Technology

HBO Max has a reputation to uphold. It's one of the O.G. premium cable networks and has been the home of prestige TV for decades—it's the home of the dragons, the mushroom-zombies, the goombahs, and the rich people misbehaving at luxury resorts. But it's also got a whole lot of weird and funny stuff to make a marathon out of.

The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is finding new fans in more places than the stadium.

According to new data from the league, views across its YouTube channels increased 41.7 percent through the first 10 weeks of the 2026 season, reaching 11.2 million. Watch time climbed nearly 50 percent, while subscribers grew 17.9 percent.

Those gains are part of a strong first half of the season for the NWSL. Attendance is up, the league’s social following has expanded, and merchandise sales have increased. New clubs and a wider mix of broadcast and streaming options are also creating more ways for people to follow the league.

So, who are these new fans, how are they discovering the NWSL, and what is turning their interest into a lasting connection with the league?

Who is watching the NWSL?

The NWSL's audience is broader than the young, predominantly female fan base often associated with women's sports.

Nielsen estimated that the league had 39.3 million fans in the United States in 2025, up from 30.8 million in 2023. On ESPN, women accounted for nearly half of the NWSL audience for the second consecutive season, while viewership among women ages 18 to 34 increased 30 percent year over year. The league’s average audience on ESPN Deportes also more than doubled from 2024, rising 109 percent.

Women now account for nearly half of the league's audience on ESPN, while women ages 18 to 34 are among its fastest-growing viewer groups. Spanish-language viewership is also rising, introducing the league to more fans across the United States.

That growing audience is increasingly visible in the stands. Mashable senior reporter Matt Binder attended a recent Gotham FC match at Citi Field, where more than 40,000 people came to watch the team play — the biggest women's sporting event in New York history.

"There were way more younger girls there than even young boys at any NYCFC game I've been to," Binder said.

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For young fans, following a team goes far beyond attending matches. NWSL clubs and players share highlights, interviews, training videos, and behind-the-scenes content across YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. This lets fans stay connected between games while drawing in new supporters.

YouTube and social media are becoming a larger part of the NWSL

NWSL's recent YouTube gains are part of a broader increase in viewing across its media lineup. Through Week 10, match coverage generated more than 1 billion minutes viewed across broadcast, streaming, and digital platforms.

The platform has played a similar role across other women's sports, giving leagues and athletes an additional way to reach younger viewers. Matt Hochberg, who runs Hochberg Sports Marketing, a FIFA-licensed women’s soccer agency, described the platform as a key growth driver for several women’s leagues.

"Women’s sports fans skew younger [and] digital-first," Hochberg wrote in an X post about the NWSL's YouTube gains, adding that the audience is also attractive to brands trying to reach the same demographic.

The league's broader social audience is growing, too. Its combined following increased 24 percent year over year to 3.1 million across six major platforms. According to the NWSL, fans are engaging with highlights, behind-the-scenes access, player-focused stories, and other league content.

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Individual players also bring massive audiences of their own. Trinity Rodman, Rose Lavelle, Sophia Wilson, and Mallory Swanson have each built social followings of hundreds of thousands of fans that reach far beyond their NWSL clubs.

U.S. national team players are only part of that equation. The NWSL included players from 55 national teams in 2025, allowing clubs to reach fans who already follow those athletes in their home countries. Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga, for example, represents Malawi and has become one of the NWSL's biggest stars after winning back-to-back league MVP awards.

More fans are attending matches

The NWSL's digital growth comes as attendance is also increasing. Clubs averaged 11,044 fans per match during the first half of the 2026 season, up 10 percent from the same period last year. The league reached one million attendees faster than in any previous season and is on pace to average more than 10,000 fans for the fourth consecutive year.

The season's largest crowd arrived in Denver back in March 2026, where expansion club Denver Summit FC hosted the Washington Spirit at Empower Field at Mile High. The match drew 63,004 fans, setting a league attendance record and becoming the largest crowd for a professional women's sporting event in the United States.

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Denver Summit and Boston Legacy FC both joined the league in 2026, expanding the NWSL to 16 teams. The additions created local clubs for fans in two new markets and gave the league more matches, players, and storylines to feature across its platforms.

Matches are available through CBS Sports, ESPN, Prime Video, ION, Victory+, and the league's NWSL+ service. Highlights and other clips then extend the life of those games across YouTube and social media.

