IT General

Overpriced home appliances with lackluster smarts are a pet peeve of mine. I’d never upgrade a perfectly functioning fridge or dishwasher just to get access to half-baked smart features, and I’d choose value or performance over features I don’t need, or that might backfire on me down the line.

I’ve always been a Samsung fangirl, so it’s not like I needed convincing to love its phones. But One UI 9 has given me a few more reasons to appreciate them. I love exploring my Galaxy’s settings, and One UI 9 has a few new features that could save me an extra 10 minutes a day to enjoy my evening walk instead of fiddling with my phone. Here are five One UI 9 features that got me excited about Samsung phones all over again.

SAVE $400: As of Oct. 27, the 27-inch LG UltraGear OLED QHD Gaming Monitor (27GS93QE) is on sale for $499.99 at Amazon. That's down from its standard $899.99 list price — a 44% discount and its best price ever.

Opens in a new window Credit: LG LG 27-inch UltraGear OLED Gaming Monitor (27GS93QE) $499.99 at Amazon
$899.99 Save $400   Get Deal at Amazon

If you've been waiting for a deal on high-end OLED, the 27-inch LG UltraGear Gaming Monitor (27GS93QE) is on sale for $499.99 at Amazon. That is a $400 discount, or 44% off its usual $899.99 tag, matching the lowest price we have ever tracked for the screen.

Speed is the main draw here, and LG built this panel to keep action silky smooth. The QHD 1440p resolution delivers crisp visuals, backed by an ultra-fast 240Hz refresh rate and a near-instant 0.03ms response time, virtually eliminating ghosting and motion blur during frantic shootouts. You also get official Nvidia G-Sync Compatibility and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, which work together to eliminate distracting screen tearing and stutter when frame rates fluctuate.

Visual fidelity also gets a big boost thanks to self-lit OLED pixels. Certified with VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400 and an impressive 1.5 million-to-one contrast ratio, it delivers inky blacks and sharp details in dark scenes without washed-out gray tones. It also covers up to 98.5% of the DCI-P3 color spectrum for rich, vibrant hues, while an anti-glare, low-reflection coating keeps stray room lighting from ruining your focus.

The physical build is also just as flexible as the display. An ultra-thin, slim-bezel frame leaves plenty of room on your desk, and the included stand lets you adjust height, tilt, and pivot between landscape and vertical modes. You can switch through preset modes for FPS or RTS titles, and you get both HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4 ports to hit 240Hz speed, whether you are plugged into a PC or a modern game console.

If you've been eyeing a high-refresh OLED upgrade, hit Amazon and grab this 27-inch display before the $400 discount disappears.

When smart speakers first burst onto the scene, it felt like this would be the way we would all be controlling our smart homes in the future. That future never really became a reality, as smart speakers haven't really improved much over the years. It's reached the point now where your old phone or a DIY smart speaker can do a better job.

Reboots and revivals have a bit of a reputation for being unnecessary cash grabs, but every now and then, a familiar series gets a second life that proves there's still plenty of value in revisiting an old favorite. Netflix has had its fair share of successful revivals, bringing back beloved franchises for the longtime fans and a new generation. From nostalgic sequels to fresh takes on classic shows, some of these reboots have managed to capture what made the originals so special.

SAVE $500: As of Oct. 27, the wire-free Roborock RockMow X130H 4WD robot lawn mower is on sale for $1,999.98 at Amazon. That's down from its typical $2,499.99 list price — its best price to date.

Opens in a new window Credit: Roborock Roborock RockMow X130H 4WD Robot Lawn Mower $1,999.98 at Amazon
$2,499.99 Save $500.01   Get Deal at Amazon

Tending to a sprawling yard usually means giving up half your weekend, but Amazon has a steep markdown to help you take that time back.

The wire-free Roborock RockMow X130H robot lawn mower is down to $1,999.98, saving you $500 off its typical $2,499.99 sticker price. That 20% discount marks the best price ever for this heavy-duty model, making it a great time to automate your yard work before next season rolls around.

