Blogroll

Most people worry about outsiders breaking into their home network, but few think about what the devices already inside their home can access. While your trusted devices talking to each other is usually harmless, smart TVs are a different story: many models collect viewing habits, run outdated software, and frankly have little reason to see everything else connected to your network.

Every time your system needs to know the IP address of a domain, it uses DNS. When contacting your DNS server, it sends the domain that you’re trying to access in plain text, for anyone in the middle to see. It also means responses can easily be spoofed, so there are clear risks involved.

Windows has a way of breaking in ways that feel almost personal. What makes these issues so draining isn't that the problems are complicated; it's that the built-in tools Microsoft gives you to fix them either don't work or don't even come close to addressing what's actually wrong. I started handing these problems to Claude instead, to see if it can do more than just free up space on your Windows PC. I was surprised at how good it was at finding a reasonable solution.

SAVE OVER $10: As of July 17, the Kodak Step Instant Smartphone Photo Printer is on sale for $67.99 at Amazon. That's $12 off its full price of $79.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Kodak Kodak Step Instant Smartphone Photo Printer $67.99 at Amazon
$79.99 Save $12   Get Deal

Capturing photos digitally may be the easiest way to do it while you're out and about, but there's something special about a physical photo you can actually hold. If you want a way to take some of your favorite digital captures from your phone's camera and turn then into physical copies, the Kodak Step Instant Smartphone Photo Printer can help you out.

Even better, the white model is on sale right now at Amazon.

As of July 17, the Kodak Step Instant Smartphone Photo Printer (in white) is on sale for $67.99 at Amazon. That's a $12 discount from its original list price, though this offer is only available for a limited time. In the top right corner, there's a bar that indicates what percentage of this deal has been claimed already. Once that's complete, the deal will disappear.

SEE ALSO: 16 summer hosting essentials that cost under $25 at Amazon

There's no need to worry about a complicated setup with this Kodak printer. It connects to any iOS or Android device through Bluetooth, allowing you to take your favorite digital pics and print them out on 2x3-inch sticky-backed photo paper. If you download the Kodak app, you can also create collages, add filters, borders, stickers, and more for a little extra customization.

The Kodak Step Instant also has a compact size that weighs less than a pound, so you can easily throw it in a bag to take with on your adventures this summer. And on top of that, it has a built-in Lithium-ion rechargeable battery that can print up to 25 photos on a full charge.

Be quick to save on the Kodak Step Instant Smartphone Photo Printer (in white) at Amazon.

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

Big day for insider trading in the White House, with a staff teleprompter investigated for allegedly making nearly $100,000 betting on Donald Trump's speeches. Gabriel Perez is accused of using prediction market platform Kalshi to place bets on the words the president would use in his addresses.

The scandal headlined late night shows on Thursday, with Jimmy Kimmel Live! guest host Ike Barinholtz reacting to the news in his monologue.

"We learned today that the guy who operates Trump's teleprompter has reportedly made more than $100,000 betting on stuff that Trump would mention in his speeches, for which he clearly had inside information," said The Studio star.

"He's a regular Pete Rose Garden."

Want more of the best of late night? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter.

TL;DR: The Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Pitch Black Elite Trainer Box is on sale for $89.99 at Amazon, down from its $119.99 list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: The Pokémon Company Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Pitch Black Elite Trainer Box $94.98 at Amazon
$119.99 Save $25.01   Get Deal

Pitch Black has officially launched as part of the Mega Evolution set, and the new Pokémon TCG expansion’s Elite Trainer Box has conveniently dropped to the lowest price we’ve ever seen. 

As of July 17, the Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Pitch Black Elite Trainer Box is on sale at Amazon for $94.48. That’s a $30 drop from its $119.99 list price, plus $5.49 for shipping — leading to the lowest total we’ve seen this nine-pack box with the retailer so far, confirmed with price tracker camelcamelcamel. 

At the time of writing, delivery is set between July 24 and Aug. 7, so you should go for one of the slightly more expensive listings if you want yours by the end of the month at a guarantee.

Away from Amazon, TCGplayer has the lowest price altogether, with unopened boxes starting at $85.93 with shipping included, undercutting the Amazon total by $9.55 and landing below the ETB’s current $88.40 market price. Walmart is much closer, listing the Pitch Black ETB for as low as $89.79 through third-party sellers. 

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!

Packed inside are nine Pitch Black booster packs of trading cards, a full-art foil Zarude promo card, 65 sleeves, 40 Energy cards, a player’s guide, damage-counter dice, a competition-legal coin-flip die, a plastic coin, storage dividers, and a Pokémon TCG Live code card. 

For anyone aiming to pull the Pitch Black expansion’s most valuable Pokémon chase cards worth up to nearly $400, you can buy them individually on TCGplayer right now — including SIR Mega Darkrai ex, MHR Mega Darkrai ex, SIR Morpeko ex, and SIR Mega Zeraora ex.  

TL;DR: Stuff Your Kindle Day is live on July 17-18. Summer Solstice, hosted by Stuff with Fantasy, is offering fantasy books for $0.99 or less.

Stop what you're doing — Stuff Your Kindle Day is back.

Once upon a time it felt like we were shouting about these free giveaways every week, but between Prime Day and a little break in the busy schedule, it's been a while. So we're delighted to confirm that a new event has just gone live.

Summer Solstice, hosted by Stuff with Fantasy, is offering participants the chance to download fantasy books for $0.99 or less. And better yet, everything that you download is yours to keep forever on your Kindle or Kobo. If you're invested in the world of dragons, dark magic, and forbidden romance, this is the event for you.

SEE ALSO: T-Mobile is giving away the new Motorola Razr for free — how to get yours

Looking to make the most of the latest Stuff Your Kindle Day? We've lined up everything you need to know about this popular event.

When is Stuff Your Kindle Day?

Summer Solstice takes place on July 17-18. Unlike a lot of these giveaways, you've got two whole days to stock up on reading material. We get a lot of 24-hour drops, which can create some stress for bookworms. This is a much more comfortable pace.

Which books are free?

Summer Solstice is a fantasy book blast with everything listed for $0.99 or less. There's a helpful hub page with filters for Age Category, Spice Levels, Content Triggers, Representations, Tropes, Genres and Subgenres, Language Level, and Audiobooks, so you can head directly to what you want to download.

Is Stuff Your Kindle Day the same as Amazon Kindle Unlimited?

Everything you download on Stuff Your Kindle Day is yours to keep forever, and there's no limit on the number of books you can download. Stuff Your Kindle Day downloads don't count towards the 20 books that Amazon Kindle Unlimited subscribers can borrow at the same time.

The best Stuff Your Kindle Day deal Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Kindle (16GB) + Kindle Unlimited (3 Months) $109.99 at Amazon
  Shop Now Why we like it

These popular e-readers let you take your entire library on the go. With weeks of battery life and an anti-glare display, you can read anywhere and anytime with the Kindle. Plus, you can get three months of Kindle Unlimited for free with your purchase for a limited time.

Seth Meyers took "A Closer Look" at Donald Trump's recent catapult-focused press comments on Thursday's Late Night, a longtime favourite topic of the president's.

That's despite what happened the last time Meyers responded to Trump's catapult fixation in 2025, when the president accused the host on social media of being the one who's catapult-obsessed — the ol' "I know you are but what am I" strategy.

"In case you're not familiar, this is a long-running obsession for Trump," said Meyers. "And I'm loath to even bring up his catapult obsession because the last time I did, the president posted on Truth Social that I, your beloved talk show host, 'talked endlessly about electric catapults on aircraft carriers.'"

SEE ALSO: Seth Meyers responds to Trump's targeted Truth Social rant about him

Nonetheless, Meyers unpacked Trump's latest rant about steam catapults on U.S. aircraft carriers, on Wednesday, during a defense summit at the U.S. Army War College. In particular, the host remarked on Trump's use of the word "catapulter" to describe a technician he talked to about the project.

"Is there actually a person with the job title catapulter, or did he just make that up?" said Meyers. "Because I could definitely see Trump saying, 'I want to meet the catapulter,' and everyone's like, 'Who?' and Trump's like, 'The catapulter, the guy who does the catapult,' and they say, 'What does he look like?' and Trump says, 'You got a long green body and a red head, and they call him The Very Hungry Catapulter. Very hungry. He's not done with the leaf."

Want more of the best of late night? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter.

SAVE $50: As of July 17, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds (2nd Gen) are down to $249 at Amazon. That's $50 off their full price of $299.

Opens in a new window Credit: Bose Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) $249 at Amazon
$299 Save $50   Get Deal

Our favorite comfy earbuds, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds (2nd Gen), are back to their Prime Day price at Amazon. If you've been hoping to snag them, now is a great opportunity while this limited-time offer is still available.

As of July 17, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds are available to grab for $249, a $50 cut from their usual list price of $299. Plus, every available color is on sale at this price. Some models are even at their lowest-ever price, including white smoke and midnight violet.

SEE ALSO: Apple AirPods Pro 3 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2

We've certainly sung the praises of these earbuds. Alongside being our top earbud pick in our list of the best Bose headphones and earbuds, they're also among our favorite wireless earbuds overall as the most comfortable option.

Our review from Mashable's Bethany Allard called them "one of the best noise-cancelling earbuds available." She notes that sound quality is "really good" but ANC is where they really shine. Allard notes: "I found their noise cancellation to be even more seamless than that found on the first generation, where I occasionally dealt with some louder hissing, and occasionally even crackling noises (though I could've been using a faulty unit)."

If the Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds (2nd Gen) have been on your radar, now is an excellent time to pick them up and save.

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

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.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: How to play Pips, the newest NYT game

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Friday, July 17, 2026:

AcrossSpanish question word

• The answer is Que.

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

National Ice Cream Month and National Hot Dog Month

• The answer is July.

Battery life, informally

• The answer is Juice.

Poker buy-ins

• The answer is Antes.

Tie up, as a ship

• The answer is Moor.

DownOnly world capital that starts with "Q"

• The answer is Quito.

Painful sore

• The answer is Ulcer.

Snake ___ (dice roll)

• The answer is Eyes.

The daughter of Saturn, sister of Jupiter and mother to Mars, in Roman myth

• The answer is Juno.

Traffic snarl

• The answer is Jam.

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 yesterday's Mini Crossword.

How to live stream 2026 F1 for free: Best Apple TV Deal Apple TV 7-day free trial Shop Now Best Prime Video Deal Apple TV Prime Video Channel 7-day free trial Shop Now Best Apple One Deal Apple One 30-day free trial Shop Now

This season of F1 is unlike any other. Every season of F1 has a number of fascinating storylines to follow, but due to a major set of regulation changes, there's so much uncertainty right now. And uncertainty can lead to exciting racing.

Lando Norris secured an incredible title victory on the final day of last season. Now the pressure is on McLaren to defend that title against a long list of talented drivers and motivated teams. The likes of George Russell, Kimi Antonelli, Charles Leclerc, and Lewis Hamilton are all challenging for race wins this season. Mercedes are the team to beat this season, but Ferrari are not far behind.

If you are interested in watching F1 2026 for free from anywhere in the world, we've got all the information you need.

What is F1?

Formula One (F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars. A season consists of a series of races (Grands Prix) that take place in multiple countries and continents on either purpose-built circuits or closed public roads.

Lando Norris is the defending champion. McLaren won the Constructors Championship in 2025.

When is F1 in 2026?

The 2026 F1 season is the 77th edition of the championship. This year's championship features 24 Grands Prix events held all over the world between March and December:

1. Australian Grand Prix — March 8

2. Chinese Grand Prix — March 15

3. Japanese Grand Prix — March 29

4. Miami Grand Prix — May 3

5. Canadian Grand Prix — May 24

6. Monaco Grand Prix — June 7

7. Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix — June 14

8. Austrian Grand Prix — June 28

9. British Grand Prix — July 5

10. Belgian Grand Prix — July 19

11. Hungarian Grand Prix — July 26

12. Dutch Grand Prix — Aug. 23

13. Italian Grand Prix — Sept. 6

14. Spanish Grand Prix — Sept. 13

15. Azerbaijan Grand Prix — Sept. 26

16. Singapore Grand Prix — Oct. 11

17. United States Grand Prix — Oct. 25

18. Mexico City Grand Prix — Nov. 1

19. São Paulo Grand Prix — Nov. 8

20. Las Vegas Grand Prix — Nov. 21

21. Qatar Grand Prix — Nov. 29

22. Abu Dhabi Grand Prix — Dec. 6

It's important to note that these dates are only for race days. The Chinese, Miami, Canadian, British, Dutch, and Singapore GPs will host a sprint race.

How to watch F1 for free

For the first time, Apple TV has made an entire F1 race weekend available for free to viewers in the U.S., with live coverage of the Austrian Grand Prix from June 26–28. Fans can watch every session live on Apple TV — including practice, qualifying, and Sunday’s Grand Prix — with no subscription required.

In the U.S., F1 is now exclusive to Apple TV. If you want access to the whole season, an Apple TV subscription costs $12.99 per month or $99 per year.

Apple TV Opens in a new window Credit: Apple TV Apple TV (7-day free trial) Apple TV comes with a 7-day free trial for new subscribers. This is a sneaky trick, but you could sign up to watch the next F1 race and then cancel your subscription before you need to spend anything. This obviously isn't a long-term fix, but it does give you the opportunity to live stream select F1 race weekends for free. Shop Now Apple TV Prime Video Channel Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Apple TV Prime Video Channel (7-day free trial) Already an Amazon Prime member? You're in luck. You can sign up for a 7-day free trial of Apple TV+ through Prime Video Channels. This lets you watch select F1 races live with the Prime Video app. The subscription typically costs £9.99 per month after the trial ends, but you can cancel at any time. That means you can watch select races without actually spending anything. Shop Now Apple One Opens in a new window Credit: Apple One Apple One (30-day free trial) Apple One bundles Apple TV with Apple Music, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness Plus, Apple News Plus, and 50GB of iCloud Storage for $19.95 per month after a one-month free trial. Time it right and this trial could provide access to up to four race weekends for free. You do need to be a new or returning subscriber to each of the included services to get the free trial. Shop Now

It's worth noting that the best Apple TV free-trial offer comes with purchases of new Apple devices. New subscribers can get three months of Apple TV for free after purchasing any eligible Apple product, including iPhones, iPads, Macs, or Apple TVs. This special offer goes live for 90 days after the new device is activated — that's a good chunk of the season.

TL;DR: Hasbro has announced a new multi-year partnership with Nintendo to create toys based on The Legend of Zelda franchise. The first three 6-inch action figures will debut at San Diego Comic-Con 2026 before the toy line officially launches in 2027.

Nintendo and Hasbro are officially joining forces to bring The Legend of Zelda to the toy aisle.

The companies announced a new multi-year licensing partnership on July 16, with the first products set to launch in 2027. Fans won't have to wait that long for a sneak peek, though — the first three 6-inch action figures will make their debut at San Diego Comic-Con 2026, which runs from July 23-26.

What can fans expect?

Hasbro hasn't revealed the figures just yet, but it has confirmed that the first wave will include three 6-inch-scale collectibles inspired by The Legend of Zelda. The reveals will take place during San Diego Comic-Con next week, with more details about the lineup expected closer to the toys' 2027 release.

“For decades, The Legend of Zelda franchise has captivated fans through its deep lore, unforgettable characters and enduring sense of discovery,” said Billy Lagor, President Toys and Board Games at Hasbro. “By combining Nintendo’s iconic storytelling with Hasbro’s leadership in action and role-play, we’re delivering toys that invite fans to play, explore and forge their own epic adventures.” 

While specific characters haven't been announced, fans will be hoping to see familiar faces like Link, Princess Zelda, and Ganondorf from Nintendo's long-running fantasy series.

This marks the first major toy partnership between Nintendo and Hasbro for The Legend of Zelda. Nearly 40 years after the first game launched in the U.S., The Legend of Zelda remains one of Nintendo’s most popular franchises.

If you've grabbed drinks with any single friend lately or scrolled through TikTok, you know the general consensus: dating apps are exhausting. App fatigue is very real, and it makes finding a genuine connection online feel like a second full-time job. As someone who's been testing and reviewing dating apps for years, I get asked one question over and over: Which dating apps actually work?

My answer is always the same: The only real "hack" is choosing the right app for what you actually want. Someone on eharmony is looking for a ring, while users on hookup apps like Tinder are... well, you know what they're looking for. You can't bring casual energy to a serious platform and expect good results, and vice versa.

"Dating apps can feel overwhelming because there are so many of them, but the truth is the platform matters a lot less than the mindset you bring to it," Davide De Pierro, author of The Letters I Never Sent, tells Mashable. "You can download all of them if you want, but eventually you still have to show up as yourself, which is the scary part, but also the freeing part. Because once you do that, you don’t have to keep track of which version of yourself you’re pretending to be. If you’re honest about who you are and what you want, the right connection can happen anywhere."

So, before you delete your profiles and swear off romance forever, take a breath. Despite the burnout, dating apps are still one of the most reliable ways to meet a partner. A 2025 SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus found that 65 percent of people aged 18 to 29 have used a dating app, and a 2023 Pew Research Center report found that one in five young people met their significant other on one.

You just need the right tool. That's why I swiped, matched, and messaged my way through dozens of platforms to find the best dating apps of 2026. Whether you're looking for a serious commitment or just a casual weekend fling, these are the only apps worth downloading this year.

If you need even more personalized advice, check out our guides to the best dating apps for men, women, and the LGBTQ community.

The dating apps I'd skip (and why)

You'll probably notice a few popular apps are missing from my list. That’s intentional. Part of my job is to filter out the platforms that aren't worth your time, money, or sanity. An app doesn't get my recommendation just because it's well-known — it has to be effective and safe.

Here are a few popular dating apps I'd skip:

• Plenty of Fish (POF): I know this one shows up on a lot of lists, but in my opinion, it's a dating app ghost town. POF launched as a dating site back in 2003, and it shows. In my experience (and based on widespread user feedback), the platform is filled with bots and scams, and the odds of finding a quality connection are stacked against you. Unless you enjoy sifting through fake profiles, I think your time is better spent elsewhere.

• Raya: Raya is basically the Soho House of dating apps. It's exclusive, expensive, and not for the average person. You have to fill out an application to use it, and the vetting process can take anywhere from a few days to a few years. While it might be great for networking or bagging an influencer, it's just not a practical recommendation for most people who are simply looking for a date. (See also: The League.)

• Niche "hookup" sites (like BeNaughty, Fling, etc.): There's a chance you've seen ads for sites like these, which promise quick, no-strings-attached fun. Based on my research and countless user reviews, I'd advise you to steer clear. These platforms are notorious for being overrun with bots and having questionable billing practices, with users reporting unexpected and hard-to-cancel subscription charges.

JD Vance sat down with controversial podcaster Joe Rogan for a three-hour interview on Wednesday, covering topics as sweeping as how the vice president finds photos of Joe Biden eating ice cream "suggestive" to his refusal to eat corn dogs in public.

"You have to be a very manly man to be able to confidently eat a corn dog," Vance said. "That's between me and my kitchen."

On The Daily Show, Michael Kosta unpacked the interview, including said corn dog comment.

"That's between you and your kitchen?" he responded. "Yeah, that's right, JD's not one of those losers eating corn dogs in public. He's eating his corn dogs alone over his sink in the dark. Who's making a fool of himself now? Why do you have this gay panic, dude?"

Kosta also rips into Vance's discussion of the ongoing U.S. war with Iran as well as the vice president's boast that he doesn't shop for his own groceries anymore, saying instead, "People go to the grocery store for me."

"Maybe you should go to the grocery store," Kosta said. "You might learn some stuff. Like, oh, were beans always $85? No, they weren't, and it's actually your job to fix it."

Want more of the best of late night? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter.

Everything is getting more expensive these days, but that doesn't mean you need to spend $1,200 to get a decent smartphone.

Even in the age of RAMageddon, there are solid deals to be found on phones for $700 or less.

Companies like Apple, Samsung, Google, and OnePlus have all released such budget or midrange handsets in the past several months. So if you're in the market for a quality smartphone that won't break the checking account, here's our pick of the best currently available options.

SEE ALSO: Why don't people recycle old smartphones? Apple iPhone 17e It's not the best iPhone, but it's still an iPhone. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Price: $599

Apple's iPhone 17e is one of the more pricey phones on this list — but paying an extra $100 to get the benefits of Apple ecosystem has long been worth the scratch.

For that price, you get a dang good smartphone. It's powered by the A19, one of the newer chips in Apple's portfolio, meaning it can access pretty much all current and near-future Apple Intelligence features while maintaining solid performance. Battery life is similarly good enough for the price.

You will be compromising on camera and display quality if you go with the 17e instead of a pricier model. But if that's less important to you, even a compromise iPhone can stand out amongst this budget-level competition.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple iPhone 17e $599 at Apple
  Get Deal Google Pixel 10a Maybe the best color lineup of the bunch. Credit: Joe Maldonado/Mashable

Price: $499

Google's Pixel A-series line has been a mainstay on "best budget smartphone" lists for years. That's thanks to Google's ability to make each release shockingly close in quality to the flagship phone it's based on.

The Pixel 10a doesn't quite reach that level, but it's still a nice device. Google's renowned camera quality is largely intact on the Pixel 10a, to go along with a newly flat backside that can sit totally flush on your desk — something even a flagship Samsung phone, with its camera bulk, can't manage.

Faster wired and wireless charging are also neat additions to the Pixel 10a, as is a brighter display. You won't get the latest and greatest Google Tensor processor or all of Google's AI features — but at $499, there's still plenty of bang to the buck.

Opens in a new window Credit: Google Google Pixel 10a $499 at Google
  Get Deal Samsung Galaxy A57 5G It's not the best phone on this list, but it's still alright. Credit: Joe Maldonado/Mashable

Price: $549

Samsung's Galaxy A57 5G is probably the least good phone on this list. But if you want to live in the Samsung ecosystem, you could still do a lot worse.

The A57 has some problems. It can have poor WiFi connectivity in awkward network environments. The face ID unlock is too slow. And if you're looking for Galaxy AI features, you won't find many here.

But it's still only $549 and comes with a good display, solid performance, and nice battery life. If you don't need all the fanciest, newest bells and whistles out of a phone, you'll do just fine with an A57 5G.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung Galaxy A57 5G $549.99 at Samsung
  Get Deal Nothing Phone 4(a) Pro Maybe the coolest looking phone here. Credit: Adam Doud/Mashable

Price: $499

Nothing has been one of the most interesting phone manufacturers in the past few years. The British design-centric firm ignores the highest-end features in its affordable phones, focusing instead on style and cool.

The Nothing 4(a) Pro fits in this category. For just $499, you get a huge 6.8-inch AMOLED display with a blazing fast 144Hz refresh rate and a 5,000mAh battery — not to mention a fun LCD "Glyph Matrix" on the rear.

Sure, you're getting a midrange Snapdragon chipset and a maximum of 256GB of storage, but those are acceptable tradeoffs for such a cheap phone. If you'd rather have a great display and great battery life than all the latest AI features, Nothing may be the one you want.

Opens in a new window Credit: Nothing Nothing Phone 4a Pro $499 at Nothing
  Get Deal OnePlus 15R OnePlus is always reliable. Credit: OnePlus

Price: $699

The most expensive phone on our list, the OnePlus 15R almost got lost when it launched in the middle of December last year. Mashable didn't get a chance to review this one — but our colleagues at PCMag did, and they had plenty of kind things to say about it.

$699 is almost out of midrange price territory, but you get plenty of nice things for that price. Gaming is great on this phone, since the OnePlus 15R's 6.8-inch display can go all the way up to a 165Hz refresh rate. It has an impressive enough resolution and maximum brightness. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset is also one of the more powerful ones you'll find in any phone in this price range.

OnePlus cut some corners in terms of cameras and mmWave 5G support — but otherwise, this might be the closest you'll get to a flagship phone at a high-midrange price.

Opens in a new window Credit: OnePlus OnePlus 15R $699 at OnePlus
  Get Deal

Among the best summer activities is the leisurely walk to get ice cream after dinner, when the sun has finally gone down, and the temperature starts to drop. Unfortunately, my bank account does not love this activity, so making it at home is far more budget-friendly. But here's the thing about ice cream makers: they take up precious counter space I don't have as an apartment dweller. Which is why the Cuisinart FastFreeze is so intriguing. This ice cream maker is far more compact and easier to store when not in use.

As an alternative to Ninja's Creami, it seems like an extremely appealing option, but does it live up to its potential? I tried the Cuisinart Fast Freeze ice cream maker myself, and here's what I think.

Cuisinart FastFreeze at a glance The Cuisinart FastFreeze set up is tall, but otherwise far smaller than an air fryer or a stand mixer. Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

The Cuisinart FastFreeze is a smaller, cheaper alternative to the Ninja Creami. It breaks down into easy-to-store pieces and processes half pints of ice cream in just seconds. However, the ice cream it makes is disappointing: too icy in texture and at risk of melting from overprocessing. Plus, the wand is exceptionally difficult to clean.

A perfectly apartment-sized ice cream maker The Cuisinart FastFreeze breaks down into two main components for easy storage. Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

The size of this ice cream maker is perfect. It comes with three half-pint freezer containers and a two-piece wand that actually spins and blends your ice cream. When all broken down, it easily fit in my cabinet, about the same size as my Nutribullet blender.

Plus, the wand breaks down into two pieces, which makes your storage options even more flexible, as it's a little too tall for reasonable storage when assembled in one piece. So if you don't want to (or, like me, can't) keep your ice cream maker on the counter all the time, the Cuisinart FastFreeze checks the box.

The freeze containers are quite small A half pint is great portion control but bad for a crowd. Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

A pint feels standard for ice cream; that's what I'm used to buying and what other at-home ice cream makers produce, but the Cuisinart FastFreeze comes with half pints. If you're making single servings or splitting with one other person, for a small sweet treat, then that should be fine. However, when I invited a friend over to try out this ice cream maker, I could only get three scoops out of each pint. So if you want to feed a crowd, you'll need to make multiple half pints.

Processing time is shockingly fast The Cuisinart FastFreeze comes with five settings: Ice Cream, Sorbet, Slushy, Milkshake, or Mix-ins. Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

To process the ice cream, you attach the wand to the top of the half pint, lock it into place, and select your setting, either Ice Cream, Sorbet, Slushy, Milkshake, or Mix-ins. Then you hold the power button while pressing down on the wand. It requires a bit of manual labor compared to other machines that do the spinning (or churning) for you; however, it processes the ice cream shockingly fast. And I'm not talking fast like one minute or even 30 seconds, but more like 10 seconds.

The blade spins through the ice cream in just seconds. Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

The first time I ran it, I was shocked by how quickly it reached the bottom of the half pint, and I thought something was wrong, but when I checked, it had fully spun. The nice thing about how quickly it runs is that it's convenient to run it again. Compared to the Ninja Creami, which takes three minutes to spin and then another minute or two on a re-spin, the FastFreeze works in a fraction of the time. This is all super convenient, but does it turn out a comparable product in that time? Not so much.

The texture of the ice cream is exceptionally disappointing

I tried four different mixes in the FastFreeze: the recommended Cuisinart vanilla ice cream base, a dairy-free protein ice cream, chocolate hazelnut frozen yogurt, and a passionfruit sorbet. The results were mixed, with a common through line: the texture was too icy.

Too much processing doesn't get rid of the ice but it does melt the ice cream. Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

Each batch comes out with a sort of icy texture, as if teeny tiny ice chips were strewn through the creamy mix, almost like it had freezer burn. This was especially true of the plain vanilla, frozen yogurt, and dairy-free protein ice cream. The sorbet also had a bit of iciness to it, but I was perhaps less bothered by it since that's what I expect from a sorbet texture.

The dairy-free protein ice cream was scoopable, but still icy. Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

To fix the iciness issue, I thought it needed to be processed multiple times. Except that processing multiple times didn't do much to solve the iciness; instead, it just melted the ice cream further, making it a little soupy.

The chocolate hazelnut froyo faired the best in the Cuisinart FastFreeze, but was still undeniably icy. Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

Ultimately, the Cuisinart FastFreeze never nailed the texture, which I suspect is because it didn't have enough power or because it moves too fast, not getting enough air into it compared to a machine like the Creami.

It's horrible to clean Cuisinart recommends rinsing the FastFreeze but that doesn't feel like a thorough enough clean. Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

While the texture of the Cuisinart FastFreeze ice cream is subpar, its biggest crime is actually how hard it is to clean. The half-pints are dishwasher-safe, but the part of the wand with the blade is extremely difficult to clean. The blade piece can't be submerged in water, so it can't be soaked. To fully expose the wand piece, you have to push it down, and since I don't have three hands, I can't effectively scrub the blade while pressing it down. Plus, getting into the nooks and crannies when it's not depressed is difficult; it's hard to reach every crevice.

Even though it's convenient to store and use, I never want to reach for the FastFreeze because it's so difficult to clean.

Is the Cuisinart FastFreeze worth it? The FastFreeze has promise but its execution is just okay. Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

Cuisinart's FastFreeze has a ton of promise. Its design makes it exceptionally easy to use and store. So, for apartment dwellers who've held off on buying an ice cream machine due to space constraints, the FastFreeze is finally a device designed for small spaces.

But for ice cream aficionados, the FastFreeze will ultimately be disappointing. The ice cream texture it produces is lackluster and often icy. If you really want to feel like you're making ice cream at home, you're better off investing in the Ninja Creami, which nails a creamy, smooth ice cream texture.

Cuisinart FastFreeze frozen dessert maker $98.69 at Amazon
$119.95 Save $21.26   Shop Now at Amazon

FIFA is giving the World Cup final its first Super Bowl-style halftime show, and the lineup is almost as crowded as the pitch.

Justin Bieber, BTS, Madonna, and Shakira will headline the performance during Sunday’s final between Spain and Argentina at New York New Jersey Stadium. Burna Boy, conductor Gustavo Dudamel, and the PS22 Chorus featuring Coldplay will also appear, along with characters from Sesame Street and The Muppets. Coldplay frontman Chris Martin curated the show.

What time is the World Cup halftime show?

The World Cup final kicks off Sunday, July 19, at 3 p.m. ET, and the halftime show should begin sometime around 3:45 to 3:50 p.m. ET, assuming the match starts on time and there are no major delays. FIFA and Global Citizen have not announced an exact start time for the performance because, unlike the Super Bowl, soccer does not stop at a perfectly scheduled point. The first half lasts 45 minutes, but additional stoppage time will push halftime back by several minutes.

Viewers primarily interested in the music should tune in before 3:45 or risk missing the opening of the show.

The performance itself will last 11 minutes, but the full halftime break could reportedly be considerably longer since crews will need time to build and remove the stage. Broadcasters are preparing for the usual 15-minute interval to stretch to as long as 30 minutes.

Not everyone is thrilled about that possibility, especially given the sport’s history. Soccer’s rulemaking body, the International Football Association Board, normally limits halftime to 15 minutes and even rejected a 2021 proposal to extend it to 25, citing concerns about player welfare and the risks of keeping athletes inactive for too long.

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.

Some fans also see the extended break as another attempt to turn the World Cup into a Super Bowl-style American television spectacle, with the entertainment (and controversial ad breaks) becoming almost as important as the game.

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. How to watch the World Cup halftime show

The halftime show will air as part of the World Cup final broadcast. English-language coverage is available on Fox, while the game can be streamed through Fox One and the Fox Sports app. Fox’s pregame coverage begins at noon ET, three hours before kickoff.

Spanish-language coverage will air on Telemundo and stream on Peacock. Peacock Premium and Premium Plus subscribers have access to all 104 World Cup matches live in Spanish, including the final and its halftime performance. You can also check out Mashable's guide to watching the 2026 World Cup online for free, which includes tips for global readers and VPN users.

The halftime show supports the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, which aims to raise $100 million to expand access to education and soccer programs for children around the world. FIFA says more than $50 million has already been raised, including $1 donated from every ticket sold during the tournament.

The U.S. team did not make the World Cup final, but "The Star-Spangled Banner” apparently did.

On July 14, FIFA announced that Grammy award–winning singer and talk show host Jennifer Hudson will perform a “special rendition” of the anthem before the World Cup final on Sunday, July 19, at New York New Jersey Stadium (better known as MetLife Stadium).

The announcement immediately left some soccer fans asking the same question: Why is the American anthem being performed at a game that does not include the United States?

The answer is less about the two teams playing and more about where they are playing.

Why is Jennifer Hudson singing the U.S. national anthem?

Jennifer Hudson is performing "The Star-Spangled Banner" as part of FIFA's pre-game ceremony in New Jersey — a separate event that takes place before the match itself begins on the field.

The event, scheduled for 1:30 p.m. ET, 90 minutes before kickoff at the stadium in New Jersey, is designed to celebrate the tournament's journey across three host countries: Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

Since the final is being held on American soil, Hudson’s performance is meant to represent the host country before Spain and Argentina take the field.

Not everyone online is convinced by that explanation. After all, the United States is sharing hosting duties with Canada and Mexico, which has left some fans wondering why their national anthems are not being performed, too.

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

After Hudson's performance concludes, the match will proceed with the standard international soccer protocol. Both Spain and Argentina will still perform their own national anthems before kickoff.

Hudson is one of several celebrities participating before kickoff. The pre-game event will be headlined by Post Malone. Robbie Williams, Nicole Scherzinger, Laura Pausini, and streamer IShowSpeed are also scheduled to perform, while Tom Cruise will make a still-unspecified special appearance.

The idea of performing the national anthem at the World Cup isn’t completely unprecedented (though rare). When the U.S. last hosted the men's World Cup in 1994, saxophonist Kenny G played “The Star-Spangled Banner” during the closing ceremony before Brazil and Italy faced off in the final.

Even so, the online confusion makes sense, especially from the perspective of the elaborate production FIFA has built around the final match, especially regarding the halftime show.

Who is headlining the halftime show?

Madonna, Shakira, BTS, and Justin Bieber will headline the first World Cup halftime show in history: an 11-minute performance, which was curated by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin. Burna Boy, conductor Gustavo Dudamel, the PS22 Chorus featuring Coldplay, and characters from Sesame Street and The Muppets will also participate.

The performance supports the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, which is raising money to expand access to education and soccer programs for children.

The reported extension has drawn criticism from soccer fans who see it as another attempt to import the structure of American sports into the World Cup.

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.

FIFA has already faced complaints during this tournament about entertainment-heavy opening ceremonies and hydration breaks, which some viewers believe are being used to create additional television advertising opportunities.

That push makes more sense when you look at what FIFA stands to gain in the United States — FIFA expects to generate a record $13 billion during the current World Cup cycle. There is a lot of money riding on getting American viewers, including people who do not normally watch soccer, to tune in.

So far, that strategy appears to be working. Fox’s group-stage broadcasts averaged more than 5 million viewers, nearly double the audience for the same stage in 2022. The U.S. team's matches also drew much larger Spanish-language audiences on Telemundo and Peacock than they did during the previous World Cup.

In that context, Hudson singing the American anthem feels less random. The American team may be out of the tournament, but the American audience, and the money attached to it, are still very much in the game.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. How to watch the World Cup final and closing ceremony

Spain and Argentina will play in the World Cup final on Sunday, July 19, at New York-New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The closing ceremony begins at 1:30 p.m. ET, while the match is scheduled to kick off at 3 p.m. ET.

English-language coverage will air on Fox and stream through Fox One and the Fox Sports app.

Spanish-language coverage will be available on Telemundo and Peacock. Peacock has confirmed that all 104 matches, including the final, are streaming live in Spanish.

Astronomers found the missing giant architect of a famous young star system — a world that lines up almost eerily well with what theorists had predicted but had never seen. 

This exoplanet, about 63 light-years away in space, appears to be the long-hidden sculptor of the Beta Pictoris system, carving up the star's surrounding junkyard of dust, rock, ice, and gas. 

For years, models of the system hinted that something big was creating a sharp inner edge of the debris disk — something other than the two exponentially larger planets known to be circling the star based on direct images. That's what makes its detection all the more impressive: The key wasn't searching for a faint dot on the outskirts of a bright star with a camera. They found it by the chemistry of its atmosphere.

The results prove astronomers can discover an exoplanet just by comparing its detailed light fingerprint to known planetary patterns in places where imaging fails. That approach opens a new avenue to detecting worlds buried in dusty, high-glare places, said Jean-Baptiste Ruffio, the principal investigator of the first observations used for the study. 

"There was an unexpected bright source of light within the Integral Field Unit imaging, but we've learned not to trust bright blobs in [space] images," said Ruffio, a University of California at San Diego research scientist, in a statement. "By obtaining a spectrum at the same time as the image, we were able to quickly confirm our suspicions."

SEE ALSO: Astronomers find a needle in a haystack 18,000 light-years away

A spectrum is the pattern you get when you spread light out into its component colors or wavelengths — a detailed rainbow that reveals what an object is made of.

Astronomers found the planet, Beta Pictoris d, in data from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope while they were trying to study another planet in the system. Webb didn't just take a picture; it broke the star's light into thousands of colors, turning the scene into a grid of tiny rainbows.

The discovery of Beta Pictoris d. Credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI / Ralf Crawford illustration

In that sliced-up light, the team saw tiny dips at the exact colors where gases such as methane, carbon monoxide, and water vapor absorb light in a giant planet's atmosphere. That pattern didn't look like dust or random noise, said Aidan Gibbs, lead author of the paper published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

"We weren't looking for a new planet," Gibbs said in a statement. "Then, this telltale signal appeared in the data where we didn't expect it."

The way these scientists uncovered Beta Pictoris d could shape how future planet hunts are done. Traditional searches lean on powerful cameras and masks, known as coronagraphs, to block the star's glare, but those broad images can struggle mightily with a bright, dusty disk. 

Another facet to this story is that, at roughly the same time, a separate team, led by Ben Sutlieff of the University of Edinburgh and Markus Bonse of the European Southern Observatory, found the planet with the Very Large Telescope in Chile. They're calling their detection the faintest exoplanet ever imaged from a ground observatory. While their success may seem counterintuitive, the ground-based telescope had an advantage to snap a clearer photo than Webb because it used a unique infrared filter. Their work, an achievement in its own right, also appears in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Beta Pictoris d is perhaps just double Jupiter's mass. Sitting at roughly a Neptune-like distance around its own star, the planet had escaped everyone's notice for quite some time. The Webb team observed that the planet's speed matched an object bound to the star, Beta Pictoris, not a background star. Follow-up observations with another Webb instrument sensitive to longer wavelengths confirmed the signal and helped narrow down the planet's relatively cold temperature and distant orbit.

Earlier studies suggested such a planet could jostle dust and icy bodies into tilted orbits and help create a bright clump of carbon monoxide gas in the disk. The new detection doesn't solve every detail, but it strongly supports the idea that a single hidden giant has been shaping much of what astronomers see in the famous system.

Adding a third giant world puts Beta Pictoris in rare company. Out of thousands of known exoplanets, only a handful of systems have more than one planet that astronomers can actually see in images. Until now, only the HR 8799 system was confirmed to have more than two. 

"This discovery adds another piece to an already fascinating planetary system," Gibbs said. "Beta Pictoris has long served as a laboratory for understanding how planetary systems form and evolve, and now we have another planet helping us tell that story."

When Christopher Nolan announced that he'd be following up Oppenheimer with The Odyssey, I viewed it as him doing a full 180.

SEE ALSO: 'The Odyssey' review: Christopher Nolan turns an epic myth into a movie masterpiece

On the surface, the works couldn't be more different. The former: a biographical film examining the most devastating technological development of the 20th century. The latter: an adaptation of Homer's seminal poem, teeming with monsters, gods, and adventure. The Odyssey represented something new for Nolan, an opportunity to explore epic fantasy and wind the clock back thousands of years before any of his other films are set.

Yet despite these drastic shifts in genre and setting, Nolan has managed to craft the perfect companion piece to Oppenheimer. In his hands, and especially in the film's conclusion, Odysseus (Matt Damon) comes to occupy a similar space to Cillian Murphy's J. Robert Oppenheimer, both ingenious men reckoning with the horror of what they've wrought on the world.

Christopher Nolan puts Odysseus and Oppenheimer in conversation. Matt Damon in "The Odyssey." Credit: Melinda Sue Gordon / Universal Pictures

Even though the character of Odysseus is thousands of years old, he's right in the mix with Nolan's lineup of male leads, including Oppenheimer. Like any Prototypical Christopher Nolan Man, both are brilliant and highly competent. Odysseus, more so than Oppenheimer, also joins Inception's Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Interstellar's Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) in the Nolan club of men fighting through impossible odds to get to their families.

For Oppenheimer and Odysseus alike, the most famed example of their intelligence is a scheme that ends a war. Oppenheimer's invention of the atomic bomb marks a key step on the road to the conclusion of World War II. Odysseus puts a definite stop to the Trojan War with his ruse of the Trojan Horse.

SEE ALSO: Should you see 'The Odyssey' in IMAX?

But another hallmark of the Nolan Man is that his brilliance is bound to become a burden. Such is the case with both Odysseus and Oppenheimer. Yes, they manage to stop a large-scale conflict. Yet in doing so, both have broken the world.

With The Odyssey and Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan looks to the apocalypse. Credit: Melinda Sue Gordon / Universal Pictures

Throughout The Odyssey, Nolan emphasizes the importance of Zeus' Law, which demands that hosts treat all guests with respect, as any of them could be a god in disguise. At the same time, he also highlights a new threat sweeping across the Mediterranean: the mysterious Sea Peoples, who have been terrorizing coasts since the Trojan War ended, and who were real-life groups of Bronze Age seafarers whose role in the collapse of the Bronze Age is a source of debate among historians.

Nolan brings these two ideas together in The Odyssey's revelatory conclusion, in which Odysseus, disguised as a beggar, tells his wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) the truth of the Sack of Troy. It is no heroic legend, like the bard's (Travis Scott) speech that opens the film. Nor is it a war hero's rousing tale, like Menelaus' (Jon Bernthal) description of the events to Telemachus (Tom Holland). Instead, it is a pained recollection of brutal destruction, which has weighed on Odysseus for 10 years. His visions of Athena (Zendaya) are not of the goddess counseling him, but rather, memories of a slaughtered Trojan woman made manifest.

Entering Troy as a gift and then killing its inhabitants represents the absolute violation of Zeus' law, Odysseus tells Penelope. In turn, that has broken civilization's social order. The men from the sea aren't unknown enemies. They're Odysseus, his men, and the rest of the Greek army, burning villages and terrorizing their inhabitants in their desperate journey home. For Odysseus, this wave of violence signals the beginning of the end of the Bronze Age, and it all comes down to him and his trick.

Odysseus' penitence eerily echoes Oppenheimer's conclusion, in which Oppenheimer and Albert Einstein (Tom Conti) discuss the construction of the atomic bomb, years after its devastating impacts on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

"When I came to you with those calculations, we thought we might start a chain reaction that would destroy the entire world," Oppenheimer tells him.

"I remember it well," Einstein says. "What of it?"

"I believe we did," Oppenheimer says.

Cue the film's haunting final sequence: a montage of missiles and explosions devouring the whole world, while Oppenheimer watches. Compare it to the last shot of The Odyssey, in which the Trojan Horse goes up in flames, signaling the destruction of Zeus' Law and the burning of the world as we know it.

With each ending, Nolan considers the apocalypse. Not what comes after, but rather its slow, unavoidable arrival. Not by natural forces either, but by human hands: dangerous technology that's used for the greatest harm, or a trick that fractures every code humanity holds dear.

The common thread of humanity's penchant for self-destruction turns The Odyssey into a sequel of sorts for Oppenheimer. In turn, that same thread likewise binds Oppenheimer to its own Nolan predecessor, Tenet.

In that film, the Protagonist (John David Washington) works with the secret organization Tenet to prevent a future apocalyptic attack. Tenet agents use code phrases to identify one another, opening with the line, "We live in a twilight world."

The phrase suggests the sun is setting on the world as the agents know it. They live in constant anticipation of the oncoming night brought on by the future attack. The same can be said for Oppenheimer, staring into a future of nuclear destruction he helped bring on. Or Odysseus, leaving a world he tricked into crumbling, chasing the sun west into a literal twilit world.

The three-film run of Tenet, Oppenheimer, and The Odyssey serve as Nolan's unofficial apocalyptic trilogy, especially the last two. (You can also throw in Interstellar and its tales of climate crisis for good measure.) In each movie, he asks, how does humanity live knowing we are the architects of our own demise?

There is no easy answer — not for Oppenheimer, not for Odysseus, and not for Nolan. Yet as he considers these questions in film after film, one thing becomes clear: It is better to acknowledge the problem, painful as it may be, than to push it down. One cannot be Oppenheimer, compartmentalizing his role in an atrocity. One cannot be Odysseus, eating lotus flowers and forgetting. One has to face the future, dark though it may be, head on.

The Odyssey is now in theaters.