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Apple has updated its smart speaker for the first time in six years. Today, the company announced the new HomePod mini 2 in five colors, confirming a few weeks' worth of rumors.

The HomePod mini 2 will support Siri AI, Apple's AI assistant powered by Apple Intelligence, though it won't be available on the device when it launches on Friday, Oct. 30. Apple hasn't said exactly when it will arrive, just that it will be available "in a future software update."

Credit: Apple

The HomePod mini 2 runs on the Apple S10 chip and features 360-degree sound. When it's playing music, the top of the device lights up in colors that match the album art of the current track and pulses in sync with the beat.

Apple has also unveiled a new HomeView smart display, a revamped Apple TV 4K, and a new collection of smart home security devices. Up to four HomePod mini 2 smart speakers can be paired with the Apple TV 4K to create a surround-sound system. It also works with Macs.

The new HomePod mini 2 costs $149, or $20 more than its predecessor. It's now available for preorder in pink, green, blue, white, and midnight.

This story is developing...

TL;DR: The Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Delta Reign Booster Bundle is available to preorder for $64.45 at Amazon, but Walmart is cheaper at $54.49.

Opens in a new window Credit: The Pokémon Company Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Delta Reign Booster Bundle $54.49 at Walmart
$79.99 Save $25.50   Pre-order Here

Prices for the Pokémon TCG Delta Reign expansion have been settling down ahead of launch, but sellers on Walmart have been aggressively trying to get you the best price vs. Amazon — and the latest price drop on the booster bundle even beats TCGplayer. 

As of Oct. 13, the Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Delta Reign Booster Bundle is available to preorder for just $54.49 at Walmart, reduced from its $79.99 listing price. To give this $25.50 price drop from third-party seller Cataclysm Games some added context, the lowest price we’d seen last week was a much higher $74.99 at Amazon. 

Amazon has a price drop of its own, but that’s only down to $64.45 via Collectors Expedition. 

SEE ALSO: The Pokémon TCG Delta Reign Booster Display Box is way under market price at Walmart — save $30 vs. Amazon

What’s more, Walmart’s $54.49 price hugely undercuts the Delta Reign Booster Bundle’s estimated market price of $73.20 on TCGplayer. Walmart also beats any listings there — with the best going as low as $72.38. 

With six Delta Reign packs per box, Walmart’s $54.49 booster bundle means you’ll only be paying around $9.08 per pack. That massively trumps the prices on TCGplayer (which normally has the best price on single packs), with the lowest going for $13.40 — saving you $4.32 per pack by comparison. 

Each pack contains 10 trading cards from Delta Reign’s total of 135+, a Basic Energy, and a Pokémon TCG Live code card.

SAVE $50: As of Oct. 13, the Ninja Fireside360 fire pit and heater is back to its lowest-ever price of $449.99 at Amazon. That's $50 off its full price of $499.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Ninja Ninja Fireside360 Fire Pit and Heater $449.99 at Amazon
$499.99 Save $50   Get Deal

Now that the weather is getting cooler, it's the perfect time to hang out around a fire pit outside and enjoy the cozy warmth in the autumn air. If you don't have a bonfire pit on hand, the Ninja Fireside360 is an excellent alternative, serving as both a heater and a fire pit. It's even back to its lowest-ever price on Amazon right now.

Normally priced at $499.99, the Ninja Fireside360 has been discounted to $449.99 at the retailer, ultimately saving you $50. There are multiple color variants available at this price as well, so you can choose between the stainless steel, cyberspace, maroon, stone, and brown models to find the perfect fit for your outdoor setup.

SEE ALSO: We tested the most popular Ninja appliances, and these are our favorites

The Ninja Fireside360 offers three modes for keeping you warm: flame-only, heat-only, or both flame and heat. It's smokeless as well, so if you have the flame going, there's no need to worry about your clothes getting smoky or having to clean up ashes. Plus, the flame is controlled from a dial, so getting it started (and extinguished) is quick and easy.

It's weather-resistant, so it's safe to store outdoors all year-round. And on top of that, it's safe to use on a variety of surfaces, including grass, stone, and wood, as it's designed to avoid any sparks flying around.

Be quick to save on the Ninja Fireside360 at Amazon.

SAVE OVER $20: As of Oct. 13, the 128GB iPad mini (A17 Pro, WiFi) is on sale for $569.99 at Amazon. That's $29.01 off its list price of $599.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple iPad mini (A17 Pro, WiFi, 128GB) $569.99 at Amazon
$599 Save $29.01   Get Deal

Rumor has it there's a new iPad mini on the horizon, but it's supposedly going to cost about $200 more than the previous model's starting price.

If that price hike news made you wince but you still want to buy a mini, the A17 Pro is certainly worth looking at. As of Oct. 13, the 128GB iPad mini has had nearly $30 knocked off its price tag at Amazon.

While it's normally listed at $599, this 128GB iPad mini (A17 Pro, WiFi) has been marked down to $569.99. It may be pretty minor savings, but considering how often tech prices fluctuate these days, it's worth checking out nonetheless. Plus, with your purchase, you get up to three months of Apple Arcade, Fitness+, and News+ for free.

SEE ALSO: The first iPhone Duo preorder offer has landed — how to save $1,200

The iPad mini boasts an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display, high-quality cameras (a 12MP Ultra Wide front camera and 12MP Wide back camera), and the A17 Pro chip, which offers fast performance and graphics for scrolling, watching videos, and more. We're big fans and think it's an excellent pick for reading.

If the iPad mini has been on your radar, why wait for a new model to drop? This 128GB iPad mini (A17 Pro, WiFi) delivers everything you need at a lower price.

TL;DR: Amazfit has rolled out LiveShare, a real-time safety tracking feature for its flagship T-Rex Dual Solar smartwatch. It lets hikers and mountaineers stream their live GPS location, elevation, pace, and biometric data directly to friends and family via a web link.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazfit Amazfit T-Rex Dual Solar Smart Watch $649.99 at Amazon
  Get Deal

Heading into the backcountry as winter creeps in hits different. The air is crisp, and the trails are quiet, but the sun sets with zero warning. If you love cold-weather hikes or mountain scrambles, you know the low-key anxiety of heading out solo. You promise you’ll be home for dinner, but one wrong turn or slow mile, and everyone back home is staring at the clock, waiting for a text.

That’s where Amazfit’s new LiveShare feature changes the game. Built for the flagship T-Rex Dual Solar, it creates a digital breadcrumb trail of your trek. You just drop a link through the Zepp App before hitting the trail, and your contacts can open it in any standard web browser — no account creation or app downloads required on their end.

SEE ALSO: Apple Watch Ultra 4 Review: The smartwatch for the health-conscious

What makes this useful for smartwatch fans is the depth of data it shares. LiveShare streams your elevation, pace, distance, and even your heart rate in real-time. If your pace slows to a crawl on a brutal incline, your family can still see you moving steadily upward. If you stop for an unusually long time, they have instant context instead of pure panic.

Hardware built for brutal winter trails

A safety feature is only as good as the watch running it, and the T-Rex Dual Solar is built for harsh elements. It features dual-sided solar charging to stretch battery life for days, a 3,000-nit display that stays readable against glaring snow, an onboard flashlight for late finishes, and a low-temp mode that keeps tracking alive down to -30°C.

It's a heavy-duty tool built for cold-weather adventures. LiveShare turns a rugged outdoor watch into a safety net, letting you log miles off the grid without leaving anyone back home guessing.

Beyond keeping your family in the loop, this watch is stacked with high-end tools for athletes and adventurers. When you step out of cell service, you get full-color offline maps on your wrist, complete with turn-by-turn navigation and automatic rerouting if you wander off course.

It also acts as a full-blown training partner, tracking your VO₂ Max, training load, and recovery metrics while syncing seamlessly with apps like Strava and TrainingPeaks. Plus, with 10 ATM water resistance that handles dives down to 50 meters, automatic weather alerts, and hands-free messaging, it transitions effortlessly from a mountain-climbing beast to a capable daily smartwatch.

Ready to log winter miles with peace of mind? Head over to Amazon and snag the T-Rex Dual Solar before your next big trek.

Remember the feeling of drinking your first beer and pretending to enjoy it so you'd fit in?

It appears Mark Zuckerberg had that exact experience recently with a pint of Guinness.

SEE ALSO: Mark Zuckerberg largely ignores smart glasses privacy backlash at Meta Connect

Appearing on Stripe co-founder John Collilson's Cheeky Pint podcast alongside Meta's Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang, the Meta CEO was faced with the daunting challenge of a full pint of the famous Irish stout.

As some X commentators were quick to point out, he seemed to be struggling.

"Mark Zuckerberg pretending to enjoy Guinness is my new favorite thing," wrote Mark Malone, sharing a clip of Zuckerberg's suffering that's now been viewed over five million times.

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It's an undeniably amazing 12 seconds. You can see him sloshing it around his mouth, barely repressing disgust, and then putting on his best poker face to give the illusion that he might not be completely hating it.

If you want to watch the interview in full, you can check it out here.

Content warning: sexual assault.

I rarely leave a cinema shaking, but Josephine is a rattling film. Nonetheless a vital one.

Based on her own life experiences, writer and director Beth de Araújo asks an impossibly hard question: what if a child witnessed sexual violence they had no way of understanding? How would you help them process it as a parent? And how will seeing such a violent act manifest in their connection to the world? 

One of the most important films of the year, Josephine might be disturbing and harrowing to watch, however, with one in five women in the United States experiencing rape or attempted rape during their lifetime, the unacceptable prevalence of such violence means it's more crucial than ever to consider the impacts — on survivors and anyone connected to such crimes. 

SEE ALSO: 'I am Jane Doe': The internet rallies to protect a Cornell student's identity

With magnificent, complex, and devastating performances from Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan (who also produced the film), and an intense breakout from extraordinary newcomer Mason Reeves, Josephine forces us to comprehend a child's view of sexual violence. The reality is shattering.

Josephine brings a harrowing perspective to the impact of sexual assault

Rather than focusing on the experience of a survivor of sexual assault, Josephine considers the perspective of a young witness, someone who hasn't even had a conversation about sex and consent with her parents and likely wouldn't for years. And here, de Araújo's Soft & Quiet cinematographer Greta Zozula balances a childlike point of view with searing reality. 

Eight-year-old Josephine (Reeves) and her father Damien (Tatum) run through San Francisco's Golden Gate Park every morning. It's their thing. Through POV shots, we're gleefully integrated into their routine, following the pair into the park as Josephine outruns her dad and takes a fateful fork in the road. However, what awaits in this everyday, playful situation is a nightmare, when Josephine's path takes her to witnessing a brutal rape.

Notably, this pivotal attack against fellow runner Sandra (Syra McCarthy), occurs early in the film and in its entirety, with the remainder focused on the emotional aftermath and legal procedures. Zozula's long-shot cinematography renders this disturbing, violent scene unsensationalised, seen from Josephine's perspective. Like this child, we watch without being able to intervene, however, for the adult audience, there's a cold undertow of understanding the young protagonist lacks.

SEE ALSO: Fighting violence against women, we need men to be part of the conversation

The moments immediately after Sandra's assault become a critical reflection on how law enforcement handles sexual assault; de Araújo has both Damien and the responding officers (all men) going into crisis management mode prioritising catching the perpetrator, while leaving Sandra alone, injured, traumatised, and searching for a glimmer of control. Josephine understands something happened, as she later googles the word "rape" after overhearing it from her dad. However, as her Damien instantly realises, her comprehension of Sandra's pain will require a level of explanation — and he will differ from Josephine's mother Claire (Chan) in how to help their eight-year-old grapple with such adult concepts. (Notably, Reeves herself was seven years old when shooting the film, something de Araújo navigated with care and her parents' consultation.)

Though not physically involved in the assault, Josephine's awareness of it begins to affect her mental health, manifesting in erratic behaviour, especially reacting to her parents' intimacy and the presence of men or boys in any situation. Editors Anisha Acharya, Nico Leunen, and Kyle Reiter have her constantly replaying elements of that day in the park, and in one of the most chilling elements of the film, de Araújo has Sandra's rapist, Greg (Philip Ettinger), physically haunting her at all hours, present in her own bedroom. Here, tiny Josephine experiences effects of sexual violence and trauma, with flashbacks and nightmares, as she tells law enforcement, "I see him everywhere, all the time." 

Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan are outstanding in Josephine

While Josephine struggles to make sense of what happened, Claire and Damien attempt to connect with their daughter — and become increasingly at odds with each other's approach and whether Josephine testifies in court. Shrouded in composer Miles Ross' haunting score, Tatum and Chan give career-best performances.

As Damien, Tatum brings his most dynamic and interior performance yet, a young father who feels the best way to protect his daughter from the adult world's violence is to distract her — or prepare her to fight back. Damien distances himself and his family from Sandra's rape, with the alternative of acknowledging such violence to his eight-year-old too much for him to bear, and Tatum's ability to present a man both terrified and practical is nothing short of heartbreaking. As Damien and Claire's physical connection becomes threatening and sinister to Josephine, and her once watertight relationship with her father becomes strained, Tatum shows intense vulnerability and hurt in his character.

For Claire, Josephine's mother, it lands differently. Claire knows the context of her own experience, and in superb subtlety from Chan, hints at possible trauma herself. "Sometimes you tell the truth and it doesn't even matter," she says, and I promise you, women know what she means. Like Damien, Claire is crushed her daughter has become exposed to such brutality, however, she reacts strongly to Damien telling Josephine that such an attack will "never happen" to her, knowing well that male violence against women and girls continues to destroy lives, even take them. 

Around Chan, Tatum, and Reeves, Josephine builds strong performances from its supporting cast representing the detectives, court-appointed witness advocates, and psychologists involved with building the case against Greg. Each interaction with Josephine and her parents feels tense and often chilling, especially hearing adult words and questions coming from a child. And importantly, de Araújo takes pains to show how long and drawn out the legal process can be in sexual assault cases, as well as the complexities of testifying. "Why didn't you help?" Josephine is asked in court by the rapist's defence lawyer. "Why aren't you?" the child replies, in one of the film's most powerfully quiet moments.

Ultimately, Josephine demands its audience consider the impact of a child exposed to sexual violence. Chillingly, the film has an undercurrent of impending maturity, a justified fear of possibility in adulthood. However, it also champions the strength of survival, whatever age a girl or woman may be — an ability to understand right from wrong, and the power of facing one's ghosts. Or, as the film puts it, "becoming the ghost of your ghost."

Josephine was reviewed out of BFI London Film Festival and will be released in cinemas Nov. 20.

If you have experienced sexual abuse, call the free, confidential National Sexual Assault hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673), or access the 24-7 help online by visiting online.rainn.org.

SAVE $700: As of Oct. 13, the Roborock Saros 10R is on sale for $899.99 at Amazon. That's a 44% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: roborock Roborock Saros 10R $899.99 at Amazon
$1,599.99 Save $700   Get Deal

Robot vacuums are the answer to keeping your floors clean without having to do all the work yourself. Say goodbye to constantly hauling the vacuum around the house and farewell to daily use of the sweeping brush and mop. Instead, let a robot vacuum pick up the slack. And as of Oct. 13, you can do so with a great deal on the Roborock Saros 10R.

This is a seriously impressive choice, and right now it's dropped to a new low price of $899.99. That's a huge saving of $700.

This robot vacuum is packed with features to make your household chores easier. It has a 22,000Pa HyperForce suction that tackles dirt and debris, and a Zero-Tangling DuoDivide Main Brush and FlexiArm Riser Side Brush that help prevent hair from getting tangled around the brushes, ideal if you have fluffy pets at home. And at just 3.14 inches tall, it can also slide beneath low furniture to reach dust and dirt that might otherwise go unnoticed.

It comes with a multifunctional dock. Here, it handles most of the maintenance, reducing the work you need to do. It can store dust and debris for up to 60 days, wash the mop pads with hot water, dry them using hot air, and top up the water and detergent tanks.

Sold on no more floor sweeping? Get this robot vacuum deal at Amazon now.

TL;DR: The Apple iPhone 17 is under $100 with T-Mobile. To claim this offer, switch and bring your number on an Experience More or Experience Beyond plan (no trade-in needed)

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple T-Mobile: Apple iPhone 17 for under $100   Shop Now

We're constantly tracking the best deals on smartphones. T-Mobile is usually one of the first places we look, because they generally offer free deals on new handsets like the Motorola Razr+, Google Pixel 11, and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8.

But what about the iPhone?

The only iPhone you can get for free right now with T-Mobile is the iPhone 17e. To claim this handset for free, you can switch to almost any T-Mobile plan with no trade-in required. The iPhone 17 is not free at the time of writing, but it's under $100 when you switch and bring your number on an Experience More or Experience Beyond plan (no trade-in needed). That's still a wild offer.

T-Mobile spreads your savings across 36 monthly bill credits, effectively locking you into a three-year agreement. If you cancel or switch carriers early, you will owe the remaining balance immediately. You will also need to cover state sales tax on the phone’s full retail value upfront, plus a standard $35 device connection fee per line at checkout.

This is one of the best ways to score a top-tier phone without taking a massive hit to your bank account.

Get the Apple iPhone 17 for under $100 this week with T-Mobile.

Jimmy Kimmel has incurred the wrath of the president once again, this time after comments he made about a recent Trump rally with empty seats.

In the clip above the host plays footage of the president moaning about his remarks before calling him a "loser".

"Of all the many things I said about him last week – of all the many moronic and criminal words and deeds I detailed – that's what bothers him? Me pointing out the fact that his rallies have empty seats? Well in that case, let's do it again!" says Kimmel, bringing up a photo of a Trump crowd peppered with empty seats. "So many empty seats! There were even empty seats at the rally where he complained about me saying he had empty seats at the rally.

"He keeps claiming the reason there are empty seats in the back and the top is because the people love him so much they make their way down to the front. Isn't it interesting that that never happens at a Lakers game? People just moving up to the front. But it does at an event controlled by the United States Secret Service."

Want more of the best of late night? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter.

Need a bunch of different products and services that are loosely connected under the umbrella of a space technology brand? We've got good news for you.

On Tuesday, SpaceXSI (that's the new name, because "artificial intelligence" is out of fashion in the U.S. these days) announced a new subscription tier called The X Subscription, which combines access to X Premium, Grok, Grok Bot, and Cursor.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

There's a total of five plans. Free doesn't cost anything but offers only limited chat and agent requests on Grok and Cursor, and limited X functionality. Plus costs $8 per month and unlocks several additional Grok and Cursor features, including Grok Chat, Voice, Imagine, and Build, as well as access to the Grok API. At the same time, on X, you get fewer ads and a Premium checkmark, among other perks. Premium costs $30 per month, and adds 4x more AI usage compared to Plus, access to Grok Bot and the latest Grok models, faster Chat responses, and a few Cursor features such as code hosting and AI code reviews and cloud agents and automations; on the X side, it comes with ad-free scrolling "on most surfaces," a preferred @handle and a higher reply boost.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

The $100-per-month Super tier is all that, plus 15x more usage than Plus and priority model access at peak times. Finally, Ultra gives you 50x more usage than Plus for $200 per month. Pricing for teams and enterprise is a little different; details are available over at x.ai/pricing.

SpaceXSI claims that "the X Subscription provides more usage-per-dollar of our own models than the comparable plan it replaces." Key words there are "our own models," as third-party model usage in Cursor is not included in the monthly subscription price and must be purchased separately. Cursor is a coding-specific AI agent that SpaceXSI acquired in June.

SEE ALSO: Trump's AI-powered America.gov is here. It was built by DOGE alumni and runs on Grok.

Other than that, this is a decent deal for folks who need both Grok and X Premium. For example, SuperGrok alone (a Grok tier comparable to the current Premium tier) used to cost $30 per month, while ad-free X Premium+ cost an additional $30 per month; now you get both for $30. The $30 per month is still a pretty big ask, given that Anthropic's Claude Pro Plan, OpenAI's ChatGPT Plus plan, and Google's AI Pro (which includes Gemini alongside cloud storage, YouTube Premium Lite, and other perks) all cost $20 per month.

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

The Moon is starting to show up in the sky again, with just a small crescent visible at the moment. It'll get a little bigger each night as the week goes on.

What is today's Moon phase?

As of Tuesday, Oct. 13, NASA's Daily Moon Guide tracker tells us the Moon is in the Waxing Crescent phase, with 7% of its surface visible.

When is the next Full Moon?

The next Full Moon will take place on October 25 or 26, depending on your timezone.

What are Moon phases?

The Moon takes around 29.5 days to travel around Earth, and its appearance changes throughout the month. As it moves around our planet, we see different amounts of its sunlit side, from a slim crescent to the quarter phases and eventually a Full Moon. It then begins the cycle again. As NASA explains, these phases are caused by the Moon's changing position relative to Earth and the Sun.

The eight phases are:

New Moon - The Moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it's invisible to the eye).

Waxing Crescent - A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).

First Quarter - Half of the Moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-Moon.

Waxing Gibbous - More than half is lit up, but it's not quite full yet.

Full Moon - The whole face of the Moon is illuminated and fully visible.

Waning Gibbous - The Moon starts losing light on the right side. (Northern Hemisphere)

Third Quarter (or Last Quarter) - Another half-Moon, but now the left side is lit.

Waning Crescent - A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.

SAVE OVER $10: As of Oct. 13, the Xteink X4 Pro e-reader is down to its lowest-ever price of $84.15 at Amazon. That's $14.85 off its full price of $99.

Opens in a new window Credit: XTEINK Xteink X4 Pro $84.15 at Amazon
$99 Save $14.85   Get Deal

The Xteink X4 Pro, released this July, has received a nice discount on Amazon. For a limited time, it's down to its lowest-ever price. If this incredibly compact e-reader has caught your attention, this is an excellent time to add it to your shopping cart and save about $14.

As of Oct. 13, the price has been cut from $99 to $84.15, but it won't be this low for long. Amazon has a "limited time deal" tag, so the window is closing to snag it at this low price.

SEE ALSO: The 10 best e-readers we've ever tested

If you've been searching for an e-reader that's even smaller than a Kindle to slip in your pocket, the Xteink X4 Pro certainly ticks that box. It's incredibly lightweight at just 72g (2.5 oz), has a very slim 5.95mm profile, and features a 4.3-inch paper-feel display for reading. It even has a built-in magnetic back, so you can attach it to your phone for easy access.

When it comes to reading, the paper-feel display helps eliminate screen glare and eye fatigue, so you won't get a headache from staring at the screen for too long. It also features multi-level warm and cool front lights so you can find the best tone for reading in any environment.

Mashable's Samantha Mangino did write that the main issue with this e-reader "is its file support." All Xteink e-readers "support EPUB files, but only DRM-free ones." This means that "you'll have to seek out DRM-free EPUB files, which are pretty limited and mostly include classics in the public domain."

That being said, this is still a sleek e-reader to scoop up for less than $90 while it's still on sale at Amazon.

SAVE $502: As of Oct. 13, the Samsung 49-inch Odyssey G9 is on sale for $797.99 at Amazon. That's a 39% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung 49-inch Odyssey G9 $797.99 at Amazon
$1,299.99 Save $502   Get Deal

A good gaming monitor can completely transform your setup, especially when you want to reduce screen tearing or motion blur. If these are issues you regularly encounter, it's time for an upgrade.

As of Oct. 13, the Samsung 49-inch Odyssey G9 is on sale at Amazon, so you're in luck. Normally $1,299.99, this curved gaming monitor is on sale for a limited time at $797.99. That's a saving of over $500, and a deal that's hard to ignore.

This Samsung gaming monitor is built to make gaming feel more immersive, thanks to its 1,000R curved Dual QHD display that wraps around your field of view. It's also designed to keep up with fast-paced graphics, with a 240Hz refresh rate and 1ms (GtG) response time.

Picture quality is a real selling point, too. The panel reaches up to 1,000 nits of peak brightness and offers a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. AMD FreeSync Premium Pro helps reduce screen tearing when things start moving fast.

And for comfort, the stand can be adjusted for tilt, swivel, and height to help you find a suitable viewing position. It also has TÜV-certified eye-comfort features that help reduce blue light and flicker during longer gaming sessions.

Find this gaming deal at Amazon now.

Tech creator Alberta Tech likes to be prepared for an idea to strike at any time.

The former software engineer recently left Google to pursue content creation full-time, making videos that use comedy to unpack some of the internet's most complicated tech topics, from generative AI to vibe coding.

SEE ALSO: Alberta Tech on what AI gets right and where it still falls short for creators

But despite the technical subject matter, her actual creator setup is surprisingly uncomplicated. "Phone and mics are all I need to be making stuff these days," Alberta told Mashable at VidCon.

The rest comes down to staying curious about what people are talking about — and being ready to hit record when inspiration strikes.

Her bag might be light on gear, but Alberta Tech never goes anywhere without the tools she needs to make a video. Credit: Ian Moore/Mashable/Getty Images Her phone Apple iPhone 17 Pro iPhone 17 Pro on Us With Trade-in and Qualifying Plan at T-Mobile
  See It at T-Mobile See It at Best Buy See It at AT&T Wireless

Like many creators, Alberta doesn't need an elaborate camera setup to make a video. Her phone does most of the heavy lifting.

It's particularly fitting for a creator whose career began on TikTok during the pandemic, when Alberta started posting jokes from her New York apartment before eventually finding her audience in the tech and software engineering communities.

These days, it's still one of the only devices she needs to make something.

Rode mics RØDE Wireless Micro (2 Mics + Case), USB-C for Smartphones, Orange $90 at Amazon
  See It at Amazon

The one piece of gear Alberta makes sure she has with her? "I always have my mics on me," she said. "They actually are Rode mics. Just in case inspiration strikes wherever I go."

That habit has already paid off. "I went to an event once in New York and saw a creator that I had been following for a long time online, but we had never met in person," she recalled. Rather than scheduling something for later, they made a video on the spot. "We were able to just make a video right then and there, no planning," Alberta said. "It was completely improv, which was so fun."

They had the idea. More importantly, they had the mics.

The news

Not everything in Alberta's creator toolkit can literally fit inside a bag. Her videos depend on being able to turn complicated developments in tech and AI into jokes people can actually understand, which means keeping up with a news cycle that moves incredibly quickly.

"I would say just reading the news," Alberta said of the other things that help her make content.

That information becomes the raw material for her videos — and sometimes the setup for the next joke.

Reddit

There's another place Alberta checks every morning. "Reading the top of Reddit every morning," she said.

For a creator who makes content about how people experience and talk about technology, knowing what happened isn't necessarily enough. She also wants to know what the internet thinks happened.

Which leads to her final essential.

The comments

Alberta reads the comments to "see what people really think about what is going on." That means paying attention not only to the people who love what she's making, but also the people who decidedly do not. "You have to listen to the people that are your biggest fans or your biggest haters," she said.

Phone. Mics. News. Reddit. Comments. The gear may be minimal. The curiosity is anything but.

From YouTubers and TikTok stars to streamers and podcasters, Mashable talks to creators about how they built their platforms, the gear they swear by, and the trends they see coming next. Read more of our creator coverage and meet The Mashable 101 to discover the internet’s most exciting voices.

As we sift through the latest leaked gameplay videos for Grand Theft Auto VI, it's worth wondering: Which console will provide the most high-end experience when the game launches on Nov. 19?

The answer would usually be PC, but Rockstar has not announced a PC version of GTA 6 yet, and might not for a while. GTA V didn't launch on PC until two years later, after all. With that in mind, people are wondering if it's worth it to splurge on a PlayStation 5 Pro just to experience Vice City at the highest level of fidelity possible.

Rockstar has yet to share official visual and performance specs for any version of the game just yet, but let's investigate anyway with what little information we have.

SEE ALSO: Where to find the PS5 Pro in stock ahead of 'GTA 6' launch Will GTA VI be upgraded on PS5 Pro? A month ahead of the official launch, a lot of questions remain unanswered. Credit: Rockstar

This is the big question, and it's one we don't really have an answer to right now.

Rockstar's official marketing line for the last few months has been that GTA VI "plays best on PS5," but that tagline doesn't say anything about PS5 Pro. It also doesn't say much of anything in general, as we have no idea what the differences will be between the base PS5 and the Xbox Series X versions of GTA VI. It's not an exaggeration to say that we're operating with almost no useful information about the way this game performs on consoles right now, aside from the fact that the extended Netflix trailer was apparently captured on a base PS5.

SEE ALSO: GTA 6 Cyberleek update: Everything leaked so far, what could be next

There has been one recent little crumb of hope that the PS5 Pro version of the game is an upgrade over the base version, though. A recently released screenshot of a wet city street at night showcased high-quality reflections that don't seem to be present in the base PS5 build shown on Netflix or in any other marketing. Oliver Mackenzie of Digital Foundry, an outlet dedicated to technical analysis of game visuals, said on X that this screenshot may not represent regular PS5 gameplay.

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Mackenzie estimates that these reflections use ray tracing, a relatively recent technology that generates real-time, high-quality lighting and reflections, while requiring a pretty intense amount of horsepower.

Base PS5 games technically can and do utilize ray tracing on occasion; the reflections in the Marvel's Spider-Man series on PS5 are a good go-to example. But given the extremely high level of graphical detail present in GTA 6, it stands to reason that the game might not be able to use ray tracing on a base PS5, but could possibly include that feature on PS5 Pro.

It must be emphasized that this is all speculation based on one measly screenshot, which might not even show the console version of the game at all. Rockstar very well could have captured it using an internal PC build, as Mackenzie noted on X. But there is plenty of precedent for games like Ghost of Yotei locking the best ray tracing features behind PS5 Pro-exclusive modes, so it's possible GTA VI could do the same.

Is the PS5 Pro worth it in general?

A PS5 Pro retails for $900 at the moment, and that's under the best of conditions, as a recent shortage has driven up the price on the secondary market considerably (as high as $1,300). It is perfectly reasonable to not want to spend that much money on a gaming device, no matter how powerful it is, and no matter how much better GTA 6 might look on it — emphasis on might.

But, as a PS5 Pro owner myself, I will say that games rarely (if ever) look or run worse on PS5 Pro, and big-budget AAA productions often benefit in some way from the added horsepower. A couple of my favorite games of this console generation, Dragon's Dogma 2 and Death Stranding 2, look and perform absolutely wonderfully on PS5 Pro, just to provide two examples.

If you care about having the best graphics in every game, a PC is the way to go. But if you don't want a PC — or if the game you want to play isn't being released on PC for the foreseeable future — then the PS5 Pro is your second-best option. Just try not to spend too much more than $900 on it.

In the meantime, you can pre-order Grand Theft Auto VI for Xbox Series X/S and PS5 for $79.99.

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Opens in a new window Credit: AdGuard AdGuard Family Plan: Lifetime Subscription $14.97
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StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Host unlimited websites with a Hostdeal Unlimited lifetime subscription, now $119.97 (reg. $1,800).

Opens in a new window Credit: Light Speed Technologies Hostdeal Unlimited Plan: Lifetime Subscription $119.97
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Web hosting is usually a monthly bill, and every new site or domain renewal raises it a little more. A Hostdeal Unlimited lifetime subscription replaces that bill with one payment for unlimited websites, unlimited NVMe SSD storage, and 54 free lifetime domains. It’s also on sale for $119.97 (reg $1,800).

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StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Get a refurbished M2 MacBook Air with a 512GB SSD and up to 18 hours of battery for $699.99 (reg. $1,299).

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Air 2022 (Refurbished) $699.99
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Laptops, phones, and most other electronics keep getting more expensive. A good new laptop can easily cost more than $1,000, but that’s not your only option. This refurbished 2022 MacBook Air with Apple’s M2 chip is a lightweight laptop that’s fast enough for work, school, and creative projects, and it’s on sale for $699.99.

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Pick up a refurbished MacBook Air while they’re still on sale for $699.99.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

SAVE $400: The 27-inch LG UltraGear OLED gaming monitor is back on sale for $499.99 at Amazon. That $400 discount (44% off) matches its lowest-ever price.

Opens in a new window Credit: LG LG 27-inch UltraGear OLED Gaming Monitor (27GS93QE) $499.99 at Amazon
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The 27-inch LG UltraGear OLED gaming monitor is currently down to $499.99 at Amazon. That drops the price by $400 — a massive 44% discount off its normal $899.99 list price — bringing this top-tier display back to its all-time low price.

Hitting a sub-$500 mark on a high-refresh OLED panel is rare, but the performance specs make it a steal for both PC and console setups. You are getting a sharp 1440p resolution, a silky 240Hz refresh rate, and a near-instant 0.03ms pixel response time. So fast-paced competitive shooters look fluid with practically zero motion blur, ghosting, or input lag ruining your tracking.

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LG also loaded it with dual HDMI 2.1 ports and DisplayPort 1.4, letting you max out the 240Hz ceiling on PC or hook up a PS5 or Xbox Series X without losing smooth frame rates. You also get G-Sync and FreeSync support to eliminate screen tearing, a stand that swivels, tilts, and adjusts for height, and a two-year warranty covering burn-in and panel issues.

If you've been eyeing a high-refresh OLED upgrade, hit Amazon and grab this 27-inch display before the $400 discount disappears.