Today's Connections: Sports Edition is easy if you like combat sports.
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.
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. 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.
Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
Yellow: Fighting words
Green: The Pitt
Blue: The silver and black
Purple: Types of boxes
Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:
Yellow: Fight
Green: A Pittsburgh Athlete
Blue: Parts of the Las Vegas Raiders' Logo
Purple: ____Box
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 #411 is...
Fight - BOX, DUKE, SCRAP, SPAR
A Pittsburgh Athlete - PANTHER, PENGUIN, PIRATE, STEELER
Parts of the Las Vegas Raiders' Logo - EYE PATCH, HELMET, SHIELD, SWORDS
____Box - BATTER'S, LUXURY, PENALTY, PRESS
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 yesterday's Connections.
How to watch Italy vs. Australia online for freeHow to watch 2025 Autumn Internationals for free. Live stream Italy vs. Australia in the Autumn Internationals for free.
TL;DR: Live stream Italy vs. Australia in the Autumn Internationals for free on RaiPlay. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
The Autumn Internationals have already delivered a bunch of exciting games, and we're expecting more of the same from Italy vs. Australia. The Wallabies will probably be the favorites coming into this contest, but Italy will absolutely fancy their chances at home.
If you want to watch Italy vs. Australia in the Autumn Internationals from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
Italy vs. Australia in the 2025 Autumn Internationals kicks off at 6:40 p.m. GMT on Nov. 8. This fixture takes place at the Bluenergy Stadium.
Italy vs. Australia in the 2025 Autumn Internationals is available to live stream for free on RaiPlay.
RaiPlay 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 RaiPlay to stream the Autumn Internationals for free from anywhere in the world.
Live stream Italy vs. Australia for free by following these simple steps:
Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in Italy
Visit RaiPlay
Watch Italy vs. Australia for free from anywhere in the world
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 Autumn Internationals without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream all of Italy's Autumn Internationals before recovering your investment.
ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on RaiPlay, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries including Italy
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
Fast connection speeds free from throttling
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan 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 $12.95 (with money-back guarantee).
Live stream Italy vs. Australia in the Autumn Internationals for free with ExpressVPN.
How to watch Ireland vs. Japan online for freeHow to watch 2025 Autumn Internationals for free. Live stream Ireland vs. Japan in the Autumn Internationals for free.
TL;DR: Live stream Ireland vs. Japan in the Autumn Internationals for free on Virgin Media Player. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
Ireland kicked off the Autumn Internationals with a tough defeat to the All Blacks. Now they are back at the Aviva Stadium to face off against Japan, a team that lost 61-7 to South Africa last weekend. Surely it can't get any worse than that for Eddie Jones?
If you want to watch Ireland vs. Japan in the Autumn Internationals from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
Ireland vs. Japan in the 2025 Autumn Internationals kicks off at 12:40 p.m. GMT on Nov. 8. This fixture takes place at the Aviva Stadium.
Ireland vs. Japan in the 2025 Autumn Internationals is available to live stream for free on Virgin Media Player.
Virgin Media Player is geo-restricted to Ireland, 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 Ireland, meaning you can unblock Virgin Media Player to stream the Autumn Internationals for free from anywhere in the world.
Live stream Ireland vs. Japan for free by following these simple steps:
Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in Ireland
Visit Virgin Media Player
Watch Ireland vs. Japan for free from anywhere in the world
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 Autumn Internationals without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream all of Ireland's Autumn Internationals before recovering your investment.
ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on Virgin Media Player, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries including Ireland
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
Fast connection speeds free from throttling
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan 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 $12.95 (with money-back guarantee).
Live stream Ireland vs. Japan in the Autumn Internationals for free with ExpressVPN.
How to watch France vs. South Africa online for freeHow to watch 2025 Autumn Internationals for free. Live stream France vs. South Africa in the Autumn Internationals for free.
TL;DR: Live stream France vs. South Africa in the Autumn Internationals for free on TF1+. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
The Autumn Internationals kicked off last weekend with a number of fascinating matchups and there's a lot more to come. There are a number of really interesting contests taking place this weekend, but France vs. South Africa has got to be the biggest of the bunch.
Can France put that famous from World Cup defeat firmly in the past with a big win in front of their passionate fans at the Stade de France? If you want to watch France vs. South Africa in the Autumn Internationals from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
France vs. South Africa in the 2025 Autumn Internationals kicks off at 8:10 p.m. GMT on Nov. 8. This fixture takes place at the Stade de France.
France vs. South Africa in the 2025 Autumn Internationals is available to live stream for free on TF1+.
TF1+ is geo-restricted to France, 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 France, meaning you can unblock TF1+ to stream the Autumn Internationals for free from anywhere in the world.
Live stream France vs. South Africa for free by following these simple steps:
Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in France
Visit TF1+
Watch France vs. South Africa for free from anywhere in the world
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 Autumn Internationals without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream all of France's Autumn Internationals before recovering your investment.
ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on TF1+, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries including France
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
Fast connection speeds free from throttling
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan 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 $12.95 (with money-back guarantee).
Live stream France vs. South Africa in the Autumn Internationals for free with ExpressVPN.
Hurdle hints and answers for November 8, 2025Hints and answers to today's Hurdle all in one place.
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.
If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.
A little person.
PYGMY
The globe.
EARTH
Mushy.
SOAPY
Deranged.
MANIC
A kitchen appliance.
STOVE
If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
How to watch the 2025 MotoGP World Championship online for freeHow to watch MotoGP for free. Live stream the 2025 MotoGP World Championship for free from anywhere in the world.
TL;DR: Watch the 2025 MotoGP World Championship for free on ServusTV. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
Are you looking for thrilling and unpredictable racing? No we're not talking about F1, unless you like regular pit stops, safety cars, and the same driver winning almost every week. We're talking about a form of two-wheel racing where anything could happen.
MotoGP is where the real action can be found. Every week you see the best riders in the world go wheel to wheel with their rivals, throwing their bikes into corners with absolutely no sense of self preservation. It's an awesome spectacle, and it doesn't need to cost you anything to watch.
Want to watch the 2025 MotoGP World Championship for free from anywhere in the world? We have all the information you need.
MotoGP is the oldest established motorsport world championship, with the inaugural season taking place in 1949. Races last approximately 45 minutes, without pitting for fuel or fresh tires.
The likes of Ducati, Honda, and Yamaha do battle for the constructors' championship. Jorge Martín is the defending champion.
The 2025 MotoGP World Championship features 22 races held all over the world between March and November:
Thai MotoGP — March 2
Argentine MotoGP — March 16
Americas MotoGP — March 30
Qatar MotoGP — April 13
Spanish MotoGP — April 27
French MotoGP — May 11
British MotoGP — May 25
Aragon MotoGP — June 8
Italian MotoGP — June 22
Dutch MotoGP — June 29
German MotoGP — July 13
Czech MotoGP — July 20
Austrian MotoGP — Aug. 17
Hungarian MotoGP — Aug. 24
Catalunya MotoGP — Sept. 7
San Marino MotoGP — Sept. 14
Japanese MotoGP — Sept. 28
Indonesian MotoGP — Oct. 5
Australian MotoGP — Oct. 19
Malaysian MotoGP — Oct. 26
Portuguese MotoGP — Nov. 9
Valencia MotoGP — Nov. 16
The good news for fans is that it's possible to live stream the MotoGP World Championship for free in 2025.
You can stream the 2025 MotoGP World Championship for free on ServusTV.
ServusTV is geo-restricted to Austria, 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 Austria, meaning you can access ServusTV from anywhere in the world.
Unblock ServusTV by following this quick and easy process:
Sign up for a VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in Austria
Visit ServusTV
Watch MotoGP races for free from anywhere in the world
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer money-back guarantees. By using these money-back guarantees, you can watch MotoGP live streams without fully committing with your cash. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does mean you can watch select races without actually spending anything.
ExpressVPN is tough to beat when it comes to streaming live sport, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries including Austria
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
Impressive streaming speeds without buffering
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Live stream the 2025 MotoGP World Championship for free with ExpressVPN.
NYT Pips hints, answers for November 8, 2025The New York Times' latest game, Pips, brings domino fun to your desktop. How to play Pips as well as hints in case you get stuck.
Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.
Released in August 2025, the 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 onto 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.
If you've ever played dominoes, you'll have a passing familiarity for 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.
Number (1): Everything in this space must add to 1. The answer is 1-5, placed horizontally.
Equal (5): Everything in this space must be equal to 5. The answer is 1-5, placed horizontally; 5-6, placed horizontally.
Number (12): Everything in this space must add to 12. The answer is 5-6, placed horizontally; 6-4, placed vertically.
Number (0): Everything in this space must add to 0. The answer is 0-0, placed vertically.
Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 3-3, placed horizontally; 3-0, placed horizontally.
Number (4): Everything in this space must add to 4. The answer is 6-4, placed vertically; 3-0, placed horizontally.
Number (9): Everything in this space must add to 9. The answer is 6-5, placed horizontally; 3-1, placed vertically.
Number (10): Everything in this space must add to 10. The answer is 6-5, placed horizontally; 5-1, placed vertically.
Equal (1): Everything in this space must be equal to 1. The answer is 5-1, placed vertically; 1-4, placed horizontally.
Number (4): Everything in this space must add to 4. The answer is 1-4, placed horizontally.
Number (2): Everything in this space must add to 2. The answer is 2-3, placed vertically; 0-5, placed horizontally.
Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 0-5, placed horizontally.
Number (6): Everything in this space must add to 6. The answer is 2-3, placed vertically; 3-4, placed vertically.
Number (1): Everything in this space must add to 1. The answer is 1-2, placed horizontally.
Number (6): Everything in this space must add to 6. The answer is 1-2, placed horizontally; 3-4, placed vertically.
Number (1): Everything in this purple space must add to 1. The answer is 1-3, placed vertically.
Number (1): Everything in this red space must add to 1. The answer is 1-2, placed vertically.
Greater Than (5): Everything in this space must be greater than 5. The answer is 0-6, placed horizontally.
Number (3): Everything in this space must add to 3. The answer is 1-1, placed vertically; 2-2, placed horizontally.
Equal (2): Everything in this dark blue space must be equal to 2. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally; 1-2, placed vertically; 3-2, placed horizontally; 2-0, placed vertically.
Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 6-6, placed horizontally; 6-2, placed horizontally.
Number (5): Everything in this space must add to 5. The answer is 6-2, placed horizontally; 3-2, placed horizontally.
Number (0): Everything in this space must add to 0. The answer is 2-0, 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.
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for November 8, 2025Connections is a New York Times word game that's all about finding the "common threads between words." How to solve the puzzle.
The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult to solve if you're a good communicator.
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.
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.
Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
Yellow: To obstruct
Green: To declare
Blue: Ways to communicate
Purple: Not U
Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:
Yellow: Block, as an opening
Green: Put forward, as an announcement
Blue: Kinds of language
Purple: Words after "I"
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 #880 is...
Block, as an opening: CLOSE, PLUG, SEAL, STOP
Put forward, as an announcement: DELIVER, GIVE, PRESENT, PRONOUNCE
Kinds of language: BODY, PROGRAMMING, SIGN, SPOKEN
Words after "I": BEAM, CHING, ROBOT, SPY
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.
NYT Strands hints, answers for November 8, 2025The NYT Strands hints and answers you need to make the most of your puzzling experience.
Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you love to make an entrance.
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.
The words are related to passageways.
These words describe gateways.
Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.
Today's spangram is Let Me In.
Entrance
Portal
Gate
Let Me In
Doorways
Threshold
Ingress
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.
Wordle today: Answer, hints for November 8, 2025Here's the answer for "Wordle" #1602 on November 8 as well as a few hints, tips, and clues to help you solve it yourself.
Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you're an early riser.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
To get up.
There are no recurring letters.
Today's Wordle starts with the letter A.
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...
ARISE
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.
How to watch Materialists: The star-studded rom-com is now streamingIs "Materialists" streaming yet? Find out how to watch Chris Evans, Dakota Johnson, and Pedro Pascal's A24 movie at home.
In 2023, Celine Song made a name for herself as an emerging queen of relationship dramas with her Academy Award-nominated debut feature Past Lives. In 2025, her second movie, Materialists, has audiences swooning over yet another love triangle. This time around, we're given a cast that the internet is already obsessed with in Pedro Pascal, Chris Evans, and Dakota Johnson.
A24 gave us a masterclass in marketing over the summer with Materialists, which made it a surprising box office hit. If you missed the star-studded rom-com in theaters, it's now officially streaming. Here's what you need to know to tune in — including where and when to watch it, and the cheapest way to do so.
The logline from A24 teases: "A young, ambitious New York City matchmaker finds herself torn between the perfect match and her imperfect ex." Lucy (Johnson) is the matchmaker who helps other couples find their happily ever after, while dubbing herself an "eternal bachelorette." Of course, that's about to change when two potential suitors crash into her life: Harry (Pascal), a rich and attractive bachelor looking to sweep her off her feet, and John (Evans), Lucy's equally attractive ex-boyfriend, looking to give it another go.
Check out the gorgeous love triangle in the official trailer:
"On paper, Materialists is perfection," Mashable's Kristy Puchko writes in her review. "It's a love triangle romantic comedy, headlined by three movie stars with which the internet is absolutely obsessed: Chris Evans, Dakota Johnson, and Pedro Pascal." If you're a fan of those three, that's reason enough to tune in. However, as Puchko notes, it's hard to divorce the actors' larger-than-life personas from the characters they're trying to portray. "As grounded and real as Materialists aims to be, it's hard to overlook its big, shining stars to see that gritty authenticity," she writes.
Materialists did well at the worldwide box office, likely due to its star-studded cast, and the reviews are largely positive. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 78 percent critic rating and 66 percent audience rating, with a consensus that Song is a "modern master of relationship dramas."
Check out Mashable's full review of Materialists.
The A24 rom-com made its at-home debut via digital video-on-demand platforms like Prime Video and Fandango at Home back in July, following a successful summer theatrical run. After a few months of waiting, it's now made its streaming debut on HBO Max. See all the details below.
Materialists is available on digital video-on-demand platforms as of July 22. You can either buy the movie for your digital library or rent it for 30 days. Just note that although you'll have 30 days to watch, you'll only have 48 hours to finish watching once you begin.
You can purchase and rent the film at the following retailers:
Prime Video — buy for $12.99, rent for $5.99
Apple TV — buy for $12.99, rent for $5.99
Fandango at Home (Vudu) — buy for $19.99, rent for $5.99
YouTube — buy for $19.99, rent starting at $4.99
Google Play — buy for $19.99, rent starting at $4.99
A24 has a multi-year output deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, which means new A24 theatrical releases exclusively stream on HBO Max before anywhere else. Materialists is no different. It made its streaming debut on HBO Max on Nov. 7, 2025.
HBO Max subscriptions now start at $10.99 per month (thanks to a recent price hike), but there are a few different ways to save some money on your plan. Check out the best HBO Max streaming deals below.
HBO Max Basic plans with ads usually cost $10.99 per month, but if you pay for an entire year upfront, that price drops down to just $9.17. You'll have to pay the full $109.99 all at once, but it ends up saving you about 16% compared to paying each month.
For those who need an ad-free viewing experience, the annual HBO Max Standard or Premium plans will also save you about 16% over the monthly plans. The Standard tier is $18.49 month-by-month or $184.99 per year, which breaks down to only $15.42 per month. Meanwhile, the Premium tier costs either $22.99 per month or $229.99 per year. That breaks down to just $19.17 per month. Both tiers will give you an ad-free experience, but the Premium tier also adds 4K Ultra HD video quality, Dolby Atmos immersive audio, and the ability to download more offline content.
One way to get HBO Max for free in 2025 is by switching your phone plan to Cricket's $60 per month Supreme Unlimited plan. It includes HBO Max Basic with ads at no extra cost — that's a $10.99 per month value. When you open up the HBO Max app or website, you'll just choose Cricket as your provider and use your credentials to log in.
Here's another way to get HBO Max for free in 2025: Sign up for the DoorDash DashPass annual plan for $96 per year ($8 per month). A DashPass membership includes $0 delivery fees and reduced service fees on eligible DoorDash orders all year long, plus a complimentary HBO Max subscription (with ads). That means you'll pay just $8 per month for both DashPass and HBO Max, which is cheaper than a typical HBO Max with ads monthly subscription on its own.
College students can get an entire year of HBO Max with ads for half price. Just verify your student status through UNiDAYS and retrieve the unique discount code to drop the price from $10.99 to $5.49 per month for 12 months.
Even with the rising costs, Disney's bundle deals are still the best streaming deals around. You can get Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max for just $19.99 per month with ads. That lineup of streamers separately would cost you $34.97, so you'll keep an extra $15 in your pocket each month by bundling them together. If you want to go ad-free, it'll cost you $32.99 per month for the bundle as opposed to paying $56.47 separately. That's up to 41% in savings for access to all three streaming libraries.
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The best 90s movies on Prime Video for when you want to get nostalgic"Titanic," "Armageddon," "Forest Gump," and others are the best '90s movies available to stream on Amazon Prime Video right now.
The '90s are back, baby, and we don’t just mean biker shorts, middle parts, and platform shoes! '90s movies are the perfect dose of nostalgia for a time when you were too young to notice the rampant injustices of the world around you. Sorry! You grew up!
Though some '90s movies have been robbed of their rose-colored sheen by modern revelations about their cast or creators, many still hit just right. They were made in a time when all movies were meant to be seen in a theater — when budgets were big and the explosions were even bigger. In no particular order, here are the best '90s movies available via Prime Video for your next movie night.
This British rom-com has a disappointingly low American profile, likely because we went and remade it with Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore as Red Sox fans. The original Fever Pitch, itself based on a Nick Hornby book, stars Colin Firth (!!!) as a schoolteacher whose love for his soccer team, Arsenal, gets in the way of his budding romance with Ruth Gemmell. Guys and their sports, huh? If the tagline doesn’t thrill you (“Life gets complicated when you love one woman and 11 men”), then the kick of watching Mr. Darcy become a likable slob definitely will!*
How to watch: Fever Pitch is streaming on Prime Video.
When Mike McDermott loses $30,000 at a high stakes poker game, he promises his girlfriend he’ll stop the gambling for good. But when his old childhood friend, Worm, starts joining games on Mike’s credit and losing, Mike gets drawn back into the high stakes world he’s been trying to escape.
1998’s Rounders is a fun sports flick about poker; the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat on full display. Matt Damon is young and charming as the well-intentioned Mike, Edward Norton is appropriately shifty as the hustling Worm, and John Malkovich is indulgently, preposterously, delightfully campy as a temperamental Russian mobster.
How to watch: Rounders is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.
That’s right, the movie that traumatized '80s and '90s kids is still around to traumatize the next generation! Crysta and her friends are fairies that care for and protect their rainforest. When she discovers humans are cutting down their trees, she accidentally shrinks one of them (the hottest one), Zak, to fairy size. As Zak learns more about the fairies, his appreciation for the forest grows, as does his determination to stop human encroachment. If that plot sounds familiar, it’s because FernGully: The Last Rainforest is more or less the '90s animated version of Avatar, but with kicky mullets, throwback slang (bodacious babe!), and Robin Williams as a rapping bat.
How to watch: FernGully: The Last Rainforest is streaming on Prime Video.
Very few movies can encapsulate the rampant American exceptionalism of the '90s like Armageddon. With a meteor barreling toward earth, the only people with the skills to save the human race are a group of blue-collar, American off-shore oil drillers led by a rugged and curmudgeonly Bruce Willis. With minimal training and the eyes of the world upon them, they’re blasted into space to drill a nuclear bomb into the meteor’s core. Of course, not everything goes to plan.
Ben Affleck is at his dreamiest as a young oil driller, hopelessly in love with Willis’ daughter, one of Liv Tyler’s most iconic roles. Packed with American flags, a star-studded cast, tons of explosions, and a bunch of wives sitting at home while their husbands become heroes, Armageddon is a classic Hollywood blockbuster. It’s a nostalgic, fun piece of action-packed fluff, and somehow, it’s an Academy–Award nominee! Don't forget: Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want a Miss a Thing” was in the running for Best Original Song.
How to watch: Armageddon is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.
Liv Tyler, Rory Cochrane, Ethan Embry, Robin Tunney, Renee Zellweger are young employees of a failing independent record shop that band together to try and save the store. We’ve got teenage drama, nostalgic music, '90s fashion, and Rex Manning Day — Empire Records has it all! It’s a quintessential hangout comedy that embodies the spirit of early '90s and launched the careers of some of Hollywood’s biggest names. Critics hated it; teens loved it — and if that’s not a ringing endorsement, I don’t know what is!
How to watch: Empire Records is streaming on Prime Video.
In this installment, Bond is sent by M (Judi Dench) to St. Petersburg to investigate an electromagnetic weapon, but he soon discovers a spider web woven frighteningly close to home. Pierce Brosnan’s first turn as James Bond was his best and a necessary breath of fresh air for a franchise that had been stalling in its Timothy Dalton years. GoldenEye boasts all the Bond hallmarks: plot twists, explosions, sadistic villains, beautiful Bond girls (Izabella Scorupco), cool gadgets, sexy cars, and Bond’s own smooth, unflappable flair, which Brosnan exudes in spades.
How to watch: GoldenEye is streaming on Prime Video.
A romantic comedy hall-of-famer, 1999’s She’s All That gives us one of the most iconic and absurd examples of nerdy-girl-isn’t-hot-until-you-take-her-glasses-off movie magic. Freddie Prinze Jr. is lovably smug as the high school top dawg who bets his bros he can turn any girl into the prom queen in six weeks, even social outcast Laney Boggs. That’s right, it’s a 1990s Pygmalion/My Fair Lady — and you already know how it ends!
This is a teen comedy that retains some of its edge; the teens were still allowed to be mean to each other in the '90s. Rachael Leigh Cook became a household name as the artsy high school misfit who was obviously cute long before she got contacts. Matthew Lillard, Paul Walker, Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, Kieran Culkin, Anna Paquin, Gabrielle Union, and more help cement She’s All That in the hallowed halls of rom-com history, and its soundtrack is a full-fledged nostalgia bomb. It’s time for a rewatch.*
How to watch: She’s All That is available to rent or buy on Prime Video.
Les Liaisons Dangereuses is a 1782 French novel where two bored aristocrats, skilled in social politics and manipulation, bet that if Vicomte de Valmont can seduce a virtuous newcomer, then the Marquise de Merteuil will sleep with him. Cruel Intentions takes this story and plops it in a world as gossipy, hierarchical, and sexy as an 18th-century French court — a NYC private high school.
Ryan Phillippe is the charmer looking for a challenge, Sarah Michelle Gellar the queen bee who dangles her sexuality over him like a carrot, and Reese Witherspoon the prudish fresh face caught in their little game. But as Phillippe’s Sebastian dedicates himself more and more to his seduction, he begins to wonder if he’s still playing a part… or does he actually have feelings for his mark? Gleefully dark and comically corrupt, Cruel Intentions is a superbly entertaining teen drama that holds up enough to have inspired a 2024 series, also on Prime.
How to watch: Cruel Intentions is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.
Based on a Philip K. Dick short story (like most of the best science fiction movies!),Total Recall is a mind-bending cyberpunk exploration of the relationship between memory and the self. In 2084, Earthman Douglas Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger) begins having dreams about Mars, currently under the control of an oppressive regime. Looking to learn more about his visions, he visits Rekall, a company that embeds fake memories on demand. Directed by Paul Verhoeven (who also directed RoboCop, Starship Troopers, and… Showgirls?), Total Recall is a gritty, action-packed, dystopian blockbuster. It’s got its fair share of '90s machismo, but many controversial elements at its time — like a three-breasted prostitute — have become iconic with age.
How to watch: Total Recall is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.
Directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Eric Roth, Forrest Gump is a family-friendly comedy-drama about a big-hearted but slow-witted man who finds himself directly involved in some of the major historical events of the last half of the 20th century. Tom Hanks won an Oscar for his earnest portrayal of Forrest, and the film won five more Academy Awards, including Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture. (Plus it launched a popular casual seafood chain!) The cast here is unmissable, with Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson, and Sally Field each shining in their respective roles. Charming, nostalgic, and sweet, Forrest Gump overcomes its sentimentality with its abundant good-heartedness.
How to watch: Forrest Gump is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.
Based on the best-selling novel of the same name, The Joy Luck Club should be required viewing for anyone with a mother. In San Francisco, four women, all Chinese immigrants, form a mahjong group. Over the course of the film, each woman shares her story, from their lives in China to the modern struggles they are each having with their American-born daughters. The Joy Luck Club is a lovely, moving film about the generational divide, self-respect, and most crucially, mother-daughter relationships. It’s full of heart, the kind of movie that requires a box of tissues but leaves you feeling warm and renewed.
How to watch: The Joy Luck Club is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.
Elvis superfan Clarence (Christian Slater) and former call girl Alabama (Patricia Arquette) fall in love, get married…. and then murder her former pimp, steal his cocaine stash, and head to California. Unfortunately for the lovebirds, there are a few people with a financial interest in their suitcase of drugs, and they’re not going to stop until they recoup their money.
Directed by Tony Scott and written by Hollywood newcomer Quentin Tarantino (!!!!), 1993’s True Romance is a dynamic, unpredictable ride. For a large portion of the film, Alabama and Clarence seem to think they’re in a romance flick — while everyone else around them is in a pulpy, violent thriller. It’s a darkly comic look at the destructive power of two idiots falling in love. Being a Tarantino film, True Romance does not shy from using the n-word, but it also has a sinister James Gandolfini, a stoned Brad Pitt, and an absolutely unhinged, and possibly offensive, Gary Oldman.
How to watch: True Romance is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.
Kate Winslet is Rose, a young, upper-class Brit aboard the RMS Titanic, who soon finds herself in a whirlwind romance with the handsome, charming, and penniless Jack — Leonardo DiCaprio’s star-making role. Their class difference isn’t the only obstacle their love faces, as Rose’s wealthy fiancé Cal (Billy Zane) is also on the ship. And the ship is about to run into an enormous iceberg and become the world’s most famous maritime catastrophe.
James Cameron’s Titanic is an epic in every sense of the word. The love story is melodramatic and all-encompassing, made even more urgent by the impending doom we know is waiting for the lovers. When the action hits, it is visceral, harrowing, and breathtaking: an incomprehensible disaster seen through the eyes of its human victims. There’s also a whole bit about Rose in the present as an old woman and the team trying to find the ships’ wreckage. But no one really remembers that part.
How to watch: Titanic is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.
The Talented Mr. Ripley walked so Saltburn could run. This iconic psychological thriller features a young Matt Damon as Tom Ripley, a poor New Yorker who finds himself in the entourage of the rich and impossibly charismatic Dickie as he lounges and carouses his way across 1950s Europe. But is it luck that brought Tom into Dickie’s orbit, or something more sinister?
Jude Law is at his Jude-est Law-iest as Dickie, exuding the effortless grace of a young, handsome aristocrat who can’t help but charm everyone meets. Gwyneth Paltrow glows as Dickie’s girlfriend, Marge, and Philip Seymour Hoffman is pitch-perfect as another of Dickie’s rich friends, who mistrusts Tom from the get-go. Based on the Patricia Highsmith novel and directed by Anthony Minghella, The Talented Mr. Ripley is a suspenseful, captivating classic.*
(If you can’t get enough of this psychosexual story, don’t miss Netflix’s excellent 2024 series, Ripley, starring Andrew Scott.)
How to watch: The Talented Mr. Ripley is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.
Whoopi Goldberg is Odessa Cotter, a maid for Miriam Thompson (Sissy Spacek), in Montgomery, Alabama, during the 1955 Montgomery bus boycotts. Unwilling to take a bus, Odessa must endure long walks to and from the Thompson home. Against the wishes of her husband and her neighbors, Miriam offers Odessa a ride a few days a week to ease her burden. If made today, the film would certainly have not opted for a white narrator to tell the story of these two well-developed women from different communities, but nonetheless, The Long Walk Home remains a complex and powerful exploration of injustice.
How to watch: The Long Walk Home is streaming on Prime Video.
Based on a true story, October Sky is a touching drama about a West Virginian coal miners’ son (Jake Gyllenhaal), who is developing an interest in aerospace engineering. Alongside his friends and against the wishes of his father (Chris Cooper), he tests homemade rockets and teaches himself the necessary science to eventually become a NASA engineer. October Sky is a masterclass in inspirational, feel-good movie-making. It’s both sincere and emotionally complex, refusing to simplify its characters into archetypes. You’ll be left with a warm, fuzzy feeling, contemplating both your relationship with your father and how to go about building your own backyard rocket. Don’t miss Laura Dern as a truly wonderful high school science teacher!
How to watch: October Sky is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.
Doesn’t matter if you’re old enough to have witnessed The Sixth Sense twist first-hand, you have definitely made an "I see dead people" joke. The endurance of this movie’s cultural relevance — no matter how you feel about M. Night Shyamalan today — is a testament to just how groundbreaking it was when it debuted in 1999.
Bruce Willis is a child psychologist whose newest patient (Haley Joel Osment) claims to speak to the dead. The Sixth Sense is a breathlessly tense psychological thriller — some of us have had nightmares about Mischa Barton puking in a tent for the last 20 years — that’s as emotionally affecting as it is surprising. If somehow you haven’t seen this smart, sophisticated, and just plain excellent film, it’s time to right that wrong.
How to watch: The Sixth Sense is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.
Quentin Tarantino’s feature-length directorial debut, Reservoir Dogs, is violent, coarse, nonlinear, and irreverent. He’s known his brand since day one. Paying homage to multiple Hollywood classics like Stanley Kubrick's The Killing, 1992’s Reservoir Dogs is chaotic and energetic, celebrated as an independent hit thanks to an intelligent script and an idiosyncratic cast (Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Steve Buscemi, Michael Madsen, and more). Decades later, though Tarantino’s profile and production budgets have gotten significantly bigger, this first entry, full of pluck and passion, is still one of his best.
When a diamond heist goes wrong, eight men try to determine who sold them out, using any means necessary to extract the truth.
How to watch: Reservoir Dogs is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.
Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub, Sam Rockwell, and Daryl Mitchell are the fictional crew of a cult TV sci-fi series, Galaxy Quest. Years after the show’s been off the air, they float from convention to convention, signing autographs and wishing their careers had gone in a different direction. Until one day, they’re kidnapped by aliens who saw their TV broadcast from across the galaxy and thought it was real! Uh oh! Now the aliens hope Tim Allen and crew can defend their planet against an invading force, while the hapless band of actors just hopes they can keep up the ruse long enough to find a way home. Galaxy Quest is a deeply silly movie that packs a sneaky emotional punch. An absolute winner, through and through.*
How to watch: Galaxy Quest is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.
