Mashable

South Park goes right for President Donald Trump's jugular in the first episode of Season 27.

The episode sees Trump in bed with Satan, a callback to 1999's South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, which featured Satan in a relationship with Saddam Hussein.

"You remind me more and more of this other guy I used to date," Satan tells Trump. "Like, a lot. Like, you guys are exactly alike."

SEE ALSO: Stephen Colbert has a blunt response to Trump gloating over his show's cancellation

South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone don't stop there, though. They also show Trump as having a micropenis and mention rumors of him being on the "Epstein list."

The Season 27 premiere also skewers Paramount's $16 million settlement with Trump over a lawsuit in which Trump alleged that a 60 Minutes interview with Vice President Kamala Harris contained "deceitful" editing. (CBS News itself called the suit "completely without merit.") In the episode, the town of South Park protests against Trump. In retaliation, Trump sues the town, forcing them to pay Trump a considerable sum and produce a number of pro-Trump PSAs as part of a settlement.

The PSA shown at the end of the episode is extra-NSFW, showing an AI deepfake of Trump taking off his clothes in the desert. Once he's fully naked, his penis pops up and states, "I'm Donald J. Trump, and I endorse this message."

The PSA's voiceover declares: "His penis is teeny tiny, but his love for us is large."

Trump's White House is decidedly unhappy about the episode. According to Rolling Stone, a Trump adviser who has long been a fan of the series found it "disappointing."

In a statement sent to Variety, Rolling Stone, and The Hollywood Reporter among other outlets, White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said: "The Left’s hypocrisy truly has no end — for years they have come after South Park for what they labeled as 'offense' (sic) content, but suddenly they are praising the show. Just like the creators of South Park, the Left has no authentic or original content, which is why their popularity continues to hit record lows."

Hours before South Park Season 27 premiered, Paramount reached a five-year deal with Parker and Stone for 50 new episodes on Comedy Central and a streaming partnership with Paramount+. The deal is valued at $1.5 billion.

South Park's takedown of Trump and specifically the Paramount settlement comes a little over a week after Stephen Colbert ripped into that same settlement on The Late Show. He called it a "big, fat bribe" meant to encourage the approval of a merger between Skydance Media and Paramount, which owns CBS. Days later, The Late Show was cancelled, although CBS claimed it was "purely a financial decision."

However, South Park thinks otherwise. Towards the end of the episode, Jesus Christ himself encourages South Park's citizens to settle with Trump, asking them, "Do you really want to end up like Colbert?"

Surprise: We're getting another new Nintendo console this year (sort of). On July 23, Lego unveiled a new Nintendo Game Boy building set that's a near 1:1 recreation of the classic handheld gaming system from 1989. It's priced at $59.99, making it $20 cheaper than the Switch 2's signature launch game.

You can preorder the Lego Game Boy set now at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart ahead of its formal release this fall. It was initially available directly through the Lego Store, too, but preorders sold out there early Thursday morning, according to @Wario64, a social media account that tracks video game deals and drops.

Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Super Mario Game Boy $59.99 at Amazon
Pre-order Here

The set contains 421 pieces, including bits for the Game Boy's control pad, buttons, and volume and contrast dials. Lego also throws in interchangeable Game Paks for The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening and Super Mario Land. You even swap out the Lego Game Boy's screen to display its start screen or a 2D screencap from one of the aforementioned game cartridges.

Credit: Lego

"Designed for people who enjoy hands-on creative activities, this is part of a large assortment of Lego sets for adult designers and with step-by-step instructions newcomers to Lego can also enjoy the challenge," said Lego and Nintendo in a joint press release.

Credit: Lego

Initially teased on Instagram back in January, the brickified Game Boy marks yet another entry in Lego's Super Mario series made in partnership with Nintendo, which kicked off in 2020 with a 2,646-piece Nintendo NES build. (Lego has since retired that set, but Amazon is still selling it at an upcharge.) Other recent releases from the series include a trio of Mario Kart Lego sets that shoot turtle shells, which had Mashable's Timothy Beck Worth asking, "Where were these when I was growing up?"

The Lego Game Boy is set for release on Wednesday, October 1, making it another great holiday gifting option.

Where to preorder the Lego Game Boy: Amazon Lego Super Mario Game Boy $59.99 Pre-Order Here Best Buy Lego Super Mario Game Boy $59.99 Pre-Order Here Walmart Lego Super Mario Game Boy $59.99 Pre-Order Here

UPDATE: Jul. 24, 2025, 5:15 p.m. EDT The Lego Game Boy is no longer available for preorder directly through the Lego Store. However, Best Buy and Walmart's listings for it are now live. We've updated this story accordingly.

Thousands of educational institutions that use popular ed-tech platform Canvas to assign coursework, score tests, and design lesson plans will soon receive even more AI features in coming months.

Part of a series of industry-wide collaborations, the platform's parent company, Instructure, has signed on to a new partnership with OpenAI, an initiative that will see the learning software leverage OpenAI's tech to build out more AI experiences for users.

SEE ALSO: The FDA's new drug-approving AI chatbot is not helping

Teachers, for example, will gain access to AI-powered personalization, feedback, and assessment data, the companies explain. "Routine and low-value tasks," will be automated, and students will experience more "personalized, adaptable learning journeys" with additional assignment and evaluation interactions with its AI.

Canvas' first collaboratively designed AI tool is a new "LLM-Enabled Assignment" feature, an additional assignment option for teachers that lets them create a classroom chatbot experience for students, customizing how students interact with, receive learning objectives from, and prompt the GPT-like tool. Teachers can then use insights from the LLM to evaluate student submissions. "This feature provides a meaningful way to teach students how to use these tools responsibly and effectively, all within a high-quality pedagogical framework that encourages critical thinking and supports higher-order skills," said Shiren Vijiasingam, chief product officer at Instructure.

Anthropic, makers of chatbot Claude, announced an integration with Canvas' Learning Tools Interoperability in June, which lets students use Claude directly in the Canvas platform while doing coursework — users will still be able to enable Claude (and other integrated tools) alongside the OpenAI partnership. Across the board, AI's biggest players have chosen to invest heavily in the technology's educational applications, including teacher tools, student skill building, and a free, nationwide training program for educators in partnership with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).

“This collaboration with OpenAI showcases our ambitious vision: creating a future-ready ecosystem that fosters meaningful learning and achievement at every stage of education" wrote Instructure CEO Steve Daly. "This is a significant step forward for the education community as we continuously amplify the learning experience and improve student outcomes."

