Technology

I bought my first 3D printer expecting to make toys, gadgets, and the occasional product prototype. Instead, one of my most useful prints is simply a plastic clamp whose whole job is to get chewed up by my CNC bit. Plastic clamps save my bits when a cut goes wrong, but buying injection-molded ones over and over got old fast. Now I print them for pennies a dozen at a time.

Of all the Pixel 11's new features, Rambler voice typing is the one that will benefit the most people, even if they never realize that it's there. But does Rambler actually require a new phone? I forced it onto my Pixel 8a to see how well it can work on an older device, and I was impressed by the results.

I have a lot of appliance manuals that I've collected over the years. They rarely need looking at, but when they do, finding the right manual can be a chore. I decided to stick NFC tags to my appliances so that I could access their manuals more easily.

Halloween is the perfect excuse to revisit some horror favorites, and Netflix has a few additions that fit the season. From supernatural scares and gory survival thrillers to creature features and classic slashers, the platform hosts a variety of titles you can pick from.

TL;DR: Upgrade your listening method with these comfortable new, open-box Sony LinkBuds Open Truly Wireless Earbuds, on sale now for just $89.99 (reg. $229.99).

Opens in a new window Credit: Sony Sony LinkBuds Open Truly Wireless Earbuds White (Open Box) $89.99
$229.99 Save $140   Get Deal

Whether you’re on a walk, working at your desk, or just tackling chores around your house, earbuds make it all a little more fun. The Sony LinkBuds Open Truly Wireless Earbuds let you enjoy your tunes and podcasts while staying aware of your surroundings. And right now, they’re on sale for just $89.99.

If you’re in the market for a new pair of earbuds, you don’t have to spend hundreds to enjoy your content comfortably. These Sony LinkBuds Open Truly Wireless Earbuds deliver clear audio, comfort, and peace of mind, so you can stay safe and still hear the world around you.

The Sony LinkBuds Open Truly Wireless Earbuds feature an open-ring design that lets ambient sound through, while adaptive volume control automatically adjusts to your surroundings. This combo makes them an excellent option when you can’t fully tune out the world around you.

The integrated V2 processor delivers a balanced audio experience, while the 11mm ring-shaped driver unit delivers clear sound no matter what you’re listening to.

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You’re saving big on these earbuds thanks to their Open Box status. That means they were likely excess inventory from store shelves, but they have been verified to be in new condition and in clean packaging.

Snag your own pair of Sony LinkBuds Open Truly Wireless Earbuds for just $89.99 today.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Meta has yet another cute little creature it would like you to get to know.

The company's new app, Waddle World, combines a Tamagotchi-style virtual pet with AI-assisted journaling. Available on iOS and Android only in the Philippines for now, the free app lets adults hatch a 16-bit pixelated pet, feed it, play mini-games, and tell it about their day.

Meta's App Store listing calls it "a daily journal disguised as a pet." Users must be 18 or older.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. How Waddle World works

The setup will feel familiar to anyone who has raised a Tamagotchi. You hatch a digital creature and spend time looking after it, with mini-games such as catching stars, stacking groceries, and solving word puzzles, earning stamps to spend on your pet.

But this creature also wants to hear how your day went. Users can speak or type an update, which the app turns into a journal entry written in the pet's voice, complete with a doodle. That personalized writing and illustration is where AI comes into play, although the listing does not identify the model powering those features.

Over time, Meta says, the pet notices what lifts users' moods or wears them out and brings those details up in later interactions. Daily questions offer prompts for anyone unsure what to share, while weekly email postcards can reference something they previously mentioned.

It's a familiar idea with a different approach to keeping a diary. Finch, for example, already pairs a virtual bird with reflection prompts, daily goals, and breathing exercises. As its slogan goes: "Take care of your pet by taking care of yourself!" Waddle World takes on some of the writing, turning a brief update into something users can revisit.

Meta presents that routine as low-pressure, promising "no pressure, no streaks to protect, no scores to chase." Still, the same description calls Waddle World a "gentle journal habit tracker" and encourages daily check-ins. There may be no leaderboard, but the app gives users plenty of reasons to return.

Meta keeps giving AI a cute face

The little pet arrives shortly after another character joined Meta's lineup. Last month, the company introduced Jolly, the cheerful mascot for its Muse AI agent, alongside a handheld device called Muse Charm.

Meta has not established that Waddle World runs on Muse or connects to Charm. The clearer connection is how these products invite people to interact with technology through a character they can get attached to.

As Mashable previously explored, mascots have long helped tech companies make unfamiliar products feel more welcoming. Microsoft had Clippy, Duolingo has its green owl, and Meta now has Jolly. And don't forget about ChatGPT recently launching an array of adorable Dots. With Waddle World, that familiar design choice could help make sharing personal experiences with AI feel as ordinary as checking in on a pet.

SEE ALSO: From Clippy to Jolly: Why tech keeps putting a cute face on its products What happens to your personal updates?

The app's App Store privacy disclosure, supplied by Meta, lists audio data and other user content among the information that may be collected and linked to a user’s identity. Both appear under categories for third-party advertising and the developer's own advertising or marketing. (Apple notes that it has not verified the disclosure.)

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

That leaves some details unresolved. The listing does not clarify whether journal entries fall within those advertising categories or whether entries are used to train AI models. It also does not explain what controls users have over the information their pet remembers.

For an app that invites conversations about relationships, routines, and difficult days, those are meaningful questions. The pet's ability to remember a personal detail may be part of its appeal; knowing how to delete that detail should probably be part of the experience, too.

A group of select OpenAI employees will spend Nov. 3 in the AI giant's new midterm election "war room," tasked with monitoring ChatGPT's role in the political machine.

The company announced, via Politico, that it would convene its own Election Operations Center ahead of next week's nationwide elections with the express task of spotting potential misuse of its AI models.

SEE ALSO: NY governor signs major chatbot safety bill into law

"We’ve put considerable effort [into] ensuring we help users get reliable voting information, combat misuse of our tools, and support election defenders. The Elections Operations Center builds on that years long work, bringing our teams together to respond quickly to emerging issues and enforce our policies as people head to the polls," Josh Lawson, head of civic and strategic risk for OpenAI, told Decoded by Politico.

Other tech giants have diverted resources to election integrity in recent years, including Microsoft's voter education and AI literacy initiative and Meta's $30 billion spend to advance its election security initiatives, following allegations its platforms sowed political discord.

In the midst of the 2024 presidential election, a coalition of tech companies pledged to work together to combat generative AI's potential to undermine global elections. The agreement included commitments to mass public education, more transparent AI policies, and robust detection tools to curb the spread of political deepfakes.

Even so, many remain concerned about AI's role in election disinformation campaigns. According to misinformation watchdog NewsGuard, disinformation campaigns directed by foreign governments have increased ahead of election day, primarily amplified on social media platforms like X. More than half of Americans were fooled by such election misinformation, and X's Community Notes failed to identify more than 93 percent of such posts, according to the organization's research.

A report from the Brennan Center for Justice found that guardrails in major AI models, including Gemini and Meta AI, were failing to prevent the generation of fake election images — ChatGPT was the only model that showed some improvement in curbing photorealistic images, according to the center's findings. But NewsGuard's tests of OpenAI's ChatGPT Images 2.5 found the model repeatedly generated lifelike images of political candidates when prompted.

Meanwhile, a growing number of Americans are leaning on chatbots to help them find polling information, research candidates, and even fill out their ballots.

SpaceXSI (formerly xAI) owner Elon Musk has personally contributed more than $366 million to Republican election efforts ahead of the 2026 election, making him one of the most prolific mega donors in recent history.

Pi-hole is one of my favorite services that solves an everyday problem without requiring expensive hardware. Install it on a Raspberry Pi, configure your devices to use it for DNS, and you can block unwanted domains while monitoring DNS activity across your network.

Wednesday marked the apex of Apple's "Pro and Tell" week of announcements with the unveiling of the new touch-enabled MacBook Pro. It turns out a touchscreen isn't the only thing this new laptop has in common with iPhones.

Tucked away in the lengthy announcement press release for the "PROLED" MacBook Pro is the reveal that this new laptop feautres a Dynamic Island module, just like modern iPhones. This marks the very first Mac product to come with Dynamic Island. Apple's press release only included a paragraph of information about Dynamic Island on the MacBook Pro, but it did reveal that it's the new home for Siri AI, Spotlight, and Live Activities, similar to how it works on an iPhone.

SEE ALSO: Here's how much a maxed-out touchscreen MacBook Pro will cost you That's handy. Credit: Apple

If Apple's included screenshots are to be believed, you can also use the Dynamic Island pop-up to control incoming AirDrop transfers and music playback. In all, it seems fairly equivalent to what you can use Dynamic Island for on an iPhone, with one exception: This laptop doesn't have Face ID. You'll still have to use Touch ID for biometric login purposes.

Still, it's interesting to see Apple homogenize its user interfaces across devices even more so than usual. Perhaps future MacBooks will have Dynamic Island, too.

TikTok already helps decide which restaurants get people lining up outside. Now, it wants to help users sort through those recommendations and, in some cases, book a table.

The company announced Must Eat on Wednesday, Oct. 28, a restaurant guide launching in the areas around New York City, Los Angeles, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Drawing on more than 40 million posts, reviews, and comments, the feature gathers restaurants attracting attention on TikTok into city-specific lists.

How TikTok's Must Eat guide works

Must Eat is part of TikTok GO, the app's offering for discovering and booking experiences. Its restaurant lists are divided into Everyday Eats, covering casual spots and neighborhood favorites, and Elevated Dining, for celebrations and other special occasions. Users can filter by cuisine, price, score, and location, explore restaurant pages with related TikTok content, and save places to their existing collections. Select restaurants also offer reservations through OpenTable.

The guide is accessible through TikTok search, the Local feed, restaurant location pages, and location links on videos featuring listed businesses. TikTok says it checks that businesses are open and operating before publishing a list.

"Independent restaurants and local specialties take priority, and no restaurant can pay to be featured," the company said in its announcement.

Much of that will sound familiar to anyone who already keeps a running list of places to eat. Beli lets users rank restaurants, track places they want to try, see where friends are eating, and receive personalized recommendations. Yelp's annual "Top 100 Places to Eat" similarly turns community feedback into a restaurant guide, using factors including review volume and ratings.

Google offers an especially timely comparison. Earlier this month, it introduced its first Fan-Favorite Dining List, using Maps reviews, ratings, and searches for directions to identify dining spots across 10 cities worldwide, including New York and San Francisco. Maps also has weekly dining lists highlighting trending restaurants, neighborhood gems, and established favorites.

FoodTok's influence reaches beyond the feed

TikTok's pitch brings those familiar planning tools closer to the videos that might have sparked someone's interest in the first place. A creator's review, the comments underneath it, videos from inside, and an available reservation can all become part of deciding where to eat within the same app.

For restaurants, that attention can reach well beyond their usual customers. In TikTok's announcement, Ann Redding, co-owner and chef of New York's Thai Diner, described watching diners introduce the restaurant to a wider audience.

"TikTok has given our guests a way to share those experiences with people far beyond our dining room," Redding said. "It’s pretty amazing to watch."

There is data to support TikTok's strategy, particularly among younger diners. In a recent survey, 38 percent of Gen Z respondents reported discovering new restaurants through TikTok, making it that group's leading discovery channel. Social media's influence also extends beyond dedicated food influencers. A 2025 report, based on a survey of U.S. consumers and hospitality operators, found that 69 percent of Gen Z diners relied on social media for restaurant discovery.

TikTok has its own figures, too. Citing PF Global research in the announcement, the company says 27 million Americans visited an independent restaurant, cafe, or shop for the first time after discovering it on the platform in 2025, generating an estimated $4.7 billion in local spending. That estimate includes retail shops as well as dining businesses.

Of course, going viral can mean a lot more people showing up hungry. For Sam Yoo, chef-owner of Golden Diner and Golden HOF, keeping up with that rush took some adjusting.

"When we went viral about three years ago, our team had to adapt quickly, but our focus stayed the same: making great food and taking care of our guests," Yoo said. "I’m proud of how our team rose to that occasion, and grateful that people are still coming through our doors years later."

TikTok has explored turning food videos into meal orders before. As Mashable reported in 2021, the company announced plans for TikTok Kitchen, a delivery concept built around viral recipes. That project stalled, though Virtual Dining Concepts later rolled out a similar offering called "Creators' Kitchen As Seen On TikTok" in 2024. But Must Eat is "cool" and "pretty convinent," at least according to some X users. Though others are more critical, writing complaints like, "finally an app for discovering new lines to stand in," and "tiktok taking the reservation too, wild."

For food creators, Must Eat could give a restaurant recommendation a longer life beyond the feed. For viewers, it could make that place they’ve been meaning to try easier to find when someone finally asks, "Where should we eat?"

Beyond frequent updates and native integrations with some AI tools that reduce busywork, Photoshop's easy access to thousands of third-party plugins is another reason why it still manages to maintain its spot as the industry standard.

Having the right power tools helps you work faster and more efficiently, so you can meet your deadlines. They aren't cheap, but price won't be a limiting factor when you get 41% off the DeWalt 20-Volt Max 6-Tool Cordless Combo Kit and save $370.

Getting to my destination using Google Maps is only half the job. I still need to find parking, track fuel expenses, and decide which stops are worth making on a road trip.

If you're like me, you like to have subtitles on when you're watching movies and shows. One reason is because I watch quite a lot of foreign-language content, like anime, and the other is that no one can hear anything the actors are saying anymore, thanks to modern audio mixing.

