IT General

TL;DR: This Microsoft Office 2024 Home and Business license works on both Mac and PCs, and it’s now on sale for just $149.97 (reg. $249.99) for a limited time.

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business for Mac or PC Lifetime License $149.97
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Whether you grew up using Word to write essays for school or you remember whipping up presentations for work on PowerPoint, most of us have used Microsoft Office in our day-to-day lives at some point. If it’s been a while since you used these helpful tools or you converted to Mac and didn’t think they were an option for you, it’s time to meet Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business.

This lifetime license is compatible with both Mac and PC devices, has modern updates that keep up with how we work now, and for a limited time, you can get it for just $149.97 (reg. $249.99).

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Microsoft Office has come a long way since the days of chunky desktop computers. Now, these helpful tools are apps that you can install on a PC or Mac. This particular Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business license equips your device with four game-changing apps that you can use for life.

Draft a document with Word, figure out your budget with Excel, or tackle your emails with Outlook. You’ll also have PowerPoint on hand to help you craft presentations. This license allows you to own each app outright — so there are no subscription fees and you can work offline as needed.

This 2024 version includes new features like an updated accessibility checker in Outlook, presentation recording with voice narration and video in PowerPoint, AI-powered writing suggestions in Word, and enhanced data analysis and visualization tools in Excel.

Save big on this Microsoft Office 2024 Home and Business license for Mac and PC, on sale now for just $149.97 (reg. $249.99) for a limited time.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Scan and save documents from anywhere with this lifetime subscription to SwiftScan VIP for just $39.97 (reg. $199.99) with code SCAN through Dec. 7.

Opens in a new window Credit: SwiftScan SwiftScan VIP: Lifetime Subscription $39.97
$199.99 Save $160.02   Get Deal

It’s 2025. We may not have flying cars quite yet, but at least you can keep a scanner in your back pocket thanks to SwiftScan VIP. This handy app transforms your smartphone or tablet into a scanner, making it easy to digitize documents anytime.

Right now, you can secure a lifetime subscription to SwiftScan VIP for only $39.97 (reg. $199.99) with code SCAN through Dec. 7.

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Since there seems to be an app for everything these days, it’s no surprise there’s one that can make scanning as easy as a few taps. SwiftScan VIP eliminates the need for those chunky scanners we all grew up with and instead turns your smartphone or tablet into a scanning device you can take on the go.

Whether you’re saving a handwritten note or submitting your signature on an important document, SwiftScan VIP makes it easy to digitize documents from anywhere. Just point the camera at the page you would like to scan, and SwiftScan detects the edges and crops the document for you.

The app features built-in tools, including color filters, blur reduction, and auto enhancements. If you need to scan multiple pages, it’s easy to combine them into a single document. When you’re done, you can save them as a JPG or PDF, or send them via email, fax, or upload them to a cloud storage service.

Koofr Cloud Storage can also organize your scans for you, saving them in folders and making them easily searchable thanks to OCR technology. And if you need to edit a PDF, it can do that too. You can easily sign, annotate, or redact information from the file using the app.

Snag a lifetime subscription to SwiftScan VIP for just $39.97 (reg. $199.99) with code SCAN through Dec. 7.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

It's easy to look at the finished product of something and think that it was the result of careful, planned designs and processes. But, as anyone who has every designed something will tell you, the reality is far more chaotic. We don't always think about where some design elements and features in our software come from, but in the case of these four examples the "genius" came from an accident.

The Apple iPad is an exceptionally long-lived device. There's no reason to upgrade them frequently and in my personal experience these tablets don't show much battery wear over the years either.

Sometimes you need to use someone else's computer. Maybe you're at a library, maybe you're at a friend's house helping them troubleshoot a new device on their network. Whatever the situation, sitting down to a computer that feels completely alien is never great.

I have had a hot and cold relationship with smartwatches, but I recently took a chance on an LTE smartwatch for the first time—and I had no idea how big a difference this one change would make. With how freeing the experience has been, I feel like I'm living in the future.

If you were perusing Elon Musk's X late Friday night, you might have seen a brand new, highly anticipated feature roll out.

