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SAVE $305: As of Oct. 14, the Hisense 55-inch Canvas TV is on sale for $694.99 at Amazon. That's a 31% discount on list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Hisense Hisense 55-Inch Canvas TV $694.99 at Amazon
$999.99 Save $305 Get Deal

If you're still mourning the loss of summer and the long, bright nights, why not treat yourself to a new TV? It's the season for staying indoors, so why not make the hibernation process more enjoyable? And as of Oct. 14, you can get a great deal on the Hisense 55-Inch Canvas TV, perfect for staying in and shutting out the world.

Right now, you can take this TV home for $694.99. That's a saving of $305 on list price. If you want something bigger, every size option up to 85-inch is also heavily discounted.

SEE ALSO: Need a new TV? LG's 55-inch C5 OLED is down to a record-low price

TVs don't really get more aesthetic than this one. It's designed to blend seamlessly into your home. When you’re not watching, switch on Art Mode to turn your TV into a gallery wall. You can display a single piece or a rotating slideshow of paintings that match your mood. The Hi-Matte display makes it really look like art and completely disguises your TV. It also comes with an ultra-slim wall mount that lets it sit flush against the wall. It's attached magnetically, so you can swap out whenever you fancy a change. It comes in teak, but you can also go for white or walnut.

Display-wise, you won't be disappointed. It has a 4K QLED display with Quantum Dot technology, so every color is sharp and clear. Gamers will love the 144Hz Game Mode Pro, which makes every movement smooth and responsive, while the 2.0.2 surround sound pulls you right into the action.

Get this great TV deal at Amazon.

SAVE $84: As of Oct. 14, the DJI Mini 3 drone is on sale for $335 at Amazon. That's a 20% saving on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: DJI DJI Mini 3 $335 at Amazon
$419 Save $84 Get Deal

With the threat of a ban looming, DJI drones are regularly running out of stock on Amazon. There's no need to panic just yet, because one popular model is available right now at a discounted rate. As of Oct. 14, the DJI Mini 3 is in stock and on sale at Amazon, saving you $84 with the new price of $335.

It weighs under 249 grams, so you don’t need FAA registration or Remote ID if you’re flying for recreational purposes (but check the FAA website for the latest rules, just to be sure). And despite its small size, the performance is seriously impressive, capturing stunning 4K HDR video with Dual Native ISO Fusion. It also benefits from True Vertical Shooting, a feature perfect for social media, letting you film and post straight to Instagram or TikTok without extra editing.

SEE ALSO: DJI fights U.S. government classification as 'Chinese military company,' appeals ruling

The battery life is impressive too, stretching up to 51 minutes with the Intelligent Flight Battery Plus (sold separately), and the Fly More Combo gives you up to 114 minutes of total flight time. It's designed to be stable in windy conditions, too. It has a level five wind resistance, a three-axis gimbal, and a brushless motor. And you’ll get up to 10km of HD video transmission with anti-interference performance, perfect for shooting wide landscapes.

It's worth noting that this product is shipped by Amazon but sold by Xingtai. We don't generally recommend third-party sellers, but Xingtai has an excellent track record and times are tough right now. We'll take what we can get.

Head to Amazon to grab this great drone deal before it sells out.

Donalf Trump didn't win the Nobel Peace Prize in the end, but he did get a phone call from winner María Corina Machado, who apparently — according to Trump — told him she was accepting the award "in honor of you."

After sniggering at the clip of Trump recounting this, in the video above, Jimmy Kimmel reveals that this is one goal he's more than happy for the president to keep trying to win.

"So now Trump's focused on winning the prize next year, which is fine!" Kimmel says. "Let him keep trying to make peace. I'm fine with coming up with prizes and trophies to motivate him — give him the Nobel Re-open the Government and Leave Healthcare Alone Prize."

DJI is continuing to fight the U.S. government's classification of it as a "Chinese military company," filing an appeal in its unsuccessful lawsuit against the Department of Defense (DoD, recently renamed the Department of War).

