

Right now, a lifetime subscription to Voibe is on sale for $49.99, down from $199, giving you a 75% discount.

Voibe is a Mac dictation app powered by OpenAI’s latest Whisper model, transcribing speech into text with impressive speed. Unlike cloud-based tools, everything happens locally, so your recordings won’t leave your device. That means less lag and more privacy, with words appearing almost as soon as you speak them.

Optimized for Apple Silicon Macs, Voibe works in nearly any app where you can place a cursor. The workflow is refreshing and simple: hold a key, speak, and release when you’re done. It also recognizes accents, conversational language, and technical jargon, making it a welcome change for anyone who found older dictation tools stubborn or “blah.”

Voibe claims users can type up to three times faster with voice dictation, which may appeal to writers, marketers, students, remote workers, or anyone handling text-heavy tasks throughout the day. It can also make prompting tools like ChatGPT or Claude feel more natural by letting you speak detailed ideas instead of typing them manually.

Another advantage is reliability. Since Voibe doesn’t require an internet connection, it keeps working even when Wi-Fi is unreliable or unavailable — useful for travel, coffee shop work sessions, or staying focused without browser distractions.

If faster note-taking or easier voice-to-text situations sound useful to you, the Voibe lifetime subscription is currently available for $49.99 (reg. $199) while the deal lasts.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Back in July 2025, when The Late Show was unceremoniously canceled, the end of an era of television that started in 1993 with David Letterman still seemed a long way away.

But now, quite suddenly, the time has come. The Late Show ends this month. Stephen Colbert will no longer be a daily late night staple, and — aside from co-writing a new Lord of the Rings movie — we don't yet know what the host plans to do next.

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So when exactly does The Late Show finish, and how much do we know about what the final episodes have in store?

When is Stephen Colbert's last Late Show?

The final episode of The Late Show will air on Thursday, May 21, Colbert confirmed to fellow late night show host Seth Meyers earlier this year. At the time of writing, that means we have just two weeks of shows left.

It's worth noting that this isn't just a case of Colbert himself leaving and being replaced, either — the entire Late Show is coming to an end.

How to watch the final Late Show episode?

The final episode will air at the usual time of 11:35 p.m. EST live on CBS. As always, for anyone who doesn't have CBS, videos from the show will be available on the official Late Show YouTube channel.

Which guests will be appearing?

We don't yet know which guests will be appearing in the final week of The Late Show (we'll update this article when we know more), but the lineup for the penultimate week has been revealed in a press release sent to Mashable. We've shared the full guest list below:

Monday, May 11

• The hosts of Strike Force Five – Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver

• A special Broadway performance featuring Annaleigh Ashford, Christopher Jackson, Bernadette Peters, Ben Platt, and Patrick Wilson

Tuesday, May 12

• Julia Louis-Dreyfus

• Pedro Pascal

Wednesday, May 13

• President Barack Obama takes “The Colbert Questionert”

• Tom Hanks

Thursday, May 14

• David Letterman

• Performance by The Strokes

Why is The Late Show being canceled again?

During an episode of The Late Show in July 2025, Stephen Colbert announced the show's cancelation, to a shocked reaction from the studio audience. Given that Colbert had just called out his own network for paying a $16 million settlement to Donald Trump, calling it a "big fat bribe", the timing seemed suspicious. But in a statement, CBS claimed the show was being axed for financial reasons.

"This is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night," CBS executives wrote. "It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content, or other matters happening at Paramount."

Needless to say, many — including some of Colbert's fellow late night hosts — didn't buy it, with critics pointing to the fact that CBS' parent company Paramount needed the Trump administration's approval for a proposed merger with Skydance at the time — and the U.S. president openly hates late night hosts who criticize him.

Many of us are trying to cut down on screentime. We’re Bricking our phones and re-learning how to be present, instead of mindlessly scrolling. But for most of us, streaming a classic movie, diving into a documentary, or rewatching a comfort show is not part of the digital detox. For that reason, we’re still (heavily) relying on a TV. But these days, you’re not tethered to a rectangular screen mounted to the wall. We have excellent projectors that offer awe-inducing displays. Most projectors also come with the benefit of being portable or at least easier to move with or pack along to a friend’s house. 

Hisense makes some of the best TVs for those who are looking for an ideal combination of quality at an affordable price. The brand’s lineup of projectors has grown in both numbers and impressive stats in the last handful of years. I’ll admit, after testing the Hisense M2 Pro 4K projector, I don’t think I can go back to a non-laser projector, let alone a TV. The display quality, portability, gigantic 200-inch display, and brightness in daylight have me smitten. Of course, it’s not perfect, but I’ll be hosting movie nights from now on because no one I know has the tech to replicate this experience.

Highlights on the Hisense M2 Pro 4K projector

When shopping for a projector, you’ll notice two options: laser and non-laser. The non-laser versions tend to be cheaper and modern models use LED technology. But if you’re seeking the sharpest display and the best color brightness, a laser projector is the way to go. The Hisense M2 Pro has a 4K display with a triple-laser RGB (red, green, blue) light source.

It's pretty cute for its power. Credit: Lauren Allain / Mashable

I tested the Hisense M2 Pro projector for months, in conjunction with a 100-inch Elite Screens manual pull-down projector screen. And yes, I did feel like a school teacher starting a lesson every time I unfurled it. However, if you don’t have a projector screen or a white sheet, Hisense says you’re still in good shape. The projector is designed to adapt to the projection surface, make color corrections, and still be able to produce accurate color reproductions. You might even be able to simply use your living room wall instead of messing around with a screen.

For those who like deeper details, here are some noteworthy specs of the Hisense M2 Pro 4K projector:

Specs:

• Size: 7.6 in.  x 8.6 in. x 9.1 in.

• Weight: 8.6 pounds

• Rated brightness: 1,300 ANSI lumens

• Light source: R+G+B triple laser

• Laser life: 25,000 hours

• Warranty: 1 year limited warranty

A gaming-worthy projector

Have you ever raced on Mario Kart’s Rainbow Road on a 200-inch display? I hadn’t either until testing the Hisense M2 Pro. Let me tell you about how much fun it is to have a Friday night four-person Mario party at 200 inches.

Reaching a 240Hz refresh rate and a low input lag of 12 milliseconds, gaming is awesome on the Hisense M2 Pro projector. For reference, you want at least a 120Hz refresh rate for a gaming-worthy TV, so the Hisense M2 Pro’s 240Hz is well above that threshold. 

The Hisense M2 Pro is not afraid of daylight

A common disadvantage of a projector over a TV is that projectors can struggle to produce a display that’s bright enough to view in daylight. Some projectors require you to draw the shades, pull blackout curtains over the windows, and turn off the lights. The Hisense M2 Pro is not one of those models. In testing, I was easily able to watch shows at 2 p.m. when I definitely should have been doing something more productive. 

The back-lit remote with quick access to focus is clutch. Credit: Lauren Allain / Mashable

The M2 Pro has a brightness rating of 1,300 ANSI lumens, and while there are brighter models on the market, I was never let down by the M2 Pro during daytime viewing. However, since my testing took place primarily in the winter months, it might not be the best picture for bright summer days, especially if watching something fast-paced like a soccer game.

You (and your projector) can get an invite to every movie night and binge session

The Hisense M2 Pro has a major focus on versatility that makes it suitable for tons of situations. It weighs a bit under nine pounds, so it’s no problem to carry it from room to room. It also comes packed into a cute little carrying case with a handle. Even when I was moving the projector from the basement up the stairs to the living room, I packed it into the carrying case, which not only adds to convenience but also adds protection. I’ve fallen walking up those stairs enough times to not find it wise to carry an unprotected projector in my hands. The lightweight nature paired with a case makes the Hisense M2 Pro an ideal model for taking over to a friend's house, packing along for the summer cottage trip, or taking outside for a movie night.

All packed up and ready to go. Credit: Lauren Allain

The power brick, remote, and projector all nestle into their respective areas for safer transportation. Credit: Lauren Allain

The projector comes with Hisense’s Smart TV system, Vidaa OS, already installed, so your apps are nicely organized. If you don’t like that option, you could connect a Google Streamer or Fire TV Stick to the HDMI port. There’s also a USB-A port, should you have movies or shows on a thumb drive.

The only small non-travel-friendly element I found when testing the Hisense M2 Pro is its power supply. Instead of using a standard USB-C cable for charging, it uses a power brick with a 19V power supply. You’ll have to pack that along for powering up the projector since there’s no built-in battery on the Hisense M2 Pro.

Oboard sound is impressive for a portable projector

Like many TVs, sound quality has been an issue with portable projectors. It often leads to a mismatched viewing experience where the display is massive in size and impressive in quality, while the onboard sound is pretty terrible. In my testing experience, I’ve almost always connected a projector to a secondary sound source, mostly my beloved Fender x Teufel Rockster Cross. But that wasn’t totally necessary with the Hisense M2 Pro. Its built-in dual 10-watt speakers have support for Dolby Digital and DTS Virtual:X, and the overall sound is not bad at all.

Port options include an HDMI, USB-A, and DC in. Credit: Lauren Allain / Mashable

You can also use the M2 Pro in Music Sharing mode, which essentially turns the projector into a Bluetooth speaker, pairing with a device to pump out the tunes. It’s not the best Bluetooth speaker I’ve ever heard, but it gets the job done without complaints.

Is the Hisense M2 Pro projector worth it?

I’d recommend the Hisense M2 Pro projector for anyone looking to break it off with a standard TV and go with a projector. The 4K triple laser display is excellent, the built-in stand is convenient, and the onboard speaker is decent enough that you’re not forced to connect to an external sound system.

It takes a bit to get used to the auto-focus and keystoning process, but that’s a minor adjustment. The tradeoff of gaining the ability to have a 65-inch display in a bedroom or a 200-inch display in the backyard is well worth it. Plus, the $1,300 price tag is competitive for a laser 4K projector. However, this isn’t the right model if you don’t have space to project a display of at least 65 inches. Any smaller and you’ll end up with a blurred display.

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OpenAI has launched Daybreak, a cyber defense suite of tools that uses the intelligence of the company's LLMs to find and remedy software vulnerabilities.

The company hasn't freely released the tools to everyone; instead, it'll be "working with (...) industry and government partners" as it prepares to deploy "increasingly more cyber-capable models" in the future.

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According to OpenAI, Daybreak combines the intelligence of OpenAI models (in particular, the new GPT-5.5) with the extensibility of Codex (OpenAI's coding tool). Partners can use Daybreak for "secure code review, threat modeling, patch validation, dependency risk analysis, detection, and remediation guidance."

Three models are offered at this time. The default GPT-5.5 model can be used for general purpose work. GPT-5.5 with Trusted Access For Cyber is for "most defensive security workflows," which includes secure code review, malware analysis, and patch validation. Finally, GPT-5.5-Cyber can be used for authorized red teaming, penetration testing, and controlled validation.

If this sounds familiar, you're thinking of Anthropic's Project Glasswing initiative and Mythos, an AI that's so good at finding software vulnerabilities that Anthropic has only given access to selected partners.

OpenAI did not publicly disclose pricing for Daybreak; those interested can contact the company's sales team for a quote. Several companies are listed as partners, including Cloudflare, Cisco, Oracle, and Akamai.

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, May 12, 2026:

Across

German for "Mrs."

• The answer is Frau.

Small stall at a mall

• The answer is Kiosk.

Bring to mind

• The answer is Evoke.

Surprised exclamations upon seeing mice

• The answer is Eeks.

Dramatic end to a World Cup game, for short

• The answer is PKs.

Down

Race that equates to 3.1 miles ... or a hint to one letter's frequent appearance in this grid?

• The answer is Five K.

Chess "castles"

• The answer is Rooks.

Poses a question to

• The answer is Asks.

Hawaiian stringed instrument, informally

• The answer is Uke.

Not go bad

• The answer is Keep.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to the latest Mini Crossword.

Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.

Released in August 2025, Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.

Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move on to the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.

How to play Pips

If you've ever played dominoes, you'll have a passing familiarity with how Pips is played. As we've shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don't necessarily have to match.

The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible — and common — for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.

Here are common examples you'll run into across the difficulty levels:

• Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.

• Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.

• Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.

• Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.

• Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.

If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.

Easy difficulty hints, answers for May 12 Pips

Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 3-2, placed horizontally; 4-4, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 4-4, placed horizontally.

Equal (1): Everything in this space must be equal to 1. The answer is 6-1, placed horizontally; 1-1, placed horizontally.

Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 3-3, placed horizontally.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for May 12 Pips

Number (12): Everything in this purple space must add up to 12. The answer is 3-3, placed vertically; 1-4, placed horizontally; 4-3, placed vertically.

Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 3-3, placed vertically; 6-2, placed vertically.

Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 0-0, placed horizontally.

Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 4-3, placed vertically; 3-5, placed vertically.

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 6-2, placed vertically; 2-4, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (5): Everything in this space must be greater than 5. The answer is 2-4, placed horizontally; 3-5, placed vertically.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for May 12 Pips

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 1-1, placed horizontally.

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 3-4, placed horizontally; 3-0, placed horizontally.

Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 3-4, placed horizontally; 2-0, placed vertically.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 1-0, placed vertically; 1-5, placed vertically.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 4-5, placed vertically.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 2-0, placed vertically; 1-0, placed vertically.

Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 1-5, placed vertically.

Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 3-0, placed horizontally; 3-3, placed vertically; 3-5, placed vertically.

Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 4-5, placed vertically.

Greater Than (4): Everything in this dark blue space must be greater than 4. The answer is 3-5, placed vertically.

Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 1-2, placed horizontally.

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 5-2, placed vertically; 1-2, placed horizontally; 2-2, placed vertically.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will require some sports and pop culture knowledge.

As we've shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, 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 the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

What is Connections: Sports Edition?

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. The sports Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words, and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise 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 before the game ends.

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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: Sports Edition categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Not playing well

• Green: A racket

• Blue: OKC core

• Purple: Types of clocks

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Out of Practice

• Green: Parts of a Tennis Racket

• Blue: Members of the Oklahoma City Thunder

• Purple: ___Clock

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 today's Connections: Sports Edition #596 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• Out of Practice: COLD, OFF, RUSTY, SLUGGISH

• Parts of a Tennis Racket: BUTT, GRIP, GROMMETS, STRINGS

• Members of the Oklahoma City Thunder: DORT, HOLMGREN, JOE, WALLACE

• ___Clock: GAME, PITCH, PLAY, SHOT

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Connections.

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

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If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

Hurdle Word 1 hint

Escargot.

Hurdle Word 1 answer

SNAIL

Hurdle Word 2 hint

A stamp.

Hurdle Word 2 Answer

LABEL

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Hurdle Word 3 hint

Need to.

Hurdle Word 3 answer

OUGHT

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Amiss.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

AFOOT

Final Hurdle hint

Proportion.

Hurdle Word 5 answer

RATIO

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

In April, Meta quietly reversed itself after removing an Instagram post honoring older lesbian relationships in Brazil. The excised post was not sexual in nature and did not contain material harmful to minors. The post in question documented a snapshot from a moment in history where lesbians were forced to hide their relationships as "roommates" or "gal pals" and their love was scrubbed from the public record. Nevertheless, Meta removed the content. 

