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Amazon Prime Day isn't just about buying physical products. You can also get PC games for free, too.

That part isn't new, as Amazon has offered a bundle of free video games leading up to Prime Day through its Prime Gaming promotion since late June. With the exact dates of Prime Day coming up this week, though, Amazon is expanding the list with three popular or otherwise noteworthy video games:

• Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League

• Chivalry 2

• Rise of the Tomb Raider

SEE ALSO: Prime Day 2024 is almost here: 150+ of the best early deals you can shop right now

Amazon Prime subscribers will have 48 hours to claim these three games, starting July 16 at 3 a.m. ET. To claim them, arm yourself with an Amazon Prime login, take it to the Prime Gaming website, log in, and follow the on-screen instructions.

While it isn't horribly surprising to see Rise of the Tomb Raider (which launched in 2015) or Chivalry 2 (which was recently free on Epic Games Store) on this list, Suicide Squad stands out. It's a very recently released big-budget game with a big-name license behind it. Kill the Justice League has notably been a financial failure for Warner Bros., but to see it hit the proverbial bargain bin this soon is astonishing.

But hey, anything is worth trying for the price of free.

GET $125 OFF: As of July 15, the Dyson Airwrap bundle is $549.99, down from $674.99 at Amazon. That's a 19% discount of $125.

Opens in a new window Credit: Dyson Our pick: Dyson Airwrap bundle $549.99 at Amazon
$674.99 Save $125.00 Get Deal

Prime Day doesn’t officially start until tomorrow, but Amazon is already pulling out all the stops with early Prime Day deals that have us wondering if we'll have anything left to shop for once the main event rolls around. Even the coveted Dyson Airwrap is getting a massive discount.

As of July 15, you can score the Dyson Airwrap bundle (this includes the Airwrap, two long barrels, two smoothing brush attachments, a Coanda smoothing dryer, a round volumizing brush, a detangling comb, a storage case, and a storage bag) for $549.99 — $125 off the listing price.

SEE ALSO: The Dyson Airwrap is an impressive multi-styler that's by no means essential

This deal is an Amazon exclusive, and you’ll need to be a Prime member to get it, but the price tag is well worth it if you consider the additional attachments and bonus storage included in the bundle.

The Dyson Airwrap multi-styler is designed to curl, wave, smooth, and dry hair without intense heat, keeping locks safe and healthy while getting a salon-worthy look. And, if you’re unsure how to get the look on your own (I definitely wouldn’t know what to do with this thing), the Dyson website offers tutorials to guide you through mermaid waves, voluminous curls, and more.

We get it: Dating in 2024 is no joke. As more and more folks try to find their one and only, the rise of exploring new relationship dynamics, inevitably casual dating, and more, the dating game can be a lot. But what if it didn’t have to be? Enter: Tawkify.

What could be categorized as an anti-dating app, Tawkify helps folks date while removing apps from the equation entirely. Instead of being an app, the brand offers a dating service meant to help folks by prioritizing human connection and the luxury of matchmaking and aiming to make dating truly fun again. 

Here’s why we think Tawkify could be the right dating app alternative for you (or a friend).

1. Ditching the burnout of the dating game

In a recent Forbes study, participants were asked if they have ever felt emotionally, mentally, or physically exhausted by dating apps — 78 percent said they had. That, folks, is called dating burnout. 

Regardless of generation, it has also taken its toll across the age spectrum. A high 80 percent of Millennials, 79 percent of Gen Z, 78 percent of Gen X, and even 70 percent of Baby Boomers report having dating burnout.

To combat it, Tawkify matches every client with a matchmaker who aims to take the headache out of dating. Comparable to having a personal assistant, head hunter, and life coach, the service finds high-potential matches, plans first dates, and does post-date debriefs to refine your approach so you can focus on what matters most: finding your match.

2. Sick of swiping on the apps? Us, too  

Instead of relying on apps, though, Tawkify uses technology to build a pool of high-potential matches based on what clients have provided or conversations they have had with their own personal matchmakers.

“No swiping, no small talk, no unwanted messages,” they explain to Mashable, “You go right to the date, which we’ve planned for you, without ever having had to lift a finger. This also represents a swiping and chatting time savings of 40+ hours per month vs. app dating.”

3. Making dating feel human again

Tawkify is also on a mission to make dating feel human again. Through their matchmakers, members don’t just interact with algorithms; instead, they have human conversations that can lead to more effective matches.

To get started on finding your perfect match, visit Tawkify now and explore the possibilities.

Disclaimer: Services are only available in the contiguous US.

GET $50 OFF: As of July 15, the Ninja Creami ice cream maker is available at Amazon for $149.99, down from $199.99. That's a 25% discount of $50.

Opens in a new window Credit: Ninja Our pick: Ninja Creami ice cream maker $149.99 at Amazon
$199.99 Save $50.00 Get Deal

If you haven’t been on TikTok (honestly, good on you), the Ninja Creami ice cream maker might have slipped under your radar.

This compact countertop appliance has influencers and actual chefs raving about its ability to create restaurant-quality ice cream, sorbet, and gelato right at home. (A pretty good sell, if you ask us.) And, as of July 15, you can get this trendy kitchen gadget for just $149.99 at Amazon, down from $199.99. That’s a 25% discount of $50 and an early Prime Day deal.

SEE ALSO: TikTok's newest obsession is coming — meet the Ninja Slushi

The Ninja Creami ice cream maker can turn any ingredient into creamy frozen treats. Just load up the 16-ounce pint container with your base (think: dairy, dairy-free, or fruit purees), then let the machine work its magic. It’s ideal for anyone on a low-sugar, keto, or dairy-free diet since you can control exactly what goes into whatever you’re making (unlike the chemical-ridden stuff in the grocery store).

