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TL;DR: As of June 3, turn up the summer fun with an open-box Sony XE300 Portable Bluetooth Speaker on sale for $79.99 for a limited time.

While the market is flooded with state-of-the-art headphones and earbuds that can make you feel like you're at a concert, there's something undeniably fun about blasting your favorite tunes from a Bluetooth speaker. With summer nearly here, it's the perfect time to invest in one. Bring your jams to the beach, barbecue parties, or even just dance your heart out in your backyard.

For a limited time, you can score an open-box Sony XE300 Portable Bluetooth Speaker for 60% off at $79.99 (reg. $199.99). This speaker can deliver room-filling sound for 24 hours straight, which means you can keep the party going all day and night.

What's an open-box unit, you ask? It means the product is pretty much new, just taken from store shelves due to excess inventory or customer returns. The packaging might show signs of extra handling, but it performs like a brand new product. In this case, your purchase will be in "Brand new condition with zero cosmetic flaws."

This speaker features a Line-Shape Diffuser that blasts out big sound without sacrificing clarity. Whether you're screaming your lungs out to "Espresso" or chilling with some smooth jazz, you can stream your tunes without experiencing drops in quality. It also boasts a Sony X-balanced speaker for powerful, distortion-free sound.

With advanced Bluetooth, you can connect up to two devices simultaneously and even customize the sound and set the mood with the accompanying app.

Worried about durability? Don't be. With its IP67 water-resistance, shockproof, and dust-proof rating, you won't have to stress about dropping it in the pool getting caught in the rain. And with its generous 24-hour battery life and quick charging for those unexpected summer adventures, you can party for as long as you want, whenever you want. It comes in a beautiful blue, adding a pop of color to your summer festivities.

Take your summer jams anywhere with an open-box Sony XE300 Portable Bluetooth Speaker, on sale for only $79.99 (reg. $199.99). 

StackSocial prices subject to change. 

Opens in a new window Credit: Sony Sony XE300 Portable Bluetooth Speaker Blue (New - Open Box) $79.99 at the Mashable Shop
$199.99 Save $120.00 Get Deal

TL;DR: Through June 9, save on streaming service fees with a lifetime subscription to this all-in-one platform for $29.99 and save 80% off its regular price.

When did subscribing to Netflix, Disney+, and Hulu become almost as much as groceries? As streaming services slowly turn into cable, we’re jumping ship to something new to save money and we want to bring you along — are you down?

Check out BitMar, an all-you-can-eat buffet for streaming free content from the web. Before you ask, it’s totally legal and it’ll only cost you $29.99 to use it for life (reg. $150). Other streaming platforms simply cannot relate.

Experience the all-you-can-stream buffet

When you shell out regular payments to your streaming services, that’s like cooking meals at home. But, with BitMar, it’s like you’re heading to Golden Corral every night with seemingly unlimited options at your fingertips.

You’ve probably heard of some free platforms like Pluto TV, Tubi, and Plex, and BitMar basically compiles their content into one place so you don’t have to hop between them to browse their movie and show selections — just like getting fried chicken and dipping treats into the chocolate fountain in one visit.

Stream smarter, not harder

BitMar can also hook you up with free music via iHeartRadio or YouTube. That’s more saved cash in your pocket each month.

BitMar works on any device that can access the internet, and you can connect up to five at once with your lifetime subscription. Netflix is probably fuming after reading that last part.

The tradeoff for streaming free content is having to watch ads sometimes, maybe in the middle of an episode or movie, but it feels pretty good saving potentially hundreds each year on fees. Plus, ads are a great time to get up and grab a snack (or buffet leftovers).

Join the new wave of streaming with a BitMar lifetime subscription for $29.99 (reg. $150) and save 80%.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: BitMar BitMar All-in-One Streaming Platform: Lifetime Subscription $29.99
$150.00 Save $120.01 Get Deal

The tale of a vicious cartel boss who undergoes gender-affirming surgery, Emilia Pérez places women front and center in a traditionally male-led gangster genre. But rather than subverting its visual and tonal hallmarks, French filmmaker Jacques Audiard compliments them with a liberating sense of expression through song and dance.

The Spanish-language Cannes title not only won Audiard the Jury Prize — the festival's third most prestigious accolade — but it was also awarded the Best Actress trophy to not one but four of its central performances, each of which brings a unique thoughtfulness and passion to the screen. Part throwback musical and part modern cartel saga, the Dheepan director's audacious blend is about the transgender experience in thorny ways, but it finds a deft balance between energetic filmmaking and intimate drama.

What is Emilia Pérez about? Credit: Cannes Film Fesitval

Dreamlike landscape shots of a nebulous Mexican city — the film was largely shot in France — fade and overlap as we're slowly lowered onto streets overrun with violent crime. Rita (Zoe Saldaña), an overworked, underappreciated corporate defense attorney, is part of the problem. She's a cynical cog in a brutal machine, and her job is getting killers off the hook. It's a premise she introduces to us firsthand via a snappy dance number in the tight confines of a public market, where she's promptly joined by extras.

Soon, Rita is presented a deal with a devil: the vicious wanted criminal Juan "Manitas" Del Monte (transgender telenovela star Karla Sofía Gascón), who, midway through the movie, changes her name to Emilia Pérez and adopts a whole new identity. Emilia wants Rita to help her evade authorities by researching an expensive and secretive gender-affirming surgery, and by recruiting discreet international experts. The procedure, however, is no mere excuse or easy escape hatch from her life of crime. Rather, it's been her deep desire for many years — Emilia has also covertly begun hormone replacement therapy — and it just so happens to align with her need to leave her life of crime in her rearview.

When she was living as Manitas, Emilia was perceived to be a tough-as-nails cartel boss who built an empire on blood. Its foundations, which she relays to the audience by singing in despondent whispers, involved leaning into society's violent masculine expectations for the sake of survival. Now, upon undergoing a series of simultaneous surgeries — which receive their own informative musical number, courtesy of some excitable Thai surgeons — her plan also includes faking her own death in the eyes of the law. In order to fully shed her past, she wants to "kill" Manitas, and have Rita evacuate her wife, Jessi (Selena Gomez), and their two adolescent kids to Switzerland, where they'll be safe and none the wiser about Emilia's new life and identity.

All's well that ends well... That is, until Emilia — having fully transitioned — resurfaces several years down the line in the hopes of reuniting with her family. For this mission to bring Jessi and her kids to Mexico, Emilia once again conscripts the resourceful Rita, though both women have since turned over new leaves, making their return to Mexico (and to the thick of cartel activity, where Manitas is still wanted) a challenging conundrum. What follows is a complicated and often amusing plot in which Emilia reintroduces herself to her kids as their long-lost aunt, while also embarking on a pilgrimage of rigorous social work alongside Rita to clean up Mexico's top-down corruption, if only so that both women can atone for their sins.

These acts of repentance come wrapped in wildly energetic musical numbers that leap off the screen, as the camera jostles and swerves to keep pace. All the while, the film asks intriguing philosophical questions about the mind, body, and soul, as they pertain to its genre lens.

Emilia Pérez is a charged transgender tale of remorse.

Until she undergoes her affirming procedures, nearly every character in the film (including her surgeon, and even Emilia herself) refers to her with male pronouns, as though Manitas were a distinct entity whose life ends when Emilia's begins. While trans people generally use pronouns that align with their gender regardless of their desire for (or access to) gender-affirming care, perhaps the movie's 72-year-old cisgender director, and its numerous cis writers and producers, aren't up to date on the terminology, though Emilia hints at having experienced dysphoria as a child. However, her being older and more isolated from trans issues and communities also means she lacks the necessary language to define her deep-seated feelings and experiences. So, this imaginary dividing line between Manitas and Emilia becomes a vital dramatic question.

SEE ALSO: Failed by the healthcare system, transgender people find help elsewhere

Conversations between Rita and the doctors she interviews are rife with differing perspectives about physical transformation representing metaphysical good, and about the ways in which gender dysphoria can be relieved through physical means. If the film, as a political entity, ought to be judged on its approach to trans people irrespective of its language, then it's ostensibly in the right, and only introduces these dueling questions as a means to channel Emilia's spiritual dilemma.

While gender-affirming surgery is something she wants, in order to escape, and needs, in order to survive as her true self, it's also something she hopes will relieve her of her ethical burdens as a ruthless killer — as though Manitas were some uncomfortable temporary skin she could simply shed. Gascón even embodies this idea when she first appears as the gruff and grizzled Manitas onscreen. The actress's prosthetic nose (i.e. the character's "real" nose, pre-rhinoplasty) sits uncomfortably on her face, while the contours of her beard and unkempt, mane-like wig are visible to the naked eye. It's as though we were seeing Emilia the way she sees herself: performing maleness, and being forced to pretend in order to survive.

If anything, the outdated idea that she "was a man" and "is now a woman" (according to some characters) is something she wishes were true, if only to rationalize her life as having a distinct "before" and "after" point — for her spirit, as represented by her body — between Manitas and Emilia. The more modern way we understand gender and identity, wherein Emilia has been the same person all along, is not something she herself can sit with, even though she claims to have recognized this about herself from an early age. Her transformation may be life-affirming, and even life-saving, but it cannot possibly provide her with the absolution she desires. This, in turn, portends the aforementioned tale of Emilia and Rita trying to confront their sins by exposing the metaphorical and literal skeletons they once helped bury.

Transgender opinions on the film are unlikely to be monolithic, but emphasis on the surgical aspect of the trans experience tends to be a reductive, retrograde cisgender fixation more often than not. However, in Emilia Pérez, these anxieties around the nitty-gritties of physical transformation become a key emotional focal point, over which Gascón pores in every scene and every quiet musical number. Her novel sense of gender euphoria remains shackled by a kind of moral dysphoria, having committed atrocities under a façade to which she can no longer relate, if she was ever able to in the first place. And yet, Manitas' actions are a part of her too, even if they belong to a false version of herself.

While Emilia may be guilty from a legal standpoint, the ethics of her guilt, as imagined by Audiard's drama, become infinitely more complicated. It's as though her corrective physical metamorphosis had fallen tragically short of helping her purge herself of her misdeeds. However, on the other side of her social transition, she also finds renewed romance with a headstrong local woman on the run from her husband, Epifania (Adriana Paz) — a committed, loving performance that rounds out the quartet of Cannes winners — but the very idea of happiness becomes corrupted too, so long as Emilia's past remains unconfronted. For instance, Jessi, who believes herself to be a widow, moves on romantically as well, leading to sparks of envy that anchor Emilia to her ugliest emotional tendencies.

But while all these ideas are all somewhat interesting, it's the way in which Audiard assembles them — in the vein of a mid-2000s Hollywood thriller, imbued with raucous musical energy — that truly makes them sing.

Emilia Pérez is a stylistic triumph. Credit: Cannes Film Festival

To liken crime movies and musicals to strictly "masculine" and "feminine" forms of cinema might sound reductive, but this traditional genre binary is key to Audiard's artistic approach. These respective modes, each repressive and expressive in their own right, inform the ways his actors move through space, and the way he captures them doing so.

For one thing, Emilia Pérez resembles the highly saturated war-on-drugs/war-on-terror studio films produced in America at the turn of the century. Its intimate, shaky camerawork and high-contrast shadows create a sickly feel akin to Steven Soderbergh's Traffic or Tony Scott's Déjà Vu, hi-octane thrillers in which you can practically smell the gasoline radiating off people's skin, thanks to their  overblown visual highlights (including on Black skin; something Déjà Vu and Emilia Pérez have in common). These are the kinds of films where it feels like the light source is everywhere, all at once, reflecting off people's bodies at all times — if not emanating from them in the first place.

