IT General

If you have a Meta Quest headset, you can now use it as a multi-monitor setup for a Windows PC without third-party software. The app Mixed Reality Link is now available for most Windows 11 PCs.

As a South African, and despite it practically being our national sport, I'm not much one for patriotism or national pride. Yet, sometimes a fellow countryman does something so undeniably cool that I can't help but feel a little undeserved secondhand smugness.

Tesla's Robotaxi service officially went live in late June of this year in Austin, Texas. Since then, Elon Musk's much-touted autonomous driving taxi system has already seen quite a few crashes — and that's with a human safety monitor onboard.

According to a new report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Tesla Robotaxis have crashed four times since September. The most recent incident involved a robotaxi crashing into a "fixed object" while inside a parking lot, according to the EV news site Electrek, which noticed the updated crash information.

Recent Texas state law requires companies like Tesla to have a human safety monitor inside its Robotaxis due to its specific level of autonomous driving. These safety monitors are provided a killswitch to take over the vehicle in case something goes wrong with Tesla's self-driving system.

The NHTSA is a U.S. government agency responsible for enforcing motor vehicle regulations. Autonomous vehicle companies are required to report crashes to the agency within five days of being informed of these accidents. 

SEE ALSO: Feds investigating Tesla’s ‘Mad Max’ mode

The NHTSA requires automakers to share information regarding incidents with autonomous driving (ADS) vehicles and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). The latter is what's typically found in regular Tesla vehicles with its Full Self-Driving system. However, robotaxis like Waymo's autonomous vehicles or Tesla's recently launched Robotaxis fall under the ADS category, marking this the first time Tesla has filed such reports under that designation.

With the two companies now operating ADS vehicles, Electrek compared the NHTSA incident reports between Tesla and Waymo. The outlet found that Tesla Robotaxis were involved in significantly more crashes per miles driven, despite Waymo vehicles not requiring a human safety monitor like Tesla Robotaxis. 

According to Tesla, Robotaxis have traveled 250,000 miles since the service launched in Austin in late June. Waymo's vehicles have traveled 125 million miles since the company launched its autonomous vehicles.

Breaking down the data, the report finds that Tesla Robotaxis crash approximately once every 62,500 miles. Waymo vehicles, which have been involved in 1,267 crashes since the service went live, crash approximately every 98,600 miles. And, again, Waymo does not have human safety monitors inside its vehicles, unlike Tesla's Robotaxis.

As Electrek points out, Tesla redacts a lot of information from its NHTSA reports, whereas Waymo provides more details about the crashes its cars are involved in. So, what exactly happened is unclear in many cases involving Tesla Robotaxis.

But, with the data we do have, it seems like Waymo has thus far bested Musk's Tesla when it comes to the more accurate autonomous vehicle system.

The iPhone 17 has been out for a little over a month now, and for some people, that's enough time to break their phones. If you already broke yours, the good part is that Apple is finally selling parts for these new phones. And in a pretty quick span, all things considered.

Samsung finally launched its Galaxy XR headset this month, so now everyone wants to know: What's the battery life like?

While Mashable has yet to perform nuanced battery testing of our own, we at least have official spec sheets to go off of right now. The big question is how the Galaxy XR's battery life compares to the Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest 3, the two most mainstream competitors to Samsung's headset in the U.S.

Without wasting any more time, let's get into it.

SEE ALSO: Samsung reveals key features of upcoming Galaxy S26 smartphones Galaxy XR battery life compared to Apple Vision Pro

First, let's establish a baseline. Samsung's headset is rated for up to two hours of general use, and up to 2.5 hours of video playback. That's going to be our main point of comparison going forward.

As for Apple, the company actually, technically sells two versions of the Vision Pro now: One with an M2 chip, and one with a newer M5 chip. This matters because the two versions have slightly different rated battery capacities. The M2 version has the exact same "two hours of normal use and 2.5 hours of video playback" rating as the Galaxy XR. The M5 version, meanwhile, is rated for 2.5 hours of use and three hours of video playback.

So, in other words, Apple wins here if you buy the newest model.

SEE ALSO: Samsung Galaxy XR: How and where to get it Galaxy XR battery life compared to Meta Quest 3

Meta's device is a little different from the other two listed here because it has a built-in battery, instead of relegating the battery to a separate puck that you keep in your pocket. Other than that, though, the differences are minimal, as the Quest 3 is rated for 2.2 hours of use on a single charge. That puts it right in the same territory as Galaxy XR, but on a device that costs more than $1,000 less than the Galaxy XR.

Of course, there are other factors at play. Samsung's device is more advanced than the Quest 3 in terms of processing power, display quality, and number of sensors. That it holds up to the same level of battery life as Quest 3 despite doing so much more is perhaps a point in its favor. Still, don't expect to get more than three hours of use out of any of these devices.

Meta has filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit that claims the tech giant violated copyright laws by downloading thousands of adult films to use in AI training.

The lawsuit was brought forth by adult film company Strike 3 Holdings and Counterlife Media in July, stating that they had discovered nearly 3,000 instances of Meta downloading copyrighted videos using hidden IP addresses. The lawsuit alleged the downloads were then used to train Meta's Movie Gen, Llama, and other video-based AI models. Strike 3 asked for $359 million in damages and a permanent ban on Meta's use of its materials.

Meta has now responded, arguing that the allegations by Strike 3 Holdings are "nonsensical and unsupported" — an attempt to extort Meta by making erroneous copyright claims — and that the company has no proof the videos were used to train AI.

SEE ALSO: 'Perfect predator': When chatbots sexually abuse kids

Insisting it was unaware of any illegal downloads, the company says that the torrenting began in 2018, before the company started researching multimodal models and generative video. The flagged videos, which were only intermittently accessed, therefore must have been downloaded for private consumption, Meta asserts, not to train its systems at large.

In the motion, Meta argues Strike 3 failed to provide any evidence of its claims that individuals used hidden IP addresses to download material or that employees involved in Meta's AI project could be implicated. "The far more plausible inference to be drawn from such meager, uncoordinated activity is that disparate individuals downloaded adult videos for personal use,” wrote Meta. The company has requested that the court dismiss the lawsuit on such grounds.

Meta has weathered several copyright-based lawsuits related to its AI systems in the past, including a joint lawsuit by noted authors whose works had been pirated to train the Llama model. It also recently overhauled its chatbot policies for teens, following an investigation that found chatbots had been allowed to engage in romantic and sensual conversations with young users and generate sexually suggestive images.

"We don’t want this type of content, and we take deliberate steps to avoid training on this kind of material,” a Meta spokesperson told Ars Technica.

OPPO Find N5, Huawei Mate XT Ultimate, Xiaomi Mix Fold 3, vivo X Fold5, Honor Magic V5 — these are some of the best foldable phones on the market, but you can't get them in the United States, at least not officially. How come?

A second monitor is one of the most potent productivity boosters for Windows users, but sometimes your computer fails to see the extra display.

T-Mobile is making a major change to how customers can manage their bills when they fall behind, and it's forcing everyone onto its app. Starting today, T-Mobile will no longer allow customers to set up a payment arrangement over the phone, in a retail store, or through the automated phone system.

The brand-new Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is currently available at a surprisingly low price. It’s on sale for just $320 at Woot, which is a massive 36% discount off the original price of $500. This is a chance to get a high-end smartwatch with a classic rotating bezel design.

Microsoft is making big changes to how its Xbox business runs, and while much of that strategy is still assumed or rumor at this point, what's not in question is that the traditional Xbox console is dead. A tacit admission that Nintendo and Sony can't be moved from their dominant positions in the console market.

The allure of a one day, door busting sale is no more. Shopping events which used to be a 24-hour marathon have now extended into multi-day events. On Oct. 30, Target officially announced its Black Friday sale, and it's coming way before Nov. 28.

The big-box retailer is launching its early Black Friday sale Nov. 6 through 8, three weeks before actual Black Friday. The early deals are a response to consumer wants, according to Target, based off McKinsey data that showed two-thirds of consumers are eager to start holiday shopping before Black Friday.

And to be fair, it makes sense considering how late Black Friday falls this year, nearly the latest it can fall in the year. But these early deals don't mean that Target is skipping out on standard Black Friday, they're still hosting a Black Friday sale on Nov. 28.

But if you're one of the 66% looking to get started on holiday shopping, here are the deals to look forward to.

Early Black Friday deals coming to Target Opens in a new window Credit: Target Target Black Friday Sale Target's early Black Friday sale runs Nov. 6 through 8. Get Deal

Leading up to the sale, Target has provided a preview of all the deals coming to their early Black Friday sale on Nov. 6 and 8. Based on the list, we're not seeing a ton of tech deals, instead the sale is focused holiday decor and toys. Here's what to expect:

• 40% off pajamas

• 40% off women & kids' sweaters

• 40% off select holiday decor and lights

• 40% off Lego

• 40% off Champion

• 40% holiday sheets

• Up to 50% off small appliances & floor care, including Ninja

• Up to 50% off select toys, including Barbie, FAO Schwarz and Hot Wheels

• 30% off women's and men’s Levi’s clothing

BUY IT FOR $59.99: Mattel's official Steve Nicks Bella Donna Barbie is the Best Buy drop for Thursday, Oct. 30. The doll has been sold out at Mattel's website and various retailers since its release on Oct. 21, so this could be your one chance to find it in stock. As of 12 p.m. ET, there was 36% inventory left for this drop.

Opens in a new window Credit: Mattel Stevie Nicks Barbie $59.99 at Best Buy
Buy it via the Best Buy mobile app Shop Now

Just like a white winged dove, the Stevie Nicks Bella Donna Barbie doll made a fleeting appearance at a few major retailers on its release date, Oct. 21, 2025. It sold out almost immediately after, only to be spotted again as price-gougers resold their supply. Now, Best Buy is offering a second chance to buy the Stevie Nicks Barbie at its real price of $59.99, for one day only on Oct. 30. She became available for purchase at 11 a.m. ET.

All you need to participate in Best Buy Drops is the Best Buy mobile app — that's the only place that drop items show up. Then, you can add the daily spotlighted item to your cart and check out like usual. All Best Buy drops have limited inventory, displayed through a status bar indicating the percentage that's already been claimed. Considering the Bella Donna Barbie was such a hot commodity upon original release, it'll probably be a similar story at Best Buy.

SEE ALSO: The best women-centric and feminist horror movies

"The timeless face of a rock and roll woman" in the most tangible sense, the official Mattel collab successfully recreates the essence of 1981 Stevie. We're talking full biblically-accurate Bella Donna garb: The flow-y white dress with big sheer sleeves, iconic platform boots, and feathered top hat are all present, complete in a mystical album cover-themed box that you'll have no problem leaving sealed. The intricate details have all been approved by the muse herself — Nicks even posted a sneak peek of the doll's boots on Instagram ahead of release.

Fans who were able to snag the doll on Oct. 21 can't help but unbox their prized possession on TikTok. RIP, Misty Day from American Horror Story: Coven. You would have watched these like they're ASMR.

But this isn't the first time we've seen a Stevie Nicks Barbie, though it is the first based on her solo career. The first, a Rumours-inspired doll styled just as meticulously as this one, came out back in 2023. You were lucky if you got your hands on one of those at a normal price, too — now, it can pretty much only be found on reselling platforms like eBay for upwards of $300. Scorned hopeful buyers from two years ago, your chance for redemption awaits at Best Buy.

Google is finally starting the rollout of its all-new Gemini for Home voice assistant to its lineup of smart speakers and displays. The big promise here is that Gemini is far more conversational and capable than the current Assistant, and if you have a compatible speaker, you can use it.

Families looking for a spacious, family-friendly alternative to the typical three-row SUV now have an unexpected option; an all-electric minibus that blends retro charm with modern innovation. Designed to deliver practicality without sacrificing style, it reimagines the family hauler for a new era of clean mobility and high-tech convenience.

The way payments work through Android apps from the Play Store is changing, and it’s all thanks to a court ruling. If you’re an Android user in the US, you now have access to more flexibility and potentially cheaper apps, but it won’t be immediately obvious where to look.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons compelled a lot of people to buy Nintendo Switch consoles in 2020, and it's finally making its way to Switch 2 soon.

Nintendo surprisingly announced a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of New Horizons on Thursday, to go along with a massive free content drop for both versions of the game. This is the first time Nintendo has added anything new to the game in literally four years. Both the Switch 2 Edition of New Horizons and the new content launch on Jan. 15. Those who already own New Horizons can upgrade to the Switch 2 version for $4.99, or that version can be purchased separately for $64.99 if you don't own the game at all.

But what's actually new here? Let's dissect it.

SEE ALSO: The Nintendo Switch 2 has a bonafide hit in 'Pokémon Legends: Z-A' Animal Crossing for Switch 2: Everything new Awesome. Credit: Nintendo

The paid Switch 2 update to New Horizons is the smaller prong of this two-pronged update coming in January. As with every paid Switch 2 update, it provides upgraded visuals in the form of 4K resolution when playing in docked mode. Strangely, this game did not get the customary bump up to 60 frames per second that most Switch 2 upgrades have gotten; it's still locked at 30FPS, which is honestly fine for a game like this, but still a little puzzling.

Aside from that, you can now use the Joy-Con mouse controls to decorate houses. This could be a huge added convenience in terms of precision, if you really care about interior decoration. There's also a new megaphone item that incorporates the Switch 2's built-in microphone, which lets you interact with villagers by shouting their names.

There are also a couple of upgrades to online play. One is that 12 players can now simultaneously visit an island, up from eight in the original game. Webcam support has also been added, so anyone with a camera plugged into their Switch 2 will have their face hovering over their in-game character, perfect for reaction shots.

Everything coming in the free update for Switch 1 and 2 How do I make my real apartment look like this? Credit: Nintendo

The real meat of this announcement is in the content update that will be available to players on both Switch and Switch 2, launching the same day in January.

For starters, there's a new resort hotel on the island run by Kapp'n's family. You can decorate rooms based on themes (complete with provided furniture) to please hotel guests. Doing so will reward you with tickets that you can use to buy exclusive clothing and furniture at the hotel.

Separate from that, home storage can now be expanded so you can store as many as 9,000 items, if needed. The limit was 5,000 before this update. Flora such as trees, shrubs, and flowers can also be stored this way now. There's also a new service from Resetti, who will instantly clear out an area of the island on your orders. This will be nice for anyone who wants to totally reset their front yard or something.

There are also some new items you can get, of course. The most exciting to me are a selection of classic Nintendo consoles which, like in previous Animal Crossing games, can actually enable you to play a handful of old Nintendo games. You do need a Nintendo Switch Online membership to access these games, though. On top of those, there are now LEGO-themed items you can buy, and some The Legend of Zelda and Splatoon-themed items you can get by using compatible Amiibo figures.

Easily the biggest new addition here, though, is Slumber Island. You access it by going to sleep, of course. Slumber Island is basically a completely blank new island that you can customize entirely to your liking. You can choose the time of day and weather, landscape it to your heart's content, and invite any villagers you want to come hang. Perhaps most excitingly, you can invite your friends to Slumber Island via online play, and they can actually help you out with any construction or landscaping projects. If you've ever wanted a more collaborative online Animal Crossing experience, here you go. Players can store up to three separate Slumber Islands per save, too, so you can have one for yourself and one for your friends, if you'd like.

This is a massive update for New Horizons, especially considering Nintendo said it was done updating the game in November of 2021. Sometimes good things do happen to those who wait.

Samsung beat most other phone makers to the punch when it comes to marketing its Galaxy phones and tablets as AI devices. I don't consider this a good thing. Fortunately, Samsung also does a good job of letting you turn all that stuff off.

SAVE $143.51: As of Oct. 30, get the JBL Tour Pro 2 earbuds for $106.44 at Amazon, down from their usual price of $249.95. That's a discount of 57% and the lowest price we've seen.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon JBL Tour Pro 2 earbuds $106.44 at Amazon
$249.95 Save $143.51   Get Deal

If you need a new pair of earbuds, you've got tons of options. You could go for something from one of the usual suspects, like Apple, Samsung, or even Bose. But when contenders like JBL punch above their weight class, you've got to consider them as well, especially when you can get one of the brand's best offerings for a significant discount.

As of Oct. 30, get the JBL Tour Pro 2 earbuds for $106.44 at Amazon, down from their usual price of $249.95. That's $143.51 off and a discount of 57%. It's also the lowest price we've seen.

SEE ALSO: The 8 best earbuds to buy in 2025, selected by Mashable audio experts

These earbuds offer tons of features at their lowest price yet, including a smart charging case with onboard controls via touchscreen display. From there, you can control settings, manage calls, sound playback, and other options before you ever take your earbuds out of the case.

When you do connect them via the accompanying JBL app, you get great noise cancelling with smart ambient noise that you can control to your liking. It uses four different mics to help adjust sound automatically so you can block out distractions when needed or hear certain things in environments that call for it.

Beyond superb audio with crisp treble and satisfying bass, thanks to the 10mm dynamic drivers, these buds are also excellent for calls. They have 6 mics for voice control that help your voice stand out, with VoiceAware support to let you tune how much of your voice you want to hear while on calls.

You don't have to spend a couple of hundred to get great audio. But you will have to act fast for these, as they're only on sale for a limited time as a Lightning Deal. Get them while you can!

Apple's next somewhat major iOS update is almost here.

The operating system for iPhones is getting a notable update in iOS 26.1 in the near future, as evidenced by the fact that beta testers got access to the release candidate version of it this week. We don't know the exact day it will drop yet, but anyone who wants it would benefit from keeping an eye on their iPhone's software update page.

In the meantime, we now have a pretty clear idea of what iOS 26.1 includes. Here are the four biggest new features coming to iOS 26.1.

SEE ALSO: The new M5 Apple products are fast, sexy, and so iterative it hurts An adjustment to Liquid Glass This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Some people are not huge fans of Liquid Glass, the new design language for iOS 26. It makes app icons and other UI elements more transparent, which in turn has made them harder for some folks to distinguish at a glance. Apple has addressed this problem in iOS 26.1, offering a new "tinted" version of the interface. Simply go to Settings, find "Display & Brightness," and look for the new option there once the update is installed on your phone.

This isn't quite the same as being able to turn off Liquid Glass entirely, but it's better than nothing.

Stop accidentally opening your camera

By default on an iPhone running iOS 26, you can open your camera straight from the lock screen by swiping to the left from the right side of the display. This is convenient for when you need to quickly snap a photo without going through the process of unlocking your phone, but it also leads to a lot of instances of accidentally opening the camera when you don't want to do that.

After you've installed iOS 26.1, go to Settings, find "Camera," and toggle off the "Lock Screen Swipe to Open Camera" feature in the menu there. That will make it so you can't just swipe to open the camera anymore, meaning you're free to swipe to the left on your lock screen to your heart's content.

Support for more languages

Adding increased language support for Apple Intelligence features isn't necessarily flashy, but it's important, nonetheless. On the AI side of things, users now have access to these new languages:

• Danish

• Norwegian

• Dutch

• Chinese (traditional)

• Portuguese

• Swedish

• Turkish

• Vietnamese

That's not all, though! There are also some new languages being added to Live Translate for AirPods:

• Chinese (Mandarin simplified and traditional)

• Korean

• Japanese

• Italian

This is sure to be useful to plenty of folks.

Slide to stop alarms

Lastly, Apple is already walking back a change made in iOS 26. With that update, Apple made it so you dismiss alarms from the lock screen by simply tapping a comically huge button on the bottom of the screen. I personally dig this, but as some folks have noted, this makes it easy to accidentally get rid of an alarm.

With iOS 26.1, you now have to swipe to dismiss an alarm from the lock screen, adding a degree of intentionality to the process of making your phone stop yelling at you in the morning. Having to do that will engage your brain a bit, too, so maybe it's a good thing overall.