Fans are also buying more merchandise

The league's retail numbers offer another sign of increased engagement.

Combined merchandise sales across NWSL clubs rose 72 percent during the first half of the season compared with the same period in 2025. Sales through NWSL Shop increased 207 percent.

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The league didn't disclose total revenue, but attributed the growth to rising demand for club merchandise, player products, and league-branded apparel.

There's also been plenty for fans to follow on the field. Every NWSL club has defeated a higher-ranked opponent at least once this season. At the midway point, the league has recorded 10 percent more upsets than during the same period last year, and twice as many matches have been decided in the final 15 minutes.

Those late goals and upsets create a steady stream of can't-miss highlights. For the NWSL's growing fan base, sometimes one highlight is all it takes to get the ball rolling.

Google Photos caps your free storage at 15GB, and that isn't just your email—it is pooled between Drive, Gmail, Photos, and every other Google service. Given how many things it gets used for, that storage space disappears pretty quickly. If you need more storage, or if you use iCloud, you're basically forced to opt into a monthly subscription.

When it comes to in-flight entertainment, there are two kinds of flyers—the ones who gamble on the random crud on the seat-back screen or the airplane Wi-Fi and those who download their entertainment the night before. Be the second kind. TV shows offer the ultimate flexibility when flying. You can watch a single episode between the drink cart and your nap, or binge a whole season on a long-haul flight—it's your call.

If you've ever held the power button to shut your PC down, you've done an "unsafe shutdown," and chances are that your SSD wasn't too happy about it. The event was probably logged, adding up to your error count.

The last year has been a roller-coaster for those competing in the world of electric vehicles. From tariffs to the removal of the federal tax incentive for EVs, demand for electric vehicles has slowed down drastically. For those that invested the most, like Honda, this turbulence has been quite costly. Now it has officially claimed another victim.

Leaving Love Island USA can give a contestant the kind of audience most aspiring creators spend years trying to build. By the time Islanders get their phones back, they may have millions of new followers, brands filling their inboxes, and television producers considering where they could appear next.

But leaving the villa does not necessarily mean they are free to accept every opportunity waiting for them.

That could matter for Mackenzie "Kenzie" Annis, whose commitment to practicing her splits throughout Season 8 inspired fans to campaign for her to join Dancing With the Stars. Professional dancer Ezra Sosa encouraged the idea beneath Annis' first post-villa TikTok.

"The mirrorball is CALLING your name," Sosa commented.

"SHUT THE FRONT DOOR," Annis replied.

Turning that exchange into an actual trip to the ballroom may require more than an invitation from ABC. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Love Island USA contestants enter a one-year exclusivity period that can limit their television appearances, brand partnerships, and other commercial work after the show.

Because Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+, outside Peacock’s NBCUniversal family, Annis may need approval before she can compete. Her situation provides a useful look at what happens after Islanders leave Fiji, when sudden internet fame collides with the contracts they signed before anyone knew their names.

What happens after Islanders leave the villa?

Love Island USA places a group of singles in a Fiji villa, where they date, compete in challenges, and try to remain coupled up long enough to win. Viewers follow their relationships almost every night on Peacock, discuss each episode online, and vote on who stays, leaves, and ultimately takes home the prize.

The contestants experience the season very differently. Like the casts of Big Brother, The Traitors, and many other reality shows, Islanders are largely cut off from the outside world while filming. They do not have their phones, cannot check social media, and have no way to see which conversations, outfits, or facial expressions have become memes.

An Islander can therefore enter the villa as a relatively unknown person and return home several weeks later as a major online personality. Season 8 generated more than 4 billion social video views and ranked as the No. 1 social program during its run, according to NBCUniversal. Winner Trinity Tatum emerged from the season with more than 3 million Instagram followers.

That kind of attention quickly attracts agents, managers, publicists, brands, and television producers. Representatives generally have about 10 days to meet with the most sought-after Islanders before the contestants begin receiving interview requests, sponsorship opportunities, and choosing representation.

It also forces Islanders to absorb several weeks of memes, criticism, fan edits, and public discussion about decisions they made without knowing how viewers would respond. Trinity asked viewers to stop directing "hate & ignorant comments" at Zach Georgiou, called him one of the most "amazing" people she met in the villa, and reminded fans that the Islanders are "people just like everyone else."

