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Gaming gear can be expensive. Save on everything you need to level up your setup during Amazon Gaming Week.
Best Amazon Gaming Week Deals Best Amazon Gaming Week deal ASUS Tuf Gaming A15 Gaming Laptop (AMD Ryzen 7, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) $1,299.99 at Amazon (Save $400) Get Deal Best Amazon Gaming Week game deal Star Wars Jedi: Survivor $29.99 at Amazon (Save $40) Get Deal Best Amazon Gaming Week controller deal ASUS ROG Raikiri Pro OLED Display Controller $109.99 at Amazon (Save $40) Get Deal Best Amazon Gaming Week headset deal Razer Opus X Wireless Low Latency Headset $58.65 at Amazon (Save $41.34) Get DealIf you love video games, whether on console or PC, no doubt you're used to spending a pretty penny to get the perfect setup. Whether that means finding a reliable controller or headset or other piece of equipment, there's no denying that things can get pretty pricey.
Luckily, during Amazon Gaming Week, there are dozens of discounts to be had on a wide variety of goodies that every gamer can use. From now through May 5, you can shop this annual collection of gaming deals to find some of the best deals yet on everything from popular games to must-have accessories.
There are tons of deals on offer to kit out your gaming battle station, from first-party accessories from Xbox and PlayStation to third-party options like SteelSeries and HyperX. We've curated some of our favorite gaming deals you can jump on right now.
Best Amazon Gaming Week deal Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon ASUS Tuf Gaming A15 Gaming Laptop (AMD Ryzen 7, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) $1,299.99 at AmazonThe ASUS Tuf Gaming A15 Gaming Laptop is no slouch, with a powerful GeForce RTX 4070 onboard to handle the latest gameplay. It boasts an AMD Ryzen 7 processor with 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a gorgeous display with a 144Hz refresh rate to help you stay in the game without worrying about lag, stuttering, or visual tearing. All this in a lightweight frame with a pair of 84-blade fans to help improve cooling without making your laptop sound like a freight train. If you've been looking for a good laptop to go ahead and add to your collection, this is a fantastic deal at $400 off.
More laptop deals:Razer Blade 14 (AMD Ryzen 9, GeForce RTX 4060, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,899.99 $1,999.99 at Amazon (save $100)
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is the sequel to 2019's Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and continues the adventure of fledgling Jedi Knight Cal Kestis. On his journey to restore the Jedi back to their former glory, Cal explores a variety of worlds while fighting the Empire alongside allies like tiny droid BD-1 and Jedi Master Cere Junda (Debra Wilson). According to Mashable reviewer Alex Perry, it's a "major improvement on "one of the best Star Wars games ever."
More game deals:LEGO 2K Drive — $19.99 $39.99 at Amazon (save $20)
Marvel's Midnight Suns Enhanced Edition — $19.99 $39.99 at Amazon (save $20)
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth — $51.90 $69.99 at Amazon (save $18.09)
Persona 5 Tactica — $31 $59.99 at Amazon (save $28.99)
The ASUS ROG Raikiri Pro OLED Display Controller can be used for both Xbox and PC, and it's a nice little upgrade to core Xbox controllers, with a built-in OLED display. It can be customized to show animations, show status indicators, and can be used to swap between profiles as you play games. You can remap buttons on it, change its joystick sensitivity, and make other changes via the ASUS ROG Armoury Crate, so this is a great controller option for anyone who loves to (or needs to) tinker.
More controller deals:Razer Kishi V2 Mobile Gaming Controller for Android — $76.99 $99.99 at Amazon (save $23)
Xbox Elite Series 2 Wireless Gaming Controller — $150.99 $179.99 at Amazon (save $29)
The Razer Opus X Wireless Low Latency Headset is a bright neon green accessory that'll definitely turn some heads. It's much more affordable now that it's on sale, and it comes with some great features, including active noise cancellation, Bluetooth 5.0 support for better range, higher bandwidth, and low latency. Plus, it has custom-tuned 40mm drivers so no matter if you're listening to your favorite game or the voices of your teammates, you're getting high-quality audio. The built-in mics also ensure everyone else can hear you clearly, too.
More headset deals:Sony INZONE H3 Wired Gaming Headset — $58 $99.99 at Amazon (save $41.99)
Razer Kaira Pro HyperSpeed Wireless Gaming Headset — $149.99 $199.99 at Amazon (save $50)
Turtle Beach Recon Spark Gaming Headset — $39.95 $49.99 at Amazon (save $10.04)
Meta Quest 2 with Active Pack — $196.11 $309.98 at Amazon (save $113.87)
Razer BlackWidow V4X Mechanical Gaming Keyboard — $119.99 $129.99 at Amazon (save $10)
SAVE 50%: The Amazon Echo Pop smart speaker is just $19.99 at Amazon, down from the regular price of $39.99. That's a savings of $20.
Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Echo Pop $19.99 at AmazonWhile some people love the "sound of silence", others do not. If you fall into the latter and prefer to always have music, a podcast, or an audiobook going in the background, listen up because Amazon has just the deal today.
As of April 30, the Amazon Echo Pop is just $19.99, discounted from the normal price of $39.99. That's a savings of $20.
The Amazon Echo Pop excels in providing sound for small spaces like your office, bedroom, or bathroom. Its compact size means it's less likely to stick out like a massive speaker and more likely to blend in to your room's decor.
Through a Bluetooth connection, the Echo Pop can play from Amazon Music, Spotify, Apple Music, and Audible. Wake up to your favorite playlist or tune into the morning's headlines. While working on weekend chores around the house, turn on your latest audiobook or have the Pop play some white noise to help you fall asleep at night.
The Echo Pop also has Alexa's assistance so you can ask her to set alarms, add items to your shopping list, explain what the weather will be like today, or ask her to look into how fast bees can fly.
If there's a room in your home that could use a smart speaker, the Echo Pop is under $20 at Amazon which puts this at a budget-friendly price for non-stop tunes.
UPDATE: Apr. 30, 2024, 12:30 p.m. EDT We've updated this story with the latest info on Prime Day 2024.
Amazon has made the announcement: we're officially on the verge of Prime Day season once more.
If it feels like it hasn't been all that long since Amazon last hosted a sitewide, that's because it hasn't been: just over a month ago, the retailer ran its five-day Big Spring Sale offering deals on select tech, home and cleaning products, and other "seasonally relevant items."
The real knockout sale for Amazon, however, is Prime Day. The retailer has just released new details on the sale, so we've gathered everything you need to know so far about Prime Day 2024.
What is Prime Day?Prime Day is a 48-hour sitewide savings event exclusive to paid and trial members of Amazon's Prime subscription service. It began in 2015 as a one-day sale to celebrate Amazon's 20th anniversary, and in recent years has become a two-day event prefaced by plenty of early deals. This year marks the 10th time Amazon has held this sale.
Prime Day often brings the lowest prices of the year at the time of the sale on a whole host of products including robot vacuums, Amazon devices, headphones, Apple products, TVs, and more.
For the past year, Amazon has held another sitewide sale for Prime members in the fall — last year's was dubbed Prime Big Deal Days — which closely resembles the summer event. It happened in October before Black Friday deals kicked off in earnest. Like Prime Day, it's a 48-hour sale for Prime members.
When is Prime Day 2024?In a press release on April 26, Amazon confirmed that Prime Day will be in July, keeping in line with years past. Though they didn't say exactly which dates just yet, we predict the sale will fall sometime from early- to mid-July. In 2023, it ran from July 11 to July 12, while in 2022, it ran from July 12 to July 13.
We're also keeping an eye out for any news about early access deals: last year, Amazon kicked off early deals on June 21.
Can you shop on Prime Day without being a Prime member?Not all Prime Day deals are officially tied to the sale, but to have access to the most possible savings, you will want to be a Prime member.
You can participate in Prime Day without committing to a paid Prime membership by scheduling a 30-day free trial around the event. Just remember to cancel it as soon as the sale is over to avoid getting charged.
SEE ALSO: Walmart+ is offering some new limited-time perks — here's how to sign up Who's competing with Prime Day?At this point, it's traditional for other major retailers to conveniently hold sales right before, during, and right after Prime Day.
Last year, that included Best Buy's Black Friday in July sale which took place from July 10 to 12, Walmart+ Week from July 10 to 13, and Target Circle Week from July 9 to July 15. (As a reminder, last year's Prime Day ran from July 11 to 12.)
Beyond expanded sale times, these retailers can offer better deals on certain categories like QLED TVs, high-end laptops, and home essentials.
While we haven't received any confirmation of any competing sales yet, we'll be keeping a lookout and updating this page accordingly once we do.
There are so many viral AI chatbots that you can't even trust that one of them is real anymore.
In December, a group of Danish researchers unveiled life2vec, an AI chatbot that could theoretically predict when a person will die. The group's findings were published in a paper and the models have been thoroughly explained in a FAQ on the life2vec website.
Crucially, the life2vec chatbot is not available to the public, leading to a surge of fake entities claiming to use it.
SEE ALSO: This AI tool will help you erase your ex from photos"We are aware of social media accounts and at least one fraudulent website claiming to be associated with the life2vec model," the life2vec website states. "We are not affiliated with these or any other entities that claim to use our technology."
This is such a good encapsulation of what's wrong with the internet today. Scientists made a thing that seems to at least have some real know-how behind it. Smartly, they kept it out of public hands. But then people made fake versions of it — and one of those deceptive copies is currently above the real life2vec website in Google search results, prompting life2vec to issue warnings about it.
And that's before you even get to how weird it is to ask an AI chatbot when you'll die. Good grief.
SAVE 30%: A Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2 Bluetooth tracker is just $20.99 at Amazon, marked down from the normal price of $29.99. That's a savings of $9.
Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2 $20.99 at AmazonThere's a specific heart-sinking feel that comes when you can't find an important item like your wallet, backpack, or keys. This is always followed by our brains chaotically retracing our day trying to figure out where the item got left behind. If you're not interested in that kind of stress anymore, today's deal could be a savior.
As of April 30, a Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2 Bluetooth tracker is on sale at Amazon for $20.99, down from the usual price of $29.99. That's a 30% discount that'll save you $9.
Mashable's review of the best Bluetooth trackers lists the Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2 as the best option for Samsung Galaxy users. The review explains that while the Samsung tracker is pretty similar to the popular Apple AirTag, this option is better streamlined for those with a Galaxy phone.
Unlike the AirTag, the SmartTag2 is designed with a built-in hole that makes it easier to attach to a set of keys or strap onto a backpack or tote bag. Samsung mentions the Bluetooth tracker stays powered for 500 days or even more when in power-saving mode.
If daily life has you searching for important things that you misplaced or someone moved, grabbing a Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2 could save you tons of time and lower your stress levels. Thanks to today's sale price, you'll also be getting a great deal.
Amazon is closing out April with a bang. And by that, I mean a ton of deals on some of our favorite brands — Apple, Samsung, Echo, and Kodak. If you're looking for a Mother's Day gift or just want to treat yourself to a little something, we've sorted through the lengthy list of deals to handpick the best ones for you to shop on April 30.
Here are our top picks for the best Amazon deals of the day. And be sure to check out our picks from April 29, as many of those are still live.
Our top pick Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Amazon deal of the day: MacBook Air (M2, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $849.99 at AmazonIf you're in the market for a MacBook upgrade, you can do it on a budget with this deal on the M2 MacBook Air. Originally released in 2022 for $1,099, the 13.6-inch MacBook Air (M2, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) now retails for $999 (since the release of the 15-inch M2 Air). However, now that the M3 line is out, we're starting to see even more impressive deals. Case in point: as of April 30, you can snag the base model M2 Air for only $849.99 with the on-page coupon at Amazon. That's just 99 cents away from its record-low price. It may no longer be the latest and greatest MacBook on the market, but the M2 processor is beyond capable of handling everyday tasks and then some. Upon testing, Mashable Tech Reporter Alex Perry concluded that it has "rock-solid battery life, a larger 13.6-inch display than previous models, a keyboard that’s to die for, and enough horsepower to handle everyday tasks with ease."
Read our full review of the M2 MacBook Air.
Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Echo Pop $19.99 at AmazonThe Echo Pop has made our roundup of the best Amazon deals of the day quite a few times this month. And as of April 30, it just got $3 cheaper. The cute Echo Pop speaker is a fun way to add Alexa — and some color — to your home. "For people who like to keep music playing, and who also use Alexa as a home assistant, the Echo Pop is a perfect addition to any room in the house," Mashable's reviewer wrote. It's currently just $19.99 at Amazon — a savings of 50%. That's still $2 shy of its all-time low, but 7% cheaper than it was just last week.
Read our full review of the Echo Pop.
Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro $159.99 at AmazonMashable's Alex Perry called the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro a "no-brainer" for Samsung fans upon their release in 2022, highlighting their powerful audio quality and ANC, comfortable build, and array of customization features for Samsung devices. We featured them last week at $169.99, but as of April 30, they've dropped another $10 at Amazon. Snag a pair for only $159.99 in time for your summer travels — that's a savings of 30%.
Read our full review of the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro.
Opens in a new window Credit: Kodak Kodak Dock Plus 4PASS instant photo printer (4 x 6) + 90 sheets bundle $125.98 at AmazonIf you're looking for a unique Mother's Day gift, check out this deal on the Kodak Dock Plus 4PASS — an instant photo printer that transforms a smartphone into a digital printing studio. It's compatible with both Android and iOS devices and prints high-quality 4 x 6 inch photos in seconds. With the compatible Kodak Photo Printer app, you can even add decorative features like filters and frames to your photos before printing. The printer comes with 90 sheets of photo paper to get you started and is currently on sale for just $125.98 at Amazon — that's 37% in savings and just $6 shy of its all-time low price.
Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple AirPods Pro (2nd generation) $179.00 at AmazonAirPods deals are here one day and gone the next, so if you're in the market for the new AirPods Pro, we suggest snagging this deal while you can. As of April 30, the second-generation Apple earbuds are on sale for just $179 rather than $249. That's a savings of 28% and a full $20 cheaper than they were just a couple of days ago. It's also the first time they've dropped to a price this low. Mashable Senior Editor Stan Schroeder summed up the second-generation AirPods Pro perfectly: "Apple has improved the AirPods Pro (2nd generation) in many small ways. They sound great and the noise cancellation is stellar, but if you already have the original AirPods Pro, the new ones are not an essential upgrade."
Read our full review of the AirPods Pro (2nd generation).
None of these deals catching your eye? Check out Amazon's daily deals for even more savings.
TL;DR: Stream Rafael Nadal vs. Jiri Lehecka in the 2024 Madrid Open for free on RTVE. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
Nadal is one of the best tennis players to ever play the game, so when there are whispers of a comeback, the eyes of the world will be watching. It's probably too early to say that Nadal is officially back, but the legitimate legend has looked good on his way to a matchup with Jiri Lehecka. The Madrid Open has been a fairytale for the Spaniard, and fans will be desperate to see the magic continue.
If you want to watch Rafael Nadal vs. Jiri Lehecka in the 2024 Madrid Open for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is Nadal vs. Lehecka?Rafael Nadal and Jiri Lehecka will meet in the 2024 Madrid Open at around 3:15 p.m. ET / 8:15 p.m. BST on April 30.
How to watch Nadal vs. Lehecka in the 2024 Madrid Open for freeThe 2024 Madrid Open is available to stream for free on RTVE.
RTVE is geo-restricted to Spain, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Spain. This process makes it look like you're connecting from Spain, so you can access RTVE from anywhere in the world.
Unblock RTVE by following these simple steps:
Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in Spain
Visit RTVE
Stream Rafael Nadal vs. Jiri Lehecka for free from anywhere in the world
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By taking advantage of these offers, you can gain access to RTVE without actually spending anything. This is not a long-term solution, but it gives you plenty of time to stream the remaining action from the 2024 Madrid Open before recovering your investment.
What is the best VPN for RTVE?ExpressVPN is the best service for streaming live sport on RTVE, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries including Spain
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
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.
Stream Rafael Nadal vs. Jiri Lehecka for free with ExpressVPN.
At the near center mark of Luca Guadagnino’s scintillating tennis film Challengers, leading college athlete phenom Tashi (Zendaya) and recent Junior U.S. Open champion Patrick (Josh O’Connor) are doing what cinema-goers have been begging for: making the f*ck out.
It’s hard to take your eyes away from them. They’re young. They’re on fire. O’Connor is literally ripping Zendaya’s billowy “I Told Ya” t-shirt off with his teeth.
But if the astute millennial cinema lover can rip their eyes away from the prime athletes on the bed, they may spot another character in the room, too (Spoiler: this is a movie about throuples, by the by). Sweep your eyes up from their bodies, tune your ears away from the volley-filled conversation about the unofficial third person in their relationship, and there, floating above the lovers’ heads as a silent observer to the passion happening on Tashi’s pink sheets, it rests.
“Are we still talking about tennis?” Patrick asks Tashi between the licks and pets and teen angst. No, my beloveds, we’re talking Stephanie Meyers’ Twilight.
SEE ALSO: Why Zendaya says you gotta see 'Challengers' twiceThe only recognizable cover among Tashi’s collection of novels, photos, and other accoutrement like her iPod Nano, the book could easily just be an apropos prop for the early aughts setting. (Devoted Twihards may rightfully point out that the novel had already been on shelves for two years at the time of the 2007 make-out sesh, and the blockbuster movie adaptation was still one year away from its release.)
However, in a movie where every exchange feels rife with subtext, where each frame is in service of an ever-so-sweet callback, where something as little as a stool being scooted closer elicits gasps and screams, it’s hard to believe that the book shouldn’t warrant closer inspection. It feels painfully obvious, too. Why wouldn't one of the most iconic love triangles of all time (yes, I said it) get its due in a film about the very same subject? Is Tashi dreaming of werewolves and vampires off the court?
Tweet may have been deleted"Sensual longing radiates in every scene of Challengers, even though the love scenes are most shocking in how little sex they actually show," Mashable's Kristy Puchko wrote in her review of the film. "And yet, you will be scorched by the heat, as Guadagnino has put together one of the hottest love triangles cinema has ever seen... if not the very hottest."
Sexual edging in service of romantic yearning? Let me tell you about a certain Young Adult series… The internet's made the connection too, even if a bit indirectly. "Team Art" and "Team Patrick" posts flooded timelines almost immediately after its premiere — some of us still haven't removed Team Edward from our bios. Viewers are revved up about who Tashi (or, really, who they) should choose. They're trying to find villains where there are only confused teens and jaded adults.
We're so back in 2008. And that means we have to figure out who, in this tortured love triangle, is who.
Tweet may have been deleted Edward and Jacob and Patrick and ArtNo line in the Challengers film reeks more of Twilight lore than when rising teen doubles partners Patrick and Art (Mike Faist) are given the nickname "Fire and Ice," basically identical to the “two sides” Bella is forced to choose between in the series. Vampires, walking marble statues, represent ice, while werewolves are problematically “warm-blooded” and "fiery." What do heat and water make? Oh yeah, steam.
Meyers loves the metaphor so much that she opens the third installment of the book series, Eclipse, with a quote from an aptly titled Robert Frost poem, “Fire and Ice”:
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
In the world of Challengers, Tashi — about to make a similar apocalyptic decision — questions the distinction, "Which is which?" Patrick, always pushing the limits of his partners, leaves it up to her. "What do you think?"
Good question. Art, the hairless boy wonder, might, at first, read as Challengers’ Edward insert — a glistening, chiseled white boy who will do anything for the woman he loves. In the movie’s reticent fire and ice metaphor, Art’s quiet court demeanor and playing style are chillier than Patrick’s showboating nature and loud personality. He's the devout Edward to Patrick's combative Jacob.
But this film isn’t about what's on the surface. And, if Twilight teaches us one thing, it's that the only thoughts that matter are Bella's.
Tweet may have been deletedFor Tashi (the least like her Twilight counterpart, admittedly), Patrick is the bigger gamble. He personifies passion, hunger, and desire — just as Edward does for Bella. She's drawn to him because they do everything to push each other away. He is drawn to her because he's obsessed with figuring her out, and loves letting her know when he's done so (Edward canonically notices Bella for the first time because she's the only human he literally cannot mind-read).
Art, on the other hand, represents stability. In adulthood, he's Tashi's connection to domestic life, as normal as one can be achieved given their circumstances, and, at every turn, he's fighting for it. She loves that she can live vicariously through him. Most importantly, Art loves Tashi in defiance of Patrick, doing everything in his power to convince her that he’s better for her than his former friend.
For those who are only familiar with the Kristen Stewart-led films, there's just as much for you. The scene where Patrick saunters smugly onto the Stanford tennis courts in a pair of white Ray-Bans? Succeeds in inducing the same giddy squeals as when Edward (portrayed by Robert Pattinson) steps out of his sleek Volvo donning a pair of black sunglasses. As a down-on-his-luck adult, Patrick uses his charm and attractiveness to try to finesse a free room out of an older hotel manager. Edward uses his on a (slightly predatory?) school secretary, and again with a restaurant hostess. In the aforementioned make-out scene, Patrick's leap onto Tashi's bed mimics almost beat for beat the scene where Edward and Bella kiss for the first time, iconic purple sheets replacing Tashi's pink ones. A climactic scene sees Patrick driving erratically with Tashi in the passenger seat — a move right out of Edward's playbook.
Meanwhile, a tense cafeteria exchange between Art and Tashi mirrors Jacob's recurring conversation with Bella that Edward is fundamentally unsafe, that he doesn't love her (he just wants to consume her), and that she deserves truer love. Tashi fights back. Has anyone asked what she wants? Does she want to be loved? She wants to be a vampire — I mean, a tennis player!
Following her life-changing injury, Art and Tashi practice pushing her limits on a rehabbed knee. Art doesn't want to hurt her, so Tashi begs him to push her as far as he can. Bella notoriously uses Jacob to funnel her into dangerous situations (all in the service of getting Edward back, to be noted).
The term "lapdog" is used interchangeably in both universes as an insult — Challengers misses the opportunity to have a nod to "bloodsucking," but the film's disdain at Patrick's rich upbringing might be enough to nail the leech metaphor. O'Connor and Pattinson have mastered the smirk.
Patrick moves through the film with an intense desire to be loved, masked only by an air of arrogance and self-hatred that he and Tashi lob back and forth at each other. The given excuse is that Patrick’s never had to grow up. (Forever stuck at 17? Sounds familiar.) Meanwhile, Edward is notoriously, and life-threateningly, self-deprecating.
Art's sweet nature hides a deeper talent for manipulation and an inherent cleverness. He jabs his fingers into his best friend's wounds ahead of their big match and covers up his jealousy with a deep respect for Tashi. Jacob, starting as the fun-loving childhood best friend, turns into a fighter, sewing seeds of doubt in Edward and snarling at the other men weaving into Bella's life.
Immortality, though not as overt a theme in Challengers as in Twilight, plays an additional part. Patrick, begging Tashi to pay attention to him again, threatens her with the threat of a career mortem. Art, tired from a life of professional sports, is "ready to die," and doesn't Tashi want to live? Maybe, still stuck in that hotel room at the Junior U.S. Open, she can live forever with Patrick.
Other parallels: An inherited engagement ring from one beau's grandmother leads to a strained revelation. The name of a child ("You nicknamed my daughter after the Loch Ness Monster?!") is uttered with disdain.
Tweet may have been deletedObviously, the comparisons aren't really 1:1. Twilight is about repressed desire, while Challengers does anything but hold back. Tashi, unlike Bella, is an unwavering, passion-filled character who makes her choices fast and with determination. Patrick's quick decisions bear little resemblance to Edward's careful planning. Art is not a motorcycle-riding stereotype of boyishness. It's hard to imagine Guadagnino leafing through Meyers' prose for inspiration.
And, at the end of the day, Tashi's true love isn't either of these men. Everything she does is in service of seeing some "good fucking tennis."
If Tashi is Bella, then the true Edward in this star-crossed romance is tennis.
Tweet may have been deletedChallengers' Twilight references are a fun thought experiment for those who came of age with the supernatural throuple. It’s a universe where Edward x Jacob fanfic is actually canon — a true love triangle that Twilight's prudish tendencies failed to accomplish. A rendition of the tale that has Bella acting on her urges — one in which she doesn’t shy away from being labeled the villain if that means she might get what she wants. A version of the story where everyone gets their hands dirty, the boys kiss, and the winner doesn't matter at all.
SAVE $70: As of April 30, you can grab the USB-C AirPods Pro from Amazon and Best Buy for $179.99, but if you want the absolute best price, you can find them at Walmart for $179. This marks the lowest price we've ever seen them hit and saves you 28% on these $249 earbuds.
Opens in a new window Credit: Apple USB-C AirPods Pro $179.00 at WalmartIn most cases we might suggest holding out on buying new AirPods until this year's rumored new models drop — but for a deal this good, we have to make an exception.
Without any fanfare of a larger sale, Walmart dropped the price of the USB-C AirPods Pro to just $179 — a new record low (by 99 cents, but still). Amazon and Best Buy also have the noise-canceling earbuds available for their former low of $179.99.
SEE ALSO: iPad Pro 2024 plot twist: This new rumored feature shakes things upTypically, the $249 earbuds can be found on sale for $199, or on a good day $189. We first saw the USB-C Pros get down to $179.99 during Amazon's Big Spring Sale in March. Though this price still makes these earbuds an investment, it puts them much more at par with models that offer less and don't perform quite as well, like the $169.95 Beats Studio Buds+.
The USB-C AirPods Pro also offer some of the best noise cancellation you'll be able to find on earbuds, making them one of our favorite headphones. In his review, Mashable Senior Editor Stan Schroeder wrote that, in some cases, the earbuds bested the noise cancellation of his over-ear B&W Px7 headphones, and "are the first pair of earbuds I'd actually consider taking on an airplane (instead of my much larger and clunkier over-ear headphones)."
If you're an Apple user, we love them even more for how well these earbuds connect and integrate into your existing tech ecosystem. We also appreciate that Apple finally ditched the Lightning port for the much more universal USB-C port on the case. Compared to their non-USB-C counterpart, these AirPods are pretty much the same, but offer increased water and dust resistance and lossless audio with the Apple Vision Pro (though we've yet to test that claim for ourselves).
SEE ALSO: Apple AirPods Pro with USB-C review: About timeThey also support smart features like Conversational Audio and Adaptive Awareness, which automatically adjust your volume levels, which Schroeder found to be, "a pretty impressive combo, which uses Apple’s machine-learning magic to juggle all of these possibilities into something that, at times, feels genuinely smart."
SAVE $215: A bundle package of NFL Sunday Ticket with YouTube TV will save viewers a total of $215. The year-long NFL Sunday Ticket price is coming in at a discounted $179 per year in combination with YouTube TV on sale for $57.99 per month for the first three months.
Opens in a new window Credit: YouTube TV NFL Sunday Ticket (annual subscription) + YouTube TV $352.97 at YouTube TVWe're a few quick months away from kickoff of the 2024-2025 NFL season. If you struggled last year with watching out-of-network games and have promised yourself that this year will be different, today's deal at YouTube TV is about to make your life much easier.
Until May 16, a bundled package of NFL Sunday Ticket and YouTube TV saves you a total of $215. The annual membership to NFL Sunday Ticket package is just $179, marked down form the usual price of $349, while the first three months of YouTube TV is $57.99, marked down from the normal price of $72.99 per month. In total, you'll be saving $215 on the bundled package compared to buying the two separately.
Instead of inviting yourself over to a friend's house to watch this season's games, NFL Sunday Ticket gives you access to over 160 out-of-market Sunday games per season. Fair warning that your friends might now all be piling into your living room once you have access!
On top of NFL Sunday Ticket, this deal discounts the monthly fee of YouTube TV for the first three months. Not only does YouTube TV include over 100 live channels like NBC, ABC, and CBS, it gives you access to NFL pre-season content you'll want to tune into. YouTube TV also includes 36 Sunday and Monday night football games per season as well as playoffs and the Super Bowl.
Instead of fumbling to figure out how to watch this season's games, sign up for the bundle of NFL Sunday Ticket and YouTube TV to catch hundreds of games, the playoffs, and the Super Bowl — all from the comfort of your own home.
With break ups come a lot of complications. And one major part of this is the digital life you once shared: Instagram posts, couples content, and presumably hundreds of selfies and vacation photos that probably aren't an easy reminder.
Enter the Ex-Terminator, a tongue-in-cheek AI tool born out of a collaboration between dating app OkCupid and Photoroom.
SEE ALSO: The best dating apps and sites in April 2024The tool, available online and free to use, lets users literally erase exes from their best pictures. Using photo editing software Photoroom's "magic brush", anyone can remove a person from a photograph and let the background fill in the gap.
The tool could also be used for other reasons, including privacy: if you want to blur a friend's face to include a picture on a dating profile, for example, this may be the way to do it.
Credit: OkCupid / Photoroom.OkCupid found that 50 percent of millennials and 54 percent of Gen Z have photos they'd like to erase their ex from. The study, which surveyed over 185,000 OkCupid users, also discovered that 62 percent of single females wouldn't want to see their ex in a photo.
SEE ALSO: What happens when your favourite TikTok couple breaks upOkCupid and Photoroom say that their tool is "a bid to salvage cherished photos and memories from the clutches of relationships past."
So whether you want to begin the healing process after a breakup, or simply save the pictures where you shine on your own, removing an ex from your best photos is about to get a whole lot easier.
On April 24, President Joe Biden signed a bill that started the clock on TikTok's future in the America: unless TikTok's parent company ByteDance divests from the app within the next year, it will face a ban in the country.
In the days following this decision, the official Biden-Harris TikTok account has posted 10 videos on the app. That's because the president plans to continue using TikTok until the new law is invoked. His campaign joined TikTok in February.
SEE ALSO: Which countries have banned TikTok?Biden, vying for reelection this year, is harnessing the power of TikTok to reach young voters. The app has a whopping 170 million users in America, and over 60 percent of American teens say they use TikTok. The reach of TikTok appears too valuable for the campaign to forgo, despite the Biden administration touting concerns over national security, propaganda, and the app's China-based owner having access to U.S. user data.
Mixed messagesWhile it may not be so simple, the current administration seems to be sending mixed messages about TikTok. Not only is Biden continuing to use the platform, the campaign has been courting TikTok influencers to post pro-Biden content for months. Since September, prominent TikTokkers with millions of followers have been invited to visit the White House, according to an investigation by The Intercept.
Not only is Biden continuing to use TikTok, the campaign has been courting TikTok influencers to post pro-Biden content for months.Back in March, a Democratic congressman was similarly called out for his use of TikTok, despite his voting in favor of banning the app. Rep. Jeff Jackson, a congressman from North Carolina who has over 2.2 million followers on TikTok, frequently posts videos to speak about subjects like the war in Ukraine, artificial intelligence, and his own campaigning efforts. Jackson has lauded the educational value of TikTok, but also explained his viewpoint on the app and its potential ban, saying in a video posted to X that the Chinese government's influence over the algorithm is his biggest area of concern.
"The best-case scenario for TikTok is that it continues to operate but is no longer owned — and potentially controlled — by an adversarial country," he wrote.
Tweet may have been deletedDemocratic party members, including Jackson, have repeatedly stated that their qualms are not with TikTok itself, but who owns it.
"We’ve been clear: we do not want to ban apps like TikTok," White House spokesperson Robyn Patterson said in a statement last week. "What we want — and what the legislation we support would do — is ensure that TikTok becomes owned by an American company so that our and our children’s sensitive personal data stays here instead of going to China and so that Americans’ understandings and views can’t be manipulated by algorithms potentially controlled by the [People’s Republic of China]."
Rob Flaherty, deputy manager of Biden's reelection campaign, defended the administration's continued use of TikTok. "We would be silly to write off any place where people are getting information about the president."
And yet, the campaign's continued use of TikTok and admittance of the app's role in the lives of young people presents a conundrum.
Dr. Jessica Maddox, a professor of digital media technology at the University of Alabama, tells Mashable that the Biden administration's presence on TikTok sends a confounding message.
"It is one hundred percent hypocritical for President Biden and his re-election campaign to still hold TikTok accounts," she says. "This makes me skeptical – if this app was really such a national security threat, why would entities so close to the president being using it? It doesn't make sense, and it makes President Biden lose the optics game of this legislation."
SEE ALSO: Here's how the TikTok ban will likely play out in the courtsDonald Trump, the likely Republican presidential nominee, has also sent mixed messages when it comes to his stance on TikTok. The former president attempted to ban in the app in 2020, also citing concerns over ties to China and censorship of content deemed "politically sensitive" by the Chinese Communist Party. More recently, however, Trump condemned the looming ban on Truth Social, blaming Biden for trying to "help his friends over at Facebook become richer", and accusing the current president of "election interference" (a favoured and false claim Trump has repeatedly made in different variations since the 2020 election).
"Just so everyone knows," Trump wrote in a post his social media platform, "especially the young people, Crooked Joe Biden is responsible for banning TikTok."
Meanwhile, Republicans have been largely in favor of banning TikTok, too, including party members like Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, and Vivek Ramaswamy. The TikTok bill passed, after all, in a rare bipartisan vote, and other prominent prominent Republicans, including Ramaswamy and former vice president Mike Pence, have branded TikTok as "digital fentanyl".
The fear of TikTokThe conceivable irony of the situation is not lost on TikTok users. Comments on recent videos on the president's account are pointing out the hypocrisy of the situation. "I'm confused," wrote one user in a comment. "Why does Biden have a TikTok but wants it banned". Another asked, "If this app is so bad, why are you using it to campaign?"
Those in the pro-TikTok camp have additionally raised concerns that TikTok's algorithms and data gathering are not much different than the likes of other reigning social media sites. Meta-owned platform Facebook, in particular, has presented similar issues to that of TikTok, namely election misinformation.
"The reason they're not willing to look the other way with TikTok actually has very little to do with TikTok itself..." - Dr. Jessica MaddoxMaddox tells Mashable that she believes the the moral panic around TikTok is far more targeted than the criticism directed at similar social platforms.
"As we saw with Facebook's Cambridge Analytica data scandal in 2016, U.S. politicians are more than willing to look the other way when data is misused for political purposes," Maddox says. "The reason they're not willing to look the other way with TikTok actually has very little to do with TikTok itself — this is about bigger geopolitical relations and tensions with China, as well as the U.S. and China battling it out as to who can claim ownership of privatized social media."
Ari Lightman, a professor of digital media and marketing at Carnegie Mellon University, says while he doesn't necessarily believe the U.S. government using TikTok ahead of a ban is hypocritical, the app is an easy target for politicians, calling it a "wildly successful and rapidly growing social platform with ties to a Chinese company."
"Rather than work on comprehensive privacy rights, regulation of social platforms associated with misinformation, it’s easier to point a finger at a suspect and force a condition — sell to us interests or get banned," Lightman tells Mashable. "If any nation state would like to get data on U.S. citizens it could relatively easily and if they want to develop AI bots to disseminate false information based on that data collection, they could do that fairly easily, as well."
Credit: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images.Lawmakers have sounded the alarms themselves. "TikTok poses a serious risk to the privacy and mental health of our young people," Democratic Senator Edward Markey said on the Senate floor last week. "But that problem isn't unique to TikTok and certainly doesn't justify a TikTok ban. American companies are doing the same thing, too."
In tandem with Democratic officials having a presence on TikTok, other questions have arisen. Arguments against the platform have been labelled "vague" with a "lack of context". Congress has also been accused of silencing criticism of Israel on TikTok, amid the war on Gaza. This comes as lawmakers, celebrities, and creators accused TikTok of pushing "pro-Palestine" content.
What's at stake?As America gears up for elections coming this November, young people appear to be disappointed at the new law. While public opinion is largely divided — almost half of American adults say they would support a ban, but a third of Americans disagree that the app poses a security threat, according to YouGov data — many voters have taken to social media to delineate the hypocrisy of the law.
TikTokkers have pointed out that progressive politics have found space on TikTok in a different way to other social media platforms, and the Biden administration now risks alienating young voters. Young voters see the ban as a political concern, but also a personal one. Those voting this year have expressed their disillusionment and condemned the timing of the whole thing.
Tweet may have been deletedIt makes sense that government officials and campaigns turn to a place like TikTok to practice their political prowess and get young people listening. TikTok has grown to become a major source for news, especially functioning as a search engine and alternative to traditional media for Gen Z users. It's also a place for movements to gain momentum.
"A fragmented media environment requires us to show up and meet voters where they are – and that includes online. TikTok is one of many places we're making sure our content is being seen by voters," an unnamed Biden official told Reuters following the ban.
But ultimately, regardless of the outcome, the optics are dicey for users, creators, and young Americans who use TikTok in their everyday lives.But by posting on TikTok to garner votes, while also purporting the dangers of TikTok, the government's approach has been arguably frustrating to witness: the overall messaging has become blurred, which is where the problem lies.
"To date, we've only been presented with hypothetical scenarios as to why TikTok could potentially be a threat to national security," says Maddox. "With only a hypothetical explanation, young voters don't understand. This is emblematic of U.S. politicians not understanding social media, which we see every time tech CEOs testify on the Hill."
"The United States is absolutely risking alienating young voters with this law," she says.
The truth is, TikTok is a fruitful landscape for conversation and culture, and young people in particular have taken advantage of this since it launched in 2016. Although the app, like its peers, has its fair share of problems, it is also an ecosystem for education, community, and connection. It can't be proven that the government fears TikTok as a tool of communication for these movements, but it is clear that many aren't on board with why the platform's future is now hanging in the balance. And the gap between lawmakers and the public is abundantly clear, too.
TikTok may not be going anywhere — and if an approved U.S. buyer is found, or TikTok wins its fight, the app will remain in user's hands. But ultimately, regardless of the outcome, the optics are dicey for users, creators, and young Americans who use TikTok in their everyday lives.
Endless Ocean: Luminous deserves credit for one thing: There’s not much else like it.
The latest Nintendo Switch exclusive, courtesy of Nintendo and developer Arika, is an unconventional sort that challenged my notions of what a game needs to be considered “good.” That’s because Endless Ocean: Luminous doesn’t have much at all; it’s pretty much just a game about swimming around and scanning fish.
To be clear, that’s not a bad thing in and of itself. Endless Ocean: Luminous combines an immaculately chill attitude with a potent sense of mystery in the opening hours, but the game’s single player structure occasionally feels like it’s there to waste your time. A promising multiplayer mode could give it some (sea) legs, but the point is, you better really like looking at sharks if you want to get the most out of Luminous.
Endless Ocean: Luminous plot There is cool stuff to find in the Veiled Sea. Credit: NintendoThis section is going to be short because, frankly, Endless Ocean has never been about story.
For those not in the know, Endless Ocean started out as a couple of reasonably well-liked Wii games before going dormant for nearly 15 years, only now re-emerging in the dying days of the Switch. Each game has a thin veil of plot to give some context to your diving activities, but it’s not the main appeal — at least not for me.
Anyway, you play as a faceless diver whose job is to document the various marine lifeforms and other treasures to be found in a fictional region called the Veiled Sea. All of the unique qualities of the Veiled Sea scream "setting for a video game"; it randomly changes every time you dive, you can find fish from all over the world in it, and none of them show any hostility towards humans whatsoever.
The early portions of the story mode do hint at some more interesting ideas, like ancient dead civilizations for example, but it’s immediately undercut by mechanical gatekeeping. Endless Ocean: Luminous blocks progress in the story mode based on how many total scans you’ve performed, so sometimes, you need to load up a non-story solo dive and scan stuff for a while just to do the next mission.
I can’t lie: This totally killed my interest in ever finishing the story mode and seeing what, if any, more juicy concepts it plays around with later. This happens earlier in the progression than it should, and frankly, feels like a way to cheaply squeeze more engagement out of the player. Not a fan.
Endless Ocean: Luminous mechanics Whale sharks are so cool. Credit: Screenshot: Nintendo/Alex PerryIt’s unfortunate that the story mode in Luminous grinds to a halt at points because the game, overall, makes a pretty sweet and unique first impression.
On my first few dives, I could totally see the vision. Literally all you can do from a mechanical perspective is swim and scan. It’s beautifully simple and eminently approachable, even for people who are more interested in the ocean than video games. Aside from a very minor and unnecessary technique for maximizing swim speed, there’s almost no nuance to it at all.
To be clear, I don’t think any of that is bad. It’s just that Endless Ocean has never been interested in being anything other than what it is. This series originated during Nintendo’s Wii heyday of making games to appeal to non-gamers — and it shows. This is a game where fish don’t attack you and you can’t die.
The thing is, it works, too. Those first handful of free dives feel a little magical, as you can easily spend an hour just exploring a randomly-generated seed of the Veiled Sea, scanning marine life that ranges from the real and mundane to the fantastical and technically extinct. You’ll also occasionally find artifacts around wreckage or just by itself on the sea floor, but that’s not as exciting as finding a great white shark for the first time.
It’s a bummer, then, that by my fifth or sixth dive, I felt like some of the mystery had worn off. It was surprisingly difficult for me to find fish I hadn’t already scanned (even though there are hundreds in the game), and the rewards for scanning started to taper off for me. These mostly include access to later parts of the story and cosmetic upgrades for your diver. Bleh.
The multiplayer has a ton of potential. Credit: NintendoThankfully, there is one saving grace to the monotony of Endless Ocean: Luminous’s solo experience: multiplayer. Luminous features shared dives for up to 30 players online, and though I only got to do about an hour of this during the pre-release review period, it was easily my favorite part of the game.
In multiplayer, everything works the same, except there’s up to 29 other people around. Players can tag their discoveries with unlockable emoji, interact via an expansive list of emotes, or simply work together to uncover the whole map. Little ambient missions will give everyone something to work towards, but you can also just futz around with strangers for an hour if you want.
I found this experience distinctly relaxing and unlike anything I’ve done in a multiplayer game in quite some time. The lack of voice chat actually added to the experience, too, as I never had to deal with anyone getting mad at me for not playing objectives or whatever. Luminous is not that kind of game, to its credit.
Endless Ocean: Luminous graphicsAs with any Switch exclusive, Luminous has to work without the bounds of graphics hardware that was outdated when the Switch launched seven years ago. Considering that, it does a good enough job.
What the environments and animals lack in high-fidelity detail, they make up for in legibility. Environmental points of interest and rare fish are easy to spot from a reasonable distance, even in the murky depths you’ll occasionally find in the Veiled Sea. These depths, while free of danger to the player, effectively heighten the atmosphere of Luminous, often making the ocean feel oppressive and creepy.
Endless Ocean: Luminous soundtrack and audioI’ll keep this short. The music in Luminous is mostly ambient and unintrusive. It’s the kind of thing you’d listen to during a bubble bath or while you’re trying to sleep. I don’t hate it, but I’m not throwing it on my running playlist, either.
The only audio gripe I have with Luminous is that the fictional AI companion who gives you instructions in the story mode appears to be a text-to-speech program rather than a human voice actor imitating one. It sounds cheap and unseemly for a first-party Nintendo game.
Endless Ocean: Luminous challenge and difficultyAs I’ve covered, Luminous essentially has no challenge to speak of, by design. It’s a game about cozying up with a bottle or wine or an edible and looking at whales. I dig that, but you might not.
Endless Ocean: Luminous performanceEndless Ocean: Luminous runs at a fairly consistent 30 frames per second on Switch and I didn’t encounter any noteworthy bugs in my time with it. No complaints here.
Is Endless Ocean: Luminous worth getting? Do you find this awe-inspiring? This game might be for you. Credit: Screenshot: Nintendo/Alex PerryAt $50, Endless Ocean: Luminous comes in just below full price but still somewhere above what one might consider “budget.” Regardless, this isn’t a traditional game and probably shouldn’t be viewed using a traditional dollars-to-hours lens.
If you like the ocean and the hundreds of weird little freaks who inhabit it, Endless Ocean: Luminous is about as close as any recent video game will let you get to them. The basic acts of diving and scanning are pleasurable to a point, and where that point resides will have a lot to do with how much you care about marine wildlife.
I just have a hard time recommending Luminous on the strength of its solo offerings alone. The 30-diver multiplayer mode has a ton of promise and could provide hours of (ideally stoned) fun for a group of friends or strangers, but I didn’t have nearly as good a time playing the game by myself.
At least Endless Ocean: Luminous exists, though. We probably need more games like this and fewer gargantuan open-world RPGs.
Earlier this year, new Bumble CEO Lidiane Jones said in a Fortune interview that Bumble was rethinking women making the first move — the dating app's signature for its ten-year run. Today, Bumble officially announced updates to the "first move," as well as other feature upgrades and a fresh brand identity.
Since Bumble's inception in 2014, only women could message matches first. In the case of same-gender connections, anyone could message first. In 2022, Bumble announced that non-binary users can make the first move as well.
SEE ALSO: Dating culture has become selfish. How do we fix it? Bumble Opening MovesNow, Opening Moves is Bumble's "evolution" to this concept. Women users have the option to set a question for their matches to respond to, either from Bumble's recommended options or by writing their own. Non-binary users and those looking for same-gender connections can set and respond to an Opening Move, as well. Otherwise, men looking for women can't set an Opening Move, Bumble told Mashable.
Bumble's new Opening Moves feature. Credit: BumbleIn Bumble's press release, Jones cited how tiring online dating can be as a reason for this feature. "In listening to our community, many have shared their exhaustion with the current online dating experience, and for some, that includes making the first move," said Jones. "We're also hearing from women that empowerment today is not only about control but it's also about agency, and we're excited to offer more choice in how women make the first move with our new Opening Moves feature."
New Bumble profile changesBumble is rolling out other changes and updates to profiles in addition to Opening Moves. For one, the app refreshed its logo, font, and colors.
The app is also expanding Dating Intentions badges. Bumble senior product manager Dara Alsulayman explained in a demo video shared with Mashable that, "We've heard a lot from our members that misalignment in dating intentions is one of the biggest pain points, and we feel this stems from dating intentions on dating apps and Bumble not necessarily reflecting how people feel about dating intentions." Some people feel that dating intentions on apps are rigid, so Bumble has added more options and the ability to pick up to two intentions, Alsulayman continued.
Up until now, users could express on their profile whether they're looking for a relationship, something casual, marriage, or "don't know yet." Now, users have more options:
Fun, casual dates
Intimacy without commitment
Life partner
Ethical non-monogamy
Bumble also updated its interface in terms of how interests, values, and causes look. Now, common interests (and Spotify artists) are at the top of profiles. Causes and communities have their own section in profiles too.
The app took a page from Hinge and added prompts to profiles to show off personality — though they're optional on Bumble.
Previously, Bumble required all users to upload two photos. Now, it's four. Alsulayman cited a finding that the more photos a user has on their profile, the more success they have in "finding meaningful connections."
Bumble also TikTok-ified Best Bees, a page featuring curated profiles based on your swipes and preferences. Now, Best Bees is called For You. Alsulayman said Bumble updated the algorithm to incorporate member feedback.
Given how much dating and the app space has changed in the last decade, these changes don't come as much of a surprise. In the demo video, Alsulayman said the team believes these features "usher in a new chapter in Bumble's evolution."
The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.
With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.
So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.
SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for April 30 SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Here's the answer and hints for April 30Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Tuesday, April 30, 2024:
Across"Everything must go!" eventThe answer is sale.
The answer is twos.
The answer is meow.
The answer is bake.
The answer is ales.
The answer is steal.
Roused from slumberThe answer is awoke.
The answer is Lowes.
The answer is ess.
The answer is MBA.
Dearest gentle reader, it's almost time to return to the Ton for another simmering season of courting, crushes, and conniving in Netflix's Bridgerton.
Having spent the last two seasons pursuing the romantic, deeply horny long-games of the Duke of Hastings and Daphne Bridgerton, then Kate Sharma and Anthony Bridgerton, and a spinoff season on Queen Charlotte and her beloved King George, Season 3 shifts attention to another leading pair.
This time, based on the fourth book in Julia Quinn's novel series, Romancing Mister Bridgerton, Shondaland and new showrunner Jess Brownell focus on the covert heart of the series, Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan), and her longtime crush Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton).
SEE ALSO: All your 'Bridgerton' Season 2 crushes, rankedBut before we get there, what happened again last season and where did everyone end up? We've done a quick rundown of everything you need to remember from Season 2 of Bridgerton before you watch Season 3, from the enemies-to-lovers tale of the Viscount and Viscountess to the worst friendship fallout in the Ton, all of which culminated in the gilded Featherington Ball.
Penelope and Eloise's friendship sits in ruins BFFs no more. Credit: Liam Daniel / NetflixAt the end of Season 1, Penelope Featherington was revealed as the secret identity of the Ton's prolific scandal sheet publisher, Lady Whistledown (voiced by Julie Andrews). But while we're allowed in on it as viewers, there's only a few people within the series who know, and by the end of Season 2, unfortunately one is now her best friend Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie).
Eloise has been hunting Lady Whistledown's identity for two seasons, but in Season 2 her enthusiasm made her a target of Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) as her number one suspect. If you remember, the Queen despises the author's influence and recruited Eloise to find out who they really were in Season 1. In Season 2, Eloise followed the trail to the printing shop used by Whistledown, where she met young printer and covert women's rights campaigner Theo Sharpe (Calam Lynch), and their romance blossomed. Unfortunately for Eloise, her visits (along with her outspokenness on society) drew the Queen's suspicions. Eloise swore her innocence to the monarch, but it was no use, as the Queen threatened Eloise and her family with social ruin unless she confessed to being Lady Whistledown.
SEE ALSO: It's time for 'Bridgerton' to say gayWith Eloise about to falsely confess with a counterfeit society paper, Penelope took matters into her own hands, writing a scathing blast about her best friend's visits with Theo — "unchaperoned, with improper company, political radicals in fact" — to disprove Eloise's guilt. The pamphlet diverted the Queen's wrath but socially ruined Eloise. Suffice to say her romance with Theo crumbled too.
Following this, Penelope rested her pen after being "done ruining the lives of others" through gossip. However, in the Season 2 finale, Eloise figured out her friend's secret identity when Penelope flexed her keen powers of observation at the Featherington Ball. While Pen danced with Colin, Eloise stole into her friend's room and discovered her secret stash of money hidden beneath the floorboards (the profits made from her publications) and confronted Penelope, running through the juicy details only Pen would have known about. It's a horrible fight, with Eloise feeling deeply betrayed, and the two parted on non-speaking terms.
However, Penelope's fight with Eloise did not obliterate her penchant for writing, as we saw her return to her writing desk at the end of Season 2.
Colin scorned Penelope romantically in public Pen heard what you said, Colin! Credit: Liam Daniel / NetflixIt's one of the biggest moments in Bridgerton Season 2 that will be important for Season 3, and honestly, we're still reeling from it. Penelope has long yearned for the affections of her friend Colin, though has remained firmly in the Regency friend zone — including through Colin's engagement to Marina Thompson (Ruby Barker) in Season 1. But things seemed slightly flirty in Season 2.
Channelling big "I've just returned from my gap year" energy after returning from Greece, Colin strolled around Season 2 with suddenly mature pep in his step. Though he danced often with Cressida Cowper (Jessica Madsen), he sent Penelope mixed signals, praising her "constant and loyal" personality throughout the season. Penelope's hopes were high at the Featherington Ball, and when Colin asked Pen to dance, he dropped some big words: "I will always look after you, Penelope. You are special to me."
However, after her fight with Eloise, Penelope stumbled upon Colin speaking about his dance to a group of young men on the terrace. When they questioned him on his intentions with Pen, he scoffed, "Are you mad? I would never dream of courting Penelope Featherington. Not in your wildest dreams."
NO! NOOOOO. NO. We were all crushed right there with Pen in this scene, and this is where Season 3 will pick up. Perhaps, if there's forgiveness elsewhere on the horizon, we can still hope for a Peneloise romance?
Kate and Anthony are happily married These two. Credit: Liam Daniel / NetflixAfter the steamy enemies-to-lovers romance between Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley) and Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey), the pair were finally married at the end of Season 2. Remember the Viscount was engaged to Kate's sister, Edwina (Charithra Chandran), but she absconded from the altar the minute she realised her sister and Anthony were very obviously in love. This pissed off Queen Charlotte for a moment, as she does not like to be wrong about things, and she'd chosen Edwina as her "diamond" of the season.
The Bridgertons and Sharmas were publicly ruined by the scandal, but not for long — and MVP Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh) never abandoned them, despite being socially ostracised by association.
At the end of the season, after Anthony and Kate had sex in the garden, Kate galloped off into a storm, fell off her horse, and was badly injured. Anthony was riddled with guilt. However, his mother Viola, Dowager Viscountess Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell), helped him embrace his true feelings, speaking to their shared unprocessed grief over Lord Bridgerton's sudden death years earlier. Anthony proposed at Kate's bedside, a move she assumed was a "misguided obligation of duty". Deciding to return to India, she sent him away.
"Be the sister I know that you are" 😭 Credit: Liam Daniel / NetflixEdwina and Kate's sisterly relationship was rattled after the wedding fail, however Edwina's wisdom and forgiveness helped them through Kate's guilt. After Edwina gave her sister the major "be the sister I know that you are" pep talk at the Featherington Ball, Anthony and Kate danced together in full view to a string version of "Wrecking Ball", despite the judgmental stares of the Ton. But Queen Charlotte stepped in to quiet the haters, with Edwina giving her blessing. Both the Bridgertons and the Sharmas are saved from ruin, hurrah!
In the garden, Anthony declared his love for Kate, and she the same, and we left them in newlywed bliss playing croquet on the lawn with the rest of the Bridgertons.
The Featheringtons almost lost it all — again Lord Jack Featherington almost got away with passing off glass as gemstones. Credit: Liam Daniel / NetflixWhile the Bridgertons and the Sharmas spent much of the end of Season 2 in social ruin, the Featheringtons had clawed their way back from financial destitution after Lord Featherington's gambling debts saw him murdered in Season 1. Their troubles seemed solved with the arrival of the family's smarmy cousin Jack (Rupert Young), whose engagement to Prudence Featherington (Bessie Carter) proved one of the ickier pairings in the Ton. The season crescendoed with the family's opulent Featherington Ball, a grand show of stability and wealth. With the Queen herself in attendance, the Featheringtons were back in the game.
In the season finale, however, at the Featherington Ball, Colin Bridgerton exposed Jack as a charlatan selling fake glass jewels as gemstones. Having previously been interested in investing in the gems, Colin demonstrated the scam by smashing Cressida's "ruby" necklace into smithereens in front of Penelope, Lady Featherington (Polly Walker), and Jack himself. Out of respect for the Featheringtons, Colin did this dramatic exposé in private, telling Jack to return the money he'd spent on this crooked scheme and to leave town — a move that made Pen fall even harder for her crush.
J'accuse! Credit: Liam Daniel / NetflixJack tried to convince Lady Featherington to leave town with him for America, suggesting a romantic future for the two of them despite his engagement to her daughter (the two had kind of been in cahoots the whole season). But if there's one thing you shouldn't come between, it's Portia and her daughters. Lady Featherington sent Jack packing without a penny and the forged signature promise that once one of her daughters has a son the Featherington estate will transfer to him. Byeeee.
Will had a tough start opening his gentlemen's club Colin had to eat some humble pie after Will told him so about Jack. Credit: Liam Daniel / NetflixWhat of Will Mondrich (Martins Imhangbe), the best mate of the Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page)? In Season 2, Jack Featherington had also blackmailed his way into holding court in Will's new bar, after convincing the boxer to throw a match to split the winnings — Will wanted to provide for his wife Alice (Emma Naomi) and their children. Will had opened a gentlemen's club that aimed to be a more inclusive alternative to the posh White's club (IRL it's the oldest gentlemen's club in London, founded in 1693). But business was slow and he was indebted to Jack, who wielded it over him.
When Colin got wrapped up in Jack's dealings, taking a meeting at the bar, Mondrich tried to warn him of Jack's shady side, but Colin defended him as the head of the Featheringtons. So, at the end of the season, after Jack's corruption was exposed, Colin ate humble pie with Mondrich and brought all his mates back to his bar, apologising. But as you've already read, it's not all Colin needs to apologise for.
How to watch: Bridgerton Seasons 1 and 2 are now streaming on Netflix. Season 3 will drop in two halves, with Part 1 streaming on May 16 and Part 2 on June 13.
It's been a week since I snatched the Rabbit R1, an AI pocket companion with a conspicuously loud orange chassis. I'm not ready to give a full review just yet, but I want to give you a rundown of my experience so far.
While the Rabbit R1 has its benefits and advantages, it has its quirks and flaws, too.
It's clear that Jesse Lyu, Rabbit's CEO, rushed this device to market. I get it, though. If I were in his shoes, I, too, would be jumping out of my skin to show off its LAM (Large Action Model) that makes it a shinier AI assistant than ChatGPT. But as the old saying goes, all that glitters isn't gold.
Without getting too much into the weeds of things, the LAM allows Rabbit R1 to step in and do stuff on your behalf. For example, it can supposedly — emphasis on supposedly — order DoorDash for you, with nothing but your voice in natural language. Something ChatGPT and its ilk cannot do.
But if the thought of an AI running errands for you, particularly when your money is involved, sent a chill down your spine, your uneasiness may be justified.
SEE ALSO: Rabbit R1: 7 things it can do that steals ChatGPT's shine Rabbit R1: 7 things it does terriblyWhen Lyu boasted that the R1 could order DoorDash on users' behalf, I was skeptical, but excited to try the feature.
Jesse Lyu ordering DoorDash at the Rabbit R1 event. Credit: Joe Maldonado / MashableI've tried to order DoorDash with the Rabbit R1 every single day since I received it on April 23, but unfortunately, I haven't had any success.
1. Ordering DoorDash isn't the best experienceAt first, Rabbit R1 wouldn't even populate the DoorDash UI, telling me that it's not available at this time.
"There seems to be an issue with the food," the Rabbit R1 told me. Credit: MashableHowever, after removing my DoorDash account from Rabbit Hole (a companion browser site that also lets you connect Uber, Midjourney, and Spotify) and reinstating it again, I got a little further toward submitting my order — but not by much.
Tweet may have been deletedEven after finally accessing the UI, scrolling through my options, and selecting my choice (e.g., Chipotle), I received an error message. Truth be told, the waiting process was so slow, I could probably order Chipotle faster on my phone.
Among users with a slightly better experience, some have expressed frustration in seeing a limited menu while others reported that the Rabbit R1 paid the courier the highest tip option without asking first.
2. Limited 'natural language' processingThe Rabbit R1 needs clearly defined prompts for some tasks to work.
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / MashableFor example, if I were to say, "Record me speaking right now," the Rabbit R1 will not "understand" that I want it to record me. It will, instead, save a note — something I didn't ask it to do — and upload it to the Rabbit Hole.
To get Rabbit R1 to begin recording, I'd have to say, "Start a recording session," specifically.
Here's another example. If you want to play some games with Rabbit R1, naturally, you'd want to say, "Play a game with me." Unfortunately, with this prompt, Rabbit assumes that I want it to play a song from the Spotify catalog. Instead, I need to use the words "Let's play a game" for it to totally comprehend my request.
3. Lack of animations that tell you it's 'thinking'While using the Vision feature (the camera capability that lets it identify and describe things), there were countless times that I experienced a lengthy pause between the Rabbit R1's responses that I thought it finished its reply — only to be met with more talking about five seconds later.
I tested the Rabbit R1 inside Mashable's office. Credit: MashableI didn't realize that Rabbit hadn't finished speaking because there wasn't an animation to indicate that I should wait for a complete response. A three-dot bouncing animation would do, for example, to inform me that there's more to come.
4. Time isn't its forteI haven't been able to set my Rabbit R1 to my local time yet.
I haven't been able to change it to my local time, but an update is reportedly underway. Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / MashableAs such, I haven't been able to set up an alarm with it. Hell, I can't even set timers with this device. Fortunately, Rabbit said that it's aware of these issues and a fix is on the way.
5. Inconsistent Spotify performanceThe Rabbit R1 has been a bit buggy for me. To paint you a picture, the Rabbit R1 has a cool Spotify UI that shows an album cover and an orange bar trailing around it that displays that the song is progressing.
Credit: Joe Maldonado / MashableWhen I ask it to play a song, and the Rabbit R1 is working properly, the orange bar will trail around the album cover while blaring the tune from the low-tier speakers. However, sometimes, I will see the orange bar progressing — with no audio. This happens to me far too often for it to be just a one-time misfortune.
6. Power efficiencyIf I'm only using Rabbit R1 to tap into Perplexity, the LLM that underpins it, for run-of-the-mill questions and basic prompts, I can get one day and some change out of the Rabbit R1.
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / MashableHowever, while using the Vision feature and Spotify playback, the Rabbit R1 drains pretty quickly, lasting only several hours. Keep in mind, though, that this is another issue Rabbit says it will fix in an upcoming update.
7. Handwriting-to-digital formatYou have to admit that it's pretty cool that it can snap a picture of my handwritten chart and email me a digitalized version of it.
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / MashableHowever, the Rabbit R1 didn't seem to get this handwriting-to-digital format transcription quite right. Is my handwriting that bad?
Rabbit R1 sent me a .csv of the chart I wrote. Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable Featured Video For You Rabbit R1 hands-on review Rabbit R1: 7 things it does wellDuring my seven days testing the Rabbit R1, there are some things that it does get right, specifically its Vision feature.
1. Suggest recipe ideas based on ingredients it 'sees'I'll admit that it's pretty cool that I can point the Rabbit R1 at bunch of ingredients and make it tell me what I can cook with what I have on hand.
Tweet may have been deletedAs someone who is trying to ditch their reliance on UberEats and DoorDash (ironically), having Rabbit R1 give me recommendations for recipes based on what it sees in my refrigerator is helpful.
2. Rich visual descriptionsI've also been impressed with the rich, detailed descriptions the Rabbit R1 provides, whether it's describing a person in front of me or a vibrant object.
Tweet may have been deletedThe Rabbit R1 could potentially be useful for someone with low vision.
3. Striking, nostalgic designThis bright orange device will definitely be a conversation starter wherever you take it.
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / MashableWith the bobbing bunny on the screen, it takes Millennials like myself back to the 90s. We were obsessed with pocket toys and digital pets.
4. Spanish and French TranslationI could only test the Rabbit R1's Spanish-to-English and French-to-English capabilities, and while using it with friends and family with the native tongue, it had no issues translating from one language to another.
The Spanish-to-English translation worked well on stage, too. Credit: Joe Maldonado / MashableHowever, it's worth noting that you do need to press and hold the side button whenever someone starts speaking, which can get tiresome. At times, I found myself cutting off the translation by either holding the side button too late or letting go too early.
5. Games (and even DnD)There are games you can play with the Rabbit R1, including 20 questions, word association, and trivia questions.
Credit: Joe Maldonado / MashableNone of them are compelling enough to be addicting, but they give you a little something to do to pass the time. I've even seen some colleagues claim they've played Dungeons and Dragons with Rabbit R1, too, which I believe since the AI was pretty good at co-creating a fantastical fairytale with me one night.
That being said, the Rabbit R1 might make a decent gift for kids between the age of five and eight.
6. Summarizing web pagesAnother Vision feature that deserves some praise is the fact that the Rabbit R1 can "see" a webpage and summarize it in a snap.
I used it to summarize by Rabbit R1 hands-on impressions. Credit: MashableThis can be helpful for those moments when you don't feel like reading lengthy articles — and you just want "CliffNotes."
7. Note taking and voice recordingAlthough you need to use specific verbiage to prompt Rabbit R1 to take notes and start a voice recording, I haven't had any issues with them.
Credit: MashableWith the former feature, I can ask Rabbit R1 to save notes for me, allowing me to access them in the Rabbit Hole. This is useful if you don't want to forget something — this bright-orange device will quickly immortalize your thoughts.
You can record audio, too, which Rabbit R1 can summarize. These clips are also accessible via the Rabbit Hole.
Final thoughtsBefore I give a proper review on the Rabbit R1, I want to see if the next big update, set to reportedly fix battery life drain and the local time issue, will adjust my current perception of it. So far, this device is equally as frustrating as it is intriguing — and there are just as many cons as there are pros.
In the meantime, I've had the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses on my mind, another wearable that claims to push the envelope with AI. Once I get the Rabbit R1 review out of the way, I think it's time for a face-off between the orange box and Meta's spectacles.
Opens in a new window Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses $329.00 at AmazoniPhones come with so many new features these days, it can be hard to keep track — and sometimes to even know they exist. We hear ya. But some of those features can be extremely useful.
For instance, did you know you can hide photos on your iPhone? You can even create hidden photo albums on an iPhone, too. The "Hide" feature on your iPhone is definitely one you should be using, and not just because it's there. We're big fans of privacy here at Mashable, and we can think of multiple reasons (some obvious, some less so) why someone might want to hide their iPhone photos. Let's walk you through them, shall we?
Why would anyone want to hide iPhone photos?We'll begin with the most obvious reason: Nudes. Yours? Someone else's? There's nothing wrong with that at all. A lot of us take them! But do you really feel comfortable knowing you're an accidental iPhone misplacement away from a total stranger having access to your intimate pics?
SEE ALSO: How to safely store your nudesI lose my iPhone probably twice a day, and I barely ever leave home. On the chance that you lose your phone, you want to make it as difficult as possible for people to find those pics.
Maybe you're not worried about losing your phone, or about strangers looking at your photos. Maybe you're more concerned about showing your friends some great photos you just took and accidentally scrolling by something private. Or perhaps you don't want certain pics appearing in your Home Screen photo widget. I mean, it happens.
There are a bunch of apps you can use to hide nudes and other ways to safely store sensitive images on your phone, but you don't necessarily have to worry about those if you use your iPhone's "Hide Photo" feature.
Nudes may not be the only photos on your iPhone you want to hide. Maybe you don't take them at all, and that's fine, but consider the various other possibilities. For holidays, birthdays, or any special gift-giving occasion, you may have taken a photo of something you want to give to somebody else. And if you're hanging out with that person, you don't want them to accidentally find their present on your phone when it was supposed to be a secret! Hiding photos is a sneaky good move when it comes to keeping surprise presents an *actual* surprise.
Or maybe you have a not-so-secret selfie stash you don't necessarily want everyone to see. We're certainly not anti-selfie, but if you like taking selfies and aren't comfortable having them in a super-accessible place, a hidden album on your iPhone may be a perfect place to keep them.
How to hide photos on iPhoneFirst, make sure you've updated your iPhone's software to the latest iOS. Now let's hide those photos.
Total TimeStep 1: Open Photos on your iPhone and find the pic/s or video/s you want to hide.
To grab a whole batch, tap "Select" in the upper righthand corner, then tap the images you want to hide.
Step 2: Tap the "More" icon on the top right corner of your iPhone screen.
It's the three dots in the corner.
Credit: Mashable screenshot / AppleStep 3: Tap "Hide".
It's marked by a symbol of an eyeball with a line going through it.
Credit: Mashable screenshot / AppleStep 4: When prompted, tap "Hide Photo."
Your files will now be stored in your "Hidden" album.
Credit: Mashable screenshot / AppleStep 5: Tap "Hidden" to see the hidden photos on your iPhone.
You can find the album by tapping "Albums" on the menu at the bottom of the screen, then "Hidden" which is characterized by the same eyeball icon as before. As Apple notes, with iOS 16, your Hidden album will be locked by default. To open it, you'll need to authenticate with your Apple ID or Face ID if you've set it up (more on that below).
Credit: Mashable screenshot / Apple How to activate a hidden album on your iPhone (and how to lock it with Face ID)Perhaps you're not satisfied with simply hiding individual photos and you'd like to learn how to make and navigate hidden albums on your iPhone as well. If that's the case, here's what you do:
Total TimeStep 1: Go to your iPhone Settings and scroll down to "Photos." Tap it.
Step 2: Scroll down and tap the "Show Hidden Album" toggle.
When the toggle is lit up green and switched to the right, that means the "Hidden" album designation (not the photos themselves) will appear under "Utilities" in your "Albums" tab in Photos. When "Show Hidden Album" is switched off, the Hidden album on your iPhone will no longer appear under "Utilities", meaning no one can even see it exists. You can switch it off without fear of your Hidden photos being deleted. Once you switch it back on, your Hidden album will be right where it was before.
Credit: Mashable screenshot / AppleStep 3: To set up Face ID to view your Hidden album, simply tap the toggle to green.
This will require Face ID for both your Hidden album and Recently Deleted.
Please note that if someone knows all the information we discussed in this story — how to hide photos on an iPhone and how to access hidden albums on iPhones — then they know enough to be able to access your stealthily stored away photos, even if you've taken these precautions. The "Hide Photo" feature on iPhones is not a 100 percent fail-safe way to keep your photos hidden, though making sure you've got Face ID set up is a really strong recommendation.
Be that as it may, making use of the "Hide" iPhone feature for photos is still a great idea, because there's always the chance that someone looking through your phone doesn't know this information. Therefore, using the "Hide" feature still means you're better off than you were before, and it costs you nothing, so we'd say it's easily worth a try.
This article originally published in January 2021 and was most recently updated in April 2024.
From 2-in-1s with new Intel Core Ultra hardware to dual-display stunners and AI-ready gaming stations, the best Windows laptops run an impressive gamut. (Some of them, dare we say, will tempt even the most devoted Macbook disciples.) Users who need a new laptop for everyday productivity, creativity, or entertainment have no shortage of options — and that's for better or worse.
To help you have an easier time picking out your next PC from the crowded Windows market, we've broken out our best laptops rundown into this separate guide to the best Windows machines of 2024. They've each been rigorously hands-on tested by Mashable staff members or contributors for performance and build quality, and we stand by their value (or at least think they're worth finding on sale).
Keep reading to learn more about our favorite models, and check back soon: We'll be consistently updating this guide with additional picks in the coming months.
FYI: We've listed the pricing and specs of our testing units, which may not apply to each laptop's base model.
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