Technology

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.

Featured Video For You Spike Lee reveals how Denzel Washington's performance changed a key element in 'Highest 2 Lowest'

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.

SAVE 20%: Through Sept. 30, the AMC+ Annual Premium plan is 20% off with code PLUS20, or $76.70 for the year (compared to the usual $95.88). That's a savings of $19.18.

Opens in a new window Credit: AMC AMC+ Annual Premium $95.88
$119.98 Save $24.10 Save 20% Get Deal

Between the loaded fall TV release schedule and the inescapable charm of spooky season, the September pull to switch up your tired streaming service rotation is real. If AMC+ is one you haven't tried, you can sign up for the ad-free annual plan for less than $80 with code PLUS20. That's a value of $6.39/month (or $76.70 for 12 months, compared to the usual $95.88) — far cheaper than the ad-free tiers of Netflix, Paramount+, Hulu, and the other big ones. The deal ends on Sept. 30.

AMC+ is home to a slew of major shows like Mad Men, Dark Winds, and of course, The Walking Dead universe in its entirety. The movie selection includes Dangerous Animals, The Color of Space, Anchorman, and Saving Private Ryan.

SEE ALSO: If dark scenes are too dark on your TV, play around with these settings

Signing up for AMC+ is technically securing a password to two streaming services in one. All AMC+ subscriptions come with full free access to Shudder: a core streaming app in my personal reserve. The horror-centric service has recent theatrical gems like Late Night with the Devil, viral Shudder originals like Host and Skinamarink, as well as classic titles like American Psycho and the original Halloween. On its own, Shudder usually costs $71.88 (or $5.99/month).

The Annual Premium plan also comes with six live channels: AMC, BBC America, IFC, The Walking Dead Channel, and Sundance TV. The option to sit down and turn on AMC FearFest whenever isn't a privilege to be taken lightly.

Plenty of folks around the world jumped at the chance to download iOS 26 and try out all the new features, but some people are having buyer's remorse.

The latest iPhone operating system update from Apple has ruffled some feathers online due to the way Dark Mode looks on the home screen now, per Mac Observer and Reddit. Specifically, users are complaining about a new "tilted" look that apps use in Dark Mode, in which one corner of the app icon has a soft glow around it. The idea here, ostensibly, is to make the icons stand out from the background, but users on Reddit are complaining that it's distracting and even causing dizziness by looking at it.

SEE ALSO: iOS 26 is here. The 3 coolest features to try first. The distracting app icons in question. Credit: Screenshot: Apple/Alex Perry

It doesn't help matters that switching between dark and light modes is a bit weird, as it's not something you do in the iPhone's Settings app. Rather, you long press on the home screen, hit "Edit" in the upper left, and then hit "Customize" to choose which theme you want to use. I had to figure this out in the process of writing this article, so I figured it might help someone who is reading it, too.

Your mileage may vary on this particular issue. I don't find the Dark Mode apps particularly distracting to my eyes, but they're also my eyes. Other people are clearly having problems with this, so it will be interesting to see if Apple issues a fix of any kind in the near future. In the meantime, you may want to just try one of the other themes and see if that works better for you.

If you've been reading much of my work, you know I switch Linux distributions (also called distros) a lot. Distro-hopping involves completely overwriting an operating system, and I've been asked how I do that without pulling my hair out. Let me explain.

Amazon just announced that Prime Big Deal Days is returning on October 7 and 8. This is a great way to get a head start on your holiday shopping and find some seriously good deals. Just like the name says, this sale is exclusively for Prime members.

SAVE $70: As of Sept. 16, get the Anker Power Bank Power Station for $79.99, down from its usual price of $149.99 at Amazon. That's a discount of 47% and the lowest price we've seen.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Anker Power Bank Power Station $79.99 at Amazon
$149.99 Save $70.00 Get Deal

Looking for a way to make sure you never have to go without power to your phone or laptop in an emergency? Or maybe you need some backup power options for when you're going off the grid while camping or just living elsewhere for a while. No matter what you're doing, a power station can help, and if you need to buy one, now's the time with this Amazon deal.

As of Sept. 16, get the Anker Power Bank Power Station for $79.99, down from its usual price of $149.99 at Amazon. That's $70 off and a discount of 47%. It's also the lowest price we've seen.

SEE ALSO: Jackery's popular Explorer 1000 v2 power station is 44% off in this Amazon lightning deal

This small but mighty power station boasts a massive 60,000 mAh of power, which is more than enough to charge your phone about 10 times, a lamp for nearly 44 hours, or other small devices so you can stay prepared in just about any situation. Plus, it's easy to charge up via traditional means or via solar panels if you have them available for simpler charging while out and about.

It also has a retractable light and an SOS button, so if you find yourself in the dark without any survival tools or need help getting the attention of anyone who might be coming to help you, you've got an easy means of doing so. Paired with 60W and 27W USB-C ports, you've also got plenty of options to choose from when it comes to ways to getting your electronics and appliances topped off again as well.

This is a quick and easy buy to make sure that when the lights go out, you're more than covered. And at this sale price, you don't have to worry about saving up to grab it. Be sure and get yours for any potential fall or winter emergencies that could be on the horizon.

Android can be confusing. There are a lot of different versions, and many of them are still running on devices today. Keeping up with the latest version can be a challenge, and you may need a new Android phone to get the latest and greatest version of Android.

Plenty of video games include exploits or game-breaking glitches that can be surprisingly useful. The only problem is that most of these tricks end up being too effective for the developer's liking, resulting in them being promptly patched out of the game.

There's a reason why Maude's Vibe was Mashable's best overall budget-friendly vibrator. The sleek toy looks like an art piece, yet it can rock your world just like toys double its price. For years after launch, Maude could barely keep it in stock.

Today, Maude launches its baby cousin: the vibe mini. Priced at $32, the mini is just under three and a half inches in length and is a worthy successor to the OG.

Mini toy, big vibes

When I heard about the launch of the mini, I was immediately intrigued. Miniature versions are just so cute — look at Mini Brands, or the Magic Wand Micro for a more suitable, NSFW comparison. I was obsessed with the Magic Wand Micro when it came out; just look at it! Would the mini cause a similar reaction?

Reader, it did. When my mini arrived, I cooed like holding a baby chick in my hands. The mini is slightly longer than my index finger and one inch at its thickest. It looks exactly like the original Maude vibe shrunk down. Even the "m" button is smaller. Adorable!

Maude's original vibe on the left with the vibe mini on the right. Credit: Anna Iovine / Mashable SEE ALSO: We tried the internet's top 10 favorite vibrators

(For comparison, the original is about five inches in length and around one and a half inches at its thickest. It fits in the palm of my hand.)

The vibe mini is made of silicone (so you should only use water-based lubricant to clean it) and is water-resistant, so you can play with it in the shower but cannot submerge it.

The vibe mini comes with a USB charger, a pouch (which also looks like a miniaturized version of the OG's pouch), and a manual.

A very travel-friendly toy

The vibe mini, like the original, is simple, but that doesn't mean it's not sophisticated. There's only one button (the "m"), which acts as the toy's on/off switch, setting changer, and travel lock. 

Yes — this toy has a travel lock, a feature that's missing from some of our favorite vibrators. That was one point against the Magic Wand Micro, as it's perfect for tucking into your carry-on. But Maude knew the vibes, literally. In fact, the campaign for the vibe mini is all about travel, including a vintage-styled "Maude Airways" ad:

Credit: Maude Credit: Maude

To turn on the travel lock, press and hold the button for three seconds. The toy will buzz quickly twice. To unlock, press and hold for another three seconds.

Simply press the button to turn it on the lowest setting. At full charge, the vibe can run for 70 minutes on the lowest setting. The vibe mini has five speeds; simply press the button to increase them. At full charge on the highest speed, the vibe can last for 45 minutes (trust me, you will not need that long). 

The vibe mini needs 1.5 to two hours to fully charge. It arrived with a partial charge (and the travel lock on), but the manual recommends charging it before using it for the first time. While charging, a light will slowly blink, illuminating the button. When it's fully charged, the light will be consistent. 

Maude recommends cleaning the vibe with a mild soap and storing it in its pouch away from extreme heat or cold. 

Don't charge the vibe for more than three hours, according to the manual. The battery will apparently damage over time, but the vibe mini has a one-year limited warranty. 

Using the Maude vibe mini

With the specs out of the way, now we're to the fun part: playing with the vibe mini. 

The toy's silicone is butter-smooth, and its one button is pretty intuitive. With one press to turn on and one press to increase the speed, it couldn't be easier.

Like the original, you can use the vibrator on its side for a wider surface area or the tip for more pinpointed, strong vibrations. As the tip of the mini is smaller than the tip of the original, it's even more intense — I couldn't use it directly on me for more than a few seconds.

At full charge, the lowest setting was enough to tip me over the edge. But for those less sensitive, there are still four more settings to rev up to. 

Some may not like that the vibe mini doesn't have vibrational patterns like other modern toys do (like buzz buzz stop, buzz buzz stop) and only provides a continuous buzz, just faster or slower. 

Honestly, I don't care for those Morse code-like vibration settings, anyway, and I never use them. It doesn't seem like anything you can't DIY yourself, like taking the toy off you if you want to edge a little bit.

I love the mini's simplicity, as I do with the original one. Easy to charge, easy to use, and easy to clean. 

One negative that I can foresee is potential hand cramping while holding the tiny vibe. This wasn't the case with me on my test uses, but squeezing a small piece of silicone over time might cause that. It probably depends on the size of your specific hand and your potassium levels.

This also isn't the toy to try to use alongside a partner. A partner can use the toy on you, but trying to ride its waves at the same time might be impossible. No need to fret — there are other toys on the market for that, like Harry Styles's double-sided vibrator.

Also, it might go without saying, but the vibe mini is meant for external use. Given its size, you'll want to skip trying it out internally. A press release shared with Mashable stated that the vibe mini is great for "layering" with other toys, so that's something you can try, too.

Credit: Mashable Is the Maude vibe mini worth the price?

Yes! Not only does the vibe mini provide orgasms just as well as bigger toys (if not more so with the intense tip), but it does so at a lower cost, as well. 

The Magic Wand Micro, for example, is $89.99 on Lovehoney, though as of this publication, it's on sale directly on the Magic Wand site for $64.95. Still, even the sale price is double the $32 for the Maude vibe mini. 

Plus, Maude definitely had travel in mind with this toy, given the pouch and the travel lock. The original vibe is small enough to go in your to-go bag, anyway, but now with the mini you can be even more discreet. Keep it in your purse, even.

And the cuteness factor is undeniable. 

The vibe mini is perhaps the most elevated bullet vibrator I've gotten my hands on. I recommend it to anyone who wants a new vibrator.

Opens in a new window Credit: maude maude vibe mini $32 at maude
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