IT General

On Nov. 4, Zohran Mamdani won the New York City mayoral election, with campaign promises like a rent freeze and fast and free buses. He gave hope to New Yorkers across the city — as well as inadvertently giving hope to daters.

Mamdani met his wife, animator and illustrator Rama Duwaji, on Hinge in 2021, and they married in February. (Hinge doesn't typically comment on public figures' personal relationships, the app told Mashable.) In the days since Mamdani's win, some have taken to social media to share their hope to find their future partner in a similar fashion. Others, though, are lamenting that they haven't found their own leftist, smiling mayoral winner, and likely won't, because the app "isn't the same" as it was four years ago.

SEE ALSO: As Tinder struggles to attract paid users, one dating app is gaining popularity

"This can't be the same Hinge Zohran met his wife on," X user @dfarecs posted last week.

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The feeling is shared on TikTok, with videos and comments flooding the app proclaiming that there's no way Mamdani and his wife "met on the same Hinge app I'm using," and that "Hinge was peak 2021-2023 it fell off." 

But the shared feeling that the apps are decaying isn't new. In response to @dfarecs's post, a 2023 video from comedian Keara Sullivan about this began recirculating on X. "If you're someone who met their partner off a dating app at any point in the last year-and-a-half, two years, just know that you caught the last chopper out of [Vietnam]," she said. 

Sullivan wasn't talking about Hinge specifically, but rather apps in general. But she insisted that singles were "in the trenches," and that she didn't know what changed in the last year, but friends of all genders weren't having luck on these platforms. 

That video, with 4.5 million views, is two years old, but the sentiment has only seemed to permeate popular opinion since then. Dating apps boomed in 2020 thanks to worldwide lockdowns, but in the five years since, the experience of using them — just like the experience of being online generally — has shifted, and many say for the worse.

Tinder and Hinge both launched in 2012 (and their parent company, Match Group, merged with Tinder in 2017 and acquired Hinge in 2018). Over a decade on, the apps have lost their novelty with daters. In a Mashable story earlier this year about whether AI features are good for dating apps, sexologist, sociologist, and relationship expert Dr. Jennifer Gunsaullus broke down several reasons for this:

• Swipe fatigue: a buzzphrase, but daters do really feel this. "Dating" with your thumb, scrolling through profile after profile, can get exhausting — especially when you're not seeing results. 

• The paradox of choice: With an abundance of potential matches, it becomes hard to pick just one.

• Superficial snap judgments: Deciding whether to go on a date with someone based on a few photos and a bio, maybe some prompt responses.

• Bad behavior like ghosting.

Trust in these apps has also declined. Daters who have been on apps for years have seen features they used to enjoy for free now paywalled, and other features that were once unique to one app are now globbed onto others.

This distrust has translated into lawsuits and government action. Last year, a class-action lawsuit against Match Group (that's since gone to arbitration) claimed that the apps are "addictive" and "predatory," prioritizing making money over matches. In September, two senators wrote a letter to Match's CEO compelling the company to take action against romance scams.

Hinge itself recognizes the evolving needs of daters and the challenges they face, and gathers feedback from daters and community partners to better understand. Those insights inspire new features. This year, for example, Hinge launched AI-driven prompt feedback and new prompts created in collaboration with psychotherapist Esther Perel, driven by user frustration about profiles sounding the same and blending together. And in response to lack of responsiveness and conversations fizzling — another big dating app gripe — Hinge introduced a cap on unanswered messages.

SEE ALSO: The best sexting apps for discreet NSFW chats

Still, there are reasons beyond the platforms themselves that contribute to the malaise of dating. Young women are increasingly liberal, while young men are increasingly conservative, which could make finding someone who shares the same values difficult. The job market is poor, and the increasing cost of living has impacted how people date; they may not want to settle down in a state of financial insecurity. 

Meanwhile, the rise of AI has led to people using chatbots to date for them — if not choosing to date a chatbot full-stop. And as some people fall for LLMs, others want to remove tech from dating entirely and meet someone in person. 