President Donald Trump is siding with tech companies in the hotly contested AI copyright battle.

On Wednesday, the president outlined his AI Action Plan in remarks at the AI Summit, an event hosted by the All-In podcast and the Hill and Valley Forum. In announcing the plan, Trump called for a "common-sense application" of AI and intellectual property rules (starting at minute 19:48 in the video).

"You can't be expected to have a successful AI program when every single article, book, or anything else that you've read or studied, you're supposed to pay for," the president said. "When a person reads a book or an article, you've gained great knowledge. That does not mean that you're violating copyright laws or have to make deals with every content provider." Notably, he also said, "China’s not doing it."

The rhetoric reflects the stance big tech companies like Meta and OpenAI have taken when it comes to AI model training and copyright infringement.

AI companies say copyright law is slowing them down

A fierce legal debate is raging that pits copyright holders against AI companies. Authors, musicians, and artists have sued OpenAI, Meta, Anthropic, and others, claiming the use of their creative works (some of which were pirated) as training data is copyright infringement. For instance, in its suit against Midjourney, Disney called the AI image generator "a bottomless pit of plagiarism." However, AI companies claim they are protected by the fair use doctrine, which allows the unlicensed use of copyrighted works in specific circumstances.

In its March recommendations for development of an AI Action Plan, Meta said, "the Administration should clarify that the use of publicly available data to train models is unequivocally fair use." OpenAI similarly argued that "applying the fair use doctrine to AI is not only a matter of American competitiveness — it’s a matter of national security," in their submitted recommendations. Companies like OpenAI have claimed they need the green light to use copyrighted works without consent to win the AI race against China.

SEE ALSO: Trump's AI Action Plan revives regulation showdown between states, feds

As part of its AI Action Plan, the White House also issued a trio of executive orders about AI, which Trump signed after giving his remarks. There was no explicit mention of copyright issues or fair use in these orders, but Trump's comments clearly signal that the administration is siding with big tech on this issue. The action plan also calls for easing regulations on tech companies in general. "To maintain global leadership in AI, America’s private sector must be unencumbered by bureaucratic red tape," said the AI Action Plan.

Fact check: You do have to pay for knowledge

Trump's comments about not having to pay for gaining knowledge is actually a common argument. Tech companies have claimed that because their AI models are generally learning from the data, they are not subject to copyright laws.

However, many copyright lawyers disagree.

"When the president raises the difficulty of paying for every 'single article, book, or anything else,' – that’s legit," said Justin Hughes, a law professor at Loyola Law School. "But nothing in that is inconsistent with the AI companies licensing large repositories of copyrighted materials – as they are doing, AI companies reaching settlements with certified classes of copyright owners in litigation – as they should, and AI companies paying exemplary damages when they rapaciously copy stuff without permission."

In a previous interview with Mashable about the Kadrey v. Meta case, Hughes also pointed out that "people pay to learn and they have to buy copies of books to learn."

Dozens of AI copyright cases are making their way through the courts right now. AI blog ChatGPT Is Eating the World counts 47 active cases. Recently, Anthropic and Meta both won their fair use rulings, but the judge presiding over the Meta case had this to say: "As should now be clear, this ruling does not stand for the proposition that Meta’s use of copyrighted materials to train its language models is lawful," and even postulated that "it will be illegal to copy copyright-protected works to train generative AI models without permission."

It's unclear how Trump's copyright remarks will turn into concrete action. But he seems to be out of sync with the U.S. Copyright Office's position on AI training and fair use, according to a pre-publication version of its AI Copyright Report. That report concluded that fair use likely doesn't provide a blanket exception for AI companies using copyrighted works. In Congress, Senators Josh Hawley and Richard Blumenthal recently introduced a bipartisan bill that would ban AI companies from training on copyrighted works and allow people to sue tech companies for the use of their personal data for model training.

And then there's the possibility that Trump's stance might change, as Hughes theorized. "I think the president may feel very differently if and when he learns about AI companies training on episodes of The Apprentice without paying a dime."

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.

President Donald Trump says that "woke AI" is a pressing threat to truth and independent thought. Critics say his plan to combat so-called woke AI represents a threat to freedom of speech and potentially violates the First Amendment.

The term has taken on new significance since the president outlined The White House's AI Action Plan on Wednesday, July 23, part of a push to secure American dominance in the fast-growing artificial intelligence sector.

The AI Action Plan informs a trio of executive orders:

• Promoting the Export of the American AI Technology Stack

• Accelerating Federal Permitting of Data Center Infrastructure

• Preventing Woke AI in the Federal Government

The action plan checks off quite a few items from the Big Tech wishlist and borrows phrasing like "truth-seeking" directly from AI leaders like Elon Musk. The executive order about woke AI also positions large-language models with allegedly liberal leanings as a new right-wing bogeyman.

So, what is woke AI? It's not an easy term to define, and the answer depends entirely on who you ask. In response to Mashable's questions, a White House spokesperson pointed us to this language in a fact sheet issued alongside the woke AI order: “biased AI outputs driven by ideologies like diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at the cost of accuracy.”

What is Woke AI? Unpacking the White House's definition

Interestingly, except for the title, the text of the woke AI executive order doesn't actually use this term. And even though the order contains a definitions section, the term itself isn't clearly defined there either. (It's possible "woke AI" is simply too nebulous of a concept to write into actual legal documents.) However, the fact sheet issued by The White House states that government leaders should only procure "large language models (LLMs) that adhere to 'Unbiased AI Principles' defined in the Order: truth-seeking and ideological neutrality."

And here's how the fact sheet defines "truth-seeking" and "ideological neutrality":

Truth-seeking means that LLMS shall be truthful and prioritize historical accuracy, scientific inquiry, and objectivity, and acknowledge uncertainty where reliable information is incomplete or contradictory.

Ideological neutrality means that LLMs shall be neutral, nonpartisan tools that do not manipulate responses in favor of ideological dogmas like DEI, and that developers will not intentionally encode partisan or ideological judgments into an LLM’s outputs unless those judgments are prompted by or readily accessible to the end user.

So, it seems the White House defines woke AI as LLMs that are not sufficiently truth-seeking or ideologically neutral. The executive order also calls out specific examples of potential bias, including "critical race theory, transgenderism, unconscious bias, intersectionality, and systemic racism." Obviously, there is a culture-wide dispute about whether those subjects (including "transgenderism," which is not an accepted term by transgender people) are inherently biased.

Critically, AI companies that fail to meet the White House's litmus tests could be locked out of lucrative federal contracts. And because the order defines popular liberal political beliefs — not to mention an entire group of human beings — as inherently biased, AI companies may face pressure to adjust their models' inputs and outputs accordingly.

The Trump administration has talked a big game about free speech, but critics of the action plan say this order is itself a major threat to free speech.

"The part of the action plan titled 'Ensure that Frontier AI Protects Free Speech and American Values' seems to be motivated by a desire to control what information is available through AI tools and may propose actions that would violate the First Amendment," said Kit Walsh, Director of AI and Access-to-Knowledge Legal Projects at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, in a statement to Mashable. "Generative AI implicates the First Amendment rights of users to receive information, and typically also reflects protected expressive choices of the many human beings involved in shaping the messages the AI writes. The government can no more dictate what ideas are conveyed through AI than through newspapers or websites."

“The government has more leeway to decide which services it purchases for its own use, but may not use this power to punish a publisher for making available AI services that convey ideas the government dislikes," Walsh said.

Is Woke AI a real problem? President Trump has said the U.S. will do "whatever it takes" to win the AI race. Credit: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Again, the answer depends entirely on where you fall along the political fault line, and the term "woke" has become controversial in recent years.

This adjective originated in the Black community, where it described people with a political awareness of racial bias and injustice. More recently, many conservatives have started to use the word as a slur, a catch-all insult for supposedly politically correct liberals.

In truth, both liberals and conservatives are concerned about bias in large-language models.

In November 2024, the Heritage Foundation, a conservative legal group, hosted a panel on YouTube on the topic of woke AI. Curt Levey, President of the Committee For Justice, was one of the panel's experts, and as a conservative attorney who has also worked in the artificial intelligence industry, he had a unique perspective to share.

I think it's interesting that both the left and the right are complaining about the danger of bias in in AI, but they're…focused on very different things. The left is focused mainly on the idea that AI models discriminate against various minority groups when they're making decisions about hiring, lending, bail amounts, facial recognition. The right on the other hand is concerned about bias against conservative viewpoints and people in large language models like ChatGPT.

Elon Musk has made it clear that he thinks that AI models are inheriting a woke mindset from their creators, and that that's a problem if only because it conflicts with being, what he calls, maximally truth-seeking. Musk says that companies are teaching AI to lie in the name of political correctness.

Levey also said that if LLMs are biased, that doesn't necessarily mean they were "designed to be biased." He added, the "scientists building these generative AI models have to make choices about what data to use, and you know, many of these same scientists live in very liberal areas like the San Francisco Bay area, and even if they're not trying to make the system biased, they may very well have unconscious biases when it comes to to picking data.”

A conservative using the phrase "unconscious bias" without rolling his eyes? Wild.

LLMs have biases because we have biases Credit: Cheng Xin/Getty Images

Ultimately, AI models reflect the biases of the content they're trained on, and so they reflect our own biases back at us. In this sense, they're like a mirror, except a mirror with a tendency to hallucinate.

To comply with the Executive Order, AI companies could try to tamp down on "biased" answers in several ways. First, by controlling the data used to train these systems, they can calibrate the outputs. They could also use system prompts, which are high-level instructions that govern all of the model's outputs.

Of course, as xAI has demonstrated repeatedly, the latter approach can be... problematic. First, xAI's chatbot Grok developed a fixation on "white genocide in South Africa," and more recently started to call itself Mecha Hitler. Transparency could provide a check on potential abuses, and there's a growing movement to force AI companies to disclose the training data and system prompts behind their models.

Regardless of how you feel about woke AI, you should expect to hear the term a lot more in the months ahead.

Yahoo Mail and AOL's email service appeared to have crashed on Thursday.

Users reported a "temporary Error: 15" message that kept them from accessing their email through Yahoo or AOL, which are part of the same overall company.

Down Detector showed spikes in user-reported issues starting in the mid-morning for both Yahoo and AOL. Those reports appeared to be going down Thursday afternoon, though it is not clear if the issues are resolved. (Disclosure: Down Detector is owned by Ziff Davis, the same parent company as Mashable.)

Both Yahoo and AOL acknowledged there appeared to be a problem via identical posts on X.

"We understand some users are currently experiencing difficulties accessing their accounts," the posts read. "We are actively investigating this issue and will provide updates as soon as more information becomes available. We appreciate your patience and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause."

Users online both complained about the email services being down and made jokes about folks still using AOL or Yahoo as their email provider in 2025.

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This story is developing and will be updated as necessary...

On Thursday, July 24, Apple officially opened the public beta for the hotly anticipated iOS 26 update, along with beta programs for macOS Tahoe, iPadOS, tvOS, and watchOS. Interested users with compatible iPhones and Apple devices can sign up to try the new operating systems at the Apple Beta Software Program website.

When Apple hosted its annual Worldwide Developers Conference on June 9, the company revealed that one of its biggest redesigns in years would be arriving in the fall with iOS 26. Dubbed Liquid Glass, the new visual design language incorporates transparent elements and new animations for a more modern aesthetic. Liquid Glass will be arriving with the official launch of iOS 26, iPadOS, and macOS Tahoe later this year, but now that the public beta is live, early adopters don't need to wait.

We have a pretty good idea of what to expect from the iOS 26 beta. Previously, Apple made the beta available to users with a developer account, and Mashable has reported previously on some of the initial changes made so far. Those updates include tweaks to the Control Center, which proved polarizing among early testers. Mashable reporters will be testing iOS 26 throughout the year. We'll share more features and updates as we find them.

iOS 26 lets you personalize your display in new ways. Credit: Apple How to sign up for iOS 26 and the other public betas

First, head to the Apple beta website and sign into your Apple account. If you've never signed up for a beta before, you'll also need to enroll your device. Once that's done, Apple says, "You will get a notification when a new beta is available and can install it from Software Update on your iOS device." (On your iPhone, follow this path: Settings > General > Software Update > Beta Updates.)

Remember: We recommend backing up your devices before trying out a new beta. Beta versions of software can have bugs. In fact, that's kind of the point — to find problems before the wide release.

Here's how Apple describes iOS 26:

iOS 26 is a major update that helps you do more with your iPhone, with a new yet instantly familiar design that delivers a more expressive and seamless experience, Apple Intelligence features integrated across the operating system, and meaningful improvements to the things you do every day.

The top features to try after downloading iOS 26

Liquid Glass is the most obvious feature to explore once you've equipped your phone with the iOS 26 preview. In addition to the transparent elements and animations, you can also adjust the transparency settings and personalize the look of app icons on your phone.

If you use Apple Music, you should also check out the new playlist folders, which brings some much-needed organization to the app. That's one of the lesser-known iOS 26 features we're most excited about.

The new mobile OS also debuts some new Apple Intelligence features, including:

• Live translation in Messages, FaceTime, and Phone

• Shortcuts actions with AI powers

• Reminders, suggestions, and organization powered by Apple Intelligence

• AI-generated news summaries

Unfortunately, the new AI features won't be available to everyone. To support Apple Intelligence, you need to have one of these devices: "iPhone 16 models, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPad mini (A17 Pro), and iPad and Mac models with M1 and later. You also need to enable Apple Intelligence and use a supported language.

Which iPhones support the iOS 26 beta?

To participate in the iOS 26 beta, you'll need an iPhone 11 or newer device (second-generation and later iPhone SE devices are also eligible).

Is iOS 26 free?

Yes, the public beta for iOS 26 is free to try. The full update will be available as a free upgrade in the fall, although the exact launch date hasn't been announced yet.

UPDATE: Jul. 24, 2025, 4:06 p.m. EDT This story has been updated with additional information about the iOS 26 beta.

TL;DR: Streamline your workflow with instant access to multiple AI tools in one place with 1min.AI’s Advanced Business Plan lifetime subscription for just A$123 (reg. A$834) through 3 August.

Opens in a new window Credit: 1minAI 1min.AI Advanced Business Plan Lifetime Subscription AU$123
AU$834 Save AU$711 Get Deal

Tired of juggling multiple AI tools? 1min.AI brings ChatGPT, Gemini, Midjourney, and more into one easy-to-use platform that lets you take advantage of their individual strengths without the chaos of constantly switching tabs.

Right now, a lifetime subscription to 1min.AI’s Advanced Business Plan can be yours for only A$123 (reg. A$834).

Put AI to work for you with this handy platform

Overwhelmed by AI? If you’re new to this booming technology field, keeping up with all the various platforms and their individual perks can be tough. That’s where 1min.AI really shines, consolidating them all in one convenient spot. Create images, optimize your website, or get help with text-based tasks on one platform, as 1min.AI takes advantage of platforms like Google AI, Meta AI, Gemini, Mistral, ChatGPT, and more.

This lifetime subscription to the Advanced Business Plan is an excellent option for helping you tackle work tasks. You’ll gain unlimited access to the prompt library, brand voice options, storage, and collaboration features for up to 20 colleagues.

An Advanced Business Plan also includes 4,000,000 monthly credits, which is enough to generate up to 1,112,500 words, create 1,186 images, upscale 741 photos, remove backgrounds from 74 images, transcribe more than 14,000 seconds of audio, and produce up to 37 videos each month.

Need help with SEO? You can research up to 5,933 SEO keywords per month with this plan. And if you need more credits, it’s easy to earn them — just visit the app, leave a review, or refer a friend.

Let AI help you take a load off with 1min.AI’s Advanced Business Plan lifetime subscription, only A$123 (reg. A$834) now through 3 August at 11:59PM PT.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

SAVE $28: The Mashable-approved JLab JBuds Lux ANC headphones are on sale for just $51.99 (in all colors) as of July 24. That's 35% off their usual sticker price of $79.99.

Quick links: Amazon JLab JBuds Lux ANC $51.99 (save $28) Get Deal Best Buy JLab JBuds Lux ANC $51.99 (save $28) Get Deal Walmart JLab JBuds Lux ANC $51.99 (save $28) Get Deal

ICYMI, the JLab JBuds Lux ANC were crowned our new favorite budget headphones at the tail end of June (much to my own approval: I own a pair and love 'em). "They have functional ANC, decent comfort, great sound balance, and a killer battery life, all with a design that doesn't feel overtly budget-friendly," wrote Mashable's Bethany Allard, one of our in-house headphones experts. It also helps that they frequently go on sale for around $50 — like right now.

As of July 24, the JBuds Lux ANC are on sale for just $51.99 at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart — a 35% discount on their $79.99 MSRP. (That deal applies to all four colors, too: Choose from Graphite, Sage, Mauve, or Cloud.) Meanwhile, they're still stuck at full price on the JLab website, which is showing an inflated list price.

Bear in mind that the JBuds Lux ANC have been cheaper before. They were only $29 at Walmart last Black Friday. But this is a decent discount to snag if you don't want to wait until November to see if that all-time low gets matched. (It's also just $4.50 away from their Prime Day price in mid-July for those who missed out.)

Makes me want want neapolitan ice cream real bad. Credit: JLab

During her testing period, Allard's favorite thing about the JBuds Lux ANC was their balanced sound (once she found the right equalizer setting). "Every part of Panic! At The Disco's 'Northern Downpour' shone through, from the vocals, lead guitar, bass, and piano," she said. "For budget headphones, we might expect some muddying through these elements, but the JLab JBuds held up great." She was also impressed by their battery life: They lasted 40 hours on a single charge with their noise cancellation on.

My personal favorite thing about the JBuds Lux ANC is their fit. I have a really hard time finding headphones that don't squeeze my head, and I can wear these comfortably for hours at a time. (They usually come with me to the gym because I don't want to sweat on my nice Bose QuietComfort 45s.) In contrast, Allard found them to be a little tight, so be sure to give them a proper trial before your return period ends to determine how they sit on your head.

Check out Mashable's guide to the best headphones for Allard's full list of pros and cons.

SAVE $70: As of July 24, get the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ (4GB RAM, 64GB SSD) for $149.99, down from its usual price of $219.99, at Amazon. That's a discount of 32%.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ (4GB RAM, 64GB SSD) $149.99 at Amazon
$219.99 Save $70 Get Deal

If you're ready to add a new tablet to your tech stack, you've got plenty of options. An iPad could serve you well, but if you're looking to remain within the Android ecosystem, a Samsung tablet is a fantastic choice. And right now, you can get the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ for a price that almost matches its all-time low.

As of July 24, take $70 off the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ at Amazon. Get it for just $149.99, down from its usual price of $219.99, for a discount of 32%.

SEE ALSO: The best tablets in 2025

This 11-inch tablet is a speedy and slim option that boasts a 1920 x 1200 resolution with a 90Hz refresh rate and 480 nits of brightness. Paired with Dolby Atmos speakers and a Snapdragon 695 chipset, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage, you've got a firecracker of a tablet for under $200.

Not only do these specs make this tablet well worth investing in to watch your favorite shows and movies, play games, or get some work done on the go, but it's also a reliable tablet for the older kids in your life who have outgrown the "kiddie" tablets and are ready to move on to something more substantial.

Whatever you plan on using it for, this is a solid deal worth picking up, especially when it's only about $10 above its lowest price ever. Grab one before they're all gone.

Best tech deals

• Apple AirTag (4-Pack) — $79.98 (List Price $99.00)

• Apple 2025 MacBook Air 13-inch Laptop — $849.00 (List Price $999.00)

• Apple AirPods Pro 2 ANC Earbuds With USB-C Charging Case — $169.00 (List Price $249.00)

SAVE $25: A two-pack of Tile Pro Bluetooth trackers is on sale at Woot for $34.99, down from the list price of $59.99. That's a 42% discount, and a sale price that's better than the lowest ever offered at Amazon.

Opens in a new window Credit: Tile by Life360 Tile Pro Bluetooth tracker (2 pack) $34.99 at Woot
$59.99 Save $25 Get Deal

Summer travel is still in its prime, and if you're taking off anytime soon, there's an essential you need to pack. Sure, it's smart to toss in extra socks (and don't forget your chargers), but we also recommend packing Bluetooth trackers. If you don't own any yet, or you need a few more, check out this awesome deal at Woot.

As of July 24, a two-pack of Tile Pro Bluetooth trackers is just $34.99 at Woot. That's a 42% discount that takes $25 off the normal price of $59.99. The Woot sale price is lower than any price we've seen at Amazon before, and Amazon currently lists a single Tile Pro for $34.99 which means this deal is basically two for the price of one.

On Mashable's roundup of the best Bluetooth trackers for travel and lost luggage, the Tile Pro earns the spot as the best Apple AirTag alternative. Mashable's review from Tech Editor Timothy Beck Werth explains they're even better at finding lost items compared to the ever popular AirTag. "If you’re using them for item finding, then we actually recommend them over Apple AirTags," Beck Werth says. "That’s because they can be used with both iOS and Android devices, come with a user-friendly app, and offer extremely detailed location tracking."

SEE ALSO: The Kindle is my ultimate travel essential — here's why

The overall design is also convenient for attaching a Tile Pro to your keyring, purse, wallet, and plenty of other handy spots. Tile mentions the Pro model comes with a battery that'll last for about a year, so scoring this deal likely means you can use them for summer travel in 2026.

While they're 42% off, snag the two-pack of Tile Pro Bluetooth trackers and travel with the reassurance that you'll always be in the know of your bag's location.

The best tech deals to shop this week

• Apple AirTag (4-Pack) — $79.98 (List Price $99.00)

• Apple 2025 MacBook Air 13-inch Laptop — $849.00 (List Price $999.00)

• Apple AirPods Pro 2 ANC Earbuds With USB-C Charging Case — $169.00 (List Price $249.00)

More research has been published about AI Overviews' effect on declining publisher traffic, athough Google continues to deny it.

A study from the Pew Research Center found that the appearance of Google's AI-generated summaries at the top of the search page significantly impacted outbound clicks to other websites. A group of 900 U.S. adults participating in the study agreed to share their browsing activity. Here are some of the findings from the Pew study:

• Google users served an AI Overview clicked on links to other websites 8 percent of the time, nearly half as often as users without an AI Overview (15 percent).

• Users were more likely to end their browsing session after encountering an AI Overview. Users ended their sessions on 26 percent of the pages, compared to 16 percent of pages without the AI summaries.

• Only 1 percent of users encountering an AI Overview clicked on a cited link in the summary.

The study, which was first published in May and republished earlier this week with additional analysis, echoes what publishers have been saying ever since AI Overviews launched last year. The advent of AI-generated summaries gathered from web data has radically upended the need for users to click to sites in Google search results to find the information they need. That the summaries are sometimes wrong or hallucinated is an entirely different can of worms.

Organic search traffic from major news sites including the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Washington Post has declined according to SimilarWeb data. And smaller, independent sites say the rollout of AI Overviews has forced them to shut down their sites or entirely reinvent their distribution model as a result of declining traffic, according to a Bloomberg report. Other reports from SEO analysts found the presence AI Overviews reduced clicks to sites, compared to traditional search results.

Google leadership has repeatedly refuted these claims, saying they have not seen a change in outbound clicks. "For any individual publisher, there's lots of reasons why something could fluctuate," Robby Stein VP of product for Google Search said in a May interview with Mashable. "We don't really look at specific publishers in that way. We think about it really in the aggregate."

In an interview with The Verge, CEO Sundar Pichai addressed claims of declining traffic, saying "we are sending traffic to a broader source of people. People may be surfacing more content, looking at more content, so someone may individually see less."

In response to the Pew findings, Google told The Register that they believe the study "uses a flawed methodology and skewed queryset that is not representative of Search traffic," before adding "We consistently direct billions of clicks to websites daily and have not observed significant drops in aggregate web traffic as is being suggested."

SAVE $25: As of July 24, the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K is back down to just $24.99 with code 4KWINFTV. That's 50% off the list price of $49.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K $24.99 at Amazon
$49.99 Save $25.00 with code 4KWINFTV Get Deal

Life hack: bring your favorite shows and movies with you on your next vacation by grabbing yourself a streaming stick. These compact, portable gadgets can fit in your suitcase, and you won't have to log into a stranger's TV in your Airbnb. Plus, you can pick up exactly where you left off on whatever you're watching. Genius, right? You have plenty of options to choose from, but we recommend grabbing the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K since it's on sale for half price.

As of July 24, the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K is only $24.99 with code 4KWINFTV. That's not the lowest price on record; that honor goes to the Black Friday 2024 deal, when it dropped all the way down to $21.99. But still, $24.99 matches its recent Prime Day price and is 50% off its list price. We deem that a helluva deal.

SEE ALSO: This stunning 4K Samsung monitor is still at its lowest-ever price at Amazon

While it's not actually our top pick for a streaming device, the Fire TV Stick 4K is a solid budget streamer. For just shy of $25, it gives you easy access to all of your favorite streaming apps. And if you're a big fan of Prime Video, it's definitely the best device for you, as it puts Prime content front and center. It will also highlight all of your recently watched shows in a convenient tab to continue watching without having to cycle through all of the apps.

Feature-wise, the Fire TV Stick 4K is equipped with cinematic 4K Ultra HD, as well as support for Dolby Vision, HDR10+, Dolby Atmos, and WiFi 6. Its quad-core 1.7 GHz processor delivers faster app starts and more fluid navigation, although we have noticed a bit of lag from time to time. Plus, it allows you to play Xbox games without a console. For only $24.99 (with code 4KWINFTV), that's a pretty solid value.

