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It may sound like a medical condition, but fuzzy skin is a slicer trick that can “fix” one of the biggest complaints about 3D printing. It’s easy enough to enable the setting, but there are some things you should keep in mind when deciding whether or not to use it and which settings are best.

TL;DR: Unblock Pornhub for free with a VPN. The best services for unblocking porn sites from Australia is ExpressVPN.

The world of porn continues to be impacted by age-verification laws. Back in early 2025, more than a third of U.S. states introduced age verification laws for online adult content. Pornhub hit back by blocking users from those locations. A similar situation took place France and the UK, and now Australians are facing the same set of challenges.

The porn blocks arrived just days before new online safety codes came into effect, requiring organisations to verify the ages of users. It's the same story we've seen before, with the same straightforward workaround.

SEE ALSO: T-Mobile just dropped the Apple iPhone 17 for free — how to claim

If you want to unblock porn sites like Pornhub for free from Australia, we have all the information you need.

How to unblock Pornhub for free in Australia

VPNs are tools that can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure servers in other locations. This process bypasses geo-restrictions so you can access sites like Pornhub from anywhere in the world.

Unblock Pornhub from Australia by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a VPN (we recommend 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 that supports access to Pornhub

4. Visit Pornhub

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.99 only at ExpressVPN Shop Now

The best VPNs for unblocking porn sites are not free, but most do offer free-trial peiods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can unblock porn sites like Pornhub without spending anything. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you the opportunity to temporarily retain access to Pornhub before recovering your investment. The situation may have changed before the free-trial period comes to an end.

If you want to retain permanent access to sites like Pornhub, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for bypassing content restrictions is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for Pornhub?

ExpressVPN is the top choices for unblocking porn sites like Pornhub, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in locations all around the world

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

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

• Fast streaming speeds free from throttling

• Multiple simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantees

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).

Unblock Pornhub for free in Australia with ExpressVPN.

Switching from Windows to Linux isn’t like switching from one app to another, where the concepts stay the same and only the layout changes. Linux introduces a lot of unique and unfamiliar ideas that can clash with years of intuition and muscle memory you’ve built up as a Windows user. Here are four of the most alien concepts that left me completely disoriented when I was new to Linux.

SAVE OVER $300: As of June 18, the De'Longhi Magnifica Evo automatic espresso and coffee machine is on sale for $549.95 at Amazon. This is $350 off its full price of $899.95.

Opens in a new window Credit: De'Longhi De'Longhi Magnifica Evo Automatic Espresso and Coffee Machine $549.95 at Amazon
$899.95 Save $350   Get Deal

A fresh cup of coffee is always a great way to start your morning. If you've been searching for a machine that can help elevate your at-home cafe by brewing up coffee and espresso drinks, the De'Longhi Magnifica Evo deserves your attention.

As of June 18, it's on sale for $549.95 at Amazon ahead of Prime Day.

It's usually listed at $899.95, so you'll save $350 overall by taking advantage of this deal. Before Prime Day, that's an excellent discount to jump on. Since it's currently marked as a limited time deal, the clock is already ticking to make a move on it. Don't miss out on this opportunity.

SEE ALSO: How to sign up for Amazon Prime in time for Prime Day

Whether you're in the mood for a cappuccino, latte macchiato, or a straightforward coffee to start your morning, the De'Longhi Magnifica Evo can help brew it up. It actually features seven one-touch recipes that you can work with. Alongside the three previously mentioned, it can also help you make espresso, iced coffee, hot water if you want something like a tea, or you can personalize and save a recipe through the My Latte function.

It also comes with a conical burr grinder that features 13 grind settings for your beans and a LatteCrema System that can froth up milk, or a milk alternative, for your favorite drinks. See? Who needs to go on a coffee shop run?

Be quick to grab this great De'Longhi Magnifica Evo automatic espresso and coffee machine deal at Amazon ahead of Prime Day.

Want to learn more about getting the best out of your tech? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories and Deals newsletters today.