Setting it up does not require spending hours digging trenches to bury boundary wires. The mower can handle properties up to a full acre and lets you choose how to map your space. You can let the machine chart an open yard on its own, or steer it through the companion app like a remote-controlled car to set custom lines around flowerbeds and tricky landscaping. To keep from wandering off course, it pairs satellite positioning with four built-in cameras, allowing it to navigate reliably past tall fences, thick tree cover, and shaded corners.

SEE ALSO: Early Black Friday home improvement deals save big on power tools, smart lights, home security, and more.

Tough terrain is not an issue, either. It uses true four-wheel drive and a dynamic suspension setup to climb steep hills with slopes up to 80% and roll right over roots and bumps up to 3.15 inches tall. Active steering keeps it agile, so tight turns never rip up your grass. A wide 9.49-inch cutting deck lets you pick grass heights between 1.57 and 3.54 inches, while four intelligent sensors spot pets, stray patio furniture, and garden tools to steer clear of trouble.

You can also manage the whole routine from your phone. The app lets you create separate mowing schedules for different parts of your yard and includes a wildlife-safe setting to keep local animals protected. Built-in 4G service, a loud siren, a PIN lockout, and real-time GPS tracking round out the package, keeping the mower safe from curious hands while it keeps your lawn tidy on its own.

Grab the Roborock RockMow X130H robot lawn mower at its record-low $1,999.99 price before the deal ends.

TL;DR: Get lifetime Microsoft Project Professional 2024 license for Windows for just $49.97 (reg. $1,299.99).

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Project Professional 2024: Lifetime License for Windows $49.97
$1,129.99 Save $1,080.02   Get Deal

A project gets complicated when changing one deadline affects five other tasks. But there are ways to make your project life easier. Microsoft Project Professional 2024 for Windows is $49.97 (reg. $1,299.99) through Nov. 1, giving you a lifetime license for one PC and tools to manage those connections.

Pre-built templates provide a starting point, so you can focus on the work instead of building a plan from scratch. Set task dependencies, and Project can automatically populate start and end dates based on how those tasks relate.

The visual tools make detailed schedules easier to follow. Multiple timelines show different parts of a project, while task path highlighting in Gantt charts reveals relationships between activities. That visibility helps when you need to understand what a schedule change could affect.

What-if scenarios let you explore task assignments before committing to adjustments. Baselines then give you a reference point for comparing actual progress with the original plan, which is useful when a status update needs more substance than “we’re getting there.”

Built-in reports, including Burndown and Resource Overview, help communicate progress and resource information to stakeholders. Timesheets capture time spent on project and non-project work for payroll, invoicing, and other needs.

For connected workflows, Project supports synchronization with Project Online and Project Server. Microsoft Teams for Business integration can show colleagues’ presence and enable chats or calls, but it requires a separate Teams license.

Get Microsoft Project Professional 2024 for Windows for one $49.97 payment through Nov. 1.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Hippocrates once said "art is long, life is short." It's a neat old proverb that, like many ancient Latin and Greek isms, has been re-observed and re-proven over and over again throughout history. And although I may not be the first to compare computer engineering to an art, I'm probably the first to use a Hippocrates quote to describe the RS-232 serial port.

Finding good Discord servers relevant to your interests can be tough unless you sift through Discord's own database or get an invite to one.

The popular messaging and chat service is looking to solve that problem with an obvious yet big change to the platform. Discord will now make public servers discoverable through Google Search.

On Tuesday, Discord announced that starting Nov. 16, 2026, all Discoverable Servers will receive a Server Web Page. These public Server Web Pages will include summaries of discussions happening in that public server. In addition, starting in mid-December, some messages within these servers will be made publicly accessible on the Server Web Page. There will be no need for visitors to join the server or even have a Discord account in order to see these messages.

SEE ALSO: Discord now checks your age based on your activity and other factors

On Discord, users can join public servers or private servers, which require an invite. Public servers can also be Discoverable Servers, meaning they are listed in Discord's searchable database of 63,000 Discoverable Servers, which anyone can join.

