Blogroll

If you're new to the world of cordless power tools, it can be rather confusing. There are brushless tools, older brushed motors, different voltages, battery capacities, different output types, and so many brands to choose from. Ryobi is popular with the DIY crowd, but you'll also hear people everywhere suggesting buying Milwaukee. And while there's a lot to consider in that decision, don't go by voltage alone.

While I don't have the built-in MSN Weather app on my Windows 11 PC (I deleted it ages ago), I decided to reinstall it to see whether those recent reports about the app using more than 1GB of memory on Windows 11 weren't overblown. And, well, I was indeed surprised, and not in a positive way.

UPDATE: Aug. 23, 2026, 3:25 p.m. This article was updated to include a statement from Oura.

A class-action lawsuit filed in the Northern District of California alleges that the fitness tracker Oura Ring doesn't actually track one's sleep.

The complaint, filed on Aug. 20, states that Oura can't measure brain electrical activity, eye movements, muscle tone, "and other signals measured through electrodes placed on the scalp, leads on the eyes, and sensors on the chin," and because it doesn't do this, it can't track sleep or sleep cycles.

SEE ALSO: From Oura to Whoop, we tested the best sleep trackers of 2026

"Instead, Oura's AI models are doing guesswork as to what may be happening," it reads, "based on improper inputs, and thus taking advantage of desperate consumers who struggle with their sleep or are concerned for their health by selling faulty AI-based inference as reliable science."

While Oura states in technical materials that it doesn't track brain activity or eye movements, the lawsuit alleges that the company still claims to measure sleep stages and cycles. Clarkson Law Firm and named plaintiff Madison Surber filed the complaint. It states that around May 22, 2025, Surber bought an Oura Ring 4 Gold for $513.68 directly from Oura, and believed the ring could provide accurate data about her sleep.

The suit alleges Oura engaged in fraudulent advertising, unjust enrichment, breach of express and implied warranties, and violations of California's Unfair Competition Law, False Advertising Law, and Consumers' Legal Remedies Act. Over 100 class members seek monetary compensation totaling more than $5 million.

In a statement to Mashable via email, an Oura spokesperson wrote, "We stand behind our science, research, and accuracy claims." They also added that Oura is "committed to continuing to clearly communicate what Oura measures, what it estimates, and how members should use that information. We dispute the allegations and will defend against them in the appropriate legal forum."

After seeing several videos of drivers getting out of trouble because they had dashcam footage, I finally bought cameras for both my SUV and my wife's car. She drives about 15 miles each way to work, much of it on the highway, and I'm always thinking about how quickly a normal commute can turn into a mess if there's a crash or some other incident.

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will be easier if you've watched Celtics basketball.

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 categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Numbers for a RB

• Green: Movies

• Blue: Celtics

• Purple: Ballparks

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Stats for a Running Back

• Green: One-Word Basketball Movies

• Blue: Current Boston Celtics

• Purple: First Word in Names of MLB Home Ballparks

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 #699 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• Stats for a Running Back: ATTEMPTS, FUMBLES, TOUCHDOWNS, YARDS

• One-Word Basketball Movies: AIR, EDDIT, HOOSIERS, HUSTLE

• Current Boston Celtics: GEORGE, PRITCHARD, TATUM, WHITE

• First Word in Names of MLB Home Ballparks: CITIZENS, GLOBE, GREAT, SUTTER

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 the latest Connections.

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 Pips

If 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 August 23, 2026

The 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 August 22, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for August 23 Pips

Less Than (4): Everything in this space must be less than 4. The answer is 6-5, placed horizontally.

Less Than (4): Everything in this space must be less than 4. The answer is 3-2, placed horizontally.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 4-6, placed horizontally.

Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 4-6, placed horizontally; 6-5, placed horizontally.

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 3-2, placed horizontally; 2-5, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (5): Everything in this space must be greater than 6. The answer is 0-6, placed horizontally.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for August 23 Pips

Greater Than (1): Everything in this space must be greater than 1. The answer is 5-2, placed horizontally.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 5-2, placed horizontally; 0-2, placed horizontally.

