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TL;DR: Unblock Pornhub from North Carolina with a VPN. The best service for unblocking porn sites is ExpressVPN.

More than a third of U.S. states have introduced restrictions for online adult content, including North Carolina. After the introduction of age verification laws, millions of users in North Carolina are now unable to access popular sites like Pornhub. There are complicated reasons for this restriction, but for those left in the dark, there is a simple workaround.

If you want to unblock porn sites like Pornhub for free from North Carolina, we have all the information you need.

How to unblock Pornhub for free in North Carolina

VPNs are useful tools that can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure servers in other locations. This straightforward process bypasses geo-restrictions so you can access sites like Pornhub from anywhere in the world.

Unblock Pornhub by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in a location that supports access to Pornhub

4. Visit Pornhub

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (2-Year Subscription + 4 Months Free) $139 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for unblocking porn sites are not free, but most do offer free-trial peiods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can unblock porn sites like Pornhub without actually spending anything. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you the opportunity to temporarily retain access to Pornhub before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to sites like Pornhub, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for bypassing content restrictions is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for Pornhub?

ExpressVPN is the top choice for unblocking porn sites like Pornhub, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast streaming speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 61% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Unblock Pornhub for free in North Carolina with ExpressVPN.

Back in 2022, Panasonic released a men’s grooming tool called the MultiShape. It had a simple value proposition: Built with swappable heads, this multi-groomer lets you combine a beard trimmer, body groomer, electric razor, nose hair trimmer, and electric toothbrush into one gadget.

Three years later, I’m still using that same MultiShape on a near-daily basis. In that time, Panasonic has also introduced new accessories for this multi-groomer, including hair clipping tools, a facial brush, and an electric foot scrubber. Is it weird to brush your teeth and scrub your feet with the same device? Yup, and that's why I recommend choosing your accessories wisely.

We saw this men's multigroomer hit a new record-low price of $147 recently, and at the time of writing, you can get it for $170. Obviously, it's not as steep a price cut, but it's still $40 off full price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Panasonic Panasonic MultiShape Ultimate All-In-One Kit $170 at Panasonic
$210 Save $40 Get Deal What makes this grooming gadget unique?

After the MultiShape came out, I expected Philips-Norelco, Braun, and other big brands to launch similar multitools. However, it's still the only gadget that can go from electric toothbrush to beard trimmer to electric shaver. The MultiShape is also waterproof, so you can clean it pretty easily.

I use the MultiShape for daily shaving. Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable It's also one of the only beard trimmers that can trim long hair. Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable

When this product first came out, GQ called it a “god-tier” grooming tool. Whenever I write about the MultiShape, I reference that line because it pretty much sums up my experience. I’ve tested hundreds of grooming products. So. Many. Grooming. Products. I’m probably one of the few men in the world who has more beauty products than his female partner. A lot more. As I write this, I have a locker next to my desk filled to the brim with beard trimmers, beard oils, face moisturizers, retinol serums, face masks — you name it. The vast majority of these products I never recommend; I'm only looking for the rare exceptions.

I’ve written about the MultiShape a few times over the years, and it’s the grooming product I use more than any other. As someone with a longer beard, it’s one of the few beard trimmers that can handle longer hair. Popular trimmers from Philips-Norelco just don’t work for long facial hair, unfortunately. It’s also my everyday shaving tool. When I travel, I bring the electric toothbrush head. The other tools I use on more sensitive areas — like my ears — so I'll leave it at that.

Right now, you can grab a MultiShape all-in-one kit from Panasonic on sale for $170. You can also buy the MultiShape with a handful of pre-selected accessories at Amazon or build your own kit at Panasonic.

Best Panasonic MultiShape Kits All-in-one kit Panasonic MultiShape All-in-One Kit $150 (save $40 ) Get Deal For Amazon shoppers Panasonic MultiShape Trim and Shave Kit $87.09 (Save $42.90) Shop Now For guys without beards Panasonic MultiShape Clean Cut Shaver Kit $149.99 Shop Now For beard trimming Panasonic MultiShape Beard Trimmer Kit $79.99 Shop Now Build your own kit Panasonic MultiShape and accessories Starting at $85 Shop Now

Browser games are almost as old as the web itself, and believe you me it saved many a boring computer class in high-school, or eternal Friday afternoon at work.

