Feed aggregator

New GOP bill would basically ban porn, experts warn

Mashable - 4 hours 59 min ago

A bill that rewrites the legal definition of "obscenity" could potentially change the internet as we know it.

Last week, Republican Utah Sen. Mike Lee and Illinois Rep. Mary Miller reintroduced the Interstate Obscenity Definition Act (IODA), which would redefine what is considered "obscene" material. Obscenity isn't protected by the First Amendment, which enshrines freedom of speech.

SEE ALSO: What the Supreme Court hearing about age verification could mean for you

"It may as well be an outright ban on pornography," adult industry attorney Corey D. Silverstein told Mashable, "because basically, under [Lee's] definition, all adult entertainment, all forms of pornography, will be deemed obscene."

Obscenity, porn, and the law

Obscenity is "outside the bounds of the First Amendment," explained Mike Stabile, director of public policy at adult industry trade organization, the Free Speech Coalition. "You cannot distribute it, you can't sell it, you can't post it online…it is something you can be prosecuted for."

In U.S. law, obscenity is currently determined by the "Miller test," a three-part test introduced after the 1973 Supreme Court case Miller v. California:

(a) whether "the average person, applying contemporary community standards" would find that the work, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient [shameful or morbid sexual] interest… 

(b) whether the work depicts or describes, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct specifically defined by the applicable state law, and...

(c) whether the work, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value. 


All three parts must be proven in order for material to be deemed "obscene" — not protected under the First Amendment.

IODA would redefine obscene material as visual media that:

(i) taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest in nudity, sex, or excretion;

(ii) depicts, describes, or represents, an actual or simulated sexual act or sexual contact, actual or simulated normal or perverted sexual acts, or lewd exhibition of the genitals, with the objective intent to arouse, titillate, or gratify the sexual desires of a person; and

(iii) taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value

IODA would remove the "community standard" requirement. In the age of the internet, clearing that bar is more difficult, according to Stabile, because "what is the community standard of the internet?" A jury would have to agree on it. But if that portion's removed, then prosecutors wouldn't have to prove that most people believe the content is prurient (not just sexual, but shameful or morbid sexual interest) and doesn't have social value.

IODA would allow prosecutors to say, "'It no longer matters if it's offensive to the larger community…if it's offensive to us, we can bring a case,'" Stabile explained.

Further, the test in IODA also removes "and" — which means that instead of proving all three prongs of the Miller test, which is the current standard, only one part would need to be proven, according to Silverstein.

That doesn't mean there wouldn't be hurdles to proving content is obscene, said Stabile, but he doesn't think IODA itself is nearly as important as what it signals: the GOP wants to illegalize porn.

Project 2025 connections

As Mashable previously reported in an article about how Trump may handle porn in his second term, Lee first introduced IODA in 2022. He also introduced the Shielding Children's Retinas from Egregious Exposure on the Net (SCREEN) Act the same year, but both failed. The SCREEN Act calls for an expansion of age-verification laws, state requirements to upload a government ID or facial recognition scan in order to view explicit websites (that comply with the laws).

Lee reintroduced IODA and the SCREEN Act in the 2023-24 legislative session, and they both failed again. Lee and now Miller reintroduced SCREEN yet again this February, and IODA is back, too.

"If you pull back and you look at the broad picture of censorship that's going on, from any information about trans people to sexual health information, certainly to anything that has adult content, they are following their promises in Project 2025," said Ricci Levy, president and CEO of the sexual freedom nonprofit Woodhull Freedom Foundation. "And this is just another attempt."

Levy refers to Project 2025, the conservative policy blueprint for Trump's second term. Among many other measures, it calls for banning pornography and imprisoning the people who make it. 

Oklahoma Sen. Dusty Deevers introduced a bill to do just that — criminalize adult content — in January. Statutes like age-verification don't outright ban porn, but do so in a "backdoor" way, according to Project 2025 co-author and current director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russell Vought. Last summer, undercover journalists caught Vought saying this on a secret recording.

So while free speech advocates and researchers have been saying age-verification laws don't work for their intended purpose, to stop minors from accessing porn, it seems that isn't the end goal of these laws. Nor would it be the end goal of IODA, experts say — despite what Lee said in the IODA announcement.

"Obscenity isn't protected by the First Amendment, but hazy and unenforceable legal definitions have allowed extreme pornography to saturate American society and reach countless children," Lee said in the press release.  

"That's just stuff and nonsense about children," Levy said, pointing to a Woodhull article on how minors aren't accessing porn at unprecedented levels. "It's just another one of those tried and tested sound bites that make these so challenging to fight."

"The bottom line is, this is all about speech suppression," Silverstein said. 

Censorship beyond porn

Stabile believes that on the surface, anti-porn prosecutors will be able to take more porn creators to court and render adult content illegal. Beyond that, bills like this would produce a chilling effect due to pressure and fear of being prosecuted. 

"If you had the federal government coming after you, it was incredibly expensive and incredibly hard to defend, and so people would just go out of business," he said of obscenity cases in the latter 1900s and early 2000s. An example is the 1990 obscenity charge against the Home Dish Satellite Corporation, a company that transmitted soft and hardcore porn through satellite across the country. It went out of business. 

"Certainly people did go to jail," Stabile continued. Among others throughout the decades, fetish porn maker Ira Isaacs received a four-year prison sentence in 2013 for producing and selling obscene material.

The potential chilling effect goes for porn creators, but also those who create content about sex and sexuality, period. 

"The focus of the right on the [adult] industry has been towards creating greater and greater liability for creating adult content and buying adult content," Stabile continued. He compared the GOP's treatment of the adult industry to that of reproductive rights: creating more and more regulations to make accessing it harder, such as with waiting periods for abortions and mandated ultrasounds. If you're a doctor or hospital, you have to comply — or be sued.

SEE ALSO: The OnlyFans creator mansion that's dividing the internet

"The intent we're seeing over and over again, whether it's Project 2025, or it's bills like this, or public statements, that that they believe that pornography should not be legal, and that they believe what they believe to be 'pornography' is this all-encompassing conversations about sex and sexuality in general," Stabile said.

"It's just such a slippery slope," said Levy, who mentioned the recent firing of Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, who spoke out against book bans.

The ramifications of IODA are staggering, but it's not the law yet. It failed twice and could fail again.

Silverstein believes that Lee reintroduced IODA to fire up his far-right base, and that it's going to be unsuccessful once again. Regardless, it's still a terrifying time for the industry.

"It's very overwhelming. It's causing a lot of stress and a lot of angst for people in the industry, sex workers, adult entertainment workers across the board," he said. 

