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Mesh Wi-Fi has its fair share of superpowers, but a bad setup can also create new bottlenecks. Mesh systems are supposed to be this magical fix for bad Wi-Fi, and they can be. You place a few nodes around the house, let them communicate, and suddenly the dead zones are gone.

You've probably heard someone online say Linux can replace Windows, and you've probably also heard someone else say that's completely wrong—and honestly, they're both right. Whether Linux makes sense for you has nothing to do with which OS is "better" and everything to do with what you actually use your computer for. If you've been on the fence about Linux, or just wondering what all the fuss is about, this breakdown will actually help answer that question.

When modern smartwatches first started appearing, I was all over them. I bought my first (and only) smartwatch about five years ago, as soon as they became affordable enough to feel mainstream. However, my tastes shifted more recently, prompting me to pick up a simple Seiko watch that I now wear every day.

I've been tinkering with development since the '90s, starting with HTML, JavaScript, PHP, and whatever else I could get running long enough to build something useful. I was never a full-time developer, but I knew enough to understand the basic logic of how things worked. The problem is that those skills atrophy when you're not using them every day. Syntax gets rusty. Tools change. The simple thing you wanted to build suddenly turns into setup issues, outdated tutorials, and a reminder that programming rewards repetition.

The command line can be a daunting place to hang out in, even if you're familiar with a few commands. However, almost every Linux command can tell you how to use it—if you know how to ask.

I'm not afraid to admit that I prefer binge-watching TV shows over the whole one-episode-a-week thing. The binge allows for a fuller, richer experience, regardless of whether the show contains multiple seasons or is a one-off miniseries. While I love the multi-season binge, I will say that diving into a miniseries sometimes proves more satisfying due to sharper writing and less filler.

Kaggle is an AI platform owned by Google where you can train and run AI models. It gives you a free cloud environment with free access to GPU and TPU hardware. Allow me to show you how you can use it to run open-source models.

You're probably using Docker wrong. Yes, even if you've used it for years, there's a good chance you're doing something on this list that you shouldn't be doing. So, here's four ways you're probably using Docker wrong, and what you should be doing instead.

A colleague posted in Slack about a wireless eReader page turner, which started a discussion about whether it would be possible to use an Apple Watch to do something similar. The results were even better than I'd imagined.

With the rising costs of hardware, you may find yourself having to hand onto an older machine. If you need a new computer, you may have to make do with a lower-spec device, particularly lower memory, since RAM is expensive. There's still a lot you can do with a low-end PC.

As much as I like Wear OS, I have to admit the platform has always had one weakness: watch faces. The Galaxy Watch and Pixel Watch have nice built-in options, but venture into the Play Store to look for more, and it’s not easy to find good ones. Allow me to make some suggestions.

Sometimes, you get an idea in your head, and it doesn’t work out as you expect. I thought NFC tags would be an easy, affordable way to set up some cool smart home automations around my house. Boy, was I wrong.

The way I read varies from day to day. Sometimes, I’m in the mood for a physical book. Other times, I love to listen to my audiobooks. But most of the time, I tend to lean towards my e-books. And that often involves my Kindle.

I'm mainly a Windows user, but I've always kept one foot in Linux. For years, that meant having at least one laptop set up to dual-boot Windows and Linux, just in case I needed a real Linux environment for a specific project, experiment, or troubleshooting job. I still use Linux that way in other places, too. Zorin OS and Linux Mint are great for keeping older Windows PCs useful long after Windows itself starts feeling too heavy for them.

We live in an attention economy, and that can make it difficult to concentrate. Writing is something that demands attention, but so too are the devices we choose to write on.

If you've got a messy Excel spreadsheet with invalid values, blank entries, duplicates, or other problems, you might think you have to spend hours cleaning it up. You can use Python to automate these steps instead. Here's how.

Though open earbuds share the common feature of sitting on the exterior of the ear, they come in many shapes and sizes, from clip models to ear hook models. Some are more geared toward working out, while others are better for everyday use. The Bose Ultra Open earbuds are an especially popular pick, thanks to their sound quality and many colorways, but at $299, they're far from your only (or most affordable) option.

