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SAVE $16: As of Dec. 4, get a 3-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription for $33.99, down from $49.99, at Woot. That's a discount of 32%.

Opens in a new window Credit: Woot Credit: Woot Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (3-Month Subscription) $33.99 at Woot
$49.99 Save $16.00 Get Deal

If you snagged a new Xbox during Black Friday or Cyber Monday, or you're looking to give a loved one a console for the holidays, you're going to need some games to play. But that doesn't mean you should drop a ton of cash on Xbox games to get ahead. Instead, turn to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, one of your best bets when it comes to saving money and having the freedom to try out as many games as you like. You can snag a membership for a great price right now, thanks to Woot.

As of Dec. 4, get a digital code for a 3-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription for just $33.99 at Woot. That's $16 off its normal price of $49.99 and a discount of 32%. Plus, these codes are stackable, so if you want to grab a few at a time and stay subscribed longer, that's doable here. And if you're a new Woot member, use code GAMEPASS to get an extra $5 off your code through Dec. 13.

SEE ALSO: I love budget gaming monitors, and this impressive Samsung 4K monitor is a steal at $130 off

An Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription unlocks hundreds of Xbox games so you can play anything on the service that you want for as long as you want, or as long as it remains available. That means you get access to new games on the day they release, like the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, without having to buy the game outright. You also get to play games from Xbox Game Studios, Bethesda Softworks, and more without having to commit to a $50 to $70 price tag. The Ultimate tier of Game Pass also grants access to EA Play, so you have those titles to choose from as well.

An Ultimate subscription also lets you try out Xbox Cloud Gaming as well as multiplayer in games that offer it. But even if you only use it to try out a bunch of different games, it's still worth the price. Be sure to grab a code (or two or three) if you're planning on joining the Xbox gang this year.

SAVE UP TO 33%: As of Dec. 4, you can get up to 33% off select Vitamix, Instant Pot, and Keurig appliances at Amazon.

Best kitchen deals as of Dec. 4 Best air fryer deal Instant Pot Vortex Plus 6-Quart Air Fryer $79.95 (save $40.04) Get Deal Best coffee maker deal Keurig K-Café Barista Bar Single Serve Coffee Maker and Frother $99.99 (save $40) Get Deal Best blender deal Vitamix Explorian Blender (E310) $254.99 (save $124.96) Get Deal

We’ve been covering the ongoing Cyber Week sales, and the deals continue to pour in — it’s crazy how many great sales are still available, even a week after Black Friday (but we’re not complaining!).

SEE ALSO: The best Cyber Monday deals still live in 2024

As of Dec. 4, you can still find discounts on some of the most popular kitchen brands, including Vitamix, Instant Pot, Keurig, and more. We’re seeing price cuts on blenders, air fryers, coffee makers, and other small appliances that make great gifts or additions to your own kitchen.

Here are just a few of the top deals that are still live:

Best air fryer deal Opens in a new window Credit: Instant Pot Instant Pot Vortex Plus 6-Quart Air Fryer $79.95 at Amazon
$119.99 Save $40.04 Get Deal Why we like it

The Instant Pot Vortex Plus 6-Quart Air Fryer is on sale for $79.95 at Amazon. That’s a 33% discount, or $40.04 off the list price. While it’s not as low as the price we saw for Cyber Monday (when it dropped to $67.99) it’s still a great price for an air fryer that can broil, roast, dehydrate, bake, reheat, and, of course, air fry.

Its EvenCrisp technology promises crispy, golden-brown results every time, and the six-quart capacity can easily handle a full meal or multiple side dishes. With fast pre-heating and multiple one-touch smart programs, this air fryer makes mealtime easier.

Best coffee maker deal Opens in a new window Credit: Keurig Keurig K-Café Barista Bar Single Serve Coffee Maker and Frother $99.99 at Amazon
$139.99 Save $40.00 Get Deal Why we like it

You can get a Keurig K-Café Barista Bar Single Serve Coffee Maker and Frother, which normally goes for $139.99, for $99.99 at Amazon. That’s a $40 price cut and the lowest price we’ve seen for this model.

The K-Café isn’t your typical Keurig coffee machine — this one features a two-ounce coffee shot function and includes a milk frother for whipping up hot or iced lattes, cappuccinos, and more. It can brew up to 12 ounces at a time and has a removable 42-ounce water reservoir for fewer refills.

Best blender deal Opens in a new window Credit: Viatmix Vitamix Explorian Blender (E310) $254.99 at Amazon
$379.95 Save $124.96 Get Deal Why we like it

Vitamix is one of the biggest names in the blender game, which, unfortunately, also means it’s one of the more expensive. But right now, you can buy a Vitamix Explorian Blender (E310) for $254.99, down from $379.95 at Amazon. That’s a 33% discount, or $124.96 off the list price.

The Explorian has 10 variable speeds and a powerful 1,400-watt motor that can blend everything from smoothies to soups to dips and spreads. The Pulse Feature gives you more control over texture (think chunky salsas, hearty soups, and more), and the 48-ounce container makes it ideal for blending for a crowd or meal prepping.

The internet loves Spotify Wrapped while simultaneously loving to poke fun at it. If you use Spotify, you're pretty much obligated to share your Wrapped on social media. Needless to say, Spotify Wrapped Day — which happens to be today, Wednesday, Dec. 4 — is a big day online.

There's lots to check out in 2024's version of Spotify Wrapped. Mashable's Crystal Bell has all the details, but in short, Spotify users got their "music evolution" for the year, details on their top listening streaks, and, most strangely, an AI-generated podcast that sums up their listening habits in audio format.

The internet had lots of jokes, memes, and reactions about it all.

Folks made jokes about, well, nothing really changing.

Tweet may have been deleted

same as ever for me except please please please wormed its way in cuz it rules

[image or embed]

— Tim Marcin (@timmarcin.bsky.social) December 4, 2024 at 9:07 AM Tweet may have been deleted

Lots of people weren't excited with how Wrapped went in 2024.

