IT General

Forget the Audi A6—this Lexus undercuts on price and outlasts reliability

How-To Geek - 18 hours 43 min ago

The mainstream car market has gotten a lot more competitive in recent years, and luxury brands have had to work harder to stand out. For many buyers, a European badge like the Audi A3 or BMW 3 Series is still the natural step up into something more premium.

Categories: IT General, Technology

How to upgrade your streaming setup for less — the Roku Streaming Stick 4K Plus is $10 off at Amazon

Mashable - 18 hours 43 min ago

SAVE $10: As of April 29, the Roku Streaming Stick 4K Plus is on sale for $29.99 at Amazon. That's a 25% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Roku Roku Streaming Stick Plus $29 at Amazon
$39.99 Save $10.99   Get Deal

Streaming devices are a simple and affordable way to streamline your viewing experience. One small device can store all your apps, games, and live channels, like the Roku Streaming Stick 4K Plus. And as of April 29, it's on sale at Amazon. Right now, you can buy this streaming stick for $29.99.

One of the best things about Roku's streaming sticks is how easy they are to use and set up. And there's no clutter either. You simply plug it into your TV's HDMI port, and that's it. This model is powered by the TV, so you don't need any extra cables to reach a wall outlet. And it's compact in size, making it easy to take with you when traveling. No more logging in and out of shared devices.

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You'll also get a remote that will become your single control for both your TV and the streaming device, even controlling the volume and power. This comes with voice search built-in to help you find shows and films quickly.

This streaming stick is on sale at Amazon now.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Modernize your PC for just $35 with this Microsoft bundle

Mashable - 18 hours 43 min ago

TL;DR: Give your PC a total refresh with the Ultimate Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows Lifetime License and Windows 11 Pro Bundle, on sale now for just $34.97 (reg. $418.99) through May 31.

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft The Ultimate Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License + Windows 11 Pro Bundle $34.97
$418.99 Save $384.02   Get Deal

If you don’t have hundreds of dollars lying around for a brand new laptop, don’t worry. The Ultimate Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows Lifetime License and Windows 11 Pro Bundle gives you the next best thing — fresh tools and an updated operating system to make your old PC feel shiny and new (to you).

The even better news is that you can get it all for just $34.97 (reg. $418.99) through May 31.

Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!

You’d be surprised what some fresh Microsoft tools and a new OS can do for your tried-and-true PC. This bundle can really spruce up an old device, starting with a mix of classic and new favorites in this Microsoft Office suite.

Microsoft Office Professional 2021 equips your computer with a suite of eight helpful apps. Get old staples you’ve used for decades, like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Then see how new favorites like Teams, OneNote, Access, and Publisher can upgrade your workflow.

You don’t only get new tools to work with — you get a whole new operating system thanks to Windows 11 Pro. This bundle includes an OS designed with modern professionals in mind, featuring a powerful search experience, improved voice typing, snap layouts, and more.

If you haven’t been prioritizing your cybersecurity, you can rest easy knowing Windows 11 Pro amps things up. It offers biometric logins, encrypted authentication, and advanced antivirus defenses that can help keep your important data safe.

Take advantage of this deal on an Ultimate Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows Lifetime License and Windows 11 Pro Bundle, on sale now for only $34.97 until May 31.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The best router upgrade I made cost exactly zero dollars

How-To Geek - Wed, 04/29/2026 - 23:20

Routers range from affordable to outrageously expensive, with some flashy gaming routers priced at well above $600. But the best way you can truly improve your connection doesn't cost any money, although it does cost some amount of compromise. For some, that compromise can be a lot more significant than for others.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Japan tests robot baggage handlers at Tokyo airport

Mashable - Wed, 04/29/2026 - 23:19

Tokyo's Haneda airport, also known as Tokyo International, was the third busiest airport in the world in 2025. More than 91 million passengers flew through the airport in 2025. It's the primary hub for Japan Airlines, and for almost 100 years its had to keep up with increasing passenger demand. So, here come the robots.

Announced on April 27, a new pilot will bring humanoid robot baggage handlers to Haneda's tarmac to address ongoing labor shortages across the country. The trial period begins in early May and will run through 2028, deploying robots to do rote tasks within the airport's ground services team.

SEE ALSO: Honor's humanoid robot shows off impressive dancing skills at MWC

"While airports appear highly automated and standardized, their back-end operations still rely heavily on human labour and face serious labor shortages," explained Tomohiro Uchida, president of GMO AI and Robotics.

