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When Nvidia first announced DLSS 5 neural rendering, many were quick to label it "AI slop." And I get it. We're definitely getting some uncanny valley vibes.

Causing mayhem is a Grand Theft Auto tradition. But in GTA 6, the game may track exactly how far you take things — until you cross a line where it stops judging your actions altogether.

Rockstar will reportedly introduce a "Criminal Profile" that tracks what kind of outlaw you become. It sounds a little like the Honor system in Red Dead Redemption 2, with one important difference: GTA 6 isn’t deciding whether Jason and Lucia are good people, but rather how they go about being criminals.

The details come from YouTuber TGG, who recently attended a closed-door presentation at Rockstar North. And based on what he saw, the system is less about punishing crime than separating good from evil.

SEE ALSO: GTA 6 Netflix extended look: Everything that was revealed How GTA 6’s Criminal Profile works

Per TGG, the Criminal Profile has four main levels:

• Professional

• Aggressive

• Violent

• Psycho

"How do you all feel about GTA VI having an honor system like RDR" Credit: Screenshot: u/Freddycipher, r/GTA

Where you land depends on how you handle criminal situations. Complete a robbery efficiently and avoid unnecessary casualties, and you could maintain a Professional profile. Use excessive force, kill innocent people, or attack characters who are no longer a threat, and you may slide toward Violent or Psycho.

That doesn’t mean every shootout will damage your profile. Context appears to matter. Killing an armed person who attacks you reportedly won’t be treated the same way as walking into a store and shooting an unarmed clerk.

The system also tracks GTA 6’s protagonists separately. Jason and Lucia will each have their own Criminal Profile.

SEE ALSO: Is playing 'GTA 6' cheating? We asked a relationship therapist.

Beyond the four main levels, the Criminal Profile reportedly has an additional, unnamed state reserved for the most destructive players.

Cause enough extreme and unnecessary violence, the profile icon can begin to crack before eventually shattering. Once it breaks, it can’t be restored during that playthrough. The game will simply stop grading your behavior.

It sounds harsh, but the shattered meter doesn’t appear to be a punishment. Instead, it’s reportedly Rockstar’s way of recognizing that you have no interest in engaging with the system. If you just want to turn Leonida into a disaster zone, the game eventually stops sending judgmental notifications and lets you get on with it.

Players who would rather avoid those notifications from the beginning can reportedly switch them off without breaking the meter.

Rockstar hasn’t fully explained what each Criminal Profile will do. Co-studio head Rob Nelson told IGN:

"There isn’t a right or wrong way to play this game, but consistent actions may have an impact in terms of how the world reacts to you and how the narrative plays out."

How different those experiences will be remains unclear. Rockstar hasn’t confirmed whether the system can change missions, lock players out of content, or produce different endings. The Criminal Profile also appears to be separate from GTA’s traditional Wanted Level.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. Players are divided over the idea

Unsurprisingly, players already have plenty of opinions about being watched. Some fans worry the system could discourage the over-the-top rampages that have always been part of the GTA experience. As one X user put it, "Why have a morality system in a game called Grand THEFT auto?"

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The reaction in IGN’s article comments has similar complaints, though some readers welcome the feature's resemblance to Red Dead Redemption 2, where the honor system tracks Arthur Morgan’s choices and uses his rating to influence elements such as NPC reactions, dialogue, and the story’s ending. "The closer to RDR2, the better," one reader wrote.

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Then there are the players treating the system as an invitation. "One playthrough as a psycho and the other as a professional," one TikTok commenter wrote. "Gonna hit [Psycho] in like three hours,” said another.

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Fans have even suggested a more fitting name for the mechanic: the "Trevor Philips Similarity Index," or TPSI. The joke, discussed in the subreddit r/GTA, references GTA 5 protagonist Trevor Philips, whose unpredictable temper and appetite for violence make him the obvious benchmark for GTA 6’s Psycho profile.

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The Criminal Profile is only one piece of a much bigger GTA 6 news cycle. Rockstar’s recent extended look on Netflix revealed a more reactive Vice City, revamped police chases, a deeper relationship system for Jason and Lucia, and NPCs who may notice and report when players openly carry weapons. Meanwhile, alleged gameplay footage connected to the CyberLeek group continues to circulate online.

GTA 6 is set to launch on Nov. 19, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. When it does, feel free to break the law — the game already expects you to. Just make sure you do it like a pro.

Just got home and can't stop replaying that one crappy email or Slack you got and how it managed to ruin a nine-hour workday? It happens. All you want to do is sink into the couch and leave the day behind, but the last thing you need is six seasons of something that needs a wiki to get through. Calm blue ocean, calm blue ocean

I have a soft spot for old software Easter eggs, especially the ones that make you wonder what developers were doing when nobody was looking. Excel 97 has one of my favorites: a secret 3D flight simulator hidden inside a spreadsheet. And, yes, I went looking for a way to play it.

Apple's MacBook Neo is no longer the only budget laptop to face a price increase amid the global memory crisis.

Dell has quietly raised the price of its entry-level XPS 13 laptop by $100. The company has also introduced a new base model with half the storage as before.

SEE ALSO: Thank the AI industry for tech price increases: See the full list

At its launch in mid-June, the XPS 13 cost $699.99 with 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. As of early September, it costs the same with only 256GB of storage:

• Intel Core 5 320, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD — $699.99 (new)

• Intel Core 5 320, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD — was $699.99, now $799.99

• Intel Core 5 320, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD — was $899.99, now $999.99

This price bump erases one advantage the base XPS 13 had over the base MacBook Neo, which was its higher storage capacity. Now, both budget laptops cost $700 with 256GB of storage and $800 with 512GB of storage. (It's worth noting that Apple and Dell both offer $100 student discounts.)

Doubling the XPS 13's base memory from 8GB to 16GB of RAM still costs $200 extra, but now pushes its sticker price to the $1,000 mark — well out of "budget" territory.

A Dell spokesperson confirmed the price changes to Mashable.

A rise in AI data center construction has caused a global shortage of laptop components like RAM and SSD storage chips, forcing most PC makers to raise their prices. Dell's mid-range 14S and 16S laptops, as well as its premium XPS 14 and 16 models, have also seen price hikes because of this crisis, which is often referred to as "RAMageddon."

For its own part, Apple raised the price of the MacBook Neo by $100 in June because of increasing component costs.

Competition within the budget laptop market has intensified this summer. Acer and Lenovo have also announced their plans to release $699 PCs in the coming months, while Dell is working on some extra lower-end, more colorful variants of the 14S. It hasn't announced pricing for them yet, but previously said it will be "complementary to XPS 13."

We live in a world where almost everything is connected. Your phone is constantly communicating with nearby networks and devices, while your car keys, bank cards, and even some access cards can transmit information wirelessly without you giving it much thought. That convenience is hard to beat, but it also means there are more wireless signals around us than ever before, and not all of them are necessarily working in our favor.

Is your LG TV eavesdropping on you? 

That's the bold claim made by the YouTube channel Gamers Nexus.

A new video from Gamers Nexus details how LG televisions are constantly logging data from users and uploading it back to the company. And Gamers Nexus claims LG TVs are doing this even when they are in standby mode or completely disconnected from the internet.

Gamers Nexus says it's able to do this due to the "advertising functionality" built into the devices.

Gamers Nexus video shows how software vulnerabilities allowed them to listen to and record audio from the on-device microphones on the TV, and claims these flaws could be "exploited to convert the TVs into covert listening devices." The channel said these security vulnerabilities are being reported through the necessary channels.

In addition, the LG TVs Gamers Nexus tested also scan users' WiFi to find nearby devices connected to the local network.

Gamers Nexus says that a majority of the issues it uncovered are related to LG's Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) technology, which utilizes these eavesdropping capabilities to find out what a user is watching, what app they are using, and what devices connect to the TV.

"We know who is in the LG household," an LG representative said in a corporate video, which Gamers Nexus included in their investigation. "We know which devices are there."

"We own the glass," says another LG Ad Solutions representative in another corporate video, boasting about the company's access to its customers.

As Gamers Nexus points out, LG's advertising platform, LG Ad Solutions, claims on its website that the company can detect 363 million "U.S. addressable secondary devices" even though LG claims it has only sold 216 million LG TVs globally.

According to Gamers Nexus, LG TVs also collect a user's IP address, geographic location, the names of every local WiFi network, and the IP addresses of other devices on the network.

The Gamers Nexus video was created in partnership with YouTube channel Level1Techs and cybersecurity researchers known as MrBruh and uturn. It has already amassed more than 2 million views over the weekend.

