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Google Maps recently launched its biggest upgrade in years, filled to the brim with Gemini-powered features like Ask Maps and immersive, 3D navigation — it can recommend the best parking spots and suggest the top spots to check out while you travel around the world.

But even with all of AI's help, the digital map still lacks in one area: Outdoor navigation.

SEE ALSO: FTC lawsuit: Hims & Hers shared customer data with Meta, Snap

A group of teenagers hiking Canada's Howe Sound Crest Trail in British Columbia recently found that out the hard way. The group, made up of 17-year-old novice hikers, was evacuated by local search-and-rescue teams after trusting a five-hour walk estimate from Google Maps.

Experienced hikers would have caught the app's mistake and come more prepared than the teens — Howe Sound Crest is an 18-mile hike with a 6,000-foot elevation gain, and is considered a two-day trip for beginners. But the novice hiker, relying solely on the map estimate, may not know its limitations.

Why is Google Maps not recommended for hiking?

On city roads, Google Maps combines live traffic estimates with historic averages, posted speed limits, tolls, and other street data to generate the most accurate travel time for a standard vehicle. With integrations across the transportation landscape, it's fairly accurate. For walking, the process is a little more complex — humans and natural landscapes, obviously, are hard to standardize into an algorithm. The app uses an average human walking speed that might not match your own, and while it will adjust that time based on elevation, it won't account for important things like trail terrain or type.

Satellite imagery and machine learning come in handy for urban areas, but labyrinthine trails cutting through woods and forests are often left out, and an area's topography is usually only shown with basic details and minimalist renderings.

In 2024, competitor Apple Maps launched a new hiking upgrade in iOS 18, providing access to U.S. national park hike information and topographical maps to help plan custom hiking routes. But many seasoned hikers still discourage using mainstream navigation platforms, especially if you're climbing in the mountains or traversing potentially hazardous routes.

What can I use instead of Google or Apple maps?

Instead of Google or Apple, try hobby-specific apps. Users on Reddit recommend resources such as Mapy and komoot. The free Open Street Map app and AllTrails have been popular among the adventurous set for years. A recent review by The Great Outdoors named Hiiker its number one hiking app. And hikers can get topographical data directly from local surveying agencies online.

Ultimately, each map offers different information, and most hikers use a combination of them for inspiration, topography, and safety planning.

It also never hurts to have analog resources as a backup. Keep a guide to local hiking trails and a recent topographical map of the area on hand (and know how to read it). Brush up on your compass skills, and connect with fellow experienced hikers to find the safest — but still awe-inspiring — routes beyond your phone.

SAVE $200: As of July 31, shop the Samsung 27-inch Odyssey OLED G6 gaming monitor for just $399.99. That's a massive price cut, saving you $200 on the monitor.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung 27-inch Odyssey OLED G6 $399.99 at Amazon
$599.99 Save $200   Get Deal

If you're treating yourself to an OLED TV, why aren't you treating yourself to an OLED gaming monitor? Organic light-emitting diodes create some of the best, high contrast pictures in the game, so you can enjoy bright, high resolution picture. Samsung has brought this technology to its gaming monitors.

The Samsung 27-inch Odyssey OLED G6 gaming monitor is an exceptional model with QHD resolution, designed for bright, wide-ranging color displays. Burn-in is a concern with OLED screens, and luckily, this monitor has safeguards that actively prevent it. It's no surprise that such an elite model carries a steep $599.99 price tag, but if you act fast, you can get it for 33% off.

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As of July 31, the Samsung 27-inch Odyssey OLED G6 gaming monitor is just $399.99. That saves $200 off its list price, and brings it just $15 away from its lowest price ever.

In addition to its high-resolution OLED display, it has a Pantone Validated screen that reproduces more than 2,100 colors and over 110 shades of skin tone. It has HDR10 and a 240Hz refresh rate, which, with AMD FreeSync Premium, reduces choppiness, screen lag, and image tearing.

Shop the Samsung 27-inch Odyssey OLED G6 gaming monitor at Amazon for $399.99 and save $200.

Google's Pixel 11 event might include the company's first answer to Apple's AirTag. A leaked image (shown below) and store listings make clear that Google is close to releasing a Pixel Tag that could become Android's default item tracker.

