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Dunkin is giving away 1 million free drinks today — heres the code to claim yours

Mashable - 4 hours 18 min ago

TL;DR: Dunkin' is giving away 1 million free drinks on Monday, Aug. 10, just a week after giving away 1 million free medium Refreshers on Aug. 3. Use the code FRSHDROP2 to claim your free refresher.

Dunkin' just dropped another giveaway, and it's a big one — 1 million free drinks are up for grabs today. Grab your free refresher with code FRSHDROP2.

The code came through Dunkin's Diehards Instagram broadcast channel, the same spot the chain's been using to drop its surprise deals lately. Heads up — it's likely one per customer, as with past giveaways, so don't expect to stack them.

Just a week ago, on Aug. 3, the chain gave away 1 million free medium Refreshers to celebrate the launch of the Diehards channel. And this isn't Dunkin's first rodeo with million-drink drops this year, either. The chain gave away 1,000,001 free hot or iced coffees on April Fools' Day, then followed up with another million free coffees on April 21, and another on May 19.

At this point, if you want in on these before they disappear, following the Diehards channel with notifications enabled is no longer optional. Head to Dunkin's Instagram, find the Diehards broadcast channel under the bio, and turn on notifications so you don't miss the next one.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Why owners of this Toyota SUV have so few regrets

How-To Geek - 4 hours 24 min ago

Buying a family SUV is about more than horsepower, screens, or how impressive it looks parked in the driveway. You want something that makes everyday life easier and doesn't leave you second-guessing your choice.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Furious episode 5: Emmy Rossum on the whiskey waterboarding sequence

Mashable - 4 hours 24 min ago

Furious is heating up with episode 5, "Pick a Sticker."

FBI agent Alice Black (Emmy Rossum) is on the hunt for Catherine (Lola Petticrew), a serial killer on a quest of vengeance. But Alice's pursuit is being threatened by her abusive ex, Marshall (Jake Lacy), who reported that she pulled a gun on him.

Alice's boss, Nora Washington (Quincy Tyler Bernstine), tells her to straighten it out, or else she'll be pulled from the investigation. Digging into the antihero-ness of it all, Alice decides to invite Marshall to her apartment, where she seduces him and gets him drunk to break his sobriety.

In an interview with Mashable Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko, Rossum spoke to this scene in particular.

SEE ALSO: How 'Furious' delves into a world of sex and violence without being exploitative

"We called that the whiskey waterboarding scene," Rossum explained. "It's a really intense scene on a number of levels."

She said, "You have my character [Alice] who's really been pushed into a corner in her job, who is having her job threatened because she tried to protect herself, because she pulled a gun on him to basically tell him [the abuse is] not going to happen again. He's used that against her to gain an upper hand in this case — and again, to kind of control her. And you have her understanding that unless she does something, she's sidelined [in the investigation]. And she knows that she has to make him fall back on his sobriety, because that's the only way to make people question the veracity of his potential statement against her." 

Speaking to how the scene was shot, Rossum, who is also a producer on Furious, shared, "We knew how complicated it would be emotionally for us as actors, physically for us as actors. We obviously had an intimacy coordinator and a fight coordinator. And we spent a day or two after work in the days leading up to it, blocking, rehearsing, and working through the beats of the scene, understanding the scene in the space, and really talking about all the ways in which these scenes can bring things up for you that can be vulnerable.

"And at the same time," Rossum added, "When you're in the great hands of [Furious creator and showrunner] Liz Meriwether, and you have a trusted crew around you, and another actor who is as brilliant and as professional as Jake [Lacy] is — I mean, we shot that scene, that section for about two days. It was really interesting and complicated. And I think once we started getting into the blocking of it, we felt like we knew it was going to work."

Furious is now streaming on Hulu, with new episodes every Monday through Aug. 31. 

Categories: IT General, Technology

The Garmin quatix 7X Solar smartwatch is half off right now

Mashable - 4 hours 32 min ago

SAVE 50%: As of Aug. 10, you can get the Garmin quatix 7X Solar Edition for $549.99, down from $1,099.99, at Amazon. That's a 50% discount or $550 in savings.

Garmin quatix 7X Solar Edition $549.99 at Amazon
$1,099.99 Save $550   Get Deal at Amazon

If you spend a lot of time on the water, go on a lot of outdoor adventures, or just want a smartwatch that can handle your spontaneous lifestyle, Garmin's marine watches are as good as it gets. The only problem? They're expensive. Like, four-figure expensive.

SEE ALSO: The best smartwatch you've never heard of is on sale for less than $50

But right now, you can get the Garmin quatix 7X Solar Edition for a fraction of the price. It's currently on sale for $549.99, down from $1,099.99, at Amazon. That's a 50% discount or $550 in savings. It's also the lowest price we've tracked for this model.) But you'd better hurry: This is an Amazon Lightning Deal, and you only have a few hours left to grab it before the timer expires and the price goes back up.

This watch is designed specifically for boating and marine use. It connects with compatible Garmin chartplotters and lets you remotely control features like chart zoom, your Fusion stereo, and autopilot right from your wrist. You also get tide data right on the watch face, plus built-in alarms to notify you of an anchor drag or imminent tide changes.

Even if you aren't on a boat, it works as a full-featured multi-sport watch on land. It comes with a scratch-resistant Power Sapphire lens that uses solar charging to extend your battery life, along with both traditional physical buttons and a touchscreen interface so you can still navigate menus with wet hands or gloves.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Spotify is testing a skip button that might let you skip podcast ads

Mashable - 4 hours 36 min ago

Spotify has rolled out a feature that lets some users skip past podcast ads not sold directly by the platform, per an exclusive report from Semafor.

In the report, Spotify frames the change as a streamlined version of its existing skip button, but publishers say it could gut their ad revenue. According to Semafor, Podnews called the update a "significant threat" to ad-funded shows, while Crooked Media co-founder Tommy Vietor was more direct, writing on social media that it was "very cool" of Spotify to "try and destroy the podcast industry."

SEE ALSO: Spotify hits 300 million Premium subscribers

Semafor reported that several major audio networks contacted Spotify directly after the announcement to raise concerns about their monetization. Privately, the company has argued that the feature actually helps publishers by keeping people listening longer overall, citing internal engagement data, while also stressing that the button is still in early testing and could be pulled back.

A Spotify spokesperson confirmed to Semafor that the rollout is limited to certain paid subscribers and only appears when the app is open in the foreground, describing it as part of routine product testing aimed at making podcast listening "more intuitive" for Premium users.

The move lands as the podcast industry is already contending with a broader shift toward video platforms like YouTube, Semafor noted, and it isn't the first time Spotify has drawn pushback from publishers — the company partially reversed a podcast play-count rollout last year after similar complaints.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Metas Muse Glimmer wants to bring AI agents to your laptop

Mashable - 4 hours 42 min ago

Meta thinks the next front in the AI race may be sitting on your desk.

On Aug. 10, Meta released Muse Glimmer, a 30-billion-parameter AI model designed to run locally on a Mac or PC with a single consumer GPU. Its weights are available to download from Hugging Face under a permissive Apache 2.0 license, allowing developers to use, modify, and build products with the model for free.

That means Muse Glimmer can operate without sending every request to a distant data center. It can also work without an internet connection, provided the computer running it has enough memory and processing power.

For anyone ready to open an app and start chatting, however, there is a catch: Muse Glimmer is a developer release. Meta is supplying the model that can power an AI agent, rather than a consumer product that immediately manages your inbox or reorganizes your desktop.

What can Muse Glimmer actually do?

Meta built Muse Glimmer for "agentic" work, meaning it can take a goal, divide it into steps, and use connected tools to complete parts of the task. The company imagines local agents that could manage schedules, draft messages, organize files, and write or debug code.

The model can process images alongside text, perform multi-step tasks, and attempt recovery when a tool fails. Meta says it was trained on data from more than 100 languages.

Fitting those abilities onto one computer required some downsizing. At full precision, Muse Glimmer would need more than 55 GB of memory. Meta compressed the model to below 20 GB, leaving additional room for its working memory and image-processing system.

Even so, "runs on your laptop" is doing some work here. Meta designed the compressed version to fit within a 24 GB or 32 GB memory envelope and tested it on hardware, including Apple’s M4 Max and M5 Max chips and Nvidia’s RTX 5090. Your average work laptop may sit this one out.

For people with the right hardware, local processing offers some clear advantages. The model can work offline, developers can avoid paying for every request to a cloud service, and personal information does not necessarily have to leave the device. The level of privacy will still depend on how each application is built and which outside services it can access.

In Meta's own benchmark tests, Muse Glimmer performed competitively against similarly sized models from Google and Alibaba, although those results have not yet been independently verified.

Zuckerberg takes aim at closed AI

Meta describes Muse Glimmer as open source, although "open weight" is the more precise term. The calculations the model learned during training are public, but the release does not expose all the data and infrastructure used to create it.

Still, the Apache 2.0 license gives developers considerably more freedom than they receive from closed models available only through a company’s app or paid API.

Muse Glimmer is also the smaller opening act. Mark Zuckerberg said Meta will soon release the weights for Muse Spark 1.2, its more powerful foundation model. Muse Glimmer was distilled from Spark, meaning it was trained partly by learning from the larger model’s outputs.

Zuckerberg expanded his case for open AI in an essay titled "The Future Is for Everyone." He argued that the United States should loosen restrictions around training data and distillation so American companies can better compete with open models from Chinese developers, including DeepSeek, Alibaba, and Moonshot AI.

