Technology

Most smart home terminology is pretty self-explanatory, but there are plenty of terms that can catch out newbies who aren’t clued in on the lingo. So here’s a glossary of the most common smart home terms you might encounter, and what they mean.

The popular multi-system emulator MAME just received its first update for 2026. MAME 0.285 has arrived with better support for Apple's first graphical interface computer, the Lisa, along with more arcade emulation options and other changes.

Most of the time, you're locked into just one operating system, and if you switch to a different computer, you can't take your favorite programs with you. That limits what you can do, and if you experience a technical problem, you could be in trouble. One NVMe SSD and an inexpensive USB enclosure changed all of that for me.

New car prices are getting ridiculous, often creeping past $50,000. Smart buyers are skipping the showroom and looking for used options that still deliver style and reliability.

You can automate many tasks on your Windows 11 PC using batch files. I’ll explain what a batch file is, how you can create one, and show you some interesting and useful uses of these files.

I’ve had my homelab running for over five years, so it’s fair to assume that I’ve run into a lot of problems. However, many of the problems trace back to just three decisions I made (or didn’t make) early on in my journey.

Every room in your house can benefit from some smart switches and plugs, but some rooms are better-suited to more specialized accessories. Here are some accessories you might want to add to your bedroom, and the ways they can make your life a little easier.

The developers behind several Linux distributions and software that target gamers as their primary users have announced the creation of a coordinated development mission they're calling the Open Gaming Collective. The collective's aim is to unify efforts to avoid duplicating each other's work and to generally strengthen the Linux gaming ecosystem.

Cryptocurrency is facing yet another big price plunge.

Bitcoin dropped to the $84,000 range on Thursday, the lowest price it's seen in 2026 so far. Other cryptocurrencies like Ether and Doge also experienced falling prices, with values being down as much as 6 percent.

Crypto analysts suggest that this is a crucial price point for cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin to maintain or its valuation may continue to drop.

As crypto outlets point out, the price drop of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies didn't happen in a vacuum. The stock market, especially tech stocks like Microsoft, took a huge dive on Thursday. Crypto-related stocks also took a big hit as well.

As investors sell off investments, crypto holdings traditionally take a big hit as one of the more riskier bets. According to Coindesk, investors have liquidated more than $650 million across all crypto assets during the Thursday selloff. 

Some analysts believe that Bitcoin could see its prices drop below $80,000 in the near future.

Your NAS is often home to your most important files. Whether you use it for backups or to host your own Plex server, it's crucial that your NAS is private, and stays that way. For many people, that means never exposing it to the internet. But those who do take their NAS online often neglect a crucial security-related step that can make it that much safer.

SAVE $1,150: As of Jan. 29, get the Anker Solix F2000 for $849 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $1,999. That's a discount of 58%.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Anker Solix F2000 $849 at Amazon
$1,999 Save $1,150   Get Deal

We're in the middle of winter, and that means some particularly grisly weather. Much of the US just suffered a massive snowstorm with ice and power outages. If your area is prone to disaster or you lose power a lot, a portable power station might be the answer. You can get a great one right now for an excellent price if you'd like to stay prepared for the inevitable winter (or summer) storm that pops up in the future.

As of Jan. 29, get the Anker Solix F2000 for $849 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $1,999. That's $1,150 off and a discount of 58%.

SEE ALSO: The Bluetti Elite 10 mini portable power station is down to a record-low price — save over $86 before the next storm hits

This massive power station packs 2,048Wh of power into a portable package. That's enough electricity to ensure most of your home's appliances, including your fridge or toaster, can stay alive while you wait for the power to come back on. And it can handle your phone, laptop, tablet, and other devices too.

According to Anker, the Solix F2000 can actually keep your fridge up and running for up to 10 hours, so if you're concerned about losing all the food you just went out and bought ahead of the storm, you'll be able to keep it nice and cold.

All this, plus the power station is housed in a form factor that makes it easy to transport, with wheels and a handle so you can take it from place to place with ease. It couldn't be simpler to use, and it's up for grabs at a great price. Be sure and get yours before it goes out of stock, and before the next ice storm.

