IT General
11 Neat Firefox Features You Probably Forget to Use
Firefox has some neat features that you not have noticed because this browser does more than people give it credit for. Here are a few I always find useful.
Fubo Takes on Sling TV With a New Sports Bundle
If you're a die-hard sports fan looking for ways to stream all your favorite teams, Fubo TV announced a new "skinny" sports package worth considering. At $56 per month, I don't know if skinny is the right word, but it's packed with all the essential channels you'll need for the NFL, NCAAF, and countless other sports as we head into football season.
Tesla sales continue to decline in Europe even as EV competitors flourish
Forty percent. That's how much Tesla's European sales declined in July compared to the year before.
The European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA), the lobbying group for the automobile industry in the EU, released new data on Thursday showing that Tesla, led by Elon Musk, is continuing to face a steep decline in sales.
In total, just 8,837 Tesla vehicles were registered across Europe in July 2025. That figure includes the European Union, as well as the United Kingdom, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.
Furthermore, Tesla's drop in sales is not the result of a broader decline across the larger EV market either. In fact, sales of electric vehicles as a whole actually went up in the EU. For example, Tesla's biggest Chinese rival BYD saw 13,503 new vehicle registrations in July. That's a monthly surge of 225 percent compared to the year before, as CNBC reported.
This also marks Tesla's seventh month in a row of declining sales.
Tesla has also seen declining sales in the United States so far in 2025, though the impending end of the EV tax credit has given EV makers a temporary boost over the summer.
No end in sight for Tesla's woesTesla's sales issues began shortly Musk's involvement in the President Donald Trump administration and its Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk has also been involved in other costly controversies, including his support for a far-right party in Germany.
In fact, in the month after Musk supported the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, Tesla recorded fewer than 900 sales in Germany — a nearly 50 percent drop.
In July, amid declining sales, Tesla also stopped allowing EU customers to configure and order some of its car models, such as the Model S and X. And, in the U.S., Tesla owners have flooded the market with used Tesla vehicles.
Under increasing pressure, Musk announced in May that he was stepping away from his role with the Trump administration, but Tesla's sales problems have continued.
On top of that, the president's Big Beautiful Bill will see the end of a vital source of Tesla's revenue: Carbon credits.
Over the past decade, these regulatory credits have accounted for a whopping $11.8 billion in revenue for Tesla.
Finally, the federal EV tax credit will expire on Sept. 30, which will immediately make electric vehicles more expensive for U.S. shoppers.
Typepad Blogs Are Shutting Down After 22 Years
Typepad is a name you probably haven't heard in a very, very long time, but it was surprisingly still alive—it wasn't exactly kicking, but it was alive by most definitions of the word. Now, though, it's getting the cord pulled after years of being essentially in life support.
Why I Love IntelliJ for Coding Java
If you’ve spent any time coding in Java, you know the IDE you choose can make or break your workflow. Over the years, I’ve tried just about every major Java IDE and editor out there. They all have their strengths, but for me, one stands head and shoulders above the rest. It's IntelliJ IDEA.
Tracfone's First Unlimited Plan Is a Great Deal
Tracfone Wireless, one of Verizon’s prepaid mobile networks, just revealed its first unlimited data plan. The new ‘Tracfone Freedom’ option is a compelling option for affordable 5G service, but you should still check out the competition.
KPop Demon Hunters 2? Netflix and Sony are in talks for a sequel to the animated musical hit
KPop Demon Hunters fans, rejoice. The surprise musical hit with the addictive soundtrack might be getting a sequel.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sony Pictures and Netflix are discussing a follow-up to the animated film that features a K-pop trio called HUNTR/X battling demons, including the alluring boy band, the Saja Boys.
The KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack, which features K-pop bops like "Golden," "Your Idol," and "Soda Pop," has also become massively popular, beating out Wicked to become the highest-charting soundtrack of 2025. "Golden" currently has over 430 million plays on Spotify. As of this week, KPop Demon Hunters became the most-watched Netflix original movie ever, with a total of 236 million views since its June 20 release.
Fueled by the fandom, the streaming service offered the theatrical release of KPop Demon Hunters: A Sing-Along Event in 1,000 theaters across North America, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. The two-day event quickly sold out, making it the unofficial box office winner that weekend.
SEE ALSO: 5 takeaways from 'KPop Demon Hunters' sing-along experienceStudios increasingly rely on movies based on preexisting intellectual property (IP), churning out sequels, prequels, and spinoffs of familiar franchises as safe bets for return on their investments through ticket sales and merchandise. The success of KPop Demon Hunters came as a surprise to many, since it's an original story, without any major stars or previous IP with a built-in fanbase to rely on.
