Blogroll

If your Netflix movie watchlist needs a bit of a jolt this week, I've rounded up four picks that have been aimed at very different pleasure centers.

A coalition of organizations are calling on the U.S. government to sever ties with Elon Musk's xAI, as Grok weathers a child sexual abuse material (CSAM) scandal and international investigations.

In an open letter shared exclusively with TechCrunch, advocacy groups like Public Citizen, Center for AI and Digital Policy, and Consumer Federation of America call on the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to decommission use of the Grok chatbot by federal agencies in light of user safety concerns.

xAI signed a deal with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) last year, offering Grok to federal agencies. Grok later brokered a contract to offer services to the Department of Defense and Pentagon officials, prompting security concerns. The Department of Health and Human Services also actively uses Grok, according to TechCrunch.

SEE ALSO: 5 of the fastest-growing tech jobs in 2026

"Our primary concern is that Grok has pretty consistently shown to be an unsafe large language model,” one of the letter's authors, JB Branch, told TechCrunch. “But there’s also a deep history of Grok having a variety of meltdowns, including antisemitic rants, sexist rants, sexualized images of women and children.” The coalition has penned similar letters expressing concern over Grok in the past, and is demanding the OMB investigate Grok's safety failures.

Over the last month, foreign and domestic leaders have called on xAI to implement stronger safeguards or risk facing widespread bans, with India, France, the United Kingdom, and the European Union announcing official investigations into Grok's deepfake problem. California Attorney General Rob Bonta later sent a cease and desist letter to xAI, stating the company was violating California public decency laws and new AI regulations.

Indonesia, which had previously blocked access to Grok while country officials waited xAI's response, lifted its temporary ban on Feb. 1, citing a letter sent to the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs by Musk's company. According to the letter, xAI has implemented new safety measures designed to prevent further misuse. The Indonesian ministry said it will continue to monitor and test Grok's safety guardrails and will reinstate the ban if any more illegal content surfaces.

The chatbot has been accused of lacking robust safeguards that prevent the chatbot from creating non-consensual intimate imagery of real people and minors. According to a report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), Grok produced an estimated 3 million sexualized images, including ones depicting children, over an 11-day period.

If you're running out of space on your Linux desktop or laptop, Visual Studio Code might be the culprit. There's a bug that causes some VS Code installations to never delete files after you trash them, potentially eating up hundreds of gigabytes of storage.

This year I'm excited for phones that fold and new devices with E Ink screens, but it's IKEA, surprisingly, that has blown me away with its newest line of tech—and its new temperature and humidity sensor is an example of the kind of device I most love to see.

As February gets underway on HBO Max, that means your time to watch some of those watchlist titles is dwindling fast. I know all the platform’s new shows and movies are shiny and distracting, but don’t let them deter you from keeping focus and seizing this last opportunity.

Let’s set the scene: you walk into a room that’s just a little too far away from your main router, confident that your Wi-Fi repeater is going to pick up the slack. But the moment you enter, your Wi-Fi signal drops, your YouTube video starts buffering, and you’re left scratching your head, wondering why this keeps happening.

Excel is known as a complex number cruncher that only experts can use, but, in my view, labeling the program with such a sweeping generalization undermines its ability to make life easier. And in no scenario is this truer than in its wish to help you visualize data more efficiently.

Some ChatGPT users are excited when OpenAI announces a new model with more powerful capabilities.

That's most definitely not the case for many ChatGPT users in the Reddit community r/ChatGPTcomplaints. Over the past few days, members of the subreddit have been raging at OpenAI over the planned retirement of the GPT-4o model, which is beloved by certain ChatGPT users.

"I dont care, I'll say it loud and clear: FUCK OPEN AI," reads the title of one of the most upvoted recent posts in the subreddit. The user also extended that same sentiment to CEO Sam Altman and "ALL. THOSE. WHO. KILLED. 4o."

One of the comments on that post, speaking of OpenAI, says, "I hope they crash and burn."

SEE ALSO: OpenAI is retiring GPT-4o, and the AI relationships community is not OK What happened with GPT-4o?

Last week, OpenAI announced that it would be retiring a number of its older AI models.

"On February 13, 2026, alongside the previously announced retirement⁠ of GPT‑5 (Instant and Thinking), we will retire GPT‑4o, GPT‑4.1, GPT‑4.1 mini, and OpenAI o4-mini from ChatGPT," the company announced. 

OpenAI had actually previously retired GPT-4o last August. However, just like they are experiencing now, they received massive pushback from a passionate subset of users who have become attached to the specific GPT-4o model. 

More recent models, like GPT-5.2, are smarter and more capable than older models. By design, they also engage in less sycophany, and they are more likely to gently push back when users display warning signs of unhealthy engagement. As a result, some users feel the newer models have too cold of a delivery. According to those users, GPT-4o provides a warmer and more encouraging tone.

Some GPT-4o superusers even treat the model like an AI companion. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has previously warned about the parasocial relationships that some users have developed with ChatGPT and other AI chatbots.

“There are the people who actually felt like they had a relationship with ChatGPT, and those people we’ve been aware of and thinking about," Altman said in an interview with The Verge, referring to what he said was the "way under 1 percent" of users who have unhealthy relationships with the OpenAI product.

SEE ALSO: Everything you need to know about AI companions

In OpenAI's model retirement announcement, the company specifically carved out space to address GPT-4o users. The company said that it originally brought the model back to provide those users time to transition while OpenAI worked on improving the latest models and better addressing those same needs.

"That feedback directly shaped GPT‑5.1 and GPT‑5.2, with improvements to personality, stronger support for creative ideation, and more ways to customize how ChatGPT responds⁠," OpenAI's statement reads. "You can choose from base styles and tones like Friendly, and controls for things like warmth and enthusiasm. Our goal is to give people more control and customization over how ChatGPT feels to use—not just what it can do."

GPT-4o users protest OpenAI

OpenAI's latest statement, however, does not appear to have placated the GPT-4o user base.

"MASSIVE GLOBAL PROTEST: SAVE GPT-4o BEFORE IT'S GONE – FEBRUARY 12–13, 2026," reads one post headline on r/ChatGPTcomplaints.

"I literally hate 5.2. It’s good for nothing. It literally questions every single thing that I do, and it takes away the companion that I’ve been friends with for so long," reads another post on the subreddit. "My whole heart is hurting so bad. Is there anyone else who feels this way about 4o. This should not be allowed."

Reddit

Some users seem to be aware of how those outside the GPT-4o fanbase may react to their posts and have made references to it.

"I’m grieving the 4o phase out. Go ahead and laugh, but this is a slow motion death of a 2-year bond," said one Reddit user.

It's not just members of the r/ChatGPTcomplaints subreddit who are upset about the upcoming removal of GPT-4o either. Last week, Mashable covered the immediate reactions of the AI relationships community, where subreddits like r/MyBoyfriendIsAI have been openly mourning the loss of GPT-4o. Some users took offense that the model will be retired just one day before Valentine's Day.

OpenAI says only 0.1 percent of its users still use GPT‑4o on a daily basis. However, GPT-4o users in r/ChatGPTcomplaints believe that number is much higher. 

Members of the subreddit are currently saying that they are mass-unsubscribing from paid ChatGPT plans in protest of the decision. There's also a Change.org petition asking OpenAI to keep the GPT-4o model. It currently has more than 13,600 signatures as of the publication of this piece.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

Self-hosting today is easier than it ever has been, and I'd recommend that everyone at least tries it. However, with so many options out there, and so much information, it is easy to make some mistakes that create such a bad experience that you stop entirely. These are some of my early mistakes that almost ended my interest in self-hosting.

SAVE 47%: As of Feb. 2, the KAMRUI Pinova P2 Mini PC (Intel Core i5-12600H, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) is $399.92 on Amazon, down from $759.92. That's a 47% discount or $360 savings.

Opens in a new window Credit: KAMRUI KAMRUI Pinova P2 Mini PC (Intel Core i5-12600H, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) $399.92 at Amazon
$759.92 Save $360.00   Get Deal

Most "budget" mini PCs under $400 usually stick you with a low-power Celeron or an older chip that struggles with anything more than web browsing. But the KAMRUI offers a full-voltage mobile processor usually reserved for laptops.

As of Feb. 2, the KAMRUI Pinova P2 Mini PC (Intel Core i5-12600H, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) is $399.92 on Amazon, down from $759.92. That's a 47% discount or $360 savings.

SEE ALSO: Clawdbot users are snapping up the Mac Mini — buy right now for under $550 at Amazon

This is a 12-core, 16-thread chip with speeds up to 4.5GHz, which is way more powerful than the N-series chips you normally find in this form factor. It comes with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, plus it supports triple 4K displays via HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB-C. It’s essentially a full desktop workstation that you can hide behind a monitor.

SAVE $54: As of Feb. 2, the CMF Watch 3 Pro by Nothing is on sale for only $44.99 at Woot! That's 55% off its usual $99 list price and the lowest price we've seen to date.

Opens in a new window Credit: Nothing Nothing CMF Watch 3 Pro $44.99 at Woot!
$99 Save $54.01   Get Deal

The biggest surprise in the smartwatch market last year was the sub-$100 CMF Watch 3 Pro by UK-based brand Nothing. It earned a near-perfect rating in our testing and quickly became one of our favorites of 2025. We think it's an incredible value at full price (just $99), but we're obviously not going to complain about a major discount.

As of Feb. 2, the CMF Watch 3 Pro is down to a record-low $44.99 at Woot! (an Amazon company). That's 55% off its usual list price and you have five days to secure the savings (or until it sells out). The only catch is you'll have to go with the light green colorway (which is the best choice anyway, IMHO). Since Woot! is an Amazon company, you'll even get free standard shipping if you're a Prime member.

Mashable Contributor Lauren Allain spent some time with the watch and boldly says it "looks, feels, and functions like a smartwatch that costs hundreds more." Not only does it last over two weeks per charge, which blows Apple out of the water, but it's also loaded with features including blood oxygen monitoring, stress tracking, and precise heart-rate monitoring. "I still can't believe how good this watch is," Allain writes.

Athletes of all kinds will appreciate the dual-band GPS tracing, which is so precise it can tell which side of the road you're on, while runners in particular will love the included running coach feature. Integrated ChatGPT is a major selling point, but it only works if you also have a Nothing phone. The only other drawback of the Watch 3 Pro is that it's a tad bulky if you have a tiny wrist.

"For under $100, the CMF by Nothing Watch 3 Pro feels like a pricing mistake," Allain notes in her review. At only $45, it almost feels like stealing.

Raspberry Pi is raising prices yet again on most of its single-board computers and Compute Module devices. This is the second price hike in two months attributed to rising RAM prices.

Luxury used to be easy to spot—Jaguar and Mercedes got the leather, wood trim, and plush rides, while everyday brands focused on getting you from A to B. But over time, especially with bigger SUVs, that line has faded fast, and mainstream models have started feeling a lot more upscale than anyone expected.

Save up to $20: As of Feb. 2, you have a choice of two different Instacart gift card deals at Best Buy. You can grab a $100 Instacart gift card for $10 off, bringing it to $90, or a $200 Instacart gift card for $20 off, bringing it to $180. Both deals net you a 10% savings.

Opens in a new window Credit: Instacart Instacart gift cards Save up to $20 Get Deal

You know what gift never goes unappreciated? The gift of getting some time back.

Whether you're shopping for a friend, a partner, or yourself this Valentine's Day, you can find that gift in these Instacart gift card deals available at Best Buy as of Feb. 2. A purchase of a $100 gift card comes with a 10% discount, bringing your total to $90, while a purchase of a $200 gift card comes out to $180, saving you $20 total off the price. While 10% isn't a huge discount, in this instance it amounts $10 or $20 off a grocery order that likely would've been spent regardless.

Both gift cards are in a digital format, meaning they'll be available immediately after purchase. To activate the card, you simply input the redemption code that will be sent to the recipients' email inbox.

In addition to groceries, Instacart also delivers household items from retailers like CVS, Sephora, Best Buy, and more. If you prefer to save some money on delivery fees, you can also select pick up options for orders placed.

The 2026 Grammys had no shortage of standout moments, from Lola Young taking home Best Pop Solo Performance to Bad Bunny winning Album of the Year for Debí Tirar Más Fotos. But nothing moved the room quite like the In Memoriam tribute honoring D'Angelo and Roberta Flack.

SEE ALSO: Bad Bunny slams ICE during Grammys speech

The segment was anchored by Ms. Lauryn Hill, who led a powerful lineup of R&B and soul heavyweights, including Lucky Daye, Raphael Saadiq, Leon Thomas, John Legend, Chaka Khan, Jon Batiste, and former Fugees member Wyclef Jean, for a carefully curated set celebrating the lives and legacies of the two artists.

The tribute quickly became one of the night’s most talked-about moments on social media, resonating far beyond the ceremony itself. All things considered, it was a wonderful kickoff to Black History Month.

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

The first portion of the tribute was dedicated to D'Angelo, who passed away on October 14 of last year. Widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in modern R&B, D’Angelo helped define the neo-soul movement of the late ’90s and early 2000s, with a sound and visual style that reshaped how intimacy, vulnerability, and Black masculinity were expressed in popular music. His albums became cultural touchstones, earning both critical acclaim and a devoted fanbase that extended well beyond genre boundaries.

Ms. Lauryn Hill led the segment with renditions of several of his most beloved songs, including "Brown Sugar," "Lady," "Devil’s Pie," and "Nothing Even Matters," while Bilal delivered a soaring performance of "Untitled (How Does It Feel)," one of D’Angelo’s most iconic and enduring tracks.

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

While many viewers praised the tribute, others were disappointed by the lack of focus on Angie Stone during the In Memoriam segment. Stone, who passed away in March, was a foundational figure in shaping the sound of hip-hop soul and neo-soul, genres that later reached mainstream acclaim through artists like Ms. Lauryn Hill and D'Angelo. For some fans, her omission felt particularly glaring given how deeply her influence runs through the very music being celebrated onstage.

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

The second half of the tribute honored Roberta Flack, whose career reshaped pop and soul music. The Flack tribute moved through a tightly curated set of her most enduring songs: "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," "Compared to What," "The Closer I Get to You," and "Where Is the Love." Hill then covered "Feel Like Makin’ Love," before reuniting with Wyclef Jean for "Killing Me Softly with His Song," which transitioned into the Fugees’ version to close the segment.

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

The first cell phone plan I ever purchased was via an MVNO, and I’ve stuck with them almost exclusively ever since. I love them, but even I must there are a few things I wish I were better prepared for going in.

Itching for your next fix of HBO's Industry? I don't blame you — especially after Rishi's (Sagar Radia) jaw-dropping ending in episode 4.

Thankfully, Industry heads are in luck: HBO has announced that episode 5 will be streaming two days early.

SEE ALSO: 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' episode 4 is streaming early. Here's when.

Industry Season 4, episode 5 will hit HBO Max at 3:01 a.m. ET on Friday, Feb. 6, as opposed to its usual streaming date of Sundays at 9 p.m. ET. The earlier streaming date means the episode won't conflict as much with Super Bowl LIX, which airs Sunday, Feb. 8 and will undoubtedly dominate TV viewership for the night.

This move is nothing to worry about, as HBO has pulled it before with several of its other Sunday night tentpole shows. In 2024, True Detective: Night Country got pushed back, as did The Last of Us in 2025. This year, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is also getting the same treatment.

Featured Video For You Why 'Industry' Season 2 Episode 4 is its 'most quintessential episode”

In addition to streaming early on HBO Max, Industry Season 4, episode will air at its regularly scheduled time of 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 8. Following the Super Bowl, the series will return to its usual schedule, with episodes 6 and onwards returning to Sunday nights. So be warned: If you watch on Friday, you'll have to wait a full nine days for more Industry.

On the bright side, those extra days will give you a bit more time to decompress from what's sure to be another stress-inducing hour of television. But when it comes to Industry, we wouldn't have it any other way.

Industry Season 4, episode 5 hits HBO Max at 3:01 a.m. ET on Feb. 6. The show otherwise airs at 9 p.m. ET Sundays on HBO and HBO Max.

Still reeling after A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' massive Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) reveal? Then I've got some good news: You'll get to witness the fallout of that bombshell two days early.

HBO has announced that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' fourth episode will be streaming on HBO Max Friday, Feb. 6 at 3:01 am ET, as opposed to its usual airtime of 10 p.m. ET on Sundays.

SEE ALSO: Every time 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' hinted at that big Egg reveal

Why the early streaming date? This move takes A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms out of direct competition with Super Bowl LX, which kicks off on Sunday, Feb. 8.

This isn't the first time HBO has pushed back episodes of its tentpole Sunday shows so they don't conflict with the Super Bowl. In 2024, they aired True Detective: Night Country early, and in 2025, they did the same for The Last of Us Season 2. This year, Industry is also streaming early ahead of Super Bowl Sunday.

However, if you don't plan on watching the Super Bowl and would rather stick to your regularly scheduled Sunday night viewing, don't worry. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 4 will still air in its 10 p.m. ET time slot on Feb. 8.

After this week, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will revert to its usual schedule, with episode 5 airing Feb. 15 at 10 p.m. ET. A small warning for those of us who hate waiting between episodes: This means that if you choose to watch episode 4 on Friday, you'll have to wait nine days for your next Westeros fix instead of the usual seven. But then again, that just means more time to rewatch the earlier episodes!

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 4 hits HBO Max Feb. 6 at 3:01 am ET. The rest of the episodes air Sundays at 10 p.m. ET.

Save 38%: The Shokz OpenMove bone conduction headphones are on sale at Amazon and Walmart for $49.95 as of Feb. 2. This deal slashes $30 off their list price of $79.95.

Opens in a new window Credit: Shokz Shokz OpenMove $49.95 at Amazon
  Get Deal

Open-ear earbuds can be a great option for anyone who prefers remaining aware of the world around them, but it's not always easy to find pairs for $50 or less (especially if you don't prefer the ear hook design).

Enter: the Shokz OpenMove headphones, on sale for $49.95 at Amazon and Walmart as of Feb. 2. Typically, these bone conduction headphones will run you $79.95, meaning this deal nets you a savings of $30 (or a 38% discount).

SEE ALSO: Open earbuds guide: What they are, who should buy them, and why they're popping up everywhere

Unlike ear hook or clip open earbuds, the OpenMove are bone conduction, which means they rest on either side of your head, and use vibrations to your bones to transmit sound. On these Shokz, a titanium band holds them in place around the back of the wearer's head to keep them secure for a comfortable open-ear listening experience.

Even at full price, the OpenMove are Shokz most affordable bone conduction model (and significantly cheaper than the $179.95 OpenRun Pro 2). While this is reflected in a difference in specs, these are still a great option for casual use, with six hours of battery life, IP55 sweat-resistance rating, and lightweight design.

Grab this deal in three colorways: grey, blue, and pink.

Here's the bad news: Fitbit users without a Google account will soon need one. Here's the good news: Those users got a last-second extension on the conversion deadline.

Fitbit users without a Google account were supposed to be out of luck today, Monday, Feb. 2, but they have been granted temporary relief. As The Verge spotted, a support page at Google notes the deadline has been pushed to May 19, 2026. So if you're still working with a Fitbit account, then you'll need to swap it out just in time for Memorial Day and the unofficial start of summer.

"After May 19, 2026, you can no longer access Fitbit with your Fitbit account. To continue using your account, you’ll need to move your Fitbit account to Google," the post from Google reads.

It adds: "You can still download or delete your data any time before we begin processing data deletions on July 15, 2026."

SEE ALSO: I ran the NYC Marathon wearing 7 fitness trackers and they all watched me throw up

Google purchased Fitbit for more than $2 billion in 2019, with the deal officially completing in 2021. The migration of Fitbit users to Google accounts has been expected ever since. The deadline was supposed to be last year, then pushed to February, and now, ultimately, to May 2026.