Silverstein, however, believes that IODA has "absolutely no chance of working." 

"You can't just pass a law to usurp what the U.S. Supreme Court has already ordered," he said. According to Silverstein, Lee is ignoring the First Amendment and the Constitution, and he'll lose.

"Since the inception of recorded pornography, the industry has continuously been under attack," Silverstein said. "We've seen this before. It's happened before, and we push back, and we fought back, and ultimately we won."

Pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, get a free storage upgrade and $50 Amazon gift card

Mashable - 5 hours 7 min ago

SAVE $170: Pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge at Amazon to get 512GB storage for the same price as the 256GB version of $1,099.99. You'll also get a free $50 Amazon gift card.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung / Amazon Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge preorder (512GB) $1,099.99 at Amazon
$1,269.99 Save $170 Get a free storage upgrade and $50 Amazon gift card Get Deal

No one wants a chunky phone. We want a slim design that easily fits into a pocket or slides into a cross-body bag. We also don't want to worry about how much storage space is left because we all have a lot of dog photos that need to be saved. Samsung has listened to these pain points and delivered with a new member of the Galaxy S25 family — and it's not only on sale today, but you'll also get a free storage upgrade and gift card.

Through May 29, pre-order the new Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge and get the 512GB version for $1,099.99. The 256GB version normally sells for $1,099.99, so this deal includes double the storage for free. You'll also get a free $50 Amazon gift card with the preorder, which comes out to a total savings of $170.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is all about a thin design. So thin that Samsung has noted it's the slimmest S Series phone to date, measuring just 5.8mm thick. It weighs 163 grams, which is just one gram above the baseline S25. However, it's much lighter than the current Samsung flagship of the S25 Ultra, which comes in at 218 grams.

SEE ALSO: Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge vs. iPhone 16: Which should you buy?

Mashable's Alex Perry went hands-on with the newly announced Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge and said, "...it's remarkably thin when you actually see and feel it. The height and width are just about at the upper end of what I consider acceptable, in the sense that I could feasibly use the phone full-time with just one hand if I needed to," noted the review. "But it's just so thin and light, especially considering the state-of-the-art chipset inside of it and the high-powered camera lens on the back."

Like the other Galaxy S25 phones, the Edge uses the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset. The Edge measures out to a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and 128GB RAM. This preorder deal gives you the 512GB version for the same price as the 256GB. That means you get twice as much storage for the same price.

You'll also be getting a completely free $50 Amazon gift card, so you can buy yourself something nice or snag a case for your new Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge. Keep in mind the phone is set for a release date of May 30.

Before this deal expires on May 29, upgrade to the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge and get a super slim design that doesn't skimp out on functions. Thanks to today's sale, the 512GB version is all yours for the same price as the smaller 256GB phone. Plus, a free $50 Amazon gift card is a welcomed addition to the deal.

The best tech deals to shop this week

Grab Amazons flagship Echo smart speaker for $35 off

Mashable - 5 hours 10 min ago

SAVE $35: As of May 13, shop the Amazon Echo for $64.99 — a limited time deal. That saves you $35 for 35% off.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Echo $64.99 at Amazon
$99.99 Save $35 Get Deal

Amazon's voice assistant — Alexa — is more powerful than ever. In 2025, Alexa got upgraded to Alexa+, which can do a lot more than play music on command. Now Alexa+ can do multi-step tasks including planning date night and reading a bedtime story to kids. With all of Alexa's new features, it's a pretty good time to invest in an Echo device, and luckily Amazon's flagship is now on sale.

There are a lot of Amazon Echo Devices to choose from: the Echo Dot and Pop are two of the most popular. Those Echos are downsized versions of the flagship Echo, which is now on sale. As of May 13, shop the 4th generation Amazon Echo for $64.99. That's $35 off of its list price of $99.99 for 35% savings. And this is a limited time deal. As soon as all of the deals are claimed, this sale is over.

Best home and kitchen deals

The Amazon Echo is a super charged smart speaker. It answers to your commands whether you need it to set a timer, play music from Spotify, or turn on the lights. It's also compatible with Amazon Fire TV, linking together to create a well-rounded home theater experience. Not to mention, the Echo can link with other Echo devices so your music can play throughout the whole house.

Grab the Amazon Echo speaker now for just $64.99.

Best tech deals

Stock up on Claritin with a $12.50 discount at Amazon

Mashable - 5 hours 24 min ago

GET $12.50 OFF: As of now, May 13th, Claritin Allergy Medicine for Adults, 24-Hour Non-Drowsy Loratadine 10mg Pills, Antihistamine, 100 Tablets are on sale at Amazon for $37.49, down from $49.99 for a savings of $12.50, or 25%.

Opens in a new window Credit: Claritin Claritin Allergy Medicine for Adults, 24-Hour Non-Drowsy Loratadine 10mg Pills, Antihistamine, 100 Tablets $37.49 at Amazon
$49.99 Save $12.50 Get Deal

Welcome to the worst allergy season ever. Stock up on Claritin for less at Amazon. If you've spent the last month and a half sneezing your way past cherry blossoms and community gardens, this deal is for you.

Right now, May 13th, Amazon is running a sale on Claritin Allergy Meds. Get 100 tablets of 24-Hour Non-Drowsy Claritin for $37.49 and save $12.50.

SEE ALSO: The Peloton treadmill just hit its lowest price this year at Amazon

This has been one of the worst allergy seasons I remember. Seemingly every week, I or one of my friends succumbed to seasonal allergy oblivion. I spent half of April trying to decide if I had a cold, or if I had (correctly) diagnosed myself with yet another bout of tree pollen asphyxiation.

Thankfully, allergy medicine like Claritin can take the edge off.

Shop home and kitchen deals that will reinvent your habits this summer

Right now, May 13th, Amazon is running a timely sale on Claritin Allergy Medicine For Adults. Grab 100 tablets for $12.50 off, and get ready for the next wave of seasonal allergies.

The early days of tree pollen might be behind us, but summer allergies will kick in soon. Be ready for grass and weed pollen to strike in June and July.

A refurbished Dyson V15 Detect stick vacuum is $350 cheaper than buying new at Amazon

Mashable - 5 hours 32 min ago

SAVE $200: As of May 13, you can grab a refurbished Dyson V15 Detect stick vacuum at Amazon for only $399.99, down from $599.99. That's 33% off its typical refurbished asking price and about 47% off the cost of buying new.