All of this happens just as they begin deciding how to turn their new audience into a career. Their options, however, may be more limited than they initially appear.

How does the Love Island USA exclusivity period work?

According to a report, Love Island USA contestants are subject to a one-year exclusivity period, and ITV America, the show's production company, must approve their brand partnerships. The contracts also govern which television appearances contestants can make, meaning an Islander may receive an offer without having the sole authority to accept it. Former Season 4 contestant Deb Chubb supported their claims, saying in a June TikTok: “contract-wise, you can't go on any shows a year after the finale.”

The full terms of the current agreements have not been made public, but available reporting suggests the restriction is more complicated than a blanket ban on television appearances.

These restrictions are not unique to Love Island USA. A publicly available Survivor agreement defines an exclusivity period lasting one year after the finale and requires contestants to obtain permission for certain media appearances. Contracts used by RuPaul’s Drag Race have also included one-year exclusivity clauses, while allowing contestants to participate in live performances and personal appearances.

The agreements can also help networks manage conflicts with advertisers. If a company already sponsors Love Island USA, for example, Peacock may not want one of the show’s contestants immediately promoting a competitor. A source told THR that limited noncompete provisions have become standard in reality casting and can give networks veto power over outside brand and commercial deals.

Networks frequently recast personalities from their own franchises

Dancing With the Stars has featured a steady supply of contestants from ABC’s The Bachelor franchise, including Matt James, Gabby Windey, Charity Lawson, Joey Graziadei, and Jenn Tran over five consecutive seasons. Disney personalities and stars from Hulu, another Disney-owned platform, also regularly appear in the ballroom.

Season 34, for example, included Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt from Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, while Disney Channel actor Chandler Kinney competed during Season 33.

Netflix takes a similar approach by treating its unscripted shows as a connected "Netflix Reality Universe." Contestants who become popular on Love Is Blind, Too Hot to Handle, The Circle, and The Ultimatum are regularly brought back for crossover programs such as Perfect Match and Battle Camp; some later become hosts or receive shows built around them, including Too Hot to Handle breakout Harry Jowsey’s Let’s Marry Harry. This lets Netflix keep recognizable personalities on the platform after their original seasons end.

Peacock and NBCUniversal have their own growing reality ecosystem. Former Islanders can return for Love Island Games, compete on The Traitors, or appear in Love Island: Beyond the Villa, which follows cast members as they navigate their relationships and careers after leaving the show.

Season 6 Islander JaNa Craig joined NBC's Destination X less than a year after leaving Fiji, for example, while fellow Season 6 contestant Rob Rausch later competed on and won Peacock’s The Traitors. A third season of Beyond the Villa is expected in 2027, creating another potential destination for members of the Season 8 cast.

For contestants, that means one successful reality show can lead to several more opportunities, but the network that introduced them may have the first say in where they appear next.

Could Kenzie still compete on Dancing With the Stars?

The exclusivity period may complicate Annis' chances, or those of any other Islander hoping to strap on their dancing shoes, but it does not necessarily keep them out of the ballroom.

Two celebrities announced for Season 35 show that NBCUniversal is willing to let some of its reality personalities compete on Dancing With the Stars. Maura Higgins, who became known through the British version of Love Island before appearing on Peacock's Love Island Games and The Traitors, will join the cast alongside Bravo's Ciara Miller. Miller stars on Summer House, hosts Love Island USA: Aftersun, and also competed on The Traitors.

Christine Cowan, the NBCUniversal executive who oversees casting across Bravo, NBC, and Peacock, said during the ATX TV Festival panel "How Familiar Faces Drive Fandom" in May, that the company had allowed Higgins and Miller to participate.

"We want them to be happy, and we want to continue our relationship with them," Cowan said.

Cowan characterized Dancing With the Stars as a one-off opportunity rather than a permanent departure for a competing entertainment company. She also said NBCUniversal makes its talent available to outside productions under certain circumstances.

Do the restrictions help or hurt Islanders?

For contestants, the arrangement brings both opportunities and tradeoffs.

ITV America sets rules for how contestants choose representation and offers a list of preferred managers and agents. This guidance can help someone navigating sudden fame evaluate offers, negotiate contracts, and avoid jumping at the first deal that lands in their inbox.

