Feed aggregator

Facing the looming threat of A.I. as a competitor, some publishers are considering an alternative to the internet’s all-powerful algorithms.

SAVE $100: As of March 6, the Apple iPad mini (A17 Pro, WiFi, 128GB) is on sale at Best Buy for $399. That's 20% off its list price of $499.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple iPad mini (A17 Pro Chip) $399.00 at Best Buy
$499.00 Save $100.00 Get Deal

A new iPad and iPad Air may be coming down the pipeline later this year, but if you've had your eyes set on the iPad mini, we've got good news. The tiny but mighty tablet is on sale right now at Best Buy, so you can scoop it up for $100 off its list price.

This has dropped the price of the Apple iPad mini (A17 Pro, WiFi, 128GB) from $499 to $399. On top of that nice little discount, your purchase also comes with bonus offers to kickstart your journey with this new tablet: Apple Fitness+ for free for three months if you're a new subscriber, up to three months of Apple Music for free if you're a new or returning subscriber, up to three months of Apple Arcade for free if you're a new or returning subscriber, and Apple TV+ for free for two months if you're a new or qualified returning subscriber.

SEE ALSO: Here's what you need to know about preordering the new M4 Apple MacBook Air

Alongside its smaller 8.3-inch size that's perfect for taking on the go, the iPad mini boasts a vibrant Liquid Retina display and powerful performance with the A17 Pro chip. In our review, Mashable's Stan Schroeder says that, "If you're new to the iPad, and you want the most compact one around (or any compact tablet), the new iPad mini 7 is the best choice."

We also consider it the best iPad for reading in our roundup of the best iPads, noting "The iPad Mini got a 2024 upgrade, and is now equipped with the A17 chip but with the same 5-core GPU and 6-core CPU. Along with the chip upgrade comes Apple Intelligence, an especially helpful feature if you plan to use it for reading as it can summarize articles."

This deal is worth taking advantage of while it's still live. Don't miss out on $100 off the Apple iPad mini (A17 Pro, WiFi, 128GB) at Best Buy.

There are a few more Apple deals floating around right now that are also worth a look. The Apple Magic Keyboard is currently enjoying over $80 off at Amazon and the AirPods Pro 2 are $50 off there as well.

The Taiwanese chip giant TSMC’s plan to invest $100 billion in the United States has been met with anxiety and criticism in its home country.

A new working paper from various university researchers suggests that age-verification laws aren't effective.

Age-verification laws differ by state, but typically require visitors of websites with over a third of explicit content to submit ID as proof of age. Forms of ID can range from a digital ID to facial recognition. Since 2022, 19 states have passed age-verification laws, all of which are in effect except Georgia's, which will be in effect as of July 1.

SEE ALSO: All the states Pornhub is blocked in as of January 1

In January, the Supreme Court heard a case about age verification, Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton. Its decision, which will likely come this summer, will impact current and future age-verification laws.

Free speech and digital privacy experts agree that children shouldn't have access to porn, but have told Mashable since 2023 that age-verification laws won't work for that aim. Among other reasons, some porn sites that are not U.S.-based may not feel the need to comply with the law, and people can use VPNs to pretend like they're in another location.

Now, researchers from New York University's Center for Social Media & Politics and several other universities looking into whether these laws impact search behavior have found the same thing.

Research suggests age-verification laws don't work

Through analyzing Google Trends data, researchers found a 46.6 percent traffic reduction of searches to Pornhub, the biggest platform compliant with the laws. Pornhub has blocked most states with age-verification laws because of the burden of complying to the laws. In Louisiana, where Pornhub still operates while complying, traffic has dropped 80 percent, its parent company Aylo confirmed to Mashable. (Pornhub continues to operate in Louisana because the state has a digital ID that is fairly commonly used, called LA Wallet.)

While searches for Pornhub dropped in these states, researchers saw a 48.1 percent increase in searches for a large non-compliant platform, XVideos (which didn't respond to Mashable's request for comment), and a 23.6 percent increase in searches for VPNs. This occurred in the states with age-verification laws on a rolling timeline based on when the laws were enacted.

This shows that when it comes to internet regulation that primarily tries to impact access, there are unintended consequences, said Zeve Sanderson, co-author and executive director of the NYU Center for Social Media & Politics, in an interview with Mashable. One is the substitution effect, which undermines the potential efficacy of the policies. This is seen here with explicit websites, but was also evidenced by TikTokkers flocking to RedNote when TikTok users thought the ban was imminent.

"In Louisiana last year, Pornhub was one of the few sites to comply with the new law. Since then, our traffic in Louisiana dropped approximately 80 percent. These people did not stop looking for porn," Aylo told Mashable in an emailed statement. "They just migrated to darker corners of the internet that don't ask users to verify age, that don't follow the law, that don't take user safety seriously, and that often don't even moderate content. In practice, the laws have just made the internet more dangerous for adults and children."

Aylo stated that it has publicly supported age verification, but the way many jurisdictions have chosen to implement it is "ineffective, haphazard, and dangerous." It pointed to the safety and privacy risk of requiring websites to collect a large amount of highly sensitive personal information (from people's names to the content they consume). Like free speech advocates Mashable has previously spoken to, Aylo stated the best solution to prevent children from seeing explicit content is device-level filters.

Studying search trends for porn sites

Researchers used a method called synthetic control to analyze the Trends results. Basically, they created a "digital twin," or synthetic version of the state to show what could've happened if the state had not passed these laws. To make sure their results were robust, they also used a multiverse analysis and adjusted the dates they used. Their results held.

As the authors explain in the paper, though, there are some limitations to using Google Trends to measure policy efficacy. For one, Google Trends data doesn't measure website visits or actual web traffic. It also can't account for actions like typing in a URL on a browser and going to a website directly.

Researchers were also unable to differentiate search results by age, which is the main component of these laws. The question of whether these laws are impacting minors' behavior is probably unanswerable, however, because of ethical and legal concerns of exposing minors to explicit content.

Google Trends does measure search behavior, and previous research cited in the paper confirms that it is reliable for tracking population-level behavioral patterns. These researchers also conducted a correlation analysis and found a strong correlation between Google Trends volume and actual Pornhub and XVideos traffic data from SimilarWeb.

The study has yet to be peer-reviewed or published in a journal, but the authors wanted to publish it as a working paper now because the Supreme Court decision still hasn't come down and because states continue to debate this topic, Sanderson said.

"Given how quickly this regulatory space is moving, we wanted to be able to contribute to it when it was most meaningful, not on the timeline of journal publication," he continued. The results will be updated once SCOTUS makes its ruling.

For now, however, these initial findings propose that, as experts warned, age-verification laws don't achieve their intended purpose.

This "first large-scale empirical analysis of these of these laws suggests that they're likely not reaching their stated goals," Sanderson said, "and if anything, could be incentivizing riskier behavior."

SAVE $160: As of March 6, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra smartwatch is on sale at Best Buy for $489.99. That's 24% off its list price of $649.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra $489.99 at Best Buy
$649.99 Save $160.00 Get Deal

If you're not an Apple user and looking for a smartwatch that can keep up with your active lifestyle, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is the one to go for. This smartwatch is built for the ultimate outdoor adventurers, boasting a rugged build and plenty of features to keep you on top of your goals. While it normally retails for $649.99, you can actually score a nice discount on it right now at Best Buy.

The retailer has dropped the price of the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra down to $489.99, saving you $160 overall. All available colors are discounted as well, so you can save on the titanium silver model with a dark gray marine band, the titanium gray model with a orange marine band, the titanium white model with a white marine band, and the titanium gray model with a dark gray marine band.

SEE ALSO: The best smartwatch for every wrist

Alongside a durable design that's built to withstand any adventure you embark on, this smartwatch offers plenty of health and fitness features to keep you updated. This includes an Energy Score that shows you how ready you are to take on the day based on insights from the day before. Our hands-on review also notes that, "It can reportedly handle temperatures between -4 and 131 degrees Fahrenheit, and it can tolerate deep-sea diving and other challenging environments."

In our comparison of Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra vs. Apple Watch Ultra, Mashable's Stan Schroeder also says that, "When it comes to fitness tracking, Samsung's new watch offers Heart Rate Zones, allowing you to keep precise track of whether your workout has crossed that anaerobic threshold. The Race feature lets you compete against yourself. Cyclers will appreciate the new Functional Threshold Power Test, which helps you figure out your max power on the bike."

If you've been on the hunt for a smartwatch upgrade, this deal on the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is something to carefully consider.

If you'd prefer to see what Apple has going on right now instead, some of their smartwatches are discounted as well. The Apple Watch Series 10 is $70 off at Amazon and the Apple Watch SE 2 is $50 off at Amazon.

If you want to feel very old, just watch this clip of Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt talking about '90s technology.

To promote their upcoming Netflix film The Electric State, the video sees Pratt explaining everything from a tape recorder to an answering machine to a mildly baffled Brown, whose reactions fall somewhere between confused ("You can't see yourself?" she says about a Polaroid camera) and appalled ("You can't send a text on that!").

She is a fan of the classic Walkman, though.

NASA and the Italian Space Agency say they have broken the record for the farthest detection of Earth-based navigation signals from 243,000 miles away in space. 

The test was among 10 experiments the U.S. space agency sent aboard the Blue Ghost moon lander, a private spacecraft built by Texas-based Firefly Aerospace. The uncrewed robotic lander softly touched down on the moon on March 2. A few hours after that landing, the receiver picked up and tracked signals again from the lunar surface — a first-time achievement. 

Called Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment, or LuGRE, the demonstration has proven that a spacecraft on the moon or flying in lunar orbit could detect GPS and other navigation signals from Earth. This breakthrough could make future Artemis missions easier, allowing spaceships carrying astronauts to independently determine their location and speed as they approach the moon.

"This is a very exciting discovery for lunar navigation," said Kevin Coggins, deputy associate administrator for NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation Program, in a statement, "and we hope to leverage this capability for future missions."   

SEE ALSO: NASA is back in the moon business. Here's what that means. Engineers examine Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment, or LuGRE, hardware in a clean room. Credit: Firefly Aerospace

For the general public, it may seem odd that spacecraft continue to crash or keel over on the lunar surface, though the first soft moon landing occurred six decades ago. But landing on the moon remains onerous. The moon's exosphere provides virtually no drag to slow a spacecraft down. And there's the fact that everything is about six times tippier there than on Earth. Furthermore, there are no GPS systems on or around the moon to help guide a ship to its landing spot, which could be riddled with treacherous craters. 

Normally, engineers track spacecraft using signals from stations on Earth, along with sensors on the spacecraft themselves. The LuGRE experiment has shown that future landings might not require as much reliance on people in mission control if distant spacecraft can use Earth's navigation signals autonomously.

These navigation signals refer to radio signals sent from satellites in Earth’s Global Navigation Satellite System, which includes GPS used in the United States and Galileo, a similar system used in Europe. The signals contain information about a satellite’s location and the exact time it was sent. Smartphones, cars, and airplanes receive these signals, and the directions they provide have become an indispensable part of everyday life.

The Earth-orbiting satellites don't just send signals straight down to the ground but far into space. The question was just how far they could reach and still be helpful. The previous record holder for signal acquisition was 209,900 miles from Earth, a feat achieved by NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission. 

Given that the signals are significantly weaker at a quarter-million miles from Earth — and come from satellites that weren’t designed for lunar navigation — they aren’t a permanent solution for the problem. In the future, a system of satellites orbiting the moon could provide stronger and more reliable navigation service. 

But for now, engineers are excited about the advancement and what it could mean for a potential lunar economy. Mining for lunar water alone could be a $206 billion industry over the next 30 years, according to Watts, Griffis, and McOuat, a geological and mining consulting firm. In order for the space between Earth and the moon to host such an industry, though, navigation improvements are critical. 

The LuGRE experiment was a team effort between NASA, its Italian counterpart, and some industry groups, including Qascom and Politecnico di Torino. The receiver was the first Italian-built hardware to operate on the moon, and the study won't just benefit the United States and Italy, but anyone headed to the moon. The partners intend to make their data public.  

"A project like LuGRE isn’t about NASA alone," said Lauren Konitzer, a NASA navigation and mission design engineer, in a statement. "We’re sharing our discoveries with the world."

SAVE $200: As of March 6, the 55-inch LG C4 OLED evo 4K TV is on sale at Best Buy for $1,199.99. That's 14% off its list price of $1,399.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: LG LG 55-Inch Class C4 Series OLED evo 4K UHD TV (2024) $1,199.99 at Best Buy
$1,399.99 Save $200.00 Get Deal

If you're someone who loves a good movie night or getting lost in a new game for hours, it's important to have a TV that can keep up with your favorite activities. The LG C4 OLED evo 4K TV is one of the best options available at the moment — personally, I'm a big fan of it — and you can even score it at a discount right now at Best Buy.

The 55-inch LG C4 OLED evo 4K TV has been marked down to $1,199.99 from its list price of $1,399.99, saving you $200. That's a great deal to take advantage of if you've been looking for an upgrade.

SEE ALSO: The best 4K TVs in 2025

The LG C4 boasts a sleek, slim design that blends in well with a living space, but its display is where it truly shines. The OLED display and 4K resolution provides a vibrant, smooth, and crystal clear picture that will make all of your favorite shows, films, and games pop. As someone who recently jumped back into Elden Ring on this TV, I can confirm that the picture quality is stunning. It also has Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and Filmmaker Mode that bring the cinematic experience into your own home, offering a nice little treat for your eyes and ears.

Don't miss out on $200 off the LG C4 OLED evo 4K TV at Best Buy.

If you're searching around for other TV deals, there are a few more that are worth checking out right now. Also at Best Buy, you can save $200 on a 75-inch TCL QLED TV, and over at Amazon, you can save over $100 on a huge 86-inch LG QNED TV.

SAVE $10: As of March 6, the Amazon Fire TV Stick HD is on sale for $24.99 at Amazon. That's a saving of 29% on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Fire Stick HD $24.99 at Amazon
$34.99 Save $10.00 Get Deal

Amazon's Fire Stick is one of the retailer's most beloved devices. With next to no effort, and usually a very low price, you can turn your TV into a smart TV, without having to spend hundreds of dollars on an upgrade.

And as of March 6, you can get one for under $25. The newest model of the Fire Stick HD is currently on sale at Amazon, now just $24.99.

SEE ALSO: Save over $80 on the Apple Magic Keyboard at Amazon

If you've not heard of a Fire Stick before, it's a streaming device that plugs into your TV (or laptop) and lets you access a bunch of streaming platforms including Prime Video, Netflix, Hulu, and more. It can even store apps and allow you to search the web. It comes with a remote with Alexa built-in, so you can use voice controls to search through multiple platforms at once to find your favorite movie or comfort show or to ask obscure questions you need to be looked up online.

And let's not forget, with this specific Fire Stick, you'll be enjoying all your favorite shows in beautiful HD quality.

There's no over-the-top setup to worry about either. The device pops into your TV's HDMI port, and that's it. You're ready to go with instant access to streaming platforms as well as many live channels.

This deal won't stick around for long, so head to Amazon now to save.

The cryptocurrency exchange Bybit lost $1.5 billion to North Korean hackers last month — and it all traced back to an account on a free digital storage service.

Of all Elon Musk's companies, the most successful and lucrative business has easily been his EV car company, Tesla. For many, the brand name "Tesla" has become synonymous with electric cars.

Unfortunately for the company, "Tesla" is also becoming synonymous with President Donald Trump and Elon Musk's embrace of the far-right.

Numerous reports have shown that Tesla's sales have plummeted worldwide as Musk ties himself to the Trump administration and fires federal workers under DOGE. EV outlet Electrek reports that Tesla's sales are worse in Europe. Last month, deliveries in Europe dropped by 50 percent compared to the same timeframe one year earlier. 

Certain acts, like the so-called "Roman salute" gesture that Musk performed on Inauguration Day, have also affected Tesla's sales.

SEE ALSO: DOGE tech employees jointly resign in protest of Elon Musk

According to a new report on Wednesday, sales in Europe continue to decline. For example, Tesla has seen a sales decline of 76 percent in Germany. In February 2025, Tesla only delivered 1,429 new vehicles in Germany, compared to more than 6,000 in February 2024. This data is especially concerning for Tesla, as Germany is Europe's largest EV market. Musk recently backed Germany's far-right AfD party in the country's recent elections.

According to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA), Tesla vehicle registrations across the EU, including the UK, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein, fell by 45 percent from January 2024 to January 2025. It's not just Europe, either. 

Tesla sales in Australia fell by nearly 72 percent in February. The company only sold 1,592 vehicles last month compared to the 5,665 it sold the previous year.

It appears that Tesla sales are slumping in the U.S., too. According to the California New Car Dealers Association, Tesla registered fewer cars in the state in all four quarters of 2024. California is the largest EV market in the U.S. Tesla sales fell by 8 percent in the fourth quarter and 12 percent for the whole year.

Recently, The New York Times reported on now-former Tesla owners who recently sold their EVs due to Musk's actions and the associated consequences of being seen as supporters of Musk's for driving a Tesla vehicle.

As long as Musk works with Trump, Tesla's business will likely continue to decline. After all, the consumers most likely to buy an electric vehicle are environmentally conscious, often liberal individuals. Even if the Trump-Musk relationship ends, it might be too late for Tesla to redeem itself in the eyes of many of those consumers.

There are only two human spacecraft in interstellar space. And their fuel is dwindling.

Voyager 1 — launched in 1977 and now over 15.6 billion miles from Earth — started out with 10 science instruments, but now has just three running after NASA turned off another gadget to conserve its finite nuclear fuel supply. And later this month, the space agency's engineers will turn off another instrument on its exploration sibling, Voyager 2.

"The Voyagers have been deep space rock stars since launch, and we want to keep it that way as long as possible," Suzanne Dodd, the Voyager project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said in a statement. "But electrical power is running low. If we don’t turn off an instrument on each Voyager now, they would probably have only a few more months of power before we would need to declare end of mission."

SEE ALSO: NASA's Voyager is in hostile territory. It's 'dodging bullets.'

With such engineering vigilance and expert troubleshooting, it's possible the Voyager craft can stay online through the mid-2030s.

"You have to praise the engineers."

The recently turned-off instrument is the cosmic ray subsystem experiment, which studied cosmic ray particles — high-energy atomic particles speeding through the cosmos, created by events like supernova explosions. This instrument played a pivotal role in revealing when Voyager 1 had left our solar system's heliosphere (a bubble of protective particles emitted by the sun) and entered interstellar space in 2012.

Tweet may have been deleted One of Voyager 1's three radioisotope thermoelectric generators, which generate electricity for the craft. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech

The remaining science instruments on Voyager are its magnetometer, plasma wave subsystem, and low-energy charged particle instrument, the last of which will be shut off in 2026. The plutonium fuel supply will gradually produce less power; the system has been losing four watts each year. A toaster uses 800 to 1500 watts, and, amazingly, each Voyager craft only generates around 249 watts.

Voyager 1's mission will end when it can't muster the energy to communicate with the gargantuan radio dishes of NASA's Deep Space Network, which are spread around the globe.

Tweet may have been deleted

The craft are now approaching 50 years of deep space exploration, surviving extreme bursts of radiation and swoops by icy planets. They are robust, trusty robots, but they couldn't survive alone. NASA engineers have for decades devised ways to keep the aging, radiation-pummeled craft alive, communicating with vintage computers aboard the nearly half-century old probes.

"You have to praise the engineers," Alan Cummings, a cosmic-ray physicist at Caltech — the research university that manages NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory — told Mashable last year.

TL;DR: Learn the fundamentals of hacking in the All-in-One Super-Sized Ethical Hacking Bundle on sale for $34.97 through March 30. 

Opens in a new window Credit: Aleksa Tamburkovski The All-in-One Super-Sized Ethical Hacking Bundle $34.97
$1,098.00 Save $1,063.03 Get Deal

Cybersecurity is one of the fastest-growing fields, but knowing how to get started can be overwhelming. If you’re thinking about diving in but aren’t sure where to start, the All-in-One Super-Sized Ethical Hacking Bundle is your launching pad.

For $34.97, you’ll get access to 18 in-depth courses packed with over 100 hours of content, all designed to help you master the essential skills cybersecurity employers want.

Learn fundamental cybersecurity skills

Getting your feet wet in cybersecurity can be tricky, mostly because you can’t just start running penetration tests on random networks. Besides the fact that hacking into things is illegal, learning these skills on your own can be a slow and frustrating process. That’s why this bundle is designed to guide you step-by-step through every skill, from the basics to more complex techniques.

You’ll begin with the fundamentals of ethical hacking, setting up a virtual lab, and exploring methods like network scanning and identifying vulnerabilities. As you build your confidence, you’ll progress into advanced topics such as Python-based hacking, securing wireless networks, and social engineering tactics.

Want to pursue certifications like the Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) or CompTIA Security+? This bundle covers many of the key topics found in these exams, so while it’s not a direct prep course, it sets a solid foundation to help you earn those credentials down the road.

March 30 at 11:59 p.m. PT is the deadline to get the All-in-One Super-Sized Ethical Hacking Bundle on sale for $34.97 (reg. $1,098). 

StackSocial prices subject to change. 

TL;DR: Bring binoculars into the digital age with these Mini Digital Night Vision Binoculars for just $79.97 (reg. $159) through March 30. 

Opens in a new window Credit: Mesay Mini Digital Night Vision Binoculars with 1080p HD Recording $79.97
$159.99 Save $80.02 Get Deal

Regular binoculars are kind of useless at night, unless a magnified pitch-black view is better than your regular one. 

That's why it's so nice to have a pair of night-vision binoculars on hand. Don't worry, they aren't as expensive as they used to be. In fact, these Mini Digital Night Vision Binoculars are on sale for $79.97 (reg. $159). 

What can they do?

These aren't the big, clunky binoculars you had when you were a kid. The Mini Digital Night Vision Binoculars take classic outdoor gear into the digital age. Whether you’re scouting wildlife, night fishing, or camping under the stars, these compact binoculars make seeing all that the outdoors has to offer super convenient.

With a range of up to 1,000 feet in total darkness and 850nm infrared illumination, you’ll get a clear view no matter the light conditions. Plus, the 10x optical magnification and 4x digital zoom help ensure you won’t miss any details. The 2.4-inch HD display lets you view in real-time, while 1080p HD recording means you can capture photos and videos to relive the adventure later or share them with friends.

No need to worry about bulky equipment or extra batteries. These binoculars are pocket-sized and rechargeable, with a built-in 2260mAh lithium battery that provides hours of exploration. Seven adjustable brightness levels and four color modes (including infrared) let you customize your viewing experience based on your surroundings.

If you're ready to explore the dark like never before, grab these modern binoculars and see just what you’ve been missing.

Get a pair of Mini Digital Night Vision Binoculars for just $79.97 (reg. $159). 

Sale ends March 30 at 11:59 p.m. PT. 

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: You can get a refurbished Apple MacBook Air (M1, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) on sale for $514.99 (reg. $1,499). 

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Refurbished Apple MacBook Air (M1, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) $514.99
$1,499.00 Save $984.01 Get Deal

Apple's M1 chip changed so much for MacBooks. They went from a solid, if expensive, option to reliable, high-performance computers that can last for years. It's no wonder they're usually so expensive. 

However, if you're smart about where you shop, you can still find a budget-friendly M1 MacBook like this one. It's a refurbished MacBook Air with the M1 chipset, and it's only $514.99 (reg. $1,499).

What can you do with an M1 MacBook?

This MacBook Air M1 is a strong option for anyone looking for a lightweight, portable laptop that doesn't compromise on performance.

The M1’s 8-core CPU and GPU really step up the game, making things run up to 3.5 times faster and graphics up to 5 times quicker compared to the older versions. Whether you're diving into a graphics-heavy project, playing the latest games, or just multitasking like a pro, this MacBook Air keeps up without breaking a sweat. 

The 13.3-inch Retina display has a sharp 2560x1600 resolution that delivers crisp, vibrant visuals that are a fit for work and leisure. 

One of the coolest parts? It’s fanless. That means you get to enjoy a whisper-quiet experience, so no more annoying fan noises kicking in just when you're deep in focus mode. And let’s talk storage—thanks to the speedy SSD, everything from booting up to accessing files happens in a snap, adding to the overall zippiness of the system.

On the sound front, Dolby Atmos stereo speakers add some real oomph to your movies or music, and the 720p FaceTime HD camera is perfectly fine for your Zoom calls or catching up with family.

For connections, you’ve got two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports that handle everything from charging to lightning-fast data transfers, plus Wi-Fi 6 to keep your internet connections speedy and solid. And with up to 18 hours of battery life, you don't have to dash to find an outlet. 

Quality doesn't have to cost much. Get a refurbished Apple MacBook Air M1 for $514.99. 

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Design logos and create stunning visuals in moments with a lifetime subscription to AI Magicx, just $64.99 with code MAGIC35. 

Opens in a new window Credit: AI Magicx AI Magicx: Lifetime Subscription (Rune Plan) $64.99
$972.00 Save $907.01 with code MAGIC35 Get Deal

It takes time to get good at art and design, but when you need a logo now, there's not much time to practice. That leaves you with a few options: hire a freelancer (expensive) or do it yourself (sloppy). Or, at least, that's how it used to be. 

Now, you can use AI to design logos and all sorts of powerful visuals. No more muddling through Photoshop tutorials. Just use AI Magicx to turn your ideas into images. Normally $972, now you can even get a lifetime subscription to AI Magicx for $64.99 with code MAGIC35. 

AI logo designer

AI Magicx is an innovative platform powered by cutting-edge artificial intelligence. Whether you’re starting a business, brainstorming content, or crafting a brand identity, AI Magicx simplifies every step. From unique logo design to interactive chatbots, it’s kind of like having a full creative team at your fingertips without the hefty price tag.

With AI Magicx, creating something extraordinary is as simple as entering a few prompts. Need a logo? Provide your vision, and the AI Logo Designer will generate a gallery of stunning options in seconds.

Want to engage your audience? Use the AI Chatbot feature to interact with customers seamlessly. And if you’re in the market for professional-grade articles or interesting visuals, AI Magicx’s tools have you covered.

The platform combines usability with vast possibilities, helping you create without requiring expert skills. On the back end of things, you can build engaging, interactive bots to enhance user experience and refine your code with developer-focused AI tools.

Use code MAGIC35 by March 30 at 11:59 p.m. PT to get a lifetime subscription to AI Magicx on sale for $64.99. 

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Looking for something great to watch at home? Streaming subscribers are spoiled for choice between Hulu, Netflix, Max, Disney+, Apple TV+, Prime Video, Shudder, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. And that's before you even look at the vast libraries of movies and television programs within each one!

Don't be overwhelmed or waste an hour scrolling through your services to determine what to watch. We've got your back, whatever your mood. Mashable offers watch guides for all of the above, broken down by genre: comedy, thriller, horror, documentary, animation, and more.

But if you're seeking something brand spanking new (or new to streaming), we've got you covered there, too.

SEE ALSO: The best Netflix TV shows of 2024

Mashable's entertainment team has scoured the streaming services to highlight the most buzzed-about releases of this week and ranked them from worst to best — or least worth your time to most watchable. Whether you're looking for some superhero drama, rip-roaring comedy, or soul-rattling horror, we've got something just for you.

Here's what's new on streaming, from worst to best.

10. Plankton: The Movie

Can't get enough of SpongeBob SquarePants? Good news, then: Netflix is offering another spinoff movie in spongey, three-dimensional CG.

