Technology

Bed leveling is the bane of my existence when it comes to 3D printing, and my old 3D printers made me never want to 3D print. Upgrading my 3D printer to a newer model that had better bed leveling completely changed the game for me, and it will for you, too.

AI is once again on the witness stand.

In comments made during preliminary trial proceedings, Manhattan-based U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff decided that documents prepared by an AI tool and then shared with an attorney are admissible in court, existing outside of attorney-client privilege, reported Law360.

SEE ALSO: We need to talk about that Mike Tyson Super Bowl ad

The decision relates to the case of Beneficient CEO Bradley Heppner, charged with committing $150 million in securities and wire fraud between 2018-2021. The financial services exec was indicted in November. Prior to his arrest, Heppner used Anthropic's Claude chatbot to create 31 documents later shared with his defense attorney, evidence which was then seized by investigators. Federal prosecutors say that the documents are fair game and should be regarded as a "work product," rather than a confidential legal strategy. They also say that the AI tool's own usage policies do not guarantee confidentially.

The defense argued that, even though they weren't created by attorneys, the documents include information based on conversations with legal representatives that should be shielded. Also, by implicating the defense team itself in the documents, the evidence could create a conflict of interest between Heppner and his own representation, they added. Rakoff said he did not see any basis for claims of attorney-client privilege, but agreed the evidence could result in a witness-advocate conflict and a mistrial.

The comments shine a spotlight on an escalating conflict among AI developers, privacy watchdogs, and safety advocates.

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AI executives, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, have suggested extending the same kind of attorney and therapist client privilege, which protects communications from court discovery, to conversations with AI chatbots. Altman has argued that, in particular, increasingly personal uses of AI assistants, including those designed for therapy or health advice, necessitate a reconsideration of what kinds of communications are granted legal privileges. Facing a multitude of lawsuits for copyright infringement and AI's effect on mental health and youth safety, AI developers have fought to keep chatbot conversations behind the black box, despite many providing express permission for government entities to view chat logs.

Meanwhile, chat history data has been essential in cases alleging misconduct and safety failures among AI's big players. Simultaneously, privacy watchdogs have raised concerns about extensive data collection and storage by AI tools, which has in turn prompted AI developers to institute measures to minimize chat history storage and allow users to use AI incognito.

It seems that scams are everywhere these days — in our texts, emails, and phone calls to start. And con artists continue to become more sophisticated in the age of AI, so much so that a recent survey suggested that they're increasingly imitating your loved ones.

Some also prey on people's vulnerability and loneliness, pretending to be potential love interests: Romance scammers. New research from online protection company McAfee found that two in five young adults (ages 18-24) encounter potential romance scams weekly, much more often than adults 65+ (one in 20).

SEE ALSO: The 12 most common internet scams to be aware of in 2025

Fifteen percent of Americans said they've lost money to an online dating or romance scam, McAfee reported. Men are more likely to report losses (21 percent) than women (10 percent). And while most losses are under $500 (especially among younger adults who are scammed), some can be in the thousands; only men have reported losses over $5,000.

And it's not just scammers joining the most popular dating apps who are out to scam. Tinder recently required all new U.S. users to scan their faces when signing up, with one reason being to prevent scams. (Hinge will soon be testing this, too.) But bad actors are also creating fake clones of these dating apps.

A third of adults surveyed by McAfee received a fake "exclusive" or "invite-only" dating app invitation, and 14 percent signed up and shared personal or payment information. And Tinder clones accounted for around half of all malicious app activity, McAfee found. Between Dec. 1, 2025 and Jan. 22, 2026, 78 percent of all detected fake dating app installations were fradulent versions of Plenty of Fish.

Visa Scam Disruption found similar results, according to Visa's chief risk and client services officer, Paul Fabara, in a blog post about romance scams leading up to Valentine's Day. The team found a romance scheme that was "an entire network of dating sites engineered to mimic affection and funnel unsuspecting people into recurring billing traps."

Romance scam red flags

Watch out for those "exclusive" dating app invitations. There are apps out there that let you apply for membership rather than just create a profile — like Raya — but those are few and far between. If you want to download a dating app, your best bet is going to your phone's app store.

Here are some other red flags to pay attention to:

Lovebombing

If someone says they're in love with you after a few messages, that's a red flag — even if they're not after your money. If a potential lover is rushing intimacy, it might be tempting to go along with it, especially if you're lonely, but it's not the norm. The old adage remains: If it seems "too good to be true," it probably is. Same goes with glowing dating app profiles of perfect (filtered?) photos and cutesy bios.

"Romance scams don't begin with money. They begin with trust," said McAfee's head of threat research, Abhishek Karnik. "Scammers blend into everyday dating and social platforms, take time to build emotional familiarity, and make the relationship feel real before the scam ever starts."

Urgent requests for money

Is someone you matched with on a dating app — or someone appearing to be your long-lost friend — saying they need money this instant? It's a sign they just want that from you: Money. And they might even threaten that the conversation will end, Fabara wrote, in an attempt to keep you hooked.

Asking for sensitive information

Are you asking to go out, and they're asking for your bank details first? Be cautious. Just like asking for money, begging for this sensitive data isn't what someone would want to do if they're just trying to get to know you. These people might just want to get to know your bank accounts.

Trying to get you off the app — but not IRL

If a match is sending you weird QR codes, links, or asking for a verification code? That's a bright, bursting red flag. Again, don't send money, and it's best practice not to click any strange links, either.

Especially worse is if someone you're talking to refuses to video chat or meet in person. "Consistent excuses to dodge face‑to‑face interactions signal they may be hiding their real identity," Fabara wrote.

As scams become trickier to navigate, we have to learn the clues. Stay safe this Valentine's Day.

As a long-time Linux user, I enjoy encouraging others to try it. That's why I search for ways people can explore Linux without much hassle. There's virtual machines, there's WSL—then there's a platform that lets you run a Linux distro from the web browser you're using right now.

Every failed gadget eventually gets rebranded as being "ahead of its time," and Windows Phone is no exception. Its bold design and fluid performance helped it to stand out at the time, but in truth, it wasn't the big leap forward that many try to claim.

In the wake of xAI losing two of its co-founders and other prominent employees, Elon Musk held an all-hands meeting at his his AI company, which recently merged with SpaceX.

And in an unusual move, xAI posted the entire 45-minute meeting online.

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No time to watch or listen? We've got you. Here are the main takeaways:

xAI splits into teams

The most consequential news from the meeting: xAI is splitting into four different teams. 

"Grok Main & Voice" will handle the Grok chatbot. "Coding" will maintain the apps's backend systems. "Imagine" is all about AI-generated video capabilities.

And then there's "Macrohard," which is a new Musk project seeking to "simulate" software companies with AI. Macrohard is a play on Microsoft's name, just in case you couldn't tell.

X updates and stats

There was also some news about Musk's social media platform, X, formerly known as Twitter, which was itself merged with xAI.

X product head Nikita Bier said that the company has 1 billion users, and brings in $1 billion in annual revenue from X Premium subscriptions. Users also spend 55 percent more time on the app than they did 6 months ago, Bier claimed, adding that January was the platform's best month ever for user engagement.

X plans to launch a standalone app for X Chat, the site's new private messaging system. X Money, the platform's cash-sending app, will also begin testing in the coming months.

Bier also stated that X does not have plans to display ads on Grok. OpenAI began rolling out ads for ChatGPT this month.

Musk's predictions — and aliens

Naturally, Elon Musk had plenty to say — and a few grand predictions regarding the combined SpaceX and xAI company.

Musk said he'd like Earth to utilize one million times more of the sun's energy than it currently does. In order to do that, Musk said, we need to move "the next step beyond Earth data centers" which are "Earth orbital data centers."

When SpaceX acquired xAI, Musk's reasoning was that it would help his plan to send AI data centers into outer space.

The next step beyond that, Musk said: AI satellite-building factories on the moon, and a sci-fi-esque system to launch those AI satellites into deep space. Essentially, Musk was talking about building a giant catapult on the moon.

The combined company would then build a civilization on the moon, then Mars (which is 20 years away, Musk now says, after having previously claimed we'd get there by 2025).

This may all culminate into humans meeting aliens or discovering ancient alien civilizations, Musk concluded.