Meta cited its hate speech rules. The Oversight Board later acknowledged what should have been obvious from the start: The Brazil case was an instance of over‑enforcement against a marginalized community, driven by automated systems that could not read context, reclaimed language, or even the full post itself. The content was restored only after outside intervention and advocacy from the LGBTQ+ community.

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This case is now being treated as a narrow content moderation error, but policymakers need to recognize that it signals a clear warning about what happens when lawmakers push platforms to police content instead of fixing design. Across the country, states are rushing to "protect kids online" by restricting access to social media or pressuring companies to remove vaguely defined "harmful" content. But what happened in Brazil shows the human cost of that approach. 

When platforms are incentivized to remove speech quickly and at scale, they do not become better judges of nuance. Social media becomes a blunt instrument, and the first people hit are those whose stories require human context and radical empathy to be understood.

If lawmakers actually want to protect kids, they should stop asking platforms to decide which stories are acceptable and start regulating core design choices that cause harm in the first place, like endless scroll, engagement‑based recommendations, and surveillance‑driven feeds.

Here’s why that distinction matters, especially for LGBTQ+ kids and other marginalized communities, like neurodivergent kids. LGBTQ+ young people are far more likely than their peers to rely on online spaces to find community, information, and support, often because those things are unavailable or unsafe at home or school. But they are also significantly more likely to end up in unsafe online interactions: harassment, grooming, doxxing, or being pushed into high‑risk spaces they didn’t seek out. 

In Australia, after a social media ban on anyone under 16 was enacted, disability rights advocates noted that autistic youth were cut off from some of the only support and peer networks available to them. 

Recommendation systems don’t understand vulnerability, but they understand engagement. When a queer kid searches for community, platforms often respond by aggressively amplifying whatever keeps them clicking. Usually, this means increasingly sexualized content, adult strangers, extremist rhetoric, or predatory accounts that know exactly how to exploit isolation. 

Infinite scroll makes disengagement much harder for adolescents, according to the Electronic Privacy Information Center, even more so for those in vulnerable communities. Algorithmic "friend" or "account" suggestions collapse liminal boundaries between teens and adults. Weak defaults make it difficult to block, mute, or disappear.

Young people, not just LGBTQ+ young people, are exposed to harm online because platforms are built to extract attention, not protect users. Parents are right to be worried and to advocate for change. But a content-based framing misses the real problem. 

The greatest risks kids face online don’t come from a single bad post slipping through moderation, but from automated systems that push content at kids they didn’t ask for, connect them to people they don’t know, and keep them scrolling long after warning signs appear.

Policymakers at both the state and federal levels need to design regulations that address those risks directly. Age‑appropriate design codes don’t tell platforms what speech to allow, but they can tell platforms how to behave. Design codes require safer defaults, like limits on behavioral profiling, stronger blocking tools, reduced amplification of unsolicited recommendations, and guardrails that slow down virality and compulsive use. 

The public should advocate for product refinement, rather than infringement of First and Fourth Amendment rights. Design codes reduce the chance that a curious or lonely kid is algorithmically funneled into danger, like I was, searching for community and nudged toward risk by systems that did not care who I was.

Age‑appropriate design codes offer a way out of this mess. By regulating how platforms are built rather than what people are allowed to say, design code laws reduce harm without turning companies into cultural censors. They don’t require platforms to interpret reclaimed slurs, queer history, or political speech. Companies should instead be required to stop engineering addiction and risk. 

We don’t need more content or platform bans. We need fewer harmful systems. If we’re serious about protecting kids online, especially the ones already most at risk, this case reminds us exactly where to start.

This article reflects the opinion of the writer.

Lennon Torres is the Movement Director at the Heat Initiative and Founding Partner of The Attention Studio. 

TL;DR: Get a lifetime subscription to Skoove Premium Piano Lessons for $99.97 (reg. $299.99) through May 17 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

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Skoove Premium Piano Lessons: Lifetime Subscription

$99.97
$299.99 Save $200.02

 

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Learning to play the piano can seem daunting, especially with traditional lessons not in your budget, scheduling conflicts, and the limitations of free online tutorials. Yet, for aspiring musicians eager to take the first step, a new deal on Skoove Premium Piano Lessons could open the door to a more accessible, rewarding learning experience.

Right now, a lifetime subscription to Skoove Premium is on sale for $99.97 (reg. $299.99). That’s a 67% discount through May 17 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

Skoove is an online learning platform crafted for both beginners and intermediate players, earning recognition from notable outlets such as Apple, Forbes, Wired, and The Guardian. Unlike platforms that depend exclusively on pre-recorded lessons, Skoove integrates AI-driven feedback, actively listening to your playing and offering real-time responses. This feature helps students identify mistakes on the spot, fostering better habits and more effective practice sessions.

The platform includes more than 400 lessons and thousands of instructional videos, with new songs and exercises added regularly. You’ll find a mix of genres too, from pop songs by artists like Adele and The Beatles to classical music from composers such as Bach and Beethoven. There are also special courses and access to one-on-one support from Skoove instructors if you need extra guidance.

Flexibility is another hallmark of Skoove’s approach. The platform is compatible with acoustic pianos and USB or MIDI keyboards, and it operates seamlessly across iOS, Android, and desktop devices. Whether you have just 15 minutes to practice after work or prefer to dedicate weekends to developing your skills, Skoove adapts to your lifestyle.

If you’ve been thinking about learning piano but didn’t want to commit to recurring lesson fees, this lifetime subscription could save you money in the long run. You can get Skoove Premium Piano Lessons for $99.97 while the deal lasts through May 17 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

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TL;DR: Aivolut AI Book Creator is on sale for $48.99 (reg. $456) and helps entrepreneurs, coaches, and aspiring authors create KDP-ready books faster.

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Aivolut AI Book Creator: Lifetime Subscription

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$456 Save $407.01

 

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Writing a book sounds exciting until you’re staring at a blank page and watching the cursor blink until your eyes glaze over. If you’ve had an idea sitting in your head — or scrawled in a notebook — Aivolut AI Book Creator is designed to help move the book-writing process along much faster.

The lifetime subscription to Aivolut AI Book Creator is currently on sale for $48.99, and it’s a one-time purchase so you don’t have to pay recurring subscription fees.

The platform is built specifically for people who want to create and publish books without having to utilize multiple writing and formatting tools. Aivolut combines AI-assisted writing with publishing support to help turn rough concepts into structured, coherent manuscripts. Users can start with a topic, outline, or even use the voice dictation feature, then customize the tone, structure, and style while the software helps generate long-form content.

One exceptional feature is its built-in Kindle Direct Publishing support. In addition to producing manuscripts, Aivolut can automatically create Amazon-ready metadata such as descriptions, keywords, and categories, which may save hours of manual setup for self-publishing authors. According to the platform, books can be prepared for Amazon KDP upload in under five minutes.

The software is ideal for entrepreneurs, marketers, coaches, freelancers, and other professionals looking to write books. It may also appeal to first-time nonfiction authors who want help organizing ideas without outsourcing ghostwriters or editors early in the process.

Another selling point is the program’s flexibility. Instead of locking users into fixed templates, Aivolut lets writers edit tone, blend in their own material, and adjust the structure as they go. You won’ be replacing your voice, the goal is to speed up the outlining, drafting, and formatting process.

If you’ve been putting off writing a book because the process felt too time-consuming, Aivolut AI Book Creator is currently available for $48.99 (reg. $456) for lifetime access.

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The latest update for iPhone users, iOS 26.5, is officially here.

The beta version of the update has been available for developers for about a month now, giving iPhone users a pretty good idea of what new features to expect. However, as we've seen with previous iOS updates, features frequently get added or removed by the time the public version launches — so now we know exactly what's news in iOS 26.5.

First things first, iPhone users need to update their device to iOS 26.5. Besides the new features, updating to the latest OS ensures your device is protected with the latest security updates. To upgrade to iOS 26.5, simply go to Settings, then tap General, followed by Software Update. 

Users must have an iPhone 11 or newer in order to download and install iOS 26.5 to their device.

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RCS end-to-end encryption

After updating to iOS 26.5, users will see a lock icon appear in RCS chats. Credit: Apple

It's official. After being tested in previous beta versions of iOS but failing to make the final release, encrypted RCS messaging is here.

RCS, or Rich Communication Services, is basically the messaging protocol that provides an Apple Messages-like experience when iPhone users and Android users text one another. It enables iPhone and Android devices the ability to send and receive high-quality media as well as view read receipts and typing indicators. 

However, before this update, these messages between iPhone and Android devices were unencrypted, meaning that they could potentially be intercepted and read by unauthorized third parties.

iOS 26.5 finally brings encryption to RCS messaging. It should be noted, though, that even though the feature has made it to the public release of iOS 26.5, encrypted RCS messages are still labeled as a beta feature by Apple. The availability of the feature is also dependent on your mobile carrier as well.

Yes, the green chat bubbles remain.

Apple Maps ads and Suggested Places

Nearly 13 and a half years after Apple launched its very own Maps application, advertisements have made their way to Apple Maps. (As of this writing, the feature is still labeled as "Coming Soon" on the Apple Ads website.)

Businesses will now be able to pay to advertise in the Apple Maps app, much like how app developers can run ads in Apple's App Store. Users will see local ads in the Maps app based on their location.

Ads will also appear in another brand-new Apple Maps feature called Suggested Places.

Apple has been recruiting advertisers for Apple Maps ads. Credit: Apple

While Suggested Places in Apple Maps will provide users with recommendations based on paid ads, it will also produce organic recommendations as well. Suggested Places will show users nearby trending locations, such as restaurants, shops, or tourist destinations, based on their recent search results.

USB-C accessory pairing

Want to use a Magic Mouse or Magic Keyboard with your iPhone? It's easier than ever before with iOS 26.5.

Simply connect the peripheral device to an iPhone via USB-C, and the device will automatically pair with the iPhone.

This means that after the initial pairing, users can simply unplug the USB-C cable and use the Magic Mouse or Magic Keyboard with their iPhone over Bluetooth without an additional required setup.

iPhone to Android transfer options

This is a small new update, but one that will surely be welcomed by an iPhone user making the switch to Android.

With iOS 26.5, users can now choose which message attachments they want to transfer to their Android device when moving data from their iPhone.

'Pride Luminance' wallpaper

The new Pride Luminance background for iPads and iPhones. Credit: Apple

iOS 26.5 rolls out with a brand new iPhone wallpaper celebrating Pride Month.

Apple has released Pride Month wallpaper before. However, this marks the first time Apple has released one as a motion wallpaper. This isn't a static background. The "Pride Luminance" wallpaper is animated and customizable, meaning users can create their own version of the wallpaper using the 12 available colors.

The new Pride Luminance wallpaper that matches the new Pride Luminance watch face for Apple Watch in watchOS 26.5.

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You'll find Apple Watches and Whoop fitness trackers on a number of Mashable writers and editors' wrists. Fitbit may have popularized fitness trackers and the entire concept of "counting steps," but the brand has been eclipsed in recent years by feature-rich rivals.

When one of our reporters ran the New York City marathon wearing seven fitness trackers, Fitbit didn't impress.

But a new Fitbit could change that. The screen-free Google Fitbit Air hits store shelves May 19, and the $99.99 price tag is very tempting compared to an Apple Watch, which can cost $249 to $799. The Fitbit Air even has some unique features that could tempt dedicated Whoop fans.

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Credit: Google

Google Fitbit Air

$99.99 at Amazon

 

Pre-order Here

We haven't had the chance to test the Google Fitbit Air yet (Steph Curry is not on our staff, unfortunately), but here are the top Fitbit Air features we're eyeing ahead of May 19.

Google Health Coach

The new Google Health Coach launches alongside the Fitbit Air Credit: Google

When the Fitbit Air launches on May 19, Google will also debut the new Google Health Coach, which will be part of the Google Health Premium subscription ($9.99 a month or $99 a year).

Google Health Coach is an AI personal trainer that can make personalized workout and health recommendations tailored to you. Using the health, sleep, and fitness data collected by the Fitbit Air, you'll be able to get insights that go way beyond counting steps. The level of personalization is impressive, as the AI coach can take your sleep cycle, local weather, and medical history into account when designing workouts.

We don't love it when products require a paid subscription to unlock crucial features, but the amount of data available to your AI coach could set this tool apart from similar offerings. If you have a Pixel 4 smartwatch, you'll also be able to use this new feature.

A super lightweight design

The Fitbit Air is lighter and thinner than the Whoop. Credit: Google

For the Fitbit Air, Google seems to be prioritizing lighter weight over battery life. While the Whoop 5.0 and MG have a longer battery life, the Fitbit Air will be significantly lighter and smaller.

The new Fitbit weighs a mere 12 grams, less than half the weight of the Whoop 5.0, which weighs in at 26.5 grams (the Whoop MG is 27.3 grams). The sensor area, which Google describes as a "pebble," is also slimmer in height and narrower in width than Whoop.

When compared to smartwatches, it has a significant size and weight advantage. That's crucial for people who want to use their fitness tracker as a sleep tracker.

Despite the small size, the Air can still measure heart rate, heart rhythm, SpO2 (blood oxygen levels), sleep stages, and more. It also contains an accelerometer and a gyroscope.

Gemini voice and text chat

You can talk to the Google Health Coach by voice or text. Credit: Google

Within the Google Health app, you'll be able to talk to your AI coach by voice or text, with the conversations powered by Google's AI chatbot Gemini. You'll need your phone to do this, but for athletes who like to talk to their AI chatbot, you'll be able to talk in real-time. You'll be able to ask questions and make requests as you workout.

Perks for Gemini power users

Credit: Google

Google offers several paid AI subscriptions for users who want to access the latest Gemini models and features — Google AI Pro and Google AI Ultra. With the debut of Google Health Coach, users on either of these plans will now get free access to Google Health Premium.

So, if you're already a Gemini power user, you can unlock extra features on the Fitbit Air at no extra cost.

Fitbit Air can use Gemini to "see" your workout and meal plans

As the maker of Gemini, one of the most advanced AI chatbots, Google has some big advantages over Apple, Whoop, Garmin, Nothing, and other smartwatch and fitness tracker brands.

Case in point: You can take pictures and upload them to Google Health Coach for analysis. A Google blog post states that users can "upload photos of gym whiteboards or snap photos of meals for nutritional analysis." You can also upload PDFs with health information.

Again, you'll need to use your phone to use this feature.

3-month free trial

Credit: Google

Finally, Google has one more advantage over Whoop: a longer free trial. When you buy a Fitbit Air, you get three months of access to Google Health Premium, whereas Whoop only offers a 1-month free trial

For all these reasons, we expect the new Google Fitbit Air to be a serious competitor in the fitness tracker world and may even tempt some people to ditch their smartwatch. We're seeing growing interest in screen-free technology lately, which is one reason Whoop is so popular.

However, once again, Google is going all-in on artificial intelligence features. For athletes who are not interested in having an AI personal trainer or using Gemini as a workout buddy, the Fitbit Air may be a tougher sell.

Google touts its privacy features, but not everyone wants to provide such detailed health information to Big Tech.

The Google Fitbit Air is available for pre-order now for $99.99 at Amazon and the Google Store.

The hacking collective ShinyHunters says it disrupted a major education platform not once but twice over the past few weeks. And the data breach could not have come at a worse time for students and teachers. These events unfurled during school finals at many of the affected institutions.

