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On March 11, Apple dropped the MacBook Neo like a bomb on the laptop market. I was at a New York City launch event to see its big unveiling, and the colorful budget laptop made a strong first impression. As I wrote at the time: If I were a Windows laptop that cost under $1,000, I'd be shaking in my boots.

Well, after spending an extra three months with this laptop on my desk, I'm updating my initial review. After months of RAMageddon price increases in the Windows world, the MacBook Neo is doubly impressive.

The Neo brings premium MacBook features — Liquid Retina Display, the intuitive macOS, a sleek aluminum design — to an entirely new market segment: the budget laptop.

The laptop starts at $599 — a version with Touch ID and 512GB costs $699 — and if you qualify for the $499 education price, this is truly a laptop with no viable competition, full stop.

Who is the MacBook Neo for? The MacBook Neo in citrus and indigo at the Mashable office. Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

The MacBook Neo is Apple's first MacBook without an M-series chip since 2020. For that reason, the Neo is not a laptop for professionals like myself. If you need to do heavy-duty photo or video editing, work with 3D modeling programs, or run open-source AI models on your device, you'll want that MacBook Air or Pro with the latest M5 chips.

The Neo has an all-aluminum design; Apple matches the color of the keys to the aluminum. Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable SEE ALSO: MacBook Neo vs. MacBook Air (M5): How Apple's new laptops compare

Instead, the MacBook Neo is meant to be baby's first laptop, and I mean that as a compliment. It's a starter laptop you might buy for a high school or college student who will eventually graduate to the Air or Pro, depending on their needs. But I also foresee another popular use case for this device — the party laptop.

Lots of people, including myself, use two laptops on a daily basis. You have your work laptop — in my case, a MacBook Pro — and then you have what I call the party laptop. It could be a simple Chromebook, an old work laptop, a gaming laptop, or even a tablet. When your workday is done, you put away the work laptop with your email and calendar, and fire up your party laptop for streaming, music, casual browsing, and retail therapy.

The MacBook Neo would be a perfect party laptop or Chromebook alternative, and while it lacks storage and RAM, Apple definitely didn't skimp on the entertainment features.

MacBook Neo design: We gotta talk about the colors Credit: Timothy Werth / Mashable

No tech brand does design better than Apple, at least, not for the mass market. And in the under-$1,000 laptop category, the Neo stands out for its premium design. Lately, we've seen many Windows laptops imitating the MacBook's metal body and rounded edges, but those are typically Ultrabooks that cost quite a bit. The Neo offers a budget price without compromising on Apple's signature all-aluminum build quality.

Let's look at the competition: Our No. 1 budget Windows laptop in 2026 is the Acer Aspire 16 AI, which costs $699. It's a good laptop, but it also has a flimsy hinge and plastic components. With the Neo, you get an aluminum chassis, plus it's $100 cheaper, plus it comes in fun colors, plus it has Dolby Atmos speakers.

The MacBook Neo comes in four colors: silver, indigo, citrus, and blush. Now, I will say, the blush is a very subtle pink. I say, if you're going pink, go pink. But in person, the citrus and indigo really pop. Apple also color-matches the keys to the aluminum finish, and it's those little details that elevate the design. The Apple team has been having a lot of fun with this product launch, and I think shoppers will, too.

MacBook Neo: Performance and battery Be honest, did you notice the home screen artwork says "MAC"? Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

When Apple unveiled the Neo, two competing opinions spread in the tech world. The MacBook Neo, with its fun colors and killer price, would either disrupt the entire Windows laptop market, or it would be an underpowered waste of space with its old iPhone chip and a measly 8GB of RAM.

In this case, the optimists were proven right.

To be sure, you're not going to edit a professional music video, mix a song, or work on an animation project with 8GB of RAM and the A18 Pro chip, first introduced for the iPhone 16 Pro. But don't believe what the haters are saying online: You can still do a lot with 8GB of RAM.

Here's what people are forgetting: Over the past few years, Apple has quietly made its MacBook Air and Pro laptops way overpowered for the average user. (The same is true for the iPad Air and Pro, as I explain in my M4 iPad Air review.) The original M1 MacBook was a legendary laptop that truly changed the category for good. Six years later, I know professional film editors who are still working on M1-era MacBook Pros and have zero complaints about performance or speed.

Apple M-series silicon changed the laptop market for good. Credit: Mashable SEE ALSO: Apple's M series chips are too powerful for their own good

As you can see in this chart, ever since Apple launched the M1 chip in 2020, the company's M-series silicon has progressed by leaps and bounds. At one point, it seemed like Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite chip might finally offer some true competition for Apple silicon, but then Apple released a new M chip.

Apple's M series chips have made such massive leaps in performance that you have to be a serious superuser to tax these devices to their limits. So, a simpler MacBook with less firepower makes sense for a ton of reasons. You don't need 16GB of RAM and an M5 chip to stream Netflix, make Word documents, and send emails.

But let's get specific. Let's talk benchmarks.

MacBook Neo review: Geekbench performance and stress tests Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

When testing a new laptop, Mashable runs a series of standardized tests, including the latest Geekbench 6 benchmark. The MacBook Neo received a multi-core score of 8,770, nearly identical to the 8,783 we recorded for the M1 MacBook Air. We also assessed its single-core performance, since that's a good measure of what we call snappiness, or how quickly it responds in everyday use. And this is where it gets interesting. The MacBook Neo achieved a single-core score of 3,484, significantly higher than most other laptops.

For reference, the Razer Blade 18 with an Intel Core i9-275HX processor scored 3,057 in single-core testing. So, it's no wonder I've been able to do a surprising amount with the A18 Pro Chip.

I was able to edit a simple, cheesy video in Final Cut Pro using the MacBook Neo without struggling against the spinning wheel of death. Even when I layered video clips on top of each other and added a series of totally unnecessary transitions, the Neo handled the tasks just fine, as you can see for yourself:

For my MacBook Neo review, I also set up multiple Apple Shortcuts to perform complex tasks. I set up one Shortcut to automatically convert raw image files into JPEGs, crop them into a 16:9 aspect ratio, auto-adjust the color balance, hue, and saturation, and then save them in a specific folder. Using this Shortcut, the Neo edited a dozen massive image files with ease in under 30 seconds.

I set up another Shortcut to automatically convert all my video files into GIFs, also without problems.

Featured Video For You Budget MacBook arrives, AI tutoring gets an upgrade, Uber launches women-only feature | Tech Today The MacBook Neo does have one big flaw The lack of Thunderbolt 4 ports is a big drawback. Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

In stress-testing the Neo, I found its kryptonite, which won't be a surprise. Because the Neo lacks a Thunderbolt 4 port, it can only offer transfer speeds of up to 10Gb/s, compared to 40Gb/s with the latest MacBook Air. Likewise, the A18 Pro chip offers 60GB/s memory bandwidth, compared to 153GB/s memory bandwidth on the M5 Air.

The A18 Pro chip offers:

• 6-core CPU (2 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores)

• 5-core GPU

• 16-core Neural Engine

The only time I encountered the spinning wheel of death? When importing or exporting large files. M-series MacBooks can multitask while doing this, but as you can see in my screen recording, the Neo really struggled to multitask while transferring large video files.

MacBook Neo battery life

Apple promises "all-day" battery life with the Neo. Specifically, the company promises up to 16 hours of battery for video streaming (and 11 hours for wireless web browsing). In our battery rundown test, we got exactly 14 hours and 50 minutes of battery performance.

If you want the MacBook Neo to last for an entire day of classes or a long travel day, I think it will be up for the challenge. And once again, it compares very favorably to Windows laptops under $1,000. In Mashable's testing database, the media battery life for this category is only 10.5 hours. So, once more, the MacBook Neo can do more for less money.

MacBook Neo: Display and speakers The headphones jack and side-firing speakers. Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

The MacBook Neo has the same Liquid Retina display tech that you'll find on the $1,099 M5 MacBook Air and other Apple laptops. (The Neo's Display is 0.9 inches smaller than the Air, however.) It can offer up to 500 nits of brightness on its 13-inch, 2,408 x 1,506 resolution display. The color, clarity, and sharpness are as impressive as ever, particularly when you compare them to the average Windows laptop in this price range. It's a premium display in a budget laptop.

The MacBook Neo isn't simply a MacBook Air with a bunch of performance sacrifices, however. Apple actually improved the speaker system for the Neo (further solidifying it in my mind as the party laptop). Apple added two side-firing speakers, which you might mistake for SD card readers at first. The result is a speaker system that's surprisingly loud, clear, and compatible with Dolby Atmos.

MacBook Neo: What's missing? The MacBook Neo has the MacBook's signature all-aluminum design. Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

The MacBook Neo does make both performance and hardware sacrifices to keep its price low, of course. Before buying the Neo, you need to understand what you're not getting:

• No 12MP Center Stage Camera (the Neo has a 1080p FaceTime HD camera)

• No True Tone technology

• No fast-charging capabilities

• No Thunderbolt 4 ports (it has one USB-C 3 and one USB-C 2 port)

• Only supports one external display

• $599 version only has 256GB of memory and no Touch ID (the $699 version has 512GB and Touch ID)

The MacBook Neo has a Magic Keyboard, but it's not backlit like you're used to. It also features a different trackpad. While it's extra-clicky, it's not quite as nice as a standard MacBook. That's hardly a breaking point, though.

Will Siri AI work with the MacBook Neo?

At WWDC 2026, Apple finally introduced Siri AI, which will be coming with macOS 27 Golden Gate. Even though the Neo lacks M-series silicon, Apple says it will be ready to support the new OS, the updated Siri, and new Apple Intelligence features.

For now, these features are only accessible on the Neo via the macOS 27 developer beta, but they will be widely available starting in the fall.

Final thoughts: Is the MacBook Neo worth it? Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

My verdict: The MacBook Neo is 100 percent worth it for budget shoppers. Unless you need a Windows laptop, it will be hard to find a Windows PC under $1,000 than can go head-to-head with the Neo.

I will continue to update this review for as long as I'm using the Neo. But as someone who works with a lot of video, photography, and AI tools, the MacBook Neo can handle quite a bit of my daily workflow. First-time buyers will also appreciate how easily it works with the iPhone and iPad. As per usual, your files can instantly sync across devices, and AirDrop fills any gaps.

As I said, if you're comparing the $599 MacBook Neo with a similarly priced Windows laptop or Chromebook, it's going to be really hard to say no to the Neo, especially as Dell, Microsoft, Lenovo, and Acer raise prices. And if you qualify for the $499 education pricing (unfortunately, Apple has cracked down on the requirements), don't overthink this one.

Apple MacBook Neo (A18 Pro, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $589.99 at Amazon
  Shop Now at Amazon Apple MacBook Neo (A18 Pro, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD) $689.99 at Amazon
  Shop Now at Amazon

UPDATE: Mar. 11, 2026, 11:18 a.m. EDT We’ve replaced one of the images in this review to correct a photo-editing mistake.

Earlier this week, Anthropic released its most powerful public model yet: Claude Fable 5. This model is the "safe" version of an even more powerful model, Mythos, that Anthropic has yet to release to the public due to potential dangers.

Just days later, the Trump administration issued an export control directive barring the use of Fable 5 from foreign nationals. As a result, Anthropic was forced to disable Fable 5 for all its customers to comply with the order.

SEE ALSO: Anthropic pulls Claude Fable 5, Mythos 5 after Trump admin order

In a statement, Anthropic said it believed the order was issued by the U.S. government to use a method to "jailbreak" Fable 5 to identify vulnerabilities. Anthropic claimed in its statement that other AI models could do the same without a bypass. The company specifically named GPT 5.5, the latest AI model from its biggest competitor, OpenAI, as one such model.

There are currently too many unknown variables to determine if this is accurate. However, Mashable was preparing a piece comparing Anthropic's Claude Fable 4 and OpenAI's GPT 5.5 prior to the Trump administration's order.

It appears the U.S. government's concerns could be related to just how powerful Claude Fable 5 appears to be, even with its safeguards.

Here's how Fable 5 stacked up against GPT 5.5.

Claude Fable 5 vs GPT 5.5: Feature set

According to Anthropic, "Fable 5’s capabilities exceed those of any model we’ve ever made generally available." 

"It is state-of-the-art on nearly all tested benchmarks of AI capability, showing exceptional performance in software engineering, knowledge work, vision, scientific research, and many other areas," Anthropic says. "The longer and more complex the task, the larger Fable 5’s lead over our other models."

When GPT 5.5 rolled out in late April, OpenAI said that the model had improved on its "agentic coding, computer use, knowledge work, and early scientific research" capabilities.

Both are very similar when it comes to their feature set and stated purpose. These aren't images or videos. generation models. These are large language models used for document analysis, data interpretation, and advanced coding and development. Both are definitely competitors when it comes to use cases.

The difference between the two competing models will be how they perform.

Claude Fable 5 vs GPT 5.5: Leaderboards and benchmarks

On the popular Arena leaderboard, Fable 5 far and away leads all of the other AI models.

Claude Fable 5 currently sits at the top of the Arena leaderboard with Claude Opus 4.7 Thinking and Claude Opus 4.8 Thinking taking the second and third spots. The top three are all Anthropic's models, with OpenAI's GPT 5.5 coming in fourth. 

Fable 5 also leads in Artificial Analysis, Simple Bench, and practically every other leaderboard that has ranked the AI model.

