Technology

A tweet from a notorious PlayStation leaker has sent the internet into a frenzy over Grand Theft Auto VI pre-orders. We still don't know anything official, but the rumor mill has gone into overdrive over the mere possibility of news on Rockstar's long-delayed Grand Theft Auto VI.

According to X account PlayStation Game Size, title IDs have been added to the PlayStation database for GTA VI, with the account warning that news on the game should be expected to drop soon — and in their estimation, that means pre-orders could be right around the corner.

The post stops short of confirming anything and remains largely speculative, but make no mistake: PlayStation Game Size has a proven track record that's earned them serious credibility with other outlets.

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As one possible reference point, ahead of Red Dead Redemption 2's Oct. 26 release date back in 2018, pre-orders went live in June. However, the new GTA game could follow an entirely different schedule, and given the delays, Rockstar may be eager to offer gamers something as soon as possible.

In a comment under the post, a user pressed the leaker on how long pre-orders could take to open after title IDs hit the backend.

"Completely depends on the publisher, and it's not something I know for sure. But I don't think there's going to be a long wait." Not exactly a concrete answer, but not a dismissal either.

The prospect of pre-orders arriving "soon-ish" is massive news for a game that has already been delayed twice and is widely rumored to carry a price tag north of the standard $70 — itself a price point that only became the industry's new normal in 2022.

With GTA VI currently locked in for a November 19, 2026, release date and publisher Take-Two confirming last month that a full-on marketing blitz kicks off this summer, the hype machine is officially warming up.

The skyrocketing prices for flash memory have already affected RAM sticks, SSDs, laptops, pre-built PC desktops, phones, and many other devices. Now, you can add the OrangePi Neo to the list—a handheld gaming PC using Linux that was supposed to be released soon.

For the average Australian, the digital world is no longer a destination we visit; it is the environment we inhabit. We bank on the bus, check our emails from the local café, and manage our entire social lives through a screen. Ten years ago, digital security was simple: you installed an antivirus, ran a scan once a week, and avoided clicking on emails from long-lost princes. Today, the threats are quieter, more sophisticated, and often invisible. From "stalkerware" and invasive tracking cookies to large-scale data breaches that expose your tax file number. These modern problems require modern solutions, and thankfully many popular security suites have adapted to suit these needs. However, it’s also important to update how we think about digital security every once and a while. On top of security, the notion of digital privacy has grown increasingly important. So it’s a good idea to give yourself a bit of a refresher.

The shift from security to privacy

While most of us understand the need to block malware, we need to not just think of security, but also our privacy. Every website you visit, every search you make, and every product you linger over contributes to a digital profile that is bought and sold by data brokers. This isn’t just about annoying targeted ads; it’s about maintaining a level of anonymity.

But privacy isn’t just about where you go; it’s about what you leave behind. It’s an important part of the new normal to ensure that your sensitive information, like your credit card details or login credentials, haven’t ended up on the dark web following a corporate data breach or social engineering scam. According to the Avast Academy), one of the most effective ways to stay ahead of identity thieves is to practice proactive monitoring rather than waiting for a notification from your bank.

Reclaiming privacy via the network layer

One of the most overlooked vulnerabilities in the modern threat surface is the network layer. Every time you connect to the internet, you are broadcasting a digital fingerprint. This isn't just about hackers; it's about the pervasive "shadow profiles" built by advertisers and data aggregators.

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) has evolved from a corporate necessity to a primary privacy tool. By encrypting your traffic and masking your IP address, you effectively "black out" your activity from prying eyes. But privacy is two-sided: while a VPN protects your data in transit, you also need to address the data you leave behind on your own machine. Tracking cookies and digital "fingerprinting" techniques can identify you even if you’re using a VPN.

How security suites can boost performance

We often think of security and performance as two different categories. In reality, they are deeply linked. A cluttered device filled with "bloatware" (redundant background processes and "junk" files) isn’t just slow; it’s harder to manage and more prone to crashes that can leave your data vulnerable. Over time, cached files and broken registry entries accumulate, dragging down the efficiency of your hardware.

