Blogroll

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra Review: Not to be overlooked

How-To Geek - 6 hours 35 min ago

You wouldn’t know it from the headlines, but Samsung launched two (2) new Galaxy Z Fold phones last month. The wide Fold 8 stole the show, turning the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra into an unusual underdog. Regardless, this is the model that Samsung adorned with the “Ultra” tag, and it did so for good reason.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Marvel drops a special look Avengers: Doomsday trailer at D23

Mashable - 7 hours 35 min ago

Marvel surprised the crowd at its D23 panel Friday night with new footage from Avengers: Doomsday, offering fans an exclusive look at the upcoming film.

In the clip, Sue Storm of the Fantastic Four tells the assembled Avengers that Victor Von Doom (Robert Downey Jr.) wasn't always the villain they're facing now, hinting that the character's turn followed the loss of everything he held dear, presumably including his wife and child. The footage cuts between close-ups of the ensemble cast as the moment lands.

The footage arrived just as Marvel unveiled the cast of its X-Men reboot, and the ensemble glimpsed in the Doomsday clip includes several of the franchise's Fox-era mutants, including Cyclops, Professor X, and Magneto.

The footage also delivers a jolt of action, showing RDJ's Doom shrug off a direct hit from Thor before summoning what appears to be a full army of Sentinels — the towering, mutant-hunting robots known for their flight capabilities and energy-blast attacks. Bad news for the good guys.

Avengers: Doomsday is set to hit theaters Dec. 18, 2026.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Marvel unveils X-Men cast: Adam Driver, Inde Navarrette, and more set for May 2028 film

Mashable - 7 hours 35 min ago

SPOILER WARNING: This piece references plot details from Spider-Man: Brand New Day, including Sadie Sink's role in the film.

Marvel unveiled the cast of its long-awaited X-Men reboot at D23 on Friday night, assembling a notably younger ensemble than the mutant team audiences have known from two decades of Fox films.

Disney and Marvel revealed that the new lineup includes Sadie Sink (Stranger Things, The Whale) as Jean Grey, Kit Connor (Heart Stopper Forever, Elden Ring, Warfare) as Cyclops, Christopher Abbott (Wolfman, Girls, Sanctuary) as Professor Charles Xavier, Samara Weaving (Ready or Not, Over Your Dead Body) as Emma Frost, Inde Navarrette (Obsession) as Rogue, and Broadway performer Maya Boyd as Storm, with Adam Driver (Marriage Story, Girls, House of Gucci) joining as the villain Mr. Sinister.

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The cast appeared onstage alongside Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, with Driver joining via video. Feige said the actors had only just met backstage for the first time, and cautioned that the roster revealed Friday isn't the complete lineup. Driver, for his part, said he and Feige had discussed him joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe for years before they "found something perfect with characters I feel very deeply about."

SEE ALSO: Ryan Gosling to star in MCU's 'Ghost Rider' film

The younger cast marks a deliberate departure from the X-Men most audiences already know. A number of actors from the 2000s Fox films — including Patrick Stewart as Professor X, Ian McKellen as Magneto, James Marsden as Cyclops, Rebecca Romijn as Mystique, and Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler — are set to return this December in Avengers: Doomsday. Channing Tatum's variant of Gambit is also set to appear, with the character formally appearing in Deadpool & Wolverine after a decade of the purported film being stuck in developmental hell.

Notably absent from Friday's announcement was any casting for Wolverine, but Hugh Jackman did tease that he and Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool could appear in Avengers: Doomsday.

Some of the cast announcements have been known for a few weeks. Connor's role as Cyclops and Weaving's as Emma Frost had previously been reported, and the Hollywood Reporter had exclusively reported the prior week that Abbott was a strong contender for Professor X. Navarrette recently broke out in the summer hit Obsession, while Boyd is best known for leading the Broadway production of & Juliet.

The film is set for release on May 5, 2028.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Ankers Solix S2000 power station is on sale this weekend — survive your next blackout for under $650

Mashable - 7 hours 35 min ago

SAVE $549: As of Aug. 15, the Anker Solix S2000 portable power station is down to $649.99 from $1,199 at Amazon — a 46% discount and one of its best prices yet.

Opens in a new window Credit: Anker Solix Anker Solix S2000 $649.99 at Amazon
$1,199 Save $549.01   Get Deal

Anker's Solix S2000 portable power station just dropped to one of its best prices yet.

It's on sale for $649.99 at Amazon — down from $1,199. A big selling point here is fridge backup — Anker says it'll keep your fridge running for 35 hours on a full charge. That's because the unit barely draws power while idle, so more of the battery goes toward keeping your food cold rather than being wasted.

The battery itself is an LFP (lithium iron phosphate) battery, which means it's built to last longer than a typical lithium-ion battery. Anker rates it for 10,000 charge cycles, which works out to about 15 years of regular use before you'd need to think about replacing it.

SEE ALSO: I tried the Jackery FridgeGuard portable power station: It's both functional and pretty

Despite holding almost 2,000Wh of power, it's smaller and lighter than most power stations in this category, weighing under 36 pounds. It puts out 1,500W continuously (3,000W at peak), enough to run about 99% of typical home appliances, though that'll depend on exactly what you're plugging in.

You've got six ways to recharge it, including solar, a wall outlet, your car, or a generator, so you're not locked into one option. It's got eight outlets split between the front and back, keeping things easy to reach instead of crammed together, and if the power cuts out while you're working, it switches over in under 10 milliseconds, fast enough that you probably won't even notice.

Blackout-proof your kitchen while it's actually affordable. Grab the Anker Solix S2000 portable power station on Amazon before it returns to full price.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The best Disney+ deals and bundles in August 2026

Mashable - 7 hours 35 min ago
The best Disney+ deals and bundles in August 2026: Best Hulu Bundle Deal Disney+ and Hulu Bundle Get 6 months for $11.99/month Get Deal Best HBO Max Bundle Deal Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max Bundle $19.99/month with ads, $32.99/month ad-free Get Deal Best ESPN Bundle Deal Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Unlimited Bundle $35.99/month Get Deal

Whether you're looking to jump into the latest superhero saga or journey to a galaxy far, far away, Disney+ is the streaming service for you.

Home to Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and more, Disney+ offers a library stuffed with shows and films to keep both adults and kids entertained. With Disney+, you can watch Pixar's latest movie Hoppers, season two of X-Men '97, the upcoming third season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and much more.