However, Discover servers, even Discoverable Servers, are not listed in Google Search, as servers don't have a public web page for Google to index. While public servers are open to anyone, users must join with their Discord account to see messages and discussions.

There are many reasons for Discord to make this change. In its announcement, the company explained how it will help some of its main user types — indie game developers, fandoms, and content creators — grow their communities and more easily spread their work. 

Other community platforms like Reddit have long benefited from search engine traffic as discussions on the platform tend to rank well for various user search queries on Google. Discord could also benefit from this.

However, Discord seems to be aware that some users on the platform have long valued its privacy stance. The company announced that both server owners and users on a server can opt out of making their content searchable by search engines.

Discord server admins can opt out of specific channels starting today, before anything goes live on Nov. 16, 2026. Admins can go to Server Settings > Web Presence on their public server and choose which channels to make searchable. Admins can opt out of every one of their server's channels. If an admin does not opt out, however, all public channels will be added to the Server Web Page when it goes live next month. Admins can also choose to turn off channel summaries on their Server Web Page.

In addition, users can opt out of having their messages displayed on the Server Web Page. Discord users can simply go to User Settings, then Data and Privacy, and then change their Channel Messages settings. Users cannot opt out of having their messages used in Channel Summaries on Server Web Pages. However, usernames and avatars won't be shown next to messages on these public Server Web Pages.

Private servers and DMs will remain completely private on Discord. Users do not need to change any settings for these features.

An overflowing inbox is stressful enough, but reading work emails with phrases like "Going forward" or "Not sure if you saw this" can send some workers over the edge, at least according to a new study.

ZeroBounce, an email validation platform, revealed the results of its survey of 2,000 American and European professionals on email vernacular. Specifically, the survey examined common email phrases and whether they are perceived as passive-aggressive.

The phrase that topped the list of most passive-aggressive email sayings? "Just to be clear." That statement was cited as the most passive-aggressive phrase by 21 percent of respondents, followed by "Per my last email" (14 percent), with "Kindly note" and "As previously discussed" tied for third place at 10 percent each.

SEE ALSO: AI job interviewers are going viral on TikTok

Other hated sayings included "Just checking in," "Not sure if you saw this," "Going forward," "For future reference," and "Friendly reminder."

ZeroBounce also asked respondents what passive-aggressive phrases they still use in their workday. Seen as necessary evils, apparently, "Thanks in advance," "Following up," "Just checking in," and "Any updates" were at the top of that list.

"People may not intend to sound passive-aggressive when they write an email," Liviu Tanase, founder and CEO of ZeroBounce, said in a statement. "But some phrases have picked up so much baggage that the reader perceives light hostility. 'Just to be clear' is a perfect example. It sounds neutral, but more than half of the professionals surveyed read something else into it."

The survey also examined phrases that go beyond being irritating and are instantly stress-inducing. The most stressful email phrases are "Need this ASAP" (56 percent), "Can we chat?" (40 percent), "Action required" (34 percent), and "Let's take this offline" (27 percent).

See the full survey results here, including data on how many unopened emails workers consider "too many."

Read more of our creator coverage, sign up for our Trending Now and Top Stories newsletters, or get Mashable push alerts to discover the internet's most exciting voices.

Google’s Antigravity is an AI-first coding environment built on the bones of VS Code. It gets less attention than Gemini, yet it may be the company’s most interesting AI product. The key word here is most interesting, though, not better. Here’s what it does, where it impresses, and where it still frustrates.

The Golden State Valkyries could win their first WNBA championship on Thursday morning. Watching them do it might require an awkward conversation with your boss: The WNBA announced Monday that Game 6 of the Finals against the Atlanta Dream will tip off at 12:30 p.m. ET on Oct. 29 — 9:30 a.m. in the Bay Area, where the Valkyries are based.

Valkyries guard Veronica Burton has a suggestion. "Call in sick. I recommend it," she said after Golden State’s Monday-night win, according to reporter Annie Costabile. That victory gave the team a 3–2 series lead and a chance to clinch a title in the franchise’s second season — provided its fans can clear their work calendars to watch.

The issue comes down to two teams needing the same arena. The Dream's usual home, Gateway Center Arena, holds approximately 3,500 spectators. Atlanta hosted Finals Games 3 and 4 at the roughly 17,000-seat State Farm Arena instead, selling out both games. Keeping Game 6 there, however, meant working around the Atlanta Hawks, who were already scheduled to host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday evening.

The solution? A doubleheader. Move the WNBA game from 8 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. and delay the Hawks’ tipoff by an hour, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert thanked the teams, leagues, arena, and broadcaster "for the collaboration and flexibility that made this move possible."

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Fans were less enthusiastic about the flexibility now required of them.

"How are we supposed to watch this game in the middle of the workday?? This is so strange to me," one commenter asked on Reddit's r/wnba. Another Atlanta-based commenter said they had planned to attend but now couldn't even watch live. "I’d rather them play at Gateway so at least folks could watch it in real time," they wrote.

Flavor Flav offered fans some help getting the afternoon off, posting a signed permission slip to give their bosses. "Consider it your contribution to gender equality," he wrote in the document.

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Commentators across sports offered their own (rather heated) opinions. To Richard Deitsch, host of the Sports Media Podcast, the timing threatened to undercut the moment the season had been building toward. "The prospect of crowning a champion on a Thursday afternoon is just brutal optics (and will be brutal television ratings.)," he wrote on X.

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The Ringer founder Bill Simmons sounded similarly exasperated with league leadership, writing, "People want to like this league!"

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Their frustration comes after a season of record audience growth for the WNBA. According to the league, 51 regular-season telecasts averaged at least one million viewers, up from 19 last year. Its social accounts generated four billion views, with engagement up 24 percent from 2025. The demand is there, which helps explain why making a potential championship game harder to watch has struck such a nerve.

For some critics, the decision also sends a message about how the players are valued. Former NFL player and commentator Emmanuel Acho called it "high-key disrespectful" to the sport and its athletes.

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In the Reddit discussion, some fans also questioned why a women's Finals game had to work around a men's regular-season matchup in the first place, with many finding the whole ordeal wildly "mysoginistic" and exposed a blaring double standard. "If this were a men’s game, this time would never even be considered," one Reddit commenter said. Another commenter in r/WNBATalks wrote, "If society was less misogynistic, it wouldn’t be an issue."

Women's sports creator and podcast host Coach Jackie also questioned the decision in a video posted to Instagram. "Somebody could become a WNBA champion over brunch? During lunch? While you’re in a Teams meeting? Did you think it through?" she asked.

The players, meanwhile, have been more measured. Dream guard Jordin Canada welcomed the chance to play in front of another State Farm Arena crowd, while teammate Allisha Gray kept her focus on what was at stake.

"It’s the Finals, you gotta do what you gotta do," Gray told the San Francisco Chronicle. "We can play at 8 a.m., 10 a.m., midnight, you have a championship to win."

Remember when gaming meant blowing into cartridges, mastering tricky platforming levels, and staying up late to finish just one more stage? Some of the greatest games ever made came from the golden age of consoles like the Sega Genesis, original PlayStation, and Xbox.

For many Plex users, "transcoding" is a dirty word. Only the pristine, untouched original file will do. I was like that, trying to avoid transcoding as much as possible.

The Apple AirPods Max 2 are probably the best headphones for iPhone users, but they're not cheap. Don't worry, because you can now get them for $100 off with a rare Amazon deal.

Windows 11 looks considerably more modern than its predecessors, with a redesigned Start menu, rounded corners, and a Settings app that brings many controls together. But spend enough time using it, and the fresh coat of paint starts to give way to familiar bits of older Windows. From legacy Control Panel windows to context menus that feel like they belong to another era, the operating system doesn't always feel like one joined-up experience.

