Technology

Smart homes are increasingly becoming a crucial part of a functioning modern household, so I've decided to take the plunge and create my own smart home.

Logitech's MX Master series of mice has become a common sight in YouTube videos or photographs of tech-savvy people's desk setups, but what makes this now-iconic mouse so special?

You've probably heard of God Mode—the folder trick that's supposed to put every Windows setting in one place. It sounds exactly like what a power user would want, which is why it's so disappointing when you realize that it no longer includes every setting in one place—at least not on modern Windows devices.

Most monitors and TVs have a set of mounting holes on the back that follow the VESA standard. This is the mounting system that allows you to wall-mount your TV or put your monitors on special monitor arms.

My son is a big Plex fan. I was on the fence about it. I had some concerns about certain features being paywalled, among other things. I ended up quite liking Jellyfin for some of my media, so I switched over to it. I'm still going to try Emby at some point and see how it integrates into my setup as well, but Jellyfin has been my daily driver for a while now.

Sherlock Holmes' clever sister Enola (Stranger Things' Millie Bobby Brown) is back with a new mystery to solve, and Netflix has an overtly romantic teaser trailer for you.

Following the cases of the missing mum and sister, Enola Holmes 3 will see the young sleuth leave Victorian England behind for Malta with the love of her life, Lord Tewkesbury (Louis Partridge). As the trailer shows, marriage is afoot! But what's a wedding without a kidnapping interruption and a spot of gunfire?

SEE ALSO: 2026 Summer movie preview: Every film you need to know about now

Henry Cavill returns as world famous detective Sherlock, as does Helena Bonham Carter as their mother, Eudoria, Himesh Patel as Dr. John Watson, and Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Moriarty/Mira Troy.

Enola Holmes 3 debuts on Netflix July 1.

SAVE $51.99: As of May 27, the new Sony PS-LX3BT Bluetooth turntable is on sale for $348 at Amazon (normally $399.99). That's a 13% savings and its best price ever.

Opens in a new window Credit: Sony Sony PS-LX3BT Full Auto Playback Turntable with Bluetooth Connectivity $348 at Amazon
$399.99 Save $51.99   Get Deal

After testing Sony's updated PS-LX3BT turntable earlier this spring, I can confirm it's still one of the best record players for beginners.

It sounds great, it's super easy to set up, and its Bluetooth connectivity and automatic operation are both very convenient. To quote my review: Having come from a regular manual turntable, "It made me feel so spoiled that I was genuinely bummed to ship it back at the end of my testing period."

The PS-LX3BT also has a USB-B port that lets you rip vinyl tracks onto a laptop — a pretty nifty feature. (If you managed to snag the new Charli xcx singles on vinyl, you can use it to digitize those exclusive B-sides.)

One of the only things I didn't love about the PS-LX3BT was its price. It retails for $399.99, which is significantly more than the competition, so I'd try to find it on sale for less. Right now, it happens to be on sale for its lowest price ever: Amazon has it marked down to $348, or roughly $52 off. Best Buy and Sony also have it on sale with free shipping, but for a buck or two more.

The Sony PS-LX3BT is a fully automatic belt-driven turntable. Just press its green "Start" button to start listening to a record. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

The only other thing I dinged the PS-LX3BT for was having a heavy tracking force of 3.5 grams. You generally want it to be between one to three grams to minimize wear and tear on your records. If that concerns you, Sony's higher-end PS-LX5BT turntable has a removable cartridge with a tracking force of just two grams.

The PS-LX5BT is even more expensive, but it's also on sale right now. Amazon's discounted price of $473 (or about $27 off) also beats competing deals at Best Buy and Sony by a teensy bit.

The debate between Microsoft and Google is an old (and divisive) one. For many, it might look like there's an obvious winner, based on their preferences, but when it comes to productivity, the answer may be a bit more complicated.

While Google has owned Waze since 2013, it only started incorporating Waze's best features into Maps in the last few years. Now, both navigation apps do many of the same things, but that doesn't mean they're the same. Here are a few of the differences, and why I still prefer Waze.

Before smartphones, keeping passengers entertained on a long road trip meant packing a case of CDs, hoping the AC held out, and answering "are we there yet?" every 45 minutes (or seconds).

Google AI Overviews hallucinated more than Ken Kesey when it first launched in 2024, fabricating facts about drizzling "glue on pizza," among other offences.

And though the Gemini-powered technology has improved its accuracy dramatically over the last two years (unfortunately for publishers), AI Overviews still gets basic questions wrong. And that includes spelling tests.