Credit: Anthropic

According to Anthropic's own comparison chart, when it launched Fable 5, the AI model simply blows GPT 5.5 away across multiple benchmarks, from agentic coding and knowledge work to cybersecurity.

While it may be accurate that other models can also identify these alleged vulnerabilities, perhaps the U.S. government calculated that Claude Fable 5 was just too dangerously good at it based on the data.

Claude Fable 5 vs GPT 5.5: Availability and pricing

Before Anthropic pulled Fable 5 due to the U.S. government's order, Fable 5 was available to paid subscribers on Pro, Max, Team, and seat-based Enterprise plans at no additional cost until June 22. Anthropic planned to remove Fable 5 from these plans on June 23 and temporarily move to a usage-based paid add-on model until demand for Fable 5 dissipated. 

Fable 5 was priced on its Claude API and consumption-based Enterprise plans at $10 per million input tokens and $50 per million output tokens.

Fable 5 is no longer available for any of Anthropic's users.

OpenAI has made GPT 5.5 available to OpenAI Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise users in ChatGPT and Codex. Usage-based API pricing for GPT 5.5 starts at $5 per million input tokens and $30 per million output tokens.

GPT 5.5 is currently available for OpenAI's users.

TL;DR: Live stream Germany vs. Curaçao in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free on ITVX. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup has kick-started with a number of really interesting matchups. Germany vs. Curaçao doesn't look like the most evenly-matched contest on the schedule, but anything can happen in tournament football. Germany must win to avoid embarrassment in front of the eyes of the world.

If you want to watch Germany vs. Curaçao in the 2026 FIFA World Cup from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Germany vs. Curaçao?

Germany vs. Curaçao in the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off at 1 p.m. ET on June 14. This fixture takes place at the NRG Stadium.

How to watch Germany vs. Curaçao for free

Germany vs. Curaçao in the 2026 FIFA World Cup is available to live stream for free on ITVX.

ITVX is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock ITVX to live stream the 2026 World Cup for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Germany vs. Curaçao for free 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 the UK

4. Visit ITVX

5. Watch Germany vs. Curaçao for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the 2026 World Cup without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Germany vs. Curaçao (plus more World Cup fixtures) before recovering your investment.

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

What is the best VPN for ITVX?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on ITVX, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including the UK

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream Germany vs. Curaçao in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free with ExpressVPN.

SAVE $35:97: Get three months of free access to Kindle Unlimited as part of Amazon's early Prime Day special offers. In total, that's a savings of $35.97 for the three-month duration. Current and past Kindle Unlimited members aren't eligible for this deal.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Kindle Unlimited $0 at Amazon
$35.97 Save $35.97 get 3 months for free Get Deal

Prime Day is officially on the calendar. Instead of July, Amazon is hosting Prime Day between June 23 and 26 this year, but the deals have already started. One of the best offerings applies to those who plan to spend the summer reading. Here are all the details.

For a limited time, Amazon is offering a free three-month subscription to Kindle Unlimited, which usually comes with a bill of $11.99 per month. In total, that works out to a savings of $35.97. You'll need to be new to Kindle Unlimited to be eligible for this deal, and it'll auto-renew at $11.99 per month until canceled.

You have the Kindle, but you've been waiting in a Libby line for your titles to become available. We've all been there. Instead of waiting, consider upgrading for the summer by snagging this free deal from Amazon that'll give you three months of access to nearly unlimited book titles.

SEE ALSO: Prime members can get a free e-book every month with Amazon First Reads: See the thrilling June 2026 picks

Kindle Unlimited has more than 5 million digital titles, audiobooks, and magazines. The Kindle Unlimited subscription is a bit like a library hosted by Amazon. Members can borrow up to 20 titles at a time, and magazines don't count in this title total.

If you have a Kindle, that'll be great for reading your Kindle Unlimited books, but it's not a requirement. You can use Kindle Unlimited on any device with the Kindle app. That includes your phone, tablet, computer, or any web browser. But if you're wondering, the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite is Mashable's favorite Kindle.

If you've never tried out Kindle Unlimited, but you're interested in reading more for the next three months, hop on this free deal.

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

Hotel option.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answer

SUITE

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Grey.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for June 14, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

ASHEN

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

Hurdle Word 3 hint

To sit upon.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for June 14 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for June 14, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

PERCH

Hurdle Word 4 hint

A stand.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

KIOSK

Final Hurdle hint

Part of a ship.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answer

BILGE

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

TL;DR: Live stream Sweden vs. Tunisia in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free on ITVX. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is finally here, and the start of this famous tournament has already delivered loads of huge moments. We're expecting more of the same from Sweden vs. Tunisia.

These sides will battle it out with Netherlands and Japan for places in the knockout rounds. On paper, it's a really difficult group to predict. We could see any of these four sides taking control of the group, so these opening games could prove pivotal.

If you want to watch Sweden vs. Tunisia in the 2026 FIFA World Cup from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Sweden vs. Tunisia?

Sweden vs. Tunisia in the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off at 10 p.m. ET on June 14. This fixture takes place at the Estadio BBVA.

How to watch Sweden vs. Tunisia for free

Sweden vs. Tunisia in the 2026 FIFA World Cup is available to live stream for free on ITVX.

ITVX is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock ITVX to live stream the 2026 World Cup for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Sweden vs. Tunisia for free 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 the UK

4. Visit ITVX

5. Watch Sweden vs. Tunisia for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the 2026 World Cup without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Sweden vs. Tunisia (plus more World Cup fixtures) before recovering your investment.

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

What is the best VPN for ITVX?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on ITVX, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including the UK

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream Sweden vs. Tunisia in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free with ExpressVPN.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you're from Boston.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for June 14, 2026 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Rotates

• Green: Comedic aids

• Blue: A popular children's story

• Purple: A US state

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Things that spin

• Green: Classic slapstick props

• Blue: Featured in "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland"

• Purple: What "MA" might refer to

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #1098 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Things that spin: GLOBE, GRINDSTONE, GYROSCOPE, ROULETTE WHEEL

• Classic slapstick props: BANANA PEEL, CREAM PIE, RUBBER CHICKEN, SELTZER BOTTLE

• Featured in "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland": CATERPILLAR, POCKET WATCH, RABBIT HOLE, TEA PARTY

• What "MA" might refer to: MASSACHUSETTS, MASTER OF ARTS, MILLIAMPERE, MOTHER

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for June 14, 2026

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Connections.

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you're royalty.

Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for June 14, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Peer group

The words are related to titles.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe high positions.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Nobility.

NYT Strands word list for June 14

• Duchess

• Marquess

• Baron

• Nobility

• Lady

• Viscount

• Lord

• Earl

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Strands.

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you like editing photos.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for June 14, 2026 Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for June 14, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

A brown filter.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter S.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

SEPIA

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints. Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Wordle.

It's shaping up to be quite a big summer for the big action camera brands.

GoPro recently released its new Mission 1 Pro cinema camera. Insta360 just dropped its new Luna Ultra gimbal camera. And DJI is preparing to launch its new Osmo Pocket 4 Pro gimbal camera.

However, it seems things are heating up beyond just new product launches for the latter two competitors, DJI and Insta360.

SEE ALSO: DJI Avata 360 review: How does this drone compare to the Antigravity A1? DJI sues Insta360

Earlier this week, as PetaPixel reports, DJI filed two patent lawsuits against Insta360 over the company's Luna series of cameras, such as the Insta360 Luna Pro and the new Insta360 Luna Ultra. DJI filed the suits the same day Insta350 released the new Luna Ultra for sale in the U.S.

“Insta360’s new Luna line of gimbal cameras, including but not limited to the Luna Ultra, supporting accessories, and the Insta360 mobile application (collectively, the “Accused Products”) blatantly copy DJI’s patented inventions wholesale,” says DJI

DJI is seeking a permanent injunction against Insta360, which would force the company to stop selling its Luna line of cameras, as well as monetary damages. 

The first lawsuit from DJI alleges two design patent violations from Insta360. DJI claims that Insta360 is clearly infringing on its patents by copying the design of its DJI Osmo Pocket 3 camera.  According to DJI, "the Accused Products are handheld gimbal cameras with integrated optics—the same product architecture pioneered by the DJI Osmo Pocket—and Insta360 markets them expressly as competitors to DJI’s Osmo Pocket line."

In the second lawsuit, DJI alleges that Insta360 committed four utility patent violations. The violations relate to patents covering the gimbal aspect of the camera, the tracking feature, and its operation. 

Insta360 strikes back

In response to DJI's lawsuits, Insta360 countersued, alleging five patent infringement claims against DJI.

"The company asserts that DJI infringed its patents relating to gimbal stabilization, gimbal directional control, camera smooth stabilization, telemetry overlay, and panoramic video stabilization," says Insta360.

According to Insta360, DJI is violating its patents with multiple products, such as the Osmo Pocket series, Ronin/RS series, Osmo Mobile series, and Osmo 360.

What's going on?

There's no doubt that the Insta360 Luna Ultra and the DJI Osmo Pocket 4 Pro are very similar. As DPReview points out, both cameras are marketed as handheld vlogging cameras with "two lenses and integrated gimbals, and a similar form-factor."

However, it's not the first time this year that DJI sued Insta360 over its patents. 

In March, DJI filed a lawsuit in China against Insta360, claiming that six drone-related Insta360 patents were developed by Insta360 employees who left DJI within one year. Under Chinese patent law, the timing of the employee's departure from the company and the development of the patents may mean the patents actually belong to DJI. (And it should be noted that Insta360 announced a new drone brand shortly before the Trump administration's ban on DJI drones went into effect.)

The timing of DJI's lawsuits is significant.

DJI is unable to sell its DJI Osmo Pocket 4 Pro, along with a number of its other products, such as drones, in the U.S. because the U.S government, under President Donald Trump, has classified it as a "Chinese military company."

With Insta360 launching the Luna Ultra this week, DJI is unable to actually compete with its biggest competitor in the niche gimbal camera industry that it essentially led over the years. Insta360's Luna Ultra is filling a void in the U.S. that DJI is unable to fill. In response, DJI appears to be hoping patent law could bail them out from falling behind in the U.S. market.

OpenAI is facing a multistate investigation, according to the Wall Street Journal, which reported that the company received a subpoena on Friday seeking documents related to its business practices and impact on users.

SEE ALSO: OpenAI may slash subscription prices to compete with Anthropic

The Journal, which says it viewed the subpoena from New York's attorney general, reports that investigators are asking about OpenAI's advertising practices, user engagement and retention, data handling, and how the company manages interactions with minors and senior users. The AGs are also reportedly asking about model sycophancy — a growing concern in the AI industry around chatbots that tell users what they want to hear rather than what's accurate.

An OpenAI spokesperson told the Journal the company takes the concerns seriously and plans to work constructively with the attorneys general.

What triggered the investigation isn't clear, but OpenAI has been accumulating legal and regulatory headaches for a while. Florida's attorney general opened a criminal investigation into the company in April following reports that the suspect in the 2025 Florida State University mass shooting had used ChatGPT.

The company has also faced wrongful death lawsuits tied to chatbot interactions. All of this comes just days after OpenAI filed paperwork with the SEC to go public.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.

Released in August 2025, Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.

Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move on to the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.

How to play Pips

If you've ever played dominoes, you'll have a passing familiarity with how Pips is played. As we've shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don't necessarily have to match.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for June 13, 2026

The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible — and common — for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.

Here are common examples you'll run into across the difficulty levels:

• Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.

• Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.

• Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.

• Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.

• Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.

If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for June 13, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for June 13 Pips

Greater Than (5): Everything in this space must be greater than 5. The answer is 4-6, placed vertically.

Number (7): Everything in this space must add up to 7. The answer is 4-6, placed vertically; 3-0, placed horizontally.

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 4-2, placed horizontally; 2-6, placed horizontally.

Number (11): Everything in this space must add up to 11. The answer is 2-6, placed horizontally; 5-5, placed vertically.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for June 13 Pips

Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 1-6, placed horizontally.

Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 2-6, placed horizontally; 3-1, placed horizontally.

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 1-6, placed horizontally; 3-1, placed horizontally; 4-1, placed horizontally.

Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 4-1, placed horizontally; 5-0, placed horizontally.

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 1-0, placed horizontally; 1-2, placed horizontally.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 5-0, placed horizontally; 1-0, placed horizontally; 0-4, placed horizontally.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for June 13 Pips

Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 5-3, placed horizontally.

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 5-3, placed horizontally.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 0-6, placed vertically.

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 3-0, placed horizontally.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 3-0, placed horizontally.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 0-4, placed vertically.

Equal (6): Everything in this orange space must be equal to 6. The answer is 0-6, placed vertically; 3-6, placed horizontally.

Equal (4): Everything in this red space must be equal to 4. The answer is 4-5, placed horizontally; 0-4, placed vertically; 4-3, placed vertically; 4-4, placed vertically.

Equal (5): Everything in this light blue space must be equal to 5. The answer is 4-5, placed horizontally; 5-5, placed vertically.

Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 4-2, placed horizontally.

Less Than (3): Everything in this space must be less than 3. The answer is 4-2, placed horizontally.

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 1-3, placed vertically.

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 2-2, placed vertically; 2-1, placed horizontally.

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 4-3, placed vertically.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 0-0, placed horizontally.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 0-0, placed horizontally.

Less Than (4): Everything in this space must be less than 4. The answer is 1-1, placed vertically.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Just days after rolling out its latest AI models, Anthropic has been forced to remove Claude Fable 5 and Claude Mythos 5 due to an order from the Trump administration barring foreign use.

Anthropic pulled the AI models on Friday evening after sharing a statement about the U.S. government issuing an export control directive "to suspend all access to Fable 5 and Mythos 5 by any foreign national, whether inside or outside the United States, including foreign national Anthropic employees." 

SEE ALSO: OpenAI and the White House have competing visions for regulating artificial intelligence

As a result, Anthropic has disabled Fable 5 and Mythos 5 for all its customers in order to ensure compliance with the government's order. 

This order is the latest development in the ongoing feud between the Trump administration and Anthropic. Earlier this year, the U.S. government designated Anthropic as a "supply-chain risk" to national security. The dispute began after Anthropic requested a guarantee that its AI technology wouldn't be used for mass surveillance or for certain weapons of war, following the signing of a $200 million contract with the government. 

Anthropic says it received the export control directive order from the U.S. government on Friday at 5:21pm ET. The company says the Trump administration cited national security authorities as the reason for the order barring foreign use of the AI models. However, the letter did not include any specifics about the national security concerns from the government. 

The AI company says that it believes the government is aware of a method to "jailbreak" Fable 5. Anthropic says it "reviewed a demonstration of this specific technique being used to identify a small number of previously known, minor vulnerabilities." 

However, Anthropic is describing these vulnerabilities as "relatively simple" and it says other AI models, such as OpenAI’s GPT-5.5, are able to discover these vulnerabilities as well without requiring a bypass.

Anthropic's Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5 are promoted as its most powerful models yet. Anthropic rolled out Fable 5 to the public earlier this week. Fable 5 is a version of its Mythos model, which has been deemed too "dangerous" to launch to the public, with safety guardrails built in. In addition, Anthropic also released Claude Mythos 5, but only to its trusted test partners.

However, both models are now unavailable following the Trump administration's directive.

Taskmasters Alex Horne and Greg Davies are no strangers to discomfort. In fact, they've made quite a career creating scenarios, or tasks, placing the funniest people in the world in the most uncomfortable situations to create hilarious television. Horne and Davies recently sat down with Mashable Executive Producer, Mark Stetson, to dive deep into Series 21: the pranks, Kumail Nanjiani being brave sharing his internet history, and defining once and for all the true definition of a worm.

The premiere episode of Taskmaster Series 21 kicked off with a task challenging the contestants to find a worm and bring it to Alex Horne for points. This task sparked much online debate as to whether or not some of the contestants actually found an acceptable worm. Amy Gledhill and Kumail found mealworms while Joel Dommett presented the Taskmaster with a gummy word he procured from the kitchen. Finally, Armando Iannucci made the case that his being "a bookworm" would suffice. Davies "caught a lot of flack online" due to his decision to accept all of these as "worms." His response, probably won't surprise any fans of the show:

"What those people don't realize is that every bit of flack makes me more powerful. It's absolutely what keeps me going. I'm actually 150 years of age, and it's purely because every time I make a call that might not be accurate and people get cross about it, I'm fueled. I take the game very seriously. But we're we're not dealing with life or death here. And the definition of a worm will not haunt me."

Davies and Horne also reminisced about bringing back the crowd-favorite, Prank Task, with Joel Dommett this series. Tasking Joel with keeping an egg with Greg's face on it safe for the entirety of the series, Joel was unaware that he was the only one given that task until the studio tapings. "You'll notice he was in no way aggrieved," mused Greg. "And I found that remarkable because, you know, my feeling was if it had been done to me, I would be incandescent at the reveal. But he's like, 'Okay, I guess that's life.' Adorable." It wasn't until the final taping, that the other contestants joined in as well. "He really didn't know the others had their eggs, so he was so touched by that."

When asked what moment from Series 21 was most surprising, the Horne's answer was very clear: "It was Kumail being brave." Kumail shocked the Taskmaster community by voluntarily allowing Horne to see his online browsing history. A search that revealed such patterns as, "Ghostbusters, watch porn, and Bluesky," sent gasps throughout the studio.

"I was one of the gaspers," disclosed Davies.

The entire Taskmaster Series 21 is now live on the Taskmaster YouTube Channel.

Amazon is hosting its 2026 Prime Day sale from June 23 to 26 instead of mid-July like usual, throwing the summer retail calendar for a loop. What gives?

The company isn't sharing many details about its reasoning. But based on what it has said, and what it's prioritizing lately, it's fairly easy to deduce an answer: There's a lot happening this July already, and shoppers will want to stock up for the festivities.

"This year, we have the [FIFA] World Cup," Jamil Ghani, worldwide VP of Amazon Prime, told Reuters earlier this month. The international soccer tournament, which is being hosted across North America this year, runs through July 19.

SEE ALSO: Prime Day is less than 2 weeks away: Here are 20+ early deals to start shopping now

"We've got also the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence [on July 4]," Ghani added, "and so we thought ​this week [in late June] was the best week for us to hold Prime Day."

An Amazon spokesperson previously told Mashable that the company "felt holding the event earlier in the summer was the right choice for our customers." When asked how an earlier Prime Day would benefit shoppers, exactly, they declined to elaborate. But as Reuters pointed out, Amazon is likely positioning its June Prime Day as an opportunity to save on groceries and household goods for July's celebrations.

A bigger focus on grocery savings

Grocery delivery has become a massive part of Amazon's business. In January, the company said it was the second-largest grocer in the U.S., with everyday essentials now representing one out of every three units it sells online. Amazon introduced same-day delivery of fresh foods in thousands of U.S. cities last August. And earlier this month, it expanded its 30-minute delivery service for groceries and essentials in dozens of locations.

Prime member benefits include free same-day grocery delivery on orders over $25, exclusive discounts at Whole Foods (which Amazon also owns), and 5% cash back on groceries with a Prime Visa card. Notably, Amazon is running a free grocery sweepstakes ahead of Prime Day 2026.

SEE ALSO: Order from Amazon and you could win free groceries for a year Amazon has shifted Prime Day's schedule before

Technically, this isn't the first time Prime Day has fallen outside of its regular time frame since it launched in 2015. Back in 2020, Amazon pushed its members-only sale to October because of supply chain issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The following year, it moved up Prime Day to late June — its earliest slot thus far — before returning it to July from 2022 to 2025.

Amazon had similar reasons for moving Prime Day to June in 2021. CFO Brian Olsavsky cited "a number of factors" for the shift in an earnings call that year, per ZDNet, including July being "a big vacation month" and the timing of the 2020 Olympics, which had been rescheduled to that summer.

Olsavsky framed the 2021 June move as a test at the time. "It might be better ... for customers, sellers, and vendors to experiment with a different time period," he said. That seemed to have panned out: Prime members "shopped more and saved more" on Prime Day 2021 than any Prime Day prior, per a company earnings report.

