Technology

SAVE OVER $10: As of Jan. 23, grab the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra anti-reflective screen film at Best Buy for $12.49, saving 50% off the usual $24.99 price tag.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Anti-Reflective Screen Film $12.50 at Best Buy
$24.99 Save $12.49 Get Deal

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is one of the most advanced smartphones ever. With a jaw-dropping 6.9-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display featuring a buttery-smooth 120Hz refresh rate and vibrant, ProScaler-enhanced visuals, this phone's screen is a stunner. It's also the last thing you want scratched, smudged, or dulled by sunlight glare.

Enter the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra anti-reflective screen film, now available at Best Buy for just $12.49 — 50% off the usual price of $24.99.

SEE ALSO: Where to preorder Samsung's new Galaxy S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra smartphones

This screen protector isn't just a basic cover. It's designed to maximize visibility by cutting down unwanted reflections, even in bright sunlight. That means you'll enjoy crystal-clear clarity while scrolling through social feeds poolside or watching an 8K video on your commute. While it fights glare, it's also a rigid little shield against everyday nuisances like dust and fingerprint smudges, keeping your phone looking and feeling fresh.

If you're wondering whether a screen protector is worth it for a phone as advanced as the Galaxy S25 Ultra, the answer is an unequivocal yes. This phone is packed with cutting-edge tech, from its 200MP wide camera and Snapdragon 8 Elite processor to its AI-powered features that promise to adapt to your needs over time. Why risk a scratched display detracting from all that? With the film's included installation kit — complete with an applicator, microfiber cloth, and dust removal stickers — you'll have it perfectly in place without the stress of bubbles or misalignment.

At just $12.49 at Best Buy, this anti-reflective film is an easy, affordable way to protect the screen that makes the Galaxy S25 Ultra stand out. Don't wait too long to snag this deal — whether you're an avid techie or want to keep your phone pristine, this simple upgrade pays off big.

FREE E-BOOKS: On Jan. 23, hundreds of e-books are completely free on Amazon. Shop these paranormal cozy mystery books for free today.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Kindle (16GB) + 3 Months of Kindle Unlimited $109.99 at Amazon
$145.97 Save $35.98 Shop Now

Stuff Your Kindle Day is back for its first event this year, and we couldn't be more excited. If this is your first time hearing about it, this is an author-organized event that makes hundreds of e-books free. Yes, you read that right. You can download e-books for absolutely nothing. And once you "purchase" a book, it's yours to keep forever.

Stuff Your Kindle Days cover many genres and subgenres including romance and fantasy, but this latest drop is focused on cozy mystery. Hosted by the Cozy Mystery Book Club, you'll find novels broken down into three subgenres: Contemporary Cozies, Historical Cozies, and Paranormal Cozies.

SEE ALSO: Stock up on hundreds of free mystery e-books on Stuff Your Kindle Day

And if you love a paranormal cozy mystery novel, there are plenty of books for you to download. Here's a standout selection of just some of the incredible e-books you can download for free.

Best paranormal cozy mystery to shop on Stuff Your Kindle Day

• Lattes and Spirits (Mystic Brews, Book 1) by Alyn Troy — $0 $0.99

• Of Mages and Murders (Casino Witch Mysteries, Book 1) by Nikki Haverstock — $0 $3.99

• Space Murder (Captain Liz Laika Mysteries, Book 1) by Nikki Haverstock — $0 $4.99

• The Guest is a Goner (Sedona Spirit Cozy Mysteries, Book 1) by Carly Winter — $0 $2.99

• A Mystical Legacy (The Skye O’Shea Paranormal Cozy Mystery Series) by Rowan Dillon — $0 $0.99

• Books & Bribes (A Bookstore Cozy Mystery) by Lucinda Race — $0 $0.99

• Falling into Magic (Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic Series, Book 1) by Elizabeth Pantley — $0 $2.99

• Bakeries and Buffoonery (Magical Mystery Book Club) by Elizabeth Pantley — $0 $3.99