Opens in a new window Credit: Dyson Refurbished Dyson Detect V15 stick vacuum $399.99 at Amazon
$599.99 Save $200 Get Deal

If you're not the type of person who finds cleaning enjoyable, perhaps you're just using boring tools. Upgrading to a laser vacuum could be the trick to turning you into a certified cleaning enthusiast. Dyson's laser vacuums are all but guaranteed to make the cleaning process more exciting, but every Dyson has one major con: the price. That's why we recommend grabbing a refurbished model instead.

The Dyson V15 Detect is "a powerful vacuum with a novelty (the laser) that will actually make you want to vacuum more," according to Mashable's reviewer, and, as of May 13, you can get a refurbished model for only $399.99. That's $200 cheaper than its usual refurbished asking price and a whopping $350 off the typical price of buying a new model. We've seen new models drop to as low as $549.99, but never as low as this refurbished unit.

SEE ALSO: Grab the Dreame L40 Ultra Robot Vacuum for a dreamy $1,000 off

Worried about buying refurbished? This Dyson V15 Detect has been certified by the Amazon Renewed program in excellent condition with no scratches or cosmetic damages. You'll still get all five attachments and a wall dock; it may just come in a generic box. You'll also get a 90-day warranty for peace of mind.

While it's a few years old and no longer the only Dyson vacuum to sport a laser, the V15 Detect is still one of the most powerful stick vacuums you can buy. It features a beastly motor that unleashes 230 Air Watts of cyclonic suction and the iconic green laser that illuminates specks of dust on your path. You'll see dirt and debris you never even realized was there, which is equal parts disgusting and satisfying.

The best home and kitchen deals to shop this week

Fight or Flights Josh Hartnett and Charithra Chandran on the action movies wildest stunts

Mashable - 6 hours 36 min ago

If you loved watching '90s heartthrob Josh Hartnett go wild as a girl dad/serial killer in Trap, you won't want to miss the murderous mayhem he brings to Fight or Flight.

Directed by James Madigan, Fight or Flight stars Hartnett as disgraced former American operative Lucas Reyes, who's given one last chance to redeem his name. On an international flight peopled by demanding tourists, annoyed flight attendants — including the whip-smart Isha (Bridgerton's Charithra Chandran) — and an array of contract killers, Lucas must not only identify the mysterious black hat terrorist known as the Ghost, but also turn them into the American secret intelligence agency alive. With a big fat bounty on the Ghost's head, that's not easy work. And neither was making Fight or Flight.

SEE ALSO: Josh Hartnett compares his new role in 'Trap' to his character Zeke from 'The Faculty'

Shot on location on a real plane, the film demanded the actors get very comfortable with fight choreography in cramped quarters, like aisles, bathrooms, and the galleys of a plane.

In an virtual interview with Mashable Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko, Hartnett and Chandran spoke to the challenges demanded by this very action-packed movie. Hartnett was quick to commend the stunt team, including his stunt double, Clayton Grover. For her part, Chandran shared how her experience on Fight or Flight — where she has some stunt scenes — helped prepare her for her role as Miss Wednesday in an upcoming episode of the live-action anime adaptation One Piece.

Fight or Flight is now in theaters.

Spotify’s AI DJ now takes requests

Mashable - 6 hours 45 min ago

Spotify is turning up the volume on personalization with a new feature that lets Premium users make real-time music requests using just their voice. The music streamer has officially launched DJ requests, an interactive update to its AI-powered DJ feature, now available in over 60 markets worldwide.

According to Spotify, this upgrade comes in response to growing user demand for more control and interactivity during listening sessions. Now, instead of passively enjoying a curated mix created by AI, listeners can shape the vibe on the fly, asking for anything from a specific genre or artist to a soundtrack that fits their current mood or activity.

SEE ALSO: When does Spotify Wrapped start tracking for 2025? What we know. How DJ requests work

To try it out, Premium users can simply go to the Search tab in the Spotify app and type in "DJ." After pressing play, the AI DJ kicks off a personalized mix complete with commentary. When it's time to switch things up, users can press and hold the DJ button in the lower right corner until a beep sounds. That’s the cue to speak a request, such as:

  • "Play me some electronic beats for a midday run."

  • "Surprise me with some indie tracks I’ve never heard before."

  • "Play modern country songs for my cowboy era."

  • "Play something chill for a rainy afternoon."

  • "Give me K-pop hits with strong choreography vibes."

If you’re not sure what you want, Spotify has you covered: a quick tap of the DJ button skips to the next section for a fresh vibe without needing a specific command.

As audio platforms race to deepen engagement, Spotify’s voice-interactive DJ could redefine how users experience music on demand. By merging personalization, ease of use, and interactivity, the company aims to keep Premium users tuned in and tuned up, wherever they go.

Sure, voice recognition in a music app isn’t groundbreaking tech, and early users may find that the novelty wears off if the feature doesn’t consistently understand or deliver on more nuanced requests. Still, Spotify's move into voice interactivity signals a larger trend in streaming: shifting away from passive listening toward more dynamic, AI-driven engagement.

For Premium users, it’s another tool in an increasingly complex listening toolkit, one that aims to turn Spotify from a simple music streaming platform into a more conversational, almost companion-like experience.

So whether you're heading out for a run, hosting a dinner party, chasing a vibe, or just need the perfect track for your "main character moment," your Spotify DJ is now ready to take your requests, no searching required. Just say it, and let the DJ handle the rest.

Apple adds accessibility labels to App Store, braille options to hardware

Mashable - 7 hours 45 min ago

This year marks four decades since Apple founded its first accessibility office, an initiative to build more adaptable computers that would launch decades of device and operating system tools, including Assistive Access and Personal Voice. As Global Accessibility Awareness Day (May 15) approaches, Apple is leaning into this legacy.

Previewing a slew of new features set to be released throughout this year, the company explained it was ushering in a "new level of accessibility across the Apple ecosystem," utilizing on-device machine learning and artificial intelligence. This includes brand new App Store, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro updates, accessible device modes, and inter-device compatibility.

SEE ALSO: Apple is working on a feature that will make connecting to hotel Wi-Fi easier

“At Apple, accessibility is part of our DNA,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook. “Making technology for everyone is a priority for all of us, and we’re proud of the innovations we’re sharing this year."

App Store Nutrition Labels

Debuting on the App Store worldwide, and to Apple product listings later this year, the company announced a brand new accessibility tagging system that hopes to make it easier for Apple users with disabilities to find apps and products that fit their needs. 

Scroll down on apps and games in the Apple store to find the new Accessibility Nutrition Label, which includes in-depth accessibility information like features and compatibility, as well as external links to developer information (the labels don't have anything to do with nutrition, they're just modeled on the iconic design of food packaging labels). 

For now, developers will be limited to nine marketplace labels, including VoiceOver, Voice Control, Larger Text, Sufficient Contrast, Reduced Motion, Captions, and Audio Description. Apple's announcement coincides with wider tagging efforts, including those in the gaming industry, and required nutrition labels for internet service providers.

New magnifier features

Apple will finally add its flagship Magnifier tool to Mac, enabling users to activate Magnifier on a connected camera, including iPhones, and view the feed on their computers. Users can then adjust brightness, contrast, color filters, and perspective to make text and images easier to see, live capture views through the camera, and use document view on saved text. 

VisionOS updates

Apple Vision Pro will get expanded vision accessibility features via a new visionOS update later this year, too. A more controllable Zoom tool will let users zero in on specific areas of their field of vision, such as a recipe in a cookbook, while keeping the rest of the view the same. 

Individuals can also use Live Recognition on Apple Vision Pro to have their surroundings described to them, find objects, and read documents using on-device machine learning. A new main camera API will also open up access to developers of person-to-person assistance apps, such as Be My Eyes — Meta added a similar integration to its Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses last year.

Revamped Braille experiences

Apple is launching a new feature they're calling Braille Access, which turns iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro devices into a full-featured braille note taker, the company explains. Using Braille Access, users can launch apps, take notes in braille format, and perform calculations using Nemeth Braille (used for math and science equations). Braille Ready Format (BRF) files can be opened directly in Braille Access, and, paired with Live Caption, the devices can translate live speech directly into Braille.

Credit: Apple Accessible Reader mode

Accessible Reader takes Apple's text personalization and applies it systemwide, meaning individuals can customize any text in any app to their preferred reading set-up, like a different font, color, spacing, or Spoken Content tools. The mode is also available in Magnifier, so users can take real-world text, convert and customize it.

Credit: Apple Expanded motion controls

Apple Watch users will be able to use Live Captions in tandem with Live Listen, a feature that amplifies external sounds and turns your device into a remote microphone. By connecting their iPhone or other listening device to their Apple Watch, users can follow along to Live Captions synced with a device across the room, for example. 

Credit: Apple Credit: Apple

Apple will be revamping its motion-related accessibility tools this year too, including faster eye and head tracking for typing and motion sickness reduction for Mac.

Apple also plans to release expanded language options for AI-powered Live Captions, a new assistive access viewing mode for Apple TV watchers, and a new settings option that lets users share their personalized accessibility selections with other devices in an instant. 

The Lego Botanicals Chrysanthemum is back to its lowest-ever price at Amazon

Mashable - 8 hours 12 min ago

SAVE $6: As of May 13, the Lego Botanicals Chrysanthemum set is on sale for $23.99 at Amazon. That's 20% off its list price of $29.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Botanicals Chrysanthemum $23.99 at Amazon
$29.99 Save $6 Get Deal

Lego Botanicals sets always make for lovely displays around the house. This is especially true of the Lego Botanicals Chrysanthemum set, a bright display that's perfect to set up ahead of the summer months. If you've had your eye on it, the good news is that it's discounted right now at Amazon.

The Lego Botanicals Chrysanthemum is currently on sale for $23.99. This is a 20% discount from its list price of $29.99, and even marks a return to its best-ever price according to price tracker camelcamelcamel.

SEE ALSO: Lego just revealed a Pixar Lamp set, and you can pre-order it now

Coming with 278 pieces, the Lego Botanicals Chrysanthemum set features posable leaves and one flower in full bloom, one blossoming, and two in bud. They come in a cute little pot that's sure to look great on a desk, bookshelf, or wherever you choose to put it. What's even better is it doesn't require any maintenance once it's built. Simply set it up and admire the pretty colors for as long as you like.

Enjoy a vibrant pop of color in your home with this discount on the Lego Botanicals Chrysanthemum set at Amazon.

Looking for more Lego flowers at a discount? Right now you can also save on the Tiny Plants set and the Lego Botanicals Orchid is still on sale at Amazon.

The best deals this week, hand-picked by Mashable's team of experts

The new Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 are over $50 off at Amazon

Mashable - 9 hours 33 min ago

SAVE OVER $50: As of May 13, Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 earbuds are on sale for $199.95 at Amazon. That's 20% off their list price of $249.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Beats Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 $199.95 at Amazon
$249.99 Save $50.04 Get Deal

Released earlier this year, the new Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 are already enjoying a discount at Amazon. If you've been hoping to scoop up these sleek earbuds — which we consider to be the best for fitness in our roundup of the best earbuds — now is a great time to do it.

The Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 are currently marked down to $199.95 at Amazon, a 20% discount from their list price of $249.99. This deal applies to all of the available color options as well, so you can save on the jet black, quick sand, hyper purple, and electric orange earbuds.

SEE ALSO: Score Sony's WF-C700N earbuds at their best-ever price at Amazon

These earbuds are well worth it if you've been looking for an upgrade for your workouts. They feature both Active Noise Canceling and Transparency mode, so you can choose how much noise you want to hear around you, alongside up to 45 hours of battery life with the charging case to keep you listening for far longer between recharges. These earbuds can even track your heart rate with Heart Rate Monitoring sensors, which is a great bonus.

Treat yourself to the new Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 while they're still listed at 20% off at Amazon.

Alongside these earbuds, there are a few more Beats deals worth checking out right now. You can see our favorites at the moment in our breakdown of Beats headphones deals, which includes a great discount on the Beats Studio Pro.

The best deals this week, hand-picked by Mashable's team of experts

Googles G icon is different. Can you see it?

Mashable - 9 hours 36 min ago

Google's got a new icon — though you do have to look hard to notice it.

The company started updating the icon on its apps, starting with Google Search on iOS (as noticed by 9to5Google), as well as Google on Android.

The "G" in the icon still consists of red, yellow, green, and blue colors, and still has the same shape, but the colors now blend into each other, making the logo look a bit smoother and, perhaps, more modern.

The Google Search app on iOS sports the new 'G' icon. Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Given the change, it's reasonable to expect other Google logos and icons to change in a similar fashion, but so far it hasn't happened. Also, the company is still using the old "G" icon in many places, including in the Google Search favicon on the web, and its Google Search blog. Google's official repository of company logos hasn't been updated, either.

SEE ALSO: How to watch Google's 'The Android Show: I/O Edition' event live

The company introduced the colorful "G" icon back in 2015; originally, the "g" was lowercase, and white on a blue background.

Jon Stewart reacts to Trump being given a free private jet

Mashable - 10 hours 5 min ago

The U.S. economy has been on a rollercoaster ride these past few months thanks to the ongoing tariff war, but at least the president is getting a shiny new private jet from Qatar.

