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How to watch Manchester City vs. Feyenoord online for free

Mashable - Tue, 11/26/2024 - 18:14

TL;DR: Live stream Manchester City vs. Feyenoord in the Champions League for free with a 30-day trial of Prime Video. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The Champions League is back with another batch of really intriguing matchups, including Manchester City vs. Feyenoord.

Macnester City are struggling right now, but they've still got a decent record in this year's Champions League. A win against Feyenoord should put them firmly back in the running for a top eight finish. Feyenoord are further back in the standings, but still have a good chance of making the playoffs with some positive results.

If you want to watch Manchester City vs. Feyenoord in the Champions League for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Manchester City vs. Feyenoord?

Manchester City vs. Feyenoord in the Champions League starts at 8 p.m. GMT on Nov. 26. This fixture takes place at the Etihad Stadium.

How to watch Manchester City vs. Feyenoord for free

Manchester City vs. Feyenoord is available to live stream on Prime Video in the UK, but you don't need to be subscribed to Amazon Prime to watch this fixture. Instead, you can watch Manchester City vs. Feyenoord (plus more Champions League fixtures) for free with a 30-day trial of Amazon Prime.

If you're abroad for this fixture, you might need to use a VPN to watch the Champions League for free on Prime Video. This process is straightforward:

  1. Sign up for a 30-day Amazon Prime trial (if you're not already a member)

  2. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

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

  4. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

  5. Watch Manchester City vs. Feyenoord for free from anywhere in the world on Prime Video

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free) $99.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Manchester City vs. Feyenoord on Prime Video without committing with your cash. This isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream select Champions League fixtures before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for Prime Video?

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

  • Servers in 105 countries including the UK

  • 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 eight simultaneous connections

  • 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Stream Manchester City vs. Feyenoord in the Champions League for free with ExpressVPN.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Amazon actually managed to beat some of Best Buys Black Friday laptop deals

Mashable - Tue, 11/26/2024 - 18:12

UPDATE: Nov. 26, 2024, 10:40 a.m. EST This story has been updated with more Black Friday laptop deals at Amazon, including all-new top picks.

Amazon's best Black Friday laptop deals at a glance: Best MacBook deal Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M3, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $844 (save $255) Get Deal Best Windows laptop deal Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 (Snapdragon X Elite, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) $1,549.99 (save $450) Get Deal Best gaming laptop deal Acer Nitro V 15 (Intel Core i7-13620H, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) $749.99 (save $250) Get Deal Best Chromebook deal Acer Chromebook Plus 514 (AMD Ryzen 3 7320C, 8GB RAM, 128GB eMMC) $299.99 (save $100) Get Deal

Amazon's laptop deals are unusually competitive during its Black Friday Week sale (live now through Friday, Nov 29.)

For reference, Best Buy is typically the major retailer with the best Black Friday laptop deals simply because it stocks the biggest selection. There are tons of discounts on a slew of configurations across a variety of brands there, including lots of newer models. (Best Buy is the exclusive retailer partner for a bunch of this year's Copilot+ PCs, for example.)

Meanwhile, Amazon typically zeroes in on Apple MacBooks and a handful of options from Acer, Asus, LG, Microsoft, and Samsung during major savings events. It seems to pick and choose its Windows models pretty randomly, so those who shop there exclusively may have to settle for a configuration that doesn't have the exact specs they want.

Amazon and Best Buy usually offer the exact same deals where their inventories overlap, but in the case of Black Friday 2024, the former has managed to crush its competitor in several notable cases. The base configuration of the 13-inch M3 MacBook Air (now with 16GB of RAM) is $5 cheaper on Amazon than at Best Buy, for instance, while the base M4 Pro-powered MacBook Pro is $50 cheaper.

Among Windows laptops, the Mashable Choice Award-winning Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 is $150 less at Amazon, and the highly rated Asus Zenbook Duo is $100 cheaper even with an extra boost from a My Best Buy discount.

SEE ALSO: All the best early Black Friday deals at Amazon, Target, Best Buy, and Walmart

Things reach more of a stalemate when it comes to gaming laptops. Best Buy has the best overall deal with its $600 discount on the Alienware m16 R2, Mashable's top gaming laptop of 2024. And the $430 HP Victus featured in one of its doorbusters is the cheapest gaming laptop we've seen thus far. That said, Amazon is offering a pretty stellar deal on a variant of the Acer Nitro V 15, the best budget gaming laptop we've tried. It's actually better than advertised.

Keep in mind that Amazon does not offer price matching, but most items purchased there through Dec. 31 can be returned until Jan. 31, 2025 — save for MacBooks, which can be sent back until Jan. 15. (For its part, Best Buy's price match guarantee does not apply to competitors' offers when they're marked as Black Friday deals. It may eventually decide to conform to Amazon's prices on its own, but there's no telling if or when.)

Read on for a more detailed rundown of the best laptop deals available from Amazon's Black Friday Week sale. We'll continue to price-check our featured offers and look for more deals as the sale progresses, so check back often.

Note: Any deal marked with a 🔥has dropped to a record-low price.

Best MacBook deal at Amazon Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M3, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $844.00 at Amazon
$1,099.00 Save $255.00 Get Deal Why we like it

Read Mashable's full review of the Apple MacBook Air (M3).

The M3 Air is Mashable's favorite MacBook for most people, combining an "exquisite keyboard" with dual external monitor support and "zippy performance," wrote Mashable Tech Editor Kim Gedeon. (She gave it a 4.3/5 in her review.) As briefly mentioned, Apple just upgraded the base configuration from 8GB of memory to 16GB, making it an especially great value at its current sale price.

Amazon has the 13-inch model on sale for just $844 during its Black Friday Week sale, or $255 off its $1,099 MSRP — a 23% savings and a new record-low. It's now less than $100 more than the M2 version, so it's easy to recommend over its predecessor for future-proofing's sake.

The 15-inch version is also on sale for $255 off at Amazon, which Best Buy has decided to match.

More MacBook deals at Amazon:Best Windows laptop deal Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 (Snapdragon X Elite, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) 🔥 $1,559.99 at Amazon
$1,999.99 Save $440.00 Get Deal Why we like it

Read Mashable's full review of the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7.

Microsoft's slick Qualcomm-powered laptop lasted nearly 23 hours in our battery life test and one-upped the M3 MacBooks in our performance benchmark (both the Air and the Pro models). If Windows on Arm doesn't pose any compatibility issues for your go-to apps, we think it's the best Windows laptop for most people. It's a Mashable Choice Award-winner that got a 4.8/5 rating from Gedeon, which makes it one of our highest-rated laptops of 2024. (The Asus Zenbook Duo got the same score.)

