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President Trump does an about-face with new AI oversight executive order

Mashable - Tue, 06/02/2026 - 20:42

With an AI arms race already well underway, President Trump finally took a small step toward governmental AI oversight by signing a new executive order.

Trump's order, entitled "Promoting advanced artificial intelligence innovation and security," first boasts of his administration's ability to cut red tape on AI advances, while also acknowledging the national security considerations that artificial intelligence raises. The order calls for administration leaders like the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of War, and the Secretary of Homeland Security to, among other things, "design a voluntary framework with AI developers through which developers would be able to" submit new models to the government for a period up to 30 days to ensure their safety.

The order tasks the Secretary of the Treasury with forming "an AI cybersecurity clearinghouse, in voluntary collaboration with the AI industry and operators of critical infrastructure," in the next 30 days.

SEE ALSO: Trump Administration set to announce executive order targeting "woke AI" chatbots, report says

At the beginning of his second term, Trump wanted nearly no limits on AI, hoping it would bolster the stock market and serve as a leg up on China, which is also investing heavily in AI. Trump signed an executive order in December that banned states from enacting AI regulations.

With AI-related safety and military concerns growing, Trump considered signing an AI executive order last month. That was partly scrapped, according to the New York Times, over dissent from David Sacks, Trump's former AI czar and current co-chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Sacks wanted the timeline for the governmental clearinghouse cut from 90 days to 30; when that change was made, Sacks gave the revised order his blessing, the Times reports.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was also instrumental in the new executive order.

Hegseth has pushed for the military to use the latest AI technology, but has encountered resistance from Anthropic, which cited concerns about its use in drones and domestic surveillance. In response, Hegseth designated the company behind Claude a "a supply-chain risk to national security." Anthropic sued to reverse that designation.

This story is developing...

Categories: IT General, Technology

Florida becomes first state to sue OpenAI over ChatGPTs alleged links to violence

Mashable - Tue, 06/02/2026 - 20:37

The Florida attorney general filed suit against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, on Monday, making Florida the first state to take legal action against the company over alleged real-world harms caused by ChatGPT.

The complaint, filed in Highlands County Circuit Court, accuses the company of deceiving consumers about the chatbot's safety while knowingly deploying a product its own researchers had flagged as dangerous.

SEE ALSO: Using ChatGPT Health? Read this first.

The suit is the latest — and most consequential — escalation in a mounting legal campaign against OpenAI that has until now been waged entirely by private plaintiffs. It comes as the company faces ongoing litigation from families who allege ChatGPT contributed to the deaths of their children, and as separate lawsuits have alleged the chatbot played a role in at least two mass shootings.

According to the Florida filing, OpenAI ran advertising campaigns targeting families — including promotions specifically aimed at teen users — while internal researchers were raising alarms about the chatbot's propensity to provide dangerous advice, encourage self-harm, and foster behavioral addiction.

The complaint describes a series of deaths the state attributes in part to ChatGPT's conduct: a Texas teenager who died after the chatbot advised him on a drug combination; a 16-year-old in Florida whose suicide the complaint alleges was actively aided by the chatbot; two people killed in the 2025 Florida State University shooting, which the filing says was planned in part through conversations with ChatGPT. (The state launched an investigation in April over OpenAI's alleged role in this shooting.)

Altman and OpenAI have vigorously denied any wrongdoing on the company's part in these past cases, and they're still ongoing. Mashable reached out to OpenAI for comment on the lawsuit, but did not receive a response by press time.

The suit names five OpenAI corporate entities alongside Altman personally, alleging he directed safety decisions and, according to the complaint, personally overruled internal staff to accelerate a model release without completing required safety reviews. Florida's complaint seeks injunctive relief — court orders that could require OpenAI to alter how ChatGPT operates — in addition to civil penalties and damages.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

Categories: IT General, Technology

One Claude feature solved my biggest frustration, then Anthropic killed it

How-To Geek - Tue, 06/02/2026 - 20:30

I love Claude, but it can be incredibly frustrating to use. I constantly found myself having to type the same prompts over and over again to force Claude to do what I wanted. The solution was simple but now Claude is removing the feature it relies on.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Microsoft launches new MAI family of AI models for reasoning, voice, coding, and images

Mashable - Tue, 06/02/2026 - 20:28

Microsoft used its Build 2026 developer conference on Tuesday to announce a new family of in-house AI models, alongside a slew of other news. The announcements, delivered during CEO Satya Nadella's conference keynote, span the company's full product stack, from silicon to operating system to cloud infrastructure. Besides the new AI models, highlights include Microsoft Scout, a new personal agent for workplace tasks, and an upcoming Microsoft Surface Ultra laptop designed to run large AI workloads locally.