It has seven one-touch programs for ice cream, sorbet, gelato, milkshakes, smoothie bowls, and more, taking all the guesswork out of getting the perfect consistency. The machine also comes with a pint container, a lid, a storage lid, and a recipe book to help you get started.

TL;DR: In this early Prime Day deal, you can get the Hatch Restore 2 sunrise alarm clock at the record-low price of $144.95, a 28% discount. As a Prime Day deal, it's exclusive to Prime members.

Opens in a new window Credit: Hatch Hatch Restore 2 sunrise alarm clock $144.99 at Amazon
$199.99 Save $55.00 Get Deal

Are you still using your phone as your alarm clock? You know it's terrible for your sleep cycle, but it's just so darn easy to set alarms (and inevitably hit the snooze button) on your smartphone. We get it, and we're not judging. But there is a better way to go to sleep at night and wake up in the morning.

The Hatch Restore 2 is an award-winning piece of sleep tech. This smart sunrise alarm clock doesn't just wake you up in the morning with gentle alarm tones and warm light. It also works as a white-noise machine. This alarm clock comes pre-loaded with nature sounds, white noise, pink noise, and other natural soundscapes that can make it easier to fall and stay asleep. And when it's time to wake up, you can create a gentle wakeup routine that's fully customizable in the Hatch app.

As mentioned above, this smart alarm has never been this affordable—for Prime members. It's even more affordable at Amazon than at the official Hatch online store. Use your Prime membership to save $55 on this sleep system. And if the price is turning you off, check out the new smart alarm clock from Amazon — the new Echo Spot alarm — also on sale for just $45.

This sunrise alarm doubles as a white noise machine. Credit: Hatch

The Hatch Restore 2 displays the time, but this clock dims at night. With all of its powers combined, this smart alarm clock promises to support your body's natural circadian rhythms. It's also easy to turn your alarms on and off, and soon you might be so well rested that you don't want to use a "snooze" button ever again.

Finally, you can also use the Hatch Restore 2 and companion Hatch app as a meditation buddy. While a Hatch+ membership isn't free, a low-cost membership gives you access to additional features, guided meditation, and soothing sleep stories. However, you can access all the core features of this smart sunrise alarm clock without a paid membership, so don't worry.

Featuring WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, this innovative piece of sleep tech could be your key to a better night's sleep. As of this writing, it's one of Amazon's best early Prime Day deals.

This week, House of the Dragon brought back a teeny, tiny cameo from who fans are calling "the only loyal character in the entire show." Yep, it's the dog.

In Season 2, episode 5, "Regent," the HBO series took at least one shot to champion the mistreated canine from episode 1. The dog was kicked by his owner, the ratcatcher (Mark Stobbart), during the abhorrent assassination on the child heir to the Iron Throne, Jaehaerys Targaryen. The moment had viewers irate, spewing vitriol against the doomed ratter for abusing his loyal pooch.

SEE ALSO: 'House of the Dragon' Season 2, episode 4: Pay attention to the dogs at Harrenhal

In episode 2, we saw the dog nobly sitting at the foot of his now-dead master, hung by his neck on the walls of King's Landing among the city's other ratcatchers by order of King Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney). It's a grisly scene, and terrible PR for the Red Keep.

So, in episode 5, when the newly appointed Prince Regent Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) takes his spot at the head of the small council, one of his first orders is to "cut down the fucking ratcatchers." While the King's Hand Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) sees the job done, you can see the same dog sitting under a cart, presumably having been sitting there for the last four episodes.

Tweet may have been deleted

How long has the dog been there, really? Between then and now there's been the attempted assassination at Dragonstone, the Battle of the Burning Mill, the Battle at Rook's Rest, and more, so it's been a while. This dog is basically the Hachiko of King's Landing.

As the bodies drop into a wagon, pulled away by the Kingsguard, the dog gets up, whines, and follows the cart. This level of loyalty in the snake-filled House of the Dragon is rare, and didn't escape fans.

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Even George R.R. Martin himself has praised the dog, a character not in Fire and Blood the author said he wished he'd thought of:

"I am… ahem… not usually a fan of screenwriters adding characters to the source material when adapting a story. Especially not when the source material is mine. But that dog was brilliant," Martin wrote on his blog after episode 2.

"I was prepared to hate Cheese, but I hated him even more when he kicked that dog. And later, when the dog say at his feet, gazing up… that damn near broke my heart. Such a little thing… such a little dog… but his presence, the few short moments he was on screen, gave the ratcatcher so much humanity. Human beings are such complex creatures. The silent presence of that dog reminded us that even the worst of men, the vile and the venal, can love and be loved.

"I wish I’d thought of that dog. I didn’t, but someone else did. I am glad of that."

Westerosi dogs forever.

New episodes of House of the Dragon air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.

Oh Alicent, with sons like these who needs Dragonstone-based enemies?

The fallout from the events of House of the Dragon Season 2, episode 4 make up the bulk of episode 5, following the near-fatal unsaddling of Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) by his brother Prince Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) on dragonback.

Now we know Aegon isn't quite dead, just extremely injured, enough to require Aemond's instalment as prince regent. But did the prince mean to kill his own brother? What exactly happened at Rook's Rest is at the forefront of their mother Alicent's (Olivia Cooke) mind in episode 5, and there's one particular moment in episode 5, "Regent," where we know she knows.

SEE ALSO: How 'House of the Dragon' Season 2 is different from George R.R. Martin's 'Fire and Blood' What happened at the end of episode 4?

During the brutal battle at Rook's Rest, Aegon and his dragon Sunfyre take on Rhaenys (Eve Best) riding Meleys, and the drunken king gets his ass served to him by the Queen Who Never Was. Aemond intercepts them on the colossal Vhagar. Problem is, when he gives Vhagar the order "dracarys" at the two fighting dragons, he does so knowing full well Aegon is also in the firing line.

While we can brush off Vhagar's chomping of Lucerys in the Season 1 finale as a rogue dragon act, this time it's Aemond's direct order.