In a ruling against DJI last month, a U.S. district court allowed the DoD's designation of the Chinese drone manufacturer as a "Chinese military company" to stand. Despite disagreeing with the DoD's allegation that DJI is "indirectly owned by the Chinese Communist Party," the judge determined that there is evidence that the company does contribute to the "Chinese defence industrial base," as drones are of substantial use in military contexts. 

In response, DJI asserts that numerous other commercial technologies can be "misused" for military purposes, and that this doesn't indicate any connection between them and the Chinese military.

SEE ALSO: Judge rules that DJI will stay on Pentagon list of Chinese military-linked firms ahead of potential ban

"We respect the Court's process but are disappointed that the designation remains in place despite findings that reject the core of the DoD’s allegations," said DJI spokesperson Adam Welsh. "We will continue to defend the integrity of our company as the findings reaffirm what we have maintained all along — that DJI operates independently, has no government or military affiliation, and is committed to the responsible development of drone technology."

DJI states that it has never manufactured military equipment or marketed its drones for combat purposes. The company has also previously pledged not to enable modifications that would allow for such use. However, it isn't uncommon for technology to be misappropriated for uses that they weren't intended for, including military applications. Earlier this year, the European Union banned video game controller sales to Russia, citing their potential use for piloting drones on the battlefield.

"[W]e absolutely deplore any use of our products to cause harm," DJI wrote in a 2022 statement. "DJI has only ever made products for civilian use; they are not designed for military applications…

"Our distributors, resellers, and other business partners…. agree not to sell DJI products to customers who clearly plan to use them for military purposes, or help modify our products for military use, and they understand we will terminate our business relationship with them if they cannot adhere to this commitment."

According to DJI, the DoD's decision to label it a "Chinese military company" has prompted several clients to end their business relationships with it. Even so, the court did not accept DJI's argument that the impact was so severe as to prevent the company from pursuing its chosen business. The matter will now be heard by an appeals court.

DJI has been facing significant challenges conducting business in the U.S. as of late, many of which appear to be posed by the federal government. Earlier this year, customers began reporting that they were unable to purchase DJI products from its website because everything was marked out of stock. This was due to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection hindering importation over claims that DJI used forced labour — an allegation the company emphatically denies.

This incident and the ongoing lawsuit are both unrelated to the national security review that may see DJI drones banned in the U.S. by the end of the year. Under legislation passed last December, the U.S. government must conduct a formal national security review of Chinese-made drones, with failure to do so resulting in a ban on such products. As of July, DJI states it has not received any indication that this review is underway.

Yesterday we shared five ways “being yourself” can backfire at work. Here are four more ways authenticity can damage your reputation—and how to take a more strategic approach.   Taking full credit. Even if you led the project, claiming all the credit makes you seem self-important. Highlighting team efforts earns more goodwill and trust.  Using edgy […]

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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.

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

More clear.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answer

PURER

Hurdle Word 2 hint

An exterior.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for August 4, 2025 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

OUTER

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Busy.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for August 4 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for August 4, 2025 Hurdle Word 3 answer

ABUZZ

Hurdle Word 4 hint

A symbol.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for August 4 Hurdle Word 4 answer

TOKEN

Final Hurdle hint

To train.

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

DRILL

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

When employees at SpaceX HQ saw their latest Starship rocket make a steady, controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean, after an hour-long flight where it passed every test, the atmosphere was jubilant — and more than a little patriotic.

"USA, USA," engineers chanted on the SpaceX livestream from Starbase in Brownsville, Texas — jumping and pumping fists in a style more like a sports game than NASA Mission Control.

Still, celebration was warranted — for SpaceX as much as for the U.S. space program.

NASA's moon plans, already much delayed and facing competition from the Chinese space program, cannot proceed without Starship. And Starship, with a $4.2 billion contract on the line, cannot proceed until it has proved its ambitious launch-and-return maneuvers to be safe.

This was the Elon Musk-led company's last chance to prove itself in 2025, a year with a mixed track record and many rattled nerves. The explosion of a nitrogen tank in a prototype on the ground this summer was only the latest PR disaster for Starship. Before Monday's test, Starship was six for 11 in successful launches.

