Blogroll

In the race for best gas mileage without a hybrid badge, three major brands are in the spotlight, Honda, Toyota, and Hyundai. Each has made efficiency a priority, consistently coming out ahead when it comes to traditional gasoline vehicles.

Gemini just got easier to access in Google's mobile web browser.

Chrome users on both iOS and Android can now activate "AI Mode" from the page that opens when you try to open a new tab, per 9to5Google. Previously, this page had a Google search bar and icons for some frequently visited websites, but now it has a big old AI Mode button right underneath the search bar.

There's also a button to launch an incognito tab right next to it, which might be more useful to you, depending on how you live your life.

SEE ALSO: How to use Google Meet's new AI makeup tool There it is. Credit: Screenshot: Google/Alex Perry

This gives users a much quicker way to launch into the Gemini-powered search capabilities of AI mode. To be clear, you could always use AI mode on mobile, but now there's a convenient shortcut for it that negates the need to remember the URL or set a bookmark.

For those who don't like AI-powered search, regular old Google search is right there on top of the shortcut.

Before buying a product or trying out a new service, you probably check online reviews first. What most of us don’t realize, though, is that some companies pay for fake reviews to sway buyers away from competitors. Thankfully, with a bit of attention, you can tell genuine reviews apart from fake ones.

I first discovered Waze back in 2014 when traveling to a tech event in Colorado. I flew into Denver and had a 120-mile journey to my destination. It seemed like a simple trip, most of my time would be spent on a single interstate, and the resort was only a few short miles from the exit. About an hour into the trip, Waze suddenly told me to get off the highway at the upcoming exit. I knew I had just over an hour left on this highway, but needing a pit stop, I followed the directions.

Are you ready to ditch Google Photos and self-host your own photo server? There are a number of ways to go about doing that, allowing you to store your pictures without giving Google the rights to crawl through them all.

Every homeowner or trade worker has their preferred power tool brand, and whether you're team Ryobi, love everything Milwaukee, or something else, it's easy to get overwhelmed by the nearly identical options at big-box retail stores. Each brand makes a few unique items catering to certain professions or tasks, and here are five useful Ryobi tools that Milwaukee doesn't make.

This was another big week in tech news, with the long-awaited release of Samsung and Google's XR headset, some exciting updates in the Linux ecosystem, a disappointing change to Windows Paint, and much more. Here are the biggest stories you might have missed.

During the early hours of Tuesday, Oct. 21, AWS went down. You'd think that would simply mean we couldn't shop on Amazon or Woot in the middle of the night, but this is highly incorrect, as we all now know. The AWS outage took down what felt like half of the internet. WhatsApp, Snapchat, Venmo, Slack, banks, airlines, shipping networks, and trading platforms like Robinhood all went offline on a global scale.

Some folks were impacted by the AWS outage to the point of losing sleep. Yes, the spendy Eight Sleep Pod system operates via a WiFi connection only, and the brand uses Amazon's cloud network to make that happen. Once AWS crashed, the Eight Sleep Pods lost connection to the mothership.

I'm in the process of testing the Eight Sleep Pod 5 for Mashable, the latest version of the Eight Sleep system. My full review isn't out yet, but I was certainly one of the sad people who slept poorly due to the outage. While the experience was much better than other nights I've had (like sleeping on an airport floor), it wasn't a great night, and getting my bed back online once AWS was back online took me hours.

The Eight Sleep Pod's (former?) WiFi addiction

The Eight Sleep Pod is a pricey smart bed with several components. First, there's the Eight Sleep Pod's cover, which slips over your mattress like a fitted sheet. This cover contains small water channels that connect to the Pod's Hub, or the brains of the bed. The Hub connects to the Eight Sleep Pod app, and from there, users can set temperature preferences, schedules, and a wake-up alarm.

Should users add the Eight Sleep Pod Blanket to the Cover, the Hub can also control it. The Blanket essentially works in the same way as the Cover. It's laced with small water channels that either cool or heat the sleeper to their preferred settings. The Eight Sleep Pod also uses AI with an automatic mode that makes small temperature adjustments throughout the night to optimize sleep.

