Tech Boys

The ultimate winter e-reader accessory is coming to Kobo e-readers . No, it's not a fuzzy case or branded knit blanket — it's a remote. Rakuten, the company behind Kobo e-readers , just announced that on Nov. 4, it'll be launching a remote that's compatible with the brand's e-readers. A remote is one of our favorite accessories for an e-reader, and Kobos are the first e-readers to get a native remote. Rakuten Kobo CEO Michael Tamblyn says, "The Kobo Remote is the perfect accessory for peak immersive reading; it’s an invitation to lounge deeper, multitask smarter, and simply enjoy reading without limits, no matter whether your environment is beach or blankets." Opens in a new window Credit: Kobo Kobo Remote $29.99 at Rakuten Learn More Page-turning remotes are not a new innovation in the e-reader landscape. The BookTok girlies have been all over it for years, touting cozy setups with gooseneck stands and remotes to keep their hands tucke...

Gregg Mayles, the director of Sea of Thieves and designer on Donkey Kong Country , has announced that he's left Rare. News of Mayles' exit was first reported in July 2025 during a rash of layoffs and game cancellations across Xbox Games Studios, but the short poem he shared on X today makes it official. With a 36-year tenure at the studio, Mayles saw its transition from an exclusive Nintendo partner to a Microsoft subsidiary. He helped design games like Battletoads, created Banjo-Kazooie and when studio founders Tim and Chris Stamper left in 2007, stepped up and became Rare's creative director. Mayles also led the team behind Sea of Thieves , one of Rare's modern successes. Today was my last day at @RareLtd . Thanks to everyone who played and enjoyed any of the games I helped create while I was there. Also thanks to all the people that worked on the games alongside me. It seemed fitting that I should say farewell with one final rhyme! pic.twitter.com/X54u8Bc2o...

Attorney General Pam Bondi posted on X that the Department of Justice contacted Facebook in order to have a group removed that she claimed "was being used to dox and target" US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents operating in Chicago. We reached out to Meta for confirmation and a representative said, "This Group was removed for violating our policies against coordinated harm," however they did not confirm the name of the group or whether the DOJ was involved in the action.  Officers for the immigration agency have reportedly been moving through Chicago with facial coverings, no name tags and sometimes in vehicles with no license plates, although a US District Judge ruled that all ICE agents who are not undercover are required to display visible identification while operating in the Chicagoland area.  The Department of Justice has demanded that other tech companies remove content the current administration has deemed critical of its immigration policie...

Google is tweaking how sponsored results will appear in Search. Going forward, it will group any text ads on the Search page into a "Sponsored results" section that will appear at the top of the screen. The size of the ads is unchanged and Google says there will never be more than four ads in a grouping. Once you scroll past the section with ads, you can click a button to hide all sponsored results.  According to Google, "the new design helps people navigate the top of the page more easily." Maybe that's because people have gotten used to automatically looking farther down the search results to skip the AI Overviews. Google's announcement even noted that the sponsored tab might appear either above or below its AI-generated summary. What's another second of scrolling to actually reach information? But lest you scroll too far, Google will also have a "Sponsored results" section at the very bottom of the page that can only be hidden after you...

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 ...

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 : ...

Days ahead of the next Pokémon game release , Centro Leaks is back with another batch of possible leaks about the franchise. The source claims that the same hacker behind last year's so-called Teraleak has released more information they obtained from datamining files owned by Pokémon developer Game Freak that shows the roadmap for all upcoming projects the company has in the works. And there appear to be quite a few of them. This type of hacked information may not be an accurate reflection of Game Freak's actual plans, and any alleged details about the games may not appear in final iterations of the studio's titles. And even if these files are genuine, some of the planning documents are supposedly from 2020 , so hardly the freshest info. With those caveats in mind, here's an overview of what the datamining revealed. The leaker claims that the Gen 10 game will be called Pokémon Wind and Waves . Its theme is "infinity" and the project is slated for a 202...

Today's Wordle answer is sometimes a bit fuzzy. If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you. SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for October 13, 2025 Where did Wordle come from? Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble , music identification game Heardle , and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once .  Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times , and TikTok creators...

SpaceX is gearing up for the 11th flight test of its Starship megarocket, which will launch from its Starbase in Texas as early as Monday. The launch window opens on October 13 at 7:15PM ET. You'll be able to watch live starting 30 minutes before liftoff on the SpaceX website and on X.  Starship's latest flight follows a successful test at the end of August, during which it deployed a payload — eight dummy Starlink satellites — in space for the first time following a failed attempt earlier in the year. The company is aiming to carry out another payload demonstration for flight 11, again using eight Starlink simulators. For this flight, SpaceX is using a previously flown Super Heavy booster, with 24 of its 33 Raptor engines being flight-proven. The goals this time around include "flight experiments gathering data for the next generation Super Heavy booster, stress-testing Starship’s heatshield, and demonstrating maneuvers that will mimic the upper stage’s final app...

Today's Wordle answer is difficult simply because one uncommon letter could leave you with more guesses than chances to guess. If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you. SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for October 11, 2025 Where did Wordle come from? Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble , music identification game Heardle , and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once .  Wordle eventually beca...