As The Verge points out, this isn't Gamers Nexus' first time calling out LG for its practices. Earlier this summer, a report by the YouTube channel found that LG was serving its customers with unwanted and intrusive ads on its TV screens and PC monitors. After the video was published and subsequent reports from other outlets came out, Microsoft eventually intervened to address the issue with LG, as Mashable reported at the time. 

SAVE $100.05: As of Sep. 8, get the Ninja Flip for $149.94 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $249.99. That's a discount of 40%.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Ninja Flip $149.94 at Amazon
$249.99 Save $100.05   Get Deal

If making meals at home feels like a pain, you may want to invest in an appliance like an air fryer or multipurpose cooker. If space (and time) are both at a premium, consider a combination air fryer that can do a number of other things, too. Ninja is especially good for this, and you can get a great and reliable cooker from the brand right now at Amazon thanks to this deal.

SEE ALSO: Is the Ninja HydraSense a miracle water filter? The internet seems to think so.

As of Sep. 8, get the Ninja Flip for $149.94 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $249.99. That's $100.05 off and a discount of 40%.

This 8-in-1 appliance can air fry, roast, broil, bake, toast, dehydrate, and make pizza or bagels. It's also nice and compact, and about 50% smaller when you flip it up to store as well, so it won't take up the entirety of your kitchen counter space. Since it can do all of this without needing a massive amount of storage area, it's a great alternative to large toaster ovens or even singular air fryers, so you can make more food and get more done in small spaces.

But just because it's small, that doesn't mean it doesn't have space for all your meals. It can air fryer and roast up to 4 lbs of ingredients, toast up to 6 slices of bread, cook 6 chicken breasts, and bake a 12-inch pizza. It might not be ideal for massive families, but for modestly-sized clans, it's an easy way to get meals out in about 20 minutes or less, depending on what you're cooking.

If you're looking for easy ways to get dinner out on the table sooner without breaking the bank, this is an ideal way to do it.

Arch Linux has a reputation for being an operating system you build for yourself rather than one that comes built for you. That’s genuinely its biggest strength, since you get to build a hyper-personalized system where every component is there because you chose it. At the same time, it’s also its biggest weakness, because you need to know how to build and manage the thing. That said, not all Arch distros are the same, and some require more babysitting than others. As such, here’s my list of the top 5 Arch options and Arch-based distros, ranked from the neediest to the least needy.

Apple's public iOS 27 betas may not tell the whole story of what's coming to the iPhone's Camera app.

According to developer pdfu, who goes by @itspdfu on X, the current software contains a broader set of camera-related code than what Apple has shown off publicly or made accessible to beta testers so far. Posting ahead of Apple's iPhone event, pdfu detailed five Camera app features found buried in the iOS 27 code that have yet to be enabled for users.

SEE ALSO: The surprises we expect and want from Apple’s surprise and shine event

None of the five features has been confirmed by Apple, and code found in beta software doesn't guarantee a feature will ship, or ship soon. Still, several of these tools — particularly the aperture-blending system — align with earlier reporting about variable-aperture camera hardware expected in this year's iPhone lineup and could offer an early hint of what Apple's Camera app has in store as more of iOS 27 becomes public.

Exposure scopes

The first find is a more advanced set of exposure tools built directly into the Camera app: waveform and histogram views. Per pdfu's breakdown, these are meant to help users judge exposure more precisely across different shooting formats. Normally, these tools are generally seen with prosumer video and photo editing software like Photoshop or Lightroom rather than a phone's native camera app.

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The feature doesn't appear to be user-facing yet, but pdfu demonstrated it running against sample images, showing both waveform and histogram readouts updating alongside an exposure slider.

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The second feature pairs two overlays aimed at more precise manual shooting. Focus peaking highlights edges with strong contrast to show what's actually in focus, while a highlight-clipping overlay flags areas of an image that are becoming overexposed.

Once enabled, the two overlays can be displayed either separately or simultaneously in the camera preview, and demo images shared in the thread show the difference between a normal preview and one with each overlay active.

Burst-style timed captures

The third feature expands the Camera app's self-timer capabilities. Rather than triggering a single delayed photo, the code allows users to set a specific number of repeat captures, each preceded by its own countdown at a chosen duration.

Pdfu noted that the timer resets automatically between captures, effectively turning the self-timer into a mini burst-capture tool — though this functionality currently appears to be disabled.

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A fourth feature revives manual focus controls for the Camera app, letting users directly adjust lens position rather than relying on autofocus. According to pdfu, Apple has been testing this capability on iOS 26 and iOS 27, but accessing it currently requires a compatible iPhone that originally shipped with iOS 27, meaning it will be a feature exclusive to the iPhone 18 lineup.

Aperture-dependent optical processing

The final, and perhaps most notable, discovery concerns how iOS 27 handles lens correction data. According to pdfu, the code allows the system to select and blend calibration data based on aperture value, pulling correction data from neighboring aperture settings and combining it in varying ratios depending on where the lens is set.

In plainer terms, because camera lenses aren't perfectly precise, camera software will keep a "correction map" to digitally straighten out a photo depending on the aperture setting used. Normally, most phones have one correction map cause the aperture doesn't change. However, if pdfu's deep dive into the code is accurate, the implication is that the new iPhone has a variable physical aperture that can be opened or closed to varying degrees.

It's a feature that's been the subject of separate rumors about this year's iPhone camera hardware, but nothing is confirmed until tomorrow's event.

Streaming sticks used to be a really good purchase that was pretty straightforward. You paid the cost, which changed over time, plugged it in, and watched your shows. The same devices now boot into ad-heavy home screens, autoplay sponsored trailers before you've touched a button, and push updates that make the interface worse on purpose. You technically own the hardware, but the experience is designed around someone else's revenue. Building your own box used to sound like overkill, but not anymore now that an option like Fire TV is bad for home labs.

Zelda is turning 40 this year, and Nintendo is showing up for the celebration. In a video presentation, Nintendo just announced a handful of special edition hardware options to go alongside the new Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. While the game launches on Nov. 5, fans can snag the Nintendo Switch 2 The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition system on Oct. 29.

The Zelda makeover of the Nintendo Switch 2 pays homage to Link's classic colors of gold, black, and green. In addition to the console itself, Nintendo is also dropping a matching display stand and carrying case with a screen protector. Of course, all showcase the iconic Triforce design. There's also a truly stunning Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller coming with a Zelda makeover.

Immediately added to Christmas wish list: the new Zelda Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller. Credit: Nintendo

These launches are all part of Nintendo's 40th anniversary celebration of Zelda, which will feature plenty of merch drops and live events that'll continue on into 2027. We'll update this article with pricing and purchase links once they're live. The console will go live on this page, and the controller will go live here.

There's no reason why kitchen gear should be drab. Case in point: we now have an entire Le Creuset Star Trek collection that will jazz up any kitchen. In celebration of the franchises' 60th anniversary, Le Creuset is giving fans premium stoneware options that are a delight.

In total, the collection has 12 items that range in price from $40 up to $500. That might seem steep, but they're fairly on par in terms Le Creuset prices. Plus, nine of the 12 items are under $100. This is a limited-edition collection and given popularity of the franchise, we wouldn't be surprised if pieces sell out quickly. Here are some of our favorites from the collection, or browse all 12 items here.

Small kitchen accents from the Le Creuset Star Trek collection

For starters, we have the $60 Spock Mug. Sure, that seems like spendy for a mug but once you check out the incredible silhouette detailing and gold accents, it starts to feel well worth the price. If you're interested in the most affordable piece in the collection, go with the Star Trek Collection Live Long & Prosper Oven Mitt.

Not mad about a mug with the Spock ear. Credit: Le Creuset The Communi-Grater is surely one of the highlights of the collection Credit: Le Creuset

Here at Mashable, we're pretty smitten with the Star Trek Collection Communi-Grater. With a Starfleet emblem and durable stainless steel blade, this compact piece can find a home in any kitchen.

Showpiece items in the Le Creuset Star Trek collection

For big fans of the franchise or Le Creuset die-hards, the collection has three incredible pieces that I'll consider showpiece items. For starters, there's the $150 Galileo Shuttlecraft Rectangular Covered Casserole, a fantastic nod to the space craft.

Details on the Enterprise Round Dutch Oven with Starfleet Delta Knob are undeniably awesome. Credit: Le Creuset Even the box is collector-worthy. Credit: Le Creuset

The $450 Klingon Round Braiser with Klingon Trefoil Knob is also a delight for those in need of a larger cast iron option. This model has a capacity of 3.5 quarts and the Klingon trefoil knob paired with Kapla detailing on the lid's exterior make this piece espeically fun.

Finally, the Enterprise Round Dutch Oven with Starfleet Delta Knob is the most spendy piece in the collection, coming with a price of $500. The 5.5 quart enamel cast iron showcases the starship NCC-1701. Take your cooking galactic with this collection.

