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Android Automotive Gets 70 New Apps and Games To Keep You Busy

How-To Geek - Thu, 02/20/2025 - 22:30

Android Automotive, not to be confused with Android Auto, just received a massive update that will substantially improve the infotainment experience for vehicle owners. Starting this week and expanding in the coming months, owners can find dozens of apps and games compatible with their in-vehicle displays.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The 5 Biggest Factors that Make a Game "Feel" Good

How-To Geek - Thu, 02/20/2025 - 22:30

There's something about certain games that makes them "feel" good to play, but it's not always easy to figure out why. The reasons differ for every game, but most can attribute their satisfying "game feel" to a mixture of five important qualities.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Fedora Linux Now Supports RISC-V Processors

How-To Geek - Thu, 02/20/2025 - 22:13

The Fedora Linux project is “jumping on the RISC-V train,” joining other Linux distributions in supporting the emerging CPU architecture.

Categories: IT General, Technology

I Cheaped Out on My PC Build & Now I'm in Cable Management Hell

How-To Geek - Thu, 02/20/2025 - 22:01

I finally got around to building a new gaming PC this year. While the specs are solid, I cheaped out on everything else—minimal RGB, a non-modular PSU, and a budget case. After countless hours of cable management, though, I wish I could go back.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Sony Is Overcharging for Digital PlayStation Games, Says Class Action Lawsuit

How-To Geek - Thu, 02/20/2025 - 21:27

The Dutch consumer group Massaschade & Consument is suing Sony Interactive Entertainment, and Dutch gamers can sign up to join the lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges Sony is taking advantage of its strong market position by selling PlayStation games online.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Amazon Is Isolating Itself From the Android Ecosystem

How-To Geek - Thu, 02/20/2025 - 21:23

Amazon is warning customers that its Appstore will no longer work on Android devices after August 20th, 2025. Fire Tablets and Fire TVs are not impacted by this change, though the move away from Android may be reflected in these first-party devices at some point.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Mint Mobile Says Goodbye to Unlimited Data Caps

How-To Geek - Thu, 02/20/2025 - 21:22

Mint Mobile, recently acquired by T-Mobile, made a big change to its wireless service this week. Those with "unlimited" data plans will truly have unlimited data instead of being capped after hitting a certain data usage threshold.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Ubuntu 24.04.2 LTS Has Arrived: Here’s What’s New

How-To Geek - Thu, 02/20/2025 - 21:18

A lot of people using Ubuntu prefer to stick with the old reliable LTS builds. They're not as bleeding edge, but they're supported for a long time—even over a decade if you're willing to pay. Now, Ubuntu is getting a new minor LTS update.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The Best Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Cases of 2025

How-To Geek - Thu, 02/20/2025 - 21:15

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is the biggest, priciest model in the S23 series. If you want to keep your phone looking like the day you took it out of the box, you're going to need a good case.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The ‘Dune: Awakening’ MMO Is Coming in 2025

How-To Geek - Thu, 02/20/2025 - 21:06

Dune: Awakening released a trailer that gave away the release date. The game will be an MMO, so it seems the series is going the games-as-a-service route.

Categories: IT General, Technology

ASUS’s New Fitness Band Can Detect Blood Pressure and ECGs

How-To Geek - Thu, 02/20/2025 - 20:54

ASUS isn't well known for its wearable devices, but it has sneakily released two feature-packed fitness trackers. The latest is the VivoWatch 6 AERO, which the company claims is the “world's first” smart wristband that can detect blood pressure and electrocardiogram–but is that true?

Categories: IT General, Technology

Sofia Carson takes a second chance on life in sweet The Life List trailer

Mashable - Thu, 02/20/2025 - 20:50

Sofia Carson (Carry-On) experiences a second coming-of-age in Netflix's upcoming film The Life List, based on the novel by Lori Nelson Spielman.

