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I've been clinging on to my ancient gas-powered lawnmower for years. It weighs a ton and literally gave me a hernia when I lugged it up some steps, but it's always done a great job tackling my lawn, even when I've let the lawn get a little bit out of control. A relative was raving about their electric mower, so I took it for a spin and found that most of the things I was most worried about turned out to be complete myths.

With Sarah J. Maas's next installment, A Court of Splintered Harmony, arriving Oct. 27, another ACOTAR book hangover is inevitable. You know the symptoms: an inability to stop thinking about fictional people, an overwhelming urge to reread their best scenes, and the creeping suspicion that no other book will ever make you feel this way again.

Luckily, your next obsession might be waiting on another shelf. From the deadly vampire tournament of The Serpent and the Wings of Night to the dragon-riding chaos of Fourth Wing to other Maas classics, these eight books deliver dangerous worlds, complicated loyalties, and romances worth losing sleep over. Consider them your remedy for impending Prythian withdrawal.

SEE ALSO: Everything to remember before the next 'A Court of Thorns and Roses' book 1. The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent

For readers who loved watching a human survive among dangerously powerful immortals.

If Feyre trying to stay alive Under the Mountain had you stressed, meet Oraya. She’s a human raised by a vampire king, which means she’s spent her life surrounded by people who could eat her. Hoping to improve those odds, she enters a deadly tournament and teams up with Raihn, a vampire who's both her competition and an enemy of her father. An inconvenient person to find attractive, really.

Oraya needs help surviving, but trusting the wrong person could kill her — a predicament that should feel familiar to ACOTAR readers. Welcome to The Serpent and the Wings of Night.

This New York Times bestseller began as a self-published novel in 2022 before Bramble picked it up and rereleased it in December 2023, bringing Oraya’s romantic and survival problems to even more readers. And there’s plenty to keep you busy: Five of the six planned main books are out, along with two companion books, though Oraya and Raihn’s central story wraps up in the first two.

The Serpent and the Wings of Night (Crowns of Nyaxia Book 1) $6.99 at Amazon
  See It at Amazon 2. From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

For readers who want forbidden attraction and a heroine questioning everything.

Poppy is supposed to save her kingdom, but she's barely allowed to participate in it. Chosen as the Maiden, a sacred figure in her society, she lives under strict religious rules: no friendships, no romantic relationships, and very little freedom while she waits for a ceremony called her Ascension. She secretly trains to fight anyway. Then she meets Hawke, the guard assigned to protect her, and starts wanting a life she’s been told she can’t have.

Their forbidden attraction helped earn From Blood and Ash the romance award in the 2020 Goodreads Choice Awards, where it received roughly 79,000 votes. But Poppy has more to contend with than feelings for her guard: As violent threats to the kingdom grow, she begins questioning the religious authorities who control her future.

If you liked ACOTAR's mix of romance, secrets, and a heroine discovering that the people protecting her might also be holding her back, this belongs on your list.

From Blood and Ash $8.99 at Amazon
$19.99 Save $11.00   See It at Amazon 3. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

For readers who want deadly training, simmering hostility, and wings.

Violet Sorrengail wanted to spend her life working with books. Instead, her mother sends her to a military college, where she must convince a dragon to bond with her and avoid being killed by her classmates — a substantial departure from her original career plan. Making matters worse is Xaden Riorson, a powerful wingleader whose family history gives him every reason to hate hers.

Violet also has chronic conditions, a characteristic inspired by Fourth Wing author Rebecca Yarros's own experiences with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and POTS. "I went to my publisher and said, 'I want her to have what I have,'" Yarros told Elle in 2025. This shapes how Violet approaches the college's deadly challenges, relying on her intelligence to survive situations she can’t simply overpower.

SEE ALSO: 'Fourth Wing' has cast its Violet and Xaden, and fans have thoughts

And if you get attached, you’ll have plenty of company. Onyx Storm, the third book in Yarros's series, sold 2.7 million copies in its first week in 2025, according to publisher figures reported by the New York Times. A Prime Video adaptation is also in the works, backed by Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society, with Esther McGregor and Emilio Sakraya reportedly cast as Violet and Xaden. (There’s no premiere date yet, so you have time to form your own opinions before the screen versions arrive.)

If you enjoyed watching Feyre work out how to beat opponents much stronger than her in ACOTAR — while developing feelings for someone she has reasons to avoid — there will be plenty here to keep you occupied.

