IT General

DNS is one of those things where many people aren't aware that it is something you can adjust. Those who are, may end up overdoing it in the other direction. Tweaking custom DNS settings across every phone, laptop, console, TV, and whatever else lives inside your house may sound tempting if you belong in that second camp, but hold up a second.

Smart video doorbells are one of the best examples of a dumb device that has been improved enormously by adding smart features. You can use one to see who is at the door even if you're on the other side of the world, you can talk to visitors through the doorbell, and you can get notifications when someone is detected on the doorbell's camera.

If you have spent years working with editors built on Electron, you already know how heavy they feel, and VS Code is no exception. If your project is big enough, the interface starts to stutter. It is a performance tax that we have come to accept as the cost of doing business in modern development. Zed changes that by stripping away the web stack entirely. Now, I think VS Code is too slow compared to Zed.

Makita fans know the company makes all sorts of products, from battery-powered coffee machines to capable 18V LXT power tools. And while most of you own the basics, like an impact driver, drills, and saws, there are several lesser-known Makita tools you'll want to check out.

I've been using optical audio for over a decade, but I had no idea what I was missing out on. I intentionally avoided using HDMI ARC because of issues that I had early on with it, but it seems like eARC fixed all the gripes that I originally had with ARC.

Smart homes are increasingly becoming a crucial part of a functioning modern household, so I've decided to take the plunge and create my own smart home.

Logitech's MX Master series of mice has become a common sight in YouTube videos or photographs of tech-savvy people's desk setups, but what makes this now-iconic mouse so special?

You've probably heard of God Mode—the folder trick that's supposed to put every Windows setting in one place. It sounds exactly like what a power user would want, which is why it's so disappointing when you realize that it no longer includes every setting in one place—at least not on modern Windows devices.

TL;DR: Live stream Crystal Palace vs. Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final for free on SRF or TRT1. Access these free streaming platforms from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Aston Villa secured an impressive victory in the Europa League final last week, and now the attention turns to the Conference League final. OK, most neutrals are probably looking further ahead to the resolution of the Champions League, but try telling that to fans of Crystal Palace and Rayo Vallecano. For this dedicated bunch, this is the one that really matters.

It's really difficult to pick a winner from this contest. Crystal Palace haven't enjoyed the most fruitful domestic campaign, but they've saved their best for this competition. Ray Vallecano finished in the top half of La Liga, and beat a strong Starsbourg team to make it to this showpiece event. It's going to be a real battle at the Red Bull Arena, and you can follow all the action without spending anything.

If you want to watch Crystal Palace vs. Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Crystal Palace vs. Rayo Vallecano?

Crystal Palace vs. Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final kicks off at 3 p.m. ET on May 27. This fixture takes place at the Red Bull Arena.

How to watch Crystal Palace vs. Rayo Vallecano for free

Crystal Palace vs. Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final is available to live stream for free on SRF or TRT1.

SRF and TRT1 are geo-restricted to Switzerland and Turkey respectively, but anyone can access these free streaming platforms with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Switzerland or Turkey, meaning you can unblock SRF and TRT1 to stream the Conference League for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Crystal Palace vs. Rayo Vallecano for free by following these simple steps:

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

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

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Switzerland or Turkey

4. Visit SRF or TRT1

5. Watch Crystal Palace vs. Rayo Vallecano for free from anywhere in the world

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

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the Conference League final without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Crystal Palace vs. Rayo Vallecano before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for sport?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on SRF and TRT1, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Switzerland and Turkey

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

Live stream Crystal Palace vs. Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final for free with ExpressVPN.

Most monitors and TVs have a set of mounting holes on the back that follow the VESA standard. This is the mounting system that allows you to wall-mount your TV or put your monitors on special monitor arms.

It's a blink-and-you-miss-it moment but Pheobe Bridgers' feature film acting debut is teased in the trailer for Primetime. Honestly, you can't stop multi-talented musicians making their way into Hollywood.

In the latest A24 unsettler, the Grammy-winning artist joins a talented cast including Robert Pattinson, Merritt Wever, and Skyler Gisondo. Pattinson plays investigative journalist and TV presenter Chris Hansen, who famously hosted the controversial Dateline series To Catch a Predator in the mid-2000s.

Directed by Lance Oppenheim, Primetime draws inspiration from Hansen's mission to make the notorious NBC show, which has a complicated legacy — Jimmy Kimmel once referred to it as "Punk'd for pedophiles." Hansen's team deployed hidden surveillance and undercover reporting to expose — and assist in arresting — men soliciting sex with minors in online chatrooms. It was true crime on primetime TV, with Hansen's decoy actors and production team working with police and online watchdog group Perverted Justice to confront accused sexual predators as the cameras rolled. And the ratings were through the roof.

It's not clear who Bridgers will play yet, however, with the talent of this cast and the complex notoriety of the show it's channelling combined, we're absolutely in.

Primetime will hit cinemas autumn 2026.

My son is a big Plex fan. I was on the fence about it. I had some concerns about certain features being paywalled, among other things. I ended up quite liking Jellyfin for some of my media, so I switched over to it. I'm still going to try Emby at some point and see how it integrates into my setup as well, but Jellyfin has been my daily driver for a while now.

Sherlock Holmes' clever sister Enola (Stranger Things' Millie Bobby Brown) is back with a new mystery to solve, and Netflix has an overtly romantic teaser trailer for you.

Following the cases of the missing mum and sister, Enola Holmes 3 will see the young sleuth leave Victorian England behind for Malta with the love of her life, Lord Tewkesbury (Louis Partridge). As the trailer shows, marriage is afoot! But what's a wedding without a kidnapping interruption and a spot of gunfire?

SEE ALSO: 2026 Summer movie preview: Every film you need to know about now

Henry Cavill returns as world famous detective Sherlock, as does Helena Bonham Carter as their mother, Eudoria, Himesh Patel as Dr. John Watson, and Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Moriarty/Mira Troy.

Enola Holmes 3 debuts on Netflix July 1.

SAVE $51.99: As of May 27, the new Sony PS-LX3BT Bluetooth turntable is on sale for $348 at Amazon (normally $399.99). That's a 13% savings and its best price ever.

Opens in a new window Credit: Sony Sony PS-LX3BT Full Auto Playback Turntable with Bluetooth Connectivity $348 at Amazon
$399.99 Save $51.99   Get Deal

After testing Sony's updated PS-LX3BT turntable earlier this spring, I can confirm it's still one of the best record players for beginners.

It sounds great, it's super easy to set up, and its Bluetooth connectivity and automatic operation are both very convenient. To quote my review: Having come from a regular manual turntable, "It made me feel so spoiled that I was genuinely bummed to ship it back at the end of my testing period."

The PS-LX3BT also has a USB-B port that lets you rip vinyl tracks onto a laptop — a pretty nifty feature. (If you managed to snag the new Charli xcx singles on vinyl, you can use it to digitize those exclusive B-sides.)

One of the only things I didn't love about the PS-LX3BT was its price. It retails for $399.99, which is significantly more than the competition, so I'd try to find it on sale for less. Right now, it happens to be on sale for its lowest price ever: Amazon has it marked down to $348, or roughly $52 off. Best Buy and Sony also have it on sale with free shipping, but for a buck or two more.

The Sony PS-LX3BT is a fully automatic belt-driven turntable. Just press its green "Start" button to start listening to a record. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

The only other thing I dinged the PS-LX3BT for was having a heavy tracking force of 3.5 grams. You generally want it to be between one to three grams to minimize wear and tear on your records. If that concerns you, Sony's higher-end PS-LX5BT turntable has a removable cartridge with a tracking force of just two grams.

The PS-LX5BT is even more expensive, but it's also on sale right now. Amazon's discounted price of $473 (or about $27 off) also beats competing deals at Best Buy and Sony by a teensy bit.

The debate between Microsoft and Google is an old (and divisive) one. For many, it might look like there's an obvious winner, based on their preferences, but when it comes to productivity, the answer may be a bit more complicated.

While Google has owned Waze since 2013, it only started incorporating Waze's best features into Maps in the last few years. Now, both navigation apps do many of the same things, but that doesn't mean they're the same. Here are a few of the differences, and why I still prefer Waze.

Before smartphones, keeping passengers entertained on a long road trip meant packing a case of CDs, hoping the AC held out, and answering "are we there yet?" every 45 minutes (or seconds).

Google AI Overviews hallucinated more than Ken Kesey when it first launched in 2024, fabricating facts about drizzling "glue on pizza," among other offences.

And though the Gemini-powered technology has improved its accuracy dramatically over the last two years (unfortunately for publishers), AI Overviews still gets basic questions wrong. And that includes spelling tests.

SEE ALSO: Google AI Overviews sparks antitrust probe for using publisher content

Google's AI tools remain abysmal at answering questions about spelling, having gone viral two years ago for responding to the question "how many r's are in the word strawberry?" incorrectly. But it's still bad. On Tuesday, X user Naomi Rohatyn tested the large language model's (LLM) current ability to answer to a spelling question.

"How many e's in the word astronomical?" they asked.

"There are exactly 2 'e's in the word "astronomical" (a-s-t-r-e-n-o-m-i-c-a-e-l)," replied AI Overview.

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

We tried it ourselves, getting the same answer.

Uh, wrong. Credit: Google / Mashable

It appears to work for any word with four or more syllables:

Nope. Credit: Google / Mashable Incorrect. Credit: Google / Mashable

Suffice to say, people are having another gleeful round of testing the technology's spelling weakness, sharing their findings on social media.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. Why can't Google AI Overviews spell correctly?