The 13-inch model we tested came with a Snapdragon X Elite CPU, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage. It usually retails for a hefty $1,999.99, but Amazon's Black Friday Week sale has brought it down to just $1,549.99 there. That's 23% off and another new all-time low. It was $1,699.99 at Best Buy and $1,599 in the Microsoft Store at the time of writing, FYI.

If you don't want to spend that much, pared-down configurations start at $849.99.

More Windows laptop deals at Amazon:

2-in-1 laptops

Gaming laptop dealsBest Chromebook deal
Categories: IT General, Technology

How to identify AI-generated text: 7 ways to tell if content was made by a bot

Mashable - Tue, 11/26/2024 - 18:09

As AI-generated content gets more ubiquitous in our everyday lives, you may be wondering, "How do I identify AI text?"

It's no surprise that these models get more difficult to detect as AI technology evolves. For now, the good news is that content such as images and video aren't that hard to parse with the human eye.

SEE ALSO: How to identify AI-generated images How to detect AI-generated text

If you're a teacher or just a seasoned internet traveler, what's the secret to spotting AI-generated text? Well, it's simpler than you might think: use your eyes. There are actually ways to train the human eye to discern AI statements. Experts like MIT Technology Review's Melissa Heikkilä write that the "magic" of these machines "lies in the illusion of correctness."

No two people write in the same way, but there are common patterns. If you've ever worked a corporate job, you know how everyone uses the same generic phrasing when drafting memos to their boss. That’s why AI text detectors often flag content as "likely AI-generated" — because distinguishing between a bland human writing style and a generic AI-generated voice is nearly impossible.

So here's some tips and tricks to spot some potential AI-generated text:

• Look for frequent use of words like “the,” “it,” and “its.”

• Absence of typos—AI text is often too perfect.

• Conclusionary statements that neatly sum up paragraphs.

• Overly verbose or padded writing.

• False or fabricated information and sources.

• A tone more advanced than the writer’s usual submissions.

• Repetitive phrasing or oddly polished grammar.

There are also AI text detectors on the market that you can use, but here's why, in my experience, they're likely less reliable than your own eyes.

AI text detectors: Why they're not reliable

It’s not all doom and gloom, as some solutions to our machine overlords exist. Launching models like ChatGPT and competitors like Gemini and Claude spurred the growth of a cottage industry focused on AI text detection. Platforms like ZeroGPT popped up in response to OpenAI’s language model, while tools such as Grammarly and Copyleaks — originally designed to catch plagiarism — have pivoted to tackle AI-generated content as well.

Depending on who you ask, AI-text detection is, at the moment, the best way to spot AI-generated content or its digital snake oil. In reality, the latter might be closer to the truth. No AI detector is 100% accurate (or even 99% as many claim). Even in ideal conditions, the reliability of these tools is often hit-or-miss.

"The problem here is the models are becoming more and more fluent, [as a result], the older detectors, they stop working," says Junfeng Yang, a professor and co-director of the Software Systems Lab at Columbia University. He explains that as AI-generated text becomes increasingly sophisticated, it "starts to use vocabulary and sentence structures that closely mimic human writing, making it harder to spot even with advanced detectors."

Testing AI text detectors' accuracy

Despite big promises from tools like GPTZero or Hive Moderation, tricking an AI detector into labeling human-written content as machine-made is surprisingly simple. These systems typically analyze lines of text that explain or summarize ideas, which makes them vulnerable to false positives. For instance, I tested a basic summary of Game of Thrones I had hastily written from memory across several of these tools, and in almost every case, it was flagged as "likely AI-generated."

I then took that same Game of Thrones summary, fed it into ChatGPT, and asked it to punch up the writing — making it longer and less straightforward.

Here's what I wrote:

The plot of Game of Thrones follows several families in the fictional continent of Westeros. First, there are the Starks who rule the North. Second are the Lannisters, who rule in the Westerlands. The eldest daughter of the Wastelands is Cersei, who is also the Queen of Westeros and is married to Robert Baratheon. Robert is from the Stormlands and usurped the throne of the Targarayns — a group of dragon riders who took over the land over 1000 years ago but slowly lost their grip on Westeros due to infighting. The series was created by George RR Martin and is currently chronicled in five books — A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast for Crows, and a Dance with Dragons. There are two more books planned for the series with the Winds of Winter set to release sometime in 2025.

Here's the "improved" ChatGPT version:

Game of Thrones throws viewers into the brutal, blood-soaked chessboard of Westeros, where power is the prize and morality is negotiable. Leading the pack are the Starks, who hold dominion over the icy North. Their stoic honor feels like a relic in a land where backstabbing is a form of currency. In sharp contrast are the Lannisters of the opulent Westerlands, the family everyone loves to hate — with Cersei Lannister perched atop the throne as Queen of Westeros. Her marriage to Robert Baratheon, the hard-drinking, boar-hunting king from the Stormlands, is a political match made in hell, bound together by lies and mutual loathing. But the throne itself carries a bloody history. Robert took it after a rebellion that ousted the Targaryens, the long-ruling dynasty of dragon riders who, once unstoppable, eventually imploded in a whirlwind of paranoia and civil war. Their fire-breathing beasts may have once scorched the skies, but family feuds brought their empire crashing down, leaving only whispers of their former glory. Meanwhile, George R. R. Martin’s sprawling saga continues in five books that are equal parts battlefield carnage, political intrigue, and heartbreaking betrayals. While fans devour every page, they remain on edge, waiting for the Winds of Winter to blow, teased for what feels like eons, now with a tentative promise of landing in 2025. But in Westeros, promises — like allegiances — are made to be broken.

The outcomes of my testing had varied results. One of the first I tested was Scribbr, which pegged my original summary as “100% likely AI-generated.” But when I swapped it for the AI-enhanced version, Scribbr surprisingly dropped the likelihood to just 48%.

The orginal summary nabbed a 100% likely AI-generated Credit: Scribbr / Mashable screenshot The ChatGPT summary only garnered a 48% likely to be AI Credit: Scribbr / Mashable screenshot

Another tool I tried out was Winston AI, which flagged the original text as 39% likely to be generated by GPT-4. Ironically, when it came to the actual GPT-4 summary, it only gave it a meager 1% likelihood.

Original summary in Winston AI Credit: Winston AI / Mashable screenshot AI-edited summary in Winston AI Credit: Winston AI / Mashable screenshot

Hive Moderation totally missed the mark when analyzing my work, failing to flag either of the summaries I submitted. According to the system, both were confidently labeled as human-written content.

Credit: Hive Moderation / Mashable screenshot

Now, if I just ask ChatGPT for a random paragraph on any topic and copy-paste that into various text detectors, it'll almost always get flagged as AI-generated right away. But that actually reinforces the issue: without specific instructions, ChatGPT’s default writing style is often bland, formulaic, and straightforwardly objective.