X visitors were able to go to any users' profile page, click on their join date to view a new "About this account" page which revealed exactly which nation an account was based. This information differed from the usual "Location" detail on an X profile page, as it showed exactly where an account was posting from based on their IP address, not what the user input themselves.

SEE ALSO: Grok generates sycophantic praise for Elon Musk after new update

The country of origin disclosure was broadly lauded among X's user base. Then, suddenly, without notice, the country of origin was removed from the "About this account" page just hours after it made its late-night debut.

Mashable reported last month that the feature was on the way. X's head of product, Nikita Bier, originally teased the feature, rolling it out on his own account as a demo of how it would work before it was visible on any other X users' accounts.

It's unclear exactly why X quickly removed the feature shortly after rolling it out to the public. However, Bier replied to some X users who were reporting that their "About this account" was showing inaccurate information, which may be the reason why the feature was taken down.

One X user named "Canadian Beaver" shared that their country of origin was appearing as the United States despite residing in Canada.

"Fixing this now," Bier replied. "Looks like Starlink threw us off."

Along with the current country of origin, the "About this page" also displayed where a user resided when first creating the account. One X user reported that their join date location was inaccurately displayed as Korea.

"We identified the problem: it looks like you used a VPN to register your account in '22," Bier said to that user. "We are adding a indicator on that row on Monday for Android and iOS—and it will be live on web tomorrow."

Based on Bier's responses, it seems X may have removed the feature to fix location inaccuracies caused by VPNs, and the intention is to re-roll out the feature in the coming days.

X users mostly welcomed the country of origin feature, as many feel it would discourage foreign actors from spreading misinformation and propaganda related to political discussions on the platform. Facebook has a similar feature for Facebook Pages, where users can view the country of origin for the administrators of the page, although Facebook does not reveal the profiles behind the pages.

We'll soon find out if Musk's social media platform reinstates the feature.

If you're just beginning programming, you've likely encountered the name "Git"—but what is it? And why do you need it? Git is the most important tool I use, next to my text editor, operating system, and laptop. I'm using it right now. It tracks every change I make to my articles and code. While basic Git skills are easily attainable for beginners, it possesses many features which make it seem complex. In this article, I'll reveal why Git is crucial and why you should start using it today.

SAVE $450: As of Nov. 22, Amazon has a Microsoft Surface laptop (2024) on sale for $749, down from its list price of $1,199. 

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$1,199.99 Save $450.99   Get Deal

Okay, if you’ve been living life sans a laptop, it can be so annoying. On the other hand, it can be hard to find the right laptop at the right price for your specific life. This weekend might hold just the deal you’ve been waiting for. In honor of Black Friday, Amazon is offering a 38% discount on a 2024 Microsoft Surface laptop. The model comes with Microsoft’s AI software “Copilot”. That’s on top of all the software that you get with a Microsoft Surface PC. This model features 16 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD. 

As for hardware, this Microsoft Surface laptop features a 13.8-inch touchscreen. The battery life can last up to 20 hours. The laptop is also extremely portable, weighing in at approximately 3 pounds. It’s made of durable aluminum that comes in four different colors: black, sapphire, dune, and silver. Copilot can support your work by keeping track of and recalling various documents and webpages you’ve been working on. It can also subtitle any videos in up to 44 languages and generate art from text or image prompts.

Choosing a laptop is a highly personal decision, and you should definitely take your own needs into account. This laptop is ideal for individuals who need to handle various life administrative tasks, school assignments, or light creative work.

In an age where your smartphone can do almost anything, it might come as a surprise to learn that the “dumbphone” movement is gaining momentum. Instead of the latest iPhone or Android smartphones, some people are embracing the simplicity of handsets that do less.

A new compact sedan may seem like the safe, predictable choice, but the used market tells a different story. For the same money, shoppers can step into a far larger, more capable vehicle, one designed to haul families, luggage, and weekend gear without breaking a sweat. It’s a reminder that depreciation can work heavily in your favor if you know where to look.

SAVE $900: The Acer Aspire 16 is on sale for $449.99 in the Amazon Black Friday sale. That's 36% off the list price of $699.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Acer Acer Aspire 16 AI Laptop $449.99 at Amazon
$699.99 Save $250   Get Deal

One of the most sought after items during Black Friday is the laptop. And even with Black Friday itself just under a week away, Amazon and other retailers have already launched plenty of live deals. That includes a selection of laptop deals at Amazon, which features one of our favorite budget-priced models, the Acer Aspire 16 AI. 

The Acer Aspire 16 AI is currently priced at just $449.99, which means an overall saving of $250 — 36% off the list price of $699.99. According to camelcamelcamel, that's its lowest ever price.

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It’s a superb Windows laptop for anyone shopping on a budget and comes equipped with Copilot AI assistant and features. It also boasts a massive 17-hour battery life plus a touchscreen display and a lively user experience that performs above the price point. Especially now it’s discounted as part of Amazon’s Black Friday deals.

Grab the Acer Aspire 16 AI for just $449.99 at Amazon — a saving of $250.

SAVE $100: As of Nov. 22, this PlayStation 5 Slim is 18% off at $449.99, down from its list price of $549.99.

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$549.99 Save $100   Get Deal

The colder months are upon us, and what better way to celebrate than adding a new gaming console to your setup for nights of gaming, the dark at 4 pm, nights away. This weekend, Amazon is offering the PlayStation 5 Slim for $100 off. That’s an excellent, and not super common, deal. 

There are a few key features that the PlayStation 5 Slim has that might make it a perfect fit for you. First of all, it’s smaller than the PlayStation Pro and does not come with a disc drive. However, you can purchase an attachable disc drive if that is a crucial feature for you. It comes with a high-speed SSD for super-fast loading. It can also run a wide range of supported PS4 games. If loading speed and graphics are extremely important to you, the PlayStation 5 Pro is noticeably faster with higher image quality, making it a crucial factor to consider. However, if you’re looking for a more affordable and compact console, the PlayStation 5 Slim could be the perfect addition to your entertainment setup. 

Reviewers rave about the graphics quality, value for cost, physical appearance, and they also particularly appreciate the console’s compatibility with 4K TVs. 

Why walk all that way to the mailbox only to be disappointed when it’s empty? With this smart home automation, you’ll know exactly when you’ve got mail because Home Assistant will tell you.

While the modern handheld PC market revolves around gaming handhelds that rose to prominence only a few years ago with the Steam Deck, handheld PCs have a surprisingly rich history spanning nearly four decades. Below you'll find six handheld PCs that moved the needle in one way or another.

The discount bonanza holidays are upon us, and that means Plex Pass should be on sale soon, right? Right! If you want to know when the next Plex Pass sale is, I’m here to tell you it shouldn’t be long.

Trying to tap through crazy menus while you're flying down the highway is finally a thing of the past. If you want to know how to report on Waze using your voice, this new setup, which they officially call “Conversational Reporting,” is super simple to use.

TL;DR: Live stream France vs. Australia in the Autumn Internationals for free on TF1+. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The Autumn Internationals continue to deliver huge matchups between the biggest sides in the world, including France vs. Australia. Neither side has dazzled in recent games, so both teams will be looking to this clash as an opportunity to put things right. France will be favorites, but don't count out the Wallabies just yet.

If you want to watch France vs. Australia in the Autumn Internationals from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is France vs. Australia?

France vs. Australia in the 2025 Autumn Internationals kicks off at 8:10 p.m. GMT on Nov. 22. This fixture takes place at the Stade de France.

How to watch France vs. Australia for free

France vs. Australia in the 2025 Autumn Internationals is available to live stream for free on TF1+.

TF1+ is geo-restricted to France, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in France, meaning you can unblock TF1+ to stream the Autumn Internationals for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream France vs. Australia 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 France

4. Visit TF1+

5. Watch France vs. Australia 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 Autumn Internationals without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream all of France's Autumn Internationals before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for TF1+?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on TF1+, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including France

• 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 eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% 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 $12.95 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream France vs. Australia in the Autumn Internationals for free with ExpressVPN.

You may have seen the now-viral warnings that Google is snooping around your Gmail account and using your emails to train its AI models.

"IMPORTANT message for everyone using Gmail," reads the most viral post on X from user Dave Jones. "You have been automatically OPTED IN to allow Gmail to access all your private messages & attachments to train AI models."

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Numerous outlets have now reported on these claims, usually followed by a step-by-step process to shut off Gmail's Smart Features, which supposedly stop Google from using your emails.

But it's not true, according to Google. The company is not using your Gmail account to train its AI, even if users leave the Smart Features on.

"These reports are misleading – we have not changed anyone’s settings, Gmail Smart Features have existed for many years, and we do not use your Gmail content for training our Gemini AI model," said a Google spokesperson in a response provided to Mashable. 

"Lastly, we are always transparent and clear if we make changes to our terms of service and policies," Google continued.

Mashable was initially skeptical about the claims that Google was using users' emails to train AI unless users opted out of a feature. Smart features, which essentially integrate Google's AI model Gemini into a user's Google Workspace account, have been available for some time now. This is not a new feature.

Additionally, Google has been explicit about its commitment to user privacy regarding AI models, such as Gemini. 

"Your data stays in Workspace," reads Google's policy page on Gemini. "We do not use your Workspace data to train or improve the underlying generative AI and large language models that power Gemini, Search, and other systems outside of Workspace without permission."

Some users seem to have interpreted giving Gemini access to Gmail by turning Smart features on as equivalent to granting Google that permission. However, Google has previously addressed this on its AI on Google Workspace page, stating that this is not the case. The permissions a user grants with these Smart features are specifically to let Gemini access the data for that user's use cases, not AI training.

Users are certainly justified in questioning the AI policies of all tech companies. We are aware that numerous companies have already trained their AI models on data and content for which they did not have permission to use. And any user who wants to turn off AI features to be safe is well within their right to do so.

But, this specific claim about Google training its AI using emails from Gmail accounts unless users specific turn off a few features appears to be completely false.

Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.

Released in August 2025, the Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.

Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move onto the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.

How to play Pips

If you've ever played dominoes, you'll have a passing familiarity for how Pips is played. As we've shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don't necessarily have to match.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for November 8, 2025

The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible – and common – for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.

Here are common examples you'll run into across the difficulty levels:

• Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.

• Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.

• Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.

• Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.

• Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.

If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for November 8, 2025 Easy difficulty hints, answers for Nov. 22 Pips

Number (1): Everything in this space must add to 1. The answer is 1-2, placed vertically.

Greater Than (2): Everything in this space must be greater than 2. The answer is 3-2, placed vertically.

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 1-2, placed vertically; 0-2, placed vertically; 3-2, placed vertically.

Equal (1): Everything in this space must be equal to 1. The answer is 3-1, placed horizontally; 6-1, placed horizontally.

Number (6): Everything in this space must add to 2. The answer is 6-1, placed horizontally.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for Nov. 22 Pips

Equal (6): Everything in this purple space must be equal to 6. The answer is 0-6, placed vertically; 6-6, placed horizontally; 6-3, placed horizontally.

Equal (3): Everything in this red space must be equal to 3. The answer is 6-3, placed horizontally; 3-5, placed vertically.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add to 5. The answer is 3-5, placed vertically.

Greater Than (6): Everything in this space must be greater than 6. The answer is 5-4, placed vertically; 3-2, placed horizontally.

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 2-2, placed vertically; 3-2, placed vertically.

Less Than (4): Everything in this space must be less than 4. The answer is 3-1, placed vertically; 1-1, placed horizontally.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for Nov. 22 Pips

Number (1): Everything in this space must add to 1. The answer is 3-1, placed horizontally.

Number (1): Everything in this space must add to 1. The answer is 1-5, placed horizontally.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add to 4. The answer is 4-5, placed horizontally.

Equal (5): Everything in this dark blue space must be equal to 5. The answer is 1-5, placed horizontally; 4-5, placed horizontally; 5-2, placed vertically; 5-0, placed vertically.

Equal (2): Everything in this purple space must be equal to 2. The answer is 5-2, placed vertically; 2-1, placed vertically.

Number (1): Everything in this space must add to 1. The answer is 2-1, placed vertically.

Number (14): Everything in this red space must add to 14. The answer is 5-5, placed vertically; 4-4, placed horizontally.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add to 4. The answer is 4-4, placed horizontally.

Number (14): Everything in this space must add to 14. The answer is 6-6, placed vertically; 3-2, placed horizontally.

Equal (1): Everything in this space must be equal to 1. The answer is 1-1, placed vertically.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.