Feed aggregator

Controversial surveillance technology company Flock Safety has unveiled sweeping new privacy "guardrails," seemingly intended to quell growing unrest over its devices' presence across the country.

Days prior, CEO Garrett Langley went on a media run to convince the public that the company was not the latest cog in a dystopian surveillance state, but rather a purveyor of public safety. "We’re not Big Brother," said CEO Garrett Langley. "We’re focused on protecting people."

SEE ALSO: This map shows how many Flock cameras are in your neighborhood

But many still wonder, if it looks like Big Brother, and it talks like Big Brother...

What is Flock's new privacy policy?

Under the new policy, Flock will be adjusting its default data retention period from a 30 days to seven. Prior to this, Flock systems were automatically set to store an individual's registration and location information for a full month, but this can still be changed to longer or shorter periods according to state and local policy. The ACLU has previously recommended that data retention defaults be set to 48 hours.

In addition, Flock will now require law enforcement agencies to use a case code that delineates a potential offense before searching the Flock database. Previously, this was an optional setting for Flock clients, and dozens of law enforcement officers have been accused of using the database to stalk and harass individuals. The company's "Audit Assistance" tool, intended to flag inappropriate uses, will become standard on all Flock packages.

Flock is also adding a new feature called "Offense filtering for sharing." The tool will let cities moderate how other agencies access their residents' data by categorizing which types of offenses are searchable.

Does this make Flock cameras safer?

All of these changes come with exceptions. "Every community will continue to choose the retention period that fits its public safety strategy," according to Flock.

The company also announced a new "Evidence Mode," which allows law enforcement to bypass retention policies and store specific ALPR data if it is deemed evidence in an active investigation. The feature could be a step in the right direction, or it could make everything worse, according to civil rights groups.

"If 'Evidence Mode' only retains hit result data that police determine may be evidence in an active investigation of a specific case, then the change may be a positive one," the ACLU wrote in an analysis of the new policy. "But if 'Evidence Mode' triggers the retention of any ALPR data that is searched, then the new mode could indefinitely retain all the ALPR data Flock collects and shares nationally."

Broadly, many of Flock's new safety features have not been proven to prevent pervasive law enforcement misuse, the ACLU argues: "Transforming an exceptionally dangerous mass surveillance system into one that is fully protective of civil rights and civil liberties is a difficult, if not impossible task."

Why are Flock cameras controversial?

In the last month, communities have rallied to "deFlock" their neighborhoods, including destroying, blocking, and even stealing Flock cameras installed there. Many city governments, and even fellow tech companies, have canceled contracts with the company, as others debate continued partnerships.

To many, the "eye-in-the-sky" Flock camera has become a looming symbol of tech-enabled state surveillance and unfettered data collection. As of June, the company operates more than 120,000 cameras in 6,000 different neighborhoods, used across a gamut of businesses, law enforcement agencies, and even homeowner associations to monitor anyone who happens to drive by.

For years, privacy experts and civil rights advocates have raised alarms over the escalation of automated license plate reader (ALPR) systems across the country, as well as the covert nature of ALPR surveillance hardware in public spaces. In addition to automatically scanning passing cars to crosscheck their registration against law databases, ALPRs often store personal registration and location data for indefinite periods to later be used by national networks and law enforcement agencies — before you've even committed any crime.

In offering such services to agencies and businesses across the country, activists allege companies like Flock have enabled a mass state-accessible tracking apparatus unbeknownst to citizens. That is, until recently.

Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts today.

SAVE $20.99: The Ninja Crispi glass air fryer is on sale at Amazon in select colorways for $159, down from the list price of $179.99. That's a 12% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Ninja Ninja Crispi Glass Air Fryer $159 at Amazon
$179.99 Save $20.99   Get Deal

Some kitchen appliances are fads that come and go. It seemed like air fryers might fall into that category until we all realized how excellent they truly were. If your old air fryer is feeling beat up, we have fresh models that offer even more convenience and bake in glass. If that's sparked an interest, check out this Amazon deal.

In select colorways, the Ninja Crispi glass air fryer is on sale at Amazon for $159, marked down from the list price of $179.99. That works out to a savings of $20.99.

When Mashable Lead Shopping Reporter Samantha Mangino set out to find the best Ninja appliances, the Crispi emerged as the best air fryer. "Air fryers are great for anyone, but the Ninja Crispi is made for meal preppers," wrote Mangino. "With its portable design, it stores nicely and can be used on the go. Plus, it actually works. The controls are simple, and the glass baskets come with storage lids for easy food storage."

SEE ALSO: The Shark NV752 TruePet vacuum is 38% off — buy now for under $250

Since the Crispi cooks in glass containers, there's no need to transfer food into a different vessel for serving or storage. Plus, Ninja included snap-lock and leak-resistant lids for the glass containers. The Crispi has convenient air fryer settings such as bake, re-crisp, and max crisp, with a temperature range up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

When it comes time to clean, both the lids and glassware are dishwasher safe. Today's Amazon deal earns you the Ninja Crispi PowerPod air fryer, a four-quart glass container, a six-quart glass container, and lids for both.

Since we're heading into back-to-school season, upgrade to the Ninja Crispi for easy dinners and meal prep. It's a Mashable favorite air fryer thanks to the glass containers.

SAVE UP TO $100: As of Aug. 13, shop Apple AirPods at Amazon and save. The Apple AirPods Pro 3 are down to $189.99, while the AirPods Max 2 are $100 off.

Best Apple AirPods deals this week: Best AirPods Deal Apple AirPods Pro 3 $189.99 (save $59.01) Get Deal Best AirPods 4 Deal Apple AirPods 4 $99 (save $30) Get Deal Best AirPods Max deal Apple AirPods Max 2 $449 (save $100) Get Deal

We have put together a plethora of guides on headphones and earbuds here at Mashable. We've tested models from every brand, including Bose, Sony, JLab, and Nothing. But here's the thing, Apple's AirPods will always be the most popular earbuds out there.