• Murder by Moonlight (Felines of Fairytale Forest, Book 1) by K.L. Montgomery — $0 $2.99

• Silver Spells (Midlife Elementals) by Kate Moseman — $0 $4.99

FREE E-BOOKS: On Jan. 23, hundreds of e-books are completely free on Amazon. Shop these historical cozy mystery books for free today.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Kindle (16GB) + 3 Months of Kindle Unlimited $109.99 at Amazon
$145.97 Save $35.98 Shop Now

Stuff Your Kindle Day is back again, and we couldn't be happier about it. As with previous events, hundreds of e-books are listed at Amazon for free today. Yes, $0. It's an author-organized event that drops the price of hundreds of e-books to nothing. and once you purchase a book, it's yours forever.

Stuff Your Kindle Days cover many genres and subgenres including romance and fantasy, but the latest is focused on cozy mystery. Hosted by the Cozy Mystery Book Club, the hub page lists out exactly what's included, and is broken down into Contemporary Cozies, Historical Cozies, and Paranormal Cozies, so you can find books that are perfect for you.

SEE ALSO: Stuff your Kindle with these free contemporary cozy books

And if you are a real fan of historical cozy mystery novels, there are plenty of books for you to download. Here's a pick of just some of the incredible e-books you can download for free.

Best historical cozy mystery to shop on Stuff Your Kindle Day

• A Death in Devon by Shéa MacLeod — $0 $4.99

• Death in Soho (Augusta Peel 1920s Mysteries) by Emily Organ — $0 $2.99

• Murder in the Maze (Lottie Sprigg Country House 1920s) by Martha Bond — $0 $4.99

• Killing Time in Georgia (The Savannah Time Travel Mysteries) by Susan Kiernan-Lewis — $0 $4.99

• Murder By Multiples by Rachel Ford — $0 $4.99

• The Case of the Christmas Angel (A Cozy 1930s Jack and Frances Mystery) by Carmen Radtke — $0 $2.99

• A Venetian Escapade (The Continental Capers of Melody Chesterton) by Sarah F. Noel — $0 $5.99

• Enigma of Lake Falls by Brittany E. Brinegar — $0 $4.99

• Paul Madison P.I. by Sharon Michaels — $0 $2.99

• The Catalogued Corpse by D.S. Lang — $0 $5.99

FREE E-BOOKS: On Jan. 23, hundreds of e-books are completely free on Amazon. Shop these contemporary cozy mystery books for free today.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Kindle (16GB) + 3 Months of Kindle Unlimited $109.99 at Amazon
$145.97 Save $35.98 Shop Now

Stuff Your Kindle Day is a book lover's biggest dream. On these days, hundreds of e-books are listed at Amazon for free. Yes, $0.

It's an author-organized event that drops the price of hundreds of e-books to nothing. And better yet, the books you "purchase" during this event are yours to keep forever.

SEE ALSO: Stock up on hundreds of free mystery e-books on Stuff Your Kindle Day

Stuff Your Kindle Days vary in genre, with recent events covering romance and fantasy, but the latest is focused on cozy mystery. Hosted by the Cozy Mystery Book Club, the hub page lists out exactly what's included, and is broken down into Contemporary Cozies, Historical Cozies, and Paranormal Cozies, so you can find books that are perfect for you.

And if you are a real fan of contemporary cozy mystery novels, there are plenty of books for you to download. Overwhelmed? Here's a pick of some of the best books you can download for free.

Best contemporary cozy mystery to shop on Stuff Your Kindle Day

• Risky Whiskey (Bohemia Bartenders Mysteries, Book 1) by Lucy Lakestone — $0 $4.99

• Just Shoot Me Dead by Anne R. Tan — $0 $4.99

• Knifed in Nice (Travel P.I., Book 1) by Zara Keane — $0 $4.99

• Dial P For Poison (Movie Club Mysteries, Book 1) by Zara Keane — $0 $4.99

• The Corpse in the Cabana by Shéa MacLeod — $0 $4.99

• Limoncello Yellow by Traci Andrighetti — $0 $2.99

• Bells, Tails & Murder (A Dickens & Christie Mystery) by Kathy Manos Penn — $0 $4.99