The predictably dull tone is what triggers these false positives — not some advanced in-house tech that these websites claim to have to discern AI content from humans. Even when tools like Originality correctly flagged both instances of AI writing, a bit of sentence tweaking can completely change the outcome. With just a little rephrasing, what was previously flagged with "100% confidence" as AI-generated can suddenly be labeled "Likely original."

All that to say, here's the list of freely available AI text detection tools I tested using the above method. To mix things up, I also used some literature reviews from academic papers I wrote in grad school to see if they'd flag me for using flowery writing to beef up my word counts. Here they are:

  • GPTZero

  • ZeroGPT

  • Hive Moderation

  • Scribbr

  • CopyLeaks

  • Originality.ai

  • Grammarly

  • GPT-2 Output Detector

  • Writefull X

  • Winston AI

If your writing sounds like a tonally flat 8th-grade book report, AI detectors will likely peg you as a bot in need of a Turing test ASAP. This testing shows that simply avoiding certain structural patterns can easily fool AI detectors. And that’s a major headache for the companies behind these tools, especially since many offer subscription services and aim to sell their APIs to schools and businesses as a B2B solution.

While these tools can be pretty effective for plagiarism detection, it’s obvious their ability to spot AI-generated text still needs serious refinement. The inconsistency is hard to overlook — submit the same text to multiple detectors, and you’ll get wildly different results. What gets flagged as AI-generated by one tool might slip through unnoticed by another. Given that lack of reliability, it’s tough to recommend any of these tools with confidence right now.

Why is detecting AI-generated text so difficult?

Human language is incredibly fickle and complex — one of the main reasons AI-generated text is so tricky to detect.

Bamshad Mobasher, IEEE member and chair of the AI program at DePaul University elaborates that "text is what these models are trained on. So, it’s easier for them to mimic human conversations.”

"Detection tools look for patterns — repetitive phrases, grammatical structures that are too regular, things like that," Mobasher said. "Sometimes, it’s easier for a human to spot, like when the text is 'too perfect,’ but to be certain it’s AI-generated is challenging."

Unlike image generators, which can produce telltale signs like extra fingers or distorted facial features, Mobasher explained LLMs rely on statistical probabilities to generate text — making their output feel more seamless. As a result, spotting errors in AI-generated text — like nuanced phrasing or subtle grammatical irregularities — is far more challenging for both detectors and human readers.

This is what makes AI-generated text so dangerous as well. Mobasher warns that "it becomes easier to produce and generate misinformation at scale." With LLMs generating fluent, polished text that can mimic authoritative voices, it becomes much harder for the average person to discern between fact and fiction.

"With AI, it’s actually much easier to launch these attacks," says Yang. "You can make the email very fluent, conveying the message you want, and even include personalized information about the target’s role or mission at a company."

On top of its potential misuse, AI-generated text makes for a shittier internet. LLMs from companies like OpenAI and Anthropic scrape publicly available data to train their models. Then, the AI-generated articles that result from this process are published online, only to be scraped again in an endless loop.

This cycle of recycling content lowers the overall quality of information on the web, creating a feedback loop of increasingly generic, regurgitated material that makes it difficult to find authentic, well-written content.

There's not much we can do about the lightning-fast acceleration of AI and its detrimental effects of internet content, but you can, at the very least, tap into your knowledge pool of media literacy to help you discern what's human-made and what's generated from a bot.

"If you see an article or report, don’t just blindly believe it — look for corroborating sources, especially if something seems off," Yang says.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Why the Farrelly brothers decided Dear Santa was going to be their Christmas movie

Mashable - Tue, 11/26/2024 - 18:01

It took the Farrelly brothers 10 years to make Dear Santa, Here they talk about the pieces that had be just right and why Jack Black needed to be their 'Santa'.

Dear Santa is now streaming on Paramount+.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Moana 2 review: Almost as great as the original, except for one big thing

Mashable - Tue, 11/26/2024 - 18:00

When Disney first announced Moana 2 in February 2024, I was apprehensive. Here was a surprise announcement, mere months out from a November release, that a Moana TV show had been reworked into a feature film. Did that mean Moana 2 was a rush job for Disney to recover from some of its 2023 box office disappointments, like The Marvels and Wish? And if so, would that mean sacrificing quality for a swift turnaround?

SEE ALSO: Disney's 'Moana 2' trailer expands on the lore of the original

Thankfully, Moana 2 soothed my worries and then some, thanks to its blend of epic adventure and its deeply felt story about family ties. Yes, there are elements that don't hit as hard, including a cookie cutter villain and some songs that just don't pass muster when compared to Moana's. But most of Moana 2 measures up to (and occasionally even surpasses) what came before — and that's due in no small part to the growth of its incredible heroine.

Moana 2 reminds you that Moana is a certified star Credit: Disney

Even if you haven't rewatched Moana since 2016, Moana 2 wastes no time in reminding you that Moana (voiced by Auliʻi Cravalho, Mean Girls) is a total badass. In the film's opening sequence, she runs through a dense rainforest forest, leaps across a ravine, and climbs a steep rock face with her trusty pig Pua on her back. Seconds later, we get a classic hero shot: Moana, hair streaming in the wind, atop an island mountain, surveying the vast ocean around her. She takes a deep breath, blows a welcoming call into her conch... and no one answers. Turns out, despite Moana's expert wayfinding skills, she hasn't been able to find any other humans who live in the ocean.

Moana's island home of Motunui is thriving, though — and Moana is nothing less than a "living legend" there. Young girls dress and do their hair like her, going as far as to find their own version of Pua. (The film dubs them "Moanabes.") Everyone calls her "the future of Motunui." Her father Tui (Temuera Morrison, The Book of Boba Fett), Motunui's chief, even wishes to bestow the title of Tautai upon her, an honor for a skilled navigator and leader that hasn't been held for many, many years.

SEE ALSO: 'Flow' review: An animated animal adventure unlike anything you've seen before

But when Moana gets a desolate vision of Motunui's future should they not reconnect with other humans, she faces a difficult choice. She could strike out for the legendary island of Motufetu, which used to connect all the ocean's pathways and peoples. Yet it's farther than Moana or any of her ancestors have ever gotten (not to mention cursed by the human-hating god Nalo). If she goes, she risks not coming back to her family or her beloved island.

Here's where Moana 2 really shows us how far Moana has grown. With age and greater status in Motunui, she's become far more aware of the stakes of her potential failure. Plus, she's terrified to lose her family — especially her scene-stealing little sister Simea (Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda). With the weight of the world on her shoulders, Moana sets a course for Motufetu, along with an upgraded canoe and a new crew.

Moana 2's new characters make an exciting adventure even better. Credit: Disney

Moana may be used to wayfinding by herself, but in Moana 2, she's got to share a canoe with three newbies. Keen-eyed inventor Loto (Starstruck's Rose Matafeo) brings an endearing enthusiasm to the squad, even if her tendency to take apart the canoe in her efforts to improve it is concerning. As the oldest member of the crew, you might expect farmer Kele (David Fane, Our Flag Means Death) to bring elder wisdom to the journey, but he's more the crotchety complainer type. Rounding things out is Motunui legend expert Moni (Hualālai Chung), who doubles as the canoe's resident Maui (Dwayne Johnson) fanboy. (Yes, he paints "fanfic" of him and Maui being best friends.)

So imagine Moni's sadness when he realizes Maui isn't along for the ride. While Moana could desperately use his help, Maui's actually in a pickle of his own. He's trapped by Nalo's accomplice, the goddess Matangi (Awhimai Fraser), whom I can only describe as a "bat diva." Constantly surrounded by a cloud of the winged creatures, and even sporting bat fangs herself, Matangi exudes vampiric aura. She almost gives Moana's shiny crab Tamatoa (Jemaine Clement) a run for his money.

SEE ALSO: 'Spellbound' review: Netflix's animated adventure finds its magic right at the end

But Matangi isn't the only foe Moana and co. will have to conquer. The coconut pirates known as the Kakamora are back to wreak havoc, while a giant, island-sized clam risks swallowing our heroes whole. With so many colorful creatures to face, it's a shame that Moana 2's Big Bad Nalo is basically a nonentity, reducing the (otherwise very cool) final set piece to a faceless confrontation with inclement weather. Contrast Moana 2's magical waterspouts with Moana's expressive lava monster Te Kā to get a sense of how detached the sequel is from its villain. (Except for a mid-credit scene that somehow implies he's Moana Thanos.)

Luckily, Moana 2 finds plenty of connection elsewhere, from Moana's friendships with Maui and her crewmates to her continued relationship with her ancestors. Gramma Tala (Thor: Ragnarok's Rachel House) is back to pass along some wisdom — and give us a good hard cry along the way. Elsewhere, Moana's steadfast belief in bringing the people of the ocean back together makes for a necessary counterpoint to Nalo's hopes to sow discord and isolation. (At least, what little we learn of it through exposition.) Moana's optimism and determination proves there's power in connection, which we get to see firsthand as her crew begins to gel at sea.

Moana 2's songs are fine, but they're no match for Moana's. Credit: Disney

With its beautiful, textured animation and its propulsive adventure to the far ends of the ocean, Moana 2 is another win for Disney animation. The only major letdown? The film's songs, which are totally OK, but certainly nothing special compared to Moana's greatest hits.

Moana composers and songwriters Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa'i have returned for Moana 2, but one key member of the first film's team is missing: songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda. Taking his place are Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, the Grammy-winning team behind The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical. Even so, Miranda's presence is greatly missed, with songs often feeling like lackluster rehashes of the first film's songs.

Take "Beyond," essentially a toned-down evolution of "How Far I'll Go," where Moana readies herself to go back out into the ocean. Cravalho's delivery is gorgeous, and I could listen to her sing for hours, but do I remember a single line of that song beyond "I'll go beyond"? Then there's Maui's "Can I Get A Chee Hoo?," a patter song that will make you miss the fast-paced wordplay of "You're Welcome." (A flaming conch solo does lend it some extra flair.) The patter extends to travel song "What Could Be Better Than This?" While I adore Matafeo's lightning-fast delivery of Loto's science-themed rap, it all feels like imitation Miranda. Awkward rhythmic moments and some obvious rhymes further highlight how much of an asset he was on Moana.

Even the funky "Get Lost," my beloved bat diva Matangi's big number, is a letdown. Based on her character introduction, you might expect something in the vein of a dark Bond theme. Instead, you get a pop tune that, despite Fraser's serious pipes, feels fairly generic. (The slowed-down piano beginning also can't help but remind me of The Princess and the Frog's "Almost There," although I'm sure other similarities abound.) All I'm saying is, if the previous film's villain song featured a giant coconut crab doing a David Bowie tribute, you've got to aim higher.

At least Moana 2's less-than inspired songs get a boost from their accompanying animated sequences. "Can I Get A Chee Hoo?" drops us into a god-tier obstacle course, while "Get Lost" features some pretty rad bat choreography. "What Could Be Better Than This?" also scores laughs from Kele's annoyance at Moana, Moni, and Loto's increasingly excited dances, which low-key read like they're trying to get him to join their ocean-loving cult. That's the magic of Moana 2: Even when the songs aren't hitting, something else will elevate them, turning a decent number into a great experience.

Moana 2 hits theaters Nov. 27.

Categories: IT General, Technology

ChatGPT Search: iPhone users can now leverage the AI search engine with ‘Shortcuts’ support

Mashable - Tue, 11/26/2024 - 17:56

OpenAI has added a "SearchGPT" Shortcut to the ChatGPT app for iPhones.

First spotted by MacRumors, when you go to Shortcuts, there's now an option to directly invoke the web search option of ChatGPT. Next to other ChatGPT commands like "Ask ChatGPT," "Start a voice conversation," and "OpenChatGPT," there's a new command that says "Open SearchGPT." This will automatically start a new ChatGPT conversation with the search function turned on.

A new "SearchGPT" Shortcut is available on iPhone with the latest ChatGPT update. Credit: Screenshot: Mashable How Apple is integrating ChatGPT into iOS

OpenAI officially called the AI-powered search engine "ChatGPT Search," but in pre-release testing, the prototype was referred to as "SearchGPT," hence the name of the Shortcut command. Mashable has reached out to OpenAI for clarification and will update this story with a response.

SEE ALSO: How to replace Google with ChatGPT Search as your default search engine

OpenAI launched ChatGPT Search in October, which performs real-time web searches in addition to traditional ChatGPT responses. Tapping the globe icon connects ChatGPT to the web, which provides answers with relevant sources linked in and contextualized in its responses. Meanwhile, Apple's partnership with OpenAI brings ChatGPT to its suite of AI-powered features called Apple Intelligence. The December iOS 18.2 release will be the first update to include ChatGPT integration. But the Shortcut provides an easy way to access ChatGPT even without the upcoming iOS update.

The SearchGPT Shortcut became available with the latest release of the ChatGPT iOS app which was released on Monday. So if it's not showing up for you, check to make sure you have the most up-to-date version.

