Technology

Get the lightweight and portable Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 for $200 off at Best Buy

Mashable - Wed, 06/18/2025 - 18:30

SAVE $200: As of June 18, get the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 for $299, down from its usual price of $499, at Best Buy. That's a discount of 43%.

Opens in a new window Credit: Best Buy Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 $299 at Best Buy
$499 Save $200 Get Deal

If you're the kind of person who's usually working or using your laptop on the go, you need something suitable that can handle whatever use case you need it for, from work to presentations to streaming. You can get just that with this discounted 2-in-1 laptop from Best Buy, which ticks all the boxes.

As of June 18, get the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 for $299, down from its usual price of $499, at Best Buy. That's $200 off and a discount of 43%.

This lightweight Chromebook boasts a 13.3-inch OLED 1920 x 1080 touchscreen with a Snapdragon 7cG2 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a full keyboard, all wrapped up in an Abyss Blue chassis. It can go from tablet to laptop in a snap since the keyboard is detachable as well, so if you just want to have the screen handy without the keys too, you can do that.

SEE ALSO: The best laptops for 2025: Tested for performance, battery life, design, and value

It's just 2.22 lbs and 0.27 inches thick, so it's the perfect size for toting around wherever you need to take it. Its octa-core processor means it can go from streaming Netflix to loading up PowerPoint presentations in a snap, too. Plus, it has dual cameras, so you can join meetings or take photos, whichever the situation calls for.

If you're looking for a great companion for whatever you need to get done (or to entertain yourself) while out and about, this is a great deal.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Best price ever alert: The Sony ULT Field 1 speaker is $42 off at Amazon

Mashable - Wed, 06/18/2025 - 18:20

SAVE $42.04: As of June 18, the Sony ULT Field 1 speaker in off-white is down to just $87.95, down from $129.99, at Amazon. That's 32% off and a new best price ever by 5 cents.

Opens in a new window Credit: Sony Sony ULT Field 1 $87.95 at Amazon
$129.99 Save $42.04 Get Deal

We're just a few weeks from Amazon Prime Day 2025, which is now four days long and runs from July 8 through 11. That means standout deals are already appearing, like a 32% price drop on the Sony ULT Field 1 portable speaker.

As of June 18, the Sony ULT Field 1 is down to just $87.95 at Amazon in the off-white shade. That's 32% or $42.04 in savings. Previously, we've seen it drop to $88, so this is a new best-ever price for the speaker by about 5 cents. We'll be keeping an eye out as Prime Day gets closer, as the speaker might drop even more. But if you're in the market for a new Bluetooth speaker, we can say with certainty that this is a great deal worth grabbing.

SEE ALSO: Bose introduces new QuietComfort earbuds, SoundLink speakers, and a summery yellow colorway

Mashable's Miller Kern tested the speaker last year when it launched and gave it not only a glowing 4.5 out of 5 stars review, but also a Mashable Choice badge of honor. Short for "ultimate," the ULT series of speakers was designed for the bass lovers. Thus, there's an "ULT" button on the side of the ULT Field 1 that boosts the bass power to "provide that extra oomph you don’t get from other portable speakers."

The speaker is waterproof, dustproof, rustproof, and shockproof, making it virtually indestructible for outdoor use. Plus, it can get loud AF. "I can’t imagine ever playing music at full volume in my apartment. This speaker would be amazing for beach days or barbecues, though," Kern writes in her review. Battery life is fine at 12 hours (but could certainly be better), sound quality is punchy and full, and the design is simple and sleek. Ultimately, for less than $100, it's a total steal.

If you don't feel like waiting until Prime Day to upgrade your Bluetooth speaker, we encourage snagging the ULT Field 1 at its biggest discount yet.

The best headphones and speaker deals to shop this week
Categories: IT General, Technology

The JBL Endurance Race 2 sport earbuds are at a record-low price ahead of Prime Day

Mashable - Wed, 06/18/2025 - 18:15

SAVE $20: The JBL Endurance Race 2 sport earbuds are on sale at Amazon for $59.95, down from the standard price of $79.95. That's a 25% discount and the lowest we've ever seen at Amazon.

Opens in a new window Credit: JBL JBL Endurance Race 2 sport earbuds $59.95 at Amazon
$79.95 Save $20 Get Deal

Now that we're into summer months, outdoor workouts are getting sweatier. That means it's time to invest in a pair of sweatproof earbuds that won't slip out should they get a bit wet. If you're in need of a fresh pair, there's a great deal today at Amazon ahead of Prime Day.

As of June 18, the JBL Endurance Race 2 sport earbuds are on sale for $59.95, marked down from the usual price of $79.95. That works out to a 25% discount that shaves $20 off the price. This is also the best price we've ever seen at Amazon, since it's the first time we've seen this model go on sale.

Gym-worthy earbuds are sweatproof while offering an intelligent design that stays put in your ears. No one wants to go crawling around on the gym floor searching for an earbud that popped out. Instead, go with the JBL Endurance Race 2 earbuds, which use ear tips with enhancers to ensure you're getting a secure fit.

SEE ALSO: My favorite rowing machine is on sale at Amazon for over $250 off

Not only are the JBL Endurance Race 2 earbuds sweatproof, they're also dustproof, and they can withstand being submerged in water of up to three feet. Given these stats, they'll be a great option to take on a beach run this summer that might result in taking a dip into the ocean to cool off.

Activate the Ambient Aware setting to be able to hear the sounds around, which is essential if you'll be running on a road. With the JBL Headphones app, you can further customize your listening experience by choosing your voice assistant and altering EQ levels.

Upgrade to the JBL Endurance Race 2 sport earbuds to tackle all your summer workouts while listening to great tunes. Since this is the lowest price we've ever seen at Amazon, you might as well buy now before Prime Day shipping chaos takes over at Amazon.

The best tech deals to shop this week
Categories: IT General, Technology

Take $700 off the DJI Mavic 3 Pro Drone with DJI RC Prp Remote at Woot

Mashable - Wed, 06/18/2025 - 18:10

SAVE 18%: As of June 18, you can get the DJI Mavic 3 Pro Drone with the Fly More Combo for $3,189, down from $3,889, at Woot. That's an 18% discount and a $700 savings.

Opens in a new window Credit: DJI DJI Mavic 3 Pro Drone Fly More Combo with DJI RC Pro Remote $3,189 at Woot
$3,889 Save $700 Get Deal

If you've ever dreamt of getting into serious aerial photography or videography, you know that a top-tier drone isn't exactly a casual purchase. We're talking professional-grade gear that captures insane footage, so you definitely don't want to cut corners. That’s why this limited-time deal on the DJI Mavic 3 Pro Fly More Combo at Woot is worth a look.

As of June 18, you can get the DJI Mavic 3 Pro Drone with Fly More Combo for $3,189, down from $3,889, at Woot. That's an 18% discount and a $700 savings. I'm not saying it's "cheap" by any means, but for a drone of this caliber, that's a seriously good price.

SEE ALSO: Walmart expands drone delivery to 5 major cities

With the DJI Mavic 3 Pro Fly More Combo, you're getting the DJI RC (that's a remote with a built-in screen), three flight batteries for extended airtime, a charging hub, and all the extra accessories you need to get airborne. The drone itself has a Hasselblad main camera with a 4/3 CMOS sensor for stunning 20MP RAW photos, plus a versatile tri-camera system that lets you switch between different focal lengths for some creative flexibility. It even has omnidirectional obstacle sensing and a max flight time of 43 minutes per battery.

If you've been waiting for the right moment to upgrade your drone setup, this might just be it. With stable signal transmission up to 15 kilometers and quick footage transfer via WiFi 6, this thing is built for serious creators.

The best tech deals to shop this week
Categories: IT General, Technology

Asana bug in new AI feature may have exposed data to other users for weeks

Mashable - Wed, 06/18/2025 - 18:06

A bug in one of Asana's new AI features made user information accessible to other users for several weeks.

The company said the issue was resolved and it was not the result of a malicious hack. Instead, it appeared to be a logic flaw in its MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that was released on May 1, according to cybersecurity firm UpGuard (via BleepingComputer).

MCP is an open-source framework that enables AI assistants to interact with sites and apps. The introduction of Asana's MCP Server enabled companies to integrate AI features like summarization and natural language search from LLMs.

SEE ALSO: 'Your Year in Asana' is a reminder of all the work you did (or didn’t do)

The rise of generative AI tools and new standards that enable interoperability for LLMs create new privacy issues and increased cybersecurity risk. MCP servers are a shiny new target for hackers, and there's also risk of prompt injection attacks, token theft, and a general increase in data leaks since MCPs request broad permission to function smoothly, according to a blog post from cybersecurity firm Pillar.