He also took a thinly veiled swipe at companies that warn about AI’s dangers while keeping their most capable models under tight control.

"The notion that AI is so dangerous that the only safe path is an extreme concentration of power seems inherently problematic," Zuckerberg wrote.

He did not name OpenAI or Anthropic, but the contrast was clear. Both companies keep their leading model weights private, while their executives have repeatedly warned about the economic and societal risks of more powerful AI. Zuckerberg instead argued that advanced AI should be widely distributed, with each person eventually controlling an agent that understands their goals and personal context.

Releasing Muse Glimmer gives developers another option outside the paid APIs of Meta’s rivals. It also gives Meta a way to influence the AI market even when people are not using one of its apps.

Whether ordinary users are ready to give a local agent access to their schedules, messages, and files remains an open question. The more immediate hurdle may be finding a laptop muscular enough to run it.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Milwaukee vs. Ryobi: Here are the differences that actually matter after 7 years of use

How-To Geek - 4 hours 54 min ago

I've been doing DIY projects for well over 20 years at this point, and I've used tools from all sorts of brands. In my personal shop, I use RYOBI 18V and Milwaukee M12. Here are the 6 differences that actually matter between the brands from my personal experience.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The DJI Power 1000 V2 is $300 off at Amazon and ready to power up your next adventures

Mashable - 4 hours 57 min ago

SAVE $299.02: The DJI Power 1000 V2 portable power station is on sale at Amazon for $399.98, down from the standard price of $699. That's a 43% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: DJI DJI Power 1000 V2 $399.98 at Amazon
$699 Save $299.02   Get Deal

Summer still has plenty of good days left to give. In fact, September might be the best new month of summer since temperatures tend to calm down, but it's not yet cold. If you'll be camping or going out on content creator journeys soon, check out this deal on a useful portable power station.

As of Aug. 10, the DJI Power 1000 V2 portable power station is on sale at Amazon for $399.98, down from the standard price of $699. That's a 43% discount that takes $299.02 off.

We've come to know DJI as one of the top brand making drones, mics, and creator cameras, but the brand is making waves with portable power stations. The DJI Power 1000 V2 is an updated version of the brand's original Power 1000. The new model comes with 1,024Wh of battery capacity and is rated with a 2,600W stable output. In just 37 minutes, it can recharge from 0 to 80% or to 100% in less than an hour.

SEE ALSO: The DJI Osmo Pocket 3 hits record-low price at Amazon — act fast to save $130

When testing the DJI Power 1000 V2, I was impressed by how easy it was to carry around, as well as the refined design.

Power port options on the DJI 1000 V2 include four AC ports, two USB-A, two USB-C, and two SDC. Lending itself to content creators, the two USB-C ports reach 140W and the SDC ports allow for quick-charging of DJI drone batteries.

If you'll be using the power station while recording audio for content or for using a CPAP while sleeping during a power outage, DJI mentions this model only reaches about 26 decibels. There's also the 0.01 second UPS (uninterrupted power supply) which means the power station will take over in 0.01 seconds when grid power fails.

If you've been thinking about making the investment into a portable power station, snag the DJI Power 1000 V2 while it's on sale for under $400. It's ideal for content creators, campers, or those who are looking for home backup during storms.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Kia vs. Toyota vs. Honda: A complete reliability comparison

How-To Geek - 4 hours 58 min ago

For years, Toyota and Honda were the go-to names for cars that just keep running. Their long-standing reputation for reliability made them the default choice for many buyers.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Solar Eclipse 2026: Heres what North America will see, when it will happen

Mashable - 5 hours 22 sec ago

August is shaping up to be a big month for fans of celestial events, with both the Perseid meteor shower and a solar eclipse set to light up the skies. While the annual Perseids will deliver one of the year's most popular meteor displays, the solar eclipse will offer a different kind of spectacle as the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun.

While parts of Europe will experience a full show in the form of a total solar eclipse, those based in North America will still have a chance to catch the celestial event as a partial eclipse. Keep reading to find out all you need to know about this latest celestial event.

Opens in a new window Credit: AAA Eclipse AAA Eclipse Solar Viewing Glasses (Pack of 50) $49.95 at Amazon
  Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lunt Lunt Solar Eclipse Glasses (Pack of 5) £26.21 at Amazon
  Get Deal When is the solar eclipse in North America?

On Aug. 12, a partial solar eclipse will be visible across parts of North America and most of Canada. While the continent won't experience the same totality as parts of Europe will, it will still be a rare opportunity to witness an exciting solar event.

According to NASA, viewing times will vary across North America, with Alaska and northern Canada seeing the eclipse in the morning, eastern Canada in the afternoon, and parts of the northern U.S. from midday into the afternoon.

It will peak in Anchorage, Alaska at 8:21 a.m. ET. Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., it will peak at around 1:53 p.m. ET.

