Technology

TL;DR: Live stream Tottenham Hotspur vs. Villarreal in the Champions League for free with a 30-day trial of Amazon Prime. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The qualification rounds are done, and now the Champions League group stage is here to throw together some fascinating matchups. There are a number of really interesting games in the first round of fixtures, including Tottenham Hotspur vs. Villarreal. Thomas Frank's team have started the new Premier League season strongly, and they'll be looking to do the same in this competition.

If you want to watch Tottenham Hotspur vs. Villarreal in the Champions League for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Tottenham Hotspur vs. Villarreal?

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Villarreal in the Champions League kicks off at 8 p.m. BST on Sept. 16. This fixture takes place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

How to watch Tottenham Hotspur vs. Villarreal for free

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Villarreal in the Champions League is available to live stream on Prime Video in the UK, but you don't need to be subscribed to Amazon Prime to watch this fixture. Instead, you can watch Tottenham Hotspur vs. Villarreal for free with a 30-day trial of Amazon Prime.

If you're abroad for this fixture, you might need to use a VPN to watch the Champions League for free on Prime Video. This process is straightforward:

1. Sign up for a 30-day Amazon Prime trial (if you're not already a member)

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

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

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

5. Live stream Tottenham Hotspur vs. Villarreal for free on Prime Video

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 watch Tottenham Hotspur vs. Villarreal on Prime Video without committing with your cash. This isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream select Champions League fixtures before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for Prime Video?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on Prime Video, 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 eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also 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 $12.95 (with money-back guarantee).

Stream Tottenham Hotspur vs. Villarreal in the Champions League for free with ExpressVPN.

If you have a lot of cash to spend and want the best of the best when it comes to flagship smartphones, Apple and Samsung both have intriguing options on offer this year.

I'm referring, of course, to the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. These are the highest-end and most expensive traditional (read: non-foldable) phones Apple and Samsung currently manufacture. While a lot of competing smartphones can feel a little similar at times, these two handsets actually have some interesting points of divergence from one another.

Here's how they compare.

SEE ALSO: iPhone 17 vs. Pixel 10: Which phone has the better display, price, and specs? iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Price

Our first difference has to do with sticker price. The iPhone 17 Pro Max starts at $1,199, while the Galaxy S25 Ultra starts at $1,299.

You'd think that would be the end of the conversation as far as price is concerned, but it should be noted that there is one variant of the iPhone 17 Pro Max that's far more expensive than even the priciest S25 Ultra. Specifically, if you get it with the highest storage capacity available, the Pro Max will run you $1,999. That's two grand. By comparison, the biggest storage capacity model of the S25 Ultra is "merely" $1,659. There's a reason for that, as we'll discuss momentarily.

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Specs Samsung rounded the corners this year. Credit: Joe Maldonado/Mashable

Here are the iPhone 17 Pro Max's basic specs:

• 6.9-inch display with 2868x1320 resolution and 120Hz adaptive refresh rate

• 3,000 nits peak brightness

• A19 Pro chip

• 256GB/512GB/1TB/2TB storage

• Battery rated for up to 33 hours

• Rear cameras: 48MP wide/48MP ultrawide/48MP telephoto with 8x optical zoom

• Front camera: 18MP

And here are the equivalent specs for Galaxy S25 Ultra:

• 6.9-inch AMOLED display with adaptive 120Hz refresh rate and 3120x1440 resolution

• 2,600 nits peak brightness

• Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor

• 256GB/512GB/1TB storage

• 5,000mAh battery

• Rear cameras: 200MP wide, 50MP ultrawide, 50MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom

• Front camera: 12MP

Alright, there's a decent amount to discuss here. Let's start with the displays. Both are pretty similar in terms of size, resolution, and refresh rate, though it must be acknowledged that the iPhone 17 Pro Max's screen is brighter at peak brightness. If you're an outdoorsy type, the iPhone might be a better option in that regard.

Beyond that, the main reason why the most expensive iPhone 17 Pro Max costs so much more than the most expensive S25 Ultra is storage capacity. Apple's handset goes all the way up to 2TB of internal storage, while Samsung's tops out at 1TB. That's a pretty big feather in Apple's cap this year and Samsung can't really compete with that yet. Hardcore mobile photographers and videographers might lean towards iPhone for that reason.

One extremely noteworthy advantage that Samsung can claim over Apple is the inclusion of the S-Pen stylus with every S25 Ultra phone. The phone has a built-in charging slot for the stylus, and it works natively and smoothly with apps and interface elements. Apple does not include a stylus with any iPhone models at this time. If you prefer to use a stylus, the choice here is easy.

There are also some pretty big differences in terms of cameras, but hold onto that thought for now.

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Design How do you like the new look? Credit: Apple

The Galaxy S25 Ultra looks a lot like its predecessors. The rear camera array is three lenses stacked vertically on top of each other without any kind of bump housing them, just like previous S-series phones. Samsung did round the edges for S25 Ultra, which makes it a more pleasant phone to hold than the previous model was. S25 Ultra comes in seven colors: Grey, Whitesilver, Silverblue, Black, Pinkgold, Jadegreen, and Jetblack. Officially, those all also have the word "Titanium" in front of them, but you get what I mean.

