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TL;DR: VibeFarm Studio helps you compose, organize, and export clean prompts to any AI tool — turning your best ideas into reusable assets for life, just $99.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: VibeFarm VibeFarm - AI Prompt Composition Workspace: Lifetime Subscription (Studio Plan) $99.99
$539 Save $439.01   Get Deal

Anyone who uses AI regularly already knows the real work isn’t the output — it’s crafting the prompt that gets you there. VibeFarm Studio isn’t another AI generator. It’s a prompt composition workspace designed to help you build structured prompts you can export directly into tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney, Sora, Runway, Stable Diffusion, and more.

Currently, lifetime access to the Studio Plan is available for a limited time with just one $99.99 payment (reg. $539).

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Instead of digging through chat history trying to recreate something that worked once, VibeFarm lets you build prompts in organized layers. You can refine wording with interactive tools, experiment with variations, and save complete setups as reusable “VibeCards.” Think of it as turning one-off AI wins into repeatable systems.

The Studio Plan includes access to 10,000+ premium prompts to jumpstart projects. You can also use palettes and realism stacks to quickly apply style, lighting, tone, and mood. When you’re ready, export clean text to your AI tool of choice.

For creators, product teams, and AI power users, this is about consistency. You’re not generating outputs here — you’re building a reliable foundation for better results across platforms.

If AI is part of your daily workflow, VibeFarm helps you stop improvising and start systemizing.

Get lifetime access to VibeFarm Studio’s Studio Plan for just $99.99 payment (reg. $539).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

If you hop on GTA Online right now, you might run into Ned Luke on the streets of Los Santos. Not just Michael De Santa, the ex-con dad he portrayed in the game, but actual Ned Luke, the actor, in the pixelated flesh as his own player character. Mind your step, by the way: He hasn't quite mastered the Oppressor MK II yet.

It's been more than a decade since Luke, 67, sealed his place in gaming mythology as a Grand Theft Auto V protagonist, and in this era of his career, he's embarked on a side quest of sorts: streaming to an audience of over 3.7 million across TikTok, YouTube, and Twitch. He mainly plays GTA Online, the multiplayer portion of Rockstar Games' bestseller, though he branches out to other popular AAA titles on occasion. His Uncharted 4 playthrough featured his good friend Nolan North, the actor who played Nathan Drake in the Naughty Dog series.

Credit: Zooey Liao / Mashable composite; Asus / Ned Luke

Luke sees streaming as a way to salute and connect with his longtime fans, whom he speaks of with deep gratitude. "I adore my fans, I really do," he told me over a video call last fall. "I appreciate 'em because I believe that the fans are the game. If you don't have the fans, you've got nothing."

For many of them, Luke's broadcasts and stream highlight reels evoke a nostalgic thrill. There's something delightfully meta about seeing the star of your favorite game play that very game. "You made my childhood man, and I love to see that you are still involved in this great journey that Gta 5 has been," wrote one YouTube commenter. "keep it up as always boss[.]"

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Luke doesn't consider himself a lifelong gamer, as he spent most of his youth playing sports and riding horses, though he recalled playing Atari's Pong as a sophomore in high school. He finally caught the gaming bug amid the release of the first PlayStation and Xbox consoles: "I got very into it."

He had played every prior GTA game by the time he landed the role of Michael de Santa in 2013's GTA V, a gig he was dead set on booking as soon as he read the audition material.

PC gaming and streaming are much newer hobbies for Luke. He got his first gaming PC in 2021 after recovering from a life-threatening bout of COVID pneumonia — a "screw you, I'm still alive" sort of thing — and his son planted the idea of streaming in his head. Luke figured he could leverage the sizable social media following that Michael had built him over the years. The only problem: He didn't know how to use any of his gear.

It wasn't until 2023 that Luke decided to get his act together and stream an entire playthrough of GTA V in honor of its tenth anniversary. He wound up buying an entirely new PC from his local Micro Center for the occasion — his first build was already outdated, he said — and he invited two of the store's employees over to show him how it worked.

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Those first five streams were "rough," Luke remembered. First he couldn't figure out how to get his full TikTok streams on YouTube. Then his internet started getting unusably laggy. (He wound up running a giant ethernet cable out to his "barn," the shed-studio that houses his streaming setup and DIY voice booth.) But he stuck with it. Eventually, Luke said, "I learned stuff that I never learned before, that I didn't know, and it [streaming] just took off."

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Luke likes to joke that his boomer status makes him technically inept, but few boomers I know have such elaborate streaming and gaming setups. He has an advantage in being a brand partner for Asus since late 2024, a gig that has given him extensive access to the company's Republic of Gamers hardware — and enabled a chronic case of upgrade-itis. [Editor's note: Asus is not a sponsor of this story.] Still, Luke is very picky about the products he plugs and plays on.

"I don't attach my name to something that's not good," he said. "Not because I'm like, 'Oh, well, you're so righteous.' ... If somebody buys something on my recommendation, I don't want them going, 'This thing sucks.'"

Here's a rundown of all the PC gaming equipment, streaming gear, and content creation essentials that have managed to earn Luke's five-star seal of approval.

