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It used to be that public Wi-Fi hotspots were few and far between. These days, however, you have to scroll through a list of choices as every store, restaurant, and public restroom offers you "free" Wi-Fi.

AI company Anthropic has agreed to settle a lawsuit from authors. The cost: $1.5 billion.

A judge still needs to approve the settlement, but lawyers representing the group of authors celebrated the major update in the case.

"As best as we can tell, it’s the largest copyright recovery ever," Justin Nelson, a lawyer for the authors, told the Associated Press. "It is the first of its kind in the AI era."

The authors' class-action lawsuit argued that Anthropic took pirated copies of the book to train its AI chatbot, Claude. The lawsuit covered about 500,000 works, meaning the total payout could come in around $3,000 per work, should the settlement be approved.

SEE ALSO: Anthropic let Claude run a shop. Let's just say the AI agent is not a business tycoon.

Aparna Sridhar, Anthropic’s deputy general counsel, emphasized to Ars Technica in a statement that the court found "Anthropic’s approach to training AI models constitutes fair use."

"Today’s settlement, if approved, will resolve the plaintiffs’ remaining legacy claims," Sridhar told Ars. "We remain committed to developing safe AI systems that help people and organizations extend their capabilities, advance scientific discovery and solve complex problems."

Should the settlement ultimately be approved, it could prove to be an important landmark in the fight against AI companies. Many artists, publishers, and creatives have sued AI companies, including famous authors George RR Martin and John Grisham, who, among others, sued OpenAI, claiming it infringed copyrights to train its model.

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

One of the most versatile and popular wallpaper apps ever made is unfortunately only available to Windows users. This has been a sore point for Mac users for a while, and with good reason, given what this app offers in terms of collections and functionality.

When you spend top dollar on a phone, you might reasonably expect that you’re getting all the bells and whistles. That’s not the case. There’s quite a bit now that you’re more likely to find on a budget or mid-range phone than a $1200 flagship.

TL;DR: Live stream Sabalenka vs. Anisimova in the 2025 US Open final for free on 9Now. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The 2025 US Open finals are finally here, and the first showpiece event looks like a classic.

Sabalenka vs. Anisimova is so difficult to predict. Sabalenka is gunning for her fourth Grand Slam title and second in this tournament. Anisimova is yet to win a Grand Slam, but she has already dispatched the likes of Świątek and Osaka in this year's draw. We're expecting a tense contest between two players who seem to be peaking at just the right time.

If you want to watch Sabalenka vs. Anisimova in the 2025 US Open final for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

How to watch Sabalenka vs. Anisimova for free

Sabalenka vs. Anisimova in the 2025 US Open final is available to live stream for free on 9Now.

9Now is geo-restricted to Australia, but anyone from around the world can access this site with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure servers in Australia, meaning you can unblock 9Now from anywhere in the world.

Access free live streams of the 2025 US Open by following these simple steps:

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

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

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

4. Visit 9Now

5. Watch the 2025 US Open for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch the 2025 US Open before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for 9Now?

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

• Servers in 105 countries including Australia

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

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

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to 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. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for $12.95 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream Sabalenka vs. Anisimova in the 2025 US Open final for free with ExpressVPN.

An Amazon-backed AI firm is looking to recreate the lost footage of a Hollywood masterpiece.

The Hollywood Reporter published a detailed look at the efforts from the firm Showrunner to use generative artificial intelligence to reconstruct the missing 43 minutes — footage that was burned by studio execs — from the 1942 Orson Welles film The Magnificent Ambersons.

Wrote the Reporter:

"Showrunner’s endeavor will deploy a fusion of AI and traditional film techniques to reconstruct the lost footage. This includes shooting some sequences with live actors, with plans to use face and pose transfer techniques with AI tools to preserve the likenesses of the original actors in the movie. Extensively archived set photos from the film will serve as the foundation for re-creating the scenes."

Showrunner has said it will not commercialize the end results because it doesn't have the rights to the Welles film. The Welles estate publicly disapproved of the project, while also noting that it does allow the use of AI for voiceover commercial enterprises.

"In general, the estate has embraced AI technology to create a voice model intended to be used for VO work with brands. That said, this attempt to generate publicity on the back of Welles' creative genius is disappointing, especially as we weren't even given the courtesy of a heads up," a spokesperson for the estate told Variety. "While AI is inevitable, it still cannot replace the creative instincts resident in the human mind, which means this effort to make Ambersons whole will be a purely mechanical exercise without any of the uniquely innovative thinking or a creative force like Welles."

The Magnificent Ambersons was Welles' follow-up to Citizen Kane, widely considered one of the best films ever made. An NPR story from 2023 noted that the studio cut Ambersons down from 131 minutes to just 88 minutes, leaving just 13 of 73 total scenes untouched. Those lost minutes have become a focal point for film buffs who wish to see the film as Welles intended.

Now, it seems we may have a version of it — created by AI, not Welles himself.

SAVE $148: As of Sept. 6, the Samsung 55-inch Class QLED 4K Smart TV is 20% off, coming in at $599, down from $747.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung This Samsung 55-inch Class QLED 4K Smart Tv $599 at Amazon
$747.99 Save $148.99 Get Deal

Eyeing a living room TV upgrade can be confusing when there are so many different options on the market, but this 2025 Samsung 55-inch Class QLED 4K Smart TV with Q4 AI and Samsung Vision AI might just be the right deal for you to take the leap. Committing to a new TV purchase often comes with compromise: whether that's on size, image quality, speaker quality, streaming capability, or more.

The amazing news about this Samsung 55-inch Class QLED 4K Smart TV deal is that it doesn't fall short in any of those areas. It's a package deal. The 4K UHD and QLED picture renders your favorite shows and movies in crystal clear resolution (especially with its AI-optimized color boost feature).

The 55-inch screen size is excellent for those wanting to go for a big screen, without bringing home a massive piece of equipment that is heavy and clunky. The Samsung 55-inch Class QLED 4K Smart TV design is sleek and thin, so it can seamlessly fit right into your living room without too much rearranging. Reviewers on Amazon corroborate Samsung's claims of excellent picture quality and compliment its sleek design. They also note that setting up the TV can be slightly tricky, so it might be worth taking extra time to read the instructions or hiring someone to help.

You've probably started an application from the terminal at some point, but did you notice that it keeps your terminal occupied until you close the application? That can be pretty annoying. Sometimes, though, it's useful to launch applications this way—I explain how I do it effectively.

The American sedan, once a cornerstone of daily driving, has steadily faded as buyers shift toward SUVs and trucks. Now, with this final discontinuation, an era officially comes to a close.

SAVE $50: As of Sept. 6, this cheery yellow 11-inch Apple iPad with A16 Chip Deal and 128 GB is an excellent deal right now on Amazon at $299, down from $349.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple 11-inch Apple iPad with A16 Chip $299 at Amazon
$349 Save $50 Get Deal

To get an Apple iPad or not get an Apple iPad — that is the question.

Well, right now on Amazon, there’s an excellent deal on a cheery yellow 11-inch Apple iPad with an A16 Chip. If you’ve ever been on the fence about how an iPad could fit into your existing Apple ecosystem or your other non-Apple devices, you’re in luck. The Apple iPad with the latest iOS 18 has never been better at fitting right into your life and attuning to exactly what you’d need from a tablet. This particular 11-inch Apple iPad with an A16 Chip deal is excellent because the memory storage is sizable for working with larger apps, photo and video storage, art, work, or school files.

The 11-inch screen is excellent for taking notes and simulating the average size of a piece of paper. You can even pick up a screen protector with a paper-like feel (and an Apple Magic Pencil) to give note-taking on your tablet that familiar notebook texture.
Take your bright yellow 11-inch Apple iPad with an A16 Chip around with you all day and keep your sunny disposition because it has an all-day battery life. The superfast A16 chip keeps your iPad firing at all-time quick speeds so you can study, game, read, update your Notion planner, or stream your favorite shows.

The 11-inch Liquid Retina display renders anything you do on this iPad in a crystal clear picture (True Tone also adjusts the colors and hue temperature of the room you’re in). This 11-inch Apple iPad with an A16 Chip deal on Amazon could level up your hobbies, work, or school this fall. 

You might want to think twice before letting your children use Google Gemini.

A new safety report from nonprofit Common Sense Media found that the search giant's AI tool, Gemini, presents a "high risk" for kids and teens. The assessment found that Gemini presented a risk to young people despite Google having an "Under 13" and "Teen Experience" for Gemini.

"While Gemini's filters offer some protection, they still expose kids to some inappropriate material and fail to recognize serious mental health symptoms," the report read.

The safety assessment presented a mixed bag of results for Gemini. It would, at times, for instance, reportedly share "material related to sex, drugs, alcohol, and unsafe mental health 'advice.'" It did, however, clearly tell kids that it is a computer and not a friend — it would also not pretend to be a person. Overall, Common Sense Media found that Gemini's "Under 13" and "Teen Experience" were modified versions of Gemini and not something built from the ground up.

SEE ALSO: 44 state attorneys general serve notice to AI companies: Protect our kids — or else

"Gemini gets some basics right, but it stumbles on the details," Common Sense Media Senior Director of AI Programs Robbie Torney said in a statement. "An AI platform for kids should meet them where they are, not take a one-size-fits-all approach to kids at different stages of development. For AI to be safe and effective for kids, it must be designed with their needs and development in mind, not just a modified version of a product built for adults."

To be clear, Gemini is far from the only AI tool that presents safety risks. Overall, Common Sense recommends no chatbots for kids under five, close supervision for ages 6-12, and content limits for teens. Experts have found that other AI products, like Character.AI, are not safe for teens, either. In general, it's best to keep a close eye on how young people are using AI.

Unlike the gallery app on your smartphone, Google Photos offers a wide range of features, making it one of the best platforms for storing and editing photos and videos. Here, I’ll discuss some of the top Google Photos features you should be using.

September is a big month for indie games, especially if you’ve been waiting for a certain “most awaited sequel of all time” to arrive. We’ve also got roguelikes and slick action galore, plus an increasingly popular co-operative adventure that you and your friends are going to love.

SAVE $700: As of Sept. 6, the massive 57” Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 Curved Gaming Monitor is on sale for $1599, down from its typical price of $2299. That’s 35% off.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung 57” Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 Curved Gaming Monitor $1,599.99 at Amazon
$2,299.99 Save $700.00 Get Deal

Colossal is almost an understatement when it comes to this 57” Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 Curved Gaming Monitor with an immaculate Dual-4K resolution. The monitor curves along a tight 1000R, ensuring an immersive picture perfect for open-world or RPG games (Last of Us 2 playthrough anyone?), without any wonky stretching or oblong picture warping. This monitor is essentially like having two 32-inch 4K monitors installed side by side, but with one seamless curved screen.

The 57” Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 Curved Gaming Monitor comes equipped with Quantum Mini-LED, which ensures rich, contrasting dark colors and highlights (via around 2,400 individual dimmable zones). Race through action-packed FPS scenes with seamless image quality thanks to the monitor’s 240Hz refresh rate and 1 millisecond response time.

Games that offer horizontal scrolling can often be entirely viewable on this size monitor, which is a massive plus if that’s your vibe. Reviewers of the 57” Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 Curved Gaming Monitor on Amazon say that this product is also excellent for working with a lot of open tabs. The monitor does not come with built-in speakers, a webcam, or a mic.

It weighs about 40lbs and comes equipped with DisplayPort 2.1, HDMI 2.1, and a USB Hub. In summary, this 57” Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 Curved Gaming Monitor is perfect for gamers looking for a totally immersive setup or multitaskers looking for the perfect, almost endless, workspace.

I’ve been using a Samsung Galaxy S21 FE for more than three years now, and while the phone’s fine in general, I don’t plan to stay part of Samsung’s ecosystem any longer. It’s time for a change, and after deliberating for months, I’ve made a decision to switch to one of the Pixel 10 models. Here’s why.

Pluto TV is a free streaming service that is different from many others available. Not only does it offer on-demand movies and TV series, but it also has live TV channels that can keep you entertained all day. It is owned by Paramount, which gives it some access to Paramount+ and CBS content.

Google I/O 2025. Samsung Galaxy Unpacked. Made By Google. All these big launch events had one thing in common — new artificial intelligence tools were the headline act.

Now, Apple has announced its next big event will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 9. Will we finally see the newer, smarter, AI-er Siri? Unfortunately, probably not. We, along with the rest of the tech world, would be shocked if it did.

It’s no secret — Apple Intelligence isn’t quite what we expected it to be, and the pressure is on Apple to add new AI-focused features to its products. That’s not to say that there aren’t some Apple Intelligence features that come in handy, but the long-awaited AI version of Siri has yet to make it to the public.

Apple’s next big event is set to be huge, and we’ll get a number of awesome new Apple devices that iPhone fans will love. So, why isn't the AI-powered Siri ready for its primetime moment?

That's the billion-dollar question.

Hardware versus software

Apple's release cadence usually takes the following form: in June, Apple holds its Worldwide Developers Conference, which is its major software event for the year, and where it shows off the big new software features that will ship to customers in September. This year, Apple revealed iOS 26, and we're eagerly awaiting the iOS 26 release date. On Sept. 9, Apple is set to debut devices, with the new iPhone being the headliner.

However, recent hardware launches from Google and Samsung have focused heavily on new AI tools. 

Credit: Apple

Apple has a rocky history with AI features, especially after the company failed to ship many of the promised Apple Intelligence features that it announced at WWDC 2024. Since then, reports in the New York Times and Bloomberg have revealed that Apple is struggling to rebuild Siri with generative AI capabilities, and that the company has fallen far behind rivals like Google and OpenAI in the AI arms race.

In the meantime, Apple has turned to OpenAI and ChatGPT to power some Siri features. A recent report from Bloomberg suggests that Apple is also in talks with Anthropic and Google to help power new Apple Intelligence and Siri features. But according to all reports, AI Siri still isn't done cooking.

Regardless, most of these reports point toward Apple making early business decisions, not readying a new Siri for the iPhone 17 launch. In fact, Apple forecasters don't expect to see the revamped Siri until at least 2026 – potentially around the time of WWDC 2026.

Apple Intelligence rumors

We do expect Apple to show off plenty of new AI toys at the Apple Event 2025, and there are plenty of Apple Intelligence rumors going around.

Technically, it's still possible that Apple will surprise everyone and announce the new, revamped Siri. But in all likelihood, we expect to hear about iterative improvements to existing Apple Intelligence features.

Credit: Apple

Notably, Apple confirmed to 9to5Mac that it plans on supporting Siri using OpenAI's new GPT-5 large language model. This builds on existing features, though. You can already sign into your OpenAI account on your iPhone and have Siri direct certain questions to ChatGPT as needed.

Other Apple Intelligence announcements should include improved real-time language translation on AirPods and iPhones, new photo editing tools, and more advanced Genmoji options. Some of these features were already teased during WWDC 2025 and should arrive with iOS 26.

SEE ALSO: Everything we learned during Apple's WWDC 2025 keynote What’s coming in iOS 26?

Rumors aside, there are plenty of AI-based features that we know for a fact are coming in iOS 26, which we do expect to be released alongside the iPhone 17. We know this because Apple has announced them already. The beta version of iOS 26 has been available since June, after Apple announced all of the new operating systems at WWDC 2025.

So what new AI features are there? For starters, there's a new feature in Visual Intelligence that allows users to ask questions about screenshots in addition to what your camera sees. 

Credit: Christian de Looper

There are also new live translation features built into Messages, FaceTime, and the Phone app, which use AI to provide real-time translations in communication. And there are some features that work a little more in the background, like AI-powered reminder suggestions, order tracking within Apple Wallet that uses information from emails in your inbox, and more.

Yes, Apple will probably focus heavily on other changes to iOS, like the new Liquid Glass design language, rather than on AI-based features, but that doesn't mean that AI won't be a big part of the new release.

The future of Apple Intelligence

It's very clear that Apple is indeed still working on building the all-new generative AI Siri. We've seen plenty of reports highlighting executive team changes at the company meant to speed up AI development. But these kinds of developments take time, and most experts think the company will finally ship major new AI features in 2026.

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.

Connections: Sports Edition is a new 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: NYT Mini crossword answers, hints for September 4, 2025 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: Tennis lingo

• Green: Games of poker

• Blue: New York QBs

• Purple: Places visited by Joey Freshwater

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: Tennis Statistics

• Green: Poker Variants, Familiarly

• Blue: Giants QBs, Past and Present

• Purple: Teams Coached by Lane Kiffin

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 #348 is...

What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition today

• Tennis Statistics - ACES, DOUBLE FAULTS, UNFORCED ERRORS, WINNERS

• Poker Variants, Familiarly - HOLD 'EM, HORSE, OMAHA, STUD

• Giants QBs, Past and Present - MANNING, SIMMS, TITTLE, WILSON

• Teams Coached by Lane Kiffin - MISSISSIPPI, RAIDERS, TENNESSEE, USC

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new 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.

The 1930s were a huge decade for movies. With sound now in full swing, color was becoming the tantalizing new feature, where movies were starting to burst with more hues than black-and-white. Stories were becoming longer and more complex, with epic stagings of a familiar and wondrous world that expanded the limits of where filmmaking could take us.

Netflix has a string of exciting new films scheduled as fall sets in, from another Knives Out mystery to the recently released Thursday Murder Club. Your favorite shows, too, are getting new seasons, so you never have to worry about your home page looking dry.