According to UpGuard, the bug "appears to have been part of this initial release," and was discovered by Asana on June 4. But during this time, Asana users working with the MCP server have been able to access information from other accounts' "projects, teams, tasks, and other Asana objects," according to an email reportedly sent to customers impacted.

In a statement to BleepingComputer, Asana said the bug impacted around 1,000 accounts. Asana has more than 130,000 companies using its project management platform, including some big companies like Uber, Spotify, and Airbnb. (Disclosure: Mashable's editorial team also uses Asana.)

Asana took the server offline and informed customers using the MCP server on June 16 about the bug. "As soon as the vulnerability was discovered, our teams immediately took the MCP server down and resolved the issue in our code," Asana said in its statement to BleepingComputer. Meanwhile, the company sent a contact form to customers potentially impacted to compile a full report of which companies may have had their data exposed.

It's unclear yet if there was any major data breach, but Asana advised companies to review their logs for MCP access and any information generated by their AI tools and report it to Asana if they find any data that doesn't belong to their company.

UPDATE: Jun. 18, 2025, 1:50 p.m. EDT Asana confirmed in a status update that the affected server was back online as of June 17.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Googles AI Mode search tool gets a voice

Mashable - Wed, 06/18/2025 - 18:00

Google's AI Mode is morphing into a search function you can talk to.

On Wednesday, the search giant introduced a new Search Live voice feature for the AI search tool, which combines Google Search with the AI chatbot experience. This was previewed at Google I/O as Project Astra from the Google DeepMind team. The demo features a bike mechanic "going live" with the research prototype on his phone and asking it to look up specific information from a user manual. The feature launching today is the voice part, but Google says live camera support will launch in the "coming months."

Google also added that when you've activated Search Live, it works in the background of your phone, so you can keep talking to it and searching even while you're using other apps.

A version of this voice mode already exists in the Gemini app, called Gemini Live. But starting today, the underlying Gemini voice capability comes directly to search. Search Live with voice input is available in the Google mobile app for Android and iOS. That said, users have to be based in the U.S. and enrolled in the AI Mode experiment in Labs to try it out.

Note: AI Mode is live and open to the public, but you need to opt into the AI Mode Labs experiment in order to access Search Live.

At this year's Google I/O, the company officially ushered in a new era of search with the public release of AI Mode. But this has been building for a while. It started with AI Overviews, grew with an AI-generated version of the People Also Ask (PAA) feature, and now includes AI Mode, which is a chatbot interface right within the search page. Google Search is turning into a place not to find links to sites with the information you need, but an AI-powered search engine that looks more like ChatGPT and Perplexity.

Meanwhile, this is throttling traffic to outbound sites, according to publishers.

With expanded capabilities like voice support and camera support soon to come, Google looks to make AI Mode more than a search tool, but an AI companion. "This is perfect for when you're on the go or multitasking, like if you're packing for a trip," said Google in the announcement. You can verbally ask it for tips on how to prevent clothes from getting wrinkled in a suitcase, for example.

AI Mode at work searching for sites with packing tips. Credit: Google

Once you're enrolled in the AI Mode experiment in Labs, you can try out Search Live in the Google app by tapping the new icon directly under the search bar.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Xbox is building a new console with AMD. And releasing handhelds. And a VR headset.

Mashable - Wed, 06/18/2025 - 17:57

This week Xbox announced a new strategic partnership with chip maker AMD to deliver “cutting-edge graphics” to “future Xbox consoles.”

Xbox President Sarah Bond made the announcement in a video posted to X that was big on hype and short on details, but we did learn a few small tidbits. We now know for sure that a new Xbox console is coming… eventually. Bond confirmed that the console will be powered by AMD silicon and will have backward compatibility with players' existing libraries of games. Thanks to Bond’s video, we also know the next-gen Xbox console won’t be “locked to a single store or tied to one device.” That sure makes the Xbox sound more like a gaming PC than a traditional console.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This is part of Microsoft’s all-of-the-above approach to Xbox and gaming, with the company embracing cloud gaming, an ASUS partnership, and potentially even third-party devices.

The next-gen Xbox console, the successor to the Xbox Series X/S, is rumored to be coming in 2027. And that’s not the only new device Microsoft is cooking up for the extended Xbox family.

So, besides a new Xbox console, what other Xbox hardware is in the works?

The new Xbox Ally handhelds are coming in 2025 The new Xbox handhelds are also coming soon. Credit: Microsoft

Microsoft has already revealed the 2025 launch of the ROG Xbox Ally X and the ROG Xbox Ally. Regarding a potential release date, so far the Microsoft website simply says “Holiday 2025” and “Email When Available,” but some leakers suggest preorders could start as early as August. In terms of pricing, Microsoft has been quiet, likely because of tariff-related uncertainty.

The new handheld gaming consoles are part of a collaboration with Asus, which makes the ROG Ally.

Gamers will be able to play PC games as well as their Xbox favorites on the new handhelds. The Xbox Ally X comes loaded with 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, while the Xbox Ally comes with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.

SEE ALSO: Nintendo Switch 2 review: A fabulous follow-up to an all-time legend Is an Xbox VR headset also coming soon?

Back in 2024, Meta announced that it would allow third parties to build devices with the Quest 3 operating system. At the time, Zuckerberg also teased a partnership with Microsoft to deliver an Xbox Meta Quest VR headset. As Laptop Mag reports, Xbox is set “to build upon it's (sic) partnership with Meta following Xbox Cloud Gaming's arrival to Horizon OS by developing a limited edition Meta Quest headset.”

Rumors also point to a possible 2025 launch of a potential Xbox VR headset, though this is far from confirmed.

Like we said, Microsoft is very much taking an all-of-the-above approach to gaming, and we aren’t mad about it.

Categories: IT General, Technology

How to watch Manchester City vs. Wydad AC online for free

Mashable - Wed, 06/18/2025 - 17:52

TL;DR: Live stream Manchester City vs. Wydad AC in the 2025 Club World Cup for free on DAZN. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The first round of 2025 Club World Cup fixtures showcases some really interesting matchups, including Manchester City vs. Wydad AC. The Premier League side will be favorites to win this opening game, but Wydad AC will do everything they can to upset the odds.

If you want to watch Manchester City vs. Wydad AC in the 2025 Club World Cup for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Manchester City vs. Wydad AC?

Manchester City vs. Wydad AC in the 2025 Club World Cup kicks off at 12 p.m. ET on June 18. This fixture takes place at the Lincoln Financial Field.

How to watch Manchester City vs. Wydad AC for free

Manchester City vs. Wydad AC in the 2025 Club World Cup is available to live stream for free on DAZN.

The Club World Cup is free to stream all around the world, but if you're having problems accessing this streaming platform on your network, you can consider using a VPN. These tools can hide your digital location and connect you to a secure server in another location. This simple process bypasses geo-restrictions so that you can secure access to free live streams from anywhere in the world.

Unblock free live streams of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup 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 a location with access to DAZN

  4. Visit DAZN

  5. Stream the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup 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 watch Manchester City vs. Wydad AC in the 2025 Club World Cup without actually spending anything. This clearly isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream the Club World Cup before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to free streaming sites from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for DAZN?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for streaming live sport on DAZN, for a number of reasons:

  • Servers in 105 countries

  • 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 just $12.95 (including money-back guarantee).

Live stream Manchester City vs. Wydad AC in the 2025 Club World Cup for free with ExpressVPN.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Amazons Fire TV Soundbar Plus is at a new low price ahead of Prime Day

Mashable - Wed, 06/18/2025 - 17:35

SAVE $75: As of June 18, the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus is on sale for only $174.99, down from its list price of $249.99. That's a savings of 30% and its lowest price ever.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus $174.99 at Amazon
$249.99 Save $75 Get Deal

If your TV's picture and sound aren't quite on the same level, it may be time to invest in a soundbar. You don't need to spend an arm and a leg on one, either. Since Prime Day is on the horizon — officially kicking off on July 8 and running through July 11 — Amazon has dropped the price on its own Fire TV Soundbar Plus.

As of June 18, you can pick up the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus for just $174.99, down from $249.99, at Amazon. That's $75 off for a 30% discount, and the first time it's ever been this cheap. And although it's an early Prime Day deal, you don't even need to be a Prime member to score the discount.