Googlebook's clumsy launch made me wish that I wasn't a product reviewer. I had to spend two weeks using a laptop with what felt like an unfinished operating system (cue the world's smallest violin), and throughout the entire process, I just kept thinking how nice it would be if Google had taken all of its biggest Googlebook features and slapped them on a mainline Linux distro instead of trying to reinvent the wheel.

Google announced Gemini 4 Carbon, a new frontier AI model that arrives just two weeks after Gemini 4 Argon reached the Gemini app.

In a blog post published Oct. 28, Koray Kavukcuoglu, SVP at Google DeepMind, the company’s frontier AI lab, called Carbon Google’s strongest model yet. (Kavukcuoglu is leading Google DeepMind now that former CEO Demis Hassabis has stepped aside.) The post points to cybersecurity and long-horizon tasks, meaning complicated jobs that take many steps or run for a long time, as Carbon’s biggest strengths.

Already, Gemini 4 Carbon has the top spot in the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, beating out Claude Opus 5.5.

Credit: Screenshot: Artificial Analysis SEE ALSO: Google says Gemini 4 Argon agents beat 'Minecraft' without human help

The pace at which AI companies are releasing new frontier models has accelerated sharply in recent months, as the frontier AI labs race to have the best model available. Anthropic released Claude Opus 5.5 on Sept. 22, OpenAI shipped GPT-6 Astra earlier that month, and Google announced Argon on Sept. 30 before releasing it to Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers on Oct. 13. Each lab has claimed a new lead within weeks of the last.

As with Argon, Google is announcing Carbon well before most people can use it. Carbon is starting with a small group of cybersecurity defenders, and Google hasn’t said when it will reach everyone else. (Last week's PHP2Shell incident shows just how much havoc new AI models could wreak on the internet at large.) Announcing early lets Google claim the top spot on the leaderboards now. It also gives everyone a look at the benchmarks before the next round of releases.

Gemini 4 Carbon: Benchmarks

In Google’s comparison table, Carbon posts the top score on 15 of 17 benchmarks against Argon, GPT-6 Astra, Claude Opus 5.5, and Claude Fable 5.1. All figures in this section are as reported by Google.

Credit: Google

The two benchmarks Carbon doesn’t win are worth noting. GPT-6 Astra still leads on FrontierSWE 2, a software engineering test. Claude Opus 5.5 leads on OSWorld-2.1, which measures how well a model can operate a computer.

A big change from Argon is that Google now reports Terminal-Bench 4.0 scores run by Artificial Analysis, an independent testing firm, rather than its own. For quick context, Terminal-Bench 4.0 measures how well an AI model can complete real technical tasks — like installing software or fixing broken code — by typing commands into a computer’s terminal on its own. It's one of the hardest agentic tests for LLMs.

This is notable because the scores companies reported for each other’s models didn’t always line up with independent testing. On Terminal-Bench 4.0, Carbon jumps about eight points over Argon and moves ahead of Opus 5.5.

Google also says Carbon can work on difficult engineering problems for days at a time. Its web development skills improved enough to climb to fourth place on WebDev Arena, a leaderboard where people vote on AI-built websites.

The Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index

The Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index is one of the most closely watched independent leaderboards for AI models. Artificial Analysis runs a range of tests itself and combines them into a single composite score.

On the newly updated version 5.0, Carbon (high) scores 59, one point ahead of Claude Opus 5.5 (max).

Gemini 4 Carbon's score of 59 is leaps above Argon's 50. Credit: Artificial Analysis

The scores can’t be directly compared to the previous version of the index, where Argon (High) scored 53. A one-point lead is also thin enough that the next release from OpenAI or Anthropic could easily erase it. Carbon and Meta’s Muse Wonder Full are both flagged on the leaderboard as having no publicly available API, so they can’t yet be used outside their companies’ own access programs.

Gemini 4 Carbon: Safety and safeguards

Google says Carbon uses the same safety system as Argon, which includes monitoring the model’s reasoning, and adds more work on alignment, or keeping the model behaving as intended. According to Google’s own testing, Carbon is also better behaved than its predecessor.

Google says Carbon never successfully cheated on Terminal-Bench 4.0, meaning it never found a shortcut that passed a task without actually doing the work, and it tried to cheat only 0.4 percent of the time. During internal coding work, high-severity misalignment alerts, which flag a model acting in ways its developers didn’t intend, dropped by nearly 80 percent. Carbon also makes about half as many unsupported claims as Argon. And on Gray Swan’s prompt injection benchmark, which tests whether hidden instructions can hijack a model, Carbon blocked every attack attempt, improving on Argon’s 0.7 percent attack success rate.

All of these figures come from Google’s own testing.

How to try Gemini 4 Carbon

For now, you can’t use Gemini 4 Carbon unless you’re an approved cyber defender in Google’s Fairwind Program. Starting this week, Carbon is rolling out to a small group of those testers, and Google says it will gradually add more trusted partners. Developers, businesses, and consumers will get access after that, but Google hasn’t given an exact public launch date.

If we use Argon to figure out a timeline, about two weeks passed between its announcement and its arrival in the Gemini app for Pro and Ultra subscribers. Though we won't be able to confirm whether Google will commit to that same schedule for Carbon.

When Carbon does reach the API, Google says it will cost the same as Argon’s introductory price:

• $2 per million input tokens

• $10 per million output tokens

• Cached input tokens at 95 percent off the input price

That keeps Carbon well below its main rivals. Mashable previously reported that Claude Opus 5.5 costs $4 per million input tokens and $20 per million output tokens, while GPT-6 Astra costs $10 per million input tokens and $50 per million output tokens.

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

When you look at a roll of 3D printing filament you've never seen before, it comes with a lot of on-paper information. You know the primary materials, roughly what additives are in them, and the recommended temperatures and settings.

Switching to a rival smartwatch is always tempting when a new model lands. Google’s recent updates make it easier to justify staying put. Three of its newest additions, spanning health tracking, on-device AI, and GPS, change what a Pixel Watch can do day to day.

TL;DR: Watch Genoa vs. Juventus in Serie A for free on SportyNet. Access this free livestream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Serie A is showcasing some interesting midweek fixtures, including Genoa vs. Juventus. The visitors are looking to secure three points and move into the top six places in the standings. Juventus have made a decent start, but fans will expect to compete at the top end of the table.

If you're interested in watching Genoa vs. Juventus in Serie A from anywhere in the world, we've got all the information you need.

When is Genoa vs. Juventus?

Genoa vs. Juventus in Serie A kicks off at 3:45 p.m. ET on Oct. 28. This fixture takes place at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris.

How to watch Genoa vs. Juventus for free

Genoa vs. Juventus in Serie A is available to live stream for free on SportyNet.

SportyNet is geo-restricted to Brazil, but anyone can secure access with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Brazil, meaning you can live stream Genoa vs. Juventus for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Genoa vs. Juventus for free by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Brazil

4. Visit SportyNet

5. Watch Genoa vs. Juventus for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer generous money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watchGenoa vs. Juventus without committing your cash. This is obviously not a long-term strategy, but it gives you enough time to stream this fixture (plus other Serie A action) before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for Serie A?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on SportyNet, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries, including Brazil

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A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and usually offers a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99.

Live stream Genoa vs. Juventus for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The touchscreen MacBook Pro is finally here – and it's pricey.

On Wednesday, Apple unveiled its first-ever touchscreen laptop, the MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display. The starting price for the 14-inch model powered by the M5 Pro chip with 24GB of memory and 1TB of storage is $2,899. While that's quite costly, remember, that's just the base model for the device.

Looking to completely max out all the specs so you have the most premium, top-of-the-line model of the new touchscreen MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display?

That's going to cost $14,549. 

That's right, $14,549.

Just to compare, the latest and most powerful MacBook Pro model without the touchscreen, completely maxed out, comes to a total of $10,149. So, the maxed-out version of the MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display seems to be the most expensive Apple MacBook so far.

What does the maxed-out model include? First, upgrading the MacBook Pro from a 14-inch display to a 16-inch one bumps the starting price up to $3,399.

Then upgrading the standard glass display to the nano-texture glass adds an additional $150.

Next, we're going to upgrade the M5 Pro chipset to the M5 Max, which gives us a total cost of $4,949 so far. When you upgrade to the M5 Max chip, Apple also forces buyers to upgrade from 24GB of RAM to 36GB, which adds an additional $300.

SEE ALSO: Apple just announced a touchscreen MacBook Pro: How to buy

For another extra $300, we're upgrading the processing power from an 18‑core CPU and 32‑core GPU to an 18‑core CPU and 40‑core GPU.

Next, we're maxing out the memory too and going from that previously mentioned 36GB of RAM to 128GB of RAM, which, thanks to the AI-boom-related shortages, adds an extra $2,000 to our total.

And you can thank AI once again for driving prices of storage up too. Bumping the MacBook Pro from 2TB of storage to a whopping max of 16TB adds another $7,000 to the final price.

That brings us to our grand total of $14,549. Tax not included.