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SAVE $32: Through March 30, new and eligible returning customers can get the Disney+ and Hulu bundle (with ads) for only $2.99 per month for four months. Usually $10.99 per month, that's 72% in monthly savings.
Opens in a new window Credit: Disney+ / Hulu Disney+ and Hulu Bundle (with ads) $2.99/month for four months Get DealTwo highly anticipated movies are making their way to Disney+ and Hulu this month: the box office beast Moana 2 and the Academy Award-winning Anora. If you don't already subscribe to these two streamers, now's your chance to score both for a steal.
Through March 30, new and eligible returning customers can subscribe to the Disney+ and Hulu Basic Bundle (which includes ads) for just $2.99 per month for the next four months. Regularly $10.99 for both, which is already an impressive deal considering each streamer is $9.99 per month on its own, you'll save an extra 72% monthly. That's a grand total of $32 you'll keep in your pocket.
Disney+ is home to movies, series, and originals from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and more. It's where you'll find Inside Out and Inside Out 2, The Eras Tour, classics like The Lion King and Toy Story, and all your favorite Disney Channel Original Movies from the '90s. Hulu, on the other hand, is where you'll find new theatrical hits from NEON and Searchlight Pictures, Hulu and FX Original Series like Only Murders in the Building, Shōgun, and The Bear, and episodes of ABC shows the day after they air.
Once your four-month promotional period ends, the price will jump from $2.99 to $10.99 per month. Be sure to cancel before the fourth month ends if you want to avoid that charge. Although, to be honest, this bundle is one of the best deals in the streaming world even at full price.
SAVE $193.31: Get the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge for $706.68 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $899.99. That's a discount of 21%.
Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge $706.68 at AmazonIf you want a lightweight laptop, the MacBook Air is a great option that we can recommend, but if you want to go another direction, Samsung isn't a brand you should pass up, especially when it comes to its Galaxy Book line. They're surprisingly affordable, and you can get one today for a great price at Amazon that can handle just about any task you throw at it.
As of March 7, the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge is $706.68 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $899.99. That's a discount of 21%.
This 15.6-inch model has a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor under the hood with a Qualcomm Adreno GPU and 16GB of RAM. You also start with a 512GB SSD, a webcam, quad speakers with Dolby Atmos support, and more all packed into a lightweight chassis.
But where it truly shines is its usage of AI to give it the "edge" in its name, with options like live captions for video and other multimedia and a variety of other AI-assisted tasks. Plus, it has a long-lasting battery so you're covered all day, and you can juice back up quickly thanks to its fast charge options.
There are tons of laptops out there to choose from, but this particular model makes it so you don't have to choose between performance and features. Plus, it's less than $800 and that's a steal.
Previously on Yellowjackets, the girls held a trial for Coach Ben (Steven Krueger), accusing him of burning down the cabin at the end of last season. Was it a fair trial? Far from it. But once convicted, things only got bleaker for the only grown-up in the wilderness. Then, episode 5, "Did Tai Do That?" ends with a gut-churning twist.
But what does this mean for Coach and the remaining Yellowjackets? Let's get into it, and by "it," I mean deep spoiler terrain.
Why don't they execute the coach on Yellowjackets? Jasmin Savoy Brown as teen Taissa in "Yellowjackets." Credit: Kailey Schwerman / Paramount+ with SHOWTIME.Look, their teammates have died for far less than burning down the cabin. And even if Team Mashable thinks the coach is innocent, the girls have decided execution was justice.
Like they used the playing cards to pick their sacrifice in the past with a Queen of Hearts, the team uses the deck to select who will be the executioner. By pulling the King of Hearts (aka a Suicide King), that dubious honor goes to Tai.
While preparing with target practice, Tai worries to Van that she won't be able to pull the trigger when the time comes. Here's where the allusion implied in the episode title comes in. "Did Tai Do That?" is a spin on Steve Urkel's catchphrase on Family Matters: Did I do that? In the wilderness, Van suggests Tai do like Urkel, bring on her "cool" alter-ego to do the thing she's afraid to do — in this case, killing Ben. Good news: It works. A stoic expression locks on Van, then Ben, as Tai readies to shoot on execution day. The bad news? Tai's alter ego will definitely come back to bite her as adult!
However, the execution is stopped at the very last moment by a rampaging Travis and Lottie. Akilah has had a vision: Ben is their "bridge" to getting home. Therefore, he must live. Bad news for Ben; he'll be kept in the animal pen and treated worse than the rabbits.
Why does Melissa cut Coach Ben? Silvana Estifanos as teen Britt, Vanessa Prasad as teen Gen, Jenna Burgess as teen Melissa, Anisa Harris as teen Robin and Steven Krueger as Ben Scott in "Yellowjackets." Credit: Kailey Schwerman / Paramount+ with SHOWTIMEThough in charge of the team, Nat couldn't save the coach from execution, so she's relieved at the prophet's intervention. But Shauna isn't satisfied. Under her direction, Shauna's new girlfriend Melissa goes to the tied-up coach and takes Shauna's hunting knife to his remaining ankle. Peer pressure is real, and really scary on Yellowjackets.
The coach screams. Shauna and Melissa look excited. "He won't be going anywhere," Shauna says proudly.
To this Nat jeers, "You don't have to enjoy it this much."
It's not just that injuring the coach's only leg will make it harder for him to escape them. The place where Melissa cuts is strategic. She aimed for the Achilles tendon, which would make walking very difficult for someone with two legs, and basically impossible for the coach, whose other leg was severed by Misty back in Season 1 (to save his life, to her credit!). Now, he has no chance at escape... except for death.
From there, Shauna and Melissa make their relationship campfire official, joining bloodied hands as they enter Shauna's hut together.
How much longer will Ben last? Will he be their next feast? We'll find out on Yellowjackets.
Yellowjackets Season 3 are now streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime, with new episodes weekly.
SAVE $20: As of March 7, you can pre-order the all-new 11-inch Apple iPad (128GB) for $329. That's a $20 discount.
Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple iPad (WiFi 6, 128GB) $329 at AmazonThe all-new 11-inch Apple iPad (WiFi 6, 128GB) is now available for pre-order at Amazon.
You can get it for $329, which is $20 off the list price. It’s expected to be officially released on March 12, so this is your chance to get your hands on it at a discounted price before it hits stores.
SEE ALSO: Apple announces the M3 iPad Air with Apple Intelligence and a new Magic KeyboardThe 11-inch iPad has an A16 chip, a liquid retina display, advanced cameras (12MP), and all-day battery life. Its true tone tech auto-adjusts the display, making it easier to view in any lighting. It’s also available in four colors (silver, yellow, pink, and blue).
If you need more storage, you can opt for the 256GB or 512GB models, but the base 128GB version is more than enough for most users. WiFi 6 and iPadOS let you run multiple apps at once, download files fast, and stay connected. Plus, it’s compatible with the Apple Pencil (USB-C) and Magic Keyboard Folio.
Building a PC gaming setup is certainly a rewarding experience, but it's also a very expensive one. Not only do you need to buy the PC itself, but you also need to pick up a bunch of accessories like a mouse, keyboard, and more. One of the most costly PC accessories, though, is a monitor. Some are affordable, but the best ones reach the high hundreds, if not thousands, in price. And, as we always say, that's why it's best to get one on sale so you can save some of your precious cash.
SEE ALSO: Gaming starter kit: All the gear you need to play like a real gamerThankfully, B&H is hosting a great gaming monitor sale as we speak, featuring up to $500 in savings on high-end monitors from brands like Samsung, LG, Asus, and others. Check out our top deal picks from the sale below.
Best ultrawide gaming monitor deal Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung Odyssey G95C 49-inch Curved Ultrawide Gaming Monitor $799.99 at B&HThis monitor is not for the faint of heart, but it's $500 off during B&H's sale, so we couldn't resist bringing attention to it. This massive, 49-inch ultrawide curved gaming monitor from Samsung ups the immersion factor, and allows you to really take in everything that you're seeing on the screen. The dual-monitor setup features two QHD panels that are stitched together to create a seamless display, both of them with a 240Hz refresh rate. It also has a 1ms response time, HDR10+ support, as well as CoreSync and Core Lighting+ RGB Lighting for extra customization options.
Best non-ultrawide curved gaming monitor deal Opens in a new window Credit: LG LG 34-inch UltraGear OLED Curved Gaming Monitor $796.99 at B&HIf you still want to go the curved monitor route but are looking for a more compact option, this gaming monitor from LG may be your best bet. It's got a 34-inch OLED display with a 240Hz refresh rate, a 0.03ms response time, and 275 nits of max brightness. The monitor also feaures a borderless design that helps to maximize immersion, and DTS Headphone:X support for more accurate audio spatialization while you play. It's only $796.99 during the B&H sale, saving you $500 total.
Best compact gaming monitor deal Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung Odyssey QD-OLED G6 27-inch Gaming Monitor $699.99 at B&HIf you're looking for a more traditional gaming monitor, this 27-incher from Samsung's Odyssey line is a great option. The OLED display boasts a 360Hz refresh rate, a 0.03ms response time, 250 nits of max brightness, and RGB lighting options. It's simple, but when the basics are done right, you can't ask for much more. Get one for $699.99 during the sale, saving you $200 off the original price.
More gaming monitor dealsLG 32UQ750-W 31.5-inch 4K HDR Gaming Monitor — $596.99 $696.99 (save $100)
Samsung Odyssey G7 G70D 27-inch 4K HDR Gaming Monitor — $599.99 $699.99 (save $100)
MSI MPG 341CQPX QD-OLED 34-inch Curved Ultrawide Gaming Monitor — $749.99 $899.99 (save $150)
MSI MPG 341CQPX 34-inch Curved Ultrawide Gaming Monitor and Desk Mount Kit — $849.98 $999.98 (save $150)
MSI MPG 491CQPX QD-OLED 49-inch Curved Ultrawide Gaming Monitor — $952.99 $1,052.99 (save $100)
LG UltraGear OLED 31.5-inch Gaming Monitor — $1,096 $1,396 (save $300)
ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDP 31.5-inch 4K HDR Gaming Monitor — $1,199 $1,269 (save $70)
Samsung Odyssey QD-OLED G9 49-inch Curved Ultrawide Gaming Monitor — $1,399.99 $1,899.99 (save $500)
In true RuPaul's Drag Race champion fashion, Bob the Drag Queen has dropped a scorching new single to promote her latest project. The reality TV icon who wowed (and was Boston Robbed) on Traitors is releasing his first novel, Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert, later this month. But before this much-anticipated book drops on March 25, enjoy its tie-in song, "Queen of the Underground."
In the video above, Bob the Drag Queen channels Tubman for the lyrics and costume. Fans of Bob might remember from his appearance on Showtime's taboo-rattling talk show Ziwe, his high opinion of Tubman as a badass (who could totally beat Spider-Man in a face-off). Produced by PEG records, "Queen of the Underground" has Bob the Drag Queen laying down the incredible facts of Tubman's life and hands-on abolitionism with a amped-up anthem vibe.
But how does that connect to Bob's book?
Well, Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert imagines what would happen if this true legend of American history were to record her own album with the help of a once-heralded record producer. Hamil-who? This is the kind of inspired genre-bending fans have come to expect from Bob the Drag Queen, who can appear in full Maleficent-inspired drag while casually referencing To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything Love, Julie Newmar. And if you don't know what I'm talking about, treat yourself to Season 2 of Dimension 20's sassy spinoff, Dungeons and Drag Queens.
On top of being a wildly fun ride, that Dropout show will make the wait until Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert arrives go by a bit faster. Or hey, check to see if Bob is coming to a store near you on the book tour.
The weekend has finally arrived. Celebrate with another handpicked set of deals at Amazon — Apple and Bose edition. Two of our favorite brands have blessed us with tons of epic deals heading into the weekend, from a new best-ever price on the M2 MacBook Air to a major $200 price drop on the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar. Whatever Amazon is cooking up, we've got our plates ready.
Here are our picks for the best Amazon deals of the day on March 7. If none of these are your cup of tea, be sure to check out our picks from March 5 and March 6 as well. Many of those deals are still live, including a 50% price drop on the Anker Zolo power bank and a new all-time low price on the 10th generation iPad ($9 cheaper than yesterday).
Our top pick: Apple M2 MacBook Air Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Air (M2, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $699 at AmazonIf you're looking to upgrade your MacBook without spending a fortune, this deal on the M2 MacBook Air is hard to beat. Sure, it's not the latest and greatest model (it's from 2022), but it's still a solid laptop that Mashable Tech Reporter Alex Perry gave the Mashable Choice Award badge of honor. He praised its zippy M2 processor, rock-solid battery life, slim profile, and more than satisfying keyboard design. Not only did it get a permanent price drop last year when the M3 made its debut, knocking its starting price down from $1,099 to $999, but Amazon also just knocked another $300 off as of March 7. That brings the price down 30% to a budget-friendly all-time low of $699.
Read our full review of the M2 MacBook Air.
Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar Opens in a new window Credit: Bose Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar $699 at AmazonWe love the wallet-friendly Bose Smart Soundbar, but the Smart Ultra Soundbar takes things up a notch or two. And as of March 7, it's 22% price drop makes it a more palatable $699 (reg. $899). Our pals at PCMag (also owned by Ziff Davis) tested it out and said, "The Bose Smart Ultra is a powerful one-piece soundbar that delivers big sound with plenty of spatial audio detail, and ample audio streaming features." It even earned their coveted Editors' Choice award. If you're seeking a one-piece home theater solution, it's certainly a worthy option. Plus, it's back down to its best price ever.
Apple Watch Series 10 Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Watch Series 10 (GPS, 42mm) $299 at AmazonThe Apple Watch Series 10 sees a lot of discounts, but as of March 7, it has its biggest one to date. The 42mm version with GPS is on sale for just $299 at Amazon — that's 25% in savings. Compared to previous iterations, the Series 10 boasts a thinner and lighter build, a larger display with a built-in speaker, faster charging (one of the biggest selling points for our reviewer), and a new array of health and fitness features like sleep apnea alerts, water temperature, and depth sensing. The upgrades aren't massive, but it stills reigns supreme as Mashable's favorite smartwatch fitness tracker in 2025.
Read Mashable's full review of the Apple Watch Series 10.
Bose SoundLink Flex Opens in a new window Credit: Bose Bose SoundLink Flex $112.53 at AmazonThe small and mighty Bose SoundLink Flex is back on sale for only $112.53 in sage green. That's 24% in savings. The latest generation of the go-anywhere speaker got an upgrade this past fall to enhance its already great features. It still boasts the same rugged texture, waterproof and UV light-resistant build, excellent 12-hour battery life, and bold sound. It just added better controls and customizable EQ in the Bose app for a better listening experience. If you prefer a color other than sage, you'll still get a deal; it'll just cost you about $13 bucks more.
Apple AirPods Pro 2 Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple AirPods Pro 2 $169.99 at AmazonAlert: the AirPods Pro 2 are back on sale for $169.99 (32% off). While that's not quite the lowest price we've seen, we definitely recommend snagging a pair at this price. We're huge fans of the AirPods Pro 2 due to their rich and well-balanced sound, best-in-class noise cancellation for earbuds, seamless integration into the Apple ecosystem, and decent battery life. They're our favorite noise-cancelling earbuds for Apple users — especially when they're this affordable.
Read our full review of the AirPods Pro 2.
None of these deals catching your eye? Check out Amazon's daily deals for even more savings.
In what can only be described as tremendously good news, Daylight Saving Time hits this weekend, meaning we'll spring forward and inch closer to those long summer nights.
But when exactly are our clocks due for the change?
The clocks will change one hour forward at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 9. That means in the wee hours of Sunday, it'll suddenly switch to 3 a.m. as we hit what would've been 2 a.m. The bad news? You're losing an hour of sleep. The good news? There will be extra daylight at the end of the day.
SEE ALSO: When the clocks change for Daylight Saving Time, and why we do it at allNow, to be clear, you have nothing to do with your devices. Pretty much every modern phone, computer, or smart watch will make the shift automatically. However, you might have to manually change the times on your oven, microwave, and coffeemaker to avoid it looking like a black hole opened in your kitchen.
Experts have warned that Daylight Saving Time can lead to adverse health effects, such as increased fatigue and reduced focus, which can cause serious downstream health problems. It's important to limit any sleep loss due to changes in time.
But for me, personally, I can't wait for the sun to be up a bit longer.
The Athena moon lander beamed home a poignant lunar view. Soon after, its mission ended.
After performing excellently on its flight to and around the moon, Intuitive Machine's Athena spacecraft experienced a landing mishap that resulted in the 15-foot-tall robot lying on its side. The Houston-based aerospace company released an image from the askew craft on March 7, with shadowed Earth in the distance. It's lying in a crater some 250 meters, or 820 feet, from its intended landing site.
From this problematic position, the privately-built but NASA-funded lander likely cannot produce power to operate.
"With the direction of the sun, the orientation of the solar panels, and extreme cold temperatures in the crater, Intuitive Machines does not expect Athena to recharge," Intuitive Machines said in a statement. "The mission has concluded and teams are continuing to assess the data collected throughout the mission."
SEE ALSO: The U.S. is exploring a railroad for the moon. It has a good reason.Landing on the moon remains daunting, largely because it's a world with virtually no atmosphere to slow spacecraft down. A craft must plummet to the surface almost perfectly, as thrusters fire to slow its descent onto a surface teeming with pits and craters. Although the company Firefly Aerospace completed a successful moon touchdown on March 2, and Chinese and Indian craft have had recent landing successes, Intuitive Machines' first lunar spacecraft Odysseus sustained damage while landing awkwardly in 2024. The same year, a Japanese craft landed upside down, on its head.
"I think we can agree, particularly today, that landing on the moon is extremely hard," Nicola Fox, who leads NASA's Science Mission Directorate, said at an agency news conference on March 6 after the company revealed a probable landing mishap.
A view of the Athena lander on the lunar surface with Earth in the background. Credit: Intuitive Machines This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.Intuitive Machines, however, didn't venture to the relatively well-trodden equatorial areas previously visited by Apollo astronauts. It descended into the dark and shadowy south pole region, a resource-rich area, but one with precious landing conditions. "This southern pole region is lit by harsh sun angles and limited direct communication with the Earth," the company said. "This area has been avoided due to its rugged terrain and Intuitive Machines believes the insights and achievements from IM-2 will open this region for further space exploration."
With Athena's mission over, it appears that a key objective of the mission – a NASA drill intended to bore some three feet into the lunar ground in search of water ice and other resources – won't perform as planned. (Intuitive Machines noted, somewhat opaquely, that it was "able to accelerate several program and payload milestones," including this drill, before losing power.)
"I think we can agree, particularly today, that landing on the moon is extremely hard."The search for water ice on the moon is a pivotal part of NASA's lunar ambitions. Harvesting water ice, the space agency has emphasized, is crucial for making drinkable water, oxygen, and fuel for rockets. Over eons, comets and meteors striking the moon could have transported bounties of water to the moon's surface. But without finding and mining this ice, the U.S. cannot establish a permanent presence on the moon, a pivotal part of its Artemis program.
This Intuitive Machines mission was funded by NASA as part of its Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, which it hopes will set the stage for its lunar presence. In the coming years, NASA intends to land astronauts on the moon, too. The agency currently expects to bring astronauts to the moon in mid-2027, wherein they'll spend a week exploring eerie craters of the moon's south pole.
SAVE $70: As of March 7, you can get the SharkFlexstyle hair dryer and styling system for $249.99 at Amazon. That's a 22% discount.
Opens in a new window Credit: Shark Shark FlexStyle hair dryer & styling system $249.99 at AmazonIf you’ve had your eye on the Dyson Airwrap or a high-end hair dryer but haven’t been able to justify (or stomach) the over-the-top price tag, we’ve got a dupe that might just fit the bill.
As of March 7, you can get the Shark FlexStyle for $249.99, down from $319.99, at Amazon. That’s a 22% discount and a $70 price cut. (It’s also a lot better price than the $599.99 Dyson Airwrap.)
The Shark FlexStyle is a multi-styling tool. You can curl, volumize, smooth, and dry your hair without damaging it (thanks to its temperature-regulating technology). It’s also super lightweight at just 1.5 pounds and travel-friendly.
SEE ALSO: The Shark FlexStyle is still better than the Dyson Airwrap“Unlike the Airwrap, you can also use the FlexStyle attachment-free, thanks to the base's ability to swivel and basically replicate the experience of a standard hair dryer,” writes Mashable shopping reporter Bethany Allard. “I packed the base by itself for a wedding I was in, and it was way less bulky in my bag than any travel hair dryer has ever been.”
The Shark FlexyStyle includes two 1.25-inch auto-wrap curlers, an oval brush, a paddle brush, a curl-defining diffuser, and a styling concentrator.
Spring is in the air, and so is the potential for Amazon's first major savings event of the year.
The retail giant hosted its inaugural Big Spring Sale in late March 2024, offering shoppers the chance to stock up and save on seasonal essentials across six days of discounts. Notably, it wasn't just another iteration of Amazon's members-only Prime Day sale: Most of the deals were open to all customers.
SEE ALSO: Prime members can get a free book every month with Amazon First ReadsWhile Amazon hasn't formally confirmed a Big Spring Sale for 2025, its second coming appears to be imminent: In late February, moderators of Amazon's Seller Central forum for third-party merchants announced the sale internally and put out calls for deals submissions.
"As customers prepare to refresh and renew this spring season, we're excited to announce Amazon's Big Spring Sale!" one mod wrote in a Feb. 27 post titled "Big Deal Energy - Get Ready for Amazon’s Big Spring Sale 2025." (It was public at the time of writing.) "This is the perfect opportunity to connect with customers during their annual spring cleaning efforts."
Amazon's first official press release about last year's Big Spring Sale went out on March 14, so expect this year's confirmation to land sometime in mid-March, if it is indeed happening. Read on for the Mashable Shopping team's date and deal predictions in the meantime.
Possible Amazon Big Spring Sale datesWe have two possible clues as to when this year's Big Spring Sale will be held. One is a line in a mod's Amazon Seller Central post about it that says, "Prime-exclusive discounts for this event may be submitted through March 31, 2025." Let's assume the event itself goes through that date.
Our other clue lies in the timing of last year's Big Spring Sale, which ran from Wednesday, March 20, through Monday, March 25. Let's assume Amazon sticks with the same Wednesday-through-Monday formatting. (Having covered Amazon events like Prime Day since 2018, we know that Amazon is a creature of habit when it comes to scheduling.)
With that in mind, we'll make an educated guess that Amazon's 2025 Big Spring Sale will be live from Wednesday, March 26, through Monday, March 31. We'll update this story if and when the dates are confirmed.
Possible Big Spring Sale dealsIn a separate post about submitting discounts for this year's Big Spring Sale, another Seller Central mod encouraged merchants to "consider deals" within the categories of home/living, apparel, beauty, outdoor/recreation, sporting equipment, and "other seasonally relevant categories!" Look for lots of deals related to warm-weather activities and spring cleaning.
SEE ALSO: E-commerce sites like Temu and Amazon are liable for faulty goods, according to EU planWe also expect Amazon to offer some of the season's best deals on select electronics during its Big Spring Sale, as it is wont to do during major sitewide savings events. Devices across its own Echo, Fire, and Kindle lineups will undoubtedly get the steepest discounts. It's also possible that we'll see some initial markdowns on Apple's brand-new MacBook Air and iPads, which are set for release on March 12. (It's not too soon: Last year's 15-inch M3 MacBook Air got a Big Spring Sale discount of $95 just two weeks post-launch.)
Finally, a selection of Prime-exclusive discounts is all but guaranteed, based on the aforementioned Seller Central post about the March 31 deadline.
Amazon's 2025 Big Spring Sale deals will likely be found at amazon.com/bigspringsale once the event goes live — stay tuned.
FREE WITH PRIME: Prime members get Alexa+ free, which is $19.99/month otherwise.
Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Get Alexa+ free with Prime Learn MoreIn case you haven’t heard, Alexa+ is here, and she’s ready to grace every Amazon device in your home. And, if you’re a Prime member, you can enjoy her services for free.
That’s right, folks. Alexa+ is Amazon’s newest Prime perk, offering enhanced features that’ll make your life a little bit easier. (It’s $19.99 a month for non-Prime members.)
From personalized recs to advanced voice commands and highlight reels of your security footage (for those with an Echo device and camera setup), Alexa 2.0 is ready to help you run your smart home. She’s also been reconfigured to speak more naturally, so you can have an actual conversation without her glitching out.
SEE ALSO: 5 things Amazon's AI-powered Alexa+ can do for youAlthough the official release date hasn’t been announced, Alexa+ is expected to launch sometime this month. Access will start with select owners of Echo Show 8, 10, 15, and 21.
If you’re a Prime member and want to be notified when free early access is available, you can sign up for an email notification on Amazon's website. And, if you haven’t signed up for Prime yet, you can do so for $14.99 per month or $139 annually.
Can art and commerce co-exist in today's cinematic landscape? Is it possible to make prestige films that double as blockbusters? These are some of the questions haunting newly appointed Continental Studios head Matt Remick (Seth Rogen) in AppleTV+'s upcoming Hollywood satire The Studio.
SEE ALSO: SXSW: What are the movies and shows you need to know about?In the trailer above, Matt laments his new responsibilities. "I love movies," he tells producer Patty Leigh (Catherine O'Hara). "But now I have this fear that my job is to ruin them."
"The job is a meat grinder," she replies.
The Studio's trailer fully embraces the chaos of the Hollywood meat grinder, promising chaotic shoots, raucous awards shows, and heaps of celebrity cameos. Martin Scorsese and Ice Cube take meetings with Matt. Past Lives' Greta Lee and Women Talking director Sarah Polley lose it when Matt interferes with a key shot. Olivia Wilde and Zoë Kravitz have screaming meltdowns. That's only just scratching the surface of The Studio's many cameos, but don't for a second think the show is only a star-studded celebrity fest. It's also an incisive look at the increasingly embattled Hollywood of today.
In addition to Rogen and O'Hara, The Studio also stars Kathryn Hahn, Ike Barinholtz, Chase Sui Wonders, Bryan Cranston, Keyla Monterroso Mejia, and Dewayne Perkins.
The Studio premieres March 7 at SXSW. It hits AppleTV+ March 26.
There's a scam going around that involves impersonating ransomware group BianLian, warns the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
On Thursday, the FBI issued a warning that describes the scam. Ransoms letters (yep, snail mail) are sent to corporate executives claiming to be from "BianLian Group," a known Russian ransomware gang, saying they've infiltrated the organization's network and demand payment to a Bitcoin wallet or else sensitive information will be published on its network.
SEE ALSO: Crypto scammers are using Elon Musk's DOGE to defraud peopleAccording to the announcement, the letter is stamped "Time Sensitive Read Immediately" and demands between "$250,000 and $500,000 within ten days from receipt of the letter." The letter includes a QR code to the Bitcoin wallet and says it "will not negotiate further with victims."
The FBI says this is a scam, and not a targeted BianLian ransomware heist. "We have not yet identified any connections between the senders and the widely-publicized BianLian ransomware and data extortion group," read the warning, which also noted that the scam has a Boston, MA return address.
SEE ALSO: Cybersecurity group sues DOGE over data accessAccording to cybersecurity firm Arctic Wolf, which reviewed the scam said organizations that had received the letters reported "no activity indicative of a ransomware intrusion," further reinforcing the conclusion that the letters did not come from BianLian.
Businesses that receive the letter are advised to file a complaint to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) and spread awareness of the scam to their employees.
If businesses believe they are actually being ransomed by BianLian, the FBI recommends visiting the joint Cybersecurity Advisory bulletin for detailed techniques and procedures on how to protect themselves.
Cybercrime requires constant vigilance online, but here's another reminder to be wary of snail mail too.
Sometimes a movie hits you so hard, you can't shake it. The Electric State, the latest offering from directing duo Joe Russo and Anthony Russo, is such a movie. It's so dunderheaded and cacophonous that I'm still angry about its existence.
There was a time not so long ago when the Russo brothers were entrusted with the keys to the MCU kingdom, helming blockbusters like Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Endgame. But outside of the box that Kevin Feige built (or at least oversees), the pair have struggled to create enthralling movies. Instead, they've give us the forgettable Tom Holland-fronted drama Cherry and the atrociously underwhelming action flick The Gray Man, which wasn't even helped by pitting Chris Evans against Ryan Gosling. Now, here comes The Electric State, a convoluted collision of genres, ideas, and bottom-of-the-barrel nostalgia that cannot be elevated by its stars, Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt.
SEE ALSO: 'The Gray Man' review: The Russo Brothers' action mixtape can't find the beat The Electric State is less a movie and more a garage sale. Chris Pratt leaps onto a robot's hand in "The Electric State." Credit: NetflixInspired by Simon Stålenhag's illustrated novel of the same name, The Electric State is set in a world drowning in kitsch and anti-robot sentiment. In a '90s setting, Stranger Things' Millie Bobby Brown stars as orphaned teen Michelle, who has a chip on her shoulder and a little brother whose consciousness has somehow ended up in a cartoony-looking robot that can only spit cutesy catchphrases. Considering Michelle had thought he'd died four years before — in the car collision that killed their parents — this seems a win. But it pitches girl and bot into quest to reunite his body and soul, which will take them deep into enemy territory.
See, in The Electric State's revisionist history of our world, vaguely anthropomorphic robots were introduced to the U.S. in the 1950s to amuse and do menial jobs, like construction, delivering mail, or promoting the sale of peanuts. As the robots gained consciousness, they demanded not to be enslaved and instead given rights. A violent man-versus-machine war broke out in 1990. The only thing that could stop the death on both sides was a peace treaty struck between tech oligarch Ethan Skate (Stanley Tucci) and Mr. Peanut (voiced by Woody Harrelson), a mechanical mascot who'd become the leader of the robots.
Confused? Don't worry. For one thing, the movie will explain itself over and over, laying out the robots-only zone with the help of the buddy team of a human smuggler (Pratt) and his robo-sidekick (voiced by Anthony Mackie). For another thing, none of this really ever makes sense, no matter how much screen time the Russos dedicate to it.
The thing is, it wouldn't matter if the plot held water if the world they built was cool enough. (See The Matrix or the explosive ending of Jaws!) But the Russos are not creators, they're collectors. And here, they basically turned a junkpile aesthetic into a trash movie.
The 1950s robots all have a kitschy old-school design of round heads and thin limbs, evoking Mickey Mouse. But the Russos aren't working for Disney anymore, so while Walt Disney gets a mention (as an innovator in the space of robot employment), the movie is not filled with recognizable characters, much less beloved ones. Where Ready Player One offered a similar concept of the underdog disrupting tech tyranny in a world where anything dreamed up could battle, The Electric State is stuck with Mr. Peanut. For added pandering, there's a smattering of '90s doodads like Big Mouth Billy Bass, the singing wall-mounted fish. Then, the Russos slather much of the film in a dingy blue-gray palette that assures the audience that while this might seem stupid, it's actually a very serious movie. (Netflix, did Squid Game teach you nothing!)
Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt do not save The Electric State. Millie Bobby Brown, Chris Pratt, and Ke Huy Quan co-star in "The Electric State." Credit: NetflixNetflix and Brown have committed pretty intensely to each other, following Stranger Things with the action-packed mysteries Enola Holmes 1 & 2 and the fantasy action movie Damsel. The Electric State seems a step back for Brown, miscasting her as the lead. Now 21, she no longer looks convincingly like a teenager. Her physicality in the first scene — opposite her human brother before the war with the robots — is so maternal and mature that it's jarring when a scene set four years later insists Michelle is in high school. From there, Brown seems on cruise control, glowering whether she's talking tough to the smuggler that becomes her uneasy ally, her ro-brother, or any array of misfits and machines she meets on her journey.
The Russos aim for an Amblin aesthetic in their sentimental approach to a kid and their outsider bestie — AI instead of ET — fighting for the latter's very existence. The score by Alan Silvestri (Back to the Future, Amazing Stories) seems to harken back to the '80s optimism seen in kids movies like E.T. and An American Tail, in which a pesky pack of kids could topple a villainous authority. But this whimsy doesn't permeate the movie. Its best effort seems to be in Keats, Pratt's smuggler, who feels modeled after Han Solo meets Andy from Parks and Recreation. It's Pratt in his default mode of swaggering doofus. And for good measure, he's got a wise-cracking robot buddy who isn't cute, or funny, or particularly interesting. But hey, at least they manage to wedge in some gay panic jokes in a could-have-been-moving moment.
The effect of all this is that of a sloppy collage. Smacked together with visible glue are some cool visuals, some popular performers, some story elements that echo Stranger Things, Star Wars, E.T., The Matrix, and Ready Player One. But there's nothing much to say and nothing new to contribute. Viewers might perk up when a curious robot pops on screen with a familiar voice, as the likes of Jenny Slate, Brian Cox, and Alan Tudyk lend their voices. They might marvel that Giancarlo Esposito, who plays a human solider dedicated to keeping the robots in line, brings gravitas even to dreck like this and Captain America: Brave New World. But when you consider the cast that came together, the money spent on building a varied and textured population of weird robots, and the time invested in bringing the Russos' vision to life, it's hard not to feel like The Electric State is nothing if not a monument to missed opportunities.
Bong Joon Ho has already made a huge impact in film history for his artistry. Mickey 17's Toni Collette and Naomi Ackie describe how his process might be his most impressive talent.
FREE AND DISCOUNTED BOOKS: The latest Stuff Your Kindle Day takes place on March 7-10. You can choose from a selection of indie sci-fi e-books for free or with a large discount.
Stuff Your Kindle Day is a great time to stock up your digital library. If you've had sci-fi books on the brain, you're in luck: thanks to Indievisible you can score a variety of sci-fi books for free or at a discounted rate. This is part of the Indie Author Spring Spectacular, which runs through March 10.
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The late night hosts have had plenty to say about Elon Musk and DOGE since Trump took office, but sometimes a poem can say so much more than mere words ever can.
In the clip above, Stephen Colbert responds to U.S. Republican Randy Weber's poem praising Elon Musk with a decidedly less complimentary poem of his own.
"His claim to fame, hi-tech machines / His only friends, are facist teens," reads Colbert. "With skin the tone of day-old sushi / He's super dumb, and uber douchey."
It only gets blunter from there.
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