How to watch the solar eclipse

Because the Sun is never completely covered from anywhere in North America during this eclipse, it's never safe to look directly at it without proper eye protection.

Anyone planning to watch should wear certified eclipse glasses that meet the ISO 12312-2 international safety standard. Regular sunglasses, no matter how dark, are not safe for viewing the Sun. If you're using binoculars, a telescope, or a camera, you'll also need an approved solar filter fitted to the front of the optics.

What causes a solar eclipse?

According to NASA, a solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes directly between Earth and the Sun, temporarily blocking some or all of the Sun's light. During a partial solar eclipse, the Moon covers only part of the Sun, creating the appearance of a crescent-shaped Sun rather than plunging the landscape into darkness. This is what will be visible in North America.

Where can you see the partial solar eclipse in North America?

NASA says the best places to spot the eclipse in North America include parts of the northern U.S. (from Alaska to North Carolina) and most of Canada. While parts of the world will see a total solar eclipse, viewers in North America will experience a partial eclipse.

Solar Eclipse livestream

NASA is livestreaming the eclipse on YouTube, Twitch, X, Amazon Prime, Facebook, Instagram, and NASA+.

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Categories: IT General, Technology

Solar eclipse 2026 from the US: how to watch from home and online

Mashable - 5 hours 1 min ago

If your feeds are blowing up with talk of the upcoming total solar eclipse, this might burst your bubble: The show might not be coming to a sky near you.

On Aug. 12, the moon will sweep its shadow across the top of the world, briefly turning day into twilight along a narrow path through Greenland, Iceland, northern Russia, northern Spain, and a sliver of Portugal. That's the path of totality — where the sun is completely blocked — and it's the first time in 27 years that mainland Europe has gotten a full, real-deal solar eclipse.

Opens in a new window Credit: AAA Eclipse AAA Eclipse Solar Viewing Glasses (Pack of 50) $49.95 at Amazon
  Shop Now Opens in a new window Credit: Lunt Lunt Solar Eclipse Glasses (Pack of 5) £26.21 at Amazon
  Shop Now

But people in the United States won't be in that bullseye. Instead, a part of the country will see a partial solar eclipse, where the moon nips the sun but never covers it completely. The sky won't go dark, the stars won't pop out, and you won't get the full moody effect. But with the right eyewear, you could still see the sun turn into a yummy space crescent roll in the middle of a Wednesday.

For a U.S. audience, this eclipse is either a drop-everything-and-fly-to-Iceland kind of deal or a fun coffee break at work. Here's how to plan 15 minutes to step outside and look up safely — or, better yet, ditch the special eyewear and get a front-row seat to the main event with a livestream from where the real action is happening. 

SEE ALSO: Pluto has a heart. Scientists discovered that it's bleeding. Where in the U.S. can you see it?

The farther north you are, the better the show.

As the moon's shadow creeps from Russia to Greenland and Iceland and onward to Europe, the outer part of that shadow — the penumbra — brushes North America. Within that outer shadow, the sun is only partially blocked, but the effect might still be noticeable if you're paying attention.

The United States will not experience a total solar eclipse on Aug. 12, 2026, but many states will get a partial solar eclipse. Credit: NASA infographic

Nationwide, 26 states and Washington, D.C., will get a very slight partial eclipse. The states include Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. 

Many parts of Alaska and the far north will see the larger bites, with the eclipse unfolding earlier in the day. In parts of the south, it may register more as a subtle dimming — not much different from a little cloud cover. Just over the border, Canada gets a better view. Much of the country lies deeper in the partial zone. Northern and western areas catch the show in the morning; eastern provinces get it in the afternoon.

For the United States, the event begins at 7:34 a.m. Alaska Standard Time and ends on the East Coast at 2:52 p.m. ET. To zero in on your specific area's times, visit Timeanddate.com and enter your city or ZIP code. 

Watching the solar eclipse online

For U.S. viewers, NASA plans a live broadcast on Aug. 12, with telescope views, commentary from scientists, and footage from research aircraft flying under the moon's shadow

In Europe, the European Space Agency and other organizations, such as the Royal Observatory, will host their own streams. The Exploratorium, which has a long track record of eclipse coverage, will again provide a live telescope feed from inside the path of totality in Spain. Here's a go-to list of live broadcasts that you can hop to and from without having to board a jet: 

  • NASA: Streaming on NASA+ and YouTube, with views from Spain and high-altitude aircraft, starting at 1:15 p.m. ET.

  • ESA: Hosting a live broadcast from the Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre in Teruel, Spain, and a separate telescope feed, starting at 19:30 CEST, or 1:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. ET

  • The Exploratorium: Broadcasting a live telescope view from Spain at 1:30 p.m. ET.

  • Royal Observatory: Hosting a live broadcast from the Royal Observatory Greenwich, where the United Kingdom will see about 90 percent sun coverage during the eclipse, starting at 1:10 p.m. ET.

  • TimeandDate.com: Streaming the event with real-time animations, maps, and expert commentary, starting at noon ET

Everything to know about eclipse glasses

It's plain and simple: If any part of the sun's face is visible, you must protect your eyes to look up at it. That's true in Alaska, Texas, Iceland, Spain — everywhere.

For Americans in the partial zone, the go‑to tools are protective eyewear or a handheld solar viewer designed for viewing the sun. Eclipse glasses are not just dark sunglasses. Legit eclipse glasses are thousands of times darker and built to block most of the sun's visible and invisible light. 

Reputable ones follow the ISO 12312‑2 safety standard; when you put them on indoors, you shouldn't be able to see anything except maybe the brightest lights.

Keep the glasses or viewer on the whole time you're looking at the sun. Never look through eclipse glasses into a telescope or binoculars unless the optics also have a proper solar filter on the front. Concentrated sunlight can burn through a filter and through the delicate tissue at the back of your eyes, far faster than you'd expect.

A simple pinhole projector — or even a small hole in an index card projecting the sun's image onto the ground or another surface — will show you the sun's change from a circle to a crescent and back again without ever having to look up. During the partial phases, the gaps between tree leaves do the same thing naturally, scattering tiny crescent suns onto sidewalks.

Tree leaves reveal crescent suns like pinhole projectors on the ground as its partially obscured light filters through them. Credit: Michael S. Williamson / The Washington Post via Getty Images If you're not in totality, is it still worthwhile?

That all depends on your appetite and attitude. On the ground in the United States, you'll get a sun that looks wrong in an intriguing way, light that feels a little hushed, and shadows that sharpen. 

At the same time, cameras and telescopes along the path of totality will be streaming the full blackout — the sun's corona glowing behind a black disk like a scalloped crown. You might like to take an imaginary journey in your mind, see what it looks like from Reykjavik or a Spanish hillside.

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Categories: IT General, Technology

The solar eclipse is this week — but dont take photos of it with your phone

Mashable - 5 hours 3 min ago

I learned that my iPhone 15 Pro Max and the upcoming 2026 total solar eclipse do not mix. I stumbled upon BGR's article, which warned skygazers against using their phones to take pictures of the imminent cosmic event.

If you're like me, you may be wondering "Why?" After all, who wouldn't want to snap a photo of such an awe-inspiring celestial occurrence?

Opens in a new window Credit: Lunt Lunt Solar Eclipse Glasses (Pack of 5) £26.21 at Amazon
  Shop Now Opens in a new window Credit: AAA Eclipse AAA Eclipse Solar Viewing Glasses (Pack of 50) $49.95 at Amazon
  Shop Now

As it turns out, taking a photo of the 2026 solar eclipse could damage your iPhone's camera hardware.

SEE ALSO: Solar eclipse 2026 from the US: how to watch from home and online Why you shouldn't take a photo of the 2026 solar eclipse with your phone

In the same way that you shouldn't use a telescope or binoculars to gaze at the sun (you could melt your eyeballs off), you shouldn't use your phone's shooter — or any other poorly equipped camera — to take a photo of the solar eclipse.

BGR says that no smartphone is designed to handle the intense solar rays the sun emanates. "Using your camera or phone could cause the heat from the rays to become so concentrated that it could melt the lens inside," the tech outlet warned.

Days before the April 8, 2024 eclipse that swept across parts of North America, NASA provided similar advice.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

There is a workaround in that you can purchase filters for your phone and camera.

NEEWER 67mm Clip On Filters Kit for Phone & Camera Credit: Amazon

But the best way to see the eclipse might very well be with your eyes rather than a camera lens. That is, if they are fully protected.

SEE ALSO: Here's where to buy legit solar eclipse glasses that'll arrive before Wednesday's eclipse

It must be emphasized that it's imperative that your eyes are protected. NASA recommends getting "ISO 12312-2" grade solar eclipse glasses that filter harmful light.

The historic 2026 total solar eclipse is set to happen Aug. 12 and, depending where you are, might only be visible as a partial solar eclipse if it's visible at all. Mashable's Elisha Sauers, our space reporter, shares exactly when and where to get the best view of the 2026 solar eclipse.

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UPDATE: Aug. 9, 2026, 11:00 a.m. EDT This 2024 story was updated to include information related to the 2026 solar eclipse happening on Wednesday, Aug. 12.

Categories: IT General, Technology

This is how I use Google Wallet without giving Google my credit card number

How-To Geek - 5 hours 9 min ago

As implausible as it may sound, I rarely give websites my actual card numbers when I shop online. Instead, I generate virtual debit cards, and it's become one of my favorite privacy tricks. Now, I figured out a way to use these same cards when I shop in person, thanks to Google Wallet.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Target is giving away free $15 gift cards: How to claim yours

Mashable - 5 hours 9 min ago

FREE GIFT CARD: Through Aug. 15, Target is giving out free $15 gift cards when you spend $50 on select household items in stores or online. That includes things like trash bags, cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, paper towels, and more.

Opens in a new window Credit: Target Get a $15 Target gift card when you spend $50 on household items   Get Deal

There's a big benefit to doing your household essentials shopping at Target: free money.

Through Aug. 15, you can get a free $15 Target gift card when you spend $50 on select household items you were probably going to buy anyway. That includes everything from paper towels and trash bags to cleaning supplies and laundry detergent.

To claim your gift card, just fill up your cart with items from the promotion until you reach the $50 threshold and the gift card deal will automatically be applied at checkout. Once your items ship, the gift card will magically appear in your Target account to spend immediately on whatever you'd like.

What exactly is included in the promotion? Oh, just 50+ pages worth of items from well-known brands like Tide, Arm & Hammer, Glad, Downy, Dawn, Bounty, and so many more. Target's own brands like up&up, Dealworthy, and Everspring are also included. You can filter by brand or product type if you're looking for something specific.

There's a high chance the promotion includes items you use regularly and need to stock up on anyway. You might as well get some free money out of it, right?

Categories: IT General, Technology

The CMF by Nothing Headphone Pro just hit its lowest price ever

Mashable - 5 hours 17 min ago

SAVE 13%: As of Aug. 10, the CMF by Nothing Headphone Pro active noise-cancelling headphones are $69, down from $79, at Amazon. That's a 13% discount or $10 savings.

Opens in a new window Credit: CMF by Nothing CMF by Nothing Headphone Pro $69 at Amazon
$79 Save $10   Get Deal

It's one thing to want a brand-new pair of Sony or Bose headphones, but it's another thing to actually pay for them. If you don't have an extra $400 lying around, the CMF by Nothing Headphone Pro ANC headphones are definitely worth a look — and right now, they're down to their lowest price ever.

SEE ALSO: The 12 best headphones of 2026: We tested the top contenders from Sony, Apple, Bose, and Beats

As of Aug. 10, you can grab the CMF by Nothing Headphone Pro active noise-cancelling headphones for $69 on Amazon (down from $79). Saving $10 might not sound huge on paper, but a 13% drop brings these down to a damn good price for what you get. Reviews praise them for delivering "stellar" audio quality and comfort for cheap, and our sister site, PCMag, even gave them a 4-star review and an Editors' Choice award.

These headphones have physical bass and treble sliders right on the ear cup, so you can adjust your audio in real time (no app needed!). The noise cancellation blocks up to 40 dB of background noise, and there's a Transparency Mode button if you need to hear what's going on around you.

Bonus: You'll get up to 50 hours of playback with active noise cancellation turned on, and up to 100 hours if you leave ANC off. If you forget to plug them in before heading out, a quick five-minute charge gives you four hours of listening time.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Run to Amazon to get the Amazfit Balance 2 while its on sale for the best price weve seen

Mashable - 5 hours 26 min ago

SAVE $50: The Amazfit Balance 2 is on sale at Amazon for $249.99, down from the list price of $299.99. That's a 17% discount that matches the lowest we've seen at Amazon.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazfit Amazfit Balance 2 $249.99 at Amazon
$299.99 Save $50   Get Deal

Now that summer is a mixture of sweltering temps and smoke, fall fitness goals seem more realistic. Running in the crisp air with crunchy leaves underfoot feels a bit more comfortable than getting out at 6 a.m. to avoid the summer heat. If you have fall fitness plans, check out this tracker that's willing to keep up.

As of Aug. 10, the Amazfit Balance 2 is on sale at Amazon for $249.99, marked down from the list price of $299.99. That's a 17% discount that takes $50 off the price and matches the lowest we've seen at Amazon.

The Amazfit Balance 2 does not mess around when it comes to providing useful stats for a workout. The fitness tracker has over 170 sport modes to choose from, including Hyrox and golf, with over 40,000 golf courses mapped around the world and available for download. On the watch face itself, you can access instant metrics like your training load, the weather, recovery time, a readiness score, and even more.

SEE ALSO: Get the flagship 8K Insta360 X4 Creator Bundle for $485 at Amazon

A major complaint of fitness trackers is poor battery life that leaves you crunched for a good time to remove the watch and let it recharge. The Amazfit Balance 2 aims to help with that issue since it gets at least 10 days of battery life. Amazfit says the 10 day lifespan applies to heavy use while typical use will get more like 21 days.

Build quality is also great on the Balance 2. It has a 1.5-inch AMOLED display that gets up to 2,000 nits of brightness. It's also certified for diving to depths of 45 meters or about 150 feet. If you're into Hyrox, the Amazfit has both competition and training modes that include the skierg, sled push, wall ball, and more.

