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HBO Max spent June living large—House of the Dragon's third season ruled the charts (and continues to), and Larry David is skewering 250 years of American history just in time for Independence Day. But once the dragons stop breathing fire, it's the stranger-than-fiction real-life documentaries that linger, and HBO Max keeps a deep library of those.

Open-source apps have gotten remarkably good over the years—good enough to serve as viable replacements for many paid services. As a result, the team here at How-To Geek has started canceling some of our paid subscriptions and replacing them with open-source, self-hosted alternatives. Here are three such apps that proved worth the switch and have earned a permanent place in our workflow.

First of all, happy long weekend! If you’re not celebrating with family or watching any number of classic holiday-centric blockbusters (Independence Day, Jaws, The Sandlot), maybe you prefer digging into a good series instead. And while the end of June delivered some great options for Netflix U.S. subscribers, like I Will Find You and Avatar: The Last Airbender’s second season, as we head into July, there are already some great new options.

As America celebrates its 250th birthday, it's the perfect time to reflect on one of the country's greatest automotive creations, the muscle car. Few vehicles are more uniquely American.

Netflix has earned a reputation for hosting cherished award-winning movies and shows, but not all of its best titles get the attention they deserve. Beyond the Oscars and Emmys, some of its strongest titles go unnoticed, despite sweeping other recognized award shows.

Samsung is virtually synonymous with foldable phones, but it might soon cede ground to Motorola in one specific category. Reports are surfacing that the upcoming Galaxy Z Flip 8 might be the company's last flip-style foldable phone.

Most SSD advice is centered around buying the fastest drive you can afford, even if that usually means the most expensive SSD (which isn't worth it, by the way). You'll also hear about keeping enough space and replacing the SSD when it starts acting up. But many SSDs also have access to a longevity trick: overprovisioning.

You've probably heard about the recent AI controversies surrounding Windows, and you may have even heard of Linux as an alternative. Linux is a fantastic choice, but it's not for everyone—in fact, it's not for most. If you're an avid Windows user or a Linux enthusiast, I have three crucial reasons most users remain on Windows, even though Linux is entirely free.

You don't have to settle for an audio quality downgrade on your phone just because you prefer the convenience of wireless earbuds. Google has quietly added support for LHDC v5 (Low Latency High-Definition Audio Codec) with the release of Android 17.

As we say so long to June and get ready to celebrate a long weekend, July looks promising on Paramount+ with the season finale of Dutton Ranch on the table and a brand-new season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds at the end of the month! But for the time being, why not let a good documentary or two give you some food for thought?

There was major 2026 World Cup drama yesterday — with a late goal by Portgual sending Croatia home after a hard-fought game.

The high-stakes drama continues on July 3, as the final Round of 32 matches determines the fates of three teams.

It all kicks off at 2 p.m. ET, with three games played across the afternoon and evening.

FIFA World Cup schedule today: July 3

• Australia vs. Egypt (Dallas Stadium) — kickoff at 2 p.m. ET

• Argentina vs. Cape Verde (Miami Stadium) — kickoff at 6 p.m. ET

• Colombia vs. Ghana (Kansas City Stadium) — kickoff at 9:30 p.m. ET

How to watch FIFA World Cup games todayWatch Australia vs. Egypt

Neither Australia nor Egypt have a clean World Cup record going into this game, though Egypt's looks a little better on paper with a win and two draws. Australia has a win, a draw, and a loss heading into this matchup.

Live coverage will be on Fox and Fox One. Peacock will carry the live Spanish-language coverage.

Watch Argentina vs. Cape Verde

Cape Verde is having a memorable World Cup run, but they will face quite the test in an Argentina team that is seemingly always a major World Cup contender. Both teams have a lot to lose, and one shot to move forward.

Live coverage will be on Fox and Fox One. Peacock will carry the live Spanish-language coverage.

Watch Colombia vs. Ghana

Colombia certainly has more momentum going into this game, with two wins and a draw versus Ghana's win, draw, and a loss. But both survived the group stage, and anything can happen in the knockout rounds.

Live coverage will be on FS1 and Fox One. Peacock will carry the live Spanish-language coverage.

Opens in a new window Credit: Fox One Fox One (3-Month Subscription) $39.98
$59.97 Save $19.99   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Peacock Peacock (Spanish Language) Starting at $10.99/month Get Deal More live streaming optionsLive TV cable replacement

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the World Cup for free with a VPN

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

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

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpresVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.99 only at ExpressVPN Get Deal

It’s a tale of terror, paranoia, and skeletons in the closet. Back in the late 1990s, Microsoft was riding high, with the recent success of Windows 95 cementing its hold on the home and office desktop market. So high, in fact, that the US government was about to indict it for holding a monopoly over the industry.

Happy 4th of July, America. This year's Independence Day celebrations are a little extra special as we celebrate the United States of America's 250th birthday.

Across the country, many people will spend the day at the beach or at a barbecue, capping the night off with a fireworks display. But, if you're spending the night indoors, there are still plenty of ways to celebrate with an array of July 4th fireworks livestreams.

Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks 

Perhaps the most well-known of the Independence Day celebrations is the Macy's 4th of July fireworks. If you live in NYC, you can catch them live. Otherwise, you can tune into NBC or Peacock at 8 p.m. on July 4th to watch the show.

While the U.S. is celebrating its 250th, Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks is also celebrating a milestone with its 50th anniversary this year.

PBS's America Made in Virginia: 250 Years Together

While many of the livestream options on this list will require a paid subscription to a particular streaming platform, PBS is airing its 4th of July special on YouTube for absolutely free.

America Made in Virginia: 250 Years Together will start at 8 p.m. on July 4th and culminate in a fireworks and pyrotechnics display from Colonial Williamsburg.

Disney Celebrates America

Disney is also getting in on the 250th anniversary of the United States celebrations with its own event.

Disney+, Hulu, and the ESPN app will stream a 24-hour broadcast called "Disney Celebrates America" that checks in on 4th of July celebrations around the country, which will ostensibly include at least a few fireworks displays. The grand finale, Star-Spangled Bash in Nashville, will also be hosted by ABC and deliver one of the country's largest fireworks and drone shows.

The broadcast kicks off at 10 p.m. on Friday, July 3rd, with the main event out of Nashville starting at 8 p.m. on July 4th.

Freedom 250 fireworks display

There's been a lot of controversy surrounding President Donald Trump's own Freedom 250 group, set up to lead Trump's 250th anniversary celebrations. You've probably seen the memes about the lackluster attendance for Trump's Great American State Fair all week.

With that said, Freedom 250 is claiming they're about to have a record-breaking 40 minute long firework display on the 4th of July with more than 850,000 fireworks. And, according to the group, the MonumentCam atop the Washington Monument will be the premier free-to-watch livestream to watch it all.

The Great American Block Party 250

Paramount+ and CBS are hosting their own 3-hour Independence Day special at 8 p.m. on July 4th. 

Like Disney's, the show will check in on 4th of July celebrations and firework displays from around the country. The broadcast will also culminate in their own feed of Freedom 250's Washington, DC, fireworks display.

I've had some pretty good luck with my SSDs. I own several now, and have owned a bunch more over the years, and for the most part, they've all lived long, happy (I guess) lives. But I know that an SSD can fail even at 100% health, so it's no wonder that one of mine died after hitting the 10-year-mark. I've also seen a couple die well before that, and one SSD that was pretty much brand new (or so I was told) nearly ruined an entire PC for me.

When you're obsessed with your smart home, you want to show it off. While a light bulb that turns on when you walk into a room is useful, it doesn't really have much of a wow factor. Often, it's the utterly pointless projects that are the most fun to show off.

If you’re a fan of documentaries and docuseries like I am, you might agree that June really spoiled us on Netflix. In fact, the first half of 2026 had been chockablock for docs (docablock?), with HBO Max, Paramount+, and Prime Video throwing out some award-worthy titles, too. And if you let any slip past last month, our roundup of June's best docs is right here to fix that.

DirectStorage can do wonders for your games. But you'd be surprised by how many people don't use it, or aren't aware it exists, despite being a staple Windows feature.

Most Windows users think of USB history only when something goes wrong. A flash drive refuses to show up, an external hard disk keeps disconnecting, a phone charges but will not transfer files, or a strange device name appears in Device Manager with no clear explanation. Windows remembers far more about USB devices than many people realize, but it does not present that history in a friendly way. The information is scattered across system records, device entries, and old hardware associations that remain long after the device has been unplugged.

Do you have an old computer that you want to use 10 Gigabit Ethernet on? You actually can probably take advantage of the faster networking standard without having to replace your system. Here's why your old PC probably supports 10 Gigabit Ethernet.

Summer is in full swing, which means it's time to give your phone a little extra attention to prevent it from overheating. Cars, in particular, heat up very quickly, and since many of us rely on our phones for everything from Android Auto to streaming music and navigation, all of that puts an extra strain on the device and can cause it to overheat.