When I first switched to Linux from Windows, I was intimidated by the terminal. The black screen with its blinking cursor seemed archaic compared to Windows' polished GUI. Why would anyone choose to type commands when you could just click buttons? Oh, how wrong I was.

Cheers to the cult following of Practical Magic. The 1998 adaptation of Alice Hoffman's novel was no hit at the box office. Yet 28 years later, a sequel has manifested, thanks to all those who kept the fantasy of Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman's sister witches alive via fan art and social media posts, and by rewatching on streaming.

The sequel brings its leading ladies back, along with storied actresses Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing as their onscreen aunties. Many years have passed since the first film, so the next generation of Owens sisters has been recast, with Joey King and Maisie Williams stepping into the roles previously played by Evan Rachel Wood and Alexandra Artrip. Also joining the enchanting ensemble are Lee Pace, Xolo Maridueña, and Solly McLeod, as menfolk who cross the Owens women's paths for better or worse.

Together, they craft a tale of love, loss, sisterhood, and magic that bounds across genres while being thoroughly entertaining.

Warning: Practical Magic 2 begins as a bummer. Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest in "Practical Magic 2." Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

Based on Hoffman's The Book of Magic, this sequel initially unravels the happy ending promised by the last film. After defeating the vicious spirit of her ex (Goran Visnjic), Gilly (Kidman) and her sister Sally (Bullock) thought they'd defeated the curse that kills every man who dares to love an Owens woman. But in between movies, Sally's second husband, Tucson investigator Gary Hallet (Aidan Quinn), dies.

Not only does this pitch Sally back into grief, but it also renews her hatred for her own magical abilities. So, at this sequel's start, she casts a spell on her young daughters so they will forget all the magic they've witnessed and have no idea that they are witches. Sally has also sworn Gilly to keep this secret from her daughters. However, the Owens girls still live in the Massachusetts community that knows they're all witches, and recently helped them seance away an evil spirit. And they still are close with openly witchy aunties Jet (Wiest) and Franny (Channing). But — uh — magic. The girls don't know magic is real, or that they are witches. Move on. The point is, Sally is back to one, in that she is alone and refusing to interact with magic.

Nicole Kidman and Joey King in "Practical Magic 2." Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

Less than 28 years later, Antonia (Williams) is in a medical residency, and Kylie is studying art at university. But more importantly, she's falling for Gideon (Maridueña), a classmate who is utterly besotted with her. This renews the family's concerns about the curse. But before Gideon's life is threatened (which it will be), the Owens' family experiences another peace-shattering loss.

Be warned: In Act 1, Wiest will remind us what an aspirational witchy old woman Jet is, showcasing her joy, her mischievousness, her love (of her family and margaritas), and her determination. And then Jet will die.

Before 15 minutes of this sequel passed, I cried harder than I could have imagined, as I always regarded the first film as fun but fluffy. Truth be told, it just never got macabre enough to really thrill me. Practical Magic 2, however, goes harder in heartbreak and in its oddness.

Lee Pace defines Practical Magic 2. Lee Pace and Sandra Bullock in "Practical Magic 2." Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

Bullock and Kidman slide comfortably into reprising the roles of Sally and Gilly, recreating the comedy duo of a bristling straight man and silly free spirit. Kidman in particular is a delight, swanning around in silky flowing garments and regarding minor inconveniences (stairs, low ceilings) with radiant disgust. Yet her Gilly is always game when magic comes into play, her eyes glowing with excitement as Sally is relegated to stiff worry. (Though Bullock, who also produces, makes it a point to weave in some slapstick and other silliness to keep Sally from being one-note.)

However, the plot this time hinges on Kylie. Once the curse pitches her boyfriend Gideon into a coma, Kylie gets a crash course in magic and her family's history. Then, she runs away to England in search of a cure. Sally and Gilly are soon on her tail, butting heads along the way. But overseas, they find an ally in Professor Ian Wright, a dark magic academic who is covered in tattoos, played by Lee Pace, and introduced totally nude.

Now, as Practical Magic 2 is rated PG-13, director Susanne Bier (Bird Box) won't show nudity. But she brings a female gaze the first film lacked, understanding that a close-up on Sally's hand on Ian's exposed chest is as seductive as the low whisper when he says they're both "molecules." Sure, that might sound silly or corny. But like the first film, Practical Magic 2's romantic subplot is unapologetically earnest. Here, it's more alluring because Ian isn't conflicted by his attraction to this beautiful, powerful witch. Fuck being reserved or coy. His every gaze is one of temptation. And as Pace has been known to play heroes and villains, this temptation comes with a hint of danger all his own.