The airport's ground service president, Yoshiteru Suzuki, told the press that the robots would "inevitably reduce the burden on workers and provide significant benefits to employees." The 4-foot-tall robots are manufactured by Unitree, makers of the infamous quadruped "robot dogs" recently tested for their military applications.

The pilot's first phase includes mapping the airport and human worker patterns to determine where robots can operate. Then, the robots will work in simulated airport environments before moving on to the real thing. The airport robots will only get to do some of what their human counterparts are tasked with on a day-to-day basis, including moving baggage onto conveyor belts and, eventually, custodial tasks like cleaning airplane cabins. Humans will continue to oversee key tasks, like safety management.

The robots will also get more breaks than their sentient co-workers: Each unit can only work for two to three hours at a time before needing a recharge.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Amazon confirms Prime Day 2026 is coming in June in surprise blog post

Mashable - Wed, 04/29/2026 - 23:03

It's official: Amazon is moving its annual Prime Day sale from July to June, the retail giant announced in a blog post on Wednesday.

Amazon doesn't usually confirm the timing for Prime Day so far in advance of the sale. The news first appeared in the company's first-quarter earnings statement on Wednesday afternoon. A blog post confirming the June timing followed less than an hour later.

In a section about recent company updates, the earnings results included this tidbit: "Shared that Prime Day will take place in most countries in June." Strangely, this news had not been shared publicly before.

The sale announcement did not include the exact dates when Prime Day 2026 will take place in June, but an Amazon spokesperson told Mashable that the retailer would share more details soon.

Amazon's decision to reschedule its flagship sale is a big shakeup for the summer retail calendar. Other major retailers like Walmart, Target, and Best Buy typically run competing sales alongside Prime Day.

The blog post announcing the change stated:

Prime Day is back! Amazon's annual deals event for Prime members returns this June, with discounts on some of the hottest brands, socially trending items, creator favorites, and Amazon-exclusive products to make this June's event even more valuable for members.

Bloomberg first reported the rumors that Amazon would be moving up Prime Day 2026 in mid-March, citing "people familiar with the matter."

"Each year, we work with our teams around the world to determine the best timing for Prime Day," an Amazon spokesperson told Mashable. "This year, we felt holding the event earlier in the summer was the right choice for our customers. We’ll have more details to share soon."

This is a developing story...

UPDATE: Apr. 29, 2026, 5:09 p.m. EDT This story was updated with a comment from an Amazon spokesperson.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Forget the Toyota Tacoma—this pickup makes more sense daily

How-To Geek - Wed, 04/29/2026 - 23:00

For years, midsize pickups have pretty much followed the same playbook—body-on-frame builds, off-road toughness, and a reputation for lasting forever. At the center of that world is the Toyota Tacoma, a truck known for durability and strong resale value. But as buyer needs shift, that old formula doesn’t feel quite as untouchable as it used to.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Motorola announces 2026 foldables: Razr and Fold U.S. release dates, pricing, specs revealed

Mashable - Wed, 04/29/2026 - 22:43

Motorola has a new batch of foldables for your consideration, but their specs might not attract as much attention as their prices.

Per Motorola, the next generation of its folding phones will be available for pre-order on May 14 and on shelves on May 21. The 2026 lineup includes the familiar entry-level Razr, the Razr+, and the Razr Ultra, all three of which come in a clamshell form factor (or flip phone-style, as we like to call it), which should be very familiar to Motorola enthusiasts. We also got some new information on the previously announced book-style Razr Fold, via Bloomberg.

The early versions of the Motorola Razr foldables left a lot to be desired, but our tech editor recently called the Razr Ultra "the most underrated phone of 2025."

As we await Apple's first foldable phone later this year, here's what we know about the latest crop of Android foldable phones.

SEE ALSO: Motorola’s newest Razrs add battery life but subtract more from your wallet You can thank the RAM crisis for the higher mobile prices This is a familiar sight for Motorola-heads. Credit: Motorola

Before we get to the specs, we need to talk prices.

Bloomberg is reporting that the default Razr is $800, the Razr+ is $1,100, the Razr Ultra is $1,500, and the Razr Fold is a whopping $1,900. That means the entry-level model is $100 more expensive than last year, while the Plus and Ultra models are $200 more expensive. And the Razr Fold is in the same ballpark as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, which retailed for $2,000 at launch last year.

Motorola has lately been a purveyor of relatively affordable phones, but the affordability is a lot more relative in 2026.

Thanks to an AI-driven global memory crisis, virtually all tech gadgets are getting more expensive in 2026, and we'd be surprised if upcoming mobile releases from Samsung and Apple don't also carry higher-than-usual prices.

