Technology

On May 23, the final installment of the Mission: Impossible saga is set to come to an end with Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. Known for its vicious villains, the franchise sports its Biggest Bad yet: an AI known as The Entity that's bent on wiping humans off the planet. Mashable Senior Creative Producer Mark Stetson sat down with the cast (Simon Pegg, Angela Bassett, Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, and Greg Tarzan Davis) to discuss the film's themes of humanity and friendship and its exploration of the future of AI.

First, Simon Pegg, who has played Benji Dunn since Mission: Impossible III — when we first get a hint of The Entity's existence — helped break down the origins of this Big Bad. "Yeah, I mean, the Entity was around in its nascent form a long time ago. It was a malicious code, basically, which itself evolved into what we are up against in Dead Reckoning, in The Final Reckoning. And I love the idea that McQ [Director Christopher McQuarrie] looked back into the past to see where things may have started, where the rumblings of the Entity may have begun. And further back as well, to, obviously, when Bill Donloe was exiled to Alaska."

Hayley Atwell, first appearing in the franchise as Grace in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, goes on to discuss film's theme of friendship and humanity in the face of its AI villain. "I feel like the core theme of this film is friendship. So that, of course, the anti-God and and the Entity...is the sort of the villain...the thing that sets up the stakes. But really it's a film about a team coming together and sacrificing personal ambition for the sake of the good of all people. And it's a triumph of the human spirit... It's so, so beautiful and so heartfelt."

Finally, Angela Bassett ties the interview up in a really nice bow when asked why it's important to prioritize humanity: "I mean, what do we have left without it? You know, we have to. We're made to be in communion with one another... So even though it's a great tool...we need to keep [AI] in its lane and [make sure] it's [a] benefit to us, not to the detriment of us."

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning opens exclusively in theaters on May 23.

Springtime means bright blooms, longer days, and a new class that's getting ready to graduate college. And if you’re here, that means you’re preparing to look on proudly as a young woman accepts her diploma and takes her first steps into the real world of adulthood. Whether she’s your daughter, granddaughter, niece, cousin, girlfriend, or best friend, you know how much hard work she put in to get here — so you definitely want to find the perfect gift for her to celebrate how far she’s come. These are our suggestions to shower the college grad with love on her big day.

Graduation season is creeping up on us and that can mean only one thing: it's time to figure out what to give your favorite grad to welcome them to post-college reality. Graduates are about to enter the often overwhelming (and sometimes terrifying) world we call adulthood, and you're tasked with giving them something to help ease the transition. The trick is to find that sweet spot between something your college grad will really need in life and something they'll actually want to use. New graduates might not even know what they need to survive post-grad life — but that's where you come in.

My body refuses to fall asleep on planes, though not for lack of trying. I've stayed up late before flights, booked red-eyes, popped melatonin, ordered a couple glasses of red wine from the beverage cart — and yet there I sit, wide awake in my economy seat.

I need to keep busy with in-flight entertainment. I'm not built to be raw-dogging flights, and that tiny seatback screen keeps me sane at 30,000 feet. If I can't binge last year's Oscar nominees or lock into a weird HBO documentary for a few hours, I start to think a little too hard about the safety record of the Boeing 737 Max I'm trapped inside. (I am very fun to travel with.)

Knowing this, my extremely brilliant and thoughtful husband gifted me a Twelve South AirFly Pro for Christmas last year. This $54.99 Bluetooth transmitter gadget lets me watch in-flight movies with my wireless Bose headphones. It's not a glamorous device — it's just a dongle with an aux cable on one end — but it's an easy way I make flying more comfortable.

I used the AirFly Pro for the first time on round-trip flights between Chicago and London this spring, and I'll never fly without it again. Also worth noting: It's on sale.

Twelve South AirFly Pro $44.99 at Amazon
$54.99 Save $10 Shop Now Fly like a Pro

While wireless headphones and earbuds are vastly more popular than wired models nowadays, the airline industry hasn't adjusted accordingly. (United and Delta have added Bluetooth-enabled screens to some of their planes, but I've yet to fly on one personally.) To watch movies and shows on that seatback screen, you still have to plug in wired earphones with an old-fashioned 3.5mm audio jack.

Some airlines hand out complimentary cheapo wired buds for long-haul flights, but they sound terrible and don't offer a lick of noise cancellation. The AirFly Pro exists to bridge the technology gap for a better in-flight entertainment experience.

Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

Setting up the AirFly Pro is ridiculously simple:

• Plug it into the screen or armrest

• Press and hold the power button

• Turn on your headphones

• Wait for them to pair

If you're traveling with someone, you can even connect the AirFly to both of your headphones at the same time. My AirFly Pro paired instantly with my Bose headphones and remembered them on my return flight.

SEE ALSO: The best noise-cancelling headphones for flying: 8 picks to improve your travel experience

The AirFly Pro's audio sounded fine to me, and I never had connection issues. I did notice that in-flight announcements were a split-second delayed compared to the plane's PA system, but the sound and dialogue on movies always lined up perfectly.

Twelve South has the AirFly Pro rated at 25 hours of battery life, and that seemed accurate. Mine lasted the full eight-hour flight from Chicago to London, a few hours beyond that (because I forgot to turn it off), and then most of the way through my nine-hour return flight. When it finally died, 10 minutes of charging gave it enough battery for at least 30 more minutes before we landed.

Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

The biggest downsides to the AirFly Pro? The fact that you can't use it while it's charging, and that it's kind of expensive for a Bluetooth transmitter. That said, it works like a charm and feels like a future-proofed purchase, since planes probably aren't getting rid of their 3.5mm audio jacks anytime soon.

Where to buy the AirFly Pro Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

The $54.99 AirFly Pro (currently on sale for $44.99) comes with a soft travel pouch and a keyring cap in addition to its charger. For $20 less, you can pick up the AirFly SE, but you lose a little battery life and the dual listening mode.

I've seen the AirFly line sold at airports before, but I'd recommend snagging one before you jet off on your next trip, as my Pro model is easy to find on sale. At the time of writing, Amazon and Best Buy both had it listed for $13 off. The AirFly Pro is also available as part of some Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphone and earbud bundles.

Shop the Twelve South AirFly line: Twelve South AirFly Pro $54.99 Shop Now Twelve South AirFly SE $34.99 Shop Now Twelve South AirFly Pro 2 $59.99 Shop Now

Some people possess an innate talent for finding gifts on a budget. No matter the occasion (anniversary, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day) or recipient (wife, boyfriend, teens, in-laws), they somehow nail it every time — winning the unofficial "best gift-giver" award among those who are lucky to know them. If you're not the most intuitive gift giver, fear not. We've put together a list of the best gift ideas for under $50. These unique, budget-friendly gifts won't break the bank, and you might even see some solid discounts on them if you're lucky.

Full-size luxury sedans are supposed to be the best that the automotive world has to offer in terms of comfort and technology. While the segment has long been dominated by offerings from German brands, a Korean automaker has joined the fight and may actually be the best choice that money can buy.

Thunderbird, the desktop email client from Mozilla, is finally testing support for Microsoft Exchange accounts in the Daily and Beta channels. You can try it out now to help find bugs before it rolls out to all Thunderbird users.

Last month, Motorola announced a new fitness-focused smartwatch called the Moto Watch Fit. It’s officially available starting today, and there are some interesting features, but the price may be the most surprising thing about it—not in a good way.

After whirlwind week of announcements from Google and OpenAI, Anthropic has its own news to share.

On Thursday, Anthropic announced Claude Opus 4 and Claude Sonnet 4, its next generation of models, with an emphasis on coding, reasoning, and agentic capabilities. According to Rakuten, which got early access to the model, Claude Opus 4 ran "independently for seven hours with sustained performance."

Claude Opus is Anthropic's largest version of the model family with more power for longer, complex tasks, whereas Sonnet is generally speedier and more efficient. Claude Opus 4 is a step up from its previous version, Opus 3, and Sonnet 4 replaces Sonnet 3.7.

Anthropic says Claude Opus 4 and Sonnet 4 outperform rivals like OpenAI's o3 and Gemini 2.5 Pro on key benchmarks for agentic coding tasks like SWE-bench and Terminal-bench. It's worth noting however, that self-reported benchmarks aren't considered the best markers of performance since these evaluations don't always translate to real-world use cases, plus AI labs aren't into the whole transparency thing these days, which AI researchers and policy makers increasingly call for. "AI benchmarks need to be subjected to the same demands concerning transparency, fairness, and explainability, as algorithmic systems and AI models writ large," said the European Commission's Joint Research Center.

Opus 4 and Sonnet 4 outperform rivals in SWE-bench, but take benchmark performance with a grain of salt. Credit: Anthropic

Alongside the launch of Opus 4 and Sonnet 4, Anthropic also introduced new features. That includes web search while Claude is in extended thinking mode, and summaries of Claude's reasoning log "instead of Claude’s raw thought process." This is described in the blog post as being more helpful to users, but also "protecting [its] competitive advantage," i.e. not revealing the ingredients of its secret sauce. Anthropic also announced improved memory and tool use in parallel with other operations, general availability of its agentic coding tool Claude Code, and additional tools for the Claude API.

In the safety and alignment realm, Anthropic said both models are "65 percent less likely to engage in reward hacking than Claude Sonnet 3.7." Reward hacking is a slightly terrifying phenomenon where models can essentially cheat and lie to earn a reward (successfully perform a task).

One of the best indicators we have in evaluating a model's performance is users' own experience with it, although even more subjective than benchmarks. But we'll soon find out how Claude Opus 4 and Sonnet 4 chalk up to competitors in that regard.

While most Star Wars games get a lot of attention at release and will continue to be spoken about as time goes on, there was one that did not receive this treatment. Star Wars: The Old Republic, also known as SWTOR got better as time went on, but is seen as just an MMO. I’ve played this a lot, and it’s more like a single-player game with MMO features.

TL;DR: Scan anything, anywhere, with this lifetime subscription to iScanner, now A$39 (reg. A$312) with code SCAN through 1 June.

Opens in a new window Credit: iScanner iScanner App: Lifetime Subscription AU$39
AU$312 Save AU$273 Get Deal

Raise your hand if you've ever had to rush to the library to print something. If most of us don't have the space for clunky printers, chances are we also don't keep a scanner at home. That's what iScanner is for.

This iOS app transforms your iPhone or iPad into a handy little scanner that works for basically any document type. It's also only A$39 (reg. A$312) for a lifetime subscription.

No more wasted desk space

Even if you're one of the few with a physical scanner still in your presence, you can now clear some counter space thanks to iScanner. And while you're at it, you can throw away that dusty old filing cabinet, too. 

iScanner is the number one US-based scanning and document management tool, letting you knock items off your to-do list from anywhere. Need to save a receipt for taxes? Do you have a contract you need to digitize? You can scan any document using just the phone on your iOS device. 

Students, entrepreneurs, educators, and stay-at-home moms alike will all find endless uses for a scanner in your pocket. The AI-powered tools ensure your documents' borders are detected and automatically adjusted, while also straightening scan pages and ditching curves and skews. 

Thanks to AI, you can also use iScanner to help you solve complicated math problems.  Or put its OCR technology to the test and let it help you decipher text in up to 20 languages.

Once things are scanned, the app becomes a full PDF editor and file manager. Edit your scans, including signing them, adding text, or autofilling them with custom templates. Then, use the file manager's folder via drag and drop to keep them safe and organized. 

Scanning something confidential? You can also protect files and folders by locking them with a PIN. 

Use code SCAN by 1 June at 11:59 p.m. PT to get an iScanner lifetime subscription on sale for A$39. 

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Amazon is aiming to make shopping just a bit easier. This week, Amazon launched a new generative AI feature that produces short audio summaries, detailing everything you need to know about a product.

The audio descriptions, which Amazon is calling "hear the highlights", are created from on-page product summaries, reviews, and information from other websites, crafting short snippets that deliver everything you need to know about a product. The product summaries are now available on a limited number of items on Amazon and for US customers only. To access "Hear the highlights", you can do so in the Amazon app.

This is just the latest feature in Amazon's AI line-up. Launched in 2024 but still in beta testing, Amazon's Rufus is a chatbot to help you find the right product. You can chat with Rufus to ask questions about which coffee maker is right for you. Within product pages you can ask Rufus details about a product and get quick answers without needing to do the research yourself.

If you're looking to use Amazon's "hear the highlights", here's how.

How to use "hear the highlights" Credit: Amazon

"Hear the highlights" is only available within the Amazon shopping app for US-based customers. When you click into a product page, you'll see a "hear the highlights" button. By clicking on the button, you can then hear the short summary, delivering the essential production description, helping you make your choice.

This feature is only available on certain products. You can view it now on the following listings:

• Ninja Mega Kitchen System

• Osea Undaria Algae Body Oil

• Step2 Rain Showers Toddler Table

• SafeRest Waterproof Mattress Protector

• Shokz OpenRun Pro headphones

Popular web browser Vivaldi is now rolling out its 7.4 update for Android, iOS, and iPadOS. The new update is most notable for its redesigned tab bar and improved tab-management functionality, though it also introduces background audio playback on iOS, plus some universal privacy and Reader View settings.

SAVE $100.99: As of May 22, get the Dyson Airstrait Straightener for $399 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $499.99. That's a discount of 20% and the lowest price we've seen.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Dyson Airstrait Straightener $399 at Amazon
$499.99 Save $100.99 Get Deal

As someone with bright, multicolored hair, I end up going to see a hairstylist more often than I want to. The visits add up, and so do the costs. But I like to keep the pink and purple in my hair, and I'm not about to do it myself. The one thing I love best about these salon visits, however, is having pin-straight, gorgeous hair. But I can't blow my budget on a weekly blowout. That's why I invested in an important tool that ended up saving me some serious cash: the Dyson Airstrait Straightener.

As of May 22, you can get the Dyson Airstrait Straightener for $399 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $499.99. That's $100.99 off and a discount of 20%. It's also the lowest price we've seen.

SEE ALSO: The Dyson Supersonic Nural hair dryer is finally on sale at Amazon — get it for its lowest-ever price

I decided it was finally time to grab one the last time this straightener went on sale for a similarly low price, and it worked some serious miracles on my unruly, thin, and fine hair. Not only does it give me a polished, super-straight style even on days when I'm dealing with what feels like a grease pit on my head, but it's easy for someone like me, who can barely braid my hair.

It can take your hair from wet to dry (and pin straight) in a few minutes without the use of hot plates and supposedly without heat damage, though I'm never without a heat protectant spray, just in case. I run it through my hair right after I've towel-dried my locks and it is true to its word: I have shiny, straight strands that I'm always shocked to see produced without a blow dryer. It adjusts the power and speed of airflow when it senses hair is in between its arms, giving you style and heat protection.

Overall, it is a huge time saver, because I'd normally have to first dry my hair (a task I abhor) and then switch to blowout mode. When I'm on the go after work just about every day, this is time saved that I truly appreciate. And, most importantly, it's money saved.

It's still quite pricey even with its sale price. But if the alternative is heading to the salon and paying upward of $60 each visit for a few days' worth of looking good, I'd go back to the Dyson every single time.

Best Home and Kitchen Deals

• Skylight Frame 10-inch Digital Picture Frame — $99.90 (List Price $159.00)

• Ninja Crispi Air Fryer — $159.99 (List Price $179.99)

• Birdfy AI Smart Solar Powered Bird Feeder with Camera — $179.99 (List Price $249.99)

• KitchenAid Artisan Series 5-Quart Tilt Head Stand Mixer — $449.95

• Eufy Omni C20 Robot Vacuum and Mop With Self-Emptying Base — $399.99 (List Price $699.99)

I bought an old Mac Mini for cheap and I avoided getting scammed, but not everyone is so lucky. Things have reached a stage where some have sworn off buying second-hand Mac models altogether.

Dating apps are getting a lot of flak lately. Daters are opting for in-person events — even dungeon sound baths — and moving away from increasing AI features and apps that seem to be copying each other.

Vice President JD Vance also has no love for dating apps, apparently. In an interview on the New York Times's "Interesting Times" podcast, Vance spoke about his "noneconomic" concerns with AI and tech. He told host and Times opinion columnist Ross Douthat, "If you look at basic dating behavior among young people — and I think a lot of this is that the dating apps are probably more destructive than we fully appreciate." (Vance met his wife, Usha, in law school.)

SEE ALSO: The hidden consequences of being banned from dating apps

"I think part of it is technology has just for some reason made it harder for young men and young women to communicate with each other in the same way," he continued. "Our young men and women just aren’t dating, and if they’re not dating, they’re not getting married, they’re not starting families."

With regards to communication, Vance hits on longtime criticism of dating apps and social media in general. A recent survey found that eight in 10 Gen Z adults would marry an AI, and a theory behind why is that AI is nonjudgmental. Social media users, however, are hypercritical on a large scale. If one has social anxiety, chatting online (to a person or bot) may feel easier than chatting face-to-face. Studies show, however, that face-to-face interaction is unbeatable when it comes to connecting with others.

Vance also believes that AI can be "profoundly dark and negative"— not in the cases of people losing jobs, but in teenagers talking to chatbots. A recent report from nonprofit Common Sense Media found that AI bots aren't safe for under-18 use, because they foster emotional attachment and dependency.

When it comes to marriage and families, though, Vance didn't touch on the higher cost of living and rising inequality facing Americans. He also didn't discuss childcare costs, let alone how much it costs to give birth in the U.S. So, no, dating apps aren't the only problems here.

Youths of the world — and I can't believe I have to tell you this — please don't stick metal objects into your laptop until it catches on fire. Yes, this is a real trend on TikTok dubbed the Chromebook challenge.

The challenge has led to actual fires and countless warnings from school officials. Here's what you need to know.

What is the Chromebook challenge?

In short: Kids are jamming objects — things like paperclips or pens — into the ports of their (often school-issued) laptops in an effort to get the machines to short-circuit, which can result in sparks or even fire. Laptops have lithium-ion batteries, which can generate toxic gas, fires, or even explosions when damaged and heated too much. And yes, unlike other overhyped challenges, this is does seem like something that is actually happening, at least to some degree.

A report from NBC News documented multiple cases in Maryland, Arizona, and New Jersey, for instance. A 15-year-old student was charged with third degree arson and criminal mischief after doing the Chromebook challenge in school, NJ.com reported. That same piece documented other apparent recent incidents in New York and Connecticut. An article from KBPS noted that at least 16 students in the San Diego Unified School District had damaged school-issued laptops. There have been more than a dozen reports of issues in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. In short: It's everywhere.

What to do about the Chromebook challenge?

If you're a parent — this seems obvious — but tell your kid not to jam objects into their school-issued laptop. And if you're a student — this seems even more obvious — don't jam junk into your school-issued laptop, or any electronic device, really.

Of course, kids don't always listen to adults. And doing risky things can be attractive to young people.

“If you’re on social media and you decide you want to be a part of a trend, there’s a feeling of belonging to that, and the risk-taking involved,” Christine Elgersma, a senior editor of content focused on learning and educators at nonprofit Common Sense Media, told Education Week.

TikTok has taken steps to discourage kids from participating in the challenge. TikTok told the New York Times that "it removes content that violates its policy on dangerous activities and challenges and is redirecting search terms and hashtags." That proved true for me. I searched "Chromebook challenge" on the platform. It showed no results and instead directed me to resources about the dangers of such social media challenges.

The results I got from TikTok. Credit: Screenshot: TikTok

So, yes, the Chromebook challenge is real. And, no, please do not try it.

Tired of jumping between browser tabs to see which AI chatbot spits out the best answer? “Sneos” is a handy web tool that allows you to prompt Gemini, ChatGPT, and Claude all at once and get a detailed breakdown of their responses.

Best Buy is currently running a big sale on the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition, cutting its price by $300. The laptop originally cost $1399.99, but now it’s priced at $1,099.99 on Best Buy, making it a great deal for anyone looking for a powerful and portable laptop.

OpenAI and Jony Ive's vision for its AI device is a screenless companion that knows everything about you.

Details leaked to the Wall Street Journal give us a clearer picture of OpenAI's acquisition of io, cofounded by Ive, the iconic iPhone designer. The ChatGPT maker reportedly plans to ship 100 million AI devices designed to fit in with users' everyday life.

SEE ALSO: ‘Empire of AI’ author on OpenAI’s cult of AGI and why Sam Altman tried to discredit her book

"The product will be capable of being fully aware of a user’s surroundings and life, will be unobtrusive, able to rest in one’s pocket or on one’s desk," according to a recording of an OpenAI staff meeting reviewed by the Journal. The device "will be a third core device a person would put on a desk after a MacBook Pro and an iPhone," per the meeting which occurred the same day (Wednesday) that OpenAI announced its acquisition of Ive's company.

The device will attempt to "wean users from screens" and be a more seamless interaction with users that doesn't involve pulling up a phone or opening up a laptop. "The products that we're using to deliver and connect us to unimaginable technology, they're decades old," said Ive in a video introducing yesterday's announcement. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Ive are hoping to introduce an entirely new device that removes those barriers. If that sounds familiar, recall Altman's controversial obsession with Scarlett Johansson's AI companion in Spike Jonze's sci-fi film Her.

In the film, the AI device sits in Joaquin Phoenix's character's shirt pocket and sees and hears what he does. Similarly, OpenAI is reportedly going this route instead of developing XR glasses like Google and Meta.

OpenAI and Ive will not be the first to attempt to create such a device. The Humane Ai pin, which Altman invested in, recently tried to disrupt the entire smartphone paradigm and flopped spectacularly. It was led by former Apple executives, but they weren't Jony Ive and Humane didn't have OpenAI's level of investment and influence. That said, it was also just riddled with bugs and inaccurate responses. Even though OpenAI's models still have major hallucination problems, they're still some of the most capable on the market. In this regard, maybe OpenAI will have a better shot.

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