It's not unwarranted, though. Apple makes connecting AirPods to iOS devices so easy that even tech novices can use them. During big blockbuster sales like Prime Day or Black Friday, AirPods are guaranteed to go on sale, but in between? It can be really hit or miss.

So it feels like a real treat that, as of Aug. 13, every pair of AirPods is on sale at Amazon. We checked the prices across retailers, and Amazon has all the best prices right now. So if you need a new pair of AirPods, now is the time to shop.

Best AirPods deal Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple AirPods Pro 3 $189.99 at Amazon
$249 Save $59.01   Get Deal

The absolute best deal on AirPods to shop now is on the Apple AirPods Pro 3. Now down to $189.99, it's just $20 away from its lowest price ever, not a bad deal considering its all-time low fell during Prime Day. Now 24% off, these AirPods offer the best savings among the deals currently available.

The AirPods Pro 3 are Apple's most advanced earbuds. It delivers stellar in-ear active noise cancellation. If you wear them while working out, they now even feature heart rate sensing to track your heart rate and calories burned. For those who have tried AirPods and been disappointed with the fit, the new AirPods Pro 3 have a redesigned ear tip with five sizes for the most secure fit yet.

But if you're looking for a different model, they're all on sale, so take a look through all the deals available at Amazon.

More Apple AirPods deals

• Apple AirPods 4 (without ANC) — $99 $129 (save $30)

• Apple AirPods 4 (with ANC) — $148.99 $179 (save $30.01)

• Apple AirPods Max 2 — $449 $549 (save $100)

SAVE $40: The Lego Pokémon Pikachu and Poké Ball is Best Buy's Drop for Aug. 13. It's on sale for $159.99 (normally $199.99) in the Best Buy mobile app while supplies last.

Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Pokémon Pikachu and Poké Ball (72152) $159.99
$199.99 Save $40 Only available in the Best Buy mobile app. Get Deal

Lego's first-ever Pokémon sets arrived earlier this year, including one starring everyone's favorite Electric-type mouse. The 2,050-piece Pikachu and Poké Ball set retails for $199.99, making it one of the most expensive Lego Pokémon builds available. Annoyingly, it's been difficult to find on sale ever since it launched in February. But today, shoppers can score it at a lower price than ever.

The Lego Pikachu and Poké Ball set is marked down to $159.99 as Best Buy's Drop for Thursday, Aug. 13 — an unprecedented $40 savings. The deal is exclusively available in the Best Buy mobile app today while supplies last, and I wouldn't be shocked if it sells out in well under an hour.

Credit: Lego

Historical pricing data shows that this Lego set has never gone on sale on Amazon before, and it's only seen $10 to $18 markdowns at Walmart this summer. It probably won't see a discount this big until Black Friday season.

For the uninitiated, Best Buy Drops is an app-exclusive program featuring limited-time deals and restocks of viral products. (You won't find the same offers in Best Buy stores or online.) New Drops go live almost every day at 11 a.m. ET and don't get restocked once they sell out, so promptness is key.

SAVE $800: As of Aug. 13, the Samsung 77-inch S85F OLED 4K TV is still in stock and on sale for $1,397.99 at Amazon. That's $800 off its list price, but we recommend acting fast, as stock is running low.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung 77-inch S85F OLED 4K TV $1,397.99 at Amazon
$2,197.99 Save $800.00   Get Deal

It's no longer the newest TV in Samsung's OLED lineup, but the S85F is still a stunning contender at an excellent value. As a 2025 model, stock is drying up across retailers. If you want to bring home this budget-friendly yet brilliant TV at $800 off its retail price, now's the time to act.

As of Aug. 13, Amazon still has the Samsung 77-inch S85F OLED 4K TV in stock for just $1,397.99. That's $800 off the list price. And for what it's worth, that's also $1,000 cheaper than the 2026 upgraded model, the S85H, which is only incrementally better. It's currently sold out at Samsung, Best Buy, and Walmart.

Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!

The S85F is the entry-level OLED TV from Samsung's 2025 lineup, but it still offers great specs. Its picture quality is extremely impressive, with vivid colors and deep contrast. It features Samsung's Tizen 9.0 smart TV platform for smooth, speedy navigation; decent gaming features like a 120Hz refresh rate, HDMI 2.1, and FreeSync Premium; and, of course, AI tools like Click to Search, Live Translate, Adaptive Sound Pro, and Real Depth Enhancer to enhance your viewing experience.

If a big screen and a brilliant picture are what you're after, the 77-inch Samsung S85F OLED checks both of those boxes. And if you act pretty fast, you can lock it in for only $1,397.99 while it's still in stock.

SAVE $240: The 14-inch, M5 Pro-powered Apple MacBook Pro is on sale for $2,259.99 at Amazon. That's 10% off its regular price of $2,499.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M5 Pro, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD) $2,259.99 at Amazon
$2,499 Save $239.01   Get Deal

Great MacBook deals are getting harder to find in the wake of Apple's price increases. It's especially important to cross-check models across retailers to make sure you've found the best price.

Take the 14-inch, M5 Pro-powered MacBook Pro. It's $200 off at Best Buy this week — not bad — but if you buy it there before shopping around, you've missed out on an even bigger discount. As of Aug. 13, I'm seeing it on sale for $240 off on Amazon. It usually retails for $2,499, but you'll pay $2,559.99. The only other retailer that's price-matching it is Costco (with no membership required).