People are paying big money to equip their mattress with the Eight Sleep Pod system. In a queen-size, the current model, the Eight Sleep Pod 5 with Hub and Cover, is selling for $3,348. Add the blanket to this setup, and you're at a total of $4,348. For those who want to further upgrade the sleep experience, Eight Sleep also sells an adjustable base with fancy features like a built-in speaker, the ability to set an alarm with vibration, and snoring mitigation. Add the base to the setup and it's a grand total of $6,398.

Credit: Eight Sleep Pod

Every element of the Eight Sleep Pod requires a WiFi connection to work, so when AWS crashed, so did the Sleep Pod. The temperature regulation stopped working, the base's elevation and vibration functions went offline, alarms went dead, and the app did not function except to give an error message after a few minutes.

Some sleepers were stuck in a real pickle

My bedroom is chilly by design. I love a cold room with a warm, cozy bed. I keep the Eight Sleep Pod's Cover and Blanket, keeping me toasty but not sweating. I woke up sometime around 1 a.m. PT on Oct. 21 to a cold bed. Since the water in the cover and blanket was no longer warming, and my bedroom was probably about 55 degrees Fahrenheit, my bed was cold to the touch. The water had more or less taken on the ambient temperature in my room.

I dove into the app to fix my chills, and while waiting for it to load (it was not loading), I noticed I was lying totally flat, not the standard sleep position with head and legs slightly elevated the base typically adjusts to at night.

It took me maybe an hour to figure out my bed was offline because of the AWS outage. I found out by reinstalling X on my phone and then locating the EightSleepApp account, which had posted about the outage to its 38 followers. At the time, the outage information wasn't posted to the brand's main X account, EightSleepPod.

I put on warmer pajamas and socks and added more blankets to my bed, and eventually, my body heat seemed to heat up the water chambers well enough that I could sleep again.

Other users were not so lucky and took to the internet to explain they were way too cold or sweating thanks to a hot bed. Others said their bases were stuck in an elevated position. Since the app wouldn't load, there was no way to make temperature or elevation adjustments. People also said they didn't wake up on time since the alarm function on the Eight Sleep Pod was also offline.

Changes coming to the Eight Sleep Pod

Eight Sleep has since acknowledged the bed's reliance on WiFi, and the AWS is not ideal. The brand's CEO, Matteo Franceschetti, announced Backup Mode on Oct. 22 via his X account. This new function allows users to alter the Pod's temperature and elevation when either the WiFi is out or the cloud network is down. Features vary slightly depending on which outage users are battling with, but the main problem of having no control over the temperature could be solved with this upgrade. Eight Sleep says the rollout is "gradual," and doesn't mention when all users will be in line for this new Bluetooth support.

This upgrade is great news for Eight Sleep Pod users who were left concerned about the expensive Pod's functionality during future outages. This is especially relevant as we head into stormy winter weather, which could turn WiFi routers off, unless you use a portable power station.

When all is said and done, we all gained a bit more knowledge this week. We now know AWS is one powerful beast that can legitimately ruin your slumber.

Oh, how the seasons are flying by! Can you believe the year is almost over? There has been a metric ton of killer shows and movies that have gone to and from Netflix over the past 10 months, and November is no different, with the streaming giant releasing the month's newest recruits.

Back when physical keyboards were common on smartphones, most companies had settled on slide-out designs. Motorola, however, had a different idea. What if the keyboard swiveled out? And what if the phone was a square instead of a rectangle?

TL;DR: The latest Stuff Your Kindle Day takes place on Oct. 24-26. Spook Your Kindle, hosted by Dark Romance Team, is offering free dark romance books for your e-reader.

Opens in a new window Credit: Dark Romance Team Spook Your Kindle (Oct. 24-26)   Learn More

The Stuff Your Kindle Day schedule has lost all sense of reason. Fresh from the Stuff Your Kindle: Crime Edition and Cozy Mystery eBook Blast, we've got another event running through the weekend. And this isn't even the last event in October. We've got another two events lined up before the end of the month. This is great news for bookworms but terrible news for anyone who writes about the events.

Spook Your Kindle, hosted by Dark Romance Team, is offering you the chance to download free dark romance books on Oct. 24-26. And better yet, the books that you download are yours to keep forever. Lusting after dark romance? This is your chance to stock up and save big.

SEE ALSO: The best Kindle accessories for reading in luxury

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

When is Stuff Your Kindle Day?

Spook Your Kindle takes place on Oct. 24-26. Recent events have taken place over a single day, which puts a lot of pressure on participants to find exactly what they want and download before time is up. This event is a little more generous and takes place over a few days. So relax, take your time, and peruse your options.

Who can take part in Stuff Your Kindle Day?

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

Which e-books are free?

Dark Romance Team are hosting the Spook Your Kindle event. They state that "not all books are discounted for the entire length of the event, and we have noted that for each book based on our most recent update from the author." You can find every available title by following the link on the hub page to a helpful document. In that document, the author, book title, genre, tropes, and social links are all listed out so you can find something that ticks all your boxes.

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

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

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

These popular e-readers help you take your entire library on the go. With weeks of battery life and an anti-glare display, you can read anywhere and anytime with the Kindle Paperwhite. Prices start at $159.99, but you can get three months of Kindle Unlimited for free with your purchase.

Samsung's Galaxy XR Headset is official! Plus, the OnePlus 15 is going to have a massive 7,300 mAh battery, Google Maps on Android Auto gets an important safety upgrade, and the classic Pebble app is back for old Pebble watches. And much more!

Ed Gein’s name is on the tip of everyone’s tongue right now, thanks to Netflix’s newest installment of its hit crime anthology series Monster, which I warn you is a squeamish watch that will, at times, have you peering through your fingers.

In this episode of How To Do It All, learn how to easily create AI-generated videos using Sora by OpenAI. From downloading the app on iOS to crafting your own prompts and appearances, we cover everything you need to know to start making your own AI generated content today.

It’s been 45 years since The Shining came out, we’ve had countless horror movies since with insanely high kill counts and absolutely shocking imagery, I should be numb to a story where  — spoilers for a cinematic classic — only two people die, and one because the doofus couldn’t find his way out of a hedge maze. And yet this movie is frightening in a way that’s really hard to pin down…how did Stanley Kubrick manage to make shots of a hallway creepy? Well, by making those hallways feel not just scary, but more specifically, Uncanny.

These days, “Uncanny” is a concept used most often in discourse about robots and computer animation. The Uncanny Valley, I know you’ve heard of it, or at least you know the feeling it evokes — The abject horror of this kid from The Polar Express, good god, get him off the screen. The Uncanny — capital T, Capital U, speaks to the fear of something that isn’t fully unknown…it’s unfamiliar, while retaining the elements of familiarity, and that tension causes a deep sense of unease. Returning to the Valley, think of those robots that move in a way that’s slightly wrong, and suddenly, you feel unsafe, in danger, but you’re not even sure exactly why. And this isn’t confined to robots and animation, of course, lots of stuff can be described as Uncanny, including ghosts, doppelgängers and mirrors, and can even be used to describe a human face.

Breaking it down, there’s a throughline, here — we’re being confronted with human or humanoid bodies not quite lining up with what we’re expecting, pulling at fears of loss of identity, fears about mortality, fears of childhood nightmares suddenly becoming true…but let’s take one step further, over the threshold from uncanny bodies to uncanny places. For example, have you ever been in a dead mall before? There should be people there. It’s built for foot traffic and to allow noise to carry, but it’s empty, silent, falling apart. There’s nothing dangerous there, but it feels terrible to be there, it feels off.

Kubrick leaned all the way in on this feeling with The Shining, which is set in a hotel that’s closed for the season. The halls and sitting rooms are empty — too empty. It’s disquieting from the jump because this just isn’t what a hotel is supposed to look like, to feel like. But sure, lots of movies are set in creepy old houses, but The Overlook Hotel isn’t creepy, at least on its face. There aren’t cobwebs and creaky floorboards and disjointed architecture that distinguish the classic haunted house. Instead, Kubrick decided to make the Overlook as real as possible, by sending out photographers to capture hundreds of pictures of real hotel halls and rooms and elevators, then picking the ones he found most interesting or evocative to build his sets from, replicating them down to the inch. Literally, they photographed the spaces with rulers in frame to make sure they were fully to scale. The Red Bathroom where Jack meets Grady: that was a real bathroom, created one-to-one on a soundstage in England. The fact that all of these spaces are clean, mundane, and downright normal just makes the discomfort all the more pronounced, because they feel like spaces we are familiar with. But something is clearly wrong in this hotel, and we just can’t put our finger on what that wrongness is.