SAVE $100: The Apple M5 iPad Pro (WiFi, 11-inch, 265GB) is on sale at Amazon for $899, down from the list price of $999. That's a 10% discount that matches the lowest we've ever seen at Amazon.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple iPad Pro (M5, 11-inch, 265GB) $899 at Amazon
$999 Save $100   Get Deal

A powerful and versatile tablet is one of life's greatest pleasures. It's perfect for times when you don't feel like hauling out the laptop but also have tasks that are too complex for a small phone screen. It can also be excellent for travel. If you're in the market for a top-of-the-line tablet, check out this Apple deal.

As of Jan. 29, the Apple M5 iPad Pro (WiFi, 11-inch, 265GB) is on sale at Amazon for $899, marked down from the standard price of $999. That's a 10% discount that shaves $100 off the price. It also matches the lowest we've ever seen at Amazon.

In Mashable's review of the best iPads, the iPad Pro with M5 processor earns the top spot as the ideal model for professionals. Mashable Shopping Reporter Samantha Mangino wrote, "This 2025 release is loaded with Apple's fastest processing power thanks to the M5 processor, giving it way more power than the average user really needs. Graphic designers can store all of their creative work on the device, which has up to 2TB of storage. It's also a smart choice for video editors."

SEE ALSO: The noise-cancelling Apple AirPods 4 just got $60 cheaper

Mashable Tech Editor Timothy Beck Werth did a full review of the M5 iPad Pro last fall and wrote, " It's the kind of gadget that makes you feel like you're living in the future." Some highlight features include its ultra-thin design, ultra-lightweight feel, and the fact that it gets up to 1,600 nits of brightness.

If you're seeking out a professional upgrade, consider the iPad Pro while it's on sale at Amazon for $899. The sale price applies to both the silver and black colorways.

Thermometers are some of the cheapest and most effective sensors you can add to your smart home. They can be used in automations to make your heating and cooling more effective and cheaper to run, and most have displays so they function as standalone devices.

SAVE $20: As of Jan. 29, the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select is on sale for just $19.99 with the on-page coupon code 4KSELECT20. That's 50% off its list price of $39.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select $19.99 at Amazon
$39.99 Save $20.00 with on-page coupon 4KSELECT20 Get Deal

One of Mashable readers' top buys from Black Friday is back on sale. While it's not quite as spectacular of a discount, it's still one worth shouting about.

As of Jan. 29, the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select is just $19.99 at Amazon with the on-page coupon code 4KSELECT20 (make sure to hit "redeem" next to the code). That's 50% or $20 off its list price of $39.99.

The 4K Select is the newest Fire TV Stick in Amazon's lineup and the most affordable option that offers 4K quality with HDR10+ support. It's the first Fire TV Stick to feature the ultra-responsive and speedy new operating system called Vega. While we haven't had a chance to test it yet, we're glad that Amazon decided to switch things up up from the previous operating system. We found the older system a bit laggy in our testing, so an upgrade was certainly in order.

The Fire TV Stick 4K Select still features the same plug-and-play design as the previous streaming sticks, though, which instantly brings all of your favorite streaming apps into a single platform. Just press and ask Alexa to open your favorite app, pick up an episode where you left off, show you sports scores, and more. It offers support for Amazon Luna, Xbox Game Pass, NordVPN, IPVanish, Alexa+, and Amazon Kids+ (coming soon).

If you don't have a smart TV, this will instantly transform your current setup. If you do, it will make your TV even smarter — all for just 20 bucks. That's a whole lot cheaper than buying a new TV, just saying.

According to RepairPal, the average annual repair cost for an Audi is $987. For a Chevrolet, the cost is $649. The Audi is 52 percent more expensive on an annual basis. That is a significant difference!