This MacBook is one of the most powerful laptops on the market, full stop. It's not geared toward the average, everyday user, but rather toward graphic designers, video editors, and other creative professionals who run highly intensive software daily. (If you're a regular-degular person looking for the best MacBook, go with the Air instead.) In the battery life department, it's rated for up to 22 hours of use per charge.

SEE ALSO: RAMageddon is reportedly causing a MacBook Air shortage

Compared to the base M5 MacBook Pro, the M5 Pro MacBook Pro has three of the latest, fastest Thunderbolt 5 ports instead of Thunderbolt 4, and it can support up to three external displays instead of two. It also packs Apple's newest wireless networking chip, the N1. Combine those features with its ample RAM and storage capacities — 24GB and 1TB, respectively — and you've got a super future-proofed machine.

The M5 Pro MacBook Pro's screen is a bright, luscious, mini-LED display with a silky 120Hz refresh rate and a crispy 3K resolution. It has a 12MP Center Stage camera, and it comes in your choice of two finishes: Silver or Space Black.

For what it's worth, Apple's back-to-school promo nets you a $100 discount on this MacBook Pro and a free $150 gift card, for a total savings of $250. However, the offer is only open to college students, their parents, and school faculty.

SAVE $499: As of Aug. 13, save $499 on the DJI Mavic 4 Pro drone at Amazon. That brings the drone-creator combo down to $3,500.

Opens in a new window Credit: DJI DJI Mavic 4 Pro Drone Creator Combo $3,500 at Amazon
$3,999 Save $499   Get Deal

iPhone photos have come a long way. The cameras capture stunning, vivid detail in a way that our old flip phones simply never could. Apple even broadcast an entire MLS game that was shot entirely on an iPhone 17 Pro. But what can't an iPhone do? Fly.

For that, you'll need a drone to take off in flight, soaring in the air, all while capturing 4K video. For truly great video quality on a drone, it'll cost you a few thousand, unless you get a great deal, like this one on the DJI Mavic 4 Pro.

Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!

As of Aug. 13, the DJI Mavic 4 Pro Drone Creator Combo is just $3,500. Yes, that seems like a steep price, but it saves you $499 off the Mavic 4 Pro's list price of $3,999 for 12% savings. It's also the record-low price, according to camelcamelcamel.

The DJI Mavic 4 Pro is the brand's flagship triple-lens camera. It has a 28mm Hasselblad camera, a 7mm medium tele camera, and a 168mm tele camera. This model also has boosted flight time, able to run for 51 minutes, and covering up to 25.5 miles.

Shop the DJI Mavic 4 Pro Drone Creator Combo at Amazon now and save $499 for a limited time.

SAVE $54.60: As of Aug. 13, Amazon has the ASUS ZenScreen 15-inch portable monitor on sale for just $94.40. That's a 37% discount from its usual $149 and its lowest price on record.

Opens in a new window Credit: ASUS ASUS ZenScreen 15.6-inch Portable Monitor (MB16AHV) $94.40 at Amazon
$149 Save $54.60   Get Deal

I adore being able to work from anywhere as a writer, but I quickly found that being confined to a measly laptop screen is far from ideal. I added the ASUS ZenScreen portable monitor to my on-the-go setup a few years back, and it has dramatically improved my mobile workstation.

While it's 100% worth its $149 price tag, I encourage you to grab it while it's at its best-ever price on Amazon this week.

As of Aug. 13, the ASUS ZenScreen 15.6-inch portable monitor (MB16AHV) is down to just $94.40 at Amazon. That's a 37% or $54.60 discount and the lowest cost on record, according to price-tracking tool camelcamelcamel.

Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!

The ZenScreen attaches to your laptop's USB-C port with the included cable, so there's no need to find an unused outlet or worry about charging it. Just plug it into both devices, and you'll instantly double your screen real estate. This particular model has a built-in kickstand as well, so you can prop it up without any extra accessories. Although it also seamlessly attaches to a stand mount if you choose to go the extra mile.

The only real concern I've had since owning the ASUS ZenScreen is how fragile it feels. It's super slim at 10.5mm and can easily fit into a backpack, but I'd recommend grabbing a separate case or sleeve for it. I purchased a 15-inch laptop bag and slipped it inside there with its included cable for extra protection, and I've never had any issues — and this thing has traveled thousands of miles with me over the last few years.

Having dual screens while working on the go is a game-changer. And it'll only set you back less than $95 if you act fast.

SAVE $28: As of Aug. 13, the Laifen Swift, our favorite Dyson Supersonic dupe, is down to $111.99 at Amazon. That's a 20% discount off its usual $139.99 price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Laifen Laifen Swift Hair Dryer $111.99 at Amazon
$139.99 Save $28.00   Get Deal

Good hair days shouldn't have to cost a fortune, and right now, the Laifen Swift — Mashable's favorite Dyson Supersonic dupe — is $28 cheaper than usual.

Amazon has it marked down to $111.99, a 20% discount off its regular $139.99 price, and it's the lowest we've seen it in three months. If you've been eyeing a salon-quality blow dryer without the salon-quality price tag, now's a solid time to grab one.

The Laifen Swift landed the top spot in our roundup of the best Dyson Supersonic dupes, and our reviewer, Bethany Allard, makes it easy to see why. It's not an exact copy of the Supersonic's ring-barrel design, but Bethany noted it "bears the closest resemblance to Dyson's design." It also comes with magnetic attachments and the same recognizable Dyson-style air sound, though extra attachments will cost you a bit more.

What actually won her over, though, wasn't the design — it was how easy it is to use. She started using it daily, and found it "compact and lightweight enough that pulling it out for just a minute or two every day didn't feel like a hassle." A year and a half later, it's held up "with no signs of aging."

The one place it falls a little short is heat customization: with only cool, warm, and hot settings, Bethany found the hot setting "gets hot," and even warm can feel intense close to the scalp — her advice is to stick with either cool or warm settings.

Blowout budget: officially sorted. Grab the Laifen Swift at Amazon.

Microdramas are having a moment.

The bite-sized, vertically shot shows pack soapy romances, billionaire fantasies, revenge plots, and outrageous cliffhangers, all built for the smartphone screen. Already a massive business in China, the format has taken off in the U.S. on platforms like ReelShort and DramaBox by essentially condensing the emotional highs of a soap opera into the rhythms of TikTok.

Now, WEBTOON is getting in on the action. On Aug. 17, the digital comics platform will launch Short Dramas, a slate of six live-action vertical series adapted from popular romance webcomics, including Maybe Meant to Be, Love Bites, and I'll Marry Your Brother.

SEE ALSO: The Mashable 101: The creators defining the internet in 2026

And if any entertainment company seems particularly well-suited to the format, it's WEBTOON. Long before TikTok trained us to scroll through an endless feed of vertical videos, WEBTOON was getting millions of readers accustomed to scrolling through serialized stories on their phones.

"When you look at the DNA of microdramas in terms of being episodic, in terms of the hooks and the story tropes, and also the sort of cliffhanger structures, that DNA is really similar to WEBTOON webcomics," Fred Lee, an executive at WEBTOON Entertainment who oversees the company's expansion into vertical dramas, told Mashable.

In other words, WEBTOON already taught millions of people to scroll through stories. Now it's betting they'll scroll through TV, too.

Why WEBTOON is getting into microdramas

Microdramas have exploded into a booming corner of mobile entertainment, attracting audiences with heightened emotions, familiar tropes, relentless cliffhangers, and episodes short enough to consume between TikToks. The format generated an estimated $11 billion globally in 2025 according to research firm Omdia, while the U.S. has emerged as one of its most lucrative markets.

WEBTOON has been watching. Lee said the company began paying closer attention to the format over the past year as microdrama platforms attracted increasingly large audiences and built fandoms around their shows. But he sees what's happening as bigger than the popularity of any one type of microdrama.

For much of the format's rise, microdramas have become synonymous with a particular kind of storytelling: soapy, steamy romances built around instantly recognizable fantasies and dramatic twists. Lee believes those shows are just one manifestation of a broader change in how audiences consume entertainment.

"Audience behavior is starting to shift toward vertical video as a format in and of itself," he said, describing today's dominant style of microdrama as "one subset" of what vertical storytelling could eventually become.

That gives WEBTOON an interesting opening. Unlike companies built entirely around microdramas, WEBTOON isn't dependent on vertical video becoming its primary business. Instead, Short Dramas can exist alongside the webcomics people already come to the platform to read.

"We're not solely built on microdramas," Lee said. "We already have an established ecosystem, and web comics are our core business. So we're not in the same kind of arms race."

Instead, the company can start with something many competitors have to manufacture from scratch: stories with established audiences.

"What sets us apart is that we already have these built-in fandoms, so we have proven stories," Lee said.

Of course, WEBTOON is starting with romance

If you've spent any time watching microdramas, WEBTOON's decision to make its entire first slate romance probably won't surprise you.

The genre has become foundational to the format, where marriage contracts, forbidden relationships, revenge plots, billionaires, betrayals, and seemingly impossible romantic pairings can provide an immediate hook.

For its first six adaptations, WEBTOON deliberately leaned into that appetite while trying to represent different corners of its romance catalog.

"We started with romance," Lee said. "Just seeing that romance is so big in this format, we wanted to lean into that for our initial batch as well."

The company also wanted a mix that could appeal to different age groups, from YA and new adult audiences to older romance readers. The slate includes BL romance as well, a genre Lee noted is already popular on WEBTOON.

Why does romance translate so easily to a format built around keeping viewers watching for just one more episode? Lee thinks part of it comes down to emotional efficiency.

"At the end of the day, viewers want to be moved," he said. "We're all emotionally driven. We all respond to the same kind of emotional triggers, whether they be happy or sad, and everything in between."

Romance, he added, offers a "roller coaster of emotions" particularly suited to vertical video.

And WEBTOON certainly isn't short on source material.

The 6 WEBTOON Short Dramas launching Aug. 17

The first Short Dramas slate draws from webcomics that collectively have attracted more than a billion global views, ranging from supernatural YA romance to revenge-fueled melodrama.

Love Bites Vampires, werewolves, forbidden love. What could go wrong? Credit: WEBTOON Entertainment

A shy 17-year-old vampire falls for the charming new boy at school, only to discover his crush is a werewolf — and therefore his species' sworn enemy.

The BL romance stars Tristan Bilodeaux and Marc Ciccarelli and is directed by Daniel Russell, with a script by Kaelyn Armstrong and Tiffany Zhao. Ideali Projects produces.

Love Bites is based on the WEBTOON adaptation of the Wattpad romance webnovel Bite Me, which has reached more than 146 million global views.

In other words: vampires, werewolves, forbidden romance. An irresistible combination.

Maybe Meant to Be Nothing says romance like a marriage of convenience. Credit: WEBTOON Entertainment

After years of being pressured to settle down, a struggling freelancer impulsively proposes a marriage of convenience to her childhood friend. Their fake relationship, naturally, starts feeling considerably less fake.

Molly Anderson and Zachary Rist star in the adaptation, directed by Miguel Ferrer and written by Armstrong and Zhao. A to Z Productions produces.

The original Maybe Meant to Be is the biggest webcomic represented in WEBTOON's initial slate, with more than 650 million global views.

It's also one of the slate's more straightforward romantic comedies, trading some of the heightened melodrama associated with microdramas for the familiar pleasures of childhood friends, fake marriage, and two thirtysomethings slowly realizing the obvious.