If you've had this streaming service on your radar but you're unsure which plan is the best fit for you, we've got you covered with a selection of Disney+ streaming deals. Right now, the streamer is offering six months of its ad-supported Disney+ and Hulu bundle for only $11.99 per month (which renews at $12.99 per month after six months), or six months of its ad-free plan at $17.99 per month (which will return to $19.99 per month after the six-month promotional period).

SEE ALSO: Tom Holland and the 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' cast reveal what they'd forget with Doctor Strange's memory spell

There's also the Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max package, which is a great investment for those who already use the other two streaming services but want to cut costs. We've detailed all available bundle deals below, along with basic information on Disney+ plans if you just want the House of Mouse's service on its own.

Best Hulu bundle deal Opens in a new window Credit: Disney Disney+ and Hulu Bundle Get 6 months of Disney+ and Hulu (With Ads) for $11.99/month, then $12.99/month Get Deal Why we like it

For those interested in the Disney+ and Hulu bundle, the streamer is offering deals on both its ad-supported and ad-free plans. For the plan with ads, new and eligible returning subscribers can lock in for six months at $11.99 per month before it returns to $12.99 per month. And if you're interested in going ad-free, the Premium plan is down to $17.99 per month for six months, then returns to $19.99 per month.

Best HBO Max bundle deal Opens in a new window Credit: Disney Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max Bundle $19.99/month with ads, $32.99/month ad-free Get Deal Why we like it

The Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max bundle is one of the best available at the moment. Starting at $19.99 per month, you can have three excellent streaming services right in the palm of your hand. The $19.99 per month option is for the With Ads plan, but if you'd prefer to watch your favorite content without ads, the No Ads plan costs $32.99 per month. Compared to what you'd pay for each of these on their own, you're saving 42% with the ad-supported plan and 41% with the ad-free plan.

Best ESPN bundle Opens in a new window Credit: Disney Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Unlimited Bundle $35.99/month Get Deal

If you're a sports fan looking to add ESPN to your bundles, you're in luck: Disney offers bundles with both ESPN Select and ESPN Unlimited. According to ESPN, "ESPN Select includes ESPN+ content only. Fans who want ESPN+ exclusively may subscribe to the ESPN Select plan. ESPN Unlimited includes all of the ESPN networks and services, including ESPN+."

The Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited Bundle, which has ads, is available for $35.99 per month. The Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Unlimited premium bundle without ads is available for $44.99 per month.

Best Disney+ monthly plans

Disney+ offers two standard plans if you just want the service on its own. The Disney+ ad-supported plan comes to $11.99 per month, while the ad-free Disney+ Premium plan will set you back $18.99 per month or $189.99 per year if you'd rather pay annually.

Disney+ has also created an "extra member" plan for people using your account who live outside of your household, as they crack down on password sharing. If you're looking to add another person to your account, you're only allowed one extra profile and can choose from the following add-on plans:

  • Disney+ (With Ads) — $6.99 per month

  • Disney+ Premium — $9.99 per month

  • Disney+, Hulu Bundle — $7.99 per month

  • Disney+, Hulu Bundle Premium — $10.99 per month

  • Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Select Bundle — $11.99 per month

  • Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Select Bundle Premium — $14.99 per month

There's a wealth of shows and films to check out on Disney+ after you sign up. If you want some help finding something to watch, check out our roundups of the 12 best TV shows for adults on Disney+ and the 20 best movies on Disney+ to start building out your watchlist.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Hurdle hints and answers for August 15, 2026

Mashable - 7 hours 35 min ago

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

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

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

Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts today.

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

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

A mistake.

Hurdle Word 1 answer

SNAFU

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Ways information is relayed.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for August 15, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

MEDIA

Hurdle Word 3 hint

To destroy.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for August 15, 2026 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for August 15, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

BREAK

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Like an apartment.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

CONDO

Final Hurdle hint

An area without light

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

UNLIT

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

Categories: IT General, Technology

Bright planets can blind the Webb telescope. A fix is coming.

Mashable - 7 hours 35 min ago

When Nobel Laureate John C. Mather used to give talks about the James Webb Space Telescope, he would often use an impressive analogy — that the observatory was so sensitive, it could detect the heat of a bumblebee as far away as the moon.

That's because Webb, a collaboration of NASA and the European and Canadian space agencies, was built to detect the faintest, most ancient light in the universe — galaxies and stars that formed just a few hundred million years after the Big Bang.

But there's an irony to having the world's most powerful infrared telescope in space: While Webb is exceptional at seeing unfathomably distant things, it struggles to take pictures of objects in our own cosmic backyard, like Mars and Saturn.

Because the planets in our solar system are so bright, they flood the telescope's sensors with more light than they can handle. To get these shots, astronomers have had to use dark filters — akin to wearing solar eclipse glasses — to avoid blinding the camera.

Now, telescope operators have a workaround, and it doesn't require astronauts visiting the spacecraft a million miles away for maintenance. Instead, engineers are sending a software update from the ground that will let Webb photograph bright planets without throwing away useful data.

SEE ALSO: New space object masquerades as a star the size of our solar system

The new readout method, called "superstripe," should allow Webb to safely photograph targets that are 100 or more times brighter than it could handle before, said Bryan Holler, a scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore.

Even Holler, who took Jupiter photos with Webb in 2022, admits those first images were a blurry mess. That's because the camera took several seconds to read the whole image while the planet's fast‑moving clouds shifted. Those test images were intended to assess how much unwanted stray light Webb would see as Jupiter moved onto the camera detector.

Left: Early images of Jupiter and its moon Europa were blurry and overexposed, highlighting the James Webb Space Telescope's challenges taking images of bright solar system objects. Credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / B. Holler / J. Stansberry Right: Credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / B. Holler / J. Stansberry

Webb later produced more photogenic Jupiter images by using shorter exposures and more selective settings. 

"The nicer Jupiter images that are out there from people who really know how to do image processing, they were able to actually deblur some of those images using the data," Holler told Mashable.

But sharpening software can't rescue light that was never recorded in the first place. Until now, scientists have tried to solve the problem by cropping the camera's view down to a tiny box to limit the incoming light. The new superstripe technique is an upgrade: Instead of taking one picture, the camera scans the planet in thin slices, stealing many rapid glances.

