IT General

Anker’s New Portable Projector Has a Unique Audio Upgrade

How-To Geek - Fri, 10/10/2025 - 17:02

Portable projectors are a great way to enjoy a backyard movie night on a fall evening, and they're a good alternative to big-screen TVs. Anker's sub-brand Nebula just debuted the P1, the world's first portable projector with detachable speakers.

Categories: IT General, Technology

This $279 Apple iPad Prime Day deal is still live

Mashable - Fri, 10/10/2025 - 16:57

SAVE $70: As of Oct. 10, the 11th generation Apple iPad (128GB, WiFi) is on sale for only $279. That's 20% off the list price of $349 and its best price on record.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple iPad, 11-inch (A16, WiFi, 128GB) $279 at Amazon
$349 Save $70 Get Deal

If you completely spaced on Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days sale, you're in luck. Several deals are still live (though the event technically concluded early Thursday morning) including one of our favorite iPad deals.

As of Oct. 10, the standard Apple iPad with an A16 chip and 128GB of storage is on sale for just $279 at Amazon — that's $70 or 20% off its list price of $349 and its best price ever on record.

The 11th-generation iPad is nothing flashy, but it's not meant to be. Not every tablet needs to double as a laptop. The base model has a sizable 11-inch display, which is plenty of room for watching your favorite shows, browsing the web, reading, or using it as a drawing pad or journal (compatible with the Apple Pencil 1st generation and USB-C). It doesn't have an M-series chip like the more advanced iPad models, but the A16 Bionic chip will still deliver enough processing power for everyday use. It also packs enough storage space at 128GB to enjoy all your favorite apps without offloading them.

There's plenty of options to choose from when it comes to tablets, but if you'd prefer to stick to the basics, you can't go wrong with the entry-level iPad. It's our top pick for a tablet for most people and our favorite budget pick for Apple users. And at an all-time low $279, it's an even better value than usual.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Get this 2-in-1 soundbar and streamer for only $69

Mashable - Fri, 10/10/2025 - 16:48

SAVE 31%: As of Oct. 10, you can get the Roku Streambar SE for $69, down from $99.99, at Amazon. That's a 31% discount and a $30.99 savings.

Roku Streambar SE 2-in-1 Soundbar With 4K Streaming $69 at Amazon
$99.99 Save $30.99 Get Deal

If your TV's built-in speakers are underwhelming or its smart interface is slow, there's a way to upgrade without splurging on a brand-new TV. Enter: The Roku Streambar SE, a compact device that functions as both a soundbar and a 4K streaming player. All you have to do is plug it into your TV's HDMI port and connect to the internet to get started. And right now, you can get it for just $69.

SEE ALSO: The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K is the best thing I bought in Prime Day - and it's still on sale

As of Oct. 10, you can get the Roku Streambar SE for $69, down from $99.99, at Amazon. That's a 31% discount and a $30.99 savings. This isn't the lowest we've seen it go for (it was around $59 during last year's October Prime Day event), but it's still a pretty good deal for a two-in-one streaming device.

The Streambar SE is designed to make dialogue crisp and clear. It even saves you from scrambling for the remote by automatically lowering the volume during loud commercials. When it's time to stream, the easy-to-use interface delivers a 4K HDR picture from all your favorite apps, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and Peacock. Plus, with Bluetooth compatibility, you can easily stream music from your phone for those times you'd rather listen than watch.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Take to the skies with 20% off the DJI Mini 3 drone at Amazon

Mashable - Fri, 10/10/2025 - 16:46

SAVE $84: As of Oct. 10, get the DJI Mini 3 drone for $335, down from its usual price of $419 at Amazon. That's a discount of 20%.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon DJI Mini 3 $335 at Amazon
$419 Save $84 Get Deal

Looking to take the plunge on a drone, but still feeling a bit hesitant due to the price? Now's the time to buy. When December arrives, it's not quite clear how drone sales in the U.S. will change, so you may as well go ahead and lock yours in while you can. It's a good idea to go ahead and grab one of DJI's affordable drones while it's on sale at Amazon.

As of Oct. 10, get the DJI Mini 3 drone for $335, down from its usual price of $419 at Amazon. That's $84 off and a discount of 20%.

SEE ALSO: Don't miss DJI's last-chance Prime Day deals: Get DJI drones for $159, DJI Mic Mini for $99

The DJI Mini 3 is a small but powerful drone that weighs about half a pound, but still packs quite the punch. It's small and compact, but it still behaves and can be controlled like a drone that's much larger. That makes it a great option for filming on the go, taking it with you on camping or hiking trips, or just playing around with at home. Just fold it up and go.

You get about 38 minutes with standard intelligent flight and 51 minutes of intelligent flight plus, with 4K HDR video quality, vertical footage options, and a wide selection of additional features that make it the perfect starter drone for beginners and a capable option for drone professionals looking for something small and easy to pack with them.

This DJI drone is on sale from DJI instead of a third-party seller, but once it's gone, it's probably gone for a while. Make sure you snag yours before it's all out of stock, especially since you can get it at such a great price right now.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Visual Studio Code's Latest Update Adds More OS Integrations

How-To Geek - Fri, 10/10/2025 - 16:45

Visual Studio Code's September 2025 release (version 1.105) has officially dropped, but a little late since it is October already. This update focuses on better operating system integration, developer productivity, and adding to the experience with remote coding tools.

Categories: IT General, Technology

What Does the ChromeOS and Android Merger Mean for You?

How-To Geek - Fri, 10/10/2025 - 16:30

Google has announced that ChromeOS and Android will become one unified operating system at some point in the future. That's no small goal, and it's going to have a knock-on effect for both hardware and software.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The Infinix HOT 60 Pro+ Is Officially the World's Thinnest 3D Curved Display Smartphone

How-To Geek - Fri, 10/10/2025 - 16:20

Slimness has become an industry trend. Smartphone makers are competing to deliver devices that feel lighter and sleeker, and even Apple has entered the race with the iPhone 17 Air.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Beware phony Sora apps on the Apple App Store

Mashable - Fri, 10/10/2025 - 16:08

Demand remains high for Sora, OpenAI's new invite-only AI video app for iOS users. So high, in fact, that scammers are rushing to fill demand.

As TechCrunch reported, phony Sora apps somehow slipped past Apple's App Store review process. TechCrunch reported that at least a dozen copycat apps were on the App Store after Sora's launch, though most of these listings have since been removed. As of this writing, we didn't find any copycat apps using the name Sora, though there are other AI video apps claiming to grant access to the underlying Sora 2 generative AI video model.

However, over at the Google Play app store, some phony Sora listings are still live. We're not talking about unrelated, previously existing apps that use the name Sora in some way, but listings with names like "Sora 2 Video Maker."

For now, the Sora app is only available on iOS for users in the United States and Canada, "with the intent to quickly expand to additional countries," per OpenAI. The app is free to download even without an invite code, but you won't be able to do anything without an invite.

If you are downloading Sora, it's easy to find, as it's still the No. 1 app in the App Store. Before downloading, make sure it's provided "by OpenAI."

Credit: Screenshot: Apple Credit: Screenshot: OpenAI

Sora is an AI video generator with a built-in social feed, and eager OpenAI fans are still scrambling for invites. The app is currently in the midst of a copyright drama. In the days after the app launch, the Sora feed was dominated by videos of copyright-protected characters like SpongeBob Squarepants, various Pokémon, and Rick and Morty.

We've been testing the app here at Mashable to see how it compares to other AI video models like Google Veo 3 and LumaAI's Ray3, and we'll have more coverage coming soon.

In the meantime, be wary of any unknown apps you find on the app stores. Don't assume that just because an app appears in the store that it's safe to download.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Microsoft Word will now automatically save your docs in the cloud

Mashable - Fri, 10/10/2025 - 16:05

This week, Microsoft quietly announced a small but important change to Word. The popular word-processing software will now automatically save documents to OneDrive, Microsoft's cloud platform.

Microsoft announced a number of changes at a special OneDrive and CoPilot event this week. The change to the process for saving docs in Word didn't exactly earn the top billing at the event. Or, as Windows Central put it, the news was "buried in the announcements."

"NEW-Cloud-first creation: Starting today, new documents in Word desktop on Windows (Insiders) now save directly to OneDrive, with autosave enabled your work is protected and ready for real-time collaboration.

-New files save directly to OneDrive

-Autosave is enabled from the start

-Your work is protected, instantly shareable, and ready for real-time collaboration"

So, in other words, your Word documents will auto-save to the cloud moving forward.

Microsoft has touted this as a positive change. As someone who has lost many documents throughout my life — say, because my computer crashed before I remembered to save my progress — I can appreciate the auto-save feature. And saving your docs on the cloud means you can access them across different devices. That comes in handy if you think of an edit but only have your phone handy.

SEE ALSO: Did Microsoft go down? The MS 365, Teams, Outlook, and Azure outage explained.

But some users will have privacy concerns about their documents being automatically sent to the cloud. For those folks, they'll still have the option to save documents locally — but that's a change they'll have to make in their settings.

From now on, saving to the cloud will be the default for Microsoft Word users.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The Apple AirPods 4 are still chilling at a record-low $89 post-Prime Day

Mashable - Fri, 10/10/2025 - 16:04

SAVE $40: As of Oct. 10, the Apple AirPods 4 are still down to $89 post-Prime Big Deal Days. That's 31% or $40 in savings and their best price on record.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple AirPods 4 $89 at Amazon
$129 Save $40 Get Deal

Another Prime event has come and gone, but some of our favorite deals have stuck around after the fact. If you were hoping to snag a pair of AirPods on sale, it's your lucky day because the AirPods 4 are still chilling at their best price ever.

As of Oct. 10, the Apple AirPods 4 are still just $89 at Amazon and Walmart. That's 31% or $40 off their list price and the cheapest they've ever been. The buds have only reached this all-time low price twice: on Prime Day in July and during the Prime Big Deal Days event that just wrapped up. We're not expecting it to stick around much longer, though, so if AirPods are on your wish list, grab 'em while you can.

Apple's fourth-generation standard AirPods are a great value for the price. They pack personalized spatial audio, Siri interactions, voice isolation, a surprisingly snug fit, improved bass, mids, and highs, and a more compact charging case that's easier to find. While they don't offer active noise cancellation, you can upgrade to the ones that do for only $30 more if that's important to you. Whichever option you choose, our reviewer noted, "They sound like honey."

Battery-wise, the standard AirPods actually last a little longer than the noise-cancelling option at about five hours per charge or 30 with the charging case. And at just $89, they're a great daily driver in budget-friendly territory. According to Mashable's Kim Gedeon, they also actually stay put in your ears. So you don't need to worry as much about losing an earbud while you're taking on the town.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Prime Day is over, but the $101 discount on this Sony vlogging camera is still live

Mashable - Fri, 10/10/2025 - 15:42

SAVE 17%: As of Oct. 10, you can get the Sony ZV-1F Vlog Camera for $498, down from $599, at Amazon. That's a 17% discount and $101 in savings.

Sony ZV-1F $498 at Amazon
$599 Save $101 Get Deal

Prime Big Deal Days has officially come and gone, and while most of the best deals disappeared at midnight, a few stragglers are still hanging around.

As of Oct. 10, you can get the Sony ZV-1F Vlog Camera for $498, down from $599, at Amazon. That's a 17% discount and $101 in savings. If you've been thinking about getting more serious about your YouTube channel or TikToks, this is a deal worth checking out.

SEE ALSO: 200+ October Prime Day deals still live: Savings on Apple, Kindle, Sony, Ninja, and Lego

This camera is purpose-built for vloggers, which is just a fancier way of saying that it's designed to help you film yourself. (Mashable's UK team voted it the best vlogging camera for beginners in 2023.) The ultra-wide 20mm lens means you can lose the selfie stick, and the side-articulating touchscreen lets you see yourself while you record (a must).

But the best part might be the little white poof that sits on top. It looks like a bunny tail, but it's actually the windscreen for the camera's directional 3-capsule mic. That little fluff ball is what lets you film outside on a windy day without your audio turning into a garbled mess.

Categories: IT General, Technology

How to See All Devices on Your Network With nmap on Linux

How-To Geek - Fri, 10/10/2025 - 15:30

Think you know what's connected to your home network? You might be surprised. Learn how to check using nmap on Linux, which will let you explore all the devices connected to your network.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Set and forget your homes temperature with $38 off the Google Nest Thermostat

Mashable - Fri, 10/10/2025 - 15:21

SAVE $38: As of Oct. 10, get the Google Nest Thermostat for $91.99, down from its usual price of $129.99 at Amazon. That's a discount of 29%.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Google Nest Thermostat $129.99 at Amazon
Get Deal

The weather is getting cooler and you're starting to wear more layers indoors. Wouldn't it be awesome if you didn't have to leave your cozy blankets to adjust your home's temperature? You don't have to any longer if you get a smart thermostat, and Amazon has an excellent price on one from Google that'll make getting your home to a cozy temperature one of the easiest things you'll do all day.

As of Oct. 10, get the Google Nest Thermostat for $91.99, down from its usual price of $129.99 at Amazon. That's $38 off and a discount of 29%. Currently, this deal only applies to the Charcoal colorway.

SEE ALSO: Google reveals new Gemini-powered smart home devices

This smart thermostat works without a C-wire for most homes, so setup is quick and easy. Depending on where you live, however, and how your heating and cooling system is set up, you may need one for your installation.

You can use it to program the temperature you prefer to have in your home, so it can turn itself down when you leave or adjust itself accordingly based on your preferences. You can also program it to make a more energy-efficient temperature schedule and save some money on your power bills with its Savings Finder, which will guide you to the changes you might need to make so that can happen.

The Nest can be controlled via app or remote control as well, so you can change settings without having to leave your couch. And if it detects that something isn't right with your HVAC, it'll let you know with an alert for maintenance.

Ready to make heating and cooling your home much simpler? Grab one of the Nest thermostats at a discount.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Why Some Websites Block VPNs (and How They Catch You)

How-To Geek - Fri, 10/10/2025 - 15:15

Using a VPN protects your privacy and helps you bypass regional restrictions—but not all services allow it. If you’ve ever faced issues accessing a platform while connected to a VPN, the platform is probably blocking VPN traffic. So why do some websites block a VPN, and how exactly do they detect it?

Categories: IT General, Technology

Why Audiophiles Hate Soundbars (and Why They’re Wrong)

How-To Geek - Fri, 10/10/2025 - 15:00

An "audiophile" is someone who loves the experience of high-fidelity sound reproduction and appreciates a good soundstage and audio imaging. In fact, achieving higher levels of fidelity and more accurate sound reproduction is a goal that many audiophiles chase relentlessly—often at great cost.

Categories: IT General, Technology

3 Cool Linux Apps Worth Trying This Weekend (October 10 - 12)

How-To Geek - Fri, 10/10/2025 - 14:00

The weekend is the perfect time to put your Linux PC to the test and see what you can actually do with it. These are some native Linux applications I think are worth trying out if you haven't already installed them.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Anker’s C2000 Gen 2 Wants to Power Your Fridge, RV, and More

How-To Geek - Fri, 10/10/2025 - 14:00

Portable power banks are great for charging phones and tablets, but when you want to power a fridge, part of your home, or an RV, you'll want something a bit bigger. Anker's SOLIX line is a popular option, and the latest SOLIX C2000 Gen 2 is here to power everything.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The Anker Solix C2000 Gen 2 just launched and preorders get a 50% discount

Mashable - Fri, 10/10/2025 - 14:00

Anker is all charged up. The brand makes some of the most user-friendly and affordable power stations, and as of Oct. 10, that lineup is expanding. The new Anker Solix C2000 Gen 2 joins the brand's portfolio of portable power stations designed for camping, and this model is especially appealing to those who head off on RV trips.

Opens in a new window Credit: Anker Anker Solix C2000 Gen 2 $749 at Anker
$1,499 Save $750 Pre-order Here A whole lot of power in a compact size

Packing in 2,048Wh of capacity with 4,000W peak output, the Solix C2000 Gen 2 is ready for powering up almost any appliance. Of course, it can recharge phones and laptops thanks to the USB-C ports that max out at 140W, but it's also powerful enough to keep the refrigerator cooling or keep the window AC going during the heat of summer. In total, the Solix C2000 Gen 2 packs in five standard AC ports, one TT-30, two 140W USB-C, one 15W USB-C, and one 12W USB-A.

A power station that packs in 2,000Wh that can fit on the center console? Impressive. Credit: Anker

The addition of the TT-30 port means the Solix C2000 Gen 2 is ideal for RV trips. Pair that with its durable build, and you're on your way to non-stop adventures. In real-life terms, Anker says the Solix C2000 Gen 2 can power a 190W refrigerator for up to 32 hours. Here are some highlight specs on the new power station:

Essential specs:
  • Capacity: 2,048Wh

  • Continuous output: 2,400W pure sine wave

  • Peak power: 4,000W

  • Weight: 41.7 pounds

  • Dimensions: 18 in. L × 9.8 in. W × 10.1 in. H

  • Power options: AC, USB-C (140W), USB-A, TT-30 port

  • Recharging options: Grid, solar, alternator, generator, hybrid, car port

  • Battery type: LiFePO4 (lithium iron phosphate)

  • Life cycles: 80 percent capacity after 4,000 cycles

Recharging options aplenty

Impressive ports aside, when you need to recharge the Solix C2000 Gen 2, Anker gave us tons of options. Standard grid, solar panels, generators, or a car port can all get the station juiced up again. Plus, the Solix C2000 Gen 2 can handle hybrid recharging with AC and solar. Anker says it'll take just 58 minutes to go from zero to 100 with 2,600W AC and solar recharging. Max solar input tops out at a massive 800W. Recharging from standard grid power will take about 90 minutes to get back to 100 percent.

Recharge the Solix C2000 Gen 2 with up to 800W of solar panel power. Credit: Anker Multiply the power

Snagging a portable power station that can handle expanding its power is a smart move. You never know when your power needs might increase and Anker made this model compatible with one expansion battery that doubles its capacity for a total of about 4,000Wh.

The Anker Solix C2000 Gen 2 can reach about 4,000Wh with the additional expansion battery. Credit: Anker A major hats off to the portability

Batteries are heavy, and portable power stations that have over 2,000Wh of capacity can get seriously heavy and bulky. But it's not surprising to see that Anker has nailed both aspects. It's not the lightest portable power station, but it only weighs 41.7 pounds, which is pretty great for a 2,000Wh power station. By comparison, the Anker Solix F2000 (which has an identical 2,048Wh of capacity) clocks in at 67.2 pounds, and it comes with a telescoping handle and wheels so you can roll it around instead of lifting the chunk.

The Anker Solix C2000 Gen 2 is not much larger than the Solix C1000, but it packs in nearly double the power. Credit: Anker

Not only is the weight impressive, but the overall dimensions of the Solix C2000 Gen 2 make it genuinely campground-worthy. The Solix C2000 comes with dimensions of 18 L × 9.8 W × 10.1 H inches. Compare this to the Mashable favorite Anker Solix C1000 (which has 1,056WHh) dimensions of 14.8 L × 8.1 W × 10.5 H inches, and we're shook. The C2000 Gen 2 is just a few inches longer and a hair wider than the C1000, but it packs in nearly twice as much power.

Affordable with a capital "A"

The Solix C2000 Gen 2 carries a list price of $1,499, which is pretty average for the industry. But preorders drop it to just $749, or a major 50% discount. For a 2,000Wh portable power station, a price of $750 is a heck of a deal. Considering we're coming into fall and winter storm season, this could be a great pre-holiday purchase. Snowbirds who pack up the van or RV for sunnier winter weather are also in line for an awesome upgrade thanks to Anker's addition of the Solix C2000 Gen 2.

Categories: IT General, Technology

If I Had Legs Id Kick You cast and director reveal why we rarely see Lindas family

Mashable - Fri, 10/10/2025 - 13:29

Right from the start, A24's If I Had Legs I'd Kick You takes a big stylistic swing.

Directed by Mary Bronstein, the film centers on Linda (Rose Byrne), a woman who must juggle caring for her sick daughter (Delaney Quinn) and dealing with a collapsed ceiling in their apartment. Throughout it all, her husband, Charles (Christian Slater), is away on an extended work trip and heard only over the phone. Similarly, Linda and Charles' daughter spends most of her time out of frame in scenes with Linda, so audiences only know her voice, not her face.

In an interview with Mashable Entertainment Reporter Belen Edwards, Bronstein, Byrne, and Slater discussed the decision to visually isolate Linda from her family members and how it felt filming Linda's phone conversations with Charles.

"It was suitably frustrating and stressful," Byrne said. "This lends itself to what the scenes are."

"The voiceover scenes, I think they represent the distance in the marriage," added Slater, who recorded his scenes remotely, adding to the sense of Linda's isolation.

Don’t miss out on our latest stories: Add Mashable as a trusted news source in Google.

As for why audiences don't see Linda's child, Bronstein explained the reasons were twofold.

"One is conceptual, which is that we're in Linda's reality the whole time, and she cannot see her daughter as a little girl," Bronstein explained. "She can only see her as something that's being put upon her, that's that's victimizing her, that's a burden."

She continued: "Then, in a manipulative way, I also know that if you introduce the face of a child into these scenes where Linda is doing the kinds of things that she's doing, the sympathy is going to go to the child. And I wanted, in a very radical way, for the audience to stay with Linda."

If I Had Legs I'd Kick You is now in theaters.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Weekend Project: Personalize Your Raspberry Pi OS Command Line

How-To Geek - Fri, 10/10/2025 - 12:30

Are you looking for a fun way to refresh your Raspberry Pi’s command line experience? You don’t have to look far to find a simple and fun way to overhaul the terminal on your Pi. With Oh My ZSH or Starship, you can have a fully customized Pi experience this weekend.

Categories: IT General, Technology
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