Swolemates Couples who lift together, stay together? Credit: WEBTOON Entertainment

A cocky influencer and a nerdy gamer girl begin training together, only for their unlikely friendship to push them out of their respective comfort zones — and toward romance.

Eliana Fraser and Tyler Lawrence Gray star, with Eric Schwager directing from a script by Maxwell Warchol. Knockout Shorts produces.

The comedy webcomic Swolemates is based on has amassed more than 60 million global views.

Rules for Dating Trash So much for swearing off bad boys. Credit: WEBTOON Entertainment

After a toxic ex destroys her trust, a college student returns to campus determined to stop dating altogether. Then, because this is a romance, an irresistible bad boy shows up to challenge those plans.

Halle Fletcher and Noah Andre star in the adaptation, directed by Elizabeth Jaleigh Davis and written by Evan Enderle. Apoorv Arora produces.

The original romance webcomic Rules for Dating Trash has reached more than 140 million global views.

Dirty Deeds Some workplace complications are more complicated than others. Credit: WEBTOON Entertainment

A young maid working at a mystical retreat for the wealthy has her quiet life disrupted by the brash heir to a powerful conglomerate. Their relationship forces her to confront a traumatic past while an improbable romance threatens both of their lives.

Jameson Leigh Muntz and Jordan Roy Frank star. Rhys Raiskin directs from a script by Warchol, with Vertical Romance producing.

The Dirty Deeds webcomic has attracted more than 187 million global views.

I'll Marry Your Brother Revenge is best served with a new groom. Credit: WEBTOON Entertainment

And then there's I'll Marry Your Brother, which may have the most microdrama-ready premise of them all.

After her cheating husband betrays her and steals her family's company, a wealthy heiress wakes up five years in the past — on her wedding day. Armed with knowledge of what's coming, she vows to destroy her husband at any cost, including marrying his older brother instead.

Mellisa Goodwin and Franky Cammarata star in the revenge romance, directed by Roku Long and written by Warchol. Narval Films produces.

Its source webcomic has reached more than 73 million global views.

Betrayal. Time travel. Revenge. A strategically selected brother. Sometimes a premise really does sell itself.

Turning hundreds of millions of views into a few minutes of video

Of course, having proven IP creates another problem: Those millions of readers already know these stories. Adapting a sprawling webcomic into a microdrama means deciding which characters, arcs, and moments are essential enough to survive a much more compressed format.

"It's the same with any adaptation where the IP, especially when it comes to books and web comics, there's a lot more in the story than is possible to necessarily tell in the AV adaptation," Lee said.

For each series, writers had to examine character arcs and story elements and determine what would work in vertical video. WEBTOON also contacted the original creators about adapting their work, and Lee said all six were supportive of the projects.

But the Short Dramas aren't supposed to replace the original stories. "The vertical videos are not designed to supplant web comic readership," Lee said. "It is a supplement."

Ideally, someone who already loves Maybe Meant to Be gets to see its characters brought to life, while someone encountering the story through its Short Drama might be compelled to seek out the much larger webcomic waiting behind it.

WEBTOON wants that movement to go both ways. "You come for the web comics, you stay for the video episodes, you check out the microdramas, and then you come back to check out other web comic titles," Lee said, describing it as a "virtuous cycle."

Microdramas move at a very different speed

The shows themselves may be tiny, but making them still requires something recognizable as traditional filmmaking.

Lee describes his first experience on a microdrama set as "the most chaotic ballet," with writers, actors, directors, producers, and crew working together much as they would on any other production.

"It's just making an indie movie on a really fast pace," he said.

WEBTOON partnered with six production companies for the initial slate, with the shows filmed in Los Angeles using local production crews. Lee said WEBTOON spent longer in development than may be typical for the microdrama industry, but once the shows entered pre-production, the process moved quickly: roughly three months from pre-production to delivery.

That speed is part of the format's appeal. "From development to finished product, it takes a fraction of the time to create something more long-form," Lee said.

At a moment when generative AI is increasingly being pitched as another way to make entertainment faster and cheaper, WEBTOON is drawing a line around how its first slate was made.

"All of our productions were 100 percent human-made," Lee said. "There's nothing quite like seeing human emotion on a human canvas."

Could a microdrama become the next step in Hollywood's IP pipeline?

WEBTOON's experiment gets more interesting when you look beyond these six shows. The company has a massive library of stories and an enormous amount of information about which ones have already attracted audiences. A webcomic can accumulate tens or hundreds of millions of views before WEBTOON ever puts actors in front of a camera. A microdrama gives it another potential data point.

Asked whether vertical dramas could eventually serve as a proving ground for stories that might graduate to traditional television or film, Lee said he sees the possibility.

"Especially when you look at a microdrama where the fandom is loud and loyal, I think it would make a lot of sense to then look at the possibilities for a horizontal adaptation, whether it be TV or film," he said.

That creates a potentially intriguing path for IP: A story can begin as a webcomic, find an audience, become a relatively fast and inexpensive live-action vertical series, and — if that audience follows — potentially make another jump into long-form entertainment.

But Lee doesn't necessarily see those formats as a ladder, with one inherently more valuable than another. "I think the future of content is not siloed necessarily," he said. "It's not necessarily just about web comics, just TV or film. It's about building stories that can really live on all types of formats."

Is the future of TV vertical?

Spend enough time talking to people working in digital entertainment right now, and you'll eventually hear some version of the same prediction: The future is vertical.

For an entire generation, holding a phone upright isn't an alternative way of consuming entertainment. It's the default.

"When you look at the younger generation, they are truly mobile native from the get," Lee said. "They are pretty much born with phones in their hands or phones pointed at them... I think moving forward, the future is going to be in vertical content."

The bigger bet isn't simply that audiences will watch vertically — they already do. It's that they'll embrace the format for longer, serialized stories, too.

