IT General

Your smart home going down can be a real pain. There may be automations you rely on daily that suddenly no longer work. If there's a power outage, your smart home doesn't have to give up the ghost.

Remember when cord-cutting and canceling cable were all about saving money? It's no secret that streaming services just keep getting more expensive. Sling TV started at $20 per month and now costs double that, and YouTube TV launched at $35 but slowly ballooned to over $80. Last spring, I canceled my service and went a different route that only cost me around $40 for the entire year.

If you run a Pi-Hole server, you probably, like me, have experienced downtime when updating or rebooting the server. To fix this, I started running two Pi-Hole instances. Here's how I did it, and how I keep them in sync, too.

Whether you're a beginner or a hardened Bash-writing veteran, there's always room for picking up new tips. Some of the best ones take only moments to learn but are so transformative that they change your entire approach. I have four that will unscramble your Bash spaghetti into a well-formatted work of art.

National Vehicle Safety Recalls week is March 2nd through the 8th here in the United States, raising awareness of the importance of checking for open recalls on our vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) organizes the campaign, which coincides with the spring-cleaning season, but it's good practice to check for recalls on your car year-round.

Magnetic USB-C cables (the kind that use a dongle to connect) sound like the perfect convenience hack for ultra-fast wired charging, especially if you're not on the wireless charging bandwagon or if we're talking about a device that doesn't support it, like a laptop.

There was a time when saving a computer program sounded like a modem arguing with a fax machine. Before floppy drives were crunching and grinding away in our homes, the humble cassette was an affordable and effective way to sell, store, and record data.

One of the easiest ways to up your Linux terminal game without memorizing a ton of commands is just to start using TUIs. These are the ones I keep on virtually all day long while I work on my Linux computers.

TL;DR: Live stream India vs. England in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 for free on ICC.TV. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The stage is set for the 2026 T20 World Cup final. India face off against England for the last place in that showpiece event. We're expecting an incredibly tense and exciting contest between two talented sides.

India strolled through the initial group stage but lost out to South Africa in the Super 8. England were beaten by West Indies in the group stage but topped their Super 8 group that included New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. It's difficult to predict the winner from this semi-final matchup. India perhaps have the edge, and playing in front of a passionate home support at the Wankhede Stadium can only help.

If you want to watch India vs. England in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is India vs. England?

India vs. England in the 2026 T20 World Cup starts at 8:30 a.m. ET on March 5. This game takes place at the Wankhede Stadium.

How to watch India vs. England for free

India vs. England in the 2026 T20 Cricket World Cup is available to live stream for free on ICC.TV.

This free live stream on ICC.TV is only available in select regions (see full list of territories here), but anyone can live stream the T20 Cricket World Cup for free with a VPN. These helpful tools can hide your IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in a location with free access. This simple process bypasses geo-restrictions so you can live stream on ICC.TV from anywhere in the world.

Live stream India vs. England in the 2026 T20 Cricket World Cup for free by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in a location with access

4. Visit ICC.TV

5. Watch the 2026 T20 Cricket World Cup for free from anywhere in the world

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

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch every game from the 2026 T20 Cricket World Cup before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to free streaming platforms from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for ICC.TV?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on ICC.TV, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Watch the 2026 T20 World Cup for free with ExpressVPN.

Affordable luxury SUVs often promise premium style and features, but many fall short when it comes to long-term value and everyday usability. In 2026, one compact luxury SUV manages to deliver upscale design, advanced technology, and strong efficiency without carrying the high ownership costs usually associated with the segment. The Lexus UX stands out as the smartest choice for buyers who want true luxury at an attainable price.

Smart switches aren't only for controlling lights. These switches can control anything your prior wall switch could, and that means you can have much more fun with a smart switch than you might expect.

TL;DR: Preorders of Magic: The Gathering Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Draft Night are $86.99 at Amazon ahead of the March 6, 2026 release.

Opens in a new window Credit: Magic: The Gathering Magic: The Gathering Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Draft Night $86.99 at Amazon
$119.99 Save $33 Get Deal

If you’ve been eyeing Wizards’ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossover but didn’t want to commit to a full trading card booster box buy-in, this is the perfect time to jump on a preorder before it releases this week. As of March 4, Amazon has cut the Magic: The Gathering Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Draft Night box to $86.99, down from the $119.99 list price.

