Blogroll

PhpStorm 2025.3 arrives with full PHP 8.5 support and a new theme

How-To Geek - Mon, 12/08/2025 - 23:46

PhpStorm has stuck around as one of the best PHP development environments, and now JetBrains has released a new major version. PhpStorm 2025.3 is now available with PHP 8.5 support, a new theme, Claude agent integration, and much more.

Categories: IT General, Technology

You can now buy groceries in ChatGPT

Mashable - Mon, 12/08/2025 - 23:04

OpenAI and Instacart are bringing grocery shopping to ChatGPT.

The two companies announced Monday that the Instacart app is being directly integrated into ChatGPT, meaning you can browse for groceries and check out, all within the popular chatbot.

The aim is that users can ask ChatGPT for meal ideas or help with a recipe, then boom: buy everything they need from Instacart.

"With the Instacart app directly in ChatGPT, users can go from meal planning to checkout in a single, seamless conversation," said Nick Turley, head of ChatGPT, in a statement.

"It's another step toward bringing our vision to life—where AI delivers helpful suggestions and connects directly to real-world services, saving people time and effort in their everyday lives."

Curious culinary customers should, however, keep in mind that AI tools do have a habit of being confidently wrong — meaning the recipes might not always be perfect.

Reviews of ChatGPT-generated recipes online, for instance, are a mixed bagbut mostly middling.

Also worth noting: the AI model can hallucinate when it comes to recipes, and we're not just talking about the infamous "glue on pizza" bit made up by Google's AI overviews in 2024.

As recently as August 2025, one person was hospitalized after reportedly following ChatGPT dietary advice that suggested replacing table salt with sodium bromide, which is toxic for human consumption.

So if any user wants to take advantage of recipe ingredients via the OpenAI-Instacart partnership this holiday season, they would be well-advised to make like Santa Claus — and check their list at least twice.

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

Categories: IT General, Technology

Raspberry Pi is raising prices, but this open source alternative is staying affordable

How-To Geek - Mon, 12/08/2025 - 23:00

Are you shopping for an SBC right now? There are tons to choose from, but the conventional choice is a Raspberry Pi device. It isn't your only option, though, and looking into alternatives is worth your while.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Tesla Optimus robot falls over, goes viral

Mashable - Mon, 12/08/2025 - 22:53

A bizarre video of one of Tesla's Optimus robots appearing to malfunction and fall over while serving drinks at an event is going viral online.

The incident happened at an "Autonomy Visualized" event at its Miami store. As Electrek writes, the Tesla event was promoted as a way to showcase the company's “Autopilot technology and Optimus.” 

The fall is a potential embarrassment for Tesla chief Elon Musk, who has highlighted recent demos of Optimus — including one in which the robot appears to be performing Kung Fu.

"AI, not tele-operated," Musk claimed in a reply to a video showcasing the robots skills.

Musk was referring to the fact that previous showcases of Optimus actually involved the robot being operated remotely by a human. Still, Optimus did not seem to be in control of itself at the "Autonomy Visualized" event.

Reddit

The video was first posted on Reddit and is now going viral across social media, including on Musk's own X platform. It shows an Optimus robot serving water bottles at the event.

The robot's hands knock into the table, causing water bottles to fall. Then, suddenly, the robot seems to completely malfunction and falls back.

The weirdest part of the video, though, may be the motion the robots arms and hands make while it begins to tip backwards.

The Optimus robot lifts its arms upwards as its hands make a motion as if removing something — rather like someone removing a VR headset from their head. 

As Electrek points out, VR headsets are exactly what Tesla teleoperators use to control the robots.

A headset fail wouldn't be the first setback for Tesla's Optimus robots, which Musk has referred to as his "robot army." But when it comes to assessing just how effective this army would be in practice, this video is an eye-opener.

So, while Musk touts autonomous robots, it appears Optimus may still be remotely operated — at least, at public events that aim to promote their autonomy. 

Categories: IT General, Technology

Petco reveals a hack exposed customer data in these states

Mashable - Mon, 12/08/2025 - 22:44

Petco has confirmed that its data security breach exposed sensitive customer information. 

The company initially acknowledged a breach without detailing what was compromised, legal notices that were required in several states are starting to show the scope of the hack.

SEE ALSO: Data breach revealed, potentially impacting several banks

In filings submitted to the Texas attorney general — echoed in notifications to officials in California, Massachusetts, and Montana — Petco disclosed that exposed data included customers’ names, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, dates of birth, and financial information such as account and card numbers.

In two states, Petco reported only a handful of affected residents, but California’s disclosure threshold (which only kicks in when 500 customers or more are affected) suggests the actual number of victims there is significantly higher.

As first spotted by TechCrunch, Petco declined to answer detailed questions about how many customers were impacted, whether any unauthorized parties accessed or stole the exposed files, or which application was responsible for the issue.

The company has previously reported serving more than 24 million customers in 2022, giving a sense of the potential scale of the hack.

A sample notification, published by California’s attorney general, indicates the breach stemmed from a misconfigured setting in one of Petco’s software applications, which inadvertently made a number of files accessible online.

Petco says it has corrected the setting, removed the exposed files, and implemented additional security measures.

The company is offering free credit and identity monitoring services to affected individuals in states where such support is required by law when highly sensitive data — like SSNs or driver’s license numbers — is compromised.

Still to be determined: whether Texas residents will receive the same level of protection.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Switching between Android and iOS is about to get easier

Mashable - Mon, 12/08/2025 - 22:32

Apple and Google are working together to make it easier for customers to switch ecosystems.

The newest Android Canary build (basically a beta) started planting the seeds for easier device switching, according to 9to5google. Apple and Google told 9to5google that a quicker transfer process will be available during the new device setup phase after you buy a phone. At some point, this will be baked into both Android and iOS after future software updates to both platforms.

SEE ALSO: New Android malware threat can wipe your bank account

Unfortunately, it's not super clear what, specifically, this means just yet. 9to5google said these updates will support transfer of additional data types between phones, but we'll probably need to be much closer to launch before we know what all of that will entail. Both platforms have officially supported data transfer apps you can download right now, but it sounds like the end goal might be to make all of that magic happen right when you turn on a new phone for the first time.

That would certainly be convenient, and would probably lessen the drama of going between Android and iOS.

Categories: IT General, Technology

AI data centers must be stopped, green groups tell Congress

Mashable - Mon, 12/08/2025 - 22:18

Local pro-environment groups in all 50 states delivered a blunt message to the U.S. Congress: Put a moratorium on new power-hungry AI data centers, or face the wrath of voters everywhere.

"The harms of data center growth are increasingly well-established, and they are massive," read the letter, signed by more than 350 nonprofit groups, from Alabama Climate Reality to West Virginia Citizen Action Group. That includes the swing state of Michigan, where the OpenAI-led Stargate project is already running into local opposition on a $7 billion data center built on farmland.

Focusing on kitchen-table issues as much as the use of fossil fuels (which power an estimated 56 percent of U.S. data center electricity), the letter noted that electricity bills have shot up by more than 21 percent since 2021 — "driven largely by the rapid build-out of data centers."

If nothing is done to stop a proposed tripling of data centers in the next five years, these vast server farms will end up requiring as much electricity as 30 million households, and as much water as 18.5 million households, the group estimates. (For context, the entire U.S. has just over 130 million households.)

SEE ALSO: How much is AI hurting the planet? Big tech won't tell us.

The letter, convened by Food & Water Watch, calls for "a national moratorium on new data centers until adequate regulations can be enacted to fully protect our communities, our families, our environment and our health from the runaway damage this industry is already inflicting."

The estimates are speculative, of course — in part because tech companies still aren't providing the data needed to understand just how much energy and water data centers use. Or more importantly, how hungry the AI model training process has become.

U.S. representatives should be aware how little is known about AI's environmental harms, given that the legislature's own nonpartisan General Accounting Office released a report this summer on this very topic.

"Training and using generative AI can result in substantial energy consumption, carbon emissions, and water usage," the GAO report stated.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Don't sell your old mini PC—do these 8 things instead

How-To Geek - Mon, 12/08/2025 - 22:00

Have an old mini PC lying around you're mulling over chucking into your "hardware graveyard" drawer or selling on eBay or Facebook Marketplace? Why get rid of it when you can repurpose and breathe new life into it? Here are some roles most mini PCs should excel at.

Categories: IT General, Technology

PyCharm 2025.3 update adds faster Python project management, free Jupyter support, and more

How-To Geek - Mon, 12/08/2025 - 21:25

Visual Studio Code and other lightweight editors might be the most popular choices for Python programming, but JetBrains PyCharm is still great for complex projects and debugging. The latest update is merging the Community Edition and Pro versions, and it brings along a few new features and improvements.

Categories: IT General, Technology

5 underrated holiday movies to watch on Disney+ this week

How-To Geek - Mon, 12/08/2025 - 20:01

The holiday season is upon us, and many will be tuning in to Disney+ to watch popular movies like Home Alone, The Santa Clause, and more to celebrate. But the streaming platform has a wide variety of festive flicks. A handful of these films are severely underrated and often get overlooked by those searching for some holiday cheer.

Categories: IT General, Technology

X shuts down EU ad account after historic fine

Mashable - Mon, 12/08/2025 - 19:57

The European Commission just recently slapped Elon Musk's X with a historic $140 million fine. 

But, it turns out that Europe hit X with a double whammy here. According to X, the European Commission, the executive branch of the EU that enforces its laws, took advantage of a flaw in its advertising platform which helped further spread the reach of the EU's announcement that it was fining X.

As a result, X's head of product Nikita Bier is escalating the company's feud with the EU, saying that X has terminated the European Commissions' advertising account with X.

What happened?

On Friday, the European Commission's official account shared a post on X announcing the fine, which is the very first penalty issued as a result of the EU's Digital Services Act.

The fine was issued against X, formerly Twitter, due to a number of changes the platform implemented after Musk acquired the company. The European Commission announcement says it doled out the penalty as a result of X's "deceptive design of its ‘blue checkmark', the lack of transparency of its advertising repository, and the failure to provide access to public data for researchers."

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"Bullshit," Musk replied on X to the announcement.

However, days later Bier posted on X to share that Musk's company was closing the European Commission's ad account on the platform. Bier says that the European Commission exploited the platform's Ad Composer by using a feature that's only meant for ads.

The Ad Composer allows advertisers to upload a video to a post while also linking the video itself to a third-party website. When using this feature, a user is sent to a linked webpage when clicking on the video.

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

"You logged into your dormant ad account to take advantage of an exploit in our Ad Composer — to post a link that deceives users into thinking it’s a video and to artificially increase its reach," Bier wrote. "Your ad account has been terminated."

Under Musk, X's algorithm has been updated to give posts that include video uploads an advantage by extending their reach on the platform.

Bier went on to claim that the post format is only meant for ads and that the flaw had never been abused before. Bier says the exploit has since been patched.

It's unclear exactly how this affects the European Commission, as Bier claimed the now-banned ad account had not run a paid advertisement since 2021, and the exploit no longer exists.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Uber wants to sell more travel data to advertisers

How-To Geek - Mon, 12/08/2025 - 19:55

Uber is making a massive play for advertising dollars by launching a new insights platform, Uber Intelligence. This is designed to sell aggregated data about where you travel and what you order for takeout directly to marketers.

Categories: IT General, Technology

JetBrains GoLand 2025.3 is here to upgrade your Go programming

How-To Geek - Mon, 12/08/2025 - 19:18

JetBrains might be best known for its IDEA, PyCharm, and WebStorm integrated development environments, but it also has one for Go language development: GoLand. The latest version can help you hunt down resource leaks, code with multiple AI agents, use Terraform files, and much more.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Americans keep choosing this older Japanese SUV

How-To Geek - Mon, 12/08/2025 - 19:15

Usually, when a new model hits the scene, the older version starts losing steam. Dealers often have to offer sweet deals just to move the outgoing stock before the shiny new ride steals the spotlight.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Disney+ comes with even more perks this season: Get 6 free months of DashPass and more

Mashable - Mon, 12/08/2025 - 18:39

If ever there was a time to sign up for Disney+, this is it. Besides granting you access to a massive collection of movies and TV shows — including Taylor Swift's new The Eras Tour docuseries and concert footage on Dec. 12 — the streamer is also offering exclusive perks for subscribers this season.

"Instead of chocolates, the Disney+ Perks program is dropping a new offer every single day between December 1 and December 12," the holiday campaign announcement states. The goal is to celebrate the season and reward subscribers with giveaways and discounts galore. And while the campaign itself only runs through Dec. 12, the promotion is available through Dec. 19 and many of the "perks" themselves are redeemable through the end of December or into January.

How to sign up for Disney+ Perks

Existing subscribers can simply head over to the Disney+ Perks page and login to enroll in the program. Not yet a subscriber? Sign up for as low as $11.99 per month for Disney+ with ads (thanks to a recent price hike). Disney+ is all about bundle deals, so you can sign up for both Disney+ and Hulu for only $1 more than Disney+ itself. I personally think the bundle deal is one of the best options on the market. If you prefer to just sign up for Disney+ on its own, however, you can see all of the plan options listed directly on this plans and pricing page.

Sign up for Disney+: Disney+ Premium annual subscription $189.99/year (save $37.89 (compared to monthly plan)) Get Deal Disney+ with ads monthly plan $11.99/month (cheapest plan) Get Deal Disney+ and Hulu bundle (with ads) $12.99/month (save $10.99/month) Get Deal Disney+ Premium free for Total by Verizon customers on the $60/month plan (save $18.99/month) Get Deal Disney Bundle: Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Select (with ads) $10/month through Verizon myPlan (save $9.99/month) Get Deal What are the Disney+ Perks? Credit: Disney+

Disney+ has dropped a handful of perks already this season and will continue to do so through Dec. 12. The perks include discounts on popular brands, entries into giveaways and sweepstakes, access to exclusive experiences, and more. Below, we've rounded up a few of our favorites, but be sure to head over to the Disney+ Perks page to see the full list and enroll.

Enjoy 6 free months of DoorDash DashPass

If you haven't been a DashPass subscriber in at least three months, you can sign up for a six-month subscription for free as a Disney+ perk. That unlocks $0 delivery fees, reduced service fees on eligible restaurants, grocery, and retail orders, up to 10% off Lyft rides, member-exclusive deals, and more. The perk is redeemable through Feb. 26, so you have a little bit of time to sign up. Just remember, after six months, you'll be charged full price — currently $9.99 per month — unless you cancel.

Get a free footlong sub at Subway

Participating Subway locations will give you a free, freshly-made footlong through Feb. 28 if you're a Disney+ subscriber and you enroll in perks. You must be a Sub Club member to qualify. The free footlong will appear in your Sub Club account once you sign up for the perk.

Chance to win a vacation to AULANI, a Disney Resort and Spa

Through Dec. 29, Disney+ subscribers can enter daily for a chance to win a four-night trip at Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa, for up to four guests. That includes airfare, KA WA‘A, A Lū’au  tickets and a $500 Disney gift card.

Discounted tickets to see Broadway's Aladdin

Disney+ subscribers can score up to 30% off select performances of Aladdin on Broadway. Blackout dates and other restrictions may apply. There's a 16-ticket limit per person per seven-day period and the offer ends Dec. 29, 2025.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Four Apple product launches to expect in the near future

Mashable - Mon, 12/08/2025 - 18:36

Apple's next big iPhone launch is still almost a year away, but there's plenty to look forward to between now and then.

Cupertino's finest are cooking up a bunch of rumored new products that are said to be launching in the first half of 2026. From new MacBooks and iPads to a new budget(-ish) iPhone, you may want to start saving up now. Here's what we can expect from Apple in the next few months.

SEE ALSO: Apple's head of UI design leaves for Meta iPhone 17e

Last year, Apple rebranded its budget-friendly iPhone SE line to the iPhone e-series with the launch of the iPhone 16e. It offered flagship-like specs in certain respects, but at a more affordable price, even if it wasn't quite as affordable as the old SE phones were.

Rumor has it that Apple wants to annualize the e-series phones, like how Google does with its Pixel A-series lineup. That means we'll most likely get a new iPhone 17e in the first half of 2026. Prominent leaker Digital Chat Station on Weibo posted some information about the phone back in August. It will reportedly include a 6.1-inch 60Hz OLED display, the latest-generation A19 chip, and Dynamic Island support, among other things like camera upgrades.

We'll see how much it costs, but this could be a great option for people who want all the newest iPhone software features without shelling out for the most expensive model.

A new budget MacBook

One of the most intriguing devices on this list is a new budget-friendly MacBook laptop, set for launch in the early part of next year, per 9to5Mac. It'll reportedly be powered by an older A18 chip instead of a more intensive (and expensive) M-series chip. The device will also allegedly cost somewhere around $599 or $699, making it by far the cheapest MacBook available. All of the other ones are $1,000 or more.

This could be Apple's entry into the Chromebook tier of the laptop market, and it would be a welcome one, especially for someone like me. My MacBook Air is on its last legs, so a replacement may be in order. I imagine there are other people out there in the same position.

New big boy MacBooks

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, a noted Apple prognosticator, reported in his Power On newsletter a while back that Apple is working on two new higher-cost MacBooks, as well. According to Gurman, we'll get a new M5 version of the MacBook Air, as well as MacBook Pro laptops with more powerful M5 Pro and M5 Max chips inside of them.

These will almost certainly be very capable and powerful devices. Unfortunately, they'll probably also cost a lot more than $599.

An A18 iPad

Lastly, iPad fans have something to look forward to in early 2026.

According to analyst Jeff Pu, in a note seen by 9to5Mac, a new entry-level iPad with an A18 chip inside of it is coming in the next few months. Sadly, the A18 part is the only concrete info we have about the device right now. It sounds like it'll mostly entail internal spec upgrades rather than a wholesale hardware redesign. The new chip should enable Apple Intelligence support, though, if that helps.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Gift your content-creator friend the DJI Mic Mini while its on sale for just $45

Mashable - Mon, 12/08/2025 - 18:35

SAVE $44: The DJI Mic Mini (1TX x 1RX) is on sale at Target for $45, down from the normal price of $89. That's a 49% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: DJI DJI Mic Mini $45 at Target
$89 Save $44   Get Deal

If you've been on the Internet lately, you've seen the DJI Mic Mini. It's either in the hand or on the shirt of almost every content creator on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. DJI has long been a leader in making content-creator approved tech and the Mic Mini has perhaps become the most iconic. If you don't yet own the Mic Mini, there's a nice deal in store for you today.

As of Dec. 8, the DJI Mic Mini (1TX x 1RX) is on sale for $45 at Target, down from the standard price of $89. That equals a 49% discount and a savings of $44.

Mashable Lead Shopping Reporter Bethany Allard checked out the DJI Mic Mini and wrote in her review, "After testing out the DJI Mic Mini for weeks and watching it in action with Mashable's social media team, I'm convinced it's one of the best upgrades for content creators."

Today's deal at Target gets you one transmitter and one receiver, which will be perfect for the solo content creator, whether it's creating long-form YouTube, snippets for TikTok, or even podcasts. It also has a slew of extras like a charging dock, USB-C mobile phone adapter, windscreen, clip magnet, carrying pouch, and more. Yes, all of that is on sale for just $45.

SEE ALSO: Review: Is Insta360's Antigravity A1 drone the DJI replacement we've been hoping for?

The DJI Mic Mini's transmitter weighs just 10 grams so it won't pull on a collar or a nice holiday sweater while recording. It also has a wireless range of over 1,000 feet. With the built-in rechargeable batteries on both the receiver and the transmitter, you'll be operational for over 10 hours before needing a recharge.

While it's nearly 50% off, snag the DJI Mic Mini for $45 at Target. Order soon and it'll arrive in time for holiday gifting.

Categories: IT General, Technology

5 weird things that'll charge your Android phone

How-To Geek - Mon, 12/08/2025 - 18:30

If you've ever had to charge your phone in a pinch without your usual charger, you know the struggle of hunting for anything with a powered USB port. In those moments, even a trickle of electricity can be the difference between getting home and being stuck with a dead battery.

Categories: IT General, Technology

DirecTV is ditching external boxes on these TVs

How-To Geek - Mon, 12/08/2025 - 18:20

DirecTV is finally making its streaming experience better for LG owners by launching a dedicated app that eliminates the need for an external set-top box. The new DirecTV app is now available for LG Smart TVs made in 2021 and newer, provided they are running on webOS 6.0 or higher software.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The ASUS ROG Xbox Ally just hit a new record-low price

Mashable - Mon, 12/08/2025 - 18:18

SAVE 18%: As of Dec. 8, you can get the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally (72 A, 168GB RAM, 512GB SSD) for $489.99, down from $599.99, at Amazon. That's an 18% discount and $110 in savings.

ASUS ROG Xbox Ally (72 A, 168GB RAM, 512GB SSD) $499 at Walmart
$599.99 Save $100.99   Get Deal at Walmart Get Deal at Amazon

If you're thinking about buying a handheld gaming console (either as a gift or a treat yo' self), now's the time to jump on it, because Amazon is giving us post-Black Friday discounts we can't ignore.

Right now, you can score the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally (72 A, 168GB RAM, 512GB SSD) for just $489.99, down from $599.99. That’s an 18% discount and the lowest price we’ve seen on this model. (Yes, this is beating its Black Friday price!) While the premium $999.99 Ally X is getting all the buzz, this standard model is a strong, budget-friendly contender that gives you access to games without costing a grand.

SEE ALSO: Asus ROG Ally X hands-on: It's got a new black color, but can it beat the Steam Deck?

This Ally is basically a full-powered Windows gaming laptop you can play in the palm of your hand. That means you can bypass the Steam Deck's compatibility issues and jump straight into your gaming library, including Xbox Game Pass, Steam, and Epic Games titles. It comes loaded with the AMD Ryzen 72 A processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 7-inch, 120Hz display with FreeSync Premium, making every game look butter-smooth. Best of all, it charges fast — just 30 minutes will get you from zero to 50 percent.

If you want a gaming handheld that doesn't mess around with compatibility, this deal is the one you need to grab.

Categories: IT General, Technology
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