Motorola Razr, Razr+, and Razr Ultra: Specifications Credit: Motorola

Like last year's models, the new Motorola foldables have impressive displays and batteries.

Here's how the new Motorola Razr flip phones compare.

Motorola Razr Ultra:
  • Processor: Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform

  • Battery: 5000mAh battery / 36 hours

  • Display: 4-inch pOLED cover display / 7-inch AMOLED inner display

  • Cameras: 50MP wide, 50MP ultrawide, 50MP inner camera

  • Charging: 68W charging, reverse charging, 24 hours battery in 8 minutes

  • Special features: Pantone Validated display, HDR peak brightness of 5000 nits, 10-bit color, Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 3

  • Price: $1,499.99

Motorola Razr+:
  • Processor: Snapdragon® 8s Gen 3 Mobile Platform

  • Battery: 4,500mAh battery / 31 hours

  • Display: 4-inch pOLED cover display / 6.9-inch pOLED

  • Cameras: 50MP wide, 50MP ultrawide, 32MP inner

  • Charging: 45W charging, 15W wireless, reverse charging, 24 hours battery in 11 minutes

  • Price: $1,099.99

Motorola Razr:
  • Processor: MediaTek Dimensity 7450X processor

  • Battery: 4,800mAh battery / 36 hours

  • Display: 3.6-inch pOLED cover display / 6.9-inch AMOLED inner display

  • Cameras: 50MP wide, 50MP ultrawide, 32MP inner

  • Charging: 30W charging, 24 hours in 15 minutes

  • Price: $799.99

Both the Razr+ and Razr Ultra have 4-inch external displays with 165Hz refresh rates, making them potentially very nice to use without opening the phone. If you do choose to unfold the devices, you'll find a 7-inch internal display on the Ultra and a 6.9-inch internal display on the Razr+. The entry-level Razr's external display is smaller, at 3.6 inches, but the 6.9-inch internal display matches that of the Razr+, at least in terms of size.

It fits right in your hand. Credit: Motorola

Razr Ultra will have the fastest processor of the bunch, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform, while the Razr+ runs on a Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chip, and the regular Razr runs on a MediaTek chip.

Cameras have also been upgraded here, with the three flip-style Razr phones all having 50MP main shooters and 50MP ultrawide lenses. The Razr Ultra also comes with a 50MP selfie camera, for good measure.

Finally, Motorola Razr users will have access to a wide range of AI tools, including Google Gemini, Moto AI, Perplexity, and Microsoft Copilot.

Motorola Fold: Specifications

And here are the specs for the book-style Motorola Fold:

  • Processor: Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset

  • Battery: 6,000mAh

  • Displays: 6.6-inch pOLED cover display (up to 165Hz refresh rate) / 8.1-inch LTPO OLED (up to 120Hz variable refresh rate)

  • Cameras: 50MP wide, 50MP ultrawide, 50MP telephoto, 20MP inner camera, 32MP cover camera

  • Charging: 80W charging, 50W wireless, reverse wireless charging

  • Price: $1,900

As for the Razr Fold, you can expect a 6.6-inch outer display and an 8.1-inch inner display, per Bloomberg. Since it's a more premium device, it comes with a more powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset, at least 512GB of storage, and 16GB of memory. The 6,000mAh battery is also a big selling point, as the Galaxy Fold 7 only had a 4,400mAh battery by comparison.

There's the Fold. Credit: Motorola

Lastly, the Razr Fold has a trio of 50MP shooters on the back, including a telephoto lens, with a 32MP internal selfie camera and a 20MP external selfie camera to give users plenty of options.

Of course, you'll have to spend a little more money than you're used to spending on a Motorola device.

Again, the phones will be available for preorder starting May 14 and on shelves May 21. Read more about the upcoming launches at Motorola or check out first impressions from our colleagues at CNET.

Want to learn more about getting the best out of your tech? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories and Deals newsletters today.