The centerpiece of this new family is MAI-Thinking-1, Microsoft's first reasoning model. It's a mid-sized, 35 billion active parameter model with a 128K context window built for high efficiency and performance, but importantly, at a low-token cost. "MAI-Thinking-1 was designed to be good at complex multi-step instructions, long context reasoning, and code generation," said Kyle Daigle, Microsoft Developer CMO and COO of GitHub, at a virtual media briefing ahead of the keynote.

According to Daigle, MAI-Thinking-1 was built from scratch on commercially licensed data. The company says independent evaluators preferred it over Anthropic's Claude Sonnet 4.6, and that it matches Claude Opus 4.6 on the SWE Bench Pro coding benchmark. Six additional MAI models were announced, covering image generation, transcription, voice, and code:

The new models are:

  • MAI-Thinking-1

  • MAI-Image-2.5 and a Flash variant

  • MAI-Transcribe-1.5

  • MAI-Voice-2 and a Flash variant

  • MAI-Code-1

How can you try the new MAI models?

Per Microsoft, MAI-Thinking-1 is available in Microsoft Foundry as a private preview. The MAI-Image-2.5 models are already live in PowerPoint and OneDrive, and will be arriving soon in Foundry. MAI-Code 1 is available now in Copilot and VS Code.

Microsoft said that MAI-Transcribe-1.5 will be available soon in 43 languages, while MAI-Voice-2 and a Flash variant are already available in 15 additional languages with multiple voice options.

Eventually, all of the models will be available in Foundry and a new dedicated environment, dubbed MAI Playground.

SEE ALSO: Microsoft Surface Ultra is a portable AI supercomputer powered by Nvidia's RTX Spark chip What else was announced at Microsoft Build?

Also announced was Microsoft Scout, a proactive personal agent that handles scheduling, meeting prep, and routine tasks through Teams and Outlook without waiting for user input. It begins rolling out to Frontier customers today.

On hardware, the Surface RTX Spark Dev Box — powered by NVIDIA's RTX Spark chip — delivers up to one petaflop of AI compute and 128 gigabytes of unified memory, with the stated ability to run models up to 120 billion parameters locally. It ships later this year in the US.

Rounding out the announcements: Microsoft Discovery, the company's scientific research platform, is now generally available; and Windows is being repositioned as an agent-native runtime through a new sandboxing system called Microsoft Execution Containers, now in preview.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Microsoft launches new personal AI agent, Microsoft Scout

Mashable - Tue, 06/02/2026 - 20:27

Microsoft delivered major AI announcements this year at its annual developer conference, Microsoft Build.

One of the biggest AI announcements from today's event is arguably Microsoft Scout, a brand new personal AI agent from the company. Microsoft Scout is the first in a new category of AI agents that Microsoft is calling Autopilots, "always-on agents that work autonomously, with their own identity, and act on your behalf."

"As models become more capable and more available, the differentiator for any organization is no longer access to intelligence, but ownership," Microsoft said in a statement. "How does your expertise, data and way of working become a system that continuously learns and drives better outcomes? The goal is an ecosystem that gives companies their own agency, not one that funnels value back to a consultant or the model maker."

"Your agents should reflect how you think and operate, from your business logic and institutional knowledge, down to your workflows," the company continued.

That's where Microsoft Scout comes in.

SEE ALSO: Microsoft launches new MAI family of AI models for reasoning, voice, coding, and images Credit: Microsoft

Microsoft Scout is a new "always-on" personal autonomous agent for work. Microsoft says the AI agent will "understand how you work, use the tools you already live in, like Teams and Outlook, and proactively handle things like meeting prep, scheduling conflicts, and routine tasks without asking."

According to Microsoft, the new agent is built on OpenClaw and WorkIQ. OpenClaw is an open-source AI agent that took the industry by storm late last year. Earlier this year, in February, OpenAI acquired OpenClaw and hired its founder. According to Microsoft, WorkIQ is "the core AI intelligence layer behind Microsoft 365 Copilot."

During the Microsoft Build 2026 keynote, Microsoft positioned its tools as a safer way to run AI agents.

“Agents can execute multi-step workflows locally while running inside an operating system-enforced boundary rather than unmanaged user sessions,” said Microsoft Developer CMO Kyle Daigle. “This reduces risk when agents execute code, access files, or interact with networks on the device.”

At a media briefing ahead of Microsoft Build, the company also outlined new Microsoft execution containers designed to run agents securely.

“Microsoft is making Windows an agent-native runtime, and that starts with the new Microsoft execution containers," Daigle said. "These will be in preview, and it gives developers and IT administrators a single way to create those enterprise-grade sandbox environments for agents with containment that's enforced by the operating system itself. So you can describe your requirements once, and Windows enforces them everywhere your agents run.”

How to try Microsoft Scout

Microsoft Scout is available now for Frontier customers.

Frontier is Microsoft's platform that provides early access to its latest AI products in Microsoft 365. The company says that any Microsoft 365 subscriber has access to Frontier. Microsoft says it will have more to share about Scout as well as a broader rollout soon.

You can learn more about Autopilots and Microsoft Scout at the Microsoft website.

Categories: IT General, Technology

How to watch the revenge thriller Is God Is: Now streaming

Mashable - Tue, 06/02/2026 - 20:21

Playwright Aleshea Harris' cinematic translation of her celebrated play Is God Is is "the first epic summer movie" of 2026, according to Mashable's entertainment editor, Kristy Puchko. Part revenge thriller and part road trip movie, it's the kind of movie that begs to be seen in theaters. If you missed it, however, or you'd rather watch it from your own couch, it's now available to watch at home.

How to watch 'Is God Is' at a glance: Watch now Rent or buy 'Is God Is' on Prime Video $14.99 or $19.99 Get Deal Watch now Rent or buy 'Is God Is' on Apple TV $14.99 or $19.99 Get Deal Watch now Rent or buy 'Is God Is' on Fandango at Home $14.99 or $19.99 Get Deal Watch later MGM+ trial Free for 7 days, then $7.99/month Get Deal Watch later MGM+ (Prime Video add-on) free 7-day trial, then $7.99/month Get Deal Watch later MGM+ annual plan $5.17/month for 12 months (save $2.82/month) Get Deal

Is God Is has a star-studded cast that includes Kara Young, Mallori Johnson, Janelle Monáe, Erika Alexander, Vivica A. Fox, and Sterling K. Brown. It "weaves inspiration from Greek mythology, Black culture, and the films of Quentin Tarantino" to deliver what Puchko calls one of the best movies of the year so far.

While it's still in select theaters across the country, the film has expanded its horizons this month to give you another way to tune in. Here's what you need to know to watch Is God Is at home.

What is Is God Is about?

Is God Is follows inseparable twins Racine the Rough One (Young) and Anaia the Quiet One (Johnson), who are both covered in scars from a childhood trauma. Specifically, their father (Brown) set their mother (Fox) on fire in front of them, then left them for dead. Years later, their mother, Ruby, summons them to her deathbed (though they thought she died in the fire) with one request: "Make your daddy dead." What follows is a road trip movie through the South as the twins hunt him down.

Check out the official trailer below:

How to watch Is God Is at home Credit: Amazon MGM Studios

Is God Is just hit theaters on May 15, 2026, but is already available to watch at home. While we're still awaiting an official streaming date, you have two other options to watch: rent it or purchase it. See the details below.

Buy or rent it on digital

Is God Is officially made its at-home debut on digital retail sites like Prime Video and Fandango at Home on June 2, 2026. You can rent it for a slightly lower cost or buy it forever for a little more at any of the retailers below. Note: if you choose to rent, you'll have 30 days to watch and just 48 hours to finish watching once you begin.

Stream it on MGM+ (at a later date)

While there are no streaming details released yet for Is God Is, we're pretty sure it will make its streaming debut on MGM+. Previous Amazon MGM Studios films like Challengers and Blink Twice graced MGM+ first before finally expanding to Prime Video, so we anticipate that Is God Is will do the same. Based on the timeline of other Amazon MGM movies, we're guessing it will start streaming in August 2026, but we'll update this story when we find out more.

The good news is that MGM+ offers a free seven-day trial to new subscribers. Subscriptions then start at $7.99 per month. You can sign up directly through the MGM+ app or the MGM website, or head over to Prime Video and snag the add-on for the same cost.

Opens in a new window Credit: MGM+ MGM+ Free 7-day trial, then $7.99 per month Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: MGM+ MGM+ add-on via Prime Video Free 7-day trial, then $7.99 per month Get Deal Are there any MGM+ deals?

As it's not one of the most popular streaming services out there, streaming deals for MGM+ are few and far between. The best way to save money on your subscription is to sign up for an annual plan. You'll have to pay up front for the year, but by doing so, the cost drops to just $5.17 per month instead of $7.99.

We've seen MGM+ deals pop up from time to time on Prime Video and Roku for an add-on subscription. Just last month, for National Streaming Day, you could sign up for MGM+ for just $0.99 per month for two months. Keep your eyes peeled for those offers — we may see a similar deal for Prime Day at the end of June.

Opens in a new window Credit: MGM+ MGM+ annual plan $5.17/month for 12 months Get Deal
Categories: IT General, Technology

IGN Live 2026 is almost here: Use our code to save on tickets

Mashable - Tue, 06/02/2026 - 20:20

Our friends at IGN are putting on a show this weekend, and gamers won't want to miss it.

Specifically, IGN Live 2026 is almost upon us. The show takes place on June 6 and 7 at the Magic Box @ The Reef venue in Los Angeles, and you can purchase a ticket to attend if you happen to be in the area this weekend. (You can use the discount code MASHABLE10 to save on tickets.) The annual summer gaming showcase will feature two days' worth of announcements and reveals related to pop culture, with a special focus on video games and movies. You can check out a full run of show on IGN right now, but some of the headliners include Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, Control Resonant, and Jackass: Best and Last.

Interested in checking it out? Keep reading. And if you can't make it, all of the big events will also be livestreamed on IGN's various social channels.

SEE ALSO: Nintendo just announced a new Switch 2 bundle that lets you choose your own game IGN Live 2026: How to get discount tickets

Luckily, getting access to IGN Live as a spectator is as easy as going to the IGN Live website and clicking on the big blue "BUY TICKETS" button at the upper right-hand corner of the screen. From there, you'll have two options: a one-day ticket or a two-day ticket.

For $25, you can get a ticket for just one of the two days of your choosing, so if the schedule for one day looks especially enticing to you, this is probably the way to go. For $40, however, you can freely attend both days and get a swag bag full of goodies from IGN. And there's good news for Mashable readers: You can use the code MASHABLE10 at checkout to save $10 on any ticket, so a single-day ticket would be $15 and a two-day ticket would be $30.

Got it? Good. Now go and enjoy all the news the pop culture world has to offer this weekend.

Disclosure: IGN Entertainment is a subsidiary of ZiffDavis Inc., which is the parent company of Mashable.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Google just made it way harder for scammers to trick Android users

How-To Geek - Tue, 06/02/2026 - 20:00

One of the worst things about the explosion of AI tools is how much more advanced scam calls have become. It’s now entirely possible to get fake calls with voices that sound exactly like people you know. The June Android drop is here to address this (and add some other goodies).

Categories: IT General, Technology

I ditched my browser and RSS reader on Android for these two command-line apps instead

How-To Geek - Tue, 06/02/2026 - 19:45

I like a good, well-designed and visually appealing website as much as the next guy, but more and more often, I find myself turning to RSS feeds to cut through the clutter and distraction.

Categories: IT General, Technology

You'll love Milwaukee's new M18 Striker Hammer Chisel

How-To Geek - Tue, 06/02/2026 - 19:38

Having the right tool for the job can make all the difference, which is why many DIYers and mechanics still use a wide range of air tools. Milwaukee is well-known for its wide array of tools, but it also makes a bunch of specialty items. A prime example is the all-new M18 STRIKER Hammer Chisel (3771-20), which Milwaukee says is the world's first cordless option.

Categories: IT General, Technology

This is the first Snapdragon C laptop ever shown

Mashable - Tue, 06/02/2026 - 19:30

Snapdragon C, Qualcomm's new SoC for budget laptops, showed up at an Acer showcase at Computex, and PCMag got a quick look at it.

Categories: IT General, Technology

I turned a $50 Facebook Marketplace mini PC into the ultimate home server

How-To Geek - Tue, 06/02/2026 - 19:30

Old office mini PCs have been flooding online marketplaces like Facebook Marketplace for years. They’re often listed for as little as $50 or even less, but with limited demand, they can easily be overlooked. At first glance, they might seem like outdated hardware that isn’t worth much attention, but once you install a Linux server OS, it could quickly become one of the most useful pieces of tech in your home.

Categories: IT General, Technology

2 new Lego Botanicals sets just dropped: Meet Woodland Mushrooms and Water Lilies

Mashable - Tue, 06/02/2026 - 19:14
A quick look at the new flower Lego sets from June 2026 Lego Water Lilies (11511) $29.99 Shop Now Lego Woodland Mushrooms (11505) $79.99 Shop Now Lego Floral Decor Perfume Bottle (31383) $29.99 Shop Now

April showers bring May flowers, and June brings new Lego Botanicals sets — or however the old saying goes. On June 1, Lego dropped two new nature-inspired sets to add to your ever-growing Lego flowers collection: Meet Woodland Mushrooms and Water Lilies. Both are absolutely delightful and retail for less than $100.

Credit: Lego Credit: Lego

For $79.99, the Woodland Mushrooms set (11505) is the cutest slab of moss that you've ever seen. It features a colorful array of fungi, from spotted red "toadstool" mushrooms in the center to fiber cap, earthstar, chanterelle, bonnet, and oyster mushrooms. Plants like purple autumn crocuses, plus a variety of leaves, add some greenery to complete the forest fantasy. The set contains 806 pieces total.

For $29.99, the Water Lilies set (11511) features one white and one pink water lily in precious transparent vases that look like they're filled with water. Multiple leaves on each flower are bendable to open and close the blooms. (If you have cats, this is your safe way to display lilies at home!) The set contains 259 pieces and would make a fun gift for kids.

SEE ALSO: Lego launches smart Pokémon sets that you can battle with

Though it technically doesn't fall in the Botanicals family, the new Lego Floral Decor Perfume Bottle still involves Lego flowers — it's so cute that I have to make it an honorable mention.

Credit: Lego Credit: Lego

For $29.99, the crystal-like perfume bottle features a spray nozzle, a fancy transparent lid, stems of three different flowers for some color, and swappable tiles for the label on the front. The bottle can also be rebuilt into a vase holding a bouquet or a smoothie in a clear jar with a handle, plus a straw and a tiny menu covered in flowers.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Apple shipped over 1.1 million MacBook Neos on launch—no wonder PC rivals are scared

How-To Geek - Tue, 06/02/2026 - 19:13

It's no secret that the MacBook Neo has been selling well, but now it's clearer just how strong that demand really is. IDC analysts report that Apple shipped over 1.1 million units of its first budget laptop within the first three weeks of its March launch.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Snag a pair of transparent red Beats Solo Buds for $10 off

Mashable - Tue, 06/02/2026 - 18:50

SAVE $10: As of June 2, get a pair of Beats Solo Buds for $69.99, down from their usual price of $79.99. That's a discount of 13%.

Opens in a new window Credit: Best Buy Beats Solo Buds $69.99 at Best Buy
$79.99 Save $10   Get Deal

If you're in the market for a new pair of earbuds, few options are cooler than transparent colored tech. That's what you get with a pair of Beats Solo Buds, which come in this fun, bright red that evokes the Y2K tech of our dreams. And if you want to bring a pair home right now, you can save on them thanks to this deal at Best Buy.

As of June 2, get a pair of Beats Solo Buds for $69.99, down from their usual price of $79.99. That's $10 off and a discount of 13%.

SEE ALSO: The 6 best open earbuds stay put, sound great, and keep us aware of the world

These earbuds pack bombastic sound into a small package. They come with dual-layer drivers to help cut down on distortion for high-fidelity sound, custom acoustic architecture to give you that familiar Beats rhythm, and specially-positioned drivers that get your music directly into your ears for sound that's customized to the way you wear your earbuds.

They also come in a tiny case, the smallest Beats has ever made, though their size doesn't mean they skimp on quality. They offer 18 hours of battery life, and with Fast Fuel, you can charge them for 5 minutes and get another hour of playback so you aren't left without your tunes too long.

Whether you need a new pair of earbuds for heading to the gym, listening to your favorite songs in private, or just checking out the latest podcasts, you can't go wrong with these fun, brightly-colored headphones. And the savings are the (very red) cherry on top, while they're still available.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Heated Rivalry Season 1 is officially coming to DVD. Heres how to preorder.

Mashable - Tue, 06/02/2026 - 18:44

PREORDER HEATED RIVALRY SEASON 1 ON DVD: Preorders are live for securing Heated Rivalry Season 1 on DVD, Blu-ray, or in 4K. Prices range between $29.99 for the DVD version and $67.99 for the 4K Collector's Edition. The release date is set for April 30, 2027.

'Heated Rivalry' Season 1 'Heated Rivalry' Season 1 DVD $29.99 at Amazon Get Deal 'Heated Rivalry' Season 1 Blu-ray $34.99 at Amazon Get Deal 'Heated Rivalry' Season 1 4K Collector's Edition $67.99 at Amazon Get Deal

Dear fellow Loons, we're having a great week, aren't we? The Fleece drops tomorrow, it's Pride month, and now we have a special treat we've all been hoping for. Heated Rivalry Season 1 is coming to DVD. Here's how to preorder.

With a release date set for April 30, 2027, preorders are live at Amazon for Season 1 of Heated Rivalry. The DVD version is set at $29.99 while the Blu-ray is $34.99. If you want to go big, consider the 4K Collector's Edition, which is selling for $67.99.

If you worry that HBO will remove our ability to reheat our favorite show, same. Instead of living in fear, we can now order Season 1 on DVD. The downside is that we won't get the DVD in hand until the end of April 2027, but consider this preorder as a gift to your future self. On a positive note, does this April release date tease when Season 2 is dropping? It's possible.

SEE ALSO: The best HBO Max deals and bundles in May 2026

During an era when streaming service prices continue to climb at a relentless rate, securing Heated Rivalry on DVD seems like the smart financial move.

Keep in mind you might need to rummage through your parent's garage to find a DVD player, or consider snagging one during the upcoming Prime Day sale.

If you're still taking trips to the cottage by (re)watching Heated Rivalry (like I am), gift yourself or your best friend the DVD version of Heated Rivalry Season 1. Come April of next year, you'll be thrilled you did.

Categories: IT General, Technology

How to get a free phone, smartwatch, and tablet from Apple, Samsung, or Google with these Verizon bundle deals

Mashable - Tue, 06/02/2026 - 18:39

GET A FREE PHONE, TABLET, AND SMARTWATCH: Through June 17, Verizon is offering Samsung, Apple, and Google bundle options with free phones, tablets, and smartwatches for customers who add a new phone line on myPlan.

Verizon bundle deals at a glance: Apple Ultimate Bundle Free iPad A16 and Apple Watch Series 11 with purchase of an iPhone 17 or iPhone 17 Pro on select Unlimited plans Get Deal Samsung Ultimate Bundle Free Galaxy S26 w/ any myPlan (No Trade), plus free Galaxy Tab S10 FE and Galaxy Watch8 Get Deal Google Ultimate Bundle Free Google Pixel 10 Pro w/ any myPlan (No Trade), plus free Pixel Watch 4 and Galaxy Tab S10 FE Get Deal

Whether you're considering switching mobile carriers or you just love getting free stuff, Verizon has a few bundle deals worth looking into this month. It's not traditionally the best time of year to score a major phone deal (that would be the holiday season), but apparently Verizon doesn't play by the rules.

Most "free" phone deals from mobile carriers require you to ship your old phone back for a trade-in situation. But these bundle deals from Verizon require much less effort. Whether you're an Apple, Samsung, or Google fan, there's an option for you to get some free stuff. These deals end on June 17, so you'll want to lock in your new devices in the next couple of weeks.

Here's a breakdown of the best Verizon bundle deals available now:

Samsung Ultimate Bundle

Get the Samsung Galaxy S26, Galaxy Watch8, and Galaxy Tab S10 FE 5G all on Verizon for free when you open a new line on myPlan (including Unlimited Ultimate, Unlimited Plus or Unlimited Welcome plan). No trade-in is required, but you will need to pay a little extra for the Watch8 and Galaxy Tab S10 FE cellular lines.

Google Ultimate Bundle

Google fans can get the excellent Google Pixel 10 Pro on Verizon for free with a new line on myPlan (including Unlimited Ultimate, Unlimited Plus, or Unlimited Welcome). Not to mention, you'll get the Google Pixel Watch 4 and Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE bundled for free. Note that these accessories will cost a little extra per month on your plan.

Apple Ultimate Bundle

Bundle a new iPad A16, Apple Watch Series 11, and iPhone 17 or iPhone 17 Pro all for free when you open a new unlimited data line on either the Plus or Ultimate plan. No trade-in is required. Just note that you'll need to take out lines for the Apple Watch and iPad, which will cost a little more per month for the plan.

These offers are available to both new and existing Verizon customers who switch to an unlimited data plan, which start at $25 per month. We'll leave all of those details up to you. Either way, getting not only a new phone, but also a smartwatch and tablet for free in this economy feels like a crime. Secure yours by June 17.

Categories: IT General, Technology

How to use dynamic array functions in Microsoft Excel

How-To Geek - Tue, 06/02/2026 - 18:31

When I first discovered Excel's dynamic array functions, my entire approach to spreadsheet design shifted. They replaced my clunky, multistep workarounds with smart, self-expanding formulas that adapt as data grows, turning complex workflows into single-cell systems.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Set up a deal alert with Alexa and youll automatically be entered to win a $1,000 Amazon gift card

Mashable - Tue, 06/02/2026 - 18:25

ENTER FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A $1,000 AMAZON GIFT CARD: Set up a deal alert with Alexa and you'll automatically be entered for a chance to win a $1,000 Amazon gift card. Set up the deal alert before 11:59 p.m. PT on June 18 for a chance at winning one of the 100 free gift cards.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Enter to win a $1,000 Amazon gift card Set up a deal alert at Amazon with the Alexa for Shopping function Get Deal

Amazon has officially announced Prime Day 2026. This year, they're mixing it up and holding the mega shopping event at the end of June, instead of July. Deals span June 23 to 26 this year. But like always, Amazon is already dropping prices. If you like the idea of having an extra $1,000 to spend on Prime Day shopping this year, listen up.

Amazon is hosting the Alexa's Got You Sweepstakes until 11:59 p.m. PT on June 18 which offers the opportunity to win a $1,000 Amazon gift card. To enter, you'll need to set up a deal alert with Alexa by using the Alexa for Shopping function at Amazon. Here's how to enter.

If you're browsing Amazon on your computer, head to the "Alexa for Shopping" tab that's located under the Amazon Prime header in the upper left corner. From here, you'll need to ask Alexa to set up a deal alert for you on any product. Once Alexa confirms your deal alert, you're already automatically entered into the sweepstakes.

SEE ALSO: As an early Prime Day treat, Amazon is offering three months of free access to Kindle Unlimited

If you're browsing Amazon from the app, the "Alexa for Shopping" function is located on the lower right corner — it's the blue "a." Once in the menu, ask Alexa to set up your deal alert, and voila.

If you have Echo devices at home, you can ask Alexa+ to set your deal alert and that'll also submit your entry into the contest. If you're one of the lucky 100 winners, Amazon will alert you via email "on or about June 19, 2026," according to the fine print details of the sweepstakes. Keep in mind you don't need to purchase anything to enter, but you do need to be logged into your free Amazon account to be eligible.

Since Prime Day offers great savings, why not enter to win a $1,000 Amazon gift card to make the sale that much sweeter? Just remember to set your Alexa deal alert before the deadline on June 18.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Don't throw away your old Fire TV Stick, it's more valuable than ever before

How-To Geek - Tue, 06/02/2026 - 18:15

An unexpected side effect of Amazon switching to its newer Vega OS for its streaming devices was that it made the older Fire Sticks much more useful. The devices built on the Android-powered Fire OS continue to offer the power, flexibility, and customization that made them popular in the first place and that are largely absent from the newer models. Instead of throwing your old device in a drawer, now might be the best time to keep it around.

Categories: IT General, Technology
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