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Mobile web browsers have come a long way. Chrome for Android started with simple tabs and sync, but now it has many of the features you'll find in the desktop version. In fact, if you know where to look, there's an extra feature that not many people take advantage of.

The best early October Prime Day headphones and earbuds deals: Best headphones deal Bose QuietComfort headphones (2nd gen) $319 (save $40) Get Deal Best earbuds deal Panasonic Technics EAH-AZ100 wireless earbuds $247.99 (save $52) Get Deal Best budget headphones deal Sony WH-CH720N $98 (save $81.99) Get Deal

Just like that, fall is here and so is the holiday shopping season — well, almost.

We're kicking things off with Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days, otherwise known as October Prime Day. The sitewide sale runs from Oct. 6 to 7, but deals on headphones are already popping up that are more than worth picking up ahead of time, especially if you want to avoid the chaos of the sale.

SEE ALSO: Amazon announces dates for Prime Big Deal Days, its 48-hour 'October Prime Day' sale

Standouts include the first-ever price cut on the new Bose QuietComfort headphones (some of the best I've tested this year) and a $52 price cut on the Technics EAH-AZ100, our favorite premium earbuds for sound quality. Other deals have had some fluctuation in the lead-up — the AirPods Pro dropped to $199 only to go back to $234 — but we'll be keeping this list updated as we head into the sale next week.

Below, check out the best headphones and earbuds deals live ahead of October Prime Day, according to someone who tests them.

Best headphones deal Opens in a new window Credit: Bose Bose QuietComfort headphones (2nd gen) $319 at Amazon
$359 Save $40   Get Deal Why we like it

The Bose QuietComfort headphones stand out the most (so far) in a year of many releases. With immersive audio, comfort for all-day wear, excellent active noise cancellation, and clear, robust sound quality, these headphones are very comparable to the significantly more expensive Bose QC Ultra headphones.

This $40 price drop is their first ever sale following their recent release, but I'd be surprised if it drops much more for Prime Day proper. In other words, if you're looking to get a good deal on these headphones, now is the time to buy.

Read Mashable's review of the Bose QuietComfort headphones (2nd gen).

More headphones and earbuds deals

• Soundcore Q20i — $39.99 $69.99 (save $30)

• Marshall Major V — $89.99 $129.99 (save $40)

• Sony WH-CH720N — $98 $179.99 (save $81.99)

• Beats Solo 4 — $149.95 $199.95 (save $50)

• Sony ULT headphones — $132.95 $249.99 (save $117.04)

• Apple AirPods Pro 3 — $234 $249 (save $15)

• Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless — $244.90 $449 (save $55.09)

• Panasonic Technics EAH-AZ100 wireless earbuds — $247.99 $299.99 (save $52)

• Apple AirPods Max 2 — $509.99 $549 (save $39.01)

If you spend time scrolling YouTube Shorts, you’ve probably seen plenty of podcast excerpts, livestream highlights, and interview clips uploaded by someone other than the original creator.

Taking moments from podcasts, interviews, livestreams, or other videos and repackaging them as short-form content is called "clipping," but now, YouTube wants those accounts to bring more to the table.

According to an Oct. 2 announcement, YouTube is updating its Shorts recommendation systems to "improve the Shorts experience for everyone." The update encourages creators to upload "original commentary, unique edits, or storytelling."

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The change will work to further prioritize original content and reduce the reach of videos reposted from other creators without meaningful additions. But it could also complicate life for the wider clipping ecosystem, which many streamers and podcasters depend on to reach audiences.

The platform also cautions against relying on "minor technical edits" or "template-based changes" simply to alter a video. The question, then, is what you’re adding. Using a podcast excerpt to develop an argument or explain a topic is different from republishing that excerpt with a few cosmetic changes.

Clipping has developed into a robust marketing business, with creators and brands paying accounts and fans to distribute short excerpts of their content. Platforms such as Whop connect clippers with campaigns and handle payouts. YouTuber Airrack even launched a clipping agency, Clipfarm, through Whop in 2025.

The incentive is straightforward: Get views, get paid. Marketers told Business Insider back in March that clippers are typically offered $1 to $4 per 1,000 views — equivalent to $1,000 to $4,000 for a million qualifying views, before campaign limits or other conditions. So, YouTube's new policy could have big impacts beyond lower view counts. For clippers paid based on performance, less reach on YouTube Shorts could also mean a smaller payout.

Does this mean clipping is dead?

That’s how internet retention strategist Mario Joos framed the news in a post on X, celebrating the change as a way to address quality issues on the platform.

"RIP clipping," he writes. "While this will piss off some people whose entire careers were built on the premise of other people’s content (mostly clippers), the change itself is amazing and will finally address the overall quality issue we’ve been seeing."

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His enthusiasm makes sense for creators who want their original work to reach viewers. The accounts most directly in YouTube’s sights are those primarily reposting other creators’ work without substantial changes. Commentary, storytelling, and creative editing remain part of the platform’s advice for people using outside footage.

For clip channels, that raises the stakes of what happens between finding a good moment and hitting upload. The moment may belong to someone else. YouTube wants a reason to recommend your version.

TL;DR: Watch France vs. Italy in the Nations League for free on TF1. Access this free livestream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The UEFA Nations League is showcasing a number of really interesting fixtures this week, but France vs. Italy might be the best.

Italy lost its opening game against Belgium but bounced back with a famous 4-1 victory over a struggling Turkey last time out. France has beaten Belgium and Turkey under new boss Zinedine Zidane, and they'll be confident of securing another three points at the Stade de France.

If you're interested in watching France vs. Italy in the Nations League from anywhere in the world, we've got all the information you need.

When is France vs. Italy?

France vs. Italy in the Nations League kicks off at 2.45 p.m. ET on Oct. 2. This fixture takes place at the Stade de France.

How to watch France vs. Italy for free

France vs. Italy in the Nations League is available to live stream for free on TF1.

TF1 is geo-restricted to France, but anyone can secure access with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in France, meaning you can live stream France vs. Italy for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream France vs. Italy for free by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in France

4. Visit TF1

5. Watch France vs. Italy 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 they do tend to offer generous money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch France vs. Italy without committing your cash. This is obviously not a long-term strategy, but it gives you enough time to stream this fixture before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for TF1?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on TF1, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries, including France

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• 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 usually offers a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99.

Live stream France vs. Italy for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Gay hookup app Grindr will acquire the telehealth provider Freddie, which provides PrEP medication to prevent HIV, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The $250 million deal, in cash and stock, is the app's first major acquisition and represents an expansion beyond dating. The plan is to offer PrEP at little to no cost through Grindr's platform, Grindr CEO George Arison told the Wall Street Journal.

SEE ALSO: The gay slang to know for your next vacation, according to Grindr

The purchase is the "logical next step," Arison continued, "where we can deeply integrate the Grindr product experience with getting a medication that is lifesaving, and that a lot more people should be on than are on today."

Freddie will be merged with Woodwork, the telehealth company Grindr launched last year, into a single Grindr Health experience, the Wall Street Journal reported. "Grindr Health is going to be an area of the business that we're going to focus a lot more on, in addition to our normal subscriptions and advertising," Arison said.

Grindr agreed to pay £26 million to settle a lawsuit over allegations that it shared users' HIV statuses.

If you install Windows 11 on your machine and don't activate it, you'll be locked out of surprisingly few features. While most of the regular stuff will keep working indefinitely, you will miss out on a handful of customization options. Aside from missing features, you'll also get a few bonus "features," such as the permanent "Activate Windows" watermark in the corner of the desktop.

Meta has a hit on its hands: its Muse AI assistant has proven extremely popular.

Less than a month after Meta released Muse, the AI assistant has already surpassed 5 million downloads. Meta's Muse app reached this milestone on Wednesday, according to mobile data firm Sensor Tower.

Muse hit 5 million downloads in just 3 weeks, even faster than long-established AI apps like OpenAI's ChatGPT, Anthropic's Claude, and Elon Musk's Grok. ChatGPT took 56 days to reach 5 million downloads; Claude hit the mark at 103 days; and Grok needed 492 days to reach the milestone.

The Muse app currently sits in the #1 position, topping both Apple's App Store and Google's Play app charts.

SEE ALSO: 10 ways to use Meta's Muse AI app, from flight credits to outfit ideas

According to Sensor Tower, while Muse has record downloads for an AI app, it's not breaking any general app records. Streaming services like Disney+ and HBO Max, games like Candy Crush, Pokémon Go, and Fortnite, and even Meta's own social media platform Threads all reached more than 5 million downloads within the same amount of time.

Meta has gone all-in when it comes to promoting Muse.

While the company appears to have succeeded so far, it hasn't been without controversy. There have been questions about how Meta, a company with a well-documented history of privacy failures, will handle user data with Muse. There was also a viral story about a user who said Muse sold an item on Facebook Marketplace and sent the buyer to the user's address…all without telling the user that it was doing so.

Despite issues like this, there's no denying that Muse, and its new mascot, have proven extraordinarily popular.

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There might soon be a time when seeing "no service" on your phone is a thing of the past. AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon are forming a joint venture that aims to eliminate U.S. cellular dead zones.

Some of my favorite 3D prints serve no practical purpose and yet are entirely captivating. Optical illusions fall firmly into this category, challenging your perception, inspiring wonder, and hopefully teaching you a few things in the process.

Editor's note (Oct. 2, 2026): Brooke Eby died at age 37 following her diagnosis with ALS, the ALS Network announced on Oct. 1. Eby, who posted under the name LimpBroozkit, began documenting her experience with the terminal neurodegenerative disease on TikTok in 2022, using humor and candor to educate hundreds of thousands of followers about ALS and build community among people living with the disease.

"Levity is my superpower," Eby told Today in 2023, an ethos that defined much of her content even as her condition progressed. She later founded ALStogether, a nonprofit connecting people diagnosed with ALS with resources, experts, caregivers, and one another. In a 2025 essay for People, Eby reflected on the lasting purpose of documenting her illness online: "My TikTok presence will live on after I die. I hope it serves as a visual diary for anyone who gets diagnosed and needs a guide."

Brooke Eby has built a deeply engaged following by documenting her life with ALS with humor, honesty, and a distinct point of view. Based in the Washington, DC area, Eby shares updates about her diagnosis and daily life with a tone that balances levity with reality.

Across TikTok and Instagram, she's amassed hundreds of thousands of followers, drawn to her willingness to speak openly about disability, healthcare, and identity. Her posts often mix candid reflections with humor, creating a space that feels both personal and communal.

Eby's platform has continued to grow as conversations around chronic illness and accessibility have gained more visibility online. Her content resonates not just with those directly affected by similar diagnoses, but with a broader audience seeking more honest depictions of life with illness.

That openness has turned her account into more than a personal diary. In the comments, followers share their own experiences, transforming her page into a space for connection and support.

Eby’s presence reflects a broader shift in how people use social media — not just for entertainment, but for understanding.

This article was originally published on June 2, 2026, and has been updated to reflect the news of Brooke Eby's death.

The conglomerate resulting from the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger will be called Skydance, chairman and CEO David Ellison announced today. The name comes from Ellison's own film production company, Skydance Media, that was founded in 2006.

The merger faced lawsuits from U.S. states, which have since been settled, as well as criticism from members of the entertainment industry. It is now expected to close on Oct. 6, finalizing the union of two of America's most storied movie studios, along with their fair share of subsidiaries and IP, from HBO Max and Paramount+ to the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings franchises.

SEE ALSO: John Oliver mocks 'soon-to-be business daddy' David Ellison

Ellison shared a video on X showcasing the many assets Skydance would own, including film and production companies, well-known TV channels, and IP.

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Here is the extensive list of what Skydance will own once the merger is complete, including international assets:

• Adult Swim

• Alloy Entertainment

• American Heroes Channel

• Ananey

• Animal Planet

• Asian Food Network

• BET

• Bleacher Report

• Boomerang

• Cartoonito

• Cartoon Network

• CBS

• Channel 5

• CMT

• CNN

• CNN All Access

• CNN Español

• Comedy Central

• Cooking Channel

• DC Studios

• Discovery

• Discovery+

• Discovery Family Channel

• Discovery Home and Health

• Discovery Turbo

• DMAX

• Eurosport

• Food Network

• HBO/HBO Max

• HGTV

• HLN

• Hogar HGTV

• Miramax

• MTV

• Nickelodeon

• Nick Jr.

• Network 10

• New Line Cinema

• Paramount+

• Paramount Animation

• Paramount Sports Entertainment

• Paramount Television Studios

• Pluto TV

• Pop TV

• Showtime

• Skydance Animation

• SkyShowtime

• Smithsonian Channel

• TCM

• TLC

• TNT

• TV Land

• Warner Bros. Clockwork

Plus, here is the IP Skydance will own the film rights and much of the TV rights to:

• Avatar: The Last Airbender

• Beetlejuice

• Citizen Kane

• The Conjuring

• DC Comics

• Dora The Explorer

• Dune: Part Three (distribution rights)

• Harry Potter

• Game of Thrones

• Gremlins

• Looney Tunes

• The Lord of the Rings

• Minecraft (distribution rights)

• Mission: Impossible

• MonsterVerse (distribution rights)

• Mortal Kombat

• A Quiet Place

• SpongeBob SquarePants

• Star Trek

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

• Tom & Jerry

• Transformers

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Pope Leo XIV went on X this morning to call out AI slop, urging people to support human artists instead. The American Pope wrote, "Algorithms lack the spark of humanity."

Religion and artificial intelligence have also been a major topic of discussion this week, after the New York Times reported that Anthropic recently tried, and failed, to convince religious leaders that Claude could be a conscious being with moral status.

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As AI slop spreads, the Pope wrote that it's more urgent than ever to embrace human artists.

"In this era of artificial intelligence, it is becoming urgent to distinguish human art from what machines produce. There is an ontological difference, even before an aesthetic one, between art and what a machine can generate through statistical calculation based on millions of images created by others. Algorithms lack the spark of humanity. For this reason, the Church wishes to renew an alliance with artists and cultural institutions to safeguard our humanity."

SEE ALSO: AI slop is killing the internet

The Pope hasn't shied away from discussing the spiritual implications of artificial intelligence. In fact, from the moment he ascended to the papacy, AI has been central to his philosophy. The pontiff said he chose the name Leo in honor of the pope of the same name who shepherded the church through the upheaval of the Industrial Revolution.

And in his 42,300-word papal encyclical titled Magnifica Humanitas ("Magnificent Humanity"), Pope Leo directly called out Big Tech and the artificial intelligence industry.

"In some regions of the world, children and adolescents work in dangerous conditions, crushing the materials from which rare earth elements are extracted," he wrote. "The bodies of these people are scarred, injured, and worn down so that computational flow may continue uninterruptedly...This reality ​deeply challenges the moral conscience of our time."

In the New York Times report about Anthropic's religious lobbying efforts, the publication of Magnifica Humanitas is a major plot point. Anthropic leaders were invited to the Vatican as part of the encyclical's publication, according to the Times.

Christopher Olah, whom the paper describes as "one of Anthropic’s billionaire co-founders," was reportedly disturbed that the Pope's encyclical did not take the idea of AI consciousness seriously.

And now that the topic of AI and religion is back in the news, the Pope is once again calling out the AI industry, this time for AI slop.

AI slop is everywhere if you have eyes to see and ears to hear, but the AI slop-mongers now have a powerful enemy: The head of the Roman Catholic Church and the spiritual leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.

HDDs are generally seen as super reliable. Their external variants are perceived as both reliable and optimal for cold storage. Fair—both of those things are generally true. But the problem is that when something goes wrong, it goes majorly wrong, and shockingly fast.

Amazon loves to keep us on our toes. We've been covering Prime Day for years, and even though the dates vary slightly, we expect Prime Day to fall in July. But this year, the retailer held its flagship sale in June, much to our surprise. This fall, however, things are back on schedule.

Amazon's biggest sale of the year may be over, but there's another one upon us. We're here to lay out all the details you need to know because, surprise — the early deals have started.

When is the next Prime Day?

While it may seem like Amazon holds sales every other month, Prime Day technically only happens once a year, in the summer. However, Amazon hosts a fall Prime event called Prime Big Deal Days, and it's coming up quickly. For all intents and purposes, it's colloquially known as October Prime Day. The official sale runs for 48 hours on Oct. 6 and Oct. 7 in 2026, but you can expect deals in the days leading up to and following those dates.

Amazon has also held a week-long shopping event in the spring, dubbed Amazon's Big Spring Sale, for the past three years. The deals aren't quite at the level of Prime Day, but it is considered Amazon's first major savings event of the year. After the October sale, it's the next time you'll hear the term "Prime Day" floating around.

Are Prime Day deals worth it?

Prime Day is notoriously full of great deals. Besides Black Friday, it's probably the best time of year to buy Amazon devices, Apple products, robot vacuums, everyday essentials, smartwatches, headphones, and more. If you're in the market for tech, it's certainly worth perusing. Mashable already has a running list of the best October Prime Day deals that can give you more in-depth analysis on what products are worth grabbing and which ones are worth passing on.

You should always update your smartphone to take advantage of the latest security patches…or maybe sometimes you should wait just a little bit?

According to user reports on forums such as Reddit, some Pixel owners are claiming that they are locked out of their devices after installing the September 2026 Pixel update.

Users with Pixel devices ranging from the Pixel 10 Pro XL to the Pixel 9a to the Pixel 8 Pro have reported a lockout issue on Reddit after downloading the September OS update.

"I updated my Pixel 10 Pro XL to the latest September 2026 update, and since then I've been completely locked out of my phone due to a really strange issue with the pattern unlock," shared one user on Reddit with a Pixel 10 Pro XL. "Whenever I try to draw my unlock pattern, the line disappears immediately after connecting the second dot. All nine dots reset as if I've lifted my finger, regardless of which dot I start from. It's literally impossible to complete the pattern."

Some other Pixel users claim that their phone immediately displays "PIN is wrong" after they enter just the first digit of their PIN. 

According to other users, the lock screen issue eventually triggers an emergency countdown timer after inputting the PIN number incorrectly too many times. However, one user on Reddit claims that the issue seemed to resolve itself after waiting out the timer, and that their Pixel phone finally accepted their PIN number.

Unfortunately, this hasn't worked for all Pixel owners. Some users have been forced to factory reset their devices just so they can keep using their smartphone, according to the user complaints shared online.

Google is apparently aware of the issue. Android Authority reports that the company has been reaching out to users who claim to be experiencing the problem on Reddit. However, the company has yet to address the issue publicly and has yet to release an update that fixes whatever the issue may be.

It should be noted that unless a fix is released that addresses whatever issue is causing the problem, Google cannot unlock your Pixel phone remotely, as the device is encrypted. So, unfortunately, those forced to factory reset their Pixel have lost photos and other files that weren't backed up or stored elsewhere. If you find yourself in this situation, you may want to wait until Google provides an answer to this specific problem before resetting the device.

Mashable highly recommends that users back up their devices before installing any update, even minor ones. Personally, I have automated updates turned off on my device specifically to avoid issues like this and to make sure there's always a recent backup before manually updating.

October's barely off the starting line and Netflix has already got a dozen new documentaries and docuseries on the grid for U.S. subscribers. If you caught those Formula 1 racing references, then there's something particularly great in store for you below.

Home hubs are essential in a modern home, and it makes sense to get a current model with the latest features. Amazon's latest Echo Show 11 is one of the best choices because it has a vivid display, amazing sound quality, and access to the latest AI-powered Alexa+ voice assistant. It's also available at an unbeatable price with 40% off with a limited-time Amazon deal.

Nvidia might have released the Shield TV Pro in 2019, but even that device isn't immune to market pressure. The company has raised the price of the Shield TV Pro to $300, a $100 hike.

TL;DR: Amazon has launched a $100 Kindle Sling Bag with SCAD students, complete with a Kindle-inspired keychain and wristlet stand.

Kindle Sling Bag, SCAD Designer Collection $99.99 at Amazon
  Get Deal at Amazon

Ahead of Prime Big Deal Days, retailers (and Amazon itself) are trying to grab everyone's attention with new product drops.

This week, Amazon opened preorders for a $99.99 version of its Kindle Sling Bag, designed in collaboration with students at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). It comes in dune and cinder (which are basically just cream and black) and is set to ship Oct. 28.

SEE ALSO: I tested all of Amazon's e-readers, and this is the best Kindle to buy

It's made from GRS-certified recycled leather with 59 percent recycled content — if that helps you feel a little better about paying top dollar for what's essentially just a crossbody purse. The biggest difference between this and the original sling bag Amazon released last November is functionality: the new one includes a wristlet stand that props your Kindle up on any flat surface, plus a small Kindle-shaped charm.

It fits standard Kindles, the Kindle Aluminum, Paperwhite, and Colorsoft. (Note: It's not compatible with the Kindle Scribe or Kindle Scribe Colorsoft.)

Aside from being the family tech support guy, my job also has me testing a lot of software and operating systems. I end up installing a new OS every couple of weeks, whether I'm testing Linux, troubleshooting a PC, or working on one of my articles. That means I have to rely on a bootable USB tool pretty regularly.