Categories: IT General, Technology

What happened to Micro USB? It's not as obsolete as you think

How-To Geek - Wed, 04/29/2026 - 22:10

You probably assumed Micro USB was dead—quietly retired sometime around 2024 after the EU mandate. But then you bought something recently—maybe a fitness tracker or an IoT device—and there it was: that familiar flat little port staring back at you. It’s not a manufacturing error or leftover clearance stock. Micro USB is still very much in production, and there’s a surprisingly logical reason why.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Forget the BMW M3—there’s another BMW sedan most buyers want

How-To Geek - Wed, 04/29/2026 - 21:45

For years, the formula for picking a sports sedan was pretty simple: big horsepower, quick 0–60 times, and serious track cred. If that was your checklist, the BMW M3 usually ended up near the top.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Please stop using your smart TV's default picture mode—it's making everything look worse

How-To Geek - Wed, 04/29/2026 - 21:30

Most TVs ship with default picture settings that are anything but optimized for home viewing. What you get instead is a blown-out, oversaturated image that may look great at a glance in a store but is simply too much for enjoying movies and TV shows in the comfort of your home.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Google Maps secretly lets you rewind to any year and see how places changed

How-To Geek - Wed, 04/29/2026 - 21:00

Navigation is not the only thing you can do with Google Maps. In fact, you can even travel between different points in time! Maps is known for having hidden gems that you can access daily, but they come in clutch when you need them.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Last chance to watch—What's leaving Netflix in May 2026

How-To Geek - Wed, 04/29/2026 - 20:45

The warmth of May is starting to seep through the cracks, you've opened the lid on your barbecue for the first time since November, and soon you'll be off the couch and digging in the garden. But there are still a few weeks of evening and weekend movie nights left, and Netflix has a bad habit of ghosting titles without warning. Consider this your nudge to get caught up before the titles below are gone for U.S subscribers.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Ryobi’s new GOGOVAC is the tiny shop vac you never knew you needed

How-To Geek - Wed, 04/29/2026 - 20:33

Keeping your home, garage, shop, and even vehicle clean is all about finding the perfect vacuum. A big part of that task is having a capable shop vac that'll handle jobs you don't want to tackle with your household vacuum. While Ryobi is most known for its wide array of 18V ONE+ tools, the company also makes excellent accessories, including this new tiny shop vac.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Gemini just made it much easier to turn ideas into real files

How-To Geek - Wed, 04/29/2026 - 20:32

Using an AI chatbot to draft a document, build a table, or sketch out a structured project plan means spending the next ten minutes copy-pasting the result into a real document. Getting the output into a usable file hasn’t been as seamless as using the AI itself. Now, Google is addressing this pain point with a new feature in Gemini that can generate files you can actually download and use.

Categories: IT General, Technology

This plush Japanese hatchback will make you rethink a Volkswagen GTI

How-To Geek - Wed, 04/29/2026 - 20:30

The Volkswagen Golf GTI has long been the benchmark for drivers who want practicality, performance, and everyday refinement in one compact package. Its blend of sharp handling and premium feel has made it the default choice for enthusiasts who still need a usable daily driver. But one Japanese hatchback is quietly offering a different kind of appeal, one that makes the GTI feel less like the obvious answer.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Motorola’s newest Razrs add battery life but subtract more from your wallet

Mashable - Wed, 04/29/2026 - 20:26

The Motorola Razr 2026 lineup includes the Razr, Razr+, Razr Ultra, and Razr Fold, with upgrades across performance and design. The devices continue to refine the foldable experience with features like camcorder mode. Battery life also sees improvements across the range. The lineup remains positioned firmly in the premium Mobile category.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Motorola's Razr Fold finally has a price—is it worth buying over the Galaxy Z Fold 7?

How-To Geek - Wed, 04/29/2026 - 20:12

Motorola has unveiled a wave of new Razr foldable phones for 2026, including a release date and price for its flagship Razr Fold. The top-tier device will be available in the U.S. on May 21 for $1,900, with pre-orders starting May 14 at Best Buy and Motorola's website.

Categories: IT General, Technology

This 2026 Japanese SUV feels like a Mercedes-Benz GLB for $10,000 less

How-To Geek - Wed, 04/29/2026 - 20:00

The three-pointed star on the hood of a Mercedes-Benz has always been associated with luxury and status. Yet as new-vehicle prices continue to climb to all-time highs, a shift has occurred in which mainstream brands are designing vehicles with powertrains, infotainment features, and interiors that rival those of established luxury manufacturers.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Stranger Things: Tales from 85: Ending explainer

Mashable - Wed, 04/29/2026 - 19:58

After several harrowing encounters with "snow sharks" and "Jerk-O-Lanterns," Stranger Things: Tales from '85 ended with a decisive victory over the monsters of the Upside Down — or so the Hawkins party thinks. That's because Tales from '85 leaves the door open for more tales, which would still take place before the start of Stranger Things Season 3.