Tinder has taken a financial hit as of late, perhaps due to these mounting issues. Its direct revenue is down 3 percent year-over-year, and its paying users are down 7 percent year-over-year, according to Match's quarter three earnings report. Bumble shared a similar story in its third-quarter earnings: total revenue is down 10 percent year over year, and total paying users 16 percent in the same time frame.

Ironically, Hinge is soaring financially. Its direct revenue increased 27 percent, and paying users increased 17 percent, both year-over-year. So despite social media's complaints, people are still looking for love on that app. Whether they'll find a future mayor to marry, however, is uncertain.

We're only a few months away from The Pitt's Season 2 premiere in January 2026, so there's no better time than now to watch (or rewatch) the Emmy-winning drama.

SEE ALSO: 'The Pitt' review: Noah Wyle medical drama is part 'ER,' part '24,' and all compelling

The series takes viewers inside one 15-hour-long shift in a Pittsburgh emergency department, where an ensemble of healthcare workers, led by Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch (Noah Wyle), work hard to provide care for their patients. Their day plays out in real time, with each episode representing one hour of the shift. The result is a gripping window into the ailing American healthcare system, tackling sensitive topics like abortion and gun violence, and also featuring deeply realistic depictions of medical procedures. The Pitt became a smash hit on HBO Max and went on to win Emmys for Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (Wyle), and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Katherina LaNasa).

And now, if you don't have an HBO Max subscription, you're in luck! This December, there's a new way to get in on The Pitt action,

Starting Dec. 1, The Pitt will be airing Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on TNT. The episodes will air in batches of three back-to-back episodes, ending with the final batch on Monday, Dec. 29. According to a press release from TNT, the network will be broadcasting The Pitt as it aired on HBO Max, meaning none of the show's more graphic medical imagery or nudity will be removed.

You can watch The Pitt on TNT with basic cable. You can also watch TNT through a variety of live TV streaming services, including Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, and YouTube TV.

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The Pitt is now streaming on HBO Max.

RAM is certainly one of the least sexy components in your computer, but if you don't have enough of it, or if it isn't fast enough, it will hold back every other component in your computer. Every computer of any kind needs RAM, so when the price of memory suddenly shoots up, it's going to affect more than the price of gaming desktops, and right now RAM prices are skyrocketing.

This summer, TV audiences went wild for The Summer I Turned Pretty. The third and final season of the popular teen drama had everyone asking, "Are you Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah?"

But once Belly (Lola Tung) made her final decision between the two Fisher brothers (Christopher Briney and Gavin Casalegno), the main question on every fan's minds switched to "What in the world do we watch now?" (Besides the upcoming movie, of course.)

SEE ALSO: Why Conrad from 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' is the internet’s ultimate summer crush

The answer, it seems, is another Prime Video teen drama: the German-language series Maxton Hall — The World Between Us. The first three episodes of Maxton Hall Season 2 dropped Nov. 7. Since then, the show has topped Prime Video's streaming charts, unseating The Summer I Turned Pretty as the streamer's current-trending teen romance. As of writing this, it's the #2 title on Prime Video, behind Tyler Perry's new movie Finding Joy, and the #1 TV series.

Based on the book series by Mona Kasten, Maxton Hall transports audiences to its titular boarding school, a majestic castle with an exorbitantly wealthy student body. Enter Ruby Bell (Harriet Herbig-Matten), a scholarship student determined to use Maxton Hall as a stepping stone to Oxford University, even as her classmates spend their days partying and reveling in their families' vast fortunes.

When Ruby uncovers a scandal at Maxton Hall, she finds herself in close contact with James Beaufort (Damian Hardung). He's the ultra-privileged heir of the Beaufort family, yet Ruby soon learns there are hidden depths to him. This being a teen romance, it's not long before the two fall in love, even as those around them try to pull them apart.

Maxton Hall doesn't have the brotherly love triangle shenanigans of The Summer I Turned Pretty. (For more of that, I'd suggest Netflix's My Life with the Walter Boys.) However, there are enough similarities between the two to suggest that Maxton Hall will be filling the void The Summer I Turned Pretty's finale left behind.

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For starters, Ruby and James' enemies-to-lovers arc recalls the more contentious dynamic between Belly and Conrad in The Summer I Turned Pretty's first season. (Minus the childhood pining, that is.) In Season 2, James' struggles with his mental health and grief also mirror Conrad's own internal journey, especially as the pair both suffer an intense familial loss.

However, as James spirals following this loss, he makes a much more Jeremiah-like move. Remember Jeremiah's infamous trip to Cabo, where he cheated on Belly? (Honestly, who could forget, aside from Belly when she decides to get engaged to him anyway? But I digress.) Well, James doesn't even need the distance of a spring break trip to cheat on Ruby, doing so right in front of her in the Season 2 premiere! Since then, he's been taking steps to make it up to her, but the angst is still piping hot.

The angst of it all is enough to keep viewers pouring back into Maxton Hall week after week, yearning to know what's next for Ruby and James. But like any teen drama, Maxton Hall explores its characters' ambitions and challenges beyond their main romance, from Ruby's university dreams and James' grief to the classism of the institution where they met. That's a lot for teen drama fans to sink their teeth into, and it means that while The Summer I Turned Pretty summer is fully over, you can always get into Maxton Hall fall.

Maxton Hall — The World Between Us Season 2 is now streaming on Prime Video, with new episodes every Friday.

When you think of muscle cars, images of a Chevy Chevelle SS or Dodge Charger R/T probably pop into your head. Muscle cars were born in the U.S., but naming the first true muscle car... That debate can get heated—some swear by the 1949 Oldsmobile 88, others the 1964 Pontiac GTO, and a few niche fans champion the 1955 Chrysler C-300.

Mophie has officially launched its newest lineup of Juice Pack battery cases for the iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. These new cases give you a longer battery life and stronger protection, but they sacrifice that thin appeal Apple is always going for.

What are you going to watch on Netflix this week? Sure, you could open the app and scroll through the homepage, but I bet you'll end up paralyzed by choice. That's why you should keep reading, as I've rounded up four movies that are genuinely good.

If you've ever had to rent a car, you're probably familiar with some of the big car rental companies out there: Hertz, Enterprise, Budget, and…Tesla?

Tesla is now getting into the car rental business, according to a new report from EV news outlet Electrek.

The company is renting out vehicles in at least two locations in Southern California, one in San Diego and one in Costa Mesa. However, Tesla is reportedly planning to expand its rent-a-car service to even more locations across the country.

Elon Musk's EV car company is offering rentals starting at $60 per day, with a minimum rental of three days and a maximum rental of seven days. The price also depends on which model of Tesla you're looking to rent. Tesla is including free car charging at Supercharging locations and supervised Full Self-Driving at not cost with the rental.

If a customer falls in love with their Tesla rental and decides to buy a vehicle, they will receive a $250 credit if a purchase is made within one week of the rental.

Tesla is hoping to accomplish a few things with this rental car program. For one, those freebies and purchasing incentives are clearly an attempt to get people behind the wheel of a Tesla in hopes that they end up purchasing a vehicle. 

In addition to that, Tesla's sales have struggled over the past year, largely thanks to a combination of factors like general EV demand and Musk's connection to the Trump administration. Tesla is also now dealing with the expiration of the federal tax credit for EV purchases, which will likely put a further dent in their sales numbers.

However, as Electrek points out, companies like Hertz have seemingly been getting out of the Tesla rental business. The rental company has been selling their fleet of vehicles as resale values for Teslas have plummeted. With those previously mentioned factors still in play, Tesla may also see an opening for the company to ditch the middlemen in the rental car business, and just open up a revenue stream by offering rentals itself. 

I’d estimate that it took me a whole day’s worth of effort to set up my smart home as it currently stands, from adding plugs and light bulbs to designing a layout and building the automations I depend on every day. Thankfully, I never have to worry about doing that again because I have a backup, and so should you.