It's a great week to be a loon. If you've fallen under the spell of the hit HBO Max/Crave show Heated Rivalry, you know how incredible Shane Hollander's Team Canada fleece is. He sported it during his time in Sochi for the Olympics. The fleece was so good that fans have been begging Canada to "release the fleece" for weeks. On Threads, the term "release the fleece" has 47 million tags. And we finally have incredible news, loons — the Heated Rivalry fleece is coming.

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So far the exact details are vague. We know Canadian brand Province of Canada is manufacturing the fleece, and the brand's website states that all of their products are 100% made in Canada. We also know 10% of proceeds from fleece sales will be donated to a charity. So far, 106,000 people have liked the brand's Instagram post announcing the official collaboration.

Executive producers of the show and co-presidents of Accent Aigu Entertainment Jacob Tierney and Brendan Brady are quoted as saying, "We’re so excited to partner with Province of Canada. As a Canadian-based, independent apparel brand that does amazing work sourcing and manufacturing high-quality clothing, we share a common ethos. We look forward to bringing it to life with the creativity and care fans expect.”

It's a damn good fleece, that's for sure. Credit: HBO Max / Crave How to score your very own Heated Rivalry fleece

Province of Canada hasn't announced the fleece's release date yet. Instead, you'll want to sign up for e-mail notifications. The brand promises to email us once the fleece is available to order (checks email 70 times per day). We'll be sure to update this article once we have more information.

SEE ALSO: I found the headphones Ilya Rozanov wears in "Heated Rivalry" and they're on sale at Amazon for $100 off How much will the Heated Rivalry fleece cost?

Pricing details for the Heated Rivalry fleece have yet to be announced, but our guess is that it won't come cheap. Checking out currently available fleeces on the Province of Canada website leads us to believe a fleece will come in at least $120 USD. The Province of Canada's reverse fleece pullover is listed at $168 CAD (that's $123.77 USD with today's exchange rate) and the brand's reverse fleece overshirt is listed at $198 CAD ($145.87 USD).

Will the Heated Rivalry fleece be available in the U.S.?

The Heated Rivalry fleece landing page says, "Our goal is to make shipping available to as many countries as possible," but the Province of Canada's website currently explains they're not shipping to the U.S. as of last August. The brand lists Canada, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand as their current shipping options. We're hopeful this pause on U.S. shipping will lift in time to score the fleece. If not, maybe we'll need to plan a trip?

How to shop more official Heated Rivalry merch

Heated Rivalry does have an official merch shop, but all 33 items are sold out at the time of writing. The shop promises to have a restock soon, and you can bet we'll be getting the "I'm coming to the cottage" hat to pair with the official Team Canada fleece.

While we wait for this merch, might we suggest making a tuna melt with Grillo's Pickles? Ilya and Shane would want that for us. Pair it with an ice cold Canada Dry Ginger Ale and rewatch all six episodes.

Every time you open your browser you see the Start Page, and you probably click right past it without giving it much thought. However, it is a great place to put something useful—so I did. Here's how.

Samsung apparently doesn't have enough foldables on the market, so prepare for one more before the end of 2026.

Just days after confirming the U.S. price and release date for the new TriFold, the company is rumored to have a fourth foldable in the works, to go alongside the TriFold and the follow-ups to the Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip lineups. The so-called "Wide Fold" will be similar to the Z Fold, but will open up into a bigger inner display with a 4:3 aspect ratio. According to Korean outlet ET News, Samsung is gearing up to release the phone this summer at the same time as the Z Flip 8 and Z Fold 8.

SEE ALSO: The Samsung Galaxy TriFold is coming to America: Price, release date confirmed

In a vacuum, it seems strange for Samsung to introduce yet another foldable to its portfolio, one that sort of sits in between the Z Fold and the TriFold. However, apparently the idea is to compete with Apple's still-unconfirmed iPhone Fold, said to release this year with a 4:3 aspect ratio for its inner display. If Samsung did indeed release its Wide Fold phone in the summer, that would most likely beat the iPhone Fold to market by at least a month or two, given that Apple's big annual iPhone announcement event is always in September. Samsung evidently doesn't want to get beaten to the punch by Apple, if these reports are to be believed.