Fourth Wing (The Empyrean Book 1) $14.99 at Amazon
  See It at Amazon 4. The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen

For readers who take the "enemies" part of enemies-to-lovers seriously.

Lara isn't marrying King Aren with hopes of a happy life together. No, she's been trained to infiltrate his kingdom, discover its weaknesses, and help her homeland bring it down. Unfortunately for the mission, spending time with her husband and his people makes her question whether she’s been given the full story.

Important note: There's no actual magic in this world, but an undercover mission disguised as a marriage supplies more than enough trouble. And if you prefer listening to your fictional relationship problems, this one actually started as an audio series. The Bridge Kingdom debuted as an Audible Original in 2018, before Jensen self-published the print and digital editions in 2019.

The Bridge Kingdom $5.99 at Amazon
$17.99 Save $12.00   See It at Amazon See It at Amazon 5. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

For readers ready to get attached to another Maas heroine.

If you can't seem to get yourself away from Maas, go back to where her publishing career began. Throne of Glass arrived in 2012, three years before ACOTAR introduced readers to Feyre. It follows Celaena Sardothien, an imprisoned assassin offered a fairly unappealing job opportunity. If she beats a group of thieves, assassins, and other competitors, she'll become the king's champion, serving the ruler she despises in exchange for her eventual freedom. Then competitors start turning up dead, and figuring out what’s happening becomes just as urgent as winning.

Believe it or not, the original inspiration was Cinderella, according to Maas. The story eventually moved away from a direct retelling and grew into a completed eight-book series, including the prequel collection The Assassin's Blade. So if you're looking for another Maas series to occupy your thoughts for several thousand pages, clear some space.

Throne of Glass $10.64 at Amazon
$15.20 Save $4.56   See It at Amazon 6. One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

For readers who want more of ACOTAR's sinister fairy-tale atmosphere.

If you miss the creepy woods and unsettling bargains of early ACOTAR, try spending some time with Elspeth Spindle. She has an ancient spirit called the Nightmare living in her head, which is useful when she needs protection and considerably less reassuring when she considers what he wants in return. Joining a quest to cure her kingdom of dark magic puts her alongside a mysterious highwayman, and getting closer to him makes the whole secret-monster-in-her-head situation harder to hide.

SEE ALSO: Target just became the ultimate ACOTAR sanctuary with exclusive merch and late-night book parties

Gillig had some appropriately eerie references in mind when she created the Nightmare: the yew tree from Patrick Ness's A Monster Calls and the creature in Henry Fuseli’s painting The Nightmare. But she wanted Elspeth to have some darkness of her own. As she wrote in a 2022 essay for Fantasy Cafe, she envisioned "a maiden who does not deliver the monster, but becomes one herself."

If that sounds like your kind of fairy tale, there's a manageable commitment ahead: One Dark Window and its sequel, Two Twisted Crowns, make up the completed duology.

One Dark Window (The Shepherd King, 1) $8.99 at Amazon
$18.99 Save $10.00   See It at Amazon 7. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

For readers who want more faerie drama and a prince they can hold a grudge against.

Growing up in Faerie sounds lovely until you're the human everyone looks down on. Jude ended up in this exact situation after a faerie murdered her parents and took her and her sisters home with him. Now she wants to become a knight and secure a place at court, but Prince Cardan and his friends seem determined to make her regret trying. Unfortunately for them, she has no intention of backing off.

Soon, Jude is caught up in spying and a fight over the throne, while her hatred of Cardan develops some...inconvenient complications. If ACOTAR left you wanting more dangerous faeries getting tangled up in each other’s lives, there's plenty of that in The Cruel Prince. Just keep in mind that this is YA: You'll get romantic tension, but don’t expect Nesta and Cassian's approach to resolving it.

Plus, if you like the first book, Jude and Cardan’s main story spans a completed trilogy, so you can go straight into The Wicked King and The Queen of Nothing without waiting for the next installment.

The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air Book 1) $2.99 at Amazon
  See It at Amazon 8. House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas

For readers who want more Maas with a change of scenery.

OK, just one more Maas recommendation. House of Earth and Blood is the first book in her Crescent City series, where powerful Fae and ancient grudges coexist with cellphones. Bryce Quinlan is a half-human, half-Fae woman whose life falls apart when a demon murders her closest friends. When similar killings happen again, she teams up with Hunt Athalar, a fallen angel, to find out who's responsible. Working together also gives them time to develop feelings that...complicate the arrangement.