Equal (5): Everything in this space must be equal to 5. The answer is 5-0, placed vertically; 5-4, placed vertically.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 5-4 placed vertically; 3-0, placed horizontally.

Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 3-3, placed vertically; 3-0, placed horizontally.

Equal (1): Everything in this space must be equal to 1. The answer is1-1, placed vertically.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for August 23 Pips

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 4-6, placed horizontally; 5-0, placed horizontally.

Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 8. The answer is 5-0, placed horizontally; 3-1, placed vertically.

Number (7): Everything in this space must add up to 7. The answer is 4-6, placed horizontally; 1-5, placed vertically.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 1-5, placed vertically.

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 3-1, placed vertically; 2-0, placed vertically.

Number (12): Everything in this space must add up to 12. The answer is 0-6, placed horizontally; 6-1, placed horizontally.

Number (12): Everything in this space must add up to 12. The answer is 2-0, placed vertically; 6-6, placed vertically.

Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 6-1, placed horizontally; 4-4, placed vertically.

Greater Than (2): Everything in this space must be greater than 2. The answer is 4-3, placed horizontally.

Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 4-2, placed vertically; 4-3, placed horizontally.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 4-2, placed vertically.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

A clogged nozzle can mean anything from inconsistent print quality to total 3D printer shutdown. While the latter usually involves a long needle and some elbow grease, the former is arguably best solved with a gentler approach known as a “cold pull.”

Modern smartwatches are essentially miniaturized phones on our wrists, and Samsung watches are no exception. Fortunately, if you want to enjoy that beautiful Galaxy hardware on your wrist but aren't keen on sharing loads of data with Samsung, you aren't without options. I have a Galaxy Watch 8, and here's what I'd recommend.

One of my favorite things about self-hosting is that it isn't just limited to running a Plex server or hosting your own website. Self-hosting can actually take hobbies you already have and make them so much better. Here are five tech-focused hobbies that get better when you start self-hosting things for them.

A long time ago, in smartphones that looked very different, there were SD card slots for expanding storage. That’s a long-lost feature, but it’s still surprisingly easy to use external physical storage with your iPhone or Android phone.

I'm lucky enough that my current car has a built-in dashboard infotainment screen that supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. So all I have to do is plug a cable into my phone, and leave it down in the change bowl, or even secure inside the armrest storage, which has enough of a gap in the lid for a USB cable without pinching it.

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 Dutch GP for free with the Prime Video app.

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

How have you coped during F1's 2026 summer break? Have you retreated to a safe space and restlessly stared at the calendar, counting down the days to the Dutch GP? No? Just me then.

The good news for the F1 obsessed is that it's finally back this weekend. The Dutch GP picks up where the Hungarian GP left off, with so many unanswered questions about where this season is heading. Antonelli still holds a comfortable lead over his rivals, but this season has already thrown out plenty of surprises, and we would be foolish to think that this season is decided. There's a lot of racing still to come.

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 Dutch GP?

The Dutch GP is the 12th race of the 2026 F1 season. Here's the full schedule from Zandvoort:

• Practice 1 — 6:30-7:30 a.m. ET on Aug. 21

• Sprint Qualifying — 10:30-11:14 a.m. ET on Aug. 21

• Sprint — 6-7 a.m. ET on Aug. 22

• Qualifying — 10-11 a.m. ET on Aug. 22

• Race — 9 a.m. ET on Aug. 23

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

How to watch the Dutch GP for free

An Amazon Prime subscription delivers fast shipping, Prime Day discounts, and access to the Prime Video library. For F1 fans in the U.S., Prime Video is a bit of a hack. 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 full access to stream select races — including this weekend's Dutch Grand Prix — for free. While the subscription rolls over to $12.99 per month after seven days, you can cancel the automatic renewal function in your settings and still stream the entire race weekend for free.