SEE ALSO: The 11 best wireless earbuds we've ever tested

Below, we've compiled some of the best open earbud models available in 2026, after testing out options from Soundcore, Sony, Shokz, Bose, and more budget-friendly options.

What are open earbuds?

Open earbuds allow you to get as close as you possibly can to the feeling of not wearing earbuds at all. Unlike in-ear earbuds which sit in your ear canal, open earbuds sit just outside your ears (as the name would suggest). Some models hold the speaker component in place with an ear hook while others opt for an ear cuff.

SEE ALSO: We tested the top fitness trackers of 2025: See our favorite wearables and smart rings

People generally opt for open earbuds for three main reasons:

1. They provide a private listening experience while leaving you almost completely aware of the world around you. It's like the best transparency mode you've ever used.

2. For some people, not having an earbud physically in their ear is generally more comfortable.

3. The hooks and cuffs (along with the general awareness of your surroundings) make them a great option for keeping them in place, and keeping you alert, while you're working out, working, or simply existing in the world.

What are the drawbacks of open earbuds?

As you may have gathered from the section above, open earbuds don't come with active noise cancellation. That's mostly thanks to how much sound they let in (by design) and the difficulty of cancelling out sound without having the device covering your actual ear canal.

Also thanks to the whole open ear-canal situation, these aren't going to be the earbuds for audiophiles. That's not to say open earbuds sound bad — if you've never tried them, we promise they sound much better than you're imagining — but you will lose out on some of the nuance of a song without having the earbud actually in your ear.

SEE ALSO: I tested sleep earbuds for over a month: Here are the 3 I'd buy

That said, many pairs still have equalizers on their companion apps to help you make them sound their best. Our best picks for sound, the Bose Ultra Open earbuds and Shokz OpenFit Pro earbuds, even have spatial audio features that work surprisingly well.

Most open earbuds will also boast some form of special technology that keeps them from leaking too much sound. While these pairs do pretty well in keeping the sound just to you, most pairs (including our picks) while be prone to some leakage, especially at higher volumes.

Finally, some open earbuds — mainly those with ear hooks — tend to have slightly bulkier cases. If you like to travel especially light, it's something to be aware of.

What about bone conduction headphones?

Bone conduction earbuds work exactly like the name implies they do — they use your skull to conduct sound waves, instead of projecting the sound into your ear, like most of the picks are on list. Typically, a band runs from either side of the users head to help hold the headphones in place.

Shokz, the brand behind our top pick, is a popular maker of these kinds of headphones. While we do consider them open earbuds, we have yet to test any bone conduction earbuds — look out in the future for that update. On that note:

What's next in our testing pipeline

The open earbuds market is rapidly expanding, so we'll be testing more as we can get our hands on them. We recently added the Sony LinkBuds Clip and Soundcore AeroFit 2 Pro to this guide.

In addition to the earbuds that made our initial guide in May 2025, we tested out the Nothing Ear (Open) earbuds ($149), the Sony Linkbuds Open ($199.99), the Anker Soundcore AeroClip earbuds ($169.99), and the Shokz OpenFit Air ($119.95). While none of the above were bad earbuds by any means, we found our picks to outshine them in their comfort and sound quality, especially when considering their respective prices.

When college students seek out attorney Adrienne Hahn, they're often petrified and desperate: An instructor has accused them of using artificial intelligence to cheat. 

Suddenly, students are racing to successfully defend themselves or risk the implosion of their college career. In some cases, sanctions that result from an academic integrity violation, such as a semester-long suspension, have devastating implications. After all, graduate schools, prospective employers, licensing boards, and the government often consider cheating disqualifying.  

"Any of those consequences follow the student from that period on, unless you negotiate that away, somehow," said Hahn, founder of the education law firm Hahn Legal Group, APC.

SEE ALSO: How to defend yourself against AI cheating accusations

While there's no tally of how many American college students have faced AI cheating accusations this academic year or previously, the legal firms that specialize in education law are very busy handling their cases. Some of their clients are wealthy, attend the nation's most prestigious universities, and can afford legal representation.

Others come from modest backgrounds, are enrolled at state colleges, and have few financial resources. Hahn said the fallout can be particularly devastating for students attending college on a scholarship.

What these students all share in common is the real fear that AI cheating accusations will destroy their future before it's even begun. 

AI cheating accusation at school: getting to the truth

Hahn's firm represents students across California. She said the volume of their inquiries has skyrocketed in the past two years.

Many students accused of cheating didn't actually use AI to complete an assignment or test, Hahn says, or they don't realize their use of AI violated a policy that may not have been clearly communicated.

Some students do use AI, but share extenuating circumstances. One student Hahn represented incorporated AI into their classwork at a moment of intense personal distress: They held down multiple jobs and both of their parents were experiencing health crises. The school administration was sympathetic to the situation and avoided an overly punitive consequence after Hahn lobbied against it.

But there are students who don't disclose unfavorable or damning information about their AI use, only for Hahn's team to discover it during the investigation process. 

"I can't give you the right advice unless I know the truth," she said. "I still have clients who lie to me. That's a waste of their money and time."

The cost for hiring representation varies based on the case, but it can range from a few thousand dollars to tens of thousands when a student decides to involve the courts.

How a lawyer can help

At LLF National Law Firm, there are as many as 250 clients at any given time working with counsel on AI-related academic integrity violations, said Thomas Terrill, director of the firm's National Education Defense Practice Group.

Terrill said AI-related cheating cases now make up a substantial portion of LLF National Law Firm's caseload. Like clockwork, inquiries spike during midterm and final exams.

While lawyers can't represent students at their school's administrative hearings, Terrill said that legal expertise can "level" an uneven playing field in which administrators hold tremendous power over students' lives. 

In Terrill's experience, some schools try to fairly evaluate AI cheating accusations. Yet, he's also dealt with rushed investigations, limited access to evidence, and presumption of student fault based on a misunderstanding of how AI works.

"Many students feel they are in the position of proving their innocence rather than the institution meeting a clear burden of proof," Terrill said in an email.

The lawyers Mashable interviewed had strong opinions on this dynamic. Andrew Miltenberg, the senior litigation partner at the law firm Nesenoff & Miltenberg, observed that the balance of power tilts away from the student and toward the "faculty fiefdom." Some professors, he said, enjoy surprising leeway in making and adjudicating AI cheating charges.

Miltenberg characterized the AI programs they rely on to "check" for cheating or plagiarism as "primitive" and prone to false positives.

What lawyers recommend to accused students

Once a student is accused, they need a defense strategy.

LLF National Law Firm advises its clients to gather evidence of their authorship and work process, which can sometimes be substantiated by Google Docs or Microsoft Word history. Timestamps, outlines, notes, and research materials are also important.

Terrill said the firm reviews metadata, compares a student's writing samples, and looks over the instructor's communications about the assignment in question.

Other factors, like neurodivergence and being a non-native English speaker, matter too. AI detection tools, which faculty often rely on, may falsely flag those students' work more frequently than their neurotypical, English-speaking peers, according to Terrill.

If the charge is based on the finding of an AI detection tool, Terrill said it's crucial to know which program, because it may allow the student to challenge its reliability.

Preparing for a rapid timeline

Students don't have much time to collect the necessary evidence, said Miltenberg.

That's because, in his experience, academic integrity cases unfold much faster than other misconduct or integrity cases, which may take months to investigate because they involve sex discrimination, harassment, or sexual assault.

"It happens boom, boom, boom," Miltenberg said of AI cheating allegations.

A student could be accused on a Tuesday, meet with an administration official two days later, and be given an ultimatum that Friday. If they don't agree to a sanction, the charge will move to a hearing board, an institutional panel that reviews the case and decides the student's fate.

"It really moves very fast," Miltenberg said. "So it doesn't lend itself to someone getting their balance after what most students feel is a gut punch."

SEE ALSO: California's Gavin Newsom tries to save workers from AI with executive order What resolution looks like

Hahn said administrators told students she later represented that they shouldn't hire a lawyer. She believes that's largely because university and college investigation offices are "completely buried" by AI cheating cases and want them resolved as soon as possible. Legal representation can, of course, extend the process with requests for evidence and so on.

Hahn described one case in which a student was accused of AI use in a math assignment because they didn't cite a specific formula. The professor failed the student as a consequence, an outcome that Hahn managed to get overturned.

In some instances of disclosed AI use, Hahn and her team know the administrators and can appeal to them for an alternative sanction before the hearing that won't jeopardize the student's future. That might stringent parameters for continuing their education, such as probation or a required medical leave of absence.

"The dismissal or failures — that will follow them for life," she said. "If they can get back in and finish their degree — it was a bad moment in their life, but they can overcome it. People have bad moments in their lives."

Leniency, however, is not much of an option if the student has a history of cheating or academic integrity violations.

Why suing is complicated

Lawsuits are a dicey strategy because courts will not grant students anonymity in these cases, Miltenberg said. So suing the school means a student must "out" themselves to "get justice," he added. The resulting court documents will be publicly searchable and include the student's name in association with an academic integrity violation.

Miltenberg said the way these cases are currently handled puts every student in a potential bind.

"There is no clear path at any institution right now," he said, noting that any appearance of cheating can trigger an investigation. At the same time, what that looks like is subjective to the faculty member or teaching assistant who made the allegation.

TL;DR: Get a near-mint condition refurbished MacBook Air for $269.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Air (2018) 13" i5 1.6GHz 8GB RAM 256GB SSD Gold (Refurbished) $269.99
$1,399 Save $1,129.01   Get Deal

New MacBooks are great, but not everyone needs the latest chip to get real work done. This MacBook Air refurb is a good computer for the basics, and it’s on sale for $269.99 right now (reg. $1,399).

This may be a refurbished model, but the Grade A rating means it arrives in near-mint condition with minimal to no visible scuffing.

Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!

Under the hood, you get a 1.6GHz Intel Core i5 with Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. That combination handles everyday tasks smoothly, including web browsing, document editing, photo editing, and light productivity work. The SSD keeps boot times and app launches fast, which goes a long way toward making an older machine feel snappier than the year suggests.

The 13.3-inch Retina display runs at 2560×1600, which keeps text sharp and photos looking good whether you’re editing in Lightroom or reading through a long document. At 2.75 pounds, it’s genuinely easy to carry, and the 12-hour battery life means you can get through a full workday without hunting for an outlet.

Two Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports handle charging, DisplayPort, and data transfer up to 40Gbps. Bluetooth 4.2, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Touch ID, a 720p camera, stereo speakers, and a 3.5mm headphone jack are all built in.

This model supports macOS up to Sonoma 14, so it still has a few more years of software compatibility ahead of it. It won’t update to macOS 26, so keep that in mind if long-term support matters. A 40-day third-party parts and labor warranty is included, and a wall charger comes in the box.

For basic tasks like drafting documents or browsing the internet, a brand-new MacBook is expensive overkill.

If you want the right tool for a smart price, get a MacBook Air on sale for $269.99.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Through May 31, get lifetime access to Office 2024 Home & Business for $129.97 (reg. $249.99) and use Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook with AI features and faster, more responsive performance.

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business for Mac or PC Lifetime License $129.97
$249.99 Save $120.02   Get Deal

When basic free apps start hitting their limits, work tends to slow down with them. Office 2024 Home & Business is built for moments when reliability and full-feature tools matter most. Available as a lifetime license for $129.97 through May 31 (reg. $249.99), it delivers the core Microsoft apps professionals depend on without ongoing subscription costs.

This version of Office isn’t about bells and whistles — it’s about smarter workflows. You get Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, redesigned with a unified interface that feels cleaner, faster, and more intuitive. Plus, you can use it whether you’re on a PC or a Mac.

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Performance gets a noticeable lift, too. Excel handles large datasets more efficiently, PowerPoint lets you record full presentations with audio and video, and Outlook includes enhanced accessibility tools and improved search. Word introduces Focus Mode and Smart Compose, giving you a writing space that feels distraction-free and intelligently supportive.

Perhaps the biggest win? Offline access and a one-time purchase. Your license is tied to your Microsoft account — not your device — so you get continuous use without subscription fees. You also benefit from Microsoft’s built-in security improvements, including new protections against malicious add-ins.

Whether you’re a small business owner, a freelancer navigating multiple clients, or someone who simply prefers dependable offline tools, Office 2024 Home & Business delivers the streamlined experience free apps can’t match.

A modern suite for modern work — without monthly payments.

Get lifetime access to Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business for your Mac or PC while it’s on sale for $129.97 (reg. $249.99) until May 31.

StackSocial prices subject to change.