Apple went back to the drawing board for the iPhone 17 Pro Max's physical appearance. It still has the same triangular camera array as before, but now the lenses live in a big, rectangular bump called the "plateau." This has been controversial since the phone was announced, as many find it unpleasant to look at. Of course, that's a matter of personal taste. The iPhone 17 Pro Max comes in just three colors: Silver, Cosmic Orange, and Deep Blue.

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Performance and battery life

It's not really possible to directly compare performance on these two phones right now because we haven't properly tested the Pro Max yet. They also have totally different chipsets, with Samsung relying on the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip while Apple's phone is fueled by the in-house A19 Pro. Samsung's phone performs just fine and, if history is any indication, Apple's will, too. There may be marginal differences, but we can't say that for sure just yet.

Battery life is also an interesting topic here. Apple has not revealed exactly how big the iPhone 17 Pro Max's battery is, but it is rated for as many as 33 hours on a single charge. Samsung's phone has a 5,000mAh cell inside of it that is rated for as many as 31 hours on a charge, though it topped out at around 27 hours in my testing. Your mileage may vary.

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Cameras Meet the new camera plateau. Credit: Apple

Since we haven't properly tested the iPhone 17 Pro Max in any capacity yet, it's not possible to say for sure which handset has a better set of cameras. Numerically, though, there are some interesting differences.

Apple packed a trio or 48MP lenses onto the rear array of the Pro Max this year. Notably, the telephoto lens offers up to 8x optical zoom and what Apple calls 16x "optical-quality" zoom range. The selfie camera has also gotten a boost to 18MP with a wider field of view than previous models, enabling selfies with larger groups of people.

Samsung wins the numbers game this year, if nothing else. Its main shooter is a whopping 200MP, while the other two come in at 50MP. The selfie cam is only 12MP, though. Samsung's optical zoom only goes up to 5x, though you get up to 100x digital zoom. In my testing, I found that zoom shots looked good up to around 30x on the S25 Ultra. We'll see how the iPhone 17 Pro Max compares when it's in our hands.

Fiverr, the online freelance gig marketplace, is planning a major downsizing of its staff as the company pivots to AI, the company's CEO announced in a jargon-filled letter to employees.

As reported by the Wall Street Journal, the layoffs will eliminate about 30 percent of the Fiverr workforce.

“The resizing and refocusing effort will allow Fiverr to go after growth opportunities as a leaner organization with an AI-native infrastructure and mindset," Fiverr wrote on its investor relations page.

Fiverr first launched in 2010 as an online gig marketplace where writers, musicians, visual artists, and other freelancers could offer their services for just $5. Soon after, Fiverr expanded its offerings, allowing freelancers to provide multiple tiers of services and charge more than $5 for their gigs.

In the Sept. 15 letter to employees, Fiverr CEO Micha Kaufman also said that the changes needed to become an “AI-first company” will be “painful”:

Today, we are launching such a transformation for Fiverr, to turn Fiverr into an AI-first company that's leaner, faster, with a modern AI-focused tech infrastructure, a smaller team, each with substantially greater productivity, and far fewer management layers. 

This transformation requires a painful reset, and as we make it, we will be parting ways with approximately 250 team members across the different departments, resulting in a smaller and flatter organization. This is possibly one of the toughest decisions that I have had to make, especially as Fiverr is such a magical place with a strong sense of belonging and mission-driven culture.

Recently, Fiverr has begun promoting AI use among its freelancer community. Earlier this year, for example, Fiverr announced a new program called Fiverr Go, which allowed its gig workers to train AI on their own work in order to automate their creations with AI. The company promoted this new AI service through a series of ads featuring character actor Brett Gelman, best known for his role on Stranger Things.

In a company-wide email from May of this year, Kaufman bluntly warned his staff about the company's pivot to AI.

“AI is coming for your jobs," Kaufman wrote to his employees. "Heck, it’s coming for my job too. This is a wake-up call.”

In recent years, Fiverr's community of freelancers has criticized the growth of users on the platform who are fulfilling gigs with generative AI.

"Is AI destroying the REAL creators?" asked one freelancer on Fiverr's community forums last year after noting their business on the site had been down.

Fiverr appeared to downplay concerns about AI in an ad it released in October 2024. The ad features a cheery musical number called "Nobody Cares," referring to Fiverr's claim that nobody cares if a freelance artist or creator uses AI. 

Now, in the pursuit of AI, Fiverr will lay off 250 of its employees.

SAVE UP TO $75: As of Sept. 16, Amazon's Echo Buds and Echo Buds with ANC are both on sale. Score the basic Echo Buds for just $24.99 (reg. $49.99) and save 50% or grab the Echo Buds with ANC for $44.99 (reg. $119.99) and save 63%.

Amazon Echo Buds deals: Amazon Echo Buds $24.99 (save $25) Get Deal Amazon Echo Buds with ANC $44.99 (save $75) Get Deal

If you're in the market for a new pair of earbuds, the options are seemingly endless. But if decent sound quality and a low price are your main priorities, it's hard to beat Amazon's Echo Buds — especially when they're on sale.

Coinciding with Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days announcement, the mega retailer has dropped prices on both pairs of Echo Buds. As of Sept. 16, you can grab a pair of the basic Echo Buds from 2023 for only $24.99 (reg. $49.99) and save 50% or pick up the older Echo Buds with ANC for only $44.99 (reg. $119.99) and save 63%. That's the lowest price on record (matching the Prime Day price) for the basic Echo Buds and just $10 shy of the best-ever price for the pair with ANC.

Besides one pair being released in 2021 and one in 2023, the main difference between the two is that the older version offers active noise cancellation. They are quite a few years old, but for $44.99, we still recommend grabbing a pair. They also offer a comfortable fit, solid sound quality, and decent battery life. As Mashable's Alex Perry wrote in his review, they're "a really solid pair of noise-cancelling earbuds that will go easy on your wallet."

The 2023 Echo Buds completely overhauled the design of the previous version. They're very simple earbuds that borrow the AirPods design, but cost a whole lot less. They don't offer noise cancellation or have the most comfortable fit on the market, but they sound great, last up to 20 hours, are simple to use, and seamlessly pair with your other Alexa gadgets. As Mashable reviewer SaVanna Shoemaker noted, "For the price, I think this is a great pair of earbuds — especially if you already use other Alexa devices."

Tech showcase season rolls on, and next up is Meta — where CEO Mark Zuckerberg is doubling down on AI-powered smart glasses. With the company’s keynote approaching, expectations are high for updates on new glasses, upcoming headsets, and Meta’s broader vision for contextual AI.

Here’s a full breakdown of what to look for at Wednesday’s Meta Connect event.

Hypernova

Multiple outlets report that Meta is preparing to unveil a new set of smart glasses codenamed Hypernova. Unlike Meta's Orion or Ray-Ban smart glasses, Hypernova aims for a middle ground: a small display in the right lens, controlled by hand gestures through a wristband.

That wristband uses surface electromyography (sEMG), and Meta is especially bullish on its potential. As for the display, Hypernova won’t deliver full AR like Orion is expected to. Instead, it focuses on utility — showing the time, weather, and notifications, framing and previewing photos, providing turn-by-turn navigation, and even offering captions or translations of real-world speech. Meta AI responses can also be surfaced as text, rather than audio.

UploadVR obtained a leaked image of the glasses, which appear noticeably bulkier than the Ray-Ban line. CNBC reports that Meta is targeting a price point of around $800.

New Ray Ban and Oakley Metas

Rumors suggest that the success of the Ray-Ban Metas has pushed Meta and partner EssilorLuxottica to speed up development on a next-generation model. The Ray-Ban line has proven to be a hit, selling over 2 million units as of February 2025. According to The Information, the follow-up models — codenamed Aperol and Bellini — are slated for a 2026 release. These new editions are expected to push deeper into AI features, including facial recognition and continuous AI sessions that run in the background.

Meanwhile, Meta’s Oakley partnership has been gaining momentum. The HTSN Limited Editions were well received, offering 3K video recording and double the battery life of previous models. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Oakley is exploring a smart take on its classic Sphaera frame, complete with a center-mounted camera. Marketing for the line leans heavily toward athletes and cyclists, suggesting Oakley sees fitness and performance as the sweet spot for this tech.

All quiet on the Meta Quest front

And what about the Meta Quest? For now, smart glasses are clearly stealing the spotlight. Meta did roll out the Quest 3S, a lower-cost model that still delivers solid performance, but don’t expect any big news on a Quest 4. Most outlets, including UploadVR and Mark Gurman, say it’s not happening at this year’s event.

That doesn’t mean Meta’s standing still. UploadVR reports that the company is working on an ultralight headset planned for 2026, designed to offload computing power to a separate puck running Horizon OS. There’s also chatter about an ASUS ROG-branded headset built on Horizon OS, though that reveal may be held for ASUS’s own showcase rather than Meta Connect.

SAVE $120: As of Sept. 16, get the Craftsman 308-piece Socket and Wrench Set for $199, down from its usual price of $319 at Amazon. That's a discount of 38% and its lowest price yet.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Craftsman 308-piece Socket and Wrench Set $199 at Amazon
$319 Save $120 Get Deal

Thinking of handling some DIY jobs around the house? Maybe you have some work on the car you need to finish up. Whatever the case may be, you need the right tools for the job. And you can get a handy socket and wrench set from Craftsman for an excellent price right now at Amazon.

As of Sept. 16, get the Craftsman 308-piece Socket and Wrench Set for $199, down from its usual price of $319 at Amazon. That's $120 off and a discount of 38%. It's also the lowest price yet for this tool kit.

SEE ALSO: Tackle tough jobs with this Craftsman Mechanics Tool Set for its lowest price yet

This 308-piece set comes with an assortment of different sockets, ratchets, wrenches, and other specialty bits for tackling both indoor and outdoor jobs. They're especially useful for automotive work and repairs, if you have any to work on, with full-polish chrome finish, corrosion resistance, and each tool packed into plastic trays to help keep things tidy and organized.

The low profile ratchet and 72-tooth design with a 5-degree arc swing make this tool useful for whether you're trying to reach something deep in an engine, or an alternator, or starter, or anywhere you have little room to maneuver. It can help you loosen or tighten fasteners in spaces where a regular ratchet might not work.

There are tons of applications for this set, especially if you know someone or are a certain someone who likes to stay handy. And since it's at its lowest price yet, now's the time to scoop one up for safekeeping, or holiday gift giving.

Shark just released the Shark Glam multi-styler last month, but the vacuum-turned-beauty-tech brand is already back with another release.

Meet the Shark Glossi. If the name sounds familiar, it's because you can find it in its attachment form on the Shark Glam. Though it's not a multi-styler, it can be used on both wet and dry hair, and clocks in at a much lower price point — $179.99, compared to the Glam's $449.99.

As of Sept. 16, the hair tool is available on Shark's website in three colorways: juniper, lychee, and raspberry.

Opens in a new window Credit: shark Shark Glossi $179.99 at Shark
Shop Now What's new about the Shark Glossi?

The Shark Glossi is a standalone, two-in-one hair styling brush that can be used with wet or dry hair. It already existed technically as an attachment for Shark's other multi-stylers, but couldn't be used without investing in the entire multi-styler.

The teardrop-shaped hot comb helps tame frizz without the use of excessive heat. Credit: Shark

Those familiar with Shark's beauty lineup might also recognize the similarities between the Shark Glossi and the FlexFusion's Wet-or-Dry Fusion brush attachment. Though they look nearly identical, the Glossi features the Shark's Gloss Lock tech introduced on the Glam attachment that gives hair a shiny — or glossy — finish after styling.

Essentially, the Glossi is Shark's solution for anyone interested in the particular hot comb, round brush combo attachment from the Shark Glam, but isn't interested in shelling out $450.

While other round brush stylers like the Drybar Double Shot, Revlon One-Step, Amika Blowout Babe, and WavyTalk Blowout Boost have been on the market for some time (and all cost less than the Glossi), they don't quite feature the same tech as the Glossi. Where the former two brushes use hot air to help you achieve a smooth, blown-out look, the latter two use heat and no air.

Like the Glam attachment it shares its name with, the Glossi also has a unique teardrop shape that points on the side of the hot comb portion of the tool. The tapered end is designed for more precision styling that allows users to get close to the root of the hair.

How the Shark Glossi works

Though the Glossi offers a degree of flexibility in how it can be used, the general idea is to start with the wet mode, which only uses air styling, to thoroughly dry and add volume to damp hair. Then, users can switch to the dry mode of the tool, which heats up the hot brush while never exceeding 302 degrees Fahrenheit.

The addition of heat could be useful for anyone with textured hair who might find less success with tools that rely solely on hot air for styling. More generally, anyone looking for smoothed, straightened, and volumized hair might find their ideal tool in the Shark Glossi.

UPDATE: Sep. 16, 2025, 12:08 p.m. EDT This story formerly stated the Shark Glossi was the same design as the Shark FlexFusion's Wet-or-Dry Fusion Brush attachment. Though the two are visually similar, the Shark Glossi features a special tech only found on this standalone tool and the Shark Glam attachment. We've corrected the information above and regret the error.

There’s been a flurry of new devices launched by Apple in the last week, including the new iPhone 17 lineup and Apple Watch Series 11. As with all major device announcements, the question inevitably becomes whether or not upgrading from a prior device is worth it. For Apple Watch Series 10 owners, it’s a valid question, and one we hope to help you solve. 

The Apple Watch Series 11 comes in two sizes (42mm and 46mm), two case materials (aluminum and titanium), three band options (rubber, textile, and stainless steel), and seven total colors. That’s quite a lot to choose from, but fortunately, the tech underneath is largely the same for all of them, so we’ll be able to compare the two pretty evenly. 

Apple Watch Series 11 vs. 10 price

The least expensive Apple Watch Series 11 is the 42mm aluminum variant that runs for $399. Stepping up to the 46mm option changes the price to $429. Apple then adds a $100 upcharge for cellular connectivity, putting the prices at $499 and $529, respectively. 

It’s a similar story with the titanium variant, which starts at $699 for the 42mm version and goes up to $749 for the 46mm. From there, the watches get the same $100 upcharge for cellular, putting the final prices at $799 and $849, respectively. The $849 figure is the highest price you can pay for a standard Apple Watch Series 11. 

At launch, the Apple Watch Series 10 had the same prices as its Series 11 successor, and for the same configurations. The lowest price was $399 for a 42mm aluminum Wi-Fi only model, and maxed out at $849 for a 46mm titanium model with cellular connectivity. Looking around at retail sites like Best Buy, the prices seem largely unchanged from launch, although that’s likely to change once the Series 11 officially launches. 

Apple Watch Series 11 vs. 10 specs

The story is going to be very similar for the specs as well. Here’s how they shake out. 

Apple Watch Series 11 specs

• Chip - S10 chip with 64-bit dual-core processor

• Storage - 64GB

• Display - A 374 by 466 (42mm) or 416 by 496 (46mm) resolution OLED screen with LTPO3. 

• Battery life - 24 hours

• Connectivity - Wi-Fi 4, 5G and 4G LTE, and GPS

Apple Watch Series 10 specs

• Chip - S10 chip with 64-bit dual-core processor

• Storage - 64GB

• Display - A 374 by 466 (42mm) or 416 by 496 (46mm) resolution OLED screen with LTPO3. 

• Battery - 18 hours

• Connectivity - Wi-Fi 4, 4G LTE, GPS

So, as you can see, the case for an upgrade isn’t going too well. Both watches have virtually identical specs and screens. With the Apple Watch Series 10 getting watchOS 26, you’d be hard-pressed to tell the two apart in any capacity when looking at the spreadsheet. 

However, there are some subtle improvements. Apple’s optimizations have increased the battery life on the Apple Watch Series 11 to 24 hours instead of 18 from the prior generation, and it added 5G connectivity. The battery life is a pretty big deal, and some folks may want to upgrade for that alone. However, if the battery on the Series 10 is fine with you, then you won’t see any demonstrable improvements with an upgrade. 

Design

This one is going to be pretty easy. The design for both the Series 10 and Series 11 watches is virtually identical in every way, down to the measurements. As an example, the 42mm version of both the Series 10 and Series 11 measures 42mm high by 36mm wide and 9.7mm deep. Even the dial is in the same spot on the right side of the watch body. 

The only difference appears to be in color. The Series 10 had three aluminum colors and three titanium colors. Apple increased this to four aluminum colors with the Series 11. All of the colors are identical except the Series 11 gets a Space Gray version. Other than that, everything else here is the same. 

According to the rumor mill, Apple is waiting for the Series 12 before making any adjustments to the overall design of the watch. So, if aesthetics matter to you, we’d wait until next year to see what the new design is like. 

Sensors

One of the big reasons to get an Apple Watch is its myriad sensors that measure everything from body temperature to heart rate. Apple keeps it simple here, and the sensors available in both watches are the same. They include:

• Electrical heart sensor

• Third-generation optical heart sensor

• Temperature sensor

• Compass

• Always-on altimeter

• High-g accelerometer

• High dynamic range gyroscope

• Ambient light sensor

• Depth gauge

• Water temperature sensor

So, if you’re looking for a new sensor, the Series 11 isn’t the place to find it, and your Apple Watch Series 10 still has all the same stuff. However, Apple did some health and wellness stuff for the Series 11. As of this writing, both watches have the following features. 

Health features

Apple’s health features are one of the main selling points of the Apple Watch. The company is quite proud of the fact that the Apple Watch has saved people’s lives, and uses those stories often in its marketing. In any case, both the Watch 10 and 11 have mostly the same features. They include:

• Blood oxygen app

• ECG app

• Menstrual cycle tracking (with ovulation estimates)

• Heart rate app

• High and low heart rate notifications

• Medications app

• Mindfulness app

• Sleep app (including sleep stages)

• Noise app (notifies you if nearby sounds are too loud)

• Sleep Apnea notifications

Like with everything else, the two are mostly the same, but with one or two small differences. The Apple Watch Series 11 has added hypertension notifications, but patient Apple Watch Series 10 users will also get the feature in a future software update. So, eventually, there will be complete parity here as well. 

Software

Lastly, we come to software. The Apple Watch Series 11 will ship with watchOS 26, and the Series 10 will receive the update on September 15, 2025. Thus, starting on September 16, these two watch generations will run the same software. There are a load of features coming with the update, like a new AI workout buddy that encourages you when you hit exercise milestones and four new watch faces for Apple Watch users to choose from. 

In short, don’t upgrade

In general, the people who should consider upgrading are those with much older Apple Watches that haven’t yet received the S10 chip and all of the cool stuff it comes with. However, if you have an Apple Watch Series 10, you’re only missing out on a small handful of improvements, like better battery life, a new watch color, and more scratch-resistant glass. The overwhelming majority of the experience is going to be largely identical. Since Apple intends to give the Apple Watch a more serious update for the Series 12, your best bet is to wait for that unless you really want that extra six hours of battery life. 

Apple TV+ is continually adding to its library of compelling drama series, which has seen multiple hit releases this year, including Your Friends and Neighbors, Dope Thief, Chief of War, Smoke, and the recently crowned most-winning comedy in Emmy history for a single season, The Studio.

Google is launching a new experimental Google app for Windows in its Labs program, which is designed to help you find what you need much faster. The app lets you search for information without having to switch windows or interrupt what you’re doing, but you have to enable it first.

At a glance, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey seems like the kind of movie it'd be easy to fall in love with. A fantastical romance about two broken-hearted lovers who seem destined to be together, the film stars Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie, two Academy Award-nominated actors, who are almost criminally hot. Plus, from the looks of the trailers and posters, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey is full of color and whimsy. What's not to love?

Well, while the film does embrace a vivid palette, big moments of break-ups, birth, death, and even the unique joy of high school theater, there's a devoted remoteness to its approach. Helmed by critically heralded director Kogonada (After Yang, Columbus), A Big Beautiful Journey offers a setup that seems the stuff of American mainstream movie romance. But shortly after its enchantingly quirky first act, the script by Seth Reiss (The Regime, The Menu) veers into a cerebral space that feels frustratingly disconnected from earnest emotion.

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey starts off strong with Kevin Kline and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.  Phoebe Waller Bridge and Kevin Kline in "A Big Bold Beautiful Journey." Credit: Sony Pictures Entertainment

On the day of a friend's nuptials, David (Farrell) is planning to drive a ways out of the city to the rural venue. However, his car tires have been unexpectedly booted, so he follows the advice of a fatefully positioned flyer to a remote location, where a car rental service is promised. While the first sequence feels like it could be set in the streets of New York City, where David emerges from a picturesque brownstone with a bright blue door and rushes down a bustling sidewalk, the very next setting is an alleyway so wide and clean it only exists in the movie-version of Manhattan. Already, Kogonada is stepping away from our frustrating reality (getting your car booted without warning) and into romantic fantasy.

SEE ALSO: 'Christy' review: Sydney Sweeney's Oscar-bait swing is a big miss

However, this car rental place is not quaint or charming. It's Broad City-bizarre. After a comically cryptic exchange over a doorbell intercom, David enters the building to find a massive, mostly empty warehouse. All that lies inside are two cars and two people sitting at a card table, waiting for him to approach. One is a cheerful woman, who speaks with a fitful German accent and relishes using the word "fuck." Naturally, this is Phoebe Waller-Bridge of Fleabag fame. At her side, Kevin Kline is her foil, soft-spoken and mellow, where she is radiantly energetic. Together, they convince David to rent a car and spring for the GPS, in case his phone "craps out." They are strangely insistent on this point. 

Within this setup, there's the sense of a play production. The vacuous space with two quirky characters in it, speaking of simple things like cell phone signals and doors, but with an intensity that suggests this is all metaphor. They are clearly the fateful figures launching this Journey. There's a beguiling zaniness to this section, including a small prop detail: a headshot of Farrell, where he's smiling broadly, with his fist planted firmly under his jaw, like how an overeager child might pose for a headshot. Naturally David says he's never seen that photo before, another sign that something odd but wonderful is going on here. Sadly, where A Bold Beautiful Journey goes from here does not maintain or even recapture this energy, wildness, or sense of promise. 

Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie are committed, but underwhelming in A Big Bold Beautiful Journey.  Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie in "A Big Bold Beautiful Journey." Credit: Sony Pictures Entertainment

For my money, Farrell's one of the best actors of his generation, turning in darkly comic performances with In Bruges and The Banshees of Inisherin, gritty pathos in The Penguin, radiant yearning in The Lobster, and seething rage in The Beguiled. In A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, however, Farrell hits a wall when it comes to Robbie.

In the car alone, there's an ache in his voice and yearning in his eyes as he considers the roads less traveled, which the pleasant yet persistent GPS (Jodie Turner-Smith) will direct him towards. Yet as the film becomes about David and Sarah (Robbie) taking a road trip that drives them to scenic locations, where doors from their past will allow them to bring a guest to their personal highs and lows, the film becomes emotionally vague.

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At the wedding, David (in a dashing blue suit) meets Sarah in a red-striped silk pantsuit that resembles fancy pajamas. (They will stick strictly to these colors, no matter their outfits). They swiftly learn that he is from uptown and she is from downtown, suggesting a difference in attitude that's reflected by their takes on formalwear. He's reserved and polite; she's a free-spirit who will admit she's cheated in every relationship in one breath then propose marriage in the next. 

These are both very charismatic actors, and yet this flirtation — and all those that follow — fell flat for me. Perhaps it's the script by Reiss, who writes characters with the erudite edge of a New Yorker cartoon. David and Sarah aren't defined by what they do for a living or their friends (despite meeting at a friend's wedding). They begin simply as a man in blue and a woman in red, with the personality you might extrapolate from there.

Both will pontificate about why they are the way they are, blaming their parents or their own bad habits. Then jaunts into the beautiful spaces they love — a lighthouse, an art museum after hours — aim to evoke depth. But it feels superficial, especially as they pontificate things like "I'm meant to be alone" and that telling a kid he's "special" does more harm than good. They feel less like faded sketches of failed lovers, leaving me yearning for something more. 

Kogonada paints a restrained romance. 

The concept of walking a prospective lover through your emotional baggage through a Being John Malkovich-like series of doors is a promising beginning. However, the places these doors lead are not all that surprising or compelling. Instead, they play into clichés of beauty, childhood trauma, and rom-com breakups. If the film had a rollicking pace, perhaps such tropes could be overlooked. But tangled in its pretentious pronouncements about love, regret, and forgiveness, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey feels astoundingly long, even though its runtime is under two hours.

Within the film, characters discuss the necessity to "act" — meaning pretend — to reach a place of truth. And perhaps that idea of performance is why Farrell and Robbie create characters that feel thin reflections of ideas over flesh-and-blood people. Farrell had previously starred in Kogonada's After Yang, a drama about grief that embraces poetry over big shows of emotion. This approach didn't work for me then, as I wrote in admiration for his approach, but confessed in my review, "I am not on Kogonada's wavelength." 

The director's take on grief did not connect to mine then, nor does his take on romantic love connect to mine now. It's not even a matter of disagreement, but that I can't feel the emotions that might live within his poetry.

I certainly didn't expect a paint-by-numbers romance from Kogonada, yet I was surprised to find myself so numb to the central story. Farrell and Robbie are actors who boast incredible screen presence, and yet their chemistry here is tepid. They're actors who've flung themselves into hours of prosthetics, high-concept comedies, and polarizing cinematic endeavors. But here, their portraits of people, yearning for love but afraid of being hurt, feel frustratingly shallow, when they could feel radiant or profound. 

Simply put, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey felt neither big, bold, or beautiful. Its journey is winding. Its message is earnest, and yet I was unmoved, even bored. 

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey opens in theaters Sept. 19.

Google recently laid off about 200 Google contractors who helped moderate and improve AI products.

The news came from Wired, which reported more than 200 workers had "been laid off without warning in at least two rounds of layoffs last month." The tech-focused magazine spoke with a number of the workers, who alleged the layoffs followed issues over pay and job security. These contractors, Wired noted, are specialists — holding a master's or a PhD — who use their expertise to help teach and moderate AI products like chatbots, or Google's AI Overviews.

The workers, meanwhile, alleged unfavorable working conditions, with two former employees taking complaints to the National Labor Relations Board alleging they were unfairly fired.

“These individuals are employees of GlobalLogic or their subcontractors, not Alphabet," Courtenay Mencini, a Google spokesperson, told Wired in a statement. "As the employers, GlobalLogic and their subcontractors are responsible for the employment and working conditions of their employees. We take our supplier relations seriously and audit the companies we work with against our Supplier Code of Conduct."

It's proven a tumultuous time for Google's AI products. This week, Penske Media Corporation — publisher of Rolling Stone, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and Billboard — sued Google, alleging it used the company's content in AI Overviews without consent.

LAST CHANCE TO SAVE UP TO $60: Through Sept. 18, Paramount+ annual plans are 50% off. New and returning subscribers can sign up for Paramount+ Essential for $29.99 per year (reg. $59.99) or Paramount+ Premium for $59.99 (reg. $119.99).

Paramount+ annual plan deals: With ads Paramount+ Essential $29.99 for your first year (save $30) Get Deal No ads Paramount+ Premium $59.99 for your first year (save $60) Get Deal

It's not every day that streaming services actually lower their prices. So when a massive discount pops up and you're eligible for it, we highly recommend hitting that subscribe button.

For two more days, you can sign up for a Paramount+ annual plan for half price. That drops the cost of the Essential plan (with ads) to just $29.99 (reg. $59.99) and the Premium plan to just $59.99 (reg. $119.99) for your first year. That breaks down to only $2.50 or $5 per month, which is significantly cheaper than any other major streaming service. After the year is up, it'll jump back up to the full cost. So just be sure to cancel before then if you want to avoid that automatic charge. The only eligibility requirement is that you are a new or returning subscriber (no current subscribers).

As we mentioned previously, we highly recommend signing up for the Premium plan over the Essential plan. It's currently the same price you'd normally pay for the Essential plan, but packs a whole lot more bang for your buck. You'll be able to access the entire Showtime library, stream CBS live, download movies and shows for offline viewing, and enjoy 4K, UHD, Dolby Vision, and HDR10 quality — all without ads (except for live TV). Catch new episodes and live feeds from Big Brother Season 27, stream your local NFL Sunday afternoon games in real time, tune into popular shows like Yellowjackets, RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, and Criminal Minds Evolution on demand, and see new Paramount Pictures movies straight from the theaters.

This Paramount+ streaming deal is live through Sept. 18, so you only have a couple days to secure your next year of streaming. Not to be dramatic, but you might want to hop to it.

Last week, several Republican representatives in Michigan introduced a bill that would ban porn — and a host of other content online.

The Anticorruption of Public Morals Act, House Bill 4938, is primarily sponsored by Rep. Josh Schriver and includes fellow Republican representatives Joseph Pavlov, Matthew Maddock, James DeSana, Joseph Fox, and Jennifer Wortz.

SEE ALSO: Porn censorship is going to destroy the entire internet

The Anticorruption of Public Morals Act would prohibit sharing, distributing, selling, or hosting "certain material" on the internet. The bill's list includes pornography in the form of videos, erotica, magazines, stories, manga, AI-generated material, live feeds, and sound clips, but doesn't stop there.

"Prohibited material" described in the bill includes visual (real, animated, or digitally created), written, and audio depictions and descriptions of many sex acts, including intercourse, oral sex, ejaculation, BDSM, group sex, penetration with sex toys, as well as erotic autonomous sensory meridian response content — better known as ASMR — and moaning and "sensual voice content."

Audio erotica, sex toy reviews, and your favorite ASMR YouTube channel could all be banned in Michigan should this bill be passed into law.

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The act also bans depictions and descriptions of "a disconnection between biology and gender by an individual of 1 biological sex imitating, depicting, or representing himself or herself to be of the other biological sex."

This means that online content about and by trans people would be banned in Michigan.

"The bill would completely erase trans people online, equating them with porn," Mike Stabile, director of public policy at adult industry trade organization, the Free Speech Coalition, posted on Bluesky.

This means that online content about and by trans people would be banned in the state of Michigan.

"Prohibited material" excluded from the act includes peer-reviewed academic content and scientific or medical research.

Failure to comply could result in a fine up to $100,000 and/or up to 20 years in prison for people or entities that run online platforms. If more than 100 pieces of "prohibited material" are found, the punishment increases to a fine up to $125,000 and/or up to 25 years in prison.

The bill also compels internet service providers to block "circumvention tools" — aka VPNs — and prohibits the promotion of sales of those tools.

This isn't the first bill of its kind. Back in January, Republican Oklahoma Sen. Dusty Deevers introduced a bill to criminalize porn and imprison its creators. (There hasn't seemed to be much movement on that bill since, though.) Then, in May, Republicans introduced the Interstate Obscenity Definition Act, which experts told Mashable would basically ban porn.

Project 2025, the blueprint for President Trump's second term, calls for an outright porn ban. These bills are happening in conjunction with state age-verification laws, which require proof of age (like a facial scan or government ID) to view explicit content. Software like VPNs can evade these laws, which could likely be the reason why the Michigan bill seeks to prohibit those, as well.

As experts told Mashable last month, similar age assurance requirements are starting to be required for non-explicit content as well, and have the capacity to change the internet as we know it.

tvOS 26, the renamed Apple TV operating system, introduces two standout features that require the latest hardware. Let's break down what they are, which devices support them, and whether it’s worth upgrading your Apple TV for these new features alone.

The Fedora Linux team announced today the release of the beta testing version of Fedora 43. This update to the community fork of Red Hat Enterprise Linux brings several changes, which you can test out by installing the beta image.

Java 25 LTS is officially here, and with it comes a massive update to IntelliJ IDEA. The new version is all about making the language more accessible for new users and more powerful for experienced developers, with big changes to how you write and run code.

UPDATE: Sep. 16, 2025, 10:26 a.m. EDT This article has been updated with the latest competing sales. Target has announced its Circle Week sale will run October 5 to 11.

Amazon has officially revealed the dates of its October Prime Big Deal Days event, which will begin this year on Oct. 7.

Yes, it's only September, but we know some of y'all are planners, so if you're already thinking about holiday shopping, this is good news. While Black Friday is the official kick-off for the holiday shopping season, Amazon is starting the festivities a bit early. Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days (aka October Prime Day) is returning for another year, providing hundreds of doorbuster deals to give you a head start on gift shopping.

We've finally recovered from July's Prime Day, which was the longest Prime Day ever, spanning four days. Prime Big Deal Days will be a shorter event, but it will still be full of savings. So, now that Amazon has finally dropped all the details on the shopping event, let's get into it.

When is Prime Big Deal Days 2025?

Drum roll, please... Prime Big Deal Days returns Tuesday, Oct. 7 and Wednesday, Oct. 8. Unlike this year's Prime Day, which spanned four days from July 8 to 11, Prime Big Deal Days will run for just 48 hours. Expect big savings in that time frame; Amazon typically provides thousands of deals to shop across categories.

Amazon events typically start promptly at midnight on the West Coast, so we expect this year's event to begin around 3:00 a.m. ET on Oct. 7. You'll need to be a Prime member to shop the sale, so if you don't have an account, go ahead and sign up for a free trial or reactivate an old membership.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Sign up for Amazon Prime $0 for 30 days Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Prime for Young Adults $0 for 6 months Get Deal When does Prime Big Deal Days 2025 end?

Prime Big Deal Days will end on Oct. 8. While that might seem like a quick turnaround, there's no need to stress. During these big shopping events, deals tend to linger past the official end of the sale.

SEE ALSO: Walmart vs. Amazon: Who actually has the best deals? Who can shop Prime Big Deal Days?

Like Prime Day, you need to be a Prime member to shop the sales. If you're not a Prime member, now is a great time to sign up. Otherwise, you'll miss out on all the savings that Prime Big Deal Days has to offer.

Will there be competing sales?

When Amazon launches a shopping event, it's not uncommon for competing retailers to launch their own anti-Prime programming. Target has officially announced their competing Circle Week sale, which will run October 5 through 11. You do need to be a Target Circle member to shop, however, unlike Prime membership, it's free to join.

Plus, we expect Best Buy and Walmart to launch their own anti-Prime Day sales.

Right now, you can get the massive 100-inch Hisense U6 Series MiniLED QLED TV for just $2,400 on Best Buy. This is a huge $1,100 discount off its regular price of $3,500. This is a truly incredible deal that also comes with free professional installation from Best Buy.

The AV1 video codec is now used by Netflix, YouTube, Twitch, Instagram, and many other media platforms to deliver high-quality video with lower data usage. Now, an upgraded AV2 codec is on the way to make online video even more efficient.