SEE ALSO: 'Stranger Things: Tales from '85' review: This baffling prequel won't cure the Season 5 hatred

From a possible Season 2 to the truth about the monsters and the fate of Nikki (Odessa A'zion), here's what you need to know about the ending of Stranger Things: Tales from '85.

Who created the Queen in Stranger Things: Tales from '85? Credit: Netflix

Tales from '85's monstrous foes aren't like Stranger Things' Demogorgons or the Mind Flayer. They're constantly evolving, and it's all because of human experiments.

Dustin (voiced by Braxton Quinney) initially suspects substitute science teacher Anna Baxter (voiced by Janeane Garofalo) of creating the monsters, including the Queen who controls them. The evidence adds up: She's a science teacher obsessed with evolution, and she's working on cutting-edge research that can reanimate dead plant life. Plus, the view of the radio tower from her house matches up with the image that the monsters' human victims remembered seeing after being swallowed.

SEE ALSO: Gaten Matarazzo hoped 'Stranger Things' fans would be conflicted about Dustin in Season 5

However, Anna was just a red herring. The culprit is actually her partner Daniel Fischer (voiced by Lou Diamond Phillips). Before he was a store clerk beefing with Dustin over change, he was a scientist at Hawkins lab. While he didn't have high-level clearance, he did get his hands on a dead vine from the Upside Down. He brought it back to life using green goo similar to what Anna used in her experiments, and from there it evolved into the deadly monsters the Hawkins party faced off against. He thought he'd made a viable, controllable sample with the flower-like "Queen." But turns out, her roots were growing deep below Hawkins, extending her and her offspring's influence. When Dustin shows Dan the truth, the Queen transforms into a massive, almost unstoppable beast who tries to open a gate back to the Upside Down and return to her place of origin.

I say "almost" because Eleven (voiced by Brooklyn Davey Norstedt) manages to stop the Queen by telekinetically slamming the gate on her, chopping her in half. Not before the beast can eat Dan, though.

That's the end of that saga, right? Wrong.

Stranger Things: Tales from '85 sets up a Season 2. Credit: Netflix

The final scene of Tales from '85 reveals that we may not have seen the last of this new breed of Upside Down beastie. Right before the credits roll, we see the corpse of the Queen lying prone in the Upside Down. While she's dead, something within her isn't: A small blue flower bursts from her skin, letting out a screech from its Demogorgon-like petal mouth. Funnily enough, the entire scene is set to Vera Lynn's "We'll Meet Again," which also scores a haunting Stranger Things Season 3 sequence involving the Mind Flayer's growing army of human hosts.

SEE ALSO: 'Half Man' review: Is Richard Gadd's new series as good as 'Baby Reindeer'?

Could this new flower be linked to Dan's life source, since he was swallowed by the Queen and might still be in her corpse? Or is it just another stage in these creatures' evolution? Either way, it's clear that these monsters are sticking around a while longer. However, given that they're not a threat in Stranger Things Season 3, or any future seasons, for that matter, you can guess that they'll die out eventually. Tales from '85 leaves the "how" of that open for the future. (Maybe Vecna does some weed whacking?)

What happens to Nikki in Stranger Things: Tales from '85? Credit: Netflix

Speaking of characters who never come up in the rest of Stranger Things, let's talk about Nikki. She's the latest addition to the Hawkins party, which also comes to be known as the Hawkins Investigation Club in Tales from '85. (Again, not something that comes up in the flagship series.)

Since Nikki isn't involved in later seasons of Stranger Things, it's clear she's out of the picture by Season 3. However, Tales from '85 keeps her firmly in the picture in its finale. While Nikki and her mother Anna were originally going to move away from Hawkins, they end up staying and moving into a new house, one without any spooky secret laboratories. (That we know of, anyway.) Nikki joins in on the group Dungeons & Dragons game, and everything seems hunky-dory.

Of course, that's sure to come crashing down in any future seasons of Tales from '85, as Nikki has to exit eventually. Maybe she and Anna will end up moving away. Or maybe she'll join Barb, Bob, Alexei, and Eddie in the ranks of beloved Stranger Things characters who were killed off. For now, though, she's embracing her role in the group after years of being too afraid to make any long-lasting connections.

Will there be a Stranger Things: Tales from '85 Season 2?

Netflix has confirmed that Stranger Things: Tales from '85 will be returning for a second season this fall. The exact date has yet to be confirmed.

Stranger Things: Tales From '85 is now streaming on Netflix.

UPDATE: Apr. 29, 2026, 1:57 p.m. EDT This article has been updated to include new information about "Stranger Things: Tales from '85"s renewal.

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