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If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game.

Strands requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for November 1 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for November 1 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Strategy game

These words are not checkers-related.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

Words that refer to chess pieces and terms. 

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is CheckMate.

Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for November 1

• Queen

• Knight

• Rook

• Bishop

• Pawn

• CheckMate

• King

• Timer

• Board

SEE ALSO: Hurdle hints and answers for November 1 SEE ALSO: Mini crossword answers for November 1

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Strands.

If writing a novel has long been on your bucket list, it's time to stop dreaming and get a draft done — using whatever tools you like to overcome your fear of the blank page.

The event known as National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, turns 25 this year. Participants around the world are invited to "win" by finishing a draft of 50,000 words at breakneck speed between November 1 and November 30, without worrying too much about the quality of the draft. That may sound onerous, but it breaks down to just under 1,667 words a day. (Full disclosure: I participated once 15 years ago, and that daily word goal is still seared into my brain.)

So far, so uncontroversial. NaNoWriMo has helped many writers over the years, leading to global bestsellers such as Wool by Hugh Howey (the basis for Apple TV's Silo) and The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. The San Francisco-based organization behind it, also called NaNoWriMo, is now a nonprofit pulling in $1.2 million a year from donations and sponsorships — not a massive number, but enough for four full-time employees who run a handful of writing programs for adults and kids.

But in 2024, arguments over Artificial Intelligence, and how much we should be using it, are as unavoidable as the U.S. election. An answer about AI in a NaNoWriMo FAQ in September, affirming that the organization is OK if you want to use AI tools in writing that 50,000-word draft, sparked a firestorm of controversy. The organization tweaked its answer several times in response. Still, long-time fans of the event, many of whom participate every year, reacted with fury. A few famous authors, including Morgenstern, withdrew their support.

Judging by the backlash, you'd think NaNoWriMo had encouraged authors to use AI, instead of simply declaring itself neutral. You'd also think the organization was involved in some evil scheme to train AI models using thousands of novels — despite the fact that the NaNoWriMo site asks only for your word count, not your actual content. (Whether you "win" or not is on the honor system; this isn't a race with other writers, only with yourself.)

"The dilemma of any global, online community is that there's no good way to have nuanced conversations," says Kilby Blades, novelist and (as of this year) director of NaNoWriMo. "The fact that writers don't have a shared understanding of AI, or a shared understanding of what some of these writing tools do, shows how unstable some of the commentary is and how far from productive discussions we are."

The AI novelist

So let's define our terms. What AI tools are we talking about, exactly, and how much labor can they save?

Any Large Language Model, like ChatGPT or Claude, can spit out a short story on demand. Ask it to whip up an entire novel, however, and you'll be disappointed. In theory, the paid version of GPT-4 can produce 25,000 words at a time, but that may require a high-tech workaround using an Application Programming Interface. You're more likely to run up against a 4,000-word limit.

"I can't generate a complete 50,000-word draft in one go," GPT-4 warned when I asked. "But I can help you outline the novel, develop characters, and write it in sections. If you have a specific idea or genre in mind, we can start building it piece by piece!"

That brings us to the second problem with AI-written fiction: Without your constant input, and often with it, the output just isn't that good. Character names and descriptions tend to change. The prose can be unreadably turgid. For proof, check out the declining quality of self-published books in Amazon's Kindle store. There's no way of knowing how much of it was written by AI, exactly, but given that the Amazon algorithm apparently rewards authors who churn out more than 20 books in a few years, it's likely to be a lot.

There are, of course, more specialized AI apps for novelists, such as NovelAI and Squibler. Probably the best-known is Sudowrite, which uses a dozen LLMs including GPT and Claude. Sudowrite offers one-click options such as brainstorming and rewriting a chapter if you don't like its first version. One reviewer says she used it to help produce two YA sci-fi novels, one of which reached the top spot on Amazon's Kindle store.

But using AI this way can also be expensive. Sudowrite currently offers three subscription tiers that give you a limited number of credits: 225,000 for $19 a month up to 2 million credits for $59 a month. "If you count the misses / derails / plainly wrong results, you end up paying a lot," said one frustrated Reddit user — who estimated that 85 percent of Sudowrite's output was unusable.

Other than the expense, there are plenty more good reasons not to use an AI writing service. For one thing, there's the still-unknown impact on the environment. And then there's the digital library being used to train AI models, reportedly drawn from pirated books. Authors on that list have good reason to be furious, and Silicon Valley's careless approach to inflating its AI stock bubble isn't helping anyone trust the technology.

But as NaNoWriMo's director points out, a tiny nonprofit can't do much about this one way or the other. "There is real advocacy to be done around these issues, real demands that writers should be making of publishers," Blades says. "We wish more people knew that advocacy is outside our scope, and that we've never had a seat at industry tables." Groups such as the Author's Guild, meanwhile, have advocacy built into their charters.

Down at the writer level, though, individual choice rules. If your story has hit a dead end and you don't want to show it to another human just yet, AI might be the quickest way to get you back into flow. If all writing is rewriting — as Hemingway didn't quite say — then AI can provide a base layer on which you paint your masterpiece. The organization doesn't say this, but in the future it's possible that AI may alter the entire concept of NaNoWriMo. If anyone can "win" with 50,000 words of pure pink slime, perhaps a better goal is to produce the best 50,000 word draft that you can in one month.

But for 2024, at least, the mission hasn't changed. "People come to NaNoWriMo because they have a dream, and because they don't want to be alone on their writing journeys," Blades says. We are social animals, after all; when it comes to motivation to finish that bucket-list novel, a sloppy AI-written first draft is nothing next to the power of community.

The popular online chatbot can now access and deliver information from across the internet in real time, including news, stock prices and sports scores.

The Silicon Valley chip maker has struggled to turn around its fortunes after missing opportunities and poor execution.

Sales for the iPhone maker were up 4 percent to $94.9 billion. But a $14.4 billion tax bill cut profits that would have topped expectations.

The financing efforts follow that of rival OpenAI, which recently closed a funding round that valued it at $157 billion.

OpenAI's ChatGPT long-awaited search engine is now live.

On Thursday, the company announced ChatGPT Search, framing it as a new ChatGPT feature to "get fast, timely answers with links to relevant web sources." Although it was rumored to be a standalone search engine, ChatGPT Search is integrated within the existing ChatGPT interface. You can access real-time search by manually clicking the web search icon, or entering your prompt and letting ChatGPT decide whether it needs to search the web for current results.

You can now search the web with ChatGPT. Credit: Screenshot: Mashable / OpenAI

ChatGPT Search fills the competitive gap against Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot, which have already been plugged into their respective search engines for a while now. Many users already prefer ChatGPT over Google Search, which has become cluttered with ads and increasingly filled with low-quality, spammy content. Until now, ChatGPT’s knowledge cutoff for newer models was October 2023. Now, with real-time search, ChatGPT returns up-to-date information, thanks to its media partnerships, for weather, stocks, sports, news, and maps.

When you search with ChatGPT search, you'll get the traditional conversational responses, with a button directing you to a list of sources. When you click on the sources, you're presented with a familiar-looking search engine format with headlines and links to each story.

citations show up in the sidebar in traditional search engine format. Credit: Screenshot: Mashable / OpenAI

ChatGPT Search is currently available to ChatGPT Plus, ChatGPT Team users as well as SearchGPT pilot testers, and will become available to ChatGPT Enterprise and Edu users in the next few weeks. OpenAI also shared that it plans to bring ChatGPT Search to Advanced Voice Mode and free users in the future.

Actor Saoirse Ronan has seen the reactions to her comment on The Graham Norton Show, where she spoke openly about the unique ways women experience the world.

If you missed it, Mashable has all the details for you. In short, Ronan was seated on a panel alongside actors Paul Mescal, Eddie Redmayne, Denzel Washington, and host Graham Norton.

SEE ALSO: Watch Saoirse Ronan stun male actors into silence on 'The Graham Norton Show'

Mescal joked offhand about a phone being used as a defensive tool, and Ronan, after all the men laughed, pointed out that women are constantly considering how to defend themselves.

"That's what girls have to think about all the time," she said, which hushed the actors and audience alike.

Tweet may have been deleted

The moment quickly went viral. It was a good example of how men often don't understand how women experience the world.

"The reaction has been wild. It’s definitely not something that I had expected, and I didn't necessarily set out to sort of make a splash," Ronan said on The Ryan Tubridy Show on Virgin Radio UK on Wednesday, via The Irish Examiner. "But I do think there's something really telling about the society that we're in right now and about how open women want to be with the men in their lives."

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Ronan noted that the popularity of the Norton Show clip opened up folks to have a conversation.

"[It allows] more women to just be like, 'Well, yeah, actually, let's talk about our experience,'" she said, per The Hollywood Reporter.

All Hallow's Eve is upon us, and who would have thought that this year's biggest seasonal debate would be when exactly we should be celebrating Hallo-weekend? 

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While half of the country deals with the Halloween aftermath of last weekend and the other prepares for big plans at the end of this week, the holiday has already stoked a wide variety of clever and outlandish costumes, nods to one's inner child, and viral TikTok trends. And though most of the chronically online costumes abided by today's more careful social norms surrounding online posting, many continue to push the bounds what's considered appropriate on the holiday. 

SEE ALSO: Halloween Google Doodle game has you fight ghosts as a cute, magical cat Obscurity and memes dominate once again

Challengers trios and costumed salutes to brat summer conveyed one truth: Generic costumes remain out, with the most niche costumes commandeering attention away from even the most impressive celebrity ensembles. Modern Halloween is about being in on the joke, whether you like it or not. 

The internet's favorite reaction memes, like "sad ant" and "she's so crazzzzzzy", made iconic party appearances, and the internet's favorite X posts, like "he wants that cookie so effing bad," got transformed into iconic couple outfits. 

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The tongue-in-cheek "I hate gay Halloween" trend revived itself for another year, with an even greater flood of off-the-wall costumes than last season's obscurities. Maybe you spotted one of the choir of French children playing tribute to music legend Serge Gainsbourg in a now viral video from 1988? Or a melancholy Oompa Loompa from the disastrous “Willy’s Chocolate Experience”? Perhaps you spotted a pair of horses, but not just any horses, the horses from Beyoncé's duology album covers? Wait, maybe it was actually the carousel horse from Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield's We Live in Time…

Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Everyone is in their DIY era 

Whether it was an obscure meme only a select few would know or the year's biggest Hollywood character, users online were going all out on their homemade outfits, esoteric props included. 

Some of the most random entries: Figures on a crosswalk sign made with just blood, sweat, and a hefty amount of black poster board. The carefully crafted car passenger seat mentioned in the Chappell Roan song "Casual." Multiple Dune sandworms made from sleeping bags, playtubes, and pipe cleaners capitalized on the franchise's current popularity. 

Parents went all out for their children, as well, and documented the process, including lifesize Crocs sandas and alien abductions. Even dogs got in on the crafty action. Adults reinvigorated the spirit of their childhoods, too, from Spongebob and Webkinz characters to the Scooby Doo live action crew, iSpy Books, and Princess Diana Beanie Babies. 

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It suggests Spirit Halloween's prepackaged outfits just aren't serving the public's needs anymore — In fact, the company may be pivoting to the Christmas market now. 

The cultural appropriation conversation is more complicated 

Still, Halloween season isn't complete without some questionable costume choices. But where cultural appropriation was once a hotly debated faux-pas, its place in the cultural conversation has quelled. The nation's political environment and celebrity obsession continue to complicate the matter. 

On X, users quickly spread an image of a young couple dressed as Sean "Diddy" Combs and a bottle of Johnson's baby oil — a reference to allegations of sexual abuse by the famous rapper, who is currently in prison, awaiting trial. The individual labelled "PDiddy" had painted his face dark brown, an egregious case of blackface. The baby oil theme was popular among others, as well. 

When another user shared his costume from the previous Halloween season — a pun on the phrase "human trafficking" depicting him as a traffic light wearing a crown — a subset of users called out the post for making light of sex-based crimes. 

Additionally, egregious instances of racism among Halloween posts enraged many online, reiterating to many that the holiday's historic issues aren't a thing of the past. 

The environment is ripe for a renewed conversation about race and abuse as depicted in online media. Earlier this year, TikTok users went viral for resharing their old childhood costumes that were now deemed problematic, including Pocahantas and stereotypical "Indian" outfits. Years prior, users were ironically posting their "cancellable" costumes, most of which were clickbait posts to show off their favorite or funniest outfits. 

While Indigenous "headdresses" are no longer the costume accessory of choice (despite the indie sleaze revival), some of the public's popular Halloween choices still hark back to complicated, problematic eras in humanity's history. 

Earlier this month, TikTok user Chanci Culp, known as @allstyleschanceculp, stirred conversation about the ethics behind celebrity costumes, too.

"Oh God, I'm nervous," she says to the camera in a now viral video, before explaining her hesitations about dressing up as a member of '90s R&B group TLC. Culp asks her followers and Black women at large if dressing up as a famous Black celebrity would still be considered offensive. The video's comment section was resoundingly, but not entirely, positive. In a follow up post generating more than 800,000 views, Culp explained her concerns further, pointing to her upbringing among overtly racist family members. "It's not your burden to teach me what's offensive and not offensive," she tells the camera. "That's my responsibility. I have to unlearn…" Halloween revelers, take note.

SAVE $10: As of Oct. 31, get 'Sonic X Shadow Generations' for Nintendo Switch for $39.99 at Woot. That's a 20% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon 'Sonic X Shadow Generations' (Nintendo Switch) $39.99 at Woot
$49.99 Save $10.00 Get Deal

Sonic fans have had it great over the past few years. Sure, there was a bit of a dry spell for a while, but the Blue Blur is back in a big way these days. His latest outing, Sonic X Shadow Generations isn't a new game, per se, as it's a remaster of a game called Sonic Generations with the addition of Shadow the Hedgehog as a new player character. But it's well worth jumping into whether you're an old or new Sonic fan, and it's even better if you can get it on sale. And you can, right now.

As of Oct. 31, you can get Sonic X Shadow Generations for Nintendo Switch at Woot for $39.99. That's $10 off and a discount of 20%. The game just debuted about a week ago, so you're still getting in on the ground floor here — not too shabby of a deal. This is for the Switch edition only, and you'll be getting a physical copy, not a digital code.

SEE ALSO: Save 42% on the Logitech G Pro X TKL Lightspeed gaming keyboard and go ultra portable

In 2011, Sonic Generations introduced a new series of Sonic levels with both classic side-scrolling and modern 3D options that delighted fans. Now remastered and including Shadow the Hedgehog, it's an even larger game than before. Sonic and Shadow will be working together to take on an enemy called Black Doom throughout a varied selection of levels with open world gameplay like that seen in Sonic Frontiers. There are plenty of fun additional features for returning and new players to explore, but for many, Shadow will be the biggest draw.

The game is still quite new, so if you or someone you're buying gifts for over the holidays is a big Sonic fan, this is one to buy and stash away while it's on sale.

Residents say Mr. Musk’s data center for artificial intelligence is compounding their pollution burden and adding stress on the local electrical grid.

SAVE 42%: The Logitech G Pro X TKL Lightspeed gaming keyboard (black) is on sale at Amazon for $116.41, down from the list price of $199.99. That's the lowest price we've ever seen at Amazon.

Opens in a new window Credit: Logitch Logitech G Pro X TKL Lightspeed gaming keyboard (black) $116.41 at Amazon
$199.99 Save $83.58 Get Deal

When fractions of a second make a big difference, you don't want a keyboard getting in the way of gaming. Instead of using a standard keyboard, upgrade to a model that's designed by professional gamers. Amazon is supporting our winter gaming hobby by offering a great gaming keyboard at a serious discount.

As of Oct. 31, the Logitech G Pro X TKL Lightspeed gaming keyboard (black) is on sale at Amazon for just $116.41, down from the list price at Logitech of $199.99. That's a 42% discount or savings of $83.58. This sale price marks the lowest we've ever seen at Amazon.

For starters, the Logitech G Pro X TKL Lightspeed excels when it comes to a speedy response, either with a Lightspeed, Bluetooth, or USB connection. While that assists with gameplay, the keyboard's 50-hour battery life means you won't need to recharge for days.

The keyboard uses a standard layout but includes some great features specific for gaming like a volume roller for easy access and a game mode lock function so you won't accidentally hit anything that could impede with gaming.

This model is included in Logitech's Pro Series which is designed for competitive gaming, tested in tournaments, and refined with the help of world-class esports players.

For those who have gaming on the agenda this winter, get the pro-vetted Logitech G Pro X TKL Lightspeed gaming keyboard and never worry about a lagging response again. As a Halloween treat, it's on sale today for just $116.41 at Amazon, the lowest price we've ever seen.

How to watch 'The Substance' at a glance: BEST OVERALL Mubi add-on for Prime Video Free 7-day trial, then $10.99/month (save $4/month) Get Deal BEST NON-STREAMING OPTION Buy 'The Substance' on digital $19.99 at Prime Video Get Deal BEST LONG-TERM DEAL Mubi annual subscription Free 7-day trial, then $119.88/year (save 33%) Get Deal BEST FOR STUDENTS Mubi for Students Free 30-day trial, then $9.99/month (save $5/month) Get Deal

"Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself?" So asks The Substance, Coralie Fargeat's sophomore feature and winner of the Best Screenplay award at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. While it's still floating around theaters, the body horror romp is coming to a streaming service near you just in time for Halloween.

The Hollywood ageism satire stars Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, and Dennis Quaid, and positive word of mouth has made the horror movie a surprise hit. Here's everything you need to know about how to watch The Substance at home and online, including when and where it starts streaming and the best deals to save some money.

What is The Substance about?

The Substance stars Moore as Elisabeth Sparkle, a former A-lister who's fired from her fitness TV program for the unforgivable crime of aging. Battling with crippling Hollywood ageism, she's introduced to a new drug known as "the Substance." A single injection is all it takes for Elisabeth to be reborn as the beautiful and youthful Sue (Margaret Qualley), who then begins her own rise through Hollywood.

Of course, there's always a catch. The Substance forces you to split time between your two bodies; Elisabeth must spend exactly seven days as herself, then seven days as Sue. When she messes with the balance, things get...bloody.

Check out the official trailer:

Is The Substance worth watching?

The Substance has become the most successful box office release for arthouse distributor and streamer Mubi. The bold and bloody film has been creating a ton of buzz, with audiences giving it a 74 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The critics rating is even more impressive with a glowing 91 percent.

"Audaciously gross, wickedly clever, and possibly Demi Moore's finest hour, The Substance is a gasp-inducing feat from writer-director Coralie Fargeat," the critics consensus reads on Rotten Tomatoes.

While Mashable's own reviewer wasn't a big fan, writing that the "horror sci-fi plot of The Substance feels incomplete," most reviews are very positive. Culture writer Zach Schonfeld may have summed it up best, calling it a "B-movie with an A-list cast" — in a good way. Just be warned, many folks will be squirming in their seats over the amount of blood and gore. It is a body horror movie, after all.

How can I watch The Substance at home? Credit: Mubi

The Substance made its digital retail debut on Oct. 31, meaning it's available for purchase at video-on-demand retailers like Prime Video and Apple TV+ for $19.99. The film will likely also be available to rent at a later date.

Here are some quick links to purchase the film on digital:

• Prime Video — $19.99

• Apple TV+ — $19.99

• Fandango at Home (Vudu) — $19.99

Is The Substance streaming anywhere?

In a rare turn of events, The Substance will also make its streaming debut on Oct. 31 for those who don't want to purchase the film. The only catch is that it won't be streaming on the usual services like Hulu or Max. Instead, you can watch The Substance on Mubi beginning on Halloween.

Mubi is built for cinephiles. Sure, it's yet another streaming service, but where it differs is quality. The Mubi library is brimming with the best of international cinema. The streamer showcases a vast array of films from America and abroad, mainstream and independent, classics, new releases, award-winners, and Mubi's own originals — like The Substance. Mubi subscriptions start at $14.99 per month, but we've rounded up a few ways to save some money on the streamer below.

Best overall: Get Mubi as a Prime Video add-on Opens in a new window Credit: Mubi / Prime Video Mubi add-on for Prime Video Free 7-day trial, then $10.99/month (save $4/month) Get Deal

A Mubi subscription on its own costs $14.99 per month, but Prime members can add it as a Prime Video channel instead and save some money. After a free seven-day trial, the Mubi add-on for Prime Video is just $10.99 per month. That means $4 kept in your pocket each month. Of course, this requires you to have a Prime Video account in order to add the channel. If you don't already have Prime Video, this isn't your best option.

If you remember to cancel after watching the movie, you could theoretically watch The Substance for free this way — just saying.

Best long-term deal: Save 33% on an annual subscription Opens in a new window Credit: Mubi logo Mubi annual subscription 7-day free trial, then $119.88/year (save 33%) Get Deal

If you're a movie lover and want to stick around to enjoy more than just The Substance, you can save 33% by paying for a year of Mubi upfront. An annual Mubi subscription costs $119.88 per year, which breaks down to just $9.99 per month instead of the usual $14.99 per month. You'll still get a seven-day free trial to kick off your subscription as well.

Best for students: Save $5/month on Mubi student subscription Opens in a new window Credit: Mubi logo Mubi for students 30-day free trial, then $9.99/month (save $5/month) Get Deal

Students really get the winning deal here. If you can prove your student status, you can sign up for Mubi for free for 30 days, then get a discounted subscription for just $9.99 per month. That's $5/month cheaper than a typical subscription. Plus, with 30 free days, you'll have plenty of time to watch The Substance and lots of other films before even paying a cent.

SAVE UP TO $425: The Mac Mini with M4 chip is now available for preorder. Save on your order with a qualifying trade-in at Best Buy and get the Mac Mini starting at $275.

Preorder the Mac Min with M4 chip Best Buy Apple Mac Mini (M4, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $599 at Best Buy Preorder Now Best Buy Apple Mac Mini (M4, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) $799 at Best Buy Preorder Now Best Buy Apple Mac Mini (M4 Pro, 24GB RAM, 512GB SSD) $1,399 at Best Buy Preorder Now

Mac Week has given us a whole bunch of upgrades on Apple computers — for less. The iMac and MacBook Pro are getting the M4 chip, while all MacBook Air models now start with 16GB of RAM. The Mac Mini is joining the M4 chip crew, too. All models start with 16GB of memory and are available for preorder now, expected to be released on November 8. Prices start at $599, but Best Buy is offering a better price with select trade-ins.

You can score the Mac Mini starting at $275 at Best Buy when you trade-in an old device. The models available for trade-in include the Mac Mini with M2 and M2 Pro chips, as well as the iMac with M3 chip, and estimated trade-in values range up to $575.

To take advantage of this offer, estimate your old Mac's trade-in value. After purchasing the new Mac Mini M4 for M4 Pro and your trade-in is complete, the confirmed value of your trade-in device will be refunded to your purchase of the new Mac Mini. This deal is available exclusively at Best Buy and a solid opportunity if you're ready to upgrade your Mac.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Mac Mini (M4, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $599.00 at Best Buy
Pre-Order Here Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Mac Mini (M4 Pro, 24GB RAM, 512GB SSD) $1,399.00 at Best Buy
Pre-Order Here

For years, some Nintendo die-hards (me) have been frustrated at the company's refusal to officially release music on streaming services. The company just fixed that in a very Nintendo-like manner.

Meet Nintendo Music, a new Android and iOS app that is like Spotify, but for Nintendo music. You can listen to high-quality recordings of Nintendo tracks from across the company's four-decade history of making game consoles, from the NES to the Switch. There's just one catch: You need to pay.

Specifically, you have to pay for a Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) account, which also allows Switch owners to play games like Splatoon 3 online. An NSO membership will set you back $20 a year. Unfortunately, there's no way to buy a membership to just listen to music. If you don't own a Switch, you'd essentially be paying for multiplayer services you can't even use, just to listen to music.

There's also a major caveat right now in that there's barely any music on the app on launch day. Nintendo has promised to steadily release new music over time and it wasn't lying about that, as there are only 23 games total represented in the app right now. The current selection is unusual; it includes two different versions of the Metroid for NES soundtrack and a library of every menu song from the Wii, but nothing from Super Mario 64.

Still, the UI is clean and every game has several built-in playlists for things like level music, boss fight tunes, and so on. The bones of a cool app are here, as long as Nintendo keeps its promise to add music over time.

M4 MacBook Pro vs. M3 MacBook Pro: Price and specs

Like the M3 MacBook Pro at launch in 2023, the 14-inch M4 version starts at $1,599.

Credit: Apple

Here are the basic specs that you get for that price:

• 14.2-inch Liquid Retina display with 3024x1964 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate

• M4 chip

• 16GB RAM

• 512GB storage

• Rated for 24 hours of battery life

The biggest difference between M3 and M4 that should be noted immediately is the RAM. Last year's MacBook Pro offered 8GB RAM in the base model, putting it behind some competitors. This year, there are no 8GB models; you get 16GB at minimum, which can go up to 24GB if you feel like paying more. Storage options have not changed from last year to this year, however.

On top of that, the new M4 chip should give performance boosts to the 2024 MacBook Pro, but since we haven't tested it yet, it's impossible to say for sure.

M4 MacBook Pro vs. M3 MacBook Pro: Display

These two displays are nearly identical:

• 3,024 x 1,964-pixel resolution

• 16:10 aspect ratio

• 254 pixels per inch

• ProMotion (i.e., up to 120Hz refresh rate)

Similar to the M3 MacBook Pro, the new M4 MacBook Pro continues to sport a notch (that still doesn't have Face ID).

M3 MacBook Pro Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

However, there are two differences to note. The peak SDR brightness on the M4 model is 1,000 nits, while the same metric came in at 600 nits on the M3 MacBook Pro. Plus, the M4 MacBook Pro offers the nano-texture display option that's also available on the iPad Pro, Pro Display XDR, Studio Display, and iMac.

What's a nano-texture display? It's designed to dramatically reduce glare. As such, this option is best for users who often contend with challenging lighting conditions like sun-drenched offices.

I've had some experience with the nano-texture display on the iPad Pro, and while it does, indeed, significantly reduce glare and manages bright lighting conditions like a champ, there's a chance that you may notice a drop in the panel's vividness.

M4 MacBook Pro vs. M3 MacBook Pro: Design

As far as visual design, the biggest difference between these two MacBooks is that you can get the new one in Space Black as well as silver.

M4 MacBook Pro Credit: Apple

By contrast, the M3 model is silver or bust. Here are the physical dimensions of the new M4 MacBook Pro:

• Height: 0.61 inches

• Width: 12.31 inches

• Depth: 8.71 inches

• Weight: 3.5 pounds

Those are, in fact, the exact same dimensions as the M3 model. You may be thinking, "So they really just changed some internals, added a new color, and called it a day, huh?" Well, not exactly.

M4 MacBook Pro vs. M3 MacBook Pro: Ports

Another physical differentiator between the M3 and M4 MacBook Pros is the addition of a third Thunderbolt 4 port.

M3 MacBook Pro ports Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

The M3 model only had two, while the M4 model has three, giving users more flexibility with external displays. Aside from that, the port selection is the same across both devices: an SD card slot, a 3.5mm headphone jack, an HDMI port, and a MagSafe port for charging.

No, there are no USB type-A ports.

M4 MacBook Pro vs. M3 MacBook Pro: Performance

We tested the 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro's Geekbench score, which tests for CPU performance, and it notched a multi-core score of 11,998, which offered an 18% performance uptick over the M2 chip.

M4 MacBook Pro Credit: Apple

Apple didn't reveal performance delta figures between the M2 and M4 chips, but it did compare the M4 chip to the M1 chip. The Cupertino-based tech giant claims that the M4 chip is 1.8 times faster than the M1 chip for tasks like "editing gigapixel photos." When it comes to rendering complex scenes via Blender, the M4 chip is reportedly 3.4 times faster.

For AI workloads (e.g., Apple Intelligence), the M4 chip is 3 times more powerful, according to Apple.

M4 MacBook Pro vs. M3 MacBook Pro: Battery life

As noted earlier, the M4 MacBook Pro promises 24 hours of battery life on a single charge.

M4 MacBook Pro Credit: Apple

This is a rating by Apple that can't be verified yet, as we haven't gotten the new MacBook in for testing at the time of writing. However, Apple rated last year's model for 22 hours, meaning the M4 MacBook Pro should theoretically beat the M3 model in terms of battery longevity.

We tested the 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro and it lasted 16 hours and 23 minutes. Once we test the battery life of the 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro, we'll update this face-off.

M4 MacBook Pro vs. M3 MacBook Pro: Which should you buy?

Battery life is an important aspect of making a purchase decision regarding buying laptops. We don't know the runtime of the 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro just yet, but even without this figure, the M3 MacBook Pro is impressive at 16 hours and 23 minutes.

If snagging a nano-texture display, getting three Thunderbolt 4 ports, and having a minor boost in power isn't enough to sway you, the M3 MacBook Pro should be sufficient enough to meet your needs.

Check out the best Amazon deals of the day as of Oct. 31: OUR TOP PICK Echo Show 5 with Energetic Smart Color Bulb $49.99 at Amazon (save $53.99) Get Deal BEST KITCHEN DEAL Ninja DT251 Foodi 10-in-1 Smart XL Air Fry Oven $179.99 at Amazon (save $150) Get Deal BEST TABLET DEAL Samsung Galaxy A9+ (64GB, WiFi) $169.99 at Amazon (save $50) Get Deal BEST KIDS DEAL Amazon Fire 10 Kids $109.99 at Amazon (save $80) Get Deal

Start your Halloween celebration on Oct. 31 by shopping some scary good deals at Amazon. Whether you're looking to kick off your holiday shopping a bit early or treat yourself for the sake of Halloween, we've found some great discounts on top brands like Echo, Samsung, and Ninja.

Here are our top picks for the best Amazon deals of the day. Make sure to check out our picks from Oct. 29 and Oct. 30 if you missed them as well. Plenty of those are still live — including the Beats Solo 4 back at their Prime Day price and an $80 gaming bundle that include the Fire TV Stick 4K Max, wireless Xbox controller, and one month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

Our top pick Opens in a new window Credit: Echo / Energetic Echo Show 5 with Energetic Smart Color Bulb $49.99 at Amazon
$103.98 Save $53.99 Get Deal

The third-generation Echo Show 5 boasts an upgraded speaker system with double the bass of the previous generation and clearer sound for music, audiobooks, podcasts, video content, and more. It also features the AZ2 Neural Edge processor and a reengineered microphone array. The display is still on the small side at 5.5 inches, but that's what makes it a good fit for a nightstand or desktop. Paired with the Energetic smart color bulb, you'll be on your way to a smarter home without breaking the bank. A $104 value, you can snag both on Oct. 31 for just $49.99. That's a savings of 51%.

Opens in a new window Credit: Ninja Ninja DT251 Foodi 10-in-1 Smart XL Air Fry Oven $179.99 at Amazon
$329.99 Save $150.00 Get Deal

If your kitchen space is scarce, investing in one all-powerful countertop appliance is the way to go. The Ninja Foodi 10-in-1 Smart CL air fryer oven is the appliance to rule all appliances. As the name suggests, it has 10 built-in functions, including air fry, roast, bake, whole roast, broil, toast, bagel, dehydrate, reheat, and pizza. In other words, it serves as an air fryer, a convection oven, a toaster oven, a pizza oven, a classic toaster, and beyond. Its capacity is large enough to feed the whole family. It can fit a five pound chicken and a sheet pan of veggies at once, or two 12-inch pizzas. As of Oct. 31, it's on sale for just $179.99 instead of $329.99. That's a savings of 45% and its lowest price to date.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ (64GB, WiFi) $169.99 at Amazon
$219.99 Save $50.00 Get Deal

Not everyone is looking for a tablet that can practically double as a computer. Some shoppers just want a reliable tablet that can handle the basics without breaking the bank. That's where Samsung's Galaxy Tab A9+ comes in. Our friends at PCMag (also owned by Ziff Davis) called it the "best low-cost Android tablet you can buy," noting that it "succeeds at everything a low-cost tablet should." Basically a lite version of the S9+, the A9+ sports an 11-inch screen, quad speakers powered by Dolby Atmos, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 processor, and expandable storage up to 1TB. The 64GB model with WiFi is usually $219.99, but as of Oct. 31, you can pick it up for only $169.99. That's a savings of 23% and just $10 away from its lowest price ever.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Fire 10 Kids $109.99 at Amazon
$189.99 Save $80.00 Get Deal

Our favorite tablet for kids, the Amazon Fire 10 Kids is geared towards little tikes between the ages of 3 and 7 years old. The 2023 version introduced a better front-facing camera, better battery life, and a bump in processing power compared to its predecessor. It still features the same built-in intuitive parental controls that make Amazon's kids tablets our favorite, plus a case that can handle drops and spills, a year's worth of access to Amazon Kids+, and a two-year worry-free guarantee. As of Oct. 31, it's on sale for just $109.99 instead of $189.99. That's a savings of 42% and matches its all-time low.

None of these deals catching your eye? Check out Amazon's daily deals for even more savings.

Nearly any robot vacuum can sufficiently clear tile or hardwood floors of the hair and crumbs blowing across them like tumbleweeds. But for a robot vacuum to work on carpet, more suction power and concentrated airflow are required to uproot the debris embedded in those fibers.

Do robot vacuums work on carpet?

Yes, several robot vacuum cleaners do a pretty phenomenal job on carpets and rugs. In fact, the best robot vacuum brands such as iRobot, Roborock, Eufy, and Shark have been mastering the art for several years, particularly honing in on pet hair pickup and hair tangling in the roller brush.

For homes with varying floor types and a notable amount of foot traffic, buying the cheapest robot vacuum will likely create more hassle. Every time that bot gets stuck on a rug corner or welcomes you home to pet hair still visibly clinging to the living room carpet, you'll be tempted to do the job yourself — but rest assured that that's not an inevitable experience with every robovac.

SEE ALSO: As a Dyson stan, I wouldn't tell anyone to buy the Dyson 360 Vis Nav robot vacuum

The best robot vacuums for carpet have powerful suction, of course, aided by brush roll systems designed to dig into low- and high-pile carpet to pinch hair and large chunks while simultaneously inhaling fine debris that a weaker robot vac would pass right over. The most common way to measure suction power is in Pascals (though top contenders like iRobot and Shark just have to be different by not adhering to that method). When suction power in Pa is advertised, look for at least 5,000 Pa, and under no circumstances entertain anything lower than 4,000 Pa. For reference, robot vacuums at the premium end of the spectrum clock between 10,000 and 12,000 Pa.

Our top picks use automatic suction adjustment to customize cleaning based on floor type, leading to stronger cyclonic force on soft floors. All our picks also come with a self-emptying dock (or at least offer the option) to mitigate the frequency of trips to the trash bin, which would be a lot if the robovac is deep cleaning the amount of gunk from your carpets that it should be.

What about robot vacuums on different floor types?

If a robot vacuum has mastered carpet — the hardest floor type to tackle — these models definitely won't struggle to sweep up debris from hard floors like hardwood, tile, and laminate. Speaking of hard floors, if you're already eyeing a robot vacuum with market-leading suction power, chances are that that model is also one of the most advanced at mopping. Typically, the super powerful premium robot vacuums are also outfitted with pressurized mopping pads that wash and dry themselves, plus sensors that alert them to stop mopping on carpet. Unless it's a bumbling artifact from 2018, most robot vacuums transition between floor types without a blip (though even the best ones often still struggle to not trip on a bath mat).

Not sure which robot vacuum will best suit your home's setup? I'm on a continuous mission to test the most noteworthy robot vacuums that come out each year and narrow that list down for you. For this guide, I reviewed dozens of botvacs and kept a close eye on how they tackled a variety of pile lengths, rugs, and bath mats. Here are my four favorites of 2024:

SAVE 8%: Shop the new Apple Watch Series 10 at its lowest price ever. It's down to $367 for 8% savings and $32 off.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Watch Series 10 (42mm, GPS) $367.00 at Amazon
$399.00 Save $32.00 Get Deal

The Apple Watch Series 10 debuted just last month as Apple's thinnest, lightest watch yet. With a bigger screen, it provides better viewing angles, and while it hasn't improved on its battery life, it charges faster than ever. After thorough testing, Mashable's Stan Schroeder found that while you don't need to run to upgrade to the series 10 if you just bought the 9. However, if you're several models behind, the Series 10 has a myriad of upgrades including speakers to play music and an OLED screen.

Since the device is so new, we didn't expect to see discounts this soon, but the Apple Watch Series 10 is already on sale. At Amazon, you can find the Apple Watch Series 10 for $367. The savings aren't huge, down 8% for $32 off, however, it is the watch's lowest price ever. If you want some bigger savings, the Apple Watch SE is 24% off and under $200. However, if you care more about the latest tech, snatch up the Apple Watch Series 10 ahead of Black Friday.

SAVE $38.22: As of Oct. 31, get a 4-pack of Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2 trackers for $61.77 at Amazon. That's a 38% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2 trackers (4-pack) $61.77 at Amazon
$99.99 Save $38.22 Get Deal

Losing important items is always a bummer. You think you remember where you put something, but it's not there. In a perfect world, we could just remember where everything is. We don't live in a perfect world. That's why smart trackers were invented. Apple has its AirTags for those using iOS devices. Samsung has its own set of trackers you can use as well, and they're a great option if you're on Android. Plus, you can get a pack of them for a great discount today if you're quick.

As of Oct. 31, get a 4-pack of Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2 trackers for just $61.77 at Amazon. That's a 38% discount, and $38.22 off their original price of $99.99. You get two black trackers and two white trackers in this bundle. Alternatively, you can get a single tracker for $21.27 (black) or $21.22 (white).

SEE ALSO: Save $65 on the Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet

These trackers are super simple to use. Add them to a keychain or keyring and attach them to any items you need to find quickly. Register a new tag with your Android device and let it go, as it can stay powered up for up to 500 days, with 40% more power if you turn on the power-saving mode. They're IP67-rated with both water- and dust-resistance, so they'll be fine if you accidentally drop one into a puddle or they get dusty at the bottom of a bag.

These trackers are only compatible with Samsung Galaxy smartphones and tablets, so they won't do you much good if you aren't already a user, but they're super simple to set up and reliable for those on the ecosystem. Plus, they offer multiple ways to find lost items. You'll still want an AirTag for the most comprehensive search network, but this is a great, affordable pack of smart trackers that make sense for Galaxy owners.