Tech Boys

With Windows 10 support set to end on Oct. 10, it's high time to find a replacement if you're still rocking a pokey old Windows laptop. And as Mashable's resident laptop expert , I'm here to guide you to your dream laptop. To find the best Windows laptops, we thoroughly hands-on tested dozens of PCs on the basis of performance, build quality, battery life, and value. All of the laptops we picked scored high enough to secure a Mashable Choice Award — the highest honor we give to the gadgets we review. The best Windows 11 laptops run an impressive gamut, from lightweight Copilot+ PCs that last all day to dual-display stunners, subtle gaming stations , and approachable modular systems. Some of them, dare I say, will tempt even the most devoted Apple MacBook disciples. SEE ALSO: You can stay on Windows 10 for another year for free — if you act by Oct. 14 As of September 2025, Mashable's favorite Windows laptop for most people is the 13.8-inch Microsoft Surf...

Google Maps appears to be going through an outage. At least in some regions, the mobile version of Google Maps is unable to fully load its map or provide directions. Over 4,000 reports have been filed for the service on Downdetector , and as of 2:12PM ET, Google's Status Dashboard noted that the company was investigating an issue with the Maps SDK for Android and iOS, along with the Navigation SDK. On both the Android and iOS versions of Google Maps, the service was unable to fully load its map, display listings or provide directions. In at least one case, the app also showed an error message saying that Google Maps "Cannot reach server." Whatever is causing the issue doesn't seem to have reached the web version of Google Maps, which is still able to provide directions like normal. Ian Carlos Campbell for Engadget In the description of the issue on Google's Status Dashboard, the company doesn't provide an explanation for the outage or a particular fix. ...

The AirPods Pro 3 Apple introduced at the iPhone 17 event yesterday have better active noise cancellation and foam-filled ear tips, but their most important new feature is a subtle one: Apple came up with even more reasons for you to never take them out. Wearing headphones while you're talking to someone or interacting in public was at one point a social faux pas, but the ubiquity of AirPods and new features Apple has added have started to change that. The AirPods Pro's Conversation Awareness feature, which can automatically duck audio while you're talking to someone, is the simplest expression of this idea, but the vast majority of the improvements the company has made to its wireless earbuds have also created reasons to keep them in. Take the hearing health features Apple debuted in 2024. Not only do they let your AirPods Pro act as a tool for checking your ear health, they can also act as a hearing aid and even hearing protection in a loud environment. With the Air...

President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill was passed in July, and part of that bill was the new "no tax on tips" law that would allow workers to earn tips and not have to declare them on taxes. The U.S. Treasury released a list of professions that were eligible for this law last week. Somewhat surprisingly, content creators of various types made the list.  The list mostly includes the stuff you would expect, including bartenders, wait staff, food servers, gambling employees like dealers, dancers (yep, those types), ushers, lobby attendants, bellhops, and entertainers.  Tucked into the list is “Digital Content Creators,” which the Treasury defines as people who "produce and publish on digital platforms original entertainment or personality-driven content, such as live streams, short-form videos, or podcasts." SEE ALSO: How content creators are redefining Hollywood's power structure Comedians, singers, musicians, and DJs are also included. These types of per...

Apple’s big September iPhone launch is in the books — and it landed pretty much exactly as expected. The company delivered exactly what fans were expecting: a new iPhone lineup, next-generation AirPods, and sweeping upgrades across the Apple Watch family. SEE ALSO: The iPhone 17 has officially landed. Here's how and when you can preorder all 4 phones. For all the new devices, a few rumored products never materialized. The HomePod mini and AirTag 2 were absent from the presentation, despite reports suggesting updates were imminent. Apple also chose not to debut its long-awaited Siri overhaul, leaving its next big AI moment for sometime in the future. But there's a chance for more Apple product announcements in the days ahead, especially if Apple has plans to do one more event in October. To make life easier, though, here’s a quick roundup of everything Apple announced today. AirPods Pro 3 Credit: Ian Moore / Mashable Composite; Apple Apple refreshed its flagship e...

TL;DR: Live stream Chile vs. Uruguay in World Cup qualifiers for free on SBS On Demand . Access this free streaming site from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN . Chile have really suffered in this 2026 World Cup qualification campaign, sitting at the bottom of the standings with only 10 points and one game left to play. They end things with a home fixture against Uruguay , a team that secured qualification without hassle. If you want to watch Chile vs. Uruguay in World Cup qualifiers for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need. When is Chile vs. Uruguay? Chile vs. Uruguay in World Cup qualifiers kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Sept. 9 . This fixture takes place at the Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos National. How to watch Chile vs. Uruguay for free Chile vs. Uruguay in World Cup qualifiers is available to live stream for free on SBS On Demand . SBS On Demand is geo-restricted to Australia, but anyone can access this free streaming ser...

Bluesky has added a built-in bookmarking feature so users finally have a way to privately save posts on the platform. The update is out now on Bluesky's website and app. Bookmarks on Bluesky work pretty much like they do on any other service. Save a post and you can revisit it later from the "saved posts" section of the app and website. It's overall a basic feature — there's currently no way to organize your saves into folders, for example — but it's a very long overdue addition to the platform.  Up to now, Bluesky users have technically been able to save posts via a workaround. Bluesky developer Jaz created a custom "pinned" feed that allowed subscribers to save posts by replying with a 📌 emoji. But while this provided a handy way to save posts in the absence of an official bookmarking feature, it wasn't private since it created a public reply for every save. Now, though, there's a handy tool to convert your previously "pinn...

Rimac Technology has unveiled a new battery pack platform for electric vehicles that uses only solid-state batteries. The company has been an EV supplier for notable car brands including Aston Martin and Koenigsegg, as well as making electric supercar Nevara . Rimac collaborated with ProLogium and Mitsubishi Chemical Group on the product, which it claims will offer a lighter, safer and more energy-dense EV battery. It introduced this tech, alongside new composite and hybrid battery EV developments, at the IAA Mobility 2025 event. Solid-state batteries are being touted as an important new development for EVs. European R&D operation Imec released a study into this tech last year that backed claims that these batteries did indeed have the potential to improve efficiency while bringing down costs. However, the commercial development of solid-state batteries has been slow going. Despite a flurry of partnerships several years ago, the targets for getting EVs fully powered by the t...

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." This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. Google has gone all-in on AI over the past few years with Gemini and an assortment of other ...