• The Snowman Killer by Wendy Meadows — $0 $3.99

• Fake Death (A Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery) by Victoria Tait — $0 $2.99

• A Shiver on the River (A Kennedy Reeves Mystery) by MJ Mac — $0 $2.99

• The Bride and Doom (A Wedding Crashers Mystery) by Erin Scoggins — $0 $3.99

TL;DR: Live stream Keys vs. Swiatek in the 2025 Australian Open for free on 9Now. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The big question from the 2025 Australian Open is whether or not anyone can stop Sabalenka? It's not an easy task, but if anyone can do it, it's probably Swiatek. Of course, she hasn't made the final yet. Standing in her way is the impressive Madison Keys.

If you want to watch Keys vs. Swiatek in the 2025 Australian Open for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

How to watch Keys vs. Swiatek for free

The 2025 Australian Open is available to live stream for free on 9Now, including Keys vs. Swiatek.

9Now is geo-restricted to Australia, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Australia, meaning you can unblock 9Now from anywhere in the world.

Access free live streams of the 2025 Australian Open 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 Australia

4. Visit 9Now

5. Watch the 2025 Australian Open for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free) $99.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading services do tend to offer incentive deals such as free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these deals, you can live stream Keys vs. Swiatek without actually spending anything. This isn't a long-term solution, but it gives you enough time to watch the Australian Open before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for 9Now?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live tennis on 9Now, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Australia

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast connection speeds

• 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.

Live stream Keys vs. Swiatek in the 2025 Australian Open for free with ExpressVPN.

SAVE $149.99: As of Jan. 23, buy the LG 34-inch UltraWide WQHD HDR curved monitor for $279.99 (normally $349.99) at LG and get a free LG SK1 compact soundbar ($79.99 value) with purchase.

Opens in a new window Credit: LG LG 34-inch Ultrawide WQHD HDR Curved Monitor $279.99 at LG
$349.99 Save $70.00 Free LG SK1 compact soundbar with purchase Get Deal

Looking to upgrade your home office and home entertainment center? This LG deal might be for you

As of Jan. 23, buy the LG 34-inch UltraWide WQHD HDR curved monitor at LG for $279.99, down from its usual price of $349.99, and get a free LG SK1 Compact Soundbar (a $79.99 value) with your purchase. Simply add both products to your cart and check out, and your discount will automatically be applied. This deal is valid through Feb. 2, so you'll have to act fast if you want to take advantage of it.

This monitor features a massive 34-inch curved screen with a 100Hz refresh rate and HDR10 support. It offers a three-sided, virtually borderless design and a one-click, height and tilt adjustable stand so you can get it exactly where you want it when you're setting it up. It also supports picture by picture and reader mode so you can use it for just about any purpose.

As far as the soundbar goes, it's a compact, small design that supports Bluetooth, so you can place it just about anywhere that makes sense. It offers booming bass and cinematic audio and is compatible with your TV remote control if you decide to use it with your main display. Both options are great additions to your setup, so snag them while you can.

If your Facebook account appears to have automatically followed President Donald Trump this week, you aren't the only one. Even so, Meta claims this isn't as sinister as it appears, and is in fact the result of routine operations.

Facebook and Instagram users have accused Meta of artificially boosting Trump's follower count by forcing people to follow him in the wake of Monday's inauguration. The issue was raised after several people discovered that their accounts were following the president despite them having given no indication that this was something they'd like to do.

As of writing, the POTUS and White House Facebook pages both have 11 million followers each.

SEE ALSO: 8 ways Mark Zuckerberg changed Meta ahead of Trump’s inauguration Tweet may have been deleted

WTF. Why is Facebook making me follow Donald Trump on Facebook without my consent?

[image or embed]

— Po Murray (@pomurray.bsky.social) January 21, 2025 at 1:58 PM

It isn't entirely unreasonable for users to be suspicious. Meta has been publicly cosying up to Trump recently, enacting numerous policy changes to better align itself with the new administration's agenda and win the president's favour. Trump has also shown himself to be enamoured with the number of people consuming his social media. The millions of views his TikTok videos have accumulated even seemed to influence his recent delay of the app's U.S. ban.