Best TV deals

• Roku Ultra 4K Ultimate Streaming Player (2024 Release) — $90.00 (List Price $99.99)

• Amazon Fire TV 4-Series (43 inches, 2024) — $329.99

• 55-inch Sony Bravia 3 4K LED Smart Google TV (2024 Model) — $599.99 (List Price $699.99)

• Hisense 85-Inch Class U8 Series Mini-LED ULED 4K UHD Google Smart TV — $1,568.93

• LG 65-inch Class UR9000 Series 4K Smart TV   — $496.99 (List Price $629.99)

What's better than one internet boyfriend in a movie? Two internet boyfriends in a movie! That's the case in The History of Sound, a romantic drama that stars Paul Mescal (Aftersun, All of Us Strangers) and Josh O'Connor (Challengers).

SEE ALSO: The 10 best movies of 2025 (so far), and where to watch them

Directed by Oliver Hermanus (Living, Moffie) and based on the short story by Ben Shattuck (who also wrote the screenplay), The History of Sound premiered at 2025's Cannes Film Festival, where it received favorable reviews.

The History of Sound transports viewers to the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston in 1917. There, Kentucky-born singer Lionel Worthing (Mescal) crosses paths with music composing student David White (O'Connor). From their first encounter it's clear they have chemistry — both musical and romantic. The two embark on a relationship, but it's cut short when David is drafted into World War I.

Years later, in 1920, the pair reconnects and travels around Maine. They collect and preserve folk songs for future generations. Years after that, Lionel lives a successful life in Europe, complete with new romantic partners. Yet memories of his time with David constantly draw him back to that Maine trip, and to his great love for him.

The first trailer for The History of Sound teases these different stages of Lionel's life, along with both Mescal and O'Connor singing their share of American folk songs. Separately, each actor has proven themselves as exciting forces to watch, with Mescal earning an Academy Award nomination for his work in Aftersun, and O'Connor taking home an Emmy for his work on The Crown. Watching the pair come together for The History of Sound is sure to be a treat.

The History of Sound hits theater Sept. 12.

A WNBA player who recently reached the echelons of everyday fame says she was just fined $500 for criticizing referees in a TikTok video.

If you follow the WNBA even peripherally, you've probably heard about Sophie Cunningham. She played for the Phoenix Mercury for six years before she was traded to the Indiana Fever. She's since gained popularity among WNBA fans for her on and off the court support for teammate Caitlin Clark. In one viral incident, Cunningham grabbed Connecticut Sun player Jacy Sheldon and shoved her to the ground after Sheldon reportedly poked Clark in the eye earlier in the game. The incident got millions of views on social media, Cunningham's jerseys started selling, and she's since garnered over a million followers on Instagram and TikTok.

There's been talk amongst Fever fans that referees have been too tough on Clark specifically, and Cunningham has been particularly loud in her teammate's defense. She said the league's referees don't adequately protect Clark, who she calls "the star player of the WNBA," from fouls and rough play. Cunningham seemingly pushed that support one step further this week with a TikTok video poking fun at referees, which she says led to a $500 fine.

Despite the fine, the TikTok video is still online.

The video is part of an ongoing trend on TikTok where users sing along to a Sabrina Carpenter song saying, "Stupid! Or is it... slow? Maybe it's... useless?" She voiced the words in a camo matching set with the text "@ some refs" over it. The video has 1.3 million views. The majority of the comments are in support of Cunningham's viewpoint, saying things like "We will pay your fine" and "we all in love with the enforcement," referring to her protection of Clark.

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In a post on X, Cunningham said: "I got fined $500 for this TikTok 🤣🤣 idk why this is funny to me… like ok 👍🏼 you got it bud! Cause there’s not more important things to be worried about with our league right now".

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This isn't the only controversy Cunningham is currently navigating. Beyond being Clark's enforcer, which is laden with plenty of its own controversy, she's also been called "MAGA Barbie" for her alleged political leanings. She also commented on the WNBA's expansion plans, in which the league announced it would create teams in Detroit, Cleveland, and Philadelphia in the coming years, saying "I don't know how excited people are to be going to Detroit."

The dust has now settled on news of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert being cancelled, and — with questions remaining over the real reason for the cancellation — the other late night hosts including Jon Stewart, John Oliver, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and Jimmy Fallon have all shared their thoughts on the situation.

While most of them posted on social media following the news, others have given lengthier responses in monologues on their own shows. We've rounded up what everyone has said so far below.

SEE ALSO: Stephen Colbert doubles down on Trump/Epstein coverage, takes a shot at Paramount Jon Stewart

Colbert's friend and former colleague Jon Stewart had a lot to say about the cancellation in his Daily Show monologue on Monday, going after his own parent company (Paramount Global owns both Comedy Central and CBS) over the possible reasons behind the cancellation, emphasising that the company needs the Trump administration's approval for a proposed $8 billion merger with Skydance.

"Look, I understand the corporate fear. I understand the fear that you and your advertisers have $8 billion at stake. But understand this: Truly, the shows that you now seek to cancel, censor and control, a not insignificant portion of that $8 billion value came from those fucking shows. That's what made you that money," Stewart said. "If you believe, as corporations or as networks, you can make yourselves so innocuous that you can serve a gruel so flavorless that you will never again be on the boy king's radar, A) Why will anyone watch you?, and B) You're fucking wrong."

Jimmy Kimmel

Jimmy Kimmel is currently on a two-month vacation from hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live!, but he took some time to post a blunt Instagram story after the news broke.

"Love you Stephen," he wrote. "Fuck you and all your Sheldons, CBS."

Jimmy Fallon

The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon posted an Instagram story of his own and briefly addressed the Late Show cancellation as part of his monologue on Monday.

"I'm just as shocked as everyone. Stephen is one of the sharpest, funniest hosts to ever do it. I really thought I'd ride this out with him for years to come," Fallon wrote on Instagram. "I'm sad that my family and friends will need a new show to watch every night at 11:30. But honestly, he's really been a gentleman and a true friend over the years — going back to The Colbert Report, and I'm sure whatever he does next will be just as brilliant."

Meanwhile, during his Monday monologue, Fallon paid tribute to the "years of smart and incredibly hilarious television" Colbert has made on The Late Show.

"Welcome to The Tonight Show! I am your host...well, at least for tonight," Fallon said. "I don't like it. I don't like what's going on one bit. These are crazy times. This morning my dad called and said he's officially a Kimmel guy."

Seth Meyers

Seth Meyers, who was recently on vacation from hosting Late Night, also reacted on Instagram to the news.

“For as great a comedian and host he is, Stephen Colbert is an even better person,” Meyers wrote in an Instagram story. “I’m going to miss having him on TV every night but I'm excited he can no longer use the excuse that he's 'too busy to hang out' with me."

John Oliver

John Oliver was asked about the Late Show cancellation over the weekend while speaking to journalists at a minor league baseball game, and footage of his response was shared by AP.

"It's very sad," he said. "Obviously I love Stephen, I love his staff, I love that show. It's incredibly sad, but I'm partly excited to see what they're gonna do for the next 10 months. But yeah, it's terrible, terrible news for the world of comedy. Late night shows mean a lot to me, not just 'cuz I work in them, but because even growing up in England I would watch Letterman's show, which of course was Stephen's show, and think about what a glamorous world that was. So to have got to have been on Letterman's show and Stephen's show is always one of the most fun things. So it's very, very very sad news. I look forward to seeing what he's going to do next, because that man will not stop."

David Letterman

Former host of The Late Show David Letterman shared a video on his YouTube channel featuring various clips of himself criticising CBS over the years.

"You can't spell CBS without BS," was the blunt caption.

Best Bluetti power stations at Amazon Best Bluetti for most uses Bluetti Elite 100 V2 $549 (save $250) Get Deal Best Bluetti for additional portable power Bluetti Elite 200 V2 $1,099 (save $600 with checkout code B9UPDXLP) Get Deal Best Bluetti for portability Bluetti AC2A $149.99 (save $69.01) Get Deal Best bonus Bluetti Bluetti X60 CPAP backup battery $349 (save $150) Get Deal

Your camping packing list includes some obvious items like the tent, sleeping bags, s'mores ingredients, and a first aid kit. But if you're not packing along a portable power station, you're kinda doing it all wrong. A portable power station means you no longer have to worry about dead batteries at the campsite. If your site is off-grid or doesn't have power hookups, packing along a portable power station gives you the ability to power an electric camp stove, plug in vibe-setting fairy lights, and keep your phone charged.

Aside from summer weekends camping, a portable power station is wonderful for outdoor movie nights or bringing along to a neighborhood gathering to power up the party speaker. They're also great to keep at home for appliances during unexpected power outages.

Bluetti is one of the leading portable power station brands and they're constantly innovating to bring us new and even more functional options. Plus, Bluetti power stations are often on sale at Amazon. If you've been considering upping your camping set-up or you want reassurance for staying online during a storm, these Bluetti power stations are awesome options.

Best Bluetti power station for most people Opens in a new window Credit: Bluetti Bluetti Elite 100 V2 $549 at Amazon
$799 Save $250 Get Deal Why we like it

Offering 1,024Wh of capacity from super long-lasting LFP batteries, the Bluetti Elite 100 V2 is a great option for your weekend camping trips. It comes with four AC ports, two USB-C ports, and two USB-A ports. Recharging the Bluetti Elite 100 V2 is possible via standard AC power, solar, or car charging. If you're going the usual wall-charging route, expect to get back to 80% in a bit over an hour.

In real life applications, the 1,024Wh will recharge your phone about 52 times or a laptop 12 times. You electric camping griddle will keep going for about 1.5 hours, and if you're using it during a power outage at home, expect it to keep your refrigerator cooling for almost eight hours.

It's also worth mentioning the Bluetti Elite 100 V2 weighs just 25 pounds, which makes it a super portable option for use on the job site, while camping, or at home.

Best Bluetti for additional portable power Opens in a new window Credit: Bluetti Bluetti Elite 200 V2 $1,099 at Amazon
$1,699 Save $600 use checkout code B9UPDXLP to save $600 Get Deal Why we like it

If 1,024Wh doesn't feel like enough for your needs or your camping adventure will last for several days, the Bluetti Elite 200 V2 doubles your power to a total of 2,076Wh. It comes with a similar set-up as the Bluetti Elite 100, offering four AC ports, two USB-C ports, and two USB-A ports. With AC recharging, the Elite 200 V2 can get back up to 80% capacity in just an hour.

Keep in mind the extra battery power comes with extra weigh, and the Elite 200 V2 weighs about 50 pounds. That's still a portable weight that you can take along to the campsite, but you won't want to take this model to a site that requires hiking in.

In real-life terms, the 2,076Wh capacity translates to recharging a phone more than 63 times or a drone almost 22 times. If you feel like using the Bluetti Elite 200 V2 for powering up a projector during backyard for movie nights, you're getting over 7.5 hours of playtime.

Best Bluetti for portability Opens in a new window Credit: Bluetti Bluetti AC2A $149.99 at Amazon
$219 Save $69.01 Get Deal Why we like it

Weighing under eight pounds, the Blutti AC2A wins for portability. The size, ergonomic handle, and lightweight design mean you can carry this portable power station to any situation. It's perfect for shorter camping trips, giving you enough battery to recharge a phone almost eight times or use a slow cooker for almost an hour. Pair this with a solar panel, and you'd be in great shape for longer outdoor adventures. Overall, it offers 204Wh of capacity with six outlets.

A Bluetti honorable mention Opens in a new window Credit: Bluetti Bluetti X60 CPAP backup battery $349 at Amazon
$599 Save $250 Get Deal Why we like it

If you deal with sleep apnea, you know how uncomfortable and restless a night without your CPAP can feel. If you dread power outages since that means your CPAP won't be available, the Bluetti X60 CPAP backup battery is a lifesaver. Compatible with popular models like the ResMed S9, AirSense 10 and 11, and the AirCurve 10, this Bluetti is great for keeping around the house or taking on your next camping adventure. It comes with 614Wh which translates up to 14 nights of powering a CPAP. When it comes time to charge the Bluetti, expect a full charge after about four hours when wall charging.

The best home and kitchen deals to shop this week

• Skylight Frame 10-inch Digital Picture Frame — $139.99

• Ninja Crispi Air Fryer — $159.95 (List Price $179.99)

• Birdfy AI Smart Solar Powered Bird Feeder with Camera — $159.99 (List Price $249.99)

• KitchenAid Artisan Series 5-Quart Tilt Head Stand Mixer — $379.95 (List Price $499.99)

• Eufy Omni C20 Robot Vacuum and Mop With Self-Emptying Base — $419.99 (List Price $699.99)

New personalization and safety features are coming to ride-share app Lyft, including ways drivers can take control of both the good trips and the bad trips.