The novel marked her adult debut, though she’d been working on it privately for years alongside ACOTAR and Throne of Glass. There's a whole city of supernatural creatures, power structures, and rules to get acquainted with, but for anyone still attached to Feyre's circle of friends, Bryce's friendships offer a familiar reason to get invested.

House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City Book 1) $9.49 at Amazon
$15.20 Save $5.71   See It at Amazon

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Samsung says its foldable phones are selling like hotcakes, and if you read between the lines, Apple might be one big reason why.

People may not be camping out in front of Samsung stores like they are for the just-released iPhone Duo, but it's been a good year for folding phones.

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In a blog post, Samsung UK boasted about high sales for its Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra devices in Europe since they launched in August. According to Samsung, the devices have seen a 45 percent boost in sales compared to a year ago. That's especially notable because global smartphone sales overall are at their lowest level in 14 years.

Also of note, Samsung said there's been a 260 percent increase in Google search interest in Samsung foldable devices between Sept. 6 and 12, which happens to line up perfectly with the announcement of the iPhone Duo.

SEE ALSO: The truth about iPhone Duo problems: The shoddy-looking apps, FaceTime camera, and the hinge

Of course, we only have circumstantial evidence that Apple's new foldable is juicing interest in Samsung's devices, so take it with a small grain of salt. But it is generally true that Apple has a way of taking something that already exists, repackaging it with Apple slickness, and thus making it "cool" to a general audience. It is possible that's happening with foldables as we speak.

If Apple can convince people to happily spend $2,000 on a smartphone, that would be a really impressive magic trick.

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Robot mowers have been around for a long time, but for most of that time they worked the same way, by way of a buried perimeter wire around the edge of the lawn, allowing the mower to wander inside the boundary until the grass was short. It did the job, but it had a time-consuming setup, a wire that could be cut with a spade, and no real idea where it was.

SAVE 20%: As of Oct. 23, you can get the Roborock RockMow X130H for $1,999.98. That's down from $2,499.99 at Amazon.

Roborock RockMow X130H Robot Lawn Mower $1,999.98 at Amazon
$2,499.99 Save $500.01   Get Deal at Amazon

I don't have a lawn, but my mom does, and I know it takes her at least an hour to cut just the backyard. I'm obsessed with my robot vacuum, and I've tried to convince her to get a robot lawn mower, but I haven't converted her just yet. Maybe $500 off will help my case.

As of Oct. 23, you can get the Roborock RockMow X130H for $1,999.98, down from $2,499.99. That's a 20% discount, or $500.01 in savings. It's also the lowest price we've tracked for this model.

SEE ALSO: The best early Black Friday outdoor deals: Super early discounts on Yeti, Igloo, Coleman, and more

The RockMow X130H is designed to maintain lawns up to an acre without burying perimeter wires. (A huge plus!) You can let it auto-map your lawn or use the app to trace the boundaries yourself, and then just set the mowing schedule for different zones.

It has four-wheel drive and, according to Roborock, can handle slopes up to 80 percent (about 39 degrees), with an adjustable cutting height of 1.57 to 3.54 inches. Its navigation system combines RTK positioning with four cameras and multiple sensors to detect and avoid obstacles.

I haven't tested this one myself, but on paper, it's giving me plenty to bring up the next time my mom mentions mowing the lawn.

PC building has never been more popular, and one of the most common pieces of advice for first-time builders is to leave room for future upgrades. After all, there's no need to replace your entire PC when you can swap out a few key components and keep using it for years to come.

The best early Black Friday book deals at a glance: best limited-time offer Paperbacks and hardcovers at Target BOGO 50% off for a limited time Get Deal best hardcover deal 'Twisted Lies' by Anna Huang (Collector's Edition) $15.94 (save $16.05) Get Deal best paperback deal 'The Divorce' by Freida McFadden $8.31 (save $10.68) Get Deal best Kindle book deal 'Lessons in Chemistry' by Bonnie Garmus $2.99 (save $12) Get Deal

Black Friday is still technically more than a month away, but deals are starting to arrive in droves. If you're looking to pad your TBR for cozy season, it's the best time to grab books for less. While I'm not usually one to recommend purchasing physical books via mega retailers like Amazon (show your local bookstores some love!), it's definitely hard to ignore a price drop up to 50% on that new release you've had your eyes on.

We'll be tracking the best deals on physical books and e-books as we inch closer to Black Friday, so remember to keep checking back for more if you don't see the titles you're looking for just yet. As of now, here are some early book deals we recommend.

Best limited-time early Black Friday book deal Opens in a new window Credit: Target BOGO 50% off hardcovers and paperbacks at Target   Get Deal Why we like it

While I love a good Kindle or audiobook deal, nothing beats the dopamine hit you get from holding a physical book in your hands. Ahead of Black Friday, Target is running a BOGO 50% off sale that can put paperbacks and hardcovers in your hands for less. The sale includes copies of new releases and BookTok favorites, like The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett, The Witch by Freida McFadden, Whistler by Ann Patchett, The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff, and Big Little Truths by Liane Moriarty. Even better, many of the eligible books are also already on sale, so you can do a lot more damage than you think. The deal is fleeting, however, so snag the books on your TBR while you can.

Best early Black Friday physical book deal Opens in a new window Credit: Poisoned Pen Press The Divorce by Freida McFadden $8.31 at Amazon
$18.99 Save $10.68   Get Deal at Amazon Why we like it

Freida McFadden's The Witch was just published earlier this month, so naturally her last title, The Divorce, has dropped in price. Mind you, The Divorce is also a 2026 release. While I haven't read it myself, I know what you can expect from a McFadden thriller: a fast-paced, unhinged story you'll devour. The Divorce has a 3.85-star average rating on Goodreads from nearly 400k reviews. If you want a quick, gripping thrill ride this fall, pick up the paperback copy for its best price to date.

Physical book dealsPaperback

• What We Did to Survive by Megan Lally — $6.44 $12.99 (save $6.55)

• The Highland Fling by Meghan Quinn — $6.51 $12.95 (save $6.44)

• The Keeper of Happy Endings by Barbara Davis — $7.25 $14.95 (save $7.70)

• Variation by Rebecca Yarros — $7.68 $16.99 (save $9.31)

• The Vanishing Season by Dot Hutchinson — $7.86 $15.95 (save $8.09)

• The Perfect Child by Lucinda Berry — $8.18 $15.95 (save $7.77)

• On a Quiet Street by Seraphina Nova Glass — $8.20 $18.99 (save $10.79 with on-page coupon)

• The Divorce by Freida McFadden — $8.31 $18.99 (save $10.68)

• The Housewife by Natalie Barelli — $8.54 $18.99 (save $10.45 with on-page coupon)

• Where the Wildflowers Grow by Terah Shelton Harris — $10.90 $18.99 (save $8.09)

Hardcover

• Us Dark Few by Alexis Patton — $9.39 $21.99 (save $12.60)

• Terms and Conditions by Lauren Asher (Collector's Edition) — $15.18 $31.99 (save $16.81)

• Twisted Lies by Ana Huang (Collector's Edition) — $15.94 $31.99 (save $16.05)

• The Mistake by Elle Kennedy (Collector's Edition) — $16.98 $31.99 (save $15.01)

• Rottenheart by Kat Dunn — $20.26 $28.95 (save $8.69)

Kindle book deals

• The Gingerbread Bakery by Laurie Gilmore — $0.99 $11.99 (save $11)

• Wildcat by Rebecca Jenshak — $0.99 $4.99 (save $4)

• The Girls in the Dark by Avery Bishop — $1.99 $3.99 (save $2)

• Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus — $2.99 $14.99 (save $12)

• Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter — $2.99 $9.99 (save $7)

• Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane — $2.99 $12.99 (save $10)

For the most avid readers, Kindle Unlimited is an incredible membership providing access to millions of books on your e-reader. But subscribers may have noticed a change to their membership this week.

As of Oct. 22, Amazon rebranded Kindle Unlimited to Kindle+. Now under your subscription tab, you'll find your membership listed as Kindle+. But what does this mean for your membership? Has the program or pricing changed? Here's everything we know about Amazon's rebrand from Kindle Unlimited to Kindle+.

What to know about Kindle+ The Kindle+ rebrand is now reflected on your membership page. Credit: Amazon / Mashable

Luckily, the rebrand from Kindle Unlimited to Kindle+ is just a name change. Everything else about the program has stayed the same. Membership still costs $11.99 per month with the same access. Kindle+ is a library of millions of books, audiobooks, comics, manga, and magazines. Members of Kindle+ can borrow up to 20 books at a time, plus thousands of ebooks also have companion audiobooks, so you can simultaneously read and listen.

You don't need a Kindle e-reader to enjoy Kindle+. As long as you have access to the Kindle app on a computer, tablet, or smartphone, you can access your Kindle library and all the Kindle books you've added through Kindle+. You can even add Kindle+ books directly on your Kindle without going through the Kindle app or a browser.

And right now, enjoy Kindle+ for free.

How to get Kindle+ for free

If you've been eyeing a new Kindle, you can get three months of Kindle+ free. Amazon is running a promotion that bundles a new Kindle with three months of Kindle+ for free. The bundle costs $189.99, which is just the cost of the new e-reader. That saves you $35.97 and gives you access to millions of books for three months. Your membership will auto-renew, so don't forget to cancel before you're charged.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Kindle 32GB (3 Months of Kindle+) $189.99 at Amazon
$225.96 Save $35.97   Get Deal at Amazon

Sometimes, cybersecurity threats don't just spoil a person's day — they spoil a sports team's greatest moment. Some New York Knicks and Madison Square Garden (MSG) employees were fooled into clicking through a phishing email test that promised 2026 championship rings.

With so many new releases coming to Netflix every week, it’s easy to miss some of the older movies in its catalog. I like going back through them for these award-winning picks, and this week, there are a few interesting titles worth adding to your watchlist.

Best early Black Friday robot vacuum deals: Our top-rated robot vacuum of 2026 Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete $1,529.99 (save $170) Get Deal Best entry-level robot vacuum-mop deal Roborock Q10 S5+ $329.99 (save $220) Get Deal Best roller mop deal Roborock Qrevo Curv 2 Flow $699.99 (save $300) Get Deal

Almost all our favorite robot vacuums are on sale right now, and Black Friday is still weeks away. I'm not going to pretend it's normal that we're already covering early Black Friday robot vacuum deals in October, but some of these prices make a pretty good case for getting a head start. Even our top-ranked robot vacuum in 2026, the Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete, is on sale.

SEE ALSO: The best early Black Friday Dyson deals to shop right now

Of course, I'm checking price history and watching for inflated list prices, too. Not every markdown is worth getting excited about. We'll keep updating this piece as Black Friday approaches and throughout the holiday shopping season, so check back to see what's worth grabbing.

Best entry-level robot vacuum-mop deal Opens in a new window Credit: Roborock Roborock Q10 S5+ $329.99 at Amazon
$549.99 Save $220   Get Deal at Amazon Why we picked this

If you're looking for a robot vacuum-mop combo that won't break the bank, the Roborock Q10 S5+ is on sale for $329.99, down from $549.99. That's a 40% discount, or $220 in savings.

Mashable's former robot vacuum expert, Leah Stodart, says it's one of the quietest robot vacuums she's ever tested. It also has 10,000 Pa of suction, obstacle avoidance, and a sonic mop that scrubs (instead of just dragging a damp pad around). The mop lifts automatically when it detects carpet, and the self-emptying dock holds up to 70 days' worth of dust.

Best roller mop robot vacuum deal Roborock Qrevo Curv 2 Flow $699.99 at Amazon
$999.99 Save $300   Get Deal at Amazon Get Deal at Best Buy Get Deal at Roborock Why we picked this

Right now, you can get the Roborock Qrevo Curv 2 Flow for $699.99, down from $999.99. That's a 30% discount, or a $300 price cut, on a top-rated 2026 model. CamelCamelCamel isn't showing a lowest price for this model, so I can't call it a record low, but it's the lowest I've seen.

Stodart named it the "Best Roller Mop Robot Vacuum under $1,000." Its petite dock makes it a great option for people who are "limited on floor space," and it cleans with precision. "The Curv 2 Flow's obstacle avoidance is some of the best I've ever experienced," writes Stodart. It delivers 20,000 Pa of suction, has a Dual Zero-Tangle System, plus a full-service dock that empties the dust bin and washes and dries the roller mop.

Read our Roborock Qrevo Curv 2 Flow review.

More Black Friday robot vacuum deals

Dreame

• Dreame D30 Ultra — $449.99 $539.99 (save $90)

• Dreame L40 Ultra Gen 2 — $499.99 $749.99 (save $250)

• Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete — $1,529.99 $1,699.99 (save $170)

Eufy

• Eufy 11S Max — $169.99 $279.99 (save $110)

• Eufy C28 — $499.98 $799.99 (save $300.01)

iRobot

• iRobot Roomba 105 Combo with AutoEmpty Dock — $299 $469.99 (save $170.99)

• iRobot Roomba 505 Robot Vacuum and Mop Combo — $849.99 $999.99 (save $150)

Roborock

• Roborock Q10 S5+ — $329.99 $549.99 (save $220)

• Roborock Qrevo Curv 2 Flow — $699.99 $999.99 (save $300)

• Roborock Qrevo CurvX — $749.99 $1,499.99 (save $750)

Narwal

• Narwal Flow — $1,249.99 $1,499.99 (save $250)

• Narwal Flow 2 — $1,299.99 $1,499.99 (save $200)

TL;DR: Sign up for a 7-day free trial of Apple TV+ through Prime Video Channels to watch select F1 races for free. Watch the United States GP for free with the Prime Video app.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Apple TV Prime Video Channel Watch the United States GP for free with a 7-day trial Shop Now

Kimi Antonelli is in position to win his first F1 title this weekend in Austin.

Antonelli must win this Sunday's GP to have any chance of sealing the drivers' title, but that's not all. The Italian also needs Russell to finish ninth or lower and Lewis Hamilton to finish fifth or lower. If those conditions are met, he will become the youngest champion in F1 history and the first Italian title-holder since 1953.

SEE ALSO: ExpressVPN review: A stylish VPN service with proven privacy and a large U.S. presence

If you want to watch F1 2026 for free from anywhere in the world, we've got all the information you need.

When is the United States GP?

The United States GP is the 18th race of the 2026 F1 season. Here's the full schedule from the Circuit of the Americas:

• Practice 1 — 1:30-2:30 p.m. ET on Oct. 23

• Practice 2 — 5-6 p.m. ET on Oct. 23

• Practice 3 — 1:30-2:30 p.m. ET on Oct. 24

• Qualifying — 5-6 p.m. ET on Oct. 24

• Race — 3 p.m. ET on Oct. 25

Fans can follow all the action from this race weekend without spending anything.

How to watch the United States GP for free

Amazon Prime offers many benefits. This popular subscription delivers fast shipping, Black Friday discounts, and access to the Prime Video library.

For F1 fans in the U.S., Prime Video is particularly useful this season. Apple TV holds exclusive U.S. broadcasting rights for F1, and you can sign up for a seven-day free trial of Apple TV directly through Prime Video Channels.

That trial gives you access to select races for free, including this weekend's United States Grand Prix. The subscription rolls over to $12.99 per month after the seven-day trial, but you can disable the automatic renewal and still stream the entire race weekend for free.

If you're already paying for Amazon Prime, calling it "completely free" is a stretch. But if you don't have an active membership, Amazon offers a 30-day free trial for new users. Stacking that Prime trial with the seven-day Apple TV channel trial means you're truly spending nothing to stream this weekend's race.

If you've already made use of this method, you still have a few workarounds:

• Apple TV: New standalone subscribers qualify for a direct seven-day free trial through Apple's app.

• Apple One: If you want more than just streaming, the Apple One tier packages Apple TV alongside Apple Music, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+, Apple News+, and 50GB of iCloud storage — and it comes with a full one-month free trial ($19.95 per month after the promotional period).

• Apple: The most generous Apple TV offer is tied to new hardware purchases. Buying an eligible iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV grants new subscribers three months of free service. You obviously have to spend money on hardware, but if you were already planning an upgrade, it effectively unlocks a massive chunk of the F1 season for free.

Starbucks just dropped a Halloween menu update that brings TV’s most sarcastic feline out of retirement.

Launched nationwide on Oct. 22, the new Black Cat Frappuccino is available through Halloween night at participating U.S. stores. To roll out the drink, Starbucks partnered with Archie Comics to bring back Salem Saberhagen (the talking black cat from Sabrina the Teenage Witch) as the campaign's official spokesperson.

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I come across a lot of these brand collabs, but this one is special for me. I'm not ashamed to admit that I absolutely love that sassy little guy. And I'm so pleased to see him represented in coffee form. He deserves this.

The Black Cat Frappuccino is built on a caffeine-free Crème Frappuccino base. It blends dark chocolate cake powder and rich cocoa syrup with whole milk and ice to deliver a dense, liquid brownie batter flavor profile. It's finished with a swirl of whipped cream and topped with edible chocolate cat ears.

Will this new drop persuade me to change course from my regular order (venti iced black Americano, thank you very much)? I'm a creature of habit, so probably not. But it's hard to deny how cute those chocolate cat ears are.

It's important to note that this festive beverage is available exclusively in a grande size. Local store inventory is also likely to run out quickly as Halloween gets closer. Your best play is ordering via the Starbucks app for mobile pickup or using DoorDash or Uber Eats promo codes to get it delivered straight to your desk before the holiday menu launches on Nov. 5.

Excel automation used to mean macros and VBA. Today, three tools write the Python for you, from a spreadsheet-style notebook to an AI assistant built into Excel itself. Here is what each one does, what it costs, and who should use it.

Apple's iPhone Duo is currently in that strange limbo where it's been announced, it's available to pre-order, but it's not widely available yet.

In this period, every issue and bug gets amplified, especially when the device is so different from anything Apple has done before. We've seen people declaring they would never buy this phone, as well as lists of reasons why that's a good decision.

Having had the iPhone Duo in my hands for a little over a week now (not counting my time with a bunch of Duos at Apple's September event in Cupertino), I got to experience the good and the bad first hand. And, since I switched to the Duo as my primary phone, I can tell you that I haven't yet encountered anything that would make me go back to a different iPhone.

Apple iPhone Duo Save $1,000 at T-Mobile
  See It at T-Mobile See It at Apple.com See It at Verizon

That doesn't mean that the issues aren't real, so let me take a closer look at what the internet says and what the reality is (at least based on my experience with the phone). Oh, and you can also read my in-depth review of the iPhone Duo.

Claim: The FaceTime camera sucks

Is it real? Yes

Can it be fixed? Yes and no

4 megapixels just isn't enough for a good selfie these days. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

The iPhone Duo has four cameras: A 48-megapixel main camera alongside a 48-megapixel ultra-wide on the back, a 12-megapixel punch-hole selfie camera on the outer display, and a hidden camera in the inner display branded only as the FaceTime camera.

Honestly, the FaceTime camera is bad for taking photos. It has a 4-megapixel sensor, and Apple uses a ton of AI post-processing to make the photos look halfway decent. Sometimes this works well; sometimes the photo comes out awfully plasticky, smudgy, and artificial, but the reality is that you can't get a great selfie with this camera.

But things aren't that simple. If the question is, "Can I take great selfies with the iPhone Duo?", then the answer is an unqualified yes. In fact, the iPhone Duo can actually take better selfies than any other iPhone, including the Pro.

For that, you just have to use the main cameras, even if the process is a little impractical for a quick selfie (unfold the phone, start the camera, turn the phone around, remove the case if it's in the way, slide on the display for the viewfinder). And there's also the 12-megapixel selfie camera on the outer display, which is absolutely fine but not as good as the 18-megapixel selfie cameras on other recent iPhones.

The problem with the FaceTime camera, which should realistically only ever be used for video calls, is that it's just so enticing to use it for selfies. You unfold the Duo, fire up the camera, and see yourself, and everyone else around you, on that large display; it just makes you want to take that selfie right away. Unfortunately, to take good selfies, Duo users will have to consciously skip the FaceTime camera.

Claim: Some apps look bad

Is it real: Yes

Can it be fixed? Yes, and it almost certainly will be

Get a grip, Google Calendar! Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Apps that are tailor-made or remade for the iPhone Duo look gorgeous. Apps that aren't fall into two camps. Most of them make use of the Duo's large inner display, but aside from that, nothing's really optimized to look better there. And some are the same as iPhone-only apps on an iPad: A tiny version of the app that sits in the middle of the display, which you can resize to get a larger, blurry version.

There are many apps that fall into the latter category. Numerous Google apps are like that: Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, and so are other popular apps like TradingView or PlugShare. Your local e-banking app almost certainly hasn't been updated yet.

Put all of that together, and you get a middling experience in which you constantly juggle between beautiful-looking apps such as Netflix and crappy-looking ones such as Gmail.

This is Apple we're talking about, though. I bet that 90 percent of popular apps will have Duo-ready versions within a month. The only way this doesn't happen is if Duo sells exceptionally poorly and third-party developers decide it's not worth the hassle, which, judging by Duo's wait times, probably isn't happening.

In fact, from the time I received the phone until the time of writing this text, at least 10 apps that I frequently use have already been updated for the Duo. So yeah, this isn't going to be a long-term issue.

Claim: The phone is buggy

Is it real: Partially

Can it be fixed? Yes, and it probably will be

All the bugs I've encountered during testing appear to be fixed at writing time, so here's just another photo of the Duo. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Every new iOS and iPhone launch comes with issues, but the iPhone Duo has the sort of bugs that you wouldn't expect. WhatsApp often gets the camera orientation wrong, both in video calls and when you need to scan a QR code (note: this appears to have been fixed by the time of publishing). Sometimes Apple's own software gets confused, and something on the display will point the wrong way.

There are also other types of small issues, which aren't strictly bugs but come with the foldable phone territory. The most common problem I've seen is this: You fold or unfold the phone and accidentally touch something, and now you don't know what you did and why your app is acting weird.

Again, I'm not very worried. Apple is typically very committed to fixing these bugs, especially on a high-profile device like this. It's not a given, though, and if you're worried about a buggy experience, maybe wait a month or two before getting the Duo, and see whether the bugs are squashed out by then. Though, considering the device is backordered, you may not have a choice but to wait.

Claim: The hinge deteriorates after prolonged use

Is it real? Hard to tell

Can it be fixed? Probably not

The crease is there. But you have to look for it. In real life, it's unnoticeable most of the time. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

The iPhone Duo's hinge works smoothly out of the box, and the crease in the middle of the inner display can be felt but can rarely be seen, unless you look for it. But what happens when you fold and unfold the phone thousands of times (as you certainly will over time)?

YouTuber Tim Pan put the iPhone Duo into a folding machine and folded and unfolded it 10,000 times (and an additional 1,000 times at -4 degrees Fahrenheit) to see what happens. Then, the internet took over and shared just the image of a before-and-after, indicating a dramatic change in the crease's visibility and depth.

I haven't folded and unfolded my Duo that many times yet, so I can't give that sort of first-hand experience. But in the video, Pan says the hinge is still "very smooth" after the test, which is encouraging. As for that "before and after" photo, what I can tell you is that the hinge is already visible on a brand new iPhone Duo if you angle it right and put it under direct light, but that doesn't translate into real life, where the crease is nearly invisible basically all of the time.

In other words, don't trust any photo that shows that crease dramatically visible unless you've held the iPhone Duo in your hands.

Still, it's hard to say whether the crease will become an issue after a year or two or three of use. It's even harder to say whether it will become an issue for you; everyone reacts to these things differently. Anyone buying a new foldable phone, including the Duo, should expect some wear and tear over time.

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TL;DR: Lexar's new Professional Silver Go microSD card ($34.99) delivers fast 250 MB/s speeds and rugged 4K protection for your GoPro, Switch, or Steam Deck. Available now on Amazon in sizes up to 512GB.

Opens in a new window Credit: Lexar Lexar Professional Silver Go microSD card $34.99 at Amazon
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Running out of space on your handheld console is pure digital chaos. Trying to download a massive new RPG update on your Steam Deck or Nintendo Switch only to realize you have to delete at least three other games first is a pain. Lexar’s new Professional Silver Go microSDXC UHS-I Card solves that exact storage crunch.

Launching today on Amazon from $34.99, it gives gamers a hassle-free way to expand their console library without sacrificing performance.

When paired with Lexar's RW360 reader, it delivers read speeds up to 250 MB/s — making file transfers up to 240% faster than standard cards. With write speeds up to 180MB/s and a V30 speed rating, it keeps game loads snappy and effortlessly handles stutter-free 4K 60fps video capture if you like recording gameplay or using action cams like GoPros, Insta360s, and DJI drones.

Because handheld consoles go everywhere with you, the Silver Go is built to take a beating. It features an IPX7 waterproof rating and is drop-proof, shockproof, temperature-proof, X-ray-proof, magnetic-proof, and vibration-resistant (phew). If you ever accidentally wipe a file, Lexar includes free file recovery software, and the card itself is backed by a limited lifetime warranty.

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It also includes a full-size SD adapter so you can easily transfer files to a laptop or PC. The Lexar Professional Silver Go microSDXC card is available today on Amazon in four storage sizes up to 512GB.