IT General

Amazon is rolling out a serious, tough new policy designed to block illegal streaming apps sideloaded onto its Fire TV Stick devices. This is an intense move by Amazon to fight piracy, among other things, but this clampdown is slated to apply to all Fire TV devices and sticks.

Pitches for AI assistants that can help you send emails or craft pitch decks may be feeling stale, but what about one designed to help new immigrants navigate the U.S.? How about a digital helper that can connect someone to pressing social services or just help them feel supported in a foreign environment? That's what ALMA, a new virtual assistant designed by the nonprofit International Rescue Committee (IRC), is designed to do.

ALMA, which stands for "AI for Life Mapping Assistance," was built in-house by multiple IRC teams and their clients, modeled after a digital learning tool known as aprendIA. It pulls from a vast library of IRC resources — standard client materials, staff training resources, and information offered by trusted external organizations — to provide specialized assistance to refugees, special immigrant visa holders, and others.

SEE ALSO: Can AI help nonprofits do more with less?

Most notably, ALMA is based on WhatsApp, one of the leading communication platforms for immigrant communities nationwide, including those served by the IRC. It's also a growing site for non-English alternative news resources and local organizing. Individuals in need just have to text ALMA's number (+1 619-658-5100) to get instant help. 

"We wanted to make sure that clients had a way to get reliable answers and resources 24/7," said Tara Catanach, ALMA's designer and IRC's project director for virtual reception and placement. Catanach explained that, unlike popular chatbot companions marketed by the field's major players, ALMA isn't designed to continuously engage with a client — the kind of chatbot codependency currently prompting concern among mental health professionals. 

SEE ALSO: Explaining the phenomenon known as 'AI psychosis'

Instead, ALMA is designed as an emergency response tool with very specific use cases in mind: An individual new to the U.S. needs assistance finding their benefits or nearby social services. They want to know how to apply for housing or the best way to talk to their landlord. They may ask to roleplay a typical job interview or get an overview of their rights. 

"It's easy to refer to ALMA as a virtual caseworker, but ALMA doesn't replace any of the work our offices do," said Catanach.

ALMA uses LLMs not for any core content, IRC explains, but for personalizing responses. For now, it harnesses OpenAI's GPT 4.1 and GPT 4.1 mini, but the organization explains ALMA can run on any model. It's also structured with safeguards that direct conversations about mental health, abuse, or domestic violence to other organizations or escalate them to IRC staff. 

ALMA can also access the internet if an individual's requests are outside its scope, but it defaults to what Catanach describes as static pools of information, evergreen resources that are unlikely to promulgate misinformation or hallucinatory facts, like other AI-powered search engines. 

Unlike a service like ChatGPT, for example, "ALMA knows who our users are," said Catanach. "They're English language learners. They're new to the U.S. The client doesn't have to do any coaching to get the information they need."

Across the U.S., immigrant and refugee populations have been forced to navigate an increasingly convoluted and hostile political environment. The Trump administration has taken a hard line on immigration, including striking out at special visa statuses and suspending the Refugee Admissions Program. Many fear detention, deportation, and surveillance as guidelines on entry are rewritten by federal leaders. 

Meanwhile, social platforms and Big Tech's leaders have cozied up to the administration, including WhatsApp parent company Meta. Recent changes to the platform's advertising policy sounded alarm bells among privacy experts, as well as investigations that found Trump officials, including ICE agents, used the app for surveillance operations. WhatsApp has been known to exacerbate misinformation when circulating rumors go unchecked. 

Still, ALMA is hosted on WhatsApp because it's where the people in need actually are, and where they already have support systems in place, instead of a separate website or app.

WhatsApp has also recently vowed to alert users to government spyware. User messages are end-to-end encrypted by default, but ALMA does collect phone numbers and other WhatsApp profile information for IRC research, Catanach told Mashable. The AI is instructed to tell users not to share identifiable information, like personal addresses, or even their immigration status, unless they're comfortable. Legal advice — including questions about green cards or constantly evolving visa policies —  is also a no-go for the virtual caseworker assistant, which directs users to outside sources if they need help with their case. 

ALMA launched first in Dari/Farsi, English, Spanish, and Swahili, the most used languages among IRC's clients. Catanach says they're testing ALMA's capabilities in 10 more languages for future updates, and are looking to add new topics like healthcare and schooling to ALMA's knowledge base. She'll hopefully get an accessibility upgrade, too, like the option to send voice notes. 

IRC is hoping to reach 100,000 users in ALMA's first year. "Our goal is to get ALMA in the hands of those who could use its support."