Audiard and cinematographer Paul Guilhaume take full advantage of these familiar textures and conventions as soon as they begin blending the aforementioned approach — an ostensibly more "realistic" one — with the theatrical expressionism of dance. The harsh highlights become spotlights, as the film’s luminous characters begin to control the fabric of the frame. Their movements determine whether people around them are still or in motion. Routine activities take on musical rhythms. Personal confrontations in public settings determine whether or not other characters are lit at all. These are women fighting for agency in harsh environments, and their aesthetic control over the space around them ends up a particularly fitting depiction of this idea.

While the film has lengthy stretches without musical numbers, and features a few laments with rusty delivery that it could've probably done without, there are just as many songs that are exciting and emotionally rousing. (Some tracks are mercifully rapped, rather than sung, by actors with less vocal training.) One in particular, a rock opera ballad which unfolds just as Rita begins turning over a new leaf, sees Saldaña dancing across a series of expensive banquet tables. While she's invisible to its lavish guests — corrupt politicians and police personnel she now hopes to take down — her pulsating movements practically force them to move and convulse to the beat as well. Others finally have no choice but to dance to her tune. It's one of the most fist-pumping cinematic moments this year.  

However, no matter who's on screen, Emilia remains the focal point around whom everyone's story pivots — whether it heads toward catharsis, tragedy, or both. She represents, in microcosm, the transformative nature of fictional characters at large, and ends up embodying a novel narrative tension through her transgender experience: between physical and emotional metamorphosis, a dramatic disconnect that becomes the catalyst for nearly every scene and song.

Above all else, the film's four leading ladies are perfectly attuned to Audiard's volatile mixture of operatic emotion and naturalistic cinematic influence. The result is a dazzling, dramatic high-wire act that's always fun to watch, and is frequently invigorating, too. While its combination of styles and subject matter could've been picked out of a hat, Emilia Pérez sees Audiard sorting through a fog of risky, seemingly immiscible ideas to deliver a queer Molotov cocktail.

Emilia Pérez was reviewed out of the Cannes Film Festival.

"House of the Dragon" star Olivia Cooke appeared on "The Late Show" and summed up Season 2 of the show in five words.

TL;DR: Live stream Alexander Zverev vs. Alex de Minaur in the 2024 French Open for free on 9Now, France TV, RTBF, ORF, or Servus TV. Access these free streaming platforms from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Now that defending Roland-Garros champion Novak Djokovic has been forced to withdraw with a knee injury, the men's singles feels wide open. The world No. 1 is out of the picture and we're guaranteed a new champion.

German dynamo Alexander Zverev is tipped to win this next match as the No. 4 seed, but his opponent — Australia's Alex de Minaur — has already caused a significant upset. He knocked out No. 5 seed Danill Medvedev in the fourth round.

All of which makes this a highly exciting French Open quarter final. And there's good news for tennis fans all around the globe: You don't have to be in France to watch it.

If you want to watch Alexander Zverev vs. Alex de Minaur in the 2024 French Open for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Zverev vs. de Minaur?

Alexander Zverev vs. Alex de Minaur will meet in the 2024 French Open from 2:15 p.m. ET on June 5.

How to watch Zverev vs. de Minaur in the 2024 French Open for free

The 2024 French Open is available to live stream for free on the following platforms:

• Australia — 9now

• Austria — ORF or ServusTV

• Belgium — RTBF

• France — France TV

All of these platforms are geo-restricted with their specific countries, but you'll be able access the free live streams with a VPN. By using a VPN you can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect yourself with secure servers in other countries. This simple process will open up access to free streaming platforms from around in the world — from wherever you're located around the globe.

Access free live streams of the 2024 French Open 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 Australia, Austria, Belgium, or France

4. Visit 9Now, France TV, RTBF, ORF, or Servus TV

5. Stream Alexander Zverev vs. Alex de Minaur for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free) $99.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free to use. They require a subscription fee or upfront payment. But leading providers tend to offer incentives, which include free trial periods or money-back guarantees. Take advantage of these offers and gain access to free live streams — for zero cost overall. It's a short-term fix but you'll have enough time to watch all of the 2024 French Open before reclaiming any upfront costs.

What is the best VPN for the French Open?

ExpressVPN is the best service for accessing free live streams of the 2024 French Open, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries

• 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

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

ExpressVPN has served up a great money-saving deal in time for the 2024 French Open. For the sale price of just $99.95 you can get a one-year subscription — a massive 49% discount off the regular price. The package includes three bonus months at no extra cost, plus a year's worth of cloud data backup, and a guarantee to claim your money back within 30 days.

Live stream Zverev vs. de Minaur for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Live stream Mirra Andreeva vs. Aryna Sabalenka in the 2024 French Open for free on 9Now, France TV, RTBF, ORF, or Servus TV. Access these free streaming platforms from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

What a Cinderella story this would be at Roland-Garros as the unseeded 17-year-old Russian, Mirra Andreeva, takes on No. 2 seed and 2023 finalist, Aryna Sabalenka.

This quarter final is the furthest that Andreeva has advanced in a Grand Slam tournament. Sabalenka, meanwhile, has already eliminated the Russian's older sister, Erika Andreeva, in the first round.

Sabalenka is the obvious favorite here, but there's always a chance that we could see a major upset. This quarter final isn't just must-watch, it's can't-miss.

If you want to watch Mirra Andreeva vs. Aryna Sabalenka in the 2024 French Open for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Andreeva vs. Sabalenka?

Mirra Andreeva vs. Aryna Sabalenka will meet in the 2024 French Open from 9:30 a.m. ET on June 5.

How to watch Andreeva vs. Sabalenka in the 2024 French Open for free

The 2024 French Open is available to live stream for free on the following platforms:

• Australia — 9now

• Austria — ORF or ServusTV

• Belgium — RTBF

• France — France TV

These platforms are geo-restricted to their respective countries, which means viewers in other parts of the world can't usually access them. But you can bypass these restrictions by using a VPN. VPNs are useful online tools that can hide your computer's IP address (digital location) while connecting you with secure servers in other countries. This quick and easy process helps you gain access to free streaming platforms from anywhere around in the world, no matter where you're based.

Access free live streams of the 2024 French Open 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 Australia, Austria, Belgium, or France

4. Visit 9Now, France TV, RTBF, ORF, or Servus TV

5. Stream Mirra Andreeva vs. Aryna Sabalenka for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free) $99.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not actually free to use. But top VPN providers usually have incentive deals, such as free trial periods or money-back guarantee offers. You can take advantage of these offers and access to free live streams without losing a penny. Sure, it's a short-term fix but these deals will you more than enough time to watch the remainder of the 2024 French Open — and effectively for free.

What is the best VPN for the French Open?

ExpressVPN is the best service for accessing free live streams of the 2024 French Open, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries

• 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

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

ExpressVPN has a great offer at the moment. A one-year subscription costs just $99.95 for a limited time. For that price — which gives you a saving of 49% from the regular price — you'll get three bonus months at no extra cost, plus a year's worth of cloud data backup, and a 30-day money-back guarantee..

Live stream Andreeva vs. Sabalenka for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Live stream Jasmine Paolini vs. Elena Rybakina in the 2024 French Open for free on 9Now, France TV, RTBF, ORF, or Servus TV. Access these free streaming platforms from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

It's always a joy to see a tennis player get on a run of good form and that's exactly what's happening with Jasmine Paolini at Roland-Garros. The Italian No.12 seed has reached the quarter finals for the first time.

But Paolini will have to overcome a significant hurdle to reach the semi-finals — she'll have to beat the 2022 Wimbledon champion, Elena Rybakina.

Indeed, Rybakina is on great form too. By reaching the quarter final, the No. 4 seed has equalled her best ever performance at the French Open. With a spot in the semis to play for, expect an intense and highly competitive game.

If you want to watch Jasmine Paolini vs. Elena Rybakina in the 2024 French Open for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Paolini vs. Rybakina?

Jasmine Paolini vs. Elena Rybakina will meet in the 2024 French Open from 8:15 a.m. ET on June 5.

How to watch Paolini vs. Rybakina in the 2024 French Open for free

The 2024 French Open is available to live stream for free on the following platforms:

• Australia — 9now

• Austria — ORF or ServusTV

• Belgium — RTBF

• France — France TV

The above platforms are geo-blocked outside of their specific countries, but you can able access them by using a VPN. A VPN can hide your actual IP address (digital location) then connect you with secure servers in other countries. This quick and easy process will ensure you have access to free streaming platforms from anywhere around in the world — no matter where you're based.

Access free live streams of the 2024 French Open 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 Australia, Austria, Belgium, or France

4. Visit 9Now, France TV, RTBF, ORF, or Servus TV

5. Stream Jasmine Paolini vs. Elena Rybakina for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free) $99.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not technically free. They do require a subscription fee or upfront payment in the long-term. But top VPN providers tend to offer incentives, such as free trial periods or money-back guarantees. By taking advantage of these offers you can gain access to free live streams — and it won't cost anything in the long run. Sure, it's a short-term fix overall but you'll have enough time to watch all of the 2024 French Open before reclaiming any upfront costs.

What is the best VPN for the French Open?

ExpressVPN is the best service for accessing free live streams of the 2024 French Open, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries

• 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

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

ExpressVPN has served up a great money-saving deal in time for the 2024 French Open. For the bargain price of only $99.95 you can get a one-year subscription. That's a whopping 49% off the regular price. But it's available for a limited time only. The package includes three bonus months at no extra cost, plus a year's worth of cloud data backup, and 30-day money back guarantee..

Live stream Paolini vs. Rybakina for free with ExpressVPN.

The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for June 5 SEE ALSO: 'Wordle' today: Here's the answer hints for June 5

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Wednesday, June 5, 2024:

AcrossWhere a masseuse might work

• The answer is spa.

Drops the ball

• The answer is errs.

Antianxiety drug whose name is a palindrome

• The answer is Xanax.

Harvard's rival

• The answer is Yale.

Last letter, in London

• The answer is zed.

Down"The birds and the bees" topic

• The answer is sex.

Speak with folded hands

• The answer is pray.

Desi ___, "I Love Lucy" co-star

• The answer is Arnaz.

All-items-must-go event

• The answer is sale.

Crossed (out)

• The answer is xed.

Featured Video For You The Wordle Strategy used by the New York Times' Head of Games

Netflix has released the trailer for "The Boyfriend," a Japanese gay romance reality series that seems similar to "Terrace House."

Warner Bros. Discovery's streaming service Max has gotten pricier — unless you can stomach ads.

The company just increased prices across all of its ad-free plans. That means the standard ad-free plan is now $16.99 (up from $15.99), while the Ultimate ad-free plan, which allows streaming on more devices and supports 4K, is $20.99 (up from $19.99).

Existing subscribers will see the price increase on their next billing cycle on July 4 or after. For new subscribers, the prices are already up.

Max still has an ad-supported tier, the price of which is unchanged: $9.99 per month.

SEE ALSO: Chris Hemsworth's Dementus is the real scene-stealer in 'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga'

Max's price hike, which is the second price increase in a year, is obviously part of a trend. Spotify recently upped its prices for the second time in 12 months, NBCUniversal's Peacock will also get pricier in July, and other streaming services, including Disney+ and Netflix, have also recently increased prices.

It's also worth noting that Max's price hike comes just ahead of the House of the Dragon Season 2 premiere on June 16. If you want to see what happens next to Rhaenyra and Aegon II, you'll have to pay up.

TL;DR: As of June 5, learn more about AI for generating text, images, automating tasks, and streamlining your workload when you enroll in the ChatGPT and Gemini AI course bundle for £23.45, down from the regular price of £617.84. 

Opens in a new window Credit: Eduonix Learning Solutions The 2024 Complete ChatGPT & Gemini AI Advanced E-Degree £23.45 at the Mashable Shop
£617.84 Save £594.39 Get Deal

Knowing how to use ChatGPT isn't the same thing as being an expert in AI. Just getting the AI to respond to a prompt is simple. Being able to use AI for advanced projects and automation may require a bit more practice. 

If you want to enhance your own understanding and AI skills, consider enrolling in this ChatGPT and Gemini AI online learning bundle. This comprehensive introduction to AI shows you how to use AI tools for marketing, social media, education, automation, and more. All content is available for life, so you can set your own pace. And for a limited time, you can sign up for just £23.45. 

Use AI like a pro

This course bundle includes 65 video lectures with 10 hours of content to study. Lectures cover how to use AI to generate text for marketing, blogs, and scripts for generating images for social media, presentations, and web design. 

While the bundle covers the well-known AI tool ChatGPT, you'll also learn skills for Gemini AI, Bard, and DALL-E 2, among others. What you're studying isn't all theoretical; ;earners also get the chance to take on real-world projects to see how AI can help you efficiently solve problems. 

We should note that the "e-degree" offered by the course isn't the same as getting a formal degree from a university. The certificate is for course completion only.

If you're struggling to master skills like prompt engineering on your own, then this course was designed to help you become more than a superficial AI user. Get this ChatGPT and Gemini course bundle on sale for £23.45. 

StackSocial prices subject to change. 

TL;DR: Watch Papua New Guinea vs. Uganda in the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup for free on Disney+ Hotstar. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The T20 2024 World Cup is finally here, and cricket fans will be rejoicing ahead of a whole month of cricket from some of the best players in the world. There are many exciting matchups to come, including Papua New Guinea vs. Uganda.

If you want to watch Papua New Guinea vs. Uganda in the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Papua New Guinea vs. Uganda?

Papua New Guinea vs. Uganda in the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup starts at 7:30 p.m. ET on June 5 / 12:30 a.m. BST on June 6. This fixture takes place at the Providence Stadium, Guyana.

How to watch Papua New Guinea vs. Uganda for free

Smartphone users in India can watch the 2024 Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup for free on Disney+ Hotstar.

This free content is geo-restricted to India, but anyone from around the world can access this free live stream with a VPN. These powerful tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in India, meaning you can access this free content on the Disney+ Hotstar app from anywhere in the world.

Access free T20 Cricket World Cup live streams 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 India

4. Download the Disney+ Hotstar mobile app

5. Watch Papua New Guinea vs. Uganda in the 2024 T20 Cricket World Cup for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free) $99.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch Papua New Guinea vs. Uganda (plus the rest of the tournament) before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for Disney+ Hotstar?

ExpressVPN is the best service for accessing live sport on Disney+ Hotstar, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including India

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 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.

Watch Papua New Guinea vs. Uganda in the 2024 T20 World Cup for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Watch Australia vs. Oman in the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup for free on Disney+ Hotstar. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The next fixture of the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup is just around the corner as one of the biggest cricket tournaments in the world continues to rumble on. In this match, Group B teams Australia and Oman will go head-to-head in the 10th match of the tournament.

It's set to be a great match, so if you want to watch Australia vs. Oman in the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup for free from anywhere in the world, keep reading to find out how.

When is Australia vs. Oman?

Australia vs. Oman in the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup starts at 8:30 p.m. ET on June 5 / 1:30 a.m. BST on June 6. This fixture takes place at the Kensington Oval Stadium in Bridgetown, Barbados.

How to watch Australia vs. Oman for free

You can watch the 2024 Men's T20 Cricket World Cup in India for free on the Disney+ Hotstar app. For those not in India, you'll need to bypass geo-restrictions as this free content is limited to India. To do this, you'll need to use a VPN. These helpful tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in India, meaning you can access this free content on the Disney+ Hotstar app from anywhere in the world.

Access free T20 Cricket World Cup live streams 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 India

4. Download the Disney+ Hotstar mobile app

5. Watch Australia vs. Oman in the 2024 T20 Cricket World Cup for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free) $99.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are often not free to use, but most of them offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams without committing with cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch Australia vs. Oman (plus any other matches) before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for Disney+ Hotstar?

ExpressVPN is the best service for accessing live sport on Disney+ Hotstar, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including India

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 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.

Watch Australia vs. Oman in the 2024 T20 World Cup for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Watch India vs. Ireland in the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup for free on Disney+ Hotstar. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The 2024 Men's T20 World Cup is back and cricket fans are set for a summer of great games, bringing together the best international teams from across the globe. The next fixture between India and Ireland is just around the corner.

Don't miss out on the action. If you want to tune in to India vs. Ireland in the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is India vs. Ireland?

India vs. Ireland in the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup starts at 10:00 a.m. ET / 3:00 p.m. BST on June 5. This fixture will be played at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in East Meadow, New York.

How to watch India vs. Ireland for free

Smartphone users in India can watch the 2024 Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup for free on Disney+ Hotstar, including this fixture between India and Ireland.

This content is however geo-restricted to India. But with the use of a VPN, anyone from around the world can access this free live stream. VPNs work by hiding your real IP address (digital location) and connecting you to a secure server in India, meaning you can access this free content on the Disney+ Hotstar app from anywhere in the world.

Access free T20 Cricket World Cup live streams 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 India

4. Download the Disney+ Hotstar mobile app

5. Watch India vs. Ireland in the 2024 T20 Cricket World Cup for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free) $99.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not always free, but some of the best do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams without parting with any money. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch some of the best T20 matches before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for Disney+ Hotstar?

ExpressVPN is the best service for accessing live sport on Disney+ Hotstar, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including India

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 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.

Watch India vs. Ireland in the 2024 T20 World Cup for free with ExpressVPN.

Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for June 4's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Wordle.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles used to be available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it. Unfortunately, it has since been taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Body part.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no extra letters.

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter O.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to Wordle #1082 is...

ORGAN.

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Reporting by Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

The first two episodes of The Acolyte are officially out, and in the words of the Twisters trailer, "We've got twins! TWINS!"

All the marketing materials for the latest Star Wars series led viewers to believe that it focused on Dark Side assassin Mae (Amandla Stenberg, Bodies Bodies Bodies) and her Jedi murder spree. While that's technically the truth, the advertising campaign was all one big misdirect for the first episode's biggest twist: Mae has a twin sister, Osha (also Stenberg). And we're going to be spending a lot of time with her.

For anyone who paid attention to The Acolyte's marketing, the series opens as you'd expect: with an unnamed assassin (who we'll later find out is Mae) attacking and killing Jedi Master Indara (Carrie-Anne Moss, The Matrix). The immediate murder of Indara comes as a huge shock — that's Carrie-Anne Moss, after all! But the shocks don't stop there, as we cut to another young woman who looks exactly like Mae jolting awake onboard a spaceship.

SEE ALSO: 'The Acolyte' review: Just what Star Wars needs Who the heck is Osha Aniseya? Amandla Stenberg in "The Acolyte." Credit: Lucasfilm Ltd.

This is Osha, a Jedi-turned-mechanic. While she's certainly carrying a lot of emotional baggage of her own, including losing her entire family in a fire, she's not at all like the hardened warrior we witnessed taking out a Jedi Master. So what gives?

As I watched the beginning of The Acolyte, my mind rattled through a number of options as to how Osha could be related to the Jedi killer. I ruled twins out almost immediately — surely Disney hadn't hidden an entire character, right? Maybe Indara's death was a dream sequence instead, or a flash-forward to what lay in Osha's future. Both options felt cheap. Then, I concocted an elaborate theory involving Osha somehow astral projecting while under the influence of an evil master. But that option felt too complicated, and not at all in keeping with what we'd seen of Osha's character up to that point.

SEE ALSO: All 12 Star Wars movies, ranked from worst to best

I hated all my own explanations for the Osha conundrum so much that by the time the actual twin reveal came around, I was relieved. More than relieved — I was excited! The Acolyte wasn't going for any convoluted story tactics, nor was it dragging out its biggest reveal (at least, so far). Instead, it showed its hand at just the right time, setting up a family showdown between the Light and Dark Sides of the force.

The pairing of Mae and Osha has great potential. Amandla Stenberg in "The Acolyte." Credit: Lucasfilm Ltd.

Twins are nothing new to Star Wars — hello, Luke and Leia! But with Mae and Osha, The Acolyte gets a chance to tell a new story, one in which the central twins are on opposite sides of the Dark/Light schism. How do you act when you have such a close family member standing with people you're diametrically opposed to? Is there any hope of reconciliation? Or is that sisterly bond broken forever, caught between forces larger than just two people?

Complicating matters further is the fact that Mae and Osha both believed the other to be dead. Their reactions to learning that is not the case could not be more different. Osha is shocked, yet ready to help Master Sol (Lee Jung-jae, Squid Game) track Mae down. When Sol tells Mae Osha is alive in episode 2, she's distraught and disbelieving, only accepting the truth when she sees Osha herself. Even then, their reunion is unexpected. Mae utters a soft, "Oshie?" Osha, in turn, fires at Mae.

Sol mentioned that Mae started the fire that killed their family, which explains Osha's angered, even vengeful, response to Mae's survival. Yet Mae doesn't act like someone who's killed her family. A Jedi Master or two, yes, but her almost hopeful reaction to seeing Osha in person speaks of regret and worry, not of attempted murder.

Mae and Osha's differing attitudes about the fire that forced them apart suggest that there's more to it than what we've learned. Could Mae not have set the fire? Does she believe the Jedi she's hunting are somehow responsible? And if there is some more disturbing truth at play here, how will Osha and Mae react when they find out?

With the possibility for emotionally charged Force battles and major familial revelations, the rift between Osha and Mae may result in one of Star Wars' most compelling duos yet. It's a new addition to the classic Dark/Light binary that has defined so many Star Wars foils, like Luke and Darth Vader, Obi-Wan and Anakin, and Rey and Kylo Ren. However, with scenes like Master Torbin (Dean-Charles Chapman, Game of Thrones) taking absolution from Mae after committing some implied past wrong, the first few episodes of The Acolyte suggest that the show is interested in playing in the gray area within that binary. As a result, there's so much potential for Osha and Mae's dynamic to blossom and evolve, and I have a feeling that the twin reveal is only the first surprise of many The Acolyte has in store.

The first two episodes of The Acolyte are now streaming on Disney+, with a new episode every Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET.

Connections is the latest New York Times word game that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for June 5's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

Tweet may have been deleted

Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer. If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

Tweet may have been deleted

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hit about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Amazing!

• Green: Variation

• Blue: What's the skinny

• Purple: Dipped in hot oil

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: "Awesome!"

• Green: Variety

• Blue: Gist

• Purple: Fried Appetizer, Informally

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to Connections #360 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• "Awesome!": COOL, NICE, SICK, SWEET

• Variety: KIND, SORT, STYLE, TYPE

• Gist: DRIFT, IDEA, MESSAGE, POINT

• Fried Appetizer, Informally: RING, STICK, TENDER, WING

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Is this not the Connections game you were looking for? Here are the hints and answers to yesterday's Connections.

"Innovation" is a word that's constantly thrown around in the tech space – the latest AI model, the newest smart-gadget – but rarely do we come across something that's actually, well, innovative.

A few months ago, I was served an ad for a new product for livestreamers and digital filmmakers – and I immediately realized I needed to try this product out. It was truly innovative. A new take – something I'd never seen before – on an item that is crucial for most content creators.

It was a green screen. I can hear the readers through the computer screen now: "An innovative green screen?" Yes. More specifically, it's the SUB2r Active Green Screen – or AGS for short.

What is a green screen?

Before we dive into the review, let's get this out of the way: What is a green screen?

A green screen is essentially a large green backdrop that's used to add in digital effects or backgrounds in photography or film via a process known as chroma key compositing. Green screens have primarily been used in movie productions or photography studios. However, green screens have increasingly become popular among online content creators, livestreamers, YouTubers, and even people who just regularly make video calls or hold meetings over services like Zoom.

While a green screen facilitates an incredible end product with advanced visual effects, the technology itself is fairly simple. A green screen is usually made of either a painted board or colored fabric. If one really wanted to, they can make one DIY-style. That's all you need to make movie magic.

Well, that's really not all you need. 

A major component of a perfect chroma key (i.e., removing the green screen in order to insert a new background or effect) is lighting. You typically need a bare minimum of two lights to properly illuminate your green screen backdrop. Once you have those lights, you need to know how to set up your lighting. If your green screen or subject isn't perfectly lit, then your end video product will look bad. Green coloring can leak through and create a border around your subject. Shadows or other digital artifacting can appear and ruin your otherwise convincing effects or backgrounds. 

The SUB2r AGS green screen price and specs

So, we've already broken down what a green screen is: a green colored board or piece of fabric. How can the SUB2r AGS possibly innovate here?

Simply put: It solves the complicated green screen lighting problem. There's no other green screen product out there that I've come across that does this.

How? By building a lighting system inside the 5x7 foot green screen itself as a backlight, ensuring a perfectly lit green screen at all times, without the need for any other lights.

Mashable's Matt Binder next to the 5x7 SUB2r AGS. Credit: Mashable / Matt Binder

You can buy the SUB2r AGS direct from SUB2r's website right now at a sale price of $549 and it comes with the following specs:

• 5'x7' size green screen

• Built-in lighting setup to illuminate the green screen

• Ships with stands and a compact carrying case

• A remote control to change the lighting settings

• Power the SUB2r AGS lighting by plugging it direct to the outlet — or take it on the go and plug it into any USB battery pack

Now that you've got an overview on the SUB2r AGS, including its capabilities and specs, let's dive into my personal experience with it.

Opens in a new window Credit: Mashable / Matt Binder SUB2r AGS green screen $549.00 at SUB2r
Get Deal SUB2r AGS green screen: What I like about it

So, does the SUB2r AGS' deliver on its main selling point? It absolutely does.

Using the SUB2r AGS, I was able to perfectly key the green screen out without any additional lighting on the green screen backdrop itself. Even without lighting my subject (in this case, me) the SUB2r AGS enabled a perfect chroma key effect to be achieved. I can imagine that this ability could provide use cases for digital filmmakers looking to get a certain look out of their shoot, while still utilizing a perfectly lit green screen.

There were no issues with the subject's shadow appearing on the screen. The backlight enables the subject to be extremely close to the green screen, much closer than one would be able to get with any other green screen product. This is helpful for YouTubers and other creators who may work and record in very small home studio spaces.

Furthermore, as a streamer, I utilized software that keys the green screen out in real-time, which is usually less accurate than chroma key features in dedicated post editing software like Adobe Premiere or Final Cut Pro.

Here's a visual example.

Via Giphy

In the above clip, the SUB2r AGS is set up behind me. There are no lights setup for the stream. The only lighting is from room lighting, a single lightbulb on the ceiling. My livestreaming program is already setup to key out the green screen, but as you can see, with the SUB2r AGS turned off, you can barely see the blue Mashable logo background coming through.

When I put the SUB2r AGS on, however, I get exactly what I'm looking for without any specific lighting set up for the shoot.

And here's what it looks like when the room is completely dark, no lighting, and nothing but my computer monitor lighting my face:

Via Giphy

As you can see, the SUB2r AGS still achieves a perfect chroma key. I haven't come across any other green screen product out there on the market that can pull this off.

The SUB2r AGS comes with a remote that can turn the lights on and off and also adjust the brightness level so you can control just how much the green screen is illuminated by the built-in lights. And because the lighting is built-in, I was able to try the green screen out, away from my desk, where my regular lighting setup is mounted. It's easy to see how this specific feature can be utilized by guerrilla filmmakers and others who find themselves needing a green screen someplace where a full lighting setup won't fit or is otherwise unavailable.

Speaking of portability, the built-in lights on the SUB2r AGS can be powered by a USB battery pack, much like the ones that are used to charge smartphones on the go. Again, a low-budget shoot could likely utilize this green screen on-location without having to lug around — and take the time to set up — an entire lighting kit.

Next, let's focus on the setup, an integral selling point in a green screen for streamers. For example, the last truly innovative green screen product I came across before the SUB2r AGS was from the popular streaming product company Elgato. Elgato creates a collapsible green screen that simply rolls up out of its case when needed. The case also acts like a stand so setup takes seconds and the green screen takes up minimal space for those streaming from smaller rooms.

Most basic green screen kits that can be bought on Amazon and elsewhere typically consist of a green fabric sheet and tripod-like stands. I've used these before. These green screens are usually fine for big studios where there's time to set up and then leave everything up for as long as needed. But, for streamers with home studios, these green screen packages are a pain. They take up lots of room and take a bit to put up and then break down.

As for the SUB2r, it opens right up and expands itself straight out of the carrying case. From there, you just clip on 8 batons. These are meant to keep the SUB2r AGS sturdy and put some room between the green screen and the rows of lights that are built into the back of the green screen itself. Then you snap on stands, and the SUB2r AGS is ready to go. When looking at the directions it sounded like a lot, but I was able to get the green screen up and ready to go in about 5 minutes.

Folding up the SUB2r AGS was fairly quick too, though it did seem daunting at first because it requires multiple twists, turns, and folds of the green screen in order to get it back into its fairly small carrying case.

The SUB2r AGS fit just fine in my tiny closet-turned-home-studio space. Credit: Mashable / Matt Binder SUB2r AGS green screen: What I dislike about it

There's really only one thing I truly dislike like about the SUB2r AGS: the price.

The SUB2r AGS is quite expensive with a retail price of $649, although it's currently on sale for $549 as of this writing.

In talking with SUB2r's co-founder Richard Neumann about the pricing, he acknowledged the issue and shared that the company is hoping to bring the price down in future iterations. SUB2r is a fairly small, yet up-and-coming streaming accessory company. Due to that, their manufacturing costs are higher than what the company would like them to be. SUB2r is currently working on two streaming cameras, but aside from a few mount accessories, the SUB2r AGS is the company's main product currently.

Looking online, it seems that you can find prosumer-level green screen kits, complete with lighting equipment, ranging from $350 to $650. So, factor in the lighting costs that you'll save and the convenience of what SUB2r AGS brings to the table, and the $549 price tag is much more sensible. With that said, those kits are more for photography studios or indie filmmakers, so the SUB2r AGS price may still be out of range for many streamers and YouTubers.

As a streamer, there's also one other glaring issue with the SUB2r AGS: Its competitor in innovation, the previously mentioned Elgato collapsible green screen. At around $160, the Elgato Green Screen is obviously positioned as a completely different product. But as a consumer, these are the two products I'd be choosing from if I needed a green screen. You can't help but compare the two. 

A side view of the SUB2r green screen. Credit: Mashable / Matt Binder

The SUB2r AGS has many advantages for filmmaking and photography, but streamers usually need the quickest setup and breakdown possible. The Elgato Green Screen simply requires the user to lift a handle to unroll the green screen out of its case. The SUB2r AGS is fast to set up, but the Elgato screen is just much faster.

Many streamers also constantly deal with space issues and need their setup to take up as little room as possible. The SUB2r AGS adds about 10 inches of depth to the green screen, resulting in a product that looks a bit like an oversized softbox, in order to provide space for the built-in lighting. That depth helps function as a stand, too, so the SUB2r AGS actually ends up needing less space than most other green screen setups that use tripod stands. However, the Elgato Green Screen has them all beat, with its case functioning as a stand as well.

Via Giphy Is the SUB2r AGS worth it?

The SUB2r AGS tries something completely new and different with a product that traditionally consists of a green colored board or a piece of fabric. And it hits it out of the park. It just works.

Livestreamers and smaller creators should certainly consider the SUB2r AGS if it's in their price range. The choice between this and the Elgato Green Screen will come down to what matters to you more: the SUB2r AGS' built-in lighting or the Elgato's compactness. 

If you're a photographer, filmmaker, or even a longform YouTube creator, the SUB2r AGS would likely be a really useful production tool for creating any type of content that requires different backgrounds or special effects.

Regardless of your decision about the AGS for now, based on the uniqueness of their green screen, I think SUB2r is certainly one company to keep an eye on in the livestreaming and video content creation space.

Apple's annual developer conference, WWDC 2024, is just around the corner, with the highly anticipated keynote scheduled on June 10. As part of the preparations, Apple has updated its Apple Developer app to version 10.6, bringing exciting new features and enhancements.

SEE ALSO: WWDC 2024: What to expect

Among the updates are new Apple Stickers, celebrating the event with designs like the Vision Pro headset, Apple logo, Apple Park, Macintosh, and various emojis.

How to access the WWDC-themed stickers Tweet may have been deleted

To access these new WWDC stickers, simply follow these steps:

1. Update the Apple Developer App: Ensure you have updated the Apple Developer app to version 10.6.

2. Open iMessage: Launch the iMessage app on your iPhone.

3. Start a Conversation: Go to any iMessage conversation.

4. Access Stickers: Tap on the "+" button in the bottom left corner.

5. Select Stickers: Tap on the Stickers option in the menu.

6. Find WWDC Stickers: Navigate to the Apple Developer tab in the sticker tray to find and use the new WWDC stickers.

Stay tuned for Mashable's coverage of WWDC 2024 on June 10.

Voice Mode on the ChatGPT mobile app automatically runs in the background even when the app is closed. But now there's a way to disable it.

OpenAI has quietly deployed a new privacy feature for the ChatGPT app on Android and iOS that lets you disable "Background Conversations." Redditors (via BGR) spotted the setting on Monday that appears to be new. In the Voice Mode section of ChatGPT settings, you can now toggle off the feature.

SEE ALSO: iOS 18: Rumors that it’s getting built-in ChatGPT are heating up

Based on the description of what ChatGPT's Voice Mode actually does, the privacy-minded might want to turn it off immediately. "Background conversations keep the conversation going in other apps or when your screen is off." Presumably, this means ChatGPT with Voice Mode is "listening" or tracking your behavior when using other apps on your phone.

It's unclear whether the "while your screen is off" part refers to some kind of passive listening capability, as is the case with other voice assistants or if it's just referring to other apps running in the background when you're not actively using your phone. OpenAI did not respond to Mashable's request for clarification at the time of publication.

OpenAI has big plans for Voice Mode

ChatGPT Voice has been an available feature since September of last year. But, OpenAI recently rolled the voice modality into one model with the launch of GPT-4o. The heavier focus on voice capabilities brought new scrutiny to the types of voices used — one of which sounded eerily similar to Scarlett Johansson's, drew not-so-coincidental comparisons to the movie Her. OpenAI has since dropped the ScarJo-esque voice after Johansson threatened legal action. On a related note, OpenAI is reportedly partnering with Apple for ChatGPT integration in iOS 18. It's unclear whether OpenAI's voice mode, and by extension, ChatGPT listening in on your app behavior is related to an alleged Siri revamp or if that's a part of the reported partnership.

How to turn off Background Conversations on the ChatGPT app

Users on Reddit noticed this showing up in ChatGPT settings on Android and iOS. It hasn't shown up for us, which suggests it is a gradual rollout (we've reached out to OpenAI for clarification on this.) If you do have this setting, it will show up in the Settings account under Voice Mode. To disable Background Conversations, simply tap to toggle off.

Reddit