SEE ALSO: Google AI Overviews sparks antitrust probe for using publisher content

Google's AI tools remain abysmal at answering questions about spelling, having gone viral two years ago for responding to the question "how many r's are in the word strawberry?" incorrectly. But it's still bad. On Tuesday, X user Naomi Rohatyn tested the large language model's (LLM) current ability to answer to a spelling question.

"How many e's in the word astronomical?" they asked.

"There are exactly 2 'e's in the word "astronomical" (a-s-t-r-e-n-o-m-i-c-a-e-l)," replied AI Overview.

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

We tried it ourselves, getting the same answer.

Uh, wrong. Credit: Google / Mashable

It appears to work for any word with four or more syllables:

Nope. Credit: Google / Mashable Incorrect. Credit: Google / Mashable

Suffice to say, people are having another gleeful round of testing the technology's spelling weakness, sharing their findings on social media.

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. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. Why can't Google AI Overviews spell correctly?

I don't want to be all Billy Madison spelling bee about this, but considering users are less likely to click on links when an AI summary appears in the results, surely the information provided in AI Overviews should be accurate. But it's complicated.

AI chatbots need exact context and specifics to answer as well as they can, so surely spelling words within their training data seems easy. However, things get knotty when you ask an LLM to consider words letter-by-letter, as the model will process text in chunks rather than individual characters (it's called tokenisation).

Featured Video For You 3 simple tips to optimise your ChatGPT search

I thought I'd ask Google's Gemini itself, to see what it had to say for itself. Defend your poor spelling!

"The short answer is that I don't look at or write text the way you do," Gemini told me. "When you write the word 'apple,' your brain processes five distinct letters. When I read or write text, I see the word as a single unit called a token (a numerical representation of a word or part of a word).

"Because I process words as whole blocks of meaning rather than strings of individual letters, I don't naturally 'spell' out words sequentially. I know exactly what 'apple' means and how it relates to other words, but I don't inherently focus on the fact that it contains two 'p's unless specifically asked to break it down."

Mashable has reached out to Google for human comment.

Personally, I use Winhance to create a custom Windows 11 ISO free of Windows bloatware, so I don't have to spend hours disabling and deleting superfluous apps and features after installing Windows. You can use Rufus instead if you'd like, since the utility not only allows you to install Windows 11 with a local account, but also to disable unwanted Microsoft apps and features such as Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Copilot, and so on.

Samsung unveiled a batch of next-generation monitors earlier this month, and right now, most of them are available for purchase. Over half cost well over $1,000 — you didn't think the world's first 6K gaming monitor would be a bargain, did you? — but Samsung is taking the edge off their prices with some freebies.

For a limited time, the new Samsung monitors come with your pick of a free credit worth up to $300 or a free bonus gadget worth up to $499.99. (The credit can be applied to any future purchase.) The latter options include Samsung's Music Studio 5 and Music Studio 7 smart speakers, valued at $299.99 and $499.99 apiece, as well as its latest Galaxy Buds4 Pro noise-cancelling earbuds. Those normally go for $249.99 on their own.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Shop Samsung's 2026 monitors Get up to $500 in rewards with your purchase. Shop Now

This offer is only available through Samsung's website, not at other tech retailers that carry them, so be sure to buy direct.

The lineup includes updated Odyssey, ViewFinity, and The Movingstyle Essential monitors that "push the boundaries of performance and visual quality," said Hun Lee, Samsung's Executive Vice President of Visual Display (VD) Business, in a press release. The star of the show is the new 32-inch Odyssey G8 ($1,599.99), the first-ever 6K gaming monitor, which our sister site PCMag called "pure overkill — in the best way." It's joined by a 27-inch Odyssey G8 with an almost-as-crisp 5K resolution ($949.99).

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung 32-inch Odyssey G8 G80HS 6K Gaming Monitor $1,599.99 at Samsung.com
Includes free $300 credit or Music Studio 7. Shop Now Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung 27-inch Odyssey G8 G80HF 5K Gaming Monitor $949.99 at Samsung.com
Includes free $200 credit, Music Studio 5, or Galaxy Buds4 Pro. Shop Now

Samsung has also fleshed out its roster of OLED gaming monitors with the new Odyssey OLED G7 and G8 displays. The OLED G7 comes in one 32-inch size ($1,099.99), while the OLED G8 comes in 27- and 32-inch variants ($1,099.99 and $1,299.99, respectively) and adds a glare-free finish. The larger Odyssey OLED G8 also features VESA DisplayHDR True Black 500 certification, which indicates elite brightness and contrast.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung 32-inch Odyssey OLED G7 G73SH 4K Gaming Monitor $1,099.99 at Samsung.com
Includes free $200 credit, Music Studio 5, or Galaxy Buds4 Pro. Shop Now Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung 32-inch Odyssey OLED G8 G80SH 4K Gaming Monitor $1,299.99 at Samsung.com
Includes free $300 credit or Music Studio 7. Shop Now

On the productivity side, Samsung has launched two new work-ready ViewFinity S8 monitors. A 40-inch model with a curved 1440p display is now available for $1,399.99. A 27-inch version with a sharper 5K resolution will arrive in July — stay tuned for its pricing.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung 40-inch ViewFinity S8 S85TH 5K2K Curved Monitor $1,399.99 at Samsung.com
Includes free $300 credit or Music Studio 7. Shop Now

Last but not least is The Movingstyle Essential, Samsung's new 43-inch 4K monitor on an adjustable rolling stand. It's the cheapest of the bunch at $899.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung 43-inch The Movingstyle Essential $899.99 at Samsung.com
Includes free $200 credit, Music Studio 5, or Galaxy Buds4 Pro. Shop Now

Read Mashable's launch coverage for more details about all of the new Samsung monitors.

SAVE OVER $50: As of May 27, the Soundcore AeroFit 2 by Anker open-ear earbuds are on sale for $79.98 at Amazon. This is $50.01 off their full price of $129.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Soundcore Soundcore AeroFit 2 by Anker $79.98 at Amazon
$129.99 Save $50.01   Get Deal

Even though Memorial Day sales have officially come to an end, we've still spotted some excellent deals that are worth a look. If you've been searching for some new earbud , the Soundcore AeroFit 2 by Anker open-ear earbuds are still discounted at Amazon.

As of May 27, every color of the Soundcore AeroFit 2 is marked down to $79.98. This is just over $50 off their full price of $129.99, which is an excellent offer to jump on. They're one of our favorite pairs of open earbuds as well, so we certainly think they're worth picking up at this new low price.

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!

As for why they're one of our favorites? Well, we think they offer the best ear hook design, which is good news for those who like to listen to music while they're working out. Mashable's Bethany Allard writes in our roundup of the best open earbuds: "While most ear hook earbuds come with some degree of flexibility, the AeroFits offer four locked-in angles, making them the most comfortable (and snug) open-ear hook buds we've tried so far."

That's not all, though. They even offer "Solid sound quality for the price", per our best open earbuds roundup. Pair that with up to 10 hours of battery on a single charge (that can even be pushed up to 42 with the case), and the Soundcore AeroFit 2 are a worthy pick.

This deal may not last long beyond Memorial Day sales. If they've caught your eye, now is the time to make a move on the Soundcore AeroFit 2 while they're still on sale.

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

If you can spend a few hundred bucks on a 3D printer and some filament, you can afford to spend a little on a few upgrades to ensure that your hobby is a safe one.

SAVE $50: As of May 27, the Garmin Lily 2 is on sale for $199.99 at Amazon. This is $50 off its list price of $249.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Garmin Garmin Lily 2 $199.99 at Amazon
$249.99 Save $50   Get Deal

Retailers like Amazon have wrapped up their Memorial Day sales, but if you're quick, you can still score some excellent savings. The Garmin Lily 2 is one deal that's still hanging around, though not for long.

As of May 27, the Garmin Lily 2 is discounted to $199.99 at Amazon, but the countdown has already started on how long it'll stay at this price. Through the rest of May 27, shoppers can take advantage of this $50 discount before it goes back up to its full price of $249.99.

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!

What makes the Garmin Lily 2 stand out is it doesn't have the chunky design of most other smartwatches. It's much sleeker, and can blend in as more of a stylish watch on your wrist rather than a bulky tracker. Our review from writer RJ Andersen said it's "a great option for someone who wants a stylish, simple smartwatch to track activity without a ton of bells and whistles."

If you're just looking to track the basics, the Garmin Lily 2 still boasts plenty of features to help with your day-to-day routines. These include a sleep score, respiration tracking, hydration tracking, all-day stress tracking, heart rate monitoring, and a Body Battery energy monitor. It can even track a variety of activities like yoga, pilates, dance fitness, and more. Plus, it offers up to five days of battery life before it needs a recharge.

If you're not looking for a techy timepiece packed with advanced features, the Garmin Lily 2 is a stylish pick worth checking out.

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

There's a massive difference between a spreadsheet that looks good and one that actually works. Many beginner spreadsheet habits are secretly ticking time bombs for your data. Here are the core mistakes messing up your files, and the simple settings that fix them.

SAVE OVER $60: As of May 27, Beats Fit Pro are on sale for $134.99 at Amazon. That's a 32% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Beats Beats Fit Pro $134.99 at Amazon
$199.95 Save $64.96   Get Deal

The 1st generation edition of the Beats Fit Pro are back on sale, and according to camelcamelcamel, they're at their best-ever price at Amazon.

Beats audio is always impressive, and I've said before that the Fit Pro are my favorite earbuds of all time. Years down the line, that hasn't changed.

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!

There's a lot that makes these earbuds so good, but their secure-fit wingtips stand out for making them the perfect workout earbuds. This design helps keep them firmly in place during workouts of all intensities, as well as for general use.

The custom acoustic platform also delivers powerful sound, and you'll get Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking to create a more immersive listening experience for music. You'll also get three different listening modes: Active Noise Cancelling, Transparency Mode, and Adaptive EQ, so you can switch between blocking out noise completely or staying aware of your surroundings.

And for battery life, these will not let you down. They promise up to six hours of listening time on a single charge, extending to up to 24 hours with the charging case. Having used these for several years, I've never been let down by the battery.

Get this Beats deal at Amazon now.

TL;DR: Amazon has the Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Chaos Rising Triple Pack on sale for $37.72, which is $5.01 off its current $42.73 price.

Opens in a new window Credit: The Pokémon Company Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Chaos Rising Triple Pack (3-Pack Blister) $37.72 at Amazon
$42.73 Save $5.01   Get Deal

Since its release last week, products across the Pokémon TCG’s Chaos Rising expansion have taken dips in market price — resulting in price drops that make it the best time to expand your trading card collection with more boosters for less. 

As of May 27, Amazon has the Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Chaos Rising Triple Pack (the 3-Pack Blister) available from $37.72, down from its usual $42.73 price. That knocks 12% off the sealed blister, with this lowest Amazon listing shipped and sold by Collectors Expedition for June 2-3 delivery. 

If you want your new Chaos Rising Blister as soon as possible, the $37.74 listing from TCG & MORE has an option for delivery as soon as May 29 at the time of writing. 

This 3-Pack Blister comes with three booster packs from the Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution set’s Chaos Rising expansion, plus a special foil promo card featuring Charmeleon. Each booster pack includes 10 cards, one Basic Energy, and one Pokémon TCG Live code card.

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!

Chaos Rising is built around a city falling into havoc, featuring many Pokémon from the Pokémon Legends: Z-A game as valuable chase cards (available to buy separately) — including SIR Mega Greninja ex, the Mega Hyper Rare Mega Greninja ex, SIR Cinccino ex, SIR Mega Dragalage ex, and SIR Mega Floette ex. 

If you’re open to saving more money by shopping beyond Amazon, Walmart currently has the Chaos Rising 3-Pack Blister listed at $29.95 with free shipping, sold by Realgoodeal and fulfilled by Walmart, while TCGplayer listings start at $21.50 plus shipping.

Buying the 3-Pack Blister at Amazon will still save you 38 cents per pack compared to buying single Chaos Rising Boosters individually — with the Charmeleon promo card included as a great bonus.

To save even more money per pack, Amazon also has the Pokémon TCG’s 36-pack Chaos Rising Display Box for around $275. Meanwhile, a surprising Amazon price drop now has the Chaos Rising Elite Trainer Box available for just under $95. 

The Pokémon TCG’s newly-announced Pitch Black expansion is available to pre-order at TCGplayer.

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

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you're an avid reader.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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

Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

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

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for May 27, 2026 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: A collective

• Green: Game night picks

• Blue: To glare

• Purple: Classic literary characters

Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Small community

• Green: Classic board games

• Blue: Homophones of ways of looking

• Purple: Ending in the "Little Women" March sisters

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #1081 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Small community: COMMUNE, HAMLET, TOWNSHIP, VILLAGE

• Classic board games: BATTLESHIP, OPERATION, OTHELLO, TROUBLE

• Homophones of ways of looking: AYE, LEAR, PIER, STAIR

• Ending in the "Little Women" March sisters: BANJO, MACBETH, MONOGAMY, NUTMEG

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for May 27, 2026

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.