ChatGPT Search is currently only accessible for users with ChatGPT Plus and ChatGPT Teams subscriptions, with plans to roll out to free accounts in the coming months.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Early Black Friday iPad deals: Several models are over $100 off

Mashable - Tue, 11/26/2024 - 17:53

UPDATE: Nov. 26, 2024, 11:35 a.m. EST This post has been updated with the best iPad deals available ahead of Black Friday, including a $100 price cut on the iPad Air and new iPad Pro deals.

Best iPad deals ahead of Black Friday Best overall deal Apple iPad Air, 11-inch (M2, WiFi, 128GB) $499 (Save $100 at Best Buy) Get Deal Best budget iPad deal Apple iPad, 10.9-inch (10th generation, WiFi, 64GB) $259 (Save $90 at Amazon) Get Deal Best iPad mini deal Apple iPad mini, 8.3-inch (A17 Bionic, WiFi, 128GB) $399.99 (Save $99.01 at Amazon with on-page coupon) Get Deal

If you don't want to wait until the actual day of Black Friday to shop, iPad deals aren't waiting either.

In these days before Black Friday, every major retailer has started some version of their sale programming. That means we're seeing prices at or near record lows already, from the iPad Air at $100 off, the 10th generation iPad at $90 off, and the new iPad mini at $99 off.

SEE ALSO: All the best early Black Friday deals at Amazon, Target, Best Buy, and Walmart

As for whether you'll score significantly better prices during Black Friday, it's hard to say, especially as these prices currently are some of the best of the year. What we can say is that we'll be updating this post with any iPad price drops leading into, on, or following Black Friday. As of Nov. 26, here are the best iPad deals already available:

Best iPad deal ahead of Black Friday Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple iPad Air, 11-inch (M2, WiFi, 128GB) $499.00 at Best Buy
$599.00 Save $100.00 Get Deal Why we like it

We consider the iPad Air the best Apple tablet for most people: it has the flexibility to be a good school companion as it can be a laptop replacement or art tablet. The M2 chip also powers some older Pro models, but you'll be saving a few hundred bucks (especially with this iPad deal).

At $499, this iPad is just a dollar away from its record low pricing, making it an excellent time to pick it up ahead of the holidays. If you're looking to score the most savings possible, even if that means wading into the chaos of Black Friday, you might want to hold off — the Air initially dropped to this price about a week ago, so there is a chance that it drops even more come Black Friday. At the time of writing, this deal is available at Target, Best Buy, and Amazon, with the latter two having all four colors available.

More iPad deals

iPad

iPad Air

iPad mini

iPad Pro

Categories: IT General, Technology

Get the new Amazon Kindle for $84.99 ahead of Black Friday

Mashable - Tue, 11/26/2024 - 17:52

SAVE $25: As of Nov. 26, you can get the new Amazon Kindle (16 GB) for $84.99, down from $109.99. That's a 23% discount, or $25 off.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Kindle (16 GB) $84.99 at Amazon
$109.99 Save $25.00 Get Deal

The holiday shopping season is officially here, and retailers are rolling out doorbusters and discounts galore. We’re even seeing some of the most popular tech products reach their lowest prices of the year, including the newest Amazon Kindle e-reader.

SEE ALSO: Amazon actually managed to beat some of Best Buy's Black Friday laptop deals

As of Nov. 26, you can get the Amazon Kindle (16 GB) for just $84.99. (Note: This price is for the black Kindle. If you want the matcha color, it's $89.99.) This is a 23% discount and $25 off the list price of $109.99. You’ll also get three months of Kindle Unlimited free with your purchase. Once the three months are up, you can renew at $11.99 per month or cancel.

Amazon’s newest Kindle is the company’s lightest and most compact design yet. It features a glare-free 6-inch touchscreen display, up to six weeks of battery life, and 16 GB of storage for thousands of e-books, comics, and audiobooks. It’s also sustainable — it’s made with 75% recycled plastics and 90% recycled magnesium.

Start cozy reading season with a new Kindle today.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The internet doesn’t like the new iOS 18 Photos app redesign — how to fix it

Mashable - Tue, 11/26/2024 - 17:45

Confused by the new iOS 18 Photos app? You're not the only one.

Apple updated the default Photos app with iOS 18 earlier this fall and some folks on the internet are unhappy about it. TikTok influencer Alix Earle, for example, got hundreds of thousands of likes on a quick video denouncing the update. Put simply, Apple reorganized the Photos app, introduced several new features, and, unsurprisingly, it’s causing frustration among users.

The good news is that you can fix it — for the most part.

SEE ALSO: iOS 18.2 release date leak: Here’s when Genmoji, Image Playground could get a stable public release How to fix iOS 18 Photos app

There's good news and bad news here.

Easy! Credit: Screenshot: Apple

The bad news is that the only way to keep the old Photos app is to avoid updating your phone, but this also means missing out on the important security benefits that come with regular updates.

The good news is that you can at least de-clutter the new Photos app a bit. Here's how.

  1. Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the app and hit "Customize & Reorder"

  2. Toggle on or off the various tabs as you see fit. You can also drag them up and down to reorder where they appear in the app

  3. Hit the X button in the upper right corner

Again, the Photos app will look the way it looks no matter how much reordering you do. The old design is gone. However, you still have the option to hide the algorithmically generated content you’d rather not see.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Get 25% off sitewide during Ruggables Black Friday sale

Mashable - Tue, 11/26/2024 - 17:27

SAVE 25%: As of Nov. 26, you can score 25% off all Ruggable products. Shop washable doormats, rugs, pillows, and more.

Opens in a new window Credit: Ruggable 25% off sitewide Black Friday sale Get Deal

Retailers everywhere are gearing up for Black Friday with pre-sales, doorbuster deals, and the promise of serious savings in the days to come. We’ve seen Black Friday sales from Walmart, Target, and Wayfair all weeks before the actual day.

Now, Ruggable’s getting in on the action with a 25% off sitewide sale. As of Nov. 26, you can get up to 25% off any rug, washable doormat, bath mat, pillow, or pet bed on the Ruggable site during its Black Friday sale with the code BF24.

SEE ALSO: Honest review of Ruggable: Are the washable rugs worth the price?

Ruggable is known for its machine-washable area rugs and its wide selection of designs, from modern geometric patterns to traditional Persian styles. And, according to Mashable’s RJ Andersen, they’re definitely worth the splurge if you have pets or kids.

“Ruggable has far exceeded my expectations when it comes to a versatile, durable rug, and it’s certainly been easier to clean than any of my ‘traditional’ rugs,” Andersen writes.

Of course, the appeal of Ruggable's machine-washable products extends beyond just those with furry friends or little ones underfoot. Just take a look at all of the holiday-themed rugs, door mats, and more currently on sale. (I’m personally in love with the reindeer doormat). They also have rugs of all textures, shapes, and sizes, from small 2×3s to larger 18×18s.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Pick up a new keyboard at a nice discount ahead of Black Friday 2024

Mashable - Tue, 11/26/2024 - 17:18

UPDATE: Nov. 26, 2024, 10:50 a.m. EST

Best early Black Friday keyboard deals Best keyboard deal Logitech Casa Pop-Up Desk Kit $149.99 (save $30) Get Deal Best gaming keyboard deal SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini Gaming Keyboard $128.99 (save $51) Get Deal

Black Friday is one of the best, if not the best, times to pick up some new tech at a deep discount (rivaled only by shopping events like Amazon Prime Day). Whether you need a new laptop, TV, or gaming console, you're bound to find a great deal during the holiday shopping season. That also includes keyboards.

If your laptop or daily driver keyboard is no longer cutting it for you and you're looking to add a new one to your tech lineup, now is a good time to do it, because the early Black Friday keyboard deals are actually pretty sweet. Check out our top picks — just be sure to keep checking in, because we'll be updating this page with new discounts as they pop up.

SEE ALSO: The best early gaming laptop deals you can snag ahead of Black Friday 2024 Best keyboard deal Opens in a new window Credit: Logitech Logitech Casa Pop-Up Desk Kit $149.99 at Amazon
$179.99 Save $30.00 Get Deal Why we like it

If your laptop's keyboard isn't doing it for you anymore, the Logitech Casa Pop-Up Desk Kit is the answer to your problems (we absolutely love it.) The kit comes with a laptop stand, wireless keyboard, and wireless mouse pad that'll serve as a serious upgrade to your work-from-home or coffee shop setup. Ahead of Black Friday, you can grab one of your own for $149.99, which is $30 off the original price. Don't miss this one.

Best gaming keyboard deal Opens in a new window Credit: SteelSeries SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini Gaming Keyboard $128.99 at Best Buy
$179.99 Save $51.00 Get Deal Why we like it

Gaming keyboards are awesome, but they can take up a lot of real estate on your desk. The Apex Pro Mini gaming keyboard is a fantastic compromise, featuring a smaller profile without sacrificing important functions like RGB customization, macro assignments, low latency, and more. It's one of our favorite gaming keyboards, and it's on sale for $51 off in the weeks leading up to Black Friday. If you want a top-tier mini gaming keyboard, look no further.

More early Black Friday keyboard deals
Categories: IT General, Technology

Slash $450 off the new Microsoft Surface laptop ahead of Black Friday

Mashable - Tue, 11/26/2024 - 17:06

GET $450 OFF: As of Nov. 25, you can get a new Microsoft Surface Laptop for $1,549.99, down from $1,999.99. That's 23% off.

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Surface Laptop $1,549.99 at Amazon
$1,999.99 Save $450.00 Get Deal

Meet the laptop that’s far out ahead of all other Windows machines in our testing — but meet it for less. Right now, Amazon is running a unique 23% off sale on the new machine, dropping the price way below the competition from other retailers.

As of Nov. 26, you can get the new Microsoft Surface Laptop for $1,549.99, down $1,999.99. That's $450 off, or a 23% discount, on the Copilot-enabled laptop we called the best Windows laptop for most people.

What’s Surface all about? For one, a touchscreen is at the system’s core, enabling you to play in Paint the same way you might in Procreate on an iPad. A Snapdragon X Elite core whirs inside, driving this machine to perform way beyond old intel Surface models.

SEE ALSO: All the best early Black Friday deals at Amazon, Target, Best Buy, and Walmart

But what really won our hearts is this machine’s exceptional battery life: we clocked 23 hours.

The Surface has Copilot AI built right into it and features an NPU that will run AI processes natively. Want to make wild AI-images right from your drawings? This machine will help you do just that.

When buying a laptop, what’s under the hood isn’t all that matters, and thankfully the Microsoft Surface Laptop looks great too, with a sleek form factor that comes across as effortlessly professional.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The best Apple Watch deals ahead of Black Friday: The Series 10, 9, and SE are down to all-time low prices

Mashable - Tue, 11/26/2024 - 16:50

UPDATE: Nov. 26, 2024, 10:40 a.m. EST This post has been updated with the most recent price drop on the Apple Watch Series 10, Series 9, SE, and Ultra.

The best Apple Watch deals ahead of Black Friday Best Series 10 deal Apple Watch Series 10 (42mm, GPS) $329 at Amazon (Save $70) Get Deal Best Series 9 deal Apple Watch Series 9 (45mm, GPS) $329 at Walmart (Save $100) Get Deal Best Ultra deal Apple Watch Ultra 2 (49mm, GPS + cellular) $699.99 at Amazon (Save $99.01) Get Deal

Black Friday sales are in full swing, bringing some of the best prices we've seen on Apple Watches all year.

As of Nov. 26, the Series 10 is $70 in most of its configurations, the Series 9 is down to $279.99 (returning to its July Prime Day pricing), and the SE is at the new low price of $149.

If you hesitated to pick up the Series 9 deal during Prime Day because the Series 10 wasn't out yet, this Black Friday season offers you another chance to make the call between last year and this year's watches. The differences between the watches aren't too drastic, so if you're most focused on saving money, you might want to go with a Series 9, especially as we don't expect them to be available new for much longer.

SEE ALSO: Walmart's second Black Friday sale is live: Get a $149 Apple Watch SE, a $178 55-inch 4K Roku TV, and more

Of course, for those most interested in getting the cheapest Watch possible, grabbing the new discount price of $149 you'll find on the 40mm SE is a solid option.

Below, you'll find each of those picks, along with more of the best Apple Watch deals live leading up to Black Friday.

Best Apple Watch deal ahead of Black Friday Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Watch Series 10 (42mm, GPS) $329.00 at Amazon
$399.00 Save $70.00 Get Deal Why we like it

Read more from Mashable about the Apple Watch Series 10.

Just two months after its release, the Series 10 is down to a record-low price for the third time. Throughout November, we watched it fall in price from $355 to $349, and now, finally, $329. Last year, the Series 9 also dropped to $329 during the Black Friday. With programming running early yet again this year, it's hard to tell if Amazon, or any retailer for that matter, will drop the price even further — it would be their biggest Black Friday discount on a fall Apple Watch release if they did. Still, $329 is a great price on a newly released smartwatch that includes upgrades of a larger display, a slightly thinner watch, and an inbuilt speaker for playing audio directly from your watch.

More Apple Watch deals

Series 10

Series 9

SE

Ultra

Categories: IT General, Technology

Bluesky ramps up content moderation as millions join the platform

Mashable - Tue, 11/26/2024 - 16:47

More users means more problems, and social media wunderkind Bluesky is no exception. On Monday, Bluesky announced new moderation efforts to address a growth in concerning user content amid its incredible growth.