Prime Day 2021 also saw record-breaking sales for third-party sellers on Amazon, but its earlier timing probably wasn't the only contributing factor. Amazon funded a "Spend $10, Get $10" promotion on products sold by small businesses that year.

Other major retailers usually run their own sales alongside Prime Day in mid-July, and this year, they've all adjusted their calendars accordingly. Walmart is hosting a Summer Deals event from June 22 to 28; Target is having a Circle Week Deal Days sale from June 23 to 26; and Best Buy is running a Tech Fest sale from June 22 to June 28.

Jalen Brunson's postgame comments are increasingly being treated like life advice.

After the Knicks completed their historic 29-point comeback in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, commentator Shaquille O'Neal asked the obvious question: When the team was down by nearly 30 points, did any doubt creep into his mind?

Most athletes would have given some version of the standard answer. No doubt. No fear. We believed the entire time.

Brunson went a different direction.

"I thought about it," he replied. "You're allowed to think about the worst possible scenario, but you gotta go out there and do something about it."

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The quote quickly spread across social media, because it felt deeply on-brand for Brunson. Fans praised his mentality. Others framed it as a lesson in leadership or resilience. Once again, the internet became fascinated by Jalen Brunson's mindset.

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This isn't exactly new. For years, fans and creators have treated Brunson's approach to basketball as something worth studying. Following the Knicks' stunning Game 4 comeback, TikTok creator @duttybwoys described Brunson as someone who plays "like he's always down 30 even if he's up 50," arguing that years of being overlooked have given him a mentality that sets him apart from other stars, like Spurs golden boy Victor Wembanyama. "Brunson plays like he has to take greatness for himself, because he knows nobody will give it to him," he said.

It's a compelling theory. But I have another one. Jalen Brunson, born Aug. 31, 1996, is a Virgo. And the more I thought about his answer to Shaq's question, the more it sounded like peak Virgo behavior. Say what you want about astrology, but sometimes the stars absolutely nail it.

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The stereotype of Virgos is that they're perfectionists, but I think that misses the point. (I'm saying this as a Virgo myself.) Virgos aren't blindly optimistic people who never think about what could go wrong. If anything, they're usually imagining every possible thing that could go wrong. The difference is that they immediately move into problem-solving mode.

That's essentially what Brunson described. The Knicks captain didn't say he never considered losing. He didn't claim he was immune to doubt. He admitted that the thought crossed his mind, then immediately pivoted to action.

Think about the worst-case scenario. Now figure out what needs to be done.

It's the same mentality that has come to define Brunson's career. A recent New York Times article explored how Brunson still draws motivation from being selected in the second round of the 2018 NBA draft, despite becoming one of the NBA's elite point guards. Even after transforming the Knicks into real championship contenders, Brunson continues operating with the mindset of someone who has another level to reach.

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That relentless self-improvement has made him one of basketball's most reliable stars. His game is built on preparation, discipline, consistency, and attention to detail rather than flash — all pretty classic Virgo traits. He approaches basketball like a problem to solve, which is why the internet keeps treating his quotes like motivational wisdom.

People hear leadership and resilience. They hear a blueprint for handling pressure. Virgos hear someone openly acknowledging the worst possible outcome before immediately creating an action plan. Where the internet sees a philosophy, Virgos see a checklist.

Brunson isn't the only Knick being interpreted through an astrological lens. Following the team's historic Game 4 comeback, astrologer and creator Chani Nicholas shared a video analyzing the Knicks' birth chart as if the franchise itself were a person.

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Nicholas pointed to the recent Venus-Jupiter conjunction boosting the team's natal Saturn — Saturn being associated with discipline and delayed gratification — and an eclipse-like quality in the chart that suggested the team was capable of pulling off seemingly impossible feats. As she put it, a "wildcard is baked into their identity," and "they eclipse everything."

In other words, there are already people looking to the stars for an explanation of how the Knicks keep pulling this off.

The nightmare that can be modern dating proves a strong jumping-off point for a film involving a blind date that ends up in the path of a cold-blooded murderer. It's a real mood-killer. Set over one snowy night in a tiny town in British Columbia, Canada, All Night Wrong thrusts two ordinary people into extraordinary, frankly terrifying, often hilarious circumstances — the type that really bond, people, you know?

Directed by Jason James and written by Jason Filiatrault, All Night Wrong leans into the surrealism of such wild events through the art of genre-mashing, where indie rom-com meets neo-noir. Here, we find two romantic leads you'll genuinely barrack for: Severance's Zach Cherry and The Apprentice’s Maria Bakalova, whose quest for one night of fun gets them into all sorts of trouble. Together.

SEE ALSO: 'Savage House' review: Hosting an important dinner? Prepare for battle.

All Night Wrong holds all the characteristics of a sweet romantic comedy (or "platon-com," as Cherry referred to it onstage at its SXSW London premiere, keeping things on the platonic side). It's a formula. Two people turn up to a blind date. Things escalate. Hijinks ensue. However, the film takes a thrilling turn into myriad other genres, with compelling performances, unexpected action sequences, and a core mystery the characters can't help investigating to the end. And that body needs to be buried.

All Night Wrong wears its cinematic influences on its bloody sleeve. Always time for a meal while running from a killer... Credit: Goodbye Productions

James' film starts where all good rom-coms start: two strangers on a date, awkwardly getting to know each other. Cherry's Gary is a painfully polite, unpretentious guy with a sensitive heart. Bakalova's Eli is an unpredictable, dynamic woman who's just here to have some fun. When they decide to get out of here and make for a dodgy roadside motel, things seem to be escalating. However, just like in Martin Scorsese's After Hours, things get weird, and Gary's keen to take himself home. And with all the accidental witness stakes of Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot, Gary and Eli make discoveries they can't unsee.

Now, there's the tiny issue of a stolen car, a dead body, a suitcase full of money, a mysterious woman in distress (an atmospheric wild card in Emily Hampshire), and a killer on their path (an outlandishly good Tyler Labine) — all of which they'll have to contend with if they don't want to end up in jail or six feet under. And they just wanted to have a night out! 

All Night Wrong is near impossible to pin down, genre-wise, seamlessly mashing up elements of '80s road thrillers The Hitcher and Blood Simple to up the tension, while leaning into '30s screwball comedies like It Happened One Night for sweeter moments of connection. It's a film as playful as it is bloody, with a perfectly threatening Labine finding his own No Country for Old Men-style pre-kill monologues with utter conviction, as a tired, jaded man who just can't understand why anyone would want to live in freezing cold Canada.

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Despite being set in the present, Tiana P. Gordon's production design is the stuff of '70s and '80s small-town dreams, from the dingy, heart-themed Lido Motel to the fluorescent-lit petrol station Gasoline Alley. Director of photography Byron Kopman deploys dreamy slow zooms to amplify the unease or romance of scenes, though he's also equipped with an arsenal of fast zooms for comedic effect. One of the unsung characters of the film is the music, with a grimy synthwave score woven between the film's Canadian '70s and '80s hair metal needle drops, the ultimate effect being an endless night, stuck in time. 

Zach Cherry and Maria Bakalova are perfect rom-com leads in All Night Wrong

Like modern versions of Jeff Daniels and Melanie Griffith in Something Wild, these two complete opposites find themselves careening around town trying to piece together this increasingly dangerous puzzle, finding their True Romance-level confidence along the way. 

Cherry brings delightfully flustered good intentions to Gary, constantly wringing his hands with real "I've got a bad feeling about this" energy, while Bakalova shines as utter "live a little" chaos in her silk bomber jacket. Their contrasting dynamic propels them further down a road of no return, and as bumbling amateur sleuths, they're a delight to watch. Eli is a fearless rookie investigator fuelled by a need for closure while Gary, who admittedly watches a lot of cop shows, tentatively enters rooms declaring, "I'm a good person! I collect action figures!" to avoid injury. Both of them leave their fingerprints over everything, especially murder weapons that could incriminate them, and make more than a few terrible decisions.

However, as the film progresses, we learn more about just why Gary and Eli came here at all, to a random bar on a dark winter's night, for one evening of throwing caution to the wind. Why is breaking and entering easier for Gary than confronting his real-life problems? Why does Eli need to solve this mystery and deliver a final message of love from a dying man? As the film's dialogue says, "You should get to know the person you're burying a body with." And even though they just met, they might surprise each other.

All Night Wrong makes the case that strangers might see us more clearly than we see ourselves; carrying years of emotional baggage can make self-reflection foggy. Over one wild night, Gary and Eli learn what they're capable of and what they deserve in a relationship, whether it be romantic or platonic. Somehow, somehow this is the lesson I took from this film, one that includes multiple scenes involving grisly violence with garden shed tools and cassette tapes blasting Canadian '80s hair metal. Seems right.

All Night Wrong was reviewed out of SXSW London, with North American release dates to be announced.

Later this year, assuming nothing goes wrong, Apple and Samsung will officially be competitors in the realm of foldable devices. What will that look like?

It's hard to say at this point because neither the iPhone Fold nor the Galaxy Z Fold 8 has officially been announced yet. It's widely expected that Apple will unveil its first foldable in September alongside the iPhone 18, while Samsung is said to be planning a July 22 launch for its next batch of foldables. In the meantime, we have a decent number of rumors and leaks that paint enough of a picture for us to compare these two devices prior to their unveilings.

SEE ALSO: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: What we know so far iPhone Fold vs. Galaxy Z Fold 8: Design differences

While these two devices will technically be competitors, they won't necessarily look or feel the same, according to everything we've heard. To be more specific, Apple and Samsung are going to adopt entirely different display form factors in these two book-style foldables, at least if every leak is to be believed.

For starters, it's expected that Samsung will retain the Z Fold 7's display sizes with a few minor changes. That means it'll probably have a 6.5-inch outer display and an 8-inch inner display when unfolded. When it was released, the Z Fold 7 was the best foldable we'd ever tested up to that point (and might still be), especially thanks to its extreme thinness. It measured in at 8.9mm when folded and a mere 4.2mm when unfolded. One Korean news report indicated the Z Fold 8 could actually be slightly lighter than the Fold 7, so it could be downsized even more.

Backing up all of this was a leaked image of some dummy cases posted by prominent leaker Sonny Dickson earlier this year. One of them is clearly meant to be a successor to the Z Fold 7.

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As for the iPhone Fold (which is also rumored to be named the iPhone Ultra or iPhone Ultra Fold), Apple is taking a different approach with screen real estate. Reported specs include a 7.8-inch inner display with a 4:3 aspect ratio and a 5.5-inch outer display. In other words, it's a shorter, wider phone than Z Fold devices. Apple's foldable will also reportedly be a little thicker, at 9.5mm of thickness when folded and 4.5mm when unfolded. This is all backed up by dummy case photos posted recently by Majin Bu on X.

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Given the success Samsung and others have found with the traditional book-style design over the past few years, it's interesting that Apple is going with something that's more squat and book-shaped in comparison. We're not the only ones who have noticed, as Samsung is reportedly planning a Z Fold 8 Wide model that will go head-to-head with the iPhone Fold.

Don't forget about the all-but-confirmed Galaxy Z Fold Wide

We'd be remiss not to mention the rumored "Wide Fold" phone Samsung is working on. According to various leaks and rumors, it would have similar dimensions to the iPhone Fold, perhaps making it a more direct competitor to that device.

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Some reports have even suggested that the wider phone will be called Z Fold 8, while the successor device to the Z Fold 7 will adopt the "Z Fold 8 Ultra" moniker. For now, we're operating as if the taller, skinnier phone is the Z Fold 8, simply because it's more like the Z Fold 7. If Samsung does indeed go along with this very confusing name change, we'll accept it, begrudgingly.

We should also note that if the rumors are true, Samsung will have a flip-phone style Z Flip 8, a tablet-style Z Fold 8, and a new, book-style Z Fold Wide. That means Android users will have a trio of options for foldable form factors, whereas iOS users will be limited to a single option.

SEE ALSO: New video of Huawei Pura X Max Wide shows what iPhone Fold could look like iPhone Fold vs. Galaxy Z Fold 8: Other rumored differences The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 was remarkably thin. Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

As for other differences you can expect between the Z Fold 8 and the iPhone Fold, many of them are either very minor or are educated guesses. For example, we can say with some confidence that the iPhone Fold will run on iOS 27, while the Z Fold 8 will run on Android. That one is easy.

We don't have official price points for these phones yet, but neither of them will be cheap. It's expected that the iPhone Fold will cost somewhere between $2,000 and $2,500. Meanwhile, last year's Z Fold 7 was $2,000, a $100 price increase over the year before. Given the state of RAMageddon, one has to imagine that Samsung might have another price increase set for the Z Fold 8, though that hasn't been confirmed yet. These two devices might cost around the same amount of money, but it won't be a small amount, either way.

One other interesting difference to note is that Apple is apparently only planning two rear cameras for the iPhone Fold, while the Z Fold 8 is said to have three, just like the Z Fold 7 did. One report said Samsung will include a 200MP main shooter, a 50MP ultrawide lens, and a 12MP telephoto lens with the Z Fold 8. Meanwhile, the iPhone Fold is said to have two 48MP shooters on the back. Megapixel counts only amount to so much, so we'll need to do some proper testing before we say which camera array is better.