Since the Amazfit Balance 2 is sitting at a record-low and we're getting ready for fall fitness, consider making the upgrade for under $250.

Categories: IT General, Technology

LGs 65-inch Gallery TV has dipped below $1,000 for the first time

Mashable - 5 hours 34 min ago

SAVE $800: As of Aug. 10, the LG 65-inch LX7B Gallery Mini LED 4K TV is on sale at Amazon for just $999.99 instead of its usual $1,799.99. That's 44% in savings.

Opens in a new window Credit: LG LG 65-inch LX7B Gallery Mini LED 4K TV $999.99 at Amazon
$1,799.99 Save $800   Get Deal

LG unveiled its new Gallery TV back in January and it's essentially a direct competitor to Samsung's The Frame. We've seen it go on sale a few times since then, but it has officially dipped down below $1,000 for the first time.

As of Aug. 10, you can upgrade to the LG 65-inch LX7B Gallery Mini LED 4K TV for just $999.99. That's 44% or $800 cheaper than its typical list price of $1,799.99 and its lowest price on record.

Like The Frame, LG's Gallery TV features an ultra-slim design with hardly any bezel, an attachable frame, and a matte display, which gives it the illusion of framed artwork when nobody's watching it. You'll have the option to display over 5,000 different works of art from LG Gallery Plus or design your own.

As a TV itself, it's pretty great, too. Thanks to Mini LED backlighting, you'll notice brighter highlights and deeper blacks, while Dynamic QNED color will ensure colors are vivid and accurate. With a matte display, glares from lights and windows won't be a problem either. An auto brightness control will even adjust the screen based on the lighting in your room for convenience.

Mashable's TV expert calls the LG LX7B Gallery TV one of the best of 2026 so far. If you've had an art TV on your wishlist, now's a particularly good time to make the leap.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The first alternative Android app store is now available in Google Play in the U.S.

How-To Geek - 5 hours 50 min ago

If you live in the U.S., no longer have to jump through hoops to install a third-party Android app store on your phone. Weeks after Google loosened its policies, the first alternative shop is available through the Play Store.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The Eufy Omni C20 can wash and dry its own mop — and its yours for $170 off

Mashable - 5 hours 52 min ago

SAVE $170: As of Aug. 10, the Eufy Omni C20 robot vacuum and mop combo is down to $379.99 at Amazon, from $549.99 — a 31% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Eufy Omni C20 Robot Vacuum and Mop Combo Eufy Omni C20 Robot Vacuum and Mop Combo $379.99 at Amazon
$549.99 Save $170   Get Deal

The Eufy Omni C20 robot vacuum and mop combo is down to $379.99 at Amazon, a 31% cut off its $549.99 list price. That's $170 in savings on a vacuum that mops, empties itself, and cleans its own mop pads.

The base station empties the dustbin on its own, and it washes and dries the mop pads with warm air after every run, so you're not touching a dirty mop pad or dumping a bin every few days. Eufy says you can go up to 60 days between manual empties, depending on your household.

It vacuums and mops in the same pass instead of two separate cleanings. The mop pads spin and press down with force to scrub off dried spills on hardwood or tile, and they lift up automatically when they hit carpet, so your rugs don't get soaked. If a spot needs extra attention, the app lets you send it back over that area for a second pass.

Suction goes up to 7,000 Pa and adjusts automatically based on how dirty the surface is. Pet owners get a useful extra here: a comb flips down mid-clean to loosen hair wrapped around the roller brush, so you're not cutting tangled fur out of it yourself.

SEE ALSO: Robot vacuums just got the FCC drone treatment. How are robot vacuum brands responding to the ban?

At just over 3 inches tall, it slides under couches, beds, and low cabinets that trip up bulkier robot vacuums. It runs about two hours on a charge, and if it doesn't finish before the battery dies, it heads back to the base to recharge and picks up where it left off.

Consider your floors handled. Grab the Eufy Omni C20 at Amazon before the price bounces back.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The HP OmniBook 3 16 has a bonkers 40-hour battery life. Yes, you read that right.

Mashable - 5 hours 53 min ago

I wouldn't believe the HP OmniBook 3 16's battery life test results if I hadn't witnessed them myself. This new 16-inch laptop with Qualcomm's starter Snapdragon X chip lasted 40 hours and 14 minutes before dying, effortlessly securing its place as our new battery life champ.

It dethrones last year's OmniBook 5 14, which also had a Snapdragon processor. (Déjà vu!) And it ran for nearly twice as long as the M5 Apple MacBook Pro, our longest-lasting MacBook. If you're looking for the best battery life laptop of 2026, your hunt ends here.

As a whole, the OmniBook 3 16 isn't quite worthy of our coveted Mashable Choice Award (though it's still good enough to earn a Mashable Selects badge). Similarly priced laptops like the Acer Swift 16 AI and Asus Zenbook A16 offer way more power with nicer build quality and above-average, if not record-breaking battery life. Still, its multi-day stamina makes the new Omnibook 3 16 a compelling candidate for on-the-go workers who hate fighting over outlets at cafés and airports.

Smart shoppers will hold out until it goes on sale, which luckily happens often. Good discounts turn it into a great big-screened budget option.

The HP OmniBook 3 16 at a glance Before I looked at its spec sheet, I really thought the HP OmniBook 3 16 had an OLED display. It's very colorful with deep blacks. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

What I liked: Its older entry-level processor holds its own in multi-core scenarios. It runs super cool and quiet. It has a huge, colorful display. It's pretty thin. Its keyboard is comfortable to type on. Its webcam and mic are above-average. It's frequently on sale. And that battery life, man. Ridiculous.

What I didn't like: Its design is boring. There's some give to its lid and keyboard deck. Its display is dim and glossy, so it's difficult to see its picture in bright light. There are some compatibility concerns with Snapdragon chips. Its wireless technology is outdated. For what you get, it's too expensive at its regular sticker price: This year, I've tried $1,700-ish laptops that are way faster, equipped with OLED touchscreens, and made with zero plastic.

HP OmniBook 3 16-bz000 $899 at Amazon
  Shop Now at Amazon Shop Now at Staples Shop Now at HP Key specs
  • CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon X

  • Memory: 32GB RAM

  • Storage: 1TB SSD

  • Display: 16-inch 1920 x 1200 IPS panel with 60Hz refresh rate and 300 nits of brightness

  • Webcam: 1080p with physical privacy shutter

  • Ports: HDMI port, two USB-C ports, two USB-A ports, and a headphone jack

  • Connectivity: WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3

  • Dimensions: 14.12 x 9.91 x 0.58 inches

  • Weight: 3.65 pounds

  • Color: Glacier silver

Pricing and availability

The OmniBook 3 16 starts at $999.99 with 8GB RAM and 256GB of storage on HP's website. The model I tested, with way more memory and storage, costs $1,629.99. That's not an awful deal in this day and age, but again, the competition gets much less intense when it's on sale. At the time of writing, it was 28% to 47% off, depending on the configuration, and the base model was going for just $529.99.

The HP OmniBook 3 16 comes in glacier silver by default (pictured here). You can change its color for a small fee. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

For $10 more, HP will let you change its color to warm gold, mica silver, or starlight blue. For $80 extra, you can add touchscreen capabilities.

Amazon and Staples both carry models that are better deals at full price versus buying direct, but they're not customizable.

HP OmniBook 3 16 performance

The OmniBook 3 16's Snapdragon X chip is an entry-level processor from 2025. Its single-core performance is, as expected, basic; it's much less snappy than the MacBook Neo's repurposed iPhone A18 Pro chip. But its multi-core performance is relatively impressive, rivaling that of last year's upper mid-range Intel Core Ultra 7 258V chip or a brand-new base Core Ultra 5 325 chip. It's well-suited for everyday productivity.

FYI: That Snapdragon chip is ARM-based, so it's not ideal for gaming or running specialty apps. Read my guide to the best Windows laptops to learn more about ARM compatibility issues.

On a more positive note, I couldn't get the OmniBook 3 16's fan to turn on during a stress test in which I opened tons of browser tabs and apps simultaneously. Most laptops get a little warm during this exercise, but it stayed completely, remarkably cool.

HP OmniBook 3 16 design and build quality The HP OmniBook 3 16's touchpad is slightly off-center to align with its keyboard, which might bug some folks. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

This is a plain-looking laptop with average build quality. Its aluminum top cover and plastic keyboard deck both have some flex in the middle. Its lid wiggles whenever you adjust its position, and its hinge is a little creaky. At least it's pretty slender for its size, if not particularly lightweight.

Most of the HP OmniBook 3 16's ports are located on its left-hand side. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

The OmniBook 3 16's display is a highlight. Its colors are so vivid and its contrast so good that I wondered if it had an OLED panel at first — it's actually just a regular IPS screen. Note that it looks best indoors because it's dim and glossy.

The OmniBook 3 16 has a backlit keyboard with a pleasant snappy-squishy (but not mushy) feel and a numpad. Happily, its mechanical touchpad doesn't rattle with every finger tap like the one on last year's OmniBook 5 14.

Who should get the HP OmniBook 3 16? Big screen, bigger battery life. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

The OmniBook 3 16 is a decent everyday laptop for remote workers, commuters, and travelers who want a big, entertainment-ready screen and freakishly good battery life. It's made for all-nighters and long-haul trips. Again, try to buy it on sale, when it's at its peak value.

Categories: IT General, Technology
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