Water in a phone speaker is one of those problems that's easy to miss until the audio sounds wrong, and you can't figure out why. Sometimes it happens after a swim or a rain catches you off guard, but it can also build up slowly from humidity or a splash you barely notice. The instinct is usually to shake the phone, let it dry out, or stick it in rice, but none of those actually work on water, physically wedged into the speaker mesh.

Most Excel users know Ctrl+F as a quick way to find specific text or values in a spreadsheet. You might also know Ctrl+H, but probably think of it as little more than a way to replace one value with another. For years, I overlooked how much more it could do. From cleaning up messy imports to fixing formatting issues, Find and Replace is one of Excel's most underrated cleanup tools.

Now and then, I come across a movie that makes me wonder how I hadn't heard of it sooner. This is especially true with Netflix titles, because there's so much to choose from, what with its original library and new, licensed titles arriving every month in the U.S.

If you thought K-pop comeback promotions had reached their limit, Hearts2Hearts would like a word.

Ahead of the release of its second mini album, Lemon Tang, the rookie SM Entertainment girl group introduced fans to Tangy, an adorable lemon mascot who quickly became the unlikely face of the comeback. What started as a series of mysterious social media posts asking fans to keep an eye out for the citrus character soon evolved into one of the strangest album promotions in recent memory: Tangy was launched more than 30 kilometers above Earth aboard a custom-built high-altitude balloon.

Yes, really.

Tangy in near space. Credit: Courtesy of Sent Into Space

The launch served as the grand finale of Hearts2Hearts' "Missing Tangy" campaign, a weeks-long social media mystery that treated the smiling citrus like a missing celebrity. Fans were encouraged to report sightings, piece together clues, and speculate about Tangy's whereabouts before the group finally revealed the mascot's improbable destination.

According to aerospace marketing company Sent Into Space, which partnered on the campaign, the mission required considerably more planning than simply tying a lemon to a weather balloon.

The engineering team designed a custom-molded flight seat built specifically for Tangy's "lemon-shaped posterior," complete with a concealed safety harness to keep the mascot secure during the journey. They also 3D-printed a miniature pair of heart-shaped sunglasses so Tangy could travel in style.

Tangy traveling in style. Credit: Courtesy of Sent Into Space

On launch day, the hydrogen-filled balloon carried Tangy into what Sent Into Space describes as near space, ascending for roughly 90 minutes to an altitude of more than 33 kilometers — above 99.5 percent of Earth's atmosphere. At that height, the curvature of the Earth becomes visible while the sky fades into the deep black associated with space.

The balloon itself expanded to nearly 30 meters in diameter — roughly the height of the White House — before bursting as planned. Tangy's spacecraft then descended beneath a parachute, completing a flight that lasted about three hours from launch to landing.

"Collaborating with Hearts2Hearts to celebrate their latest album release was an absolute pleasure, and the entire Sent Into Space team had a fantastic time launching everyone's favourite lemon to over 30km above the Earth," Dr. Chris Rose, head of project at Sent Into Space, said in a statement shared with Mashable. "Tangy did prove to be a bit of a slippery customer, though, managing to escape before we could bring him in for a post-flight debrief…"

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A post shared by Hearts2Hearts H2H (@hearts2hearts)

The joke fit neatly into the campaign itself. Rather than ending with the launch, the story continued with Tangy's playful "escape," extending the mascot's narrative beyond the mission and giving fans one last chapter in the adventure.

The entire journey was documented on video, including exclusive behind-the-scenes footage shared with Mashable that shows engineers preparing Tangy's tiny spacecraft, fitting the mascot with its custom sunglasses, and completing final checks before liftoff.

It's the kind of rollout that's becoming increasingly common in K-pop, where comeback promotions have evolved into multimedia experiences designed to fuel fan conversation long before an album arrives. Whether it's alternate reality games, fictional universes, interactive websites, or elaborate real-world stunts, agencies are increasingly treating album campaigns as immersive stories rather than traditional marketing.

Sending a lemon 33 kilometers above Earth may be one of the more delightfully absurd examples.

But that's precisely why it worked. Fans weren't just anticipating "Lemon Tang" — they were following a little lemon's journey from internet mystery to near-space traveler.

Google Pixel phones have plenty of cool features, but when it comes to automations, they’re a bit lacking. Still, even with the limited options, I’m able to make my Pixel automatically change certain settings based on my location.

Badge prestige still carries a lot of weight in the sports sedan world, which is why many buyers automatically gravitate toward the usual German luxury brands. That can be an expensive habit, especially when there are overlooked alternatives offering comparable performance, premium interiors, and engaging driving dynamics for thousands less.

Got an old Chromecast sitting in a drawer unused? It doesn't matter if you no longer need it for streaming, there are plenty of other ways to make use of it. So connect it to your TV, update the software, and try one of these ideas to repurpose your old Chromecast.

Your modem is probably one of the least-checked devices in your home. After all, how often do you really need to look at it? Only if your internet goes down, I'd imagine.

When it comes to summer binges, I prefer a riveting series over anything else. In a world where our minds are constantly focused on multiple things at a time, there's nothing better than tuning all that out with something completely engrossing that keeps me hooked.

Your Google Pixel has many clever features, some tucked away in menus or introduced quietly. If you’ve updated to Android 15 or even if you’re running an older version, there’s a good chance you’re missing out on some of these hidden gems.

For a long time, the Raspberry Pi was the default choice for any project that called for an SBC because it was affordable and well-supported. Unfortunately, things have changed. Memory prices have pushed the top-shelf Pi 5 from its original price of $120 to above $300. The low-memory models are still affordable, but the calculus around which board you should buy is no longer quite so cut and dry.

There's a category of apps that quietly run in the background, doing their jobs and making your life easier. You set them up once, configure them the way you want, and then forget about them as they keep working behind the scenes, quietly paying dividends. Here are three free and open source (FOSS) apps that fit that set-it-and-forget-it philosophy. You can set up all three in a single Saturday afternoon, and they'll continue working in the background for weeks and months to come.

Updated on July 31 at 7:15 p.m. ET — T-Mobile has confirmed to Mashable that some users who spoke with customer service regarding the outage have since received a credit. A company spokesperson provided a statement:

"We understand our service is critical to the lives and businesses of our customers, and we deeply regret the difficulties some customers experienced earlier this week. We restored service as quickly as possible, addressed and resolved the technical challenges, and remain committed to providing the reliable experience our customers expect from us."

If your T-Mobile service was disrupted on Monday, you may be able to get some compensation for your troubles.

Multiple outlets, including KTLA in Los Angeles, have reported that some T-Mobile customers have been able to get at least $20 off their next bill because of the outage. One Reddit user said they were able to save as much as $80 (spread out over multiple billing cycles) by telling customer service that they missed out on a work opportunity because of the outage.

SEE ALSO: T-Mobile is giving away the Apple iPhone 17 for free — how to qualify

Generally, it seems that these credits are not automatic, and you may have to personally contact T-Mobile customer service to be compensated for your troubles.

After a major Verizon mobile outage in January, Verizon offered all affected customers a $20 credit.

Millions of T-Mobile users found their phones stuck in SOS mode on Monday afternoon, which led to plenty of criticism of the brand on social media. T-Mobile did acknowledge and apologize for the outage, though it has not explained what happened.

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Mashable contacted T-Mobile repeatedly to ask about the outage and its causes, but so far, the company has been silent. The most recent post at the T-Mobile news page is the company's Q2 2026 earnings report, in which the company saw growing revenue and profits, with total revenue for the quarter of $22.7 billion.

If you've ever used a handheld gimbal camera and wished it could just float into the air to grab a wide shot, HOVERAir built something specifically for you. The company just announced the VERSA, a pocket camera designed to work both on the ground and in the air.

SEE ALSO: The best cameras for vlogging

Most of the time, it functions as a standard handheld camera with a 3-axis gimbal to keep your video steady. It uses an AI framing feature to analyze your shot, suggest where to place the camera, and automatically crop the frame. HOVERAir also says it handles low-light and high-contrast scenes without blowing out the highlights or losing shadow detail.

HOVERAir is introducing VERSA, a pocket camera that can fly. Credit: HOVERAir

When you want an overhead perspective, you snap on a set of lightweight propeller wings. You don't need a controller or piloting experience — you launch it right out of your hand and let the AI tracking follow you around. It comes with more than 10 automatic flight modes, including a "3D Worlds" setting that flies a 360-degree circle around you to create a three-dimensional image.

The VERSA is set to launch on Indiegogo in mid-August. The official site is live with these initial details, but HOVERAir hasn't shared pricing or the full spec sheet yet.

Opens in a new window Credit: HOVERAir HOVERAir VERSA   Learn More

SAVE $404: As of July 31, the DJI Mavic 4 Pro Fly More Combo — which includes the drone, DJI RC 2, three batteries, charging hub, shoulder bag, and more — is on sale for $2,495 at Amazon. That's 14% or over $400 in savings.

Opens in a new window Credit: DJI DJI Mavic 4 Pro Fly More Combo $2,495 at Amazon
$2,899 Save $404   Get Deal

If you're looking to elevate your travel content, vlogs, real estate videos, home movies, or commercial projects, DJI drones are the way to go. And if you really want top-tier aerial footage, the Mavic 4 Pro is hard to beat, particularly if you can find it on sale.

The DJI Mavic 4 Pro is a lofty purchase at $2,899, which puts it out of reach for those who just want to dabble in drone content. Instead, it's built for video professionals looking to up their cinematic footage. The Fly More Combo, which includes the DJI Mavic 4 Pro, the DJI RC 2, three batteries, a charging hub, and more, is on sale on Amazon for $2,495. Yes, that's still pricey, but it's over $400 cheaper than usual.

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The Mavic 4 includes a 100MP Hasselblad camera paired with a 48MP medium telephoto at 70mm and a 50MP far-reach telephoto at 168mm. It can shoot 6K/60fps HDR video on the main camera and 4K/120fps HDR video across the three cameras combined. Another added bonus is the infinity gimbal, which offers 360 degrees of rotation for magical shots from virtually any angle.

You'll get about 51 minutes of flight time with the Mavic 4 Pro's battery, but you can swap it for one of the extra batteries included for longer sessions. You'll also get a fast-charging hub with the Fly More Combo, helping you get back up in the air faster.

While it's certainly a major investment, our friends at CNET (also owned by Mashable's publisher, Ziff Davis) raved about it. "The Mavic 4 Pro is a superb option for video professionals who want to add some truly cinematic drone footage to their image-making arsenal."

It's worth that $2,495 sale price for the right creators.

SAVE 48%: As of July 31, you can get the Kingston Fury Renegade G5 SSD (2048GB) for $379.99 at Amazon. That's a 48% discount or $353 in savings.

Kingston Fury Renegade G5 SSD (2048GB) $379.99 at Amazon
$732.99 Save $353   Get Deal at Amazon

If you're tired of deleting old games just to make room for a single new update, it might be time to look into upgrading your internal storage.

Right now, you can get the Kingston Fury Renegade G5 SSD (2048GB) for $379.99 at Amazon, down from $732.99. That's a 48% discount or $353 in savings.

SEE ALSO: RAMageddon is making it harder to find the best Windows laptops. These 10 are actually worth it.

It’s still a spendy upgrade, but this is one of the fastest drives on the market. It delivers read speeds up to 14,800 MB/s and write speeds up to 14,000 MB/s, so game load times and large file transfers happen almost instantly. And because Gen 5 drives are known for running hot when pushed, Kingston designed this one with a specialized thermal layout (a 6nm controller and a 12-layer PCB) to help manage heat and prevent the drive from throttling under heavy workloads.

That said, there is one thing you should know before buying: it uses the standard M.2 2280 form factor and works with older Gen 3 and Gen 4 systems, but you need a motherboard that supports PCIe 5.0 to reach the advertised 14,000 MB/s speeds.

SAVE 44%: As of July 31, you can get a 27-inch LG Ultragear OLED gaming monitor (27GS93QE) for $499.99 at Amazon. That's a 44% discount or $400 in savings.

27-inch LG Ultragear OLED Gaming Monitor $499.99 at Amazon
$899.99 Save $400   Get Deal at Amazon Get Deal at Best Buy

If you've been wanting an OLED monitor but refuse to pay OLED prices, today is your day. Amazon just knocked 44% off the 27-inch LG UltraGear OLED gaming monitor, bringing it down to $499.99. That's a record-low price.

SEE ALSO: The best TVs of 2026 so far: RGB TVs were the talk of CES, but they're not the only exciting releases

OLED screens are notorious for being expensive, but they're also genuinely worth it if you care about picture quality. Because this monitor features VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400, the blacks actually look black, not that washed-out dark gray you get on standard screens. It also has a 240Hz refresh rate and a 0.03ms response time, which is just a fancy way of saying your games will run super fast without tearing or lag.

A few other nice-to-have features: the screen is anti-glare, and the stand lets you adjust the height, tilt, and pivot to match your setup. Plus, LG includes a two-year warranty that covers the OLED panel itself.