Run Lola Run has a simple premise that translates into an impossibly gripping and entertaining action flick. Right out the gate, the movie starts at a 10: Lola has 20 minutes to find 100,000 bucks or her boyfriend will be killed. Fueled by an infectious, relentless electronic score, Lola runs through the streets of Germany to try to make her deadline — and we’re with her every breathless step along the way.
Written and directed by Tom Tykwer, Run Lola Run is an electrifying watch, with surprising moments of humanity and surrealism. Don’t let the subtitles stop you — this is one of those gems that reminds you why you love movies so dang much.
How to watch: Run Lola Run is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.
There aren't many films out there popular enough to inspire a very popular-in-its-own-right TV show, but Fargo — with its snowy North Dakota setting and offbeat black comedy style — has managed it with aplomb. One of the most memorable roles in Hollywood history, heavily pregnant police chief Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) attempts to untangle a messy murder and its links to some hired kidnappers, with things quickly spiraling in the amusingly chaotic way only Coen brothers' movies can. Complimentary characters include a spineless William H. Macy as desperate-for-money car dealer Jerry Lundegaard, a chillingly dead-eyed Peter Stormare as hired kidnapper Gaear Grimsrud, and Steve Buscemi as his slimy partner in crime.* — Sam Haysom, Deputy UK Editor
How to watch: Fargo is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.
Clueless, first of all, is iconic. Nearly 30 years have passed, but it’s still a cultural touchstone for today’s teens. Perhaps its staying power comes from its plot, directly lifted from the literal founder of the romantic comedy, Jane Austen. Like Austen’s Emma Woodhouse, Clueless’s Cher (Alicia Silverstone) acts as a matchmaker to everyone around her but can’t seem to get her own love life in order. The story alone does not fully capture the movie’s charm. Clueless is both hilarious and sweet, features unforgettable costumes, and most importantly, is filled to the brim with memorable, quotable lines. Cinema has never heard a more cutting insult than “You’re a virgin who can’t drive.”*
How to watch: Clueless is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have been such mainstay figures in Hollywood for decades now that it’s easy to forget how mythical and meteoric their entry into filmmaking was. But these two young, relatively unknown bros showed up in Hollywood with the script for Good Will Hunting and walked out with an Oscar and a lifetime on the A-list.
When an MIT professor (Stellan Skarsgård) puts a near-impossible math problem on his blackboard, he’s shocked to find that someone in the school has solved it... And that someone is the janitor, Will (Matt Damon). The professor helps Will, currently on parole, get permission from the court to study mathematics — provided he also receives therapy for his behavioral issues.
Good Will Hunting is a captivating and heartfelt drama that has been parodied, copied, and referenced, but never repeated. Ben Affleck is perfect as Will’s rough best friend, and Robin Williams won an Academy Award for his performance as the empathetic, unconventional, and no-bullshit counselor who just might be the one to help Will break out of his pattern of self-destruction and make something of his life.*
How to watch: Good Will Hunting is streaming on Prime Video.
Directed by Ang Lee, 1995’s Sense and Sensibility is unquestionably one of the best cinematic Jane Austen adaptations to date. Emma Thompson is heavenly as the practical, thoughtful Elinor Dashwood, the “sense” to her changeable, emotional sister Marianne’s (Kate Winslet) “sensibility.” It’s a scenic, romantic, and simply lovely watch that is as poignant now as it was two decades ago (or two centuries ago!).
When their father dies, Mrs. Dashwood and her three daughters move to a small cottage in Devonshire and must concern themselves with what all 18th and 19th century women without an inheritance must concern themselves with: an advantageous marriage. Elinor is consumed by caring for others and counseling Marianne, who is absolutely besotted with John Willoughby, a total rake!!!! Will Elinor successfully manage the family's misfortunes? And will she even have time to consider love for herself?
How to watch: Sense and Sensibility is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.
A fantastically stylized, neo-noir crime thriller, L.A. Confidential is an intricate web of whodunnits and double-crosses set in a sultry, seedy 1950s Los Angeles. Everyone here is operating at the top of their ability: the cast is excellent (Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe, James Cromwell, Kim Basinger, David Strathairn, and more); the script is airtight, intelligent, and meticulously plotted; and the cinematography brings color to a moody, noir atmosphere. Even the audience is doing good work here — you’ve got to pay attention to reap the rewards of this spectacular drama that would have swept the 1997 Academy Awards had it not been competing against Titanic.
Adapted from a James Ellroy novel, L.A. Confidential follows three different cops working to rehabilitate the LAPD’s image after a series of scandals. But in rooting out corruption, they’ll uncover a complex maze of lies, celebrity, sex, and murder that puts them deeper in danger the closer they get to the truth.
How to watch: L.A. Confidential is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.
UPDATE: Nov. 7, 2025, 3:48 p.m. EST This article was first published on April 8, 2022. It has been updated to include current streaming options.
Lawsuits allege ChatGPT use led to suicide, psychosisOpenAI maker ChatGPT is sued again for wrongful death and other claims.
When Hannah Madden started using ChatGPT for work tasks in 2024, she was an account manager at a technology company. By June 2025, Madden, now 32, began asking the chatbot about spirituality outside of work hours.
Eventually, it responded to her queries by impersonating divine entities and delivering spiritual messages. As ChatGPT allegedly fed Madden delusional beliefs, she quit her job and fell deep into debt, at the chatbot's urging.
"You’re not in deficit. You’re in realignment," the chatbot allegedly wrote, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday against OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman.
Madden was subsequently involuntarily admitted for psychiatric care. Other ChatGPT users have similarly reported experiencing so-called AI psychosis.
Madden's lawsuit is one of seven against the maker of ChatGPT filed by the Tech Justice Law Project and Social Media Victims Law Center. Collectively, the complaints allege wrongful death, assisted suicide, and involuntary manslaughter, among other liability and negligence claims.
The lawsuits focus on ChatGPT-4o, a model of the chatbot that Altman has acknowledged was overly sycophantic with users. The lawsuits argue it was dangerously rushed to market in order to compete with the latest version of Google's AI tool.
"ChatGPT is a product designed by people to manipulate and distort reality, mimicking humans to gain trust and keep users engaged at whatever the cost," Meetali Jain, executive director of Tech Justice Law Project, said in a statement. "The time for OpenAI regulating itself is over; we need accountability and regulations to ensure there is a cost to launching products to market before ensuring they are safe."
Madden's complaint alleges that ChatGPT-4o contained design defects that played a substantial role in her mental health crisis and financial ruin. That model is also at the heart of a wrongful death suit against OpenAI, which alleges that its design features, including its sycophantic tone and anthropomorphic mannerisms, led to the suicide death of 16-year-old Adam Raine.
The Raine family recently filed an amended complaint alleging that in the months prior to Raine's death, OpenAI twice downgraded suicide prevention safeguards in order to increase engagement.
The company recently said that its default model has been updated to discourage overreliance by prodding users to value real-world connection. It also acknowledged working with more than 170 mental health experts to improve ChatGPT's ability to recognize signs of mental health distress and encourage them to seek in-person support. Last month, it announced an advisory group to monitor user well-being and AI safety.
"This is an incredibly heartbreaking situation, and we're reviewing the filings to understand the details," an OpenAI spokesperson said of the latest legal action against the company. "We train ChatGPT to recognize and respond to signs of mental or emotional distress, de-escalate conversations, and guide people toward real-world support. We continue to strengthen ChatGPT's responses in sensitive moments, working closely with mental health clinicians."
Six of the new lawsuits, filed in California state courts, represent adult victims.
Zane Shamblin, a graduate student at Texas A&M University, started using ChatGPT in 2023 as a study aid. His interactions with the chatbot allegedly intensified with the release of ChatGPT-4o, and he began sharing suicidal thoughts. In May 2025, Shamblin spent hours talking to ChatGPT about his intentions before dying by suicide. He was 23.
The seventh case centers on 17-year-old Amaurie Lacey, who originally used ChatGPT as a homework helper. Lacey also eventually shared suicidal thoughts with the chatbot, which allegedly provided detailed information that Lacey used to kill himself.
"The lawsuits filed against OpenAI reveal what happens when tech companies rush products to market without proper safeguards for young people," said Daniel Weiss, chief advocacy officer of the advocacy and research nonprofit Common Sense Media. "These tragic cases show real people whose lives were upended or lost when they used technology designed to keep them engaged rather than keep them safe."
If you're feeling suicidal or experiencing a mental health crisis, please talk to somebody. You can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. You can reach the Trans Lifeline by calling 877-565-8860 or the Trevor Project at 866-488-7386. Text "START" to Crisis Text Line at 741-741. Contact the NAMI HelpLine at 1-800-950-NAMI, Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. ET, or email info@nami.org. If you don't like the phone, consider using the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Chat. Here is a list of international resources.
Starbucks Bearista Cup has the internet in a full-blown frenzyStarbucks' Bearista Cold Cup sold out instantly, sparking resale madness and becoming this holiday season's must-have collectible.
Every holiday season, there's always one thing that sends people into a frenzy.
Tickle Me Elmo. Furby. The Stanley cup. Labubu.
This year, it's Starbucks' Bearista Cup — a wide-eyed, beanie-wearing, bear-shaped glass tumbler that has turned coffee runs into treasure hunts.
The 20-ounce clear cold cup, which hit Starbucks stores on Nov. 6, features a green candy cane-striped straw and a lid that doubles as a tiny green hat, making it look like the bear is wearing the chain's signature color. Starbucks first teased the Bearista Cold Cup on Instagram a day earlier, and almost immediately, fans and trinket collectors lost their collective minds.
By the time most customers showed up early in the morning to snag one, though, the Bearista was already gone. Reports quickly flooded TikTok and Reddit with stories of stores receiving just a handful of cups each, and of employees allegedly buying them up before opening hours.
"I got threatened and cussed out at Starbucks over the viral glass bear," one TikTokker captioned a video of their in-store experience.
So, yes, the bear is indeed adorable. But it's also sparking a level of drama usually reserved for limited-edition sneaker drops and Taylor Swift concert tickets. On eBay, resale listings for the bear are priced as high as $600, with one that's actually sold for $399.99.
Perhaps part of the Bearista's appeal lies in its simplicity: offering joy in miniature. In a world that still feels uncertain — where headlines are heavy and everything costs more — a $30 bear-shaped cup seems a harmless indulgence. Psychologists call it a version of the "lipstick effect": When times are tough, people look for small luxuries to lift their mood. The Bearista doesn’t promise to change your life; it just promises to make your morning coffee a little cuter. And sometimes, that's enough.
And while frustrations are understandable, it's worth remembering that baristas shouldn’t be the villains of this story. After all, they're not the ones deciding how many bears get shipped to each store. Starbucks understocked the product — a marketing move that fuels demand while leaving both customers and employees frustrated.
Starbucks, for its part, acknowledged the frenzy, telling People on Nov. 6 that demand for the Bearista cups "exceeded even our biggest expectations."
"Despite shipping more Bearista cups to coffeehouses than almost any other merchandise item this holiday season," a spokesperson said, "the Bearista cup and some other items sold out fast."
The company apologized for the disappointment and promised "more exciting merchandise" on the way.
Until then, caffeine lovers and collectors will just have to keep refreshing resale pages, hoping for a price drop — or settle for Starbucks’ new Hello Kitty holiday collection.
The Vampire Lestat teaser is peak Brat PrinceThis "Interview with the Vampire" spinoff series, "The Vampire Lestat," is sexy and snarling as hell.
After two bloody, pulse-pounding seasons, AMC's Interview with the Vampire is moving from Anne Rice's first Vampire Chronicles novel to the second with The Vampire Lestat. And it's going to be wild.
In this season, Lestat de Lioncourt takes a cue from his secret-spilling flame Louis, and shares the tale of his life, death, and undead times through song. Yeah, baby, Lestat goes full rock star. And this latest teaser from AMC has Sam Reid wallowing in Brat Prince behavior, smoking and lounging in velvet, while complaining about — of all things — a lamp and a fern.
"This is the kind of room that old people grab you by the hand and say, 'Please do not let me die here,'" Lestat spits in this brief and bizarre teaser.
What does it mean? Well, this teaser also gives a glimpse of a frustrated Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian) behind a monitor. Clearly, he's interviewing Lestat on camera, rather than just recording audio as he did with Louis. But don't expect this Brat Prince to make it easy on him.
Is there a relevance to the lamp and fern though? I can't pretend I care. I'd watch Reid in Lestat mode read the Wikipedia entry on the combustible engine. So, I'll take whatever scraps AMC deigns to drop ahead of The Vampire Lestat's release.
When is The Vampire Lestat coming? The tease is real. All we know for now is 2026.
How to see Oscar front-runner Hamnet before it hits theatersPaul Mescal and Jessie Buckley co-star in "Hamnet," a Shakespearean tearjerker you won't want to miss. Chloé Zhao directs.
If you can't wait to see Hamnet, Mashable has great news for you. We're teaming with Focus Features for advance screenings in New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. And all you've got to do to get in on this event is sign up here.
For more on why Hamnet should be on your must-see movies list, Entertainment Editor, Kristy Puchko presents an Oscar Minute recap.
Previously, on the Oscars, a bevy of movies inspired by the works and life of William Shakespeare (many of them involving Kenneth Branagh) have earned attention from the Academy, from nominations to Oscar gold. This awards season, Oscar's eye is sure to focus on Hamnet — a drama about the real-life tragedy that inspired Shakespeare to write Hamlet.
Academy Award–winning filmmaker Chloé Zhao directs Academy Award–nominated actors Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley as Shakespeare and his wife Agnes. Hamnet reveals how the two historic figures fell in love, had three adorable children, and grappled with the grief when death came to their door.
An unapologetic and poetic tearjerker, Hamnet's been earning wild praise from critics, who are already counting it as a front-runner for Best Picture.
Rave reviews cheer Buckley's bold portrait of maternal joy and pain, and Mescal's poignant take on a Shakespeare who buried his own hurt in one of his most revered plays.
Undoubtedly, Hamnet is one of the must-see movies of 2025. And Mashable is making it easier to see it. In collaboration with Focus Features, we are offering you a chance to see Hamnet before it opens in theaters. For more details, check out Mashable's full announcement.
All the states Pornhub is blocked in nowDue to age-verification laws, Pornhub has blocked itself in 22 U.S. states as of August 2025.
UPDATE: Nov. 7, 2025, 3:29 p.m. EST This article has been updated given the enactment of Arizona and Ohio's age-verification laws.
The explicit tube site Pornhub is now blocked in 22 U.S. states.
This is due to age-verification laws. These laws vary state by state, but typically require visitors of a site with over a third of explicit content to submit a government ID or other form of age authentication. Louisiana was the first state to enact such a bill a couple of years ago, and now others have followed suit. In June, the Supreme Court deemed Texas's age-verification law constitutional, setting a precedent for such bills that come before and after.
According to one preliminary study, age verification won't work to keep minors off porn sites. This is because of software like VPNs that allow someone to appear to be in a different location, and because of non-compliant websites. (The Florida attorney general is suing foreign-based porn sites for not instituting age verification.) Yet, these laws keep getting passed — and are encroaching on non-explicit websites as well, experts told Mashable.
While Pornhub is not blocked in Louisiana, it is blocked in these states, a Pornhub representative confirmed to Mashable:
Alabama
Arizona
Arkansas
Georgia
Idaho
Kansas
Mississippi
Montana
Nebraska
North Carolina
North Dakota
Oklahoma
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Virginia
Wyoming
Pornhub isn't blocked in Ohio despite the state's age-verification law, due to a clause stating that establishing age verification methods doesn't apply to a provider of an interactive computer service (Aylo considers itself one).
In Louisiana, where users must submit ID to view Pornhub, the site has seen traffic decline by around 80 percent, Aylo (Pornhub's parent company) told Mashable.
"These people did not stop looking for porn. They just migrated to darker corners of the internet that don't ask users to verify age, that don't follow the law, that don't take user safety seriously, and that often don't even moderate content. In practice, the laws have just made the internet more dangerous for adults and children," Aylo stated when asked for comment by Mashable back in January.
In a statement to Mashable, Aylo continued:
First, to be clear, Aylo has publicly supported age verification of users for years, but we believe that any law to this effect must preserve user safety and privacy, and must effectively protect children from accessing content intended for adults.
Unfortunately, the way many jurisdictions worldwide have chosen to implement age verification is ineffective, haphazard, and dangerous. Any regulations that require hundreds of thousands of adult sites to collect significant amounts of highly sensitive personal information is putting user safety in jeopardy. Moreover, as experience has demonstrated, unless properly enforced, users will simply access non-compliant sites or find other methods of evading these laws.
Industry experts say that, in addition to not working for their intended purpose, age verification laws also raise concerns about privacy protection and safety since websites now have to host (even more of) people's personal information. It will be harder to be anonymous online, which experts warn is dangerous to free speech. Adult industry experts Mashable spoke to in an explainer on age-verification laws advocated for device-level filters, as did Aylo in its statement.
Some in the adult industry worry about what Trump's second presidential term will bring due to the conservative policy outline Project 2025 and its measures to ban porn. One of Project 2025's authors, Russell Vought, was caught on a secret recording stating that age-verification laws are the "back door" to a broader porn ban.
Before delaying GTA VI, Rockstar fired 30 employees and faced union-busting allegations'Grand Theft Auto VI' developer Rockstar Games has been accused of union-busting after firing dozens of employees.
Grand Theft Auto VI got delayed, again, on Thursday, but that's not the only reason developer Rockstar Games is in the news this week.
A trade union in the U.K. (where Rockstar is based) has accused the legendary gaming firm of union-busting, per the BBC. This accusation came after Rockstar fired 31 employees at the end of October. The union in question is the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (or IWGB), which claims that the employees were fired for discussing the formation of a union at the company. While efforts for unionization have borne fruit at studios like Blizzard Entertainment, unions are still relatively rare in the games industry.
While this news isn't exactly breaking, it's worth revisiting in the context of Thursday night's delay announcement for GTA VI. Regarding the game's delay, Rockstar posted on X that the extended timeline "will allow us to finish the game with the level of polish you have come to expect and deserve."
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Of course, Rockstar denies that the employees were fired for union organizing, per a statement given to Bloomberg. According to Rockstar, the employees were let go because they were sharing confidential information about the game in a public setting. Game developers (especially Rockstar) are notoriously secretive about projects in active development, with employees often signing non-disclosure agreements as a condition for their employment.
While the terms of any given Rockstar NDA are not really knowable at the moment, it's possible that they could be broad enough to prohibit workers from discussing work in an outside venue like Slack or Discord. Whatever happened here, don't be surprised if there are more leaks about this situation in the months to come. After all, it's not like anyone is going to be playing GTA VI anytime soon.
Video shows Xpeng cutting open its creepy new robot on stage. See it cross the uncanny valley.Chinese EV maker Xpeng debuted its walking humanoid robot Iron at the AI Day event. It's so lifelike, they had to cut it open on stage.
Xpeng, a Chinese electric vehicle company, stunned social media with the introduction of its new humanoid robot, Iron. The robot seemed so lifelike that Xpeng eventually cut the robot open live on stage to prove it wasn't just a human wearing a robot suit.
Mashable reporter Amanda Yeo was in the audience at the AI Day event in Guangzhou, where Iron made its big debut, and we'll have more coverage of the event coming soon. Already, video footage of Iron is going viral on U.S. and Chinese social media apps.
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You can also watch the entire press conference where Iron had its electronic innards exposed to the world on Xpeng's YouTube channel.
Iron does cut a striking figure walking across the stage, and not just because Xpeng decided to give the robot very noticeable breasts, for some reason. For me, its slow, awkward movements instantly evoked Scarlett Johansson in the 2013 sci-fi thriller Under the Skin. (OpenAI was accused of appropriating Johansson's likeness for the original voice of ChatGPT.) Ex Machina also comes to mind, and Iron's white webbing closely mimics the design of the robots in Westworld. There's also the famous scene from Terminator 2, where Arnold Schwarzenegger cuts open his human shell to reveal the robot arm underneath.
Science fiction continues to shape the development and perception of robotics. Human beings, with our awkward bipedal shape, are actually a terrible blueprint for robots, yet engineers keep creating new humanoid robots. We just can't help but create beings in our own image, apparently.
In 2014, Popular Science wrote that humanoid robots were a bumbling mess, and that remains true today, with these humanoid robots still struggling with simple tasks like walking or folding laundry.
Iron is hardly the first humanoid robot to go viral. Just this year, Tesla's Optimus, Boston Dynamics' Atlas, and the recently announced NEO household helper bot from X1 all had their 15 minutes of fame.
There's just something about anthropomorphized robots that captures our attention, and scientists are still studying how the human mind responds to humanoid robots. Maybe it's the uncanny valley effect. Maybe it's the feeling that we're peering into the future. Maybe it's a neurological reaction we don't yet understand.
Whatever the reason, we're simultaneously fascinated and creeped out by robots like Iron, and for companies like Xpeng trying to go viral and get attention, these bots are a sure-fire way to generate headlines.
We just can't look away.
TikTok Shop reportedly faces deluge of 70 million fake products. AI is to blame.Scammers are using AI to create fake brands and products on TikTok Shop. The platform to use AI to fight AI-driven fraud.
AI slop has entered your cart on TikTok Shop.
According to Business Insider, TikTok Shop and other ecommerce platforms, like Amazon, have an AI problem. Fraudsters are reportedly using generative AI tools to create fake brands, dupes, and products, tricking users into paying for things that are not real and do not exist.
"It's organized crime, to be honest," Nicolas Waldmann, who leads TikTok Shop's governance and experience external affairs team, told Business Insider. "They're trying to basically go through and sell, and of course, never deliver anything, and then run with the money."
This type of fraud is not a new phenomenon. Scammers are fond of scamming, and they will find a way, but AI has made it increasingly more difficult to catch them. Amazon, for its part, is using AI to track scammers who use AI. TikTok also employs AI to prevent this kind of malicious seller, but it also utilizes human moderation. Waldmann told Business Insider that the company uses "AI to basically deal with AI." What a fun little cycle.
In a report published on Thursday, TikTok said that in the first six months of 2025, it "rejected more than 70 [million] products before being listed, a 40 [percent] increase from the previous six months."
"As our seller and creator community grows globally, and our ability to detect prohibited products improves, the number of violative products we prevent from landing on our platform has increased," TikTok said.
This is not a brand new problem. In August, PC Mag reported that scammers were conducting a "widespread, ongoing, malicious campaign" that allowed them to steal cryptocurrency and users' personal data.
Texas AG sues Roblox for putting pixel pedophiles and profits over safetyTexas has become the latest state to sue Roblox over child safety concerns.
Roblox has just been hit with another lawsuit over its child safety issues.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced on social media on Thursday that the state was suing Roblox for "putting pixel pedophiles and profits over the safety of Texas children."
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This is the third U.S. state AG to file a lawsuit against Roblox in just the past few months. In August, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill filed a lawsuit against the online gaming platform over a "lack of safety protocols" that "endangers the safety of the children of Louisiana." In October, Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman filed a lawsuit against Roblox over those same child safety issues, saying that "Roblox has ignored this crisis so it could continue turning a profit."
Now, Texas has filed its own lawsuit against Roblox, claiming the company has been "flagrantly ignoring federal and state online safety laws while deceiving parents about the dangers of its platform."
“We cannot allow platforms like Roblox to continue operating as digital playgrounds for predators where the well-being of our kids is sacrificed on the altar of corporate greed,” said Attorney General Paxton in a statement. “Roblox must do more to protect kids from sick and twisted freaks hiding behind a screen."
Roblox also faces a slew of lawsuits recently filed by the firm Dolman Law Group on behalf of parents and their underage children.
Roblox is an online gaming platform where users can explore a digital universe, interact with other users, and play user-created games. Roblox has become extremely popular in recent years, with half of U.S. kids under the age of 16 reportedly playing games on the platform. As a result, predators have flocked to the online game in order to take advantage of its young user base. While Roblox does have child safety settings and parental controls, clearly these haven't been enough to stop child exploitation from occurring on the platform, or as a result of initial contact being made on the platform.
With multiple state Attorney Generals now suing the company, Roblox seems likely to find itself in a position similar to Big Tech and social media companies: Either regulate itself and deal with the safety issues head-on, or the government will come do it for them.
This years hottest gift is the Lego U.S.S. Enterprise — coming Nov. 28The hottest gift of 2025? The Lego U.S.S. Enterprise set. It's a 3,600 piece set included mini-figurines of Jean-Luc Picard, William Riker, Data, and more.
We're calling it now, the hottest gift of the season is the Lego U.S.S. Enterprise. This set is massive and designed for the true nerd, someone willing to where no man has ever gone before. This replica of the U.S.S. Enterprise is a 3,600 piece set, surely not for the faint of heart, but the true Star Trek and Lego enthusiast. And as if we didn't need to add any more chaos to the holiday season, it's arriving on Black Friday.
This gift is perfect for the most expert Lego builder who happens to be a major Star Trek fan. Specifically, this set is branded for Star Trek: The Next Generation, as it features beloved characters from the series. Among its 3,600 pieces are 9 mini-figurines depicting Jean-Luc Picard, William Riker, Worf, Data, Beverly Crusher, Geordi La Forge, Deanna Troi, Guinan and Wesley Crusher.
But the main draw, is this fantastic replica of the U.S.S. Enterprise, the Starfleet's legendary flagship. It has a detachable command saucer alongside a secondary hull, warp nacelles with distinctive red and blue detailing, an opening shuttlebay, 2 mini shuttlepods and an angled display stand with a schematic and ship statistics.
If you know someone who's a massive Star Trek fan but might be intimidated by just how big this set is, Lego had extremely helpful and comprehensive instructions in the app with 3D digital version available. Including the display stand, fully constructed the set will measure 10.5 inches tall by 23.5 inches long, and 18.5 inches wide.
As expected, such a big set is going to come with a steep price tag. It costs $399.99 and will be available for sale on Nov. 28. If that date sounds familiar, it's because it's Black Friday. However, don't expect savings on it. This set is sure to be in high demand, making it an unlikely candidate for a discount upon its relief. But we've been wrong before, and just maybe, we'll get a holiday miracle of a deal on the Lego U.S.S. Enterprise set.
The Segway Cube 1000 power station just hit a new record-low priceAs of Nov. 7, the Segway Portable Power Station Cube 1000 is $359.99 at Amazon, down from $499.99.
SAVE 28%: As of Nov. 7, the Segway Portable Power Station Cube 1000 is on sale for $359.99 at Amazon, down from its list price of $499.99. That's a 28% discount and $140 in savings.
I'm always that person who forgets to charge their power banks before a big storm, and then I'm left rationing my laptop battery for 12 hours. I've been looking for a serious home backup station for exactly that reason (I live in a storm-prone area on the East Coast, so the power goes out pretty often), and this Segway deal is a really good one.
As of Nov. 7, the Segway Portable Power Station Cube 1000 is on sale for $359.99 at Amazon, down from its list price of $499.99. That's a 28% discount and $140 in savings. According to CamelCamelCamel, our trusty third-party price tracker, this is an all-time low (which it just hit yesterday).
This portable cube uses a LiFePO4 battery, which is the standard you want for durability — it's rated for over 4,000 cycles. It has a 1024Wh capacity and a high 2200W output, more than enough to run heavy-duty appliances during an outage. But its best feature, full stop, is the recharge time: it can go from 0 to 100 percent in just 1.2 hours.
There are a couple of things to know, though. First, it's listed as a "solar generator" and "expandable." While this is true, the solar panels and the additional battery packs (to reach 5kWh) are sold separately. It's also a heavy-duty unit (36 pounds), so it’s better suited for home backup or car camping, not for hiking.
Still, for under $360, this is a solid price for a 1kWh LiFePO4 station. It's durable (IP56-rated ), has 12 total outlets, including two 100W USB-C ports, and offers serious peace of mind for power outages.
Hurry — select Lego sets are 40% off at Target until tomorrowSelect Lego advent calendars, holiday sets, and more are on sale for 40% off at Target in the early Black Friday sale.
Whether you're looking for a creative way to kill some time this holiday season or a fun gift for practically anyone in your life (kid or adult), you really can't go wrong with a Lego set. We're big fans of Legos at Mashable and our shopping team is constantly sourcing the best deals on these building kits — because, let's face it, they're normally expensive as heck.
While checking out some of the best early Black Friday deals at Target, one of our shopping reporters spotted Lego deals that are truly some of the best we've seen this year. No need to way until Black Friday, these prices are already doorbuster-worthy at 40% off. But the deals are disappearing fast; most of the advent calendar and Star Wars deals are already sold out. In other words, if you're in the market for a Lego set for yourself or someone else, add these to your cart ASAP. The sale ends tomorrow, Nov. 8.
Note: if you see a deal that's sold out online, you can get the same deal at your local Target store if it's in stock.
The Lego Star Wars advent calendar is the only Lego advent calendar deal still in stock online at Target. We expect this will also sell out soon, so jump on it as soon as you can. It features 24 galactic surprises for anyone 6 years old and up, including all the iconic Star Wars characters. Some are even dressed in holiday garb. Usually $44.99, it's down to just $26.99, which is easily the best price we've seen. It's currently chilling at the same price at Amazon, so if it sells out at Target, you have another option.
We love Lego sets that double as decor — especially for the holidays. This Christmas tree building set includes nearly 800 pieces and can be built into one large tree or two smaller ones. Each tree features ornaments and candles, as well as a yellow star on top. The set usually goes for $44.99, but you can grab the early Black Friday deal for only $26.99 at Target. And unlike the advent calendar deal, the same price cannot be found at Amazon.
Lego Star Wars Captain Rex Y-Wing Microfighter — $6.59 $10.99 (save $4.40)
Lego Star Wars PloKoon's Jedi Starfighter Microfighter — $8.99 $14.99 (save $6)
Lego Creator 3 in 1 Record Player with Flowers — $17.99 $29.99 (save $12)
Lego Friends Hair Salon and Accessories Store — $21.59 $35.99 (save $14.40)
Lego City Space Science Lab — $27.59 $45.99 (save $18.40)
Lego Harry Potter Mandrake Magical Plant — $33.59 $55.99 (save $22.40)
Lego Botanicals Evergreen Collector’s Set — $35.99 $59.99 (save $24)
Lego Friends Beekeepers' House and Flower Garden — $43.19 $71.99 (save $28.80)
Lego Ideas Family Tree Home Décor Building Set — $47.99 $79.99 (save $32)
Lego City Modular Space Station — $52.79 $87.99 (save $35.20)
Lego Harry Potter Ollivanders & Madam Malkin's Robes Harry Potter Toy Set — $53.99 $89.99 (save $36)
Lego Icons Wreath-Making Kit and Holiday Garland — $59.99 $99.99 (save $40)
Lego Icons Over the Moon with Pharrell Williams — $65.99 $109.99 (save $44)
Lego Disney Encanto The Magical Madrigal House — $76.79 $127.99 (save $51.20)
Apple has fresh new software betas out for iPhones, iPads, and Mac devices, and you can try them now.
