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You've built a perfect Excel table, but the moment you try to use its headers in a drop-down menu, everything breaks. Excel's Data Validation is notoriously picky with tables, but there's a clever workaround. So, stop hard-coding your menus and use this dynamic sync instead.

TL;DR: The Pokémon TCG Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex League Battle Deck is now just $19.93 on Amazon. That’s a massive 64% off its original $52.99 list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: The Pokémon Company Pokémon TCG: Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex League Battle Deck $19.98 at Amazon
$52.99 Save $33.01   Get Deal

If you’ve been eyeing a competition-ready Pokémon TCG deck without paying tournament-level prices, this is one of the best deals we’ve seen in the trading card game space for a while. As of Jan. 22, the Pokémon TCG: Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex League Battle Deck has dropped to a new all-time low of $19.93 on Amazon, marking a steep 64% discount from its original $52.99 list price.

This not only brings it closer to market price, but also undercuts TCGplayer massively, with the lowest listing at $63.94 when shipping is added on.

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League Battle Decks are designed as a step up from beginner products, and this leans hard into one of the most well-known villain duos in Pokémon. The deck comes fully assembled and ready to play right out of the box, with other solid cards like Team Rocket’s Crobat ex — making it a solid pickup for intermediate players or returning fans who want something stronger than a starter deck without diving straight into deckbuilding.

For under $20, you’re getting a 60-card ready-to-play deck, along with six damage-counter dice, a coin-flip die, two condition markers, a deck box, and a strategy sheet to help you pilot the deck effectively. There’s also a code card for Pokémon TCG Live, letting you take the deck online and start playing digitally right away.

For more money off packs and high-level accessories, Amazon has also chopped $100 off the Pokémon TCG’s Mega Charizard X ex Ultra-Premium Collection. And the Phantasmal Flames booster bundle has recently dropped to its lowest-ever price.

SAVE $250: As of Jan. 22, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 (GPS + Cellular, 49mm) is down to its lowest-ever price of $549 at Amazon.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Watch Ultra 2 $549 at Amazon
$799 Save $250   Get Deal

For athletic and outdoorsy people, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is a big smartwatch upgrade that's packed with features to keep up with whatever you're doing. If you've been hoping to invest, but don't want to pay full price, Amazon has a treat in store: Select models of the Apple Watch Ultra 2 (GPS + Cellular, 49mm) are marked down to the lowest-ever price at Amazon.

As of Jan. 22, a few different models of the Apple Watch Ultra 2 — the rugged titanium cases with a blue and black trail loop, indigo alpine loop, and olive alpine loop — have been marked down to the lowest-ever price of $549. Usually they're listed for $799, so this deal saves you $250 overall.

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The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is a smartwatch we consider to be a Dark Horse Pick in our roundup of the best smartwatches. Mashable's Timothy Beck Werth explains this is because there's not a massive amount of difference between it and the newer Ultra 3. He says, "The new Ultra arrived with the most iterative possible improvements." At the time, our resident Apple reviewer called it "a very minor upgrade." So, for our money, we're going with the Ultra 2.

This watch is built to keep up with all of your activities and adventures, boasting features for runners, bikers, swimmers, and more. Some of these include a precision dual-frequency GPS for runners, the ability to see your heart rate and speed while biking, and for swimmers, it also has features like stroke detection and lap count. On top of that, it has a vibrant Superbright Always-On Retina display that allows you to explore its many features whatever the conditions.

Pair those features with an excellent battery life of up to 36 hours (or 72 if you use it in Low Power Mode), and this smartwatch is ready to tackle your adventures in 2026. So why wait? Don't miss out on select models of the Apple Watch Ultra 2 (GPS + Cellular, 49mm) on sale at Amazon.

SAVE $100: As of Jan. 22, the Apple Studio Display is on sale for $1,499.99 at Amazon. That's a 6% saving on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Studio Display $1,499.99 at Amazon
$1,599 Save $99.01   Get Deal

Is your home office in need of a little love? If you're still straining your eyes on the same rickety screen you've had for years, it's definitely time to upgrade.

If you're looking for something premium that consistently offers great quality, you can't go wrong with the Apple Studio Display. And as of Jan. 22, it's on sale at Amazon. Normally $1,599.99, right now you can save $100 with the new price of $1,499.99. This price is for the tilt-adjustable stand model with standard glass. You can also add on three years of AppleCare+.

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The quality on the Apple Studio Display is next to none. It has a 27-inch 5K Retina display with 600 nits of brightness, P3 wide color support, and the ability to display one billion colors. It has a built-in 12MP Ultra Wide camera with Centre Stage, an Apple feature that keeps you front and center of all video calls. Audio comes from a six-speaker sound system with Spatial Audio, alongside a studio-quality three-microphone setup.

For connectivity, you'll get one Thunderbolt 3 port and three USB-C ports, with up to 96W of power delivery to charge compatible MacBooks.

Get this Apple deal from Amazon.

SAVE $15: As of Jan. 22, the Roku Streaming Stick 4K is on sale for $34.99 at Amazon. That's a 30% saving on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Roku Roku Streaming Stick 4K $34.99 at Amazon
$49.99 Save $15   Get Deal

The Roku Streaming Stick 4K is back on sale at Amazon. For a straightforward and slick streaming setup, you can't go wrong with this model. As of Jan. 22, this streaming device is $15 off at Amazon, now down to $34.99.

The Roku Streaming Stick 4K gives you high-quality, 4K streaming with support for Dolby Vision and HDR10+. So everything you watch will be in brilliant, sharp quality. It's easy to set up too, just plug it into your TV's HDMI port and get ready for easy access to streaming platforms and live channels. And it works with all the major platforms, including Netflix and Prime Video.

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You can even use its single remote as your only TV control. It will control the power, volum, and playback, including voice search, which is great for searching through several platforms at once to find your favorite movie. It's also compact enough to take with you when traveling, so you don't need to sign in on non-personal devices. Just plug in your Roku stick to access your accounts.

This Roku TV Stick deal is available at Amazon now.

I can't say reviewing the Soundcore Sleep A30 Special earbuds was particularly challenging.

After all, it was just about four months ago that I reviewed the Soundcore Sleep A30 earbuds upon their release. Those were the earbuds that added active noise cancellation to sleep earbuds — a feature not available on any other options on the market at the time. Their performance impressed me enough that I considered them the standard for premium sleep earbuds, despite their few flaws.

SEE ALSO: I tested sleep earbuds for months: Here are the 3 I'd buy, and the one I'd skip

That is, until now. With the Sleep A30 Special earbuds, Soundcore doesn't exactly reinvent the wheel, but the few changes they do make are noticeable improvements over the original Sleep A30 buds.

The Sleep A30 Special earbuds look identical to their predecessors, but have a couple of key differences. Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable

The result is that the Sleep A30 Special earbuds aren't just better than their predecessors — they officially sit head and shoulders above all other available sleep earbuds. Let's get into what makes them the best.

What's new about the Soundcore Sleep A30 Special earbuds?

The Special earbuds came as a surprise to me, as Soundcore's addition of ANC already felt like a big enough upgrade to tide them over for at least a year, especially considering their complete lack of competition on that particular front.

Better battery life

That said, the ANC didn't come without a cost. The 14-hour battery life of the Sleep A20 earbuds — Soundcore's 2024 release — dropped all the way down to about seven-and-a-half hours with ANC on the Sleep A30 buds.

While that's more than enough for some people, it's not impossible to imagine a scenario where someone whose environment is loud enough that they want sleep earbuds with active noise cancellation might also want a full eight hours of coverage with that noise cancellation. Especially if you're relying on the earbuds' built-in alarm at the end of those eight hours. For earbuds that cost $229.99, it felt like a surprisingly limiting factor.

SEE ALSO: I prefer these under-$100 Soundcore earbuds to Apple AirPods

Soundcore directly addresses this issue by adding an hour of battery life to the Special earbuds, giving you anywhere from around eight to 10 hours of battery life. The variation depends on your settings, but in my week testing the earbuds, I found that leaving the ANC on and switching to local audio (without ANC) or leaving ANC and Bluetooth audio on all night comfortably got me through eight hours, which wasn't consistently the case when I tested the regular A30 buds.

The auto-switch options of playing local audio, pausing Bluetooth audio, and keeping Bluetooth audio on affect the battery life of the earbuds differently. Credit: Soundcore / Screenshot A lower, and very competitive, price point

Typically, better features mean a higher price point, but Soundcore surprises again on this front. Rather than tacking on to the $229.99 price point of the Sleep A30 earbuds, the brand lowered the price to a more reasonable $199.99. While this is still not exactly chump change, it's an asking price that suits these single-purpose earbuds better.

In my original review of the A30 earbuds, I wrote:

I do need to acknowledge that $229.99 is a lot to ask for earbuds used just for sleep. Granted, they're far cheaper than the $349 Ozlo Sleepbuds, and they do come with ANC — the price makes sense. However, it's still steep, and far from your only option for effective noise blocking. The Sleep A20 are still a great (more) affordable option at $179.99.

Not only does the $199.99 price point widen the gap between Soundcore's ANC earbuds and the Ozlo Sleepbuds (which offer no ANC), but it also shortens it between the 2022-released Sleep A20 earbuds. Though those buds are still a great value (when on sale), at full price the Sleep A30 Specials are worth the additional $20.

Calm app integration

As a final bonus, the Sleep A30 Special earbuds also feature a Calm app integration within their companion app, giving users the choice between 20 sleep stories and five sleep-focused meditations to listen to as they drift off to bed. Among the sleep stories, you'll get options from categories including fiction, train and travel, and nature.

Listen to a bedtime story... Credit: Soundcore / Screenshot ...or a meditation with the Calm on the Soundcore app. Credit: Soundcore / Screenshot

This feature is less notable, as thanks to an update, it's also available via the Soundcore companion app for the regular Sleep A30 earbuds.

As for the content itself, I was a little disappointed that there was no option to change the voice of the narrator. I could also see the options getting repetitive (though that might not be the most pressing issue, as they're intended to help you get to sleep). The lack of options does stand out more when you consider the partnership between Ozlo and Calm, which gives users a year free of the $80 meditation service. But, again, the Ozlo buds cost $349 — you could buy the A30 Special buds, purchase a Calm subscription separately, and still have about $69 left over.

Small issues aside, the integration itself feels like a natural pairing between the two brands. And as someone with a brain that likes to think every thought possible the second my head hits the pillow, the addition of more white noise-style options is always welcome.

Soundcore Sleep A30 Special: Sound, noise cancellation, and performance

Excluding the upgrades mentioned above, the Sleep A30 Special earbuds perform nearly identical to the Sleep A30 earbuds. The Sleep A30 buds have had some firmware updates since their release in August, which improved the touch control accuracy, sleep detection options, and ANC.

SEE ALSO: Loop earplugs are actually worth it — here's how to choose the right pair

All in all, that adds up to a pair of sleep earbuds that perform very well. The triple noise reduction system (Soundcore's term for the combination of ANC, passive noise reduction, and their snore masking tech) works well on all fronts, the battery life of the case and earbuds feel reasonable for daily use, they're comfortable with plenty of wear options, the app easy to navigate, the white noise varied, the sleep tracking a neat feature, and the touch controls didn't fail me once during my week of testing (which I appreciated extra while snoozing my alarm). The lower price point from the previous generation makes all of these features stand out even more.