A soon-to-be-upgraded gaming desktop Opens in a new window Credit: Asus Asus ROG Crosshair X870E Hero $599.99 at Amazon
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Luke's current rig features a ROG Crosshair X870E Hero motherboard with an Intel Core i9 CPU, Nvidia's RTX 4090 GPU, 64GB of memory, and four terabytes of storage. He plans to upgrade it before Grand Theft Auto IV comes out this November (barring any more delays). "I would imagine that the gameplay is gonna be off the charts," he said. "I've got to have a 5090 [GPU] for that." He's mulling the idea of building a new PC from scratch on a livestream, Henry Cavill-style.

"I think fans would love to see me build a computer, because I'm a boomer, and I don't know what I'm doing, and I know I'd probably blow it up at least three or four times," he joked.

A beefy PlayStation console Opens in a new window Credit: Sony PlayStation 5 Pro $749 at Best Buy
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Luke switches from his PC to his PlayStation 5 Pro whenever hackers and modders mess with him in GTA Online. (They're much rarer on console.) It's the only system that's taken up permanent residence in his barn, but he has countless others stashed in a dedicated game room in his house. It's a museum-worthy collection — everything from the original PlayStation to the Nintendo Game Boy and the Xbox 360. One of the only gaming consoles he doesn't currently own is a Wii: "I got rid of the Wii when one of the [controllers] flew through the wall," he said.

Luke doesn't believe in console loyalties ("You can't play Mario Kart on the PS5, right?") but he'll probably always hang onto his PS2. That's what he still uses to play 2001's SSX Tricky, his favorite video game of all time.

A trio of OLED gaming monitors Opens in a new window Credit: Asus Asus 27-inch ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM $1,199 at Amazon
  Shop Now Opens in a new window Credit: Asus Asus 32-inch ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDM $1,299 at Amazon
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Luke's setup is fronted by three 240Hz 4K OLED monitors from the esports-tier ROG Swift line. He plays on a 32-inch model in the middle — a "beast," he said — which is flanked by two 27-inch models displaying a suite of livestreaming software.

Luke has his right-side monitor oriented in portrait mode. He puts his Twitch chat on the top half of it ("I need to be able to see stuff big"). Below that, he runs the Camera Hub app for his Elgato webcam ("I just like looking at myself"). The other 27-inch monitor to his left stays in landscape mode. He uses it to pull up OBS Studio, a livestreaming app that he integrates with Restream, a platform that lets him simultaneously broadcast on Twitch, TikTok, and YouTube. He also puts his actual feeds onscreen to make sure they're working.

A responsive pro controller Opens in a new window Credit: Asus Asus ROG Raikiri II Wireless Controller $189.99 at Best Buy
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Luke has a ROG Harpe Ace Extreme gaming mouse and a ROG Azoth Extreme keyboard in his possession, but he prefers playing with a controller. He recently picked up a ROG Raikiri II to use with his PC and Xbox. It has a 1,000Hz polling rate so it's "unbelievably fast," he said.

A lightweight gaming headset Opens in a new window Credit: Asus Asus ROG Delta II Gaming Headset $259.99 at Best Buy
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When it comes to headsets, Luke will often use "whatever is laying around" (or whatever he remembers to charge). Sometimes that's a Razer headset, sometimes it's a Turtle Beach headset, but lately, it's usually the ROG Delta II. He just upgraded to it from the ROG Delta S; it has a much longer battery life, a detachable mic, and RGB lighting.

Ever coveting the latest and greatest, Luke plans on adding Asus' new audiophile-oriented ROG Kitharas to his roster soon.

A popular creator mic Opens in a new window Credit: Logitech Logitech Blue Yeti USB Microphone $139.99 at Amazon
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Luke said he uses a "crazy" high-end Lauten mic for his voice booth, which was recommended to him by a neighbor's son who works for a major music retailer. But for streaming, he uses one of Logitech's "really good" Blue Yeti mics. His is the standard plug-and-play USB model with four pickup patterns.

A supercharged gaming tablet Opens in a new window Credit: Asus Asus ROG Flow Z13 (AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395, AMD RDNA 3.5 Graphics, 128GB RAM, 1TB SSD) $2,799.99 at Best Buy
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Luke doesn't stop gaming when he's traveling, and he counts his ROG Flow Z13 as a must-pack for trips to comic cons and fan expos. (He once pulled an all-nighter in a Lithuanian hotel room playing MLB: The Show on it.) The detachable gaming tablet is "without question" the most beloved gadget he owns, he said. "I take it on the road with me ... and just ball out."

Luke owns the new special-edition Flow Z13 that Asus designed in partnership with Kojima Productions, which has gold accents, a high-end AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 processor, and a hulking 128GB of RAM. It's "an animal," he said. Last year's standard black version is available with the same specs.

Luke has mulled the idea of getting a ROG XG Mobile graphics dock with an RTX 5090 GPU to pair with the Flow Z13, but it's stuck on his wishlist for now. It's partly because he finds the device powerful enough on its own, but it's also because he's running out of room on his desk, he said.

A more compact mobile gaming setup Opens in a new window Credit: Asus Asus ROG Tessen Mobile Gaming Controller $129.99 at Amazon
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Luke plays on a ROG Phone 9 Pro during flights and other on-the-go gaming scenarios. He pairs it with an ROG Tessen mobile controller and the ROG AeroActive Cooler X Pro, a cooling accessory with a built-in subwoofer that hooks on the back of the phone. Luke actually owns two AeroActive Cooler X Pros, so he has a spare to stash in his Jeep — that way, he's got one on hand when he goes out on his boat. Yes, Michael finally got his boat back.

The snazzy new ROG Xbox Ally handhelds Opens in a new window Credit: Asus Asus ROG Xbox Ally (AMD Ryzen Z2 A, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) $599.99 at Amazon
  Shop Now Opens in a new window Credit: Asus Asus ROG Xbox Ally X (AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD) $999.99 at Best Buy
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Asus and Microsoft's new handheld gaming consoles are two of the newer additions to Luke's arsenal. "They are just monsters," he said. "It really is like having an Xbox in your hands." He finds them more comfortable to use than other handhelds because they have console-style controller grips, "so my boomer hands don’t get tired playing on it."

A drone for shooting unboxing videos Opens in a new window Credit: Snaptain Snaptain P40 Lite 3-Axis Gimbal 4K Camera Drone $449.99 at Best Buy
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Luke likes to record unboxing videos whenever he gets a new gadget, but "I don't think they're normal unboxings," he said. Others he's watched are basic package-opening clips with bland AI voiceovers, but "I try to make stories when I do them," he explained. He picked up a Snapdragon P40 Lite drone to capture cool overhead shots and outdoor footage.

An iPhone for recording Cameos Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple iPhone 16 Pro (128GB) $899.99 at Best Buy
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Luke is on Cameo, an app that lets users commission videos from celebrities and influencers. He records his on his iPhone 16 Pro.

What makes a good Cameo video? For Luke, it's "one that is not bullshit. ... It's organic." He likes doing his videos off-the-cuff rather than scripting them, and he usually riffs on some of Michael's lines from GTA V, knowing that fans want to see him in character. He encourages birthday celebrants to hit up the Vanilla Unicorn, one of the game's fictional strip clubs, and ends most videos with a plea to "stop firing rockets at my house!"

Luke especially enjoys Cameo requests that ask him to roast someone. "I don't really have much of a filter unless I look at the age [of the recipient]," he said. He only has two rules for making Cameos: no promotions, and no videos for kids younger than 12 or 13.

Discord Opens in a new window Credit: Discord Discord   Learn More

Luke runs a Discord server that's open for fans to join. Sometimes, he pops in after livestreams for impromptu Q&As. "It's a very safe place for these guys to go and hang out and make friends," he said, adding that its members hail from around the world. "It's kind of cool that way."

Luke is amazed by GTA V's continuing impact on much of its playerbase. At most of the comic cons he attends, at least one fan gets emotional when they meet, he said. Some have told him he's saved their lives.

"I was like, 'You gave me a little too much credit,'" Luke said. Still, he acknowledges his medium's ability to transport players to places beyond reality, pulling them out of potentially dark places. "That's what video games are, you know?" he said. "It's a place where you can go and escape."

TL;DR: Live stream the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 for free on ICC.TV. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The best international T20 teams are in India and Sri Lanka to compete for the T20 World Cup. This competition always delivers incredible drama and huge performances from the best players in the world, and this edition in no different.

New Zealand, India, South Africa, and England are set to fight it out in the latter stages. Those teams were the pre-tournament favorites, but this electric form of the game is always unpredictable. We can't wait to watch the top teams come together this week to battle it out for the trophy.

If you want to watch the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

What is the T20 World Cup?

The ICC Men's T20 World Cup is a Twenty20 International cricket tournament organised by the International Cricket Council. The event is generally held every two years. India are the defending champions.

In 2026, 20 teams will compete in 55 matches across five venues. The 20 qualifying teams are divided into four groups of five. In the group stage, each team will play four matches in a round-robin format, with the top two teams in each group advancing to the Super 8 stage. At this point, teams will be placed into two groups of four, and will play three matches. The top two teams in each group will advance to the knockout stage.

When is the 2026 T20 World Cup?

The 2026 T20 World Cup is the 10th edition of the competition. This year's event takes place from Feb. 7 to March 8.

How to watch the 2026 T20 World Cup for free

The 2026 T20 Cricket World Cup is available to live stream for free on ICC.TV.

This free live stream on ICC.TV is only available in select regions (see full list of territories here), but anyone can live stream the T20 Cricket World Cup for free with a VPN. These helpful tools can hide your IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in a location with free access. This simple process bypasses geo-restrictions so you can live stream on ICC.TV from anywhere in the world.

Access free T20 Cricket World Cup live streams by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in a location with access

4. Visit ICC.TV

5. Watch the 2026 T20 Cricket World Cup for free from anywhere in the world

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

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch every game from the 2026 T20 Cricket World Cup before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming platforms from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for ICC.TV?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on ICC.TV, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

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

Watch the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup 2026 for free with ExpressVPN.

SAVE $40: As of March 3, the Amazon Fire TV 40-inch 2-Series is on sale for $209.98 at Amazon. That's a 16% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Fire TV 2-Series $209.98 at Amazon
$249.99 Save $40.01   Get Deal

The Amazon Fire TV 40-inch 2-Series is back on sale, and it’s down to its best-ever price. As of March 3, you can make the newest model of this TV yours for just $209.98. Who said a new TV needs to cost a fortune?

The Fire TV 2-Series is a great option for everyday streaming. With it, you’ll get Full HD 1080p picture quality and powerful performance thanks to the quad-core processor with WiFi 6 support.

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This Amazon TV comes with Alexa built-in. This handy voice assistant lets you search for content, control smart home devices, or ask it to play music. The Fire TV operating system also makes it easy to find your favorite TV shows and movies, as well as placing all your apps in the same place. From Netflix to gaming apps like Luna, it’s easy to use. Not to mention, you’ll have access to Amazon’s library of over 400,000 episodes of free, ad-supported content.

It also comes with clever features like Omnisense technology. This makes the screen come to life when you enter the room. Clever, right?

Get this TV deal at Amazon now.

SAVE $350: As of March 3, the Shark AV2501AE AI robot vacuum is on sale for $299.99 at Amazon. That's a 54% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Shark Shark AV2501AE AI $299.99 at Amazon
$649.99 Save $350   Get Deal

Robot vacuums are one of the greatest inventions in recent history, and they just keep getting better. Most models these days have self-emptying capacities, smart functions that avoid obstacles, and even pet hair stands no chance against these advanced machines. 

And if you’ve been hoping to treat yourself to a robot vacuum, as of March 3, you can find a great deal on the Shark AV2501AE AI at Amazon. This model is currently down to $299 from $649, saving you $350 on list price.

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Robot vacuum prices often trend in the high hundreds of dollars, so for under $300 this model from Shark is a real steal. It maps your home using 360° LiDAR technology, allowing it to clean methodically while detecting and avoiding obstacles like shoes or furniture. It also has a bagless design and a self-emptying base. Here it can hold up to 60 days of dirt, while HEPA filtration captures 99.97% of dust and allergens. If you have pets at home, the self-cleaning brush roll will become your new best friend — say goodbye to vacuum hair tangles. 

And to make things even easier, you can control it via Alexa or Google Assistant. Ask your smart home assistant to set schedules or start cleans on demand.

Find this limited-time deal at Amazon right now.

SAVE $370: As of March 3, the Anker Solix C1000 is on sale for $429 at Amazon. That's a 46% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Anker Anker Solix C1000 $429 at Amazon
$799 Save $370   Get Deal

Portable power stations are one of the best products to have on hand. Whether it's maintaining power during a storm outage or keeping you connected on a camping vacation, these handy devices have a whole lot going for them. Some are robust enough to keep your whole home powered for days on end, while others specialize in portability. If you're looking for something that promises the latter, you need to check out this Amazon deal on the Anker Solix C1000.

As of March 3, this offering from Anker has dropped to $429 from $799. That's a saving of $370 and its lowest price so far this year. This price is for the unit only, however there are various upgrade options that include chargers and solar panels.

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Portability is a big sell for this power station, designed for both backup at home and off-grid use. According to Anker, it’s 14% smaller and 11% lighter than comparable models. It's easy to carry with you, even if you're camping in the wilderness. It's robust and built to last, with the InfiniPower battery rated for around 10 years of use.

Power-wise, you'll get a 1,024Wh capacity and 2,000W output (3,000W peak) across 10 ports, so it can run multiple devices at the same time. Heading out on a last-minute camping vacation? Not to worry, it supports ultra-fast recharging, reaching full capacity in just 49 minutes at 1,600W using HyperFlash technology which can be enabled in the Anker app.

This is a limited deal at Amazon, so don't miss out.

SAVE OVER $100: As of March 3, the Hisense 75-inch QD7 TV is on sale for $547.96 at Amazon. That's a 16% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Hisense Hisense 75-inch QD7 TV $547.96 at Amazon
$649.99 Save $102.03   Get Deal

Looking for a TV deal that makes upgrading feel worth it? Check out this latest Amazon discount on the Hisense 75-inch QD7 TV. As of March 3, this seriously impressive TV is down to its lowest-ever price, now just $547.96. That's a saving of over $100 on list price.

And this is a great option for an upgrade. This price is for the 75-inch model, but Amazon has discounts across all sizes, from 50-inch all the way up to the 100-inch TV. No matter what size you choose, the quality is second to none, with Mini LED backlighting delivering up to 600 nits of brightness for an incredible viewing experience. It even has an AI 4K upscaler which improves lower-resolution content to near-4K quality.

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It's a great option for sports and gaming too, thanks to its native 144Hz panel with Motion Rate 480 and support for AMD FreeSync Premium. So fast paced scenes and games look clear at all times.

You'll also get all the benefits of the Fire TV OS, which means easy access to all your favorite streaming apps and Alexa voice control. You can use this function to search through different apps for a particular show, or even have it research your burning questions (like where have you seen that actor before?).

Get this TV deal online at Amazon now.

Vivo isn’t kidding when it comes to taking videos with your phone. The company’s new phone, shown for the first time in Barcelona at MWC, is the Vivo X300 Ultra, and you only need one look at it to know what it’s about.

The studio is tiny, but the results are pretty great. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

At its booth at MWC, Vivo actually set up a small studio in which you could take a video using the phone inside a pro camera rig, and the phone was mostly displayed inside a similar rig. But even without it, the 400mm lens it packs is imposing (and very pocket-unfriendly).

My pockets will hate this. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

The camera rig, should you opt for something like that, comes with a cooling fan, a grip, and a cold shoe mount for mics and lighting.

Lights...camera...action! Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Vivo hasn’t actually launched the X300 Ultra yet, which is why we couldn’t get exact specs for the phone. Just about the only thing that’s confirmed is a 200-megapixel telephoto camera, and that 400mm lens which equals roughly 17.3x optical zoom.

SEE ALSO: MWC 2026 live updates: Announcements from Honor, Xiaomi, more

The Vivo X300 Ultra will launch in China later this month, with a global launch following in April. Details about pricing haven’t been revealed at this time.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says the company rushed its recent deal with the U.S. Department of War (DOW), admitting that it appeared "opportunistic and sloppy." In an internal memo he subsequently shared on X, Altman stated that OpenAI is now amending its agreement to supply the military with AI technology. It seems to have done little to assuage concerns.

"[W]e shouldn't have rushed to get this out on Friday," Altman wrote in an X post on Monday. "The issues are super complex, and demand clear communication. We were genuinely trying to de-escalate things and avoid a much worse outcome, but I think it just looked opportunistic and sloppy."

SEE ALSO: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman responds to deal with Department of War

OpenAI announced its partnership with the DOW late last week, snapping up the contract within days of President Donald Trump ordering federal agencies to stop using competitor Anthropic. According to Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, the split was because it refused the DOW's demands that it remove safeguards against using AI for mass domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons. Instead, the DOW wanted to use Anthropic's AI tools for "any lawful use."

As such, OpenAI's swift DOW deal provoked immediate backlash from its civilian users. Despite OpenAI's claim that its deal has even more safeguards than Anthropic's original agreement, the contract appeared to allow for both mass surveillance and AI-controlled weapons as long as such use is legal, and even laid out circumstances in which it would be permitted.

Now OpenAI is attempting damage control, stating that it has worked with the DOW to add new language to the contract directly addressing use of its tech for domestic surveillance. 

"Throughout our discussions, the Department [of War] made clear it shares our commitment to ensuring our tools will not be used for domestic surveillance," OpenAI wrote Monday in an update to its original deal announcement. 

Concerns that OpenAI could be used for mass surveillance and autonomous weapons remain

Unfortunately, the new amendments OpenAI has shared continue to rely upon legality as the restraining limit preventing mass surveillance, leaving such use a possibility should the U.S. government change the law. They also fail to address the issue of autonomous weapons.

"Consistent with applicable laws... the AI system shall not be intentionally used for domestic surveillance of U.S. persons and nationals," the new sections read. "For the avoidance of doubt, the Department understands this limitation to prohibit deliberate tracking, surveillance, or monitoring of U.S. persons or nationals, including through the procurement or use of commercially acquired personal or identifiable information."

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Many social media users reacted to OpenAI's contract changes with scepticism, some arguing that its specific prohibition of "deliberate" surveillance leaves notable loopholes.

"Hard not to read as admitting to an AI dragnet," political researcher Tyson Brody (@tysonbrody) responded to Altman's post. "'intentionally' and 'deliberate' - so Americans will be swept up in this data, but the government can claim 'incidental collection' and thus legal."

"'Not intentionally used' isn’t a real safeguard in an autonomous AI system," wrote @Andy_Bloch. "It can wind up doing surveillance because of what it was trained on, what it figures out, or how people use it afterward."

Altman previously indicated that OpenAI would only limit use of its AI tools along legal lines, not ethical ones, during a Q&A held shortly after the DOW deal was announced. The CEO expressed a reluctance to take an ethical stance, stating that OpenAI prefers to follow the government's directions rather than consider such issues itself.

Despite criticism of this apparent abdication of responsibility, Altman reiterated this position again in his new memo, framing it as deference to "democratic processes."

"It should be the government making the key decisions about society," Altman wrote. "We want to have a voice, and a seat at the table where we can share our expertise, and to fight for principles of liberty. But we are clear on how the system works (because a lot of people have asked, if I received what I believed was an unconstitutional order, of course I would rather go to jail than follow it)."

Altman did state that DOW intelligence agencies such as the National Security Agency (NSA) won't use OpenAI's technology without an amendment to their contract. Even so, it currently seems unlikely that OpenAI would deny legal requests for such modifications, regardless of any ethical issues that may arise. (The NSA was previously revealed to have been conducting mass surveillance of U.S. citizens by whistleblower Edward Snowden in 2013.)

Numerous OpenAI customers have cancelled their ChatGPT subscriptions in response to the company's deal with the DOW, with uninstalls reportedly jumping 295 percent in the wake of the news. Anthropic's AI chatbot Claude has since dethroned ChatGPT as the most downloaded free app in the U.S. Apple App Store, 

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.

You may feel your organization is performing well without a formal strategy. But if you want consistent, scalable decision-making, you need clearer guidance others can apply. Here are six ways to make strategy feel more practical. Define strategy as a clear set of guiding choices. Spell out the few critical trade-offs that guide how you […]

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If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

The US has 50 of them.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answer

STATE

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Shyly.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for March 3, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

COYLY

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Weird.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for March 3 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for March 3, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

FUNKY

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Quickly.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

HURRY

Final Hurdle hint

The earliest.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answer

FIRST

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

Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.

Released in August 2025, the Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.

Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move onto the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.

How to play Pips

If you've ever played dominoes, you'll have a passing familiarity for how Pips is played. As we've shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don't necessarily have to match.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for March 3, 2026

The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible – and common – for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.

Here are common examples you'll run into across the difficulty levels:

• Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.

• Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.

• Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.

• Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.

• Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.

If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for March 3, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for March 3 Pips

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 5-3, placed vertically; 1-0, placed vertically.

Number (7): Everything in this space must add up to 7. The answer is 5-4, placed horizontally; 3-1, placed vertically.

Equal (0): Everything in this space must be equal to 0. The answer is 1-0, placed vertically; 0-3, placed horizontally.

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

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

Medium difficulty hints, answers for March 3 Pips

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

Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 8. The answer is 3-4, placed horizontally; 4-6, placed horizontally.

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

Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 8. The answer is 1-2, placed horizontally.

Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 8. The answer is 2-5, placed vertically.

Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be greater than 2. The answer is 5-0, placed vertically.

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

Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 8. The answer is 2-5, placed vertically.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for March 3 Pips

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 5-1, placed horizontally; 1-4, placed vertically; 0-1, placed horizontally; 3-1, placed horizontally; 1-2, placed horizontally.

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

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

Today's Connections: Sports Edition is for people who watch Premier League football.

As we've shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections: Sports Edition?

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. 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: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. Here's a hint for today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: Cards

• Green: Abbreviated sports teams

• Blue: EPL nicknames

• Purple: Name change

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: Card Games

• Green: NFL Teams on Scoreboards

• Blue: Premier League Nicknames, Minus the S

• Purple: Athletes Who Changed Their Name

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections: Sports Edition #525 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• Card Games - RUMMY, SKIP-BO, SOLITAIRE, UNO

• NFL Teams on Scoreboards - CAR, DEN, JAX, TEN

• Premier League Nicknames, Minus the S - COTTAGER, MAGPIE, SEAGULL, TOFFEE

• Athletes Who Changed Their Name - ABDUL-JABBAR, ALI, OCHOCINCO, WORLD PEACE

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

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

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

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

TL;DR: It’s time to find a permanent space for your data, and Drime Secure Cloud Storage can make that happen with this 2TB lifetime subscription for only $112.49 with code CLOUD through March 22.

Opens in a new window Credit: Drime Drime Secure Cloud Storage: Lifetime Subscription $112.50
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How many photos are sitting on your phone? How about videos? If you’re looking for a more permanent place to store your precious memories and other important data, it’s time to consider owning your cloud storage. Drime Secure Cloud Storage lets you just do that, and right now you can score a 2TB lifetime subscription for only $112.49 with code CLOUD through March 22.

Sick of spending a small fortune on your cloud storage subscriptions? It doesn’t have to be that way — in fact, Drime Secure Cloud Storage is ready to give you a much more affordable alternative. With Drime, you can pay once and store 2TB of data for life.

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

Aside from being much easier on your wallet, Drime provides much better security. This European-based company is GDPR-compliant, meaning your data is hosted in Europe and never routed through the United States. Enjoy peace of mind knowing your data is protected with end-to-end encryption, so only you can access it.

Drime’s easy-to-use interface makes it simple to upload, sync, and share your files from all different devices. There is no upload limit, so you can save any content you’d like, no matter how large. Drime also makes it convenient to organize and manage your files, clients, and projects within its collaborative workspaces.

This Drime Essentials Plan gives you 2TB of storage, with a 90-day file history. You’ll also have password-protected file-sharing links, unlimited signature requests, and custom expiration dates.

Store files forever with this lifetime subscription to Drime Secure Cloud Storage, on sale now for $112.49 with code CLOUD through March 22.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Be prepared for spring cleaning with this Dyson V15 Detect Extra Cordless Vacuum $339.99 (reg. $599.99).

Opens in a new window Credit: Dyson Dyson V15 Detect Extra Cordless Vacuum with 10 Accessories (Refurbished) $339.99
$599.99 Save $260   Get Deal

It’s almost that time again — spring cleaning season. But are your tools up to the task? If you need a device that can deep-clean every surface, look no further than the Dyson V15 Detect Extra Cordless Vacuum. This powerful cordless vacuum can tackle dirt and dust all over your home, and it’s currently on sale for $339.99 (reg. $599.99).

Whether you’re a neat freak who vacuums up dust daily or you’d rather not admit how often you tackle the dirt in your home, the Dyson V15 Detect Extra Cordless Vacuum is ready to change the way you tidy.

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

This cordless vacuum not only offers a powerful Dyson motor that spins up to 125,000rpm, providing the brand’s most powerful cordless suction, but it also includes laser illumination to show the invisible dust on hard floors you didn’t even realize you were cleaning. A piezo sensor also automatically adapts this Dyson’s suction power depending on what kind of debris is detected.

Need to vacuum the stairs? No problem — this Dyson V15 easily transforms into a handheld vacuum perfect for stairs, cars, upholstery, or other tight spaces. And you don’t have to worry about cleaning it out constantly, the 0.2-Gallon bin has a hygienic, no-touch ejection system when it needs to be emptied.

A full charge gives you up to 60 minutes of runtime, while the LCD display keeps you updated on the runtime countdown, maintenance alerts, and even scientific proof of the particles captured for all the neat freaks out there.

This Dyson V15 includes 10 helpful tools, including a Fluffy Optic Cleaner Head that makes the invisible dust visible on your hardwood floors, a crevice tool for clearing around tricky edges and hard-to-reach spots, and a fabric/mattress tool that helps remove dust, dirt, and allergens from important spaces.

You’re securing a $240 discount thanks to this model’s grade-A refurbished rating. That means your Dyson will arrive with light wear, with no scratches, dents, cracks, or missing parts.

Snag this Dyson V15 Detect Extra Cordless Vacuum for just $339.99 (reg. $599.99) while supplies last.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

When it comes to first-person shooters, Bungie — from Halo all the way to Destiny — has long been in a class of its own. Now the studio is returning to an older game — Marathon, originally released in 1994.

Having played the 2026 version of Marathon for 6 hours, my first impressions are positive. The gunplay is impressive, the art direction is enticing.

The game's slower pacing may not be for everyone — but personally, I’m hungry for more.

What is 'Marathon' about?

Marathon takes place on the planet Tau Ceti IV, where human colonists upload their consciousnesses to disposable cybernetic bodies, turning them into “Runners.” The Runners' job is to go out into Tau Ceti IV, scrounging up resources, artifacts, and data to bring back to their factions.

Marathon doesn’t put its backstory front and center; still, there's plenty of details on the factions if you want it, and it's all surprisingly interesting. This aspect reminded me of Concord, in which I found reading the in-game encyclopedia more fun than playing the actual game.

Credit: Bungie screenshot

Thankfully, Marathon also has solid gameplay. It’s an extraction shooter, similar to ARC Raiders, where players jump into a map, collect items, and extract out. If you’re an avid Destiny player — if you’re used to going in guns blazing, in other words — Marathon may feel foreign to you.

You’re limited in supplies, and any items that you bring with you or collect on the field will disappear if you die. So you need to plan out your routes methodically and explore carefully in order to avoid fights at all costs. This creates a tense atmosphere of unpredictability; it's unnerving, yet exciting.

Scattered across the field are NPCs and other human players — and trust me, they’re hard. The robotic NPCs are durable, while other human players show absolutely no mercy. 

This makes Marathon feel distinctly different from Halo, Destiny, even ARC Raiders. If you try to take the NPCs in a gunfight, you’ll most likely get wiped —which is not the case in Bungie’s other shooters. In ARC Raiders, you’ll come across many friendly human players; in Marathon, they won’t hesitate to murk you.

Credit: Bungie screenshot

The way gunfights break out feels organic, and leads to a lot of emergent experiences. The guns feel slick and impactful, the moment-by-moment of the shootouts exhilarating. Overall, Ceta Tau feels like an oppressive, but masochistically fun, place to be.

If you successfully extract, items you bring back are automatically sold. You can use the money to purchase guns and other equipment, to give yourself an advantage when you deploy again. But even with your shiny new toys, your character could easily die and lose everything you brought in. Still, even when you die, you never feel like you’re too far behind. Players seem like they’re on a level playing field, more or less.

The biggest problem with 'Marathon'

I love Marathon's retro-futurism aesthetic. The font and menus look exactly like Apple interfaces from the 1980s, referencing Marathon’s origins on early Macintosh computers.

That said, the game's biggest issues are in the user interface, especially its clunky menus. They’re clunky because similar actions don’t use the same input. For example, you open up a box with the square button on your controller, then you have to place the items from that box into your inventory with the X button. This doesn't feel intuitive and can mess with your brain over time.

The font is hard to read, even if you’re playing on a big screen. There are no options to increase the size — something we hope will be fixed in an early update.

All that being said, I’ve had a lot of fun with my first few hours of Marathon. I can’t wait to see what else the game has in store when it launches on March 5 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.

Check back later this month for our full review.

Early March always feels like the week when things start to lighten up—new month energy combined with warmer climes on the horizon. It also comes with a swath of renewed movies on Paramount+. When you’re ready to unwind, there's plenty to pick from ... maybe too much. So let us throw a few ideas your way this week.

A tweet from a notorious PlayStation leaker has sent the internet into a frenzy over Grand Theft Auto VI pre-orders. We still don't know anything official, but the rumor mill has gone into overdrive over the mere possibility of news on Rockstar's long-delayed Grand Theft Auto VI.

According to X account PlayStation Game Size, title IDs have been added to the PlayStation database for GTA VI, with the account warning that news on the game should be expected to drop soon — and in their estimation, that means pre-orders could be right around the corner.

The post stops short of confirming anything and remains largely speculative, but make no mistake: PlayStation Game Size has a proven track record that's earned them serious credibility with other outlets.

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As one possible reference point, ahead of Red Dead Redemption 2's Oct. 26 release date back in 2018, pre-orders went live in June. However, the new GTA game could follow an entirely different schedule, and given the delays, Rockstar may be eager to offer gamers something as soon as possible.

In a comment under the post, a user pressed the leaker on how long pre-orders could take to open after title IDs hit the backend.

"Completely depends on the publisher, and it's not something I know for sure. But I don't think there's going to be a long wait." Not exactly a concrete answer, but not a dismissal either.

The prospect of pre-orders arriving "soon-ish" is massive news for a game that has already been delayed twice and is widely rumored to carry a price tag north of the standard $70 — itself a price point that only became the industry's new normal in 2022.

With GTA VI currently locked in for a November 19, 2026, release date and publisher Take-Two confirming last month that a full-on marketing blitz kicks off this summer, the hype machine is officially warming up.

The skyrocketing prices for flash memory have already affected RAM sticks, SSDs, laptops, pre-built PC desktops, phones, and many other devices. Now, you can add the OrangePi Neo to the list—a handheld gaming PC using Linux that was supposed to be released soon.

For the average Australian, the digital world is no longer a destination we visit; it is the environment we inhabit. We bank on the bus, check our emails from the local café, and manage our entire social lives through a screen. Ten years ago, digital security was simple: you installed an antivirus, ran a scan once a week, and avoided clicking on emails from long-lost princes. Today, the threats are quieter, more sophisticated, and often invisible. From "stalkerware" and invasive tracking cookies to large-scale data breaches that expose your tax file number. These modern problems require modern solutions, and thankfully many popular security suites have adapted to suit these needs. However, it’s also important to update how we think about digital security every once and a while. On top of security, the notion of digital privacy has grown increasingly important. So it’s a good idea to give yourself a bit of a refresher.

The shift from security to privacy

While most of us understand the need to block malware, we need to not just think of security, but also our privacy. Every website you visit, every search you make, and every product you linger over contributes to a digital profile that is bought and sold by data brokers. This isn’t just about annoying targeted ads; it’s about maintaining a level of anonymity.

But privacy isn’t just about where you go; it’s about what you leave behind. It’s an important part of the new normal to ensure that your sensitive information, like your credit card details or login credentials, haven’t ended up on the dark web following a corporate data breach or social engineering scam. According to the Avast Academy), one of the most effective ways to stay ahead of identity thieves is to practice proactive monitoring rather than waiting for a notification from your bank.

Reclaiming privacy via the network layer

One of the most overlooked vulnerabilities in the modern threat surface is the network layer. Every time you connect to the internet, you are broadcasting a digital fingerprint. This isn't just about hackers; it's about the pervasive "shadow profiles" built by advertisers and data aggregators.

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) has evolved from a corporate necessity to a primary privacy tool. By encrypting your traffic and masking your IP address, you effectively "black out" your activity from prying eyes. But privacy is two-sided: while a VPN protects your data in transit, you also need to address the data you leave behind on your own machine. Tracking cookies and digital "fingerprinting" techniques can identify you even if you’re using a VPN.

How security suites can boost performance

We often think of security and performance as two different categories. In reality, they are deeply linked. A cluttered device filled with "bloatware" (redundant background processes and "junk" files) isn’t just slow; it’s harder to manage and more prone to crashes that can leave your data vulnerable. Over time, cached files and broken registry entries accumulate, dragging down the efficiency of your hardware.

It is possible (if time-consuming) to manage a lot of this bloat manually, but thankfully there are also a myriad of tools that can help with this. Often these come baked into popular security suites such as Avast or Norton. By using a security suite that automates this maintenance, you’re not just gaining back a few seconds of boot time; you’re both improving the performance and the security of the device, as freed up resources allow that security software to run more efficiently.

Staying informed

Technological protection is vital, but the ultimate layer of security is an informed user. The landscape changes rapidly—one month it’s a surge in SMS phishing "smishing") targeting super accounts, the next it’s a new exploit in popular browser extensions. Understanding why a certain threat exists is often just as important as having the software to block it.

Streamlining the solution

There is a common misconception that more security equals less performance. In reality, a compromised or cluttered system is often the primary cause of instability. Too many cooks in the kitchen, so to speak. The challenge for most people isn't a lack of tools, but a surplus of them. Managing a separate subscription for a VPN, another for a system optimiser, and a third for malware protection is a recipe for "subscription fatigue." More importantly, fragmented security can lead to gaps. Such as settings that don’t align or software updates that get ignored because there are too many notifications to track.

This is where integrated suites have evolved. Instead of a patchwork of different providers, a singular ecosystem like Avast Ultimate offers a streamlined way to cover many of your bases. It combines the heavy-hitting protection of Avast Premium Security with the online privacy of Avast SecureLine VPN, and specialised tools such as Avast Cleanup Premium and Avast AntiTrack:

• Avast Premium Security: To help block complex, multi-stage malware and ransomware, plus protection against scams.

• Avast SecureLine VPN: For bank-grade VPN encryption so you can browse, bank and shop more privately.

• Avast Cleanup Premium: To strip away digital debris and keep hardware running at peak efficiency.

• Avast AntiTrack: To help foil the sophisticated tracking scripts that follow you across the web.

By housing these features under one roof, the user experience becomes a bit more streamlined and easy. With a solution like Avast Ultimate, you get the benefit of world-class threat detection without the "noisy" interface of multiple programs vying for your attention.

In 2026, device security isn’t just about antivirus. It’s about ensuring your personal data remains private, your devices run as well on day 500 as they did on day one, and your online presence doesn't leave a trail for others to follow. The unfortunate reality is that in this brave new world of AI-driven scams and IoT (Internet of Things) vulnerabilities, protecting your devices from malware and maintaining your privacy is a continuous process of educating yourself and narrowing your threat surface. By moving toward a holistic, all-in-one approach to protection, you can spend less time worrying about your settings and more time enjoying the connected world. For more information on Avast Ultimate, check out their Australian site here.