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

There were also the random, weird jokes that the internet makes about, well, anything.

Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted

Spotify Wrapped just dropped. Mine is very “meat and potatoes”

[image or embed]

— ITYSL memes 💦🥩 (@ityslmemes.com) December 4, 2024 at 9:22 AM

It might not be the most exciting year for Wrapped but, as has become a yearly ritual, the internet was still chatting about it all Wednesday.

TikTok's had a fruitful, delicious, and undeniably challenging year, both on and offline.

When the social media platform wasn't bleeding lime green during brat summer, dropping CapCuts of Moo Deng's lettuce hat, looking for a man in finance, or shaping modern language while being very demure, very mindful, the company itself faced (and is facing) a potential U.S. ban in the new year — despite the White House joining the platform.

Books, Sephora tweens, the "Apple" dance, and whole cucumbers ruled TikTok, and we proudly told jerks to "scram!"

But what does TikTok itself see as its biggest trends of the year? The company announced its Year on TikTok 2024 on Wednesday, joining the plethora of Big Tech platforms dropping the data on what we all got up to over the last 12 months.

SEE ALSO: The best internet moments of 2024, from Moo Deng mania to 'brat' summer

TikTok's year in review is separated into several trend topics, which we've breezed through here. But you can check out the full breakdown on TikTok's hub. The summary, the company says, "is based on research comprising in-app and third-party insights focused on TikTok's social, economic, and cultural impact, conducted from January to November 2024."

Year on TikTok 2024: A brief rundown

In the "From moments to movements" section, TikTok highlights some of the biggest trends, from Jools Lebron's "very demure, very mindful" moment to Charli XCX's "brat summer" (including Kelley Heyer's "Apple" dance) and Megan Boni's "Man in Finance" meme.

Animal-wise, there's been a wave of adorable stars trending from Thailand's bratty pygmy hippo Moo Deng to Australia's big fluffy boi penguin Pesto.

SEE ALSO: From Moo Deng to Pesto the Penguin, here are the cutest animals taking over our feeds

For foodies, TikTok highlighted some of the top food-related trends, including Logan Moffitt's cucumber salad, the #sambasandalittleredbag trend started by @maisieisobel_'s, Fix Dessert Chocolatier's chocolate bar, @thespudbrothers' live videos, and Chippy Diva's review of @merchants_fishandchips. (Here are our personal favourite TikTok food trends of the year.)

BookTok-wise, the site saw over 1.2 million book-related posts created in the first 10 months of 2024, and a 300 percent increase in #Romantasy posts this year.

TikTok also called out the platform's educational creators, noting the expansion of its educational STEM feed to all users (not just teens) this year. From the U.S. and UK, TikTok's notable knowledge creators included Shelby Lattimore, Chemical Kim, Charlie Engelman, Big.Manny1, Deidre Kelly, Yorkshire Fossils, Doctor Ahmed Ezzat, and the Royal Armouries Museum, who let Gen Z write the script, and astronaut Kellie Gerardi.

Music on TikTok in 2024

But of course, TikTok's music charts have all the eyes on them. TikTok broke down the top artists and tracks on the platform this year. The top 10 songs on TikTok globally saw 8 billion streams on Spotify, with "Gata Only" by FloyyMenor and Cris Mj topping the list. The top song in the U.S. was Tommy Richman’s "MILLION DOLLAR BABY (VHS)" and in the UK it was Tinashe's "Nasty".

Credit: TikTok

As for the top artists globally, Mexico's Yeri Mua was number one, with her track "Linea del Perreo" going viral this year. In the U.S., Sabrina Carpenter topped the list, and in the UK, it was Central Cee.

Credit: TikTok

You can check out the whole list on TikTok's blog. And if you're looking for more end-of-year 2024 wrap-ups, Mashable's got you covered.

The District of Columbia’s attorney general said the company deliberately outsourced Prime member deliveries in certain ZIP codes.

Spotify users look forward to their Wrapped all year long. And for those who could hardly wait, don't fret: Spotify Wrapped 2024 is finally here. The long-awaited feature dropped today, Wednesday, Dec. 4.

What is Spotify Wrapped?

Started in 2016, Spotify Wrapped is exactly what it sounds like: your year in Spotify, neatly wrapped up in a colorful — and uniquely shareable — interactive experience.

Spotify combs through your data and tells you your top artists, songs, albums, and more. For instance, you might find out you were in the Top 1 percent of Selena Gomez listeners. Spotify also creates a playlist of your Top 100 songs of the year.

SEE ALSO: Spotify Wrapped 2024 arrives: 5 new features to check out Tweet may have been deleted When was Spotify Wrapped released in 2024?

Wrapped dropped Wednesday, Dec. 4. Spotify likes to keep the date under wraps while, of course, dropping hints to get everyone excited.

But things in 2024 ended up pretty much matching last year, exactly. In 2023, it came out the Wednesday after Thanksgiving...which is exactly when it came out in 2024.

Tweet may have been deleted How to view your Spotify Wrapped

It's pretty simple to look at your Wrapped. All you have to do is open the app on your phone and click on the correct "Wrapped" icon. Typically speaking, it'll be a little button across a hard-to-miss banner. You can also go to the Wrapped section of the Spotify website.

And, of course, once you do view your Wrapped there's only one thing to do: share it with the internet, as has become obligatory.

For the second year, Taylor Swift is the most-streamed artist on Spotify. The music streaming platform revealed its annual Wrapped campaign on Wednesday (Dec. 4), and with it came a Swiftstorm of data on 2024's most-streamed artists and songs.

SEE ALSO: Spotify Wrapped 2024 is here: How to get yours

She may be Billboard's No. 2 pop star of the 21st century, but with more than 26.6 billion streams globally, Swift is Spotify’s 2024 Global Top Artist. And that has to count for something.

Spotify Wrapped is in its Swiftie era

To celebrate Swift's dominance on the platform, Spotify is adding a gold Wrapped badge to Swift’s Spotify profile — the first-ever distinction of its kind. But that's not all: Swifties can enjoy the fun, too, with an on-platform Easter egg experience. When listening to Swift's music on Spotify, listeners will see custom mini-animations tailored to the eras of her discography, like a flurry of animated sparkles for Fearless (Taylor’s Version), seagulls for 1989 (Taylor's Version), and pink hearts for Lover.

And, of course, there are even Wrapped-branded friendship bracelets you can share exclusively on Snapchat via an AR lens.

Spotify's Most-Streamed Artists Globally:

Following Swift, The Weeknd was the second most-streamed global artist of the year; his song "One Of The Girls (with JENNIE, Lily Rose Depp)" from the ill-fated HBO series The Idol was a huge streaming hit with over 1.4 billion streams. Among the Top 5 are Bad Bunny, Drake, and Billie Eilish, whose 2024 release HIT ME HARD AND SOFT was the second most-streamed album globally — right behind...Taylor Swift.

1. Taylor Swift

2. The Weeknd

3. Bad Bunny

4. Drake

5. Billie Eilish

6. Travis Scott

7. Peso Pluma

8. Kanye West

9. Ariana Grande 

10. Feid

Spotify's Most-Streamed Songs Globally:

As for 2024's most-streamed songs globally, it should be no surprise that Sabrina Carpenter's summer smash "Espresso" scored the top spot. It's been streamed over 1.6 billion times on Spotify, and it had the entire internet singing, "That's that me espresso"

1. “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter

2. “Beautiful Things” by Benson Boone

3. “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” by Billie Eilish

4. “Gata Only” by FloyyMenor, Cris Mj 

5. “Lose Control” by Teddy Swims 

6. “End of Beginning” by Djo

7. “Too Sweet” by Hozier

8. “One Of The Girls (with JENNIE, Lily-Rose Depp)” by The Weeknd 

9. “Cruel Summer” by Taylor Swift

10. “Die With A Smile” by Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga

Spotify's Most-Streamed Albums Globally:

Swift and Carpenter weren't the only women who dominated Spotify Wrapped this year. Looking at the list of most-streamed albums globally, 2024 was a standout year for women. In fact, the Top 8 albums of the year were all released by women.

1. THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT: THE ANTHOLOGY by Taylor Swift 

2. HIT ME HARD AND SOFT by Billie Eilish 

3. Short n’ Sweet by Sabrina Carpenter 

4. MAÑANA SERÁ BONITO by KAROL G

5. eternal sunshine by Ariana Grande 

6. 1989 (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift

7. SOS by SZA

8. Lover by Taylor Swift 

9. Fireworks & Rollerblades by Benson Boone

10. Starboy by The Weeknd 

And if you're wondering where 2024's breakout pop star Chappell Roan is, she appears on both the most-streamed songs in the U.S. and most-streamed albums in the U.S. lists, which you can check out in full below.

Spotify's Most-Streamed Songs in the U.S.:

1. “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter

2. “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar

3. “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey 

4. “I Had Some Help (Feat. Morgan Wallen)” by Post Malone 

5. “MILLION DOLLAR BABY” by Tommy Richman

6. “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan

7. “Beautiful Things” by Benson Boone

8. “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” by Billie Eilish

9. “I Remember Everything (feat. Kacey Musgraves)” by Zach Bryan 

10. “Stick Season” by Noah Kahan

Spotify's Most-Streamed Albums in the U.S.:

1. THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT: THE ANTHOLOGY by Taylor Swift 

2. One Thing At A Time by Morgan Wallen

3. Short n’ Sweet by Sabrina Carpenter 

4. Stick Season by Noah Kahan

5. The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess by Chappell Roan 

6. HIT ME HARD AND SOFT by Billie Eilish 

7. SOS by SZA

8. Dangerous: The Double Album by Morgan Wallen

9. Zach Bryan by Zach Bryan 

10. 1989 (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift

And that's a wrap on this year's Spotify Wrapped. Now for the important question: What do your top songs say about you?

After much anticipation, Spotify Wrapped dropped this morning, and there's a new feature for 2024: Your Wrapped AI Podcast, a three-minute-long (ish) podcast episode (powered by Google NotebookLM) in which two AI hosts walk you through your year in music. It starts with an oddly unsettling, "Hey there, music lovers," before delving into your top artist, music evolution, and more.

If you're having trouble finding your Wrapped AI Podcast, follow these easy steps.

Total Time

• 1 minute

What You Need

• A Spotify account

Step 1: Start at your Spotify home page and clicked "Wrapped," located at the top of the screen.

You'll see a row of buttons at the top of your screen. On the top left, you'll see your profile photo. To the right of that, you'll see "All," followed by "Wrapped." Click "Wrapped."

Credit: Spotify

Step 2: Click on "Your Wrapped AI Podcast."

This brings you to all of your 2024 Wrapped content, including your personalized playlists and the data Spotify has collected for you. Click on "Your Wrapped AI Podcast."

Credit: Spotify

Step 3: Tap on the "play" button to listen to your Wrapped AI Podcast.

The following screen should read: "Your Wrapped AI podcast is ready. For the first time ever, 2 AI hosts dive into your year in music. Built with Google's NotebookLM."

Credit: Spotify

Step 4: Optional: Tap the "share" button to send it to a friend.

The share button looks like a square or rectangular box with an arrow pointing upwards. Once you click on that, you can share your Wrapped AI Podcast with your friends.

Credit: Spotify

"With this personalized Audio Overview, fans can dive deeper into their year's top songs, artists, and genres, delivered using generative AI by two dynamic hosts," Spotify said in a press release. "This feature will be available in English for eligible Free and Premium users for a limited time across the U.S., the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, and Sweden."

So you better hurry up and listen to your Wrapped AI Podcast before it disappears.

Last year, Spotify unveiled the ability to listen to audiobooks on the app. According to data from Spotify Wrapped 2024, its users flocked to the faeries.

As part of its annual Wrapped feature, Spotify revealed the top-performing audiobook genres in the U.S. were sci-fi and fantasy, followed by romance, fiction and literature, mystery and thriller, and, finally, biography and memoir. And not just any sci-fi and fantasy books either: of the Top 10 audiobooks in the U.S., four are romantasy novels — with Sarah J. Maas, the author of the TikTok famous A Court of Thorns and Roses series, holding three of the most listened-to audiobooks in the U.S. on Spotify in 2024. As such, she earned the inaugural title of Spotify Wrapped 2024's global top author.

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, also a romantasy book, was the ninth most listened to audiobook in the U.S. this year. Similarly — and yes, I mean similarly, and I will die on this hill — The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien landed in the sixth slot.

SEE ALSO: The 15 best fiction books of 2024, according to BookTok

Here are the full Top 10 lists. As you can see, they're quite similar.

Spotify's top audiobooks in the U.S.:

1. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

2. I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

3. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

4. It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover

5. The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

6. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

7. A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

8. Icebreaker: A Novel by Hannah Grace

9. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

10. Funny Story by Emily Henry

Spotify's top audiobooks globally:

1. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

2. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

3. I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

4. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

5. It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover

6. The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

7. A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

8. A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book One by George R. R. Martin

9. Icebreaker: A Novel by Hannah Grace

10. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

2024: The year of the romantasy genre

There is, of course, a beautiful gendered breakdown of these titles. The Top 3 audiobooks in Premium listened to by men in the U.S. were The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene, The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien, and A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. If you look closely, you'll see that those are all male authors — and the only male authors on the list of Top 10 audiobooks.

You might not want to see The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene turned into a film (some might say it was already made), but many of these books are lined up for the screen.

"As reflected in this year’s top lists, we’ve seen both new releases and back catalog titles from key authors of every genre garner new audiences on Spotify," Spotify's press release reads. "And in 2024, more than before, we saw a rise in book-to-screen adaptations into various media formats." In fact, 66 percent of Spotify's Top 100 audiobooks in the U.S. in 2024 will be or have already been adapted for the screen.

There's not much personalized data in this year's Wrapped for audiobook listeners, but authors get their own Wrapped, showing off everything from their top titles to rating and listener habits.

If all this data tells us anything, it's that 2024 was the year of Sarah J. Maas and romantasy. What does 2025 have in store?

'Tis the season of colorful graphics, embarrassing stats, and personalized data stories! That's right — Spotify Wrapped has finally landed on your Spotify app. The 2024 edition is chock-full of new features, from a Wrapped AI Podcast that editorializes your year in music to the moods and emotions that captured "Your Music Evolution."

SEE ALSO: Everything you need to know about Spotify Wrapped 2024

The much-anticipated annual event offers fans a glimpse into their most-played tracks, artists, and genres, wrapped in vibrant visuals and shareable stats. It's a nostalgic trip through the soundtrack of your year, and it even boasts stats from the podcasts and audiobooks you listened to.

In 2024, it’s not just about what you heard — it’s about how music shaped your story. Here's what that means for this year's Spotify Wrapped and all the fun surprises you can expect.

Your Music Evolution Credit: Spotify

Listen, we all go through phases. Sometimes you want to be a brat and other times you're an "Otaku Hot Girl." Spotify knows your listening habits can be mercurial, so they're introducing "Your Music Evolution" with this year's Wrapped.

This new data story reveals the musical phases that defined your year. You'll receive up to three musical phases for 2024. For example, I started the year in my "Light Academia Soft Piano Classical" era, but by spring, I re-emerged as a "Roller Skating Pop" princess. (What can I say? The pop girlies were releasing bangers.) And I'm ending the year in my "Hallyu Catwalk K-pop" phase, which sounds right.

Your Music Evolution will also be available in playlist form, found in the Wrapped feed on Home in the Spotify app. Tracks within the playlist include both your go-to favorites and algorithmic picks related to your musical phases throughout the year.

Your Longest Listening Streak

Every superfan wears their "Top Listeners" stat with pride. (The stat reveals the percentile of listeners you're in for your favorite artist. I'm in the top 3 percent of Stray Kids listeners worldwide — what about you?) This year, Spotify is taking it one step further with your "Longest Listening Streak," capturing your journey with the most-played artist in your Top 5.

Your Spotify Wrapped AI Podcast Credit: Spotify

The biggest new feature of this year's Wrapped is the launch of your Spotify Wrapped AI Podcast. Built with Google’s NotebookLM, this personalized pod tells the story of your year in music with colorful commentary from two AI hosts who attempt to make sense of your top songs, artists, and genres.

Per Spotify, this unique feature will be available in English for eligible Free and Premium users for a limited time across the U.S., the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, and Sweden.

Top Audiobooks of 2024 Credit: Spotify

Last year, Spotify gave its Premium users 15 hours of free audiobook listening time per month. Now, with over 300,000 titles in its catalog, Spotify is becoming a destination for avid readers — er, listeners. So it only makes sense that this year's Wrapped data would include the Top Audiobooks of 2024.

SEE ALSO: The 15 best fiction books of 2024, according to BookTok

While there isn't any personalized data on your top audiobooks of the year, there is a separate editorial hub for the year in audiobooks on the app and desktop. Spotify's inaugural top author globally is Sarah J. Maas, whose A Court of Thorns and Roses series went mega-viral across social platforms this year. As such, A Court of Thorns and Roses was also the most-streamed audiobook of 2024. Coming in second and third are The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien and I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy, respectively. Rounding out the Top 5 is A Court of Mist and Fury by Maas at No. 4, and It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover at No. 5.

Authors will also have access to their own Spotify Wrapped for Authors hub, which will show insightful data on the listening habits of their readers.

You can share your Wrapped directly on your FYP Credit: Spotify

Big news for those who like publicly posting their Wrapped results across all social platforms: You can now share your Wrapped directly on TikTok.

Apple's rumored new HomePod, with a built-in smart display, is coming a lot later than originally anticipated.

This is according to Apple sleuth Ming-Chi Kuo, who claims that the device's release has been postponed to the third quarter of 2025.

SEE ALSO: Apple HomePod (2023) review: Big sound for Apple fans

Originally, Kuo claims, the HomePod was supposed to arrive in 2024, but was delayed to the first quarter of 2025, and was now further pushed back until after Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, which typically takes place in June.

The delay is "mainly due to software development," Kuo said.

Featured Video For You Unboxing the 2024 iPad Pro and iPad Air

The new HomePod will reportedly be a huge upgrade compared to the current model, which came out in 2023. Kuo claims it will feature a six to seven-inch display, Apple's A18 chip, and support for Apple Intelligence. It will also be repositioned more as a smart home accessory than a pure speaker.

One interesting feature that the new HomePod will have is the ability to display the feed from Apple's upcoming smart home IP camera, which Kuo previously said is arriving sometime in 2026.

According to previous reports, Apple also plans to expand its smart home lineup with a smart display with a robotic arm, and (perhaps) a cheaper variant down the line.

General Motors and other foreign automakers are selling fewer cars and losing lots of money in China, where domestic electric and hybrid cars have taken off.

Cameo is making room for more than celebrity greetings, expanding its personalised messaging service to let anyone sign up to make custom videos for money.

Announced in a blog post on Tuesday, the platform has officially launched its CameoX initiative, which began a pilot program last May as a "strategic decision to allow just about anyone with a passion for engaging with fans to join the Cameo community."

Cameo has made millions through its celebrity video message offerings, seeing actors, athletes, musicians, influencers, multiple disgraced U.S. Congressmen, and racist far-right British politicians personalise greetings for varying rates — it was a particularly lucrative move for celebs during the COVID-19 pandemic and the SAG-AFTRA strike. In 2021, Cameo was valued at $1 billion. But celebrities have since reportedly left the platform in droves, for reasons including but not limited to pro-Russia propagandists tricking celebrities into spreading misinformation. Plus, Cameo had a run-in with the Federal Trade Commission for violating celebrity endorsement disclosures this year, which was not cheap.

SEE ALSO: Matt Gaetz joins Cameo like disgraced congressman before him

So, Cameo is pivoting to embrace more avenues of content creation and monetisation. Now, anyone can join Cameo through the company's revamped onboarding process, which no longer focuses on Cameo team outreach or follower thresholds.

"We realized we had missed out on thousands of talented individuals who could have made meaningful contributions to the marketplace,” said Cameo CEO Steven Galanis in a press statement.

"We missed SAG-AFTRA actors who had applied before landing breakout roles in hit Netflix shows. We missed emerging artists before releasing chart-topping singles. We missed creators before their viral moments on TikTok. And we missed pro athletes who applied while in college, prior to NIL rule changes that allowed them to monetize their talent. With CameoX, those days are over."

Featured Video For You Unboxing the 2024 iPad Pro and iPad Air

The company says CameoX has already been successful, seeing 31,000 "self-enrolled creators" sign up since the pilot began in May 2023. The company is pitching the platform as "an alternative earning stream for talent" for creators, including those who might already have a following on other sites like Twitch, YouTube, and TikTok — and who might have previously applied to join Cameo but were not allowed in. Now, Cameo says the onboarding process has been made easier for people to pass the test.

"Historically, talent could join the marketplace in three ways: 1) through outreach from the Cameo team, 2) via referral from another talent or talent manager, or 3) by applying directly. In the past three years alone, Cameo received over 100,000 applications from talent who did not meet the marketplace’s thresholds," reads the post.

"The issue: Cameo was missing a new wave of emerging creators who could benefit from the platform but weren’t allowed on. CameoX removes those barriers and allows talent to become part of the Cameo family in a matter of minutes...This change in policy is more in line with models like Twitch and YouTube, where anyone can join for free and begin to monetize their personas instantly."

Creators wanting to join CameoX can do so through the app or the website and complete an identity verification process. Cameo celebrities set their own prices, so creators will be able to do the same; creators get 75 percent of the booking price and can use the earnings calculator to see what numbers they're looking at.

Seth Meyers appeared on The Late Show recently and followed in the footsteps of Billie Eilish, Nicolas Cage, and Michelle Obama when he took Stephen Colbert's always-crytpic "Questionert".

In the clip above the Late Night host answers questions on everything from his favourite sandwich ("chicken parm") to his least favourite smell ("chlorine pool").

Cue plenty of bickering mixed in with a few touching moments.

Max said it would happen, but now we know when, exactly: the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned HBO streaming service is about to start its password sharing crackdown next week.

This is according to CEO JB Perrette (via TheWrap), who announced the news at a conference hosted by Wells Fargo on Tuesday.

"We will kick off literally in about a week, some very early, gentle messaging," he told press.

Not only will said messaging be "gentle," it will also start happening only to people whom the company deems to be in the "higher tier of usage."

SEE ALSO: The 20 best TV shows streaming on Max

Perrette also admitted that figuring out who's sharing their passwords, and who's only using their account outside their home on a vacation, isn't easy, which is why the company will start gradually until it can figure out. But when it does, the filters will get "tighter and tighter."

That phase can apparently be expected in the second half of 2025 and into 2026.

We don't mind the careful approach, especially when it comes to weeding out actual password sharing from fair usage (I'm looking at you Netflix, and your constant prompts to log in again).

To get your mind off all this unpleasant password sharing crackdown business, Perretti also spilled the beans on launch dates for some upcoming HBO shows. For example, the third season of The White Lotus is about to kick off in February; The Last of Us Season 2 will premiere in the spring of 2025, and the A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (a Game of Thrones prequel) will launch in 2025. Finally, Euphoria Season 3 is coming a little later than anticipated: sometime in 2026.

VPNs are useful security tools that can protect your identity and data, bypass online restrictions to access extra content, and much more. If this is all very new to you, you've probably got a lot of questions. Don't worry, because we can help.

We've done all the hard work for you and thoroughly researched these services to provide the information that matters to you. Here's everything you need to know about VPNs.

What is a VPN?

VPNs (or Virtual Private Networks) provide important protection for your data and identity when you're online. They offer this online privacy and anonymity by creating a private network that hides your real IP address (digital location). This means that all of your activity is untraceable and secure.

Basically, you can think about VPNs as encrypted tunnels through which all of your online traffic passes through. Nobody can see into the tunnel, and everything inside the tunnel is protected against online threats like viruses, hackers, and malware.

Do you need a VPN?

Any sort of activity on an unsecured WiFi network leaves your private information and browsing habits exposed to the world, unless you're using a VPN. There's no need to panic, because whether you're sending important emails, doing some online shopping, or paying essential bills, VPNs make sure that everything remains private and anonymous.

SEE ALSO: The best VPNs for your iPhone

First and foremost, VPNs are designed to provide online security, but there is another reason that millions of people use these services: streaming more content from around the world. By hiding your real IP address and connecting you to a server in another location, you can trick your favourite streaming services into thinking that you are based in a different country. This means that you can watch all of the shows and films from global libraries, like all the extra content on U.S. Netflix. This is the quickest and easiest way of boosting your content options, without the need to rely on a dodgy stream.

What should you consider before subscribing to a VPN?

There are plenty of things that you should consider when it comes to VPNs, but we don't have all day. Instead of listing off every feature offered by the best VPNs, we have highlighted a selection of the most important things to think about.

Before you make any sort of decision, you should look out for connection speed, server network, number of logins, and more important features:

• Bandwidth — There are some VPNs out there that place monthly caps on network bandwidth, meaning you can only download a certain amount of data. You should avoid these services, unless you're on a free trial. If you're paying for a VPN, you should be able to download and upload as much as you want.

• Connection speed — Using a VPN is going to produce a drop in your connection speed, but you shouldn't accept a significant drop that is going to result in buffering. Be sure to select a VPN that doesn't negatively impact your connection speed to the point that you can't watch a film or download a file without frustration.

• Encryption — There are different levels of encryption, and whilst it's important to take note of the grade provided by your VPN, the best options will all offer powerful protection for your data. You are likely to come across terms like "military-grade" and "enterprise-grade," which just means that you can rely on it to do its job.

• Number of connections — Some VPNs let you connect an unlimited number of devices with the same account. Others limit you to just a single device. You should look out for a service that offers multiple simultaneous connections, so you can stay protected on all your devices at the same time.

• Server network — The very best VPNs provide access to literally thousands of geographically diverse servers. It's useful if a VPN has a lot of servers in key locations, because you should always be able to find a stable and speedy connection for streaming, shopping, or browsing anonymously. It's not a straightforward case of more is better, but it's always good to have options.

• Privacy policy — It's worth paying special attention to the data-handling, storage, and usage practices of the VPN you are planning on using. These practices should be laid out in a privacy policy, and if they aren't clear, it's best to avoid. Most VPNs require access to your IP address, online transactions, and browsing history, plus your personal details when you sign up. If privacy is the objective, it's absolutely essential that your VPN is not going to store these details. If it does, the whole thing is kind of pointless.

There are other things to consider, like price and subscription plans, but these features are a good place to start.

Should you use free VPNs?

There are plenty of free versions of popular VPNs, plus free trials of VPNs with full access to everything you get with a premium plan. So why would you ever pay for a VPN?

As with most things in life, you get what you pay for with VPNs. There tends to always be a catch with free versions, and it's normally in the form of limited data usage. If you're just an occasional user, these plans will work fine. But if you're going to be streaming or downloading, this isn't going to work. Free trials are a little bit different: they come with everything you get in a paid plan, but obviously they don't tend to last very long. Trials are great for testing out a service before committing, but this isn't a long-term solution.

What we're saying is that the best option for streaming securely and accessing the online world without restrictions is with a paid subscription to a VPN. To gain access to advanced security features without limitations on usage, you need to pay up. The best VPNs are generally the most expensive, but there are plenty of cheap plans out there, especially if you're willing to commit to a lengthy contract.

What is the best VPN?

There are a lot of VPN providers out there all offering different sets of features, with different pricing structures. We recommend taking some time to carefully access your options, and decide on what you really need from a VPN. Once you have established your priorities, you can check out this definitive list of the best VPNs this month.

We have tracked down everything on offer and lined up a selection of the very best VPNs for streaming, shopping, and everything else. We have tried to find something for everyone and every budget, and you can find popular services like ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and CyberGhost VPN in this list. All you need to do is weigh up these options against your own set of priorities, and then pick a favourite from the bunch.

These are the best VPNs in 2024.

SAVE $1,700: As of Dec. 4, Samsung 77-inch S84D 4K OLED Smart Tizen TV is available for $1,599.99 at Best Buy. That’s $1,700 off its $3,299.99 list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung 77-inch S84D OLED TV $1,599.99 at Best Buy
$3,299.99 Save $1,700.00 Shop Now

I'm constantly looking for the best TV deals for readers, but premium TVs don't go on sale like this every day. Samsung's 77-inch S84D OLED TV, part of its 2024 lineup, is a high-performance display designed to bring users lifelike visuals and immersive sound. Best Buy's current deal knocks a jaw-dropping $1,700 off the original price, making this flagship model a much more accessible $1,599.99. This TV is usually $3,299.99, so you can see why I'm saying this is a big deal.

So, what makes this TV worth your attention (and investment)? It starts with OLED technology, which delivers perfect blacks, whites, and over a billion Pantone-validated colors. Pantone basically boils down to colors and images being lifelike, giving games, movies, and more a realistic presentation. Every pixel is self-illuminated, ensuring unmatched contrast and detail. This produces a vibrant image without burning out your retinas with brightness.

SEE ALSO: Ready to upgrade your smartphone? Grab the Samsung Galaxy A15 for less than $200

Samsung's Motion Xcelerator Turbo is a win for gamers and sports fans, providing smooth, blur-free motion. Paired with Real Depth Enhancer, which adjusts foreground contrast for a more three-dimensional image, it makes for some interesting results beyond being just a gimmick feature.

The S84D doesn't just look good — it sounds incredible, too. With Dolby Atmos and Object Tracking Sound Lite, you'll experience dynamic, 3D surround sound that follows the movement on screen. Pair this with Bluetooth bookshelf speakers like PSB Speakers AM5, and you'll have a wireless sound setup that speaks for itself.

Samsung's Tizen OS also covers buyers' streaming needs. You'll have access to apps like Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video, plus the ability to game, work out, or explore Samsung's Smart Hub. AI-powered 4K upscaling ensures even older content looks sharp and clear on this enormous screen.

At 77 inches, this TV is built for cinematic experiences in your living room. Its slim bezel design keeps the focus on the picture. At the same time, EyeComfort Mode intelligently adjusts blue light for a more comfortable viewing experience during late-night marathons. And it just looks like it's mounted to a wall, and that's enough for many buyers.

A $1,700 discount on a TV of this caliber is rare. If you've been waiting to upgrade your home theater or gaming setup, now's the time. Deals like this are usually super limited, although this bad boy has no expiration date. Play it safe and swipe one before the price shoots back up.

Mining your own Spotify data is like accessing a musical window into your soul. What genre do you listen to the most? How obscure are your favorite artists? And, wait, you listened to "Alone" by Heart how many times!?

We've scoured the corners of the internet and collected our 13 favorite websites that analyze your Spotify data. So if you're the type of person who spends your days counting down to Spotify Wrapped or who regularly analyzes your listening habits to understand yourself better, you'll love these clever tools.

SEE ALSO: Got your Spotify Wrapped? Treat it like a shopping list.

A heads up that each of these websites requires you to log in to your Spotify and grant the website access to your Spotify data, and we've included directions at the bottom for how to remove each site's access once you've tried them out.

1. Stats for Spotify

Stats for Spotify is a classic Spotify data analyzer. It shows you your top tracks, artists, and genres organized by the previous four weeks, last six months, and all time. It also shows how your top tracks, artists, and genres have changed since the last time you used Stats for Spotify.

2. How Bad is Your Spotify

How Bad is Your Spotify is an AI tool that judges your music taste. It gained popularity in December 2020 for its snarky roasts of users' listening habits.

Don't judge me. Credit: Screenshot: How Bad Is Your Spotify 3. Instafest

Instafest generates a personalized music festival lineup of your most-listened artists on Spotify. The more you listen to an artist the larger their name will appear on your lineup. It was created by USC student Anshay Saboo. You can choose a festival based on your top artists from the past month, the past six months, or of all time. You can also switch up the aesthetics of the graphic, which is stylized to look like a festival poster. So, who are your headlining acts?

Who wouldn't buy a ticket. Credit: Screenshot: Instafest 4. Icebergify (aka the Spotify Iceberg)

Icebergify grabs the top 50 artists of your short-term, medium-term, and long-term listening trends and organizes them by their popularity or obscurity. If the artist is super popular (think Beyonce), they'll be at the tippy-top. But if you listen to a lot of Antichrist Siege Machine, they'll be closer to the bottom. The tool may also pull in musicians you haven't listened to in a few months, and if you don't listen to any artists in a certain level of popularity, the level will show up blank.

Three very brave staffers at Mashable (Christianna Silva, Crystal Bell, Tim Marcin) share their iceberg results. Credit: Credit: Screenshot / Icebergify / Christianna Silva, Crystal Bell, Tim Marcin 5. Obscurify

Like Icebergify, Obscurify tells you how obscure the music you listen to is compared to other Obscurify users. It'll also show you your top five obscure artists and will rate your music's happiness, danceability, and energy compared to other users.

6. Spotify Pie

"Bake your monthly genre pie" with this website created by UCLA student Darren Huang. Spotify Pie analyzes your Spotify listening and organizes it into a highly sharable pie chart of all the genres you've listened to in the last month. Below the chart, the website reveals your most-listened-to genres and your top artists of the month, too.

Credit: Spotify Pie Credit: Spotify Pie 7. Volt.fm

Volt.fm is a great tool for the music lovers who like to know all their stats. You can see your top artists, songs, and albums but also more nuanced data like number of players, most active hours for listening, and number of plays.

8. Discover Quickly

Discover Quickly sorts your playlists, top songs, and top artists by different criteria, like popularity and danceability. It also lists all of Spotify's wildly specific genres like "deep metalcore," "acid house," and "charred death." The tool will make you a playlist of that genre or can generate a playlist of songs of a random genre.

9. MusicScape

MusicScape generates a landscape based on the tracks you've recently listened to, taking their mood, mode, energy, and key into consideration to create something unique to your sonic palette.

What does your musicScape look like? Credit: Screenshot: musicscape 10. MusicTaste.Space

MusicTaste.Space is fun because it allows you to compare your listening with another Spotify user. Just send a friend the link on the homepage and it will show you all the overlap between your top songs and top artists.

11. Receiptify

Receiptify transforms your favorite songs into a cute little receipt of your musical taste. Choose your top tracks of the last month, last six months, or of all time.