Staying in NBCUniversal's orbit can open doors to more television opportunities. The company has several programs ready to transform a successful Islander's season into a longer reality TV career.

The downside becomes apparent when the best opportunity comes from outside the network. The weeks right after a finale are when contestants get the most attention from viewers and brands. Another network might want to cast an Islander while the season's still buzzing, or a company might want to build a campaign around a viral moment or catchphrase that’s currently making the rounds online.

Those offers may not remain available for a year or even a month. Requiring approval can reduce contestants' control over the audience and the opportunities they gained on the show.

Leaving Fiji may end an Islander's search for a connection, but their relationship with Peacock could just be getting started.

A quick look at some of the best deals at Best Buy's Black Friday in July sale Hisense 75-inch UR8 RGB Mini LED 4K TV $1,699.99 (save $800 plus get $500 off soundbar system) Get Deal Therabody TheraFace Mask Glo $299.99 (save $80) Get Deal Shokz OpenFit 2+ Open-Ear True Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds $159.99 (save $40) Get Deal Apple AirTag 2nd gen (4 pack) $89.99 (save $10) Get Deal HP OmniBook 3 14 OLED (Snapdragon X, 8 GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $499.99 (save $100) Get Deal Unlocked Apple iPhone Air (256GB) $839.99 (save $160) Get Deal

Last year, Best Buy ran its Black Friday in July sale as direct Prime Day competition. But with Prime Day being in June in 2026, Best Buy couldn't exactly call its competition sale Black Friday in July (the retailer went with Tech Fest instead). But that just means we get two major Best Buy sales this summer — just one month after Tech Fest slash Prime Day, Best Buy's Black Friday in July sale event is bringing even more heat.

The sale is live now through Sunday, July 26. Best Buy is likely to drop new doorbusters more than once, so be sure to check back over the next few days.

SEE ALSO: The 6 best open earbuds stay put, sound great, and keep us aware of the world

Black Friday in July deals span all of the categories you expect from a Best Buy sale: TVs, iPads and MacBooks, unlocked phones, smartwatches and fitness trackers, you know.

In true Black Friday fashion, there's a whole landing page dedicated to deals that are 50% or more off — actually, way more than one page, considering more than 8,000 items are half off. If you're not trying to make any big purchases, this section is still a great spot to stock up on necessities like AirTags, charging cords and portable chargers, screen protectors, or phone cases.

We've pulled out just a few of our favorite 50% off deals from that list, though you should peruse on your own to see this variety for yourself:

50% off TVs Opens in a new window Credit: TCL TCL 65-inch A3G Designer Series QLED 4K Art TV with Flush Wall Mount $599.99 at Best Buy
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$2,999.99 Save $1,600.00   Get Deal 50% off laptops Opens in a new window Credit: Lenovo Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook 14 (MediaTek Kompanio 540, 4GB Memory, 64GB eMMC) $199 at Best Buy
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$399 Save $240   Get Deal 50% off headphones Opens in a new window Credit: JBL JBL Vibe Buds 2 Noise-Cancelling Earbuds $29.95 at Best Buy
$64.95 Save $35   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Sennheiser Sennheiser Accentum Bluetooth Noise-Cancelling Headphones $89.99 at Best Buy
$189.99 Save $100.00   Get Deal 50% off gaming gear Opens in a new window Credit: Razer Razer Wolverine V3 Tournament Edition 8K Wired Gaming Controller $49.99 at Best Buy
$119.99 Save $70   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Insignia Insignia Essential PC Gaming Chair $89.99 at Best Buy
$179.99 Save $90.00   Get Deal 50% off home tech Opens in a new window Credit: Blink Blink Outdoor 4 Wireless Smart Security Camera (5 pack) $104.99 at Best Buy
$299.99 Save $195   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung 3.1 Channel Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer (HW-B650/ZA) $199.99 at Best Buy
$399.99 Save $200   Get Deal

X has officially rolled out a rebuilt version of its Android app, following through on a project the company first teased roughly a year ago.

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In an August 2025 post on X, Head of Product Nikita Bier announced he was recruiting what he called the "Android Dream Team," describing the effort in characteristically hyperbolic terms and asking engineers to help "rebuild the X Android app" from the ground up. The recruitment push came as users had periodically flagged bugs and performance issues with the app in the months since; for instance, tapping tweet links from other apps, like WhatsApp, would incorrectly load the main timeline instead of the intended post.