It is possible (if time-consuming) to manage a lot of this bloat manually, but thankfully there are also a myriad of tools that can help with this. Often these come baked into popular security suites such as Avast or Norton. By using a security suite that automates this maintenance, you’re not just gaining back a few seconds of boot time; you’re both improving the performance and the security of the device, as freed up resources allow that security software to run more efficiently.

Staying informed

Technological protection is vital, but the ultimate layer of security is an informed user. The landscape changes rapidly—one month it’s a surge in SMS phishing "smishing") targeting super accounts, the next it’s a new exploit in popular browser extensions. Understanding why a certain threat exists is often just as important as having the software to block it.

Streamlining the solution

There is a common misconception that more security equals less performance. In reality, a compromised or cluttered system is often the primary cause of instability. Too many cooks in the kitchen, so to speak. The challenge for most people isn't a lack of tools, but a surplus of them. Managing a separate subscription for a VPN, another for a system optimiser, and a third for malware protection is a recipe for "subscription fatigue." More importantly, fragmented security can lead to gaps. Such as settings that don’t align or software updates that get ignored because there are too many notifications to track.

This is where integrated suites have evolved. Instead of a patchwork of different providers, a singular ecosystem like Avast Ultimate offers a streamlined way to cover many of your bases. It combines the heavy-hitting protection of Avast Premium Security with the online privacy of Avast SecureLine VPN, and specialised tools such as Avast Cleanup Premium and Avast AntiTrack:

• Avast Premium Security: To help block complex, multi-stage malware and ransomware, plus protection against scams.

• Avast SecureLine VPN: For bank-grade VPN encryption so you can browse, bank and shop more privately.

• Avast Cleanup Premium: To strip away digital debris and keep hardware running at peak efficiency.

• Avast AntiTrack: To help foil the sophisticated tracking scripts that follow you across the web.

By housing these features under one roof, the user experience becomes a bit more streamlined and easy. With a solution like Avast Ultimate, you get the benefit of world-class threat detection without the "noisy" interface of multiple programs vying for your attention.

In 2026, device security isn’t just about antivirus. It’s about ensuring your personal data remains private, your devices run as well on day 500 as they did on day one, and your online presence doesn't leave a trail for others to follow. The unfortunate reality is that in this brave new world of AI-driven scams and IoT (Internet of Things) vulnerabilities, protecting your devices from malware and maintaining your privacy is a continuous process of educating yourself and narrowing your threat surface. By moving toward a holistic, all-in-one approach to protection, you can spend less time worrying about your settings and more time enjoying the connected world. For more information on Avast Ultimate, check out their Australian site here.

March is here, which means a fresh month (and a fresh batch of movies) has landed on Netflix, which is perfect timing if your watchlist needs a little spring cleaning. There's only one problem: with that huge library, getting lost in the endless scroll. We're here to help with that.

The hybrid SUV race is still being led by the usual suspects. The Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V Hybrid continue to dominate thanks to loyal buyers and massive dealer networks that keep them comfortably on top.

Like most people, the last optical drive I had in my computer was a plain old DVD writer. I just never saw the point of a PC Blu-ray drive. In many ways, I think it's a small miracle that you can still readily buy a Blu-ray drive for PC today.

The versatility of thrillers is their greatest strength. These tense movies come in various shapes and sizes. Some are lengthy political thrillers where the dialogue creates suspense and drives the story. Other thrillers rely on action and feature heroic performances that turn actors into stars. Because of its large library, Netflix is one of the best streamers to watch thrillers.

Jellyfin, the popular open-source media server and Plex alternative, just got better on Roku TVs and players. The app’s latest update adds support for more HDR modes and anamorphic video, along with a pile of bug fixes.

Using a hash symbol (#)—also known as a spilled range operator—in an Excel formula is a way to tell the program to consider all results in a spilled range. As a result, even if the spilled range grows or shrinks, the formula containing the # will automatically reflect this change.

There was a time when the Android community was obsessed with modding and customizing their devices. A seemingly endless stream of custom ROMs allowed you to replace your phone's default OS. For an Android enthusiast, it was like walking into a candy shop. Sadly, those golden days of Android are in the past, but I like reminiscing about their charm.

Luxury badges look great in the driveway, but they’re usually brutal on your wallet. Depreciation hits hard, and once the warranty’s gone, repair bills can pile up fast enough to make ownership feel like a gamble.