Receiptify gives you an Insta Story ready list of your top songs. Credit: Screenshot: Receiptify 12. How NPRcore Are You

How NPRcore Are You analyzes how closely your music taste aligns with NPR music. Pick a time period and this tool will tell you what percent NPRcore you are or which of your top tracks and artists are most NPRcore.

13. Moodify

Moodify makes AI-generated playlists based on the mood of the song you're currently listening to.

How to unlink your Spotify

After you've had your fun poking around your data, you can easily unlink your account from each site by going to Spotify app settings and selecting "Remove Access."

SAVE $130: As of Dec. 4, Samsung 32-inch UJ59 4K UHD monitor is on sale for $209 at Amazon, saving you $130 off its $339.99 list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung UJ59 4K Monitor $209.00 at Amazon
$340.00 Save $131.00 Get Deal

I love finding solid deals on budget gaming gear. The Samsung UJ59 delivers as a great 4K monitor option for your gaming rig and consoles. It has had $130 slashed off its list price, down from $339.99 to $209. Just those facts alone make this an awesome deal, but is it a replacement for your existing monitor setup? It won't touch a premium gaming monitor, but it's a rock-hard starting point. Looking for something that performs well at 4K resolutions for a very reasonable price? Read on.

Despite its conservative appearance and thin bezels with a lack of RGB, the 4K 60Hz panel does the job. 4K means four times the resolution of full HD, which is detailed enough for demanding games, editing photos, and watching 4K content from 4K Blu-rays and top-tier streaming services. Over a billion shades of color are packed into this bad boy. Who can argue with a sub-$210 monitor with specs like those?

SEE ALSO: Ready to upgrade your smartphone? Grab the Samsung Galaxy A15 for less than $200

Gamers note that this monitor is equipped with AMD FreeSync, which reduces image tearing and stuttering by synchronizing the refresh rate with your graphics card. Its Low Input Lag Mode minimizes delay. Game Mode optimizes contrast in darker scenes, giving you the edge in fast-paced gameplay. With 8.3 million pixels on a widescreen 4K display, it's a dream for immersive gaming experiences.

Are you running an AMD graphics card? Samsung UJ59 has AMD Freesync built in, too. This ensures your graphics card outputs the same refresh rate as your monitor to eliminate screen tearing, so no dollar-store Tetris effects ruin gameplay. There's also a low input lag mode, minimizing controller or keyboard and mouse delays from a button press to the action appearing on-screen.

Multitaskers will love the Picture-by-Picture (PBP) mode, which lets you connect two devices simultaneously while maintaining their original quality. The Picture-in-Picture (PIP) mode allows resizing and repositioning of a secondary source, making it perfect for those needing to reference multiple inputs simultaneously.

Samsung's UHD upscaling technology further sweetens the deal, enhancing SD, HD, and Full HD content to near 4K quality. While you won't see old films and TV shows magically displaying as they've been filmed in 4K, it will give you the clearest and balanced image possible.

You don't need a telescope to admire the majesty of our planetary neighborhood.

Planets like Jupiter and Venus reflect bounties of light from the sun — and unlike stars, the vivid planets don't twinkle. These beacons are among the brightest objects in the sky, and December 2024 provides excellent viewing opportunities (when the fickle clouds behave, that is).

"This month, Venus dazzles as the 'Evening Star,' Jupiter reaches its brightest for the year, and the Geminid meteor shower peaks under challenging moonlit skies," NASA wrote online.

SEE ALSO: Is Mercury in retrograde? Yes, but there's a catch. How to see Venus

Venus is the third brightest celestial object in the night sky (behind the sun and moon). The hellish planet isn't just Earth's closest planetary neighbor. It's permanently covered in thick 12-mile-high clouds, which reflect lots of sunlight. You can't miss it.

"Venus is hard to miss in the southwest after sunset – it's that dazzling bright 'Evening Star,'" NASA explained.

Venus' evolving position in the night sky in December 2024. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech

Although a rocky world about the same size of Earth, Venus is still wildly different. Suffocated and heated by greenhouse gases, its surface reaches pizza oven-like temperatures of some 870 degrees Fahrenheit (465 degrees Celsius). Meanwhile, the surface pressure, at some 90 times greater than on Earth, is crushing.

How to see Jupiter

Jupiter, a gas giant planet containing over twice the mass of all other planets in our solar system combined, will also be a brilliant presence. Jupiter reaches its peak brightness of the year in December, and is visible all night.

"You’ll find it rising in the east-northeast as darkness falls, among the stars of the constellation Taurus," NASA said.

Jupiter contains a whopping 95 known moons, including the fascinating world Europa, which harbors an icy ocean beneath its cracked shell. With binoculars or a telescope, you can often spot Jupiter's four largest moons.

How to see Mars

The red desert planet, though it lacks the profoundly reflective atmospheres of Venus and Jupiter, "will also be putting on its own show," NASA noted.

As Mars draws closer to Earth, it will double in brightness in December.

"Early in the month, it rises about four hours after dark, but by New Year’s Eve, it’s rising just about 90 minutes after sunset — always shining with its distinctive reddish hue. And on Dec. 17, you’ll find the Red Planet super close to the Moon, which will be just two days past its full phase," the space agency explained.

Other notable skywatching events

- The Winter Triangle: The vivid stars Sirius (the brightest night time star), Procyon, and the red supergiant Betelgeuse form a prominent equilateral triangle throughout winter. Betelgeuse is the red shoulder of the constellation Orion.

- Geminid meteor shower: This typically great meteor shower peaks in the early morning of Dec. 14, but many of the shooting stars will be washed out by a full moon. "Still, the Geminids are known for bright meteors, and it’s common to spot their shooting stars up to a week before the peak," NASA said.

- Winter Solstice: The longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere occurs on Dec. 21. Welcome, officially, to winter.