Riders who have particularly pleasant rides will now get the option to favorite specific drivers, and the app's algorithm will make an effort to reconnect them with that driver for future rides. On the other end, the company explains, when a driver is favorited they will be notified and unlock priority access to future scheduled ride requests.

And, nearly 13 years after its founding, Lyft riders can now completely block drivers, too, helping them take control of more unpleasant ride experiences.

SEE ALSO: The FDA's new drug-approving AI chatbot is not helping

"Our purpose is to serve and connect — and that starts with safety," Lyft said in a statement on Thursday. "Adding favorite drivers is one part of our ongoing commitment to make Lyft the safest way to get around, while giving you the tools you need to feel secure."

The two personalization features are part of a brand new safety hub, which centralizes safety preferences such as in-vehicle audio recording, PIN verification for drivers, and app check-ins during rides. Users can access favoriting and blocking preferences under the new "Matching" section of the safety hub.

Credit: Lyft

More user control seems to be the focus of ride-share companies in recent months. On July 23, Uber announced its new Women Preferences feature, a setting that will allow women users and drivers to choose same-gender rides. Riders will be able to choose women drivers while scheduling rides or can set an account preference beforehand, and drivers will be able to adjust preferences even during peak ride share hours. The setting is now being piloted in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Detroit.

Lyft unveiled a similar feature, Women+ Connect, in 2023, which allowed riders to prioritize matches with women and nonbinary drivers, designed with help from the Human Rights Campaign and sexual assault prevention campaign It's On Us. Both Uber and Lyft recently announced personalized app experiences for older drivers, including simplified interfaces, family tracking, and Medicare payment options.

The new settings will gradually roll out on Lyft in select regions starting today, with a complete U.S. and Canada launch by the end of August.

It's been nine months since Amazon launched its first-ever Kindle with color, nearly 17 years after the very first Kindle made its debut. Now it's bringing the in-color reading experience to the whole family. Amazon officially unveiled its first color Kindle for kids — dubbed the Colorsoft Kids — on Thursday, July 24.

In addition to the Kindle Colorsoft Kids, Amazon also revealed a lower-priced 16 GB Kindle Colorsoft model. While the Colorsoft Signature Edition (the original, which launched in Oct. 2024) features 32GB and retails for $279.99, the new 16GB model will retail for $249.99. Otherwise, it's the same device.

The new Kindle Colorsoft Kids is priced at $269.99 and comes with two cover options. Customers who purchase the new Kindle will also get 12 months of Amazon Kids+. While we haven't tested the new e-reader yet, it's a strong contender to become the best Kindle for young readers.

Meet the first-ever kids' Kindle with a color display

The new Kindle Colorsoft Kids is a seven-inch, waterproof e-reader with an illustrated cover and a glare-free display that supports a full spectrum of color. That means, for the first time, kids can view book covers, comics, and graphic novels in vivid color. Black and white illustrations just don't hit the same. Amazon said that in 2024, "kids who read graphic novels and comics spent 46% more total reading time compared to the average Kindle Kids reader." So this could be a real game-changer for young readers. And considering there's no distracting notifications, apps, videos, games, or messaging, it's screen time parents can actually feel good about.

Just like the adult version, the Colorsoft Kids also features an eight-week battery life, adjustable warm light, no lockscreen ads, and a fully waterproof body. It also includes helpful tools for young readers like Vocabulary Builder and Word Wise to learn new words, the OpenDyslexic font, and Bluetooth connectivity, which allows them to listen along to audiobooks with headphones.

Credit: Kindle

Like most of Amazon's kid-friendly devices, the Colorsoft Kids will also come with a two-year worry-free guarantee and the Amazon Parent Dashboard. This gives parents some peace of mind, allowing them to manage their child's content, review reading activity, and even set bedtimes. Unlike the adult Kindles, it also includes a cover to personalize and protect your little one's new device. Kids can choose between the Fantasy River or Starlight Reading covers.

The Starlight Reading cover features a gorgeous and vibrant nighttime scene. Credit: Kindle Get even more out of Amazon Kids+

As with other Amazon Kindles for kids, the Colorsoft Kids comes with one year of Amazon Kids+. The kid-friendly subscription service includes thousands of books and audiobooks for young readers, and this summer, even more books are set to be added. The existing library already includes popular titles like Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Keeper of the Lost Cities, but Amazon is adding every graphic novel and chapter book from the Artemis Fowl series, over 30 books from the Big Nate series, more Percy Jackson books, and the entire Storm Runner and Aru Shah series.

Where to buy the Kindle Colorsoft Kids

The Kindle Colorosft Kids is officially available as of July 24 at Amazon. It will eventually pop up on other retailers like Best Buy and Target, but at the time of launch, your only option is Amazon. It retails for $269.99, just $10 shy of the adult version's list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Kindle Kindle Colorsoft Kids $269.99 at Amazon
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Gaming platforms like Steam and Itch.io are deindexing and removing adult-only, NSFW games, following concerns from payment processors and pressure from the organization Collective Shout.

Itch.io creator Leaf Corcoran said that the platform has "deindexed" NSFW content from its browse and search pages, explaining the circumstances in a blog post. The move came after scrutiny from the platform's payment processors, with Corcoran saying that their ability to process payments is "critical" for Itch.io's creators.

The move also comes after pressure from Collective Shout, an Australian organization that has a history of campaigning against NSFW content available on gaming marketplaces. The organization called on companies like Visa and Mastercard to stop processing payments for adult-themed games containing disturbing themes.

Itch.io will now conduct a comprehensive audit of the games available within its marketplace. New compliance measures will be introduced and some pages will be permanently removed. Creators were not given any warning before the changes.

SEE ALSO: 1 in 5 new video games on Steam now uses generative AI, report says

"We understand this action is sudden and disruptive, and we are truly sorry for the frustration and confusion caused by this change," reads the post.

Steam purged its platform of NSFW content last week, also due to payment processing partners like Visa and Mastercard. The gaming marketplace said it will now "[disallow] games that violate the rules and standards set forth by payment processors and card networks, or internet network providers." Mashable has reached out to Visa and Mastercard for comment.

SEE ALSO: What is Itch.io? This oddball indie games store is a vital source of creativity.

On X, users condemned this censorship, criticizing the new rules implemented by both Itch.io and Steam, and likening the situation to Tumblr banning porn back in 2018.

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Banks have varying rules against NSFW content, previously refusing services to the likes of OnlyFans over concerns of "reputational risk."