With apologies to anyone hoping this prequel show might squeeze in a season 3 before the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Andor has reached its inevitable bittersweet conclusion.

Even the title of the last episode of season 2 now on Disney+ — "Jedha, Kyber, Erso" — reminds us of the tragic movie narrative in store for Cassian Andor (Diego Luna). That list (a planet, a crystal, an engineer) is what sucks Cassian, along with reprogrammed Imperial droid K-2SO (Alan Tudyk) and Andor's old prison buddy Melshi (Duncan Pow), into the hunt for those all-important Death Star plans, at the cost of all their lives.

So now we have a complete narrative, the longest unbroken one in the Star Wars franchise; call it the Death Star trilogy. Andor ends minutes before Rogue One, which itself ends minutes before the 1977 movie now known as Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope.

That's a lot of data tapes to take in at once, so here's a Yavin-style debrief that can handle your biggest burning questions.

What happens to Cassian next? Enjoy your last ever stroll, Captain Andor. Credit: Disney+

As his show ends, Captain Cassian Andor, Head of Rebel Intelligence (his full title, only used in Rogue One) is on his way to meet with a source named Tivik (Daniel Mays) on a deep-space trading outpost called Kafrene. Cassian knows Tivik already, from some time between the show's BBY time jumps — so don't worry, you didn't miss him in Andor.

Tivik is one of the informants that General Draven (Alistair Petrie) placed inside the increasingly paranoid team of rebels led by Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker) on Jedha. The information he'll only give to Cassian is that an Imperial pilot has defected with a message from Galen Erso, engineer of a weapon that Tivik reveals for the first time is a "planet killer": the Death Star.

The meeting doesn't go well, as you may recall. Tivik is so anxious he draws the attention of Stormtroopers, and his broken arm means he can't climb out of their dead-end meeting place. Cassian is forced to kill Tivik along with the troopers — his most morally compromised action yet.

SEE ALSO: What is BBY? A guide to 'Andor' time

At the same time, Draven sends Melshi to extract Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), daughter of Death Star engineer Galen (Mads Mikkelsen), from an Imperial work camp on the planet Wobani. Andor meets Erso back on Yavin IV, then takes her to Jedha for a fateful meeting with Saw. The defecting pilot brought a message from Galen Erso, who reveals he's put a flaw in the Death Star.

That flaw can only be found in the data tapes housed on the Imperial planet of Scarif. Which is where Cassian and Jyn die, courtesy of a Death Star attack, having transmitted the plans that will find their way to Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), and ultimately save the Rebellion in A New Hope.

Was there a budding romance between Cassian and Jyn on that Scarif beach as they faced their doom, or just a close friendship? It's still an open-ended question, but Andor gives us reason to think Cassian actually had the love of his life on his mind as he was vaporized by the explosion.

What happens to Bix? Credit: Disney+

At the very end of Andor, we see Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona) back on the farming planet of Mina-Rau, where she and Cassian lived during the first three episodes of Season 2. Turns out this was the secret location where she fled a year before, BBY 2, to stop getting in the way of Cassian's essential work for the Rebellion.

Not very secret, in other words — suggesting that she was torn about her selfless act, and wanted Cassian to find her easily. This gives fresh poignancy to what Vel (Faye Marsay) tells Cassian in the final episode of Andor, that he should look her up. He promises to do so after his next mission (sob!).

As she searches the sky for a love who will never return, Bix also has the show's final surprise in her arms: her child, and yes, definitely Cassian's. We don't know anything about the child, not even its gender, so it's possible this is a character that will crop up in future Star Wars entertainment.

For now, think of the scene as mirroring the final shot of Rogue One. The child in Bix's arms, like the Death Star plans in Leia's hands, provides a new hope.

What about Cassian's sister?

Before his final fateful walk on Yavin at the end of Andor — during which he sees the Force healer one last time — Cassian has a dream where he sees his long-lost sister as she was back on his home world, Kenari. The entire narrative of Andor began with him chasing down reports of a Kenari woman on the industrial planet of Morlani.

So, has he found her or not?

SEE ALSO: 'Andor' showrunner Tony Gilroy explains how the Force just awakened

Given that Cassian just helped rescue Luthen's assistant Kleya (Elizabeth Dulau) and her vital information on Erso, and given that we learned Kleya (in season 2, episode 10) was found by Luthen as a war orphan on an unnamed planet at around the same age as Cassian's sister, you might be forgiven for thinking they're one and the same. But that's not the case.

"His sister died on Kenari," Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy confirmed to Mashable. "Her absence is much more valuable as a motivator" for Cassian, in order to give him a "savior complex" that drives him to rescue people whenever he can — including Kleya, a character Gilroy intended to reveal as the real brains behind Luthen's nascent rebel network.

What happens to Saw Gerrera and the rest of the rebels?

"We're running on fumes," Tivik tells Cassian in that fateful meeting at the start of Rogue One. He's talking about Saw Gerrera's ragtag operation on Jedha, which receives only suspicion, not aid, from rebel HQ on Yavin.

We thought Tivik was just talking metaphorically — but now, thanks to Andor, there's a literal meaning too. Saw is addicted to the fumes given off by rhydonium or "rhydo," a volatile fuel for starships, which explains his need for a breathing apparatus in Rogue One.

Saw also appears to be inducting newcomers by making them inhale rhydo, on the grounds that "revolution is not for the sane" and that the rebels need to be more like rhydo themselves — "the thing that explodes when there's too much friction in the air."

As crazy as he is, Saw is not wrong: With the fast-approaching completion of the Death Star, the Rebellion needs more friction in order to explode it.

SEE ALSO: 'The galaxy is watching!' How 'Andor' connects to a history of protest

We saw Cassian's information meet with distrust on Yavin, where Senators including Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly) and Bail Organa (Jimmy Smits in Rogue One, Benjamin Bratt in Andor). In Rogue One, they're still inclined to capture Galen Erso so he can testify before the Senate, which wouldn't have done any good (the Emperor disbands the Senate in A New Hope). So, General Draven goes rogue himself, ordering Cassian to kill Galen.

Saw dies with a smile on his face, casting aside his oxygen mask as the explosion from the Death Star's destruction of an ancient city on Jedha reaches his compound. Bail Organa, having gone home to tell his people of the Death Star, is killed when Alderaan is the first to be entirely wiped out by the planet-killer. Draven, according to the canon storyline in Star Wars comics, is killed helping rebels escape from Darth Vader a year after the Death Star's destruction.

Mon Mothma survives as Commander-in-Chief of the Rebellion, coordinating the attack on the second Death Star in Return of the Jedi. Her famous line, "Many Bothans died to bring us this information," now bears a lot more weight considering all the people who died in Andor bringing her news of the first one.

What happens to Orson Krennic and the rest of the Imperials?

"I was due on Scarif two hours ago," Death Star director Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) tells Imperial Security Bureau honcho Lio Partagaz (Anton Lesser) during Krennic's final dialogue scene in Andor. Scarif, home to all information on the Death Star, is where Krennic dies at the hands of Jyn in Rogue One. He lives just long enough to see the Death Star appear in orbit above the planet.

But Krennic is not going directly to his doom on Scarif. First comes the scene where we see him at the end of Andor, watching the Death Star's final component being hauled into place. He's confronted here by Grand Moff Tarkin (Peter Cushing, or at least the creepy Rogue One CGI version), who takes the Death Star out from under Krennic's control after its first live test on Jedha City.

Krennic then seeks a meeting with Darth Vader, hoping the Dark Lord of the Sith can intercede with the Emperor; he's desperate for Death Star credit. But there is no honor among Imperials, and a mortally wounded Krennic is wiped out on Scarif by Tarkin's hand. Partagaz, meanwhile, has taken his own life rather than face up to the Emperor's displeasure at letting Kleya go.

SEE ALSO: 'Andor' creator on Lucasfilm censoring f-bomb: 'They were right.'

Syril (Kyle Soller), of course, died back in the genocide on Ghorman in episode 8, abandoned by Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) just as he was starting to figure out what the Empire was doing; Dedra had just learned about the Death Star herself.

Of the Imperial figures we've been following in Andor, Dedra is the only survivor — albeit in the same kind of prison where Cassian found himself in season 1. Presumably she stays there for the next three years, during which time the Empire needs more prison labor to construct the second Death Star; she may, if she's lucky, survive long enough to see the Republic founded in its ashes.

If Andor and the rest of the Death Star trilogy tells us anything, then, it's that working for the Empire is unlikely to lead to any more longevity than working for the Rebellion. If you're heading for prison or an early death anyway, you may as well be on the side of the good guys.

Andor is now streaming on Disney+.

Apple's CarPlay has been a part of our lives for more than a decade, and the feature just got its biggest upgrade in a long time.

The company announced in a press release that CarPlay Ultra, which was first teased all the way back in 2022 (hat tip to our friends at Lifehacker for remembering that), is finally available. Some Apple fans had assumed the feature would never see a release.

This is an upgraded version of CarPlay with some really interesting bells and whistles, but the main thing to know upfront is that the only way to use it right now is to order a new Aston Martin vehicle in the U.S. and Canada. Existing Aston Martin models with the proper tech inside of them will get CarPlay Ultra in an update "in the coming weeks," while Genesis, Hyundai, and Kia have all agreed to incorporate it over time.

In other words, relatively few people will get to experience CarPlay Ultra in the near term, which is unfortunate because it does sound pretty useful.

SEE ALSO: Trump to Tim Cook: I don't want you building iPhones in India

The big addition here is the ability for CarPlay to take over every screen in a car, as opposed to using up one main display or just part of a display. That means you can put pertinent information like a GPS route, what music you're listening to, and other UI elements on the screen behind the steering wheel, for instance, so that info lives directly next to your fuel gauge and speedometer. Theoretically, it sounds much easier to keep your eyes on the road this way.

Apple said it will also work with auto manufacturers to come up with appropriate visual themes for different cars. Luckily, the wait for CarPlay Ultra to come to other vehicles isn't astronomically large; according to Apple, it will roll out to other cars globally in the next 12 months.

If you're trying to load or watch videos on TikTok and it's not refreshing quite right, you're not alone.

So, is TikTok down? It sure seems like it.

Around 4:08 EST on May 15, users started noticing that things were not quite right on the TikTok app, according to Down Detector. (Disclosure: Ziff Davis owns both Mashable and Down Detector.) By around 5 p.m. EST, more than 33,000 users reported errors with their TikTok app on Down Detector.

When Mashable tried to bring up TikTok, we were able to load some videos, but only intermittently. We also repeatedly received loading screens.

Credit: Screenshot courtesy of Timothy Beck Werth Credit: Screenshot courtesy of Timothy Beck Werth

Meanwhile, users on X are not happy.

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It's unclear what, exactly, is causing the app to glitch. TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Mashable.

We'll update this post if we receive more information. In the meantime, you can check Down Detector for the latest user error reports.

While TikTok was briefly banned in the United States earlier this year, we have no reason to believe this outage is related to that ongoing political dispute.

Waymo recently recalled 1,212 of its self-driving taxis, according to the Alphabet-owned company.

The recalled cars, which comprised the entirety of the company's fleet at the time, received a software update in November designed to significantly decrease the likelihood that Waymos would collide with stationary objects.

Last May, the Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation into Waymo for 22 reported incidents in which its AVs collided with objects like gates, chains, and parked vehicles. The cars also appeared to disobey traffic safety control devices. 

The accidents occurred at low speeds and didn't result in injuries. NHTSA's investigation remains open.

SEE ALSO: Smooth, silent, strange: What it's really like to hail a robotaxi

Waymo voluntarily submitted the recall. It does not affect Waymo's current operations, which include providing rides in cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin. Waymo currently logs 250,000 paid trips every week.

"We hold ourselves to a high safety standard, and our record of reducing injuries over tens of millions of fully autonomous miles driven shows our technology is making roads safer," a Waymo spokesperson said in a statement to Mashable. "NHTSA plays a vital role in road safety, and we will continue to work collaboratively with the agency as part of our mission to be the world's most trusted driver."

As AV companies like Waymo bring their self-driving cars to cities across the U.S., experts say unexpected safety issues may emerge.

Waymo recently published research comparing its vehicles to human drivers and found its driverless technology led to far fewer pedestrian-injuring crashes.

Remember when phones were fun? Back when we had physical buttons galore and moving parts. If you miss the charm of early smartphones, you can relive those days with a three-dimensional, fully interactive, hyper-realistic Nokia 3250 right in your browser window.

When a Chromebook ages, it often sits unused and collects dust. However, with a little effort, you can breathe new life into your old device. From passing it down to your kid to turning it into an e-reader or a digital photo frame, here are some ways to repurpose your old Chromebook.

Google is such a huge search engine, that the very act of searching for something on the net is often referred to as "googling" something. Yet, Google has become a service that not everyone likes for reasons of privacy and, in some cases, even accuracy.

When shopping for a new pair of headphones, one of the most important choices you'll make is whether to go with an open-back or closed-back design. This key difference greatly affects how your headphones sound and feel. So, which type is right for you?

Plaintiffs in the landmark Kadrey v. Meta case have already submitted the U.S. Copyright Office's controversial AI report as evidence in their copyright infringement suit against the tech giant.

Last Friday, the Copyright Office quietly released a "pre-publication version" of its views on the use of copyrighted works to train generative AI models. The consequential report contained bad news for AI companies hoping to claim the fair use legal doctrine as a defense in court.

Less than a day after the report was published, Shira Perlmutter, the head of the Copyright Office, was fired by President Donald Trump. It's still unclear exactly why Perlmutter was fired, but the move alarmed some copyright lawyers, as Mashable previously reported.

And on May 12, the plaintiffs in Kadrey v Meta, which includes artists and authors such as Junot Diaz, Sarah Silverman, and Ta-Nehisi Coates, submitted the report as an exhibit in their class action lawsuit.

What's in the U.S. Copyright Office's AI report?

The Office's report was the conclusion of a three-part investigation into copyright law and artificial intelligence, which it calls uncharted legal territory. The "Copyright and Artificial Intelligence Part 3: Generative AI Training" report examined exactly the type of legal issues at stake in Kadrey v Meta.

While some copyright lawyers and Democratic politicians have speculated the report led to Perlmutter's firing, there are other possible explanations. In a blog post, copyright lawyer Aaron Moss said "it’s more likely that the Office raced to release the report before a wave of leadership changes could delay — or derail — its conclusions."

The report addressed in detail the four factors of the fair use doctrine. Meta and other AI companies are being sued for using copyrighted works to train their AI models, and Meta in particular has claimed this activity should be protected under fair use.

The lengthy 113-page report spends around 50 pages delving into the nuances of fair use, citing historic legal cases that ruled for and against fair use. It doesn't goes as far as making any blanket conclusions, but its analysis generally favors copyright holders over AI companies and their unprecedented stockpiling of data for model training.

The Copyright Office's stance on the white hot issue doesn't line up with the wishes of Big Tech titans, who have cozied up to the Trump Administration. In general, President Trump has taken a pro-tech approach to AI regulation.

The plaintiffs in the Kadrey v. Meta case are clearly hoping the report could tip the scale in their favor. The lawyers who submitted the report as evidence on Monday didn't explain in detail why it was submitted as a "Statement of Supplemental Authority." The brief simply said, "the Report addresses several key issues discussed in the parties’ respective motions regarding the use of copyrighted works in the development of generative AI systems and application of the fair use doctrine."

AI models can harm creative markets, Copyright Office finds The controversial AI copyright report could tip the scales for the case against Meta. Credit: wildpixel / iStock / Getty Images

The part of the report that's potentially the most damning for Meta is the Copyright Office's assessment of the fourth factor of fair use, which considers the effects on current or future markets.

"The use of pirated collections of copyrighted works to build a training library, or the distribution of such a library to the public, would harm the market for access to those works," said the pre-publication version of the report.

The analysis also considers possible market dilution for authors. "If thousands of AI-generated romance novels are put on the market, fewer of the human-authored romance novels that the AI was trained on are likely to be sold. Royalty pools can also be diluted," the report stated. In addition, the plaintiffs have argued that Meta's use of piracy to access the authors' books deprived them of licensing opportunities.

For its part, Meta argues that its AI model Llama doesn't compete with the authors' market, and that the model's transformative output makes the fair use argument irrelevant.

While the report favors the plaintiffs' argument, we don't know if the judge in the case will agree. And because this is a pre-publication version, it could be edited or even rescinded by a future leader at the Copyright Office.

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.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10+ just got a big 20% price drop. Originally costing $999.99, this top-tier Android tablet is now priced at $796.56 on Amazon.

You might have seen the news reports with tongue-in-cheek segments noting the uptick in people collecting and listening to cassette tapes. Yes, those fiddly plastic rectangles I thought we'd left long behind once people figured out how to put a CD player in a car.

Humble Raspberry Pi computers have been the brains powering a huge variety of projects. People have shown they can create just about anything with a Pi, and that now includes Polaroid-style instant cameras.

Microsoft's Surface lineup has suffered another setback with the quiet discontinuation of the Surface Laptop Studio 2. While Microsoft has not officially declared the device dead, the company has told resellers that production has stopped.

Against all my personal expectations that the fad would pass, vinyl records continue to be popular and there are hobbyists all over the world saying "no thanks" to digital music and prefer dropping a needle onto a vinyl disc.

TL;DR: There's only until June 1 to hop on this BitMar offer. Grab this lifetime content aggregator and get access to millions of free shows, movies, etc., for only A$23 with code BITMAR5.

If you're tired of hopping between streaming platforms to catch your favorite shows, movies, and music, BitMar offers a refreshing alternative. With your one-time payment of A$23, (reg. A$234) with code BITMAR5, you can unlock lifetime access to an all-in-one streaming platform that consolidates content from various sources into a single, easy-to-navigate interface.

What is BitMar?

BitMar isn't just another streaming service — it's a content aggregator powered by AI, similar to Bing's search engine. It scours the web to bring you millions of free, on-demand movies, TV shows, channels, videos, and songs from platforms like YouTube and TV networks. Whether you're in the mood for a classic film, the latest TV episode, or international content, BitMar has you covered.

Check out all the other perks of owning BitMar:

• Massive content library: Access over 200,000 channels and countless movies, TV shows, and music.

• Ad-free viewing: Enjoy your content without pesky interruptions.

• Multi-device support: Stream on up to five devices, including smart TVs, laptops, tablets, and smartphones.

• DMCA-compliant: You'll have peace of mind knowing that all content is legally sourced and compliant with copyright laws.

• No subscriptions: Pay once and enjoy unlimited access without recurring fees.

Why choose BitMar anyway?

With streaming costs on the rise and content spread across multiple platforms (we're looking at you, Netflix), BitMar simplifies your entertainment experience. Instead of managing multiple subscriptions, BitMar consolidates all of the best free content into one platform, saving you time when choosing what to watch and putting extra money back in your wallet.

You have until June 1 at 11:59 p.m. PT to grab this BitMar lifetime subscription for just A$23 — enter code BITMAR5 at checkout to grab it at this low price.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: BitMar BitMar Streaming Content-Finder: Lifetime Subscription AU$23
AU$234 Save AU$211 Get Deal

SAVE $151: Walmart's onn. 50-inch 4K Roku TV is on sale for just $178 as of May 15. That's nearly 50% off its list price of $329.

Opens in a new window Credit: onn. onn. 50-inch 4K Roku TV $178 at Walmart
$329 Save $151 Get Deal

There's two kinds of people in the world: those who splurge on fancy specs and those who opt for the cheapest model they can find that'll still get the job done. I fall into that second category.

Nearly three years ago, I moved to a new place and needed a bigger (and newer) TV to fill the space a bit better than my old 32-inch model from college (don't judge me). I ended up grabbing the onn. 50-inch 4K Roku TV, which is Walmart's own TV brand, because it was on sale for only $238. After years of watching endless hours of New Girl and literally hundreds of NHL games, I can honestly say I love this thing. It's reliable, looks great, and is equipped with the best smart TV platform (in my opinion), Roku TV. The one thing I don't love? It's now way cheaper than when I bought it.

As of May 15, the onn. 50-inch 4K Roku TV is on sale for an outrageously low $178. That's nearly 50% off the list price of $329 and $60 less than when I found it on sale back in 2022.

Specs wise, the Walmart brand TV isn't anything spectacular, but if you just want a way to stream your favorite shows, movies, and sports, you probably won't care. It's equipped with 4K UHD and HDR10, so it looks good to the average viewer. It's compatible with Apple AirPlay, Apple Home, Google Home, and Alexa, includes plenty of connections for your peripherals (3 HDMI inputs, 1 composite, 1 USB, 1 LAN, 1 coaxial/cable, 1 optical, and 1 headphone jack), and can be set up in minutes. The sound isn't going to wow you, but you can always connect external speakers or a soundbar to boost it up a few notches like I did. With all the money you'll save on the TV itself, you can splurge on a sound system.

If you're concerned about buying a Walmart brand TV instead of a well-known brand like LG or TCL, a two-year limited warranty should ease your mind. Plus, mine has been kicking for nearly three years and I've never had a single complaint or issue. If you're like me and don't care much about specs and just want something reliable, it's going to be hard to beat a 50-inch 4K TV for only $178.

The best TV deals to shop this week

• Roku Ultra 4K Ultimate Streaming Player (2024 Release) — $79.99 (List Price $99.99)

• Amazon Fire TV 4-Series (43 inches, 2024) — $269.99 (List Price $329.99)

• 55-inch Sony Bravia 3 4K LED Smart Google TV (2024 Model) — $578.00 (List Price $699.99)

• LG 65-inch Class UR9000 Series 4K Smart TV — $496.99 (List Price $629.99)

• Hisense 85-Inch Class U8 Series Mini-LED ULED 4K UHD Google Smart TV — $1,697.96 (List Price $1999.96)

The biggest cryptocurrency exchange in the United States just confirmed that it was hacked.

On Thursday, Coinbase confirmed that their systems were breached by unauthorized users and that internal company documents along with customers' personal data were accessed. The company was made aware of the breach via an email from the threat actor on May 11.

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Coinbase disclosed that in the email that the company received from the hackers was a demand for a $20 million ransom in exchange for not publicly leaking the stolen data. Coinbase says it will not pay the ransom and will instead establish a $20 million reward fund for anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the criminals behind the breach. The company also said it's cooperating with law enforcement.

The news of a data breach at Coinbase was first disclosed in legally required filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). 

Coinbase believes the intrusion occurred after cyber criminals recruited a group of overseas contractors and support agents. Coinbase detected workers with authorization to access its systems "accessing data without business need." 

The crypto exchange says it immediately fired contractors who were involved with the breach and warned customers whose information was accessed.

Less than 1 percent of the exchange's monthly transacting users have been affected by the breach, according to Coinbase. Based on previous company filings regarding its user data, that means around 100,000 Coinbase users were affected.

According to Coinbase, no user login credentials such as passwords, personal keys, crypto wallets, or exchange funds were accessed.

However, the affected data is still quite concerning. Coinbase says the hackers obtained names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses of its users. In addition, customers' masked bank account numbers, photos of government IDs such as driver's licenses and passports, as well as the last four digits of social security numbers were stolen. Furthermore, the bad actors accessed certain user account data such as balance snapshots and transaction history.

As for company information, Coinbase says the hackers received limited corporate data such as training materials, support agent communications, as well as other internal documents.

In a video statement posted by Coinbase CEO Brain Armstrong, the Coinbase head describes changes being made to ensure a similar breach doesn't happen again. For example, the company is revamping its customer support systems and relocating its customer support operations as a result of the breach.

Armstrong also pledged to reimburse any customers who were socially engineered due to the breach and lost funds as a result.