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If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game.

Strands 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 Mashable

By 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 preferrined pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for June 29 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for June 29 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Hue are my sunshine

The words are color-related.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words are bright colors.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Chasing Rainbows

Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for June 29

• Orange

• Indigo

• Yellow

• Chasing Rainbows

• Blue

• Green

• Violet

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 today's Strands.

Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.

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 today: Hints and answers for June 29 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's The Mini crossword answers for June 29, 2025 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Clever.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

The letter T appears twice.

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter W.

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...

WITTY.

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.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for June 29

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 today's Wordle.

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.

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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for June 29 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Cold sweet desserts

• Green: To wince

• Blue: Choreography

• Purple: Found after wet weather

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Ice cream treats

• Green: Flinch

• Blue: Dance moves

• Purple: Seen in the aftermath of a rainstorm

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 #749 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Ice cream treats: FLOAT, SHAKE,SPLIT, SUNDAE

• Flinch: BOLT, JERK, JUMP, STARTLE

• Dance moves: CABBAGE PATCH, FLOSS, MOONWALK, ROBOT

• Seen in the aftermath of a rainstorm: EARTHWORM, MUD, MUSHROOM, PUDDLE

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for June 29

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

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

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Connections.

Have you heard of The Velvet Sundown? It's kind of like The Velvet Underground, except The Velvet Underground is definitely real, and the jury is still out for The Velvet Sundown.

The band's photos look remarkably AI-generated — too clean, not quite textured enough, oddly inhuman, yet it has racked up more than 372,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. Their bio reads that they are "quietly spellbinding" and uses those odd, unspecific metaphors so common in AI-generated text, like comparing the band's music to "a scent that suddenly takes you back somewhere you didn't expect."

Their bio purports that it was formed by singer and mellotron player Gabe Farrow, guitarist Lennie West, synth player Milo Raines, and percussionist Orion "Rio" Del Mar. None of them has ever been interviewed. And, not that a social media account is necessarily proof of life, but none of them have an Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook account — and neither does the band itself. In fact, none of the band members seems to have a single shred of an internet presence.

SEE ALSO: AI music startup Suno admits to using copyrighted music, but says it's 'fair use'

The song credits on Spotify are also a bit suspicious. Most artists will have multiple people in the credits, but the credits on Spotify for every single one of their songs are "Performed by," "Written by," and "Source" by The Velvet Sundown. There is no producer listed.

"The Velvet Sundown aren't trying to revive the past," their Spotify bio reads. "They're rewriting it. They sound like the memory of a time that never actually happened... but somehow they make it feel real."

Are they playing with us? Listening to the band myself, it does sound AI-generated — the lyrics lack specificity, and the music itself lacks depth. But it's also kind of... fine music? Suno and Udio, two of the most-used AI-powered music generators, have been "churning out soulless slop" for about two years, as Music Radar reported, and if The Velvet Sundown is using those tools to create music, it might be one of the first more successful uses of the platforms' ability to "capture the public's imagination in the way that many of the technology's critics had feared."

On YouTube, there’s an entire ecosystem of AI-generated music. One standout is AI For The Culture, a channel that reimagines rap and R&B tracks as vintage Motown or blues cuts — complete with fictional artists and AI-generated bios to match. One particularly notable example: an AI-rendered cover of Future’s "Turn On the Lights," which was later sampled by rapper JPEGMAFIA on his latest album.

While the band hasn't confirmed that it's AI-generated, it has also done little to prove people wrong. Music Radar says it "bears the unmistakably lo-fi veneer of a Suno creation." One Reddit post says there isn't a "shred of evidence on the internet that this band has ever existed."

But, in the end, there's no actual proof that the band is generated by AI, and therein lies the struggle. When AI music becomes this difficult to catch, whose job is it to catch it? The trouble has led some users to post their disappointment in Spotify for not informing listeners that the band is or is not AI-generated. "We should be boycotting Spotify by now," one person said on Reddit, and another person responded by pointing out that the band is also on Apple Music and Amazon Music.

Spotify did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Mashable.

Facebook is pretty sure you want AI-edited versions of every photo in your phone's camera roll, whether or not they're uploaded to Facebook.

That's what you want, right?

The Verge reported that when users open the Facebook app on their phones and navigate to adding a photo or video from their camera roll to their Facebook Stories, a screen pops up that asks if they'd like to opt into "cloud processing to get creative ideas made for you from your camera roll."

SEE ALSO: Meta AI warns your chatbot conversations may be public. Here's how to keep them private.

The popup, which TechCrunch screenshotted, reads:

"The best of your camera roll, curated for you: Get ideas like collages, recaps, AI restyling or themes like birthdays or graduations. To create ideas for you, we'll select media from your camera roll and upload it to our cloud on an ongoing basis, based on info like time, location, or themes. Only you see these suggestions. Your media won't be used for ads targeting. We'll check it for safety and integrity purposes."

If you tap "Allow," you're agreeing to Meta's AI Terms, which are, as terms tend to be, long. It allows Meta AI to analyze media and facial features and "use info like date and presence of people or objects."

But not every user is facing this popup — it's just a test, Meta spokesperson Maria Cubeta told TechCrunch.

"We’re exploring ways to make content sharing easier for people on Facebook by testing suggestions of ready-to-share and curated content from a person’s camera roll," she said. "These suggestions are opt-in only and only shown to you – unless you decide to share them – and can be turned off at any time. Camera roll media may be used to improve these suggestions, but are not used to improve AI models in this test."

TechCrunch reported that Facebook is currently testing suggestions in the US and Canada, but it's clear that not every user has spotted the pop-up — myself included.

Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Mashable.

The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Saturday, June 28, 2025:

AcrossDetachable parts of a dress form

• The answer is Arms.

Catering container containing caffeine

• The answer is Tea urn.

Climbing structure offered in pet stores

• The answer is Cat tree.

Gets into town

• The answer is Arrives.

Frédéric Chopin or Ray Charles, notably

• The answer is Pianist.

They don't hold water

• The answer is Sieves.

___-jerk reaction

• The answer is Knee.

DownWith some chance of failure

• The answer is At a risk.

Prepare for a new job, maybe

• The answer is Retrain.

Midday Broadway showing

• The answer is Matinee.

Goal of a noted reality show set on an island

• The answer is Survive.

Witherspoon who portrayed June Carter in "Walk the Line"

• The answer is Reese.

Lodgings for larks

• The answer is Nests.

Souvenir from a baseball game

• The answer is Cap.

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

Featured Video For You The Wordle Strategy used by the New York Times' Head of Games

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to the latest Mini Crossword.

I originally wanted to test the 3i G10+ robot vacuum because I heard about its debris compression feature, something I had on the brain after my disappointment with the Roomba 205 DustCompactor. The G10+ also compacts dust, sparing you from dustbin emptying for a few months and freeing you from the self-empty dock. I was curious, but what I wasn't expecting was the G10+ to deliver such a high-level experience overall, especially for less than $500.

The first sign of the G10+'s brainpower came during its initial mapping run of my apartment. It successfully divided every single room, aside from my very open-concept kitchen and living room. The LiDAR-powered smart mapping was even perceptive enough to label certain rooms as bedrooms and bathrooms, because it recognized beds and toilets.

This is the level of detail of the 3i app... Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable ...and this is the level of detail of the Roomba Home app. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable SEE ALSO: Shark vs. Roomba: Comparing top-rated robot vacuum lineups

The G10+ also steered around socks and fake pet waste (clumps of brown sugar). While it did identify most phone and laptop chargers in the app, it drove over some of them anyway. But even the most advanced robot vacuums I've ever tested don't have a perfect track record with cords. The Roomba 205 DustCompactor could barely make it to the right room without getting lost or stuck on a rug corner, so.

But the most surprising feature that 3i tucked in here has gotta be the livestream camera. I've never seen one of these on a robot vacuum that costs less than $1,000, let alone $500. It sounds ridiculously unnecessary at first, but I know pet parents understand the appeal of being able to remotely check on their pets.

You can even manuever with arrows to really zero in on a subject. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

I'm used to managing expectations hard when testing a cheap robot vacuum. But somehow, the G10+'s 18,000 Pa of suction power puts it in the highest percentile of all robot vacuums on the market right now — that's literally only 2,000 Pa less than my favorite robot vacuum of 2025 so far, the $1,599.99 Roborock Saros 10R. There are also multiple suction settings, and you can hear the motor ramp up and see the vacuum move more slowly and carefully over carpets. The G10+ also vacuumed my bath mats without upturning them at all, and that almost never happens.

During zone cleanings, the G10+ automatically cleans in a grid pattern like the Shark Matrix vacuums. The only time I really saw debris left behind was when I intentionally spilled a giant pile of rice on the kitchen floor, and the G10+ cleared about 90 percent of it in two passes.

SEE ALSO: Robot vacuum brands are losing the plot with the latest 'innovations'

The G10+ also mops. IMO, the singular, flat mopping pad design doesn't scrub as well as robot mops with spinning pads, especially along edges. But the G10+ does have a small spinning edge mop that extends to get a little closer to the wall (similar to the Roborock Saros 10). It actually detailed the wall where my bathroom floor meets the shower quite well.

See the tiny round mop cleaning near the door? Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The only "complaint" I could scrounge up about the 3i G10+ so far is superficial. The design is reminiscent of an antique robot vacuum from the early 2000s — it's just not nearly as sleek as most robot vacuums are nowadays. But its debris compression setup renders its curb appeal irrelevant. Because the G10+ doesn't need a self-empty dock, it can be stored under furniture (I put mine under the TV stand).

From reliable small obstacle avoidance technology to a livestream camera to wickedly high suction power for this price range, the 3i G10+ has more going on under the hood than any other budget robot vacuum I've tested. Simply framing it as a Roomba 205 dupe would just be disrespectful.

Opens in a new window Credit: 3i 3i G10+ robot vacuum and mop $399.99 at Amazon
$449.99 Save $50 Shop Now

We have a preference, but this is a true win-win situation. Credit: Alex Bracetti / Mashable

Before diving into the results, we should note that we're hoping to see both of these headphones on sale during Amazon's upcoming Prime Day sale. The best Prime Day deals always include tempting offers on headphones, and discounts on the AirPods Max are always a highlight of the sale. The XM6 headphones just came out on May 15, but we're crossing our fingers that they'll get their first-ever discount for Prime Day, which kicks off on July 8 this year.

SEE ALSO: Early Prime Day deals are rolling in — shop wireless earbuds now Apple has the superior design and ecosystem 

The AirPods Max have a sleek and professional appearance that complements the iPhone’s premium construction. Unique details like the aluminum unibody, mesh headband, and plush padding give these headphones plenty of swagger. There's a reason people wear them as fashion accessories. Our only complaint is the purse-inspired Smart Case that provides very little protection.

Credit: Alex Bracetti / Mashable

Adding to the AirPods Max’s appeal is seamless integration with the iPad, iPhone, Macs, and AppleTV. Pairing is instantaneous. On top of that, any implemented changes (e.g., controls, EQ, software updates) to the headphones will be saved on your iCloud account and carry over to preferred Apple devices.

Credit: Alex Bracetti / Mashable

The WH-1000xM6 look almost exactly like the WH-1000XM5s, which isn’t a positive. Both sets of headphones are composed of recycled materials and have a minimalist, plastic-heavy design that lacks the business-class aesthetic of past entries. Comfort and fit are adequate on the WH-1000XM6, and it’s nice that they fold inward for convenient storage with the redesigned carrying case. 

Sony’s headphones are compatible with Android and iOS/macOS through the Sound Connect app. They also come with Google Fast Pair and Find My Device support. While we enjoy these extras, along with the ability to customize the headphones on either platform, the level at which the AirPods Max operate on iOS is transcendent.

Winner: AirPods Max | Read our full review of the AirPods Max headphones

Sony dominates all other key points, including ANC and sound

We’re not sugarcoating anything here — the WH-1000XM6 headphones trounce the AirPods Max in nearly every other category. There's a reason the AirPods Max have been absent from Mashable's guide to the best headphones for over a year.

Let’s start with the two biggest advantages in the AirPods Max vs. Sony XM6 battle: active noise cancellation and sound. Sony’s ANC technology does a phenomenal job of eliminating unwanted sounds across the frequency spectrum. The new Adaptive NC Optimizer works well for auto-adjusting noise neutralization to your surroundings. Over 20 levels of ambient sound levels are available to hear your surroundings clearly and with precision at high volume.

Credit: Alex Bracetti / Mashable

Refined 30mm drivers give Sony’s headphones terrific balance, bass, and definition. Audio is elevated through DSEE Extreme technology, which increases fidelity on poorly engineered tracks. LDAC codec support streams hi-res audio at CD-like quality on Android devices. There’s also a customizable EQ with well-engineered presets in the companion app for personalizing sound. Lastly, you have 360 Reality Audio for lively 3D sound, though the feature is limited to a few streaming platforms.

Numerous smart controls are programmed into the WH-1000XM6. The physical buttons and touch sensors work well, and the new Mute button comes in handy to silence music on demand. Cool features like Speak-to-Chat do the same when detecting your voice. Digital assistance is just as rewarding for hands-free functionality. Sony’s 12-mic array delivers superb speech recognition for Google Assistant and Siri use, as well as voice calling. A full charge equates to 40 hours of listening time, depending on how you use them. ANC drops it down to 30 hours.

The AirPods Max only have one level of ANC, and it’s... sufficient. We’ve tested these headphones in various environments over the years and found them effective against low- and mid-frequency sounds. High-frequency sounds can be distracting when in proximity (my son’s cries often break my concentration). Apple’s 40mm drivers dish out accurate mids, deep bass, and sharp highs. The adaptive EQ notably adjusts sound on the fly. Personalized Spatial Audio creates immersive 360-degree sound when indulging in Dolby Atmos content (for cinephiles, the AirPods Max do take the edge). Lossless audio is now achievable through the USB-C connector, and it sounds surprisingly good. The trade-off is being tethered to a media player.

Credit: Alex Bracetti / Mashable Credit: Alex Bracetti / Mashable

The coolest feature on Apple’s headphones is the digital crown, which is a multifunctional dial to manage the controls (playback, volume, digital assistant). “Hey Siri” voice activation works flawlessly. Voice calling is top-notch, but not better than Sony's. There are no touch controls. Battery life still disappoints at 20 hours per charge. A 5-minute charge will net you 1.5 hours of playtime, however. Placing these headphones in the Smart Case enables an ultra-low power mode for battery preservation.

Winner: Sony WH-1000XM6 | Read our full review of the Sony XM6 headphones

Two expensive investments — one clear winner

The AirPods Max are pricier at $529.99, but they often go on sale for $479 or less at Amazon and Walmart. You can even find the old Lightning version for as low as $449. Meanwhile, the newer WH-1000XM6 have a $449 MSRP, which is a $50 increase from their predecessor. Our tech editor, Timothy Beck Werth, also believes the WH-1000XM6’s steep cost is justified by their robust spec sheet. The Mashable team (and this writer) agrees. We can’t say the same for the AirPods Max.

Ultimately, when it comes to the Sony XM6 vs. AirPods Max question, we have a clear preference. However, Apple's uber-stylish headphones have their fans, and for good reason.

Winner: Sony WH-1000XM6

Opens in a new window Credit: Sony Sony WH-1000XM6 Noise-Cancelling Headphones $449.99 at Amazon
Shop Now

I recently tested the $2,599 Roborock robot vacuum with a robotic arm, which turned out to be mostly as gimmicky as it sounds. As the self-proclaimed Carrie Bradshaw of robot vacuum journalism, I couldn't help but wonder: Are we running out of ways to make the best robot vacuums better?

I don't think robot vacuum companies are totally running out of ways to innovate. But I do think they need to read the room, and center practicality in the average home rather than pushing half-baked high-tech fantasies.

Some household appliances are meant to be fun. Robot vacuums aren't one of them.

When testing a robot vacuum — an appliance whose sole purpose is to make home life easier — I'm constantly considering how many households could possibly need such and such a feature, relative to the cost of the vacuum. Though a robotic arm that picks up socks makes for a fun little video on Instagram, it wasn't all that realistic in practice.

The Saros Z70's whole "virtual claw machine" thing is more trouble than it's worth. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The thing is, I don't look at every single household appliance through that strict utilitarian lens.

For example, I think kitchen appliances have a little more wiggle room to be silly and goofy and extra. Does anyone really need a countertop soft serve ice cream maker or frozen drink maker? Probably not, but the Ninja Swirl and the Ninja Slushi still went viral for a reason: Cooking and eating are two universal activities that bring people together, and that justifies spending a few hundred dollars on a new way to make those things happen.

SEE ALSO: We tested the most popular Ninja appliances in our own kitchens. Here's what we found.

Robot vacuums aren't exactly curating a meaningful experience like that. Cleaning is something that people want to get out of the way so that they can spend time on the enjoyable things that matter — like making desserts with loved ones. If a certain robot vacuum has so much fancy stuff going on that it can't simply axe the chore from the to-do list, we've kind of lost the plot of automated cleaning.

Where can robot vacuum features go from here?

Evolutions like dust bins that self-empty and docks that automatically wash and dry the mopping pads were transformative to the robotic vacuum industry. But they're not new to anyone anymore — that level of automated maintenance has been around for long enough that it's almost expected now. There are small ways that brands can keep improving on it, like the "self-emptying" Roomba that omits a self-empty dock, instead compacting dust inside itself to save floor space. But in general, it feels like we're just about maxed out in the self-cleaning category for now.

It goes without saying that robot vacuum brands will always be aiming to make suction power stronger or mopping better. But past that, the quest is to find new ways for a robot vacuum to solve cleaning-related problems for people without innovating too close to the sun. Vaguely put, the ideal new robot vacuum features would feel approachable and functional to the average person — not feel so out there that the entire premise of the feature sounds like a joke.

SEE ALSO: As a Dyson stan, I wouldn't tell anyone to buy the Dyson 360 Vis Nav robot vacuum

To be fair, Roborock was on the right track with the arm — its purpose was ultimately to save kids or parents the time that it takes to tidy up a cluttered floor. Its actual problem was the fact that the arm was so limited in the things that it could potentially pick up, and even then, it couldn't very reliably do that. Though I've loved several other Roborock robot vacuums (without robotic limbs) that I've tested, their small obstacle avoidance isn't 100 percent perfect yet. Shouldn't we focus on that first?

Convertible robot vacuums are the sensible way to go next

There are plenty of more successful examples out there of how robot vacuums can solve more than one problem in one purchase.

Eufy is one brand that is particularly killing the game. A few of its 2025 botvacs are doing a cool 2-in-1 bit, combining multiple types of floor cleaning into one machine: The Eufy E28 comes with a portable carpet cleaner to tackle stains that obviously can't be vacuumed up, and the Eufy E20 is a robot vacuum that can quickly convert into a full-sized cordless stick vacuum or handheld vacuum. I haven't tried the E28 yet, but I was thoroughly impressed by the flexibility of the E20 in my apartment — so much so that I've dubbed it the most underrated vacuum of 2025 so far.

Sometimes it's a robot vacuum... Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable Sometimes it's a cordless stick vacuum. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

Stick vacuums and carpet cleaners are two items that most people are already familiar with, and two items that most people probably wish they had on hand. Eufy was genius to mash them together into a robot vacuum purchase, without making the process to switch between them super convoluted. The obvious next step seems to be a robot vacuum that cleans a carpet itself.

Though I'm roasting the arm, I still think Roborock is one of the smartest robot vacuum brands out there. I think I audibly cheered the first time I watched a Roborock vacuum swing a spinning mopping pad directly into a corner and along my kitchen counter. I had never seen such thorough corner mopping with a D-shaped mopping pad that just sits under the vacuum. That's the kind of straightforward innovation I'm talking about.

People really eat up that kind of visible cleaning performance. Take a transparent dust bin, for example: One of my favorite cordless vacuums self-empties each time I hang it up to charge, which means that I get to start each cleaning session with a clean slate. I can see exactly how thick of dust bunnies are being dredged up from a single room. It would be cool if some robot vacuum docks had a transparent window that showed progress like that, or if the app could provide intel on the weight of the debris picked up from a certain room.

It'd be cool to see proof of strong suction power like you can on a stick vacuum. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable Dyson's laser would be helpful for robot vacuums, too. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

Foolproof proof of a clean floor is a real selling point, you know? It's why the dust-highlighting laser on Dyson vacuums clicked so hard with shoppers, despite maybe sounding a little extra at first. Speaking of which, that'd be a wise addition to the next Dyson robot vacuum.

Shop our favorite robot vacuums Our top pick Roborock Saros 10R $1,599.99 at Amazon Shop Now Best if you also want a stick vacuum Eufy E20 3-in-1 $379.99 at Amazon Shop Now Best Roomba iRobot Roomba j7 $321.01 at Amazon Shop Now Best budget robot vacuum Shark Matrix RV2320S $249.00 at Walmart Shop Now

We need to talk about personal fans.

While attending VidCon 2025, it was hard to ignore their presence. As I was lurking around the creator floor, handheld fans were everywhere. At one point, I passed the ever fashionable Naomi Hearts and was taken by how chic she looked with her pocket-sized pink fan in hand. It's no surprise she called out the product when we spoke with her about her essential items. It would be easy to write off handheld fans as a creator fad, but when I arrived back on the East Coast to a hundred-degree heat dome, I still couldn't escape them. At a party I attended, at least two guests pulled out personal fans as the room's AC struggled to cool off the crowd. And while at the gym this week, I spotted a passerby cooling off in the afternoon heat with their handheld fan.

But because personal fans were on my mind, I was still convinced that now that I'd noticed them, I had a bias, that is, until I turned to my fellow shopping colleagues. Senior Shopping Reporter Haley Henschel chimed in that her Gen-Z sister had just purchased one and that they were everywhere at the Cowboy Carter tour. Plus, Deputy Shopping and Reviews Editor Miller Kern stuffed her and her mom's Christmas stockings with a personal fan last year. After we all quickly reminisced about being jealous of the kids at Disney World with their souvenir fans, it was clear that personal fans are the product of the summer.

Shop personal fans Jisulife Handheld Fan $15.29 at Amazon (Save $2.70) Shop Now Gaiatop mini portable fan $7.99 at Amazon (Save $2) Shop Now Lerat portable handheld fan $6.99 at Amazon Shop Now Sweetfull handheld portable fan $10.99 at Amazon (Save $2) Shop Now Why are personal fans so popular?

The rise in personal fan use shouldn't be a surprise, considering the intense heat that the northern hemisphere has been experiencing this month. The east coast of the United States experienced a heat dome that spanned from Chicago to Pittsburgh and North Carolina to New York. It brought temperatures that some states hadn't experienced in over a decade, according to the Associated Press.

Credit: Ian Moore / Mashable Composite; Gaiatop

With global warming's impact, these heat waves are becoming more and more frequent. As Patrick Brown, a climate scientist at Johns Hopkins University, told Mashable's former science editor, Mark Kaufman, back in 2023, "A barely noticeable shift in the mean temperature from global warming can end up turning a 'once-per-decade' heat wave into a 'once-per-year heat wave' pretty easily."

Plus, this year's eastern United States heat wave happened early in the season, providing people with little time to get their bodies acclimated. With the strenuous heat, people are desperate to get cool, so it's no surprise they're turning to personal fans. When you can't control outside conditions or even be certain that you'll have access to good air conditioning, a personal fan can be a real lifesaver, as fans accelerate heat evaporation to regulate your temperature faster.

Their popularity is certainly due to the product's affordability, too. They're widely available across big-name retailers, usually priced no more than $20.

Where to buy a personal fan?

The most popular personal fan models I've spotted are handheld options that come in bright pastels. Most are USB rechargeable, with multiple speed settings and several hours of battery life. There are options that sit around your neck, but they're admittedly a lot less attractive, sort of looking like a pair of not very aesthetically pleasing headphones.

But where can you buy one? Quite literally anywhere. Amazon has endless choices. The most popular options are Gaiatop, Jisulife, and Sweetfull, which are all around five to 10 inches long and come in bright, colorful shades.

Credit: Ian Moore / Mashable Composite; Jisulife

Henschel noted that her sister got her personal fan from Shein for just $1. The retailer is selling packs of fans in multiple colors, clearly appealing to a festival and concert-going crowd, looking for a fan to match every outfit.

These Shein models are surely lacking in quality, in comparison to even the $15 models on Amazon, and raise the question of longevity and the life cycle of these products. With Shein selling these fans in packs, they're a near antithesis to the underconsumption core that's taken over social media. The cheap availability of these products is ironic, considering fast fashion's contribution to global warming.

However, at such a cheap price, it's easy to understand the appeal. Staying properly cool often requires access to air conditioning, which can be sometimes hard to come by and certainly expensive. So when you're in the record-breaking heat, why not turn to a personal fan that's affordable and able to provide some cool relief?

Beats’ massive stake in the wireless headphones market has given the company free rein to venture into whatever product category it desires. I just never thought it would be accessories. Charging cables at that.

I envisioned something innovative like an ear hook attachment to use mid-range Beats earbuds as workout buds. That seems more ideal for the audio company that helped revolutionize headphones. Then again, such an accessory would have made the flagship Powerbeats Pro 2 less appealing, especially at their steep MSRP of $249.

Nonetheless, Apple and Beats fans have a charging cable to call their own. Several, actually. So, is the upgrade worth it, or should you stick with your worn-down iPhone connector that’s hanging by a thread? 

I’m sold on it. In fact, Beats’ USB-C to USB-C cable is my favorite Apple (and Android) accessory right now. Here’s why.

Opens in a new window Credit: Beats Beats USB-C to USB-C Woven Cable $18.99 at Amazon
Shop Now Practicality is everything

Beats gained a bad rap in its early days for focusing more on style than substance. However, performance has substantially improved with every new brand release. Place these charging cables on the list as well.

They come in two lengths (1.5m and 20cm) that are suitable for pairing with your favorite portable chargers or smartphone. Beats sent me the shorter USB-C to USB-C cables, which were fine for juicing up my Google Pixel 7 at my work desk. The longer cables come in handy for charging devices in your car or on a nightstand.

Opens in a new window Credit: Beats Beats USB-C to USB-C Woven Short Cable $17.69 at Amazon
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Expect these cables to deliver a little more charging power than the stock iPhone cable. My wife’s iPhone 15 saw a noticeable boost in charging compared to Apple’s alternative. The USB-C to USB-C version also supports fast charging up to 60 watts. Apple does sell a Thunderbolt cable that produces higher-speed transfers, but it is three times more expensive.

What’s most important is that Beats’ cables are compatible with all modern electronics. Not just current Apple devices. The multiple configurations — USB-A to USB-C, USB-C to USB-C, and UBC-C to Lightning — mean you can have a cable connected to a Microsoft-run desktop, portable DAC, and a ninth-gen iPad. Those are just a few examples.

The most fashionable charging cable you can buy Credit: Alex Bracetti / Mashable

Anker, Native Union, and UGreen all have trendy charging cables, but none of these brands can compete with Beats’ mainstream aesthetic. Signature elements like the B logo and vibrantly bold colorways remain irresistible. The braided design demonstrates sturdiness; a hard tug won’t rip the cable. This accessory is neatly packaged into a chic and tiny box that sits handsomely next to all Beats products. Furthermore, the cable gives flair to minimalist-looking audio releases like the AirPods Pro 2 and Sony WH-1000xM5.

Two hidden features that extend functionality

Reverse charging (aka device-to-device charging) isn’t talked about much with Apple products. This feature lets you transfer battery power from one device to another. Beats’ proprietary cables support this. Plugging one of them into a Mac will transform the machine into a power bank that can juice up your iPhone or Pill portable speaker. I tried this with two iPhones at the same time and witnessed the model with more battery life serve as a portable charger.

Credit: Alex Bracetti / Mashable

The other major feature that deserves serious attention is lossless audio. Yes, Beats charging cables allow for lossless playback on compatible headphones, including the Solo 4 and Solo Pro. The AirPods Max seem to apply as well. It won’t work on all headphones. I had no luck with the all-new Sony WH-1000xM6.

Is the Beats charging cable worth it? Credit: Alex Bracetti / Mashable

Affordability alone makes these charging cables a smart pickup for any Apple or Android user. They sell for $19, and the black USB-C to USB-C version (20 cm) can be had for $17.69 on Amazon. The various colorways leave room to accessorize all forms of electronics, including headphones, smartphones, and even handheld gaming consoles (*wink* Nintendo Switch 2 *wink*).

Adequate lengths, fast charging times, and the inclusion of lossless audio add to their value. The smart move is to keep one in your travel bag and another at your work desk. You’ll also want to consider gifting a few as stocking stuffers this upcoming holiday season.

Beats Woven Charging Cables: Beats USB-C to USB-C Woven Cable $18.99 at Amazon Shop Now Beats USB-C to USB-C Woven Short Cable $17.69 at Amazon Shop Now

A test of a new rocket motor for NASA’s future moon missions went awry this week, with the full-size booster hurling a powerful blaze and scattering debris.

Northrop Grumman, lead contractor for the booster, conducted the two-minute ground test of the solid rocket motor, which was strapped down sideways. For the first 1.5 minutes, the motor — known as NASA's Booster Obsolescence and Life Extension, or BOLE — seemed to be working fine. Seconds later, debris blew out of the nozzle and flames rippled through the long exhaust plume. 

The 156-foot booster kept firing through the remainder of the test, and no one was hurt. NASA's livestream, which you can watch below, caught the incident, starting at about 22 minutes and 17 seconds into the video. 

Engineers didn't immediately acknowledge the issue during that broadcast, apart from one controller uttering "Whoa," followed by an audible gasp. The company later confirmed a problem occurred late in the burn, though representatives didn't elaborate on what went wrong. 

The anomaly, which took place at a Northrop Grumman test facility in Promontory, Utah, raises questions about the hardware that could one day send astronauts into space — and potentially to Mars.

"As a new design, and the largest segmented solid rocket booster ever built, this test provides us with valuable data to iterate our design for future developments," said Jim Kalberer, Northrop Grumman's vice president of propulsion systems, in a statement.

SEE ALSO: Webb telescope smashed a record with the planet it just discovered A single BOLE booster produces more than 4 million pounds of thrust. Credit: Northrop Grumman

The BOLE motor is a major redesign of the ones used on NASA’s Space Launch System, or SLS, the rocket built to carry astronauts to the moon under the Artemis program. It swaps out old parts with lightweight materials and new fuel, giving it more thrust and allowing the rocket to haul heavier loads.

The boosters for the first eight flights of Artemis repurpose the steel booster cases and other parts from the Space Shuttle program. Beginning with Artemis IX, the SLS rocket, sometimes dubbed the mega moon rocket, is supposed to use the BOLE. The plan is for two of them to flank either side of the rocket.

"In order to save cost and schedule, we implemented the Shuttle's proven heritage hardware into our design, but this is being depleted as the Artemis program progresses," said Julia Khodabandeh, NASA's deputy manager for the SLS booster element office. "It's just not practical to restart the manufacturing from that 1970s era."

This was the first demonstration test of the enhanced five-segment solid rocket motor. That single booster produced more than 4 million pounds of thrust, said Dave Reynolds, NASA's SLS booster subsystems manager.

"You can see from the side of the mountain up there," Reynolds said afterward, "it's still feeling the effects of that test." 

The purpose of the demonstration was to test the limits of the motor's design, understand the stress and strain on different materials, and see if the motor's components could withstand extreme conditions. The two-minute test mimics the time a booster would fire during a real launch. Northrop Grumman officials said the data from the BOLE test will help improve the design. 

The new boosters are not expected to fly until at least the late 2030s, and it’s unclear whether they ever will. Proposed budget cuts for NASA would mean SLS production ceases after Artemis III, the first human moon landing since Apollo 17. That mission has been postponed until 2027 at the earliest.

The White House has said it would like to see the space agency focus instead on using commercial systems. Lawmakers are still debating how many more SLS launches, about $4.1 billion each, to fund.

TL;DR: Right now, you can get a 1-Year Costco Gold Star Membership plus a $20 Digital Costco Shop Card* for $65.

Making your budget last isn’t easy, especially when you want to have a little summer fun. It might be a little easier to manage if you replace all those shopping trips around town with one destination: Costco. Right now, you can even get a $20 Digital Costco Shop Card* with your 1-Year Gold Star Membership, and it’s still $65.

Why shop at Costco?

Once you redeem your Costco Gold Star Membership, you can get in the door at more than 500 Costco warehouses across the United States. Your new go-to shopping destination might be near you right now. Instead of running all over town getting groceries, clothes, and finishing all your other errands, you can stop by Costco. Search their wide selection for fresh groceries, daily essentials, electronics, clothing, jewelry, and so much more. You may even be able to cut down on trips by taking advantage of bulk offerings.

On the way out, don’t forget to stop by the Costco Food Court for something hot and fresh. Their legendary $1.50 hot dog meal isn’t the only thing worth trying there.

Make sure to provide a valid email address when you sign up. Your inbox is where you’ll find your Digital Costco Shop Card*, which should arrive within two weeks. This offer is only valid for new members or previous members who let their membership lapse for 18 months or longer.

It’s just $65 to get a 1-Year Costco Gold Star Membership and a $20 Digital Costco Shop Card*.

Costco 1-Year Gold Star Membership + $20 Digital Costco Shop Card

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*To receive a Digital Costco Shop Card, you must provide a valid email address and set up auto renewal of your Costco membership on a Visa® card at the time of sign-up. If you elect not to enroll in auto renewal at the time of sign-up, incentives will not be emailed.
Valid only for new members and those whose memberships (Primary and Household) have expired at least 18 months or more. Valid only for nonmembers for their first year of membership. Not valid for renewal or upgrade of an existing membership. Promotion may not be combined with any other promotion. Digital Costco Shop Card will be emailed to the email address provided by the Primary Member at time of sign-up within 2 weeks to qualifying members. Digital Costco Shop Card is not redeemable for cash, except as required by law. Costco is not liable for incentives not received due to entry of an invalid address during sign-up. Digital Costco Shop Cards are not accepted at U.S. or Canada Food Court. Neither Costco Wholesale Corporation nor its affiliates are responsible for use of the card without your permission. Use the provided single-use promo code when entering your payment information. A Costco Gold Star Membership is $65 a year. An Executive Membership is an additional $65 upgrade fee a year. Each membership includes one free Household Card. May be subject to sales tax. Costco accepts all Visa cards, as well as cash, checks, debit/ATM cards, EBT and Costco Shop Cards. Departments and product selection may vary. (Note: You will see a $0.01 deduction on your membership cost after the promo code is entered. This indicates that your promo code has been successfully applied).

Opens in a new window Credit: Costco Costco 1-Year Gold Star Membership + $20 Digital Costco Shop Card $65
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TL;DR: Get Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows — a one-time purchase, lifetime license — for just $49.97 (reg. $219.99) through June 29 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

Microsoft Office 2021 Professional is having a moment — and if you’re still paying monthly for your apps, your wallet probably needs one too. For just $49.97, you can lock in a lifetime license to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, OneNote, Publisher, and Access. That’s eight essential apps, one payment, no recurring fees, and zero annoying auto-renewals. But heads-up: this deal vanishes after June 29 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

We know what you’re thinking, but rest assured, this isn’t some stripped-down lite version either. It’s the real deal. Whether you’re writing reports, crunching numbers, building presentations, managing emails, or wrangling databases, this suite has you covered.

It’s a one-time download for one Windows PC, so once it’s yours, it’s yours. The full pro-level toolkit, minus the stress of a subscription. Plus, with instant license delivery and free customer support, getting started is as painless as your new spreadsheet workflow.

No more “trial expired” pop-ups. No more surprise charges. Just the latest versions of Microsoft’s best apps, ready to support all of your work and personal needs.

Get Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows while it’s just $49.97 (reg. $219.99) through June 29 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License $49.97
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TL;DR: This 9-inch Wireless Car Display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility can make your car road trip ready for just $79.99 (reg. $179.99).

It’s road trip season, but is your car ready to keep you entertained on a long ride? If you could use a better entertainment system, give it a major upgrade with this 9-inch Wireless Car Display featuring Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.

Just in time for your summer getaway, this sleek system can modernize your ride for just $79.99 — $100 off the usual price.

Add Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to any car in minutes

Whether you’re heading to the beach or the mountains this summer, long drives require a good entertainment system. This 9-inch wireless display works in any car — it just plugs right into the cigarette lighter with no complicated setup. Once installed, your car becomes Apple CarPlay or Android Auto compatible.

You can adjust the brightness on the 9-inch touchscreen display as needed, and access all your favorite apps. Use your go-to navigation platform, stream your favorite music, and control it all hands-free with Siri or Google Assistant.

Audio will be seamlessly transmitted to your car stereo speakers thanks to Bluetooth. You can take advantage of Apple AirPlay to mirror your phone and stream YouTube or other video content. It also supports a 1080p reversing camera for safer parking and a 64GB TF card for media playback.

Give your car a major upgrade with the 9-inch Wireless Car Display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, now for just $79.99 (reg. $179.99).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: StackSocial 9" Wireless Car Display with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto Compatibility & Phone Mirroring $79.99
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TL;DR: Bring your nonfiction book idea to life with a little help from AI with this lifetime subscription to Youbooks, an AI non-fiction book generator, on sale now for $49 (reg. $540).

Got a great idea for a book but no time to write it? Youbooks can help turn your concept into a polished, ready-to-publish nonfiction book. And right now, you can score a lifetime subscription to this AI-powered service for just $49 (reg. $540).

Bring your nonfiction book idea to life with this AI-powered service

If you’ve always had a great idea for a nonfiction book, but no time to sit down and bring it to life, Youbooks can help. This AI-powered service takes your concepts and turns them into a comprehensive manuscript of up to 300,000 words. They even write it in your tone, after taking samples of your preferred writing style to make sure it stays true to your voice.

Whether you’re an expert in the field you’re writing about or just passionate about a topic, Youbooks even takes your own research into account. Upload your own documents, transcripts, or memos to help the AI use facts you’ve uncovered yourself.

Youbooks combines the power of different AI models, like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Llama. It even takes into account the most up to date facts, statistics, and news, by doing real-time web searches during the composition process.

Even though AI is doing the heavy lifting, you’re still very involved in the book writing process. Your book undergoes 1,000 steps to turn into a manuscript. You can choose to receive the finished product it as a PDF, EPUB, Word, or Markup file, and you’ll have full commercial rights when it’s done.

A lifetime subscription provides 150,000 monthly credits you can use towards writing and source uploads. Each credit equates to one word or uploaded source word. Youbooks also stores up to 100 style samples, to make sure it’s always writing in your style.

Create the nonfiction book of your dreams with this lifetime subscription to Youbooks, now for just $49 (reg. $540).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: Youbooks Youbooks - AI Non-Fiction Book Generator: Lifetime Subscription $49
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TL;DR: Bring home a feature-packed MacBook Pro for only $599.99 (reg. $2,799), while supplies last.

Looking for a laptop that can keep up with your busy life? Look no further than this MacBook Pro. It’s packed with Apple’s signature features and is available right now for a fraction of the usual price.

Right now, you can get this MacBook Pro for over $2,000 off, just $599.99 (reg. $2,799), while supplies last.

Get Apple’s top-tier laptop for less than a budget PC

The MacBook Pro is Apple’s most powerful and portable device, which is why it typically comes with a sky-high price tag. That’s where this model stands apart — offering all the usual performance for thousands of dollars less.

Enjoy 512GB of storage, enough room for your favorite apps and important files. A 2.6GHz Intel Core i7 processor and 32GB of RAM can keep up with all of your multitasking. The 16-inch Retina display provides vibrant colors and sharp detail, while a six-speaker sound system with force-canceling woofers gives you studio-quality audio.

This model comes with some of Apple’s coolest features, including the Touch Bar, which provides shortcuts and total customization to enhance your workflow. There’s also a re-engineered Magic Keyboard for comfortable typing and a Touch ID for extra security.

Get through a full work day and more with the 11-hour battery life. You’ll be getting all of this for $2,200 off the usual price due to the grade A refurbished rating, which means it arrives on your doorstep in near-mint condition, with virtually no signs of prior use.

Act fast to get this MacBook Pro for yourself for just $599.99 (reg. $2,799), while supplies last.

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Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Pro 16" (2019) 2.6GHz Core i7 Touch Bar 32GB RAM 512GB SSD Space Gray (Refurbished) $599.99
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Under the UK's Online Safety Act, all sites and apps that host porn will have to establish "strong age checks" by a July 24 deadline, the UK's Office of Communication, known as Ofcom, shared.

The Online Safety Act (2023) is a set of laws to regulate online content. Age-verification for porn has been in the works for years in the UK, first attempted (and failed) in 2019 and reintroduced in 2022.

SEE ALSO: Supreme Court upholds Texas age-verification law

When the law goes into effect, complying porn sites must verify viewers' ages using one of the following methods:

• Facial recognition (users show a photo or video and technology analyzes to estimate their age)

• Banking information

• Digital wallets

• Credit card age checks

• Email-based age estimation (technology analyzes where else the email has been used to estimate age)

• Mobile network operator checks (confirming whether a phone number has age filters applied to it)

• Photo ID matching

The duty is on the platforms to establish these checks.

According to free speech advocates interviewed by Mashable, age-verification laws like this raise serious privacy concerns. Ofcom states it will work with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), which regulates data protection in the UK, and will refer cases where websites haven't complied with data protection laws to the ICO.

According to Ofcom research, eight percent of children aged 8-14 in the UK visited a porn site or app in a month, including three percent of 8-9 year-olds. Boys aged 13-14 were most likely to visit such a site.

Eighty percent of adults support age checks on online porn sites as a way to protect children, according to Ofcom research.

Aylo, which owns Pornhub and other popular adult sites, has agreed to comply with the laws, though it hasn't stated which verification it will require.

"For years Aylo has publicly called for effective and enforceable age assurance solutions that protect minors online, while ensuring the safety and privacy of all users. The United Kingdom is the first country to present these same priorities demonstrably," Pornhub's vice president of brand and community, Alex Kekesi, said in a statement emailed to Mashable on behalf of Aylo.

"We think it's really positive," Ofcom's group director for online safety, Oliver Griffiths, told Mashable. "It's a bit of a contrast with what they've done in a number of countries."

Aylo blocked Pornhub and its other sites in France on June 4 in light of the country's age-verification law. Weeks later, the law was suspended until it's deemed legal under EU law, and Pornhub and is (for now) operating in the country again.

This difference could be because of Ofcom's discussions with people within the porn industry, as both Griffiths and Kekesi mentioned to Mashable.

"Ofcom has consulted with industry stakeholders and has presented a variety of flexible methods of age assurance that are less intrusive than we have seen in other jurisdictions, giving us the confidence to operate within their framework," Kekesi said. "Our conversations with Ofcom have been constructive and solution focused."

However, Kekesi did say that Aylo believes device-based filters are "the safest and most effective option for protecting children and maintaining user privacy online."

Age-verification legislation has ramped up in the U.S. as well. Around a third of states have instituted age-verification laws, which typically mandate that sites with over one-third explicit content require viewers to upload a government ID or participate in a facial recognition scan to confirm their age. In most instances, Pornhub effectively blocked itself in those states. The Supreme Court just upheld Texas's age-verification law, which sets a precedent for such laws in the rest of the country.

Griffiths called this a "global issue" and seeks to build global norms around age checks.

Another issue with these regulations, according to skeptics, is that age verification can be circumvented by software like VPNs. An initial study out of New York University suggested that age verification simply doesn't work because of the widespread availability of VPNs.

"If you have dedicated teenagers who are intent on getting around the checks in the same way as they kind of find their way into pubs and bars to buy alcohol, a number of them will manage to get through it," Griffiths said. "So don't think this is going to be foolproof." Ofcom research, however, points to younger children who stumble upon porn accidentally and discover it's "one click away."

"We think this is going to make a really significant difference" in those instances, Griffiths said.

Looking at the unbridled success of Phineas and Ferb, it's hard to imagine a time when creators Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh had to battle for its existence and integrity.

The Disney Channel series, which premiered in 2007, ran for 137 episodes across four seasons and sparked two made-for-TV movies, as well as video games. The characters became iconic in their own time, and again in memes years later as the child fans of the show grew to be TikTokking adults. When Disney+ launched in 2019, the show soon became a favorite on the streaming service, years after the Season 4 finale. So, the studio asked Povenmire and Marsh to come back for a fifth season, 10 years after Season 4 wrapped! 

SEE ALSO: 'Phineas and Ferb' creators spill the secrets of "Squirrels in My Pants" and the show's other beloved songs

To celebrate the launch of Season 5 of Phineas and Ferb, the show's animated creators (or the animated show's creators) came by the Mashable studio for our Say More interview series. You can watch the whole interview on YouTube. Below, we dive into some of the wildest stories of the show's success. 

Phineas and Ferb was a dream project for 16 years before it premiered.  Perry the Platypus has a rocket strapped to his back in "Phineas and Ferb." Credit: Disney+

On the Say More couch, Povenmire and Marsh recounted how they pitched the series for 13 years while working on other animated series like Family Guy and Rocko's Modern Life. It took another three years in development before the show's premiere on the Disney Channel. 

In all that time, the pair were committed to their concept. Today, they are still proud to say the pilot was "the exact same show" that they'd pitched for all those years. But making the Phineas and Ferb they dreamed of didn't come without some battles — including one over their triangle-headed hero's signature look. 

SEE ALSO: Watch Dr. Doofenshmirtz of 'Phineas and Ferb' sing the hell out of 'Bad Guy' Dan Povenmire's ultimatum saved Phineas' face. Phineas stands on a school desk in "Phineas and Ferb." Credit: Disney+

"A friend of mine told me once," Povenmire said, "that the most amount of power you can have in Hollywood as a creative — as somebody who's not holding the purse strings — is to maintain the ability to be OK to walk away from something. Know where that line in the sand is and just say, 'OK, no, no, thank you.'"

Sharing a moment when he almost walked away, he continued, "We didn't have to use that very often. But there was a time when the pilot tested really well." And yet Disney executives pitched changes anyway, including redesigning the characters to make them "more attractive." After three meetings with such notes, Povenmire had had enough. 

He recalled, "I finally pulled one of the executives aside and said, 'You know, you can make whatever show you want, because you bought it. It belongs to you. But if you want me to come work on it, it's gonna have to be the show I pitched you. Otherwise, I'll just stay at Fox this year [working on Family Guy], and you guys can make the show.

"I wasn't mean about it," Povenmire noted, "I was just like, this is the show I want to make. I don't want to make some other version of it. [After that], they sort of just started deferring to us for everything." 

On why they felt capable of saying no in the face of such studio pressure, Marsh mused, "Probably because we'd already pitched it for 13 years. The urgency was gone. We'd waited this long." 

Still, there were other battles ahead. Marsh explained, "The things that we fought for was stuff that we really believed in. And most of it was about — I think for us — it was trusting that the kid audience was smart — smarter than most people gave them credit for. So those tended to be the things that we leaned into, that we thought were worth fighting for."

He added that fans appreciated that trust, saying, "It's nice that [for] almost every one of those things, we've had multiple people come to us and go, 'I want to thank you for this.'"

Povenmire and Marsh fought for divorce and alimony to be a part of Phineas and Ferb.  Candace and her mom talk in front of a wall of family photos. Credit: Disney+

On the show, Phineas and Ferb are stepbrothers, with Candace and Phineas' mom having married Ferb's dad. This blended family wasn't a problem to Disney execs. However, actually using the word "divorce" on the show was. 

"We weren't aware that the word 'divorce' had never been used on the Disney Channel [shows] before," Marsh explained. "Somebody had said, 'You know, we can't say that.' And my personal situation, my mom's currently on husband number seven... It made that [note] really personal for me. And I'm like, 'Look, half of your audience is living in a situation that you're saying is so horrible that the word is not utterable. You can't do that.'" 

Povenmire added, "They were like, 'What happens if one of our audience members, their parents are going through a divorce?' I said, 'I'm sure that's the case.' They said, 'Well, what happens then?' I was like, 'Then they'll feel seen, they'll feel represented.'" 

Marsh continued, "And we had a couple of really great executives working with us, really championing the show, who really listened to us, listened to the arguments, and come back to say, 'You've made really great points. Go for it.'"

However, Povenmire noted, "Then, the very next episode, we wanted to say that Doofenshmirtz was getting alimony from Charlene because she was independently wealthy. And then we had to go through three or four more meetings to see if we could say the word alimony in the show." 

In end, they could and did. 

Phineas and Ferb was never just for kids. Phineas and friends sing in their classroom on the last day of school. Credit: Disney+

Marsh noted a recurring concern for Disney was that the humor of Phineas and Ferb might "go over the heads" of the target audience of children. ​​He explained, "We had to say, that's OK. We're also acknowledging there are parents in the room, or aunts and uncles or grandparents, or whoever it is, and it's OK that there's stuff in there for them too."

Povenmire added, "Then 40% of our audience became adults, and they stopped giving us that note." 

Looking back on these battles to make Phineas and Ferb the success that it is, Marsh reflects, "In hindsight, I'm really grateful that it took us 13 years to sell the show, because in that time, I think we changed. We grew. Our reputations were a lot better, and we also knew how to argue for what we believed in better. We were much more effective at being advocates for the things we believed in, that I don't know if we'd have been able to do back when we first started. So it all worked out at the right time, the right way." 

For more on Phineas and Ferb from Povenmire and Marsh, check out Say More's full interview on YouTube. 

How to watch: Phineas and Ferb Season 5 is now streaming on Disney+.

TL;DR: Live stream Panama vs. Honduras in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup for free on YouTube. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup quarter finals showcase some really interesting matchups. Panama vs. Honduras might not be the biggest game of the round, but it's going to be a fascinating battle between two exciting teams.

If you want to watch Panama vs. Honduras in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Panama vs. Honduras?

Panama vs. Honduras in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup kicks off at 7:15 p.m. ET on June 28. This fixture takes place at the State Farm Stadium.

How to watch Panama vs. Honduras for free

Panama vs. Honduras in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup is available to live stream for free on YouTube.

These free live stream is not available all around the world, but fans in excluded territories can still watch this game for free with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in a location with access (like Italy), meaning you can unblock free live streams of the Concacaf Gold Cup from anywhere in the world.

Live stream the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup for free by following these simple steps:

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4. Visit YouTube

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The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup without actually spending anything. This clearly isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Panama vs. Honduras (plus the rest of the tournament) before recovering your investment.

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Live stream the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup for free with ExpressVPN.