SAVE $22.50: As of June 18, the Anker MagGo 3-in-1 wireless charging station is on sale for $67.49 at Amazon. That’s a 25% discount off the list price of $89.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Anker Anker MagGo 3-in-1 Charger $67.49 at Amazon
$89.99 Save $22.50   Get Deal

If there are too many cables cluttering your nightstand, this Anker MagGo 3-in-1 charger is an easy way to clear things up. As of June 18, it’s down to $67.49 at Amazon, marking its lowest price this year, just ahead of Prime Day. It’s not the absolute lowest we’ve seen, but it’s still very close to the bottom of its usual discount range.

This Anker MagGo 3-in-1 charger delivers up to 15W fast wireless charging, giving your phone a quick power boost, and it’s designed to charge your phone, Apple Watch, and AirPods at the same time, so you can replace multiple separate chargers with one setup.

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The stand supports fast charging for the Apple Watch, getting it from 0 to 100% in about 1 hour and 13 minutes, according to the brand. It tilts up to 45 degrees, so your phone is easy to view while it charges, which is useful for notifications or StandBy mode. It also includes a USB-C adapter and cable in the box, along with a 24-month warranty.

Get this Anker MagGo 3-in-1 charger deal at Amazon.

TL;DR: The Samsung 990 PRO 2TB NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen4 SSD is on sale for $369.99 at Amazon, cutting $270 off its $639.99 list price. That takes 42% off one of Samsung’s fastest internal SSDs, with read and write speeds of up to 7,450/6,900 MB/s.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung 990 PRO SSD 2TB $369.99 at Amazon
$639.99 Save $270 Get Deal

Finding a new internal SSD for your PC or PS5 has been an incredibly pricey endeavour with the ongoing memory crisis in the tech industry right now. In the build-up to Prime Day, however, Amazon has started dropping some deals that can make the cost of upgrading your gaming storage a little less painful. 

As of June 18, the Samsung 990 PRO SSD 2TB NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen4 is on sale at Amazon for $369.99, down from its $639.99 list price. With this $270 saving, you’ll be buying one of Samsung’s most popular high-end internal SSD — the 2TB model is a high-speed solid storage boost for gaming PCs, PlayStation 5s, and even creative workstations. 

Depending on your budget and specific needs, Amazon has other 990 PRO options discounted. The standard 1TB model is listed for $219.99, down from $319.99, while the 4TB model is currently $895. 

If you want the built-in heatsink version instead, Amazon has the 1TB model for $299.27, the 2TB model for $495.49, and the 4TB model for $730 after a much larger cut from its $1,139.99 list price. 

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As for how well this will suit your gaming rig, the 990 PRO is built around PCIe 4.0 performance, with Samsung promising sequential read speeds up to 7,450 MB/s and write speeds up to 6,900 MB/s. That makes it a strong fit for large game installs, fast boot drives, video editing, 3D work, data-heavy projects, and anyone moving beyond older SATA SSDs or slower Gen3 drives. 

If you’ve been eyeing up an m.2 SSD for your PlayStation setup, the version of the 990 PRO with the added heatsink was made specifically with the PS5 in mind — which is a must for managing the high heat it generates and stabilizing its temperature. With that, you’ll be ready to manage the ever-increasing size of Fortnite and the Call of Duty games. 

Check out the best PlayStation deals to grab before Prime Day — including new deals on top games and even the PlayStation Portal. If you’re eyeing up a whole new gaming setup, you can buy the ASUS TUF F16 gaming laptop at $600 off among other new gaming laptop deals. 

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you're fit.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. 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 today's 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?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. 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: NYT Pips hints, answers for June 18, 2026 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Strength-building

• Green: Behavior

• Blue: Historical figures

• Purple: Fixer upper

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Fitness class types

• Green: Demeanor

• Blue: Peace activists

• Purple: Tools minus last two letters

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 #1103 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Fitness class types: AEROBICS, BARRE, BOOTCAMP, PILATES

• Demeanor: ATTITUDE, BEARING, CARRIAGE, PRESENCE

• Peace activists: GANDHI, KING, MANDELA, TUTU

• Tools minus last two letters: HAMM, JIGS, PLIE, WREN

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for June 18, 2026

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

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.

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you love the ocean.

Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for June 18, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Beneath the waves

The words are related to the sea.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe marine life.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Coral Reef.