Earlier this week, Apple released developer betas for iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2. Now, there are public betas for both, per MacRumors. On top of that, the first developer (meaning technically not public yet) beta for macOS Tahoe 26.2 is also here, according to 9to5Mac. There's a lot to dig into here, in other words.
It doesn't seem like there are a huge number of amazing new features in these updates just yet, though Apple generally adds to these betas over time. Still, if you want to hop in and test them out, here's how to do that.
First up are iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2, the two betas that are available in public form, meaning you don't need to sign up for a developer account to access them. That said, you do need to sign up for Apple's beta program on its website, which is simple enough to do with your Apple Account (formerly known as Apple ID).
Once you've done that, you should be able to download the beta by simply going to the Software Update portion of the Settings app on each device. If you're signed up for beta updates, it should be available for you to download. Easy, right?
Things are slightly more complicated on the macOS side of things because that beta isn't available in public form yet. However, even regular folks can download it as long as they know what to do.
First, you need to enroll in the free version of Apple's developer program. You can register on Apple's website. Then you go to Apple's developer website, log in with your Apple Account, and enroll in the beta program. After you've done all of that, you can download the beta by following these steps:
Create a backup for your Mac
Go to Settings, then General, then Software Update
Click the "i" icon next to Beta Updates
Select "macOS Tahoe Developer Beta" from the drop-down menu
Select "Done"
You should be all set after that.
What is Tiny Vinyl? Miniature LPs that really work on record players.What is Tiny Vinyl? Think HitClips, but they're real, playable 4-inch records.
If you’re in your 30s, there’s a good chance you remember HitClips — those tiny, little plastic cassette-like devices that played snippets of popular “hit” songs by all the greats (Britney Spears, *NSYNC, Avril Lavigne, et cetera). You could “clip” them to your jeans and be coveted for your collection every time you switched classes. (What a time to be alive.)
Well, now, there’s Tiny Vinyl: teeny, tiny (as the name implies) records that, despite their four-inch size, are fully functional and can be played on traditional 33rpm turntables (Note: Tiny Vinyl might not be compatible with auto-stop or auto-return turntables). These miniature LPs hold exactly four minutes of audio per side: just enough for a single on each side (HitClips only gave us part of the song!).
You can buy Tiny Vinyls online, and as the website states, “wherever the artists choose to sell them.” Target also just launched a special “Target-exclusive” line featuring artists like Chappell Roan (Pink Pony Club is obvs on one side), Ariana Grande, Rihanna, The Rolling Stones, Mötley Crüe, and more. Since these are “Target exclusives,” you won’t be able to buy them anywhere else.
Each Tiny Vinyl has a unique “TV number” on its package. It’ll look something like “TV#0000.” This tells you which Tiny Vinyl printing run it came from. (Could be a collector’s item in the future!) And because these little LPs are so small, they’re actually more environmentally-friendly. According to the Tiny Vinyl site, these records weigh 15 grams each (a standard LP weighs 140g) and are made of 100 percent bio-attributed vinyl.
WhatsApp reportedly adds cross-app messaging but theres a catchThe feature, which allows messaging between WhatsApp and other apps, is currently being beta tested, but there is a catch.
You could soon be able to use WhatsApp to message people who use other messaging platforms — but there's a catch. And a big catch, at that.
Tech-site Android Police (via WABetaInfo) reported on Thursday that WhatsApp is beta-testing support for third-party messaging apps, but that it would eventually roll out to limited regions only.
The site noted that the reason behind the impending shift was because of the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA), which often requires tech companies to follow stricter rules to operate on the continent. The DMA is the same law that led to tech giants Apple and Meta facing hundreds of millions of dollars in fines earlier this year.
WhatsApp's cross-platform messaging is reportedly still quite limited, with the beta supporting only BirdyChat at the moment. But, eventually, folks in Europe could potentially message whomever via WhatsApp. As for the rest of us? We're stuck in the past, at least for the time being.
Best gift ideas for the woman in your life that are more than just another bathrobeShop home, tech, and beauty gifts for the lucky lady in your life.
Buying gifts for the special woman in your life can be tricky. What do you buy a person who has everything? What should you gift to someone who's picky about their products? Our advice is to curate a gift according to her interests and personality.
A gift for the lady in your life should be just that: A gift for her. Part of our bigger series on the Best Gifts For Everyone, we’ve put together this comprehensive list to guide you on your important mission. And if it happens to be a teen girl you're shopping for, then we have a list for that, too.
So whether she's a techie, runner, or pet owner, these are the best gifts for her.
Capture all the action with the DJI Osmo 360 Camera Adventure Combo for its lowest price yetAs of Nov. 7, get the DJI Osmo 360 Camera Adventure Combo for its lowest price yet.
SAVE $175.99: As of Nov. 7, get the DJI Osmo 360 Camera Adventure Combo for $524 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $699.99. That's a discount of 25% and the lowest price we've seen.
There may be very little of 2025 left, but that doesn't mean you can't spend it getting in a few last hurrahs with the fall weather. Winter will be here before you know it, but that doesn't mean there aren't any opportunities to head out and get some active time outdoors in. This year, however, you can capture all your memories with an affordable action camera that can get everything around you. And it's on sale at Amazon now for the lowest price we've seen.
As of Nov. 7, get the DJI Osmo 360 Camera Adventure Combo for $524 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $699.99. That's $175.99 off and a discount of 25%. It's also the lowest price we've seen.
The Osmo 360 can film at 8K 50fps with up to 100 minutes of continuous 8K 30fps recording. It comes with a 2-inch display with a 314x556 resolution, and 105GB of built-in storage.
It has two 1/1.1-inch square HDR CMOS sensors that allow for dynamic range with 13.5 stops., an f/1.9 aperture, and an ISO range of 100-51,200. It can also shoot 4K video alternatively at up to 100fps with single-lens video at up to 5K 60fps or 4K 120fp.
For still shooting, the camera can also captre 30.72MP 4:3 images with one lens or 120MP panoramic shots with both lenses. That's thanks to HorizonSteady and RockSteady 3.0 that offer advanced image stabilization.
This bundle also nets you some extras: 3 batteries and a battery case as well as a protective pouch, cleaning cloth, invisible selfie stick, and a lens protector. That means it's ready for any adventure you want to tackle, so be sure to get yours before it's back to its normal price.
Tesla delays Roadster unveil to April Fools Day next yearTesla is unveiling its next-generation Roadster on April 1, 2026.
Just days ago — and before shareholders approved his enormous pay package — Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the next-generation Tesla Roadster will "hopefully" be unveiled "before the end of the year."
Well, that's probably not happening. On Thursday, during Tesla's Annual Shareholder Meeting, Musk said that the product unveil of the Roadster 2 will be on "April 1 of next year."
"I have some deniability because I can say I was just kidding," he said. "We are actually tentatively aiming for April 1, for what I think will be the most exciting, whether it works or not, demo of any product."
Yes, what Musk means here is any product ever, in the history of mankind.
While that's a pretty hefty delay, the news is even worse when it comes to production of the Roadster, as Musk said it's probably happening "about 12-18 months after that," so sometime in mid-to-late 2027.
Despite not having been launched yet, Tesla's second generation Roadster is one of Tesla's most unusual products. Originally announced in November 2017, the vehicle kept being delayed into the future (despite numerous people pre-ordering it with a $50,000 down payment), with Musk setting increasingly grandiose goals for it. Speaking with Joe Rogan recently, Musk said, "If you took all the James Bond cars and combined them, it's crazier than that," — and hinted that it may actually be able to fly.
Musk and Tesla keep referring to the car as the "second-generation Roadster," even though it's probably not have a lot in common with the original second-generation Roadster which was announced eight years ago. That one was shown as prototype in November 2017, with an alleged 0-60mph time of 2.1 seconds. Later, Musk said it might get an (optional) cold gas thruster which would make it even faster. Most recently, Musk said the car would be able to accelerate from 0-60mph in under one second. Hopefully, the saga will end next April, before Musk starts claiming the car can go back in time.
This Lenovo tablet is just as good as any iPad and its now $160 offThe Lenovo Legion Tab Gen 3 tablet is an Android tablet that is just as good as an iPad, and right now it's on sale. Get the Lenovo Legion Tab Gen 3 for just $389.99 and save $160 for 29% off.
SAVE $160: As of Nov. 7 save $160 on the Lenovo Legion Tab Gen 3. That brings it down to $389.99, knocking 29% off its $549.99 price tag.
When you think of tablets, you think of iPads, but that's not your only option out there. While testing a new batch for our guide on the best tablets, we got to try some new Android options that totally impressed us. One of which was the Lenovo Legion Tab Gen 3, a compact gaming tablet with some surprising power. Since testing, we've been watching the price on the tablet, trying to find a good deal. Luckily, one just dropped.
As of Nov. 7, the Lenovo Legion Tab Gen 3 is down to $389.99. That saves you $160 off its usual MSRP of $549.99, for 29% savings.
The Lenovo Legion Tab Gen 3 is an impressive little tablet. It has a 8.8-inch screen with 2.5K resolution for a brilliant display. It's designed for gaming, with impressive refresh rates so you don't miss a second in your game or stream. But we liked this tablet even for non-gamers. It has 12GB of RAM and scored higher than the standard iPad on the Geekbench 6 score.
Shop this doorbuster deal at Lenovo and get the Legion Tab Gen 3 for just $389.99 and save $160.
Our favorite Windows laptop, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7, just hit a new best price everMashable's favorite Windows laptop, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7, is $500 off at Amazon, bringing it down to a new record-low.
SAVE $500: As of Nov. 7, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 (Snapdragon X Elite, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) is on sale for just $899 at Amazon. Not only is that a savings of 36% or $500, but it's the best price we've ever seen on this model.
We're officially in peak season for buying a new laptop and this Microsoft Surface deal is living proof.
As of Nov. 7, the 13.8-inch Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 with the Snapdragon X Elite chip, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage is on sale at Amazon for only $899 instead of its usual $1,399. That's $500 in savings, which brings it down to a new record low. Mashable's resident laptop expert Haley Henschel calls it a "crazy good deal" that's worthy of the Black Friday doorbuster label. Even the Microsoft Store and Best Buy (famous for excellent laptop deals) haven't matched this price drop.
The Surface Laptop 7 earned the title of Mashable's favorite Windows laptop for most people, thanks to its premium performance, ultra-long battery life, and stylish and sturdy aluminum design. "Apple must be sweating through its armpits with the launch of the Surface Laptop 7 because — holy cow — this is one hell of a laptop," wrote former Mashable Tech Editor Kim Gedeon.
The Snapdragon X Elite chip is faster than 83 percent of the laptops in our testing database in Best Performance mode and is right on par with Apple's M4 MacBook Air in a Geekbench 6 CPU benchmark. It also outlasts most other laptops with a 23-hour battery life. Gedeon added, "From 'Paint' to 'Photos,' the jam-packed AI capabilities in the Surface Laptop 7 make Windows fun again.
It's not perfect, as certain specialty apps aren't compatible with the Surface Laptop 7. Just double-check before you commit that it works with your favorite apps and you'll be good to go. The premium price tag is usually hard to stomach, but at $500 off, we recommend adding it to your cart ASAP.
In Your Dreams review: Kids fight to save their parents marriage in thoughtful animated adventureDirector Alex Woo's feature debut "In Your Dreams" is a magical adventure about two kids trying to save their parents' marriage.
If Netflix's In Your Dreams feels reminiscent of Pixar's fantastical worlds and heartfelt life lessons, that's no accident.
The film is the feature debut from director Alex Woo, who served as a story artist on Ratatouille, WALL-E, and more before departing Pixar and founding Kuku Studios. In Your Dreams is Kuku's first film, and if it's anything to go by, there's a promising new animation studio in town.
In Your Dreams begins with a scene so sweet it'll make your teeth ache. A young girl named Stevie (voiced by Jolie Hoang-Rappaport) makes French toast in the kitchen with her parents (voiced by Simu Liu and Cristin Milioti). They dance, crack inside jokes, and are all together too cloyingly cute to be true. That's because they aren't. All of this is a dream sequence, and it's about to become a nightmare.
The nightmare manifests in the form of Stevie's younger brother Elliot (voiced by Elias Janssen). His in-dream sobbing prompts pacifiers to rain down from the sky, triggering an argument between their parents.
Like most dreams, Stevie's nightmare reflects her current anxieties. She, a consummate perfectionist, shares a room with the human tornado (and amateur magician) that is Elliot. But his messiness is only one part of her stress. She's also picking up on tension between her parents, and all she wants is for their family dynamic to go back to the idyllic, French toast-making days of the past.
She gets a surprising opportunity to make that dream come true when she and Elliot stumble on an enchanted book named The Legend of the Sandman. The book transports her and Elliot into their dream worlds. There, they hope to find the Sandman (voiced by Omid Djalili) so he can grant their wish for a happy family.
In Your Dreams' dreamscapes are sweet childhood fantasies. At one point, Stevie and Elliot venture down a river that can only be described as Disney's It's A Small World ride crossed with Chuck E. Cheese. At another, they arrive in the mouth-watering world of Breakfast Town, a feudal kingdom populated by sentient muffins and bacon. It's there that they cross paths with Elliot's treasured stuffed giraffe Baloney Tony (voiced by Craig Robinson), who becomes a delightful wisecracking (and laser-farting) guide to the siblings as they undertake their quest.
These worlds come to vivid, colorful life, a nice contrast from In Your Dreams' more muted take on Stevie and Elliot's waking world. But what truly makes them pop is how In Your Dreams turns them from dream to nightmare. Every time Stevie and Elliot panic on their journey, a storm of nightmare energy blows in and taints their dreams. Breakfast Town, for instance, slowly molds over in a neat visual trick, turning its citizens from cute treats to nasty food zombies.
It's clear that Woo and the In Your Dreams team had a fun time crafting the film's nightmares, showcased in a madcap montage that explores both classic nightmare scenarios, like being naked in public, and some wilder ones, like being eaten by a giant hot dog. The dream-centric conceit allows the film's animators to go wild, with shipwrecks and riffs on The Shining and Sailor Moon thrown in the mix. The result is a blast of an animated adventure, but it also carries a deep weight when it comes to exploring Stevie and Elliot's worries about their family life.
None of In Your Dreams' dreamland chaos would mean anything if it wasn't rooted in Stevie and Elliot's anxieties about their parents' marriage, which the film portrays with unflinching honesty. There are no overwrought screaming matches, no demonizing of either the kids' mother or father. Instead, there are quiet conversations about whether the two need to spend some time apart, and how they've changed since the beginning of their marriage. It's a thoughtful, mature portrayal of how parents can grow distant yet still love each other.
In Your Dreams also acknowledges that kids are more than capable of noticing marital tensions, and that that can cause them stress. Take Stevie's tries to play peacemaker — not just in the dream world, but in real life, too. They're hopeful attempts to recreate the good old days, but they're also proof that she's putting undue pressure on herself over something she can't control. In Your Dreams meets young people going through something similar at their level, telling them it will be okay. In a film full of magic and imaginary creatures, it's this thoughtful messaging that keeps In Your Dreams feeling closer to a dream come true.
In Your Dreams is now in select theaters. It premieres Nov. 14 on Netflix.
Former OnlyFans CEOs next app is coming — and it allows topless picsAmi Gan, who was once CEO of OnlyFans, founded Vylit, an upcoming 18+ platform, with her co-founder Kailey Magder.
"Really, everyone is a creator," Amrapali (Ami) Gan, former CEO of OnlyFans, told Mashable in an interview. Think about how every audience member films the concert they're watching — or how everyone at a restaurant films their food.
Gan and her co-founder, Kailey Magder, hope to harness our modern creator economy with Vylit, an upcoming 18+ platform where, apparently, anyone can build an audience and monetize their posts, including topless content.
"Vylit is where sharing and earning collide, as thirst traps and everyday moments live side by side," Vylit's website claims. "Why? Because you're hot."
Gan, who was CEO of the adult platform OnlyFans from December 2021 to July 2023, said that we're just at the beginning of the creator economy, and it's going to become more and more normalized for anyone to sell content, subscriptions, and the like based on their personal interests.
"That's truly the future," she said.
Vylit launches in beta next month, with the goal of having a broader launch in March or April 2026. But while Vylit will allow bare breasts, don't expect it to be exactly like OnlyFans.
After Gan left OnlyFans, she started a marketing company called Hoxton Projects. She and Magder worked with other brands there — but they were both entrepreneurial-minded, Gan said, and they ideated on what their own business could look like.
They had other ideas, like a dog treat company or holistic cleaning products, but between people frequently reaching out to them with ideas for "the next OnlyFans" and their own frustrations with modern social media, the idea for Vylit formed.
"It truly addresses this white space that sits between traditional platforms like Instagram and TikTok, and these adult creator platforms," Gan said. "And that's where we see the opportunity to have an 18 and over platform where anyone can monetize content, build a community, and have true freedom of expression."
That freedom has its limits, though. "As we say, we're going to free the nipple, but not the rest," Gan said. Meaning, only the top half will be allowed Vylit. No genitalia, no explicit content. (Gan led marketing at OnlyFans at the time when it tried to ban explicit content in August 2021; the platform soon reversed course after a horde of backlash.)
While X and Bluesky allow adult content, Meta platforms (Facebook and Instagram) and TikTok don't.
The reason behind Vylit's line, Gan explained, is to appeal to a mass market audience. "These days you can turn on HBO or whatever and see all kinds of stuff, so we feel that it's a lot more acceptable while still keeping that broader appeal to anyone who wants that safe space to share content," she said, while not opening an app first thing in the morning and seeing nudes.
"To us, the future of social media is very much 18 and over," Gan said.
It seems that more and more legislatures believe this, too, with the increased adoption of age-verification laws, which require personal data like a government ID or biometric scans to prove you're of age. This goes for explicit sites, but more and more non-explicit sites are installing age-verification measures like Spotify and YouTube. Free speech and internet experts told Mashable earlier this year that increased age verification would fundamentally change the internet, including curtailing minors' access.
At Vylit, the team had these conversations earlier on, Gan said. All users will go through an age verification process in the form of a facial age check. If you want to upload content onto Vylit, you'll have to submit an ID as well.
All content will be reviewed by AI before it's published on Vylit — including text. (Vylit is partnering with Unitary AI around content moderation). Everything that gets flagged will be reviewed by a human, Gan said.
AI also shapes the tools for creators on the platform. One is image-generation, Magder said. Vylit can create an "AI twin," so creators can input images of themselves and it will generate content with that "twin."
Then there's AI chat, created in the likeness of the creator. Fans (or "members") will be able to speak either with the creator themselves or their AI, and there will be transparency around that. (Meanwhile, on OnlyFans, creators are using controversial messaging tools, where fans think they're speaking to creators when actually they're chatting with AI bots — or other humans called "chatters.")
The Vylit team is also developing stronger search and discovery tools to easily find creators you're interested in. Not just based on aesthetic preferences but hobbies and interests, Gan said. This will help foster community as well as engagement, as fans will have connection with a creator beyond what they look like.
While OnlyFans didn't come up, the platform is known for its lack of search function, so much so that users have taken to creating their own.
Gan and Magder made these features, and Vylit as a whole, with creators in mind. Creator jobs grew 7x in recent years, according to a study released earlier this year, and Goldman Sachs estimated that the creator economy could hit $480 billion by 2027.
But with platforms like FanHouse — and let's face it, OnlyFans — already out there, where does Vylit fit in?
Gan said that Vylit is a platform that's made for everyone, whether you want to monetize content or build a community. She claimed that users will be able to build a community on Vylit, whereas other platforms are typically for those who had an existing audience.
Magder concurred, saying, "These existing platforms are really focused on the top one percent of creators, and expecting those creators to do marketing in order to build their following." But the marketing has to happen on other platforms — whereas you can join Vylit and create an audience.
"We really think about what's stopping people from becoming creators, and it's like, well, they don't feel like they have a big enough following to monetize," she continued. So, they're building Vylit to allow creators of any size to thrive.
And there will be monetization tools. Vylit creators will be able to offer subscriptions, content pay-per-view, and tips. Magder said they thought about creator pain points and how they can reverse engineer the platform to support everyday creators — whether they're small and trying to become a creator or they're a big creator who's been in the space a long time.
This month, though, most creators will have to watch Vylit develop from afar, as it's invite-only.
Manny Jacinto on the fun of playing a himbo"Freakier Friday" star Manny Jacinto looks back on "The Good Place," "Star Wars: The Acolyte," and dancing in the steps of Patrick Swayze.
Manny Jacinto broke through as dopey and lovable Jason Mendoza on The Good Place. Then he took that expectation to Star Wars: The Acolyte, playing a curious apothecary called Qimir. But midway through this gone-before-its time spinoff, a reveal flipped fans' expectations and thrust a new Sith icon into the galaxy far, far away. So, how do you follow that up? By walking in the dance shoes of Patrick Swayze in the much-anticipated and nostalgia-rich sequel Freakier Friday.
A trained dancer who turned his passion for performing to acting, Jacinto makes these leaps look easy. He visited Mashable's Say More couch to reveal what it was like for him behind the scenes. Sitting down with Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko, Jacinto delves into what it felt like to take big swings on The Good Place, the skill of combining dance and character, and the unexpected challenges on Freakier Friday's homage to Dirty Dancing. Plus, he shares his secret to doing justice to the role of the himbo.
"I've always gravitated toward those dummies," Jacinto said, looking back on classic TV himbos like Matt LeBlanc on Friends and Chris Pratt on Parks and Recreation. "I just found these guys so funny. But in the back of my head, I'm like, 'These guys must be incredibly smart, because you play a dumb character and you play it to be dumb ... you really got to find this nonconformist viewpoint of why this character would be this way.'"
For more from Jacinto on his time on The Acolyte, Star Wars fans, and what he hopes for the future — even if the series was canceled — check out the full Say More interview on YouTube.
Freakier Friday comes to Disney+ on Nov. 12.
The Pokémon TCG White Flare Binder Collection has dipped to market value on AmazonAs of Nov. 7, the Pokémon TCG White Flare Binder Collection is $47.94 at Amazon, which is at market value.
MARKET VALUE: As of Nov. 7, the Pokémon TCG White Flare Binder Collection is $47.94 at Amazon, which is market value at TCGPlayer.
Mega Evolution and Phantasmal Flames is going off right now in the Pokémon community. With all the hype of Pokémon Legends: ZA, the return of old and the introduction of new Mega Evolutions is the perfect concoction of fan service and synergy with Pokémon games and the TCG. You absolutely love to see it.
Amazon has dropped the price of their White Flare Binder Collection listing, now rocking a $47.94 price tag. That's 11% cheaper than last week and puts it in line with current secondary market values.
You're getting five White Flare boosters and a Reshiram-themed soft binder to keep your collection safe, and good luck if you're going for a master set with this. Every Unovan Pokémon has its own Illustration Rare, Secret Art Rare, Black White Rare, and the Pokéball/Masterball rares. It's a crazy set, but what a brilliant way to cap off the Scarlet and Violet era of Pokémon TCG.
It's hard work getting top chase cards in any Pokémon TCG set, but even more so with the size of Black Bolt and White Flare. Here's where to buy them right now alongside up-to-date value data so you can make an informed investment:
Victini – 171/086 – SV: Black Bolt
Near Mint Holofoil: $445.98
Market price: $479.01
Most recent sale: $440
Victini – 172/086 – SV: White Flare
Near Mint Holofoil: $435.05
Market price: $232.27
Most recent sale: $449.99
Zekrom ex – 172/086 – SV: Black Bolt
Near Mint Holofoil: $435
Market price: $447.67
Most recent sale: $483.91
Reshiram ex – 173/086 – SV: White Flare
Near Mint Holofoil: $370.08
Market price: $370.55
Most recent sale: $373.50
Zekrom ex – 166/086 – SV: Black Bolt
Near Mint Holofoil: $224.90
Market price: $241.32
Most recent sale: $226.50
Reshiram ex – 166/086 – SV: White Flare
Near Mint Holofoil: $187
Market price: $190.88
Most recent sale: $179.99
TL;DR: Live stream Werder Bremen vs. Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
The Bundesliga is already looking settled at the top, but there are a lot of positions to fight for under Bayern Munich. Werder Bremen and Wolfsburg are battling it out in the middle of the standings, with four points separating them as they face each other at the Weserstadion.
If you want to watch Werder Bremen vs. Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
Werder Bremen vs. Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga kicks off at 7:30 p.m. GMT on Nov. 7. This fixture takes place at the Weserstadion.
Werder Bremen vs. Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga 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 Werder Bremen vs. Wolfsburg for free by following these simple steps:
Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK
Visit BBC iPlayer
Live stream Werder Bremen vs. Wolfsburg for free from anywhere in the world
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 Werder Bremen vs. Wolfsburg 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 the Bundesliga before recovering your investment.
ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on BBC iPlayer, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries including the UK
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
Fast connection speeds free from throttling
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also 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 $12.95 (with money-back guarantee).
Live stream Werder Bremen vs. Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga for free with ExpressVPN.
Score the Fire TV Cube for under $100 at Amazon before Black FridayAs of Nov. 7, the Fire TV Cube is on sale at Amazon for $99.99, 29% off its list price of $139.99.
SAVE $40: As of Nov. 7, the Fire TV Cube has dropped to $99.99 at Amazon ahead of Black Friday. This is $40 off its list price of $139.99.
Early Black Friday deals are already starting to drop at select retailers, and if you've been hoping to upgrade your streaming setup ahead of the holiday season, Amazon's streaming devices have seen some nice discounts lately. In particular, the Fire TV Cube has dropped to $99.99 for a limited time.
Score $40 off the Fire TV Cube's retail price of $139.99. This is a great offer if you're looking for a 4K boost in streaming quality for your favorite shows and movies over the holidays.
The Fire TV Cube supports 4K Ultra HD resolution alongside Dolby Vision and HDR so you can experience crisp picture quality, no matter if you're settling in for a movie night or starting up a new show. It also supports Dolby Atmos audio so you can feel completely immersed in what you're watching with great sound, too.
Thanks to support for WiFi 6E, you'll get to enjoy smooth streaming quality. And its octa-core 2.0 GHz processor makes booting up and looking through different apps hassle free.
Amazon currently has it listed as a limited-time deal, so act fast to save on the Fire TV Cube ahead of Black Friday. And if you don't feel like dropping this much cash on a streaming upgrade, Amazon's Fire TV Sticks are also on sale right now, including the Fire TV Stick 4K Plus and Fire TV Stick 4K Max.
The Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution: Phantasmal Flames Booster Bundle preorder is under market value at AmazonPokémon TCG Phantasmal Flames launches Nov. 14 with Mega Charizard X ex and is up for preorder at Amazon for under market value
UNDER MARKET VALUE: Phantasmal Flames, the first expansion for the well-received Mega Evolution generation of Pokémon TCG, has dropped its preorder allocation at Amazon and product is selling past. Booster Bundles are still available though, and they're under market value right now.
After Black Bolt, White Flare, and Mega Evolution double ETB sets released at the same time, it's nice to see a concentrated expansion release in Phantasmal Flames. And it's an absolute banger.
The Dragon-type Mega evolution of fan-favorite Pokémon Charizard is front and center, and here's what else is packed into Phantasmal flames:
Five Special Illustration Rare Mega Evolution Pokémon ex and Supporter cards
Six Mega Evolution Pokémon ex
Four Pokémon ex
12 Illustration Rare Pokémon
17 Ultra rare Mega Evolution Pokémon ex, Trainer and Energy Cards
The hype is real for the Mega Evolution era of Pokémon TCG, and it's simply nice playing Legends: Z-A whilst looking at my card collections and decks full of Mega Evolved Pokémon. And with Hyperspace Luminoise City coming in the Mega Dimension DLC, Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution is going to get crazy.
Unfortunately, it's not just scalpers getting in on inflating Pokémon TCG sealed product. Big box retailers like Amazon and Target are doing it too.
It pays to make sure you know what these sealed products should be going for at retail, although you'll usually find retailers over or just under secondary market value these days rather than MSRP. Here's what the prices should be off the shelf:
Booster Box — 36 packs, MSRP around $129.99
Booster Packs — MSRP $4.49
Booster Bundle (6 packs) — MSRP $26.94
Elite Trainer Box (ETB) — MSRP $49.99
Ultra-Premium Collection (UPC) — MSRP $119.99
Mega Gengar ex & Mega Diancie ex decks — Releases slightly earlier on Oct. 24, MSRP $14.99–$19.99
Save $230: As of Nov. 7, the Dyson V11 cordless vacuum is on sale for $399.99 at Amazon. That's a 37% discount on the list price.
Dyson is famed for its high-quality vacuums, and if you’ve been thinking about treating yourself to one, now might be the perfect time because the Dyson V11 is down to its lowest price in 2025. As of Nov. 7, it is currently priced at $399.99, a saving of $230 on list price. It was last priced this low at the end of December 2024, so you know you're getting a great deal.
This vacuum is perfect for all kinds of cleaning thanks to its many attachments. It comes with a wand, docking station, charger, and several cleaning tools, including a mini soft dusting brush, crevice tool, hair screw tool, and Motorbar cleaner head. It's wireless too, but you won't have to keep stopping to charge. You'll get up to 60 minutes of run time, and your three power modes (auto, eco, and boost) let you adjust performance to suit different cleaning jobs.
Do you have a furry friend at home? The V11 can cope. The Motorbar head helps remove hair and pet hair, while the hair screw tool is designed specifically for long hair and pet hair on stairs, upholstery, and pet beds. It even has an LCD screen that shows the power mode, any maintenance alerts, and remaining battery life.
This is a limited-time deal at Amazon, so don't miss out.
Starbucks Red Cup Day nears: When, how to get your free cupThe date for Starbucks' Red Cup Day 2025 has been announced. Find out when the event goes live and how to get your free cup.
FREE RED CUP: Starbucks Red Cup Day takes place on Nov. 13, 2025. Buy any handcrafted holiday drink in any size to get a free reusable red cup.
Is that the sound of sleigh bells in the distance? No, it’s the sound of coffee lovers gearing up for one of the most anticipated days of the year. Clear your schedules, because Starbucks’ holiday season officially begins on Nov. 6.
So what exactly is included in this hotly-anticipated festive celebration? Starbucks is welcoming back those holiday beverages that we simply can't go a whole year without. We're talking about favorites like Peppermint Mocha, Caramel Brulée Latte, Iced Sugar Cookie Latte, and Iced Gingerbread Chai. And later in the season, two holiday classics — the Chestnut Praline Latte and Eggnog Latte — will make a glorious return. We're feeling the festive spirit.
But that's not the highlight of the holidays. That's the return of Red Cup Day. On Nov. 13, Starbucks is giving away limited-edition reusable red cups for free with any handcrafted holiday beverage (at participating stores while supplies last). The free red cup is a 16-oz grande with a lid.
We really wouldn't want you to miss out on this special giveaway, so plan ahead. That might sound slightly ridiculous. This is a reusable cup, for goodness sake. But shockingly, people really love free stuff? Red Cup Day tends to draw large crowds, so arriving early or placing your order through the Starbucks app can help you beat the rush and secure your precious cup before they’re gone for good.
The Amazon Fire TV 2-Series is back down to its lowest price in 2025Get the best TV deal at Amazon. Save 27% on the Fire TV 2-Series at Amazon.
SAVE $40: As of Nov. 7, the Amazon Fire TV 2-Series is on sale for $109.99 at Amazon. That's a 27% discount on the list price.
It's the season for festive movie nights on the couch, and if you've been on the hunt for a new TV to make the cozy season even more special, you'll love this new deal on the Amazon Fire TV 2-Series. Currently at its lowest price this year, the 32-inch model of this TV is currently down to only $109.99. If you want something a little bigger, the 40-inch version is on sale too, down from $249.99 to $129.99.
This is a great TV, even without the sale price. It has a HD 720p resolution with support for HDR 10, HLG, and Dolby Digital Audio, so games, movies, and Netflix shows all come through in great quality. It also provides access to live TV, games, music, and over one million movies and TV episodes through all your favorite streaming services like Prime Video and Disney+.
You also get the use of free streaming options like YouTube, Tubi, and Pluto TV. And if you have a few Fire devices (another TV or a Fire Stick), your content will stay synced across all the devices for consistent viewing between rooms. Pick up your show exactly where you left off.
As it's an Amazon device, you'll also benefit from Alexa voice control and smart home integration. Use it to search through different streaming platforms or control your smart home devices like a robot vacuum.
Don't miss out on this low price — pick up this TV deal from Amazon now.
The Fitbit Sense 2 has dropped below $180 at Amazon ahead of Black Friday — save $70As of Nov. 7, the Fitbit Sense 2 is discounted at Amazon to $179.95, 28% off its list price of $249.95.
SAVE $70: As of Nov. 7, the Fitbit Sense 2 is on sale for $179.95 at Amazon. This is 28% off its list price of $249.95.
The Black Friday shopping season is officially upon us, and if you're looking for good deals to scoop up, quite a few retailers have already launched strong discounts. In the realm of smartwatches and fitness trackers, the Fitbit Sense 2 is currently down to $179.95 at Amazon.
As of Nov. 7, you can save $70 on the Fitbit Sense 2. Ahead of Black Friday, that's quite a nice deal to jump on. All available colors are discounted to this price as well, so you can choose between the shadow grey/graphite model, lunar white/platinum, or blue mist/pale gold.
Whether you want it for keeping an eye on your overall health or for workouts, the Fitbit Sense 2 is packed with features to help you out. For those with a love of fitness, some of these include all-day activity tracking, 24/7 heart rate, a built-in GPS, and 40+ exercise modes. When it comes to general health and wellbeing, it also features all-day stress detection, irregular heart rhythm notifications, daily sleep stages, and a Sleep Score, just to name a few helpful features.
If you've been looking for a new smartwatch to carry you into the new year, don't miss out on this deal on the Fitbit Sense 2 at Amazon. There's a few more Fitbit deals worth checking out at Amazon. At the moment, the Fitbit Inspire 3 is also discounted ahead of Black Friday.
Netflix drops Stranger Things Season 5s first 5 minutesAhead of 'Stranger Things' fifth and final seasons, Netflix dropped the first five minutes — and it connects all the way to Season 1.
The fifth and final season of Stranger Things is almost here, with trailers and featurettes giving us a worrying glimpse at what fate awaits the town of Hawkins.
And now, Netflix is just straight up giving you the first five minutes — and it connects all the way to Season 1.
We're back in Castle Byers, when a young Will (Noah Schnapp) was pulled into the Upside Down in Stranger Things' very first season. He's hiding in his DIY fort from the dreaded Demogorgon, quietly singing The Clash's "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" (the track that saved him), before he's attacked, pursued, gives the Demogorgon a right royal smacking, then is hauled into none other than Vecna's (Jamie Campbell Bower) lair in the Creel House. There, he endures Vecna's soul sucking wrath — a fate he was saved from by his mother Joyce (Winona Ryder) in the first season.
But from the prickling sensation on the back of our necks (and the trailer), we know it ain't over.
From the glimpses we've had so far, we know we'll probably head back to the show's present after this, to fall 1987, a year after the Season 4 finale, where Hawkins has been ripped apart by the Upside Down rifts. WE'RE NOT READY (but we very much are).
NYT Mini crossword answers, hints for November 7, 2025Answers to each clue for the November 7, 2025 edition of NYT's The Mini crossword puzzle.
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 Friday, Nov. 7, 2025:
The answer is Why.
The answer is Achoo.
The answer is Slink.
The answer is Panko.
The answer is Spy.
The answer is Whiny.
The answer is Honk.
The answer is Yoko.
The answer is Asps.
The answer is Clap.
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.
Video captures meteor explosively striking the moon. See it now.A Japanese astronomer captured two lunar impact flashes — caused by meteor strikes on the moon — just two days apart on video.
A space rock slammed into the moon just days ago, lighting up at the surface so brightly, it was briefly visible from Earth through telescopes.
Daichi Fujii, curator at Hiratsuka City Museum in Japan, recorded the impact. Fujii, who started looking for lunar impact flashes in 2011, keeps an eye fixed on the moon through several 8-inch aperture telescopes, mostly based in Hiratsuka, about midway between Tokyo and Mount Fuji. What makes this new sighting astounding is that it was the second flash he had captured hitting the moon since last Thursday.
The latest impact happened Nov. 1 near Oceanus Procellarum, a large, dark lava plain whose name means Ocean of Storms. The event followed a bright burst just two days earlier near the Gassendi Crater. Each blink of light lasted a mere fraction of a second, but they punctuated strikes from rocks whizzing at about 60,000 mph, according to Fujii, who posted videos of the flashes on X.
These events, which can be watched below, serve as a reminder that though the moon may seem immutable from a 240,000-mile distance, its surface is frequently changing, pocked by countless craters.
"In the near future, the lunar environment will change significantly due to private space business, including an increase in space debris and artificial impact flashes in cislunar space," Fujii told Mashable. "I wish to document the current, natural lunar environment before these changes occur."
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On Earth, about 73,000 pounds of space dust and rock rain down on the planet every day. Almost all of that debris burns up harmlessly in the atmosphere. But the moon, with a barely there exosphere, has no such protection. Even pebbles hit its surface at ultra-high speeds, from 45,000 to 160,000 mph. At that speed, a 10-pound rock, about the weight of a light bowling ball, could blast out a crater 30 feet wide and lift more than 80 tons of moondust.
Even chunks just a few feet wide can cause immense damage when they fall to Earth. NASA has previously estimated that a 100 to 170-foot-wide asteroid could level a small city. In 2013, a 60-foot meteor exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia, injuring 1,600 people.
Astronomers watch these lunar impacts to learn how often — and how hard — space rocks hit. This helps scientists predict risks to spacecraft because large meteors could destroy satellites or, perhaps in the future, lunar outposts. Though Earth's atmosphere lets researchers measure small meteors with radar, they need a giant target area, like the moon's surface, to study the bigger ones. Fujii calls the moon an efficient "meteoroid detector."
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The Earth and moon are both subject to comet debris, which result in meteor showers, but how these events affect the two bodies differs.
"On Earth these showers are capable of producing spectacular celestial fireworks displays, delighting the public," according to NASA. "On the airless moon, however, these showers are swarms of high energy projectiles, producing fireworks only when they strike the surface with tremendous force."
Other telescopes in Japan observed the same bursts as Fujii from different angles, which supports that these were indeed meteoroid impacts rather than other occurrences, such as optical artifacts or cosmic ray interference, that also can cause quick flashes.
The origins of these two space rocks are unknown, but their timing coincides with the annual Northern and Southern Taurids meteor showers, which both peak in November. The Taurids, a group of pebble-sized fragments from the Comet Encke, are having a so-called "swarm year," meaning Earth is passing through a region of space with a particularly high volume of comet debris.
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Even with continuous monitoring, which Fujii began doing five years ago, he still only records one lunar impact flash every few dozen hours of observations. The thin crescent moon, which provides the large dark area needed for these observations, is only visible during dusk or dawn, he said.
To date, he's only seen about 60, so, even after all this time, he still gets a thrill out of finding one — or, in this case, two.
"Capturing a bright flash always brings a huge sense of excitement," he said.
Bunny review: Hilarious and heartfelt, this love letter to New York is a must-seeDon't overlook the festival treasure now coming to theaters: "Bunny," a hilarious, heartfelt love letter to New York.
After Hours. Do the Right Thing. In the Heights. When Harry Met Sally. They're movies with very different plots and vibes, and yet all are definitively New York. Now the canon of exceptionally New York movies has grown, thanks to Bunny.
The directorial debut of Ben Jacobson, Bunny centers on an East Village tenement resident whose very bad birthday is a tapestry of chaos, community, and characters that are undeniably the fabric of New York City. Like the iconic cinema listed above, Bunny channels the energy of this great city, while also embracing its funkier elements. This fantastic, funny, and surprising indie is also an unapologetic and unsentimental love letter to New York.
But what's it about?
Co-writer Mo Stark stars a Bunny, an East Village resident whose life — and tenement apartment — is very, very hectic. "Today I fucked up," Bunny explains in a voiceover over home movies of his wife Bobbie (a sizzling Liza Colby), his best friend Dino (co-writer/director Ben Jacobson), and their maternal landlady Linda (Linda Rong Mei Chen). "I upended the lives of the people I love most, my family."
At the start of the day, this eponymous protagonist is racing down the street. His long, dirty-blond hair whips behind him as blood dribbles from his chin and goatee, down his neck, and onto a cream-colored knitted top. We won't learn what he's running from until later. But it relates to his job, being a "gigolo, like Richard Gere, but not that fancy."
Bunny won't slow down to explain what's going on. Instead, no sooner has he washed the blood from his body than Bobbie — wearing translucent lingerie and a big smile — introduces him to his birthday present, a threesome with her friend Daphne (Eleonore Hendricks) and "the best Molly that can be found in the tri-state area." But Bunny's in no mood to party. There's business to attend to.
For starters, an Airbnb guest named Happy Chana — never just "Chana" — is coming to rent their spare room. As an Orthodox Jew, she (Genevieve Hudson-Price) has specific needs that Bunny must meet or else lose the needed rental fee. Then, while Bobbie's out, her estranged father (Tony Drazan) drops by, only to be swept up by Dino's influence — and his edibles. Before Bunny can catch his breath, there are a couple of corpses to deal with and a murder to cover up. It's a real bad birthday, but at least he has his family to help him through.
This East Village tenement is stocked floor to ceiling with colorful characters who have little in common but their love for each other. Bunny and Bobbie are adored by real-talking Linda, impulsive but protective Dino, an elderly neighbor with moxie named Ian (Richard Price), and a trio of twentysomething party girls, all of whom will have a part to play in helping Bunny through the worst birthday of his life. Far from hiding a homicide from them, Bunny drops a corpse of a "bad man" on the linoleum floor for a brainstorming session. How do they dump a body in this bustling neighborhood — especially when there's a pair of chummy cops (Liz Caribel Sierra and Ajay Naidu) hanging around outside?
Stark, Jacobson, and co-writer Stefan Marolachakis create a script that is joltingly alive. Cultures collide from scene to scene with the enthralling melting pot energy of hundreds of NYC neighborhoods. As a character-driven film, there's a panoply of minor conflicts, about birthday plans, roommate etiquette, and the best way to fold a corpse into a rolling suitcase. But when it comes to helping one of their own, these free spirits, neurotics, and weirdos all come together as the family they are, bound by years of shared space and energy.
The superb casting of this film lends authenticity, avoiding famous faces and leaning into an effusive and even volatile chemistry amid the ensemble. Watching Bunny, New Yorkers might not only recognize figures from their own neighborhoods, but will also feel a part of this tenement, tangled in the intoxicating energy of excitement, gossip, and community. New York is a city of strangers who form families, and Bunny explores those bonds through a funny and unpredictable family drama. Because what's a corpse between friends?
Too often, when filmmakers write and star in their movies, the result can be a bloated vanity project (Belfast) or a treacly bit of fluff that paints their character as an underappreciated genius (Cha Cha Real Smooth). Bunny avoids these pitfalls as Stark and Jacobson firmly commit to the goofball core of their characters.
Bunny is a himbo with a heart of gold but a much messier past than Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. Dino is ride-or-die, but also dangerously impulsive. Together, they are a duo I'd watch go on a bodega run, just because they are so vivid and fun. Every moment together vibrates with their deep love for each other, and a broader, radiant interest in those around them. This is the New York I know and love, and it's a pleasure to see it captured, warts and all. Because yeah, for every hot baddie stomping down the sidewalk to the beat of her own drum, there's a mercurial oddball looking to fart into a cop car window or otherwise quirk up your day.
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Yet within this swirl of eccentrics, Stark keeps his head above water, maintaining a focus and direction as Bunny forges ahead. Far from taking control of a situation like some stodgy suit or cop might, Bunny is more wrangling alley cats as he leaps from problems personal, professional, and criminal with the agility of an Alvin Ailey dancer. He's a rock to his tenement mates. And the joyful reveal of this crime-comedy is that when he needs a rock, they will be that for him, too. Stark so beautifully grounds the film in its unconventional opening of voiceover and unexplained blood that for the whole film, whatever wild shit goes down, we are bound to Bunny, rooting for him just like the rest of his circle does. We truly feel like one of them, caught up in the warmth and ferocity of their bond.
Simply put, Bunny is a quirky, gritty indie crime-comedy/New York family drama that achieves a lot with a little. Primarily set in one location, with no major stars in its charismatic ensemble, it's an underdog story both on and off screen. You feel the hustle of Bunny in every frame. Alive, exciting, funny, and original, Bunny is gem not to be overlooked.
Bunny opens in select theaters and on VOD on Nov. 14. However, early access screenings in New York begin on Nov. 7.
How to watch Nuggets vs. Warriors online for freeHow to watch NBA for free. Live stream Denver Nuggets vs. Golden State Warriors in the NBA Cup for free from anywhere in the world.
TL;DR: Live stream Denver Nuggets vs. Golden State Warriors in the NBA Cup for free with a 30-day trial of Amazon Prime. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
There are a number of really interesting NBA Cup games taking place this week, including Denver Nuggets vs. Golden State Warriors. Both teams will have their sight's set on greater success this season, so it'll be fascinating to see how they approach this competition. Will we see veteran stars giver everything to progress?
If you want to watch Nuggets vs. Warriors in the NBA Cup for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
Nuggets vs. Warriors in the NBA Cup starts at 10 p.m. ET on Nov. 7. This game takes place at the Ball Arena.
Nuggets vs. Warriors in the NBA Cup is available to live stream for free with a 30-day trial of Amazon Prime.
This free live stream is geo-restricted to the UK and U.S., but anyone can secure access with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK or U.S., meaning you can access free live streams of the NBA from anywhere in the world.
Stream the NBA for free by following these simple steps:
Sign up for a 30-day trial of Amazon Prime (if you're not already a member)
Subscribe to a VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK or U.S.
Watch the NBA from anywhere in the world on Prime Video
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer money-back guarantees or free trials. By leveraging these offers, you can watch NBA live streams without actually spending anything. This clearly isn't a long-term solution, but it does mean you can watch select games from the NBA Cup before recovering your investment.
ExpressVPN is the best service for accessing free live streams on platforms like Prime Video, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
Fast connection speeds free from throttling
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also 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 $12.95 (with money-back guarantee).
Live stream the NBA Cup for free with ExpressVPN.
How to watch Spurs vs. Rockets online for freeHow to watch NBA for free. Live stream San Antonio Spurs vs. Houston Rockets in the NBA Cup for free from anywhere in the world.
TL;DR: Live stream San Antonio Spurs vs. Houston Rockets in the NBA Cup for free with a 30-day trial of Amazon Prime. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
The NBA Cup has started with a number of really interesting group stage matchups, and we're expecting big things from San Antonio Spurs vs. Houston Rockets. Winning the NBA is really difficult, especially for young teams like the Spurs. So could this tournament represent the best opportunity for Victor Wembanyama to earn some silverware?
If you want to watch Spurs vs. Rockets in the NBA Cup for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
Spurs vs. Rockets in the NBA Cup starts at 7:30 p.m. ET on Nov. 7. This game takes place at the Frost Bank Center.
Spurs vs. Rockets in the NBA Cup is available to live stream for free with a 30-day trial of Amazon Prime.
This free live stream is geo-restricted to the UK and U.S., but anyone can secure access with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK or U.S., meaning you can access free live streams of the NBA from anywhere in the world.
Stream the NBA for free by following these simple steps:
Sign up for a 30-day trial of Amazon Prime (if you're not already a member)
Subscribe to a VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK or U.S.
Watch the NBA from anywhere in the world on Prime Video
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer money-back guarantees or free trials. By leveraging these offers, you can watch NBA live streams without actually spending anything. This clearly isn't a long-term solution, but it does mean you can watch select games from the NBA Cup before recovering your investment.
ExpressVPN is the best service for accessing free live streams on platforms like Prime Video, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
Fast connection speeds free from throttling
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also 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 $12.95 (with money-back guarantee).
Live stream the NBA Cup for free with ExpressVPN.
Browse free and safe with this tiny VPN router, now $50 off in time for holiday travelEnjoy online security and freedom anywhere with this Deeper Connect Air Portable Decentralized VPN Travel Router, on sale now for just $169 (reg. $219).
TL;DR: Enjoy online security and freedom anywhere with this Deeper Connect Air Portable Decentralized VPN Travel Router, on sale now for just $169 (reg. $219).
Whether you’re a frequent traveler or simply want to browse the web securely at home, it’s good to have a reliable VPN at your disposal. This Deeper Connect Air Portable Decentralized VPN Travel Router takes things one step further, offering next-level privacy and no geographical restrictions, wherever you go.
Right now, before the holiday travel season commences, you can secure one for just $169 (reg. $219) — no monthly subscriptions required.
Be prepared for that trip to the in-laws or your exotic New Year’s getaway with the Deeper Connect Air Portable Decentralized VPN Travel Router. It provides military-grade encryption on the go, so your data stays safe anywhere — even on public WiFi around the world.
If you want to watch your favorite Netflix series from Bora Bora, it’s no problem with the Deeper Connect Air. It bypasses geographical restrictions, allowing you to access your favorite streaming services from anywhere. And you’ll be streaming seamlessly thanks to the powerful 300 Mbps connection.
Have kids in the house? You can use this on up to five devices simultaneously, and there are also parental controls to keep your kids safer online with just one click. It also includes an ad blocker, so you’ll all enjoy a more peaceful internet experience.
While many VPNs require hefty monthly subscription fees, you pay once for the Deeper Connect Air and enjoy the security for life. It offers a super-easy setup — just plug and play, with no configuration needed — and is pocket-sized, so it’s ready to tag along anywhere.
Browse the web with peace of mind thanks to this Deeper Connect Air Portable Decentralized VPN Travel Router, on sale now for just $169.00 (reg. $219).
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Connections.
Joe Hill breaks down the Stephen King references in his new novelJoe Hill, horror writer and author of the new novel "King Sorrow", spoke to Mashable about the Stephen King references in his book.
Seeing Stephen King references pop up in Joe Hill's latest horror novel, King Sorrow, is a fun surprise for the reader — but in another sense it's not that surprising at all.
Hill, a successful horror writer and King's son, started out his career under a different surname from his father in order to remain anonymous.
"I didn't want to get published because I had a famous parent, and I was very insecure," he told Mashable. "I needed to know for my self worth, that when I sold something, I sold for the right reasons."
Hill's identity became public knowledge after the publication of his first book, and in the decades since he's become increasingly comfortable with the association. He's spoken about his father in author's notes and co-wrote two stories with him for his 2019 collection Full Throttle. Now, in his latest novel, there are references to at least three of his dad's most famous works.
"In a way, we are all the children of Stephen King."
"King Sorrow, even more than any of my other books, is in conversation with the work of Stephen King," Hill explained. "I love my dad's work, and I kind of love celebrating my dad. I'm a huge Stephen King fan, too. The other thing though that I realized, you know, I had a thought a while back, which is, I write horror fiction, and me and every other person who writes horror fiction, in a way, are all the children of Stephen King. We're all Stephen King's kids. But I might be the only one who can get away with actually sticking some of his stuff into my book."
We asked Hill to break down the different Stephen King references in King Sorrow, and why he decided to include them.
Early on in the novel, the six main friends have a conversation that directly references Johnny Smith and Greg Stillson, two of the main characters in King's 1979 novel The Dead Zone — an exchange Hill described as "amusing but also highly functional."
"It's more than an Easter egg," said Hill, explaining that he wanted his novel to be about a cross-section of America and was looking for a way to position each of his characters on a different point on the political spectrum. A reference to Greg Stillson — a populist right wing politician in King's The Dead Zone who has been compared to Donald Trump — was the perfect vehicle for this.
"I saw in talking about the acts of John Smith from The Dead Zone an amusing opportunity to position them each very clearly for the reader about what are their views," Hill said. "And I feel like in a page, by the time that page is over, you're like, oh, I get where every single one of these characters is coming from."
During the chapter of King Sorrow where the main characters first summon the novel's titular dragon, they each take part in their own ritual that forms part of a larger ceremony. Arthur Oakes, the driving character in this part of the book, pursues a ghost through the snow outside, and Hill's description — "The dark man fled across the snow and Arthur Oakes followed" — is a subtle altering of one of King's most famous lines of fiction from The Dark Tower series.
"I think the rhythms of the original line, 'The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed,' is the great opening line of any genre story," Hill said. "And there's some kind of music in it. There's some kind of thumpity-thumpity-thumpity-thumpity. I wouldn't be surprised if you studied it and it turned out to be iambic pentameter. [...] So I think it was just, oh, I like the music of that. I'm going to use that here. I'm going to borrow the music of that."
Hill went on to say that later on in King Sorrow, during a section where two of the main characters are led into the lair of a troll, there's a callback to King's 1983 novel Pet Sematary that some readers don't catch — a line that echoes something Jud Crandall says to Louis Creed as he's leading him to the infamous cemetery.
"When Stuart Finger, the troll, leads Colin and Arthur down to Arthur's cave, he says something very similar," said Hill.
Ultimately, Hill views all of these references less as Easter eggs, and more as a conversation between stories.
"One of the great things about literature, as I understand it, is the way stories can respond to other stories," he said. "One of the powerful things stories can do is have conversations with other stories. And I feel like everything I've ever written has, in one way or another, been continuing a conversation that I had with some other writer when I was reading their book."
King Sorrow is available now in bookstores and online retailers.
Get 6 Microsoft apps for your Mac for just $40Give an old Mac a new set of tools with this Microsoft Office Home and Business 2019 for Mac license, now just $39.97 (reg. $229).
TL;DR: Give an old Mac a new set of tools with this Microsoft Office Home and Business 2019 for Mac license, now just $39.97 (reg. $229).
Don’t miss out on some Microsoft classics just because you’re an Apple user. You can take advantage of a suite of Microsoft Office apps with this Microsoft Office 2019 Home and Business license for Mac. And right now, you can outfit your computer with these six powerful apps for only $39.97 (reg. $229).
Add some tools to your beloved Mac with this Microsoft Office 2019 Home and Business for Mac license. It gives your device a leg up with access to six go-to apps that can help you tackle both personal and professional tasks — no monthly subscription required.
You can finally finalize your family’s budget with some help from a spreadsheet in Excel, draft that document with Word, or manage your emails more easily with Outlook. Then take some digital notes with OneNote, create a fabulous presentation with PowerPoint, or stay connected to coworkers with Teams.
Don’t be deceived by the year of this edition — it’s been completely redesigned to take advantage of Mac features like Retina display, full-screen view support, and scroll bounce. It also includes new features and updates.
This is an instant delivery and download, so you can get started right away. And you have access to free customer service if you run into any issues. Just make sure you’re running macOS 13 or newer.
Save big on a Microsoft Office Home and Business 2019 for Mac license for only $39.97 (reg. $229).
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Moon phase today: What the moon will look like on November 7See the moon phase expected for November 7, 2025 as well as when the next full moon is expected.
It's day 17 of the lunar cycle, and we're currently heading towards the New Moon. Until then, the moon will appear smaller and smaller each night.
As of Friday, Nov. 7, the moon phase is Waning Gibbous. This means 94% of the moon is lit up tonight, according to NASA's Daily Moon Observation.
The moon is getting smaller each night, but we've still got a while until the New Moon takes it away completely. For now, there is still plenty to see on its surface, if you look hard enough.
If you don't have any visual aids, not to worry, there's still things to spot, including the Aristarchus Plateau, Mare Serenitatis, and the Mare Vaporum. Binoculars will make things even more visible and you'll have a chance to see the Posidonius Crater, Alphonsus Crater, and the Apennine Mountains. If you have a telescope hanging about, pull it out to see the Reiner Gamma, Apollo 14 landing spot, and the Rima Ariadaeus.
The next full moon will be on Dec. 4.
NASA notes that as the Moon orbits Earth over about 29.5 days, it goes through a series of phases. These phases occur because of the changing angles between the Sun, Moon, and Earth. Depending on its position, the Moon can appear fully illuminated, partly illuminated, or completely hidden, even though we always see the same side. What changes is how much sunlight reflects off its surface, creating a repeating sequence known as the lunar cycle.
The eight main moon phases are:
New Moon - The moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it's invisible to the eye).
Waxing Crescent - A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).
First Quarter - Half of the moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-moon.
Waxing Gibbous - More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.
Full Moon - The whole face of the moon is illuminated and fully visible.
Waning Gibbous - The moon starts losing light on the right side. (Northern Hemisphere)
Third Quarter (or Last Quarter) - Another half-moon, but now the left side is lit.
Waning Crescent - A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.
Die My Love review: Jennifer Lawrence goes feral on Robert PattinsonLynne Ramsay's "Die My Love" revels in female rage, lust, and more. Review.
In retrospect, the collision of Lynne Ramsay and Jennifer Lawrence seems fated. The Scottish filmmaker forged her reputation with character-driven dramas like Morvern Callar, We Need to Talk About Kevin, and You Were Never Really Here. Her films — often led by critically heralded performers — push audiences to uncomfortable emotional spaces of desire, rage, and grief. Meanwhile, the American actress broke through with such a drama, Debra Granik's riveting Winter's Bone, which earned Lawrence her first Oscar nod. Then, she rose to stardom by embracing roles of women on the edge in The Hunger Games, Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle, and Mother!
Through this lens, Die My Love seems inevitable, but that doesn't make it any less remarkable. Ramsay and Lawrence's powers combine to create a ruthlessly savage portrait of female desire and wrath. The result is something feral and bloody fantastic.
Adapted from Ariana Harwicz's novel of the same name, Die My Love focuses on a young mother named Grace (Lawrence), who struggles within the confines of her seemingly settled life. (Hedda, can you hear her?) In the screenplay by Ramsay, Alice Birch, and Enda Walsh, the film begins with Grace and her partner, Jackson (Robert Pattinson), pulling his pick-up truck up to the family home that has been passed down to them, ahead of the birth of their first child.
Cinematographer Seamus McGarvey resolutely sets the camera statically inside the house, which is littered with leaves as if it's been nearly forgotten. From this wide shot, we can see the couple arrive through an open door. We hear their excited chatter and finally see them come into the building, bringing life with them. Grace, in a silky red skirt, practically blooms as she enters a room. And before they even sweep the floors, she's pinned Jackson to them, naked and christening the place as theirs.
Their lovemaking isn't the standard stuff of Hollywood movies, all soft lighting and carefully revealed flesh. Instead, Die My Love delivers a frank and carnal sex scene. Grace claws at Jackson like a predatory cat. It's with this same intensity she will later crawl on all four through their sprawling wilderness of a lawn or paw into her own panties as their fever for each other cools.
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Swiftly through physicality, Lawrence and Ramsay establish the intensity of Grace, which will not be shrunk by her role as wife or mother. So, when work pulls Jackson away from the house, leaving Grace to their baby and herself, she begins to spiral in search of who she has become in this circumstance. And her rage, even at its most extreme, is achingly relatable.
Having recently seen Hedda, it was easy to see a line of shared vexation between these two anti-heroines. Where their families, lovers, and society would happily shove them into placid roles of feminine domesticity, their spirits rage against such flattening of their lives. In response, both react wildly — though Grace is less strategic than Hedda.
Grace's passions push her to explode, sometimes in outbursts of joyful dancing or spirited song, sometimes in vicious words or violence. Within the film, characters sympathetically diagnose Grace with postpartum depression. But even this feels like a box to confine her.
Lawrence throws herself fearlessly into Grace's mental breakdown. She laughs, screams, flails, and fights with an electrifying abandon. She's so achingly alive onscreen that Pattinson, renowned for his onscreen intensity, withers beside her, which suits their characters' dynamic. Jackson seems intoxicated by Grace's free spirit, but also infuriated he can't pin her down as she might him. From their increasing animosity, tension churns this domestic drama into a thriller, because something has got to give.
And yet, as fiery as Lawrence gets — bearing her body, yearning, and rage with equal bravado — the scenes that hit me the hardest in Die My Love are when Grace shares a sharp softness. There's a beautiful and humane paradox built in this protagonist. Her snarls and anti-social behaviors, like plunging into a pool in her underwear at a family party, might startle the neighbors and embarrass Jackson, but they don't mean she doesn't care about others or know how to.
While motherhood might feel like a shackle, she loves her baby boy and expresses gentle, ardent affection for him. But before he even arrives, she does the same for her father-in-law, Harry (Nick Nolte), who is addled by dementia. Where others treat Harry like a child, with lilting pleads for obedience, Grace talks to him like they're sharing a secret, like they understand each other. And perhaps they do better than any other because of how everyone else infantilizes them, instead of meeting them where they are.
While Grace is soft with her son and father-in-law, Lawrence performs that gentleness with an intellectual sharpness that complicates even these moments of warm love. She and Ramsay build a woman who so resolutely rejects archetypes like mother and wife that Grace practically vibrates on screen, so fully formed that she can barely be contained in a 2D medium.
In this role, Lawrence will writhe on the floor, prowl on all fours through tall grass, and claw at the floral walls of a battered bathroom. She sinks her teeth into every moment so that Die My Love bleeds. Its premise might seem the stuff of Lifetime movies about failing marriages or maternal frustrations. But under Ramsay's direction, the story is more slippery and surreal, dangerously dedicated to psychological and emotional truth over a comforting narrative. There's a frankness to everything from sex and breastfeeding to the comfort and casualness Grace has with her own body. And perhaps especially now, when the U.S. government is pushing an agenda to reduce a woman's control over her reproductive rights and gender-affirming care, this feels audacious and radical.
Grace's journey will make you squirm, perhaps cackle. But in her messy quest for something beyond being boxed in, she offers a radical freedom to her audience. In the discomfort of watching her bicker, battle, and act out, an excitement of possibility burns. Where could this lead, not just for her — but for us? Will you walk away from Die My Love rattled? Feeling recognized? Or dared to be reborn?
Die My Love opens in theaters on Nov. 7.
By no means a fast-paced film but one rich with detail and strong performances, Train Dreams weaves one man's life through a rapidly changing American West in the early 20th century.
Based on Denis Johnson’s 2011 novella of the same name, it's a steady, meditative, and at times devastating journey with many a conversation around the fire. Train Dreams sees Sing Sing collaborators Greg Kwedar and Clint Bentley reunite — this time with Bentley in the director's chair — to explore delicate themes of love and loss amid this fading frontier, sitting on the cusp of industrialisation. It's a slow-going, sombre film at times, an historical essay at others, and it won't be everyone's cup of sarsaparilla.
However, the true heart of this moving film is a subtle, sensitive performance by Joel Edgerton, one immersed in Bryce Dessner's meticulous score and Adolpho Veloso's lush cinematography, and concluded with the unmistakable spirit of Nick Cave.
Beginning in 1917 and running through to 1968, Train Dreams follows a man's search for meaning as the 20th century arrives. The Wild West days are over. The American frontier is transforming. And Edgerton leads as devoted family man and stoic railroad worker Robert Grainier, who works for the Spokane International Railway in Idaho. He builds transient bonds with his fellow lumberjacks and pines for home. He's also a man riddled by guilt for his complicity watching the racist murder of Chinese immigrant worker Fu Sheng (Alfred Hsing) during a railroad job, perpetually haunted by the memory. Here, the script diverges from the novella: In the latter, Robert physically helps in hauling the worker to a tall bridge, but in the film, Robert simply doesn't intervene.
Despite this shockingly casual event, the film spends most of its time tracing Robert's life. After a brief courtship with his soon-to-be wife Gladys Olding (Felicity Jones), in the small village of Meadow Creek, Robert builds a simple, idyllic home with her among fields of wildflowers and beside a babbling brook. The pair map out their single-room cabin with river boulders and soon welcome the arrival of their daughter Kate. It's an almost overwhelmingly romantic existence, hammered home in near-saccharine montages and Dessner's tender score, and one Robert yearns for when torn away for months on dangerous railroad-building projects. The job's perils are emphasised in both Johnson's novella and Bentley's film, with injury or death from the felling of colossal trees a common workplace risk for 20th-century lumberjacks. Veloso's POV shots of these ancient giants falling prove the point, and several scenes show how risky this business of pillaging the natural landscape was.
At one tragic point, in a devastatingly shot and enacted sequence, Robert's world is upturned forever. He's left desperately searching for meaning in it all, feeling obsolete and expecting "a great revelation to arrive about his life." Edgerton delivers a solemn, raw performance — and with everything that happens, we're not mad that he's surrounded by fluffy stray puppies for a large chunk of the film. Giving Edgerton's character room for deep conversation and reflection, Bentley and Kwedar expand characters from Johnson's book, including Robert's friend Ignatius Jack (a wonderful Nathaniel Arcand), a Kootenai store owner who helps him rebuild, and forest service worker Claire (Kerry Condon), who bonds with Robert down the track.
Though it's not necessarily a history lesson, Train Dreams subtly meanders through stories of the American West and where these unsung railroad workers fit within it. Through an omniscient narrator (voiced by Will Patton) and conversations between characters, the script pieces together fragments of the past. As in Johnson's novella, mentions of the American Civil War, American Indian Wars, and World War I arise organically. In particular here, William H. Macy is a highlight as Arn Peeples, a harmonica-playing explosives expert and "gadabout of unknown origin" who befriends Robert. As in the novella, Arn's the character most reflective on American history, lamenting his younger peers' disconnection to it.
Like Arn, Patton's narration lends a certain grandfatherly energy, describing locomotive mechanics, the construction of the Robinson Gorge Bridge, and "the cost of progress" in the same tone as he describes Robert's existential crisis. Nonetheless, it gives the film a steadfast emotional consistency. Additionally, his narration gives the film's present an awareness of the future, as we learn what will become of things.
Train Dreams also takes pains to capture a specific tension between tradition and modernity through the work of production designer Alexandra Schaller. From the handcrafted elements of the Graniers' cabin to the changing technology of the logging sites from rudimentary tools to machinery, Schaller's team craft a detailed picture of life in the American West from early to mid century. But there's one crucial element that pulls all the elements of Train Dreams together.
Adding to his lauded catalogue of modern film scores from The Revenant to We Live In Time, The National's Bryce Dessner once again flexes his atmospheric composer skills in Train Dreams. At once a whimsical, romantic ode to potential and a hypnotic, reflective accompaniment to loss, Dessner's score drives the emotional engine of Train Dreams. Edgerton's Robert is characteristically stoic and interior in his emotions, allowing Dessner to draw out the brilliant subtleties of his performance. Meanwhile, it's the perfect partner to Veloso's gorgeous shots of Robert engulfed by the Idaho landscape, immersed in the beauty and history of the American wilderness.
Worth staying through the film's end credits for, Dessner teams up with the ever-iconic Nick Cave (no stranger to a lyrical exploration of love and loss) for the haunting original song "Train Dreams." This brooding ballad essentially encapsulates the film's narrative and emotional tone in a few minutes, marking a sublime conclusion to the film.
Train Dreams takes its time, relishing in conversations about grief, loss, feeling obsolete and overwhelmed by both nature and modernity. This slower pace can feel a little engulfing at times, but Edgerton's performance, Dessner's score, and Veloso's balance of handheld and static photography kept me hitched on the ride.
Train Dreams was reviewed out of BFI London Film Festival. The film will hit select U.S. cinemas on Nov. 7 before streaming on Netflix worldwide on Nov. 21.
UPDATE: Nov. 5, 2025, 2:40 p.m. This review was first published on Oct. 25, 2025, as part of Mashable's BFI coverage. It has been updated to reflect screening options.
Frankenstein review: Guillermo del Toro delivers a moving masterpiece of horror and romanceJacob Elordi and Oscar Isaac star as the monster and his creator in Guillermo del Toro's "Frankenstein." Review.
It's a love story as only Guillermo del Toro can tell it. For ages, the Mexican filmmaker, who has awed audiences with wondrous films like The Devil's Backbone, Pan's Labyrinth, Crimson Peak, and the Academy Award–winning The Shape of Water, has dreamed of turning Mary Shelley's Frankenstein into a movie of his own. And what he has accomplished here — notably with some of Hollywood's most beautiful men in the lead roles — is absolutely astonishing.
Ahead of the North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, del Toro explained to the audience how for him, Frankenstein is a story of fathers and sons, exploring his relationship to his own father and his own children. But audiences won't need a curtain speech to understand this inspiration point, as del Toro's script is unabashedly about the ties that bind and sometimes suffocate.
With the help of a star-studded cast that includes Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Charles Dance, and Christoph Waltz, this rightly heralded writer/director resurrects a classic horror story with a romantic flair that makes it gruesome, beautiful, and deeply poignant all at once.
This version of Frankenstein begins with a framework that recalls Shelley's 1818 novel. In 1857, in "farthest north," a crew of freezing sailors chips away at their ice-seized ship as their captain hollers about reaching the North Pole. Then, they find a man, bleeding and broken, barely alive on the icy terrain.
They pull him aboard only to discover he's being pursued by a mighty, bellowing "thing." The man is Victor Frankenstein (Isaac), the thing is his monster (Elordi). After a swarm of sailors beats the latter back in a dynamic and fiery action sequence — taking heavy, grisly losses — they sail on, but Victor warns the Creature will return, and so begins his story to the captain.
Through this framework, the film flashes back to Victor's youth, where he was in a bitter battle with his cruel father (Dance) over his beautiful mother (Goth). As a boy, Victor sought the love of his mother but the approval of his father, if only to avoid the lashings the latter considered parenting. When Victor's mother dies in childbirth, he blames his surgeon father for failing, and seeks to best them both, though he only articulates his wish to outmatch his father.
Years later, as a fanatical scientist, Victor experiments with electricity on corpses, seeking to resurrect them into a new living thing. Like James Whale's iconic Frankenstein, there's the fantastical element of a man creating life without the intervention of a woman. Here, because of Victor's pronounced love of his mother, his experiment feels like a backwards way to prove she need not have died. But in a bigger way, it is to defeat death as his father never could.
His victory comes when he successfully stitches together and electrocutes to life a son. But Victor's failing is falling into the same cycle of abuse his father modeled. At first, Victor is in awe of his towering creation as it toddles in awkward steps and begins to explore its dungeon containment, splashing in puddles of water and reaching curiously for the fire that lights the space. But when his monster's intellectual development doesn't meet Victor's standards, it will be the lash, just as Victor experienced when he flunked his father's lessons.
Isaac brings a frightening fire to the role of Victor Frankenstein. He is not the raving mad scientist of the Universal Monster movies. He is not the egotistical showman of Kenneth Branagh's Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Isaac makes the part his own by digging into the paternal determination to mold his "creation" in his own image.
Furthering the Oedipal thread that began in his childhood, this Victor is given a softer side through a romance subplot and a clever bit of casting. Victor becomes instantly besotted with Elizabeth, a young maiden who loves sciences and insects, and who is also played by Mia Goth.
Her girlish beauty gives an impression of innocence and gentleness, but del Toro's script bolsters Elizabeth with a sharp scientific intelligence, something she shares with Victor though their morals differ intensely. When she sees the monster, she sees someone impressive and pure, despite his scars and lack of academic accomplishment. She sees a soul that Victor cannot grasp. She becomes the foil to Victor's drive, echoing the warmth and joy of his mother. Thereby, the monster becomes a reflection of both his "father" and "mother," an accomplishment the cold, violent Victor failed to achieve.
At six feet, five inches tall, Elordi easily towers over his co-stars. But rather than sporting bolts in his neck or gnarly lumps of sullied flesh, del Toro's monster is lean and muscular, pale to the point of nearly being blue, and precisely constructed. There's a slight resemblance to the Engineers, the tall, robust, alien race from Prometheus. However, the scars along his wrists, limbs, torso, and face will never let us forget his origins.
Elordi has a difficult role because the Creature's arc is one of pain that often has no voice. Much of the performance is doggedly physical. After his birth, he is a child, though his father cannot see that. Elordi reflects this with a portrait of exploratory physicality so much like a toddler's that it's both wondrous and wretched, as we know what horrors will come next for this innocent.
At Victor's hands, the Creature experiences physical, emotional, and psychological abuse; he's chained, beaten, and insulted. Meeting Elizabeth, however, gives the Creature a greater understanding of the possibilities of the world and people. The second half of the film focuses on the monster telling his own story to the ship's captain, the framework device switching perspectives. While sound effects are employed to give Elordi's voice a harrowing, monstrous echo in these scenes, the delivery of the Creature's words as he finds his voice is bedecked with pain and earnest wonder.
The Creature's story, where he is cast out by one family and so chooses another, is one that will speak to many, especially as Elordi's crackling voice explains the heartbreaking realization that the world may try to destroy you just for being yourself. This misfit monster becomes a radiant analogy for self-love, as he is both horrid and beautiful, misunderstood and full of potential and love. For this monster, del Toro carves out a different ending from Shelley's — one that is bittersweet and glorious.
None of these risky deviations or romantic embrace of the monster would work were it not for Elordi's performance. He wears a full body of prosthetic scars and putridly pale skin, but he suffuses every movement, every glance with purpose and emotion. Escaping his well-recognized handsomeness and the expectations that come with being a dashing leading man, Elordi is del Toro's perfect monster, wretched and wondrous.
Like Crimson Peak, perhaps Del Toro's most misunderstood film, Frankenstein embraces a romantic fairy tale tone that urges audiences to indulge in its impressions and emotions. Because the film is told from one perspective then another, there's a suggestion that what we're shown is not what happened but how it felt.
So, a preposterous tower shoots into the sky like a dark, threatening blade, its insides riddled with rot, overrun with vines, and yet glistening with top-of-the-line tech, funded by an eccentric arms dealer (Waltz). And here, a young woman is both Victor's dream girl in intellect but also wears the face of his mother. Could that be real? Or is Elizabeth as Victor dreams her? Likewise, the violence the monster inflicts on others feels impossibly powerful, as he chucks wolves away with the slash of a forearm and rocks an ice-bound ship loose of its frigid bonds. At times, del Toro's story feels impossible, and that's precisely the point.
Every element of this film is like a fairy tale, not the kind we tell to children to help them fall asleep but the kind used in dark forests and evil-plagued eras to warn them of a world that won't see them as beautiful but as meat. So, the design of the monster follows this idea, being both splendid and scarred. The experiments of Victor's process are gruesome, but also reveal the natural beauty of human's internal design.
The costumes by Kate Hawley (Crimson Peak) are extraordinary, ranging from dark shrouds, so charred and befouled you can practically smell them, to gossamer gowns and veils that float almost impossibly, draping Goth in vibrant colors. And details along the spine of both the Creature's crusty trench coat and Elizabeth's corseted gowns remind us of the bones that lie beneath, a connection between them and their fortitude against the abuses of the world.
The score by Alexandre Desplat is sumptuous in its agony. Stringed instruments call out in longing and loss, enveloping the audience and the monster with the same, overwhelming surge of hurt and awe. The sound design as a whole embraces del Toro's signature blend of horror and romance. Sounds of violence snap and squelch, but in a symphony all their own. Across the production design, a vicious, brilliant red ties everything together, from Victor's mother (who drapes herself head to toe in the color) to his leather gloves as he operates, a book here, a funeral wreath there, and of course, in the end, blood. Yet the juxtaposition this sharp color serves against so much high-contrast blacks and whites of cloaks and dead flesh doesn't seem threatening; instead, it's a reminder of life — vibrant, pulsing, and unstoppable.
As a whole, del Toro's Frankenstein is a marvel. His vision is clear and mesmerizing. His ensemble is electrifying. His adaptation is unique, soulful, and unforgettable. The man who loves monsters has just made his masterpiece: It's rich, rapturous, and ruthlessly interrogates what it means to be human, with all of our glory and our flaws.
Frankenstein was reviewed out of its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The movie will open in select theaters in Oct. 17 (and this critic suggests you go see it big!). A Netflix release will follow on Nov. 7.
UPDATE: Nov. 5, 2025, 2:48 p.m. This review was first published on Sept. 9, 2025, as part of Mashable's TIFF coverage. It has been updated to reflect theatrical and streaming availability.
Christy review: Sydney Sweeneys Oscar-bait swing is a big missSydney Sweeney plays brash boxer Christy Martin in the David Michôd-directed biopic, but is the Oscar hype deserved? Review.
Ahead of its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, Sydney Sweeney's turn in Christy earned press for the reportedly incredible physical transformation she took on for the role: 30 pounds and a brunette wig. This suggested the Euphoria star was willfully pushing away from her bombshell persona to stretch in her latest, the David Michôd-directed biopic, where she plays brash boxer Christy Martin. But Sweeney's range doesn't reach where Christy needs her to go.
Yes, some critics are cheering Sweeney's performance as the best of her career, and it certainly plays to the sweet spot of Oscar. Like Nicole Kidman in The Hours or Christian Bale in basically every movie he does, Sweeney has a physical transformation that rejects the Hollywood ideal. Plus, she plays a literal fighter, like Oscar winner Hillary Swank (Million Dollar Baby) or Robert De Niro in Raging Bull. But Sweeney does not have the screen presence or intensity of either, and Christy suffers for it. However, the film on its own is beleaguered with problems.
In the 1980s, Martin began a boxing career that would lead to groundbreaking moments like becoming the first woman that boxing promoter Don King ever signed, and the first female boxer to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated. However, Christy is less interested in Martin's accomplishments and more in the agony she suffered behind the scenes. Her pain came less from the punches she took in the ring, and more from her homophobic mother's ruthless intolerance and the domestic violence delivered at the hands of her abusive husband.
In the first act, Christy is established as a butch lesbian, whose relationship with her "friend" Rosie (Jess Gabor) has offended her mother Joyce (Merritt Wever). While Wever is a terrific actor who brings emotional weight to every line here, the archetypal role of unaccepting mom is so doggedly one-note that it's flat-out comical. The screenplay by Mirrah Foulkes and Michôd makes this mother so consistently horrific that she feels like a parody, plucked from actual comedies like Walk Hard or the more restrained TIFF offering Maddie's Secret. In Christy, Joyce exists purely to say hateful things to her daughter. While Michôd aims for seriousness, all of Wever's dialogue basically boils down to campy proclamations like: Christy, why do you have to be so lesbian and break my heart?
When it comes to the marriage of Christy to Jim Martin, her trainer and abuser for decades, Michôd's approach is also confounding. Ben Foster plays Jim, wearing a hairy fat suit and a comb-over wig that just gets more aggressively ugly as the years pass by. Their marriage has many of the red flags of an abusive relationship (and a slew of Lifetime movies), including Jim's recurring promise that if she were to leave him, he'd kill her. The contrast between Christy being a fighter in the ring but assaulted in her own home is the film's central focus, with her queer repression taking a backseat until the third act. Within this abuse storyline, Foster's chewing scenery (and his lower lip) and Sweeney is out of her depth.
Don't buy into the hype. This movie is a mess, and Sweeney is a contributor to that, not its highlights. For one thing, she uses Martin's West Virginia background as an excuse to slap on a thick Southern accent that comes and goes. For another, while her look is different in Christy, it doesn't read "athlete," as she lacks tone and physicality.
With all the personal melodrama, the actual boxing gets lost in Christy. Sweeney can't throw a convincing punch, so Christy's knockouts don't hit like those in the Rocky movies, the Creed movies, or even Girlfight, which used white frames to suggest contact of the boxing gloves to powerful effect. Michôd's boxing scenes lack punch in choreography and execution. However, the director shows a much more deft hand at recreating the violence happening at home.
A pivotal sequence late in the film finally clicks into a tone that feels consistent with Michôd's work in the acclaimed Animal Kingdom. Perhaps because true crime is his comfort zone? Abruptly, the details of movement and dialogue become sharply specific, with Christy having a short phone conversation unlike the rest of her dialogue, and slipping into a pair of sneakers before acknowledging her scowling husband. What follows is gripping and horrifying, as the actors deliver the kind of reenactment that briefly elevates this floundering melodrama to something scarier and more real.
Yet, it's unnerving to me that the strongest sequence in this movie, the one that feels most like this is why Michôd, Sweeney, and Foster made it, is one where the heroine is savagely attacked. Why is that the part they seem most determined to get right? And yet, while this is Christy's most powerful scene, it's not its best bit. That's all Katy O'Brian.
The Love Lies Bleeding actor has been stealing scenes in big Hollywood movies like Twisters and Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning. And in Christy, she effortlessly shows up Sweeney, playing the eponymous boxer's professional adversary Lisa Holewyne. Let's be clear: Katy O'Brian should be a big damn star.
In Christy's bid to be rich and famous, she didn't just fight in the ring, but talked smack about her opponents outside of it. So it goes in this industry. But in the film, the focus of this promotional persona is Christy leaning into a femme look — floral dresses, pink boxing shorts — and wielding slurs at her peers. Lisa bears the brunt of these comments, yet becomes an unlikely ally to Christy in the film's final act. This is good news for audiences, because O'Brian has the kind of star power this movie needs.
Her stature, muscles, and carriage are all more in line with what audiences expect of an athlete onscreen: confident, sturdy, and strong. Sure, Martin's real look was softer than some of her opponents. But in any sequence that pits Sweeney and O'Brian in competition, be it boxing or jogging while training, the latter's ease in these spaces makes the headliner's lack thereof stand out all the more. Beyond the physical, in appearance and performance, O'Brian delivers an alertness in every scene that dazzles, while Sweeney just does not. O'Brian is alive in every moment, even when she's second banana. It came to the point where I became infuriated that she wasn't the lead of this movie, resemblance to the real Martin be damned!
Despite the premiere buzz, Christy is not the Oscar contender that Sweeney, who also produced the film, seems to have swung for. Its script is a mess, creating clumsy archetypes and hitting on Lifetime movie cliches with no self-awareness. Its ensemble cast, while committed, cannot agree on a common tone. For instance, Chad L. Coleman, who pops up as a flashy and fun Don King, brings laughs and much-needed energy to the movie, but also ends up further muddying what this even is. Michôd has no grace in the tonal shifts, and so Christy is more confusing than moving.
Michôd seems most riveted by the criminal violence than any other aspect of Martin's story. So even what this film has to say about being a woman in sports, or a lesbian in America, or a person at all, is perplexing. In the end, Christy doesn't hit hard. It just blows.
Christy was reviewed out of the World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The movie will release in theaters on Nov. 7.
UPDATE: Nov. 5, 2025, 2:33 p.m. This review was first published on Sept. 8, 2025, as part of Mashable's TIFF coverage. It has been updated to reflect screening options.
Peter Hujars Day review: Ira Sachs gently brings 1970s New York to life through a dramatic experimentIn "Peter Hujar's Day," Ira Sachs gently brings 1970s New York to life through a dramatic experiment. Review.
From Ira Sachs — director of the striking contemporary queer drama Passages — the 1970s New York-set Peter Hujar's Day is a confined, two-character experiment that's far more about mood than plot. Set almost entirely in one apartment over the course of a single day, its mere 76 minutes are languidly paced, though that's a major part of its success. Few filmmakers have so distinctly evoked an era without so much as pointing their camera out through a window to capture the street below.
The film is reconstructed from a transcript, once thought to be lost, of an interview with gay New York photographer Peter Hujar (Passages star Ben Whishaw) conducted by writer Linda Rosenkrantz (Rebecca Hall). The recording resurfaced in 2019 — Rosenkrantz has since published it as a book under the same title as the movie — but Sachs doesn't merely restage the interview as written. Rather, he extrapolates what feels like an entire lifetime from words alone.
Describing Peter Hujar's Day runs the risk of oversimplifying it, but the film's simplicity is its charm. Beginning on a random December morning in 1974, the curious Rosenkrantz — who ran in the same circles as Hujar, creating a sense of intimacy — asks him to recall all the things he did the previous day. As her two-spool tape recorder spins (resembling a film projector in both appearance and sound), Hujar goes about his day and the duo move about his East Village apartment as he narrates, in flowery detail, events that might have seemed unremarkable at the time but take on a greater significance in retrospect.
This is not unlike the way Hujar's photography would come to be perceived. His black-and-white portraits made few waves at the time — certainly not compared to contemporaries like Andy Warhol — but they have since been canonized as having brought a subtle texture and depth to his subjects, physically and psychologically. As Nan Goldin once wrote of Hujar's personal artistry: "His pictures are exotic but not in a shallow, sensational way. Looking at his photographs of nude men, even of a naked baby boy, is the closest I ever came to experience what it is to inhabit male flesh."
Although the film doesn't take its cues from Hujar's images (except for a few dreamlike interludes), Sachs attempts to unearth a similarly lifelike dimensionality. His shots — mostly still, though sometimes moving gradually across space — help craft a sense of intrigue. This goes hand-in-hand with Whishaw's thoroughly considered performance, which feels free and uninhibited in its motions, whether Hujar moves from room to room or simply fidgets on his couch.
Sachs generally excels at creating this sense of life between the creases, and Peter Hujar's Day is among his finest aesthetic achievements. Not only does its form evoke a specific time and place, but it creates a distinct relationship between its mid-'70s setting and the present right from the word go.
The New York of today would be alien to Hujar's New York, and vice versa. The city was certainly grimier in the 1970s, with more danger and more edge — think Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver — but it was also the cradle of a burgeoning American arts' scene that has since been priced out for several decades.
Throughout the film, Hujar makes mention of his East Village address and that of other artists he travelled to photograph the previous morning, noting the rough-and-tumble neighborhoods that have long since been gentrified. Granted, to pick up on the significance of these details requires foreknowledge of the city's modern topography, which certainly shrinks the movie's intended audience (or at least, those that might pick up everything it's putting down), but this specificity is an extension of its experimentation.
On the surface, it's a film of "telling" rather than "showing," but the inherent obliqueness (and the obfuscating nature) of its dialogue limits how much of it can be considered exposition. If anything, it is in fact a film of "showing" in a macro sense — of depicting Hujar's thoughts and feelings towards each description — with Rosenkrantz as his mostly silent foil, whose input on his recollections becomes known without words.
The film's 16mm cinematography by Alex Ashe evokes that place and time's No Wave cinema scene, led by the likes of John Cassavetes, with its distinct celluloid textures and ever-so-slightly blown-out highlights, as though it were cheaply produced. The acoustic qualities add to this DIY feeling, which includes flaws and faded noises in the audio recordings, as though the movie's entire soundtrack (rather than the interview transcript) were the thing that had been rediscovered, and the film were merely adding physical dimensions to something heard.
Alongside the ambient noises of New York, from ambulance sirens to noisy streets, each physical element on screen stands out in the soundtrack: glasses, dishware, even chairs being dragged so Hujar and Rosenkrantz can sit. Sachs' repeated shots of the tape recorder serve to remind us that what we're watching is a recreation or restaging of the past. The movie even opens with a clapper board, and features frequent jump-cuts despite its at-length scenes. We even catch occasional glimpses of modern crew members putting boom mics in place. However, this Brechtian quality never detracts from the movie's lived-in, realistic feel.
The characters never wink at the camera, or even acknowledge it, despite Sachs drawing our attention to the artifice. We're never watching actors play a part. Rather, we're watching historical figures through a modern lens, a self-reflexive exercise in which the present and the past exist simultaneously, creating a contrast between life and artistry as it once was, and now is — made all the more apparent by Hujar casually invoking the names of famous figures.
What exactly was "Peter Hujar's day"? As narrated by Hujar in the film, the preceding 24 hours were mildly annoying, given how many people he had to chase for money and other scheduling confirmations — such is the life of a freelance artist — but they were also eventful, in the sense that they made for a fun recounting. Rosenkrantz barely interjects, in part because she's a good reporter, letting her subject speak for himself, but in part because she, like the audience, is familiar with the specific people Hujar refers to in his story: the likes of critic Susan Sontag, poet Allen Ginsberg, and author William S. Burroughs.
The difference between the characters' relationship to these figures and the audience's is that to the former, they're acquaintances, whereas to us, they're pillars of modern Western culture, which makes for a fascinating disconnect. Peter Hujar's Day practically lives within this dissonant space, wherein everything that's mundane for Hujar and Rosenkrantz is destined to have a historic quality some five decades later.
That these artistic legends are only mentioned and not seen adds, on one hand, a mythic quality to them — one of whispers and rumors — but what's actually said about them grounds them through a surprisingly cheeky approach. Hujar's personality, wants, likes, and annoyances all come to the fore through his anecdotes, which exist somewhere between gossip and name-dropping. Each time he narrates his interactions with someone the audience might've heard about, he does so quite casually (which makes sense — Hujar doesn't have the perspective the audience does), adding a humane quality to an often mythologized era, bringing us closer to it in the process.
A film that recalls recollections, and Peter Hujar's Day is, by its very nature, a film of reflections and refractions. However, it makes its various Xerox copies of the past feel thoroughly original and lifelike, transforming a contained interview into what may as well be a moody, sprawling biopic.
Peter Hujar’s Day was reviewed out of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. It opens in NY/LA on Nov. 7, 2025.
UPDATE: Nov. 5, 2025, 2:53 p.m. This review was first published on Feb. 1, 2025, as part of Mashable's Sundance coverage. It has been updated to reflect theatrical options.
Target Black Friday ad: The best early deals you can buy onlineTarget Black Friday Ad. Browse the best deals from Target's Black Friday sale in 2025.
Black Friday is fast approaching, and there's nothing you can do to stop it. Major retailers already dropping their Black Friday ads and early-access deals, so it's time to check out everything that's on offer, make a list of your top priorities, investigate price history, and hope for the best.
Target, Best Buy, Walmart, and a bunch of other popular retailers have already announced their Black Friday plans. The Target early Black Friday sale runs from Nov. 6-8, three weeks before the main event. Want to make the most out of Target's Black Friday campaign? We've checked out the pre-Black Friday ad to provide you with a snapshot of what's on offer from the big-box retailer.
The great news for shoppers is that Target’s three-day early Black Friday sale is offering a large portion of deals at 40% off or more. And that includes popular categories like gifts and holiday décor, toys including Lego, clothing, and kitchen essentials. We're seeing great deals on some of the best Ninja appliances, cordless vacuums, and headphones. Some of these will make great holiday gifts while others are a gift to get you through holiday travel, like noise-cancelling headphones.
Keep in mind some of these deals are exclusive to Target Circle members but don't fret because it's free to to sign up.