Nearly a year after Bier's initial call for engineers, Bier announced on July 20 that the rebuild was complete, calling it one of the largest engineering projects in the company's history. He described the new app as faster, smoother, and more reliable, and said the updated foundation would let the team ship new features more quickly going forward.

An X spokesperson elaborated on the changes in an email statement to Mashable: "X modernized the foundation so everything is faster, smoother, and more reliable, including scrolling, loading, and notifications."

Beyond the underlying performance improvements, the update doesn't appear to introduce new user-facing features at launch. The company is framing this release as an infrastructure overhaul, with the spokesperson reiterating that Bier's posts on X, including support for hosting Spaces and better performance on older devices, are expected in future updates.

Google has introduced two additions to its Gemini "Flash" lineup, along with a specialized cybersecurity model, 3.5 Flash Cyber, while holding off on releasing a long-awaited Gemini 3.5 Pro.

In a July 21 blog post, Google announced Gemini 3.6 Flash and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite, describing them as built to give developers the "efficiency, low latency, and reliability" needed to run AI agents at scale. The post also detailed Gemini 3.5 Flash Cyber, a specialized model paired with Google's CodeMender security agent.

Our big Guessing Game is back! Enter now for a chance to win an Apple Watch.

The announcement also included a brief update on Gemini 3.5 Pro, which Google says "is currently testing with partners," with general availability "as soon as it's ready." The post added that Google has already begun training runs for a future Gemini 4 model.

At the Google I/O event in May, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai announced that Gemini 3.5 Pro would launch in June. Since then, Anthropic and OpenAI have launched new frontier models, Fable 5 and GPT-5.6 Sol, while the Chinese AI lab Moonshot recently launched Kimi K3, a more affordable but still competitive open-source AI model. It's against this backdrop that Google announced its new trio of Gemini models.

SEE ALSO: Where is Gemini 3.5 Pro? The AI model announced at Google I/O is still MIA.

According to the post, Gemini 3.6 Flash is positioned as the company's general-purpose "workhorse" model, offering improvements in coding, knowledge work, and multimodal tasks compared to 3.5 Flash. Google also priced the model lower than 3.5 Flash, at $1.50 per million input tokens and $7.50 per million output tokens. Google released benchmark evaluations of Gemini 3.6 Flash, showing improvements in a variety of domains.

Credit: Google

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite, meanwhile, is billed as the fastest model in the 3.5 series, reportedly capable of 350 output tokens per second, per Artificial Analysis figures cited in the post, at a lower price point of $0.3 per million input tokens and $2.5 per million output tokens. Google writes that the model is intended for high-throughput, latency-sensitive workloads like agentic search and document processing, and that it outperforms the prior Flash-Lite generation across agentic benchmarks.

Credit: Google

The most narrowly targeted release, Gemini 3.5 Flash Cyber, is designed specifically to detect and patch software vulnerabilities and is being deployed inside CodeMender, Google's code security agent. Per the post, the model will not be broadly available; Google says it plans to offer it exclusively to governments and select partners through a limited-access pilot, citing the dual-use risks associated with a model capable of finding security flaws.

Google also said the newly released 3.6 Flash model includes expanded safety measures to resist jailbreak attempts related to chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear misuse, as well as cyber offenses, while aiming to avoid unnecessary refusals for legitimate use cases.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

Google Maps has quietly evolved far beyond turn-by-turn directions. Buried in its settings and menus are tools that can change how you explore, navigate, and trust the places you visit. Here are three worth turning on.

You might not have heard of Xteink, but it's shaking up the eReader world through the miniscule size of its devices: you can fit them in your pocket so that you're more likely to read your favorite book than your Instagram feed. The Chinese brand is capitalizing on this by releasing the X4 Pro, a similarly tiny reader that adds some heavily-requested features.

SAVE $1,180.02: As of July 21, get the Jackery HomePower 3600 Plus for $1,618.98 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $2,799. That's a discount of 42%.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Jackery HomePower 3600 Plus $1,618.98 at Amazon
$2,799 Save $1,180.02   Get Deal

We're right in the middle of one of the stormiest seasons of the year. Summer thunder and lightning can ruin a beach trip or even a staycation if your power goes out. Be ready for any challenge with the help of a portable power station that can easily get you powered up again should anything happen. We've found one that's well worth grabbing while it's available at a significant discount.