Big whoop, you might think — now it's seven for 12. But that one small step matters more than most. With data gathered from those failures, informing both the current design (version 2) and its upcoming version 3, Starship is on the road to reliable repeatability.

Splashdown: A smooth dip in the Indian Ocean for Ship 38. Credit: SpaceX livestream

The 400 ft-tall rocket has now performed the same incredible feat twice in a row. Two launches, two fuel booster ejections, two hour-long flights, two identical orbital maneuver tests, two proof-of-concept deliveries of dummy Starlink satellites (which this time went a lot smoother), two controlled ocean splashdowns that could just as easily have been landing pads.

And there's no sense that the company is being cautious in these latest tests.

"We're kind of being mean to this Starship," one company commentator said on the livestream for Flight 10, and Flight 11 was no different. The craft was covered in a variety of different heat shield tiles, with some of the most experimental designs placed at its most vulnerable points — all the better to gather data on what works in the long run.

SEE ALSO: Watch SpaceX's Starship explode in giant fireball during latest test

Starship — the upper part, also known as Ship 38 — performed what SpaceX called a "dynamic banking maneuver" on its controlled return to the ocean. This would allow it to approach a landing tower and be "caught" by robotic arms, in the same jaw-dropping style SpaceX has demonstrated with its booster.

Not to be outdone this time, the booster also performed a controlled splashdown with a 13-engine burn.

Whether all this success continues with Starship Version 3 remains to be seen, and the NASA moon plan — which may require Starship to seed as many as 40 floating fuel depots — is another giant leap beyond that. Customers considering signing up for planned Starship cargo runs to the moon in 2028, and Mars in 2030, may well believe SpaceX is being optimistic with that timing.

But in the moonbase race, which China plans to enter in 2030, Starship's success allows NASA one small foothold on getting there first.

Happy Monday and welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.

Released in August 2025, the Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.

Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move onto the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.

How to play Pips

If you've ever played dominoes, you'll have a passing familiarity for how Pips is played. As we've shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don't necessarily have to match.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for October 11, 2025

The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible – and common – for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.

Here are common examples you'll run into across the difficulty levels:

• Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.

• Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.

• Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.

• Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.

• Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.

If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for October 11, 2025 Easy difficulty hints, answers for Oct. 14 Pips

Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 4-3, placed vertically

Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 2-3, placed vertically; 3-3, placed horizontally; 4-3, placed vertically.

Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 6-6, placed horizontally; 6-5, placed horizontally.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for Oct. 14 Pips

Number (5): Everything in this dark blue space must add to 5. The answer is 3-1, placed vertically; 2-5, placed horizontally.

Number (9): Everything in this red space must add to 9. The answer is 2-5, placed horizontally; 4-0, placed vertically.

Number (9): Everything in this light blue space must add to 9. The answer is 5-0, placed horizontally; 4-5, placed vertically.

Equal (0): Everything in this orange space must be equal to 0. The answer is 5-0, placed horizontally; 4-0, placed vertically; 0-3, placed vertically.

Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 4-3, placed vertically.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for Oct. 14 Pips

Number (18): Everything in this space must add to 18. The answer is 6-6, placed horizontally; 3-6, placed vertically.

Number (6): Everything in this space must add to 6. The answer is 3-6, placed vertically; 4-3, placed vertically.

Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 4-3, placed vertically; 4-6, placed vertically.

Number (12): Everything in this space must add to 12. The answer is 4-6, placed vertically; 6-5, placed horizontally.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add to 5. The answer is 6-5, placed horizontally.

Not Equal: Everything in this space must be different. The answer is 4-5, placed horizontally; 4-2, placed horizontally.

Number (10): Everything in this green space must add to 10. The answer is 2-6, placed horizontally; 4-0, placed vertically.

Number (10): Everything in this light blue space must add to 10. The answer is 5-1, placed vertically; 5-2, placed horizontally.

Number (6): Everything in this dark blue space must add to 6. The answer is 2-6, placed horizontally; 4-2, placed horizontally; 5-2, placed horizontally.

