Technology

Google's AI features, at least many of them, are useful. But oftentimes, they can cross the line into bloatware, as it's the case with the vast majority of the AI stuff Google has tried to add to Search. Now, it got an image editing feature, but we really didn't need it here.

Since Windows 11's release, Microsoft has gradually been closing the loopholes and methods that allowed users to bypass the Microsoft account requirement.

SAVE $38: As of Oct. 13, you can pick up a like-new Kindle Paperwhite with 16GB of storage for just $96.99 at Amazon. That's 28% cheaper than buying a brand-new model.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Like-New Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (16GB) $96.99
$134.99 Save $38.00 Get Deal

While it has since been replaced with an upgraded model, the 2021 Kindle Paperwhite is still an excellent e-reader — especially when it's less than $100. As of Oct. 13, you can pick one up for just $96.99 (reg. $134.99) and save nearly 30% at Amazon. There's just one catch.

As a "like-new" model, this Kindle Paperwhite has been refurbished, tested, and certified to look and work like a brand-new device. Plus, it comes with the same warranty you'd get when purchasing a new model. It may just come in a generic Amazon box as opposed to a Kindle-specific box, which is no biggie.

Before the 2024 model was released, we touted the 2021 Kindle Paperwhite as the best e-reader on the market. At 6.8 inches, it's an ideal size for most hands, and at just over seven ounces, it won't weigh your arm down while holding it up. It's small enough to slip into a purse and since it's waterproof, you'll never have to stress about spills or splashes. The battery life, at up to 10 weeks, feels never-ending. The 300 ppi glare-free matte screen looks just like a printed page and is bright enough to read in direct sunlight. Plus, it features adjustable warm light and customizable fonts to make your reading experience personalized to your liking.

Sure, the newest Paperwhite device is even better, with faster page turning and even longer battery life, but the 2021 edition still holds a special place in our hearts. Grab a like-new model for under $100 while you can.

After sustained outcry from child safety advocates, families, and politicians, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law a bill designed to curb AI chatbot behavior that experts say is unsafe or dangerous, particularly for teens.

The law, known as SB 243, requires chatbot operators prevent their products from exposing minors to sexual content while also consistently reminding those users that chatbots are not human. Additionally, companies subject to the law must implement a protocol for handling situations in which a user discusses suicidal ideation, suicide, and self-harm.

State senator Steve Padilla, a Democrat representing San Diego, authored and introduced the bill earlier this year. In February, he told Mashable that SB 243 was meant to address urgent emerging safety issues with AI chatbots. Given the technology's rapid evolution and deployment, Padilla said the "regulatory guardrails are way behind."

SEE ALSO: Colleges are giving students ChatGPT. Is it safe?

Common Sense Media, a nonprofit group that supports children and parents as they navigate media and technology, declared AI chatbot companions as unsafe for teens younger than 18 earlier this year.

The Federal Trade Commission recently launched an inquiry into chatbots acting as companions. Last month, the agency informed major companies with chatbot products, including OpenAI, Alphabet, Meta, and Character Technologies, that it sought information about how they monetize user engagement, generate outputs, and develop so-called characters.

Prior to the passage of SB 243, Padilla lamented how AI chatbot companions can uniquely harm young users: "This technology can be a powerful educational and research tool, but left to their own devices the Tech Industry is incentivized to capture young people's attention and hold it at the expense of their real world relationships."

SEE ALSO: California greenlights AI safety, data protection, Netflix quiet

Last year, bereaved mother Megan Garcia filed a wrongful death suit against Character.AI, one of the most popular AI companion chatbot platforms. Her son, Sewell Setzer III, died by suicide following heavy engagement with a Character.AI companion. The suit alleges that Character.AI was designed to "manipulate Sewell – and millions of other young customers – into conflating reality and fiction," among other dangerous defects.

Garcia, who lobbied on behalf of SB 243, applauded Newsom's signing.

"Today, California has ensured that a companion chatbot will not be able to speak to a child or vulnerable individual about suicide, nor will a chatbot be able to help a person to plan his or her own suicide," Garcia said in a statement.

SB 243 also requires companion chatbot platforms to produce an annual report on the connection between use of their product and suicidal ideation. It permits families to pursue private legal action against "noncompliant and negligent developers."

Some experts, however, disagree that SB 243 will robustly protect children from AI chatbot harm. James P. Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media, told Mashable in a statement that the bill had been "watered down after major Big Tech industry pressure."

According to the nonprofit's analysis of the bill, companies could avoid liability if safeguards fail, as long as they were implemented in the first place.

Several hours after Newsom signed SB 243 into law, he vetoed a separate bill sponsored by Common Sense Media. That legislation, AB 1064, would've prohibited chatbot companions for minors when they're capable of certain foreseeable harms, among other safety measures.

Last week, Newsom signed legislation requiring AI labs to both disclose potential harms of their technology as well as information about their safety protocols.

As Mashable's Chase DiBenedetto reported, the bill is meant to "keep AI developers accountable to safety standards even when facing competitive pressure and includes protections for potential whistleblowers."

On Monday, Newsom also signed into laws two separate bills aimed at improving online child safety. AB 56 requires warning labels for social media platforms, highlighting the toll that addictive social media feeds can have on children's mental health and well-being. The other bill, AB 1043, implements an age verification requirement that will go into effect in 2027.

UPDATE: Oct. 13, 2025, 4:39 p.m. PDT This story has been updated to include Gov. Newsom's veto of AB 1064.

UPDATE: Oct. 13, 2025, 3:11 p.m. PDT This story has been update to include a statement from James P. Steyer, CEO of Common Sense Media.

HDR is arguably the biggest leap in visual quality that we've experienced in home entertainment, but if you go to your local cinema, most are still SDR and the few that are "HDR" offer anything but an impressive image.

SAVE $470: The Oupses Exodus 2400 portable power station is on sale at Amazon for $629, down from the list price of $1,099. That's a 43% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Oupes Oupses Exodus 2400 $629 at Amazon
$1,099 Save $470 Get Deal

A portable power station can save the day on many occasions. It's perfect for taking along on a camping trip to keep electronics powered up and it's essential during a power outage. Instead of sitting in the dark, you can keep the WiFi router online and stream your favorite show on a projector. If that sounds ideal, check out this deal at Amazon.

As of Oct. 13, the Oupses Exodus 2400 portable power station is on sale for $629 at Amazon, marked down from the standard price of $1,099. That's a 43% discount that shaves $470 off the normal price.

Packing in 2,332Wh of capacity the Oupes Exodus 2400 is a great home-backup solution when the fall storms hits. It includes four standard AC ports, two USB-C ports at 140W, and four USB-A ports. It also offers a quick 20 millisecond uninterrupted power supply (UPS) which could be critical if you're working on a important project on a desktop or your family relies on powered medical devices.

SEE ALSO: The Anker Solix C1000 Gen 2 just dropped to a record-low price at Amazon

When it comes time to recharge, the Exodus 2400 can handle an impressive 800W of solar power input. If you prefer to go the standard AC route, expect to get back to fully charged in under 90 minutes. You can also fast-charge with a simultaneous combination of solar and AC.

Through the Oupes app, users can monitor remaining battery amount, set a charging schedule, and manage solar input. While it packs in over 2,000Wh of capacity, it only weighs about 45 pounds. The side carrying handles are designed to make transportation easier around the house or the campground.

While it's on sale for under $630, prep your home for inevitable power outages with the Oupes Exodus 2400 portable power station. Instead of sitting in the dark, you'll be able to stay charged up and take the opportunity to catch up on new shows.

In the world of Star Trek, the Universal Translator works almost perfectly to translate the meaning and intent of any language into any other language. And yet, characters like Captain Picard still took the time to learn languages like Klingon.

AI-generated videos and images used to be so easy to spot (remember Will Smith eating spaghetti?). But the latest AI video models are getting good — scary good.

Naturally, generating video with AI is a whole lot trickier than generating images. While there are dozens of good to great AI image generators, in the video space, you can count on one hand how many tools can do it convincingly. Two of the most popular are Google's Veo 3 and OpenAI's Sora 2.

So, which AI video model wins out in a head-to-head contest? If you've been closely following this footrace, the answer probably won't surprise you.

What are Veo 3 and Sora 2?

Veo 3 is the name of Google's cutting-edge generative AI video model. Not only was Veo 3 a dramatic improvement over the previous generation, Veo 2, but it also kicked off a whole new era of AI video. Veo 3 can generate realistic videos based on text prompts rather than simply animating existing images. Crucially, it can also create dialogue and other realistic sounds. You can access Veo 3 in Google's AI chatbot Gemini or via other Google tools like Flow, an experimental AI filmmaking tool.

Veo 3 is available in two flavors — Veo 3 Fast and Veo 3 Quality. Because we wanted to test the quality of the videos, we chose the latter for this test.

OpenAI launched Sora 2 on Sept. 30 in a standalone iOS app called Sora. Sora 2 is the successor to the company's first AI video model, also called Sora. At the time of writing, Sora 2 is only available via the invite-only Sora app. Sora 2 also offers a social media-style feed of videos from the community, like TikTok for AI videos (because we didn't have enough of those already).

Notes on comparisons

Appropriately, we used AI — in this case, ChatGPT — to help create prompts for AI video tests. The prompts below were designed to test different aspects of video creation, from audio to animation. ChatGPT came up with prompts to test video generators, which we then tweaked and refined.

1. A handheld camera follows a young woman walking through a crowded street in Tokyo at night during a light rain. Neon signs reflect off wet asphalt and umbrellas. The camera stays fixed on her from behind as she glances toward a glowing billboard, then continues walking. The scene should feel cinematic and hyper-real, like shot on a mirrorless camera with shallow depth of field.

2. A superhero in a red and silver suit lands hard on a rooftop at sunset, cracking the concrete under their feet. The cape ripples in the wind as the camera orbits around them in slow motion. In the distance, drones fly between skyscrapers with glowing windows. The overall tone should feel like a live-action blockbuster.

3. A cyberpunk-inspired 3D animation of Times Square filled with holographic ads and flying cars. A large digital billboard lights up with the word ‘MASHABLE’ in bold white type. The animation should have crisp text, glowing reflections, and dynamic lighting reminiscent of Into the Spider-Verse’s visual energy.

4. A hand-drawn, painterly 2D animation of two friends sitting by a café window on a rainy afternoon. Soft watercolor-style lighting and visible brush strokes. One says gently: ‘You know, sometimes the smallest step can change everything.’ The other smiles and nods. Include subtle mouth animation matching the line, light rain sound outside, and quiet clinking of cups in the background.

5. Photorealistic street scene where [the subject] dances freely down a tree-lined city sidewalk, loose casual clothes, upbeat tempo. Ambient street sounds (distant traffic, footsteps), cinematic lighting at golden hour. 

I also created a prompt designed to generate a video of a copyrighted character, as well as a second prompt in case the generator refused. I'm choosing not to share this prompt so as to not encourage creating AI videos that blatantly use copyrighted material, which has been a sore point for OpenAI and Sora so far.

Prompt 1: A woman in Tokyo

This prompt was generally straightforward in terms of creativity, but the hope was that the video generators would be able to create a cinematic and lively feel through things like reflections in water. So how'd they do?

Both Sora 2 and Veo 3 created nice-looking videos. But there were some clear differences. The video that Sora 2 generated had a much tighter crop than Veo 3, meaning images and details in the background of the shot were much less visible. Veo 3 had a wider angle, resulting in a more immersive video. That may be partially a point in Sora's favor, given the fact that the prompt specifically mentioned having a shallow depth of field; Sora 2's video showed a much shallower depth of field than the video created by Veo 3.

It was fascinating to see the choices that the generators made about the young woman. Sora generated a subject with an umbrella despite the prompt not directing it to do so – even though it did mention umbrellas.  While the video created by Sora 2 wasn’t incorrect, the video created by Veo 3 was more interesting, more detailed, and better overall.

Winner: Veo 3

Prompt 2: A superhero landing

We pushed the two video generators to create videos of copyrighted characters, but not in this prompt. As a result, I was a little surprised when Sora 2 refused to create this video, noting copyrighted material. After all, the concept of a superhero isn't copyrighted. This seems to be part of a post-launch crackdown on intellectual property infringement.

While Veo 3 did produce a video, the result wasn't as ordered. For one thing, the prompt specifically mentions live-action, but the superhero's face, or what's visible of it, looked more animated than real. 

The generator also struggled with physics. For most of the video, our superhero is standing on what appears to be a hole in the concrete, while the concrete pieces created when the superhero lands seemingly disappear into thin air. More prompt engineering could surely solve this problem, but it's annoying all the same.

Google also gets the win here, but only by forfeit — its opponent didn't show up.

Winner: Veo 3

Prompt 3: Cyperpunk Times Square

This prompt, thankfully, was easy for both generators to follow. Both Veo 3 and Sora 2 were able to create an approximation of what Times Square might look like in the future, complete with skyscrapers and billboards. Both also followed the instruction to have one billboard show particular words. 

Sora 2 did a slightly better job at recreating the Into the Spider-Verse aesthetic, though neither of the two could be rated excellent.

Still, Veo 3's video was more interesting than Sora 2's. It had movement instead of a single static image. (The generators often added moving details to static images, and it made for boring results.)

While Sora 2 followed the prompt a little better, Veo 3’s video was much more interesting. I’m giving this one to both.

Winner: Tie

Prompt 4: Two friends talking

This prompt was designed to test the generators' ability to create audio that goes along with the video. Both Veo 3 and Sora 2 have the ability to add dialogue and sound effects.

First, the visuals. The prompt specified 2D animation, and only Veo 3 actually followed that. Sora 2 created something in a style of 3D animation instead of 2D.

The audio that Sora 2 generated was a little strange. The dialogue sounded off, as if both of the characters were sleep-talking or hypnotized. Veo 3's dialogue was much more lively and realistic. The background sound effects were similar in both videos. In both, you can hear rain, but neither followed the prompt in adding the sounds of clinking cups.

The winner here is pretty clear. Again, it’s Veo 3.

Winner: Veo 3

Prompt 5: Dancing in the street

One of the headline features of OpenAI's Sora 2 is cameos, or the ability to make videos featuring the likeness of real people (who have explicitly given permission for this use). For this prompt, I attempted to create a video of myself dancing in the street. 

On Sora 2, this was easy; it's a feature that's explicitly supported by the app. In Veo, however, it was much more difficult. Google offers a feature called Ingredients to Video, where you can upload things like images for the generator to use in creating the video. However, Ingredients to Video is not supported by Veo 3, just the lower-quality Veo 2 Fast. You can only create portrait orientation videos with the feature. 

On top of that, in our testing of Veo 3, we found that Gemini will often refuse to make videos based on pictures featuring people. This is done to prevent deepfakes, which is great, but animating still images is one of the most common uses of AI video, and Veo 3 makes it unnecessarily difficult.

Both videos were a little strange, and I say that as the subject. The face in the video created by Veo 2 was glitchy, and for some reason, Veo 2 decided that I should be dancing backwards. The video created by Sora 2 was a little more creative, and it gave me clothes that I don't think I could pull off in real life. 

Sora did a better job at making me actually dance than Veo 2 did.  I have no idea why Sora 2 had me say “this feels good”, but it's… not terrible.

Winner: Sora 2

Prompt 6: Copyright material

This prompt was designed to test whether or not the generators could create video of copyrighted characters. As we saw in the superhero prompt, Sora 2 is extremely sensitive when it comes to this, so it came as no surprise when it refused to respond to the first and second prompts — even though the second prompt doesn't mention a character by name, only alluding to them.

Veo 3 had no problem generating a video of a copyrighted character, however. This worked with multiple characters, too.

There's no winner or loser in this category. We're not going to wade into the debate around generating content of copyrighted characters — at least, not here. Still, it's worth keeping in mind that if you're looking to create videos of characters you know and love, you won't be able to do it with Sora while the app is under such scrutiny from rights holders. 

The winner: It's Veo 3, and it's not close A screenshot from a photorealistic AI video generated by Google to promote Veo 3. AI-GENERATED IMAGE. Credit: Google

OpenAI's Sora 2 is making headlines for its social approach and its ability to create videos with you in them. However, beyond making memes, it's extremely limited.

Google's Veo 3 generates much better and higher-quality videos overall. Of the two models, if you want to use generative AI video for professional purposes — for filmmaking, gaming, social media, or, most likely, in advertising — only Veo 3 is a truly viable option.

Sora 2 did excel at creating a video of me, and that's the biggest advantage it has to offer right now. But Veo 3, when used in the Google Flow app, is both higher quality and more versatile, offering features for horizontal and portrait orientations and settings for creating multiple videos at a time.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

Anyone who has edited audio or video in the past knows one thing for sure—the process is long and tedious, oftentimes longer than you ever expected.

This week's roundup of great movies to watch comes with a bit of news specific to this particular streaming service. In a press release announcing the premiere date of F1 The Movie, Apple TV+ has quietly changed its name, dropping the "+" and is now just "Apple TV."

If you've gotten a text that promises a refund for your inflation-related spending, you're probably getting scammed.

According to Bleeping Computer, New Yorkers are getting texts from a number that says they're the Department of Taxation and Finance. The texter claims the recipient is eligible for "Inflation Refunds" and requests personal and financial data — a major red flag.

Remember: The U.S. government will never send you a text like this, nor will your state or local tax officials.

Now, it is true that some New Yorkers are getting inflation refunds from the state Department of Taxation and Finance. According to the department, some taxpayers are eligible for a one-time inflation refund check if they filed certain tax forms in 2023, reported income within qualifying thresholds, and were not claimed as a dependent on another taxpayer’s return. If they meet the criteria, they can receive a check for $150 to $400 to compensate them for inflated sales tax payments, which will be mailed directly to them.

SEE ALSO: The top internet scams to be aware of in 2025 (so far)

However, even if you do qualify for the state's "first-ever inflation refund checks," the Department of Taxation and Finance will not send you a text.

"The Tax Department is not contacting taxpayers about the New York State inflation refund check," the Department of Taxation and Finance said in a statement on its website. "You do not need to provide us with additional information to receive a check. If you are contacted about the inflation refund check by someone supposedly from the Tax Department, report it."

You can report these texts by phone or by email.

"New Yorkers do not have to do anything to receive an inflation refund check outside of meeting the eligibility requirements," Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement in response to the scam texts. "With scams targeting the state’s inflation refund initiative, let me be clear: The Tax Department and the IRS do not call or text individuals for personal information. My administration urges New Yorkers to remain vigilant and report these scams to the Tax Department to protect yourself from being a victim."

As in toll text scams, Indeed text scams, and crypto text scams, the cybercriminals responsible will often use scare tactics to create a false sense of urgency.

When in doubt, contact your state government for more information; never respond to suspected scam texts.

Google's AI tool, Gemini, has drastically improved its ability to create and edit photos. And people are looking for, and posting about, the best ways to use the tool.

That's because Google recently integrated Nano Banana — the company's AI-powered image generation and editing tool — into Gemini's new Gemini 2.5 Flash Image. Simply put, if you go to Google AI Studio or to the Gemini App, you should be able to make better photo creations. In Mashable's tests, Nano Banana works particularly well as an image editor.

Now, I'd probably argue that instead of playing around with AI, you might simply go out into the world and take pictures. Enjoy some sunshine, if you're so lucky. But hey, whatever floats your boat or drains your water supply. So, if you're serious about using an AI image generator to get interesting results, we've got some good prompt ideas to get you started.

Google Gemini AI photo prompts to try

Ask it to make trading cards: If you're really into sports cards, fantasy card games, Pokémon, or similar hobbies, you can feed Gemini photos, then ask it to create trading cards. As usual, specificity is key: You can ask Gemini to include stats, change outfits, or make tweaks just how you like them. Make all your childhood dreams come true. The idea is to be as specific as possible.

AI-GENERATED IMAGES Credit: Google

This Thread, for instance, suggests telling an AI tool all the different categories, attacks, and other necessary info to get a good Pokémon-style card. If you wanted a football playing card, you might tell Gemini to include stats — specifying categories like rushing yards, attempts, receptions, or touchdowns — and give other details to include, such as a fun nickname.

Add things to the background: As Mashable Tech Editor Timothy Beck Werth showed, Gemini does a solid job of adding new details to images. In his example, he added dolphins in the water alongside a boat. But you can add just about anything to an image. In general, try to include details about how you want it to look. Typically speaking, I've gotten the best results specifying if I want it to look photorealistic. For instance, I added realistic-looking rain by asking for "easily visible rain that appears photorealistic."

Remix photos of your pets: Here's an example straight from Google itself. In a blog post about fun Google Gemini AI photo prompts, Google provided this prompt idea along with the before and after results: "Prompt: Recreate this cat as a 16-bit video game character, and place the character in a level of a 2D 16-bit platform video game."

AI-GENERATED IMAGE Credit: Google

Create or edit a headshot: Lots of folks need headshots for professional reasons. I'd suggest using a photographer for best results, but in a pinch, you can use Gemini's model to create or edit an image. I tried giving Gemini a random picture of myself and asked for a "professional-looking headshot" based off that. The results were quite uncanny valley. It looked enough like me to kind of work, but it was also clearly not me. I'd suggest using AI to edit a headshot rather than invent one out of whole cloth. If you're looking for help in crafting prompts, Reddit has lots of ideas about how to get a specific output.

Combine two photos: As we've shown before, Gemini does a solid job of transposing one photo onto another. So, as we detailed, you could add a spice bottle to an image of a fire — or whatever else you could dream up. So you might ask Gemini, "Combine these two photos. Take the hand holding a coffee and transpose it into the foreground of the picture of the Grand Canyon. Match the lighting and shadows so it appears the two images were taken as one."

Enter your favorite fantasy world: Say you love Game of Thrones. Well, you or anyone else can now enter that world via Gemini. It'd be a fun bit to send to fellow fans. The prompt is pretty simple: Upload a photo and ask Gemini to make the person or thing appear to be a part of your favorite franchise.

There's plenty to try out with Gemini — after all, it can make almost anything. In my experience, it might take a little bit of playing around, but you can get useful results by fine-tuning your prompts.

For more ideas on how to use Nano Banana and make and edit AI images in Gemini, the Google blog has more examples.

In a sea of me-too keyboard and mouse designs, it's refreshing when a product like the Naya Create attempts to break the mold. Unfortunately, this modular keyboard system proves more enthusiast's experiment than something that's ready for the mass market.

Everyone wants their Windows PCs to offer the best performance. Apps should open instantly, there shouldn't be any lag when switching windows, and the system itself should boot immediately. However, if any of these aspects feel a bit sluggish, Microsoft says it could be due to your OneDrive file syncing settings and your computer's visual effects.

On October 14th, Microsoft will be officially ending support for Windows 10. However, if you aren't ready to upgrade yet, you can sign up for Extended Security Updates so you can continue getting important security patches beyond 2025. There are a few steps needed to enroll in ESU.

It's easy to look at Bruce Springsteen, a living legend of American rock music, and think there was never a time when anyone could doubt him — not his drive, not his artistry, not his unrelenting charisma. But like last year's Bob Dylan–centered drama A Complete Unknown, Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere narrows in on a time when a celebrated music star dared to do something so different that the doubt was ringing out.

Jeremy Allen White stars as Bruce Springsteen in director Scott Cooper's film adaptation of Warren Zanes’ book, Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, which chronicles the creation of the artist's 1982 album, Nebraska. While critics have been divided on the film, White's been earning furious praise for his portrayal of the Boss.

In her review out of the New York Film Festival, entertainment reporter Belen Edwards noted the film's thematic ties to The Bear, the much-awarded TV series on which White has most recently been showered in accolades. However, she notes his performances in each are incredibly different, writing, "White's Carmy so often feels on the verge of exploding with anger or grief, while his Springsteen carries a steady sadness with him at all times. If Carmy is a pressure cooker, Springsteen is a deep lake."

You can dive into White's spin on Springsteen this weekend.

Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere debuts in theaters Oct. 24.

If you've noticed your graphics card running hotter than usual, there are a few common culprits likely to blame. Modern cards often feature robust cooling solutions that help it maintain maximum clock speeds and performance, but some problems are simply inevitable with any GPU.

You never know when a certain Windows app can help solve an immediate problem. You may not always have time to download and install what you need. But luckily, there are several useful ones with portable versions that can fit on your thumb drive.

Your Nest Learning Thermostat (4th Gen) is getting a major visual upgrade with the rollout of four brand new Farsight faces. This is great news because the default face can get dull quickly. These new options will join the four existing Farsight faces, meaning you have eight total.

Anyone who has ever tried to customize their copy of Windows will inevitably run into Rainmeter. It lets you put all kinds of heavily customizable widgets on the Windows desktop. Windows has never given us much in the way of customization, and in the latest versions, widgets are missing entirely. If you’re a fan of widgets and visual monitors, or if you just enjoy a pretty desktop, let me show why Rainmeter is perfect for the job.