Of course, if you're already paying for Amazon Prime, calling it "completely free" is open to interpretation. 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 are genuinely spending nothing to stream the race.

If you've already made use of this sneaky trick, you still have a few solid 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.

SAVE OVER $59: The Apple AirPods Pro 3 are on sale for $189.99 at Amazon, down from the list price of $249. That's a 24% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple AirPods Pro 3 $189.99 at Amazon
$249 Save $59.01   Get Deal

The opportunity to get any kind of Apple device at a discount price is always a golden one. With the brand's usually stubborn price points, Apple users often have to wait for the likes of Prime Day or Black Friday to roll around before they can get a significant bargain on MacBooks, Apple Watches, or AirPods.

Fortunately, AirPods are having a moment on Amazon, with the whole Airpod range currently discounted. Our pick of the bunch is a 24% discount of the Apple AirPods Pro 3, which are the latest, highest-spec version of Apple's signature earbuds.

As of Aug. 23, the Apple AidPods Pro 3 are currently on sale at Amazon for $189.99, marked down from the usual list price of $249. That's a total saving of $59.01.

SEE ALSO: The Segway Navimow i110N robot lawn mower is down to its best-ever price at Amazon — save $300+

This isn't the absolute lowest these AirPods have been priced at. We've seen them drop to $169, but this remains their lowest price since Prime Day. And it's a super competitive price for earbuds that boast some of the very best ANC (active noise cancellation) technology available and incredible sound quality — not to mention all the slick synchronicity that you get between Apple devices.

There are lots of rumours swirling around about AirPods, such as the AirPods Pro 4 potentially dropping or the prospect of AirPods with cameras. But as it stands these are the best of the best when it comes to AirPods — and right now you'll save almost $60.

Don't miss the Apple AidPods Pro 3 for $189.99 at Amazon — down from $249.

TL;DR: Watch Manchester City vs. Bournemouth in the Premier League for free on CazéTV. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The Premier League is back on our screens, and the opening weekend showcases some really interesting fixtures.

Manchester City vs. Bournemouth is probably not top of most fans' lists, but it's going to be really interesting to see how Enzo Maresca navigates things this season with a team in transition. The pressure is on after a poor performance against Arsenal last weekend. Fans will expect a dominant victory over Bournemouth at the Etihad.

If you're interested in watching Manchester City vs. Bournemouth in the Premier League from anywhere in the world, we've got all the information you need.

When is Manchester City vs. Bournemouth?

Manchester City vs. Bournemouth in the Premier League kicks off at 9 a.m. ET on Aug. 23. This fixture takes place at the Etihad Stadium.

How to watch Manchester City vs. Bournemouth for free

Manchester City vs. Bournemouth in the Premier League is available to live stream for free on CazéTV.

CazéTV is geo-restricted to Brazil, but anyone can secure access with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Brazil, meaning you can live stream Manchester City vs. Bournemouth for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Manchester City vs. Bournemouth for free by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice

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

4. Visit CazéTV

5. Watch Manchester City vs. Bournemouth for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer generous money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Manchester City vs. Bournemouth without committing your cash. This is obviously not a long-term strategy, but it gives you enough time to stream this fixture (plus additional Premier League action) before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for the Premier League?

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

• Servers in 105 countries, including Brazil

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and usually offers a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99.

Live stream Manchester City vs. Bournemouth for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Lego is giving visitors a chance to build and take home a miniature model of the Human-Human Fruit from One Piece for free. These events are running on Aug. 23 from 12-2 p.m. in the U.S. and Canada.

Anime fans and Lego collectors need to clear their schedules this weekend.

Lego is hosting make-and-take events at retail stores across the U.S. and Canada, giving visitors a chance to build and take home a miniature model of the Human-Human Fruit from One Piece — completely free of charge. It's important to note that the Lego Human-Human Fruit model cannot be purchased, so this two-hour window is your only official way to score it. You could head to eBay next week, but you'll be dealing with some serious markups.

The event officially takes place on Sunday, Aug. 23 from 12-2 p.m. local time at participating Lego Stores (check locations here).

Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!

As with all of Lego's make-and-take events, participation is strictly first-come, first-served while supplies last, with a hard limit of one build per guest. If we know anything about anime enthusiasts, they're bound to move fast. Your best strategy is to double-check your local store's event page online to confirm participation, then arrive 15 to 20 minutes before the doors open so you don't leave empty-handed. Consider yourself warned.

Follow these steps to get your hands on money-can't-buy Lego this weekend.

The glory days when every Android phone had expandable storage are long behind us. The first to go out were flagships and high-end options. The rest of the market slowly followed suit, starting with upper-mid-range offerings and trickling down to lower price brackets.

I discovered the joys of homelabbing and self-hosting earlier this year when I turned an old laptop and a hard drive into a home server. It started out as a simple NAS, but quickly turned into a full-blown hobby.

How old is your oldest spool of 3D printing filament, and where do you store it when it’s not in use? The idea that filament might go “bad” over time might seem odd, even though we don’t have the same long-term durability expectations for the items we print.

After upgrading my Steam Deck's SSD, I threw the handheld's original 256GB drive into the bottom of one of the tin boxes I keep all kinds of knickknacks in and quickly forgot about it. The SSD had gathered dust there for years until I remembered I had it and decided to do something useful with it. So I went to Temu, ordered a 2230 external SSD enclosure, and a few weeks later, I ended up with a teeny-tiny DIY external SSD that blows all of my USB flash drives out of the water.

Folks across North and South America, as well as parts of Europe and Africa, will have a front-row seat to a partial lunar eclipse on Aug. 27, painting the moon the color of a hot fireplace poker. 

Unlike solar eclipses, you don't need specially darkened glasses to protect your eyes. In this case, you can safely stare with the naked eye. And since the next true total lunar eclipse won't happen for most of the Americas until 2029, this is your best chance to catch a major lunar light show for a few years.

But if you're like this reporter and live in an area with perpetual city light pollution — or cloudy weather just happens to crash your viewing party plans — several telescope observatories will be hosting free livestreams to bring the magic to your screen. 

SEE ALSO: NASA reluctantly abandons a space telescope rescue mission

During a lunar eclipse, the Earth slides between the sun and the moon, casting a giant shadow over the lunar surface. This upcoming event is especially thrilling because it is a "deep" partial eclipse. 

At its peak, Earth's dark shadow will swallow almost all of it — over 96 percent of the lunar face. Instead of going completely dark, the moon will catch filtered sunlight from Earth's atmosphere, glowing in coppery orange and red.

A lunar eclipse is sometimes called a blood moon because it reflects light filtered through Earth's atmosphere. Credit: Ernie Wright / NASA's Scientific VIsualization Studio infographic

"It's as if all the world’s sunrises and sunsets are projected onto the Moon," according to NASA. 

If you decide to step outside, grab a pair of binoculars to watch Earth's curved shadow sweep across lunar craters. You might also notice more stars popping out in the night sky as the bright moonlight dims. A regular smartphone can easily snap a souvenir photo.

But if you want a closer look through professional equipment, or you happen to live somewhere outside the eclipse viewing zone, multiple astronomy groups have you covered. Here is a roundup of a few free live broadcasts you can tune into on the night of Aug. 27 and into the early morning of Aug. 28, depending on where in the world you live.

• Griffith Observatory: Broadcasting live from L.A., this observatory kicks off its livestream at 10:25 p.m. ET / 7:25 p.m. PT Aug. 27.

• The Virtual Telescope Project: Watch the moon glow over Tuscany. This feed features high-resolution telescope views starting at 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT Aug. 27.

• Timeanddate.com: Catch a real-time telescope feed with expert tracking animations and commentary, starting at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT Aug. 27.

The main event lasts well over an hour, giving you plenty of time to hop between streams and enjoy different telescope angles.