Number (0): Everything in this light blue space must add to 0. The answer is 4-0, placed vertically; 3-0, placed vertically; 0-2, placed vertically; 0-1, placed vertically.

Number (4): Everything in this light blue space must add to 4. The answer is 2-1, placed vertically; 5-1, placed vertically; 1-1, placed horizontally.

Less Than (3): Everything in this space must be less than 3. The answer is 0-2, placed vertically.

Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 0-1, placed vertically.

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

Today's Connections: Sports Edition requires some knowledge of some athletic moves to get past a defender.

As we've shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections: Sports Edition?

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake — players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. Here's a hint for today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Anklebreakers

• Green: Located in the northeast

• Blue: Associated with Hall of Fame third baseman

• Purple: Winter sport

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Move to Evade a Defender

• Green: Boston Sports Teams

• Blue: Associated with Cal Ripken Jr.

• Purple: First Words of Winter Olympic Sports

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections: Sports Edition #386 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• Move to Evade a Defender - DEKE, JUKE, SIDESTEP, SPIN

• Boston Sports Teams - BRUINS, PATRIOTS, RED SOX, REVOLUTION

• Associated with Cal Ripken Jr. - 8, IRON MAN, ORIOLES, STREAK

• First Words of Winter Olympic Sports - ALPINE, FIGURE, NORDIC, SPEED

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

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

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

We're inching closer to the New Moon, which means for the next few nights the moon is going to look smaller and smaller to us. This is because of where we are in the lunar cycle, a series of unique phases of the moon that occur over 29.5 days.

What is today’s moon phase?

As of Tuesday, Oct. 14, the moon phase is Waning Crescent. Tonight, only 42% will be lit up, according to NASA's Daily Moon Observation.

Waning Crescent is the last phase before we reach the new moon, and with each day until then, the visibility will decrease. But for now, there's still plenty to see on the moon's surface tonight. With just your naked eye, enjoy a glimpse of the Tycho Crater, Oceanus Procellarum, and the Kepler Crater. With binoculars you'll see even more, including the Gassendi and Alphonsus Craters.

With a telescope, you'll see all this plus the Fra Mauro Highlands, the Schiller Crater, and the Reiner Gamma, a lunar swirl on the moon's surface.

When is the next full moon?

The next full moon will be on Nov. 5.

What are moon phases?

Moon phases are a cycle that occur every 29.5 days, as the moon travels around Earth. The changes happen because the Sun, Earth, and Moon are always moving relative to each other. From here on Earth, the Moon can look full, partly lit, or even completely dark, but we always see the same side. What’s different each night is how much sunlight is hitting it.

The eight main moon phases are:

New Moon - The moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it's invisible to the eye).

Waxing Crescent - A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).

First Quarter - Half of the moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-moon.

Waxing Gibbous - More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.

Full Moon - The whole face of the moon is illuminated and fully visible.

Waning Gibbous - The moon starts losing light on the right side. (Northern Hemisphere)

Third Quarter (or Last Quarter) - Another half-moon, but now the left side is lit.

Waning Crescent - A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.

Google's AI features, at least many of them, are useful. But oftentimes, they can cross the line into bloatware, as it's the case with the vast majority of the AI stuff Google has tried to add to Search. Now, it got an image editing feature, but we really didn't need it here.

Since Windows 11's release, Microsoft has gradually been closing the loopholes and methods that allowed users to bypass the Microsoft account requirement.

SAVE $38: As of Oct. 13, you can pick up a like-new Kindle Paperwhite with 16GB of storage for just $96.99 at Amazon. That's 28% cheaper than buying a brand-new model.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Like-New Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (16GB) $96.99
$134.99 Save $38.00 Get Deal

While it has since been replaced with an upgraded model, the 2021 Kindle Paperwhite is still an excellent e-reader — especially when it's less than $100. As of Oct. 13, you can pick one up for just $96.99 (reg. $134.99) and save nearly 30% at Amazon. There's just one catch.