"Maybe we’ll meet aliens. Maybe we’ll see some civilizations that lasted for millions of years. And we’ll find the remnants of ancient alien civilizations. But the only way we’re gonna do that is if we go out there and we explore. And this is a path to making it happen," Musk said.

ICE", surrounded by snow-covered flowers.">

In the cold war between the 2,700 immigration agents who came to Minneapolis, and the large majority of Minnesotans who opposed them, it was supposed to be ICE that had technology on its side.

ICE agents used battlefield tech to make arrests. They boasted about using facial recognition (made by Clearview AI as well as the controversial Mobile Fortify app) on neighborhood observers as well as undocumented immigrants. They had 24/7 social media surveillance tools and Israeli spyware that can hack into phones. Palantir, having been awarded $30 million for "ImmigrationOS," an AI system designed to track individuals for deportation, built a database of real-time locations for ICE's Minneapolis operation.

"The conglomeration of all these technologies together is giving the government unprecedented abilities," a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union, which is suing the Department of Homeland Security on civil rights grounds, told the New York Times.

But if all that technological terror was supposed to intimidate the people, someone forgot to tell the people, who are feeling more empowered than ever. In large part, that's because every neighborhood in the Twin Cities developed its own conglomeration of technologies — on their regular old smartphones.

ICE tracking apps were banned in app stores under government pressure. Nevertheless, the cameras, apps and wikis in their pockets let residents follow, frustrate, and most importantly broadcast ICE's excesses — including the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti — to a stunned world. Late night hosts, awards shows, and some big names in Silicon Valley took note, even as tech's top leaders stayed mute.

And it all worked. The administration is backing down, at least for now. Last week, Homeland Security chief Tom Homan announced reduction in force, to the tune of 700 ICE agents. The remaining 2,000 officers saw no let-up from a determined, neighbor-loving, highly-connected populace. Finally, a day before Valentine's Day, Homan realized Minnesota would never love him. He announced the end of his whole "surge" operation, leaving only a skeleton crew.

But the wider cold war isn't over. ICE continues to ramp up operations at breakneck speed across the U.S. Now, many among the two-thirds of Americans who oppose those operations will be looking to learn what worked this winter in the frozen north.

Civil disobedience with high (and low) tech A woman filming a man flipping the bird to ICE agents. Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images

"What we’ve seen in Minneapolis has been hugely inspiring, and there has been a ton of creativity that has come out of the movement," says Mark Engler, longtime activist and co-author (with his brother, Paul) of This is an Uprising: How Nonviolent Revolt is shaping the 21st Century.

The book's 10th anniversary edition hits stores this month. In a new afterword on the second Trump administration, the Englers call for "continued evolution in organizing practice ... movements in this country must be clearer than ever that their goal is to win over a majority of the public."

But Minneapolis was way ahead of them; it's the evolution of organizing around the sentiment of a majority, on steroids. "There are all sorts of new tools and tactics that activists are innovating," Engler notes, from the high tech of Signal all the way down to low-tech whistles. "The creativity of people coming together, including a ton of people who have never been a part of something like this before, should not be underestimated."

So how exactly has Minneapolis' creative resistance to ICE used modern tech? Everything listed below has been a part of the puzzle — starting with the one piece that federal forces have found the most frustrating.

Signal chats and calls: The secret sauce An ICE resistance organizing sign sits in front of a home. Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images

"Over four percent of every single neighborhood is in a Signal chat," Minneapolis organizer Aru Shiney-Ajay told one labor writer. And that was just the Signal chats her organization, the Sunrise Movement, was tracking as of Jan. 26. The real percentage — Sunrise being only one part of a growing community resistance puzzle — is now very likely much higher. But it's in the nature of the encrypted app that we don't know how many: Perfect for a decentralized movement.

Sunrise starts each day creating a new "rapid response" Signal group chat for each neighborhood — and they're such a hit, you often can't get in if you're not an early bird. Shiney-Ajay gave the example of one highly organized St. Paul neighborhood, Frogtown: "Every day by 11 a.m., that chat hits its limit of a thousand people — which is to say that, at any given moment in one neighborhood, there are 1,000 people out patrolling."