SEE ALSO: Amazon's 65- and 75-inch Omni QLED 4K Fire TVs are the cheapest they've ever been

While Amazon's first foray into soundbars was subpar with the basic Fire TV Soundbar, it really stepped things up with the Fire TV Soundbar Plus. The 3.1-channel all-in-one soundbar supports Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and DTS TruVolume, while the original soundbar does not. It packs three full-range speakers, three tweeters, and two woofers that pump out sound in every direction, as opposed to your built-in TV speakers that direct the sound down.

With precise tuning, a customizable dialogue-enhancing setting, a wide frequency range, and four preset listening modes — movie, music, sports, and night — the Soundbar Plus will make your movie nights a more immersive experience. While it won't be true surround sound (you'll need extra speakers for that), it'll definitely give your TV's sound a boost on a budget. No need to wait until Prime Day — it's already down to its best price ever.

The best headphones and speaker deals to shop this week
Categories: IT General, Technology

Grab a GE Smart Scale for $10 off ahead of Prime Day

Mashable - Wed, 06/18/2025 - 17:30

SAVE $10.01: As of June 18, get the GE Smart Scale at Amazon for $39.98, down from its usual price of $49.99. That's a 20% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon GE Smart Scale $39.98 at Amazon
$49.99 Save $10.01 Get Deal

We're right in the thick of summer, and it's the perfect time to start thinking about starting or continuing a fitness journey. One useful addition to any fitness regimen is a smart scale that can track all the important metrics you want to know about when you're looking to maintain or get in shape. Thanks to this early Prime Day deal, you can save some money and get a reliable smart scale that can deliver all that info right now.

As of June 18, get the GE Smart Scale for $39.98 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $49.99. That's $10.01 off and a 20% discount.

SEE ALSO: Stop losing your stuff: Get a Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2 for 48% off at Amazon

This scale is larger than most, with an 11.8-inch platform and 5.33-inch color display. It tracks 14 metrics: weight, body fat percentage, muscle mass, body water percentage, bone mass, visceral fat, BMR, BMI, fat free weight, skeletal muscle, protein, subcutaneous fat, metabolic age, and body type.

It syncs with your favorite fitness apps as well, so you can take that information with you and keep it handy. It offers multiple profiles and syncs with Apple Health, Google Fit, and more. Plus, it has four precision sensors to measure your metrics down to 0.1 pounds and up to 500 pounds.

All of these add-ons make it a little easier to see exactly where you are in terms of body composition without having to use additional trackers. And it's less than the price of a Nintendo Switch 2 game right now. So grab one and get started workin' on your fitness, or just give yourself a little evaluation for when you're ready to do that.

Best home and kitchen deals
Categories: IT General, Technology

7 AI tools you can use to enhance your work life in 2025

Mashable - Wed, 06/18/2025 - 17:19

AI doesn’t have the best reputation. From accusations of plagiarism to cheating students, there are plenty of negative headlines when it comes to using AI. However, when used properly, AI can be a beneficial and valuable part of your workflow and can even boost your productivity.

The key is using AI within its limits. A recent Gallup study found that 40 percent of U.S. workers are now using AI tools at work, which means the other 60 percent is at risk of getting left behind. Just look at another recent study, which shows that workers who use AI (within the boundaries of its capabilities) can boost their productivity by upwards of 40 percent, while those who use AI outside of those boundaries reduce their performance by 19 percent. In short, as long as you use AI to help you do your job, you have the opportunity to increase your gains by a hefty amount, but if you let AI take the wheel, it’ll have the opposite effect. 

With all of that in mind, the other important part of using AI to increase your productivity is finding the correct AI tools. Below is a list of tools that can help out in various ways, from creativity to productivity, and many of them come from names you already know. 

AI Chatbots

Let’s get the most obvious tool out of the way first: the humble AI chatbot. You can find these everywhere. ChatGPT is the most famous, along with Google Gemini, Claude, Grok, and many others. They are mostly interchangeable, especially since each new release from each company leapfrogs the competition, until the next update is released. However, the most famous is currently ChatGPT, and there are tons of guides on how to optimize it for your workflow. 

So, what can a chatbot do for you? Loads of things, it turns out. The chatbot itself is basically a giant summary of everything the AI was trained on, so the best use case is asking it questions and getting ideas, suggestions, or answers to those questions. You can also automate AI to perform tasks for you, have it check or assist you in writing computer code, and summarize PDFs. The list is far too long to put here, but if you wanted to get into AI, looking into chatbots is a good first step. 

Most Adobe products have AI built in

Adobe has some of the most popular and powerful creativity apps in this space, and many of them have AI built right in to enhance existing functionality. For example, in Adobe Acrobat, Adobe has put in an AI assistant that you can talk to for help navigating large PDF files. You can ask it questions about the contents, ask it for a summary, or ask it to identify specific details. It not only does these things, but provides citations for them, so you can quickly review the relevant sections yourself to make sure the AI didn’t get it wrong. 

The more creative stuff has AI as well. An example of that is Actions in Photoshop. When you use Actions, Photoshop will use AI to analyze the image and then deliver a list of recommended edits. All you have to do is accept the recommendations, and Photoshop applies them automatically. Photoshop can also use AI to remove objects from images, turning what was once a complicated, multi-step process within Photoshop into something that takes a minute or two. 

Adobe keeps a handy list of all of its AI tools within its apps if you want to see all of the other possibilities. 

Microsoft Copilot

Microsoft Copilot could technically be listed under the AI chatbots above, but we think it’s unique enough to get its own mention. Copilot is built on OpenAI’s GPT models along with Microsoft’s Prometheus. It’s also built directly into Windows PCs, meaning there is no complex download or installation setup. (For once, there's no Apple equivalent to Copilot, which means Windows has the AI edge for the moment.) Plus, it’s nice to be able to use a chatbot without the need for a web browser. So, on the surface, it functions like a chatbot and can be used like one if you wish. 

On top of that, Copilot is also built into various Microsoft apps, just like Adobe does with its apps. It’s built into the Microsoft 365 suite and can interact with many of the apps there. Microsoft is also working on AI agents for PC that will give you the power to do things like asking the AI to change settings or open apps on your behalf. Since this particular AI tool is built into Windows, you might as well give it a try and see if you like it. 

Grammarly helps with your writing

Of all the tools on this list, Grammarly is the one I use the most. I can usually nail my grammar without any help, but I’ve always been iffy on punctuation, and Grammarly has helped with that immensely. This tool has been around for ages, and I generally use it most often as a browser extension. For the most part, Grammarly analyses your writing in real time and then gives you suggestions on how to fix it. Its word replacement suggestions can make your writing a little stiff for my tastes, but I haven’t missed a comma in years, and that’s all I really care about. 

In recent years, Grammarly has also experimented with generative AI. It works mostly like an AI chatbot of sorts. You ask it to help you write a topic and give it some contextual information, and then Grammarly’s bot helps you write something up. You edit it to your tastes and then ship it. This is something the company generally markets to businesses, but it is available for personal use as well. 

Otter.ai

One that you’ll have in almost every professional setting is talking, and a lot of it. Otter.ai helps with this by giving you a quick, easy way to transcribe almost any social interaction in your work environment so you can read back through it later if you need to. Once transcribed, you can ask Otter’s AI chat to summarize or find specific parts for you, making it quite easy to comb through the information to find what you need. 

You can mash the two together with the brand’s AI channels, which lets you ask the AI questions about prior meetings and also with your teammates at the same time, giving you access to both people and transcriptions at the drop of a hat. Between meetings, presentations, and even things like keynote addresses or college lectures over Zoom, there are plenty of ways Otter.ai can be helpful. As a journalist, it's hugely helpful for quickly transcribing conversations, but that's just one of its many use cases.

NotebookLM

Alongside meetings, research is a fact of life for many jobs, and NotebookLM is actually pretty wonderful for this. The idea is pretty simple. You take your sources, be they PDFs, Google Drive links, YouTube videos, or even just pasted text, and you dump them all into NotebookLM. From there, you can ask the AI questions, and it’ll use your sources specifically to find the answers. The AI can go outside of your sources as well, but will tell you when it does. You can even turn everything into a summarized podcast and listen to the information. 

This one is nice because it’s not restricted to a web browser. There are apps available for phones as well, so you can do this on your phone if you’re on the go. Using AI outside of a web browser is a big deal for me, at least, and interacting with it in a native app is much nicer in some cases. If your work requires you to pore through a lot of information, NotebookLM is worth a shot. 

FeedHive

In an increasingly social media-driven world, AI can help you manage that kind of stuff as well. FeedHive is about as good as it gets in this space. On the surface, it’s a social media management platform. You can post from various accounts, manage your DM inbox, schedule posts, and do all of that. That alone is handy for businesses or influencers. However, there are some AI tools included that can help in other ways. 

FeedHive can also view things like analytics to follow post engagement, activity, and more data about each post. It then uses AI to help you plan your posts for when your followers are the most active, along with the right hashtags to help you get the most engagement. There isn’t any data to show how successful this is, but any edge can be helpful when you’re competing against tens, or even hundreds, of millions of people. This one is mostly for business or influencer use, but beginners in this space can definitely use the data to help them.

Remember: Think beyond ChatGPT

There are a ton of other ways to use AI at work, such as generating images or as a companion bot to lift your self-esteem on rough days. While researching this article, we found a surprising number of people who use AI chatbots just to have something to chat with while working from home or studying alone deep into the night. Such interactions can also be helpful, as having something to bounce ideas off of and giving you digital high-fives can help make things feel less lonely and monotonous. 

Whatever AI productivity tools you decide to use, it’s important to make sure that you’re always doing your own work. The Internet has taken a dim view of companies and individuals using AI to create things, and so as long as you do it ethically, you should be okay. 

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

Categories: IT General, Technology

Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere trailer: Watch Jeremy Allen White as Bruce Springsteen

Mashable - Wed, 06/18/2025 - 17:03

Jeremy Allen White trades The Bear's kitchen for a recording studio in the upcoming Bruce Springsteen biopic Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere.

SEE ALSO: 2025 movie preview: All the films you'll want to know about

Written and directed by Scott Cooper, and based on Warren Zanes' book Deliver Me From Nowhere, the film joins a long line of musical biopics. Just last year, we saw Timothée Chalamet earn raves (and an Oscar nomination) for his turn as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown, while the novelty of Better Man's CGI chimp version of Robbie Williams put a refreshing spin on the genre. And of course, who could forget Sam Mendes' four upcoming Beatles biopics, starring internet boyfriends Paul Mescal, Harris Dickinson, Barry Keoghan, and Joseph Quinn?

But for now, it's fellow internet boyfriend White's turn in the biopic spotlight. The Emmy and Golden Globe winner portrays Bruce Springsteen during a pivotal moment of his life: the recording of his 1982 Nebraska album, when he was just on the cusp of global superstardom. Springsteen recorded it on a four-track cassette recorder in his New Jersey bedroom, and according to Deliver Me From Nowhere's first trailer, the album presented him with a chance to reckon with his past, including his relationship with his mother and father (Gaby Hoffman and Adolescence's Stephen Graham).

Watch the full trailer above to hear White performing songs from Springsteen's Nebraska, as well as a rousing rendition of Springsteen's eternal classic, "Born to Run." What do you think, does The Bear make a good Boss?

Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere also stars Jeremy Strong, Paul Walter, Hauser, Odessa Young, Marc Maron, and David Krumholtz.

Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere hits theaters Oct. 24.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Score the best price on the Oura Ring Gen3 ahead of Prime Day

Mashable - Wed, 06/18/2025 - 17:01

SAVE 17%: The Oura Ring Gen3 is on sale at Amazon for $249, down from the standard price listed at Oura of $299. That's a savings of $50 and a sale price that matches the record-low at Amazon.

Opens in a new window Credit: Oura Oura Ring Gen3 $249 at Amazon
$299 Save $50 Get Deal

Fitness trackers come in tons of varieties these days. You can grab a smartwatch that tracks your metrics, a smart scale, and even sleep earbuds that offer sleep analysis. But if you're looking for a sleek and discreet fitness tracker, it doesn't get any better than a smart ring — and a top-of-the-line model is on sale today.

As of June 18, the Oura Ring Gen3 is on sale at $249 at Amazon, down from the normal price listed at Oura of $299. That's a 17% discount that saves you $50. This price also matches the record-low price at Amazon.

SEE ALSO: My favorite rowing machine is on sale at Amazon for over $250 off

On Mashable's list of the best smart rings, the Oura Ring 4 takes the top spot. But, as if often the case, the previous version still offers plenty of features while coming in significantly cheaper. Thanks to today's sale price on the Oura Ring Gen3 of $249, you'll save $100 compared to the price of going with the Oura Ring 4. One of the major differences between the two models is the shorter battery life on the Gen3. However, the Gen3 ring is still slated to get about seven days of battery life before you'll need to recharge.

The Oura Ring 3 syncs to the app on your smartphone to deliver health metrics like resting heart rate, heart rate variability, temperature, and your blood oxygen level. Of course, it also tracks fitness and your sleep, giving you better insight into overall health.

If you've been waiting for the Oura Ring Gen3 to dip back to its lowest price ever, today is your lucky day. Snag the smart ring while it's $50 off at Amazon and beat the chaos that'll come with Prime Day.

The best tech deals to shop this week
Categories: IT General, Technology

How Ginny and Georgia continues to raise the bar for mental health representation on TV

Mashable - Wed, 06/18/2025 - 17:00

Netflix's Ginny and Georgia had a rocky start from insensitive jokes about seizures to the infamous "Oppression Olympics" scene and being called out by Taylor Swift. However, two seasons later, Sarah Lampert's series has evolved into a show that, while still delightfully chaotic at times, provides one of television's most authentic and nuanced portrayals of mental health — in particular, depression.

Over its run, Ginny and Georgia has evolved from a mother-daughter dramedy into a powerful vehicle for mental health discourse. The series follows single mother Georgia Miller (Brianne Howey), her biracial teenage daughter Ginny (Antonia Gentry), and son Austin (Diesel La Torraca), who move to the picturesque town of Wellsbury, Massachusetts. Despite her projected positivity, a harsh past shaped Georgia, with the protagonist experiencing childhood sexual abuse, domestic violence, poverty, and teen pregnancy, not to mention sending two of her ex-husbands into the afterlife (one intentionally, one accidentally).

But she'd be damned if she let her children endure any of the same struggles, whatever toll it takes on her own mental health.

SEE ALSO: 6 things teens say they really need for their mental health

Both leading mental health advocacy organisation Mental Health America and registered psychologist Dr. Taji Huang, who specialises in self-harm behaviour, weighed in on every script and episode involving mental health. Through characters like Georgia and Marcus (Felix Mallard) the show portrays the complexities of mental health and debunks stereotypes. It reminds us that everyone can be fighting an invisible battle. Someone's exterior can say they're OK but inside they're begging for support.

Ginny and Georgia Season 2 concluded with Georgia being escorted in handcuffs from her fairytale wedding to the town's mayor, Paul Randolph (Scott Porter), accused of another man's murder — this time, Tom Fuller, Georgia's terminally ill neighbour. And while most episodes of Season 3 focus on Georgia's court case — arguably a weakness for the season — the series takes time to peel back the layers of characters it has spent seasons building.

Ginny and Georgia digs deep into the different experiences of depression Karen LeBlanc as Lynette and Brianne Howey as Georgia Miller. Credit: Courtesy of Netflix

While series like The Fosters, Sex Education, Heartstopper, and Skins have explored teen male anxiety and depression, few shows have dedicated as much screen time to it as Ginny and Georgia through Marcus' character arc. That's despite the crucial reality that 22.3 percent of boys aged between eight and 16 have a probable mental health disorder according to NHS England data. Having confided to Ginny about his depression in Season 2, Marcus continues to navigate it in Season 3, describing his mental state in episode 6: "You can't outrun a shadow, especially when that shadow lives in your head." Ginny and Georgia uses its exploration of teen male depression to challenge stigma around masculinity and mental health, and show the many different faces depression can take. 

Featured Video For You 'Heartstopper’s Joe Locke and Kit Connor talk teenage vulnerability

In Season 3, the spotlight is shared between Marcus and Georgia's experiences with depression, as we uncover more of her past and see beyond her carefully crafted exterior. Through Georgia, Ginny and Georgia demonstrates how mental health challenges don't discriminate based on outward appearance — even the most seemingly unshakeable individuals battle internal demons. British mental health charity Mind found that only 46 percent of women were confident talking about their mental health in comparison to 54 percent of men. Like many characters this season, Georgia's forced to confront difficult truths, including the unhealthy coping mechanisms she's developed to survive — mechanisms that have influenced her parenting. When Georgia learns that Austin witnessed her kill Tom, she spirals. This discovery shatters Georgia's self-justification for her actions as necessary to create a safe life for her children. "I failed. I wanted to give you a good life. I wanted to open every door for you that never opened for me," she tells Ginny. "It wasn't some outside force. It was me. I did it."

Georgia finds the words to describe her experience with suppressed trauma and depression through talking to Marcus about in episode 6, saying. "I haven't felt like this since I was a kid, I'd forgotten. But it's like it had been waiting for me." Specifically, Season 3 explores how intergenerational trauma — the passing down of psychological or emotional trauma — creates a cycle that impacts multiple generations, even when one tries to break free from it. 