Carson stars as Alex, a young woman grieving the loss of her mother (Connie Britton, Zero Day). However, her mother is still with her in the form of video messages she left Alex before her death. In these messages, she asks Alex to check off items from a list of goals she wrote as a teenager, including "go all out in a mosh pit" and "do stand-up comedy." Each completed goal means Alex gets a new message from her mother's lawyer (Kyle Allen, A Haunting in Venice). What follows is a journey of risk-taking, self-discovery, and maybe even true love.

Check out the beginnings of Alex's journey in the trailer above.

The Life List hits Netflix March 28.

Categories: IT General, Technology

An Avatar: The Last Airbender sequel series is on the way, and weve already got theories

Mashable - Thu, 02/20/2025 - 20:38

Avatar: The Last Airbender turns 20 years old on Feb. 21, 2025. So what better way to celebrate than with news of a sequel series?

As reported by Variety, Nickelodeon and Avatar Studios announced on Feb. 20 that a new Avatar show, titled Avatar: Seven Havens, has been greenlit. The 2D animated series, headed up by Avatar creators Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, is currently in production, and will span 26 half-hour episodes over the course of two seasons (or "books").

SEE ALSO: The 10 best 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' episodes to binge right now What is Avatar: Seven Havens about?

Avatar: Seven Havens follows the Earth Avatar who comes after Korra, meaning we'll have to say goodbye to beloved Legend of Korra characters like Korra, Asami, and Tenzin. It's been over 10 years since the finale, but I'm still not ready!

Based on Seven Havens' official logline, the Four Nations have changed drastically since we last left them, as the show is set in "a world shattered by a devastating cataclysm." That's right, we're looking at an Avatar-style apocalypse!

The rest of the logline reads:

A young Earthbender discovers she’s the new Avatar after Korra – but in this dangerous era, that title marks her as humanity's destroyer, not its savior. Hunted by both human and spirit enemies, she and her long-lost twin must uncover their mysterious origins and save the Seven Havens before civilization’s last strongholds collapse.

There's already so much to unpack here. What is this cataclysm? Did Korra have something to do with it, leading humanity to despise the Avatar? And what are the Seven Havens? Could they be the new name for a fractured Four Nations?

But the tidbit that stands out most from this description is the idea of an Avatar with a twin. This concept isn't new to the world of Avatar: Randy Ribay's novel The Reckoning of Roku reveals that Roku had a twin brother who died when they were young. But since Seven Havens' Avatar's twin is still alive, the upcoming series could offer an exciting twist on the Avatar dynamic.

Could Avatar: Seven Havens give us twin Avatars?

There are a few ways Seven Havens could approach an Avatar with the twin. The first could be similar to the Katara-Sokka dynamic from The Last Airbender, where one sibling is a bender and the other sibling is not. How would knowing your sister is the most powerful bender in the world affect your sense of self-worth and your relationship with her?

But another approach Seven Havens might take could pull from Avatar lore introduced in The Legend of Korra. In Season 2, the series reveals that an Avatar's powers come from the Avatar Spirit Raava, a light spirit who fused with Wan, the first-ever Avatar.

Raava's dark counterpart, Vaatu, fused with the villainous Unalaq during Season 2's climactic battle, briefly creating a Dark Avatar. He initially destroyed Raava, but thanks to some spiritual intervention from Jinora, Raava was reborn within the Dark Avatar Spirit, and Korra rejoined with her after defeating Unalaq and Vaatu for good.

That's a lot of spirit-heavy lore, but it basically boils down to the fact that a little bit of Vaatu is still contained within the Avatar Spirit. So while Raava alone can't split into two bodies when twins are born, there's a possibility that Vaatu could split from Raava, giving us two Avatars: One dark, one light. That opens up a whole new can of worms for Avatar to explore. Could these twins be allies, despite the diametrically opposed spirits? Could having one of each kind of Avatar bring balance to a doomed world, or will it only cause more chaos?

Like everyone's beloved Foaming Mouth Guy, I'm currently freaking out about the possibilities, and I am ready for whatever Avatar: Seven Havens brings.