Amazon’s listing also notes the "pre-order price guarantee," so if it dips again before launch on March 6, you’ll get the lowest price.

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Not only is this price only eight cents above the TCGplayer market price, it's also the lowest price we've ever seen on Amazon — as confirmed by price tracker camelcamelcamel. 

This is a self-contained kit for a Pick-Two Draft for four players, which keeps things moving faster than a traditional draft and works especially well for kitchen-table nights where you want the fun part (building and battling) to start sooner.

Here is everything you get in the Magic: The Gathering Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Draft Night: 

• 12 TMNT Play Boosters (14 cards each), with typical Play Booster collation that can include 1–5 rares or higher, plus a guaranteed traditional foil of any rarity in each booster

• 1 TMNT Collector Booster (15 cards) as the winner’s crown — featuring multiple foils and 5 cards rare or higher, with a borderless signature Kevin Eastman headliner card showing up in under 1% of boosters

• 90 land cards, so your group isn’t scrounging through deck boxes before the first pick

If you want to pull even more rare cards from TMNT’s MTG expansion, you can also buy the Magic: The Gathering Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Collector Booster Box under market price at Walmart. Alternatively, the MTG Final Fantasy three-pack is now $7 off.

Setting up a Jellyfin server is no small task. While I love my setup now, there are several regrets I have about the way I first installed my Jellyfin server.

Ever uploaded a photo to remove the background and wondered where it is stored, and what will happen to it later on? Online background remover tools are convenient to use, but convenience often trades against control. So, instead of uploading your photos to strangers’ servers, let’s build a background remover that runs entirely on your own computer.

SAVE OVER $15: As of March 4, the Lego Super Mario Piranha Plant (71426) is down to $41.99 at Amazon. That's $18 off its list price of $59.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Super Mario Piranha Plant (71426) $41.99 at Amazon
$59.99 Save $18   Get Deal

Mario Day — otherwise known as MAR10 Day, since it lands on March 10 — is coming up, and Amazon already has some nice discounts for Nintendo fans to make a move on. The Lego Super Mario Piranha Plant set (71426) is one that caught our eye at the retailer, as it's currently on sale for $41.99.

The Lego Super Mario Piranha Plant set usually etails for $59.99, so this deal gives you a chance to grab it for $18 less. If you're an adult Lego fan, this 540-piece set looks like a fantastic project to piece together, especially ahead of Mario Day.

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The Lego Super Mario Piranha Plant set comes together to create the Piranha Plant in a green pipe, complete with two coins. The plant's head, mouth, stalk, and leaves are all posable, which makes for fun detailing once you put it on display. And even though the box says it's recommended for those ages 18 and over, a younger fan that's interested can tackle this set with help.

Don't miss out on this great chance to save on the Lego Super Mario Piranha Plant set (71426) at Amazon. Alternatively, if you're wondering what new releases Lego has dropped so far this year, have a look at our breakdown of the best new Lego sets.

Despite all the hubbub about dating app fatigue, new apps still pop up to compete with the household names. In order to duke it out with the likes of Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge, these startups must try something new — even if it's technically not. 

One example is the dating app Cerca, which is about to turn a year old. Taking its name from the Spanish word for "near," Cerca aims to connect mutual friends. At a time when the major apps are trying to increase shareholder value and shove in AI features, focusing on human connection is a novel idea. (Almost.)

SEE ALSO: The 11 best dating apps for women who want real connections in 2026 What is Cerca?

Cerca is a dating app you might not have heard of yet, but it's already gotten the media treatment, from college newspapers to the New York Times. Launched in March 2025, according to an article in Business Insider, Cerca seeks to combine mutual friends with privacy.

The tagline? "Date Mutuals, Not Strangers." 

But what's old is new again on Cerca. The "friends of friends" tactic was originally what Hinge was built on. Back in 2014, founder Justin McLeod (who recently left Hinge to start an AI dating service, Overtone), told Bloomberg, "We're introducing you to people through your friends like you would in real life when you go to house parties and dinners and weddings and the kind of places that you forge great relationships."

SEE ALSO: App fatigue is real. I tested the best dating apps of 2026 to find the ones that really work.

While Hinge eventually moved away from this model, this ethos makes sense for a new app. People are increasingly frustrated with major apps. If you scroll the dating side of TikTok, you'll see users quick to bemoan "The Apps" to their selfie camera. Last year, several daters expressed this sentiment, telling Mashable they wanted to meet potential partners in person. 

Meanwhile, major apps are rapidly implementing AI-based features. In the last year alone, Hinge has introduced Convo Starters, Tinder's AI personas, and Bumble announced AI-driven Profile Guidance and AI Photo Feedback features last week. 

It's not all AI, though, and it seems at least Tinder has picked up on the "mutual friends" angle. Tinder's latest CEO, Spencer Rascoff, said last year he wanted to move away from its hookup reputation to attract Gen Z users. Soon after, Tinder introduced Double Date, a feature to swipe with your friend.

How Cerca works

Cerca works differently from Tinder and other apps, however. According to its website, you first create your profile and sync your contacts. (Your contacts aren't notified that you're joining yet another dating app, thankfully.) Then, Circa only surfaces matches with a first or second-degree connection — aka, friends of friends. 

You're then free to "like" profiles, but the likes remain anonymous until both people have liked each other. As is written on Cerca's website, "We prioritize trust and safety — that's why we only pair you with mutuals. No unsolicited messages or catfishing. Because when it comes to dating, you deserve privacy, context, and confidence in who you're talking to."

As of this publication, Cerca has an average of 4.4 out of 5 rating on Apple's App Store, based on 1,300 ratings. It touts 170,000 singles — a far cry from Tinder's 50 million monthly users, but if you're sick of the biggest dating apps in the game yet don't want to totally throw your luck to bars and clubs, there are newer apps like Cerca. 

TL;DR: The Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Ascended Heroes Mini Tin Display Unit (10 Mini Tins) is down to about $234 at Walmart, undercutting Amazon’s $261.95 listing by roughly $28 for the same 10-tin display.

Opens in a new window Credit: The Pokémon Company Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution: Ascended Heroes Mini Tin Display (10 Units) $233.95 at Amazon
  Shop Now

The Ascended Heroes Mini Tins have been seeing some of the wildest pricing since the Pokémon TCG expansion came out, but the latest pricing at Walmart has made it so you’re saving money when buying more. As of March 4, display units of 10 Pokémon TCG Ascended Heroes Mini Tins are now available at Walmart for $233.95, a notable dip from the $261.95 price on Amazon. 

Each tin contains two Ascended Heroes booster packs, a sticker sheet, and an art card — with five different art cards to collect and combine. Ascended Heroes is also the latest in the trading card game’s Mega Evolution-era lineup, leaning hard into big-name Pokémon Mega Evolution card — including Mega Dragonite ex, a set stuffed with Trainer’s Pokémon, and Stellar Tera Pokémon ex cards.

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Although Amazon’s new $261.95 price comes after a price cut (25% off from $349.99), Walmart is giving you the best value for money compared to buying Mini Tins individually. Ascended Heroes Mini Tins will cost you between $32 and $50 on Amazon. At $233.95 for 10, Walmart’s listing means you’re paying the equivalent of $23.39 per Mini Tin — hitting the market price for each version on TCGplayer.

Pokémon TCG: Ascended Heroes Elite Trainer Boxes are still available at Amazon for under $117. What's more, Perfect Order Booster Bundles are available to preorder for a new low price of $43.13 at Amazon.

Jigsaw has a new streaming home this month. All 10 movies in the Saw franchise arrive on March 19, 2026, on Netflix. There are nine main installments in the Saw franchise and one spin-off, Spiral. However, all 10 exist in the same twisted universe and headline Netflix's new movies arriving this month.

SAVE OVER $100: As of March 4, the 13-inch iPad Air (M3, 512GB, WiFi) is back to its lowest-ever price of $949 at Amazon. That's $150 off its list price of $1,099.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple iPad Air 13-inch M3 $949 at Amazon
$1,099 Save $150   Get Deal

The release of the new M4 iPad Air is exciting news for a couple of different reasons. Of course, it means a brand-new iPad model is available to get our hands on, but it also means that some of the previous generations go on sale. This is the case right now for the 13-inch iPad Air (M3, 512GB, WiFi), which has dropped to $949 at Amazon.

This model of iPad Air usually retails for $1,099, so this deal saves you $150 overall. Not to mention, it marks a return to its lowest price point at the retailer. No better time to scoop it up.

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This sleek iPad Air features a high-quality 13-inch Liquid Retina display with P3 wide color, True Tone, and ultralow reflectivity that offers up great picture quality, no matter if you're streaming or scrolling. And on the inside, it boasts fast performance thanks to the M3 chip. This model even comes with 512GB of storage, which is perfect if you have a lot of apps, photos, or videos you're hoping to load.

The M3 iPad Air is our favorite iPad model for most people. Mashable's Samantha Mangino says in our roundup of the best iPads that, "It will be your new go-to device for streaming, reading, or creative projects. And if you plan on using your tablet as a substitute for a laptop, it'll work for that, too, especially when paired with the new Magic Keyboard for iPad Air or Apple Pencil. It's fast, moves smoothly between apps, and has a stunning high-definition display."

If you've been searching for a new tablet, treat yourself to this great deal on the 13-inch iPad Air at Amazon.

TikTok won't encrypt your direct messages like other platforms including Instagram, Messenger, and X, which offer the privacy option.

According to a report by the BBC, TikTok will not add end-to-end encryption to DMs. The company told the news outlet it believes encryption puts users at risk, as it stops law enforcement and safety teams from accessing private messages.

SEE ALSO: AI has made us all surveillance targets. This tool helps you fight back.

This argument has come under scrutiny with Big Tech companies when it comes to users handing over their private chats, as companies including Meta have been required to turn data, including DMs, over to police.

Mashable has reached out to TikTok for comment.

Featured Video For You Is U.S. TikTok censoring its users? So, what is end-to-encryption and why is it important?

A means of securing up your communication online, end-to-end encryption ensures that only you and your recipient can see your messages. Christianna Silva summarises it for Mashable:

End-to-end encryption means no one — not hackers, not government officials, not the company that owns your device — can read your message while it's being sent. It basically takes your message, jumbles it up, sends it, and unjumbles it once it reaches your recipient. So anyone who tries to intercept your message in between you and your recipient just gets a bunch of mess instead of the message itself. This is important because messages can pass through loads of hands on their way from sender to recipient, such as the service you use to send the message, the internet service providers involved, and servers that store the message data for any amount of time.

Apps and platforms like Signal, iMessage, and WhatsApp all provide end-to-end encryption, but it's not that straightforward — and the technology's backdoors and compliance with authorities can lead to major problems.

Apple's iMessage kicked off the party in 2011 as the first messaging service with end-to-end encryption enabled by default — Apple boosted it in 2024 with post-quantum encryption key PQ3. Law enforcement can request data from Apple with a search warrant, but they've been foiled before.

SEE ALSO: What is Lockdown Mode on iPhone and how do you enable it?

Meta has had a rollercoaster ride through end-to-end encryption, slowly adding it to platforms like Facebook and Instagram. WhatsApp switched it on in 2016, but law enforcement can request access to your metadata. As for Facebook and Messenger, between January and June 2025, over 374,000 data requests were logged by government sources with Meta, of which the company says 78 percent had data supplied. Some of these have made headlines; in the immediate aftermath of the reversal of Roe v. Wade, police used Facebook chat logs to prosecute a person seeking an abortion.

Signal has long been associated with its end-to-end encryption, becoming a communication method of choice for activists, journalists, and those worried about privacy. Signal says its services "do not provide access to emergency service providers like the police, fire department, hospitals, or other public safety organizations," though the FBI has found ways to spy on users.

Telegram, which has been around since 2013, doesn't have end-to-end encryption on by default. There are two types of encryption in Telegram, one for private and group chats and one for "Secret Chats" which adds another layer of encryption (that has to be enabled). But Telegram has had multiple controversies over the years, including a colossal revenge porn problem and a case of human rights violation.

Elon Musk's X replaced its DMs with Chat, which is end-to-end encrypted but not by default. Users must set up a private-public key pair when they first use the feature and X says it uses "a combination of strong cryptographic schemes to encrypt every single message, link, and reaction that are part of an encrypted conversation before they leave the sender’s device and remain encrypted while stored on X's infrastructure. Once messages are received by the recipient devices, they are decrypted so that they can be read by the user." It's not watertight though.

Zoom, meanwhile, straight-up lied about its encryption in 2020, resulting in a class-action lawsuit and an $85 million settlement.

There are plenty more apps and platforms using end-to-end encryption, which makes TikTok's decision stand out. And it's not the only reason TikTok is raising concerns with users.

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