I don't want to be all Billy Madison spelling bee about this, but considering users are less likely to click on links when an AI summary appears in the results, surely the information provided in AI Overviews should be accurate. But it's complicated.

AI chatbots need exact context and specifics to answer as well as they can, so surely spelling words within their training data seems easy. However, things get knotty when you ask an LLM to consider words letter-by-letter, as the model will process text in chunks rather than individual characters (it's called tokenisation).

Featured Video For You 3 simple tips to optimise your ChatGPT search

I thought I'd ask Google's Gemini itself, to see what it had to say for itself. Defend your poor spelling!

"The short answer is that I don't look at or write text the way you do," Gemini told me. "When you write the word 'apple,' your brain processes five distinct letters. When I read or write text, I see the word as a single unit called a token (a numerical representation of a word or part of a word).

"Because I process words as whole blocks of meaning rather than strings of individual letters, I don't naturally 'spell' out words sequentially. I know exactly what 'apple' means and how it relates to other words, but I don't inherently focus on the fact that it contains two 'p's unless specifically asked to break it down."

Mashable has reached out to Google for human comment.

Personally, I use Winhance to create a custom Windows 11 ISO free of Windows bloatware, so I don't have to spend hours disabling and deleting superfluous apps and features after installing Windows. You can use Rufus instead if you'd like, since the utility not only allows you to install Windows 11 with a local account, but also to disable unwanted Microsoft apps and features such as Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Copilot, and so on.

Samsung unveiled a batch of next-generation monitors earlier this month, and right now, most of them are available for purchase. Over half cost well over $1,000 — you didn't think the world's first 6K gaming monitor would be a bargain, did you? — but Samsung is taking the edge off their prices with some freebies.

For a limited time, the new Samsung monitors come with your pick of a free credit worth up to $300 or a free bonus gadget worth up to $499.99. (The credit can be applied to any future purchase.) The latter options include Samsung's Music Studio 5 and Music Studio 7 smart speakers, valued at $299.99 and $499.99 apiece, as well as its latest Galaxy Buds4 Pro noise-cancelling earbuds. Those normally go for $249.99 on their own.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Shop Samsung's 2026 monitors Get up to $500 in rewards with your purchase. Shop Now

This offer is only available through Samsung's website, not at other tech retailers that carry them, so be sure to buy direct.

The lineup includes updated Odyssey, ViewFinity, and The Movingstyle Essential monitors that "push the boundaries of performance and visual quality," said Hun Lee, Samsung's Executive Vice President of Visual Display (VD) Business, in a press release. The star of the show is the new 32-inch Odyssey G8 ($1,599.99), the first-ever 6K gaming monitor, which our sister site PCMag called "pure overkill — in the best way." It's joined by a 27-inch Odyssey G8 with an almost-as-crisp 5K resolution ($949.99).

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung 32-inch Odyssey G8 G80HS 6K Gaming Monitor $1,599.99 at Samsung.com
Includes free $300 credit or Music Studio 7. Shop Now Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung 27-inch Odyssey G8 G80HF 5K Gaming Monitor $949.99 at Samsung.com
Includes free $200 credit, Music Studio 5, or Galaxy Buds4 Pro. Shop Now

Samsung has also fleshed out its roster of OLED gaming monitors with the new Odyssey OLED G7 and G8 displays. The OLED G7 comes in one 32-inch size ($1,099.99), while the OLED G8 comes in 27- and 32-inch variants ($1,099.99 and $1,299.99, respectively) and adds a glare-free finish. The larger Odyssey OLED G8 also features VESA DisplayHDR True Black 500 certification, which indicates elite brightness and contrast.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung 32-inch Odyssey OLED G7 G73SH 4K Gaming Monitor $1,099.99 at Samsung.com
Includes free $200 credit, Music Studio 5, or Galaxy Buds4 Pro. Shop Now Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung 32-inch Odyssey OLED G8 G80SH 4K Gaming Monitor $1,299.99 at Samsung.com
Includes free $300 credit or Music Studio 7. Shop Now

On the productivity side, Samsung has launched two new work-ready ViewFinity S8 monitors. A 40-inch model with a curved 1440p display is now available for $1,399.99. A 27-inch version with a sharper 5K resolution will arrive in July — stay tuned for its pricing.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung 40-inch ViewFinity S8 S85TH 5K2K Curved Monitor $1,399.99 at Samsung.com
Includes free $300 credit or Music Studio 7. Shop Now

Last but not least is The Movingstyle Essential, Samsung's new 43-inch 4K monitor on an adjustable rolling stand. It's the cheapest of the bunch at $899.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung 43-inch The Movingstyle Essential $899.99 at Samsung.com
Includes free $200 credit, Music Studio 5, or Galaxy Buds4 Pro. Shop Now

Read Mashable's launch coverage for more details about all of the new Samsung monitors.