Featured Video For You House of the Dragon Season 1: Everything you need to remember about Season 1 in 60 seconds

When we see Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) staggering about at the end of the battle, once Aegon and Sunfyre have fallen, he searches for the king and finds Aemond with him, holding his sword aloft, possibly poised to end his brother. When Aemond hears Cole call out as if to stop him, he sheathes the blade, and picks up Aegon's Valyrian steel catspaw dagger — previously owned by King Viserys (Paddy Considine). Nothing is said, Cole looks devastated, and Aemond walks off.

How does Alicent know what Aemond did?

At the start of episode 5, when Aegon's (still alive!) body is being semi-covertly brought through the streets of King's Landing, trailing after Meleys' unceremoniously severed head, Alicent and Aemond are watching from the Red Keep's walls. Alicent glances down trepidatiously at Aemond's belt, where Aegon's dagger sits prominently. Alicent knows this dagger well — it's the same one she came at Rhaenyra with in Season 1, episode 7, when she was gaslighting a continent about her heirs. It's also the same one Viserys had treasured, inscribed with King Aegon I's "Song of Ice and Fire" prophecy that speaks of "The Prince That Was Promised".

Oh "someone" has to rule, huh? Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO

Oh, Alicent knows what Aemond is capable of after Lucerys, and she's seen Aegon's blatant bullying of Aemond over the years. But would he actually fell his own brother, her son? Nothing is said between them, but Aemond hasn't exactly made his yearning for the Iron Throne a secret. Later standing over Aegon's bed as he's being treated, Aemond knowingly declares to a nearby Alicent, "Someone will have to rule in his stead."

Later, Alicent tries to get the truth of Aemond's part out of Cole, previously her lover, and he lies to her face. Then, at the small council, Alicent is publicly betrayed by Cole, who supports Aemond's claim to prince regent while Aegon lies incapacitated. It seems Cole saw the opportunity for jumping ship as soon as he realised he'd failed to protect the king.

Didn't see what happened in the gigantic dragon battle in the sky, huh? Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO

Between her constant undermining of the small council, this realisation of her son's true nature, and the truth bombs dropped by Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) in episode 3 during their stealth meeting, Alicent must by now know she should hotfoot it out of there and join the Dragonstone crew.

Heleana also knows what's up

Nothing gets past Heleana (Phia Saban), who also realises what hand her brother had in her brother-husband's plight straight away. At the end of the episode, Aemond is standing unsubtly in front of the Iron Throne late at night, admiring its many swords, when the queen appears behind him.

"Was it worth the price?" Heleana asks her brother. Oh, she knows too.

However, Aemond's time as prince regent might not be as secure as he thought it was. In the last few moments of the episode, we hear Aegon's rasping voice say the word "mummy" as Alicent is leaving his room, though she doesn't hear it. If Aegon can talk, there's one other, particularly treasonous word he'll want to report to the small council, the one Aemond ordered toward him before he plunged to the forest below: "Dracarys."

New episodes of House of the Dragon air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.

In the new teaser for "House of the Dragon" Season 2, episode 6, Rhaenyra Targaryen faces the legendary dragon Vermithor.

AT&T reportedly paid a hacker over $370,000 to delete stolen customer data. In an unusual twist of events, the ransom may not have gone to those who actually conducted the breach.

Last Friday, AT&T revealed that an April data breach had exposed the call and text records of "nearly all" its customers, including phone numbers and the number of calls made. In its filing to the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission (SEC), AT&T stated that it has since beefed up its cybersecurity measures, and was working with law enforcement in investigating the incident.

SEE ALSO: New AT&T data breach impacts 'nearly all' customers

It now seems as though that isn't the only action AT&T has taken in connection with the hack. Wired reports that AT&T paid a ransom of 5.7 bitcoin to a member of hacking group ShinyHunters in mid May, equivalent to a little over $373,000 at the time of the transaction. In exchange for this payment, the hacker reportedly erased the stolen data from the cloud server where it had been stored, as well as provided video proof that this had been done.

There's no guarantee that the millions of people impacted by the recent massive AT&T hack are completely out of the woods though, as digital data can easily be copied. The security researcher who facilitated negotiations between AT&T and the hacker told Wired they believe the only complete copy of the stolen dataset was deleted. However, incomplete fragments may still be at large. 

Who is responsible for the AT&T hack?

There's also the lingering issue regarding exactly who was responsible for the initial breach. Speaking to Wired, the individual who obtained the ransom pointed the finger at known hacker John Binns, who was arrested in Turkey earlier this year due to his alleged involvement in the 2021 T-Mobile hack. 

Binns' alleged connection to the AT&T hack has not been officially confirmed, but the company's SEC filing stated that at least one individual involved had been arrested. 404 Media further reports that Binns has been linked to the AT&T breach.

The hacker claimed that Binns distributed samples of the data to other hackers, and that they would have attempted to extort a ransom from him rather than AT&T had he not been apprehended. Having initially demanded $1 million, they eventually accepted a lesser amount and had it transferred into their nominated cryptocurrency wallet. The hacker was reportedly able to access the cloud server on which Binns stored the hacked data, and deleted it from there.

While questions remain regarding whether the hacker who obtained the ransom was directly involved in the AT&T breach, their hacker group ShinyHunters has been behind some high profile hacks as of late. ShinyHunters recently demanded an $8 million ransom after conducting an enormous Ticketmaster hack earlier this year, which it stated includes the data of around 440,000 ticket holders for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour. Though ShinyHunters claimed that Ticketmaster's parent company Live Nation initially offered to pay $1 million in ransom, the company has denied offering the hackers any money at all.

The Ticketmaster and AT&T hacks have both been linked to a breach of third-party cloud storage provider Snowflake, of which the companies were clients. 

Even so, it seems as though AT&T has been having a tough time keeping its data secure even without Snowflake's help. An unrelated leak in March exposed data belonging to approximately 73 million current and former AT&T customers, including Social Security numbers and encrypted passwords.

Amazon Music Unlimited and Spotify Premium are at similar price points

Amazon Music and Spotify both have a free ad-supported and subscription listening tier.

For Prime members, Amazon Music Unlimited costs $9.99/month or $99 annually. Non-Prime members pay $10.99 monthly, and Spotify Premium costs $11.99 monthly. Both music services also have family plans. The Amazon Music Unlimited family plan allows for up to six people and costs $14.99 per month or $149 annually. Spotify offers a family plan for up to six people for $19.99 a month, in addition to a $5.99 student subscription and a $16.99 duo subscription.

Spotify raised its prices twice in the past year, from $9.99 in 2023 to its present price.

Amazon offers five months of Amazon Music Unlimited for free in conjunction with Prime Day.

SEE ALSO: Amazon just announced the exact dates of Prime Day 2024 Amazon Music Unlimited boasts higher sound quality

Amazon Music Unlimited's main advantage over Spotify Premium is its sound quality. While both music services feature compressed music for their free tier of subscribers, Amazon Music Unlimited listeners can listen to songs in SD, HD, Ultra HD, Dolby Atmos, or 360 reality audio when available. Meanwhile, Spotify has teased HiFi lossless audio since 2021 without ever releasing it.

While the differences between lossless and compressed audio quality might not be noticeable to the casual listener, Amazon Music Unlimited wins over Spotify for those looking for a listening experience akin to CD-quality.

Spotify's interface is more intuitive

Amazon Music and Spotify have similar app user interfaces, but Spotify's desktop version is miles ahead of Amazon Music's basic design. Spotify's desktop version is a feast for the eyes and features nearly identical usability to its app; you can even download music offline.

Spotify's personalization and social functions take the cake

Spotify has an unparalleled recommendations algorithm that allows users to follow other users and make collaborative playlists. While Amazon Music also features recommendations, they aren't as on the nose, and the music service lacks any of the social components that define Spotify's listening experience.

The verdict

Depending on your listening priorities, either could work for you. Spotify is the right fit if you prioritize music discovery and swapping playlists with friends. But if you're a diehard music-head who wants top-tier sound quality above all else, Amazon Music is for you.

My jaw is still on the floor. You won't believe the battery life we recorded for the Surface Laptop 7, which is a part of Microsoft's "Surface" family that features a wide variety of devices, from tablets to convertibles. And quite frankly, I was never the biggest fan of Surface machines.

They all seem to be missing that je ne sais quoi — that X factor — that makes 'em stand out in the world of MacBooks, Lenovo ThinkPads, and Dell XPS series laptops. The competition was always quite stiff for the Surface family, with rivals offering more performance for the price.

The biggest hindrance to the Surface family's success was, sorry to say it, Intel. (Even when Microsoft decided to pack AMD chips inside their laptops, they performed significantly better than their Intel-based variants.)

"It's me! Hi! I'm the problem it's me," is what Intel should be saying, quoting Taylor Swift.

Now Microsoft has made the smart decision to ditch Intel for the Surface Laptop 7, which features a star chipset called Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite. Long story short, Qualcomm said the Snapdragon X Elite crushes MacBooks, particularly the models with the M3 chips — and it didn't tell a lie.

Did it make our best laptops list? Read on to find out.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 price and specs

The Surface Laptop 7 I tested for this review costs $1,999 via Amazon and comes with the following specs:

• Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite CPU

• Qualcomm Adreno GPU

• 32GB of RAM

• 1TB of SSD storage

• 13.8-inch, 2496 x 1664-pixel resolution touchscreen with a 120Hz refresh rate

• Windows 11 Home

If that's too much, Amazon is also selling a Microsoft Surface Laptop for just $1,199, but it comes with some downgrades, including 16GB of RAM, 512GB of SSD storage, and a Snapdragon X Plus chipset.

Opens in a new window Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 $1,999.99 at Amazon
Get Deal Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 design

The Surface Laptop 7 oozes sophistication and polished refinement. Personified, this Microsoft laptop would be the smooth-talking Wall Street banker, dressed in an all black suit, who says, "I'd like a whiskey neat, please."

Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

The build quality is mint. The chassis, partially made from recycled aluminum, is sturdy with little to no give on the lid and deck. As a cherry on top, it doesn't collect too many fingerprints.

The review unit I have sports the Black colorway, looking as if it was draped in ink. There are three other color options, including Sapphire, Dune, and Platinum. Overall, the Surface Laptop 7 has a minimalist, subdued look, with the only eye-catching element being the slightly lustrous Microsoft logo on the lid.

The Surface Laptop 7 is light, too, coming in at 2.96 pounds. Its dimensions are 11.85 x 8.67 x 0.69 inches.

• Surface Laptop 7 - 2.96 pounds

• 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro - 3.4 pounds

• 15-inch M3 MacBook Air - 3.3 pounds

For comparison, the 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro is heavier and thinner at 3.4 pounds and 0.61 inches thick. The 15-inch M3 MacBook Air is also heavier at 3.3 pounds, but significantly thinner (0.45 inches thick).

Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 display

The Surface Laptop 7 comes in two sizes: 13-inch and 15-inch variants. I have the former, which sports a 13.8-inch panel (a step up from its predecessor's 13.5-inch screen).

Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

Plus, the bezels have slimmed down, too, for a more modern look. (Because, come on, large bezels are so passé.) The LCD display features a 2,304 x 1,536-pixel display with a dynamic 120Hz refresh rate. In other words, depending on your task, it can climb up to 120Hz (e.g., light gaming and other frenetic activities) while dropping down to 60Hz for less demanding activities.

The Surface Laptop 7 also features a 3:2 aspect ratio, which means the screen is more tall than it is wide. Emanating about 600 nits of brightness, the Surface Laptop 7 passed my "sunny day" test. Yes, its display can be seen in bright environments, but the screen is quite reflective. (You could somewhat see yourself while using the screen, even with the panel cranked up to max brightness.) As such, the Surface Laptop 7 could benefit from an antireflective coating on the display.

I watched the Gladiator 2 trailer on YouTube, and the Surface Laptop 7 delivers rich, pungent colors. But compared to my 15-inch M3 MacBook Air, it could stand to be a tinge sharper and more crisp. For example, Denzel Washington, playing as Macrinus, is draped in a Roman grab with vivid red, gold, and purple hues, but the leopard print portion of his getup appeared to be more detailed and sharper on my MacBook.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 ports

The Surface Laptop 7 is a bit selfish with its ports, but my MacBook Air is worse; it doesn't even have legacy ports like USB Type-A.

The Surface Connector on the Surface Laptop 7 Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

So perhaps the Microsoft's offerings aren't too bad.

On the left side:

• USB Type-A port (3.2 Gen 1)

• Two USB4 Type-C ports

• 3.5mm headphone jack

On the right side:

• Microsoft's proprietary Surface Connect port

Like the MagSafe 3 connector for MacBooks, the Surface Connect port is proprietary. It lets you charge the Surface Laptop 7, freeing up the other ports for displays, peripherals, and more. This model doesn't have a microSDXC card slot, but you can find one on the 15-inch model.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 audio

The Surface Laptop 7 has MacBook-beating performance and power efficiency, but it cannot match the stunning sound quality you get on an Apple laptop.

I fired up "Not Like Us" by Kendrick Lamar via Spotify, and while the audio can get pretty loud at max volume, the diss track didn't sound very impactful on the Surface Laptop 7's speaker set up. The tune lacked bass and that rich depth you get from a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 keyboard and trackpad

If I could rate the Surface Laptop 7's keyboard, I'd give it a — well — 7. The keyboard's key travel is a bit shallow as you'd imagine for a thin-and-slim laptop, but there is still enough snappiness and tactile feedback to gracefully launch my fingers from one keycap to another.

Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

The touchpad, compared to the last iteration, now has precision haptic capabilities. This means you'll receive reliable click feedback across the entire surface. It felt a bit stiff out of the box, as if I needed to exert more effort than usual to move the cursor around the screen. However, this can be remedied by going to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad > Cursor speed.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 benchmarks and performance

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 comes equipped with the showstopping Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chip. As mentioned at the outset, Qualcomm has been boasting that it can beat the M3 MacBooks. We ran Geekbench 6, which stress tests the CPU, to validate Qualcomm's claims.

Surface Laptop 7 - 11,875

M3 MacBook Pro - 11,998

M3 MacBook Air - 12,170

You can squeeze more performance out of the Surface Laptop 7 by switching the power mode to "best performance," which eked out an incredible multi-core score of 14,586.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 battery life

I couldn't believe my eyes. The Surface Laptop 7, on our 1080p video rundown test, lasted 22 hours and 50 minutes on a charge. That's nearly 23 hours.

Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

As of this writing, this is the longest battery life we've ever recorded for a Windows laptop in recent years.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 webcam

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 has a 1080p camera located on the top bezel, which also has an IR sensor for Windows Hello facial authentication.

Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

The webcam is a bit of potato. It's giving watercolor vibes; it's a bit fuzzy and lacks crispness. On the plus side, it renders color relatively well, accurately picking up my complexion and the bright colors on my shirt.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 compatibility issues

I tried to download the Apple Music app from the Microsoft Store, but it doesn't surface (no pun intended) in search results. As it turns out, the Apple Music app doesn't support the Surface Laptop 7 (though it supports other non-Windows-on-ARM PCs I've tested). For the uninitiated, the Surface Laptop 7 has an ARM chip (hence why it's called Windows-on-ARM), and in order for software to run its smoothest on PC, developers must create ARM64 native apps.

For example, apps like Photoshop, Dropbox, Zoom, Prime, Spotify, Hulu, and Chrome all have native apps on Windows-on-ARM PCs. Apps that don't have native support require emulation with Microsoft's Prism (a translation framework). However, Apple Music isn't available on the Surface Laptop 7 whatsoever, so my guess is that Apple simply hasn't allowed support for it just yet. (According to Reddit, you can sideload it to your PC, though.)

I haven't spotted any other compatibility issues during my normal workflow, but one website claims that some games like Fortnite and Dirt 5 are not playable on Window-on-ARM PCs. However, this doesn't faze me much; the Surface Laptop 7 isn't a gaming laptop. (But if you like to bend the rules, you can definitely get away with some light gaming, as long as the titles are compatible).

Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 AI features

The Snapdragon X Elite chip is a power-efficiency champ and a performance beast, and on top of that, it boosts the Surface Laptop 7's AI capabilities with an NPU, a dedicated processor designed to shoulder all the AI-related tasks.

This makes the Surface Laptop 7 a Copilot+ PC, allowing users to play around with fun features like Cocreator on Paint.

For example, I was able to draw a rough sketch of a pink flamingo with heels on Paint, only for the new-and-improved AI-powered app to recognize my drawing and fix it into a more sophisticated masterpiece of a fancy, rose-colored bird.

Using Cocreator on the Surface Pro 11 Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

Basically, Cocreator is the let-me-turn-your-ugly-doodle-into-something-pretty AI feature.

I tried the "Renaissance" art style on my selfie via the new AI-powered Photos app. Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

In the Photos app, you can transform your images into a number of different art styles, from anime to watercolor. However, I noticed many of the styles would only apply the style to the background of my selfie due to a high risk of distortion.

I tried the "Papercraft" art style on my selfie via the new AI-powered Photos app. Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

You can even make an image from scratch with the Image Creator feature. Check out what it spat out with a prompt that said, "A beautiful bride celebrating her wedding on roller skates in a bowling alley."

Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

Faces are definitely distorted, but it got the gist of what I wanted to convey visually.

The controversial Recall utility, a feature I like to call the "CTRL + H" of your entire digital life, has been delayed. Once it does get released, it will only be available in Preview for Windows Insiders.

Is the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 worth it?

With nearly 23 hours of battery life and MacBook-beating performance, of course this Microsoft laptop is worth it. The Surface Laptop 7 is the longest-lasting Windows laptop we've tested in 2024, blowing my expectations out of the water.

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 combines a sleek design, a powerful Snapdragon X Elite chipset, and the longest battery life for ultimate productivity and AI-powered creativity. Apple must be sweating through its armpits with the launch of the Surface Laptop 7 because — holy cow — this is one hell of a laptop.

Its power and energy efficiency is serious, but its AI-boosted apps makes Windows fun again. For the first time in a long time, the preinstalled apps on a Windows PC are offering attention-stealing entertainment. It makes me feel like a kid again.

Starting at just $999, if you're OS agnostic and have no allegiance to macOS, I can't believe I'm saying this, but the Surface Laptop 7 is the better choice over M3 MacBooks.

To answer my question at the outset, yes, the Surface Laptop 7 has earned a spot on our best laptops list.

Opens in a new window Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 $1,999.99 at Amazon
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To tell you the story of EA Sports' NCAA Football, I need to tell you the story of Ingle Martin.

You'd be forgiven if you were unaware of Martin, a University of Florida quarterback who flamed out before transferring and setting records at the tiny liberal arts school Furman University. He's not much of a household name. You might think Ingle Martin sounds like a South Carolina accountant, or you might assume I'm talking about the loss adjustment firm — whatever that is — that nearly shares his name.

But in my house, Martin is a legend. Or, at least, an unnamed digital avatar of Martin is a legend.

My childhood pal and next-door neighbor, confident in his NCAA Football abilities, once rushed for 1,000 yards in a single game with Martin. It was an all-time performance, an unbelievable feat of speed option that nearly broke my young brain. I will never forget that journeyman quarterback's name.

That was the magic of what is largely considered the finest sports video game franchise in history. With more than 100 Division 1 football rosters, a Dynasty Mode that could reshape a university's athletic program, and its unique gameplay, the possibilities of the game were endless. It was the closest a sports video game came to being open-world, where you have near-infinite options in shaping the narrative of a team. It was a place where Ingle Martin could be a household name.

Then, the game disappeared for 10 years. "There was this feeling that this thing had been taken from us," Rodger Sherman, a sportswriter formerly at The Ringer who just spent last season chronicling a 62-game college football road trip, told Mashable. "It's strange; it kind of acquired mythical status."

Tweet may have been deleted Reigniting a fandom

So why would EA Sports shelve a popular franchise that defined an entire genre of gameplay? For legal reasons, of course. NCAA Football was killed off after its 2014 edition because of a high-profile legal case that found the game was using players' likenesses without compensation. At the time, NCAA rules forbade players from making money off their name, image, or likeness (otherwise known as NIL) to maintain their amateur status while the NCAA, universities, and EA raked in cash hand over fist. NCAA rules have changed over the last 10 years, allowing players to be compensated for NIL endorsements. (Though college players still don't receive an outright salary.)

Now, EA's College Football '25 is set to drop on July 19, roughly a decade after its last iteration. A long-rumored dream, College Football '25 has built the sort of online momentum typically reserved for cultural monoliths like Barbenheimer and Succession.

For a certain kind of person — typically speaking, a sports-enjoying dude born between 1985 and 2000 — this is the most highly anticipated media in ages. I hardly play video games, and I cannot wait.

SEE ALSO: I'm playing video games like a caveman during the pandemic. It rules.

Kevin Clark, an ESPN personality and host of This Is Football for the Mannings' production company, is about as eager as a person can be for this game. He even used precious airtime on ESPN to petition for the release date to be a national holiday.

Tweet may have been deleted

"The game went away a decade ago, and in that decade, I've gotten married, advanced quite a bit in my career, had a child, bought a house, and I am only half-joking when I say all of these things were made possible because I wasn't playing the video game," Clark told Mashable over the phone. "Sometimes I'm like, 'What if they just made the game for the past decade?' What exactly would I be doing, and would the trade-off have been worth it?"

In truth, there's no telling which timeline is more rewarding. "I'd be living in a studio somewhere in Middle America, but I'd be in Year 49 of my Miami Dynasty," Clark joked. "And we'd have something rolling, you know?"

The issue with the game or its potential pitfall is a symptom of that imagined world. We have only the memory of NCAA Football. And it existed in a much different time — both in the real and gaming worlds. Lots has changed. Chiefly, micro-transactions and online gaming exist now.

But as a great philosopher of our time and UT's Minister of Culture, Matthew McConaughey, once said: "Sometimes you gotta go back to actually move forward."

Building a world

If you're wondering if College Football '25 will mirror the halcyon days of NCAA Football, all indications are yes. The folks who got an early look at the game have almost universally said it's very good. And, even more importantly, it understands what the game should be.

In short, it's not a reskinned version of Madden. The folks who loved the NCAA franchise loved it for its expansiveness inside the game, specifically in Dynasty Mode, where you'd control every aspect of a university's football program. You could play at 130-some colleges. You could turn a tiny school in places like North Texas or Tulsa into a powerhouse through countless seasons of recruiting computer-generated studs. A slow drip of stories and reporting, such as a recent episode of ESPN Daily, revealed that Dynasty Mode and authenticity were the focus of the game's re-creation — things like making sure the water fountains at Arkansas State, of all places, were rendered just right.

Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted

The NCAA Football series existed back when online gaming wasn't a thing. Without that worry, it was the best sports game on the market. Many folks, myself included, were worried EA would take College Football down the same path as EA's Madden NFL series, which has devolved into a frustrating offline product over the last decade. It seems to skew toward younger players and incentivizes spending extra money on Ultimate Team microtransactions. As an offline gamer molded by NCAA, I had to adjust settings endlessly to get anything worth playing in Madden's offline Franchise mode. It took a lot of Reddit research to stop the computer model from permanently benching my best players. The team behind College Football '25 has seemingly understood it couldn't fall into the same trap.

It's a game that will get long-retired gamers back into the fold. The last thing you want to do is have a game not for the people who remember the magic of creating a new reality for their favorite college team. That's why the game was so great in the first place.

Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted

College Football '25 should benefit from the fact that it's more fun to recruit from an endless pool of talent from 130-some schools rather than being tied to just 32 NFL teams and a limited number of players.

"The NFL is a closed system where you're dealing with only NFL players. The transactional part of college [football] is always going to be more fun because of how almost open-world it is," Clark said.

He added: "There are thousands of players, in theory, available to you, and you can filter by speed. You can filter by state. You can filter by: 'We just want the biggest guys on the planet. We want the fattest five guys on Earth to play offensive line for us.' And it's all realistic... There are gems like that all the time."

The idea that the game is what you make it — it's your world to create and expand — is a lost art in sports games.

"That's why I think people love it so much," Sherman said. "It allows you to bend reality."

Pre-game jitters

There is no overstating the excitement surrounding the release of this game, especially in the sports world. Clark mentioned that "one of the top TV personalities" in sports got in touch with him about gauging interest in starting a 32-team online Dynasty, and some of the most famous names in football —huge NFL players — were down to do it.

"The energy is pretty palpable," he said. "I don't think I've seen anything like this where everybody's excited."

"I have not come into anybody my age, who's a guy, or even within 10 years of me who's like, 'Oh, I'm not an NCAA guy," Clark added. "Everybody's got a story."

Tweet may have been deleted

Mine is Ingle Martin. Clark's was Jordan Futch, a University of Miami recruit who struggled during Clark's time at the school. But in Clark's Dynasty, Futch was the guy who had a game-winning interception against Wisconsin in the national championship. He remembers the exact play: the Wisconsin quarterback threw a cross-body pass over the middle that Futch picked up and took to the house.

"If I saw or met Jordan Futch now, I would be so happy," Clark said. "I would just be like, 'Oh my god, you have no idea what you did for me.'"

What other video game creates nostalgia like that? Clark and I are not alone. Sherman, a Northwestern grad, recalled building the lowly Wildcats into something great via computer-generated recruits.

"I got the Heisman Trophy for this fullback that I recruited; his last name was Lovelady. It was auto-generated, his name was like, Steve Lovelady or something," Sherman said. "And I would just run passes to the fullback over and over and over again. And yeah, I built Northwestern up into a national champion."

For years, we were in a desert without the game. Sure, you could dig up a 2014 NCAA Football game. You could even play a modded version that dedicated fans continually updated throughout the years. In 2020, uber-popular Barstool personality Big Cat briefly enthralled the sports world by streaming his Dynasty mode while we waited for real sports to return. But none of this scratched the specific itch of playing a modern version of the game.

Talk with a dude who loved NCAA Football, and they've got something akin to pre-game jitters. We're bouncing off the walls. Sherman and I expressed how we'd have to buy a new console to play the game because it will be available only on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

The internet is just as hyped for it. One viral post and its replies focused on what you would do the first playback. A classic triple option? Four verts? Take a knee to honor the years without the game? It's wild how much of that game stuck with those who played it.

Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted

That's far from the only viral post about College Football '25. It's ramping up further as we approach the release date. People have joked about the older generation schooling the kids on this game — or, at least, the kids not understanding how good they have it. We used to Google players' numbers, figure out the person's real name, and manually change it if we wanted accuracy. There are jokes about how people will run their team in Dynasty mode. There was a trend of people farming likes on TikTok to get their significant others to buy them the game.

Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted SEE ALSO: TikTokkers are farming likes to force their partners to buy them 'College Football 25'

For the people who loved this game, we get something huge back. Come July 19, the nostalgia can recede; instead, we can re-enter that world and drop an avatar into our favorite university.

"The thing about college football is people feel such a strong connection to the place and the school and its traditions," Sherman said. "It feels like you grow up in that stadium."

Sherman wasn't certain what team he'd use in his first foray with College Football '25, but Clark was dead set and eager to run it back with The U, his alma mater. He plans to practice the game's mechanics via Practice Mode before jumping directly into a Miami Dynasty.

"I'm gonna go headfirst into [University of Florida's] The Swamp, which is Miami's real opener," Clark said. He knows his exact play-call.

"I gotta take that deep shot, play one in The Swamp. Play action," he said. "And then we'll all be whole again."

X aka Twitter has been reportedly working on dislike and downvote buttons again. Between this, the removal of public likes, X's increased integration of AI chatbot Grok, and the upcoming redesign, it seems as though a lot of changes are coming for the aspiring "everything" platform.

SEE ALSO: Elon Musk endorses Trump as conspiracy theories of shooting run amok on X

As reported by TechCrunch, researcher Aaron Perris first discovered code references to a downvote button in an X iOS app update two weeks ago. He dug further in last week, finding even more code relating to the potential feature.

Tweet may have been deleted

Perris also found icons of broken hearts, which may indicate an upcoming ability to dislike X posts.

Tweet may have been deleted

We don't have many details about exactly how this X's potential downvote and dislike buttons will work. There's also a possibility that they might not even get implemented in the end, merely remaining unrealised potential in the app's code.

However, X does have a history of flirting with dislike and downvote features. Years ago the platform had an "I don't like this tweet" option, used to help curate the types of tweets you were shown. This was later followed by a "see less often" button. The platform also explored adding a downvote button in 2020, conducting tests in 2021 and 2022. While it was eventually removed, Perris' peek at this new code suggests that X hasn't entirely given up on the idea — though it seems as though a few people wish it had.

Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted

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 July 15 SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Here's the answer hints for July 15

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Monday, July 15, 2024:

AcrossSchool org. for moms and dads

• The answer is PTA.

Polymath extraordinaire Sir ___ Newton

• The answer is Isaac.

Symbol of the Olympics

• The answer is torch.

Stale and overused, as a saying

• The answer is trite.

"Absolutely!"

• The answer is yes.

DownSite of the 2024 Summer Olympics

• The answer is Paris.

Good social skill

• The answer is tact.

Really feel a rigorous workout

• The answer is ache.

___-bitty

• The answer is itty.

Really feeling a rigorous workout

• The answer is sore.

Featured Video For You The Wordle Strategy used by the New York Times' Head of Games

TL;DR: Through July 21, jump on limited-time summer savings and get a lifetime license to Microsoft Office Pro 2021 including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more tools for £31.47. 

It's not just that PowerPoint, Excel, Word, and all their friends are popular. They're also incredibly useful. The downside is that normally Microsoft 365 isn't something you just buy once. Paying for a subscription just means you're renting your productivity. If you want to own it, you have to get a license that doesn't expire. 

Microsoft Office Pro 2021 for Windows has a few years on it, so this version might not have all the bells and whistles of the latest Microsoft 365 update, but you also don't have to pay for it every year. Once you've got it, you've got it for good, and it only costs £31.47 (reg. £173.20). That price is actually marked down a little extra, so hop on it while it's here. 

How to avoid paying yearly for MS Office

Here's what you get with this Office license: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher, Access, and the free version of Teams. You can use these apps however you want, whether it's at work or at home.

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Opens in a new window Credit: Retail King Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License £31.47 at the Mashable Shop
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If you can count on the Targaryens for anything, it's incest.

SEE ALSO: Rhaenyra Targaryen needs more dragonriders. Here are the three most likely candidates.

The family at the heart of House of the Dragon has a longstanding tradition of marrying sibling to sibling, cousin to cousin, and, in the case of Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) and Daemon (Matt Smith), niece to uncle. However, Season 2, episode 5 takes us fully into Oedipal territory, with Daemon having a sex dream about — drumroll, please — his own mother, Alyssa (Emeline Lambert).

The dream is yet another installment in Daemon's mysterious Harrenhal visions. But while those previously centered young Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) or his late wife, Laena Velaryon (Nanna Blondell, who also makes an appearance in this episode), this one focuses on someone we've never seen before in the show.

At the start of the vision, we don't know the woman Daemon is kissing and caressing is actually Alyssa. She's clearly a Targaryen based on her hair, but otherwise we don't have much to go off of.

She hypes Daemon up in voiceover while putting Viserys (Paddy Considine) down, telling him, "You were always the strong one. The finest swordsman. The fearless dragonrider. Your brother had great love in his heart, but he lacked your constitution. Viserys was unsuited for the crown, but you, Daemon, you were made to wear it. If only you'd been born first."

SEE ALSO: How 'House of the Dragon' staged Daemon's Harrenhal invasion

At this point, you're probably thinking, "wow, this unknown woman seems to know a lot about about the relationship between Viserys and Daemon. I wonder who she could be? Wait. Surely not..."

That's when House of the Dragon delivers an incestuous elbow drop right to the gut. "My favorite son," the woman declares, and the details of Daemon's vision fall into place. This is Alyssa Targaryen, daughter of Jaehaerys I. She was also the first rider of Meleys, meaning that her appearance in the episode following the deaths of Meleys and Rhaenys (Eve Best) carries extra weight.

Gayle Rankin and Matt Smith in "House of the Dragon." Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO

Alyssa married her brother Baelon, and, according to Fire & Blood, had three children: Viserys, Daemon, and Aegon, who died before he even turned a year old. Alyssa died not long after that last childbirth. However, based on the blood on Daemon's hands and on Alyssa's body as the vision ends, it seems like House of the Dragon is implying that Alyssa died while giving birth to Daemon. (Or the blood, when coupled with the distorted screams in the background, is yet another gesture to the violent acts that have haunted Daemon during his time at Harrenhal, and the violence he sanctions the Blackwoods to commit against the Brackens this episode.)

Of course, if Alyssa did die during Daemon's childbirth in the show's canon, there's no way she would really know anything about Daemon being a fierce dragonrider or fighter. Even by the book's telling, she died when he was around two years old. As in all of Daemon's prior visions and dreams, Alyssa's words are just a magical projection. It's telling, then, that she only has good things to say about him.

Characters Daemon knew and was married to for years, like Rhaenyra and Laena, haunt him with tales of his worst insecurities and actions. But since Daemon never had a relationship with his mother that he can remember, the forces at play in Harrenhal warp her into someone he can take comfort in. (Maybe a little too much comfort.)

The Alyssa in his vision seems to boost Daemon's ego, as he later reveals to Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin) that he plans to take King's Landing for himself. Rhaenyra, he says, can choose to sit at his side. That Harrenhal DIY project is starting to look a little treasonous there, buddy!

Luckily, we can always count on Alys to put Daemon in his place. "It's a pity, don't you think, that you never knew your mother?" she asks.

This isn't the first time that Alys has seemed to know what's going on in Daemon's visions. In episode 4, she hinted at how much he must have hated losing out on the Iron Throne to an adolescent Rhaenyra — something his vision of Rhaenyra brought up that very same episode. Here, the reference to Alyssa is no coincidence either: Alys is aware of the dreams haunting Daemon. But is she directly responsible? (That drink from episode 4 did look pretty suspect.) Or is this fully the curse of Harrenhal at work, with her just hearing whispers of the dreams on the wind?

New episodes of House of the Dragon air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.