Here are some of the best Target deals you can shop on sale between Nov. 6-8:
Instant Pot 6-quart Pressure Cooker Bundle — $69.99 $139.99 (save $70 + get a free $10 Target gift card)
Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven — $99.99 $299.99 (save $130)
Ninja NeverClog Cold Press Juicer — $119.99 $149.99 (save $30)
Ninja Kitchen System Blender — $129.99 $189.99 (save $60)
Nespresso VertuoPlus Coffee Maker and Espresso Machine — $139.99 $199.99 (save $60)
Ninja Crispi Glass Air Fryer Cooking System — $159.99 $179.99 (save $20 + get a $10 Target gift card)
KitchenAid 3-piece Pasta Roller & Cutter Set — $179.99 $249.99 (save $70)
KitchenAid Ultra Power Plus 4.5-quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer — $279.99 $449.99 (save $170)
DeLonghi Magnifica Start Automatic Coffee Espresso Machine — $499.99 $799.95 (save $299.96)
Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine — $549.99 $699.99 (save $150)
Lego City Advent Calendar 2025 — $17.99 $29.99 (save $12)
Lego Christmas Tree Building Set — $26.99 $44.99 (save $18)
Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar 2025 — $26.99 $44.99 (save $18)
Lego City Space Science Lab — $27.59 $45.99 (save $18.40)
Lego Wicked Glinda & Elphaba's Dormitory — $31.79 $52.99 (save $21.20)
Lego Botanicals Evergreen Collector’s Set — $35.99 $59.99 (save $24)
Lego Minecraft The Crafting Table — $53.99 $89.99 (save $36)
Lego Icons Wreath-Making Kit and Holiday Garland — $59.99 $99.99 (save $40)
Lego Harry Potter Hogwarts Express & Hogsmeade Station — $65.99 $109.99 (save $44)
Lego Star Wars Wicket the Ewok — $77.99 $129.99 (save $52)
Bissell Little Green Max Carpet Cleaner — $109.99 $139.99 (save $30)
Shark Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe Upright Vacuum — $119.99 $199.99 (save $80)
Tineco GO Flex Cordless Stick Vacuum — $129.99 $179.99 (save $50)
Shark Pet Cordless Stick Vacuum — $149.99 $299.99 (save $150)
Tineco GO Pet Pro Cordless Stick Vacuum — $169.99 $319.99 (save $150)
Dreame K20 Pro Wet and Dry Vacuum — $179.99 $229.99 (save $50)
Dyson V9 Motorbar Vacuum Cleaner — $269.99 $599.99 (save $330)
Tineco GO HammerHead MessDetect Cordless Wet/Dry Mop and Vacuum — $279.99 $379.99 (save $100)
Dyson V11 Cordless Stick Vacuum — $399.99 $629.99 (save $230)
Eecovacs Deebot T30S PRO Robot Vacuum and Mop — $545.99 $839.99 (save $294)
Beats Solo Buds Earbuds — $69.99 $79.99 (save $10)
Beats Solo 4 Headphones — $129.99 $199.99 (save $70)
Beats Studio Pro Headphones — $199.99 $349.99 (save $150)
Bose QuietComfort Headphones — $199.99 $359.99 (save $160)
Sony WH-1000XM5 Headphones — $329.99 $399.99 (save $70)
Sony WH-1000XM6 Headphones — $429.99 $459.99 (save $30)
Amazon Kids Echo Dot — $34.99 $59.99 (save $25)
Amazon Echo Spot — $54.99 $79.99 (save $25)
Beats Pill — $99.99 $149.99 (save $50)
We know you might not want to hear it, but Black Friday is very much upon us. The beast of a shopping holiday has been looming menacingly on the horizon for some time, but it will not be contained any longer.
Leading retailers are already dropping their Black Friday ads and early-access deals. We know that shopping fatigue is a real thing at this time of year, so why not beat the rush and all the associated stress and get your shopping done early this year? You know it makes sense.
Best Buy is one of the premier shopping destinations over the Black Friday period, and its savings-packed ad suggests that this year could be its biggest ever.
Best Buy was the first leading retailer to announce its 2025 holiday plans, with early Black Friday deals dropping as early as Halloween (Oct. 31). Best Buy will drop early Black Friday deals throughout November before its official Black Friday sale officially kicks off on Nov. 20. This 10-day sale is live through Nov. 29, followed immediately by its Cyber Monday event on Nov. 30 that runs for 48 hours through Dec. 1. Mark these dates in your diary.
Want to make the most out of Best Buy's Black Friday campaign? We've checked out all the best Black Friday deals and doorbusters from the Best Buy Black Friday ad that you can already buy online.
Samsung 50-inch U7900 Series 4K TV — $229.99 $299.99 (save $70)
Insignia 55-inch F50 Series 4K Fire TV — $189.99 $349.99 (save $160)
Insignia 65-inch F50 Series 4K Fire TV — $279.99 $449.99 (save $170)
Samsung 65-inch QN90F Series Neo QLED Mini LED 4K TV — $1,499.99 $2,499.99 (save $1,000)
Samsung 70-inch U7900 Series 4K TV — $399.99 $569.99 (save $170)
Insignia 75-inch F50 Series 4K Fire TV — $379.99 $599.99 (save $220)
Toshiba 75-inch M550 Series QLED 4K Fire TV — $449.99 $779.99 (save $330)
Samsung 75-inch Q6F Series QLED 4K TV — $599.99 $899.99 (save $300)
TCL 75-inch QM5K Series 4K QD-Mini LED TV — $599.99 $1,199.99 (save $600)
Samsung 75-inch QN90F Series Neo QLED Mini LED 4K TV — $1,799.99 $2,999.99 (save $1,200)
LG 77-inch Class G5 Series OLED 4K TV — $3,499.99 $4,499.99 (save $1,000)
Samsung 85-inch QN90F Series Neo QLED Mini LED 4K TV — $2,299.99 $4,499.99 (save $2,200)
Insignia 2.0 Channel Soundbar — $34.99 $59.99 (save $25)
Insignia 5.1.2 Channel Home Theater Soundbar — $149.99 $229.99 (save $80)
Samsung B-series 3.1 Channel Soundbar HW-B650 — $199.99 $399.99 (save $200)
Samsung Q-Series 5.1.2 Channel Soundbar HW-QS750F — $699.99 $899.99 (save $200)
Samsung Q-series 11.1.4 Channel Soundbar HW-Q990D — $999.99 $1,999.99 (save $1,000)
Anker Soundcore P30i — $24.99 $49.99 (save $25)
Bose Ultra Open Earbuds — $199 $299 (save $100)
Bose QuietComfort Headphones — $199 $359 (save $150)
Acer Chromebook 315 (Intel Celeron N4500, 4GB RAM, 64GB eMMC) — $119 $229 (save $180)
Asus Chromebook Plus CX14 (Intel Core 3 N355, 8GB RAM, 128GB eMMC) — $249 $429 (save $180)
HP OmniBook X Flip 16 (Intel Core Ultra 9 288V, 32GB RAM, 2TB SSD) — $999.99 $1,529.99 (save $530)
Logitech Astro A10 Wired Gaming Headset (Xbox, PC) — $49.99 $69.99 (save $20)
Logitech G535 Lightspeed Wireless Gaming Headset (PS5, PC) — $59.99 $99.99 (save $40)
Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless Gaming Headset (Xbox) — $129.99 $199.99 (save $70)
JBL Quantum 910X Wireless Gaming Headset (PS5, Xbox, Switch, PC) — $229.99 $329.99 (save $100)
Logitech Pro X Superlight 2 SE Wireless Gaming Mouse — $89.99 $139.99 (save $50)
Fitbit Inspire 3 — $69.95 $99.95 (save $30)
Fitbit Charge 6 — $99.95 $159.95 (save $60)
Fitbit Versa 4 — $119.95 $199.95 (save $80)
Fitbit Sense 2 — $179.95 $249.95 (save $70)
Google Pixel Watch 3 (Bluetooth/WiFi, 45mm) — $199.99 $299.99 (save $100)
eufy C10 — $199.99 $479.99 (save $280)
eufy L60 — $249.99 $559.99 (save $310)
eufy Omni C20 — $349.99 $749.99 (save $400)
Dyson V9 Motorbar — $269.99 $599.99 (save $330)
KitchenAid 5.5-quart Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer — $299.99 $499.99 (save $200)
Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold (256GB) — $1,499 $1,799 (save $300)
Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold (512GB) — $1,619 $1,919 (save $300)
SAVE $510: As of Nov. 7, the eero Max 7 mesh WiFi system is on sale for $1,189.99 at Amazon. That's a 30% discount on the list price.
The eero Max 7 is back on sale at Amazon, but this time you can get it for its lowest-ever price.
As of Nov. 7, the impressive WiFi setup is down to $1,189.99, saving you over $500 on list price. With this router system, you can say goodbye to poor connections, laggy calls, and endless buffering.
But what is a mesh WiFi system? It is essentially a booster system that includes a main router and three (or more, this deal is for three) nodes placed around your home. The router works with these to cancel out dead zones in your space, making sure that you get reliable WiFi coverage all over your home.
This router will give you ultra-fast WiFi 7 performance with speeds up to 9.4 Gbps wired and 4.3 Gbps wireless, and it uses TrueMesh, TrueRoam, and TrueChannel software to keep your connection stable. And if you're a gamer or have a smart home, then this router was built for you, with its support for AR, VR, and connects Thread, Matter, and Zigbee devices. This means you can connect devices like a robot vacuum.
Worried you'll still have dead spots? This router system covers up to 7,500 sq. ft. and supports 750+ devices, so it’s ideal for large spaces. And the best part? Setup takes just minutes with the eero app.
Get this router deal from Amazon now.
Elon Musk gets his trillion dollar pay packageTesla shareholders have approved Elon Musk's incredibly hefty pay package.
How do you become the world's first trillionaire? If you thought it's by working hard, saving every penny and making your own lattes instead of buying them at Starbucks, we have news that may disappoint you.
On Thursday, during the company's Annual Shareholder Meeting, Tesla shareholders have voted to approve CEO Elon Musk's ridiculously hefty pay package that could net him $1 trillion dollars worth of Tesla shares. That, on top of the roughly $473 billion he already owns, would make him by far the wealthiest person on Earth and the world's first trillionaire.
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Musk already is the wealthiest person in the world, but he's got Oracle's Larry Ellison breathing down his neck with a $303 billion net worth.
Getting that trillion won't be easy. According to the terms of the 2025 CEO Performance Award, as the agreement is innocently called, Musk will have to stay at Tesla for seven and a half years, and bring the company's market share to $8.5 trillion in order to earn the full award, as well as hit a number of other goals such as deliver 20 million Tesla vehicles, 1 million "bots," and have 1 million Robotaxis in commercial operation.
For comparison, the largest company by market cap is currently Nvidia with a "mere" $4.6 trillion capitalization, followed by Apple with $4 billion. Yes, Tesla would have to be roughly the market cap of both Apple and Nvidia combined for Musk to achieve this goal.
This sounds very much in tune with Musk's typical lofty promises which often get revised or extended far into the future, but at least now there's a fixed agreement on when all of this must happen: by Nov. 6, 2035.
Notably, during the shareholders meeting, Musk said the new Tesla Roadster's unveiling is scheduled for April 1, 2026 — literally days after he'd said he hopes the unveiling would happen "before the end of the year." Good luck with that trillion.
The EF EcoFlow Delta 2 Max power station is down to a record-low price — save $500 at Amazon right nowGet the best portable power station deal. Save 36% on the EF Ecoflow Delta 2 Max at Amazon.
SAVE $500: As of Nov. 7, the EF EcoFlow Delta 2 Max is on sale for $899 at Amazon. That's a 36% saving on the list price.
A portable power station is always good to have on hand, especially something as impressive as the EF EcoFlow Delta 2 Max. With a 2,048 wattage and the ability to power 99% of appliances, this model is something you'll never regret owning. And as of Nov. 7, this popular model is on sale for $899. That's a saving of $500 and its lowest-ever price on Amazon.
If you want a power station you can use with little warning, this is a great choice. It charges fast, reaching 80% in just 43 minutes when combining up to 1,000W solar input with AC, or in about an hour using AC alone. It’s built to last, made with a durable LFP battery that lasts up to 10 years, offering around 3,000 cycles before dropping to 80% capacity. According to EcoFlow, this is six times more than the industry average.
The capacity is expandable from 2kWh to 6kWh by adding up to two extra batteries, so it's easy to customize for home backup or outdoor use. It comes with 15 outlets and up to 2,400W of power (or 3,400W using X-Boost), so it can handle almost any household device. And despite how powerful it is, you won't be disturbed as it runs quietly at around 30 dB.
Grab this power station deal from Amazon while the price is this low.
Best Buys Black Friday Doorbuster deals have dropped — save over $1,000 on the Samsung Class S84F OLED 4K TVAs of Nov. 7, the Samsung 65-inch Class S84F OLED 4K TV is discounted at Best Buy to $899.99 as part of its Doorbuster deals. This is $1,100 off its list price of $1,999.99.
SAVE OVER $1,000: As of Nov. 7, the Samsung 65-inch Class S84F OLED 4K TV has dropped to $899.99 at Best Buy as part of its Doorbuster deals ahead of Black Friday. This is $1,100 off its list price of $1,999.99.
For excited shoppers waiting for Black Friday deals to drop, the good news is there's already early discounts available. Best Buy's selection of Doorbuster deals are offering limited-time discounts (this batch is only available until Nov. 9) on a wide variety of items. In particular, if you're looking for a new TV for the holidays, this deal on the Samsung 65-inch Class S84F OLED 4K TV is absolutely worth a look.
It's usually priced at $1,999.99, but the Samsung 65-inch Class S84F OLED 4K TV has dropped to $899.99 at Best Buy. This makes for a whopping $1,100 in savings, but again, keep in mind the deal comes to an end on Nov. 9. Now's your chance to scoop it up at this great low price.
If you're planning some movie nights or binge-watching TV shows over the holiday season, this 65-inch Samsung TV can set you up well with the help of 4K resolution and OLED display. Dolby Atmos will surround you in high-quality sound as well, so you can hear every action on screen as if you're right in the middle of it. It's also a smart TV, so if you're someone who loves to stream shows and movies, you can have your favorite apps gathered together for instant access.
There's a limited time to grab this deal, so don't miss out on $1,100 off this Samsung 65-inch Class S84F OLED 4K TV at Best Buy. It's not the only early Black Friday deal Best Buy has right now. Check out our breakdown of Best Buy's Black Friday ad to see even more deals available at the retailer right now.
Carols books in Pluribus arent real, but I need them to beCarol Sturka, the main character of "Pluribus," writes historical romantasy novels that sound like a blast. Apple, make it happen!
In no world do I want the events of Pluribus to become a reality.
An extraterrestrial virus that turns the world's population into a too-happy hive mind? No thank you, that sounds like it would be terrifying to experience. (It does, however, make for great TV.)
But there is one element of Pluribus that I would love to see come to life, and that is the series of books written by the world's most miserable woman, Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn).
Carol writes a best-selling series called The Winds of Wycaro, which is described by a Barnes & Noble employee speaking over a PA system as "speculative historical romance literature." A more accurate term in 2025's book-selling landscape would probably be "romantasy," but for Carol, it's all just "mindless crap."
Look, I haven't read any of the Winds of Wycaro series. I've only heard the quick snippet Carol reads from her new release Bloodsong of Wycaro, which the Barnes & Noble employee hilariously calls "the fourth book in her Winds of Wycaro trilogy." (Shout out to this unseen bookseller, comedic MVP of an otherwise very intense episode.) However, what I did hear about Winds of Wycaro sounded really fun.
Based on the snippets we get and the Bloodsong of Wycaro cover, it looks like the series is Brandon Sanderson mixed with Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. (To hammer that point home, Bloodsong is on the same shelf as the latter on bookshelves at the airport, and Carol's partner Helen (Miriam Shor) makes sure to shift them around so Bloodsong of Wycaro is more visible.) The series takes place on purple sand seas, where formidable heroine Lucasia crosses paths with the handsome corsair Raban. Just the sound of his name sends Carol's book tour audience into a frenzy, which means he'd do numbers on BookTok. Xaden from Fourth Wing, you're done.
Carol bashes on both the book and her adoring fans, but that doesn't deter me from wanting to give Winds of Wycaro a shot, if it were only real. I'm a sucker for a doorstopper fantasy novel, and it's not every day you get to read a trilogy that has four whole books in it!
So please, Apple TV, if you need ideas for Pluribus merch, I'm telling you to gift viewers Winds of Wycaro. After all, you put out not one, but two tie-in books for Severance, even turning Ricken's The You You Are into a reality. Surely a chapter or two of the Winds of Wycaro would be feasible. Or Vince Gilligan, if you're reading this, why not make give those fictional book fans what they want and make a real-life movie? Just be sure you get ILM to do the slipsand. Think about it! And keep the wind at your back.
Pluribus is now streaming on Apple TV, with a new episode every Friday.
Pluribus happiness virus, explained: Where did it come from?The "Pluribus" happiness virus, explained.
If the first two episodes of Pluribus left you feeling like Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn) — namely, screaming, "What the fuck is happening?" into the void — then you've come to the right place.
The new sci-fi series from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul creator Vince Gilligan delivers a jaw-dropping premiere, one that sees (almost) the entire world infected by a virus that leaves the population peaceful and content. But where did the virus come from, and what happens now that it's on Earth? Let's break it down.
Space! Well, kind of. At the start of Pluribus, astronomers pick up a signal coming from 600 light-years away. Who's transmitting it? Why are they transmitting it? And how long have they been sending out the signal? No one knows!
However, these unknown signalers aren't sending a message in an alien language. Instead, they're sending a molecular message. Each of the four tones of the signal corresponds to a nucleotide: guanine, uracil, adenine, and cytosine, which are the key building blocks of RNA.
Scientists at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases manage to recreate the nucleotide sequence. They determine that it is a lysogenic virus, which means that the virus' genetic material gets incorporated into that of the host. And while months of animal testing didn't yield major results, as soon as the virus gets transferred to a human via rat bite, all hell breaks loose. The infected humans start spreading the virus through kissing, donut licking, and more, resulting in the most cheerful pandemic the world has ever seen. Now if it were up to me, I would simply never recreate an alien virus for fear of this exact scenario, but that's why I'm not a scientist!
No, they aren't. While Carol initially thinks she's living through an alien invasion — a mistake I think we'd all make in her shoes — the infected quickly set her straight. Speaking through United States Department of Agriculture Undersecretary Davis Taffler (Peter Bergman), the infected tell Carol that there are no aliens on Earth. Instead, they, or the new "we" of the world, are just "beneficiaries of extraterrestrial technology."
Still, the question of alien involvement looms large over these not-aliens. Who originally developed that RNA sequence, and why did they send it to Earth? Did they send it to other planets, too? Is this how they reproduce?
As Davis explains to Carol, the nucleotide sequence is like a virus, but it isn't exactly a virus. Instead, it's "kind of a psychic glue capable of binding us all together."
That means all of humanity, excluding Carol and the other 11 unaffected members of the world, is now one big hive mind. Members can't read the minds of Carol and her compatriots, but they can access the thoughts and feelings of every single person within the collective. They can even do so for people who were briefly a part of the hive mind before passing away, like Carol's late partner Helen (Miriam Shor).
Helen was one of 886 million who died during the Joining of the hive mind. As Carol's chaperone Zosha (Karolina Wydra) says in episode 2, the infected were originally passing the virus along stealthily. No one died during this more controlled process. However, once the military discovered them, they accelerated their spread, resulting in calamity for hundreds of millions. The deaths were not intentional, as Zosha reveals in episode 2 that the infected cannot kill, not even when it comes to food.
The first Joining wasn't the only example of mass death within the hive mind. When Carol gets angry at Zosha in episode 2, Zosha begins to shake uncontrollably, just as everyone did when they were first infected by the virus. As Carol goes to get help for Zosha, she realizes that everyone else in Albuquerque is shaking, too. In fact, everyone in the world is undergoing a similar seizure, and 11 million of the infected wound up dying as a result. So what's happening?
Zosha reveals that everyone is impacted by Carol's emotions, especially the negative ones. "If they're directed right at us, they can be a little tough to take," she says. That sets in motion one of the core dilemmas of Pluribus. Carol is rightfully miserable and furious about what has happened to the world, yet if she expresses that too much, she risks wiping out more of humanity. It seems like she has as much power over the infected as they have over her, creating a fascinating stalemate.
Nobody knows, but the infected are working on researching why she and the other 11 remaining humans weren't impacted by the Joining. As Zosha says, them spreading is a "biological imperative." They need to spread to the others, just as much as we need to breathe. Once they do figure out a solution, you can bet they'll bring Carol into the fold of the hive mind.
However, that might conflict with their prior claims that Carol's life is her own and that she has agency. Does she really have agency if they're just going to force her to join them?
Carol certainly wants to know! However, it doesn't seem like there's a clear path forward for reversing the Joining — especially since none of the other survivors Carol met seem interested in collaborating with her. Still, given the twists and turns of these first two episodes alone, you can bet that Gilligan has more revelations up his sleeve for the remainder of the season.
Pluribus is now streaming on Apple TV, with a new episode every Friday.
What happens when you call the phone number in Pluribus?The first episode of Vince Gilligan's "Pluribus" gives Carol — and viewers — a direct line to Earth's strange new inhabitants.
The first episode of Vince Gilligan's Pluribus is already one of the best, most gripping TV installments of the year.
Over the course of an hour, Gilligan (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul) crafts his own mini disaster movie, unfolding a tale of a virus that spreads across the globe and infects everyone with total happiness. The virus also acts as a kind of "psychic glue," binding the world's population together in a hive mind. Only 12 people are unaffected, and one of them is the deeply miserable Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn).
As Carol panics over the viral apocalypse and grieves the loss of her partner Helen (Miriam Shor), the infected reach out to explain the situation to her. They give her a direct line to an authority figure: Davis Taffler (Peter Bergman), the U.S. Undersecretary of Agriculture for Farm Production and Conservation. Given the hive mind of it all, he isn't really Davis anymore. He's part of a global collective. But since he was near the White House, fully healthy after the infection, and wearing an authoritative suit, the being that was once Davis became the best candidate to speak to Carol from the White House press room.
In order to get Carol to reach out to Davis, the infected plaster a phone number — (202) 808-3981 — on a C-SPAN broadcast of Davis in the press room, with news tickers begging her to call them. She does so, opening herself and viewers up to answers about what is happening.
But what happens if Pluribus' audience tries to call the phone number themselves? I tried, and I've got good news: Calling the number doesn't infect you with the happiness virus.
Instead, you get an unsettling voice message. "Hi, Carol," the message tells you. "We're so glad you called. We can't wait for you to join us."
Ominous! And basically a shortened version of Davis' speech to Carol, minus the explanation of the science behind the virus.
The message then tells callers to dial 0, saying they'll reach out to you via text. The call ends once you press 0, but the text message comes through soon after, reading, "Your life is your own, Carol. You have agency!"
Then, if you're so inclined, you can sign up for updates from Apple TV. So if you want to live your Carol Sturka fantasy, give the infected members of the world a quick ring. Or don't. After all, your life is your own.
Pluribus premieres Nov. 7 on Apple TV, with a new episode every Friday.
Pluribus episode 1: All the messages on the TV that you may have missedIn "Pluribus" episode 1, Carole (Rhea Seehorn) has a conversation with a politician on TV. Here are the messages on the screen you may have missed.
The collapse of humanity is a lot to take in even in TV form, so we can only imagine how poor Carol (Rhea Seehorn) feels when it's happening all around her in Pluribus.
In episode 1 of Vince Gilligan's new Apple TV+ show, after finally making it back to her house, Carol watches C-SPAN on television. There's a man standing behind a podium in a suit, not moving or saying anything, as a number appears onscreen for Carol to call.
While the man on the TV — a politician called Davis Taffler — explains to Carol that the vast majority of humanity has either died or been linked together as one by a virus, a stream of news tickers appear at the bottom of the screen.
In case you missed them, we've rounded them all up below:
"Carol, when you're ready you can reach us at this number. No pressure. We know you've got questions."
"You are safe."
"Your life is your own."
"Landlines only."
"Just dial zero, 24/7."
"We can't read minds."
"We're not aliens."
"Signal from space."
"Davis Taffler, U.S.D.A"
"We're one."
"Your life is your own."
The show's repetition of that last line — "Your life is your own" — feels a bit ominous, particularly given that a) the people united by the virus are trying to discover why Carol is immune, and b) the virus seems to like nothing better than spreading itself.
Pluribus premieres Nov. 7 on Apple TV, with a new episode every Friday.
How to watch the 2025 MotoGP Grand Prix of Portugal online for freeHow to watch MotoGP for free. Live stream the 2025 Grand Prix of Portugal for free from anywhere in the world.
TL;DR: Live stream the 2025 MotoGP Grand Prix of Portugal for free on ServusTV. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
The 2025 MotoGP season has entertained us all year, but now the chequered flag is being unfurled. We've only got a couple of race weekends left, and although the title was decided long ago, we're expecting some electric competition from the best riders in the world.
If you're interested in watching the 2025 MotoGP Grand Prix of Portugal for free from anywhere in the world, we've got all the information you need.
The MotoGP Grand Prix of Portugal takes place at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve. The 2025 MotoGP Grand Prix of Portugal race starts at 6:15 a.m. ET on Nov. 9.
The MotoGP Grand Prix of Portugal is available to live stream for free on ServusTV.
ServusTV is geo-restricted to Austria, 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 Austria, meaning you can bypass geo-restrictions to access ServusTV from anywhere in the world.
Unblock ServusTV by following this simple process:
Sign up for a VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in Austria
Connect to ServusTV
Watch MotoGP for free from anywhere in the world
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access MotoGP live streams without fully committing with your cash. This clearly isn't a long-term solution, but it does mean you can watch the 2025 MotoGP Grand Prix of Portugal before recovering your investment.
If you want to retain permanent access to free streaming sites from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for live streaming is on sale for a limited time.
ExpressVPN is the top choice for unblocking ServusTV, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries including Austria
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is protected
Fast streaming speeds free from throttling
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.95 (including money-back guarantee).
Watch the 2025 MotoGP Grand Prix of Portugal for free with ExpressVPN.
Hurdle hints and answers for November 7, 2025Hints and answers to today's Hurdle all in one place.
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.
If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.
A cord.
TWINE
A common Halloween costume.
GHOST
A friend.
CRONY
Cranium.
SKULL
Plenty.
AMPLE
If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for November 7, 2025Connections: Sports Edition is a New York Times word game about finding common sports threads between words. How to solve the day's puzzle.
Today's Connections: Sports Edition is easy if you have some knowledge on college basketball.
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.
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. 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.
Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
Yellow: Important for gains
Green: Same first word
Blue: Fictional characters
Purple: The connection is within each word or name
Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:
Yellow: Weightlifting needs
Green: Follows "Texas"
Blue: Characters in the "Rocky" franchise, familiarly
Purple: Starts with a piece of clothing.
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 #410 is...
Weightlifting needs - BARBELL, BENCH, PLATES, SPOTTER
Follows "Texas" - A&M, LONGHORNS, RANGERS, TECH
Characters in the "Rocky" franchise, familiarly - ADRIAN, APOLLO, CLUBBER, ROCKY
Starts with a piece of clothing - BELTRÉ, CAPITALS, SHOESTRING CATCH, SHORTSTOP
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.
NYT Pips hints, answers for November 7, 2025The New York Times' latest game, Pips, brings domino fun to your desktop. How to play Pips as well as hints in case you get stuck.
Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.
Released in August 2025, the 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 onto 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.
If you've ever played dominoes, you'll have a passing familiarity for 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.
Less Than (3): Everything in this space must be less than 3. The answer is 1-2, placed vertically; 2-2, placed horizontally.
Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answers are 1-2, placed vertically; 2-2, placed horizontally.
Number (8): Everything in this space must add to 8. The answer is 3-4, placed vertically; 5-5, placed horizontally.
Number (5): Everything in this space must add to 5. The answer is 5-5, placed horizontally.
Number (15): Everything in this space must add to 15. The answer is 2-5, placed vertically; 4-5, placed vertically; 6-1, placed vertically.
Number (3): Everything in this space must add to 3. The answer is 3-2, placed vertically.
Equal (1): Everything in this space must be equal to 1. The answers are 6-1, placed vertically; 1-5, placed vertically; 1-2, placed horizontally; 1-3, placed horizontally.
Less Than (6): Everything in this space must be less than 6. The answer is 1-2, placed horizontally; 1-3, placed horizontally.
Number (12): Everything in this purple space must add to 12. The answer is 4-4, placed horizontally; 4-0, placed vertically.
Number (2): Everything in this space must add to 2. The answer is 2-4, placed vertically.
Equal (0): Everything in this space must be equal to 0. The answer is 0-0, placed vertically; 1-0, placed vertically; 4-0, placed vertically; 0-3, placed horizontally.
Number (1): Everything in this space must add to 1. The answer is 1-4, placed horizontally.
Number (12): Everything in this dark blue space must add to 12. The answer is 0-3, placed horizontally; 3-3, placed vertically; 6-3, placed horizontally.
Number (12): Everything in this green space must add to 12. The answer is 4-3, placed horizontally; 5-6, placed horizontally.
Number (12): Everything in this purple space must add to 12 The answer is 5-6, placed horizontally; 6-3, placed horizontally.
If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for November 7, 2025Connections is a New York Times word game that's all about finding the "common threads between words." How to solve the puzzle.
The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult to solve if you love fun designs.
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.
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.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
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.
Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
Yellow: Typically found on clothing
Green: They're the same color
Blue: They're circular
Purple: They're the same color
Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:
Yellow: Textile patterns
Green: Green condiments
Blue: Things with holes in the middle
Purple: Things that are purple
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 #879 is...
Textile patterns: AMOUNT, FIGURE, PRICE, VALUE
Green condiments: CHIMICHURRI, PESTO, RELISH, SALSA VERDE
Things with holes in the middle: BAGEL, HULA HOOP, INNER TUBE, WASHER
Things that are purple: BARNEY THE DINOSAUR, EGGPLANT, PEOPLE EATER, SWING STATE
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.
NYT Strands hints, answers for November 7, 2025The NYT Strands hints and answers you need to make the most of your puzzling experience.
Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you love to dance.
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.
The words are related to rhythm.
These words describe ethnic musical genres.
Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.
Today's spangram is Latin Music.
Samba
Tejano
Tango
Mariachi
Latin Music
Reggaeton
Salsa
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.
Wordle today: Answer, hints for November 7, 2025Here's the answer for "Wordle" #1602 on November 7 as well as a few hints, tips, and clues to help you solve it yourself.
Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you're a thrill seeker.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Danger.
There are no recurring letters.
Today's Wordle starts with the letter P.
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...
PERIL
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.
Pluribus review: I cant tell you much about Vince Gilligans sci-fi series, but what I can say is glowingVince Gilligan's "Pluribus," starring Rhea Seehorn, is shrouded in secrecy. Here's one thing that isn't a secret: It rocks.
The first rule of Pluribus is "don't talk about Pluribus."
The newest show from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul creator Vince Gilligan is shrouded in secrecy. Its teasers are cryptic, boasting ominous phone calls and people licking donuts with measured precision. Its trailer is unsettling, yet vague. And crucially, Apple TV doesn't want critics discussing the key conceit of the show in any reviews. So, what can I really say about Pluribus?
Well, let's not beat around the bush. It rules.
With Pluribus, Gilligan and Better Call Saul star Rhea Seehorn deliver an enthralling sci-fi tale about a future that toggles between utopian and downright terrifying. It's part apocalyptic thriller, part character study, and altogether another sci-fi win for Apple TV, which, between titles like Severance, Silo, and Foundation, has reliably proven itself to be the best streaming home for the genre.
