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How to pre-order Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, Z Flip 8: See preorder deals
New Samsung phones are here. At Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2026, three new phones were announced: the Galaxy Z Flip 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8, and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. The new phones are successors to the Z Flip 7 and Z Fold 7, so if you're ready for a new phone, get ready to pre-order these devices.
We've been anticipating the new models for weeks, vetting rumors of what's to come with the latest foldables. Now that we're here, we can finally confirm exactly which models are available and just how much each will cost.
Galaxy Z Flip 8, Z Fold 8, and Z Fold 8 Ultra pricing breakdownHere's the pricing breakdown:
Galaxy Z Flip 8 (pink, graphite, cream, mint) — starting at $1,199
Galaxy Z Fold 8 (lavender, graphite, cream, pistachio) — starting at $1,899.99
Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra (violet shadow, graphite, cream, green shadow) — starting at $2,099.99
Both the Z Flip 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra are $100 more than last year's models; no surprise in the face of the global memory crisis. All of the new models are up for pre-order as of July 22 and will be available Aug. 7.
If you've previously owned the Z Flip and Fold series, the successive models are slightly different. So here's what you need to know about the new Samsung smartphones.
About the Galaxy Z Flip 8 The Galaxy Z Flip 8 is the successor to the Z Flip 7. Credit: Joseph Maldonado / CNET GroupThe Galaxy Z Flip 8 is the successor to the Z Flip 7. It folds down into a pocket-sized square, flipping open to a 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED display. The display is phenomenal and extremely impressive; the crease of the phone is indistinguishable when flipped open. It comes with a dual-lens camera with up to 10x zoom and 4K video at 60 fps. It has 12GB of RAM (more than some computers) and either 256GB or 512GB of storage space.
The Z Flip 8 comes in four different colors: pink, graphite, cream, and mint (online only). It starts at $1,199.99.
Galaxy Z Flip 8 $1,199.99 at AmazonPre-order Here at Amazon Pre-order Here at Samsung Pre-order Here at T-Mobile About the Galaxy Z Fold 8 The dimensions of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 are suspiciously close to the leaked foldable iPhone. Credit: Joseph Maldonado / CNET Group
Apple has yet to release a foldable iPhone, but Samsung has already come out with a phone destined to compete. Rumors were floating about this model, with some thinking it would be called the Galaxy Z Fold Wide. Now we know it's actually the Galaxy Z Fold 8, a new model with a fullscreen ratio of 4:3.
It's a midrange option between the Z Flip 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra, with a 5.5-inch folded screen and a 7.6-inch full-size screen. Like the Flip, it has a dual lens camera, but is able to film in up to 8K at 30 fps. You can go for models with 12GB of RAM and either 256GB or 512GB of storage, or a model with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.
The Z Fold 8 starts at $1,899.99. It comes in lavender, graphite, cream, and pistachio (online only).
Galaxy Z Fold 8 $1,899.99 at SamsungPre-order Here at Samsung Pre-order Here at Amazon Pre-order Here at T-Mobile About the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra The successor to the Z Fold 7 is the Z Fold 8 Ultra. Credit: Joseph Maldonado / CNET Group
If you've previously seen or used the Z Fold 7, its successor is the new Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. It's the largest phone among all of Samsung's foldables with a 6.5-inch cover screen and an 8-inch full screen. It's the only foldable with a three-lens camera, letting you film in up to 8K with 3x optical and 30x space zoom.
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra comes in violet shadow, graphite, cream, and green shadow (online only). It starts at $2,099.99.
Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra $2,099.99 at AmazonPre-order Here at Amazon Pre-order Here at Samsung Pre-order Here at T-Mobile
Build a complete website with AI using this limited-time Hostinger deal
TL;DR: As of July 25, Hostinger's Website Builder starts at $2.69 per month (down from $11.99 per month), with plans available directly on Hostinger. You can build a full site by chatting with AI, plus get a free domain for the first year.
Opens in a new window Credit: Hostinger Hostinger Website Builder $2.69 per month (down from $11.99 per month) Get DealBuilding a website used to mean either paying someone else to do it or losing a weekend fighting with a clunky drag-and-drop editor that never quite matched what you had in your head. Hostinger has an easier approach: you just describe your site to their AI, and it builds a live, professional-looking site in seconds.
This weekend, you can get up to 82% off Hostinger, with prices starting at $2.69 per month.
There are two plans to pick from, and which one is right for you depends on what you're building. The Premium Website Builder is the more basic option at $2.69 per month (regularly $11.99 per month), letting you build up to three websites with 20GB of storage and a free domain for the first year. Here's what you get:
Drag-and-drop website builder
300+ designer-made templates
AI tools to write your copy and design your logo
Free domain for 1 year
Email campaigns with AI
Mobile editing
That's solid if you're building something like a portfolio, a blog, or a simple business site. It's worth noting that you save the most with the 48-month plan, totaling $446.35. The 12-month plan saves less, at $100.79.
If you're planning to sell products, the Business Website Builder is the one for you. It's $3.41 per month (down from $18.99 per month), and on top of everything in Premium, you get the following:
Sell up to 1,000 products with zero transaction fees
Support for 100+ payment methods
Live analytics
Printful integration for custom merch
AI blog post generator
AI SEO assistant
AI tools that write product descriptions for you
Just like with Premium, the 48-month plan saves you the most, with total savings of $747.79. The 12-month plan saves less, at $173.99.
This deal is worth considering if you're a new business owner who's been hesitant to explore website building. Between the discount and the 30-day money-back guarantee, it's a low-risk way to try it out — both plans include real hosting, a free domain, and 24/7 support.
Stop putting it off — build your dream site with Hostinger, with plans starting as low as $2.69 per month.
When AI hallucinates aliens: Some think NASA should be nervous
If a chatbot can insist it's right while being totally wrong, imagine the stakes when NASA starts leaning on artificial intelligence to help with life detection.
Could the rovers suddenly hallucinate aliens?
Michigan State University researchers wanted to know, so they trained an AI system to spot the difference between digital "organisms" that can copy themselves and others that can't, using a computer program called Avida. In test runs, the algorithm nailed the distinction, getting it right 99.97 percent of the time.