Further, between Trump's sweeping executive orders and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's policy shifts, it's clear that the typical rules of engagement no longer apply. However, Meta says this isn't what it looks like.

Why is my Facebook account following Trump?

Addressing the issue on both Threads and X, Meta communications director Andy Stone stated that the tech giant is not forcing Facebook and Instagram users to automatically follow President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, or First Lady Melania Trump. Rather, the official social media accounts for the White House have simply been transferred to the new administration.

"Those accounts are managed by the White House so with a new administration, the content on those Pages changes," said Stone. "This is the same procedure we followed during the last presidential transition."

As such, anyone who had been following former President Joe Biden, former Vice President Kamala Harris, or former First Lady Jill Biden would have suddenly found themselves following the Trump administration equivalents in each role.

View on Threads

Not everyone has been satisfied with Meta's explanation, though. Some claim that they had not been following any political accounts, yet were still drafted by Facebook to follow Trump. Others note that the offending Trump administration accounts had just been created this month. A few have further stated that their follow history indicated they'd just followed Trump this month, rather than been grandfathered in.

Still, Meta public affairs director Nkechi Nneji told CBS News that some of these people may have simply forgotten that they'd followed U.S. government accounts.

"Meta doesn't make anyone follow any account and we never have," said Nneji.

Credit: Screenshot: Mashable

Former Facebook public policy director Katie Harbath also weighed in to explain the accounts' suspicious creation dates, as well as the timing on users' follows. It seems that while Meta behaves as though they're simply handing over social media accounts to the next administration, they do technically create entirely new ones. Meta simply gives the new administration's pages the same followers and URL as their predecessor's, so it effectively functions as though it were the same account.

This means that the former administration's accounts can be archived, albeit under a new URL. As such, Biden's presidential Facebook page and his White House's page can both still be viewed as they were up until Trump's inauguration this week. 

"[M]y team set up the first ways of having to do this when Trump won in 2016 and we had to transfer the official accounts that President Obama's team created when Facebook pages were first created," Harbath wrote on Threads. "Same was done during the transfer from Trump to Biden. The old ones go to an archived account and the followers remain, but the feed is wiped clean. Most platforms handle it this way."

Unfortunately, clearing your follow list of unwanted intruders isn't as simple as going through and unfollowing any accounts you'd rather not see right now. Some users have expressed frustration after repeatedly attempting to unfollow Trump, only to find themselves involuntarily following him once more. 

Stone warns that it may take a little longer than usual to opt out of (or into) Trump's updates "as these accounts change hands." So if you'd rather not see them, you might be happier logging off from Facebook and Instagram for a while.

Look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under it in the Royal Shakespeare Company's first ever video game.

Announced on Wednesday, the British theatre company has teamed up with New York indie game studio iNK Stories (Revolution: Black Friday) to create Lili, a thriller noir game focused on the damned spot-laden Lady Macbeth.

SEE ALSO: The 10 best video games you may have missed in 2024

Set in modern Iran, the interactive story-based game uses cinematic footage with point-and-click functions. Lili stars French-Iranian Holy Spider actor Zar Amir as Lady Macbeth, referred to as "Lili" (Amir's own Alambic Production co-produced the game). Players make decisions for the Scottish play's villainous queen, amid a setting of authoritarian rule and gender oppression in Iran. As for the rest of Macbeth's characters, all we know so far is the all-important witches are realised as hackers.

Lili is currently in development, with a 2025 release date and platforms to be announced.

Zar Amir in "Lili." Credit: Ellie Smith

"It pushes the boundaries of storytelling, marking an inflection point in the depth of expression within commercial video games and expanding the creative vision of the RSC into new, interactive territory," Vassiliki Khonsari, co-founder of iNK Stories, said in a statement.

"A video game based on Shakespeare's Macbeth is a thrilling endeavour that transforms one of literature’s darkest and most compelling tales — of gender, ambition, fate, power, and morality into an immersive, interactive experience."