DeWalt makes hundreds of power tools, but you don't need to spend a ton of cash to get quality gear. While you probably already own several basics, if you're a new homeowner or simply on a budget, certain tools are must-buys. Here are a few affordable DeWalt tools worth buying.

X would like you to pay to promote your posts. And if you've managed to ignore the button offering that option, a giant hand may soon point it out for you.

Users across the Elon Musk-owned social media platform have been sharing screenshots of a hand appearing while they compose posts, directing their attention toward the Promote button. The animation is hard to miss, which appears to be the point.

"I just went to write a tweet and a massive hand popped up pointing to the promote button," The Verge’s Tom Warren wrote on X on Oct. 26.

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The button offers paid promotion, allowing users to spend money to get their posts in front of more people. X already offers tools for promoting posts without setting up an advertising campaign.

The hand is a particularly literal way of drawing attention to them. And it’s certainly getting noticed.

"Jumpscared the shit out of me," wrote one user. Another wrote, "I thought I’d been hacked!" describing his rather seasonal experience: "I wish I could explain how jarring this hand and animation was in the X app. It was truly shocking, almost like a Halloween gag, but I'm pretty sure it was real. I guess I see the promote button now."

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Others were less concerned with the hand's appearance than with where it was pointing. "The fact that it’s pointing at promote and not post is the real comedy here," wrote one user. Another account described the experience as getting "physically assaulted by the algorithm into buying ads." One put it plainly: "This should somehow be illegal."

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One startled user tagged @X and @grok to ask, "What is that hand? Is this a Halloween thing?" Grok replied, describing it as a new prompt encouraging users to pay for extra reach, adding that it was "Not confirmed as a Halloween prank, though the timing makes it feel like one."

That hand is a new X compose-screen nudge. A realistic (sometimes animated) arm pops up while drafting to point at the Promote button, encouraging you to boost the post for extra reach. It started rolling out in the last day or so and has jumped out at lots of people. Not confirmed as a Halloween prank, though the timing makes it feel like one. - Grok

One iOS user said the hand was more than a static graphic. "It’s animated, and you can move it around," they wrote, adding, "Hopefully it’s just a one-time popup."

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TBPN president Dylan Abruscato also shared his surprise at an arm appearing just as he was about to post. He called it the "most Nikita-coded thing I’ve ever seen," referring to the growth tactics associated with X's former product chief, Nikita Bier.

"So obstructive, yet so effective," Abruscato added.

The hand’s appearance coincides with a leadership change at X. Peter Sellis, a former product executive at Snapchat and Discord, announced on Oct. 26 that he was joining the company to lead product. (He hasn’t said whether he had a hand in this particular update. Get it?)

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It’s also unclear how widely the hand is appearing. One Android user said they hadn’t encountered it. Another user said it disappeared before they could capture it.

For now, the hand has succeeded in getting people to post about the Promote button. Getting them to actually pay to use it might require a different, more subtle approach.

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Gift giving is an art form. But picking a truly wonderful gift that the recipient is sure to love for years to come? Now that’s a science. 

Of all the products we’ve tested and loved this year, the following 15 are the ones that we’ve deemed as a Gift of the Year. Everything on this list was rigorously tested in a real world, at-home setting by a member of the Mashable staff. These are the products that sit at the top of our “best of” lists, the ones we gift to others — or may be coveting for ourselves.

In the world of tech gifts, you’ll find our favorite headphones, a laptop that won’t wipe out your gifting budget, and the season’s must-have gaming device. We have gifts that make your home smarter, your dinner faster, and your music louder. For the kids on your list, we’ve chosen the toys that will evolve and grow with them as they get bigger, and for the smartphone obsessed teen there’s the one piece of tech that will help them find some much-needed balance.

Our sibling tech sites are also hosting their own, unique selections for their own Gift of the Year awards. Check out the winners at CNET, Lifehacker, PCMag, Popular Science, and ZDNET.

Read on to discover which products made the cut for our inaugural Gift of the Year awards and consider this your must-have shopping list when it comes to Christmas gifts, Hanukkah presents, and beyond.

Best Tech for Teens Gift of the Year Credit: Rene Ramos/Mashable/Camp Snap Opens in a new window Credit: Camp Snap Camp Snap 2 Digital Camera $69.99 at Camp Snap
  Shop Now at Camp Snap Why we like it

Originally designed for summer campers who want a digital camera to capture camp memories, the Camp Snap is screen-free. However, the Camp Snap has attracted an audience beyond summer campers, thanks to its nostalgic-looking photos. The photos the camera takes are reminiscent of photos from a disposable camera, just digitized. It looks like film, but it has the convenience of digital. Don't expect crisp, detailed photos; everything has a slight fuzz to it, but that's part of the style to just embrace. —Samantha Mangino

Best Audio Player for Kids Gift of the Year Credit: Rene Ramos/Mashable/Yoto Opens in a new window Credit: Yoto Yoto Mini (2024 Edition) $79.99 at Yoto
  Shop Now at Yoto Why we like it

There is perhaps no device more universally beloved in my house than the Yoto Mini. Great for a wide range of kids, my 6-year-old and 3-year-old are particularly smitten. The Yoto is a screen-free audio player that puts the power into the hands of the kids. Compatible cards power up everything from chapter books and shorter stories to music and learning-based content and are available to check out at many local libraries. There’s also an ad-free, kid-friendly radio station built-in, as well as a daily podcast, plus others that are accessible via the compatible app. Custom cards allow you to create your own content, including mix tapes, books, family messages — whatever you can come up with. It’s great for little hands, will adapt and grow as kids get bigger, and is both rugged and travel-friendly. We love that this is the kind of device that keeps kids engaged and entertained — without a screen — and will adapt to the whims of our family for years to come. —Nicole Cammorata

Best Toy for Preschoolers Gift of the Year Credit: Rene Ramos/Mashable/Tonies Toniebox 2 $149.99 at Amazon
  Shop Now at Amazon Why we like it

As our kids have grown, we’ve noticed that compared to the Yoto Mini (above), the Toniebox is particularly well-suited for preschool-aged kids. We’ve had one in our family for the last couple of years and our kids have loved being able to listen to stories, choose their own content, and be in charge of their own entertainment. As parents, we love that it’s screen-free, keeps them entertained, travels well, and offers a wide library of content to choose from. The Toniebox is powered by a collection of Tonies — small figures preloaded with content from a multitude of beloved movies and TV shows, including those from Disney, Pixar, Bluey, Peppa Pig, National Geographic, and more. Our kids are often just as smitten with the characters as objects as they are with the content itself. —Nicole Cammorata

Best Headphones Gift of the Year Credit: Rene Ramos/Mashable/Bose Bose QuietComfort (Gen 2) $359 at Amazon
  Shop Now at Amazon Shop Now at Best Buy Shop Now at Bose Why we like it

These headphones are nearly $100 cheaper than the Bose QC Ultra 2 headphones, but offer many of the same features. For starters, the comfort and noise cancellation are nearly on par with the significantly more expensive headphones, which is to say it's very, very good — like easily wearable for a full day of travel. The tactile controls are intuitive and functional, the colors are varied and unique while remaining appealing, and there's an Immersive Audio listening mode for changing up how you hear your music. In a time when most tech prices are rising, it's refreshing to see a brand release a pair of headphones that strive for ultra-premium performance, while sticking to a more mildly premium price. —Bethany Allard

Best Kitchen Gadget Gift of the Year Credit: Rene Ramos/Mashable/Ninja Ninja Crispi $179.95 at Amazon
  Shop Now at Amazon Shop Now at Best Buy Shop Now at Ninja Kitchen Why we like it

Air fryers are great for anyone, but the Ninja Crispi is made for meal preppers. With its portable design, it stores nicely and can be used on the go. Plus, it actually works. The controls are simple, and the glass baskets come with storage lids for easy food storage. Since we originally tested this device, it's become a favorite of the Mashable shopping team. Not to mention, the Crispi has gotten quite a bit of attention online as folks seek a plastic-free air fryer, and the Crispi is really the best option available. —Samantha Mangino