That doesn't necessarily mean vertical dramas have to replace traditional television. The boundaries between webcomics, social video, microdramas, streaming series, and movies are already becoming increasingly porous. A story doesn't have to belong to a single format anymore, and neither does its audience.

"There's no end to really great storytelling," Lee said. "Really great stories and really great characters can live across formats."

We've heard rumors that Apple's foldable iPhone Ultra would be late, and we've heard reports that it will launch and be made available in September alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models. But can both of these be true?

A new report from Australian outlet Channelnews claims that the iPhone Ultra would face a staggered rollout, starting with the U.S. and then trickling down to other countries.

SEE ALSO: The latest iPhone 18 news, leaks, and rumors: Release date, price increases, and color options

The outlet quotes a Chinese supplier who claims that the iPhone Ultra will face significant supply and pricing issues, as well as "testing issues" with the "production models that have already been built."

Due to these, the report claims, the iPhone Ultra will likely be launched in September but would initially be in limited supply, with "allocation to markets outside the U.S. (...) likely to be even tighter," meaning local availability "could trail the U.S. launch by up to two to three months."

The report doesn't into details on which countries would get first dibs besides saying that Australia is probably "at the back of the queue."

Featured Video For You Gen Z men are becoming more religious online

If the report is accurate, this would make the iPhone Ultra launch somewhat similar to the launch of Apple's Vision Pro, which originally launched in the U.S. and was later expanded to other markets, including China, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada.

Being the first-ever foldable iPhone, the iPhone Ultra is surely a far more important device for Apple than the somewhat niche-y Vision Pro. Similarities, however, exist: Just like the Vision Pro, the iPhone Ultra will likely be an expensive product, with a reported price of $2,300 to $2,500. And, just like the Vision Pro, it's far more complex than your typical iPhone, with Apple reportedly facing pre-production issues with both its hinge and the foldable display.

Apple is likely to launch the iPhone Ultra in early September, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max. Here's all we currently know about the phone.

Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts today.

The Nintendo Switch 2 has had a pretty bangin' first 14 months or so by new-console standards, but one common refrain I hear is that it's lacking a big, meaty exclusive RPG. Well, I think we have one now.

To be specific, I've gotten to play a medically and legally inadvisable amount of Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave ahead of its Sept. 17 release date. I'm only permitted to talk about the early portions of the new turn-based strategy RPG from longtime series developer Intelligent Systems, but based on those opening hours alone, it's clear that Fortune's Weave is exactly the game people are asking for when they demand something they can sink their teeth into for dozens (yes, plural) of hours.

Frankly, though, I think my personal interests are more important than those of random strangers who yell about video games on the internet. From where I stand, Fortune's Weave is the true successor to 2019's fantastic Fire Emblem: Three Houses. There were things to like about 2023's Fire Emblem Engage, but it felt like such a hollow storytelling experience in comparison to both Three Houses and what I've played so far of Fortune's Weave.

SEE ALSO: 'Splatoon Raiders' is a spiffy single-player makeover for Nintendo's coolest series There are four protagonists, but let's be real. Leda is the coolest. Hell yes, dude. Credit: Nintendo

A recent Nintendo Direct livestream dedicated solely to Fortune's Weave revealed that there's a little more to it than meets the eye narratively, but for the sake of this preview, this is a game about four very different people from diverse backgrounds competing in a big combat tournament. The winner of the tournament gets to have one wish granted by the Divine Sovereign, a head of state who also seems to be a literal god.

The tournament takes place in a huge arena in the resplendent city of Dagsion, capital of the enormous Dagdan Empire. It doesn't take long for Fortune's Weave's fantasy setting to stand out, thanks to a melting pot of real-world inspirations, including Persia, Rome, and Spain. One thing that helps a lot in that regard is that Fortune's Weave extensive cast of characters, including some of its protagonists, features significantly more people of color than most anime-style fantasy RPGs that I've played in recent years. There's just a litany of incredibly cool-looking people in this game.

Anyway, let's talk about the heroes of the story. Cai is a 15-year-old boy from a village near Dagsion who is fighting to get his father out of prison. Dietrich is a mildly off-putting creep with a very cool sword and a thirst for increasingly powerful opponents in combat. Theodora is the queen of Saramis, a semi-autonomous kingdom that is nonetheless subservient to, and seemingly philosophically at odds with, the Dagdan Empire.

I'm a big fan of Buccar, one of Leda's homies. Credit: Nintendo

All of them are cool and compelling protagonists, but the fourth and final one, Leda, stole my heart first. She's a musician and dancer on a bloody quest for revenge after her hometown was sacked and her father was killed. Leda travels around Dagda killing everyone on a special list, and she then uses the blood of her victims to cross their own name off the list. She also plays a magical vihuela that seems set to be a big part of her story arc.

In case it wasn't clear from the previous paragraph, Leda is so damn cool, man. Just from the early chapters of her story, you can tell she's struggling to reconcile her normal human warmth and kindness with the cold, laser-focused revenge she seeks every second of every day. Those around her care for her, but are also concerned that this path she's walking will only lead to ruin, a notion of which she is not convinced.

Also, very crucially: You can now save and suspend one character's campaign to jump into another's at any time, if you wish. Three Houses also had multiple story branches, but playing through them all was much more annoying than it is here. I love this feature a lot.

Half the fun of Fortune's Weave is outside the tactics battles You can eat meals with people to become friendly enough to recruit them. Credit: Nintendo

I am not traditionally a big Fire Emblem guy because I am not traditionally a big turn-based tactics guy. Three Houses hooked me because there were hours and hours of gameplay outside the tactical sequences, which provided important breaks in the action while also making each sequence feel cathartic and important when it did occur.

