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Windows Vista is famous for one thing: it wasn't that good of an operating system. Despite being newer and featuring numerous design refinements, it remained in XP's shadow, and when Windows 7 came out, it was all but forgotten.

If you’re a gamer or work from home, your mousepad is probably the dirtiest part of your setup—and you might not even realize it. I know I didn’t, and when I cleaned mine, I was shocked by how much grime came out of a pad I'd only been using for six months.

TL;DR: Get lifetime access to Skoove Premium Piano Lessons for $109.97 (reg. $299.99).

Opens in a new window Credit: Skoove Skoove Premium Piano Lessons: Lifetime Subscription $109.97
$299.99 Save $190.02 Get Deal

If learning piano has been on your bucket list but weekly lessons feel intimidating, expensive, or impossible to fit into your schedule, there’s finally a smarter option. With a Skoove Premium, you can work on your piano skills anytime, anywhere — and it’s currently just $109.97 (reg. $299.99) for lifetime access.

What makes Skoove different from traditional lessons or even other online platforms is its clever use of technology. The app listens to your playing through AI-powered note recognition, giving you instant feedback as you go. It’s almost like having a teacher sitting beside you, pointing out where you’re improving and where you might need to adjust your technique.

Why Skoove is for every learner:

• Smart AI tech — Real-time feedback helps you correct mistakes instantly.

• 400+ lessons — From basics to advanced techniques, updated monthly.

• Learn What You Love — Play everything from John Legend to Beethoven.

• Personalized Support — Access one-on-one help from instructors when needed.

• Play Anywhere — Compatible with acoustic and digital keyboards on iOS, Android, Mac, and PC.

Trusted by over a million learners, Skoove makes piano practice approachable, flexible, and fun. Whether you’re playing your first chord or perfecting your repertoire, this lifetime plan ensures you’ll always have music at your fingertips.

Get lifetime access to Skoove Premium while it’s just $109.97 (reg. $299.99).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

If you've spent any time on audiophile forums (I'm so sorry) you've probably run into the idea of headphone "burn-in" or "breaking in" a new set of headphones like a new pair of shoes or something. Many audio enthusiasts swear by this and will leave their headphones playing music for hundreds of hours in the belief that it will make them sound better.

Vinyl's having a big comeback, though of course it's always had its hardcore fans. It's now been joined by a renewed interest in CDs and even cassette tapes, often by people who were born after these formats were common, but Vinyl still holds its own unique niche.

By no means should "downgrading" your car be seen as a bad thing. Especially in this day and age, consumers are becoming increasingly conscious of many critical factors when purchasing a car, whether leasing or buying outright.

If you work primarily off a laptop, you’re likely already aware of the productivity and comfort benefits that a few small gadgets can provide. The best part is that many of them can make a meaningful difference without draining your wallet.

The widgets panel on Windows 11 gives you quick access to information like news, weather, stocks, and more. However, I really don't like it, as it takes up a good amount of taskbar space and often interferes with my workflow by popping up unexpectedly. If you also don't find the widgets panel helpful, here's how you can disable it completely.

Samsung’s long-rumored Project Moohan looks like it’s finally about to drop. The company’s answer to Apple’s Vision Pro VR headset is reportedly set for an October reveal — complete with a hefty price tag.

According to Upload VR, preorders will open on Sept. 29, with a staggered global launch: Oct. 13 in Korea, followed by Oct. 21 worldwide. Moohan was first announced more than two years ago, with its design revealed late last year — but detailed specs are still scarce. What we do know, thanks to leaks, is that the headset will run on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2, a beefed-up version of the chip powering the Meta Quest 3 and 3S.

The price is looking quite painful, however. Leaks point to a range between $1,799 and $2,999, which is far higher than the Quest 3 ($499) but still under Apple’s $3,499 Vision Pro and Sony’s enterprise-focused $4K+ headsets.

At least you’re getting serious display tech for the money: a 1.3-inch Micro-OLED panel boasting 3552×3840 resolution, high brightness, and a wide color gamut. That works out to 13.64 million pixels per eye — nearly two million more than the Vision Pro and leagues ahead of the Quest 3’s 4.56 million.

If your device takes ages to boot, and you blame it on its age, you’re mistaken. I used to think the same until I found the real culprit—too many apps loading at startup. Turning off unnecessary apps made my device boot faster. I applied this change on two devices, and here’s the difference it made.

Hybrids might seem tricky with two power sources under the hood, but when done right they’re actually easier to live with than a regular gas car.

Color has finally come to e-readers, opening up a richer digital reading experience for anyone who uses Libby for graphic novels, prefers color epubs, or simply enjoys seeing a book’s cover in full color. But with more devices offering the feature, which one stands out? For us, the Kobo Libra Colour is the clear winner.

When we write about e-readers, Kindle is usually the first name that comes to mind. But in the color e-reader market, Kindle has been late to the party. That delay opened the door for other brands to step in with stronger devices. We’ve rounded up the best color e-readers, and here are the ones that stood out.

Temper your color expectations Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mangino

Having tested my way through a lot of e-readers — and now color e-readers — I’ve found a universal truth: while the colors are accurate, they often look a bit washed out. No matter which brand you use, that’s going to be the case. The muted tones don’t outweigh the convenience and portability of color e-readers, but it’s worth tempering your expectations.

Don’t expect the vivid, punchy colors of an iPad screen. An iPad has a max nits of 500 (a measure of brightness), while Kobo and Kindle e-readers max out at 94.

One of the main features that was removed from macOS Tahoe was the app launcher, Launchpad. A lot of people didn't use it and won't miss it, but for people like me who used it every day, it's a big loss. Unfortunately, there's no way to bring back Launchpad, but there are other options you can use instead.

Are you dual-booting Windows and Linux but struggling with a clunky boot process and system conflicts? Wondering why your setup feels less smooth than promised? Well, here are five essential BIOS settings that, when changed, can potentially fix these headaches immediately.

If you have an ASRock gaming motherboard, chances are it comes with a couple of “Lightning Gaming Ports” on the rear for your mouse and keyboard. A "gaming" USB port sounds fancy, but does it actually do anything, or is it just another USB gimmick?

Saturday Night Live is back for its 51st season — though it won’t look quite the same. Several fan-favorites, including Ego Nwodim and Heidi Gardner, have exited. But at least one constant remains: Kenan Thompson, who is now entering his jaw-dropping 22nd season.

This season of SNL premieres Oct. 4, led by Bad Bunny in his second turn as host, with Doja Cat as the musical guest. On Oct. 11, Amy Poehler returns for her third time (and her second as a solo host), joined by Role Model. And to close out the month, Sabrina Carpenter will be pulling double-duty on Oct. 18 as both host and musical guest.

October lineup:

• Oct. 4: Bad Bunny / Doja Cat

• Oct. 11: Amy Poehler / Role Model

• Oct. 18: Sabrina Carpenter (host + guest)

As exciting as the lineup is, the cast shakeup is just as dramatic. Alongside the departures of Gardner and Nwodim, Michael Longfellow, Devon Walker, and Emil Wakim are also out. Taking their places are Tommy Brennan, Dropout TV regular Jeremy Culhane, Kill Tony podcast favorite Kam Patterson, and TikTok creator Veronika Slowikowska.

Column headers in Excel datasets provide context for the data in each column, making the information easier to read and understand. However, column headers spanning two or more rows can cause problems. Luckily, Power Query can help you fix this.

Grand Theft Auto VI is among the most anticipated games of all time — and now, whispers of another delay are spreading, even as Rockstar stays silent.

Right now, Grand Theft Auto VI is officially slated for release on May 26, 2026, following Rockstar’s decision to push its original “late 2025” window into next year. According to Insider Gaming, the expectation is that publisher Take-Two Interactive will reaffirm the May date later in 2025 — only to announce a delay the following February.

SEE ALSO: PlayStation’s 'Helldivers 2' lands on Xbox in historic first

To be clear, nothing has been confirmed. The speculation is being fueled by a swirl of reports and commentary from gaming journalists and leakers. Insider Gaming editor-in-chief Tom Henderson said on his podcast that he doesn’t believe the game will hit its rumored May 2026 launch, though his information isn’t solid enough for a formal report. Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, one of the most trusted reporters in the industry, cautioned back in May that “there’s no guarantee that May 2026 is a sure thing.”

As for what that delay might look like, Henderson suggests October 2026 is more realistic, while PlayStation leaker Millie A has floated September 2026. Either way, fans may be waiting longer than expected for Rockstar’s next juggernaut.

For now, it’s all rumor. Mashable contacted Rockstar Games for comment but did not receive an immediate response.

Many of us fear the Linux terminal and might even hesitate to open it. Why is that? Probably because it’s all text, endless commands, and not a single graphical button in sight. It gives off the vibe of a serious, no-nonsense boss. Strictly business and no fun allowed.

This was another busy week for tech news: Apple finally released iOS 26 and its other major software updates for the year, Google announced an AI-filled update for the Chrome browser, new desktop and distro updates in the Linux ecosystem, and a lot more. Here are the biggest stories you might have missed.