NYT Strands word list for June 18

• Shark

• Seaweed

• Algae

• Coral Reef

• Plankton

• FIsh

• Urchin

• Crab

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and 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 Strands.

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you're always looking for a way in.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. 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 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for June 18, 2026 Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for June 18, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Admission.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter E.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

ENTRY

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle 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.

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

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 Wordle.

SAVE OVER $700: As of June 18, the Jackery Explorer 2000 v2 portable power station is on sale for $798.99 at Amazon. This is $700.01 off its full price of $1,499.

Opens in a new window Credit: Jackery Jackery Explorer 2000 v2 Portable Power Station $798.99 at Amazon
$1,499 Save $700.01   Get Deal

When it comes to early Prime Day deals, portable power stations are one of the many items we've been keeping a close eye on at Amazon.

Quite a few models have already seen some solid price cuts before the sale event, including the Jackery Explorer 2000 v2. As of June 18, you can scoop up this portable power station for $798.99.

This is nearly half off the Jackery Explorer 2000 v2's full price of $1,499, meaning you'll save $700.01. That's a pretty sweet deal before Prime Day begins. It's certainly worth the investment, whether you want it for upcoming camping trips or to have as backup power in case severe weather rolls through.

SEE ALSO: How to sign up for Amazon Prime in time for Prime Day

For starters, the Jackery Explorer 2000 v2 offers impressive portability thanks to its lightweight design (weighing 39.5 pounds) and built-in handle. Carrying it from room-to-room, or through the great outdoors, will feel much easier than dragging around a heavy unit. It's also a mighty powerful little device, with three AC ports that offer a total output of 2,200W and a capacity of 2,042Wh.

It also charges quickly, hitting 80% in just 66 minutes through AC Fast Charging or a full charge in 102 minutes using the Emergency Super Charging mode in the app. And it runs quietly: Jackery notes on the store page that it operates at a noise level of less than 30dB. On top of that, it even comes with a LiFePo4 battery that can last up to 10 years, so it'll be with you for many years to come.

Ahead of Prime Day, don't miss out on this great deal on the Jackery Explorer 2000 v2 portable power station at Amazon.

Want to learn more about getting the best out of your tech? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories and Deals newsletters today.

Meta has casually added some facial recognition code for smart glasses to the Meta AI app, but don't worry: the company says its just "exploring" the feature.

Speaking in the monologue above, Jimmy Kimmel remained unconvinced.

"Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook, they've got some fun projects in the hopper. They are reportedly testing facial recognition and surveillance software for their smart glasses. Which, if they work, the glasses would have the same technology used by the government and the police to record everything and identify everyone. But it only works on human faces, not whatever this is," says Kimmel, cutting to a photo of CEO Mark Zuckerberg looking particularly robotic.

"Remember when Mark Zuckerberg was just this weird kid from Harvard who created The Facebook so he could hopefully one day lose his virginity? Now he's a sneaky little narc making pervert glasses."

Want more of the best of late night? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter.

Donald Trump's newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool cost almost $15 million, but it's still managed to turn green.

Seth Meyers took "A Closer Look" at the project during Wednesday's Late Night, particularly the fact that the pool is currently not the Bahamas-like turquoise or "American Flag Blue" the president hoped for. Instead, it's green, thanks to algae. And like Jimmy Kimmel, Meyers pointed out the irony.

"Trump gave out a no-bid contract to a friendly company with an inflated profit margin for a project no one asked for, and in the process he took an iconic American institution and turned it puke green. This brings us to a segment called 'The Metaphor Is Way Too Obvious'," said Meyers.

"You guys, the metaphor is way too obvious. I mean, do I really need to spell it out for you? My whole job here is to come out and make ridiculous metaphors, but real life is already a metaphor. He said he was going to 'drain the swamp' and he literally drained a pool or lake or small ocean and created an actual swamp.

"At this point, I might as well just quit and move to the Bahamas, so I can swim in a pool that's actually turquoise."

Want more of the best of late night? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter.

TL;DR: Head to a participating Best Buy on June 27 between 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. local time to build and take home a free 133-piece Lego Star Wars Bo-Katan set.

Opens in a new window Credit: Best Buy Best Buy: Free 133-Piece Lego Star Wars Bo-Katan Set   Learn More

Lego regularly runs make and take events, giving builders a rare opportunity to walk away with a custom mini-set that money literally cannot buy. We’ve covered a fair share of these freebies over the years, but this upcoming event is particularly exciting for fans of a galaxy far, far away.

On Saturday, June 27, Best Buy is hosting a Lego Star Wars in-store event where you can build and take home a Bo-Katan Lego Star Wars set for absolutely nothing, saving 100% on what would easily be a $10 to $15 collectible.

The event will run from 12-2 p.m. local time on June 27 at participating Best Buy locations (check locations here).

SEE ALSO: Early Prime Day toy deals are live: Shop Lego, Pokémon, and more at low prices

When you arrive, you’ll be handed the 133-piece character set and step-by-step instructions to assemble the legendary Mandalorian warrior. Once the build is complete, it's yours to keep. No purchase is necessary, and you don’t even need to show a Best Buy membership card to participate.

A 133-piece set is an incredibly generous offering for a free event. Usually, these store giveaways feature tiny, 50-piece micro-builds (like the N-1 Starfighter event we saw earlier this year).

It's important to note that these events are first-come, first-served. Quantities are strictly limited. If you turn up just before 2 p.m., expect to walk away empty-handed. We suggest arriving slightly before noon to secure your spot.

And no, you can't turn up with a trench coat and try to hoard five of them. It's a strict limit of one build per person.

Good luck to everyone planning to make the trek on June 27 — and may the brick-building Force be with you.

Stephen King has been on a TV and movie recommendation spree over the past couple of days.

On Tuesday the horror master shared his thoughts on Obsession, and on Wednesday he turned his attention to Widow's Bay. The popular Apple TV horror show about a creepy New England island has just streamed its finale, and — given that the show had been described as a "Stephen King mixtape" — it's no big surprise that the author himself tuned in and posted a review on X.

As for King's thoughts?

SEE ALSO: 'Widow's Bay' review: Your new favorite TV town awaits in this tremendous horror comedy

Overall it sounds like he enjoyed it, although he did take the opportunity to shout out another show he's enjoying even more.

"WIDOW'S BAY is good," King wrote on X. "MAXIMUM PLEASURE GUARANTEED is even better. It's like Hitchcock came back to do it one more time. And Tatiana Maslany is so good. The play of emotions on her face is pretty incredible. She goes from comic to terror in an instant."

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed is a dark comedy/crime thriller that follows Paula (Tatiana Maslany), a divorced fact-checker who witnesses an apparent kidnapping while on a call with a cam boy (Brandon Flynn).

"Maslany and series creator David J. Rosen have crafted a compelling trainwreck of a character, one whom you'll want to follow to the ends of the earth," wrote Mashable's Belen Edwards in her review. "Or at the very least, the end of 10 pulse-pounding episodes."

Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed is now streaming on Apple TV, as is Widow's Bay.

"Why are you here?"

"Freedom. And beer. My future ex-wife, hopefully."

"Thank you for your honesty."

Daily Show host Jordan Klepper's conversations with attendees at Donald Trump's Freedom 250 UFC fight birthday party at the White House bring a cornucopia of responses.

On Sunday, the correspondent headed to the president's $60 million celebrations to chat to some of the estimated 80,000 people either invited to the event on the South Lawn or headed to a fan zone nearby.

"This is the American Dream," says one attendee.

"This is the American Dream?" responds Klepper. "Two sweaty guys fighting on the White House lawn?"

Want more of the best of late night? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter.

I'm not saying that you can expect every robot vacuum that mops to scrub your kitchen grout with the same tenacity as you could by hand with a toothbrush. But the best robot vacuum and mop combos have gotten much closer to true deep cleaning versus the ol' wet light dusting of the cheap mopping robot vacuums of the early 2020s.

Many have smart mopping settings that unleash deeper scrubbing on specified spills or stains, and some even use AI sensors and cameras to assess whether a mess has been sufficiently cleaned. The mopping mechanisms themselves are also just more physically able to do a better job — from downward-pressing dual-rotating mops that can actually get close to the wall to sturdy roller mops that rinse themselves as they go, automated mopping involves more elbow grease and brainpower than you may be expecting.