As of July 21, get the Jackery HomePower 3600 Plus for $1,618.98 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $2,799. That's $1,180.02 off and a discount of 42%.

SEE ALSO: Portable power stations explained

This power station offers 3600W of output (7200W in parallel), with 3584Wh capacity that's expandable up to 21kWh per unit or 43kWh with multiple units. That means it can keep a 3-person household for over 2 weeks, which should be plenty of time to get things in order should the power be out for an extended period.

It's simple to plug in and charge, and it has 6,000 cycles as well as a 10-year lifespan. Jackery claims it will work and remain reliable in a variety of conditions as well, even during severe cold and blizzards. And when it's been depleted, it's simple to charge. You can bring it from 0 to 100% in just 2 hours when charging with AC+DC.

If you want to make sure you're ready no matter what happens with the weather and your electricity, this power station is well worth picking up while it's discounted.

The modern gaming landscape has changed drastically over the past decade. In the early-to-mid 2010s, games like Grand Theft Auto V, Far Cry 4, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt heavily favored strong single-core performance. This played directly into Intel's strengths. With its focus on strong single-core performance and fewer but faster cores, Intel's CPUs dominated gaming for years.

Best Dreame beauty deals at a glance: Best hair dryer deal Dreame Pocket $84.95 (save $15.04) Get Deal Best red-light face mask deal Dreame Chrona Photon Anti-Aging Skincare Mask $224.99 at Amazon (save $75) Get Deal Best hair removal device deal Dreame Astra IPL Hair Removal Device $314.10 (save $85.89) Get Deal

Back in the day, the pinnacle of skincare was St. Ives Apricot Scrub. While we still have access to that miracle facial product, tech has made significant advancements in the world of beauty. We have hair dryers that don't cause heat damage, red-light masks for improving skin texture, and at-home hair-removal devices.

If you're looking to set up the ultimate at-home beauty and self-care salon, you've probably heard of Dreame. The brand offers a wide range of beauty-focused products (and excellent robot vacuums, too) that are much more affordable than some competing brands.

Just in time for back to school and fall health focus, Amazon has discounts across the board on Dreame beauty tech. Here are some of the best deals to shop today.

Best hair dryer deal Opens in a new window Credit: Dreame Dreame Pocket $84.95 at Amazon
$99.99 Save $15.04   Get Deal Why we like it

If you're not one to splurge on the Dyson AirWrap, you have tons of dupe options that are much more affordable. While it comes with fewer accessories, the Dream Pocket is a great option if you're looking for portability. The dryer itself has a lightweight design that folds up nicely into the included travel pouch. The Dreame Pocket with a styling nozzle, diffuser nozzle, and case is on sale at Amazon for under $85 as of July 21.

Best red-light mask deal Opens in a new window Credit: Dreame Dreame Chrona Photon Anti-Aging Skincare Mask $224.99 at Amazon
$299.99 Save $75   Get Deal Why we like it

If you've been looking for a red-light mask, you've noticed they tend to come with steep price tags. Thankfully, Amazon has the Dreame Chrona Photon Anti-Aging Skincare Mask on sale for under $225 today. That's a 25% discount off the list price at Dreame of $299.99.

The Dreame mask has five targeted light modes in a soft and flexible silicone mask that's designed for ultimate comfort. Of course, it comes with FDA clearance and it's SGS tested. The cordless design can get up to 90 minutes of use before needing to recharge.

Best hair removal device deal Opens in a new window Credit: Dreame Dreame Astra IPL $314.10 at Amazon
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Instead of taking countless trips to the salon, get the Dreame Astrl IPL hair removal device, and do it all at home. Its highlights include 35J pro standard IPL energy, a 5.4 centimeter treatment window, and special cooling technology. Choose between 10 intensity levels or go with smart-glide mode for continuous pulses without the need to press a button.

At full price from Dreame, the Astrl IPL sells for $399.99 but Amazon has it on sale for $314.10.

Spain has triumphed as the winner of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but not before an intense final and the first-ever World Cup halftime show. And, as usual, Pornhub is a barometer for what captured people's attention so much that they clicked away from explicit content.