Featured Video For You Grow plants from fantasy games with this IRL initiative

It's not the first game based on Shakespeare's work but it is the first direct from the Royal Shakespeare Company — an organisation which has staged Macbeth many, many times. To honour Shakespeare's words, iNK Stories worked with leading Oxford Shakespeare academic, RSC board member, and author Emma Smith on the text adaptation.

Long the stuff of narrative legend, Shakespeare's work has most recently found a crossover with cinema and gaming through the lauded Grand Theft Hamlet, a documentary film in which filmmakers Pinny Grylls, Sam Crane, and Mark Oosterveen staged a production of the Shakespearean tragedy within the game Grand Theft Auto Online.

"As a storytelling medium, gaming today is what theatre has always been; a chance to explore worlds, inhabit story, and experience something at once personal and communal," said Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey, RSC co-artistic directors, in a statement. "Centring this tense thriller around Lady Macbeth rather than her husband is radical and transformative. It turns the play’s questions around gender, identity and power inside out."

TL;DR: Get a PDF Expert Premium lifetime subscription for £64.95 (reg. £113.68) and manage your PDFs with seamless editing, organising, and annotation tools.

Opens in a new window Credit: Readdle Limited PDF Expert Premium Plan: Lifetime Subscription (Mac) £64.95 at the Mashable Shop
£113.68 Save £48.73 Get Deal

PDFs are great until you need to edit one — then they can feel like an unsolvable puzzle. With PDF Expert Premium, you’ll never have to wrestle with your files again. This powerful £64.95 (reg. £113.68) tool puts you in full control of your PDFs, making edits, annotations, and organisation simple.

PDF Expert is built for flexibility and ease of use. If you want to tweak text, images, or links, it’s as simple as clicking and typing. You can highlight, comment, and mark up your PDFs with intuitive tools that let you collaborate seamlessly.

But it doesn’t stop at edits. PDF Expert also makes organising large batches of documents effortless. Merge multiple PDFs into one, split files, or rearrange pages to your liking. Plus, its handy search function ensures you’ll never waste time hunting for key information again.

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With a one-time payment of £64.95 — a 42% discount — you get lifetime access to PDF Expert Premium's complete suite of features.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Live stream Sabalenka vs. Badosa in the 2025 Australian Open for free on 9Now. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

It is looking like Sabalenka is on her way to winning another Australian Open. We thought Coco Gauff was going to put up a fight, but the American lost to Badosa in the quarter finals. Now the task of defeating the defending champion falls to the Spaniard.

If you want to watch Sabalenka vs. Badosa in the 2025 Australian Open for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

How to watch Sabalenka vs. Badosa for free

The 2025 Australian Open is available to live stream for free on 9Now, including Sabalenka vs. Badosa.

9Now is geo-restricted to Australia, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Australia, meaning you can unblock 9Now from anywhere in the world.

Access free live streams of the 2025 Australian Open 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 Australia

4. Visit 9Now

5. Watch the 2025 Australian Open for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free) $99.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading services do tend to offer incentive deals such as free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these deals, you can live stream Sabalenka vs. Badosa without actually spending anything. This isn't a long-term solution, but it gives you enough time to watch the Australian Open before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for 9Now?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live tennis on 9Now, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Australia

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast connection speeds

• 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.

Live stream Sabalenka vs. Badosa in the 2025 Australian Open for free with ExpressVPN.

This content originally appeared on Mashable for a US audience and has been adapted for the UK audience.

It's that time of year when we're all looking to get back in shape. And there are two very good reasons to do it via an exercise bike. Exercise bikes provide a great home cardio workout and put much less strain on your joints than running on a treadmill.

If your joints are a concern, or you're just getting started, why not try a recumbent bike? They suit beginners, seniors, or anyone who doesn't want to put much pressure or weight on their knees and hips.

For many of us though, fitness is a whole new world. It's hard to know where to start. Don't worry, we're here to help. Here's all the information you need to ride.

What is a recumbent bike?

An upright bike is what you typically think of when you picture a stationary bike. You ride it like a normal bicycle, with your body straight up and down. Think of a Peloton. A recumbent bike is an exercise bike that positions you in a reclined form while pedalling. Think of it sort of like a rowing machine, but your feet pedal instead of your arms pulling back a cord. And unlike a typical stationary bike, the pedals are in front of your body rather than underneath it. Because you are leaning back, a recumbent bike can feel a bit awkward before you master it.

What are the benefits of a recumbent bike?

A recumbent bike has a larger seat more like a chair, so you avoid that uncomfortable soreness you'd typically get from a bike seat. The reclined position of the seat is easier on the lower back. Plus, most recumbent bikes have seat backs for more support than you'd find in an upright bike. You won't be hunched over handlebars like you would be on an upright exercise bike.

What features do recumbent bikes have?

It really comes down to design and resistance. Look at the design of the bike and think about how it's going to work with your body. If you have a bad back, you'll want a bike with a more supportive seat. While on the topic of seats: Short people, make sure the seat will slide to a position where your feet can reach the pedals comfortably. An exercise bike is worthless if you can't use it properly and safely.

The levels of resistance are also important. They will determine how tough your workout is, using magnetic friction that makes it harder to pedal. If you're new to the world of stationary biking, you can probably stick with lower resistance, but if you're a regular cycler, you're going to want those extra levels of restraint to get the most out of your workout. Other features to know about include preset workout programmes, app and music connectivity, and real-time stats. These features vary model to model.

What is the best recumbent bike?

Selecting the right bike for you can be tricky. We've tried to make your life a little easier by lining up a selection of the best models from top brands. There should be something for everyone and every budget in this list.

These are the best recumbent bikes to add to your home gym in 2025.

It's time to get on your bike. Not in the "get out of here" sense, but the "get fit" sense. With the wide range of exercise bikes available right now, there's no need to lug yourself to the gym every single day. You can put in some serious miles from your living room.

And while the humble exercise bike might seem like base level fitness gear — not especially exciting — some brands are racing ahead of the fitness game with advanced, tech-savvy models. Indeed, there's a great range of options for static cyclists.

The question is: Do you know your pedals from your Peloton? Choosing an exercise bike may be easier said than done, but we’ve hit the internet highway and done the research on your behalf. Here’s some information to put you in the right direction.

What are the benefits of using an exercise bike?

There are some basic plus points: Firstly, you don't need to risk your life by pedalling away on the roads, thereby avoiding cars, lorries, and potholes. The second is that you can exercise sitting down, which will appeal to anyone who likes to work up a sweat from the comfort of their own home.

There are more specific benefits. An exercise bike is excellent for cardio, which is great for heart health and losing weight. An exercise bike also helps toning, building muscle, and — unlike other cardio, such as running — protects your joints.

What are the most important exercise bike features?

This is where it gets tricky, because some bikes are geared for more than just straight pedalling. Bikes may come with a whole range of features or tech-powered add-ons. Here are some worth knowing about:

• App Connectivity — Some hi-tech bikes connect with fitness apps, which then provide coaching classes and workouts. Sometimes these classes play out on a screen that’s fixed to the front of the bike.

• Pulse Sensors — These are sensors built into the handlebars. They monitor your heart rate as you cycle. Other stats may include speed, distance, calories burned — all displayed in real-time on the bike’s built-in LCD monitor. 

• Resistance — This means the level of difficulty when doing the work of actual pedalling. Bikes may have multiple levels of resistance, usually controlled by magnets, which make the pedalling increasingly hard.

Keep these features in mind when shopping around for the best exercise bike.

Is Peloton the best exercise bike brand?

Peloton is certainly the most fashionable brand. These slick looking bikes have touchscreens that give you streaming access to thousands of live classes, but they’re not the only exercise bike brand in the interactive workout game. NordicTrack offers similar features through the iFit app. The downside is that these types of bikes are generally top-of-the-range and cost a lot of cash. They also involve ongoing subscription costs for access to workouts and online services.

What is the best exercise bike?

It’s not really about what's “best”. It’s about what suits you, your lifestyle, and your fitness needs. There are plenty of exercise bikes available for you to consider online, and we can help you find the perfect model for you. We’ve tracked down a selection of exercise bikes that should suit everyone, with models from top fitness brands such as Reebok and Peloton.

These are the best exercise bikes in 2025.

First dates are a near-universally stressful experience, but I can guarantee you've never had as bad of a first date as The White Lotus star Meghann Fahy has in the upcoming horror film Drop.

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

From director Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day) and Blumhouse (M3GAN, Five Nights at Freddy's), Drop introduces us to widowed mother Violet (Fahy) as she embarks on her first date in years. Her date in question is Henry (Brandon Sklenar, It Ends With Us), who winds up being lovely and charming. Yet despite Violet's chemistry with him, the date goes south when she begins to receive airdropped memes that threaten the lives of her son (Jacob Robinson) and babysitting sister (Violett Beane). Soon, she learns that a masked intruder is in her house and monitoring the restaurant's security cameras. With the intruder monitoring her every move, the only way Violet can save her family is by killing Henry. Will she go through with the plan? Or is there any way to salvage this date and stop the criminal mastermind engineering everything?

Drop hits theaters April 11.

At Samsung’s Unpacked event, the company unveiled three brand-new flagship smartphones: the Galaxy S25, the Galaxy S25+, and the Galaxy S25 Ultra. By the time the event ended, though, the company teased a fourth, more interesting unit: the Galaxy S25 Edge.

The Element Inspector in your browser seems like a tool only meant for developers, but you can do some cool things with it even if you don’t know any programming.

The Galaxy S25 series was announced earlier today, and the theme seems to be "more of the same." One thing that Samsung could have done to make a big improvement is adding Qi2 wireless charging, similar to the iPhone's MagSafe. Actually, they did...but they didn't.

The NFL is sticking to its guns about how its team members use social media — namely, by keeping teams off of X competitor Bluesky.

This tidbit comes courtesy of the sports media site Awful Announcing, which caught an exchange on Patriots Unfiltered. In response to a fan suggestion that the team expand its social media footprint to Bluesky, Patriots VP of content Fred Kirsch revealed that "right now we’re not allowed to."

SEE ALSO: Reddit sports mods, users calling for a ban on X links in posts

Kirsch explained that while the Patriots had briefly tested the waters on Bluesky, "the league asked us to take it down because it’s not an approved social media platform for the NFL yet," he said.

Bluesky, now boasting over 28 million users, has emerged as a leading alternative to X in the wake of Elon Musk’s and Mark Zuckerberg’s apparent shifts toward far-right politics. Sports teams are increasingly exploring life beyond X, with Bundesliga clubs like FC St. Pauli taking the leap as early as November, following the U.S. presidential election.

More recently, several major sports-focused subreddits have floated the idea of banning X links entirely, even though much of their content relies heavily on posts from the platform. At the same time, prominent sports journalists and media personalities have started building active presences on Bluesky, making X’s role as a go-to hub for sports fans feel increasingly redundant.

As for the NFL's presence on Bluesky? It’s basically nonexistent. The league maintains active partnerships with Meta and X, and despite the wave of sports fans and media personalities migrating to Bluesky, the NFL has yet to follow suit. The decision seems to stem less from ideological alignment with Musk or Zuckerberg and more from the league's business interests and active brand partnerships with both platforms.

An NFL spokesperson did not immediately respond to our request for comment.

That said, a handful of NFL teams appear to have a foothold on Bluesky — kind of. The Detroit Lions (53.8k followers at the time of publication), New York Giants (13.5k), Minnesota Vikings (22.7k), and Philadelphia Eagles (50.6k) all have accounts that look legitimate. But based on Patriots VP Fred Kirsch’s recent comments, these accounts are likely fan-run, as they’re unverified and unofficial.

URL shorteners produce bite-sized links by the millions, yet the well never seems to run dry—there's more happening behind the scenes than meets the eye.

Samsung spent the bulk of its Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event this year talking about its brand-new AI features. In fact, it took about 30 minutes into the presentation to get to the new S25 line of smartphones before the company once again pivoted to the new AI features packed into the phone.

However, no matter how hard Samsung tried, the thing everyone is buzzing about from Unpacked isn't AI but a surprise Samsung tucked away at the very end of the event: the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.

We don't know much about the new ultra-slim smartphone from Samsung officially. Samsung only showed a short teaser video that provided zero information about the Galaxy S25 Edge.

SEE ALSO: Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2025 live blog: Galaxy S25 series, AI tools, and more

However, rumors have been spreading about a super slim smartphone from Samsung. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is rumored to be only 6.4mm thick. That's really thin. It would be the thinnest Galaxy smartphone so far.

It's unclear if there are any differences between the S25 Edge and the other S25 models' capabilities that can be attributed to the S25 Edge's thinness. Being that it is part of the S25 series, we assume it'll be able to handle all the AI capabilities that the rest of the line was built for.

SEE ALSO: Samsung briefly teased XR headset 'Project Moohan' at Galaxy Unpacked

While the newly announced Galaxy S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra models are all open for pre-order starting today and have a Feb. 7 release, the S25 Edge has no such launch date slated. The word is that Samsung is aiming for a release later this year for the S25 Edge, possibly in May 2025.

The only thing we can confirm from Samsung directly is what they showed in that short teaser video at the end of Unpacked. And the message we got from that is that the S25 Edge is indeed svelte.

On his first day in office, President Donald Trump issued executive orders that transgender rights activists described as "hateful."

Invoking biological definitions of sex that are contested, one order effectively argues that "trans-ness is not real," and directs federal agencies to change their policies accordingly, said Chase Strangio, co-director of the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Project, in a media briefing Tuesday.

He noted that the State Department, which issues passports, had already removed existing directions for how to update one's sex designation on a passport. During the Biden administration, the department began issuing passports with an X gender marker, and did not require applicants to submit medical certification to change their gender marker on the document. (A Trump administration spokesperson told The Washington Blade that current passports with an X marker would not be invalidated.)

SEE ALSO: All LGBTQ pages already deleted from White House website

Strangio said other real world implications of the order would become clear once federal agencies enacted new policies. Advocates are concerned that the order could be fear-reaching, and potentially devastating, affecting access to health care, protection from discrimination, and safety in school environments, among other things.

Additionally, Trump rescinded two executive orders, both signed by President Biden, that lifted the ban on transgender service members, and attempted to address discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex individuals.

"We see these executive orders for what they are—an attempt by hateful extremists to make it impossible for us to participate in public life," Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, executive director of Advocates for Trans Equality, said in a statement.

Heng-Lehtinen said that many of Trump's executive orders cannot go into effect immediately, and that the organization would closely monitor their implementation.

"We will use every resource at our disposal, from Capitol Hill to the courts, to hold the line against these attacks," Heng-Lehtinen said.

The ACLU and Lambda Legal also plan to mount legal challenges to Trump administration policies that implement the orders.

For transgender people worried about what happens next, Advocates for Trans Equality and GLAAD shared with Mashable a list of resources they can consult:

Legal Guides

• Trans Legal Survival Guide, published by Advocates for Trans Equality. This 17-page report provides guidance on how to conduct a "legal checkup" for readers. Though it is not legal advice, it offers tips on planning for health care decisions, updating legal identification and documentation, and finding legal help.

• Protecting Your LGBTQ+ Marriage and Family, published by COLAGE, Family Equality, GLAD Law, Movement Advancement Project, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights, this resource guide provides information about existing legal protections for LGBTQ+ families.

• Keeping LGBTQ Families Safe: Recommendations and Best Practices, published by GLAAD. These "commonsense" tips are aimed at helping LGBTQ families and people can ensure that their "identities, families, and wishes are legally clear and respected."

Crisis Lines

• Trans Lifeline: 877-565-8860

• National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: 988

• Trevor Project: 866-488-7386

• Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741