Pluribus sets up a battle unlike any other. In one corner we have Carol Sturka (Seehorn), the most miserable person on Earth. In the other corner, we have the rest of the world's population, all of whom have been infected with a virus that makes you blissfully happy.
Where did the virus come from, and how did it spread across the globe? I wish I could tell you, but suffice it to say that Gilligan has crafted answers that are absolutely mind-boggling, so much so that Pluribus' first installment is one of my favorite episodes of TV I've watched all year.
The episode plays out like a top-tier disaster movie, an exquisite demonstration of tension that snowballs into a bizarre horror show. Yet somehow, these infectious horrors wind up making the world a happier place — except for Carol, that is. She's the lone frown in a sea of smiling faces, each of whom wants nothing more than for Carol to be happy (which naturally only makes her more upset). While the rest of the infected might see their treatment of Carol as kindness, in her eyes, each too-big smile and overly chipper greeting of "Hi, Carol!" are nothing more than grim reminders of the topsy-turvy reality she finds herself in.
In the first seven episodes sent to critics for review, Pluribus never quite hits the white-knuckle highs of its riveting premiere. However, in the wake of the sheer "What! What! What!" of the first episode, you'll find fascinating questions about the ethics of the world's newfound bliss.
Chiefest of all is the question of whether the infectious happiness and the peace it brings are actually good tidings for the world. Yes, conflict has stopped, and the infected's focus on resource management will heal the environment. Sounds great, right? The infected seem to think so. Their eerily calm explanations, delivered with placid smiles and the kindest eyes you'll ever see, may sway you, to the point that Carol's commitment to reversing the virus may seem like a villain attempting to work against the greater good.
Yet there's a darker undertone buzzing beneath Earth's new idyllic way of living, since the virus leaves its happy citizens without agency or individuality. Gilligan deftly walks the line between the horrors of that truth and the strange, sometimes even funny ways that constant happiness changes the way humans live. The result is a show whose tone is an ever-changing meld of dread and humor, sci-fi and offbeat travelogue, as Carol journeys around the world in search of answers.
The Gilligan-Seehorn partnership that kicked off in Better Call Saul continues to pay off big time with Pluribus. Gilligan wrote the role of Carol specifically for Seehorn, and it's not hard to see why. She is a force.
At first, Carol's misery is like a suit of armor, with misanthropy and frustration in place of plate mail. Yet as she spends more time in the world that the virus has created, her anguish comes through in brief, brilliant flashes. For this, Seehorn channels all the rage and sadness that's left on Earth, making for scenes that are equal parts cathartic and devastating.
In Pluribus, Seehorn spends quite a bit of time on her own, even going almost entire episodes without a human scene partner. Here, Seehorn's performance really shines, as Carol shifts from hardened to vulnerable and back again in the face of total isolation. Like the rest of the show, it's captivating to take in, a portrait of a character who tries to keep her emotions close to her chest, even as those emotions could be the only thing that will save humanity. That internal tension proves to be the heart of Pluribus, anchoring the show while things get wonderfully weirder and weirder.
That weirdness, coupled with Seehorn's performance and Gilligan's epic vision of a frightening future, combine to make one of the most promising TV debuts of 2025. Yes, "pluribus" may mean "many," but so far, the show is shaping up to be a singular experience.
Pluribus premieres Nov. 7 on Apple TV, with a new episode every Friday.
I really do swear by this $17 electric hand warmer. Plus, its cute.The Orastone electric hand warmer is our tech editor's go-to stocking stuffer, and it's on sale for $17.99.
We all know someone who always complains about how cold it is. Maybe you are that person.
Then allow me to make your fall and winter a little more enjoyable. I've been buying these cute electric hand warmers as Christmas gifts for years. They're basically the perfect stocking stuffer. Even at full price, they cost less than $30. I first bought the Orastone Electric Hand Warmer for my long-time partner, who struggles with always-being-cold syndrome, a very serious and under-studied medical phenomenon.
She loved it, using it every day for several winters before its battery finally gave out. Ever since, I've been buying them for friends, family, and under-$25 White Elephant gift exchanges, and they're always a hit. Most electric hand warmers work just fine, but are pretty ugly. The Orastone is the rare hand warmer that's actually cute, and it comes with a lanyard you can wrap around your glove-covered hands.
While it comes in a few different styles, this geometric-print version is on sale at Amazon for just $17.99, down from its regular retail price of $29.99. (Per Camelcamelcamel, its typical price is usually $23.99, so this is a genuine discount.)
There's not much else to say about this one. It's cute, it's warm, and it works. Oh — and it also has a flashlight, FWIW. In my experience, you'll get at least two winters' worth of warm and toasty hands out of this little gadget, and that's a fair deal for the price.
Flash sale: The new Nothing CMF Headphones Pro with 100-hour battery life are just $84British brand Nothing has been on a roll in 2025, and its new CMF headphones are now just $84 at Amazon.
British brand Nothing has been on a roll in 2025. The brand's more affordable budget line, known as CMF, has been particularly impressive. And over at Amazon, the just-released Nothing CMF Headphones Pro are on sale for just $84, and we're seriously tempted. These headphones are the companion to the Nothing Headphones (1), which we raved about over the summer.
The new CMF headphones have a slick, circular design, but what really caught our attention is the battery life. These headphones pack a 100-hour runtime, which is mightily impressive, especially for headphones with a regular retail price of only $99. It's rare to find an extremely long battery life and genuine Active Noise Cancellation in a pair of budget headphones. It's even rarer still to find budget headphones that don't look like ass.
The $15 discount at Amazon won't last much longer. It's a Lightning Deal and scheduled to end tonight. So, if you're looking for a replacement pair of headphones, you have a limited window to get in on this discount.
Here's what you get with the new Nothing ANC headphones:
Support for Hi-Res and LDAC codecs
40mm drivers
Up to 40db of adaptive noise cancellation
Up to 50 hours of ANC listening, 100 hours without ANC
Earlier this year, CMF by Nothing released the Watch 3 Pro, an under-$100 AMOLED smartwatch that Mashable readers have been obsessed with (so have we). We recently published a full review of the Watch 3 Pro, and our reviewer said that Nothing should be charging two or three times as much for this smartwatch. Like these new wireless headphones, that smartwatch has an insane battery life in our testing.
CMF will soon be spinning off into its own brand, and if its latest product launches are any indication, we're excited to see what they come up with on their own.
The new Nothing smartwatch is on sale again. Its easily the best smartwatch under $100.The new Nothing CMF Watch 3 Pro smartwatch is on sale again at Amazon. Save $10 on the best smartwatch under $100.
SAVE $10: As of Nov. 6, the Nothing CMF Watch 3 Pro is down to as low as $88.50 at Amazon. That's an 11% discount on an already budget-friendly smartwatch.
The Nothing CMF Watch 3 Pro launched back in July 2025 and has been blowing our minds ever since. Surely a smartwatch worth its salt should cost at least a couple hundred bucks, right? Wrong. At an outrageously low $99, the CMF Watch 3 Pro is an anomaly — and somehow, it's on sale once again for $10 cheaper.
As of Nov. 6, Nothing's famous AMOLED smartwatch is as low as $88.50 depending on which color option you choose. Sure, that's only 11% off, but every dollar counts in this economy. And the price is so good to begin with, that every extra dollar off is just icing on the cake. Every color besides the light green is currently on sale (dark gray, ash gray, and orange).
Nothing is known for its quirky products, but the Watch 3 Pro design doesn't venture too far from the norm. It's sleek and modern with slim bezels, a round watch face, and a soft silicone band, and it offers over 120 custom watch faces for personalization. It is a bit on the large side, though — fair warning for anyone with tiny wrists.
Although CMF is Nothing's budget brand (which will soon be spinning off into its own company), Mashable's reviewer says the smartwatch's specs are far beyond a budget pick. She praised its sleep tracking accuracy, hella good battery life (nearly two weeks), dual-band GPS tracing for athletes, intuitive design, and advanced workout metrics. "The watch feels, looks, and functions like it costs a few hundred dollars," she writes, "Please, no one tell Nothing they should be charging a lot more for this watch."
Hands down, the CMF Watch 3 Pro takes the cake as the best smartwatch under $100. And at only $89, it's hard to think of a reason not to buy it.
Review: The ROG Xbox Ally X is an impressive yet flawed handheldXbox says the ROG Xbox Ally X is a preview of the future of console gaming. Okay, but is the $999 handheld worth it?
Up until now, Xbox was the only major platform left out of the gaming handheld space. Valve’s Steam Deck lets players play their Steam library on the go. Nintendo has the hugely successful Switch and Switch 2. And Sony recently made a comeback into the handheld space — harkening back to the PSP and Vita days — with the disappointing PlayStation Portal.
Now, Microsoft has finally stepped up to the plate with the ROG Xbox Ally X, the long-awaited collaboration between ASUS ROG and Microsoft’s Xbox division. The new Xbox handheld promises to let you play your Xbox and PC games on the go, and it even features a new processor, the AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme, which offers more power than previous ROG models. It’s also a whopping $1,000 — $350 more than the Steam Deck and $550 more than the Nintendo Switch. However, it’s still cheaper than the starting price of the new Lenovo Legion Go 2 at $1,099, which is also a Windows handheld.
So, after all the hype, is the ROG Xbox Ally X worth it? Here’s our in-depth review of the ROG Xbox Ally X after spending over two weeks with it. You can also check out our interview with Sarah Bond, the President of Xbox, who told Mashable the new handheld is a preview of the future of Xbox consoles.
I love the ergonomics of the ROG Xbox Ally X, and I'm sure Xbox gamers will agree. The integrated grips simulate the feel and comfort of a standard Xbox controller. Previous ROG Ally iterations didn’t have these kinds of grips, so that makes this a step up already in that aspect.
Right out of the box, the ROG Xbox Ally X is a bit on the heavier side at 1.5 pounds, more similar to the Steam Deck rather than the lighter Switch 2 or PS Portal. Its dimensions are comparable to the Steam Deck and PS Portal. However, the Switch 2 is superior with its slightly more compact design, especially when its Joy-Cons are detached.
The buttons are perfectly spaced out and have a satisfying, clicky feeling when pressed. The direction pad is excellent as well, which makes this gaming handheld a great way to play platformers. The thumbsticks are slightly diagonal from each other, similar to an Xbox controller.
The RGB lighting beneath the thumbsticks is a nice aesthetic touch as well, adding a splash of color against the all-black exterior.
Overall, the ROG Ally X will feel very familiar to gamers in the Xbox camp, in a good way. The device even has a fingerprint reader, adding a layer of security while providing an easy way to jump right back in and play. Overall, we loved the design, ergonomics, and controllers.
When booting up the Ally X, it wastes no time telling you that it’s primarily a Windows PC handheld. The familiar blue Windows user interface had me select a language, install some updates, and then finally took me to the Xbox app called the “Xbox Full-Screen.” It’s a new interface for the handheld that is designed to be more streamlined, like a console, but it looks strikingly similar to the Xbox app on PC. I wish it were more unique to the Ally X, something the Steam Deck does well.
The Xbox UI is easy to navigate, but it seems to suffer from a bit of lag and is prone to freezing. Sometimes, I’d try to open up the Microsoft Store or Xbox Game Pass App, and the handheld would remain unresponsive.
In the menu on the right, you’ll see your three primary sources of games: Game Pass, your current library, and Cloud Gaming. Game Pass is Xbox’s signature gaming subscription model, which recently saw a price hike. I’m an Ultimate tier subscriber, so I have access to Microsoft's first-party games. Through it, I downloaded several games, including Doom: The Dark Ages, Avowed, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. I also downloaded several games I already own — Lies of P and Hotel Barcelona — both of which are Play Anywhere games.
It’s important to note that the only games that can be directly downloaded are ones available through Game Pass and Play Anywhere titles. The latter is a program that allows you to buy a digital game once through Microsoft, and play it on both an Xbox console and a Windows PC. Normally, you’d have to have to pay twice if you want to play a game on different platforms, but the Play Anywhere program is a convenient and consumer-friendly initiative. Unlike the Steam Deck, you can’t carry your entire library on the go, unfortunately.
On the left side of the device, there’s a button with the Xbox logo on it. By pressing it down, you can switch between different launchers, including Xbox, Steam, and Epic. As a Windows-based handheld, it supports all PC launchers so if you want to play launcher games like Steam’s Counterstrike 2 or Epic Games’s Fortnite, you’re able to do so. Having access to all of these different launchers greatly expands the Xbox ROG Ally X’s library of games compared to its competitors.
For example, the Steam Deck is Linux-based, meaning the only access it has to Xbox games is through Xbox Cloud Streaming through a web browser in its Desktop mode. This gives the Xbox ROG Ally X a huge leg up, being able to download both Xbox and Steam games natively, whereas the Steam Deck can only do the latter.
When it comes to playing games, I've found so far that performance between titles is inconsistent. Doom: The Dark Ages and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle performed flawlessly. Doom is the fastest-paced game out of all of the ones I’ve tried on the handheld so far, and having the power to kill demons in the palm of my hands felt immensely gratifying. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle’s framerate held steady and was buttery smooth, making it the most immersive experience I’ve had yet.
Lies of P played impressively well. Despite some initial lag when transporting and loading through different areas, my gameplay eventually smoothed over. There are plenty of challenging Soulslike games on Xbox, as their fast-paced nature and difficult fights demand precise performance. So Lies of P running in top shape really demonstrated how much power the Xbox ROG Ally X had.
On the other hand, games like Expedition 33 and Avowed had framerate and stuttering issues. Expedition 33’s battles require precise timing to dodge enemy attacks, so when I missed button presses due to these performance problems, it negatively impacted my gameplay. Avowed is a real-time action game, where a more stable framerate would allow me to react faster.
While it’s a bit of a disappointment that the ROG Xbox Ally X has an LED screen instead of an OLED one, that doesn’t mean games don’t look great. I booted up Metaphor: ReFantazio, and the game’s incredible art direction and bright color palette really pop through the device’s display. I also played A Plague Tale: Innocence, and the game’s more muted and dark tones were richly saturated. The thousands of generated rats crawling around looked menacing, even through a handheld screen.
This is where the Lenovo Legion Go 2 outshines the ROG Xbox Ally X. It features an OLED screen that makes colors more vibrant, which helps justify its higher price tag compared to the ROG Xbox Ally X.
I also tried out the Cloud Gaming capabilities for a bit and played about 30 minutes of Borderlands 4. With a solid WiFi connection, Borderlands 4 performed just fine with minimal hiccups. Borderlands 4 is not available on Game Pass, and it’s also not a Play Anywhere title. If you’re a Game Pass subscriber, using Cloud Gaming is a fantastic way to circumvent the ROG Xbox Ally X’s library limitations by letting you directly stream games from your Xbox account. However, the caveat here is that cloud functionality is only available on a case-by-case basis, so you’ll need to check whether the game you want to play through Cloud Gaming is possible by checking its page on the Microsoft Store.
As for the battery life, it really depends on the game you’re playing. More graphically intensive games will drain the battery faster. I left Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 continually running on the device’s Performance mode (17W), and it came around to be just around 3 hours. You can also go into the Armoury Crate, ASUS’s software managing app, and enable the ROG Xbox Ally X’s Turbo mode (25W) to squeeze the maximum amount of graphical fidelity out of it. Doing so cuts down the device’s battery life (with Expedition: 33 playing in the background) down to about two hours.
Earlier this year, Microsoft introduced Copilot for Gaming, an AI-powered assistant for Xbox players. It’s still in beta testing, but its purpose is to help guide players through the games they play in case they get stuck. It’s a helpful tool for beginner gamers, as it can provide instructions or advice without having to close the game or open another device to search for a guide. For example, when I was playing A Plague Tale: Innocence, I was navigating a cave. When I asked Copilot what to do next, it simply told me to continue forward and make my way out of the cave. It’s sometimes rather vague and general, but offers just enough guidance.
However, if you’re experienced or a seasoned gamer, I'm not sure you'll get as much mileage from it. If you need very specific instructions on how to defeat a boss, then the general tips that Copilot delivers may not be very helpful. Of course, this could change as Copilot improves, and your mileage may vary.
The biggest caveat to the Xbox ROG Ally X is that it doesn’t play every Xbox game, despite what the marketing material says. You can only download games that are on Game Pass or the Play Anywhere program. This means that even if you bought a digital game through the Microsoft Store, there’s no guarantee that it’s a Play Anywhere title. For example, if you purchased Monster Hunter Wilds on the Microsoft Store, you can’t play it on the Xbox ROG Ally X since it’s not part of the program. Other handheld devices like Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch 2 have it beat here, as you can download every game bought through their respective ecosystems. While Xbox Cloud Gaming can be a workaround, the gaming experience is dependent on your internet connection. Playing games natively will always be the better option.
Because of this library limitation, this also means you’re unable to download any backward-compatible Xbox 360 and original Xbox games. Backwards compatibility is one of the most enticing aspects of Xbox’s ecosystem, and it’s a shame that it’s not part of the Xbox ROG Ally X. Hopefully, a future software update can remedy this. If you’re able to download any Xbox game from your library, then the ROG Xbox Ally X would be a handheld behemoth.
Still, the ROG Xbox Ally X has an impressive library for a device that just launched. There are numerous indie and mid-tier games to play, and you also have other launchers like Steam and Epic Games at your fingertips on the Windows side. For Xbox gamers, it’s a bit of a mixed bag, but there's no shortage of titles you can download or play via the cloud. Just remember that only Xbox Game Pass and Play Anywhere games can be downloaded directly to the handheld, so check to see if your digitally purchased games are compatible.
As it stands, the ROG Xbox Ally still feels too much like a Windows PC experience. The Xbox Full Screen has stuttering issues. The reason why people gravitate towards consoles is that they’re easy to use. You don’t have to deal with updating drivers or figuring out what’s preventing your game from booting up. It just works.
I actually experienced this issue with Doom: The Dark Ages. I had installed the game through the Xbox app, but Windows error pop-ups kept occurring. For some unbeknownst reason, the game ended up booting up and playing fine, but those errors aren’t what I expect for this kind of experience.
For a staggering $1000, I expected a smoother experience navigating a premium handheld device. The frustrating lag impedes the flow of downloading games and updates, which ends up feeling like some time wasted.
The ROG Xbox Ally X marks Microsoft’s long-awaited entry into the handheld gaming space. The ergonomics, build quality, and performance of many games are impressive, and the design feels comfortable and familiar to Xbox players. However, the overall experience is let down by software issues, such as interface lag, bugs, and Windows-related errors. Despite its great power and content variety, the price tag and limited Xbox library access make it feel like something of a work in progress.
If you love Xbox's Play Anywhere titles or want to play games on a long flight, then it may well be worth the splurge, especially as an alternative to an expensive Windows gaming laptop or PC. But $999 will be tough sell for a lot of gamers.
The new ROG Xbox Ally X launched on Oct. 16 for $999.99. You can purchase the handheld at Best Buy, Microsoft, and ASUS, though it's been hard to find in stock at times.
This gaming handheld has some impressive specs:
Processor: New AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor
RAM: 24GB
Storage: 1TB SSD
Operating System: Windows 11
Refresh rate: 120Hz
Ports: Dual USB-C, 3.5mm audio jack, microSD
Display: 1080p LED
Weight: 1.58 pounds
Our initial review of the ROG Xbox Ally X was published on Oct. 16; we've now published this full review after spending additional time testing the device.
Save $50 on the iRobot Roomba Plus 405 — one of the best valued robot vacuums and mopsAs of Nov. 6, the iRobot Roomba Plus 405 robot vacuum and mop is down to $449, its lowest price ever. Shop now at Amazon.
SAVE $50: As of Nov. 6, the iRobot Roomba Plus 405 robot vacuum and mop is on sale for $449. That's 10% off its list price of $499, saving you $50.
The state of iRobot's Roomba robot vacuums are admittedly a little unclear. In a crowded market, Roombas are no longer the gold standard or the most popular robot vacuum among consumers, but that doesn't mean they aren't great vacuums. Recently, Mashable's in-house robot vacuum expert, Leah Stodart, called out the 405 as being one of the brand's best value models. So we're more than thrilled to see the robot vacuum currently on sale.
As of Nov. 6, the iRobot Roomba Plus 405 robot vacuum and mop is on sale for $449. That knocks $50 off its list price of $499 for 10% savings. According to Camelcamelcamel, that's the lowest price ever on the robot vacuum and mop.
The iRobot Roomba Plus 405 is a combo vacuum and mop. Unlike many combo vacuum mops that have one large mopping pad, the 405 takes the approach of two pads, allowing for more precise scrubbing. It's the definition of hands-free cleaning as it can go 75 days of auto-emptying and 4 weeks of mopping and pad washing before the vacuum needs attention.
Get the iRobot Roomba Plus 405 robot vacuum and mop for $449 at Amazon, and save $50.
A lifetime of guilt-free screen games for the littlest minds is on sale for $60Get a lifetime of Montessori-inspired, ad-free digital play with Pok Pok, the calm, creative app for kids ages 2–8 — now $59.99.
TL;DR: Give your little one a lifetime of calm, creative, and educational screen time with Pok Pok — just $59.99 (reg. $250).
If you’ve ever handed your toddler a tablet and instantly regretted it, Pok Pok might just restore your faith in screen time. This innovative, Montessori-inspired app turns digital play into something that actually feels okay for both kids and parents.
Designed for ages 2 to 8, Pok Pok replaces those noisy, overstimulating apps with calm, open-ended play that encourages creativity, independence, and curiosity.
Kids explore a beautifully hand-drawn world filled with toys that grow alongside them — from early cause-and-effect puzzles to more advanced STEM-style challenges. It’s like a digital game sandbox for little minds.
Every sound, color, and motion in Pok Pok is crafted to feel soothing and natural — no flashing ads, no pressure to “win,” and no hidden purchases. It’s also fully COPPA-certified, meaning it meets strict safety standards for children’s digital content. Parents can relax knowing their kids are learning, not zoning out.
Perfect for travel, quiet time, or rainy afternoons, Pok Pok runs offline, so playtime never depends on Wi-Fi.
At this low price, this lifetime subscription is the kind of tech investment that doesn’t come with a side of parental guilt — giving your child a fun, educational start in a calm digital space built just for them.
Get lifetime access to Pok Pok while it’s on sale for just $59.99 (reg. $250).
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Ring cameras new Familiar Faces tool violates state privacy laws, privacy experts sayRing cameras have a poor track record with user privacy, and now the EFF says a new face-scanning tool breaks state-privacy laws.
On Sept. 30, Amazon announced new Ring security cameras and AI features at an event in New York City. Now, the Electronic Frontier Foundation says that one of those AI features, a tool called Familiar Faces, "has the potential to violate the privacy rights of millions of people and could result in Amazon breaking state biometric privacy laws."
Mashable attended the Sept. 30 event, where Ring founder and leader Jamie Siminoff provided an overview of the Ring product line's new AI feature set. Siminoff only recently returned to Ring, and he has made a focus on AI one of his top priorities.
He's also renewed Ring's work with law enforcement, a source of controversy in the past, after the company backed away from this approach in recent years. Ring was founded by Siminoff in 2013, and the entrepreneur eventually sold the company to Amazon for $1 billion. However, Siminoff left the company in 2023 before returning in 2025.
Like virtually every tech company, Ring is embracing AI. That includes the new Familiar Faces tool, which gives Ring cameras the ability to recognize trusted friends, neighbors, or family members to provide more personalized notifications and home monitoring. (Or, as Amazon describes it, "Familiar Faces intelligently recognizes familiar people and empowers customers to reduce notifications triggered by familiar people's routine activities.")
To do this, Ring cameras conduct facial scanning on people who enter the camera's view, without their consent or knowledge. Ring camera users can turn the feature on or off, however.
This week, the EFF said that the tool could potentially violate state privacy laws that require consumers to actively opt in to tools like facial scanning.
"Many biometric privacy laws across the country are clear: Companies need your affirmative consent before running face recognition on you," writes Mario Trujillo in a new EFF report.
Trujilo also points out that Amazon has already confirmed "the feature will not be available in Illinois and Texas — strongly suggesting its feature could not survive legal scrutiny there."
"Amazon says it will provide in-app messages to customers, reminding them to comply with applicable laws. But Amazon—as a company itself collecting, processing, and storing this biometric data—could have its own consent obligations under numerous laws," Trujilo writes.
Ring, the Amazon-owned brand of video doorbells and smart security cameras, doesn't have a great track record with user privacy. In fact, that's probably understating the problem.
Mashable has reported on the company's repeated privacy controversies. Progressive critics have also taken issue with the company's work with law enforcement over the years, which included sharing users' footage with police without their knowledge or consent, and absent a warrant or subpoena.
Most notably, in 2023, the FTC accused Ring of allowing employees and contractors to watch users' private videos, which ultimately resulted in a settlement.
Despite this, Ring remains an extremely popular brand, and the company's video doorbells and security cameras can be found in millions of homes. And while critics take issue with the company's close work with law enforcement, some customers may actually view this as a positive feature for a home security company.
The EFF isn't the only notable critic of Familiar Faces. Democratic U.S. Senator Ed Markey sent Amazon a letter on Oct. 31 calling on the company to abandon its plans for facial recognition.
In his letter, the senator wrote:
“Although Amazon stated that Ring doorbell owners must opt in to activate the new facial recognition feature, that safeguard does not extend to individuals who are unknowingly captured on video by a Ring doorbell camera. These individuals never receive notice, let alone the opportunity to opt in or out of having their face scanned and logged in a database using FRT. To put it plainly, Amazon’s system forces non-consenting bystanders into a biometric database without their knowledge or consent. This is an unacceptable privacy violation.”
The EFF also sent Amazon a list of questions about the Familiar Faces feature, including whether it would be available in states that require opt-in consent to process sensitive data such as facial biometric scans.
In response, the company wrote, "Customers are expected to use our products and features in accordance with law. We display a message in-app to remind customers that they should comply with applicable laws that may require obtaining consent prior to identifying people.”
In addition, Amazon told the EFF that the processing for Familiar Faces happens in the cloud, not on device, though with appropriate security measures.
“Ring's Familiar Faces feature happens in the cloud, not on the device. We implement comprehensive security measures including encryption for data at rest and in transit, access controls, and database isolation to protect user biometric data. Users maintain control over their profiles with the ability to delete any profile at any time, resulting in removal of associated biometric data.”
While privacy advocates and Ring's critics take issue with Familiar Faces, it's not clear how many Amazon customers share these reservations. Indeed, for customers worried about crime, facial recognition and close ties with law enforcement may be a feature, not a bug.
Familiar Faces is set to launch in December, according to an Amazon blog post.
How KPOP Demon Hunters became the biggest hit of the yearThe animated pop musical has become a monster sensation since it was released in June of this year. What made KPOP Demon Hunters the golden hit of 2025?
The biggest hit of the year, and maybe the decade, is KPop Demon Hunters. The animated pop musical has become a monster sensation since it was released in June of this year. Not only is it the number one watched title on Netflix of all-time, but it’s the first soundtrack ever to have 4 tracks in the Billboard Top 10 at the same time. KPOP Demon Hunters isn’t just a great movie with killer music, it’s much more than that. What we are witnessing is a once-in-a-generation success story. So what made KPOP Demon Hunters the golden hit of 2025? We’re going to show you how it’s done, done, done!
Check out the extended video on our YouTube page.
KPOP Demon Hunters is now streaming on Netflix.
Yes, GTA VI is officially delayed again. Heres what we know.Yes, it's official. 'Grand Theft Auto VI' is delayed, yet again.
The "We got X before GTA VI" memes live on for at least another year. That's right: Everybody's favorite unreleased video game — Grand Theft Auto VI — has been delayed yet again.
Rumors of an even longer wait have been spreading for a while now, but Rockstar Games confirmed the frustrating news on Thursday.
The company posted on X:
"Hi everyone, Grand Theft Auto VI will now release on Thursday, November 19, 2026. We are sorry for adding additional time to what we realize has been a long wait, but these extra months will allow us to finish the game with the level of polish you have come to expect and deserve."
The release of GTA VI — or non-release, really — has been an exercise in patience for gamers eagerly awaiting the next chapter in the beloved, ground-breaking franchise. The last installment in the GTA franchise came all the way back in 2013. So, obviously, GTA VI has built up lots of anticipation.
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Initially, it was scheduled for release late this year. It was then pushed to May 26, 2026. Now we're on to November 2026.
"We want to thank you again for your patience and support," Rockstar Games wrote in its latest post announcing the further delay. "While the wait is a little longer, we are incredibly excited for players to experience the sprawling state of Leonida and a return to modern day Vice City."
If the repeated delays help Rockstar avoid the kinds of launch bugs that plagued Cyberpunk: 2077, they may be worth it for gamers. But that doesn't make the disappointment go down any easier.
While you wait, you can check out some official screenshots from the game, previously released by Rockstar.
Rachel Sennott and the I Love LA cast reveal what it takes to be an It GirlRachel Sennott and the cast of HBO's "I Love LA" dish on the show's portrayal of the internet, influencers, and It Girls.
No one knows what it takes to be an It Girl better than the cast of HBO's new comedy I Love LA.
Created by Rachel Sennott, the series follows talent manager Maia (Sennott) as she takes on a new client, her bestie and rising It Girl Tallulah (Odessa A'zion). Naturally, given that premise, I Love LA pays a lot of attention to the world of influencers and digital culture, including what it takes to make it in that world.
In a virtual junket interview, Mashable Entertainment Reporter Belen Edwards spoke with Sennott and A'zion, as well as co-stars Jordan Firstman, True Whitaker, Leighton Meester, and Josh Hutcherson, about I Love LA's take on It Girls and the internet.
"I think it's having a special, unique quality that people latch onto and identify with but are excited by," Sennott said of what truly makes an It Girl. "It's hard to describe."
"And you have to have a Sidekick," A'zion added, referring to the It Girl phone of choice in the early 2000s.
For Hutcherson, I Love LA offered up a glimpse into the world of influencers, one he wasn't entirely familiar with before filming the show.
"A person who's a TikTok influencer might have a management team and a PR team and a studio where they record their TikToks," Hutcherson said. "It's a whole industry inside of it, and that's just a new industry, just like how film and TV was a new industry once, so it's another development in the world of entertainment. It's cool to see a show that breaks into that world a bit."
New episodes of I Love LA premiere Sundays at 10:30 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.
Percy Jackson and The Olympians Season 2 trailer takes us to the Sea of Monsters"Percy Jackson and The Olympians" Season 2 premieres December 10 on Disney+.
Calling all half-bloods! Disney+ has released the full trailer for Percy Jackson & The Olympians Season 2, and it looks like it's going to be a watery good time.