Linux users love to talk about how much faster their systems are compared to Windows, and you might wonder what kind of performance boosts they're actually talking about. I decided to do a few of my own tests to get some answers.

Homebrew, the popular package manager for macOS and Linux, just released its big 5.0 update. The new version has faster downloads, improved hardware support, and an important security change for Mac software.

It seems people don't really want to hear about an operating system integrating yet more AI into the user experience.

Pavan Davuluri, Microsoft's president of Windows and devices, posted a tweet promoting a company event and promising that Windows would soon evolve to include even more AI. Davuluri posted that Windows would soon be "agentic," which is an AI buzzword that basically means it can do some tasks autonomously.

"Windows is evolving into an agentic OS, connecting devices, cloud, and AI to unlock intelligent productivity and secure work anywhere," he posted on X.

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Whatever Davuluri expected, folks were not thrilled with their operating system becoming "agentic."

"Stop this non-sense. No one wants this," read one reply.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. SEE ALSO: Microsoft Azure outage: What we know about crash disrupting Minecraft, Xbox, more

"Its evolving into a product that's driving people to Mac and Linux," read another.

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The replies were largely uniform in their disapproval of the announcement.

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Read another reply from the account @EricLengyel: "Maybe you should pay attention to the unanimously negative replies here and adjust your goals accordingly."

That seems to about sum it up.

SAVE $125: As of Nov. 12, the Amazon 55-inch Omni Mini-LED QLED 4K Fire TV is on sale for $694.99 ahead of Black Friday. That's a 15% discount and its best price to date.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon 55-inch Omni Mini-LED QLED 4K Fire TV $694.99 at Amazon
$819.99 Save $125   Get Deal

We've officially entered the best time of year to buy a TV — Black Friday season. Sure, the annual shopping holiday is technically a couple of weeks away, but some TV deals are already popping off. Case in point: Amazon's top-of-the-line 55-inch Fire TV is down to its best price ever.

As of Nov. 12, you can get the Amazon 55-inch Omni Mini-LED QLED 4K Fire TV for just $694.99 at Amazon as an early Black Friday deal. That's 15% or $125 off its list price of $819.99 and its lowest price on record.

The newest and fanciest among Fire TVs in Amazon's lineup, the Omni Mini-LED Fire TV is loaded with features and solid specs. It packs a 144Hz refresh rate, Interactive Art Mode (similar to Samsung's The Frame), hands-free Alexa, and Intelligent Picture technology, which fine-tunes the details of whatever you're watching. Its 55-inch 4K QLED mini-LED display features Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10+ Adaptive, up to 1,400 nits of peak brightness, and 768 dimming zones, which results in the best Fire TV picture quality ever. If that all sounds like a bunch of gibberish to you, be sure to check out our TV specs explainer for a breakdown of all the essential features.

Our friends at PCMag (also owned by Ziff Davis) reviewed the Omni Mini-LED Fire TV and said it "offers plenty of features and a significant increase in brightness from previous models, making it a strong value for the price." And now that the 55-inch model is down to just $694.99, it's inching closer to budget-friendly territory.

SAVE $599.01: The Roborock Saros Z70 is on sale at Amazon for $1,999.99, down from the normal price of $2,599. That's a 23% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Roborock Roborock Saros Z70 $1,999.99 at Amazon
$2,599 Save $599.01   Get Deal

Not every new product is a must-have. While many look super cool and come with fancy new features, you simply might not need it. A new smartwatch when you have a great one already means you probably don't need that new model. But if you have a hard time keeping your floor obstacle-free for a robot vacuum to do its cleaning routine, this deal on a new model is for you.

As of Nov. 12, the Roborock Saros Z70 is on sale for $1,999.99 at Amazon, marked down from the usual price of $2,599. That works out to a 23% discount that takes a sizeable $599.01 off the normal price.

Mashable's vacuum expert Leah Stodart tested out the Roborock Saros Z70 when it launched earlier this year and had mixed feelings. Its cleaning ability with 22,000Pa suction makes it one of the most powerful models on the market, and its super slim design means it'll have an easier time navigating under furniture. Stodart was also impressed with the mopping function's ability to get into corners.

SEE ALSO: The 40+ best early Black Friday deals: We found record prices on Apple gadgets, headphones, TVs, and robot vacuums

But of course, the star of the Roborock Saros Z70 is its mechanical arm that's designed to remove obstacles from the cleaning path. It's ready to remove socks, shoes, and even small trash like tissues that may have dropped on the floor. In testing, Stodart found the mechanical arm worked as expected, but not perfectly. And given its higher price compared to other robot vacuums that mop, it's probably not the best option for most people.

However, if you're a busy parent or you have mobility issues that make bending over a challenge, the Roborock's assistance could be nice. Not only will the robot vacuum pick up stray socks, shoes, and more, but it can sort them into designated piles or areas in your home. Set all shoes to be put near the front door and socks to head into the laundry room. It might take some time for the lil' robot to get this task done, but it will eventually.

At full price, it was hard to recommend the Roborock Saros Z70 to most people, but thanks to today's discount, it's worth considering if you feel the mostly-accurate arm will be useful.

Before the shopping rush of Black Friday rushes in, snag the Roborock Saros Z70 for $1,999.99. For some homes, this model will be a nice way of keeping floors clean with less pre-cleaning effort.

When it came out in 2006, The Devil Wears Prada was destined to become more than a smash hit at the box office, more than a beloved adaptation of Lauren Weisberger's novel of the same name. It was destined to become a part of internet culture, memed and made into GIFs and referenced on par with franchises that offered a slew of sequels. But now, at long last, here comes The Devil Wears Prada 2.

Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci, and Emily Blunt are all returning, reprising their roles as Runway editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly, former assistant Andy Sachs, fashion guardian angel Nigel Kipling, and competitive first assistant Emily Charlton. While the first teaser from 20th Century Studios does not reveal what Nigel and Emily are up to, it does give the audience our first official look at Miranda and Andy's reunion.

Gird your loins. It's going to be a thrilling ride.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 opens in theaters May 1.

SAVE $200: As of Nov. 12, get the Dyson Purifier Big + Quiet for $899.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $1,099.99. That's a discount of 18%.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Dyson Purifier Big + Quiet $899.99 at Amazon
$1,099.99 Save $200   Get Deal

If you suffer from asthma or allergies, you already know that dust, pollen, and pet dander can make breathing a bit of a nightmare. Keep your air as clean as possible at home with an air purifier, and you can lessen some of that frustration. You don't have to spend a fortune on an air purifier to do a great job, but if you're going to get one, it's worth going all out when you can save some cash on a quality product. Case in point: this Dyson air purifier.

As of Nov. 12, get the Dyson Purifier Big + Quiet for $899.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $1,099.99. That's $200 off and a discount of 18%.

SEE ALSO: The best air purifiers for pet owners

This massive air purifier is for large homes or businesses, as it projects air over 32 feet and can treat bigger spaces than its air purifier brethren. Not only can it purify the air, but it can also detect and destroy any formaldehyde in the air permanently. Formaldehyde is often found in several things, like paint and even tobacco smoke, so it can lurk where you might not expect it. This purifier can help to eliminate it, so even if you're not sure you have it in your home, you can rest assured that it's being removed.

This purifier has a HEPA H13 grade filter that's 3.8x larger than its previous generation, and lasts up to 5 years. You can control and monitor the air quality indoors while using this purifier as well with the MyDyson app, set up preset use times, and opt to use several different modes to make things easier for when you're not at home or in the same room. Plus, Breeze mode circulates air to give you the feeling of natural air in your home.

If you're ready to take charge of the air quality around you, this is a great pick. Be sure to capitalize on it while it's available at this price.

It was only a matter of time until Paramount+ joined the price hike party. Following the lead of its peers — Netflix, Peacock, HBO Max, Apple TV+, YouTube TV, Disney+, and Hulu — Paramount+ is set to raise its monthly and annual subscription costs starting in January 2026. To make matters worse, the newly merged Paramount Skydance announced that it will also be ditching free trials.

This is the second price increase in as many years for Paramount+. In August 2024, the prices jumped from just $5.99 to $7.99 for the ad-supported tier and $11.99 to $12.99 for the ad-free tier. This time around, it's bumping up the cost by another dollar for monthly plans; Paramount+ Essential will cost $8.99 per month, and Paramount+ Premium will cost $13.99 per month. Annual plans are also increasing because of course they are. Paramount+ Essential will go from just $59.99 per year to $89.99 per year, while Paramount+ Premium will jump from $119.99 to $139.99 per year.

Credit: Mashable When do the new prices go into effect?

It's not all bad news. The new Paramount+ pricing doesn't go into effect until Jan. 15, 2026. That means you have plenty of time to lock in a deal (more on that below). The company announced its "ongoing investments in Paramount+ are enhancing the value we deliver to consumers. To support this continued investment, we plan to implement price increases in the U.S. early in the first quarter of 2026," in its reporting of Q3 2025 results. Those programming investments of over $1.5 billion include the rights to show UFC matches throughout the year, new Paramount+ originals and third-party catalog licensing, and a ramp-up of its film slate to 15 movies per year. So, at least your money will be going toward some new content.

How to save on a Paramount+ subscription

Along with the price hikes, Paramount also announced that it's "retiring" its free trials across all tiers and "reviewing discount practices." We're hoping that the review doesn't take place until the new year, as Paramount+ tends to offer a solid Black Friday streaming deal. Not to mention, the streamer puts out some of the best streaming discounts throughout the year — as much as 50% off annual plans.

The best option for most people on any given day will be signing up for an annual plan before the price increase. You'll save $30 on the Essential plan by signing up ahead of the hike and $20 on the Premium plan — and that's on top of the savings you'll already get from paying annually versus monthly.

Opens in a new window Credit: Paramount+ Paramount+ annual plans $59.99 or $119.99 per year (save $35.89) Get Deal

If you're looking to sign up for Paramount+ before the price hike takes effect, we've rounded up the best ways to save on a subscription (as of Nov. 12). If you'd rather roll the dice and wait until Black Friday, most of these deals will be ongoing until Jan. 15, 2026.

The best Paramount+ deals at a glance: Best for most people Paramount+ Essential annual plan $59.99 per year (save $35.89) Get Deal Best without ads Paramount+ Premium annual plan $119.99 per year (save $35.89) Get Deal Best for students Paramount+ Premium annual plan $59.99 for one year with SheerID verification (save $60) Get Deal Get Paramount+ for free Walmart+ annual plan $49 per year through Dec. 2 (save $49) Get Deal Best for military personnel Paramount+ Premium annual plan $59.99 per year with SheerID verification (save $60) Get Deal

Lexus has long built its reputation on one key trait, unmatched reliability. Year after year, the brand continues to top dependability studies and owner satisfaction surveys, and nowhere is that legacy more evident than in its SUV lineup. From compact crossovers to three-row family haulers, Lexus offers a model for nearly every type of driver, all backed by bulletproof engineering.

Apple is turning its Wallet into something akin to a digital passport — but don't expect to be flying internationally without a physical passport just yet.

On Wednesday, the company launched Digital ID, which is a way to present your ID in Apple Wallet in a secure and private way.

SEE ALSO: Apple's iPhone Pocket is a new way to carry the iPhone, and we have questions

The new feature is launching as a fairly limited beta. It will initially be only available in the U.S. for domestic travel only, rolling out to TSA checkpoints at more than 250 airports across the country.

To create a Digital ID, users will have to scan their U.S. passport. To do so, open Wallet on your iPhone, tap the Add + button at the top of the screen, select Driver's License or ID Cards, then select Digital ID and follow the instructions.

The process consists of scanning your passport with your iPhone, then scanning the chip that's embedded in the passport, and occasionally completing a series of facial and head movements (such as closing your eyes) during setup.

Instead of scanning your passport, you'll be able to scan your Digital ID on select TSA checkpoint locations. Credit: Apple

When presenting a Digital ID (for example, at a TSA checkpoint), you'll need to double click the iPhone's side button to open Wallet and select your Digital ID, hold your iPhone near an identity reader, and then use Face ID or Touch ID to authenticate. The process also works with Wallet on Apple Watch.

Apple points out that right now, you cannot use Digital ID to travel internationally.

Featured Video For You Crafting Your First AI-Generated Video in Sora

This is just a start for Digital ID, but Apple has big plans for the feature. For example, in the future you might be able to present your ID to prove your age at a venue that requires it, and you'll be able to use it for identity verification in certain apps.

The advantage of using Apple's Digital ID over whipping out a physical ID is that the venue that's reading it can only verify certain data, such as your age and photo, but they don't get to see all the data on the ID.

The feature builds on Apple's digital driver's license and state ID, which launched in 2022. These can already be added to Wallet in 12 U.S. states, as well as Puerto Rico.

Google Pixel phones are popular due to their clean, smooth, and customizable software experience, but there's room for improvement. While Material 3 Expressive makes these phones more customizable than ever, one of my biggest complaints is the at-a-glance widget. It's a non-removable "feature" inside the Pixel launcher.

I understand if you don't subscribe to MGM+. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if you've never heard of it. The streaming service, now owned by Amazon, doesn't have the extensive catalog or popularity of something like Netflix. Plus, there are only so many subscriptions one person can have!

Windows 11 now has native support for third-party passkey managers. The November 2025 security update is adding this in. This should bring an end to the disjointed feeling that Passkeys used to have if you weren't fully using Microsoft’s built-in tools.

Airbnb is reportedly integrating with Instacart in an interesting way, at least for a few months.

Folks who book stays in an Airbnb property will soon be able to order groceries ahead of their stay and have everything stocked and ready for them when they arrive, per Bloomberg. This will happen via a directly integrated Instacart interface within the Airbnb app. It should be noted that this is just a three-month pilot program starting on Jan. 5, and right now it's only for hosts in Phoenix, Orlando, and Los Angeles.

Still, this seems like a promising feature that could make traveling a lot easier for Airbnb guests.

SEE ALSO: Airbnb now offers 'Services' like makeup, photography, catered meals

The benefits for Airbnb customers here are obvious, but there are also incentives for hosts to play along, too. Each host will get $25 per completed Instacart order to their property and a $100 bonus for the first one, as long as they receive the order and put everything away on time.

Getting paid money to put away other people's groceries in the property you own is an interesting labor arrangement, if nothing else.

FX's Alien: Earth quickly became one of the most obsession-worthy shows of the summer

Over the course of eight episodes, Noah Hawley's Alien prequel series gifted viewers with bold new tech, a host of terrifying creatures, and a downright nausea-inducing mini Alien movie. With the show's Season 1 finale looming, can fans expect more Alien: Earth in a Season 2?

SEE ALSO: 'Alien: Earth's game-changing ending, explained Will there be an Alien: Earth Season 2?

Yes! On Nov. 11, FX announced that Alien: Earth has been renewed for a second season. FX also revealed that Hawley had signed an overall deal with FX and Disney Entertainment Television, which bodes well for the future of Alien: Earth.

SEE ALSO: Five burning questions we have for 'Alien: Earth' Season 2

That's a future that Hawley has been thinking about for a long time. In a 2025 interview with Variety, Hawley mentioned his hopes for further seasons. "Season 1 is the proof of concept," Hawley said. "And if it works commercially, then Season 2 is about building a model upon which we can envision making a Season 3, 4, 5."

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Hawley is also already thinking about the wait time between seasons, telling Evolution of Horror that he has "a destination in mind, story-wise" and that his main question going forward is, "How streamlined can we make the process so that you're not waiting for three or four or five years for more?"

When would Alien: Earth Season 2 air?

FX has yet to set a release date for Alien: Earth Season 2. However, the renewal announcement stated that Season 2 will begin filming in London in 2026. From this, we can make an educated guess based on the turnaround time on Season 1.

Season 1 of Alien: Earth entered production in July of 2023, although it began filming without its American SAG-AFTRA members due to the Hollywood strikes. (British cast members were able to film as they were not part of SAG-AFTRA.) Production paused later due to the strike, before resuming in April of 2024 and then wrapping in July of 2024. The show premiered in Aug. of 2025, making for a two-year turnaround from the beginning of production to release. That means we might be waiting until 2028 for a Season 2.

However, production on an Alien: Earth Season 2 will not have to contend with another SAG-AFTRA strike, meaning it will hopefully take less time for Wendy (Sydney Chandler) and her Xenomorph to grace our screens again.

Alien: Earth Season 1 is now streaming on Hulu.

UPDATE: Nov. 12, 2025, 9:30 a.m. EST This article was originally published on Sept. 23, 2025. It has been updated to reflect the news of Alien: Earth's renewal.

Look anywhere online, and you'll see discussions about how streaming services are ruining the cinema experience and negatively impacting movie theaters. And while I agree with many of those points, there's more to it than that. This new generation of endless content available to stream at a moment's notice ruined movies and TV in more ways than you realize.

ChatGPT has become the poster child for artificial intelligence and large language models everywhere, but if you want something more specialized, or you want something you can guarantee is private, it isn't your only option.

It seems like there's always a shakeup going down in AI, with Meta seeing more shakeups than most. The company recently laid off 600 people within its AI unit.

Now, Yann LeCun, a chief AI scientist at Meta and professor at New York University, is planning to leave the company and build his own startup, anonymous sources told the Financial Times. Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Mashable.

The report says that LeCun, who won the prestigious A.M. Turing Award for breakthroughs in AI, will be leaving in the coming months to pursue work on a startup that focuses on his own world models. He is already working on raising capital for the startup, according to the Financial Times.

LeCun wouldn't be the first to focus on world models, which, according to TechCrunch, are AI systems that develop "an internal understanding of its environment so it can simulate cause-and-effect scenarios to predict outcomes." World Lab, Google DeepMind, and Nvidia are all also developing world models.

This comes at a time when Meta is heavily inserting AI into users' feeds and is working frantically to keep up with AI rivals such as OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic.