Technology

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

More calm.

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

TAMER

Hurdle Word 2 hint

A cabbage-link vegetable.

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

CRESS

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Luxurious.

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

FANCY

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Existing.

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

BEING

Final Hurdle hint

What bees produce.

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

HONEY

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

Signal has managed to position itself as a strong competitor to WhatsApp and similar apps, but it lacks one very important thing—cloud backups. Now, we have them, though they work a bit differently from how backups work in other apps.

The PlayStation Store is full of games, and a surprising number of them are free to play. Not all are worth your time, however, so we’ve taken the liberty of rounding up a few of our favorites.

SAVE $700.03: The 85-inch Samsung Class QLED QF8 4K TV is on sale for $1,597.96 at Amazon, down from the standard price of $2,297.99. That's a 30% discount and the best price we've ever seen at Amazon.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung Class QLED QF8 4K TV (85 inch) $1,597.96 at Amazon
$2,297.99 Save $700.03 Get Deal

We have a lot to look forward to in the way of fresh entertainment. For starters, football season is finally here and we have tons of new shows dropping soon, including Season 5 of Only Murders in the Building. If your current TV is not deserving of these shows because it's laggy or just doesn't look crisp anymore, it's time for an upgrade. Thanks to Amazon, your new shows can shine on an 85-inch TV that's on a huge discount today.

As of Sept. 8, the stunning 85-inch Samsung Class QLED QF8 4K TV is on sale at Amazon for $1,597.96, marked down from the normal price of $2,297.99. That works out to a savings of $700.03 from a 30% discount. That's the best price we've ever seen at Amazon.

An 85-inch TV is a guaranteed game-changer when it comes to watching literally anything on TV. Sports, old Netflix shows you've seen 12 times, and new fall hits will all get a major facelift thanks to the Samsung QLED QF8. This model uses Samsung's AirSlim design which means it's super thin and will look great on its included stand or mounted to your wall.

SEE ALSO: Get $700 off a 65-inch Samsung The Frame TV from Best Buy

Since this is a QLED model, it'll stand up to bright rooms or daylight should you be tuning in mid-day. Maximum brightness top out at 1,000 Nits. Samsung also equipped this model with Adaptive Sound and Active Voice Amplifier which can help when watching in noisy environments since it boosts dialogue sound.

You can also use this as a gaming TV since it gets a respectable 120Hz refresh rate. Gaming through the winter on an 85-inch TV could be a pretty awesome hobby.

While it's on sale for a record-low price, upgrade you home, your viewing experience, and maybe even your life by going with the 85-inch Samsung Class QLED Q8F 4K TV.

Save $110: As of Sept. 8, you can grab the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones for $289.99 at Amazon, saving you 28% on their $399.99 list price.

Sony WH-1000XM5 $398 at Amazon
Get Deal

As someone who tests headphones for a living, I'm lucky enough to have first-hand knowledge of how my own personal headphones match up to what's on the market, and as an owner of the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones, I'm pretty satisfied.

While most back to school headphones sales have come and gone, you can still grab the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones for $289.99 at Amazon, saving you $110 off their list price. Though it's not their best price ever or their best recent price — within the past week they dropped to $264.99 — it is better than the $299 price point they've been hovering around.

This sale price is also much more affordable than the $450 Sony WH-1000XM6 that released earlier this year. Sure, those headphones come with improved ANC and sound quality, plus folding ear cups, but in my head to head comparison of the XM5 and XM6s, I didn't find a huge difference in performance. While I could see the XM6s being better for anyone who wants the best possible sound quality, or for someone who travels frequently (the folding ear cups do really make a difference), the difference in noise cancellation and sound quality was relatively minimal, making the two headphones pretty comparable for using while working, studying, or commuting.

With the same 30 hour battery life and relative comfort level, the choice between these two headphones rests heavily on price. If you're okay with an older gen, the $160 difference here is well worth it in my opinion.

SAVE 12%: As of Sept. 8, you can get the MSI Vector 16 HX AI (Intel Core Ultra 9-275HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) for $1,839.99, down from $2,099.99, at Amazon. That's a 12% discount and a $260 savings.

Opens in a new window Credit: MSI MSI Vector 16 HX AI (Intel Core Ultra 9-275HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) $1,839.99 at Amazon
$2,099.99 Save $260.00 Get Deal

Trying to find the right gaming laptop can feel like a level-up in difficulty. If you're not closely following hardware releases, it’s difficult to know whether you're getting a good value or just overpaying for components. That’s what makes this deal worth considering: It features high-end, current-generation hardware at a much lower price point.

SEE ALSO: The 3 best gaming laptops with Nvidia GPUs in 2025, so far

As of Sept. 8, you can get the MSI Vector 16 HX AI (Intel Core Ultra 9-275HX, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) for $1,839.99, down from $2,099.99, at Amazon. That's a 12% discount and a $260 savings.

The MSI Vector 16 HX AI is an AI-powered gaming laptop that features the latest Intel Core Ultra 9 processor. The company advertises it as having “desktop-level performance.” With a 16-inch screen, a 240Hz refresh rate, and built-in Windows 11 Home, this laptop is designed to handle intense gaming sessions and long nights of work or study.

At six pounds, it’s a little heavier than most laptops, so if you plan on carrying it around a lot, you might want to invest in a sturdy backpack.

TL;DR: Get your online business up and running with this lifetime subscription to Sellful White Label Website Builder and Software’s ERP Agency Plan, now on sale for $349.97 (reg. $1,497) through Oct. 5.

Opens in a new window Credit: Sellful Sellful White Label Website Builder and Software: ERP Agency Plan (Lifetime) $349.97
$1,497 Save $1,147.03 Get Deal

We all have to multitask these days, so why should our software be any different? If you’re looking to launch your online business, let Sellful White Label Website Builder and Software handle it all.

Right now, you can take advantage of this AI-powered platform’s helpful tools forever with this lifetime subscription to Sellful’s ERP Agency Plan for just $349.97 (reg. $1,497) until Oct. 5.

Take your business online with Sellful’s AI-powered tools

Whether you’re starting a side hustle or moving your existing company online, there are numerous moving parts when it comes to building and running an online business. Sellful White Label Website Builder and Software is designed to help with that, and uses AI to help you tackle them — from web development to e-commerce marketing and even handling HR tasks for your human employees.

Sellful can help you create your website, including landing pages, funnels, and more. From there, it can also help you tackle selling physical and digital products right on the site.

SEE ALSO: Samsung's new Galaxy Tab S11 and S11 Ultra bring AI to the forefront

Once your site is live with products for sale, it can even find you customers via AI-powered marketing. Create newsletters, social media posts, or even an interactive chatbot to talk to your potential customers — all in one convenient place with Sellful.

As you grow, you’ll likely need more employees. Sellful can also help with that — including helping to recruit new employees, managing the payroll, and handling time-off requests.

This lifetime subscription to Sellful White Label Website Builder and Software’s ERP Agency Plan means you’re set with 100GB of file storage and 50,000 free email sends for life.

Take your business online with this lifetime subscription to Sellful White Label Website Builder and Software’s ERP Agency Plan, now $349.97 (reg. $1,497) until Oct. 5.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Apple’s ‘Awe Dropping’ event is less than a day away, and while the big stars of the show are mostly set in stone with the iPhone 17 (including the iPhone 17 Air), Apple Watch Series 11, and the AirPods Pro 3, the rumor mill is still abound about what else we might see Apple announce. 

Based on the rumors we’ve seen, it won’t be anything major like a Mac release or new iPads. Those are generally reserved for later in the autumn or in the spring. However, there are quite a few products that surround the iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods that are likely to make an appearance that we had only heard a little bit about before this week.

Here are some last-second rumors about other things that may come from the Apple event. 

iPhone 17 battery capacity (and the iPhone 17 Air)

A Chinese regulatory filing may have outed the battery capacity of the iPhone 17 lineup. These numbers mostly line up with what we knew already, such as the iPhone 17 Pro Max crossing the 5,000 mAh boundary for the first time in iPhone history, finally joining competitors like the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. 

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The listing also shows the iPhone 17 Air. In case you're curious, the filing says that the iPhone 17 Air will sport a 3,149 mAh battery, which will be the smallest battery in the iPhone 17 lineup.

A magnetic Crossbody Strap and more iPhone 17 accessories

Rumors started circulating over the weekend of some new iPhone 17 accessories that may make their debut at Apple’s ‘Awe Dropping’ event. One such accessory is the Crossbody Strap, which is designed to work with Apple’s TechWoven cases, which are set to replace the brand’s FineWoven cases.

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The idea here is pretty simple: there’s a loop on the TechWoven case that lets you attach the magnetic Crossbody Strap, which may also be compatible with AirPods. The rumor also says that the strap is magnetic across its entire length. This would allow you to carry your iPhone somewhere other than your pocket, which may be good if you’re wearing something without pockets. 

Apple Watch SE 3 details

The Apple Watch SE hasn’t been updated since 2022, and the tech world fully expects to see the SE 3 debut tomorrow.

According to rumors, the updated watch will sport the same S11 chip that’s being used in the Apple Watch Series 11 and Ultra 3, which would give it a similar set of features like on-device Siri processing that was missing from the SE 2. Other than that, rumors have been sparse. There was one that the SE 3 would get a plastic case instead of aluminum but Apple reportedly scrapped that one. It’ll also have fewer health features than the main watches to help reduce cost. 

The M5-powered iPad Pro

Apple usually saves its iPad announcements for different events, but a noted leaker on X said that there was a chance that the M5-powered iPad Pro could make a guest appearance during the iPhone announcement. Usually, Apple saves the iPad announcements for springtime, so this would be highly unusual. Thus, take this rumor with a giant grain of salt. 

However, there is something to this rumor. Apple announced the original iPad Pro on Sept. 9, 2015. That means the product is turning 10 years old, so Apple may use that as a reason to announce the latest iPad Pro earlier than normal. It also helps that iPadOS 26 is also slated to come out soon. This one is among the least believable rumors, but it’s still possible. 

The AirPods Pro 4

That's not a typo — we have a new last-minute rumor regarding the AirPods Pro 4.

Yes, as we've said before, we fully expect Apple to reveal the AirPods Pro 3 alongside the iPhone 17. However, noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo posted a tweet on Sept. 6 that suggested the new AirPods Pro will get a fast sequel. Ming-Chi said the AirPods Pro 4 could arrive in 2026, way ahead of schedule.

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The AirPods Pro 3 are expected to arrive with a bunch of improvements, including Apple’s new H3 chip, which should bring better sound quality and improved active noise cancelling. In addition, they’re slated for a new design, heart rate monitoring, temperature monitoring, and more.

Apple has a habit of announcing all sorts of stuff at these events, and there is always a chance that Apple pulls a fast one and surprises everyone. According to Bloomberg, there’s a chance the new AirTag 2 makes an appearance along with the rumored Vision Pro hardware refresh and potentially even a new Apple TV device, along with a HomePod mini. We’ll have to wait and see what happens.

For more Apple event coverage, follow Mashable's live blog and get real-time updates on the iPhone 17, Apple Watch Series 11, and AirPods Pro 3 launch.

We all need charging cables, and the costs can add up quickly. So it's tempting to simply order the cheapest cables you can find and call it a day. However, saving a few dollars on charging cables can end up costing you much more than it saves you in the short term.

We are hours away from Apple’s big ‘Awe Dropping’ event, which promises several big announcements like the iPhone 17, the Apple Watch Series 11, and the AirPods Pro 3. The whole presentation will be streamed live, like most of Apple’s events, and those events tend to be pretty entertaining to watch (for tech nerds like us, at least). It’s also widely accessible, so you won’t have to try too hard. 

The event is slated to start at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET) and should last around an hour to an hour and a half. On top of the above products, Apple is also expected to launch the ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air, and potentially the long-awaited second generation of the AirTag. There are some things we’re all but certain Apple won’t announce, but for the most part, these September iPhone launch events are pretty set in stone. 

In any case, here are all the livestreaming options to bookmark. Oh, and don’t forget to stop by our live blog where we’ll be recapping it blow by blow.

Apple’s website

Officially, Apple is streaming the event directly from its events website. Simply show up there at the appointed time, and a live stream option will appear. Apple does this with all of its events, and the streams generally have good quality, so it’s a good place to start. Apple even has a handy “Add to calendar” function so you can get a reminder when it starts. 

Apple TV

Apple is also streaming the event on its Apple TV app. Simply launch the app at the appointed hour, and there will be an option to stream the Apple Event 2025 live. 

YouTube

There will be several publications live-streaming the event on YouTube, including our sister site CNET. These live streams will be mirrors of the actual event and may have some additional commentary from reporters at the event. In addition, these live streams usually have an active comment section so you can chit-chat about the event while you watch it if you prefer, which is the primary benefit of watching it this way. 

Apple’s official YouTube channel will also live-stream the event. Follow the link to head straight to the video. This will be the same stream as you’ll find on Apple’s website and Apple TV, but with the convenience of being on YouTube, which has a lot more options for watching, especially for folks without an iPhone. 

The CNET and Mashable live show

While we can't stream the Apple event directly, Mashable's Tech Editor will be joining tech editors from our sister sites CNET, Lifehacker, and PCMag for a live pre- and post-show event. You can tune into our coverage on YouTube.

What to expect

For the most part, Apple is expected to launch the devices listed above, including its iPhone 17 Air, a competitor to Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge. However, aside from the new iPhones, Apple Watches, and AirPods, there is a small, non-zero chance that Apple may sneak in some other fun stuff as well, such as a revamped Apple TV 4K.

For more Apple event coverage, follow Mashable's live blog and get real-time updates on the iPhone 17, Apple Watch Series 11, and AirPods Pro 3 launch.

Move over, Google Search. AI Mode is here, and it isn't going anywhere.

Rumors are currently swirling around when exactly Google's AI Mode will become the default search tool on Google's homepage, replacing the classic Google Search. As we move deeper into the AI search era, many search experts believe that AI mode will inevitably replace the list of links searchers are used to seeing.

Now, a Google leader has said that this shift could be coming sooner than expected.

On Friday, Logal Kilpatrick, the lead product manager for Google AI Studio, shared that Google was making AI Mode easily accessible at a new "google.com/AI" URL.

In response to Kilpatrick's X post, a user suggested that AI Mode should be the default search experience, to which Kilpatrick responded, "soon."

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Google has gone all-in on AI over the past few years with Gemini and an assortment of other AI products. When it comes to search, Google has already shifted focus to its AI Overviews feature, the AI-generated summaries that appear at the top of many Google query results pages.

AI Mode is a new Google AI search tool that launched over the summer. It combines a classic AI chatbot experience with Google's search tools to provide real-time AI-generated answers instead of the traditional list of links.

During its Q2 earnings call in late July, Google reported that AI Mode has received "very positive feedback" and "already has over 100 million monthly active users in the U.S. and India.” Since then, AI Mode has expanded its rollout into more than 180 additional countries and territories

When and if AI Mode really does replace traditional Google Search, the results could be catastrophic for the web economy. Many publishers depend on traffic from Google search results, and this traffic has declined sharply as Google embraces AI search results that often result in zero clicks.

Major publishers like The New York Times have seen significant drops in traffic from organic search traffic. The Columbia Journalism Review referred to this widespread phenomenon as the "traffic apocalypse"; the Wall Street Journal called it "AI armageddon"; and The Economist recently wrote that "AI is killing the web".

Is AI mode replacing Google Search?

The truth is that we don't know yet, and Google executives are sending mixed messages.

As Kilpatrick's response started to spread, the company's VP of Product at Google Search, Robby Stein, attempted to downplay Kilpatrick's post.

"wouldn’t read too much into this," Stein wrote on X. "we’re focusing on making it easy to access AI Mode for those who want it."

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But just as Stein said that we shouldn't read too much into what Kilpatrick wrote, we might not want to read too much into what Stein himself wrote either.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai has said previously that the "10 blue links" era of search is antiquated, and that AI Mode is "a total reimagining" of search for the future. In addition, the fact that Google is embracing AI search is self-evident. Google has already made its AI Overviews feature the default on its search results pages, and the quality of traditional Google Search has degraded significantly in recent years as the company focuses on AI search tools. 

Why does it matter?

Google replacing its classic Google Search tool with AI Mode would cause massive changes to the internet as we know it. Billions of Google searches are made every single day, and studies have found that Google's AI Overviews have already had significant negative impacts on publishers' web traffic. Google has consistently disputed that AI Overviews results in reduced traffic to publishers, but the company has also failed to produce any data that would make this denial convincing.

And it just doesn't seem like Google's AI tools are fit to take over. A Mashable investigation recently found that AI Overviews routinely makes errors and suffers from hallucinations.

For example, Mashable's Chris Taylor has put AI Overviews through extensive testing and was concerned with not just how wrong it could be, but how confidently wrong it could be. Oddly enough, Taylor found that in situations where AI Mode answered a query correctly, AI Overviews would get it wrong. Perhaps that's a point in AI Mode's favor, but it's still an issue overall for Google's AI products.

If you need a new work computer and have a tight budget of only $400, it might seem like an impossible task. However, if you know where and how to spend your money, you can build a surprisingly capable workstation setup. Here’s what I’d do with that budget.

Ever wondered what the Linux ip command might be able to do for you? Maybe you're just getting into Linux terminal work or network management. Let me walk you through some basic examples of the ip command at work.

I'm not much of an online multiplayer gamer, preferring to play single-player games, or sticking to local multiplayer with people I know.

Protests erupted in Nepal on Monday after a controversial social media ban blocked people in the country from accessing most forms of social media. The youth-led "Gen Z" protests over the social media ban and government corruption triggered a violent reaction, and the BBC reported that 19 protesters have been killed. The New York Times also cited local media reports that said 400 people have been injured in the ongoing protests.

Amid the protests, a popular VPN provider reported an 8,000 percent spike in signups, ostensibly so Nepali users could get back online and use social media. 

The trouble began when Nepal passed a ban that removed access to 26 social media platforms, including legacy platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Reddit, along with newer platforms like Threads, Discord, and Mastodon. Authorities in Nepal told the New York Times these platforms have not registered with the Nepali government. 

TikTok was able to circumvent the ban by registering back in 2024, and Telegram is reportedly in the process of registering right now. In addition to official registration, each social media company has to have a local point of contact to help battle misinformation and abuse. Nepal’s Ministry of Communication and Information Technology posted a notice that companies can get off the ban list by registering. 

While the ban has been enacted in full, many people are angry because the bill hasn’t passed the country’s parliament, sparking charges of government censorship. The social media ban reportedly caused lingering anger over government corruption and economic inequality to boil over, leading to the explosive Gen Z protests that occurred Monday, as the Times reported. Meanwhile, many Nepali people are finding other ways to get online.

As the ban went into effect on Sept. 4, Proton VPN recorded an 8,000 percent increase in new users for its VPN services, which can be used to circumvent georestrictions on specific websites or apps. Proton VPN posted a graph showing new users in Nepal joining en masse starting on Sept. 3, with the numbers skyrocketing after Sept. 4 when the ban went into full effect. Proton VPN is one of the most popular VPN services, with a reputation for having some of the best privacy features of any VPN.

A graph posted to the Proton VPN website. Credit: Proton VPN This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

The company has reported similar spikes in signups following high-profile bans in other countries. For instance, after PornHub was recently blocked in France, Proton VPN signups surged 1,000 percent.

Per a Reuters report, police responded to the civil unrest with tear gas, water cannons, and rubber bullets. The day turned violent after protesters forced their way into the parliament complex in Kathmandu.

This year marked the first-ever international sporting event to feature humanoid robots as athletes. These robots, with some help from the humans behind their creation, competed against each other in the World Humanoid Robot Games to showcase the athletic and practical abilities these machines possess.

As screens get bigger, using a phone one-handed has become challenging over the years. However, if you use an iPhone, you can take advantage of some built-in iOS features to make the experience more comfortable.

Google's Gemini has finally added the ability to upload and analyze audio files. This new feature takes your audio files, including common formats like MP3, M4A, and WAV, and can transcribe, summarize, and extract key details from the content.

uBlock Origin, the popular browser extension for blocking ads and trackers, just received another update. uBlock Origin version 1.66 adds new blocking options, removes some built-in lists, and makes a few other changes.

UPDATE: Sep. 8, 2025, 3:03 p.m. EDT Google reported that issues with Meet have been "resolved for all affected users," according to an update posted to its app status dashboard. "From preliminary analysis, the root cause of the issue is a recent change in content edge cache," the update read. "Our engineers have resolved the issue by rolling back the change."

Google Meet appeared to suffer an outage on Monday as users reported issues with the tech giant's videoconferencing tool.

User-reported issues with Google Meet began to spike sharply on Down Detector shortly after 1 p.m. ET. It's worth noting that these problems are reported by users and do not always indicate an issue for all users. (Disclosure: Both Down Detector and Mashable are owned by Ziff Davis.)

Google acknowledged Meet was having issues in an update to its app status dashboard. "Some Google Meet customers are experiencing issues with loading the meet UI," the update read, while noting that could mean slow load times or the inability to join meetings.

"Our engineering team continues to investigate the issue," the update read.

Lots of people posted online about problems with Google Meet, some celebrating the sudden cancellation of meetings.

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