SEE ALSO: 'Why does my robot vacuum suck now?' Well, when's the last time you cleaned it?

You can also set your robot vacuum to take multiple passes over dirty floors in the app's settings — one of my go-to tips for making your vacuum work better.

The self-emptying docks of 2-in-1 robot vacuums are far more advanced than they were a few years ago. The best robot mop combos will also self-dispense detergent, automatically wash and dry their mopping pads, and then refill themselves with clean water. In theory, mopping pad maintenance should be nearly as automated as the cleaning itself.

Recent changes to this guide

• June 2026: I added the Narwal Flow 2 as the new pick for best roller mop robot vacuum overall, bumping the Roborock Qrevo Curv 2 Flow to the best roller mop robot vacuum under $1,000. The Narwal Flow 2 has stronger suction power and more advanced AI spill detection.

• March 2026: I replaced the Eufy X10 Pro Omni with the Eufy C28 as my pick for the best budget robot vacuum mop combo. The X10 Pro Omni is two years old at this point, and its suction power, mopping skills, and small obstacle avoidance simply can't keep up with the C28 — especially when their price difference is less than $100.

• February 2025: The Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete takes over as the best robot vacuum in 2026 so far, and the Roborock Qrevo Curv 2 Flow replaces the Dreame Aqua10 Ultra Roller as the best roller mop robot vacuum. Due to the X60 Max Ultra Complete's meticulous corner cleaning and market-leading suction power, the Roborock Saros 10R has been removed from the list.

• November 2025: The Narwal Freo Z10 Ultra has been named the best robot vacuum mop combo under $1,000, a mark that it hits when on sale. The Eufy X10 Pro Omni got a similar update: It's now named the best robot vacuum mop combo under $500, which refers to a sale price it hits quite often.

• October 2025: The Dreame Aqua10 Ultra Roller has been added as the best roller mop robot vacuum. Previously our top pick as the best robot vacuum and mop, I've now named the Roborock Saros 10R as the best corner mopping robot vacuum.

A strange clump of stars near the Milky Way's core may be the battered remnant of something far more complex than previously thought.

They call this space region Terzan 5, named after astronomer Agop Terzan, who discovered it in 1968. At first glance, it looks like a dense ball of old stars, the kind astronomers usually label a globular cluster. But new data from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, combined with two decades of Hubble observations, show it's much more than that.  

Though globular clusters usually have just one ancient star population, Terzan 5 appears to have at least four generations. The first stars were born 12.5 billion years ago, followed by waves dating back to roughly 4.7, 3.8, and 2.5 billion years ago. 

The chemistry inside the cluster also points to at least two kinds of supernovas happening within it. Early, massive stars exploded and enriched the system with heavier elements. Later, so‑called Type Ia supernovas — white dwarfs that blew apart — added more iron. Over time, the levels of lighter elements, such as oxygen and magnesium, dropped. That pattern fits a system that keeps recycling gas and forming new stars.

To astronomers, these clues suggest Terzan 5 started life far more massive, then shed most of its stars into the Milky Way's bulge, the dense swarm of stars around the center of the galaxy. By reconstructing its lost mass, testing whether it hides dark matter or a central black hole, and mapping how the galaxy disassembled it, researchers hope to use Terzan 5 as a sort of Rosetta Stone for studying how galaxies build their central regions.

"This is like a kind of a galaxy in a bottle," said R. Michael Rich, a research astronomer at UCLA, at the 248th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Pasadena, California. 

SEE ALSO: NASA is daring to rescue a space telescope before it falls to Earth

Terzan 5 sits about 3,000 light-years from the Milky Way's center, in the crowded region astronomers call the bulge. 

Because Terzan 5 resembles a chunk of the material that helped build the Milky Way’s central bulge, the research team is now calling it a "bulge fossil fragment," said Francesco R. Ferraro, principal investigator for the observations at Italy's University of Bologna, in a statement. 

By comparing about two decades' worth of images, the researchers tracked how individual stars drifted across the sky. True members of Terzan 5 move together, while foreground and background stars wander in different ways. 

"We look at the cluster as if it were a flock of birds, and essentially, there are these birds flying together in the flock, but then there are a lot of other birds flying around kind of randomly," Rich said. "The other birds are stars in the galactic bulge."

Now the team wants to rewind its life story. Today, Terzan 5 weighs about 1 to 2 million times the mass of the sun, similar to a hefty cluster. But the team believes the group started life with far more mass — perhaps on par with 1 billion suns — and slowly lost most of its stars to the Milky Way's bulge. The team plans to use Webb to count low‑mass stars in Terzan 5 and estimate how strongly the galaxy stripped stars away over time.

Astronomers used new data from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, left, combined with two decades of Hubble Space Telescope observations for the study of Terzan 5. Credit: NASA illustration

They also see hints that something unseen may lurk inside. Earlier measurements suggested that stars along the outer edges of Terzan 5 move faster than the visible matter comfortably explains. That tension helped motivate the Webb study in the first place. 

"We are presently doing detailed analysis to try to find out if we can account for that motion by a population of low-mass stars, or whether we need something else," Rich said. "That something else would possibly be the first globular cluster to host dark matter." 

Another idea points to a massive black hole in the center, which would reveal itself through very fast‑moving stars near the core. So far the team has not seen clear evidence for that.

SEE SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY EARLY: Prime members have the chance to see Spider-Man: Brand New Day at an exclusive early screening two days before its nationwide release. Prime Young Adult subscribers can also claim a free ticket. Tickets are now available — secure yours while supplies last.

Opens in a new window Credit: Sony Pictures Get tickets for 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' exclusive early screening   Get Deal

A Prime membership really is the gift that keeps on giving, particularly this season. Besides the usual perks, a paid membership also gives you access to exclusive deals this upcoming Prime Day (which falls on June 23 to June 26), $5 pizza at Little Caesars, a sweepstakes for free groceries for a year, and access to an early screening of the highly anticipated Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day officially hits theaters on July 31, but Prime members have the opportunity to see it two days before its nationwide release. The exclusive screening will take place on July 29, 2026 at 7 p.m. local time in select theaters across the country. Tickets are now available through Fandango on a first-come, first-serve basis at the Spider-Man: Brand New Day landing page on Amazon.com. As a treat, Prime Young Adult subscribers can also claim a free ticket.

Head to the landing page and click on the yellow "Buy early tickets" button. You'll then be prompted to log into your Amazon Prime account and redirected to Fandango to select your tickets. All early access showings will be on premium large format screens, which include Dolby Cinema and 3D. Prime Young Adult subscribers will want to click on "Claim 1 free ticket" at the top of the page and follow the same prompts.

Credit: Sony Pictures

Tickets are going fast and screenings have limited capacity, so be sure to snag yours ASAP if you want to see the latest Spider-Man film before everyone else.

Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man: Brand New Day brings back stars from the previous three films, plus characters from other Marvel franchises. That includes Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Zendaya as MJ, Jacob Batalon as Ned, Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/Punisher, Michael Mando as Mac Gargan/Scorpion, and Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk, just to name a few. The film picks up four years after the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home in a world where Peter Parker continues to fight crime as Spider-Man in a world that doesn't remember him.

Peep the trailer below:

Not a Prime member? There's still time to sign up and gain access to the early screening, but you'll want to act fast to secure your tickets. And don't forget, Prime Day starts on June 23.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Sign up for Amazon Prime free 30-day trial, then $14.99/month Get Deal

Clinical psychologist Dr. Mark McConville was shocked when he learned from a recent poll that half of parents location track their adult children aged 18 to 25.

"It's almost never a good thing," said McConville, author of Failure to Launch: Why Your Twentysomething Hasn't Grown Up...and What to Do About It, of the parental surveillance.

Location tracking an 18- to 25-year-old, he added, is most often an "index" of "parental anxiety" that doesn't "contribute in some concrete way to the development of the child."

SEE ALSO: 'Not everything needs to be known': How one day with no phone changed my life

Those may sound like harsh words to parents who follow their young adult children's every step. Yet the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children's Health, which surveyed 1,542 parents on the topic earlier this year, suggest McConville is onto something.

Parents seek peace of mind

Roughly two-thirds of parents who location track do so for peace of mind or in case of an emergency, according to the survey.

The scenarios that make parents more likely to check their child's location? Standard young adult activities like being out late at night or in an unfamiliar place, hailing a rideshare or taxi service, or spending time with someone they don't know.

Another 21 and 17 percent, respectively, use location tracking to know whether it's a good time to call or to stay abreast of their child's activities and whereabouts. Nine percent want confirmation that their child frequents places that meet their approval. Eleven percent said they had no specific reason for the surveillance. Among parents who track, almost three-quarters said they always use a location-tracking app or software.

Tracking without consent

McConville wasn't the only one shocked by the findings.

Mott Poll co-director Sarah Clark told Mashable that the prevalence of tracking surprised her. But the fact that more than 50 percent of parents who track don't give their adult child a say in the matter also dismayed Clark.

"It's one thing if we have a conversation about it," Clark said. "It's another thing for parents just to do it without a lot of input from their young adult kids."

Tracking isn't a surefire reprieve from parental anxiety, either. Nearly a quarter of the poll respondents who track said following their child can make them more anxious than reassured.

Why parents should quit tracking

McConville understands the appeal of location sharing. His wife and golfing buddy both have his location for practical reasons. He also follows his teen granddaughters' activities via their location, but will only do so with their permission once they've left home.

Yet he's concerned about parents of adult children who track in a "supervisory" role or to manage their own anxiety. Tracking for those reasons may impede a young adult's ability to become fully independent from their parents. It can also undermine a young adult's confidence in their ability to manage their own life.

"It is not intrinsically damaging, but is it a signal that the development of autonomy or independence is somehow not being achieved or behind schedule?" McConville said.

How parents can reframe their tracking

While the poll didn't ask parents when they started tracking their adult children, both McConville and Clark suspect that it began for some during high school, when it could've been practical or developmentally appropriate.

Continuing the practice into young adulthood might be innocuous or even normal for parents, but McConville suggests a different approach as they come to terms with the inevitable.

"Do you expect that sometime your child is going to outgrow your supervision?" McConville asks. "Why isn't 19 an appropriate time?"

He also encourages parents to consider whether they're tracking for their child or for themselves.

McConville recommends that parents track their emerging adult child only with permission and only if the behavior is "negotiated as between two parties of equal status." Parents should certainly avoid questioning a young adult's choices based on their location data.

How young adults can push back on tracking

Location tracking may be a routine part of some young adults' lives, particularly if they follow (and are followed by) friends, roommates, and romantic partners.

The behavior is widespread enough amongst adults that it featured heavily in the latest season of the Bravo reality show Summer House. So, asking a parent to stop may not seem worth the hassle.

But if a young adult wants their parent to cease tracking them, McConville suggests beginning a conversation with open-ended questions.

The script could be as simple as, "I know you're tracking me. I'm sure you have some concerns. I'd love to hear what they are," McConville said.

In response, the young adult can present what McConville describes as a "data-based argument" demonstrating their competence. Those data points might include class attendance, grades, community involvement, and job responsibilities. Then they can deliver a straightforward plea for autonomy and independence, noting that being tracked makes them feel like a child.

Learning to tolerate disapproval

McConville acknowledges that some parents may consider tracking as part of the deal if they pay college tuition, for example. When the stakes are that high, McConville said the young adult may just decide to "grin and bear it."

But if temporary parental anger or frustration is the worst that will happen, McConville said that may very well be worth the long-term independence.

"One of the developmental tasks of that era is you have to learn how to tolerate your parents' disapproval," McConville said. "That's a really important thing of becoming a freestanding 25-year-old."

Every year, Apple, Samsung, and Google grace us with plenty of great handsets across the price spectrum. This year is different in one notable way, however. Thanks to RAMageddon, even budget phones are getting more expensive.

If you want something good for under $500, you can still get that. But if you want a true flagship device or a bendy screen, you'll have to set aside $1,000 to $2,000 and up.

The year is almost halfway through, so we thought we would celebrate the greatest smartphone achievements of the year to date. Here are the five best smartphones of 2026 so far, in no particular order.

SEE ALSO: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 vs Apple iPhone Fold: How the rumors compare Best flagship: Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 'Ultra' is right. Credit: Chris Taylor/Mashable

Putting together a "best smartphones of the year" list in June is a bit difficult because most companies wait until the back half of the calendar year to unleash their flagships. Samsung is not most companies.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is the best flagship of the year so far, almost by default, but that doesn't mean it's undeserving. This is a powerhouse of an Android handset, with a huge 6.9-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate, an excellent camera array, and a massive 5,000mAh battery that keeps it chugging all day long. It's also chock full of Samsung's latest AI features, if you're into that, and it stands out from the competition by including an S Pen stylus for your note-taking needs. Yes, $1,199 is a lot for a phone, but you get what you pay for, in this case.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 256GB Unlocked Phone (Black) $1,099.99 at Amazon
$1,299.99 Save $200   See It at Amazon Best iPhone: Apple iPhone 17e Only one camera is a bummer, but the rest of it is pretty nice. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Apple is one of those companies that waits until later in the year to play its best cards, but the iPhone 17e is quite a nice phone for its modest $599 price tag.

This year, Apple upgraded its budget option with MagSafe support, an A19 chip, and a new starting 256GB storage capacity. That means it can run all the latest AI apps and won't fill up right away, which are both great qualities for a budget phone to have. It's also got respectable battery life for a phone in its price range. The only real disappointments here are the cameras and the 60Hz display, two things that some other budget phones are better at. Still, if you live in Apple's ecosystem and don't have a ton of money to spend, this is a very good phone.

Apple iPhone 17e $599.99 at T-Mobile
  See It at T-Mobile See It at Best Buy Best budget Android phone: Google Pixel 10a Totally flat. Credit: Joe Maldonado/Mashable

Every year, the Google Pixel A-series represents some of the best value in the world of smartphones. They're usually about 90 percent as good as the flagship Pixel that comes out about six months prior, with some corners cut to reduce the price. That was not necessarily the case with the Pixel 10a this year, but it's still a solid device that's easy to recommend to anyone who wants a $499 Android phone.

Sure, it's missing some of the high-end AI features and didn't get a processor upgrade over last year's model, but the totally flat back means it won't wobble on your desk, which is nice. Google's typical high-quality camera trickery is also at work here, which is no surprise. Google also packed in some more charging options and a brighter display, all for $100 less than an iPhone 17e.

Google Pixel 10a $482.99 at Amazon
  See It at Amazon See It at Google Store Best foldable: Motorola Razr Ultra It's not quite the original Razr, but it'll do. Credit: René Ramos/Mashable

We're still waiting for Samsung's next batch of foldables, as well as the rumored iPhone Fold, but Motorola has our back with the best foldable of 2026 so far: The Razr Ultra.

Aside from its name being a nostalgia trap for elder millennials who remember the old Razr flip phones fondly, this is a very good foldable. Unfortunately, it also starts at $1,499. Still, if you can afford it, you'll get a cool clamshell design, two excellent AMOLED displays, one of the best mobile processors money can buy in the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, and a 36-hour battery life. Yes, the price is a lot, but it's not entirely unwarranted. Our tech editor loved this Android foldable, and we think you will, too.

Motorola Razr Ultra (2026) $1,499.99 at Amazon
  See It at Amazon See It at Best Buy See It at Motorola US Most ambitious: Samsung Galaxy TriFold Look at that thing! Credit: Timothy Werth/Mashable

Our last phone on this list is, unfortunately, one you can't really buy anymore. Samsung released the Galaxy TriFold earlier this year for a very limited window of time before pulling it off the shelves forever. Normally, that'd disqualify it from a list like this, but the TriFold was so cool that we want to pay our respects to it before its memory is lost like tears in rain.

As its name suggests, this was a foldable with two creases instead of one, meaning it had a massive internal display that made it more like something from Star Trek than a regular phone. That kind of display is simply better for things like gaming and reading books than a normal one, but it also meant the phone was probably tricky to manufacture and was never going to be long for this world. Still, it was a really cool experiment, and we're glad Samsung got it into some of our hands, however briefly.

SEE ALSO: Hands-on: I'm still lusting over the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold