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I played this web game to discover my perfect coding font

How-To Geek - Thu, 04/16/2026 - 16:30

Picking a font can be a tough task because there are so many to choose from. So why not pick a winner using a tried-and-tested method: the elimination tournament.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Why closing background apps on your phone is outdated advice that backfires

How-To Geek - Thu, 04/16/2026 - 16:15

Do you have a habit of "closing" apps running in the background on your phone, hoping it'll improve performance or save battery life? If so, you should probably stop, because it's doing more harm than good.

Categories: IT General, Technology

"Theme Studio" is the customization tool Niagara Launcher users have been waiting for

How-To Geek - Thu, 04/16/2026 - 16:10

Niagara Launcher has quietly become one of the best Android launchers available today. It originally grabbed attention for completely reimagining the Android home screen, and it has continued to improve upon that concept. The latest update brings a brand new customization tool and a company rebrand.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Grab the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro camera for its best-ever price at Amazon — save $80

Mashable - Thu, 04/16/2026 - 16:08

SAVE $80: As of April 16, you can get the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro Adventure Combo for only $368.99 at Amazon. That's an 18% discount and matches its best price on record.

Opens in a new window Credit: DJI DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro Adventure Combo $368.99 at Amazon
$449 Save $80.01   Get Deal

GoPro has long been the gold standard when it comes to action cameras, but the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro gives popular GoPro models a run for their money. It's tough, waterproof, and compact, can capture stable, crisp video in any lighting scenario, and actually last more than an hour. Plus, it's on sale for its lowest price on record.

As of April 16, the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro Adventure Combo (which comes with three batteries and a battery case) is on sale for $368.99 at Amazon. That's 18% or $80 cheaper than its list price and matches its best price ever, according to our favorite price-tracking tool camelcamelcamel.

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Our friends at PCMag (also owned by Ziff Davis) tested the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro and not only loved it, but also named it the best overall action camera for 2026. Highlights include superb 4K120 video footage, a waterproof build up to 65.6 feet, a compact and easily mountable design, effective digital stabilization, and the ability to record continuously without overheating.

What really takes it over the top compared to other action cameras, however, is its market-leading battery life. "The DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro provides the longest battery life we've seen from any action camera yet, running for far longer between charges than earlier entries in the series and bettering recent GoPro cameras by quite a bit," PCMag's reviewer writes. It'll last you over two hours at 4K60 and over three at 1080p30. Not to mention, with the Adventure Combo pack, you'll get three times that amount — an adventurer's and content creator's dream.

Categories: IT General, Technology

I used to hate non-upgradable laptops, but now I understand why they're winning

How-To Geek - Thu, 04/16/2026 - 16:01

If you have fond memories of being able to upgrade your laptop’s components, I’m here to tell you that I’m right there with you. Except, in 2026, my view on that has changed, and I totally understand why companies stopped building user-upgradable laptops—and that’s okay.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Character.AI users can now role-play classic books like Pride and Prejudice

Mashable - Thu, 04/16/2026 - 16:00

The artificial intelligence entertainment platform Character.AI introduced on Thursday a feature allowing users to role-play in more than 20 classic books, including Hamlet, Alice in Wonderland, Pride and Prejudice, The Great Gatsby.

"Books" lets Character.AI users engage in open-ended chats based on these and other famous titles in the public domain. Users can participate as a character from the book or as the "character" they've created on the platform.

SEE ALSO: I 'dated' Character.AI's popular boyfriends, and parents should be worried

Users can either follow the book's original narrative arc or go "off script" to interact with its characters as they wish. Additionally, Books offers "alternate universe remixes" in which players can overhaul a title's original premise, such as imagining Jay Gatsby in space. These remixes can be shared with the broader Character.AI community and subsequently browsed and played by other users.

In a blog post announcing the feature, Character.AI preemptively addressed the concern that it might encourage people to play classic literature rather than actually read it.

"Step into a story, talk to its characters, and there's a good chance you walk away wanting to pick up the original," the company said. "Not replacing books — but making them impossible to ignore."

Books lets users engage in open-ended chat with classic books like "Alice in Wonderland." Credit: Character.AI

Users without a paid subscription can try Books with a "handful of free turns," according to the company. Subscribers are able to explore the entire Books library.

Books will be available to users age 18 and older. Last fall, Character.AI shut down open-ended chats for teens, following lawsuits alleging that teens who used the platform experienced severe harm, including sexual abuse. The company settled the lawsuits earlier this year.

A spokesperson for Character.AI confirmed to Mashable that while users can prompt "romantic narratives" in Books, the company will moderate content that violate its terms of service, in addition to reviewing user reports of such behavior.

Character.AI policies prohibit certain types of behavior, including the depiction of excessive, graphic violence against people and animals; hate speech that demeans or promotes discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, and other characteristics; and content that promotes terrorism or violent extremism.

The policies also bar content that is obscene or pornographic, constitutes sexual harassment, and depicts the sexual exploitation or abuse of a minor.

"As with all of our content, [Books] interactions remain subject to our policies and our safety systems, including both automated and human review," the spokesperson said.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Street Fighter trailer packs a punch with Ryu, Ken, and Chun-Li

Mashable - Thu, 04/16/2026 - 15:56

Street Fighter's trailer unleashes the whole crew of elite warriors from Capcom's iconic video game franchise.

Set in 1993 and directed by Kitao Sakurai, the upcoming action film focuses on Ryu (Andrew Koji) and Ken Masters (Noah Centineo). Once good friends, the pair have since become estranged. That all changes when Chun-Li (Callina Liang) recruits them for the World Warrior Tournament, a high-stakes series of fights that masks a deadly conspiracy.

As Street Fighter's trio battles to uncover the truth, they'll face off with some of Street Fighter's most formidable foes, including M. Bison (David Dastmalchian), Balrog (Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson), and Akuma (Joe "Roman Reigns" Anoa'i).

The trailer showcases these fighters and more in all their aggressive glory, including some body slams from Zangief (Olivier Richters) and some elastic moves from Dhalsim (Vidyut Jammwal). Plus, there are several in-jokes for Street Fighter fans, like a remark tied to Chun-Li's impressive thigh strength.

And of course, it wouldn't be Street Fighter without a Hadouken, which Ryu unleashes in full towards the end of the trailer. To witness that (and several other awesome attacks), check out the full video above.

Street Fighter hits theaters Oct. 16.

Categories: IT General, Technology

It took years, but I finally audited my smart home: 8 major problems you should check

How-To Geek - Thu, 04/16/2026 - 15:45

Some jobs seem to get put off forever, regardless of how important they are. Though I’m always tinkering with my smart home, rarely do I put my audit hat on and check the nuts and bolts.

Categories: IT General, Technology

How to use the ISNUMBER function in Microsoft Excel

How-To Geek - Thu, 04/16/2026 - 15:30

At first glance, Excel's ISNUMBER seems almost too straightforward to be useful—it simply tells you if a cell contains a numerical value. However, its true power lies in its ability to act as a logical gatekeeper, turning messy errors and function outputs into clean TRUE or FALSE values.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Your SSD is doing extra work you don't know about—here's how to fix it

How-To Geek - Thu, 04/16/2026 - 15:00

If you want your SSD to stay in peak condition without leaving even a smidge of performance on the table, I'd like to acquaint you with the TRIM command. TRIM not only keeps your SSD running at its best, but also reduces unnecessary operations that can, over time, negatively impact its lifespan.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Lee Cronins The Mummy review: Gore and bores galore

Mashable - Thu, 04/16/2026 - 15:00

Evil Dead Rise director Lee Cronin brings his trademarks of creepy kids and wild gore to Lee Cronin's The Mummy, with mixed results.

On the one hand, the gore, when it comes, is spectacular. On the other hand, it's sandwiched within an underwhelming storyline that never truly lets loose.

SEE ALSO: What's new to streaming this week? (April 17, 2026) What's Lee Cronin's The Mummy about? Natalie Grace in "Lee Cronin's The Mummy." Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

Cronin's take on a mummy story has no prior relationship to other mummy-related films, be that the 1932 Universal Monsters film, the Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz franchise (which has a fourth installment incoming), or the 2017 Tom Cruise flop.

Instead, it introduces an entirely new mummy tale focused on a bereaved family. Charlie and Larissa Cannon (Jack Reynor and Laia Costa) were once stationed in Cairo for Charlie's journalism job. While there, their daughter Katie (Emily Mitchell) went missing, kidnapped by a mysterious woman (Hayat Kamille) who lurked near their garden.

Eight years later, the Cannons have traded the deserts of Egypt for those of Albuquerque, where they live with their children Sebastián (Shylo Molina) and Maud (Billie Roy), as well as Larissa's mother Carmen (Verónica Falcón). Their grief over Katie lingers still. They keep her childhood bedroom intact, preserved in all its pink glory. They also haven't taken a vacation since her disappearance, too afraid of anything bad happening to their other children.

SEE ALSO: Warring couples keep 'Beef' juicy: Season 2 review

However, the Cannons get some miraculous news when Katie (now played by Natalie Grace) shows up alive, having been found in an ancient sarcophagus. It's evident she's undergone a heavy amount of trauma in her time away: Her skin is scratched and peeling, her limbs are contorted in a strange rictus, and she's only able to communicate through a series of clicking teeth and wheezing breaths.

Confronted with their daughter's deteriorated physical condition, Charlie and Larissa are ready to do whatever it takes to help Katie feel safe again. Perhaps that's why they're willing to overlook the several perturbing things Katie does, from cavorting through their house's crawl space to straight-up headbutting Carmen. It's textbook possession, but Charlie and Larissa's love for their daughter and relief at having her back cloud any fear they may have of her... up to a certain point. However, that point comes far too late in Lee Cronin's The Mummy's punishing 135-minute runtime, making the pair seem less like concerned parents and more like classic horror movie idiots who make every bad decision until the movie tells them not to.

Again, the bereavement does give Charlie and Larissa some excuse here. Cronin, who also wrote the film, does a solid job exploring their guilt at Katie's disappearance, as well as their efforts to establish normalcy even as a supernatural evil wreaks havoc on their house. Yet after a while, their willful ignorance becomes almost comical.

Lee Cronin's The Mummy is as frustrating as it is gory. Billie Roy in "Lee Cronin's The Mummy." Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

Despite being presented as a reimagining of The Mummy, Lee Cronin's The Mummy is frustratingly formulaic. It draws heavily on creepy child tropes, including some Exorcist-level backbends and cursing, twisting them slightly to incorporate some mummy lore. Scenes where skin sloughs off like mummy's bandages are relentlessly stomach-churning, but other than that, we've seen this bag of tricks before.

The same goes for classic beats of mummy stories, including a trip to an archaeology professor who's able to unlock most aspects of the film's central mystery. Far more fascinating is what's taking place on the ground in Egypt after Katie goes home. There, Detective Zaki (May Calamawy) revisits Katie's missing persons case, hoping to solve a mystery that she first began looking into eight years ago. Her journey leads to some genuinely tense sequences, to the point that you wish this was more of a detective thriller than an Exorcist rehash.

Lee Cronin's The Mummy's saving grace — and the reason it will likely appeal to many — is its gore, which pulls no punches. Every tear of Katie's skin or bloody gnash of her teeth is a visceral nightmare, and Grace is wonderfully unsettling as the latest creepy kid in Cronin's arsenal.

Yet all this gore rarely leads anywhere. Even after the most upsetting set pieces (one involving nail clippers comes to mind), everything resets to mild concern. A family gathering unleashes some serious nastiness involving teeth and vomit and shredded flesh, ushering in carnage that... never comes. Instead, we cut to a restrained Katie, with no idea of the broader impact of her rampage. To the person in my theater who let out a bewildered, "That's it?" after that scene, I'm right there with you.

That scene feels like a promise unfulfilled, as does the rest of the film. Lee Cronin's The Mummy ultimately doesn't feel as much like a bold new horror saga as it does a hodgepodge of better films. Maybe some horror franchises, like a cursed sarcophagus, are meant to stay buried.

Lee Cronin's The Mummy hits theaters Apr. 17.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The beginner-friendly DJI Mini 4K drone is down to its best-ever price at Amazon — save $90

Mashable - Thu, 04/16/2026 - 14:50

SAVE 30%: As of April 16, you can get the DJI Mini 4K for $209, down from $299, at Amazon. That's a 30% discount or $90 savings.

Opens in a new window Credit: DJI DJI Mini 4K $209 at Amazon
$299 Save $90   Get Deal

My dad and my cousin are obsessed with drones, so I've spent enough time watching them fly to know two things: the really good ones are usually very expensive, and they're easy to crash if you don't know what you're doing (and sometimes, even if you do!).

If you've been wanting to get into the hobby without the steep learning curve (or the high price tag), this DJI model is a great place to start. Right now, the DJI Mini 4K is on sale for its best-ever price of $209 at Amazon. That's $90 off the list price.

SEE ALSO: DJI Mic 3 review: Ease and versatility for semi-pro producers

Despite its tiny size, this drone has the practical features you need to get in the air quickly. It has a 4K Ultra HD camera paired with a 3-axis gimbal to keep your footage smooth and cinematic. Because it weighs under 249 grams, you don't have to worry about FAA registration or Remote ID for recreational use. It also has a maximum flight time of 31 minutes, Level 5 wind resistance (stable in winds up to 38kph), and a 10km video transmission range.

If you're worried about flying it into a tree or the ocean, it features one-tap takeoff and landing, stable hovering, and a GPS Return to Home (RTH) function, so you don't have to panic if you lose it. It even comes with intelligent QuickShots modes that automatically fly the drone in cinematic patterns to get you professional-looking shots with just a few taps (which could be good if you're a real estate agent or photographer!).

Categories: IT General, Technology

I tried a simpler Kindle setup, and now I'm reading more than ever

How-To Geek - Thu, 04/16/2026 - 14:46

There are so many ways today for readers like me to consume content. You could check out an Audible subscription and, in turn, listen to some awesomely narrated audiobooks by celebrities, or check out some new releases. Or you could do it the old-fashioned way and head to your local bookstore to pick up the latest release. But for me, I’ve leaned more into e-reading.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Sonys WH-CH720N headphones are under $100 at Amazon — save over $80

Mashable - Thu, 04/16/2026 - 14:43

SAVE OVER $80: As of April 16, Sony WH-CH720N headphones have dropped to $92.95 at Amazon. This is $87.04 off their list price of $179.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Sony Sony WH-CH720N Noise Canceling Wireless Headphones $92.95 at Amazon
$179.99 Save $87.04   Get Deal

New headphones can be quite a big investment, but if you're looking for a pair that's a bit more budget-friendly, the Sony WH-CH720N headphones are something we love that shouldn't cost the world. They've earned a spot on our list of the best headphones as the best pick under $100, which is perfect as Amazon currently has them on sale for just under that mark right now.

As of April 16, Sony WH-CH720N headphones are marked down to $92.95 at Amazon. Overall, this saves you $87.04 off their list price of $179.99. The good news is the black pair aren't the only ones on sale right now, either. For a few extra dollars, you can grab the white or pink pair on sale for $98.

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The Sony WH-CH720N headphones are well worth the investment. Between great sound quality, noise-canceling features, and a solid battery life that lasts up to 35 hours, they're an excellent pick-up for under $100. Our review of these headphones from Alex Bracetti had plenty of praise for them, saying "they strike the rare balance of quality, comfort, and affordability."

Bracetti said that "Audio was exactly how I remembered it during my first test run: crisp and vibrant." And as for the noise cancellation, Bracetti found that "it suppresses a heavy amount of ambient noise."

If the Sony WH-CH720N headphones have caught your eye, don't miss out on the chance to save at Amazon.

Categories: IT General, Technology

This one tool is all you need to effortlessly manage and back up your dot files

How-To Geek - Thu, 04/16/2026 - 14:30

If you've spent any amount of time configuring and customizing your Linux environment, shell, or CLI tools, you've likely done so by editing configuration files. These config or dot files (they're called dot files because the file names usually begin with a dot) can get pretty complex over time. If these files are lost or overwritten, you'll have to recreate all your configurations and customizations from scratch. That's why it's a good idea to back up these files. If you run Linux on multiple devices, it's also a good idea to sync the dot file changes between computers instead of making the same changes everywhere by hand. I use this tool to do both those things.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Boses SoundLink Max Bluetooth speaker has dropped to $329 at Amazon — save $70

Mashable - Thu, 04/16/2026 - 14:29

SAVE $70: As of April 16, the Bose SoundLink Max is on sale for $329 at Amazon. This is $70 off its list price of $399.

Opens in a new window Credit: Bose Bose SoundLink Max Bluetooth Speaker $329 at Amazon
$399 Save $70   Get Deal

A portable speaker is well worth having if you're planning some outdoor excursions this year, whether that be camping, going to the beach, or just generally hanging outside with your favorite people. If you've been looking to buy a model to play your favorite tunes outside, Amazon has some great options on sale right now, including the Bose SoundLink Max.

As of April 16, every available color of the Bose SoundLink Max — black, blue dusk, and citrus yellow — has been marked down to $329 at Amazon. Overall, this saves you $70 off its original list price of $399. It's only on sale for a limited time, so be quick to grab your favorite color while it's still discounted.

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The Bose SoundLink Max offers big sound and an equally big battery life of up to 20 hours to keep the party going. It also has a durable build that's dustproof, waterproof, shock resistant, and rust resistant, and offers a convenient portable design thanks to its handle.

Amazon currently has the Bose SoundLink Max listed as a limited time deal, so better to take advantage of this offer now than wait too long and miss out.

Looking for more portable speaker options to pick up this year? Check out our rundown of the best portable Bluetooth speakers to see more picks we'd recommend.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Why Bambu Lab’s latest 3D printer has broken the 3D printing world

How-To Geek - Thu, 04/16/2026 - 14:15

Bambu Lab is a company that has taken the 3D printing world by storm. Its latest printer, the Bambu Lab X2D, is a long-awaited follow-up to the company’s 2022 debut, and it’s causing quite a stir in the 3D printing community.

Categories: IT General, Technology

My old DVD rips look better on Plex now—thanks to NVIDIA's forgotten AI upscaler

How-To Geek - Thu, 04/16/2026 - 14:00

I'll be honest—I completely forgot that NVIDIA's RTX Video Super Resolution existed. I was looking around the NVIDIA app the other day trying to sort out a custom resolution issue and spotted the setting again.

Categories: IT General, Technology

These 5 apps proved to me that self-hosting was worth the effort

How-To Geek - Thu, 04/16/2026 - 13:30

Self-hosting is now more popular than ever, and it’s not hard to see why. Day by day, more of our digital lives is moving into subscription-based cloud services that often fail to deliver.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Google Gemini now has a Mac app

Mashable - Thu, 04/16/2026 - 13:14

Mac owner? Need even more AI in your life? We've got great news for you: Google's AI assistant Gemini is now available as a dedicated Mac app.

If you choose to install the app, it will be available via a keyboard shortcut (Option + Space), which can be handier than opening the Gemini website. But there are other perks to having Gemini living on your desktop. For example, you can share what's on your screen with Gemini, and have it look at your local files.

To do so, you'll have to give the app access to your Mac's screen and audio in the Settings. You may want to revoke that access when you're not using the feature, for privacy and security's sake.

SEE ALSO: Gemini will let you import ChatGPT, other chatbot conversations Gemini can now look at your screen, if you let it. Credit: Google

Google's Gemini is a bit late to the party, with both Anthropic's Claude and OpenAI's ChatGPT having a dedicated Mac app already. The company says that this launch is "just the beginning."

"We're building the foundation for a truly personal, proactive and powerful desktop assistant, with more news to share in the coming months," said Google in a blog post.

The app is freely available to all macOS users, provided you have macOS version 15 and up. You can download it over at http://gemini.google/mac.

Featured Video For You Moltbook's real risk isn't AI. It's your data
Categories: IT General, Technology
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