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Remember when gaming meant blowing into cartridges, mastering tricky platforming levels, and staying up late to finish just one more stage? Some of the greatest games ever made came from the golden age of consoles like the Sega Genesis, original PlayStation, and Xbox.

For many Plex users, "transcoding" is a dirty word. Only the pristine, untouched original file will do. I was like that, trying to avoid transcoding as much as possible.

The Apple AirPods Max 2 are probably the best headphones for iPhone users, but they're not cheap. Don't worry, because you can now get them for $100 off with a rare Amazon deal.

Windows 11 looks considerably more modern than its predecessors, with a redesigned Start menu, rounded corners, and a Settings app that brings many controls together. But spend enough time using it, and the fresh coat of paint starts to give way to familiar bits of older Windows. From legacy Control Panel windows to context menus that feel like they belong to another era, the operating system doesn't always feel like one joined-up experience.

DeWalt makes hundreds of power tools, but you don't need to spend a ton of cash to get quality gear. While you probably already own several basics, if you're a new homeowner or simply on a budget, certain tools are must-buys. Here are a few affordable DeWalt tools worth buying.

Developers deserve to be compensated for their work, and "premium" apps usually offer a better experience. But sometimes, those same developers offer a way for loyal users to get their paid apps for free. No trial, no hidden paywall — just sideloading.

Apple's M6 Macs finally arrived on Tuesday, two weeks after the company's "Welcome Home" smart home launch. The announcement, part of another slate of press releases Apple dropped ahead of its private Pro and Tell event on Wednesday, Oct. 28, includes a new 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6, a refreshed iMac with M6, and a round of AI features for Apple Creator Studio, the company's subscription bundle of creative apps.

The timing isn't a surprise. When the M6 MacBooks were missing from the Oct. 13 home announcements, Mashable reported that Bloomberg's Mark Gurman still expected them in October. For the time being, though, outlets like MacRumors report that the expected touchscreen MacBook Pro won't be announced until Wednesday — so check back here after tomorrow for more details.

SEE ALSO: Apple massively increases trade-in values for iPads and Macs. See the list.

In the meantime, Apple's M6 chip is the main upgrade here. Both machines keep their existing designs, and Apple's pitch leans hard on running AI locally. According to Apple, M6 adds two CPU cores and two GPU cores over its predecessor, puts Neural Accelerators in every GPU core, and pairs them with a new dual 16-core Neural Engine and up to 170GB/s of memory bandwidth. Apple frames the result as a platform for running large language models (LLMs) on-device while keeping data private.

It’s the same AI push Apple made with its home devices. As Mashable noted earlier this month, Gurman has argued the AI boom caught Apple off guard. Both Macs ship with macOS 27 Golden Gate, which brings Siri AI, Apple’s rebuilt assistant. Apple says it can draw on personal context from messages, email, and photos, answer questions on virtually any topic, and act across apps.

Here's everything Apple announced for the Mac on Oct. 27:

14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 Credit: Apple

The headline product is the 14-inch MacBook Pro, which gets M6's 12-core CPU. Apple says M6 features the world’s fastest CPU core. Apple claims the 12-core GPU is up to 30 percent faster at graphics and up to 25 percent faster at AI workloads than M5, while the Neural Engine is up to 1.9x faster. Owners of an M1 model could see bigger jumps: Apple cites up to 11x faster graphics and up to 13x faster AI performance.

Apple's AI benchmarks are the more telling numbers. It says LLM prompt processing delivers a first token up to 1.3x faster than the M5 model, with similar gains in Blender rendering and Xcode builds.

Battery life is rated at up to 24 hours, which Apple calls the longest ever in a Mac, and fast charging reaches 50 percent in 30 minutes with a 96W adapter. Memory starts at 16GB and tops out at 32GB. Wireless connectivity upgrades to Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, and the laptop supports up to two external displays.

