IT General

If you were one of the, er, many who watched Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan's new sci-fi thriller series premiere on Apple TV last night, you might be feeling the same as me and the vast majority of critics out there: this could be the streamer's best show since Severance.

Movies Anywhere quietly announced that it will no longer sync purchases from Google Play and YouTube on October 31st. This is an unexpected consequence of the ongoing feud between Google and Disney, the latter of which owns the Movies Anywhere service.

Grand Theft Auto VI got delayed, again, on Thursday, but that's not the only reason developer Rockstar Games is in the news this week.

A trade union in the U.K. (where Rockstar is based) has accused the legendary gaming firm of union-busting, per the BBC. This accusation came after Rockstar fired 31 employees at the end of October. The union in question is the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (or IWGB), which claims that the employees were fired for discussing the formation of a union at the company. While efforts for unionization have borne fruit at studios like Blizzard Entertainment, unions are still relatively rare in the games industry.

While this news isn't exactly breaking, it's worth revisiting in the context of Thursday night's delay announcement for GTA VI. Regarding the game's delay, Rockstar posted on X that the extended timeline "will allow us to finish the game with the level of polish you have come to expect and deserve."

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. SEE ALSO: Yes, GTA VI is officially delayed again. Here's what we know.

Of course, Rockstar denies that the employees were fired for union organizing, per a statement given to Bloomberg. According to Rockstar, the employees were let go because they were sharing confidential information about the game in a public setting. Game developers (especially Rockstar) are notoriously secretive about projects in active development, with employees often signing non-disclosure agreements as a condition for their employment.

While the terms of any given Rockstar NDA are not really knowable at the moment, it's possible that they could be broad enough to prohibit workers from discussing work in an outside venue like Slack or Discord. Whatever happened here, don't be surprised if there are more leaks about this situation in the months to come. After all, it's not like anyone is going to be playing GTA VI anytime soon.

Single-board computers like the Raspberry Pi are an incredibly popular way of running Home Assistant. Alongside official hardware like the plug-and-play Home Assistant Green, the Raspberry Pi is the easiest way to run Home Assistant.

Xpeng, a Chinese electric vehicle company, stunned social media with the introduction of its new humanoid robot, Iron. The robot seemed so lifelike that Xpeng eventually cut the robot open live on stage to prove it wasn't just a human wearing a robot suit.

Mashable reporter Amanda Yeo was in the audience at the AI Day event in Guangzhou, where Iron made its big debut, and we'll have more coverage of the event coming soon. Already, video footage of Iron is going viral on U.S. and Chinese social media apps.

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You can also watch the entire press conference where Iron had its electronic innards exposed to the world on Xpeng's YouTube channel.

Iron does cut a striking figure walking across the stage, and not just because Xpeng decided to give the robot very noticeable breasts, for some reason. For me, its slow, awkward movements instantly evoked Scarlett Johansson in the 2013 sci-fi thriller Under the Skin. (OpenAI was accused of appropriating Johansson's likeness for the original voice of ChatGPT.) Ex Machina also comes to mind, and Iron's white webbing closely mimics the design of the robots in Westworld. There's also the famous scene from Terminator 2, where Arnold Schwarzenegger cuts open his human shell to reveal the robot arm underneath.

Science fiction continues to shape the development and perception of robotics. Human beings, with our awkward bipedal shape, are actually a terrible blueprint for robots, yet engineers keep creating new humanoid robots. We just can't help but create beings in our own image, apparently.

In 2014, Popular Science wrote that humanoid robots were a bumbling mess, and that remains true today, with these humanoid robots still struggling with simple tasks like walking or folding laundry.

Mashable was on hand for Iron's big debut in China this week. Credit: Amanda Yeo / Mashable

Iron is hardly the first humanoid robot to go viral. Just this year, Tesla's Optimus, Boston Dynamics' Atlas, and the recently announced NEO household helper bot from X1 all had their 15 minutes of fame.

There's just something about anthropomorphized robots that captures our attention, and scientists are still studying how the human mind responds to humanoid robots. Maybe it's the uncanny valley effect. Maybe it's the feeling that we're peering into the future. Maybe it's a neurological reaction we don't yet understand.