Ever since Windows 11 was launched, it has just done one annual major update, which is usually released by the tail end of the year. Next year, though, it looks like we'll be getting an extra update, though only for some computers.

UPDATE Monday, 2:51 p.m. ET: Slack's problems on Monday appear to be resolving. User-reported issues on Downdetector had fallen precipitously from their earlier peak.

Slack's status page indicates that it has identified and begun fixing the issue. "Our work on this issue is still ongoing, and our health metrics continue to indicate improvement," reads its most recent update.

Thousands of people reported errors connecting to Slack around 1 p.m. ET on Monday, Nov. 10. Slack is a popular message platform in the corporate world, and the outage caused big problems for users starting their workweek.

Like many news outlets, Mashable reporters use Slack to communicate, and multiple members of the Mashable team reported receiving errors when trying to send new messages on Monday.

User error reports for Slack spiked on Monday afternoon on the platform Downdetector, with more than 15,000 incidents reported in just minutes. The initial spike started around 12:56 p.m. ET. (Disclosure: Downdetector and Mashable are both owned by the company Ziff Davis.)

SEE ALSO: Is Slack down? User errors point to outage at the messaging app.

According to a Slack status page, the company was investigating a "new incident."

At 1:26 p.m. ET, the company posted the following message: "Some users may have trouble connecting to or loading Slack. We'll provide an update within 30 minutes, including further details on current actions being taken."

As of this writing, Mashable reporters are able to connect to Slack, suggesting the outage may already be over for many users.

This is a developing story, and we'll provide updates as new information becomes available.

Gemini for TV is officially starting to roll out to Google TV Streamer devices, which is a major upgrade from Google Assistant. This is great news, especially because it's frustrating to ask the old Assistant complex questions.

For decades, Lexus has been the benchmark for combining luxury with reliability, but a new contender from Korea is challenging that reputation. This sleek sports sedan doesn’t just match its Japanese rival in dependability; it brings a dynamic edge and everyday usability that make it a genuine standout in its class.

Funko, the company behind the ubiquitous collectibles that defined mid-2010s geek fandom, is facing serious financial trouble, according to its latest SEC filings.

In documents filed on Nov. 6, Funko raised "substantial doubt" about its ability to continue operating over the next 12 months. The report, which covers the third quarter ending Sept. 30, reveals mounting debt that the company attributes to a “challenging retail environment” — fallout from U.S. tariffs on imports from many countries.

SEE ALSO: People with disabilities are 'eating the cost' of tariffs

While Funko has secured some loan relief, it remains uncertain whether it can meet the conditions of its loan agreements. To stay afloat, the company may need to raise additional capital, renegotiate its loans, or risk default.

Even with global and domestic sales dropping 14.3 percent and 20.1 percent year-over-year for the third quarter, there are a few bright spots. Funko reports strong sales for its Bitty POP! line, plans to expand its blind box offerings, and is set to be one of the few companies selling KPop Demon Hunters merchandise this holiday season.

Still, the broader picture looks grim. Many of Funko’s struggles in the filing are attributed to the ongoing U.S. tariffs — now being challenged before the Supreme Court — that have strained retailers. With stores scaling back or outright canceling restocks amid a weakening economy, Funko’s future remains uncertain.

Apple is rumored to be removing the Dynamic Island cutout, replacing it with an under-display camera. In other words, Apple might be going with a clean, all-screen look for its display.

Apple-focused tech site MacRumors reported on Monday that rumors suggest the 20th anniversary iPhone in 2027 could conceal the front-facing camera and have no visible cutouts on the screen. It's worth noting that these rumors come from anonymous leakers, so there remains reason to be skeptical. And it's a long time until 2027, so plans could always change.

SEE ALSO: The 20th anniversary iPhone model could have an 'all-screen' design

But this is not the first time we've heard this rumor. There were reports back in May that the 20th anniversary iPhone could have an all-screen display. The iPhone certainly wouldn't be the first phone to cram tech under the display, but it would mark a major change in how the devices would appear and operate.

By 2027, the iPhone could have a totally new look.

SAVE $37: A like-new Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (16GB) is on sale for $106.99, down from the list price of $143.99. That's a 26% discount that matches the lowest we've ever seen at Amazon.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Like-new Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (16GB) $106.99 at Amazon
$143.99 Save $37.00   Get Deal

Black Friday is coming up, which means the holiday rush is truly about to begin. If you prefer to shop early and then ignore the chaos, maybe you also want some quiet reading time. If you've been eyeing upgrading to a Kindle but haven't made the move yet, now might be a great time thanks to this deal.

As of Nov. 10, a like-new Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (16GB) is on sale at Amazon for $106.99, marked down from the usual price of $143.99. That's a 26% discount that shaves $37 off the price. It also matches the record-low on the refurbished model.

Tested by Amazon to be fully-functional with updated software, snagging a refurbished Kindle is a great way to get into e-books for less. Today's refurb deal applies to the latest Kindle Paperwhite model with 16GB of storage — enough space for thousands of downloaded books.

SEE ALSO: Kobo is getting a cool new accessory — a remote for your e-reader (updated)

Aside from the stunning Paperwhite display, which is one aspect that makes it Mashable's favorite Kindle, it has a wildly impressive battery of up to 12 weeks. That means you can possibly go three months before needing to recharge your e-reader.

It's a travel-worthy device, too. It's lightweight and compact and it's water resistant. That means you can invite it along to a pool-side vacation and not worry about damage. Plus, the Paperwhite is great for reading in full sunlight thanks to the glare-free display.

This refurbished Kindle Paperwhite comes with the same warranty as a new model, and Amazon tests each Kindle to be in like-new condition. The only major difference will be the savings.

While it's back at $106.99, a price that matches the record-low, upgrade your winter reading session with the Kindle Paperwhite. It's worthy of reading on the couch, in bed, during a bath, and it's perfect for upcoming holiday travel.

Focus apps are a dime a dozen, but once in a while, an app stands out from the crowd. One of them is Focus Friend by Hank Green, which is an incredibly cute and fun app that uses something you would never expect to motivate you: a bean.

Phishing scams have evolved well beyond the old “payment failure” or “delivery issue” emails. Scammers now use far more sophisticated tactics—spoofing legitimate email addresses, creating fake QR codes, and even posting fake job listings. Here are some of the latest tricks they use to deceive people.

Nintendo is typically very good at keeping things under wraps and preventing leaks, but that might be harder to do now that it's making billion-dollar Hollywood movies.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie releases in April 2026, but aside from a quick teaser trailer, we haven't seen much of it yet. It's not a surprise that the sequel to 2023's The Super Mario Bros. Movie would feature Yoshi, Mario's green dinosaur friend, as it was teased in a post-credits scene in the first movie.

However, a box for a Pillsbury product promoting the movie (sugar cookies resembling Yoshi eggs) appeared on the Tops Market website. On that box, you can see what seems to be Yoshi’s appearance in the film, though it hasn’t been officially revealed yet through a trailer or other promotional material.

SEE ALSO: Nintendo is about to retire the OG Switch This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

As you can see, Yoshi’s design here closely resembles his look from the modern Mario games. The main clue that this is connected to the new movie is the Mario flying behind Yoshi on the box — it’s clearly Chris Pratt's animated version of the character. That, and the fact that the product is heavily Galaxy-themed, which would be odd unless it were tied to the upcoming film based on the 2007 game. As a bonus, there’s even a small Bowser Jr. tease on the back of the box.

Now I kinda want to try those cookies.

Cashback is a staple feature of rewards credit cards, but it's something we don't see too often on debit cards—banks want you to get credit cards with them, so they're not going to put amazing rewards programs on their run-of-the-mill debit cards. Venmo's latest rewards program for its debit card might actually be better than your credit card's, though.