As for batteries, leaker Instant Digital said in February that the iPhone Fold would have the biggest battery capacity in iPhone history, though they didn't share a specific numerical size. Meanwhile, the Z Fold 7's biggest disappointment was its 4,400mAh battery, so it's encouraging to hear from the same Korean news report that told us the Z Fold 8 would be lighter that it will have a much bigger 5,000mAh cell inside of it.

It won't be long now before we have more information about both of these devices. By the end of September, we should be able to do a full, official comparison, so stay tuned.

SEE ALSO: If you want a Motorola foldable, it's the Razr Ultra or bust

The other night, I was swiping through Bumble, and I came across a profile that made me laugh: "Not hot enough to have no bio." But, here's my take: No one is too hot to make a total absence of effort look enticing. Even celebrities on Raya have bios (even if it's just one sentence).

If there's one thing guaranteed to make me swipe left immediately, it's when someone has patently put zero effort into their dating app profile. But, swiping on the apps, I see it all the time — a Hinge profile full of prompts, each completed with one lone punctuation mark: "." Or a solitary emoji. I see Bumble, Tinder, and Feeld profiles left blank — sometimes with only one photo as an accompaniment (talk about heavy lifting!).

SEE ALSO: Dating app rejects AI trend as singles say it makes dating 'less authentic'

I get that it takes a bit of time to put some thought into responding to the prompts or crafting a witty bio. But that's the only real way to show prospective matches a bit of personality. Photos can only take you so far.

I don't care how good-looking you are. How cool you look in your photos. How tall you are or how good your job is. No bio, no swipe right. Your profile is your chance to show who you truly are.

But it's not just about showing off your stellar personality and unparalleled wit. It's about demonstrating that you're willing to invest. "The profile itself is one of the earliest relationship skills that a person will demonstrate," says Janee Young, licensed therapist and clinical director of Wellness Detox of LA.

What no dating app bio says about you

The amount of effort you put into your profile is very telling, in my view. If you can't be bothered to answer simple prompts or to write even one sentence for a bio, what does that tell me about the kind of partner you would be? Seeing those incomplete prompts or the empty bio, I ask myself: If I were in a relationship with this person, would they remember to buy me a birthday card? Would they put effort into our relationship? Would they do kind and thoughtful gestures without being prompted? Would they meet my needs?

It's perfectly possible that, despite your unfinished profile, you'd actually make a great partner. In which case, you're doing yourself a disservice by not taking the 5-10 minutes, tops, to write a little bit about yourself. First impressions count. So, show us who you actually are, rather than letting us make assumptions based on what's not on your profile.

Paul Brunson, Tinder’s global relationship expert, says, "When you leave your bio blank, you're missing an opportunity to connect."

"It doesn't offer a sense of who you are, and makes it harder for people to start a conversation," he adds. The same rule applies to relying on one emoji in your bio. As Brunson says, it "forces the other person to make assumptions, and makes it feel like work."

"A simple, genuine line about yourself or what you're looking for goes much further. A little effort at this stage will go a long way to creating better connections," he adds.

Sixty-one percent of daters on Hinge say they want to look at someone's profile and gauge what a partnership with a potential match would look like, the app emailed Mashable. That means users are looking to learn details about lifestyle, interests, and hobbies.

Avoid negative comments in your bio

As well as empty bios, I've also seen people write negative (and sometimes ignorant) things in theirs. Comments like "no drama please," "looking for someone sane," or "no pronouns please" are straight-up red flags, in my view.

I've also seen bios bemoaning dating culture, or making fun of clichés in people's bios or messages.

"Please don't message me asking about my weekend," or "Does anyone even message on here?" Brunson says he understands why people do this, but "leading with negativity almost never gets you the results you want." He adds: "A profile should draw people in, not push them away."

SEE ALSO: Hinge officially launches a badge that signals good dating behavior

"Think of your bio as the handshake before the conversation — you want it to be warm, inviting, and confident," he says. "You want someone to feel comfortable messaging you, not worried they'll say the wrong thing. So focus on setting expectations through clarity and positivity, not restrictions and bad vibes."

Why photos alone are not enough

What do therapists say about the habit of leaving your profile blank?

"Leaving your profile blank means that you are requiring the other user to take a leap, while you are unwilling to take said leap yourself," says Brian Lutz, licensed therapist and chief clinical officer at Blume Behavioral Health.

"The amount of effort you put into your initial introduction will provide the other person with information about your emotional availability, reflective of your seriousness about this process and respect for their time," he adds.

Young echoes this. "When individuals create blank profiles, they typically expect their photos alone will provide enough information about themselves to others viewing their profiles," she says.

"Blank profiles also require other individuals (the 'other' party) to perform unnecessary emotional labor," she adds. "When an individual cannot discern another person's personality, intent(s), lifestyle choices, etc., they are far more likely to assign those characteristics based upon their own perceptions, which can result in incompatibility and ultimately mismatches."

Give us something to talk about

Don't forget, we're also living in the age of dating app fatigue. We're dealing with constant unmatching, ghosting, and unanswered opening messages. Daters (myself included) are frustrated by the absence of actual conversation going on in their inboxes. So, why make it harder for someone to start a chat with you? Giving nothing away in your bio basically makes it impossible to come up with a decent icebreaker. Believe me, I've tried. To those frustrated with the constant "hey, how are you?" openers on the apps, ask yourself if your profile has any conversation starters. Please don't make me send another "nice moustache" message.

So, if you're reading this and thinking, "Oops, guilty as charged," I beseech you: just give your profile a sprinkle of personality, a light dusting of detail, a pinch of wit. Your matches will thank you for it. And your profile will have that certain je ne sais quoi that'll make prospective dates think: "Immediate swipe right."

TL;DR: Amazon is currently offering a four-month free trial of Amazon Music Unlimited for new subscribers — a $47.96 value. The offer runs through June 29 and includes ad-free music and podcasts, plus one monthly Audible audiobook.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Music Unlimited Get 4 months free Get Deal

Amazon's early Prime Day deals are rolling in, and the retailer is cutting prices left and right on everything from small kitchen appliances to streaming subscriptions, including Amazon Music Unlimited.

SEE ALSO: Prime Day is less than 2 weeks away: Here are 20+ early deals to start shopping now

Right now, new subscribers can get four months of Amazon Music Unlimited for free. (The standard free trial is only good for a month, so this is a pretty sweet deal.) You'll get access to 100 million songs (ad-free), along with HD and spatial audio streams. Plus, you get to pick one free audiobook from the Audible catalog every single month.

Since this is an introductory offer, it's only available to first-time Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers. Once the four-month trial ends, the subscription auto-renews at $11.99 a month if you have Prime, or $12.99 a month if you don't.

If you just want the free streaming and don't plan on keeping it long-term, you can go into your Amazon Music settings and cancel the auto-renewal before you ever get charged. (We won't tell!) Just make sure to claim the promo before it expires on June 29 at 8:00 a.m. PST.