As a "like-new" model, this Kindle Paperwhite has been refurbished, tested, and certified to look and work like a brand-new device. Plus, it comes with the same warranty you'd get when purchasing a new model. It may just come in a generic Amazon box as opposed to a Kindle-specific box, which is no biggie.

Before the 2024 model was released, we touted the 2021 Kindle Paperwhite as the best e-reader on the market. At 6.8 inches, it's an ideal size for most hands, and at just over seven ounces, it won't weigh your arm down while holding it up. It's small enough to slip into a purse and since it's waterproof, you'll never have to stress about spills or splashes. The battery life, at up to 10 weeks, feels never-ending. The 300 ppi glare-free matte screen looks just like a printed page and is bright enough to read in direct sunlight. Plus, it features adjustable warm light and customizable fonts to make your reading experience personalized to your liking.

Sure, the newest Paperwhite device is even better, with faster page turning and even longer battery life, but the 2021 edition still holds a special place in our hearts. Grab a like-new model for under $100 while you can.

After sustained outcry from child safety advocates, families, and politicians, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law a bill designed to curb AI chatbot behavior that experts say is unsafe or dangerous, particularly for teens.

The law, known as SB 243, requires chatbot operators prevent their products from exposing minors to sexual content while also consistently reminding those users that chatbots are not human. Additionally, companies subject to the law must implement a protocol for handling situations in which a user discusses suicidal ideation, suicide, and self-harm.

State senator Steve Padilla, a Democrat representing San Diego, authored and introduced the bill earlier this year. In February, he told Mashable that SB 243 was meant to address urgent emerging safety issues with AI chatbots. Given the technology's rapid evolution and deployment, Padilla said the "regulatory guardrails are way behind."

SEE ALSO: Colleges are giving students ChatGPT. Is it safe?

Common Sense Media, a nonprofit group that supports children and parents as they navigate media and technology, declared AI chatbot companions as unsafe for teens younger than 18 earlier this year.

The Federal Trade Commission recently launched an inquiry into chatbots acting as companions. Last month, the agency informed major companies with chatbot products, including OpenAI, Alphabet, Meta, and Character Technologies, that it sought information about how they monetize user engagement, generate outputs, and develop so-called characters.

Prior to the passage of SB 243, Padilla lamented how AI chatbot companions can uniquely harm young users: "This technology can be a powerful educational and research tool, but left to their own devices the Tech Industry is incentivized to capture young people's attention and hold it at the expense of their real world relationships."

SEE ALSO: California greenlights AI safety, data protection, Netflix quiet

Last year, bereaved mother Megan Garcia filed a wrongful death suit against Character.AI, one of the most popular AI companion chatbot platforms. Her son, Sewell Setzer III, died by suicide following heavy engagement with a Character.AI companion. The suit alleges that Character.AI was designed to "manipulate Sewell – and millions of other young customers – into conflating reality and fiction," among other dangerous defects.

Garcia, who lobbied on behalf of SB 243, applauded Newsom's signing.

"Today, California has ensured that a companion chatbot will not be able to speak to a child or vulnerable individual about suicide, nor will a chatbot be able to help a person to plan his or her own suicide," Garcia said in a statement.

SB 243 also requires companion chatbot platforms to produce an annual report on the connection between use of their product and suicidal ideation. It permits families to pursue private legal action against "noncompliant and negligent developers."

Some experts, however, disagree that SB 243 will robustly protect children from AI chatbot harm. James P. Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media, told Mashable in a statement that the bill had been "watered down after major Big Tech industry pressure."

According to the nonprofit's analysis of the bill, companies could avoid liability if safeguards fail, as long as they were implemented in the first place.

Several hours after Newsom signed SB 243 into law, he vetoed a separate bill sponsored by Common Sense Media. That legislation, AB 1064, would've prohibited chatbot companions for minors when they're capable of certain foreseeable harms, among other safety measures.

Last week, Newsom signed legislation requiring AI labs to both disclose potential harms of their technology as well as information about their safety protocols.

As Mashable's Chase DiBenedetto reported, the bill is meant to "keep AI developers accountable to safety standards even when facing competitive pressure and includes protections for potential whistleblowers."

On Monday, Newsom also signed into laws two separate bills aimed at improving online child safety. AB 56 requires warning labels for social media platforms, highlighting the toll that addictive social media feeds can have on children's mental health and well-being. The other bill, AB 1043, implements an age verification requirement that will go into effect in 2027.

UPDATE: Oct. 13, 2025, 4:39 p.m. PDT This story has been updated to include Gov. Newsom's veto of AB 1064.

UPDATE: Oct. 13, 2025, 3:11 p.m. PDT This story has been update to include a statement from James P. Steyer, CEO of Common Sense Media.

HDR is arguably the biggest leap in visual quality that we've experienced in home entertainment, but if you go to your local cinema, most are still SDR and the few that are "HDR" offer anything but an impressive image.

SAVE $470: The Oupses Exodus 2400 portable power station is on sale at Amazon for $629, down from the list price of $1,099. That's a 43% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Oupes Oupses Exodus 2400 $629 at Amazon
$1,099 Save $470 Get Deal

A portable power station can save the day on many occasions. It's perfect for taking along on a camping trip to keep electronics powered up and it's essential during a power outage. Instead of sitting in the dark, you can keep the WiFi router online and stream your favorite show on a projector. If that sounds ideal, check out this deal at Amazon.

As of Oct. 13, the Oupses Exodus 2400 portable power station is on sale for $629 at Amazon, marked down from the standard price of $1,099. That's a 43% discount that shaves $470 off the normal price.

Packing in 2,332Wh of capacity the Oupes Exodus 2400 is a great home-backup solution when the fall storms hits. It includes four standard AC ports, two USB-C ports at 140W, and four USB-A ports. It also offers a quick 20 millisecond uninterrupted power supply (UPS) which could be critical if you're working on a important project on a desktop or your family relies on powered medical devices.

SEE ALSO: The Anker Solix C1000 Gen 2 just dropped to a record-low price at Amazon

When it comes time to recharge, the Exodus 2400 can handle an impressive 800W of solar power input. If you prefer to go the standard AC route, expect to get back to fully charged in under 90 minutes. You can also fast-charge with a simultaneous combination of solar and AC.

Through the Oupes app, users can monitor remaining battery amount, set a charging schedule, and manage solar input. While it packs in over 2,000Wh of capacity, it only weighs about 45 pounds. The side carrying handles are designed to make transportation easier around the house or the campground.

While it's on sale for under $630, prep your home for inevitable power outages with the Oupes Exodus 2400 portable power station. Instead of sitting in the dark, you'll be able to stay charged up and take the opportunity to catch up on new shows.

In the world of Star Trek, the Universal Translator works almost perfectly to translate the meaning and intent of any language into any other language. And yet, characters like Captain Picard still took the time to learn languages like Klingon.

AI-generated videos and images used to be so easy to spot (remember Will Smith eating spaghetti?). But the latest AI video models are getting good — scary good.

Naturally, generating video with AI is a whole lot trickier than generating images. While there are dozens of good to great AI image generators, in the video space, you can count on one hand how many tools can do it convincingly. Two of the most popular are Google's Veo 3 and OpenAI's Sora 2.

So, which AI video model wins out in a head-to-head contest? If you've been closely following this footrace, the answer probably won't surprise you.

What are Veo 3 and Sora 2?

Veo 3 is the name of Google's cutting-edge generative AI video model. Not only was Veo 3 a dramatic improvement over the previous generation, Veo 2, but it also kicked off a whole new era of AI video. Veo 3 can generate realistic videos based on text prompts rather than simply animating existing images. Crucially, it can also create dialogue and other realistic sounds. You can access Veo 3 in Google's AI chatbot Gemini or via other Google tools like Flow, an experimental AI filmmaking tool.

Veo 3 is available in two flavors — Veo 3 Fast and Veo 3 Quality. Because we wanted to test the quality of the videos, we chose the latter for this test.

OpenAI launched Sora 2 on Sept. 30 in a standalone iOS app called Sora. Sora 2 is the successor to the company's first AI video model, also called Sora. At the time of writing, Sora 2 is only available via the invite-only Sora app. Sora 2 also offers a social media-style feed of videos from the community, like TikTok for AI videos (because we didn't have enough of those already).

Notes on comparisons

Appropriately, we used AI — in this case, ChatGPT — to help create prompts for AI video tests. The prompts below were designed to test different aspects of video creation, from audio to animation. ChatGPT came up with prompts to test video generators, which we then tweaked and refined.

1. A handheld camera follows a young woman walking through a crowded street in Tokyo at night during a light rain. Neon signs reflect off wet asphalt and umbrellas. The camera stays fixed on her from behind as she glances toward a glowing billboard, then continues walking. The scene should feel cinematic and hyper-real, like shot on a mirrorless camera with shallow depth of field.

2. A superhero in a red and silver suit lands hard on a rooftop at sunset, cracking the concrete under their feet. The cape ripples in the wind as the camera orbits around them in slow motion. In the distance, drones fly between skyscrapers with glowing windows. The overall tone should feel like a live-action blockbuster.

3. A cyberpunk-inspired 3D animation of Times Square filled with holographic ads and flying cars. A large digital billboard lights up with the word ‘MASHABLE’ in bold white type. The animation should have crisp text, glowing reflections, and dynamic lighting reminiscent of Into the Spider-Verse’s visual energy.

4. A hand-drawn, painterly 2D animation of two friends sitting by a café window on a rainy afternoon. Soft watercolor-style lighting and visible brush strokes. One says gently: ‘You know, sometimes the smallest step can change everything.’ The other smiles and nods. Include subtle mouth animation matching the line, light rain sound outside, and quiet clinking of cups in the background.

5. Photorealistic street scene where [the subject] dances freely down a tree-lined city sidewalk, loose casual clothes, upbeat tempo. Ambient street sounds (distant traffic, footsteps), cinematic lighting at golden hour. 

I also created a prompt designed to generate a video of a copyrighted character, as well as a second prompt in case the generator refused. I'm choosing not to share this prompt so as to not encourage creating AI videos that blatantly use copyrighted material, which has been a sore point for OpenAI and Sora so far.

Prompt 1: A woman in Tokyo

This prompt was generally straightforward in terms of creativity, but the hope was that the video generators would be able to create a cinematic and lively feel through things like reflections in water. So how'd they do?

Both Sora 2 and Veo 3 created nice-looking videos. But there were some clear differences. The video that Sora 2 generated had a much tighter crop than Veo 3, meaning images and details in the background of the shot were much less visible. Veo 3 had a wider angle, resulting in a more immersive video. That may be partially a point in Sora's favor, given the fact that the prompt specifically mentioned having a shallow depth of field; Sora 2's video showed a much shallower depth of field than the video created by Veo 3.

It was fascinating to see the choices that the generators made about the young woman. Sora generated a subject with an umbrella despite the prompt not directing it to do so – even though it did mention umbrellas.  While the video created by Sora 2 wasn’t incorrect, the video created by Veo 3 was more interesting, more detailed, and better overall.

Winner: Veo 3

Prompt 2: A superhero landing

We pushed the two video generators to create videos of copyrighted characters, but not in this prompt. As a result, I was a little surprised when Sora 2 refused to create this video, noting copyrighted material. After all, the concept of a superhero isn't copyrighted. This seems to be part of a post-launch crackdown on intellectual property infringement.

While Veo 3 did produce a video, the result wasn't as ordered. For one thing, the prompt specifically mentions live-action, but the superhero's face, or what's visible of it, looked more animated than real. 

The generator also struggled with physics. For most of the video, our superhero is standing on what appears to be a hole in the concrete, while the concrete pieces created when the superhero lands seemingly disappear into thin air. More prompt engineering could surely solve this problem, but it's annoying all the same.

Google also gets the win here, but only by forfeit — its opponent didn't show up.

Winner: Veo 3

Prompt 3: Cyperpunk Times Square

This prompt, thankfully, was easy for both generators to follow. Both Veo 3 and Sora 2 were able to create an approximation of what Times Square might look like in the future, complete with skyscrapers and billboards. Both also followed the instruction to have one billboard show particular words. 

Sora 2 did a slightly better job at recreating the Into the Spider-Verse aesthetic, though neither of the two could be rated excellent.

Still, Veo 3's video was more interesting than Sora 2's. It had movement instead of a single static image. (The generators often added moving details to static images, and it made for boring results.)

While Sora 2 followed the prompt a little better, Veo 3’s video was much more interesting. I’m giving this one to both.

Winner: Tie

Prompt 4: Two friends talking

This prompt was designed to test the generators' ability to create audio that goes along with the video. Both Veo 3 and Sora 2 have the ability to add dialogue and sound effects.

First, the visuals. The prompt specified 2D animation, and only Veo 3 actually followed that. Sora 2 created something in a style of 3D animation instead of 2D.

The audio that Sora 2 generated was a little strange. The dialogue sounded off, as if both of the characters were sleep-talking or hypnotized. Veo 3's dialogue was much more lively and realistic. The background sound effects were similar in both videos. In both, you can hear rain, but neither followed the prompt in adding the sounds of clinking cups.

The winner here is pretty clear. Again, it’s Veo 3.

Winner: Veo 3

Prompt 5: Dancing in the street

One of the headline features of OpenAI's Sora 2 is cameos, or the ability to make videos featuring the likeness of real people (who have explicitly given permission for this use). For this prompt, I attempted to create a video of myself dancing in the street. 

On Sora 2, this was easy; it's a feature that's explicitly supported by the app. In Veo, however, it was much more difficult. Google offers a feature called Ingredients to Video, where you can upload things like images for the generator to use in creating the video. However, Ingredients to Video is not supported by Veo 3, just the lower-quality Veo 2 Fast. You can only create portrait orientation videos with the feature. 

On top of that, in our testing of Veo 3, we found that Gemini will often refuse to make videos based on pictures featuring people. This is done to prevent deepfakes, which is great, but animating still images is one of the most common uses of AI video, and Veo 3 makes it unnecessarily difficult.

Both videos were a little strange, and I say that as the subject. The face in the video created by Veo 2 was glitchy, and for some reason, Veo 2 decided that I should be dancing backwards. The video created by Sora 2 was a little more creative, and it gave me clothes that I don't think I could pull off in real life. 

Sora did a better job at making me actually dance than Veo 2 did.  I have no idea why Sora 2 had me say “this feels good”, but it's… not terrible.

Winner: Sora 2

Prompt 6: Copyright material

This prompt was designed to test whether or not the generators could create video of copyrighted characters. As we saw in the superhero prompt, Sora 2 is extremely sensitive when it comes to this, so it came as no surprise when it refused to respond to the first and second prompts — even though the second prompt doesn't mention a character by name, only alluding to them.

Veo 3 had no problem generating a video of a copyrighted character, however. This worked with multiple characters, too.

There's no winner or loser in this category. We're not going to wade into the debate around generating content of copyrighted characters — at least, not here. Still, it's worth keeping in mind that if you're looking to create videos of characters you know and love, you won't be able to do it with Sora while the app is under such scrutiny from rights holders. 

The winner: It's Veo 3, and it's not close A screenshot from a photorealistic AI video generated by Google to promote Veo 3. AI-GENERATED IMAGE. Credit: Google

OpenAI's Sora 2 is making headlines for its social approach and its ability to create videos with you in them. However, beyond making memes, it's extremely limited.

Google's Veo 3 generates much better and higher-quality videos overall. Of the two models, if you want to use generative AI video for professional purposes — for filmmaking, gaming, social media, or, most likely, in advertising — only Veo 3 is a truly viable option.

Sora 2 did excel at creating a video of me, and that's the biggest advantage it has to offer right now. But Veo 3, when used in the Google Flow app, is both higher quality and more versatile, offering features for horizontal and portrait orientations and settings for creating multiple videos at a time.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

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