"Qatar is giving us a plane that Trump gets to keep?" asks an incredulous Jon Stewart in The Daily Show monologue above. "He's like the reverse Oprah. 'I get a jet! And that's it.'"

Stewart goes on to play a clip of Trump defending the decision, with the president appearing baffled by the idea that he wouldn't accept the gift.

"It's not a free jet," responds Stewart. "That's the point. You know the expression, 'There's no such thing as a free lunch?' That's about being sceptical of the motives of somebody who gives you a sandwich. A sandwich. A BLT. Now imagine that that BLT has an engine, nine bathrooms, and funds proxy wars."

The Garmin Forerunner 165 is back at its lowest-ever price at Amazon

Mashable - 10 hours 5 min ago

SAVE $50: As of May 13, the Garmin Forerunner 165 is on sale for $199.99 at Amazon. That's 20% off its list price of $249.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Garmin Garmin Forerunner 165 $199.99 at Amazon
$249.99 Save $50 Get Deal

If you lead an active lifestyle, Amazon has some great discounts on a wide range of smartwatches and fitness trackers. This includes a deal on the Garmin Forerunner 165, which has dropped below $200.

As of May 13, the Garmin Forerunner 165 is on sale for $199.99 at Amazon. That's a 20% discount from its list price of $249.99, and marks a return to its best-ever price according to price tracker camelcamelcamel.

SEE ALSO: The best fitness trackers you can buy in 2025: From smartwatches to rings

The Garmin Forerunner 165 is made with runners in mind, with built-in GPS for tracking pace and distance and a heart rate monitor. It even has a morning report that details your sleep from the night, recovery, and your training outlook to help you be as prepared as possible. All of this comes on top of a bright AMOLED touchscreen display and up to 11 days of battery life in smartwatch mode (or up to 19 hours in GPS mode).

Don't miss out on 20% off the Garmin Forerunner 165 at Amazon while the deal is still available.

This isn't the only Garmin deal that's crossed our radar. At the moment, you can also save on the Garmin Forerunner 265 at Amazon and the Garmin Forerunner 965.

The best deals this week, hand-picked by Mashable's team of experts

NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for May 13, 2025

Mashable - 10 hours 33 min ago

Connections: Sports Edition is a new version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

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

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

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

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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

Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

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

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

Here's a hint for today's Connections Sports Edition categories

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

  • Yellow: Way behind the leader

  • Green: Mocking

  • Blue: Basketball names

    Purple: Similar names

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections Sports Edition categories

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

  • Yellow: In the lowest position

  • Green: Heckle

  • Blue: NBA teams with singular nicknames

  • Purple: Teams with "golden" nicknames

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

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

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections Sports Edition #232 is...

What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition today

  • In the lowest position - BOTTOM, CELLAR, LAST, WORST

  • Heckle - BOO, HISS, JEER, TAUNT

  • NBA teams with singular nicknames - MIAMI, OKLAHOMA CITY, ORLANDO, UTAH

  • Teams with "golden" nicknames - CAL, MINNESOTA, TULSA, VEGAS

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

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

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

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

The Peloton treadmill just hit its lowest price this year at Amazon

Mashable - 10 hours 43 min ago

SAVE $300: As of May 13, the Peloton Tread is on sale for $2,695 at Amazon. That's a 10% saving on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Peloton Peloton Tread $2,695 at Amazon
$2,995 Save $300 Get Deal

Peloton is arguably the most well-known name when it comes to home workout machines, especially when it comes to cycling and running. Famed for their remote, instructor-led classes, Peloton allows you to get a serious sweat on from the comfort of your home. And if you've been wanting to add a Peloton to your life, we've found a great deal on the Peloton Tread.

As of May 13, the Peloton Tread is reduced by $300, now priced at $2,695. This is a state-of-the-art treadmill with endless features, access to live classes, and even a 24-inch touchscreen display. The Tread is designed to be easy and comfortable to use. It has handy to reach speed and incline knobs, auto-incline that follows instructor cues, and accessibility features like TalkBack and captions.

SEE ALSO: The Peloton has dropped to its lowest price in 2025

Depending on what your abilities are, or what you're in the mood to do, you can adjust speeds from 0 to 12.5 MPH and incline from 0% to 12.5% using on-screen shortcuts. For safety, enjoy a clip-on safety key that stops the belt if detached and a passcode lock.

And of course, what's a treadmill without data? On-screen metrics allow you to track your progress in real time, follow training programs, or set personal targets.

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

The best deals this week, hand-picked by Mashable's team of experts

How the Columbia River Treaty Got Tangled in Trump’s Feud With Canada

NYT Technology - 10 hours 45 min ago
Negotiations over the Columbia River basin could affect the environment in Canada and electrical generation and flood control in the United States.

Acer Predator Helios 16 review: A lightning-fast performer with stellar thermal design

Mashable - 10 hours 45 min ago

The Acer Predator Helios 16 comes equipped with internals that’ll keep you sailing smoothly through heavy gaming pressure and everyday tasks. Add its plethora of ports, stellar thermals, and beautiful, matte display with a high refresh rate into the mix, and this laptop proves it’s worthy of its price.

That said, this laptop’s gamer-forward design may not suit everyone’s tastes. With a flashy light bar at the back and a backlit logo on the top lid, no one’s going to second-guess that this is a gaming laptop. You can change the default RGB wave light scheme to something more low-key, but its prominent gamer aesthetic may not go unnoticed in the office.

With its 14th Gen Intel processor, an RTX 4080 GPU, and a top-notch thermal design, this laptop is definitely a serious contender as one of the best gaming laptops Mashable has tested. Sure, there are a few minor features I wish I could improve, but I think the laptop’s positives greatly outweigh its negatives. 

Without further ado, let’s dive into the good, the bad, and everything else about the Predator Helios 16.

Acer Predator Helios 16 price and specs 

The Acer Predator Helios 16 is a pricey laptop, but it’s equipped with all the necessary internals to run AAA games at high settings. Our review unit costs $2,299 and comes with the following specs: 

  • Intel Core i9 14900HX CPU

  • Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 (12GB)

  • 32GB of RAM

  • 2TB of SSD storage

  • 16-inch, 2560 x 1600-pixel, 240Hz display

If you like the look of this gaming laptop, but would rather trade slightly lower specs for a more affordable price, take a look at this Predator Helios 16 configuration at Best Buy for $1,699. It comes with the same Intel Core i9-14900HX CPU and 2560 x 1600-pixel display, but comes with only 16GB of RAM, 1TB of SSD storage, and an RTX 4070 GPU.