Then, the team tried to fool it. They took nonliving chunks of code and made small changes over and over, nudging the AI to feel more confident that it was looking at something alive. Eventually, the system became almost 100 percent certain that many of the fakers were alive, even though they never exhibited the one behavior defined as "alive" in that virtual world: replication.
The work shows how AI can latch onto patterns in its training data without fundamentally understanding what makes something alive, said Ankit Gupta, a doctoral student in computer science and engineering. Gupta and his coauthor, Christoph Adami, a professor of microbiology and molecular genetics, physics, and astronomy, warn that this weakness could foil space missions that send smart instruments to Mars, icy moons, or other extraterrestrial environments to hunt for signs of life.
SEE ALSO: Astronomers think some asteroids have been comets all along. Here's why.The team will present their findings in August at the 2026 Conference on Artificial Life in Waterloo, Canada.
"AI is highly accurate at classifying things that are 'usual,'" Gupta told Mashable. "The problem occurs when it is presented with examples that are unlike the common things, which AI will misclassify with confidence. This is much more likely with extraterrestrial life, for obvious reasons."
The Perseverance rover on Mars collected a rock sample with fossilized material that ancient alien microorganisms could have created. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / ASU / MSSSAt the same time, NASA and its partners are pouring money into AI‑driven life‑detection projects, betting that machine learning can sift through huge, complex data sets that scientists could never fully analyze on their own. It's setting the stage for a future in which AI helps flag promising clues, with humans making the final call.
In one NASA‑funded effort, a large team led by Carnegie Science's Michael L. Wong and NASA's Caleb Scharf is building machine‑learning tools to pick out patterns of life in complex chemical data. Their project, supported by a $5 million grant, aims to train AI on at least 1,000 samples — from meteorites and rocks to fossils and living organisms.
Some of the data comes from real instruments, including mass spectrometers like those already flying on NASA missions. The algorithm learns how a mix of molecules shifts when life has shaped that material versus when simple physics and chemistry have done the job.
While Wong welcomes the fresh scrutiny, he isn't sure the experiments exposed a serious vulnerability in AI approaches. In his view, the way the study actually created its fake life matters. The authors used a kind of selection process that kept refining the code until it looked increasingly lifelike.
"I don't think it's that bad, to be honest," he told Mashable. "To generate their life mimics — their spoofs — they actually had to perform natural selection, which is a living process. I don't know of any actual physical environment that performs that kind of selection, where it says, 'I will prefer entities that just look like life, but don't actually do lifelike things.'"
But the research did push Wong to think more about what kinds of examples he feeds into life‑detection models. His group wants to continue training AI not just on things that are alive, but also on the remains and byproducts of life — the fossils, goo, and waste.
After all, if the models are only taught to identify living things, they won't be able to recognize the dead ones, he said. That could create a massive blind spot if Mars or another world hosts only the chemical leftovers of a long‑extinct biosphere.
Some sea squirts host photosynthetic algae in their outer tissues. Credit: Hal Beral / Getty Images"A fossil is evidence of life. So is the chair that I'm sitting on because those don't just magically pop into existence thanks to geology," he said. "A fossil and my chair are not alive, but I think they're part of life. They are a product of life."
Wong's team also spends a lot of time trying to deceive its models. In some cases, the algorithm has surprised the scientists by picking up on patterns the humans initially missed. In one test, the system kept insisting that a sea squirt sample looked photosynthetic, even though sea squirts don't make their own food from sunlight. What initially looked like an error was anything but, Wong said: Those creatures often host algae that do use sunlight, and the AI had spotted the chemical fingerprints.
Despite the advances in technology, the Michigan State team is not convinced the tools are ready for spacecraft. The team's lab is also working on its own machine-learning methods to defend against this kind of trickery.
"We can wait," Gupta said. "Clearly, we are not there yet."
Comedy icon Lynne Marie Stewarts last film was The Dink, and Josh Greenbaum made sure she saw it
This week sees the release of The Dink, which — on top of being a hilarious underdog comedy about pickleball — is also the last film in which Lynne Marie Stewart appears.
Perhaps best known as the beautiful Miss Yvonne on Pee-wee's Playhouse or Charlie's mom on It's Always Sunny on Philadelphia, the American actress had a prolific career in comedy, appearing in more than 150 films and TV shows.
At the age of 78, she passed away on Feb. 21, 2025, not long after she was featured in the critically heralded Paul Reubens documentary Pee-wee as Himself. But before that, she was able to see a cut of The Dink, thanks to director Josh Greenbaum.
SEE ALSO: 'The Dink' review: Apple's pickleball movie is a laugh-out-loud crowd-pleaserIn The Dink, Stewart plays Judy, a seventy-something pickleball player who befriends recent divorcee Candace (Mary Steenburgen) and has-been tennis phenom Dusty (producer Jake Johnson). Flirty, joyful, and a fan of trash talk, Judy brings her own bounce to the pickleball comedy.
In an interview with Mashable Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko, Greenbaum shared how Stewart came to join The Dink, the unique improvisation she added, and how she got to see the movie before her passing.
Jake Johnson faces off against Lynne Marie Stewart in "The Dink." Credit: Apple TVYou have an amazing cast, but I want to talk about Lynne Marie Stewart, because I love her, and I think she's so, so funny in this. Can you tell me what it was like to work with her? She is such an icon of comedy.
Josh Greenbaum: She's the best. We auditioned people for that role for Judy, and you know, a lot of very, very funny women came into the room. So many so that I was like, well, this is a difficult decision. They're all really, really funny. I think at that age, there's not a lot of roles for older women.
Which, also to interject, I love that in The Dink, the joke is never on these women for being older. They've got jokes. There are no jokes about treating their age as a cheap punchline, which is true in [Greenbaum's other films] Barb and Star and in Will & Harper too.
You don't stop being funny when you're 70. So, no, that was never the joke. And she came in the room — I remember Jake Johnson and I were in the audition room — and she walked in with this big smile on her face, and her arms out wide. And she shuffled in as though to say, "I'm here. Here's your Judy."
And before she said a word, we both looked at each other and we were just like, "Oh well, that's, it's clearly Lynne Marie." And then, of course, she crushed her audition. Felt funny that we even had to audition her, but I hadn't seen her in a little while. Obviously, I saw her on It's Always Sunny. But you know, [it had] been a few years. But she was just, like, such a joy.
I mean, one of my favorite lines in the whole film is is her whole run about the butter knife, and that is totally Lynne. I said, give me a long, overly explained run that's supposed to be trash talk, but it's about like, "Are you in the kitchen?" And she did this long run about forgetting the butter knife because you took your butter knife and a pat of butter, but you forgot the muffin — this long explanation about how you left the butter knife in the kitchen. And it just brings me such joy when she delivers that line, and so many other lines. Unfortunately, we didn't know she was terminally ill while we were filming.
[Editor's note: Matt Wolf, the director of Pee-wee as Himself, did not know Reubens was terminally ill while they were shooting footage for that documentary.]
She discovered that shortly after filming, and unfortunately passed shortly after that, which was heartbreaking. But her sister reached out and said, "Hey, is there any chance you could get us the film? She would love to watch it." And so I sent her sister and Lynne a copy of the film. They watched it together and sent me a beautiful note back that Lynne was dying laughing and full of joy watching what obviously became her last performance. So, that's really special.
I just love her. She was such a special woman. I was able to go to her her funeral and reception here in in L.A., and it was full of thousands of people who had she had worked with and who were her friends. She just put such warmth and love out into the world. I'm just very grateful she was with us, and that I had a chance to kind of work with her, even briefly.
Single dashboard includes ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and more for a one-time $80 through July 26
TL;DR: Get the 1min.AI Advanced Business Plan Lifetime for $79.97 (reg. $540) through tomorrow, July 26, and access leading AI models plus millions of monthly AI credits from one all-in-one workspace.
Opens in a new window Credit: 1minAI 1min.AI Advanced Business Plan Lifetime Subscription $79.97$540 Save $460.03 Get Deal
If your browser is filled with separate tabs for writing, image generation, document analysis, video editing, and AI chat, there’s a simpler approach. Through tomorrow, July 26, you can get the 1min.AI Advanced Business Plan Lifetime Subscription for a one-time $79.97, bringing a wide range of AI tools into one platform for life.
Instead of bouncing between different services, 1min.AI gives you access to leading AI models — including GPT, Claude, Gemini, Llama, Mistral, and Cohere — alongside specialized tools for content creation, design, document management, audio production, and video editing.
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Whether you’re creating marketing content, researching, editing media, analyzing documents, or experimenting with AI for business, 1min.AI offers a practical way to consolidate your workflow into one subscription.
Get the 1min.AI Advanced Business Plan Lifetime Subscription for just $79.97 (reg. $540) through tomorrow, July 26, and simplify your AI toolkit with one all-in-one platform.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
2 days only — lifetime access to ChatGPT, Claude, and more in one AI dashboard for a one-time $57.97
TL;DR: Get ChatPlayground AI Unlimited Lifetime for $57.97 through tomorrow, July 26, and compare ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek, and more side by side with unlimited messages.
Opens in a new window Credit: ChatPlayground AI ChatPlayground AI: Lifetime Subscription (Unlimited Plan) $57.97$619 Save $561.03 Get Deal
AI is incredibly useful, but relying on just one model can sometimes leave you wondering if there’s a better answer. That’s exactly the issue ChatPlayground AI is designed to solve.
Through tomorrow, July 26, you can get the ChatPlayground AI Unlimited Lifetime Subscription for a one-time $57.97 payment, giving you one place to compare responses from 20+ leading AI models instead of bouncing between multiple websites.
Rather than copying and pasting the same prompt into different chatbots (and paying for each of them), ChatPlayground lets you ask once and instantly compare answers from ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek, Llama, Perplexity, and other leading AI models.
Seeing multiple perspectives side by side makes it easier to refine ideas, verify information, brainstorm, or simply choose the response that best fits your needs.
The platform also includes much more than AI chat. You can upload PDFs and images to ask questions about your files, generate AI images, save your chat history for future reference, and use built-in prompt engineering tools to improve the quality of your results over time.
With the Unlimited Plan, you’ll get unlimited messages each month, making it a practical option for anyone who uses AI throughout the workday. Writers, marketers, developers, students, entrepreneurs, and researchers can all benefit from having multiple AI models available through a single streamlined dashboard.
If you’re already using AI regularly, comparing answers rather than relying on a single response is a simple way to work with greater confidence and resources.
Get the ChatPlayground AI Unlimited lifetime subscription for $57.97 through tomorrow, July 26.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
We found the 6 best laptops for college students going back to school
Here at Mashable, we're constantly testing the best laptops based on an exhaustive in-house methodology that combines real-world use with performance benchmarking. In the past two years alone, we've tried over 80 different models across a range of price points.
To determine which of them fit the bill for college students, specifically, I researched the top 10 public universities' hardware recommendations for the upcoming fall 2026 semester. These include processor types, operating system support, RAM and storage minimums, and other spec requirements for different majors. I honed my guidance based on the common threads I noticed.
I also gave special preference to laptops that are long-lasting and portable enough to be toted around campus, and those that are competitively priced for the current market. Laptops aren't cheap right now, but a solid splurge can last you well past graduation. (Take advantage of student discounts whenever possible.)
Based on this analysis, I eventually settled on six top picks that make the best laptops for college students. Whether you're a humanities student, a STEM major, or still undeclared, I'm confident that at least one of my options will be your ideal machine. You can read more about these picks and my research below.
What to look for in a college laptop, based on my research A Windows laptop with a mid-tier Intel Core or AMD Ryzen 7 processor is suitable for most college students. Credit: Haley Henschel / MashableSix of this year's 10 top-ranking public universities tell their incoming students to purchase Windows 11 laptops or MacBooks that are less than two years old. I wouldn't go any older than that for the sake of future-proofing.
Most of those schools tell their students to purchase laptops with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage at minimum. (Liberal arts majors might be able to get away with 256GB of storage, but you'll probably have to supplement that with an external hard drive.) More RAM and storage is better if your budget allows; more is mandatory if you're an engineering, design, or computer science major. Students in those fields are generally advised to get a laptop with at least 24GB to 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.
SEE ALSO: Laptop specs explained: A jargon-free guide to what's inside your computerYou can approach your processor options in a similar way. For Windows laptops, most schools suggest a mid-range CPU like an Intel Core/AMD Ryzen 5 at minimum, and a mid- to high-end Intel Core/AMD Ryzen 7 or 9 chip for more demanding workloads. Several schools recommend tacking on a dedicated GPU for such coursework, too (i.e, Nvidia GeForce RTX/Radeon RX graphics). On the Apple side, the MacBook Air and Pro with the base M5 chip are go-to recs for most students.
Two schools tell their students not to buy ARM-based Windows laptops (with Qualcomm's Snapdragon processors) because they can't run certain software natively, and because they don't support older peripherals like university printers and scanners. One software example is AutoCAD, a popular 2D and 3D design app that engineering and design students rely on heavily. I love a lot of ARM laptops because they're fast and long-lasting, and I will say that their compatibility is improving every year. Still, I've opted to keep them off my list of 2026 picks out of an abundance of caution; stick with Intel and AMD CPUs for now.
Be sure to budget for an extended warranty with accidental damage protection, as suggested by over half of the top 10 public universities. For reference, AppleCare+ for Mac costs $67.99 to $139.99 a year for students, depending on the MacBook model.
What type of laptop should college students buy? Credit: Joe Maldonado / MashableThis is a question that only your college can answer for sure, as laptop type recommendations can vary by major. For example, the University of Virginia and the University of California, Davis approve MacBooks for their general student populations, but their engineering departments tell certain tracks to avoid them. Likewise, UCLA's Anderson School of Management hardware requirement page says, "Mac computers are acceptable to use as primary computers for study at Anderson. However, please note that some elective course software is only available for Windows. Students are responsible for ensuring compatibility and configuring their Macs accordingly."
I can say for sure that you probably shouldn't buy a Chromebook. Three schools in my research pool discouraged them for some or all majors, and one school — the University of Florida — only recommended them "as supplemental devices." I included a Chromebook in a previous version of this guide as a secondary option for note-taking, but price increases amid the ongoing RAM shortage have made many of them just as expensive as Apple's budget MacBook Neo (if not more so), which is a much nicer and more powerful computer, relatively speaking.
Do you need your own laptop for college?Yes, you should have your own laptop at college. Most universities let students temporarily borrow laptops through their libraries and/or tech desks. However, these loaners are available on a first-come, first-served basis and wiped upon return (i.e., you can't save anything on them long-term).
I wouldn't rely too heavily on your school's computer lab, either, because you can't take bring those desktops to class or your dorm. Ultimately, owning your own laptop is way more convenient and ensures you'll have the exact specs needed for your major's coursework.
The most recent updates to this guideJuly 25, 2026: Now that the Acer Swift X 14 is back in stock, we've added it to this guide in place of the Acer Swift X 14 AI. While these laptops are similar (and both excellent), we prefer the non-AI model.
July 18, 2026: We've overhauled our selection of the best laptops for college students, with new options from Apple, Acer, and Dell; all of the products in this guide have been rigorously tested by Mashable laptop reviewers
The best hookup apps for 2026: I swiped until my thumb hurt
In the age of on-demand everything, it’s no surprise that we can get "dates" (and I use that term loosely) with the tap of a button. Thanks to classic hookup apps like Tinder and newcomers like Pure, finding a sexy new friend can be as straightforward as ordering a pizza. As for the quality? That’s about the same as your pizza — hit or miss, depending on the time of day, where you're located, and how hungry you are.
SEE ALSO: What's dating in 2026 like? Single women tell all.Fortunately, you’ve got me, your resident dating app expert (though I prefer modern-day Carrie Bradshaw), to guide you to the promised land, aka the best hookup apps.
I’ve spent the past three years (yes, years) researching, downloading, and testing dozens of the top dating apps to find the best ones for all kinds of daters, including the one-night-stand crowd. From discreet sexting apps to dating sites for serious relationships, I've swiped through them all. I also consulted a helpful panel of sex and relationship experts to make sure my picks are solid.
How to get the most out of hookup appsMy number one rule is to be brutally honest about what you want. Are you here for a good time? Own it. That means staying in your lane; don't go looking for a one-night stand on an app like eharmony.
"Hookup apps help prevent situations where people are on mainstream dating sites with the intention of having a casual hookup but are unclear about these intentions," Suzannah Weiss, resident sexologist for Biird and author of Subjectified: Becoming a Sexual Subject, tells Mashable. "They also give women a space to be openly sexual creatures without judgment."
And here's a little secret I picked up from Alexander Liebisch, the CEO and founder of TinderProfile.ai: Timing is everything. He found that people messaging on Tinder's "free tonight" feature after 10 p.m. on a weekend had a 45 percent higher chance of hooking up.
So, whether you're looking for a one-night stand, a regular FWB situation, or just a space to explore your sexuality, I've got you covered. Based on all my hands-on testing and expert consultations, I’ve broken down the best hookup app for every type of person and mood.
Recent updates to this guideHinge: Hinge just keeps getting better, so I’ve bumped it up higher on my list as of October 2025. In our most recent update in July 2026, it still earns the top spot. Its user base is growing, and my own recent tests on the app have been surprisingly positive.
Sniffies (added September 2025): I've added Sniffies, the map-based app for queer men, because it's been gaining a lot of traction. (It got a little too spicy for Apple and was pulled from the App Store, so it's now technically a dating site.) Don't say I didn't warn you about the NSFW content.
FetLife (added September 2025): FetLife is my new favorite "Honorable Mention." It's not your typical hookup app; it's more of a social network for the kink community (and, oddly enough, the best hookup app for gamers). Just remember: it's a community, so don't treat it like Tinder.
Plenty of Fish (removed January 2025): POF went through a rebrand recently, and honestly, I'm not impressed. My latest tests showed they got rid of key features like free messaging for non-matches, and I kept running into the same old profiles.
Match (removed August 2025): I know some people say they've found casual hookups on Match, but that's not what it's for. Match is where you go to find a serious, long-term relationship, and I still recommend it for that. But for a hookup? You're just fishing in the wrong pond.
You might notice a few apps that pop up in ads or other lists are missing here. That’s intentional. I swipe through the good, the bad, and the downright sketchy so you don’t have to. For an app to make my list, it has to be effective, safe, and worth your time.
Here's a shortlist of apps that didn't make the cut this year:
Wild: You’ve probably seen ads for this one. On paper, Wild sounds like the perfect casual dating app. In practice, the paywalls are aggressive, the distance filter doesn't work, and you have to pay for anything that's even remotely useful. Unless you're willing to spend serious cash upfront (and hope for the best), the experience feels limited compared to more open apps like Tinder.
DOWN: This app (formerly "Bang With Friends") is known for its simple "Get Down" vs. "Get Date" feature. It sounds clever, but in reality, the experience is messy at best. Many users report feeling scammed by subscriptions that don't deliver matches, or finding that the few real people on there are... let's say "odd." It’s hard to recommend an app when the main user complaint is "Is anyone real?" Hard pass.
Facebook Dating: Yes, Facebook has a dating section, and it’s surprisingly massive (and completely free, which is huge). While it's a decent option for casual dating, the vibe tends to be a bit more "friends of friends" and "relationship-focused" than the anonymous, no-strings energy you get from apps like Pure or Feeld. (For Mashable's Chance Townsend, signing up was "the most uneventful dating experience" of his life.) It's worth a shot if you're already on Facebook, but it didn't quite crack my top tier for hookups specifically.
DJIs Mini 5 Pro drone just hit its lowest-ever price at Amazon — buy for under $700 this weekend
SAVE $76: As of July 25, the DJI Mini 5 Pro is down to $683 at Amazon — a 10% discount and its lowest-ever price.
Opens in a new window Credit: DJI DJI Mini 5 Pro $683 at Amazon$759 Save $76 Get Deal
The DJI Mini 5 Pro is on sale for for $683 at Amazon, down from $759. That's the best price we've ever seen.
It's built for beginners but doesn't skimp on features. You also get a 20-kilometer transmission range, so you can fly it well beyond what most starter drones allow.
The DJI Mini 5 Pro packs a lot into a small drone — it folds up palm-sized and slips into a pocket, and it comes with 42 GB of built-in storage. The camera has a 1-inch sensor (bigger than what most drones this size use), which means your 4K footage looks sharp and the colors come out looking real, not washed out.
For creative shots, the gimbal can flip to true vertical and rotate up to 225 degrees, so you can capture angles that many beginner drones can't pull off. It's also safer to fly as it uses LiDAR and vision sensors to detect obstacles from every direction, which matters if you're flying at night or letting it auto-return home.
Battery life is solid too — you get up to 36 minutes per flight, and if you buy extra batteries, the charger can fully charge three of them in under two hours. It comes with everything you need to fly right out of the box: the drone itself, the remote controller, one battery, and spare propellers.
Grab the DJI Mini 5 Pro for $683 this weekend.
Hurdle hints and answers for July 25, 2026
If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.
There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.
An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.
Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today
If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.
SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hintLost a spouse.
SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answerWIDOW
Hurdle Word 2 hintShapeshift.
SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for July 25, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 AnswerMORPH
Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today
Hurdle Word 3 hintTo bang on.
SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for July 25 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for July 25, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answerKNOCK
Hurdle Word 4 hintEmbarrassment.
Hurdle Word 4 answerSHAME
Final Hurdle hintTo cheer.
SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answerWHOOP
If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Moon phase today: What the Moon will look like on July 25
We're approaching the Full Moon, with the Moon continuing to grow brighter each night as it moves through its Waxing Gibbous phase.
What is today’s Moon phase?As of Saturday, July 25, NASA's Daily Moon Guide tracker tells us the Moon phase is in Waxing Gibbous phase, with 84% of its surface visible.
Without the assistance of any visual aids, tonight you should be to see the Mares Fecunditatis and Tranquillitatis, as well as the Copernicus Crater. Binoculars will also help you to see the Alps Mountains, Archimedes Crater, and the Gassendi Crater. A telescope helps you see much more, including the Apollo 14 and 15 landing spots, and the Rima Ariadaeus.
When is the next Full Moon?The next Full Moon will take place on July 29.
What are Moon phases?The Moon takes roughly 29.5 days to complete its journey around Earth, passing through eight distinct phases during each lunar cycle, according to NASA. While the Moon’s same side is always visible from our planet, the portion of its surface lit by the Sun changes as it moves along its orbit. These shifting levels of illumination are what create the different appearances we see throughout the month, from a slender crescent shape to a half-lit Moon and finally a bright Full Moon, before the cycle begins once again.
The eight phases are:
New Moon - The Moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it's invisible to the eye).
Waxing Crescent - A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).
First Quarter - Half of the Moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-Moon.
Waxing Gibbous - More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.
Full Moon - The whole face of the Moon is illuminated and fully visible.
Waning Gibbous - The Moon starts losing light on the right side. (Northern Hemisphere)
Third Quarter (or Last Quarter) - Another half-Moon, but now the left side is lit.
Waning Crescent - A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.
NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for July 25, 2026
Today's Connections: Sports Edition will be easier if you ever went to school in North Carolina.
As we've shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.
Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight, and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.
If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections: Sports Edition?The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. The sports Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.Each puzzle features 16 words, and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise 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 before the game ends.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.
SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. Here's a hint for today's Connections: Sports Edition categoriesWant a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
Yellow: Racing teams
Green: GOAT pitchers
Blue: All-Stars
Purple: Green
Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:
Yellow: F1 Teams
Green: Hall of Fame Pitchers
Blue: 2026 WNBA All-Stars, Familiarly
Purple: Green___
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 #670 is...
What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?F1 Teams: FERRARI, MCLAREN, MERCEDES, RED BULL
Hall of Fame Pitchers: FORD, PAIGE, PERRY, SPAHN
2026 WNBA All-Stars, Familiarly: A'JA, ANGEL, KIKI, MARINA
Green___: BAY, FEE, MONSTER, WAVE
Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.
If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.
NYT Pips hints, answers for July 25, 2026
Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.
Released in August 2025, Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.
Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move on to the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.
How to play PipsIf you've ever played dominoes, you'll have a passing familiarity with how Pips is played. As we've shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don't necessarily have to match.
SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for July 25, 2026The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible — and common — for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.
Here are common examples you'll run into across the difficulty levels:
Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.
Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.
Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.
Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.
Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.
If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.
SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for July 25, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for July 25 PipsEqual (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 6-3, placed vertically; 3-3, placed horizontally.
Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 8. The answer is 4-4, placed horizontally.
Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 1-2, placed vertically.
Greater Than (7): Everything in this space must be greater than 7. The answer is 5-5, placed vertically.
Medium difficulty hints, answers for July 25 PipsNumber (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 3-4, placed horizontally; 0-6, placed vertically.
Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 3-4, placed horizontally; 1-5, placed vertically.
Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 8. The answer is 4-2, placed vertically; 4-6, placed horizontally.
Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 4-6, placed horizontally.
Less Than (3): Everything in this space must be less than 3. The answer is 4-2, placed vertically
Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 3-3, placed horizontally.
Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 1-1, placed vertically.
Hard difficulty hints, answers for July 25 PipsEqual (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 4-4, placed horizontally; 4-1, placed vertically.
Equal (1): Everything in this space must be equal to 1. The answer is 1-6, placed vertically; 1-0, placed vertically; 4-1, placed vertically; 1-1, placed horizontally.
Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 4-0, placed horizontally.
Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 1-0, placed vertically.
Number (7): Everything in this space must add up to 7. The answer is 4-0, placed horizontally; 4-3, placed horizontally.
Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 1-6, placed vertically; 6-2, placed vertically.
Number (7): Everything in this space must add up to 7. The answer is 2-4, placed horizontally; 5-6, placed vertically.
Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 2-4, placed horizontally; 4-6, placed vertically; 4-3, placed horizontally.
Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 6-3, placed vertically.
Equal (5): Everything in this space must be equal to 5. The answer is 5-5, placed horizontally; 5-3, placed vertically.
Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 6-2, placed vertically.
Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 5-6, placed vertically; 4-6, placed vertically; 6-6, placed horizontally.
Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 6-3, placed vertically; 5-3, placed vertically; 3-3, placed horizontally.
If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for July 25, 2026
The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you're good with money.
Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. 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 today's 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?The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.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.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.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 Pips hints, answers for July 25, 2026 Here's a hint for today's Connections categoriesWant a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
Yellow: Uno, dos, tres
Green: To get emotional
Blue: Foreign money
Purple: A sliver
Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today
Here are today's Connections categoriesNeed a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:
Yellow: Spanish relatives
Green: Start to cry, with "Up"
Blue: African currencies
Purple: Strip ___
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 #1140 is...
What is the answer to Connections todaySpanish relatives: ABUELA, HIJO, MADRE, PRIMO
Start to cry, with "Up": CHOKE, MIST, TEAR, WELL
African currencies: KWANZA, LEONE, NAIRA, RAND
Strip ___: CLUB, MALL, POKER, STEAK
Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.
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 yesterday's Connections.
NYT Strands hints, answers for July 25, 2026
Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you love dresses.
Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.
SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on MashableBy providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.
If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.
SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for July 25, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Frocks and smocksThe words are related to clothing.
Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explainedThese words describe long clothing.
NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?Today's NYT Strands spangram is diagonal.
Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today
NYT Strands spangram answer todayToday's spangram is You Wear it Well.
NYT Strands word list for July 25Dirndl
Pinafore
Muumuu
You Wear it Well
Tunic
Gown
Kimono
Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and 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 yesterday's Strands.
Wordle today: Answer, hints for July 25, 2026
Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you're Hawaiian.
If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. 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 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for July 25, 2026 Where did Wordle come from?Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.
Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.
What's the best Wordle starting word?The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.
What happened to the Wordle archive?The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.
Is Wordle getting harder?It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.
SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for July 25, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:Hawaiian hello.
Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?The letter A appears twice.
Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today
Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...Today's Wordle starts with the letter A.
SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.
Drumroll please!
The solution to today's Wordle is...
ALOHA
Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle 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.
Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.
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 yesterday's Wordle.
Boring isnt working: Inside Elon Musks Vegas Loop
Elon Musk's Boring Company has been hard at work on its Vegas Loop transportation system for years, and it's now in operation in 10 stations — including two at the city’s Harry Reid International Airport.
Well, kind of in operation. While the Loop operates a system of tunnels connecting the Las Vegas Convention Center to multiple hotels, its tunnel to the airport is not yet open. So the Loop’s service to Harry Reid is ... a human-driven Tesla, driving on surface streets rather than tunnels.
YouTuber Ray Delahanty, who goes by the moniker CityNerd, recently visited the Loop — and the resulting video highlighted what he called the "farce" of its airport stations, as well as a lack of signage directing riders.
What is the Loop?The Loop opened five years ago, whisking people around the convention center in human-driven Teslas traveling in single-lane tunnels dug by the Boring Company (which, like Tesla, is owned by Elon Musk). The initial three-station, $47 million Loop (that's the cost quoted by the Boring Co.; other reports indicate it was closer to $52 million) was paid for by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, which is funded by hotel bed taxes; the LVCVA also covers $5 million in annual maintenance.
The stations are paid for by the casinos (and airport), with future tunnels paid for by the Boring Company. Currently, the system operates five stations at the convention center, two at the airport, and stops at Encore, Westgate, and Fontainebleau resorts, with tickets costing between $6 and $12.
When the Loop is finally complete, the Boring Company envisions 155 mph travel through 68 miles of tunnels and 104 stations — with riders driven by autonomous vehicles carrying 90,000 passengers an hour — a dubious number that would require every Vegas resident and visitor to use it multiple times a day. Currently the system carries around 1 million riders annually, or little more than 114 people an hour.
What’s the issue with the Loop?At stations like the one at the Fontainebleau resort, Teslas exit Boring tunnels and then enter the Fontainebleau parking garage, just like any other car. The airport stations, which opened in December 2025, travel on surface streets for the entire five-mile route to the convention center.
The Boring Company is currently digging the underground tunnel to the airport and plans to open it before the year is out, according to Delahanty’s Loop driver.
The biggest problem with the stations? Not the inconsistency of the underground routes or the fact that the narrow tunnels only allow travel in one direction. It's how difficult it is for passengers to even find the stations (a problem that has bedeviled the Las Vegas Monorail).
Neither the casinos nor the airport offer signage to the stations. The stations themselves often lack amenities like seating or, as Delahanty discovered, working escalators.
To make matters worse, some of the few riders using the Loop were confused about how to access the vehicles (cars are requested via an app, like Uber or Lyft), leading to awkward encounters.
SEE ALSO: When the urge to gamble strikes, try mindfulnessAfter some trial and error, Delahanty summoned a car at the airport and got a ride to the convention center for an unbeatable $12 — a fraction of the price of an Uber, Lyft, or taxi. The drivers also seemed friendly and willing to help customers, at least in Delahanty’s video.
While the Boring Company didn’t respond to our questions about Delahanty’s gripes, we did follow-up with the urbanist YouTuber on his Loop experience. Here's our conversation, edited for clarity and brevity.
It seemed like one of the biggest problems with the Loop is the shortage of information on how to ride and locate stations. Did riders appear confused or familiar with the Loop’s protocols?
My experience was that a few of the riders appeared familiar with how the system works — as if they'd used it before — but most seemed confused about how to know when and which arriving vehicle was supposed to pick them up. Some of the riders seemed confused about how to buy a ticket and order a ride, although this seems pretty clear to me once you manage to find the station.
There is no Boring tunnel connecting to the airport yet, so why is the company offering a $12 airport service?
I really don't know why they've elected to start providing this service before the connecting tunnel, which is supposed to be complete by the end of 2026. It really functions like a typical Uber/Lyft ride, just one you have to go to an unmarked location on an airport concourse sublevel to use.
The LVCVA is subsidizing the tunnels and maintenance. What do you think it should have used that money for?
When they initially did a call for proposals, it was for a people mover of some sort to connect the far-flung halls on the Las Vegas Convention Center campus. Think an internal airport tram at a major airport hub like Atlanta, Dallas, or Denver, or even Las Vegas! — that is probably what they should've been building.
Instead, the Boring Company came in with the low bid. I'm not privy to how the project pencils out for the Boring Company. My guess is, on a project level they are way, way, way in the red, but they saw the Vegas Loop project as research and development, so they were willing to take a loss.
You mentioned that no one seems to be loudly criticizing the Loop’s shortcomings. Do you expect its expansion to continue without resistance from officials?
So far, all the funding is coming out of hotel room taxes and private contributions from resorts. If there comes a point where the City or County are spending public funds that could've been spent on public transit or any number of other public goods, then the political calculus changes. [Boring has made a deal with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, for a station on campus, with costs covered by the company.]
What is it like to actually ride in the Loop?
It's like riding an Uber or a Lyft that occasionally uses a narrow, brightly colored tunnel. I'm not a claustrophobic person, but I wouldn't wish the experience on someone who was.
Why the new Spaceballs sequel isnt called The Search for More Money
Today is not only the San Diego Comic-Con panel for Spaceballs: The New One, but also the Apple TV premiere of The Dink. Both are helmed by Josh Greenbaum, who spoke with Mashable about the pickleball comedy and the long-awaited sequel to Mel Brooks' Star Wars spoof.
In an interview with Mashable Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko, Greenbaum dug into the themes of friendship and identity in The Dink, as well as what it meant to have comedy icon Lynne Marie Stewart join the cast, in what would become her final film role. They also got into Spaceballs: The New One.
Specifically, Puchko asked the question fans of the 1987 comedy had about the title. See, in Spaceballs, the wise Yogurt (played by Brooks) says the star-flung heroes might meet again "in Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money." So, why is this sequel called Spaceballs: The New One?
Greenbaum said, "If you didn't see our announcement video, Mel Brooks himself found the money. It was in his basement, and so he doesn't need any more money at this point."
Greenbaum continued, "We really love the idea of obviously there's the old one, and now this is the new one. We like the joke that this is, you know, 'It's just like the old one, but newer.' So, this is the new one.
"We obviously discussed it with Mel," he added, "but we all felt like, as great as that joke [from the first movie] was, paying that joke off? You'll see when you see the new one why it makes sense for this one to be called that."
Spaceballs: The New One will see Brooks, Bill Pullman, Rick Moranis, Daphne Zuniga, and Michael Winslow reprising their roles from the first film. Joining the cast are Lewis Pullman, Keke Palmer, Anthony Carrigan, and Josh Gad.
Spaceballs: The New One is slated to open in the U.S. on April 23, 2027.
How to watch Mother Mary: New streaming details announced
I've never heard a movie be described as both "grotesque" and "gorgeous," but that's what Mashable Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko called Mother Mary. And naturally, that made it a must-watch for me. It stars Anne Hathaway as pop icon Mother Mary and features songs by Jack Antonoff, Charli XCX, and FKA Twigs. We named it one of our favorite movies of the year, and now it's officially heading to streaming.
The best ways to watch 'Mother Mary' at home: Watch now Buy or rent 'Mother Mary' on Prime Video $9.99 or $5.99 Shop Now Watch now Buy or rent 'Mother Mary' on Fandango at Home $9.99 or $5.99 Shop Now Watch as of Aug. 21 HBO Max (With Ads) $109.99/year (save $21.89) Get Deal Watch as of Aug. 21 HBO Max Standard $184.99/year (save $36.89) Get Deal Watch as of Aug. 21 HBO Max Student $5.49 per month for 12 months (save 50%) Get Deal Watch as of Aug. 21 HBO Max Basic With Ads Free for Cricket customers on the $60/month unlimited plan (save $10.99/month) Get Deal Watch as of Aug. 21 Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max bundle $19.99 per month (with ads), $32.99 per month (no ads) (save up to 42%) Get Deal Watch as of Aug. 21 Netflix and HBO Max bundle (with ads) $10/month with Verizon myPlan (save $9.98/month) Get Deal Watch as of Aug. 21 Netflix, Peacock, and HBO Max (with ads) $22/month with Xfinity StreamSaver (save $8.97/month) Get DealIn addition to Hathaway, Mother Mary stars Michaela Coel, Hunter Schafer, Atheena Frizzell, Kaia Gerber, Jessica Brown Findlay, Alba Baptista, Isaura Barbé-Brown, and Sian Clifford. It defies genre, as the trailer even highlights that it's neither a love story nor a ghost story. Though, as Puchko points out, it's kind of both. She dubs it a "gothic horror story," while the official synopsis refers to it as a "psychosexual pop thriller." Whatever you deem it, it's quite the journey.
If you have yet to watch Mother Mary, or if you can't wait to see it again, you can stream it at home this summer. Here's a breakdown of everything you need to know to watch.
What is Mother Mary about?Directed by David Lowery (The Green Knight), Mother Mary follows the eponymous pop star (Hathaway) as she's readying for a comeback. She reaches out to her former friend/costume designer, Sam Anselm (Coel), for help crafting the perfect dress. The reunion dredges up old wounds the women can't escape and spirals into a supernatural reckoning. Things get pretty tense, to say the least.
Check out the official trailer for Mother Mary below.
How to watch Mother Mary at home Credit: A24Mother Mary launched in theaters in limited release on April 17th and hit digital on-demand retailers on May 19th. Now it's officially headed to streaming, giving you three different options for watching at home. We've broken down the details below.
Buy or rent on digitalMother Mary made its at-home debut via digital-on-demand retailers on May 19, 2026. You can either buy the film for your digital library for $9.99 or rent it for $5.99. Note: If you choose the rental option, you'll get access for 30 days, but only 48 hours once you start watching.
Quick links to buy/rent Mother Mary on digital:
Apple TV — buy for $9.99, rent for $5.99
Fandango — buy for $9.99, rent for $5.99
Google Play — buy for $9.99, rent starting at $4.99
Prime Video — buy for $9.99, rent for $5.99
YouTube — buy for $9.99, rent starting at $4.99
Since A24 renewed its output deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, new A24 theatrical releases exclusively stream on HBO Max before anywhere else. Mother Mary is set to make its HBO Max streaming debut on Aug. 21, 2026, which follows the same theater-to-streaming schedule as other recently released A24 films (Marty Supreme, The Drama, and Bring Her Back).
HBO Max subscriptions start at $10.99 per month. However, there are some ways you can save money on your plan. Check out the best HBO Max streaming deals below.
SEE ALSO: HBO Max and Paramount+ are combining into one streaming service The best HBO Max streaming dealsBest for most people: Save 16% on HBO Max annual subscriptions Opens in a new window Credit: HBO Max HBO Max Basic with ads annual subscription $109.99 per year (save $21.89) Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: HBO Max HBO Max Standard annual subscription $184.99 per year (save $36.89) Get DealThe best way to save money on HBO Max (or most streaming services, for that matter) on any given day is by opting for the annual plan. Yes, it costs more up front, but you'll save about 16% over the course of a year — up to $45.89 in savings.
A monthly plan with ads typically costs $10.99 per month, but a full year costs $109.99, which breaks down the monthly cost to only $9.17. If you want to go ad-free, the annual HBO Max Standard or Premium plans will also save you about 16% over their monthly equivalents.
Standard subscriptions cost either $18.49 per month or $184.99 per year (which breaks down to $15.42 per month). Premium subscriptions cost $22.99 per month or $229.99 per year (about $19.17 per month). Both plans are ad-free, but only the Premium option will unlock 4K Ultra HD video quality, Dolby Atmos, and the ability to download more offline content.
Get HBO Max for free: Switch to Cricket's Supreme Unlimited plan Opens in a new window Credit: HBO Max / Cricket HBO Max (with ads) Free for Cricket customers on the Supreme Unlimited plan Get DealWhile it's definitely not the most convenient option, switching your phone plan to Cricket's Supreme Unlimited plan for $60 per month is the only way to get HBO Max with ads for free. Once you're a Cricket customer, you can use your provider credentials to log in via the HBO Max app or website.
Best HBO Max deal for students: Save 50% on HBO Max Basic with ads Opens in a new window Credit: HBO Max HBO Max Student $5.49 per month for 12 months Get DealCollege students get an entire year of HBO Max Basic with ads for 50% off. Use UNiDAYS to prove your student status, then you'll receive a unique discount code that'll drop the cost per month down from $10.99 to $5.49. Once the initial 12-month promotional period is up, the price will jump back to the full cost unless you cancel.
Best bundle deal: Get HBO Max, Disney+, and Hulu for up to 42% off Opens in a new window Credit: Disney / Hulu / HBO Max Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max $19.99 per month (with ads), $32.99 per month (no ads) Get DealThe Disney+ bundle deal, which includes HBO Max and Hulu, is one of the best deals in streaming. For just $19.99 per month, you'll get all three streaming libraries with ads, which is about $15 cheaper than paying for each one separately. If you want to go ad-free, it'll run you $32.99 per month as opposed to $56.47 for all three. That's up to 42% in savings.
Best for Verizon customers: Get Netflix and HBO Max for $13/month Opens in a new window Credit: Netflix / HBO Max HBO Max and Netflix (with ads) $13 per month for Verizon customers with Simplicity Plan (save $6.98 per month) Get DealIf you're a Verizon customer on the Unlimited Welcome, Unlimited Plus, or Unlimited Ultimate plan, you can add the Netflix and HBO Max bundle (with ads) to your plan for only $13 per month. A $19.98 per month value, that's about $7 in savings each month. Once you enroll in the promo, you'll have to complete the account setup separately for each service. Check out Verizon's support page for all the eligibility details, terms, and FAQs.
Best for Xfinity customers: Bundle HBO Max, Peacock, and Netflix and save $10/month Opens in a new window Credit: Netflix / Peacock / HBO Max Netflix Standard with ads, Peacock Premium, and HBO Max $22/month with Xfinity StreamSaver (save $8.97/month) Get DealXfinity Internet and TV customers can also get in on the bundle action with Xfinity StreamSaver packages. The package that includes Netflix Standard with ads ($8.99 per month), Peacock Premium ($10.99 per month), and HBO Max Basic with Ads ($10.99 per month) can be added to your existing Xfinity service for only $22 per month. It typically costs $30.97 for all three, so that's about $9 in savings monthly.
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