It’s been 45 years, but the vibes of The Overlook are still a phenomenon. So sure, the lady in the tub is pretty scary, as are the twins. But at least for us, the most memorable bits of this movie are the long shots tracking through the hallways, the echoing emptiness of the Colorado Lounge, the unshakeable feeling of wrongness that The Overlook Hotel brings by simply being normal, and not, all at once.

What do you think? Does The Shining still give you nightmares, or has it gotten dated, at least as an entry in the horror genre? Let us know in the comments!

If you're new to Linux and the terminal, I can appreciate how difficult it is to learn. Learning Linux was not an easy task. Fortunately, I have three tools for you that will make learning and using the Linux terminal long-term significantly easier.

Looking to reset your Netflix watch list after a spooky run for Halloween? The streaming platform has a string of exclusive releases slated for the upcoming month that you don't want to miss out on.

While the iPhone 16 Pro launched with 25W wireless charging capabilities, it took manufacturers an entire year to climb aboard that new standard. The Ugreen MagFlow 2-in-1 Magnetic Wireless Charger is one such offering that finally realizes this potential, though it’s also a slightly poor fit for newer Apple kits.

Samsung's long-awaited "Project Moohan" headset finally arrived earlier this week. The virtual reality headset dropped the codename and is now officially known as the Samsung Galaxy XR.

If you're in the market for a VR headset, you might have noticed that it's starting to get pretty crowded now. Meta Quest 3 has so far managed to dominate the space and is the toughest competitor to beat, thanks to a somewhat reasonable price tag. However, the Apple Vision Pro has carved out its own mixed-reality niche, despite the AR/VR headset's well-documented struggles.

Now, there's a new option: The Samsung Galaxy XR. How does it stack up? Mashable already pitted it against Meta's headset. Now, let's look at how Samsung's new VR headset compares to the Apple Vision Pro specifications, pricing, and feature set.

Samsung Galaxy XR vs. Apple Vision Pro: Price The Apple Vision Pro on display in an Apple Store. Credit: Bob Henry/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Samsung Galaxy XR looked like the premium option when stacked up against the $499 starting price of the Meta Quest 3. Coming in at $1,799.99, the Samsung Galaxy XR is certainly not cheap.

However, when compared to the Apple Vision Pro, the Samsung Galaxy XR swaps positions and looks like the budget option. The Apple Vision Pro starts at a whopping $3,499, making it nearly double the price of the Samsung Galaxy XR.

Again, neither are cheap. The Meta Quest 3's price point makes it much more accessible to most consumers, though its specs pale in comparison to the Galaxy XR and Vision Pro. However, the Samsung Galaxy XR fits in pretty neatly right between the massive price gap that exists between Meta's headset and Apple's headset.

Samsung Galaxy XR vs. Apple Vision Pro: Specs

Both the Vnew M5 Vision Pro and Samsung Galaxy XR are premium products, but Samsung wins out in some key ways. It actually has superior displays, with 4,032 pixels per inch, compared to Apple's 3,386 PPI. On top of that, Samsung's headset is lighter.

Of course, the Vision Pro has something else — that signature Apple design and the visionOS interface.

Here are the basic specs for the Samsung Galaxy XR: 

• Two 4K micro-OLED displays with 3552x3840 resolution per eye, 29 million pixels, and up to 90Hz refresh rate 

• Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 chipset 

• 109-degree horizontal, 100-degree vertical field of view 

• Eye tracking and iris recognition included 

• 256GB storage 

• 16GB RAM 

• 545g weight

Apple just released the latest version of the Apple Vision Pro with the M5 chip. Here are the specs for its basic model:

• Dual Micro-OLED displays with 23 million pixels and a 120Hz refresh rate

• M5 chip (10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine) and the R1 chip for low latency

• Stereoscopic 3D main camera system with multiple world-facing and eye-tracking cameras

• 256GB storage

• 16GB RAM

• 600g weight

Breaking this down a bit further, display-wise the Apple Vision Pro has the better refresh rate but the Samsung Galaxy XR provides a clearer picture with more pixels.

Operating systems will also come into play here when comparing the two. The Samsung Galaxy XR is the first headset to utilize Google’s Android XR operating system. If you're an Android user already, that familiarity may be a welcome addition to a VR headset. However, the Android XR won't be unique to the Samsung Galaxy XR. Other headset manufacturers will also use Google's new operating system. On the flip side, much like Apple's other products and their respective operating systems, the Apple Vision Pro's visionOS will only be found on Apple's headset.

But, perhaps the most distinctive spec comes to what's powering the devices. While the Samsung Galaxy XR's Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 chipset is very powerful, it is made for mobile. When it comes to the Apple Vision Pro, regardless of whether you have the M2 version or the more powerful M5, you're still using a headset with a chipset made for Apple's Mac computers. Either the M2 or M5 will provide significantly more processing power to the Apple Vision Pro than what the Galaxy XR's Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 can.

Samsung Galaxy XR vs. Apple Vision Pro: Controls The Galaxy XR controllers. Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

Both the Apple Vision Pro and Samsung Galaxy XR use a tracking system built into the headset that tracks both the user's eyes and hands. This allows the user to control the device without the need for a controller, which is often required for other headsets such as the Meta Quest 3.

However, the Samsung Galaxy XR also has a dual controller option, which the Apple Vision Pro lacks. This might be preferable for gamers who are used to utilizing controllers.

Samsung Galaxy XR vs. Apple Vision Pro: Battery

Neither Apple nor Samsung has managed to figure out something new and revolutionary with what to do about a VR headset's battery pack.

Both offer a battery that's separate from the headset itself. This is likely due to how uncomfortable it would be to wear either company's headset for significant periods of time with the battery adding extra weight. So, both the Samsung Galaxy XR and Apple Vision Pro require users to lug the extra equipment around.

Battery life for both devices is also quite similar. Samsung says that the Galaxy XR headset can be used for up to 2 hours of general use. As much as an extra 30 minutes can be added to the battery life if the device is just used for video playback. The Apple Vision Pro with the M2 chip also has a battery that can support up to 2 hours of general use and 2.5 hours of video playback.

However, there is a small difference with the Apple Vision Pro with the M5 chip. The latest version of the Vision Pro extends battery life so that it supports up to 2.5 hours of general use and up to 3 hours of video playback.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung Galaxy XR $1,799.99 at Samsung
  Shop Now Apple Vision Pro (2025 $3,499 at Apple.com
  Shop Now at Apple.com

If you've chatted with any single friend lately or scrolled through social media, you know the general consensus: People are exhausted by online dating. The "app fatigue" is real, and it makes finding a genuine connection online feel impossible. As someone who's been testing and reviewing dating apps for years, I get asked one question constantly: Which apps actually work?

My answer is always the same: The only "hack" that works is choosing the right app for what you actually want. Someone on eharmony is looking for something different than a user on Tinder. That's why I've put in the hours, the swipes, and the subscription fees to find the best options for every kind of single person.

Remember: A 2023 Pew Research Center report found that one in 10 partnered adults met their significant other on a dating app, and the numbers are even higher for young people. More recently, the 2025 SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus found that 65 percent of people aged 18-29 have used a dating app. Countless connections truly have been sparked online, so to help you find your match, these are the best dating apps worth downloading in 2025.

If you need even more personalized advice, check out our guides to the best dating apps for men, women, and the LGBTQ community.

The dating apps I'd skip (and why)

You'll probably notice a few popular apps are missing from my list. That’s intentional. Part of my job is to filter out the platforms that aren't worth your time, money, or sanity. An app doesn't get my recommendation just because it's well-known — it has to be effective and safe.

Here are a few popular dating apps I'd skip:

• Plenty of Fish (POF): I know this one shows up on a lot of lists, but in my opinion, it's a dating app ghost town. POF launched as a dating site back in 2003, and it shows. In my experience (and based on widespread user feedback), the platform is filled with bots and scams, and the odds of finding a quality connection are stacked against you. Unless you enjoy sifting through fake profiles, I think your time is better spent elsewhere.

• Raya: Raya is basically the Soho House of dating apps. It's exclusive, expensive, and not for the average person. You have to fill out an application to use it, and the vetting process can take anywhere from a few days to a few years. While it might be great for networking or bagging an influencer, it's just not a practical recommendation for most people who are simply looking for a date. (See also: The League.)

• Niche "hookup" sites (like BeNaughty, Fling, etc.): There's a chance you've seen ads for sites like these, which promise quick, no-strings-attached fun. Based on my research and countless user reviews, I'd advise you to steer clear. These platforms are notorious for being overrun with bots and having questionable billing practices, with users reporting unexpected and hard-to-cancel subscription charges.