On top of that, Ian embodies the sequel's darker tone and new location. With a crisp English accent, the American actor welcomes audiences into the eccentric flats, cramped taverns, and stony ruins of England. In the first act, Bier embraces the salty sea town eccentricities of Massachusetts with a vibrant color palette. Production details assure the Owens' tendency toward silks, velvets, chiffon, and feathers is a sharp contrast to the hard-wood architecture and rough roads. But in England, darker hues creep in, warning of the danger Kylie is in. That danger is reflected in the tattoos that litter Ian's strong, long body. So, every time he reaches for Sally's hand, as much as she yearns for his touch, the sigils inked there remind her of her daughter's peril.

Practical Magic 2 descends into a chaotic climax. Sandra Bullock in "Practical Magic 2." Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

Look, if you want a heart-warming witch fantasy, this sequel delivers. Craving a sexy but PG-13 romance? You got it. You want fashion that's aspirational and deceptively simple? All good. You want to see women harness their own power to battle back against a system made to keep them down? You'll be pleased.

Simply put, Practical Magic 2 covers a lot of ground in satisfying the presumed expectations of its audience. Plus, Bullock is once more the executive producer of the soundtrack, bringing in female-led bangers like Olivia Rodrigo's "The Cure" and Stevie Nicks' "Landslide." What this sequel doesn't have is a third act that makes much sense.

Akiva Goldsman, who co-wrote the adapted screenplay for Practical Magic with Robin Swicord and Adam Brooks, teamed with Georgia Pritchett and Kelly Marcel on the sequel. Together, they've crafted dialogue that reflects the intimacy and intensity at the core of Gilly and Sally's bond. However, Hoffman's book series includes two extra novels in between the two that serve as inspiration for Practical Magic and its sequel. And in the third act, the screenwriters hastily introduce a new character and a lot of backstory that causes a tangle of nonsense in the climax.

The story becomes convoluted, and character depictions are frustratingly thin. But after some whiz-bang action, the sequel's tone evens out with a finale that is once more joyful and unapologetically girly. Ultimately, like its older sister, Practical Magic 2 offers a wild ride into different genre influences. But it's undeniably a joy to see Kidman, Bullock, Wiest, and Channing back again. They offer a path for witchy women who might not be magic, but who boldly seek love, self-contentment, and sisterhood even when they're no longer ingenues.

Through them, Practical Magic 2 is more than a good time; it's a source of inspiration and hope in dark times for women.

Practical Magic 2 opens on Sept. 11.

The tech and e-reader space was abuzz when Boox first announced its tiny e-reader was coming soon. The Boox Picco, which would be the smallest e-reader from Boox with a 3.97-inch screen, was first teased in July. We knew very few details on the pocket-sized e-reader beyond its size and the company's promise it was coming at an "accessible price point." But at IFA 2026 in Berlin, the device finally made its debut with several outlets reporting more details on the new e-reader.

According to reporting by Android Police, the Boox Picco is coming this November. No exact date is provided, but that's just two months away from its reported release date. We'll also have to wait until November to learn its price. Although Good e-Reader has reported the device will cost around $100, the company has not confirmed this.

The biggest development we've learned about the Boox Picco is its operating system. When the Picco was first teased, I expect the device would run on an Android operating system like the rest of Boox's E Ink tablets. That would mean unlike the popular Xteink X3, X4, and X4 Pro e-readers, you could read across a variety of apps including Kindle and Libby. However, the new Boox Picco reportedly runs on a Linux operating system.

A Linux operating system on the Boox Picco would mean a closed system with no access to the Google Play store. That limits what you can read on the device and potentially limits you to only DRM-free books. So if you read primarily through the Kindle or Libby app on a Boox e-reader, you won't be able to do so on the Picco. It will include several built-in apps including image, a Pomodoro timer, reading stats, to do list, and countdown calendar.

As reported by Android Police, the Boox Picco won't have a magnetic attachment to make it compatible with MagSafe devices. It will feature page-turning buttons and all storage will be through a MicroSD. It's also USB-C compatible, a relief to those disappointed by Xteink getting rid of USB-C on its X4 Pro e-reader.

TL;DR: Unveiled at IFA 2026, iRobot introduced its most powerful vacuum-mop combos to date: the Roomba Max 875 Combo ($1,199) and the Roomba Plus 678 Combo ($899). Both feature iRobot's new "SealForce" technology — a mechanical chassis skirt that seals against carpet fibers to stop airflow leakage — paired with heated mopping and AI obstacle avoidance.

Opens in a new window Credit: iRobot Roomba Plus 678 Combo robot + AutoWash dock $899.99 at iRobot
  Shop Now Opens in a new window Credit: iRobot iRobot Roomba Max 875 Combo robot + AutoWash dock $1,199.99 at iRobot
  Shop Now

For years, robot vacuum brands have kept chasing higher suction specs on paper without much innovation in their actual cleaning performance on carpets. iRobot is taking a different approach with its latest flagship launch. Announced on Sept. 2, the Roomba Max 875 Combo, priced at $1,199, and the Roomba Plus 678 Combo, at $899, do more than just push stronger suction; they alter how the robot makes contact with your floor to tackle deep carpet debris and stubborn, dried-on messes.

Credit: iRobot Credit: iRobot

Instead of letting vacuum airflow escape around the chassis, both models come with SealForce Vacuuming Technology. The moment either robot senses carpet, its chassis automatically lowers a mechanical skirt against the fibers to form an airtight seal. That seal channels 35,000 Pa of suction power (or 30,000 Pa on the Plus 678) directly into the rug, giving its 20 L/s airflow nowhere to escape except straight through the carpet for three times deeper dirt pickup.

SEE ALSO: The best budget robot vacuums to buy in 2026, expert tested at home

The models replace standard flat mop pads with continuously self-cleaning roller mops that scrub using heated water, though they approach dried spills a bit differently:

The Max 875 Combo sprays a warm, fine mist in front of the mop to soften stuck-on messes before scrubbing them away, and it automatically lifts the mop and covers it with a guard to protect your rugs. The Plus 678 Combo uses a strong blast of water to break down sticky spots before wiping them clean, lifting its mop 10 millimeters off the floor when it senses a carpet.

The AutoWash Dock handles all the dirty work, so you won't have to touch a mop pad or dustbin for up to 90 days. It washes the roller with 176 degrees Fahrenheit hot water, dries it with 131 degree heated air to stop mildew, and self-empties debris into a sealed bag. The Max 875 dock even auto-dispenses cleaning solution straight into the tank.

Both models come equipped with ClearView Pro Dual-Line LiDAR for precision mapping and PrecisionVision AI to recognize and avoid more than 300 common household items. They also feature hair-cutting main brushes to prevent pet hair tangles, along with edge-extending brushes that reach up to 45 millimeters into tight corners and along walls.

Both the Roomba Max 875 Combo and Roomba Plus 678 Combo are available to order now.

Andrew Garfield steps into OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's shoes in the first teaser for Luca Guadagnino's Artificial, and the result is foreboding.

The biopic centers on Altman's firing and rehiring from OpenAI in 2023. Based on the teaser, it will also include the creation of the artificial intelligence company and the launch of ChatGPT, with Anora's Yura Borisov playing OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever and Ike Barinholtz playing Elon Musk, also a cofounder of OpenAI.

SEE ALSO: 'Musk' documentary gets first teaser trailer

"We opened Pandora's box together," Garfield's Altman tells Borisov's Sustkever in the trailer. "The future's inevitable. Countries will fall. Industries are gonna collapse, and we get to be the ones to shepherd people into this new world."

Artificial is just one of many high-profile films that examine powerful tech CEOs set to release this fall. Others include Alex Gibney's Musk, a nearly four hour-long documentary all about the Tesla/SpaceX CEO, as well as Aaron Sorkin's The Social Reckoning, his follow-up to The Social Network starring Jeremy Strong as Mark Zuckerberg. However, Artificial almost didn't get a release at all. Its original distributor, Amazon MGM, dropped the film in June, months after signing a multi-year partnership with OpenAI. Artificial was then picked up by Neon, and is set to premiere at the New York Film Festival.

Artificial also stars Monica Barbaro as Mira Murati, former CTO of OpenAI and interim CEO, and Cooper Hoffman as Greg Brockman, current president of OpenAI. Jason Schwartzman, Chris O'Dowd, and Mark Rylance also star.

Artificial hits theaters Dec. 25.

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GET DOUBLE KINDLE POINTS: As of Sep. 8, get double Kindle Points when you buy Kindle books at Amazon, today only.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Double Kindle Points   Get Deal

Do you love to read? If so, you're likely already a proud Kindle owner. If not, now's a good time to go ahead and pick one up, especially if you also want to grab a few great books on the platform. Amazon is sweetening the deal for anyone who wants a starter collection of digital books or to add to their cache of digital books by doubling the Kindle Points you can earn from each purchase of a digital book.

As of Sep. 8, you can get double Kindle Points when you buy Kindle books at Amazon. That means today only, you'll get 6 points per dollar you spend on Kindle books and 1 point per dollar spent on print books.

SEE ALSO: I tested all of Amazon's e-readers, and this is the best Kindle to buy

You can also complete bonus offers to earn additional points as usual. Then, redeem your points for Kindle book rewards, with $3 awarded for every 300 points. The double Kindle points incentive lasts through midnight PDT, so if you're looking to rack up plenty of points, now's the time to do so.

So if you've had your eye on a certain book collection, that means you'll essentially be getting paid for making a purchase you were otherwise going to make. This is one way to stretch your dollars when it comes to Amazon's popular e-reader, in addition to all the other ways you can get the most out of your Kindle.

If you're looking to get some more reading done, now's the time to do it, especially since you can turn around and put those points you've earned to good use for future discounts. We love when shopping pays you back.

Nintendo just showed off a bunch of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for Nintendo Switch 2. Let's talk about it.

In a special Nintendo Direct on Tuesday morning, the company took about half an hour to discuss the 40th anniversary of the venerable Legend of Zelda series. There was a little bit of info about the upcoming live-action movie, but most of it was dedicated to the new Ocarina of Time remake.

Here are the main things we learned from the presentation.

SEE ALSO: Nintendo announces Nintendo Direct events for Sept. 8 and 9: How to watch, what to expect The Zelda movie has a title

First, Nintendo shared a very tiny bit of news about the upcoming live-action movie, coming out on April 30, 2027. It's simply called The Legend of Zelda. That's it. No subtitle.

Series creator Shigeru Miyamoto said the title would make sense once we see the movie. I'm guessing there's no subtitle because they plan on making sequels. We'll see!

Ocarina of Time is the same game with new visuals and some gameplay changes Credit: Nintendo

Series producer Eiji Aonuma gave us a pretty detailed gameplay walkthrough of an early section of the Ocarina remake. It answered most of the pressing questions we had about it.

Namely, it appears to be a pretty faithful remake in the sense that area maps and puzzle solutions seem identical to the original. Aonuma walked around Kokiri Forest, the game's starting area, fought some enemies, and solved a couple of puzzles in the Great Deku Tree, the game's first dungeon. All of that worked basically the same as it did in 1998, as far as I could tell.

There are some notable differences, of course. Visually, the new Ocarina looks much more like a modern video game, with more realistic material textures and water. Characters have some of that on them, too, but for the most part, they look relatively faithful to how they looked in the original. Link's outfit has some more texture on it, which is kind of strange, but NPCs look about how I expected them to look.

I don't hate the way it looks, but some people will. That's fine!

The developers also made some small but meaningful gameplay changes. There's now a jump button, as opposed to Link automatically jumping when you approach a ledge in the original. That approach worked great in 1998, but I get why they changed it; it was too easy to accidentally jump when you didn't want to, and the Switch 2 controller's layout is more conducive to having a jump button than the N64 controller's was.

You can also sprint, which negates the need to somersault everywhere. I'm going to miss that, personally, but again, I get it. This version of the game is for people who got into the series with more recent entries that had sprint buttons. As a fun sidenote, when you play the titular ocarina in the game, you can now hum notes into the built-in microphone instead of pressing buttons. There's also a playable ocarina accessory coming separately that works with the game. That's very, very silly.

Oh yeah, cutscenes have full voice acting now. It's TBD on whether or not that's a good thing.

We know the release date for Ocarina of Time now

Oh yeah, there's also the matter of when the game actually comes out. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for Nintendo Switch 2 launches on Nov. 5, just a couple of weeks before Grand Theft Auto VI. That'd be a bold gambit for any company other than Nintendo, but I have a feeling Ocarina will do just fine.

There's a special Switch 2 console for the game This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

On Oct. 29, Nintendo is also releasing a new Switch 2 console and Pro Controller, both themed after the game. They have neat Triforce designs all over them. Unfortunately, now that the Switch 2 got a recent price hike, you'll have to pay $500 for the console.