Brianne Howey as Georgia and Antonia Gentry as Ginny. Credit: Amanda Matlovich / Netflix

Ginny and Georgia is not the first show to explore this. Shows like Unprisoned examined how trauma flows from parent to child to grandchild, and This Is Us revealed how unprocessed pain can lead to fear-based decisions affecting everyone around you. Pachinko and Dear White People explored intergenerational trauma through the lens of racial identity and the different responses to trauma and survival. These narratives rarely delve so deeply into a young person's perspective despite it being found in a 2015 study that depression rates were 1.7 times higher among the children of women who experienced severe child abuse compared with children of mothers who had not endured such abuse. In Ginny and Georgia, this is explored in the final episode as Ginny tells her mother: “You think it’s all on you. But it’s not. We carry the weight too. We always have.”

Many TV characters only recognise their generational trauma as adults but Ginny and Georgia uniquely shows how trauma manifests in real-time rather than just looking at it from an adult perspective. Georgia's attempts to protect her children often cross their boundaries, betraying their privacy. In Ginny's therapy session in Season 2, she describes her mother as a "force" that leaves her sometimes feeling like there isn’t enough room for her. Georgia's fear of perpetuating the cycle she experienced as a child ultimately does more harm than good. The consequences become clear in Season 3's final episode as Ginny steps into the role of her mother's protector, making choices that sacrifice Austin's mental health and what remains of both of their innocences. 

Ginny and Georgia Season 3 explores therapy further than previous seasons Brianne Howey as Georgia and Antonia Gentry as Ginny. Credit: Amanda Matlovich / Netflix

While therapy was central to Season 2 during Ginny's struggle with self-harm, Season 3 explores what happens when therapy alone isn't sufficient for everyone. Though the show doesn't explicitly name the therapeutic approaches used, traditional talking therapy continues to help Ginny in Season 3 as she applies her coping tools to prevent relapse while dealing with her mother's arrest. 

However, Georgia, initially resistant to any form of therapy, has a pivotal moment during her call to Ginny’s therapist, Dr. Lily (Zarrin Darnell-Martin) when she unknowingly partakes in a level of psychodynamic therapy. In Season 2, Georgia blatantly dismissed therapy, claiming that in the South they "shoot things and eat butter" instead of treating their mental health seriously. Until Season 3, Georgia stands by how "dangerous" she considers the idea of trusting others with personal problems. But as she reflects on her unloving childhood, she becomes more receptive to the idea of therapy. When Dr. Lily tells Georgia that her kids "need you to fix yourself so that you can be what they need," Georgia's agreement marks a crucial shift in her character.

Four in 10 women say they’ve tried counselling at some point in their lives according to the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). Georgia's decision to try it represents more than just acceptance — it's an acknowledgment that her self-reliant approach to trauma, while helping her survive, has created new wounds in her children and reopened her own. Georgia's willingness to seek professional help shows she's ready to confront not just her past trauma, but also the ways her coping mechanisms have affected her parenting. Notably, the scene also suggests that perhaps she never rejected therapy on principle, she simply couldn't afford this necessity, both financially and emotionally — mirroring a broader reality for many people. Having spent years stealing and lying just to keep her family afloat, therapy wasn't just emotionally daunting — it was a luxury she couldn't contemplate.

Felix Mallard as Marcus in "Ginny and Georgia." Credit: Amanda Matlovich / Netflix

Within his own storyline, however, Marcus' doesn't see the same improvement going to regular therapy sessions, partaking art therapy in his studio in the Baker family’s garage ,and taking prescribed medication to cope with his depression. It's a condition he describes as like a severed arm, "You can’t see it, it’s invisible. You can’t see the severed arm." Instead, Marcus leans on self medication and substance abuse to cope, a storyline that lingers from Season 2 and eventually sees him being driven by his mother Ellen (Jennifer Robertson) to a rehabilitation centre. Despite the trend feeling otherwise with shows like Euphoria, Everything Now, and Sex Education, according to the Geena Davis Institute, less than 2 percent of young people are shown on TV with mental health issues and only 1.3 percent of prominent characters have an explicit mental health issue.

This elongated, multi-season character arc powerfully challenges the oversimplified narrative that therapy and medication are a quick fix to treating mental illness. Marcus' depression and subsequent alcoholism affect every aspect of his life, from his academic progress to his relationships and his connection with his family. Though his parents initially want to believe therapy, grounding, and summer school will help — wanting to protect both his well-being and his future — Marcus' breakdown after sneaking out to Brodie's party forces them to confront a harder truth. 

Marcus' storyline also demonstrates how his struggles affect not only him but those around him, especially his twin sister, Maxine (Sara Waisglass). In episode 9, arguably the most powerful episode of Season 3, we see Max's difficult position — maintaining her energetic exterior while her own needs are constantly overshadowed by others' crises. Though the episode touches on her potential neurodivergence through behaviors like compulsive light-clicking, it's her revelation about depression that truly resonates: "I understand how he feels because I feel it too, I just hide it better." Max's confession challenges the idea that depression always manifests as visible lethargy or sadness.

Antonia Gentry as Ginny, Sara Waisglass as Maxine, and Tameka Griffiths as Braccia Charles. Credit: Amanda Matlovich / Netflix

While the season emphasises the importance of support networks, Max paradoxically finds herself without support. Like Rue's sister Gia in Euphoria, she becomes a "glass child" — the sibling of someone with a mental illness, whose own struggles remain invisible as they set impossibly high standards for themselves to avoid burdening their already overwhelmed parents. Max’s exuberant personality and role as everyone else's support system mask her own struggles, creating a painful isolation.

Through its third season, Ginny and Georgia's portrayal of mental health continues to break new ground in television. By depicting characters struggling with depression, anxiety, and trauma in authentic ways, the show validates viewers' own experiences and challenges, helping to normalise these struggles and encourage open conversations about mental health. The series demonstrates how television can meaningfully contribute to mental health awareness while remaining entertaining. By showing both the setbacks and small victories in each character's journey, the series sends a powerful message: there's no shame in struggling, no timeline for healing, and no wrong way to ask for help.

Ginny and Georgia is now streaming on Netflix.

If you're feeling suicidal or experiencing a mental health crisis, please talk to somebody. You can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. You can reach the Trans Lifeline by calling 877-565-8860 or the Trevor Project at 866-488-7386. Text "START" to Crisis Text Line at 741-741. Contact the NAMI HelpLine at 1-800-950-NAMI, Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. ET, or email info@nami.org. Here is a list of international resources.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Samsungs new flagship Z Fold 7 might come with Veo 3 and other cool AI freebies

Mashable - Wed, 06/18/2025 - 16:54

Samsung's upcoming foldable flagships, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7, will include a Google AI Pro subscription and limited access to Veo 3 AI video generation, a new report claims.

Android Authority found some tantalizing clues for this by digging through the code of Google's latest Android app, where Samsung's new foldables are mentioned as eligible for free Google AI offers.

If this really turns out to be a free subscription for buyers of Samsung's new foldables, it'll be a very nice bonus, given that the Google AI Pro subscription costs $19.99 per month. It's unclear how long the free subscription will last, though buyers of the Samsung Galaxy S25 got six months of Gemini Advanced (the former name of Google AI Pro) for free.

Besides being a nice perk, access to Google AI Pro will likely encourage Samsung phone owners to experiment with Google's AI tools. In the case of Google AI Pro, this means access to Gemini's most capable AI model, 2.5 Pro, as well as Veo 3.

Veo 3 is Google's latest AI video generation model, and it's currently the most advanced AI video maker of its kind, delivering both realistic visuals and matching dialogue and sound effects. Per Tech Radar, this deal would give Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 customers free access to Veo 3 Fast as well as Flow, an AI filmmaking tool.

Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7, which are likely coming in July, have been detailed in numerous reports and rumors, giving us a pretty good idea of what the phones will be like. The Galaxy Z Fold 7, in particular, is likely to come with a new, 200-megapixel main camera, a large, 4,400mAh battery, and a thinner, lighter, and a more durable body. The Galaxy Z Flip 7 will reportedly also boast an ultra-thin design and will have a larger cover display and a 4,300mAh battery.

SEE ALSO: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7 leak reveals camera and hardware specs, new AI tools

Samsung itself teased an upcoming foldable phone in a press release in June, saying that it will be the "next chapter of Ultra," but the company didn't share any specs or details.

The exact launch date for these phones hasn't been announced yet, but it's probably happening in early July. For reference, Samsung launched its foldable phones on July 10 last year, so we're probably looking at a similar date this year.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The Samsung Galaxy Buds FE true wireless earbuds just hit their lowest price ever at Woot

Mashable - Wed, 06/18/2025 - 16:54

SAVE 50%: As of June 18, you can snag a pair of Samsung Galaxy Buds FE true wireless earbuds for just $49.99, down from $99.99, at Woot. That's a 50% discount and a $50 savings. This is also the lowest price we've ever seen these buds go for.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung Galaxy Buds FE True Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds $49.99 at Woot
$99.99 Save $50.00 Get Deal

With Prime Day just around the corner, everyone’s been rushing to Amazon to see if they can get their hands on early deals. But, IMO, the best deals you’ll find right now are actually at Woot. Case in point: The Samsung Galaxy Buds FE true wireless earbuds are half off at Woot right now (and they’re still full price at Amazon).

As of June 18, you can snag a pair of Samsung Galaxy Buds FE true wireless earbuds for just $49.99, down from $99.99, at Woot. That's a 50% discount for $50 off. This is also the lowest price we've ever seen these buds go for.

SEE ALSO: Amazon announces Prime Day 2025 dates, and the 4-day rumors are true

If you’d rather shop directly through Samsung, you can trade in an old pair of wireless or wired headphones and get up to $40 trade-in credit toward a new pair of buds.

These earbuds feature voice translation, which instantly translates languages in real-time. You can use it to call someone or while face-to-face. The Active Noise Cancellation blocks out unwanted background noise, so you can stay focused or switch to Ambient Sound mode to hear what's going on around you. You can also adjust the volume, pause audio, and answer calls with just a tap.

The best headphones and speaker deals to shop this week
Categories: IT General, Technology

Amazons 65- and 75-inch Omni QLED 4K Fire TVs are the cheapest theyve ever been

Mashable - Wed, 06/18/2025 - 16:40

SAVE UP TO $530: As of June 18, both the 65-inch and 75-inch Amazon Omni QLED 4K Fire TVs are on sale for their lowest prices ever. The 65-inch is down to just $449.99 from $719.99, while the 75-inch is only $569.99 instead of $1,099.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon 65-inch Omni QLED 4K Fire TV $449.99 at Amazon
$719.99 Save $270 Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon 75-inch Omni QLED 4K Fire TV $569.99 at Amazon
$1,099.99 Save $530 Get Deal

Prime Day is on the horizon, officially running from July 8 through 11, but there's no need to wait if you're looking for an epic deal on a big screen TV. Weeks before the big day(s), Amazon's 65-inch and 75-inch Omni QLED 4K Fire TVs are already down to record lows.

As of June 18, the Amazon 65-inch Omni QLED 4K Fire TV is down to just $449.99 from $719.99 and the 75-inch Omni QLED 4K Fire TV is down to just $569.99 from $1,099.99. That's a savings of 38% and 48%, respectively, and the lowest prices on record by a long shot. The only catch? You have to be a Prime member to secure the discount (sign up for a free 30-day trial).

SEE ALSO: Audible's Prime Day deal is live: Get 3 months of Audible Premium Plus for free

Specs-wise, it's no longer the fanciest TV in Amazon's lineup (that title now goes to the Omni Mini-LED), but the Omni QLED 4K TV is still a great budget-friendly TV. "Amazon boosts the visual appeal of its Alexa-centric Fire TV Omni with a brighter QLED panel that offers higher contrast and better color than the outgoing model," our friends at PCMag (also owned by Ziff Davis) wrote in their review of the TV.

It's basically Amazon's dupe of Samsung's The Frame TV, offering an "Ambient Experience" mode that allows you to pull up artwork, photos from your personal library, or a selection of handy Alexa widgets. You know, so your screen isn't just a black rectangle when you're not watching it. Its QLED 4K display also features local dimming, adaptive brightness, and support for Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive.

Ultimately, it's Amazon's best-looking Fire TV, minus the brand-new (and more expensive) Omni Mini-LED series. And ahead of Prime Day, you can get it for a fraction of its usual price.

The best TV deals to shop this week
Categories: IT General, Technology

Save $120 on the Ecovacs Deebot T50 Pro Omni Robot Vacuum and Mop ahead of Prime Day

Mashable - Wed, 06/18/2025 - 16:32

SAVE $120: As of June 18, get the Ecovacs Deebot T50 Pro Omni Robot Vacuum and Mop for $679.99, down from its usual price of $799.99. That's a discount of 15%.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Ecovacs Deebot T50 Pro Omni Robot Vacuum and Mop $679.99 at Amazon
$799.99 Save $120 Get Deal

There's a better way to clean your home. You don't have to force yourself to vacuum every mess manually. You don't even have to mop if you don't want to — not when robots exist. Robot vacuums and mops are getting better and more affordable all the time, so it might be time to invest in one, especially when you can get a deal like this pre-Prime Day discount.

As of June 18, get the Ecovacs Deebot T50 Pro Omni Robot Vacuum and Mop for $679.99, down from its usual price of $799.99. That's $120 off and a discount of 15%.

SEE ALSO: The best handheld vacuums for tackling pet hair

The Deebot T50 Pro is a slim but powerful robot vacuum and mop that offers 15,000 Pa of suction and edge-to-edge cleaning. It has extendable side brushes in addition to mop heads to make sure you can get every nook and cranny of your home, as well as AI-powered obstacle avoidance so it doesn't get hung up running into a table again and again while cleaning.

It's also super thin at just 3.19 inches, so it barely has a footprint if space is a premium at your home. It can tackle just about any mess on its own as it powers through dirt and debris as well as pet and human hair trapped in your carpet with its ZeroTangle 2.0 setup. It can also switch seamlessly from vacuum to mop and handles all its own maintenance as it empties its dustbin, refills its own water, and auto-dispenses cleaning solution.

You can even control it with your voice and AI assistant, so if you're not into using the app or manually setting things up, you just don't have to. If you're ready to stop expending so much energy on keeping a tidy home, let a robot handle it. This pre-Prime Day discount should get you sorted.

Best home and kitchen deals
Categories: IT General, Technology

Space calendar 2025: Here are the moments you wont want to miss

Mashable - Wed, 06/18/2025 - 16:24

Though 2025 won't mark the return of astronauts into deep space as NASA had hoped, launchpads still will be scorching-hot from a procession of robotic spacecraft attempting to land on the moon. 

How many of these moon landings will succeed? Will the number top the two-ish (one of which made a heckuva comeback) last year? 

Giant commercial rockets, such as SpaceX's Starship and Blue Origin's New Glenn, will likely also have several uncrewed orbital test launches as they iron out the kinks in their hardware. And while people await scientific missions to distant solar system destinations, a few probes will send home close-up pictures of planets as they snag gravitational boosts from flybys. 

Here's a round-up of space missions and cosmic events just around the bend. Bookmark this calendar and look for updates from Mashable throughout the year. 

SEE ALSO: NASA leader doubts Elon Musk will push Trump to axe moon rocket BepiColombo makes final Mercury flyby: Jan. 8

Mercury is the closest planet to the sun, but it's perhaps the most overlooked of the rocky worlds in the solar system. Hot and harder to reach than Saturn, it hasn't enjoyed the level of study that other worlds have.

But BepiColombo, a joint mission of the European and Japanese space agencies, seeks to change that. The spacecraft makes its sixth and final flyby on Jan. 8 before returning to enter orbit around the planet in late 2026. Closest approach will take the spacecraft just 160 miles above the surface of Mercury. Mission controllers will release images of the event on Jan. 9.

Two moon landers on one rocket: Jan. 15

Two small uncrewed spacecraft, one of which is carrying several NASA instruments, will try to land on the moon with a boost from the same rocket. 

Both Firefly Aerospace and Japan's ispace will ride a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket slated to leave Earth as early as 1:11 a.m. ET Jan. 15. Firefly's Blue Ghost lander was originally scheduled to lift off in late 2024, and the launch will mark its maiden voyage. The spacecraft is slated to travel for 45 days before trying to touch down in early March. 

Firefly's flight will be the first Commercial Lunar Payload Services mission of the year. The NASA program has recruited vendors from the private sector to help deliver instruments to the moon and send back crucial data.

Ispace's new Hakuto-R mission will be its second try, after it ran out of fuel and crashed on the lunar surface in April 2023. The Resilience lander is taking a long way to the moon to save on fuel, arriving about four to five months after launch.

Blue Origin's first flight for New Glenn: Jan. 16

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos will soon get a chance to see his giant rocket New Glenn launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida. 

His aerospace company Blue Origin started a countdown on Jan. 13, but launch controllers waved off the opportunity when a technical issue arose. The company will try again no earlier than Jan. 16, targeting a three-hour launch window that opens at 1 a.m. ET.

Blue Origin's goal is to reach orbit, and the company will also try to land its booster on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean so that it can be reused on future flights, though executives admit doing so would be "ambitious" on the first try. 

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. SpaceX tests upgraded Starship: Jan. 16

SpaceX is preparing to launch another uncrewed Starship test, this time with an upgraded spacecraft and 10 mock satellites to practice a payload deployment in space. 

This SpaceX launch would mark the seventh Starship test and feature a reused engine from the booster returned from the fifth test. Weather-related postponements have made it possible that Starship and Blue Origin's New Glenn will lift off for these tests on the same day. Starship's one-hour launch window opens at 4:00 p.m. CT.

NASA moon rover and orbiter delivery: Feb. 26

Intuitive Machines made history last year as the first company to reach the moon intact — though its lander, Odysseus, broke a landing leg and touched down tilted. 

The Houston-based company is now gearing up for a second moon landing — this time with the Athena lander. The mission, referred to as IM-2 or PRIME-1, will carry a NASA rover. The spacecraft will test a drill and mass spectrometer, a device that identifies the kinds of particles in a substance. Liftoff is targeted for a four-day launch window that opens no earlier than 7:02 p.m. ET Feb. 26.

Another spacecraft, NASA's Lunar Trailblazer, will also hitch a ride on this flight. The small satellite will orbit the moon to map out the locations of lunar water. 

Europa Clipper flies by Mars: March 1

After a successful October 2024 launch, the Europa Clipper spacecraft has been hurtling through space. It's on schedule to make its first flyby of Mars on March 1, where it will get a gravity assist to continue its journey. Its closest approach to the Red Planet is expected at 12:57 p.m. ET, when it will zip 550 miles above the Martian surface. The probe won't arrive at Europa, one of Jupiter's moons, for its mission until 2030. 

Scientists are intrigued by Europa because they believe it could hold double the water held by Earth's oceans. Could this small world in the outer solar system have conditions capable of supporting life? If NASA finds that Europa is a habitable place, a second Europa mission could return to determine if there are indeed any inhabitants. 

Firefly attempts moon landing: March 2 This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Following a successful launch in January, Firefly Aerospace will target a robotic landing in the Mare Crisium region of the moon, an ancient hardened lava flow, no earlier than 2:34 a.m. CT on March 2. Prior to descent onto the surface, NASA and Firefly intend to broadcast commentary, starting at 1:20 a.m. CT that morning. However, the broadcast will not include a live video stream of the spacecraft.

"Our available bandwidth will be dedicated to critical descent operations during landing," Firefly officials said on X, formerly called Twitter. 

Landing on the moon remains onerous. The moon's exosphere provides virtually no drag to slow a spacecraft down as it approaches the ground. Furthermore, there are no GPS systems on the moon to help guide a craft to its landing spot.

Blue Ghost shared a ride on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Japanese company ispace, which will try to land on the moon after a failed attempt in 2023. Its Resilience lander is taking a longer route than Blue Ghost to save on fuel, arriving in May or June. 

Intuitive Machines attempts moon landing: March 6

On the heels of Firefly Aerospace's moon landing attempt, competitor space company Intuitive Machines will try to touch down just four days later.

The landing is slated for 11:32 a.m. CT on March 6. Intuitive Machines will provide live event coverage, starting at 10:30 a.m. CT / 11:30 a.m. ET. The company's lander, Athena, will attempt to descend on Mons Mouton, a plateau at the moon's south pole. Before landing, the spacecraft is expected to orbit the moon for about one week.

SpaceX tests Starship following explosion: March 6

Coming off the heels of a Starship test that ended in an explosion and a scrubbed launch on March 3, SpaceX will try to fly the rocket and empty spacecraft again as early as 5:30 p.m. CT March 6. 

The upcoming launch will be the eighth for Starship and feature several hardware changes following January's mishap. During the previous test, two flashes occurred near one of the ship's engines shortly after booster separation. A post-flight investigation determined that strong vibrations led to fuel leaks that were too much for the ship's vents to handle, leading to fires that eventually triggered the flight termination system. 

Launch of new astrophysics observatory: March 11 This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

NASA intends to launch an astrophysics observatory to create a map of the entire sky in 3D. The mission, SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer), will orbit Earth while studying hundreds of millions of stars and galaxies, showing them in 102 invisible "colors." 

One of the main goals of the mission is to learn more about cosmic inflation, a brief but crucial phase of the Big Bang that contributed to the universe's expansion. It will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California as early as 11:10 p.m. ET on March 11. Live launch coverage will begin at 10:15 p.m. ET. NASA’s PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) probe is hitching a ride on the same rocket and will be the first to image the sun’s corona and solar wind together to better understand them as a connected system.  

European spacecraft Hera flies by Mars: March 12

Back in 2022, NASA deliberately crashed a spacecraft into a harmless asteroid to practice thwarting a space rock, should a hazardous one ever be on a collision course with Earth.

The European Space Agency is providing a follow-up to that test, known as Hera. The mission's spacecraft launched in October 2024 and will rendezvous with Dimorphos, the slammed asteroid, in 2026. But this March, it will also have a quick pop-in with Mars, closest approach at 7:51 a.m. ET, and one of the Red Planet's two moons, Deimos. Mission controllers will use the opportunity to collect data on the Martian moon. The agency plans to host a webcast image release from the flyby at 6:50 a.m. ET the next day, March 13.

Boeing astronaut crew returns home: March 18

Two astronauts whose eight-day visit to the International Space Station turned into a more than eight-month layover are expected to return to Earth in March. 

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have been waiting for their ride since the space agency decided not to send them home on the spaceship they rode in on. That test vehicle, Boeing's Starliner, landed empty without any problems, but NASA hadn't wanted to risk it after the capsule experienced propulsion issues in space. 

The pair was supposed to return in a SpaceX Dragon capsule in February, but NASA announced at the end of 2024 that the flight would likely be pushed back to March. Wilmore and Williams, who were integrated into Crew-9, will fly back to Earth after the next crew arrives at the space station, allowing for a brief hand-off period. Crew-10 launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on March 14. Due to weather concerns later in the week, NASA has decided to move up the Crew-9 return. Their spaceship is expected to undock at 1:05 a.m. ET on March 18. A splashdown landing would follow at about 5:57 p.m. ET that evening.

Katy Perry and others head to space: April 14

Blue Origin will send an all-female crew to the edge of space in its next civilian astronaut mission. The flight will be the eleventh carrying passengers on the New Shepard rocket to the Kármán line, where Earth's atmosphere and outer space meet.

Katy Perry, CBS Mornings' Gayle King, and Jeff Bezos' fiancée Lauren Sánchez will join former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, bioastronautics scientist and social activist Amanda Nguyen, and fashion designer-turned-film producer Kerianne Flynn on the trip. The NS-31 mission will target liftoff from the company's private West Texas launch pad at 8:30 a.m. CT / 9:30 a.m. ET on April 14. Check back here for details about the webcast as the launch approaches. 

Lucy spacecraft flies by asteroid: April 20 This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

NASA launched the Lucy spacecraft on a grand 12-year asteroid tour last fall with plans to fly by several space rocks that share Jupiter’s orbit. On April 20, Lucy will encounter a small main-belt asteroid, Donaldjohanson, as a sort of test sequence before it visits seven Trojan asteroids. The asteroid, called DJ for short, is only 2.5 miles wide, with an extremely slow rotation that takes more than 10 days to complete. 

Peak of Lyrids meteor shower: April 21-22

Meteor showers happen every year or at regular intervals as Earth passes through the dusty wake of previous comets. Each time a comet zips through the inner solar system, the sun boils off some of its surface, leaving behind a trail of debris. When the planet intersects with the old comet detritus, the result can be a spectacular show, with sometimes up to hundreds of meteors visible per hour. The debris that creates the Lyrid meteor shower originates from comet Thatcher. The Lyrids, best viewed from the Northern Hemisphere, will be active from April 17 to 26.

Peak of Eta Aquariids meteor shower: May 3-4

The Eta Aquariids meteor shower, best viewed from the southern tropics, produces strong "persistent trains" of shooting stars. The shower is the first of two each year created by Halley's Comet debris. The celestial event will be active from April 20 to May 21.

SpaceX's third Starship test of 2025: May 27

The upcoming launch will be the ninth for Starship and feature several hardware changes following two earlier mishaps this year. SpaceX intends to use a recycled booster for the first time and test releasing mock satellites into space. The company also wants to test the spacecraft’s heat shield during a fiery reentry into Earth's atmosphere.

Japanese company tries moon landing: June 5 This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

After a failed attempt in April 2023, Japan's ispace will try to land an uncrewed robotic spacecraft on the moon and deliver a rover to its surface. 

The Hakuto-R mission is gearing up for a landing near the center of Mare Frigoris at 3:17 p.m. ET on June 5 (It will be June 6 for Japan). Livestream coverage will begin about one hour earlier, at 2:10 p.m. ET, with English translation. If conditions change, the company has identified three other potential sites for its lander, dubbed Resilience. The alternative locations have different landing dates and times. 

Private astronauts fly to ISS: June 22

Four private astronauts will launch to the International Space Station for Axiom Space's fourth mission. The flight will lift off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, as early as June 22, though the company and NASA have not provided a time. Axiom plans to provide a live launch broadcast on axiom.space/live.

The partners delayed the mission on June 12, after NASA said it was working with Roscosmos to better understand leaks in the Russian segment of the ISS. SpaceX has also repaired a liquid oxygen leak discovered in the Falcon 9 rocket expected to take them there.

Axiom has said this mission will consist of about 60 scientific studies on the effects of spaceflight on the body and how to improve health and medical treatments on Earth. When the company flew its first private mission in 2022, it redefined the word "astronaut." For decades, that title was reserved for government space pilots and crew. More recently, uber-rich space tourists earned the distinction by breaching Earth's atmosphere. But with Axiom's private mission came a third possible description: Someone privately trained and sent into space to perform commercial scientific research. Axiom crews receive 750 to over 1,000 hours of training. 

Peak of Delta Aquariids meteor shower: July 29-30

The Delta Aquariids are another shower best observed from the southern tropics. Conditions will be favorable for viewing meteors in the morning. Astronomers suspect the interacting debris causing the event came from the strange Comet Machholz. The event will be active from July 18 to Aug. 12. 

Peak of Perseids meteor shower: Aug. 12-13 Perseids meteors streak across the sky over Bishop, California, in 2024. Credit: NASA / Preston Dyches

The popular Perseids, made up of remnants of comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, is usually a spectacular show for the Northern Hemisphere. The meteor shower is active from July 17 to Aug. 23. But don't get your hopes up this year: Experts say the waning gibbous moon, more than 80 percent full, will allow only the brightest meteors to be seen. 

Europe's Juice spacecraft flies by Venus: Aug. 31

The European Space Agency's so-called Juice mission is scheduled to fly by Venus on Aug. 31, though exact times and distances will be determined closer to the event. "Juice" is a wonky acronym for Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer.

The mission will study Jupiter's moons, including Europa, Callisto, and particularly Ganymede. These moons have intrigued scientists for years because they're thought to have liquid oceans trapped beneath icy shells. Before reaching Jupiter, the spacecraft will make flybys of Earth and Venus to get enough energy to slingshot to the outer solar system, reaching Jupiter in 2031.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. Astrobotic attempts moon landing, again: fall

Astrobotic Technologies tried to become the first commercial company to land on the moon last year, but it lost its chance just a few hours into the flight because of a fuel leak. The company will try again this fall with its Griffin lander. 

Originally, this mission was supposed to carry a NASA rover to drill for ice at the lunar south pole. But VIPER — short for Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover — was canceled due to cost overruns. Griffin will still launch without the rover as a flight demonstration of the lander and engines.

Peak of Orionid meteor shower: Oct. 22-23

The Orionids meteor shower marks the return of activity caused by Halley's Comet debris. In recent years, the displays have been pretty lackluster, but a waning crescent moon rising near dawn means moonlight won't obscure the shower in 2025. The celestial event will run from Oct. 2 to Nov. 12.

Peak of Southern Taurids meteor shower: Nov. 3-4

The Southern Taurids make up a complex meteor shower. Usually, the displays are weak, but Taurid meteors are more numerous sometimes. Known as a "swarm year," 2025's event could offer more fireballs as Earth plows through a group of pebble-sized fragments from the Comet Encke. But given the moon's phase, there's a good chance moonlight will interfere with viewing most Taurids. Activity will go from Oct. 13 to Nov. 27. 

A Dream Chaser spaceplane, Tenacity, is expected to launch to the International Space Station in 2025. Credit: Sierra Space Peak of the Leonids meteor shower: Nov. 16-17

The Leonids are some of the fastest-moving meteors, traveling up to 44 miles per second. The debris that causes the show comes from Comet Tempel-Tuttle, but the displays are usually pretty weak. The exceptions are years when the showers become so-called "meteor storms," but that won't likely happen again until perhaps 2035. The shower will be active from Nov. 3 to Dec. 2. 

Peak of Geminids meteor shower: Dec. 12-13

Widely regarded as the best meteor shower of the year, the Geminids can be seen from most any part of the world, especially the Northern Hemisphere. The Geminids are denser meteors, allowing stargazers to see them as low as 29 miles above ground before the cosmic dust burns up. The shower will be active between Dec. 1 and 21.

This year the moon will have a waning crescent phase, which rises around 2 a.m. local time. Prior to that, views should be moon-free. You could glimpse bright meteors by facing a direction with the moon at your back, according to the American Meteor Society.

Peak of Ursids meteor shower: Dec. 21-22

The Ursid meteors are caused by debris from Tuttle's Comet, which orbits every 13 years. This shower, often overlooked because of its close timing to Christmas, can only be observed in the Northern Hemisphere. Because of a new moon at the shower's peak, moonlight won't interfere with the show. The event will be active from Dec. 16 to 26. 

Other possible missions in 2025

  • A NASA-funded science mission seeks to get to the bottom of how solar radiation strips away the tattered Martian atmosphere. Called Escapade, the mission will involve two Mars orbiters built by Rocket Lab. The flight was previously scheduled for October aboard Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket, but the inaugural flight was delayed. NASA and Blue Origin are now in talks for a new launch date for that mission in 2025.

  • Sierra Space has been working on a spacecraft with the nostalgia of NASA's space shuttle program. Dream Chaser, a cargo space plane capable of runway landings, is set to launch for the first time to the ISS for a resupply mission sometime this year. 

  • Following Intuitive Machines' second mission in early 2025, the company will shoot for another later in 2025 or early in 2026. If successful, the lunar landing mission, IM-3 or PRISM, will deploy rovers and study a so-called "lunar swirl."

  • NASA is teaming up with India's space agency on a mission to study Earth's land and ice, involving the NISAR satellite, which will scan all of the planet's surfaces twice every 12 days to measure changes. The satellite will launch from the Indian Space Research Organisation's space port, the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, on India's southeastern coast. It was supposed to liftoff this spring, but neither agency has provided an update on the mission's status.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Get the Bose 550 Dolby Atmos Soundbar for $329 less at Woot

Mashable - Wed, 06/18/2025 - 16:19

SAVE 66%: As of June 18, you can get the Bose 550 Dolby Atmos WiFi Bluetooth Soundbar (certified refurbished) for just $169.99, down from $499, at Woot. That's a 66% discount and a $329.01 savings.

Opens in a new window Credit: Bose Bose 550 Dolby Atmos WiFi Bluetooth Soundbar (Certified Refurbished) $169.99 at Woot
$499 Save $329.01 Get Deal

Investing in a soundbar is a big decision. They aren't cheap, and you want to make sure it's compatible with all your other devices. Although I’ve found several deals on Amazon Fire TV soundbars, I’ve been holding out for a discount on a Bose, Sonos, or Sony product, in particular. Today, my patience finally paid off; Woot just dropped a major deal.

As of June 18, you can get the Bose 550 Dolby Atmos WiFi Bluetooth Soundbar (certified refurbished) for just $169.99, down from $499, at Woot. That's a 66% discount and $329.01 in savings. And don't let "refurbished" scare you — certified refurbished items are typically tested thoroughly and come with a warranty, making them a smart way to save. Yes, it’s a 2023 soundbar — but for less than $200, it's hard to complain.

SEE ALSO: Amazon announces Prime Day 2025 dates, and the 4-day rumors are true

The 550 is compact, but still delivers that signature Bose sound quality. It features Dolby Atmos technology for immersive, realistic sound, and built-in WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, so you can easily stream your favorite songs or podcasts. AirPlay 2, Chromecast, and Spotify Connect are also supported. And with SimpleSync, you can pair the soundbar with compatible Bose headphones or speakers for a true surround sound experience.

If you're looking to seriously upgrade your TV's audio without breaking the bank, this is a deal to jump on.

The best headphones and speaker deals to shop this week
Categories: IT General, Technology
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