Much of that patrol, according to ride-along reports in the Atlantic and Mother Jones, is in constant voice contact as well. Dispatchers use Signal group calls to stay in touch with "commuters," volunteer drivers who are directed to where they're most needed, and offer license plates of suspected ICE vehicles for the dispatcher to look up.

SEE ALSO: What is Signal? The basics of the most secure messaging app.

"The calls have the feel of an amateur police radio," Mother Jones summarized. "Volunteers use quirky aliases and the military alphabet but sometimes don’t remember—a caller might say something along the lines of, "This is Cheese Curd, and I’d like a plate check on Texas plate One Three Four Six Charlie, uh, Robert.""

Government vehicles are required by law to identify themselves clearly. Looking up license plates of taxpayer-funded vehicles is self-evidently legal. More dubious was FBI Director Kash Patel's announcement (on a podcast, no less) that he was personally investigating Minneapolis Signal chats. Patel's investigation met with head-scratching from constitutional scholars on the right as well as the left.

But Minneapolis hasn't quit on Signal. Nor does it need to worry about the prying eyes of the FBI, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital privacy and free speech nonprofit.

"Signal is the best in class encrypted chat app, and yes, it is still secure," Cooper Quintin, EFF Senior Staff Technologist, told Mashable. "The people who work at Signal can't read them and the FBI can't compel them to decrypt them, even with a warrant."

But Quintin also offered a word of caution: "ICE [or other] law enforcement can and will make their way into large group chats. If you are on a large group chat where you don't personally know everyone, the safest thing to do is to not say anything that you wouldn't want read back to you in court." 

Smartphone video: The eyes of the world A man's hands holding a smartphone takes video of federal officers. Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images

You can see it in the eyes of ICE agents caught in the glare of smartphones: Being recorded from multiple angles is simply unnerving, especially if you're trying to hide your identity. You can also see it in the other residents, a sense of the phone as a shield — a powerful aid to nonviolent protest. Simply recording video can be a superior alternative to chanting slogans or pumping fists.

"Filming ICE," Engler says, "can be a way of defiantly showing the authorities that lots of people are watching what they do, and that the community is not intimidated."

Thousands of Twin Cities residents have undergone constitutional observer training that instructs them to not "interfere, obstruct or escalate a situation" — and the peacefulness of the result is encouraging others. "The communities of people who are showing up for each other are not acting in the way that the administration wants, and that is adding to the power of the popular mobilization," Engler says. "People are not taking the bait."

But recording was also what Alex Pretti was doing just before ICE agents shot him. So how can smartphone-wielding observers stay safe? "The biggest question here is physical safety," the EFF's Quintin says. For which he advises: Keep your distance from ICE, keep your fellow observers close. Engler theorizes that "a solid wall of observers" could record from closer range, especially with burner phones and cameras that could be snatched.

As for digital safety, Quintin says, "disabling face unlock and fingerprint unlock and having a strong password are important for keeping ICE out of your phone. If you can record while your phone remains locked, for example by using the camera button on the lock screen, that is a better option for safety. If you can leave your phone powered off and record with a different device that is the most safe option."

Was streaming sidelined? A masked observer behind a fence in Minneapolis. Credit: Bridget Bennett/Bloomberg via Getty Images

So far, straight-up video footage of outrageous ICE acts in Minneapolis has grabbed most of the media attention. "Recording might be better than live streaming for preserving the evidence," notes the EFF's Quintin. That doesn't mean live streamers haven't had a role in the resistance; one journalist was arrested by federal agents while live streaming a church protest. A handful of Twitch streamers can be found tackling the topic. Some streamers have been accused of inflaming the situation.

But in general, this isn't a streaming situation. Following and recording ICE seems too haphazard a process to alert a wide audience before any encounter; streaming has mostly acted as a way of discussing the issue rather than documenting it.

Free 3-D printed whistles work An observer backs away from an ICE agent as he holds a whistle in his mouth. Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images

The use of whistles to warn of ICE raids began in Chicago in 2025, but has been enthusiastically embraced in Minneapolis. For example, the woman who filmed a crucial video of the Alex Pretti shooting was in the area because she heard whistles.

But those whistles are not all as low tech as you might think. Free 3-D printed whistles are being distributed by multiple individuals and groups around the U.S., with one "whistle crew" claiming to have shipped 200,000 in the first week of February alone. A Whistle Crew Wiki exists to get anyone with a 3-D printer started on fulfilling local requests.

The resistance will be advertised Activists run billboards that read "Ice agents aren't about Minnesota law. Illegal conduct can be prosecuted." Credit: Adam Bettcher/Getty Images for Democracy for America Action Fund

Smartphones and 3-D printed whistles are not the only 21st century means to alerting the public. One donation-funded group bought time on a bunch of electronic billboards — including one at the Minneapolis airport, above, where ICE agents arrive. "ICE agents aren't about Minnesota law," the sign reminds viewers, advising them to call 911 if they see crimes being committed. "Illegal conduct can be prosecuted."

A made-for-social-media event A man in front of a line of masked officers. Credit: Photo by Arthur Maiorella/Anadolu via Getty Images

There's much about social media in 2026 that's highly toxic, and the discussions around Minneapolis, rife with AI-based misinformation, are no exception. One analysis at the end of January found that bots were driving more than one-third of online conversations about ICE, both in English and Spanish.

But as for the social media posts coming from ICE observers and protestors in the Twin Cities? In many cases, Hollywood couldn't have scripted them better. Many residents are so dedicated to observing ICE activities on the fly, they're grabbing phones and going out in their bathrobes in the snow — including one iconic bathrobed local public radio journalist filming armed federal agents at the scene of a crash.

For a big Hollywood finale, however, there's nothing better than a choir trying to sing the ICE agents out of town outside their hotel:

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. Minnesota. Nice. Minnesota's residents are politically active. Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images

Ultimately, all the technology in the world won't help a movement as much as fostering a culture of helping friends and neighbors. And that, as Minnesotans have been telling journalists repeatedly, is the state's real secret sauce.

No one does civic engagement like Minnesota, with or without smartphones. The state lead the nation in voter participation; around 80 percent of registered voters here participated in 2020, and just a hair under that in 2024. The Twin Cities have strong, proud labor unions, plenty of faith-based activism, and a history of "happy warriors" for civil rights — not to mention the national movement protesting the police killing of George Floyd that kicked off here in the summer of 2020.

"Networks developed in those previous waves of protest have fueled the current round of resistance," Engler notes. "Ultimately, this creates the conditions where you can win elections, and where all of the institutions of society help to impede the authoritarian program that the Trump administration is trying to impose."

Keeping up with modern PCs means upgrading components fairly often, and it's easy to just throw away old hardware if you can't sell it to someone. For some components, like SSDs, there's no need to throw it away. There are plenty of easy ways to reuse them!

Spectrum just revealed its new 'Invincible Wi-Fi' system, combining a standard home internet router, battery backup, and 5G backup into one package. It's available to Spectrum customers starting today, and it might be cheaper than existing options.

PlayStation 5 owners might want to have YouTube open on Thursday afternoon.

As announced earlier this week, PlayStation is holding one of its State of Play livestreams on Thursday at 5 p.m. ET. These events are basically Nintendo Directs but for PlayStation, and this is a particularly beefy one at about 60 minutes in length. You can watch it on the PlayStation YouTube channel when the time is right.

SEE ALSO: The PlayStation DualSense Edge controller is still marked down to its best-ever price at Amazon

As for what to expect, it's difficult to say without diving into the realm of unsubstantiated internet rumors. Based on developer comments, it seems fairly certain that Marvel's Wolverine from Insomniac Games will not make an appearance, which is somewhat surprising for a game that is supposed to launch this year. Aside from that, it really is open season for PlayStation. The stream could showcase just about anything, which makes its 60-minute length particularly exciting.

If you're on the East Coast, this will be a great way to wind down the workday. If you're working a 9-to-5 anywhere else in the U.S., just make sure you switch to a different tab if anyone else walks by.

This weekend, I challenge you to try at least one of these homelab projects. You don’t have to deploy all three, but I’m sure you could benefit from a more private search engine, a “works anywhere” code server, or a self-hosted private budget system.

If you've been patiently awaiting Nintendo's pastel purple and green Switch 2 Joy-Con controllers since their unveiling last month, you can now officially add them to your cart.