Because the camera captures each individual slice in a fraction of a second, it doesn't get dazzled by the glare. Plus, the quick snaps mean there's little time for changes in extraterrestrial storms or auroras to blur the shot. Afterward, the software stitches the slices together into a single crisp picture.

Although Webb wasn't built to look at our solar system, many astronomers are eager to use it to study nearby worlds anyway. Webb's biggest advantage is its location: It can look out into the cosmos without Earth's air getting in the way.

Advanced sharpening software can vastly improve Webb's bright and blurry solar-system pictures, but image processing can't recuperate light that was never recorded. Credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / Ricardo Hueso / Imke de Pater / Thierry Fouchet / Leigh Fletcher / Michael Wong / Joseph DePasquale

"A lot of that tends to come back to this pesky atmosphere," Holler said. "It's fine for breathing and everything, but when you really want to study surfaces or atmospheres, you have to leave [our] atmosphere."

Even giant telescopes on the ground have trouble seeing through Earth’s blanket of air, which absorbs certain types of light before they can reach the telescopes’ lenses.

Researchers say this new software could open the door to new discoveries. The stripe-style camera trick could catch rare moments, like when a giant planet, one of its moons, or even its rings briefly block a background star, giving scientists cleaner measurements of their sizes and atmospheres.

It will also allow astronomers to observe exoplanets orbiting ultra-bright stars outside our solar system, such as 55 Cancri e, a scorching-hot lava world 41 light-years away.

The superstripe readout capability is scheduled to roll out with Webb's next observing cycle, which begins next July. For the rest of us, just sit back and relax: Sharper views of our own cosmic neighbors are on the way.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Prime Videos best YA hit is also its biggest outlier

Mashable - 7 hours 35 min ago

Over the past few years, Prime Video has become the ultimate destination for young adult and new adult shows.

The Summer I Turned Pretty whipped the world into a frenzy over the Team Conrad versus Team Jeremiah debate. Maxton Hall served up swoon-worthy enemies-to-lovers angst. Off Campus proved an irresistible addition to TV's hottest new subgenre: hockey romance.

SEE ALSO: What's new to streaming this week? (Aug. 14, 2026)

These shows and more — We Were Liars, Elle, Every Year After — are all part of Prime's push to court Gen Z. Its latest hit, Sterling Point, is no exception. Created by Megan Park, the director of exceptional coming-of-age films The Fallout and My Old Ass, the series is another entry in Prime's robust YA library. It's also its most refreshing standout.

Sterling Point follows New York teen Annie (Ella Rubin) as she visits the Canadian island she and her twin brother Connor (Keen Ruffalo) inherited from the grandfather they never knew. Plot-wise, the show doesn't reinvent the wheel. In fact, it has quite a few elements in common with several other Prime YA hits. The Canadian lake setting of Every Year After. The family secrets of We Were Liars. The love triangle of The Summer I Turned Pretty. The class divide of Maxton Hall. Many of these are standard teen drama tropes, and Sterling Point isn't afraid to dig into others: magical summers, messy birthdays, grief over losing loved ones. Yet despite this familiarity, Sterling Point manages to set itself apart, and in doing so becomes Prime's most exceptional teen drama.

For starters, Sterling Point is a completely original entry in Prime's adaptation-heavy slate. Unlike The Summer I Turned Pretty, Maxton Hall, Off Campus, Every Year After, and We Were Liars, it's not based on a book series. And unlike Legally Blonde prequel Elle, or the cancelled Cruel Intentions, it has no ties to prior films.

SEE ALSO: I would like 'Elle' better if it wasn't a 'Legally Blonde' prequel

This is not a knock against adaptations. YA novels, especially YA romances, have huge audiences who deserve to see their beloved stories leap off the page. That kind of built-in fandom is also a TV network's dream, so no wonder Prime is pursuing adaptations in such intense fashion. (Other streamers have pulled similar moves: Netflix with My Life with the Walter Boys, Forever, and the now-concluded Heartstopper, and Hulu with the now-concluded Tell Me Lies.)

However, like any good TV lineup, Prime's younger-skewing collection needs variety. That means original shows to balance out its host of adaptations. Benito Skinner's college-set Overcompensating fills this niche on the comedy front, but on the teen drama front, Prime has yet to find that kind of success with an original. (It canceled 2025 teen drama original Motorheads after just one season.) Sterling Point, which took the number one spot on Prime Video's chart and which has generated huge buzz across social media, may very well be the Prime YA original with staying power.

Sterling Point's status as an original already makes it a major outlier in Prime's teen drama catalog. But what truly sets it apart is its tone, which remains grounded and naturalistic even as its story takes its fair share of soapy turns.

Of Prime's teen dramas, Sterling Point is the first one I watched that genuinely captures how young people talk. Other offerings like The Summer I Turned Pretty or We Were Liars have more affected dialogue, with voiceovers often narrating directly from the book. The effect is one of glossy drama, but Sterling Point strips the gloss away in favor of natural pauses and overlapping dialogue. Characters ramble and apologize for rambling. They interrupt one another and apologize for that, too. Nothing feels like a mimicry of conversation: It just is conversation. That even extends to Sterling Point's occasional use of slang, which avoids the trap of feeling forced. At one point, Connor calls a plate of spaghetti "gas," and the moment is as lived-in as it is silly.

That same natural feeling is present across Park's prior projects. The former star of a teen drama herself, having appeared in The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Park has emphasized the importance of writing dialogue that sounds like a teen would actually say it. She also encouraged the actors to improvise, creating a sense of messy realness that highlights the strengths of her young cast. Several exchanges feel drawn from a mumblecore movie, which only feels fitting given that Jay Duplass — a key figure of the mumblecore genre, along with his brother Mark — stars as Annie and Connor's father.

The majority of Prime's YA series offer up lovely fantasies of romance and self-discovery, and Sterling Point certainly indulges in these fantasies as well. But its dialogue makes them feel more down-to-earth, all without ever diminishing the big life changes its characters are experiencing. It's a show that manages to have that timeless teen drama quality, earning comparisons to classics like Dawson's Creek and The O.C. in a way that Prime's flashier YA shows haven't. Yet even though it boasts a throwback quality (the lack of phone service around Sterling Point helps), it remains rooted in the now. Thanks to that, out of all Prime's moves to woo Gen Z, Sterling Point is the series that's closest to actually getting them right.

Sterling Point is now streaming on Prime Video.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Just $69.97 gets you lifetime access to ChatGPT, Gemini, and more

Mashable - 7 hours 35 min ago

TL;DR: Pay $69.97 once for lifetime access to 1min.AI’s all-in-one business platform — but only through Aug. 16.

Opens in a new window Credit: 1minAI 1min.AI Advanced Business Plan Lifetime Subscription $69.97
$540 Save $470.03   Get Deal

AI subscriptions aren’t cheap, but it’s manageable if you only use one model like ChatGPT. However, if you need tools for generating images, writing copy, analyzing documents, or translating between languages, a platform like 1min.AI is a more viable option. 

1min.AI gives you lifetime access to some of the most popular AI tools, including ChatGPT, Gemini, Mistral, and many others. It’s also only $69.97 for a lifetime subscription right now (reg. $540).

Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!

1min.AI runs in your browser and pulls a ton of everyday work into one place. You can research keywords, draft blog posts, rewrite and shorten text, generate social posts, and keep a consistent brand voice across projects.

There are tools to summarize or translate documents, chat with multiple PDFs at once, and spin up slide presentations. For visuals, you can generate images from prompts, upscale low-resolution pictures, remove backgrounds, extend edges, or turn rough sketches into cleaner artwork.

Here’s a small sample of the AI models you’ll get access to:

  • GPT-5.5 Pro

  • Claude 4.1 Opus and Claude 4.5 Sonnet

  • Gemini 3.1 Pro

  • Llama 3

  • Mistral models

The Advanced Business Plan includes 4,000,000 credits each month, plus the chance to earn up to 450,000 more through daily logins and other tasks. Credits are shared across writing, images, audio, and video, so you can lean harder on whichever tools you need that month.

The plan supports up to 20 members, with shared workspaces, an unlimited prompt library, unlimited storage, and unlimited brand voices. If you don’t use all your credits, they just roll over, so you aren’t missing out if you have a lighter month.

It’s currently only $69.97 to get a 1min.AI lifetime subscription, but only if you order through Aug. 16 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Categories: IT General, Technology

How to watch Serie A online for free

Mashable - 7 hours 35 min ago

TL;DR: Live stream Serie A for free on SportyNet. Access these free live streams from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

What do you look for when watching elite football? Do you need the speed and physicality of the Premier League? Do you yearn for the technical ability of La Liga? Or perhaps you love spotting young talent in Ligue 1?

If you are passionate about tactical discipline and defensive organization, Serie A is the league for you. Some of the world's best players have competed in this competition, including Diego Maradona, Zinedine Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Paolo Maldini. The league isn't the powerhouse that it once was, but it still offers fascinating matchups week after week.

If you want to watch Serie A for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

What is Serie A?

Serie A is a professional football league in Italy and the highest level of the Italian football league system. The league is contested by 20 clubs, with each team playing 38 fixtures. Serie A is home to some of football's most successful clubs, including Juventus, Napoli, Inter Milan, and AC Milan.

The defending champions are Inter Milan.

When is Serie A?

The 2026-27 Serie A season will start on Aug. 22. The season will end on May 30.

How to watch Serie A for free

Select Serie A fixtures are available to live stream for free on SportyNet.

SportyNet is geo-restricted to Brazil, but anyone can bypass these restrictions with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Brazil, meaning you can unblock free live streams of Serie A from anywhere in the world.

Access free live streams of Serie A by following these simple steps:

  1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN)

  2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

  3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Brazil

  4. Visit SportyNet

  5. Watch Serie A fixtures for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams of Serie A without actually spending anything. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch select fixtures (plus Premier League action) before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to free live streams all season, you will need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for Serie A?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport for free, for a number of reasons:

  • Servers in 105 countries, including Brazil

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

  • Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

  • Fast connection speeds

  • Up to 10 simultaneous connections

  • 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 80% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with a money-back guarantee).

Live stream Serie A for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Learn piano at your own pace for $68 with a five-year flowkey subscription

Mashable - 7 hours 35 min ago

TL;DR: Get 5 years of flowkey Classic for $67.99 (reg. $899) through Aug. 16 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

Opens in a new window Credit: Flowkey flowkey Piano Learning App: Classic Plan (5-Year Subscription) $67.99
$899 Save $831.01   Get Deal

If learning piano is one of those goals that keeps getting pushed to the bottom of your “things I want to do” list, flowkey offers a way to practice without committing to a traditional lesson schedule. Flowkey’s interactive piano learning platform combines guided courses with songs you can learn at your own pace, and a five-year Classic subscription is currently $67.99 (reg. $899) through Aug. 16 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

The app listens as you play and provides real-time feedback on your notes and chords, helping you catch mistakes as you practice. Its Wait Mode can pause your progress until you hit the correct notes, while slow-motion playback and looping let you spend extra time on difficult passages. You can also practice each hand separately and follow synchronized sheet music while watching video lessons from professional pianists.

Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!

The song library includes more than 1,000 classical and public-domain pieces, with music from composers including Bach, Debussy, Chopin, Beethoven, Mozart and Liszt. Arrangements are available across beginner, intermediate, advanced, and pro levels, so you can choose versions that match your current abilities rather than jumping straight into something that’s above your skill level.

Aside from individual songs, flowkey Classic includes courses covering music theory, chords, sheet music and foundational techniques such as hand positioning, playing with both hands and basic rhythms. The subscription works across laptops, phones, and tablets, and the platform is available in 11 languages!

This deal is worth a look if you’re more interested in building a consistent piano habit rather than squeezing in lessons through a short trial period. Whether you’re starting from scratch or getting back to an instrument you haven’t played in years, the five-year subscription gives you the time you need to learn lessons and songs at your own pace.

For a limited time, flowkey Piano Learning App: Classic Plan is available for $67.99 (reg. $899) through Aug. 16 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Get lifetime AdGuard blocking and lock in 5 years of VPN for just $40

Mashable - 7 hours 35 min ago

TL;DR: Pay $39.97 for a 5-year AdGuard VPN subscription and lifetime access to the AdGuard Family Plan (reg. $439.39) — but only through August 16.

Opens in a new window Credit: AdGuard AdGuard VPN + Ad Blocker Family Security Suite $39.97
$439.39 Save $399.42   Get Deal

Nobody wakes up excited to manage another digital subscription. This AdGuard bundle offers a simpler setup: Pay $39.97 once for five years of AdGuard VPN and lifetime access to the AdGuard Family Plan. Regularly $439.39, the bundle is available at this price for just one more day.

AdGuard VPN encrypts your internet connection to help keep browsing activity and transferred data more private, particularly when using unfamiliar networks. Its zero-logging policy means the service says it does not collect browsing activity or internet traffic.

Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!

The VPN supports up to 10 simultaneous device connections, making it practical for a household with phones, tablets, and computers. Subscribers receive unlimited data and access to servers across more than 60 locations, with apps available for major platforms, including iOS and Android.

The second half of the bundle tackles everyday browsing clutter. AdGuard blocks banners, pop-ups, video ads, and other interruptions while helping limit tracking by activity analyzers. It also warns against potentially harmful or phishing websites.

Parents can use the included controls to restrict access to inappropriate content, while the family license extends coverage across multiple personal devices. That combination can make browsing cleaner for adults and more manageable for children without piecing together several separate tools.

Order through Aug. 16 at 11:59 p.m. PT to get this AdGuard VPN and Ad Blocker bundle for just $39.97 (reg. $439.39).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

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

Categories: IT General, Technology

Hellcat ending, explained

Mashable - 7 hours 35 min ago

Waking up in a stranger's moving vehicle is anybody's idea of a nightmare, and it's exactly how we meet Lena (Dakota Gorman) in Hellcat. But it's not where we leave her.

Writer/director Brock Bodell's feature film debut careens through 90 minutes of nail-biting threats, leading to a wild conclusion that will have you howling. The spoiler of it all has had critics finding ways to describe the film without giving anything away.

"Over and over, critics danced around the secret at the heart of the film, but none would reveal it," Mashable Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko writes in her spoiler-free review. "Now, having seen Hellcat, I understand not only the secret it keeps but also why my friends and colleagues kept mum."

SEE ALSO: 'Hellcat' review: Abduction horror gets sensationally hairy

But now, the film is out on Shudder, and we can talk about it. What happens at the end of Hellcat, and what does it all mean? We recommend watching the film first, then coming back here for the analysis. Because major spoilers ahead.

What is Hellcat about? Dakota Gorman as Lena in "Hellcat." Credit: Shudder

In a truly horrific scenario, Nashville woman Lena finds herself trapped in the trailer of a man who introduces himself — through an intercom embedded in a taxidermied coyote head — as Clive (Todd Terry).

"You've been infected," Clive says, and he's right. Lena has a wound on her upper arm, and from it spreads black veins indicating infection. He insists he's a "good" and "honest man" who found Lena wounded at her campsite, bandaged her wounds, and confined her in his trailer. Lena doesn't remember what brought her to this place, so all she has to go on is Clive's narrative and what she finds in the camper.

Featured Video For You Willem Dafoe talks 'Late Fame' and how he approached his viral photo shoot

Investigating her moving prison, Lena finds raw, bloody meat and syringes full of sedative in the fridge. She discovers a locked room fitted out with a blood-stained bed, thick shackles, and bars on the windows, and in the bed is another woman (Liz Atwater). Every last awful discovery suggests Clive to be a sadistic villain.

SEE ALSO: 'Hellcat' clip gives a creepy clue about the movie's spooky secret Who is the other woman in Clive's trailer? Liz Atwater as Holly in "Hellcat." Credit: Shudder

Early on while she's exploring the trailer, Lena finds a photo of a woman holding a little girl. Through the intercom, Clive reveals that's his wife and their daughter, Holly. It's Holly who was locked up in the back, though Lena won't realize this until the final act. What Clive tells her is that his daughter was "attacked" when she was at college. "She don't see eye to eye with her old man these days," he says. "Things just… changed between us."

This reflects Lena's strained relationship with her own father, who doesn't know how to talk to her after the passing of her mom. But the bigger change between Clive and Holly is that the latter is a werewolf. After she was bitten in college, her dad began locking her up and sedating her during full moons to keep her from hurting herself or anyone else. When he failed and Lena got bit, he abducted her too. And he doesn't tell Lena the truth about Holly, because he's trying to protect his daughter above all else.

However, as Holly is moved from the rolling prison to the passenger seat of her father's pick-up truck, she pushes back against his plan. She says, "I know you want to help, but it can't be this way."

What's Clive's plan? "Hide the silver." Credit: Shudder

Knowing the infection spreads fast, Clive is headed to a specialist, one Dr. Jancowski, who is "the top research physician at Stanford, who lost his license because some Berkley nutjobs didn't like him testing on animals." They've been driving for four hours across Tennessee, from Nashville to Knoxville, where Dr. Jancowski is said to be a veterinarian at the dinner show at amusement park Golly World, and their only hope of helping Lena. Clive insists, "He's as legit as they come."

Clive is a big believer in cryptids and the paranormal. His camper is littered with such literature, including Celestial Delights sci-fi comics, books on alien abductions, and a book on werewolves titled The Bite That Drips, written by Jasper Deville. He's even self-published his own book, Transformance, which Lena also finds in the trailer. So, when seeking some advice after Lena bites Clive, he turns to an expert, calling to Deville's (James Austin Johnson) midnight radio show, We’re Out There.

This is how Clive first heard about Dr. Jancowski. But when he tells Deville, "I've got a were," the broadcaster's confident on-air persona shudders. And unfortunately for Clive, the host breaks the news to him off-air that Dr. Jancowski is fictional. "I kind of thought you knew what we were all doing here," Deville says. "This ain't exactly NPR."

Before the show's over, a new threat enters in the form of another caller, who claims he's spotted Clive's trailer on the road and recommends to Lena "hide the silver."

What happens at the end of Hellcat? Hold onto something, Lena. Credit: Shudder

Urged by Holly, Clive lets Lena loose in the middle of nowhere. There, she flags down a cop (Jordan Mullins) and asks for a ride to the hospital. However, the officer's intentions are far from noble. He soon reveals he’s the creepy caller from the radio show — and he’s a big fan of Clive's writing on werewolves, showing Lena his own copy of Transformance.

The cop calls into We're Out There, announcing he's "got the were in my cruiser" and is "going to take care of this." Clive, of course, is tuning into his favourite show at this very moment, which is convenient for Lena, as her former captor becomes her only hope. When Clive and Holly catch up to the cop, a battle ensues. Lena escapes the cruiser, Clive is shot, and the cop is killed.

It's not over though, as the full moon rises, and Clive guides Lena through sudden, blood-boiling labour. It’s pure horror, cut with shots of the full moon, as Lena gives birth to a tiny little werewolf. It seems the infection impacted her unborn child, not Lena.

Lena and Clive have a moment, in which he explains he "didn’t mean to scare" her, before passing out, in what looks like his final breath. With her baby in her arms, she wanders back to the road, where Holly pulls up in her dad's truck.

Forming an unlikely little were-family of three, Lena, Holly, and the cub have "no earthly idea" where they’re going. We’re left to watch them drive away, with only the trailer’s license plate, "HELLCAT," to reflect on.

Is Clive dead? Or...

But hark! What's this? Hellcat cuts to Clive, sitting by the lake in the morning light, seemingly sleeping instead of dead. We hear the sounds of a ukulele, crashing waves, and happy giggling, the sound of a memory perhaps. And it's interrupted by a horrible gasp, like a monstrous awakening.

Earlier in the film, Lena managed to bite him in an attempt to escape. Since then, Clive has feared that might turn him too. Does this final gasp mean not only that Clive is not dead but also that he and Holly now have something more in common?

We'll keep an eye out for confirmation, or at least news of Hellcat 2.

Hellcat is now streaming on Shudder.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Why Baby Boomers are turning to retro directories like AdultFriendFinder to skip the swiping games

Mashable - 7 hours 35 min ago

If it wasn't already obvious from politics and entertainment, the Baby Boomers, born between the years 1948 and 1964, aren't ready to go quietly into retirement or give up the pursuits of youth. In fact, many of them are rekindling their romantic flames: a whopping 20 percent of them have tried dating apps, according to Pew research, and they spend just under 40 minutes a day testing their luck like the rest of us.

Don't expect to find the Baby Boomers on Tinder, though. For long-term dating, the Boomers are more likely to use age-appropriate dating services like OurTime or SeniorMatch, or larger, more general-purpose dating sites like eharmony, according to Axios

But there's an entire cohort of older daters who aren't focused on the search for a long-term partner but still want to connect, and they're increasingly doing so on retro dating directories like AdultFriendFinder. 

Opens in a new window Credit: AFF AdultFriendFinder   Learn More

Here's why these services are winning back the Boomers:

No swiping games

Senior citizens aren't immune to swipe fatigue. In fact, according to research by Forbes Health, roughly 69 percent of Baby Boomers are experiencing app burnout, with the primary reason given being "inability to find a good partner." 

But what happens when you ditch the swiping mechanic entirely? The AdultFriendFinder experience doesn't rely on a matchmaking system, even though it does offer one as well. Instead, AdultFriendFinder creates organic communities in chat rooms, discussion boards, story comment sections, and webcam rooms, where you can initiate a conversation with someone who catches your eye or impresses you with their writing, or you can be the one attracting others.

For Boomers tired of endlessly swiping with minimal results, retro dating directories are a phenomenal alternative.

Large Boomer representation

Dating sites and apps typically cater to a younger crowd, for the obvious reason that younger people are more likely to be single, but that can make life tough for older daters looking to match with people in their age range or generation. 

Retro dating directories like AdultFriendFinder, which has been around since 1996, when the youngest Boomers were in their early 30s, have managed to retain or recapture a larger cohort of older singles, which means you'll actually get results when you set your age filter to 55+, especially if you live in a city.

AdultFriendFinder has been tight-lipped about its exact user demographics, but my current Online Now page gives a good representation of what you can expect to find in a large metropolitan area in North America: out of 12 featured profiles, six are over the age of 40, four are over the age of 50 and two are over the age of 60. 

Bare naked honesty

One major gripe about dating apps, across all age groups, is how difficult it is to accurately assess other people's intentions. In a landmark article from earlier this year titled "Dating Burnout: Why the Apps Exhausted Everyone," the authors identified "evaluation labor" as a major causal factor. Does the person you're talking to really like you? Do they really want "something serious" or are they secretly chasing something casual?

If you've spent any time on Hinge, Bumble, or any of the popular dating sites like eharmony or PlentyOfFish, you know that this kind of questioning is pretty much unavoidable in these contexts. People aren't always fully honest about their intentions, or, even worse, they don't always know what they want. 

But AdultFriendFinder is a major exception. On this platform, people feel free to be totally transparent, so much so that it's entirely common to come across full frontal nudity in profile photos, or extensive lists of kinks and turn-ons. And for the generation that basically invented the Summer of Love and letting your freak flag fly, there's a lot of appeal in this naked honesty. 

Paid memberships filter out unserious daters & bots

The free dating apps definitely have a lot to recommend them, but there's a sneaky benefit to using a paid dating service like AdultFriendFinder: it's easier to filter out fake accounts or unserious daters. 

Sure, it's free to create an AFF account, but if you actually want to talk to people one-on-one, you need to upgrade to a paid subscription, and that extra step filters out a lot of half-committed daters or would-be scammers. And considering approximately one in six Boomers has fallen victim to an online romance scam, this built-in filter adds some serious peace of mind.

In the end, the Baby Boomers are just as susceptible to swipe fatigue as the rest of us, and they're actively looking for a more community-based approach to online dating.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The 8 best portable power stations to stay charged up at home and on the go

Mashable - 7 hours 35 min ago

Portable power stations are great for camping, van adventures, content creator assignments, or the worksite. If you live in an area that’s prone to power outages, a portable power station can keep your phone charged, your CPAP machine on while sleeping, and some can even power the refrigerator, so you won’t have to worry about food spoilage. 

Portable power stations come in tons of varieties. Some are great for camping, while others weigh hundreds of pounds, power an entire house, and really push the limits of what we could consider portable. The market has seen significant expansion in the last few years, and we have tons of great models to choose from these days, so you're allowed to be as picky as you’d like about the power provided, port options, and nice extras. Here are Mashable’s favorite portable power stations.

Categories: IT General, Technology

I tested the best dating apps for women: Find a real connection in 2026

Mashable - 7 hours 35 min ago

Being a woman on the internet has never been easy, but trying to find a genuine connection on a dating app in 2026? It’s exhausting. Between the emboldened creeps, the "swipe fatigue," and surprisingly convincing AI profiles, it's enough to make you wonder if applying for Love Island is the more sane alternative. (Spoiler alert: it's not.)

The reality is, dating right now comes with a unique set of challenges —especially when it comes to safety. A 2026 survey from SSRS found that 55 percent of women believe meeting someone in person from a dating app is unsafe, compared to just 30 percent of men. We’re dealing with a constant barrage of low-effort "hey" messages, unsolicited dick pics, men who are definitely married, and the underlying safety concerns men just don't have to think about. It’s enough to make you want to swear off dating entirely and just get another cat (no judgment here).

And can we address one of the biggest myths floating around Reddit? The idea that women "don't want sex" or aren't on these apps for casual hookups and sexting is nonsense. We want pleasure, fun, and intimacy just as much as anyone else. The problem isn't our sex drive — it's the delivery. There's a world of difference between a guy who knows how to flirt like a normal human being and someone who leads with unhinged, aggressive messages. When men show up with respect and basic social awareness (the bare minimum, fellas), we're more than happy to match that energy.

But despite the challenges, dating apps do work. SSRS reports that 37 percent of U.S. adults have used a dating app, and 50 percent of users have ended up in a committed relationship with someone they met online. The key isn't giving up and hoping for an old-fashioned meet-cute; it's finding the best dating apps for women that prioritize your safety, respect your boundaries, and help you filter out the nonsense.

SEE ALSO: What's dating in 2026 like? Single women tell all.

Fortunately for you (and my sanity), navigating this mess is literally my job. As Mashable's resident dating expert for the last three years, I've put dozens of dating apps and websites to the test. From classics like eharmony to sex-positive newcomers like Pure, I tried them all. I did the swiping, verifying, and blocking to figure out what actually works. So whether you want a serious relationship, a casual hookup, or just an app that puts you in control, I've found the options genuinely worth your time.

The dating apps I'd skip (and why)

You'll probably notice a few popular apps are missing from my list. That’s intentional. Part of my job is to filter out the platforms that aren't worth your time, money, or sanity — especially when safety is a top concern for women. An app doesn't get my recommendation just because it's well-known; it has to be effective, trustworthy, and populated by real human beings. Here are a few I think women should skip.

  • Plenty of Fish (POF): I know this one still shows up on a lot of lists, but in my experience, it feels like a low-tech ghost town. POF launched way back in 2003, and both the interface and user experience feel completely dated. After testing it out, I (along with tons of Redditors) can confirm that it's plagued by spam accounts, ghost profiles, and paywalls that hide basic search filters. Your time is much better spent elsewhere.

  • "Hookup" sites (like BeNaughty, Fling, Kasual): You've probably seen ads for sites promising instant, no-strings-attached fun. Based on my research and endless user complaints, I strongly advise women to steer clear. Many of these platforms are notorious for dubious billing practices, aggressive bot networks designed to keep you paying, and a complete lack of message moderation — creating an unsafe environment where harassment and catfishing run rampant.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Free Kindle books alert: Load your Kindle with 100+ free sci-fi and fantasy books this weekend

Mashable - 8 hours 35 min ago

TL;DR: The latest Stuff Your Kindle Day takes place on Aug. 15-16. Fantasy and Sci-Fi Worlds, hosted by Book Below, is offering fantasy, science fiction, and paranormal books for free.

Big plans for this weekend? Cancel them, because Stuff Your Kindle Day is back in a big way.

The Fantasy and Sci-Fi Worlds event, hosted by Book Below, is dropping free fantasy, science fiction, and paranormal books all weekend. And even better, everything you download to your Kindle is yours to keep forever. We know you might have a busy schedule this weekend, but this is clearly all that matters at this point. It's time to make some calls.

SEE ALSO: T-Mobile is giving away the 2026 Motorola Razr for free — how to qualify

Looking to make the most of the latest Stuff Your Kindle Day? We've lined up everything you need to know about this popular event.

When is Stuff Your Kindle Day?

Fantasy and Sci-Fi Worlds takes place from Aug. 15-16. This two-day event gives you the chance to properly assess your options, make a plan of attack, and then spend all weekend stocking up.

Which books are free?

Fantasy and Sci-Fi Worlds is offering free fantasy, science fiction, and paranormal books for free. There's a helpful hub page with everything neatly organized and instructions on how the event works:

  1. Browse free books — explore the collection of free books in your favorite genres and discover new authors by scrolling through the list

  2. Click store link — select the Amazon store link for any book that interests you, taking you directly to the book's page on Amazon

  3. Download while free — download your free books to your Kindle device or app

Is Stuff Your Kindle Day the same as Amazon Kindle Unlimited?

Everything you download on Stuff Your Kindle Day is yours to keep forever, and there's no limit on the number of books you can download. Stuff Your Kindle Day downloads don't count towards the 20 books that Amazon Kindle Unlimited subscribers can borrow at the same time.

The best Stuff Your Kindle Day deal Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Kindle (16GB) + Kindle Unlimited (3 Months) $109.99 at Amazon
  Shop Now Why we like it

These popular e-readers let you take your entire library on the go. With weeks of battery life and an anti-glare display, you can read anywhere and anytime with the Kindle. Plus, you can get three months of Kindle Unlimited for free with your purchase for a limited time.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The 7 best open earbuds stay put, sound great, and keep us aware of the world

Mashable - 8 hours 35 min ago

Open-ear earbuds sit on the exterior of the ear, but they also come in many shapes and sizes, from clip models to ear hook models. Some are specifically designed for working out, while others are better for everyday use. The Bose Ultra Open earbuds are an especially popular pick, thanks to their sound quality and color options, but at $299, they're hardly the most affordable option.

Plus, since the Bose Ultra Open came out in 2024, big audio brands like Sony have released open earbuds of their own, while Shokz has introduced noise reduction into the category for the first time. To help you find the best open earbud models available in 2026, we tested the latest options from Soundcore, Sony, Shokz, Bose, and more.

SEE ALSO: The 11 best wireless earbuds we've ever tested What are open earbuds?

Open earbuds let you get as close as possible to the feeling of not wearing earbuds at all. Unlike in-ear earbuds, which sit in your ear canal, open earbuds sit just outside your ears (as the name would suggest). Some models hold the speaker component in place with an ear hook, while others opt for an ear cuff.

SEE ALSO: We tested the top fitness trackers of 2025: See our favorite wearables and smart rings

People generally opt for open earbuds for three main reasons:

  1. They provide a private listening experience while leaving you almost completely aware of your surroundings. It's like the best transparency mode you've ever used.

  2. For some people, not having an earbud physically in their ear is generally more comfortable.

  3. The hooks and cuffs (along with general awareness of your surroundings) make them a great option for keeping you in place and alert while you're working out, working, or simply existing in the world.

What are the drawbacks of open earbuds?

As you may have gathered from the section above, open earbuds don't come with active noise cancellation. That's mostly thanks to how much sound they let in (by design) and the difficulty of cancelling out sound without having the device covering your actual ear canal.

Also, thanks to the whole open ear-canal situation, these aren't going to be the earbuds for audiophiles. That's not to say open earbuds sound bad — if you've never tried them, we promise they sound much better than you're imagining — but you will lose out on some of the nuance of a song without having the earbud actually in your ear.

SEE ALSO: I tested sleep earbuds for over a month: Here are the 3 I'd buy

That said, many pairs still have equalizers on their companion apps to help you make them sound their best. Our best picks for sound, the Bose Ultra Open earbuds and Shokz OpenFit Pro earbuds, even have spatial audio features that work surprisingly well.

Most open earbuds will also boast some form of special technology that keeps them from leaking too much sound. While these pairs do pretty well in keeping the sound just to you, most pairs (including our picks) will be prone to some leakage, especially at higher volumes.

Finally, some open earbuds — mainly those with ear hooks — tend to have slightly bulkier cases. If you like to travel especially light, it's something to keep in mind.

How to wear open-ear earbuds

Open-ear earbuds come in three major styles: cuff, ear hook, and bone conduction. How you wear them depends entirely on which style you have. Cuff earbuds "clip" onto the ear, not unlike a piece of jewelry, generally around the area right above the earlobe. Ear hook earbuds have a hook situated around the back of your ear and a speaker component situated right over your ear canal. Finally, bone conduction earbuds sit right behind the ears, with a band that goes around the back of the head to hold them in place.

Regardless of the style, its important to adjust the exact positioning of your open earbuds to see which offers the best sound, especially as the wrong positioning can deteriorate the quality.

For a visual representation of what wearing a cuff-style earbud looks like, you can check out our open earbuds explainer.

What about bone conduction headphones?

Bone conduction earbuds work exactly like the name implies they do — they use your skull to conduct sound waves, instead of projecting the sound into your ear, like most of the picks are on list. Typically, a band runs from either side of the users head to help hold the headphones in place.

Shokz, the brand behind our top pick, is a popular maker of these kinds of headphones. While we do consider them open earbuds, we have yet to test any bone conduction earbuds — look out in the future for that update. On that note:

What's next in our testing pipeline

The open earbuds market is rapidly expanding, so we'll be testing more as we can get our hands on them. We recently added the Sony LinkBuds Clip and Soundcore AeroFit 2 Pro to this guide.

In addition to the earbuds that made our initial guide in May 2025, we tested out the Nothing Ear (Open) earbuds ($149), the Sony Linkbuds Open ($199.99), the Anker Soundcore AeroClip earbuds ($169.99), and the Shokz OpenFit Air ($119.95). While none of the above were bad earbuds by any means, we found our picks to outshine them in their comfort and sound quality, especially when considering their respective prices.

Categories: IT General, Technology

T-Mobile is giving away the Apple iPhone 17 for free this weekend — how to claim

Mashable - 9 hours 35 min ago

TL;DR: Get the iPhone 17 for free from T-Mobile when you trade in your eligible phone on an Experience More or Experience Beyond plan. The Apple iPhone 17 Pro is also free with T-Mobile — qualify by bringing your number on an Experience Beyond plan (no trade-in needed).

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple T-Mobile: Free iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro   Get Deal

Samsung and Google have completely taken over the tech news cycle with a flood of new foldables, smartwatches, smart glasses, and flagship phones, leaving Apple fans stuck in the annual pre-launch waiting room.

We know talk of the iPhone 18 is exciting, but you don't actually have to wait for Apple's next keynote to score a major upgrade. Between soaring component costs and global RAM shortages that are driving up retail prices across the board, T-Mobile is softening the blow by rolling out a set of limited-time free iPhone 17 offers.

If you want the simplest entry point into the Apple ecosystem, the iPhone 17e is currently free when you switch to almost any qualifying T-Mobile plan, no trade-in required. For those eyeing standard flagship specs, the iPhone 17 is completely free over 36 months on an Experience More or Experience Beyond plan when you turn in an eligible trade-in device. And if you want the flagship iPhone 17 Pro for free, simply bring your existing number over to an Experience Beyond plan (no trade-in required).

All of these deals are live through the weekend.

T-Mobile requires you to pay local sales tax on the full retail value of the phone upfront, alongside a standard $35 device connection fee per line at checkout. Your savings are then applied as monthly bill credits spread over 24 to 36 months.

Paying a small fee in upfront taxes and fees to walk away with a brand-new iPhone 17 or iPhone 17 Pro remains one of the highest-value carrier plays on the market this weekend. You know it makes sense.

Categories: IT General, Technology

How to watch Manchester United vs. Milan online for free

Mashable - 12 hours 35 min ago

TL;DR: Watch Manchester United vs. Milan in a 2026 pre-season friendly for free on SportyNet. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

There are a number of really interesting pre-season friendlies taking place this weekend, but Manchester United vs. Milan is probably the best of the bunch. Manchester United are an intriguing prospect under Michael Carrick, and here they come up against their last coach, Ruben Amorim.

If you're interested in watching Manchester United vs. Milan from anywhere in the world, we've got all the information you need.

When is Manchester United vs. Milan?

Manchester United vs. Milan in a 2026 pre-season friendly kicks off at 10:45 a.m. ET on Aug. 15. This fixture takes place at the Tarczyński Arena.

How to watch Manchester United vs. Milan for free

Manchester United vs. Milan in a 2026 pre-season friendly is available to live stream for free on SportyNet.

SportyNet is geo-restricted to Brazil, but anyone can secure access with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can livestream Manchester United vs. Milan for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Manchester United vs. Milan for free by following these simple steps:

  1. Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN)

  2. Download the app to your device of choice

  3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Brazil

  4. Visit SportyNet

  5. Watch Manchester United vs. Milan for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer generous money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Manchester United vs. Milan without committing your cash. This is obviously not a long-term strategy, but it gives you enough time to stream this fixture before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for SportyNet?

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

  • Servers in 105 countries, including Brazil

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

  • Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

  • Fast connection speeds free from throttling

  • Up to 10 simultaneous connections

  • 30-day money-back guarantee

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

Live stream Manchester United vs. Milan for free with ExpressVPN.

Categories: IT General, Technology
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