In an exclusive with Platformer, Bluesky explained that it would be quadrupling its content moderation team, currently a 25-person contracted workforce, in order to curb a worrisome influx of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and other content that violates the sites' community guidelines — cases that have so far fallen through the existing moderation systems and warrant human oversight.

"The surge in new users has brought with it concomitant growth in the number of tricky, disturbing, and outright bizarre edge cases that the trust and safety team must contend with," the company wrote. "In all of 2023, Bluesky had two confirmed cases of CSAM posted on the network. It had eight confirmed cases on Monday alone."

SEE ALSO: Leaving X for bluer pastures? What to know about Bluesky's owners and policies.

At large, the platform is navigating an explosion in user reports being handled by an extremely small company. On Nov. 15, the platform posted that it was receiving 3,000 reports per hour, compared to only 360,000 reports for all of 2023. "We’re triaging this large queue so the most harmful content such as CSAM is removed quickly. With this significant influx of users, we’ve also seen increased spam, scam, and trolling activity — you may have seen some of this yourself," the platform wrote at the time. "We appreciate your patience as we dial our moderation team up to max capacity and bring on new team members to support this load."

Bluesky's bolstering of its human workforce supplements what is often a complex and confusing world of automatic, AI-powered content moderation. In a follow-up thread, Bluesky noted issues with "short term" moderation policies put in place over the last week to tackle harmful content under high-severity policy areas, including CSAM. Responding to automatic flags and efforts from the trust and safety team, Bluesky explained, several accounts were temporarily suspended. The platform is reinstating accounts who feel they were unjustly removed.

Bluesky's in-house content moderation systems are also paired with third-party tools, like reporting tool Safer, created by child safety nonprofit Thorn. Branded as a user-powered, decentralized social network, Bluesky prioritizes an "ecosystem of third-party providers" and eschews a "centralized moderation authority" in favor of user customizability.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Get $99 off the new Apple iPad Mini (A17 Pro) ahead of Black Friday

Mashable - Tue, 11/26/2024 - 16:35

SAVE $99.01: As of Nov. 26, the Apple iPad Mini (A17 Pro) is just $399.99 at Amazon, $99.01 off the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple iPad Mini (A17 Pro) $399.99 at Amazon
$499.00 Save $99.01 Get Deal

Black Friday is just two days away, but Amazon’s been throwing discounts left and right — there’s no reason to wait until the Big Day to score this year. From laptops to tablets, the online retail giant has slashed prices on all sorts of tech, including the newest Apple iPad Mini (A17 Pro).

As of Nov. 26, you can get the Apple iPad Mini (A17 Pro) for just $399.99 at Amazon with the on-screen coupon. That’s $99.01 off the list price and the lowest we’ve seen this model go for.

SEE ALSO: See the best Black Friday TV deals from Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart

The Apple iPad Mini (A17 Pro) features an 8.3-inch liquid retina display, 128 GB of storage, and an ultrafast A17 Pro chip. (If you need more storage, you can get it in 256 GB and 512 GB, but it’ll cost you a bit more.)

With an all-day battery life, USB-C charging, and support for the Apple Pencil, you can create, browse, watch, and work from anywhere you go. The 12 MP ultra-wide front camera and 12 MP wide back camera also make it a great device for snapping photos and video chatting.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Get some new tech on a budget with discounted Chromebooks ahead of Black Friday

Mashable - Tue, 11/26/2024 - 16:32

UPDATE: Nov. 26, 2024, 10:15 a.m. EST This article has been updated with the latest Chromebook deals ahead of Black Friday 2024.

Best early Black Friday Chromebook deals Best Chromebook deal Asus Chromebook Plus XC34 (Intel Core i3-1215U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 8GB RAM, 128GB UFS) $329 (save $40) Get Deal Best 2-in-1 Chromebook deal Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 (Intel 13th Generation Core i5, Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $449.99 (save $250) Get Deal

Chromebooks don't get the respect they deserve when most people talk about which laptops are worth buying. While Chromebooks aren't necessarily the top-tier machines many are looking for, they're still great budget options for those who don't need a technical powerhouse of a laptop. They're affordable, and they get the job done — sometimes, that's all you need.

Ahead of Black Friday 2024, Chromebooks are even more affordable, because a lot of them are on sale before the big event. If you're interested in picking up some new tech for cheap, now is the time to seriously consider your options.

SEE ALSO: HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch review: A big-screened budget laptop for the right user

Check out our favorite pre-Black-Friday Chromebook deals below, and be sure to keep checking back — we'll be updating this article as new offers go live.

Best Chromebook deal Opens in a new window Credit: Asus Asus Chromebook Plus XC34 (Intel Core i3-1215U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 8GB RAM, 128GB UFS) $329.00 at Walmart
$369.00 Save $40.00 Get Deal Why we like it

The Asus Chromebook Plus XC34 is a great laptop for those who take a more minimalist approach to their tech. It can handle all the basics with flying colors, from web browsing, to document editing, and all the other day-to-day tasks most people find themselves doing. Ahead of Black Friday, the Chromebook is only $329 at Walmart, which is a nice little $40 discount off a super affordable computer.

Best 2-in-1 Chromebook deal Opens in a new window Credit: Acer Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 (Intel 13th Generation Core i5, Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $449.99 at Best Buy
$699.99 Save $250.00 Get Deal Why we like it

Prefer versatility to everything else? You'll probably want a 2-in-1 laptop, and the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 may be one you'll want to check out. The laptop-tablet combo comes with some pretty decent specs for a budget device, and features a seamless convertible body that you can switch up at a moment's notice. This Chromebook is currently sitting at $449.99 at Best Buy, which is $250 off the original price. It also comes bundled with a convenient carrying sleeve.

More Chromebook deals
Categories: IT General, Technology

Another Black Friday streaming deal is here: Get 2 months of Paramount+ with Showtime for $2.99 per month

Mashable - Tue, 11/26/2024 - 16:28

SAVE $20: Through Dec. 4, new and returning subscribers can sign up for two months of Paramount+ Essential or Paramount+ with Showtime for just $2.99 per month. That's up to 76% in savings with this Black Friday deal.

Opens in a new window Credit: Paramount+ / Showtime Paramount+ with Showtime $2.99 per month for two months Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Paramount+ Paramount+ Essential $2.99 per month for two months Get Deal

Black Friday streaming deals are officially rolling in — and Paramount+ is the latest streamer to toss its hat in the ring. Compared to years past, however, we've got to say we're a little disappointed. While Peacock and Max basically resurrected their Black Friday 2023 discounts for 2024, Paramount+ cut back on its generosity a bit.

Through Dec. 4, new and returning subscribers can sign up for Paramount+ Essential or Paramount+ with Showtime for just $2.99 per month for two months. That's $10, or 63% in savings, if you opt for the Essential plan, and $20, or 76% in savings, if you choose the upgraded Paramount+ with Showtime plan. Once your two-month promotional period ends, you'll automatically be charged the full price of the tier you select — $7.99 per month for Essential and $12.99 per month with Showtime.

SEE ALSO: See the best Black Friday TV deals from Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart

Last year, Paramount+ offered new and returning subscribers three months of the Essential plan for $1.99 per month or three months of the with Showtime plan for $3.99 per month. Plus, there was a code to score a free month trial to kick it off. While this year's discount is still welcome, we were hoping for a bit more.

Still, if you're hoping to watch new Paramount Pictures theatrical releases like Smile 2 (coming soon), A Quiet Place: Day One, and Transformers One, Paramount+ is the streamer for you. It's also home to local AFC games on Sundays, UEFA Champions League matches, CBS originals like Ghosts, Survivor, and Big Brother, and old Nickelodeon and MTV shows. And if you opt for the tier with Showtime (why wouldn't you when it's currently the same price?), you'll also unlock an ad-free viewing experience and the entire Showtime library, which includes some excellent shows like Yellowjackets, The Curse, and The Chi.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Skill up with this Nintendo Switch Pro Controller Black Friday deal

Mashable - Tue, 11/26/2024 - 16:24

GET $20.99 OFF: Nov. 26, the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller is $49.00 at Walmart, shop now and save $20.99 with this early Black Friday deal.

Opens in a new window Credit: Nintendo Nintendo Switch Pro Controller $49.00 at Walmart
$69.99 Save $20.99 Get Deal


Nintendo Switch is all about versatility, but what about when you want additional precision? From acing tricky skill-shots to blasting through FPS titles, the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller is made for games where you need an edge. Right now, early Black Friday sales are on at Walmart and it's a great time to buy.

Designed primarily for moments where your Nintendo Switch is connected to a TV, the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller is made of molded plastic that's comfortable to hold for long periods of time. Because of this, it’s a great pick for adult gamers with large hands, or kids engaging in a marathon run of Minecraft.

SEE ALSO: Black Friday deals Amazon vs. Walmart: Comparing the best sales

Motion controls and rumble enhance the feeling of being within the action. Two analog control sticks provide intuitive control in game, while rear triggers and buttons will be familiar to any experienced gamer.

Nov. 26, you can get the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller for $49.00 and save $20.99 at the Walmart early Black Friday sale.

Whether you’re launching arrows at bokoblins in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, or unleashing lightning strikes at your friends in Smash Bros, the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller gives you that final bonus you need to come out ahead.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Grab an Amazon Echo Pop with a free smart color bulb for under $18

Mashable - Tue, 11/26/2024 - 16:16

SAVE $34.99: As of Nov. 26, you can get an Amazon Echo Pop and Amazon Basics Smart Color Bulb for just $17.99 at Amazon. That's a 66% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Echo Pop + Amazon Basics Smart Color Bulb $17.99 at Amazon
$52.98 Save $34.99 Get Deal

If you’re looking for a budget-friendly gift that’s practical and fun ahead of Black Friday, Amazon’s got a great deal on the Echo Pop right now.

As of Nov. 26, you can snag an Echo Pop with an Amazon Basics Smart Color Bulb for just $17.99. That’s a smart speaker and smart bulb combo for less than $18.

SEE ALSO: The 10 best Echo devices — which one are you buying during Black Friday?

The Echo Pop is Amazon’s most affordable smart speaker at $39.99, but it's currently on sale for $17.99 — an all-time low price. And, as if that wasn't enough of a bargain, Amazon is throwing in a free smart bulb to make the deal even sweeter.

The Echo Pop can do everything a typical Echo can, like play music, answer questions, and control compatible smart home devices. Its compact, spherical design comes in multiple colors, including lavender bloom and midnight teal.

The included smart bulb works with Alexa; ask her to turn on or off the light. You can also set schedules and routines via the Alexa App.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Don’t have 20/20 vision? Experience Meta Quest in perfect clarity with Zenni lenses

Mashable - Tue, 11/26/2024 - 16:08

For those who are vision-impaired or who wear prescription glasses, enjoying an immersive virtual reality (VR) or mixed reality (MR) experience can be uncomfortable or impractical. Glasses can feel bulky, fog up, or get scratched from frequent headset removal and adjustment. Moreover, many users with vision impairments report experiencing vertigo, eyestrain, or headaches when attempting to play in VR/MR without their corrective lenses.

To put the fun back in gaming and make VR/MR experiences more accessible for everyone, Zenni Optical has designed custom prescription lenses made specifically for the Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest 3S headsets. These super thin lenses integrate seamlessly into the headsets, offering vision correction without the need for traditional glasses.

Opens in a new window Credit: Zenni Optical Custom Prescription Lenses for Meta Quest Headsets at Zenni Optical
Enhance your Meta Quest experience with Rx and non-Rx Zenni lenses that won’t fog or scratch Shop Now

Here are three reasons to consider leveling up your headset with Zenni’s lenses: 

1. Lenses tailored to your eyesight needs

Zenni lenses are available in prescription and non-prescription versions. Those in need of corrective vision will find the thin and lightweight inserts way more comfortable than wearing glasses under the headset. 

2. Already 20/20? Zenni’s non-prescription lenses will still enhance your gaming

Nothing will eject you from an epic battle scene faster than having to stop and de-fog your Quest headset. Zenni lenses come with a fog-resistant coating that prevents annoying condensation from forming while you play.

So even if you’ve got perfect vision, with these lens inserts, you’ll get an enhanced, more immersive Quest experience, thanks to Zenni’s anti-fog and scratch-resistant technology — designed to keep you firmly rooted in the world of your own making. 

3. An affordable and durable upgrade to your Quest headset Credit: Zenni Optical / Meta

Zenni lenses are designed to be safe and durable for VR/MR usage. They come with a scratch-resistant coating and are anti-reflective, anti-fog, and oil-resistant, providing additional protection for both your lenses and your gaming set.

Zenni lenses are super affordable, at just $49.99 for prescription options, and $29.99 for non-prescription lenses. Even better, vision insurance can be used to purchase the prescription lenses, which are also eligible for HSA and FSA payments. 

Whether you’re hoping to make your Meta Quest experience more comfortable, accessible, or just more fun and immersive, Zenni has you covered. Escape into your own world without all the annoyances by snagging yourself a pair and popping them into your headset today.

Categories: IT General, Technology
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