Mobile World Congress 2026 has arrived, and Mashable is in Barcelona to bring you the latest from one of the biggest tech shows on the planet.

Following on the heels of CES and Samsung Galaxy Unpacked, this year's MWC runs March 2-5 and will feature big reveals from Honor, Xiaomi, Nothing, Motorola, and more. Mashable's Stan Schroeder is bringing you the best and most interesting news from the show floor.

We expect to see plenty of phones and tablets as well as a few surprises along the way, so keep checking back for the latest MWC 2026 announcements.

I DM my friends on Instagram. I ride the subway everyday. I am a journalist. Because of these simple matters of fact, I find myself the unwitting target of a sweeping surveillance network that knows who I am, what I say, and how I spend my time, online and off. And I'm pretty careful about what Big Tech gets out of me. 

Still, our daily habits are a treasure trove of surveillance information: The apps we use; public spaces riddled with facial recognition tech; AI assistants that know who we are and what we like; the places we shop, the smartwatches we wear, the phone you're probably reading this article on. Even the most careful are still leaking data out into the world, but how do we spot where we are particularly vulnerable, and what should we do to feel more secure?

A new campaign by youth digital advocacy organization Gen Z For Change hopes to offer a solution. Today, the group launches "Eyes on AI" — a designated landing page offering a first-of-its-kind surveillance assessment tool that lets you see exactly how the government and its Big Tech allies are collecting your data. 

SEE ALSO: How teens really feel about AI and their future

Cheyenne Hunt, executive director of Gen Z For Change, told Mashable that the current political administration has presented an alarming surveillance threat to youth organizing, including to the group's leaders, many of whom are young people of color who have had negative interactions with government entities, like U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). And as digital organizers, they are navigating the irony of needing to use the very tools, like social media, that threaten their own safety.

"We've had to very quickly become keenly aware of the fact that we are being watched in a really intense and new way by the government and their partners and Big Tech," said Hunt. "And that collusion is out in the open." 

But everyone, not just organizers or journalists, is vulnerable, said Hunt. With Eyes on AI, individuals of all ilks are given the tools to assess their own risk. "Warrantless surveillance is entirely legal and artificial intelligence is powering it," the website informs visitors. "AI-powered surveillance tools are reading your data, learning your routine, and creating a profile of you to eat away at your privacy." 

The Eyes on AI assessment tool is designed to mimic the kinds of eerily perceptive games and memes that often go viral online, its makers tell Mashable, like horoscope mood boards, AI's that judge your Spotify stats, or the viral Rice Purity Test. Only in this case, that sense of knowing isn't played off as something fun and silly — its stakes are exceptionally high. "Your future is for sale," the campaign reminds viewers. 

Credit: Gen Z For Change

"We have normalized surveillance and data collection, which is not normal and actually very, very terrifying," said Dominique Demetz, Gen Z For Change creative director and one of the coders of the project. Demetz explained that the Eyes on AI tool, which feels almost like being inducted (and subsequently rejected) from a top secret spy agency, is intended to unsettle you.

Immediately after clicking through, the "agent" on the other end knows your IP address. And you don't have to give it any other personal information for it to understand how you are being surveilled. All it needs to know is what apps you use, how you pay for groceries, if you get spam emails often, or if you're a current college student (it doesn't even need to know where you go to school).

That's intentional, explained Hana Memon, Gen Z For Change digital strategist, organizer, and Eyes on AI creator. In keeping with its own principals, the resource doesn't ask the user to supply any personally identifiable information that could be scraped and used by an outside party, such as race or immigration status, but it can still figure out a lot about you and your digital hygiene.

"The goal is to show how every part of your life, from how you travel, what religious apps you use, your healthcare provider, is all connected in a web of surveillance," Memon said.

The tool doesn't save any user inputs or reports. Everything is done locally and run in JavaScript, and Gen Z For Change is offering it up to the public on GitHub.

Young people have been used as lab rats by these companies. - Cheyenne Hunt

Eyes on AI pulls information from digital privacy watchdogs, like Surveillance Watch's interactive databases, the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Atlas of Surveillance, and Tech Equity's labor resources, including explainers on bossware, or tech used to spy on employees. The tool was built over the course of several months, by a team of a little more than a dozen Gen Z organizers, coders, and activists.