Engage, meanwhile, had a completely hollow and uninteresting hub world you could run around in between battles, but there wasn't much reason to do so. It also had absolutely nothing going on in the story and basically every character's motivation was that they wanted to hang out with the super cool special dragon protagonist guy. The battles were good, but I bounced off of it because there was truly just nothing else there for me.

I've already established that Fortune's Weave has plenty to chew on in the story, with characters who have solid reasons to compete in the tournament. What really makes at least the early portions of the game sing, though, is what you do outside of battles. The city of Dagsion operates as a fully three-dimensional hub world full of shops, side quests, optional recruitable characters, and various other ways to fill up meters to make battles go more smoothly. It's also a fairly lovely place to vibe in for a little while, which is nice.

NPCs will give you quests with valuable rewards. Credit: Nintendo

The real meat, however, is in a world map that allows each hero to traverse the continent of Dagda, board-game-style. Between every major story milestone, you're given a certain number of turns with which to travel around and upgrade your army as you see fit. Moving a few spaces on the world map takes one turn, so being careful and budgeting your time are important parts of the Fortune's Weave experience.

I like this, personally. At least in the early chapters, you're given an ample number of turns to get ready for the next story battle, so the time limit is less about stressing the player out and more about making sure they're always moving towards the next goal. Each protagonist also has special actions only they can perform on the map; Leda can perform music at taverns for special rewards, Cai can farm and capture animals to ride on in battle, and so on. It makes each campaign, at least from what I've played, feel different.

And the turn-based tactics battles are there, too, and are still pretty fun, even if you're not normally into that sort of thing. Modern Fire Emblem is great about giving you exactly as much information as you need before making a decision, and Fortune's Weave is no different. I really dig the pace of battles here, too. I'll get into this in more detail in my full review to come, but rest assured, that part of the game is still good.

Needless to say, at this point, Fortune's Weave makes a very good first impression. I won't judge anyone who picks another character, but please understand that all the cool kids are picking Leda.

Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave launches exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2 on Sept. 17.

TL;DR: Apple has extended its Back To School sale through Sept. 24, nearly a month longer than originally planned. Students, parents, and educators who buy eligible MacBooks or iPads get a free Apple gift card worth $100 to $150, on top of standard education pricing.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Back to School Gift Card Offer Get up to a $150 Apple Gift Card with an eligible MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iPad Pro, or iPad Air — on top of education pricing, through Sept.24. Shop Now

Apple just gave students (and their parents footing the bill) a little more breathing room. The company's 2026 Back To School sale, which offers a free gift card with select MacBooks and iPad purchases, was set to wrap up in late August but has now been extended through Sept. 24 in the U.S. — no coupon code required, just a qualifying purchase before the deadline.

The gift card amount depends on which device you buy:

• MacBook Pro — $150 gift card

• MacBook Air — $100 gift card

• iPad Pro — $100 gift card

• iPad Air — $100 gift card

The gift card isn't cash in hand — it's credit you can put toward future Apple purchases, whether that's AirPods, a case, an App Store subscription, or even iCloud+ storage.

A few popular products are left out of this one, so don't expect the gift card if you're buying a MacBook Neo, iPad mini, the entry-level iPad, any desktop Mac, or an iPhone.

This deal isn't open to everyone — you'll need to verify you're a Qualified Purchaser through Unidays before checkout. That includes:

• College and university students (current or newly accepted)

• College faculty and staff

• Parents buying on behalf of an eligible college student

• K-12 employees, including homeschool teachers

SEE ALSO: A major Apple Watch redesign may be coming

You can shop the deal online through Apple's Education Store or in person at Apple Store locations. The offer stacks on top of Apple's standard education pricing, so you're saving twice.

Bottom line: With more time on the clock, there's little reason to wait — shop Apple's Back To School sale now.

TL;DR: Chipotle IQ returns Aug. 18-20, giving Chipotle Rewards members the chance to win BOGO entrée codes, free Cilantro Lime Sauce, free Queso Blanco, and Rewards points by testing their Chipotle knowledge. New this year: a Silver Ticket Sweepstakes offering 53 players free burritos for a year, plus a limited-edition physical trivia card game.

Chipotle is bringing back Chipotle IQ, its trivia game that lets Chipotle Rewards members test their knowledge of the brand for a shot at free food.

From Aug. 18-20, players can win BOGO entrée codes, free Cilantro Lime Sauce, free Queso Blanco, and Rewards points — with more than $1 million in prizes up for grabs across the three days.

How it works

Hop on Chipotle IQ and sign in with the email tied to your Rewards account. Each hour between 6 a.m. and 5:59 p.m. PT, the game runs a round of five multiple-choice and true-or-false questions about Chipotle's ingredients, cooking methods, and community engagement.

The first 8,000 players each hour to get a perfect score win a food reward — there are 5,000 BOGO offers, 1,500 free sauce offers, and 1,500 free queso offers up for grabs hourly. Score 4 out of 5, and you'll still walk away with 25 Rewards points, and even a perfect score without a food prize nets you 50 bonus points. You can only play once per day, so pace yourself.

SEE ALSO: The best free food deals this week: Save on McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Krispy Kreme, and more What's new

The big new addition this year is the Silver Ticket Sweepstakes. Players who nail a perfect score might get randomly picked to receive a Silver Ticket, which unlocks a bonus question. Answer it right, and you win free burritos for an entire year — only 53 people can qualify for the free burritos. There's also a new Daily Streaks feature that rewards fans with bonus points and exclusive badges for playing multiple days in a row.

Consider Chipotle IQ your most delicious pop quiz of the summer.

Google revealed its new lineup of Pixel 11 Phones, Pixel Buds Pro, the Pixel Watch 5 and the new Pixel Tag at its Made by Google event, hosted by Trevor Noah. Check out all the highlights and product reveals in less than 12 minutes. 

SAVE $10: As of Aug. 13, a couple of 32oz Owala Star Wars FreeSip stainless steel water bottles (Darth Vader and Grogu designs) are on sale for $29.99 at Amazon. That's a $10 discount off their full price of $39.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Owala Owala Star Wars FreeSip $29.99 at Amazon
$39.99 Save $10.00   Get Deal

Summer heat isn't done just yet, so it's worth making sure you have a water bottle on hand. If you're looking for something new that can also show off your love of Star Wars, Amazon has an excellent deal to check out.

As of Aug. 13, a couple of 32oz Owala Star Wars FreeSip stainless steel water bottles — the Darth Vader and Grogu designs — are on sale for $29.99 for a limited time. That's a $10 discount off their list price of $39.99, and it also marks their lowest-ever price. If you've had your eye on one of them, now is a great time to add to your cart. Why not get both?

SEE ALSO: Krispy Kreme is dropping a Pokémon doughnut collection — how to catch Pikachu, Jigglypuff, and more

It features double-wall insulation that can keep a drink cold for up to 24 hours. With its FreeSip spout, you also have the choice of either sipping your drink upright through the built-in straw or just drinking from the spout opening. Plus, its push-to-open lid helps keep the spout clean.

Mashable's Samantha Mangino is a big fan of this water bottle, writing in her hands-on review that "The Owala FreeSip lives up to its promise of both a sippable and chuggable water bottle. The best part to me is that, unlike other bottles with a straw that I've used, the FreeSip has a cover for the spout. That way, when you're out and about in the world, it's safe from germs and bacteria."

This deal is well worth jumping on while it's still live. Don't miss out on $10 off these 32oz Owala Star Wars FreeSip stainless steel water bottles at Amazon.

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

Gemini is making new friends.

Google announced tons of new hardware during yesterday's Made by Google event, but that doesn't mean the company's AI didn't get a slew of important updates of its own.

Among them was the announcement that Gemini will soon be able to connect with a number of third-party apps. The list is quite long and includes productivity, health, lifestyle, entertainment, and home apps. Here's the list in full:

• Granola

• Otter.ai

• Wix

• Fever

• GetYourGuide

• Localize

• OpenTable (UK)

• Ticketmaster

• iHeartRadio

• Pandora

• Angi

• Thumbtack

• Zocdoc

SEE ALSO: ChatGPT will let you book a table mid-chat

In practice, you should be able to book a dinner reservation, a concert later that same day, and get a related Pandora playlist, all without leaving a convo with Gemini. Pretty sweet.

Google says that the ability for Gemini to connect with these will be rolled out "over the next weeks."

In related news, Google also said that Gemini has more than 1 billion monthly active users. That means it grew faster than any other product in the company's history, including search.

Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts.

Featured Video For You Girlbossification of AI

SAVE $350: As of Aug. 13, preorders of the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold include a free $350 gift card. This offer is live until Aug. 27.

Opens in a new window Credit: Google/Amazon Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold + $250 Gift Card   Get Deal

The Made By Google event saw a whole range of new tech announced, including new Pixel phones, smartwatches, and even the long-awaited Pixel Tag. But if it's the phones you've been keeping an eye on, you'll be pleased to know that Amazon has launched a preorder deal on the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold that gives you a free $350 gift card.

Simply order the new Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold between Aug. 12-27 and you'll get a $350 Amazon gift card. If you return the Pixel 11 Pro Fold without the gift card, you’ll be charged the value of the gift card. And you're not stuck with a certain provider with this deal; the phone is unlocked, so you can choose your carrier and data plan.

Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!

The phone will be officially released and shipped on Aug. 20.

This new Pixel phone is seriously impressive. It's been designed to be ultra-durable, with its scratch-resistant glass and a new hinge that’s three times stronger than previous models. It has an 8-inch screen and can even be used in tabletop mode for hands-free streaming. Built-in Gemini features make tasks easier, and the Pixel HiLight provides subtle glowing alerts when the phone is face down.

This preorder deal is available at Amazon right now.

China already manufactures humanoid robots by the thousands. A new generation of U.S. start-ups is betting that there is still time to compete.

Creating content on Twitch? Unless you've changed your settings, it's being used to train AI.

Twitch creators recently spotted a "Training for Generative AI" setting in account security that's toggled on by default. "Allow your channel content to train generative AI content models at Amazon," the description reads. Needless to say, people weren't happy.

SEE ALSO: Twitch's CEO says passive scrolling can't beat the community of live streaming

Digging in to Amazon-owned Twitch's FAQs reveals a bit more information on what, exactly, this means.

"Generative AI content models are AI tools that can help create or synthesize content outputs like text or images when given instructions or prompts because they are also trained on content," reads the FAQ. "When you allow training, that means that your content may be used for future Gen AI model improvements. An example of what happens when you allow your content to be used for training a GenAI content model is that your audio might help refine models that create speech to text, which would help improve captions at Twitch but would also help improve captions across Amazon."

Addressing the backlash during a livestream on Wednesday, Twitch's chief product officer Mike Minton gave a slightly revealing answer to the question of why the option was switched on by defaul.

“Well, there’s an honest answer,” Minton said, per Kotaku. “And I think most of you probably can appreciate this: If it was opt-in, nobody would opt-in. Um, that’s honestly the answer. So it’s going to be on by default.”

Mashable has reached out to Twitch for comment.

How to opt out of training AI on Twitch

The option to opt out of having your Twitch content used by Amazon to train generative AI is somewhat buried in the Settings.

Click on your profile picture, then head to Settings, and then Security and Privacy. Here, you can find the Training for Generative AI toggle and switch it off.

Twitch FAQs note that toggling off won't affect AI-supported features on your channel, such as captions and safety tools.

Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts.