IT General

TL;DR: Upgrade your home office with a Lenovo ThinkCentre M90q Mini PC on sale now for just $455.99 (reg. $999).

Opens in a new window Credit: Lenovo Lenovo ThinkCentre M90q Mini PC (2021) $455.99
$999 Save $543.01   Get Deal

Could your home office use an upgrade? The Lenovo ThinkCentre M90q Mini PC provides fast performance, Windows 11 Pro, and support for up to three monitors. And right now, you can bring it home for just $455.99 (reg. $999).

Whether you have a separate room for an office or your workspace is just a tiny desk in the corner of your bedroom, this Lenovo ThinkCentre M90q Tiny provides plenty of power in a compact 1L design that saves precious desk space at only 7.2 inches tall. Don’t be deceived by its petite size. This desktop is equipped with a 10th Gen Intel Core i5 6-core processor and 16GB of DDR4 RAM for speedy performance.

SEE ALSO: The 2025 MacBook Air M4 is under $850 right now at Amazon — act fast to save $150

The 512GB NVMe SSD lets you store files locally. If you like to work with multiple monitors, you’ll be happy to know this desktop supports up to three monitors through HDMI and DisplayPort. There are also other connectivity options like USB-C, USB-A, Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth 5.1. And it’s ready to grow with you, thanks to expansion slots, driver support for older OS versions, and easy upgrades.

The Lenovo ThinkCentre boasts security features like TPM 2.0, BIOS-level passwords, a chassis intrusion switch, and Intel vPro management, all of which keep your precious data protected. It also comes loaded with Windows 11 Pro, a majorly upgraded interface that gives you access to Microsoft Copilot. You may finally be able to cancel that paid ChatGPT subscription now that you have your own AI built directly into your computer.

You don’t need a big computer for a big job.

Get a Lenovo ThinkCentre M90q Mini PC on sale now for just $455.99 (reg. $999).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

DISNEY+ BUNDLES: Disney+ is offering bundle deals so you can stream the best of its library at a lower price.

The best Disney+ deals and bundles in October 2025: Best ESPN Bundle Deal Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Unlimited Bundle $29.99/month for a year, then $35.99/month Get Deal Best HBO Max Bundle Deal Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max Bundle $19.99/month with ads, $32.99/month ad-free Get Deal Best Hulu Bundle Deal Disney+ and Hulu Bundle $12.99/month with ads Get Deal

Whether you're looking to jump into the latest superhero saga or journey to a galaxy far, far away, Disney+ is the streaming service for you.

Home to Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and so much more, Disney+ offers a library that's stuffed-full of shows and films to keep both adults and kids entertained when it matters. This includes Marvel's Thunderbolts*, which is now available to watch on the platform.

If you've had this streaming service on your radar but are unsure which plan is the best fit for you, we've got you covered with a selection of Disney+ streaming deals. This includes a great limited time offer on the new Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Unlimited Bundle. If you're a sports fan, you can sign up for this plan for $29.99 per month for the first year.

SEE ALSO: How to watch 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' at home: When and where to stream it

Alongside that deal, there are a few more bundles to check out with Disney+ right now, including the Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max package. This is a great investment for those who already own the other two streaming services and are looking to cut down on costs. Considering Disney+ has just increased its prices, now is as good a time as any to check out a bundle.

We've detailed all of the available bundle deals below, alongside basic information on Disney+ plans if you just want the House of Mouse's service on its own.

Best ESPN bundle deal Opens in a new window Credit: Disney Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Unlimited Bundle $29.99/month for a year, then $35.99/month Get Deal

If you're a sports fan looking to add ESPN into your bundles, you're in luck: Disney offers bundles with both ESPN Select and ESPN Unlimited. According to ESPN, "ESPN Select includes ESPN+ content only. Fans who want ESPN+ exclusively may subscribe to the ESPN Select plan. ESPN Unlimited includes all of the ESPN networks and services, including ESPN+." If the latter has caught your attention, it has a limited-time offer going on right now.

The Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Unlimited Bundle, which has ads, is currently available for $29.99 per month for a year. The Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Unlimited premium bundle without ads is on offer for $38.99 per month for a year.

These discounted bundles are only available for new and eligible returning subscribers through Jan. 5, 2026. Once the year is up, they'll go back to their full prices of $35.99 per month with ads and $44.99 per month without.

• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited Bundle — $29.99 per month for a year (then $35.99 per month)

• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Unlimited Bundle Premium — $38.99 per month for a year (then $44.99 per month)

• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Select Bundle — $19.99 per month

• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Select Bundle Premium — $29.99 per month

Best HBO Max bundle deal Opens in a new window Credit: Disney Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max Bundle $19.99/month with ads, $32.99/month ad-free Get Deal Why we like it

The Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max bundle is one of the best available at the moment. Starting at $19.99 per month, you can have three excellent streaming services right in the palm of your hand, which is a great offer to take advantage of. The $19.99 per month option is for the With Ads plan, but if you'd prefer to watch your favorite content without ads, the No Ads plan comes to $32.99 per month. Compared to what you'd pay for each of these on their own, you're saving 41% with the ad-supported plan and 39% with the ad-free plan.

• Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max Bundle (with ads) — $19.99 per month (save 41%)

• Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max Bundle (no ads) — $32.99 per month (save 39%)

Best Hulu bundle deal Opens in a new window Credit: Disney Disney+ and Hulu Bundle Disney+ and Hulu with ads for $12.99/month Get Deal Why we like it

If the Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max mega bundle feels like a bit too much, there are smaller bundle deals to check out instead. One of the most affordable bundle options the service has is the Disney+, Hulu Bundle. This brings together Disney+ and Hulu (with ads) for $12.99 per month. This is a great way to gain access to both of their libraries for only $1 more than what you'd pay for just one of the ad-supported plans on their own.

• Disney+, Hulu Bundle — $12.99 per month

If you'd rather spring for the ad-free version of that bundle, Disney+, Hulu Bundle Premium is what you need. This offers both Disney+ and Hulu without ads for $19.99 per month.

• Disney+, Hulu Bundle Premium — $19.99 per month

Best Disney+ monthly plans

Disney+ offers two standard plans if you just want the service on its own. The Disney+ ad-supported plan comes to $11.99 per month while the ad-free Disney+ Premium plan will set you back $18.99 per month or $189.99 per year if you'd rather pay annually.

• Disney+ (With Ads) — $11.99 per month

• Disney+ Premium (No Ads) — $18.99 per month, $189.99 per year

Disney+ has also created an "extra member" plan for people using your account that live outside of your household as they crack down on password sharing. If you're looking to add another person onto your account, you're only allowed one extra profile and can choose from the following add-on plans:

• Disney+ (With Ads) — $6.99 per month

• Disney+ Premium — $9.99 per month

• Disney+, Hulu Bundle — $7.99 per month

• Disney+, Hulu Bundle Premium — $10.99 per month

• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Select Bundle — $11.99 per month

• Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Select Bundle Premium — $14.99 per month

There's a wealth of shows and films to check out on Disney+ after you sign up. If you want some help finding something to watch, check out our roundups of the 12 best TV shows for adults on Disney+ and the 20 best movies on Disney+ to start building out your watchlist.

There's no denying where Tina Romero's cinematic sensibilities came from. Her debut feature film, Queens of the Dead, is an entertaining and politically alert zombie movie. She's walking in the groundbreaking footsteps of her father, Night of the Living Dead director George A. Romero, who defined the zombie sub-genre for generations. However, centering her story in a queer community with LGBTQ+ performers, Tina Romero leans into comedy more than her dad did in his movies and creates a branch of zombie horror that brings new growth to the sub-genre.

Following a group of queer people and drag performers as they try to escape a zombie invasion in the Brooklyn club scene, Queens of the Dead is unlike any horror movie you've seen before. Like John Waters, Tina embraces camp and queerness without hesitation. The combination of classic zombies — with gray skin and shuffling steps — and drag queen-led humor gives Queens of the Dead an exciting clash of influences that makes for a uniquely thrilling movie. It's one that also happens to be studded with star power, boasting appearances from Love Lies Bleeding's Katy O'Brian, Mean Girls' Jaquel Spivey, Fire Island's Tomás Matos, I Saw the TV Glow's Jack Haven, National Anthem's Eve Lindley, RuPaul's Drag Race's Nina West, and Margaret Cho. 

Is Queens of the Dead set in the same world as Night of the Living Dead? Credit: Shannon Madden / Independent Film Company / Shudder

The answer is sort of! It's not that Tina's movie is in the same fictional world as her dad's frightening franchise. But it is set in a world where his movies exist. So, there's plenty of references. For instance, when an inexplicable plague hits New York City, the inept mayor (famed horror makeup artist and Dawn of the Dead star Tom Savini) is quick to insist that what's happening on the streets is not a George A. Romero scenario. Except it totally is. 

SEE ALSO: What to watch: Best scary movies

This cheeky reference allows Tina to diverge sharply from the path her father laid down while also paying tribute and setting up her heroes as people who've grown up in a world with zombies as part of their pop-cultural awareness. However, Queens of the Dead isn't going Scream-level meta, where this awareness will be a huge help to its heroes as they try to out-strategize their attackers. Queens of the Dead's motley crew of aspiring survivors are club kids, go-go dancers, drag queens, and party promoters, more equipped for an all-night rager than a horde of raging zombies. Even when they get what's going on, their array of props, costumes, and bartending supplies isn't really what you'd want to take on an army of the dead.

However, Queens of the Dead has a slasher-flick quality of fun because it's easy to look at this chaotic circle of friends and see a reflection of your own, wondering how your besties might fare if a night out dancing and drinking turned into fleeing a zombie horde. Tina invites us into the cool crowd and into the frightful entertainment. 

Queens of the Dead is for queer people by queer people.  Credit: Shannon Madden / Independent Film Company / Shudder

Katy O'Brian stars as Dre, a promoter whose make-or-break party at a gay bar in Brooklyn is thrown into peril when their headliner (Dominique Jackson) abruptly bails for a better gig. While at work at a hospital, Dre's wife, Lizzy (Riki Lindhome), urges her fellow nurse Sam (Jaquel Spivey) to resurrect his drag persona, Samyonce, to save the night. Turns out, stage fright will be the least of Sam's worries about returning to the club scene when a zombie-bit reveler wanders onto the dance floor. 

Inside the club, drag queens (Nina West), dancers (Tomás Matos), bar staff (Cheyenne Jackson, Jack Haven), Dre, and her lunkheaded brother-in-law Barry (Quincy Dunn-Baker) must overcome their differences to survive. Thankfully, reinforcements are on the way, including Dre's wife, a scrappy trans girl (Eve Lindley), and an activism team led by a drill-wielding Margaret Cho (making a Day of the Dead callback kill).

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Like a classic Romero movie, the approach by Tina Romero and her co-writer Erin Judge offers a cross-section of people, creating a captivating and rich portrait of American life — in this case, queer American life. The scribes play with archetypes within the LGBTQ+ community, offering take-charge lesbians, freaked-out twinks, and drag queens whose bravery is practically superhero-level as they rise to the occasion, whatever the occasion. And there are deeper-cut jokes — like one about a femme lesbian complaining about her literal ax wound — that will have queer audiences absolutely howling. Even the zombies' appearances lean to queer comedy, as their skin may be sickening, but all that hollowed gray flesh with glitter in the mix creates a killer contour. 

Queens of the Dead is wild fun. Credit: Shannon Madden / Independent Film Company / Shudder

From the film's clever opening, Tina Romero is setting audiences up for a gleefully shocking and sensationally iconoclastic experience. Queens of the Dead begins with a shimmery drag queen (Julie J.) coming home so late from her night out that it's morning. So, she's in full body-suited sequens and glam as she's rolling into church for a moment of peace and prayer. (Michael Jackson's Thriller could never.) Then her hookup app chimes, alerting her that a potential beau is very close. She probes the rectory in search of a man of the cloth looking to get freaky. Unfortunately, this abs-rippling priest (Ahmad Maksoud) has already been bit. So our frisky, faithful queen will get a make-under, then return to the clubs she loves to haunt to become a true menace.

Out of the gate, Tina displays that drag queens are part of their communities, that the religious right is not so chaste as their preached politics might suggest, and that zombies can be undead and uncomfortably hot. If any of this sounds like too much for you to swallow, then Queens of the Dead is not for you. But if you're intrigued, then welcome in, and go with the flow.

Drenched in neon, steeped in attitude, and radiant with queer joy, this movie is beyond fine; it's fierce, funny, and fabulous. 

Queens of the Dead opens in theaters on Oct. 24.

In American media, a man cheating on his wife is often a source for tears, screaming, vengeance, murder-based TV shows, or one of the greatest concept albums of all time. So, when this American movie critic sat down for the Chinese documentary Mistress Dispeller, I brought my societal expectations with me, thinking I knew what I was in for. I was very, very wrong, but I found real pleasure in what this curious film offers instead. 

Hong Kong-born filmmaker Elizabeth Lo follows "mistress dispeller" Wang Zhenxi as she engages with a client, a middle-aged wife in China who is distraught that her husband has taken a younger mistress. The wife, called Mrs. Li in the film, tearfully unfurls her suspicions and the evidence that has brought her to this moment. But even as she is hurt, she explains ardently how kind her husband is, sharing a story of how he takes special care when cooking for her mother. 

This dizzying mix of feelings — anger and love — in the film's first act establishes the emotional complexity that is knit throughout Mistress Dispeller, which isn't interested in blame or salacious details. Instead, this remarkable documentary engages its audience through an earnest empathy with all three parties, and a daring openness between subject and filmmaker that is absolutely stunning. 

Mistress Dispeller is most shocking in how much its subjects share.  Director Elizabeth Lo filming Wang and Fei Fei behind the scenes of "Mistress Dispeller." Credit: Oscilloscope

How Mr. Li's affair has impacted his own life, as well as the lives of his wife and mistress, is revealed through simple scenes of day-to-day life. A woman getting her hair cut at a salon may seem mundane at first glance, but then you see the tear snaking out of her eye and down her cheeks as her expression struggles to stay stoic. More engaging, though, are the numerous dining scenes, where two (or three) of these subjects sit across from each other as an unblinking camera shoots them in profile. 

At first, it seems Lo is capturing only a casual conversation. But when Mr. Li looks from his companion into the camera's lens, we're reminded that he knows he's being watched. And yet, even then, he shares his secrets. Similarly, his mistress, Fei Fei, will open up in front of Lo's lens, defending her love of her married boyfriend, and even welcoming the crew to follow her away from date night and into her working day. Here, the polished, pale make-up and frilly, coquettish dress she wore to impress her man is gone, replaced by a cleaner face and simple streetwear as she zips around on a scooter unglamorously delivering frozen food. 

Lo doesn't lean on talking-head interviews or a narrator to step us through this story. She lets the words and actions of this tangle of people speak for itself. And while we may blanch at the feeling of voyeurism perhaps inherent in a documentary that delves into the nitty-gritty of a marriage in peril, a simple promise makes Mistress Dispeller extraordinary. 

Consent is key in Mistress Dispeller. 

In the opening credits of the film, a title card proclaims: 

"Everyone agreed to participate both at the beginning and end of production, as their understanding of the film and mistress dispeller's role evolved over time." 

What Mr. Li and Fei Fei think they're being filmed for initially isn't clear, as Wang's involvement with them begins undercover. Collaborating with Mrs. Li, she is introduced to the husband as a friend. Steadily, as she grows in his confidence, he opens up about Fei Fei, and introduces the two, calling Wang a "cousin." All the while, Wang is getting to understand each side of this love triangle, not to strategize the fastest way to break it up but the most compassionate way.

Operating without judgment, Wang aims to understand how Fei Fei came to be involved with Mr. Li, why he was drawn to her, and what they and Mrs. Li want now. She works the case like a psychological detective, determining motive through clues and covert interrogations involving badminton matches and mani/pedis. As she comes to see the messy emotions that built this puzzle of love and pain, she invites us to understand them too as the fly on her wall. It's an extraordinary thing, watching these people in moments of heady infatuation, crushing betrayal, and deep confusion, all while they know they're being filmed. The subjects' awareness of the cameras might mean there's a level of performance at play. But as they get to know Wang, it's easier and easier to believe the cameras they once stared at become just another piece of furniture as they chart their way forward. 

Mistress Dispeller is gorgeous to behold.  Fei Fei in "Mistress Dispeller." Credit: Oscilloscope

Lo also serves as the director of photography and co-editor on the film, and deserves praise for every role. As a director, she smartly hangs back, allowing the subjects to tell their story however they see fit. With editor Charlotte Munch Bengtsen, she takes what might be thought of as B-roll and assembles them into pieces that neatly construct a challenging narrative that has no real villain. As a cinematographer, she captures scenes of domestic simplicity, like a lunch together between husband, wife, and undercover mistress dispeller, with a keen eye for detail.

Along with a meditative pacing that gives big feelings room to breathe, there's often a charming symmetry in the framing, which not only makes for a pleasing image but also bolsters the film's emotional focus on balance. There is never only one side to a story, and the equal weight shared in such staging subtly reminds the audience of this simple, but often overlooked fact. 

This sense of balance is made all the more impactful in a finale where Mrs. Li and Fei Fei finally meet; conflict seems inevitable, but it won't play out like American media would have us expect. And yet, Wang sits at just of the center of the frame, not to take sides but to even out the power dynamic at play. Even without melodramatic moments of gnashed teeth and bellowed accusations, Lo's moving film captures heartache and humanity viscerally. More incredibly, through the story of one real marriage confronting an affair, she urges her audiences to reconsider the biases of shame and blame we've taken in through scads of more salacious media. It's not that Mistress Dispeller is preachy — far from it. Instead, this doc makes showing all sides look so easy that you might well wonder why it's not done more often. 

In the end, Mistress Dispeller is a marvel: elegantly constructed, ethically created, and thought-provokingly humane. 

Mistress Dispeller open in NYC on Oct. 22 and in LA on Oct. 24, with a national rollout to follow.

UPDATE: Oct. 16, 2025, 1:44 p.m. EDT This review was first published on Sept. 6, 2024. "Mistress Dispeller" was reviewed out of its North American premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.

FREE BOOKS: The latest Stuff Your Kindle Day takes place on Oct 22. Stuff Your Kindle: Crime Edition is offering free mystery, thriller, and suspense books for e-readers.

Opens in a new window Credit: Stuff Your Kindle: Crime Edition Stuff Your Kindle: Crime Edition (Oct. 22)   Learn More

The Stuff Your Kindle Day schedule has become somewhat stressful at times this year. And then we'll get absolutely nothing for weeks or months. Whoever coordinates everything seems to prefer to drop these events in waves. And folks, an absolutely giant wave is on the horizon.

We're entering into the busiest Stuff Your Kindle Day period of the year, with at least five events taking place before the end of October. That's a lot of free books, which isn't a bad thing. The problem will be staying on top of everything — this is where we can help you out.

This packed period of activity kicks off with Stuff Your Kindle: Crime Edition, going live on Oct. 22. This event is offering free mystery, thriller, and suspense reads for one day only. And better yet, the books that you download are yours to keep forever.

SEE ALSO: The best Kindle accessories for reading in luxury

Looking to make the most of the latest Stuff Your Kindle Day? We've lined up everything you need to know about this popular event.

When is Stuff Your Kindle Day?

Stuff Your Kindle: Crime Edition takes place on Oct. 22. A lot of recent Stuff Your Kindle Days have stretched out over a few days, providing participants with the opportunity to take their time and consider all options. This latest event only lasts through the day, so you'll need to act fast to stock up on everything you want to read. Given how many events are stacking up on the schedule over the next week or so, we're OK with this limited-time event. We need time to recover before the next launch.

Who can take part in Stuff Your Kindle Day?

The great thing about Stuff Your Kindle Day (besides all the free books) is that anyone can participate. Kindle, Kobo, and Nook readers can download these books for free. You can even download these books on your preferred app and read them directly from your phone.

Which e-books are free?

Finding the free mystery, thriller, and suspense books is straightforward thanks to the helpful hub page that tells you exactly what you need to do:

• Use BOOKS to browse all free reads by category

• Use the SEARCH feature to look up authors, filter by preferred retailer, find specific keywords or subcategories, and remove explicit content

• Use ALERTS to sign up for future email alerts about the next Stuff Your Kindle: Crime Edition

Is Stuff Your Kindle Day the same as Amazon Kindle Unlimited?

Everything you download on Stuff Your Kindle Day is yours to keep forever, and there's no limit on the number of books you can download. Stuff Your Kindle Day downloads don't count towards the 20 books that Amazon Kindle Unlimited subscribers can borrow at the same time. There's no reason to hold back.

The best Stuff Your Kindle Day deal Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite + Kindle Unlimited (3-Month Plan)   Get Deal Why we like it

These popular e-readers help you take your entire library on the go. With weeks of battery life and an anti-glare display, you can read anywhere and anytime with the Kindle Paperwhite. Prices start at $159.99, but if you want to secure a better deal, you can get three months of Kindle Unlimited for free. What better way to get started?

Hedda Gabler is a glorious bitch, and Tessa Thompson was born to play her. First unleashed upon the world in the titular 1891 play by Henrik Ibsen, Hedda Gabler would go on to become a figure so compelling and conniving that actresses for over a century — from Ingrid Bergman to Diana Rigg, Maggie Smith to Cate Blanchett — have relished the opportunity to play her. But Thompson, in Nia DaCosta's fiery reimagining Hedda, takes this role to rich and wild new places, and it's a devilish thrill to witness. 

Thompson and DaCosta previously collaborated on the latter's directorial debut, the critically heralded drama Little Woods, in 2018. By the time they reteamed five years later for The Marvels, both had grown far more famous. DaCosta had helmed the much-anticipated reboot of Candyman, while Thompson had become a favorite in the MCU as the hard-drinking, shit-talking Valkyrie. Fitting then that these two should reunite for Hedda, which centers on a similar character in those provocative respects. However, this antiheroine prefers pistols over swords, and sinister social manipulations over snarled insults. 

SEE ALSO: 'Hedda' trailer: Tessa Thompson is giving glamor in sapphic romance

Making several major changes to Hedda Gabler, DaCosta crafts a splendid showcase for Thompson, cementing her as a cinematic siren of the modern age, one who should be compared to the likes of Gloria Swanson, Bette Davis, and Glenn Close. They all played women who were dangerous, devilish, and even deranged, and we love them for every wild moment. 

Nia DaCosta's Hedda is bold, brash, and queer.  Credit: Amazon MGM Studios

As Hedda's screenwriter, DaCosta transplants Ibsen's late 19th-century story to 1954 England, allowing for the spectacle of flouncing ballgowns and bohemian flair. Both will be on kinetic display during the action of the play, condensed down to a single party thrown over one long night by the eponymous antiheroine. 

Fresh from her honeymoon with her her proper but boring husband George Tesman (Tom Bateman), newlywed Hedda (Thompson) is eager to show off their obscenely luxurious home, complete with a sprawling lawn and pond. But before the party even begins, trouble brews with the arrival of some unwelcome guests. Neither gets a warm reception from Hedda. 

The powerful and opportunistic Judge Roland Brack (Nicholas Pinnock) comes with worrisome news and leering eyes, which Hedda meets with a playful fire from her late father's military pistols. Her former schoolmate Thea Clifton (Imogen Poots) fares no better, dressed up like a doll then dressed down like a fool as she spills her heart out to Hedda. Thea is looking to leave her husband and take up with the hot professor with whom she's written a scientific manuscript they believe will have a huge impact. Poor Thea doesn't realize that this professor — genderswapped here as Eileen Lovborg (Nina Hoss) — was Hedda's old flame, and one of them barely survived that breakup. 

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When Eileen arrives at Hedda's party, she is an embodiment of feminine power. Costume designer Lindsay Pugh dresses Hoss in a gown that is both hard and soft, accentuating her broad shoulders and robust bust. She looks like the figurehead of a mighty ship, ready to surge forth into a future unknown. Unfortunately for her, Hedda has plans, treating every member of this packed party like playthings for her own dark amusements. 

Tessa Thompson is a vision of longing and vengeance in Hedda.  Credit: Amazon MGM Studios

Draped in silk gloves, pearls, and gowns cinched and tailored to perfection, Hedda is gorgeous and glamorous. She babies her bangs. She wears the key to her gun chest dangling in her décolletage. And she tops it all off with a blood-red lipstain that perfectly accentuates Thompson's signature smirk. From her first appearance, it's clear Hedda lives for trouble. 

Partiers whispering secrets will spill her painful backstory, which seems to glint like the edge of a knife in Thompson's eyes — even when she's all smiles for her guests. But the core of Hedda Gabler is a razor-sharp wit paired with an unabashed cruelty. The world has dared to bore Hedda, and so she will gladly watch it burn. Hell, she'll strike the match if need be. 

Thompson captures this devil-may-care attitude with a fluid physicality, whether twirling on a dance floor, capering through a hedge maze, or escaping deadly dull small talk. There's an enviable freedom in Hedda's recklessness in such moments. But in her vulnerable moments, it's clear she's in a gilded cage of her own making with no easy way out. So, she rages not at the bars but at those whose freedom she envies. 

While other actors have played the role with restraint, Thompson's Hedda has a ball raising hell, and it's a fabulous thrill to watch her. She's lit up from desire, be it sexual, poltitical, or self-destructive. And with every raised eyebrow, sultry smirk, or purred barb, she is exhilarating. Props to Hoss, who plays the only character who can match Hedda's will. Hoss exudes a dizzying confidence, and shares an electrifying sexual chemistry with Thompson — and Poots, for that matter. Through her steadfast screen presence, she ties the love story together, because of who wouldn't be wooed by this Eileen?

Hedda goes big with style, sex, and rage.  Credit: Amazon MGM Studios

Though set in an English estate, DaCosta rejects the somberness and restraint of many a British period piece. Hedda's barbs may be subtle at times, but her movie is full of attitude, energy, and color. Cinematographer Sean Bobbitt practically chases her around this stately home, as if a jealous lover desperate to keep an eye on her. The suaveness of the camera's movement as it graces across her face, her gown, and her gathering of revelers reflects the control Hedda has over all in her circle. The film's color palette is rich in gold hues, warm and all the better to enhance a blushing cheek or a throbbing bosom. And perhaps on a symbolic level this hue reminds the viewer, "all that glitters is not gold." 

The production design and costumes ooze with sex appeal and excess — textures, pearls, and prints adorn every limb, wall, and surface. Captured so carefully by Bobbitt's lens, you can practically feel the lace, velvet, and taffeta on your fingertips. Like in Saltburn, a queer thriller about jealousy, lust, and sinister social-climbing, this reveling in the richness of Hedda's surroundings visually communicates the antihero's ambitions for wealth and status, but also gives these things a sensuality, connecting them to what (or who) must be sacrificed to achieve them. 

Then, to bolster all this lushness, music supervisor Mandy Mamlet brings into play cover songs like "Gopher Mambo" and "It's Oh So Quiet" (famously covered by Björk in 2003), which reflect Hedda's thirst for excitement and love. Dash prim orchestrations and swelling strings, give me a chartreuse bellowing into the microphone with the ferocity of an animal captured — or a woman in unreciprocated love. 

Altogether, DaCosta's vision is one rich in queer longing, decadent drama, and unapologetic excess. Hedda Gabler is an iconic role, one that's fascinated audiences and actresses for generations because of her undeniable viciousness and inarguable charms. Here, DaCosta and Thompson make her their own, folding in themes of queerness, race, and gender politics through casting, and digging in with changes to Ibsen's original story. In this way, Hedda's rage becomes more specific and universal, while still achingly timeless. 

But even if you've never seen a Hedda Gabler, it's easy to fall for Hedda. Sumptuous, hot, and challenging, this is a drama of love, sex, and regret that burns like a shot of whisky, so good you'll want to go at it again. 

Hedda was reviewed out of the Toronto International Film Festival. The movie will open in the U.S. in select theaters on Oct. 22, with an expansion on Oct. 29.

SAVE $150: As of Oct. 22, the 2025 Apple MacBook Air M4 is on sale for $849 at Amazon. That's a 15% saving on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple 2025 Apple MacBook Air M4 $849 at Amazon
$999 Save $150   Get Deal

MacBook discounts are always a treat, especially when you get them on popular models like the 2025 Apple MacBook Air. This MacBook is no stranger to discounts, and if you've missed out on any of the earlier discounts, you're in luck because it's on sale once again.

As of Oct. 22, you can get it for just $849. However, only the midnight color is reduced to this price. For $50 more you can choose the sky blue or starlight, but the silver model is at full price right now. The midnight color is stunning, so there's no issue here.

SEE ALSO: Get the M4 MacBook Pro for cheaper than it was on Prime Day

This is a super powerful laptop thanks to the M4 chip. This power means you can easily jump between apps, editing software, or games with little to no lag. Yes, the M5 chip is a thing now. But that doesn't mean the M4 chip has suddenly become obsolete.

With this model you're getting a 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display, making everything clear and colorful. The battery life is a big selling point too, promising to last up to 18 hours, so it's perfect for work on the go. And speaking of work, your teams calls just got way better thanks to the 12MP Center Stage camera, three mics, and four speakers with Spatial Audio. With all this, you'll look and sound great every time you video chat.

Pick up this great MacBook deal from Amazon now.

SAVE $350: As of Oct. 22, the Shark AV2501AE AI robot vacuum is on sale for $299.99 at Amazon. That's a 54% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Shark Shark AV2501AE AI $299.99 at Amazon
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Robot vacuums are one of the best smart home investments. A machine doing your cleaning for you? Now that's living.

As of Oct. 22, the Shark AV2501AE AI robot vacuum is reduced to its lowest-ever price at Amazon. The sale price is $299.99, saving you $350 on list price.

SEE ALSO: I tested 25 robot vacuum and mop combos and found 5 that actually scrub

This vacuum really does do everything for you. Its bagless, self-emptying base holds up to 60 days of dirt, so you rarely need to manually empty it. It also uses 360-degree LiDAR vision to map your home for precise cleaning and adapts to any changes in your space, i.e. some new furniture.

If you've got pets, this vacuum is the perfect companion thanks to the self-cleaning brush roll and strong suction. And with up to 120 minutes of runtime and the Recharge and Resume feature, it automatically returns to the dock to recharge and then continues exactly where it left off. It can even be voice-controlled through Alexa or the Google Assistant. Just tell it to go, schedule a clean, or return to the dock. How easy is that?

Get this robot vacuum deal from Amazon.

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

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

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

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: How to play Pips, the newest NYT game

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025:

AcrossRoomful of students

• The answer is Class.

Something to bring in a brown paper bag

• The answer is Lunch.

___ Harbor, sightseeing area of Baltimore

• The answer is Inner.

Where many Stephen King novels are set

• The answer is Maine.

Beagle or bulldog

• The answer is Breed.

DownGo bouldering, e.g.

• The answer is Climb.

___ New Year

• The answer is Lunar.

Redhead of musical/movie fame

• The answer is Annie.

Something an actor might steal

• The answer is Scene.

Tear to pieces

• The answer is Shred.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

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

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

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

October has been a fun month for celestial events, with both the Draconids and the Orionids meteor showers dazzling our skies. The Draconids happened earlier in the month, while the Orionids have been active for a few weeks now. But don't feel bad if you've not seen any yet, the Orionids only peak this week, so you've not missed your best chance to see a shooting star.

As we approach the main days, we've pulled together all the information you need for viewing and understanding what it's all really about.

What is the Orionids meteor shower?

Like the name suggests, the Orionids meteors come from the constellation, Orion. The actual meteor shower happens when tiny grains of dust and ice left behind by comet 1P/Halley enter Earth’s atmosphere and burn up, producing bright streaks of light across the sky, NASA tells us.

They are very fast, traveling at around 41 miles (66 kilometers) per second, and often leave glowing “trains." Some of the brighter meteors even become fireballs, creating spectacular flashes of light. AKA, what we see when we look up at the sky.

When will the Orionids meteor shower peak?

NASA data reveals the Orionids meteor shower will take place between Oct. 2 - Nov. 12. , but the peak is expected to be Oct. 22 - 23.

How to see the Orionids meteor shower

To see one of the Orionids meteors, you follow the advice you'd expect; wait until dark, try and get as far away from light pollution as you can, and make sure you give your eyes time to adjust to the light (ever noticed that the longer you're outside, the more stars you can see?). NASA also advises heading out after midnight and lying with your feet facing southeast if you are in the Northern Hemisphere or northeast if you are in the Southern Hemisphere.

Cloud coverage is important too, and can really impact your visibility. Before heading out, check the coverage forecast for your area.

Parker Shi, vice president of GWM Group and president of GWM International, considers U.S. President Donald Trump to be the most successful man in the world by certain metrics. Yet at the same time, Trump remains a significant obstacle in the Chinese automaker's quest to access a global market.

"[People are] looking for power, looking for money, and they're looking for name. Right? Donald Trump is the one," Shi told his audience during GWM's global Tech Day in Australia earlier this month. "But what's the business looking for? Brand, volume, profit. Volume can be replaced by market share."

GWM's Tech Day was part of its international branding efforts, bringing some of its top executives to Melbourne to discuss the company's plans for global growth. Though China is the largest auto market in the world, GWM is one of many EV manufacturers whose ambitions extend well beyond their home country's borders. The company has been in the Australian market since 2009, when it became the first Chinese automaker to sell its cars in the country.

SEE ALSO: Chinese EVs are spreading across the globe, but not in the U.S.

Yet while GWM aims to be a notable player on the global EV scene, the sizable yet inaccessible U.S. market continues to present a glaring challenge to these ambitions — as it does for all Chinese automakers.

When will GWM's vehicles enter the U.S. market? Credit: Courtesy of GWM

Speaking to Mashable, Shi confirmed that GWM had been looking to enter the U.S. market by 2021, having conducted research, planned products, and even set up infrastructure and employees. Unfortunately, political issues and tariffs have put such plans on hold indefinitely.

"We prepared for the USA market for many years," said Shi. "We have the building there, we have the R&D team there. But because of the political issues, obviously, it's not the right time to make the plan for USA. So this is an open secret. I don't need to deny anything. It's because of the political issues it's difficult to invest [in a] manufacturing plant over there."

Specifically, Shi noted the high customs duties and tariffs the U.S. currently imposes upon EVs from China. Such vehicles were previously subject to a standard 2.5 percent tariff until Trump's first term in 2018, when he introduced an additional 25 percent tariff on Chinese goods. President Joe Biden subsequently increased tariffs further to 100 percent in 2024. 

U.S. tariffs on Chinese EVs have since fluctuated wildly under the current Trump administration, at one point skyrocketing to a whopping 247.5 percent. Understandably, such factors mean that the costs of investing in the U.S. currently outweigh the benefits.

"[If] you want to go there [to the U.S.], you have to put your money to build the factories or to acquire the factories," said Shi. "We do have the product suitable for the USA market. But the problem is the investment of the manufacturing has become difficult. It's a barrier. Direct investment is needed for USA market."

GWM does still have ambitions in the U.S., with Shi stating that the company is reluctant to give up the chance to tap into such a large market. Even so, entering the U.S. simply isn't feasible while the U.S. administration remains actively hostile toward Chinese automakers. When raising tariffs on Chinese EVs last year, Biden claimed that the Chinese government's EV subsidy programs enable Chinese companies to "cheat" by selling cars at "unfairly low prices," leaving U.S. manufacturers unable to compete. 

"We have some business in Mexico…. but now it's also changing," said Shi, acknowledging U.S. officials' fears that Chinese automakers could go through Mexico to supply their cars to American drivers. China is Mexico's leading auto supplier. "They're supposed to stop Chinese investment in Mexico. Maybe they are thinking we are using Mexico as the base to export to USA. It's a little bit complicated."

GWM courts international markets that aren't the U.S. Credit: Courtesy of GWM

In the meantime, GWM has turned its attention to other countries such as Australia. The company took up residence in Victoria's Lang Lang Proving Grounds earlier this year in order to test and tweak its vehicles for Australian conditions, adapting its approach depending on different countries' specific needs. Shi emphasised that GWM aims to work with and understand people in different regions, noting that only 10 of GWM's 110 employees in Australia are from China.

"With the local, for the local. With the Thai, for the Thai. With the Australian, for the Australian," said Shi. "This is the kind of philosophy [which guides us].... You must make yourself more local. Not only brand. Product, service, operations…. Everything must be local."

Such considerations appear to be part of the reason why GWM doesn't only manufacture EVs, also offering petrol and hybrid vehicles such as its Tank 300 and Cannon Alpha. Lack of infrastructure and charging facilities have slowed EV uptake in some markets, with the level of government support and incentives varying significantly between different areas. 

As such, Shi acknowledged that there's still a need for traditional petrol-powered vehicles, particularly in countries which may not yet have the budget for widespread implementation of EV facilities. GWM is hoping to meet international customers where they are in the meantime.

"We believe new energy vehicles could be the future," said Shi. "Of course, for the China market, definitely because the government gives a lot of support, incentive, tax reductions, so the EV penetration is very high.… So that's why if you're talking about the new energy vehicles in China, it's over 50 percent market share. But the other markets I think could be slow because the government incentives or government support is very limited."

"Some markets we understand, petrol, diesel, especially for commercial vehicles… [continue to remain] for a long time because facilities for charging, they need time [to be built]. And budget from the government to encourage the electronic vehicles, to encourage the plug-in hybrid vehicles, [is] still very slow….

"We try to follow the [future] trend, of course," Shi continued. "EV could be very good for the environment, could be a great convenience. But we believe that different countries may have different usage scenarios."

Shi offered the example of Australians driving between Melbourne and Sydney, two cities which are approximately 544 mi (876 km) apart. In such a scenario, drivers may be anxious about making it to the next charger. Further, Shi speculated that what chargers are available may be less advanced and take a significant amount of time to charge. As such, he suggested that plug-in hybrid electric vehicles would be more suited to cross-country driving, noting that GWM's small Ora EV is designed for city use.

"This is why we are not investing [in] big models, big cars for EV," Shi continued. "Some other Chinese players, they have a five metre-big SUV…. We're not doing that. We have the capabilities to do that, but we don't think that's going to be the future. Especially [as] we are facing the global market. So different scenarios, different needs."

Working to secure data, trust, and market share Credit: Courtesy of GWM

For GWM, expanding outside of China "is a must." However, foreign governments have expressed increasing suspicion towards Chinese tech companies in recent years, accusing them of giving the Chinese government access to customers' data. Though there is no public evidence that this is occurring, the possibility has lawmakers leery. As such, Chinese companies with global aspirations have had to allocate significant resources into reassuring governments and countering such wariness.

"If you try to be a global player in different countries, we have to follow the rules and regulations of the countries," said Shi. "This is the bottom line. This is number one."

As part of this, Shi states that GWM keeps customer data on servers within their respective country. For example, Australian drivers' data is kept on Australian servers.

"We have isolated the customer data, because the customer data is very, very sensitive," said Shi. "This is the law…. We have to follow the law and [ensure GWM is in] compliance. This is the bottom line. You don't cross the bottom line. You cross the bottom line, you're going to burn your hand…. We don't want to, [in the] short term, make something easy [and end up with a] lot of leaking, leaking, leaking a lot of the customer's data. No, no, no. This is not allowed."

GWM has been in Australia for almost two decades now. As of July, GWM was the seventh-best selling automaker in the country this year, and the number one best-selling Chinese auto brand. The company is still continuing to grow its foothold, announcing during Tech Day that its new Tank 500 plug-in hybrid seven-seater SUV will cost Australians $AU79,990 driveaway — approximately $US52,000.

Unfortunately, it will still be a long while before U.S. drivers can test out GWM's vehicles themselves.

"I think we have the capability [to enter the U.S. market]. We have the product, we have the technology, we have the experience in global operation," Shi told Mashable. "We are planning, we are observing, we are watching. We are watching how the USA policies [are] changing…. We have the team over there, but with the administration change, everything's changed. Sorry for that!"

Are you still using a free VPN in 2025? You probably shouldn't be. The simple act of browsing the web, which most of us take for granted, is already fraught with potential vulnerabilities, from data trackers to malicious attacks. Installing dodgy software like free VPNs is just asking for trouble, and potentially giving bad actors a back door into your network. And while a basic Virtual Private Network (VPN) offers a foundational layer of protection by encrypting internet traffic and masking IP addresses, the modern threat landscape necessitates a more comprehensive solution.

So if you’re in the market for a new VPN. It’s important to know that for just a little more each month, you could unlock a whole host of digital-life-changing features. Here are a few of the key features you should look for:

Network Speeds

One of the most immediately noticeable benefits of upgrading to a premium VPN is the improvement in network performance. Unlike many basic or free VPNs that will usually slow your connection down, and impose invisible bandwidth limitations, paid services are typically engineered for speed and reliability. This reduces latency and maintains a fast, consistent connection for streaming and large file downloads. The performance aspect is crucial, as it removes the primary barrier to consistent VPN usage: turning it off because of lengthy load times, or slow download speeds.

Enhanced Security Features

Beyond the fundamental VPN features, a key differentiator of a premium service is its multifaceted security infrastructure. A standard VPN provides a secure tunnel for data, but it often doesn’t protect against external threats encountered on a website. Paid VPN packages integrate features like AI-powered protection against scams, phishing, and malware. It’s a layer of proactive defence that actively scans for and helps block malicious content before it can compromise a device, whether it's a PC, Mac, tablet, or smartphone. This is a crucial addition in an era where social engineering and sophisticated phishing campaigns are increasingly common.

Password Managers

The inclusion of a robust Password Manager within your VPN simplifies the creation and secure storage of unique, complex passwords. The safest passwords are long, complicated text strings, far too complex to remember. Having a dedicated, encrypted vault to store these passwords is one of the safest ways to protect your accounts.

Parental Controls

For parents, the integration of Parental Control features is a major advantage. This functionality allows for the management of children’s screen time, content filtering to block unsuitable material, and provides insights into their online behaviour, such as their search terms and video viewing history. This capability transforms the VPN from a simple tool for individual security into a comprehensive, family cybersafety solution, offering a means to guide and protect minors in the digital realm.

Cross Platform Access

If you’re going to pay for a service, you would hope that you could use it across your various devices. Choose a premium VPN that works on both Mac and/or PC (depending on your stack), and also provides user-friendly access on your mobile devices and tablets via a dedicated app.

Tracker Blocking

Additionally, some premium VPNs offer built-in tracker blockers. These help to block tracking cookies that run on all sorts of websites. The result is a more private browsing session and a significant reduction in the volume of targeted advertising. This is where our current pick, Norton VPN Ultimate, really shines.

While a basic VPN provides a necessary level of data privacy, a modern, fully-featured VPN service like Norton VPN Ultimate is a transformative tool. By combining high-speed, reliable connectivity with integrated protection against malware, tracker blocking, and advanced security features. If you’re seeking even greater anonymity, advanced features like IP Rotation and Double VPN, where your connection is routed through multiple locations, offer a level of privacy that goes well beyond the capabilities of a standard VPN. On top of this, Dark Web Monitoring notifies users if their personal information is found on illicit marketplaces, providing a warning system for potential identity theft.

The investment in such a comprehensive solution is not merely about security; it is about reclaiming control over their digital life and ensuring a safer, more private, and more efficient experience for everyone in your household. For more information, check out the Norton Australia website.

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

To taint.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answer

SULLY

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Archaic.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for August 4, 2025 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

MOSSY

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Found in a burger.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for August 4 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for August 4, 2025 Hurdle Word 3 answer

PATTY

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Unoriginal.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for August 4 Hurdle Word 4 answer

TRITE

Final Hurdle hint

Capable.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answer

ABLED

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

It's a new lunar phase tonight, and day one of a new lunar cycle. There's still a few more nights until the moon is fully visible, but for now it's slowly coming back to us.

What is today’s moon phase?

As of Wednesday, Oct. 22, the moon phase is Waxing Crescent. This means that 1% of the moon will be lit up tonight, according to NASA's Daily Moon Observation.

There's still too little of the moon on display tonight, so there's not anything to see on its surface.

When is the next full moon?

The next full moon will be on Nov. 5.

What are moon phases?

According to NASA, moon phases are caused by the 29.5-day cycle of the moon’s orbit, which changes the angles between the Sun, Moon, and Earth. Moon phases are how the moon looks from Earth as it goes around us. We always see the same side of the moon, but how much of it is lit up by the Sun changes depending on where it is in its orbit. This is how we get full moons, half moons, and moons that appear completely invisible. There are eight main moon phases, and they follow a repeating cycle.

The eight main moon phases are:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

After 10 long months of rumors, teases, and hype, Samsung finally delivered on the Project Moohan promise with the launch of the Galaxy XR headset.

The new VR headset (or is it AR? Or XR?) is priced at $1,799.99, and the world finally knows the official specs and feature set. And they are impressive: 8K video playback, dual micro-OLED displays, and advanced AI features.

I got the chance to demo the Samsung Galaxy XR headset for Mashable recently, and had a lot of fun doing so. If you're considering investing in the pricey new device (it's half the price of the Vision Pro, so "pricey" is relative), I can share my early experience.

What is the Galaxy XR headset? Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

Simply put, it's an advanced VR headset that offers both augmented reality and fully immersive 8K video and 3D experiences.

Some would argue that VR's best days are already behind it. Others would argue it never really caught on in the first place. Samsung thinks the best is yet to come, and it's betting big — as is Google, Apple, and Meta — that our lives won't be dominated by 2D screens forever.

Let's get the elephant in the room out of the way right now. Apple introduced the Apple Vision Pro 18 months ago, and after an initial flash in the pan, it never really caught on. Could that be because of the whopping $3,500 price tag? Yes, duh. But Apple isn't giving up; indeed, it just launched a new version of the headset with an M5 chip.

So, now it's Samsung's turn. Today, Samsung launched its own headset powered by Google's Android XR (with an assist from Gemini). Crucially, Samsung is cutting Apple's price in half to significantly lower the barrier of entry, which is good. But it's not as low as headsets from Meta, which is bad (for Samsung).

Going hands-on (and head-on) with the Samsung Galaxy XR Credit: Adam Doud / Mashable

I traveled to New York City in order to experience a guided demo of the headset. My Samsung tour guide walked me through a few different scenarios that show what the headset can do. Unfortunately, the experience didn't answer one of the most important questions I had — why do I need this?

We'll circle back to that point, but first let's discuss what this headset does well. I can verify that the Samsung Galaxy XR headset is a really compelling device.

Of the various VR/AR headsets I've tested in my years as a gadget reviewer, this is the most comfortable one yet. It's extremely lightweight, with an adjustable strap that tightens to the back of your head. I sport a ponytail, and that did not adversely affect my ability to use the headset comfortably.

The headset has a touch-sensitive strip on the right side of the headband, an action button on the top right-hand side of the headset, and a volume rocker on the upper-left side. Most of that is pretty standard. The headset feels light at 545 grams, which is a tad heavier than the Meta Quest 3, but practically svelte compared to the 750-gram Apple Vision Pro.

Credit: Adam Doud / Mashable Credit: Adam Doud / Mashable

Samsung also made a smart call to offload the battery to a cable-connected module you slip into a pocket. Samsung only promises two hours of battery (or 2.5 hours of video playback), which isn't great. But the battery can be charged during use, so there's that.

On the inside, there are dual 4K micro-OLED screens, each with 3,552 x 3,840 resolution. (With their powers combined, you can watch 8K HDR video.) I don't wear prescription glasses, so I didn't need corrective lenses fitted inside the headset. Some of my fellow media members did, and they were accommodated, so it's safe to assume you will be too.

When you first strap on the headset, you get a passthrough view of your surroundings (this device is loaded with pass-through cameras, eye-tracking cameras, and various sensors). You can tell it's digitized, but it's also very high-res and responsive, so there's no problem interacting with people on the outside. The primary way you interact with the headset is with hand gestures, which are intuitive — especially if you've used other headsets in the past. You'll use pinch gestures in the air to select and grab things, and a palm-facing gesture to bring up the main menu.

Credit: Adam Doud / Mashable

From there, you can select any app you want to launch in the space around you. You can move them around and position them however you want. You can also pair up a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse if you want to work inside the environment. Most of the apps they showed me were fairly straightforward. In Google Maps, you can fly around and zoom in and out on buildings, or search for places. Personally, I took a tour of Wrigley Field before zooming over to my house in the Chicago suburbs.

Credit: Adam Doud / Mashable

Now we get to what Samsung and Google (Samsung developed this headset and operating system with Google) call "AI spatializing." The two main apps I worked with were Google Photos (not my account) and YouTube, and both play heavily into the 3D spatialization ability (powered by Gemini AI, of course).

In Google Photos, you can spatialize basically any photo you've ever taken. That means the headset transforms any 2D photo into a 3D scene. Your subject moves to the foreground and appears right in front of you, while the background moves away. You can see depth in the photo. Notably, one of the photos was of a child crouched down and playing on a beach, and I could see one leg in front of the other, with a sprinkling of wet sand on his feet. It was, to be frank, remarkable.

It's exactly the type of "Oh, wow" moment you want in a device that costs almost $2,000.

Credit: Adam Doud / Mashable

Later, I saw an old black-and-white photo of a man holding a baby, taken decades ago. Not only did Gemini spatialize this photo, but it also colorized it, turning it into a five-second video. This was mostly fine, but it had an uncanny valley vibe that was equal parts cool and creepy. Maybe that's just me.

Over on YouTube, Samsung showed us how we could edit our videos, add text and emojis, and spatialize them, and then upload them directly to YouTube. While the editor has a switch that allows you to upload in Spatial and 2D, YouTube itself will know what to show a potential viewer and serve up the appropriate version of the video. 

Meanwhile, using the power of AI, YouTube can spatialize videos on the platform — even those uploaded in 2D. One example I watched involved an Air Team and jet fighters. The jet stuck out from the background in a very cool way, but when the video cut to an interview on the windy runway, the AI had a lot of trouble figuring out how the long hair blowing behind the subjects should look, and, spoiler alert: it chose wrong. It did not look good.

That concluded my brief demo. I'm eager to spend more time with the device so I can properly assess the eye tracking feature and virtual keyboard. Alas, we'll have to wait for a full review.

The Galaxy XR headset has some limitations, for now Credit: Adam Doud / Mashable

At launch, Samsung says the Galaxy XR will be ideal for stationary environments, like sitting on a couch. You can move windows around you 360 degrees, but you won't be able to walk with the headset on, like you can with the Vision Pro. That means no pinning of apps around your home like a timer over the stove, or a virtual TV in your living room. That also means no travel mode, which would make it possible to use on an airplane or in a car.

This is a big miss right out of the gate, and it makes the headset feel incomplete, which is hard to ignore considering the sticker price.

Second, AI is doing a lot of heavy lifting here, and that's both a good thing and a bad thing. It's a good thing because it will very nicely make up for the lack of native content at launch. The Google Play Store will have apps that are designated as "spatialized" or optimized for the headset. All other apps will appear as 2D windows, which is also acceptable, but less than ideal. Meanwhile, the AI is doing an excellent job filling that gap by spatializing things on the fly. But the lack of native entertainment content for the Galaxy XR is another big issue (one that it shares with the Vision Pro).

This is all more than enough to make me nervous about the Galaxy XR.

I still have one big unanswered question: Why?

Now, we get to the final question, and it's not one that a 30-minute demo can answer. Why does this headset exist?

At one point during my Galaxy XR experience, a colleague asked the quiet part out loud: "What are you going to do in this headset that you can't already do with a computer or a phone?" Personally, at my desk at home, I have three monitors that already cover about 135 degrees of my vision. Do I really need to cover the rest of my field of view in pixels, too?

If I'm out strolling around downtown, I'm not going to slap on a headset and ask where the nearest pizza place is — that's what my phone is for. Even AR glasses are a more compelling use case for most of the scenarios Samsung and Google walked us through. In one simulation, it showed a user standing in Brooklyn, looking at a bridge, and asking Gemini, "What can you tell me about this bridge?" I half-expected Gemini to say, "Well, first, take that damn thing off your face. You're in public for crying out loud."

But this is the hardest question to answer in any new product category. We're still waiting for a killer, must-use app, game, or immersive VR experience that only works on a headset. Beat Saber is cool, but it wasn't enough to make the Meta Quest a hit. Speaking of which, if you're not comfortable using hand gestures, there are two remote controls you can use that look very much like the Meta Quest remotes.

Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

These are all extremely hard challenges to overcome, and I won't really know who and what this is for until I'm able to put this thing through its paces properly. Suffice it to say, I came away impressed with my demo, and eager to keep looking for use cases for this device. But I also suspect that, like every headset that has come before it, this is a solution looking for a problem.

To be clear, Samsung and Google could still answer these questions and fix these issues. But they would have to be the first.

Google and Samsung have finally released their first Android XR headset, the Galaxy XR. It might be the best attempt at a mixed reality computer and virtual reality headset yet, depending on

It's been a long time coming, but Samsung's alternative to the Apple Vision Pro and other VR headsets is finally here. Meet the Samsung Galaxy XR headset, aka Project Moohan, available now.

Originally teased at a Galaxy Unpacked event in January, the Samsung Galaxy XR headset was officially launched at a live Galaxy event on Tuesday, Oct. 21. Prior to its release, this futuristic headset was known by its codename, Project Moohan. It's available for purchase immediately at the Samsung online store for $1,799.99. A separate Galaxy XR Controller is available for $249.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung Galaxy XR Headset $1,799.99 at Samsung
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"With Galaxy XR, Samsung is introducing a brand-new ecosystem of mobile devices," said Won-Joon Choi, Chief Operating Officer of Mobile eXperience (MX) Business at Samsung, in a press release. "Built on Android XR, Galaxy XR expands the vision for mobile AI into a new frontier of immersive and meaningful possibilities, allowing XR to move from concept to everyday reality, for both the industry and users."

Mashable had the chance to go hands-on with the headset at a pre-launch event, and you can read our first impressions of the new device.

Introducing the Samsung Galaxy XR headset Credit: Adam Doud / Mashable

The headset is the first Samsung device in this category, and it packs dual 4K micro-OLED displays, powered by the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 Platform processor. There are a ton of sensors aboard the device, including two high-resolution passthrough cameras, six motion tracking cameras, four eye-tracking cameras, depth sensors, six microphones, and more. The tethered battery is good for up to two hours of general use or 2.5 hours of video playback.

After months of speculation, we can finally geek out over the official specs:

• Displays: Micro-OLED with 29 million pixels

• Resolution: 3,552 x 3,840

• Video playback: UHD 8K (7680 x 4320) at 60 frames per second

• Processor: Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 Platform

• Refresh rate: Up to 90Hz 

• Field of view: 109 degrees horizontal, 100 degrees vertical

• RAM: 16GB

• Storage: 256GB

• Camera: 6.5 MP

• Weight: 545 grams (1.2 pounds)

• Special features: Iris recognition, Dolby Atmos, supports HDR10 and HLG video

Credit: Adam Doud / Mashable

The new Samsung headset was developed in partnership with Google and Qualcomm Technologies. It's powered by Google Android XR, which is "the first Android platform built entirely for the Gemini era," according to Sameer Samat, President of Android Ecosystem at Google. Google teased its own unreleased Android XR device earlier this year, though the demo didn't go as planned.

"Through our partnership with Samsung, Android XR will unlock entirely new ways to explore, connect, and create, building an open, unified platform for the next evolution of computing," Samat said in the press release announcing the product.

Availability, pricing, and launch deals Credit: Adam Doud / Mashable

Galaxy XR is available now in the United States with a retail price of $1,799.99.  

While that's certainly a high sticker price, some early rumors put the price as high as $3,000. To make the headset more affordable (and avoid Apple's failure-to-launch problems with the Vision Pro), Samsung is offering some financing options and bundles to attract customers.

Samsung will offer a 24-month financing option, and customers who purchase the Galaxy XR in 2025 will get access to "The Explorer Pack," which includes a one-year membership to Google AI Pro, YouTube Premium, and "specialized XR content."

Samsung Galaxy XR headset: How it works Credit: Adam Doud / Mashable

The Galaxy XR works like other VR/AR headsets. It has dual displays that create an immersive experience, while pass-through cameras are able to provide a live view of the user's surroundings, which can be augmented with various overlays and 3D graphics.

Samsung is also keen to emphasize the device's AI capabilities as well, and this may be a point of differentiation between the Galaxy XR and the new Apple Vision Pro. Since Gemini is at the heart of the headset, it's capable of multimodal computation. Gemini can be summoned at will to work with you to identify objects, locate places via search, and even spatialize previously 2D content like photos and YouTube videos. You can even utilize Google's popular Circle to Search feature with items you see in the world around you, which is an added bit of fun.

All this is done using hand gestures that are pretty intuitive to learn, in our experience. The controls are especially easy if you've used VR headsets in the past. The pinch gesture is the most common, and you use it to select items, grab and move them, resize windows, and more. Of course, the headset can track both hands so you can grab two spots in Google Maps, rotate them around, and zoom in, Minority Report style.

Credit: Mark Stetson / Mashable Credit: Mark Stetson / Mashable

Arguably, the most exciting announcement here, in addition to the long-awaited Project Moohan headset, is the promise of more XR devices to come, including XR glasses. If you've already dabbled with AR glasses, like XReal's new One Pro AR glasses, you can imagine the possibilities here. Imagine plugging in a set of glasses into your phone and getting a full XR display in front of you on the go.

Right now, virtually every big tech company is following Meta's lead and working on smart glasses, including Google and Apple.

For now, the Galaxy XR headset is the first Android XR device, and it comes at a relatively reasonable price point of $1,799.99. Granted, this is more than three times the cost of the Meta Quest 3, but it's also half the cost of the Apple Vision Pro. Overall, Samsung hit the right spot.

You can order the Galaxy XR headset starting today at Samsung's online store.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung Galaxy XR Headset $1,799.99 at Samsung
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SAVE $250: As of Oct. 21, the Apple MacBook Pro with the M4 chip and 512GB of storage is down to just $1,349 instead of $1,599 at Amazon. That's a savings of 16% and $50 cheaper than it was on Prime Big Deal Days earlier this month.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M4, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) $1,349 at Amazon
$1,599 Save $250   Get Deal

The best part about Apple releasing new products is that the older models tend to go on sale. For instance, now that the M5 MacBook Pro is here, you can score the M4 MacBook pro for $250 off.

As of Oct. 21, the 14-inch Apple MacBook Pro with the M4 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage is on sale for $1,349 at Amazon. That's 16% in savings and $50 cheaper than it was on Prime Big Deal Days (October Prime Day) earlier this month.

SEE ALSO: Review: With the new MacBook Pro (M5), Apple is just showing off

The 2024 M4 MacBook Pro is the most well-rounded laptop in Apple's MacBook lineup. Compared to the Air, it has a better display with a 120Hz refresh rate, cooler multi-tasking capabilities, nicer speakers, a better mix of ports, and an excellent battery life (16.5 hours). It's a bit more expensive, but it's also more of a beast, built specifically for creatives and professionals. It earned a 15,199 on the Geekbench 6 multi-core test, which beats our most powerful non-gaming PC laptop (the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7). As Mashable's reviewer Kim Gedeon wrote, "The 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro basically said, "In your face!" to Windows laptops after they made noise with the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chip."

The price is not for the faint of heart, with the base model starting at $1,599. But with this $250 price drop, we're much more inclined to recommend it for more than just power users. The newer M5 MacBook Pro only offers iterative improvements and will cost you the full $1,599. Unless you're hellbent on getting the best of the best, we'd recommend going with the previous generation and keeping some money in your pocket.

SAVE $300: As of Oct. 21, get the 40-inch Samsung Odyssey G7 gaming monitor for $899.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $1,199.99. That's a discount of 25%.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Samsung Odyssey G7 gaming monitor $899.99 at Amazon
$1,199.99 Save $300   Get Deal

Looking for a way to enjoy the biggest fall games at home? A new monitor that immerses you in your favorite titles can do the trick. If you're ready to spring on some tech that can help you do this, now's the time to head to Amazon and scoop one up: a gaming monitor that'll keep you in the middle of the action no matter what you enjoy playing.

As of Oct. 21, get the 40-inch Samsung Odyssey G7 gaming monitor for $899.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $1,199.99. That's $300 off and a discount of 25%.

SEE ALSO: The 4 best premium gaming monitors instantly level up your desktop — for a price

This curved gaming monitor boasts a 180Hz refresh rate and a 1ms GtG, all housed in a massive 40-inch body that'll take over your desk (in a good way). It has a screen depth of about 12 inches and a stand that comes in the box that you can adjust to your liking, though you don't have to use it. Without the stand, the screen depth drops to around 7 inches instead.

It's perfect for gaming in every form, including couch co-op with its massive real estate for split-screen titles. You can also use picture-in-picture to watch something else while gaming or to keep an eye on streamers or other content even while you're knee-deep in your favorite title.

Whether you're hanging out in your favorite FPS lobby or puzzling it out, enhance your experience with this massive monitor. You'll be happy that you did when you realize how deep you are in your game.

A new survey from British digital publication LADbible supports the notion that, for many young people, porn is their #1 sex educator.

In a survey conducted by LADbible and consumer insights company ResearchBods in September, 45 percent of around 5,300 18-29 year olds in the UK shared that porn was one of their main sources of information about sex. Seventy percent of Gen Z men reported that porn was their first exposure to sex. It's not surprising, then, that 77 percent want more resources to navigate porn and sex.

SEE ALSO: Why Pornhub won't be blocked in Ohio

Sixty-three percent of respondents said they saw porn before they were 16, and five percent before 10. Half of those people who watched before 10 (so, less than three percent) became daily viewers.

The survey release is in conjunction with the launch of For F*ck's Sake Productions, an in-house digital studio that will produce sex education content for young adults. LADbible partnered with musician and actor Jordan Stephens, sex education charity Fumble, men's health charity Movember, and self-guided therapy program Pivotal Recovery.

The latter, Pivotal Recovery, references "porn addiction" on its website, which isn't recognized by the latest Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). A 2015 article in the journal Psychology of Addictive Behaviors suggested that perceived porn addiction was psychologically distressing, rather than the porn use itself. Some of the recent LADbible survey findings suggest this as well: One in two men worry they consume too much porn, and 34 percent feel guilty after watching porn.

"We know porn is controversial. It makes headlines, half of us use it as sex education, and we're all comparing ourselves to what we see on those screens," Stephens said in the press release. He continued that he and his partners are on a "mission to get honest about porn."

Over three quarters (77 percent) of respondents watch porn regularly, while 12 percent reported to have never seen it.

This partnership between LADbible and others will also asking the UK government to "take action" about the impacts of porn on young adults, such as urging the government to consider mandated sex and relationships education by specialists, not teachers, for 16-18 year olds, and additional support for young people such as a national helpline or online hub for information about these topics.

According to the UK's government website, relationships and sex education became mandatory for all secondary school students in 2020.

"Porn can be a fun way for people to explore their sexuality, but it can become a problem when mainstream porn (typically free videos showing more hardcore and violent content) forms an idea of what real-life sexual intimacy should look like," CEO of Fumble, Lucy Whitehouse, said in the press release. "This is what we need to address — we need to speak about what's real, and what isn't — and we need to support young people as they explore their sexuality safely."