Eyes on AI cleverly walks users through the numerous ways their lives are being recorded and sold to surveillance apparatuses. Then, they are given the option to download a full report, complete with recommendations to curb personal data collection, resources about surveillance threats, and a glossary of some of the top surveillance actors who may be dealing in their data, including ICE and other government entities. Your personalized threats are categorized by the tech itself, like if you're at risk due to automated license plate readers (ALPRs) or predictive policing. 

Credit: Gen Z For Change Credit: Gen Z For Change

Gen Z For Change has evolved a lot since its initial conception in 2020 as a youth-led, social media-focused, movement builder. The organization sees strategic coding as a weapon against political and tech oligarchies that have unabashedly wielded their influence to amass power under what Hunt referred to as "Trump 2.0." The mass acceleration of AI, she said, has only made it worse. 

Gen Z For Change has been behind many of the viral tools used by online organizers. Last year, they launched a resource to help pressure hotels to refuse boarding ICE agents. The group's team and affiliated creator network were working behind the scenes to galvanize votes for New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani. Previous coding campaigns include the Gen Z for Palestine resource hub, immigration resource toolkit F.I.G.H.T,, and abortion organizing tool S.A.F.E.R.

"Made with ❤️ by gen-z for change's meddling kids," the site reads.

On the ground, the organization is prepping for a massive activation that will see their creator network — a group of politically-connected creators with a collective 500 million followers — warning their viewers and loved ones about surveillance capitalism. Posters and billboards will be emblazoned across major cities. A massive 1984-style warning will soon be projected on the side of the Brooklyn Bridge, featuring Demetz's own leering eyeball. It'll be matched by a policy push at the federal level, too. The country still has no comprehensive privacy regulation on the books.

Lending their time — and retinal data — to the project, the team is implementing their own Eyes on AI recommendations to keep their work protected, including deferring to encrypted messaging platforms, sweeping their information from data brokers, and paying careful attention to how they move through public spaces.

"Young people have been used as lab rats by these companies," said Hunt. Gen Z For Changes wants to help the rats fight back.

Windows has a lot of random settings that most of us never dig our way to. For some of them, that's actually a good thing, and one of them is "Turn off write-cache buffer flushing."

In yet another teaser ahead of its official unveiling later this week, Nothing brought all four colors of the Nothing Phone 4a to MWC in Barcelona.

The choice of colors isn't surprising, given Nothing's previous color choices: black, white, and blue. However, for the 4a, the British brand is also introducing pink, a completely new color for the brand.

The phones were set behind glass, so I couldn't touch them, but I was still able to get a really good look at all four colors on offer.

Why do I have to be Mr. Pink? Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Pink is more pink-ish than actually pink, but it goes nicely with the company's trademark semi-naked design.

Can't go wrong with white. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

White is Nothing's bread and butter, and it looks awesome as ever, and blue is pretty nice option if you want something a bit more colorful. Finally, there's black which is...well, black.

For those who want that dark cyberpunk aesthetic, there's always black. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

The company has been slowly leaking details about its upcoming event. Besides the Nothing Phone 4a, we'll also get a new pair of over-the-ear headphones called the Nothing Headphone (a).

SEE ALSO: Nothing teases Headphone (a) ahead of launch

We'll get all the details at the official reveal, which is happening on March 5, at 10:30 a.m. GMT (5:30 a.m. ET).

Mashable is reporting live from Mobile World Congress 2026, so keep checking back for the latest news and product launches from the event.

Motorola unveiled its new foldable smartphone, the Motorola Razr Fold, earlier this year at CES. Now, with Mobile World Congress 2026 underway, Motorola has picked the perfect time to make its foldable even more official with details and specs for the device.

Let's start off with what's powering Motorola's foldable. The Motorola Razr Fold will be equipped with Qualcomm's most powerful chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5. The Snapdragon chip should be more than enough to handle Motorola's AI features, known as "moto ai." The foldable device will also have up to 1TB of storage and 16GB of RAM, making it a true flagship device.

When it comes to its battery, the Motorola Razr Fold will likely have one of the most powerful batteries on the market, with a whopping 6000mAh battery. The company also boasts that the foldable can charge for 12 hours of life in 12 minutes. (When we reviewed the Motorola Razr Ultra last year, we were particularly impressed by its 24-hour+ battery life.)

Motorola Razr Fold Credit: Motorola SEE ALSO: Hands-on: Motorola unveils Razr Fold, a book-style foldable phone

But, of course, when it comes to foldables, the most important thing is its displays.

The Motorola Razr Fold has a 6.6-inch external display that can be used when the device is closed. However, when opened, the Motorola Razr Fold's display measures 8.1 inches. These measurements mean that the Motorola Razr Fold's display is bigger than even Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Google's Pixel 10 Pro Fold foldable offerings.

As for the device's thickness, the Motorola Razr Fold measures 4.6mm thick when it's open and 9.9mm thick when the foldable is closed.

Credit: Motorola

Camera-wise, the Motorola Razr Fold might also be one of the best smartphones coming to the market. The Motorola Razr Fold has three 50MP cameras: a 50MP Sony Lytia 828 main camera, a 50MP Sony Lytia 600 telephoto lens, and a 50MP ultrawide angle lens. When the foldable device is open, there's also a 32MP internal selfie camera and a 20MP external selfie camera for when the foldable is closed.

For comparison, the underwhelming Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold had notably weaker cameras than the standard Pixel 10 Pro. Of course, the Motorola Razr Fold will eventually have to compete with the rumored iPhone Fold, which we're hoping to see later this year. Samsung will likely release a new version of the Galaxy Z Fold later this year as well.

Unfortunately, there's no set launch date yet. Motorola's announcement only says that the Razr Fold will be released in the coming months. The company also declined to provide pricing aside from a bundle price in Europe, which comes with the Motorola Razr Fold and a smart stylus for the device called the Moto Pen Ultra for €1,999.

The Motorola Razr Fold will work with the Moto Pen stylus. Credit: Motorola

Modularity was one of the most exciting phone trends of the 2010s. It promised phones that would work like desktop PCs, allowing owners to upgrade individual components, add new functionalities, and replace broken parts with ease, improving longevity and ushering in a new, sustainable smartphone era.

Save $94.01: As of March 2, open-box Apple AirPods Pro 3 are available in excellent condition for $154.99 at Best Buy. That marks a 37% discount on the $249 full price of the earbuds, brand new.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple AirPods Pro 3 (open box, excellent condition) $154.99 at Best Buy
$249 Save $94.01   Get Deal

Considering that most premium noise-cancelling earbuds run for $299 and up these days, the $249 AirPods Pro are a surprisingly good value.

A good way to squeeze even more value from the Apple buds is grabbing them on sale. If you're willing to opt for an open box option, Best Buy currently offers the best deal possible: as of March 2, you can grab the Apple AirPods Pro 3 for just $154.99. That knocks an impressive $94.01 off their list price, for a pair of earbuds that look and work like new.

At the time of writing, a new version of the AirPods Pro 3 are on sale for $219. According to the price tracker camelcamelcamel, the lowest price they've ever hit is $184, making this open box option cheaper by nearly $30.

SEE ALSO: The 11 best noise-cancelling headphones we use, love, and recommend

So what makes the AirPods Pro 3 so great? For starters, they have excellent noise cancellation. Mashable contributor Adam Doud wrote in his review that popping in the buds had the effect of making it feel as if "nothing else in the world existed." Naturally, they also deliver on their sound quality, offering a relatively straightforward profile (not overly bass-heavy or thin), with spatial audio features. The five sizes of silicone ear tips help you get the best possible fit, while the eight hours of battery life per charge help prevent interrupted listening.

Beyond the average earbud experience, Pros offer features like live translation and heart rate monitoring, also making them a great option for traveling and working out.

There's no denying that Android modding isn't as big as it used to be. However, GrapheneOS is one of the most popular modern ROMs today, and it's only available for Pixel devices. That will soon finally change thanks to a new partnership with Motorola.

Home Assistant allows you to assign your own custom labels to areas, devices, entities, automations, and more. While they're a useful organizational tool, there are plenty of clever ways that you can use Home Assistant labels to do much more.