Just a few years ago, the idea that there would be this flourishing ecosystem of foldables in the U.S. seemed unbelievable. But here we are.

Apple's AirTag 2 is finally here.

Well, the product's actual name is once again just "AirTag," but we'll call it AirTag 2 because it's a second-generation product. So what does it bring to the table? What can it bring to the table, given that it's just a silver-and-white puck that tracks its own location?

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple AirTag 2 (4-pack) $99 at Amazon
  Shop Now What is AirTag?

Before we dive into details, a little history. The original AirTag tracking device was launched in April 2021. It's deceivingly simple: You connect it to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch via Bluetooth, and then you can track its location through Apple's Find My app. Because the Find My network uses compatible iPhones, iPads, and other devices to help track lost items — and because there are a lot of iPhones in the world — the Find My network is famous for its reliability.

The AirTag is, in fact, a dual tracker. It relies on Bluetooth signals from other iOS and iPadOS devices it encounters to provide a rough location. If it's close enough, then you can precisely track it, thanks to Apple's ultra-wideband U1 chip.

The AirTag also features a speaker, and you can play a sound to make finding it easier. It relies on (replaceable but not rechargeable) battery power, with an advertised one year of battery life.

Use cases are numerous. You can put it in a key ring (Apple provides several options) and use it to track your keys. You can do the same for your wallet, backpack, or bike. Or you can put it in your luggage when you fly to make sure it doesn't get lost — at least not for very long.

How is AirTag 2 better than AirTag?

The AirTag 2 doesn't bring any revolutionary new features. It's still a little puck that you can track via Find My. But it does improve a few important aspects of the original AirTag.

You can get a FineWoven key ring for your AirTag for $35. Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable

First, the AirTag 2 has Apple's new U2 chip and a new Bluetooth chip. Thanks to this, you'll be able to track it precisely from farther away — 50 percent farther than the old AirTag. Keep in mind that you'll need an iPhone 15 or later (the iPhone 16e is not included) as only those phones have the new U2 chip as well.

The AirTag 2 also has a louder speaker than the original AirTags. That's important for obvious reasons; if your AirTag is hanging on a keychain you've misplaced in a coat pocket, it will now be easier to hear its sound when you trigger it.

The battery inside the two devices is exactly the same, as are other specifications such as dimensions and weight.

Is the range really better?

Apple doesn't disclose the precise range for Precision Finding on the AirTag, probably because it depends on numerous factors, such as how many walls are between you and your missing item.

Considering there was a couple of walls between me and the AirTag, this is a great result. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

But the company sent me an AirTag 2 to try out, so I could test the range in my two-bedroom apartment. The results I got were pretty good. I placed the new AirTag in one bedroom, and then went to the farthest corner of the apartment. It took a second, but my iPhone 17 Pro Max was able to detect it from about 15 meters (49 feet) away, with two walls between us, and could pinpoint its location at 11 meters (36 feet) away.

On the original AirTag, the best I could get was about 30 feet; anything farther than that and the signal would be lost.

As for the sound, it is definitely louder than before, though it's hard to say by exactly how much. I placed my AirTag 2 in a backpack, and I could still easily hear it from another room.

What about the price?

The price for the new AirTag 2 is the same as for the original: $29 for one AirTag or $99 for a pack of four. They're available for sale now at Apple and Amazon. However, it is worth noting that the first-gen AirTag is often discounted. You can get the AirTag 1 for $25.99 on Amazon (or grab a 4-pack for $69.99), which is a better deal, especially if you own an older iPhone that doesn't support precision tracking.

Products featured in this story: Apple AirTag 2 $29 Shop Now Apple AirTag 2 (4-pack) $99 Shop Now Apple AirTag 1 (4-pack) $69.99 (save $29.01) Get Deal Apple AirTag FineWoven Key Ring $35 Shop Now

Spotify is probably far from the first app you think about when it comes to messaging, but it was added last year as an easier way to share content with friends. Now, the service is expanding on that with the ability to create group chats.