Best Wellness Gift of the Year Credit: Rene Ramos/Mashable/Oura Oura Ring 5 $499 at Amazon
  Shop Now at Amazon Why we like it

Oura outdid itself with the Ring 5. Before its release, we rated the Oura Ring 4 the best smart ring available, but the Ring 5 blows it out of the water. It's the most comfortable, accurate, and well-designed smart ring we've tested. The new Oura Ring 5 still offers the same biometric data and in-app experience, but now it's 40 percent smaller. It's thinner and lighter, meaning the battery had to shrink. But it didn't sacrifice battery life, as it still lasts six to seven days on a single charge. The ring contains a red and infrared LED, a green and infrared LED, a movement-tracking accelerometer, and digital temperature monitors that all work together to calculate your biometrics, which are presented in the app. With a slim fit and rounded edges, it looks like a classic band that blends right into your wardrobe but remains comfortable without digging in or pinching your finger. —Samantha Mangino

Best Stocking Stuffer Gift of the Year Credit: Rene Ramos/Mashable/Brick Opens in a new window Credit: Brick Brick $59 at Brick
  Shop Now at Brick Why we like it

Sometimes the best tech is the device that helps us take a break from our tech. The Brick is a small, square device that does exactly that — and makes for an excellent stocking stuffer. A quick tap via the app will shut down all the apps you’ve deemed unnecessary, and the phone will stay that way until you re-tap it to the Brick. For anyone looking to break free from a phone addiction, get some mental clarity, or find more digital balance, it’s an incredible device that allows all of us to get a break from that tiny screen without losing the convenience of a mobile phone. I love that the app restrictions are customizable and that accessing the forbidden parts of my phone requires a physical action — a much-appreciated counterpoint to the mindless scrolling that comes with phone addiction. —Nicole Cammorata

Best Laptop Gift of the Year Credit: Rene Ramos/Mashable/Apple MacBook Neo $689 at Amazon
  Shop Now at Amazon Why we like it

Even after a $100 price bump this summer, the MacBook Neo is still an unrivaled value in the budget category. Most cheap Windows laptops and Chromebooks have plastic components, but this little guy has the same luxe, all-aluminum build quality as any other MacBook. The Neo's A18 Pro processor is technically a pared-down iPhone chip, but don't be fooled: It's extremely impressive for a budget laptop CPU. In simple single-core workloads (web browsing, word processing), the Neo is just as fast as a last-gen M4 MacBook Air. In such scenarios, it feels snappier than most Windows laptops we've tried lately, including 10 that cost $2,000 or more. —Haley Henschel

Best Robot Vacuum Gift of the Year Credit: Rene Ramos/Mashable/Eufy Eufy C28 $599.99 at Eufy
$799.99 Save $200   Shop Now at Eufy Shop Now at Amazon Why we like it

The C28 finally answers the call of spill-prone households who need something more heavy-duty (and less likely to smear). The HydroJet system rinses the mop nine times per second as it's mopping to prevent smearing. From catnip flakes to tufts of dryer lint to handfuls of crushed chips, I really had to squint to find a few tiny pieces that the C28 left behind. The Eufy C28 gets bonus points for its slow, deliberate vacuuming when spot-cleaning the tricky area where a rug changes to hardwood — its crumb pickup around rug edges has actually been more reliable than premium Roborock and Dreame models. Its performance on hardwood and tile has been even more stellar. The damp roller presses down firmly to wipe up dust and pet hair on hardwood that would stick to the floor during regular vacuuming. —Leah Stodart

Best Smartwatch Gift of the Year Credit: Rene Ramos/Mashable/Apple Apple Watch Series 12 $389.99 at Amazon
  Shop Now at Amazon Shop Now at Best Buy Shop Now at Walmart Why we like it