But true K-pop fans like Mashable culture editor Crystal Bell anticipated this fandom has the power to create a phenomenon when done right. Bell interviewed the Demon Hunters team to deconstruct how they crafted hit K-pop songs while telling a cohesive narrative. It's worth a read to see how they pulled it off.
Meanwhile, it's up to Netflix and Sony to negotiate some kind of agreement for a sequel. Sony struck a deal with Netflix in 2021, early on in the pandemic when box office sales were down, to distribute Demon Hunters and other films on the streaming platform. Sony gets a cut of the soundtrack sales, but Netflix owns the merchandise, THR explained. Here's hoping they can work something out.
Get 35% off This 360Hz Alienware Monitor
Right now, you can get the amazing Alienware OLED Gaming Monitor for a huge 35% off its usual price. This brings the cost down to just $586.15 on Amazon from its original $899.99. This monitor's discount stands out thanks to Alienware's fast 360Hz refresh rate.
Touchdown deal: Score a giant 100-inch Hisense TV at Amazon for $3,500 off
SAVE $3,500: As of Aug. 28, get the 100-inch Hisense Class U8 Mini-LED TV at Amazon for $3,499.99, down from its usual price of $6,999.99. That's a discount of 50% and the lowest price we've seen.
Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon 100-inch Hisense Class U8 Mini-LED TV $3,499.99 at Amazon$6,999.99 Save $3,500 Get Deal
Getting ready for the big games this football season? Or maybe you just want to install a bigger TV so you and your family can enjoy your favorite TV shows and movies at home. You can score some big savings on a massive Hisense TV right now, thanks to a deal at Amazon that brings it down to the lowest price we've seen.
As of Aug. 28, get the 100-inch Hisense Class U8 Mini-LED TV at Amazon for $3,499.99, down from its usual price of $6,999.99. That's a 50% discount.
SEE ALSO: Samsung's 55-Inch QLED Q8F 4K TV is down to its best-ever price at AmazonThis is a mammoth TV that you'll definitely have to make some room for. It's one of the most affordable that you'll find in this size range, too. It has a QLED display with up to 5,000 nits of brightness as well as an anti-reflection coating to cut down on glare. It also has a 165Hz refresh rate, which makes it a great candidate for gaming, and built-in Google TV to make sure you can access all your favorite apps and content.
It's a giant TV, so you'll want to make sure you have somewhere sturdy to mount it or somewhere that can withstand its 140-pound weight; it's not exactly light. But its relatively slim profile makes it easier to deal with than other TVs in higher price brackets.
If you're ready to upgrade to what may be your biggest (and best) TV yet, don't miss this massive price cut.
I Canceled Spotify and Made My Own Streaming Service
I’ve been using Spotify since the very beginning. Literally—I still have the invite email from 2011. For the most part, I’ve truly enjoyed the service. But it’s time to break up.
Grab the immersive ASUS ROG Swift gaming monitor at Amazon for its lowest price yet
SAVE $331.96: As of Aug. 28, get the ASUS ROG Swift gaming monitor for $967.04 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $1,299. That's the lowest price we've seen.
Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon ASUS ROG Swift gaming monitor $967.04 at Amazon$1,299 Save $331.96 Get Deal
If you're looking to get your game on with all the new releases this fall, you'll want a setup that can handle it. That includes a great gaming monitor that can make your games look absolutely eye-popping with bright colors, satisfying visuals, and swift response time. Now's the time to grab a high-quality ASUS ROG gaming monitor from Amazon at its lowest price ever.
As of Aug. 28, get the ASUS ROG Swift gaming monitor at Amazon for $967.04, down from its usual price of $1,299. That's $331.96 off for a discount of 26%. It's also the lowest price we've seen.
SEE ALSO: The best monitors in 2025This 32-inch gaming monitor is a 4K OLED beast with a 3840 x 2160 resolution, 240Hz, 0.03ms response time, and G-SYNC compatibility. It's extremely bright with an optional uniform brightness setting with consistent brightness levels, as well as options that you can adjust with the click of a button. It'll make your games, TV shows, and movies look fantastic and add some realism that you'll appreciate.
It has a custom heatsink and advanced airflow design, as well as graphene film to better manage your heat to help keep you from dealing with issues like burn-in. So if you have long gaming sessions, you don't have to worry about long-term problems with your display.