SEE ALSO: Laptop specs explained: A jargon-free guide to what's inside your computer This won’t easily double as a work laptop in appearance

Constructed with an aluminum lid and keyboard deck and a plastic bottom, the Predator Helios 16 is quite sturdy. I’d love to see an all-aluminum build for durability and even better thermals, but that would definitely raise the laptop’s price.

Decking this laptop out in an all-aluminum chassis would also increase the weight, and it’s already quite hefty. This laptop weighs 5.7 pounds and measures 14.1 x 10.9 x 1 inches, so it's not a very travel-friendly companion. 

Then, in true gaming laptop fashion, there are multiple customizable RGB elements. Compared to its predecessor, this model gains RGB logos on the lid and below the keyboard’s right side. Personally, I’m not a fan because they feel like flashy, battery-draining details that most gamers probably don’t care about.

When you pair these backlit logos with the seven-zone RGB Infinity Mirror bar that sticks out at the back, the Acer Predator Helios 16 simply screams, “I’m a gaming laptop.” For some, that may not be a bad thing. But for those who want to use a single laptop for both gaming and work, this laptop’s design isn’t nearly inconspicuous enough, even after switching off all the lights.

A large, bright, and matte display that’s not super vibrant

The Acer Predator Helios 16 comes with a 16-inch, 2560 x 1600-pixel IPS LCD display with a 240Hz max refresh rate and a three-millisecond response time.

I wish the colors were more vibrant on this laptop's display. Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

I love the amount of screen real estate this gaming laptop offers, especially with its 16:10 aspect ratio. The max 240Hz refresh rate made watching content and playing games a stutter-free experience. And for a gaming laptop, its bezels are relatively small.

To scrutinize this laptop’s display, I fired up a YouTube trailer for Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning. 

With the display’s high resolution, I had no issues spotting minute details, like wrinkles and fine lines on the actors' faces and hair strands. However, the colors don’t pop off the screen as much as I’d like. There’s a plane at the beginning of the trailer that I imagine is bright red and grass that should be vibrant green, but these colors come across muted on the Predator Helios 16’s display.

Despite not being colorful, this matte display is quite bright. Officially, it has 500 nits max brightness, which is kind of unheard of for gaming laptops — they tend to hover around 300 or 400 nits max. I found the display easy to see, even in direct sunlight.

The ports of a gamer’s dreams

For a gaming laptop, I’d expect nothing less than a plethora of ports, and the Acer Predator Helios 16 absolutely delivers. 

The left side of the Acer Predator Helios 16. Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

On the left: 

  • Ethernet (RJ-45) port

  • USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 port

  • microSD card reader

  • Headset jack

The right side of the Acer Predator Helios 16. Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

On the right: 

  • Two USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports

  • Kensington lock slot

The back side of the Acer Predator Helios 16. Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

On the back: 

  • DC-in power port

  • HDMI 2.1 output port with HDCP support

  • Two USB-C (Thunderbolt 4) ports

The charging cable is pretty bulky, but it’s extra long, and the DC-in power port is conveniently located at the center of the back edge. There’s an HDMI port to connect a bigger monitor, an audio jack to hook up wired headphones, and plenty of USB ports to choose from for your peripherals.

The speakers are passable, but not for listening to music

The Predator Helios 16 has a lot of good things going for it, but its audio quality isn’t one of them. 

This laptop’s two built-in stereo speakers deliver sharp in-game dialogue at a volume that’s more than plenty to hear characters over the powerful fans. When streaming media on the laptop, I got the same result. Character voices come through well, but these aren’t speakers you’ll want to listen to music out of.

SEE ALSO: The 8 best Bluetooth speakers, tested for sound, portability, and cool factor

I listened to "Real" by Unprocessed (feat. Polyphia's Tim Henson & Clay Gober) and Bo Burnham's "All Eyes on Me (Song Only)," and both songs utterly lacked that full-bodied, atmospheric depth that comes from bass notes rounding out the soundstage. Pairing some of the best headphones with this laptop is a must if you’re a music lover.

A fairly punchy keyboard and a smooth trackpad You can control the brightness and color of each individual key on the Acer Predator Helios 16. Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

This laptop’s keyboard may not satisfy the biggest keyboard snobs (it’s me, I’m the keyboard snob) because the typing experience isn’t as satisfyingly clicky as on other laptop keyboards. That said, I found typing to be relatively snappy overall, and having a laptop with a full-size keyboard with well-sized and well-spaced keys is always a win in my book.

In true gaming laptop fashion, the keyboard offers RGB backlighting. More specifically, the Predator Helios 16 offers per-key RGB mini-LED backlit keys, so you can control the brightness and color of each individual key if you’d like. Or, if you prefer to save battery life, you can turn the lights off completely.

I have no complaints about the trackpad. It’s large, responsive, and feels velvety smooth. Some may care about the trackpad being slightly off-center, but it didn’t hinder performance or bug me at all.

Acer Predator Helios 16 benchmarks and performance

To jog your memory, here are the internals this Acer Predator Helios 16 configuration is working with: an Intel Core i914900HX CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 GPU with 12GB of VRAM, and 32GB of RAM. Those specs work together beautifully to create a smooth overall experience, whether you’re playing a Triple-A title at high presets or hoarding tabs while completing a project for school or work.

On our traditional laptop stress test, which involves opening 20 Chrome tabs with a mix of static and video content and a few background apps, this laptop passed with flying colors. Because it has a discrete GPU, I even doubled the number of Chrome tabs, and it still refused to stutter. With all that open, I was able to type in Google Docs and load a new page with no issues.

To stress test this gaming laptop’s internals, I played Cyberpunk 2077 for an hour at high presets and native resolution (2560 x 1600) with DLSS turned off. Shooting and moving around in the game felt silky smooth, and I averaged around 80 frames per second.

While looping a video to run down the battery, going about my regular workday tasks, or playing Cyberpunk 2077, the laptop’s top-notch thermal design kept everything cool. After an hour of gaming, the laptop’s hottest points were barely warm. Of course, with excellent thermal design comes fan noise, but the only time the fans were noticeably noisy was during gameplay — and even then, I could easily hear the in-game audio over the fans.

This laptop has a very "gamer" look. Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

Real-world performance tests show how a laptop functions in the day-to-day, but if you’re comparing laptops before buying, standardized performance benchmarks reign supreme.

On 3DMark’s TimeSpy benchmark, which assesses graphical prowess, the Predator Helios 16 delivered a staggering score of 16,837, far surpassing many of the other gaming laptops we’ve tested. The HP Omen 17 and Alienware m16 R2 delivered scores of 12,105 and 12,224 with an RTX 4070 GPU, respectively.

To test CPU performance, I ran Geekbench 6. In Performance mode, the Predator Helios 16 earned a multi-core score of 17,462. Switching over to Balanced mode, the laptop earned a slightly lower score of 16,817. For comparison, the 2024 HP Omen 17 received a multi-core score of 12,781.

Lastly, our Cyberpunk 2077 benchmark tests the laptop’s in-game performance with DLSS off, the presets notched at high, and typically, the resolution set to 1080p. Then, we switch DLSS on and report the recorded frame rates. However, this laptop consistently delivered puzzling results when set to 1080p, which could have something to do with recent DLSS upgrades and the new model.

With the resolution set to 1080p, our Cyberpunk 2077 delivered 111.8 frames per second with DLSS off and 109.7 frames per second with DLSS on. The only way I was able to up the frames per second at 1080p resolution was by enabling AI-powered frame generation, which then churned out over 200 frames per second. 

Turning DLSS on traditionally gets you more frames per second, not less, which was reflected in running the same benchmark at native resolution (2560 x 1600). At native resolution, our Cyberpunk 2077 benchmark scored an average of 79.4 frames per second with DLSS switched off. Turning DLSS on notched an impressive 109.3 frames per second.

Acer Predator Helios 16 battery life

If you’re looking for one of the best laptops for battery life, the Acer Predator Helios 16 isn’t the one for you.

In our battery test, which involves looping a 1080p version of Tears of Steel at 50 percent brightness, the Predator Helios 16 only lasted 5 hours and 34 minutes. And believe it or not, that’s with all of its RGB LEDs turned off. With the RGB light bar on and blue, static lights under the keyboard, the laptop eked out a mere 3 hours and 42 minutes.

Considering the HP Omen 17 (with slightly lower specs) lasted 8 hours and 13 minutes on the same video rundown test, these results aren’t great. Granted, for gaming purposes, you’ll be using the Predator Helios 16 plugged in. But don’t expect to use this laptop at a library or coffee shop cord-free — at least, not for very long.

No one’s surprised by this grainy, dull webcam

The Predator Helios 16 is a gaming laptop, and as such, the webcam is far from impressive.

The webcam is nothing special. Credit: Screenshot: Sarah Chaney

Looking at myself through this laptop’s 1080p webcam, I wasn’t surprised a bit to see dull colors amidst a grainy reflection. I even gave the webcam the best chance possible and positioned myself in front of natural sunlight that wasn’t too bright.

The webcam is relatively sharp, proven by the individual strands of hair I could pick out in my selfie, but overall, it’s quite mediocre. Plus, there’s no privacy shutter.

Is the Acer Predator Helios 16 worth it?

The Acer Predator Helios 16 is an amazing gaming laptop, packed with a 14th Gen Intel CPU and an RTX 4080 GPU that are quite capable of playing AAA titles at high settings with remarkable ease and not a lot of heat, thanks to an adept thermal design.

I even think that this laptop’s prominent gamer aesthetic is easy to ignore if you’re simply looking for the best internals you can get at the best price. If you want a more subtle gaming laptop that could double as a work laptop, check out the HP Omen 17 instead.

The biggest potential flaw with this laptop, depending on what your needs are, is its lackluster battery life. You won’t be able to stray far from an outlet for long, even around your own home. Granted, if you don’t plan to ever play unplugged because it often means sacrificing higher frame rates, then this probably isn’t an issue worth considering for you.

If your top priority in a gaming laptop is overall performance at a great price (and you don’t mind the “gamer” look), I believe the Acer Predator Helios 16 is definitely worth it.

Acer Predator Helios 16 Starting at $1,699.99 at Acer
Shop Now

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge vs. iPhone 16: Which should you buy?

Mashable - 10 hours 45 min ago

Samsung announced a new phone on Monday, so you know what that means: It's time to do some comparing and contrasting.

This time, we'll be looking at how the ultra-thin Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge matches up against old reliable, the iPhone 16 from Apple. One of them is the meat-and-potatoes base model for an entire lineup, while the other is the flashy new member of the family with a specific selling point. Let's hash them out.

SEE ALSO: Apple might increase iPhone prices this fall Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge vs. iPhone 16

Besides the obvious (iOS vs. Android), here is how the new Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge and iPhone 16 compare to one another. And if you're looking for the tl;dr version: the iPhone 16 is the standard iPhone of the moment, while the S25 Edge is a thinner version of the flagship S25 Ultra. The S25 Edge doesn't sacrifice many flagship features, but it's smaller, thinner, and more affordable.

Specs and price Love the pink iPhone. Credit: Kimberly Gedeon/Mashable

There's one thing we need to get out of the way immediately: The $1,099 Galaxy S25 Edge is a substantially more expensive phone than the $799 iPhone 16. As such, the expectations for specs and features are a little different for these two phones. Here is what Samsung is working with:

  • 6.7-inch AMOLED display with 120Hz adaptive refresh rate

  • Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset

  • 12GB RAM

  • 256GB/512GB storage

And here is what you get from the iPhone 16:

  • 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display with 60Hz refresh rate

  • A18 chip

  • 8GB RAM

  • 128GB/256GB/512GB storage

If we were declaring winners and losers here, obviously the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge would win in the specs department because it's a more premium phone. You get a much bigger display with a significantly better refresh rate, more RAM, and more starting storage.

Design Super thin. Credit: Alex Perry/Mashable

The big selling point of the Galaxy S25 Edge lies here, but first, we need to talk about colors.

The iPhone 16's color palette is a lot more interesting than the Galaxy S25 Edge's. You can choose from black, white, pink, teal, and blue. Samsung, on the other hand, is offering three looks for the S25 Edge: Black, silver, and blue. Boring.

But color isn't the big reason to pay attention to the S25 Edge. The entire gimmick with Samsung's new phone is that you get premium specs in an unbelievably thin body. At 5.8mm of thickness, it's a good deal thinner than the 7.8 mm-thick iPhone 16. Samsung's phone is also lighter, clocking in at just 163g compared to the iPhone 16's 170g.

Aside from that, the two phones actually look fairly similar at a glance. Both of them have two rear camera lenses situated at the top left corner of the phone's backside, for example. Neither company is really pushing the envelope here, outside of Samsung making a flagship phone that's really, really skinny. It should be noted that Apple is reportedly working on the same thing.

Performance

This is one category that's impossible to really evaluate right now because we don't have both phones in hand yet.

That said, the iPhone 16's A18 chip is a really solid performer, rarely slowing down or introducing any kind of noteworthy issues in day-to-day life, which I can confirm as an iPhone 16 owner. And the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset in the S25 Edge was similarly brilliant in the other S25 phones, which launched earlier this year. There may be differences that emerge in testing, but there's no reason to believe either of these phones has severe performance problems.

Battery

The one big knock against the Galaxy S25 Edge is that its 3,900mAh battery is smaller than any of the other Galaxy S25 phones, even the cheaper base model. That's a compromise Samsung had to make in order to achieve that level of thinness. Still, impressively, it's bigger than the 3,561mAh cell in the iPhone 16.

That doesn't necessarily mean the Galaxy S25 Edge will outpace the iPhone 16 in practical battery testing, which we haven't done yet. It could be poorly optimized or inefficient, for all we know. Speaking from personal experience, you can get about 24 hours out of one charge of the iPhone 16, so the S25 Edge needs to match that number to stay competitive.

Camera Can't wait to test these out. Credit: Alex Perry/Mashable

Lastly, the cameras. One more time for those who just got here: We haven't done any head-to-head testing yet, so a final evaluation will have to wait.

We can compare specs, though, and Samsung's phone will win every time if that's the fight. The Galaxy S25 Edge comes with a staggering 200MP wide lens on the back, to go along with a 12MP ultra-wide lens. The iPhone 16 also has a 12MP ultra-wide lens on the rear, but you only get a 48MP wide lens to go along with it.

Samsung packed the same premium lens from the Galaxy S25 Ultra into the Edge, which could certainly be a selling point. We can't wait to find out how the photos actually look, in practice.

How to watch Googles The Android Show: I/O Edition event live

Mashable - 10 hours 45 min ago

If you're interested in all things Android, then you'll want to watch Google's The Android Show: I/O Edition event on Tuesday, May 13.

Usually, we learn about all the new Android updates during the annual Google I/O event, but this year, Google's doing things a little differently. Google is carving out a spotlight for Android ahead of its Gemini-saturated Google I/O event on May 20, 2025.

Enter: The Android Show, designed to let the world’s most ubiquitous operating system stretch its legs.

Hosted by Android Ecosystem President Sameer Samat, the event is teed up to deliver a rapid-fire preview of what’s on deck for Android. Expect Android 16 announcements, Wear OS updates, and all things Android-adjacent. And yes, it could be the perfect time for Google to go in-depth on Android XR — the software layer powering Samsung’s upcoming Project Moohan mixed reality headset, which is slated to land later this year.

Where to watch The Android Show: I/O Edition

Google’s Android Show is set to stream live on Tuesday, May 13, at 10 a.m. PDT via the Android Developers YouTube channel. You’ll find the livestream embedded below.

Mashable will be covering this event live, so keep checking back for more Android news and updates.

Stunning video reveals Jupiters roiling auroras. See it now.

Mashable - 10 hours 45 min ago

Astronomers have zoomed in on Jupiter's poles to get a better look at the gas giant planet's auroras — 100 times brighter than the Northern Lights on Earth.

These alien light shows are not only humongous compared to the ones people are used to seeing in our own skies, but also, they're powered by an extra source. Jupiter's strong magnetic field reels in charged particles from its immediate space environment. That means it's not just grabbing solar wind from the sun to create these luminous displays but particles spewed from nearby Io, one of Jupiter's 97 moons and the most volcanically active world in the solar system.

A team of scientists used the James Webb Space Telescope, a partnership of NASA and its European and Canadian counterparts, to study the auroras. What they found was a cause-and-effect puzzle: When they zoomed in with Hubble, which can detect ultraviolet light, they thought they'd find signs of the incoming electrons bombarding Jupiter's upper atmosphere, said Jonathan Nichols, the lead researcher from the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom. 

But that's not what they got.

"What we're seeing is an incredibly bright afterglow with not much evidence of the original impact," Nichols told Mashable. 

SEE ALSO: A NASA probe has just spilled secrets about Jupiter and a fiery moon

The Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, which operates the Webb and Hubble telescopes, released a video of Jupiter's tempestuous roiling auroras, which you can watch above. 

For three decades, scientists have delved into how Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus interact with space by looking at light emitted from charged molecules in their upper atmospheres. Recently, astronomers even got a glimpse of Neptune's strange auroras. These studies help scientists understand what’s going on high above a planet’s surface and deep within its magnetic field.

When the sun blasts out radiation, charged particles travel along a planet's invisible magnetic field lines. When these particles strike gases, they heat up and glow. The results are colorful light displays. 

On Earth, the colors differ depending on the type of atmospheric gas and its altitude. Oxygen glows red or blue, while nitrogen can create green, blue, or pink. The recent strong solar storm conditions — a byproduct of the sun being at solar maximum — are causing auroras around the North Pole to sprawl, allowing people who live farther south to see them. 

Regarding Jupiter's auroras, scientists were interested in discovering how quickly the light displays flickered, expecting them to fade in and out over 15 or more minutes. Instead, they saw speedy, erratic shifts. The whole auroral region seemed to be "fizzing and popping" like a soda, changing on a timescale of seconds. These findings were published this week in the journal Nature Communications.

On the left, dancing lights on Jupiter are hundreds of times brighter than those in Earth's Northern Lights. On the right, the aurora is layered over a James Webb Space Telescope image of Jupiter to indicate its location and scale. Credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI / Ricardo Hueso / Imke de Pater / Thierry Fouchet / Leigh Fletcher / Michael H. Wong / Joseph DePasquale / Jonathan Nichols / Mahdi Zamani

At the heart of this study is a molecule called trihydrogen cation. (For the record, it sounds like "CAT-eye-on," not the last two syllables of "vacation.") When particles have enough energy to rip an electron off a hydrogen molecule, the mangled molecule rapidly reacts with other hydrogen and forms the special molecule. Before trihydrogen cation is destroyed, it gives off infrared light. That's what Webb observed, Nichols said.  

Knowing how quickly trihydrogen cation dissipates matters to scientists because of the role it would play in how Jupiter’s upper atmosphere is heated and cooled. But the researchers simply don't know how Webb detected the exceedingly bright light of the molecule without ample high-energy particles detected to create it in the first place. 

"The explanation currently eludes us," Nichols said. "Either the particles can in fact rain down in high numbers without requiring much acceleration, or there is something about Jupiter’s auroral atmosphere and generation of aurora missing from our calculations."

The team will continue to study the paradox of Webb and Hubble's data with follow-up observations. Their work may help the European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer spacecraft, or Juice. The mission is intended to focus its research on Europa, Callisto, and particularly Ganymede, three large moons orbiting the gas giant planet a half-billion miles away. These moons have intrigued scientists for years because they're thought to have liquid oceans trapped beneath icy shells.

The spacecraft, launched two years ago, is expected to reach Jupiter in 2031. 

Pages

Subscribe to Page Integrity, Inc. aggregator