Categories: IT General, Technology

4 Ways to Make a File in the Linux Terminal

How-To Geek - Thu, 02/20/2025 - 20:30

I'm a Linux terminal fan, always on the lookout for ways to perform common operations directly from the command line. One such operation I often perform in the terminal is the quick creation of a file. Several Linux commands allow us to create files without leaving the terminal.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Give your PC superpowers with Copilot and Windows 11 Pro for A$28

Mashable - Thu, 02/20/2025 - 20:00

TL;DR: Upgrade to Windows 11 Pro for only A$28 through 30 March — that’s a 90% discount.

If you thought AI would only be a fad, take a look at Microsoft. As we speak (or read?), they’re making computers infused with Microsoft Copilot, their latest AI technology. But something even cooler? You don’t have to get a new device to get Copilot — just upgrade to Windows 11.

And, if you’re going for it, go all the way and get the Pro version with the most features, like remote desktop access and hard drive encryption. At the Mashable Shop, you can score a deal on Windows 11 Pro keys for only A$28 (reg. A$313), and each upgrades two compatible PCs.

AI in Windows 11

We realize you can use AI chatbots, so what makes Windows Copilot special? For one, Copilot is built using a custom version of GPT-4, so it’s like getting the premium version of ChatGPT for free.

There are also many perks of having Copilot built into your PC:

  • Ask it to change system settings instead of finding them yourself

  • Summarize web pages without having to ‘copy and paste’

  • Have it set reminders, schedule meetings, or draft emails

Pro-specific features

Already have Windows 11 Home, but curious about what Pro delivers? Remote desktop access becomes super handy in a pinch, as does BitLocker device encryption in case of device loss or theft. You’ll also get Azure AD, Hyper-V, and Windows Sandbox for other professional testing and tasks.

Upgrade to Windows 11 Pro for A$28 (reg. A$313) until 30 March at 11:59 p.m. PT. No coupon is needed to get this discount — just head to the Mashable Shop.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: Retail King Microsoft Windows 11 Pro A$28.00 at the Mashable Shop
A$313.00 Save A$285.00 Get Deal
Categories: IT General, Technology

Tiny ant-like robots lift objects 350 times their weight

Mashable - Thu, 02/20/2025 - 19:57

Researchers at Hanyang University are developing tiny microbot swarms that connect, move and change shape when controlled by magnets. While still in early development, researchers believe they could eventually be used for tasks like delivering medicine, clearing blockages, or even environmental cleanup.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Google pulls Gemini from its iOS search app, driving users toward standalone AI app

Mashable - Thu, 02/20/2025 - 19:54

Google really wants you to download its Gemini app. The tech giant is pulling the AI tool from its iOS search app — you know, the Google app — in an apparent effort to push you to the Gemini app.

The tech giant alerted customers to the change in an email.

It read, in part, via 9to5 Google:

"We're making some changes to create an even better Gemini experience on iOS. Gemini is now available as its own app, and that's now the best place to use Gemini. To continue using Gemini, download the new Gemini app from the App Store.

With the Gemini app, you'll have access to all of the same features and more."

If an iOS user tries to access Gemini in the Google app, they're greeted with a message reading, "Gemini now has its own app" and a button to download the standalone app.

Credit: Screenshot: Google

Obviously, the Google app is widely used, so it's interesting that the tech giant would want to push users to Gemini's standalone app. But for better or worse, if you want to use Google's AI tool, you better download its app.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Remember the Rabbit R1? The company just introduced a new Android AI agent.

Mashable - Thu, 02/20/2025 - 19:42

Do you remember the AI wearable gadgets that were all the rage last year? Two of the biggest physical products just resurfaced this week after falling out of the limelight following underwhelming releases: Humane and Rabbit.

Humane announced it was killing its Ai Pin less than one year after launching it, effectively confirming it was a failure.

Rabbit, however, appears to still be kicking. In fact, the company just released a preview video that showed off a demonstration of its new Android AI agent.

Rabbit's Android AI agent is able to control an Android device based on the prompts provided by the user. According to Rabbit, with these capabilities its Android agent is able to change app notifications in the device's settings, search YouTube, add ingredients from one app to a list on Google Keep, generate a poem using AI and then sent it in WhatsApp, download a game from Google Play and learn how to play it, and more.