Speaking of displays, the MacBook Pro has a Liquid Retina XDR display (with up to 1,600 nits of peak HDR brightness and a nano-texture option), a 12MP Center Stage camera, six speakers, and the same ports, including HDMI, MagSafe 3, three Thunderbolt 4 ports, and an SDXC slot.

The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 starts at $1,999, or $1,899 with education pricing, and comes in space black and silver. Apple Upgrade leases start at $38.99 per month for 36 months. Pre-orders open Wednesday, Oct. 28, in the U.S. and 34 other countries and regions, with availability beginning Friday, Nov. 6.

iMac with M6

The iMac skips M5 entirely, jumping from M4 straight to M6. Apple says the CPU and GPU each gain two cores, with configurations offering up to 12 cores apiece, delivering up to 2x faster graphics than M4. Again, Apple’s big claim is the iMac’s ability to run AI locally. The company says the iMac runs on-device AI up to 5x faster than M4, including prompt processing in LM Studio. For anyone still on an Intel iMac, Apple reports an overall performance gain of up to 18x.

Connectivity gets some of the more practical upgrades. Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 come standard, available 2.5Gb Ethernet is up to 2.5x faster than before, and Apple says SSD speeds have doubled. Up to four Thunderbolt 4 ports support two 6K external displays.

The rest of the iMac is unchanged, including the 24-inch 4.5K Retina display, 12MP Center Stage camera, color-matched accessories, and seven colors: blue, green, pink, yellow, purple, orange, and silver.

The iMac with M6 starts at $1,499 ($1,449 for education) with a 10-core CPU and GPU, and $1,699 ($1,599 for education) with a 12-core CPU and GPU. That base price matches what the M4 iMac currently sells for after a $200 increase in June, according to MacRumors. Apple Upgrade leases start at $28.99 per month for 36 months. Pre-orders open Wednesday, Oct. 28, with availability beginning Friday, Nov. 6.

Apple Creator Studio Credit: Apple

Apple also gave its new Macs more AI software to run. Apple Creator Studio adds intelligent assistants (in beta) to Logic Pro for Mac and to Keynote, Pages, and Numbers. Notably, Apple says those assistants are built on a combination of its own models and OpenAI’s. Keynote, Pages, and Numbers also gain Model Context Protocol (MCP) support, which lets third-party AI agents read documents, make edits, and run automated actions inside the apps.

Elsewhere, Final Cut Pro for Mac now includes MotionVFX's library of effects, transitions, and templates, and Pixelmator Pro adds Generate Fill for editing selected parts of an image using text prompts. Logic Pro's Stem Splitter can now separate drums.

The Creator Studio updates arrive in November at no additional cost for existing subscribers. The subscription costs $12.99 per month or $129 per year, with education pricing of $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year.

ICYMI: iPad mini with A20 Pro

Apple's week of announcements technically started Monday with the iPad mini, which Apple calls the tablet's "biggest update ever." The headline change is a larger 8.5-inch OLED display that fits in the same footprint, thanks to 24 percent thinner bezels. Apple says peak brightness reaches 1,200 nits, more than double that of the previous model, and a nano-texture option is available.

The A20 Pro chip follows the same local AI script as the M6. It has Neural Accelerators in each GPU core, and Apple claims up to 4.5x faster AI performance than the previous generation. The tablet is also thinner, at 5.4mm, and adds IP67 water and dust resistance, a 12MP front camera on the landscape edge, and Apple's N1 wireless and C2 cellular chips.

The iPad mini starts at $699 for Wi-Fi and $849 for Wi-Fi + Cellular (education pricing starts at $649), and comes in midnight and starlight. Pre-orders open Wednesday, Oct. 28, with availability beginning Friday, Nov. 6.

Touchscreen laptops don't come cheap, and quality models from reputable brands often cost thousands of dollars. However, savvy buyers never pay full price when they can get big discounts, like 40% off the Asus Vivobook S16 laptop, and save $1,000 to spend elsewhere.

I'm a PC builder with so much love for humongous desktops, but even my love gets tested at times. I recently tried a really high-quality GEEKOM mini PC, which made me re-evaluate the whole concept of owning those things, and how they can pretty much replace an actual desktop on many fronts.

Do you know someone who basically lives at the local climbing gym? Are you friends with a person whose only personality trait is taking their dog hiking? Or maybe your partner is obsessed with the idea of living in a van (#vanlife) and traveling the country?

If any of these groups sound like you or someone you know, you've been exposed to the granola lifestyle. Similar to gorpcore, folks who fit the granola aesthetic are typically into camping, hiking, and kayaking, and have probably talked about moving to Colorado one day (guilty). They love to be outdoors, sip craft beer, and of course, wear Patagonia fleece sweaters.

Outdoorsy folk have taken to TikTok with the hashtags #granolagirl, #granolaboy, and #granolacheck over the last few years to show off their adventurous, outdoor-oriented lifestyles. For many, getting into nature was a direct response to feeling cooped up during the lockdowns of the early pandemic. But that trend is here to stay.

How to shop for an outdoorsy gift

For people who are unsure about adventure gear themselves but still want to find the perfect granola gift this holiday season, we chatted with outdoor expert and REI soft goods Lead and Virtual Outfitter Mike Kreis for some outdoor gear shopping tips.

SEE ALSO: The best camping gear for dogs: We've tried (and loved) these 8 products

Kreis suggests that you consider how long your giftee has been into their activity, whether it's hiking, skiing, camping, or climbing. "The longer they have been doing the activity, the more gear they will have," he says.

If your gift recipient already owns some gear, Kreis says it's best to go for nonessentials. "I always like to go with items that aren't necessarily needed for the activity, as they most likely have that," he says. So opt for a portable charger, a cozy outdoor blanket, or extra camp cooking gadgets. Really, anything that can make outdoor life more comfortable will make a great gift.

If you find yourself shopping for the outdoorsy person in your life, look no further. We've rounded up 30 of the best presents out there, whether their version of adventure is having a picnic in the park or roughing it in the back country.

I remember when I was a child, the TV in the kitchen sat on the counter, not on the wall. It was small, portable, and had a charm that made it feel like part of the room rather than an electronic device taking up space on an already too-crowded counter.

Kai Cenat had barely gotten his hands on Apple's new iPhone Duo before another foldable caught his attention. The surprise? It was a Samsung.

During a livestream from Japan that accumulated millions of views, the streamer spotted a fan's folding phone and asked, "Is that the iPhone Duo?" When the owner explained that it was a Samsung, Cenat responded with a startled "What!"

"Wait, they been had this? I might have to switch to Samsung," he says in a viral clip.

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For Samsung users watching, the answer to that first question was an emphatic yes. And they were more than happy to catch him up.

SEE ALSO: Apple iPhone Duo review: This changes everything

"Apple fans watching Kai discover Samsung features that have existed for years are about to have a rough day" one user wrote on X. "It’s crazy how ignorant normies are," another wrote, while one user said, "everyone starting to realize Apple is washed and overpriced; Samsung actually feels like an upgrade worth the value and the features alone make it worth it."

"Just imagine when he finds out they have a trifold," another user pointed out.

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The snark comes with some history. Samsung unveiled its original Galaxy Fold in February 2019 and put it on sale that September, seven years before Apple’s first foldable arrived. Both follow the same basic idea — a phone with an outer screen that opens like a book to reveal a larger, tablet-like display, with room to run apps side by side. Samsung’s first Fold could already display three apps at once, while the iPhone Duo supports two side by side, with picture-in-picture video available too.

Samsung has released several generations since then, with its current lineup including the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra.

Comparing the Duo with the standard Fold 8, Mashable Tech Editor Timothy Beck Werth noted that Samsung's phone is thinner, lighter, and $100 cheaper at its starting price. Cameras were his biggest complaint about the Samsung, particularly its 10MP selfie camera. But after testing the Duo, Senior Editor Stan Schroeder found that Apple’s under-display FaceTime camera produced heavily processed, smudgy selfies, too.

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Apple introducing more people to foldables could actually benefit Samsung, and Cenat's viral interaction is a prime example of how. Samsung says European sales of its Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra rose 45 percent compared with a year earlier, while Google search interest in Samsung foldables jumped 260 percent between Sept. 6 and 12 — the week Apple announced the Duo.

SEE ALSO: The iPhone Duo could be boosting Samsung Galaxy foldable sales

Whether Cenat actually switches remains to be seen. For now, he’s given Samsung fans something almost as satisfying as a new customer: an iPhone owner asking what he's been missing.

Apple is giving the public a taste of its new AI features and powerful devices ahead of tomorrow's "Pro And Tell" event.

The tech giant already announced a new M6-powered, 14-inch MacBook Pro and a new iPad Mini 8, complete with an OLED screen and an internal A20 Pro chip.

And for creators, Apple is sprucing up its Creator Studio to bring more integrated editing tools and even AI assistants to its creative app lineup.

SEE ALSO: The new Apple M6 Macbook Pro is live — how to preorder Apple adds MotionVFX to Final Cut Pro

Final Cut Pro will be getting a major upgrade with the addition of MotionVFX, a library of effects, templates, graphics, and tools for rotoscoping, tracking, and color grading, the company announced. Users will be able to access the Content Hub directly in Final Cut Pro, including "Apple-curated stock videos, photos, and backgrounds to fill gaps, add polish, or spark new ideas without leaving their workflow."

Final Cut Pro's workflow will be streamlined, too, including new keyframe editing options and the ability to combine edit sessions across multiple apps.

Logic Pro gets Liquid Glass, AI tools

Apple will bring its new Apple Intelligence model to its suite of creative apps, including Pixelmator Pro's new Generate Fill, which allows users to generate automatic edits and content fills with text-based prompts.

Music editors in Apple's Logic Pro should prepare for a new Liquid Glass interface and an OpenAI collaboration introducing a music-intelligent AI assistant.

The AI, a combination of Apple and OpenAI models, "automatically analyzes, classifies, and tags added sounds so creators can easily search their entire collection or drag in a loop to surface matching audio," Apple explains. There's a new Browser tool to match that centralizes clips, edits, and effects, as well as a new Voice Memos Studio Sound that automatically reduces ambient noise in iPhone recordings and uploads them to Logic Pro.

Apple is also adding new "Producer Packs" with clips and sounds from famed producers, like Sergio George.

Apple's AI assistant can help with graphic design

The company's AI assistant will also be available on Keynote, Pages, and Numbers to help design and animate slides, draft and edit written content, and build custom charts or graphs.

Credit: Apple

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Out of all the kitchen products we've put to the test, these 12 are the ones we'll always recommend — over and over again. Here's why we love them.

I’ve been dual-booting Linux and Windows for more than 10 years, and my current machine runs four different operating systems side by side. Over the years, I’ve made plenty of mistakes and seen newcomers and enthusiasts make many of the same ones. As such, to help you avoid these common pitfalls, here are three of the most common mistakes people make when setting up a Linux-Windows dual-boot PC.

Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Denis Villeneuve will bring his epic trilogy to a conclusion this December with Dune: Part Three. And the final trailer gives fans an intense look at Villeneuve's bold adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novels. Based on Dune Messiah, the film follows Timothée Chalamet's Paul Atreides as he confronts the consequences of becoming Emperor.

Mashable's resident Dune expert Belen Edwards wrote of the film's previous trailer, "Dune: Part Three takes place 17 years after the end of Dune: Part Two, which saw Paul become Emperor, meet his future wife Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh), and lose his lover Chani (Zendaya). In a huge deviation from Frank Herbert's novels, Chani fled into the desert after witnessing Paul's brutality, setting up a major rift between the two."

In the trailer above, Paul attacks Irulan, who confesses Chani is involved in an assassination attempt. The footage also features Robert Pattinson as Scytale, "a shape-shifting Face Dancer from the genetically altered Bene Tleilax order." Anya Taylor-Joy returns as Paul’s sister Alia, now grown up with powers of her own.

But that’s not all. Dune: Part Three promises pulse-pounding action, heart-wrenching drama, and a confrontation between former lovers that could change the future of their universe.

Dune: Part Three hits theaters and IMAX Dec. 18.

Apple is currently in the midst of releasing brand-new iPads and new Macs. Looking to upgrade to a new tablet or computer now? Then you're in luck.

Apple just bumped up the trade-in values for previous generations of iPads and Macs, as first noticed by MacRumors.

This week, just as Apple launched the new iPad mini, M6 MacBook Pro, and M6 iMac, the company also increased how much consumers could get back when trading in their old devices. Is Apple trying to sweeten the deal for customers in order to sell more new iPads and Macs? Possibly, though Apple hasn't said whether that factored into the higher trade-in offers.

But, this is good news for Apple fans looking to upgrade.

So, how much can you get for trading in your current iPad or Mac model now? Here's a list of the previous and new maximum valuations for each device below. (Your actual offer depends on your device's model and condition.)

Macs

Macs and MacBooks received the largest increases in maximum trade-in value. Here's what you can get now.

• MacBook Pro: From up to $1,315 to up to $1,435

• MacBook Air: From up to $705 to up to $795

• iMac: From up to $385 to up to $440

• Mac mini: From up to $620 to up to $645

• Mac Studio: From up to $1,460 to up to $1,700

• Mac Pro: From up to $2,195 to up to $2,560

The iMac Pro remains the only listed Mac model unchanged with a maximum trade-in value of $340.

iPads

The iPad trade-in values didn't increase by as much as those for Apple's computers. However, there was a trade-in value increase nonetheless.

• iPad: From up to $280 to up to $300

• iPad mini: From up to $320 to up to $340

• iPad Air: From up to $510 to up to $525

• iPad Pro: From up to $905 to up to $915

As a general reminder, Apple's trade-in program is mostly about convenience. Even with the trade-in value increases, you may be able to resell your device through resale marketplaces for a higher payout.

Pixel phones built their reputation on photos that looked better than their hardware should allow. Five years after the Pixel 6 Pro, that edge feels thinner, so it’s worth asking whether Pixel cameras are actually slipping or the competition simply sprinted ahead.

For years, Windows 11 has handled camera and microphone access for desktop apps like a master key—flip the switch and every program gets in, or none do. Microsoft is finally working on a solution for the latest Windows 11 Insider build. The new privacy controls allow you to decide which desktop apps get to use your camera and microphone, one at a time. If you use an Android phone, you'll find the per-app permission settings feel familiar. This matters because camera and microphone access can reveal more than you might expect across varied software.

Subway is attempting to hijack your midday break with an aggressive dose of 2014 nostalgia.

To celebrate National Sandwich Day (Nov. 3), Subway has officially launched a BOGO Footlong deal running until Nov. 8. Alongside this generous promo, Subway is resurrecting the cult-favorite Fritos Chicken Enchilada Sub. I've probably eaten at Subway a couple of times in my life, but free subs are enough to convince me to make a return.

The BOGO promo applies across most standard Footlong builds, including the returning Fritos Chicken Enchilada Sub. If you missed the original 2014 run, this viral sandwich packs rotisserie-style chicken drenched in enchilada sauce, melted Monterey Cheddar, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, a drizzle of smoky Baja Chipotle sauce, and a generous layer of crunchy original Fritos corn chips.

Credit: Subway

Qualifying for the BOGO deal is straightforward: Sub Club members can score a free Footlong of equal or lesser value with the purchase of another Footlong. You just need to order through the Subway app or online, and the offer will be automatically added to your app wallet.

The BOGO discount is only triggered on digital orders placed through the Subway app or Subway.com. If you turn up at a store expecting the free sub, you'll walk away disappointed.