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GET TWO FREE KINDLE BOOKS: As of Oct. 1, get two free books from the Amazon First Reads program as an Amazon Prime member.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Choose two free Amazon First Reads books Get Deal

If you're an Amazon Prime member, you likely already know it comes with plenty of perks: same-day shipping, tons of streaming content, and a Grubhub+ discounted subscription. But you might not be aware of one of the other great options you can take advantage of: Amazon First Reads. This program lets you snag a free book every month to add to your Kindle library. October is the perfect month to give it a try, as the spookiest time of the year now nets you two books instead of one.

As of Oct. 1, choose two books from the Amazon First Reads program. There are 10 different options, including romantic thriller The Fix by Mia Sheridan and sci-fi short story 3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years by John Scalzi. There's a little something for everyone, no matter what you're into.

SEE ALSO: How to make the most of your Kindle: 8 features you need to use

Normally, you only get one book each month, but you can select two of these options. All you have to do is check out the Amazon First Reads home page and check out what's on offer. Choose the books you want to read, and find the option "Read now for free." When you confirm the books you're interested in, this button will automatically add them to your Kindle library.

Then make sure to keep coming back each month, because there's a new set of books on rotation each time, typically all pulled from a pool of new or upcoming books that are exclusive to Amazon. Plus, if you miss a set of First Reads, you can usually go back and find them by way of Kindle Unlimited if you're a member and catch up as part of your membership.

Fall is a great time to get more reading in, so make sure you take advantage of this deal and check out all the new free picks for October.

You're probably like me, and you have an insatiable thirst for new software to quench your curiosity. There is a wealth of useful applications out there. Some applications are powerful enough to change how you think and perform. Here are three tools that fundamentally changed me as a programmer.

SAVE $170: The Shark Clean & Empty cordless stick vacuum is on sale at Amazon for $279.99, down from the list price of $449.99. That's a 38% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Shark Shark Clean & Empty cordless stick vacuum (BU3523) $279.99 at Amazon
$449.99 Save $170 Get Deal

Amazon's October Prime Day doesn't officially kick off until Tuesday, but that doesn't mean you can't score great deals now. Like always, Amazon sneaks in thousands of sales that are well worth shopping before the event actually starts. If you're in need of a new vacuum that's powerful enough to clean up fall's pine needles, check out today's deal.

As of Oct. 1, the Shark Clean & Empty cordless stick vacuum is just $279.99 at Amazon, marked down from the list price of $449.99. That's a 38% discount that shaves $170 off the normal price.

Shark makes some great vacuums, including robot vacuums, but the Clean & Empty comes with some fancy features that are certainly worthy of attention. Not only is it a lightweight and cordless stick vacuum, but its base also serves as a debris receptacle. Instead of emptying the dust bin after each use like a normal stick vacuum, the base sucks it away automatically. Shark mentions the capacity can handle up to 30 days' worth of debris before you'll need to empty it.

SEE ALSO: As a pro vacuum tester, I'm already impressed by the robot vacuum deals live ahead of October Prime Day

This model also uses auto-detection to adjust the suction power to match your floor type. The LED headlights are great for helping with visibility when it comes to dust bunnies under the bed and pet hair in the corner.

Before the rush of Prime Day begins, secure the Shark Clean & Empty cordless stick vacuum while it's on sale for under $280. Tracking the forest floor into the hallway won't feel like such an inconvenience with this lightweight model.

Who's ready for cooler fall weather, holidays, and endless deals and discounts? Sure, Amazon's big Prime Day sale kicks off in a few days, but you can save cash today with some of our top tech deals of the week.

For years, one electric car has stood out as the most affordable way for Americans to make the switch to EVs. It has built its reputation on practicality, ease of ownership, and a price tag that undercuts nearly every rival. Now, for 2026, it’s getting a series of updates that make it an even stronger choice for budget-conscious buyers.

Apple's new iPhone Air is thin and elegant at the expense of camera versatility and battery life. Knowing that the battery bit could annoy some users, Apple launched a special battery pack aimed pretty much exclusively at the iPhone Air.

It's called the iPhone Air MagSafe Battery, and during the iPhone launch event in September, the company hyped it to the point where it seemed like a must-buy. But is it?

The iPhone Air MagSafe Battery is slim and luxurious At least the camera "plateau" is somewhat protected when this thing is on. Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable

I don't like the idea of buying a super-thin, ultra-fancy iPhone Air and then lugging an external battery to cover for its somewhat lacking battery life.

On the other hand, this battery pack is beautiful in its simplicity: It sticks to the phone magnetically and, besides a USB-C charging port, has no other nooks or crevices. It's very slim itself, it only comes in a silky white finish, and it pairs with the iPhone Air beautifully. It's like a smooth, magical rock that charges your phone.

Featured Video For You Hands-On with the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max

And, despite how simple it is, this thing is pretty smart. If you plug it in while it's on an iPhone Air, it will charge itself and the phone at the same time. You can also use it to charge your AirPods, or even other phones, both wirelessly or with a USB-C cable.

That all sounds great, but... It's thin, but it only packs a 3,149mAh battery inside. Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable

So what's not to like? First of all, it's pricy; 99 bucks is a steep charge given that it only has a 3,149mAh battery, which is only good for charging your iPhone Air some 65 percent (Apple's number). It charges rather slowly; up to 12W. It doesn't give you any indication of the state of charge; the sole LED (beautifully hidden beneath the device's surface) will glow green when it's getting charged, and orange when its battery is getting depleted.

Then there are the design quirks. True to its name, the iPhone Air MagSafe Battery Pack only fits the iPhone Air; it literally does not fit any other iPhone. Frustratingly, while it's a MagSafe-compatible battery pack, it does not have MagSafe on its own back, meaning you can't place a wallet or any other accessories onto it. As someone who's completely switched to Apple Wallet which I carry on my phone at all times, this is a deal breaker.

The iPhone Air MagSafe Battery only fits the iPhone Air; it's too big even for the iPhone 17 Pro Max. But it can charge it...like this. Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable

Now, if none of the issues above apply to you, and you don't mind dishing out another $99 on top of the $999 starting price for the iPhone Air, the iPhone Air MagSafe Battery Pack is probably the best battery pack you can get for the Air, simply because it's so pretty and fits the Air so nicely.

I use my gaming PC as the central hub for all my TV shows and movies. While you might think I’m one of those techies who run a Plex or Jellyfin media server, my setup is actually much simpler than that—I simply use my PC in place of a TV streaming box.

A lot of people like Google's smart home ecosystem, but especially the company's Nest range of cameras. Now, the latest cameras not only leverage AI stuff, but also a lot of improved hardware to take advantage of it.

Harry Lighton's tender, funny, and steamy debut Pillion sees Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling both in one of their best performances yet — and there's a new trailer out today.

Melling is an absolute delight as demure parking ticket enforcement officer Colin, who meets outrageously burly and handsome biker Ray (an outstanding Skarsgård) on Christmas Eve. As Colin and Ray enter a Dom/sub relationship, we join them navigating kink and boundaries — and attempting to explain them to Colin's parents.

As Siddhant Adlakha writes for Mashable in his review, "Led by a pair of fine-tuned performances from Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling, the movie walks a fragile tonal tightrope with remarkable flair, resulting in one of the finest (and most crowd-pleasing) experiences at this year's Cannes Film Festival."

Written by Lighton and Adam Mars-Jones, based on the latter's novel Box Hill, Pillion promises to sweep you off your feet and into submissive mode with ongoing consent.

Pillion hits cinemas in February after showing at the BFI London Film Festival and New York Film Festival.

Google unleashed the first Android 16 beta in January 2025, and Samsung followed suit a few months later with its own One UI 8 beta in May. Now that the software is officially here and Samsung's Galaxy Android 16 (One UI 8) updates are arriving, here's what you need to know and expect.

If Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein cannot inspire love, it will cause fear, with the first trailer for the awaited adaptation out today. As author and Gothic icon Mary Shelley wrote, "Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change," and this trailer intends to evoke just that.

Based on Shelley's immortal tale of humanity and monstrosity Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, the film sees Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi as Victor Frankenstein and his handcrafted Creature. We've already had a glimpse of the Saltburn actor in full Creature mode, and now, the trailer brings it all to life.

We also meet the rest of the star-studded Frankenstein cast, which includes Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz, Charles Dance, Felix Kammerer, David Bradley, Lars Mikkelsen, and Christian Convery.

Mashable entertainment editor Kristy Puchko praised del Toro's Frankenstein in her review as "a classic horror story with a romantic flair that makes it gruesome, beautiful, and deeply poignant all at once."

Frankenstein opens in select theaters Oct. 17 and hits Netflix Nov. 7.

Google has just revealed its new flagship smart speaker, the aptly-named Google Home Speaker. It’s designed to be the “ultimate audio experience for Gemini in the home,” and it can be used in a stereo pair with the Google TV Streamer.

Jimmy Kimmel's week of shows in Brooklyn is turning into a real treat for late night fans.

On Tuesday Kimmel had not one, but two other late night hosts appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, with Stephen Colbert coming on as an interview guest and Seth Meyers showing up for a cameo in the closing minutes of his monologue.

In the video above Kimmel is joined by Seth's brother Josh Meyers in his recurring character as Californian Gov. Gavin Newsom — but when Josh/Gavin starts to lambast "that little creep Seth Meyers," his big brother shows up to put a stop to it.

"Josh, what are you doing, bud?" says Meyers, appearing on stage. "You asked me to pick you up tonight because you were too scared to ride the subway alone?"

Whether you knew him from the movies as a soldier or television as an eccentric bachelor, Charlie Sheen has had a lasting presence. He’s been acting so long that you’ll find a few roles from movies you’ve dug. With such a wide range, spotting some of his lesser works is easy.

Visual Studio Code has been my favorite programming text editor and integrated development environment (IDE) for years. Even as I’ve switched between working on front-end web development, CLI tools, and back-end server code, VS Code hasn’t given me a reason to look for any other editors.

Oura has been in the news quite a bit recently, between the countersuit from Ultrahuman over patent infringement and users questioning Oura's ties to Palantir. However, the brand is back with a new Oura Ring 4 that comes not only in new colors but also a new material. Plus, the brand is putting health data in users' hands in a partnership with Quest Diagnostics.

About the Oura Ring 4 Ceramic The new Oura Ring 4 Ceramic comes in four shades: Cloud, Midnight, Petal, and Tide. Credit: Oura

Oura just dropped a new Oura Ring 4 — this time in ceramic. The new rings come in four different shades: a light teal called tide, a crisp white called cloud, a pastel pink in petal, and a dark navy in midnight. The new zirconia ceramic finish is a departure from Oura's previous titanium design, offering a more durable finish. But that's not the only development coming to Oura.

If you've ever had a problem with your Oura Ring scratching, the new ceramic design has the color native to the material, meaning it won't scratch and fade over time. With the new ceramic coating, this Oura Ring 4 is a little bit thicker than other models. The new ceramic Oura Ring 4 measures 3.51 millimeters, while the titanium models are 2.88 millimeters in thickness. The Oura Ring 4 Ceramic comes in sizes four through 15, and all colorways will be priced at $499 and are now available to purchase.

Multiple device support

If you're intrigued by the new ceramic rings but already own a titanium model, there's good news. Oura now supports multiple devices under one account. That now gives you the freedom to swap rings with your outfits. Multiple rings are supported with the standard $5.99 a month or $69.99 a year subscription; however, you still need to pay for the ring itself, which isn't cheap.

The new Oura charging case Like Oura's pedestal charger, the Oura charging case is ring size-specfic. Credit: Oura

But in addition to the new Oura Ring 4 Ceramic, a new charging case is coming, too. The charging case holds five chargers and can fully charge a ring in just 90 minutes. The charging case won't replace the pedestal charger that comes with the ring, but is an add-on meant for travel. The lid of the case keeps the ring safely inside while you're on the go. Like the pedestal charger, the case is size-specific and won't fit rings of different sizes.

Oura Health Panels Oura users can now view their biometric data from bloodwork with Health Panels. Credit: Oura

In addition to the new ceramic rings, Oura is also launching Health Panels. For $99, users can get bloodwork done through Quest Diagnostics and link 50 biomarkers with their Oura data.

The test results will be ordered and reviewed by a licensed clinician and then delivered through the Oura app. Users can then ask Oura's AI advisor what their results mean and how they can use them to improve their health.

Holly Shelton, chief product officer at ŌURA, says, “By connecting results from Quest’s clinical lab testing with the continuous insights from Oura Ring, we’re moving beyond tracking to truly enabling proactive health management."

The brand already allows users to get biometric feedback through the compatible Stelo Glucose Biosensor.

As a Linux user, you probably run commands in your terminal using one of two shells: bash or zsh. Maybe you’ve heard of their predecessors, like sh or csh; you might even be aware of newer shells like fish. But what about these modern alternatives: can they make a meaningful difference to your everyday work?

We're less than a week away now from Amazon's October Prime Day sale event, Prime Big Deal Days. And while the event itself doesn't officially start until next week on October 7, there are already plenty of early deals for Prime members to explore at the retailer.

These range from some big discounts on Amazon's own devices to some great early deals on Apple tech, but if you're not looking to drop tons of cash right now, there's plenty more affordable options to look through, too. Here, we've gathered up some of the best deals currently available for under $25, so you can take advantage of some of the offers listed without breaking the bank.

SEE ALSO: How to sign up for Amazon Prime ahead of Prime Big Deal Days

We'll be updating this page with even more deals in the lead-up to the sale event, so make sure to keep checking back for more discounts ahead of Prime Big Deal Days. As for the sale event itself, mark your calendars for Oct. 7-8 so you don't miss any of Amazon's exciting deals as they pop up.

Best deal under $25 Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Echo Pop (newest model) $24.99 at Amazon
$39.99 Save $15.00 Get Deal Why we like it

The Echo Pop is a compact speaker that can accomplish a lot, from being able to play your favorite music or podcasts aloud to having Alexa voice control that allows you to set reminders, timers, read the news, or even check the weather for the day. If it's been on your shopping list, all of its available colors are currently marked down to $24.99 from their $39.99 list price, allowing you to save $15.

There are plenty more deals like this that are available for under $25 right now, though. Check out some more of Amazon's early deals available ahead of Prime Big Deal Days below.

More deals under $25

Streaming deals:

• Amazon Fire TV Stick HD - $17.99 $34.99 (49% off)

• Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K - $24.99 $49.99 (50% off)

• Amazon Fire TV Alexa Voice Remote Pro (newest model) - $24.99 $34.99 (29% off)

Echo device deals:

• Amazon Echo Auto (newest model) - $14.99 $54.99 (73% off)

• Echo Glow - $19.99 $29.99 (33% off)

• Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen) Adjustable Stand with USB-C Charging Port - $21.99 $26.99 (19% off)

• Amazon Echo Pop Kids (newest model) - $24.99 $49.99 (50% off)

• Echo Show 8 (3rd Gen) Adjustable Stand with USB-C Charging Port - $24.99 $34.99 (29% off)

Security device deals:

• Roku Indoor Camera for Home Security - $14.99 $34.99 (57% off)

• Blink Mini 2 (newest model) - $19.99 $39.99 (50% off)

• Ring Indoor Cam - $24.99 $49.99 (50% off)

Amazon smart device deals:

• Amazon Smart Plug - $12.99 $24.99 (48% off)

Portable charger deals:

• INIU Portable Charger Ultra Slim 10000mAh 45W PD Power Bank - $18.69 $29.99 (38% off)

• Anker Made for Amazon, Kids Portable Charger, for Fire Kids & Kids Pro Tablets - $19.99 $32.99 (39% off)

• Anker Nano 47W USB C Charger - $19.99 $29.99 (33% off)

• INIU Portable Charger 22.5W 20000mAh USB C Power Bank - $23.46 $36.99 (37% off)

Roblox players can show off their Signature Bakes in a new Great British Bake Off experience that taps into the platform's existing cake-decorating community.

Announced Wednesday, BBC Studios and Love Productions have teamed up with The Great Bake Off franchise to launch "Star Baker," an official version of the show within the kids' gaming platform.

SEE ALSO: Prue Leith spills the tea on the differences between the 'Great British' and 'Great American Baking Show'

Developed by metaverse-focused creative agency Metavision, "Star Baker" lets Roblox players compete in the cooking show's famous Bake Off tent in classic challenges such as the Signature Bake, Technical Challenge, and Showstopper rounds. Players can vote for their favourite bakes and the winner will be bestowed with the all-important Star Baker title. There are also minigames like a baking-themed obstacle course and a scavenger hunt for the opening credits' famous missing raspberry.

It's worth pointing out that Roblox players have been dabbling in Bake Off-style games for an age on the platform, with the popular Cake Off game doing pretty much exactly the same thing. Players have been baking and decorating cakes within a theme and allotted time limit, with winners voted by other players.

You can check out the "Star Baker" trailer below:

Featured Video For You 'Bake Off' meets 'Roblox' in the last team-up you were expecting

Notably, the "Star Baker" game has been customised for specific locations with Bake Off shows including the UK (The Great British Bake Off), U.S. (The Great British Baking Show), France (Le Meilleur Pâtissier), Italy (Bake Off Italia – Dolci in Forno), and Germany (Das große Backen).

As fun as the news may be for Roblox and Bake Off fans, it hasn't been a rosy time for Roblox, which faces an onslaught of lawsuits accusing the site of inadequate child safety measures (and it's not the first time). Roblox introduced age verification for teens in July as part of new safety and privacy measures.

Roblox has also recently expanded its social media empire, announcing a TikTok-like short-form video platform within Roblox, along with new AI tools for creators.

Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert traded shows on Tuesday, with Colbert appearing as a guest on Kimmel's show and vice versa.

Given that it was the first interview Kimmel has done since his show was "indefinitely suspended" and then reinstated a week later, Colbert was keen to know what happened on the day Kimmel found out. In the clip above, Kimmel breaks everything down step by step, from having to take a call from ABC in the bathroom ("the only private place to go" in his office) to his daughter telling him "I can sell my Labubus" after he broke the news to his family.

The wildest detail? After finding out about the suspension the staff had to stay back and pretend to be the audience for a performance from Howard Jones — who was playing his song "Things Can Only Get Better."