The company says this Android AI agent builds on the work that they showed off last year involving its web agent LAM Playground.

SEE ALSO: Humane has killed its Ai Pin less than a year after its release

Watching the video, it's clear that the Android AI agent is very much a work in progress. The AI generally delivers on each user request but with varying degrees of competence. The whole thing is pretty slow though. It's unclear exactly why you would use an AI agent to do these specific tasks mentioned in the video as these are things that can be accomplished by the user basically in the same timeframe it takes to enter the prompt and have the AI deliver it.

The odd thing about the whole video is that the company's actual product that it sold to customers, the wearable AI agent known as Rabbit R1, is just sitting unused on a desk. It serves no purpose. The product that's actually available and being sold to customers for $199 is not involved in the performance of any of these tasks being demoed. 

After seeing Humane crash and burn so quickly, this video shows that Rabbit is still alive and very much working on AI products, so that's a good thing for consumers who have invested in the product already. For now.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The durable and summer-ready Ultimate Ears Megaboom 4 just dropped to its lowest price ever

Mashable - Thu, 02/20/2025 - 19:36

SAVE 32%: The Ultimate Ears Megaboom 4 (black) is on sale at Amazon for $135.44, down from the standard price of $199.99. That's a savings of $64.55 and the lowest price we've ever seen at Amazon.

Opens in a new window Credit: Ultimate Ears Ultimate Ears Megaboom 4 (black) $135.44 at Amazon
$199.99 Save $64.55 Get Deal

There's a cardinal rule that you shouldn't dunk your electronics in water. At least, that used to be the case. These days our phones, e-readers, and cameras are often waterproof. That's fantastic, of course, but there's one electronic that's gotta be waterproof in order to be functional and that's a portable speaker. If you don't have a powerful and waterproof speaker to enjoy poolside, check out this deal at Amazon.

As of Feb. 20, the Ultimate Ears Megaboom 4 (black) is on sale at Amazon for just $135.44, down from the normal price of $199.99. That's a 32% discount that takes $64.55 off the list price. It's also the lowest price we've ever spotted at Amazon. Be sure to grab the black colorway to get this discount.

SEE ALSO: Tons of camping gear is up to 50% off ahead of spring and summer weather

With bragging rights of getting up to 20 hours of playtime, the Ultimate Ears Megaboom 4 uses 360-degree sound to fill your party or room with tunes. It's great for a bedroom dance party, but it's also well suited for your summer trip to the river since Ultimate Ears considers the speaker to be "virtually indestructible."

The Megaboom 4 is waterproof, drop proof, and it floats. Ultimate Ears, therefore, says it's perfect for the pool, beach, or even the shower. The speaker also has 360-degree spatial sound, thanks to its cylindrical design.

If you're looking forward to warmer weather and have pool-side plans, pack along the Ultimate Ears Megaboom 4 to bring tunes to the party. Thanks to today's sale price at Amazon, the black colorway can be all yours for under $140.

Categories: IT General, Technology

HP announces a security flaw (and fix) for many laser printers

Mashable - Thu, 02/20/2025 - 19:35

You might want to update the firmware on your HP laser printer, pronto.

HP published a security update on its website confirming that there are three separate security flaws affecting several models of laser printers. According to HP, certain LaserJet printers "may potentially be vulnerable to Remote Code Execution and Elevation of Privilege when processing a PostScript print job." The company didn't reveal any other details, but that certainly sounds bad. Fortunately, there are firmware updates for affected printers that you can download to resolve the issue.

SEE ALSO: Cybersecurity researchers discovered a scary security flaw with YouTube and Google

The three security vulnerabilities affect different models, which are listed on the security update page. There are simply too many to list here, so you should probably look at the list to see if your printer is affected. If it's any consolation, they mostly appear to be enterprise-grade printers.

HP rated the security flaws by severity, with one of them coming in as Critical, one as High, and the last one as Medium. In other words, anyone who owns one of these printers should prioritize getting the new firmware installed ASAP.

It would probably be kind of embarrassing if you were seriously compromised by a printer, so don't let that happen.

Categories: IT General, Technology
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