Many Spaniards and Argentines X'ed out of their Pornhub tabs in droves to focus on the game. At kickoff, Pornhub traffic was down 63 percent in Spain and a whopping 77 percent in Argentina, compared to an average Sunday on the tube site. By 5 p.m. ET, around two hours into the game, traffic was down 77 percent in Spain and 74 percent in Argentina (those missing three percent of Argentines had a feeling the final was over prematurely, apparently).

Credit: Pornhub

There were traffic dips worldwide, but nothing like those in Spain and Argentina. At kickoff, worldwide traffic was down 23 percent compared to an average Sunday, and 29 percent two hours into the game.

In the U.S., people seemed to care even less about the gooooooal, with traffic just down 16 percent at kickoff and 21 percent at 5 p.m. ET.

Credit: Pornhub

Unlike Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show, which got people off the tube site, the World Cup halftime show didn't seem to cause a similar shift. Worldwide traffic was around 20 percent below average at the start, and it nearly returned to typical viewership during the show. Guess Ted Lasso wasn't enticing enough.

Credit: Pornhub

In the hours after the game ended, Pornhub traffic shot up way above average in Spain (+36 percent at around 9 p.m.), Argentina (+17 percent), and worldwide (+9 percent). Everyone had to let off a little steam.

The best Apple Deals this week, at a glance Best MacBook deal Apple MacBook Pro, 16-inch (M4 Max chip, 36GB RAM, 1TB SSD) $2,999 (Save $400) Get Deal Best iPad Deal Apple iPad Air, 11-inch (M3 chip, 1TB, WiFi + Cellular) $749 (Save $500) Get Deal Best AirPods Deal Apple AirPods Max 2 $449 (Save $100) Get Deal Best Apple Watch Deal Apple Watch Series 11 (42mm, GPS) $299 (Save $100) Get Deal Best Apple accessory deal Apple AirTags 4-pack (2nd gen) $89 (save $10) Get Deal

Now a month out from Prime Day, great tech deals are getting harder to find. But when you need an upgrade, you need an upgrade. And lucky for you, we're always on the hunt — especially after Apple's excruciating price increases.

If you're looking to save some money on a new MacBook, iPad, AirPods, or other Apple gear, don't head to the Apple Store. The best places to shop for Apple discounts are Amazon and Best Buy. We did some digging at both and found the best Apple deals worth adding to your cart this week. Surprisingly, several MacBook Pro and iPad Air configurations are up to $500 off. We also found some steep savings on Apple Watches, Apple accessories, and even unlocked iPhones, despite it being a random Tuesday in July.

Shop the best Apple deals for the week of July 21, 2026 below.

Best MacBook deal Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Our pick: Apple MacBook Pro, 16-inch (M4 Max chip, 36GB RAM, 1TB SSD) $2,999 at Best Buy
$3,399 Save $400   Get Deal Why we like it

Unfortunately, there aren't any deals worth mentioning on the MacBook Neo or Air models, but we did find several decent discounts on the MacBook Pro at Best Buy and Amazon. Our top pick is this $400 price drop on a 16-inch MacBook Pro with an M4 Max chip and a ridiculous 36GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. With plenty of power and storage space, this is a premium pick for video editors, 3D designers, or anyone who needs some serious firepower. Several other configurations are on sale for up to $500 off, so be sure to peruse the list below if you're seeking specific specs.

More MacBook deals

• Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M5 chip, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,849 $1,999 (save $150)

• Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M5 chip, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $2,049 $2,199 (save $150)

• Apple MacBook Pro, 16-inch (M4 Pro chip, 24GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $2,249 $2,499 (save $250)

• Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M5 Pro chip, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $2,299 $2,499 (save $200)

• Apple MacBook Pro, 16-inch (M4 Pro chip, 48GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $2,599 $2,899 (save $300)

• Apple MacBook Pro, 16-inch (M5 Max chip, 48GB RAM, 2TB SSD) — $4,499 $4,999 (save $500)

Best iPad deal Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Our pick: Apple iPad Air, 11-inch (M3 chip, 1TB, WiFi + Cellular) $749 at Best Buy
$1,249 Save $500   Get Deal Why we like it

iPad price hikes are a huge bummer, but there are several live discounts on current and previous-generation iPad Air models, as well as a $50 price drop on the classic iPad and a $100 drop on the Pro. Our top pick, however, is a previous generation iPad Air with an M3 chip, 1TB of storage, and both WiFi and cellular capabilities. It comes unlocked so you can take it to the mobile carrier of your choice. The M3 iPad Air is still a powerhouse and not much different than the latest M4 model. The differences between the two are negligible, so if you can get the M3 for $500 off, why not go with it? Usually $1,249, it's now down to just $749.

More iPad deals

• Apple iPad (A16 chip, 128GB, WiFi) — $399 $449 (save $50)

• Apple iPad Air, 11-inch (M4 chip, 128GB, WiFi) — $689.99 $749 (save $59.01)

• Apple iPad Air, 11-inch (M3 chip, 128GB, WiFi+Cellular) —$699 $749 (save $50)

• Apple iPad Air, 13-inch (M3 chip, 256GB, WiFi) — $849 $899 (save $50)

• Apple iPad Air, 13-inch (M3 chip, 1TB, WiFi+Cellular) — $949 $1,449 (save $500)

• Apple iPad Pro, 11-inch (M5 chip, 512GB, WiFi) — $1,299 $1,399 (save $100)

Best AirPods deal Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Our pick: Apple AirPods Max 2 $449 at Amazon
$549 Save $100   Get Deal Why we like it

Even on sale, the Apple AirPods Max 2 are pretty dang expensive. But $100 in savings is still worth calling out for you Apple fanatics out there. While the second generation over-the-ear headphones are the first proper upgrade to the AirPods Max, they're still virtually identical to their predecessor. The main difference is the internal hardware. The Max 2 now have the same chip inside as the AirPods Pro 3, which unlocks better active noise cancellation as well as several smart features. They allow you to toggle on/off adaptive audio, conversation awareness, live translation, voice isolation, personalized volume, loud sound reduction, and Siri interactions as you see fit.

More AirPods deals

• Apple AirPods 4 without ANC — $99 $129 (save $30)

• Apple AirPods 4 with ANC — $144.99 $179 (save $34.01)

• Apple AirPods Pro 3 — $199.99 $249 (save $49.01)

Best Apple Watch deal Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Our pick: Apple Watch Series 11 (42mm, GPS) $299 at Amazon
$399 Save $100   Get Deal Why we like it

The Apple Watch Series 11 was unaffected from the Apple price hikes, so its list price remains at $399. Even better, this week it's still chilling at its $299 sale price. This isn't the cheapest we've ever seen the smartwatch (that honor goes to its $279 Prime Day price), but $100 off is still a pretty sweet deal. As is the case with most new generations of tech products, the Series 11 Apple Watch isn't much different from the Series 10. But it does significantly improve one aspect that really matters: battery life. And that's reason enough to upgrade for some folks.

More Apple Watch deals

• Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS) — $219 $249 (save $30)

• Apple Watch Series 11 (46mm, GPS) — $329 $429 (save $100)

iPhone deals

• Apple iPhone 16e (128GB, Unlocked) — $499.99 $599.99 (save $100)

• Apple iPhone Air (256GB, Unlocked) — $839.99 $999.99 (save $160)

Apple accessory deals

• Apple MagSafe Charger — $39.99 $49 (save $9.01)

• Apple Pencil USB-C — $69.98 $79 (save $9.02)

• Apple Magic Mouse — $86 $99 (save $13)

• Apple AirTag 4-pack (2nd gen) — $89 $99 (save $10)

• Apple Pencil Pro — $99 $129 (save $30)

If you've ever used Win+Shift+S for quick screenshots, you'll know how handy it can be and how much time it can save. But there's another shortcut that's even more useful. On recent versions of Windows 11, Win+Shift+T extracts editable text directly from your screen, turning information trapped in images, PDFs, and presentation slides into text you can immediately reuse.

Tom Hiddleston is fascinated by Pompeii. As he tells me below, "Pompeii isn't just a place; it's the people." Outside of acting, one of Hiddleston's true passions in life is the ancient world. Stealing a page out of his character Loki's playbook on the Marvel show on Disney+, Hiddleston attempts to travel back to 79 AD to investigate the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Pompeii: Out of Time with Tom Hiddleston.

Blu-ray may very well be the last physical media we get when it comes to video content, but if history had gone just a little differently, it would be HD-DVDs being frantically collected by media nerds today, and not Sony's gift to image quality purists.