As the title declares, Plankton: The Movie centers on the teeny, nefarious antagonist of Mr. Krabs. After 25 years of Plankton's failed plans — and poor listening skills — his computer wife Karen is fed up! She's going to do what he never could: World Domination. To stop her, this green grouch will have to team up with Bikini Bottom's best fry cook and his friends to save the day. What could go wrong?! — Kristy Puchko, Entertainment Editor

Starring: Mr. Lawrence, Jill Talley, Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Carolyn Lawrence, Clancy Brown, and Rodger Bumpass

How to watch: Plankton: The Movie is debuts on Netflix on March 7.

9. With Love, Meghan

Produced by the Duchess of Sussex herself with Netflix, With Love, Meghan is essentially a DIY tips show for people who love watching TikTok videos about hosting dinner parties — without any intention of actually hosting one. By people, I mean me. Over eight episodes, Meghan shares various kitchen and home tricks for you to either actually try or remain aspirational about. Shot at a lovely estate in Montecito, California (not Meghan and Harry's actual house), the show sees Meghan's friends — including Mindy Kaling, Roy Choi, and Alice Waters — stop by for chats about her career and life.

In my review for Mashable, I wrote, "Look, With Love, Meghan will not be everyone's show. If it's not yours, you can watch something else. But for people who feel empathetically tired for the Duchess of Sussex, enjoy watching one of the most vilified women on the planet find personal happiness and empowerment, and regularly binge-watch TikTok videos about hosting guests that you'll probably never actually implement yourself, this show is for you." — Shannon Connellan, UK Editor

Starring: Meghan Markle, Mindy Kaling, Roy Choi, Alice Walters, Daniel Martin

How to watch: With Love, Meghan is now streaming on Netflix.

8. Picture This

Simon Ashley first captured our hearts as Kathani "Kate" Sharma, the fiery "old maid" of Bridgerton Season 2. Now, she's taking the lead in a modern rom-com about that dives into the culture clash of British-Indian women in the UK. But there's still shades of Austen's marriage market!

Recovering from the breakup of her first love, aspiring photographer Pia (Ashley) is building her professional life. However, as her younger sister readies to wed, their mother's focus shifts to getting Pia hitched fast. Adding more pressure, a cheery guru insists that Pia is destined to meet her one-and-only in one of her next five dates. so who will it be? Full of energy, but lacking the wit of British rom-coms like Bridgerton, Bridget Jones, or anything Richard Curtis-created, Picture This has its moments, but falls far short of being a diamond. — K.P.

Starring: Simone Ashley, Anoushka Chadha, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, and Luke Fetherston

How to watch: Picture This premieres on Prime Video on March 6.

7. Rumours

Seeking something bizarre and cerebral? Then you won't want to miss this trippy comedy from directors Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, and Galen Johnson.

Set at the G7 summit, where the leaders of first world nations gather to discuss the world's greatest problems, a motley crew of politicians fumble for words as they encounter an uncanny opposition. Bog bodies, a giant brain in the woods, and an inexplicable crisis demand these people in power swallow their own issues (like so much wine) and concoct a plan. But what follows is less CSPAN and much more Tales from the Crypt.

In my review out of the Toronto International Film Festival, I wrote of Rumours, "This surreally strange satire is a terrifically wild ride, fueled by the game performances from a charismatic cast and the deranged creatures into which they collide. Simply put, Rumours is a bonkers blast." — K.P.

Starring: Cate Blanchett, Charles Dance, Roy Dupuis, Denis Ménochet, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Rolando Ravello, Takehiro Hira, Zlatko Burić, and Alicia Vikander

How to watch: Rumours is now streaming on Paramount+.

6. Deli Boys

Deli Boys centers on pampered Pakistani American brothers Raj (Saagar Shaikh) and Mir (Asif Ali), who get the shock of a lifetime when they learn their recently deceased father wasn't just a convenience store mogul — he was also a criminal mastermind. Now, having lost everything, Raj and Mir must process their father's double life and take up his mantle. Their survival depends on it.

Deli Boys' criminal hijinks are an absolute blast, but it's the familial relationship between Raj, Mir, and the badass Lucky Auntie (Poorna Jagannathan) that really makes this comedy tick. Mir's uptightness contrasts nicely with Raj's laidback stoner energy, and it's a delight to watch Lucky putting them in their place time and again. If you've seen Jagannathan crush it as Devi's mother Nalini in Never Have I Ever, get ready to appreciate a new, ruthlessly fun turn from her. — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter

Starring: Asif Ali, Saagar Shaikh, Poorna Jagannathan, Alfie Fuller, and Brian George

How to watch: Deli Boys is now streaming on Hulu.

5. How to Have Sex

Molly Manning Walker's directorial debut is not an easy watch, but it's worth it. A frank, authentic, and superbly performed film about consent and the sexual knowledge gap affecting young people, How to Have Sex blew film festival audiences away. Teens Tara (Mia McKenna-Bruce), Em (Enva Lewis), and Skye (Lara Peake) head to the coastal town of Malia, Greece, for a week of partying after finishing high school, and the pressure is sky-high for the girls to have their first sexual experiences. The film navigates these experiences with respect and honesty, and an extraordinary performance by McKenna-Bruce leaves a lasting impact.

As I wrote in my review, "How to Have Sex isn't the first teen film to examine these experiences of sexual assault and consent by any means, but Walker brings a brutal honesty and frankness that sets the film apart. Through superb scripting and performances, the film acknowledges how male violence is normalised or brushed aside..." — S.C.

Starring: Mia McKenna-Bruce, Lara Peake, Samuel Bottomley, Shaun Thomas, Enva Lewis, and Laura Ambler

How to watch: How to Have Sex is now streaming on Netflix.

4. Heretic

Released in 2024, Heretic is a thrilling foray into talkative horror from writer-directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (A Quiet Place, 65).

Hugh Grant stars as Mr. Reed, a man who's trapped two young Mormon missionaries (Yellowjackets' Sophie Thatcher and The Fabelmans' Chloe East) in his tricked-out house of horrors. He claims that all he wants is a spirited debate about theology, but his methods — like the aforementioned trapping of women — leave much to be desired. Heretic's religious talking points can be a tad surface level, but Grant still sells the hell out them with a performance that takes the charm of any of his famed rom-com roles and flips it on its head. We may never watch Notting Hill the same way again.* — B.E.

Starring: Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, and Chloe East

How to watch: Heretic comes to Max on March 7.

SEE ALSO: The 22 best horror movies of 2024, and where to watch them 3. The Gutter

Need a laugh? Look to The Gutter, a sensationally funny sports comedy from brothers Isaiah Lester and Yassir Lester.

Shameik Moore stars as an underdog who's looking to make his mark in the pro-bowling lane with the help of a drunken mentor (D'Arcy Carden). But to be a champion, he'll need to best a ruthless legend played by Susan Sarandon. In my review of The Gutter out of SXSW 2024, I praised the film for being "the right kind of dumb," cheering, "I can't remember the last time a comedy this stupid was so smart in its jokes. The Gutter is the kind of comedy that ...doesn't play it safe. Sure, not every joke lands and some do spark gasps alongside giggles. But the Lesters have strategically stuffed in so many goofy gags and such cleverly cast comedic performers that from the first frame to the last, The Gutter is a winner." — K.P.

Starring: Shameik Moore, D'Arcy Carden, Paul Reiser, and Susan Sarandon

How to watch: The Gutter is now streaming on Hulu.

2. Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror Max Schreck stars as Nosferatu in the 1922 silent movie directed by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau. Credit: Photo by ullstein bild / ullstein bild via Getty Images

Shudder is a streaming platform dedicated to horror in all forms. And in March, the subscription service is offering two of the most influential horror movies ever made: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror.

If you went feral for Robert Eggers' 2024 re-imagining of Nosferatu, you'll want to see the 1922 film that inspired it. (Admittedly by recklessly ripping off Dracula so hard Bram Stoker's widow almost lawsuited it out of print, but bygones!)

SEE ALSO: Willem Dafoe and Robert Eggers reveal their inspirations for 'Nosferatu'. It goes deeper than you may think.

Artistic theft aside, F. W. Murnau made the vampire his own with this silent film, which boasts an unforgettable German Expressionism aesthetic of slinking shadows and Max Schreck as the iconic long-clawed fiend. See the century-old film that spawned a subgenre that's still got bite. — K.P.

Starring: Max Schreck, Gustav von Wangenheim, Greta Schröder, and Alexander Granach

How to watch: Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror comes to Shudder on March 8.

1. Daredevil: Born Again

Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) bursts back onto our screens in Daredevil: Born Again, a soft reboot of Netflix's Daredevil. This time around, a tragic incident has caused Matt to hang up the Daredevil mask once and for all. But as his enemy Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) rises to power as New York City's new mayor, how long will it be until Matt returns to the vigilante life?

SEE ALSO: 'Daredevil: Born Again' makes me want to watch the Netflix series: Review

As someone who never watched the original Daredevil, Daredevil: Born Again still managed to suck me right in and convince me to bring Daredevil to the top of my watch list. Fans of the first series may need time to process the early losses of some key characters, but there's still lots to enjoy as Daredevil: Born Again gets cooking. As I wrote in my review, "Daredevil: Born Again stakes its claim as one of the MCU's strongest TV entries, thanks in no small part to Cox's work and some exceptionally gnarly fights." — B.E.

Starring: Charlie Cox, Vincent D'Onofrio, Margarita Levieva, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Wilson Bethel, Zabryna Guevara, Nikki M. James, Genneya Walton, Arty Froushan, Clark Johnson, Michael Gandolfini, Ayelet Zurer, and Jon Bernthal

How to watch: Daredevil: Born Again is now streaming on Disney+.

* denotes that this blurb appeared in a previous Mashable list.

TL;DR: Live stream Inter Miami vs. Cavalier in the Concacaf Champions Cup for free on YouTube. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The last game from this round of Concacaf Champions Cup fixtures sees Inter Miami take on Cavalier. Lionel Messi and co will be favorites to progress into the next round, but don't count out the team from Jamaica. Anything could happen in tournament football.

If you want to watch Inter Miami vs. Cavalier in the Concacaf Champions Cup for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Inter Miami vs. Cavalier?

Inter Miami vs. Cavalier in the Concacaf Champions Cup kicks off at 8 p.m. ET on March 6. This fixture takes place at Chase Stadium.

How to watch Inter Miami vs. Cavalier for free

Inter Miami vs. Cavalier in the Concacaf Champions Cup is available to live stream for free on YouTube.

This free live stream is available in most locations around the world, but not in North or Central America. Fortunately, fans in these excluded territories can still access this free live stream with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK (or somewhere else with access), meaning you can unblock free live streams of the Concacaf Champions Cup from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Inter Miami vs. Cavalier by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK (or somewhere else with access)

4. Visit YouTube

5. Live stream Inter Miami vs. Cavalier for free

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The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Inter Miami vs. Cavalier in the Concacaf Champions Cup without actually spending anything. This clearly isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream select Concacaf Champions Cup fixtures before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to free streaming services from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for YouTube?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on YouTube, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including the UK

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

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• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Live stream Inter Miami vs. Cavalier in the Concacaf Champions Cup for free with ExpressVPN.

In February 2020, Rian Johnson revealed a Hollywood secret that threatened to spoil every mystery movie you'll ever watch. Speaking to Vanity Fair in a video breaking down his latest film, the director of Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Looper divulged a subtle clue hidden in his twisty new whodunit, Knives Out.

"Apple, they let you use iPhones in movies, but — and this is very pivotal — if you're ever watching a mystery movie, bad guys cannot have iPhones on camera," Johnson said. "Every single filmmaker who has a bad guy in their movie that's supposed to be a secret wants to murder me right now."

In the years since, Johnson's quote has become a decoder ring of sorts for eagle-eyed movie and TV fans. Not sure if a character is good or evil? Wait for the camera to show you their smartphone and you'll have your answer. His own movie bears this out, with the murderous Chris Evans being one of the only Knives Out characters sending green bubbles to the group chat. This rule seemingly even predates the iPhone — back in 2002, WIRED pointed out that the heroes on 24 all use Mac computers, while the terrorists were stuck with PCs.

This brings us to Severance, an Apple TV+ show so chock-full of mysteries that we don't even know what state it takes place in (more on that in a bit), let alone who's a hero and who's a villain. So when protagonist Mark Scout (Adam Scott) was spotted holding an Android phone, it felt like a huge break in the case. Was our leading man actually a secret baddie? However, a closer look at the many smartphones in Severance reveals something far stranger: There are absolutely zero iPhones in Apple's hit sci-fi show.

SEE ALSO: The cast of 'Severance' on getting lost in the ever-expanding hallways of Lumon

The reason why Apple's products are totally absent from the show is unclear, but what this absence reveals is perhaps even more interesting than one spoilery Easter egg could ever be. Instead, the choice to remove iPhones from the world of Severance gives us a window into the show's unique approach to world-building and how it's used to create a series unlike anything else on TV.

It's worth noting that not everyone in Severance owns a smartphone, Apple or otherwise. In Season 2, Irving (one of Mark's severed colleagues played by John Turturro) is seen making a call from a pay phone — remember those? And back in Season 1, Mark's former coworker Petey (Yul Vazquez) shows up at his house with a flip phone, which some fans identified as a modern "dumbphone" called the Easyfone Prime-A1. 

However, smartphones as we know them do exist in the show's universe. Mark's unbearable brother-in-law Ricken (Michael Chernus) is shown using a generic Android-style device in Season 1, and we've also seen Mark wielding a similar gadget. When he's working on the Severed Floor, Mark's boss Seth Milchick (Tramell Tillman) carries a touchscreen satellite phone reminiscent of the Android-powered Thuraya X5 Touch (presumably so he can get a signal from within the company's top-secret underground offices).

So if it's clear that smartphones exist in Severance's world, then why can't there be iPhones? We reached out to Apple TV+ for comment, but the company wasn't able to provide an answer in time for publication. However, we have a few theories of our own.

What does it mean that Apple TV+'s hit show has no iPhones?

The first, and more enticing, theory is that the creators of Severance purposefully removed all iPhones from their sci-fi universe to obscure the truth from its audience. Apple is well aware that we know about its iPhone-villain rule, so it makes sense that a hit Apple TV+ show would be cautious not to give away any secrets by blindly following that very rule. If Mark (or, god forbid, Milchick) had an iPhone, it might give away the goat (pun very much intended).

The second, more likely theory is that the smartphones in Severance are designed to reinforce a larger point: that the show takes place in a world familiar but eerily different from our own. Every little detail seems designed to remind audiences that the story is set in a funhouse mirror reflection of our own reality, right down to the retro-futuristic computers that Mark and his coworkers use for their microdata refinement. One Season 1 screenshot shared on Reddit even reveals that the story takes place in the town of Kier, PE. That's right, Severance created its own fictional state, though the same screenshot also includes a reference to the real-life city of Boston.

(Notably, another moment from Season 1 that's been dissected on Reddit is a shot of Mark's license plate, which reveals he was born in 1978 and dates the license to 2020. So while Severance may not take place in our reality, it does take place at around the same time.)

It's also worth noting that Severance isn't the only alternate-reality sci-fi show on Apple TV+ forced to deal with similar issues. The critically acclaimed (if significantly less popular) For All Mankind began as an alternate history about a world where the U.S.S.R. beat America to the Moon and has since leapt forward into a dramatically different 21st Century where technology and space exploration advanced much more rapidly — including smartphones.

In 2022, the show's third season, which takes place in an alternate version of the early ‘90s, featured a video phone designed to resemble Apple's Newton devices. For old-school technology geeks, it made for a fascinating look into a parallel reality where Steve Jobs never killed off the Newton product line. The iPhone may not exist in For All Mankind (at least not yet), but something just as interesting has taken its place.

Tweet may have been deleted

As for Severance, while the show's total lack of iPhones raises plenty of questions, we're hesitant to read too deeply into this one minor detail, at least for now. After all, as many have pointed out, the iPhone-villain rule is really more of a suggestion. For example, the guy in John Wick who kills the hero's dog uses an iPhone — and it doesn't get more evil than that. 

Even Rian Johnson has poked fun at the rule. In his Knives Out sequel, Glass Onion, one line of dialogue reveals that the movie's ultimate villain doesn't have a phone at all. Meanwhile, in the Oscar–winning class drama Parasite, director Bong Joon Ho ignores Apple's rule entirely. Instead, Bong gives his rich characters iPhones and his poor characters Androids, forcing the audience to figure out for themselves who's the hero and who's the villain.

Spoiler alert: In Parasite, the villain is capitalism. And, hey, maybe the same goes for Severance, too.

Severance Season 2 is now streaming on AppleTV+, with new episodes every Friday.

Lady Gaga is hosting and performing on SNL this week, but first she needs to follow her process.

In the skit above, that includes sitting behind-the-scenes on her piano and sing-narrating everything the cast members are doing and saying to each other.

It makes for some strange lyrics, but at least Lady Gaga's voice makes everything sound good.