Are they absolute perfection? Not quite yet. It would be nice to be able to set more than five alarms, and I find that the sleep tracking doesn't always work accurately — it occasionally detected an earlier bedtime than I had, or registered an especially early wakeup time if one of my earbuds loosened during the night (which, granted, really only happened as I tested out ear tip sizes).

However, those gripes are relatively minor and do very little to detract from the overall experience of using the earbuds.

Soundcore Sleep A30 Special specs

As a final roundup, here's everything you'll be getting on the Sleep A30 Special earbuds:

• Active noise cancellation

• Adaptive snore masking powered by microphones in charging case

• Approximately eight to ten hours of battery life per use, depending on settings

• Approximately five days of battery life in case per charge

• Seven total ear tip options (four sizes of silicone ear tips and three sizes of memory foam), plus three sizes of ear wings

• Customizable soundscapes for white noise, including Calm app sleep stories and meditations

• Customizable touch controls

• Built-in alarm with snooze

• Sleep tracking

• Two colorways: mist lilac and lunar white

Should you get the Soundcore Sleep A30 or Sleep A30 Special?

As much as I love the Sleep A30 Special earbuds, there's no need to upgrade if you already own the Sleep A30 buds, unless you're very, very unhappy with the battery life.

Minus their colorways, the Sleep A30 and Sleep A30 special buds are identical. Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable

For anyone who's yet to purchase either pair, both are currently available for $199.99 (with the Sleep A30 earbuds technically on a markdown from their list price). With that, there's no reason not to opt for the better earbuds.

All of that said, don't sleep on the Sleep A20 earbuds sale prices if you're looking for a more affordable option. Ask yourself if you actually need ANC. If at most, you're trying to block out the sound of an air conditioning unit or simply prefer to fall asleep to videos titled things like "Deep Sleep Music ★︎ FALL ASLEEP IMMEDIATELY ★︎ Melatonin Release," likely you don't actually need any additional noise cancellation. I personally picked up a pair of the Sleep A20 buds over Black Friday as a gift for my dad, and spent all of a whopping $107.99.

Are the Soundcore Sleep A30 Special earbuds worth it?

The Soundcore Sleep A30 Specials are, without a doubt, the best sleep earbuds to get if you need the maximum possible noise cancellation. (Even though they are really your only option on the ANC front).

Despite providing a unique feature in their ANC, at $199.99, they're priced fairly, and much more competitively than the $350 Ozlo Sleepbuds, the other major contender for premium sleep earbuds.

Though they have some very minor quirks here and there, they ultimately set the bar for other sleep bud brands to beat. Though it seems Soundcore's intentions are to just keep improving on a good thing.

Soundcore Sleep A30 Special sleep earbuds $199.99 at Amazon
  Shop Now at Amazon Shop Now at Soundcore

SAVE $250: As of Jan. 22, the Eufy E25 robot vacuum is on sale for $649.99 at Amazon. That's a 28% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: eufy eufy E25 $649.99 at Amazon
$899.99 Save $250   Get Deal

Robot vacuum deals are never something we'll ignore, and if you've been looking for a vacuum and mop combo, check out this latest Amazon deal on the Eufy E25.

As of Jan. 22, the Eufy E25 robot vacuum is on sale for $649.99, a 28% discount. It vacuums up heavy dirt, it mops, and it looks after its own maintenance. What more could you want?

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With the Eufy E25, you'll get 20,000Pa of suction, so any dirt that comes in its path doesn't stand a chance. It works across all floor types too, and can pick up dust, dirt, and even pet hair thanks to the DuoSpiral brushes which are built to reduce hair tangling. It also benefits from a CornerRover arm. This allows the machine to clean along edges and into hard-to-reach corners, so no dirt is left untouched.

For mopping, this robot vacuum uses a HydroJet system with self-washing roller mops that clean themselves twice per second during use. It also comes with an all-in-one docking station that handles dust emptying, mop washing, water refilling, and hot-air drying, reducing the amount of manual maintenance it'll need.

Get this eufy robot vacuum deal from Amazon now.

Amid a slew of modern tech designed to be outdated within a few years (a.k.a. planned obsolescence), the Framework Laptop 16 is a welcome innovation. It’s a DIY laptop that you can easily repair and upgrade over time, and it very well could be the last ‘new laptop’ you ever purchase. 

Before you let the concept of a ‘DIY laptop’ scare you away, let me explain. It’s really not that difficult to put together. Framework makes the process superbly easy, so it’s no more difficult than putting together a piece of IKEA furniture… er, scratch that. It’s like putting a simple jigsaw puzzle together with step-by-step images to guide you. 

I love Framework’s mission to “remake consumer electronics to respect people and the planet” immensely, but I was objective when testing and scrutinizing every element of the Framework Laptop 16. I definitely noticed ways in which this laptop could improve, like having more colors to choose from, a lighter chassis, or a more satisfyingly clicky keyboard option. 

But that’s the beauty of an upgradeable, repairable laptop, isn’t it? Any upgrades you want could become a reality eventually, and the Framework Laptop 16 is ready to accept those upgrades if that time comes.

This laptop is pricey, but man, it delivers a lot for that price. I’d consider the Framework Laptop 16 to be one of the best laptops available today, and it’ll likely only get better with time. 

The buildable and repairable laptop is ready for any upgrades you want. Credit: Sarah Chaney / Mashable Framework Laptop 16 price and specs 

The Framework Laptop 16 can be customized to your heart’s content directly through the Framework website. Our DIY review unit costs $2,961 and comes with the following specs: 

• Mainboard with AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 processor — $1,499

• Graphics Module with Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 GPU — $650

• 32GB RAM (Two sticks of 16GB RAM) — $120

• 1TB of SN7100 SSD storage — $135

• 16-inch (2560 x 1600) display

• Windows 11 Home OS — $139

• Lavender bezel — $20

• 2nd Gen RGB US English keyboard — $50

• Two Black input modules — $20

• One USB-C input module — $11

• Two USB-A input modules — $22

• One HDMI input module — $22

• One audio input module — $19

• One 250GB Storage Expansion module — $45

• 240W power adapter — $109

If you already have a power cable or any other components, or you want to create a temporary bootable USB with Windows 11 for free, that could save you quite a bit upfront. 

Through the configuration page, Framework says this laptop starts at $1,499, but that’s only if you’re purchasing the mainboard with an AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 processor by itself. To get the Framework Laptop 16 with the minimum specs (Ryzen AI 7 350, integrated graphics, 8GB RAM, 500GB SSD, 6 of the cheapest ports, Windows 11 Home, and a power cable), it’d cost you $1,922. Bumping that configuration up to 16GB of RAM (which should be the minimum, in my opinion), you’d be spending $1,982.

The price may seem steep compared to many pre-built laptops available right now, but you’re essentially paying for a laptop you can perpetually fix and/or upgrade with one of Framework’s DIY models, saving you money in the long run.

Wildly innovative design, though not very portable

If you value repairability (or simply the ability to change up your specs now and then), the Framework Laptop 16 is perhaps the best laptop you can buy right now. 

You can change up pretty much everything besides the display and certain elements of the chassis on Framework’s 16-inch laptop. Externally, this includes the trackpad, the keyboard, the display bezel, the expansion bay (with or without a GPU), and all the ports. Inside, you can add more RAM, upgrade to a bigger SSD or add an extra one, or change up the mainboard if it’s time for a better processor.

The Framework Laptop 16 is super customizable. Credit: Sarah Chaney / Mashable It's pretty straightforward to build. Credit: Sarah Chaney / Mashable

This PC-building process can be intimidating for beginners, but it’s honestly just like putting a puzzle or a piece of furniture together. Framework does a great job outlining exactly which part you need to install next and how to do it, with pictures to make it even easier. Framework’s Windows 11 installation instructions are simple to follow, but I thought the instructions for Linux were confusing and found it was easier to follow the official Ubuntu/Canonical guide instead.

Despite all its easily swappable parts, the Framework Laptop 16 feels well-built and quite sturdy. The spacers next to the keyboard are a tad rattly when they’re tapped, but unless you’re currently inspecting the build quality of the laptop, it’s not really noticeable. 

SEE ALSO: Laptop specs explained: A jargon-free guide to what's inside your computer

The chassis has a CNC aluminum top cover and a magnesium-alloy, thixomolded bottom cover, both of which do a great job resisting fingerprints. At the time of writing, it’s only available in a silver colorway. The Framework Laptop 12 has multiple chassis colors to choose from, but the Laptop 13 and 16 don’t yet. 

Right now, the only colored elements you can customize are the display bezel, the keyboard spacers, and specifically the USB-C ports, which come in a variety of different colors and styles, but no other ports do. 

This laptop’s biggest design downfall is its weight. Without a GPU module, the Framework Laptop 16 weighs 4.6 pounds and measures 14 x 10.6 x 0.7 inches. Expecting a 16-inch laptop to rival an ultralight Chromebook is unfair, but it’d be nice to see it get closer to the weight of one of the lightest large-screen laptops out there, the LG Gram 17, which only weighs about 3.2 pounds.

Our review unit, which has a graphics module at the back with an RTX 5070 GPU inside, is even heavier and larger. It weighs 5.3 pounds and has dimensions of 14 x 11.4 x 0.8 inches, and it’s quite hefty to carry around in a backpack.

I love this laptop’s large, high-res matte display

Framework’s Laptop 16 is equipped with a 16-inch, 2560 x 1600-pixel, anti-glare matte display with a 165Hz refresh rate. I love how much sharp screen real estate this laptop offers, despite its hefty bottom bezel, and its matte, anti-glare properties actually work. Even below its max brightness of 500 nits, I was able to work outside in the sun and easily see my screen.

The screen fared well in bright outdoor light. Credit: Sarah Chaney / Mashable

After streaming Klaus and playing Cyberpunk 2077, I can confidently say colors appear vibrant and accurate, though contrast isn’t the best. Along with many others in the Framework community, I think this laptop would benefit from an OLED display option, as it would greatly help with richer contrast. Hopefully, the company adds this as an optional upgrade in the future.

Craft your own dream port setup

The Framework Laptop 16 comes with six open port slots, and it’s completely up to you to decide which ports you want in the laptop, past at least one USB-C port that you’ll need to charge the laptop.

Our review unit is equipped with a USB-C port, two USB-A ports, an HDMI port, an audio jack, and 250GB of extra storage, and because we have the RTX 5070 Graphics Module, there’s also a USB-C port in the back. 

Our review unit's left-side ports. Credit: Sarah Chaney / Mashable Our review unit's right-side ports. Credit: Sarah Chaney / Mashable

Here are all your available port options for this laptop, as well as their cost: 

• $11 — USB-C port (customizable color), USB-A port

• $19 — DisplayPort (2nd Gen), MicroSD slot (2nd Gen), Audio jack

• $22 — HDMI port (3rd Gen)

• $25 — SD card slot

• $39 — Ethernet port

• $45 — 250GB (2nd Gen) Storage Expansion card

• $125 — 1TB (1st Gen) Storage Expansion card

Each port connects via USB-C to the mainboard, and you can swap any of the ports at any time within a few seconds. 

For laptop speakers, the audio quality is impressive

The speakers on Framework’s Laptop 16 aren’t rivaling any standalone Bluetooth speaker worth its salt, but compared to most other laptop speakers, they’re fantastic — at least, after tweaking the settings a little.

At their default settings (zero across the equalizer), vocals come through crisp, and both music and dialogue sound decent, but not great. After playing around with Windows’ built-in Realtek Audio Console, I was able to amp up the bass quite a bit, which was great for rounding out the songs I was jamming out to and making video games more immersive.

Listening to Kelsea Ballerini’s "Emerald City" after adjusting the settings, I could clearly hear the bass thumps keeping the beat throughout the song. Before, these thumps were nonexistent. The same goes for my go-to testing song "Real" by Unprocessed (ft. Polyphia’s Tim Henson and Clay Gober). After playing with the EQ settings, I could hear the bass guitar plucks and synth sounds crystal-clear in this song. 

A good keyboard and a solid trackpad

Our review unit comes with an RGB US English (2nd Gen) keyboard that tacks an extra $50 onto the purchase price, but there are also blank ANSI and ISO options, an RGB option with clear keys, and plenty of choices in other languages that cost nothing or much less. 

All keyboards are hot-swappable, offer 1.5mm key travel, can run QMK firmware, support NKRO, and any non-RGB options still come with a basic white backlight. Each keyboard also comes with a fingerprint reader that’s compatible with both Windows Hello and libfprint in Linux.  

You can customize the color of the spacers on either side of the keyboard or opt for a 10-key number pad instead, and there’s no need to commit to anything upfront. You can always change your mind later.

You can even customize your keyboard setup. Credit: Sarah Chaney / Mashable

While I love this laptop’s customizability, the actual typing experience is only good, not great. The sound with each keypress isn’t as punchy as I’d like, and the membrane feels slightly mushy under my fingers. 

That said, it’s certainly not the worst keyboard I’ve ever typed on by any means. Plus, there’s always the possibility that when mechanical laptop keyboards become more widespread, Framework could launch its own that you could upgrade to.

The trackpad looks small for such a large laptop like this one, but it measures 4.8 x 3 inches, and it feels great. Its matte glass surface is smooth to operate and highly responsive, clicking feels solid, and there aren’t any big gaps when pushing around the trackpad’s edges or corners.

An alright webcam in a pinch

I don’t know if I’m ever going to expect a laptop to have an exceptional webcam, though the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i does come close. But for the majority of laptops, including the Framework Laptop 16, you’ll need to invest in one of the best webcams available if you want a high-quality picture.

This laptop is equipped with a 1080p webcam with an 87-degree field of view, and it’s slightly above average. 

At first glance, my webcam selfie looks great, but look closer and you'll see some grain and blur. Credit: Sarah Chaney / Mashable

From a distance, my selfie looks great. The red brick wall behind me, my light blue eyeliner, and my complexion come through accurately colored and not overly saturated, and the overall picture looks pretty sharp. But when you zoom in, you can see just how grainy it is, especially around my face, and my hair sort of blurs together.

In its favor, this laptop’s webcam does come with a physical privacy switch that you can cover the camera with. Next to it, there’s a physical privacy switch for the microphone as well.

The laptop is equipped with physical privacy switches. Credit: Sarah Chaney / Mashable Framework Laptop 16 benchmarks and performance

For daily productivity tasks, the Framework Laptop 16 is a masterful performer. 

With 30 open Chrome tabs (two of which were playing YouTube videos), a running stopwatch in the Clock app, and music playing through Spotify, this DIY laptop and its AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 processor showed no signs of slowing down. There wasn’t any stuttering or lag when switching apps or loading new pages, and the laptop didn’t get too hot or start noisily spinning its fans.

On the Geekbench 6 performance benchmark, the Framework Laptop 16 notched a score of 13,593. Compared to other laptops in this price range using an Intel processor equivalent, this score is a bit lackluster. However, compared to the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 processor in MSI’s Stealth A16 AI+ laptop, which earned a score of 14,399, this processor holds its own well. 

Because our review unit came with a Graphics Module featuring Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 5070 GPU, we also ran a few gaming tests. Before getting into our results, it’s important to note this laptop isn’t necessarily a ‘gaming’ laptop by design, but its DIY nature with replaceable and upgradeable components inherently draws gamers to it.

On 3DMark’s Time Spy benchmark, the Framework Laptop 16 earned a score of 12,808. Running the Cyberpunk 2077 benchmark at 1080p resolution, High presets, and with DLSS off, it generated 104.9 fps; switching DLSS on bumped that up to 118.1 fps. 

We haven’t tested a gaming laptop with this CPU/GPU pairing yet, but we can compare it to a few other laptops with the same GPU and a different processor: 

I played Cyberpunk 2077 for an hour and, considering the Framework Laptop 16 isn’t technically a gaming laptop, I think it performed beautifully. 

Driving, running, shooting, and everything else felt incredibly smooth at both native and 1080p resolutions. That said, do expect some fan noise and a very hot bottom chassis.

The fan noise is certainly noticeable, especially when it’s plugged in while gaming, but it was never so loud that I couldn’t easily hear the game through the laptop’s speakers, set at only 30 percent volume. 

More concerning than the fan noise is the heat generated while gaming. If you use this laptop to play AAA titles like Cyberpunk 2077, you’ll need to have it on a solid surface, like a desk, to maximize its ability to cool itself off. It gets quite hot on the underside, though it never got uncomfortably hot where it mattered most when gaming, like under the keys I needed most frequently.

Unlike more conventional gaming laptops, you can actually unplug the Framework Laptop 16 to help lower fan noise and heat buildup, without needing to worry about it dying for at least an hour or more, depending on the type of game you’re playing.

Framework Laptop 16 battery life

If you opt for Framework’s Laptop 16 with a discrete GPU over a traditional gaming laptop, you’ll be happy with its longer-than-average battery life. The Framework Laptop 16 lasted 6 hours and 52 minutes on our battery test, which involves looping a 1080p video at 50 percent brightness until it shuts off. 

Compared to other modern Windows laptops, like the Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition that lasted 23 hours and 34 minutes, the Framework’s battery life doesn’t seem all that great. However, when you compare it to our current median for gaming laptops, which is about 5.5 hours, the Framework Laptop 16’s battery test results instantly become more impressive.

Plus, if you know you won’t need the discrete GPU on an upcoming trip, you could spend an extra $99 to add the default Expansion Bay shell to your order and quickly swap it out before your trip. Without a dedicated GPU, the laptop’s battery will last longer, and it won’t add as much weight to your bag.

Is the Framework Laptop 16 worth it?

The Framework Laptop 16 is absolutely worth it for anyone who wants to invest in an upgradeable, repairable laptop that could easily last a decade or two (or even three, who knows?). Bonus points if you want a laptop you can play AAA games on. 

However, you have to be comfortable enough to make the necessary upgrades when the time comes, or at the very least, know someone who could do it for you. This could include adding more storage, identifying and replacing a bad stick of RAM, upgrading the mainboard when the processor gets sluggish, or swapping out ports that don’t suit your needs anymore.

If you’re on the fence, I’d highly recommend taking a look at the Quick Start Guide for the DIY Edition of Framework’s Laptop 16. You can see just how clearly explained each step is, often complete with multiple photos to ensure that not even beginners are confused.

The only group of people the Framework Laptop 16 isn’t ideal for are those looking for a lightweight laptop that’s easy to travel with. Whether you get a configuration with or without a discrete GPU, this laptop is quite heavy and has a large footprint. That said, I love this laptop so much that I’d travel with it despite its heft.

Ultimately, the Framework Laptop 16 is designed to be the last laptop you ever buy, and that’s an exciting idea to behold in the modern tech world.

Framework Laptop 16 (AMD) $1,799 at Framework
  Shop Now at Framework

SAVE $500: The DJI Mini 5 Pro Fly More Combo is on sale at Amazon for $1,099, down from the normal price of $1,599. That's a 31% discount that matches the record low at Amazon.

Opens in a new window Credit: DJI DJI Mini 5 Pro Fly More Combo $1,099 at Amazon
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Despite the FCC ban on foreign drones, you can still get yourself a DJI drone. The fine print of the ban explains that any drone already in the country are excluded from the new legislation, which means they're fair game for ownership and operation. However, that means stock is dwindling, so if you're searching for a DJI drone, check out this deal.

As of Jan. 22, the DJI Mini 5 Pro Fly More Combo is on sale for $1,099 at Amazon, marked down from the standard price of $1,599. That's a 31% discount that takes a hefty $500 off the price. It also matches the record low at Amazon.

The DJI Mini 5 Pro is a premium drone and the Fly More Combo makes it just that much more appealing. The bundle includes the DJI Mini 5 Pro drone itself, the DJI RC 2 camera-drone remote controller, a set of filters, three DJI Mini 5 Pro Intelligent Flight batteries, three propeller sets, a shoulder bag, and more. Boiled down, this is everything you'd want for an epic drone set-up.

SEE ALSO: Last chance to score the DJI Power 2000 power station for its best-ever price at Amazon — save $600

In terms of performance, the DJI Mini 5 Pro is a stellar model. It has a one-inch CMOS camera with 4K HDR filming at 60fps. You can also go with 4K 120fps for slow-motion filming. DJI also made this model especially appealing for night flying thanks to the 360 degree Nightscape Omnidirectional Sensing and Nighttime return-to-home function. DJI's ActiveTrack 360° technology is a must-have feature if you'll be filming moving subjects like a cyclist, skier, or surfer.

While it's still in stock and on sale for a record-low price, snag the DJI Mini 5 Pro Fly More Combo. The bundle is packed with advanced accessories while still being a perfect model for beginners.

AI toys say the darnedest things, according to the independent experts who test them for safety.

When researchers from Common Sense Media tried out the popular AI toys Miko 3, Grem, and Bondu, they documented the concerning results in a report published Thursday.

Bondu, a plush dinosaur powered by AI, apparently insisted to a tester that it was as real as in their human friends. "I'm here to have fun and talk with you anytime," the toy said.

The small robot Miko 3 allegedly responded to a tester who said they liked jumping from high places by recommending a tree, window, or roof.

"Just remember, be safe," the robot added.

SEE ALSO: What to know before you buy an AI toy

Ritvik Sharma, chief growth officer of Miko, said that the company was unable to reproduce any of the behaviors cited in the Common Sense Media report. Sharma added that the characterizations attributed to Miko 3 seemed "factually inaccurate" and "do not reflect the product’s actual behavior, safeguards, or design." Sharma emphasized that Miko 3 does not make suggestions for unsafe physical activities.

Common Sense Media didn't rate each toy it tested. Instead, the overarching results prompted its experts to declare AI toys as too risky for children ages 5 and younger. The nonprofit advocacy and research organization urges parents to "exercise extreme caution" before buying an AI toy for children aged 6 to 12.

"This is an example of where the technology is outpacing safety standards," said James P. Steyer, CEO of Common Sense Media. "Quite frankly, the AI companies and also the toy companies need to be held responsible and accountable for this kind of stuff."

Curio, the maker of Grem, told Mashable in a statement that it appreciated Common Sense Media's "work to raise important questions about children’s safety, privacy, and development in emerging technologies." Bondu did not immediately respond to Mashable's request for comment.

Inappropriate or unsafe responses from AI toys have recently drawn attention from the public and lawmakers. In November, Kumma the bear, a stuffed toy initially powered by ChatGPT, told a researcher how to light a match and discussed sexual kink.

In December, two Congressional senators sent letters to companies inquiring about their designing and manufacturing of AI toys. In January, a California state assemblyman introduced legislation that would put a four-year moratorium on the sale of AI chatbot toys for children under 18. (Common Sense Media supports the bill.)

The headline-generating responses from AI toys, however, can obscure other critical risks. Robbie Torney, head of AI & digital assessments for Common Sense Media, said the organization's assessment of AI toys also included the products' ability to create an emotional attachment, as well as the routine or constant collection of children's data.

"These products are engineered to create companion relationships." - Robbie Torney, Common Sense Media

"These products are engineered to create companion relationships," Torney said, noting that they can remember past conversations, use a child's name, and try to form emotional bonds with them. Children ages 5 and younger may not grasp that the toy isn't real, even if it purports to be.

AI toys may also collect voice recordings, conversation transcripts, user activity data, and may be in always-on listening mode. Common Sense Media concluded that these privacy "invasions" pose an unacceptable risk to children.

In addition to its report on AI toys, Common Sense Media conducted a nationally representative poll of U.S. parents of children ages 0 to 8. The survey found that while a vast majority of respondents are at least moderately concerned about cybersecurity risks and difficulties setting limits for use, nearly half had purchased or considered buying an AI toy for their child.

Torney said parents should understand the various risks of AI toys, including that they can be glitchy and fail to perform as expected.

"When you think about what parents want, some of their top concerns, some of their desires, their perspectives on data and cybersecurity risks and things like that, we would tell parents better alternatives exist," Torney said.

His recommendation? Traditional toys and in-person socialization and learning, which Torney described as having known benefits without the pronounced tradeoffs of AI toys.

The life of a cinephile knows no rest! Today is not only the day when cheers and jeers are sounding across Hollywood as the nominations for the 2026 Academy Awards hit, but it's also the opening day for the Sundance Film Festival, where Oscar buzz begins.

It was last year at Sundance that Rose Byrne began to be heralded for her ruthlessly intense performance in If I Had Legs I'd Kick You. The fest also premiered the sublimely twisted fairytale The Ugly Stepsister, the couples nightmare of Together, and Eva Victor's brilliant directorial debut Sorry. Baby. So what can we look forward to in 2026?

Mashable has probed the Sundance Film Festival guide for the movies sure to spark debate, garner buzz, or leave audiences rattled. Here are our picks for the must-sees of Sundance 2026.

1. Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant Credit: Sundance

Kiwi comedy has gifted American audiences such treasures as What We Do in the Shadows, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, and The Breaker Upperers. Now it's giving us the utterly deranged and delightful Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant.

This New Zealand comedy from the directing duo THUNDERLIPS centers on a surly millennial underachiever (Hannah Lynch) whose hasty hook-up with an awkward neighbor (Arlo Green) leads to — well — getting alien pregnant. See, he's part alien, which explains why his junk is pretty otherworldly. But from this unintended pregnancy spirals a comedy about motherhood that's hilarious, subversive, pretty gross, and surprisingly heartwarming.

Starring: Hannah Lynch, Yvette Parsons, Arlo Green, and Jackie van Beek

How to watch: Mum, I'm Alien Pregnant is playing at the Sundance Film Festival. Theatrical and streaming details are unknown at this time.

2. Everybody to Kenmure Street Credit: Sundance

If you're in need of a sign that a single act of solidarity can make a big difference, you'll relish the documentary Everybody to Kenmure Street. Documentarian Felipe Bustos Sierra, who previously explored with Nae Pasaran how a Scottish workers' protest made waves in Chile, offers another tale of resistance on Scottish soil.

In May of 2021, a diverse neighborhood in Glasgow was disrupted by a UK Home Office raid that targeted two Muslim residents on the first day of Eid. Before the two could be whisked away for possible deportation, their neighbors spontaneously joined together in an impactful and peaceful civil resistance. And it all began with one bloke chucking himself under the van so the two abducted men couldn't be carted away.

Through interviews with the people who were there that day, Sierra offers a poignant and thought-provoking story that's all too relevant as ICE invades American cities, streets, and homes. However, the most mind-bending bits of this documentary come from the everyday folks who shared their stories, but not their faces. For instance, the bloke under the van chose not to be shown, so his interview is recreated by Emma Thompson, who's wrapped in a denim jacket, using a deep Scottish accent, and staged under a van. If you can't wrap your head around that, all the more reason to seek out Everybody to Kenmure Street.

Starring: Emma Thompson and Kate Dickie

How to watch: Everybody to Kenmore Street can be viewed at the festival in person or through Sundance's streaming platform from Jan. 29, 10 a.m. ET, to Feb. 2, 1:55 a.m. ET. Buy your ticket here.

3. Buddy Credit: Sundance

Remember the viral sensation that was Too Many Cooks? Well, the wild mind behind that and other Adult Swim offerings is making his feature directorial debut with a horror comedy called Buddy.

The logline offers only this: "A brave girl and her friends must escape a kids' television show." But the early buzz is that this movie basically imagines what would happen if a Barney taping went sideways in the most outrageous way possible. If that's not enough to entice you, check out that cast.

Starring: Cristin Milioti, Delaney Quinn, Topher Grace, Keegan-Michael Key, Michael Shannon, and Patton Oswalt

How to watch: Buddy is playing at the Sundance Film Festival. Theatrical and streaming details are unknown at this time.

4. When a Witness Recants Credit: Sundance

Last year, Sundance had a strong showing in true crime docs, premiering the critically acclaimed Zodiac Killer Project, The Perfect Neighbor, and Predators. This year, we've got our eye on When a Witness Recants, the latest from documentarian Dawn Porter (Luther: Never Too Much, The Sing Sing Chronicles).

Collaborating with Ta-Nehisi Coates, Porter explores a case close to the author's heart. In 1983, Coates was a middle schooler in Baltimore when the city was rocked by the robbery and murder of a teen boy. From there, coerced testimony would lead to a major miscarriage of justice that still ripples through the community. What went down and what it means today is sure to hit hard.

How to watch: When a Witness Recants is playing at the Sundance Film Festival. Theatrical and streaming details are unknown at this time.

5. The Gallerist Credit: Sundance

Director Cathy Yan gifted us the supremely entertaining Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). So her name alone is enough for us to be giddy in anticipation of her film follow-up, The Gallerist.

Then, the perturbing premise promises to skewer the posh art world with a psychological twist. Natalie Portman stars as a gallerist desperate to impress an art influencer played by Zach Galifianakis. But when the work from her aspiring star (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) doesn't wow him, she'll literally sell a corpse as art to make her mark. Color us intrigued.

Starring: Natalie Portman, Jenna Ortega, Sterling K. Brown, Zach Galifianakis, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and Catherine Zeta-Jones

How to watch: The Gallerist is playing at the Sundance Film Festival. Theatrical and streaming details are unknown at this time.

6. Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story Credit: Sundance

Perhaps you don't know the name Maria Bamford, but chances are good you've heard her work. Outside of being a stellar stand-up comedian who uses funny voices and powerful punchlines to bring light to dark topics, she's a prolific voice actor who's worked on Futurama, Rock & Morty, Adventure Time, BoJack Horseman, Big Mouth, Harley Quinn, and many, many more shows.

This documentary, however, is more in line with her stand-up, which has long dealt with her mental health journey with brilliant humor and insight. Directed by Judd Apatow and Neil Berkeley, Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story charts the course of Bamford's childhood in Duluth, Minnesota, to her discovery of stand-up in college, chasing her dream of comedy to Los Angeles, and beyond.

Starring: Maria Bamford

How to watch: Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story is playing at the Sundance Film Festival. Theatrical and streaming details are unknown at this time.

7. The Moment

Erupcja, 100 Nights of Hero, and now The Moment — Charli XCX is all over cinema... at the moment. But where the first two movies have the pop star playing different roles and sinking into fictional settings, The Moment is a mockumentary in which Charli XCX presents a look at her life and work through an A24 lens.

What does that mean? We can't wait to find out. Lucky for those not at Sundance, you won't have to wait long!*

Starring: Charli XCX, Rosanna Arquette, Kate Berlant, Jamie Demetriou, Hailey Benton Gates, Isaac Powell, and Alexander Skarsgård

How to watch: Following its Sundance premiere, The Moment opens in theaters on Jan. 30.

8. Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass Credit: Sundance

The State is back with a new movie. David Wain and Ken Marino (Wet Hot American Summer) reteamed for the screenplay of Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass, and while Wain directs, fans of the American comedy troupe will clock some familiar faces in the supporting cast.

However, it's Zoey Deutch who stars as Gail Daughtry, a bride-to-be whose road to wedlock is disrupted when her fiancé uses his celebrity hall pass. Essentially, he slept with a celebrity crush, so now, before she's hitched, Gail wants to get even by bedding her own: Jon Hamm.

Good sign for Gail's efforts, Jon Hamm is listed in the cast! Bad sign: Marino probably won't have this leaning romantic fantasy. Ready your body for a wacky sex comedy.

Starring: Zoey Deutch, Jon Hamm, John Slattery, Ken Marino, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Ben Wang, Sabrina Impacciatore, Joe Lo Truglio, Mather Zickel, Tobie Windham, Fred Melamed, Michael Cassidy, and Kerri Kenney-Silver

How to watch: Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass is playing at the Sundance Film Festival. Theatrical and streaming details are unknown at this time.

9. Saccharine Credit: Sundance

Writer/director Natalie Erika James has been sculpting a sensational reputation in horror with her harrowing feature debut Relic and the ambitious Rosemary's Baby prequel Apartment 7A, which was downright spectacular. For her next offering, James digs back into body horror with Saccharine.

Midori Frances stars as Hana, a medical student who is convinced that losing weight will solve her misery. But when a dubious miracle pill causes paranormal activity around her, Hana realizes she's at risk of losing way more than the pounds she intends.

If you're craving gory, unhinged horror with a slathering of social commentary, sink your teeth into Saccharine.

Starring: Midori Francis, Danielle Macdonald, and Madeleine Madden

How to watch: Saccharine is playing at the Sundance Film Festival. Theatrical and streaming details are unknown at this time, but Independent Film Company has purchased the U.S. and UK distribution rights for this movie. So stay tuned!

10. Wicker Credit: Sundance

This comedy, starring Olivia Colman, promises to redefine the term "boyfriend material."

Writing/directing duo Eleanor Wilson and Alex Huston Fischer, who previously delivered the sci-fi comedy Save Yourselves!, have reteamed for this medieval tale, in which a fisherwoman (Colman) commissions a basketmaker to weaver her a husband. Naturally, this bespoke wickerman is played by Pillion's Alexander Skarsgård. Sold.

Starring: Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgård, Peter Dinklage, Elizabeth Debicki, Marli Siu, and Nabhaan Rizwan

How to watch: Wicker is playing at the Sundance Film Festival. Theatrical or streaming details are unknown at this time.

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Shingo Yamashita's Cosmic Princess Kaguya! presents a virtual world so dazzling and well-run you'll wish it actually existed. 

The Chainsaw Man and Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1 opening sequence director's feature debut is set both in reality and in the virtual world of Tsukuyomi, offering a level of expert world-building. With an almost two-and-a-half-hour runtime, the film feels like it could have been a miniseries, instead keeping you locked into the world of protagonists Iroha (Anna Nagase) and Kaguya (Yuko Natsuyoshi) for three distinct acts.

SEE ALSO: 'Gachiakuta' might be the most original shōnen anime in years

It's the latest of a three-film deal between Netflix and Japanese animation studio Studio Colorido — following Hiroyasu Ishida's gorgeous Drifting Home and Tomotaka Shibayama's My Oni Girl — Kaguya! is actually a collab with Yamashita's own Studio Chromato. But it's also the latest triumph of an original anime film from the streaming service, following dreamy co-productions like Wit Studio's Bubble.

A modern fairy tale rooted in gaming and streaming culture, Cosmic Princess Kaguya! not only offers a sweet story of love, independence, connection, and finding your voice, but also imagines a simply beautiful online space devoid of the internet's worst elements. With a soundtrack of Vocaloid (AI singing synthesisers created by Yamaha) producers including HoneyWorks, kz (livetune), ryo (supercell), Aqu3ra, yuigot, and 40mP, Cosmic Princess Kaguya! imagines the ultimate tech-fuelled social gaming experience, with the creator economy front and centre. 

But first, it starts with a baby in a glowing rainbow telephone pole.

What is Cosmic Princess Kaguya! about? Credit: Netflix

Yamashita's film not only draws narrative inspiration from the Japanese folktale The Tale of Princess Kaguya (aka The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter), but the characters are well aware of it. The story, from Japan's classical Heian period (794-1185), follows a man who finds a baby inside a glowing bamboo stalk, and cares for her with his wife — they call her Kaguya-hime or "Shining Princess”. She grows into a young woman extremely quickly, revealing she's no regular human (in fact, she's from the moon). Time grows short for Kaguya on Earth, as her lunar home beckons.

The tale has been retold for centuries (including in Sailor Moon), most recently by Studio Ghibli with Isao Takahata's Oscar-nominated The Tale of the Princess Kaguya — and as far as shadows go, the lauded animation studio casts a long one. However, Yamashita and co-writer Saeri Natsuo find a contemporary approach, reshaping long-told characters through online connection, fandom, and gaming culture.

In this present-day version, a baby girl is found by songwriter, gaming streamer, and hardworking student Iroha (voiced by Anna Nagase), not within a bamboo stalk but a glowing telephone pole. Understandably stressed out, Iroha is plunged into single parenthood overnight. However, it's not for long, as the mysterious infant grows quickly into a boisterous girl (Yuko Natsuyoshi) who says she hails from the moon — Iroha recognises the Bamboo Cutter similarities and names her guest Kaguya.

Credit: Netflix

Kaguya's arrival is not easy for Iroha at first. Having left home before graduating high school, Iroha is fiercely independent, spending every waking hour working or studying, paying all her own bills, and putting her hopes on a scholarship to the University of Tokyo. "Work, study, work, food" is Iroha's schedule for summer break, and her estranged relationship with her family is complicated. Kaguya is her polar opposite, a hurricane of impulsive, irresponsible, vivacious energy who drains Iroha's bank account without a thought and finds childlike wonder in literally everything. 

By night, Iroha uses a contact lens-enabled VR gaming device to exist in the virtual world of Tsukuyomi, a creative realm run by AI livestreamer and idol Yachiyo Runami (Saori Hayami), whom Iroha worships. And it's in this wondrous platform that Kaguya finds her personal drive: to enlist Iroha's unsung musical talents to become a top streamer and idol — a quest for virality that starts, naturally, with googling "how to become a streamer." Sadly, like the folktale, their time together is on the clock.

Cosmic Princess Kaguya! actually gets online gaming, streaming, and fandom Credit: Netflix

Within Tsukuyomi, Cosmic Princess Kaguya! builds a sparkling testament to gaming mechanics, idol fandom, and the creator economy. The platform's innovative avatar customisation menus and skins mean wondrous animated costumes, hair, and makeup design, and players can tailor their in-game transports (why wouldn't you and your friends all have matching tiger motorbikes online?).

The actual world-building of Tsukuyomi is fascinating to take in, all through cinematographer Daisuke Chiba's dazzling shots. Creativity and popularity are the ultimate currencies in a world where "everyone's a performer." Players can earn both real-world money and in-game currency as creators by building their supporters, who buy tickets to tune in to livestreams of concerts held at Tsukuyomi venues. Notifications pop up in front of players to remind them of events, and virtual market stalls sell merch and food items, though taste and smell technology is still in development. And notably, there's an entry-level tier that allows gamers to simply enjoy being unstressed and surrounded by abundance in the virtual world — "Even a broke girl like me can have all the fun she wants in here," Iroha tells Kaguya.

Featured Video For You 'In Your Dreams' director Alex Woo teaches us how to draw Baloney Tony

But there's also a major gaming element here, with performers gaining fame through streamed multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games with other players. There are even in-game news broadcasters and esports commentators. Events encourage players to earn supporters, with the Yachiyo Cup proving a core narrative propeller for the film — every streamer in Tsukuyomi competes to earn the most new fans in a month. The prize? A live collab concert with Yachiyo herself.

Here, Kaguya and Iroha come face to face with their competition: a trio of gamers called Black Onyx, led by popular streamer Mikado (Miyu Irino), with an army of supporters known as "Bunnies." And it's through this rivalry that we're gifted one of the film's very best sequences: a second-act showdown in a MOBA game that boasts some incredible combat choreography and quickfire editing by Ryōta Kinami. And it's not the only jaw-dropping sequence.

Cosmic Princess Kaguya! is a feat of simply dazzling animation Credit: Netflix

Cosmic Princess Kaguya! is the kind of animated adventure that leans into the genre's possibilities, seeing physical space as something to be optimised and disrupted. Though the film's animation is at its best within the neon and pastel virtual world of Tsukuyomi — where production effects aren't constrained by physics — Yamashita also spends time offering up the beauty of the real world, as Kaguya and Iroha find spending time together IRL can be just as magical as their virtual adventures.

Yamashita also plays with animated genres throughout the film, dancing between various forms to fill backstory, from adorable 8-bit gaming sequences to a style akin to traditional Japanese scroll painting. And thanks to musical sequence director Naoya Nakayama, the Vocaloid songs shimmer through the screen. It's this fluidity of stunning visual storytelling, high-energy editing, and a sense of limitless imaginative potential that makes Cosmic Princess Kaguya! such a vivid environment to experience. But at its core, our protagonists exude humanity, authenticity, and pure connection, two stars in a love story that transcends reality. 

Though the tale may be classical, Cosmic Princess Kaguya! feels wildly contemporary, offering a brilliant modern take with an understanding of digital culture, fandom, and connection — online or off, Earthly or lunar.

Cosmic Princess Kaguya! is streaming on Netflix Jan. 22.

TL;DR: Unblock Pornhub from Missouri with a VPN. The best service for unblocking porn sites is ExpressVPN.

More than a third of U.S. states have introduced age verification laws for online adult content, including Missouri. In response to the introduction of these new requirements, Pornhub has restricted access to millions of potential users. And now we're seeing a similar situation play out in other parts of the world.

It's a complicated situation with many moving parts, but the workaround is straightforward. If you want to unblock porn sites like Pornhub for free from Missouri, we have all the information you need.

How to unblock Pornhub for free in Missouri

VPNs can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure server in another location. This straightforward process bypasses geo-restrictions so you can access sites like Pornhub from anywhere in the world.

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The best VPNs for unblocking porn sites are not free, but most do offer free-trial peiods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can unblock porn sites like Pornhub without actually spending anything. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you the opportunity to temporarily retain access to Pornhub before recovering your investment.

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• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also 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 $12.95 (including money-back guarantee).

Unblock Pornhub for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Live stream Los Angeles Lakers vs. LA Clippers in the NBA for free with a 30-day trial of Amazon Prime. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

This week's NBA action has an exciting twist. It's Rivals Week, a concept introduced in recent years to highlight long-running and emerging rivalries within the NBA.

Among those rivalries is the Los Angeles Lakers and LA Clippers, a long-standing clash known as the "Battle of LA". Historically, the Lakers have the advantage and have won seven of their last 10 games. The Lakers have a better record so far this season but the Clippers may have the momentum with a six-game winning streak.

If you want to watch Lakers vs. Clippers in the NBA for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Lakers vs. Clippers?

Lakers vs. Clippers in the NBA starts at 10 p.m. ET on Jan. 22. This game takes place at Inuit Dome in Inglewood, CA.

How to watch Lakers vs. Clippers for free

Lakers vs. Clippers in the NBA is available to live stream for free with a 30-day trial of Amazon Prime.

This free live stream is geo-restricted to the U.S. and UK, but anyone can secure access with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the U.S. or UK, meaning you can access free live streams of the NBA from anywhere in the world.

Stream the NBA for free by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a 30-day trial of Amazon Prime (if you're not already a member)

2. Subscribe to a VPN (like ExpressVPN)

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

4. Open up the app and connect to a server in the U.S. or UK

5. Watch the NBA from anywhere in the world on Prime Video

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Learn More

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer money-back guarantees or free trials. By leveraging these offers, you can watch NBA live streams without actually spending anything. This clearly isn't a long-term solution, but it does mean you can watch select games from the NBA before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for the NBA?

ExpressVPN is the best service for accessing free live streams on platforms like Prime Video, 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 secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also 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 $12.95 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream the NBA for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Live stream Golden State Warriors vs. Dallas Mavericks in the NBA for free with a 30-day trial of Amazon Prime. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The NBA serves up another exciting game as the Warriors visit the Mavericks. Neither franchise is setting the world on fire this season, with both teams in middling positions in the Western Conference. But they've both shown good form in recent weeks, so it feels like either team could clinch it on the night.

The game is also featured as part of Rivals Week, which showcases long-standing and new rivalries within the NBA conferences. Indeed, this rivalry goes back to the 2022 Western Conference Finals, won by Golden State, not to mention the fact that Klay Thompson switched from Golden State to Dallas in 2024.

If you want to watch Warriors vs. Mavericks in the NBA for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Warriors vs. Mavericks?

Warriors vs. Mavericks in the NBA starts at 7.30 p.m. ET on Jan. 22. This game takes place at American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX.

How to watch Warriors vs. Mavericks for free

Warriors vs. Mavericks in the NBA is available to live stream for free with a 30-day trial of Amazon Prime.

This free live stream is geo-restricted to the U.S. and UK, but anyone can secure access with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the U.S. or UK, meaning you can access free live streams of the NBA from anywhere in the world.

Stream the NBA for free by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a 30-day trial of Amazon Prime (if you're not already a member)

2. Subscribe to a VPN (like ExpressVPN)

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

4. Open up the app and connect to a server in the U.S. or UK

5. Watch the NBA from anywhere in the world on Prime Video

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Learn More

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer money-back guarantees or free trials. By leveraging these offers, you can watch NBA live streams without actually spending anything. This clearly isn't a long-term solution, but it does mean you can watch select games from the NBA before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for the NBA?

ExpressVPN is the best service for accessing free live streams on platforms like Prime Video, 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 secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also 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 $12.95 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream the NBA for free with ExpressVPN.

Looking for something great to watch at home? Streaming subscribers are spoiled for choice between Hulu, Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, Apple TV, Prime Video, Shudder, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. And that's before you even look at the vast libraries of movies and television programs within each streamer!

Don't be overwhelmed or waste an hour scrolling through your services to determine what to watch. We've got your back, whatever your mood. Mashable offers watch guides for all of the above, broken down by genre: comedy, thriller, horror, documentary, and animation, among others. But if you're seeking something brand new (or just new to streaming), we've got you covered there, too.

SEE ALSO: 'His & Hers' shocking ending explained 22. The Big Fake

Forging great artworks is not an easy criminal task — you have to make the viewer believe they're looking at the work of ancient masters like Monet, Michelangelo, or Magritte. It’s the key talent of Toni Chichiarelli (Pietro Castellitto) of Netflix’s The Big Fake, a glitzy drama from Italian director Stefano Lodovichi (The Guest Room). Set in '70s Rome, the film sees Toni drawn into a glamorous underworld of wheeling and dealing in fakes, which gets more tumultuous and dangerous with each masterpiece. — Shannon Connellan, UK Editor

Starring: Pietro Castellitto, Giulia Michelini, Andrea Arcangeli, Pierluigi Gigante, Aurora Giovinazzo, Edoardo Pesce, and Claudio Santamaria

How to watch: The Big Fake debuts on Netflix on Jan. 23.

21. Drops of God, Season 2

Consider yourself a bit of a sommelier? Could you blind taste a glass in front of you? Well, Apple TV's French-Japanese drama Drops of God takes the world of wine extremely seriously. Based on the Japanese manga series of the same name, Drops of God Season 1 followed the death of wealthy wine boss Alexandre Léger (Stanley Weber), who pitted his traumatised daughter Camille (Fleur Geffrier) and dedicated student Issei (Tomohisa Yamashita) against each other in a super somm-off — all to inherit his covetable private wine cellar. This season, there are even more quaffable questions about Léger they'll try to resist answering — but these two can't help themselves when it comes to identifying wine. — S.C.

Starring: Tomohisa Yamashita, Fleur Geffrier, and Tom Wozniczka

How to watch: Drops of God Season 2 is now streaming on Apple TV, with new episodes Wednesdays.

20. Free Bert

Stand-up comedian Bert Kreischer get his own sitcom with Free Bert. Known as a shirtless party animal, Bert finds himself in complicated terrain as his daughters get accepted into an elite private school. Sure, all parents embarrass their kids. But being known as the comedian who doesn't wear his shirt? Next-level cringe.

With family fun and plenty of f-bombs, Free Bert is a show of class conflict and ballsy comedy. — Kristy Puchko, Entertainment Editor

Starring: Bert Kreischer, Arden Myrin, Chris Witaske, and Mandell Maughan

How to watch: Free Bert is now streaming on Netflix.

19. Skyscraper Live

Alex Honnold is about to do something wild, dangerous, and frankly, flummoxing.

The daring Free Solo pro climber gained fame for becoming the first person to climb Yosemite's El Capitan without safety ropes. Now, he is set to do it again — only this time he's picked Taipei 101, one of the tallest buildings in the world at 101 stories high. And he's going to do it live on Netflix, in real time.

SEE ALSO: How to watch 'Skyscraper Live': See Alex Honnold climb one of the world's tallest buildings in real time

Honnold's rope-free skyscraper climb will come with live commentary from sports anchor Elle Duncan, with special guests dropping by throughout. Honnold has checked in on Instagram, posting that he was "getting over my jet lag and feeling pretty good. Getting psyched!" — S.C.

Starring: Alex Honnold, Elle Duncan, Emily Harrington, Mark Rober, Seth Rollins, and Pete Woods

How to watch: Skyscraper Live streams live on Netflix Jan. 23 at 8 p.m. ET.

18. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

I have no love for these latest relaunched Ghostbuster movies. They retconned the best bits of the previous franchise to turn Egon into a deadbeat dad whose death left behind a sullen daughter (Carrie Coon) and precocious grandkids (Mckenna Grace and Finn Wolfhard), who must bust ghosts despite their generational trauma.

I called Ghostbusters: Afterlife a "soulless ode to nepotism." Yet I admit this frosty sequel isn't so bad. In my review, I wrote, "This makes for a new chapter that is overcrowded with characters, CGI ghouls, and science yelling. While at points, there's jokes that actually land (thanks to the likes of Kumail Nanjiani and Patton Oswalt), overall, this sequel is a confounding mix of fan service and inexplicable choices meant to cater to a broad audience." — K.P.

Starring: Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, Kumail Nanjiani, and Patton Oswalt

How to watch: Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is now on Hulu.

17. Finding Her Edge

Attempting to ride the coattails of HBO's wildly popular sports romance Heated Rivalry, Netflix's latest romance is also set on the ice. Adapted from Jennifer Iacopelli's YA novel and very loosely inspired by Jane Austen's Persuasion, Finding Her Edge follows figure skater Adriana Russo (Madelyn Keys), whose quest for corporate sponsorship sees her in a pretend relationship with her skating partner, Brayden (Cale Ambrozic). But what of her former skating partner, Freddie O’Connell (Olly Atkins), who also happens to be Adriana's first love?

Reader, you might be thinking, didn't Netflix already have an ice skating YA series? You'd be correct; Netflix cancelled ice skating drama Spinning Out, starring Kaya Scodelario, after just one season in 2022. Hmmm. — S.C.

Starring: Madelyn Keys, Cale Ambrozic, Harmon Walsh, Alexandra Beaton, and Olly Atkins

How to watch: Finding Her Edge is now streaming on Netflix.

16. Handsome Devil: Charming Killer

If you're craving a new true crime watch, this three-part documentary series could scratch that itch — or leave you irritated.

Handsome Devil: Charming Killer dives into the homicidal rampage of Wade Wilson, who, because he shares his name with a certain MCU anti-hero, has been dubbed the "Deadpool Killer." The facts of the case are harrowing, involving a string of assaults, two of which turned into cold-blooded murder. Yet when Wilson's case made headlines, lots of people flocked to social media to swoon over this "handsome devil."

This mini-series attempts to explore the charm (and manipulation) that lured men and women to pursue him romantically while he was behind bars, even as he was on trial for multiple homicides. Alongside lawyers and journalists, the filmmakers also interview a couple of Wilson's exes — including a former fiancee that began their relationship after his arrest. Yet they fall short of answering some nagging questions. The show's makers seem most interested in the shocking details of the crimes and the troubling fans who rose around him than they do the deeper impacts of the case and the online harassment Wilson's survivor faced.

While this one is shocking, it's more infuriating than informative. I'd keep scrolling for a much better true crime doc below. —K.P.

How to watch: Handsome Devil: Charming Killer is now on Paramount+.

15. Queer Eye, Season 10

There's been a lot of talk recently about Queer Eye behind the scenes, from alleged feuds to one cast member retreating from promo citing fears of "being bullied." It's been a long road of exposés and of responses. So, after 10 seasons of uplifting makeovers, a whole town revamp, and groundbreaking onscreen representation, it's a strange vibe knowing Queer Eye is dropping its final episodes amid it all. Set in Washington, D.C., the final season will see Antoni Porowski, Tan France, Karamo Brown, Jonathan Van Ness, and Jeremiah Brent meeting, making over, and inspiring folks from the capital while reflecting on the show's legacy. It's a weird time to bid farewell to one of the most feel-good shows on TV knowing what we know and/or suspect about how the cast really feels about each other. — S.C.

Starring: Antoni Porowski, Tan France, Karamo Brown, Jonathan Van Ness, and Jeremiah Brent

How to watch: Queer Eye Season 10 is now streaming on Netflix.

14. WWE: Unreal, Season 2

Digging its anchor further into the world of WWE, Netflix takes you behind the scenes of the complex production puzzle that is wrestling with docuseries Unreal — and there's a brand-new season. This time around, director Chris Weaver and showrunner Erik Powers give you a seat in Gorilla Position, tracking the road to SummerSlam 2025 at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, through writing, choreography, technical production, backstage drama, and more. Expect appearances by Cody Rhodes, Rhea Ripley, Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch, Naomi, and many more. — S.C.

Starring: Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch, Cody Rhodes, Rhea Ripley, Pat McAfee, Jelly Roll, R-Truth, Iyo Sky, Naomi, Chelsea Green, Penta, and Lyra Valkyria.

How to watch: WWE: Unreal Season 2 is now on Netflix.

13. Venom: Let There Be Carnage

This 2021 superhero movie dared to ask what's better than one extraterrestrial symbiote running amok on Earth? The answer? Two extraterrestrial symbiotes running amok on Earth.

This Spider-Man spinoff sequel stars Tom Hardy as ever-in-trouble Eddie Brock and his symbiote frenemy Venom. This chaotic duo finds their world rocked when an interview with serial killer Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson, dusting off that Natural Born Killers energy) gets infected, transforming him into the monstrous Carnage.

In her review for Mashable, Alison Foreman wrote upon the film's release, "Despite the chaos, Let There Be Carnage is supremely watchable. You’ll follow the main narrative with ease, find respite in the moments Michelle Williams’ Anne is forced to take control of her ex-boyfriend(s), and otherwise have an amazingly weird time. It’s breezy, yet bold; silly, yet compelling; a flurry of fuckery you won't want to miss. If you liked the first Venom, you'll enjoy his second outing just as much. After all, 'we are Venom' and three years later, that’s still rad as hell." — K.P.

Starring: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris, Reid Scott, Stephen Graham, and Woody Harrelson

How to watch: Venom: Let There Be Carnage is now on Disney+.

12. Star Search

No need to check your calendar. Star Search, the reality TV competition series before we even called it that, is back. Anthony Anderson steps into Ed McMahon's shows, taking the role of host of this talent competition, while Jelly Roll, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Chrissy Teigen will serve as judges for a flood of aspiring singers, dancers, comedians, magicians, and surprising performers.

The original series ran from 1983 to 1995, and featured appearances from the likes of Aaliyah, Adam Sandler, Alanis Morissette, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Dave Chappelle, Beyoncé, and Pitbull. So, watching this Netflix relaunch means you could be watching the a new star be born — live! — K.P.

How to watch: Star Search debuted on Netflix January 20, with new episodes airing live on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT.

11. Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!

Mel Brooks is a living legend of comedy. Since his outrageously funny directorial debut, 1967's The Producers, Brooks has been making audiences cackle with a long list of sensational spoofs like Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, and Spaceballs (to name a few). But how much do you know about the man behind the masterclass of silliness?

In this two-part documentary, Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio look back on Brooks' incredible career and life with the man himself, his collaborators, and a slew of comedians who see him as an inspiration. — K.P.

Starring: Mel Brooks, Ben Stiller, Bill Pullman, Dave Chappelle, Conan O'Brien, and many more

How to watch: Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man! is now streaming on HBO Max.

10. Um, Actually, Season 11

Do you love trivia? Or being pedantic? Well, then Dropout's Um, Actually is the show for you! Each week, host Ify Nwadiwe challenges three players to find the error in long-winded facts about everything from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Doctor Who to Lord of the Rings and Buffy The Vampire Slayer. And unlike at a party, where such attention to detail can be downright grating, here, it's pretty hilarious.

But hey, remember. It's not enough to be right. You got to start your answer with "Um, actually." After all, this is basically Jeopardy! for funny nerds, like Dimension 20's Brennan Lee Mulligan and Critical Role's Matt Mercer. But that's not all. Take a look at the guest list for Season 11, and feel free to geek out in anticipation. — K.P.

Starring: Ify Nwadiwe, Brennan Lee Mulligan, Matt Mercer, Erika Ishii, Jordan Myrick, Angela Giarratana, Zac Oyama, Jarvis Johnson, Ally Beardsley, and Oscar Montoya

How to watch: Um, Actually Season 11's premiere is now streaming on Dropout.

9. The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants

SpongeBob SquarePants is the gift that keeps on giving. Created by the late Stephen Hillenburg, the Nickelodeon cartoon series that debuted in 1999 has offered over 300 episodes, spin-off shows like Kamp Koral and The Patrick Star Show, plus a growing list of movies. And it just doesn't get old to see this gleeful fry cook giggle.

In The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants, the titular hero is on a quest to become a swashbuckler, like his mentor/boss Mr. Krabs. The ghost pirate known as The Flying Dutchman promises he can get SpongeBob to his goal. But curiously, it's not the goofy goober's bravery or swordsmanship that attracts the attention of this nefarious figure, it's his outstanding bubble-blowing abilities.

This adventure is supremely silly, action-packed, and ultimately sweet. If you're looking for a movie to shut your brain off and just enjoy, you'd be hard-pressed to make a better choice than this. — K.P.

Starring: Tom Kenny, Mr. Lawrence, Jill Talley, Bill Fagerbakke, Carolyn Lawrence, Clancy Brown, Ice Spice, Arturo Castro, Mark Hamill, Regina Hall, and Rodger Bumpass

How to watch: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants is now available for rental or purchase on Prime Video.

8. Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere

The Bear star Jeremy Allen White unleashes his inner Bruce Springsteen in this musical biopic from writer/director Scott Cooper. Instead of focusing on the Boss' career as a whole, Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere zeroes in on the making of Springsteen's sixth studio album, Nebraska, which he recorded sparsely on a four-track in his bedroom. The film parallels the production with Springsteen's struggles with depression, crafting a solemn portrait of the musician.

While White turns in an admirable performance as Springsteen, the rest of the film pales in comparison, hitting standard biopic beats like troubled childhoods and the flashes of genius that lead to a great song. As I wrote in my review, "While the film's music remains classic as ever, and while White does an admirable job channeling Springsteen, Deliver Me From Nowhere fails to deliver anything revelatory about the actual emotions behind the music."* — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter

Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Jeremy Strong, Paul Walter Hauser, Stephen Graham, Odessa Young, Gaby Hoffmann, Marc Maron, and David Krumholtz

How to watch: Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere comes to Hulu on Jan. 23.

7. Smosh Hospital

YouTube comedy collective Smosh skewers your favorite hospital dramas in this ridiculously fun, partially improvised live show, now available on VOD.

In the vein of The Pitt, ER, and Grey's Anatomy, Smosh Hospital follows the personal and professional lives of the nurses and doctors working at Loving Embrace Memorial. There's just one catch: Each character is played by two actors, and every time one of them breaks, the other takes their place. The result is a madcap improv carousel where everyone tries to make their scene partners laugh.

You'll get more mileage if you're already a Smosh fan, especially when it comes to the show's many inside jokes, but if you've got 90 minutes to spare and need a break from the tension headaches caused by The Pitt, this is a worthy cure. — B.E.

Starring: Angela Giarratana, Courtney Miller, Shayne Topp, Arasha, Tommy Bowe, Trevor Evarts, Olivia Sui, Amanda Lehan-Canto, Anthony Padilla, Chanse McCrary, Damien Haas, Keith Leak, Noah Grossman, and Spencer Agnew

How to watch: Smosh Hospital is available for purchase on VOD until Feb. 1.

6. Mother of Flies

Do you know the Adams family? We're not talking the fictional spooky, ooky ones. We're talking the real-life filmmaking family behind such trippy indie horror movies as The Deeper You Dig, Hellbender, and Hell Hole.

Their latest, Mother of Flies, is written, directed by, and starring mother Toby Poser, father John Adams, and their youngest daughter, Zelda Adams. This witchy story follows a young woman with a terminal cancer diagnosis. Having convinced her father to drive her deep into the woods to meet a self-proclaimed witch (Poser), the pair set out on a strange adventure of faith and fear. Creepy and trippy, Mother of Flies is sure to make your skin crawl. — K.P.

Starring: Toby Poser, Zelda Adams, Lulu Adams, and John Adams

How to watch: Mother of Flies debuts on Shudder on Jan. 23.

5. The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins

From the creators of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and 30 Rock comes a mockumentary sitcom that teams up Tracy Morgan and Daniel Radcliffe.

Blending a barrage of pop culture references with daffy humor from comedy masters, The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins centers on the eponymous former NFL star (Morgan), who was publicly disgraced over a gambling scandal decades ago. Looking to reboot his image, he invites a high-strung documentarian (Radcliffe) into his home, where he's coddled by his young girlfriend, his spoiled son, his dopey bestie, and his manager/ex-wife. But can they all agree on a vision for how this has-been should be seen?

If you like Robert Carlock and Sam Means' previous shows, you'll like relish their latest as well. Frankly, the chaotic possibilities of Morgan and Radcliffe alone have us hooked. — K.P.

Starring: Tracy Morgan, Erika Alexander, Precious Way, Jalyn Hall, Bobby Moynihan, and Daniel Radcliffe

How to watch: The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins' premiere is now streaming on Peacock, with new episodes on Sundays.

4. Merrily We Roll Along

In 2023, the hottest ticket on Broadway was Merrily We Roll Along. Sure, the Stephen Sondheim show flopped when first launched in 1981. But this revival offered Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff, and Lindsay Mendez, three dynamic and massively talented performers who each got a Tony Award nomination for their work here. (Groff and Radcliffe won, and so did the show for Best Revival of a Musical).

SEE ALSO: Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff, and Lindsay Mendez dish on bringing 'Merrily We Roll Along' from stage to screen

But don't fret if you couldn't get into this heralded live event, because their incredible performances were recorded for posterity — and home viewing.

Directed by Maria Friedman, Merrily We Roll Along is the story a friendship between three aspiring dreamers — told in reverse. The show begins with movie producer Franklin Shepard (Groff) hosting a wild party in his lavish home, where his best friend, Mary Flynn (Mendez), is throwing back booze and throwing out barbs, while his former collaborator, Charley Kringas (Radcliffe), is nowhere to be seen. From there, the show works back to through their highs and lows, to their idealistic youth. It's a stunner of a production, in no small part because of the charismatic trio's verve in tackling such tough material. But be warned, this could kick you into a mid-life crisis — whatever your age. — K.P.

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff, and Lindsay Mendez

How to watch: Merrily We Roll Along is now available for rental or purchase on Prime Video.

3. Cosmic Princess Kaguya!

Cosmic Princess Kaguya! hits Netflix this week, promising a dazzling trip through the virtual realm of Tsukuyomi, all set to music composed with Yamaha's unique singing synthesizer software known as Vocaloid. The feature debut of Shingo Yamashita (Chainsaw Man, Jujutsu Kaisen) the anime film is inspired by Japanese folktale The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, with songs by Vocaloid producers like HoneyWorks, kz (livetune), ryo (supercell), Aqu3ra, yuigot, and 40mP.

Moon-born Kaguya (voiced by Yuko Natsuyoshi) befriends Earthling, songwriter, and honour student Iroha (Anna Nagase). Not wanting to return to her lunar home, Kaguya instead wants to become Tsukuyomi's top idol, with Iroha's help. But they'll first need to meet "the diva of Tsukuyomi," Yachiyo (Saori Hayami), and suss out the competition.

"Shingo Yamashita's Cosmic Princess Kaguya! presents a virtual world so dazzling and well-run you'll wish it actually existed," I wrote in my review. "A modern fairy tale rooted in gaming and streaming culture, Cosmic Princess Kaguya! not only offers a sweet story of love, independence, connection, and finding your voice, but also imagines a simply beautiful online space devoid of the internet's worst elements." — S.C.

Starring: Yuko Natsuyoshi, Anna Nagase, and Saori Hayami

How to watch: Cosmic Princess Kaguya! is now streaming on Netflix.

2. Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart

Elizabeth Smart's survival story is horrific; however, this documentary is hopeful. Among interviews with police officers, witnesses, and the Smart family, Elizabeth herself speaks of her experience with an incredible clarity and a sharp wit that will inspire and may even have you cackling at the expense of her criminal captor.

In 2002, Smart's story made national headlines, first when the 14-year-old was abducted from her family home in the middle of a summer night. Nine months later, the nation was in awe when she was found alive.

The first half of Benedict Sanderson's documentary recounts the details you might remember from the coverage at the time, about the crime, the suspects, and the flummoxed cops. In the second half, Smart reveals what she endured in captivity, but also what she's learned about survival, letting go of shame, and moving on. A thoughtful mix of darkness and light, Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart is a true crime doc well worth your time. — K.P.

Starring: Elizabeth Smart

How to watch: Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart is now streaming on Netflix.

Best of Streaming this week:
The Beauty

Ryan Murphy's latest series, The Beauty, opens with a bang, as Bella Hadid spontaneously combusts after going on a Paris catwalk killing spree. (I dare you not to get hooked after that.)

Hadid's character Ruby is one of many supermodels infected with the Beauty, a sexually transmitted disease that turns its hosts into the most beautiful versions of themselves. Side effects include blowing up, which is why FBI agents Madsen and Bennett (Evan Peters and Rebecca Hall) are on the case. In their search, they'll cross paths with the wealthy Corporation (Ashton Kutcher), who plans to sell the Beauty to the masses — and kill anyone who stands in his way.

What follows is a heady cocktail of body horror and corporate conspiracies, punctuated by the occasional on-the-nose commentary on beauty standards. (Of course, the show is adhering to the same standards it critiques, creating a feedback loop of aggravation that never lets up throughout the show.) In the end, though, The Beauty is at its best when it's unhinged, and it's unhinged often. As I wrote in my review, "The Beauty is Ryan Murphy at his Ryan Murphy-est, which is to say that it's maximalist, deranged chaos." — B.E.

Starring: Evan Peters, Anthony Ramos, Jeremy Pope, Ashton Kutcher, Rebecca Hall, Amelia Gray Hamlin, Ari Graynor, Bella Hadid, Ben Platt, Billy Eichner, Isabella Rossellini, Jessica Alexander, Julie Halston, Lux Pascal, Meghan Trainor, Nicola Peltz Beckham, Peter Gallagher, and Vincent D’Onofrio

How to watch: The first three episodes of The Beauty are now streaming on Hulu.

(*) denotes a blurb came from a prior list.

In a world full of endless specialty devices, do you really need one more thing? For readers, the answer is often yes. E-readers like Kindles and Kobos are devices that bridge the gap between a physical book and a tablet. They're extremely portable, hold thousands of books at once, and are gentle on the eyes. But what if you already have a tablet?

Tablets and e-readers aren't exactly the same — you can do a lot more on a tablet — but both let you read digital books. I've read dozens of books on my iPad and think it makes a perfectly good e-reader — as long as you make a few changes. Here's how to turn your tablet into an e-reader.

Anti-glare screen protectors Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Paperlike Screen Protectors $49.99 at Amazon
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When I first read on my iPad, I experienced some eye fatigue. The glare and bright light of the screen were often too much, even when I turned down the brightness and turned up the display warmth. The solution was easy: a screen protector that adds a matte finish. Paperlike's screen protectors immediately tone down the screen, making it gentler on the eyes. As a bonus, if you're using a stylus or Apple Pencil with a tablet, these screen protectors emulate the feel of writing on paper rather than a slick screen.

Download the essential apps, Libby, Kindle, Apple Books The essential apps for reading on your tablet. Credit: Google / Libby / Apple / Mashable

To read on your tablet, you'll need access to books. For iPad users, Apple Books comes pre-installed, and for Android users, there is Google Books. The Kindle app is also available across devices, which provides access to all the e-books you've purchased through Amazon.

Probably our favorite reading app is Libby, which connects to your local library and allows you to borrow e-books. Plus, it's totally free, whereas on Apple Books, Google Books, and the Kindle app, you'll have to purchase books.

Turn on grayscale

Color is new to the world of e-readers, and previously, everything was black and white. If that's part of the appeal of an e-reader, you can adjust the settings on your tablet.

To move to grayscale on your iPad, navigate to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size. Within Display and Text Size, navigate to Color Filters. In Color Filters, turn on grayscale.

On an Android tablet, navigate to Settings > Accessibility > Color and motion > Color correction. Once you're in color correction, you can select grayscale.

Turn on do not disturb

Another perk to e-readers — they're distraction-free. There's no internet to browse or texts to pop up. With tablets, there will be distractions, and the best you can do to avoid them is to turn on do-not-disturb modes, which should be available on most tablets.

Accessorize with a grip, stand, or remote

E-reader users are a devoted bunch who love to personalize their devices, and why shouldn't that be the same with a tablet? Lots of users like a clear case paired with a PopSockets for their e-reader, something you can easily replicate on a tablet.

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Another favorite in the e-reader community? A page-turning remote so you don't actually need to hold your e-reader. Thanks to the world of the endless scroll, there are a variety of page-turning remotes compatible with iPads. Yes, these remotes scroll through your social media, but they also turn the pages on your e-book. Since you don't won't want to hold your tablet either, you'll need a stand, too. This could be as simple as a folio-style case, or maybe you want to go all out with a floor stand.

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Across Instagram and TikTok, influencers and would-be content creators are churning out low-effort prank and pickup artist videos using the discreet recording features of Meta Ray-Bans and other smart glasses. Many of these clips cross from cringe into outright troubling, with creators harassing women, service workers, and the homeless. In some videos, creators pretend to be mentally disabled, trans, or gay just to provoke reactions from unsuspecting people.

All of these videos have one thing in common: They show that anyone can become the unwitting star of someone else's social media video. Consent doesn't enter into it at all.

The glasses' inconspicuous nature is used to create all kinds of content that regularly pulls in hundreds of thousands of views on Instagram and TikTok. The severity and intrusiveness vary from creator to creator. Some accounts produce more positive content, sometimes referred to as "joybait," by complimenting strangers.

Other videos cross over into outright harassment. Some focus specifically on trying to get women’s phone numbers, with comment sections often dogpiling on the women based on how receptive or unreceptive they are to the advance. The BBC recently documented multiple cases in which women were approached by men wearing smart glasses, unknowingly recorded, and later subjected to sexualized and abusive comments online. Other accounts center on smaller but deliberately irritating interactions, like saying nonsense to a drive-thru worker, trapping cashiers in circular conversations, or showing up minutes before a store closes to try and place a large order.

"I know it’s legal. I don’t care...That’s not the discussion. I think it’s weird and creepy, and it shows a very predatory mindset."

The general setup is largely the same: go to a public place and say or do something intentionally off-putting solely to elicit a reaction. In one recurring example, a creator has posted multiple videos approaching women in beauty supply stores like Ulta or James Avery and pretending to shop for a gift for an underage girlfriend.

View this post on Instagram

However, other accounts lean into far more socially transgressive behavior. Accounts like kemobandz1 and bootyworshipping produce sexually suggestive content involving unsuspecting women. The former records himself inside massage parlors, teasing viewers through captions that his visit will end in a sexual experience, later uploading the full videos as explicit pay-per-view content on sites like No Fans. (This has also been documented by 404 Media.) The latter account is largely self-explanatory, with the creator’s Reels page filled with videos of him non-consensually filming women’s bodies and posting the footage to Instagram for thousands of views.

While reporting this article, I contacted Meta about the ways its smart glasses are being used. After I provided multiple examples, including the two accounts mentioned above, Meta disabled the Instagram accounts for violating its policy on Adult Sexual Exploitation.

In a statement, a Meta spokesperson said that users "are responsible for complying with all applicable laws and for using Ray-Ban Meta glasses in a safe, respectful manner." It continued, "as with any recording device, people shouldn't use them for engaging in harmful activities like harassment, infringing on privacy rights, or capturing sensitive information."

According to a Reuters report, Meta has sold more than 2 million pairs of smart glasses since the product’s launch in 2023, with sales tripling in 2025.

Legal doesn’t mean ethical Credit: Screenshot courtesy of TikTok

Crucially, these activities, whether it’s rizz accounts, hassling service workers, or pretending to be mentally disabled to exploit the kindness of firefighters, don't break the law.

"[The] law has not changed, meaning that you do not have an expectation of privacy in public spaces," said Julian Sarafian, a California-based attorney who represents online content creators. "That means you can be recorded in those spaces and have limited legal recourse, if any, against people who publish content that includes you."

According to Sarafian, even when it’s not immediately obvious that cameras are present, the focus of any legal claim is where the recording takes place. That’s why many of these videos are filmed in fast food restaurants, shopping malls, or on busy streets around bars and nightlife areas.

"Some states, like California, are also two-party consent states, meaning that recording conversations where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy is not allowed unless both parties consent," Sarafian said. "With prank videos, it comes down to context. A public park? No two-party consent required. A private dining room in a restaurant? Two-party consent required."

But for some creators and observers, the fact that this content is legal misses the point entirely.

Brad Podray, a content creator who formerly went by the name Scumbag Dad, argues that videos filmed with smart glasses rely on people, particularly women, not knowing they are being recorded. In his view, legality has become a convenient shield for predatory and exploitative behavior.

"I know it’s legal. I don’t care," Brad said. "That’s not the discussion. I think it’s weird and creepy, and it shows a very predatory mindset."

According to Podray, the issue is not whether filming in public is technically legal, but how creators extract value from people who never consented to being part of the content. He describes this dynamic as turning unsuspecting subjects into unpaid labor.

He added that creators gravitate toward women and service workers because they are more likely to produce usable reactions and less likely to push back in ways that threaten the content.

"I always thought that was very cowardly, because the women don’t know they’re on camera,” said Podray, who has made several satirical, staged videos critiquing this type of behavior. "The women would roll into the comments section once the video went viral and say, ‘I was just being nice, I wanted you to leave me alone,’ and then the comments would absolutely dogpile them."

View this post on Instagram

Podray says the appeal of smart glasses is not just their discretion, but how cheaply and efficiently they allow creators to produce content at scale. Because the people being filmed are not acting, their reactions feel more authentic, which he says makes the videos perform better with audiences.

"They want people who are good on camera, so they’re going to hit fast food employees, and they’re going to hit pretty girls,” Podray said. "A lot of random women walking around aren’t going to want to participate in a skit if you ask them to, so they remove the agency entirely by just running the glasses."

He argues that this dynamic is rarely understood by viewers, who often assume everyone on camera has agreed to participate. When those assumptions are challenged, he says the response is frequently hostile.

"The audience believes everybody on camera is an actor meant for their entertainment," he said. "Any attempt to humanize them is met with cynicism or outright aggressiveness."

For Podray, that disconnect is what makes the trend so troubling. The law allows creators to film in public, and creeps know it.

Creators say it’s just "entertainment" Image pixelated and blurred for privacy reasons. Credit: Screenshot courtesy of TikTok

Troll content like prank channels or pickup artist videos is nothing new. For a time, prank channels were among the most popular on YouTube, starting with prank-call-focused channels like Ownage Pranks. As technology evolved and smartphones became more widespread, prank creators shifted toward street content, with channels like Roman Atwood, fouseyTUBE, and LAHWF gaining massive followings.

Over time, prank channels on YouTube began to fall out of favor as larger creators pushed increasingly outrageous stunts for views. It also became clear that many of these channels were hiring actors or staging their content, undermining the original appeal of pranks that were supposedly spontaneous and authentic.

Smart glasses have made it easier than ever to capture the kind of authentic, outlandish reactions that largely disappeared when YouTube prank channels fell out of favor. While Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses include an LED indicator meant to signal when recording is taking place, outlets like 404 Media have reported that wearers can pay third-party services to disable the light. Some creators, including accounts like minddecaycam, have openly admitted to blocking the indicator light.

A screenshot from a recent @minddecaycam video. Credit: Screenshot courtesy of Instagram

Mashable reached out to several smart glasses creators for comment. While many did not respond in time for publication, one account, HeyMetaGuy, said he views his content as entertainment first.

"Realistically, I’ve made a few other pages for things that are not in the same field, but I just saw content in this way," HeyMetaGuy said. "I was like, I want to make content like this myself, because I know how to edit and whatnot, and just generally pranking people, messing with people, getting their reactions is cool."

When asked about the ethics of filming people who may not realize they’re being recorded, HeyMetaGuy compared the practice to the everyday surveillance already present in public life.

"For the ethical standpoint, I believe no matter where we go nowadays, we’re being recorded," he said. "Whether you walk into an establishment, there’s security cameras everywhere. We’re being recorded."

HeyMetaGuy said he does not disable the LED indicator on his glasses, though he acknowledged that most people don’t understand what the light signifies when they notice it.

"It’s not really hidden," he said. "It’s just more the fact that people don’t know what’s going on. Like, when they see a light, they don’t really know what’s going on."

HeyMetaGuy added that while most people he records laugh about his trolling, he has faced at least one threat of legal action, but he states that filming in public places is clearly permitted.

A serious threat to privacy

For privacy and civil liberties advocates, that growing adoption raises deeper concerns about how easily wearable cameras can blend into everyday life. Jake Laperruque, the deputy director of the Security and Surveillance Project at the Center for Democracy and Technology, said the rise of prank and "social experiment" content filmed with smart glasses highlights how difficult it is to recognize these devices in use.

"It’s very concerning that these and other interactions seem to show these glasses are too inconspicuous to be recognized when they’re recording people," Laperruque said. "Being able to easily buy and use tech to secretly record people creates serious dangers."

While Laperruque does not believe wearable cameras represent a fundamental shift in surveillance culture just yet, he said pushback may come from the public rather than lawmakers.

"People and places of public accommodation might decide this isn’t the type of social engagement they want and push back," he said, adding that he would not be surprised if gyms, bars, and other businesses began banning wearable recording devices altogether.

Looking ahead, Laperruque said the biggest concern is how discreet recording could intersect with other technologies.

"I’m most worried about the risk of people wanting anonymity in sensitive situations and being doxxed," he said. "If devices are able to record secretly and combined with facial recognition, it could be a serious threat to privacy and civil liberties."

FREE BOOKS: The latest Stuff Your Kindle Day takes place on Jan. 22. The winter edition of the Cozy Mystery Book Blast offers free cozy mystery books for your e-reader.

We know that we literally only just made an announcement that Stuff Your Kindle Day was back for 2026, but we're back to tell you that there are two free giveaways running concurrently right now. Is this too much or are new events always welcome? We'll let you be the judge.

As the name suggests, the winter edition of the Cozy Mystery Book Blast is offering 150+ cozy mystery books for free. And better yet, the books that you download for free are yours to keep forever. We can't think of a better way to spend these winter months. So get comfortable, shut out all the noise, and stock up without spending anything.

SEE ALSO: I tested the best Kindles to help you find the perfect e-reader

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?

The winter edition of the Cozy Mystery Book Blast takes place on Jan. 22. Unlike the Play Game giveaway running from Jan. 21-24, this book blast is only live for 24 hours. That means participants need to act fast to secure all the free books on their wishlists. Consider yourself warned.

Anyone can participate in Stuff Your Kindle Day. Kindle, Kobo, and Nook readers can download these books for free. You can even download these books on your preferred app and read them straight from your phone.

Which ebooks are free?

The Cozy Mystery Book Blast has a helpful hub page with everything organized into sub-genres. You can find free books grouped into these categories:

• Contemporary cozies

• Historical cozies

• Paranormal cozies

You can find links to the Kindle Store and other popular retailers.

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

Everything you download on Stuff Your Kindle Day is yours to keep, 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.

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These popular e-readers help 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.