On April 30, Instructure, the edtech company behind Canvas, the popular Learning Management System (LMS) utilized by educational institutions around the world, temporarily went offline. A day later, Instructure confirmed that a "criminal threat actor" was behind a data breach into the company's systems.

According to ShinyHunters, the group stole data from 275 million Canvas users at nearly 9,000 schools worldwide. The affected users include students, teachers, and staff, and while no passwords or other sensitive data were taken, the data stolen was significant. The hackers claimed usernames, email addresses, student IDs, and private messages exchanged on the platform were part of the stolen data. Some of the impacted users are underage students.

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Shortly after the hack, Instructure confirmed that it had revoked access from the bad actors, took measures to fix the issues and prevent another breach from occurring, and brought Canvas back online.

However, just one week later, ShinyHunters says it hit Canvas again. This time, the hackers compromised school-specific login pages for the platform and defaced the pages with messages threatening to publicly release the stolen data from the previous breach unless Instructure agreed to "negotiate a settlement."

A monetary demand from ShinyHunters was not surprising. The ransomware group is known for extorting victims following a data breach. A second breach at Instructure, however, was a surprise. Canvas once again went offline, and when it came back, the company had removed the source of the second incident: Free-For-Teacher accounts.

According to a newly updated incident page on Instructure's website, the company says it "identified a vulnerability regarding support tickets in our Free for Teacher environment that was exploited." 

"We temporarily disabled Free for Teacher while we complete a full security review," the company said. "We know that's disruptive, and we didn't make that call lightly. But keeping the entire Canvas platform secure has to come first."

While the second breach did not result in any stolen data, the timing of the security incident could not have been worse for students, as many schools are currently holding finals and other scheduled deadlines for end-of-year coursework.

As PCMag reports, "students and professors struggled to access the online platform used to submit assignments and tests." (Disclosure: PCMag and Mashable are both owned by the same parent company, Ziff Davis.)

According to data provided to Mashable from Alliance Risk Trends, Google searches for "canvas hacked" and "canvas down" spiked roughly 1,000 percent just this past Friday. There was a combined search volume of more than 1 million for searches involving the Canvas security incidents and subsequent downtime.

Some readers reached out to Mashable to share their experience. One parent of a student at Seton Hall University forwarded Mashable an email that the school sent out while Canvas was down.

"We know the timing of this is hard," the school's email to students read. "Finals are underway, coursework is due, and Canvas being offline right now is genuinely disruptive."

Some schools, such as Bayton University in Texas, postponed final exams on Friday specifically due to issues accessing Canvas.

"With Canvas down at the national level, Baylor University will delay final exams tomorrow (Friday, May 8, 2026)," the school said in a statement.

Canvas is now back online. However, ShinyHunters' "settlement" deadline to release the data on May 12 still looms.

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Counterfeit DDR5 RAM is circulating across online storefronts and gray-market retailers, and some fake modules are convincing enough to pass visual inspection — until you cut them open. According to Digital Trends, the chips installed on the fraudulent sticks aren't memory at all, but merely fiberglass boards shaped to resemble legitimate DRAM.

The issue was reported by a Japanese X user who purchased what appeared to be a genuine SK Hynix SO-DIMM laptop module and physically dissected it after becoming suspicious. Inside, they found non-functional fiberglass pieces where the memory chips should have been.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

"At first glance, they look like regular memory sticks, but the chips actually installed on them are just bare circuit boards—plastic boards. I removed them and cut them open to check," reads a translation of the X post.

Some of these counterfeits are reportedly being sold openly on auction platforms like Yahoo Japan under listings marked "untested" or "junk," with sellers explicitly refusing returns.

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The problem is compounded with desktop DDR5 kits, where large heatspreaders cover the memory chips entirely. Without visible chips to inspect, Digital Trends notes, buyers often have no way to confirm what they've purchased until a system fails to boot or crashes repeatedly.

The conditions for this kind of fraud are straightforward. DDR5 prices have been rising sharply for over a year, driven by AI-related demand that has sparked a global memory crisis. And as memory manufacturers prioritize enterprise and server production over consumer supply, there's no end in sight for shoppers.

Mashable previously reported that Framework, the modular PC maker, raised its DDR5 prices multiple times through late 2025, with a 48GB module jumping from $240 to $620 over the course of months. Samsung warned manufacturing partners of further price hikes to come, with major laptop makers including Lenovo, Dell, and HP warning of price increases.

Euphoria's Cassie Howard (Sydney Sweeney) has worn many hats. Figure skater. OnlyFans model. Kaiju.

The latter hat comes into play in Season 3, episode 5, when Cassie's OnlyFans fame goes to her head in a supersized fantasy sequence. As she watches her OnlyFans notifications pour in, Cassie imagines herself growing into a giantess and stomping through downtown Los Angeles, ready to take Hollywood by storm.

It's a technically impressive sequence that draws inspiration from 1958's Attack of the 50 Foot Woman and the Godzilla franchise. In a behind-the-scenes video released by HBO, the Euphoria team takes viewers through how they brought it all to life by building painstaking miniatures

"It was a lot of fun. It took about a year to build all the miniatures," Euphoria creator Sam Levinson said in the above behind-the-scenes video.

Cassie's dream of Hollywood glory is Euphoria Season 3's first major departure from reality, something which used to be a staple in earlier Euphoria seasons. Think Rue's (Zendaya) views of herself as a private detective, or her relapse at the end of Season 1, which turns into a memorable musical number.

It's a shame, then, that the inventive Cassie-zilla sequence is tied to a hyper-sexualized montage of her OnlyFans work. Euphoria's portrayal of sex work has already earned criticism from sex workers, and it continues to fall into the same trap in episode 5: highlighting fantasies of sex work without actually fleshing out the sex workers themselves. After all, Cassie is little more than a fame-hungry caricature by this point, and as fun as it is to see Euphoria embrace practical monster effects, it's not enough to mask the emptiness and shock value of her narrative.

New episodes of Euphoria Season 3 premiere Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.

Save $20: The Soundcore AeroFit 2 Pro are on sale for $159.99 at Amazon, Soundcore, Walmart, and Best Buy as of May 11. All told, this is an 11% discount on the usually $179.99 dual-form earbuds.

Soundcore AeroFit 2 Pro

$159.99 at Amazon
$179.99 Save $20

 

Get Deal at Amazon Get Deal at Soundcore

The awareness of open earbuds is basically an unmatched experience, but in most cases, it requires the trade off of giving up active noise cancellation.

In the case of the Soundcore AeroFit 2 Pro, however, you don't have to choose between tuning in to the world around you and tuning it out when necessary, and as of May 11, you don't have to pay full price for this option either. The Soundcore buds are down to $159.99, knocking $20 off their $179.99 list price at Amazon, Soundcore, Walmart, and Best Buy.

When I tested out these earbuds a couple of months ago, I was skeptical that they could deliver on both fronts. After all, the closest open earbuds had gotten was noise reduction. Still, I knew Soundcore was capable of making a great pair of open earbuds, and a great pair of noise cancelling earbuds. And while the combination isn't absolute perfection, these earbuds are one of the better values if you're looking for decent noise cancellation and and open earbud experience in one convenient package.

They're also IP55 rated for dust and water resistance, meaning you're good to take them to the gym or for a run without any concern about it seriously impacting their performance. At $179.99, they're already competitively priced for such a versatile pair of buds — at $159.99, their value is even better. Grab all four colorways — including the newer gloss blue shade — on sale.

Ninja finally made a Slushi machine that can make two different flavors at once. (Consider it a modern twist on the Margaritaville Tahiti.) Announced May 11, the Ninja Slushi Twist kind of looks like two regular Slushi machines fused together. You can see where this is going.

Neo no longer has to choose between red and blue. Credit: Ninja

Each vessel still has its own individual spout and handle, so flavors can be dispensed independently of each other. The fun part? Hit the button in the middle to swirl them together for a perfectly-layered striped drink.

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Credit: Ninja

Ninja Slushi Twist

$399.99 at SharkNinja

Get notified for a restock

Learn More

Though small Slushi upgrades have been released here and there, this is easily the biggest news since the initial Slushi launched in July 2024. It's not surprising that it's already out of stock on the day of its release. The Slushi Twist costs $399.99, though, and you can sign up to have SharkNinja notify you when it's back.

The Slushi Twist is the ultimate frozen drink maker for families with kids or anyone who likes to host. The kids get their fruit punch slushie, the adults get their frosé. Can't decide between a strawberry or jalapeño margarita for an upcoming happy hour hangout? The Slushi Twist won't make you choose between your sweet and spicy friends.

The Slushi Twist can make 10+ 9-ounce servings per batch. Credit: Ninja

Compared to the original Slushi machine that I tested and loved, the Slushi Twist apparently slushes faster. Since my Slushi takes about an hour at most, I'm guessing the Twist can have drinks ready in 45 minutes max. Remember that the Slushi doesn't require ice like a regular blender or prepared frozen mixtures like the Ninja Creami.

New Dual SlushAssist mode auto-senses the ingredients on each side and auto-adjusts the temperature to keep them at the right chilly consistency. Choosing the right level of cold for my Slushi has been quite the trial and error, especially when sugar or alcohol content math is involved — so SlushAssist sounds pretty nice.

Best Amazon Pet Days deals 2026:

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Best pet camera deal

Petcube Cam 360

$33.24 (save $13.75)

Get Deal

---

Best pet bed deal

Bedsure SupportMax™ XL Orthopedic Dog Bed

$49.99 (save $12)

Get Deal

---

Best GPS tracker deal

Tractive Smart Dog GPS Tracker

$55.30 (save $23.70)

Get Deal

As a proud dog mom of two unruly beagles, I know how expensive our little monsters can be. Between the beds they ruin, the toys they destroy in seconds, and the absurd cost of basic flea and tick prevention, keeping them happy and healthy in this economy (in this economy?!) can drain your wallet. So whenever there's a big sale on pet supplies, I'm the first one in line to stock up.

Amazon Pet Days officially kicked off today, May 11, and runs through May 15. It's basically Prime Day for pets, but with one major difference: you don't need a Prime membership to get the best deals. (Though if you do have Prime, you'll get free same-day, one-day, or two-day shipping.) First-time "Subscribe & Save" customers can also get 35% off select health care products from brands like Simparica, NexGard, and HeartGard.

There are thousands of deals across grooming, toys, and tech right now. But since buying toys for super-chewers is basically just throwing money away, I usually skip that section entirely. Instead, this sale is the best time to grab the expensive gear your fur babies need — like grooming tools, replacement beds, and pet cameras.

Here are some of the most practical discounts worth grabbing before the sale ends:

Best pet camera deal

Petcube Cam 360

$33.24 at Amazon
$46.99 Save $13.75

 

Get Deal at Amazon

Why we like it

I hate leaving my pups for too long, but sometimes it's inevitable. The only thing that's helped me ease my anxiety during long errand runs is a pet camera. Most of these gadgets are expensive and can run in the $200s, but right now you can get an Amazon top-rated pick for just $33.24 (normally $46.99).

The Petcube Cam 360 has 500+ reviews and a 4.3 average star rating. For a budget camera, it does a lot: it offers full 360-degree rotation, 1080p HD video, and night vision up to 30 feet in the dark. It also has two-way audio, so you can listen to them bark and talk back to let them know you'll be home soon. Plus, if you decide to use their subscription service, it sends AI alerts right to your phone so you know exactly what's going on in real time.

More pet camera deals

• Blink Mini — $14.99 $24.99 (save $10)

• Eufy E30 Indoor Camera — $49.99 $69.99 (save $20)

• Petcube Cam 360 (2 Pack) — $56.99 $83.99 (save $27)

• Furbo Mini Pet Camera — $64 $89 (save $25)

• Petcube Cam and Cam 360 Bundle — $75 $78.98 (save $5.98)

• Petcube Cam 360 (3 Pack) — $75.56 $119.99 (save $44.43)

• Furbo 360° Cat Camera — $136 $184 (save $48)

Best GPS tracker deal

Tractive Smart Dog GPS Tracker

$55.30 at Amazon
$79 Save $23.70

 

Get Deal at Amazon Get Deal at Tractive

Why we like it

I've always used an Apple AirTag to track my pups, but I'm tempted to get a real GPS tracker. I keep seeing ads on Instagram (mostly for Fi), and the promos are working.

The Tractive Smart Dog GPS Tracker, for example, is basically a Fitbit for your dog. It offers real-time GPS tracking with unlimited range (you'll also get updates every two to three seconds) and vital-sign monitoring, including heart and respiratory rates. It's also waterproof, has a 14-day battery life, and can create custom virtual fences.

More GPS tracker deals

• Petcube GPS Tracker — $28.49 $39.99 (save $11.50)

• PetLink GPS Dog Tracker — $45.99 $64.99 (save $19)

• Fi New Series 3+ — $99 $119 (save $20)

• Halo Collar 5 — $445.40 $599 (save $153.60)

Best pet bed deal

Bedsure SupportMax™ XL Orthopedic Dog Bed

$62.99 at Amazon

 

Get Deal at Amazon

Why we like it

I travel a lot, and lugging a pet bed around for each pup everywhere I go has become somewhat of a hassle. I just keep beds everywhere: two inside my apartment, one on the balcony, two in my truck, and a stash at my parents' house. Out of all the beds we've tried, though, Gravy is obsessed with the Bedsure SupportMax™ XL Orthopedic Dog Bed. Even better, you can grab it right now for 19% off.

It comes in multiple sizes and six color options (we went with the dark green to match my aesthetic). We got one large enough for both Saint and Gravy to comfortably share, but if you don't need a giant bed taking up your living room, they go as small as 35 inches.

More pet bed deals

• Barkbox Orthopedic Dog Bed with Memory Foam — $26.62 $33.99 (save $7.37)

• Bedsure Calming Dog Bed — $29.96 $49.99 (save $20.03)

• Comfort Expression Orthopedic Dog Bed for Extra Large Dogs — $40.99 $58.99 (save $18)

• JOEJOY Orthopedic Dog Beds — $41.38 $59.99 (save $18.61)

• Bedsure ComfyFleece™ Cute Dog Bed — $52.19 $66.99 (save $15.80)

Enrichment toys, grooming gadgets, and more

• WOOF FlipMat Mini — $7.99 $9.99 (save $2)

• WOOF Party Pupsicle — $15.99 $19.99 (save $4)

• ChomChom Roller & Rake — $19.99 $29.99 (save $10)

• Oneisall Dog Grooming Vacuum Bundle — $79.99 $19.99 (save $40)

Trisha Paytas is in her HBO era.

The influencer, known for everything from her controversial trolling to her current podcast Just Trish, has popped up in two of the network's hottest series this spring. First, she played herself in Hacks Season 5, competing against Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) and her daughter DJ (Kaitlin Olson) in The Amazing Race. Now, she's stepped into the world of Euphoria Season 3.

Who does Trisha Paytas play on Euphoria?

Sydney Sweeney and Trisha Paytas in "Euphoria." Credit: Screenshot: HBO

Season 3 of Euphoria focuses heavily on OnlyFans, with Cassie Howard (Sydney Sweeney) turning to the subscription platform for extra money. What begins as a mission to pay for her $50,000 wedding flower arrangements soon turns into a greater dream to take over Hollywood. As her popularity grows, she starts doing podcast appearances. Paytas, who has posted on OnlyFans herself, plays an unnamed podcast host on Cassie's extensive media tour in Season 3, episode 5.

During these appearances, Cassie repeats right-wing, men's rights talking points, which seem to catch Paytas's character off guard.

"Men should be free," Cassie tells each host she speaks with. "They should be able to speak their mind, voice their desires."

Paytas's podcaster responds, "Oh, you think they're being too restricted by society?"

Cassie goes further, saying, "Yes! Like, if a man today were to say that he wants a girlfriend that can cook or clean, he might as well be screaming the N-word."

In response to that wild statement, all Paytas's host can do is take a deep breath and say, "Okay."

It turns out that this response wasn't scripted.

Trisha Paytas reveals she was stunned in Euphoria cameo.

Trisha Paytas in "Euphoria." Credit: Screenshot: HBO

On Instagram, Paytas posted some behind-the-scenes photos from her time on Euphoria, including a call sheet that lists her role as Video Podcast Host #3. But what's most interesting is her caption, where she reveals, "I had no script so that speechless reaction was real."

Weeks before her episode premiered, Paytas spoke about her role further on her podcast Just Trish, saying, "I didn't even know if I was making it [into the final cut]... My whole scene was improv. All my things were improv. There was no script."

That means Paytas, like many Euphoria viewers, was left flabbergasted by Cassie's continued spiral down the alt-right pipeline.

I can only imagine the rest of the episode, which features an NSFW parody on Attack of the 50 Foot Woman and the potential death of Rue Bennett (Zendaya), left her uttering a similar dumbfounded, "Okay."

New episodes of Euphoria Season 3 premiere Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.

SAVE $400: The Mammotion LUBA 3 AWD 5000H robot lawn mower is on sale at Amazon for $2,899, down from the list price at Mammotion of $3,299. That's a 22% discount and the lowest we've seen at Amazon.

Opens in a new window

Credit: Mammotion

Mammotion LUBA 3 AWD 5000H robot lawn mower

$2,899 at Amazon
$3,299 Save $400

 

Get Deal

By now, the lawn is rejoicing. It made it through the winter chill and it's flourishing with mild spring temperatures, occasional rain, and plenty of sun. That's all great until it comes time to mow the grass. If you're not in the mood to deal with another household chore, consider offloading the task to a robot lawn mower. There's a powerful model on sale at Amazon today.

As of May 12, the Mammotion LUBA 3 AWD 5000H robot lawn mower is on sale at Amazon for $2,899, down from the list price at Mammotion of $3,299. That's a 22% discount that takes $400 off the normal price. It's also the lowest we've seen at Amazon.

With the ability to cut 1.25 acres, the Mammotion has durable, all-terrain wheels that'll have no issues with uneven lawns, slight bumps, or when cutting over stepping stones. Today's sale price applies to the high version which is capable of cutting grass down to between 4 and 2.2 inches. You'll be able to se the preferred heigh and mowing scheudle with the Mammotion.

The rechargeable battery can keep the robot mower powered on for up to 215 minutes of grass-cutting action. It's also designed with obstacle avoidance for over 300 things that might be on the lawn like a potted plant, picnic table, fire fit, and plenty more.

Before the busy summer schedule kicks into high-gear, get the help of the Mammotion LUBA 3 AWD 5000H robot lawn mower. It's on sale at Amazon for under $2,900 which marks a new record-low price.

A BRAND NEW PRICE: As of May 11, My Best Buy Plus memberships are now just $29.99 per year instead of $49.99 per year. That's a $20 permanent price drop. Meanwhile, My Best Buy Total memberships are jumping to $199.99 per year starting June 4, a $20 increase from their previous cost.

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Credit: Best Buy

My Best Buy Plus membership

$29.99 per year

Get Deal

It's pretty rare in 2026 to see something get cheaper, particularly a subscription. While other subscriptions are steadily hiking costs, Best Buy quietly just dropped the price of its My Best Buy Plus membership permanently.

The tech retail giant announced a reward points system for its paid subscribers last week along with a new pricing structure for its Plus and Total subscriptions. Typically $49.99 per year, the more affordable Plus membership is now just $29.99. The permanent $20 price drop appears to already be reflected on the Best Buy website, so new subscribers will only pay $29.99 and existing subscribers will see the new pricing go into effect on their next bill. That's only a mere $2.50 per month when you do the math.

Plus subscriptions include free two-day shipping, early access to sales, events, and products, an extended 60-day return window, exclusive member pricing, and now 1% back in rewards on eligible purchases (6% with the My Best Buy Credit Card). For instance, Plus and Total members can take an extra $100 off the LG 77-inch B5 OLED 4K TV or get two free months of Apple TV and LinkedIn Premium.

My Best Buy Total subscriptions, on the other hand, are getting a $20 price hike. Currently $179.99 per year, prices will jump to $199.99 per year starting June 4. If you were thinking about signing up, we recommend locking in your membership before June 4 to save $20.

Total subscriptions include the same perks as Plus subscriptions, as well as protection plans like AppleCare+, free in-store and remote computer and tablet services, 24/7 tech support, VIP member support and priority access to Best Buy’s expert services, and 20% off repairs.

The rewards points system, which can now be tracked in a new digital membership hub on BestBuy.com and the Best Buy app, will also go into effect starting June 4.

Euphoria really wants audiences to think Rue Bennett (Zendaya) is dead.

Season 3, episode 5 ends with a cliffhanger that certainly suggests she's a goner. Once Alamo Brown (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) suspects that Rue is a snitch, he sends her on a ride to dig her own grave. She seems quite oblivious to her impending death, even as Alamo's henchmen Bishop (Darrell Britt-Gibson), G (Marshawn Lynch), and Kidd (Asante Blackk) begin burying her up to her neck.

The alarm bells don't fully set in for Rue until the episode's final seconds, when Alamo barrels towards her on horseback, ready to club her head off with a mean polo swing. (Has he taken lessons on how to kill off HBO leads from The Last of Us' golf club-wielding Abby?)

The episode cuts to black before we see what could be Rue's grisly fate, but don't worry: There's no way Euphoria just killed off its Emmy-winning lead.

Why do some think Rue will die on Euphoria?

There are several signs that suggest Rue is really dead.

For one, no footage of her is in the episode 6 trailer. Plus, it forebodingly begins with the sound of a bell tolling as if for a funeral. Notably, Rue's counterpart character in the original Israeli Euphoria miniseries does die, and that show reveals she's been narrating from beyond the grave.

While that could be the case with Rue in Euphoria, as fans have theorized, the Israeli Rue character dies from an overdose, not from a mix-up with a malicious, sex-trafficking cowboy. So, that parallel doesn't quite work here.

Also, that series — also called Euphoria — lasted one season. And the two have diverged greatly, so take any comparisons with several grains of salt.

Here's why Rue isn't dead in Euphoria.

There is incontrovertible proof that Rue survives her Alamo encounter, and it comes from a Season 3 trailer, released on March 30. There, we see a dust-covered Rue making her way back to Laurie's (Martha Kelly) farm, where she tells her, "Alamo tried to kill me, and he's gonna do the same to you."

The murder attempt Rue is referring to must be the one at the end of episode 5. Plus, her nose in the trailer scene is bloody, suggesting something struck it. Something like a polo mallet, perhaps?

The Season 3 trailer also reveals several other Rue scenes that have yet to appear, including a frank conversation with Ali (Colman Domingo) and a sequence in which Rue stares at a burning tree, likely a reference to Moses and the burning bush, in keeping with the season's Biblical allusions.

Simply put, this previously released trailer footage proves that Rue isn't dead yet.

Just how she gets out of this scrape remains to be seen. Maybe it was all an elaborate scare tactic from Alamo, just like him threatening to stab Kidd over a pair of shorter pants earlier in episode 5. Or maybe she just has a superhumanly thick skull. Either way, Rue – and Zendaya — are sticking around for longer.

New episodes of Euphoria Season 3 premiere Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.

If you've been keeping an eye on the Steam Machine, here's a reason to pay closer attention. New details have emerged suggesting that Valve is preparing a reservation queue system for the device ahead of launch.

This could be a direct response to the chaos that followed the Steam Controller's release, which sold out almost immediately and landed largely in the hands of scalpers.

According to Wccftech, users digging through a recent Steam update uncovered code pointing to four distinct Steam Machine packages and two Steam Frame packages, alongside existing entries for the Steam Controller and Steam Deck. The four-package breakdown strongly implies multiple models will be available at launch.

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Two are already known — a 512GB and a 2TB storage configuration — but the nature of the remaining two is still unconfirmed. The reservation queue itself mirrors the system Valve introduced for the Steam Controller, designed to give actual buyers a fair shot before scalpers can clean out launch inventory.

As for when any of this actually happens — that's still the big question. Earlier this year, Valve acknowledged in a blog post that soaring memory and storage costs had forced the company to reassess its pricing and shipping timeline, particularly for the Steam Machine and Steam Frame.

The company has since struck a more confident tone, updating its Steam Year in Review to confirm that all three products — the Steam Machine, Steam Frame VR headset, and Steam Controller — will ship this year.

No price or launch date has been confirmed. But four packages and a scalper-prevention system quietly appearing in a Steam update suggest the pieces are falling into place faster than Valve is letting on.

SAVE UP TO $25.01: A Parade of Horribles: Dungeon Crawler Carl book 8 by Matt Dinniman is on sale at Amazon for $6.99 in the Kindle version and $23 in the hardback version. The book releases tomorrow, May 12.

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Credit: Ace

'A Parade of Horribles: Dungeon Crawler Carl' book 8

$6.99 at Amazon
$32 Save $25.01

 

Pre-order Here

We've missed Princess Donut, Mongo, calling for Zev, and reading about Carl's bare feet. But that's all coming back to us tomorrow when A Parade of Horribles, the 8th book in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series launches. If you can't wait to dive in, check out these pre-order discounts at Amazon.

As of May 11, the Kindle version of A Parade of Horribles by Matt Dinniman is on sale at Amazon for $6.99, down from the standard price of $32. The hardback version is on sale for $23, also down from $32. The book launches tomorrow, May 12.

In a time when everything seems weird and worrying in the real world, Matt Dinniman is giving us 766 pages of adventure fiction. What snippy things will get Donut say to get in trouble this time? What trickery will Carl come up with just when we think he'll surely die? We cannot wait to find out. A Paraded of Horribles marks the 8th book in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series.

If you're not in a hurry to snag a physical copy of the book, you can order a signed hardback copy from an independent bookstore in Dinniman's home town of Gig Harbor, Wash. Invitation Bookshop notes that signed copies are delayed but will be on their way as soon as Dinniman can sign them. My plan is to read the Kindle version when it releases tomorrow and wait for the signed physical version to arrive for my bookshelf. The signed copy is selling for the standard hardcover retail price of $32.

Get back into the wonderful, deranged, and lovable journey with Carl, Donut, Mongo, and the others when A Parade of Horribles releases on May 12. It's a terrific escape from our current terrors and it's on a major sale at Amazon.

Save 44%: The Soundcore Sleep A20 earbuds are on sale for just $99.99 as a Best Buy deal of the day. That means come May 12, this $80 markdown on the usually $179.99 earbuds is over.

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Credit: Soundcore

Soundcore Sleep A20

$99.99 at Best Buy
$179.99 Save $80.00

 

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I do not play about my sleep, which is one of the reasons why as a headphones reviewer, I have put all the most popular sleep earbuds to the test.

After a few rounds of testing, the Soundcore Sleep A20 earbuds remain some of the best I've tried, and as of May 11, they're on sale for one of their lowest prices ever. Thanks to a Best Buy deal of the day, they dropped down to $99.99, making them $80 cheaper than their usual $179.99. As a deal of the day, however, these savings will be gone come tomorrow, so if you're interested, you'll want to act sooner rather than later.

Though I consider the Soundcore Sleep A30 Special earbuds the best option for sleep earbuds overall due to their combination of comfort and active noise cancellation, if you can live without ANC, the Sleep A20 are a much more cost effective option, especially at this sale price. (At the time of writing the Sleep A30 Special earbuds are only available for their full price of $199.99). I trust their efficacy so much that I picked them up on sale last Black Friday as a Christmas present for my dad, who was formerly using his AirPods to help him fall asleep while managing his tinnitus.

With the Sleep A20 earbuds, you'll get 14 hours of battery life per charge with a case that can hold 80 hours of charge, a robust sleep sound library and the ability to stream your own audio with timers for falling asleep, and sleep tracking data. Even without ANC, they offer an impressively good amount of passive noise cancellation — especially if you're streaming audio. For noisy nights or travel (reminder: Memorial Day Weekend is just two weeks away), these earbuds can change the game in offering you reliably soundproofed sleep.

I have been plotting and planning to adopt a dog for years, and at the end of 2025, it finally happened. Now our sweet pitbull beagle mix, Milly, has come home and joined the family. While I grew up with dogs, this is my first time owning a dog as an adult, which meant starting from scratch and dropping a lot of money on everything I needed — or thought I needed.

The Lesure dog bed, might just be Milly's favorite spot in the house. Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

Luckily, with six months of dog ownership under my belt, I've figured out the absolute essentials — things we use every day. With Amazon Pet Week running from May 11 through 15, I wanted to share my dog essentials. These are the things I would buy over and over again that both Milly and I love.

Lesure Donut Dog Bed

Lesure Donut Dog Bed

$45.99 at Amazon

 

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This wasn't the first dog bed we got for Milly, but the Lesure dog bed is absolutely her favorite — she tried to lie on it before it was even fully put together. The outside of the bed is so soft, but the donut shape makes it extremely cozy. It has a sort of ingenius two part design with two cushions that are inserted into the cover to make that donut shape. That also makes it exceptionally easy to clean. Once it starts to smell a little...doggy, I can just toss it in the wash to get it feeling fresh again.

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MidWest Homes 36-inch Double Door Dog Crate

MidWest Homes 36-inch Double Door Dog Crate

$61.93 at Amazon
$65.99 Save $4.06

 

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Luckily, Milly came to us crate-trained. This girl loves her crate and sleeps easily through the night in it. During Black Friday, I picked up the MidWest Homes 36-inch Double Door Dog Crate, and it's great. It was so easy to set up and can fold down easily if we want to travel with it. I love the double doors situation that allows us to angle it however we need.

Max and Neo Dog Collar

Max and Neo Martingale Collar

$17.99 at Amazon

 

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As a first-time dog owner, it's safe to say I have a little bit of new parent anxiety. Luckily, Milly's foster sent us home with a Max and Neo Martingale collar, which I would purchase with my own money if I had to do it again. A martingale collar has a special mechanism that tightens it when your dog pulls, so it's less likely that your dog can slip out of the collar. Plus, I love that it has a lock on the buckle for extra security.

AirTag and collar holder

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Credit: Apple

Apple AirTag

$29 at Amazon

 

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Credit: Goody Products

Goody Products AirTag Holder

$14.96 at Amazon

 

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If the worst were to happen and we got lost from Milly, we wanted some way to track her. We decided to get an AirTag as it was an affordable, easy-to-use option. Since we live in a city, the AirTag is fairly accurate and reliable, though if we lived in the suburbs or country, we might consider a GPS collar. The AirTag has been great so far, and we keep it attached to Milly's collar with an AirTag holder.

The Buddy System Dog Leash

The Buddy System Hands Free Dog Leash

$24.99 at Amazon

 

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When adopting Milly, we were recommended to get a runner's belt. We tried a few options, but our favorite is from The Buddy System, which has inclusive sizing and easily converts to a handheld leash. My favorite feature is the tab to clip our treat pouch and poop bag holder.

Earth Rated Dog Poop Bags

Earth Rated Poop Bags

$24.69 at Amazon
$25.99 Save $1.30

 

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I know it is not glamorous or the most exciting thing to buy during a sale, but without fail, the thing you will use every day as a dog owner is poop bags. There are a ton out there, but Earth Rated seems to be the most popular (245K+ reviews on Amazon) for good reason. I like them because they come in a pack of 600, so I don't have to think about buying them for months at a time.

Upsky No Spill Water Bowl

Upsky No Spill Water Bowl

$15.99 at Amazon
$17.99 Save $2.00

 

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We bought the Upsky No Spill Water Bowl after dog sitting for our friends who had one. It is awesome for messy drinkers as the disk on top keeps just a little water exposed. The unexpected upside? Our cats love drinking from it, too.

Woof Pupsicle

Woof Pupsicle

$23.99 at Amazon
$29.99 Save $6

 

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If you have an active dog with high enrichment needs, you need a Woof Pupsicle. The inside frozen treat keeps dogs active for at least 15 minutes, plus, you can make your own treat with the included mold. Milly loves her so much that we give her one at every meal.

Pawz Rubber Boots

Pawz Rubber Boots

$21.49 at Amazon

 

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I never thought I'd be someone who puts little boots on their dog, but then winter came, and Milly was limping from all the salt on her paws. While the Pawz rubber boots aren't the fanciest booties you can find online, they're cheap and easy to put on. Plus, I find they give much better paw mobility. They're not just for winter either, as they can protect paws against hot pavement.

Zuke's Mini Treats

Zuke's Mini Treats

$13.20 at Amazon
$16.99 Save $3.79

 

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My family has been buying Zuke's for almost two decades, so when I got a dog of my own, they were the first treats I bought. They're tiny, so you can fit a lot of them in a treat pouch, low-calorie, and based on my dog's reaction to them, very tasty. The only downside is they do tend to dry out fast.

Whimzees Dental Treats

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Credit: Wellness

Whimzees Natural Dental Treats

$43.80 at Amazon

 

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After our daily walk, Milly goes straight to the treat cabinet for her dental treat. We get the Whimzees natural dog treats, which she loves. The variety box is the best value, especially since we give them to her daily. Plus, we've genuinely noticed a difference in her breath, which, to put it kindly, was exceptionally stinky.

Earth Rated Dog Shampoo

Earth Rated Dog Shampoo

$14.53 at Amazon
$16.99 Save $2.46

 

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Speaking of stinky, the transition from winter to fall is better known as mud season where I live, and Milly made the most of it. This resulted in her least favorite activity, the bath. Earth Rated 3-in-1 dog shampoo has worked extremely well for us. I love the white tea and basil scent, plus its easy squeeze bottle design is clutch for easy dispensing. It rinses easily and actually deodorizes when Milly starts to smell like dog.

Earth Rated Pet Wipes

Earth Rated Pet Wipes

$29.92 at Amazon
$34.99 Save $5.07

 

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For both mine and Milly's sanity, a bath can't happen every day, so for the in-between days, pet wipes come in handy. They do a great job cleaning paws and eyes, but they even get off mud or slush after a big walk outside.

The best deals in Saatva's Memorial Day Sale 2026:

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Best budget pick

Saatva Classic Mattress (Queen)

$1,529 (save $650)

Get Deal

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Best bundle deal

Saatva Classic Bundle (Queen)

$2,148 (save $680)

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Best for back pain

Saatva Rx Mattress (Queen)

$2,799 (save $650)

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Buying a new mattress is a hassle. There are so many options, and if you're not already in love with your current mattress (and just looking for a replacement), finding one that's just right can feel overwhelming — especially if there isn't a brick-and-mortar store nearby. Plus, mattresses are expensive. I mean, spending thousands on a mattress in this economy? Hard pass.

Fortunately, I've already found the perfect mattress brand for you. Enter: Saatva. Yes, I know they're known for luxe mattresses, but don't let that deter you. (I used to exclusively buy from Purple until I tried a Saatva, and now I'm never going back.) The brand's throwing an early Memorial Day Sale, and the deals are unbeatable for what you're getting.

Right now, Saatva is giving customers $650 off any order of $1,500 or more. There aren't any promo codes or hoops to jump through; the discount is just applied at checkout.

If you're ready to replace your old mattress, here are the best deals to shop during Saatva's early Memorial Day Sale:

Best budget pick

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Credit: Saatva

Saatva Classic Mattress (Queen)

$1,529 at Saatva
$2,179 Save $650

 

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Why we like it

Saatva isn't a "budget" brand by any means, but the most affordable option in the sale is the Saatva Classic. This mattress is listed on the site as "America's best-selling online luxury innerspring." It's also won countless awards and, according to Saatva, is the "official mattress and restorative sleep provider of Team USA." (If it's good enough for an Olympian to sleep on, it's definitely good enough for me.)

Best bundle deal

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Credit: Saatva

Saatva Classic Bundle (Queen)

$2,148 at Saatva
$2,828 Save $680

 

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Why we like it

If you need a "whole package deal" (e.g., a mattress, mattress pad, and frame), the Classic Bundle is the way to go. It comes with a Saatva Classic Mattress (the pick above), one foundation, one universal frame, and one signature mattress pad — and you can get it all for less than $3,000.

Best for back pain

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Credit: Saatva

Saatva Rx Mattress (Queen)

$2,799 at Saatva
$3,449 Save $650

 

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Why we like it

If you suffer from chronic back pain (hi, it's me), then you need the Saatva Rx. As a person with endometriosis, I have severe back pain that keeps me awake throughout the night, so what I sleep on really matters. I recently got this mattress (just this week, actually), and I couldn't be more impressed. It's the first mattress specially designed for people with chronic back pain and joint conditions, and so far, I have zero complaints.

Save up to 36% on the Hisense U6 Pro:

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55-inch

Hisense 55-inch U6 Pro Mini-LED Hi-QLED 4K TV

$648.99 (save $201)

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65-inch

Hisense 65-inch U6 Pro Mini-LED Hi-QLED 4K TV

$748.99 (save $351)

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75-inch

Hisense 75-inch U6 Pro Mini-LED Hi-QLED 4K TV

$898.99 (save $501)

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85-inch

Hisense U6 Pro Mini-LED Hi-QLED 4K TV

$1,299.99 (save $700)

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100-inch

Hisense 100-inch U6 Pro Mini-LED Hi-QLED 4K TV

$2,498.99 (save $1,001)

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You've got exactly a month to prepare for the 23rd edition of the prestigious FIFA World Cup. So if you need to upgrade your TV, now's a great time. Not only are brand new 2026 TV models officially on shelves, but some are even on sale already — including Hisense's U6 Pro. As of May 11, every size of the U6 Pro is on sale for up to 36% off.

Fittingly, Hisense is the official TV sponsor of the 2026 World Cup, and the U6 Pro is one of the core models surrounding the famous competition. The U6 Pro is "engineered to help fans, families and friends experience every moment together with greater clarity, scale and immersion at a budget that fits their needs," Hisense writes in a press release.

While it is technically one of the brand's mid-range TVs, there's not much that's "mid" about it. It "represents Hisense’s performance-to-value sweet spot," according to the brand. The U6 Pro is illuminated by Mini-LED backlighting and features a native refresh rate of 144Hz, quantum-dot color, AI-driven processing, 2.1-channel Dolby Atmos audio, extensive gaming support including Freesync Premium Pro, and a peak brightness of 1,200 nits.

Screens run from 55 to 100 inches, each of which is on sale, ensuring there's a size that'll fit your space. You'll score the biggest discount on the 65-inch and 75-inch models, which we find are often the sweet spot for most shoppers. But if you choose to go as big as 100 inches, you'll still score some serious savings.

• Hisense 55-inch U6 Pro Mini-LED Hi-QLED 4K TV — $648.99 $849.99 (save $201)

• Hisense 65-inch U6 Pro Mini-LED Hi-QLED 4K TV — $748.99 $1,099.99 (save $351)

• Hisense 75-inch U6 Pro Mini-LED Hi-QLED 4K TV — $898.99 $1,399.99 (save $501)

• Hisense 85-inch U6 Pro Mini-LED Hi-QLED 4K TV — $1,299.99 $1,999.99 (save $700)

• Hisense 100-inch U6 Pro Mini-LED Hi-QLED 4K TV — $2,498.99 $3,499.99 (save $1,001)

Whether you're hosting a World Cup watch party or simply need a new TV to upgrade your own viewing experience, you won't be disappointed in the U6 Pro.

SAVE $100.01: The Bluetti Elite 300 portable power station is on sale at Amazon for $1,098.99, down from the list price of $1,199 at Bluetti. This sale price matches the lowest we've ever seen at Amazon.

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Credit: Bluetti

Bluetti Elite 300

$1,098.99 at Amazon
$1,199 Save $100.01

 

Get Deal

We're in optimal camping weather in much of the country. It's no longer dipping into freezing temps at night, but it's also not reaching scorching temps during the day. If you're taking advantage of the weather and heading out on camping and RV trips, there's a portable power station worth packing along. To make the situation even more appealing, the station is on sale today.

As of May 11, the Bluetti Elite 300 portable power station is on sale at Amazon for $1,098.99, marked down from the list price of $1,199 at Bluetti. This sale price matches the lowest we've ever seen at Amazon.

In case you haven't experienced the magic of a portable power station, make this the summer of staying powered up while off-grid. The Bluetti Elite 300 is a larger model, coming with about 3,000Wh of capacity and a 2,400W output. But despite its beefy output, it has a relatively small body, measuring about 14 inches wide, 12 inches tall, and 12 inches in depth. Keep in mind it weighs nearly 60 pounds, so it's probably not the right model for camping in remote locations with hike-in access.

For RV trips, you can make use of the TT-30 port. The battery capacity will recharge a 60W laptop 33 times or a 10W phone over 90 times. If there's a power outage at home, you can keep the WiFi router going for over 85 hours.

Before another ideal camping weekend slips by, upgrade with the Bluetti Elite 300 portable power station. Since it's back at a record-low price, there's never been a better time to buy.

When Until Dawn was released all the way back in 2015, it was a rather inventive interactive horror drama that propelled itself into mainstream gaming culture on the strength of how gloriously camp it was. With its myriad of choices and gruesome deaths, Until Dawn had a replayability and a level of enjoyment — especially for YouTubers — that made it a standout in a year already dominated by heavyweights like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Fallout 4, Bloodborne, and Undertale.

Supermassive's formula was unique at the time, heavily inspired by the adventure genre and FMV (full-motion video) games of old. But now, a decade and seven games later, that formula is starting to show its age. The latest entry is Directive 8020, the fifth instalment in the Dark Pictures Anthology, set far into the future aboard the starship Cassiopeia.

Like the other entries in the series, Supermassive knows how to make you feel genuinely terrible about a decision in Directive 8020. Unlike those earlier games, though — Man of Medan, House of Ashes, and the rest — you can now rewind your previous choices, making it easier than ever to get the full scope of the narrative without committing to any one path. Does that meaningfully change how the story is presented? Not really. But it is a significant improvement in quality of life for anyone who wants to see how the story branches without having to restart the whole thing just to make the most myopic dialogue and character decisions possible.

All that to say: from my time with the game — with a code provided by Supermassive — Directive 8020 is both a blast story-wise and an absolute drag gameplay-wise. And in the eight full hours I logged, playing through the main story and messing around with the rewind feature to hunt collectibles and explore extra choices, I can confidently say I still had some fun with Supermassive's latest.

Directive 8020 draws heavily from The Thing and Alien

Lashana Lynch plays the 'Directive 8020' protagonist: pilot Brianna Young. Credit: Supermassive Games

Directive 8020 welcomes you aboard the colony ship Cassiopeia. You play as the crew of scientists on an eight-year survey mission to the exoplanet Tau Ceti, tasked with determining whether it's fit for human life. The problem is that an alien organism has found its way onto the ship — one that's not only hunting the crew down but can also mimic them, turning what was supposed to be a routine survey mission into a paranoia-soaked trip into hell.

If that basic plot synopsis sounds like a spoiler, it really isn't in the grand scheme of things. It's the game's central marketing hook, and it carries with it a dramatic irony that will always color your decision-making, especially on a first playthrough. Like other games in the series, the playable cast is filled with up-and-coming and lesser-known actors, this time with Lashana Lynch (The Woman King, The Day of the Jackal) in one of the lead roles. And not to go off on a tangent, but the quietly impressive awards pedigree of this franchise is always worth noting — both Rami Malek and Jesse Buckley landed Best Actor wins in the years following their respective Supermassive appearances in Until Dawn and The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me. Fingers crossed for Lynch, then.

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Without getting too deep into the plot, Lynch's character — Cassiopeia pilot Brianna Young — awakens from a four-year slumber to find one of the sleep technicians missing (they're assigned to stay awake for the full journey to watch over the crew and ship) and the other acting really, really strange. From there, the crew must deal with a series of disturbances that derail the mission, one meant to lay the groundwork for the colonists of Andromeda to eventually arrive on their new home planet.

The story is fairly straightforward, drawing heavily on The Thing and Alien — the sentimental body-snatcher and space-horror classics, respectively. Alongside Young, who is trying to follow in her famous pilot father's footsteps, the other playable characters include Commander Nolan Stafford, ship designer Laure Eisele, engineer Josef Cernan, and Dr. Amanda Cooper. They're fine, which has always been a quiet problem with Supermassive games — the people we're supposed to want to protect until the very end tend to be fairly one-note. Eisele is rational to the point of being robotic; Cernan is grappling with the meaning of life after losing his husband; and Cooper is still processing the trauma of being the sole survivor of a mass casualty event. Bog standard motivations that don't carry much weight in the grand scheme of the plot, at least in my experience.

There are three additional characters aboard the ship who aren't playable; their primary narrative function is as potential mimic targets who may or may not still be themselves by the time the story picks up steam. That setup also doubles as the structural backbone for Directive 8020's five-player co-op movie night mode.

Directive 8020 gives the illusion of choice and consequences

Be aware of the illusion of choice. Credit: Supermassive Games

If the story is Directive 8020's strongest hand, the gameplay is where it overplays it. While the interactive QTE (quick time event) drama formula is getting stale, nobody picks up a Supermassive game expecting God of War. But there's a difference between "light on gameplay" and "actively repetitive," and Directive 8020 spends an uncomfortable amount of time on the wrong side of that line.

Supermassive has always built its games around the illusion of meaningful decisions, and Directive 8020 is no different. One of the things the developer gets right is the Turning Points system, which lets you rewind decisions and explore different branches of the story without having to blow up your entire playthrough. That's a genuine quality-of-life win for a game built around consequence. Except some of these choices are so deceptively mundane that the consequences feel less like earned drama and more like gotcha moments.

Early on, you're asked to reroute power from either the Cassiopeia's landing gear or fire suppression system. Seems straightforward enough on the surface, except that picking either option comes with fatal consequences. Here's the thing, though: this is a horror game set on a spaceship. Of course, you're keeping the fire suppression on. Something is always going to end up on fire. Calling that a meaningful choice is generous.

And no matter what happens in any given chapter, it's pretty clear that the story is engineered to hit its predetermined endpoints regardless of what you do. The prologue is a good example — it ends with one of the sleep technicians getting mimicked by the alien, which then chases the other to their death. Except you can also accidentally kill that technician yourself earlier in the chapter if you botch a QTE. Doesn't matter. The mimic version of the tech you just killed shows up anyway and the chase plays out exactly the same. The destination was never in question. There are several instances of this across the game's eight chapters, and each one is a small reminder that the illusion of consequence only stretches so far before the seams start to show.

Ugh, a stealth section. Credit: Supermassive Games

Some secondary features are neat, like being able to text the crew during exploratory sections of the game. It serves as light character building and a way to update traits for the playable characters. Upgrading one of two traits for each character will affect their endings, so it is important to stay on top of that or at least be consistent in your dialogue choices. That's all it's really there for.

But nothing — and I mean nothing — Directive 8020 has to offer is worse than its stealth sections. And there are so, so many of them. So many, in fact, that I stopped being scared of this game entirely somewhere around the third or fourth time I was crouching behind a crate looking for a battery to power a door. The score does nothing to conjure dread when you know the only time you'll meaningfully interact with an enemy is during these mandatory gauntlets. They are boring in the most specific way possible — think the stealth sections in Marvel's Spider-Man and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, except stretched across an entire game. I genuinely do not have the vocabulary to fully articulate all the ways in which these sections do not work. You sneak around an enemy, get to a door, realize the door has no power, find a battery, power the door, go through the door, and then do it again. And again. And again. This looped effect on the story's pacing is catastrophic.

That's probably the harshest I'll be about the game, but with this genre, it's increasingly hard to ignore the law of diminishing returns on the gameplay side. I still remember House of Ashes giving you full camera control and thinking that was a genuinely interesting evolution for the series. Directive 8020 does not feel like an evolution. Its big gameplay change is marketed as "real-time alien threats," and all it is is f***ing stealth sections.

If you don't like these kinds of games, this one will not be the one that converts you.

Directive 8020 runs like a charm

Credit: Supermassive Games

What Directive 8020 does have going for it, even without a Sony-sized budget, is that it still looks genuinely good. A little stiff, a little uncanny valley in places, but never enough to actually pull you out of the experience. And in terms of performance, I have almost nothing to complain about — which, in my experience covering games on the PlayStation 5 for Mashable, is not something I take for granted. The most recent reminder of that was Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss, and pun very much intended, the performance on that game was abysmal.

Directive 8020 is the opposite. Navigating the game is a breeze, which, frankly, it should be — Supermassive has been doing this exact type of game on a loop since Until Dawn, and anything less would be embarrassing at this point. There is one minor recurring annoyance: the Secrets tab in the menu has a bug where it'll just stop mid-scroll while you're trying to track down undiscovered items. It's a small thing, but the kind that gets irritating fast. Beyond that, the weird eyes and slightly robotic movement have long since stopped bothering me. Considering how much is being rendered at any given moment, I'm willing to extend some grace.

And to Supermassive's credit, when the game wants to look genuinely unsettling, it delivers. The alien-infested sections of the Cassiopeia are a highlight — ship corridors that were once clean and clinical are now swallowed by thick, glistening biological matter, all wet sinew and dark organic sprawl creeping across the walls like the ship itself is being consumed from the inside out.

The contrast between the cold industrial infrastructure of the vessel — the pipes, the paneling, the terminals — and the grotesque living mass overtaking it does exactly what good sci-fi horror set design is supposed to do. It's gross in the right way. Unsettling in the right way. The kind of environmental storytelling that doesn't need a single line of dialogue to tell you that whatever happened here, it was bad, and it happened fast. It's a shame the stealth sections ask you to spend so much time in these corridors, because the repetition eventually dulls what should be a consistently unnerving atmosphere.

Is Directive 8020 worth it?

Directive 8020 is a hard game to give a clean recommendation on, because how much you get out of it depends almost entirely on what you're coming in looking for. If you're a Supermassive faithful who has logged time with Man of Medan, House of Ashes, and the rest of the Dark Pictures catalog, there's enough here to justify the trip — a genuinely compelling mimic-driven paranoia story, a solid central performance from Lynch, and a rewind feature that finally makes exploring the full breadth of the narrative feel less like homework. On that front, it delivers.

But if you were hoping that a decade into this formula, Supermassive might have cracked the code on making the gameplay half of the equation actually interesting, Directive 8020 is not that game. The stealth sections are a slog, the choices occasionally mistake obviousness for subtlety, and the story's habit of hitting its marks regardless of what you do makes the whole thing feel more theme park ride than interactive drama. You're on the track whether you like it or not.

At $49.99, it's not an unreasonable ask, especially if you have four friends willing to do a movie night co-op run — that's genuinely the best way to play something like this and probably the version of the game Supermassive intended. Solo, it's a breezy eight hours that's more fun to think about afterward than it is to actually play through in the moment.

Directive 8020 is not Supermassive's best work, but it's not their worst either. It sits comfortably in the middle of a catalog that has always been more interesting in concept than in execution. Which is worth a play, but maybe wait for a sale.

TikTok users in the UK are getting a way to get rid of ads, but it will cost them.

On Monday, the social media platform introduced TikTok Ad-Free, a subscription-based version of the service that completely banishes ads.

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Vote for your favorite creator today!

It's a very simple affair: Pay £3.99 per month, and you will see no ads. If you don't want to pay, you can continue to use TikTok with ads. The Ad-Free tier does not come with any additional benefits.

From the company's FAQ on the matter: "Whether someone chooses the ad-free subscription or continues with the free ad-supported version, their core TikTok experience remains the same. All users will continue to have access to the same features, creators, and content."

There's another benefit to subscribing to TikTok Ad-Free; if you do so, your data will not be used for advertising purposes. Regular users will see ads personalized to their interests, but that means TikTok will collect some of their data to be able to serve those ads.

According to TikTok, the Ad-Free option is rolling out "over the coming months" to UK users aged 18 or over.

TikTok is not the first social media site to offer this option. For example, Meta lets users in the UK and Europe pay for an ad-free experience on Facebook and Instagram.

Trying to decide which device to wear on your wrist? Take it from someone who's worn a Garmin watch for almost 10 years: The incredible battery life makes tracking your health and fitness super easy. However, the Apple Watch is not without serious benefits. Which one is right for you?

I was a lost puppy in my early days on Grindr, especially as I tried to ditch the juvenile online abbreviations I’d been using for years. Gone were the days of “ur”. As a wide-eyed, new college freshman, I was more “literate” than ever. These were the times of spelling the whole word out: “you’re.” 

After my first Grindr download, I realized acronyms like gh, gen, ff, ws, poz, and pnp were being thrown around everywhere, but I didn't think it was necessary to learn them. Let me be clear: it was, and it still is. It took a few weeks until someone asked me if I wanted to “parTy”. A spelling error, I had assumed. My iPhone keyboard sometimes does that, too. But, I was an eighteen-year-old first-year college student living on my own for the first time. What a stupid fucking question. Hell yes, I like to party!

It took one Google search to realize that I was right, I do like to party… but I absolutely do not like to parTy (which is a reference to drug use). That’s when it hit me. To stay safe, I actually needed to understand these terms, something I’d been innocently ignoring since I first joined the app. Knowing them is how you avoid ending up in a situation you don’t want to be in.

But, why are people using acronyms and terms on Grindr to begin with? The short answer: speed. Acronyms and terms are quick. They get the point across efficiently, even with the learning curve. It minimizes the need for longer, direct conversations. I think it’s safe to say that the vast majority of people using these terms aren’t looking to beat around the bush. They want to meet up right now

Acronyms and terms are also used on Grindr for discretion, which exists for two reasons: safety and plausible deniability. 

Using an acronym for safety might include why a trans person would use a term such as “ftm” (female to male), “mtf” (male to female), or “t4t” (trans for trans). These acronyms enhance safety for trans people meeting strangers online by providing a shorthand for identity and intent.

Plausible deniability, on the other hand, is where things get a little more illicit. Acronyms are often used to bypass moderation for topics that would otherwise result in a ban, including the use of illegal drugs. Codewords allow users to discuss illegal activities with enough ambiguity to claim they were talking about something else entirely. It’s ridiculously problematic, but it is rather foolproof.

Grindr

 

Learn More at Grindr

Grindr’s most-used acronyms and terms in 2026

As language shifts, so does the coded shorthand used on Grindr. Some terminology seen on the app ten years ago might not have much pertinence anymore. Whether you’re new to Grindr in 2026 or just need a little bit of a cheat sheet to hold onto, here are the most common acronyms and terms you'll encounter and what they signify.

• anon: anonymous; interest in anonymous sex

• bb: bareback; raw sex without condom-use

• bear: bear; a subculture of gay men with typically larger, hairier bodies

• bttm: bottom; one who prefers to be on the receiving end of anal sex

• cd: crossdresser; a man who dresses up as a woman during (and occasionally not during) sexual acts

• discreet: discreet; someone not publicly out as gay/trans/etc. looking to partake in sexual acts and conversation on a secretive level

• dl: down low; essentially means the exact same thing as above

• dp: double penetration; exactly what you think it is

• ff: fisting; someone either into fisting/wanting to be fisted (you can ask more about who’s taking which side in the DMs)

• ftm: female to male; a person who was assigned female at birth, who now identifies as male 

• fwb: friends with benefits; a friend you can f*ck

• gen: generous; someone looking a financial arrangement, typically involving payment for a sexual encounter

• gh: gloryhole; a typically anonymous encounter involving oral and/or anal sex through a hole in a wall or sheet

• host: host; A user who has their own place and can accommodate guests for a hookup

• into: into; a quicker way to ask someone, “what are you into sexually?”, meaning the person asking does not care that you like to hike and play ultimate frisbee

• jo: jerking off; someone interest in mutual masturbation with a partner

• jock: jock; a man with a muscular/athletic body who is typically into fitness

• ltr: long-term relationship; someone with interest in pursuing a romantic connection

• mtf: male to female;  assigned male at birth, now identifying as female 

• npnc: no pic, no chat; someone with no interest in chatting with someone who is unable to provide a photo of their face

• nsa: no strings attached; a sexual/physical connection with no romantic connection

• otter: otter; a hairier gay man with a slim, lean, or more athletic build

• parTy: chemsex; refers to sex involving drug use, specifically "tina" (crystal meth), with the capitalized "T" serving as a coded signal for the substance

• pnp: party and play; broader term that can include various substances to enhance sexual experiences

• poz: HIV+; a term to signify an HIV+ person

• rn: right now; interest in meeting up for sex as soon as possible

• side: side; a user with preference to sexual encounters that don't involve penetration

• t4t: trans for trans; a trans person looking for encounters with another trans person

• top: top; one who prefers to be on the giving end of anal sex

• twink: twink; a hairless, leaner, younger gay man

• twunk: twunk; a hairless, more athletically-built gay man

• uc: uncut; someone with an uncircumcised penis

• u=u: undetectable = untransmittable; medically proven status meaning those on sustained antiretroviral therapy (ART) with an undetectable HIV viral load cannot sexually transmit the virus to someone without HIV

• vers: versatile; someone who enjoys being both on the receiving and giving end during anal sex

• ws: watersports; interest in urine-play during sexual experiences

• wya: where you at; used to quickly determine a person’s location before or during a meetup

Should I be using acronyms and terms on Grindr?

Grindr may be built for fast connections, but navigating the app effectively requires understanding the specific acronyms and terms users rely on. So, do you need to use them? Technically, no, you don’t, but you should absolutely be familiar with what most of these mean when using the app. If you ever encounter an unfamiliar term or request, a quick Google search is a perfectly normal way to stay informed. And trust me, knowing the lingo will help you steer clear of some very uncomfortable situations.

Grindr

 

Learn More at Grindr

2018 was a weird year. I was 22 and just graduated college with an art degree that I still haven’t used to this day. I was planning to be the next Ryan McGinley, taking photos of handsome twinks around New York City. But I was still naive and living with my parents, working with my dad over the summer to make quick cash while I applied to photography internships around Manhattan. All unpaid.

I was flat broke, so I got my very first credit card, which funded a much-needed new mattress and a ticket to Firefly Music Festival with some of my besties. But I realized I needed more money.

I made an account on Seeking Arrangements, banking on being young and broke being enough, but to no avail. I went on Omegle with the tag “sugar daddy” so I could find someone who would let me bully them for incremental payments. That didn’t work either. I gave up on my sugar baby fantasy. 

Until I got to Firefly.

It was a hot weekend. Low 80s. No rain. I saw SZA and Kendrick and Eminem and Arctic Monkeys and MGMT. I was spending a lot of money on food inside the festival grounds. And I was horny. A little horny. Nothing crazy, but I was 22. If you’ve ever been 22, you know.

On the first night, we got back from the festival late. Past midnight. There were four of us in the tent and we were all sharing a Jackery power bank, rationing it so it would last the weekend. My friends were all asleep but I was still awake, phone charging, scrolling Grindr. Tons of profiles. Hot guys from Maine and Ohio and Michigan and Pennsylvania and even the United Kingdom flocking to me and me to them, all under 500 feet from me. Then, a message from a blank profile a little over 2,000 feet away.

“Hey,” he said. I didn’t reply. No pic, no chat.

A few minutes roll by.

“Can I give you some money? You don’t have to do anything.”

My eyes widened.

If I received a message like this now, almost 10 years later in 2026, that would be an easy ignore. Grindr is packed to the brim with bots pretending to be real people offering money, fake sugar daddy arrangements, or claiming they want to use your photos for an art project. It’s weird and these bots don't do a great job of hiding it. In 2018, this wasn’t the case. If someone was offering you money, yes, they could be a scammer, but it was less likely.

“I don’t have to do anything?” I replied.

“Nothing. Just send me your email for PayPal and I’ll give you money,” he answers.

Too good to be true. I google, “can someone hack your PayPal if you give them your email?” and got a clear answer. No, they can’t. Unless they have your password.

“Why do you want to give me money? What do you get out of this?”

“Being used financially turns me on,” he tells me.

Whatever. Sure. I told him to keep the payment light because I felt bad. I told him to send me $30. A minute later, I got a notification from PayPal, saying someone sent me $30. A first and a last name. Let’s call him S.J. (not his real initials). I look him up on Facebook and he’s real and he lives in Maryland and he’s an uncle and he works at a bank or something. He’s sort of handsome.

“Can I pay you throughout the weekend?” he asks.

“Sure,” I say. I fall asleep.

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The next morning, I didn't tell my friends. I don’t want them to think I’m going to pay for their drinks or anything. That $30 is for me. I bought Arancini Bros and Island Noodles. There’s not much cell service inside of the festival. It’s better at the campgrounds. So, the whole day, I’m practically off the grid. When I get back, I have another notification from PayPal. The guy sent me $70. So, I have $100 total. I go back on Grindr to thank him and his profile is no longer there, meaning he either deleted or blocked me. Bummer. But, now I have $70 more to spend. I’ll live.

The weekend continues. I spend his money. The weekend ends. I go back home to New Jersey, working the same job with my dad at the courthouse. It’s around two weeks later and I remember how much the money sucks, and then I remember S.J. I look back at the PayPal receipts. Full name. I find him on Instagram. I send him a message. I don’t follow him.

“Hey man, how’s it been?”

He replies immediately. He doesn’t follow me either.

“Good, man, how about you?”

“Good, missing Firefly. I spent so much money that weekend,” I say.

“You’re telling me,” he replies.

“Speaking of, I’m wondering if you can send me more? I’m just out of college and really struggling with bills right now.” I’m trying to make him feel bad.

“Yeah, I can only send $50 right now, that ok?”

“Yeah.”

He sends me $50. I say thank you. He asks if I want to start a payment plan and I tell him yes and we agree on a number. $250/week, but he can’t start until the following week. I tell him that’s fine. I’m excited. Easy money. For f*cking nothing. No conversation. No nudes. No nothing. Just money for the sake of money.

I wait a week and receive nothing. I message him. Hey. No reply. A few days go by and I message him again. Nothing. Again. Nothing. Again. Nothing. I send him around 50 heys with no reply for the rest of the summer. 

He replies one night at 3 a.m.

“Hey.”

Sh*t. I missed it. 50 more heys. No reply ever again. I forget about him.

I get a new job. One that pays like sh*t, too, but with potential to grow. I’m saving money to move to Brooklyn the following June and I’m doing an excellent job. It’s October 2 of the same year and I get an email from PayPal. 

The email says S.J. was charging back $50 to dispute his second payment. Why? He claims I did not provide the service I was supposed to perform. I look back at his payments. The first and third were sent as gifts from family and friends. The second he sent as a payment for services rendered. Services that never existed. I was just receiving money because he wanted to give it to me.

I call PayPal. I tell the guy on the other line exactly what happened. He sounds young and polished and it makes me trust everything he has to say. But he gives me information I don't love. What I did was a sex act, technically classified as financial domination, which their terms of service did not permit. PayPal's current terms state that it does not permit "services whose purpose is to facilitate meetings for sexually oriented activities." I'd never heard of financial domination (also known as findom). I tell him I didn't do anything sexual. He knows, he says, but given the circumstances, that's what was happening. This could suspend my account entirely, but he's leaving me with a warning. They're taking the $50. And another $20 for dispute charges.

Damn. This f*cking guy. I send S.J. a strongly worded email. I curse him out. I call him a loser. I call him pathetic. I call him a thief. I just lost $70. $70 I did nothing for, but still $70. $70 I spent already. I send the email. I’m fuming.

He replies minutes later.

“That was so hot.” 

I reply. I’m still heated, but I try one last time.

“Yeah? You think so, you worthless loser? Send me $50, you filthy piece of trash.” 

Returned to sender.

I look up his Instagram. It’s gone. I look up his Facebook page. It’s gone. I type his name into Google. I find no way of contacting him at all.

I never hear from him again.

And, S.J. if you ever see this, my contact information remains the same. I could still use that $50.

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I want to tell you that Is God Is is an electrifying feature directorial debut from playwright-turned-filmmaker Aleshea Harris. And it is. But I worry that the qualifier "feature directorial debut" will imply an asterisk, suggesting that the film is impressive for a debut rather than exceptional on its own merits. So, let me speak plainly.

Is God Is delivers filmmaking that is so mythic, mesmerizing, and menacing that it's easily one of the best movies of 2026.

There. That's clear, right?

A road trip movie with a Southern-fried edge, Harris' thriller weaves inspiration from Greek mythology, Black culture, and the films of Quentin Tarantino to create something reverential yet stirringly fresh. Bolstering Harris' bold vision are producers Tessa Thompson (Hedda) and Janicza Bravo (Zola), along with a riveting ensemble cast that includes Kara Young, Mallori Johnson, Janelle Monáe, Erika Alexander, Vivica A. Fox, and Sterling K. Brown.

But what's it all about? Let's get into it.

Is God Is is a play adaptation in the best way.

Erika Alexander plays Divine in "Is God Is." Credit: Tahajah Samuels / Amazon MGM Studios

Sometimes when watching a movie based on a play, you can feel the original script's hold on the characters, as if they're inexplicably stuck in one location. Incredibly, Is God Is never suffers from such stuckness. Considering it's a road movie, I'm left instead to marvel at how this would have worked on a stage, as I missed the show's 2018 run in New York City.

Still, there are hints that this movie began as a play. Chief among them, the dialogue between Is God Is' heroes and villains is rich with attitude and influence. The monologues, diatribes, and banter reflect a distinct voice that blends AAVE with a heightened theatrical sensibility, pairing a sense of spiritual spectacle to every speech. Beyond that, the relationship between the film's paired protagonists feels rooted and fully realized, alluding to the workshopping of a script and the understanding of how every bit of it plays before a crowd.

Written by Harris, Is God Is centers on a pair of Black twin girls, Racine the Rough One (Young) and Anaia the Quiet One (Johnson), who've both been scarred physically and psychologically by a domestic violence incident in their childhood. Racine's scars crawl up her arm, while Anaia's cover her face and neck. Their physical difference makes others uncomfortable. For Anaia in particular, this means being on the receiving end of sneers and insults that she's "ugly." While she is a peaceful person and will demure from such nastiness, Racine runs toward it with a baseball bat in hand for some retributive violence.

Leaning on each other for their whole lives — especially once they were handed over to a string of fearsome foster parents — the twins have developed an intimacy so intense that they can speak telepathically. Harris invites the audience to listen in on this twin-speak, with subtitles that pop up over sharp glances. This is how they argue within a bond that cannot be broken, and as such, can be confining.

After years of believing their mother had died in the fire that scarred them, the twins learn she's alive and wants to meet them. Ruby (Fox) is God to her daughters, and Harris' presentation of her reflect this power and prestige. Fox appears covered in four hours' worth of prosthetic burn makeup, made elegant with bandages of lace and edged by pearls. Her crown is attended to by three silent and focused Black women, all braiding expertly as the girls meet their maker. She is a vision of female wrath and resilience. And she asks for one thing: Make your daddy dead.

Is God Is takes audiences on a wild ride.

Mykelti Williamson as Chuck Hall the Lawyer in "Is God Is." Credit: Tahajah Samuels / Amazon MGM Studios

The twins are torn on this directive. Racine is eager not only to devote herself to God/Ruby, but also to go on an epic quest and make the man (Brown) who wounded her and her sister pay. Anaia, on the other hand, is hesitant to uproot the life they've built for a mission that could land them in jail or the morgue. But her devotion is to her sister, so she goes along as the two follow the man's messy escape route.

From one deity to another, they find a homespun house of worship, where Divine (Alexander) holds court. She is dynamic in her preacher patter, and radiant in a white gown. But the twins soon discover there's something off in her faith. Next, they'll unearth the sketchy lawyer (Mykelti Williamson), who helped their father escape prosecution. In him, there's a sense of an oracle or a horror movie "half-man," meaning a person whose awareness of the greater forces and evils is unlocked because of his near-deadly brush with them.

With each chapter of this journey, the twins are faced with a moral quandary. What lines will they cross to reach their damned daddy? Who will they become if they demand blood for burns?

Their quest takes them from the cluttered but cozy confines of their tiny apartment to the sweltering South, with blossoming flowers and festering rage. A soundtrack of funky percussion, flute, and guitar plays as they find trouble in a humble church and on a deserted highway. Decay fills the frame of a fight scene to reflect the life-or-death stakes and grubby reality of their quest, and the blood it demands. Then, finally, they arrive at a remote, modern, and stony location for a showdown with daddy.

Sterling K. Brown is terrifying as Is God Is' Big Bad.

Janelle Monáe as Angie, the new wife, in "Is God Is." Credit: Tahajah Samuels / Amazon MGM Studios

Harris was brilliant in pulling her cast together. Young and Johnson are less storied than their co-stars, but both are sublime. As Racine, Young exudes a ruthless unapologetic rage, something women — and especially Black women — are urged by society to repress. It's cathartic to see her explode with a blunt object in hand, even as we worry for what wrath could come her way because of it.

As Racine's foil, Johnson is more stoic, hemmed in by the facial scar prosthetics. But she's not lost under them. Her eyes and her sturdy but careful physicality speak of the hurt Anaia's endured, but also the resilience that's helped her survive.

More impressive, these two can match the screen presence of their co-stars. Fox is spellbinding as the wounded God. Alexander is beguiling as a hopeful preacher. Williamson brings dark humor as the haggard lawyer, while Monáe offers attitude and depth to a small but pivotal role in act three. Together, these performers weave a tapestry of trauma that is horrid and beautiful, like this family's scars. But Harris keeps the best for last, turning Sterling K. Brown into a terror.

The dashing leading man appears throughout Is God Is. But for most of his screen time, he's shown only in extreme close-ups. A pair of grasping hands. A set of fleeing feet. A smile, big, white, and menacing. This lends to the mythic attitude with which Racine and Anaia approach their mission. Though credited as "Man," Brown's character is larger than life, a demon that must be slain. And even in these close-ups, his wickedness is clear and goose-bump-inducing.

By the time he's revealed in full, the twins and we, their audience, know full well what hell he can wreak. So, he doesn't need to bellow or snarl. Instead, he'll make a sandwich and speak in a soft voice. And this choice makes the climax even more harrowing. Harris has built an epic road movie about family, trauma, love, and abuse. She's sculpted characters complicated and compelling, peopling a world of wonder and terror. And in this final act, I held my breath, wondering what would become of these twins.

I won't spoil the ending. I will say Harris had me by the jugular as I watched, entranced by her story's passion, style, and dynamics. When the film ended, I sat elated and shuddering, shaking off the tension that burns from that first edict, "Make your daddy dead." As days have gone by, my mind floats back to this film and its twins. Their story feels contemporary and yet timeless. I yearn to see Is God Is again, hungering for what the thrill of its story, the sumptuousness of Harris' visual storytelling, and the acting ensemble who feasts in every frame.

Simply put, Is God Is is a scorching thriller that feels like a cinematic miracle.

Is God Is opens in theaters on May 15.

TL;DR: Live stream Napoli vs. Bologna in Serie A for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Napoli missed out on the Serie A title this season. Inter proved too strong throughout this campaign, but there's still work to do. Napoli are currently second in the standings but need to finish strong to fight off competition from Juventus, Milan, and Roma. Next they face 10th place Bologna at home.

If you want to watch Napoli vs. Bologna in Serie A for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Napoli vs. Bologna?

Napoli vs. Bologna in Serie A kicks off at 2:45 p.m. ET on May 11. This fixture takes place at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

How to watch Napoli vs. Bologna for free

Napoli vs. Bologna in Serie A is available to live stream for free on BBC iPlayer.

BBC iPlayer is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Napoli vs. Bologna for free by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

4. Visit BBC iPlayer

5. Live stream Napoli vs. Bologna for free from anywhere in the world

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Credit: ExpressVPN

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The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Napoli vs. Bologna without committing with your cash. This isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to live stream select fixtures from Serie A before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on BBC iPlayer, for a number of reasons:

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A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream Napoli vs. Bologna in Serie A for free with ExpressVPN.

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you love a good mashup.

Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: A nice medley

The words are related to mixtures.

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Vote for your favorite creators today

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe a combination of things.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Odds and Ends.

NYT Strands word list for May 11

• Hodgepodge

• Variety

• Ragbag

• Odds and Ends

• Mishmash

• Jumble

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Strands.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you love a good mystery.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games 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 today'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.

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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.

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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 categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: On the prowl

• Green: A plot

• Blue: Solving crimes

• Purple: Anatomy

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Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Move stealthily, with "In"

• Green: Kinds of schemes

• Blue: Detective movies

• Purple: Body parts surrounded by two letters

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 today's Connections #1065 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Move stealthily, with "In": CREEP, SLIP, SNEAK, STEAL

• Kinds of schemes: COLOR, PONZI, PYRAMID, RHYME

• Detective movies: CHINATOWN, KNIVES OUT, SEVEN, VERTIGO

• Body parts surrounded by two letters: ELEGY, KARMA, KEYED, SHANDY

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.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Connections.

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you just got married.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today'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.

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 was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

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:

Fresh.

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Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter N.

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 today's Wordle is...

NEWLY

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. Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Wordle.

TL;DR: Mashable readers who register with Nomad can score 30% off select Nomad eSIM plans with code MASH30.

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Credit: Nomad

Nomad eSIM: 30% off with code MASH30

 

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Summertime is just around the corner, and you know what that means: it's time to travel.

If you're planning some fun vacations in the coming months, or maybe you're someone who has to travel frequently for work, international data is the last thing you want to be worrying about. That's where Nomad comes in handy with its helpful eSIM data plans, and Mashable readers can score a deal on select plans right now.

Registered Nomad users can score 30% off Nomad eSIM data plans when using the code MASH30 at checkout. With over 200 locations worldwide to choose from, making use of this offer is an excellent way to save some cash ahead of your next trip. There are a few things to keep in mind, though: This offer only applies to registered users and does not apply to Day Plans or plans that cost less than $5. It's also not eligible for add-on data.

The beauty of using a Nomad data plan is there's no need to worry about a complicated setup. For starters, eSIMs are a digital version of a physical SIM card, which already takes some hassle out of its setup. Nomad also makes activation simple and easy through their app. As someone who has used Nomad, their app offers a quick step-by-step guide for activation once you've landed. It gets you started right away with your chosen plan for your destination, so you can text friends and family immediately.

Plus, if you're worried you may have gone over your selected amount of data, Nomad's app even shows you how much you have left on your chosen plan. This is a great way to keep an eye on where you're at over the course of your trip. And by using a Nomad eSIM rather than your regular carrier, you can avoid hefty international roaming charges.

Before you jump on the Nomad bandwagon with one of its discounted plans, it's worth confirming that your device will work with them. Make sure to check out Nomad's page on eSIM-compatible devices before taking advantage of this offer.

If it is compatible, why wait? Don't miss out on this chance to get 30% off Nomad eSIM data plans with code MASH30.

SAVE $200: As of May 11, the ASUS ROG Swift is on sale for $999 at Amazon. That's a 17% discount on the list price.

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Credit: Asus

ASUS ROG Swift 27-Inch

$999 at Amazon
$1,199 Save $200

 

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Good gaming equipment can completely change how your setup feels and performs, and if you’ve been thinking about upgrading yours with a new monitor, there's a great new deal at Amazon you won't want to miss.

As of May 11, the ASUS ROG Swift has dropped to its best-ever price, now just $999 instead of $1,199.

This is a 26.5-inch, 4K QD-OLED gaming monitor with a resolution of 3,840 x 2,160, a 240Hz refresh rate, and a 0.03ms response time. It uses 4th-generation QD-OLED technology for a better image quality and improved text clarity, along with a longer lifespan compared to earlier OLEDs.

It features Asus OLED Care Pro with a Neo Proximity Sensor that can tell when you step away from the monitor and switches to a black screen to help reduce burn-in risk. It also has various connectivity options including DisplayPort 2.1a UHBR20 with up to 80Gbps bandwidth, USB-C with 90W power delivery, HDMI 2.1, and a tripod socket.

It also has OLED Anti-Flicker 2.0 technology, which uses a new luminance compensation system to reduce screen flicker, making it much easier on your eyes and a more comfortable viewing experience for long sessions.

You can find this monitor deal at Amazon right now.

SAVE OVER $20: As of May 11, the Kindle Paperwhite 16GB is on sale for $134.99 at Amazon. This is $25 off its list price of $159.99.

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Credit: Amazon

Kindle Paperwhite 16GB

$134.99 at Amazon
$159.99 Save $25

 

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If you've had your eye on the Kindle Paperwhite 16GB, time is running out to score a $25 discount at Amazon. It's on sale for $134.99 at Amazon, but this offer only lasts through May 11.

The Kindle Paperwhite 16GB is usually listed for $159.99. It's a Kindle model we think very highly of — landing on our list of the best Kindles as the best overall pick — so it's well worth the investment (especially at this new low price)

And what is it about the Kindle Paperwhite that made it stand out as the best overall pick? Mashable's Samantha Mangino says in our roundup of the best Kindles that it "turns pages without stuttering, never slowing down when you’re in the thick of the action." On top of that, "The screen's front light is vibrant and has adjustable brightness, meaning it can adjust when transitioning from reading in the sun or shade."

The Kindle Paperwhite is also, "Lightweight and fits comfortably in small crossbody bags. Plus, it’s waterproof, keeping it safe against poolside vacations and spilled water bottles in bags." Not to mention, it has a beefy battery life that can last up to 12 weeks. That's perfect for bookworms hoping to cruise through their digital library this summer.

Again, this deal ends after today. Be quick to make a move on this offer on the Kindle Paperwhite 16GB at Amazon before the deal is done for good.

Want to learn more about getting the best out of your tech? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories and Deals newsletters today.

Charli XCX has released a new song that's only available on Instagram and vinyl, in a very internet move from the brat artist.

Days after releasing her latest single "Rock Music," Charli XCX released another new track, a B-side called "I Keep On Thinking Bout You Every Single Day and Night." The artist posted the song on her secondary Instagram account b.sides, with a video shot in Kyoto, Japan, by The Moment director Aidan Zamiri.

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"i went to kyoto for six weeks to shoot a film. while we were there, i made this video with aidan," she captioned the post, noting the track is only available on Instagram and the "Rock Music" 7" vinyl, "so rip the audio if you want it xx."

The very idea of ripping audio from an artist's page seems a) shocking and b) like some '00s Limewire Y2K energy to me, which, yeah, is extremely Charli XCX. It's also giving "secret single" from the age of CDs (those who know Hanson's Middle of Nowhere didn't end with "With You in Your Dreams" know what I'm talking about).

As well as a very internet way to connect the song with fans, it's also a clever marketing move by Atlantic Records encouraging physical sales, as "I Keep On Thinking Bout You Every Single Day and Night" is also only available on the "Rock Music" vinyl. Charli XCX's success with physical media is long proven; her sixth album, the now-iconic brat, debuted at number one on the Billboard Vinyl Albums Chart, and her Wuthering Heights soundtrack followed a similar path.

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TL;DR: Amazon has the Magic: The Gathering Secrets of Strixhaven Play Booster Box on sale for $139.85, down from its $164.70 list price. That saves you $24.85 on a 30-pack box and marks a new low for Amazon.

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Credit: Magic: The Gathering

Magic: The Gathering Secrets of Strixhaven Play Booster Box

$139.85 at Amazon
$164.70 Save $24.85

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It’s not been long since Magic: The Gathering’s Secrets of Strixhaven expansion launched, but you can already grab it for a heavily discounted rate.

As of May 11, the 30-pack box is listed at $139.85 at Amazon, down from its $164.70 list price. That brings it down to Amazon’s best-ever price (as confirmed with price tracker camelcamelcamel). Better still, the Amazon listing is shipped and sold by Amazon, with free delivery as early as May 16 — or May 13 for Prime members. 

TCGplayer has unopened listings starting at $133.99 with shipping included, while its market price is sitting at $132.96 and the listed median is $148. Walmart has the same box listed from $137.95, with other sellers starting at $139.95. So Amazon isn’t technically the cheapest place to buy, but it’s still the ideal go-to if the retailer is your preferred place to stock up on the latest sets. 

Inside the box, you’re getting 30 Secrets of Strixhaven Play Boosters, with each pack containing 14 Magic cards. Every booster includes one to five rares or higher, three to six uncommons, five to eight commons, and one land card. You’ll also get at least one Traditional Foil card in each pack, while 20% of packs replace the land with a Traditional Foil Land. 

There’s also a Mystical Archive card in every pack, giving you one instant or sorcery spell with special art and a showcase frame. 

For more TCG deals, you can still preorder Magic: The Gathering’s The Hobbit Play Booster Box for way under market price at $209.70. Elsewhere, the Magic: The Gathering Edge of Eternities Play Booster Box has also hit a record-low price at Amazon. 

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SAVE $250: As of May 11, the EcoFlow Delta 2 is on sale for $449 at Amazon. That's a 36% discount on the list price.

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Credit: EcoFlow

EcoFlow Delta 2

$449 at Amazon
$699 Save $250

 

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Looking for a reliable power station that can keep your whole home powered in the case of outages? Meet the EcoFlow Delta 2. It has fast charging, an expandable battery capacity, and enough output to run a wide range of household electronics. And as of May 11, it's on sale for $250 off.

The EcoFlow Delta 2 has a 1kWh capacity that can be expanded up to 3kWh using additional batteries (sold separately). It supports AC charging which sees it reach 80% in just 50 minutes and 100% in 80 minutes. The unit provides 1,800W output and includes 15 outlets for powering a range of appliances. There's also support for up to 500W of solar input for off-grid or outdoor charging, which you can purchase separately.

It uses an LFP LiFePO4 battery, so you know it's got longevity. In fact, it has a rated lifespan of more than 3,000 charge cycles, meaning it will last years. It also includes a battery management system designed to monitor performance and safety. With the unit, you'll get an AC charging cable, a user manual, and a five-year customer service plan.

Find this portable power station deal at Amazon now.

TL;DR: Live stream the 2026 Giro d’Italia for free on SBS on Demand. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

There is something incredibly special about watching the best cyclists in the world compete in the Grand Tours. The scenery is often incredible, the fans are always passionate, and of course, the racing is electric. You quickly become aware that you're watching something special. These athletes are simply not normal, and we're blessed to be able to watch these stars compete over three weeks of gruelling competition.

The Giro d'Italia is the first Grand Tour of 2026. This year's event features the likes of Jonas Vingegaard, Giulio Pellizzari, and Felix Gall. There are a number of talented riders very much in the running for the pink jersey this year.

If you're interested in watching the 2026 Giro d'Italia for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

What is the Giro d’Italia?

The Giro d'Italia is an annual multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in Italy. The Giro d'Italia is one of cycling's most prestigious three-week-long Grand Tours (alongside the Tour de France and Vuelta a España).

When is the 2026 Giro d’Italia?

The 2026 Giro d'Italia is the 109th edition of the famous race. This year's race will start on May 8 in Bulgaria and will finish on May 31 in Rome.

How to watch the 2026 Giro d’Italia for free

The 2026 Giro d'Italia is available to live stream for free on SBS on Demand.

SBS on Demand is geo-restricted to Australia, but anyone can unblock this free streaming platform with a VPN. These powerful tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Australia, meaning you can access SBS on Demand from anywhere in the world.

Live stream the 2026 Giro d'Italia for free by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Australia

4. Visit SBS on Demand

5. Watch the 2026 Giro d’Italia for free from anywhere in the world

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Credit: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

$12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)

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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 live streams without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch the 2026 Giro d’Italia before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to free streaming services 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 SBS on Demand?

ExpressVPN is the best service for live streaming top sporting events from around the world, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Australia

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream the 2026 Giro d’Italia for free with ExpressVPN.

Apple's macOS Tahoe came with a new, Liquid Glass-infused design when it launched last September, but not all of it worked as well as it does on the iPhone and iPad.

Now, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman claims Apple is about to make some design changes in the upcoming macOS 27 to address some of the most glaring issues.

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The new macOS 27 won't be a complete overhaul of Tahoe; internally, Gurman's sources are talking about a "slight redesign," and the Liquid Glass design language will remain a big part of the new OS.

Mostly, these will be small tweaks that make certain parts of the user interface more legible and less confusing. The report doesn't offer many details about what, exactly, is about to change, but it does mention the legibility issues in Tahoe's Control Center, Finder, as well as apps with sidebars and dense lists.

Furthermore, the advent of MacBooks with OLED displays (current Macs all have LCD displays) should further improve the look of the Liquid Glass interfaces in macOS. Apple is expected to launch several MacBooks with OLED displays over the next year or so.

Gurman also said that macOS 27 should bring bug fixes, battery life upgrades, and performance improvements, as well as more AI features, mostly reflected in Apple's smart assistant Siri.

Apple is expected to unveil macOS 27 during its WWDC conference, which kicks off on June 8 this year.

Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.

Released in August 2025, Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.

Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move on to the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.

How to play Pips

If you've ever played dominoes, you'll have a passing familiarity with how Pips is played. As we've shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don't necessarily have to match.

The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible — and common — for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.

Here are common examples you'll run into across the difficulty levels:

• Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.

• Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.

• Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.

• Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.

• Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.

If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.

Easy difficulty hints, answers for May 11 Pips

Less Than (10): Everything in this space must be less than 10. The answer is 5-2, placed horizontally.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 3-4, placed vertically; 0-4, placed horizontally.

Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 0-4, placed horizontally; 6-6, placed vertically.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for May 11 Pips

Number (4): Everything in this purple space must add up to 4. The answer is 4-2, placed vertically.

Number (4): Everything in this red space must add up to 4. The answer is 1-2, placed horizontally; 0-1, placed vertically; 3-5, placed horizontally.

Number (4): Everything in this light blue space must add up to 4. The answer is 1-2, placed horizontally; 4-2, placed vertically.

Less Than (1): Everything in this space must be less than 1. The answer is 0-6, placed vertically.

Number (4): Everything in this dark blue space must add up to 4. The answer is 0-1, placed vertically; 3-2, placed horizontally.

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 3-2, placed horizontally; 2-0, placed horizontally.

Less Than (1): Everything in this space must be less than 1. The answer is 2-0, placed horizontally.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for May 11 Pips

Equal (3): Everything in this purple space must be equal to 3. The answer is 3-3, placed vertically; 1-3, placed vertically; 3-6, placed horizontally; 3-4, placed vertically.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 1-3, placed vertically; 1-2, placed horizontally.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 1-2, placed horizontally.

Equal (4): Everything in this yellow space must be equal to 4. The answer is 4-4, placed vertically; 3-4, placed vertically; 5-4, placed horizontally; 1-4, placed horizontally.

Equal (5): Everything in this dark blue space must be equal to 5. The answer is 5-5, placed horizontally; 5-4, placed horizontally; 5-1, placed horizontally.

Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 6-1, placed horizontally; 6-2, placed horizontally

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 5-1, placed horizontally; 1-4, placed horizontally; 6-1, placed horizontally.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 6-2, placed horizontally.

Not Equal: Everything in this space must be different. The answer is 2-4, placed horizontally; 0-6, placed vertically; 5-3, placed vertically.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

SAVE $50: As of May 11, the Garmin vívoactive 6 is on sale for $249.99 at Amazon. That marks a return to its lowest-ever price at the retailer.

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Credit: Garmin

Garmin vívoactive 6

$249.99 at Amazon
$299.99 Save $50

 

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For those with an athletic lifestyle, a fitness tracker is worth having on your wrist to keep a close eye on your progress towards your goals. If you've been thinking about dropping some cash, why pay full price? Amazon has some great deals available on a variety of options at the moment. The Garmin vívoactive 6 is one of them, with $50 slashed off its full price tag.

As of May 11, this discount has dropped the price of every color of the Garmin vívoactive 6 from $299.99 to $249.99. This marks a return to its lowest-ever price at the retailer. No better time to snag it, then.

The Garmin vívoactive 6 is a tracker that can help you with everything from exercise stats to keeping a closer eye on your day-to-day health. When it comes to the latter, it offers a wide variety of features including wrist-based heart rate, stress tracking, a sleep score, fitness age, and more. It even has a Body Battery energy monitoring feature, which shows you how rested your body is for the day.

In terms of fitness, it's packed with over 80 sports apps and even has advanced features that show you how a workout affects your body.

If this is a fitness tracker that's caught your eye, now is a great time to save on the Garmin vívoactive 6 at Amazon.

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When my wife and I rescued our dog, Milly, this winter, we registered her microchip right away, but we wanted another level of protection. From the rescue, we knew Milly was a runner, which meant taking extra precautions, like double-leashing and working with a dog trainer right away. But I'd also scooped up a four-pack of AirTags when they were at an all-time low during Black Friday so that I could attach one to Milly's collar.

But was an AirTag really the best solution? It's certainly affordable, but since owning a dog, I'm inundated with targeted ads for GPS dog collars. While GPS collars are the more expensive option, they promise greater reliability. Since I'm still fairly new to dog ownership, I turned to experts to find out whether there's a clear choice between an AirTag and a GPS tracker for a dog.

While AirTags are gaining popularity among pet owners, that doesn't mean they're the best option. "AirTags are flying off the shelves for dogs, and there is a big market for collars and harnesses that house them. Unfortunately, they are misunderstood and are providing a false sense of security," says Chris Edge, founder of K9 Edge Dog Training.

"For a working dog handler or trainer, the question isn't really AirTag vs. GPS collar — it's passive location vs. active monitoring. One tells you where your dog was. The other tells you where your dog currently is," says Jonathan Bensamoun, the founder and CEO of Fi, a company that makes GPS dog collars. But which is which? Here's what you need to know about AirTags versus GPS dog collars.

How do AirTags and GPS collars work for dogs?

Is a GPS collar more effect than an AirTag? That depends. Credit: Halo / Awoo

AirTags, commonly used to track keys, wallets, and luggage, are not necessarily made for moving objects, like a dog. They work via a Bluetooth signal detected by iOS devices on the Find My network. AirTags feature a lost mode, so when a lost object is detected, you'll get a notification. Plus, NFC-capable iPhones can tap the AirTag to receive your information. But the key piece of information here is that AirTags require proximity to other Bluetooth devices to locate. Bensamoun says, "Your dog's location only updates when another Apple device passes nearby. In a suburban neighborhood, that might mean a delay of minutes. In a park, a trail, or a rural area, it could be hours — or never."

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A GPS collar works differently as it provides real-time info. These collars typically let you draw GPS maps in their apps so you can create boundaries for your dogs and receive notifications if they cross them. They provide real-time tracking, regardless of proximity to other smartphones, so you can still see live tracking information even in rural, sparsely populated areas.

AirTags vs. GPS trackers — it depends on where you live

The decision between an AirTag and a GPS tracker comes down to where you live. As a city dweller, an AirTag is a pretty good option, considering the more densely populated the area, the more likely an iPhone will be nearby. For those living in the suburbs or rural areas, though, it means a runaway dog will be less likely to encounter people; therefore, the AirTag won't be effective. Even if you live in a city, if you're frequently going on hikes or traveling into isolated areas, an AirTag won't be effective then either.

But a GPS tracker will work anywhere, regardless of cell service availability. So if you're considering which is best for you, I like to think of it this way. If your dog escapes the house, are there nearby woods or a bustling main street they're going to run to?

AirTags vs. GPS trackers for dogs: Which is cheaper?

AirTags are extremely popular and accessible. An AirTag four-pack puts the individual trackers at $24.75. Plus, you need something to attach it to a collar, which will run you less than $20. So all in all, the investment is under $50.

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Credit: Apple

Apple AirTag

$29 at Amazon

 

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Credit: Awoo

Awoo AirTag Holder, 2-pack

$16 at Chewy

 

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