If you're ready to give your setup a significant upgrade, this is the monitor that you should keep an eye on, especially at its lowest price. With the holiday coming up, it's an especially great pick.
Disney sues Sling TV over new short-term TV passes
Sling TV's new short-term bundles allow people to watch TV for cheap. And now Disney, a company that owns a bunch of TV channels, is suing them, arguing that the plans violate their licensing agreement.
According to Deadline, Disney filed a lawsuit against Sling TV over its new "Day Pass" system which lets users pay as little as $4.99 for 24 hours of access to a selection of live TV channels, or a little more money for a weekend or even a full week of access. One of those channels is ESPN, a valuable Disney property.
According to Disney, these new tiny bundles violate the existing carriage agreement the company had with Sling.
“Sling TV’s new offerings, which they made available without our knowledge or consent, violate the terms of our existing license agreement,” Disney told Deadline. “We have asked the court to require [Sling parent company] Dish to comply with our deal when it distributes our programming.”
SEE ALSO: ‘A bottomless pit of plagiarism’: Disney takes on Midjourney in scathing new suitDisney claimed in the suit that Sling never consulted Disney before offering these passes. The concept is, admittedly, very different from how cable or cable-alternative options usually work; simply paying $5 so you can watch one football game, for example, is kind of a game-changer. It's also worth noting that college football, which largely airs on Disney networks, starts in earnest this weekend.
Sling also told Deadline that it stands behind the decision to launch the passes and plans on defending itself. My advice for anyone interested in these day passes would be to use 'em while you still can.
Warning: AI-powered ransomware is real and in the wild
As if there weren't enough privacy concerns in the world, AI ransomware is now reportedly a thing.
Cybersecurity firm ESET said that it discovered the first-ever AI-powered ransomware, which it has dubbed PromptLock. "The PromptLock malware uses the gpt-oss:20b model from OpenAI locally via the Ollama API to generate malicious Lua scripts on the fly, which it then executes," the company wrote.
The ransomware, according to ESET, runs locally on devices via an API, meaning OpenAI cannot detect and alert that ransomware is operating. The AI-powered ransomware can generate scripts that perform functions on the devices while evading defensive tools because the AI-generated results are different each time.
SEE ALSO: Hackers have figured out a new way to steal Microsoft logins"Based on the detected user files, the malware may exfiltrate data, encrypt it, or potentially destroy it," ESET wrote.
So in the vast world of privacy concerns and cybersecurity issues, now you need to be worried about AI-powered ransomware stealing your information. As if the hacks of major insurance providers and court data, or the potential exposure of your social security info wasn't enough, now we have that. As always, be careful out there.
Emma Stone rocks out to Chappell Roan in Bugonia trailer
Chappell Roan's music is everywhere, from presidential campaigns, to Marshalls ads, to trailers for movies like M3GAN 2.0 and now Bugonia.
Sure, some of these marketing folks are chasing a hot beat and a catchy chorus. But when it comes to the latest from Yorgos Lanthimos, the visionary behind such twisted films as The Lobster, The Favourite, Poor Things, and Kinds of Kindness, the subversion of Roan's lyrics take on a deeper meaning.
Scripted by Will Tracy (The Menu), Bugonia reteams Lanthimos and Stone, with the latter playing a no-nonsense, high-powered CEO who is enjoying some sing-along time to "Good Luck, Babe" in her luxury vehicle — before being confronted by some clumsy but determined kidnappers.
Jesse Plemons co-stars as the lead kidnapper, a conspiracy theorist who believes Stone's businesswoman is secretly an alien from another planet, hellbent on invasion. She might be a captive, but she's not scared, declaring calmly, "There is no possible scenario where you benefit from this incident."
Let the battle of wills begin.
Save $100 on the Apple iPad Mini — our favorite tablet for reading
SAVE $100: As of Aug. 28, shop the Apple iPad Mini for just $399. That's $100 off of its standard $499 price tag for 20% savings.
Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple iPad Min (A17 Pro, 128GB, WiFi) $399 at Amazon$499 Save $100 Get Deal
Most tablets these days come with 11-inch screens. And that's not to say we're complaining — it's the happy medium that's not as big as a laptop but still provides a plentiful viewing area for streaming. But if you want to use your tablet to read, that 11-inch size is going to cause a lot of wrist strain; it can just feel too big. Enter the iPad Mini.
As of Aug. 28, get the Apple iPad Mini with A17 chip and 128GB of storage for just $399. That saves $100 off of its $499 price tag for 20% in savings. Get it now at Amazon.
SEE ALSO: The 11-inch iPad Air is back down to its lowest price everIf you're interested in an e-reader but want a device that can do a bit more, Apple's iPad Mini strikes the right balance of size and ability. With a Liquid Retina display it streams in gorgeous vivid colors, but at 8.3 inches, it's not too big if you're holding it up for hours at a time.
It's our favorite tablet alternative to an e-reader, as you're able to access the Kindle Store and Libby apps. We have heard some complaints that the iPad Mini's screen has a bit of glare; if that's the case, we recommend grabbing a screen cover that provides a matte look.
The New York Times Mini Crossword is no longer free (sob), but you can get a year of NYT Games for $18
SAVE $32: An annual subscription to New York Times Games is on sale for $18, down from the standard price of $50 per year. That's a 64% discount.
Opens in a new window Credit: New York Times Games Annual subscription to New York Times Games $18 at The New York Times$50 Save $32 Get Deal
As if we need more bad news in 2025, The New York Times has taken away one of life's simple joys — the daily Mini crossword puzzle is no longer free to play. Wonderful. Terrific. This is totally fine and we're all thriving (deep breath). The internet rightfully thinks this is a terrible change to our morning routine. The Mini crossword now joins everything else that requires a subscription. While the loss of a free daily game is sad, there's a semi-bright light if you want to pay to play.
As of Aug. 28, an annual subscription to New York Times Games is on sale for $18, marked down from the usual price of $50. That's a 64% discount that takes $32 off the annual price.
Not to belittle the annoyance of the Mini now coming with a price, but once we consider the enjoyment to cost ratio, this annual subscription isn't the worst deal on the Internet. At $18 for one year of games, that works out to $1.50 per month, or just five cents per day on a month with 30 days. If you truly get joy from the daily Mini, maybe it's worth gifting yourself this deal?
SEE ALSO: Apple TV+ just got more expensive. Again.The New York Times Games subscription gives you access to every daily game, including the Mini, the full-size New York Times Daily crossword, Wordle, Connections, Tiles, Strands, Sudoku, and more. Some of these are currently free to play, but there's no telling when they'll meet the fate of the beloved Mini and turn into a paid-access game.
The New York Times Games subscription also lets you head into the games archives and play over 10,000 old games. The archive includes Daily puzzles that date as far back as 1993 and Minis that go back to 2014. You can also keep tabs on your performance, comparing your Mini times to how you did yesterday or last month. With the subscription, you can play New York Times Games via the Games app on your phone or via an Internet browser.
No one asked for this in 2025, but hey, five cents per day isn't too much to pay for joy considering the price of...everything these days.
Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Mini Crossword.
Microsoft Copilot is coming to Samsung TVs and monitors
Samsung users can now talk to Copilot on their TVs.
Microsoft teamed up with Samsung to bring Copilot to select TVs and monitors for discovering what to watch and more. Copilot is now available as a voice assistant app on Samsung's 2025 lineup of TVs and monitors. For TVs that includes Micro RGB, Neo QLED, OLED, The Frame Pro and for monitors, the M7, M8, and M9 models.
SEE ALSO: What is a Copilot+ PC? Everything to know about these AI laptops.When you click on the Copilot app, you'll see an animated blob that you can talk to when you activate the microphone on your Samsung remote. Microsoft lists a few different examples of how you can use Copilot for finding shows and movies to watch, with visuals of title cards and details.
You can get hyper-specific, like asking Copilot to find cooking shows under two hours, spoiler-free recaps of what you've watched up to the latest episode, or challenge Copilot to find something that all the viewers can agree on. For instance, maybe your group wants to watch something like a rom-com with sci-fi and thriller elements. You could ask Copilot to recommend some options that check all those boxes. (perhaps Her or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind?) Microsoft says you can also ask Copilot for IMDB-esque deep-dives on actors or directors or just ask Copilot general questions like the weather forecast or... to cheer you up after a breakup. Although, if you're asking your TV for emotional support, it might be time to touch grass or check in with a human friend.
Emotional attachment aside, injecting AI in TVs is a natural fit in many ways. Generative AI has proven to be a useful tool for sourcing information. Google has also been working on integrating AI into various hardware beyond phones and computers. Earlier this year, they announced Gemini for Google TV and Android Auto for cars.
Google is shutting down Android sideloading in the name of security
It's the end of days for one of the main features that differentiated Android from iOS for so many years.
Namely, the ability to sideload apps from unverified developers working outside the official Play Store is going away. Google explained the decision in a blog post, which mostly boiled down to wanting to ensure that every Android app developer is verified as not being a malicious actor, regardless of where their apps come from. Many Android users have held the ability to install unverified apps in great regard for a long time because it's something that's a whole lot harder to do on iOS, and gives users a lot more freedom in what they do with their devices.
SEE ALSO: 7 rumored iPhone 17 features Android already hasBut, it seems like Android is done being the mobile operating system for those kinds of people. According to Google, developer verification is no different than getting your ID checked at the airport. That may very well be the case, and it's possible that plenty of these apps will find ways to get verified under the new rules. But it's also true that this was a massive difference between Android and iOS, arguably one of the most noteworthy ones for several years.
It feels a bit like when the National League adopted the designated hitter rule in baseball a few years ago. Logically, it makes at least a little bit of sense, but sentimentally, it's a bummer for two competing operating systems to become more and more homogeneous in how they work.
Level up your home theater experience with a Bose TV Speaker Soundbar for its lowest price yet
SAVE $115.55: As of Aug. 28, get the Bose TV Speaker Soundbar for $163.45 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $279. That's a discount of 41% and the lowest price we've seen.
Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Bose TV Speaker Soundbar $163.45 at Amazon$279 Save $115.55 Get Deal
Football season is upon us. Do you have a home theater system that's ready to bring the house down? A slew of new movies and TV shows are also right around the corner in the coming months. If your setup isn't exactly ready in the audio department, a great soundbar is an excellent solution. Thanks to this Amazon deal, you can secure a good one at the best price we've seen so far.
As of Aug. 28, get the Bose TV Speaker Soundbar for $163.45 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $279. That's $155.55 off and a discount of 41%. It's also the lowest price we've seen.
SEE ALSO: The best soundbars for upgrading your home entertainmentThis entry-level soundbar is already extremely affordable when not on sale, and it's a great option for anyone new to the soundbar game. It offers deep, satisfying bass with its two angled full-range drivers, as well as balanced highs and mids and spatial audio that helps keep you in the middle of the action. It can also help to enhance dialogue so you're not constantly adjusting the volume to try to hear what everyone is saying.
You can connect up to three devices to the unit or even pair your phone with it to use it as a Bluetooth speaker. It's compact enough to fit with your TV setup at just over two inches tall, so it can go wherever you need it to. Plus, it has a simple remote control that's intuitive and easy to figure out so you aren't stuck fiddling with setup for too long and can just jump right into the audio action.
It's a good time to upgrade your audio/visual setup this season, so take advantage of this excellent Bose soundbar deal while it lasts.
Amazon just dropped the Google Pixel Tablet to the lowest price ever
SAVE $150: The Google Pixel Tablet (128GB, porcelain) is on sale at Amazon for $249, down from the normal price of $399. That's a 38% discount and the lowest we've ever seen at Amazon.
Opens in a new window Credit: Google Google Pixel Tablet (128GB, porcelain) $249 at Amazon$399 Save $150 Get Deal
We have tons of new TV shows dropping in the next few weeks and months. There's The Great British Bake Off starting next week, a new season of Only Murders in the Building on the way, and Season 2 of Fallout coming in mid-December. Will you be streaming these from your tiny phone screen while squinting? They deserve a better and bigger stage, and for that, you might want a tablet. If you're in need, check out this rare deal at Amazon.
As of Aug. 28, the Google Pixel Tablet (128GB, porcelain) is on sale for $249 at Amazon, marked down from the standard list price of $399. That works out to a savings of $150 from a 38% discount. And that turns out to be the lowest price we've ever spotted at Amazon, so long as you're cool with the porcelain colorway.
With an 11-inch screen and 128GB of storage, the Google Pixel Tablet is an awesome companion for streaming shows from the couch. It can also be an ideal option for students since the 27Wh battery can get about 12 hours of video streaming before it needs a recharge. That means it should last all day for taking lecture notes and joining group meetings with video chat.
SEE ALSO: Google says the Pixel 10 Pro has world's best phone camera. I tested it against the S25 Ultra and found a clear winner.Another useful feature of the Google Pixel Tablet is the split-screen function. With this, you can view two screens in a side-by-side configuration. The four speakers are also great for video chats, rewatching lectures, or streaming Sunday afternoon football.
If you have other Google Home devices, you can use the Pixel Tablet to control settings like turning off lights, checking on the video doorbell live view, or adjusting your home's temperature.
While it's down to a record-low price, upgrade to the Google Pixel Tablet. It's just under $250 at Amazon, and it'll make upcoming fall shows and games that much better.


