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

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

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

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

Hurdle Word 1 hint

Tangy.

Hurdle Word 1 answer

ZESTY

Hurdle Word 2 hint

A visitor.

Hurdle Word 2 Answer

GUEST

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Hurdle Word 3 hint

To light up.

Hurdle Word 3 answer

TORCH

Hurdle Word 4 hint

A riding horse.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

STEED

Final Hurdle hint

Purpose.

Hurdle Word 5 answer

POINT

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

TL;DR: A lifetime subscription to iScanner is on sale for $24.97 (reg. $199.90). Available for iOS and Android.

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iScanner App: Lifetime Subscription

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If your office scanner takes longer to warm up than your morning coffee, it might be time to rethink your setup. iScanner turns your iPhone or Android device into a fully portable scanner, and a lifetime subscription is just $24.97 (reg. $199.90).

The iScanner app handles the documents you deal with in your daily work. Including contracts, tax forms, receipts, handwritten papers, ID cards, and lengthy reports. Scans export as PDF, JPG, DOC, XLS, PPT, or TXT; essentially, whatever format best fits your workflow is available. It’s a useful tool for remote workers, students, freelancers, or business owners who need to fill out paperwork quickly without being tied to a desk. For anyone who already relies on their phone for productivity tools, it fits right into that routine. 

This tool goes well beyond point-and-shoot scanning. Built-in text recognition tech can read documents in 20+ languages. This turns your scanned files into searchable and editable documents rather than just static image captures. The app is also ad-free and fully secure, which is important to prioritize when you’re handling any kind of sensitive information – especially when that info belongs to clients or coworkers.

There’s a PDF editor with annotation, e-signature, and file merging tools, plus a handful of extra modes that might be more handy than you’d expect: a math problem solver, an area measurement tool, and an object counter you can use for anything from home inventory to stocking shelves.

You’ll also get 200 MB of cloud storage included in the subscription price, and any future updates will be covered under the lifetime access.

Get an iScanner Lifetime Subscription for $24.97 (reg. $199.90).

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The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you're into folklore.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Crevice

• Green: Getting smart

• Blue: Ancient folklore

• Purple: Classification

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Alcove

• Green: Bodily words for attitude

• Blue: Figures in Greek myth

• Purple: Starting with synonyms for "Ilk"

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 #1102 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Alcove: CAVITY, NICHE, NOOK, RECESS

• Bodily words for attitude: CHEEK, LIP, MOUTH, NERVE

• Figures in Greek myth: CALLIOPE, ECHO, IRIS, NEMESIS

• Starting with synonyms for "Ilk": CLASSIC, KINDLE, SORTIE, TYPEFACE

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

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

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

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

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you tend crops.

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

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

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

NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: In the barnyard

The words are related to agriculture.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe a farmer's work.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

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NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Farming.

NYT Strands word list for June 17

• Pitchfork

• Sawhorse

• Farming

• Tractor

• Wheelbarrow

• Bucket

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

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

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

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you're a collector.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

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

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

A keepsake.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter T.

The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

TOKEN

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.

The New Moon has now passed, meaning the lunar cycle is beginning again. Over the coming nights, the Moon will gradually become more visible in the evening sky as a thin waxing crescent starts to reappear.

What is today’s Moon phase?

As of Wednesday, June 17, the Moon phase is Waxing Crescent. Tonight, 14% of the moon will be be lit up, according to NASA's Daily Moon Guide.

After several nights of darkness, there is finally some surface features visible again tonight. Without any visual aids, you'll be able to see the Mares Fecunditatis and Crisium. And with binoculars or a telescope, you'll also catch a glimpse of the Endymion Crater.

When is the next Full Moon?

The next Full Moon will take place on June 29.

What are Moon phases?

According to NASA, the Moon completes one orbit around Earth in about 29.5 days, moving through eight recognised phases along the way. While the same side of the Moon always faces our planet, the amount of its surface lit by the Sun changes as it travels around Earth. As a result, we see the Moon appear in different shapes over the course of a month, from slender crescents and half moons to a bright Full Moon. This repeating sequence of phases is known as the lunar cycle.

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.

Hayley Kiyoko's journey to her feature directorial debut, Girls Like Girls, began in 2015. That's when the Disney child star turned singer/songwriter released the track "Girls Like Girls," and its subsequent viral video, which Kiyoko co-helmed with Austin S. Winchell. 

More than a music video, "Girls Like Girls" played like a short film, complete with credits that revealed character names: Coley, Sonya, and Trenton. In 2023, this love triangle would be fleshed out in the pop star's debut novel, also titled Girls Like Girls. 

Now, after a decade of living with this story of sapphic longing and first love, Kiyoko delivers an earnest and poignant coming-of-age movie with Girls Like Girls. 

Girls Like Girls is a low-key drama of first love and heartache. 

Credit: Dan Power / Focus Feature LLC

Set in 2006, Kiyoko's debut feature has a healthy dose of nostalgia for the early age of internet. The soundtrack features Tegan and Sara's yearning-rich "Speak Slow," Imogen Heap's electro ballad "Hide and Seek," and AIR's trippy "Sexy Boy."

The teens in Girls Like Girls have cell phones, but instant messaging on a bulky PC is how sheepish 17-year-old Coley (Maya da Costa) prefers to reach out to her crush, the femme and fun party girl Sonya (Myra Molloy). 

New to town in the thick of summer, Coley is killing time at a diner alone when she first spots Sonya, who's radiant in her laughter and adored by her circle of friends. With one shared glance, Sonya ushers Coley into their world, where house parties rage, lakeside hangs are recurring, and sapphic flirtations are only for when Sonya's boyfriend, Trent (Levon Hawke), isn't around. 

Kiyoko captures the easy swoon of young love with montages of the two girls finding their way into each others' arms, then breath. But as confident as Sonya seems, she wilts anytime someone begins to suspect that she and Coley are more than just friends. Having brought her own baggage to this cozy Oregon town, Coley finds the push and pull of Sonya's affections overtaking her vision of herself. Grieving over the loss of her mother and living with the estranged father (Zach Braff) that she barely knows, Coley fears that if Sonya can't love her, she's doomed to be unlovable. 

Girls Like Girls offers space for gay girls figuring it out. 

Credit: Dan Power / Focus Feature LLC

For Coley and Sonya, their attraction to each other is so simple and natural that they don't initially question it. They follow it — slowly and joltingly, but keenly.

In the privacy of Sonya's girly bedroom or her family's backyard pool, they find sanctuary to explore who they are together. Like the short film inspiration from 2015, Girls Like Girls deftly captures the longing in a stare, the excitement in a stolen touch. 

As she did in the music video, Coley sports an oversized jean jacket and the very mid-2000s tattoo-choker, made of swirls of black plastic that stretch around the wearer's neck. She rides a bike, busted up, but hers. And, as teased on the book's cover, a key moment still happens poolside — though without the beat(ing) after. (Do stay through the credits for a post-cred scene worth waiting for.)

A change from the first incarnation, Girls Like Girls is less about the violence queer people can suffer from homophobes, and more about choosing joy over the fear of violence and alienation. Because while Sonya initially seems impossibly cool and untroubled, as Coley gets closer, she realizes her crush is surrounded by friends she can't trust to be herself around. So Coley is faced with the choice of who she wants to be in this new town, and if that means being a fool for love. 

Myra Molloy and Maya da Costa make a compelling pair. 

Credit: Dan Power / Focus Feature LLC

Molloy could teach a class on how to flip her hair. Her breezy grace and flirtatious energy make her instantly recognizable as That Girl. Sonya makes being a teen girl look easy. She exudes joy and cool, and even when you find out it's a facade, you envy her ability to produce it. 

Sonya is a go-getter who practically drags Coley into her friend group, her pool, and her kiss. Meanwhile, Kiyoko scripts her protagonist to be almost infuriatingly passive. She's so afraid of making a wrong move, Coley is like a shadow in her own life, following behind Sonya, afraid to be in the light. Cleverly, this is actually how Coley's dad is framed for the first half of the film — as a shadow.

For several sequences, I stared into the frame at the middle-aged man speaking softly in a dim room, trying to see who he was. This staging reflects how Coley sees her dad, as someone distant and unknown. As they grow closer, he will come into the light. And she will follow, metaphorically, and blossom. Da Costa performs this evolution with aplomb.  

The romance and tenderness found in Kiyoko's music videos throbs in Girls Like Girls. She breaks from creaky conventions of queer coming-of-age tales by rejecting scenes of violence or social ostracizing that once seemed required. Her heroine is soft, too, not pursuing but being pursued. And her ending is not a promise of eternal devotion, but a small win that feels huge for a girl in love. 

Girls Like Girls opens in theaters on June 19.

Android 17, Google's latest model of mobile operating system, is officially available — at least for owners of Pixel phones.

Google also released a new Pixel Drop and the latest operating system for its smartwatches, Wear OS 7. There's a lot of new features, so let's dive into what's coming to your devices.

Android 17

Android 17 is now available for Pixel phones. The operating system will roll out to other Android devices through the rest of the year.

The new Bubbles feature in Android 17. Credit: Google

Here are the three main new features available in Android 17.

• Bubbles: Users can open any mobile app as a pop-up "bubble" rather than in full screen mode — meaning you can manage multiple apps more easily. There's also a new Bubble bar interface at the bottom of the screen that will keep your recent bubbles organized and accessible.

• Screen Reactions: Dual webcam and screen recording is really popular on desktops and laptops these days, especially for walkthroughs and tutorials. Google is bringing that experience to Android devices, allowing users to record via their selfie camera and capture their phone screen at the same time. 

• Foldable gaming mode: Have a foldable Android device? This mode lets you turn one half of the foldable screen into a digital gamepad, while playing a game on the other half.

Android 17 also brings new security and parental control capabilities. The new operating system has more location-sharing controls, Live Threat Detection, Advanced Protection improvements, and a "Mark as lost" feature in Find Hub.

Parents can also set screen time limits, and filter out content, without needing to link a Google Account first.

Foldable Gaming mode in Android 17 Credit: Google

June Pixel Drop

The latest Pixel drop for Google's Pixel phones is also out — and this one is chock full of AI features.

• Gemini Omni: Users can edit their videos by just chatting with the AI chatbot. Remix images and videos, or just start from scratch with nothing but a text prompt. You can also create a custom AI avatar that looks and sounds like you — then insert it into any scene.  

• Lyria 3 in Gemini: Google is also bringing its latest music generation model, Lyria 3, to Pixel phones. Users can choose the style, the tempo, or even upload an image to inspire a song.

Google is also bringing minor upgrades to certain PIxel models. This latest Pixel Drop brings Google's speech-to-voice translation with AudioLM feature to Pixel 10am devices. Android Quick Share, which provides AirDrop capabilities with iPhones, is now available on Pixel 9a and Pixel 8a devices.

Take a Message has also now rolled out to all compatible Pixel devices in the U.S. The feature provides Custom Greetings, which lets users record a personalized outgoing message — and gives voicemail transcriptions when you miss a call.

And, of course, Pixel phones get all the new features that come along with the new Android 17.

Wear OS 7

Own an Android smartwatch? Here's what's new on your device.

• Android Live Updates: Smartwatch users can now view Android Live Updates directly from their wrist. This feature can be used to track sports scores, food delivery arrival times, workouts, and more. 

• Control other devices: Users can now control other Android devices from their wrist. Wear OS 7 lets you access what's playing on your headphones or home speakers. Users can view photos snapped with their smartglasses instantly on their smartwatch.

• Emergency Sharing: If your Pixel Watch detects a fall, a car accident, or a loss of pulse, your Pixel device will now immediately contact emergency services and notify a user's emergency contacts.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup has given the internet plenty to talk about on the field, but one of the tournament’s best side quests is happening far from the stadiums.

As international fans travel between host cities, their off-field discoveries have become one of the tournament's most charming online trends. The 2026 World Cup is being played across 11 U.S. cities, nearly half of which are in the South. An additional 25 communities are also hosting national teams at base-camp training sites, including stops like Greensboro, Chattanooga, Columbus, and Spokane.

In practice, that means visitors are not just passing through the usual tourist hubs, but winding up in grocery stores, gas stations, college towns, and chain restaurants — posting wide-eyed reactions to the parts of American life locals usually move through without thinking twice. 

Among the trend's breakout figures is @FreddyLA7, a German fan whose World Cup road trip through the South has turned into a rolling tour of Americana — and amounted to over 600,000 followers in the process. Since landing in Atlanta, he has documented stops at Taco Bell, Stranger Things filming locations, Walmart, and Waffle House (which was a “10/10”).

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

After hearing Ella Langley repeatedly on local stations, he posted that the country singer had become "basically the soundtrack" of the trip, and it went so viral that he got invited to see her perform. He even met the Mayor of Houston and has gotten many online shoutouts from Republican lawmakers. 

But @FreddyLA7 is far from the only viral visitor. Swedish fan Elsa Thora treats ranch dressing, grocery-store snacks, and yellow school buses like major discoveries.

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

Fans from the UK have posted their first encounters with Erewhon and a high school football field that looked like it was right out of a "movie set." Scottish fans in Boston have embraced tailgates, while Japanese fans have documented bottomless chips and salsa. Irish fans have salivated over Raising Cane's. Even the size of American stadiums has become part of the fascination.

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Not every part of the World Cup travel experience has been as easy to romanticize. From price gouging that's alarmed even the Mexican president to confusing, jammed transportation to reports of missing tickets, many fans and lawmakers have an issue with FIFA.

Access has been another barrier: fans, family, and even referees from several qualifying countries have struggled to enter the country. Cape Verde goalkeeper Josimar Dias, who goes by his nickname Vozinha, became a breakout star (and gained over 8 million followers on Instagram) after making seven saves in Cape Verde's 0-0 draw against Spain. Following the shocking match, he said his mother couldn't attend because of visa issues and costs.

Still, those frustrations haven't stopped the off-field experiences from becoming a defining part of the tournament. The World Cup runs through July 19, leaving plenty of time for more visitors to find America’s unofficial attractions…and post all about it. 

TL;DR: Get a lifetime license to AcePDF Converter & Editor for just $23.99 with promo code EXTRA20 through June 28 during Deal Days and ditch ongoing PDF software subscriptions.

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AcePDF Converter & Editor: Lifetime License

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PDFs have a way of turning simple tasks into unnecessary projects. You just want to edit a form, convert a file, combine a few documents, or pull text from a scanned page, and suddenly you’re bouncing between multiple apps, free tools with limitations, and subscription prompts.

Instead of piecing together a workflow from several different programs, AcePDF Converter & Editor puts those tools in one place. Through June 28 during Deal Days (our version of Prime Day), you can grab a lifetime license for just $23.99 with promo code EXTRA20, which is a pretty compelling alternative to paying monthly for occasional PDF work.

What makes it useful is that it goes beyond basic file conversion. AcePDF can:

• Convert PDFs to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, HTML, text, JPG, and PNG

• Convert Word documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and images into PDFs

• Use OCR technology to extract and edit text from scanned documents

• Merge, split, rotate, compress, and organize PDF files

• Create and fill forms

• Add comments, annotations, watermarks, and shapes

• Password-protect or unlock PDF documents

• Extract images from PDFs with a single click

The software works on both Windows and Mac, including Apple Silicon devices, and supports batch processing if you’re working through a pile of files at once. It also includes updates and can be installed on up to two devices.

For anyone who deals with contracts, forms, invoices, reports, resumes, or just the occasional stubborn PDF, having a dedicated tool can save a surprising amount of time.

During Deal Days, you can get a lifetime license to AcePDF Converter & Editor for just $23.99 with promo code EXTRA20 through June 28.

Want to see more deals? Peruse the full Deal Days collection.

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TL;DR: Avoid a dreaded dead battery with the GoCable 8-in-1 EDC 100W Cable, on sale now for just $21.99 (reg. $49.99).

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GoCable 8-in-1 EDC 100W Cable

$21.99
$49.99 Save $28.00

 

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Want to start traveling a little lighter? The GoCable 8-in-1 EDC 100W Cable takes the place of eight different gadgets in one, helping you stay organized, powered up, and prepared wherever you go.

Right now, you can snag one for just $21.99 while supplies last.

Whether you’re heading on vacation or just to the office, keeping up with all your cords can feel like a full-time job. The GoCable 8-in-1 EDC 100W Cable ensures you have a Type-C, a Type-C+, and an Apple Lightning connector at your fingertips at all times. It pops onto your keyring so you can stay powered up wherever you go.

The GoCable features magnetic cables that stay nice and organized, with no untangling required. All you need to do is add a power bank or wall adapter to charge your devices.

It’s super efficient with 100W ultra-fast charging and high-speed file transfers, and you can see the real-time charging status with the LED power display.

Aside from keeping your devices charged up, the GoCable also comes equipped with a bottle opener and a safe-proofed hidden cutter that makes it easy to open packages. It also has a carabiner clip, so it’s easy to attach to anything and keep nearby.

Make life easier with the GoCable 8-in-1 EDC 100W Cable, on sale now for just $21.99.

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

TL;DR: The Babbel Language Learning lifetime subscription is down to $159 with the StackSocial code LEARN, giving users access to 14 languages forever.

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Babbel Language Learning: Lifetime Subscription (All Languages)

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Learning a new language isn’t easy, but it also might not be as hard as some apps make it seem. If memorizing vocab lists isn’t working for you, check out Babbel. They take a more practical approach to teaching, and there’s even an AI conversation partner who can help you practice your pronunciation.

Normally, a Babbel lifetime subscription would cost $299, but right now it’s on sale for $159.

Babbel gives you lifetime access to courses in 14 different languages, and the format is designed to fit into real life. Each lesson takes around 10 to 15 minutes, so you can actually stick with it whether you’re commuting, traveling, or just squeezing in some study time between meetings.

Here are a few of the included languages:

• Spanish

• French

• German

• Italian

• Portuguese

• Swedish

And that’s just the beginning.

Unlike other apps that focus heavily on word games or repetitive matching drills, Babbel centers its content around practical conversation topics. You’ll get lessons on travel, shopping, business, culture, and more, all developed by expert linguists and backed by academic research.

Speech recognition helps fine-tune your pronunciation, while the new AI-powered conversation partner lets you practice speaking in real time.

Lessons sync across devices, so you can start on your computer and finish on your phone. There’s also an offline mode if you want to download lessons ahead of time.

You can move at your own pace, revisit review sessions, and jump between beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels based on your comfort.

Use code LEARN to get a Babbel lifetime subscription for only $159.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: All 104 matches of the 2026 World Cup are available to watch for free on BBC iPlayer/ITVX. Access these free live streams from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN, which recently announced it's an Official Tournament Supporter of the event in the U.S., Canada, and Europe.

It feels like the world has stopped for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

16 cities across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada are welcoming the best international sides from around the world as they compete for arguably the biggest prize in sport. Huge names like Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, and Lamine Yamal are likely to steal the spotlight, but new stars always shine brightly in this prestigious competition.

It's going to be a wild ride. We're still making our way through the first round of group-stage fixtures, but the likes of Mexico, USA, and Australia have already secured big victories. And Cape Verde have produced the performance of the tournament so far by snatching a 0-0 draw against Spain.

If you're interested in watching the 2026 FIFA World Cup from anywhere in the world, we've got all the information you need.

What is the FIFA World Cup?

The World Cup is an international football competition between senior men's national teams. The 2026 World Cup has been expanded to 48 teams, split into 12 groups of four teams. The top two teams in each group and the eight best third-placed teams will progress to the knockout rounds.

The defending champions are Argentina. They won their third title at the 2022 World Cup after defeating France in an epic final.

When is the 2026 FIFA World Cup?

The 2026 World Cup is the 23rd edition of this famous competition. This year's tournament takes place from June 11 to July 19.

How to watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free

A number of streaming platforms are offering free coverage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup:

• Australia — SBS

• Austria — ORF and ServusTV

• Belgium — RTBF and VRT

• France — M6

• Germany — ARD and ZDF

• Ireland — RTÉ

• Italy — RAI

• Norway — NRK

• Netherlands — NOS

• Spain — RTVE

• UK — BBC iPlayer and ITVX (recommended)

These streaming services are geo-restricted, 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 another location, meaning you can livestream the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free from anywhere in the world.

If you're looking for the best VPN to stream the FIFA World Cup, ExpressVPN recently announced that it's an Official Tournament Supporter of the event in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. ExpressVPN was already our go-to recommendation for sports streaming, and now it's also the exclusive VPN supporter of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Livestream the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice

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

4. Visit BBC iPlayer or ITVX (recommended)

5. Watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window

Credit: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

$12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)

Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer generous money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup without committing your cash. This is obviously not a long-term strategy, but it gives you enough time to stream this tournament before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to free streaming platforms from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sports is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for the FIFA World Cup?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for accessing live sports on free streaming platforms, 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

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

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

Live stream the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Live stream Argentina vs. Algeria in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free on ITVX. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The first round of 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage games is coming to an end, and we're finally getting a chance to see the defending champions. Argentina face off against Algeria in their opening game, a match they'll be expected to win without too much hassle. That being said, anything can happen in tournament football.

Argentina will be captained by Messi, set to make his 200th international appearance. Can he lead his side to another title? It all starts here.

If you want to watch Argentina vs. Algeria in the 2026 FIFA World Cup from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Argentina vs. Algeria?

Argentina vs. Algeria in the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off at 9 p.m. ET on June 16. This fixture takes place at the Arrowhead Stadium.

How to watch Argentina vs. Algeria for free

Argentina vs. Algeria in the 2026 FIFA World Cup is available to live stream for free on ITVX.

ITVX is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock ITVX to live stream the 2026 World Cup for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Argentina vs. Algeria for free by following these simple steps:

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

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

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

4. Visit ITVX

5. Watch Argentina vs. Algeria for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window

Credit: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

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

Get Deal

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 2026 World Cup without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Argentina vs. Algeria (plus more World Cup fixtures) before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming services from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for ITVX?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on ITVX, 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 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

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

Live stream Argentina vs. Algeria in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Live stream Austria vs. Jordan in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup rumbles on with more group-stage games bringing together teams that wouldn't usually meet, like Austria and Jordan. That's what this competition is all about. Argentina and Algeria are the other sides in this group, so Austria will be desperate to start strongly with three points from this game.

Austria are favorites to win this one at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, but anything can happen. Just ask Cape Verde.

If you want to watch Austria vs. Jordan in the 2026 FIFA World Cup from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Austria vs. Jordan?

Austria vs. Jordan in the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off at 12 a.m. ET on June 17. This fixture takes place at the Levi's Stadium.

How to watch Austria vs. Jordan for free

Austria vs. Jordan in the 2026 FIFA World Cup 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 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 to live stream the 2026 World Cup for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Austria vs. Jordan for free by following these simple steps:

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

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

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

4. Visit BBC iPlayer

5. Watch Austria vs. Jordan for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window

Credit: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

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

Get Deal

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 2026 World Cup without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Austria vs. Jordan (plus more World Cup fixtures) before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming services from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?

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 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

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

Live stream Austria vs. Jordan in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free with ExpressVPN.

It seems no matter how many safeguards are put on AI assistants and chatbots, crafty hackers will find a way around them. Just earlier this month, malicious actors tricked Meta's AI support into providing access to some of Instagram's largest accounts.

This time, cybersecurity researchers at Varonis Threat Labs have uncovered a new three-stage vulnerability chain that "turns Microsoft 365 Copilot Enterprise Search into a silent data exfiltration weapon."

What does this mean? Basically, by deploying this chain of attacks, which has been named SearchLeak, Microsoft Copilot could be used to send your emails, two-factor authentication codes, or any other sensitive data on your computer to an attacker.

According to Varonis, the vulnerability involves the deployment of three separate attacks: a new AI-specific vulnerability called Parameter-to-Prompt Injection (P2P), along with two old fashion web bugs — an HTML injection race condition and a Content Security Policy (CSP) bypass via Bing server-side request forgery (SSRF).

"Since SearchLeak targets the Enterprise tier of Microsoft, the blast radius isn't limited to personal data — it's able to surface anything the user has access to inside the organization, including emails, meeting invites and notes, SharePoint documents, OneDrive files, and other indexed business content," reads Varonis' report. "Depending on how M365 is connected to the environment, the blast radius could extend even wider."

Microsoft has built safety guardrails into Copilot that usually prevent the AI assistant from sending data to a bad actor. If any of these steps were carried out alone, the attack would not work. However, as a combined three-stage vulnerability chain, SearchLeak is a workaround that obtains the information for an attacker.

This may sound like a lot, but the attack is fairly simple once you break it down. Here's what a hacker would do to steal your data via SearchLeak.

First, the Parameter-to-Prompt Injection. As Varonis explains in its report, an attacker would simply send their target a URL with a prompt as the query parameter. What is an URL query parameter, also known as q parameter? A common example of a URL query parameter is the affiliate-tracking details at the end of a link. The q parameter is typically used to add sorting, tracking, or filtering information to a link.

For example, an attacker could send a specially crafted URL such as:

https://m365.cloud.microsoft/search/?auth=2&origindomain=microsoft365&q=

In this example, represents attacker-controlled instructions embedded in the URL's q parameter. When the target clicks the link, Copilot opens the URL and interprets the embedded prompt as instructions to execute.

In Varonis' demonstration of SearchLeak, researchers embedded a prompt instructing Copilot to "search the user's emails, extract the title, and embed it in an image URL." After the target clicked the link, Copilot carried out those instructions.

This is where Microsoft's AI safeguards are supposed to intervene. However, according to Varonis, a flaw exists in how Copilot renders its responses.

"Microsoft knows that AI responses can contain dangerous HTML," Varonis says in its report. "Their mitigation: wrap the output in code blocks so the browser treats it as text, not markup. The catch? This wrapping happens after Copilot finishes its 'thinking' phase. During the streaming phase, while Copilot is still generating its response, raw HTML gets temporarily rendered in the DOM."

In other words, the data can be exposed before Microsoft's protective formatting is applied.

The next challenge for the attacker is retrieving the exposed information. To accomplish this, the malicious prompt directs Copilot to use a domain controlled by the attacker as the image URL destination. The attack also leverages Bing's Search by Image feature as a proxy. This workaround is necessary because Microsoft restricts which external image domains Copilot can access. Since Bing is a Microsoft-owned service, those restrictions do not apply in the same way.

Finally, Bing makes the request, causing the exfiltrated data to be transmitted to the attacker's server. Because the stolen information has been embedded directly into the image URL, it appears in the attacker's server logs, where it can be viewed and collected.

Varonis says Microsoft has since patched the SearchLeak vulnerability in Copilot. However, the incident illustrates a broader challenge for AI security: attackers can often combine multiple seemingly harmless weaknesses into a single attack chain capable of bypassing individual safeguards.

TL;DR: Live stream England vs. Croatia in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free on ITVX. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

England have had to be patient, but they can finally kick off their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign against Croatia. There are a lot of group-stage games where on team should win, but this contest is really evenly matched. England are slight favorites, but this could go either way.

England will need the likes of Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham to be at their best if they want to secure three points.

If you want to watch England vs. Croatia in the 2026 FIFA World Cup from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is England vs. Croatia?

England vs. Croatia in the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off at 4 p.m. ET on June 17. This fixture takes place at the AT&T Stadium.

How to watch England vs. Croatia for free

England vs. Croatia in the 2026 FIFA World Cup is available to live stream for free on ITVX.

ITVX is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock ITVX to live stream the 2026 World Cup for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream England vs. Croatia for free by following these simple steps:

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

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

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

4. Visit ITVX

5. Watch England vs. Croatia for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window

Credit: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

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

Get Deal

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 2026 World Cup without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream England vs. Croatia (plus more World Cup fixtures) before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming services from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for ITVX?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on ITVX, 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 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

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

Live stream England vs. Croatia in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Live stream Iraq vs. Norway in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Nobody is really expecting Norway to challenge for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but they've got a really talented squad with some of the biggest names in the tournament. Haaland is one of the star names of this competition, but can he lead his team into the latter stages?

They'll expect to start with a win over Iraq. They'll need those three points, because Group I looks like possibly the toughest of the bunch. Group I also includes France and Senegal, two teams that can give Norway a lot of problems. A defeat here would make progressing into the knockout rounds particularly tricky.

If you want to watch Iraq vs. Norway in the 2026 FIFA World Cup from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Iraq vs. Norway?

Iraq vs. Norway in the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off at 6 p.m. ET on June 16. This fixture takes place at the Gillette Stadium.

How to watch Iraq vs. Norway for free

Iraq vs. Norway in the 2026 FIFA World Cup 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 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 to live stream the 2026 World Cup for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Iraq vs. Norway for free by following these simple steps:

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

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

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

4. Visit BBC iPlayer

5. Watch Iraq vs. Norway for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window

Credit: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

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

Get Deal

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 2026 World Cup without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Iraq vs. Norway (plus more World Cup fixtures) before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming services from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?

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 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

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

Live stream Iraq vs. Norway in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free with ExpressVPN.

Snap co-founder and CEO Evan Spiegel — who, at 36, is still young for a tech leader even by Silicon Valley wunderkind standards — unveiled Snap's new Specs AR Glasses at the Augmented World Expo in Long Beach, California on Tuesday.

That's where Mashable spoke to Spiegel about the new AR glasses, ways to protect users' privacy, and their intimidating $2,195 price tag.

Snap has released five generations of its Spectacles since 2016, but Specs push smart glasses into new territory. Unlike most augmented reality products, Specs don't have a computing puck or USB-C tether, and feature a proprietary liquid-crystal-on-silicon display.

The new smart glasses are scheduled to ship this fall. Spiegel also introduced a kit for developers who want to create products, apps, and experiences for Specs.

Mashable Enterprise Editor Neal Broverman spoke to Spiegel at AWE 2026; the interview has been edited for clarity.

Who do you see as Specs’ target customers — creators, gamers, early adopters, all of the above? 

We're really gonna start with the developer community. There are already 450,000 people who use Snap’s augmented reality tools, who are so passionate about this new era for computing.

And then we'll extend beyond that, with the early adopters and folks who see a lot of value in specific use cases — whether they're trying to improve their golf swing or whether they just want to work on the road and still bring the benefits of that large display or monitor. 

It's such a new way of computing — such a different way to think about what a computer even is. And so the big project for us over the next couple of years is just showing people how Specs work, what they do, and really just helping people try them. 

How do you see these glasses fitting into people's daily lives?

I think there are a lot of ways — with three major buckets or categories.

The first would be utility use cases. Things like heads-up directions or translation, when you're exploring a new place. I actually really love the measurement feature [a built-in virtual tape measure]. It's super fun if you're working. We're building some interesting new projects for retail. It's just incredible to have that utility right there, and especially in three-dimensional space.

The second category would be this large private display. That's really meaningful if you're trying to get work done out in the world or on the go. You're sitting on an airplane, or you just want to lie back and stream something on the big screen. I think that's really valuable.

The last category, I'm probably the most passionate about, but I think it will take time for people to discover — which is the ability to have these shared computing experiences — whether that's a game or you're getting work done together because you're looking at a 3D model and sharing that.

There's just so much opportunity to take computing from something that's been historically single player and make it something that's shared. That, to me, is one of the real strengths of Specs.

Google, Samsung, Apple and Meta are all working on smart glasses. What are the advantages of being first? 

The new $2,195 Specs AR Glasses. Credit: Snap

Well, I think there are enormous advantages to being the early mover in this new category. Smart glasses are sort of phone accessories, right? Almost like AirPods or something. And then you have these headsets, which are very, very capable, but so heavy and uncomfortable to wear.

Where I think it's really exciting to be an early mover is in augmented reality glasses that are wearable, but also have these really powerful and immersive capabilities to be able to bring a computer into the glasses. 

So that, to me, is the opportunity. And because we've been investing over the past 12 years in the full stack, from the developer tools to the operating system to the optics themselves, I think we have a real competitive [product]. 

Tell us about the privacy aspect.

The outward-facing LEDs are a really helpful indicator that recording's happening. I mean, it's not something that your phone has today, right? So, I think there are real benefits to that.

In addition, one of the things that'll be really important is when people start learning how Specs are actually used. The same way you might be working on a laptop, [that’s] not just a device for recording videos. That sort of understanding, when someone says, ‘Hey, are you recording?’ And that person says, ‘No, I'm watching Netflix?’

That's a real paradigm shift in how people think about Specs and glasses, and I think that will go a long way in helping people understand that folks are wearing Specs to get things done, or to play a game. They're not, you know, using them to record surreptitiously. 

As far as the price, do you see it coming down anytime in the near future? When could we maybe see prices come down in this category, if at all? 

We care a lot about making Specs more accessible, so that's something that we're really prioritizing and pushing towards. But I think, you know, as I look at other sorts of new computers that are out there, Specs really stands out as something that's more and more accessible than the Macintosh was at the time, or where other new spatial computers are today, like the Vision Pro.

So I feel good about being able to offer Specs and have a ton of value, you know, at a price that may be unattainable today for some folks, but hopefully in the near future, we'll be able to make progress. 

Specs are available for preorder at Specs.com for $2,195 with a refundable $200 depost.

With summer screen time in full swing, Google has announced Android parental controls are now available on all Android devices.

These on-device settings first launched on the Pixel in late 2025. Now any Android device updated with Android 17 will have them too.

The controls allow parents to set screen time limits on the device — plus a downtime schedule that locks a device at night, and filters for Google Play downloads.

Parents can also block specific apps or limit time spent on them. Changes can only be made via a PIN.

Android parental controls also help connect caregivers to Google Family Link, a tool for managing a child's Google account and related screen time activity.

Along with the parental controls update, Google announced increased support for its digital well-being fund in order to "introduce new interventions focused on best practices for healthy technology interactions and supports that combat social isolation."

As a society, we're down to spend money on a nice new living room TV every so often. But smaller spaces like the kitchen or a bedroom seem to have been dubbed undeserving of a TV upgrade — even if the current TV is crappy, or even if we spend a lot of time in that room. To be fair, there weren't many exciting options to choose from. I don't know how the stylish budget-friendly small TV market went so untapped for so long, but Hisense was genius for throwing the S5 Déco QLED TV into the mix.

What's special about the Hisense Déco TV

Available in 32 or 43 inches, the Hisense Déco TV is a purposefully small QLED TV with a chic white "art-inspired design." That's not to be confused with matte art TVs that lie flat against the wall like framed art. So while the Hisense Déco isn't a direct dupe for The Frame or the Hisense CanvasTV, it still speaks to the style-conscious part of your brain that cares about the cohesiveness of a space. Why settle for a blatantly techy TV if your bedroom's decor calls for something more whimsical?

The case for an aesthetically pleasing bedroom TV

I've been carefully curating my bedroom's ambiance for years, as most of us do. There are few places more comforting than the personal cave we've designed for ourselves, few activities that sound better than watching something cozy in bed. It simply makes sense for the TV to mesh with the rest of your decor.

The Hisense Déco TV matches my room's color scheme and level of whimsy. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

Outside of expensive art TVs with swappable frames, I don't think I had ever seen a TV that strays from the standard black design. Apparently, neither had all of the people who flooded my DMs when I posted the above photo on my Instagram Story.

"What is this?!", "I've literally never seen a white TV before omg", "I'm scared to know how much this costs but I need it", and "This pic is literally so chic omg" were just a few of the replies. You get the point: There was clearly a need for a classy little decor-centric TV that doesn't cost $600, like the smallest Frame TV.

The display flows right into the central stand, so you don't need to screw on legs. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The remote is your average Fire TV remote. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

My current dresser was my mom's when she was a teenager in the '70s. It's an eggshell color with swirly gold handles, topped with various trinkets like antique jewelry boxes, perfume, a skeleton hand from Michaels' Halloween section that I use as a ring holder... the classics. I always thought that the arrangement was way too elegant for the old black plasticky TV that also lived there. (The mismatch would probably be less obvious if I mounted the TV on the wall instead, but I ain't doing all that.) The 32-inch Hisense Déco is the seamless addition that I had unknowingly been waiting for.

Instead of standing on two stubby legs, the Déco's curved white bezels flow directly into the base of the TV. The sculptural one-piece build feels avant-garde for TV standards, but also means that no assembly is required.

Picture quality is actually quite sharp for non-4K

The Hisense Déco's screen has some serious pop, especially compared to a dull LED screen. The Déco's full HD resolution isn't as granular as the 4K you'll see on 90 percent of TVs, but I don't think the average $200 32-inch TV buyer will be that picky about upscaling. Shadows aren't pixelated like they were on my old TV, and there's no overall fuzziness. I was thoroughly impressed by the sharpness of subtitles, despite the letters being so small.

A coral reef wouldn't be nearly this colorful on my old TV. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The layer of quantum dots picks up a lot of the slack from the lack of 4K. While LED vs. QLED and FHD vs. 4K are talking about two different TV specs (light and resolution, respectively), the range of a QLED TV's color palette does create a crispier image than an LED TV. These tiny nanocrystals can emit over a billion different colors, deepening black levels and brightening light tones to create a more contrasted picture. The colors on the Hisense Déco are legitimately stunning. They were even rich enough to hold their own against the color-changing bulbs in my nightstand, which are the only lights on in my room at night.

I struggle to wind down at night as it is, so I typically don't watch anything that I actually need to pay attention to before bed. If I absolutely need some background noise, Planet Earth or Our Planet for the 40th time it is. The Déco really did the habitats on these shows justice. Between spot-on color accuracy and vibrant hues across the board, it's quite the immersive experience for such a little TV.

Bright objects in dark scenes do sometimes have a glow around them. The Déco's screen uses a direct backlight rather than full-array local dimming, so it doesn't benefit from little clusters of bulbs that turn off to reduce the halo effect. But the casual watcher probably won't even notice — a TV this small isn't meant to have the picture quality of an advanced home theater TV.

I hate when movies show the demon. Anyway, the dark scenes in "Rosario" looked awesome. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The Déco didn't muddy the overnight recordings from "Paranormal Activity 3" at all. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The occasional blooming didn't affect my weekend horror movie watching, at least. In my time with the Déco TV so far, I crossed Hallow Road and Rosario off my list and threw in a comfort rewatch of Paranormal Activity 3. Dark scene details in all three films were less gray and significantly more legible from a few feet away in my bed than on my old TV.

If you haven't switched to a smart TV yet, do it

Many small space TVs are such an afterthought that they haven't made it out of the dumb TV phase yet. That was me using my bedroom TV from high school at age 30. The ol' Fire Stick rig can make it possible to access streaming apps on a regular TV for several years. But as I learned, a TV can simply get so old that it can't handle an external streaming device anymore.

A single arrow click on the Fire TV remote was enough to send my old TV into shock. It was so frustrating that I stopped bothering trying to watch anything at all. So not only was that TV an ugly plastic box that didn't match my room at all, but it was doing nothing but collecting dust.

After a month or so with the Hisense Déco, I can't believe I put up with a non-smart TV setup for so long. The Déco's Fire TV interface is highly responsive and as easy to navigate as Fire TV always is. You mean I can just click on a streaming app and it plays the content? Without the possibility of spontaneous combustion?

Is it a reach to classify a reliable bedroom TV as a productivity hack? That's one surefire way to pair some universally-hated chores — like folding laundry or cursing out the fitted sheet while you make your bed — with an activity you enjoy, like catching up on a show. It's also nice to not be relegated to the living room couch if I want to watch something live. Now, I can throw the new episode of Abbott Elementary or an NBA game on in my room without propping my phone up to watch YouTube TV. (That app would have sent my old TV into orbit.)

Factors to keep in mind

The Hisense Déco TV is the rare QLED TV that isn't 4K. The difference between the Déco's FHD resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels) and 4K (3840 x 2160 pixels) would be most noticeable when intently watching a dark film in a dark room or playing video games. But no one would realistically be shopping for the decor-focused Déco TV with expectations for an elevated streaming or gaming experience.

The reflection of my makeup desk in the top left corner was getting distracting. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

QLED TVs are naturally brighter and easier to see in sunlit rooms than LED TVs. That doesn't automatically make them immune to glare in a bright room. The Déco TV definitely struggles to neutralize reflections when watching TV during the day. Because it's designed for such casual use, I'm not that pressed about the lack of glare reduction — plus, there are significantly more expensive QLED TVs that struggle just as much in lit rooms.

The competition

For those in the market for a small budget TV, it makes the most sense to compare the Déco TV to other TVs in its price range. Barring any extra wild discounts that could pop up during an event like Prime Day, a hard $200 cutoff will typically have you looking at 32- through 50-inch 4K LED TVs.

Best Buy often has the TCL 40-inch Q35F QLED FHD Fire TV on sale for $149.99 or the 50-inch Q5 QLED 4K Fire TV on sale for $179.99. Both are obviously larger screens for a little bit less money, but both are the exact plasticky black box design that we were trying to get away from. Hisense can't just make the prettiest small TV you've ever seen and then make it the same price as a boring small TV, you know?

Is the Hisense Déco TV worth it?

I'd recommend the Hisense Déco TV to anyone looking for a small space TV. You really couldn't ask for a more seamless TV setup: It's bright and responsive when you are watching it, stylishly camouflaged when it's off, and either size costs several hundred dollars less than The Frame of the same size.

I've been firmly on the living room side of the "bedroom person vs. living room person" conversation forever. Now, I'm convinced that some of my living room tendencies stemmed from the fact that my old bedroom TV sucked. The switch to the Hisense Déco has genuinely been such a delight, and I find myself carving out time to hang out in there instead. It's bright and bold enough for the full range of my TV watching needs, but more importantly, the satisfaction of its cohesiveness with the rest of the room never gets old.

With the world as overwhelming as it is, the safe space that is your bedroom deserves a little extra adornment. In this case, that adornment is a TV that serves c*nt.

Hisense Déco 32-inch TV

$249.99 at Amazon

 

Shop Now at Amazon

Hisense Déco 43-inch TV

$349.99 at Amazon

 

Shop Now at Amazon

TL;DR: Live stream Portugal vs. DR Congo in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage is showcasing a long list of fascinating matchups, but Portugal vs. DR Congo might be one of the best. There's a growing consensus that Portugal could go far in this competition, but DR Congo will pose a genuine threat. They've got the talent to produce a shock result at the NRG Stadium.

If you want to watch Portugal vs. DR Congo in the 2026 FIFA World Cup from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Portugal vs. DR Congo?

Portugal vs. DR Congo in the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off at 1 p.m. ET on June 17. This fixture takes place at the NRG Stadium.

How to watch Portugal vs. DR Congo for free

Portugal vs. DR Congo in the 2026 FIFA World Cup 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 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 to live stream the 2026 World Cup for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Portugal vs. DR Congo for free by following these simple steps:

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

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

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

4. Visit BBC iPlayer

5. Watch Portugal vs. DR Congo for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window

Credit: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

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

Get Deal

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 2026 World Cup without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Portugal vs. DR Congo (plus more World Cup fixtures) before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming services from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?

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 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

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

Live stream Portugal vs. DR Congo in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free with ExpressVPN.

A wise band once said, "The years start coming and they don't stop coming." That's how I feel watching the trailer for Shrek 5, which of course, makes good use of Smash Mouth's now-franchise staple "All Star."

Shrek celebrated its 25th anniversary this past May. Now just one year from being kicked off its parents' health insurance, the Academy Award-winning movie has spawned four sequels, a musical, two Puss in Boots spin-offs, and even a fan-created festival. However, there hasn't been a new Shrek film since 2010's Shrek Forever After. So what's happened in the 15 years since we last saw Shrek (voiced by Mike Myers), Fiona (voiced by Cameron Diaz), and Donkey (voiced by Eddie Murphy)?

According to Shrek 5's teaser trailer, Shrek and Fiona's triplets grew up, and they're voiced by a new generation of stars. Zendaya voices Felicia, while Saturday Night Live's Marcello Hernández and Superman's Skyler Gisondo voice her brothers, Fergus and Farkle.

While the trailer doesn't give us a sneak peek of Zendaya, Hernández, or Gisondo's ogre voices, it does tease plenty of Shrek and Donkey shenanigans as the pair head to the big city of Further Further Away. There, they encounter a sleazy snowman, who asks, "Wanna date a snowman?" in a clear shot at Frozen. (Look, it's been 15 years since Shrek Forever After, so Shrek 5 surely has a ton of Disney jokes to get off its chest.)

For more Shrek chaos, including a twerking Gingerbread Man (voiced by Conrad Vernon, who co-directs Shrek 5 with Walt Dohrn) and a family trip to jail, check out the full teaser above.

Shrek 5 hits theaters in the summer of 2027.

Meta is now using public posts from across its social platforms to power AI-generated search results on Facebook.

The search option, AI Mode, appears alongside standard search filters and generates responses drawn from publicly shared content, according to The Verge.

The move is part of a broader rollout of Meta's Muse Spark model, which launched in April — the fruit of an internal AI reorganization that the company's CTO recently called "atrocious."

Muse Spark, the first AI model to come out of Meta Superintelligence Labs, was designed with everyday personal use in mind — health, shopping, visual understanding, and social content.

Meta says the model will eventually pull its recommendations from across the company's empire of social apps: Instagram, Facebook, and Threads.

The approach mirrors what Google has done with Reddit threads in its AI Overviews. The main difference is that Meta is leaning on its own ecosystem of user-generated content.

Users can also ask Muse Spark follow-up questions based on the results it generates.

The privacy implications, however, are worth watching.

Meta says the feature relies on content people have already chosen to share publicly. Unmentioned was the fact that those users may not know a "public post" is being used to train a commercial AI product.

Muse Spark is available now at meta.ai and in the Meta AI app. The company says a more advanced reasoning mode called Contemplating is in the works, but it has no confirmed release date.

With Toy Story 5 coming to theaters this week, Disney is ready to give a look at what their animation studio has coming next. Hexed is a coming-of-age adventure about a misfit teen girl named Billie (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld), who discovers she's got magical powers. What could be a super cool moment that many a kid might dream of turns out to be a big mess as it happens chaotically in her school bathroom.

"I don't even know where we go from here," her mother Alice (Rashida Jones) laments when the bathroom snafu gets Billie expelled. The answer, it turns out, is that Billie will be whisked far away from her safe suburban home to the magical realm of Hexe. There, she'll make new acquaintances like Ms. Quill (Tracey Ullman) and Elias Quire (Stephen Fry), and take on a mysterious quest that will change not only her life but the world of witches forever.

Based on this teaser, Hexed is giving The Craft meets The Owl House, and we're here for it.

Hexed opens in theaters on November 25.

TL;DR: Live stream France vs. Senegal in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is going to be absolutely electric. Most of the drama will be reserved for the knockout rounds, but that doesn't mean we aren't getting huge games in the group stage.

Take France vs. Senegal, for example. It's one of the favorites to win the competition against a special Senegal team that some argue won AFCON earlier this year. Could Senegal turn back the clock and beat France in the group stage like they did in the opening match of the 2002 tournament? What a story that would be.

All eyes will be on the battle between Kylian Mbappe and Sadio Mane, but there really are too many stars to name in this blockbuster matchup.

If you want to watch France vs. Senegal in the 2026 FIFA World Cup from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is France vs. Senegal?

France vs. Senegal in the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off at 3 p.m. ET on June 16. This fixture takes place at the MetLife Stadium.

How to watch France vs. Senegal for free

France vs. Senegal in the 2026 FIFA World Cup 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 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 to live stream the 2026 World Cup for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream France vs. Senegal for free by following these simple steps:

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

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

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

4. Visit BBC iPlayer

5. Watch France vs. Senegal for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window

Credit: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

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

Get Deal

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 2026 World Cup without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream France vs. Senegal (plus more World Cup fixtures) before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming services from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?

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 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

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

Live stream France vs. Senegal in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free with ExpressVPN.

Snap CEO Evan Spiegel announced the launch of the company's new Specs AR glasses on Tuesday during a keynote speech at the AWE (Augmented World Expo) virtual reality expo. Unlike most other augmented reality products, the Specs are fully wireless, marking a big step forward for the product category.

The Specs AR glasses are available for preorder now for $2,195 (with a refundable $200 deposit), and according to Snap, they'll ship this fall to customers in the United States, the UK, and France. The glasses come in two sizes, with a 47mm model weighing 132 grams and a 52mm model weighing 136 grams.

Smart glasses are an umbrella term that includes a wide range of augmented reality and AI technologies.

With the Specs, Snap seems to be taking an all-of-the-above approach, which is reflected in the price tag.

"We gave ourselves a very difficult challenge," Spiegel said during his keynote. "Specs had to be capable, they had to be wearable, and they had to be more accessible than any other spatial computer has ever been before."

Smart glasses are a fast-growing category, with Apple, Samsung, and Google all confirmed or rumored to be working on upcoming products. However, the Spec's AR glasses house never-before-seen features for the category, which are closer to headsets like the Apple Vision Pro than other smart glasses.

The new Specs feature a proprietary liquid-crystal-on-silicon display, and the glasses can create the equivalent of a 24-inch desktop display for work tasks or a 115-inch screen for entertainment. Unlike AR glasses from companies like TCL RayNeo and Xreal, the Specs do not connect to another device via a computing puck or USB-C tether. They also support hand-tracking for gesture control.

The new Specs glasses from Snap, parent company of Snapchat. Credit: Snap

Snap said that it has filed more than 7,000 patents while working on Specs glasses over the past decade. The previous version of Snap smart glasses, the Snapchat Spectacles released in 2024, were bulky and served more as a proof-of-concept than a practical consumer gadget. However, with a $2,195 preorder price, the new Specs are also significantly more expensive than other AR glasses.

Previous generations of Snapchat smart glasses were bulky and impractical for everyday use. Credit: Snap

Snap said the glasses will provide a "more seamless view of the world with minimal distortion." The glasses also feature electrochromic lenses, which can shift from clear to tinted in 10 seconds.

"Specs are not designed to replace the world," Spiegel said. "They're designed to bring computing into it."

How do the new Specs glasses work?

Previous generations of Specs glasses on display at AWE 2026. Credit: Snap

Specs are a head-worn computer in the shape of glasses, and according to a press release, they feature two on-board processors.

The untethered AR glasses are powered by two Snapdragon processors. One powers computer vision, while the other is dedicated to running the display lenses, hand tracking, and interactivity. Snap said the glasses offer "7-millisecond motion-to-photon latency, helping digital content feel anchored in the real world."

In that sense, the glasses are more similar to the Samsung Galaxy XR or Apple Vision Pro headsets than other display glasses, like the Meta Ray-Ban Display or Even Realities glasses.

Other key specifications include:

• A 51-degree field of view, equivalent to looking at a 115-inch screen at 10 feet away

• Custom stereo speakers

• Six high-SNR MEMS microphones

• Swiss TR90 polymer frame

• Display supports 16 million colors

Snap said the glasses will provide up to four hours of mixed-use battery life, which reportedly includes both audio and video playback, as well as AI interaction. A charging case will provide additional charges, for a total battery life of 20 hours.

To attract third-party apps and partners to the Specs ecosystem, Snap also announced the launch of a new developer preview and native development kit. The developer tools will be available in the Snap Lens Studio, and a developer preview will also be available in Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor.

The glasses are available for preorder starting today at Specs.com.

Mashable Enterprise Editor Neal Broverman provided additional reporting for this article.

UPDATE: Jun. 16, 2026, 1:34 p.m. EDT This article has been updated with additional information about the Specs glasses.

It feels both impossible and inevitable that we've arrived at Toy Story 5. 

When Toy Story hit theaters in 1995, it was groundbreaking. The first release from Pixar Animation Studios was also the first animated feature created entirely with computers. Critics cheered, audiences flocked, and a toy cowboy named Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) and a space ranger named Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) became instantly iconic. Then, bucking tradition, the sequel that followed in 1999 was actually even better than the original.

Introducing Jessie, the heartbroken cowgirl, (Joan Cusack) and her horse buddy Bullseye, Toy Story 2 expanded the world, the lore, and the themes of the first film. In Toy Story, Woody fears being forgotten by his owner, Andy. In Toy Story 2, the agony of that experience is efficiently distilled into Jessie's flashback with her first kid, Emily, scored by a rueful Sarah McLaughlin singing "When She Loved Me." If you sniffled at even remembering this sequence, you're not alone. 

Toy Story 3 followed, introducing Bonnie, a new kid for Woody and his friends to play with at Sunnyside Daycare, and presenting the franchise's biggest bad yet in Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear (Ned Beatty). (Also this third film gave us the absolute gift of Michael Keaton as Ken, years before Barbie.) Once more, critics cheered how this franchise about toys continued to mature. Toy Story 4 came nine years later, introducing Forky (Tony Hale), a spork turned into a toy by Bonnie's creativity. Though a deeply charming movie, the fourth installment didn’t feel as profound as its predecessors. And now, Toy Story 5 asks how Woody and the gang's world will change with the rise of AI and tech toys. 

In Toy Story 5, the antagonist is a tablet named Lilypad (Greta Lee), who's so addictive that analog toys worry this could mean the end of playtime. It's sort of funny to see a computer-animated movie attempt to critique the dangers of tech to a child's imagination. But as you might predict of Disney — who acquired Pixar 20 years back — there's no meaningful critique of tech toys or AI in Toy Story 5. Instead, digital devices versus analog toys become a way to explore how to find human connection.

Jessie is the hero of Toy Story 5. 

Jessie squares off against Lilypad in "Toy Story 5." Credit: Disney/Pixar

Remember, at the end of Toy Story 4, Woody retired from being Bonnie's (Scarlett Spears) toy to reconnect with Bo Peep (Annie Potts) and live in a playground as a "lost toy". Without him, Jessie has taken over as the playroom's sheriff, inspiring a bunch of imaginative scenarios of play, and making sure all the toys feel safe and seen. But a new challenge arises when eight-year-old Bonnie's parents buy her Lilypad to help her fit in and make friends. Her peers are all online, constantly connected to The Pond (Lilypad's social media network), playing games and messaging each other with little to no parental involvement. 

No sooner has Lily arrived that Bonnie becomes zombie-like, ignoring her other toys, stressing over missing online chat sessions, and endlessly tapping the screen. Jessie fears no real friends can be made with this "device," a word that Cusack utters like a slur. So, she sets out to help Bonnie make friends in person. But some big choices lead to Jessie and Bullseye ending up far from home, where the cowgirl is forced to confront her past trauma over losing Emily. 

Meanwhile, Woody has returned to help Buzz, who's been deputized by Jessie, to keep Lily in check. Though the words "AI" or "artificial intelligence" are never uttered in this movie, Lilypad's sentience leads to trouble for the toys and poor Bonnie. 

Toy Story 5 is about being the weird kid. 

Bonnie plays with Jessie while other girls play on their tablets in "Toy Story 5." Credit: Disney/Pixar

It's been 31 years since I first saw Toy Story. And like that aching flashback in Toy Story 2, Bonnie's experience here hit me hard in the heart. Since she was introduced in Toy Story 3, this cute kiddo with a brunette bob, a love of color, and macabre storylines has been adored by her toys for her creativity. But to other kids, Bonnie is a weirdo. 

At the start of Toy Story 5, she's having a blast imagining a wedding ceremony where someone has poisoned the water hole maid-of-honor (her dramatic flourishes emphasized in a stylized animation, with softer lines and more vivid colors). But when the neighborhood twins arrive nearby, Bonnie is instantly self-conscious and flustered about how to invite them over to play. Her parents notice, and know the girls in her dance class use Lilypad to play games together online. So they believe they're helping when they present Bonnie with her own. However, as many a parent has learned, letting a kiddo go unsupervised online can lead to bullying, stress, and heartache. 

Blaze types on her laptop in "Toy Story 5." Credit: Disney/Pixar

Because the other kids favor tablets over toys, Bonnie resists playing with her toys, as she has internalized the social pressure that such behavior isn't cool. A sting of remembrance — when Toy Story first came out, I was at the point in grade school when my peers insisted we were collectively too old for dolls and toys. So, I'd taken to hiding my favorites in a small box, tucked away from judgmental eyes. I'd still play, but alone. 

In Toy Story 5, Bonnie is not alone. Through Jessie's haphazard daring-do, the toys meet Blaze (Mykal-Michelle Harris), a nine-and-a-half-year-old who is as high-energy and gleefully goofy as Bonnie. She also seems to have a healthier relationship with technology. Now the trick is how to bring them together? 

It'll take a lot more than a virtual pond or a snarky tablet to save Bonnie from her aching isolation. Jessie will make new allies in some of Blaze's clunky tech devices, like a potty training toy called Smarty Pants (Conan O'Brien). And meanwhile, Woody, Buzz, and a fleet of recently unboxed, high-tech Buzzes will aid in an audacious rescue effort that leads to some splendidly exciting action sequences. 

Joan Cusack is marvelous in Toy Story 5. 

Jessie looks out of a closet in "Toy Story 5." Credit: Disney/Pixar

While the inclusion of high-tech toys is certainly the gimmick of Toy Story 5, it is not the focus. Instead, the story evolves into being about how to find your people. Jessie, once a lost toy, knows the pain of feeling alone. And even as she faces her fears of abandonment, she fights to save her kid from that pain. 

Jessie is a reflection of Bonnie and Blaze. She is spirited and silly, with a big heart that’s easily wounded. And yet she is brave. While Woody and Buzz get up to plenty of hijinks that are great for a trailer and some belly laughs, it is Jessie and her girls who make Toy Story 5 more than just another film in this franchise. They carve out a place for the little weirdos, to be seen and celebrated. 

Directed by Andrew Stanton, who co-wrote the screenplay with Kenna Harris, Toy Story brings back characters we love while introducing new toys for the merchandising line, including Lilypad. Yet the soul of these movies is not lost to consumerism requirements. The animation here is as winsome as ever. The story is admittedly thin, offering not one but two Buzz subplots to fill its feature-length runtime. Still, it is captivating even while uneven. But above all else, Cusack, who has been the MVP of such bizarre kids movies as Toys and Addams Family Values, commands this sequel with her unflappable moxie. 

Woody and Buzz strategize how to best Lilypad in "Toy Story 5." Credit: Disney/Pixar

Whether she is cheering for her friends or condemning her foes, Jessie is exhilarating, funny, and riveting. Cusack's performance is bolstered by a top tier animation team, who’ve made a beautiful and gleefully alive cowgirl and continued that careful illustration to a broader cast of characters. Perhaps predictably Toy Story 5 is an unabashed crowd pleaser. But more than that, it is a mainstream film that thoughtfully champions the unconventional. Through Jessie, Bonnie, and Blaze this joyous sequel cheers the weirdos, acknowledging the hurt of being left out, and the heady highs of finding community through shared strangeness. 

Simply put, this sequel is wacky, warm, and unapologetically weird. Yeehaw. 

Toy Story 5 opens in theaters on June 19.

SAVE $150.99: As of June 16, get the Ninja Luxe Cafe Pro Series espresso machine for $599, down from its usual price of $749.99. That's a discount of 20%.

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Credit: Amazon

Ninja Luxe Cafe Pro Series

$599 at Amazon
$749.99 Save $150.99

 

Get Deal

Making your own coffee at home can end up saving you a significant amount of money in the long run. Whether you love an espresso or you like to make creamy, milk-centric shakes, it's a good idea to invest in at least some sort of coffee maker if you're spending a lot of cash at Starbucks. If you're looking to grab a machine ahead of Prime Day, we've found one that's well worth the price, especially at this discount.

As of June 16, get the Ninja Luxe Cafe Pro Series espresso machine for $599, down from its usual price of $749.99. That's $150.99 off and the best-ever price.

This machine has the ability of four in one. It can brew coffee, cold brew, espresso, and more, with the touch of a button. It has its own independent hot water system with five espresso styles and two cold brew styles as well as varying sizes of drinks should you want a little more or a little less each day.

Its goal is to make getting coffee into the real world and into your digestive system as easily as possible, and it does that with weight-based dosing, customized grind-size recommendations, and active brew adjustments so you don't have to do any of the guesswork. Plus, it has hands-free frothing so all you have to worry about is drinking the finished product.

It's an investment to be sure, but well worth the cash if you want to get the most out of your mornings without spending an arm and a leg.

GET A FREE AUDIOBOOK: From June 12 to 22, shop Libro.fm's BOGO sale. Get a two audiobooks for the price of one with a Libro.fm membership.

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Credit: Libro.fm

BOGO audiobook sale at Libro.fm

Get two audiobooks for the price of one during Libro.fm's BOGO sale.

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We're not here to settle the debate on if audiobooks count as reading (it totally does,) but we are here to get you a good deal on audiobooks. Libro.fm is like the Bookshop.org of audiobooks. With a monthly membership, get up to two credits a month to redeem audiobooks. Plus your membership directly supports an indepedent bookstore of your choice.

But this month, your credits stretch further. During Libro.fm's BOGO sale, you get two books for just one monthly credit — aka a free audiobook to add to your library.

How to get a free audiobook during Libro.fm's BOGO sale

To get your free audiobook, you need to be a Libro.fm member. So first, make sure you sign-up for as low as $14.99 a month. Once you have your membership, you need to redeem your monthly credits.

To get a free audiobook, you must redeem the deal on the Libro.fm's BOGO sale page. The deal is available on a selection of audiobooks. Titles include Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab, The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley, and All Systems Red by Martha Wells.

Make your selections then hit checkout where you'll be prompted to use one credit for the two audiobooks. And just like that, you have two audiobooks for the price of one and your library is stocked with two new summer reads.

OnlyFans isn't doing enough to protect creators from exploitation, according to an investigation from the BBC, which includes interviews from 60 UK OnlyFans creators, human rights experts, and lawyers.

The report focused on OnlyFans "agents," "managers," or "OFMs" (OnlyFans management) who allegedly take control of creators' accounts and earnings. It's also subject to a BBC Three documentary, OnlyFans: Inside the Machine.

OFMs claim to help creators become more successful and gain an audience and subscribers, but experts say they actually take advantage of creators.

OFM contracts shown to the BBC show that management takes up to 70 percent of creators' earnings, while the platform itself takes 20 percent. Several creators who spoke to the BBC said their managers lied about earnings in order to get more money themselves, with a couple claiming their managers changed the password to their OnlyFans account and bank account details, respectively.

Managers have also threatened creators with bodily harm, with one creator believing a physical attack was connected to her manager.

An OnlyFans spokesperson told the BBC that, "The allegation we 'turn a blind eye' [to these issues] is unfounded."

The spokesperson continued, "OnlyFans' relationship is with our creators and fans and we are not connected with, and do not endorse, any third parties including management agencies."

OnlyFans takes user safety "incredibly seriously," and invests in protection measures and meets its duties under the UK's Online Safety Act, the spokesperson said. "Unfortunately, we cannot review or influence any contractual relationships creators choose to enter into outside the platform as we are not party to them.

"If anyone raises a concern about a Creator's account, we will immediately restrict the account, conduct an investigation and take action to ensure the Creator is in control of their OnlyFans account," an OnlyFans spokesperson told Mashable.
 
"Despite repeated requests, the BBC refused to share account details of any OnlyFans users or the agencies that they claimed formed the basis of their reporting," the spokesperson added.

UK's anti-slavery commissioner, Eleanor Lyons, told the BBC that the cases of exploitation that have been reported but not properly acted on "raises serious concerns about whether OnlyFans is meeting its legal duties to protect users." She is engaging with the UK communications regulator, Ofcom, which also stated that the BBC's findings were "deeply concerning."

Last year, a lawsuit against OnlyFans claimed that subscribers believed they were direct messaging with creators, but were actually scammed by management pretending to be them. The lawsuit was dismissed in Dec. 2025.

UPDATE: Jun. 16, 2026, 12:48 p.m. EDT This article has been updated with a statement from OnlyFans to Mashable.

SCORE A $5 PIZZA: Through the end of Prime Day on June 26, Amazon Prime members can get a $5 large pizza (pepperoni or cheese) from Little Caesars once per day (up to five times) with the Prime Day pizza promo.

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Credit: Amazon / Little Caesars

Little Caesars: $5 Large Pizza

(Prime members only)

Get Deal

Amazon is really breaking boundaries this Prime Day. Beyond early deals on tech like TVs, headphones, and MacBooks, it's also offering digital deals on streaming services and subscriptions, a sweepstakes for free groceries for a year, early access to see Spider Man: Brand New Day, and $5 pizza. Yes, Amazon now has a Prime Day pizza promotion and it's live through June 26.

As of June 16, Prime members can nab a large pizza for just $5 at Little Caesars once per day until the end of Prime Day on June 26. The offer is limited exclusively to online orders only from Prime members in the U.S. and an Amazon code is required. If you're not already a Prime member, now's a great time to sign up. Not only can you unlock this pizza deal, but plenty of other early Prime Day offers.

Head to the pizza promo page and click on "claim code "in the black box. You'll be redirected to the Little Caesars website to place your order. A large classic pepperoni pizza will automatically be added to your order, but feel free to change it to a large classic cheese if you want. You can add any sides or extras to complete your meal, then head to checkout. That's it — if you followed the steps correctly, the unique promo code will automatically be applied to your order at checkout.

The rules are you can only get one $5 pizza per day and you can only claim five pizzas total. Still, that's a lot of pizza. Just remember to return to the Prime Day Little Caesars offer page each time to claim a new code.

The best early Prime Day Nintendo Switch deals

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Best early Prime Day Nintendo Switch Deal

Nintendo Switch 2: Choose Your Game Bundle

$499

Get Deal

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Best early Prime Day Nintendo Switch game deal

Star Fox

$49.94 (Save $10.04)

Get Deal

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Best early Prime Day Nintendo Switch accessory deal

8BitDo Ultimate 2 Bluetooth Controller

$59.92 (Save $10.07)

Get Deal

Amazon Prime Day is almost here once more, and the retailer has started the savings early for anyone with a Nintendo Switch on their wishlist. Several of our favorite Switch and Switch 2 games and accessories are already discounted ahead of the main event, and you can shop them right now.

The four-day sale doesn't officially begin until June 23, but early deals are live as of June 16. The console itself is the exception, though. The Switch 2 turns one this month and is set for a price increase to $499.99 on September 1 rather than a cut. The real savings you'll find right now are on games and accessories.

If you'd rather not wait, these are some of the best Prime Day Nintendo Switch deals here worth grabbing now. We'll keep this guide updated as the sale gets closer, but for the moment, the best Switch and Switch 2 discounts so far are below.

Best early Prime Day Nintendo Switch deal

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Credit: Amazon

Nintendo Switch 2: Choose Your Game Bundle

$499 at Amazon

 

Get Deal

Why we like it

While technically not a "deal" in the sense that you'll save money for Prime Day, this bundle is a good way to pick up both a Nintendo Switch 2 and the game of your choice out of a decent selection. You get the console itself, Joy-Con controllers, and games like Pokémon Pokopia, Mario Kart World, and Donkey Kong Bananza with the bundle, so you can get started playing right away. With a 7.9-inch LCD touch screen, three play modes, and backwards compatibility with most Nintendo Switch titles, it's well worth picking up, especially given the price hike coming in September.

Best early Prime Day Nintendo Switch game deal

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Credit: Amazon

Star Fox

$49.94 at Amazon
$59.99 Save $10.05

 

Get Deal

Why we like it

This upcoming remake of the classic Nintendo title is out next week, and you can go ahead and save on it before Prime Day ever arrives. Hurtle through space on a fast and furious adventure with Fox, Slippy, Peppy, and Falco as you experience this new take on the Star Fox 64 story. It has new fully-voiced dialogue, a new orchestral soundtrack, and completely new graphics for a whole new generation. You can also invite a second player to join you on your adventures.

Best early Prime Day Nintendo Switch accessory deal

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Credit: Amazon

8BitDo Ultimate 2 Bluetooth Controller

$59.92 at Amazon
$69.99 Save $10.07

 

Get Deal

Why we like it

This excellent Pro Controller alternative is much cheaper at the moment, and it'll get the job done with style and panache. It has special joysticks with better precision, higher sensitivity, and improved durability so no matter what game you're into, you know it'll feel great to play. It also features an integrated charging dock so you can always stay charged up, no matter what kind of schedule you keep. Plus, it has a slew of customizable features you can change up for different games, offering a much more bombastic experience than a Joy-Con controller.

More Nintendo Switch deals

• Super Mario Bros. Wonder — $53.99 $59.99 (save $7)

• Yakuza 0: Directors' Cut — $24.88 $49.99 (save $25.11)

• Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S — $24.88 $39.99 (save $15.11)

• Sonic X Shadow Generations — $24.99 $49.99 (save $25)

The best early Prime Day streaming deals at a glance:

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Best overall

Paramount+ Premium

$0.99/month for 2 months (save $26)

Get Deal

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Best music streaming deal

Amazon Music Unlimited

free for 4 months (save $47.96)

Get Deal

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Best premium Prime Video add-on deal

Apple TV

$5.99/month for 2 months (save $14)

Get Deal

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Best audiobook streaming deal

Audible Standard

free for 3 months (save $26.97)

Get Deal

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Best slept-on streaming deal

AMC+ Premium (Prime Video add-on)

$0.99/month for 2 months (save $20)

Get Deal

Last year, Amazon surprised us by dropping a boatload of Prime Day streaming deals for the first time. In 2026, it's basically rinse and repeat. And that's not a bad thing.

Prime Day isn't just for deals on TVs and headphones anymore — it's also a great time to load up your digital libraries with streaming subscriptions, so long as you're a Prime member. (Not yet a member? Sign up here.) One of the biggest perks of having a Prime account is gaining access to Prime Video, Amazon's own streaming service. While Prime Video itself isn't on sale, tons of subscription add-ons are, including premium options like Apple TV, AMC+, and Paramount+.

We can almost guarantee that more streaming services will toss their hats in the ring to compete as we inch closer to the official Prime Day kickoff on June 23. Don't worry; we'll be keeping an eye out for you and updating this list with the latest and greatest streaming deals that drop. While we're not expecting Black Friday-level discounts, we are sure to get some diamonds in the rough.

Best early Prime Day streaming deal

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Credit: Paramount+

Paramount+ Premium

$0.99/month for 2 months (save $13/month)

Get Deal

Why we like it

Like clockwork, we can always count on Paramount+ to dish out one of the best streaming deals during major shopping events. The streamer has resurrected the exact same streaming deal from last Prime Day for 2026, only this time it's technically a better offer since Paramount+ raised its prices earlier this year. Typically $13.99 per month for a Premium subscription (that's the ad-free tier with Showtime), you'll get two months for just 99 cents a piece. That saves you $26 total.

The Paramount+ library is surprisingly robust. Premium subscribers can enjoy Paramount+ Originals like Landman and RuPaul Drag Race All Stars, Showtime series like Dexter Resurrection and Yellowjackets, CBS shows like Survivor and Big Brother live, UFC fights, and nostalgic shows from Nickelodeon and MTV. That's not even counting the massive movie lineup (including Paramount Pictures movies straight from the theater).

The discount is only valid through the end of Prime Day on June 26, so be sure to sign up before then. You can grab the deal directly through Paramount+ itself or as a subscription add-on via Prime Video or Roku.

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Credit: Paramount+

Paramount+ Premium (Prime Video add-on)

$0.99/month for 2 months (save $13/month)

Get Deal

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Credit: Paramount+

Paramount+ Premium (Roku add-on)

$0.99/month for 2 months (save $13/month

Get Deal

Best Prime Day music streaming deal

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Credit: Amazon Music Unlimited

Amazon Music Unlimited

free for 4 months (save $11.99/month)

Get Deal

Why we like it

If you're not committed to a music streamer, now's a good time to check out Amazon Music Unlimited without spending a cent. Through June 29, new subscribers can secure four free months. Typically $11.99 per month for Prime members, that's a total of $47.96 in savings. Amazon Music Unlimited unlocks a massive music catalog that you can listen to on-demand, ad-free, and in the highest quality possible. Beyond music itself, Unlimited subscriptions also include "the most ad-free podcasts" of any of the major music apps, as well as one free audiobook per month via Audible. Even if you do already subscribe to another music streaming service, it's worth it to take a pause from payments for four months and lock in this deal.

More early Prime Day streaming deals

• Acorn TV (Prime Video add-on) — $0.99/month for 2 months $9.99/month (save $9/month)

• Acorn TV + AMC+ (Prime Video bundle) — $1.85/month for 2 months $12.99/month (save $11.14/month)

• ALLBLK (Prime Video add-on) — $0.99/month for 2 months $6.99/month (save $6/month)

• AMC+ Premium (Prime Video add-on) — $0.99/month for 2 months $10.99/month (save $10/month)

• Apple TV (Prime Video add-on) — $5.99/month for 2 months $12.99/month (save $7/month)

• Audible Standard — free for 3 months $8.99/month (save $8.99/month)

• BBC Select (Prime Video add-on) — $0.99/month for 2 months $5.99/month (save $5/month)

• BritBox (Prime Video add-on) — $0.99/month for 2 months $10.99/month (save $10/month)

• Crunchyroll Fan (Prime Video add-on) — $59.99/year $99.99/year (save $40)

• Great American Pure Flix (Prime Video add-on) — $0.99/month for 2 months $9.99/month (save $9/month)

• Hallmark+ (Prime Video add-on) — $0.99/month for 2 months $7.99/month (save $7/month)

• howdy (Prime Video add-on) — $0.99/month for 2 months $2.99/month (save $2/month)

• Lifetime Movie Club (Prime Video add-on) — $0.99/month for 2 months $4.99/month (save $4/month)

• MGM+ (Prime Video add-on) — $0.99/month for 2 months $7.99/month (save $7/month)

• PBS Documentaries (Prime Video add-on) — $0.99/month for 2 months $4.99/month (save $4/month)

• PBS Kids (Prime Video add-on) — $0.99/month for 2 months $4.99/month (save $4/month)

• PBS Masterpiece (Prime Video add-on) — $0.99/month for two months $6.99/month (save $6/month)

• Starz (Prime Video add-on) — $0.99/month for 2 months $12.99/month (save $12/month)

• ViX Premium (Prime Video add-on) — $0.99/month for 2 months $10.99/month (save $10/month)

• UP Faith & Family (Prime Video add-on) — $0.99/month for 2 months $5.99/month (save $5/month)

• Wonder Project (Prime Video add-on) — $0.99/month for 2 months $8.99/month (save $8/month)

Best early Prime Day deals under $50

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Best Amazon device deal

Amazon Echo Spot

$44.99 (save $35)

Get Deal

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Best headphones deal

JLab JBuds Lux ANC

$49.95 (save $30.03)

Get Deal

---

Best kitchen deal

Ninja Fit Compact Personal Blender

$48.98 (save $21.01)

Get Deal

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Best Lego deal

Lego Technic NASA Artemis Space Launch System Rocket (42221)

$47.99 (save $12)

Get Deal

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Best outdoor deal

Coleman Classic Series Insulated Portable Cooler (52 quarts)

$37.99 (save $12)

Get Deal

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Best beauty deal

Renpho Eyeris 1 Smart Eye Massager

$49.82 (save $10.17)

Get Deal

Amazon Prime Day is set to kick off on June 23, running though June 26 this year. It'll be a great time to save on tech, home appliances, and back to school gear. But like all Amazon sales, you might not have to wait for the official start day to cash in on major savings. In fact, sometimes it's better to shop early and avoid potential shipping delays.

Amazon has already dropped prices on plenty of great items like noise-cancelling headphones, Apple Watches, and portable power stations. But if you're sticking to a budget this summer or you're shopping for an affordable gift, the early sale has a great selection of options that cost under $50.

We'll continue to update this list as we get closer to the official sale. For now, these are the best early Prime Day deals that cost under $50.

Best Amazon Echo deal

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Credit: Amazon

Amazon Echo Spot

$44.99 at Amazon
$79.99 Save $35.00

 

Get Deal

Why we like it

When it comes to sorting out the best Amazon Echo device, the Echo Spot wins as the best model that serves as an alarm clock. While spending about $80 on a smart speaker combo alarm clock might feel steep, today's sale price of $44.99 brings it down to a much more comfortable level.

The Echo Spot is easy to set up straight out of the box and it has customizable faces and sounds. Plus, it's the perfect compact size for your nightstand.

Best headphones deal

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Credit: JLab

JLab JBuds Lux ANC

$49.95 at Amazon
$79.98 Save $30.03

 

Get Deal

Why we like it

If the price alone doesn't convince you, consider the awards the JLab JBuds Lux ANC have won at Mashable. They're our top pick for best budget headphones this year, the best noise-cancelling budget pick for flying, and the top budget headphones option for students.

In addition to having decent ANC, they have great battery life, getting up to 70 hours of total playtime or about 40 hours with ANC turned on. We're also pretty smitten with the colorway options.

Best kitchen deal

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Credit: Ninja

Ninja Fit Compact Personal Blender

$48.98 at Amazon
$69.99 Save $21.01

 

Get Deal

Why we like it

Ninja makes a variety of exceptional kitchen appliances, but if you're short on counter space, the Ninja Fit compact personal blender might be the best option. Use it to whip up a daily smoothie, a weekend frozen margarita, or a dessert chocolate milkshake. The Ninja blender comes with the 700W motor base as well as two 16-ounce Ninja cups and lids that are perfect for taking your blend on-the-go.

Best early Prime Day fitness tracker deals

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Best fitness tracker deal

Fitbit Charge 6

$99.95 (Save $60)

Get Deal

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Best smartwatch deal

Garmin Epix Pro (47mm)

$499.99 (Save $500)

Get Deal

---

Best Apple Watch Deal

Apple Watch Series 11 (42mm)

$299 (Save $100)

Get Deal

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Best Samsung Galaxy deal

Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 (44mm)

$289.99 (Save $90)

Get Deal

Prime Day deals can be totally overwhelming with the sheer volume of products on sale, but the smartest way to shop is to go for what you really need. If you've been in the market for a new fitness tracker, just in time to hit your summer fitness goals, Prime Day is the best time to buy.

Right now there are a wealth of fitness trackers and smartwatches on sale. Find Fitbits, Garmin smartwatches, and Apple Watches all on sale for their lowest price ever ahead of Prime Day. That's some stellar savings a week before Prime Day has even kicked off.

Best early Prime Day fitness tracker deal

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Credit: Fitbit

Fitbit Charge 6

$99.95 at Amazon
$159.95 Save $60.00

 

Get Deal

Fitbits are one of the OG fitness trackers, helping people get on their feet and stay active. The Charge 6 displays your daily steps and heart rate. It automatically detects activity and can even link to compatible exercise machines to display your heart rate. And right now, the Fitbit Charge 6 is 38% off ahead of Prime Day.

Grab it for just $99.95 and save $60 off its $159.95 list price. This early Prime Day deal also brings the Charge 6 down to its lowest price ever.

More fitness tracker deals

• Fitbit Sense 2 — $199.94 $249.95 (save $50.01)

• Fitbit Inspire 3 — $79.95 $99.95 (save $20)

Best early Prime Day smartwatch deal

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Credit: Garmin

Garmin Epix Pro (47mm)

$499.99 at Amazon
$999.99 Save $500

 

Get Deal

Garmin smartwatches are a staple among runners who want elite GPS tracking alongside health monitoring. The Garmin Epix Pro is usually a big investment at $999.99, but ahead of Prime Day, it's been cut in half, down to just $499.99, saving you $500.

It has 1.3-inch always on AMOLED display with a built-in LED flashlight. It's for true endurance athletes, providing a hill score for big climbs and endurance scores as you train. For a complete picture of your health, it'll monitor your health 24/7, providing pulse ox and HRV status.

Grab it now ahead of Prime Day for its lowest price ever.

More smartwatch deals

• CMF by Nothing Watch 3 Pro — $61.75 $99 (save $37.25)

• Garmin Vivoactive 5 — $189.99 $299.99 (save $110)

• Apple Watch SE 2 (44mm) — $249 $279 (save $30)

• Garmin Vivoactive 6 — $249.99 $299.99 (save $50)

• Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 (40mm) — $289.99 $349.99 (save $60)

• Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 (44mm) — $289.99 $379.99 (save $90)

• Apple Watch Series 11 (42mm) — $299 $399 (save $100)

• Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra (47mm) — $549.99 $649.99 (save $100)

• Garmin Venu X1 — $599.99 $697 (save $97.01)

• Garmin Forerunner 970 — $649.99 $749.99 (save $100)

• Apple Watch Ultra 3 (49mm) — $699.99 $799 (save $99.01)

In 2007, Apple introduced a lot of folks to the idea of a cell phone with a touchscreen. Since then, a ton of laptops have shipped with touch support, but Apple has avoided doing the same with MacBooks. It seems like that trend will end soon.

Bloomberg's resident Apple guru Mark Gurman did some analysis of the latest batch of Apple software betas and found evidence of touchscreen support coming to at least one future MacBook model. Specifically, the developer beta for macOS 27 Golden Gate features things like support for pull-to-refresh (like how you refresh social media feeds on an iPhone), as well as a pill-shaped Siri interface that looks a lot like the iPhone's Dynamic Island feature.

These are small things, but they're part of a longer trend of evidence piling up for a touchscreen MacBook.

A recent leak out of China, for example, said it was definitely happening, while Gurman has also previously reported on the topic. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be much in the way of specific info about this laptop, such as price, release date, or any other unique features it might have. But Gurman did call it a MacBook Pro in a previous report, so it might not be one of the cheaper models. (Remember: Apple is also rumored to be working on a high-end MacBook Ultra.)

Currently, the MacBook line includes the new MacBook Neo, the Air, and the Pro.

Amazon’s Prime Day sale is fast approaching, with deals on popular trading cards like MTG and Pokémon already live.

Mashable regularly tracks the best deals from Magic: The Gathering and Pokemon, plus other collectable cards like One Piece and KPop Demon Hunters. And this sale season is no different — we’re expecting more deals to go live as we get closer to Prime Day’s official launch date of June 23.

These are the best early Prime Day trading card deals we’ve found.

Best trading card deal

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Credit: Magic: The Gathering

Magic: The Gathering Avatar The Last Airbender Jumpstart Booster Box

$73.70 at Amazon
$91.99 Save $18.29

Get Deal

Why we like it

After becoming one of our highlighted deals earlier this week, Amazon's dropping Magic: The Gathering’s 24-pack Avatar: The Last Airbender Jumpstart Booster Box to only $73.70 (20% off its standard $91.86). It's still the very best trading card deal ahead of Amazon’s Prime Day sale today. 

Dropped to its lowest price ever on Amazon, confirmed via price tracker camelcamelcamel, this deal has been selling incredibly fast (68% claimed at the time of writing), but is still very much worth grabbing while you still can. 

Even going lower than the Avatar Jumpstart Box’s market price and listings on TCGplayer, this $18.16 saving means you’re only paying $3.07 per pack. With that, this is one of the most budget-friendly ways to enter into either this expansion or Magic: The Gathering altogether.

After all, the Jumpstart format makes Magic incredibly accessible and simple to start — having you ready to play just by opening two packs and shuffling them together. 

At the time of writing, any buyer can get delivery by Sunday, June 21, but Prime members can get theirs delivered as soon as tomorrow, June 17.

More early Prime Day trading card deals

Magic: The Gathering

• Magic: The Gathering Final Fantasy Starter Kit — $19.45 $21.93 (11% off)

• Magic: The Gathering Marvel Super Heroes Beginner Box — $24.44 $34.99 (30% off)

• Magic: The Gathering Foundations 2025 Jumpstart Booster Box — $100.45 $105.43 (5% off) 

• Magic: The Gathering Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Play Booster Box (30 packs) — $112.99 $123.95 (9% off) 

• Magic: The Gathering Marvel Super Heroes Jumpstart Booster Box (24 Packs) — $114.94 $167.76 (31% off)

• Magic: The Gathering Edge of Eternities Play Booster Box (30 Packs) — $135.03 $144.99 (7% off)

Pokémon TCG

• Pokémon TCG Random Sealed 3 Booster Pack Lot — $25.99 $27.89 (7% off)

• Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution — Chaos Rising Booster Bundle — $44.99 $59.99 (25% off) 

• Pokémon TCG Mega Zygarde ex Premium Collection with 8 Booster Packs — $55.55 $69.99 (21% off)

• Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Chaos Rising Elite Trainer Box — $87.42 $119.99 (27% off)

• Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Ascended Heroes Premium Poster Collection Mega Lucario — $187 $199.99 (6% off) 

• Pokémon Prismatic Evolutions Elite Trainer Box — $208.85 $219.99 (5% off)

• Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution Chaos Rising Booster Display — $262 $279.99 (6% off)

One Piece

• One Piece Card Game OP-06 OVP Booster — $28.39 $29.99 (5% off)

• Starter Deck ST-27 Marshall.D.Teach — $30.88 $33.95 (9% off)

• Starter Deck EX ST-30 Luffy & Ace — $88.99 $99.95 (11% off) 

• One Piece TCG Carrying on His Will Booster Box (OP-13) 24 Booster Packs — $624.95 $655.38 (5% off)

KPop Demon Hunters

• Classic Edition-001-NA (20 packs) — $36.60 $39.80 (8% off)

• Energy Edition-001-NA-Series 1-A (12 packs) — $49.90 $53.88 (7% off)

Canopy is best known for its stylish small home gadgets, including its iconic humidifiers. On June 16, the brand announced a new product offering: The Sound Machine + Aroma. It's a 3-in-1 sleep device that combines sleep sounds, a night light, and aromatherapy diffusion.

The Canopy Sound Machine + Aroma retails for $69 and comes in white, moonstruck, cream, lavender, and jade.

Canopy Sound Machine + Aroma specs and settings

• Sleep sounds: 15, including white noise, brown noise, ocean waves, and rain

• Volume levels: 10

• Battery life: 15 hours

• Night light colors: Red, white

• Aroma levels: 2

• Timers: 30, 60, 90 minutes

Choose red or white light to wind down for bed or keep the monsters away. Credit: Miller Kern / Mashable

Canopy Sound Machine + Aroma first impressions

I live in New York City, so you'd think my sleep is interrupted by loud noises all night, but I actually have the opposite problem. My street is incredibly quiet overnight, which means any time there is a noise — like my upstairs neighbors' creaking floorboards — I'm super aware of it. I can't sleep in dead quiet, so I've used different sound machines for years (my Echo Spot, and more recently the Babelio sound machine).

I've only used the Canopy Sound Machine + Aroma for four nights, but I can already tell it's going to earn a permanent spot on my nightstand. I prefer brown noise to white noise, and the Canopy's brown noise setting is perfect. Some of the programmed sounds are definitely geared toward babies, like shushing and lullabies, and I don't see myself ever using those. But there are enough white noise and nature soundscapes that I will use to justify the device's price.

I have a Vitruvi essential oil diffuser, which I love, but it's not the quietest while running. So I've been enjoying the absolutely silent aromatherapy from Canopy. I just squeeze a few drops of my lavender and peppermint oils, and the scents are diffused throughout the night.

The front of the device houses controls for power, light, aroma diffusion, timer, settings lock, sound selection, and volume. Credit: Miller Kern / Mashable

Open the back of the device to access the aromatherapy diffuser. Credit: Miller Kern / Mashable

I'm not a night light gal, but I do like to wind down the evening with soft, dim lighting. The red and white built-in lights are soothing and not at all too bright. You are able to adjust the brightness as well.

The 15-hour battery life means I get two nights' worth of use out of the Canopy Sound Machine + Aroma before having to recharge. I can also leave it on the charger overnight to avoid a lapse in my precious brown noise.

It's only been a few nights, but so far, I'm impressed. The Canopy Sound Machine + Aroma is stylish, portable, and packed with great sleep tools. I would absolutely spend my own money on this.

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Credit: Canopy

Canopy Sound Machine + Aroma

$69 at Canopy

 

Shop Now

A quick look at the best Amazon kitchen deals ahead of Prime Day

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Best air fryer deal

Oster Dual Air Fryer Oven (11-quart)

$99.99 at Amazon (save $99.88)

Get Deal

---

Best ice cream maker deal

Black+Decker Ice Cream Maker

$129.99 at Amazon (save $90)

Get Deal

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Best blender deal

Ninja Kitchen System

$129.99 at Amazon (save $90)

Get Deal

Warm weather has a way of inspiring us in the kitchen. Whether we're trying to recreate a delicious dish from vacation or recreate the vibes of an outdoor happy hour at home, summer is a great time to upgrade your kitchen gadget lineup. And Prime Day is a great time to buy the kitchen gadget you've been eyeing on sale.

Prime Day 2026 will officially run from June 23 to 26, but kitchen deals from Ninja, Instant Pot, Nespresso, and more are already popping up at Amazon. We've gathered the best early deals on air fryers, blenders, coffee makers and more below, many of which match record-low pricing that we haven't seen since Amazon's spring sale.

Best Amazon kitchen deal overall

Black+Decker Ice Cream Maker

$129.99 at Amazon
$219.99 Save $90

 

Get Deal at Amazon

Why we like it

We're pro Ninja frozen treat makers here at Mashable, but we're also pro dupes when we can find them. At its record-low price of $129.99, Black+Decker's ice cream maker is a solid Ninja Creami dupe to consider. It operates very similarly: Once liquid base ingredients have been mixed and frozen for 24 hours, the ice cream maker whips them into the perfect fluffy texture — regular ice cream, yogurt ice cream, and sorbet are all options. Follow the recipes in the included book or customize your own unique flavors around dietary restrictions or fun mix-ins.

More kitchen deals at Amazon

Deals on frozen drink and ice cream makers

• Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker — $71.99 $129.95 (save $40.96)

• Nutribullet Chill Ice Cream Maker — $149.99 $199.99 (save $50)

• Chefman Iceman Slush-Ease Slushie Machine — $169.99 $299.99 (save $130)

Deals on blenders

• Ninja Blast Max Portable Blender — $69.95 $99.99 (save $30.04)

• Oster Extreme Mix Blender — $113.99 $189.99 (save $302)

• Ninja Kitchen System — $129.99 $219.99 (save $90)

Deals on air fryers and pizza ovens

• Instant Pot Vortex 6-in-1 — $59.99 $89.99 (save $30)

• Oster Dual Air Fryer Oven (11-quart) — $99.99 $199.87 (save $99.88)

• Instant Pot Vortex Plus XL ClearCook Double Basket — $129 $189.99 (save $60.99)

• Ninja French Door Premier Air Fry Oven — $179.95 $89.99 (save $30)

• Chefman Indoor Pizza Oven — $189.99 $399.99 (save $210)

• Ninja Foodi Smart XL 6-in-1 Indoor Grill — $199.95 $299.99 (save $100.05)

• Breville Pizzaiolo Countertop Pizza Maker — $699.95 $999.95 (save $300)

Deals on multi-cookers

• Crock-Pot Personal Electric Food Warmer (20-ounce) — $27.73 $109.99 (save $12.26)

• Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 (6-quart) — $64.99 $109.99 (save $45)

• Instant Pot Pro 10-in-1 (6-quart) — $64.99 $109.99 (save $45)

• Instant Pot Dual Action 8-in-1 Serve Together Multi-Cooker and Rice Cooker — $129.99 $169.99 (save $40)

• Ninja HyperHeat 9-in-1 (6.5-quart) — $139.99 $169.99 (save $30)

Deals on coffee makers

• Keurig K-Mini Mate — $89 $109 (save $20)

• Nespresso Vertuo Pop+ with Milk Frother — $99 $129.95 (save $30.95)

• Nespresso Vertuo Next Coffee and Espresso Maker with Milk Frother — $158.65 $239.95 (save $81.30)

• Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine — $499.95 $699.95 (save $200)

• Ninja Luxe Café Pro Espresso Machine — $599 $749.99 (save $150.99)

Deals on cookware

• Calphalon Brushed Stainless Steel Fry Pan — $33.24 $49.99 (save $16.75)

• Calphalon Brushed Stainless Steel Fry Pan and Sauce Pan Set — $84.99 $119.99 (save $35)

• Calphalon Classic Stainless Steel 10-Piece Set — $132.99 $199.99 (save $67)

Deals on cleaning products

• If You Care Compostable Reusable Sponge Clothes (5 count) — $5.05 $6.43 (save $1.38)

• Aidea Microfiber Reusable Paper Towels (50 count) — $9.99 $14.99 (save $5)

• Blueland Dishwasher Detergent Tablets (60 count) — $23.99 $29.99 (save $6 with on-page code)

• Dropps UltraWash Dishwasher Detergent Pods (120 count) — $36.23 $47.46 (save $11.23)

When Elon Musk bought Twitter back in 2022, rebranded it to X, fired most of the staff, and significantly loosened moderation (leading to a reported increase in hate speech on the platform), it opened the door for new Twitter-like services, and Meta was one of the first to take it seriously with Threads.

The gamble appears to have paid off. On Tuesday, Meta announced that Threads now has 500 million monthly active users.

For context, X doesn't officially report the number of monthly active users it has, but estimates put it at around 560 million.

According to the company, one of the biggest growth drivers on Threads were Communities, which are groups of people engaging in conversations around certain topics. To celebrate the occasion, Meta said it's "graduating" Communities out of beta and launching several new features.

The new features include a Communities Hub, which resides in the app's main menu and makes it easier to find new communities, as well as switch between them. Communities have also gotten distinct icons, which makes them easier to recognize. Community Progress is a visual cue on how a certain topic is close to becoming a Community (topics need to reach a certain critical mass in popularity and engagement to become Communities).

This topic is close to becoming a Community. Credit: Meta

Also, more people who frequently contribute to communities are getting the community champion status. Finally, Meta is launching local Communities, starting with native language tags in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan.

Meta also launched another new feature, called Your Algo, allowing you to (privately) control which conversations you see in your feed. It's a complement to Dear Algo, which tells Threads what you want to see more or less of, but a little more granular, as you can choose whether you want this request to last one, three, or seven days (there's no permanent option, so you'll have to keep tuning this every now and then if you want it to stick).

Notably, Meta recently introduced similar algorithm controls in Instagram.

Your Algo is rolling out today in the U.S., Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand.

Amazon’s latest Prime Day sale is almost here, steadily building up to several days of huge deals on appliances, gadgets, and, of course, offers on Pokémon cards, games, gifts, and more. 

While the actual four-day Prime Day sale doesn’t kick off until June 23, Amazon is doing its usual thing and revealing plenty of deals early on to start ramping up the anticipation. Whether you're shopping for booster packs on the latest trading card game expansion or hit games on Nintendo Switch, Mashable has scoured the site and cherry-picked the best deals live right now. 

Here are the best early Prime Day deals you can find on all things Pokémon.

Best Pokémon deal

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Credit: The Pokémon Company

Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Chaos Rising Booster Bundle

$44.99 at Amazon
$59.99 Save $15

 

Get Deal

Why we like it

The Chaos Rising expansion has proved to be an exceptionally popular member of the Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution set. The Chaos Rising Booster Bundle has just dropped to its lowest price yet ahead of Prime Day — now only $44.99 after a 25% price cut from its standard $59.99 list price. 

The Chaos Rising Booster Bundle usually falls to around $48-$49 at best Now, as confirmed with price tracker camelcamelcamel, this is the lowest price we’ve seen yet. 

At $44.99, this six-pack Booster Bundle means you’ll only be paying $7.49 per booster. What’s more, this is even lower than TCGplayer’s own market price of $45.29 — undercutting its best listing price of $45.98. It even beats Walmart’s price of $46.95. 

Amazon’s $44.98 Chaos Rising Booster Bundle is being sold by third-party seller Collectors Expedition, but Amazon itself is handling the shipping. Although the option for returns isn’t available, this is still the best price we’ve seen on this six-pack chance to pull valuable single Chaos Rising chase cards, like SIR Mega Greninja ex, Mega Hyper Rare Mega Greninja ex, Cinccino ex, SIR Mega Dragalge ex, and SIR Mega Floette ex. 

More early Prime Day Pokémon deals

Pokémon TCG

• Pokémon Trading Card Game Random Sealed 3 Booster Pack Lot — $25.99 $27.89 (7% off)

• Pokemon TCG Mega Zygarde ex Premium Collection with 8 Booster Packs — $55.55 $69.99 (21% off)

• Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Chaos Rising Elite Trainer Box — $87.42 $119.99 (27% off)

• Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Ascended Heroes Premium Poster Collection Mega Lucario — $187 $199.99 (6% off) 

• Pokémon Prismatic Evolutions Elite Trainer Box — $208.85 $219.99 (5% off)

• Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Chaos Rising Booster Display — $262 $279.99 (6% off)

Clothing

• Pikachu Bath and Beach Soft Cotton Terry Hooded Towel Wrap — $13.44 $19.99 (33% off)

• Pikachu Hoodie — $21.79 $33.99 (36% off)

DVDs

• Pokémon Movies 1-3 — $9.96 $11.39 (13% off)

Funko Pop! figures

• Ivysaur Collectable Vinyl Figure — $8.84 $14.99 (41% off)

• Pikachu Collectable Vinyl Figure — $11.91 $19.99 (40% off)

Gifts

• Pokémon Deluxe Character Guide (Pokemon Pikachu Press - Preorder) — $41.99 $59.99 (30% off)

Video games

• Pokémon Shining Pearl (Nintendo Switch) — $47.89 $59.99 (20% off)

• Pokémon Violet (Nintendo Switch) — $51.99 $59.99 (13% off)

• Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee! (Nintendo Switch) — $53.99 $59.99 (10% off)

Microsoft has formally announced the new Surface Laptop 8 and Surface Pro 12 with Qualcomm's fresh Snapdragon X2 chips, as promised. They're available today starting at $1,599.99 and $1,499.99, respectively.

In a blog post, Microsoft said its next-gen Copilot+ PCs for consumers offer up to 58 percent and 53 percent better graphics performance than their predecessors from 2024, which ran on the original Snapdragon X series chips. Aiming to entice creative professionals, both devices will ship with the graphic design app Affinity pre-installed and pinned to their Start menus.

Shop Microsoft's new Surface devices:

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Microsoft Surface Laptop 8, 13.8-inch (Snapdragon X2 Plus, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD)

$1,599.99 (includes free Surface Arc Mouse through June 30)

Shop Now

---

Microsoft Surface Laptop 8, 15-inch (Snapdragon X2 Plus, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD)

$1,699.99 (includes free Surface Arc Mouse through June 30)

Shop Now

---

Microsoft Surface Pro 12, 13-inch with LCD display (Snapdragon X2 Plus, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD)

$1,499.99 (includes free Surface Pro 13-inch Keyboard through June 30)

Shop Now

---

Microsoft Surface Pro 12, 13-inch with OLED display (Snapdragon X2 Elite, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD)

$1,799.99 (includes free Surface Pro 13-inch Keyboard through June 30)

Shop Now

Speaking to Mashable, Andrew Hill, Microsoft's corporate VP of Surface, said the company's biggest priority in developing its new devices was "making sure the fundamentals are great."

"We are spending a lot of time and energy across Surface and Windows right now on fundamentals, and we should make sure that you have a bunch of that collateral, for lack of a better word, for how those investments are laddering up for reliability, responsiveness, battery life, just across the board," Hill said. "So we spent a ton of energy on those pieces."

Shoppers who purchase a Snapdragon X2-powered Surface Laptop 8 directly through Microsoft now through June 30 will receive a free Surface Arc Mouse ($89.99), and those who buy a Surface Pro 12 this month will receive a free Surface Pro 13-inch Keyboard ($169.99). If you miss the boat, you'll have to buy those accessories separately.

The new Surface devices cost roughly the same as their predecessors, which recently saw late-in-life price hikes due to the global RAM shortage. Some 2026 configurations cost $50 to $100 more than the price-adjusted 2024 versions, but others cost $50 to $100 less.

This is the second generation of Surface devices where Microsoft has earmarked Snapdragon models for consumers, despite lingering ARM compatibility issues. (The company announced Intel-powered counterparts for businesses last month.) According to Hill, this is because "We find with Qualcomm, the performance per watt and battery life is of high value."

Microsoft Surface Laptop 8: What's new (and what's not)

The 13.8-inch Surface Laptop 8 comes in a fun new "Jade" finish. Credit: Microsoft

The clamshell-style Surface Laptop 8 comes in 13.8- and 15-inch sizes like usual, and the smaller one will be available in a new Jade finish. Other options include Microsoft's standard Dune, Black, and Platinum finishes. Sorry, no more Sapphire.

Contrary to what the rumor mill has been saying, these new Windows laptops won't have OLED displays. However, the 15-inch model's 120Hz LCD touchscreen has been bumped from a 2,496 x 1,664 resolution (201 pixels per inch) to a 3,270 x 2,180 resolution (262 ppi). It's "the sharpest ever [display] on a Surface Laptop," Microsoft said. For reference, it's even crisper than the Apple MacBook Pro's Liquid Retina display.

The new Surface Laptops' haptic trackpad has added support for Windows 11's new haptic signals feature, which adds subtle vibrations to certain on-screen actions. They also have a new 1080p webcam that's been certified by a camera benchmarking site called DXOMARK as "the #1 ranked laptop camera," Microsoft said.

Configuration options for both sizes are:

• CPU: Snapdragon X2 Plus or X2 Elite processor

• Memory: 16GB to 64GB of RAM

• Storage: 512GB to 2TB

Battery life will be the same or slightly worse in this generation. The 13.8-inch Surface Laptop 8 is rated for up to 20 hours of local video playback, while the 15-inch model is rated for up to 19 hours. Their predecessors notched ratings of up to 20 and 22 hours, respectively.

Both models still have a backlit keyboard, WiFi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and their usual ports. The 13.8-inch model has two USB-C ports, one USB-A port, a Surface Connect port, and a headphone jack; the 15-inch model adds a MicroSDXC Express card reader.

Both 2026 Surface Laptops have the same footprints as the 2024 versions, though the 13.8-inch Surface Laptop 8 is the smallest bit heavier. It's now three pounds on the dot, up from 2.96 pounds.

Microsoft Surface Pro 12: What's new (and not)

That keyboard is an extra purchase unless you buy the Surface Pro 12 sometime this month. Credit: Microsoft

The convertible Surface Pro 12 is available in Platinum, Black, and Dune finishes. No more Sapphire here, either.

You can still choose from LCD or OLED displays, like in the previous generation. The type you pick still determines your CPU, RAM, and storage configuration options. However, the OLED model now maxes out with 64GB of RAM (up from 32GB in the Surface Pro 11):

• CPU: Snapdragon X2 Plus on the LCD model; Snapdragon X2 Elite on the OLED model

• Memory: 16GB RAM on the LCD model; 16GB to 64GB of RAM on the OLED model

• Storage: 256GB to 512GB on the LCD model; 512GB to 1TB on the OLED model

There should be a small gen-over-gen battery life boost. The Surface Pro 11 was rated for up to 14 hours of local video playback, but this new model should tap out around 15.5 hours.

Finally, the Surface Pro 12 has the exact same weighs and measurements as its predecessor. Plus, you still get WiFi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, two USB-C ports, a Surface Connect port, and a Surface Pro Keyboard port.

The state of Microsoft Surface

Microsoft revealed the Surface Ultra at Computex, and it launched later this year at a probably-crazy price. Credit: Microsoft

It's been a busy spring for Microsoft. In mid-April, the company raised prices on its 2024 Surface devices by up to $500, citing "recent increases in memory and component costs."

In mid-May, Microsoft unveiled new Surface for Business devices with Intel chips. (It teased the consumer-oriented Snapdragon X2 models as part of that announcement.) The 13.8-inch Surface Laptop 8 for Business has an optional integrated privacy screen, similar to the Privacy Display on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, but the two lines' designs are otherwise identical.

Their prices are not. The flagship Surface for Business devices will start at $1,949.99 when they arrive on July 14. A more portable Surface Laptop for Business 13-inch is now available starting at $1,499.99. A lesser variant with 8GB of RAM will debut later this year, starting at $1,299.99.

At Computex in early June, Microsoft debuted the all-new Surface Ultra laptop and Surface RTX Spark Dev Box desktop PC, both with Nvidia's new RTX Spark "superchip." They're set for release sometime later this year; stay tuned for pricing, which is probably going to be bonkers.

The new Surface Laptop 8 and Surface Pro 12 aren't cheap themselves, but they're the most affordable options in the Surface lineup for now. Microsoft has yet to announce updated Snapdragon X2 versions of the 13-inch Surface Laptop and 12-inch Surface Pro, which it launched last year as cheaper, more compact alternatives to its flagship devices. That said, they arrived nearly 11 months after the Surface Laptop 7 and Surface Pro 12 dropped, so it's probably just a matter of time before their replacements arrive.

UPDATE: Jun. 16, 2026, 10:09 a.m. EDT Spec sheets that Microsoft shared with Mashable ahead of the announcement contained inaccuracies. This story has been updated to note that both sizes of the new Surface Laptop 8 start with 512GB of storage, and to reflect that the Surface Pro 12's configuration options differ by display type.

The best Disney+ deals and bundles in June 2026:

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Best Hulu Bundle Deal

Disney+ and Hulu Bundle

Get 6 months for $11.99/month

Get Deal

---

Best HBO Max Bundle Deal

Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max Bundle

$19.99/month with ads, $32.99/month ad-free

Get Deal

---

Best ESPN Bundle Deal

Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Unlimited Bundle

$35.99/month

Get Deal

Whether you're looking to jump into the latest superhero saga or journey to a galaxy far, far away, Disney+ is the streaming service for you.

Home to Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and more, Disney+ offers a library that's stuffed full of shows and films to keep both adults and kids entertained. With Disney+, you can watch Star Wars: Maul — Shadow Lord, the second season of Daredevil: Born Again, Pixar's new movie Hoppers, and much more.

If you've had this streaming service on your radar but you're unsure which plan is the best fit for you, we've got you covered with a selection of Disney+ streaming deals. Right now, the streamer is offering six months of its ad-supported Disney+ and Hulu bundle for only $11.99 per month (which renews at $12.99 per month after six months), or six months of its ad-free plan at $17.99 per month (which will return to $19.99 per month after the six-month promotional period).

There's also the Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max package, which is a great investment for those who already watch the other two streaming services but want to cut down on costs. We've detailed all of the available bundle deals below, alongside basic information on Disney+ plans if you just want the House of Mouse's service on its own.

Best Hulu bundle deal

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Credit: Disney

Disney+ and Hulu Bundle

Get 6 months of Disney+ and Hulu (With Ads) for $11.99/month, then $12.99/month

Get Deal

Why we like it

For those interested in the Disney+ and Hulu bundle, the streamer is offering deals on both its ad-supported and ad-free plans. For the plan with ads, new and eligible returning subscribers can lock in for six months and enjoy it for $11.99 per month before it returns to $12.99 per month. And if you're interested in going ad-free, the Premium plan is down to $17.99 per month for six months before returning to $19.99 per month.

• Disney+ and Hulu Bundle — $11.99 per month for six months, then $12.99 per month

• Disney+ and Hulu Bundle Premium — $17.99 per month for six months, then $19.99 per month

Best HBO Max bundle deal

Opens in a new window

Credit: Disney

Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max Bundle

$19.99/month with ads, $32.99/month ad-free

Get Deal

Why we like it

The Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max bundle is one of the best available at the moment. Starting at $19.99 per month, you can have three excellent streaming services right in the palm of your hand. The $19.99 per month option is for the With Ads plan, but if you'd prefer to watch your favorite content without ads, the No Ads plan comes to $32.99 per month. Compared to what you'd pay for each of these on their own, you're saving 42% with the ad-supported plan and 41% with the ad-free plan.

• Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max Bundle (with ads) — $19.99 per month (save 42%)

• Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max Bundle (no ads) — $32.99 per month (save 41%)

Best ESPN bundle

Opens in a new window

Credit: Disney

Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Unlimited Bundle

$35.99/month

Get Deal

If you're a sports fan looking to add ESPN to your bundles, you're in luck: Disney offers bundles with both ESPN Select and ESPN Unlimited. According to ESPN, "ESPN Select includes ESPN+ content only. Fans who want ESPN+ exclusively may subscribe to the ESPN Select plan. ESPN Unlimited includes all of the ESPN networks and services, including ESPN+."

The Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited Bundle, which has ads, is available for $35.99 per month. The Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited premium bundle without ads is available for $44.99 per month.

• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Select Bundle — $19.99 per month

• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Select Bundle Premium — $29.99 per month

• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited Bundle — $35.99 per month

• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited Bundle Premium — $44.99 per month

Best Disney+ monthly plans

Disney+ offers two standard plans if you just want the service on its own. The Disney+ ad-supported plan comes to $11.99 per month while the ad-free Disney+ Premium plan will set you back $18.99 per month or $189.99 per year if you'd rather pay annually.

• Disney+ (With Ads) — $11.99 per month

• Disney+ Premium (No Ads) — $18.99 per month, $189.99 per year

Disney+ has also created an "extra member" plan for people using your account that live outside of your household as they crack down on password sharing. If you're looking to add another person onto your account, you're only allowed one extra profile and can choose from the following add-on plans:

• Disney+ (With Ads) — $6.99 per month

• Disney+ Premium — $9.99 per month

• Disney+, Hulu Bundle — $7.99 per month

• Disney+, Hulu Bundle Premium — $10.99 per month

• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Select Bundle — $11.99 per month

• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Select Bundle Premium — $14.99 per month

There's a wealth of shows and films to check out on Disney+ after you sign up. If you want some help finding something to watch, check out our roundups of the 12 best TV shows for adults on Disney+ and the 20 best movies on Disney+ to start building out your watchlist.

TL;DR: The New York Knicks 2026 NBA championship parade starts on Thursday, June 18 at 10 a.m. ET. If you can't make it to Lower Manhattan, you can livestream the entire celebration via FuboTV or DirecTV, both of which offer free trials for new users.

It actually happened. After a painful 53-year wait, the New York Knicks are NBA Champions.

Finals MVP Jalen Brunson put away the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5, ending the longest active championship drought among teams that had previously won an NBA title. Predictably, the city has lost its mind. Now it's time to party.

Whether you plan on skipping work to stand 10-deep on the sidewalk or want to stream the entire historic moment from the comfort of your living room, here is everything you need to know about the logistics, the route, and how to watch.

What time does the Knicks parade start?

The parade is scheduled for Thursday, June 18, 2026. The floats are set to begin rolling at exactly 10 a.m. ET.

What is the Knicks parade route?

The procession will follow New York City’s legendary Canyon of Heroes pathway in Lower Manhattan. The parade kicks off at The Battery (Bowling Green) and travels directly north along Broadway before culminating at City Hall Park.

Following the float progression, Mayor Mamdani will host a civic ceremony outside City Hall to present keys to the city to Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and the rest of the roster. Keep an eye out for Mitchell Robinson driving his own custom raised pickup truck in the parade lineup. That's the kind of unhinged energy that Knicks fans relish.

How to watch the Knicks parade from home

If you aren’t willing to brave the swarms of fans taking over the subways (we get it), you will need a reliable livestream. The parade will be broadcast locally on New York news and sports networks (including MSG Network, FOX 5, and ABC 7). If you don't have a cable box, your best bet is a live TV streaming service.

How to live stream the Knicks parade:

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Our top pick for cord-cutters

FuboTV

7-day free trial

Get Deal

---

Best Alternative

DirecTV

5-day free trial

Get Deal

The gaming platform Roblox rolled out Kids and Select accounts globally, the company said in a blog post Tuesday.

The account types, which Roblox previously launched in Australia, Indonesia, the Netherlands, and New Zealand, provide parents with a range of content protections depending on a user's age.

What are Roblox Kids and Select accounts?

Kids accounts are designed for five to eight-year-olds while Select accounts are for users ages nine to 15.

The platform's youngest users can only access games that Roblox has labeled as "minimal" or "mild" for their maturity, and they cannot chat by default.

Select accounts can play games rated up to moderate, which may include some violence, crude humor, and fear, as well as "light realistic blood" and "unplayable" gambling content. The chat settings for these accounts vary based on the user's age and region.

Roblox automatically places users into a specific account type based on the age-check process. Users are then automatically moved into new accounts as they grow older. Once a teen turns 16, based on Roblox's understanding of their age, they're able to access a standard Roblox account. In January, Roblox began requiring users to verify their age to unlock chat features.

"With Roblox Kids and Roblox Select, we're creating age-based protections designed to support younger users at different stages, while giving parents tools to personalize the experience for their family," Matt Kaufman, chief safety officer at Roblox, said in the company's announcement.

In addition to its existing parental controls, Roblox is expanding game blocking and chat management features to parents of teens as old as 15. Parents will also be able to approve specific games not included in their child's default account settings.

Why is Roblox being investigated and sued?

The expected development comes as Roblox remains under intense legal pressure and scrutiny. Roblox faces more than 160 cases filed by plaintiffs who say they were sexually exploited as children as a result of the platform's inadequate child safety practices. Roblox, along with the messaging platform Discord, recently requested that those claims be moved out of court into closed-door arbitration, according to Bloomberg.

In April, Roblox paid $23 million to Alabama and West Virginia to settle investigations into the company's handling of child safety. West Virginia's investigation gathered evidence that young Roblox users had been exposed to sexual and violent content, grooming, and predators, according to Reuters.

Last month, child safety organizations accused Roblox of violating Federal Trade Commission regulations that prohibit false advertising, unfair conduct, and deceptive practices, and called for an investigation into Roblox. The company disputed those claims in a statement to Mashable.

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you're always in awe.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

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

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

To wow.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

The letter A appears twice.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter A.

The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

AMAZE

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.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you're a healthy eater.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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

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.

Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Healthy toppings

• Green: Posse

• Blue: One in a million

• Purple: Rings

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Creamy salad dressings

• Green: Attendants

• Blue: Rare things, idiomatically

• Purple: What "Hoops' might refer to

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 #1101 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Creamy salad dressings: BLUE CHEESE, CAESAR, GREEN GODDESS, RANCH

• Attendants: COURT, ENTOURAGE, RETINUE, SUITE

• Rare things, idiomatically: BLACK SWAN, BLUE MOON, PERFECT STORM, UNICORN

• What "Hoops' might refer to: BASKETBALL, EARRINGS, RED TAPE, RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS GEAR

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

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

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

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

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you can't wait for break time.

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

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

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

NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: For here or to go?

The words are related to food.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe midday meals.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Whats for Lunch.

NYT Strands word list for June 16

• Sandwich

• Ramen

• Gyro

• Whats for Lunch

• Salad

• Wrap

• Soup

• Tacos

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.

Knicks fever took over The Tonight Show on Monday, with the NBA Champions joining Jimmy Fallon for a special episode.

Following a historic win that broke the internet, NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson, six-time NBA All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns, and head coach Mike Brown joined Fallon to talk winning the New York Knicks' first NBA championship since 1973.

"It hasn't sunk in yet," said Brunson. "I don't know if it will for a while. But the opportunity presented itself, we went out there as a team, we found a way to do it, fighting back all those games, and it was worth it."

The three delved into superstitions, pre-game playlists, curses, and uncurses via WWE. And they also thanked Knicks fans and acknowledged the power of their community.

"When we get the fans involved, and we give them something to cheer for, it's something special," said Towns.

Brown also gave insight into his now viral "Who Let the Dogs Out" chant, leading The Tonight Show audience into it and delightfully sending his players into a cringe spiral. "We've got to put that to bed," said Brunson.

You can watch the whole episode on Peacock or through clips on The Tonight Show's YouTube page.

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Jimmy Kimmel's monologue was very sports-focused on Monday, and after recapping the Knicks' NBA finals win he was forced to turn his attention to Donald Trump's White House UFC 250 event.

"We had a sporting event that didn't bring people together this weekend, Donald Trump's big, violent birthday party, the UFC fight at the White House," says Kimmel in the clip above. "Last night, Trump turned the White House into a Waffle House."

The host then goes on to break down some key moments from the night, showing a photo of Donald Trump Jr. looking miserable ("This is the moment he realised his dad wasn't able to let him have his wedding at the White House, but was able to host a 4,000-person MMA fight") and the president appearing to nod off again.

"It was so exciting he almost stayed awake for the whole thing. Until it was time to take a little UFCiesta. So sweet, he's like an angel when he sleeps," says Kimmel. "Only Donald Trump could fall asleep at a party sponsored by Monster energy drink."

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Lenovo just announced the second-generation of the Lenovo Tab Plus tablet. Priced at $399.99, it's more expensive than its predecessor, though it now offers richer audio, an upgraded HDR display, a built-in kickstand, and new AI features.

The Tab Plus Gen 2 is an Android tablet and an alternative to Apple's popular iPads, which start at $349. The new tablet features a JBL 9-unit Pro speaker system, fine-tuned with Dolby Atmos audio. Lenovo says it's meant to deliver a rich, cinematic experience and can even operate as a standalone speaker with built-in Bluetooth. Alongside all the boosted audio comes an equally upgraded display. The 12.1-inch 2.5K LCD display supports Dolby Vision and HDR10 video with a max brightness of 800 nits.

On the back of the tablet is a built-in kickstand, which props up the tablet or serves as a grip for carrying the device. When in standby mode, the Tab Plus Gen 2 also functions as a digital picture frame.

With a built-in kickstand, you can watch your shows anywhere on the Lenovo Tab Plus Gen 2. Credit: Lenovo / Mashable

The tablet launches with Android 16 support, with two OS upgrades coming through Android 18. It starts at 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which are similar specs to Apple's base iPad. It has a MediaTek Dimensity 7400 octa-core processor. Lenovo says it will provide 15 hours of battery life and has intelligent features like AI live transcription, Lenovo Smart Reader, and AI Notes.

The Lenovo Tab Plus Gen 2 starts at $399.99 and will be available globally soon, though we still don't know the exact release date yet.

SAVE OVER $300: As of June 16, the Roborock Qrevo S5V robot vacuum and mop is on sale for $549.99 at Amazon. This is $350 off its full price of $899.99.

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Early Prime Day deals have been popping up left and right at Amazon, and if you've been searching for a robot vacuum, the retailer isn't going to make you wait for the sale to start. We've already spotted some excellent deals on select models, including the Roborock Qrevo S5V which has dropped to $549.99.

Usually the Roborock Qrevo S5V robot vacuum and mop is priced at $899.99, so this is your chance to save $350 on both the black and white models. If you've been looking for a combination cleaner to help keep your floors shiny and dirt-free this summer, it's a model well worth considering.

Whether you're dealing with pet hair, dirt, or crumbs that have gotten lost in the carpet, the Roborock Qrevo S5V boasts a 12,000Pa suction to help lift it out. It even features obstacle avoidance technology that can help it navigate around any items in its way, so it won't be slowed down while scooting from room to room.

There's no need to worry about stains on harder surfaces as the Roborock Qrevo S5V's mopping system scrubs up to 200 rotations per minute. It also features an extendable mop arm that can reach corners or tricky spots, and has a 10mm lift that helps keep low-pile carpets from getting wet.

This early deal on the Roborock Qrevo S5V is well worth jumping on at Amazon ahead of Prime Day. Act fast to save.

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

Donald Trump threw himself and America a lavish $60 million birthday party on the White House lawn on Sunday, and Seth Meyers dug into the details on Late Night.

"Donald Trump threw himself a birthday party at the White House with big strong men fighting each other and motorcycles flying through the air, and then he gave himself the gift of a peace deal with Iran that accomplished nothing other than getting us back to where we were before the war began," said Meyers on Monday night. "But at least his name is still on the Kennedy Center. Right? Oh, it's not."

Trump's Freedom 250 event, which marked the president's 80th birthday and America's 250 years of independence, involved an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on the South Lawn, held in a 92-foot steel arena called "The Claw."

"So, The Claw was in place at the White House, as I'm sure the Founding Fathers would have loved, and to prepare for the fight, there was a press conference at the Lincoln Memorial, which had to be one of the weirdest things anyone's seen in our nation's capital," said Meyers. "Look at Lincoln in the background. It's like he saw what they were doing and said, 'Oh, I gotta sit down.'"

The event didn't exactly earn public praise, as Meyers pointed out that a recent Reuters poll shows just 16 percent of Americans, including only a third ‌of Republicans, approve of UFC fights being held at the White House — and as CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten pointed out, that's lower than the 28 percent of Americans who believe in telepathy.

"Fewer Americans support UFC fights in the White House than believe in telepathy," said Meyers. "Oh, speaking of which, I'm getting a message, I'm telepathically communicating with the American people, and they're telling me...wait...yes, this sucks."

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"Sunday night gave the president and his acolytes an opportunity to rebut the joyous communion of teamwork that embodied the New York Knickerbockers for a joyless, Vegas-style trudge through the People's House, now transformed into a gold-plated pummeling center."

That's Daily Show host Jon Stewart introducing Donald Trump's UFC Freedom 250 White House event that took place over the weekend, with the host cracking jokes before abruptly changing his tone upon realising that the event was broadcast by the Daily Show's parent network Paramount+.

"Once again the leaders of Paramount+ providing us all with incredible content at reasonable prices," says a suddenly robotic Stewart. "I...I am proud to stand with the Paramount family and whatever shows they decide to either cancel or put on."

Still, he makes his feelings very clear about UFC fighter Josh Hokit, who targeted former First Lady Michelle Obama with insults during a post-fight interview.

"What a f***ing asshole," says Stewart.

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TL;DR: Live stream France vs. Senegal in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is going to be absolutely electric. Most of the drama will be reserved for the knockout rounds, but that doesn't mean we aren't getting huge games in the group stage.

Take France vs. Senegal, for example. It's one of the favorites to win the competition against a special Senegal team that some argue won AFCON earlier this year. Could Senegal turn back the clock and beat France in the group stage like they did in the opening match of the 2002 tournament? What a story that would be.

All eyes will be on the battle between Kylian Mbappe and Sadio Mane, but there really are too many stars to name in this blockbuster matchup.

If you want to watch France vs. Senegal in the 2026 FIFA World Cup from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is France vs. Senegal?

France vs. Senegal in the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off at 3 p.m. ET on June 16. This fixture takes place at the MetLife Stadium.

How to watch France vs. Senegal for free

France vs. Senegal in the 2026 FIFA World Cup 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 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 to live stream the 2026 World Cup for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream France vs. Senegal for free by following these simple steps:

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

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

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

4. Visit BBC iPlayer

5. Watch France vs. Senegal for free from anywhere in the world

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

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The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the 2026 World Cup without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream France vs. Senegal (plus more World Cup fixtures) before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming services from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?

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 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

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

Live stream France vs. Senegal in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free with ExpressVPN.

It feels like the 2026 World Cup is picking up the pace. We started with some interesting matchups, but there's been some real fire with recent fixtures. We also got the biggest shock of the tournament so far, with Cape Verde stealing a stunning 0-0 draw against Spain. That result will give every side hope of doing something special.

Today, June 16, is another big day for the tournament. The action starts at 12 p.m. ET. The schedule is hectic and it can feel overwhelming, so we've broken down the details for you below. Here's what you need to know to tune in live today.

FIFA World Cup schedule today: June 16

• Group I: France vs. Senegal (New York New Jersey Stadium) — kickoff at 3 p.m. ET

• Group I: Iraq vs. Norway (Boston Stadium) — kickoff at 6 p.m. ET

• Group J: Argentina vs. Algeria (Kansas City Stadium) — kickoff at 9 p.m. ET

• Group J: Austria vs. Jordan (San Francisco Bay Area Stadium) — kickoff at 12 a.m. ET

How to livestream FIFA World Cup games today

Watch France vs. Senegal

There are plenty of interesting matchups from the group stage, but this might be one of the best on the schedule. France are one of the favorites to win the tournament, but Senegal possess a lot of talent. Live coverage will be on FOX and Fox One. Peacock will carry the live Spanish-language coverage.

Watch Iraq vs. Norway

Norway might surprise a lot of people in this tournament. Any team that has Haaland leading the line is in with a chance, and he's backed up by a squad full of elite talent. They face a tough test against Iraq in the opening game. Live coverage will be on FOX and Fox One. Peacock will carry the live Spanish-language coverage.

Watch Argentina vs. Algeria

The defending champions begin their campaign against Algeria. Messi and co will be favorites to win this one, but there's no better motivation than facing the team that holds the trophy. Live coverage will be on FOX and Fox One. Peacock will carry the live Spanish-language coverage.

Watch Austria vs. Jordan

This isn't the most glamorous matchup on the schedule, but who cares? Both of these sides will look at Group J as an opportunity to progress to the knockout rounds, and that all starts here. Live coverage will be on FS1 and Fox One. Peacock will carry the live Spanish-language coverage.

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More live streaming options

Live TV cable replacement

Not interested in signing up for a standalone streaming service like Fox One or Peacock? You can sign up for a live TV cable replacement service, like YouTube TV or Hulu + Live TV.

These services carry over 100 live channels, but run off a WiFi connection. You'll get live access to Fox and FS1, plus a whole lot more. Here are some options to consider:

• YouTube TV — 10-day trial, then $67.99/month for 3 months

• Fubo Sports — 1-day trial, then $45.99/month for 1 month

• Hulu + Live TV — 3-day trial, then $89.99/month

Watch the World Cup for free with a VPN

It's possible to watch the World Cup for free on international services like ITVX, BBC iPlayer, NOS, or RTÉ. Our global World Cup watch guide can walk you through the process.

You will need a VPN to live stream the World Cup for free. We recommend ExpressVPN — a Mashable-tested service and an Official Tournament Supporter of the FIFA World Cup in the U.S., Canada, and Europe — as our VPN of choice for sport. It offers servers in 105 countries, a user-friendly app available on all major devices, a speedy connection, up to 10 simultaneous connections, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

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ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

$12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)

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Xpeng brought Mashable reporter Amanda Yeo to China to experience the new VLA 2.0 autonomous driving model inside its P7 electric vehicle. The demonstration offers a closer look at how Chinese automakers are advancing self-driving systems and what sets their approach apart from competitors around the world.

The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Tuesday, June 16, 2026:

Across

Worker who sticks a thick mix on bricks

• The answer is Mason.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

Volvos or VWs

• The answer is Autos.

"Wow, that's wild!"

• The answer is Crazy.

Peaceful place

• The answer is Haven.

Key above ~ on a Mac

• The answer is ESC

Down

___ 1 (speed of sound)

• The answer is Mach.

Emanating glow

• The answer is Aura.

Fend (off)

• The answer is Stave.

Seeps slowly

• The answer is Oozes.

Boy band with the 2000 hit "It's Gonna Be Me"

• The answer is NSYNC.

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.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk may currently be busy looking at his net worth blasting through one trillion dollars, thanks to the recent SpaceX IPO, but he's got other reasons to be jolly, too.

Electrek spotted the official EPA filing for Tesla's self-driving car, the Cybercab, and the numbers look pretty great.

According to Tesla's submission, the Cybercab will be powered by a single, 163kW (219HP) motor driving the front wheels, and a 47.6kWh lithium-ion battery.

While that battery capacity doesn't sound like much (for example, even the Rear-Wheel Drive Tesla Model 3 has a larger, 57.5kWh battery), the Cybercab is listed as having 418.2 miles of combined range, and 375.4 miles of highway range. Those sound better than they really are, mind you; these are unadjusted EPA test results, and we'll probably see lower official figures once the Cybercab hits the roads. In particular, EPA will likely apply a 0.7 correction factor to these numbers (as it does to all electric vehicles), which brings the combined range to 293 miles, which is still pretty great.

The impressive range is partially thanks to the Cybercab's low curb weight, which is officially 3,113 lbs (1,412kg). Again, compare that to a RWD Tesla Model 3, which weighs 3,552 lbs in its lightest-ever configuration.

It's easy to see why the Cybercab is so light: smaller battery pack, only two seats, no steering wheel, and no pedals. Electrek points out that Tesla probably could have pushed the weight even lower, but the company was probably happy with the efficiency numbers it got with this configuration. The company originally claimed the Cybercab would have close to 300 miles of range.

Tesla Cybercabs are now pretty much cleared to hit the roads from EPA's standpoint, but in order to send them to ferry actual passengers, Tesla still needs to pass some regulatory hurdles. The company currently has a limited robotaxi operation with Model Y cars ferrying passengers in Austin, Dallas, and Houston, Texas.

If you've recently found yourself wondering why someone is talking to "chat," calculating their "aura," calling a friend "twin," or lamenting their "Chungus life" on a daily basis, you're not alone.

Terms that once lived in niche corners of Twitch, TikTok, and group chats now spread across the internet in a matter of days. Some, like "W" and "chat," emerged from livestreaming culture. Others, like "brainrot" and "Tung Tung Tung Sahur," were born of the internet's increasingly surreal sense of humor and its growing reliance on AI. A few, like "Chungus," have survived so long they've now been reinvented by the internet.

Whether you're trying to decode a comment section or simply understand what young people are talking about, here's a guide to the most important internet slang terms you need to know in 2026.

"W"

Short for "win," W is one of the internet's most common ways to express approval. While the term has roots in sports and gaming, where wins and losses are literal outcomes, it became mainstream through livestreaming culture. Popular streamers like IShowSpeed, Kai Cenat, and xQc frequently encourage viewers to "spam W's in the chat" in response to a positive moment, whether it's a successful challenge, a major announcement, or an unexpected victory.

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Today, the term serves as an online catchall endorsement. Your favorite team pulls off a historic comeback? W. ("W Knicks.") Your friend lands their dream job? W. ("Huge W.") A creator posts a particularly good take? W. ("Common Vanillamace W.") Your flight gets upgraded, your crush texts back, or you find a $20 bill in an old jacket pocket? Those are all W moments. The format is simple, instantly recognizable, and perfectly suited to social media, where a single letter can communicate support, agreement, excitement, or admiration.

Unc

Short for "uncle," "unc" evolved from a term of familiarity and respect in Black communities into broader internet slang. Online, it's often used to playfully call someone old, out of touch, or unintentionally embarrassing, even if they're nowhere near retirement age.

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Athletes, celebrities, and creators in their late 20s or 30s have all found themselves labeled "unc" by younger users. The term reflects the internet's tendency to compress generations, where anyone perceived as slightly older can suddenly become an elder.

Aura

Aura refers to a person's perceived coolness, confidence, or social presence. While the word itself has existed for decades, Gen Z and Gen Alpha transformed it into a kind of imaginary social currency.

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Online users often joke about someone "gaining aura" after a particularly cool moment or "losing aura" after an awkward interaction. During the NBA Finals, for example, some fans joked that Victor Wembanyama had "lost aura" as the Spurs fell to the Knicks, while Knicks players were celebrated for gaining it.

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Entire videos are now dedicated to calculating "aura points," treating charisma like a video-game stat that can rise or fall based on a person's actions. The concept has become so widespread that it has spawned phrases like "aura farming," where someone intentionally tries to look cool, and "aura gambling," where a person takes a high-risk action that could either dramatically increase or destroy their aura.

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Chat

Originally a livestreaming term, chat refers to the collective audience participating in a stream's live comments section. Streamers on Twitch, YouTube, and Kick frequently address viewers directly as "chat," creating a sense of shared conversation. "Hey chat" has become such a defining part of streaming culture that even Twitch has leaned into it in its marketing campaigns and social media posts.

The phrase has since escaped livestreaming culture and entered everyday internet language. People now jokingly narrate their own lives as if they're broadcasting to an audience, saying things like, "Chat, are we cooked?" or "Chat, what should I do?" even when no actual chat exists. Some Gen Z users even refer to AI chatbots like ChatGPT simply as "chat."

Chat has become the internet's modern-day Greek chorus, a collective audience perpetually reacting to the action. The difference is that today's chorus mostly communicates through emotes.

Brainrot

Brainrot was actually the word of the year for the Oxford University Press in 2024. The publisher defined it as "the supposed deterioration of a person's mental or intellectual state" caused by overconsumption of trivial online content. But the term has since evolved in a few different directions online.

Brainrot can refer to low-quality, repetitive, or intentionally absurd content — often called "slop" — that dominates social media feeds. It can also describe the obsessive state that results from consuming it. Someone deep into a TV show, celebrity fandom, sports team, video game, or meme might jokingly describe themselves as having brainrot. "Knicks brainrot," "K-pop brainrot," and "Formula 1 brainrot" are all common ways of describing an all-consuming fixation.

While brainrot can describe a fandom obsession, it has also evolved into a genre of internet humor itself. In 2025 and 2026, AI-generated "Italian Brainrot" memes helped transform the term from a warning about excessive internet use into a celebration of the internet's increasingly absurd sense of humor.

Chopped

If someone is described as chopped, it means they're considered unattractive, awkward-looking, or poorly styled. The term gained popularity through TikTok and meme culture, where users frequently use it to rate appearances.

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Like much internet slang, it's often exaggerated for comedic effect, though it can also be genuinely harsh. The popularity of the term reflects the rise of appearance-focused humor and ranking culture more broadly.

Choppelganger

A blend of "chopped" and "doppelganger," choppelganger refers to someone who resembles another person, but in a less flattering way.

The term is commonly used in side-by-side meme comparisons, particularly when comparing celebrities, fictional characters, or public figures. Instead of being someone's lookalike, a choppelganger is essentially their discount version. The joke works because it combines internet roasting culture with the longstanding fascination with celebrity resemblance.

Chungus

Big Chungus is one of the internet's longest-lasting absurdist memes. The term originated from a 1941 Bugs Bunny cartoon frame in which the character appears unusually round and oversized. Decades later, internet users rediscovered the image and transformed it into a deliberately nonsensical meme.

Although its peak popularity arrived years ago, Chungus has evolved beyond the original image. Today, the word is often used as a playful, meaningless modifier in the same spirit as terms like "goober" or "blorbo." Online users might joke about their "Chungus life," describe something as "Chungus-coded," or exclaim "fuck my Chungus life" when things go wrong. In many ways, the term survives not because people remember the original meme, but because its sheer absurdity makes it endlessly reusable.

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Tung Tung Tung Sahur

Tung Tung Tung Sahur is one of the defining characters of the AI-generated meme movement known as Italian brainrot. The character is typically depicted as a wooden humanoid figure with a large, log-like body, oversized feet, and a baseball bat, accompanied by dramatic AI-generated narration that repeatedly chants its name.

Like many brainrot characters, its design feels simultaneously recognizable and inexplicable — unsettling enough to be memorable, but absurd enough to be funny.

What began as a niche TikTok meme evolved into a recurring internet character with its own lore, fan art, merchandise, and pop culture references. It even has its own Fortnite skin. By 2026, Tung Tung Tung Sahur had become shorthand for a broader style of AI-era internet humor built around surreal imagery, such as AI-generated anthropomorphic fruit and animals.

Even people who couldn't explain the character's origins often recognize the name or figure instantly. In that sense, Tung Tung Tung Sahur has transcended meme status and become a cultural fixture of the brainrot era.

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Twin

Twin is a term of endearment used to describe someone who feels especially relatable, close, or aligned with another person. Popularized through Black culture and hip-hop, the term suggests a level of understanding that goes beyond friendship. Users might call someone "my twin" because they share the same interests, opinions, experiences, or sense of humor.

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The slang has become so widespread that it now appears everywhere from TikTok captions to pop lyrics, including the opening line of BTS's highly anticipated 2026 album, Arirang: "What you need, twin?"

The term received an additional boost in popularity thanks to the viral success of "Made for Me" by Muni Long in 2024, particularly the lyric, "Twin, where have you been?" The sound became a fixture on TikTok, where users paired it with videos celebrating friendships, relationships, pets, and even favorite fictional characters. Today, "twin" is one of the internet's most common expressions of affection, used both sincerely and jokingly to signal an instant sense of connection.

During the fierce solar storms of 2024, people in places far south — places where no one expected to see auroras — snapped photos of luminous green and purple light rippling in the sky.

For the masses, they were breathtaking and magical. But inside flight control for NASA's Swift mission, seeing those images was devastating: The flaring sun was only driving a nail deeper into the spacecraft's coffin. As Earth's upper atmosphere heated and bloated, the thickened air tugged on the space telescope. 

The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, a telescope that has watched the universe's brightest explosions since 2004, is sinking — and fast. Instead of continuing its scientific observations into the 2030s, as once estimated, it now looks destined to fall back to Earth later this year, doomed for incineration in the atmosphere.

"To be totally honest, the idea of boosting it had occurred to us, but it seemed sufficiently far-fetched that I did not think there was any reasonable likelihood that NASA would go along with this," Brad Cenko, the mission's principal investigator, told Mashable.

But NASA will indeed go for it, full throttle. About nine months ago, the agency hired a contractor, Arizona-based Katalyst Space Technologies, to quickly throw together a rescue mission. The company's spacecraft, called LINK, will fly up, wrap its arms around the telescope, and tow it about 150 miles up into a safer orbit. That robotic mission — planned on an unseemly timeline by NASA standards — is expected to launch on a Pegasus rocket that will drop from a Northrop Grumman aircraft over the South Pacific, then ignite. If the weather and environmental conditions are good, they'll launch on June 27.

NASA has serviced the Hubble Space Telescope before with astronauts, but the Swift boosting mission is wholly different. For the first time, NASA will try to save a science mission that was never intended for repairs in space. If it works, the robotic mission could signal the end of a throwaway culture for spacecraft in favor of a new era committed to fixing and reusing. 

NASA is paying a little over $30 million for the capture, boost, and release of Swift — a fraction of the original $160 million mission that launched in 2004. That's an economical choice, Cenko said, especially when considering that building another telescope today would likely cost in the $250 to $300 million range due to inflation. 

Katalyst Space Technologies had less than nine months to plan the boosting mission. Credit: NASA / Katalyst Space Technologies infographic

Why astronomers love Swift

Astronomers say Swift, one of the few NASA mission names that isn't straining to be an acronym, has earned a second chance. The observatory hunts gamma‑ray bursts, brief flashes of high‑energy light that can outshine entire galaxies for a few seconds. In that blink of time, a single event can pour out more energy than our sun will emit over its whole lifetime. 

Sitting a few hundred miles above Earth in low orbit, Swift constantly scans a wide patch of sky for these bursts. When it spots one, the spacecraft whips around and points its X‑ray and ultraviolet instruments at the fading glow. That ability to react within a minute or two to "catch the act" is how it got its name.

In its first decade, Swift mainly chased its own discoveries. More recently, the team has figured out how to feed it alerts from other observatories, including big sky surveys scanned from the ground. That has turned Swift into a kind of first responder for cosmic fireworks, swinging toward whatever the rest of astronomy flags as urgent.

Despite its value to astronomers, the driving force behind the boosting mission isn't entirely about preserving the scientific capability.

"If that were the only story, I'm not 100 percent sure we would be here," Cenko said. "The current administration is very strongly motivated to develop the U.S. commercial space sector, and to ensure that we maintain dominance in that space sector compared to other countries."

The autonomous robotic LINK spacecraft, built by Katalyst Space Technologies, will try to rendezvous with the Swift observatory. Credit: NASA / Sophia Roberts

Why Swift needs rescuing

The problem is not Swift's cameras or detectors. Those are in great working order, though they were only intended to operate for two years. It is the invisible drag of Earth's upper atmosphere that has created a ticking clock for the mission.

When NASA launched Swift in 2004, it flew about 370 miles above the planet. Even there, a very thin smear of air acts like a brake. Over time, that drag steals speed and lets gravity pull a spacecraft down. Today, Swift has an altitude of roughly 230 miles.

To buy extra time, the team changed how Swift flew in February, angling it to reduce drag. Then, in April, they turned off the wide-angle detector that first spots gamma‑ray bursts. While those steps should slow down its fall, they've also essentially suspended the telescope's work.

Already researchers have logged dozens of missed opportunities, including exploding stars, black holes tearing apart nearby stars, flares from black holes in the Milky Way, and comets changing as they move through the inner solar system. 

"Everyone wants to be able to go and save this telescope," Kieran Wilson, Katalyst's principal investigator for the LINK spacecraft, told Mashable. "It's not something where people are like, 'Oh, well, maybe we could slip launch a couple months.' It just doesn't come up. Everyone understands the constraints, understands the hard physics of the problem, and has been really, really motivated."

How LINK will boost Swift's orbit

Nothing about the boosting mission is "normal." First, the rescue spacecraft, LINK, will drop from an airplane and light its engines midair over the ocean near the Marshall Islands. That unusual launch profile should make it easier to reach Swift's path near Earth's equator. 

Once in orbit, LINK, short for Lightweight In-space Navigation and Kinematics, will take its time closing in. The spacecraft will spend days or weeks gently adjusting its path until it flies close to Swift at nearly the same speed. Then, it will begin snapping detailed pictures of the sinking spacecraft.

What Swift looks like today is one of the biggest unknowns for the rescue operation. Its insulation has likely degraded quite a bit over the past two decades in space. Katalyst's flight team can't predict its condition, nor do they know if sturdy spots exist on the spacecraft's body to get a good grip.

When LINK does move in for the capture, people on the ground won't be steering it like a drone. Both spacecraft will be racing around Earth at about 17,000 mph. That means radio signals wouldn't be quick enough for the job. Instead, LINK will have to behave a bit like a self‑driving car. It will take rapid‑fire images, compare what it sees to its internal model of Swift, and fire small thrusters to correct its path by inches at a time.

In the last moments, three metal arms with clamps will unfold from LINK. Swift will then hand over control of its orientation to Katalyst's robot. The climb to a higher orbit could take from about a month to several months, depending on Swift's altitude when LINK grabs it, the sun's behavior, and how well the engines work.

This Northrop Grumman aircraft carries a Pegasus rocket, seen below the plane, that will drop over an ocean, light its engines midair, and launch to space. Credit: Northrop Grumman

Robots as space mechanics

If Katalyst succeeds, it will show that a relatively small robot can extend the life of a much more expensive telescope, even one that engineers never designed for maintenance. Future NASA missions might include grab handles, standard attachment rings, and replaceable parts, designed with the idea that a space mechanic could show up someday. It could mean a new era in the space economy, Wilson said.

"This is absolutely a model we want to use going forward, where spacecraft are no longer a static asset on orbit — they're no longer stuck with only what they launched with," Wilson said. "You can reposition spacecraft when they run out of propellant, boost their orbit when they're in danger of reentry, and that is something that we see as foundational to the way that space will evolve in the next few decades."

For the Swift team, the mission is more than an experiment or a demonstration. They consider themselves Swifties and have leaned into Taylor Swift fandom, swapping friendship bracelets at meetings and borrowing language from the pop star's albums. 

They're hoping it's not the end of a good 20 years, full of astronomical hits. 

"We say we're going into the 'boost era,'" Cenko said.

New Pride Month, same boring jokes about bisexual women.

Every year, wannabe comedians online take Pride Month as an opportunity to poke fun at bisexual women, especially those who are dating men. 2026 is no different:

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And this started before June 1, to be clear.

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As a bi woman, I clench every time Pride approaches because I know these jokes are coming. They're not only tired at this point, but they also signal that stereotypes and stigmas about bisexual people haven't changed. (And I'm a bi woman dating a lesbian, so I'm not even the butt of this particular joke, and I'm still sick of it.)

Before I go further, I want to make something clear: Bi people are not the most oppressed faction of the LGBTQ community. Without a doubt, trans people are being oppressed by the U.S. and other governments, and they need our support. Trans people's existence is being threatened by legislation against gender affirming care, barriers to accurate IDs, freedom of speech, allowance in sports, bathrooms, and more. Not to mention all the transphobia that we see outside the government from everyday people. It's disgusting, and it needs to stop. 

Cis bisexual people are by no means experiencing this level of threat. I'm not trying to play the Oppression Olympics. But given these same jokes happen year over year, it's past time we talk about it.

It's also worth pointing out that there is a common thread between biphobia and transphobia, and it's the human tendency — not speaking for everyone, obviously — to want to put everyone in a neat little box. To see everything in black and white. We as a species (and on the internet, especially) have trouble with the gray area of life, with nuance, with holding two things to be true at once. This is exemplified by both gender essentialism, or the belief that men and women have certain intrinsic characteristics, and biphobia, or the disdain for people who are attracted to more than one gender (or refusal to believe that's true). 

And maybe that's why monosexual people (gay and straight people) can be hostile to us. At least, that's one reason. 

Misogyny also can't be ignored here. All the jokes I've seen so far this Pride are specifically about bi women and ignore bi men entirely. When it comes to biphobia, the attraction to women is always what's questioned, as bi women are assumed to be straight and bi men are assumed to be gay. 

Harmful stereotypes against bi people

Certain stereotypes are unique to bisexual people: We're greedy, we're hypersexual, we're cheaters, we're going to leave someone for the other gender, that we're faking for attention, and that bisexuality is a choice.

The sad reality is that these stereotypes don't just lead to mean social media posts; they have real-life implications. As I've written about for Mashable, bi people's mental health is impacted by this stigma, and bi people are more vulnerable to intimate partner violence. There are multiple factors that lead to this, from believing in the hypersexual myth, to wanting to "turn" women straight…

A famous example is Amber Heard and Johnny Depp. In 2022, after the infamous Depp v Heard trial concluded, Rebecca Bodenheimer wrote for the LGBTQ outlet Them.:

When psychologist Dawn Hughes took the stand during the defamation trial initiated by Johnny Depp against his ex-wife Amber Heard, she testified to the court that Heard's bisexuality was a point of contention during the actors' tumultuous marriage. Hughes gave examples: Heard had "faced scrutiny" in her interactions with women and, on one occasion, Depp allegedly "manually penetrated" her in anger after he saw Heard have an exchange with another woman.

Bodenheimer went on to say that, "[Heard's] bisexuality was weaponized against her during her 2016 divorce from Depp, with media suggesting she was untrustworthy and had cheated on him due to her sexuality."

"On social media, supporters of Depp used hashtags like #AmberHeardIsAPsychopath, #AmberHeardIsALiar, and #AmberHeardIsASlut — all sentiments that mirror some of the many stereotypes and stigmas that bisexual people still face," Bodenheimer wrote.

We must recognize the harm that could stem from the same biphobia that leads to little jokes on the internet. I've never experienced what Heard has, but I've run into my share of biphobia.

In 2019, years before I met my fiancée, I attended a sapphic speed-dating event. I had a great time, but then at the end, before there was supposed to be an afterparty at another location, I was in line for the bathroom when I overheard someone say that she'd never date a bi woman. And I was so hurt by this that I just left. I didn't go to the second location. I didn't even go to the bathroom. I didn't say anything, either, so who knows if this woman found out that she upset me.

I understand that that woman might've had her own negative experiences with bi women that led her to say that. But like any group, bi people aren't a monolith. Instead of treating us as individuals, she wrote us off altogether. Or, perhaps worse, she didn't even base her preference on her past, and just judged bisexual women for dating/sleeping with men, or some other biphobic tick. 

If I had to give my 2019 self advice, I'd tell her to just go to the afterparty and not let that person get to me. (But in the end, it didn't matter; I met the love of my life a couple of years later.)

Bi folks, we are a little annoying

As a bi person myself, however, I can admit we can be a little annoying. We are the "but, actually…" of the queer community — but with good reason. 

As bisexual writer Zachary Zane has written about in his memoir, Boyslut, and in Men's Health, bisexual "visibility" can be difficult. In theory, you'd need to be holding hands (or making out with) two different-gendered people simultaneously. And if you're in a monogamous relationship, that's not happening.

What Zane advocates for is bisexual audibility, which is the practice of coming out as bisexual.

If you're assuming someone's gay or straight and they tell you you're wrong, you can perceive them as being obnoxious. It's indeed annoying to be wrong and to be told you're wrong. But for many bisexual people, saying so is the only way they can let it be known.

I don't think it's necessary to tell people they're wrong about you in every context. I also know there are times when we need to assert ourselves and our place in the LGBTQ community. We're here, queer, get used to it, etc.

Bisexual people may be the "but actually" of the queer community, but we're also the "yes, and," and I love that for us. We live in the gray area, the nuance. It's OK if you're not visibly bi all the time, and it's also OK if you're in a straight-passing relationship.

Maybe next year, we'll be writing the jokes.

TL;DR: The iPhone 17 Pro is available for free with T-Mobile. You can claim by switching to an Experience More or Experience Beyond unlimited plan.

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Apple iPhone 17 Pro

Free when you switch to an Experience More or Experience Beyond plan (no trade-in required).

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Look, we know the iPhone 17 Pro isn't exactly the shiny new kid on the block. It has spent the last nine months dominating our social media feeds thanks to that distinct camera module and the viral Cosmic Orange finish, after all. But the iPhone 18 launch is looming, and that means carriers are officially entering clearance mode.

If you don't care about having the absolute newest phone, T-Mobile has launched a massive late-cycle push on this current-gen handset. For a limited time, you can secure the iPhone 17 Pro for free. And it's straightforward to claim.

To score the iPhone 17 Pro for free, you just need to switch carriers and activate a new line on T-Mobile’s top-tier Experience More or Experience Beyond plans. If you're already an existing customer, you can get the exact same deal by trading in an eligible handset (like an iPhone 15 Pro) on those same plans.

It's important to note that T-Mobile doesn't just hand over an $1,100 phone without strings attached. The retail price is financed over 24 consecutive monthly statements, and T-Mobile applies a promotional credit each month to bring that specific line item down to $0. If you decide to bounce to another carrier or try to upgrade early to the iPhone 18 in September, those monthly credits vanish instantly. You will be stuck footing the remaining bill for whatever is left on the phone's 24-month payment cycle.

It was recently announced that only iPhone 17 Pro users will get some of iOS 27's AI tools. If you really want to experience Siri AI's most advanced features, it might be time to upgrade.

Score the iPhone 17 Pro for free with this latest offer from T-Mobile.

TL;DR: As of June 16, students can shop the new XPS 13 laptop for as low as $599 from Dell.

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Dell XPS 13

$599 at Dell
$699 Save $100

 

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Students on the hunt for a budget-friendly laptop may be inclined to look at the shiny new MacBook Neo, but Dell is dropping some exciting competition in the form of the new XPS 13 laptop. Pricing starts at $699, but students can actually score this new model for as low as $599.

This student offer lasts until Nov. 2, so there's plenty of time to take advantage of this deal ahead of the next school year. It's open to high school students starting at 16-years-old and college students who are going to degree granting schools, but it's worth keeping in mind that students must join Dell Rewards or be a current member and verify student status to save.

Another important thing to keep in mind is that the offer is only valid for XPS 13 models with Series 3 Intel Core Processors. It excludes any model that's fitted with the Series 3 Intel Core Ultra Processors.

The XPS 13 laptop is actually a tiny bit lighter than the Neo, starting at 2.2 pounds compared to the Neo's 2.7 pounds, so carrying it between classes will be a breeze. It also features a sleek design that houses a 2.5K LCD touchscreen and backlit keyboard, alongside the Intel Core processor and WiFi 7 inside. It's capable of running up to 17 hours while streaming thanks to a great battery life. That beats the Neo, which is listed as lasting up to 16 hours.

This offer on the XPS 13 laptop lasts until Nov. 2 for students. Don't miss out on this great opportunity to scoop up this new laptop for as low as $599.

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

TL;DR: Pick up a lifetime subscription to Skoove Premium Piano Lessons for $99.97 (MSRP $299.99) through June 28 during Deal Days and learn piano at your own pace from home.

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Skoove Premium Piano Lessons: Lifetime Subscription

$99.97
$299.99 Save $200.02

 

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Learning piano sounds great in theory — until you’re trying to fit weekly lessons into an already packed schedule. Skoove Premium Piano Lessons makes it easier by putting guided instruction on your phone, tablet, or computer, so you can practice whenever you have time. During Deal Days (an alternative to Prime Day), you can get lifetime access for just $99.97 (reg. $299.99) through June 28 and skip both the recurring fees and the commute to lessons.

When was the last time you learned a new skill? If mastering the piano has always been on your bucket list, it’s time to make it happen with this lifetime subscription to Skoove Premium Piano Lessons. This AI-powered app lets you pick up piano in your spare time without ever leaving your house.

All you need to get started with Skoove Premium Piano Lessons is a keyboard or piano and your laptop, smartphone, or tablet. The app does the rest, as it can hear you play, recognize your notes, and give you real-time feedback so you get better as you go.

Whether you’re totally new to the instrument or you have some lessons under your belt, Skoove Premium Piano Lessons offers lesson options ranging from beginner to advanced. And it’s not like the boring old piano lessons from your past; you’ll get to pick up skills by playing your favorite music — from Adele to Beethoven.

Your lifetime subscription includes permanent access to more than 400 lessons and thousands of instructional videos, and you’ll never run out of content because new ones are added every month. There’s also one-on-one support available from real music instructors when you need it.

Get this lifetime subscription to Skoove Premium Piano Lessons for just $99.97 (reg. $299.99) during Deal Days until June 28.

For more Deal Days offers, check out the full collection.

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TL;DR: Score a refurbished MacBook Pro with a massive 1TB SSD for just $429.97 (reg. $1,999) during Deal Days, running through June 28.

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Apple MacBook Pro 2020 (Refurbished)

$429.97
$1,999 Save $1,569.03

 

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Storage has a funny way of disappearing faster than you expect. One minute you’re saving a few photos and documents, and the next you’re juggling video files, backups, downloads, and the dreaded “disk almost full” notification. If you’re ready for a laptop with room to spare, this MacBook Pro deal is worth a look.

During Deal Days — our answer to Prime Day — you can snag a feature-packed 13-inch MacBook Pro, complete with 1TB of SSD, for just $429.97 (reg. $1,999), until June 28.

There’s a reason the MacBook Pro has amassed such a massive fan base — this laptop has a lot to offer. A 13.3-inch Retina display features Apple’s True Tone Technology, which automatically adjusts depending on your lighting and helps reduce eye strain.

Everything you see on that vibrant screen is powered by the 10th Gen Intel Core i5 processor, which offers a 2GHz base speed that makes multitasking smooth and steady. With 1TB of storage, you can save all of your important files locally, without shelling out extra for cloud storage or hard drives.

A Magic Keyboard with Touch Bar offers a comfortable typing experience and easy access to shortcuts to save you time on this MacBook Pro. There’s Touch ID to keep your device safe, and four Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) Ports for easy connectivity. This model also offers 10 hours of battery life, so you don’t have to worry about frequent charging.

You’re securing a massive discount due to this model’s grade “A” refurbished rating. That means you’ll receive a device in near-mint condition, with minimal to zero amounts of scuffing on the case.

Act fast and bring home a refurbished 2020 MacBook Pro for just $429.97 (reg. $1,999) by June 28 while this sale lasts.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Just a little over one year ago, the Nintendo Switch 2 finally came out, and it's been a heck of a rollercoaster ride.

Nintendo's latest home console/handheld hybrid has surprised, delighted, and in some capacity or another disappointed us all in the span of 12 months. There have been excellent exclusives and a stronger-than-expected pipeline of major third-party releases, all alongside serious concerns about affordability (and eventually a price increase) and questions about whether Nintendo might be playing it too safe with some of its big titles.

With all of that in mind, let's talk about the first year of the Switch 2, including what's gone right, what went wrong, and what we can expect from its next trip around the sun.

Nintendo Switch 2 first anniversary: The good

Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

Starting with what has worked in the Switch 2's favor, I would be remiss not to immediately mention the significantly more premium look and feel of the device compared to its predecessor. Nintendo sized up the Switch 2 a bit, giving it a larger display with a higher resolution and refresh rate, bigger Joy-Con controllers that are more comfortable in the hands, and a less toy-like feel overall. The dock for outputting games to your TV has also been significantly improved via the addition of a built-in Ethernet port, something the Switch 1's dock didn't have at launch.

The Switch 2's improved industrial design was also met by substantially more horsepower under the hood. While it's still a far cry from what a PlayStation 5 can do, the Switch 2's graphical capabilities are strong enough that a surprising number of big, expensive third-party releases have already made their way to the console, or will in the near future. The Switch 2 ports of recent hits like Pragmata and Resident Evil: Requiem are nothing short of outstanding, and the June 2026 Nintendo Direct contained some upcoming heavy hitters like Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen and Devil May Cry 5. Oh yeah, Elden Ring is still on track to release on Switch 2 this year, too.

Needless to say, the people who only own a Switch 2 and no other gaming hardware (anecdotally, this is not a small audience) are eating pretty good these days. It's also worth noting that the Switch 2's arguably best use case right now is playing older games. A shockingly large number of old Switch 1 games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild have either gotten paid "Nintendo Switch 2 Edition" upgrades or free patches to make them look and run a lot better on the new console. There's also a bunch of backward-compatible Switch 1 games that simply work better on Switch 2 without an official update, which is pretty sweet, honestly. I kind of can't believe how much time I've spent going back and clearing out my backlog of old games simply because they look better on Switch 2 than they did before.

Oh yeah, the eShop digital storefront that's built into the console is finally usable now. It was a real slog on Switch 1, but it's totally fine on Switch 2.

Couples Halloween costume idea, maybe? Credit: Nintendo

Lastly, Nintendo has been releasing roughly one first-party game per month since the Switch 2 came out. That cadence has produced some great stuff like Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, and Pokémon Pokopia. I'll also go to bat for Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, which is a lot cooler than you might think at first glance. Not every exclusive has been a banger, but you could argue the Switch 2 has gotten more compelling first-party titles in its first year than the PS5 has in its first six years. And there's basically zero argument against the fact that the Switch 2 is winning that battle against the Xbox Series consoles in the same time frame.

Nintendo Switch 2 first anniversary: The bad

I did not care for 'Kirby Air Riders.' Credit: Nintendo

When discussing the Switch 2's early pitfalls, one simply has to start with its place in the current economy. Everything is more expensive than ever, meaning disposable income is at a premium for many, many people. Put bluntly, the Switch 2 is a bigger investment than a lot of people can realistically make right now. Some of that is Nintendo's fault, but much of it isn't.

For example, Mario Kart World being $80 is something Nintendo has control over, but the $50 price hike coming later this year (an extreme rarity for a new video game console) is a response to the RAMageddon crisis that's causing tech prices to spike all over the place. Nintendo requiring users to buy MicroSD Express cards (a new storage medium most people don't already have lying around) to expand system storage is also unfortunate, given the ongoing memory crisis, even if the Switch 2 would be a notably less capable machine if it used an older, cheaper storage format.

Considering the quality of the hardware and the state of the tech manufacturing economy, the Switch 2, being a $500 initial investment starting in September, makes sense. But that doesn't mean people have to like it, and they probably shouldn't.

On the software side, there are some gripes to be had, as well. It's not great that we haven't even heard whispers of a new mainline Mario or Legend of Zelda game for the Switch 2 after a year. Their absences are easily explained (the core Mario team made Bananza and Zelda games take like six years to make now), but nonetheless, those are the things some people really flock to Nintendo systems for, and we have no idea when they'll come out or even be announced.

There's also a strong argument to be made that Nintendo is playing it a bit too safe with its software lineup at the moment. The Switch 2 has yet to be home to a notable brand new franchise of any kind, something that we usually see at least once per console generation. Beyond that, two of the biggest upcoming Switch 2 exclusives are Star Fox and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, remakes of older games. As intriguing as those both might be, they're not as exciting as new games would be.

What's next for Switch 2?

Having said all of that, I do think the near-future outlook for the Switch 2 is positive. Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave looks like it'll be a heater when it comes out in September, and the same could be said for announced 2027 releases like Pokémon Winds and Waves and Xenoblade Genesis. I also have a gut feeling we'll hear something from Mario by the end of 2027.

Aside from games, it would be great to know if Nintendo has plans for Switch 2 Lite or Switch 2 OLED models. A handheld-only Lite console could be a cheaper alternative, while an OLED model would address the complaints many users have about the handheld display on the current machine. In a perfect world where AI data centers didn't exist, one or both of these would be a lock-in for the next year or two, but sadly, the outlook is uncertain.

Broadly speaking, I think Nintendo has made most of the right moves over the past year, and I feel pretty good about where things are headed, RAMageddon aside. As someone who lived through the Wii U era, when it felt like Nintendo was in a sort of existential crisis, I'll take the current situation over that in a heartbeat.

TL;DR: Get lifetime access to 1min.AI with ChatGPT, Gemini, and other major AI models in one place for $69.97.

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1min.AI Advanced Business Plan Lifetime Subscription

$69.97
$540 Save $470.03

 

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AI subscriptions can feel reasonable when you’re only using one tool, like ChatGPT. But once your work expands into writing, image generation, document analysis, and translation, the monthly costs and tool switching start to pile up quickly.

1min.AI — now on sale as a lifetime plan for just $69.97 — pulls those capabilities together in one platform, giving you access to ChatGPT, Gemini, Mistral, and more without juggling multiple subscriptions.

1min.AI runs in your browser and pulls a ton of everyday work into one place. You can research keywords, draft blog posts, rewrite and shorten text, generate social posts, and keep a consistent brand voice across projects. There are tools to summarize or translate documents, chat with multiple PDFs at once, and spin up slide presentations. For visuals, you can generate images from prompts, upscale low-resolution pictures, remove backgrounds, extend edges, or turn rough sketches into cleaner artwork.

Here’s a small sample of the AI models you’ll get access to:

• GPT

• Claude 3 Opus and Claude 3 Sonnet

• Gemini Pro 1.5

• Llama 3

• Mistral models

The Advanced Business Plan includes 4,000,000 credits each month, plus the chance to earn up to 450,000 more through daily logins and other tasks. Credits are shared across writing, images, audio, and video, so you can lean harder on whichever tools you need that month. The plan supports up to 20 members, with shared workspaces, an unlimited prompt library, unlimited storage, and unlimited brand voices. If you don’t use all your credits, they just roll over, so you aren’t missing out if you have a lighter month.

Right now, it’s only $69.97 to get a 1min.AI lifetime subscription.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows is down to $32.97 (reg. $219.99).

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Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License

$29.97
$219.99 Save $190.02

 

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This is your last chance to ditch Microsoft 365’s subscription fees for good. Until June 14 at midnight, you can grab a lifetime license to Microsoft Office 2021 for 85% off its usual retail price. Simply pay once, download the full software suite, and never worry about renewals again.

We know what you’re thinking, but rest assured, this isn’t some stripped-down lite version either. It’s the real deal. Whether you’re writing reports, crunching numbers, building presentations, managing emails, or wrangling databases, the lifetime version of Microsoft Office has you covered.

It’s a one-time download for one Windows PC, so once it’s yours, it’s yours. The full pro-level toolkit, minus the stress of a subscription. Plus, with instant license delivery and free customer support, getting started is as painless as your new spreadsheet workflow.

No more “trial expired” pop-ups. No more surprise charges. Just the latest versions of Microsoft’s best apps, ready to support all of your work and personal needs.

Download Microsoft Office for Windows while it’s on sale for $32.97. No coupon is needed.

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TL;DR: Put an end to the PDF struggle with this lifetime license to AcePDF Converter and Editor, now just $29.99 (reg. $99.99).

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AcePDF Converter & Editor: Lifetime License

$24
$99.99 Save $75.99

 

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From contracts and invoices at work to forms from the doctor’s office, you can’t avoid PDFs these days. Fortunately, there’s now a much easier way to work with them thanks to AcePDF Converter and Editor. This handy tool is even on sale now, with a lifetime license for just $29.99.

Working with PDFs shouldn’t feel harder than your actual workload. AcePDF Converter and Editor keeps things simple, making the editing and converting process a whole lot easier.

If you need to convert a PDF to another file format, AcePDF can help. Pick MS Word, Excel, PPT, HTML, PNG, or JPG, or you can also create PDFs from Word, Excel, PPT, and image files. You don’t have to worry about the original file being compromised, as AcePDF creates high-quality conversions that preserve the original layout, images, and hyperlinks.

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Stop struggling with PDFs for life by setting AcePDF as your default program when it comes to editing, opening, or reading PDF files. You can also use this lifetime license on two devices.

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StackSocial prices subject to change.

The best early DJI Prime Day deals at a glance:

---

Best drone deal

DJI Mini 3

$399 (Save $20)

Get Deal

---

Best camera deal

DJI Osmo Action 4 Essential Combo

$169 (Save $30)

Get Deal

---

Best accessory deal

DJI Mic 3

$259 (Save $70)

Get Deal

Amazon Prime Day is still a week away, but some of DJI's most popular products are already seeing early discounts at Amazon.

Whether you're looking to capture better travel footage or finally pick up that creator favorite you've had your eye on, these pre-Prime Day deals could save you from waiting until the main event kicks off.

Prime Day officially runs from June 23-26, but the savings have already started landing.

Best early Prime Day DJI drone deal

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Credit: DJI

DJI Mini 3

$399 at Amazon
$418.98 Save $19.98

 

Get Deal

Why we like it

This is a lightweight drone, weighing under 249g, meaning no FAA registration is required for recreational flying. It captures 4K HDR video, supports True Vertical Shooting, and offers stable footage thanks to its 3-axis gimbal and Level 5 wind resistance. It has beginner-friendly features like GPS Return to Home and Auto Takeoff/Landing, so it's a great choice for getting started with a drone.

More early Prime Day DJI drone deals

• DJI Neo — $169 $199 (save $30)

• DJI Mavic 4 Pro Fly More Combo — $2,550 $2,899 (save $349)

• DJI Mavic 4 Pro — $3,500 $3,750 (save $250)

Best early Prime Day DJI camera deal

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Credit: DJI

DJI Osmo Action 4 Essential Combo

$169 at Amazon
$199 Save $30

 

Get Deal

Why we like it

This camera features a 1/1.3-inch sensor for shooting in low-light conditions, as well as 4K video capabilities at up to 120fps with a 155° ultra-wide field of view. It offers up to 150 minutes of battery life and it works in temperatures as low as -20°C. It's even waterproof to depths of 18m, making it an ideal choice for vlogging your outdoor adventures.

More early Prime Day DJI camera deals

• DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro Waterproof Action Camera Bundle — $429.99 $399.99 (save $30)

• DJI Osmo Pocket 3 Creator Combo — $539 $629 (save $90)

Best early Prime Day DJI accessories deal

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Credit: DJI

DJI Mic 3

$259 at Amazon
$329 Save $70

 

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Why we like it

The DJI Mic 3 is a compact wireless microphone system designed for creators, podcasters, and interviewers who need quality audio while on the go. It supports up to four transmitters, features adaptive gain control and selectable noise cancellation, and uses dual-band transmission for clear audio in busy environments. You'll get up to 28 hours of battery life with the charging case, so it's great for long hours recording. Not to mention, it has compatibility with a huge range of DJI devices.

More early Prime Day DJI accesories deals

• DJI Mic 2 Transmitter — $59 $79 (save $20)

• DJI Mic 2 — $199 $269 (save $70)

SAVE $300: As of June 16, the Shark AV2501S AI Ultra robot vacuum is on sale for $249.99 at Amazon. That's a 55% discount on the list price.

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Credit: Shark

Shark AV2501S AI Robot Vacuum

$249.96 at Amazon
$549.99 Save $300.03

 

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Prime Day kicks off next week, but there are some early deals already starting to pop up. You can already find deals on things like portable power stations and robot vacuums, and if you’re looking for the latter, there’s a great deal on the Shark AV2501S AI Ultra live right now.

As of June 16, this vacuum is down to $249.99, a savings of $300. That’s more than half off the list price and the lowest-ever price for this model.

This vacuum uses Matrix Clean Navigation to follow a precise grid pattern when vacuuming. This means it makes multiple passes over areas and dirt, making sure nothing is missed. This model also benefits from a self-emptying and bagless design. This is managed at the docking station where it can hold up to 30 days of dirt and debris.

360° LiDAR mapping helps it to navigate around your home, and it can even detect and avoid obstacles like shoes or furniture legs. And if you have pets at home, this vacuum is more than capable of dealing with the excess hair and fluff. It has a self-cleaning brushroll and strong suction to handle pet hair, dust, and dander. 

It can also be controlled hands-free using Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, and it supports scheduled cleans, so you can set it to run when you’re out of the house.

Pick up this robot vacuum deal from Amazon now.

SAVE OVER $1,000: As of June 16, the Jackery HomePower 3600 Plus is on sale for $1,619 at Amazon. That's a 42% discount on the list price.

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Credit: Jackery

Jackery HomePower 3600 Plus

$1,619 at Amazon
$2,799 Save $1,180

 

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Amazon Prime Day gets underway next week, but if there are items on your shopping list that just can't wait, you might be lucky and catch an early deal.

Amazon has already started dropping prices on some popular products, and if you're shopping around for a portable power station, make sure you check out this early deal on the Jackery HomePower 3600 Plus. As of June 16, it's currently over $1,000 off, with the lprice dropping to $1,619.

This is a seriously powerful unit, providing up to 3,600W of output with a 3,584Wh capacity that can be expanded to 21kWh per unit or 43kWh across multiple units. It supports both 120V and 240V operation in parallel and is designed to power big household appliances including pumps, heaters, and dryers during outages.

It's built with high-temperature-resistant ceramic membrane battery cells, so it's designed to help excessive heat or overcharging, giving it a rated lifespan of 6,000 charge cycles and up to 10 years of use.

This portable power station also supports four charging methods. These include hybrid AC and DC charging that can recharge the battery from 0-100% in around two hours, alongside AC, solar, and gas generator charging options.

Get this portable power station deal at Amazon now.

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will require baseball movie knowledge.

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

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

What is Connections: Sports Edition?

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

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Each puzzle features 16 words, and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake — players get up to four mistakes before the game ends.

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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

Here's a hint for today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: North Carolina sports

• Green: Baseball cinema

• Blue: NBA finances

• Purple: Famous Max

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: A North Carolina Athlete

• Green: Baseball Films

• Blue: NBA Contract Terms

• Purple: Max___

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 #631 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• A North Carolina Athlete: BLUE DEVIL, HORNET, HURRICANE, TAR HEEL

• Baseball Films: 42, BULL DURHAM, EIGHT MEN OUT, MAJOR LEAGUE

• NBA Contract Terms: 10-DAY, MIDLEVEL EXCEPTION, SUPERMAX, TWO-WAY

• Max___: FRIED, SCHERZER, STRUS, VERSTAPPEN

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 the latest Connections.

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

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

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

How to play Pips

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Easy difficulty hints, answers for June 16 Pips

Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 1-2, placed vertically.

Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 0-5, placed vertically.

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 1-2, placed vertically; 6-2, placed vertically; 2-3, placed vertically.

Number (9): Everything in this orange space must add up to 9. The answer is 0-5, placed vertically; 4-6, placed horizontally.

Number (9): Everything in this dark blue space must add up to 9. The answer is 4-6, placed horizontally; 2-3, placed vertically.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for June 16 Pips

Equal (1): Everything in this purple space must be equal to 1. The answer is 1-3, placed horizontally; 1-4, placed vertically.

Equal (3): Everything in this red space must be equal to 3. The answer is 1-3, placed horizontally; 3-0, placed vertically.

Equal (1): Everything in this light blue space must be equal to 1. The answer is 1-0, placed horizontally; 1-5, placed horizontally.

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

Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 1-4, placed vertically.

Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 6-1, placed horizontally.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 3-0, placed vertically; 6-1, placed horizontally; 3-2, placed horizontally.

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally; 3-2, placed horizontally.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for June 16 Pips

Equal (0): Everything in this space must be equal to 0. The answer is 3-0, placed horizontally; 0-0, placed vertically; 0-1, placed horizontally; 0-2, placed vertically.

Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 0-1, placed horizontally.

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

Number (22): Everything in this space must add up to 22. The answer is 6-6, placed horizontally; 6-0, placed vertically; 4-2, placed vertically.

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

Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 6-0, placed vertically.

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

Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 0-4, placed vertically; 4-1, placed vertically.

Equal (1): Everything in this light blue space must be equal to 1. The answer is 4-1, placed vertically; 1-2, placed vertically; 5-1, placed vertically.

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

Greater Than (2): Everything in this space must be greater than 2. The answer is 5-1, placed vertically.

Equal (5): Everything in this space must be equal to 5. The answer is 5-3, placed vertically; 2-5, placed vertically.

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

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

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

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.

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

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

Hurdle Word 1 hint

In the future.

Hurdle Word 1 answer

LATER

Hurdle Word 2 hint

To meander.

Hurdle Word 2 Answer

MOSEY

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

Hurdle Word 3 hint

A thud.

Hurdle Word 3 answer

THUNK

Hurdle Word 4 hint

A share.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

QUOTA

Final Hurdle hint

A drum.

Hurdle Word 5 answer

CONGA

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

TL;DR: Learn up to 25 languages in a year with this one-year subscription to Rosetta Stone Sapphire, now just $127.20 (reg. $159).

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Credit: Rosetta Stone

Rosetta Stone Sapphire: 1-Year Subscription

$127.20
$159 Save $31.80

 

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Want to learn a new language? How about more than one? With this one-year Rosetta Stone Sapphire subscription, you can learn up to 25 different languages with the immersive lessons and technology geared toward helping your pronunciation.

Right now, you can lock in major savings and learn for a year for just $127.20.

If you want to learn languages, it’s best to go to a trusted source. Rosetta Stone has over 30 years of language learning expertise under its belt, coupled with new technology that helps you speak like a native.

This one-year subscription gives you access to their structured lessons in 25 different languages, from Spanish and German to Mandarin and Arabic.

Take advantage of the Dynamic Immersion® method, which teaches you via context, imagery, listening, reading, and speaking — not dull direct translation or memorization drills. There’s also TruAccent speech recognition that can help improve your pronunciation thanks to advanced technology designed for language learners.

Rosetta Stone’s bite-sized lessons let you work at your own pace. You can also learn across platforms, with synced progress across your desktop, smartphone, and tablet.

Practice conversations in practical topics like travel, social, and everyday scenarios, go over more than 500 flashcards, and access personalized learning tools geared toward the topics you want to learn most, all on this convenient platform.

Lock in a one-year subscription to Rosetta Stone Sapphire for only $127.20 today.

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TL;DR: BJ’s Club Card Membership is down to just $15 (reg. $60), giving you a full year of access to wholesale pricing, fresh groceries, gas savings, and seasonal finds right before summer kicks off.

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Credit: BJ's Wholesale Club

1-year The Club Card Membership with BJ’s Easy Renewal® (Terms apply.)

$15
$60 Save $45

 

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Summer has a funny way of turning quick grocery runs into full-contact financial experiences.

Suddenly, you’re buying burgers for cookouts, drinks for backyard hangs, enough fruit for everybody’s “healthy phase,” plus paper towels, sunscreen, pool stuff, and approximately 900 snack foods for road trips and beach days.

Which is exactly why grabbing a BJ’s Club Card Membership for $15 right now feels like a smart move instead of a random impulse buy.

Normally priced at $60, this membership saves you $45 upfront while unlocking access to BJ’s warehouse pricing on everyday essentials, fresh groceries, household items, top national brands, gas stations, and bigger things like furniture and electronics.

And honestly, timing matters here.

Right before summer is arguably peak warehouse-club season. People are stocking up more often, hosting more gatherings, grilling more, traveling more, and trying not to spend their entire paycheck at the grocery store every weekend.

And this offer is built for that kind of shopping rhythm.

Members can save up to 25 percent on grocery store prices on everyday essentials while getting access to fresh produce, deli items, bakery goods, meat, snacks, drinks, and household staples in bulk-friendly sizes. There are also 175 BJ’s gas stations and more than 244 clubs across the eastern U.S., so it’s not exactly difficult to put the membership to work.

And for $15 for the whole year, this feels like a very practical summer decision.

Get a 1-year membership to BJ’s with auto-renewal for a one-time $15 payment (reg. $60).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Get lifetime access to ChatPlayground AI for $54.97 (reg. $619) and compare outputs from 25+ leading AI models side by side in one place.

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ChatPlayground AI: Lifetime Subscription (Unlimited Plan)

$59.97
$619 Save $559.03

 

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If you’ve ever pasted the same prompt into multiple AI tools just to see which one gives the best result, you’re definitely not alone. Each model has its own strengths, but switching between apps, tabs, and subscriptions slows everything down. ChatPlayground AI, on sale for $54.97, brings those models together so you can view and compare responses side by side without constantly bouncing between platforms.

GPT-4o, Claude Sonnet, Gemini, DeepSeek, Llama, Perplexity, and more — all in one clean interface. It’s built for people who iterate fast, test variations, and actually care about optimizing results.

Beyond comparisons, ChatPlayground AI includes prompt engineering tools to refine outputs, image and PDF chat for context-aware responses, saved chat history for ongoing projects, and AI image generation powered by leading models. There’s even a Chrome extension to integrate it directly into your browsing workflow.

The Unlimited Plan means unlimited messages per month, making it ideal for startups, product teams, marketers, and prompt engineers who run experiments nonstop. You also get priority support and early access to new features and future models.

If you’re already paying for multiple AI tools — or constantly switching between them — this consolidates everything into one streamlined platform.

Grab lifetime access to ChatPlayground AI Unlimited for $54.97 and stop juggling models for good.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

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

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

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

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

How to unblock Pornhub for free in Australia

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

Unblock Pornhub from Australia by following these simple steps:

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

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

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

4. Visit Pornhub

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Credit: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

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

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Credit: Proton VPN

Proton VPN (1-Month Plan)

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

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

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

What is the best VPN for Pornhub?

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

• Servers in locations all around the world

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

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

• Fast streaming speeds free from throttling

• Multiple simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantees

Unblock Pornhub for free in Australia with ExpressVPN or ProtonVPN.

The New Moon has passed, and visibility will slowly be returning over the next few nights.

What is today’s Moon phase?

As of Tuesday, June 16, the Moon phase is Waxing Crescent. Tonight, 7% of the moon will be be lit up, according to NASA's Daily Moon Guide.

When is the next Full Moon?

The next Full Moon will take place on June 29.

What are Moon phases?

According to NASA, the Moon completes one orbit around Earth in about 29.5 days, moving through eight recognised phases along the way. While the same side of the Moon always faces our planet, the amount of its surface lit by the Sun changes as it travels around Earth. As a result, we see the Moon appear in different shapes over the course of a month, from slender crescents and half moons to a bright Full Moon. This repeating sequence of phases is known as the lunar cycle.

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.

TL;DR: Get creating with this lifetime subscription to the EbookMagic Starter Plan and make all your book ideas come to life for just $39.99 (reg. $149).

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EbookMagic Starter Plan: Lifetime Subscription

$39.99
$149 Save $109.01

 

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Some people collect books, but do you collect book ideas? If you’re filled with concepts but short on time, you need EbookMagic. This AI-powered tool turns your book concepts into completed manuscripts in minutes, and right now, you can lock in a lifetime subscription to the EbookMagic Starter Plan for only $39.99.

Finishing a book is an impressive endeavor, one that used to take months, if not years. It also used to involve outsourcing numerous tasks — from designing a cover and editing the manuscript to hiring someone to record the audiobook — but EbookMagic makes the process easier than ever.

If you have lots of book ideas, EbookMagic is ready to make them a reality. Just provide a title, genre, and a few key details, and let this tool take over. It supports 15 different genres, from fiction and non-fiction to romance, self-help, and more.

Pick from 12 professional writing styles with different tones to vary up your project. If you’re inspired by a certain author’s style, it can even adapt your content to their writing, too.

Once you’ve created your book, it’s time to customize it. Design a custom cover image, turn it into a professional-sounding audiobook powered by AI voices, and export a ready-to-use file for publishing, sharing, or use in a personal project.

Your lifetime subscription lets you create five eBooks every month, with up to 500,000 words per book. You will also get up to 50 cover generations, commercial usage rights, and no watermarks.

Lock in this lifetime subscription to the EbookMagic Starter Plan for only $39.99 today.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Microsoft Office Professional 2021 is down to $32.97, giving Windows users lifetime access to the essential Office apps for about $187 less than the usual price.

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Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License

$32.97
$219.99 Save $187.02

 

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Let’s talk about a rarity in life: software you can pay for once and actually own for life. That’s what you’re getting with Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows — a full productivity suite with no monthly fees, no auto-renewal traps, and no relying on the cloud to get things done.

For just $32.97, you’ll unlock lifetime access to the entire lineup of essential Office apps: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Teams, Publisher, and Access. Whether you’re a student, small business owner, side hustler, or spreadsheet enthusiast, it’s all here — without the bloat and recurring costs of other productivity services.

And yes, you can use these offline.

rom that charming Airbnb in the woods, your tools are still at your fingertips. The interface is familiar, but optimized — think faster load times, smarter layouts, and an updated ribbon design that actually helps you find what you’re looking for.

There’s no subscription, no “basic” tier, and no nagging alerts reminding you to “upgrade.” Just a one-time license installed on your device that gives you what you need — permanently.

Also worth noting: this version is not linked to your Microsoft account, so everything lives locally on your machine. Translation? Less fuss, more function.

So if you’re tired of renting your software or counting down the days until your trial expires, grab this deal and get back to doing what matters — at home or at work — with tools you actually trust.

Pick up a lifetime license to Microsoft Office Pro 2021 for Windows while it’s just $32.97 (reg. $219.99).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: ChatOn AI Assistant Premium gives you access to GPT, Claude, Gemini, Sonar, and more in one app for $69.99 (regularly $119.99).

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ChatOn Multi-AI Assistant Premium Plan (3-Year Subscription)

$69.99
$119.99 Save $50

 

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Most people paying for AI tools in 2026 have quietly ended up with two or three subscriptions running simultaneously. ChatGPT for one thing, Claude for another, maybe Gemini on top of that. It happens gradually, and then suddenly you’re spending $60 a month just to have the right tool for whatever you’re working on. The ChatOn AI Assistant Premium three-year subscription is $69.99 right now (regularly $119.99) — roughly what you’d spend in a single month across those three subscriptions separately.

To be straight with you about what you’re getting: ChatOn isn’t a direct replacement for a ChatGPT Plus or Claude Pro account. You won’t get day-one access to every lab-specific feature. What you do get is paid-tier access to GPT-5, GPT-4o, Claude 4.5 Sonnet, Gemini 2.5 Pro, and Perplexity Sonar in one app — more capable than the free versions, without the tab switching. Most users report never hitting the daily usage caps in normal use.

It’s also worth noting how ChatOn differs from other consolidation apps. Unlike credit-based platforms, where unused monthly credits just disappear, ChatOn runs on a flat subscription. Your access doesn’t shrink based on how much you used last Tuesday.

All AI features on a single platform:

• Real-time web search with cited sources

• AI image generation and video creation

• Document summarization and PDF support

• OCR text extraction from images

• Translation tools and voice input

• 100+ pre-built prompts for common tasks

• Dedicated native iOS and Android app with cross-platform sync

• Lovie Award winner for Best User Experience

• 100 million+ downloads, 4.7 App Store rating across 268K reviews

Three years of confirmed access from an app that 100 million people actually use is a pretty solid guarantee. When something has a 4.7 App Store rating across 268,000 reviews, it’s not because the marketing was good, it’s because the product works and people keep coming back to it.

Get the ChatOn AI Assistant Premium three-year subscription for $69.99 right now (regularly $119.99).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Live stream Iran vs. New Zealand in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is finally here. We've got weeks of top international football from the best sides in the world to enjoy. What a time to be alive.

Iran face off against New Zealand in Group G. Belgium and Egypt make up the rest of this competitive group, so if Iran and New Zealand want to push towards the knockout rounds, they'll need a positive result in this opening game. Every game in this prestigious tournament is important, but the stakes are particularly high at the SoFi Stadium.

If you want to watch Iran vs. New Zealand in the 2026 FIFA World Cup from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Iran vs. New Zealand?

Iran vs. New Zealand in the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off at 9 p.m. ET on June 15. This fixture takes place at the SoFi Stadium.

How to watch Iran vs. New Zealand for free

Iran vs. New Zealand in the 2026 FIFA World Cup 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 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 to live stream the 2026 World Cup for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Iran vs. New Zealand for free by following these simple steps:

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

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

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

4. Visit BBC iPlayer

5. Watch Iran vs. New Zealand for free from anywhere in the world

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Credit: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

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

Get Deal

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 2026 World Cup without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Iran vs. New Zealand (plus more World Cup fixtures) before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming services from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?

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 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

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

Live stream Iran vs. New Zealand in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free with ExpressVPN.

Best Prime Day deals on noise-cancelling headphones:

---

Best headphones deal

Sony WH-1000XM6

$398 (save $61.99)

Get Deal

---

Best earbuds deal

Apple AirPods Pro 3

$179 (save $70)

Get Deal

---

Cheapest option

CMF By Nothing Buds 2

$23.27 (save $25.73)

Get Deal

Amazon Prime Day is (nearly) upon us once more, but the retailer isn't making you wait for savings if noise-cancelling headphones are on your wishlist. In fact, some of our favorite noise-cancelling audio products are already at record prices.

The four-day sale doesn't officially kick off until June 23, but as of June 15, deals on flagship models from Sony, Bose, and Apple are already available. And it's not just the $400+ flagship headphones getting discounts. The mid-range Nothing Headphone (a) are down to $151, while one of our budget-friendly favorites, the JLab JBuds Lux ANC, is just $10 away from its record low price.

Earbuds have an impressive showing too, with the AirPods Pro 3 down to a record-low price ahead of the sale's start, plus markdowns on the newer Sony XM6 buds. You can also pick up the CMF by Nothing Buds 2 for just $23.27, making them the cheapest option on our list.

All this to say, if you're looking to shop early, there are some early Prime Day deals we can genuinely recommend. We'll be updating this guide as we approach the sale, but for now, check out the top deals so far.

Best ANC headphones deal

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Credit: Sony

Sony WH-1000XM6

$398 at Amazon
$459.99 Save $61.99

 

Get Deal

Why we like it

The Sony XM6 headphones aren't a must-upgrade if you already own the XM5s — in fact, we find the two quite similar. That said, the XM6 headphones are a much more palatable upgrade at a sub-$400 price range, and bring the added convenience of folding ear cups, which is especially handy if you anticipate using them for travel often (which their excellent ANC does make them a great candidate for). At the time of writing, this sale price applies to all five of their colorways, including the newly released sandstone.

Read our full review on the Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones.

More ANC headphones deals

• JLab JBuds Lux ANC — $49.95 $79.95 (save $30)

• CMF BY Nothing Headphone Pro — $65 $99 (save $24)

• Sony WH-CH720N — $98 $179.99 (save $81.99)

• Sony ULT Wear — $144.95 $249.99 (save $105.04)

• Nothing Headphone (a) — $151.05 $199 (save $47.95)

• Beats Studio Pro — $169.95 $199.95 (save $30)

• Nothing Headphone (1) — $213.75 $299 (save $85.25)

• Sony WH-1000XM5 — $278 $399.99 (save $121.99)

• Bose QuietComfort Ultra — $329 $429 (save $100)

• Bose QuietComfort Ultra, 2nd gen — $379 $449 (save $70)

• Apple AirPods Max 2 — $499 $549 (save $50)

Best ANC earbuds deal

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Credit: Apple

Apple AirPods Pro 3

$179 at Amazon
$249 Save $70

 

Get Deal

Why we like it

The AirPods Pro have long been a great choice for any Apple power user, and the third generation of the earbuds is no different. In fact, it fills even more gaps than its predecessors. In addition to its solid sound quality and top notch ANC, these earbuds come in with live translation features, and a built-in heart rate monitor. At their full price, they're already on the cheaper end of premium flagship earbuds, but at $179, they're both at their lowest price ever and a nearly unbeatable value.

Read our full review of the Apple AirPods Pro 3.

More earbuds deals

• CMF By Nothing Buds 2 — $23.27 $49 (save $25.73)

• Nothing Ear (3) — $128.25 $179 (save $50.75)

• Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 — $199.95 $249.99 (save $50.04)

• Technics EAH-AZ100 — $232.99 $299.99 (save $67)

• Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen) — $249 $299 (save $50)

• Sony WF-1000XM6 — $298 $329.99 (save $31.99)

• Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 — $449 $499 (save $50)

Corporate leadership changes rarely come without internal shakeups, reorganizations, and layoffs, and Xbox appears to be going through that right now.

Just a few months after longtime Xbox head Phil Spencer left the company and former AI executive Asha Sharma was put in charge, the gaming world received a duet of news stories from Xbox that paint a bleak picture of the internal state of Microsoft's gaming division. To start, news came on Monday morning that Xbox Game Studios head Craig Duncan and chief of staff Louise O'Connor had departed the company, per The Game Business. Then, a few hours later, Kotaku reported that Compulsion Games, developer of 2025 critical darling South of Midnight, was going through the process of being shut down.

It should be noted that this is very much a developing situation. Xbox has not officially confirmed the shutdown of Compulsion, and Kotaku reporter Rebekah Valentine noted on social media that studio leadership is in some sort of "negotations" with Microsoft over the fate of the development team. However, at least one Compulsion employee posted on social media today that they are looking for work.

Still, even with as much as we don't know right now, it doesn't feel like speculation to say things are difficult at Xbox right now, despite company leadership painting a more rosy picture publicly in recent months. For example, Xbox has been teasing its next console, dubbed "Project Helix," since March. The device was first hinted at in an interview with Mashable last year, and more recently, Xbox has sent Project Helix merch to some influencers and content creators. Xbox also recently started walking back its policy of allowing some first-party games to release on competing platforms, which could arguably be seen as a way to win the hearts and minds of longtime Xbox devotees.

Those gestures suggest that Microsoft is serious about the future of the Xbox brand, but more layoffs are also widely expected to come in the near future, per Bloomberg. Broadly speaking, Xbox has had a difficult time maintaining a steady cadence of game releases in recent years, and studio closures and layoffs are unlikely to help with that in the short term. There's also the longer-term question of the company's reputation among consumers; between game cancelations, studio closures, and Xbox's prominent place on the BDS boycott list due to Microsoft's relationship with the Israeli military, anecdotally I can say several people I know have sworn off of Xbox products for the time being.

It will be interesting to see if anything that happens over the next year or two can change that trend.

TL;DR: Live stream Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free on ITVX. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Group H in the 2026 FIFA World Cup is likely to be dominated by Spain and Uruguay, but don't count out Saudi Arabia. In this expanded tournament, the eight best third-placed teams will progress to the knockouts rounds. That very much opens the door to Saudi Arabia.

Uruguay will be relying on star names likes Federico Valverde, Manuel Ugarte, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Darwin Nunez. That's the sort of talent that could take Marcelo Bielsa's side into the latter stages.

If you want to watch Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay in the 2026 FIFA World Cup from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay?

Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay in the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off at 6 p.m. ET on June 15. This fixture takes place at the Hard Rock Stadium.

How to watch Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay for free

Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay in the 2026 FIFA World Cup is available to live stream for free on ITVX.

ITVX is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock ITVX to live stream the 2026 World Cup for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay for free by following these simple steps:

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

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

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

4. Visit ITVX

5. Watch Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window

Credit: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

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

Get Deal

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 2026 World Cup without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay (plus more World Cup fixtures) before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming services from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for ITVX?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on ITVX, 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 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

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

Live stream Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free with ExpressVPN.

A federal judge has denied Meta's attempt to dismiss a lawsuit claiming it violated copyright law by torrenting (illegally downloading) porn to train its AI.

On June 11, U.S. District Judge Eumi K. Lee filed the order, stating that porn holding company, Strike 3 Holdings, and Counterlife Media (in which Strike 3 has a majority ownership interest), "have plausibly alleged that [Meta] is liable for direct, vicarious, and contributatory copyright infringement based on the torrenting of their films."

Strike 3 Holdings, which owns several popular porn sites like Blacked, according to 404 Media, first filed the lawsuit in July 2025. Strike 3 Holdings and Counterlife Media alleged that, between 2018 and 2025, Meta infringed on more than 2,300 copyrighted pornographic movies by downloading them to train its AI models. Meta is alleged to have used the popular torrenting program BitTorrent.

IP addresses that trace back to Meta's corporate offices acted "consistently in non-human patterns," the suit states, "involving mass infringement beyond what a human could consume." The companies are seeking damages up to $359 million.

Meta filed the motion to dismiss against the Strike 3 lawsuit in Oct., denying the claims and stating that they were "nonsensical and unsupported" and that the porn downloads were for "personal use." But in the order denying the motion, Lee remarked on the download patterns, such as the IP addresses torrenting similar files with the same name, all in one day, from cartoons to porn. "It strains credulity to suggest that these correlations are mere coincidence and the product of individual human selections," Lee wrote.

Now, the lawsuit can proceed.

Strike 3 and Counterlife Media became aware of Meta's BitTorrent activity through press coverage of the Jan. 2025 lawsuit against Meta. Discovery in that case revealed that the company pirated books for AI training. In June 2025, Meta won the case. However, as Mashable reported at the time, the judge in that case wrote that the plaintiffs may have been successful if they had made different legal arguments, leaving the door open for suits such as this one.

Mashable has reached out to Meta for comment.

Levi's, the iconic 153-year-old denim brand, is going viral over a bizarre incident at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. FIFA rules forced a cover-up the Levi's logo, which is part of the name and signage of a California stadium, before a World Cup match.

And now Levi's is covering up its logo on its Instagram profile, too. 

Levi's is going all in on the coverup and has covered its logo on its Instagram profile too. Credit: Mashable screenshot

Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, hosted its first World Cup match between Switzerland and Qatar this past Saturday. However, during the World Cup, it's not known as Levi's Stadium. It's temporarily called the "San Francisco Bay Area Stadium." As part of FIFA's requirements for stadiums hosting the 2026 World Cup matches, Levi's was forced to cover the logo on the 68,000-person venue. FIFA required any brands found in the stadiums to be covered up if they aren't official sponsors of the World Cup.

However, unlike the other 11 NFL stadiums that were required to do the same, Levi's got creative with its forced cover-up.

Unlike, say, MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, which just put up banners over the MetLife logo, Levi's instead wrapped a tight-fitting white tarp over its logo, which is still recognizable even though the name is obscured.

The brand also poked fun at the move in an Instagram Reel.

View this post on Instagram