The Series 12 has a new S11 chip that adds support for Audio Intelligence tools and offers more battery life during workouts (plus faster charging). The Apple Watch Series 12's chip and sensors are the exact same ones you'll find inside the rugged Apple Watch Ultra 4, which costs twice as much. The Ultra 4 is awesome in its own right, especially if you prioritize battery life and durability, but this means you don't need to splash out on Apple's most expensive smartwatch in order to use its most advanced features. The mid-tier option has never been a smarter buy or a more worthwhile upgrade from an older model. —Haley Henschel

Best Smart Home Gift of the Year Credit: Rene Ramos/Mashable/Amazon Echo Show 8 $199.99 at Amazon
  Shop Now at Amazon Why we like it

It can act as a sous chef in the kitchen, serving up recipes while keeping your hands free, and it can just as easily make video calls to keep up with friends and family or stay productive while WFH. You can also "Drop-In" on any other Alexa devices in your household, including video chat with other Echo Shows. That's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Echo Show 8's visual feats, though, and the gorgeous display really opens up the door to an incredible amount of enhanced Alexa functionality. The Echo Show 8 can even function as a security camera, and you can check in on what it sees via the Alexa app on your phone while you're away. That said, you can close the camera shutter and shut off the mic for more privacy. —Samantha Mangino

Best Handheld Gaming Gift of the Year Credit: Rene Ramos/Mashable/Nintendo Nintendo Switch 2 $499 at Amazon
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Those who want to stay on the cutting edge of handheld gaming consoles need to get a Nintendo Switch 2 at some point. It's the latest and greatest version of the handheld, with more power, improved features and accessories, and a constantly expanding slate of games that'll almost certainly induce FOMO if you don't hop on the bandwagon. If you're excited about playing the long-awaited The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake, love all things Pokémon, or have a kiddo that needs to be introduced to the joys of Mario Kart, then the Switch 2 is a must-have. —Timothy Werth

Best TV Gift of the Year Credit: Rene Ramos/Mashable/TCL TCL 65-inch QM6K Mini LED 4K TV $647.99 at Amazon
$799.99 Save $152   Shop Now at Amazon Shop Now at Best Buy Why we like it

The TCL QM6K is the quintessential beginner fancy TV between the absolute cheapest and most expensive QLEDs out there. Compared to regular LED TVs, the QM6K is brighter and sharper — better for daytime viewing and watching sports. Compared to more premium mini-LED TVs, the QM6K stays comfortably under the $1,000 mark. —Leah Stodart

Best Outdoor Gift of the Year Credit: Rene Ramos/Mashable/Bose Bose SoundLink Plus $269 at Walmart
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Bose's SoundLink line includes an array of excellent speakers, and we've found the Plus to be in that sweet Goldilocks spot between the SoundLink Flex and SoundLink Max. It's incredibly loud with crisp, clear audio. And its size makes it portable and not too heavy (though it does have some heft to it), while still producing room-filling sound. Whether you're at the beach, hosting a pool party, camping, or just hanging out at home, the Bose SoundLink Plus is a stellar Bluetooth speaker. It can also easily pair with other Bose SoundLink speakers for extended sound. —Miller Kern

Best Beauty Tech Gift of the Year Credit: Rene Ramos/Mashable/Shark Shark Cryoglow Mask $349 at Amazon
  Shop Now at Amazon Why we like it

It would be hard to argue that any mask is a better value or offers a more premium experience than the Shark CryoGlow. The Shark mask is lined with 160 evenly spaced tri-wick bulbs. Every single bulb can emit red, near-infrared, or blue light, and each bulb can emit all three light types simultaneously for 480 light sources total. That's true full-face coverage for the duration of any setting, compared to other masks that turn red light bulbs off completely if you're on the blue light setting. —Leah Stodart

Developers deserve to be compensated for their work, and "premium" apps usually offer a better experience. But sometimes, those same developers offer a way for loyal users to get their paid apps for free. No trial, no hidden paywall — just sideloading.