Officially called "Light Purple" and "Light Green" — though the green is definitely more of a pastel teal — the new set is available for $99.99 as of Feb. 12. Aside from the color, the controllers are an exact match to the ones that come with the Switch 2. They feature the same magnetic connectors, wrist straps, HD rumble, C button for GameChat, and can be used as a mouse for compatible games.

Credit: Nintendo

Many are already criticizing the controller variant online, as the purple and green shades are only visible on the inner rails. In other words, you can't even see the colors when connected to a Switch 2 console, unlike previous Joy-Con variants that covered the whole shell. Still, if you have $100 to spare and want to give your Switch 2 some new life, the pastel controllers add a fun (yet subtle) pop of color. You can officially purchase them at Nintendo, Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and GameStop, as of Feb. 12.

Where to buy the Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con color variant: Nintendo Nintendo Joy-Con 2 Light Purple / Light Green $99.99 Shop Now Amazon Nintendo Joy-Con 2 Light Purple / Light Green $99.99 Shop Now Best Buy Nintendo Joy-Con 2 Light Purple / Light Green $99.99 Shop Now Target Nintendo Joy-Con 2 Light Purple / Light Green $99.99 Shop Now GameStop Nintendo Joy-Con 2 Light Purple / Light Green $99.99 Shop Now

It's been a big week for Sony. The brand just launched the new XM6 earbuds which have proven to be some of the most well-rounded noise-cancelling earbuds Mashable has ever tested. But if you're more of an over-the-ear headphones type of person, Sony has something exciting in store for you.

If you're a fan of pink, the new colorway can do no wrong. Credit: Sony

On Feb. 12, Sony introduced the Sand Pink colorway to the lineup of XM6 headphone options. Previous colorway options included Black, Midnight Blue, and Platinum Silver, so this pink addition adds nice variety to the much-adored headphones.

The Sand Pink stands out among the other options for the XM6 heaphones. Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable

In Mashable's testing, the Sony XM6 headphones got major points for overall sound quality and noise-cancellation. Plus, Sony added a foldable earcup designed to this model, making them more travel friendly compared to the previous XM5 headphones. The XM5 colorway options include a Smoky Pink, but the new Sand Pink XM6 has a warmer and brighter pink hue.

Sony XM5 on the left in Smoky Pink with the new Sand Pink XM6 on the right. Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable Sony XM5 on the left in Smoky Pink with the new Sand Pink XM6 on the right. Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable

Maybe best of all, the new Sand Pink is already on sale at Amazon. The XM6 headphones come with a list price of $459.99, but they're already on sale for $398, or a 13% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Sony Sony XM6 headphones (Sand Pink) $398 at Amazon
$459.99 Save $61.99   Get Deal

If you're not one who likes to sport black or white headphones, this new Sand Pink option adds a major pop of color to the lineup. Plus, we're pretty obsessed with it as spring rolls around with Valentine's Day right around the corner.

The future is here for the Toyota Highlander, which made its original debut at the 2000 New York International Auto Show in April of that year. By 2005, the Highlander would debut again, this time as a hybrid for the 2006 model year. And now, 26 years later, the Highlander returns for another grand entrance, this time as Toyota’s first three‑row, battery‑electric vehicle.

Now would be a good time to ensure your Windows OS is up to date. Microsoft recently patched a serious vulnerability in Windows 11 related to Notepad, its text-editing tool.

The company said it fixed a "remote code execution" vulnerability. As technology website Techradar noted, the vulnerability had to do with Markdown — in which users can employ symbols to format text (e.g., asterisks to create italics) — which could allow bad actors to insert a dangerous link.

"An attacker could trick a user into clicking a malicious link inside a Markdown file opened in Notepad, causing the application to launch unverified protocols that load and execute remote files," Microsoft wrote in a security bulletin. "The malicious code would execute in the security context of the user who opened the Markdown file, giving the attacker the same permissions as that user."

Tech site Bleeping Computer tested the vulnerability and found that Microsoft now displays a warning before allowing such a link to be clicked. It's pretty much the standard "this link may be unsafe" message most users have seen before.

The vulnerability should have been automatically fixed via a patch, but it's worth double-checking to ensure Windows 11 has been updated recently on your device.

There are hundreds of cheap Bluetooth speakers on the market, but if you want one that's rugged, sounds good, and runs on your power tool battery pack, Milwaukee has you covered. Yes, the tool brand makes several excellent speakers, and having the logo and color that match all your gear is just icing on the cake.

It’s no secret that there are tons of settings on your phone. The question is, which ones are most important? One that you may have never heard about is called "DNS," and it’s not an exaggeration to say it can make a huge impact (for the better).

TL;DR: Live stream Atlético Madrid vs. Barcelona in the Copa del Rey for free on ITVX. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The Copa del Rey final is calling for the four remaining teams in contention. Athletic Club and Real Sociedad have already met in the first leg of their semi-final matchup, and now it's the turn of Atlético Madrid and Barcelona. This fascinating game is the ultimate clash of cultures. Diego Simeone will relish the chance to stop the attacking talents of Barcelona.

The good news for fans of Spanish football is that it's possible to live stream this game without spending anything. If you want to watch Atlético Madrid vs. Barcelona in the Copa del Rey from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Atlético Madrid vs. Barcelona?

Atlético Madrid vs. Barcelona in the Copa del Rey kicks off at 3 p.m. ET on Feb. 12. This fixture takes place at the Metropolitano Stadium.

How to watch Atlético Madrid vs. Barcelona for free

Atlético Madrid vs. Barcelona in the Copa del Rey is available to live stream for free on ITVX.

ITVX is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock ITVX to stream the Copa del Rey for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Atlético Madrid vs. Barcelona in the Copa del Rey for free by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

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

4. Visit ITVX

5. Watch Atlético Madrid vs. Barcelona for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the Copa del Rey without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Atlético Madrid vs. Barcelona in the Copa del Rey before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for ITVX?

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

• Servers in 105 countries including the UK

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

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

Live stream Atlético Madrid vs. Barcelona in the Copa del Rey for free with ExpressVPN.

Focus Features is coming to freak you out. While Obsession doesn't hit theaters until May, the movie's promotional team is taking advantage of Valentine's Day fervor (or loathing) to zero in on the film's creepy premise.

Yesterday, Mashable shared in our Instagram stories the unnerving Valentine's Day surprises that Obsession sent our way, ranging from traditional gifts like roses, chocolates, and valentines, to less conventional romantic gifts, like a hank of hair and a brick. Just a real heavy brick. Today, we've got a new look at Obsession, and the twisted relationship at the heart of it.

Obsession begins with a lonely guy (Michael Johnston) who's crushing hard on his friend Nikki (Inde Navarrette). Dare we say he's obsessed? So, when he gets his hands on a "One Wish Willow" that promises to make one dream come true, he wishes for her to love him more than anyone in the entire world. But be careful what you wish for. Based on the love tokens we got and the latest trailer, Obsession doesn't seem like the kind of love story most couples will want to revisit on Valentine's Day. But horror fans may fall hard for this twisted tale.

Obsession opens nationwide on May 15.

SAVE $100: As of Feb. 12, get the iPad mini (A17 Pro) for $399 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $499. That's a discount of 20%.

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Time to pick up a new tablet? You've got plenty to choose from out there, especially with President's Day around the corner. But as you're probably well aware by now, iPads are sometimes your best options, depending on what you want to get done. And even better than that is the fun little iPad mini, which gives you what you like in the iPad in a smaller form factor.

As of Feb. 12, get the iPad mini (A17 Pro) for $399 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $499. That's $100 off and a discount of 20%.

SEE ALSO: The best Presidents' Day Apple deals — huge discounts on AirPods, iPads, Apple Watches, and more

This iPad mini comes packing the A17 Pro chip, so it gives you plenty of power in a smaller package. Not only can you work or play on the go, but it suppors multitasking and gives you the ability to get a lot done at once, all on a great-looking screen. The 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display has plenty of real estate, and more than your phone, so you've got a ton of room to utilize.

Additionally, it has a 12MP Ultra Wide front camera with CenterStage, WiFi 6E compatibility, and USB-C connectivity. If you have an Apple Pencil and want to doodle or take notes, you can do that with this smaller form factor iPad as well. It makes a great tablet for doing all that on the go, especially for creative types.

If all that sounds up your alley, go ahead and pick up your iPad mini while it's on sale now. Saving $100 is a great reason to lock in.