Whatever the reason, we're simultaneously fascinated and creeped out by robots like Iron, and for companies like Xpeng trying to go viral and get attention, these bots are a sure-fire way to generate headlines.

We just can't look away.

You can spruce up the wallpaper on your Android to match the time of day. Instead of a boring static wallpaper, you can set the phone to change wallpapers dynamically. For example, you could have your phone display a light mode wallpaper during the day, which transitions to a dark mode wallpaper at night. I’m going to show you three ways you can do so.

YouTube may have significantly intensified its ad blocker war, which is leading to many users reporting that the platform is completely failing to load. Although the spike on DownDetector made it look exactly like a major partial outage, the problem isn’t with YouTube’s servers.

AI slop has entered your cart on TikTok Shop.

According to Business Insider, TikTok Shop and other ecommerce platforms, like Amazon, have an AI problem. Fraudsters are reportedly using generative AI tools to create fake brands, dupes, and products, tricking users into paying for things that are not real and do not exist.

"It's organized crime, to be honest," Nicolas Waldmann, who leads TikTok Shop's governance and experience external affairs team, told Business Insider. "They're trying to basically go through and sell, and of course, never deliver anything, and then run with the money."

SEE ALSO: This 20-year-old earns $50K a month from TikTok Shop. Here's how she did it.

This type of fraud is not a new phenomenon. Scammers are fond of scamming, and they will find a way, but AI has made it increasingly more difficult to catch them. Amazon, for its part, is using AI to track scammers who use AI. TikTok also employs AI to prevent this kind of malicious seller, but it also utilizes human moderation. Waldmann told Business Insider that the company uses "AI to basically deal with AI." What a fun little cycle.

In a report published on Thursday, TikTok said that in the first six months of 2025, it "rejected more than 70 [million] products before being listed, a 40 [percent] increase from the previous six months."

"As our seller and creator community grows globally, and our ability to detect prohibited products improves, the number of violative products we prevent from landing on our platform has increased," TikTok said.

This is not a brand new problem. In August, PC Mag reported that scammers were conducting a "widespread, ongoing, malicious campaign" that allowed them to steal cryptocurrency and users' personal data.

Infrared photography is a technique that involves capturing infrared light by blocking out all or some frequencies of visible light. The results are unique and otherworldly, and it’s fun to see what the world around you looks like when you capture it in this way.

Roblox has just been hit with another lawsuit over its child safety issues.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced on social media on Thursday that the state was suing Roblox for "putting pixel pedophiles and profits over the safety of Texas children."

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This is the third U.S. state AG to file a lawsuit against Roblox in just the past few months. In August, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill filed a lawsuit against the online gaming platform over a "lack of safety protocols" that "endangers the safety of the children of Louisiana." In October, Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman filed a lawsuit against Roblox over those same child safety issues, saying that "Roblox has ignored this crisis so it could continue turning a profit."

Now, Texas has filed its own lawsuit against Roblox, claiming the company has been "flagrantly ignoring federal and state online safety laws while deceiving parents about the dangers of its platform."

“We cannot allow platforms like Roblox to continue operating as digital playgrounds for predators where the well-being of our kids is sacrificed on the altar of corporate greed,” said Attorney General Paxton in a statement. “Roblox must do more to protect kids from sick and twisted freaks hiding behind a screen."

Roblox also faces a slew of lawsuits recently filed by the firm Dolman Law Group on behalf of parents and their underage children.

Roblox is an online gaming platform where users can explore a digital universe, interact with other users, and play user-created games. Roblox has become extremely popular in recent years, with half of U.S. kids under the age of 16 reportedly playing games on the platform. As a result, predators have flocked to the online game in order to take advantage of its young user base. While Roblox does have child safety settings and parental controls, clearly these haven't been enough to stop child exploitation from occurring on the platform, or as a result of initial contact being made on the platform.

With multiple state Attorney Generals now suing the company, Roblox seems likely to find itself in a position similar to Big Tech and social media companies: Either regulate itself and deal with the safety issues head-on, or the government will come do it for them.

We're calling it now, the hottest gift of the season is the Lego U.S.S. Enterprise. This set is massive and designed for the true nerd, someone willing to where no man has ever gone before. This replica of the U.S.S. Enterprise is a 3,600 piece set, surely not for the faint of heart, but the true Star Trek and Lego enthusiast. And as if we didn't need to add any more chaos to the holiday season, it's arriving on Black Friday.

Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego U.S.S. Enterprise set $399.99 at Lego
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This gift is perfect for the most expert Lego builder who happens to be a major Star Trek fan. Specifically, this set is branded for Star Trek: The Next Generation, as it features beloved characters from the series. Among its 3,600 pieces are 9 mini-figurines depicting Jean-Luc Picard, William Riker, Worf, Data, Beverly Crusher, Geordi La Forge, Deanna Troi, Guinan and Wesley Crusher.

Among the 9 mini-figures are included accessories such as a teacup, trombone with a stand, a phaser, tricorder, engineering case, PADD, bottle, portable tractor beam generator and a cat figure. Credit: Lego

But the main draw, is this fantastic replica of the U.S.S. Enterprise, the Starfleet's legendary flagship. It has a detachable command saucer alongside a secondary hull, warp nacelles with distinctive red and blue detailing, an opening shuttlebay, 2 mini shuttlepods and an angled display stand with a schematic and ship statistics.

If you know someone who's a massive Star Trek fan but might be intimidated by just how big this set is, Lego had extremely helpful and comprehensive instructions in the app with 3D digital version available. Including the display stand, fully constructed the set will measure 10.5 inches tall by 23.5 inches long, and 18.5 inches wide.

command saucer on the U.S.S. Enterprise is even detachable. Credit: Lego

As expected, such a big set is going to come with a steep price tag. It costs $399.99 and will be available for sale on Nov. 28. If that date sounds familiar, it's because it's Black Friday. However, don't expect savings on it. This set is sure to be in high demand, making it an unlikely candidate for a discount upon its relief. But we've been wrong before, and just maybe, we'll get a holiday miracle of a deal on the Lego U.S.S. Enterprise set.

Luxury car ownership doesn’t always have to come with a luxury price tag, and this sedan proves it. Known as one of Lexus’ most reliable models, it offers the refinement, comfort, and long-term dependability the brand is famous for, all at a price that rivals a brand-new Toyota Camry. For buyers looking to move upmarket without breaking the bank, it’s a rare opportunity.

Pebblebee just revealed the Clip 5 and Card 5—a cute set of Bluetooth trackers with enhanced safety functionality and rechargeable batteries. They're almost perfect, and I'd probably buy them if not for the lack of UWB precision finding.

SAVE 28%: As of Nov. 7, the Segway Portable Power Station Cube 1000 is on sale for $359.99 at Amazon, down from its list price of $499.99. That's a 28% discount and $140 in savings.

Segway Portable Power Station Cube 1000 $359.99 at Amazon
$499.99 Save $140   Get Deal at Amazon

I'm always that person who forgets to charge their power banks before a big storm, and then I'm left rationing my laptop battery for 12 hours. I've been looking for a serious home backup station for exactly that reason (I live in a storm-prone area on the East Coast, so the power goes out pretty often), and this Segway deal is a really good one.

SEE ALSO: Target Black Friday ad: The best early deals you can buy online

As of Nov. 7, the Segway Portable Power Station Cube 1000 is on sale for $359.99 at Amazon, down from its list price of $499.99. That's a 28% discount and $140 in savings. According to CamelCamelCamel, our trusty third-party price tracker, this is an all-time low (which it just hit yesterday).

This portable cube uses a LiFePO4 battery, which is the standard you want for durability — it's rated for over 4,000 cycles. It has a 1024Wh capacity and a high 2200W output, more than enough to run heavy-duty appliances during an outage. But its best feature, full stop, is the recharge time: it can go from 0 to 100 percent in just 1.2 hours.

There are a couple of things to know, though. First, it's listed as a "solar generator" and "expandable." While this is true, the solar panels and the additional battery packs (to reach 5kWh) are sold separately. It's also a heavy-duty unit (36 pounds), so it’s better suited for home backup or car camping, not for hiking.

Still, for under $360, this is a solid price for a 1kWh LiFePO4 station. It's durable (IP56-rated ), has 12 total outlets, including two 100W USB-C ports, and offers serious peace of mind for power outages.

Blockbuster popcorn movies with high-caliber Hollywood acting talent are great, but sometimes nothing beats the jaw-dropping weirdness and compelling real-life stories that only a good documentary or docuseries can deliver. And lucky for us, Netflix has them in spades.

LibreOffice and other office suites are built around the Open Document Format, or ODF for short, which has a few important advantages over Microsoft Office files and other formats. That includes the ability to open your files years or decades after they were created, as the LibreOffice folks just pointed out.

Best early Black Friday Lego deals at Target: Best advent calendar deal Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar 2025 $26.99 (save $18) Get Deal Best holiday-themed Lego deal Lego Christmas Tree building set $26.99 (save $18) Get Deal Best Harry Potter lego deal Lego Harry Potter Ollivanders & Madam Malkin's Robes Harry Potter Toy Set $53.99 (save $36) Get Deal Best Lego Disney deal Lego Disney Encanto The Magical Madrigal House $76.79 (save $51.20) Get Deal

Whether you're looking for a creative way to kill some time this holiday season or a fun gift for practically anyone in your life (kid or adult), you really can't go wrong with a Lego set. We're big fans of Legos at Mashable and our shopping team is constantly sourcing the best deals on these building kits — because, let's face it, they're normally expensive as heck.

While checking out some of the best early Black Friday deals at Target, one of our shopping reporters spotted Lego deals that are truly some of the best we've seen this year. No need to way until Black Friday, these prices are already doorbuster-worthy at 40% off. But the deals are disappearing fast; most of the advent calendar and Star Wars deals are already sold out. In other words, if you're in the market for a Lego set for yourself or someone else, add these to your cart ASAP. The sale ends tomorrow, Nov. 8.

Note: if you see a deal that's sold out online, you can get the same deal at your local Target store if it's in stock.

Best Lego advent calendar deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar 2025 $26.99 at Target
$44.99 Save $18.00   Get Deal Why we like it

The Lego Star Wars advent calendar is the only Lego advent calendar deal still in stock online at Target. We expect this will also sell out soon, so jump on it as soon as you can. It features 24 galactic surprises for anyone 6 years old and up, including all the iconic Star Wars characters. Some are even dressed in holiday garb. Usually $44.99, it's down to just $26.99, which is easily the best price we've seen. It's currently chilling at the same price at Amazon, so if it sells out at Target, you have another option.

Best holiday themed Lego deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Christmas Tree building set $26.99 at Target
$44.99 Save $18.00   Get Deal Why we like it

We love Lego sets that double as decor — especially for the holidays. This Christmas tree building set includes nearly 800 pieces and can be built into one large tree or two smaller ones. Each tree features ornaments and candles, as well as a yellow star on top. The set usually goes for $44.99, but you can grab the early Black Friday deal for only $26.99 at Target. And unlike the advent calendar deal, the same price cannot be found at Amazon.

More Lego deals at Target

• Lego Star Wars Captain Rex Y-Wing Microfighter — $6.59 $10.99 (save $4.40)

• Lego Star Wars PloKoon's Jedi Starfighter Microfighter — $8.99 $14.99 (save $6)

• Lego Creator 3 in 1 Record Player with Flowers — $17.99 $29.99 (save $12)

• Lego Friends Hair Salon and Accessories Store — $21.59 $35.99 (save $14.40)

• Lego City Space Science Lab — $27.59 $45.99 (save $18.40)

• Lego Harry Potter Mandrake Magical Plant — $33.59 $55.99 (save $22.40)

• Lego Botanicals Evergreen Collector’s Set — $35.99 $59.99 (save $24)

• Lego Friends Beekeepers' House and Flower Garden — $43.19 $71.99 (save $28.80)

• Lego Ideas Family Tree Home Décor Building Set — $47.99 $79.99 (save $32)

• Lego City Modular Space Station — $52.79 $87.99 (save $35.20)

• Lego Harry Potter Ollivanders & Madam Malkin's Robes Harry Potter Toy Set — $53.99 $89.99 (save $36)

• Lego Icons Wreath-Making Kit and Holiday Garland — $59.99 $99.99 (save $40)

• Lego Icons Over the Moon with Pharrell Williams — $65.99 $109.99 (save $44)

• Lego Disney Encanto The Magical Madrigal House — $76.79 $127.99 (save $51.20)

Apple has fresh new software betas out for iPhones, iPads, and Mac devices, and you can try them now.

Earlier this week, Apple released developer betas for iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2. Now, there are public betas for both, per MacRumors. On top of that, the first developer (meaning technically not public yet) beta for macOS Tahoe 26.2 is also here, according to 9to5Mac. There's a lot to dig into here, in other words.

It doesn't seem like there are a huge number of amazing new features in these updates just yet, though Apple generally adds to these betas over time. Still, if you want to hop in and test them out, here's how to do that.

SEE ALSO: Apple is reportedly working on a Chromebook-style laptop, but we've heard that before How to download iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 public betas

First up are iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2, the two betas that are available in public form, meaning you don't need to sign up for a developer account to access them. That said, you do need to sign up for Apple's beta program on its website, which is simple enough to do with your Apple Account (formerly known as Apple ID).

Once you've done that, you should be able to download the beta by simply going to the Software Update portion of the Settings app on each device. If you're signed up for beta updates, it should be available for you to download. Easy, right?

Featured Video For You I spent a month with the iPhone Air, and my priorities have shifted How to download macOS Tahoe 26.2 developer beta

Things are slightly more complicated on the macOS side of things because that beta isn't available in public form yet. However, even regular folks can download it as long as they know what to do.

First, you need to enroll in the free version of Apple's developer program. You can register on Apple's website. Then you go to Apple's developer website, log in with your Apple Account, and enroll in the beta program. After you've done all of that, you can download the beta by following these steps:

1. Create a backup for your Mac

2. Go to Settings, then General, then Software Update

3. Click the "i" icon next to Beta Updates

4. Select "macOS Tahoe Developer Beta" from the drop-down menu

5. Select "Done"

You should be all set after that.

If you’re in your 30s, there’s a good chance you remember HitClips — those tiny, little plastic cassette-like devices that played snippets of popular “hit” songs by all the greats (Britney Spears, *NSYNC, Avril Lavigne, et cetera). You could “clip” them to your jeans and be coveted for your collection every time you switched classes. (What a time to be alive.)

Well, now, there’s Tiny Vinyl: teeny, tiny (as the name implies) records that, despite their four-inch size, are fully functional and can be played on traditional 33rpm turntables (Note: Tiny Vinyl might not be compatible with auto-stop or auto-return turntables). These miniature LPs hold exactly four minutes of audio per side: just enough for a single on each side (HitClips only gave us part of the song!).

The new Target-exclusive line includes holiday-themed Tiny Vinyls like "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and Frank Sinatra's "Jingle Bells / Silent Night." Credit: Tiny Vinyl | Nathan Zucker

You can buy Tiny Vinyls online, and as the website states, “wherever the artists choose to sell them.” Target also just launched a special “Target-exclusive” line featuring artists like Chappell Roan (Pink Pony Club is obvs on one side), Ariana Grande, Rihanna, The Rolling Stones, Mötley Crüe, and more. Since these are “Target exclusives,” you won’t be able to buy them anywhere else.

Each Tiny Vinyl has a unique “TV number” on its package. It’ll look something like “TV#0000.” This tells you which Tiny Vinyl printing run it came from. (Could be a collector’s item in the future!) And because these little LPs are so small, they’re actually more environmentally-friendly. According to the Tiny Vinyl site, these records weigh 15 grams each (a standard LP weighs 140g) and are made of 100 percent bio-attributed vinyl.

You could soon be able to use WhatsApp to message people who use other messaging platforms — but there's a catch. And a big catch, at that.

Tech-site Android Police (via WABetaInfo) reported on Thursday that WhatsApp is beta-testing support for third-party messaging apps, but that it would eventually roll out to limited regions only.

SEE ALSO: WhatsApp's AI can now turn your messages into awkward dad jokes

The site noted that the reason behind the impending shift was because of the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA), which often requires tech companies to follow stricter rules to operate on the continent. The DMA is the same law that led to tech giants Apple and Meta facing hundreds of millions of dollars in fines earlier this year.

WhatsApp's cross-platform messaging is reportedly still quite limited, with the beta supporting only BirdyChat at the moment. But, eventually, folks in Europe could potentially message whomever via WhatsApp. As for the rest of us? We're stuck in the past, at least for the time being.

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