Technology

It took some time, but One UI 9 has finally started to roll out to a swath of older devices. You don't have to have a brand-new flagship Galaxy device to get the update anymore, which is good news for me and my S24 FE. Even mid-range A-series devices and some tablets are now gaining access to the swath of new features.

Flash drives aren’t the cheap choice that they used to be. Sure, you can still find some cheap flash drives around, but have you considered buying an external SSD instead? When you start to get to larger storage tiers, the pricing evens out and the external SSDs actually become a better buy.

So you buy a Kindle and you think to yourself, "I sure would like to turn the pages from way over here, surely there's a solution for that?" Well, to my personal surprise, I have recently learned both that people who want to turn eReader pages at a distance exist (it makes sense when you think about it) and that Kindles in particular have no elegant way of achieving this goal. Hence, the existence of weird and wacky "Kindle page turners."

When it comes to streaming, buying, selecting, or watching, I'm a picky viewer. It drives my wife bonkers. When I'm not being a thorn in her side about picking media to watch, I'm usually searching for ways to cancel subscriptions.

I got into radio and music production at a very weird time. For a while, I rocked a TASCAM PortaStudio for my personal recordings. When I got into college and started working in radio, it was all physical digital audio workstations and programs like Adobe Audition. When I no longer had access to professional-grade equipment and software, Audacity just hit a sweet spot for me. Whether it was recording my own songs, digitizing my LPs, or doing voice work, it was always there for me. Naturally, I was pretty excited when I heard about Audacity 4, one of the biggest updates to the software in some time. It was fantastic before, but its newest features are really going to give other professional DAW (digital audio workstations) a run for their money.

I’ve been a devout Android user for nearly two decades, but I never even toyed with the idea of building an app until this year. Google’s AI integration in Android Studio makes it accessible to anyone, and custom widgets are a great place to start.

Ever since I've been using Linux as a daily driver, I haven't really considered dropping Mint for something else. Don't get me wrong. I have a machine running Debian, a machine running Arch, and I still use Red Hat and Ubuntu at the office. So I'm very much in the Linux world. But I recently discovered an OS that gives Mint a run for its money (at least for my work): CachyOS.

The internet is full of a lot of garbage, but there’s also some incredibly useful information out there. Home Assistant has a native integration that can scrape information from some websites and extract specific values. I scrape data from several different sites, and once I've got the data into Home Assistant, there’s a lot I can do with it.

I've been a PC gamer for well over a decade. It's safe to say I've spent collectively over $10,000 on various gaming desktop builds over the years. But, I recently moved from my full-size superpowered custom-built desktop to a mini PC—and I love it?

The nation-wide grounding of American flights grabbed all the headlines yesterday, for good reason, but it wasn't the only anomalous event on Friday the 13th. 

Before the FAA mandate brought all air travel to a screeching halt, West Coast travelers experienced flight delays out of fear that falling debris from the recent SpaceX launch might damage a plane. 

The launch of Starship, SpaceX's largest interplantery rocket yet, capable of carrying up to 100 people on long-duration flights, involved incredible feats of engineering, but also necessitated shedding incredible amounts of debris to achieve escape velocity. Much of that debris ends up in orbit, as "space junk," but much also comes crashing down to Earth, and any problems in the launch would have likely also created significant danger, not only to air traffic but even pedestrians.

Thankfully no harm was done and after a short delay, primarily impacting flyers out of and into Hawaii, flights resumed until the larger, nation-wide shutdown. 

SpaceX's Starship test flight concludes later this afternoon, so if you want to watch the attempted catch of the mega-rocket, here's how you can live-stream it.

Waiting in line to pick up your kids from school can be excruciatingly dull. Many people spend the time scrolling through social media, but there is a ton of content out there that you could be watching that doesn't demand all of your attention or much of your time. Rather than doom-scrolling, these series are the perfect way to kill some time.

SpaceX is attempting rocketry history on Saturday, and you can watch it from the comfort of your home.

Elon Musk's spacefaring company launched a test flight of its Starship craft on Friday evening. There were multiple objectives for the mission, including the deployment of Starlink satellites, but two goals stood out above the rest: Guide the rocket booster to a pinpoint landing minutes after launch, and then do the same with the Starship itself a day later after it's done orbiting the Earth. That has never been done before.

SEE ALSO: Why tech stocks are down today, including Nvidia, SpaceX, AMD, more

The first goal failed, with the booster ultimately landing in the Gulf of Mexico, but the second objective is being livestreamed on X. According to Space.com, SpaceX will do a final point-of-no-return check at about 2 p.m. ET, where it will decide whether or not to go through with this objective or just splash down in the water. If the company decides to go for it, the landing will happen a couple of hours later, shortly after 4 p.m. ET.

If you don't have anything better happening on a Saturday afternoon, there are worse ways to spend that time.

I got fed up with OneDrive running out of room and Windows Backup not working well for me. So, I decided to try a new piece of software that completely changed how I backed up my computer: Duplicati.

The consumer 3D printer market is dominated by filament deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printers that take spools of filament and turn them into objects by melting and reforming that material. Resin 3D printing works in a similar way, except objects are “grown” from a vat of liquid resin and hardened using light.

Save $30: The Nintendo Switch 2 is available for $469 at Woot. This deal is live through Nov. 30 or until sold out. The console rarely goes on sale and is usually listed for $499, making this a 6% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Nintendo Nintendo Switch 2 $469 at Woot!
$499 Save $30   Get Deal at Woot!

Struggling to get your hands on the Zelda edition of the Switch 2? How about grabbing a discounted Switch 2 instead, weeks ahead of Black Friday?

Yes, you read that right. Nintendo's console rarely goes on sale — and even less so since its $50 price hike in September — yet Woot is offering a brand-new Nintendo Switch 2 for $469. That's a $30 price drop from the usual $499, bringing it closer to its former $449 list price. Admittedly, it's not a huge discount, but again, it's rare. The console has dropped in price a grand total of zero times since its price hike.

For comparison, the Switch 2 is holding firm at $499 on Amazon and Best Buy.

Going into my fifth year covering Black Friday at Mashable, I can confidently say that gaming console deals can be a tricky one during the shopping holiday. A lot of folks wait until sales kick off to grab deals, meaning if there is an impressive price drop, it sells out fast. I would expect this situation to be even more competitive during the year of RAMaggedon.

In other words, sneaking in and grabbing some savings ahead of time on a truly excellent console is a great way to go this holiday season. Just make sure to grab it while supplies last, or before Nov. 30 when the deal expires, if stock is still available.

Desk space is a limited and highly valuable resource. If you have a gaming PC, you know how quickly accessories, peripherals, and gadgets pile up. Fortunately, with a single accessory, I managed to move most of the clutter off my desk without sacrificing functionality or convenience.

Where to check for Zelda Switch 2 stock: Nintendo Nintendo Switch 2 — The Legend of Zelda — 40th Anniversary Edition $519.99 at Nintendo Shop Now Amazon Nintendo Switch 2 — The Legend of Zelda — 40th Anniversary Edition $519.99 at Amazon Shop Now Walmart Nintendo Switch 2 — The Legend of Zelda — 40th Anniversary Edition $519.99 at Walmart Shop Now Target Nintendo Switch 2 — The Legend of Zelda — 40th Anniversary Edition $519.99 at Target Shop Now Best Buy Nintendo Switch 2 — The Legend of Zelda — 40th Anniversary Edition $519.99 at Best Buy Shop Now GameStop Nintendo Switch 2 — The Legend of Zelda — 40th Anniversary Edition $519.99 at GameStop Shop Now

If your current morning ritual involves violently hitting refresh on a dozen retail tabs, you already know the vibe: finding the Nintendo Switch 2: The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition is turning into an Olympic sport.

Between automated bot armies scooping digital drops, surprise order cancellations at Walmart, and inventory vanishing in seconds on Amazon, this custom black-and-gold console feels like a myth. But while digital storefronts look completely barren, stock is actively circulating behind the scenes.

Where to check for Zelda Switch 2 stock right now

Before getting into the restock details, bookmark these retailer pages to check for surprise drops:

• Nintendo Store — Out of stock right now, but you can add it to your wishlist to get pinged the second a restock hits.

• Amazon — Dropping tiny batches of consoles randomly throughout the day.

• Walmart — Stock exists but only for third-party listings selling at way over market price, so make sure your in-stock email alerts are turned on.

• Target — Sold out online, but periodic drops have taken place in-store.

• Best Buy — Sold out online, but select stores ran midnight openings on Nov. 5 with walk-in stock.

• GameStop — Online orders are off; you will have to walk into a store to find one.

Why is the console selling out so fast?

The feeding frenzy is being supercharged by Nintendo’s staggered release calendar. While the custom Zelda 40th Anniversary hardware dropped first on Oct. 29, the flagship game driving demand — The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for Nintendo Switch 2 — arrived on Thursday, Nov. 5.

The remake rebuilds the 1998 classic from the ground up with modernized controls, a fully orchestrated soundtrack, reworked dungeon puzzles, and expanded Hyrule environments. Since the $520 console doesn’t include the game, everyone is rushing to lock down a system before launch day.

Opens in a new window Credit: Nintendo The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for Nintendo Switch 2 $59.99 at Amazon
  Shop Now at Amazon What comes with the Zelda 40th anniversary Switch 2?

The package includes the special-edition Switch 2 system sporting a custom black-and-gold finish, themed Joy-Con 2 controllers, and a matching dock decorated with the gold Triforce emblem. It retains the platform's signature flexibility, letting you switch between TV, Tabletop, and Handheld modes whenever you want.

Inside the themed chassis, you get 256GB of built-in storage (expandable with microSD Express cards), a vivid display in handheld mode, faster load times, and support for up to 4K resolution on compatible TVs when the console sits in the dock.

The magnetic Joy-Con 2 controllers add mouse-style tracking in supported games, while the new GameChat hub lets you voice chat and share your screen directly as you play. It also plays your older Switch games and supports standard multiplayer options.

How can you improve your chances of finding stock?

Landing limited-edition Nintendo hardware takes a little prep work, but these battle-tested habits will give you a real edge over the bots:

• Save your checkout details everywhere — Log in to Target, Best Buy, Walmart, and the Nintendo Store to save your shipping address and default card. Stopping to type a card number or billing zip code during a live drop is how you lose an order.

• Hands off the refresh button in Best Buy's queue — When an online drop goes live, Best Buy puts shoppers into a randomized waiting line to filter out scrapers. Touching the reload button resets your spot and boots you straight to the back.

• Watch for Walmart+ early-access paywalls — Walmart frequently locks headline console drops behind paid Walmart+ subscriptions for the first 30 to 60 minutes. If you have a membership, keep that tab signed in; if not, wait for the general public window to unlock.

• Dodge third-party sellers — Double-check the seller before buying. Marketplace scalpers frequently list units for jacked-up prices; make sure it says "Sold and shipped by [Retailer]" at the standard price.

• Skip the web wars and head to physical stores — Online checkout bots grab website stock in under 15 seconds. Showing up in person is easily your most reliable path to securing one without paying scalper markups.

Will the Zelda Switch 2 be restocked on Black Friday?

Most likely, yes.

Stores like Walmart, Amazon, and Best Buy often hold onto popular gaming hardware to use as headline deals during Black Friday and Cyber Monday week.

With that said, Black Friday restocks are usually the hardest ones to catch. You will be fighting website crashes, gift shoppers, and automated bots all at once. If you can grab a console whenever stock appears, take it. Think of Black Friday as a backup plan, not your main bet.

Console hunting sucks right now, period. But between the surprise micro-drops and physical store restocks, you still have real shots at retail price — just be ready to move the second that stock goes live.

It took some time, but One UI 9 has finally started to roll out to a swath of older devices. You don't have to have a brand-new flagship Galaxy device to get the update anymore, which is good news for me and my S24 FE. Even mid-range A-series devices and some tablets are now gaining access to the swath of new features.

Smart home gadgets can make your life easier, but it’s easy to end up with a home full of gadgets that all do different jobs. Using Home Assistant, I’ve managed to replace several gadgets with tech that I already own.

Apart from the physical ownership and preservation aspects, one of the big reasons I love to collect DVDs and Blu-ray discs is the inclusion of extra features. I'm a sucker for "making of" segments, bloopers, and who doesn't love a nice documentary-style featurette?