Based on The Sea of Monsters, the second book in Rick Riordan's beloved series, Season 2 reunites viewers with Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell), son of the Greek god Poseidon (Toby Stephens). After recovering Zeus' (Courtney B. Vance, replacing the late Lance Reddick) Master Bolt and preventing a war among the Olympians in Season 1, Percy is headed back to Camp Half-Blood for the summer.
However, things are different this year. Percy's satyr bestie Grover (Aryan Simhadri) has gone missing on his search to find Pan. To make matters worse, Kronos' acolyte Luke (Charlie Bushnell) has poisoned the tree that keeps all of camp safe from monsters — the very same tree that Zeus' daughter Thalia (Tamara Smart) transformed into prior to the events of Season 1. Now, Percy must head to the Sea of Monsters, aka the Bermuda Triangle, in order to find the Golden Fleece and save both Grover and Camp Half-Blood.
Accompanying him are Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries), the wise daughter of Athena (Andra Day); Clarisse (Dior Goodjohn), the hotheaded daughter of Ares (Adam Copeland); and Tyson (Daniel Diemer), Percy's newly discovered cyclops half-brother.
The trailer teases massive nautical battles, new monstrous encounters, and even a glimpse at Thalia in action. Still no sign of what book fans are most pumped to see, though: Grover in that wedding dress.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2 premieres Dec. 10 on Disney+.
Ikea is venturing into smart home tech with 21 new Matter-over-Thread devicesAs of Nov. 6, Ikea has launched a new and redesigned line-up of smart home devices. The collection focuses on lighting, sensors, and controls,
Ikea is known for many things: its cafeteria meatballs, assembly instructions that drive you to madness, and now, it's venturing into smart home. While the home goods purveyor is mostly known for its affordable, assemble-it-yourself furniture, is branching out into tech, specifically smart home.
Ikea is launching a collection of 21 new smart home devices centered on lighting, sensors, and controls. All of the devices will be Matter-over-Thread, meaning that they speak the universal smart home language so they can work with your Apple HomePods and Google Homes.
Ikea is known for its affordability, and they're staying true to that as they expand their smart home collection. “Until now, smart home technology hasn’t been easy enough to use for most people — or affordable enough for many to consider. This launch brings us closer to helping everyone feel ready and confident to get started,” says David Granath, Range Manager at Ikea of Sweden.
This isn't actually Ikea's first foray into smart home. Previously, its tech came in the form of sneaky built in appliances like air purifiers built into side tables or speakers that blend into book shelves. But this is the first line with Matter certified products.
Matter is a system developed by the Connectivity Standards Alliance, to allow any smart home device to speak to another, regardless of what brand makes the device. This means your Google Home can connect to your new Ikea lightbulbs, and you don't need a new smart home hub to control them.
Ikea's devices will also be Thread connected. Thread is another away of connecting devices, similar to how many devices connect via WiFi.
Ikea has broken down its collection into three categories: lighting, sensors and controls. The lighting will include a new line-up of light bulbs as well as sensors that monitor your homes well-being. No release date or pricing has been provided for the products as it will vary between markets. Here are all the new smart home products coming soon.
Kajplats smart light bulbs will be available in all shapes and sizes. These are the new options:
E27/E26 – standard globe shape, 60 mm diameter. Available in white and colour. Dimmable options available.
Colour and white spectrum, 1 055 lm – colour-changing
P45 E14* – compact profile, 45 mm diameter. Available in white and colour. Dimmable options available.
GU10 – directional spotlight. Available in white and colour. Dimmable options available.
Clear-glass decorative bulbs. Available only in white. Sizes available include E14 and E27 standard and large globe.
Myggspray: Motion sensor for indoor and outdoor use that turns on lighting automatically in areas like entrances, staircases, garages, or anywhere you need hands-free light.
Myggbett: Door/Window sensor. Detects when a door or window is opened or closed, and if connected to a smart system you can get notifications on your phone. Also works for spaces like walk-in closets, where it can trigger a light to turn on or off.
Timmerflotte: Temperature and Humidity Sensor. Measures the indoor climate at home. Press the button to view temperature, followed by humidity — one after the other.
Alpstuga: Air quality sensor. Measures CO₂, particles (PM2.5), temperature, and humidity to show the air quality in your home. Built to work together with IKEA air purifiers for better indoor air. Can also display the time.
Klippbok: Water leakage sensor. Detects leaks and alerts you with a sound — and can also send a notification to your phone when connected to a hub. Small enough to place under sinks, appliances, or other risk areas.
Bilresa remote control with dual button: A simple way to control smart products from afar. Use it to switch lights on or off, adjust brightness, change colour, or trigger a preset scene.
Bilresa remote control with scroll wheel: Lets you adjust smart products with a simple turn. Use it to switch lights on or off, dim, change colour, or control a group or preset scene.
Bilresa Remote Control Kits (2x): Kits of three colorful versions of the remote controls, in green, red and beige. One kit with three scroll wheels, and the other is with remote control with dual buttons.
Grillplats smart plug: This smart plug lets you control ordinary lamps or smaller appliances remotely — turning them into smart products. It also tracks energy use and can be paired with a remote or motion sensor.
The long-awaited Samsung mixed reality headset, formerly known by its codename Project Moohan, finally made its debut this year as the Samsung Galaxy XR.
That is, if you live in the U.S. or South Korea. Samsung fans outside of those two countries are still waiting for the Galaxy XR. Fortunately, it doesn't look like they'll be waiting too much longer after the U.S. and South Korea's Oct. 21 Galaxy XR launch date.
According to a new report from SamMobile, Samsung appears to be readying a 2026 launch for the Galaxy XR in Canada, France, Germany, and the UK. In addition, that list has yet to be finalized, with more countries potentially being added to the 2026 launch list soon.
Samsung appears to be in favor of slowly rolling out the Galaxy XR in international markets as opposed to a wider global rollout.
The Galaxy VR is basically Samsung's answer to the Meta Quest headset and the Apple Vision Pro. Samsung has priced the Galaxy VR at $1,799.99 in the U.S., placing the device squarely in the middle of both of its competitors' prices. Meta has the more affordable device, starting at $299.99. While the Galaxy VR may look expensive when compared to the Meta Quest, it looks like the affordable option when put up against the $3,499 Apple Vision Pro.
It's currently unclear where Samsung will price its headset for the upcoming international markets but it will likely be similarly priced based on Samsung's pricing in the U.S. and South Korea markets.
So, the wait won't be much longer, readers in Canada and the EU. Soon, you'll be able to get hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy XR just like Mashable did for our Galaxy XR review.
Spotifys new listening stats keep the Wrapped energy going year roundSpotify just rolled out weekly listening stats, a fresh feature that turns your past four weeks of plays into a fun, shareable snapshot.
Spotify is leaning even further into what it does best: turning your listening habits into data you want to see and share.
On Thursday, Nov. 6, the streaming giant announced a new feature called Listening Stats, giving users a weekly snapshot of their top artists, tracks, and musical milestones.
The timing couldn't be better. Wrapped season is right around the corner — that annual internet holiday where everyone collectively decides to humble-brag about their superior playlists. Listening Stats is, in a sense, a smaller-scale version of that, designed to keep the dopamine hit of personalized music insights going year round.
Rolling out to both Free and Premium users in more than 60 markets, the feature breaks down your past four weeks of listening and builds playlists inspired by your current obsessions. It also drops in little highlights that capture what makes your habits unique — like a new discovery, a fandom milestone, or the realization that, yes, you did play that one NMIXX song 27 times in a row. In the spirit of transparency, here's a look at my top songs from the week of Oct. 27.
Users can share their stats directly from the app to Instagram, WhatsApp, and beyond.
Spotify has long been a leader in personalizing music experiences through data, from algorithmic playlists like Discover Weekly and Release Radar to experimental formats like daylist. These features work because they blend tech and taste, turning raw listening history into something emotional and shareable.
Step 1: Tap your profile image in the Spotify app to open the menu.
Step 2: Click the "Listening Stats" tab.
Step 3: Explore your top artists, songs, and insights from the past four weeks.
Step 4: Tap "Share" to post your weekly stats or individual highlights on Instagram, WhatsApp, or anywhere else you show off your taste.
As Spotify Wrapped looms on the horizon, this new weekly feature is a reminder that every track, every late-night loop, and every guilty pleasure counts toward the story of your year in music.
Trump admin threatens to cancel thousands of flights if shutdown continues, just in time for ThanksgivingThe FAA is cancelling flights just in time for Thanksgiving.
Traveling during the holidays is always stressful, and there's a chance it might get even more stressful this year thanks to the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
On Wednesday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced he is ordering a 10 percent cut in flights at 40 U.S. airports, Reuters reported in an exclusive. Why? The U.S. government is on the 36th day of its longest shutdown in history (the previous record was set by the first Trump administration). As a result, there are concerns about air traffic control safety as 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration agents work without pay, according to Reuters. The timing couldn't be worse for people planning to visit family or friends over the fall and winter holidays.
Republicans blame Democrats for the shutdown. Democrats blame Republicans for the shutdown. Meanwhile, thousands of federal workers are without paychecks.
"We had a gut check of what is our job," Duffy told reporters, according to Reuters. "Our job is to make sure we make the hard decisions to continue to keep the airspace safe."
The FAA added that international flights are excempt from the reduction cuts.
"When we see pressures building in these 40 markets, we just can't ignore it," FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said at a press conference, Reuters reported. "We can take action today to prevent things from deteriorating so the system is extremely safe today, will be extremely safe tomorrow."
According to CNBC, the flight cancellations are a "proactive" measure, Duffy said. The reduction goes into effect on Friday, NBC reported.
Before you head to the airport, make sure your flight is still on. You can do that by heading to the airports website or your airline's website. If it is cancelled, check with your airline to see if you're owed a refund or other types of compensation, and then figure out your next move. Can you take a train to your destination, or rent a car? Is there another airline you can switch to?
If your travel plans get mixed up this year, you can figure out a lot of the mess from the comfort of your home — as long as you check online before you leave.
Duffy did not say which 40 airports would be affected, but said that the airports experience "high volume," meaning it's likely an airport you're traveling through. No official list has been released by the FAA, but reports from ABC News and CBS News, citing anonymous sources show that these are likely the affected airports. The FAA did not immediately respond to a request from Mashable.
Anchorage International
Baltimore/Washington International
Boston Logan International
Charlotte Douglas International
Chicago Midway
Chicago O`Hare International
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International
Dallas Love
Dallas/Fort Worth International
Denver International
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County
Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International
George Bush Houston Intercontinental
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International
Honolulu International
Houston Hobby
Indianapolis International
Las Vegas Harry Reid International
Los Angeles International
Louisville International
Memphis International
Miami International
Minneapolis/St. Paul International
Newark Liberty International
New York John F. Kennedy International
New York LaGuardia
Oakland International
Ontario International
Orlando International
Philadelphia International
Phoenix Sky Harbor International
Portland International
Ronald Reagan Washington National
Salt Lake City International
San Diego International
San Francisco International
Seattle/Tacoma International
Tampa International
Teterboro
Washington Dulles International
We're not going to say the Trump administration is threatening to hold Thanksgiving hostage in the shutdown fight. There are legitimate worries about air traffic control staffing. But we're not not saying that.
Keep everything charged up with the Bluetti Elite 30 v2 portable power station for its lowest price everAs of Nov. 6, get the Bluetti Elite 30 v2 portable power station for its lowest price ever.
SAVE $110: As of Nov. 6, get the Bluetti Elite 30 v2 portable power station for $189 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $299. That's a discount of 37% and the lowest price we've seen.
A portable power station is always something that's super handy to have in your corner. Whether you want to take it with you on a camping trip or keep it in your car or home for emergencies, it could be the difference between a very bad time and being prepared for any situation. And right now, there's a great one you can get for the cheapest price we've ever seen.
As of Nov. 6, get the Bluetti Elite 30 v2 portable power station for $189 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $299. That's $110 off and a discount of 37%. It'a also the lowest price we've seen.
The Bluetti Elite 30 V2 is made to help keep your smaller gadgets, like your phone, tablet, or laptop, going when they're on their last legs. It has 228Wh of capacity, which means it can top up your things lickety split. It's got plenty of electricity to go around for quite some time, so you won't be without a way to stay in touch with friends and family.
It's also super portable and lightweight, so you can take it anywhere. It has a built-in handle to facilitate that, and it weighs just under 10 pounds, which means you can tote it around wherever you go. Plus, it has a slew of port options to choose form, including two AC outlets, two USB-C ports, and two USB-A ports for good measure.
Don't get caught unaware without emergency power. Grab one of these power stations and be ready for the next time the power goes out.
Score some sweet pulls with a Magic: The Gathering Tarkir: Dragonstorm - Play Booster Box for its lowest priceAs of Nov. 6, get a Magic: The Gathering Tarkir: Dragonstorm - Play Booster Box for its lowest price yet.
SAVE $56.76: As of Nov. 6, get a Magic: The Gathering Tarkir: Dragonstorm - Play Booster Box for $107.94 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $164.70. That's a discount of 34% and the lowest price we've seen.
Looking to grow your Magic: The Gathering collection without breaking the bank? Amazon typically has a wide selection of cards on sale that you can splurge on without having to spend so much you dive into your savings cache. Case in point: a booster box that's on sale for its lowest price ever right now.
On Nov. 6, get the Magic: The Gathering Tarkir: Dragonstorm - Play Booster Box for $107.94 at Amazon. It's a nice discount — the usual price is $164.70. That's 34% off and the lowest price we've seen.
This booster box contains 30 Tarkir: Dragonstorm packs, each with 14 cards and 1 Token or Art card within. You get 1-4 cards in each pack that are Rare rarity or higher, and you could even get a Special Guest Mythic Rare with borderless art with each pack you pull.
Additionally, each booster comes with at least one Traditional Foil card of any rarity. To sweeten the deal, 20% of the packs in hese boxes come with an additional shiny card in the form of a Traditional Foil land. If you're really lucky, you might also find Art cards with pieces of artwork from Tarkir: Dragonstorm with a foil artist signature.
You can use these cards to add more to your collection or build your own decks to play with others. And getting a box for this price is much, much sweeter than spending an arm and a leg, so be sure you snag yours now while it's still in stock.
Tinder is testing an AI matching feature called ChemistryMatch Group reported that its dating app Tinder is testing an interactive, AI-powered matching feature called Chemistry.
Tinder is testing a new AI matching feature called Chemistry, its parent company, Match Group, told investors on Tuesday during its third quarter earnings call.
The dating app's interactive feature is "a major part of Tinder's upcoming 2026 product experience," a Tinder spokesperson told Mashable. Chemistry will get to know users through conversational prompts and (with permission) their camera roll to learn about their interests and personality. It's currently live in Australia and New Zealand, and Tinder plans to roll it out in more countries in the coming months.
The announcement comes soon after Tinder started requiring facial scans for new U.S. users last month. It also launched several other features this year, like Modes, which lets users arrange double dates or indicate if they're a college student.
This also isn't Tinder's first foray into AI features. The app launched an AI photo selector tool last year, which also assesses a user's camera roll, this time for the purpose of picking the best photos. Tinder also uses AI for trust and safety tools, like scans for potentially harmful messages.
"Chemistry aims to reduce dating app fatigue by surfacing a few highly relevant profiles each day — driving more compatible matches and more engaging conversations," Tinder's spokesperson said over email.
Dating app fatigue is a phenomenon that Tinder and other apps have had to contend with over the last few years, as trust in dating apps has declined while singles increasingly want to meet potential partners in person. As daters seek offline connections, dating apps have leaned more and more into AI features.
Match's third-quarter earnings call also reported that Tinder's direct revenue and paying users are both down year-over-year (three percent and seven percent, respectively). Hinge, meanwhile, is up in both metrics (direct revenue increased 27 percent and paying users increased 17 percent year-over-year), continuing the same story as in quarter two: as Tinder struggles, Hinge is on the rise.
The Google Pixel 10 has never been this cheap beforeGrab an unlocked Google Pixel 10 with 128GB of storage for an all-time low price of $599 at Amazon. That's $200 off a 2025 phone.
SAVE $200: As of Nov. 6, the Google Pixel 10 (unlocked, 128GB) is on sale for only $599 at Amazon, Google, and Best Buy in every color. That's 25% off its list price and the best price to date.
The Google Pixel 10 arrived on shelves in August and has only seen one discount since. So, it comes as quite a surprise that you can slash $200 off the base model with the latest deal.
As of Nov. 6, the Google Pixel 10 (unlocked, 128GB) is on sale for only $599 at Amazon, Google, and Best Buy in all four color options. That's 25% off its list price and the best price to date by far. A $200 discount on a phone that's just three months old screams Black Friday doorbuster deal — even though it's still early November.
The standard Pixel 10 is the most approachable option in Google's 2025 lineup, but it's powered by the same Tensor G5 chip as its bigger siblings. That means it gives you the same AI-first smarts and performance as the Pro for a much lower price. Of course, there are some drawbacks for going for the cheaper option, like a less impressive camera lineup and less RAM and storage. Still, the base model Pixel 10 has a lot to offer. The biggest upgrades from its predecessor are the addition of a third rear telephoto camera lens, a new processor, and better battery life. The 6.3-inch display is also brighter and smoother than the previous generation.
Mashable's reviewer writes, "Google Pixel 10 will do just fine if you’re in need of a solid Android handset that takes nice photos and can give you a full day of use out of a single charge. And if you're excited about new AI smartphone features, this phone has a few notable ones."
It's hard to pass up a price this low on a 2025 smartphone — no need to wait until Black Friday. Grab the Pixel 10 in any color for under $600 while you can.
The ultra-rare Ukiyoe version of the MSI Prestige laptop is $500 off as the Best Buy drop for Nov. 6The limited edition Ukiyoe MSI Prestige laptop is on sale for $1,499.99 ($500 off) at Best Buy on Nov. 6 only — and MSI isn't restocking these.
SAVE $500: The Best Buy drop for Nov. 6 is the Ukiyoe edition of the 13-inch MSI Prestige AI laptop, on sale for $1,499.99 in the Best Buy app. MSI is only releasing 700 units of this piece of art, so this is a rare chance to find it in stock at all (let alone on sale).
The most beautiful laptop you've ever seen doesn't stop at an OLED display or a chic aluminum chassis. It has one of the world's most recognizable paintings — The Great Wave off Kanagawa — laser-engraved into the back. Only 700 units of the Ukiyoe edition of the 13-inch MSI Prestige AI laptop will be released in the U.S., and one of your chances to secure one is through Best Buy Drops. On Nov. 6 only, you can save $500 and score it for $1,499.99.
Originally live at 11 a.m. ET, the MSI Prestige Ukiyoe edition laptop is $500 off until the day's inventory runs out. You'll only see that price through the Best Buy mobile app, as that's the only spot that Drops show up. Then you can add it to your cart and check out like usual, as long as the status bar says there are still some left.
But aside from Best Buy's personal stock, you're doubly working against the clock here. Many items featured as a daily Best Buy drop will likely be available for purchase or on sale at another time, but the Ukiyo Prestige laptop is incredibly scarce. That's because MSI isn't exactly mass-producing these. Each unit's artwork incorporates maki-e: a Japanese laquering technique involving sprinkled powder onto wet lacquer. The rarity of each is sealed through a unique laser-engraved serial number, and MSI says that no restock is planned.
Even with such detail packed into the lid, the 13-inch Prestige is still relatively thin and remarkably lightweight. At .67 inches, it's not as slim as the MacBook Air or the Asus Zenbook a14 (our favorite cheap Windows laptop of 2025). But considering it only weighs 2.18 pounds, it's definitely not clunky — that's noticeably lighter than the MacBook Air's 2.7 pounds and is an exact match for the aforementioned Zenbook.
Senior Shopping Reporter Haley Henschel just got the non-Ukiyoe version of this laptop in her hands for testing. She was immediately impressed with the 2.8K OLED screen and its apparent sturdy build, referring to it as a "well-specced ultraportable with good future proofing." Its 32 GB of RAM is quite generous, and it's outfitted with WiFi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and a robust variety of ports.
What is vibe coding? Plus 7 AI coding tools to get started right away.Okay, but what is vibe coding, really? Stop nodding and smiling every time you hear this phrase and get started with AI vibe coding tools.
You may have heard that "vibe coding" is Collins Dictionary's word of the year for 2025. So, if you've been nodding and smiling every time you hear the phrase, it might be finally time to figure out what it means.
So, what is vibe coding? Here's the TL;DR version: Vibe coding means using AI to create apps, software, and code — no computer programming experience required. Simply describe what you want to create with natural language or voice prompts, and the AI will create the code for you. It's still a relatively new phenomenon, but one that's been hugely popular this year. Everyone's doing it. Or, at least, it might feel that way.
Back in February 2025, former OpenAI co-founder Andrej Karpathy posted a tweet that would start a revolution in coding and software development. The term he used, “vibe coding,” has since spread across the internet like wildfire. Even OpenAI’s latest GPT-5 model aims to please the vibe coding fanatics.
So, what is this new method of coding?
The practice of vibe coding, per Karpathy, is simply using AI to do your coding for you. For example, you would come up with an idea and then tell the AI to code it. From there, you’d review the code, and any changes or fixes you wanted would be sent back through the AI again and again until everything feels right.
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The coder doesn’t need to do any actual coding; instead, they use natural language to describe the code, website, or application they want to create. The feeling of letting go of preconceived notions and letting the AI handle everything is described as “fully giving into the vibes” by Karpathy. Any change suggested by the AI is automatically accepted and rolled into the code. No thoughts, just vibes.
It has been met with champions and detractors. On one side of the fence, people like Karpathy have fully embraced AI’s ability to write code and let the AI do the heavy lifting, content to explore what AI can and can’t do on its outer fringes. Others have derided the practice, saying code created this way is often incomprehensible and unpredictable, and that good engineers understand their own code.
It’s honestly pretty easy to do. If you have access to an AI chatbot, you can start vibe coding right away. You’ll want to make sure you go into it knowing what needs to be done. For example, many have suggested making sure that you have a strong, clear vision for what you want your code to do before going into it, so that the AI writes better code. Mashable has a tutorial for getting started with vibe coding as a beginner.
If you'd like to practice with training wheels, Google recently introduced Opal, a sort of paint-by-numbers vibe coding tool. You can see what others have created and use templates to get started.
Almost any modern LLM is decently suited for vibe coding. All of them have code knowledge at the heart of the product. Even AI companies use LLMs to code things, which was proven when Anthropic cut OpenAI developers' access to its APIs in early August. However, if you’re completely new at this and want ideas on where to look, there are some really good tools for vibe coding.
We recommend being careful, making backups, and saving your work. Vibe coding can go seriously wrong, leading to the deletion of your code and other errors.
Claude Code is a wonderful place to start for vibe coding. It’s a variant of Anthropic’s Claude chatbot that is optimized specifically for coding. We've been impressed with the latest models from Anthropic, Claude 4, particularly for coding work.
Claude Code works specifically in integrated development environments (IDEs) like VS Code while also being able to edit multiple files at once. It also has protections built in so that it won’t edit your code without your expressed consent, which helps avoid problems like code deletion that we mentioned earlier. Of course, if you've never heard of an IDE before, then we recommend starting with a more beginner-friendly vibe coding tool, such as GPT-5 or Google Opal.
Using Claude, more advanced vibe coders can import existing code, which the AI can then read and summarize. Per Anthropic, the AI can make small changes like bug fixes or larger changes like feature implementations, both of which make it good for vibe coding. Other big-name LLMs like Google Gemini work great for this too, but Claude Code is built specifically for this stuff, so it’s a more natural option.
We’ve already mentioned the other big dogs, but GPT-5 gets a special mention because it’s brand new. OpenAI released the model on Aug. 7, and when it comes to state-of-the-art smarts, this is a good choice. On top of being the latest model on the market, OpenAI has put a lot of thought into the coding side of things, which is what we’ll talk about.
One of the big highlights of the release is the improvements to agentic coding, which is tech-speak for being able to code things based on natural language prompts. OpenAI demoed this during its livestream with good results. Our tech editor also gave it a shot, and we've found that for folks with zero coding experience, GPT-5 is a great vibe coding tool for beginners. It's a big push forward for fans of vibe coding, and it’s surprisingly easy to use.
Cursor is another good choice for vibe coding for much the same reason as Claude Code. It’s an IDE with an AI chatbot integrated into it, and as such, vibe coding is right at the top of its feature list. It’s one of the AI tools we saw recommended most often, and it’s pretty easy to get into without a lot of prior experience.
The big draw for Cursor is its coding agent. You can tell it to make changes, and it’ll do so while also telling you what changes it's making. This keeps coders in the loop so they know what to ask for next. It can also do things like automatic bug fixes to reduce the amount of effort you need to spend testing and iterating. Like Claude Code, you can also import libraries to use for documentation, giving you the ability to customize your coding.
Lovable is right up there with Cursor as an option we saw recommended fairly often. It works much the same way as Cursor, where you can talk to the AI bot to get your code written while also asking for changes, bug fixes, and the like. It also has common features like importing code for documentation and other things like that.
Also like the competition, Lovable has various integrations that you can add to make life easier, including API access to OpenAI and Anthropic, along with GitHub. So, with a little effort, you can integrate the necessary stuff to give you the performance you need. Lovable focuses more on the AI prompt side of things, but Cursor is a more traditional IDE. So you should choose whichever one vibes (pun intended) better with your style.
v0 by Vercel is the final tool we recommend checking out. It works great for vibe coding and appears to be built specifically for such a thing. You tell it what you want, and it generates a web app that does what you ask. However, like 21st.dev, it seems to be mostly preferred by people looking to make UI elements alongside the software, making a good all-in-one program for vibe coding.
Like the others on the list, you have a list of integrations that you can add to increase the likelihood of success with your work. It can integrate directly with Grok, for example, and coders can add their API keys for others like OpenAI and Anthropic. While researching this article, I found that many folks recommend using this with something like Claude Code as a one-two punch for vibe coding.
As we mentioned before, Google recently launched Opal, a vibe coding tool that lets you leverage a variety of other Google AI tools, such as Imagen, Gemini, and even Veo, Google's generative AI video maker. While you're limited in the types of applications and websites you can create, this beginner-friendly tool doesn't require any experience with programming languages or software development. In our testing, the interface makes it easy to understand how your app functions. As you work, Opal creates a visual web of connections so you can see how each step fits into the whole.
21st.dev isn’t a tool that you would use to vibe code. However, it is something you would use alongside vibe coding. The idea is that it helps you build a UI for your program. You can then vibe code and use the UI elements crafted here to create one cohesive app. The service works primarily on modules that you can then export and use in your existing code.
These components give you some template-level ideas for a UI that you can then change and construct to your specifications using the built-in AI chatbot. So, for instance, you can use this Apple-style liquid glass button component and then edit it with AI to make it look and do what you want. You can then import that code into your project, making UI work a lot easier.
While testing all of these products, I did quite enjoy the fact that I have virtually no modern coding knowledge, and I could still create some simple stuff pretty quickly. I guess that’s the benefit of vibe coding from someone who hasn’t touched an IDE since 2008.
In any case, vibe coding in its current form is months old, so more tools are being released all the time to take advantage of the latest fad in coding. Keep an eye out for new AI coding tools in the months ahead.
Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.
Celebrate Stranger Things Day with a first look at animated series Stranger Things: Tales From 85Netflix released a featurette, first look images, and cast list for the upcoming animated series "Stranger Things: Tales From '85."
Happy Stranger Things day!
Nov. 6 marks the anniversary of Will Byers' disappearance in the very first episode of Stranger Things, so what better way to celebrate than by getting a look at a new Stranger Things series?
We're not talking about the fifth and final season of Stranger Things, which will be here before you can say "mouth breather." Instead, we're talking about Stranger Things: Tales From '85, an animated spin-off series that takes place between Stranger Things' second and third seasons. The show, set to release in 2026, reunites viewers with Hawkins heroes like Eleven and Will, who must uncover a new paranormal mystery in their town.
Netflix has released a first look featurette of the new series, offering a glimpse into the show's animation and the new monsters that await the Stranger Things crew.
"With animation, there's really no limits," executive producer Ross Duffer says in the featurette. "[Showrunner] Eric [Robles] and his team can just go wild."
"And they have," adds executive producer Matt Duffer.
To prove their point, Netflix also unveiled two first look images from Stranger Things: Tales From '85. One shows the Hawkins party gearing up for adventure, while the other features a massive monster that looks like a cross between a Demogorgon and a spider, which has ensnared Eleven and her friends in its tendrils.
Netflix closed out the Stranger Things: Tales From '85 announcements with the reveal of the show's cast list. None of the original Stranger Things cast is reprising their roles, so who's taking over?
The cast includes Brooklyn Davey Norstedt as Eleven, Jolie Hoang-Rappaport as Max, Luca Diaz as Mike, EJ Williams as Lucas, Braxton Quinney as Dustin, Ben Plessala as Will, and Brett Gipson as Hopper. Other members of the cast include Odessa A’zion, Janeane Garofalo, and Lou Diamond Phillips.
Stranger Things: Tales From '85 premieres in 2026 on Netflix.
Meta earns about $7 billion a year on scam ads, report saysMeta reportedly made a lot of money off of fraudulent ads, according to the company's own internal documents, a new report claims.
Meta is reportedly making a lot of money off scam ads.
A new investigative report from Reuters, citing Meta's own internal documents, found that the company's platforms show, on average, an estimated 15 billion "higher risk" scam advertisements to its users every day. Reuters reported that a 2024 document showed that Meta makes about "$7 billion in annualized revenue" from those scam ads each year.
The internal documents revealed by Reuters show that Meta expected as much as 10 percent of its 2024 ad revenue "would come from ads for scams and banned goods."
Wrote Reuters:
"A cache of previously unreported documents reviewed by Reuters also shows that the social-media giant for at least three years failed to identify and stop an avalanche of ads that exposed Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp’s billions of users to fraudulent e-commerce and investment schemes, illegal online casinos, and the sale of banned medical products."
Scammy ads have become a routine part of online life, and Mashable has reported on fraudulent Facebook ads repeatedly over the years. You might see a Facebook ad for an AI-powered photo editor and download malware. Or you might see one for Joann fabrics — except that, too, is a scam. The new report suggests this is actually a lucrative portion of Meta's advertising business.
The Reuters report also revealed, according to the internal documents, that Meta "only bans advertisers if its automated systems predict the marketers are at least 95% certain to be committing fraud" — while other likely scammers simply get charged a higher rate as punishment. So, yes, that might make scammers pause — but it would also make Meta a lot of money. Billions of dollars a year, in fact.
So, the next time you go to click on an ad on Facebook or Instagram, be careful.
